the transportation sector is responsible for an enormous amount of pollution, from fuel extraction and processing to greenhouse gas emissions and smog. thankfully, old and new technologies alike can help us clean up our footprint as we get from here to there. here are three options to consider. 1. cargo bike a cool trend in green transportation is the use of cargo bikes ( sometimes called pedicabs ), mainly in cities. the idea is that pedal power transports people or bins of cargo ( see photo above ) — meaning goods can be delivered and people can get around without the use of fuel. some companies that operate locally are even delivering their goods with bike power. you can create your own cargo bike by hooking a small cart to the back of your bicycle. you can take your recycling to the recycling center or take trips to the store or farmers market and transport your goods home without relying on a vehicle. to learn much more about this trend, see cargo bikes and pedicabs. 2. commuter bicycle to make your daily commute to work — or even your weekly commute around town to run errands — there are many great bike options. biking is a win - win : you get great exercise, enjoy fresh air, and can feel great about using a green form of transportation. if you ’ ve thought about commuting by bike, but aren ’ t sure which bicycle is right for you, check out the tips in what the right bike can do for you. 3. green car if the distance between point a and point b is too great for a bicycle or walking — and mass transit isn ’ t an option — a car can be a necessity. there have been many great strides made in green car technology over the past decade, and your options ( check out best green cars for some of them ) now extend far beyond the well - known prius hybrid. new all - electric vehicles, such as the nissan leaf, are getting great expert and driver reviews. while the upfront cost of a hybrid or electric vehicle may be prohibitive, the car can pay for itself over time in fuel cost savings and maintenance cost savings ( think no oil changes for an electric car! ). plus, you can take advantage of a $ 7, 500 federal tax credit for the purchase of many green cars — and be sure to look into what state tax incentives may also be available in your area. you may have heard some common arguments against green cars. probably the most common is that if an electric car runs on electricity generated by a coal -


green cars — and be sure to look into what state tax incentives may also be available in your area. you may have heard some common arguments against green cars. probably the most common is that if an electric car runs on electricity generated by a coal - fired power plant, it isn ’ t actually cleaner than a regular gas car. the math has been crunched on this issue, and you can find the answers in the article why electric cars are cleaner. there have also been some recent concerns about the safety of electric and hybrid cars ; rumors on this issue were fueled by a chevy volt catching on fire. the green cars on the market today actually have excellent safety ratings, and you can read much more about this issue in the truth about electric car safety. if you do drive a gas - only car, you can still make driving it as clean as possible by hypermiling ( using driving techniques that help you get better gas mileage ). learn how in save gas with hypermiling. what are your favorite means of green transportation? photo by metro pedal power read more : conscious consumer, eco - friendly tips, green, technology, transportation, bicycles, bikes, care2 earth day, cargo bikes, cars, commuting, electric cars, green cars, green transportation, hybrid cars, hybrids, pedicabs, vehicles disclaimer : the views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of care2, inc., its employees or advertisers.


common career technical core the common career technical core ( cctc ) is a state - led initiative to establish a set of rigorous, high - quality standards for career technical education ( cte ) that states can adopt voluntarily. the standards have been informed by state and industry standards and developed by a diverse group of teachers, business and industry experts, administrators and researchers. the initiative is being coordinated by the national association of state directors of career technical education consortium ( nasdctec ), which represents the state and territory heads of secondary, postsecondary and adult cte across the nation. forty - two states the district of columbia and palau participated in the development stage of the cctc. the development of the cctc was a multi - step process that incorporated input from approximately 3, 500 individuals representing k - 12 education, business and industry and higher education from across the nation. the process for developing the cctc was informed by : • high - quality state and industry standards ; • input and guidance from educators, business and industry and state leaders ; and • feedback from the public. the cctc includes a set of standards for each of the 16 career clusters™ and their corresponding career pathways that define what students should know and be able to do after completing instruction in a program of study. the cctc also includes an overarching set of career ready practices that apply to all programs of study. the career ready practices include 12 statements that address the knowledge, skills and dispositions that are important to becoming career ready. in june, the nasdctec board of directors voted in full support and approved the cctc that defines common expectations for cte organized by the national career clusters™ framework. learn more about the cctc or share information about the initiative with these resources : an online database of the cctc standards provides an opportunity to create reports specific to the needs of the user. in addition, additional resources including performance elements and sample indicators for the cctc standards are provided as a resource tool in the exploration and understanding of the standards. a public license has been created for the use of the cctc standards and is available to review. representatives from organizations across the nation have expressed support for the cctc. learn who they are and share their statements with others as you work to gain support of and raise awareness about the cctc in your state. a summary of the process used to achieve the outcomes of the cctc. report highlights the steps used, the participation and recommendations for future revisions and engagements associated with the development of the cctc. a summary of


heat a room from the floor up under - floor radiant heating involves underlaying the floor with a hot element or tubing that transfers heat into the room via infrared radiation and convection, making forced or blowing air unnecessary. according to the u. s. department of energy ' s energy savers website, radiant heating " is more efficient than baseboard heating and usually more efficient than forced - air heating because no energy is lost through ducts. " it is also flexible as it can run off electricity, gas, oil, wood, solar and other sources or combinations thereof can feed radiant systems. and radiant heating is a good choice for those with severe allergies as no potentially irritating particles get blown around the room. several aspects of radiant heating make it more energy efficient. for starters, the uniform heat distribution over the entire surface of a floor heats the lower half of the room, enveloping inhabitants in warmth at a lower overall temperature — in some cases up to five degrees fahrenheit cooler — than a conventional heating system. " radiators and other forms of ' point ' heating circulate heat inefficiently and hence need to run for longer periods to obtain comfort levels, " reports the residential energy services network ( resnet ). " they draw cold air across the floor and send warm air up to the ceiling, where it then falls, heating the room from the top down, creating drafts and circulating dust and allergens. " resnet adds that radiant systems transmit heat on average some 15 percent more efficiently than conventional radiators. the efficiency gains can be magnified significantly with good insulation and a well - designed system. while tearing out old heating systems and / or replacing decent existing flooring might be overkill for the sake of moving to radiant heat, you can certainly consider it if you are embarking on new building projects or contemplating major renovations. according to tlc network ' s green living guide, there are two main types of radiant heating, electric and hydronic. in the former, heated wires installed in the floor radiate heat upward. this type of radiant heat is most commonly used to retrofit a single room — especially a bathroom or kitchen — in an older house or building. meanwhile, hydronic radiant heating, whereby heated water is forced through tubes under the floor, is more often designed into a new structure from the get - go and is more energy efficient overall. tlc points out that while radiant heat is definitely more efficient in smaller, snug homes with lower roofs,


on may 15, the house agriculture committee passed its 2013 farm bill. the bill would cut the supplemental nutrition assistance program ( snap, formerly known as the food stamp program ) by almost $ 21 billion over the next decade, eliminating food assistance to nearly 2 million low - income people, mostly working families with children and senior citizens. the bill ’ s snap cuts would come on top of an across - the - board reduction in benefits that every snap recipient will experience starting november 1, 2013. the supplemental nutrition assistance program ’ s ( snap ) primary purpose is to increase the food purchasing power of eligible low - income households in order to improve their nutrition and alleviate hunger and malnutrition. the program ’ s success in meeting this core goal has been well documented. less well understood is the fact that the program has become quite effective in supporting work and that its performance in this area has improved substantially in recent years. the supplemental nutrition assistance program ( snap, formerly known as the food stamp program ) is the nation ’ s most important anti - hunger program. in 2012, it helped almost 47 million low - income americans to afford a nutritionally adequate diet in a typical month. nearly 72 percent of snap participants are in families with children ; more than one - quarter of participants are in households with seniors or people with disabilities. snap is the nation ’ s most important anti - hunger program. this chartbook highlights some of the key characteristics of the almost 47 million people using the program as well as trends and data on program administration and use. related : snap is effective and efficient snap, the nation ’ s most important anti - hunger program, helps roughly 35 million low - income americans to afford a nutritionally adequate diet. wic — short for the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children — provides nutritious foods, information on healthy eating, and health care referrals to about 8 million low - income pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children under five. the school lunch and school breakfast programs provide free and reduced - price meals that meet federal nutritional standards to over 22 million school children from low - income families. - introduction to snap the center designs and promotes polices to make the food stamp program more adequate to help recipients afford an adequate diet, more accessible to eligible families and individuals, and easier for states to administer. we also help states design their own food stamp programs for persons ineligible for the federal program. our work on the wic program includes ensuring that sufficient federal funds are provided to serve all eligible applicants and on helping


religion subject guide guides are designed to help students begin the research process, find reputable sources, and save time. the library catalog for books & other materials to locate books and other materials in ccsf libraries, select the library catalog from the library ' s homepage. you will notice many ways to search, such as title, author, subject, subject keyword, examples of subject searches include : religion, religion and politics, religion and science, buddhism, islam, islam – united states, prayer, aguaruna indians - - religion include books, sample tests, class notes, and other items that instructors put at the library for class use. the check out time is shorter than regular circulating books. to search for a book on reserve in the library catalog, select either reserves by course or reserves by instructor. when you have located the materials, write down the call number and title and present this to a staff person at the circulation desk. the library collection the library are shelved by call number according to the library of congress classification system. books are arranged on the shelves by subject. areas in the collection to find materials on religion include : call number range | religions. mythology. rationalism | islam, bahai faith. theosophy, etc reference books provide background information and overviews on a given topic. relevant reference books for religion include : man, myth, and magic : the illustrated encyclopedia of mythology, religion, and the unknown. richard cavendish, editor in chief. washington, dc : american psychological association, 2000. bf 31 e52 2000 vols. 1 - 8 rosenberg reference the oxford dictionary of world religions. john bowker, ed. new york : oxford university press, 1997. bl 31 084 1997 rosenberg reference atlas of the world ’ s religions. ninian smart, ed. new york : oxford university press, 1999. g 1046. e4 a8 1999 rosenberg reference. taking sides. clashing views on controversial issues in religion. daniel k. judd, ed. guilford, ct : mcgraw - hill, dushkin, c2003. h61. t3577 2003 rosenberg reference. the encyclopedia of american religious history. edward l. queen. new york, ny : facts on file, c1996. bl 2525. q44, 1996 rosenberg reference encyclopedia of american religion and politics. paul a. djupe and laura r. olson. new york : facts on file, c2003. bl 2525. d58 2003 rosenberg reference. electronic reference


