islam, rather than with idolatry, though the use of icons in many denominations has raised questions as to whether they are, in fact, idolatrous. christianity is characterized by its claim to universality, which marks a break with jewish identity. as a religion claiming universality, christianity has had to define itself in relation with religions that make radically different claims about gods. christians believe that christianity represents the fulfillment of god ' s promise to abraham and the nation of israel, that israel would be a blessing to all nations. this crucial difference between the two religions has other implications. for example, conversion to judaism is more like a form of adoption ( i. e. becoming a member of the nation, in part by metaphorically becoming a child of abraham ), whereas conversion to christianity is explicitly a declaration of faith. of course, conversion to judaism also entails a declaration of faith, and, in christian churches, conversion also has a social component, as the individual is in many ways adopted into the church, with a strong family model. conversion to christianity in the times of jesus, all of his disciples were jews. on occasion, he performed miracles for gentiles without requiring their conversion ; in one conversation with a samaritan woman, he downplayed the differences between jews and samaritans ( john 4 ). gentiles who sought to join the early church were often required to undergo conversion to judaism first including circumcision for men. this requirement was later dropped entirely after paul forced the issue. the origin of christian baptism in water is derived from the jewish law requiring a convert to submerge themselves in pure water ( of a mikvah ) in order to receive a new pure soul from god. it was only many years after jesus, that there was split in the movement and those seeking to convert to christianity were not faced with the major obstacles that judaism presented. christianity and islam are two religions that encourage preaching their faith in order to convert non - believers. in both cases, this missionary property has been used as an excuse for religious wars ( crusades ) on other countries. this property encourages evangelists to convert people of other faiths, though unfortunately on some occasions by questionable means. in the year 1000, the viking age parliament of iceland decided that the entire country should convert to christianity, and that sacrifice to the old gods, while still allowed, should no longer be made in the open. similar mass conversions in other scandinavian countries were not as democratic. the christian denomination of the religious society of friends (


entire country should convert to christianity, and that sacrifice to the old gods, while still allowed, should no longer be made in the open. similar mass conversions in other scandinavian countries were not as democratic. the christian denomination of the religious society of friends ( quakers ) accepts new members into its monthly meetings. after a person becomes familiar with the beliefs and practices of friends, he may embrace these things for himself. this embracing of the beliefs and practices of friends is called convincement. he then applies for membership, and, if accepted is officially a friend. conversion to islam one becomes a muslim by believing that allah ( arabic for god ) is the only god and that muhammad was his messenger. a person is considered a muslim from the moment he sincerely makes this witness, the shahada. of course a new muslim has to familiarize himself / herself with the religion, the belief, and the practices of islam, but there is no formal requirement for that. it is a personal process ; acceptance of all of that is taken to follow from the original statement, since all of islam is considered to derive from either divine inspiration, in the form of the qur ' an, or prophetic example, in the form of the hadith and sunna of muhammad. conversion to religions of indic origin religions of indic origin such as hinduism, sikhism and buddhism do not believe in conversion as a form of religious expansion, even though they welcome anybody to join their faiths. the reason for this is the strongly held belief in these religions that " all religions are true and are only different paths to the same truth ". the followers also believe that the religion you follow is to be chosen based on an individual ' s temprement, birth etc. also, what would be very strange and foreign to non - indic origin faiths is that people can claim to be follower of multiple religions. for example in japan which was influenced by the indic faith of buddhism, it is easy to find people who follow both buddhism and shinto. it is also common to find people in india claming to be both hindu and buddhist or hindu and sikh etc. this inclusivism is in direct contrast to the belief that the ordained path in the book is the only true paths, found in exclusivistic belief systems. this inclusivism also makes any conversion unnecessary. it should be noted that the above does not apply for some sects of indic faiths, like soka gakkai and hare krishna / iskcon. conversion to new


belief systems. this inclusivism also makes any conversion unnecessary. it should be noted that the above does not apply for some sects of indic faiths, like soka gakkai and hare krishna / iskcon. conversion to new religious movements and cults conversion to new religious movements ( nrm ' s ) is riddled with controversies. the anti - cult movement sometimes uses the term thought reform or even brainwashing, though the latter term has now become discredited, for this process. often they will call certain nrm ' s cults. however, the definition of a cult has become so broad that in many instances it is almost meaningless and is used to define anything outside of orthodoxy. nrms are very diverse and it is not clear whether conversion to nrms differs from conversion to mainstream religions. see also brainwashing controversy in new religious movements research, both in the usa and in the netherlands has shown that there is a positive correlation between the lack of involvement in main stream churches in certain areas and provinces and the percentage of people who are a member of a new religious movement. this applies also for the presence of new age centers., the dutch research included jehovah ' s witnesses and the latter day saint movement / mormonism to the nrm ' s. professor eileen barker believes that the psychological changes as described in converts of the divine light mission can be generalized for other nrms, however she has supplied no proof of such claims. conversion of catholics to protestantism prohibition of conversion several ethnic religions don ' t accept converts, like the yazidis and the druze. the only way to become a yazidi is to be born in a yazidi family. conversely, the shakers and some indian eunuch brotherhoods don ' t allow procreation, so every member is a convert. the english language word proselytism is derived ultimately from the greek language prefix ' pros ' ( towards ) and the verb ' erchomai ' ( to come ). it generally describes attempts to convert a person from one point of view to another, usually in a religious context. in the bible, the word proselyte denotes a person who has converted to judaism, without overtly negative overtones. in our day, however, the connotations of the word proselytism are almost exclusively negative. nonetheless, many people use the words interchangeably. an orthodox writer, stephen methodius hayes has written : " if people talk about the need for evangelism, they meet with


