special enzymes ( chemicals ) in them which break down the cell walls of many bacteria and viruses. - the mucous that is made in your nose, throat and lungs traps bacteria, viruses and dust. - acid in your stomach kills most germs, and starts to digest your food. - lymph ( limf ) is a clear fluid that is very similar to blood plasma, the clear liquid in blood, but it carries only white blood cells, not red blood cells. - the lymph flows through all the parts of the body picking up fluid around cells and carrying it back to large veins near the heart. it also carries white blood cells to the places that they are needed. - some bacteria or viruses that have entered the body are collected by the lymph and passed on to the lymph nodes where they are filtered out and destroyed. lymph nodes are sometimes called glands. your doctor can often tell if you have an infection by checking out the lymph nodes ( glands ) in your neck and under your arms to see if they ' re swollen. if they are, it shows that they are working to get rid of bacteria or viruses. in your blood you have red blood cells and white blood cells, and in lymph there are white blood cells. there are several different types of white cells which work together to seek out and destroy bacteria and viruses. all of them start off in the bone marrow, growing from ' stem cells '. the disease - fighting white blood cells are specialists. some of the white blood cells are : - neutrophils ( say new - tro - fills ), which move around the body in the blood and seek out foreign material ( things that don ' t belong in your body ). - macrophages ( say mak - row - far - jes ) are the biggest blood cells. some live in different parts of the body and help to keep it clean, eg. in the lungs. others swim around cleaning up other white blood cells that have been damaged while doing their jobs, eg. cleaning up pus that has been caused by neutrophils when they work to clear out bacteria from a wound. - lymphocytes ( say lim - fo - sites ) work on bacterial and viral infections there are two different types : - b cells produce antibodies. each cell watches out for a particular germ, and when that germ arrives, the cell starts to produce more antibodies which begin the process of killing that germ


on bacterial and viral infections there are two different types : - b cells produce antibodies. each cell watches out for a particular germ, and when that germ arrives, the cell starts to produce more antibodies which begin the process of killing that germ. antibodies attach themselves to the germs so that other cells can recognise that these germs need to be destroyed. - t cells look for cells in your body that are hiding invaders ( germs ) or body cells that are different to normal healthy cells ( such as cells that could develop into a cancer ) and kill them. does your immune system know which cells to attack? your body has lots of friendly bacteria around it which help your body work properly - eg. some bacteria inside your bowel help you to digest your food and break it up into the different things that are needed in various parts of the body. - these friendly bacteria live on the surfaces of the body, such as on our skin or inside the bowel. - they do not try to invade the body, so the immune system does not try to get rid of them. - other germs which cause illness, try to enter the body. - antibodies, which are made by the lymphocytes, attach to the invaders so that the other white blood cells can destroy them. they ' tag ' them so they can be easily noticed. as well as attacking germs, your immune system recognises and destroys other cells which do not belong in your body. - the cells in your own body are marked with a special system called human leukocyte antigen or hla ( say hew - man lew - ko - site anti - jen ). - your immune system can recognise these markings as ' you '. any cells which do not have the right markings are ' not you ' and are therefore attacked. this happens if, for example, you have a blood transfusion with the wrong types of blood cells. your body ' s immune system recognises that these cells do not belong in your body, so it destroys them. how you know your immune system is working you know your immune system is working : - if you get better after you are sick - if cuts heal without getting infected - if you don ' t catch the same diseases over and over again - when you get swollen glands - when you get swelling and soreness around a cut. your immune system is in there working to get rid of any infection. when things go wrong with the immune system sometimes the immune system will make a mistake


over again - when you get swollen glands - when you get swelling and soreness around a cut. your immune system is in there working to get rid of any infection. when things go wrong with the immune system sometimes the immune system will make a mistake. - it may attack your own body as if it were the enemy, eg. insulin dependent diabetes ( the type that most often starts in children and young people ) is caused by the immune system attacking the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. - allergies are caused by the immune system over - reacting to something that is not really a threat, like when pollen triggers hay fever or asthma. - if tissue is transplanted from one person to another - eg. a skin or organ transplant - then the immune system will attack the new part. the immune system has to be suppressed by drugs to allow the transplant to work. - when the immune system is damaged, such as when people have a serious illness called aids, they get lots of infections and are much more likely to get cancers. their body cannot recognise the infection or abnormal cells very well and the immune system does not destroy them as well as usual. the immune system is absolutely amazing. it deals with millions of bacteria and viruses every day to keep us healthy. keeping up to date with immunisations can help your body to build immunity to some serious diseases too. we ' ve provided this information to help you to understand important things about staying healthy and happy. however, if you feel sick or unhappy, it is important to tell your mum or dad, a teacher or another grown - up.


when it comes to solar power, the real dilemmas are efficiency and cost. on the one hand, efficiency has steadily improved over the last couple decades to the point where it ’ s approaching the utility prices of other power generation methods. exotic technologies promise even greater gains. however, the price of solar - generated power still remains at least five times as expensive as coal - power, the chief source of power in the u. s. ( compared to the leading candidate, nuclear, which is approximately 1. 5 to 2 times as expensive ). while solar adoption from a cost standpoint is unattractive, there ' s much debate over whether commercial adoption is needed to spur further research to propel solar into the realm of cost competitiveness. while many nations like the u. s. and china have modestly taken this position, adopting solar at a moderate rate, one nation has fallen head over heels for solar - - spain. spain is allowing solar and wind power plants to charge as much as 10 times the rates of coal power plants, making it possible for solar power installations to earn utilities big money. on average, recent rate increases have raised solar charges to over 7 times the rates of coal or natural gas rates. the costs are added onto consumers ' power bills. the results are mixed ; while spanish power bills are at record highs, the number of deployments is soaring. spain has 14 gw of solar power, or the equivalent capacity of nine average nuclear reactors, under construction - - the most of any nation. florida ’ s fpl group inc. and french electricite de france sa are among the many jumping to build in spain. gabriel calzada, an economist and professor at rey juan carlos university in madrid, states, " who wouldn ’ t want to enter a business that ’ s paid many times more than the market rate, and where the customer is guaranteed for life? " by 2009, 42 percent of spaniards energy bills - - approximately 95 euros ( $ 127 ) on average - - will be provided by alternative energy. spanish law requires power distributors to buy all clean energy produced in the first 25 years of the plants ' lives. the government also recently raised the rate of spain believes this sacrifice will pay off as fossil fuel resources become depleted and emissions standards tighten. karsten von blumenthal, an industrial analyst at hamburg - based ses research gmbh states, " the guarantee is more attractive than what other countries offer. actually the u. s. has better space for solar, in the deserts of california and nevada. "


blumenthal, an industrial analyst at hamburg - based ses research gmbh states, " the guarantee is more attractive than what other countries offer. actually the u. s. has better space for solar, in the deserts of california and nevada. " the u. s. meanwhile is also advancing thanks in part to president obama ' s solar initiatives passed earlier this year as part of the federal stimulus legislation. over 6 gw of capacity is planned for the u. s. fred morse, an official at the washington - based solar energy industries association trade group and author of the first report to the white house on solar power ( 1969 ), says that the u. s. needs to adopt more incentives if it hopes to catch spain. he states, " the incentives, if implemented promptly and effectively, should greatly facilitate the financing of these plants. " one promising benefit of the spanish solar boom is that it is increasing the number of plants utilizing new, potentially more efficient technologies like solar thermal or sterling engines. spain is limiting the number of photovoltaic plants ( solar panel - based designs ), but is giving out unlimited licenses for solar thermal and other alternative plants. quote : 1 - solar tech is improving very quickly. in another 3 ~ 5 years, it should be just as cheap as coal. quote : 4 - if many people buy their own, it reduces the drain on the electrical system quote : 2 - if its cheap, unlike a power plant ( coar / nuke ) anyone can buy it and install it on their roof or their yard. remember on dt - they ' re ' s tech that ' ll allow your windows to be solar collectors. quote : 5 - if everyone has one, it can help re - charge their electric cars. because as of now, eletric cars still require power from coal / nuke plants which generate pollution / waste. quote : assuming 0, 45 cents per kw here, quote : but the pleasure to not give the moneyto them... doesn´t have a price...


in digital imaging, there are 256 levels, or tonal values, ranging from black to white. black is level 0. white is level 255. of course, not all images ( e. g. extreme foggy, misty, atmospheric shots ) contain the full tonal range from black to white, but most do. the histogram ( levels ) is a graphical representation of the tonal values in an image. ideally, it should range from 0 to 255, with a good spread of tonal values throughout. if the histogram is bunched up towards the left, it indicates the image is under - exposed. note the crushed shadow detail. if bunched up towards the right, it ' s over exposed. note the blown - out highlights. if the black and white points are set incorrectly, the image will have a dull, flat, washed - out appearance. here they ' re wrongly set to 20 / 230. unless under instructions from a repro bureau or printer, you should not set the black / white points to anything other than 0 / 255. the printer may well adjust them later for technical reasons to do with repro, but don ' t try to guess what ' s required. it ' s true that some leeway is acceptable ( e. g. up to 5 % is usually ok ), but your images will lack visual impact if the black / white points are incorrect, so don ' t do this as a matter of course. in the vast majority of cases, it ' s best to set them to 0 / 255.


