soon, they felt their bodies changing. their legs began to itch, and grow longer and wider. their heads began to swell, until they felt the size and shape of footballs. their noses grew longer and their bodies became heavier and more clumsy. when their mother returned home, she was shocked to see what had happened to her sons. she offered them cooked rice, but they turned it down with a slow shake of their large heads, their noses swinging from side to side. they were still growing, and were too ashamed of their bad behaviour to eat. the mother offered them water, but they did not want to drink it. soon, when the sons had grown too big for the house, and could now only walk on four legs, they left the house to find grass. this was all they felt like eating. very soon the word spread, and people came from all over the valley to see the mutated boys. their tongues had become too big for them to speak, so the sons had stopped talking. as if to compensate, their ears grew large so they cold hear very, very well. they had become elephant - boys. one day, some workers came to see if the elephant - boys could help them carry heavy loads. they gave them wood and lead them to their workshops, and the elephant - boys were calm and obedient. the workers realised that what was a huge job for them, was little effort for these giant elephant boys. and life continued this way for many generations. this is the remarkable story of how elephants and humans came to work together in harmony, explaining how they can exist together in the forest. elephants and the karen hill tribe people deep in the rich forests of northern thailand, in the bowl of a green valley, lies the karen hill tribe community. making the most of their natural surroundings, this tribe has managed to forge an incredibly simple life in the forest using no modern machinery or medicine. they need only the trees, plants, animals, and are especially reliant on the mighty elephant. the karen people have a strong bond with elephants : their self - sufficient lifestyles are surprisingly similar, and intertwining. wild elephants play a very important role in the karen way of life, as well as the relationships of valley inhabitants, and the magic of the valley.


why man u? askmen / getty images " gathering together at old trafford must have given these people something of the sense of community that they had previously known in their villages. " visiting manchester the other day, i was driving down a nondescript road past dreary shops and offices when i saw the top of a sports stadium poking into the gray sky. it was old trafford. team buses carrying soccer players from more glamorous cities such as barcelona have been known to echo with cries of disgust as they pull in here. the home of manchester united is rainy and underwhelming. the estimated 333 million humans who consider themselves united fans don ’ t all know that manchester is a city in england, but many of those who do would probably be surprised to find just how mid - ranking a city it is. yet when united ’ s american ruling family, the glazers, sold club shares in august, united was valued at $ 2. 3 billion. that made it the world ’ s most valuable sports franchise, ahead of real madrid and baseball ’ s new york yankees, according to forbes. in short, united is bigger than manchester. so why on earth did this global behemoth arise precisely here? and how, in the last 134 years, has united shaped soccer, in england and now the world? when a soccer club was created just by the newish railway line in 1878, the manchester location actually helped. the city was then growing like no other on earth. in 1800 it had been a tranquil little place of 84, 000 inhabitants, so insignificant that as late as 1832 it didn ’ t have a member of parliament. the industrial revolution changed everything. workers poured in from english villages, from ireland, from feeble economies everywhere ( my own great - grandparents arrived on the boat from lithuania ). by 1900, manchester was europe ’ s sixth - biggest city, with 1. 25 million inhabitants. the club by the railway line was initially called newton heath, because the players worked at the newton heath carriage works of the lancashire and yorkshire railway company. they played in work clogs against other work teams. jim white ’ s manchester united : the biography nicely describes the l & yr workers as “ sucked in from all over the country to service the growing need for locomotives and carriages. ” life in manchester then was neither fun nor healthy, white writes. in some neighborhoods, average male life expectancy was just 17. this was still the same brutal city where a few decades before, karl marx ’ s pal


the cia, the nsa, the fbi and all other three - letter, intelligence - gathering, secret - keeping agencies mimic and are modeled after secret societies. they gather and filter information by compartmentalizing the organization in a pyramid - like hierarchical structure keeping everyone but the elite on a need - to - know basis. the cia was born from the wwii intelligence arm, the oss ( office of strategic services ), and was funded into permanence by the rockefeller and carnegie foundations, which donated $ 34 million 1945 - 48 alone. nearly every person instrumental in the creation of the cia was already a member of the cfr, including the rockefellers and dulles brothers. in 1945 when the cia was still the oss, they began operation paperclip which brought over 700 nazi scientists directly into the forming cia, nsa, and other high - level government organizations. since it was illegal to even allow these nazis into the us, let alone into top - secret government agencies, the cia convinced the vatican to issue american passports for these 700 + nazi scientists under the pretense that it was to keep them out of the hands of the russians. “ after wwii ended in 1945, victorious russian and american intelligence teams began a treasure hunt throughout occupied germany for military and scientific booty. they were looking for things like new rocket and aircraft designs, medicines, and electronics. but they were also hunting down the most precious ‘ spoils ’ of all : the scientists whose work had nearly won the war for germany. the engineers and intelligence officers of the nazi war machine. following the discovery of flying discs ( foo - fighters ), particle / laser beam weaponry in german military bases, the war department decided that nasa and the cia must control this technology, and the nazi engineers that had worked on this technology. there was only one problem : it was illegal. u. s. law explicitly prohibited nazi officials from immigrating to america - - and as many as three - quarters of the scientists in question had been committed nazis. ” - operation paperclip casefile : new world order and nazi germany hundreds of nazi mind - control specialists and doctors who performed horrific experiments on prisoners instantly had their atrocious german histories erased and were promoted into high - level american jobs. kurt blome, for instance, was a high - ranking nazi scientist who experimented with plague vaccines on concentration camp prisoners. he was hired by the u. s. army chemical corps to work on chemical warfare projects. major general walter schreiber was a head doctor during nazi concentration


was a high - ranking nazi scientist who experimented with plague vaccines on concentration camp prisoners. he was hired by the u. s. army chemical corps to work on chemical warfare projects. major general walter schreiber was a head doctor during nazi concentration camp prisoner experiments in which they starved, and otherwise tortured the inmates. he was hired by the air force school of medicine in texas. werner von braun was technical director of the nazi peenemunde rocket research center, where the germans developed the v2 rocket. he was hired by the u. s. army to develop guided missiles and then made the first director of nasa! “ military intelligence ‘ cleansed ’ the files of nazi references. by 1955, more than 760 german scientists had been granted citizenship in the u. s. and given prominent positions in the american scientific community. many had been longtime members of the nazi party and the gestapo, had conducted experiments on humans at concentration camps, had used slave labor, and had committed other war crimes. in a 1985 expose in the bulletin of the atomic scientists linda hunt wrote that she had examined more than 130 reports on project paperclip subjects - and every one ‘ had been changed to eliminate the security threat classification. ’ a good example of how these dossiers were changed is the case of werner von braun. a september 18, 1947, report on the german rocket scientist stated, ‘ subject is regarded as a potential security threat by the military governor. ’ the following february, a new security evaluation of von braun said, ‘ no derogatory information is available on the subject … it is the opinion of the military governor that he may not constitute a security threat to the united states. ’ ” - operation paperclip casefile : new world order and nazi germany shortly after operation paperclip came operation mockingbird, during which the cia trained reporters and created media outlets to disseminate their propaganda. one of project mockingbird ’ s lead roles was played by philip graham who would become publisher of the washington post. declassified documents admit that over 25 organizations and 400 journalists became cia assets which now include major names like abc, nbc, cbs, ap, reuters, time, newsweek and more. in 1953 the iranian coup classified as operation ajax was the cia ’ s first successful overthrow of a foreign government. in 1951 iran parliament and prime minister dr. mohammed mosaddeq voted for nationalizing their oil industry which upset western oil barons like the rockefellers. on april 4th, 1953, cia director allen dulles transferred $ 1 million


foreign government. in 1951 iran parliament and prime minister dr. mohammed mosaddeq voted for nationalizing their oil industry which upset western oil barons like the rockefellers. on april 4th, 1953, cia director allen dulles transferred $ 1 million to iranian general fazlollah zahedi to be used “ in any way that would bring about the fall of mosaddeq. ” coup leaders first planted anti - mosaddeq propaganda throughout the iranian press, held demonstrations, and bribed officials. then they began committing terror attacks to blame on mosaddeq hoping to bring public sentiment away from their hero. they machine - gunned civilians, bombed mosques, and then passed out pamphlets saying, “ up with mosaddeq, up with communism, down with allah. ” zahedi ’ s coup took place between august 15th and 19th after which the cia sent $ 5 million more for helping their new government consolidate power. soon america controlled half of iran ’ s oil production and american weapons merchants moved in making almost $ 20 billion off iran in the next 20 years. “ in 1953 the central intelligence agency working in tandem with mi6 overthrew the democratically - elected leader of iran dr. mohammed mosaddeq. mosaddeq had been educated in the west, was pro - america, and had driven communist forces out of the north of his country shortly after being elected in 1951. mosaddeq then nationalized the oil fields and denied british petroleum a monopoly. the cia ’ s own history department at cia. gov details how u. s. and british intelligence agents carried out terror attacks and then subsequently blamed them on mosaddeq … the provocations included propaganda, demonstrations, bribery, agents of influence, and false flag operations. they bombed the home of a prominent religious leader and blamed it on moseddeq. they attacked mosques, machine - gunned crowds, and then handed out thousands of handbills claiming that moseddeq had done it … dr. mohammed moseddeq, who was incarcerated for the duration of his life, fared better than any of his ministers who were executed just days after the successful coup for crimes that mi6 and the cia had committed. ” - alex jones, “ terrorstorm ” dvd in 1954 the cia performed its second coup d ’ etat overthrow of a foreign democracy ; this time it was guatemala, whose popular leader jacobo arbenz guzman, had recently nationalized 1. 5 million