connotations of the word proselytism are almost exclusively negative. nonetheless, many people use the words interchangeably. an orthodox writer, stephen methodius hayes has written : " if people talk about the need for evangelism, they meet with the response, " the orthodox church does not ' proselytize ' as if evangelizing and proselytism were the same thing. " many christians consider it their obligation to follow what is often termed the " great commission " of jesus, recorded in the final verses of the gospel of matthew : " go to all the nations and make disciples. baptize them and teach them my commands. " the early christians were noted for their evangelizing work. the difference between the two terms is not easily defined. what one person considers legitimate evangelizing, or witness bearing, another may consider intrusive and improper. illustrating the problems that can arise from such subjective viewpoints is this extract from an article by dr. c. davis, published in cleveland state university ' s ' journal of law and health ' : " according to the union of american hebrew congregations, jews for jesus and hebrew christians constitute two of the most dangerous cults, and its members are appropriate candidates for deprogramming. anti - cult evangelicals... protest that ' aggressiveness and proselytizing... are basic to authentic christianity, ' and that jews for jesus and campus crusade for christ are not to be labeled as cults. furthermore, certain hassidic groups who physically attacked a meeting of the hebrew christian ' cult ' have themselves been labeled a ' cult ' and equated with the followers of reverend moon, by none other than the president of the central conference of american rabbis ". views on the propriety of proselytism, or even evangelism, differ radically. some feel that freedom of speech should have no limits and that virtually anyone, anywhere should have the right to talk about anything they see fit. others see all sorts of evangelism as a nuisance and an intrusion and would like to see them proscribed. thus, natan lerner observes that the issue is one of a clash of rights - the right of a person to express his views versus the right of a person not to be exposed to views that he does not wish to hear. from a legal standpoint, there do appear to be certain criteria in distinguishing legitimate evangelization from illicit proselytism : - all humans have the right to have religious beliefs, and to change these


to views that he does not wish to hear. from a legal standpoint, there do appear to be certain criteria in distinguishing legitimate evangelization from illicit proselytism : - all humans have the right to have religious beliefs, and to change these beliefs, even repeatedly, if they so wish. ( freedom of religion ) - they have the right to form religious organizations for the purpose of worship, as well as for promoting their cause ( freedom of association ) - they have the right to speak to others about their convictions, with the purpose of influencing the others. ( freedom of speech ). by the same token, these very rights exercise a limiting influence on the freedoms of others. for instance, the right to have one ' s religious beliefs presumably includes the right not to be coerced into changing these beliefs by threats, discrimination, or similar inducements. hence a category of improper proselytizing can be discerned. - it would not be proper to use coercion, threats, the weight of authority of the educational system, access to health care or similar facilities in order to induce people to change their religion. - it would be improper to try to impose one ' s beliefs on a ' captive audience, ' where the listeners have no choice but to be present. this would presumably require restraint in the exercise of their right to free speech, by teachers in the classroom, army officers to their inferiors, prison officers in prison, medical staff in hospitals, so as to avoid impinging on the rights of others. - it would not be proper to offer money, work, housing or other material inducements as a means of persuading people to adopt another religion. issues involving proselytism since the collapse of the former soviet union and the rise of democracy in the eastern bloc, the russian orthodox church has enjoyed a revival. however, it takes exception to what it considers illegitimate proselytizing by the roman catholic church, the salvation army, jehovah ' s witnesses and other religious movements in what it refers to as its canonical territory. greece has a long history of conflict, mostly with jehovah ' s witnesses but also with some pentecostals over its laws on proselytism. this situation stems from a law passed in the 1930s by the dictator ioannis metaxas. a jehovah ' s witness, minos kokkinakis, won the equivalent of us $ 14, 400 in damages from the greek state after being arrested repeatedly for the ' offence ' of preaching his faith from


##annis metaxas. a jehovah ' s witness, minos kokkinakis, won the equivalent of us $ 14, 400 in damages from the greek state after being arrested repeatedly for the ' offence ' of preaching his faith from door to door. in another case, larissis vs. greece, a member of the pentecostal church also won a case in the european court of human rights. - 1. schepens, t. ( dutch ) religieuze bewegingen in nederland volume 29, sekten ontkerkelijking en religieuze vitaliteit : nieuwe religieuze bewegingen en new age - centra in nederland ( 1994 ) vu uitgeverij isbn 90 - 5383 - 341 - 2 - 2. starks, r & w. s. bainbridge the future of religion : secularization, revival and cult formation ( 1985 ) berkely / los angeles / london : university of california press - 3. barrett, d. v. the new believers - a survey of sects, cults and alternative religions ( 2001 ) uk, cassell & co - " proselytism, change of religion, and international human rights ", by natan lerner, phd ( legal aspects of defining illicit proselytism ) the contents of this article is licensed from www. wikipedia. org under the gnu free documentation license. click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details


the billhead evolved from what was known as a " trade card, " and in the twentieth century, became known as letterhead. it was created by printing a heading at the top of a sheet of paper, usually from an engraved copper plate. the lower part of the sheet was used for writing a list, a note, or a bill. the standard billhead measured seven to eight inches wide, and four inches or more in length, depending on the need for space for writing the bill. the printed heading usually included an illustration, and sometimes a street address or location of the business. they also included space to write the date and town where the business transaction took place. they were printed on durable rag paper up until the 1860 ' s and 1870 ' s, after which they were printed on thinner woodpulp paper. in general, billheads of this style were in use and remained relatively the same for approximately a 150 year time frame, over three centuries. as historical artifacts, billheads are useful for providing information about tradesmen ' s products and prices. they help document the types of goods and services that consumers were purchasing. the american antiquarian society has a collection of over 500 billheads representative of what was printed between the 1780 ' s and 1900. they are housed in two boxes. the first box is devoted entirely to billheads from boston merchants. the other box includes billheads from traders and hotels located in several states, including massachusetts. they are organized alphabetically by city and state. - terri tremblay, assistant curator of graphic arts source : rickards, maurice, the encyclopedia of ephemera. new york : routledge, 2000.