the robot can be outfitted with multiple attachments such as a cell - sprayer that can spray pesticides or fertilizers and can even weed areas intertwined with the crops. it ’ s able to do so with the help of strategically positioned cameras that take pictures of the ground, which are then sent to an onboard computer that analyzes the images and identifies both the crops and weeds ( programmed with 20 known species per geographic area ). once the unwanted plants are identified, it can then spray an herbicide through a row of nozzles placed next to the cameras positioned behind the bot. the cameras look for the corresponding image and either open or close the nozzles based on the weeds ' location. with a large range of add - on tools, this robot makes a perfect plant - nursing platform that ’ s able to keep plants healthy, one column at a time. robots are even being employed to harvest crops, further maximizing the efficiency associated with robotic farmers. one such robot is known as the robotic strawberry harvester from robotic harvesting llc. the mechanical farmhand is autonomous in the true sense of the word and is self - propelled, navigating and harvesting, and as the name suggests, is excellent in picking ripe strawberries. robot harvesting outfitted the robot with a camera array capable of taking " stereovision " photos both above and below the plants leaves to collect data on fruit ( whether it ’ s ripe or not ), flower count, plant pathogens ( diseases ), and other items of interest. the camera system can be reprogrammed to identify and collect data on a number of crops in 3d space ( giving the robot the capability to see like humans ) not just strawberries, and uses specialized software to discern whether the fruit is ripe. once identified, the robot uses a three - pronged outfitted robotic arm to pick the fruit, which is then placed on a convenient tiny conveyor belt that drops the fruit off in a collection basket on top of the robot. this may not seem like much, but the robot is capable of picking the fruit ( tested in a controlled environment ) in as little as two seconds. while you most likely won ' t see a fully functional efficient farm being run entirely by robots anytime in the next few years, it ’ s safe to say it certainly is a possibility in the near future. as more and more people populate the planet, using robotic farmers is certainly a viable option in cultivating, nurturing, and harvesting increased food crops in an efficient manner.


living with diabetes diabetes is a condition that affects everyone from children right up to adults. it is referred as a chronic condition since a person who has it can go through many changes in their lives as it can affect their entire body. over time, diabetes can cause blindness, stroke, and amputations among other things. there are two types of diabetes ; juvenile or type 1 diabetes and adult - onset diabetes also known as type 2 diabetes. the more common form of diabetes is type 2 and those who have this type of diabetes are faced many difficulties and complications to their liver, muscle and even fat cells. in the case of type 1 diabetics, they are required to use insulin to be able to combat the effects of diabetes. a simple blood sugar test can determine if you have diabetes or not. the doctor usually checks the level of your glucose to determine if you are diabetic. there are also telltale signs that one is diabetic as well. the symptoms of diabetes include an increase in thirst ; feeling tired all the time, headaches, and weight loss and in some cases blurred vision and even dry mouth. there is a treatment for diabetes and one can easily keep it under control if proper measures are taken. one must first keep their blood glucose in check all the time and one way to achieve this is by eating healthy foods for diabetics. one can also combat the symptoms of diabetes by keeping up with an exercise regimen and it would also help to keep their weight under control as well.


the environmental impact of electric vehicles has been in the media for some time. now comes news that electric vehicles can also impact running the home. an exhibit at the georgian college auto show, in barrie, ontario, demonstrates the integration of electric vehicles into the home by using the latest smart grid technologies. the display, which is run by nissan and powerstream, shows how an electric vehicle such as the nissan leaf can help power the home by converting energy stored in the car ’ s batteries to residential use through a system called vehicle to home ( v2h ). with energy stored in its 24kw lithium - ion battery, a fully charged nissan leaf can provide enough electricity to run a typical residential canadian home for a full day. the leaf to home electricity - supply system is gathering attention as a new form of infrastructure, as well as contributing factor to energy saving and alternative energy use. powerstream, ontario ’ s second - largest community - owned company, began working on the project after taking delivery of nissan ’ s fully - electric leaf vehicle. “ the powerstream / nissan display proves how smart connections between the grid, the home and the car can help us improve the way energy is managed, consumed – and conserved, ” said markham mayor frank scarpitti, who is chairman of the board at powerstream. “ the collaboration between nissan and powerstream illustrates the dramatic changes underway in technology and how two industry leaders can collaborate to benefit consumers. ” studies have shown that cutting off one household from the network when power demands are their highest can significantly contribute towards the stable supply of power throughout the grid. the nissan / powerstream v2h system demonstrates leading - edge technologies and the future capabilities of smart grid and the benefit to consumers. cnw group / nissan canada nissan canada and powerstream demonstrate the nissan ‘ leaf to home ’ charging system for first time in canada at the georgian college auto show in barrie. earlier this week in japan, nissan introduced the ev power station, an electric - vehicle charging station developed by nichicon corporation. the ev power station can fully recharge the leaf ’ s high - capacity batteries in as little as four hours, approximately half the time required by conventional chargers. “ the public debut of v2h in canada today will drive new advancements and collaboration in the auto industry of tomorrow, ” said nissan canada president allen childs. “ v2h will foster literal connections, such as those between vehicles, infrastructure, the internet, and the nation ’ s electrical grid, and the connections and relationships between engineers who are


beginning in october 2006, some beekeepers began reporting losses of 30 - 90 percent of their hives. while colony losses are not unexpected during winter weather, the magnitude of loss suffered by some beekeepers was highly unusual. this phenomenon, which currently does not have a recognizable underlying cause, has been termed " colony collapse disorder " ( ccd ). the main symptom of ccd is simply no or a low number of adult honey bees present but with a live queen and no dead honey bees in the hive. often there is still honey in the hive, and immature bees ( brood ) are present. ars scientists and others are in the process of carrying out research to discover the cause ( s ) of ccd and develop ways for beekeepers to respond to the problem. why should the public care about honey bees? bee pollination is responsible for $ 15 billion in added crop value, particularly for specialty crops such as almonds and other nuts, berries, fruits, and vegetables. about one mouthful in three in the diet directly or indirectly benefits from honey bee pollination. while there are native pollinators ( honey bees came from the old world with european colonists ), honey bees are more prolific and the easiest to manage for the large scale pollination that u. s. agriculture requires. in california, the almond crop alone uses 1. 3 million colonies of bees, approximately one half of all honey bees in the united states, and this need is projected to grow to 1. 5 million colonies by 2010. the number of managed honey bee colonies has dropped from 5 million in the1940s to only 2. 5 million today. at the same time, the call for hives to supply pollination service has continued to climb. this means honey bee colonies are trucked farther and more often than ever before. honey bee colony health has also been declining since the 1980s with the advent of new pathogens and pests. the spread into the united states of varroa and tracheal mites, in particular, created major new stresses on honey bees. is there currently a crisis in food production because of ccd? while ccd has created a very serious problem for beekeepers and could threaten the pollination industry if it becomes more widespread, fortunately there were enough bees to supply all the needed pollination this past spring. but we cannot wait to see if ccd becomes an agricultural crisis to do the needed research into the cause and treatment for ccd. the cost of hives for pollination has risen this year. but much of


needed pollination this past spring. but we cannot wait to see if ccd becomes an agricultural crisis to do the needed research into the cause and treatment for ccd. the cost of hives for pollination has risen this year. but much of that is due to growing demand. some of the price increase may also be due to higher cost of gas and diesel and other increases related to energy and labor costs. commercial beekeepers truck hives long distances to provide pollination services, so in particular they must deal with rising expenses. varroa mites ( one is visible on the back of this bee ) are a major threat to honey bee health and are becoming resistant to two compounds ( coumaphos and fluvalinate ) used to control them. beekeepers now have a simple assay to determine whether mites are resistant and thus ensure use of appropriate control measures. click the image for more information about it. are there any theories about what may be causing ccd? case studies and questionnaires related to management practices and environmental factors have identified a few common factors shared by those beekeepers experiencing ccd, but no common environmental agents or chemicals stand out as causative. there are three major possibilities that are being looked into by researchers. pesticides may be having unexpected negative effects on honey bees. a new parasite or pathogen may be attacking honey bees. one possible candidate being looked at is a pathogenic gut microbe called nosema. viruses are also suspected. a perfect storm of existing stresses may have unexpectedly weakened colonies leading to collapse. stress, in general, compromises the immune system of bees ( and other social insects ) and may disrupt their social system, making colonies more susceptible to disease. these stresses could include high levels of infection by the varroa mite ( a parasite that feeds on bee blood and transmits bee viruses ) ; poor nutrition due to apiary overcrowding, pollination of crops with low nutritional value, or pollen or nectar scarcity ; and exposure to limited or contaminated water supplies. migratory stress brought about by increased needs for pollination might also be a contributing factor. has ccd ever happened before? the scientific literature has several mentions of honey bee disappearancesoin the 1880s, the 1920s and the 1960s. while the descriptions sound similar to ccd, there is no way to know for sure if the problems were caused by the same agents as today ' s ccd. there have also been unusual colony losses before. in 1903, in the cache valley in utah, 2000 colonies were lost to