. q44, 1996 rosenberg reference encyclopedia of american religion and politics. paul a. djupe and laura r. olson. new york : facts on file, c2003. bl 2525. d58 2003 rosenberg reference. electronic reference sources from the ccsf ebooks collection for more information about ebooks go to : http : / / www. ccsf. edu / library / ebooks. html encyclopedia of religious rites, rituals, and festivals 2004 encyclopedia of new religious movements 2006 encyclopedia of women and religion in north america 2006 a popular dictionary of buddhism 1997 who ' s who in the old testament together with the apocrypha 2002 the quran : an encyclopedia 2006 for articles in periodical databases databases group together journal, magazine, and newspaper articles by subject. they also usually provide abstracts ( brief summaries ) and the full text of the articles. do you need help identifying the differences between scholarly journal v. popular magazine articles? databases are part of the private, passworded web, so you will need to have a current ccsf id card with a barcode to access those that ccsf subscribes to. all current ccsf student id cards should already have a barcode. more information about obtaining a library bar code. infotrac is a brand name for several databases with coverage from 1980 to the present. most relevant for religion topics is infotrac ’ s religion & philosophy database which covers topics in the areas of both religion and philosophy. infotrac ’ s expanded academic asap and onefile databases also have useful materials. these databases let you limit your results to articles only from scholarly journals by checking the box " refereed titles. " literature resource center literature resource center has traditional reference works, critical information on authors and their works, and current journal articles. it is valuable for biographical information on authors of works relating to religion, and for critical information on both an individual work and an author ’ s body of work cq provides lengthy research reports written by the editorial staff of the congressional quarterly co. there are many reports related to religion. some examples are religion in america, evolution versus creationism, prayer and healing, and religious persecution. there are also reports on related moral or ethical issues such as issues of reproductive ethics, teaching values, assisted suicide, designer humans, and the ethics of war. ethnic newswatch is comprised of newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press in america. search here for ethnic aspects of topics related to religion. below are some examples of academic / scholarly


designer humans, and the ethics of war. ethnic newswatch is comprised of newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press in america. search here for ethnic aspects of topics related to religion. below are some examples of academic / scholarly web sites on religion. if you use a search engine, such as google, remember to evaluate the quality of the results. web resources for general reference virtual religion index an extensive and well organized index of web resources with useful annotations that speed the targeting and process of research. from rutgers university. voice of the shuttle – religious studies page links to resources including general studies, specific religions ( christianity, judaism, islam, buddhism, sikkism, etc. ), nonreligious views ( atheism, agnosticism ), issues of law and religion, society and religion, and religious studies courses and departments. from the university of california, santa barbara. encyclopedia of religion and society “ full text online of the encyclopedia, with table of contents, covering the spectrum of religions. ” the encyclopedia of religion and society is from the hartford institute for religious research, and its editorial board is comprised of a number of respected sociologists of religion. the internet sacred text archive “ a freely available archive of electronic texts about religion, mythology, legends and folklore, and occult and esoteric topics ” particular focus is on believers ’ ( defined very broadly ) sacred texts, including both primary and secondary materials. content evaluation guidelines advice from the medical library association webpages : techniques to apply and questions to ask a uc berkeley - teaching library internet workshops analyzing information sources developed by olin - kroch - uris libraries at cornell university. and citing source a quick and easy check list to use when determining the quality of web documents. prepared by librarians at ccsf. help you may contact the reference desk by phone at ( 415 ) 452 - 5543 or stop by the east and west reference desks at the rosenberg and citing information sources electronic reference service to ccsf students, faculty, staff and registered community users. use this service when you are not in a ccsf library. and web research workshops fifty minute workshops are given throughout the semester on effective methods in searching for books, articles and information on the several useful sources for evaluating the quality of web pages, how to prepare citations for a " bibliography " or " works cited " list, and how to avoid plagiarism. online writing lab one of the most thorough and easy to navigate writing labs avaialble! research and writing hosted


february is national teen dating violence awareness & prevention month did you know that in a recent national survey, 1 in 10 teens reported being hit or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend at least once in the 12 months prior to the survey? and nearly half of all teens in relationships say they know friends who have been verbally abused. before violence starts, a teen may experience controlling behavior and demands. one partner may tell another what to wear and who to hang out with. over time, the unhealthy behavior may become violent. that ' s why adults need to talk to teens now about the importance of developing healthy, respectful relationships. dating violence can have a negative effect on health throughout life. victims of teen dating violence are more likely to do poorly in school, and report binge drinking, suicide attempts, physical fighting, and current sexual activity. teens who perpetrate dating violence may also carry these patterns of violence into future relationships. cdc ' s division of violence prevention is leading the initiative, dating matters™ : strategies to promote healthy teen relationships. dating matters™ aims to promote respectful, nonviolent dating relationships among youth in high - risk, urban communities. the comprehensive approach will build upon current evidence - based practice and experience to reduce the burden of teen dating violence in these communities. the initiative will support communities as they implement prevention strategies in schools, with families, and in neighborhoods. over the next five years, dating matters™ will be implemented in middle schools and neighborhoods across chicago, illinois, baltimore, maryland, ft. lauderdale, florida, and oakland, california. for more information about each of these communities, view the dating matters™ grantee profiles. learn more about cdc ' s efforts to prevent dating violence : get email updates to receive email updates about this page, enter your email address : - centers for disease control and prevention 1600 clifton rd atlanta, ga 30333 tty : ( 888 ) 232 - 6348 - contact cdc - info


cdc ' s office on disability and health focuses on the prevention of secondary conditions and health promotion among persons with disabilities. emphasis is on scientific support for surveillance of disabilities, cost - effectiveness of prevention strategies focused on secondary conditions and health promotion activities, and identifying risk and protective factors for secondary conditions. this is implemented through providing funds to states for public health activities addressing the needs of persons with disabilities. the program emphasizes secondary conditions which cross diagnostic categories, and focus on broader disability areas. this is a relatively new approach to prevention programs for cdc, which historically focused on the primary prevention of disabling conditions. the program is focusing on activities that will enhance the ability to measure performance in this new area. this performance measure reflects a first step toward building a data collection system that will enable cdc to monitor trends related to health and quality of life among people with disabilities. performance goals and measures performance goal : by 2002, a national network will exist that will provide all states with better access to data on disabilities for their use in analyzing the needs of people with disabling conditions. | fy baseline | | fy 1999 appropriated | | fy 2000 estimate | | 0 ( 1997 ). | | by 1999, the number of states who have begun using the behavioral risk factor surveillance survey ( brfss ) disability module will be increased to 15. | | by 2000, the number of states who have begun using the behavioral risk factor surveillance survey ( brfss ) disability module will be increased to 25. | currently, there is not a data collection system in place that could be used to measure outcomes that focus on actual improvements in the quality of life of people with disabling conditions. as a result, the performance measure that has been selected for this program involves the nationwide implementation of a data collection system by the year 2002. we believe that, although challenging, nationwide implementation of the brfss ' disability module by 2002 is feasible. however, this represents a change in direction for cdc ' s disabilities program, which previously focused on preventing primary disabilities. as part of on - going strategic planning efforts, the program has refocused its efforts on promoting health and improving quality of life among people with disabilities. 1997 is the first year that cdc has funded states to address these issues. as a result, the program is focusing on activities that will enhance the ability to measure performance in this new area. tracking of the implementation of this data collection system will be accomplished through a requirement that all cdc state grantees report on whether they are utilizing the module. the cost of