- alex jones, “ terrorstorm ” dvd in 1954 the cia performed its second coup d ’ etat overthrow of a foreign democracy ; this time it was guatemala, whose popular leader jacobo arbenz guzman, had recently nationalized 1. 5 million acres of land for the peasants. before this, only 2. 2 % of guatemala ’ s land - owners owned 70 % of the land, which included that of united fruit co. whose board of directors were friends with the dulles brothers and wanted to keep guatemala a banana republic. so once again the cia sent in propagandists and mercenaries, trained militia groups, bombed the capital, and installed their puppet dictator castillo armas, who the gave united fruit co. and the other 2. 2 % land - owners everything back. military dictators ruled guatemala for the next 30 years killing over 100, 000 citizens. guatemalan coroners were reported saying they could not keep up with the bodies. the cia called it operation success. “ the cia has overthrown functioning democracies in over twenty countries. ” - john stockwell, former cia official they always follow the same strategy. first, globalist interests are threatened by a popular or democratically elected foreign leader ; leaders who help their populations nationalize foreign - owned industries, protect workers, redistribute wealth / land and other such actions loved by the lower and middle - class majority, hated by the super - rich minority. next, the cia identifies and co - operates with opposition militia groups within the country, promising them political power in trade for american business freedom. then they are hired, trained and funded to overthrow the current administration through propaganda, rigged elections, blackmail, infiltration / disruption of opposition parties, intimidation, torture, economic sabotage, death squads and assassinations. eventually the cia - backed militia group stages a coup and installs their corporate sympathizer - dictator and the former leaders are propagated as having been radicals or communists and the rest of the world is taught to shrug and view american imperialism as necessary world policing. the cia has now evolved this whole racket into a careful science which they teach at the infamous “ school of the americas. ” they also publish books like “ the freedom fighter ’ s manual ” and “ the human resource exploitation training manual ” teaching methods of torture, blackmail, interrogation, propaganda and sabotage to foreign military officials. starting in 1954 the cia ran operations attempting to overthrow the communist north vietnamese government, while supporting the ngo dinh diem regime in south vietnam. from 1957 -


” teaching methods of torture, blackmail, interrogation, propaganda and sabotage to foreign military officials. starting in 1954 the cia ran operations attempting to overthrow the communist north vietnamese government, while supporting the ngo dinh diem regime in south vietnam. from 1957 - 1973 the cia conducted what has been termed “ the secret war ” in laos during which they carried out almost one coup per year in an effort to overthrow their democracy. after several unsuccessful attempts, the us began a bombing campaign, dropping more explosives and planting more landmines on laos during this secret war than during all of world war ii. untold thousands died and a quarter of the laotian people became refugees often living in caves. right up to the present, laotians are killed / maimed almost daily from unexploded landmines. in 1959 the us helped install “ papa doc ” duvalier, the haitian dictator whose factions killed over 100, 000. in 1961 cia operation mongoose attempted and failed to overthrow fidel castro. also in 1961 the cia assassinated the dominican republic ’ s leader rafael trujillo, assassinated zaire ’ s democratically - elected patrice lumumba, and staged a coup against ecuador ’ s president jose velasco, after which us president jfk fired cia director allen dulles. in 1963 the cia was back in the dominican republic and ecuador performing military coups overthrowing juan bosch and president arosemana. in 1964 another cia - funded / armed coup overthrew brazil ’ s democratically - elected joao goulart replacing him with dictator general castelo branco, cia - trained secret police, and marauding death squads. in 1965 the cia performed coups in indonesia and zaire and installed oppressive military dictators ; general suharto in indonesia would then go on to slaughter nearly a million of his countrymen. in 1967 a cia - backed coup overthrew the government of greece. in 1968 they helped capture che guevara in bolivia. in 1970 they overthrew cambodia ’ s popular prince sahounek, an action that greatly strengthened the once minor opposition khmer rouge party who went on to murder millions. in 1971 they backed a coup in bolivia and installed dictator hugo banzer who went on torture and murder over 2000 of his political opponents. in 1973 they assassinated chile ’ s democratically - elected salvador allende and replaced him with general augusto pinochet who murdered thousands of his civilians. on and on it goes ; the association for responsible dissent put out a report estimating that by 1987, 6 million


assassinated chile ’ s democratically - elected salvador allende and replaced him with general augusto pinochet who murdered thousands of his civilians. on and on it goes ; the association for responsible dissent put out a report estimating that by 1987, 6 million people worldwide had died resulting from cia covert ops. since then there have been many untold millions more. “ throughout the world, on any given day, a man, woman or child is likely to be displaced, tortured, killed or disappeared, at the hands of governments or armed political groups. more often than not, the united states shares the blame. ” - amnesty international annual report on u. s. military aid and human rights, 1996 1979 - 1989 cia operation cyclone, with joint funding from britain ’ s mi6, heavily armed and trained over 100, 000 afghani mujahideen ( “ holy warriors ” ) during the soviet war in afghanistan. with the help of the pakistani isi ( inter - services intelligence ), billions of dollars were given to create this islamic army. selig harrison from the woodrow wilson international centre for scholars stated, “ the cia made a historic mistake in encouraging islamic groups from all over the world to come to afghanistan. the us provided $ 3 billion [ now many more billion ] for building up these islamic groups, and it accepted pakistan ’ s demand that they should decide how this money should be spent … today that money and those weapons have helped build up the taliban … [ who ] are now making a living out of terrorism. ” “ the united states has been part and parcel to supporting the taliban all along, and still is let me add … you have a military government in pakistan now that is arming the taliban to the teeth … let me note ; that [ us ] aid has always gone to taliban areas … and when people from the outside try to put aid into areas not controlled by the taliban, they are thwarted by our own state department … pakistan [ has ] initiated a major resupply effort, which eventually saw the defeat, and caused the defeat, of almost all of the anti - taliban forces in afghanistan. ” - congressional rep. dana rohrbacher, the house international relations committee on global terrorism and south asia, 2000 british foreign secretary robin cook stated before the house of commons that “ al qaeda ” is not actually a terrorist group, but a database of international mujahadden and arms dealers / smugglers used by the cia to funnel arms, money, and guerrillas. the word “ al qaeda ” itself literally translates to “


“ al qaeda ” is not actually a terrorist group, but a database of international mujahadden and arms dealers / smugglers used by the cia to funnel arms, money, and guerrillas. the word “ al qaeda ” itself literally translates to “ the database. ” not only did the cia create the taliban and al - qaeda, they continued funding them right up to the 9 / 11 attacks blamed on them. for example, four months prior to 9 / 11, in may, 2001, colin powell gave another $ 43 million in aid to the taliban. “ not even the corporate us media could whitewash these facts and so explained it away by alleging that us officials had sought cooperation from pakistan because it was the original backer of the taliban, the hard - line islamic leadership of afghanistan accused by washington of harboring bin laden. then the so called ‘ missing link ’ came when it was revealed that the head of the isi was the principal financier of the 9 / 11 hijackers... pakistan and the isi is the go between of the global terror explosion. pakistan ' s military - intelligence apparatus, which literally created and sponsored the taliban and al qaeda, is directly upheld and funded by the cia. these facts are not even in dispute, neither in the media nor in government. therefore when we are told by the neocon heads of the new world order that they are doing everything in their power to dismantle the global terror network what we are hearing is the exact opposite of the truth. they assembled it, they sponsored it and they continue to fund it. as any good criminal should, they have a middleman to provide plausible deniability, that middleman is the isi and the military dictatorship of pakistan. ” - steve watson, “ u. s. intel officer : al qaeda leadership allowed to operate freely ” ( http : / / www. infowars. net / articles / july2007 / 160707isi. htm ) in a late 1980 ’ s newsweek article, outspoken opponent of president bush and recently assassinated pakistani prime minister benazir bhutto, told george bush sr., “ you are creating a frankenstein, ” concerning the growing islamist movement. she also came out in 2007 to say that osama bin laden was already long dead having been murdered by omar sheikh. she was murdered herself a month after the interview, only two weeks before the pakistani 2008 general elections.


deciphering the function and regulation of auts2 university of california, san francisco autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with complex genetic and environmental causes. many gene mutations have been associated with autism ; however, they explain only a small part of the genetic cause for this disorder. 98 % of our genome does not encode for protein and is thus termed noncoding. in this noncoding space are gene regulatory sequences that tell genes when, where and at what amount to turn on or off. mutations in these gene regulatory elements could thus be an important cause of autism. despite the potential importance of these noncoding gene regulatory regions in autism susceptibility, very few studies have been performed trying to implicate them in this disorder. this pilot study focuses on a strong autism candidate gene, the autism susceptibility candidate 2 ( auts2 ) gene. mutations in its regulatory elements have been associated with autism and its function is not well known. using both zebrafish and mice as the model organisms, the project aims to identify noncoding gene regulatory sequences of auts2. the fellow will then look to see if any individuals with autism have mutations in the regulatory regions identified. they will also reduce the expression of this gene in zebrafish and look for abnormalities to further clarify its function. this study promises to further our understanding of how differences in the noncoding region of the genome can lead to autism. it also aims to advance our understanding of a gene of unknown function that has been implicated in autism.