, environmental stresses, and bee management stresses such as poor nutrition. it is unlikely that a single factor is the cause of ccd ; it is more likely that there is a complex of different components. in september 2007, a research team that included ars published the results of an intensive genetic screening of ccd - affected honey bee colonies and non - ccd - affected hives. the only pathogen found in almost all samples from honey bee colonies with ccd, but not in non - ccd colonies, was the israeli acute paralysis virus ( iapv ), a dicistrovirus that can be transmitted by the varroa mite. it was found in 96. 1 percent of the ccd - bee samples. this research does not identify iapv as the cause of ccd. what this research found was strictly a strong correlation of the appearance of iapv and ccd together. no cause - and - effect connection can be inferred from the genetic screening data. ( more information about this study ) honey bees devour a new, nutrient - rich food developed by ars researchers. click the image for more information about it. this was the first report of iapv in the united states. iapv was initially identified in honey bee colonies in israel in 2002, where the honey bees exhibited unusual behavior, such as twitching wings outside the hive and a loss of worker bee populations. the study also found iapv in honey bees from australia that had been imported into the united states, as well as in royal jelly imported from china. australian bees began to be imported from australia into the united states in 2005. questions were raised about a connection between those imported bees and the appearance of iapv in the united states. beekeepers sought out australian imports of bees as a way to replenish their hive populations. to determine whether iapv has been present in the united states since before the importation of honey bees from australia, a follow up detailed genetic screening of several hundred honey bees that had been collected between 2002 and 2007 from colonies in maryland, pennsylvania, california and israel was conducted by ars researchers. the results of the follow study showed iapv has been in this country since at least 2002, which challenges the idea that iapv is a recent introduction from australia. ( more information about this study ) this study in no way rules iapv out as a factor in ccd. research by several groups will now focus on understanding differences in virulence across strains of iapv and on interactions


this book was the chosen book for the celebration of reading campaign, 2012 a dog named worthless : a hero is born children ' s book for k - 6th grade humane education a dog named worthless : a hero is born written and illustrated by rocky shepheard welcome to dogs deserve better ' s first fantasy action / adventure fiction picture book for kids and adults alike! disney - esque in tone, the book is beautifully illustrated and written by rocky shepheard, a long - time supporter and advocate for chained dogs. the book is full color, hardback for better protection and sturdiness, and comes to life on 32 pages. worthless is a chained dog who has never lived inside the house. he suffers through cold winters and hot summers only with the help of his two friends — otto and sly fox. his friends plot to free him and they set off on an adventure to look for a new life somewhere where there are no chains. they search for days in snow and ice until they find a place on the edge of a pond to hunker down for the winter. but fate intervenes and presents an opportunity for worthless to finally prove to himself that he is worthy of love and a good home. will worthless have the courage to face his fears and become the dog he has always wanted to be? about worthless : worthless was the name of a real dog, he was the reason that dogs deserve better was founded and that ' s why the book was named after him. someone actually named their dog worthless, can you believe that? read about his rescue here. it was fitting that the winning contest model for the book was another black lab named maggie, beloved companion of joe maringo of sparro. dan piraro - internationally acclaimed cartoonist and creator of bizarro : " ' a new name for worthless : a hero is born ' is, like it ' s title character, anything but worthless. this is an exciting story with a full range of emotions that kids will love and adults will take pause to think about. the same story that is lovingly illustrated within plays itself out in communities all over the world and the lessons learned from this story are simple but so important. this book will lead readers of all ages to more fully understand the true nature of " man ' s best friend " with a common - sense, compassionate approach that can change the world for the better. " – dan piraro, creator of " bizarro " cia bruno, esq. - new york animal rights advocate : " a masterfully captivating


" with a common - sense, compassionate approach that can change the world for the better. " – dan piraro, creator of " bizarro " cia bruno, esq. - new york animal rights advocate : " a masterfully captivating illustrative theme! in a new name for worthless : a hero is born, the author skillfully introduces several elements of conflict and resolution that are rich in opportunity for mutual exploration between parent and child. the dominant message being that ' all ' sentient creatures are worthy of our respect for their needs and existence. " — cia bruno, attorney at law and advocate for all sentient creatures at www. meaningfuladvocacy. com lorraine chittock - photographer and author : " wow. i love it. finally a book appears which addresses a pressing dog issue, but doesn ' t come across as preachy or pandering. from the first page to the last, the reader is drawn into the troubles of worthless, and captivated by a wonderful story juxtaposed with exquisite paintings. for children this book is a must. for adults, it signifies hope and the progress being made for the lives of chained dogs all over the world. " travel books exploring our unique bond with animals ddb founder tamira thayne : " when rocky presented his idea, i was instantly intrigued by a story that is less about the reality of everyday chaining, and more a fun fiction tale featuring animal friends and foes. i was delighted with his storyline, and even more enamored with his illustrations. i hope that a new name for worthless : a hero is born ends up on every dog lover ' s bookshelf, because that ' s where it deserves to be! " – tamira c. thayne, founder and ceo of dogs deserve better www. dogsdeservebetter. org robin helfritch co - founder of open the cages alliance : " rocky shepheard ' s inspiring and delightful book, “ a new name for worthless : a hero is born ” will warm your heart and leave you smiling. beautifully illustrated, it tells the tale of “ worthless, ” a neglected dog who is callously left by his uncaring human “ owner ” to live his life chained to a rickety wooden box in extreme temperatures. this is, unfortunately, the fate for far too many dogs. luckily for worthless, he has good friends, sly fox and otto the otter. through teamwork, bravery and a little luck, worthless ' s life takes a


box in extreme temperatures. this is, unfortunately, the fate for far too many dogs. luckily for worthless, he has good friends, sly fox and otto the otter. through teamwork, bravery and a little luck, worthless ' s life takes a turn for the better! this book teaches the importance of compassion, friendship, collaboration, acceptance, and the fact that all deserve freedom from oppression. it is perfect for children and adults of all ages, and the life lessons learned in this book will resonate within all who read it. " – robin helfritch co - founder, open the cages alliance catherine hedges founder of dont bully my breed, inc. : " a new name for worthless ; a hero is born, is a wonderful combination of fantasy and reality, and a reminder that no dog is born " worthless " but, any dog, in the hands of the wrong person, can be treated as worthless. the book shows children everyone has worth and is a great lesson in self esteem, as well as emphasizing the importance of loyalty and friendship and what can be accomplished when friends work together. it shows the importance of compassion and love and should inspire kids to ask questions about animal cruelty and neglect. it is evident in shepheard ' s heartwarming story and stunning illustrations that he is a person with a great heart and one hopes that his message will impact every adult or child who reads it. " – catherine hedges founder of dont bully my breed, inc. nikki brown - the uk dog whisperer from canine angel : " ' a new name for worthless : a hero is born ' is just such a delightful book with a really simple yet powerful message about how these creatures that we humans call “ dogs ”, can teach us all the important lessons of forgiveness, love, devotion, courage, bravery, living in the moment and never holding a grudge. the story is about how this dog views his world after being chained up to a dog house all his life suffering all weather conditions and being given the name of “ worthless “ by his human owner, reminding us all that neglect and cruelty still exists in today ’ s world. the beautiful illustrations help to ignite your imagination and take you into this dogs world where all he ever wants is the opportunity to show he can be the dog that he was born to be, and show that even though he has been mistreated he can still find it in his heart and soul to forgive, love unconditionally and become man ’ s best friend. a great read for kids


dog that he was born to be, and show that even though he has been mistreated he can still find it in his heart and soul to forgive, love unconditionally and become man ’ s best friend. a great read for kids and adults, and every dog owner or potential dog owner needs to have this in their book collection. " – nikki brown – the uk dog whisperer – canine angel leigh - chantelle - australian vegan activist / singer songwriter : " worthless the dog is much more than his namesake. his friends sly the fox and otto the sea otter unite to free him from his unbearable life chained to a rickety wooden box, all worthless has known as a home. beautifully illustrated by rocky shepheard and written in the first person from worthless ’ point of view, a new name for worthless : a hero is born is a wonderful story of courage, friendship and bravery. families can read this wonderful book together and learn lessons in patience, humility, forgiveness and respect, all taught by worthless the dog. this is a great resource book for humane education released by the not for profit organisation dogs deserve better who believe in respecting, freeing and enhancing the freedom of all chained animals. " founder of green earth day, www. greenearthday. net viva la vegan www. vivalavegan. net performing artist www. leigh - chantelle. com veterinarian / activist dr. armaiti may : " what an inspiration! engaging as it is educational, this children ’ s book brings to light the little - known problem of dogs being neglected and left to languish on the end of a chain rather than with their family inside the home. this dog ’ s story of hardship, collaboration with his fellow animal friends, and ultimate freedom from unfair confinement warms the heart. it is beautifully told and fills the reader with empathy for the dog ’ s predicament as well as admiration for his determination to free himself and find a more loving home. " – armaiti may, dvm using age - appropriate messaging, this book targets the following humane education aspects for coursework and can be used to stimulate discussion about these issues with students and children : • dog chaining • importance of friends • working as a team • wildlife education book follows the success of puddles on the floor, by lorena estep and illustrated by tamira c. thayne, and is only the second children ' s book created specifically for dogs deserve better. it can be bought in package with puddles at a


