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Barrier Island Migration Harvested from Google Earth, this image speaks volumes on the issue of barrier island migration. The principle is that during periods of sea-level rise, barrier islands will “migrate” inland via erosion and long-shore transport of sediment followed by its deposition elsewhere. All this is facilitated by storm-driven wash-over events, such as those that occurred during Superstorm Sandy, that “push” (the actual mechanism is more akin to disassembly and reassembly) the barrier island back towards the mainland. Conversely, during periods of sea-level fall, barrier islands will relocate sea-ward due to reduced erosion and increased near-shore sediment deposition at and just beyond the ocean-front margins. Google Earth screen-grab of the Holgate-Forsythe border The image here is the south end of Long Beach Island (LBI), showing the populated, and “hardened”, area of Holgate in Long Beach Township and the preserved natural area of the Forsythe Reserve to its South. For the most part, fortification has stabilized the developed portion, but for anyone who is familiar with the area, it has come at the expense of the beach (hardening a shoreline often accelerates erosion at the beach front) itself, and many ocean-front houses exist under a constant state of threat by waves and surge, while the preserved natural area has been allowed to follow the natural path of Westward migration and thus has self-maintained a healthier beach profile. Some may take this information as proof that fortification/hardening of the beach front works, but many experts in the field feel that what some consider a permanent solution is actually a temporary fix, and likely provides a false sense of security by convincing people to stay-put, actually putting them in harm’s way by providing erroneous reassurance. Bearing in mind that rising waters, storms like Sandy, and likely time itself may eventually prove futile the efforts made to nail-down the island where it currently lies. Another interesting point to note is that, while the Forsythe Reserve area did indeed experience over-wash and breaching during Sandy, these breaches have filled in via natural sediment transport, requiring no human intervention, since the event.
Growing Butter Bibb Lettuce "Bibb" lettuce is known for its dark outer leaves, light yellow center and sweet flavor. "Bibb" lettuce, a cultivar of butterhead lettuce, is known for its small head and smooth, dark green leaves with dark red edges. Butterhead lettuces form in loose heads with crumpled leaves that feel as smooth as butter to the touch. Butterhead cultivars have thicker leaves than other lettuce varieties and take on a light yellow color toward the interior of the lettuce head. "Bibb" lettuce adds a sweet flavor to salads and can also be steamed or used as a food wrap. Planting Site Butterhead "Bibb" lettuce does well in full sun or partial shade. Lettuces prefer well-drained, slightly acidic soil with a pH between 5.8 and 6.5. Amend the soil with finished compost and aged manure before planting to make the soil more fertile. If you have to choose between a location that receives the best sunlight or has the best soil conditions, choose the site with better sunlight. You can alter soil conditions more easily than you can change the sunlight in a given space. "Bibb" lettuce and other lettuce varieties are cool-season crops, grown and harvested in late winter and early spring before the weather warms or in fall for a late fall harvest. You can sow seeds in the ground as much as six weeks before the last frost date, if applicable in your area, or sow seeds indoors up to 10 weeks before the last expected frost. Plant a few seeds 1/4 inch deep, with each planting spaced 12 inches apart. Space each planting row at least 18 inches apart. After seedlings emerge, thin the plants to leave only one healthy plant for every 12 inches of growing space. Water and Fertilization Water the "Bibb" lettuce frequently to keep the soil moist but not soaking wet. Squeeze a bit soil in your palm to determine appropriate watering. The soil should form a loose ball that is slightly crumbly. Soil sticks together when too wet and falls apart easily when too dry. Lettuce needs deep, even watering to develop full, healthy lettuce heads. Soaker hoses arranged around "Bibb" lettuces ensures slow, deep watering and prevents splashing mud on the lettuce leaves, while mulch helps to retain moisture in the soil. You can apply a complete fertilizer, such as 10-10-10, to your "Bibb" plants or fertilize organically with finished compost, applied as a side dressing at planting and at midseason. Protection and Harvest "Bibb" lettuce matures in 65 days, but the weather could get hot before the plants are ready to harvest. Cover the lettuce with shade cloth on hot, sunny days to protect them from bolting and going to seed. Check plants regularly for common pests such as aphids, slugs and snails. You can simply spray aphids away with water or trap slugs in snails in a saucer of beer placed on the ground. You can either cut a few mature outer leaves as needed while allowing the interior of the lettuce head to develop or you can allow the entire plant to mature and cut it off at the ground. About the Author Photo Credits • Digital Vision./Digital Vision/Getty Images Suggest a Correction
Wednesday, May 11, 2011 Hump Day! This morning in math we reviewed the difference between AM and PM and learned about a new anchor activity. The anchor activity is a board game that helps the students practice calculating elapsed time. While the students worked independently on elapsed time activities, Mrs. Arul worked with students measuring time on an analog clock and I worked with a group calculating elapsed time. There is a worksheet for homework and we will have a quiz on Friday. In reading we concentrated on Haiku poetry. Haikus are a Japanese form of poetry that centers around nature and the seasons. It is composed of 3 lines with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 in the second and 5 in the third. While I met with reading groups, the students worked with some Haiku poems. They also had some spelling activities to complete. After taking care of any unfinished work they were able to choose between reading, writing and copying and illustrating poems. Reading Groups: Hyenas: We discussed the need to stop, frequently, when reading to make sure they can viualize (or exaplin) what is happening in the story. If they can't, then they need to go back to a point where they can and reread. Then we began rereading chapter 3 and discussing the hard-boiled egg fad. For homework they need to read pages 60-73 and exapling why Ramona is called a nuisance. Snow Tigers: We discussed how Lu Yi is feeling at the end of chapter 6. Then we began reading chapter 7. For homework the students need to read pages 75-82 and idetify the decision that Lu Yi must make. Following lunch and outdoor recess the students will go to PE. When they return, they will be going to a cultural arts program. No comments: Blog Archive
In addition to p53 itself, the p53 tumor suppressor family is also made up of tumor protein 63 and tumor protein p73. Like p53, p63 functions as a transcription factor to regulate the cell cycle. Mutant TP63 is also related to many cancers. In contrast, mutant p73 or a lack p73 altogether apparently does not affect tumor growth. p73 is rarely mutated in cancers. This family of tumor suppressors is found in multicellular organisms and has been shown to have a highly conserved domain structure in many species of vertebrates. Molecular BiodiversityEdit p63 and p73 were both discovered several years after the initial discovery of p53 and were classified in the p53 family due to their structural similarities. Although p53 was the first protein in the family to be discovered, certain evidence suggests that p63 was actually the original protein from which p53 and p73 evolved. Additionally, they all have a transactivation domain located in the N–terminus, which is linked to the DNA–binding domain, followed by an oligomerization domain, and finally a C–terminus containing NLS and NES(Belyi and Levine, 2009). It appears that the highest region of conservation between the three proteins is the DNA–binding domain, sharing 55–87% homology in humans (Belyi and Levine, 2009). The p53 family has been evolving for over one billion years. The family originated from a p63/p73 ancestor gene which is still commonly found in all invertebrates (Belyi et al. 2010). The first p53 gene was born when it split from its ancestor via a gene duplication in a cartilaginous fish, creating a p53 gene and a separate p63/p73 ancestor gene (Belyi et al. 2010). p63 and p73 then diverged from their common ancestor with a second duplication in species of bony fish (Belyi et al 2010). Although the respective structures and functions vary between different species of vertebrates and invertebrates, the p53 family has managed to maintain its original structure and function since it began divergence (Belyi et al. 2010). 1. Keri: p53: Introduction 2. Keri: p53: Biological function 3. Keri: p53: Biosynthesis 4. Keri: p53: Gene sequence 5. Keri: p53: Amino acid sequence and composition 6. Keri: p53: Secondary and tertiary structure 7. Keri: p53: Domains and structural motifs 8. Keri: p53: Interactions with macromolecules and small molecules 9. Keri: p53: Molecular biodiversity and evolution 10. Keri: p53: Literature overview 11. Keri: p53: Useful online resources Ad blocker interference detected!
Monday, 18 May 2015 Kehinde Wiley: Masterpieces With a Black Cast "I know how young black men are seen." Kehinde Wiley Kehinde Wiley, "one of the most celebrated painters of his generation", is known for painting young larger-than-life men and women enacting a scene from an old-master painting. The contemporary clothes contrast the ornately patterned background that are based on Victorian wallpaper or Renaissance tapestries. The reason why his cast is black is that he is "using the power of images to remedy the historical invisibility of black men and women" (Solomon, 2015). Wiley was awarded the U.S. Department of State Medal of Arts for "using his art to promote cultural diplomacy" (via). Washington Post Interview from October 2014: Q. Your work has been largely focused on the image of men in modern society, starting with the streets of Harlem and expanding into an international brand. What made you arrive at the idea of creating work that was focused on women? A.In the end, so much of what I wanted to do was to have a body of work that exhaustively looked at black American notions of masculinity. How we look at black men - how they’re perceived in public and private spaces - and to really examine that, going from every possible angle. And so far as women were concerned, I always had been curious about how they would fit into my vocabulary, but I didn’t know how to go about [making] a fresh new body of work. I didn’t think it was appropriate to thoughtlessly remake the same type of work and just place women in that field. I thought it would be useful to look at the history of how women had been seen in paintings, how they’d been portrayed in paintings, and how specifically a painting made in the 21st century, they both acknowledge and respond and accept and protest to all of those beautiful and terrible things from the past. Q. In the documentary, we see the women go through a heavily outward transformative process - they wear gowns, headpieces and makeup - not unlike the paintings of women of status in earlier centuries. A. I really thought it was important to look at the language of power as opposed to our historical painting. But also I think in many ways it was to sort of pay homage to all the myriad black women in my own life. It’s amidst the sometimes daunting realities of thinking about my own mother and her story, thinking about my aunts, and sort of the space and the circle of women that surrounded me as a man and paying homage to that in a body of work that used the language and power of dignity but also folds that into a conversation around our historical dignity and how that language has been used and manipulated. Q. At the beginning of the documentary, you are discussing the idea of the exotic in everyday culture, and you say “I think that when I watch television or participate in media culture in America, sometimes the way that I’ve seen black people being portrayed in this country feels very strange and exotic, because it has nothing to do with the life that I’ve lived or the people that I’ve known.” In examining the recent events of the death of Mike Brown, a young African American man in Ferguson, Mo., how can your artwork continue to mold the conversation of the image of the modern-day black man? A. I think it gets to what the heart of what my work is about. So what does it feel like to be in this colored skin that I inhabit every single day? The difference between the reality of that and knowing your own personal history, your own desires and longings and humanity. And then watching in the public sphere your own precepts and thoughts around it — you’re reduced to this charade, this two-dimensional caricature. The heart of what my work is about is to be able to flesh out the tension and anxieties of life at the intersection between those two places. Not to run away from it but to be able to accept that conflict, and to be able to create images that at once celebrate and not denounce the very confusing state of being. And so far, as the nation is still going through this and coming to grips with the way they view black men in the streets of Ferguson or New York or Los Angeles, it shows that in a very real way whilst we have the first African American president, as we may think gains [are being made], it remains a work in progress. - Solomon, D. (2015) Masterpieces Revisited, With a Black Cast. The New York Times International Weekly (Der Standard), 9 February 2015, p. 4 1. Replies 1. Thank you for leaving a comment, Karen :-) 2. Great stuff! Thanks! 3. It's always a pleasure stopping by your blog. 1. I really appreciate your feedback; many thanks!
Friday, August 21, 2009 The pre-modern Korean popular music first appeared in the 1930s, heavily influenced by Japanese popular songs, Since Japan required the colonial administration in Korea to restrict all forms of artistic expression, Koreans had little opportunity to create their own modern genre. In the 1950s and 1960s, the musical performances organized by U.S. forces in and around the American military bases in South Korea provided South Koreans with examples of modern music. And soon had several genres, which consisted of girl & boy bands which appeal lay mostly in their appearance. Cho Yong Pil In 1970s, rock music was introduced into South Korea, mainly popularized by Cho Yong Pil. Which also became a main genre in pop music. But the turning point came with the group Seo Taiji and Boys in the 1992, which changed the popular music, as the group incorporated elements of American popular musical genres such as rap , rock, and techno into its music. Seo Taiji and Boys The tremendous success of Seo Taiji and Boys in South Korea and other experimental groups, such as Panic, set the trend for the present generation of K-pop groups and artists. Following Seo Taiji and Boys, dance-oriented acts became dominant in the South Korean popular music scene of the early 90s including the legendary hip hop duo Deux (듀스). By the mid-90s, Seo Taiji and Boys retired from South Korea's pop music scene. After that, teen idol groups that are now often considered "legendary groups" due to their strong popularity during their era, such as Baby V.O.X., Fin.K.L., g.o.d, H.O.T., Shinhwa, Sechs Kies, S.E.S., Solid, and R.ef were very popular, having strong fanbases and high-selling albums (with some groups having a "million seller", an album selling over one million copies). Starting with the break-up of Sechs Kies, however, most of these groups have since disbanded. Although some artists have continued their successes in the following decade, new groups (most notably TVXQ, Super Junior, Big Bang, Epik High, SHINee, SS501, Girls' Generation) have since taken their places. Currently, in the 2000s, pop groups are still very popular although there has been an emergence of South Korean R&B and Hip-Hop. Artists such as MC Mong, 1TYM, Rain, Big Bang and Epik High have proven successful. Drunken Tiger Underground artists such as Drunken Tiger, Tasha (Yoon Mi Rae), and Dynamic Duo have also helped Hip-Hop become mainstream. Recently, rock music has become noticed by the public, with acts such as the Yoon Do Hyun Band and Seo Taiji gaining national recognition. In addition, there are also popular techno/dance artists such as Lee Jung Hyun and Kim Hyun Jung, who both have had very long careers while remaining firmly entrenched in their genre of music. Just as well, ballads and R&B have remained popular, as singers such as Baek Ji Young and KCM, in addition to SG Wannabe, have continued their success for many years. But adding to last are the more famous international band such as BoA which became the higest selling international artist thanks to the blooming J-pop culture from South Korea. But also artists such as Rain, Rain has also had his international RAINY DAY 2005 Tour, having tour dates at Madison Square Garden, the first South Korean star to do so. He has been also recently featured in Hollywood films.
Friday, March 25, 2011 Nukes, Japan, Talk Radio, and Reality The situation regarding the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants is extremely serious if you're Japanese. Efforts to get the damage caused by the recent Tsunami under control is not succeeding, and at least one worst case scenario is realistically possible. The #3 reactor, the most dangerous of the three since it is driven by Plutonium as its fuel source is also the most damaged. Nothing attempted so far has manged to cool the reactor to safe levels. The core appears to be leaking. Radiation emissions have reached a much higher, more critical level. While few will say it directly, a meltdown looks quite possible. How that would affect the other three reactors with various degrees of damage too is hard to determine. What won't happen is that any of these reactors could explode like a nuclear bomb explosion. What could happen would be environmental and atmospheric exposure to extremely dangerous radiation. Still, there is no evidence the reactor would explode wide open like the 1986 Ukrainian Chernobyl disaster from the Soviet Union. Currently, adding to the overall scare is reportage that "millions" died from cancer suggesting Chernobyl was the cause. This is not true, but the death toll was significant. 336,000 people were relocated to uncontaminated land. Territory in the Ukraine and Belarus remain contaminated today. 31 people were killed directly from the Chernobyl explosion, but the radiation deaths are harder to determine. Of the many cancer deaths over the likely geographic area, how many were truly caused by this disaster? The World Health Organization reports 50 deaths as of 2005 appear certain and the overall toll over time could reach 4,000. Greenpeace, an activist environmental group believes the death toll could reach 200,000. Where are the millions that scare monger talk radio hosts suggest? We report this neither to minimize Japan's emergency or use Chernobyl as the big scare. Chernobyl is the one fatal nuclear disaster so far. Three Mile Island suffered a complete core meltdown, but there was not one death. Fukushima Daiichi will be worse than Three Mile Island. Predictions are just that and we do not know what the end of this story will be. Worst case scenario is a lot of precious land could be ruined rendered unusable for countless generations. How much radiation reaches fatal levels and how many people will be exposed is not possible to be calculated yet. What is for certain, residents in the United States have absolutely NOTHING to fear. Might Geiger counters make a little more noise -- yes. Is that indicating a danger -- no. We are exposed to radiation sources daily, and x-rays, CAT scans and MRI's subject us to higher levels. We exposed ourselves to radiation for years with CRT tube televisions and computer monitors. Plasma TV's emit radiation too. No matter what happens in Japan, there will not be enough radiation crossing the Pacific Ocean to hurt even Hawaii. So how should society deal with those who use the public airwaves to misinform us, scare us over insane speculations, lie about how the government is dealing with the disaster, and suggest us to do irresponsible things like taking prophylactic doses of Iodine supplements? Fear mongering on the Japanese reactor problem is all over the Internet, but few are more conspicuous than the mastermind behind and, Alex Jones. Early, Jones boasted to his audience and on video, that he has obtained a huge quantity of iodine capsules so his people will be safe. Now today, in his absence, his substitute host cranks up the paranoia machine even to a higher degree. This makes Glenn Beck look rational. We present this to show the kind of nonsense that's fueling the fear. That any radio station licensed to serve the public good would broadcast such nonsense is appalling. This is Paul Wilson filling in for Alex Jones. The insane paranoid conspiratorial message is the same. If this program is broadcast in your community, you must write, email, or call station management and tell them what you think of such irresponsible programming. To the extent that listeners might believe such outrageous spin becomes the station's responsibility for allowing it to be broadcast. We must demand better of the broadcasting industry in our country. While individuals' freedom of speech allows them to lie and scream "the sky is falling" this does not mean broadcasters can continue to provide outlets for serial liars, vicious demagogues, and filthy fear mongers. Please join us in demanding responsible (regardless of political stance) broadcasting. This cannot stand. No comments:
The “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” quite likely a modern forgery Admittedly, “Jesus had a wife” is a more sensational headline than “Media outlets fooled by modern forgery.” But it seems the latter headline is more likely to be correct. My PhD supervisor, Professor Francis Watson, an expert in early Christian texts, makes a compelling case that the fragment which has come to be assumed to be an extract from a document labelled the “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” was probably composed by a modern forger, relying largely on the Gospel of Thomas along with Matthew’s Gospel. There’s both a specialist (for those who would like to follow the Coptic translation) and a non-specialist (for those who don’t) version of Watson’s piece available for free download at Durham University’s Department of Theology and Religion: The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife: How a fake Gospel-Fragment was composed. Watson’s summary (p. 6): Mark Goodacre’s blog also carries the piece. HT @orreymac. Proofreading services for authors, students, and publishers
Brilliant Products This Synthetic Iris Could Repair Damaged Eyes and Advance Microrobotics The eye is among the most fragile body parts in the human body. Until the last few decades, there wasn't much that doctors could do to improve damaged eyes or lost vision. Recently, a team of scientists at Finland's Tampere University of Tech introduced a synthetic iris that automatically adjusts itself based on available light that can not only be used to repair human eyes, but could also lead the way to new microrobotic technologies. Artificial iris responds to light like the human eye An Iris by Any Other Name... In the human eye, the iris is the thin circle surrounding the pupil that adjusts around the pupil to control the amount of light that gets through. It's also the part that can attract other humans due to its lovely "baby blue," "emerald green," or other hue along the color spectrum. Going from a darkened space such as a hallway to a bright, day-lit street, or vice versa, creates a need to wait a few seconds for the eyes to adjust accordingly. That's the iris in action! When there's a lot of light, the iris closes in around the pupil, shrinking it to the size of a pinhead if necessary, to protect the retina inside the eye. When it's dark, the iris widens the pupil so what little light available can help you guide yourself a little more easily and safely in the night. Camera technology uses a similar mechanism (also known as an aperture) that controls the depth of perception as well as the amount of light in the photo. While a human eye is, of course, controlled by the brain, a camera's iris has traditionally required an external sensor to control its movement. That is, until now. No Sensors Needed At the Tampere University of Technology in Finland, a team lead by Arri Priimägi created a new, synthetic iris that is able to open and close autonomously without the need for an external sensor. Made with a rubbery-textured material called liquid crystal elastomer, the synthetic iris spans 14 millimeters across and is fashioned with 12 radial petals that are positioned to curl outward in the dark. While human eyes respond to light, the synthetic materials respond to heat, so to ensure their creation would be able to replicate the function of the real deal, they scientists added a type of red dye to the liquid crystal that heats up when it comes in contact with blue or green light, causing the petals to close the aperture. Although Priimägi and his team say their invention is not yet ready to be implanted into a human eye, they believe it is the first step to making that a reality. In the meantime, the synthetic iris could also lead to new research in microbiotics, where it could be used as sensors on tiny, delicate machines. Artificial Iris Works Like Your Eyes
identitás címkéhez tartozó bejegyzések Barna Ildikó: Szépség a számok mögött ELTE TÁTK, 2014/2015/őszi félév kvantitatív társadalomkutatás nemzeti jellegzetességek kognitív disszonancia hallgatás spirálja A felvételt készítette és szerkesztette Galambos László. Hungarian Germans A program by Erasmus students (2014) In German language It’s crowded in the foyer of the Müvesz Cinema in Budapst. It’s Fridaymorning. Usually, the cinema is closed during this time. Not today. Today, there are hundreds of pupils for the FilmFestival „Abgedreht“. The pupils produced films about the Hungarian Germans. „Abgedreht“, the hungarian-german Filmfestival, is for pupils between the ages of 14-19 young film-producers between the ages of 19 and 35. It’s about showing their view on the Hungarin-Germans in form of Short-Films. The young film-producers are supposed to make advertising-spot for the Hungarian-Germans. We show hungarian-german literature, it’s a very old cradle-song called „Schlaf Kindlein, schlaf“. It’s from the 19th century. And there’s also a cradle-song by Klaus Klotz. This is an overworked version of the first one and it has a totally different meaning from the first one. / The dog is nerved and he runs away, because his lordlings don’t want to do anything with him. When he’s in the city, he becomes scared and the he goes back home. And then he realizes that he’s also a Schwabian. / We want to organize a birthday-party for Sara, but Sara doesn’t feel good in modern clothings. This is why she dresses up in an schwabian dress. The student which are gathered here, are mostly Hungarian-Germans. It means: They are decendants of Germans, who immigrated to Hungary hundreds of years ago. The term „Hungarian-German“ is diffuse. Many Hungarian-Germans don’t live in Hungary anymore – because of Trianon. But they all share a thing: they are living between two cultures. Being Hungarian-German means, being a German in Hungary so to say. This is different from the community. But on the other side, we also belong to Hungary. It’s an interesting mixture. / It’s not only belonging to one Nationality, but belonging to two. It’s the german and the Hungarian nationality. This is kind of a mixtured-identity. You try to combine it. The first germans arrive in Hungary shortly after the foundation of the country. They are popular. Cities are being built after german example, they are seen as hard-working and they are welcome in Hungary. They find a new home. Despite the fact that the Hungarian-Germans are called „Schwaben“, only two percent of the immigrants are actually from Schwaben. There are different phases of immigration. Most of the immigrants are wealthy, hard-working and conformed. WW II brings a change. There were few which always sympathized with Hitler. They stood by him and they even were in the SS. They were interested in the German fascism and thought it was good. But there were also Germans who didn’t want to be part of all of this. They went to church. Nobody knows how many there were of them. But after the war, everybody was seen as a Nazi. The Hungarian-Germans were brought to the SU. Until 1950, there were no German-Classes for the hungarian-german students. There was no cultural work, no press. Many emmigrated. After a while, the language got lost. Until today, there are fewer and fewer Hungarian-Germans which still know German. If you have an identity, you need to work for it. Also, if you want to keep the language. But of course, if you are often in a community where you can’t practise this, then it’s easier to be conformed. This is why still many don’t care about they hungarian-german heritage. Monika Ambach is the director of the „Zentrum“. They care for the hungarian-german heritage in Budapest. Since September 2013, we work here on programmes for the Hungarian-Germans. We have theatre-plays, lectures, wine-tastings and so on. Everything what’s interesting for the people. It’s a very diverse work. In Budapst, it’s hard to offer programmes, because there is a lot already, also for german-speaking people. Monika Ambach cares for the German language. She herself is a Hungarian-German. And it’s important for her that she speaks two languages. I’ve combined my private with my professional life. I’ve always worked on something which was linked to the german minority. I’ve been for a long time a moderator in the hungarian TV, of course for the german programme. Now, I have the possibility to work for the „Zentrum“. So, it’s easy for me to be with the Hungarian-Germans, because I see them at work and also in my private life. For others, this is not so easy. They can’t practise their German so often. That’s why the events of the „Zentrum“ are so important. Here, Hungarian-Germans can meet and talk – most of the time in German. For Monika Ambach, being Hungarian-German is part of the identity. I think, it gives you the possibility to develop yourself. Some find it in art, music or in working in a garden. Others find their german roots and like it to be in a choir or to travel and meeting other poepole. Monika Ambach also cares for the following generations. The biggest question for all is, how to pass my heritage to my children. It’s a big question right now. We have to combine the future with the present and also the past. Daniel Schröder sees himself as a hungarian-german European. He’s part of the younger generation, Monika Ambach aim at. He speeks German and Hungarian fluently. He’s living with his family in Stuttgart. Right now, he is in Budapest for his Erasmus-Semester. I just wanted to live in Budapest for a longer period of time. I’ve been many times here, it’s a wonderful city. And I just wanted to life in the country, where my ancestors come form. He’s working on his heritage. Also, when he’s in Stuttgart. There is a cultural institute in Stuttgart and there are many events. There’s also a youth centre and a centre for hungarian speaking students. There is another club for Germans with Hungarian-German roots. But there, only the old people speak Hungarian, that’s not so much fun. I prefer to meet with the others in the hungarian cultural institute. It’s always fun to meet hungarian students at University. His parents always helped him to find out about his hungarian roots. When he was a child, his family has often traveled to Hungary – though it was a long and exhausting trip. The border controls were annoying. Everything needed to be controled. We’ve had toys with us, my brother and me. This was also controlled by the police. Because we could have hidden something in there. Daniel remembers these trips very well. He’s glad that Europe has changed. Since I was a child, Europe grew together more and more. In the 90s, Hungary was not part of the European Union. You’ve had to wait three hours at the border. There were very huge differences between Germany and Hungary. Nowadays, Hungary is part of the Western culture, it’s more or less like Germany: part of the European Union. I can’t think anymore in categories like East and West or German or Hungarian. Everything is so similar now. Daniel, the hungarian-german European. It means for him speaking Hungarian and German. Also to talk in English. Living in Budapest for a period of time. Meeting other Hungarians and Hungarian-Germans in Germany. It doesn’t mean dancing folk dances or listenting to Brassmusic – like for many others. The hungarian-german culture is very interesting, because many only think of dancing, old songs or brassmusic. But now, there is a new generation which tries to combine modernity with culture, to keep the culture alive. Mixing the modernity with the culture – it’s also something which the Filmfestival „Abgedreht“ tries. Right now, there is a pause in the cinema. Everybody’s waiting for the second half of the presentation. Also Sebastian takes part in „Abgedreht“ – for the third time now. He produced a film with his class. This time it’s about a Schwabian dog and Clichees about Schwabians. He loves to collect things, eating, loud music and saving money. These things. / Do you think that’s part of being a Schwabian? / Somehow well…yes, kind of. Sebastian and his classmates collected these clichees in the classroom. He has great hopes: the last three times, his team won a prize. The year before last year we were first, last year third and this year, we take part for the third time. We’re here every year. The presentation starts again. Sebastian and the others are watching a movie about traditional dresses. His film was shown already in the first part. Now he has to check out his competitors. Monika Ambach, who also organizes this Festival thinks it’s a good opportunity for young people to find out about Hungarian-Germans. They meet people, old people, younger people. They have to research about different things. This is how they get to know a lot of things about the Hungarian Germans. It’s really important, I think. For me, the festival is always interesting. It’s a weird feeling. You congratulate the winners, but there are always losers. And if there’s a 15-year-old that he’ll come back next year for sure – that’s just great. Sebastian is disappointed. He didn’t win anything. Though, he’ll come back next year. Although most of them don’t dance folk dances, wear traditional dresses or are part of a brassband – they are Hungarian-Germans. „Die alte Gärtnerei“ for Solo-Piano, Martin Hauber, Drei Miniaturen für Klavier, 10. April 2008, Oomoxx Media „Seid gegrüßt ihr Deutschen Brüder“; Text: Dr. Ernst Imrich; Melodie: Prof. Ludwig Hackl (1918); played by Ungarndeutsche Jugendblaskapelle Paradise, Colplay, Paradise, 9. September 2011, EMI UK (Piano Version) Franz Zeltner – Meine zwei Sprachen János Szábo – Mein Vaterland Identités culturelles a Budapest Une émission de Charles Danet Lors du programme que vous allez écouter, j’ai eu des entretiens avec deux personnes, un homme et une femme. Lui s’appelle Rémy Berréby, il est âgé de 50 ans et né ŕ Paris, elle s’appelle Diana Szentgyörgyi est âgée de 29 ans, et née en Hongrie, elle a passé dix ans de sa vie en France lors de son adolescence, pendant lesquels elle est allée au lycée et a fait ses études. Leur point commun est qu’ils ont tous deux décidé de venir vivre ŕ Budapest, il y a cinq ans pour Rémy, et un an et demi pour Diana. Le fait que leurs âges et leurs sexes soient différents était un choix, afin de pouvoir confronter leurs points de vue sur ce qu’ils pensent de la France et de la Hongrie, et surtout sur leurs impressions concernant les différences entre leur vie d’avant, et celle qu’ils vivent aujourd’hui. L’évolution de leur identité ŕ travers ce changement d’habitat et d’habitudes, sera l’une des questions abordées. Je m’appuierai réguličrement sur la réflexion employée par le professeur Patrick Charaudeau de l’Université de Paris 13 dans son texte L’identité culturelle entre soi et l’autre, issu des Actes du colloque de Louvain-la-Neuve en 2005. Pour en citer un extrait, le problčme de l’identité commence quand on parle de moi. Qui suis-je ? Celui que je crois ętre, ou celui que l’autre dit que je suis ? Moi qui me regarde, ou moi ŕ travers le regard de l’autre ? Quand je me regarde, puis-je me voir sans un regard extérieur qui s’interpose entre moi et moi ? Fin de la citation. Selon Aristote dans Ethique ŕ Nicomaque, l’homme est un animal politique. Fin de la citation. L’homme est donc naturellement fait pour vivre avec ses semblables. On peut cependant se demander sur quels critčres reconnaître ses semblables, lorsque l’on décide de partir s’installer dans un nouveau pays ? Pour reprendre les mots de Patrick Charaudeau, lorsque l’on évoque l’identité, s’agit-il de moi en tant qu’individu ou en tant qu’appartenant ŕ un groupe ? Mais n’appartenons-nous qu’ŕ un seul groupe ou n’avons-nous pas une multi-appartenance ? Fin de la citation. C’est ŕ l’écoute des deux personnes interrogées que je vais tenter de répondre ŕ ces questions. Début de l’interview, les deux entretiens sont coupés et montés ensemble, avec la réponse des deux personnes l’une aprčs l’autre ŕ chaque question pour les comparer. Les entretiens sont montés et séparés selon les thčmes abordés, chaque partie présente ci-dessous permet une transition, la transition étant esquissée par la fin des questions réponses, et permet d’introduire une nouvelle partie. Nous ne pouvons échapper ŕ ŕ ce désir, inessentiel dirait Jacques Lacan, d’un autre soi-męme. Paradoxalement, Patrick Charaudeau raconte dans son article L’identité culturelle, entre soi et l’autre, une histoire intéressante. ‘Comme tous les matins, entre neuf heures et dix heures, un fou fait sa promenade dans la cour de l’asile. Mais ce matin-lŕ ne va pas ętre comme les autres, car quelque chose l’intrigue : l’espace qu’il parcourt toujours de la męme maničre, depuis bientôt quinze ans, cet espace est entouré de murs. Comment se fait-il qu’il ne l’avait jamais remarqué ? Que peut-il y avoir derričre ces murs : le néant, un autre monde, l’au-delŕ peut-ętre ? Pris par la curiosité de savoir, il grimpe sur l’un des murs et, arrivé en haut, se penche vers l’autre côté pour regarder. Lŕ, il voit des gens qui circulent dans un autre espace. Quelque peu étonné, il arręte l’un des passants et lui demande : « Dites-donc, mon brave, vous ętes nombreux lŕ-dedans ? »’Selon Charaudeau, cette histoire de fou est tout ŕ fait exemplaire de la maničre dont se construit et fonctionne l’identité culturelle. La perception de la différence de l’autre constitue d’abord la preuve de sa propre identité : « il est différent de moi, donc je suis différent de lui, donc j’existe ».’ Cette théorie s’applique ŕ la maničre dont Rémy se conçoit en opposition aux autres français vivant ŕ Budapest. De la męme maničre Diana dénigre la population hongroise. A supposer que l’on ait une identité, on peut se demander si elle est toujours le résultat d’une construction volontariste comme on le voit chez les populations de migrants qui doivent s’intégrer dans un pays autre que celui de leur origine. C’est notamment le cas de Diana, lorsque celle-ci affirme vouloir dessiner un nouveau drapeau symbolisant le mieux son identité multiculturelle, tandis que Rémy lui se voit clairement représenté par le drapeau français, peut ętre est-ce ŕ cause des différentes langues que parle Diana tandis que Rémy ne parle que le français. La question du langage utilisé est évidemment primordiale, elle permet au locuteur de se sentir appartenir ŕ un groupe oů chacun parle la męme langue et donc se comprend. Selon Patrick Charaudeau dans son article Identité linguistique, identité culturelle : une relation paradoxale L’activité de langage est en quelque sorte un gage de liberté de l’individu comme possibilité d’interrogation et d’analyse sur l’autre et sur soi. Fin de citation. C’était Identités culturelles ŕ Budapest, une émission de Charles Danet, produite ŕ Budapest sur la radio EPER en 2014. Turkish minority in Budapest: culture and identity A program by Mehmet Sinan Egemen In Turkish language Program Transcript
What kind of corn make the largest ears? 1. 0 Votes While I could not find which corn makes the largest ears, I would have to assume it is dent corn. The dent corn plant is the largest type, reaching 8 to 15 feet in height. Dent corn is the principal type grown in the United States and is widely used for feed, fodder, and silage. It would make sense that the dent corn would produce the largest ears of corn if it is the most popular type of corn grown in the U.S. 2. 0 Votes Jala Maize from Mexico has ears more than 12 inches (30 centimeters) long, making it the type of corn with the longest ears in the world. However, it is only native to Jala, Mexico, and its ears cannot reach full size outside of the area. This is because the local volcano Ceboruco provides the maize with mineral-rich ash that helps it grow. Please signup or login to answer this question.
IDisposable, Done Right IDisposable is a standard interface in the .NET framework that facilitates the deterministic release of unmanaged resources. Since the Common Language Runtime (CLR) uses Garbage Collection (GC) to manage the lifecycle of objects created on the heap, it is not possible to control the release and recovery of heap objects. While there are methods to force the GC to collect unreferenced objects, it is not guaranteed to clear all objects, and it is highly inefficient for an application to force garbage collection as part of the service control flow. Implementing IDisposable Despite IDisposable having only a single method named Dispose to implement, it is commonly implemented incorrectly. After reading this blog post it should be clear how and when to implement IDisposable, as well as how to ensure that resources are properly disposed when bad things happen (also knows as exceptions). First, the IDisposable interface definition: public interface IDisposable void Dispose(); Next, the proper way to implement IDisposable every single time it is implemented: public class DisposableClass : bool _disposed; public void Dispose() protected virtual void Dispose(bool disposing) if (_disposed) if (disposing) // free other managed objects that implement // IDisposable only // release any unmanaged objects // set the object references to null _disposed = true; The pattern above for implementing IDisposable ensures that all references are properly disposed and released. Using the finalizer, along with the associated dispose methods, will ensure that in every case references will be properly released. There are some subtle things going on in the code, however, as described below. The implementation of the Dispose method calls the Dispose(bool disposing) method, passing true, which indicates that the object is being disposed. This method is never automatically called by the CLR, it is only called explicitly by the owner of the object (which in some cases may be another framework, such as ASP.NET or MassTransit, or an object container, such as Autofac or StructureMap). Immediately before the GC releases an object instance, it calls the object’s finalizer. Since an object’s finalizer is only called by the GC, and the GC only calls an objects finalizer when there are no other references to the object, it is clear that the Dispose method will never be called on the object. In this case, the object should release any managed or unmanaged references, allowing the GC to release those objects as well. Since the same object references are being released as those that are released when Dispose is called, this method calls the Dispose(bool disposing) method passing false, indicating that the references objects Dispose method should not be called. All object references and unmanaged resources are released in this method. However, the argument indicates whether or not the Dispose method should be called on any managed object references. If the argument is false, the references to managed objects that implement IDisposable should be set to null, however, the Dispose method on those objects should not be called. The reason being that the owning objects Dispose method was not called (Dispose(false) is only called by the finalizer, and not the Dispose method. Overriding Dispose In the example above, the Dispose(bool disposing) method is declared as protected virtual. This is to allow classes that inherit from this class to participate in the disposable of the object without impacting the behavior of the base class. In this case, a subclass should override the method as shown below. public class SubDisposableClass : private bool _disposed; // a finalizer is not necessary, as it is inherited from // the base class protected override void Dispose(bool disposing) if (!_disposed) if (disposing) // free other managed objects that implement // IDisposable only // release any unmanaged objects // set object references to null _disposed = true; The subclass overrides the method, releasing (and optionally disposing) object references first, and then calling the base method. This ensures that objects are released in the proper order (at least between the subclass and the base class, the proper order of releasing/disposing objects within the subclass itself is the responsibility of the developer). Exceptions, Happen Prior to .NET 2.0, if an object’s finalizer threw an exception, that exception was swallowed by the runtime. Since .NET 2.0, however, throwing an exception from a finalizer will cause the application to crash, and that’s bad. Therefore, it is important that a finalizer never throw an exception. But what about the Dispose method, should it be allowed to throw an exception? The short answer, is no. Except when the answer is yes, which is almost never. Therefore, it is important to wrap any areas of the Dispose(bool disposing) method that could throw an exception in a try/catch block as shown below. protected virtual void Dispose(bool disposing) if (_disposed) if (disposing) catch (Exception ex) catch (Exception cex) _session = null; _channelFactory = null; _disposed = true; In the example, session is a reference to an NHibernate ISession and channelFactory is a reference to a WCF IChannelFactory. An NHibernate ISession implements IDisposable, so the owner must call Dispose on it when the object is no longer needed. In the case of the IChannelFactory reference, there is no Dispose method, however, the object must be closed (and subsequently aborted in case of an exception). Because either of these methods can throw an exception, it is important to catch the exception (and, as shown above, log it for troubleshooting or perhaps just ignore it) so that it doesn’t cause either the Dispose method or the object’s finalizer to propagate the exception. Constructor Exceptions On a related topic, when an object’s constructor throws an exception, the runtime considers the object to have never existed. And while the GC will release any object allocated by the constructor, it will not call the Dispose method on any disposable objects. Therefore, if an object is creating references to managed objects in the constructor (or even more importantly, unmanaged objects that consume limited system resources, such as file handles, socket handles, or threads), it should be sure to dispose of those resources in the case of a constructor exception by using a try/catch block. While one might be tempted to call _Dispose_ from the constructor to handle an exception, don’t do it. When the constructor throws an exception, technically the object does not exist. Calling methods, particularly virtual methods, should be avoided. Of course, in the case of managed objects such as an ISession, it is better to take the object as a dependency on the constructor and have it passed into the object by an object factory (such as a dependency injection container, such as Autofac) and let the object factory manage the lifecycle of the dependency. Container Lifecycle Management Dependency injection containers are powerful tools, handling object creation and lifecycle management on behalf of the developer. However, it is important to have a clear understanding of how to use the container in the context of an application framework. For example, ASP.NET has a request lifecycle for every HTTP request received by the server. To support this lifecycle, containers typically have integration libraries that hook into the framework to ensure proper object disposal. For instance, Autofac has a number of integration libraries for ASP.NET, ASP.NET MVC, ASP.NET Web API, and various other application frameworks. These libraries, when configured into the stack as HttpModules, ensure that objects are properly disposed when each request completes. The reason for IDisposable is deterministic release of references by an object (something that used to happen manually with unmanaged languages by calling delete on an object). Implementing it both properly and consistently helps create applications that have predictable resource usage and more easy to troubleshoot. Therefore, consider the example above as a reference point for how objects should be disposed. - Autofac Web Integration - Microsoft Documentation - Resharper Template About Chris Patterson This entry was posted in c#. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. • jer0enh Yuk. I’d hoped that we had moved beyond this monstrosity…. • IDisposable is still alive and well, that’s for sure. • jer0enh Of course it is, I’m not arguing with that. We need deterministic disposal and obviously in some cases the full dispose pattern as you describe it is warranted. However, implementing this full pattern by default on every class that implements IDisposable hurts readability and as others also have said, a Finalizer is almost never needed and can actually introduce other (performance) issues. Please at least skim through the article on codeproject I linked to, it’s well worth a read. • jer0enh (I meant to say skim through part II of the article which offers some simple advice that greatly simplifies the implementation of IDisposable resources) • Hi Chris, Thanks for the detailed article! FYI, I tried downloading the R# template but the link doesn’t work. • Peter-John Lightfoot Some errata, if I may… CLR is for Common Language Runtime (not Command). Also, it is inadvisable to create finalizers by default if the class does not hold unmanaged resources (or managed resources that in turn hold unmanaged resources). Even when a managed IDisposable object was not disposed, it will get decently collected by the GC when it goes out of scope. – This is because an object with a finalizer has the additional overhead of being registered as finalizable with the GC (which in turn means additional overhead of being monitored and scheduled for finalization). At the very least, finalizable objects should suppress finalization from their Dispose method, in the case that the object was properly disposed before going out of scope. This would shave of the second half of the overheads mentioned above. Nevertheless… great post and a good starting point for understanding proper memory management practices in .Net For a follow-up read, consider my blog post for a strong implementation of IDisposable… and if you’re still interested to know more click through to Joe Duffy’s article (link from mine). • Thanks for the article, this was good information. One question: If the Finalizer gets called before Dispose wouldn’t that be considered a bug? When you instantiate a class that implements IDisposable my understanding is that you should take pains to make sure Dispose is called before it goes out of scope. At the least it seems like it would be worth logging a big fat error when the Finalizer is hit and dispose wasn’t called. Otherwise your unmanaged resources don’t get cleaned up until the gc gets around to it, potentially on a different thread, and in unpredictable order when you have more than one disposable • Peter-John Lightfoot The only reason for a finalizer should be to ensure that Dispose is called, in case your consumer didn’t do this as they should have. This means two things: 1) the finalizer should not do anything other than call Dispose(false), and 2) if Dispose(true) is called, your implementation should call GC.SuppressFinalize(this); • Andy Interestingly, writing “implements IDisposable” on a class in VB.Net and hitting enter generates all the pattern’s code for you. I always wondered why C# didn’t. • Jason Bock One other thing… If your object is disposable, you should also throw ObjectDisposedException whenever someone tries to use any member on that object after Dispose() was called: • Samuel Langlois This article is very useful, thanks. I didn’t understand what the disposing parameter really meant, now I do! • peterritchie You don’t mention that the finalizer is only needed if you need to free unmanaged resources (in .NET 4.5, it’s very rare that you need to free unmanaged resources). If you have a finalizer and don’t have unmanaged resources then you’re introducing needless “performance costs associated with Finalize methods”. ( i.e. this pattern should only be used by classes that always need to free unmanaged resources–hence the title of the reference MSDN article “Implementing Finalize and Dispose to Clean Up Unmanaged Resources”. The GC will collect any managed resources that an object uses when that object has no more references, finalizer isn’t needed for that. If you want to deterministically free those managed resources, then be sure Dispose is called (again, no finalizer is needed for that).When you realize you don’t need the finalizer (about 99% of the time) then you no longer need a boolean in the Dispose(bool) method. Once you don’t need that, you don’t really need the 2nd Dispose and subclasses can simply call the IDisposable.Dispose implementation–making the implementation much easier and much less likely for human error. • Mike Ward Agree. If you don’t have unmanaged resources, skip the full dispose pattern and just implement a simple dispose. • sisl developer That’s why you have so many bugs • AstroArch Wow. I can’t believe you are seriously suggesting that someone write LESS code. I mean, what if you might need more later? Sisl Dev is right. That’s why your code is so buggy. There is this concept called Separation of Concerns (SoC). If you want less bugs, you should employ a SoC framework. Do something like this: First, describe an interface where the dispose responsibility lives: public interface IDisposer : IDisposable { void Initialize(Action disposeCallback); Implement it like so: public class Disposer : IDisposer { private readonly Action _disposeCallback; public void Initialize(Action disposeCallback) _disposeCallback = disposeCallback; public void Dispose() Now, because of a concept called Dependency of Concerns (DoC), you can’t just “new” up one of those disposers… you need a factory to do it for you: public interface IDisposerFactory : IDisposable IDisposer Create(Action disposeAction); Now that you have the IDisposerFactory, you can implement your class as so: pubic class YourBuggyClass : IDisposable private readonly IDisposer _disposer; public YourBuggyClass(IDisposerFactory disposerFactory) _disposer = disposerFactory.create((disposing) => DoRealDispose(disposing)); private void DoRealDispose(bool disposing) { // dispose your stuff here public void Dispose() Viola! Your buggy class is now less buggy! You should do it this way every time. That way, when you need to separate your disposal concerns from your class concerns, you have a pure architecture. Good luck, you’ll need it! • German Architecture Team I wish I could flag this……as awesome. This is a dev who loves the craft and really understands how hard it is to write good software. • guessit Why is disposing not a class concern? The DoRealDispose is still there. Why did you favor an dependency on the constructor? Still missing dispose(false) in the finalizer. • Just Saying At the end of the day, in your implementation the dispose responsibility is still “living” in YourBuggyClass. You’re just going around your elbow to get to it. Your interface by itself doesn’t separate anything. Perhaps there is a clue in the monadic Dispose method. The boolean “disposing” suggests that maybe this should really be two functions. PS: Being obnoxious and being condescending doesn’t make you a better developer. • Hmmm I think you might have been lured by a troll. AstroArch, as in Astronaut Architect? I think AstroArch is having a joke of it. Kind of funny, IMO, assuming it is a joke. • Steve Walsh Good observation (I hope!). The scary thing is that I know quite a few devs who would write that sort of code and make that sort of comments… • Erik Eckhardt The whole comment was written tongue-in-cheek. You were to detect that it was blarney by the third sentence (“I mean, what if you might need more later?”). I thought it was a quite funny comment! • “I can’t believe you are seriously suggesting that someone write LESS code.” I try to understand if this is sarcasm or not. • Sergey This is scary, I pity people working with you… Continue writing vague, performance-hitting and hard-to-read code. And conveying it with such vanity… • Mark Lindell That’s awesome… hey, wait a minute… • HB I’d say that is “overarchitected”. It should be the class’s responsibility to dispose of its own objects. That responsibility should not be given off to the consumer. Encapsulated within the current class is so much more robust. • +1000. Someone just linked this and I was replying to explain that it’s actually terrible advice for types that would only contain other managed, disposable types. Adding a finalizer to a class comes with steep GC implications that you do not want to have unless you are working with unmanaged resources. • Romeblue Command Language Runtime (CLR).Command? • Don @Chris Patterson I am so confused. So many comments and so many different opinions. After all, is your approach “the right one”? • I agree with peterritchie. Only implement the finalizer if you directly control unmanaged resources (which you should NEVER EVER be directly controlling anyway, see SafeHandle ( ), or obscure scenarios like temporary files. The reason it is important is because of the finalizer queue ( ). The GC needs to iterate over this thing every time it does a pass. Filling it up with junk that doesn’t need to be there isn’t a good idea.However, you should always provide Dispose(bool) as your inheritors might find they need a finalizer (you don’t need one because you know that you should be using SafeHandle). Your code is also susceptible to a race condition, you could be double-disposed in threaded scenarios. Considering that the thread-safe code is shorter it makes more sense to always do it that way. Basically, you are looking for this: • If multiple threads are sharing a disposable resource, a parent or other thread should be responsible for disposing of it once the consuming threads have exited. Otherwise, a thread could dispose of something that another thread might still be using. • Did you read the comment? Firstly, if your library is being consumed by a 3rd party you can’t guarantee that your best practices are being adhered to. There are bad programmers out there. If your library is not being consumed by a 3rd party you can’t guarantee that your best practices are being adhered to, especially in threaded situations. Good programmers make mistakes.Throwing an ObjectDisposedException is better than double-disposing in absolutely every situation. Rolled back that transaction twice? “Yeah, but the controlling thread was in charge of disposing that object.” Try telling that to a customer who just lost millions to a bug that is easily avoided by simply not using a `bool`. At the very least it’s a lot more explanatory than a FileNotFoundException in a bug report.I don’t put hypothetical walls up around myself, I put up real barriers – and you are irresponsible if you don’t because there is a massive difference between what you should do and what could happen. • Corey Awesome article, details all the potential pitfalls of implementing IDisposable. I noticed a smallmistake and I wanted to point it out in case someone accidentally incorporates it in their project:SubDisposableClass.Dispose sets _disposed to true before calling the baseclass implementation of Dispose. This will result in the cleanup logic in the base class neverbeing executed (since _disposed will already be set to true). • DisposableClass and SubDisposableClass both have their own _disposed flag, so it should be fine. Glad you enjoyed the article – be sure to read all the comments as well! • Evil Exception Swallowing exceptions in the dispose method or finalizer is arguably more dangerous than having the application crash since it can leave your application in an undefined state. I dis-recommend against the advice given in this article. An exception should be an exception and therefore you should do all in your power for preventing Exceptions in the first place and if one is detected, build in the right control flow for preventing that exception from ever happening. Ideally, your application should have no catch blocks. • If you are using any third-party library (including most of the .NET runtime, such as WCF and others) there no way you can achieve this “catch-free” system. If there is nothing the calling method can do about the exception (other than explode in a spectacular fashion) – why bother throwing the exception. Sometimes, RPC calls and the like just don’t end in a happy place, and that’s often just fine. Not to mention that so many people call Dispose in a catch block or finally block, without a try/catch around it, which can lead to entire application crashes. Which sucks at 2am in a production 24×7 system. Plan for failure, and deal with it in the code so you can sleep at night. • fflams This is a good article for beginner developpers, however you should check your example. When explaining how a derived class should override the Dispose(bool) method, you have it set the _disposed falg to true before calling the base.Dispose, that will result in the base class not doing its dispose job and simply setting object references to null…. • Both classes have their own private _disposed, so no problem there. • RaptorXP Hmm yeah, I agree with previous comments. The suggestion in this post is only valid when you want to dispose of unmanaged resources. I can tell you that in 6 years working with .NET, I NEVER had to deal with unmanaged resources from .NET. It is actually harmful to follow this recommendation if you don’t have unmanaged resources because implementing a finalizer in a class automatically promotes the object to Gen 2, and you’ll end up with poor GC performance. • MasaSam Good article. Only thing I’ve noticed to other dispose advice articles I have read is that the sample implementation here sets the private _disposed field to true when disposing has done. Some other articles advices to set, and what I usually do, to set the field true right after it is checked in the beginning of protected Dispose method to prevent entering the disposing lines twice. • What do you think of I’ve been using it as my template • kamranayub This is important, and this is a great tip! When I pulled down the latest ActionMailer.Net library from Nuget, I started getting StackOverflowExceptions. Turns out, they didn’t implement IDisposable correctly. I created a pull-request that fixes the issue, but in retrospect, I still missed some tips brought up in this article. Thanks for sharing. • Dave Black It’s unfortunate that you still have not corrected your article to remove the finalizer (or at least make mention of the fact that you should never add a finalizer unless you are needing to release unmanaged resources). I have a pattern I’ve used for many many years and blogged about it here –
Rational theology, an initial assumption Either you think a proof for the existence of God is a necessary basis for a description of what he is like, or you don’t. Most Scholastic philosophy believes the first- not just it’s Aristotelian camp but also the Anselmian one. Most Analytic philosophy is in the second camp, which sees no need to base a discussion of divine attributes on a previous determination of his existence. The thought seems to be that theology only needs to determine the conceptual coherence of the various properties attributed to divinity, and it is quite another thing to raise the question whether there is any such bearer of the properties. 1 Comment 1. Aron Wall said, January 6, 2015 at 3:35 pm Count me in with the Scholastics on this one—to me it seems quite stupid to debate whether the divine attributes are logically consistent, without first discussing why we think God might exist in the first place. Suppose for example that we are trying to decide whether the property of “omnipotence” is logically consistent. We will quickly find that the answer depends on precisely how we define “omnipotent”. So which of the definitions is correct? If we have no reason to postulate an omnipotent entity, picking between these different definitions is just a logical word game. But if we have some actual reason to believe in God—not necessarily a reason that provides certainty, but a reason whether philosophical, biblical, or experiential—then we also have a criterion for deciding which defintion is more likely to be correct. We can ask why we believe God might be omnipotent in the first place, and this will naturally lead us towards a particular fleshing out of the concept of omnipotence. (One that is likely to make a great deal more sense than any of the word-puzzle definitions.) Leave a Reply WordPress.com Logo Twitter picture Facebook photo Google+ photo Connecting to %s %d bloggers like this:
What is pulmonary atresia? An ultrasound scan My daughter was born with pulmonary atresia. At the time I was clueless about it. I still find that most people have never heard of it - please can you explain what it is? Senior cardiac nurse Christopher Allen says: Pulmonary atresia is a type of congenital heart disease, which means a condition or defect that develops in the womb before your baby is born. Around 1 in 180 babies are diagnosed with a heart defect at birth - that’s an average of 12 per day in the UK. This type of congenital heart disease may also include other defects The word ‘pulmonary’ refers to the pulmonary valve in the heart, which is responsible for allowing blood to flow through the pulmonary arteries from the heart to the lungs to be replenished with oxygen. The word ‘atresia’ usually means a blockage or obstruction, therefore pulmonary atresia means that the pulmonary valve has not formed properly and is blocking the flow of blood from the heart to the lungs. This type of congenital heart disease may also include other defects, such as a hole in the heart or an abnormally small right ventricle, one of the heart’s chambers. Depending on the structure of the heart itself due to other abnormalities, pulmonary atresia carries very different risks and treatment plans for each baby. Sadly, in severe cases, this condition can be life-limiting and involve many procedures and open heart surgeries from a very young age and into adulthood. Christopher AllenMeet the expert Christopher Allen helps manage the BHF’s genetic information service and has extensive specialist experience of working in coronary care. More useful information
Here's a special word to anyone who takes medication for diabetes that can cause low blood sugar. With a significant diet change, your medication may suddenly be too strong. This is true, even in people who have never had low blood sugar before. Know how to recognize low blood sugar! It's common with a "low" to get a headache, or feel shaky, sweaty, or lightheaded. On your meter, this would be any reading below 80, or whatever your health care professional suggests is too low for you (for some, it might be 100, or 120). Low blood sugar might occur when you've gone too long between meals, overnight, or on a day with increased activity or decreased food intake. If you take a medication that can cause low blood sugar, always be prepared with a treatment, in case you go too low. Carry glucose tablets or hard candies; about 80 calories or 15 carbohydrates worth and then follow up with a meal within 30 minutes. If you are low more than twice in a week or have a severe low that requires help from someone else, be in touch with your health care provider for an adjustment in medication. Low blood sugar is risky and can delay reflexes when driving or change your level of consciousness. It can also effect memory. For those on blood pressure medication, your switch to a WFPB (that's "Whole Food Plant Based") way of eating can also make your blood pressure medications too strong. Watch for fatigue, or dizziness when you change position, such as from sitting to standing. If you get low blood sugar or low blood pressure from making the shift to plant-based, congratulations! You probably don't need so much medication! For some, it happens immediately; for others, it occurs after some weight loss, over time. Some medications, such as beta-blockers, should never be stopped suddenly. Be safe and work with your clinician.
Dismiss Notice Dismiss Notice Join Physics Forums Today! A ball with some energy and yes a string Am I correct? Poll closed May 11, 2015. 1. Yup.... you are.. 2. Is this a joke? no you are wrong like you are always 3. None of these(democratic one) Multiple votes are allowed. 1. May 4, 2015 #1 There is a question that says: A small bal of mass m is attached to the end of the string of length ##l=1m## whose other end is fixed. From its lower position, the ball is given a kinetic energy ##\frac {mgl}{5}##. Find the net acceleration (in ##m/s^2## ) of the ball at the instant when the string makes an angle ##\theta## of##37^{¤}##. 2. Relevant equations ##\frac {mgl}{5}=mgh+1/2mv^2## 3. The attempt at a solution since at an angle 37 degrees the ball will cover a distance ##\frac {l}{5}## because of which the kinetic energy at this point is zero. This it's velocity at that point is also zero. So the net acceleration should be equal to ##g## I. E. ##10m/s^2## since the centripetal force is equal to zero. But the answer is ##6m/s^2## by taking ##gsin\theta##. But then ##gcos\theta## is gravity's component in the radial direction, why is it ignored? 2. jcsd 3. May 4, 2015 #2 As I understand it, the radial component of the force of gravity on the ball is countered by the tension in the string. Since the ball has zero velocity when it makes an angle of 37° with the vertical, it has no radial acceleration. That only leaves the tangential acceleration. This is all assuming the ball is moving in circular motion, which it does not specify in the problem statement. Saying that something has a certain kinetic energy gives no clue as to what direction that something's velocity is in. 4. May 4, 2015 #3 So since the question doesn't say that the ball leaves the circular path can we assume that tension is still present as a general rule? 5. May 4, 2015 #4 Not really. For instance, the ball could have that kinetic energy, but the velocity could be directly upwards. There would be no tension involved, and the acceleration due to gravity would just be 9.8 m/s2 The question is too vague. Did you get it out of a textbook? Was there a picture with the question? 6. May 4, 2015 #5 User Avatar Staff Emeritus Science Advisor Homework Helper Gold Member With no tension in the string, it's impossible to have any meaningful relationship between the angle the string makes with the vertical and the position of the ball. It would have been clearer had the question specified that the string remains under tension. However, it can reasonably assumed that the string is under tension when θ < 90° . 7. May 4, 2015 #6 I understand that. What I am saying is that since we are not told that the ball moves in circular motion nor are we told the direction of the velocity of the ball, no meaningful conclusion can be reached whatsoever. I agree that it can be assumed that while the ball is in its lowest position that there is tension in the string. It cannot, however, be assumed that the velocity of the ball is directly horizontal. If it was, then the resultant motion of the ball would be circular motion. There is nothing in the problem statement to indicate this. I don't mean to be argumentative, by the way. This is just a poorly worded question. (no fault of mooncrater's) Last edited: May 4, 2015 8. May 4, 2015 #7 User Avatar Staff Emeritus Science Advisor Homework Helper Gold Member So, I suppose that we disagree. Now what I wonder is, what is OP trying to accomplish by making this a poll ? Last edited: May 4, 2015 9. May 4, 2015 #8 Wait, don't just say that! You are probably right. Can you tell me what is wrong with my previous statement? 10. May 4, 2015 #9 User Avatar Staff Emeritus Science Advisor Homework Helper Gold Member The problem does state that the string makes an angle of 37° with the vertical (well, someone mentioned vertical). A limp string can't very well do that. 11. May 4, 2015 #10 Hmmm. You have a point. 12. May 4, 2015 #11 No.... there wasn't any picture with it. I was just trying out that option... no other reason... 13. May 4, 2015 #12 Is that sufficient to say that the the string will have a tension? I have done some questions and they asked the angle at which the ball leaves the circle... so if this angle is definable then why this limp or no limp matters? 14. May 4, 2015 #13 User Avatar Staff Emeritus Science Advisor Homework Helper Gold Member If the kinetic energy at the bottom is sufficient for θ to exceed 90°, then the ball might leave the circle. The string doesn't push the ball outward, does it? What's the complete statement of this problem? As we learn more about this, some of the early mystery may disappear. 15. May 5, 2015 #14 The given question is the whole question .... I have omitted nothing. 16. May 5, 2015 #15 They should have given what is the tension in rope or some other information. If we consider tension 0 N and centrifugal force at that point is zero then your answer of 10ms-2 is correct. Is your book having hints section? (Obviously you would not have asked if it would have been given in your textbook but is there something in hints that you are not understanding? ). Otherwise you would have experienced earlier that sometimes there are misprintings. 17. May 5, 2015 #16 Why would you do that? There is absolutely no reason to involve fictitious forces in this problem. They didn't need to. The string has to be tense in order for it to make an angle, as Sammy already said. If you follow this line of thinking you should get an answer of about 6 m/s. 18. May 6, 2015 #17 But SammyS is saying that the problem statement is not complete. I'm a bit confused here. 19. May 6, 2015 #18 User Avatar Staff Emeritus Science Advisor Homework Helper Gold Member It's complete enough to work this out. It could have been more complete, to remove some speculation. But it can be worked out with reasonable assumptions. Aleph is doing a fine job helping you. 20. May 6, 2015 #19 Okay, but how can we take radial component of gravity? Gravity is always working vertically down. We can take components for Tension only. 21. May 6, 2015 #20 Sorry for my above reply. Did some drawing, getting radial component countered by tension as the ball has no radial acceleration . So only we have tangential acceleration which is gsinθ. It should be 6ms-2. :-p Last edited: May 6, 2015 Have something to add? Draft saved Draft deleted Similar Discussions: A ball with some energy and yes a string 1. String and ball (Replies: 5) 2. A ball on a string (Replies: 29)
The Framers, at least those of who made significant contributions to our founding documents, were staunch advocates of republicanism and individualism. First, I should say, the message of the Tea Party is by no means a sufficient representation of the Framer¶s views. The party lays claim as a ³grassroots´ movement [a certainly vague concept], which allows the ignorance of its membership to spread far and wide. However, Neo-Conservatives make up a large part of this group. Neo-Cons are those who support an immoral foreign policy [nation-building and policing the world], and also tend to bring faith and religion [unconstitutionally] into the political arena. They are the traditionalists and social conservatives who favor the status quo. They say they want small government, but then support policies and mandates that keep it growing. Typically, today¶s use of the term ³liberal´ means ³contrary to the status quo.´ So hey, let¶s all be liberals if the status quo is ³Neo-Conservatism.´ What people do not understand is the difference between classical liberalism and modern day liberalism. U.S. Framers were NOT conservatives in their historical context of the term. Conservatives were those in support of centralized, monarchial rule [like Britain]. They were traditionalists or social conservatives [sound familiar?]. Our Framers were ³liberal´ because they were advocates of LIBERTY. Today¶s liberals however, are an advocate of a soul-killing socioeconomic philosophy [sorry, that may sound vituperative], which elevates the ³Will´ of society, i.e., the collective good or welfare of the people, over the freedom of the individual. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, et cetera, were opposed to that idea, be it the Will of God, the Will of a group, or the Will of King±freedom means the inviolate sanctity of the individual. When the framers of the American republic spoke of ³the people,´ they did not mean a collectivist organism one part of which was authorized to consume the rest. They meant a sum of individuals, each of whom²whether strong or weak, rich or poor²retains his inviolate guarantee of individual rights. Throughout history the state had been regarded, implicitly or explicitly, as the ruler of the individual²as a sovereign authority (with or without supernatural mandate), an authority logically antecedent to the citizen and to which he must submit. The Founding Fathers challenged this primordial notion. They started with the premise of the primacy and sovereignty of the individual. The individual, they held, logically precedes the group or the institution of government. Whether or not any social organization exists, each man possesses certain individual rights. And ³among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness´²or, in the words of a New Hampshire state document, ³among which are the enjoying and defending life and liberty; acquiring, possessing, and protecting property; and in a word, of seeking and obtaining happiness.´ In other words government is to be a neutral institution, one that must never deal with opinion or preference, but only with action; namely, to protect individuals against force and fraud, and to promote and protect trade. It [government] must never endorse race or religion. An individual is FREE. He or she may be a racist and a bigot who claims there is no god but the Christian god; he or she may be a well-educated and thoughtful atheist [like myself] who craves economic freedom and civil liberty for their country; he or she may be flamboyantly homosexual and recycle too much. Doesn¶t matter. The government is not to be in the business of determining or favoring social values. People and government officials should also look up the difference between a Democracy and a Republic. The constitution protects individuals and states¶ rights. The U.S. is .still a Republic. even if our political process is democratic. The American public has a great deal to learn and let¶s hope they do before the next election. Sign up to vote on this title UsefulNot useful
Christian Cross Christianity (Latin: Christianitas, from Greek, Khristos, the anointed one) is the monotheistic religion of those following the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, the purported messiah foretold by the people of Judaea. His life and works, depicted in the New Testament of the Bible, are the basis for the doctrine a two thousand year old religious institution, organized by the 335 Council of Alexandria as the Ecclesia Catholica (Catholic Church) - the one orthodox community of Christ. This Roman Catholicism is the largest religious denomination on the planet. The primary tenets of the Roman Catholic Church were laid out in the twenty foundational laws of Christian doctrine - the legis kanones (canon laws). These declare the divinity of Jesus in hypostatic union with his humanity and that salvation will be granted to those who live a moral life or accept God as their benefactor. Thus, pagans, atheists and Christians alike may reach the supposed afterlife, Paradiso (Heaven), where they are said receive eternal bliss with God. The religion of Christ started as a mere cult under the hegemony of the Roman Empire whose polytheism all but annihilated it in the beginning. Nevertheless, Christians distinguished themselves from Jews within a matter of decades and spread to major cities throughout the empire by 1053 AUC. When the Edict of Brundisium was issued by Caesar Constantine in 330, over half of imperial citizens were Christian. The gathering of bishops which came after the state's conversion definitively established the calculation of Pascha, settled the Arian controversy and created the Alexandrian Creed, the standard Christian profession of faith. In modern times, the Catholic Church has 2.21 billion adherents worldwide, over 80% of which live in the empire. The 120 million non-Catholic Christians are almost exclusively Arians living beyond Rome's reach - largest of which is the native Germanic population of the western part of the Mongol World Empire. Roman Catholic Church The Ecclesia Catholica (from Greek, Katholikos, universal) or Roman Catholic Church is the primary organized body for global Christendom. Its history stretches to New Testament scripture in Matthew 16:18 where Jesus told Simon, his disciple, "I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church". In this way, Simon became Peter (Petros), first father of the Christian community. Early Christian practices spread out from Judaea into the gentile land of the Roman world. Spread of Catholicism Spread of Orthodox Christianity Dark Blue: 300 AD Light Blue: 450 AD Caesar Constantine declared Christianity the empire's state religion in 330 under the Edictum Brundisia. He immediately sought to reform the internally divide Christian community by calling bishops across the empire to Alexandria for the first historic ecumenical council. His conference not only settled matters of theological dispute but gave Christendom a clear leader for the future - a Pontifex Maximus in succession with the apostle St. Peter. Administrative areas were organized called Dioceses, giving Christians a sense of unity in the whole Officially, any leader for a Diocese goes by the rank of Presbyteroi, of which there are two kinds: Episkopoi (Bishops) and Archepiskopoi (Archbishops). Among the episcopal seats was chosen the most primary seat, the Holy Seat (Sancta Sedis). On similar authority are the Apostolic seats which all confer the rank of Archepiskopos to their presbyteros. The Bishop of Rome alone holds the titles Pontifex Maximus (Pope), Vicar of God and the honorific Most Holy Father. The last episkopos of Rome to sit merely as a Pope was Aegranus who united the powers of the papacy with those of the caesarship. When Pope and Caesar became one, it was necessary that the office that passed Christian dogma was selected purely by a convention of high priests under God - since the emperors were not - thus a new office of Deydiakonos (God's Messenger) was formed exclusively for the passing of dogma. Under the new regime, Popes still held the power to reform the Church, issue papal bulls and confer sainthood on those deemed worthy by separate committees. Furthermore, as temporal leader of the Christian faith, the Pope must also recognize new dogma in order for it to be authoritative. Although the term for an Episcopal Province varies depending on the region, there are officially 2,843 Dioceses and 730 Archdioceses in the world. Nearly all instances of the latter are within a major Roman city, but every other country has at least one Archdiocese to represent their Catholic population in the Church. Examples of these are the Archdiocese of Kyoto and Archdiocese of Stalkholm. Liturgiae Catholicae Roman Catholic Liturgies in Superpowers Map of the Catholic Liturgies in the Roman Empire The Roman Catholic Church is divided into several Liturgia (Greek: Leitourgia, public ceremony) designed to personalize the religious rites to certain cultural groups. Currently there are 7 Catholic Liturgies (Rites): the Roman Rite; the Greek Rite; the Punic Rite; the Coptic Rite; the Aramaic Rite; the Indian Rite and the African Rite. Aside from many Colonial Provinces, every Roman Province ascribes to a particular rite which the majority of its Dioceses and churches follow. The problem in many of the colonies is that there is often no dominant cultural and religious group and so because there is a risk of offending some citizens, nearly all colonial provinces do not ascribe to one rite. The Roman Rite is by far the most widespread, particularly as it is the one practiced by Catholic churches abroad. There are first of all several very simple differences between the different liturgies. The most notable of these is the language in which the Mass is performed and the Bibles are written in. The Roman Rite, obviously, is in Latin; the Greek Rite in Greek; the Punic Rite is in Phoenician; the Coptic Rite in Coptic; the African Rite is in Roman-Bantu; the Aramaic Rite in Aramaic and finally the Indian Rite various depending on the specific region of India. Some different Rites also have their own ceremonies for things like Baptism, Confirmation, marriage and even on the requirements for their clergy. All religious rites are accepted by both the Pope and the College of Cardinals and are each considered equally valid for religious purposes. The idea for dividing the regions of the Church's power into specific liturgies came in the reign of Caesar Aurelius, the son of Emperor Sapiens. The architect of this system was the brilliant Saint Augustine of Hippo, the most respected theologian in Christian history. By offering different cultures their own rites he intended to better unify diverse peoples under the Church as well as stamp out the widespread heresies that were common during his time. Although eventually the Celtic Liturgy was assimilated into the Roman one, in the 1600's another, the Indian Rite, was created by Pope (Caesar) Alexander X. This move is often lauded for its role in the success of converting many of the people of India to Christianity. To distinctly represent the Pope in each liturgy, an Archepiscopal Cathedral acts as the centerpoint for each one. The Roman Rite for instance is centered on the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rome, which is the seat of the Pope. The Coptic Rite then focuses on the Cathedral of St. Mark in Alexandria, which is one of the largest churches on the continent. The Greek Rite is gravitates around the Cathedral of St. George in Constantinople, whilst the African Rite has the Cathedral of St. Stephen, which is located in a huge monastery in Somalia. Then at last the Punic Rite centers on the Cathedral of St. Augustine in Carthage and the Indian Rite on the Cathedral of St. Simon Cananeus in Hastinaporum. The Archepiskopoi of those Cathedrals have specially important positions within the Church hierarchy and are all Cardinals in the College. Baptism of Emperor Constantine Baptism of Caesar Constantine Catholics constitute 28% of all human beings, slightly exceeding the membership of all Buddhist groups. Of all Catholics, nearly two billion live under Roman rule, forming 92% of the empire's population. The enormously high adherence rate can be blamed on the significance that religion continues to play in Roman society. However, only one missionary organization exists, made in 735, the Society of St. Paul. The largest Christian communities beyond the empire are the province of Armenia in the Ottoman Caliphate, the southern states of the Maya Conglomerate, and some of the western end of the island of Honshu in Japan. Non-Catholic Christians - such as Arians - are a rarer breed of monotheist, only slightly more populous than Jews. They are, however, widely spread due to the diaspora that followed the Council of Alexandria and the general lack of unified leadership. Societas Apostolu Paulu Emblem of the Societas Paulu The one Church affiliated missionary group is the Society of the Apostle Paul (Societas Apostolu Paulu), an organization of about 5,480 "brothers" who integrate with other cultures to spread the word of the Bible. They've been especially successful within Rome, particularly in South Africa and India, where they've contributed greatly to the conversion of the majority of their populations. The Ierapostolos (Pauluit Missionaries) operate under very strict guidelines, layed out in the organization's Formula. They practice strict non-violence, even anti-violence and are even made to take the Hippocratic Oath upon entering the organization. In this way many Ierapostolos serve as Doctors in impoverished parts of the world, and when working back home, their organization serves as one of the most prolific institutes for theological studies in the world. The very core of the organization is to act as Paul did, spreading the Word to strangers and putting ones life on the line to do so. The organization's leader, the Magnus Dominus (Grandmaster) is one of the few ranks in the Roman Empire to hold a title of Princeps, and is considered first among the clergy. Though not a member of government, the Magnus Dominus sits at most meetings of the Curia Regis and so is one of the many advisors to the Caesar. Ad blocker interference detected!