i recently made my first visit to the national archives and record administration ( nara ). this is one in a series of articles inspired by that visit to help you make your first visit to the national archives. national archives staff have prepared over 160 pages of finding guides to assist researchers with their most common records. these guides are printed on various hues of colored paper. they can be found on a rack in the lobby once you arrive at the archives. while the national archives has decided not to put these guides online, fortunately, the mount vernon genealogical society has decided to fill this void. the mount vernon genealogical society is located in the washington, dc suburbs where society members are lucky enough to make frequent visits to the national archives. some members work there. harold mcclendon, publicity chair for the society, says, to make these sheets available to everyone, the mount vernon genealogical society is placing all of the guides on its web site in pdf format. the guides are organized into the following categories : african americans, asian americans, census, citizenship, civilian federal employees, district of columbia, early congressional private claims, immigration, lands, military, native american and 1885 state and territorial censuses. as new sheets are issued by the national archives, copies are being added to the web site. to access these finding aids, go to http : / / mvgenealogy. org / nara _ guides. html. mcclendon recommends printing the guides related to your research. as you review the guide, you will then be better able to determine the specific publication to review in search of the desired records. you might even find that the national archives has publications that you never knew existed. thank you, harold mcclendon and the mount vernon genealogical society for extending this service to the genealogical community.


this advice is suitable for open - grown ornamental trees. although pruning does make trees slightly smaller than they would be without pruning, attempting to keep a big tree small by pruning is usually unsuccessful. this advice does not apply to restricted tree forms such as fans and espaliers. when to prune trees deciduous trees ( ones that lose their leaves in winter ) are usually pruned in autumn and winter. in some cases, for example with magnolias and walnuts, pruning is best done in late summer, as healing is quicker. trees such as prunus sp, which are prone to silver leaf disease are best pruned from april to july when the disease spores are not on the wind, and the tree sap is rising rather than falling ( which pushes out infection rather than drawing it in ). some trees can bleed sap if pruned in late winter and early spring. although seldom fatal, this is unsightly and can weaken the tree. birches and walnuts often bleed if pruned at the wrong time. evergreens seldom need pruning, although dead and diseased branches can be removed in late summer. how to prune trees prior to undertaking any work, it is essential to ascertain if a tree preservation order ( tpo ) is in place or if the tree is in a conservation area. if either is the case, seek permission from your local council before beginning work. potentially dangerous limbs can, in theory, be removed without permission but the penalties for breaching the legislations, inadvertently or not, can be severe. safety is of prime importance when working with trees, so make an honest appraisal of your capabilities, assess the area in which any branches may fall and erect warning signs or barricades if necessary before beginning. if in any doubt engage a professionally qualified tree surgeon or aboriculturist. take a step back and decide what needs to be done to produce a balanced, attractive tree. work with the natural habit of the tree to shorten or remove branches. going against the tree ’ s natural habit produces ungainly trees that lack grace. always start by removing damaged, dead, diseased shoots, followed by weak, lax or rubbing growth. how to remove tree branches and limbs - wear protective gloves and, if necessary, eye and head protection - when cutting a stem, cut just above a healthy bud, pair of buds or side shoot. where possible, cut to an outward facing bud or branch to avoid congestion and


and limbs - wear protective gloves and, if necessary, eye and head protection - when cutting a stem, cut just above a healthy bud, pair of buds or side shoot. where possible, cut to an outward facing bud or branch to avoid congestion and rubbing of branches - make your cut 0. 5cm ( ¼in ) above the bud. beware cutting too close, as this can induce death of the bud beware cutting too far from the bud, as this can result in dieback of the stub and entry of rots and other infections - when removing larger limbs, make an undercut first about 20 - 30cm ( 8in - 1ft ) from the trunk, and follow this with an overcut. this will prevent the bark tearing, leaving a clean stub when the branch is severed - then remove the stub, first making a small undercut just outside the branch collar ( the slight swelling where the branch joins the trunk ), followed by an overcut to meet the undercut, angling the cut away from the trunk to produce a slope that sheds rain - avoid cutting flush to the trunk as the collar is the tree ’ s natural protective zone where healing takes place - there is no need to use wound paints, as they are not thought to contribute to healing or prevent disease. the exception is plums and cherries ( prunus sp ), where wound paint may be used to exclude silver leaf disease spores if pruning cuts bleed sap, don ’ t bandage or bind the cut, as attempts to stem the bleeding are likely to be unsuccessful and may impede rather than aid healing. remove branches of more than 2cm ( ½in ) in diameter with a sharp pruning saw. don ' t make a flush cut - come out just slightly so that it heals naturally. small branches can easily be removed with secateurs.


facts in focus : - states considering legislation this year to expand opportunities for young voters : 15 ( at least ) - states considering advance voter registration for young people : 7 - number of votes in favor of final passage of state legislation establishing age 16 as a uniform voter registration age, 2006 - 2009 : 979 - number of votes opposing such legislation : 158 - votes in both houses of the connecticut legislature opposing a bill allowing primary voting for 17 - year - olds : 0 in a nutshell as a key element in what is welcome progress toward universal voter registration, a movement is growing within the states to swing the doors of our democracy wide open, encouraging and facilitating the active participation of young people in the electoral process. from education, to access, to advance registration, more and more legislators and public officials are doing their part to invite young people into the process and kick start habits that can last a lifetime. when it comes to the political participation of young people, we have come to assume a certain ceiling of enthusiasm ; a kind of minimum threshold of apathy that is factored into our expectations. though last year ' s presidential campaigns directed significant attention to young voters, and despite having a candidate on both major party tickets imbued with youthfulness and pop culture savvy, actual youth turnout saw only a modest bump from 2004 ; about 1. 5 percentage points according to the center for information & research on civic learning & engagement ( circle ). though voters between 18 and 24 were 12. 6 % of the voting age population, they made up only 9. 5 % of those who actually voted. the importance of encouraging youth participation in our democracy is difficult to overstate, and it is in our interest to avoid becoming apathetic about apathy. according to a 2003 study by alan s. gerber, donald p. green and ron shachar in the american journal of political science and mark franklin ' s seminal 2004 book on turnout, voter turnout and the dynamics of electoral competition in established democracies since 1945, there is a great deal of evidence indicating that participation in one ' s youth is highly predictive of future participation ; in other words, voting is best made into an unkickable habit early in life. we are a country that values the long - term health of our democracy. in hoping that as many people as possible for generations to come will keep themselves informed and reliably take part in elections, we need to take active steps to get young people civically educated, registered, and voting. and while you ' re