multistate outbreak of human salmonella chester infections ( final update ) posted september 9, 2010 this outbreak appears to be over. however, salmonella is an important cause of human illness in the united states. more information about salmonella, and steps people can take to reduce their risk of infection, can be found on the cdc salmonella web page. persons infected with the outbreak strain of salmonella chester, united states, by state infections with the outbreak strain of salmonella chester, by week of illness onset cdc collaborated with public health officials in many states, the u. s. department of agriculture ' s food safety and inspection service ( usda / fsis ), and the u. s. food and drug administration ( fda ) to investigate a multistate outbreak of salmonella serotype chester infections. investigators used dna analysis of salmonella bacteria obtained through diagnostic testing to identify cases of illness that were part of this outbreak. as of 9 : 00 am edt on august 27, 2010, a total of 44 individuals infected with a matching strain of salmonella chester have been reported from 18 states since april 11, 2010. the number of ill people identified in each state with this strain is as follows : ak ( 1 ), ca ( 5 ), co ( 2 ), ga ( 8 ), il ( 1 ), ky ( 1 ), ma ( 2 ), mn ( 2 ), mo ( 1 ), nc ( 1 ), ok ( 1 ), or ( 2 ), sc ( 2 ), tn ( 1 ), tx ( 3 ), ut ( 3 ), va ( 4 ), and wa ( 4 ). among those for whom information is available about when symptoms started, illnesses began between april 4, 2010 and june 16, 2010. case - patients ranged in age from < 1 to 88 years old, and the median age was 36 years. fifty - four percent of patients were female. among the 43 patients with available hospitalization information, 16 ( 37 % ) were hospitalized. no deaths were reported. the outbreak can be visually described with a chart showing the number of people who became ill each day. this chart is called an epidemic curve or epi curve. for more details, please see the salmonella outbreak investigations : timeline for reporting cases. investigation of the outbreak a widely distributed contaminated food product might cause illnesses across the united states. the identity of the contaminated product often is not readily apparent. in outbreaks like this one, identification of the contaminated product requires conducting detailed standardized interviews with persons who


investigation of the outbreak a widely distributed contaminated food product might cause illnesses across the united states. the identity of the contaminated product often is not readily apparent. in outbreaks like this one, identification of the contaminated product requires conducting detailed standardized interviews with persons who were ill. it may also require conducting interviews with non - ill members of the public ( " controls " ) to get information about foods recently eaten and other exposures to compare with information from the ill persons. the investigation is often supplemented by laboratory testing of suspected products. collaborative investigative efforts of officials in many local, state, and federal public health, agriculture, and regulatory agencies linked this outbreak to marie callender ’ s cheesy chicken & rice single - serve frozen entrees. during june 14 - 18, 2010, cdc and public health officials in multiple states conducted an epidemiologic study by comparing foods eaten by 19 ill and 22 well persons. analysis of this study suggested that eating a marie callender ' s frozen meal was a source of illness. ill persons ( 89 % ) were significantly more likely than well persons ( 14 % ) to report eating a frozen meal. all ill persons ( 100 % ) who ate frozen meals reported eating a marie callender ' s frozen meal. none of the well persons who ate a frozen meal reported eating a marie callender ' s frozen meal. there was insufficient data from this study to implicate a specific frozen meal type. however, many of the ill persons reported eating a marie callender ' s cheesy chicken & rice frozen entree in the week before becoming ill. additionally, two unopened packages of marie callender ’ s cheesy chicken & rice single - serve frozen entrees collected from two patients ’ homes ( one collected in minnesota on june 18, and one in tennessee on july 19 ) yielded salmonella chester isolates with a genetic fingerprint indistinguishable from the outbreak pattern. on june 17, 2010, conagra foods announced a precautionary recall of marie callender ' s cheesy chicken & rice single - serve frozen entrees after being informed by the cdc of a possible association between this product and the outbreak of salmonella chester infections. on june 17, 2010, usda ' s fsis announced conagra ' s recall. view recalled food package [ pdf - 6 pages ] posted by fsis. clinical features / signs and symptoms most people infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal


usda ' s fsis announced conagra ' s recall. view recalled food package [ pdf - 6 pages ] posted by fsis. clinical features / signs and symptoms most people infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 – 72 hours after infection. infection is usually diagnosed by culture of a stool sample. the illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days. although most people recover without treatment, severe infections can occur. infants, elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems are more likely than others to develop severe illness. when severe infection occurs, salmonella may spread from the intestines to the bloodstream and then to other body sites and can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. more general information about salmonella can be found here under salmonella faqs. advice to consumers - salmonella is sometimes present in raw foods ( e. g., chicken, produce, and spices ) which can be used as ingredients in not - ready - to - eat frozen dinners. - consumers should follow the instructions on the package label of the frozen dinner. conventional ovens are better at cooking foods thoroughly. microwave ovens vary in strength and tend to cook foods unevenly. - if you choose to cook the frozen dinner using a microwave, be sure to : - cook the food for the time specified for your microwave ' s wattage. - let the food " stand " for the stated time, so cooking can continue. - use a food thermometer to make sure that it is fully cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees fahrenheit. - individuals who think they might have become ill from eating a marie callender ' s frozen dinner should consult their health care providers. - consumers who have marie callender ' s cheesy chicken & rice single - serve frozen entrees in their freezer should discard them or return them to their retailer for a refund. - consumers are urged to read and follow the preparation instructions on the label of all frozen entrees. if the package says “ do not microwave, ” consumers should follow that instruction and use a conventional oven. consumers should use a food thermometer to make sure the entrees reach at least 165 degrees fahrenheit. - general information : salmonella - description of the steps in a foodborne outbreak investigation - cdc ' s role during a multi - state foodborne outbreak investigation - two minnesota cases of salmonella infection linked to national recall of frozen meals - cooking safely in the microwave


noaa scientists agree the risks are high, but say hansen overstates what science can really say for sure jim hansen at the university of colorado ’ s world affairs conference ( photo : tom yulsman ) speaking to a packed auditorium at the university of colorado ’ s world affairs conference on thursday, nasa climatologist james hansen found a friendly audience for his argument that we face a planetary emergency thanks to global warming. despite the fact that the temperature rise has so far been relatively modest, “ we do have a crisis, ” he said. with his characteristic under - stated manner, hansen made a compelling case. but after speaking with two noaa scientists today, i think hansen put himself in a familiar position : out on a scientific limb. and after sifting through my many pages of notes from two days of immersion in climate issues, i ’ m as convinced as ever that journalists must be exceedingly careful not to overstate what we know for sure and what is still up for scientific debate. crawling out on the limb, hansen argued that global warming has already caused the levels of water in lake powell and lake mead — the two giant reservoirs on the colorado river than insure water supplies for tens of millions of westerners — to fall to 50 percent of capacity. the reservoirs “ probably will not be full again unless we decrease co2 in the atmosphere, ” he asserted. hansen is arguing that simply reducing our emissions and stabilizing co2 at about 450 parts per million, as many scientists argue is necessary, is not nearly good enough. we must reduce the concentration from today ’ s 387 ppm to below 35o ppm. “ we have already passed into the dangerous zone, ” hansen said. if we don ’ t reduce co2 in the atmosphere, “ we would be sending the planet toward an ice free state. we would have a chaotic journey to get there, but we would be creating a very different planet, and chaos for our children. ” hansen ’ s argument ( see a paper on the subject here ) is based on paleoclimate data which show that the last time atmospheric co2 concentrations were this high, the earth was ice free, and sea level was far higher than it is today. “ i agree with the sense of urgency, ” said peter tans, a carbon cycle expert at the national oceanic and atmospheric administration here in boulder, in a meeting with our ted scripps fellows in environmental journalism. “ but i don ’ t agree with a lot of the specifics. i don ’ t


like to frame the issue differently, ” tans said. “ sure, we canot predict what the climate is going to look like in a couple of dcades. there are feedbacks in the system we don ’ t understand. in fact, we don ’ t even know all the feedbacks... to pick all this apart is extremely difficult — until things really happen. so i ’ m pessimistic. ” there is, tans said, “ a finite risk of catastrophic climate change. maybe it is 1 in 6, or maybe 1 in 20 or 1 in 3. yet if we had a risk like that of being hit by an asteroid, we ’ d know what to do. but the problem here is that we are the asteroid. ” tans argues that whether or not we can pin down the degree of risk we are now facing, one thing is obvious : “ we have a society based on ever increasing consumption and economic expectations. three percent growth forever is considered ideal. but of course it ’ s a disaster. ” hoerling says we are living like the easter islanders, who were faced with collapse from over consumption of resources but didn ’ t see it coming. like them, he says, we are living in denial. “ i think we are in that type of risk, ” tans said. “ but is that moving people? it moves me. but i was already convinced in 1972. ”


sponsor a child in guinea - childfund came to guinea : 2005 - population below poverty line : 49 % - news about guinea - children ’ s voices : fatoumata from guinea - around the globe with childfund in 31 days : protecting children in guinea - amid violence, work in guinea continues - a family ’ s access to resources means hope read more guinea is a significant source of the world ’ s major minerals including gold, diamonds, iron ore and bauxite but the country ’ s poor infrastructure and political uncertainty prohibits it from developing its economic potential from these and other resources. located in western africa on the north atlantic ocean between guinea - bissau and sierra leone, guinea is smaller than the state of oregon and suffers from a lack of safe water, environmentally damaged mining regions and preventable diseases. “ we ’ ve brought important knowledge … to local health workers. ” education and early childhood development many children in guinea are not in school, and for younger children, there is often no foundation for later learning. our early childhood development ( ecd ) programs include building ecd centers and supplying them with materials and tools used to train families about child protection and healthy development. more than 3340 children have attended school in our ecd centers and we have educated families in more than 530 homes about how to protect their children and motivate their development. healthier families and children working with the ministry of health, we ’ ve brought important knowledge, including information about hiv and aids, to local health workers and have hired and trained 128 community volunteers to educate the community about disease prevention, proper hygiene and more. we also work to make health services affordable. to provide access to safe water and sanitation facilities, we have provided 29 water systems. sponsor a child in guinea today and make a difference in a child ’ s life.