Aviation Week & Space Technology Podcast: Will Airplanes Ever Fly Themselves? Discuss this Video 24 on Aug 19, 2016 "Self-flying aircraft are even further off than self-driving cars." Really? For many purposes the problems are a lot simpler with more time to cope with identifying threats and to take necessary actions. Moreover the navigation aids are better and the rules of the road are simpler. Most systems and situations a pilot has to cope with are far more consistent than city streets and parking lots. There are few jay walkers (well, ok, an occasional Canada Goose), less idiots flying than idiot drivers. The kid with their head stuck in pokemon go isn't headed for the intersection when your light turns green. I suspect that we will see self flying drones before we see self driving cars in wide use. The problem is actually simpler and the commercial path seems clearer. Once upon a time folks thought developing the intercontinental cruise missile would be far easier than developing an ICBM. Boy were they wrong. They could not see that the wings and things they were used to in airplanes made the intercontinental missile problem much harder. on Aug 20, 2016 Good thinking... the complex unknowns in 2-dimensional road traffic far exceed 3-dimensional air traffic... it's a function of potential density within a relative future time frame. on Aug 22, 2016 Agree, but its not only a matter of potential density. Aircraft go by reasonably identifyable plan, whereas road traffic is close to stochastic. And, even if aircraft plan (control reference data) were not exchanged, it may be guessed reasonably well. In fact almost all aircraft today are "self flying", the flight crew performing supervision and mode inputs for a large percentage of the time. on Aug 22, 2016 Fully agree. Time magazine actually ran a story on these lines a few years ago before autonomous cars became a fashion subject. Also autonavigation (known-point to known-point) like on the cruise missile is far easier than autonomous (arbitrary point to arbitrary point) navigation. In autonomous the last few percent or percentiles are the most difficult in terms of robustness and testing. Autonavigation is sufficient for 98% of the use cases out there and far easier in development and maintenance. And, in case of complete malfunction the fact that something which went up will come down makes the subsequent trajectory more predictable. In an autonavigation setting it can actually be precomputed along the complete trajectory. That makes development of mitigating safety measures easier than for ground based traffic. on Aug 22, 2016 Excellent points. The only thing I'm happy with now about that statement is that it provoked a great discussion. --Jim Asker Executive Editor on Sep 8, 2016 "Self-flying aircraft are even further off than self-driving cars." is a puzzling statement in a trade journal which has covered the evolution of autonomous drone aircraft since their inception. By comparison, the recent collision of a car equipped with what's considered to be one of the more highly-advanced collision avoidance systems with a semi-trailer in Florida (resulting in the decapitation of the driver as the car drove under the trailer at speed) illustrates the opposite - that the problems of managing vehicle separation are closer to being solved in aircraft than they are in motor vehicles. Of course, no one flies in formations nearly as dense as rush-hour freeway traffic.. Not that I believe self-driving automobiles are an insoluble problem, but that self-flying aircraft are, by comparison, not so difficult to achieve. Fewer vehicles to separate, stricter laws regarding separation of aircraft, more room to separate them. The scary scenario to me is the "aircar," which might have been technically feasible, but if the per-unit cost got down to, say, USD 100,000 or so we'd see air traffic density increase to the point where aircraft separation became as difficult as separating motor vehicles on freeways in dense traffic. on Aug 22, 2016 Good solution for auto-eradication of human race when those things are hacked by terrorists and jumped onto the ground! on Sep 8, 2016 There's no reason GPS couldn't be hacked in the same way to complicate precision approach landings at busy airports. Just a matter of using FM capture or other properties of radio signals to spoof or override navigational radio signals. It's probably an under-studied problem. on Aug 22, 2016 What do you think drones are? Clearly it is technologically possible for all aircraft to be self flying. It is only a question of will. Will people want to fly in a computer controlled only aircraft. As more self driving cars are out I am pretty sure people will not have issues with computer controlled aircraft. After all fly-by wire means the pilot is flying the computer that is controlling the aircraft. on Aug 22, 2016 A donkey is more reliable than an UCAV and can't be hacked!!! on Aug 22, 2016 We will be removing pilots from the cockpit much sooner than most people think. AI is improving at an ever increasing rate annually, and when you factor in that the vast majority of airplane/airliner accidents through history have been due to pilot error, and the cost of employment for pilots to the airlines, I think it will be a no brainer for the switch in the 20-25 year timeframe. on Sep 8, 2016 "No-brainer" sums the problem up pretty well. We do all right with aircraft autopilots for commercial air because we don't try to replace human pilots with them in airliners (where the problems of aircraft separation and landing are significant). I said above that "Self-flying aircraft are even further off than self-driving cars" was a difficult statement to justify, and given the relative number of miles flown safely on autopilot in commercial air versus miles driven in self-driving cars, that was a accurate statement. And if the relative traffic densities and current ability of sensors and guidance software to keep traffic separated remains the same between cars on freeways and aircraft in relatively uncongested airspace remains the same, it's still a true statement. But let's say we get computers, sensor suites and software good enough to taxi an airliner from jetway to runway, rotate into take-off, and avoid collisions from take-off through the flight profile to landing, and taxi the aircraft back to the destination ramp, all unaided by human pilots. As aalexandre pointed out, there be terrorists and just plain bored jerks with too little to do and too much hardware in their hands to try and cause accidents (consider the rash of 'lasing' incidents and then substitute microwave devices for lasers aimed at unmanned airliners while on approach to interfere with guidance signals, and you see the issue). Another issue is simple unintentional failure of guidance or engine control circuits (a problem with FADEC caused the crash during takeoff of that Airbus military transport in Spain). While we may be closer to self-flying aircraft than self-driving cars, self-flying aircraft capable of replacing attentive and disciplined pilots (not guys like that Northwest Airlines flight crew who overshot their destination by 100 miles while doing stuff on their laptop computers, or the RAF pilot who brought a digital camera in the cockpit, where it jammed a sidestick flight control) aren't on the horizon yet. I think it'll take more than 20 years for the entire flight profile for an airliner or heavy transport to be automated entirely, with no trained pilot in the cockpit and an acceptable degree of security against control failure resulting in loss of the aircraft and passengers. We ought to develop the technology, if only to allow remote recovery of control of hijacked airliners or aircraft whose flight crews have (for whatever reason) lost control of their aircraft. Of course, that raises the issue of contention between pilots, automated flight control systems, and remote controllers - who gets the stick? The other issue will be politics. FAA's air traffic control infrastructure has, from time to time, been neglected. In the case of entirely automated aircraft, lapses in funding for that infrastructure are much worse issues than they were back when human pilots and air traffic controllers were responsible for safety issues. Take them out of the loop and we're making huge bets on how good the automation is. on Aug 22, 2016 Almost as ludicrous idea as a square wheel! Truly 2/3 of the proficiency check I go through each year is to practice "failures" that occur in the airplane. Yes, there is redundancy in all important systems in the airplane but there needs to be a manager of resources to coordinate the operation. What about dealing with maintenance, dispatch decisions, flight attendants and crazy pax?! There may be a reduction to one pilot someday with far superior technology than we have today but there will "never" be a human-less commercial transport aircraft! What person would ever get on that airplane? Who would pay a high fare for that kind of unwarranted risk? Additionally, all car manufactures should cease and desist any idea of self driving cars. It is "human nature" that would make that idea sooo unsafe. If one does not have to pay attention to driving, they won't! They would be even more distracted and unsafe than they are now! How many times do you look over at another car and see them distracted with their smart phone or their tablet? JB on Sep 8, 2016 You just made NHTSA's and the US Department of Transportation's case for self-driving cars - too many incompetent and impaired drivers out there. Of course, you were comparing trained and licensed pilots whose health is monitored routinely and who have to undergo regular proficiency checks with automotive drivers. Politics have made the motor vehicle operator's license a substitute voter registration card, picture ID for every other purpose, everything but evidence of the ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. All you need in most states to be routinely granted renewal of a driver's license is the requisite fee. The result is that 94% of all car crashes happen because a driver made a mistake. The nation's skies would look like the Battle of Britain if the current standards of driver training and proficiency were true of aircraft pilots. No politician would be elected by promising to get all those unsafe drivers off the street, so self-driving cars are the reasonable compromise we'll reach, since no one in politics is gutty enough to tell the public "most of you need to retake drivers' ed, and you should ride buses until you're no longer a threat to other people's lives behind the wheel!" That's the sort of talk that's kept Libertarians out of the White House for fifty years. on Aug 22, 2016 Ha! The author of this piece is totally deluded. Self driving cars will be mainstream in 10 years, and self-flying planes even sooner. The weak link is the human link, and we won't be in driver's seat much longer. Get used to it, on Sep 8, 2016 Tell that to the flight crew of the Airbus m400 Atlas military transport that crashed on takeoff from the factory strip in Spain. Bring a medium, because five of them are dead - the software for the Full Authority Digital Engine Control was misloaded, and they lost power on all but one engine. If the flight crew had been aware of the issue (the software didn't foresee that happening in the ground and didn't alert the pilots) and able to fix it, those people might still be alive. Software can't replace pilots yet. UCAV and similar autonomous drones have, for all practical purposes, the whole sky to themselves, and no passengers onboard, The technology's good, but it's not ready for the terminal airspace around a major airport yet. on Aug 22, 2016 One of my friends called yesterday, he'd had a hard day at the office and wanted sympathy. The autopilot on his CRJ was u/s and he had to hand fly the thing through two trips before some other poor SOB had to take over. Normal procedure is to climb a couple of thousand feet then watch the autopilot fly it to a couple of hundred feet from landing. Even back in 1983 at RAE (Bedford) XX105 could fly itself from the start of the take-off roll to after landing, it couldn't use the brakes. It didn't because they weren't certain enough of the accuracy, but there were projects on other aircraft, like the HS748, that addressed blind landings without external assistance and with zero visibility. For the past many years my former boss has been working there on collaborative routing, aircraft discussing with others in their vicinity what their requirements and intentions are, then working out how to fit in. So this is all in hand. What isn't in hand is the super complex fault handling logic that is necessary when a compressor disk overspeeds and explodes through the wing and body and rolls the dice on every system. So while autopilot might soon make much of ATC and pilot roles redundant it can't eliminate the need for a couple of systems experts to fly the plane when the autopilot reaches the end of its logical tether. on Aug 22, 2016 Airplanes today generally, already "fly" themselves. The correct question is whether airplanes will ever be allowed responsibility to plan and execute their own "mission(s). From receiving clearance to "pushback"; to acknowledging the instructions to take a particular taxiway off of a runway (after landing); and then hold on that taxiway, until crossing aircraft have passed; and, further instructions are provided. In all three, planes, trains, and automobiles, there are two functional tasks and responsibilities. First, is the responsibility and task of the direction of the mission. The second, is the responsibility for the operation of the machine, and the execution of that operation (at the direction of the mission commander), in the fulfillment of the mission. From intelligent cruise-control and automatic transmissions, to Airbus' flight director, these transportation machines of today, operate themselves, to configure; and reconfigure the machines, in order to fly or drive. They "assist" the vehicle commander, in continuous monitoring and configure/reconfiguring the mechanical state of the vehicle, to execute the commander's mission directions for transportation. In fact today most air vehicles can't be operated directly, they are all, "fly-by-wire". So the question is really about that first role, the responsibility and task of commanding the mission. That responsibility is now a human one, solely. And the question is; is it now technically feasible that the responsibility for and execution of the command of a mission; can be entrusted to a non human; to plan; to execute; and to be responsible solely, for such mission's execution? on Sep 8, 2016 Deconfliction of flight paths is a really thorny issue. Automating the various individual aircraft in an airspace doesn't solve it. Nor does it solve issues of unforeseen mechanical and electronic failure. There just aren't ballistic chutes big enough to save a heavy that just lost power with nobody in the cockpit to manage the issue. The Gimli Glider incident and Sullenberger's landing of that Airbus in the Hudson with no casualties ended well because awake and aware pilots were in control. on Aug 23, 2016 The 2 experts in the potcast somehow missed, that the Airbus A-380 is capable of performing the vertical collision avoidance maneuver after a TCAS RA completly independent without any pilot input. on Aug 23, 2016 You are correct - I neglected to mention the A380's autopilot-based TCAS ability. I also know that Honeywell is developing a system for its Primus Epic avionics that will allow the autopilot to nudge the aircraft in the proper direction before the pilot takes over (based on cases in which the pilot makes the wrong input). I guess my point was that these are the exceptions rather than the rule, which is interesting given automation's ability to react much more quickly (and probably more correctly) than the human. on Aug 23, 2016 THE ANSWER IS: I already have a "self-flying airplane." I have had it more than two decades. I sit in the left front seat and it takes me where I want to go... I know...I am being a wise guy. But my point is, I no longer put up with being some peasant on any airline, in an airport being pushed around by some government dweeb that I would not hire to pull weeds in my yard. Yes, it costs more money to extricate oneself from the grasp of the bulbous bureaucracy; but isn't that worthwhile? on Aug 24, 2016 The podcast talks about systems that are an extension of today's protection against stalls, or collision avoidance. If anyone thinks a passenger aircraft can fly without a pilot they need to speak to a mathematician/programmer. Fully debugging software, quickly becomes theoretically impossible by any known method even for simpler programs. You would have to be willing to accept a crash with the frequency of a desktop computer freezing up. I would rather go to Europe on a bicycle. on Sep 27, 2016 The Air Force and NASA has Drones flying now in the USA as well as in the Middle East. The F4 Phantoms fly as QF4E Phantom Drones out of Tyndall AFB and Holloman AFB but the last one will fly as manneed QF4E out of Holloman on December 20 & 21, 2016. Then the F16A aircraft will assume the role of Drone aircraft currently flying out of Tyndall AFB and will fly out of Holloman AFB in 2017. The primary mission is to be used as target to be shot down by modern military fighter aircraft but a ground controller in Arizona/ Nevada or other locations have proven to be safe to fly unmanned Drones around the World with very little problem and getting better all the time. I don't believe that passenger aircraft will ever become totally pilotless and will need to maintain a qualified Aviator on board in case a problem surfaces to maintain safety. A majority of aircraft mishaps have been cause by Aviators not maintaining situational awareness or not fully understanding the on board systems and how they work so when a problem occurs they can easily trouble shoot and fix if fixable. Many passengers don't realize that commercial aircraft must be capable of flying on one engine before they enter service which makes them extremely safe. Please or Register to post comments. Penton Corporate Sponsored Introduction Continue on to (or wait seconds) ×
The Belgian Empire Koninkrijk België (du) Royaume de Belgique (fr) Belgisches Reich (du) Flag of Belgian Empire Belgian Empire CoA Flag Emblem Belgian Empire Location of the Belgian Empire Begian Provinces Belgian Council Members Belgian Occupied Anthem: The Brabançonne (Official) Motto: The King, The Law, Liberty Capital Brussels Largest city Amsterdam Official language German Ethinic groups • Belgian (Universal) • Belgian (Ethnical) • Dutch • Indonesian • Congolese • Angolan Demonym Belgian - Monarch - Prime Minister Constitutional Monarchy, Unicameral Parliament Allard van Beek Maximilian I Legislature National Meeting Hall -Declared from the Netherlands 21 July 1831 19 April 1839 - Total - Water (%) 696,265 km² 432,639 sq mi - 2012 estimate - Total - Per capita 2012 estimate $5.12 trillion GDP (nominal) - Total - Per capita 2012 estimate $ 5.23 trillion Gini (2012) 26.4 (very low) HDI (2012) Green Arrow Up Darker 0.86 (very high) Belgian Coin (BC) Time Zone - Summer (DST) Date formats mm-dd-yyyy (CE) Drive on the right Internet TLD .de Calling code +49 The Belgian Empire (French: Royaume de Belgique \| Dutch: Koninkrijk België \| German: Belgisches Reich) is a European colonial power, located between the nations of France and Germany. Its position as a force to be reckon with was stationed in its ability to maintained the status quo of Belgian Congo to remain as a Belgian colony as with also aiding the Dutch in keeping their holdings on Indonesia in 1949, and eventually leading a coup d'etat against their northern neighbors after seeing harsh conditions being placed upon the Indonesians after the 1949 Independence Movement. The Belgians intervened into the Portuguese Colonial War in 1966, first invading Angola via the Congo and fighting against both the Portuguese and Communist troops, they claimed the actions taken in 1966 were sustainable after several out pours of violence into the Belgian Congo accrued. See Also: Belgian Congo Crisis, Belgian-Dutch War, Coronation of Alexander I The aftermath of World War II changed the political outlook of Belgium drastically and lead to the cause of several right-winged groups and nationalist parties that portrayed a face of liberal nationalism that asserted colonial power and ensuring Belgium maintained human rights, such as freedom of religion and the pursuit of happiness, one such group called the "The Party for Freedom and Justice" or the PVR/PLJ (Dutch: Partij van Vrijheid en Rechtvaardigheid \| French: Parti de la Liberté et de la Justice) was created in 1945 and still leads as the major party in Belgium. It's main goals, still lead the nation as a whole, providing nationalistic traits such as, devotion to the King, devotion to the law and to liberty. The party also leads to the destroying of the cultural barrier between the Flanders and the Wallonia, instituting children to be bilingual and abandon a single outlook in culture, but to be both Wallonia and Flemish, and more importantly Belgian. In 1946, the PVR already gaining momentum, plowed down several political parties in the national elections, gaining 34% of the vote. They lead several movements to push for economic reconstruction of Belgium after the war, development of the Congo to supply the rebuilding of Belgium and the institution of several departments and ministries destroyed by the war, such as the Census Ministry, Ministry of Interior, and the Ministry of Welfare. The PVR would eventually catch up to the Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams in membership in 1948, and taking control of the government in the 1949 election. The Belgians had been in Indonesia from 1946 aiding the Dutch in their operations to contain the Indonesian revolution, sending generals such as Adriaan Almond into the Pacific to crush the revolution and gaining Dutch support at the time to join Belgium as a constituting region such as Wallonia or Flanders. Finally after the war in 1949 had ended, with the Netherlands being victorious due to the Belgian intervention, the Dutch refused to join the Kingdom of Belgium as a "autonomous region" or even pay debts to their southern neighbor. Adriaan Almond, returning in anger grouped several shipping boats in Antwerp and traveled to Amsterdam as 'friendly' cargo holds and seized the capital. On June 19th, the Queen of the Netherlands refused to negotiate, claiming that giving funds to the Belgians would cause the Royal funds to run dry and show a sense of weakness. Amsterdam was held for three more months, with heavy propaganda techniques being held daily inside the city against the Dutch, finally on September 7th, the Dutch invaded the Belgians from the south and lead attacks against the city of Amsterdam. The Belgians under Adriaan, decimated the Dutch troops, not leading only the Amsterdam front but also the Zeeland front and Ghent front successfully. Seen as a major victory in the eyes of the Belgians, they began deploying offensively against the Dutch to perhaps gain a full force victory, in which they did. Casualties did not surmount, nor was any Dutch citizens or soldiers taken hostage or imprisoned, the Belgians successfully gained the nation in a matter of weeks. In late October, with capturing the Indonesian islands from the Dutch, the Belgians released several articles and photos of mistreatment of the natives, which eventually lead to shame towards the Dutch monarchy and to the nation, causing support for the actions of Belgium. Prehaps the most important action after the war was the capturing of the Dutch Royal Shell, and turning it into the Belgian Royal Mandate, the single most powerful corporation in the world, owned by the monarchy still today. In 1950, of March 12th the Belgium government held the Royal Question referendum, which asked the Belgian people if they would instead return Leopold III to the throne, not instate a new King or in place a entirely new monarch. The results showed disproving of Leopold, with holding 15.5% of the vote with 25.5% saying to remove the position of monarch and 55% said installing a new King. The Royal Commission, created a few weeks after the Royal Question was instructed to search for a reasonable suit for the seat of monarch, a position the PVR had supported since its creation. Party leader, Robert Sylvestre in 1952, appointed a close friends child, Alexander I as a potential candidate, polished to take the throne, he became extremely popular in public opinion. Alexander I was consecrated on July 19th 1960, as the King of the Belgians. On his first days as Belgian King, he began sending thousands of Belgian men to the Congo to fight in the war against the revolutionaries, gaining high disproval rating in the lowlands. Soldiers moral and national outlook on the war began to decline in the year of 1964 after the war inside the Congo continued for another 4 years, in response King Alexander left from Amsterdam with a war group of 30,000 thousand to the Congo with his wife to end the rebellion. This action caused great approval in the mainland. The Belgian government announced that his son was born when Alexander returned in December, but most Congolese, American and European scholars have agreed that his son Maximilian was born in the Congo forests in October. Ad blocker interference detected!
Penetrating the theory of space and time already exist in Islam and it will happen #IStandwithAhmed When viewed in the dictionary, then we will find the term "buraq" which is defined as "the Beast vehicle Prophet Muhammad", he shaped left-right winged horse. In general use "buraq" means bird of paradise that the dictionary defined by the birds of heaven (bird of paradise). Actually "buraq" is the term used in the Koran with the meaning of "lightning" contained in paragraph 2/19, 2/20 and 13/2 with the original term "Barqu". Scholars have conducted an investigation and concluded that flash or light move as far as 186,000 miles or 300 Kilometers per second. With investigations wear paralax system, note also the distance of the sun from the earth about 93 million miles and traversed by light in 8 minutes. Such large distances is called 1 AU or one Astronomical Unit, is used as a measure of the smallest in determining the distances between celestial bodies. And we have discussed that Muntaha system that lies outside our Milky Way galaxy, where the distance from one galaxy to the other kegalaksi only about 170,000 light-years away. While Muntaha itself is the earth or planet in the farthest galaxies of all galaxies there diruang space. It is very odd if we said that buraq is understood to be an animal or the winged horse that can fly freely keangkasa. People would be able to know that the wings can only function in an environment of the planet's atmosphere where air suspended forward movement backward to come forward or pressed down to soar upwards. The air is so just to be in the high troposphere 6 to 16 Km from the Earth's surface, but it must travel buraq penetrate the space vacuum in which the useless wings instead become a burden. With lightning speed, the beast that vehicle, as well Prophet up, will burn in the area of the Earth's atmosphere, whereas the absence of air to breathe in a great distance away while it should back away from the sky berlayangan meteorities are free. All it proves that the Prophet Muhammad was not traveling Ascension using animals or winged animals as believed by people over the years. Replacement of the term of Barqu which means lightning became clear buraq contain different sense, where if Barqu it is lightning, then buraq I assume as vehicles that have the nature and speed above the speed of lightning or something that exceeds the beam movement. According to our minds everyday that remained on earth, the distance is so far could not be achieved in just a few moments. To break through the center line of the universe only need about 10 billion light years through galaxies by Garnow called the fossils the universe and further towards nature indescribable away by the mind and the human senses with all kinds of equipment, because it has not or even unknown to astronomy, galaxies farther than 20 billion light years. In other words they astronomers can not see what is behind the galaxy far as the situation is actually the absolute dark. To achieve such a distance away certainly needed the addition of speeds many times the speed of light. Unfortunately the speed of light is the highest speed known to man today, or it could be because the parameters of the speed of light has not been reached by humans. In the Qur'an we find how much count the time required by the angels and the spirits of people who died back to the Lord: Up angels and souls to Him in a day the measure of which fifty thousand years. (Qur'an, 70: 4) The size of the time in the paragraph above there are experts who mentions that the figure of 50 thousand years that shows how long it takes flying angels and Ar-Ruh's up to God. But somehow that verse shows the difference a considerable time between the time we were still on earth at the time the angel that move quickly in accordance with the opinion of the physicists who says "Time for a person on earth and time for a person in hight speed rocket are not the same ", the time for someone who is different from the time on earth for people who are in high-speed aircraft. The time difference mentioned in the paragraph above is expressed by the number of days an angel compared to 50,000 the year when the earth, this difference does not change with the time difference of the earth and the time of electrons, wherein a second Earth is 1,000 million years of electrons or 1 year Milky Way = 225 million years a solar system. So when the angel departed at 18:00 and return at 06.00 am an angel, then according to time calculation on earth day angel = 50,000 years Earth time. And to distance the radius of the universe up to Muntaha and passes through the sky highway known as the 'Divine Throne, 10 Billion light years it takes approximately 548 years time angel. But the angel Gabriel reality in the event of Mi'raj Prophet Muhammad that only spent half the day on which the earth / Maximum 12 Hours / or = 1 / 100,000 of Gabriel. This incident seems so strange and even impossible according to the knowledge of human civilization today, but scientists have another view, an example of what is proposed by Garnow in his Physies Foundations and Frontier, among others, stated that if the spacecraft can fly at a steady pace / light / heading kepusat Milky Way system, he would return after spending the earth 40,000 years according to the calendar. But according to sipengendara aircraft / pilot / flight had just spent 30 years. Difference seemed so great over 1,000 time. Other examples are quite popular, the paradox of twins, is a space ship pilot who has a twin brother on earth, he set out for example at the age of 0 years towards a star that its distance from the earth as far as 25 light years. After 50 years and then came back to earth sipilot turned out that the brother who remained on earth aged 49 years older, while the 1-year-old sipilot only. Or flights that should according to the size of the earth for 50 years light roundtrip felt by the pilot just in time for one year only. From the examples above show that the distance or time becomes increasingly wrinkle or shrink when traversed by high speed above which the speed of light. Back to the events of Mi'raj Prophet that the distance traveled by the Angel Gabriel with the Prophet Muhammad with Buraq according to the size of the earth as far as the radius of the universe plus Sidratul Muntaha commuting distance to within a maximum of 1/2 day Earth time (overnight) or 1 / 100,000 times Gabriel or equal to 10-5 light years, which is roughly equal to 9.46 x 10 -23 cm / sec felt by Gabriel with Prophet Muhammad (compared with a radius of an electron with 3 x 19-11 cm) or approximately shorter than the wavelength of gamma rays. Well, Barkah called in the Qur'an surrounding the Prophet Muhammad himself is in the form of total care that protects him from the dangers that can arise both during the journey from the earth or also during the trip diruang space, including pencukupan breathing air for the Prophet during the and so forth. So, we can now describe the vehicle named Buraq is such, whether he be a spaceship that has a speed above the speed of light and the speed of the UFO? Or is he in the form of the power that God has given himself the Prophet so that the apostle can fly diruang space safely and prosperous, free float like a Superman? As a vehicle that could wrap around and protect the body of the Prophet in a way that could fight / overcome the laws of nature in terms of dimensional journey. Once inside there is enough air for breathing Prophet Muhammad and filled with monitors that allow the Prophet to look out or also monitors that are "Futuristic", the monitor provides an overview to the Prophet about the state of his people after the death of his will. Are there not many authentic hadith which says that during the journey to Muntaha that the Prophet Muhammad has shown scenes incredible? Is it weird for you if the Prophet Muhammad has been shown by God (through the futuristic monitors) against anything that would happen in the future? Are you going to deny that much after after the death of the Apostle there are many men who are able to foresee the future or seeing someone? In the computer world we know of virtual reality (VR) is a real natural appearance to the dimensions of highly interactive digital multimedia so like a real state. Do not possibly have felt the Messenger of Allah VR facility to present to His beloved that heaven and hell are promised? You've heard the term "Paranormal" is not it? If you believe all that, then something hard for you to believe it even then happen to the Prophet, it's just the difference that it is a true picture of Allah that was certainly the truth without being mixed with matters of vanity. It can also be proved by the many predictions of the state of the Muslim Prophet after him gone and become a reality without the slightest slip? Where did the Prophet can do so if it is not shown by God in advance? God gives wisdom to whom He wills. And he who was given wisdom, it has given many virtues. And nobody can take lessons except those of understanding. (Qur'an, 2: 269) Wisdom in verse 2: 269 and other verses, I interpret as the wisdom given by God to His servants, this means a very broad discretion, both in the field of science world or the hereafter, as an embodiment of Rahman and her womb. In the Hadith mentioned that Prophet Muhammad set out to Muntaha accompanied by the angel Gabriel in the Koran sura 53: 6 is said to have an intelligent mind. And the way that the Prophet was given the vehicle named Buraq whose speed exceeds the speed of light. Furthermore, during the journey of the Prophet many asked the angel Gabriel about anything shown by God to him, this indicates that the Prophet and Gabriel are relatively close together. Gabriel's not possible that Buraq driving to get to Muntaha? In other words, Muhammad Jibril as a pilot and as a passenger? Did not Muhammad himself was held for the first time space travel, while Gabriel had hundreds or even millions of times to do it in carrying out mandated by God's revelation? If the prophet said as a pilot, of which the Prophet determine the direction of the goal following the procedure of driving this Buraq, especially coupled with the many visions aka Virtual Reality given by God to him during the trip and require asking various questions to Gabriel? But if we return to my original opinion that Gabriel applicable in this case as a pilot and the Prophet as a passenger, then all the questions and doubts that arise will be lost. In this case Jibril was pilot flying experience, he is also very smart, while upon the Prophet himself had given God Barqah around him, so that any changes that occur in the course, such as rocking plane, gravitational pressure loss, air and others will not affect anything on this noble Prophet himself. And state without any influence it possible for the Prophet to conduct inquiries on visions he had seen it all at once can see clearly / Virtual Reality. Back to Gabriel who always ask for permission in entering each layer of the sky to the guardian angels, it is because they do not recognize Jibril who resides in Buraq it, so that Gabriel said, they were only able to recognize his voice and detection in vision state in Buraq so obvious that who came was actually Gabriel. In the Hadith also mentioned that the guardian angels of the sky was also asked about the identity of the human figure brought by the angel Gabriel, who is none other than Prophet Muhammad. And is described by Gabriel that the Prophet sent by God and has also been ordered to climb into Muntaha. (Hadith is narrated by Bukhari about Muslims and expressed by scholarly of ahlussunnah as the authentic Hadith). It is indeed memorable funny for some people, especially considering that the prophet is a man's most noble gain respectability which can be proved by bersandingnya name of God and his name in two khalimah creed that should not be interfered with, increased or decreased by various other names because there is no right to interfere in the issue of other creatures. But precisely here lies the greatness of God. Everything deliberately shown scientifically to the Prophet so that he can prove to yourself how tight guard the sky really is. In this case it can be assumed that the so-called sky layer on Muntaha it is in the form of planets closest to "earth-Muntaha", this I connect with the statement of the Qur'an in Surah 72: 9 that Jin or devil can occupy several the place. Able to occupy a place there dwelt means capable of it, and because it was a double (some places), then obviously the place was not Muntaha itself, but the nearest place of Muntaha. In accordance with my earlier studies, that Muntaha earth surrounding it form there are also planets, the planets that place or position of the formerly silent syaithan it to eavesdrop on sky news. Muntaha itself means "Terminated" or can we interpret as the last place of all the affairs anchored. Place the border every achievement to God. Sidrah means "lotus" of interest broadleaf, living on the surface of a pond or lake water. Uratnya long reach ground water base. When the tide rises, the lotus will go up, and when tidal he too is going down, while the veins remain terhujam on the basis of land where he grows. Broad-leafed lotus resembles a state of the planet that has a wide surface, it harmony to a life of living beings. Long-grain lotus achieve basic land where he grew up is unlikely to move far, resembles the state of the planet that is always associated with the sun from which he may not move much in zigzagnya orbit from the ecliptic. And water which resembles a lotus is wide space in which all the planets orbit around the sun. Fluctuation lotus surface water means the planet's orbit around the sun oval, ovoid, where there is a point Perihelion is the closest point to the sun that dikitarinya, nor no point Aphelion, the farthest point from the sun. When the planet is in Aphelionnya he moves slowly. State of motion thus providing stability orbit of each planet that initially only based on its magnetic activity only. God Himself is positioned on Muntaha, although Muntaha it is the farthest planet and marginalized in the expanse of the universe as well as the highest dimension, where the majority of the angels being there while praise and glorify God, it is only as a place of God's creatures on the Day of Judgment will eventually merged Similarly and all its contents, including the angels will die unless anyone who wills only (QS. 27:87), only God was the only one Top dimension is eternal and immutable (Qur'an, 2: 255). With the inventor of this clock as Ahmed Mohamed, I think this should be developed on his knowledge of the child. and this is very rare. Sara No. Please ... I'm just a fan of the technology to make this article I would like to make a personal note to me. Next Post » 0 Komentar Terimakasih telah berkomentar
Tamil tuition \| Tamil assessment books \| Tamil eLearning Learning made fun & easy In this page : Browse Sanskrit dictionary English to Sanskrit translation Sanskrit to English translation Sanskrit numbers Sanskrit dictionary English to Sanskrit translation Sanskrit to English translation [To type Sanskrit words] Number to Sanskrit word Browse for basic Sanskrit vocabulary words : Sanskrit translation from Modern English to Sanskrit dictionary online for the word hard:Hear the English word audio Close Match and Related Words hard : Dur hard to correct : durnivaara hard to cross : dustara Hardik : heartfelt aarda : gana , pressing hard , tormenting exceedingly Ashmita : rock born , hard and strong Bahukarkasah - Very hard bho-bhoh : see bhos : n ( bhavas } of { bhavat } ; before vowels and soft consonants { bho } ; before hard consonants { bhos } and { bhoH } ; the latter form also in pause ; but there is occasional confusion of these forms , esp . in later literature ; of da :1 the 3rd cerebral consonant ( pronounced like { d } in { drum } by slightly turning the tip of the tongue upwards [ 430 ,2 ] ; and often in Bengal like a hard { r } ). :2 a sound ; a kind of drum ; fear ; submarine fire ; Siva ; a Dâkinî ; a basket c Daarun : hard Male Hindu daaruNa : ( , once )n . hard , harsh ( opp . { mRdu } ) ; rough , sharp , severe , cruel , pitiless ; dreadful , frightful ; intense , violent Panc ; ( in comp . or { - am } before a vb . to express excellence or superiority { kASThA7di } ) ; Plumbago Zey duradharsha - hard to resist . duraradhya - hard to worship by those having no control over the senses . durgama - hard to approach . durnivaara : hard to correct English to Sanskrit dictionary English to Sanskrit and Sanskrit to English dictionary Online Sanskrit Mobile dictionary English to Sanskrit translation dictionary Sanskrit to English translation dictionary Convert Numbers to Sanskrit words Download Free Tamilcube School App: Home Tamil Tuition Tamil Testpapers Tamil eLearning Calendar Books Astrology GK : GK questions TNPSC More...
History of Tau Foo Faa Tau Foo Fah is a Chinese snack made with very soft tofu. It is also referred to as tofu pudding and soybean pudding. Tau Foo Faa is also known as other names in different countries across Asia. In China, Tau Foo Faa is known as Douhua, which is the short form of doufuhua. Tau foo faa or doufu is thought to have originated in ancient China during the Western Han Dynasty. Chinese people have developed and enriched the recipes for tofu dishes on the basis of their own tastes, such as mapo tofu, stinky tofu, pickled tofu and uncongealed tofu pudding, etc. Tau Foo Faa is also served differently in countries in Asia. Northern Chinese cuisine In northern China, Tau Foo Faa is often eaten with soy sauce, thus resulting in a savory flavor. Northern Chinese often refer to douhua as doufunao, which literally means 'tofu brains'. Local Beijing people usually eat doufunao for breakfast together with eggs or youtiao (fried dough sticks). Doufunao can be found at breakfast stands along the streets in the morning. Other times it is hard to find outside of a restaurant. Malaysian and Singaporean cuisine external image 220px-David_enjoying_D%C3%B2uhu%C4%81.jpg Douhua in sugar syrup sold in West Coast, Singapore Indonesian cuisine external image 220px-Tahwa%2C_Indonesia_version_of_douhua.jpg Tahwa, Indonesian version of douhua, with ginger syrup and peanut In Indonesia, it is known as Kembang tahu (tofu flower) or in Java as Tahwa derived from the Min Nan name Tau Hwe, or Wedang Tahu (Wedang means hot water with ginger, Tahu means tofu) and is usually sold by hawkers. It is served warm or cold with palm sugar syrup that has been flavored with pandan leaves and ginger. The hawker usually sells it in the morning using a bicycle vendor. They sell it soaked with warm and sweet ginger syrup and add one or two spoons of coconut milk. People may ask for brewed peanut and mung bean paste. Sometimes, the customer may only buy the sweet brewed peanut as Kuah Kacang and consume it with cakwe. Thai cuisine In Thailand, it is known by its Min Nan name taohuai. It is usually served cold with milk and fruit salad, which is known as taohuai nom sot, literally "douhua in fresh milk") or taohuai fruit salad, or served hot with ginger syrup, which is known as taohuai nam khing. Sweet Tofu Pudding (Doufu Hua/豆腐花) Sweet Tofu Pudding (Doufu Hua/豆腐花) Soy Milk 600ml Agar-agar powder 15grams Palm sugar syrup 150ml Methods1. Divide soy milk into two equal portion (300ml for each). 2. Pour one portion 300ml into a heavy bottom saucepan and heat it up over low heat. 3. Dissolve agar-agar powder in another portion 300ml and mix them gently. 4. When soymilk in saucepan (no 2) turn slightly hot, gently pour in the soy milk and agar-agar mixture (no 3) into the saucepan, stir to mix them well. 5. Stir from time to time, cook for about 8mins over low heat. Turn off heat when you see bubbles on top external image d698da3d3100df49352a8a6a49455e5d.jpg 6. Pour the hot soy milk mixture into bowls or containers. 8. Store in the fridge for 4 hours or just keep it in room temperature till it set. Enjoy with syrup or palm sugar syrup.
Wednesday, March 30, 2016 Nose Bleeding Causes of Nose Bleeding most commonly are, trauma to the nose. Trauma to the outside of the nose, such as a blow to the face, or trauma inside the nose, such as nose picking or repeated irritation from a cold, can cause a nosebleed. Less commonly, an underlying disease process, such as an inability of the blood to clot, may contribute to the bleeding. Abnormal blood vessels or cancers in the nose are rare causes of nosebleeds. High blood pressure may also contribute to bleeding but is almost never the only reason for a nosebleed. Friday, March 18, 2016 Blood Transfusion A blood transfusion is the transfer of blood or blood products from one person (donor) into another person's bloodstream (recipient). This is usually done as a lifesaving maneuver to replace blood cells or blood products lost through severe bleeding, during surgery when blood loss occurs or to increase the blood count in an anemic patient. Blood transfusions can be a life saving measure. Volunteer donor blood usually is readily available, and when properly tested has a low incidence of adverse events. The likelihood of contracting infections from a blood transfusion is very low. Blood conserving techniques are an important aspect of limiting transfusion requirements. Blood banks are responsible for collecting, testing and storing blood. People with Type O, negative blood are considered universal donors as it is safe to transfuse to nearly everyone. Saturday, February 13, 2016 Effects of Air Pollution • The effects of Air pollution are very alarming, they create several respiratory and heart • Another direct effect is the immediate alterations that the world is witnessing due to Global warming. With increased temperatures world wide, increase in sea levels and melting of ice from colder regions and icebergs, displacement and loss of habitat have already signaled an impending disaster. • Harmful gases like nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides are released into the atmosphere during the burning of fossil fuels. When it rains, the water droplets combines with these air pollutants, becomes acidic and then falls on the ground in the form of acid rain. Acid rain can cause great damage to human, animals and crops. • Just like humans, animals also face some devastating affects of air pollution. Toxic chemicals present in the air can force wildlife species to move to new place and change their habitat. The toxic pollutants deposit over the surface of the water and can also affect sea animals. • Ozone exists in earth’s stratosphere and is responsible for protecting humans from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. Earth’s ozone layer is depleting due to Air pollution. As ozone layer will go thin, it will emit harmful rays back on earth and can cause skin and eye related problems. UV rays also have the capability to affect crops. Thursday, January 21, 2016 Blue Fingertips Our fingers, toes and ears are the most vulnerable to temperatures. When we are exposed to the cold, Symptoms of Raynaud’s can include tingling and numbness in the fingers and toes, whitening of the fingers and the blue discolouration. our bodies conserve heat by decreasing blood flow to our hands and feet. In general, this is short-lived and will reverse quickly – unless you have Raynaud’s. Wednesday, December 2, 2015 Monday, November 30, 2015 Celebrity Victims of Breast Cancer Barbara Mori Christina Applegate Cynthia Nixon Ingrid Bergman Jane Fonda Lisa Ray Namrata Singh Gujral NIkhat Kazmi Rita Wilson Sheryl Crow Monday, November 23, 2015 Iron Deficiency Anemia
Open Access A simulation analysis to optimize orbits for a tropical GPS radio occultation mission Earth, Planets and Space200658:BF03352596 Received: 16 February 2005 Accepted: 7 June 2006 Published: 16 September 2006 Space-based Radio Occultation (RO) measurements using a GPS receiver on a low Earth orbiter (LEO) provide accurate atmospheric refractivity profiles. EQUatorial Atmospheric Research Satellite (EQUARS) is a planned satellite mission carrying a GPS receiver for RO measurements, whose main focus is to study the vertical coupling process in the equatorial atmosphere and ionosphere through upward propagating atmospheric waves. This paper presents a model simulation to determine the best practical orbital parameters of a LEO satellite for GPS occultation, which provides dense occultation coverage from 20°S to 20°N and sparser coverage extending to 30°S and 30°N. Constellations of 29 GPS satellites are computed every 10 sec using the six Keplerian parameters based on real almanac data, while various orbits of LEO satellite are computed by varying orbital parameters, especially orbital altitude and inclination. Then, the occultation events are simulated under the assumption that the ray path between the occulting GPS and LEO satellites is a straight line. The simulation analysis shows that altitude and inclination angle of orbit are considered as principal parameters among the Keplerian parameters to accomplish the RO measurements in the equatorial region. Taking into account the long-lived mission, an avoidance of ionospheric F-layer influences, and practical antenna field of view, the best practical orbit for RO measurement in the equatorial region has an altitude of 750 km and an inclination of 20°. LEO on this orbit is expected to provide 530 RO events per day. The analysis also shows that three LEOs in that orbit with 120° separation can provide atmospheric profiles at least once every 6 h within 1000 km from an arbitrary station in the equator. Key words GPS Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite radio occultation mission simulation
Using decorators with python Decorators are quite often used in python code. It makes stuff lot more easier. Consider this awesome decorator in django. def some_view(request): # do stuff here login_required is said to be a decorator, and some_view is said to be the decorated function. This decorator ensures that the user is logged in before this view is processed – otherwise they are redirected to another page ( In fact – the page to be redirected can be specified through the decorator itself ) How does this work? Before seeing how decorators work, there are some stuff that you need to know. Python supports the concept of closures. Consider the following. def outer_function(args): def inner_function(more_args): # some stuff here # notice that both args and more_args # are accessible here print args, more_args return inner_function fun = outer_function(1) fun(2) # prints 1 2 Everytime I call the function outer_function a new definition of inner_function is created and it is returned. The fun thing is, even though the scope of args is only within the definition of outer_function it is available when inner_function is executed. That was confusing. Let me give a better, practical example. Functional programming languages have a concept of partial functions. Lets make a partial function. def partial(function, args, kwargs): def ret(iargs, *ikwargs): return function((args+iargs), dict(ikwargs, kwargs)) return ret Now I’m going to create a partial function out of add, which takes two parameters and returns their sum. def add(x,y): return x+y >>> add(5,6) The partial function I create will be called add5, and will take a single parameter, add that to 5 and return the sum. To create a partial function, we call the function partial as follows >>> add5 = partial(add, 5) # the first parameter to be supplied to add is 5 >>> add5(6) >>> add5(10) Notice how the value we passed in partial gets “stored” somehow? This works because the returned function remembers all its variables in its scope and the enclosing scopes. This can be confirmed by printing the value of locals() within the returned function. def ret(iargs, ikwargs): print locals() return ret >>> add5 = partial(add, 5) >>> add5(6) {'args': (5,), 'iargs': (6,), 'kwargs': {}, 'function': <function add at 0x92e1844>>, 'ikwargs': {}} so clearly, the value passed to partial is accessible to the inner function. keep this in mind, we’re going to use this concept in decorators. Why decorate? Decorating a function is often required for modifying the result of function itself, or for separating out stuff that is not related to the action performed by the function. Let us see examples for both. A very trivial example to consider will be, suppose you have a series of functions which returns a string. And the string thus returned has to be converted to upper cased. A decorator, uppercase, can be written as follows. def uppercase(func): def ret(args, *kwargs): return func(args, **kwargs).upper() return ret def string_function(string__): # do some stuff with string, and return it return string__ string_function = uppercase(string_function) # apply the decorator What the heck? where’s the @thing I’ve seen for decorators? def string_function(..): is equivalent to def string_function(..): string_function = uppercase(string_function) So you see, @uppercase is just syntactic sugar for calling the function uppercase with the function to be decorated as the argument. Personally, whenever I see a decorator in @decorator pattern, I mentally parse it as func = decorator(func) Lets see another example. This is a very widely used application of the decorators. We’re going to write a memoize decorator. Memoize? What the heck is that? Memoization is a really cool technique which can be applied for pure functions. Pure functions – as you might know, always gives same output for the same input values – so its often useful to store the output for already computed inputs. When we get an input which is already computed, we can simply retrieve the output from the storage, instead of computing it all over again. Think of it as a cache. Lets consider an example. Fibonacci series is a well known series. If you don’t know what it is, you should check it out, its fun! A naive recursion implementation to find nth item of Fibonacci series [ with n starting from 0 ]could be written as follows. def fib(n): if n == 0 or n == 1: return n Lets run this for bigger numbers. In [28]: %timeit fib(35) 1 loops, best of 3: 8.56 s per loop Of course, you may get a different output, but that’s incredibly long for me. Lets think of some ways to reduce the time. fib(5) can be expressed as fib(3)+fib(4) which in turn can be expressed as fib(2)+fib(1)+fib(3)+fib(2). See how the pattern repeats – we need to calculate fib for lower values again and again. Given that fib itself is a pure function, why not store the values as we compute? Lets apply memoization in this case. A memoize decorator Our strategy to attack this problem is to have a dictionary, with each key having value as function(key). As we compute newer function(key) values, we store an entry key: function(key) in the dictionary. def memoize(function): cache = {} def compute(key): if key not in cache: cache[key] = function(key) return cache[key] return compute Now, lets apply this memoize decorator to our fibonacci function def fib(n): Time to run the tests again. In [37]: %timeit fib(35) 1000000 loops, best of 3: 345 ns per loop Yaaay! look at the improvement, from 8ish seconds, it has come down to 345 nanoseconds. So there you go, that’s the kind of performance boost you can get by using memoization. That’s it for now.
I was working on a praxctice program and wanted some numbers fixed dollar amounts to 2 decimal places while others to be displayed as plain old ints. I used this code, but noticed that now ALL numbers are set as fixed 2 place decimals. Is this how fixed and setprecisioun are supposed to work, or is it only supposed to effect the line of code they are associated with: cout << endl << endl << endl; cout << "Loan Amount $" << fixed << setprecision(2) << loan << endl; cout << "Monthly Interest Rate: " << rate << "%" << endl; cout << "Number of Payments: " << payments << endl; cout << "Monthly Payment $" << setprecision(2) << payment << endl; cout << "Amount Paid Bacl $" << setprecision(2) << endl; This code gives me something like: %12.00 (I expected %12) 36.00 (once again expecting 36) blah blah blah you get the point, I don't think I'm understaning how these formatting commands work, the books don't seem to say anything on their scope. 3 Years Discussion Span Last Post by mixelplik setprecision just does what it says. It sets the precision to 2 figures after the decimal point and it will stay that way. setprecision() is in effect until you call the funcion to change the value for floats and doubles. Assuming rate is either float or double, on line 3 call setprecision(0) to not display any decimals. Then on line 4 you have to call setprecision(2) again. Edited by Ancient Dragon Thanks guys! I was wondering, I thought so, this makes it clear!
Dismiss Notice Dismiss Notice Join Physics Forums Today! Why is this line of reasoning wrong? 1. Nov 13, 2013 #1 A line of charge λ is located on the z-axis. Determine the electric flux for a rectangular surface with corners at coordinates: (0, R, 0), (w, R, 0), (0, R, L), and (w, R, L). 2. Relevant equations [tex]\phi = \frac{q_{in}}{\epsilon_0}[/tex] 3. The attempt at a solution Instead of the surface given, imagine a rectangular surface located a distance R from the wire with length L and width 2w -- this would have twice the area of the surface given above. Now, imagine four such surfaces so that the wire is now in an enclosed box except for at the top and bottom. By Gauss' Law the net flux through these surface would be λL/ε0. Now, since the surface given by the problem is 1/8 of the surface we've created, why can't we say the flux we're asked to find is λL/8ε0 by symmetry? 2. jcsd 3. Nov 13, 2013 #2 4. Nov 13, 2013 #3 User Avatar Staff Emeritus Science Advisor Homework Helper Education Advisor Gauss's law applies only to closed surfaces. 5. Nov 13, 2013 #4 Would this not constitute a closed surface -- a rectangular prism. The tops and bottoms I would think shouldn't matter since the electric field points radially outward. 6. Nov 13, 2013 #5 So what will be the dimensions of the face adjacent to the first one? The first one is 2w x L and at a distance R from the wire. If the face at 90 from this first one is also 2w in width, it will not be symmetric in respect to the wire. If it's 2R in width it won't be identical with the first one. 7. Nov 13, 2013 #6 Aha! I see now. The second face will be w away from the wire, not R. I'm retarded. Thank you. Have something to add? Draft saved Draft deleted Similar Discussions: Why is this line of reasoning wrong? 1. Why is this wrong? (Replies: 2) 2. Why is this wrong? (Replies: 4)
Network is to connect two or more computers together with the ability to communicate with each other. Networking is to link two or more computing devices together for the purpose of sharing data. It provides design, programming, development and operational support for LANs, WANs and other networks. A local area network (LAN) is a group of computers and associated devices that share a common communications line or wireless link. Desktop Manager can assess the configurations of desktops and determine if they have received the proper updates — a task that is helpful to ensure all desktops are operating properly and securely. Network Desktop Manager manages desktop icons, background image and media message on LAN. It controls the Desktops within the network and keep desktops clean and tidy. It even allows to add own Media message (video, image or HTML) that can be displayed on the remote Desktops within the network. Our proposed project is Network Desktop Manager which provides the complete control on the remote desktop. When ever the administrator wants to operate the remote system this application provides the requested host desktop to the administrator so that he/she can operate the remote system directly with the system desktop. It also provides some of the features like chatting, desktop locking, desktop sharing, and port scanning. Modules : 1. Desktop Sharing Administrator can directly access the remote system by sharing the requested system desktop. Desktop Sharing is a server application that allows to share current session with a user on another machine, who can use a client to view or even control the desktop. Desktop Sharing lets users call a remote computer to access its shared desktop and applications.With the Desktop sharing we can operate our office computer from our home or viceversa. 2. Desktop locking and unlocking Desktop locking and unlocking is a utility provided by the Network Desktop Manager to lock and unlock the remote desk to prevent others from accessing the system.Desktop Lock is a computer security protection and access control software product, we can use it to lock computer to prevent people from accessing your private documents and resources. When the computer being locked by Desktop Lock, none can access your documents, browse your computer, or use programs on locked system. 3. Messaging Administrator can communicate with the remote systems that are connected With in the local network administrator can communicate publicly or privately. Messaging is nothing but passing data to and from applications over the network which makes the synchronisation of data simple. Messaging allows users across the network to exchange data in real time. Most commonly, these data consist of typed conversations, but the power of the system lies in its ability to pass other data as well. This could be in the form of audio or video or, as will be presented here, other text data that will allow the two chatting parties to retrieve the same data base record by sending a primary key or keys from one to the other. 4. IP Port Scanning If administrator wants to know the information about how many ports are working on the specified system and what is the port number allotted for the service, how many ports are closed, and how many are open.IP Port Scanner allows for testing whether a remote computer is alive with UDP and testing whether a TCP port is being listened with two types CONNECTS and SYN. IP Port Scanner reverse lookup IP address into hostname and read responses from connected TCP Port. Software Requirements: Platform : JAVA using Swings
Design criteria Edit An exhaust pipe must be carefully designed to carry toxic and/or noxious gases away from the users of the machine. Indoor generators and furnaces can quickly fill an enclosed space with carbon monoxide or other poisonous exhaust gases if they are not properly vented to the outdoors. Also, the gases from most types of machine are very hot; the pipe must be heat-resistant, and it must not pass through or near anything which can burn or can be damaged by heat. A chimney serves as an exhaust pipe in a stationary structure. For the internal combustion engine it is important to have the Exhaust System "Tuned" (refer to tuned pipe) for optimal efficiency. In many trucks / lorries all or most of the exhaust system is visible. Often in such trucks the silencer is surrounded by a perforated metal sheath to avoid people getting burnt touching the hot silencer. This sheath may be chrome plated as a display feature. Part of the pipe between the engine and the silencer is often flexible metal industrial ducting, as in the image in the section "Terminology". Sometimes a large diesel exhaust pipe is vertical, to blow the hot noxious gas well away from people; in such cases the end of the exhaust pipe often has a hinged metal flap to stop debris and birds and rainwater from falling inside. Sometimes this exhaust pipes have some flex connector attached with it. This helps in minimising the vibration from the engine to be transferred into the exhaust system. Manifold or headerEdit With or without catalytic converterEdit Some systems (including in former time all systems) (sometimes nowadays called catless) eliminate the catalytic converter. This is illegal in some places if the vehicle is driven on public roads. Tailpipe and tipEdit In the late 1950s in the United States manufacturers had a fashion in car styling to form the rear bumper with a hole at each end through which the exhaust would pass. Two outlets symbolized V-8 power, and only the most expensive cars (Cadillac, Lincoln, Imperial, Packard) were fitted with this design. One justification for this was that luxury cars in those days had such a long rear overhang that the exhaust pipe scraped the ground when the car traversed ramps. The fashion disappeared after customers noted that the rear end of the car, being a low-pressure area, collected soot from the exhaust and its acidic content ate into the chrome-plated rear bumper. When a bus, truck or tractor or excavator has a vertical exhaust pipe (called stacks or pipes behind the cab), sometimes the end is curved, or has a hinged cover flap which the gas flow blows out of the way, to try to prevent foreign objects (including droppings from a bird perching on the exhaust pipe when the vehicle is not being used) getting inside the exhaust pipe. Lake pipesEdit Also known as side pipes, lake pipes are exhaust pipes, normally brightly chromed, which exit the front wheel arch of a car and then pass down the sill/rocker panel, finally opening sideways in front of the rear wheel. They are sometimes seen on custom cars and hot rods. Cars in series production which are equipped with sidepipes include the Dodge Viper and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, with the SLR having sidepipes which end behind the front wheels. See alsoEdit External linksEdit Ad blocker interference detected!
Technology Insight Report: Carbon Nanotubes in Energy Storage Devices Carbon Nanotubes with their extraordinary properties in terms of strength, thermal and electrical properties are poised to have a big impact on the future of material sciences, electronics and nanotechnology. Owing to their specialized structures and minute diameter, they can be utilized in the creation of ultra-thin energy storage devices which in today’s world where electronics is getting smaller could redefine the electronics market and replace capacitors and batteries they way we see them now. Research and development around carbon nanotubes is moving ahead yielding new forms, new applications and new material based on this unique structure and we take a look into this breakthrough in science and the innovation that surrounds it as it promises to be a large part or small devices of the future. Introduction to Carbon Nanotubes Source by Robin Luniya Write a comment
Friday, February 14, 2014 Cantigas de Amigo The cantigas de amigo, or "songs of a lover," are a genre of lyric poetry written in Galaic-Portuguese (a language ancestral to modern Portuguese and Galician) during the 12th and 13th centuries in the northwestern Iberian, reaching its zenith during the reign of Alfonso X of Castile. Their structure and content contrasts with contemporary poetry from other regions, as well as with other Galaic-Portuguese lyric, making it probable that they reflect an indigenous Iberian tradition of love poetry. Indeed, the only obvious parallel is with the Mozarabic kharja tradition, also unique to the Iberian. In a cantiga de amigo, the poet (almost always male, in extant examples, though it's not clear how well this reflects the popular tradition) takes on the voice of a young woman, generally one of common background. This narrator is generally presented confiding in someone close to her, often her mother, about her love. (The word amigo, literally "friend," is commonly used to refer to the lover, but there's very rarely any ambiguity about whether romance or mere friendship is being discussed. It's therefore probably better to interpret the phrase cantigas de amigo as meaning "songs of a lover," rather than the more popular translation as "songs of a friend.") Using this device, the poets captured glimpses of many moments in romance. Some cantigas speak of unrequited love, some of lovers who have gone to sea and may never return, some of nervously hoping to see a lover again who may not be faithful after all. Others are more joyous; in some, the lovers are planning to meet, or the woman simply sings of how joyful it is to be in love. Many hint specifically at erotic love, with plans for secret meetings or lovers bathing together in the ocean; a few go beyond hints. The sentiments are poignant, but usually quite simple; each poem deals only with one precise theme. The content of these poems differs from that of the troubadour-inspired lyrics the same poets were often writing when they favored a male voice. The male-voice poems are frequently about longing for a noble lady whose love is unobtainable, a common theme in other Romance-language poetry of the era, while the cantigas de amigo are generally about an uncertain but more promising romance, and often present a more raw quality to the emotional expression. The structure of the cantigas de amigo is also unique. Unlike other Romance-language poetry of the same period (even in the same region), most of the cantigas de amigo are highly repetitive; in general, there's a high degree of parallelism from one stanza to another, often concluding each one with a shared refrain. This tends to create the effect of a narrator so filled with emotion that she can't quite bring herself to find the right words, but she continues to try. But despite these similar structural devices, there isn't a single, fixed cantiga de amigo form. A two-stanza cantiga is short, but not unheard-of; four stanzas is more typical, and some are substantially longer. There is also no set form that the poems take within those stanzas; the stanzas themselves may be as short as three lines, but most are longer, and the longest I'm familiar with are eight lines long. The lines themselves are typically brief, in the manner of a lot of folk poetry; seven-syllable lines are common (though not ubiquitous), and rhyme schemes vary. The fact that widespread features of European court poetry (which was, at the time, strongly influenced by the troubadour tradition) made it into all parts of the Iberian, yet the cantigas de amigo failed to absorb those details and stayed confined to one relatively small region, suggests that they are an indigenous popular form, of which many artful examples remain to us precisely because it was adopted by high-status poets. While we have no way to discern whether the lower-class women whose voices are often adopted in the cantigas de amigo were ever part of that tradition, these poets certainly give us a glimpse of the distinctive style of verse that was often composed and sung in the northwestern Iberian. It also shows us that the local form those courtly poets chose to present to a wider audience was one that specifically celebrated the many emotions that love inspires. No comments: Post a Comment
Tuesday, June 12, 2007 Star Trek Lives! The search for Spock is over. The famous Vulcan turned out to be a 42-year-old Canadian man. The science journal, New Scientist, says that during surgery, dark-green blood was discovered flowing through the man's arteries. Normally, healthy human blood is dark-red because of the iron and oxygen enriched hemoglobin, but due to a migraine medication the patients blood had turned green. Tests revealed that sulphur atoms had attached themselves to the hemoglobin, sulfhaemoglobinaemia, causing blood discoloration. The Canadian doctors said the condition usually will correct itself through the natural production and loss of blood cells. Mr. Spock, however, will forever have green blood because of his dominant Vulcan half is copper based rather than iron based, and he is not real. In other science news, New Scientist also reported that, for the first time, data has been successfully stored in living neurons. This feat makes possible the combining of human brain cells and computer chips ushering in the age of the truly modern Prometheus - cyborgs. Neural networks of cultured neurons, any of the nerve cells that make up the the brain, spinal column, and nerves, consisting of a nucleated cell body with one or more dendrites and a single axon, spontaneously fire in specific patterns. Researches have been trying to duplicate natures work, but have not been able to reprogram the patterns with new data without erasing the old data. Electrical stimulation of individual cells acts as a disruptor to the spontaneous firing pattern. The complex neural firing patterns may be templates the brain uses to store data as memories. By "imprinting" the memories onto artificial neural nets could potentially be the pathway to cyborg chips which could then be implanted into humans to replace damaged nerve and brain tissue. This "borg" technology could also be used to enhance the normal human abilities as was done with Seven of Nine on Star Trek Voyager. With further work, perhaps completely cybernetic function could be achieved and many Mr. Datas will walk among us - if we survive the clone wars. It is, indeed, a brave new world. Resistance is futile. dcat said... It will cure blindness to! But will we see it? ;) Gayle said... "Resistance is futile!" LOL! What I found on sulfhaemoglobinaemia said that "the blood count does not reveal any special abnormality in the blood." I think dark green blood is a special abnormality. It's a "cover up" I tell you! LOL! As you said on MRB, Al Gore is up to no good! Cyborgs. Ugh! Science fiction some how has a way of becoming non-fiction, doesn't it. Good post. :) Indigo Red said... I would be fairly concerned if I had green blood leaking from any part of my body. I am already concerned when red blood leaks and green blood would certainly send me to the phone and 911. bernie said... My wife on the other hand says I do not have any blood running through my veins. That explains my cold-hearted rightwing views. Excellent post.