. in hoping that as many people as possible for generations to come will keep themselves informed and reliably take part in elections, we need to take active steps to get young people civically educated, registered, and voting. and while you ' re reading this, those steps are beginning to take root in all corners of the country, as legislatures in several states have taken up fairvote ' s package of youth engagement initiatives. 2009 is shaping up to be the best year yet for " pre - registration " or " advance registration " legislation. at least fifteen states have introduced measures that would set a uniform voter registration age of 16 years old, allow certain 17 - year - olds to vote in primary elections and / or encourage civic education in schools. more than a half - dozen states, including arizona, california, washington, rhode island and maryland, have introduced advance voter registration bills, with one chamber each in michigan, rhode island and north carolina recently passing such bills with bipartisan majorities. california has moved the bills out of a key committee. meanwhile, members of congress are drafting federal legislation to boost the idea. national organizations joining our advocacy now include project vote, progressive states, common cause, rock the vote and the new america foundation. in just one example of the broad support state pre - registration legislation is receiving, michigan ' s pre - registration bill was supported by such entities and associations as the michigan campaign finance network, the michigan association of county clerks, the michigan association of municipal clerks and the council of election officials, the michigan municipal league, the michigan nonprofit association, the michigan townships association, and secretary of state terri lynn land ( a leading prospective candidate for the republican gubernatorial nomination ). broadening and deepening opportunities for civic participation - both in elections, and in governance overall - is a core part of fairvote ' s mission. that ' s why fairvote has advocated for a package of legislation that would encourage young people to become more civically minded, register to vote and participate in the political process. here ' s a look at some of the measures that we believe will help achieve those goals : 1 ) " pre - registration " or " advance registration " of 16 and 17 - year - olds : triggered by our advocacy for universal voter registration starting after the 2000 elections, fairvote supports the establishment of a uniform voter registration age of 16, with registrations becoming active when pre - registered youth reach normal voting age. this is in line with the previously mentioned studies showing that people who begin voting when they are young tend to


] on how parties can make their nominating contests more democratic in general. ) 3 ) mandatory comprehensive civic education in high school : too many students leave high school with a limited understanding of what civic engagement and participation in our democracy entail. we encourage the use of curricula like our learning democracy resources that teach about the workings of democracy and the history of voting rights. such civic education should ideally entail things like mock voting to demystify the voting process and make it less intimidating for democratic newbies. a civic education curriculum also provides an opportune moment to encourage pre - registration. learning democracy, fairvote ' s comprehensive civic education curriculum, is available at http : / / www. fairvote. org / learningdemocracy. ( our prototype state - based edition is available at http : / / www. rhodeislandsuffrage. org. ) an encouraging electoral prognosis might we be on the verge of a kind of youth voting legislation renaissance within the states? fifteen or more states have seen pieces of the above legislative package introduced this year alone, with action ensuing on many of these bills. below is a listing of some of the activities in various statehouses ( which might not be exhaustive - itself a tantalizing fact ). many or most of these bills were introduced, at least in part, per information received from fairvote, and we are very excited to see those efforts begin to blossom. because the better informed our young people, the simpler it is for them to register as voters, and the more enthusiastic they are to participate, the more likely it is that our democracy will be healthy and robust for decades to come. progress this legislative session : arizona : representative ed ableser introduced hb 2384 and hb 2026, respectively allowing for pre - registration of 16 - year - olds, and for 17 - year - old primary voting. california : assemblyman curren price introduced ab 30, to allow 16 - year - olds to pre - register to vote. it has passed the house elections committee and the house appropriations committee. it may see a floor vote as soon as the first week of june.. connecticut : house bill 6439 implements a recently passed amendment to the state constitution to allow for 17 - year - old primary voting. it has unanimously passed both the house and senate. illinois : house bill 2629 by representative kathy ryg would allow for 17 - year - old primary voting. kansas : house bill 2256 by representative milack talia would create


old primary voting. it has unanimously passed both the house and senate. illinois : house bill 2629 by representative kathy ryg would allow for 17 - year - old primary voting. kansas : house bill 2256 by representative milack talia would create a uniform pre - registration age of 14 - years - old. ( fairvote is supportive of the philosophy that underpins this legislation, but would suggest that a 16 - year - old pre - registration age would be sufficient. ) kentucky : provisions for pre - registration for 16 - year - olds and mandatory public education about elections were introduced by senator jerry rhoads, in the form of an amendment to senate bill 109. maryland : senate bill 671, allowing for pre - registration of 16 - year - olds, was introduced by senator jamin raskin. the bill did not get out of committee, although testimony from the maryland board of elections indicated that it would have no fiscal impact. massachusetts : representative ellen story has introduced house bill 3895, allowing for pre - registration of 16 - year - olds. house bill 1592 by representative steve d ' amico would allow for 17 - year - old primary voting. michigan : house bill 4261, by representatives lesia liss and matt lori, would allow 16 - year - olds to pre - register to vote. it passed the house on may 14th by a 92 - 18 margin, with majority support from both republicans and democrats and a broad coalition from across the spectrum. senator cameron brown has introduced a companion bill, as sb 61. ( the bill has some limitations on where registration can take place, and what sort of identification is necessary to register. ) minnesota : hf 873 by representative paul marquart and sf 606 by senator ann rest would allow for 17 - year - old primary voting. new york : a 5110 by assemblyman michael cusick would amend the state constitution to permit 17 - year - old primary voting. north carolina : hb 1260, by representative angela bryant and others, is known as the " teen pre - registration and high school civic education act. " passed by the house with a 102 - 14 vote, it. allows for 16 - year - olds to pre - register to vote and requires local boards of education to develop plans to educate high school students in voter registration and voting. a majority of both republicans and democrats supported the legislation, while it was backed by civic groups that included democracy north carolina, fairvote north carolina. league of women voters of north carolina,