why can some people drink heavily and never become alcoholics when other people get addicted so quickly? contributing factors to the development of alcoholism why some people can use and even abuse alcohol without ever developing alcoholism, and why some people seem unusually susceptible to alcoholism, remains a poorly understood phenomenon. there is a genetic component to alcoholism, and people who grow up in alcoholic homes are far more likely to become alcoholics themselves. children born to alcoholic parents, but raised in homes without alcohol abuse or addiction are also predisposed to alcoholism, so we do know that genetics plays an important role. but all people genetically predisposed to alcoholism do not develop dependencies, and some people with no genetic history of alcoholism end up battling the disease for years. it is now accepted that although a genetic predisposition plays an important influence in the development of the disease, that social and environmental factors are in fact the lager influences towards alcohol abuse or alcoholism. in addition to genetic influences, the mayo clinic considers that there are three additional primary influences to alcohol abuse or alcoholism. emotional states or emotional stressors can induce alcohol abuse and alcoholism people may use alcohol excessively in response to frequent or significant emotional disturbances or stresses. when alcohol is used with enough frequency as an emotional management or stress coping tool the risk of dependency or alcoholism increases greatly. there is also likely a bio physical link with stress and alcohol abuse, and stress hormones have been casually linked to increased alcohol consumption and a greater risk for alcoholism. people who use alcohol to deal with life ' s problems or stresses are at a greater risk to develop alcoholism. the co - presence of a corresponding psychiatric condition people suffering through psychiatric conditions like depression, bi polar disorder, borderline personality disorder or anxiety disorders are at a greatly elevated risk to develop alcohol abuse problems or alcoholism. psychiatric patients often use alcohol or other illicit drugs to self medicate the negative symptoms of an experienced disorder. unfortunately, while intoxication may bring some temporary relief, the long term effects of alcohol abuse almost always worsen experienced psychiatric symptoms. alcoholic psychiatric patients are at a great risk for an accelerated progression of both diseases, and require immediate interventions and treatment. in addition to clinical psychiatric conditions, non clinical, but still significant factors such as low self esteem can also increase the likelihood to alcohol abuse, and ultimately alcoholism. alcohol is rarely an effective long term coping strategy. social environmental factors as a society, largely due to billions of dollars invested in alcohol advertising campaigns, there is a perception of alcohol being associated with glamour, attractiveness and success, and these lingering subconscious


. alcohol is rarely an effective long term coping strategy. social environmental factors as a society, largely due to billions of dollars invested in alcohol advertising campaigns, there is a perception of alcohol being associated with glamour, attractiveness and success, and these lingering subconscious perceptions may influence people to try alcohol at a young age and continue to drink more than they should throughout life. the immediate environment can also increase the probability of alcoholism. people who socialize, or live romantically with a person who drinks to excess, whether dependent or not, are far more likely to also drink heavily, and put themselves at risk for alcohol abuse and alcoholism. even the neighborhood around the home seems to influence consumption patterns, and people brought up in or who reside in neighborhoods of heavy abuse are also more likely to use and abuse alcohol themselves. nothing about alcoholism is completely understood, and all we know is that the variables that can induce alcohol abuse and ultimately alcoholism are many, and that what may cause alcohol dependence in one, seem to have little influence over another. we all present with an individual risk profile for our susceptibility to the disease, although those people with a genetic history of alcoholism are undoubtedly at an increased risk to develop the disease. regardless of the factors that may induce the occurrence of the disease, the treatments are essentially the same, and alcoholics need intervention, intensive treatment, and long term aftercare therapies. most alcoholics will never be capable of drinking in moderation, and abstinence is the only recommended philosophy of use for people with alcoholic histories. page last updated sep 23, 2012


| black - sided meadow katydid - conocephalus nigropleurum | order orthoptera - crickets, grasshoppers & katydids / family tettigoniidae live adult katydids photographed at winfield, dupage county, illinois. size = 15mm insects | spiders | beetles | butterflies | moths | true bugs | flies | bees & wasps katydids are large, usually green insects with long antennae and large wings, eminently capable of flight. most katydids are well - camouflaged in foliage and become virtually invisible amidst greenery the identical color. family tettigoniidae contains about 6000 species in 1070 genera. this from tree of life : " katydids are found on all continents except antarctica and in an assortment of habitats from tropical forests ( heller 1995 ) and peat bogs ( vickery and kevan 1985 ) to montane alpine zones ' far above the last outposts of trees '. within these habitats, virtually all tettigoniids are associated with vegetation, particularly during inactive periods when the insects retreat into ( or onto ) leaves. order orthoptera - crickets, grasshoppers & katydids there are more than 20, 000 species in the order orthoptera. these diverse insects are found worldwide, although their numbers are concentrated in the tropics. north american insects & spiders explore over 7, 000 close - up photos and information on over 700 species commonly found in north america. live insects & spiders photographed in the wild. insects and spiders | orthoptera index | spiders | beetles | butterflies | moths


anm uses specific ports for its processes. figure a - 1 illustrates a typical anm server deployment in a network. this illustration identifies the protocols and ports used by the different network devices in a typical deployment. • table a - 1 lists the ports used for anm client ( browser ) or anm server and anm high availability communication. • table a - 2 lists the ports used for communication between anm and managed devices. figure a - 1 anm server deployment table a - 1 ports used by anm in a network deployment1 default port if anm is configured for access using http ( using anm - installer ). default port if anm is configured for access using https ( using default install option ). mysql database system ( anm ha installation opens this port to communicate with the peer anm ). tcp ( 10444 ) and tcp ( 10445 ) anm license manager ( anm ha installation opens these two ports to communicate with the peer anm ). port used by anm server to communicate to email gateway through smtp. port used by anm server to send out trap notification to external nms application. 1it is highly recommended that you run anm on a stand - alone device. however, if you run anm on a shared device, please note that anm locally opens the following ports for internal communication :


study promoter activity using the living colors fluorescent timer, a fluorescent protein that shifts color from green to red over time ( 1 ). this color change provides a way to visualize the time frame of promoter activity, indicating where in an organism the promoter is active and also when it becomes inactive. easily detect the red and green emissions indicating promoter activity with fluorescence microscopy or flow cytometry. easily characterize promoter activity the fluorescent timer is a mutant form of the dsred fluorescent reporter, containing two amino acid substitutions which increase its fluorescence intensity and endow it with a distinct spectral property : as the fluorescent timer matures, it changes color — in a matter of hours, depending on the expression system used. shortly after its synthesis, the fluorescent timer begins emitting green fluorescence but as time passes, the fluorophore undergoes additional changes that shift its fluorescence to longer wavelengths. when fully matured the protein is bright red. the protein ’ s color shift can be used to follow the on and off phases of gene expression ( e. g., during embryogenesis and cell differentiation ). fluorescent timer under the control of the heat shock promoter hsp16 - 41 in a transgenic c. elegans embryo. the embryo was heat - shocked in a 33°c water bath. promoter activity was studied during the heat shock recovery period. green fluorescence was observed in the embryo as early as two hr into the recovery period. by 50 hr after heat shock, promoter activity had ceased, as indicated by the lack of green color. ptimer ( left ) is primarily intended to serve as a convenient source of the fluorescent timer cdna. use ptimer - 1 ( right ) to monitor transcription from different promoters and promoter / enhancer combinations inserted into the mcs located upstream of the fluorescent timer coding sequence. without the addition of a functional promoter, this vector will not express the fluorescent timer. detecting timer fluorescent protein you can detect the fluorescent timer with the dsred polyclonal antibody. you can use the dsred1 - c sequencing primer to sequence wild - type dsred1 c - terminal gene fusions, including timer fusions. terskikh, a., et al. ( 2000 ) science290 ( 5496 ) : 1585 – 1588.