Monday, 25 April 2011 The Return Of the Veil Young American Muslim women have come to view the hijab as a symbol of liberation rather than repression. Published in the Wall Street Journal on April 25th 2011, Copyright, All Rights Reserved. Newspapers are full of stories about European governments debating whether to ban women from wearing some version of the Islamic veil—on April 11, France outlawed the niqab, or full-face veil—but such efforts only confirm how prevalent the veil has become in the 21st century, not least in Western countries. Its resurgence over the past 30 years is the subject of Leila Ahmed's "A Quiet Revolution." Ms. Ahmed, a professor at the Harvard Divinity School, focuses in particular on the veil's history in Egypt, the country in which she grew up, and on its contemporary appearance in the U.S. The Islamic custom of a woman covering her head is an old one but became widespread—in North Africa, Central Asia and the broader Middle East—only when Islam burst out of the borders of the Arabian Peninsula in the eighth century. The religious logic was that headwear, for women, imposed modesty and helped to regulate the relations between the sexes in public settings. The desire to "unveil" caught fire in Egypt more than a thousand years later, during the colonial era, when local women, for the first time, saw bareheaded Western women traveling up the Nile. Before long, Ms. Ahmed argues, the decision not to wear the veil became more than a matter of imitating a Western style of dress. It became a symbol of various longings within Egyptian culture—for a newly transparent social order, for a less oppressive traditionalist society, for a resurgence of Egypt's diverse national identity and for the liberation of Egypt from colonial rule. Ms. Ahmed's narrative deftly captures the mood of the era, registering the range of ironies surrounding the status of the veil. Evelyn Baring, the British administrator who ran Egypt from 1883 to 1907, firmly opposed women's suffrage in London—he sneered at the idea of "the unsexed woman voting at the polling booth"—yet in North Africa he championed the cause of unveiling as a civilizing reform. Little could he have imagined that unveiling would later become an emblem for untethering Egypt from Britain itself. In 1919, Ms. Ahmed notes, a Cairo sculptor pushing for independence depicted "The Awakening of Egypt" as a young peasant woman throwing off her veil. By Leila Ahmed Yale, 352 pages, $30 Egyptian women went uncovered right up to the 1970s. The only veiled women Ms. Ahmed saw as a child in the 1940s were the wives of members of the Muslim Brotherhood. But it was around that radical organization that Egypt's opposition politics coalesced, centering on Islamic revivalism. The veil thus became, in the postwar years, a symbol of hostility to the perceived materialism of mainstream society. (The Nasser government's crackdown on the Brotherhood only added to the group's popularity.) The Brotherhood's rise was part of a religious fervor that swept through the Arab world in the 1970s, helped along by Saudi Arabia's longtime promotion of the fundamentalist Wahhabi doctrine. Ms. Ahmed gives us a fascinating portrait of the Muslim Brotherhood, especially of its "unsung mother," Zainab al-Ghazali. Groomed by her father to become a Muslim leader, she founded Egypt's Muslim Women's Association at age 18. She helped re-organize the Brotherhood after the assassination of its founder, Hassan al-Banna, in 1949 and served six years in jail for her political activities. The same woman who looked with cold disapproval at the "pink, short-sleeved dress" of a Western interviewer divorced her husband only after she made sure that her marriage contract gave her the right to do so. Her contradictions—she described her childlessness as a "blessing" while insisting that a woman's main role in life was as a wife and mother—are part of her legacy, showing the complicated nature of female leadership in an environment of male-dominated Islamic activism. As for the meaning of the veil in contemporary Western societies, Ms. Ahmed is very much a disciple of the French scholar Olivier Roy, who argues that Muslims living in the West—where religion is not imposed by a social authority—will anchor their identities less in nationality or even ethnicity than in solidarity with the "ummah," the universal community of Muslim believers. Mr. Roy doesn't say whether this feeling of affiliation is a good or bad thing, but Ms. Ahmed suggests that it is empowering. She sees educated, religiously committed Muslims taking the lead in making America a more open, pluralistic society. Parts of "A Quiet Revolution" are taken up with stories from conferences organized by Muslim Americans in the post 9/11 world. The theme is always "America, Our Home," with speakers articulating, often with amused wonder, the realities of their immigrant experience. ("Just listen to the [American] accent of your kids," one panelist says, "then you'll know that you're not going anywhere.") What is most striking is how many young American Muslim women view the hijab—the traditional Muslim veil that covers the head but, unlike the niqab, leaves the face open to view—as a symbol of liberation rather than repression. Alert to the surrounding society's prejudice, they are choosing to go veiled, Ms. Ahmed says, precisely as a way of affirming their derided identity. The veil is, for them, a way of insisting on their equal place in American culture. But Ms. Ahmed is too optimistic. Even if the veil in America is being disentangled from many of its traditional meanings, it remains a theological symbol, tainted by a long history of religious traditions that fall harder on women than on men. The good news is that American Muslims—unlike their counterparts in France—have the freedom to decide what the veil means and whether they would like to use it or set it aside. This is a freedom that Ms. Ahmed exercises: A secular Muslim feminist, she herself does not wear the veil. Ms. Sethi is the Journal's assistant books editor. Pakistan transgenders pin hopes on new rights (BBC) Wearing a bright yellow dress, and scrabbling around her make-up box, she is doing her best to cover up her decidedly masculine features. Shehzadi is transgendered: physically male, but psychologically female. "When I was about six or seven, I realised I wasn't either a boy or a girl," Shehzadi says. "I was miserable because I didn't understand why I was different. It was only when I met another 'she-male' that I felt peace in my heart and my mind." Separate identity Shehzadi also shows us her ID card. She is unhappy that it says "male." But this is something that should soon change. Remarkably for a conservative country like this, Pakistan is about to introduce a third gender category on its national identity cards. Continue reading the main story Ehsan ul Haq Brigadier Ehsan ul Haq Pakistan is a Muslim nation and many will note that in Saudi Arabia, transgendered people were given the special role of guarding the Prophet Muhammad's tomb, as they were seen as exemplary devotees with no family ties. Although recognising the community as having its own gender will not solve all of the transgenders' problems, Pakistan's Supreme Court has made further recommendations. Commonly in Pakistan, transgenders have either been entertainers, or sex workers, or beggars. Transgenders in government jobs The court ruling says transgenders should be allocated a certain number of government jobs But Pakistan's Supreme Court now says that transgenders should also be allocated a certain number of government jobs. It specifically recommended they be appointed as tax collectors to utilise their "special skills". Those special skills are already on display in Clifton one of Karachi's most affluent neighbourhoods. There Shehzadi joins a group of theatrically dressed, heavily made-up transgenders can be seen sometimes strutting down the wide, quiet, tree-lined streets. Just a handful of transgenders have government jobs at the moment. For the vast majority, finding work is still tough. It could just be that in Pakistan the lot of this isolated and often ridiculed community might just be getting a little bit better. But in a moment of reflection, Shehzadi tells us of the things which can never be resolved through any kind of legislation. "However much we say we are a close community, and call each other 'sister' and 'mother' it is still a lonely existence." "Getting jobs and ID cards is great, but when I die, I know the community will have a party, spend all my money, and then it will be as if Shehzadi never walked on this earth." "That will always be the reality of our life."
Packaging Toys Appropriately When Placing In Storage 25 May 2016 Categories: , Blog If you have several old toys that your child does not play with any longer, and you wish to keep them in a storage unit in case you have another baby in the future, you will want to package the items appropriately so they do not suffer from damage due to long-term storage. Stuffed animals, plastic toys, and children's books all need to be cared for in a specific manner so they stay in the best of condition. Here are some steps you can take in ensuring these items are packaged the right way when placing them in a storage facility. Place Stuffed Animals In Plastic Enclosures To Keep Dirt-Free Stuffed animals should be washed before putting in your storage unit so there is no chance of mold or dirt expanding over the cloth surface of an animal due to high humidity levels. Launder all plush toys in a delicate cycle to remove surface dirt. Tumble dry on a low setting, but do not package until they are completely dry. If you decide to let them air dry for a bit, place them on a table in the sun to help remove all moisture from within each toy. Place these inside a plastic garbage bag and tie the top of the bag into a knot to keep air out of the enclosure. Tape the end of the bag onto the bag itself to keep it airtight. Place each bag of stuffed animals inside a large plastic storage bin for added protection from dirt and moisture. Increasing The Life Of Plastic Toys By Cleaning And Covering Plastic toys tend to get dirty as they are made from a porous material. To help keep plastic toys in the best of shape, wipe them down with a mild detergent containing bleach. This will kill any bacteria from each toy before it is placed in the unit. Batteries should be removed from any electronic toys before storing. Plastic toys can be placed in corrugated boxes or plastic storage bins. Make sure boxes are taped securely to help keep dust from getting inside. Plastic bin lids can also be secured with a piece of packing tape on each side to help keep the toys safe. Keep Children's Books Clean And Free From Bending When packaging books to be stored, it is best to use an acid-free archival box for their containment. This will allow the paper in each book to remain intact without any withering or deterioration due to sitting for an extending time period. Books fare well in open-air, making it a great type of container as the cardboard will still allow air flow unlike a plastic storage container's composition. When placing books in a box, you can either place them flat with larger picture books along the bottom of the box and smaller board books toward the top, or vertically with spines facing toward the bottom of the box with larger books in the center portion and smaller books toward the edges. This will give each book support so it does not bend while in storage. Place these boxes upon a table or shelf so moisture does not become an issue should it accumulate in your storage unit. For more information, contact Route 37 Self-Storage or a similar company.
Monday, 1 June 2015 Negative Hallucinations & Selective Attention Human Perception What is a negative hallucination? A negative hallucination is a common psychological phenomenon which most of us experience several times throughout our lives. Negative hallucinations happen when we find ourselves spending a significant amount of time looking all over the place for something, only to find that it was there in the very first place we looked all along, even though we may have looked there several times. Rather than seeing something that wasn't really there (hallucination), we didn't see something which was really there and this is why it's called a negative hallucination. Negative hallucinations are actually a very common phenomenon and are the result of selective attention. What is selective attention? In order to understand selective attention it's important to understand that, although the human mind is the most powerful tool we know of, it's also true that conscious human perception is generally unreliable. It's also true that no machine or system is 100% reliable and human perception is prone to making many generalizations, distortions and deletions. That is, our mind only filters through information via our five senses which it deems necessary and relevant to our experience. Much of the mind's subconscious processing is based primarily on visualization, which is why visualization is so often proposed as a useful self-help or self-improvement tool. For example, when driving down a road and considering overtaking the driver in front, the subconscious mind will create an internal mental image of what is likely to happen if we go ahead and carry out that behaviour, based on the information currently available (currently being perceived). Why do negative hallucinations happen? As in the above example (overtaking the driver in front) and due to selective attention, our subconscious mind would only consider information which it deems relevant to the experience when creating the internal mental construct of the consequences of overtaking the car in front. Anything not deemed relevant to the experience, even if it may have entered into our peripheral vision, would be ignored and would not be acknowledged by the subconscious and this can sometimes cause us to experience negative hallucinations. Unfortunately, this flaw in human perception has been known to be the cause of accidents on the roads on multiple occasions and is often the reason that drivers involved in such incidents may go on to make statements such as "I didn't see them" or "they came out of nowhere". [ Image: BreaW at Pixabay - Public Domain - ] No comments:
Resources for Children, Adults and Pregnant Women Recommendations on how to use vaccines to stop dangerous diseases in the United States are made by a group of medical and public health professionals called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The ACIP makes different recommendations for vaccines depending on age and risk factors. Before it is licensed, a vaccine must go through a rigorous process with scientists and medical professionals to ensure that it is safe and effective. General Vaccination Questions Answered For Children For Adults For Pregnant Women Terms of Use \| Privacy
This Molecular Leaf Uses The Sun To Turn CO2 Into A Fuel This Molecular Leaf Uses The Sun To Turn CO2 Into A Fuel Photo Source: MaxPixel. (CC0) “If you can create an efficient enough molecule for this reaction, it will produce energy that is free and storable in the form of fuels,” says study leader Liang-shi Li, associate professor in the chemistry department at Indiana University Bloomington. “This study is a major leap in that direction.” “Carbon monoxide is an important raw material in a lot of industrial processes,” Li says. “It’s also a way to store energy as a carbon-neutral fuel since you’re not putting any more carbon back into the atmosphere than you already removed. You’re simply re-releasing the solar power you used to make it.” The secret to the molecule’s efficiency is nanographene—a nanometer-scale piece of graphite, a common form of carbon (i.e. the black “lead” in pencils)—because the material’s dark color absorbs a large amount of sunlight. Li says that bipyridine-metal complexes have long been studied to reduce carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide with sunlight. But these molecules can use only a tiny sliver of the light in sunlight, primarily in the ultraviolet range, which is invisible to the naked eye. In contrast, the molecule takes advantage of the light-absorbing power of nanographene to create a reaction that uses sunlight in the wavelength up to 600 nanometers—a large portion of the visible light spectrum. Essentially, Li says, the molecule acts as a two-part system: a nanographene “energy collector” that absorbs energy from sunlight and an atomic rhenium “engine” that produces carbon monoxide. The energy collector drives a flow of electrons to the rhenium atom, which repeatedly binds and converts the normally stable carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide. The idea to link nanographene to the metal arose from Li’s earlier efforts to create a more efficient solar cell with the carbon-based material. “We asked ourselves: Could we cut out the middle man—solar cells—and use the light-absorbing quality of nanographene alone to drive the reaction?” he says. Next, Li plans to make the molecule more powerful, including making it last longer and survive in a non-liquid form, since solid catalysts are easier to use in the real world. He is also working to replace the rhenium atom in the molecule—a rare element—with manganese, a more common and less expensive metal. The Indiana University Office of the Vice Provost for Research and the National Science Foundation supported the research, which appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Source: Indiana University Related Books Carbon Dioxide Utilisation: Closing the Carbon Cycle climate changeBinding: Hardcover Publisher: Elsevier List Price: $195.00 Buy Now Carbon Capture and Storage climate changeAuthor: Stephen A. Rackley Binding: Hardcover • Used Book in Good Condition Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann List Price: $175.00 Buy Now Carbon Capture and Storage: CO2 Management Technologies climate changeBinding: Hardcover Publisher: Apple Academic Press List Price: $149.95 Buy Now follow InnerSelf on Get The Latest By Email
Edit Article wikiHow to Handle GI Upset in Guinea Pigs Three Methods:Spotting Signs of an Upset GI TractTreating an Upset GI TractPreventing an Upset GI TractCommunity Q&A Guinea pigs are great little pets that can have delicate constitutions. Their digestive system, in particular, can be prone to problems if they are not fed the correct diet. If your Guinea pig is acting strangely, look for the signs that it has an upset gastrointestinal (GI) tract. If you spot the signs of this illness, you should get it treated right away or it could threaten your little pet's life. Spotting Signs of an Upset GI Tract 1. 1 Look for signs of diarrhea in the cage. If your Guinea pig has a serious GI infection, it is likely that they will experience diarrhea. You will see the evidence of this on the bottom of the animal's cage, as its normal solid feces will instead be liquid.[1] • Diarrhea can be a very serious health problem for Guinea pigs. Having diarrhea for just one day can put a Guinea pig's life in danger. 2. 2 Pay attention to changes in appetite. If your Guinea pig has an upset digestive system, it is unlikely that the animal will continue to eat normally. Watch your Guinea pig's food on a daily basis and pay attention to changes to the amount your pet eats. • If your Guinea pig is not eating at all, that is a medical emergency. A Guinea pig that has not eaten in 16 to 20 hours can die from lack of food.[2] 3. 3 Look for changes in behavior. In addition to changes in appetite and digestion, your Guinea pig may act differently when it is suffering from an upset GI tract. Look for listlessness and disinterest in things it normally enjoys, such as avoiding playing with toys that it typically loves. • Changes in behavior can signal a wide variety of illnesses. However, if your Guinea pig is acting strangely, you should have it looked at by a veterinarian. Treating an Upset GI Tract 1. 1 Take your Guinea pig to a veterinary office. If you suspect that your Guinea pig is ill you should take to be seen by a veterinarian immediately. Swift action can save your Guinea pig's life, while waiting to see if it recovers on its own can be a risk to its life.[3] • If your normal veterinary office is open, call them on your way there to warn them that you are coming in. This will allow them to prepare for your arrival. • If your Guinea pig gets sick while your normal veterinary office is closed, take the animal to the closest veterinary hospital that is open. 2. 2 Approve veterinary treatment for GI problems. Depending on the specific health issue, your veterinarian may suggest a variety of treatments for your Guinea pig's health problem. If your veterinarian suspects that your pet has an infection that is causing its digestive problems, they will do testing to confirm their suspicion and then they will prescribe medication to eliminate the infection.[4] • There are also some medications that can cause GI problems in a Guinea pig, such as antibiotics, so if your Guinea pig is already on medication, your veterinarian may treat the digestive problem by changing up your pet's medication. 3. 3 Change your Guinea pig's diet. If your Guinea pig has a mild case of diarrhea or GI upset, a diet change may be all it takes to clear it up. Reduce the amount of fruits and vegetables you are giving the animal and increase the amount of Timothy hay it gets.[5] • Small changes to your Guinea pig's diet will usually clear up minor problems in its GI tract. Preventing an Upset GI Tract 1. 1 Feed your Guinea pig enough Timothy hay. The majority of your Guinea pig's diet should consist of Timothy hay. Having enough hay will help ensure that your pig's digestive system works correctly and does not get upset.[6] • Timothy hay provides a very large amount of fiber, which it vital to keeping your Guinea pig's digestive system moving along. • While other hays, such as alfalfa hay, can be fed to a Guinea pig in small quantities, it is important that a Guinea pig eats mostly Timothy hay because of its low protein and calcium content. 2. 2 Give your Guinea pig pellets. While pellets shouldn't be the majority of your Guinea pig's diet, they are an important part of the diet. They provide vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that your Guinea pig can't get elsewhere. These key parts of your Guinea pig's diet will help keep its digestion normal and will help keep problems with its GI tract at bay.[7] • Guinea pig pellets are sold at most pet stores and online retailers. • While pellets do contain vitamin C to begin with, they tend to lose that vitamin C as they age. With this in mind, try to buy small quantities of pellets at a time so that you are giving your Guinea pig the freshest pellets possible. • Guinea pig pellets are formulated to meet a Guinea pig's specific dietary needs, so don't try feeding your Guinea pig a different type of pellet food. 3. 3 Supplement your Guinea pig's diet with fruits and vegetables that are high in vitamin C. In addition to Timothy hay and pellets, your Guinea pig should eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables that are high in vitamin C are particularly good for a Guinea pig, as they can't store that vitamin and they don't get a lot of it in the other foods they eat. Give your Guinea pig a small amount of one of these fruits and vegetables every day:[8] • Broccoli • Dandelion greens • Kiwis • Mustard greens • Parsley • Apples • Green bell peppers • Kale • Tomatoes 4. 4 Avoid giving your Guinea pig foods that are bad for it. There are some foods that are bad for your Guinea pig and will likely cause it GI distress. Avoid giving your Guinea pig these foods:[9] • Iceberg lettuce • Shelled nuts or seeds • Dairy products • Candy Community Q&A Ask a Question 200 characters left Article Info Categories: Guinea Pig Health Did this article help you?
Follow by Email Monday, December 27, 2010 Aboriginal Living Standards Still too Low On 27th May 1967, a referendum was held to change the constitution. It wasn't about giving Aboriginal people the vote - they already had that - it meant Aborigines would be counted in the census and to empower the federal government to make laws for the Aboriginal race. The yes vote was a staggering 99.77 per cent which meant that Australians were very serious about wanting to raise the standard of living of Aboriginal people. Barry Cohen was assistant campaign director for the yes vote team in 1967. He writes in The Australian about how the gap in living standards between black and white Australians still exists today but it's not entirely the fault of past and present governments - Aboriginal people must also take some responsibility for it. Arriving at Collarenabri in February 1970, we were taken by a local doctor to a settlement on the banks of the Barwon River where humpies made of corrugated iron, hesian and scraps of linoleum housed the local Aboriginal community. The doctor told us "The children are fine while being breast fed but when that ceases, mothers, knowing little about nutrition, feed them rubbish. They get sick with a range of illnesses that have them in and out of hospital so often, that by the time they are five, they are a couple of years behind their white contemporaries, physically and mentally. Their parents are invariably unemployed, heavy drinkers and gamblers, with a limited vocabulary. This cultural backwardness flows on to the next generation. When the children go to school, they can't compete. When at home, they don't have electricity to enable them to study. We have to break the cycle of poverty." That was forty years ago and despite considerable improvement, too many still live like this. We would never permit this if they were non-indigenous children. But there have been improvements. In 1965 the first two Aborigines to graduate from university were Charles Perkins and Margaret Valadian. Now there are more than 20,000 with university degrees and tertiary qualifications. That's little consolation to the tens of thousands who live in abject poverty today with appalling accommodation, poor health and no jobs. It's worse if they suffer from physical and sexual abuse and are addicted to drugs and alcohol. While governments must bear the responsibility for that, the Aboriginal community must also recognise that it too has contributed to the big gap in their standard of living. They must cease living in a mythical paradise that they imagine existed before the arrival of the Europeans. They are angry that their life span is 20 years less than non-Aborigines, but in their nirvana, it would be 50 years less. They have the right to choose any lifestyle they desire but they cannot expect governments to provide the essential facilities to hundreds of tiny remote communities. They must decide their own future. If they want a semi-nomadic life in a netherworld then they will have to do it with minimal government help. We are fooling ourselves if we pretend otherwise. Opportunities are opening up for employment of Aborigines, particularly in northern Australia, in mining, cattle raising and tourism, but not enough. Aborigines must relocate to areas where they can obtain employment and where they can also find accommodation and adequate health care. We must provide them with the best education possible. There are schools in remote areas but they vary from ordinary to awful. We must stop pretending that Aborigines can live in two widely diverse cultures. They must choose between a modern Western lifestyle or a primitive subsistence similar to that which they enjoyed before the arrival of Europeans. Some will argue that it will destroy their culture, but it doesn't have to. They can preserve both while advancing their education in a range of areas. That's what's happening to the rest of the world and it has been happening to the 20,000 plus Aborigines who now have tertiary qualifications. Jobs count, not noble gestures. Barry Cohen From: The Australian 27 December 2010
, , , This week’s task is to focus on an object in your environment, preferably an object from the natural world, to really examine it, to try and see it with utmost clarity, and to wait for the word, that first word or phrase that seems to capture, for you, the essence, in language, of that object. Then use that word or phrase to construct a poem that gives a voice to that thing. Natural objects and manmade objects each have unique challenges. Because the former lie further beyond the zone of human intercourse, it is harder to find a language for them, and the danger is to anthropomorphize them. The trap with manmade ones is to rely on familiar expressions and relationships and to miss the opportunity of calling attention to their unique properties. I would like to say: our aim is to make the object speak, but we know that is impossible. In the end it is we who speak. Language is always ours, and is of primary importance in our relationships to the world and to each other. And while poetic language is surely one of the most beautiful justifications of human utterance, our version of birdsong, our object is not to be enamored of our own beauty, but to find the truest, most respectful words for that thing. That is the object of our poetics today. The master of this form of poetic expression is the great French writer Francis Ponge Ponge describes the process in The Carnation: Accept the challenge things offer to language. These carnations, for instance, defy language. I won’t rest till I have drawn together a few words that will compel anyone reading or hearing them to say: this has to do with something like a carnation…. What’s to be gained by this? To bring to life for the human spirit qualities, which are not beyond its capacity and which habit alone prevents it from adopting…. What sort of disciplines are required for this venture to succeed? Certainly those of scientific thought, but particularly a large measure of art. And that’s why I think one day such research might also legitimately be called poetry. Here are a couple of examples: by Francis Ponge [translation by Beth Archer] Fire has a system: first all the flames move in one direction . . . (One can only compare the gait of fire to that of an animal: it must first leave one place before occupying another; it moves like an amoeba and a giraffe at the same time, its neck lurching, its foot dragging) . . . Then, while the substances consumed with method collapse, the escaping gasses are subsequently transformed into one long flight of butterflies. [here is another translation] by Francis Ponge [translation by Beth Archer] The surface of a crusty bread is marvelous, first because of the almost panoramic impression it makes: as though one had the Alps, the Taurus or the Andes at one’s fingertips. It so happened that an amorphous mass about to explode was slid into the celestial oven for us where it hardened and formed valleys, summits, rolling hills, crevasses . . . And from then on, all those planes so neatly joined, those fine slabs where light carefully beds down its rays – without a thought for the unspeakable mush underneath. That cold flaccid substratum is made up of sponge-like tissue: leaves or flowers like Siamese twins soldered together elbow to elbow. When bread grows stale, these flowers fade and wither; they fall away from each other and the mass becomes crumbly . . . But now let’s break it up: for in our mouths bread should be less an object of respect than one of consumption. You’ll notice that these are examples of prose poetry. Your poem need not be prose. By all means, sing, rhyme, employ any and all means you are comfortable with, as long as they serve the object you have chosen. Here are some more examples of Ponge’s poetry. And here is Ponge’s text from which I have taken the title of our prompt. Mark Kerstetter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search (I.E: Michael Hallock) Digression' (parekbasis in Greek, egressio, digressio and excursion in Latin) is a section of a composition or speech that marks a temporary shift of subject; the digression ends when the writer or speaker returns to the main topic. Digressions can be used intentionally as a stylistic or rhetorical device. Digression basically refers to a temporary departure from the main subject in speech or writing. The term "digression" comes from the Latin word digressionem (nominative digressio): "a going away, departing," noun of action from past participle stem of digredi "to deviate", from dis- "apart, aside" + gradi "to step, go".[1] Literary use[edit] Digressions in a literary text serve a diverse array of functions, such as a means to provide background information, a way to illustrate or emphasize a point through example or anecdote, and even a channel through which to satirize a subject. 800–500 BCE[edit] 18th and 19th centuries[edit] In 18th-century literature, the digression (not to be confused with subplot) was a substantial part of satiric works. Works such as Jonathan Swift's A Tale of a Tub, Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy and Diderot's Jacques le fataliste et son maître even made digressiveness itself a part of the satire. Sterne's novel, in particular, depended upon the digression, and he wrote, "Digressions, incontestably, are the sunshine; — they are the life, the soul of reading; — take them out of this book (Tristram Shandy) for instance, — you might as well take the book along with them."[3] This use of digression as satire later showed up in Thomas Carlyle's work. 20th century[edit] Real life examples[edit] Digression as a rhetorical device can also be found in present-day sermons: after introducing the topic, the speaker will introduce a story that seems to be unrelated, return to the original topic, and then use the story to illustrate the speaker's point. Unintentional digressions in informal conversation and discussion are common. Speakers commonly use the phrase "But I digress..." after a digression to express the shift back to the main topic. Many examples of this use can already be found in 19th-century publications. Unless the speaker ties the "digression" back into the subject at hand, that shift in subject does not strictly constitute a rhetorical digression. See also[edit] 1. ^ Harper, Douglas. "digression". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2 October 2013. • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, vol IV. External links[edit]
Two NAS Reports on Geoengineering Techniques for the Removal of Greenhouse Gases National Academy Press Climate Intervention: Carbon Dioxide Removal and Reliable Sequestration Climate Intervention: Reflecting Sunlight to Cool Earth [Dot Earth] The panels’ overarching bottom line is straightforward: There is no substitute for dramatic reductions in the emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases to mitigate the negative consequences of climate change, and concurrently to reduce ocean acidification. There are no big surprises in the voluminous reports, but they do provide a great guide to both the scientific and societal issues attending using “climate interventions” — the reports’ phrase for geoengineering techniques — to counter humanity’s continuing intervention: the release of tens of billions of tons of carbon dioxide a year. The scientists find much merit in pursuing further research on both, but only see practical prospects for capturing and storing carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas emitted by human activities. Methods for reflecting sunlight, or increasing the planet’s “albedo,” are fraught with technical and diplomatic challenges… Leave a Reply You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change ) Twitter picture Facebook photo Google+ photo Connecting to %s
Accessibility Links The Tallest Buildings in the World From earliest times, human beings have sought to challenge themselves, searching for the unattainable and the unreachable. Reaching upwards towards the unknown is a physical manifestation of our constant desire to free ourselves of our earthly bonds and launch ourselves into the skies to be the equals of birds. We express this longing by building into the sky, to pierce the clouds and call this unexplored domain our own. Mankind has always sought the solace of high places from which to survey the landscape beneath. The nearer one built to heaven, the closer one could be to it, argued the architects of the Great Pyramid of Giza, which, at 146m high, remained the tallest building in the world for centuries. The architectural and engineering skills of Romans meant that 10-storey buildings could rise in the tightly packed streets of ancient Rome. Medieval cathedrals sent their spires soaring to heaven to enable congregations to become closer to God, in both a spiritual and physical sense. This constant search for height continued throughout the history of architecture. However, it wasn't until the 1850s, when the world's first lift was invented, that multi-storey buildings became the norm, rather than the exception. This, together with advances in steel-frame construction, enabled architects and engineers to develop the familiar shape we see in our cities today - the skyscraper. Technological developments in both construction materials and techniques have seen us push the boundaries of our built environment ever upwards. So if the sky really is the limit, what have we achieved so far? Burj Khalifa: Dubai Shining like a silver beacon in the desert and set against the turquoise Persian Gulf, the Burj Khalifa defies expectations of scale and, at the moment, is the tallest building and the tallest free-standing structure in the world. Standing an incredible 828m high, with 160 floors, it was officially opened in 2010. A mix of residential, commercial and hotel accommodation, it is also home to an 11-hectare park. The Burj attracts over 4,000 visitors every day to its viewing deck (itself the tallest such vantage point in the world). The Makkah Clock Royal Tower: Saudi Arabia The Makkah (or Mecca) Royal Hotel Clock tower is also known as the Abraj Al-Bait Towers and was built to modernise the city of Mecca in order to cater for the many pilgrims that visit each year. It's the second-tallest building in the world at 601m and holds other records too. It has the tallest clock tower and the world's largest clock face - 151ft in diameter and illuminated by two million LED lights which can be seen up to 18 miles away. A steel and concrete post-modern monolith in the desert, with a glass mosaic facade, it has 120 floors and houses 94 elevators which service 858 hotel rooms. There are conference facilities, apartments, a shopping mall and two heliports. One World Trade Centre: New YorkAlthough it's not completed yet, the One World Trade Centre, in downtown Manhattan, will be America's tallest building when it's finished. Rising 541m above the site of the original World Trade Centre's Twin Towers, with 104 floors above ground, its 2.6 million sq. ft. footprint will house office space, restaurants, broadcast and antennae facilities as well as an observation deck. One World Trade Centre has already been topped out and is expected to open later this year. Taipei 101: Taiwan Taipei 101, or the Taipei Financial Centre, was the tallest building in the world when it was built in 2004, only to be beaten some six years later by the Burj. Seen as modern Taiwan's iconic landmark, it is 509m tall and is considered the greenest tall building in the world by virtue of its innovative eco-friendly design. It is also an outstanding example of the oriental art of feng shui, which seeks harmony to achieve balance and enhance luck. The building is designed to resemble a stalk of bamboo. Its 101 floors symbolise adding one to a hundred, which is considered an auspicious number in Chinese culture. Its eight sections are also representative of good luck and, because the number four is considered unlucky, there is no 44th floor- just a 43a. The tower houses exclusive commercial space, including the Taiwan Stock Exchange, hotels, restaurants, a shopping mall and a library which the 5,000 visitors the tower welcomes each day can enjoy. These towering examples of the achievements of human beings and the tenacity which they display and the ingenuity they demonstrate can humble us when we consider their scale. They serve to show us that in aspiring to create the finest examples of human endeavour, we do indeed reach for the sky. Anders spotlight
Maps of World Current, Credible, Consistent World Map / Germany Map / States / Sachsen-Anhalt Map Sachsen-Anhalt Map Sachsen- Anhalt, capital Magdeburg is the largest city in the state. It is the 8th largest state of Germany in respect to size and 10th largest in population. Sachsen-Anhalt Map More Sachsen-Anhalt Maps Also Explore: Sachsen Anhalt Karte Saxony-Anhalt is a state in the eastern part of Germany. A landlocked German state, Saxony-Anhalt is the eight largest state in the country comprising an area of 7,894.9 square miles. Its population stands at 2.34 million, which makes it the tenth most populated state in the country. Though Saxony-Anhalt's capital is Magdeburg, Halle is the largest city. Saxony-Anhalt shares its borders with other German states such as Brandenburg, Thuringia, Lower Saxony and Saxony. There are many popular attractions in Saxony-Anhalt that people can visit. Some of these include: Harz National Park: A popular tourist attraction, Harz National Park was created in its current form in the year 2006. Apart from the dazzing sights and immense greenery, tourists here would also get to see rare animals such as the black storck, European wildcat, dipper, peregrine falcon, and many other animals. Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Worlitz: Established in the late 18th century, the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Worlitz is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a perfect place to spend a day with your family. Harz Steam Railway: Do check out this fabulous railway. What sets this railway apart is that here most of the trains are steam hauled. However, it is the best way to explore the pictursque Harz. Jahrtausendturm im Elbauenpark: It is a wonderful park and has a science museum which is known as the Millenium Tower. Here you would get a glimpse of the various scientific discoveries made during the ages. Museum für Luftfahrt und Technik Wernigerode: An aviation musuem, here one would come across varied aerospace exhibits. Some of the exhibits on display include helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft engines, cockpit sections, ejection seats, among others. Other attractions: Apart from these, there are many other attractions such as the Romanesque Road, numerous castles and palaces, historic parks and gardens, among others. Getting to Saxony-Anhalt Leipzig-Halle Airport, which is shared by both Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony, is a premium airport offering flights to other German destinations as well as some in the rest of Europe. The airport is conveniently located and offers train connections to the towns of Leipzig and Halle. Other prominent airports located close to the state are Hanover (HAJ) and the Berlin airports Tegel (TXL) and Schönefeld (SXF). Tourists can also choose to travel by train. In the east-to-west corridor, the ICE trains use the high-speed-line Berlin-Wolfsburg-Hanover. Meanwhile, all kinds of trains use the trunk line Berlin-Potsdam-Magdeburg-Braunschweig-Kassel/Hanover and the Halle-Kassel/Göttingen line is serviced by regional trains. In the north-south ICE and IC-trains service the main line Berlin-Wittenberg-(Leipzig)- Naumburg-Nuremberg/Frankfurt. Must Explore Germany States Map Berlin MapSaarland MapBrandenburg Map Hamburg Map Rheinland Pfalz MapHessen Maps Baden Wurttemberg MapNiedersachsen MapMecklenburg Vorpommern Map Nordrhein Westfalen MapSchleswig Holstein MapBayern Map Sachsen MapThuringia MapSachsen Anhalt Map Districts in Sachsen-Anhalt District AbbreviationCapitalPopulation Area(km.²) Altmarkkreis SalzwedelASSalzwedel88,2412,293 BurgenlandkreisBGNaumburg (Saale)189,7291,413 Halle (Saale)HAHalle (Saale)229,153135 Jerichower LandJLBurg93,8491,577 SalzlandkreisSZBernburg (Saale)205,4581,426 WittenbergWTLutherstadt Wittenberg132,9941,930 Find Germany States Maps in German Language Bundesländer Deutschland Karte - Bundesländer und ihrer Hauptstadte Baden Württemberg KarteHessen KarteSaarland Karte Bayern KarteMecklenburg-vorpommern KarteSachsen Anhalt Karte Berlin KarteNiedersachsen KarteSachsen Karte Brandenburg KarteNordrhein-westfalen KarteSchleswig Holstein Karte Bremen KarteRheinland-pfalz KarteThüringen Karte Hamburg Karte Last Updated : November 03, 2016 You May Like For further info please get in touch with Bill Spicer Executive VP, MapXL For US Queries (408) 637-0064 bill@mapxl.com
For Everything Career! Classroom Technology: Who are the State Leaders? Mar 31 2011 Technology in the Classroom The more technology is developing in our country, the more parents, teachers, and administrators are concerned about making sure that students understand how to use it. Schools are now integrating technology into the curriculum This can involve training in the use of computers, navigating the internet, and exposure to virtual classrooms. These schools also make options available such as career assessment tools, postsecondary education courses, AP testing aides, or credit recovery. The standards used to determine the scores of each state were divided into two groups: capacity and use. The capacity a state has was determined by how adequately trained the teachers and administrators are, whether their initial license requires technology courses, and if it requires ongoing technology training or testing as a part of relicensing. The use of a state was determined by whether a state has a standard requiring technology education, tests students on technology, establishes virtual schools, and establishes computer-based assessments. Surprisingly, most of the highly integrated states are located in the Southeast. They also offer the most additional options such as state standards for technology education, required technology courses, virtual schools, and computer based assessments. These states are some of the most economically depressed, and yet, they offer students the most in technology education. New England was only average in their technology leadership scores and offered only a few of the options that the Southeast offered. New England, however, is the most economically healthy region in the union. Many of these states offered only state standards and computer-based assessments. The three lowest scoring states were Montana, Nevada, and the District of Columbia. Montana is one of the more prosperous states in the unions though, just as with the case of New England. The District of Columbia failed outrightly. While the District of Columbia is only a province, they are still equipped with federal funding and school systems. The mention of the economic stability of the region is to demonstrate that these statistics do not align with the assumption that economic stability ensures technology advances within school systems. These schools offer nothing more than a state standard and in all three cases they failed in their ability to provide the capacity for technology education. That means that students had barely any education in technology presented to them during their federally funded education. The importance of training students in technology in preparation for their future cannot be stressed enough. Whether it’s providing them with the opportunity to take a simple job aptitude test or give them college credit through virtual classrooms, students need the chance to grow with technology. Yet, it’s surprising exactly where these students would have to go in order to gain the most technologically advanced education. States such as West Virginia, Georgia, and South Dakota are some of the last states that people would think of. Yet, some of the states that people would expect great technology opportunities from such as Vermont, California, or Connecticut are providing only average scores.
Cluster of Civilizations 6 june 2017 How They Get Along in the Modern World Vladimir Khoros - Doctor of History, is Head of the Center for Development and Modernization Problems of the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russia. Resume: Our oikumene will have to be recognized as multi-civilizational if a more balanced and multi-polar world is the ultimate goal. It is this kind of approach that is capable of making civilizational dialogue conflict free and mutually enriching. The time is ripe for delving into how civilizations are getting along and keeping in touch with each other in the global era. In looking for the causes of multiplying conflicts it is not enough to point to global economic and geopolitical contradictions alone. The civilizational aspect is crucial as well. It aroused particularly keen interest in the last quarter of the twentieth century. In Russia, this interest stemmed largely from the need to refurbish the less attractive theory of social formations or replace it with something more relevant. Samuel Huntington’s article (subsequently a book) played a big role in invigorating the civilizational discourse. His initiative induced the emergence of quite a few meaningful works on the problems of civilizations in many countries, including Russia. There are many definitions of what a civilization is with two fundamental approaches behind them. One dates back to the eighteenth century, to the age of the Enlightenment; it defines civilization as another level of human development, a counterbalance to savageness and barbarity. About a quarter of a century later a different approach started taking shape. It postulated a plurality of civilizations in history, with specific traits inherent in different countries or regions (Nikolai Danilevsky, Oswald Spengler, Arnold Joseph Toynbee, and Pitirim Sorokin). Although its advocates sometimes used different terms (Danilevsky, for instance, proposed a concept of cultural-historical types, Spengler considered different variants of cultural forms, and Toynbee often replaced the term ‘civilization’ with a certain type of “society”), all of them had in mind certain special socio-cultural entities that eventually earned the name of “local civilization.” Both approaches exist these days in a certain form. In its early days, the former was distinguished by its Western-centrism. It maintained that only Western societies had achieved the level of civilization. In a sense, this was the point of departure for Francis Fukuyama, the author of a highly controversial book called The End of History and the Last Man (1992). Fukuyama argues that the modern world is witnessing the establishment of the Western mode of life—the economic model, democracy, and cultural stereotypes all other peoples will follow from now on—which in other words spells the “end of history.” Huntington, an advocate of the latter approach, was more cautious. He expressed no doubt about the existence of different civilizations—Western and a number of non-Western ones. Pluralism will continue. Although the West will retain its economic, technical, and military supremacy over other regions for the time being, this state of affairs cannot last indefinitely. Moreover, it is resistance to Western forms of globalization that gives a fresh impetus to non-Western societies. Huntington points out certain signs indicating that the strength of Western civilization is waning (specifically, its dilution by immigrants), and predicts the emergence of different coalitions against the West. For this reason, the optimal picture of the future in Huntington’s eyes is not domination, but self-preservation—a “self-defense” of the West amid the “clash of civilizations.” I was one of the organizers of a major joint inter-institute project at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of the World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), titled Civilizations in the Modern World, which produced a methodology for analyzing civilizations and comparing them in accordance with a certain scale of values. I will rely on those findings in this article. Not claiming to produce an exhaustive formula, I suggest a definition based on distinctions between the terms ‘civilization’ and ‘culture.’ In contrast to culture, which constitutes the whole complex of meanings and values in use in a specific society, civilization is a “firmed,” crystallized structure, embodied in certain long-term values and mental paradigms that have passed the test for strength, endurance, and averageness and, respectively, for being of some value to society. A civilization incorporates not just values, but institutions, as well. In other words, certain agencies and forms that translate respective values into life. Civilization has a certain structure, hierarchy of levels, and cross-sections. In it one can identify first the kernel of basic values that are metaphysical by nature—an understanding of God, attitude to nature, space, and time, the place of man in space, and the degree of his freedom, as well as necessity and cognitive abilities. These are the elements that can be pieced together to create a picture of the world characteristic of any civilization. The structure of society, the values that bind it together (basic social cells, groups, and classes, the degree of elitism and egalitarianism, vertical mobility, the status of the person, the man and the woman, etc.) constitute another segment of civilization. One more way to look at civilization is from the standpoint of power, the nature of leadership, the role of the state, and the level of feedback between the government and society. Lastly, civilization can be viewed as the values of the economy, labor ethics, forms of ownership, and market economy relations. All these spheres and cross-sections are interrelated, although not always directly. Their links are not confined to ordinary subordination and can manifest themselves only after a long period of time. For instance, the Christian idea of “a particle of God inside us” implies the equality of all people and the potential of political democracy, but all this did not materialize in an instant and did not appear everywhere. Civilizations go through different stages of evolution. In each of them one can identify certain internal cycles associated with external influences. China has so-called dynastical-demographic-ecological phases (economic, social, and cultural rise starting from the first days of a dynasty, population growth, a worsening of the economic situation, degradation of the managerial class, a political crisis, and a grassroots explosion which forms a new dynasty, etc.). Japan experiences phases of sociocultural “openness” (to China and then to the West) and of “seclusion” and relative autarchy. Intermittent periods of “emergence-stabilization-crisis-days of trouble” are characteristic of Russian civilization. In the period of independence in Latin America, the “dictatorship-turmoil” cycles are the most noticeable. All these cycles embody the periodic internal and external “challenges” and “responses” to them (in Toynbee’s terminology). To a large degree the cycles are an up-and-down sequence of socio-cultural energy, when periods of confidence, determination, optimism, and creation give way to periods of fatigue, loss of bearings, skepticism, and regression. Modernization is a special phase in an evolution. In the broad sense, modernization is a period of transition from a traditional society to a modern one, from agriculture to industry. This is a rather long historical period, stretching from approximately the sixteenth century to the present day. In many countries, this period is still incomplete. Modernization encompasses all spheres of society, including engineering, the economy, social affairs, politics, law, and culture. The latter aspect of society is particularly important, because the point at issue is how imported values differ from traditional ones (readiness for change and innovation, rationalism, market economy stereotypes, democratic benchmarks, etc.). In this respect modernization and civilization-related matters overlap. When examining a specific civilization, it is important to determine the current stage of its modernization, whether it is final, ascending, stagnant, critical, or inverse; and, of course, its current cycle and condition. Fernand Braudel defined civilizations as “long durations.” But durations may vary. China and India have existed for thousands of years, while North America is just several centuries old. Yet according to some scholars, North America has already developed into a local civilization in its own right, while remaining a branch of the European one. Latin America (500 years old), and even Russia (1,000 years old) are considered young civilizations. Some civilizations emerge on the basis of one ethnos and state (China, Japan), while others constitute a super-ethnos or poly-state entity (Europe, the Islamic world, Russia). More homogenous civilizations have also taken shape over one ideological kernel (Europe, the Islamic world). But there are also civilizations of a different sort, sometimes referred to (probably not very accurately) as “border civilizations,” where different ideological principles co-exist and are capable of entering into conflict with each other (Russia, Latin America, Southeast Asia). All these parameters have to be taken into account when examining inter-civilizational contacts. Lastly, there are “peoples between civilizations” that are sandwiched inside the so-called “limitrophe” space between super-ethnic systems or imperial entities. Some authors (such as Vadim Tsymbursky, who conducted in-depth research into this topic) lists in this group a number of Eastern European countries, the Balkans-Danube region, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and other territories. How do civilizations feel today in the globalizing world of the twenty-first century? The opportunities for a dialogue between them and its productivity largely depend on how well the participants feel and in what shape the civilizations they represent are at the moment. Firstly, one should point to the processes of civilizational consolidation in Asian countries, which above all concerns India and China. India’s civilizational revival began in the nineteenth century (Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, Aurobindo Ghose, and others). The gradual acquisition of civilizational identity fueled the national-liberation movement led not only by major public figures, but also by outstanding thinkers such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. These “founding fathers” determined the key features of the strategy that guaranteed the development of the Indian “world of the worlds” over the past half century. These successes are rooted in the cult of knowledge, which forms the basis of Indian civilization and contributed to the high-tech boom; traditions of self-government and election, which, in combination with the “Westminsterian” British political model, helped the democratic system find its feet. The modern Indian civilization shared with the world its great idea of satyagraha, or non-violent resistance, an idea that is destined to play a role in global political life. The Chinese civilization, which is just as old, is on the rise as well. Since the middle of the last century, China has actively struggled to overcome a prolonged socio-cultural crisis caused by external pressures and internal turmoil. China blended government control and the encouragement of private enterprise, including businesses from neighboring countries, to perform a true economic miracle in just a few decades. The civilizational component is unmistakably present in China’s successful development today. Take the restoration of the family lease of land, which has deep roots in Chinese history. The establishment of a market economy “Socialism with Chinese characteristics” and the “Strategy of Four Modernizations” rely on the principles borrowed from the traditional socio-cultural heritage. Confucian ethics, the cult of knowledge, and cheerful Chinese pragmatism all fit in surprisingly well with the post-industrialized world. This does not mean that both civilizations have a cloudless future ahead. India’s social and inter-caste contrasts and widespread poverty (affecting hundreds of millions of people) look particularly glaring amid modern progress in science and engineering. Apparently, this is the reason for ever more frequent manifestations of religious intolerance; for instance, Hindu communalism, which contradicts the traditional cultural pluralism of Indian civilization. At the same time, religious skirmishes are not accidental. The ideological kernel of Indian civilization is not homogenous and there is a tangible Islamic component noticeably present. In China, alongside the officially proclaimed Socialist ideas, social polarization is widening and the governing and business elite (New Chinese) is becoming increasingly estranged from the rest of the people. Major economic problems are the reverse side of economic growth. Some researchers believe that Chinese civilization is going through another characteristic cycle. The rise will be followed by decline and socio-cultural disorder. However, in either case pessimistic forecasts will not necessarily turn out to be true. Great problems are emerging inside Japanese civilization. The Japanese were the first in Asia to carry out successful modernization of the country. Subsequently, having survived the catastrophe of a militarist adventure, Japan compensated for it with an economic miracle that stunned the entire world. It is not accidental that in postwar Japan the “nihonjinron theory,” postulating the exclusiveness of the Japanese people, enjoyed wide acclaim. Towards the end of the twentieth century the “Japanese spirit” started waning. The values of groupism and self-sacrificial diligence at work gradually lost their attractiveness. Corporate unity and lifetime employment were increasingly called into question. The cult of consumerism gained the upper hand. Globalization entailed the spread of individualism and other Western liberal values, which have already infected a large share of the political and business elite. In describing the current state of Japanese civilization, historian and political scientist Vassily Molodyakov has remarked that if it manages to provide a wakon-yosai response (a combination of the Japanese spirit and Western technique) to the globalization challenge, as it has done since the Meiji period, Japan will remain its own self. If not, “it will turn into a spiritual province of the globalized world.” Molodyakov believes the former possibility is more likely. Japan’s civilizational history indicates that it is prone to certain cyclicity. After periods of “openness” and cultural borrowings, the country turns back towards its own self. To be fair, it should be admitted that this wish to get back to Japan’s roots may be fraught with relapses of the samurai spirit. Southeast Asia is a crossroads of civilizations. The region is in a stage of civilizational maturing. To a certain extent this has been consciously induced, which can be readily seen in the “civilizational engineering” of ASEAN leaders and their efforts to establish cooperation, including cultural ties. The socio-cultural basis for cooperation can be found in the customs and traditions of the rural community in a rice-growing region, with its free peasantry and consensus traditions, in particular, among borrowed “high” religions. Good-neighborliness is a characteristic feature of the social culture of Southeast Asia and the ability to achieve accord not through argument, but through readiness to compromise. This is due to well-established procedures that brought about “mutual adjustment without abdication of one’s own identity,” as orientalist Igor Podberezsky argued. This experience may be crucial to inter-civilizational dialogue at present and in the future. Latin America is in the phase of civilizational maturing too. The region is transitioning from a controversial and conflicting “incompletely formed culture” (Valery Zemskov) to a community more integrated socially and culturally. Signs of this appeared after the crises of the 1980s and 1990s. The search for civilizational identity has acquired different forms: from opposition to globalization and U.S. policies, the so-called left turn, to the slogan “For Twenty-First Century Socialism” and the regaining of rights to resources. Quite significant is the ever more active involvement of the “indigenous factor” in social and political affairs. This is not just an attempt to restore historical justice and compensate South American indigenous peoples for the suffering of their ancestors, but a desire to blend certain elements of pre-Columbus civilizations (for instance, the spirit of communalism) with the socio-cultural realities of Latin America. It was here that the first springboard of the anti-globalist movement was established. One can also point to the growing political, social, and cultural influence of the Latin American diaspora (mainly in the U.S.). The situation in Tropical Africa is one of the most complicated. One in two Africans lives on less than one dollar a day. Shockingly, 58 percent of the population have no access to drinking water and 40 percent cannot read or write. Moreover, the systemic crisis in Africa is to a far greater extent a civilizational crisis. The civilization of Tropical Africa derives its strength from its socio-cultural adjustment to the specific natural landscape of the continent. On the other hand, Tropical African civilization has not produced its own written language or traditions in science and engineering. Thus, the region has not been able to overcome the effects of painful contacts with the West, which has by far surpassed it intellectually, technically, and organizationally. This explains why destructive processes have prevailed over constructive ones in the past 150 years of Africa’s evolution. Globalization merely enhanced this trend. British writer, historian, and Africanist Basil Davidson said that African civilization is not just archaic, it is unique and unprecedented. Likewise, Russian historian Igor Sledzevsky showed that African civilization, if backward, is not “inferior.” It is “different” in the sense that it has produced an original type of lifestyle, where the values of joint existence and communication, “a world of people and not depersonalized roles and functions,” prevail over individual consumer needs. This is what makes it significant as one of the models or branches of humanity’s socio-cultural evolution. Should this branch vanish without a trace, it would be a great loss. This model can survive and develop without following the “from inferior to superior” pattern or being transformed into a different type of civilization, but on its own basis. It will merely get richer and more complex while relying on its own achievements in science and engineering. Opportunities for this do exist. For instance, Africa may see a boom in environment-friendly technologies matching the specifics of the local terrain, along with the emergence of minor industrial centers in rural areas whose operation is tightly coordinated with the life of local communes, etc. The industrialized world might be of great help to Africa in this respect. Leonid Blokhin, who earned a doctoral degree for his studies of rural Tropical Africa, came up with a remarkable idea. He provides convincing evidence that the traditional system of agriculture in Tropical Africa has many merits and insisted on the feasibility of preserving it in some form. He argues that the imitationary paradigm of development that has prevailed so far should be replaced, chaotic urbanization brought to an end, and incentives created for returning at least some of the population to rural areas. But agriculture will have to be subsidized the way it is done in many countries (including advanced ones). African farmers may receive subsidies in the form of an ecological rent, envisioned as a fee from external sources to preserve the rainforest, the lungs of the planet. Industrialized countries can easily afford this (instead of providing controversial “aid” and loans, which merely exacerbate the African debt burden). Such a policy would be reasonable and rational from the universal humanitarian viewpoint and would also provide certain compensation, albeit belated, for the damage caused to Africa during the years of colonialism. In studying inter-civilizational relations, the worst controversies break out over the Islamic world. It is important to separate civilizational problems from geopolitical, ideological, and mythological concerns, as well as the numerous propagandistic publications brimming with speculation about an Islamic onslaught against Christianity and the entire civilized world, where terrorism is presented as a brand name of Islam, etc. As far as the civilizational parameters of the modern Islamic world are concerned, its rise and the expansion of religious, ideological, and political activity are more than obvious. Its growth can be seen in quantitative terms—the number of Muslim believers has already increased by more than one billion. After a long period of stagnation resulting from internal turmoil and external factors (colonial dependence to a great extent), at some point the Muslim community had to consolidate and start developing, which happened approximately in the middle of the last century. Islam has been very successful in attracting supporters by virtue of its simple religious rules and rituals, and also because believers feel doubly protected—firstly, by Allah, who relieved the believer of original sin, and secondly, by the ummah, the community of brothers in faith. The Islamic world is becoming more active with the growth of religious fundamentalism, which is sometimes interpreted as obscurantism and a drift back into the Middle Ages. In reality, Islamic fundamentalism is geared both explicitly and implicitly to plugging Islam into modernization processes and spearheading them, which is quite natural for a religion that has always claimed a dominant role in all spheres of life. It is from this standpoint that one should consider the Iranian revolution, for example. Even in Turkey, where Kemalism first carried out modernization regardless of Islam and even contrary to it, Islam is now gaining a stronger foothold on the political scene. Naturally, the process of Islamization (particularly in its fundamentalist disguise) evokes various excesses and extremes. Undeniably, Islamic terrorism has religious roots. Historically the emergence of the Muslim world was a process of expansion and struggle with the infidels. But it would be wrong to tightly associate terrorism with Islamic values. In most cases, religious slogans are the outer shell. The real reasons why terrorism spreads in a Muslim environment are rooted in the internal problems of that environment, an insufficient level of modernization and social disorders, as well as pressure (including the use of force) from the West, which wants to control regions that possess major energy resources. Therefore, reliance on moderate trends in Islam, the humanistic potential of the Quran and other sacred texts, and efforts to promote modernization may furnish the basis for a constructive inter-civilizational dialogue. Indeed, that could provide far more effective resistance to extremism in Muslim countries than political, let alone military, muscle flexing can offer. Now a few words about two Western civilizations—Western European and North American, which still have the largest effect on the modern world. The West entered the twenty-first century at the peak of its economic and geopolitical strength, but signs of a civilizational crisis were already evident. As early as the beginning of the last century Spengler proclaimed the decline of Europe. It was Europe that started the two world wars. Both of these were largely intra-civilizational conflicts. And after a brief period of postwar ascent (the so-called welfare state era) the deformation of basic Western values and institutions continued and even intensified, ridding them of their humanistic content. Anthropocentrism, a product of the Renaissance, and the anticlericalism and atheism of the Enlightenment resulted with time in the “death of God” and the denial of any absolute ideal, rule, or norm that might lend a meaning to human existence amid a loss of prospects and the prevalence of daily routine over the future. Also, it brought into being post-modernism—the relativization of truth and, in fact, the rejection of truth. Instead, a compensatory bias developed towards individual “self-realization,” “legitimate egoism,” the wish to get “everything right away”—the glaring cult of consumerism, hedonism, concern about status, and lust for supremacy and power. A look at the structure and values of society instantly reveals a gradual devaluation of the principles of the bourgeois-democratic system and the corresponding type of social relations—neglect of certain elements of egalitarianism, equality (let alone fraternity), obsession with elitism, wealth, and supremacy over others, and prestige (sometimes at any cost). Social stratification becomes ever more manifest when the middle class—the pride of the welfare state—is diluted. These shifts are proclaimed as a “new normal.” Ideas of social Darwinism become ever more widespread. The principle of social justice is called into question or recognized to the minimum extent, just to maintain the impoverished classes and prevent massive unrest. An atomized individual becomes the primary cell of such society. The individual is proclaimed as the center of public life, focused on ensuring “the rights of the person” and his autonomy from some group or society in general. In politics, one can observe unprecedented concentration of power in the hands of informal, “latent” institutions (shadow associations, the official entourage of leaders, groups of experts, and security services), while the institutions of democracy (civil society, parliaments, elections, and referendums) turn weaker or formalistic. Control and manipulation of public opinion through the mass media has become stronger and more sophisticated. There are signs indicating that the “nation state” is turning into a “corporate state”—a super-structure that serves its own interests in the first place and exists for its own sake rather than for the sake of society (as viewed by Russian historian and philosopher Andrei Fursov). The West offers this model to the rest of the world in order to keep it under control and to clone the same “corporate states” in other countries, which are regarded as junior and dependent partners. This kind of “offer” goes hand in hand with strong pressures, such as economic, political, and military ones. Westernism (a term coined by Russian sociologist and philosopher Alexander Zinoviev) is most characteristic of North American civilization, which sets the tone in the globalization process and asserts its right to world hegemony. Western Europe does not stay aloof either. Suffice it to recall the European Union’s eastward expansion, conducted for economic, geopolitical, and civilizational purposes. At the same time, the number of people supporting a different mode of life—an alternative to free market fetishism and the cult of consumerism—is growing in Europe and the U.S. Russian civilization is in a rather precarious position. Historically, its modernization entailed considerable social costs and conflicts. Russia has persevered through revolutions, wars, and the excesses of the Soviet era. As for the post-Soviet period, Russia has experienced fundamental civilizational disorientation. Rapid neo-liberal reforms (pseudo-liberal would be a better term) caused great economic, social, and cultural harm to society. Russian civilization, too, experienced the effects of shock therapy. The country’s past was portrayed only in dark colors. Russian values and institutions were declared obsolete and not competitive. A massive propaganda campaign in favor of outright individualism followed (one of the newly-founded magazines was called Egoist). Individual and personal rights were proclaimed superior to society. The cult of material wealth, success, and money acquired the status of official ideology. This defiance of one’s own national values and traditions utterly ignored the experience of other civilizations and societies (India, China, Japan, and others), which in the process of carrying out their own modernization and borrowing technological, administrative, and other solutions from the West by no means turned their back on their past, but, on the contrary, actively used certain traditional values and institutions in their successful movement forward. European cultural values (equality, humanism, scientific knowledge, and democracy) certainly exerted an influence on Russian civilization. But a different “traditionalist” component (sometimes incorrectly defined as “Oriental”) was developing along the way, giving birth to original features—values and institutions—to help ethnic groups (and eventually the super-ethnos) adjust to the ecological and economic environment and external effects. For instance, the ways and customs of common life (communality); the special cementing and mobilizing role of the state; readiness to make personal sacrifices for the sake of common interests; economic ethics stemming from the specifics of the “feeding landscape;” the Russian version of Orthodox Christianity; and other rules and customs resulting from this. Russia today must fundamentally inventory or overhaul its own civilization in order to determine its viable and obsolete elements. The country is at a civilizational crossroads—either it will manage to defend itself as an economic, political, and socio-cultural entity or fall to pieces and sink into oblivion. Gaining a civilizational identity in the current situation is a matter of exclusive importance. A dialogue between civilizations in the modern world is both possible and necessary. Human nature is basically the same and existing local civilizations (whatever their distinctions) have common grounds for mutual understanding. For the dialogue to be successful, certain conditions have to be in place, such as readiness for cooperation, mutual trust, and equality. Up until now the process of globalization looked like a one-way street, with the West invariably determined to lecture and subjugate. This only induced clashes between civilizations. Of no small importance is the fact that Western-centric globalization provokes major political and socio-cultural splits among the cosmopolitan and globalism-minded elites, on the one hand, and nation state-oriented ones (and not only them) in non-Western countries, on the other hand. Such a split between the neo-liberals and statists is quite obvious in Russia. China is witnessing growing disagreement between the advocates of a free market economy and unrestricted growth of external ties and those who want the government to play a regulatory role and national traditions to be preserved. To some extent such confrontation exists in many other countries. Judging by Donald Trump’s presidential election drama, in particular, the controversies over his rhetoric in defense of “American values” and national interests, such a divergence of opinion is growing in the West as well. The problems of inter-civilizational contacts keep growing within migration processes. Intercountry migrations have not necessarily yielded negative results. In fact, migration flows at a certain point brought into being the United States and to a large extent migrants merged into the “melting pot.” Moreover, Indian and Chinese migration did not create any special problems for the recipient countries. In the era of globalization, the picture is changing. As before, migration flows go mostly from poorer countries to richer ones. The causes and stimuli are bilateral. The West, in particular Europe, is getting older and the able-bodied population is shrinking. According to a forecast from the European Commission, the workforce will plunge by ten million people in the next two or three decades. The need for cheap labor is growing, particularly for non-prestigious jobs. Meanwhile, the economic and social situation in many peripheral countries is getting worse. In Africa, for instance, the number of poor people (those who live on less than one dollar a day) has grown by 31 million over the past twenty years amid soaring unemployment. Multiplying conflicts (in particular, those in the Middle East) cause refugees to flee for their lives to relatively safer regions. Therefore, it is no surprise that the number of international migrants over the past 30 years has more than doubled (to 232 million, or 3.2% of the global population) and, as UN experts believe, may exceed 400 million by the middle of the century. Although they fill an objectively vacant niche on the labor market, migrants cause the earnings of a large group of indigenous workers to go down, which produces a negative impression on the host country’s public conscience. Indeed, migrants may heave a sigh of relief after getting away from the problems they had to struggle with at home, but the unfriendly eyes of locals in host countries cannot but make them feel like second-rate people. As Toynbee said, the interests of migrants, of “the external proletariat,” collide with the interests of the “internal proletariat.” Additionally, the historical factor should not be forgotten. The Western countries’ external proletariat began to be formed in the colonial era. European countries subjugated the periphery politically, economically, and culturally. When the grip of colonial countries eased and the peripheral countries began to gain independence one by one, the migrant flow was shifted into reverse. The westward movement of the population was an asymmetric response to the more than three centuries of Western hegemony, Western imperialism, and colonialism. In Great Britain, some analysts are already pointing to the risks of reverse colonization of the West by the South and of the possibility that the Roman scenario may play out once again—the capture of the Eternal City by hordes of barbarians. Migration has grown noticeably over the past decades. The share of migrants in Germany is already about 10 percent, in France, 11 percent, and in Switzerland, 19 percent. By the middle of this century one in four U.S. citizens will be Hispanic. Russian historian Valery Solovey says migration is an “insurgency of ethnicity.” Immigrant groups are rejected by the population of Western societies due to race, outward appearance, and physical features. In fact, the ethnic factor may serve as a certain marker. But to my mind cultural distinctions—language, religion, and customs—play a far more important role. Naturally, this dissimilarity enhances mutual estrangement resulting from economic, social, or political factors. The degree of estrangement may vary, but, in any case, it does exist and keeps getting worse. It is not an invasion of barbarians, but a mismatch of civilizations fermented by historical causes. This explains why Western politicians are saying increasingly more often that the policy of multi-culturalism does not work. In Russia, migration problems have their own specific, and rather painful, traits. Firstly, Russian-speaking people, who once lived in the peripheral republics, have to return to Russia because the local nationalist-minded authorities have created adverse living conditions. Certain cultural distinctions play a role as well. Apparently, such distinctions existed in the Soviet era as well, despite the officially touted mantra of a homogenous Soviet people. In the early 1990s, 25 million Russians found themselves “abroad,” cut off from their homeland. Those who tried to return to Russia received a rather cool reception not only from the local population (“They take away our jobs!”), but mostly from civil servants at the local and federal levels. Still, 11 million ethnic Russians have resettled to Russia. Yet far from all of them have managed to settle down properly, obtain the necessary documents, etc. In fact, the Russian authorities have turned their “internal” proletariat (as a rule, skilled workers) into a foreign one at a time when demand for a workforce during a deep economic slump is an objective need. The same objective need for labor created another migration flow—that of guest workers from the former Soviet republics, where the situation on the job market is even worse than in Russia. For instance, some guest workers, such as those from the Caucasus, have managed to find good jobs (especially in retail trade) and dared to act very freely, sometimes even aggressively. Occasionally this has triggered conflicts with the local population, such as the racial violence in the city of Kondopoga in Russia’s northern Republic of Karelia. Another group is a poorly paid hired contingent (mostly from Central Asia) forced to live in squalid conditions just for the sake of sending their hard-earned cash home to their families. Their problems are not just material, but also moral, because an unfriendly local population makes them feel their inferiority and second-rate status. Civilizational discord adds to social and ethnic rifts. The internal and external proletariat is split not only in terms of social status and the level of education, but also along cultural lines (including religious divisions). * * * Civilizational contacts in the globalizing world require ever more serious attention. They are built into the problems of the world economic space and international political collisions. Our oikumene will have to be recognized as multi-civilizational and comprising local civilizations if a more balanced and multi-polar world is the ultimate goal. It is this kind of approach that is capable of making civilizational dialogue conflict free and mutually enriching. } Page 1 of 5
Saturday, July 16, 2011 Movements of the Moon - Part III If you haven't already, read Part I and Part II of this series first. Today's post will explain the difference between the Moon's synodic month and sidereal month. The synodic ("with the Sun") month, as already discussed, is the cycle of lunar phases (a lunation) which lasts approximately 29.53 days. Just for kicks, I decided to look at all the New Moons from January 1, 2000 to January 1, 2025 - a 25 year span of time. I can do this easily because I have a program called Mica (Multiyear Interactive Computer Almanac) from the U.S. Naval Observatory. In that span of time, there are 310 New Moons. That gives, on average, 12.4 lunations each year (which is why traditional lunar calendars, like those used by almost all ancient cultures, always had to be fudged - there aren't an even number of lunar phases in a year). If I look at the length in time between each adjacent New Moon, I get an average interval of 29.531314 days with a maximum lunation of 29.8242 days from December 18, 2017 to January 17, 2018 and a minimum lunation of 29.2822 days from May 25 to June 24, 2017. That's a difference of 0.542 days (around 13 hours). It's interesting that 2017 comes up for both the maximum and minimum lunations (it's also the year of a solar eclipse visible in the U.S.). Maybe we'll see why when looking at the elliptical orbit of the Moon in a future post (I don't really know why as I write this right now). Given that a cycle of phases lasts 29.53 days, you might think that's how long it takes the Moon to orbit the Earth, especially given the figure below we've discussed in previous posts. Turns out that when you look up the period of the Moon's orbit around the Earth, you get a completely different number - 27.321661 days (27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes, and 11.5 seconds). A two day difference! What's up with that? Keep in mind that the synodic month (one lunation) is the time it takes from New Moon to New Moon - the time when the Moon is exactly lined up between the Earth and the Sun as seen above. But the image above is static. Both the Earth and the Moon are orbiting the Sun and that's where the difference comes in. Let's look at the image below: Here we'll look at the length of time from Full Moon to Full Moon (same as New Moon to New Moon). We need some way to mark the Moon's revolution around the Earth. The easiest way to do this is to mark the Moon's position in the sky with respect to some distant star (they're all distant!). The image above uses Regulus in the constellation of Leo as an example. Why a distant star? Because they're so far away from the Earth that they don't shift visibly in the sky no matter where the Earth and Moon are in their orbits. Let's suppose, from the perspective of us on Earth, that the perfectly full Moon lines up with Regulus. What we'll see is that in 27.32 days, the Moon will once again line up with Regulus so we know it's made one complete revolution around the Earth. This is called a sidereal month, from the Latin word sidus which means "star". But, after this one revolution with respect to the distant stars, it's not a Full Moon yet! Why? Because the Earth-Moon system has also been moving almost 1/12 of the way around the Sun and the geometry has changed. The Moon has to travel just a little bit more in its orbit (almost 2 days) to reach the position where it's directly opposite the Sun. Here's a nice animation. That's why the synodic ("with the Sun") month is 29.53 days long and the sidereal ("with the stars") month is 27.32 days long. Think that's bad, there are other types of "months" we'll talk about shortly as well. Some ancient cultures actually marked time with sidereal months instead of synodic months. Look at the image below. It shows the Full Moon after midnight on July 15 from Ulster County, NY. The Moon is in the constellation of Sagittarius. Twenty seven days later, about one sidereal month, on August 10, the Moon will also be in Sagitarrius. But the Moon's not full yet. The Full Moon occurs one synodic month after July 15 on August 13. But now the Moon is in the constellation of Capricornus. What some cultures did was watch the Moon move through the zodiacal constellations and then use this to keep track of calendar time. More on this tomorrow... 1. THANK YOU! (This is Heather who never could get her head wrapped around this.) 2. I'll have to read parts II and III another three times, but I'm getting it. The crescent moon was very low in the western evening sky (waxing, I believe) about 4 or 5 days ago. I seem to see full moons in the eastern sky, but must gather more data about this. Live on the gulf coast of Alabama. I have resolved to understand the phases and movements of the moon before I die (how's that for an item on one's bucket list). Thanks for the help. Laura 3. Moron! The moon moves exactly 28 days around the earth every year. Line of sight stays with earth. Put a pencil on the table and spin it around. Line of sight of darkness from center stays with earth. What is happening is GRAVITY and TIME DILATION. It is an illusion. We travel around the sun 364 days. Exactly as the moon travels around us 13 times 28. It is precise and accurate. The position of the moon is always in the same place. We can put it on a dial of perfection on it. Get past the illusion of time. Quit making shit up to match your inaccuracy. Sidereal time is made up to try and explain stupidity. Einstein was right with his theory of special relativity. The proof is with the moon cycle of time dilation. 28 days exactly for 364 days. Get past the illusion of our own time. Our clocks lie. We are not able to measure time accurately because of the gravity of the sun pulling time faster and slower. Making shit up to match up with our inaccuracy to measure time. Besides you just copied this shit from some other retard that made up this crap up. Use your brain. Your number are impossibly stupid. The earth rotates around the sun not the moon. Line of sight stays the same. Didn't you question this shit before you copied and pasted it? Actually do the math! The moon is in the same place every year at the same time. There is only one possible solution to this. 13 month cycle for 364 days just as earth travels 364 days. The suns gravity is causing time dilation fooling us all. Think rings around the Sun each with a different amount starting with 25 all the way up to a 500. The rings represent how many days it takes to orbit the sun. Think of them as time zones, and as you pass through them you pass thorough time. The earth moves egg shaped around the sun going in and out of the time zones of the sun causing time dilation. We are not able to keep accurate time. If we watch the moon we can figure out our own time. The moon shows the illusion of time. 13 months 28 days 364 days a year! Time is perfect!