plans to educate high school students in voter registration and voting. a majority of both republicans and democrats supported the legislation, while it was backed by civic groups that included democracy north carolina, fairvote north carolina. league of women voters of north carolina, nc center for voter education, nc civic education consortium, common cause north carolina, el pueblo inc. and the southern coalition for social justice. rhode island : house bill 5005 by representative edwin pacheco passed the house on march 10th by a margin of 56 - 10, while senate bill 85 by senator rhoda perry passed the senate on march 19th by a margin of 32 - 2. both bills would allow for the pre - registration of 16 - year - olds and saw support from half of the republican caucuses, in addition to a majority of democrats. washington : house joint resolution 4204 by representative zack hudgins would propose a constitutional amendment to allow 17 year - olds to vote in primaries, while house bill 1193 by representative marko liias would allow 13 - year - olds to pre - register to vote. ( as in the case of the kansas legislation, we believe that a 16 - year - old pre - registration age is sufficient. ) wisconsin : the introduction of fairvote ' s youth - engagement package is expected, upon passage of the state ' s budget in june. wyoming : house bill 76 allows for the pre - registration of all voters who will be 18 as of the next general election. this is an advance, and will sometimes allow 16 - year - olds to register, depending on the point in the electoral cycle. ( a uniform 16 - year - old voter registration age would be less confusing, and more practicable. ) * * * * previous editions of innovative analysis can be found here. contact : paul fidalgo, communications director : paul ( at ) fairvote. org, ( 301 ) 270 - 4616 * * * * project vote ' s erin ferns blogs at tpm on pre - registration progressive states network : expand youth voting brennan center ' s resources on modernizing voter registration new america foundation on pre - registration rock the vote supports ca and ri pre - registration bills common cause on voter registration reforms michigan house legislative analysis of pre - registration fairvote north carolina voter pre - registration and education project youth voter pre - registration in rhode island fairvote. blog : pawlenty vetoes automatic registration bill katrina vanden heuvel advocates for universal voter registration in the nation


brookhaven national laboratory has what is currently one of the highest energy particle accelerators on the planet. the relativistic heavy ion collider ( rhic ) hosts collisions between the nuclei of gold atoms that are moving at roughly 99 percent of the speed of light, creating a quark soup similar to the one that existed immediately after the big bang. but the scientists running the experiments started noticing something funny about the data : instead of expanding evenly outward, the collision debris were ellipsoidal ( think a 3 - d ellipse ). what was even stranger was that this sort of behavior had already been described, for a gas of lithium atoms at the opposite end of the temperature spectrum, at a fraction of a microkelvin. as these groups were talking about a collaboration, things got stranger still when string theorists started citing this work, since the behavior had already been predicted through their work — a fact that the physicists weren ' t aware of until a science reporter called to ask what they thought about it. the tale of this unlikely collaboration unfolded at the american association for the advancement of science meeting, where the introductory remarks described just how far apart these systems are. in terms of temperature, the rhic and chilled lithium differ by 19 orders of magnitude ( that ' s a factor of 1019 ). when it comes to density, the difference is an astonishing 25 orders of magnitude. meanwhile, the bit of string theory that describes the normal, four - dimensional ( 3 - d + time ) behavior of these systems can be predicted by modeling a four - dimensional sphere wrapped around a five dimensional black hole. quantum viscosity runs hot and cold the cold atomic cloud is probably easiest to understand, although john thomas of duke, who does the work, claimed that, when dragged to wine tastings with his wife ' s friends, " i wait until everyone ' s sufficiently drunk before explaining what we do. " his short description is that he makes bowls of light ; in principle, the first steps in his system involve the sort of laser cooling that our chris lee has described in the past. this can only get things down to a bit under a kelvin above absolute zero, but thomas then loosens the laser trap, and a few atoms evaporate off, taking most of the remaining heat with them. the end result is an atomic cloud at one - tenth of a microkelvin. the 6li atoms that he uses have up and down spins that form an analog of the cooper pairs of electrons that cause high - temperature supercondu


with them. the end result is an atomic cloud at one - tenth of a microkelvin. the 6li atoms that he uses have up and down spins that form an analog of the cooper pairs of electrons that cause high - temperature superconductivity, so his system allows theorists to test some of their ideas in an accessible experimental system. but it also has interesting properties when in a magnetic field. at a specific magnetic field strength, the interactions between the paired atoms start to go asymptotic and, when at a very precise point, the interactions vanish and quantum effects dominate. when the laser trap is released again, the atoms expand elliptically, displaying essentially the smallest amount of quantum viscosity possible. because the system is experimentally possible, they were able ( on the advice of string theorists — more on that below ) to measure both the viscosity and entropy, and found that they were related directly to one divided by four?. out at the other end of the temperature spectrum, the collisions in the rhic were producing what brookhaven ' s barbara jacack termed " quark soup. " in normal matter, quarks interact by exchanging gluons with a limited number of partners. but, at the densities that exist immediately after these collisions, quarks can exchange multiple gluons with multiple partners, leading to longer - range interactions that are more similar to those in a liquid. two aspects of the behavior seen by rhic ' s detectors, however, were a bit surprising. the first is the ellipsoidal expansion that marks the behavior of perfect quantum liquids that we mentioned above. the second is that, although radiation can pass across the small cluster of quark soup, the actual quarks, it appeared, could not. jacack likened the fact that even the heavy charm quark didn ' t make it across the collision to a set of bowling pins stopping an incoming ball. like thomas, talking to string theorists allowed jacack and her team to look for some specific properties — in this case, shock waves of a particular type — of the quark soup. so far, it ' s looking like they ' re there. rhic is about to undergo a retrofit that should make it easier to study this, and the stimulus package may have some money for the doe that could accelerate the work. the theory needs a five - dimensional black hole, but reality may not clifford johnson of usc then spoke about how a specific application of string theory helped tie everything together