brain matures a few years late in adhd but follows normal pattern a 2007 press release from the national institute of mental health discusses brain development in adhd youths. in some cases, brain development is delayed as much as three years. the full release and related video are available on the nimh site : brain matures a few years late in adhd, but follows normal pattern. autistic spectrum disorders ( asd ) : how to help children with autism learn from dr. lauer and dr. beaulieu ' s talk quick facts about pervasive developmental disorders ( pdd ) / autistic spectrum disorders ( asd ) - autism is a ' spectrum disorder ' meaning that it affects children in different ways and at different times in their development. - typically, delays and learning problems can emerge in several areas of functioning including social functioning, communication skills, motor skills, and overall intellectual potential. - each child has their own learning style that includes specific learning challenges as well as areas of preserved skills and, at times, exceptional abilities. - both autism and asperger ' s disorder are on the same continuum but are distinct in their expression. what are the challenges students with pdd / asd frequently experience? - academic difficulties that can often be misinterpreted as learning disabilities. - problems with executive functioning skills. - difficulty in forming relationships with peers. - emotional difficulties due to learning and social problems such as anxiety, depression, low self - esteem. - fear of new situations and trouble adjusting to changes. - may look like or be misconstrued as attention - deficit - hyperactivity disorder ( adhd ), nonverbal learning disability ( nld ), oppositional - defiant disorder or obsessive compulsive disorder ( ocd ). why choose us to help you? - our evaluations are conducted by neuropsychologists who have been extensively trained in the early detection of autistic spectrum disorders and in the identification of specific patterns of learning strengths and weaknesses that are often associated with this condition. - our evaluations help determine which teaching style is best suited to fit an individuals ' specific learning profile ; we also offer suggestions regarding compensatory educational approached. - we work as a team with other learning professionals, advocates and health professionals to enhance the child ' s potential for success in all settings. ' the design of truly individual treatment plans that exploit strengths and compensate for weaknesses begins with a detailed understanding of how learning is different for children with autism than for those without autism


download source - 8 kb this tutorial is based off of the msdn article # id : q194873. but, for a beginner, following these msdn articles can be intimidating to say the least. one of the most often asked questions i see as a visual c + + and visual basic programmer is how to call a vb dll from vc + +. well, i am hoping to show you exactly that today. i am not going to go over the basic details of com as this would take too long, so i am assuming you have an understanding of vb, vc + + and a little com knowledge. it ' s not too hard to learn ; just takes a little time. so let ' s get started. the first thing you need to do is fire up visual basic 6 ( vb 5 should work as well ). with vb running, create a new " activex dll " project. rename the project to " vbtestcom " and the class to " clstestclass ". you can do this by clicking in the vb project explorer window on the project1 item ( step 1 ), then clicking in the properties window and selecting the name property ( step 2 ). do the same for the class. click on the class ( step 3 ), then the name property and enter the name mentioned above ( step 4 ). your project so far should look like the folowing right hand side picture : ok, now we are ready to add some code to the vb class. click on the " tools " menu, then select the " add procedure " menu item. the add procedure window will open up. in this window we need to add some information. first ( step 1 ) make sure the type is set to function. second ( step 2 ) enter a function name called " countstringlength ". finally hit the ok button and vb will generate the new function in the class. you should have an empty function with which to work. the first thing we will do is specify a return type and an input parameter. edit your code to look like this : public function countstringlength ( byval strvalue as string ) as long what are we doing here? we are taking one parameter, as a string type in this case, then returning the length through the return type, which is a long. we specify the input parameter as byval, meaning vb will make a copy of this variable and use


? we are taking one parameter, as a string type in this case, then returning the length through the return type, which is a long. we specify the input parameter as byval, meaning vb will make a copy of this variable and use the copy in the function, rather than the default byref, which passes the variable by reference. this way we can be sure that we do not modify the string by accident that was passed to us by the calling program. let ' s add the code now. public function countstringlength ( byval strvalue as string ) as long if strvalue = vbnullstring then countstringlength = 0 countstringlength = len ( strvalue ) in the first line of code we are checking to see if the calling program passed us an empty, or null, string. if so we return 0 as the length. if the user did pass something other than an empty string, then we count it ' s length and return the length back to the calling program. now would be a good time to save your project. accept the default names and put it in a safe directory. we need to compile this project now. go to the file menu and select the " make vbcomtest. dll... " menu item. the compiler will produce a file called surprisingly enough : vbcomtest. dll. the compiler will also do us the favor of entering this new dll into the system registry. we have finished the vb side of this project, so let ' s start the vc + + side of it. fire up a copy of vc + +, then select from the menu, " new project ". the new project window should appear. select a " win32 console application " ( step 1 ), then give it a name of " testvbcom " ( step 2 ). finally, enter a directory you want to build this project in ( step 3 - your directory will vary from what i have entered ). click on the " ok " button and the " win32 console application - step 1 of 1 " window will appear. leave everything on this page as the default, and click the " finish " button. one final window will appear after this titled " new project information ". simply click the " ok " button here. you should now have an empty win32 console project. press the " ctrl " and hit the " n " key. another window titled " new


will appear after this titled " new project information ". simply click the " ok " button here. you should now have an empty win32 console project. press the " ctrl " and hit the " n " key. another window titled " new " will appear. select the " c + + source file " ( step 1 ), then enter the new name for this file called, " testvbcom. cpp " ( step 2 - make sure the add to project checkbox is checked and the correct project name is in the drop down combo box ), then click the " ok " button to finish. now we are going to get fancy! you need to go to your start menu in windows and navigate to the " visual studio 6 " menu and go into the " microsoft visual studio 6. 0 tools " sub - menu. in here you will see an icon with the name " ole view ". click on it. the ole view tool will open up. you will see a window similar to this one : collapse all the trees, if they are not already. this will make it easier to navigate to where we want to go. highlight the " type libraries " ( step 1 ) and expand it. you should see a fairly massive listing. we need to locate our vb dll. now, remember what we named the project? right, we need to look for vbtestcom. scroll down until you find this. once you have found it, double click on it. a new window should appear - the " itypelib viewer " window. we are only interested in the idl ( interface definition language ) code on the right side of the window. select the entire idl text and hit the " ctrl " and " c " buttons to copy it to the clipboard. you can close this window and the ole view window now as we are done with the tool. we need to add the contents of the idl file into our vc + + project folder. go to the folder you told vc + + to create your project in and create a new text file there ( if you are in windows explorer, you can right click in the directory and select " new " then scroll over following the arrow and select " text document " ). rename the text document to " vbcomtest. idl ". then double click on the new idl file ( vc + + should open it if you named it correctly with an idl extension ). now paste the code in the file by pressing the


document to " vbcomtest. idl ". then double click on the new idl file ( vc + + should open it if you named it correctly with an idl extension ). now paste the code in the file by pressing the " ctrl " and " v " keys. the idl text should be pasted into the file. so far, so good. now, this idl file is not going to do us much good until we compile it. that way, vc + + can use the files it generates to talk to the vb dll. let ' s do that now. open a dos window and navigate to the directory you created your vc + + project in. once in that directory, at the prompt you need to type the following to invoke the midl compiler : e : \ vcsource \ testvbcom \ testvbcom \ midl vbtestcom. idl / h vbtestcom. h hit the " enter " key and let midl do its magic. you should see results similar to the following : close the dos window and head back into vc + +. we need to add the newly generated vbtestcom. h and vbtestcom _ i. c files to the project. you can do this by going to the " project " menu, then selecting the " add to project " item, and scrolling over to the " files " menu item and clicking on it. a window titled, " insert files into project " will open. select the two files highlighted in the next picture, then select the " ok " button. these two files were generated by midl for us, and vc + + needs them in order to talk to the vb dll ( actually vc + + does not need the " vbcomtest _ i. c " file in the project, but it is handy have in the project to review ). we are going to add the following code to the " testvbcom. cpp " file now, so navigate to that file in vc + + using the " workspace " window. open the file by double clicking it and vc + + will display the empty file for editing. now add the following code to the " testvbcom. cpp " file : _ clsvbtestclass * ivbtestclass = null ; hr = coinitialize ( 0 ) ; hr = cocreateinstance ( clsid _ clsvbtestclass, _ bs


. cpp " file : _ clsvbtestclass * ivbtestclass = null ; hr = coinitialize ( 0 ) ; hr = cocreateinstance ( clsid _ clsvbtestclass, _ bstr _ t bstrvalue ( " hello world " ) ; hr = ivbtestclass - > countstringlength ( bstrvalue, cout < < " the string is : " < < returnvalue < < " characters in length. " < < endl ; hr = ivbtestclass - > release ( ) ; cout < < " cocreateinstance failed. " < < endl ; if all the code is entered in correctly, then press the " f7 " key to compile this project. once the project has compiled cleanly, then press the " ctrl " and the " f5 " keys to run it. in the c + + code, we include the midl created " vbtestcom. h " file, the " comdef. h " file for the _ bstr _ t class support and the " iostream. h " file for the " cout " support. the rest of the comments should speak for themselves as to what ' s occurring. this simple tutorial shows how well a person can integrate vb and vc + + apps together using com. not too tough actually.