success of puddles on the floor, by lorena estep and illustrated by tamira c. thayne, and is only the second children ' s book created specifically for dogs deserve better. it can be bought in package with puddles at a discounted price, see below for package deals. book is perfect for family fun reading, and for humane education from kindergarten - through 6th grades. if you ' re a nonprofit who would like to buy wholesale for fundraising purposes, please call us at 757 - 357 - 9292 for pricing options. you ' d like ddb to come to your school or group for a reading / visit, please call 757 - 357 - 9292 or e - mail firstname. lastname @ example. org. now take phone orders at 1. 877. 636. 1408 or mail your order to 1915 moonlight rd., smithfield, va 23430. a dog named worthless : a hero is born book written and illustrated by rocky shepheard copy pak of a dog named worthless : a hero is born book perfect for gift - giving! one stop shopping for all the kids in the family. almost $ 4. 00! free hero kids ' pak includes : a new name for worthless, puddles on the floor, and happy dog! coloring book. the hero kids ' pak is the perfect classroom or home teaching aid, allowing parents, teachers, and facilitators to give children the ' whole hero experience, ' hero kids ' pak ( free hero unchained 3 pak includes : a new name for worthless, unchain my heart, and scream like banshee. the hero unchained 3 pak is the perfect family pack, something for everyone in the family, and teaches about chaining, being a foster parent to a dog, and how you can get involved with making a dog ' s life better. hero unchained pak ( includes hero unchained pak plus includes : a new name for worthless, unchain my heart, puddles on the floor and scream like banshee. the hero unchained pak plus takes the family pack above and adds in puddles on the floor, for those who want both children ' s books. hero unchained pak plus ( includes — special fundraiser! signed copies of a dog named worthless - a hero is born special signed copy by the author rocky shepheard. all $ 10 extra goes to support dogs deserve better! book blogger reviews


published : oct. 17, 2006 updated : apr. 20, 2010 two - and - a - half - year - old nina was bright - eyed and bouncy, full of laughter and hugs - - when you could get her attention. she often seemed to be ignoring her parents when they spoke to her, and when she did respond, many of her words were slurred. concerned, her parents arranged for a hearing test - - and learned that nina had moderate hearing loss in both ears. outfitted with a hearing aid, and provided with speech therapy, she is just beginning to regain some of the ground she lost during the first years of life when important language skills are being learned. " hearing impairment is the largest congenital disability, affecting about six out of every 1, 000 infants, " says duke pediatric audiologist ann mabie. " for a very long time, people thought you couldn ' t test infants ' hearing, and would just wait until children were two or three years old. but by the time you wait for children not to talk, a window of opportunity has shut. " in fact, those tiny, shell - like ears that parents marvel over when getting to know their new babies are just the most visible parts of a highly sophisticated machine. human infants spend the first year of life learning about their environment, and by one year of age, already understand far more language than they are yet able to use - - unless an undiagnosed hearing impairment disrupts the process. while hearing impairments are difficult at any age, they ’ re especially devastating in young children, because their brains rely on auditory stimulation to develop the capacity for oral communication. this makes early diagnosis and treatment of childhood hearing losses essential. happily, all newborns in north carolina now have access to the specialized screening needed to diagnose infants with hearing loss, thanks to state legislation passed in october 1999. even babies born with normal hearing, however, can develop a hearing loss later in infancy or childhood, due to ear infections or head injuries. so parents should be aware of clues that their children might have difficulty hearing and insist on tests if they suspect hearing loss ( see below ). mabie urges all parents who suspect that their child might have a hearing problem to get the child tested by an audiologist or physician with expertise in this area as soon as possible : " every day you wait is a day lost. " hearing impairments caused by problems in the middle and outer ear can sometimes be treated medically. for impairments originating in the inner ear,


physician with expertise in this area as soon as possible : " every day you wait is a day lost. " hearing impairments caused by problems in the middle and outer ear can sometimes be treated medically. for impairments originating in the inner ear, a hearing aid and speech therapy can help. " hearing aids help provide access to speech, and with some intensive speech and language therapy, hearing - impaired kids will do fine in a normal classroom. " children with severe to profound hearing impairments typically will require more extensive rehabilitation, and cochlear implantation may be indicated. at duke, otolaryngologists have begun using sophisticated new technologies to help even tiny children with hearing impairments to interact with the hearing world. when lauren, a two - month - old infant from western north carolina, was diagnosed with profound hearing loss due to a malformation in her inner ears, or cochleas, she was immediately fitted with hearing aids. shortly before her second birthday, she came to duke for a cochlear implant. duke specialists in speech pathology and audiology worked to perform a detailed evaluation of lauren ’ s hearing loss, using the most precise diagnostic technologies available. duke neurotologist ( ear specialist ) debara tucci, md, then selected the cochlear implant that would be most appropriate for lauren. after tucci surgically implanted the mechanism - - a marvel of micro - engineering - - into lauren ’ s inner ear, the tiny computer chip that controls the implant was carefully adjusted to transmit just the right auditory signals to lauren ’ s brain. the result is a girl who is learning how to communicate with those around her right on schedule. whatever intervention a child with hearing deficiencies may need, time is of the essence. as the mother of one hearing - impaired child puts it, " once you find out and take action, things only get better, not worse. ” if your child exhibits any of the following behaviors, have him or her checked by a professional audiologist or physician with expertise in hearing disorders.


at least two replacement operations on the same knee. knee replacements are most common in people older than 80 – 1 in 10 people in this age range have them, the study found. though they ’ re less prevalent in people younger than that, there are still more than half a million americans in their 50s with the artificial joints, and based on current trends, operations in that age group are expected to increase. according to the federal agency for healthcare research and quality, knee replacements tripled in people ages 45 to 64 between 1997 and 2009. doctors think two trends have contributed to that increase : the nation ’ s obesity epidemic and amateur athletes who don ’ t adjust workouts to spare aging or even injured joints. both can lead to or worsen arthritis, the main reason for replacing knees. donna brent, 63, is in the latter category. the deerfield, ill., administrative assistant says decades of racquetball, tennis, softball and other sports took a toll on her knees, but she got used to living with the pain, even when she became bowlegged and developed a limp. when pain “ started getting in the way of some of my sports, ” she gave in to her doctor ’ s advice and had the operation last june on her right knee. she said she feels better than ever, is back to exercising and plans to resume tennis and softball when the weather warms up. during knee replacement operations, surgeons slice off a small portion of the worn - out surface on the ends of both leg bones that meet at the knee, then implant an artificial joint usually made of plastic or metal. typical operations last about two hours, require a few days in the hospital and cost about $ 40, 000. artificial knees generally last 15 to 20 years. while some are promoted as lasting 30 years, these estimates are generally based on use among older people more sedentary than baby boomers who expect new knees to let them be as active as they were before surgery. sometimes that ’ s possible, though doctors often discourage knee replacement patients from engaging in high - impact sports including jogging. the national institute of arthritis, musculoskeletal and skin diseases paid for the study.


last week, president barack obama ordered interim regulations designed to enable wildland firefighters employed by the federal government to purchase health insurance through their jobs. for anyone who has seen this summer ’ s catastrophic wildfires, this seems like a no - brainer. people who risk their lives to save others ’ lives and property, including public lands “ owned ” by the country ’ s citizens, should be treated better. according to federal labor laws, most firefighters don ’ t qualify as permanent employees. even though they may put in nearly a full year ’ s worth of hours during the fire season, the demand for men and women skilled in fighting wildfires drops precipitously during the winter. keeping thousands of firefighters on the payroll all year long doesn ’ t make fiscal sense. policies that push them toward other jobs make even less sense. come spring, it makes sense to attract those who know what they are getting into and who already have been trained to fight fires effectively and safely. every employer, including uncle sam, knows benefits are not cheap. employers also know that good benefits help attract and retain good employees. seasonal workers often do not receive benefits because they are largely interchangeable. one quits, another is hired, only minimal training is required. quality may suffer – newly hired servers make more errors, for example, and the thumbs of new landscape personnel are not quite as green – but inexperience goes with the territory and the budget. that is hardly true of firefighters. these are not slow bloomers who ought to grow up and get a real job. they may never have another job as hard as this one. the hours are long, the working conditions are miserable and the work itself can be backbreaking, not to mention potentially fatal. they must respond quickly to rapidly worsening situations on unfamiliar terrain, and the consequences of not doing it well are catastrophic. although some will transition into permanent public - lands jobs, most of these young men and women won ’ t fight fires as a lifelong career. similarly, not all enlisted military personnel serve until retirement ; that does not mean their service is not valuable for its duration. while they serve, they deserve good benefits, and that certainly includes health insurance. insurance is available to nearly everyone for the right price, but anyone who has ever tried to buy an individual policy knows it can be difficult to find and difficult to use – distractions that firefighters certainly do not need. individual insurance also can be more expensive than seasonal firefighters can afford, but the lack of insurance hampers their ability to seek care.


when i was learning carpentry from a master carpenter, i tried to do something with a tool close at hand instead of going to get the correct tool for the job. of course, i butchered the piece of wood and eventually had to get the right tool, which got the job done in a fraction of the time that i wasted with the convenient - to - reach tool. the same lesson applies to power quality tools, which range from a simple screwdriver to a $ 24, 000, 32 - gigahertz ( ghz ) spectrum analyzer. not only can you waste time and not get the answer you are looking for, you might even be led to the wrong answer using the wrong tool for the task. before going into the variety of tools available, here ’ s a quick safety reminder. always assess the hazards and skills required for the task, and ensure you or whoever is doing it is a “ qualified person ” per the national electrical code definition. ensure all personnel within the possible hazard area wear the proper personal protective equipment per nfpa 70e and other local requirements. and wherever possible, make connections on de - energized circuits only. even something as simple as taking a panel cover off to tighten a screw can be disastrous. accidents don ’ t always happen to someone else. on the low end of the price range is an item in everyone ’ s tool kit : a digital multimeter ( dmm ). a dmm can measure a number of steady - state power quality phenomena, such as voltage imbalance. it can also be used to find voltage drops across contacts and other devices that should have very low drops. excessive neutral - to - ground voltage is often a steady - state condition. clamp - on power meters are slightly more expensive ( $ 300 – $ 3, 000 ) but used similarly. though only single - phase, they can be useful for current imbalance and power factor, and many have limited harmonic measuring capabilities. be wary of the 3 assumptions some meters make, which contend that all three phases are identical and, therefore, give you three - phase answers with a simple multiplication. also, most clamp - on meters use current transformers that cannot measure ( or tolerate ) direct current ( dc ). power loggers generally have capabilities similar to power meters but can take unattended readings for extended periods. they are useful for finding time - correlated problems, such as the voltage drops at a certain time each day. several manufacturers offer both single - and three - phase loggers ( $