, and the stimulus package may have some money for the doe that could accelerate the work. the theory needs a five - dimensional black hole, but reality may not clifford johnson of usc then spoke about how a specific application of string theory helped tie everything together. as he described it, quantum chromodynamics ( qcd ) works very well at describing the interactions of a limited number of particles, and its successes in the early 1970s caused researchers to abandon an earlier version of string theory. but qcd doesn ' t work that well at the densities seen in the rhic, where ensembles of particles have emergent behavior — as johnson noted, a single water molecule isn ' t wet ; that ' s a property that emerges from a population of water molecules. and this, along with a few other vexing problems, has allowed string theory back in the game. " string theory, " johnson said, " having failed to explain something, got resurrected a few years on and was used to explain everything, " or at least provide a quantum description of gravity. he got interested in the problem of describing quantum black holes, which are far smaller than the macroscopic ones we ' ve observed in space. based on their emission of quantum radiation, they have to have an internal structure, one that our lack of a quantum gravity is preventing us from probing. ( during the questions, it became clear that johnson is one of the few people hoping that the lhc does spawn a small black hole. ) it turns out, using the math of string theory, it ' s easy to examine a five - dimensional black hole simply by wrapping a four - dimensional sheet around it. when you do that, however, a lot of three - dimensional qcd behavior pops out of the equations — " the bugs of string theory become features, " as johnson put it. in the extra dimensions, gravitons get pulled towards, and then bounce off, the black hole, undergoing interference as they do. that interference apparently describes the behavior seen in both of these real - world systems. johnson was emphatic that this doesn ' t mean that the experiments that have used these string theory models are a test of the theory ; rather, it means that the predictions of string theory are being used to guide experiments, which is a measure of its utility. as for whether there ' s really an extradimensional black hole tucked away in these conditions, johnson described himself as " agnostic. " it may be possible, he said, to find a way to describe this


last week i talked a bit about parisitoid fly larvae. now, the genomes have has been published for three species of parisitoid wasps in science. these guys are every bit as brutal as the flies, and then some. they forcibly inject their eggs into their insect hosts, often caterpillars. some species inject multiple eggs while other inject a single egg that later divides into many cloned larvae that form a colonial social hierarchy within their host. once they mature, the larvae burst out the side of their host. however, even this insult isn ’ t the end of the torture for the unfortunate caterpillar. the larvae employ mind controlling chemicals to force the caterpillar to use its silk to build them a cocoon, and then watch over its pupating murderers until it keels over dead. parisitoid wasp larvae from national geographic ’ s, “ in the womb. ” watch in high quality for maximum revulsion. nature, you are one psychotic bitch. read this review for a wider overview of parasitoid wasps and their contributions to pest control and biological sciences, including discoveries made in the recent genomics work. one interesting point jumped out at me. the parisitoid wasps are insanely diverse, with species estimates exceeding 600, 000. entomologist michael strand even posits that, there ’ s a really compelling argument that these parasitoid wasps may be more diverse than beetles [. ] virtually every arthropod on earth is attacked by one or more of these parasitoid wasps. this extreme diversity seems to be tied to rapid evolvability ( a concept that i have noted before in regards to arthropods ) and rigid host specificity. while some wasps are generalists, laying eggs in a variety of arthropods, the vast majority parisitize a specific host species. this specificity is the result of evolutionarily optimized venoms and mind - controlling toxins, tailor made for their host species, and leading to rapid divergence of parisitoid wasp populations as they discover new host animals. this is not unlike the algal specificity of the sea slug i discussed last week. its biology is ideally suited for maintaining chloroplasts taken up from a single species of algae. researchers hope to develop parisitoid wasps as a research model and exploit their prey specificity for pest control that will benefit agriculture. with bio - engineered parisitoid wasp terminators coming soon to a pasture near you, aphid


- published : 24 feb 2007 - views : 235816 - author : coderedreel | | this article needs additional citations for verification. please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( may 2011 ) | the modern - day confusion in the english language around the word " biscuit " is created by its etymology. the middle french word bescuit is derived from the latin words bis ( twice ) and coquere, coctus ( to cook, cooked ), and, hence, means " twice - cooked ". this is because biscuits were originally cooked in a twofold process : first baked, and then dried out in a slow oven. however, the dutch language from around 1703 had adopted the word koekje, a language diminutive of cake, to have a similar meaning for a similar hard, baked product. this may be related to the russian or ukrainian translation, where " biscuit " has come to mean " sponge cake ". the difference between the secondary dutch word and that of latin origin is that, whereas the koekje is a cake that rises during baking, the biscuit, which has no raising agent, in general does not ( see gingerbread / ginger biscuit ), except for the expansion of heated air during baking. when peoples from europe began to emigrate to the united states, the two words and their " same but different " meanings began to clash. after the american war of independence against the british, the word cookie became the word of choice to mean a hard, twice - baked product. further confusion has been added by the adoption of the word biscuit for a small leavened bread popular in the united states. today, throughout most of the world, the term biscuit still means a hard, crisp, brittle bread, except in north america, where it now denotes a softer bread product baked only once. in modern italian usage, the term biscotto is used to refer to any type of hard twice - baked biscuit, and not only to the cantuccini as in the past. the need for nutritious, easy - to - store, easy - to - carry, and long - lasting foods on long journeys, in particular at sea, was initially solved by taking live food along with a butcher / cook. however, this took up additional space on what were either horse - powered treks or small ships, reducing the time of travel before additional food was required. this resulted in early armies