by mike bennighof, ph. d. during the 1700s, european armies grew enormously in size. the seven years ’ war of 1756 – 1763 heightened the trend, and by the end of the napoleonic wars field armies had become enormous. forces of 100, 000 or even more, unheard of a century before, were not at all unusual by 1815. the french army introduced the concept of a corps d ’ armee, a body of infantry, cavalry and artillery plus essential services. the corps could fight alone or in cooperation with other corps, and included all necessary combat and administrative elements. by the end of the napoleonic wears, all participants had organized their troops into corps, usually made up of varying numbers of divisions and during the years after 1815, some nations kept their corps structure in place during peacetime, using them to administer recruiting, training and other non - combat functions. this would speed mobilization and keep the staffs employed. the size and composition of corps also became regularized, with each usually having the same number and types of subordinate by the middle of the 19th century, an army corps had become defined as the number of troops that could be deployed from a single road in less than two hours : roughly 20, 000 men. that rule of thumb had been badly exceeded as extra troops were added : cavalry, engineers, artillerymen, light infantry, medical services, supply columns and more. the prussian corps organization used in the 1866 austro - prussian war had been introduced as part of war minister albrecht von roon ’ s reforms starting in 1860. in 1859, the prussian army mobilized its four army corps for war on the side of austria against france. the mobilization found many troops untrained, officers of poor quality and supply services either insufficient or non - existent. it also showed just how unwieldy the army ’ s corps organization would prove in action. the german confederation, which included both austria and prussia along with 36 other german states, had adopted a corps of four divisions. each division consisted in turn of two or three brigades, each brigade with two regiments of two battalions each plus one of light infantry. all told, a german division would go to war with 10 or 15 battalions, a corps with between 40 and 60. roon rationalized this organization ; in battle, he believed, a general was most efficient with fewer maneuver elements to command. a new - model prussian infantry corps would have two divisions. each division in turn had two brigades, and each of them had two regiments. the regiments would be larger,


, he believed, a general was most efficient with fewer maneuver elements to command. a new - model prussian infantry corps would have two divisions. each division in turn had two brigades, and each of them had two regiments. the regiments would be larger, with three battalions rather than the former two, as a regimental colonel was expected to control all three by line of sight. a brigade commander only had to control the two regiments under his command. at the division level, things got more complex. the division controlled two brigades, plus an artillery detachment of four six - gun batteries. these would usually be parceled out to the brigades in action. during peacetime the division was responsible for either a pioneer battalion or a light infantry battalion ; during wartime these would be held in the corps reserve. the corps controlled the two infantry divisions, plus attachments of artillery and cavalry. this varied from four to seven batteries ( six guns each ) and two to five cavalry regiments. austria also reformed its corps organization in 1860, based on the lessons of the 1859 war. an austrian corps had included two or three divisions, each in turn of two or three five - battalion brigades. each brigade included the four field battalions of a single regiment plus a light infantry battalion : usually jagers but in a few cases grenzers ( croatian border troops ) or volunteer student battalions. austrian generals performed poorly in the 1859 war, and the reform commission appointed after the war recommended using fewer of them. in particular, it pointed out that the small brigades made regimental colonels superfluous. a peacetime regiment had contained four field battalions and a grenadier battalion ; now they would have three field battalions, a fourth reserve battalion and in wartime a fifth training battalion. two of these three - battalion regiments would be grouped in a brigade along with a light infantry battalion and an eight - gun artillery battery. it was a powerful and flexible organization, led by a major general ( austria did not have a “ brigadier general ” rank and this was the imperial army ’ s equivalent ). the larger brigades required fewer light infantry battalions, allowing the role to be filled exclusively by jagers. the organization became less flexible at the larger echelons. an austrian corps included four infantry brigades, a cavalry regiment and a brigade - sized artillery reserve as well as engineer, supply and medical units. the new arrangement required fewer general officers, which had been the goal. but handling six maneuver elements proved beyond the capability of most austrian corps staffs in 1866, and the intermediate stage of division headquarters gave austria ’ s


viewed against a dangerous and costly backdrop, clear team communication is obviously essential to create a safe, productive and effective work environment on the ramp. tractor operators and wing walkers need to warn each other of impending dangers. the tractor operator needs to keep the flight deck informed of ground movement. and all ground personnel should at least be able to hear the flight deck and each other during a pushback. ramp workers can do much more without the wire, the shouting or the hand signals. a typical wireless pushback and towing configuration uses a portable transceiver for continuous two - way communication among one or more wing walkers and the tractor operator during aircraft movement. the tractor operator is free to concentrate on correct maneuvering, and all crew members can warn others instantly of impending dangers. to optimize the flow of communication and minimize chatter, the system is configured so that all team members can hear the pilot, but only the tractor operator can talk directly to the flight deck. because wireless communication increases coordination and enables real - time verbal warnings, it decreases the risk of accidents, shortens turn - around times, and increases the likelihood of hitting flight slots. in addition to pushbacks and towing, wireless team communication systems can also be used to improve safety and efficiency during deicing, cargo and maintenance operations. in a deicing configuration, a wireless system connects the driver and the basket, and the system itself can be connected to two - way radios enabling communication with remote users. communication between the driver and the basket takes place on open microphone over a 1. 9ghz ( 1. 8ghz in the eu ) encrypted frequency while also allowing radio monitoring and transmitting with a push to - talk button on the headsets. systems can be configured to enable multiple deicing crews to communicate while working on the same aircraft - further improving efficiency. additional configurations are available for maintenance teams and are scalable to almost any size. choosing a wireless communication system wireless headset systems are available in a wide variety of configurations and price ranges. to ensure a system meets the diverse needs of ground support, consider the following factors carefully : is the system truly wireless? a number of so - called “ wireless ” systems actually require a wire from the headset to a radio or belt pack. while these systems allow freedom of movement, a belt pack or radio wire creates many of the same problems inherent in hardwire systems, particularly tangled cords. moreover, belt packs generally have less than half the transmission range of self - contained systems worn on the head. does the system use dect


a belt pack or radio wire creates many of the same problems inherent in hardwire systems, particularly tangled cords. moreover, belt packs generally have less than half the transmission range of self - contained systems worn on the head. does the system use dect or bluetooth technology? transmission technology can dramatically affect how well wireless systems perform in the field. systems that employ bluetooth technology generally have a limited range and are subject to radio frequency interference from nearby devices. look for systems that use digital enhanced cordless telecommunications technology. dect units generally offer up to 30 times more coverage and are less subject to interference than bluetooth. dect transmissions also have multipath capability, meaning the signal will bounce up, over and around objects in order to establish the best possible connection. dect signals are also digitally encoded to ensure privacy. is the system full - duplex or half - duplex? half - duplex systems allow communication in both directions, but only one direction at a time. that ’ s a walkie - talkie. on the other hand, full - duplex systems allow communication in both directions simultaneously. full - duplex capabilities are an important safety consideration because they allow the parties to speak and hear others at the same time. is the system radio - compatible? communication during pushback and towing is generally confined to the flight deck, wing walkers and tractor operator ; however, other ground support functions may benefit from the ability to communicate with remote users over a two - way radio. look for a system with maximum radio - interface flexibility.


issued from the woods of the loess hills a few miles east of natchez, mississippi, usa april 29, 2012 | cattle egrets among cattle as in mexico, around here if you pass by a pasture you ' re likely to see cattle egrets standing among or on the cows, as shown at http : / / www. backyardnature. net / n / 12 / 120429eg. jpg. cattle egrets in their breeding plumage, like the ones in the picture, can be distinguished from other white egrets and herons by the patches of light orange - brown on their crests and chests. nonbreeding cattle egrets can be all white, and then their relatively thick, yellow beaks and thicker, shorter necks separate them from similar - sized, white herons and egrets found here, such as snowy egrets and juvenile little blue herons. i remember the first time cattle egrets were spotted in the rural part of western kentucky where i grew up, possibly in 1963. their appearance was so unusual that a farmer not particularly interested in nature called my parents and said that a whole flock of big white birds had appeared in his pasture, and we went up to take a look. i was in college before i learned that they were cattle egrets, bubulcus ibis. my ornithology teacher told how the birds were undergoing one of the fastest and most widely ranging expansions of distribution ever seen among birds. originally cattle egrets were native to southern spain and portugal, tropical and subtropical africa and humid tropical and subtropical asia. in the late 1800s they began expanding their range into southern africa, and were first sighted in the americas, on the boundary of guiana and suriname, in 1877, apparently having flown across the atlantic ocean. they didn ' t get permanently established there until the 1930s, though, but then they began expanding into much of the rest of the americas, reaching western kentucky around the early 60s. the species appears still to be expanding northward in western north america, but in the northeast it seems to be in decline. though they can turn up as far north as southern canada, coast to coast, mostly they breed in the us southeast. the wikipedia expert says that cattle egrets eat ticks and flies from cattle. they do that, but anyone who watches our birds awhile sees that mainly as the cattle move around they stir up creatures in the grass, which the egrets prey on. the cows ' fresh manure