to power meters but can take unattended readings for extended periods. they are useful for finding time - correlated problems, such as the voltage drops at a certain time each day. several manufacturers offer both single - and three - phase loggers ( $ 500 – $ 3, 500 ) that come with software for downloading the data onto a computer for analysis. some plug right into an outlet to let you piggyback the equipment being monitored for simple and safe connections. most electrical contractors doing power quality work have several monitors, which can monitor a wide range of power quality phenomena. read the specifications and the user ’ s guide before taking one out to troubleshoot for a suspected power quality problem. this is especially important when looking for transients and higher order harmonics. if the sampling rate of the instrument is 64 times per cycle, it is not possible to determine harmonics above the 32nd, and even that is suspect in the real world of measuring. if the current probe is a rogowski coil ( flex - probes ) and you are measuring in a room with a half dozen 500 - horsepower motors running off adjustable speed drives, much of the current data is going to be skewed by the antenna - like pickup characteristic of those probes. if using a current transformer that isn ’ t rated for dc and there is an inrush current condition on a saturated transformer with a dc offset, it won ’ t produce reliable data. however, using the instrument within its limitations provides a wealth of data that virtually no other instrument can simultaneously do for you. right in the sweet spot of power quality monitors are capturing the waveforms of disturbances, such as the arcing transients that occur before the voltage sag is cleared by the distribution circuit protection device or the slight frequency and phase shift that occurs when switching from utility power to a backup power source that resulted in a particularly susceptible piece of equipment dropping off line. whether doing a benchmark survey to compare the site data to the commissioning data or troubleshooting a process interruption that only occurs once per month but with large financial consequences, a power quality monitor in the $ 3, 000 – 8, 000 price range can do exactly that. though they don ’ t have the same triggering, capture and characterization functionality as a power quality monitor, a high - speed ( 200 megahertz – 1 ghz ) digital oscilloscope ( $ 3, 000 – 5, 000 ) can be a valuable tool to have at your disposal when looking at noise or transients that are above the bandwidth


focus on economic data : consumer price index and inflation, october 19, 2011 glossary terms from : one of many choices or courses of action that might be taken in a given situation. any activity or organization that produces or exchanges goods or services for a profit. consumer price index ( cpi ) a price index that measures the cost of a fixed basket of consumer goods and services and compares the cost of this basket in one time period with its cost in some base period. changes in the cpi are used to measure inflation. people who use goods and services to satisfy their personal needs and not for resale or in the production of other goods and services. spending by households on goods and services. the process of buying and using goods and services. a sustained decrease in the average price level of all the goods and services produced in the economy. a severe, prolonged economic contraction. the central bank of the united states. its main function is controlling the money supply through monetary policy. the federal reserve system divides the country into 12 districts, each with its own federal reserve bank. each district bank is directed by its nine - person board of directors. the board of governors, which is made up of seven members appointed by the president and confirmed by the senate to 14 - year terms, directs the nation ' s monetary policy and the overall activities of the federal reserve. the federal open market committee is the official policy - making body ; it is made up of the members of the board of governors and five of the district bank presidents. something a person or organization plans to achieve in the future ; an aim or desired result. tangible objects that satisfy economic wants. spending by all levels of government on goods and services ; includes categories like military, schools and roads. individuals and family units that buy goods and services ( as consumers ) and sell or rent productive resources ( as resource owners ). payments earned by households for selling or renting their productive resources. may include salaries, wages, interest and dividends. a rise in the general or average price level of all the goods and services produced in an economy. can be caused by pressure from the demand side of the market ( demand - pull inflation ) or pressure from the supply side of the market ( cost - push inflation ). money paid regularly, at a particular rate, for the use of borrowed money. the quantity and quality of human effort available to produce goods and services. the amount of money that people pay when they buy a good or service ; the amount they receive when they sell a good or service. the weighted average of the


of borrowed money. the quantity and quality of human effort available to produce goods and services. the amount of money that people pay when they buy a good or service ; the amount they receive when they sell a good or service. the weighted average of the prices of all goods and services in an economy ; used to calculate inflation. people and firms that use resources to make goods and services. a good or service that can be used to satisfy a want. a process of manufacturing, growing, designing, or otherwise using productive resources to create goods or services used to to satisfy a want. goods, often supplied by the government, for which use by one person does not reduce the quantity of the good available for others to use, and for which consumption cannot be limited to those who pay for the good. the amount of goods and services that a monetary unit of income can buy. a decline in the rate of national economic activity, usually measured by a decline in real gdp for at least two consecutive quarters ( i. e., six months ). money set aside for a future use that is held in easily - accessed accounts, such as savings accounts and certificates of deposit ( cds ). activities performed by people, firms or government agencies to satisfy economic wants. use money now to buy goods and services. standard of living the level of subsistence of a nation, social class or individual with reference to the adequacy of necessities and comforts of daily life. compulsory payments to governments by households and businesses. an abstract measure of the satisfaction consumers derive from consuming goods and services. payments for labor services that are directly tied to time worked, or to the number of units of output produced. people employed to do work, producing goods and services.


twenty ideas for engaging projectsseptember 12, 2011 | suzie boss the start of the school year offers an ideal time to introduce students to project - based learning. by starting with engaging projects, you ' ll grab their interest while establishing a solid foundation of important skills, such as knowing how to conduct research, engage experts, and collaborate with peers. in honor of edutopia ' s 20th anniversary, here are 20 project ideas to get learning off to a good start. 1. flat stanley refresh : flat stanley literacy projects are perennial favorites for inspiring students to communicate and connect, often across great distances. now flat stanley has his own apps for iphone and ipad, along with new online resources. project founder dale hubert is recently retired from the classroom, but he ' s still generating fresh ideas to bring learning alive in the " flatlands. " 2. pbl is no accident : in west virginia, project - based learning has been adopted as a statewide strategy for improving teaching and learning. teachers don ' t have to look far to find good project ideas. in this cnn story about the state ' s educational approach, read about a project that grew out of a fender - bender in a school parking lot. when students were asked to come up with a better design for the lot, they applied their understanding of geometry, civics, law, engineering, and public speaking. find more good ideas in west virginia ' s teach21 project library. 3. defy gravity : give your students a chance to investigate what happens near zero gravity by challenging them to design an experiment for nasa to conduct at its 2. 2 second drop tower in brookpark, ohio. separate nasa programs are offered for middle school and high school. or, propose a project that may land you a seat on the ultimate roller coaster ( aka : the " vomit comet " ), nasa aircraft that produces periods of micro and hyper gravity ranging from 0 to 2 g ' s. proposal deadline is sept. 21, and flight week takes place in february 2012. 4. connect across disciplines : when students design and build kinetic sculptures, they expand their understanding of art, history, engineering, language arts, and technology. get some interdisciplinary project insights from the edutopia video, kinetic conundrum. click on the accompanying links for more tips about how you can do it, too. 5. honor home languages : english language learners can feel pressured to master english fast, with class time spent correcting errors instead of using language in meaningful ways. digital is, a site published by


more tips about how you can do it, too. 5. honor home languages : english language learners can feel pressured to master english fast, with class time spent correcting errors instead of using language in meaningful ways. digital is, a site published by the national writing project, shares plans for three projects that take time to honor students ' home languages and cultures, engaging them in critical thinking, collaboration, and use of digital tools. anne herrington and charlie moran curate the project collection, " english language learners, digital tools, and authentic audiences. " 6. rethink lunch : make lunch into a learning opportunity with a project that gets students thinking more critically about their mid - day meal. center for ecoliteracy offers materials to help you start, including informative including informative essays and downloadable planning guides. get more ideas from this video about a middle - school nutrition project, " a healthy school lunch. " 7. take a learning expedition : expeditionary learning schools take students on authentic learning expeditions, often in neighborhoods close to home. check out the gallery for project ideas about everything from the tools people use in their work to memories of the civil rights movement. 8. find a pal : if pbl is new to you, consider joining an existing project. you ' ll benefit from a veteran colleague ' s insights, and your students will get a chance to collaborate with classmates from other communities or even other countries. get connected at epals, a global learning community for educators from more than 200 countries. 9. get minds inquiring : what ' s under foot? what are things made of? science projects that emphasize inquiry help students make sense of their world and build a solid foundation for future understanding. the inquiry project supports teachers in third to fifth grades as they guide students in hands - on investigations about matter. students develop the habits of scientists as they make observations, offer predictions, and gather evidence. companion videos show how scientists use the same methods to explore the world. connect inquiry activities to longer - term projects, such as creating a classroom museum that showcases students ' investigations. 10. learn through service : when cases of the west nile virus were reported in their area, minnesota students sprang into action with a project that focused on preventing the disease through public education. their project demonstrates what can happen when service - learning principles are built into pbl. find more ideas for service - learning projects from the national youth leadership council. 11. locate experts : when students are learning through authentic projects, they often need to connect with experts from the world outside