1854 - 89 three dollars indian head in 1853 the united states negotiated the " gadsden purchase " settlement of a boundary dispute with mexico that resulted in the u. s. acquiring what would become the southern portions of arizona and new mexico for ten million dollars. the following year commodore matthew perry embarked upon his famed expedition to re - open japan to the western world and establish trade. spreading beyond its borders in many ways, a few years earlier the united states had joined the worldwide move to uniform postage rates and printed stamps when the congressional act of march 3, 1845 authorized the first u. s. postage stamps, and set the local prepaid letter rate at five cents. this set the stage for a close connection between postal and coinage history. exactly six years later, the postage rate was reduced to three cents when new york senator daniel s. dickinson fathered legislation that simultaneously initiated coinage of the tiny silver three - cent piece as a public convenience. the large cents then in circulation were cumbersome and unpopular, and the new denomination was designed to facilitate the purchase of stamps without using the hated " coppers. " this reasoning was carried a step further when the mint act of february 21, 1853 authorized a three - dollar gold coin. congress and mint director robert maskell patterson were convinced that the new coin would speed purchases of three - cent stamps by the sheet and of the silver three - cent coins in roll quantities. unfortunately, at no time during the 35 - year span of this denomination did public demand justify these hopes. chief engraver james barton longacre chose an " indian princess " for his obverse not a native american profile, but actually a profile modeled after the greco - roman venus accroupie statue then in a philadelphia museum. longacre used this distinctive sharp - nosed profile on his gold dollar of 1849 and would employ it again on the indian head cent of 1859. on the three - dollar coin liberty is wearing a feathered headdress of equal - sized plumes with a band bearing liberty in raised letters. she ' s surrounded by the inscription united states of america. such a headdress dates back to the earliest known drawings of american indians by french artist jacques le moyne du morgue ' s sketches of the florida timucua tribe who lived near the tragic french colony of fort caroline in 1562. it was accepted by engravers and medalists of the day as the design shorthand for " america. " longacre ' s reverse depicted a wreath of tobacco, wheat, corn and cotton with a plant at


of fort caroline in 1562. it was accepted by engravers and medalists of the day as the design shorthand for " america. " longacre ' s reverse depicted a wreath of tobacco, wheat, corn and cotton with a plant at top bearing two conical seed masses. the original wax models of this wreath still exist on brass discs in a midwestern collection and show how meticulous longacre was in preparing his design. encircled by the wreath is the denomination 3 dollars and the date. there are two boldly different reverse types, the small dollars appearing only in 1854 and the large dollars on coins of 1855 - 89. many dates show bold " outlining " of letters and devices, resembling a double strike but probably the result of excessive forcing of the design punches into the die steel, causing a hint of their sloping " shoulders " to appear as part of the coin ' s design. the high points of the obverse design that first show wear are the cheek and hair above the eye ; on the reverse, check the bow knot and leaves. a total of just over 535, 000 pieces were issued along with 2058 proofs. the first coins struck were the 15 proofs of 1854. regular coinage began on may 1, and that first year saw 138, 618 pieces struck at philadelphia ( no mintmark ), 1, 120 at dahlonega ( d ), and 24, 000 at new orleans ( o ). these two branch mints would strike coins only in 1854. san francisco produced the three - dollar denomination in 1855, 1856, and 1857, again in 1860, and apparently one final piece in 1870. mintmarks are found below the wreath. every u. s. denomination boasts a number of major rarities. the three - dollar gold coinage of 1854 - 1889 is studded with so many low - mintage dates that the entire series may fairly be called rare. in mint state 1878 is the most common date, followed by the 1879, 1888, 1854 and 1889 issues. every other date is very rare in high grade, particularly 1858, 1865, 1873 closed 3 and all the san francisco issues. minuscule mintages were the rule in the later years. proof coins prior to 1859 are extremely rare and more difficult to find than the proof - only issues of 1873 open 3, 1875 and 1876, but many dates are even rarer in the higher mint state grades. this is because at least some proofs were saved by well - heeled collectors while few lower - budget collectors showed any


- only issues of 1873 open 3, 1875 and 1876, but many dates are even rarer in the higher mint state grades. this is because at least some proofs were saved by well - heeled collectors while few lower - budget collectors showed any interest in higher - grade business strikes of later - date gold. counterfeits are known for many dates ; any suspicious piece should be authenticated. the rarest date of all is the unique 1870 - s, of which only one example was struck for inclusion in the new mint ' s cornerstone. either the coin escaped, or a second was struck as a pocket piece for san francisco mint coiner j. b. harmstead. in any event, one coin showing traces of jewelry use surfaced in the numismatic market in 1907. it was sold to prominent collector william h. woodin, and when thomas l. elder sold the woodin collection in 1911, the coin went to baltimore ' s waldo c. newcomer. later owned by virgil brand, it was next sold by ted and carl brandts of ohio ' s celina coin co. and stack ' s of new york to louis c. eliasberg in 1946 for $ 11, 500. in bowers and merena ' s october 1982 sale of the u. s. gold collection, this famous coin sold for a record $ 687, 500. the three - dollar denomination quietly expired in 1889 along with the gold dollar and nickel three - cent piece. america ' s coinage was certainly more prosaic without this odd denomination gold piece, but its future popularity with collectors would vastly outstrip the lukewarm public reception it enjoyed during its circulating life.


creature feature : american beech ( fagus grandifolia ) by emma dean, cg science editor though once believed to have a range that covered what would be the continental united states until the glacial period, american beech currently maintains a slightly lesser native geographic habitat, which is still quite impressive. american beech covers the eastern u. s. and canada from florida to quebec, as well as utah. indigenous to north america, european colonists recognized the tree as a relative of the european beech and gathered the beechnuts to extract the oil which is similar to olive oil. the beechnuts, which persist through winter, can become somewhat of a litter problem, but not the leaf litter due to the fact that after turning a lovely bronze color, the leaves stay on the tree throughout winter. as autumn ends and winter begins, the leaves become less bronze and resemble thin, curled parchment paper. due to a shallow root system, grass does not sprout beneath the tree. this is not entirely noticeable because the short trunk allows the branches to nearly touch the ground. its roots are unique, also, in that they routinely develop root suckers, which is when the root system is the site of new growth that then grows upward and out of the ground to form new branches and essentially a clone of the original tree. entire beech groves have been known to grow from the roots of a single tree. american beech is notorious for having incredibly smooth, light grey bark even as it advances in age. though not necessarily beneficial for the tree, american beech is also notorious for being a favorite for carved initials and dates which are preserved indefinitely. - american beech is a larval host as well as a nectar source for early hairstreak. - american beech is at home in the following states : alabama, arkansas, connecticut, delaware, florida, georgia, illinois, indiana, kentucky, louisiana, massachusetts, maryland, maine, michigan, minnesota, missouri, mississippi, north carolina, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, rhode island, south carolina, tennessee, texas, utah, virginia, vermont, wisconsin, west virginia and also washington d. c. - this beech is often associated with the extinct passenger pigeon, which consumed beechnuts and roosted in its branches. - a few minor pest issues that affect american beech include powdery mildew, aphids, canker and beech bark disease. - though it has a slow growth rate, american beech will grow to a height between 50 - 70 feet. - the general lifespan for


accreditation is a form of independent, professional certification that focuses on schools and programs in a particular field. accreditation of universities in the usa therefore assures you and your parents that the school adheres to high quality standards. which means the programs are delivered by qualified faculty and are constantly updated to follow the changes and meet the needs of the relevant industry or working world. attending an accredited school or program is often thought to make you more competitive on the job market. university accreditation in the usa takes place at different levels. at the highest level, governmental and other agencies govern and recognize the accrediting bodies. for instance, the us department of education, the council for higher education association ( chea ) and the association of specialized and professional accreditors ( aspa ) grant power to associations that oversee accreditation at the regional, institutional or program level. regional : the us department of education recognizes 6 distinct higher educational regions, each of which is overseen by a different accrediting body. this is the type of accreditation most commonly referred to and is for a university as a whole, not for individual programs. accreditation by these regional agencies isn ' t automatic : this is voluntary accreditation. institutional : depending on the kind of university or college it is ( e. g., private, public, christian, etc. ) it may also be accredited by institute - type specific agencies. america ' s universities are extremely different in character, size, location and in the programs they offer. therefore a school may be accredited by one or more organizations. specialized : specialized accreditation focuses on specific areas of study and individual university programs. this is sometimes called professional accreditation, because it means specific programs meet the national standards for that field of study. universities in the usa cover a huge range of programs, and each institution usually has a page on its website listing both institutional and individual program accreditation. when assessing quality, international students can also look at whether a school or program has any memberships in, or endorsements by, professional associations which reflect certain standards of quality, but this is not the same as official accreditation. for instance, the american association of state colleges and universities does not accredit programs, but is a national organization committed to maintaining and promoting the quality of america ' s higher education system. regional accrediting agencies for universities in the usa middle states association of colleges and schools, commission on higher education new england association of schools and colleges, commission on institutions of higher education north central association of colleges and schools, the higher learning commission northwest commission on colleges and universities southern association of


in the usa middle states association of colleges and schools, commission on higher education new england association of schools and colleges, commission on institutions of higher education north central association of colleges and schools, the higher learning commission northwest commission on colleges and universities southern association of colleges and schools, commission on colleges western association of schools and colleges, accrediting commission for senior colleges and universities why accreditation? the goal of university accreditation in the usa is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality. accrediting agencies have no legal control over institutions or programs ; they promote certain standards and approve or renew membership of institutions that apply and meet the accreditation standards or criteria. certain licensing programs may require that you ' ve been through a course of study with specialized accreditation, because it ensures that you have been taught by faculty qualified to teach in that field. the us secretary of education and chea each maintain and publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies, and most institutions attain eligibility for federal funds by holding accredited or pre - accredited status with one of the recognized accrediting agencies. take a virtual tour of a featured campus e - tours allow students to view the facilities and student life at featured universities in the usa, giving you the opportunity to see what the university looks like, as well as facts about the campus, courses, etc. once you ’ ve completed your tour you can read the in - depth profile to get more detailed information, or click the request free info link to request specific information such as scholarships and financial aid directly from that institution. click here to view virtual tours of featured universities in the usa request free info! request free info directly from featured featured institutions want to send you more information on their to receive free information directly from the school. to see a complete list of featured schools, note : your request is sent directly to the institution and is not maintained on this website. your privacy is completely protected.