The Importance Of Electrolytes April 13th, 2011 I wanted to share an interesting article that I found recently as we will soon be in the heat of summer and sweating quite a bit. Losing electrolytes will have a negative impact on our health if it goes unchecked and therefore will impact the condition of our skin negatively. So please read on and don’t forget to share it with your friends. Electrolytes are minerals in your blood and other body fluids that carry an electric charge. They seem complicated, but it is important to know about them because they are needed to maintain homeostasis in the body. Without a proper amount of electrolytes, you will become dehydrated, fatigued, light headed, and you will experience muscle cramps. Primary electrolytes are sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, hydrogen phosphate, and hydrogen carbonate. They are all basically just salts and can be obtained through a proper diet and hydration. Electrolytes are used by the cells in order to carry on their basic functions. Without them, you would not be able to think, walk, or talk. Electrolytes, especially sodium and potassium, are lost daily through sweat. They need to be replenished, especially after exercise, by drinking sports drinks or eating electrolyte dense food. This is the reason why athletes drink Gatorade and Powerade during and after exercise. The electrolytes keep their energy levels up so they can keep going with their physical activity. Potassium, a well known electrolyte, plays an important role in regulating blood pressure, bone mass, heart function, and plenty of processes in the body. People with potassium deficiencies are said to be hyperkalemic. This can be caused by going on too many fad diets and excessive amounts of sweating without electrolyte replenishment. Foods that contain high amounts of potassium include: bananas, avocados, oranges, apricots, broccoli, carrots, squash, tomatoes, and cucumber. If you eat a diet rich with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy products, your blood potassium levels should be at a healthy level. Be sure not to eat an excess of potassium because this can pose health problems which is why potassium supplements are not recommended unless they are absolutely needed. Another well known electrolyte is sodium. It is not hard to get a proper amount of sodium these days. Almost every food item has at least a little sodium in it. However, it is still necessary for you to make up the amounts of sodium lost to your body after you exercise. Sodium is needed in the body to control blood pressure and hydration. However, an excess amount of sodium in the diet can cause health problems such as high blood pressure and water retention, so be sure to consume it in moderation. Foods that naturally contain sodium are meat, fish, dairy products, and vegetables. Emphasize these foods in your diet instead of processed foods that contain unnatural amounts of sodium that are only there to enhance taste and sustain shelf life. Without magnesium, our muscles would not be able to contract. Certain enzymes would not be able to function, and proteins and energy would not be produced. Clearly, magnesium is an essential mineral to incorporate into your everyday diet and to replenish yourself with. Most dietary magnesium can be found in green, leafy vegetables but can also be obtained from fruit, nuts, and whole grains. It’s an important electrolyte that regularly be found in sports drinks. If you are deficient in magnesium, you will feel sleepy and notice a weakness in your muscles. Calcium is important for the proper functioning and building of bones. Without proper amounts of it, bones will break down leading to osteoporosis. It can be found in dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, and milk. It can also be found in most sports drinks. Be sure to obtain your recommended amount of calcium every day and to provide your body with more if you exercise All electrolytes are essential in the human diet. The most recognized electrolytes are potassium, sodium, magnesium, and calcium. Do not forget to incorporate them all into your diet to avoid deficiencies and other health issues. If you exercise regularly, remember to keep yourself hydrated not only with water, but with sports drinks. If sports drinks aren’t your thing, eat a nutritious snack after every work out. Brianna Elliott is a contributor for (a cross-species health blog on the web) as well as, a reliable low-price leader in health supplements and Probiotics.
Friday, January 21, 2011 Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day! Because we should always appreciate our small, furry friends. There are 365 species of squirrel. Maybe we should start a "Squirrel Species Appreciation Day" with a new species every day. It would make an awesome desk calendar. Once a female squirrel breeds with a male, she never breeds again with that male. Squirrels do not leave their nests at night. Squirrels sharpen their teeth by chewing on sticks. Squirrels laugh. They also use chirping sounds to indicate a wide range of emotion and alarm signals, in conjunction with tail movements. If a squirrel is chirping very fast and flicking their tail, it is laughing at you. When a squirrel finds a nut, they open it with their teeth, then rub it on their face. This applies a scent so they can find it later- even under a foot of snow. When a squirrel's nest becomes infested with fleas or other parasites, it will abandon it and build a new one. A squirrel's incisors grow 6 inches per year. Squirrels prefer to build their nursery nests in oak trees. The average life span for a wild squirrel is 3-5 years. No comments:
primary apnea Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Encyclopedia. Related to primary apnea: secondary apnea central apnea (central sleep apnea) see adult sleep apnea. mixed apnea see adult sleep apnea. obstructive apnea (obstructive sleep apnea) see adult sleep apnea. prolonged infantile apnea sudden infant death syndrome. primary apnea a self-limited condition characterized by an absence of respiration. It may follow a blow to the head and is common immediately after birth in the newborn who breathes spontaneously when the carbon dioxide level in the circulation reaches a certain value. Reflexes are present and the heart is beating, but the skin may be pale or blue and muscle tone is diminished. No treatment is necessary, but careful observation, maintenance of body temperature, and oral pharyngeal aspiration are usually performed. Within seconds the newborn usually begins breathing, becomes pinker, moves the arms and legs, and cries. Compare periodic apnea of the newborn, secondary apnea. Full browser ?
Next Previous Contents 2. The Framebuffer Image displays using cathode ray tubes (CRT) or the more modern flat panel displays (LCD) work by repeatedly reading out "frames" from digital memory - the framebuffer - using a controller. This is required since the display technology itself cannot store a picture a sufficiently long time for the human eye to perceive a stable picture. The picture is therefore "refreshed" periodically by reading out the framebuffer. Historically the controller for getting the data out of the framebuffer and feeding the display is called a cathode ray tube controller (CRTC). [On the first IBM PCs this has been done using a Motorola MC6845 chip (back then, this chip has been used widely for other display applications as well). Todays VGA cards still have an MC6845 compatible CRTC embedded in their chip sets.] 2.1 Organization and size of the framebuffer The organization of the framebuffer, that is how the picture information is stored in the memory and accessed by the host CPU depends on the implementation and programming of the CRTC. picoTK relies on simple frame- buffer layouts, depending on the color depth. The supported color depths are 1, 4 and 8 bits per pixel (bpp). This equals to 1 out of 2, 16 or 256 possible colors per pixel. There is a separate driver for each of these color depths. The number of pixels and the color depth determines the size of the frame- buffer memory, see the following table: Mode size/bytes 320x240x2 9600 320x240x16 38400 640x480x16 153600 The framebuffer is displayed left to right, up to down. The most left pixel (either 1,4 or 8 consecutive bits) occupies the most significant bit positions in the framebuffer byte. In case of 8bpp one byte simply represents one pixel. The "pixel values" - representing distinct colors - reach from 0 to 1, 0 to 15 and 0 to 255 for 1, 4 and 8 bpp modes respectively. The actual assignment of pixel values to colors depends on how the hardware works. Example: 320x240x1bpp base+0 base+1 base+39 Line 0 \| 76543210 \| 76543210 \| ... \| 76543210 \| base+40 base+41 base+79 Line 1 \| 76543210 \| 76543210 \| ... \| 76543210 \| base+9560 base+9561 base+9599 Line 239 \| 76543210 \| 76543210 \| ... \| 76543210 \| Every line occupies 40 bytes, since 1 byte carries 8 pixels. A total of 9600 bytes are required for the framebuffer memory. Next Previous Contents
Wednesday, March 27, 2013 Theory of Ethos: Scale Contstruction "That's why we learn this 'theory' stuff. It's kind of useless by itself, but as a way of describing sounds and identifying sounds it starts to become really helpful." Guthrie Govan Let's talk about rules and language. There's a narrative that plays out in every beginning theory class everywhere. Teacher starts talking about rules. Imaginative/Rebellious/Contrary student begins questioning the rules. "Why can't I write perfect fifths? Beethoven/Debussy/Led Zepplin did!" Here's what seems to be lost in the mix. There are no rules in music theory. Music theory is description. "Do X, and Y will happen." "The word for this thing is this word." It doesn't mean you can't do Z. You can even call a major chord a "Slartibartfast" if you like. It's like language in general. You can say whatever you want to say, but if you say it in your own made up language, then no one will understand you. All language does is give you a way to get the things in your head into the head of the fellow sitting next to you. It all basically comes down to conventions. Some people figured out ways of getting the sounds they wanted, and over the years we as musicians and theorists have agreed on conventional names for them. That's it. And...think about it imaginative/rebellious/contrary students among you...this is a good thing for you. 1) It provides means of quickly accessing the sounds you have in your head. If you want something to sound like a major chord, you don't have to go mucking about with trial and error until you find the notes you want - you just play the notes that you already know make up a major chord. And here's the interesting one - 2) If you want to create new sounds, then you know which rules to break. So let's start talking about some basic conventions, and along the way I'll make sure to mention ways you can bend "da rulz." When musicians talk about scales, we compare everything to a major scale. We talked about major scales in the first theory lesson on scales and modes. If we number the notes in a major scale 1 through 8, we have what are called "scale degrees." (note the whole and half step intervals between each note. See Scales and Modes for a more in depth discussion of those.) To "flat" a note is to lower it by one half step - to "sharp" a note is to raise it by one half step. Raising and lowering certain notes will result in other scales. For instance, the minor scale has a flat 3, flat 6 and flat 7 in relation to the major scale. Now, there's nothing to stop you from calling the notes in the minor scale "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8," or "Q Z Duck Bowling Ball Tennis Shoes 42." But this idea of relating scales to the major scale is conventional, and more than that, it's a useful way of thinking about new scale. For instance, let's take a look at a more exotic scale. 1 b2 3 4 5 b6 b7 8. Without knowing what it's called, or even playing it, you can know quite a lot about it just by looking at those scale degrees. 1) It's quite similar to the minor scale, only the 2 is flat instead of the 3. 2) Whatever other weirdness a scale might have, if it has a 1, 3 and 5 left alone, those should be easy to latch onto with your ears and find familiar ground. 3) If you look at the intervals between each note, you'll find that between b2 and 3 is neither a whole step nor a half step. It is a step and a half, also known as a "minor third." This is where the weirdness is going to be. The scale is called Phrygian Dominant. Let's hear what it sounds like. "So what does that mean to me as a musician?" you might ask. Good question. Glad you asked. Well, tons of things. For one, it can open the door to experimentation. Take a major scale - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 - flat a note here, sharp a note there. Play the scale on your instrument and see if you like it. What else? Well, why don't you try writing something in a weird scale. Take phrygian dominant that we talked about today. It has this weird "snake charmer," psuedo-middle-eastern vibe to it, especially if you highlight the Db-E interval. For the guitar players, here's a scale box of C phyrgian dominant to experiment with. But, what if you didn't emphasize the weirdness about the scale? What if you downplayed it, but still included the weird notes? Then you might get something that sounds more familiar, but with a slightly different flavor. You might end up with a heavy riff that no one even knows is in a bizarre scale. ...You might end up with this: Guthrie Govan puts it in another video that instead of an on/off switch to styles - as in, you are playing pentatonic blues. Stop. Now you are playing shred - to instead treat them as a dimmer. That there can be gradients to styles, and by introducing new notes or ideas and then emphasizing or emphasizing them you can blur the lines between things. Brilliant. Doctrine of Ethos - EP - Doctrine of Ethos Monday, March 25, 2013 Woodshed Boot Camp Part 4: Right Hand Accuracy continued Last week we discussed how to differentiate between three ways to divide a beat into thirds. The triplet, the gallop, and the pop triplet. If you need to review the difference between those, take another look at last week's lesson. Right Hand Accuracy This week we're going to put some melodic motion to those rhythms. Introducing left hand movement creates two new snarls, one obvious and one not so obvious. Having two things to focus on is more difficult than just chugging away on one note. However, we're also going to encounter all kinds of less apparent problems dealing with moving from one string to the next. None of it will be terribly difficult, but failing to identify the problem and overcome it could lead to bigger problems later in your development as a kick-ass guitarist. In the first lesson of the Boot Camp series, I used a scale fragment in A minor. Let's take another look at it (this time in A minor instead of the original E minor). It is just a pattern of six notes, repeated over and over again. If you've been practicing your triplets from last week, the first three notes should be a breeze. Just add in the additional notes in your left hand. Remember, if it doesn't come naturally to you, then take it annoyingly slow and work it with a metronome. The trouble is going to come in when you go to play note 4 - the D on the A string. Like I said the last time we looked at this fragment, make sure you are not using two consecutive downstrokes. Stick to alternate picking. Now that you have that under your fingers again, lets take our three rhythms and apply it to this exercise. Here are the other two. Take our usual practice to these three: start as slow as is necessary to play them perfect, and increase the tempo to a desired goal. We'll set the goal at 120 BPM. Once you have those three under your fingers, let's extend the exercise to a full minor scale. There are several ways to play scales in one position - what guitarists often call "a box." The way I play them is somewhat uncommon. I started experimenting with a slight shift when moving to the B string a few years ago, and then fully applied it to my practice regime when I saw Rusty Cooley doing the same thing. So here is my "box" for A minor in 5th position. If we take this scale box and play our three rhythms over it, we have a much more interesting way to practice scales while simultaneously working on the accuracy of our right hand. Here are all three versions written out. In order to facilitate picking, you repeat both the highest and lowest pitches. Much like with the scale fragment above, the problems are going to arrise when changing strings. We've already seen what happens when the last note on one string is a downstroke - you are tempted to play the first note on the next string as a downstroke. Make sure you maintain alternate picking to avoid problems later in the scale. When we move from the A string to the D string, we encounter a new problem. We discussed it in the briefly in the more advanced etude from the first Bootcamp lesson. An upstroke followed by a downstroke on a higher string - sometimes called "inside the string picking," because it can feel like your pick is "trapped" between the strings. In picking patterns like these, your range of motion is restricted and you must be more precise with your right hand. So practice just that scale fragment until the picking feels more natural. Same as always, start slow and build it up with a metronome. Here is a good starting point - try playing along with this before using your own metronome. Make sure you are playing the indicated picking - it starts on an upstroke. That is vitally important. These are two huge potential "gotchas" that you should be aware of any time you have a linear passage like a scale: avoiding consecutive downstrokes and inside the string picking. They stem from the same problem, which is using an even numbered thing (up and downstrokes) to play an odd numbered thing (three-note-per-string scale boxes). There are several alternative solutions to this: play pentatonic boxes that are two notes per string, use various picking patterns like economy picking, and many more. However, I find all that to be counterproductive. I want to play the most efficient fingerings with the most efficient picking, and that is three-note-per-string boxes with alternate picking. In my opinion, and the opinion of a number of famous shredders, the problems with that combination are minimal compared to the advantages. So break out the metronome, clean up your picking, and next week learn an exercise that can work on either your right or your left hand (say what? Stay tuned to find out). BTW, have you seen Chico's Instrumental? Check it out and let me know what you think and if you'd like to see more. Chico's Instrumental is freely available on YouTube. Doctrine's self titled EP is available at all your favorite music stores. Doctrine of Ethos - EP - Doctrine of Ethos Thursday, March 21, 2013 New Stuff!! Chico's Instrumental Readers of Chico's World, I have something special today. I've been writing instrumental guitar music for a long time now. Some of it has been reworked into existing or upcoming Doctrine songs, but quite a bit of it doesn't fit into that medium. Also, quite a bit of it sucks. I write it mostly for my own sake. (also, hearing yourself on tape will either break your soul or make you practice harder) But I decided to sit down and write a piece of music especially for Chico's World. I'm thinking about doing this more often. It's a way for me to keep sharp on quite a few things - not just guitar, but recording, videography and editing. Plus just churning out stuff is good for the creative juices (see: Jonathan Coulton, Thing-a-Week) Let me know if you'd like to see more of this sort of thing. I'll talk about it some after the video. So there it is, in all it's hastily-edited glory. This is simultaneously the most elaborate project I've done for Chico's World and the one I finished in the least time, so it's rife with minor blemishes. I intentionally wanted to take a project from conception to blog in as little time as possible, so my apologies for the crappy editing and sub-par mixing. It is somewhat intended. If I do more of these, I expect I should get more proficient at the process. While I didn't write Chico's Instrumental (1? the first?) with any specific lesson in mind, it does cover a few things I've talked about. Most noticeably, the rhythm guitar in the A section (I think of it as a chorus) chugs on the open E, alternating between straight 16ths and a gallop pattern, similar to what I talked about in the Right Hand Accuracy lesson. It also makes heavy use of add 9 power chords discussed in the very first lesson here. The last thing shown on camera is a variation on the left hand tapping I talked about in the lesson on the Revelation solo. The passage could be played legato, but I elected to pick everything in this solo. So please, comment, subscribe to the YouTube channel, and let me know what you think of (?the first?) Chico's Instrumental! Doctrine's EP is available on all your favorite digital music stores. Doctrine of Ethos - EP - Doctrine of Ethos Monday, March 18, 2013 Doctrine of Woodshed - Speed Limits: Right Hand Accuracy Welcome back to Doctrine of Woodshed. We're still talking about Speed Limits, and up this week is Right Hand Accuracy. Last week we talked about ways to improve your right hand speed, but as I've been saying all along, playing fast is as much about accuracy as it is about raw speed. So now let's look at some ways to improve the accuracy in our right hand. Once again, everything comes down to a metronome. Well...not everything...but I'll get to that in a moment. Start by focusing on being able to play steady alternate picking. Pick a slow-ish tempo that you can comfortably play straight eighth notes. If you've been following these lessons and practicing, this might be around 100 BPM for you. Get warmed up by following our typical procedure for increasing speed. Play a long series of eighth notes, and when you have those perfect slowly increase the tempo. Let's shoot for 120 BPM. Now that you are playing eighth notes at 120 BPM, lets make it a little more challenging - how about if you jump to eighth notes triplets at 120 BPM? Take a listen to these two examples for the difference if you are unfamiliar with triplets. Up until now in our series on Speed Limits, we've dealt exclusively with douple - that is, the beat divided into an even number. This is triple - the beat divided into three. Here is a common "gotcha" for your right hand. Dividing a beat into three even notes creates triplets - but there are other ways to divide a beat into three which are uneven. We're going to learn to differentiate between three of them. The triplet The "gallop* And the so-called 'pop-triplet' If you can get your right hand accustomed to playing these three patterns clearly, not only will you be familiar with three new rhythms, but your right hand will have a more developed sense of accuracy and you may find it easier to play more intricate rhythms in the future. So, you ask, how do I learn these rhythms? Good question, glad you asked. And you already know the answer - start SLOW. Start by playing a continuous loop of one rhythm at a time at 60 BPM for a length of time - say, one minute, with strict alternate picking. First triplets. Then, when you have that down, stop, and try the gallop for one minute. Likewise with the pop triplet. Go through like this, increasing the tempo and then playing them all. The goal is to bring them all up to as fast as you can comfortably play while still clearly the different rhythms. Simple as that. Next week, we're going take these rhythms and put melodic motion to them, which will create a whole new set of picking speed limits (spoiler: moving between strings is hard!). Beauty and Fear: on Amanda Palmer's TED talk I watched Amanda Palmer's TED talk tonight. I haven't spoken since. It takes a lot to make me speechless. But there's something about an artist - I may not be able to talk, but neither can I stay silent. So here I am. Talking to you. And after listening to her talk, that's more what I wish this blog could be. More what I would like to make it. You and me, talking. I find it obvious and intuitive to break the "rules" of music. I see no rules, only pathways that I may or may not take. But society...I find it a good day when I'm aware of the rules of society at all, and a very good day when I don't break any. But is that really who I am? I haven't always been. Many parts of my life have been defined by radicalism. Now about as radical as I get is simply being a musician without a "real job." I still want to play by the rules. The rules that don't really want me to be who I am. I don't want to ask for things. I want to get hired, do my job, get paid, and end of transaction. I just want "my job" to be a musician. And maybe it doesn't work like that. And maybe that's a good thing. Because it means I get to ask. To ask you. Yea. You. Amanda says I should let you help me. Alright then. Here's a start. I want you to follow this blog, and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Then when you come to a show, I want you to talk to me. Ask me for an autograph if you're so inclined. Or about my gear. Buy some merch. Buy me a drink (please, after the show. I don't drink before I perform). But make sure we talk. I'll freak out. And it's ok. I still want to talk to you. And if you think I'm a self-entitled prick for asking for a handout...then I want you to come talk to me, too. Wednesday, March 13, 2013 Speed Limits, or: Why You Should Care About Technique Go to a martial arts or a self defense class during a discussion of grappling. I can almost guarantee you that the idea of weak points in a grip will come up. When escaping someone's grasp or grapple, you don't need to overpower them but simply apply pressure to the weakest point. If you can break that, all the strength in the world cannot hold you. I refer to the weak points in a musician's technique as "Speed Limits." It is these deficiencies that keep us from playing faster. Playing a passage clean requires all aspects of your technique to work together - which ever one is the weakest will define how fast you can play. And let's be honest, who doesn't want to play fast, right? We touched briefly on the idea last week, and this week I'm going to begin a series designed to focus on individual speed limits and improve them. First up is right hand speed. A quick side note: I'm going to be using symbols borrowed from orchestra music that have become common in guitar music to denote down picks and up picks. Down Pick Down Pick Seriously? This is not XKCD. Not everything has alt text. Up Pick If you are unfamiliar with alternate picking, then that's a huge speed limit that you need to get rid of. Think about it. You have to move the pick down to play, and then up again to prepare it to pick down. Why wouldn't you pick a note while you're on the way back up? It's an obvious way to double your picking speed. Start by simply focusing on the mechanical idea of alternate picking. Take a random note - let's say the A on the 5th fret of the low E string - down pick it, and then up pick it. Simple, right? Now do it in rhythm. Slowly. Remember the lesson from last week - always start as slow as necessary to play it perfectly. Try playing along with this to get you started. Once you have that down, then break out your metronome and apply the lesson from last week - when you can play it perfectly, bump the metronome up one click. Lather, rinse, repeat. Come back when you can play 8th notes at 120 BPM. Take your time, if this takes several hours or even several days that's perfectly fine. Just make sure you are getting clean, well articulated notes played in rhythm. For those of you that are already familiar with alternate picking (or if you just completed the assignment above), how do you go about increasing your speed with your right hand? Good question. Glad you asked. It's going to come down to two things: the metronome idea we've been using, and a secret weapon I call "bursting." It works like this: Let's pick up where our new alternate-picking readers left off - the note A on the low E string, 5th fret, played in 8th notes at 120 BPM. First, let's crank up the metronome a little more. Take that exercise, and go through our now-familiar metronome routine until you can play it with 8th notes at 200 BPM. Should still be pretty easy. Now for the secret weapon. With that tempo in your head, turn off the metronome. Yes, you read that right - I actually said turn it off. Start playing the exercise again - 8th notes at 200 - and after playing it for a few measures, briefly pick as fast as you can. Remember to stay precise and clean - back off if you are getting sloppy. After a short "burst," return to 200 BPM (or as close as you can) and continue to pick there for a while. Alternate between these two - without stopping - for as long as you can. I like to set up a stopwatch and go for 5 minutes at a time. You may have to work up to that, but the goal is to tire your arm out without causing pain. If you feel something in your arm similar to a "stitch in your side" when running, keep going - if you feel any other kind of pain, stop immediately. Only do this exercise for a few minutes at each practice session - then go on to practicing other things (like a song you've been working on, or a less strenuous etude or exercise). When you come back to it the next practice session, always start with the metronome and push the base speed up a few clicks. Here's a video of me running through this exercise. Thursday, March 7, 2013 Theory of Ethos: Tablature - Boon or Bane "A piano has 88 keys, and is capable of playing 88 notes. In contrast, a 4 string bass has 96 different places you can play a note, but only 41 distinct pitches. The piano is an instrument of range, but the bass is an instrument of choice." Victor Wooten It's Back to Basics time here at Chico's World, so Theory of Ethos is going to have a basic lesson, too. We're going to take a look at tablature: how to read it, what it can be used for, and how it can hurt us as guitarists. If you have no clue how to read tab, this lesson will be a little tricky. There are tons of tutorials on that, so go hit up one of those and come back when you finish. Here's two: One in video And one in text Tablature is a way of representing music in terms of the guitar fretboard as opposed to traditional music notation. In traditional notation, the lines and spaces represent higher and lower pitches. In tablature, the lines represent the strings of a guitar, and the numbers on it are frets. It simplifies certain things for guitarists. You can tell at a glance where to put your fingers. This is a C triad, written in both notation and tablature. If all you have is the notation, then you have to figure out where to put the notes on the fretboard. With the tab, that bit is taken care of for you. But the notation tells you things the tablature doesn't, like how long to hold the chord. And neither one of them make it obvious that there are several other ways to play this chord. (This last one requires two-hand tapping, but is quite useful in certain situations) There are ways around some of this. You can shoehorn rhythm notation onto tablature. It's difficult to notate dotted rhythms or whole notes (since they don't have stems), but it can be done. The problem is that you frequently see tab without rhythm notation and so it is common for guitarists to be completely oblivious to rhythm notation. It is possible to simply read where to put your fingers on the tab, and listen to a recording for things like rhythm and articulation. But what about a piece for which there is no recording? Or something you compose? Or what if there is a recording but no tab exists? Then it would be useful to read and write rhythms. But there's one thing that there is no getting around: The tab doesn't tell you that there are other ways to plays those notes. Tab in fact implies that there isn't another way to play that. "This is where you put your fingers. That's all that matters." But it isn't all that matters, is it? In the early Black Sabbath days, Toni Iommi started downtuning his guitars due to an injury that made his fingertips sensitive to pain. The slacker strings hurt less, but simultaneously changed the sound of the guitar. He took advantage of this by sometimes playing riffs that sounded low in pitch way up on the higher frets of the guitar on the lowest strings. This changed the tone of his guitar to a darker sound and is huge part of the "doom-y" feel of early Sabbath albums. Different strings sound different. It sounds obvious, but exploring the tonal differences in various places on the guitar neck isn't something most guitarists spend time thinking about. More importantly as creative artists, playing in a different part of the neck may open up possibilites that were not otherwise available. Let's look at that C chord again. Played in this position, you have certain options. Open strings lie very close to fretted notes, meaning you can incorporate them into melodic lines, like this bluegrass-inspired lick. The version higher up on the neck would have a more difficult time with this lick, and in fact it is quite impossible to accurately reproduce it with the articulations. But, there are some harmonic options that become available that are difficult lower on the neck. Take this lush C(add#11) chord Part of what gives this chord it's interesting sound is the dissonance between the third of the chord, E, and the added note, F#. There's no way to voice this in first position so that the F# and E natural sound in the same octave, which is something you might never know if you depended on tab and didn't try to play the chord in a different place. But that's not to say that tab is all bad. Part of how to play a song is in fact tied up with where you put your fingers. The beauty of barre chords is that a certain exact fingering allows a chord to be movable. And there are only two ways to preserve for posterity (or you, when you forget before next rehearsal) exactly how you play a song: One is to video record it. The other is tab. When I was in college, my bass instructor hated tablature. Just bringing it into his office was inviting criticism, if you weren't immediately thrown out. But junior year, I decided to play a Bach prelude on bass - the one in C minor from book 1 of The Well Tempered Clavier. Rather than play it as a duet, I decided I would learn both parts on bass. It was quite a challenge, taking most of the school year to finish, and when I was done I decided that the exact place I put my fingers was as much a part of my arrangement as anything else. So I transcribed it in tablature. My instructor balked at first, and then I explained it to him just like I did above: tablature is the best way to write down where you put your fingers. He relented. Senior year I did a Bach two part invention on bass - similar in concept to the prelude, but it proved much more difficult. I never would have gotten through it without tabbing it out as I went along. I still have those tabs. And as far as me or my instructor can tell, I'm the only person in the world that can play that particular invention on bass, both parts simultaneously. So, is tab a boon or a bane to guitarists? Here's the takeaway. Tab can massively hinder your development as a musician, but only if you let it. If you take it for what it is - a way of communicating to others fret positions - and be wary of what it isn't - a complete replacement for the need to read notation or rhythms - then it can be a great tool.
Contact Us: Your Name: Natural gas burns cleaner than conventional gasoline or diesel due to its lowercarbon content. When used as a vehicle fuel, it can offer life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions benefits over conventional fuels, depending on vehicle type, drive cycle, and engine calibration. In addition, using natural gas may reduce some types of tailpipe emissions. Tailpipe emissions result from fuel combustion in a vehicle's engine and are emitted from its exhaust system. The emissions of primary concern include the regulated emissions of hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), as well as carbon dioxide (CO2). Due to increasingly stringent emissions regulations, the gap between tailpipe emissions benefits from natural gas vehicles (NGVs) and conventional vehicles with modern emissions controls has narrowed. That's because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is holding all fuels and vehicle types accountable to the same levels of air pollutants emitted from vehicle combustion. Still, NGVs continue to provide emissions benefits—especially when replacing older conventional vehicles or when considering life cycle emissions.
Students Learn and Grow with a Roof-Top Garden By: Suzanne B. Bopp \| March/April 2010 One parent’s inspiration to get kids to grow their lunch. At St. Philip’s Academy, a private K-8 school in Newark, New Jersey, the gym roof boasts a 4,500-square-foot garden, thanks to Frank Mentesana. A former food stylist and co-founder of the restaurant Once Upon A Tart in Manhattan, Mentesana had helped his son’s school start a garden. So when he heard that St. Philip’s needed someone to improve students’ eating habits and teach them about farming, he jumped at the opportunity. Since Mentesana became the facilitator for EcoSPACES (St. Philip’s Academy Cultivating Environmental Sustainability) in 2008, he has turned the once-ornamental rooftop garden into one that produces food and has helped teachers develop plots relevant to their curriculums. For example, as third graders learned about Native American history, they planted a “Three Sisters” garden of corn, beans and squash and used their bounty to create traditional meals. Harvests from the gardens are also used in lunch menus. Next up? Cooking classes to help parents learn the healthy cooking and eating habits their kids are learning in school. Photo Credit: Ansell Hawkins
How to Stop Migraine Numbness Numbness in the hand, arm, face or tongue is a common sign of an imminent migraine attack. Once you experience an early warning sign, the migraine process is well underway, so it is important to know how to avoid your migraine triggers. Avoiding these triggers is the only way to prevent the migraine process from starting. Migraine Prevention Migraine headaches are the result of a complex process caused by the constriction and then dilation of blood vessels in the brain. A migraine is an intense headache lasting from 4 hours to 4 days. Its distinctive characteristics are a throbbing or pulsating pain on one side of the head, nausea, vomiting or sensitivity to light or sound. The migraine process begins when a trigger causes certain arteries in the brain to constrict, reducing the blood flow and oxygen supply. This constriction causes the characteristic numbness and other early signs of the migraine, called the aura. The aura may consist of visual disturbances such as flashing lights or stars, halos around objects, blurred vision or even temporary loss of sight. In addition to numbness, sufferers may also experience tingling in the hands or tongue or a metallic taste. Other signs of an impending migraine are nasal congestion, excessive yawning and dizziness. However, most migraine sufferers do not experience any of these signs. The most effective way to prevent migraine numbness, aura and headache is to recognize and avoid the triggers. Many factors may trigger the migraine process, and they are unique to each person and may even vary from migraine to migraine. The most common include: • Foods, such as cheese, processed meats, soy products, wine (especially wine containing sulfates), and caffeine, although caffeine is effective in alleviating migraines in some people • Environmental factors, such as weather changes or pollen • Physical exertion, including intercourse, although regular exercise is recommended for migraine prevention • Hormonal changes • Stress • Lack of sleep • Bright lights or glare • Hunger Changes in diet, adhering to regular sleep and meal schedules and establishing an exercise routine will help sufferers avoid attacks. Some triggers, such as weather or hormonal changes, are impossible to avoid. A headache diary helps sufferers identify their own triggers. To be most helpful, a headache diary should include as much information as possible about the circumstances of each migraine attack, such as foods eaten shortly before the attack, activity, stress level and weather. People who have more than three migraine attacks per month may consider daily preventative medication. Low doses of the antidepressant amitriptyline effectively reduces the incidence of migraine. People with allergies benefit from daily allergy medication or nasal spray. Other daily preventative medications include beta blockers, anticonvulsants, serotonin antagonists or monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors. Once a migraine starts, most sufferers will find relief by lying in a quiet, darkened room. Prescription medications are effective in relieving the headache. However, they are taken at the start of the headache, so they are ineffective in preventing numbness and aura. Tips & Warnings • Keep a detailed headache diary to track your migraine triggers. Get plenty of sleep. Eat regular meals. Avoid foods such as red wine, cheese, processed meat, chocolate or soy products that are common migraine triggers. • If you have frequent headaches, see your doctor to rule out other neurological problems. Related Searches Promoted By Zergnet You May Also Like Related Searches Check It Out This Is the Beauty Routine of a Yelp Sales Manager Submit Your Work!
FN SECURE: Botnet : What Is It? Email Us At : vicky@globallyunique.in Botnet : What Is It? This article is designed to explain botnets, give an example of usage, and provide some good examples. A botnet is a group of computers or servers all compromised with the same backdoor. The interesting thing about botnets is that these backdoors often have the ability to interact with other members of the botnet, and can also be controlled by the botnets owner. This can result in a single command, e.g. DDoS Microsoft.com, to flow down a chain of command in an instant, telling each member of the botnet to follow it. They also often leave backdoors accessible to the botnet user, and some even have built-in protocols for updating themselves. There are multiple chains of command that have been used in botnets, and these are: P2P botnets, using these a command can be sent by the hacker to a single member of the botnet, and this single botnet will pass the command on to a handful of other members, which will carry on the chain and so on and so forth. the advantages of this are you cannot stop the botnet by taking out one member, but you would have to block the botnet completely. The problem is it is easy for individual bots to become separated from the rest of the net, usually resulting in being fixed. Heirarchial botnets, which have different members assigned “ranks” in the command chain and are given specific bots to manage. Using this, the hacker might send a command to 4 different bots, which each pass the message on to 100, which each pass it on to 100. The problem with these is that the botnet can be shut down by removing the hack from one of the higher-up bots. The good thing about these is they can be very easily automated, and can pass reports of the computers up the chain as well as pass exploit upgrades down. and single server bots, which all take their commands from one computer, these are very easy to make but are near enough useless. Botnets can be propagated by the hacker themselves, eg whenever they root a server or trojan a computer they add their program in too, run it and that computer becomes a bot. Another way is by mimicing worms and spreading through emails, p2p or instant messaging. Be imaginative, there are many ways of propagating that havent been tried yet. I will give an example of how a p2p botnet would be structured. The bots propagation method is by exploiting a flaw in the security system of linux, and uses it to get root access. The bot has a p2p structure, and can pass patches down the chain as well as commands. The bot is automated by adding any computers it hacks to its own list of child bots(ones under its own command), and runs a check similar to ping to test if the net is up on the child before sending commands/patches. [Famous Examples] The storm worm: This is an email-spread worm that takes over windows machines and injects a driver into the windows kernel to keep root. It currently has control of between 1- and 10- million windows machines around the world. It is extremely flexible, and has avoided gaining a signature for a massive amount of time. There are many of examples on wikipedia of these, and google yields some interesting results. Leave a Reply Save this Page Download as PDF
Scripture \| Tradition \| Reason + + + The Hymnal 1982 Music is a vital part of our tradition of worship and allows us, as individuals and as a congregation, to raise our voices in song to the Glory of God, to worship our Savior, Jesus Christ and to feel the presense of the Holy Spirit. The Episcopal Church currently uses The Hymnal 1982 (so called as the most recent revision date of The Hymnal is 1982) as the standard book of song. The "blue book" can be found accompanying the Book of Common Prayer (the "red book") at each seat in the Sanctuary. As you read the program of services you can determine which hymn is to be sung by locating the title of the Hymn with a notation of H82 opposite the hymn and opening the Hymnal to that hymn number (for example: H82 304 would indicate hymn (H82) number 304 is to be sung. Throughout the Sanctuary you may find a Hymnal that has been embossed with a dedication in memory of a specific individual, a pleasant reminder of beloved members of Holy Cross now departed. Additionally, each hymn to be sung is indicated on the Hymn Board.
Introduction: Electric Eraser In this Instructable, I will show you how to make a Electric Eraser out of a motor,a small box,and a 1.5 volt battery.This can be very useful to eraser mistakes fast!! Step 1: Objects You Need For this Instructable, you will need: 5.silver tape(optional) 6.regular tape Step 2: Making the Motor Follow the step: 1.Take the Motor and the 1.5 volt battery and tape the white wire to the negitive side. 2.Next take the Motor itself and tape it along the side of the battery as seen in the photo. 3.Leave the blue wire as it is. Step 3: Preparing the Box 1.First cut in the side of the box with the cut of 2 1\2 cm long and 1 1\4 wide. 2.Next cut the lid so it fits smooth with the box. Step 4: Adding the Motor to the Box 1. Now carefully push the Motor attached to the battery into the cut in the box.(it should fit perfectly) 2. Next, make a small hole for the blue wire to stick out in the box as shown in the picture 3. Lastly tape the motor down with the regular tape and put on the lid. Step 5: Taping It and Starting It Up 1.If you want to tape it, tape the box now.(I used silver tape) 2.Next, to start up the Eraser you only have to touch the blue wire to the position side of the battery!!Hope you have fun!! NOTICE: If you liked this Instructable, click on the position bottom on the top of this page:)I really want to win a contest!! Thank you!! ninja0126 (author)2015-05-21 Adambowker98 (author)2012-07-05 How did you attach the eraser? i think you need to put some glue Encik_Google (author)2012-10-01 i try it and i adjust it a bit.I put a switch at it .it look cool. but the eraser did not attached to the motor .it broken i need to exchange it anytime stranoster (author)2007-11-22 I made one in year 5 as a last minute project in a piece of telephone pipe because the motor fit in the end exactly and the battery pack as well, then I just dremelled in a thing for the switch and painted it yellow... High 5 for being slack and getting an A!. Great instructable, very well written with good, clear pictures. Excellent work FrenchCrawler (author)stranoster2007-11-22 In 3rd grade, we had a show and tell. I forgot to bring something in, but found a dime in my pocket... guess what my show and tell was. I was extremely resourceful as a kid... My show and tell consisted of spinning the dime and timing how long it spun before stopping. I said that each coin had it's own average spin time (depending on the person spinning it), but I had lost my other coins. Considering the cool projects the other kids bought in (K'nex ball roller coaster being one of them), they still seemed to have flocked around the dime just to watch it spin. Now that's being slack :P I built a lego conveyor once and made it measure the weight of stuff and it would then change its speed. that was in year 4 at my primary :) sonnimo123 (author)stranoster2007-11-23 badrang4 (author)2007-11-22 sonnimo123 (author)badrang42007-11-23 whats does inavative mean??? John Smith (author)sonnimo1232007-11-23 He means innovative. Colonel88 (author)John Smith2008-11-07 with all due respect i did the same thing by poking a hole on an eraser and sticking it on the end of a handheld fan with the propeller off. So simple. Callum Snowden (author)Colonel882010-12-29 Yeah but this version looks as if it would take a bit more abuse and it isnt as big... badrang4 (author)John Smith2007-11-24 thank you (im just a 6th grader!) Colonel88 (author)badrang42008-11-07 gee so am i haha. my friend in grade ten cant spell tuesday...haha, he says---teusday impedance214 (author)2009-09-29 I would appreciate it if you illustrate or use it erasing... lol jakesllama (author)2009-09-24 cool i like it i came up with an diffent idea of the same thing before i saw this it was the same thing but mine drived a rubber band belt but youre idea looks easier rubberman7 (author)2009-09-03 Vinzz (author)2009-01-22 ultrauber (author)2008-04-07 Wait. Don't you need to attach a real eraser to the bottom so that it actually takes stuff off? sonnimo123 (author)ultrauber2008-04-11 you can but i did use a real esaer but just a small one:) ultrauber (author)sonnimo1232008-04-11 Oh. So you mean, you attached a little eraser to the bottom? Or did you just mount the whole thing inside a eraser? sonnimo123 (author)ultrauber2008-04-11 no i just made a hole in the bottom of the easer and hot glued it to the motor for a snug fit:) sonnimo123 (author)2007-11-22 Thanks:) Also i can add a video if you want me to:) Ora (author)sonnimo1232007-11-25 I would like to see one. GorillazMiko (author)2007-11-23 seriously, this is super smart! i would have never thought of that, if i can find a box like this, I'll make it right away. if i remember. thecreator (author)2007-11-23 already made one...will definitely use it! keep bringing more!! !Andrew_Modder! (author)2007-11-23 LOL thats original. :-P you could mabe make it better by adding a switch on the side to turn the motor on, instead of the wire touching. Oddly Cool Instructable. inventionmaker (author)2007-11-23 extremely creative man! you have my vote!!! scooterdriver (author)2007-11-23 wow! i really love this instructable...very useful and simple to make. You dont even have to leave your house to get supplies. All of the supplies can be found inside your house. :) bleachworthy (author)2007-11-22 woot, put a 9v battery in there, and may the smoking paper commence! Bongmaster (author)2007-11-22 kool this can be elaborated on easily :) gamer (author)2007-11-22 very cool. creative -gamer rikkdbomb (author)2007-11-22 any way you could put a video of this in action? About This Instructable More by sonnimo123:Robotic ArmStorage BoxUnique Paper Water Bombs Add instructable to:
It's often said that the greatest thrill in science is to be first to observe a new phenomenon of nature. For nuclear physicists that means being present at the creation of an element, glimpsing for an instant a new kind of matter. But science's most painful experience is having to withdraw a claim of discovery -- because of an honest mistake or, far worse, deliberate fakery. For an exhilarating few months in 1999, a team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's nuclear science division thought it had done something many believed impossible, synthesizing the heaviest atom yet, called element 118. They could barely believe it themselves. A paper announcing the result was published in Physical Review Letters, the most prestigious journal in the field, and heralded in news reports throughout the world. Experimenters boldly talked of pushing further, to element 119, maybe even as far as element 126. Then, thread by thread, the discovery unraveled. The paper was retracted, an investigation begun. By the time it was over this summer, one scientist had been fired (over his outraged objections) because of accusations of fraud, the others reprimanded (unjustly, they insist) for not being vigilant enough. And members of the lab -- once the lair of Glenn T. Seaborg, the premier nuclear scientist of his day -- were left trying to figure out how this could have happened, and how to ensure that it never would happen again. Continue reading the main story ''It's good that Seaborg died before this, because he would have been one of the co-authors,'' said Albert Ghiorso, a veteran Berkeley researcher, who holds the Guinness world record for discovering elements. ''This would have just about killed him.'' In Mendeleyev's Periodic Table, atoms are ranked by the number of positively charged protons in their core, or nucleus, where they are packed together with chargeless particles called neutrons. In nature the most massive element is uranium with 92 protons (and, in its most common form, 146 neutrons). But scientists have learned how to use machines called cyclotrons to slam smaller nuclei into one another with such force that they fuse together. The result is an extremely heavy nucleus -- a transuranic element -- so unwieldy that it quickly disintegrates. Berkelium, californium, lawrencium, seaborgium -- the names of some of these exotic substances testify to the expertise of the Lawrence-Berkeley scientists, sometimes called the Sheiks, for Super Heavy Element International Kollaboration or Super Heavy Element Isotope Kemists. Other atoms created at Berkeley honor scientists like Marie Curie, Enrico Fermi, Albert Einstein and Dmitri I. Mendeleyev himself. But since the early 80's, Berkeley had been upstaged again and again by a German team at the Laboratory for Heavy Ion Research (called by its German acronym GSI) in Darmstadt. In a 15-year marathon of discovery, GSI scientists created bohrium (107 protons), hassium (108), meitnerium (109) and, in the mid 1990's, the still unnamed elements 110, 111 and 112. ''The GSI group was smarter than we were,'' Mr. Ghiorso said, ''and they had lots of backing in terms of personnel, funds and accelerator time.'' The Russians were also providing stiff competition. In 1998, a team at Dubna surprised everyone by creating element 114. Berkeley hoped to get back in the running with a sophisticated new detection device called the Berkeley gas-filled separator, or B.G.S. Atoms would be accelerated with the lab's 88-inch-diameter cyclotron and then slammed into a target of lead. Newly fused elements would be sifted out and identified by the highly discriminating B.G.S. Two of the lab's best scientists were involved in the effort: Dr. Kenneth E. Gregorich, the project leader, and Dr. Victor Ninov, who had come to Berkeley from GSI where he had helped discover elements 110, 111 and 112. They were looking for ways to put the new separator though its paces when they were approached by a visiting Polish theorist, Dr. Robert Smolanczuk, who had a controversial theory he was itching to test. Nuclear scientists measure the likelihood that a reaction will occur in units called barns, which comes from the expression ''hitting the broad side of a barn.'' Colliding two nuclei in just the right way to synthesize a heavier one is so difficult that these reactions are commonly measured in picobarns, or trillionths of a barn. ''That means, in very rough terms, that you make about one atom a week,'' said Dr. Walter Loveland, a nuclear chemist from Oregon State University, who works with the Berkeley team. For creating heavier and heavier elements, the odds decrease to fractions of a single picobarn -- an atom every few weeks or less, if you are lucky. With beam time costing thousands of dollars a day, scientists were pessimistic that their machines could be pushed much further. But according to Dr. Smolanczuk's theory, under the right conditions, one could leap across a gap of increasingly improbable atoms -- 113, 114, 115, 116, and 117 -- and generate something unthinkably large, element 118. By making some simplifying assumptions in his calculations (which raised more than a few eyebrows), he was able to predict that the chance of producing 118 was a whopping 670 picobarns, far greater than anyone had expected. The Experiment Calculations Verified 'Almost Perfectly' When he read Dr. Smolanczuk's paper, Dr. Loveland thought the optimistic prediction was ''simply mind-boggling.'' But it wouldn't have been the first time that something outlandish turned out to be true. ''Smolanczuk suggested this strange reaction that no one thought would go,'' Mr. Ghiorso recalled. ''But because it was relatively easy, we thought, 'What the heck, we have nothing to lose.'' Over five days in early April 1999, the experimenters bombarded a lead target with a beam of krypton nuclei. The debris from the tiny collisions passed through the gas-filled separator, and various detectors recorded the energy, position and timing of each ''event.'' A result was an enormous amount of raw data that Dr. Ninov processed using software he had mastered at GSI. As the only one on the team familiar with the program, he was put in charge of the analysis. What he was seeking was a pattern that would indicate that krypton (with 36 protons) and lead (with 82) had fused to momentarily produce a nucleus of 118, which would subsequently decay into a chain of smaller elements. For all the technology used in the experiment, the next step was decidedly low-tech. Dr. Ninov recorded his observations by hand on two sheets of yellow paper. Several days later, he began telling colleagues that he had observed three instances of what appeared to be the decay of a 118 nucleus to form element 116 (also never before observed) then 114, 112 . . . all the way down to 106, seaborgium. It was an extraordinary claim, but there was good reason to trust Dr. Ninov's instincts. ''I had hired a world-recognized expert and we were trusting him to do the job,'' Dr. Gregorich said. A couple of weeks later, after a second accelerator run, Dr. Ninov announced that he had found another chain. After the group had closely reviewed his calculations -- Dr. Loveland filled a binder with supporting evidence -- one chain was discarded. But that still left three good ones. Scientists at GSI also examined the results and agreed that something noteworthy might have occurred. Everyone was working from the numbers Dr. Ninov had gleaned from his own analysis. No one felt a need to go back and examine the original raw data. The group submitted a report to Physical Review Letters, which published it on Aug. 9. The lead author was Dr. Ninov, who had 14 co-authors, including Dr. Loveland, Dr. Gregorich and Mr. Ghiorso. ''It was such a surprise that we couldn't believe it at first,'' Mr. Ghiorso told a reporter at the time. ''Robert Smolanczuk's calculations were verified almost perfectly.'' Dr. Darleane C. Hoffman, a senior Berkeley researcher and another co-author, suggested calling the new element ghiorsium. The Doubts Attempting to Confirm Experiment's Results Before an element can enter nature's pantheon, receiving a name instead of just a number, its existence must be confirmed by other laboratories. That summer, GSI tried and failed to find a 118 decay chain. Efforts by the Riken Institute in Japan were also unsuccessful. These negative results were not necessarily fatal. Events like these are exceedingly rare, and it was possible that Dr. Ninov and his colleagues had just been luckier than the others. Then, in the spring of 2000, the Berkeley scientists tried repeating their own experiment. This time they found not a trace of element 118. Over the next few months, an independent review committee ruled out the most obvious technical explanations -- discrepancies in beam alignment, detector inefficiencies and flaws in gathering and processing data. Perhaps, it was concluded, there had been some problem with the magnet settings. No one at this point was considering the possibility of fraud. Meanwhile, improvements were made to the detection equipment, and in spring 2001, the Berkeley team was ready to try again. This time, the results were also disappointing until, about two-thirds of the way through the experiment, Dr. Ninov said he had found another 118 decay chain. By now Dr. Loveland had learned to use the special software. He was stunned when the team couldn't find the pattern that Dr. Ninov had reported. ''Victor was really one of the world's experts in doing this kind of analysis and using the program,'' Dr. Loveland said. ''It was clear that something was terribly, terribly wrong.'' In the next few weeks, a second review committee scrutinized the experiments. It couldn't find any of the decay chains Dr. Ninov claimed were in the original raw data. To get the word out as quickly as possible, Berkeley-Lawrence put out a news release withdrawing the discovery and submitted a retraction to Physical Review Letters, where the original report had appeared. But the journal editors rejected it. Dr. Ninov had insisted to them that it was premature to repudiate the discovery before more experiments were done. He later complained that the retraction had been submitted behind his back. By now a third committee had scrutinized the experiments, confirming that the chains didn't exist in the raw data files. The initial suspect was the analysis software, nicknamed Goosy, a somewhat temperamental computer program known on occasion to randomly corrupt data. Over the years, users had developed tricks for dealing with Goosy's irregularities, as one might correct a wobbling image on a TV set by slapping the side of the cabinet. But a close look at the element 118 experiments found no signs that Goosy had seriously misread the data. A statistical analysis suggested that the chance that a malfunction could randomly produce such seemingly perfect decay chains was extremely remote. It was as though Microsoft Word had crashed and, like the proverbial monkeys banging on typewriters, tossed off sentences from Shakespeare. Another possibility was that the patterns had really been on the original data tapes but that someone, for unfathomable reasons, had edited them out. But even that would have left some kind of trace, and none was found. The Denial Scientist's Actions Baffle Colleagues What turned out to be the smoking gun was a computer ''log file'' -- a diary automatically generated by Goosy of everything that had occurred during the handling of the data from the 2001 run. According to this history, an analysis performed around noon on May 7 indeed showed what appeared to be an element 118 decay chain. But when the very same data were analyzed again, a few hours later, the chain was not there. A closer look showed that it was the earlier record that had been altered; page lengths were inconsistent, and the timing of some of the events was off. In fact, investigators discovered, the events passed off as a 118 decay chain could be manufactured by cutting and pasting a few lines from elsewhere in the file and changing some of the numbers. Records from the 1999 run also indicated that at least one of the original three chains had been edited in a similar manner -- by someone using the account Vninov. On Nov. 21, Dr. Lee Schroeder, director of Lawrence-Berkeley's nuclear science division, put Dr. Ninov on paid leave, and a week later convened the fourth and final committee, which concluded, based on what it called ''clear and convincing evidence'' that he had fabricated his celebrated findings. To this day Dr. Ninov, who was fired this May , maintains his innocence. He acknowledges that the decay chains are not in the raw data and that files appear to have been tampered with. But he says he is as perplexed as anyone. His account on the laboratory computer system was used by everyone in his group, he says, and his password was an open secret. Any colleague, he contends, could have carried out the deception. In recent weeks, he has been preparing a detailed rebuttal of the charges, which he says are filled with errors and contradictions. He notes that there was simply no motivation for a scientist with his impressive publication record to commit fraud -- and to do so in such a slipshod manner. ''Why create data so bad the flaws can be detected in a few minutes of examination?'' he asks. ''Why did my expert colleagues never question the obviously flawed data? Why, having apparently successfully perpetrated a scientific fraud, did I never think to delete the incriminating evidence? ''To these questions, the answer can only be because the file was not of my creation.'' Dr. Ninov's colleagues say they find the entire episode baffling. ''I used to tell people how good he was,'' Mr. Ghiorso said. '' 'Ninov is as good as a young Al Ghiorso,' I said. So when this happened I just couldn't take it. ''Why he did it, I don't know. It's a real mystery. There was nothing for him to gain, absolutely nothing, and everything to lose.'' The Conclusion A Retraction, And a Denouement In the end, no one on the team emerged unscathed. As the final report put it: ''The committee finds it incredible that not a single collaborator checked the validity of Ninov's conclusions of having found three element 118 decay chains by tracing these events back to the raw data tapes.'' But members of the group say it is routine in this type of complex experiments to delegate responsibility. ''The fundamental assumption is that of trust in the honesty and competence of your colleagues, especially if they have distinguished reputations, as was the case here,'' Dr. Loveland wrote in an e-mail message to Dr. Schroeder. On July 15, the formal retraction of element 118 appeared in Physical Review Letters. The same month, in a curious denouement that became a footnote in the Berkeley report, a paper by the GSI group was published in The European Physical Journal. For reasons unrelated to the Berkeley investigation, the scientists had gone back and repeated their previous experiments, in which elements 111 and 112 had been found. With four additional decay chains, the discoveries seemed more solid than ever. But on the paper's last page, they noted something curious that had emerged when they routinely re-examined some of their older data. Though most of the results held up, a single element 110 decay chain from 1994 and a 112 decay chain from 1996 showed what they politely called an inconsistency. ''For reasons not yet known to us,'' the authors reported, ''part of data used for establishing these two chains were spuriously created.'' Though they didn't say so in the paper, the authors later acknowledged that the chains had been reported by Victor Ninov. Continue reading the main story
5 Haziran 2012 Salı Kinetic sculptures are examples of kinetic art in the form of sculpture or three dimensions. In common with other types of kinetic art, kinetic sculptures have parts that move or that are in motion. Sound sculpture can also, in some cases, be considered kinetic sculpture. The motion of the work can be provided in many ways: mechanically through electricity, steam or clockwork; by utilizing natural phenomena such as wind or wave power; or by relying on the spectator to provide the motion, by doing something such as cranking a handle. Bicycle Wheel (1913) by Marcel Duchamp, is said to be the first kinetic sculpture.Besides being an example of kinetic art it is also an example of a readymade, a type of art of which Marcel Duchamp made a number of varieties throughout his life. In Moscow in 1920, kinetic art was recorded by the sculptors Naum Gabo and Antoine Pevsner in their Realist Manifesto, issued as part of a manifesto of constructivism. László Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946), a member of the Bauhaus, and influenced by constructivism can be regarded as one of the fathers of Lumino kinetic art. Light sculpture and moving sculpture are the components of his Light-Space Modulator (1922–30), One of the first Light art pieces which also combines kinetic art. The 1950s and 1960s are seen as a golden age of kinetic sculpture, during which time Alexander Calder and George Rickey pioneered kinetic sculpture. Other leading exponents include Yaacov Agam, Fletcher Benton, Eduard Bersudsky, Marcel Duchamp, Arthur Ganson, Starr Kempf, Jerome Kirk, Len Lye, Ronald Mallory, Jean Tinguely, and the Zero group (initiated by Otto Piene and Heinz Mack). Jean Tinguely's kinetic junk sculpture Homage to New York in 1960 destroyed itself in the Museum of Modern Art's outdoor sculpture garden. Metamechanics has a specific meaning in relation to art history, as a description of the kinetic sculpture machines of Jean Tinguely. It is also applied to, and may have its origins in, earlier work of the Dada art movement. Some kinetic sculptures are wind-powered as are those of Theo Jansen (including beach 'animals'), and others are motor driven as are those of Sal Maccarone. The kinetic aspect of the Maccarone sculptures are contained within a fine wood cabinet which itself is stationary. These sculptures turn themselves on and off at pre-determined intervals sometimes catching viewers by surprise. A mobile is a type of kinetic sculpture constructed to take advantage of the principle of equilibrium. It consists of a number of rods, from which weighted objects or further rods hang. The objects hanging from the rods balance each other, so that the rods remain more or less horizontal. Each rod hangs from only one string, which gives it freedom to rotate about the string. A popular creator of mobile sculptures was Alexander Calder. Hiç yorum yok: Yorum Gönder
Representations of mental disorders In media In modern day Britain, mental health is represented in In our film, our character is shown to be suffering from some mental illness as well as sadness or depression. He is depicted in suicidal and self destructive states, one example of this is the shots of him hanging from the noose. Our character comes to such a low point in his life that he contemplates suicide. The film has no dialogue or even a coherent narrative, so we have no idea what events have brought our character to be in his current state. This adds to the abstract nature of the film, as it makes the audience think more about the situation. This can also be seen as a representation of how these issues are in the real world. Many times with issues such as depression or suicidal thoughts, it will be difficult for non sufferers to understand. People may also have misconceptions about depressed people. These misconceptions can be caused by an array of influences. One of which is the media. Mentally ill people can often be portrayed very stereotypically in films or TV. A beautiful Mind(2001) A Beautiful Mind was inspired by the 1998 book of the same name, written by Sylvia Nasar. The book was based on the life of mathematician John Nash. The film shows his struggles with schizophrenia. He is shown to be a genius, but quite arrogant and overconfident in his abilities. In one scene, he is stressing to his wife and Dr. Rosen that he can come up with a mathematical solution to cure his schizophrenia. Dr. Rosen states that john cannot solve this particular problem with maths, and that medication is the only solution. This angers John. John is also shown to be quite confused a lot of the time, and frequently imagines things that aren’t real. During the scene where he becomes angered during his conversation with Dr. Rosen, he imagines the sounds that a baby makes. He asks if the sounds are coming from his baby son, his wife then assures him that the baby is at her mother’s house. The sounds were a complete figment of his imagination. The noises were coming from the young niece of his friend Charles. Overall, “A Beautiful Mind” portrays mentally ill people(John Nash with schizophrenia) rather accurately. Some events in the film have been over embellished, but that is more for the purpose of story telling, rather than stigmatising mentally ill people or creating an inacurate impression of his condition. The machinist(2004) The Machinist explores the story of a man (Trevor) who works as a lathe operator. He has severe insomnia. He has not slept in a year; this has caused his body to wither away. His co-workers do not trust or associate with him due to him being very unfocused in life. He is portrayed as a very delusional, angry, and paranoid person. He is shown to see things that are not there. In one scene he is looking at a picture of two men, he is sure to himself that one of the men is someone significant from his past. He also states that people do not believe the man exists, but he claims that the picture is proof of his existence. However, his friend tells him that he is actually the man in the picture. This angers Trevor, causing him to shout and be abusive towards his friend. Overall, Trevor is depicted as a very troubled person. Fight Club(1999) Fight Club follows the story of an unnamed narrator, an average guy played by Edward Norton, and a soap maker played by Brad Pitt. One of the main themes of the film is the narrator’s assumed disorder. It is assumed that the narrator has multiple personality disorder, causing them to create the character of Tyler Durden. Tyler is a very macho and confident character. He has a love of violence, and a strong desire to work against the capitalist status quo. This leads the audience to believe that the person that created Tyler may have been somewhat weak. Sufferers of multiple personality often develop split personalities due to abuse or some unpleasant experience early in life. They develop these personalities that never suffered these experiences as a way of escaping them. He is also shown touching the black wall. This is metaphorical, the wall represents the darkest side of the character. His willingness to touch the wall demonstrates his flirtations with suicide.