when service - learning principles are built into pbl. find more ideas for service - learning projects from the national youth leadership council. 11. locate experts : when students are learning through authentic projects, they often need to connect with experts from the world outside the classroom. find the knowledgeable experts you need for stem projects through the national lab network. it ' s an online network where k - 12 educators can locate experts from the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. 12. build empathy : projects that help students see the world from another person ' s perspective build empathy along with academic outcomes. the edutopia video, " give me shelter ", shows what compassionate learning looks like in action. click on the companion links for more suggestions about how you can do it, too. 13. investigate climate science : take students on an investigation of climate science by joining the newest collaborative project hosted by globe, global learning and observations to benefit the environment. the student climate research campaign includes three components : introductory activities to build a foundation of understanding, intensive observing periods when students around the world gather and report data, and research investigations that students design and conduct. climate project kicks off sept. 12. 14. problem - solvers unite : math fairs take mathematics out of the classroom and into the community, where everyone gets a chance to try their hand at problem solving. galileo educational network explains how to host a math fair. in a nutshell, students set up displays of their math problems but not the solutions. then they entice their parents and invited guests to work on solutions. make the event even more engaging by inviting mathematicians to respond to students ' problems. 15. harvest pennies : can small things really add up to big results? it seems so, based on results of the penny harvest. since the project started in new york in 1991, young philanthropists nationwide have raised and donated more than $ 8 million to charitable causes, all through penny drives. the project website explains how to organize students in philanthropy roundtables to study community issues and decide which causes they want to support. 16. gather stories : instead of teaching history from textbooks, put students in the role of historian and help them make sense of the past. learn more about how to plan oral history projects in the edutopia story, " living legends. " teach students about the value of listening by having them gather stories for storycorps. 17. angry bird physics : here ' s a driving question to kickstart a science project : " what are the laws of physics


, " living legends. " teach students about the value of listening by having them gather stories for storycorps. 17. angry bird physics : here ' s a driving question to kickstart a science project : " what are the laws of physics in angry birds world? " read how physics teachers like frank noschese and john burk are using the web version of the popular mobile game in their classrooms. 18. place - based projects : make local heritage, landscapes, and culture the jumping - off point for compelling projects. that ' s the idea behind place - based education, which encourages students to look closely at their communities. often, they wind up making significant contributions to their communities, as seen in the city of stories project. 19. news they can use : students don ' t have to wait until they ' re grown - ups to start publishing. student newspapers, radio stations, and other journalism projects give them real - life experiences now. award - winning journalism teacher esther wojcicki outlines the benefits this post on the new york times learning network. get more ideas about digital - age citizen journalism projects at mediashift idea lab. 20. the heroes they know : to get acquainted with students at the start of the year and also introduce students to pbl processes, high tech high teacher diana sanchez asked students to create a visual and textual representation of a hero in their own life. their black - and - white exhibits were a source of pride to students, as sanchez explains in her project reflection. get more ideas from the project gallery at high tech high, a network of 11 schools in san diego county that emphasize pbl. to learn more, watch this edutopia video interview with high tech high founding principal larry rosenstock. please tell us about the projects you are planning for this school year. questions about pbl? draw on the wisdom of your colleagues by starting discussions or asking for help in the pbl community.


u. s. energy information administration - eia - independent statistics and analysis today in energy the strait of hormuz ( shown in the oval on the map ), which is located between oman and iran, connects the persian gulf with the gulf of oman and the arabian sea. hormuz is the world ' s most important oil chokepoint due to its daily oil flow of almost 17 million barrels per day ( bbl / d ) in 2011, up from between 15. 5 - 16. 0 million bbl / d in 2009 - 2010. flows through the strait in 2011 were roughly 35 % of all seaborne traded oil, or almost 20 % of oil traded worldwide. on average, 14 crude oil tankers per day passed through the strait in 2011, with a corresponding amount of empty tankers entering to pick up new cargos. more than 85 % of these crude oil exports went to asian markets, with japan, india, south korea, and china representing the largest destinations. at its narrowest point, the strait is 21 miles wide, but the width of the shipping lane in either direction is only two miles, separated by a two - mile buffer zone. the strait is deep and wide enough to handle the world ' s largest crude oil tankers, with about two - thirds of oil shipments carried by tankers in excess of 150, 000 deadweight tons. several alternatives are potentially available to move oil from the persian gulf region without transiting hormuz, but they are limited in capacity, in many cases are not currently operating or operable, and generally engender higher transport costs and logistical challenges. - alternate routes include the 745 - mile petroline, also known as the east - west pipeline, across saudi arabia from abqaiq to the red sea. the east - west pipeline has a nameplate capacity of about 5 million bbl / d, with current movements estimated at about 2 million bbl / d. - the abqaiq - yanbu natural gas liquids pipeline, which runs parallel to the petroline to the red sea, has a 290, 000 - bbl / d capacity. - additional oil could also be pumped north via the iraq - turkey pipeline to the port of ceyhan on the mediterranean sea, but volumes have been limited by the closure of the strategic pipeline linking north and south iraq. - the united arab emirates is also completing the 1. 5 million bbl / d abu dhabi crude oil pipeline that will cross the emirate of abu dhabi and end at the port of fuja


german military use laser to destroy targets over half - a - mile away high - energy laser passes various tests with germany - based rheinmetall defense has demonstrated a 50kw, high - energy laser at their ground facility in switzerland. according to representatives from the company, the device passed all target tests with “ flying high - energy laser system designed by while we ’ re still a bit away from the sort of shootouts we see in popular science - fiction flicks, the demonstration of this sort of weaponry is impressive how it works the rheinmetall laser system isn ’ t a single laser ; rather, it ’ s composed of two separate laser modules mounted on a revolver gun air defense turrets and attached to additional power modules. the laser modules themselves are 30kw and 20kw, respectively, and a beam superimposing technology combines them, focusing the lights ’ energy in a “ superimposed, cumulative manner ” for the sole purpose of obliterating its target ( s ). in one test, the laser system sliced through a half - inch thick steel girder from a little more than a half - mile away. next, from a distance of approximately one - and - a - quarter miles, the system shot down a bunch of drones as they nose - dived toward the surface at a rate of 50m / s. specific to this test, the system ’ s radar was able to actually track the drones through their descent at a distance of two and a half miles. the last test the system performed was perhaps its most impressive. the weapon was able to focus in on and destroy a steel ball with an 82mm diameter traveling at 50m / s. beyond demonstrating a high level of accuracy, the purpose of this demonstrate was to simulate how well the laser could handle an incoming mortar round. representatives from rheinmetall say that the laser system will reduce the time required for counter rocket, artillery, and mortar measures to just a couple of seconds — even in difficult weather circumstances. as a matter of fact, the weather during the aforementioned tests featured a wide array of typical swiss - based weather patterns, including ice, rain, snow, and extremely bright sunlight. looking forward to the immediate future, the company plans to test a 60kw “ technology demonstrator ” : the quotes are purposeful here, as this new system will feature a couple of different technologies coming together in one unit. this includes 35mm ahead revolver guns, which will allow the company to explore ways in which a laser and automatic canon can be


1. linguistic background the languages that are currently spoken in the pacific region can be divided broadly into three groups : the australian and new guinean languages formed by people who participated in the region ’ s earliest migrations over a period of 20, 000 - 30, 000 years starting several tens of thousands of years ago, and the austronesian languages spoken by mongoloid people who migrated from the asian continent around 3, 000 b. c. the region has numerous languages, including 250 aboriginal languages in australia and 750 papuan languages on the island of new guinea ( including the indonesian territory of irian jaya ) and neighboring areas. there are also 350 austronesian languages in melanesia, 20 in polynesia, 12 in micronesia and 100 in new guinea ( comrie, matthews, and polinsky 1996 ). there is wide variation not only among language groups, but also among the families of languages. few language families have been identified among the languages of australia and new guinea using the methods of comparative linguistics. pacific languages are also characterized by the small size of speaker populations and by the absence of dominant languages. however, there are usually bilingual people who can speak or at least understand the languages of neighboring populations, and it is believed that this situation has existed for a long time. in terms of cultural factors, it appears that the diversification of languages in the pacific region was accelerated by the emblematic function of language in the creation of a clear distinction between “ ingroup ” and “ outgroup. ” the languages of new guinea and the region around it show diverse linkages and wide variations between languages. the austronesian languages of the pacific region are mostly classified as oceanian languages, while the chamorro and palau languages of micronesia are classified into the languages of western malaya and polynesia ( wmp, indonesian family ), and the indigenous languages of maluku and irian jaya in eastern indonesia into the central malayo - polynesian ( cmp ) or the south halmahera - west new guinea ( shwng ) subgroups. in particular, there are strong similarities between the linguistic characteristics of the cmp and shwng languages and those of the melanesian branch of the oceanian languages. these linguistic conditions and characteristics are attributable to ethnic migrations within the region over a long period of time, accompanied by contacts and linguistic merging with indigenous papuan people. papuan languages are still found in parts of indonesia, including northern halmahera and the islands of pantar and alor and central and eastern timor


region over a long period of time, accompanied by contacts and linguistic merging with indigenous papuan people. papuan languages are still found in parts of indonesia, including northern halmahera and the islands of pantar and alor and central and eastern timor in the province of nusa tenggara. in new guinea, contact with papuan languages has caused some austronesian languages to exhibit a word order change from subject - verb - object to subject - object - verb ( austronesian type 2 ) ( sakiyama 1994 ). 2. linguistic strata with the start of colonization by the european powers in the nineteenth century, a new set of linguistic circumstances developed in the region. first, pidgin languages based on european and melanesian languages gradually emerged as common languages. the establishment of plantations in samoa and in queensland, australia, which had concentrations of people who spoke melanesian languages, was important in providing breeding grounds for pidgin languages. a pidgin language is formed from elements of the grammar of both contributing languages, though the pidgin languages tend to be looked down upon from the perspective of the more dominant of the two parent languages. the region ’ s newly formed common languages, including tok pisin, bislama, and solomon pidgin, flourished after they were taken back to the homelands of the various speakers. this was possible because vanuatu, the solomon islands and papua new guinea were all multilingual societies without dominant languages. the number of speakers of pidgin languages increased rapidly in this environment. at the same time, the continuing existence of ethnic minority languages came under threat. examples of pidgins that were creolized ( adopted as mother languages in their own right ) include solomon pijin, which eventually had over 1, 000 speakers aged five and over ( 1976 ) in the solomon islands. bislama, a mixture of over 100 indigenous languages grafted upon a base of english and french, is now spoken by almost the entire population of vanuatu ( 170, 000 in 1996 ) and is partially creolized. of particular interest is the fact that a group of more than 1, 000 people who emigrated to new caledonia have adopted bislama as their primary language. the situation in papua new guinea, which has a population of 4, 300, 000 ( 1996 ), is even more dramatic. by 1982 the number of people using tok pisin as their primary language had reached 50, 000, while another 2, 000, 000 used it as a second language ( grimes 1996 )