a bachelor ' s degree earned in the united states usually takes a minimum of four years. degrees are earned by taking a combination of required courses which meet liberal arts distribution requirements ( humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences ), a required number of courses in the major field of study ( called a " major " in the united states ), and the balance of courses as electives. each course taken is assigned a value called " points " ( also called " credits " or " units " ). to earn a bachelor ' s degree, one must earn a minimum of 124 points ( usually more ) and, at the same time, meet the distribution and major requirements. advisement on course selection is available in each school at the time of registration. undergraduate studies are offered in three divisions of the university. each division offers a distinct program of studies. the divisions that offer the undergraduate ( b. a. or b. s. ) degree are : college ( cc ) - study of the liberal arts and sciences leading to the b. a. degree traditionally, but not exclusively, for students just out of secondary school, usually between the ages of 17 and 22. with an enrollment of approximately 4, 000, columbia college is the smallest college in the 2. fu foundation school of engineering and applied science ( seas ) - offers the b. s. degree in engineering and applied science fields. 3. school of general studies ( gs ) - offers the b. a. or b. s. degree to students who have had a break of a year or more in their education since high school. all other divisions of the university are graduate schools and, as such, offer degrees beyond the bachelor ' s degree, usually master ' s or doctoral degrees. master ' s degrees take from one to three years to earn depending on the course work and research / writing requirements. ph. d. requirements may vary but usually require one to two years of course work beyond the master ' s degree, comprehensive examinations, a major original contribution to research in the field of study, and oral defense of one ' s research. the research and writing requirement can take from two to five years beyond the course work. a ph. d. candidate should plan on a minimum of four and an average of six years of study to complete the degree requirements. it is not unusual for a student to be at columbia seven or eight years to complete a doctorate. to be admitted to these schools, the applicant must have completed a degree considered in the united states to be equivalent to a u. s


degree requirements. it is not unusual for a student to be at columbia seven or eight years to complete a doctorate. to be admitted to these schools, the applicant must have completed a degree considered in the united states to be equivalent to a u. s. bachelor ' s degree with a strong academic record. there are also other admissions requirements. the columbia schools and programs that offer graduate degrees are : | college of physicians and surgeons | | program in physical therapy | | fu foundation school of engineering and applied science | | school of continuing education | | graduate school of architecture, planning, and preservation | | college of dental medicine | | graduate school of arts and sciences | | school of international and public affairs | | graduate school of business | | school of law | | graduate school of journalism | | school of nursing | | institute of human nutrition | | school of social work | | mailman school of public health | | school of the arts | | program in occupational therapy | the school of continuing education offers, in addition to its masters ' degree program, opportunities for non - degree study at columbia to qualified applicants. both undergraduate and graduate level courses from the university ' s arts and sciences course offerings may be taken for credit. this option is particularly appropriate for international students who wish to visit at columbia for a semester or two. to qualify for an i - 20 to be in f - 1 student status in the u. s., students must register for at least 12 points of credit - bearing coursework each semester. this is usually equivalent to four courses each semester. of particular interest to international students is the school of continuing education ' s american language program. the alp is one of the oldest english as a second language programs in the united states and offers a carefully integrated sequence of courses to students, business and professional people, and international visitors who wish to improve their command of english. there are two institutions which are affiliated with, located adjacent to, and bear the name of columbia university. they are administered separately and applications for admission must be made directly to these institutions. barnard college, columbia university an undergraduate liberal arts college for women affiliated with columbia university. for more information, write to barnard college admissions, 111 milbank, 3009 broadway, new york, ny 10027, u. s. a. teachers college, columbia university a graduate school for students interested in education, offering only the master ' s and doctoral degrees. for more information, write to teachers college admissions, 146 horace mann, 551 west 120 street, new york, ny 100


in the american electoral system, a primary election is an election that determines the nominee for each political party, who then competes for the office in the general election. a presidential primary is a state election that picks the delegates committed to nominate particular candidates for president of the united states. a presidential caucus, as in iowa, requires voters to meet together for several hours in face - to - face meetings that select county delegates, who eventually pick the delegates to the national convention. no other country uses primaries ; they choose their candidates in party conventions. primaries were introduced in the progressive era in the early 20th century to weaken the power of bosses and make the system more democratic. in presidential elections, they became important starting in 1952, when the first - in - the - nation new hampshire primary helped give dwight d. eisenhower the republican nomination, and knocked harry s. truman out of the democratic race because of his poor showing. in 1964, lyndon b. johnson ended his reelection campaign after doing poorly in new hampshire. after 1968, both parties changed their rules to emphasize presidential primaries, although some states still use the caucus system. in recent decades, new hampshire holds the first primary a few days after iowa holds the first caucus. that gives these two states enormous leverage, as the candidates and the media focus there. new hampshire and iowa receive about half of all the media attention given all primaries. the primary allows voters to choose between different candidates of the some political parties, perhaps representing different wings of the party. for example, a republican primary may choose between a range of candidates from moderate to conservative. gallup ' s 2008 polling data indicated a trend in primary elections towards more conservative candidates, despite the more liberal result in the general election. in recent years the primary seasons has come earlier and earlier, as states move up to earlier dates in the hope it will give them more leverage. for example, barry goldwater won the 1964 nomination because he won the last primary in california. the logic is faulty - - in highly contested races the later primaries have more leverage. thus in 2008 california gave up its traditional last - in - the - nation role and joined 20 other states on super tuesday. neither the candidates not the voters paid it much attention. michigan and florida moved up their primaries in defiance of national democratic party rules and were penalized. the result is the primary season is extended, and is far more expensive, and no state gets an advantage - - except for iowa and new hampshire, which now have dates in early january. in late 2009 the two national parties are meeting to


2 products found | results per page : 24 48 72 | | in terms of ecologically friendly flooring, bamboo is one of the top contenders. not only is bamboo flooring made from totally renewable resources, but it also is available in a wide variety of design options. for those who desire the look of hardwood flooring but are concerned about the environmental consequences of harvesting trees, bamboo offers the perfect solution. while bamboo is not technically wood flooring, its appearance is close enough to fool even the most discerning eye. why is bamboo flooring considered environmentally friendly? although bamboo is actually a type of grass, it is harder than red oak. it reaches full maturity in just 3 to 5 years rather than several decades and re - growth appears naturally without the need for replanting. harvesting bamboo is actually somewhat required because it is so hardy that leaving it to its own devices would put a strain on the environment. it would be a terrible shame to waste the harvested material, so people have designed many ways to put it to good use from thatched roofs to flooring material. bamboo also has no requirements for irrigation, fertilizers, or pesticides when grown in its natural environment. bamboo is naturally resistant to insects and pests. the lack of need for harsh chemicals during its growth only does more to keep the carbon footprint down. how is bamboo flooring manufactured? there are several steps involved in creating a material suitable for flooring from bamboo. upon harvest, the bamboo is boiled to remove its natural starches and moisture which could become a wonderful environment for termites if not remedied. the outer skin is then removed and the stalk is cut into strips for flooring. these strips are then boiled again to make them even harder or carbonized ; the longer the carbonation process, the darker the color of the final product. when the strips are ready they are formed into flooring either by gluing strips together or gluing a single layer of bamboo strips on top of another solid surface, resulting in either solid bamboo flooring or engineered bamboo flooring respectively. the flooring also goes through other processes to strengthen it further by applying laminate materials to increase scratch resistance. what are the design options with bamboo flooring? - bamboo flooring is available in widths ranging from 3 z inches to 7 inches and thicknesses of 5 / 8 inches and 9 / 16 inches. - finish options for bamboo flooring are available from unfinished and natural from the fsc unfinished bamboo collection to nearly black and a choice of either


by karen kaplan 5 : 53 pm est, january 30, 2013 attention dieters : many of the “ facts ” you think you know about obesity and weight loss are wrong. so says a report published in thursday ’ s edition of the new england journal of medicine. an international team of dietitians, doctors and other experts examined more than a dozen ideas about obesity that are widely believed to be true but aren ’ t actually supported by reliable medical evidence. it ’ s not just dieters who buy into these mistaken notions, the study authors note – much of this incorrect conventional wisdom is espoused by physicians, academic scientists, government agencies and ( gulp ) the media. seven of these errant ideas were classified as “ myths, ” meaning they are “ beliefs held to be true despite substantial refuting evidence. ” another six were categorized as “ presumptions, ” or “ beliefs held to be true for which convincing evidence does not yet confirm or disprove their truth. ” without further ado, let ’ s get to the myth - busting : eating a little less or exercising a little more will lead to large weight loss over time, as long as those behaviors are sustained. this myth is based on the idea that 3, 500 calories are equal to one pound. that equation was based on short - term experiments. in the long - term, the body compensates in various ways that slow down weight loss. for instance, the equation predicts that a person who burns 100 extra calories per day will lose more than 50 pounds over five years ; in reality, that exercise regimen will cause a person to shed only about 10 pounds ( assuming calorie intake remains the same ). it ’ s important to set realistic weight - loss goals so dieters don ’ t get frustrated. studies that have examined this reasonable - sounding assumption have found that having realistic goals has no impact on the amount of weight lost. indeed, some studies have found that those who set the most ambitious goals lost the most weight, even if they fell short of their initial expectations. slow, gradual weight loss is easier to sustain than large, rapid weight loss. in fact, clinical trials have found that people who jump - start their diets by dropping a lot of weight in the beginning ( by consuming only 800 to 1, 200 calories per day, for instance ) had the best results in long - term studies. in order to help someone lose weight, you must gauge their readiness to stick to a diet. experimental evidence shows that readiness isn