/ 12 / 120429cg. jpg. what are those things below the wings looking like needles with droplets of water at their ends? those are " halteres, " which commonly occur among the fly order of insects, the diptera. though their purpose isn ' t known with certainty, it ' s assumed that they help control flight, enabling flies to make sudden mid - air changes in direction. from the evolutionary perspective, halteres are modified back wings. most insects have two pairs, or four, wings, but not the diptera, as the name implies - - di - ptera, as they say " two - wings " in classical greek. admiring the white oak in that picture i ' m holding a leaf so you can see its underside, much paler than other leaves ' topsides. the tree ' s gray bark of narrow, vertical blocks of scaly plates is shown at http : / / www. backyardnature. net / n / 12 / 120429qc. jpg. i ' m accustomed to seeing white oaks on relatively dry upland soils so i was a little surprised when the tree in the picture showed up on a stream bank growing among sycamores. in fact, white oaks are fairly rare around here, completely absent in many upland forests where i ' d expect them to be. years ago i mentioned this in a newsletter and a local reader responded that in this region white oaks were wiped out many years ago by people cutting them as lumber and, more importantly, using them in the whisky distilling business. the online flora of north america says that " in the past quercus alba was considered to be the source of the finest and most durable oak lumber in america for furniture and shipbuilding. " there beside the stream, last year ' s crop of our white oak ' s acorns had been washed away, but this season ' s were there in their first stages of growth, as seen at http : / / www. backyardnature. net / n / 12 / 120429qb. jpg. traditionally early north americans regarded the inner bark of white oaks as highly medicinal. extracts made from soaking the inner bark in water are astringent ( puckery ) and were used for gargling, and the old herbals describe the extract as tonic, stimulating and antiseptic. other listed uses include for " putrid sore throat, " diphtheria, hemorrhages, spongy or bleeding gums, and hemorrhoids


old herbals describe the extract as tonic, stimulating and antiseptic. other listed uses include for " putrid sore throat, " diphtheria, hemorrhages, spongy or bleeding gums, and hemorrhoids. many applications suggest adding a bit of capsicum, or hot pepper, to the extract. basically the notion seems to be that the bark ' s tannin - - the puckery element - - does the main medicinal service. other oaks actually have more tannin than white oak, but medicines made with them can be too harsh. white oak extracts seem to have just the right amount. the same tannin situation exists with regard to the edibility of acorns. the acorns of other oaks contain more tannin so they require more time and effort to make them edible. white oak acorns have much less tannin, but even still there ' s enough to make them too bitter for humans to eat without treatment, which traditionally has been leaching acorn pulp in running water. by the way, instructions for the kitchen leaching of acorn pulp appear at http : / / www. ehow. com / how _ 8427141 _ leach - acorns. html. american holly flowering american hollies are a different species from the english holly often planted as ornamentals. american holly bears larger leaves and produces fewer fruits. hollies come in male or female trees ( they ' re dioecious ), and you can tell from the flowers in the upper, left of the above picture that here we have a male tree. a close - up of a male flower with its four out - thrusting stamens is at http : / / www. backyardnature. net / n / 12 / 120429hp. jpg. on a female flower the stamens would be rudimentary and there ' d be an ovary - - the future fruit - - in the blossom ' s center. maybe because people are so used to seeing english hollies planted up north often it ' s assumed that they ' re northern trees. in fact, american holly is mainly native to the us southeast, though along the coastal plain it reaches as far north as southern connecticut. around here it ' s strictly an understory tree. the fruits are mildly toxic but you must eat a lot of them to get sick. birds, deer, squirrels and other animals eat the fruits, which are drupes bearing several hard " stones. " no


s strictly an understory tree. the fruits are mildly toxic but you must eat a lot of them to get sick. birds, deer, squirrels and other animals eat the fruits, which are drupes bearing several hard " stones. " no critter seems to relish them, though, saving them mostly to serve as " emergency food " when other foods run out. that might explain why we see hollies holding their red fruits deep into the winter. " beggar ' s lice " on my socks several kinds of plants produce stickery little fruits like that and they all can be called beggar ' s lice. when i tracked down the plant attaching its fruits to me, it was what ' s shown at http : / / www. backyardnature. net / n / 12 / 120429my. jpg. several beggar ' s - lice - producing plants are similar to that, so before being sure what i really had i had to " do the botany. " here are details i focused on : leaves and stems were hairy, and leaves were rounded toward the base, sometimes clasping the stem, as shown at http : / / www. backyardnature. net / n / 12 / 120429mw. jpg. a close - up of a " beggar ' s louse " is shown stuck in my arm hairs at http : / / www. backyardnature. net / n / 12 / 120429mx. jpg. that last picture is sort of tricky. for, you expect the thing stuck to you to be a fruit with hooked spines, but the thing in the picture isn ' t a fruit. it ' s actually a baglike calyx surrounding much smaller fruit - like things. i crumbled some calyxes between my fingers and part of what resulted is shown at http : / / www. backyardnature. net / n / 12 / 120429mv. jpg. the four shiny things are not seeds. maybe you ' ve seen that the ovary of most mint flowers is divided into four more - or - less distinct parts. each of those parts is called a nutlet, and that ' s what you ' re seeing. but other plant families beside the mint produce nutlets. our beggar ' s - louse - producing plant is myosotis discolor, a member of the borage family, the boraginaceae, which on the phylogenetic tree of life is adjacent to


families beside the mint produce nutlets. our beggar ' s - louse - producing plant is myosotis discolor, a member of the borage family, the boraginaceae, which on the phylogenetic tree of life is adjacent to the mint family. myosotis discolor is an invasive from europe that so far has set up residence here and there in eastern and western north america, but so far seems to be absent in the center. the english name is often given as changing forget - me - not, because myosotis is the forget - me - not genus, and in latin dis - color says " two - colored, " apparently referring to the fact that the flowers can be white or blue, though all i ' ve seen here are white. but, this rangy little plant you never notice until its calyxes stick to you seems to have nothing to do with forget - me - nots, unless you look at technical features. i think some editor must have made up the name " changing forget - me - not. " our plant very clearly is one of several " beggar ' s lice. " oats along the road a spikelet plucked from the panicle is shown at http : / / www. backyardnature. net / n / 12 / 120429ov. jpg. the same spikelet opened to show the florets inside the glumes at http : / / www. backyardnature. net / n / 12 / 120429ou. jpg. this is oat grass, avena sativa, the same species producing the oats of oatmeal. oat spikelets differ from those of the vast majority of other grasses by the very large, boat - shaped glumes subtending the florets. glumes are analogous to a regular flower ' s calyx, so in that last picture of a spikelet, the glumes are the two large, green - and - white striped items at the left in the photograph. the vast majority of grass spikelets bear glumes much shorter than the florets above them. also, notice that the slender, stiff, needlelike item, the awn, arises from a floret inside the spikelet and not from a glum. remember that you can review grass flower terminology at http : / / www. backyardnature. net / fl _ grass. htm. the spikelets of most oat plants don ' t bear


the spikelet and not from a glum. remember that you can review grass flower terminology at http : / / www. backyardnature. net / fl _ grass. htm. the spikelets of most oat plants don ' t bear needlelike awns. you ' re likely to see both awned and awnless kinds growing as weeds in our area. when i first saw the awns i thought this might be one of the " wild oat " species, for several species reside in the oat genus avena, and one of those grows wild in the us southeast. however, florets of the other species bear long, brownish hairs, and you can see that ours are hairless, or " glabrous. " the other species ' awns also are twisted, but regular oat awns, when present, are rigid and straight. both oat species are native to eurasia. how did that oat plant make its way to the side of our isolated mississippi backroad? near where the grass grew there was a large game farm where exotic animals are kept so hunters can pay high fees to kill them. i ' m betting that the animals are fed oats. our plant was in an often - flooded spot downstream from the farm, so maybe an oat grain had washed there. that ' s a roadcut through a special kind of very fine - grained clay called loess. the word loess derives from the german loß. a deep mantel of loess was deposited here at the end of the last ice age about 10, 000 years ago. deep loess deposits occur in a narrow band of upland immediately east of the mississippi river over most of its entire course. the loess region sometimes is called the loess hills. loess profoundly affects the area ' s ecology. for one thing, the farther east you go from the mississippi river, the thinner the loess is, the poorer and more acidic the soil becomes, and the more pines you get instead of broadleaf deciduous trees. loess is so important here, and so interesting, that years ago i developed a web portal called " loess hills of the lower mississippi valley, " at http : / / www. backyardnature. net / loess / loess. html. i had hoped to engage local folks in an effort to recognize the loess hills as a very interesting, scenic and biologically important, distinct region with ecotourism potential, but nothing ever came from it. at that


/ loess. html. i had hoped to engage local folks in an effort to recognize the loess hills as a very interesting, scenic and biologically important, distinct region with ecotourism potential, but nothing ever came from it. at that site you can learn how " loess " can be pronounced, how it came to exist here, what ' s special about it, and much more. one thing special about loess is that it erodes into vertical - sided roadcuts as in the picture. people such as road engineers who try to create gentle slopes are doomed to failure. i wish my farming maya friends in the yucatan, who must deal with very thin, rocky soil, could see the thick mantel of rich loess we have here. no more emailed newsletters from now on, to read the newsletters you ' ll just have to remember to check out the most recently issued edition at http : / / www. backyardnature. net / n /. today ' s newsletter is there now waiting for readers, with stories about cattle egrets, mating box turtles, craneflies, flowering holly trees, beggar ' s lice and more. if you ' re on facebook you can find the facebook newsletter page by searching for " jim conrad ' s naturalist newsletter. " the weekly message left there will link to individual pages with images embedded in text. in today ' s message, for instance, you can click on " cattle egrets " and see a regular web page with text and a photo. i ' ve configured my facebook page to have a subscribe tab but so far one hasn ' t appeared. my impression is that if you " like " the newsletter page, each week you ' ll receive a message with its link. maybe not. i ' m still figuring it out. so, this is the end of eleven years of weekly delivered emails. at first i was upset and annoyed, and thought of writing the 2, 158 subscribers suggesting that complaints be made to fatcow at email @ example. com. however, something interesting has happened. last week about a dozen subscribers accepted my invitation to check out the newsletter ' s facebook page. when they " liked " the page, i got to see their pictures, or at least their avatars. there were all kinds of folks, old and young, skinny and fat, white and brown, serious and joking, one fellow on a boat in maine, a lady in india with a dot, or bindi, in the middle of her