Our Town The book Our Town is a play written by Thorton Wilder in 1938. The play uses very little props and makes the audience use their imagination. People all are very different but they all experience the same things. The daily life is mostly the same for all people across the world. In the play Ms. Gibbs wakes up the kids. She makes them breakfast and packs their lunch. The Greeks did the same for their kids. Also in the play, the letter that Jane Crowfort got was addressed to the world, the universe, and everything in gods mind. That proves that Wilder is trying to state that everyone goes through waking their kids up and fixing them breakfast. Another thing that most people go through or experience is love and marriage. In this part of the play Wilder uses flashbacks to show how this happened. George is scared of growing up and getting married to Emily. His mom, Ms. Gibbs, said that when Doc Gibbs and her were getting married they felt that they wouldn?t have nothing to talk about. In the beginning of Act II the stage manager says ? Almost everybody in the world gets married-you know what I mean??( Wilder 535). That is how Wilder states that everyone experiences love and marriage. People take life for granted while they live and do not appreciate life until they are gone. In this act Wilder lets Emily go back in time. Ms. Gibbs told Emily to go to the least important day of her life. Emily went to her twelve birthday. When she arrived at her house she was overwhelmed of how her mom looked at that age. Emily wanted her mom to look into her eyes for one last time. Ms. Gibbs didn?t so Emily went back to the grave yard. Emily told her mom that they don?t understand. Ms. Gibbs said that they don?t. They were talking about living don?t understand about life until they are dead. All three acts are about common experiences that everyone goes through. Wilder named the play Our Town because it could happen in any town in the world. Wilder says ?an attempt to find a value above all price for the smallest event in our daily life.?( Wilder Notes n.p.). This means that we all experience the same things in life, no matter what it is.
Forgot your password? Earth Power Recycling Excess Heat From the Data Center 121 itwbennett writes "A new data center being built in Helsinki, scheduled to go live at the end of January, will generate energy and deliver hot water for the city. The data center is located in an old bomb shelter and is connected to the Helsinki public energy company's district heating system, which works by pumping boiling water through a system of pipes to households in Helsinki. The recycled heat from the data center could add about 1 percent to the total energy generated by the energy company's system in the summer." The article doesn't say what the overall efficiency of the heat recovery is. Researchers at MIT are working on a new energy-conversion technology based on quantum dots that they say has already demonstrated 40% of the Carnot efficiency limit — 4 times what is achieved by current commercial thermoelectric devices. The researchers believe they can reach 90% of the Carnot limit. Recycling Excess Heat From the Data Center Comments Filter: • by sjames ( 1099 ) on Tuesday December 01, 2009 @05:28PM (#30289152) Homepage Journal It depends on the priorities and the source of the heat. Steam turbines have a considerable load of waste heat that has to be dumped somewhere. No sense heating a lake if it can heat homes instead. Since it is waste heat, the efficiency hardly matters, any usefulness beats the alternative. In other cases the choice is between many small boilers or one big one with exhaust scrubbers and more complete combustion. With good pipe insulation that can be a win. • by MillionthMonkey ( 240664 ) on Tuesday December 01, 2009 @06:06PM (#30289684) We've both made errors. I made a reference to "Swedes" and not Finns because I read too fast. However, you said: Carnot cycles are for calculating heat engines. This is not a heat engine. There is NO WORK being done. First of all theoretical efficiency limits apply to both types of reversible heat engines- steam engines which extract work and heat pumps (e.g. air conditioners) which require it. (In the heat pump case I guess Th would still be a temperature in the datacenter somewhere, but Tc would now be their hot water heaters' temperatures, not the temperature outside- another mistake I made. These Finns are confusing.) But RTFA- this looks like a heat engine: You DO have more to stand on here if the water were flowing (say) into some hot water heater before being heated to a desired temperature, so the heater would has less work to do- but what's this then in your post about "transmission lines"? It's clear that work is being done here if they're generating electricity in the summer. I put electricity into a chip. The chip uses X amount of energy and ~100% of the (electrical) energy is converted to heat energy. Yes that's conservation of energy. But notice that the energy has been converted into a less useful form, even if the flow goes directly off that chip into someone's bathwater. There isn't enough water being heated by that chip, or if there is, it's too cold for anyone to notice. Finns want water to come out of their hot water faucets at temperatures greater than if it were just pumped through datacenters. If I run water over the chips (lets assume fully submerged for simplicity) and maintain their temperature at 20 degC. ~100% of the heat is removed by the water. Whoa whoa slow down there, Tex. You're still thinking in terms of conservation of energy. But there are entropy losses- how will you maintain the temperature at 20 deg C unless you're pumping loads of water across the chip- so much that the heat is dissipated across a volume of water too large to make any difference? Or if you're not- say you pump a low flow across the chip so it maintains a temperature at 30 deg C. A heat engine running on that potential difference (back to generating electricity for transmitting over these transmission lines) you won't be able to extract all the electrical energy that you needed to run the chip. Most of it will heat the great outdoors. But that's not what's going on- either in the article, or an imagined situation involving generation of electricity to go across power lines. I realize there are line losses in the electrical wires. There are heat losses from the pipes piping away the heat. There are also radiation losses in the form of light and other waves that transmit through the water. Yes yes I realize that too, but we're both waving that stuff away. • by MillionthMonkey ( 240664 ) on Tuesday December 01, 2009 @06:29PM (#30290032) Yeah I read too fast. Although when I was a kid I used to have a Finnish pen pal in Turku. She stopped writing. • by Doc Ruby ( 173196 ) on Tuesday December 01, 2009 @06:48PM (#30290274) Homepage Journal Common commercial devices for homes already use heat exchangers to recover 66% or more of heat from vented air, heating the incoming fresh air with it. During heating seasons, machinery's inefficiency generating heat can replace heat that would have consumed more energy. Bathroom fan vents cost under $300. What we need is good heat storage devices. If a lot of heat can be stored during the cooling season, and released during the heating season, these electrical devices become close to 100% efficient. Places like Helsinki have much longer heating than cooling seasons, so they're good places for datacenters that can recover heat for use. The problem is that water is about the densest heat storage material we have, but it doesn't store very much. And even the most cutting edge insulators, aerogels, are only about 2x as insulating as the current common top performers, closed cell foams, and only about 4x as insulating as the earlier common stuff like fiberglass and cellulose. If we could store in similar volume the energy that fuels like oil store in chemical covalent bonds instead in physical materials like high specific heat fluids that don't get that hot, we'd have a lot more options in engineering efficiency. If we could regenerate chemical fuel from heat at very high cycle efficiency, we'd have something of a miracle cure for many of the worst of our industrial ills.
Gone are the days when all a woman must do is stay caged within the four walls of her house. This is a new era, her era. Women have broken the shackles of the society and left their mark on all walks of life. In the last decade women have made huge leaps from not having the right to vote and get education to contesting in elections and taking a role in society to spread knowledge. In recent times Women have embarked on unconventional, high-spirited careers. In pre-modern times when a woman wanted to take up a career of her choice she was usually forbidden and in fact sometimes she was not allowed to go for work and when a woman would go for a job interview, it was never a liberating experience for her it was rather a pretty daunting one. This was because it was not normal and against the morals that lay by the chauvinistic men of the society. Fortunately the times when women were mere slaves to their husbands have changed. Women no longer accept to be chained to biased rules that prevailed in the society. In current times, although the Tech industry is primarily dominated by successful and iconic male entrepreneurs like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, the role of women and their contributions towards technology does not definitely go unnoticed. As a matter of fact, long before the pioneers in technology began to set their mark, there were people writing computer programs. Many of them were women. Ada Lovelace born in 1815 was the first computer programmer. People must be aware that Programming is not a boy’s only club. People label women who program as an unusual lot because it is not the orthodox thing a woman would do. Whereas they must understand that women have an extended history in mathematics, programming and engineering. There has been a drastic change in the acceptance that women are almost as capable as man in every field. This welcomed change has paved the way for women to come out of their shells and to be confident enough to head multimillion companies. Susan Wojciki is the CEO of the most renowned video sharing website, YouTube and the CEO of one of the largest multinational technology company, Ginni Rommety. The number of women that complete their engineering and get selected by technology programs has significantly increased leading to many opportunities for women to leave their footprints in the field of technology. The number of women working in IT jobs has increased many folds. Breaking the stereotypes, the Indian women have etched their names in history by successfully launching the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) into space. The project director was a woman and also the people working on it were women. These incredible women scientists have inspired a large number of young girls, that anything is possible regardless of one’s gender. Another example is Kiran Mazumdar Shaw who is the Chairman and Managing Director of Biocon Limited, a biotechnology based company in Bangalore. She has also insured a place in the ‘Forbes list of the World’s Most Powerful Women’. Let’s not forget about Kalpana Chawla who is one of the greatest women who had the nerve to go against the customary careers a woman must choose to be the first Indian woman to enter space. Her courage and determination inspired many young girls to pursue their dreams and careers. In this 21st century one can find women in every sphere of life. Nothing is not her cup of tea anymore. She is no longer weak. Education given to women has made them confident and empowered them to develop their skills to innovate technology for a better tomorrow. The future will definitely see women and men equally dominating the Tech industry. Leave a Reply You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change ) Twitter picture Facebook photo Google+ photo Connecting to %s
With the start of suffrage at Seneca Falls in the mid-19th century, feminism has continued to be a main topic in society. Feminism is the belief that men and should have equal rights (Merriam-Webster). Thanks to the women who worked hard and spoke out when it wasn’t the thing to do, women have the right to vote, have the right to hold different roles in society, have “equal” rights in the work place and are seen as equal to men, in general. Even with their efforts, society has not come full swing. I know for a fact that women still get paid less than men when doing the same job. I wonder what makes people think women deserve to earn less money when we do the same job and can do it just as well or better? This is known as the gender pay gap. Also, the role of the women in society has evolved quite a bit, but women are generally treated in a way that implies that they should be the caregiver or taking care of the house AS WELL as working. This is known as second shift. As women, we know we have the ability to do both, but as a feminist we believe that the idea of just women having that role should transform into the thinking that both men and women could do this. Feminism is a hot topic for media figures. Celebrities like Lena Dunham, one of the leading characters on the hit HBO series Girls, declares herself a feminist; it’s a part of her identity. Is labeling yourself as a feminism just the cool thing to do these days; is it a bandwagon idea? Many people tie feminism with being anti-male. That could not be further from the truth. Being a feminist does not put down or belittle men. Feminism is about believing that men and women should be equal. In other words, people would believe that being a feminist is being sexist because you believe that women are better than men. This is why there’s a need for people to become educated on the topic because it is so important for our society to achieve full equality between men and women. Below is a graph showing the growth of women in the work force from 1890 to 2012. Leave a Reply WordPress.com Logo Twitter picture Facebook photo Google+ photo Connecting to %s %d bloggers like this:
Wind power 'cheapest NI renewable option' The Northern Ireland (NI) Government believes that renewable sources may eventually be able to provide up to 42 per cent of electricity generation, with wind power being the cheapest option. In a statement published on eGov Monitor, NI Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment Nigel Dodds also confirmed that "Northern Ireland is on track to meet its target of 12 per cent electricity consumption from indigenous sources by 2012". At the current time electricity generation from renewables stands at just over five per cent, he said. Mr Dodds added that the Electrical Grid Study, which was released by Dodds' department in conjunction with the Government of the Irish Republic, showed that both regions are able to "effectively manage" a growing contribution from renewable energy. Wind power is likely to be an important part of the mix because it is "the cheapest and most readily available source of renewable energy here". Mr Dodds said he would be pushing for ambitious renewable energy targets for the future, and noted that the Single Electricity Market (SEM) would lead to greater regional harmonisation between Ireland, the UK and France. "Creating the SEM is a major step forward in building a robust energy infrastructure in Northern Ireland," he said. "It will also help to protect the interests of consumers by promoting greater competition, while also securing a diverse, viable and environmentally sustainable long term energy supply." Ben Meggeson renewables \| wind energy
Kids in Court Kids in Court The teenage mind is often a place of confusion, stress, growth and developing maturity. As people grow, their minds develop at different rates. They learn what is morally right and wrong, self control, mature thinking and how to handle difficult situations. The longer people live the more they are able to successfully handle such situations. As each person gets older they grow stronger, not only physically, but emotionally as well. By the time most children grow into their teenage years they have learned that certain choices can quickly turn from ‘okay’ to ‘grossly wrong’. Young children are continuously taught by their parents the age old saying “two wrongs do not make a right”. But let’s face it; does the average teenager have enough patience to listen to that? If his or her classmate turns around and tears up the homework they need for that day, won’t they most likely turn around and do the same to the culprit? As teenagers, people do not have the patience to simply solve problems by force of words. In fact, it is more likely that teens will turn to violence to solve their problems whereas an adult is far less likely to. Teens simply do not take a moment to think of the consequences an action can give like a responsible adult would. Is it fair to claim that a sixteen-year-old will think about the consequences of their actions like that of a twenty-five-year-old? In the U.S., teens are often charged as adults when they have committed a severe crime. Yet, when looking at the whole picture, this does not make sense. There is a great amount of evidence that supports a need for the change of such a law. Adults are given harsher punishments when they have done something illegal because they have lived a substantial amount of years to know that their actions have consequences. If an adult commits a crime such as murder, rape, kidnapping or other equally heinous crimes, punishment is not only so the victim receives justice, but because the offender was said to be a mature adult after the age of eighteen. The reason that this is said to be the legal age of adulthood is because it is the age that most are considered mature enough to make and follow through with adult decisions. Legal adults are therefore given more rights and privileges than those under the legal age because they have been deemed mature enough to handle more difficult situations and are old enough to make important and life changing decisions. Considering this, is it fair that the only time a person under the age of eighteen is considered an adult is when they break the law? Is giving a person with no of-age rights an adult charge really justice? There is reason to the set age of adulthood. It is because people are simply not done maturing or developing until after, or towards the end of, their teenage years (-). So does charging a child who does not have of-age rights as a legal adult in the court of law really sound like a wise idea? If a room full of juniors in high school were to tear up their classroom, they would most likely be punished with Saturday school, which is often a four hour long sentence. But if a room full of third graders were to do the same, would their punishment also be a four hour long detention? The answer, obviously, is no. Students are not given such a harsh sentence until they reach the age where it is appropriate to receive such. It would seem, to most, as cruel and unusual punishment to give a group of children chastisement that is fit for a high school. So why, when the concept is the same, is it okay to give a teenager a life long sentence in adult jail for a crime they committed before the age of legal adulthood? The court system says that the harsher the crime is the harsher the sentence should be; and in no way is that a false statement. Many people believe that when a child takes on an adult responsibility, or commits an adult crime, they should be charged as an adult. This is not strong reasoning simply for the fact that children should not be taking on adult responsibilities in the first place, for it usually does not end well. Just because a child thinks they can handle an adult responsibility does not mean they are actually mature enough to do so. Along with this is the trouble of teen law-breakers not getting a strong sentence. The problem with teens being charged as teens is that they are not given a harsh enough punishment in cases where an extremely severe crime has been committed. For instance, if a sixteen-year-old boy beats another boy to death he is sentenced to a juvenile jail until he is eighteen-years-old and then his sentence is over ( - ). Even worse, after his short sentence the boy would be out of the states supervision by the time he is twenty-one ( - ). Obviously that is not a just punishment and such a rule desperately needs changed. The main reason why so many teens are charged as adults is because after their sentence if they commit another crime, the court system cannot use their previous defense as evidence. The main reason for this is because juvenile records are sealed and extremely hard to open once someone becomes a legal adult. If a circumstance develops where a crime that has gone on was heinous enough to make a teenager be charged as an adult, their personal record should not be sealed. When an underage person breaks the law in such a gross manner their juvenile record should automatically be opened for the rest of his or her life. Simply opening a juvenile record instead of charging a child as an adult seems to make more sense. Common sense says a fifteen-year-old girl should not be sentenced to life in adult jail for an offense made at such an immature time in her life. Instead of being in juvenile hall for three years and completely out of state supervision at twenty-one she should be given an appropriate time sentence based of the heinousness of her crime and at what age she was when it was committed. The girl should spend time in juvenile jail until she is of-age and then be transferred to an adult prison where the rest of her juvenile sentence can be served. The reason is because this child is not at the same emotional state as someone who is done maturing. Children who are still very immature still possess strong egocentric characteristics. To be egocentric is to be selfish and inconsiderate of others. The more each person ages, the less selfish they become ( - ). When people are young they do not think of how others will fee and they do not think about how their actions will affect anyone around them. Take this into consideration: A man gets mad at his neighbor for continuously letting their dog ruin his flowers. The man tells his neighbor to please keep the dog indoors and the problem will be solved. A week later the dog ends up tearing through the man’s trash and terrorizing his three-year-old daughter. Three days following the dog disappears. It would not be surprising for the neighbor to believe that the man disposed of her beloved animal. The neighbor is so distraught at the fact that her dog will be gone forever that he or she cannot even get up for work in the morning. The neighbor decides to get even with the man who disposed of the dog. The neighbor conceives a plan for ridding the world of this man. The neighbor sets up supplies that he or she thinks will get the job quickly. The plan is to murder the man who most likely murdered the dog. After the entire plan is laid out, the neighbor starts thinking about what is about to take place. The neighbor looks at the little girl playing catch with the man who is though to have murdered the dog. The neighbor notices that the man’s daughter basically worships the ground her father walks on. The neighbor continues watching. His wife brings out cold drinks for the two and the man sits down beside her. The neighbor begins to think about what it is he or she is about to do, not only to the man, but also to his entire family. The neighbor throws the plan away and decides that maybe the man wouldn’t have done something like that to the animal. He or she decides to let the man continue to live in peace and to just talk about where her missing dog could have possibly gone to. The problem is solved. By thinking about what the death of the man would do to his family, the neighbor revealed that he or she lost heir egocentrically way of thinking. They stopped thinking about how hurt they were and eliminated their selfish thoughts. The reason the neighbor was unable to commit such a crime was because they had the maturity to think about, not only the victim, but the others who would be involved and would be hurt by the loss of him. Someone who is not done maturing would not have the ability to stay calm enough to think about what kind of pain they would be causing on a related party. Had they been older, they would have had the developed patience to stop and think about what it is they were planning to do. Children, not only young children, but teenagers also, are extremely egocentric. All they can do is think about how they themselves are hurt and how they must seek revenge. Children are children, no matter how you look at it. Kids try to do adult things all the time, and they are usually never able to succeed the way an actual adult would be able to. Until the late teenage years and early twenties, people are not done psychologically maturing and are therefore unable to cope with the same extent of problems the way a twenty-two-year-old would be able to. Until people are old enough to be called a mature adult, they should not be charged as one. Eighteen has been set as the legal age of adulthood. And no one wants to break the law, right? Advocates for Abandoned Adolescents - Our Mission is to do better! No comments: Post a Comment Broken on all sides Popular Posts There was an error in this gadget
The Creation Report in Genesis 1 - Creation and Evolution Go to content Main menu The Creation Report in Genesis 1 English > Fields of Research > Genesis Interpretation P.Rüst (2011), a short review of some important aspects for the interpretation of the creation report in Genesis 1:1-2:4 and the difference between the first humans and Adam, 4 p. (93 kB) or without pictures, text only, 4 p. (42 kB) Translated from the German original, P. Rüst (2010), "Der Schöpfungsbericht in 1.Mose 1 ", 4 p. To create Heavens and Earth Aquatic animals According to its kind Aerial animals Terrestrial animals Creation report as tree of descent Adam not the first man A claim of liberal theologians: Statements of the creation story in Genesis 1 would be false if taken literally: - Earth (day 1) before Sun (day 4) - light (day 1) before Sun, Moon, and stars (day 4) - water above the (solid) firmament (day 2) - heavenly bodies fixed onto the firmament (day 4) - flowering plants (day 3) before animals (days 5+6) - birds (day 5) before terrestrial animals (day 6) Correct ? No These claims were derived from the prejudice that Genesis 2 is a second creation story and both are symbolical or even mythological In Anker's time one read the bible on Sunday Christians hardly ever doubted the factuality of what they read children in their primary education already are taught the Earth to be old and man to have originated by evolution "Thus the bible is outdated" is a most widespread opinion. What should christians teach their children now? - God created 1. heavens and earth; 2. aquatic and aerial animals; 3. humans. God made 1. the expanse; 2. the light; 3. terrestrial animals; 4. humans; 5. all his work. God creates by making. Humans never create, but may make (develop), using source material and time. God makes and creates every human individual. - Heavens: 1. aerial expanse (between ocean and clouds); 2. space (including all heavenly bodies); 3. God's dimension (which also penetrates material creation). Earth: also mainland, land, region, ground, or humanity. - Day: 1. morning to evening ; 2. 24 hours; 3. undetermined length of time. Beginning: unspecified period heading creation, up to liquid ocean on Earth. Emergence of Earth's crust and growth of trees bearing fruit ("day" 3) requires much time. - Light: 1. brightness ; 2. light source. Progression of events: "day" 1: brightness penetrated atmosphere; "day" 3: brightness used by vegetation; "day" 4: light sources given into the atmosphere, becoming visible due to oxygen (produced since "day" 3); "days" 5+6: animals and humans use oxygen and visible light rays for orientation (available since "day" 4). - Aquatic animals: God created "living souls", i.e. emotional faculties (brain, nervous system, blood circulation) in predecessors evolved from lower animals (mostly invisible or not considered as "living"). These higher animals are mostly large, rapidly moving, carnivorous. God spoke to them, blessing them, telling them to fill the seas. - Kinds: "kind": a splitting off, separation, descent, i.e. derivation from common origin with permanent separation (like christians of Jewish descent). Connected to reproduction (descent): 1. plants; 2. aquatic animals; 3. aerial animals; 4. terrestrial animals. God used the natural evolutionary processes he instituted. - Aerial animals: literally "winged fliers", including: 1. insects; (2. pterosaurs;) 3. birds; 4. bats. - Terrestrial animals: the mainland itself produced animals by causing some "living souls" to come out of the oceans, inheriting their body-soul properties and God's corresponding blessing. - Humanity: 1. God made humans (pre-existing hominid species needed additional preparation); 2. God created humans (in his image: new spiritual dimension, personhood). Language, free will, responsibility, abstract thinking, logic, creativity, conscious planning, designing tools, dominion over animals, ability to have personal faith relationship with God. Creation event: male and female: collective. - Tree of descent: creation report: the procreations of the heavens and the earth in their being created. God created through cosmic and biological evolution, directing and guiding all, using randomness and laws, according to his design. - First humans came before Adam: God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because in it God ceased from all his mission that he had done in creation. These are the procreations of the heavens and the earth in their being created in the day of preparing Yahweh God the earth and the heavens. What follows (Adam..., not a second creation story) are events in "day" 7, which continues into the future. - Bible distinguishes first man from Adam: In Hebrew, "'adam" means "man": the context determines which is meant. In Greek (the OT text Paul used, and the NT text), "man" is different from "Adam". Bible authors may have believed Adam to be the first man, but God kept them from fixing this (or an inheritance of sin and death) in their writings. Biological evolution of man can be compatible with historic Adam. Back to content \| Back to main menu
Jun 022016 Thinking Schools Tigrai, Ethiopia By Dagim Melese & Atsede Teshayou We conducted an interview at Hitsets Primary School with the mathematics teacher Zeray Kidane. hitsets math teacher 2Here were the interview questions and their responses: Q: what do you think are the powerful uses of Thinking Maps? A: we are able to cover portions, the maps help students understand contents easily. Q: How do you explain what you shared about Thinking Maps uses of supporting students understanding of contents? A: for example my students were able to use the tree map for classifying triangles into different categories on the basis of their angular measurements. hitsets math teacher 1Q: What other uses of the maps could you think of? A: the maps could be used as energizers . My students enjoy my class. They are always eager to learn mathematics using Thinking Maps. Q: What do you think are the limitations of using Thinking Maps? A: one limitation is resources, we don’t have papers and markers and students have not yet cultivated the skills of communication and working before their class mates. Students shy away, are usually less confident and are afraid of working with me before the class and sharing their works for their class mates. htisets7Q : Why do you think that some teachers do not use the maps as effectively? A: teachers still really feel that they have not truly taught when they use student centered pedagogies. Their belief only in the teachers centered strategies have not yet changed and this is true of myself too. Q: What do you think needs to be done for supporting whole school implementation of Thinking Maps? A: There has to be a leadership support. There has to be genuine conviction on the part of school leaders, there has to be a planned effort for allowing experience sharing to take place and finally follow up is key and needed very much. Tigrai, Ethiopia model school leadership teams. Posted by at 2:52 pm Leave a Reply
Rockwool is a special type of wool that is used for decorating. It has many advantages over normal wool, First, one piece of dye can dye 8 pieces of Rockwool so you don't need as much dye when you use Rockwool. Secondly, Rockwool can be redyed to any other color, whereas normal wool has to be bleached before it can be redyed. Third, Rockwool is fireproof. Finally, Rockwool can be manufactured, whereas normal wool has to be farmed. To make rockwool you will need an Induction Smelter. The Induction Smelter has two inputs. One input is for sand and one input is for metal dust or pulverized metal. When the induction smelter has MJ power and all the ingredients then it will make metal ingots but it will also make slag as a by-product. The slag can be cooked in a furnace to make Rockwool. As a note, if you feed the ingots back into a Pulverizer then you can use the same stack of metal repeatedly to make slag. The easiest thing to do is macerate cobblestone to get sand and then feed the sand into an induction smelter. Practical ApplicationsEdit This video shows you how to make Rockwool with a Pulverizer and induction smelter. Rockwool is a special wool that is manufactured by machinery and it works great for decorating. Ad blocker interference detected!
Symptoms Of Age Related Hearing Loss And How To Treat In Different Methods As humans, as age increases there are changes in body systems and functions. Usually, the capacity of body parts drops as age goes up especially 60 years upward. Hearing loss is one of those diseases that is age related. Some people experience poor hearing ability as they age. Age related hearing loss is medically known as presbycusis. It is the gradual and persistent hearing loss in both ears due to aging. This has become common trend among people of 65 years upward. The process begins gradually and its effects increase over time. The gradual effects may eventually lead to changes in blood flow to the ear as well as changes in the structures of the inner ear. Age related hearing loss is also linked to both genetic and environment based. Although it is not life-threatening but if not checked, it can have a significant impact on such a person’s quality of life. Causes Of Age Related Hearing Loss There are few causes of age related hearing loss. These causes may include: 1. The damage of tiny hairs in the ear. These hairs transmit sound to the brain and when they are damaged, there is no more communication between the ear and the brain. 2. Hearing nerves impairment. These will lead to inability to transmit sound. 3. Alterations in the way that the brain processes speech and sound. 4. Being overly exposed to loud noises. 5. Family history of hearing loss when it is genetic. 6. Health issues such as diabetes and poor blood circulation. 7. The use of certain medications which are harmful to the ear such as aspirin and some antibiotics. 8. Smoking. How To Treat Age Related Hearing Loss The age related hearing may not be treated to be forgotten except by some means of miracle but it can be managed in such a way that the affected person will be aided and be able to hear to some extent. However, the management process of coming up with a unique solution for a client requires the input of experts in different fields such as psychology, audiology, neurology, otolaryngology etc. There are few management steps that can be taken and they are: READ ALSO- Caritas University: How To Enroll On Different Courses And Make School Fees Payment Online 1. Hearing Aids This is one of the significant way to manage hearing loss. Hearing aids help to magnify sounds in the ear of the affected person so that he can be able to act and respond to the world around. 1. Sign Language And Lip Reading In order to help the affected person to participate in the world around, he/she may take lessons in lip reading so that by paying attention to the lips of the other communicating party, the message will be understood. He can as well learn the sign language such that if he meets anyone skilled in it too, they can communicate. 1. Cochlear Implant Cochlear implant refers to the implant of a small electronic device in the ear which helps increase the sound in their ears via surgery. This is the option for those with severe hearing loss. With these, anyone suffering from age related hearing loss can find a guide that will help proffer a unique solution to his or her experience. NOTE : The information provided in this post is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You are hereby advised not to use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Kindly consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition, abstain from self medication. Leave a Reply
It is said that ` Hemingway’s heroes learn from the pain and suffering they undergo. Explain it in the case of Santiago? View previous topic View next topic Go down Post by Archer on Sat Jan 22, 2011 4:49 am Write a note on the Old Man’s love of nature and man? Discuss briefly how does Santiago’s struggle with the marlin make him compassionate? Hemingway may be called a naturalistic novelist. He considered man as apart of nature and tried to depict his life, fate and personality in relation with the other objects of nature. Nature in his eyes is perverted and cruel and is bent upon destroying its creatures or making life hard for them. Hemingway believed that man’s happiness comes wholly from the expression and fulfillment of his natural self. The primary enjoyments such as active sports, violence, drinking, sex, friendship, etc. can help in minimizing the tensions and miseries of life in this unfriendly universe. Similarly, the pursuing of noble ideals, the assertion of masculine courage and the demonstration of human pride and honor can also help man in making his life purposeful and worth living. In order to illustrate this view of life, Hemingway always puts his heroes in difficult and dangerous situations where they have to face death and destruction. They have to struggle hard and bear pains that display their courage, bravery and the power of endurance. The pain and suffering they undergo leaves healthy impact on their minds and makes them saner in their attitude. Hemingway’s hero is a realistic person, showing stoical acceptance of painful reality, having nothing to complain or mourn if he is defeated. His heroes are given the choice of facing the inevitable with fortitude or despair. This philosophy of life made him select such rough fields of life for writing as fishing, hunting, horse-racing, bull-lighting, war, etc. He invariably tries to demonstrate through his novels that since extinction is the ultimate destiny of all living beings, to die gracefully is as important as to live honorably. In the novel “The Old Man and the Sea”, the hero is alienated from human society and is left alone on the wide sea for three days and nights. During this time he does not feel alone end establishes his solidarity with the world of nature around him. This feeling enables him to bear his ordeal more easily. His isolation creates in him the feelings of brotherhood with the creatures of water and air. He loves the flying fish, the green turtles and the hawkbills and calls them brothers. He even liked the loggerheads that looked huge and stupid. The only sea creature that excited his contempt was the Portuguese men-of-war and scavenger sharks. When a tired warbler came to rest on his line, the Old Man felt very happy and wished to spread a sail for his comfort. He felt pity for the poor bird and thought that the life of birds was the hardest of all creatures. He felt compassionate even to the marlin he had hooked and called it his brother. He wished that he could feed the marlin as he had fed himself. When the dead marlin is attacked by the sharks, the Old Man feels that his own body is being torn by the scavengers. He considered his moral duty to defend his ‘brother’ against the wild creatures who wanted to eat away the meat of the baited fish. Afterwards he did not like to look at the body of the beautiful marlin that had been mutilated by the sharks. He regretted of having hooked the marlin and said, “Fish, I am sorry for having killed you, I should not have gone so far out. It ruined both of us.” Thus we see that the pain and suffering born by the Old Man makes him charitable and loving to all the creatures of God. When he nears his destination, he thinks that many old fishermen would be worried about his safety, besides the boy Manolin. He feels consolation to think that he is living in a good locality. This compassionate attitude is not due to any religious creed but the result of a sense that he and all creatures participate in the same pattern of necessity. Free Your Soul Free Your Soul Posts : 205 Join date : 2011-01-14 Age : 37 View user profile http://notes.englishboard.net Back to top Go down View previous topic View next topic Back to top Permissions in this forum: You cannot reply to topics in this forum
Apr 15, 2017 3) Labour of the writers A capitalist is running a magazine. Magazine is a ‘commodity’. The public buys that magazine and pays its value. The exchange that takes place between the magazine and the money that the buyer pays is ‘simple exchange’. The journalists (including the editor) working in this magazine office and outside writers who regularly contribute to certain columns perform mental labour while all those who participate in the printing work perform manual labour necessary for the production of that commodity. If those writers who do not work as wage labourers in the magazine office send their contributions and take money, such exchanges too will be simple exchanges. Writers who are not wage labourers are Independent producers. If a writer who is an Independent producer gives his writing to the owner of a magazine and takes money, it means he is selling his commodity and taking its value. Let us suppose that the magazine owner paid money to that Independent writer as per the market value. then the expenditure that the magazine owner spent on that writing comes under ‘constant capital’. Let us suppose that an Independent writer prepares an article for the magazine of a capitalist following the techniques wanted by the editor, and takes huge amount of money. Let us also suppose that the magazine is sold in large numbers due to his writing. Owing to this, the capitalist gets huge profits. Who are responsible for these profits? Who produced these profits? Is it that writer?——No. Just as every commodity has a use-value and value, a magazine too will have use-value and value. That writer (other writers as well) is responsible for the use-value of the magazine but he is not responsible for its value. Many people might have bought the magazine ‘such and such a writer’ is writing in this magazine’. There is no connection between the views of the buyer of a commodity and its value. The buyer of a ‘toy’ may buy it with an intention ‘to give it as a gift’. He may buy it with the view that ‘it would be great if he has that article in his house’. He may buy a book thinking that ‘humour in this book is good’. He may buy it with a view that ‘this writer writes well’. He may buy a fruit because ‘it is good for health if we eat these fruits’. He may buy an article with a lot of liking or even with dislike. He may buy it due to the fraud of the seller. He may buy a commodity due to many kinds of reasons. Here, it is irrelevant how one has purchased. The view with which a person buys a commodity is not concerned with the ‘use-value’. Taking a commodity and paying its value is connected with the value. As the buyer takes a commodity made of some labour, he gives money in return for that. Whatever be his reason for buying it. The law of surplus value remains the same both when a magazine is sold in large numbers or small numbers. Whether a magazine is sold in large number or small number, each copy of that magazine is made of certain amount of labour. As surplus value comes from each commodity, more surplus value comes when more commodities are sold. The surplus value comes from 2 thousand copies would be double than that which comes from one thousand copies. This double surplus value does not come without any connection with the ‘labour’. Labour consumed in the production of 2 thousand copies would be double than that of 1 thousand copies. If the number of copies increases, the labour to be spent for that also increases. More surplus value comes since production is carried out with more labour. The productive labourers that produce the magazine are responsible for the more surplus value obtained through more copies by the capitalist. Let us suppose that there are 10 writers on the whole in a magazine. Out of the 10, 4 are Independent writers and 6 are wage labourers. Let us suppose that another 20 labourers participated in the printing work of that magazine. The productive labourers as well as Independent producers are responsible for the ‘use-value’ of that magazine. But, the productive labourers and the Independent writer are not responsible in an identical manner for the value of that magazine. From the angle of ‘value’, the role of Independent writers will merely be the role of providing some ‘means of production’ necessary for the magazine. ‘Yarn’ is necessary for the production of the cloth, isn’t it? That yarn becomes an element in the ‘constant capital’. What would be the relationship between that labourer who produced that cloth and its value? He would have a relationship simply as some one who gave one of the means of production necessary for making the cloth. However, the labourer who made yarn will not have any role in the ‘process of production’ of making cloth out of yarn. Exactly in the same manner, the Independent writer who gave his writing to a magazine will also have no role in the process of production of that magazine. He will not have any role in the production of ‘surplus value’ that comes from that magazine. The expenditure incurred on the writings of Independent writers becomes a part of the ‘constant capital’. The productive labourers working in that magazine are responsible for the surplus value that remains after deducting the entire constant capital and variable capital from the value received from the sale of the magazine. Let us suppose that proprietor of the magazine has taken an article from an Independent writer and gave a very low value and not a ‘reasonable’ value. This is a fraud that has taken place in the ‘commodity exchange’. The person who commit this fraud would definitely gain. The person who has been cheated would definitely lose. Even then this writer is not responsible for the ‘surplus value’ of the magazine. Suppose that proprietor of a magazine pays a lot of money to an Independent writer. Unless he pays it out of ‘surplus value’, it is not possible for him to pay more money in any manner. Like an engineer who designs machinery to meet the needs of the capitalist and like the manager who runs the enterprise according to the wishes of the capitalist, the writer who writes using the techniques the capitalist wants is also a person who favours the side of the capitalist. The capitalistic engineer and manager too exist as those who do some labour or the other and who receive more than the ‘value of labour’. Similarly, this capitalist writer too exists as some one who performs some labour; and who receive more than the ‘value of labour’. Such a writer outwardly appears as an Independent producer only. That is, like a person who gives his commodity to the capitalist, takes only its value and makes merely ‘simple exchanges’. But the actual fact is that he writes according to the wishes of the capitalist and takes a larger sum from him. That is, he extracts something in return for his labour and something from the ‘surplus value’. But this fact appears outwardly in such a way that there is much competition among the magazine-capitalists for the article of that writer and hence that article acquired much value in that competition. What appears outwardly is only that much. We can accept the ‘truth’ of competition. We can also accept the second truth that the article got so much value due to the competition among the capitalists. But, if we come to the actual truth, namely, “from where did the capitalist get that ‘more money’ to pay—we will conclude that it is from the ‘surplus value’ only. Let us suppose that this writer is a wage labourer under a capitalist. Then he becomes a productive labourer. He becomes a party to the production of ‘surplus production’. Even then his article would not have excessive value. If it has, then it would be the surplus value of others. (From the book An Introduction to Capital by Ranganayakamma) No comments: Post a Comment
Parc du Château View of Baie des Anges View of Port It’s hard to miss Parc du Château, the 92-meter high rock. This was Nice’s first settled spot. The extravagant castle Colline du Château once adorned the top, but was destroyed by Louis XIV in the 18th century. Other medieval ruins are visible, such as a pedestrian gate fitted into the former castle’s wall Pedestrian Gate and ruins of the 11th century cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Cathedral Ruins Medieval Ruins Cascade Donjon was built in the 19th century on the steep slope that was once part of the medieval keep, or fortified tower. It conveys water from Vésubie Canal, the aquaduct that supplies Nice’s drinking water. Cascade Donjon Parc du Château, Colline du Château , Cascade Donjon, waterfall, ruins, cathedral, Nice, France , , , , , , ,
First Aid for Foreign Object in the Skin 8 January 2013 Comments: 0 Category: Wound Management 8 January 2013, Comments: 0 When foreign objects enter the skin, they may pierce through it superficially or embed themselves deep inside the skin. This condition can be dealt with self-treatment, however, if unexpected or unexplained complications result, it is advisable that you call medical help immediately. Cuts or puncture wounds are often caused by sharp or pointy objects or objects such as glass, wood splinters or fiber glass. • Pain • Irritation • Bleeding • Swelling If the foreign object is protruding out of the skin and is visible, follow these steps: 1. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. 2. Properly clean the affected area using soap and water. 3. Using a pair of tweezers, gently removed the object projecting from the skin, this can be a wood splinter, fiberglass or a piece of glass. You can use a magnifying glass to enhance visibility of the object to carefully remove it. 4. Gently squeeze the wound to encourage bleeding so that the germs are drained out. 5. Wash the affected area again with soap and water and dry it using a clean piece of fabric. 6. Apply a topical antibiotic ointment on the wound to prevent infection. In case the object is embedded completely, follow these steps:First Aid for Foreign Object in the Skin 1. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. 2. Sterilize a needle by using rubbing alcohol to wipe it. Make sure the needle is clean, sharp and not rusty. If you do not have rubbing-alcohol, you may use soap and water to clean it. 3. Use the sterilized needle to pierce the skin and lift the object out. Use a magnifying glass to perform the procedure with better visibility. 4. Once the object is projected out, use a pair of tweezers to pull the object out gently. 5. Gently squeeze the wound to allow bleeding so that the germs drain out. 6. Wash the affected region properly and dry it with a clean piece of fabric. Apply a topical antibiotic on the wound. When to seek medical attention • You are not able to pull off the object. • The object is embedded somewhere close to the eye region. Doctors advise that you should get a tetanus shot once every 10 years so that you are less susceptible to infection when a foreign object breaks through your skin. If an object has broken through your skin and has left dirt or debris, get a booster shot if your last shot was taken within the last 5 years. Related Video to Removing a Splinter Leave a Reply
Mesothelioma Asbestos Exposure Mesothelioma Asbestos Exposure Mesothelioma Asbestos ExposureOne of the most common materials that were put to use for industrial purposes in the twentieth century was Asbestos. Unfortunately, Asbestos has also proven to be one of the most deadly industrial materials, because inhaling the fibers from asbestos can lead to a variety of different pulmonary issues and problems including asbestosis and asthma. Asbestos has also proven itself to be the direct cause for mesothelioma. Mesothelioma asbestos exposure is a dangerous thing. It can take years for the fibers from the asbestos to work their way into the membranes around your lungs, your heart and your abdominal cavity. After an extended presence of these asbestos fibers, fluid accumulation can be caused and tumor development becomes likely. The first symptoms that tend to be associated with mesothelioma asbestos exposure include shortness of breath and a persistent cough. Unfortunately, these symptoms are also associated with a number of common lung problems, and this can significantly delay the mesothelioma diagnosis, allowing the disease to progress. Mesothelioma is a lethal form of cancer that primarily attacks the membranes located around the lungs, around the heart and within the abdominal cavity. The most common form of mesothelioma is mesothelioma cancer in the lungs. The most usual characteristic about mesothelioma asbestos exposure is that the diagnosis of mesothelioma cancer typically occurs several decades after the patient's initial exposure to the asbestos. Most people with mesothelioma asbestos exposure have worked in professions where they regularly inhaled the asbestos particles, or they were exposed in some other way to the asbestos dust. Even simply washing the clothing of someone working with asbestos can be enough to put a person at risk for developing the mesothelioma cancer. Unlike with lung cancer, there is no association between smoking and the development of mesothelioma, however the risk of other asbestos induced cancers can be greatly increased by smoking. There are a number of presenting symptoms that are associated with mesothelioma asbestos exposure, including shortness of breath that occurs as a result of pleural effusion or the existence of fluid between the chest wall and the lungs, pain in the chest wall and weight loss. The diagnosis of mesothelioma asbestos exposure usually begins by suspecting mesothelioma through a chest X-ray or a computerized tomography or CT scan. Doctors will confirm the mesothelioma diagnosis by performing a biopsy, which is a tissue sample, as well as a microscopic examination. Biopsies can be taken by inserting a tube into the chest with a camera attached, a process known as a thoracoscopy. This allows for the introduction of certain substances in order to obliterate the pleural space, preventing the ability of more fluid to accumulate between the young and the chest wall. The prognosis for mesothelioma asbestos exposure carries a relatively poor prognosis despite being capable of being treated by chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy. Early detection of mesothelioma definitely plays a large role in determining how treatable the disease is. 1 Response to "Mesothelioma Asbestos Exposure" dan terima kasih banyak kepada AKI atas nomor togel.nya yang AKI berikan 4 angka 6516 alhamdulillah ternyata itu benar2 tembus AKI. dan alhamdulillah sekarang saya bisa melunasi semua utan2 saya yang allah saya akan coba untuk membuka usaha sendiri demi mencukupi insya allah anda bisa seperti saya…menang togel 375 juta, wassalam. Apakah anda termasuk dalam kategori di bawah ini !!!! 1"Dikejar-kejar hutang 2"Selaluh kalah dalam bermain togel 3"Barang berharga anda udah habis terjual Buat judi togel 5"Udah banyak Dukun togel yang kamu tempati minta angka jitunya tapi tidak ada satupun yang berhasil.. anda semua dengan Angka ritwal/GHOIB: 100% jebol Apabila ada waktu angka GHOIB: singapur 2D/3D/4D/ angka GHOIB: hongkong 2D/3D/4D/ angka GHOIB; malaysia angka GHOIB; toto magnum 4D/5D/6D/ angka GHOIB; laos
Panama Canal, satellite image Panama Canal, satellite image E560/0031 Rights Managed Request low-res file 530 pixels on longest edge, unwatermarked Request/Download high-res file Uncompressed file size: 49.8MB Downloadable file size: 10.7MB Price image Pricing Please login to use the price calculator Caption: Panama Canal, Panama, satellite image. North is at top. Clouds are white, vegetation is green, and water is blue. Ships pass south from the Caribbean into the large lakes at centre left. They then pass through the canal proper at lower right (yellow with silt) and emerge into the Pacific in the bottom right corner. The Panama Canal was built from the 1880s to 1914. Image data obtained on 28 May 2002. Keywords: 2000s, 2002, 21st century, canal, central america, earth observation, earth science, environment, from space, geographical, geography, may, nature, north america, north american, panama, panama canal, panamanian, physical geography, rainforest, satellite, satellite image, shipping, transport, tropics
30 Learning Features in one spelling program make learning inescapable! Exclusive 100 Spelling Rules applied in 600 Phonics Lessons in 10 Books for all Ages! 4 Free Books Features 1-10 1. All words are divided into syllables. 2. All silent letters are italicized. 3. Certain fonts are colored and made bold, as in straw 4. The practice lessons are in larger font size, as in drawn, crawl, lawn 5. We inject a logical explanation or a spelling rule at the beginning of every one of our 600 phonics lessons. 6. Children and adults with a logical learning style can now understand when to spell a sound one-way and not the other. 7. Nearly all the words that share the same sound and spelling pattern, which follow a specific rule are grouped together. 8. Each vowel is dissected and isolated in a book. 9. Comprehensive wordlists! Nearly all words that share the same sound and spelling pattern and follow a specific rule are grouped together and listed on a few pages. 10. The words are then used in nonsensical stories for extra practice. Features 11-20 11. Comparison lists, as in the Knight that had good eyesight and Mike who went to the school’s site. 12. Comprehensive comparison lists, as in Comparing short ĭ with long ī in sit, site, bit, bite, kit, kite, dinner, diner, etc. 13. There is a colored illustration or more, like this ēy phonic that occurs in approximately 40 nouns: phonics lessons The monkey, turkey, and donkey played hockey in Turkey with the disk jockey that had a key to the zoo. Rickey who is a jockey at the racetrack laughed at this malarkey. 14. Eight Inconsistent Consonants: Similar to vowels, eight of the c, g, h, q, s, x, w, and y are also inconsistent. The sixth volume in the Learn to Spell 500 Words a Day series is about eight consonants that have 50 sounds, which are spelled in 60 spelling patterns. 15. Students Reading Aloud Approach (S-RAA) was developed and class-tested. Applying the S-RAA enables learners to memorize naturally, through senses, and without forced memorization. When reading aloud, learners are using more senses than just seeing the words. They see the word, hear the word, and feel it in their mouths as they utter it. Reading aloud is vital and there is more about it in the How to Teach Phonics – Teachers’ Guide. 16. The Reading Slowly Approach: Reading slowly gives students enough time to see the way words are spelled. It also helps them slow down to recover from dyslexia in spelling and in writing letters in reverse. 17. New Concepts Used into the English language, like semivowels, and occasionally, an existing concept like phonics is alienated from its traditional meaning and granted a new meaning. 18. A phonic is a single sound produced by two or more letters, like tion in nation. One letter that does not sound like its letter is also a phonic, like the y in sky. 19. The 26 English letters produce more than 90 sounds we call phonics, which are spelled in approximately 180 different ways we call spelling patterns. These different spelling patterns need to be taught or learned. Native-English speakers already know how to say the phonic tion as in nation, and the vast majority of them know how to read it in words. 20. The l, m, n, r, and s are semivowels, and sometimes they can act like vowels. Features 21-30 21. While there is no known measuring stick to gauge short or long words, we saw the need to set the standards to measure words’ sizes as short, medium or long. 22. Millions of adults and children are confused and have had to suffer from poor spelling not knowing the reason behind their poor spelling. Now we know the reason is that a single English sound can be written in a number of ways. 23. Millions of dollars are being spent on dyslexia without a solution to prevent or end dyslexia. Now we know that dyslexia in spelling ends after learning to spell and after slowing down to write words slowly. Furthermore, dyslexia can be easily prevented before the 4th grade. 24. Our 10 phonics-based spelling books are the only comprehensive phonics books. 25. Practically, the 26 letters are not the only ABC’s in English. The ABC’s should have been [26 letters + 180 spelling patterns of sounds we call phonics = 206 spelling patterns of the English sounds]. 26. All the prefixes with their meaning, followed by nearly all the words that share a specific prefix are in the last chapter in of the Consonants’ book. 27. All the silent letters are italicized and grouped in a chapter. 28. Over 5,000 compound words and 2,000 hyphenated words are isolated in a book. 29. Initially, all the sound and the spelling patterns of phonics are placed in queue in Read Instantly. Learners are always informed before introducing a spelling pattern of a sound. The order of introducing phonics in Read Instantly will someday eradicate illiteracy in English. 30. How students feel does count; they need to feel in control when using their first language. For instance, learning that the vowel A has five sounds makes them want to learn more. Furthermore, learning that the five sounds of A are spelled in 12 ways makes feel they can gain control over their own first language. Imagine how they feel after they see all the specifics about the vowel A and seeing easy practice lessons that contain all the sounds and spelling patterns in over 2,00 words! We help those who everyone else has give up on them: Encompassing that many unique learning features in one comprehensive program has made learning to read and spell inescapable for all ages and all types of learners. If one feature does not work for someone, the other 29 might work. Our phonics-based spelling books are a breakthrough; their magnitude is in their entirety. 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The British man who developed and deployed solid fuel military rockets, the “rockets red glare” referenced in our American national anthem, was born today in 1772. Now WE know em Sir William Congreve, 2nd Baronet was born May 20, 1772 in Kent, England. He grew up to be educated in law at Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating with a BA in 1793 and a Masters degree in 1796. In 1803 he was a volunteer in the London and Westminster light horse, and was a London businessman who published a polemical newspaper, the Royal Standard and Political Register, which was tory, pro-government and anti-Cobbett. Following a damaging libel action against him in 1804 for publishing a newspaper, Congreve withdrew from publishing and applied himself to inventing. Rocketry was being developed in several countries and in late 1804, Congreve began experimenting with rockets at Woolwich. Congreve Rockets The initial inspiration for his rockets is uncertain. They may have been developed from Indian rocket artillery made from iron tubes. It has been suggested that Congreve adapted iron-cased gunpowder rockets for use by the British military from prototypes created by the Irish nationalist Robert Emmet for use during Emmet’s Rebellion in 1803. Congreve first demonstrated his solid fuel rocket at the Royal Arsenal in 1805. Tip of a Congreve rocket, on display at Paris naval museum Tip of a Congreve rocket, on display at Paris naval museum He considered his work sufficiently advanced to engage in two Royal Navy attacks on the French fleet at Boulogne, France, one that year and one the next. Parliament authorized Congreve to form two rocket companies for the British army in 1809. Congreve subsequently personally commanded one of these at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813. Congreve rockets, as they were called, were used for the remainder of the Napoleonic Wars, as well as the during the War of 1812. The famous “rockets’ red glare” referred to in the American national anthem described their firing at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. Congreve rockets from his original work Congreve rockets from his original work Congreve rockets remained in the arsenal of the United Kingdom until the 1850s. Congreve was awarded the honorary rank of Lieutenant colonel in 1811 and was often referred to as “Colonel Congreve.” He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in March, 1811. Congreve even organized the impressive firework displays in London for the peace of 1814 and for the coronation of George IV in 1821. Besides his rockets, Congreve was a prolific (if indifferently successful) inventor for the remainder of his life. Congreve invented a gun-recoil mounting, a time-fuze, a rocket parachute attachment, a hydropneumatic canal lock and sluice, a perpetual motion machine, a process of colour printing which was widely used in Germany, a new form of steam engine, and a method of consuming smoke (which was applied at the Royal Laboratory). He also took out patents for a clock in which time was measured by a ball rolling along a zig-zag track on an inclined plane; for protecting buildings against fire; inlaying and combining metals; unforgeable bank note paper; a method of killing whales by means of rockets; improvements in the manufacture of gunpowder; stereotype plates; fireworks; and gas meters. In his later years, Congreve became a businessman and chairman of the Equitable Loan Bank, director of the Arigna Iron and Coal Company, the Palladium Insurance Company and the Peruvian Mining Company. After a major fraud case against him in 1826, he fled to France, where he was taken seriously ill. Sir William Congreve died in Toulouse, France May 16, 1828 and was buried there. Now We know em Please Leave a Reply You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change ) Twitter picture Facebook photo Google+ photo Connecting to %s
Let’s face it, we all feel a little bit icky when we think about toilet water generally. If we are asked to think about transforming wastewater into drinking water, our stomachs are likely to respond with an indignant flip of protest. As much as the brain may try to reason, our natural impulses are stubborn, so while there is a weight of evidence and assurances that modern treatment technologies can create perfectly safe and pure water, there is an unavoidable psychological aversion to drinking water which has already been ‘used.’ However, we need to start coming to terms with alternative drinking water supplies as a very real opportunity to create efficient and sustainable water supplies for our cities. The truth hurts The truth of the matter is, we all drink ‘pre-loved’ water all the time. Water cannot be created, it is just constantly reinvented through the natural water cycle. Often, the recycling of water is even more direct in urban water systems, as wastewater discharged from one town merrily cascades down-river to the water supply of another. In 2002, the City of Auckland added a much needed water supply from the Waikato River, extracting downstream of its competitive neighbouring city, Hamilton, whose residents gleefully joked “Flush twice please, Auckland needs the water.” Australian cities and towns are no different – often settled near a major river, urban areas utilise the same waterways for water supply and discharge of treated wastewater and urban stormwater. Even when water supplies are solely from rural catchments, we are fooling ourselves to think that the cattle that populate our bucolic vision of the countryside haven’t done their business anywhere near the local stream. Somehow we all manage to turn a blind eye and put these ‘catchment scale’ water recycling systems in the acceptable box to avoid triggering an unwelcome stomach spasm. So why is the use of recycled water for drinking water so hard to swallow? Perhaps we have been brainwashed by too many mineral water adverts claiming that water has been mined from far away glaciers, dosed with the freshness of a spring day and blessed by pixies before it is bottled for our enjoyment, all the while giving us a false and hugely impractical expectation of how our water should be sourced. The clever spoof "Last Call at the Oasis" starring Jack Black, suggests we could all be enthused to taste ‘Porcelain Springs’ if the advertising was right: New drinking water sources: the next frontier The urban water supply challenges facing Australian cities are very real and urgent. Traditional surface water and groundwater supplies are strained and set to dwindle with the effects of climate change. More and more, cities are looking to desalinate seawater to secure water supply, with Melbourne recently placing its first order from the controversial Wonthaggi Desalination Plant in preparation for next summer. Desalination is not only far from our pixie-kissed impression of what a water supply should be, but is also highly energy intensive and adds a significant hike to the customer’s water bill. On the other hand, recycled water could be smarter and more sustainable alternative to supplement drinking water supplies in cities, having several distinct advantages: • secure supply: treated wastewater can be recycled again and again • established collection and treatment assets: wastewater is managed locally and treated to a standard suitable to be released to the environment, so the collection and treatment systems are already in place, ready for ‘top-up’ treatment to be added to recycle the water to drinking standard • broader environmental benefits: much like waste, the reuse of local water helps to ‘close the loop’ and reduce pollution to the environment and reduce carbon associated with moving water around The technology to utilise recycled water for safe drinking water exists, and feasibility has already been proven elsewhere. Parts of California already utilise treated wastewater as part of their drinking water supply, and plans are now afoot to expand schemes in the wake of the drought crisis. Similarly, Singapore has utilised alternative supplies for drinking water for the last 15 years. What’s needed is a shift in social and political acceptance, and there’s nothing like a crisis to do that. Faced with the impacts of drought, we have seen public perspectives on water management change substantially in the past, and it’s likely they will again. Following the Millennium drought in Australia it has become increasingly common to recycle wastewater for non-potable supplies (not for drinking) such as irrigation and toilet flushing. However, the cost of duplicating plumbing and supply systems often makes these schemes commercially unattractive. If we are courageous enough to begin utilising recycled water as part of the water supply, the business case, if not the concept, is much more palatable. If we just can’t get our head around a toilet being part of the water supply equation, there are other alternative drinking water sources to consider, such as harvested urban stormwater, which our cities produce in bulk and subsequently damage our waterways and bays. City of Orange in New South Wales supplements its water supply with harvested stormwater which is captured and transferred to its main supply dam to be mixed with freshwater reserves before treatment. Then there is roof water, which people have been drinking for centuries but has been gradually phased out in favour of centrally controlled supplies. I could keep listing examples, but we all know that recital of facts will only go so far – acceptance needs to be drawn out of a much deeper community conversation about how we will meet our water challenges. It may take the next drought crisis to trigger a taste for alternative drinking supplies in Australia, but it’s important to start having the conversation now to plan solutions that make good sense. • Good article, thanks Celeste. I hadn't seen this video before, which sums up peoples' response using humour to keep us engaged in the message. I believe acceptance has been shown to be partly political. Let's say 25% of the population would do it and 25% remain opposed despite evidence. Then 50% can be influenced, swinging the majority support either way. When South-East Queensland was facing drought and nearing running out of water a number of solutions were reviewed, including wastewater re-use for potable supply. For one council affected a vote of acceptance was apparent, for another council there was overwhelming opposition. The marked difference in attitude was reviewed and found to correlate with the overall level of trust from the public with the particular sector of Government. • In Melbourne there is no need to drink recycled sewerage water. Melbourne produces 80% of Victoria's wealth, and has somewhere 80% of Victoria's population, therefore should be entitled to 80% of the clean water. We need to build the dams that were part of the plan, before two Labor Governments wasted the savings of two generations. The idea that good water is used to grow grass for Australian, Japanese & Chinese racing horses, that gives practically no financial good to anyone but a small number of people; should have the same rights as all of Melbourne is civil war threats. The grass industry uses the same amount of water as Melbourne. You can convince people there is a God in the shape of an ugly dog easily enough if you keep telling them the same thing over and over again; but that does not make the ugly dog God real. The shortage of drinking water in Victoria is not real its just some people are taking more than their share. The vested interests know you can make big returns if you manage to steal other citizens civil rights. If sewerage water is so good try exporting a fresh tomato grown in sewerage and see how many buyers you get to pay a reasonable price. Do rich people in the Middle East & Asia buy Australian vegetable because they are grown in sewerage water? The people who cry out about the shortage of everything do not see a problem in growing the population of Melbourne. One rich household I visited overseas, used to send a person with containers to a mountain they owned that was not grazed by domestic animals for their drinking and cooking water twice a week. The people pushing for sewerage water to be piped to every home, own the "clean" water bottling plants, or have been paid. • The ratio of population and water consumption highlighted above, neglects the requirement for agriculture practice to be conducted outside of a metropolitan environment. Melbourne does not possess the capacity to produce 80% of Victoria's agricultural output, a key fact that has been omitted. If the above statements were to bear applicable validity, I would sincerely hope that 80% of your household food consumption is produced within your property. The aforementioned "sewerage water" for irrigation, bears no resemblance to the processes associated with recycling water. The refinement of the "sewerage water" (technical term in this context is 'blackwater'), is a multi-stage filtration and purification process, which produces water of a higher quality than the water passing through the outdated and unclean pipes that is currently used for drinking. The use of recycled water, ironically, would resolve the issue you have with irrigation in the grass industry, and also provide a solution for agricultural irrigation. The levels of purity in treated waste-water (greywater or blackwater) are of a standard high enough for both drinking and irrigation. As noted in the article, the issue is a resistance to change, not the technology itself. • There can be no doubt water security is a very real concern. As the population increases, inevitably so does demand. The technology exists to safely treat waste water and re-use it over and over again. The proportion of water that is actually used for drinking is very small. Using treated waste water for non drinking purposes, such as toilet flushing and irrigation is a win win option, and it is happening in Australia, including Melbourne right now. We need to be forward thinking and plan viable, costs effective long term strategies. Using treated waste water for non drinking purposes ticks all the boxes. • Water recycling is a sustainable and effective technology, providing a viable solution to deal with the evident and worsening water shortage in Australia and globally. As noted, the resistance to adoption of these technologies provide the most prominent issues in solving the water crisis. The processes associated with recycling toilet water (blackwater) for drinking is possible, however, the most beneficial application is utilising these new sources of water for non-drinking purposes (e.g. irrigation, toilet flushing, cooling towers etc). The requirement for non-drinking water significantly exceeds the requirement for drinking water; therefore, the logical progression would be to use recycled sources of water for non-drinking purposes, and save the 'drinking water' for the glass. • What hasn't helped with the required change in perception is the clever marketing that has conned many people in Australia to waste money buying bottled water for drinking, rather than the perfectly safe potable water most of us have available from the tap. If marketing can convince a lot of people that our tap water is unsafe to drink then it will take some very clever counter marketing to convince the same people to accept drinking processed waste water. Psychology trumps practicality! Thankfully there are some excellent water reuse schemes around the country where the waste water is at least being treated and used for irrigation rather than returned to streams and the ocean. Autodesk – 300 X 250 (expire December 31 2017)
Some more information on the story from August: It’s nuclear physics 101: Radioactivity proceeds at its own pace. Each type of radioactive isotope, be it plutonium-238 or carbon-14, changes into another isotope or element at a specific, universal, immutable rate. This much has been known for more than a century, since Ernest Rutherford defined the notion of half-life—the time it takes for half of the atoms in a radioactive sample to transmute into something else. So when researchers suggested in August that the sun causes variations in the decay rates of isotopes of silicon, chlorine, radium and manganese, the physics community reacted with curiosity, but mostly with skepticism. In one experiment, a team at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., was monitoring a chunk of manganese-54 inside a radiation detector box to precisely measure the isotope’s half-life. At 9:37 p.m. on December 12, 2006, the instruments recorded a dip in radioactivity. At the same time, satellites on the day side of the Earth detected X-rays coming from the sun, signaling the beginning of a solar flare. The sun’s atmosphere was spewing out matter, some of which would reach Earth the day after. Charged particles would contort the planet’s magnetic field, disrupt satellite communications and pose a threat to astronauts on the International Space Station. But that dip in the manganese-54 radioactivity was not a coincidental experimental fluke, nor was it the solar flare discombobulating the measurements, the Purdue researchers claim in a paper posted online ( In West Lafayette the sun had set while X-rays were hitting the atmosphere on the other side of the globe, and the electrically charged matter that created electromagnetic disturbances worldwide was still in transit. After a solar flare has begun, “the charged particles arrive several hours later,” points out theorist Ephraim Fischbach, coauthor of the paper with his Purdue colleague Jere Jenkins…. More… (source) As for the first commenter: “I’m concerned – however – that a garbled abstract of this scientific curiousity will end up in the hands of Creationists, who try to prove the Universe is only 8000 years old…..” What are you “concerned” about? Is it a problem when someone points out inconsistencies between scientific theories and observational data? We’ll have to see where this goes, it is far from having been demonstrated conclusively and will have to be duplicated in subsequent experiments still – if it does prove to be a valid observation, then we’ll have to take time to hash out what it means, exactly.