300, 000 ( 1996 ), is even more dramatic. by 1982 the number of people using tok pisin as their primary language had reached 50, 000, while another 2, 000, 000 used it as a second language ( grimes 1996 ). 3. minority languages and common languages in the pacific region the atlas of the world ’ s languages in danger of disappearing published by unesco ( wurm 1996 ) provides merely a brief overview of the current situation in papua new guinea, australia, the solomon islands, and vanuatu. there is no mention of micronesia, new caledonia, or polynesia, presumably because of a lack of information resulting from the large number of languages in these areas. the following report covers areas and languages that i have researched and endangered languages covered by field studies carried out by japanese researchers. 3. 1 belau ( palau ), micronesia according to belau ( palau ) government statistics ( 1990 ), the total population of 15, 122 people includes 61 people living on outlying islands in sonsorol state, and 33 in hatohobei ( tochobei ) state. apart from the sonsorol islands, sonsorol state also includes the islands of fanah, meril and pulo an. in addition to the hatohobei language, the language mix on these outlying islands also includes nuclear micronesian ( chuukic ) languages, which are the core oceanian languages spoken in the carolines. they differ from palauan, which is an indonesian language. to lump these languages together as the sonsorol languages with a total of 600 speakers ( wurm and hattori 1981 - 83 ) is as inaccurate as combining the miyako dialects of okinawa into a single classification. the number of chuukic speakers has declined steadily since these figures were compiled. starting in the german colonial period of the early twentieth century, people have been relocated from these outlying islands to echang on arakabesan island in belau. today there are several hundred of these people. many of those born in the new location only speak palauan. a study by s. oda ( 1975 ) estimated that there were 50 speakers of pulo annian. the language of meril continued to decline and has now become extinct. from the early part of the twentieth century until the end of world war ii, micronesia was under japanese rule, administered by the south seas mandate. japanese was used as a common language, and its influence is still evident today. the linguistic data on micronesia presented by grimes


the twentieth century until the end of world war ii, micronesia was under japanese rule, administered by the south seas mandate. japanese was used as a common language, and its influence is still evident today. the linguistic data on micronesia presented by grimes ( 1996 ) is distorted by the fact that, while the number of english speakers is shown, no mention is made of japanese. a study carried out in 1970 ( wurm, muhlhausler, and tryon 1996 ) found that people aged 35 and over could speak basic japanese. this group is equivalent to people aged 63 and over in 1998. an estimate based on belau government statistics ( 1990 ) suggests that more than 1, 000 of these people are still alive. in the state of yap in the federated states of micronesia, where the percentage of females attending school is said to have been low, we can assume that the number of japanese speakers has fallen below 500. it has been suggested that if japan had continued to rule micronesia, japanese would certainly have become the sole language in the region, and indigenous languages would have disappeared ( wurm, muhlhausler, and tryon 1996 ). this seems an overly harsh appraisal of japan ’ s language policy. except in the schools, as a matter of fact no significant steps were taken to promote the use of japanese. micronesia previously had no common language for communication between different islands. even today, old people from different islands use japanese as a common language ( sakiyama 1995 ; toki 1998 ). however, the role of this japanese pidgin appears to have ended within a single generation, and in this sense it too is an endangered language. pidgin japanese continues to be used as a lingua franca by taiwanese in their fifties and older ( wurm, muhlhausler, and tryon 1996 ), and the number of speakers is estimated to have been 10, 000 in 1993 ( grimes 1996 ). 3. 2 yap, micronesia ngulu atoll is situated between the yap islands and the belau islands. the nguluwan language is a mixture of yapese and ulithian, which belongs to the chuukic family. it has inherited the ulithian phonetic system and a partial version of yap grammar ( sakiyama 1982 ). nguluwan appears to have evolved through bilingualism between yapese and ulithian, and to describe it as a dialect of ulithian ( grimes 1996 ) is inappropriate. in 1980 there were


yet to be surveyed and researched adequately. there are many languages for which vocabulary collection has yet to be undertaken. it appears that dictionaries or grammars have been published for less than one - tenth of the region ’ s languages. however, the gospel has been published in several dozen languages using orthographies established by sil. papuan languages range from those with substantial speaker populations, including enga, chimbu ( kuman ), and dani, which are spoken by well over 100, 000 people, to endangered languages such as abaga with 5 speakers ( 150 according to wurm ), makolkol with 7 ( unknown according to wurm ), and sene with under 10. there are very many languages for which the number of speakers is unknown and more up - to - date information is needed. also, despite having substantially more than 1, 000 speakers ( wurm 1982 ; grimes 1996 ), murik is in danger of extinction due to the creolization of tok pisin ( foley 1986 ). moreover, it is questionable whether the present lists include all of the region ’ s languages. information about irian jaya is even sparser. a study on popular languages carried out by the author in 1984 - 85 revealed that kuot ( new ireland ), taulil ( new britain ), and sko ( irian jaya ) all had several hundred speakers and that, in the case of taulil in particular, an increasing number of young people were able to understand what their elders were saying but could no longer speak the language themselves. there has been a rapid shift to kuanua, an indigenous language used in trade with neighboring rabaul, which is replacing taulil. 3. 5 solomon islands, melanesia the total population of the solomon islands is 390, 000 ( 1996 ). there are 63 papuan, melanesian, and polynesian indigenous languages, of which only 37 are spoken by over 1, 000 people ( grimes 1996 ). the papuan kazukuru languages ( guliguli, doriri ) of new georgia, which were known to be endangered as early as 1931, have become extinct already, leaving behind just some scant linguistic information. the melanesian tanema and vano languages of the santa cruz islands and the laghu language of the santa isabel islands were extinct by 1990. this does not mean that the groups speaking them died out, but rather that the languages succumbed to the shift to roviana,


vano languages of the santa cruz islands and the laghu language of the santa isabel islands were extinct by 1990. this does not mean that the groups speaking them died out, but rather that the languages succumbed to the shift to roviana, a trade language used in neighboring regions, or were replaced by solomon pijin ( sakiyama 1996 ). 3. 6 vanuatu, melanesia the situation in vanuatu is very similar to that in the solomon islands. the official view, written in bislama, is as follows : i gat sam ples long 110 lanwis evriwan so i gat bigfala lanwis difrens long vanuatu. pipol blong wan velej ol i toktok long olgeta bakegen evridei nomo long lanwis be i no bislama, inglis o franis. ( vanuatu currently has 110 indigenous languages, which are all very different linguistically. on an everyday basis people in villages speak only their local languages, not bislama, english, or french ). ( vanuatu, 1980, institute of pacific studies ) among the melanesian and polynesian indigenous languages spoken by 170, 000 people, or 93 % of the total population ( 1996 ), there are many small minority tongues. these include aore, which has only a single speaker ( extinct according to wurm and hattori [ 1981 - 83 ] ) ; maragus and ura ( with 10 speakers each ) ; nasarian, and sowa ( with 20 ) ; and dixon reef, lorediakarkar, mafea, and tambotalo ( with 50 ). if languages with around 100 speakers are included, this category accounts for about one - half of the total number of languages ( grimes 1996 ). the spread of bislama has had the effect of putting these languages in jeopardy. 3. 7 new caledonia, melanesia new caledonia has a total population of 145, 000 people, of whom 62, 000 are indigenous. as of 1981, there were 28 languages, all melanesian except for the one polynesian language uvean. the only languages with over 2, 000 speakers are cemuhi, paici, ajie, and xaracuu, along with dehu and nengone, which are spoken on the loyalty islands. dumbea ( paita ), which is spoken by several hundred people, has been described by t. shintani and y. paita ( 1983 ). and m.