##s. there were all kinds of folks, old and young, skinny and fat, white and brown, serious and joking, one fellow on a boat in maine, a lady in india with a dot, or bindi, in the middle of her forehead, someone ' s baby picture... what an amazing thing that all these people were interested in what i ' d written! so, in a way, fatcow. com ' s treatment has been a gift. it ' s resensitized me to my readership. also, it ' s nudged me into a mental space where now i ' m mentally prepared for the whole backyardnature. net site to be removed permanently, for whatever reason they come up with. that extra sense of independence means a lot to me. now if need be i ' m ready to write newsletters and just keep them in my computer, or write them in a notebook hidden in my trailer, or write them on leaves that i let float down the mississippi river. i ' ve already learned how to make ink from oak galls. so, we ' re evolving here. i ' m yielding when it ' s clear that the forces against us control critical resources, but i ' m ready to experiment with new possibilities as they appear, and i continue to think, feel and write about the world around us, and share when i ' m allowed to. good luck in your own evolutions. and thanks for these years of weekly inviting me into your lives. best wishes to all newsletter readers, to subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, go to www. backyardnature. net / news / natnat. php. post your own backyard - nature observations and thoughts at http : / / groups. google. com / group / backyard - nature / all previous newsletters are archived at www. backyardnature. net / n /. visit jim ' s backyard nature site at www. backyardnature. net


the town´s history although written differently, tolz was mentioned for the first time in the records of 1180. in 1331, it was granted extensive " marktrechte ", e. g. the right to hold a market. in the 13th and 14th century many workshops ( e. g. limeburners and raftsmen ) settled in this area. a great fire destroyed large parts of the town in 1453, but with generous noble support reconstruction soon began. thanks to the location at the river isar, the rafting and also brewery trade the town soon flourished. 22 breweries could be counted in 1721. tolz became also famous for arts and crafts with the beautiful coloured chests, cases and beds. in 1845, iodine was found close to tolz. therefore, market town markt tolz became bad ( = the german word for spa resorts ) in 1899. in 1906, it was recognized as town and in 1969 it got the rating " heilklimatischer kurort ", which means that its climate is beneficial to health. what is more, in 2005, it also got the title " moorheilbad ", that means it is acknowledged as mineral and medicinal mud - bath spa. the town´s coat of arms the town´s coat of arms. the town´s flag with the colours black and gold.


guest author - heather thomas in most wild species, birds display dominance within the flock to determine their place or roll within that flock. males display and vocalize to win their choice of female. the term “ pecking order ” comes from natural bird behavior. dominant behavior is natural and expected in the wild. we must be cautious, as humans, not to project our sense of right and wrong onto our feathered companions. similar to birds that still live in the wild, your bird may be only a few generations removed from the wild and will display natural behavior tendencies. understanding these basic characteristics helps you understand how to interact with your bird and creates a happier flock experience for all. the lunging or biting bird one must be cautious to label “ bad ” behavior as dominant behavior. lunging and biting are most often caused by fear. changing a bird ’ s environment too drastically such as cage placement, a new cage, rearranging the furniture in a room or even something as simple as changing the drapery on the window next to their cage can cause even a friendly bird to become seemingly aggressive. it is important to consider environmental changes before labeling your bird ’ s behavior as dominant. typical dominant behavior that manifests itself as biting or lunging would be a bird that loves to sit only on your shoulder and bites you when you attempt to remove them. protecting a favorite person or place in your home by lunging or biting at others who happen to come too close would also be correctly labeled as dominant behavior. the bully bird you may have a situation where you keep more than one bird in a cage. if you have a flock that works well together you will be able to tell who the dominant male is but it will not adversely affect your flock. if you have a dominant male that is a bully, you may observe him forcing other birds off of their perch or guarding a food dish and not letting anyone else eat from it. in worst - case scenarios, your bully will single out a victim and force that bird to dwell at the bottom of the cage or even injure and possibly kill this weaker bird. if you have a dominant bully, it is best to remove him from the cage and keep him in a cage by himself or with his mate. the anti - social bird as much as you try your bird has no interest in becoming your friend. this bird often flutters around its cage to avoid your hand or takes to flight to escape your reach. i find this behavior often typical of a bird with unclipped wings. there are people who


bird has no interest in becoming your friend. this bird often flutters around its cage to avoid your hand or takes to flight to escape your reach. i find this behavior often typical of a bird with unclipped wings. there are people who keep birds that believe it is cruel to clip a bird ’ s wings. i will cover this topic in depth at a later time but here will touch on effects not clipping your bird ’ s wings has on dominance. by the very act of keeping a bird as a pet, you are choosing to take this wonderful winged creature and transform it into your friend or companion. if you take this action, it changes the purpose of the animal. if you allow your bird to retain the ability of flight, you are permitting your bird to escape your reach and do whatever it wants. this may be fine, if you want a wild bird as a pet. however, if you want a friendly bird, you want a bird dependent on you, a bird that does not fly away just because it wants to. for a well - mannered bird, keep the flock mentality where you are the dominant bird. if you want a bird that respects you, you must maintain dominance. this is not achieved by cruel discipline. observe your bird and be consistent with your expectations and interaction within your flock. do not allow unacceptable dominant behavior to take root in your avian friend.


( bpt ) - everyone, including moms and doctors, can agree that a good night of sleep is necessary for good health, high energy, and an individual ’ s overall well - being. not getting enough good sleep – or rapid eye movement sleep – can affect the mind and body ’ s ability to react appropriately to outside factors, the national sleep foundation reports. creating the perfect sleep environment is the first step toward ensuring a good night of sleep. march, the first month of spring, is also national sleep awareness month, and it aims to remind everyone why a good night of zzz ’ s is so important. one in four adults in the united states experience occasional sleepiness, difficulty falling asleep, or waking up feeling un - refreshed at least a few times per week, according to the national sleep foundation. fortunately, you can implement these tips this spring, and create a comfortable sleeping environment in your home for both you and your family. * eliminate distractions – electronics. noises. lights. many items, such as laptops, tvs and cellphones, commonly found in bedrooms can cause distractions and prevent a person from entering rem sleep. remove these items from the room. also, consider running a fan or white noise machine to create a soft sound barrier, which will help muffle unexpected sounds like a person flushing the toilet or an engine rumbling loudly on the street outside. * establish comfort – creating a sleep - conducive environment is an important factor in making the most out of every minute you sleep. cuddle up each night with soft linens and create a calming atmosphere in the bedroom. to do this, try adding downy infusions lavender serenity liquid fabric softener when washing your sheets and sleepwear this season, to make your linens and sleepwear silky, soft and soothing. it will help lull you right into bed. with downy you can wake up to a great scent and start the day off on the right side of the bed. * be routine – the human body reacts favorably to familiar and repeated movements. so consider following a routine every night, whether it ’ s taking a warm bath, reading a chapter in a book or journaling. the national sleep foundation advises against watching tv or using electronics as part of this routine because electronics can hinder quality sleep. * stay active – sleep is needed to give the body energy to get through its daily activities. conversely, daily activities are needed to tire the body out for a good night of sleep. consider adding physical activities into


tuscaloosa, located at the falls of the black warrior river in west central alabama, is the the fifth - largest city in alabama with a population of 90, 468, and the seat of tuscaloosa county. it is named for the choctaw chieftain tuskalusa ( meaning black warrior ), who battled and was defeated by hernando de soto in 1540 in the battle of mauvila. best known as the home of the university of alabama, tuscaloosa is also the center of industry, commerce, healthcare, and education for the region commonly known as west alabama. the area at the fall line of what would be later known as the black warrior river had long been well known to the various indian tribes whose shifting fortunes brought them to west alabama. the river shoals at tuscaloosa represented the southernmost site on the river which could be forded under most conditions. inevitably, a network of indian trails converged upon the place, the same network which, in the first years of the 19th century began to lead a few white frontiersmen to the area. the pace of white settlement increased greatly after the war of 1812, and a small assortment of log cabins soon arose near the large creek village at the fall line of the river, which the settlers named in honor of the legendary chief tuscaloosa. in 1817, alabama became a territory, and on december 13, 1819, the territorial legislature incorporated the town of tuscaloosa, exactly one day before the united states congress admitted alabama to the union as a state. from 1826 to 1846 tuscaloosa was the capital of alabama. during this period, in 1831, the university of alabama was established. the town ' s population and economy grew rapidly until the departure of the capital to montgomery caused a rapid decline in population. establishment of the bryce state hospital for the insane in tuscaloosa in the 1850s helped restore the city ' s fortunes. during the civil war following alabama ' s secession from the union, several thousand men from tuscaloosa fought in the confederate armies. during the last weeks of the war, a brigade of union troops raiding the city burned the campus of the university of alabama. tuscaloosa, too, suffered much damage from the battle and shared fully in the south ' s economic sufferings which followed the defeat. the construction of a system of locks and dams on the black warrior river by the u. s. army corps of engineers in the 1890s opened up an inexpensive link to the gulf sea


fully in the south ' s economic sufferings which followed the defeat. the construction of a system of locks and dams on the black warrior river by the u. s. army corps of engineers in the 1890s opened up an inexpensive link to the gulf seaport of mobile, stimulating especially the mining and metallurgical industries of the region. by the advent of the 20th century, the growth of the university of alabama and the mental health - care facilities in the city, along with strong national economy fueled a steady growth in tuscaloosa which continued unabated for 100 years. manufacturing plants of large firms such as michelin and jvc located in town during the latter half of the 20th century. however, it was the announcement of the addition of the mercedes - benz us international assembly plant in 1993 that best personified the new era of economic prosperity for tuscaloosa. geography and climate according to the u. s. census bureau, tuscaloosa has a total area of 66. 7 square miles. 56. 2 mi² of it is land and 10. 5 mi² of it ( 15. 7 % ) is water. most of water within the city limits is in lake tuscaloosa, which is entirely in the city limits, and the black warrior river. tuscaloosa lies approximately 60 miles southwest of birmingham, at the fall line of the black warrior river on the boundary between the appalachian highland and the gulf coastal plain approximately 120 miles upriver from its confluence with the tombigbee river in demopolis. consequently, the geography of the area around tuscaloosa is quite diverse, being hilly and forested to the northeast and low - lying and marshy to the southwest. the area experiences a typical southern subtropical climate with four distinct seasons. the gulf of mexico heavily influences the climate by supplying the region with warm, moist air. during the fall, winter and spring seasons, the interaction of this warm, moist air with cooler, drier air from the north along fronts create precipitation. notable exceptions occur during hurricane season where storms may move from due south to due north or even from east to west during land - falling hurricanes. the interaction between low - and high - pressure air masses is most pronounced during the severe weather seasons in the spring and fall. during the summer, the jet streams flows well to the north of the southeastern u. s., and most precipitation is consequently convectional, that is, caused by the warm surface heating the air above. winter lasts from mid - december to late - february ;