Saturday, August 19th \| 27 Av 5777 Be in the know! Get our exclusive daily news briefing. May 4, 2012 1:52 pm How to Think About Taxation and Spending (Part 3) avatar by Gabriel Martindale Email a copy of "How to Think About Taxation and Spending (Part 3)" to a friend Tea Party protestors in Washington, 2009. Photo: wiki commons. In the last blog post we looked at how government spending creates short term wealth for some at the expense of long term prosperity for everyone. We saw further how this is even worse when governments borrow the money than when they collect it by taxation. Now it’s time to look at one more method of providing the government with revenue: inflation. Situation 9: Mr. C. has once again blown his stash, Mr. A. is demanding his monthly repayment and Mr B. is having trouble trying to find enough people to burgle to cover it all. In desperation, he turns to Mr. A. for another loan, but Mr. A. has no more savings. However, a charming new character Mr X. turns up and presents a proposition. He has a machine for making money and is happy to print up as much as Mr. B. needs for Mr. C. and his other voters, assuming, of course, that Mr. B. provides a suitable rate of interest to be funded by further burglaries. Mr C. gets his money, Mr. A. his repayment, the kebab maker gets his custom and, for now, no-one needs to get taxed at all. All is well. Analysis: Because of the system of fractional reserve banking, most money lent out is actually created at the time of the loan. This is as true of so-called ‘private banks’ as central banks, though the mechanics are different. In the short term, borrowing newly-created money is an easy way of getting all the nice government spending you want, with none of the nasty taxes. Even better, as the new money circulates around the economy, it allows people to buy more goods than they would otherwise, boosting profits and stimulating new economic activity. This is why the Bush tax cuts ‘boosted’ the economy, because the spending that couldn’t be covered by tax receipts was made up for with new money. The sting in the tail is, of course, inflation. If you increase the supply of something, the price goes down, with money as with everything else. What has effectively happened is that Mr. A. and Mr. C. have been paid off by taxing a tiny amount from every other person in the economy. The same re-distribution of wealth occurs, but in a way that is almost impossible to trace. Furthermore, prices do not rise equally, the goods the new money is spent on first also rise first and it takes a long time for other goods to catch up; some in the short term may also fall. To use our example, if Mr. C. and chums are using lots of new money to buy kebabs, the price of kebabs will likely rise, other people who also eat kebabs will have less money to spare, they may have to cut back on, say, milk, the price of which will fall in the short term. Government statisticians will average out a 3% rise in kebabs and a 1% fall in milk and give an inflation figure of 2%, but that is clearly misleading. The result of all this is a significant injection of chaos into the economic system, which will result in a large and unpredictable transfer of wealth. We can generally be sure that small savers and fixed wage earners will lose out and wealthy speculators with access to new money will win, but the effects are far more wide-ranging and random than that. To cap things off, the re-distribution of economic resources created by new money is only sustainable if the new money keeps pouring in. When the kebab maker expands his shop to cope with new demand he is reliant on that new demand being continuously propped up by new money. A society that embarks on inflation only has two further options, locking itself further into an inflationary spiral, or recession. Related coverage August 18, 2017 4:12 pm Of course, eventually the new money has to be paid back, which means we are back to square one and taxes will have to rise above their original level. All the negative economic effects we saw in the first 3 situations will occur, the only difference being that the beneficiaries are not disabled minorities but bankers, who, as far as I know, no-one thinks is terribly deserving. Alternatively, the government can try to borrow more money to make up the shortfall, and then do it again and again until they hit a brick wall. We are about to find out what that brick wall looks like. You may well ask why, if money creation is as good for the economy as Keynesians say it is, the government doesn’t just print it itself instead of enslaving the public to a clique of counterfeiting rogues. There I can’t help you. To cap off, here are the general conclusions that we can take from our examples. 1) Re-distribution of wealth may be controversial, but in itself it is economically unimportant, at least in the short term. The problems it causes are long term ones, namely decreasing incentives to do useful work for the taxpayer, the bureaucrat and the welfare recipient. 2) Government spending can be paid for by taxation, borrowing from genuine savings, or borrowing from money creation. Of the three, taxation is by far the least harmful option. Plainly, the attention of every opponent of big government should be on spending not taxation. 3) Tax cuts, if they are done responsibly, will benefit the economy in the long run, but they will not provide a short term boost and will certainly not boost tax revenues enough to fund existing spending levels. When tax cuts do achieve such an outcome it is because they are funded by borrowing, but this only saves up more problems for later. 4) Economies are not “stimulated” by government spending; some people benefit in a way that is obvious at the expense of others in ways that are not so obvious and also at the expense of everyone in the future. All the observed effects of government stimulus are fully explained in this way without any need for illogical and vague concepts like “multiplier effects’. Now, you may well notice that this doesn’t square very well with the arguments made by talking heads you see on the news. Perhaps I’m talking rubbish, after all they’re on T.V. and I’m not. If so, they should be able to logically explain, step by step, an alternative way of understanding how taxation, spending and borrowing affect an economy and demonstrate the flaws in my thinking. The sad thing is that, hiding behind reams of jargon and cant, or mathematical equations designed to obscure what they purport to explain, they never even bother to try. They don’t try because they don’t have to, for much the same reasons that shamans and witch doctors never explain the rationale behind their incantations: the credulity of a superstitious public. Well, you have brains: use them. Let your voice be heard! Join the Algemeiner • Reuven Very interesting and insightful, I thoroughly enjoyed. I still don’t quite understand why you always write about economics when your degrees are in history, but I suppose that in general there is more to you than meets the eye anyway. • Gabriel M Programatically speaking, part of my point is that you don’t need to study economics at university to talk intelligently about it; in fact, things being as they are, it might prove something of a hindrance. More pragmatically, I fear a series of posts on late-Stuart critiques of transubstantiation might sound the death knell for my fairly fragile reader base!
Geography of Turkey and Cyprus Term Paper Excerpt from Term Paper : In the recent years, aid from Turkey has touched over $400 million per annum. ("Cyprus: CIA -- the World Factbook," n. d.) In 1878, political conflicts started between the two communities when the Turkish Cypriots rejected the Greek Cypriots' desire for ENOSIS for Union with Greece. A campaign of armed terror was initiated by the Greek Cypriots in 1955 for uniting the island with Greece which was rejected by the Turkish Cypriots. The International Treaties of 1960, by having Great Britain, Turkey and Greece as the guarantor powers, gave Cyprus its freedom from Great Britain and named the Republic of Cyprus. The 1960 partnership Republic was not for the sake of a fully independent Republic but for the purpose of self-preservation. The independence of Cyprus was restricted by the International Treaties of 1960 which did not allow Partition or Enosis; thus leading to the creation of a bi-national partnership state and not a nation. However, shortly after the origin of the Republic solemn differences cropped about the interpretation and implementation of the constitution between the two communities. It was argued by the Greek Cypriots that the complex system which was introduced to protect the interest of the Turkish Cypriots was creating a hindrance for efficient governance. President Makarios, on 30th November, 1963 laid down a series of constitutional amendments named "13 Points." These were designed for eliminating some of these special provisions. However, such changes were opposed by the Turkish Cypriots. In December, 1963 the confrontation led to rampant inter-communal fighting, after which the participation of the Turkish Cypriot ceased in the central government. On 4th March, 1964 the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution 186 after the Turkish Cypriot community was attacked brutally by the Greek Cypriots. The resolution was for stationing UNFICYP -- United Nations Peace Keeping Force in Cyprus for restoring law and order and to prevent the recurrence of any fight. The Republic of Cyprus though founded in 1960 ended in 1963. This was because the participatory right of the Turks which was guaranteed by the 1960 Constitution was disregarded by the Greek organs of administration, government and legislation. ("Cyprus History: 1964-1974," n. d.) In the Resolution 186 of 1964, the Government of Cyprus was referred to by the UN Security Council in such a way that it implied that the legitimate Government of Cyprus was the government which was manned only by the Greek Cypriots. From then onwards the titles of the bi-communal state are usurped by the Greek Cypriots. The Republic of Cyprus which exists today was created during 1963-74 when in a revolutionary process the Greek Cypriots seized control over a certain section of the island's territory. ("Cyprus History: 1964-1974," n. d.) the invasion of Cyprus in 1974 by Turkey, the ethnic cleansing which was undertaken by the army of Turkey and the occupation of almost 38% of the territory of Cyprus, has altered not only the negotiating equilibrium among the two communities but has also changed the demographic structure of the island. The organized invasions of the mainland settlers of Turkey who now seem to outnumber the population of Turkish Cypriots have added a new facet to the problem. Washington's policy of Cyprus post-1974 has tried to limit the outcome of the Turkish invasion on the relations between Greece and Turkey; while engaging in efforts for peacemaking in Cyprus without discouraging the strategic and economic ties of America with Turkey. This balancing act recognizes continuity of the Republic and the Government of Cyprus while at the same time it reflects traditional attitudes of the Americans on the strategic and economic importance of Turkey ensuing in the avoidance of international or American sanctions on Turkey. Hence, America focused its attention on getting compromises from the Greek Cypriots so that the peacemaking front would get moving. Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots acknowledged this since they expected that their goals would be fulfilled through an intransigent, long-term and consistent policy which expected the Greek Cypriots to accept the reality created by the occupation and invasion of 1974. The peacemaking initiatives and policy statements of the Americans during the period 1974-78 are a reflection of this balancing act. (Couloumbis; Kariotis; Bellou; Ex-terik-s, 2003) Cyprus' de facto partition due to the Turkish invasion resulted in a lot of suffering; almost a third of each ethnic community's population had to leave their homes and devastation ensued in the economy of Cyprus. Intensive intervention and economic planning by the government on both sides brought about an improvement in the standard of living of the people. Political systems based on the European structure were formulated by both the communities, with political views which were conventional in nature represented by the parties from left to the right. The Greek Cypriots had two parties which were present from before 1970 and new ones were formed after 1974. However, the progress of the Turkish Cypriots to parliamentary democracy was not as smooth; they had to build a new state first. The "Turkish Federated State of Cyprus" was proclaimed in the year 1975. Through a unilateral form of declaring independence in the year 1983 the TRNC was created by the Turkish Cypriots; however, till the early 1990s it was recognized as a nation only by Turkey. ("Country Studies: Developments Since 1974," n. d.) Exhibit 1: Percentage share of various sectors in total GDP of Turkey Bennett, Sarita J; International Workshops on the Genetic R, Cocks, PS. (1999) "Genetic Resources of Mediterranean Pasture and Forage Legumes" Springer. Couloumbis, Theodore a; Kariotis, Theodore C; Bellou, Fotini; Ex-terik-s, Hell-niko Hidryma Amyntik's kai. (2003) "Greece in the Twentieth Century" Routledge. Dew, Philip. (2004) "Doing Business with the Republic of Cyprus" Kogan Page. Ergener, Rashid; Ergener, Resit. (2002) "About Turkey: Geography, Economy, Politics, Religion, and Culture" Pilgrims Process, Inc. N.A. (2006) "Climate and Weather in North Cyprus" Retrieved 16 April, 2008 at N.A. (n. d.) "Country Studies: Developments Since 1974" Retrieved 16 April, 2008 at N.A. (n. d.) "Cyprus: CIA -- the World Factbook" Retrieved 16 April, 2008 from… Cite This Term Paper: "Geography Of Turkey And Cyprus" (2008, April 18) Retrieved August 19, 2017, from "Geography Of Turkey And Cyprus" 18 April 2008. Web.19 August. 2017. <> "Geography Of Turkey And Cyprus", 18 April 2008, Accessed.19 August. 2017,
Dismiss Notice Dismiss Notice Join Physics Forums Today! Conceptual Spring Problem Help requested 1. Dec 12, 2014 #1 A mass hangs from the ceiling of a box by an ideal spring. With the box held fixed, the mass is given an initial velocity and oscillates with purely vertical motion. When the mass reaches the lowest point of its motion, the box is released and allowed to fall. To an observer inside the box, which of the following quantities does not change when the box is released? Ignore air resistance. (A) The amplitude of the oscillation (B) The period of the oscillation <- CORRECT (C) The maximum speed reached by the mass (D) The height at which the mass reaches its maximum speed (E) The maximum height reached by the mass No variables; this is a conceptual problem 2. Relevant equations A_k = -kx/m A_g = mg Period = 1/2pi sqrt(m/k) 3. The attempt at a solution I tried to use the two accelerations and set them equal and see what happens: -kx/m = mg g = -kx/m^2 I am confused, I have never seen such a problem, and I don't know what to do. Can someone lead me in the right direction? 2. jcsd 3. Dec 12, 2014 #2 User Avatar Gold Member You need to do two things: 1. Write the differential equation of motion for the mass in the falling box; 2. Determine the initial conditions for the DE at the instant that the box starts to fall. The first step will be facilitated by drawing a FBD. 4. Dec 12, 2014 #3 What if i don't know calc I drew a FBD with two forces 5. Dec 12, 2014 #4 With no calculus knowledge, you are probably in over your head. 6. Dec 13, 2014 #5 The question was on my AP Physics B hw, and we haven't learned calculus. I wanted to know how to do it 7. Dec 13, 2014 #6 User Avatar Science Advisor Homework Helper Gold Member 2016 Award You can resolve some of them, at least, without calculus. The formula you have for the period does not involve g. It follows that the period would be the same with a different value for g. In free fall, g is effectively 0, and nothing else has changed that affects the period. For amplitude, you know that the equilibrium extension of the spring is shorter (0 instead of mg/k). If the amplitude were the same, what would the two maximal extensions be? What is the actual extension just after the string is cut? 8. Dec 14, 2014 #7 Oh, I see, so the only thing that doesn't change is period because it doesn't depend upon g Amplitude changes from mg/k to how far the object falls. The object potentially could reach a new max speed assuming the height the observer dropped is far enough. If the max speed changes, the height at which it occurs changes. But wouldn't the max height remain the same? 9. Dec 14, 2014 #8 User Avatar Science Advisor Homework Helper Gold Member 2016 Award You don't know what the amplitude was before the string was cut. An extension of mg/k would have been the equilibrium position. If the amplitude initially was A, what would the greatest and least extensions have been? 10. Dec 15, 2014 #9 Would the greatest extension be height fallen + A + equilibrium position height? And the least be equilibrium position height - A? 11. Dec 15, 2014 #10 User Avatar Science Advisor Homework Helper Gold Member 2016 Award I don't think that's quite what you meant. The greatest extension is not (whatever) + a height. Put it in terms of greatest extension as (whatever) + equilibrium extension. Then substitute in the known value of equilibrium extension. When you've got that, try to answer these questions: - what is the extension at the moment the string is cut? - what is the new equilibrium extension? - what does that tell you for the new amplitude? Have something to add? Draft saved Draft deleted Similar Discussions: Conceptual Spring Problem Help requested
Text Illustrations Suppose there was a king who loved a humble maiden. The king was like no other king. Every statesmen trembled before his power. No one dared breathe a word against him, for he had the strength to crush all his opponents. And yet this mighty king was melted by love for a humble maiden. How could he declare his love for her? In an odd sort of way, his very kingliness tied his hands. If he brought her to the palace and crowned her head with jewels and clothed her body in royal robes, she would surely not resist- no one dared resist him. But would she love him? She would say she loved him of course, but would she truly? Or would she live with him in fear, nursing a private grief for the life she left behind. Would she be happy at his side? How could he know? The king, convinced he could not elevate the maiden without crushing her freedom, resolved to descend. He clothed himself as a beggar and approached her cottage incognito, with a worn cloak fluttering loosely about him. He renounced the throne to win her hand. by Kierhegaard in Yancey’s Disappointment with God Related Text Illustrations Related Sermons
Skip the auto shop - Our mechanics make house calls How to Replace a Coolant Temperature Sensor close up of coolant system Today's engines monitor virtually every function to ensure your vehicle runs strongly and efficiently every day. One of the most important systems to monitor is the cooling system, which includes the radiator, water pump, radiator fan, coolant lines, and overflow tank. The coolant temperature sensor, also known as the coolant temperature switch, is the engine management system that monitors the temperature of the coolant and relays this information to the ECM. When the sensor is functioning properly, it will tell your on board computer if the temperature is too high, alerting the driver that a problem exists by illuminating a warning light on the dashboard. The coolant temperature sensor (switch) utilizes electrical resistance to measure the coolant's temperature. When the signal is sent to the ECM, the computer adjusts the vehicles ignition timing, fuel flow, and other factors that trim or enhance performance based on the coolant temperature. Due to the fact that engine temperature plays a vital role in the overall performance of any vehicle, having a properly functioning coolant temperature sensor is essential. If you discover that the sensor is failing, you'll have to replace this device by following the step-by-step instructions noted below. Part 1 of 3: Diagnosing a problem with the coolant temperature sensor The coolant system on today's cars, trucks, and SUV's is comprised of multiple components that work together to keep your engine running well. When a problem occurs with engine heating or overheating, it may be due to one or multiple broken parts. Taking time to properly diagnose the precise cause of the overheating situation is very important to providing a solution and actually fixing what is broken. Before you make the decision to replace the coolant temperature sensor, make sure diagnose some of the warning signs of a faulty coolant temperature sensor. Noted below are a few of the warning signs that will alert you that the coolant temperature sensor is damaged and needs to be replaced. The engine is getting poor fuel economy: when the coolant temperature sensor is not functioning correctly, it tends to relay false information to the engine control module. This in turn triggers the ECM to either add more fuel or reduce air mixture to create a “rich” situation, designed to cool the cylinders and reduce the potential of overheating. The side effect of this reaction is that the fuel economy will drastically be cut. If you notice that your temperature warning light is on and the fuel mileage is really poor, it may be caused by the sensor. Black smoke from the exhaust: another side effect of a rich engine is that black smoke (or unburnt carbon from fuel) will be present from the vehicle's exhaust when you accelerate. When the fuel mixture is rich (meaning more fuel than air in the vapor inside the combustion chamber) the cylinder will not be able to burn all the fuel. The result will be more black smoke being expelled from the exhaust port of the cylinder head and out the tail pipe. The engine is overheating: on the reverse side, sometimes the sensor will fail entirely and won't be able to monitor the engine's coolant temperature. If this occurs, the potential of overheating becomes greater. If your engine is overheating occasionally, the problem may be with the coolant temperature sensor. Coolant is leaking under the motor: it's also common for the coolant temperature sensor to become loose and cause engine coolant to leak from under the motor. If you notice coolant in front of the motor, it may be coming from the engine coolant temperature sensor's location. • Note: The process of removing the coolant temperature sensor is very consistent, regardless of the type of vehicle you own. However, since all vehicles are unique, it's important to verify specific instructions with your vehicle’s manufacturer’s service manual before proceeding. Part 2 of 3: Remove and replace the coolant temperature sensor The actual process of replacing the coolant temperature sensor is extremely simple. However, the difficult work comes in the preparation of the cooling system - both before and after. Materials Needed • Coolant collection pan • Flat head screwdriver • Funnel • Jack • Jack stands • New coolant • Pliers • Replacement coolant temperature sensor • Safety equipment including safety glasses and gloves • Socket wrench set • Work light • Tip: This job should only be completed when the engine is cold and has not been running for a minimum of one hour. Since you'll be underneath the car and the potential of coolant hitting your face is high, it may be a good idea to wear a safety shield to protect your face. Make sure you wear safety glasses and gloves to protect your hands from hot coolant if the engine is not cold. Step 1: Make sure vehicle is on a level working area. Since you need to jack the front end up and will be placing the front end on jack stands, make sure your vehicle in on a flat surface. Do not jack up a vehicle on a driveway or incline. graphic showing a diagram of the engine Step 2: Locate the coolant temperature sensor. The first item that needs to be completed after you compiled all of your tools and assets is to locate the coolant temperature sensor. In the image above, you can see that most coolant temperature sensors are located on the top, driver side of the engine. However, the location of this sensor may be different with your specific engine. Make sure you consult with your manufacturer or purchase a service manual for the make and model of your vehicle for precise location and instructions. Step 3: Jack the front end for clearance. Make sure you have enough clearance to crawl underneath your vehicle. This can be done by driving your front end onto ramps or jacking up the front end and placing the jack stands underneath for safety. Step 4: Remove radiator cap and overflow cap. Once the vehicle has been raised and you've opened the hood, the next step is to remove the radiator cap and coolant reservoir cap. This removes the vacuum pressure inside the coolant system allowing you to drain the radiator fluid so you can replace the coolant temperature sensor. [Insert Image 3: radiator plug being removed] Step 5: Drain the radiator. Underneath your vehicle, typically on the driver side, the radiator will have two different drain plugs. One of them is a petcock, which is located on the left side of the radiator near the main drain plug (on most vehicles). radiator being drained into a drainpan There are two ways to drain a radiator: Either remove the petcock valve and let the radiator drain slowly or remove the radiator drain plug and expect a high volume of coolant to flow quickly. Based on your specific coolant collection pan or method, make the decision on which way fits your situation best and drain the coolant from your radiator. Step 6: Replace drain plug. Once you're radiator has been drained, make sure to replace your drain plug or reinsert the petcock before proceeding. This will ensure you don't forget to complete this step before adding more coolant once the coolant temperature sensor has been replaced. wiring harness on the coolant temperature sensor Step 7: Remove electronic harness from the temperature sensor. It's time to locate and remove the coolant temperature sensor. The first thing is remove the electronic harness that connects to the sensor. Typically this sensor is attached with a plastic clip. To remove the clip, take a flat head screwdriver and slowly pry the clip from the outside edge of the temperature sensor. Step 8: Remove the coolant temperature sensor. Using a ¼" drive socket and extension and the correct sized socket (usually 19mm), loosen the sensor from the engine block and remove it entirely. Step 9: Clean the hole where the sensor is located. Make sure to clean the sensor's insert area before you reinstall the temperature sensor. In some cases, dirt, debris, and other particles will impact the function of the coolant temperature sensor, so you want to make sure you have a clean area before installing the new one. coolant sensor being reinserted Step 10: Install the new sensor. Using your fingers, hand screw the coolant temperature sensor into its placement hole until the sensor is flush against the engine. Remove the extension from the ratchet and hand-tighten the sensor manually with the socket and extension. • Warning: The sensor needs to be installed very carefully and not tightened down too tight. This is why we recommend hand tightening the sensor with the socket and extension, but not the ratchet. Step 11: Reattach wiring harness to sensor. Once the sensor has been successfully tightened, reattach the wiring harness. It should "snap" into place. Step 12: Verify the radiator drain plug has been tightened. Step 13: Add radiator coolant. Although you may have collected the radiator coolant when you drained it from the radiator, it is highly recommended that you add new coolant. This will ensure that the coolant temperature sensor will work correctly. Add new coolant, mixed with distilled water as recommended by your specific vehicle manufacturer. • Warning: Many newer cars, trucks, and SUV's have coolant systems that require a priming step. This is unique and specific to each vehicle manufacturer, so it's VITAL that you contact your automotive manufacturer and receive the precise process for priming the coolant system. Failure to do this will often result in air bubbles being trapped in the coolant system and overheating problems. Step 14: Add coolant to coolant reservoir. After your radiator is full, you need to add fresh coolant to your coolant overflow reservoir. It's likely that when you start your vehicle for the first time that you'll have to add coolant. Be proactive by adding some to the coolant reservoir to reduce the potential of air bubbles in the coolant lines. Step 15: Remove coolant buckets. Properly dispose of used coolant. Step 16: Lower vehicle from jack stands. Place the vehicle back level to the ground. Part 3 of 3: Start the engine and test drive the vehicle Once the coolant temperature sensor has been replaced, you need to start the engine, check for leaks, and refill the radiator fluid in most cases before you test drive the vehicle. The best way to complete any road test is to have a planned route that will bring your engine to proper operating temperature and open the thermostat of your radiator. Step 1: Start the vehicle. Let it warm up to operating temperature. Step 2: Check for leaks. Be sure to check for leaks from the radiator drain plug, petcock, or the coolant temperature sensor. If the light is on, the coolant reservoir should be empty. Fill with coolant and restart the engine to ensure the light comes off. Once you do, return home while keeping an eye on the thermostat or engine temperature. Step 5: Check the coolant level. Once the vehicle has cooled for a minimum of one hour, check the coolant level inside the reservoir and fill if needed. After you've completed the installation and test drive, you should be good to go with a new coolant temperature sensor. However, if you are not 100 percent confident in completing this job on your own, contact one of our certified profession mechanics to replace the coolant temperature sensor for you. At your home or office Fair & transparent pricing 12-month, 12,000-mile warranty Get A Quote Need Help With Your Car? More related articles How to Buy Fuel Treatments The Traveler’s Guide to Driving in Malaysia Veteran and Military Driver Laws and Benefits in Idaho Related questions Q: Coolant leaking into cylinders Hi. As coolant is burned through the combustion chamber, it travels through the exhaust which can damage your catalytic converter. This will lead to the clogging of your exhaust and can cause different problems with your vehicle. If you need... Q: Do I have to reset the ECU after re-plugging the sensor cables? Hello, thanks for writing in. I'd be happy to help. In most cases you should not have to reset the computer if you disconnect the harness. Some vehicles require a throttle position relearn, but usually only if the battery is... Q: ABS lights flashing on dash, temperature gauge increased. Multiple lights flashing on the dash. I put my seat belt on and they went away Hello, this could be a number of things depending on how the vehicle is running now. If you possibly ran through a puddle of water or your belt is worn, it could have slipped and caused the lights to flash...
Israel (Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל, Yisrā'el), officially the State of Israel (Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל‎, Medīnat Yisrā'el), is a parliamentary democracy in the Middle East, on the south-eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, Egypt in the southwest, and Palestine in various places, and it contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. In its Basic Laws Israel defines itself as a Jewish and Democratic State; it is the world's only Jewish-majority state. On November 29th, 1947, the League of Nations Executive Council recommended the adoption and implementation of the partition plan of Mandatory Palestine. On May 14th, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, the Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization and president of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, declared "the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel," a state independent upon the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine, May 15th, 1948. Israel's capital, financial center, and most populous is Tel Aviv. The population of Israel, as defined by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, was estimated in 2013 to be 6,598,900 people. The majority of the population is Jewish; minorities include various ethnic and ethno-religious denominations such as Arabs, Russians, Maronites, Samaritans, Black Hebrew Israelites, Armenians, Circassians and others. Israel is a representative democracy with a parliamentary system, proportional representation and universal suffrage. The Prime Minister serves as head of government and the Knesset serves as Israel's unicameral legislative body. It is a developed country and an OECD member. Israel is also a member of the League of Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement. Ad blocker interference detected!
Monday, April 28, 2008 Peppered Moths Pose a Problem for People who Posit Evolution as Probable If you noticed the title, yes, I did have fun trying to see how many words I could come up with that started with 'P'. A few months ago, I talked about how the peppered moth story, which had been under fire, was being tested and how the results confirmed the original story: Moths which blend in to their environment best become the most common in the population. Dark environments always have mostly dark moths, light environments always have mostly light moths. This is because a light moth in a dark environment is more easily spotted by predators and eaten. It is easy to understand and makes a great teaching tool. Yet creationists have decided to caricature this: "It's just an example of a moth evolving into a moth, it doesn't provide any evidence for 'molecules to man' evolution!" They are right, in a way. What this example proves is natural selection: those best adapted to their environment become most common. Evolution, from single celled organisms, all the way up to lions, tigers, bears, fish, man, and moths, requires that genetic changes happen, and that this process of selection preserve the good changes and throw out the bad changes. The change that turns moths black is acted upon by natural selection, and the change that allows people to consume dairy products is also acted upon by natural selection. So the question is: Do mutations (genetic changes) have what it takes to account for all the diversity of life? Yes. Mutations can create new structures, new genes, new functions, and new proteins. Evolution is true, guys, get over it. Random me said... Hi Ryan, Thanks for pointing me in the direction of your refutation of Ben Stein, love this blog keep up the good work!! openmind? said... actually, its never been proven that mutation can produce new structures, just modify old ones. And even then, while mutations in general are rare, positive mutations are even rarer. And the funny thing is that these very very very few positive mutations only tweak existing structures. Nothing new is made. But if you insist on the benefits of mutation, i respect that. Let's expose ourselves to radiation and become teenage mutant ninja bloggers! it will work, i promise!
Edits due by Wed, Jan 16 Quiz on Friday, Jan 18 A popular mood known as “Young America” emerged in the 1840s. Its adherents brashly promoted territorial and economic expansion and development of the United States, but displayed little concern or awareness of the practical consequences of such actions. OSullivan was penned for the term manifest destiny(the popular belief that the U.S. had a divine mission to extend its power and civilization across the breadth of North America) which characterized the time period, along with westward expansion. The U.S. extended all the way to the Pacific and Southward into Mexico, Cuba, and even Central America. Nationalism, Population increase, rapid economic development, technological advances, and reform ideals were all factors that contributed to the manifest destiny. PEDLIGS, ch 12 Character Sketches, ch 12 Quiz Page, ch 12 Miscellaneous, ch 12
Detroit: "lowest population level since the 1910 census" Detroit's Population Crashes The flight of middle-class African-Americans to the suburbs fueled an exodus that cut Detroit's population 25% in the past decade to 713,777, according to Census Bureau data released Tuesday. That's the city's lowest population level since the 1910 census, when automobile mass production was making Detroit Detroit. "If we could go out and identify another 40,000 people that were missed, and it brings us over the threshold of 750,000, that would make a difference from what we can get from the federal and state government," Mr. Bing said at a news conference Tuesday. In all, the city lost more than 237,000 residents, including 185,000 blacks and about 41,000 whites. The Hispanic population ticked up by 1,500. Meanwhile, the black population in neighboring Macomb County more than tripled to 72,723, constituting 8.6% of the county's population in 2010, compared with 2.7% a decade earlier. Oakland County's African-American population rose 36% to 164,078. Comment: Bad government has a lot to do with this exodus. Image source: 1914 Ford Model T Touring Car original vintage advertisement 1. NYTimes reports: Detroit Census Confirms a Desertion Like No Other 2. Detroit: The Incredible Shrinking City: Detroit Is Becoming a Ghost Town Detroit is not the only place dealing with an oversupply of housing. The Census Bureau also shows that 18% of all Florida homes -- more than 1.6 million properties -- are vacant.
Monday, March 3, 2014 Mokèlé-Mbèmbé, A Living Dinosaur? Part One: 1776 to 1939 Mokele-Mbembe according to Roy P. Mackal Mokèlé-mbèmbé is a legendary water-dwelling creature of Congo River basin folklore, claimed to be a living sauropod by creationists and many cryptozoologists. In addition to a sauropod some claim there are living sivatheres, ceratopsians, stegosaurs, and even tyrannosaurs in the African Congo. To these people Central Africa is an actual Lost World that will disprove evolution Unfortunately, no matter how much I would love to see a living dragon, once the actual reports are consulted the claims fall apart into wishful thinking, misquoted scientists, reports of known animals, reports of an unidentified rhinoceros, and hoaxes. First the name “Mokele-mbembe” is a Lingala word that can mean a variety of things including "one that stops the flow of rivers, "one who eats the tops of trees," "monstrous animal “or even”spirit beast." It is thus a generic local term for “water spirit/monster.” Now let’s look over the history of this entity starting with the earliest reports and clearing up some of the misconceptions given in Wikipedia… The Early Reports 1776: Abbé Lievain Bonaventure, a French missionary to central Africa claimed to have seen enormous three clawed footprints “about three feet in circumference." 1909: famed big-game hunter Carl Hagenbeck claimed in his book Beasts and Men, of hearing stories about a creature "half elephant, half dragon” in the Congo. Naturalist Joseph Menges told Hagenbeck about an animal alleged to live in Africa, described as "some kind of dinosaur, seemingly akin to the brontosaurs." Another of Hagenbeck's sources, Hans Schomburgk, asserted that while at Lake Bangweulu his native guides informed him of a large hippo-killing creature that lived in the Lake. 1909: According to Lt. Paul Gratz the indigenous legends of what would be modern day Zambia spoke of a creature known by native people as the "Nsanga", which was said to inhabit Lake Bangweulu. He was shown a hide which he was told belonged to the creature, while visiting Mbawala Island. Gratz speculated that it was a saurian after consulting with Carl Hagenbeck. NOTE: According to Wikipedia Gratz described the creature as resembling a sauropod. This is not so. The original report states a saurian. A saurian is NOT a sauropod but rather is a term that was used for any sort of lizard-like reptile in the 18th and early 19th century. In fact it was commonly used for crocodiles as well as any sort of prehistoric reptile. Inany case it is obvious that Carl Hagenbeck is the source of the rumors that our cryptid is a living dinosaur. A lovely piece of Apatosaurus from Clipart 1913: German Captain Freiherr von Stein zu Lausnitz was ordered to conduct a survey of German colonies in what is now Cameroon. While there he heard stories of a brownish -gray animal with a smooth skin that was between the size of a hippopotamus and an elephant. It was said to have a long, flexible neck a very long tooth or horn on its snout. A few spoke about a long, muscular tail like that of a crocodile. The creature was said to live in caves washed out of the river bank and to attack canoes and kill the people but not eat the bodies as it was completely vegetarian. Its preferred food was a kind of liana with large white blossoms, a milky sap, and an apple-like fruit. The Smithstonian/Le Page Hoax 1919-1920: A 32-man expedition was sent to Africa from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. between 1919 and 1920. The objective of this expedition was to secure additional specimens of plants and animals. Supposedly the African guides found large, unexplained tracks along the bank of a river and heard “mysterious roars”. A train wreck supposedly killed four team members and injured several others so the expedition was curtailed before anyone could confirm these rumors. However, the “dinosaur” reports are actually due to the following report… 1919: In November reports began appearing in newspapers claiming that the Smithstonian Institution encountered a living dinosaur that October. It began with “A Tale From Africa, Semper Aliquid Novi” published in the London Times. According to this report one of the explorers named M. Le Page who was in charge of railroad construction in the Congo followed some strange footprints while hunting and encountered a monster. The creature charged out of the jungle forcing Le Page to flee. Now at a safe distance Le Page watched the animal through binoculars. It was 24 feet long with a long pointed snout, tusks like a boar, a single short rhino-like nose horn, a scaly hump on its back, and the front feet ended in solid hooves like a horse while the rear feet ended in cloven hooves! This which-what-who then supposedly rampaged through a village, killing several natives. According to the Smithstonian “Primeval monsters could of survived in the African Swamps”. This story was expanded upon in latter newspapers until the New York Times in December 13th 1919 claimed the hunter, now named M. Gapelle, shot a “brontosaurus of the rhinoceros order” with large scales reaching far down it’s body, a kangaroo-like tail, a horn on it’s snout, and a hump on it’s back. Things got so silly that Wentworth D. Grey, acting representative of the Smithstonian African Expedition, contacted the London Times on January 21st to contradict the reports. According to him the dinosaur story was just a practical joke that had got out of hand and Le Page/Gapelle did not exist but the name was coined from the famed paleontologist L. Le Page. So there you have it, the whole Smithstonian report was a Hoax! Other Early Sightings 1927: in the 1870s Alfred Aloysius Smith while working for a British trading company in Gabon hears native tales from the natives of a strange beast called the "jago-nini" or "amali". The creature was said to be very large, leave three clawed footprints, and would surge out of the water to devour people. Smith speculated that it was responsible for the dead elephants occasionally encountered with shattered tusks. He published this in his Trader Horn in 1927. 1932: Ivan T. Sanderson claimed that, while in Cameroon in 1932, he and zoologist Gerald Russel was looking at some waterlogged caverns in the river bank when they heard animal noises. Suddenly a large back surfaced before almost immediately submerging. They latter encountered hippo-like tracks. The natives said there were no hippos in the area and that the animal they saw was called "m'koo m'bemboo". Sanderson latter joked that “The head alone was nearly the size of a hippo”, something later cryptozoologist have taken seriously. 1938: Leo von Boxberger mounted an expedition to investigate the Mokèlé-mbèmbé reports. He supposedly collected much information from natives, but his notes and sketches had to be abandoned during a conflagration with local tribesmen. 1939: the German Colonial Gazette (of Angola) published a letter by Frau Ilse von Nolde, who asserted that she had heard of the animal called the "coye ya menia" ("water lion") from both natives and settlers. It was a hippo sized, long necked creature that lived in the rivers. It was known to attack hippos but never ate them. So the early history of the Mokèlé-mbèmbé is nothing but recordings of native folklore, a single possible sighting, and a hoax. Note how none of these early reports are anything like a brontosaurus. If anything they seem to be describing a new form of rhinoceros. Only a few reports mention a long neck but even they have mention three toed rhino-like tracks and a horn on the nose. In addition the neck could be long only in comparison to a hippo or elephant, so still be short by modern standards. Besides several extinct rhinoceri had rather lengthy necks such as this hyracodon: If the neck truly is long and the tail is indeed heavy and reptilian than the result still does not resemble a sauropod. Sauropods did not have three claws on all four feet. The front prints resembled nail less horseshoes, though early groups had a single thumb claw. Another nice piece of Apatosaur clipart, this one showing acurate foot anatomy! If anything the result sounds more like the dragon on the Ishtar Gate. The Dragon on the gate has often been linked to the “Congo dragon”. The Babylonian dragon or Mushushu (Sumerian for "Adorned or Glamorous Serpents" which were also called Sirrush by the Akkadians) was a common symbol in the Middle East and was considered a sacred beast. Most identify it as a monitor lizard but the bird-like feet and single horn of the animal on the Ishtar Gate caused early archeologists to compare it with the Iguanodon. And so the dragon was linked to living dinosaurs and still used by creationists to ‘prove” that dinosaurs lived with man. Mushushu of the Ishtar Gate Unfortunately for creationists the Iguanodon of the 18th century was a giant rhino-like lizard that never existed. Better fossils showed that the Iguanodon was actually a rather horse-like animal with a spike on the thumb not the nose. In addition other images of mushushu exist that clearly show that the animal had two horns. In addition the animal is clearly the ancestor of the Serpopard (stylized snake-necked lions that have also been claimed to be sauropods by creationists) and ultimately of the questing beast of King Arthur. Today, despite comparisons by some cryptozoologists to sea serpents, the mushushu is considered to be a monitor lizard wearing a crown to show it’s sacred and kingly status. Some papers even indicate that it was the source of the sacred oil used during biblical times. In all it probably was the Nile Monitor and its only link with the Mokèlé-mbèmbé is that some of the latter reports may also be of monitors. Well that’s long enough for this post. Maybe later reports will be more dinosaurian, or maybe not. Next time a look at the alleged cave paintings of the Mokèlé-mbèmbé Carroll, Robert T. "mokele-mbembe". The Skeptic's Dictionary. John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved 28 December 2011. Drinnon, Dale. “Ancient Babylonian and Assyrian Dragons are also Euryapsids”. Frontiers of Zoology. Drinnon, Dale. “More Gargoyle Dragons but out of Africa by Rome”. Frontiers of Zoology. Gardener, Laurence. Realm of the Ring Lords; Fair Winds Press. 2003 Gibbons, William J., Missionaries And Monsters; Coachwhip Publications, 2006 Ley, Willy (1966). Exotic Zoology. New York: Capricorn Books. Mackal, Roy P. (1987). A Living Dinosaur? In Search of Mokele-Mbembe. E.J. Brill. No comments: Post a Comment
Also found in: Medical, Wikipedia. (organic chemistry) C6H4CHNCHCH Colorless liquid boiling at 243°C; soluble in most organic solvents and dilute mineral acids, insoluble in water; derived from coal tar or made synthetically; used to make dyes, insecticides, pharmaceuticals, and rubber accelerators, and as a chemical intermediate. colorless crystals with a faint odor of almonds. Melting point, 24.5°C, and boiling point, 243°C. Its structural formula is Slightly soluble in cold water, isoquinoline dissolves readily in organic solvents. It is present in low concentration in coal tar, from which it is separated with quinoline. Isoquinoline is a stronger base than quinoline. The most important method of preparing isoquinoline and its derivatives is by cyclodehydration of /3-phenylethylamides of acids C6H5CH2CH2NHCOR (the Bischler-Napieralski reaction) followed by dehydrogenation of the resultant 3, 4-dihydroisoquinolines. The isoquinoline nucleus is present in a number of important alkaloids, such as papaverine, morphine, codeine, and curarine. References in periodicals archive ? 5) Compounds having the structure noncondensable pyridine ring or a quinoline or isoquinoline cycles without further condensation; lactams; other heterocyclic compounds only with nitrogen hetero (20. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the methanol extract led to the isolation of several compounds, mainly isoquinoline alkaloids of the benzophenanthridine-type (Luo et al. vulgaris which indicated that the most important constituents of this plant are isoquinoline alkaloids such as berbamine, palmatine and particularly berberine (10). Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid found in numerous herbs including Hydrastis canadensis, Berberis aquifolium (syn. In addition, isoquinoline, phenylpyridine, benzenedicarbonitriles and pyridinecarbonitriles can be considered as markers of 'black N' (BN) (Knicker 2007; Kaal et al. Rackova L, Oblozinsky M, Kostalova D, Kettmann V and L Bezakova Free radical scavenging activity and lipoxygenase inhibition of Mahonia aquifolium extract and isoquinoline alkaloids. Berberine, the major active component in Coptis Chinesis, is an isoquinoline derivative alkaloid that is widely used in the treatment of calf diarrhea (Liu et al. 99) The effects of Berberis species, and the isoquinoline alkaloid berberine in particular, have demonstrated in vitro effects against respiratory pathogens such as S. The early steps of the morphine biosynthesis pathway leading from the primary metabolite tyrosine via the general isoquinoline pathway to the tetracyclic salutsridinol have been clarified both at the metabolite and the enzyme level [20]. Nickel(II) complexes based on combination of N-N ligands with 6,7-dimethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro isoquinoline or 3,4-dimethoxy pheneth-ylamine of the formulas [Ni(phen)(6,7,THIQ) [([H. Their topics include genetic and cellular multiple drug resistance in a diagnostic and therapeutic strategy in acute leukemia in children and adults, herb-drug interactions and implication in drug monitoring, bacteriophage therapies and enzybiotics as novel solutions to antibiotic resistance, nutrition and tuberculosis, reversing multidrug resistance by the isoquinoline alkaloid glaucine, and finding the genetic solution for cancer in the mechanism of taxol cytotoxicity.
Thursday, February 25, 2010 Yosef, Yishmael, and Esav Recently, in the daf (Sanhedrin 12) we were offered a look into the concept of Moshiach ben Yosef, which is discussed in the Maharsha. The gemara itself speaks of a 'news brief' that was given to Rava. Due to the sensitive nature of the briefing, it was said to him in a code that could only be deciphered by a serious talmid chacham. Literally, the code looked like this: A pair came from Rekes, and was grabbed by an eagle. They had things in their hands made in Luz. In the merit of Mercy and their own merit, they left in peace. Furthermore, the loaded thighs of Nachshon wanted to set an appointee, but the known Edomi would not permit. But those who gather gathered and set this appointee in the month of the death of Aharon Hacohen. Hard to crack? Rashi cracks it like this: A pair of Torah scholars came from Rekes, and was grabbed by an eagle, that is, Persian soldiers. They had things in their hands made in Luz - Techeles [which it seems was forbidden to be producing]. In the merit of Mercy and their own merit, they left in peace, and were able to escape. In another event, the loaded thighs of Nachshon - this refers to the Nasi, who was like a descendant of Nachshon, the first Nasi - wanted to "set an appointee" - this refers to the fact that he wanted to add a second Adar to the year, but the Roman government would not permit this to be done. The sages were able to gather together privately, at a very early time, in the month of Av, when Aharon died, to determine that they would indeed add a month. When we get to the Maharsha, things start to get very interesting. First, he asks some questions. Why was it necessary to send this information in code form? What is the idea that they had Techeles which was made in Luz? What is the language of "in the merit of Mercy?" What is the concept that the Romans did not let them add the month? What is the significance of the fact that they gathered in the month of Av? He begins by explaining that the Yishmaelite princes numbered twelve, as the Torah states at the end of Chayei Sarah. Nevertheless, the princes of the Jewish people are on a higher level than them. This is because the Yishmaelite princes do not have proper lineage on the side of Avraham, rather, a lineage that derives from their mother's side, and she was a maidservant. This is why it says "שנים עשר נשיאים לאמותם" - this refers to the side of their mother. The Jewish princes, however, have proper lineage from their father's side, as the verse says "למשפחותם לבית אבותם" - each to their family, to their fathers' house. Therefore, the firstborn rights come through the lineage of the father. This entitles them to thirteen princes. This is a result of the firstborn rights of Yosef, who was split into two tribes with two princes. This is the secret of the עיבור (the added month in a leap year), where the Jewish people enumerate twelve months, corresponding to the twelve tribes, and another leap month, which corresponds to the tribe of Yosef which was split into two tribes. This corresponds to the two months of Adar, whose Zodiac sign is the fish, like the bracha of Yosef "ידגו לרב" - and proliferate like fish. This is why we find that our sages said that the offspring of Esav is solely given over to the offspring of Yosef, as the verse says [in Ovadiah], "[And the house of Yakov will be fire, and the house of Yosef will be a flame.] The house of Esav will be [like straw, and will be lit and consumed]." By Esav selling the first born rights to Yakov, and by Yakov taking the brachos, he was given the right to rule over his brother Esav. Yakov gave this ability to Yosef, as the passuk says, "And I have given you one more portion [over your brothers]." This is explicitly stated in chapter יש נוחלין. Therefore, even Yishmael, who has twelve princes לאמותם, and in their wars conquer Esav, they will nevetheless not completely finish Esav off. In the future, the offspring of Yosef and his Moshiach will become great, and Esav will be vanquished through him. This is because the people of Israel will be on a more exalted level than Yishmael, as they will have thirteen princes as a result of Yosef who was split into two tribes. This is the secret of the עיבור (the added month in a leap year), as we mentioned earlier, such that there are thirteen months on the calendar of the people of Israel, which is greater than the solar calendar of Esav, which only consists of twelve months. [It's interesting to note that Yishmael also has a lunar calendar, but without the leap month. -ag] Based on this, the message was that 'a pair came...' This is because the people of Israel are compared to a pair of doves that only need their respective mate. This was said because of the two ruling powers, Edom and Yishmael. Yishmael is compared to an eagle because of the great power of its rulership, and because just as an eagle is an impure, carnivorous bird, so too, Yishmael has an aspect of impurity from his mother's side. We also find that the gemara in החובל refers to Yishmael as an impure bird. It then states that the pair came 'from Rekes.' This is reference to the city of Teveria (Tiberias), and it was referred to as Rekes because of the people there who were empty there [rek = empty]. That was where the secret of the leap month was [as it would seem that the great court which decided on it was there at the time]. Then it says that they were caught by an eagle. This is referring to the fact that most of the Jewish people in exile are under the domain of Yishmael. It then says 'they had things made in Luz.' Luz is the city where the angel of death has no power, as it states in the gemara in Sotah. This represents the concept of the עיבור that is an eternal and unending power that will be used in the future to destroy the progeny of Esav and the power of the ס"מ (Satan). This is what the gemara means when it points out that Techeles was made in Luz, because the blue of the Techeles is reminiscent of the sea, which is reminiscent of the sky, which is reminiscent of the Throne of Hashem's Glory. The throne will be complete at that time. This is what is meant when it says 'in the merit of Mercy,' that the name of Hashem's mercy will then be complete, as we find that our sages say that Hashem's name and throne will not be complete until that time. In this merit, the Jewish people will leave the hands of Yishmael in peace [as is hinted in the code]. "The loaded thighs of Nachshon" also refers to the secret of the עיבור, as it refers to the princes and kings, as well as Moshiach the king, who are descended from him. "They wanted to set an appointee" refers to the extra month of the עיבור, which hints to the offspring of Yosef which was split into two tribes like the two Adars whose Zodiac sign is represented by fish - plural [meaning, more than one fish]. And being that Esav and his power [which stems from the forces of evil] will fall at his hand, the 'known Edomi did not allow.' This is reference to the Roman rulership and the powers of the ס"מ (Satan). "Those who would gather gathered," however, in the areas under the rulership of Yishmael to set the 'appointee' [i.e. the leap month], and this was necessary to be done in a hidden and secretive manner so that Esav and the powers of the ס"מ would not realize. Therefore they did this in the month that Aharon Hacohen passed away [i.e. Av], to prevent Esav from realizing that they were gathering to add a month to the year. This subterfuge would be accomplished because it was the month that Esav and the forces of evil had succeeded in destroying the Temple. Based on this, the gemara had said earlier, in regards to the secret of the leap month (עיבור), that a month was added when the young birds were still small, the sheep were still thin, and the spring had not yet arrived. The young birds are reference to כנסת ישראל [lit. the gathered of Israel, but actually refers to a deep kabbalistic concept], who are compared to a dove. The fact that they were young refers to the concept that they have no strength. [Perhaps this refers to the fact that the Jewish people are compared to the moon, with no light of its own. -ag] The sheep also refer to the people of Israel who are compared to a שה פזורה (spread out sheep). These sheep are thin, like the Jewish people who are in a weakened state in exile. The time of spring refers to the beginning of the sprouting and development of the redemption, which has still not arrived. For this reason it was necessary to add on a month of thirty days - this refers to the secret of the leap month, which corresponds to the offspring of Yosef who will destroy the offspring of Esav. Then the Throne of Hashem's Glory, and His name [of Mercy] will be complete, may it be speedily in our days, amen. End quote of the Maharsha. There is a lot to think about here, and I'd like to give you some food for thought. It is clear that this secret code is not just something that occurred in the times of Rava, rather, it is actually a blueprint for the future advent of Moshiach ben Yosef. Read over the Maharsha, and see what the ramifications of that might be. It is also extremely interesting that the secret adding of the month is occurring in the month of Av. As the Maharsha said, this is done to fool Esav and the forces of evil. It could be that since the future redemption is rooted in that month, it therefore makes a lot of sense that Av will be a month of great celebration after Moshiach has come. I would like to again point out that the month of Av this year is an extremely significant point in time, as it represents 12:30 on Friday afternoon in cosmic time, as we discussed in an earlier post. It is clear from the Maharsha that Av is an essential month in Moshiach ben Yosef process. One final thought that just occurred to me, is that the meaning of the name of Yosef is 'to add on.' Interestingly, it can also mean 'to take away.' This is what Rochel herself said when she named him - "Hashem has taken away my embarrassment." Then she said "Hashem should add on another son." This dual connotation, which is clearly paradoxical, is also contained in the concept of the עיבור, the added month. This month sometimes appears, and is sometimes taken away, but in truth, it is the concept of the בכורה, which is the higher dimension of spirituality, being brought down into this world. Just like the Aron Hakodesh, which both existed in this world, and at the same time took up no space, Yosef and the עיבור month have this characteristic as well. In fact, the extra month itself is what allows the lunar and solar calendars to stay in sync. This corresponds to the concept of Yosef, who connects the spiritual and physical worlds, which are also represented by the lunar and solar calendars, respectively. משה רפאל said... See my posts 57 thru 62. yehosef said... Great Post!! The reference to the month of Av is also probably an allusion the Yehuda (mazal of Av is a lion) and therefore in this context, Moshiach Ben David. Also - the concept of ibur hachodesh is an aspect of returning the light of the moon to the light of the sun. Esav follows the sun and Yismael follows only the moon - in there calendars there is no unity between the two. By having a leap year - extra month - aspect of Yosef, it is an aspect of filling the lack of the moon, which counters the approach of Esav, the sun. Esav/sun kneged Yosef and the Moon is kneged bais David - The job of Moshiach ben Yosef is to build the vessel and prepare way for Moshiach ben David. Aharon HaKohen is another hint to this - the annenei hakovod were in his merit - which is represented by sukkos - which is Sukkos David hanofels - the aspect of the fallen moon which needs to be uplifted. K'tipa b'yam Ari Goldwag said... Thanks. I would love to hear more. send me an email. On the very last thought, in Kol Hator, he brings down that the gematria of the word נופלת is the same as משיח בן יוסף, whose job is to be the precursor to Dovid.
Formula IV A Product Ahead of Its Time In the years between 1920 and 1950, medical researchers began to identify and document the importance of nutrition to good health, identifying certain conditions as being caused solely by dietary deficiencies of a single nutritional component, vitamins. As a result the science of nutrition was born. Vitamins and Minerals Alone Are Not The Whole Answer As researchers continued their investigation into the realm of nutrition, they found an ever increasing degree of complexity. In 1920, there were three known essential dietary vitamins and minerals. By 1930, that number had grown to 12. By 1950, there were 20 such elements considered to be essential dietary vitamins and minerals and research was beginning to show the important roles of other dietary factors. Lipids and Sterols Special dietary fats known as lipids and sterols were discovered to influence nutrition at the cellular level. Other nutritional factors, including enzymes, proteins, amino acids and a group of nutrients known by names such as “unidentified growth factors” all began to contribute to the human nutrition puzzle. It became clear that vitamins and minerals alone were not the answer. Research + Insight = Formula IV Food Supplement Through a combination of science and nutritional insight, our Formula IV Food Supplement became available to a health conscious society. Containing vitamins and minerals, lipids and sterols, protein, selected enzymes and a complex array of other naturally derived dietary nutrients it represented a giant leap toward optimum dietary intake with the help of supplementation. Unlike Any Other Product on the Market Today Formula IV Food Supplement differs from other nutrition supplements in that it is not just a “multi-vitamin”. It is a unique food supplement combining vitamins, minerals, protein, selected enzymes and lipids/sterols in a food concentrate formula. It is frequently imitated, but has never been successfully copied. This is due to GNLD’s exclusive use of Tre-en-en Grain Concentrates. Tre-En-En Grain Concentrates Tre-en-en is a combination of grain concentrates derived by special methods of extraction from whole wheat berries, as well as from rice bran, soybeans and safflowers. It includes not just wheat germ oil or soy oil, but everything naturally available from the lipid (fatty) portion of whole grains. To these highly nutritious grain concentrates are added other naturally occurring food concentrates that provide essential vitamins, minerals, proteins and selected enzymes. The Ideal Nutritional Supplement Six basic links join to form a complete chain of nutrients essential to the body’s efficient functioning: carbohydrates, lipids/sterols, proteins, minerals, vitamins and enzymes. GNLD refer to these nutrients as the “Chain of Life”. The goal of Formula IV Food Supplement is to supply five major links of the chain, excluding carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are generally present in every person’s diet, so they are not added to Formula IV Food Supplement. Compare Formula IV Food Supplement with the standard multi-vitamin/mineral preparation on the market. These contain isolated nutrients which address only a portion of the total chain and not a complete food that supports every link necessary to form a strong nutritional “Chain of Life”. Formula IV Food Supplement is produced under strict laboratory conditions with the same care of quality, purity and potency that has come to be expected of Golden Neo-Life Diamite International. No manufacturer goes to greater lengths to obtain premium naturally occurring source materials, to develop precisely balanced formulas or to maintain the highest level of quality control in manufacturing. No other product even approaches the naturally occurring whole food exclusive Tre-en-en Grain Concentrates. Size Availability 60 capsules, 120 capsules Contributes a well balanced nutritional base of vitamins, minerals, protein, selected enzymes and lipids and sterols to the daily diet. Serves as a solid foundation for building a programme of nutritional supplementation.
Rising in Beauty Rising in Beauty Sky over North Park Just Learning Just Learning Kitchen Studio Monday, February 28, 2011 Mandela's Way Pp 121-122 (The brutal head of the prison in which Mandela spent so many years was being transferred.) “Badenhorst said to me something like, ‘I just want to wish you people good luck.’ He said this like a human being, and I was a bit taken aback by his moderate and even considerate tone. I must say, that was a bit of a surprise. I thanked him. I thought about this for a long time afterward. What it basically showed me is that these men were not inhuman, but their inhumanity had been put upon them. They behaved like beasts because they were rewarded for such behavior. They thought it would result in a promotion or advancement. That day, I realized that Badenhorst was not the man he seemed to be, but a better man than how he had behaved.” This epiphany goes to the heart of Mandela’s belief about what makes us human. He was a better man than how he had behaved. His motives were not as cruel as his actions. No one is born prejudiced or racist. No man, he suggests, is evil at heart. Evil is something instilled in or taught to men by circumstances, their environment, or their upbringing. It is not innate. Apartheid made men evil; evil did not create apartheid. While his colleagues saw their warders and jailers as monolithic, the embodiment of the heartless apartheid system, Mandela generally tried to find something decent and honorable in them. Ultimately, he came to see them as victims of the system as well as perpetrators of it. My Comment: These reflections show the attitudes which helped keep South Africa from plunging into national civil war on racial lines. Mandela convinced enough people that a new government had to care about all the people. This empowered Reconciliation, in which police apologized for their actions, and families at least learned what had happened to their relatives. Bishop Desmond Tutu’s role came out of his experience as a leader of a religion which teaches that confession, acknowledgment of responsibility with intent to reform, precedes forgiveness. In order to live with each other there was a psychological and spiritual necessity to grieve together. There had always been many, many people of all races who had struggled for justice, refusing to demonize each other. We have been reflecting on evil at my church. An important thought, attributed to Martin Luther King Jr., is that there is a little good in the worst of us, and a little evil in the best of us. This insight has emerged in many traditions through the centuries. Mandela’s biographer interprets the passage above as meaning a system, a guiding structure, can bring out very different aspects of an individual’s character and behavior. Therefore, changing the system tends to change people’s behavior. It leaves hanging the question of whether the organizers of a repressive system are evil. Perhaps for Mandela that is not the point. The point is to move forward with opportunities for people to live in dignity, negotiate with each other without violence for the goods, and the good, of the world. Friday, February 18, 2011 Fashion and Faith “Visibly Muslim,” was featured on NPR book notes in February 2011. I was attracted by the hope of increasing my understanding of, and communication with, Muslim women in San Diego and elsewhere in the United States. While anthropologist Tarlo concentrates on the UK, mostly London, the insights are transferable. “Muslim,” or “Islamic,” includes enormous variety of religious practice, ethnicity, culture and philosophy. I was deeply impressed by several young women who tell their stories of choosing clothing to express their identities as Muslim Americans or Muslim Europeans. They are thoughtful, playful, assertive women, active citizens of democracies. Several honor more than one culture and race as part of their origins, so that they are leaders in exploring how multiculturalism can enrich society. How they perceive themselves may be in tension with how others perceive them. A hijabi, a woman who covers her hair, has become a target of abuse and assault in Europe as being associated somehow with terrorism. Photos of a woman whose whole head and figure are covered by the caftan-like abaya constantly accompany media coverage of terrorism. A woman in jeans and tunic who winds a beautiful scarf around her head, leaving face and neck uncovered, may draw criticism from some Muslims who expect more covering, discomfort from some Westerners, or admiration from almost anyone. Women, and men, are making an effort to affirm religious identity while being part of a global youth culture. T-shirts with Islamic messages, and hoodies with Groener-like graphics, surprised me. It reminds me of my own quandary as a Catholic school girl, wanting to be modest AND sexy, while clinging to wearing my Miraculous Medal around my neck. It also surprised me to learn that in the UK, schools routinely adapt uniforms so that students from differing religions or cultures can meet their own dress standards, keeping the uniform’s colors. Schools consult with regional or national councils of religions and cultures to serve their local population. This well researched book with its lively interviews and informative footnotes lives up to its promise to educate on fashion, politics, and faith in a world which includes 1.5 billion people whose religion is Islam. Irene Grumman February 18, 2011
Women Fight Back Women Fight Back CoverWelcome to the study and discussion guide for Women Fight Back: The Centuries-Long Struggle for Liberation. Below you will find a list of questions for consideration and dialogue as you read through this new PSL publication (which can be purchased here). These questions are meant to help guide you as you study the book individually or, hopefully, collectively. If you are interested in joining or forming a study group, the educational workers at Liberation School would be happy to help! Let us know! 1. How does the author explain why the book was written? 2. What three words would you use to describe the historical context for the book? 3. What has moved you to read the book? 4. What forces are at play in the current moment, and what is the role of the Democratic Party? Do you agree? 1. How does the author situate the movement for women’s liberation within the context of the founding of the US capitalist system based upon slave labor? 2. How should we understand the major advances in women’s rights over the past 226 years? 3. What similarities and differences exist between second wave feminism and third wave feminism? What does this matter for today’s women’s movement? 4. What does Goodman mean by a “conservative backlash,” and how should we fight back? 5. Think of at least two different women’s organizations operating today—in your town/city, in the U.S., or in the world—and describe if and how they are resisting the conservative backlash. Chapter 1 1. What are some reasons that the contemporary women’s movement doesn’t focus on capitalism? 2. What does the wage gap tell us about the relationship between capitalism and the oppression of women? 3. The chapter describes myriad ways that women are subjugated under capitalism. How have you seen these play out in your own life? 4. How did President Bill Clinton begin to dramatically shred the social safety net women has fought so hard for? 5. Discuss the material results on women’s lives of the dismantling of the safety net. 6. What different kinds of violence are women in capitalism subjected to? Chapter 2 1. Why does Marxism reject the idea that women are biologically inferior to men? If human nature doesn’t explain the oppression of women, what does? 2. What contributions did Engels make to the understanding of women’s oppression? 3. What assumptions did Engels make that were later corrected? 4. Why is it important to acknowledge that women have not always been oppressed by men? 5. Think back to your early childhood: What were the first ideas you got about women? From whom did you get those ideas? How have your ideas about women changed over time? Chapter 3 1. What concrete advancements were made for women as a result of the Bolshevik Revolution? 2. How did the fall of the Soviet Union impact women? 3. How did the role of women in China shift after the Chinese Revolution? 4. What was the significance of the Cultural Revolution in China? 5. What were the consequences for women after the death of Mao? 6. How did the Cuban Revolution advance women’s liberation? Discuss its impacts both inside of Cuba and internationally. 7. After reading this chapter, what lessons can we draw about the relationship between socialism and women’s liberation? What questions do you still have? Chapter 4 1. Discuss the first wave of feminism, or the struggle for women’s rights in the nineteenth century. 2. What were the primary obstacles this movement faced? 3. What is the connection between the abolitionist and women’s movements? 4. What issues led to a split in the movement after the Civil War? Are any of these issues still with us today? 5. What connections and contradictions existed between the labor movement and the movement for women’s rights? Chapter 5 1. What new dynamics emerged in the movement for women’s rights in the twentieth century? 2. What happened to the suffrage movement after the passage of the 15th Amendment? 3. What forces were lined up against the suffrage movement and why? 4. How did capital’s changing labor needs impact and intertwine with the women’s and the socialist movements? 5. What are the historical connection between eugenics, birth control, and the women’s movement? Why is this significant for the contemporary struggle? 6. How can today’s labor movement take women’s liberation into account more fully? 7. Discuss the complexities involving the fight back against gender-based violence and rape. Chapter 6 1. How did WWII affect the feminist uprising? 2. What were the dominant ideas about gender during this period? 3. What impact did the anti-communist witch-hunt have on the women’s movement? 4. In what ways did the communist movement support and extend the movement for women’s rights? Chapter 7 1. How would you characterize the difference between the first wave women’s movement and second wave feminism? 2. What is liberal feminism and its organizations and projects? 3. What is radical feminism and its larger significance in the social movement scene? 4. What distinguishes socialist and Marxist feminism from liberal and radical feminism? 5. Discuss the significance of Black, Asian American, Latina, Lesbian and Labor feminisms. 6. What is significant about the vast array of feminism tendencies outlined in this chapter? 7. How did these different tendencies build on or ignore the work of Engels that was discussed in chapter 2? Chapter 8 1. What gains did second wave feminism win? How did these impact different groups of women? 2. What is the difference between “reproductive rights” and “reproductive justice?” 3. How have the reforms won during this period touched your life? 4. What is the significance of cultural transformations in gender roles? 5. What tactics and actions were successful during this period of struggle? Are they still relevant today? Chapter 9 1. What forces worked to undermine and roll back gains made in the movement for women’s rights? 2. How did the collapse of the Soviet Union impact the women’s movement in the US? 3. What impact has neoliberal capitalism had on the conditions of women’s lives and the movement for women’s rights? 4. What advances were most negatively impacted in the backlash? 5. Were all groups of women similarly affected by this roll back? Why or why not? Chapter 10 1. What impact have NGOs had on the struggle for women’s rights since the 1990s? 2. How has left-wing feminism been revived in the 21st century? 3. Discuss the “galvanizing event” in the 1990s that sparked a rebirth in the women’s rights movement. 4. How does third wave feminism differ from first and second wave feminism? Think of at least three differences. 5. What is “postmodernism,” and how has it altered the women’s movement? 6. Discuss the various versions of the concept of “intersectionality.” How have they transformed feminism? 7. How has third wave feminism taken on struggles against gender-based violence, racism, and capitalist exploitation? 8. Discuss the growing significance of LGBTQ and trans rights within third wave feminism. Chapter 11 1. What dangers does the Trump regime pose for women’s rights? Have you seen any effects in your own life or the life of women you know? 2. What type of feminism is required to meet these serious dangers? 3. What have been some of the more noteworthy feminist responses to the Trump agenda? 4. What has the response to the Trump presidency taught us about what is possible in this new era of reaction? 5. What does the failure of the Clinton campaign suggest about the resistance movement? 6. What kind of politics and political organization do we need for women’s liberation? Study and struggle! Study and struggle!
go to top One Misty Morning in Njabini, Kenya Marlene taking photographs at the Olorgesailie Prehistoric Site Woman clearing debris off matoke plant A woman tends to her matooke farm in Mbarara, west Uganda. Words and photos by Marlene C. Francia In Uganda, banana is everything. It is the staple crop. It is the staple food. Ugandans eat it for breakfast, eat it for lunch, eat it for dinner. Ugandans even make beer out of bananas. The Ugandan native word for banana is "matooke". It's no coincidence that the same word also means "food". Ten million metric tons of bananas are grown here every year, making Uganda the world's second largest banana producer. All photos © Marlene C. Francia Marlene C. Francia is a visual anthropologist, a documentary filmmaker, and a multi-media creative communications specialist. Website designed and developed by Marlene C. Francia all rights reserved 2012 marlenefrancia.com since 2010 email us at info at marlenefrancia dot com Bookmark and Share Woman tending matoke plantation A well-managed one-hectare farm can earn up to US$1,500 dollars a year. Most cooking bananas are grown by small-scale farmers either for their own consumption or for selling to the local markets. The plantain is a type of cooking banana known as matooke in Uganda. It is the staple crop as well as the staple food of this East African landlocked nation. A plantain bunch like the one above can have as many as 15 "hands" or rows with each hand having around 20 "fingers" or bananas. Matoke mountain Matoke bunch Man with matoke-laden bicycle Around 1.5 million hectares or 38% of Uganda's total arable land is planted to matooke. Uganda's tropical climate with average temperatures of 20 to 30º C all year round makes it perfect for growing these bananas. Because bananas and plantains bear fruit all year round, these are an extremely valuable food source during the hunger season when food from one yearly or twice yearly harvest has already been consumed while waiting for the next harvest. Bananas and plantains are therefore critical to global food security. Matoke bikers Matoke bikers on the move Bicycles play an important role in transporting Uganda's staple food crop. Owning or having access to a sturdy bicycle capable of negotiating farm to market roads while carrying up to as much as 150 kilos of bananas is important. Above, a man struggles to balance his heavily-laden bicycle up an incline on the road. That means each person consumes about 3 to 11 bananas in a day - Ugandans have the highest consumption in the world. Matooke is eaten at every meal. Oftentimes, matooke is the meal itself. Day in and day out, on bicycles and on trucks, to small village roadside markets to the big bustling city markets, bunches of matooke make their way across Uganda. Banana xanthomonas wilt In 2001, a banana wilting disease was discovered for the first time in central Uganda. Called banana xanthomonas wilt, it destroys the banana fruit bunches, threatening the livelihood of millions of people who depend on banana plantain as a source of food and income. The disease spreads rapidly, resulting in total production loss. Matooke: Feeding Uganda words and photos by Marlene C. Francia October 2011 Along with the neighboring countries of Rwanda and Burundi, each person in Uganda eats about 250 to 400 kilos (550 to 880 pounds) of matooke each year. While Uganda is the second largest producer of bananas in the world, it is however, one of the smallest exporters. Most of the plantain harvest is consumed locally. Total market Roadside Market Lone Matoke biker Man struggling with heavy banana-laden bike
Purpose, possibility and choice are values which can often be perceived as being absent amongst young people, yet they have so much to contribute, if only they felt confident enough to draw upon the basic human values, such as compassion, that we all share and through this knowledge find the inner courage to speak out and take action. So much can be learnt from young people when society is prepared to listen. We recognize that the wisdom to change society in a positive way does exist, but is all too often inaccessible or not delivered to those who could make best use of it, namely our young people, within a context of relevancy. Change can often be seen as overwhelming and therefore lead to apathy. We hope to inspire young people to have confidence in their ability to make a difference. We believe that meaningful and lasting social change must begin with the younger generations. Whilst they currently have the smallest voice, they hold the greatest stake in the future. We must find ways to allow young people to be heard. We see negative perceptions of difference as a learned trait, often leading to harmful division, which ultimately limits humanity through a narrowing of horizons. We are constantly inspired by the ability of young people to see beyond difference. We wish to encourage and enable that positive trait and to learn from it. The pace of today’s technologically driven society is constantly accelerating, relentlessly prompting thoughtless reaction to external stimulation. The space to hear and be heard, to think and make considered choices, is rapidly diminishing. We see a need to restore a safe space for young people, to re-establish a pause between stimulus and response, to honor that most human of qualities, the ability to make choices out of our deepest values. We hope to help young people to understand the importance of a more mindful process and to value its role in achieving positive, meaningful and sustainable change.