consuming only 800 to 1, 200 calories per day, for instance ) had the best results in long - term studies. in order to help someone lose weight, you must gauge their readiness to stick to a diet. experimental evidence shows that readiness isn ’ t related to diet results. school p. e. classes help reduce and prevent childhood obesity. while there is certainly some amount of physical education that would help fight childhood obesity, p. e. classes in their current form have not been shown to reduce bmi or obesity in kids on a consistent basis. babies who are breast - fed are less likely to become obese. if you think this is true, you ’ re in good company – the world health organization presented this “ fact ” in one of its reports. but a randomized, controlled clinical trial that followed 13, 000 children for more than six years found “ no compelling evidence ” that breastfeeding staves off obesity, according to the new england journal of medicine report. ( the authors did note that breastfeeding has other benefits and should be encouraged anyway. ) you can burn 100 to 300 calories by having sex. in fact, having sex burns calories at about the same rate as walking at a pace of 2. 5 mph. “ given that the average bout of sexual activity lasts about 6 minutes, ” the authors write, a man in his early to mid - 30s might burn 21 calories. but wait, it gets worse : considering that this man could burn 7 calories just watching tv, the true benefit of having sex is only 14 additional calories burned. the report also says that these widely accepted ideas are just as likely to be false as true : * eating breakfast instead of skipping it will help prevent obesity. * long - term eating and exercise habits are set in early childhood. * regardless of what else you do, eating more fruits and vegetables will lead to weight loss ( or less weight gain ). * yo - yo dieting will take months or years off your life. * snacking will make you gain weight. * the availability of sidewalks, parks and other aspects of the “ built environment ” influence the prevalence of obesity. how ’ s that for a reality check? you can read the full article for yourself here. return to the booster shots blog. follow me on twitter @ latkarenkaplan copyright © 2013, los angeles times


what they are and how to learn more about the appellate courts and the justices who serve on them every four years, more than a third of california ’ s 99 court of appeal justices face california voters for retention. in addition, several of the seven justices on the california supreme court face retention elections every four years. these are not contested elections ; no one may run against the justices. instead, the voters simply decide whether the justice shall continue to serve. if a majority of voters cast " yes " votes for a particular justice, that justice remains for another term. the code of judicial ethics requires all judges " to be faithful to the law regardless of partisan interests, public clamor or fear of criticism.... " the retention election system, adopted by california voters as part of the state constitution, is designed specifically to foster judges ’ independence from improper external pressures. because supreme court justices hold statewide offices, voters everywhere in california decide whether to retain them. in contrast, because court of appeal justices serve in districts, voters in each district alone decide whether to retain them. california ’ s 99 court of appeal justices are divided among six districts, centered in san francisco, los angeles, sacramento, san diego, fresno, and san jose. supreme and appellate court justices generally do not actively campaign for retention. the only promise they can make voters is to decide appeals impartially and according to the law, without fear or favor toward any individual or group. however, they do seek to provide helpful information to voters. the justices have worked closely and actively with the secretary of state ’ s office to help the public learn more about the appellate courts, who the appellate justices are, and what they do. as a consequence, voters everywhere in california can easily get biographical information on every justice who appears on the ballot. as to supreme court justices, the information is contained in the statewide ballot pamphlet sent to all voters by the secretary of state. as to court of appeal justices, the official statewide voter pamphlet does not contain biographical sketches, but does refer voters to an internet website and a toll - free telephone hotline so they may obtain justices ’ biographies, either on - line or through receipt of the judicial information bookleton request. the secretary of state ’ s internet website and judicial information booklet also include brief descriptions of the appellate courts and how they differ from trial courts. to gain access to these materials, voters may go to the secretary of state ’ s internet website at http : / / www. ss. ca. gov / or call the telephone hotline at


boston ' s arnold arboretum : a place for study and recreation - - by looking at boston ' s arnold arboretum : a place for study and recreation, students discover how the first arboretum in the united states became part of the burgeoning urban park movement in the second half of the 19th century. those interested in learning more will find that the internet offers a variety of interesting materials. frederick law olmsted national historic site frederick law olmsted national historic site is a unit of the national park system. visit the park ' s web pages for a detailed history of olmsted as well as information about the olmsted archives that has historic documentation for olmsted - designed landscapes. also featured on the site is the olmsted center for landscape preservation ( oclp ) providing technical assistance to historic properties in cultural landscape research, planning, stewardship and education. national park service ( nps ) historic landscape initiative learn more about the national park service ( nps ) historic landscape initiative. this program promotes responsible preservation practices that protect our nation ' s irreplaceable legacy - - designed landscapes such as parks and gardens, as well as vernacular historic landscapes such as farms and industrial sites. the arnold arboretum of harvard university visit the arnold arboretum website for more information about this research and educational institution. it manages a collection of hardy trees, shrubs, and vines located on 265 acres in boston, massachusetts and associated herbarium and library collections. the grounds were planned and designed by the arboretum ' s first director, charles sprague sargent, in collaboration with the landscape architect, frederick law olmsted as part of boston ' s emerald necklace park system. visit some of the parks created by frederick law olmsted the cultural landscape foundation the cultural landscape foundation is the only not - for - profit foundation in america dedicated to increasing the publicis awareness of the importance and irreplaceable legacy of cultural landscapes. visit their website for more information on what cultural landscapes are and what they represent. also learn about endangered landscapes and grassroots efforts to preserve them. library of congress visit the american memory collection web page to search through the archives for the writings of frederick law olmsted, pictures from his personal collection, and information on his various parks. also search for information on the industrialization of america, the reactionary movements to the consequences, and arnold arboretum. of special note are the environmental and landscape photographs of arnold arboretum. american journal of botany browse the american journal of botany, a journal devoted to the study of plants, for a variety of


the reactionary movements to the consequences, and arnold arboretum. of special note are the environmental and landscape photographs of arnold arboretum. american journal of botany browse the american journal of botany, a journal devoted to the study of plants, for a variety of articles on botany. the industrial revolution visit the thinkquest junior web pages on the industrial revolution to explore this time period that helped spark the park movement in america. the site provides important facts about the industrial revolution, it offers fun things to do related to the facts learned, and it recommends other sources of information related to the revolution. for further reading students ( or educators ) wishing to learn more about frederick law olmsted, charles sprague sargent, or the arnold arboretum may want to read : ida hay, science in the pleasure ground : a history of arnold arboretum ( boston : northeastern university press, 1995 ) ; witold rybczynski, a clearing in the distance : frederick law olmsted and america in the nineteenth century ( new york : scribner, 1999 ) ; s. b. sutton, charles sprague sargent and the arnold arboretum ( cambridge : harvard university press, 1970 ) ; and cynthia zaitzevsky, frederick law olmsted and the boston park system ( cambridge : belknap press, 1982 ).


what is mead? mead, also known as honey wine, is regarded as the oldest of fermented beverage and has stood the test of time. from the dawn of pre - history to today mead has long been regarded as a delicacy, often referred to as the " nectar of the gods ". the earliest archaeological evidence for the production of mead dates to around 7000 bc where pottery vessels containing a mixture of mead, rice and other fruits along with organic compounds of fermentation were found in northern china. crafted artisan meadery uses the finest raw, unfiltered, unpastuerized honey as well as fruits, spices, herbs, and other natural ingredients to create an experience that is solely " mead ". some of our meads are aged on oak and others not... oak does wonders to an already complex mead. our use of honey might make you think that mead is only sweet. while mead can be made as sweet as a dessert wine it can also be made dry... and anywhere in between. yes, you ' ll find a little of " traditional wine " and even a little of " craft beer " elements but mead is an experience all it ' s own. where other beverages work within the confines of industry standards and style categories mead can be broken down into a few broad categories that allow us to be as creative and unique as we want... there are no rules. traditional traditional mead is purely honey, water, and yeast. traditionals allow the chosen honey to be showcased and the drinker to explore the characteristics of that honey. tupelo, clover, orange blossom, the list is long... there is a wide array of varietal honey available each with it ' s own unique flavor and aroma characteristics. melomel melomels are mead crafted using fruit, honey, water and yeast. fresh and local : any fruit can be used but we tend to stick to fruits that we can source locally to ensure the freshest and best product possible. we build relationships with our vendors and often times find ourselves hauling a trailer load of cider or blueberries back from their family operations. ask us, we ' d love to share with you how to find these great local farms. metheglin metheglins are mead crafted using spices and / or herbs, honey, water and yeast. cinnamon, vanilla and hibiscus are just a few examples of the countless ingredients we can use. the name " metheglin " finds it origins in