summer, the jet streams flows well to the north of the southeastern u. s., and most precipitation is consequently convectional, that is, caused by the warm surface heating the air above. winter lasts from mid - december to late - february ; temperatures range from the mid - 20s to the mid - 50s. on average, the low temperature falls at freezing or below about 50 days a year. while rain is abundant ( an average 5. 09 in. per month from dec. - feb. ), measurable snowfall is rare ; the average annual snowfall is about 0. 6 inches. spring usually lasts from late - february to mid - may ; temperatures range from the mid - 50s to the low - 80s and monthly rainfall amounts average about 5. 05 in. ( 128 mm ) per month. summers last from mid - may to mid - september ; temperatures range from the upper - 60s to the mid - 90s, with temperatures above 100°f not uncommon, and average rainfall dip slightly to 3. 97 in. per month. autumn, which spans from mid - september to early - december, tends to be similar to spring terms of temperature and precipitation. as of the census of 2000 there were 77, 906 people, 31, 381 households, and 16, 945 families residing in the city. the population density was 1, 385. 2 / mi². there were 34, 857 housing units at an average density of 619. 8 / mi². the racial makeup of the city was 54 % white and 43 % black or african american. 1. 40 % of the population were hispanic or latino of any race. there were 31, 381 households out of which 23. 9 % had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35. 0 % were married couples living together, 15. 7 % had a female householder with no husband present, and 46. 0 % were non - families. 35. 2 % of all households were made up of individuals and 9. 3 % had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. the average household size was 2. 22 and the average family size was 2. 93. in the city the population was spread out with 19. 8 % under the age of 18, 24. 5 % from 18 to 24, 25. 4 % from 25 to 44, 18. 5 % from 45 to 64, and 11. 8 % who were 65 years of age or older. the median age was 28 years. for every 100 females there were 90.


to 24, 25. 4 % from 25 to 44, 18. 5 % from 45 to 64, and 11. 8 % who were 65 years of age or older. the median age was 28 years. for every 100 females there were 90. 8 males. for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87. 9 males. the median income for a household in the city was $ 27, 731, and the median income for a family was $ 41, 753. males had a median income of $ 31, 614 versus $ 24, 507 for females. the per capita income for the city was $ 19, 129. about 14. 2 % of families and 23. 6 % of the population were below the poverty line, including 25. 3 % of those under age 18 and 13. 4 % of those age 65 or over. government and politics tuscaloosa has a strong - mayor variant, mayor - council form of government, led by a mayor and a seven - member city council. the mayor is elected by the city at - large and serves four - year terms. council members are elected to single - member districts every four years as well. neither the mayor nor the members of the city council is term - limited. all elected offices are nonpartisan. the mayor administers the day - to - day operations of the city, including overseeing the various city departments, over whom he has hiring and firing power. the mayor also acts as ambassador of the city. the mayor sits in city council meetings and has a tie - breaking vote. the current mayor of tuscaloosa is walter maddox, who was elected to office is september 2005. prior to maddox, alvin a. dupont had served as mayor for 24 years. the city council is a legislative body that considers policy and passes law. the council also passes the budget for mayoral approval. any resolution passed by the council is binding law. the majority of work in the council is done by committee, a usually consisting of a chairman, two other council members, and relevant non - voting city employees. | 3 | | cynthia lee almond | | 2005 | | 7 | | william tinker, iii | | 2005 | tuscaloosa, as the largest county seat in western alabama, serves a hub of state and federal government agencies. in addition to the customary offices associated with the county courthouse, namely two district court judges, six circuit court judges, the district attorney and the public defender, several alabama state government agencies have regional offices in tuscalo


of state and federal government agencies. in addition to the customary offices associated with the county courthouse, namely two district court judges, six circuit court judges, the district attorney and the public defender, several alabama state government agencies have regional offices in tuscaloosa, such as the alabama department of transportation and the alabama state troopers. also, several federal agencies operate bureaus out of the federal courthouse in tuscaloosa. tuscaloosa is located partially in both the 6th and 7th congressional districts, which are represented by spencer bachus and artur davis respectively. on the state level, the city is split among the 5th, 21st, and 24th senate districts and 62nd, 63rd, and 70th house districts in the alabama state legislature. despite its image as a college town, tuscaloosa boasts a diversified economy based on all sectors of manufacturing and service. 25 % of the labor force in the tuscaloosa metropolitan statistical area is employed by the federal, state, and local government agencies. 16. 7 % is employed in manufacturing ; 16. 4 % in retail trade and transportation ; 11. 6 % in finance, information, and private enterprise ; 10. 3 % in mining and construction ; and 9. 2 % in hospitality. education and healthcare account for only 7. 2 % of the area workforce with the remainder employed in other services. the city ' s industrial base includes elk corporation of alabama, nucor steel tuscaloosa, bf goodrich tire manufacturing, jvc america, phifer incorporated, gulf states paper corporation, and the mercedes - benz u. s. international, inc., assembly plant. health - care and education serve as the cornerstone of tuscaloosa ' s service sector, which includes the university of alabama, dch regional medical center, bryce state mental hospital, the william d. partlow developmental center, and the tuscaloosa va medical center. the university of alabama is the dominant institution of higher learning. enrolling approximately 24, 000 students, ua has been a part of tuscaloosa ' s identity since it opened its doors in 1831. stillman college, which opened in 1875, is a historically black liberal arts college which enrolls approximately 1, 200 students. additionally, shelton state community college, one of the largest in alabama, is located in the city. the school enrolls 8, 000 students from all backgrounds and income levels. the tuscaloosa city school system serves the city. it is overseen by the board of education, which is composed of eight


in alabama, is located in the city. the school enrolls 8, 000 students from all backgrounds and income levels. the tuscaloosa city school system serves the city. it is overseen by the board of education, which is composed of eight members elected by district and a chairman is elected by a citywide vote. operating with a $ 100 million budget, the system enrolls approximately 10, 300 students. the system consists of 19 schools : 11 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 3 high schools ( paul bryant high school, central high school, and northridge high school ), and 2 specialty schools ( the tuscaloosa center for technology and oak hill school for special needs students ). in 2002, the system spent $ 6, 313 per pupil, the 19th highest amount of the 120 school systems in the state. tuscaloosa is home to a variety of cultural sites and events reflective of its historical and modern role in alabama and the southeast in general. many of these cultural events are sponsored by the university of alabama. numerous performing arts groups and facilities, historical sites, and museums dedicated to subjects as varying as american art and collegiate football dot the city. during football season the area known as " the strip " pulsates with students, alumni, locals and visitors. the tuscaloosa public library is a city / county agency with nearly 200, 000 items on catalog. 46, 857 registered patrons use the library on a regular basis — roughly 28 % of the population of the county. there are currently with three branches : the main branch on jack warner parkway, the weaver - bolden branch, and the brown branch in taylorville. most of the museums in tuscaloosa are found downtown or on the campus of the university. downtown is the home of children ’ s hands - on museum of tuscaloosa and the murphy african - american museum. the alabama museum of natural history and the paul bryant museum are located on the university campus. the westervelt - warner museum of american art is located in northern tuscaloosa at jack warner ' s northriver yacht club. moundville archaeological park and the jones archaeological museum are located 15 miles south of tuscaloosa in moundville. the university alabama also currently fields championship – caliber teams in football, men ' s baseball, men ' s and women ' s basketball, women ' s gymnastics, and women ' s softball. these teams play in athletics facilities on the university campus, including bryant - denny stadium, coleman coliseum, sewell - thomas


, men ' s baseball, men ' s and women ' s basketball, women ' s gymnastics, and women ' s softball. these teams play in athletics facilities on the university campus, including bryant - denny stadium, coleman coliseum, sewell - thomas baseball stadium, alabama softball complex, and the ol ' colony golf complex. stillman college fields teams in football, basketball, and other sports. in the past decade, stillman has gone through a renaissance of renovations, including a new football stadium. shelton state fields men ' s and women ' s basketball, baseball, and softball teams, each with on - campus facilities. tuscaloosa is part of the birmingham - tuscaloosa - anniston television market, which is the 40th largest in the nation. all major networks have a presence in the market. wbma - lp is the abc affiliate, wiat - tv is the cbs affiliate, wbrc 6 is the fox affiliate, wvtm - tv is the nbc affiliate, wbiq 10 is the pbs affiliate, wtto is the cw affiliate, and wabm is the mynetworktv affiliate. additionally, wvua - ca, an independent station, is operated by the university of alabama. health and medicine dch regional medical center is the main medical facility in tuscaloosa. other major medical centers in tuscaloosa include the 702 - bed va medical center and the 422 - bed bryce state mental hospital. the city lies at the intersection of u. s. highway 11, u. s. highway 43, and u. s. highway 82, alabama state route 69, alabama state route 215, and alabama state route 216 ) and the duplexed ( conjoined ) i - 20 and i - 59. interstate 359 spurs off from i - 20 / i - 59 and heads northward, ending just shy of the black warrior river in downtown tuscaloosa. tuscaloosa is served by the tuscaloosa transit authority which operates the tuscaloosa trolley system. the tuscaloosa regional airport, is located on the north side of the black warrior river west of downtown northport. barge traffic routinely transports goods along the black warrior river from birmingham and tuscaloosa to the alabama state docks at mobile, on the coast of the gulf of mexico. via the tennessee - tombigbee waterway, the city is connected to the ohio river valley. " tuscaloosa, alabama. " wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 26 april 2007, 02 :