Written by Philip Dominguez Mercurio Edited by Master Danongan Sibay Kalanduyan Photographs and Illustrations by Philip Dominguez Mercurio unless otherwised noted. Edition 3. Copyright 2005, 2006, 2007. All rights reserved. Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: The Extent of Kulintang Music Chapter 3: The Make-up of Various “Kulintang” Ensembles Chapter 4: Agung Ensembles Chapter 5: Instrumentation Part A: Kulintang Ensemble Instrumentation A detailed look into the common pieces of instrumentation making up the kulintang ensemble: kulintang , agung , dabakan , babendil , gandingan Part B: Non Ensemble Instrumentation Other instrumentation not part of the either the kulintang or agung ensembles including the kulintang a kayo , gandingan a kayo , kulintang a tiniok/sarunay, kubing , luntang , agung a tamlang, kagul , palendag, tumpong, suling , kutiyapi Chapter 6: Kulintang Compositions: detailed look into the kulintang/kulintangan compositions of the Maguindanao, the Maranao, and the Sulu Archipelago. Chapter 7: Social Functions Chapter 8: Gong Casting Chapter 9: Kulintang History: Discusses the possible origins of the music and its future . Chapter 10: Kulintang Mythology Chapter 11: Dances associated with Gong-Chime ensembles: Focuses on the dances Singkil, Pangalay, and Sagayan . Chapter 12: Learning Kulintang Music Chapter 13: Kulintang Script/Cipher Notation: Your source for the written notes of various pieces played by the Maguindanaon and Maranao on the kulintang. Special Chapter I: About the Southern Philippines: Both the groups living there and its history Special Chapter II: "Bayanihan: Tradition and Truth in Dance"- by Ron Quesada and Philip Dominguez Mercurio. Learn about the discrepancies that exist in PCN/Bayanihan Dance. Appendix Other pertinent information including a list of our bibliographic references, a citation for this own site, licensing information about the text and images on this site ,and pictures from former ETHS 545 classes. Also check out Shop Kulintang at Appendix V, where you could purchase your own agungs, gandingans, kulintangs, and sarunays and learn about kulintang lessons/tutoring that is available. This online textbook has been created to provide those interested in kulintang music, the most up to date and comprehensive reference for such music on the net. We strive for excellence in what we do, constantly revising this resource to make it better and more presentable. If you have any suggestions, questions or simply a comment about this text, please place your comment’s on our message board (Click here). To have personal correspondence, our e-mails can be found where our names are located (above). To cite this text, please copy the citation found after the Bibliographic Reference section of this text. ___________________________________________back to top Kulintang is a term with various meanings, all related to the melody-playing gong row. Technically, the term kulintang is the Maguindanao word for eight gong kettles which are laid horizontally upon a rack creating an entire kulintang set called a pasangan. This idiophone functions as a lead/central melodic instrument for the entire ensemble. Kulintang may also refer to the entire Maguindanao gong and drum ensemble with five to six musicians playing five different instruments, the main instrument being the melodic kulintang. Use of this term in this way is fairly recent - traditionally the Maguindanao term for the entire ensemble is basalen or palabunibuyan, the latter term meaning “an ensemble of loud instruments” or “music-making” or in this case “music-making using a kulintang.” (above): The Palabuniyan Kulintang Ensemble performing at an event in Serramonte Shopping Center, Daly City. (above): The Magui Moro Master Artists performing at an event in Skyline College, San Bruno, CA. (above): The Palabuniyan Kulintang Ensemble performing at an event held by the Filipino Community Center on San Juan Ave., San Francisco, CA. (above): San Francisco State students and Master Danongan Kalanduyan performing during ETHS 545 class in San Francisco, CA. Finally, the term kulintang is a general term referring to the many types of traditional music ensembles found in the Southern Philippines (Mindanao, Sulu), Eastern Indonesia (Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Maluku), Eastern Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak) and Brunei. Ensembles in these regions that use a row of small gongs that function melodically and are supported by suspended large gongs and drums supplying rhythmic variation and structural emphasis would be classified under the kulintang designation. Kulintang belongs to the larger unit/stratum of “knobbed gong-chime culture” prevalent in Southeast Asia. It is considered one of the region’s three major gong ensembles (the other two being gamelan of western Indonesia and piphet of Thailand, Burma, Cambodia and Laos) that uses gongs and not wind or string instruments to play the melodic part of the ensemble. Like the other two, kulintang music is primarily orchestral with several rhythmic parts orderly stacked one upon another. It is also based upon the pentatonic scale. However, kulintang music differs from gamelan music in that unlike gamelan music with melodies constructed within a framework of skeletal tones and prescribed time-interval of entry for each instruments, the framework of kulintang music is much more flexible and time-intervals are non-existent, allowing for such things as improvisations to be more prevalent. Because kulintang-like ensembles extended over various groups with various languages, the term used for the horizontal-set of gongs varied widely. Along with it begin called kulintang, it is also called kolintang, kolintan, kulintangan, kwintangan, k’lintang, gong sembilan, gong duablas, momo, totobuang, nekara, engkromong, kromong/enkromong and recently kakula/kakula nuada. Kulintang-like instruments are played by the Maguindanao, Maranao, Iranun, Kalagan, Kalibugan and more recently the T’boli, B’lann and Subanao of Mindanao, the Tausug, Samal, Sama/Badjao, Yakan and the Sangir/Sangil of the Sulu, the Ambon, Banda, Seram, Ternate, Tidore, and Kei of Maluku, the Bajau, Suluk, Murut, Kadazan-Dusun, Kadayah and Paitanic Peoples of Sabah, the Malays of Brunei, the Bidayuh and Iban/Sea Dayak of Sarawak, the Bolaang Mongondow and Kailinese/Toli-Toli of Sulawesi and other groups in Banjermasin and Tanjung in Kalimantan and Timor. The make-up of kulintang ensembles throughout the region can vary wildly from group to group. Generally, they consist of five to six instruments dominated of course by a melody-playing gong row. The kulintang ensemble of the Maguindanao consists of a kulintang (8 gongs), agung (2 gongs), gandingan (4 gongs), dabakan (1 drum) and babendil (1 gong). In a wooden/bamboo kulintang ensembles, all these instruments could be substituted with bamboo/wooden varieties such as the kulintang a kayo/kulintang a tamlang, agung a tamlang, gandingan a kayo, kagul and takemba, respectively. (above): The five gong and drum instruments that make-up the Maguindanao kulintang ensemble, at Manilatown, International Hotel, San Francisco, CA. The kolintang ensemble of the Maranao has exactly the same instrumentation of the Maguindanao – kolintang, agong, dbakan/dadabuan and babndir - except they lack a gandingan. Historically though, kolintang ensembles did include a gandingan which consisted then of a kolintang, dbakan, babndir, either an agong or gandingan and two cymbals. The women would play the kolintang, babndir and cymbals and the men, the dbakan and agong/gandingan. (above): The Palabuniyan Kulintang Ensemble performing with wooden kulintang instruments at the Filipino Community Center on San Juan Ave., San Francisco, CA. In the Sulu Archipelago, ensembles with a kulintangan could be found. The kulintangan ensemble of the Tausug consists of a kulintangan (8 to 11 gongs), agung (3 gongs) and gandang (2 drums). The agung is made up of one tunggalan and two duahans (a pulakan and buahan/huhugan) and the gandang, a double-headed drum, is played upright using two hands. The kulintangan ensemble of the Samal has the same instrumentation as the Tausug expect with different names: tambul, tamuk and bua for the words gandang, tunggalan and buahan/huhugan respectively. The batitik ensemble of the Sama/Badjao have ensembles similar to the Tausug consisting of a kulintangan (7 to 9 gongs), gong besar (2 gongs) bandil (2 gongs) gandang (1 drum) while the kwintangan ensemble of the Yakan of Basilan consist of a kwintangan (5 to 7 gongs) and agungs (1 to 3 gongs) Eastern parts of Malaysia and Indonesia also have various kulintang-type ensembles under a host of different names. The kolintang ensemble of the Bolaang Mongondow of Northern Sulawesi consist of a kolintang (5 gongs), banding (1 gong) and double-headed drums (2 drums).The kulintangan ensemble of the Malays of Brunei consists of a kulintangan, agong, tawak-tawak and gendang. The mojumbak ensemble of the Lotud of Sabah consist of a kulintangan, tawag-tawag (2 gongs), gandang (2 drums). The engkromong ensemble of the Iban/Sea Dayak of Sarawak consist of a engkromong (7 to 8 gongs), tetawak, bandai and dumbak. The kulintang or remoi sahi-sahi (remoi means “one voice” and sahi-sahi means “many voices”) ensemble of the Ternate and jalanpong ensemble of Tidore consist of a momo (8 gongs), saragi (1 vertical gong), baka-baka (1 double-headed drum), podo (4 small drums), besi tiga hoek (triangle), dabi-dabi or cik (cymbals). The totobuang ensemble of the Ambon of Central Maluku consists of a totobuang (9-12 gongs), tifus (drums) and drums. Before an in-depth analysis of the inner workings of kulintang ensembles, there exist another type of ensemble prevalent in the eastern Malay archipelago - Agung ensembles. Agung orchestras are ensembles composed of large hanging, suspended or held, bossed/knobbed gongs which act as drone and unlike kulintang ensembles exist without any accompanying melodic instrument like a kulintang. Such orchestras are prevalent among Mindanao Lumad groups (the Atta, Bagobo, Bilaan, Bukidon, Hanunoo, Magsaka, Manabo, Mangyan, Palawan, Subanun, T’boli, Tagakaolu, Tagbanwa and the Tiruray) and regions in Kalimantan in Indonesia (Ibans, Modang, Murut) and Sabah and Sarawark in Malaysia (Iban, Kadazan-Dusan, Kajan, Kayan) - places where agung orchestras take precedence over kulintang-like orchestras. The composition and tuning of these orchestras vary widely from one group to another. For instance, the Hanunnoo of Mindoro have a small agung ensemble consisting of only two light gongs played by two players on the floor playing a simple duple rhythm while the Manobo have an ensemble consisting of 10 small agungs called an ahong, hung vertically on a frame in triangular formation played by three players: one standing playing the melody with the rest sitting. The ahong is divided by purpose: with the higher-pitched gongs that carry the melody the called the kaantuhan, three to four lower-pitched gongs melodic costinato called the gandingan and the lowest-pitched gong that sets the tempo called the bandil. (left): The karatung ensemble, an agung ensemble composed of four gongs and a fifth one, called a segaron, used as the lead instrument, all made of bronze. (right): Here the karatung ensemble is being demonstrated by Master Danongan Kalanduyan and his students at San Francisco State University. Notice each gong of the karatung is handheld, with each player handling their own pattern. The Tiruray called their agung ensemble a kelo-agung/kalatong/karatung ensemble made up of five shallow bossed gongs of graduated size, each played by one person with the smallest gong, segaron, used as the lead instrument providing a steady beat. The Manobo sagabong ensemble follows that same format, consisting of five small gongs, each one individually held by a player playing a particular interlocking pattern using rubber mallets. The T’boli and Palawan have a similar agung ensembles with the T’boli ensemble composed of three to four agungs with two to three of them collectively called semagi, providing permutations and the other agung, tang, providing a steady beat while the Palawan calling their bossed gong ensemble a basal, composed of four gongs: one to two large humped, low-sounding agungs and a pair of smaller humped, higher-pitched sanangs which produce a “metallic” sound. The Subanon also have an agung ensemble simliar to the Tiruray karatung. They call it gagung sua. Both the Bagabo and the B’laan refer to their agung ensemble as tagunggo, a set of eight metal gongs hung/suspended on a harness, played by two, three or more people. Seven of the smaller-sized gongs produce a running melody with the eighth, largest gong playing syncopations to the rest gongs to produce a particular rhythm. The Manabo also have an agung ensemble similar to the tagunggo. They call it a tagungguan. On the western coast of Sabah, the Kadazan-Dusan refer to their agung ensemble as tawag or bandil, consisting of 6 to 7 large gongs for groups along the shore and 7 to 8 large gongs for those residing in the interior valleys. In southwestern Sarawak, agung ensemble of Bidayah consist of nine large gongs divided into four groups (taway, puum, bandil and sanang), while among the Ibans of Sawarak, Brunei, Kalimantan, their agung ensembles are smaller in number in comparison. Such ensembles can either be played alone by themselves or with one or two drums as accompaniment using either one’s hands or wooden sticks playing either homophonically on in an interlocking technique with the gongs. These agung orchestras could usually be found accompanying all types of social events, including agriculture rituals, weddings, community gatherings, victory celebrations, curing rites, rituals for the dead and entertainment of visitors. The instrument called the “kulintang” (or its other derivative terms) consist of a row/set of 5 to 9 small, embossed, graduated, pot gongs, horizontally-laid upon a frame arranged in order of pitch from the lowest to the highest, hence from largest to smallest, with the lowest gong found on the players’ left. The gongs could weigh roughly from two pounds for the smallest variety to three and 1/8 pounds for the largest and have dimensions from 7-10 inches for their diameters and 4-5 inches for their height. Many of them are decorated with artistic designs around the rim with certain inlays, sometimes laced with silver. (left): A set of bronze kulintang gongs. (right): A set of brass kulintang gongs. The quality of the gongs is dependent on the alloy used to make them. Bronze is the preferred metal of choice because of the timan (solid closed sound) the gongs made from them would produce. Older sets were traditionally therefore made out of the alloy galang, a Maranao term for bronze, or darisai, an alloy comprised of bronze with a high-tin, low-zinc ratio, considered the best quality of them all. However, due to the shortage of bronze, brass gongs with unacceptable bonganga (deep open) type of sound quality with short decaying tones have become commonplace. They were first made from recycled brass of leftover gun-shell casings after World War II but now with that supply gone, they are now made from the brass of melted padlocks, faucets and broken gongs. Even more recently, galvanized iron sheets have been used to make the gongs with parts of the gong welded together and painted gold. The two latter types of alloys have become more popular since the gongs themselves are made for tourist to decorate one’s home, than to be used to play music. (left): Kulintang gongs atop a wooden resonator called a antagan by the Maguindanao and langkonga by the Maranao painted with various okil/okir designs. The gongs are usually placed in a simple through resonator in a frame about seven-eight feet long, 2 feet high about as high as a regular-sized dining chair, 10-11 inches in width (with approximate 6 feet of which is occupied by the instrument) which sometimes narrows following the diminishing size of the gongs. The gongs are laid in the instrument face side up stop two cords/strings running parallel to the entire length of the frame, with bamboo/wooden sticks/bars resting perpendicular across the frame to support and compartmentalize the frame to both keep the strings from sagging and to prevent the gongs from sliding into one another due to gravity. The kulintang frame known as an antagan by the Maguindanao (means to “arrange”) and langkonga by the Maranao could have designs that vary depending on the emphasis. Some, particularly those form Sabah, could be particularly crude, made from only bamboo/wooden poles with little to no decoration; basically used for the purpose of holding the gongs. Other could be highly decorated, rich with artistic designs like the traditional okil/okir motifs or arabesque designs found among the Maranao. The most sophisticated stands could be highly artistic stands that resemble the shape of a Sarimanok (a mythical bird) or some could revolve around so the audience could see the players from all angles. (left): A pair of basal/betay made of soft wood used for playing on the kulintang. (right): Notice the Styrofoam-type material used inside the hollow center of the wood, making the betays lighter for players handling them. The kulintang is often played with a pair of two soft sticks. Called “basal” by the Maguindanao, the beaters are usually 12-17 inches in length and ¾ - 1 ½ in diameter; sometimes, particularly among the Maranao decorated with fancy strips of colorful cloth, except around the exposed ends used to hold and hit the instrument. Though any soft wood, from redwood to papaya would do, the Maranao find the local wood called wago, the ideal material for making the beater. The wood is particularly light, making ideal for swift movements, fibrous, making it long-lasting and finally soft to prevent the beaters from doing undue harm to the knob of the gongs. Those in Sabah find basal-like wood serving the very same purpose. Each of the eight gongs has a name. For the Maranao, the name the gongs starting from the lowest gong begins with kundongan, mamals, mananggisa, sagorongan, lomalis, romapunut, romingkar and anonan respectively. The Maguindanao also have their own names for each of the gongs but sadly due to their disuse, those names have long been forgotten except for the lowest (pangandungan) and highest (panentekan) kulintang gongs. (above): The difference in size between the largest kulintang gong on the left, kundongan /pangandungan and the smallest kulintang gong on the right, anonan /panentekan. Though there are eight gongs that make up the kulintang, only two of them - the Maranao’s mananggisa and romapunut (pots 3 and 6 respectively) - are highly regarded among kulintang practitioners. These two gongs, are the leaders of the bunch since traditionally, the starting and finishing points for kulintang renditions ends on either of them (Pot 5 could also be used but it’s very rare). Pot 3 in particular is considered the base for all the traditional kulintang melodies and this could be seen during sinulog renditions, where it happens to be the gong most often struck. Both gongs also function as tonal centers of their respective ranges with pot 3 the tonal center of the lower group known for being cool and restful and pot 6 the same for the higher group known for being important, instance or climatic . Most of the playing activity occurs between the both of them with pots 4 and 5 acting as transitional links while registers higher than them are reserved for climaxes and registers lower than them are used for left-hand accompaniment figures. Unlike westernized instrumentation, there is no set tuning for kulintang sets throughout the Philippines. Great variation exist between each set due to differences in make, size and shape, alloy used giving each kulintang set a unique pitch level, intervals and timbre. Though the tuning varies greatly, there does exist some uniformity to contour when same melody heard on different kulintang sets. This common counter results in similar interval relationships of more or less equidistant steps between each of the gongs. For instance, intervals between pots 2 and 3 and 5 and 6 are usually found to be wider and between pots 1 and 2 and 4 and 5 narrower if 1 is the largest gong respectively. Comparing the Tausug kulintangan, the Maranao kolintang and the Maguindanao kulintang, differences in half/narrow steps exist at different degrees but generally the common contour between them all remain intact. This tuning system, not based upon equal temperament or upon a system of standard pitches but on a similar/certain pattern of large and small intervals, could also be found among the gamelan orchestras of western Indonesia. In fact, though the Maguindanao, Maranao and Tausug artists technically have no concept of scale (because emphasis placed on the concept of “rhythmic modes”), the Pelog and Slendro scales of western Indonesia were found to be most satisfactory to their own varying pentatonic/heptatonic scales. Tuning the gongs is done by ear, with players playing a sequence of gongs, looking for a melodic contour they are familiar to. If that particular contour is not found or a particular gong does not suit her, players would try avoiding playing that gong, limiting the number of tunes/pieces the player could perform. Also unlike westernized music but akin to Indonesia gamelan, kulintang repertory was unfettered by an indigenous notation system. Compositions were passed down orally from generation to generation negating the need for notation for the pieces. Recent attempts have been made to transcribe the music using cipher notation, with gongs indicated by a numbering system for example, starting from 1 to 8 with the lowest gong starting at number 1 for an 8-gong kulintang set. Cipher notation was preferred over musical notes due to the great variation in tuning from one kulintang set to another. Various types of cipher notation have been developed, numbers boxed-in squares, columnar notation to horizontal format, particularly by the Maguindanao Lilang-Lilang ensemble, and due to its ever increasing use, hundreds of students and teachers have now become enthusiastic in learning about the kulintang. The kulintang is played by striking the bosses of the gongs with two wooden beaters. Players could achieve either of two sounds: an open sound created when allowing the gong to ring and decay by itself or a closed sound, achieved by damping the gong using the end of the stick. (left and right): Students demonstrating the proper technique for hitting the kulintang) gongs atop the boss using a pair of betay). A more modern technique that has come of age accompanying simply just hitting the gongs is the addition of twirling the beaters in both hands (kapamatidaw) and sometimes even juggling them in midair (kabpinatuyan) while rendering a musical piece. Still other artists change the arrangement of the gongs (called kapadsalyu from the root word, edsalia) placing them either in reverse order where high is on the left and low is on the right or starting high then low then high again from left to right, either before or while playing. Others would cross hands during play or add very rapid fire strokes in a new style called pagkeger (meaning trembling) all in an effort to show off a player’s grace and virtuosity. (left): Kulintang-type instruments can be played while seated or (right) simply on the floor. When playing the kulintang, the Maguindanao and Maranao would always sit on chairs while for the Tausug/Suluk and other groups that who play the kulintangan, they would commonly sit on the floor. The Maranao would have a traditional sitting position with the female player having their right leg bent and propped up against her on the chair, while her left leg touched the floor, a malong covering her from her feet to above the navel. When playing the kulintang, there generally is a typical sequence of melodic segments/patterns a player would follow that are relatively fixed. Sequences generally begin with a series of introductory beats, called ludsuan by the Maranao, single strokes either on the third or sixth kettle used to synchronize their beat with the accompanying instruments. Then depending what region they happen to be from, the established pattern would differentiate from there. For instance, the Maranao usually would have a sequence of two to five sections, including an initial section, main section, a second main section, final section, and an ending formula. The sequence for the Maguindanao would consist of an introduction, repeated sections, ascending and descending transitions and most importantly the conclusion. The final sequence of patterns is just as important as the initial patterns for they provide various signals to the accompanying instruments that either the conclusion is near or that a repetition of the whole melody is to follow. Though the sequence of kulintang patterns generally has a relatively fixed format, the kulintang player’s ability to improvise the piece she performs is a must. Similar to gamelan orchestras, each kulintang piece has a kind of theme the kulintang player “dresses up” by variations of ornamentation, manipulating segments by inserting repetitions, extensions, insertions, suspensions, variations and transpositions. This occurs all at the discretion of the kulintang player. Therefore, the kulintang player functions not only as the one carrying the melody but also as the conductor of the entire ensemble - she determines the length of each rendition and could change the rhythm at anytime, speeding up or slowing down, accord to her personal taste and the composition she plays. This emphasis on improvisation was essential due to what this music traditionally was used for - as entertainment for the entire community. Listeners in the audience expected players to surprise and astound them, playing pieces with their own unique playing style by using improvisations to make newer versions of the piece. If a player simply imitated a preceding player, playing patterns without any improvisation, the audience members would believe she/he to be repetitious and mundane. Therefore, kulintang players would at times resort to drastic lengths to surprise the crowds and at times, even fool their own co-players. Usopay Cadar has recorded players who repeated each section simulating an ending but simply just repeated/varied the main section or even went back to the beginning of the piece. Other players have introduced an ornamenting pattern that seems to be headed for higher registers but suddenly heads back to the starting pattern. These diversions in the melody create tension within the group, sometimes confusing co-players to the point that they get offbeat. When this happens, he/she would become the recipient of good natured jokes from the crowd. Aging, this jovial fun was a part of the entertainment of the audience. She’ll improvise many of the passage, fool some of the players yet she is bound to maintain the temporal factor of the piece without destroying its unifying elements. This also explains why set performance pieces for musical productions are different in some respect - young men/women would be practicing before an event, therefore rarely relying on improvisations. The kulintang is traditionally always considered a women’s instrument by all groups: the Maguindanao, Maranao, Tausug/ Sukul, Samal, Badjao/Sama, Illanum, Kadazan, Murut, Bidayuh and Iban. This is supported by information in the ancient Maranao Darangen epic where the princess of Bumbaran first takes up the kulintang. (left and right): Kulintangs were traditionally considered feminine instruments. Traditionally, the playing of the kulintang was associated with graceful, slow, frail and relaxed movements that showed elegance and decorum common among females who performed “loop-like rhythms,” (taking time to explore nuances of rubato and the like) and uncommon among males who were considered too expressive and stiff to play the melody part and instead were given the supportive instruments. This separation of the sexes through the instruments was particularly important in terms of relationships where couples have been able to start relationships with the musical exchanges. Unmarried young women therefore were usually sought after as kulintang players by either the male audience/coplayers who would be able to observe her graceful movements and dispositions attentively. These very satisfying memories with a beautiful girl were so enticing that it actually wasn’t uncommon, after an intense exchange of musical passages, for both a young man and woman to elope with one another. Nowadays, with both men and women playing all five instruments, the kulintang seen strictly as a woman’s instrument has waned, and in fact today, the most well-known players of the kulintang happen to be men. For traditional societies, instruments such as the kulintang were seen as valuable heirlooms connoting one’s socio-economic status or family wealth. One could use the kulintang as part of a bridepiece, for a down on a mortgage, to settle a financial account or simply as someone’s gift (for instance, the kulintang set in the Ternate’s palace museum was said to have come from a wall sanga as a gift for the island’s twentieth Sultan, Zainan Abidin Shah). As a symbol of power and prestige, political leaders who didn’t possess them were considered poor. As such, it is believed the number of kulintang sets among the Maranao is great, with one out of three families owning a least a set. Rarely were their borrowed out for fear of not having one during the frequently occasions when kulintang music is needed. For some indigenous peoples, these bronze kettle gongs represented more than simply a symbol of wealth - they were also venerated as ancestral objects - as practiced by the people in southeastern Maluku who worshiped ancestors and various nature spirits. The agung is a Philippine set of two, wide-rimmed, vertically-suspended gongs used by the Maguindanao, Maranao and Tausug as supportive instrument in their kulintang orchestra. The agung is also ubiquitous among other groups found in Mindanao, Sabah, Sarawak and Kalimantan as an integral part of their agung orchestra. Frequently described as a large, heavy, punctuating, bossed, wide-rimmed gong in the shape of a kettle gong, each gong of the agung gives out the bass sound in the kulintang orchestra. Each of the gongs normally weighs between 11 and 15 pounds but it is possible to find agungs weigh as low as 5 pounds and as high as 20 or 30 pounds each, depending on the metal (whether bronze, brass or iron) to produce them. Though their diameter (which consist of a pakaw (collar) and biyas (face)) are smaller than the gandingan’s at roughly 22 to 24 inches in length, they have a much deeper, turned-in takilidan (rim) than the latter, with a width of 12-13 inches including a tall, high busel/protusion/knob. They are hung vertically above the floor at a level either at or a little below the waist line (so a player could stand comfortably) suspended by ropes fastened to a high structure like a strong tree limb, beam of a house, ceiling or a wooden or metal frame gong stand. The agung could either be made of brass (left) or for better quality agungs (those that are have a more antique nature) of bronze (right). The larger, lower pitched gong of the two is called the pangandungan by the Maguindanao and the p’nanggisa-an/punangisa-an by the Maranao. Found on the right of the player, it provides the basic/main beat or part usually played predominantly on almost all the strong points of the rhythmic structure. Among the Maguindanao, the word pangandungan means “lower/basic/primary pitch/part” while among the Maranao, p’nanggisa-an means “simple rhythm.” (Usopay says the Maranao word is related to the third gong on the kulintang, mananggisa, derived from the word “isa,” meaning one or basic part played.) (left): The pangandungan, the larger, lower pitched gong of the two, providing the basic beat. (right): The panentekan, the smaller, higher pitched gong of the two, playing the ornamenting part. The smaller, higher pitched gong, the one thicker of the two, is called the panentekan by the Maguindanao and the p’malsan/pumalsan by the Maranao. Found on the player’s left, it ornaments the part of the pangandungan playing on all the weak points (usually using double and triple beats) of the rhythmic structure. The Maranao word, p’malsan is derived from the word p’mals meaning “to pronounce” (the word is related to the second gong on the kulintang, mamals, meaning gongs where the tightening/pronouncing part is played.) while the literally meaning of the word, panentekan also means to “pronounce” by the Maguindanao, as well as to “elaborate, ornament” and as having a “high pitch.” (left): One of the teacher assistant’s, Kristine Cura, demonstrating the proper handling of one of the gongs of the agung. Notice how the flange is held using the left hand with the right hand striking the boss using a rubber-ended balu. (right): Proper handling of the agung, this time during a performance at Serramonte Shopping Center. The agung is usually performed while standing beside the instrument, holding the upper edge of the instrument’ flange between the thumb and rest of the fingers with the left hand while striking the boss/knob/busel using a mallet with the right hand. (left and right): Different pairs of balu used for playing the agung. The mallets, called balu, are made from a short stick about half a foot in length and padded with soft but tough material such as rubber at one enc. Using these balus, which are larger and heavier than the balus used for the gandingan, players would handle the agung similar to the way a brass tom-tom is played. A series of solid, fast decaying sounds are produced with the implementation of dampening techniques. The desired effect is produced after striking the busel, by leaving one’s hand on the flange or the mallets themselves on the busel. When one player is using two gongs, the assistant holding the lower-pitched gong would position it at an angle and dampen its surface using their hands. Recently, new ways of handling the have agung emerged, including grasping a portion of the boss rather than the flange to achieve the dampening or using regular strokes upon the busel while striking the surrounding gong surface with the opposite, wooden end of the beater. The latter technique, called katinengka, is used by downriver musicians to produce metallic sounds during kulintang exhibitions. (left): The agung being played by two players with each player being assigned their own gong. (right): The agung being played by only one player with an assistant holding the pangandungan for stability. Different combinations of players, gongs and mallets could be used for playing the agung. The agung could be played by two players with each player assigned their own gong or just one player. When playing alone, the agung player could either play both gongs with the player holding the higher-pitched gongs face-to-face with the lower one held at an angle by an assistant for stability or just one gong. The latter style, common among those downriver Maguindanaos in Simuay, who consider this style an old one, uses only the higher-pitch gong for it, unlike the lower-pitched gong, is considered the lead gong, therefore having primary importance. An example of this is when single gong agungs are used during a tagunggo piece. The number of mallets used by the player could also vary as well. For most occasions, only one mallet is used but for other techniques, the player could use two mallets, one in each hand. An even more interesting technique uses only one balu but requires the player to play the agung in reverse order of pitches. Called patuy, this technique and the one with two mallets are normally reserved only for competition and exhibition instances. Even the way one stands when playing the agung has meaning. For instance, the Maranao would traditionally play with their feet placed close together, ala “attention position in the military,” says Usopay. Players are not supposed to sag their shoulders, stoop or swing the instrument away from the rope. If one did the performance in the latter, the audience would associate the player to a carabao trying to break away from its yolk. More contemporary stances have a different set of meanings. Advancing the right foot over his left, implies he is skill on the agung, advancing the left over the right implies humbleness and doing neither implies calmness and unpredictability. (left): The agung being used during a kulintang performance at Serramonte Shopping Center. (right): Master Danongan Kalanduyan teaching audience members the proper handling of the agung, for use in the kulitnang ensemble at Manilatown inside the International Hotel. The main use for the agung in Maguindanao and Maranao society is as a supportive/accompanying instrument of an orthodox kulintang ensemble. Using basic patterns and interlocking rhythms, a player would use the agung to complement the melody played by the kulintang. The patterns players use are normally considered freer than either the babendil or the dabakan; players could manipulate the patterns freely as long as they conform, reaffirm, reinforce and even generate the rhythmic mode of the piece. The length of the patterns themselves may vary depending on how they fit into the melodic improvisation. For the Maranao, Usopay Cadar says the short patterns are “good for fitting in a meaningful unit of melody,” useful for “coping with the out of balancing technique the kulintang employs,” while longer patterns are considered aggregates of “similar short patterns” or “phase-matched from certain predictable melodic phases.” Rapid style is useful especially during exhibition of playing skills. Among both the Maguindanao and the Maranao, the agung embodies all that is masculine and thus the agung is traditionally considered a masculine instrument. To be considered a good player, one must posses strength stamina (playing extremely fast tempos with no mistakes) and endurance (playing for long time without tiring) - all characteristics that requires a masculine dexterity not befitting for women. Players to be considered as having quality musicianship - lest the audience considers those patterns repetitions and mundane. (left and right): One of the Magui Moro Master Artist demonstrating the agung, exhibition style at Skyline College, San Bruno, CA. Because of the highly skilled nature required for playing the agung, it’s not common to see agung players have friendly rivalries during a performance, using tricks in an attempt to throw others offbeat. For instance, if the p’nanggisa’s elaborations are so elusive that the p’mals has a hard time ornamenting or if the reversed happened and the p’mals ornaments to the point the p’nanggisa’s performance is engulfed, the player that can’t keep up is usually embarrassed and the brunt of jokes. Normally, agung players would switch off after each piece but during instances like this, where one player cannot handle the part being played, players would either remain at their same gongs or would switch during the performance. It’s also possible for agung players to switch places with the dabakan after two pieces. Even though the players compete, they still understand they are a single entity, closely accompanying the melody, employ different variations without destroying the music’s basic patterns. (left and right): More pictures of a Magui Moro Master Artist demonstrating the agung, exhibition style at Skyline College, San Bruno, CA. There was also a secondary motive for men, especially young males for learning the agung: the ability to interact with young, unmarried women. Both Maranao and Maguindanao cultures traditionally adhere to Islamic customs which prohibit dating or causal conversation between the opposite sexes (unless married to or related to by blood) and therefore performances such as kulintang music provided the opportunity for such a connection. Among the Maguindanao, the rhythmic modes of duyog and sinulog a kamamatuan allowed agung players to serenade the young, unmarried women on the kulintang. (On some styles, like sinulog a kangungudan, agungs were sometimes omitted since the melodic mode emphasized the kulintang’s and gandingan’s ability to emulate the Maguindanao language). Tidto, the other rhythmic mode, could also be used but players rarely use this for serenading since the kulintang player is usually an older woman. This latter mode actually is reserved specifically for solo agung contest (Read Chapter 7: Other Uses: Contest for information about agung contest.) Other than its use in ensembles, the agung also had other non-ensemble uses among the Maguindanao and Maranao. The agung has been used to warn others of impending danger, announcing the time of day and other important occasions. For instance, long ago the sultan would beat the agung repeatedly to announce, the onset of a meeting or during the fasting month of Ramadhan, the agung would ring either at three in the morning to indicate the signal to eat (sawl) or at sunset, to mark the end for fasting that day. And supposedly due to the deep, loud sound the agung produces, people believed that it possessed supernatural powers. For instance, during an earthquake, local Maguindanao would strike the agung in a fast, loud rhythm called baru-baru, believing its vibrations would either lessen or even halt the jolt of an earthquake. Scholars seem in agreement that the origins of the agung came from Indonesia, noting that the word agung/agong derived from the Malay word agong and Indonesian word ageng. Further evidence of this comes from a British explorer, Thomas Forrest, who wrote Filipinos were “fond of musical gongs which came from Cheribon on Java and have round knobs on them.” In the Sulu Archipelago, the kulintang orchestra use not two but three low-sounding agungs serving as an accompaniment or drone in ensembles for the Tausug, Samal and the Yakan. For the Tausug, and Samal, the largest of the agungs with a wide turned-in rim is called the tunggalan/tamak respectively, which provides slow, regular beats akin to the function of the Maguindanaon pangandungan and Maranao p’nanggisa-an. Syncopations with the tunggalan/tamak is provided by the smaller pair of agungs, the duahan, which are separated into a wider-rimmed duahan, called a pulakan and a narrower one called a huhugan/buahan by the Tausug and a bua by the Samal. Agungs also play a major role in agung orchestras - ensembles composed of large hanging, suspended or held, bossed/knobbed gongs which act as drone without any accompanying melodic instrument like a kulintang (Read Chapter 4: Agung Ensembles for information about agung ensembles.). ___________________________________________back to top The babendil is a single, narrow-rimmed Philippine gong used primary as the “timekeeper” of the kulintang ensemble. Usually averaging about a foot in width, the diameter of the babendil is usually larger than the largest kulintang gong, more concaved at the rim and narrower at the flange than the former and could be comparable in width with the gandingan or the agung. However, Usopay Cader says unlike the gandingan or the agung, what makes the babendil unique is its sunken boss which makes the boss relatively non-functional and out of tune. Babendils are normally made out of bronze but due to the scarcity of this metal in Mindanao, most gongs, including the babendil are made out of more common metal such as brass, iron and even tin-can. (left): San Francisco State student demonstrating the proper use of the babendil. (right): One of the Magui Moro Master Artist playing the babendil. Because of their sunken boss, babendils are stuck using either a bamboo betay or a strip of rattan either at the flange or the rim, producing a sharp, distinctive metallic clang and are sometimes considered “false gongs.” In fact, according to Usopay Hamdag Cadar, this distinction makes the babendil classified as a bell in the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system (if it were struck at the boss, it would be considered a gong.) Normally, the babendil is handheld when the player is standing but the babendil could also be hung half a foot from the floor when seated. Proper technique requires the player to hold the babendil vertically, angled away from the body, with the gong held at the rim between their thumb and four fingers. With their thumb parallel to the rim of the gong, the players strikes the rim of the gong using their betay. As the "timekeeper" of the ensemble, the babendil provides the most fundamental pattern, keeping the tempo of the entire group of instruments in check and therefore making it the first instrument to begin a piece. Those fundamental patterns it could perform are usually closer to the drum pattern on the one of the hands of the dabakan or could resemble the beat of the lower-picthed agung. The babendil traditionally could be played by either sexes. In wooden kulintang ensembles, the kagul is usually substituted for the dabakan part. Among the Tausug, the Samal and the Yakan, their babendil-type instrument generally has gone into disuse (Instead, tempo is kept in check using the highest gong on the kulintangan . Solembat is term used by the Samal for the ostinato beat while the Yakan call that same beat, nulanting.) while among the Tagbanua, the babandil is used not only to keep the rhythm of pieces but also as a song accompaniment as well. The origins of the babendil could either be traced from the Middle East or the Indian Subcontinent. Scholars suggest the name babendil is derived from the Arabic word, bandair, meaning, “circular-type, pan-Arabic, tambourine or frame drum.” Others suggests that since the babendil is closely related to the Javanese bebende or bende (a gong with similar characteristics and uses in the colotomic galeman ensemble), it perhaps has relations with an ancient Indian kettle drum, behri, where ancient Sanskrit indicated the bende was the bronze equivalent of the behri. Also called: babendir, (Maguindanao) babndir (Maranao), bandil, babandil, babindil, bapindil, babandir (Tagbanua, Batak, Palaw’an), banendir, tungtung, (Tausug), salimbal (Samal) and the mapindil (Yakan). ___________________________________________back to top The dabakan is a single-headed Philippine drum, primarily used as a supportive instrument in the kulintang ensemble. Among the five main kulintang instruments, it is the only non-gong element of the ensemble.The dabakan is frequently described as either hour-glass, conical, tubular or goblet in shape. Normally, the dabakan is found having a length of more than two feet and a diameter of more than a foot about the widest part of the shell. The shell is craved from wood (pula) either out of the trunk of a coconut tree or the wood of a jackfruit tree which is then hollowed out throughout its body and stem. The drumhead that is stretched over the shell is made out of either goat-skin, carabao skin, deer rawhide or snake/lizard skin, with the latter consider by many dabakan practitioners as the best material to use. The drumhead is then fastened to the shell first via small metal wire and then using two hoops of rattan very tightly to allow the rattan sticks to bounce cleanly. Artists, especially the Maranao, would then carve the outside of the shell with elaborate and decorative okkil patterns. (left): A Maranao dbakan with elaborate okkil designs along its shell. (right): Ron Quesada, TA of Master Kalanduyan, demonstrating proper use of the dabakan using two flexible rattan strips. The dabakan is normally played while standing with the player holding two sticks made either out of rattan or bamboo but the player could also be sitting and knelling as well. The rattan strips are held parallel to the surface of the drumhead and are then pivoted between the thumb and forefinger using the wrist to activate them to strike the drumhead’s surface along the entire length of its diameter. The sounds produced are normally quick and muted and thanks to the flexibility of the strips, one could employ dampening, roll, or open stroke patterns upon its surface. Thanks to the exposure of many artists to westernized cultured, new styles of playing has emerged among the newer generation of players. These include playing rhythmic patterns for the dabakan not on the surface of the drumhead but on the sides of the shell and even at the edges of the drum’s mouth. These exhibition style pieces are used to shift focus away from the melody instrument, the kulintang, and onto the other supportive instruments such as the dabakan. (left and right): One of the Magui Moro Master Artist demonstrating the dabakan, exhibition style at Skyline College, San Bruno, CA. The main use for the dabakan in Maguindanao society is as a supportive instrument in the kulintang ensemble, keeping the tempo of the ensemble in check like the babendil. On most rhythmic modes, such as sinulog and duyog , the dabakan enters after babandil but in tidto, where the babendil is absent, the dabakan always starts the piece. The Maguindanao and the Maranao usually position the dabakan to the right of the kulintang player, near the end of its frame, during a traditional performance. The dabakan could be used in other types of playing other than the ensemble. The dabakan could be used as the accompaniment for the kutiyapi, a type of Philippine boat-lute. The dabakan plays a major role in a type of playing known as Kasorondayong. In the Maranao version, which is in recognition of their prince hero, Prince Bantogen, two dbakan players face one another, standing behind their dbakans, striking them with two slender bamboo sticks while playing an interlocking rhythm. (left): A student of San Francisco State University practicing the dabakan. (right): Close-up of the drumhead of the dabakan being hit with the rattan strips. Traditionally, the dabakan is consider a masculine instrument by the Maranao and a feminine instrument by the Maguindanao but as a sign of the times, one could see both men and women handling the dabakan. In wooden kulintang ensembles, the takemba, a bamboo zither of the Manobo, is usually substituted for the dabakan part. During older times, the bigger, longer double-headed dabakan, known as a dadabooan, would be hung horizontally in the mosque. An imam (spiritual leader) would hit the drum repeatedly announcing the beginning of prayer time throughout the outerlying areas. As a sign of the times, the dabakan in Mindanao have now been replaced by more modern equipment such as a speakerphone but the practice still continues in places like Sulawesi, where a mesigit, equivalent to the dabakan, would be used for the same purpose. The origin of the name “dabakan,” is said to have been borrowed and adapted from the Middle East. Dabakan is derived from the word, dbak meaning to “hit, strike, or beat,” meaning that the dabakan is something upon which you hit. Scholars also suggest that another clue is that the dabakan may have been an adaptation and enlargement of a pan-Arabic drum, the dombak or tombak, another type of goblet drum. Also called dbakan, debekan (Maguindanao), dadabuan, dadaboon (Maranao), libbit (Tausug), tibubu (Poso), tiwal (Kulawi and Minahasa). ___________________________________________back to top The gandingan is a Philippine set of four, large hanging gongs used specifically by the Maguindanao as part of their kulintang ensemble. Their ability to imitate tones of the Maguindanao language has given them the connotation: the “talking gongs.” The instrument is usually described as four, large, shallow bossed, thin-rimmed gongs, vertically hung, either from a strong support such as a tree limb or housed in a strong wooden framed stand. The gongs are arranged in graduated fashion in pairs with knobs of the lower-pitched gongs facing each other and the higher-pitched gongs doing the same. Normally, the lower-pitched gongs would be situated on the left side and the higher pitched gongs on the right side of the player if he/she were right-handed. This arrangement in fact is similar to the arrangement of gongs on the horizontally laid kulintang – so much so, in fact that master musicians say the duplicates the pattern of intervals used on the four lower-pitched gongs of the kulintang. Some master musicians, like Master Danongan Kalanduyan, would use the kulintang to exemplify pieces on the gandingan. (left): The gandingan can be placed either in a wooden framed gong stand or (right): a metal framed one. The gongs, themselves, although variable in pitch, are relatively similar in size. Diameters range from 1.8 to 2 feet and 5 to 8 inches (including the boss) in width for the smallest to largest gongs respectively. Because of their slight differences, smaller gongs could be placed into larger gongs, making transport of these gongs more portable than an agung’s, whose turned-in-rim eliminates that possibility. (left): (left): Gandingan gongs made of tin-can material used at San Francisco State University. (right): Antique gandingan gongs of the Maguindanao made of brass. Traditionally, the metal used for the gandingan was bronze but due to its scarcity, gandingans are more commonly made of less valuable metals such as brass and even iron. Recently, galvanized iron sheets have been used where different parts of the gong (the knob, body and rim) would be made from separate sheets and welded together, then grinded out to produce a finished product. Comparatively, these newer gongs have a higher pitch and are smaller in size than those made in older times. (left): San Francisco State student demonstrating the proper use of the gandingan. (right): One of the Magui Moro Master Artist playing the gandingan during a kulintang performance at Skyline College. The gandingan is usually played while standing behind the instrument with the gandingan player holding two wooden mallets. The mallets, called balu, are wrapped tightly with strips of rubber at one end and are considered lighter and smaller than those balu used for the agung. The rubber ends of the balu are held between the opposing knobs of the gandingan and the player would use them to strike the knobs to achieve a sound. Gandingan players can demonstrate different techniques dependent on the occasion. In formal kulintang performances, players would use all four gongs, but during some informal occasions, such as a playing style called apad and kulndet, players would use only three of the highest pitched gongs of the gandingan. And in instances such as gandingan contest, gandingan players may be assisted by two mulits (kulintang assistants) who would hold the gongs steadily in place as players ferociously demonstrate their virtuosity on the instrument. Traditionally among the Maguindanao, the main function of the gandingan was its use as a secondary melodic instrument after the kulintang in the kulintang ensemble. In olden style of play, strictly done by women, the patterns used function to feature/highlight/reinforce the rhythmic modes already established by the singular babendil and dabakan. Women players would use a limited number of patterns that were repeated to provide a sonorous foundation to the entire ensemble. Newer styles of play have recently emerged, pushing the bounds of what the gandingan was traditionally used for. One type of play called kulndet requires players to perform highly dense, complicated rhythmic patterns upon the gandingan. This type of play unlike the olden (kamamatuan) style of gandingan playing requires assistants to hold the gongs to avoid long suspensions of sound. Because of the strenuous type of play, male musicians usually perform this style during contest held at weddings where players would demonstrate their virtuosity, considered a sign of masculinity, on the gandingan. During gandingan contest, two expert gandingan players (pagagandings) would play a particular piece (either in the rhythmic mode of the binalig or sinulog a kangungudan) several times in rotation with each other. This type of play is said to have evolved from the spread of virtousic style on the agung. Another type of play, called apad, is used for conveying linguistic messages from one player to another. This ability to mimic the intonations of the Maguindanao language on the three highest-tuned gongs has dubbed the gandingan as the talking gongs. Traditionally, because of strict rules forbidding direct conversational interactions between the sexes, the gandingan presented a means for teenagers to interact with one another. Using the gandingan, young men and women would spend hours teasing, flirting, gossiping, playing guessing games, trading friendly insults and simply conversing with one another. For instance, if friends were telling a boy that a girl liked him but the boy didn’t like her back, the boy wouldn’t resort to telling his friends literally he didn’t like her. Instead, he could use the gandingan to express his reasons and his friends would be able to pick up the message by translating his song. In fact, during the 1950’s, many families would intentionally hang gandingans outside their houses so other neighbors could easily hear them play. Young men would gather around the gandingan and gossip about people they dislike, usually “chatting” with other gandingan players further away. Master Danongan Kalanduyan says much of this jovial talk even contained sexual innuendoes, where all kinds of dirty words could be heard penetrating the night air. He also said gandingans were also used by a young man and woman who were having strong feelings for one another and if the feelings were just right, the couple would elope with one another. For instance, if the young man wanted to ask the young women “to come here,” the man would play on the gandingan, “Singkaden Ka Singkaden.” Another common message couples would play is, “Pagngapan ko soka,” literally meaning, “I am waiting for you.” Along with those trivial messages, gandingans were also used in more seriously matters when signaling to others of imminent danger. Master Danongan Kalanduyan recalls a time during martial law when gandingans were used to warn villagers of incoming Marcos’ soldiers. Every time the villagers received the signal, they would disappear leaving the soldiers aloof until the soldiers themselves brought in a translator who told them, the gandingan was responsible for the scurry. So they arrested the gandingan player. Another similar situation Master Danongan Kalanduyan recalls was when a brother of a man who stole someone’s carabao. In order to keep his brother from getting arrested, the brother setup a gandingan up in a tree and would clang it every time the police arrived to warn his brother to leave their house. But like Marcos’ soldiers, the police bought a translator and so they were finally able to arrest the theft for stealing and the brother on the gandingan for obstruction of justice. The etymology of the term, “gandingan,” is unknown but it appears in many Maguindanao folk tales and epics. For instance, one folk tale states the Malailai Gandingan is a place known for a powerful sultan and his beautiful daughter while in another epic, Raja sa Madaya, Gandingan is the proper name of a place where hostile datus (who attempted to abduct a princess from the prince of Madaya) live. Perhaps the most significant mention of the gandingan in an epic tale is in the Maguindanao epic Diwatakasalipan, where word “gandingan” actually refers to the instrument itself. In the epic, a young princess, Tintingan na Bulawan, uses the gandingan to inform her sister, Initulon na Gambal, about a hero prince, Diwatakasalipan, who was looking for a wife. Thanks to that message, Initulon na Gambal was able to entertain the hero prince using a kulintang into her heart. This use of the gandingan in this epic exemplifies that its use as a form of communication was pre-Islamic in origin. The origins of the gongs themselves are still disputed by scholars. It is likely, as observed by Thomas Forrest, a British explorer, that gongs without knobs on them (like the gandingan) came from China. However, other sources suggest the gandingan came to the Philippines via Indonesia or Malaysian Sarawak due to similar gandingan-type instruments found among the Tausug of Sulu. (left): San Francisco State students demonstrating the use of the karatung for a Tiruray dance, the Ka’atung. (right): Master Danongan Kalanduyan substituting the karatung gongs with the larger Maguindanao gandingan gongs for the same dance. The set of four, large hanging gongs is confined mainly to the Maguindanao. Master Danongan Kalanduayan says the Maranao used to use the gandingan but the instrument has disappeared from usage in Maranao ensembles of today. The Tausugs have a gandingan-type gong with a narrow-rim called a buahan or huhagan, one of the three agungs used in the Tausug kulintang ensemble. The Samal have something similar called a bua. Other gongs similar to the gandingan are the handheld gongs of the Subanun (gagung sua) and Tiruray (karatung) used in their agung ensembles, the latter group sometimes substituting Maguindanao gandingan gongs for their karatungs. ___________________________________________back to top The kulintang a kayo is a Maguindanaon xylophone, literally translated to mean, “wooden kulintang” or “kulintang made of wood.” Having eight slabs, usually ranging from a foot to two feet in length depending on the maker, the instrument is strung together via holes atop each of the slabs and laid along a wooden antangan (rack) in order of pitch, from lowest to highest. To make a sound, the player uses betay (beaters) usually made out of hardwood such as tamenag or bago (beaters are made by selecting the appropriate branch size on a tree for the width of the beater and using that branch in the making of the beater) to hit the edge of the slabs, creating a nice bouncy-type sound. (left and right): Photographs of a Maguindanaon kulintang a kayo. These wooden xylophones were prevalent back then and are still common among Maguindanaon households continuing their musical tradition where these instruments are a must have. Its widespread use among the Maguindanaons is due to the straightforward way of making it – so easy in fact, one with experience could make one within two to three hours. In Mindanao, they’re commonly made out of bayug but other soft woods such as bago (wood used for the ingkol, placed on kalabaws plowing the rice fields) and wood of the jackfruit tree can be used as well. After cutting out a slab, the maker could decrease the pitch of the slab by craving out the middle portion of the slab or increase the pitch by cutting the end of the slab until the desired pitch is reached. If one is interested in making them in America, Master Danongan Kalanduyan suggest using the lumber of the soft and light redwood tree found at the local hardware store. Traditionally, they were used for self-entertainment purposes and practice for younglings and beginners to get acquainted with new pieces they’ve just started learning before taking on the kulintang. Therefore, there was no such thing as an ensemble of wooden instruments back then nor were they played along side gong-type instruments. Only recently though, with the newer generation of kulintang players influenced by more westernized ideals has there been an interest in wooden kulintang ensembles and instruments such as the gandingan a kayo have come into being to accompany the kulintang a kayo. An ancient instrument, it is generally believed that the kulintang a kayo arrived in the Philippines before the introduction of gong-type instruments from China. There’s even a Maguindanao tale associated with the origin of the kulintang a kayo about a local princess bathing in pond in the forest. When the princess came to dry her hair up upon some rocks, she began hitting stones in front of her. A local hunter in the neighborhood witnessed her hitting the stones in series and brought the idea home, creating something similar out of wood, which we now know as the kulintang a kayo. The mythology of the Maranao follows a similar storyline where Radja Indarapatra (while going to bathe in a local river) comes upon Potri, the princess of the underwater, finishing up her own bathing. As she dried her long flowing hair, she began hitting a set of stones in front of her giving Indarapatra the idea of bringing the concept of a stone instrument back his kingdom. Later Maranao generations improved upon it, making a bamboo/wooden version (alotung), then an iron version (saronai) and finally arriving at the kolintang. This type of instrument is found among the Maranao (the instrument is not as common as the Maguindanao) and the Tausug, the latter calling theirs a gabbang, usually having 14-21 keys sitting atop a resonating box. Those on the island of Sulawesi (south of the Mindanao) also have such a type of instrument called a kolintang kayu. ___________________________________________back to top The gandingan a kayo is a type of Maguindanaon xylophone, tuned in line with the Maguindanao gandingan. It has four wooden slabs (made of bayug) larger than those of the kulintang a kayo, strung together atop a smaller wooden antangan in order of pitch. Like the kulintang a kayo, players use betay (beaters) to hit the edge of the slabs to make a sound. They are made the same way as the kulintang a kayo where the pitch could be decreased by cutting out the middle portion of the slab or increased by cutting the end of the slab until the desired pitch is reached. (left and right): Photographs of a Maguindanaon gandingan a kayo. The gandingan a kayo is a fairly recent instrument coming into being with the creation of wooden kulintang ensembles. Gandingan a kayo were never used for communication purposes like the gandingan not only because they are too soft but because traditionally, it never existed among the Maguindanaon until the late 20th century. ___________________________________________back to top The kulintang a tiniok is a type of Philippine metallophone with eight tuned metal plates strung together via string atop a wooden antagan (rack) about two feet in length. Kulintang a tiniok literally means “kulintang with string” among the Maguindanaons but the instrument can also be called kulintang a putao (“kulintang of metal”). Players use betay (beaters) of tumenag/bago (a common hardwood) to strike the knobbed center of each of the instrument’s plates. (left): Photograph of a Maguindanaon kulintang a tiniok (right): A San Francisco State University student demonstrating proper technique on the kulintang a tiniok. The kulintang a tiniok is a relatively recent instrument (Master Danongan Kalanduyan doesn’t remember the existence of the kulintang a tiniok until he was an older child), coming into being in the nineteen-fifties. Not surprisingly then, the plates of the kulintang a tiniok are commonly made out of tin can (same material used to make those metallic air-tight containers) and the centers of each plate are hammered in the center (reminiscent of a woman’s nipple) to give the player a target to hit. Pitch of the plates can be lowered or increased by toggling with the end of the plates: mending the end of the plate upwards would increase the pitch, while flattening the end of the plate would lower the pitch. (left and right): Both Master Danongan Kalanduyan and Teacher Assistant Ron Quesada teaching students how to play the kulintang a tiniok using a pair of betay. Like the kulintang a kayo that preceded it, the kulintang a tiniok is used only for self-entertainment purposes such as practice for those at home. Finding it on stage is a recent phenomenon used only to educate the public of its existence. (left and right): Student Angelee Orlanda and Teacher Assistant Jasmine Real practicing kulintang renditions on the kulintang a tiniok. Also called a Kulintang a Putao (Maguindanaon) and Salunay, Salonay, Saronay, Sarunay, Saronai, Sarunai (Maranao) ___________________________________________back to top The kubing is a type of Philippine jew’s harp found among the Maguindanaon and other Muslim and non-Muslim tribes in the Philippines. To produce a sound, the kubing is placed between the tongue and the mouth and a flexible tongue attached to the frame is plucked with one’s fingers. Pitch is then controlled by how one player opens and closes their mouth. The kubing is made out of old bamboo,(bamboo must be dried first for if not, the pitch of the instrument may change after a while) from which they are meticulously crafted using special carving knife. Coming in sizes about a half a foot in length, the Maguindanaon kubing rarely has fancy designs on it like those of the Maranao, where their designer kobings with serpent designs could have fancy ivory handles and grow up to a foot in length. The kubing is traditionally considered an intimate instrument, usually used as communication between family or a love one in close quarters. Rarely would you find it played during community gatherings or festivals, then or even now with the invention of the microphone, the kubing rarely has an appearance. Both sexes can use the instrument, the females more infrequently than males who use it for short distance courtship. Kubing players usually compose their own pieces, usually following the spoken words of the Maguindanaon language and using the kubing to imitate them. An example Master Kalanduyan remembers is “tinumbok tinatub”, meaning to the ‘throw and poke.’ Also called a kobing (Maranao), kolibau (Tingguian), aru-ding (Tagbanua), aroding (Palawan), kulaing (Yakan). According to Mohammad Amin, similar instruments in Sulawesi are called the yori (Kailinese), karinta (Munanese), ore-ore mbondu or ore Ngkale (Butonese) and karombi (Toraja). ___________________________________________back to top The luntang is a type of Maguindanaon xylophone, strung vertically, with five horizontal logs hung in ascending order starting from the shortest at the bottom and end with the longest log at the top. Vertically, the luntang could be between two feet for the smallest luntangs to three in a half to four feet in length for the largest ones. Luntangs are commonly crafted out of soft woods such as bayug but someone making one in America should try wood such as the redwood from a local hardware store. Logs of the luntang are cylindrical in shape with one end a flattened stub and the other end a more conical, cone shape and the place where the player hits the instrument using betay (beaters) of tamenag/bago (a common hardwood). Though the pitch on those five horizontal logs is related to five notes found on the kulintang, the rhythms on the luntang resemble those on the Maguindanaon dabakan. When playing the luntang, one can either play it solo or it can be played with two people, with one providing the ad drone on the stubbed edge and the other providing the melody on the sharper edge. Though the instrument is able to play a melody, traditionally, the luntang was used only for self-entertainment purposes by the Maguindanaon and was never performed as part of an ensemble. For those in the rice paddies, the luntang had a double purpose: providing a nice respite from the mundane life of watching the fields (lest you be bored and fall asleep) and creating a sound that scared the marauding birds away from the growing rice stalks. Luntangs were also popularly played in the evening before one was about to go to sleep. Of course, these days the luntang has gone silent as an extinct tradition. Both sexes could play the instrument but traditionally, the women were one’s who excelled at the luntang. Luntang players could use the instrument for long distance communication for luntangs were even louder than metallic kulintangs. The Yakan (who have a similar instrument, the kwintangan kayo, also with five horizontal logs drawn vertically) went one step further, using the instrument for serenading women after a day in the rice field, similar to the way the Maguindanaon have used the gandingan. Also called a kwintangan kayo (Yakan) ___________________________________________back to top The agung a tamlang is a type of Maguindanaon slit drum literally translated meaning “bamboo agung” or “agung made of bamboo.” Made out of hollowed out bamboo (always dried out bamboo, using fresh bamboo would change the pitch later on), the agung a tamlang has a huge slit at one side of the instrument. Pitch is determined by how one carves out the slit: lengthening the slit would create a deeper drawn out sound while shorting the instrument, where the slit begins, would increase the pitch of the instrument. Though the instrument is called agung a tamlang, Master Kalanduyan likes to use a different species of bamboo called kling for kling is smaller in width (tamlang is a more common found bamboo but too big to make an agung). Like the kulintang a kayo is to the kulintang or the gandingan a kayo is to the gandingan, the agung a tamlang is also used as practice for the real agung. Players would usually hold the agung a tamlang in the non-slit portion of the instrument and hit the agung using a betay (beater) of tamenag/bago (a common hardwood) to strike the opposite side of the bamboo where the slit portion of the instrument meets the non-slit portion. And like an agung, if one wanted to get a muted sound, one would strengthen their hold on the non-slit portion of the instrument and if one wanted to play two agungs, the player would take up a squatter over position, placing one agung a tamlang horizontally on the ground, held there with their foot while using their other free hand to hold the other agung a tamlang. ___________________________________________back to top The kagul is a Maguindanao bamboo scraper gong/slit drum with a jagged edge on one side. About a foot in length dependent on the size of bamboo from knob to knob, the kagul requires old bamboo that is dried first to be used before being hollowed out (new bamboo would crack). To play the kagul, one would use one’s foot to hold the instrument on the ground, then using their right hand one would scarp against the rough edge while their left hand makes a beat using another betay (beater) at the kagul’s edge. The kagul can also be used as an imitation dabakan where the kagul could be placed on a stand and the dabakan beat played atop it using two betays. (left): Teacher Assistant Ron Quesada demonstrating use of the kagul. (right): Notice Ron using his left hand to make a beat using one betay and the other hand scarps the kagul with the other betay. Traditionally, the kagul is played for self-entertainment purposes like for those who guarding the rice paddies and in need of something to do. In the rice fields, the kagul serves a double purpose: to keep the farmer awake and active while at the same time using the sound of the kagul to scare away voracious birds such as the red maya from devouring the entire rice crop during daylight hours. (Two large slabs of bamboo, known as a pagapak, which when snapped together make a loud sound also has a similar function to the kagul when placed in the middle of the field.) Maguindanaon actually don’t even consider this an instrument seeing its functionality more in line with a car alarm, used only to scare away intruders, than something with entertainment value. Also called a tagutok (Maranao) , bantula or tagungtung (Bukidnon) and kuratung (Banuwaen). ___________________________________________back to top Three different types of bamboo flutes exist for the Maguindanaon, that differ in their size, number of finger holes, placing and shape of the blowing hole ends. The smallest bamboo flute is called the tumpong, about two feet in length made from bamboo and is classified as a lip-valley flute because of the curved shape of the end of the instrument. Air is passed through a bamboo reed (“takep” – covering) that sends air rushing parallel to a blowing hole found at the top of the instrument. Pitch is controlled via four finger holes on the top of the instrument and one found at the bottom. (left): Photograph of a Maguindanaon tumpong (right): Master Datuan Kalanduyan demonstrating a piece on the tumpong using circular breathing technique. The second smallest bamboo flute is the suling, classified as a ring-flute because of the rattan ring around the flatten-end of the mouthpiece which differs from the tumpong because the latter has a more angled mouthpiece. Also unlike the tumpong, air is passed through the suling via a blowing hole found at the bottom of the instrument and pitch is controlled via five finger holes on the top and one finger hole located on the bottom. The largest bamboo flute is the palendag and like the tumpong is also a lip-valley flute about twice the length of the tumpong, with the same amount of finger holes as the tumpong. The major difference between it and the tumpong is that basically the palendag is a bamboo tube with no reed or ring attached to it and therefore requires the player to have the large blowing hole placed against their lower lip so the player would create a hole between the two to make a sound by passing air parallel to it. Attempting to shape the blowhole with one’s lips makes playing the palendag significantly harder than the tumpong or the suling. Pitch on all these instruments can also be influenced by the use of bamboo extensions added to the end of each. Depending on whether the last finger hole is left open, the extension could result in either a lower pitch if the last finger hole is covered or is used as a fancy decoration if left open. (left): Photograph of a Maguindanaon palendag (right): Master Danongan Kalanduyan demonstrating the placing of the palendag on one’s lower lip. Traditionally the Maguindanao used these bamboo flutes for small family affairs, never for large gatherings or weddings, where parents play while children listened intently. It was seen as a masculine instrument but women were also adept in playing them. Players could either play pieces imitating the sounds of the kulintang like sinulog or binalig or play other pieces invented and named by the players themselves. Master Kalanduyan can recall pieces such as “mapadtadem” (to be remembered), or “kandalagat” (a voyage on the ocean). Much of the melodies, particularly on the palendag, are melancholy in nature, where when one listening would feel touched and could become emotional during the experience. In fact, palendag is derived from the word, “lendag,” translated to mean “crying or sobbing” or the “sound of crying.” According to Master Kalanduyan, listening to the palendag sound like someone is sobbing and therefore would make listeners feel lonely and usually think of people who are far away. (left and right): Photographs of the Maguindanaon tumpong. The palendag was the most popular instrument back then but Master Kalanduyan says only in recent times have instruments such as the tumpong and even more recently the suling come into use. Now, the palendag is the least commonly mastered instrument, perhaps attributed to the high difficultly involved in comparison to the other two. A recent phenomenon though can find Master palendag players (papapalendag), Master suling players (pasusuling) and Master tumpong players (patutumpong) at social events usually using a microphone to amplify the flutes soft sounds. The palendag is also called a pulalu (Manabo and Mansaka), palandag (Bagobo), pulala (Bukidnon) and lumundeg (Banuwaen). There also exists a smaller type of palendag among the Bukidnon known as the hulakteb, about three-quauters the length of the palendag. The tumpong is also called a inci (Maranao). The term Suling is also common among Tausug, Yakan, B'laan and the Tiruray but it has other alternate names including the babarak (Palawan), lantey (Ata), kinsi (Bukidnon) and the dagoyong (Higanon). ___________________________________________back to top The kutiyapi is a two-stringed, fretted boat-lute and is the only stringed instrument among the Maguindanaon. (It could also be found among the Maranao and other non-Muslim Mindanao groups such as the Manobos, Tiruray, Bila’an and the T’boli but under different names. The Tausug don’t have a derivative of this instrument.) Kutiyapis come in three different sizes (small, medium and large) and can run from four to six feet in length (Master Dutuan Kalanduyan is holding a five-foot medium-sized kutiyapi.). It is usually carved from solid soft wood, such as the langka (jackfruit) tree, but kutiyapi experts consider wood called “dangguiangas” as the best wood for the job. The body of the kutiyapi is larger than its neck (much of the neck is actually an elongation of the body) and one could find metal strings running from the middle of the body, passing nine frets located along the neck-body portion of the instrument, to the end of the neck where two pegs are located. The nine frets, all made of hardened beeswax, (Bees use beeswax to make the hive. The wax is found by setting fire to a live beehive and using the wax to make the fret, usually taking three hours until it dries. Recently, master artist like Dutuan Kalanduyan have been using more synthetic products as a substitute for the beeswax, such as black spalto found in local hardware stores) are used to create eight distinct sounds by holding their fingers between the beeswax frets. Sound is made by plucking both metal strings (one is placed against the frets to produce the melody, the other string used for the ad drone) with either one’s fingers or using a kebit (pick) made of rattan or more recently, plastic. (left and right): Master Datuan Kalanduyan setting up the kutiyapi before a small presentation at Skyline College. Among the Maguindanaon, those nine frets can be arranged into one of two patterns, resulting in two different tunings for the instrument. The higher pitched arrangement is called binalig and can be used to play the styles found on the kulintang, such as sinulog, binalig and older forms of binalig. The lower pitched arrangement is called dinaladay, a form of tuning not found in any kulintang gong instrument. Dinaladay is often used for teaching and have three pieces (patentek, minudal, and patundog) that have different degrees of difficulty attached to them (in this case, beginner, intermediate and advanced, respectively). The style patentek is derived from the phrase “tentek” which is the chirping sound a mother hen uses to call her chicks and following the high pitched sound a chicken made, the style patentek is also a higher pitched style. (left): Master Datuan Kalanduyan demonstrating the kutiyapi using an amplifier. (right): Master Datuan Kalanduyan playing the kutiyapi accompanied by a dabakan played by Master Danongan Kalanduyan The Maguindanao use the kutiyapi for social events from birthdays to weddings and is reserved for communication between young couples (Usually with the man using the instrument to serenade the woman. This is why the kutiyapi is generally not known as a woman’s instrument.) Its intimate nature is due to its meditative qualities; listening to the kutiyapi requires one to close their eyes; not surprising then, it’s the kutiyapi and not the kulintang that is more likely to be poetically charged. The instrument can be played either solo or with an accompanying dabakan. There exist contest for these instruments as well with expert kutiyapi players known as pakukutiyapi but they are not commonly held during weddings like some of the other instruments. It is believed the origin of the boat-like shape of the kutiyapi came from the wide use of boats by the Maguindanaon (Note that the Maguindanaon are mostly concentrated along the river bank and therefore use the boats as their general transportation) and that when they made the kutiyapi, they imitated the form of their boats. Elegant carvings on the kutiyapi are more emphasized by the Maranao than the Maguindanao, where the ends of their kutiyapi can be carved to resemble the mythical naga, their fierce dragon/crocodile. Recently, the kutiyapi has started being replaced by the guitar as more Maguindanaon dayunday singers find the guitar produces louder sounds than the kutiyapi. Also acceptable is Kutyapi, Kutiapi (Maguindanaon), Kotyapi (Maranao), Kotapi (Subanon), Fegereng (Tiruray), Faglong, Fuglung (B’laan), Kudyapi (Bukidnon and Tagbanua), Hegelong (T’boli) and Kuglong, Kadlong, Kudlung or Kudlong (Manobo and Central Mindanao), Kusyapi (Palawan) ___________________________________________back to top Emphasis is not placed on scales, but on the concept of rhythmic modes. A rhythmic mode (or designation or genre or pattern) is defined as a musical unit that binds together the entire five instrument ensemble. This concept could be understood by seeing first that every instrument that is part of the ensemble is considered to have its own rhythm. By adding together those various rhythms, one could create music and by changing one of the rhythms, one could create different music. This is the basis of the rhythmic mode. Though allowing such a variety of rhythms would lead to an innumerable amount of patterns, generally one could categorize these rhythmic modes on the basis on various criteria such as the number of beats in a recurring musical phrase, differences in the melodic and rhythmic groups with the musical phrase, differences in the rhythmic emphasis, and differences in the opening formulas and cadential patterns. For the Maguindanao, three to five typical genres can be distinguished: Duyug, Sinulog, Tidtu, Binalig and Tagonggo. The first four are considered recreational performances; the latter is reserved for ritualistic purposes. The Maranao on the other hand have only three typical genres - Kapromayas/Romayas, Kapagonor/Onor, and Katitik Pandai/Kapaginandang – all of them used for recreational performances. These general genres could be further grouped among each other into styles/subcategories/stylistic modifiers, which are differentiated from one another based on instrumentation, playing techniques, function and the average age and gender of the musicians as well. Generally, these styles are differentiated by what is considered traditional or “old,” and more contemporary or “new.” Old styles are considered slow, well-pronounced and dignified like the Maguindanao’s kamamatuan and the Maranao’s andung while new styles such as the Maguindanao’s kagungudan and the Maranao’s bago, are considered fast, rhythmic and showy. Before describing each style and mode in detail, it should be noted that the kulintang repertoire has no fixed labels because the music itself is not considered a fixed entity. Due to the fact it is orally transmitted, the repertoire itself is considered something always in a state of flux due to two primary reasons. First off is the fact having standardized titles weren’t considered a priority. Though to the musicians themselves the melodies would sound similar, the labels they would place on a particular rhythmic mode or style could vary from village to village, even from household to household within that same village. For the musicians, the emphasis is on the excitement and pleasure of playing the music without much regard to what the piece was referred to as. Secondly, because musicians improvised their pieces regularly, modes and styles were continually revised and changed as they were passed on to a newer generation of musicians, making the pieces and therefore the labels attached to them relevant only during a certain frame of time. Such issues made attempts to codify the compositions in a uniform manner impossible. An example of this could be found among the Maguindanao where the word binalig is used by contemporary musicians as a name for one of the rhythmic modes associated with kangungudan but it has also been used as a term designating a “new” style. Another example concerns the discrepancy among “old” and “new” genres. With “new pieces” continuously proliferating even up till now, pieces only created decades ago are now considered “old” even though this is considered a tradition spanning many centuries. These differences could sometimes make discussing this repertoire and the modes and styles within it a bit confounding. For the Maguindanao, kamamatuan (also called minuna or danden) is the older, traditional, sedate style, derived from the word, “matua” meaning “old.” Genres classified under this style have moderate tempos, are rhythmically-oriented and balanced and lack many improvisations (the permutations are considered more stereotyped, less bold in developing non-traditional gong combinations). This is a group-oriented style using the full complement of instruments. Found at both formal and informal gatherings, kamamatuan style is usually played by the older folks and it is because of this, this style is always played first, to give due respect to the older generation. There are three designations/genres/rhythmic modes under the Kamamatuan style. One is called duyog, meaning to “chase”, “catch up,” or “accompany.” The reason this genre has been connotated “to chase” is because the babendil player could speed up the tempo at her whim, to see whether or not the other players could catch up or not. This genre is normally shorter than sinulog and it usually identified with the emotions of love, anger and joy. Downriver musicians about Cotabato City term this genre differently: they call it Sirong, meaning “shade” or “shelter.” The next genre is called sinulog or kamamatuan na sinulog. Sinulog is derived from the word, “sulug”, meaning “people of the Sulu” or “in the style of the Sulu people.” Sinulog a kamamatuan pieces are normally play at slow to moderate tempo, usually expressing loneliness or sadness and it has been said that listening to them could make one crying, making them the best piece to play either at night or early dawn. Both this and duyog use a common metric structure in the meter of four. The agung sometimes could be omitted from this piece. Finally, the last genre is called kamamatuan na tidto. It is derived from the word, “matidto” meaning “straight” or the word “tinidtu”, meaning “made straight.” Pieces under this genre generally have certain and unwavering direction that always moves forward and is used to express one’s virtuosity. This is considered the shortest of all the three rhythmic modes and is also considered the oldest of them as well. The piece usually uses only one agung gong, a kulintang and a dabakan. Kangungudan (also called bago or binalig) is the newer, contemporary style derived from the word, “manguda” meaning “young” or “new.” Though there was no specific date when this style was truly distinguishable from kamamatuan style (Danongan Kalanduyan concludes that the division likely occurred in the 1950’s when a musician, Zankala, started playing a style unfamiliar to most), generally genres under this classification have faster tempos with an emphasis on power and speed, are highly rhythmic and pulsating, and are highly improvised with musicians employing different rhythmic/melodic formulae not used with old patterns. “Young” musicians, specifically young men, gravitate toward this style because of its emphasis on virtuosity and one’s individualism. This style allows musicians a freedom in arrangement, permutations and the choice of gongs where the kulintang, agung and gandingan in particular are the featured instrument (with the agung and gandingan considered mutually exclusive - when one is featured, other is not played.) Found in both formal and informal gatherings, kangungudan is generally played after all kamamatuan pieces have been played to give younger musicians the opportunity to participate. There are also three rhythmic modes associated with kangungudan style. The first is called binalig, derived from the word, “balig,” meaning either “slang,” “with a foreign accent,” “the stage of life from early to late adolescence” or “made different.” This is most improvised and rhythmically complicated genre of them all and it is for this reason that it is often used for solo kulintang contest and as an accompanying genre during gandingan contest. It is believed to have arisen as an offshoot from the duyog genre of upriver musicians during the 1950s. Tidto a kangungudan is another kangungudan genre considered a “new style of playing the tidto piece. It is the played fast, is considered the fastest of all the modes and is always used to accompany agung contest, accompanied by the kulintang, agung, dabakan and babendil. Finally, the last kangungudan genre is called sinulog a kangungudan also consider a newer style of playing sinulog. It often has a more melodic, is considered sentimental and is played at a more moderate tempo than binalig but like binalig, is also played for kulintang contest for its melodic style could feature the kulintang and gandingan because of their ability to emulate the language. Tagunggo is not classified under one of these styles, being more ritualistic than recreational in nature. Tagunggo is a rhythmic mode often used to accompany trance and dance rituals such as sagayan. During the playing of these pieces, a ritual specialist would dance in rhythm with the music calling on the help of ancestral spirits (tunong). This genre, often associated with older people, has two types: one with two-beat musical phrases and another with four-beat musical phrases. The former is associated with male spirits (datu) and the latter, called “said-siad,” is associated with female spirits (bai), where the ritual specialist would dance gracefully using a malong. As stated earlier, the Maranao have three types of rhythmic modes - Kapromayas/Romayas, Kapagonor/Onor, and Katitik Pandai/Kapaginandang – which are divided among two styles – andung and bago. Andung is analogous to the Maguidanao style kamamatuan where pieces are slow, subtle, balanced and well-pronounced and stem back prior to the mid 20th century. An example of an andung piece is kapaginandung which is traditionally considered a slow piece with a dignified character. Bago or onor is analogous to the Maguindanao style of kangungudan. Like kangundugan, bago pieces are continually being created, and are defined as expressive, fancy, obvious and radical pieces. An example of a bago piece is kapagonor a piece considered exciting and competitive with various parts exhibiting feverish intensity characterized by maximum flexibility of patterns and deceptive manipulation. A third style is called muraget but may very well be classified as a sub-style under andung because is deals with old pieces. Muraget pieces are identified as having a foreign connotation, exhibit jerky and fast rhythms akin to those found among the Maguindanao in Cotabato. Newer renditions of kapiginandung could be classified here since they are being played at breakneck speed by the younger generation. Though the major stylistic division among both the Maguindanao and Maranao is based upon the relative age and speed of the pieces, there exist other criteria that have caused differences in style. For instance, economic and geographic differences could play a great role in influencing certain people’s styles. For instance, among the Maranao, the center of creativity for kulintang music is in the Basak region. Their compositions are considered more virtuosic, innovative and competitive than those in the highland region which have been labeled conservative and idiosyncratic. The suspected reason is due to the fact those in the lowlands and Basak have longer periods to wait between planting and harvesting, allowing the locals to invest more time creating new compositions than their highland counterparts, who’s more evenly working schedule eliminated that possibility and allowed for them to retain older types of compositions. The Maguindanao have geographic differences similar to the Maranao where one’s style is dependent on whether you are upriver or downriver along the Pulangi (the largest river in Mindanao). For instance those upriver play “Dulawan” style where there is single-note enunciations for binalig performances, while those downriver would play double-noted strokes (using the bouncing effect of the stick) in binalig performances in accordance with “Nuling” style. For players of “Nuling” style, their intervals are much shorter, making them go much faster from phrase to phrase than those playing “Dulawan” style. Even newer downriver styles are developed. One is called barikata, an assertive style that is described as being “complicated” and difficult to understand and the other is called taraburutan (meaning a “binalig piece made different”) believed to be an offshoot of binalig that imitates the rapid prolonged firing of a machine gun on the kulintang. Differences in a people’s contact with the outside world could also be decisive as seen among the Maguindanao, where those with a higher educational attainment, who are usually exposed to more Westernized culture, are more likely to play kangungudan style than their less educated peers. This reasoning could also be extended to the differences between the Maranao and Maguindanao repertoire where the Maguindanao proximity to the seas has allowed for their repertoire to have more contact with the outside world, allowing for their kulintang performances to be more modernized than their inland counterparts. Sulu-type compositions on the kulintangan are found among the Tausug, Samal, Yakan, Sama/Badjao, and Kadazan-Dusan. Though there exist no identifiable rhythmic or melodic differences between patterns with names such as the Maguindanao, each group has their own music compositions. For instance, the Tausug have three identifiable compositions - kuriri, sinug, and lubak-lubak - the Yakan have two - tini-id and kuriri - and the Dusan have three - ayas, kudidi and tidung. Though these melodies vary even within groups like the Maguindanao and Maranao, one theme which characterizes the sulu-type is the exchange of short melodic phrases between the kulintangan and the agungs, where both instruments imitate and duplicate each others rhythms very quickly. This is clearly seen in the Tausug’s sinug and Yakan’s tini-id and kuriri compositions where this sort of jousting becomes a game of skill and virtuoso playing. The main purpose for kulintang music in the community is to function as social entertainment at a non-professional, folk level. These events where kulintangs are present (called kalilang by the Maranao) are used as an arena for singing, dancing, recitation of lyric and poetic discourse, and even a fashion show. What makes this music unique is that it is considered a public music in the sense everyone is allowed to participate. Not only do the players play, but the audience members, consisting of neighbors and guests who come to the event, are also expected to participate in either formal performances hosting hundreds of people or simple informal performances at one’s home. These performances are important in that they bring people in the community and adjacent regions together, helping unify people who otherwise may not have interacted with one another. Prior to performances, no invitations are handed out concerning the coming event. Instead of relying on public announcements before the event, players rely on the sound of the ensembles as the invitation for people to come, believing it was loud enough for all in the village to hear. So, like television did for America the nineteen-fifties, the kulintang represented their gathering point for the entire community. Traditionally, when performers play kulintang music, their participation is completely voluntary. Musicians see performing kulintang music for their peers as an opportunity to receive recognition, prestige and respect from the community and nothing more. Societies with kulintang music have never grasped the financial aspect of playing it - making a livelihood from this music for any of the musicians was simply out of the question. This is the reason why in Mindanao, the populace has generally strayed away from the commercializing it, either by set concert performances or broadcasting it through media formats such as the radio. Generally, performances could be classified as either formal ones or informal ones. During formal performances (called kapmasa-ala ko lima-ka-daradiat. “ a formal gathering of five instruments or players” by the Maranao) adherents follow a traditional set of rules that would govern playing and it usually involved people from outside the home. Informal performances are quite the opposite. The strict rules that normally govern play are often ignored and the performers are usually between people well acquainted with one another, usually close family members. There performances (called kap’pakaradian-an (merry-making)) usually were times when amateurs practiced on the instruments, young boys and girls gathered the instruments, substituting the kulintang with the saronay and inubab. Ensembles didn’t necessary have to have five instruments: they could be composed of only four instruments (three gandingan gongs, a kulintang, an agung, and a dabakan), three instruments (a kulintang, a dabakan, and either an agung or three gandingan gongs) or simply just one instrument (kulintang solo). (left): A formal kulintang performance consisting of five players at Skyline College, San Bruno. (right): A informal performance with a solo kulintang player being accompanied only by the dabakan at San Francisco State University. Formal performances follow a very traditional format. Using the Maranao as an example, at the opening of the performance, a female kulintang player would leave the women section, doing a traditional elegant gant as she heads towards the kulintang. While her right arm would freely and gracefully swing, she would hold in her left arm a malong/sarong (loose tubular skirt) in a special way, changing its position every now and then, showing the various ways it was traditionally worn. She, if she was willing, would even sing and song-dance called kaganat-sa-darang’n. Once she was seated, she would give an oration and poetic recitation, exalting everyone involved including important people, the ensemble, individual parts and players finally ending with a hope that they all play harmoniously. Prior to the start of playing pieces, she would play a Ka-unon, a short pattern in free rhythm used to check whether or not the gongs had not been reversed. After the performance, she leaves in the same leisurely way she came. During formal performances, a set sequence of compositions is usually called for. For the Maguindanao, the compositions must be played in order starting with Duyog, Sinulog and ending with Tidtu. Duyog and Sinulog pieces should be playing at least three times each with each rendition significantly different from the next one. Afterwards, Tidtu could be played as many times afterwards. For other groups, there is no set order that compositions must be played. The Maranao only require that at least one of the rhythmic modes be used during kolintang performances, while the Tausug would play one composition a varying number of times before moving onto the next composition. The kulintang is usually not the first instrument to begin playing during these performances. Depending on the composition it may vary. For instance, for the Maguindanao, both the compositions of Duyog and Sinulog a Kamamatuan would have the babendil begin the piece, followed by the dabakan, then the kulintang, the gandingan and finally ending with the agung. However, for Tidto a Kamamatuan, it is the dabakan then the babendil (if it is played at all - it could be substituted for the highest gong on the kulitnang) followed by the kulintang, gandingan and finally the agung. During these formal performances, the audience also can get involved, expressing their sentiments through various means. Shouting, not clapping, is a means for expressing to a group that they have done well. For instance, common expressions cheered would be like, “Namba, Namba” by the Maguindanao or “Mata-an aki ka miagayan-ayon siran” meaning “There is no doubt that they were in harmony” by the Maranao. Quantities that audience members look for included either an excellent performance or a nearly perfect rendition as long as the unanimity of the group as one unit heading for the same goal was evident. Lack those qualities, the Maguindanao would give you only silence. The Maranao also refrain from expressing their disapproval but if the same errors are committed by the same musician, criticism and ridicule is likely. Kulintang music generally could be found as the social entertainment at a host of different occasions. Along with its use as a form of family entertainment played in private homes almost every night after dinner, it is also used during large feasts, festive/harvest gatherings, for entertainment of visiting friends and relatives, and at parades. A famous parade in particular is the Maranao flaviad parade on Lake Lanao where large boats are tied together, side by side, forming a gakit onto which kulintang ensembles can play atop of. These types to processional music could also be found in the Maluku atop the sultun’s boats (kora-kora or tiva tipa balang) from Ternate and Tidore (This tradition is rare now in central and southeastern Maluku.) Kulintang music also accompanies ceremonies marking significant life events, such as first birthday of sons, water baptisms (paigo sa raget), weddings and all the different stages of the marriage ceremony including the formal marriage proposal, transactions of dowry by both parties after the wedding and finally annual pilgrimages returning to and from Mecca (the latter is accompanied by kandoli, preparations of different foods which are offered to panditas (priests) who would pray to Alathala (God) for the traveler’s safe journey). These events are so significant; most pilgrims never forget these events in their honor. For the Toli-Toli and Kailinese of Central Sulawesi, their kakula music is also played for other significant life events such as posuna (circumcision) and nokeso (growing up rituals). Kulintang music also plays a significant role during state functions, used during official celebrations, entertaining of foreign dignitaries and important visitors of distant lands, court ceremonies of either the sultanate or village chieftains, enthroning/coronations of a new leader and the transferal of a sultanate from one family to another. This could be seen in North Maluku at the Ternate and Tidore palaces where bronze kulintang gong-ensemble are played only during Sultun precessions to palace mosque on the occasions of the Idul’fitri and Idul’adha festivals. Recently, kulintang music could also be hear during election campaigns where local politicians would organize musical contest to encourage people to vote in their favor (for their troubles, politicians would give musicians cast or clothing in return). Kulintang music isn’t welcomed at all occasions though. For the Muslim Maguindanao and Maranao, kulintang music is prohibited from being played inside mosques and during Islamic rites/observances/holidays, such as the fasting month (Ramadhan), where playing is only allowed at night during the time when they are allowed to eat. They also prohibit it during the mourning period of the death of important person, during funerals, and during the peak times of the planting and harvest season. Of course, these are exceptions for among the Bolaang Mongondow of North Sulawesi, kulintang music has been used during the funerals of noble families and among the Tidore and Ternate of Maluku played during holy days. Kulintang music has uses other than public performances. It also is used to accompany healing ceremonies/rituals (pagipat) / animistic religious ceremonies. Though this practice has died out among the Maranao due to its non-Islamic nature, some areas in Mindanao, Sabah and Maluku still practice this ancient tradition. For the Maguindanao, these healing ceremonies are accompanied by the piece Taggungo and are divided into two types - dependent on the mission the healing ceremony is to accomplish. Prior to either ceremony, the folks of the afflicted one would consult a pagagamot, a ‘medicine man,’ who would tell them what should be done next. Kapagubad is performed when difficult child labor is predicted. During Kapagubad, a male/female shaman (preferably the specialty of an old woman) would perform a trance dance which would last for one day (food is offered to the spirits during the ceremony in the form of an alligator which is a symbol of the spirit of the river). Kapagipat is the another healing ceremony, usually performed when someone is seriously ill for the appeasement of malignant spirits either from saitan (satan) or aluwak (spirits of ancestors) believed to be cursing them. During this ceremony, two male/female shaman’s (preferably those in their fifties or sixties, for those who are younger are considered not strong enough to handle the spirits) would perform trance dances for seven days - mainly during evening and night hours except the last day which only during the afternoon. For the Lotud and Dusun of Tuaran, kulintangan music is also used for various healings rites such as the seven-day Rumaha rites used to honour the spirits of the scared skulls and the five-day Mangahau rites used to honour possessed jars. Also, the Tuaran Dusand use kulintangan music for welcoming spirits. Kulintang music can be used for communicating long-distance messages from one village or longhouse to another. Called apad, these renditions could be used to mimic the Maguindanao language, creating a private language or a form of social commentary that only those who know the music would understand. Instruments with a melodic ability such as the kutiyapi and the kubing could be used for apad but for the Maguindanao, generally such renditions are reversed for the gandingan for it’s the loudest of all the melodic instruments (See Chapter 2: Instrumentation: Gandingan on how apad is accomplished upon the gandingan.). Apad also could be played upon the kulintang since it’s also a melodic instrument, albiet at a smaller scale than the gandingan’s. Musicians have been known to breakaway from compositions and go into apad style. For instance if a farmer were practicing alone on the kulintang when his wife was at home and he wanted to have cooked rice when he got back, the man could send her a message using the kulintang, cutting off the song he was playing and play, “Please cook rice because I am ready to work in the farm” upon the gongs. Close friends also could use apad style upon the kulintang to gossip about girls they like or don’t like or to simply mimic beggars on the streets, playing a rendition that said, “20 cents, 25 cents.” Only those who understand the music will get the joke while others will be obvious to it all. Informal renditions upon the kulintang sometimes elicits spontaneous bouts of laughter or giggling since it so happens the messages being played are unusual or naughty circumstances of apad wordplay. However, apad is coming to disuse due to the fact, times are changing - those once close-knit communities are now becoming bustling towns. Apad with its once special meanings are no longer relevant in larger, mixed populations where most of the population has no idea such renditions encodes a language in and of itself. Instead, anun, music without a message used to express one’s sentiments/feelings, has come more and more into use due to the fact it feels well with the musical elaborations and idiosyncratic styles of the times. Kulintang music was also crucial in relation to courtships due to the very nature of Islamic custom, which did not allow for unmarried men and women to intermingle. Traditionally, unmarried daughter were kept in a special chamber in the attic called a lamin, off-limit to visitors and suitors. It was only when she was allowed to play during kulintang performances were suitors allowed to examine her: her face, refinement and appearance. Men who had fallen head-over-heels for a certain player during these performances may attempt to entice her by serenading her with an apad rendition outside her home using an instrument like the kutiyapi. Master Kalanduyan claims that couples have even been known to elope thanks to the soothing sounds of such music (Couples usually eloped if the man wouldn’t be able to afford the dowry. The couple would need to leave their village and enter another so they would not be penalized.). It’s because of this kulintang music was traditionally seen as one of the rare socially approved vehicles for interaction among the sexes. Musical contest (called kadsigi), particularly among the Maguindanao, have become a unique feature of these kulintang performances. They occur at almost all the formal occasions mentioned above, particularly weddings. What has made the Maguindanao stand out from the other groups is that they practice solo gong contest – with individual players showcasing their skill on the various ensemble instruments – the agung, gandingan and the kulintang – as opposed to only group contest, where performers from one town and another town are pitted against each other. These contests are known to last long into the night, starting usually at 7 or 8 in the evening and ending, if all contestants feel up to it, at 6 the next morning. Certain steps are normally taken, prior to the beginning of contest. A week prior to the gathering, the hosts inform barrio captains of each of the village that a gathering is to take place. These barrio captains in turn would disseminate this information to the musicians in each of their village so they may gain practice time. On the day of the contest, expert agung, kulintang and gandingan players (papagagungs, pakukulintangs and pagagandings respectively),would first be fed along with their mulits, (assistants). Afterwards, beginners and mulits would play, so all musicians can have a chance to participate. And right before the contest begins, the names of the papagagungs, pakukulintangs and pagagandings would be read. Maguindanao contest follow a certain sequence with matches on the agung beginning the contest, followed by matches on the gandingan and finally matches on the kulintang. The agung contest begins with audience members selecting the accompanying kulintang and dabakan players. They could be either male or female, but if they happen to be an unmarried female, her friends would accompany her and watch the other members play. These types of contest help in the interactions among the sexes. (left): One of the Magui Moro Master Artist playing in an agung contest at Skyline College using a technique called katinengka, hitting the agung using the wooden end of the balu along with the rubber end.(right): Another Magui Moro Master Artist playing in agung contest, this time using two balus, stablizing the higher gong using his leg. Agung contest requires the playing of only one type of song, tidto a kangungudan. This is played several times, so players could alternate and this would last up for about an hour. Gandingan contest do not use tidto but instead have binalig playing on the kulintang, again played several times so players would alternate. Finally, kulintang contest, accompanied by the dabakan, would use either binalig or sinulog a kangungudan during the competition. Competition during these events is at times so intense - musicians have been known to take drastic measures to influence the very outcome of the contest. There have been numerous accounts of practitioners using black magic and ancient spells to harm fellow rivals. Master Kalanduyan recalls one incident, during a wedding when he had been playing the gandingan, someone blew into his ear, causing his arm to freeze and drop his beaters. A riot ensued. To counter such hexes, musicians would resort to wearing amulets, such as a black armband around their shoulder, to protect themselves from such attacks. Of course, such measures wouldn’t protect against physical attacks from foreign objects, such as knifes, which also have occurred in the past. Such intensity during such competitions is major factor in why women have gradually been pushed out of the realm of the kulintang world. Another contributing factor is the fact musicians were required to travel to compete in contest – something women in this culture were not accustomed to do. Kulintang gongs are made using the cire perdue method, a type of lost-wax process used for casting the individual gongs. The first phase, traditionally done by women, is the creation of replicas of the gongs out of either beeswax (talo) or candlewax (kandila). Parts of the gong - the boss, the face, the rim and the filigree lines (which are used to decorate the face of the gong with geometric figures) - are carved out from the wax, then joined together to make a complete wax mold (limbaga) of a gong. Next, the wax mold is covered with a special mixture of finely-powdered coal/mud that is gathered, sieved, refined and diluted with water finally becoming a thick liquid which is then applied upon the wax‘s surface generously and evenly using a brush. Atop this layer, another coating of powdered-dry clay is added until it thickens reaching 2-3 millimeters. Once the layers have dried significantly under the sun, the entire mold is heated in a furnace, melting away the wax and hardening the coal/mud mixture, creating a hollowed shell. With this hardened mold, molten bronze would be poured down the mold’s mouth cavity, cooled to a certain degree, then the coal/mud is broken apart, revealing a new gong, albeit in its raw and crude form. The gong is then refined, cleaned, using an iron file and sandpaper, then properly identified by the panday (gong-maker) using a tumbuk (a metal stamper) via trademark designs spanning around the outer edge of the gong’s surface (This is still being done by two active gong-makers – Zacaria and Ustadz Maliga – up to now). (left and right): Master Kalanduyan demonstrating the tongkol process of tuning a kulintang gong gently using a metal hammer. Finally, the finished product is improved upon by using the tongkol process, tuning the gongs either by hammering the boss from the inside (pounding on its face) slightly raising its pitch or hammering the boss from the outside (pounding it inside under the face) from the outside slightly lowering its pitch. This process is easier to do on brass gongs due to the fact their surfaces are thinner than bronze gongs (this is contradicted by Master Kalanduyan, who uses the tongkol process regularly, who says bronze gongs are easier to tune since the alloy is softer than brass.) Stemming from the fact gong casting was done long before the influences of either Islam or Christianity to the region, pandays adhere to certain ancient traditions that must be followed upon casting these gongs. For instance, the pandays require complete silence during the entire process of producing the gong for it is believed that the gongs partake in the spirit world and therefore as a sign of respect toward those spirits, silence is required. The pandays also should not be informed about anyone’s death when making the gongs for doing would lead to gongs that either defective or sound unsatisfactory. If either those rules are broken, the panday would immediately stop what they are doing and wait until the next day at 6 in the morning to start where they left off. The same holds true when pouring the molten bronze into the harden mold – it must be done either at dawn or on a cool day, lest the gongs become defective. Pandays also believed gongs should be cast only certain days of the month for some were lucky than others. Historically, gong-casting and therefore the kulintang and other kettle-type instruments were not that accessible to the general populace. For instance, among the Maguindanao, casting was the exclusive domain of ruling sultans and datus and those gongs that came from afar were imported from afar, from gong-making centers like Brunei and places like Indonesia, mainland Southeast Asia, and even China. By the time of European exploration, the source of these gongs were either from Boronai, either present-day Brunei or Borneo, China or even Indonesia. Archeological evidence of the designs of gongs points to Borneo due to Chinese dragon decorations having a Bornean influence while historical accounts point to China, due to gongs, believed to have been brought by Chinese junks, were referred to at the time as sangleis or “Chinese gongs.” A historical account by Legaspi upon capturing Moros proves both Boronai and China were sources: the account stating that the Moros “carried iron and tin from Borney and from China porcelain, bells made of copper.” Indonesia may still have been a source as well as indicated by Thomas Forrest, who recored that the “gongs were brought in through Sulu source from Cheribon on Java for gongs with well-rounded bosses.” With the coming of American rule, changes in the Maguindanao socio-political structure occurred allowing for brass-casting became available through local gong manufactures. Centers for gong-making developed among the Maguindanao in the village of Lugay-Lugay and Maranao in Togaya/Tugaya and following WWII, in Kapimpiran near Cotabato City and Kitango, where a new process for making gongs is used. Kulintang soon was accessible to many more Maguindanao and to this day, gong-manufactures continue to sell their wares on the streets of Cotabato City, Davao, Manila and even in the eastern reaches of Malaysia in Sabah where apparently, there has been no attempt made to produce bronze gongs instead relying of imports directly from Mindanao. Kulintang music is considered an ancient tradition that predates the influences of Islam, Christianity, and the West. In the Philippines, it represents the highest from of gong music ever attained by Filipinos and in North Maluku, it is said to have existed for centuries. As ancient as this music is however, there has never been substantial data recorded regarding the kulintang’s origins. Even the Maguindanao themselves are unclear about its origins. The earliest of mention of instruments resembling those of the present-day kulintang in historical accounts are in the writings of various European explorers starting in the 16th century who would normally see such instruments used in passing. Francisco Combes mentioned in 1667 that a “culintangan” was used in Mindanao for religious sacrifices while Ling Henry Roth mentioned seeing a certain single row gongs in Borneo in 1866. In 1724, Valentjin referred to a set of five or six small different-pitched gongs in a frame from North Maluku, Ternate as totobuang, “copper bowls,” played with two hammers or sticks and accompanied by gongs and a big drum on a cora-cora (wide boat of the sultans of Tidore and Ternate). In his travels, William Dampier, an British adventurer, noted seeing, “A row of kind of bells without clappers sixteen in number,” that were set in a row and struck with wooden sticks for seven to eight days before circumcision day. He said that, “the gongs were laid on the table and were struck each with a little stick for the biggest part of the day making a great noise and they ceased that morning.” Another British explorer, Thomas Forrest, took note of musical gongs called “kulintang” saying, “these instruments had little or no variety is was always one, two, three, four common time; all notes being of the same length and the gongs were horribly out of tune.” Spaniards also noted in 1851 that upon sailing up the Pulangi on the Royal Armada to pay the Sultan of Cotabato a visit, they were welcomed by “the agong and kulintan [which] filled the space with their vibrating sound.” Because of limited data concerning gong music prior to European exploration, theories abound as to when the prototypes of what is now the present-day kulintang came to be. One theory suggest that the bronze gong had a very ancient history in Southeast Asia, arriving in the Malay archipelago two or even three thousand years ago making its way to the Philippines from China in the 3rd century AD. This theory, based on archeological evidence, is due to the fact the Bronze Age began in the region before 1000 BC. By the 9th or 10th centuries, knobbed gongs like the kulintang were believed to have proliferated throughout both mainland and island areas of Southeast Asia. Another theory lays doubt to the former claim, suggesting that the kulintang wasn’t as ancient as previously thought. It suggests that the kulintang could not have existed prior to 15th century due to the belief Javanese gong tradition, which is what the kulintang was believed to be derived from, developed only by the 15th century. It suggests that claims stating the kulintang had developed by the 3rd century were based more on myths than facts. Though different theories abound as to the exact centuries the kulintang was finally realized, there is a consensus that kulintang music developed from a foreign musical tradition which was borrowed and adapted to the indigenous music tradition already present in the area. It’s likely the earliest gongs used among the indigenous populace had no recreational value but were simply used for making signals and sending messages. Javanese think gamelan music originated in similar manner. Examples of these are seen by the gongs used by marine vessels in the 15th century, such as the Padanan, where gongs and bells were used for signaling, calling people, telling the time and coordinating maritime maneuvers of large fleets. Historical accounts record a slave-raiding expedition organized by Rajah Sirungan of Buayan and Datu Salikala of Maguindanao who sounded bells and tifas in sorrow and grief as they retreated in defeat. This type of “gong signaling” still exists among the Higaonon, Mansaka, Ubo, T’boli and even the Maguindanao, using the gandingan as a long distance communicator. Kulintang music likely evolved from this simple signaling tradition, transitioning into a period consisting of one player, one-gong type ensembles (like those found among the Ifugao of Luzon or Tiruray of Mindanao), developing into a multi-gong, multiplayer ensemble with the incorporation of concepts originating from Sunda and finally transforming into the present-day kulintang ensemble, with the addition of the d’bakan, babndir and musical concepts of Islam via Islam traders. Some proof of this transition could be seen with the Iban or Sea Dayak of Sarawak who have an eight gong-in-a-row instrument, the engkromong but use it more like a suspended gong with a two-note, two-gong pattern of permutations and syncopations more akin to the gongs in agung ensembles in Palawan, Boreno, Sulu and Mindanao than kulintangs in kulintang ensembles. It is not clear whether their original indigenous tradition was similar enough to the “borrowed” elements to allow for assimilation or that those “borrowed” elements were related enough to the indigenous tradition for assimilation to have occurred. What is clear is that, kulintang music, even though having incorporated other foreign musical elements, retained its own idiom, clearly distinct from and independent of any outside culture/influence. The kulintang gong itself is believed to be have been one of those foreign musical elements incorporated into kulintang music, derived from the Sundanese kolenang due to its striking similarities. Along with the fact that they play important roles in their respectively ensembles (for the Sundanese kolenang called gamelan degung), both the kulintang and kolenang show striking homogeneity in tapered rims (as opposed to pronouncedly tapered Javanese bonang and non-tapered Laotian khong vong gongs). Even the word kulintang is believed to be just an altered form of the Sundanese word kolenang. It was these similarities that lead theorists to conclude the kulintang was originally imported to the Philippines as the result of migration of the kolenang through the Malay Archipelago. Based on the etymology, two routes have been proposed as the route for the kulintang to Mindanao: One from Sunda, thru Banjermasin, Brunei and the Sulu Archipelago, a route where the word “kulintangan” is commonly used for the horizontal-row of gongs; The other from Sunda, thru, Timor, Sulewasi, Moluccas and Mindanao where the word kolintang/kulintang is commonly seen. The tradition of kulintang music has been waning throughout the Eastern Malay Archipelago and in many places where it may have once played a greater role it has already gone extinct. The extent of kulintang tradition in the Philippines, particularly in the Northern and Central islands of the Luzon and Visayas will never be fully known due to the harsh realities of Spanish colonization for 300 years. Sets of five bronze gong-chimes and a gong making up the totobuang ensembles of Buru island in Central Maluku have also come to disuse. Kolintang sets of bossed kettle gongs were once played in Gorontalo, North Sulawesi long ago but that has all but disappeared, replaced by what locals are presently familiar with - a slab-key instrument known as a kolintang. In fact, the word kolintang in Sulawesi is now more associated with the Minahasanese xylophone ensembles than an ancient gong tradition and other groups close to the Minahasanese needed to rename the gong tradition, kakula or kakula nuada, just to keep it identifiably different. The fact that there were still areas that were able to keep kulintang tradition alive during European colonization has made some aptly termed this music, “the music of resistance.” Today, kulintang music faces its biggest challenge yet that dwarfs the threat presented by colonization. Globalization and the introduction of Western and foreign ideals are threatening the very peoples who have held this music so dear. The younger generation would rather listen to American music or bike in the streets with other children than spend time practicing and imitating on the traditional instruments of their parents. Many of the traditions long passed down from generation to generation such as courtship and healing dances have gone by the wayside. Things such healing rituals are performed very rarely now because of the pervalence of modern medicine and its association with old pagan beliefs. In fact in some parts of Mindanao, such rituals have even been banned by the strict followers of Islam and those who’ve attempted to break it, have been shot at and killed. But there is a glimmer of hope to this story and it originates in America. Master Musicains such as Master Danongan Kalanduyan and Usopay Cadar, have begun bringing this music tradition to the shores of the United States during the late 20th century in an attempt to use the music to help connect contemporary Filipino American culture with ancient tribal traditions. They were impressed by the fact those who were not of Maguindanao or Maranao background and some who were not even Filipino were not only willing but were enthusastic in picking up an alien tradition from a foreign land. When either of them brought their own students, from universities such as University of Washington or San Francisco State University, to Mindanao to play the kulintang in front of their own people, a renaissance of sorts occurs. Many of their own younger generation were encouraged to play their traditional music by the sight of outsiders beating the kulintangs with undeterred jubilation. Such appreciation on the part of the Filipino Americans of a music that exist halfway around the world is now giving a jolt of life to a dying tradition and had become a a symbol of pan-Filipino unity. “Kulintang music in many parts of the Philippines has long since died off and through [Master Kalanduyan’s] single-handed efforts, he has introduced it to this country, he has trained accomplished musicians in this art form who in turn have passed it on in their respective ways, through their ensembles, through their teachings,” said Mr. Begonia. “And so, what we’re talking about is this music’s overall cultural continuity, cultural maintenance and simply cultural survival.” Though historical accounts and data leave the origin of the kulintang clouded in mystery, the kulintang’s legacy could be found well preserved in a host of tales and lore spoken about throughout the region. For the Maranao, the kulintang was believed to have been created during the time of Radja Indarapatra. One day Radja Indarapatra went to the mouth of a river to bathe and it was there he saw the princess of underwater kingdom, Potri Rainalot from a distance. She had just finished bathing and while drying her long hair, she was beating on a set of stones in front of her, making different sounds. When Radja returned to his kingdom, he imitated what Potri had done and began introducing the stone musical instrument to all the people. As time went on, generations improved upon what Radja had discovered: the stone keys first used by Radja were replaced by bamboo/wooden keys making the alotang, then those keys were replaced by iron keys creating the saronai and finally those keys were displaced by the kolintang, said to have come from Boronai (either Brunei or Borneo). The Maguindanao also have their own tales concerning the kulintang’s beginnings. One tale is very similar to the Maranao tale, except it involves simply a hunter and a girl as opposed to a prince and a princess. Another tale from the Maguindanao Daragen epic also deals with a kulintang of stone. It’s been said that one could find it at the cave’s entrance on a small, hilly island off the coast of Cotabato City called Timaku. It is believed from this island, one could still hear the kulintang music and chants of the female entourage of the wife of the brave hero Bantugan. How it came to be that way was narrated by Abraham, in Filipino, in December 2003: “Long time ago, it was told that people borrowed kulintang from the cave in Timaku. They were then made of bronze (galang) which one could play. So many people borrowed them before. However, there was a rule needed to be followed to return the gongs after their use. All the people in the neighborhood borrowed the gongs whenever there were special occasions like festive celebrations (kalilang) or a ritual (pagipat). But one time, somebody borrowed the instruments with the intention not to return the kulintang, agung, gandingan and all the items of bronze stored in the cave. As one day passed and he had not returned the gongs, he felt his stomach and head aching. By late afternoon, he vomited and defecated blood because he didn’t return the kulintang. When his relatives returned the instruments to the cave, it was too late to do anything because the person died due to the lost of blood. The next day, somebody wanted to borrow the instruments. He was surprised because all the bronze gongs disappeared and had become stones. That is the story of the kulintang in the cave in Timaku.” The supernatural tale suggests ultimately that, to the Maguindanao, the spirits are the ultimate owners of these bronze instruments. The Tiruray dance Ka'atung Numerous dances in the region use kulintang music as an accompaniment. The dances normally refer to scenes of royalty, grace and combat and we note a few of them here. A famous dance (thanks to its popularization by the Bayanihan Dance Troupe), is called Kasingkil, also known as the Princess Dance or the Royal Maranao Fan Dance used by both the Maguindanao and Maranao. It’s an escape dance referring to the art of moving one’s feet, swaying one’s hips, manipulating fans and weaving their feet in and out of two clicking bamboo poles (poles usually come in multiples of four). Fans are said to be a new traditions, perhaps imported from Japan or China… originally dancers would use bare hands or colorful handkerchiefs. The dance is usually performed by a girl of royal blood intend on advertising herself to would-be-suitors for her future marriage. (left and right): Students of the Spring ETHS 545 Class of 2006 practicing the Maguindanao/Maranao dance Kasingkil upon two pairs of bamboo poles. Kasingkil is said to have been named after the singuel or singkil, the leg bracelets or anklets of either silver, nickel or brass with chiming bells used by the pagan tribes of Mindanao (The Maranao do not use them in their daily lives). Singkil also refer to voluntarily or accidentally entangling one’s feet in either vines or tall grass. Though Kasingkil was popularized by residents of the Basak region for celebrations and festival proposes, Kasingkil is said to have roots that go way back into the realm of legend. According to a Darangen epic, in the land of Bembaran, there was a brave hero-prince, Paramata Bantogan, who was visiting others domains looking for beautiful princesses to pick up. The diwatas (gods of Bembaran) objected to his gallivanting, believing his departure left the security of Bembaran at risk to invasion. The diwatas therefore thought of a plan for keeping him in the region by using magic and a beautiful local princess to keep him in town. They kidnapped Princess Gandingan, placing her in a forest in the path of the wandering prince. As he passed on his way to his ladies, the gods began an earthquake underneath the princess’ feet. The princess, fearful for her life, ran but not in an awkward way, but in a graceful manner, avoiding the obstacles of tumbling rocks and falling tress in her path, causing the dear prince to chase after her. And it is in this dance, Kasingkil, that imitates this graceful mannerisms with the clapping bamboo as substitutes for the trembling rocks (recently, men holding the bamboo sticks would have war shields (klongs) to represent the shaking of the trees). For the Tausug, their princess dance is called Dayang-Dayang. (left and right): The Tausug dance Pangalay performed by Caroline Cabading-Isidro. Perhaps the most famous of all Tausug dances (thanks to the works of the Bayanihan Dance Troupe) in this dance called, Pangalay. Performed mainly during weddings or other festive events, Pangalay has been considered one of the most distinctively Asian of all their dances because dancers must possess dexterity and flexibility of their shoulders, elbows, and wrist joints (a plasticity considered attractive to the male sex). This slow dance, where dancers are perceived to be in an almost trance-like state, can either be danced by a couple or atop two bamboo poles carried on the shoulders of four men (known as Pangalay Ha Pattong). Scholars believe this dance which imitates of the movements of the birds and fishes in the Tausug world, either originated from the neighboring Samal or was a legacy of the Balinese. The Samal also have the Pangalay dance, called Umaral or Igal and they could use bamboo castanets as substitutes for long fingernails. (left and right): The Maguindanao version of the dance, Kapamalongmalong, performed by Caroline Cabading-Isidro. There are a host of other dances depicting one’s gracefulness and decorum throughout the region. For the Maranao, Kapamalongmalong is a dance depicting the different way of wearing a malong. Kasadoratan is a dance depicting a royal and graceful walking along with the swaying of hands (known as kakikin-kain) usually for girls in-waiting. Kasanduayan is a dance for a group of girls who carry a fan in their left hand and a scarf in their right. Maglanka is a noble women dance found among the Tausug and the Samal/Bajau, where a girl would act coy and shy while dancing with a fan in each hand, making this known among the Samal/Bajau as a flirtation dance as well. Sagayan is both a Maguindanao and Maranao war dance, depicting in dramatic fashion the steps their hero, Prince Bantugan took upon wearing his armaments, the war he fought in and his subsequent victory afterwards. Sagayan comes from the Tausug word of sagay, meaning head-hunter, someone used by mothers to scare their children into good behavior. (left and right): The Maranao dance Sagayan performed by Master Kalanduyan and Mitchell Yangson. Another Maranao dance involving warriors, in particular Bantugan, is Karatong, dance which depicts him, fighting evil spirits who he can only hear, but not see. During the dance, the dancer would be caught in a trance trying to hear the voice of the spirits in the sounds of a gaddang that is held by one man and hit by another. This dance is becoming a rarity due to increased adherence to Islamic teachings. The Karatong also has been interpreted as a preparation dance for holy war, jihad. The Tausug also have two warrior dances which are differentiated by the meaning of each dance. In Bojjak, (in Tausug dialect can be translated to mean spear, sword or war) a dancer expresses his sentiments and feelings before engaging in battle. In Silat/Kuntaw, the dancer expresses his prowess as a warrior, first showing off his hand-to-hand combat skills then his ability to use the kris, in an effort to drum up the spirit of his fellow warriors while at the same time, placing fear in their enemies. Silat (an Indonesian term for their martial arts) has been noted as akin to Thai boxing or Japanese judo or karate and it has been suggested the ancient Malay-dance-form was a legacy of the Balinese’s presence in the Sulu. A similar dance is called pagkuntaw found among the Samal/Bajau that is focused on a youngsters training in the art of self defense and is equivalent to Silat. {{ }} (left and right): The Tiruray dance Ka'atung performed by Palabuniyan Kulintang Ensemble members and SFSU students. Agung ensembles are also used to accompany various dances where horizontal-row gongs are absent like among the Tiruray. Sayaw Mant’ag Kanogan is known as the Tiruray courtship dance in which a man would secure a young woman. In the dance, a man and woman would dance about a turban on the ground and only until the girl picks up the turban who she have finally accepted him. Sayaw sa Kailawan is known as the Tiruray war dance, a dance where two men armed with sword and shield in hand would act out a skirmish while posing with one of them dying in the end. Sayaw sa Bulawi is known as a rivalry dance, which is identical to the Kailawan Dance except that a lady would move evasively between the two men until one finally wins her over. All these dances require music featuring four karatungs in the background, two being played by women and the other two by men. The dance that doesn’t require the four background karatungs is their bird dance, where the karatungs imitate birdcalls while the dancers portray the bird’s graceful movements. Traditionally, kulintang music was never thought by a teacher. Generally, children learned by exposure to the music, observing adults playing the compositions during performances and imitating them by rote on the instruments they would pick up afterwards. This was the most common way for learning the pieces but not the only traditional way. Another way requires a learning apprentice to memorize a pattern of mnemonic (kamblala), then articulate it on the instrument while singing the pattern. The final way was simply have someone hold/guides one’s hands over the gongs, thereby imparting correct physical coordination as well (Some teachers like Gionda, have done both, singing patterns while guiding hands of students). Maranao women would often refuse to do the latter for men perhaps because they were either uncomfortable being close to a man due to Islamic customs or believed that they considered the kulintang not suitable for a male member of their family. For most players, the amount repertoire they knew was normally on the average player of five to six songs. Some women though, who were interested in using the kulintang as a aspect of marriage-ability would know upwards of 20 pieces and those really gifted would know upwards of 50 pieces. Generally, the attribute one uses to judge if one is a good player was if they are able to play a pieces without looking at the gongs while they are struck. One was considered an expert kulintang player once they have achieved a high degree of fluency in kagkulintang (the musical language of kulintang ensemble music), using that fluency to fool other coplayers in the ensemble. This is a small selection of Maguindanaon and Maranao pieces for the Kulintang. back to top HOW TO USE We use an unconventional numbering system for notating the pieces with the largest gong labeled "1" and ascending in order to the smallest gong labeled "8." The right hand plays the "R" part of the stanza and the left hand plays the "L" part of the stanza. Players are suggested to sit with the lowest gong (1) situated to the left of them and the highest gong (8) situated to the right of them (If you are left handed, it is possible to play the instrument the other way around). Stanzas are usually repeated twice (three times for practice) while introductions, transitions and endings are never repeated. Use the "Sequence of Stanzas" to help navigate what stanza comes next in the piece. PLEASE NOTE Since kulitang music is an oral tradition, we emphasize that one should only use these scripts to help in the memorization process. Only when one can play a piece using only their memory on the kulintang (or sarunay), is one considered able to play the piece. To understand the influences kulintang music endured in order to become the established musical instrument of the region, a look into the groups and the history of the Southern Philippines is necessary. (short list of the groups involved in kulintang music) The Maguindanao presently occupy the provinces situated about basin of the largest river in Mindanao - the Pulangi. Their association with the river basin has given them their name - Maguindanao, literally meaning “the people of the flood plain.” Out of all the groups’ adherent to Islam in the Philippines, the Maguindanao are the largest. The Maranao presently occupy provinces near Lake Lanao (Lanao del Sur). Not surprisingly, it is due their proximity to this lake that they have been called the “people of the lake.” The Maranao are dedicated Muslims, known for their flamboyance and their the most identifiable symbol - the sarimanok - considered by the Maranao as a sultan-standard, a charm indentured with special powers against evil spirits. The Tausug mainly are settled on Jolo, an island on the Sulu Archipelago, a mountainous chain of islands stretching from Mindanao to Sabah. It’s because of their proximity to the sea that they have been called the tao-sug (translated meaning the “People of the Sea” or “Men of the Current”) which is where their name was derived from. Like the Maguindanao and Maranao, they are also dedicated Muslims, known for their Okkil art and fearlessness - in the early 1900’s, the Americans found it necessary to invent the Colt 45 for the Colt 38 was found not to be potent enough to subdue them. The Samal and the Bajau are mainly concentrated on the central islands of the Sulu Archipelago, from the Siasi island group to the island of Tawi-Tawi, living mainly on the sea in houses on stilts creating floating villages. They’re connotation as “sea-gypsies” has made them known as great sea-farers, fisherman and pearl divers. The biggest distinction between them stemming from their beliefs; the Bajau generally had not converted over to Islam while the Samal have. The Tiruray live in the northern part of the Cotabato Cordillera, a range of mountains situated along the southwestern coast of Mindanao. Unlike the Maguindanao, they have not converted to Islam and legend has it that the Tiruray have a common ancestry with the lower-lying Maguindanao. According to the legend, there were two brothers, Mamalu and Tambonaoway. Mamalu, the older brother, unwilling to convert to Islam agreed with the younger brother to escape into the hills. And so, that’s where Mamalu’s descendents remained, in the mountains while the descendents of Tambonaoway submitted to Islam became the present day Maguindanao. Generally, Philippine history has been separated into three sections: starting with the arrival of Magellan to the shores of the Philippines. Because kulintang music pre-dates the fossil prints of that European explorer, it would be unwise to use his landing as a logical starting point for history of the Southern Philippines. Instead, its history would be separated into five different periods, starting with the Philippines ancestral history. 1. Southern Philippines Pre-Islamic History (>14th century) The history of the Southern Philippines could start with the Indonesians who migrated to the islands around 3000 to 500 years BC. A second migration of Malays sailing from the Sulewasi began around 300 to 200 years BC, bringing with them the precursors to what will finally become kulintang music. This period of migration, where much of the populace believed in environmental spirits ended with the arrival of Sharif Makdum, a Muslim missionary to the Sulu, in the year 1380. 2. The Islamization of the Southern Philippines (1380-1578) As Muslim missionaries spread Islam throughout the Southern Philippines, Islam’s importance became threefold. It created the first political districts in the regions (sultanates) headed by a slew of datus (leaders), brought art, knowledge and communication with the outside world and provided a cohesiveness between peoples, via their religion, to unite against foreign invaders. Though Sharif Makdum arrived in the Sulu, the influence of Islam in Maguindanao only intensified with the arrival of Sharif Muhammad Kabungsuan, a century later in 1475. Known as an Arab-Malay preacher from the royal house of Malacca, his immigration to this island made him known as the greatest Mohamamedan adventurer to ever trot on Maguindanao soil. He founded the city of Cotabato, (translated to mean “fort made of stone”) Maguindanao’s capital city and became the datu of Maguindanao. The son of Sharif Abidin, a descendent of the Prophet Mohammed who emigrated to the Malay Peninsula, he and his brothers became the founders of great Sultanates throughout the region. His oldest brother established the sultanate of Brunei, the second oldest the sultanate of Sulu and him, the youngest (the meaning of the word “Kabungsuan”) the sultanate of Maguindanao. By the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan to the islands in 1521, the 16th of March, the Sultanates of Sulu and Maguindanao by then had already been flourishing. 3. Struggle against European Colonization - The “Moro Wars” (1579 - 1898) With the arrival of the Spanish, the Islamization of the central and northern Philippines was effectively halted. The Spanish began Christianizing those in the north and soon after sent expeditionary forces south to conquer the Muslims, starting with Governor Francisco de Sande in 1579 to conquer Maguindanao, beginning what is now referred to as the “Moro Wars.” The expeditions failed culminating in 1596 with the death of Captain Rodriguez de Figueroa who was given sole right to colonize Mindanao. In response to these continued invasions, Muslim groups including the Maguindanao, Tausug and Maranao formed an alliance under the guidance of Sultan Kudarat to fend off the Spanish threat. During the early 1600’s, the alliance held, fending off Spanish assaults and raiding Visayan towns who collaborated with their enemy but by 1638, the armies and fleets of Kudarat suffered major losses ending with the capture of Jolo in 1638. Though they had won, the Spanish were forced to withdraw due to more urgent matters at home so for another 80 years, Kudarat was able to consolidate his forces. It was only after 1730 the sultanates of Sulu and Maguindanao began falling under the sphere of Spanish influence, with Sultan Kudarat II finally ceding Maguindanao to the Spanish in 1860 and the Tausug doing the same 33 years later. 4. Integration into the American protectorate (1899-1945) Spain’s influence upon the Muslims was short lived once Dewey made his “daring” attack on the capital of Manila, seizing the Philippine colony for the Americans. At first, the Muslims in the South didn’t believed they were part of the Philippines and signed the Bates Agreement in 1899 (between Brigadier General Bates and Sultan Kiram II of Jolo), a mutual non-aggression pact where the Americans would recognize the authority of the sultans in exchange for security for Christian Filipinos. They weren’t aware that at the conclusion of the Spanish American War, the Philippines, including all the Muslim territories, were included in package deal worth $20 million dollar between Spain and American under the Treaty of Paris. Filipinos tried desperately to remove these new colonizers, even declaring independence on the wonderfully bright day of June the 12th, 1898 but the struggle for independence (known as the Philippine American War), which cost hundreds of thousands of Filipinos lives, waned after 10 years beginning a period of the Philippines as the stewards of America. Unlike the Spanish, the Americans were the first to have direct rule of the south and their influence over Muslim life was indeed profound. Changes included the introduction of public school systems, creation of head tax, the abolition of slavery and the increased migration of Christian Filipinos to Muslim lands. Muslim dissatisfaction grew during the early to mid 1900’s as more power was transferred to Christian Filipinos, polygamy was deemed illegal and Muslim inherited property law were invalidated. 5. Internal Strife of a Independent Country (1946-Present) After World War II, the Philippines was finally given independence but Muslims continued to feel that same disconnect during the American period between themselves and the newly created government in Manila, 600 miles away. Things finally unraveled in 1965 between the Government and the Moros when Muslim soldiers were eliminated because of their refusal to invade Sabah in an incident known as the Jabidah Massacre. The incident lead to formation of separatist movements such as the MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front), founded in 1969 by the TaoSug and the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) founded by the Maguindanao a few years later. Civil War ensued throughout the 70’s and 80’s. 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San Francisco: 2006. http://www.pnoyandthecity.blogspot.com Creative Commons License The text of this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License. Please note that the author of this text has shared information in the text of this site with Wikipedia, in particular, information from Part A: Kulintang Ensemble Instrumentation, where text from this source was incorporated into Wikipedia articles like the Kulintang, Agung, the Gandingan, the Babendil and the Dabakan. This site is not a mirror site of the Wikipedia for we lended our information to their articles. Creative Commons License The images shared to wikipedia in this site are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License. Creative Commons License All other images, most notably the musical scripts, are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. The ETHS 545 Class of Spring 2006 The ETHS 545 Class of Fall 2005 The ETHS 545 Class of Fall 2005 The ETHS 545 Class of Spring 2005 Good place to check out instruments for sale and information about lesson/tutoring opportunities for the kulintang. (left): Antique Bronze Gandingan (4 pieces) formerly used by the Kalanduyan Clan. For price and availability contact Dana Nunez for more information. (right): Brass Gandingan Set(4 pieces) available for 500 USD. Comes without a stand: contact Danongan S. Kalanduyan for more information. (left): Antique Kulintang Set (8 pieces) formerly used by the Kalanduyan Clan. For price and availability contact Dana Nunez for more information. (right): Brass Kulintang Set (8 pieces) available for 500 USD. Comes without a stand: contact Danongan S. Kalanduyan for more information. (left): Brass Gandingan Set (4 pieces) available for 500 USD: contact Alleluia Panis for more information. (right): Brass Agung Set (2 pieces) available for 500 USD: contact Alleluia Panis for more information. (left): Brass sarunays painted gold (8 pieces) available for 80 USD: contact Alleluia Panis for more information. (right): Brass sarunays painted gold (8 pieces) available for 65 USD. Comes without a stand: contact Danongan S. Kalanduyan for more information. (left): Antique Gandingan Set (4 pieces) available for 1200 USD. This is a small bronze gandingan set, originally used by the Kalanduyan Clan with a history of tours in Europe, Singapore and the United States: contact Alleluia Panis for more information. (right): Various sized brass kulintangs (8 pieces) available for 300 USD and up. Comes without a stand: contact Danongan S. Kalanduyan for more information. Interested in learning pieces on the kulintang and are within the San Francisco Bay Area? You're in luck. Master Danongan Kalanduyan,is currently offering private kulintang lessons in the Greater Bay Area. Space is limited so sign up now. Fees are negotiable. If you are interested in this once in a lifetime experience, contact Danongan S. Kalanduyan personally. eXTReMe Tracker Wednesday, April 25, 2012 The Art of Trickling By Philip Dominguez Mercurio Peeing. Don’t be ashamed to admit it. For ages, this unique art form has been passed on from generation to generation. Its golden arches of high-octane rich urea, springing fruitfully from between the loins of countless millions like the geysers found in Yellowstone, eliciting the minds of hundreds of dreamers seeking that elusive feeling of total emancipation only felt thru the arduous release of bodily fluids. Though many of you are familiar with the poignant background sounds of rushing water accompanying your release of contents, technically, the idea of squandering your unique yellowness onto some dejected puddle of water is still a relatively new phenomenon only commonly found in advanced states of toiletrism, like the United States. Now, let’s say you took out your DeLorean and time warp yourself back to the Philippines in the 50s. After enough time has passed, you might have the urge to pee and you’ll naturally scurry for the nearest toilet but what you may find yourself aiming your yellow rainbow of goodness at is nothing but bare ground. Well, what happen to the toilet? Well, unfortunately for you, you didn’t end up in the Philippines. But as my daddy recollected to me on his trips with my grandma to Pampanga, the Philippines found along the roads leading towards the provinces roads notoriously known for their habit of turning their travelers legally blonde. Apparently, unlike those cheesy rest stops along Interstate 5 where you pretend to buy the whooper with cheese but instead hastily sneak into the lavatory unnoticed, in the Philippines, the idea of sneaking into your roadside Burger King for a little trickle was unheard of. This is because, not only was plumbing nonexistent in such places but there also wasn’t any Burger Kings along the way to Pampanga. But don’t let the nonexistence of Burger Kings fool you. Filipinos even then still had rest stops. Just without the toilet bowls. If you don’t know, apparently old women in really long skirts were known to halt the bus completely in its tracks, get off in a timely manner, pick a nice spot of tick-infested grass adjacent to the bus, spread their legs to the wind and well… just go, instantly fertilizing the landscape beneath them, giving new meaning to the term “organically grown.” Whenever I hear stories about the Philippines like this, I’ve always thought that would be a strange thing to experience, the sight of a number of old women all of a sudden peeing next to a bus, the idea of which could tickle and frightened the imagination all at the same time. Wouldn’t it be funny to have had that same experience? I guess. But always be careful what you wish for. It may come true. “O good lord,” I thought. I switched the headlights of the car off. Thank goodness for the creation of darkness, or this would have been too blinding to see. Me, my Grandma Uding, and my Auntie Rosing were waiting patiently in the car for my Uncle Milo to arrive from our trip from the farmlands of Stockton. Apparently, the combination of my speediness over the ranges of Livermore and my uncle’s more conservative speed at the limit, created a space-time continuum long enough for boredom to set in. In accordance with the laws of physics, after a certain amount of time, such as a 70-minute trip from the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, there is so much a senior could do to hold off the urge to pee. With the choice of actually holding it, applying those laws led one to a simple solution. Go pee now. And that’s exactly what my grandma did, peeing away in full view of the emblem of my car, sending the liquid mess flowing beneath the hum of my car engine. I guess she didn’t realize that peeing in front a vehicle with its headlights blaring at dusk, would definitely expose some inappropriate goods to any innocent travelers driving by. Whatever the case, I definitely wasn’t going to touch my tires for a while. My auntie couldn’t wait any longer either, sneaking around to the front of the house where it was dimmer to do the same deed. Come to think of it, no wonder why the grass is so green in the front yard of my Uncle Milo’s house. They used a specially formulated fertilizer filled with all the required nutrients coming straight from the Philippines. To tell you the truth, the whole of my family seems to have a fascination with the urinal side of things. My mommy loves peeing anywhere that’s feasible. Even when there are clean, well-maintained bathrooms available for the sitting, like in rest stops scattered along Virginia Highways, the thought of actually having to walk there is quite intimidating; intimidating enough that she’ll rather resort to simply squatting next to the car and taking a leak, even with the presence of numerous big rigs lined up nearby. I guess, the idea of someone catching them in their very private act, makes the peeing an even more exciting escapade than it already is. And if opening the door of the car and lifting her worn buttocks from the grips of the car seat risked too much physical effort, she was more than likely to take out from underneath one of the front seats her handy ‘pee-pee’ bowl, that she usually ‘borrows’ from her work, and do this deed indoors. Apparently, nothing beats the thrill of peeing while lodged inside a car going at 60 mph while large SUVs zoom by. As unhygienic as you may think they are, their sensible, go-with-the-flow behavior does bring home one positive feature with it. In their ingenuity to find other means other than the neoclassic water bowl procedure Americans are used to, my relatives have not only been able to avoid the stresses that holding ‘it’ requires but also were able to manifest exactly what their foremothers have been practicing next to buses years before. Now, kids who’ve never been able to venture to their homeland could, in very strange way, still experience how it feels to be in the Philippines by way of the habits many of their relatives continue to still practice. So if ever you see any of your relatives marking their territory in a national park somewhere, just be happy and smile. They’re not being unsanitary. They’re just practicing their culture in unison. - PDM

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