dehu and nengone, which are spoken on the loyalty islands. dumbea ( paita ), which is spoken by several hundred people, has been described by t. shintani and y. paita ( 1983 ). and m. osumi ( 1995 ) has described tinrin, which has an estimated 400 speakers. speakers of tinrin are bilingual in xaracuu or ajie. nere has 20 speakers and arho 10, while waamwang, which had 3 speakers in 1946, is now reported to be extinct ( grimes 1996 ). descendants of javanese, who began to migrate to new caledonia in the early part of the twentieth century, now number several thousand. the javanese language spoken by these people, which has developed in isolation from the javanese homeland, has attracted attention as a new pidgin language. when europeans first arrived in australia in 1788, it is estimated that there were 700 different tribes in a population of 500, 000 - 1, 000, 000 ( comrie, matthews, and polinsky 1996 ). by the 1830s tasmanian had become extinct, and today the number of aboriginal languages has fallen to less than one - half what it once was. however, t. tsunoda left detailed records of the warrungu language, the last speaker of which died in 1981, and the djaru language, which has only 200 speakers ( tsunoda 1974, 1981 ). yawuru, which belongs to the nyulnyulan family, reportedly has fewer than 20 speakers, all aged in their sixties or older. the language is described by k. hosokawa ( 1992 ). the pacific has been heavily crisscrossed by human migration from ancient to modern times. all pacific countries except the kingdom of tonga were colonized. this historical background is reflected in the existence of multilevel diglossia in all regions of the pacific. depending on the generation, the top level of language in micronesia is either english ( the official language ) or pidgin japanese ( used as a lingua franca among islands ). the next level is made up of the languages of major islands that exist as political units, such as palauan, yapese and ponapean. on the lowest level are the various ethnic languages spoken mainly on solitary islands. in the maluku islands of indonesia, local malay languages such as ambonese malay, north maluku malay and bacanese malay, form a layer beneath the official language, indonesian. under them are the dominant


mainly on solitary islands. in the maluku islands of indonesia, local malay languages such as ambonese malay, north maluku malay and bacanese malay, form a layer beneath the official language, indonesian. under them are the dominant local languages, such as hitu, which is spoken by 15, 000 people on ambon island, and ternate and tidore, which are spoken in the halmahera region. these are important as urban languages. on the lowest level are the various vernaculars. in papua new guinea, standard english forms the top level, followed by papua new guinean english. tok pisin and hiri motu are used as common languages among the various ethnic groups. beneath these layers are the regional or occupational common languages. for example, hiri motu is used as the law enforcement lingua franca in coastal areas around the gulf of papua, yabem as a missionary language along the coast of the huon gulf, and malay as a trade language in areas along the border with indonesia. on the next level are the ethnic and tribal languages used on a day - to - day basis. an example of a similar pattern in polynesia can be found in hawaii, where english and hawaiian english rank above da kine talk or pidgin to da max, which are mixtures of english and oceanic languages and are used as common languages among the various asian migrants who have settled in hawaii. beneath these are ethnic languages, including hawaiian and the various immigrant languages, such as a common japanese based on the hiroshima dialect, as well as cantonese, korean, and tagalog. all of the threatened languages are in danger because of their status as indigenous minority languages positioned at the lowest level of the linguistic hierarchy. reports to date have included little discussion of the multilevel classification of linguistic strata from a formal linguistic perspective. it will be necessary in the future to examine these phenomena from the perspectives of sociolinguistics or linguistic anthropology. barr, donald f., and sharon g. barr. 1978. index of irian jaya languages. prepublication draft. abepura, indonesia : cenderawashih university and summer institute of linguistics. comrie, bernard, stephan matthews, and maria polinsky. 1996. the atlas of languages. new york : chackmark books. foley, william a. 1986. the papuan languages of new guinea. cambridge, new york : cambridge university press. grimes, barbara f., ed. 1996. ethnologue :


of languages. new york : chackmark books. foley, william a. 1986. the papuan languages of new guinea. cambridge, new york : cambridge university press. grimes, barbara f., ed. 1996. ethnologue : languages of the world. dallas : international academic bookstore. hosokawa, komei. 1992. the yawuru language of west kimberley : a meaning - based description. ph. d. diss., australian national university. oda, sachiko. 1977. the syntax of pulo annian. ph. d. diss., university of hawaii. osumi, midori. 1995. tinrin grammar. oceanic linguistics special publication, no. 25. honolulu : university of hawaii press. sakiyama, osamu. 1982. the characteristics of nguluwan from the viewpoint of language contact. in islanders and their outside world. aoyagi, machiko, ed. tokyo : rikkyo university. - - -. 1994. hirimotu go no ruikei : jijun to gochishi ( affix order and postpositions in hiri motu : a cross - linguistic survey ). bulletin of the national museum of ethnology, vol. 19 no. 1 : 1 - 17. - - -. 1995. mikuroneshia berau no pijin ka nihongo ( pidginized japanese in belau, micronesia ). shiso no kagaku, vol. 95 no. 3 : 44 - 52. - - -. 1996. fukugouteki na gengo jokyo ( multilingual situation of the solomon islands ). in soromon shoto no seikatsu shi : bunka, rekishi, shakai ( life history in the solomons : culture, history and society ). akimichi, tomoya et al, eds. tokyo : akashi shoten. shintani, takahiko and yvonne paita. 1990. grammaire de la langue de paita. noumea, new caledonia : societe d ' etudes historiques de la nouvelle - caledonie. taber, mark and et al. 1996. atlas bahasa tanah maluku ( maluku languages atlas ). ambon, indonesia : summer institute of linguistics and pusat pengkajian dan pengembangan maluku, pattimura university. toki, satoshi, ed. 1998. the remnants of japanese


( maluku languages atlas ). ambon, indonesia : summer institute of linguistics and pusat pengkajian dan pengembangan maluku, pattimura university. toki, satoshi, ed. 1998. the remnants of japanese in micronesia. memoirs of the faculty of letters, osaka university, vol. 38. tsunoda, tasaku. 1974. a grammar of the warrungu language, north queensland. master ' s thesis, monash university. - - -. 1981. the djaru language of kimberley, western australia. pacific linguistics, ser. b, no. 78. canberra : australian national university. voorhoeve, c. l. 1975. languages of irian jaya : checklist, preliminary classification, language maps, wordlists. canberra : australian national university. wurm, stephen a. 1982. papuan languages of oceania. tubingen : gunter narr verlag. - - -. and shiro hattori, eds. 1981 - 83. language atlas of the pacific area. pacific linguistics, ser. c, no. 66 - 67. canberra : australian national university. - - -, peter muhlhausler, and darrel t. tryon. 1996. atlas of languages of intercultural communication in the pacific, asia, and the americas. 3 vols. trends in linguistics. documentation 13. new york : mouton de gruyter. * translation of the author ’ s essay “ taiheiyo chiiki no kiki gengo ”, gekkan gengo, taishukan publishing co., 28 ( 2 ), 102 - 11, 1999, with the permission of the publisher. any comments and suggestions to firstname. lastname @ example. org


in this article exams and tests a bone mineral density test measures the mineral density ( such as calcium ) in your bones using a special x - ray or computed tomography ( ct ) scan. from this information, your doctor can estimate the strength of your bones. see a picture of a bone mineral density test. routine urine and blood tests can rule out other medical conditions, such as hyperparathyroidism, hyperthyroidism, or cushing ' s syndrome, that can cause bone loss. in men, blood tests to measure testosterone levels can see whether low levels are causing bone loss. if you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, you may need to follow up regularly with your doctor to monitor your condition. if you or your doctor thinks you may be at risk for osteoporosis, you may have a screening test to check your bone thickness. a screening test may be advisable if you have : the united states preventive services task force ( uspstf ) recommends that all women age 65 and older routinely have a bone mineral density test to screen for osteoporosis. if you are at increased risk for fractures caused by osteoporosis, routine screening should start sooner. 4 uspstf recommends that you and your doctor check your fracture risk using a tool such as frax to help decide whether you should be screened for osteoporosis. talk to your doctor about your risk factors and when to start bone mineral density screening. the frax tool was developed by the world health organization to help predict your risk of having a fracture related to osteoporosis in the next 10 years. you can use this tool. go to the website at www. sheffield. ac. uk / frax, and click on calculation tool. if you have had a bone mineral density test ( bmd ) on your hip, you can type in your score. if you have not had that test, you can leave the score blank. most experts recommend that the decision to screen younger women be made on an individual basis, depending on the risk for osteoporosis and whether the test results will help with treatment decisions. for help to decide whether you should be tested for osteoporosis, see : ultrasound is sometimes offered at events such as health fairs as a quick screening for osteoporosis. ultrasound by itself is not a reliable test for diagnosing osteoporosis. but if results of an ultrasound screening find low bone density, your doctor can help you


moderate - intensity aerobic activity aerobic fitness means increasing how well the body uses oxygen, which depends on the condition of the heart, lungs, and muscles. experts tend to describe aerobic activity in three ways : light, moderate, and vigorous. when people do moderate - intensity activities, they notice a faster heartbeat. to get the benefits of moderate activity, a person can : the goal of aerobic fitness is to increase the amount of oxygen that goes to the heart and muscles, which allows them to work longer. any activities, including many kinds of daily activities, that raise the heart rate and keep it up for an extended period of time can improve aerobic fitness. if the activities are done regularly and long enough, they can help improve fitness. experts recommend that adults try to do moderate activity for at least 2½ hours a week. or they can do vigorous activity for at least 1¼ hours a week. people can choose to do one or both types of activity. and it ' s fine to be active in blocks of 10 minutes or more throughout the day and week. teens and children ( starting at age 6 ) should do moderate to vigorous activity at least 1 hour every day. moderate activity is safe for most people, but it ' s always a good idea to talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program. emedicinehealth medical reference from healthwise to learn more visit healthwise. org find out what women really need. pill identifier on rxlist - quick, easy, find a local pharmacy - including 24 hour, pharmacies