... structure and function 2. 1 rate of enzyme mediated... reactions in one direction. rate of enzyme mediated main article : rate of enzyme mediated enzymes can increase reaction rate...... kinetics describe the rate of enzyme mediated reactions for many enzymes. it is named for... to determine the maximum rate of an enzyme mediated reaction, the substrate concentration ( [ s ] )..., the factors that effect the rate of enzyme mediated reactions ( ie. ph, temperature, etc ) are at...... active transport is the mediated transport of biochemicals, and other atomic / molecular substances, across membranes. unlike passive transport, this process requires...... that action potentials do propagate back into the dendrites once initiated in the axon in most neurons. this backpropagating action potential is mediated by the activation of voltage - gated ion channels and can interact with synaptic input to alter the synaptic activity. the structure and branching of...... ) is a process of passive transport ( diffusion ) via which molecules diffuse across membranes, with the help of transport proteins ( mediated small uncharged molecules can easily diffuse across cell membranes. however, due to the hydrophobic nature of the lipids that make...... thousands of other cells. types of signalling neurons communicate with one another across synapses. this communication is usually chemically mediated by rapid secretion of neurotransmitter molecules. pre - synaptic neurons ( i. e. the neurons which release the neurotransmitter ) may produce in the...


( redirected from george c. marshall george catlett marshall ( december 31, 1880 – october 16, 1959 ), was an american military leader and statesman best remembered for his leadership in the allied victory in world war ii and for his work establishing the post - war reconstruction effort for europe, which became known as the marshall plan. marshall was born into a middle - class family in uniontown, pennsylvania. while attending virginia military institute he was initiated into the now dormant beta ( ' 01 ) chapter of kappa alpha order. in 1948, he was awarded the distiguished achievement award for his role and contributions during and after wwii. marshall was instrumental in getting the u. s. army and army air corps reorganized and ready for war. marshall wrote the document that would become the central strategy for all allied operations in europe, selected dwight eisenhower as supreme commander in europe, and designed operation overlord, the invasion of normandy. throughout the remainder of the world war ii, marshall coordinated all allied operations in europe and the pacific. he was characterized as the organizer of allied victory by winston churchill. time magazine named marshall man of the year in 1944. after ww ii he was sent to china to negotiate a truce and build a coalition government between the nationalists and communists fighting the chinese civil war. his efforts failed and he was recalled in january 1947. marshall ' retired ' in november 1945 and was named secretary of state in 1947. as such, on june 5, 1947 at a speech at harvard university, he outlined the u. s. government ' s preparedness to contribute to european recovery. the european recovery plan, which became known as the marshall plan, helped europe quickly rebuild and earned marshall the honor of being named time ' s man of the year in 1948 and awarded the nobel peace prize in 1953. in 1949 he resigned from the state department and was named president of the american national red cross. he was named secretary of defense in 1950, but retired from politics for good in 1951 after senator joseph mccarthy implied he was a traitor and denounced him for making decisions that " aided the communist drive for world domination ". marshall died on october 16, 1959. he married elizabeth carter cole of lexington, virginia in 1902. she died in 1927. 1930 he married katherine boyce tupper brown. after graduating from the virginia military institute in 1901, he entered the u. s. army, where he was to have a long and distinguished career. until world war i, he was posted to various positions in the us and the philippines, and was trained in modern


the virginia military institute in 1901, he entered the u. s. army, where he was to have a long and distinguished career. until world war i, he was posted to various positions in the us and the philippines, and was trained in modern warfare. during the war he had roles as a planner of both training and operations. between wwi and wwii, he was a key planner and writer in the war department, spent three years in china, and taught at the army war college. he went to france in the summer of 1917 as the director of training and planning for the 1st infantry division. in mid - 1918, he was promoted to american expeditionary forces headquarters, where he was a key planner of american operations. he was instrumental in the design and coordination of the meuse - argonne offensive, which forced germany to sue for peace. in 1919 he became an aide - de - camp to general john j. pershing. between 1920 and 1924, while pershing was army chief of staff, marshall worked in a number of positions in the us army, focusing on training and teaching modern, mechanised warfare. he was promoted to brigadier general in october 1936. in 1939 he was selected by franklin d. roosevelt to be army chief of staff, a position he held until 1945. dates of rank - second lieutenant, united states army : february 2, 1902 - first lieutenant, united states army : march 7, 1907 - captain, united states army : july 1, 1916 - major, national army : august 5, 1917 - lieutenant colonel, national army : january 5, 1918 - colonel, national army : august 27, 1918 - major, regular army ( reverted to permanent rank ) : july 1, 1920 - lieutenant colonel, regular army : august 21, 1923 - colonel, regular army : september 1, 1933 - brigadier general, regular army : october 1, 1936 - major general, regular army : september 1, 1939 - general, regular army, for service as army chief of staff : september 1, 1939 - general of the army, army of the united states : december 16, 1944 - general of the army rank made permanent in the regular army : april 11, 1946 notes about components : - united states army : regular u. s. armed forces prior to world war i - national army : combined conscript and regular united states forces during world war i - regular army : regular volunteer forces after 1930. considered " career " professionals - army of the united states : combined draft and regular forces of world war ii. awards and decorations


national army : combined conscript and regular united states forces during world war i - regular army : regular volunteer forces after 1930. considered " career " professionals - army of the united states : combined draft and regular forces of world war ii. awards and decorations " we are determined that before the sun sets on this terrible struggle, our flag will be recognized throughout the world as a symbol of freedom on the one hand and of overwhelming force on the other. " - - george marshall ( may 29, 1942, larry i. bland and sharon ritenour stevens, ed. the papers of george catlett marshall, vol 3 pp. 212 - 14. ) " i couldn ' t sleep nights, george, if you were out of washington. " - president roosevelt, reported by henry stimson, 1943 “... what a joy it must be to [ marshall ] to see how the armies he called into being by his own genius have won immortal renown. he is the true ' organizer of victory. ’ ” winston churchill, 1945 " a man devoted to the daily study of war on several continents with all the ardour of a certified public accountant. " - alistair cooke, 1959 " hitherto i had thought of marshall as a rugged soldier and a magnificent organizer and builder of armies - the american carnot. but now i saw that he was a statesman with a penetrating and commanding view of the whole scene. " - winston churchill | - style = " text - align : center ; " | width = " 30 % " | preceded by : louis a. johnson | width = " 40 % " style = " text - align : center ; " | united states secretary of defense | width = " 30 % " | succeeded by : robert a. lovett


brookhaven national laboratory was established in 1947 on the eastern end of long island at the former site of the u. s. army ’ s camp upton. originally built out of a post - world war ii desire to explore the peaceful applications of atomic energy, the laboratory now has a broader mission : to perform basic and applied research at the frontiers of science, including nuclear and high - energy physics ; physics and chemistry of materials ; nanoscience ; energy and environmental research ; national security and nonproliferation ; neurosciences and medical imaging ; structural biology ; and computational sciences. over its history, brookhaven lab has housed three research reactors, numerous one - of - a - kind particle accelerators, and other cutting - edge research facilities responsible for discoveries leading to many advances for science and society as well as seven nobel prizes. brookhaven was originally conceived, in part, to establish a national laboratory in the northeastern united states to design, construct and operate large scientific machines that individual institutions could not afford to develop on their own. throughout the years, brookhaven ’ s scientists and visiting researchers have used these unique facilities to make discoveries in biology, physics, chemistry, geophysics, medicine, and materials science. since brookhaven opened its doors, countless innovations and inventions by staff and visiting scientists have contributed to research in many fields. discoveries made here have shaped our understanding of the atom and the universe, advanced medical imaging techniques, and created new technology and tools for studying microbiology, climate and pollutants, energy storage and more.


description : over the last thirty years, scholars have begun to explore the implications of an ancient jewish and christian tradition that referred to the “ minor prophets ” as “ the twelve, ” “ the twelve prophets, ” or the “ book of the twelve. ” scholarly work on the book of the twelve in the last quarter century has focused on two issues in particular : 1 ) developing models regarding how the book of the twelve came to be recorded on a single scroll, and 2 ) isolating unifying elements that transcend the individual writings and take on new significance when the book of the twelve becomes a single collection rather than twelve distinct writings. dr. nogalski ’ s comprehensive and accessible commentary offers an overview of the ancient traditions concerning the book of the twelve that lay the foundation for understanding these recent developments. subjects : bible, hebrew bible / old testament, prophetic literature, book of the twelve, literature, micah, nahum, habakkuk, zephaniah, haggai, zechariah, malachi review by lena - sofia tiemeyer read the review citation : lena - sofia tiemeyer, review of james d. nogalski, the book of the twelve, review of biblical literature [ http : / / www. bookreviews. org ] ( 2012 ). adobe acrobat reader all rbl reviews are published in pdf format. to view these reviews, you must have downloaded and installed the free version of adobe acrobat reader. if you do not have the reader or you have an older version of the reader, you can download the most recent version now.