was initially solved by taking live food along with a butcher / cook. however, this took up additional space on what were either horse - powered treks or small ships, reducing the time of travel before additional food was required. this resulted in early armies ' adopting the style of hunter - foraging. the introduction of the baking of processed cereals including the creation of flour provided a more reliable source of food. egyptian sailors carried a flat, brittle loaf of millet bread called dhourra cake, while the romans had a biscuit called buccellum. roman cookbook apicius describes : | “ | | a thick paste of fine wheat flour was boiled and spread out on a plate. when it had dried and hardened, it was cut up and then fried until crisp, then served with honey and pepper. | | ” | many early physicians believed that most medicinal problems were associated with digestion. hence, for both sustenance and avoidance of illness, a daily consumption of a biscuit was considered good for health. hard biscuits soften as they age. to solve this problem early bakers attempted to create the hardest biscuit possible. because it is so hard and dry, if properly stored and transported, navies ' hardtack will survive rough handling and high temperature. baked hard, it can be kept without spoiling for years as long as it is kept dry. for long voyages, hardtack was baked four times, rather than the more common two, and prepared six months before sailing. to soften hardtack for eating, it was often dunked in brine, coffee, or some other liquid or cooked into a skillet meal. the more refined captain ' s biscuit was made with finer flour. at the time of the spanish armada in 1588, the daily allowance on board a royal navy ship was one pound of biscuit plus one gallon of beer. samuel pepys in 1667 first regularised naval victualling with varied and nutritious rations. royal navy hardtack during queen victoria ' s reign was made by machine at the royal clarence victualling yard at gosport, hampshire, stamped with the queen ' s mark and the number of the oven in which they were baked. biscuits remained an important part of the royal navy sailor ’ s diet until the introduction of canned foods. canned meat was first marketed in 1814 ; preserved beef in tins was officially added to royal navy rations in 1847. early biscuits were hard, dry, and unsweetened. they were most often cooked after


diet until the introduction of canned foods. canned meat was first marketed in 1814 ; preserved beef in tins was officially added to royal navy rations in 1847. early biscuits were hard, dry, and unsweetened. they were most often cooked after bread, in a cooling bakers ' oven ; they were a cheap form of sustenance for the poor. by the seventh century ad, cooks of the persian empire had learnt from their forebears the secrets of lightening and enriching bread - based mixtures with eggs, butter, and cream, and sweetening them with fruit and honey. one of the earliest spiced biscuits was gingerbread, in french pain d ' epices, meaning " spice bread ", brought to europe in 992 by the armenian monk gregoire de nicopolis. he left nicopolis pompeii, in lesser armenia to live in bondaroy, france, near the town of pithiviers. he stayed there for seven years, and taught french priests and christians how to cook gingerbread. this was originally a dense, treaclely ( molasses - based ) spice cake or bread. as it was so expensive to make, early ginger biscuits were a cheap form of using up the leftover bread mix. with the combination of the muslim invasion of the iberian peninsula, and then the crusades developing the spice trade, the cooking techniques and ingredients of arabia spread into northern europe. by mediaeval times, biscuits were made from a sweetened, spiced paste of breadcrumbs and then baked ( e. g., gingerbread ), or from cooked bread enriched with sugar and spices and then baked again. king richard i of england, ( aka richard the lionheart ) left for the third crusade ( 1189 – 92 ) with " biskit of muslin ", which was a mixed corn compound of barley, rye, and bean flour. as the making and quality of bread had been controlled to this point, so were the skills of biscuit making through the craft guilds. as the supply of sugar began, and the refinement and supply of flour increased, so did the ability to sample more leisurely foodstuffs, including sweet biscuits. early references from the vadstena monastery show how the swedish nuns were baking gingerbread to ease digestion in 1444. the first documented trade of gingerbread biscuits dates to the 16th century, where they were sold in monastery pharmacies and town square farmers markets. gingerbread became widely available in


the swedish nuns were baking gingerbread to ease digestion in 1444. the first documented trade of gingerbread biscuits dates to the 16th century, where they were sold in monastery pharmacies and town square farmers markets. gingerbread became widely available in the 18th century. the british biscuit firms of carrs, huntley & palmer, and crawfords were all established by 1850. hence, it is of no surprise that, often together with local farm produce of meat and cheese, many regions of the world have their own distinct style of biscuit, so old is this form of food. | this unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability. | most modern biscuits can trace their origins back to either the hardtack ship ' s biscuit, or the creative art of the baker : biscuits today can be savoury or sweet, but most are small at around 2 inches ( 5. 1 cm ) in diameter, and flat. the term biscuit also applies to sandwich - type biscuits, wherein a layer of cream or icing is sandwiched between two biscuits, such as the custard cream, or a layer of jam ( as in biscuits which, in the united kingdom, are known as " jammy dodgers " ) sweet biscuits are commonly eaten as a snack food, and are, in general, made with wheat flour or oats, and sweetened with sugar or honey. varieties may contain chocolate, fruit, jam, nuts, or even be used to sandwich other fillings. there is usually a dedicated section for sweet biscuits in most european supermarkets. in britain, the digestive biscuit and rich tea have a strong cultural identity as the traditional accompaniment to a cup of tea, and are regularly eaten as such. many tea drinkers " dunk " their biscuits in tea, allowing them to absorb liquid and soften slightly before consumption. savoury biscuits or crackers ( such as cream crackers, water biscuits, oatcakes, or crisp breads ) are usually plainer and commonly eaten with cheese following a meal. also among the savoury biscuit we may include the jewish biscuits known as matzos. a large variety of savoury biscuits also contain additional ingredients for flavour or texture, such as poppy seeds, onion or onion seeds, cheese ( such as cheese melts ), and olives. savoury biscuits also usually have a dedicated section in most european supermarkets, often in the same aisle as sweet biscuits. the exception to savoury biscuits is the sweet