the history of the british isles and its inhabitants, both human and canine, has long been entwined. breed reveals the enduring and affectionate relationship between the british people and their dogs and explores the very beginnings of pedigree dog breeding in britain. this is a " self delivery " pack which has been designed specifically for national science and engineering week 2013. the science behind fingeprints is well known! what is not so well known is the link between fingerprints and footprints. right angle events have launched a new education pack called ‘ toes for turf ’ comprising at least 4 hours of fun teaching material linked to key stage 1 - 4 mathematics. we have designed a fantastic scheme especially for national science & engineering week called " toes for turf ". the science behind fingerprints is well known. what is not so well known is the science behind footprints or " feet prints ". this activity enables students to take, classify and " lift " both fingerprints and foot prints. as the research on footprints is meagre, this scheme will allow students to make some discoveries about the correlation or otherwise between fingerprints and feet prints. we will be running a science club for children from the junior school for 8 weeks before science week. children will be working on projects designed by local scientists and making posters to show what they ' ve done. a competition will be held and prizes will be given for the best posters and projects. during science week we ' ll have a science day for the whole school. local scientists will come to the school and we ' ll have science themed activities all day. imagine you are part of the team planning and designing the first manned mission to mars. your job is to investigate just one problem of the mission, and come up with an idea that might solve it. you ’ re asked to create a poster, no bigger than a1 - sized, to explain the problem and your idea. the idea can be anything you like, but it must be based on real - science. the competition is for years 7, 8, or 9. we can accept both individual and team entries. all posters must be received by us by 4pm 12th march 2013. you can hand your posters in through participating schools and stem clubs. primary school competition - teams of four to prepare a 5 minute demo and supporting display on the theme of inventions and discoveries. winning team from each school to compete at chipping campden school primary science conference on march 18th. an egg race type activity will also form part of the competition. a demo lecture will finish the proceedings.


transferable knowledge and a range of intellectual abilities drawn from different modes of inquiry across disciplines are essential components of any liberal education. these courses help students develop important academic capacities for use during their undergraduate career and in the rapidly - changing world they will enter after college. ( one writing - intensive w - 1 course in the fall of the first year ) students will develop writing, reading, speaking, listening, and information literacy skills necessary for collegiate - level academic work. students will develop capacities for independent academic work and become self - regulated learners. ( one course from the list of designated courses ) students will develop a unified understanding of scientific theory and practice in modern natural science. students will demonstrate an understanding of the development of science as an intellectual pursuit and of the ways in which scientific ideas are formulated, modified, and come to be accepted. students will demonstrate skill in the application of scientific techniques and methods, including the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, and communication of results. ( one course from the list of designated courses ; not required for class of 2014 ) students will study language as a complex multifunctional phenomenon - as a system for communicating thought and information and as an essential element of human thought processes, perceptions, and self - expression - that allows students to understand different peoples and their communities. students will examine the world, their own culture, and their own language through the lens of a foreign language and culture. integrated perspectives course ( one team - taught interdisciplinary course taken during the sophomore year from the list of designated courses ; not required for class of 2014 ) students will recognize, construct, and evaluate connections among different intellectual methods, ways of learning, and bodies of knowledge.


what is bone cancer? bone is the framework that supports the body. most bones are hollow. bone marrow is the soft tissue inside hollow bones. the main substance of bone is made up of a network of fibrous tissue onto which calcium salts are laid down. this makes the bone very hard and strong. at each end of the bone is a softer bone - like tissue called cartilage that acts as a cushion between bones. the outside of the bone is covered with a layer of fibrous tissue. the bone itself contains 2 kinds of cells. osteoblasts are cells that form the bone. osteoclasts are cells that dissolve bone. although we think that bone does not change, the truth is that it is very active. new bone is always forming and old bone dissolving. the marrow of some bones is only fatty tissue. in other bones the marrow is a mixture of fat cells and the cells that make blood cells. these blood - forming cells make red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. types of bone tumors most of the time when someone is told they have cancer in their bones, the doctor is talking about a cancer that started somewhere else and then spread to the bone. this is called metastatic cancer ( not bone cancer ). this can happen to people with many different types of advanced cancer, such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, and many others. under a microscope, theses cancer cells in the bone look like the cancer cells that they came from. if someone has lung cancer that has spread to the bone, the cells there will look and act like lung cancer cells and they will be treated the same way. to learn more about cancer that has spread to bone, please see the american cancer society document bone metastasis, as well as the document on the place where the cancer started ( breast cancer, lung cancer ( non - small cell ), prostate cancer, etc. ). other kinds of cancers that are sometimes called “ bone cancers ” start in the bone marrow – in the blood - forming cells – not the bone itself. these are not true bone cancers. the most common of these is multiple myeloma. certain lymphomas ( which more often start in lymph nodes ) and all leukemias start in bone marrow. to learn more about these cancers, refer to the document for each. a primary bone tumor starts in the bone itself. true ( or primary ) bone cancers are called sarcomas. a sarcoma


and all leukemias start in bone marrow. to learn more about these cancers, refer to the document for each. a primary bone tumor starts in the bone itself. true ( or primary ) bone cancers are called sarcomas. a sarcoma is a cancer that starts in bone, muscle, tendons, ligaments, fat tissue, or some other tissues in the body. there are different types of bone tumors. their names are based on the bone or tissue that is involved and the kind of cells that make up the tumor. some are cancer ( malignant ). others are not cancer ( benign ). most bone cancers are called sarcomas. benign bone tumors do not spread to other tissues and organs. they can usually be cured by surgery. the information here does not cover benign bone tumors. bone tumors that are cancer ( malignant ) osteosarcoma : osteosarcoma ( also called osteogenic sarcoma ) is the most common true bone cancer. it is most common in young people between the ages of 10 and 30. but about 10 % of cases are people in their 60s and 70s. this cancer is rare during middle age. more males than females get this cancer. these tumors start most often in bones of the arms, legs, or pelvis. this type of bone cancer is not discussed in this document, but is covered in detail in our document, osteosarcoma. chondrosarcoma : this is cancer of the cartilage cells. cartilage is a softer form of bone - like tissue. chondrosarcoma is the second most common true bone cancer. it is rare in people younger than 20. after age 20, the risk of this cancer keeps on rising until about age 75. women get this cancer as often as men. chondrosarcomas can develop in any place where there is cartilage. it most often starts in cartilage of the pelvis, leg, or arm, but it can start in many other places, too. chondrosarcomas are given a grade, which measures how fast they grow. the lower the grade, the slower the cancer grows. when cancer grows slowly, the chance that it will spread is lower and the outlook is better. there are also some special types of chondrosarcoma that respond differently to treatment and have a different outlook for the patient. these special types look different when seen under a microscope. ewing tumor : this cancer is also called ewing


is better. there are also some special types of chondrosarcoma that respond differently to treatment and have a different outlook for the patient. these special types look different when seen under a microscope. ewing tumor : this cancer is also called ewing sarcoma. it is named after dr. james ewing, the doctor who first described it in 1921. it is the third most common bone cancer. most ewing tumors start in bones, but they can start in other tissues and organs. this cancer is most common in children and teenagers. it is rare in adults older than 30. this type of bone cancer is not discussed in this document, but is covered in detail in our document, ewing family of tumors. malignant fibrous histiocytoma ( mfh ) : this cancer more often starts in the soft tissues around bones ( such as ligaments, tendons, fat, and muscle ) rather than in the bone itself. if it starts in the bones, it most often affects the legs or arms. it usually occurs in older and middle - aged adults. mfh mostly tends to grow into nearby tissues, but it can spread to distant sites, like the lungs. ( another name for this cancer is pleomorphic undifferentiated sarcoma. ) fibrosarcoma : this is another type of cancer that starts more often in “ soft tissues ” than it does in the bones. fibrosarcoma usually occurs in older and middle - aged adults. leg, arm, and jaw bones are most often affected. giant cell tumor of bone : this type of bone tumor has both benign ( not cancer ) and malignant forms. the benign form is most common. these don ’ t often spread to distant sites, but after surgery they tend to come back where they started. each time they come back after surgery they are more likely to spread to other parts of the body. these tumors often affect the arm or leg bones of young and middle - aged adults. chordoma : this tumor usually occurs in the base of the skull and bones of the spine. it is found most often in adults older than 30. it is about twice as common in men than in women. chordomas tend to grow slowly and usually do not spread to other parts of the body. but they often come back in the same place if they are not removed completely. when they do spread, they tend to go to the lymph nodes, lungs, and liver. last medical review : 12 / 05 / 2012


biomass plants generate electricity by burning what otherwise would be waste : brushy undergrowth that ' s been cleared from forests. the u. s. forest service estimates that on california national forest lands alone, there are easily 500, 000 acres per year that should be thinned to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. but to tom christoff of the placer county air pollution control district it ' s not only about reducing forest fires and producing electricity. he says by burning this waste in controlled emission plant, instead of in smoky piles in the forest : christoff : " the benefits are huge, on the order of 95 percent reduction on particulate matter, 60 to 70 percent reduction on nitrous oxides, and considerable percentrage on carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds. " christoff says independent studies showed this would lead to demonstrable health benefits. that ' s one of the many reasons placer county is planning to build a 2 megawatt biomass plant on county - owned land just outside truckee. transportation cost is a complicating factor. it ' s much cheaper to burn the biomass in a pile in the forest than to truck it to a facility, says kerri timmer, who works for the state ' s sierra nevada conservancy. timmer : " and there ' s at this point no guarantee for what price will be paid for the power that ' s generated using the material. so it ' s hard to get all of these commitments lined up to a point where an investor would feel comfortable in putting a lot of money into this up front. " but recent legislation should help. a bill passed this year requires california ' s three biggest energy producers to purchase 50 megawatts of energy generated from forest biomass power plants. that ' s about enough electricity to power 50, 000 homes.