onion seeds, cheese ( such as cheese melts ), and olives. savoury biscuits also usually have a dedicated section in most european supermarkets, often in the same aisle as sweet biscuits. the exception to savoury biscuits is the sweetmeal digestive known as the " hovis biscuit ", which, although slightly sweet, is still classified as a cheese biscuit. savoury biscuits sold in supermarkets are sometimes associated with a certain geographical area, such as scottish oatcakes or cornish wafer biscuits. in general, australians, south africans, new zealanders, kenyans, indians, pakistanis, sri lankans, singaporeans, and the irish use the british meaning of " biscuit " for the sweet biscuit. in both canada and australasia, the terms biscuit and cookie are used interchangeably, depending on the region and the speaker, with biscuits usually referring to hard, sweet biscuits ( such as digestives, nice, bourbon creams, etc. ) and cookies for soft baked goods ( i. e. chocolate chip cookies ). two famous australasian biscuit varieties are the anzac biscuit and the tim tam. this sense is at the root of the name of the united states ' most prominent maker of cookies and crackers, the national biscuit company, now called nabisco. it consists of soft unsweetened dough biscuits covered in thick " country " or " white " gravy, made from the drippings of cooked pork sausage, white flour, milk, and often ( but not always ) bits of sausage, bacon, ground beef, or other meat. the gravy is often flavored with black pepper. in some parts of the southern united states this is also called sawmill gravy. | wikimedia commons has media related to : biscuits | the world news ( wn ) network, has created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to user privacy. the following discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for wn. com, as well as e - mail newsletters. we do not collect personally identifiable information about you, except when you provide it to us. for example, if you submit an inquiry to us or sign up for our newsletter, you may be asked to provide certain information such as your contact details ( name, e - mail address, mailing address, etc. ). we may retain other companies and individuals to perform functions on our behalf. such third parties may be provided with access to personally


asked to provide certain information such as your contact details ( name, e - mail address, mailing address, etc. ). we may retain other companies and individuals to perform functions on our behalf. such third parties may be provided with access to personally identifiable information needed to perform their functions, but may not use such information for any other purpose. in addition, we may disclose any information, including personally identifiable information, we deem necessary, in our sole discretion, to comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal proceeding or governmental request. we do not want you to receive unwanted e - mail from us. we try to make it easy to opt - out of any service you have asked to receive. if you sign - up to our e - mail newsletters we do not sell, exchange or give your e - mail address to a third party. e - mail addresses are collected via the wn. com web site. users have to physically opt - in to receive the wn. com newsletter and a verification e - mail is sent. wn. com is clearly and conspicuously named at the point ofcollection. if you no longer wish to receive our newsletter and promotional communications, you may opt - out of receiving them by following the instructions included in each newsletter or communication or by e - mailing us at michaelw ( at ) wn. com the security of your personal information is important to us. we follow generally accepted industry standards to protect the personal information submitted to us, both during registration and once we receive it. no method of transmission over the internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100 percent secure, however. therefore, though we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. if we decide to change our e - mail practices, we will post those changes to this privacy statement, the homepage, and other places we think appropriate so that you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. if we make material changes to our e - mail practices, we will notify you here, by e - mail, and by means of a notice on our home page. the advertising banners and other forms of advertising appearing on this web site are sometimes delivered to you, on our behalf, by a third party. in the course of serving advertisements to this site, the third party may place or recognize a unique cookie on your browser. for more information on cookies, you can visit www. cookie


the first graduating class of the famed tuskegee airmen. ( chicago tribune ) tuskegee, ala. - - this is not a glamorous city. its glory days are long gone, though a handful of once - fine mansions built before the civil war are evidence that " money " had been here. the drive 40 miles east of montgomery, the capital, on u. s. highway 80, also known as the old dixie overland highway, winds through piney woods, passing an occasional gray - weathered shack tucked back in the trees. in tuskegee itself, it ' s clear that the town is down on its luck, with many houses in need of a face - lift and few stores or businesses open. years ago racial problems prompted prosperous white - owned businesses to close and nearly all white residents to move away. but half a century ago, during the civil rights movement, noble history was made here. and decades before that, the town was important because of the tuskegee institute, which under the determined leadership of booker t. washington offered an education to the children of former slaves, though washington realized that education alone was not enough. tuskegee graduates also were well versed in any of many trades to guarantee them a livelihood. for the school, washington also had managed to lure george washington carver, a man henry ford once described as " having the mind of a scientist and the soul of a saint. " carver had given up a far more prestigious position at iowa state college to come here to teach. and through his research, he was able to change the lives of area farmers. he wrote that while he " initially wanted to help the poor black farmers of alabama, eventually he was able to help all farmers, black and white " as they attempted to scratch a living out of destitute soil. carver discovered that peanuts could grow in abundance in such soil, actually enriching it, and then he figured out hundreds of ways to use the lowly legume. showcasing these efforts and others is a black history trail that celebrates tuskegee ' s storied past. to follow the trail, i recommend starting at the tuskegee heritage museum, 109 westside st. ( 800 - 462 - 6006 ) on the old town square. here in a historic 3, 000 - square - foot former store, charles kirk, 72, who runs a flower shop next door, has created a world of 19th and early 20th century farm life, mostly with hundreds of artifacts from his own family, which came here


historic 3, 000 - square - foot former store, charles kirk, 72, who runs a flower shop next door, has created a world of 19th and early 20th century farm life, mostly with hundreds of artifacts from his own family, which came here in the 1840s. kerosene lanterns, cast - iron pots, glass scrub boards, iron - frame beds, iceboxes, cross - cut saws, axes, horse and mule harnesses and more occupy nearly every inch of floor space or hang from the walls and the ceiling. dozens of early photos show men and women, blacks and whites, plowing with mules ; planting corn, velvet beans or cotton ; chopping and picking cotton. the museum also displays numerous native american artifacts, including bead jewelry, early class photos of students at nearby tuskegee institute, and rare silver dollars and stamps featuring carver and washington. kirk noted that years ago, " everyone here was alike, blacks and whites, all farmers, all barely surviving. " there was no middle class, he continued, " just poor farmers working shoulder to shoulder. a few families owned land, but most sharecropped. " and until about 50 years ago, the town prospered, he said, " with three or four banks, stores, cotton gins, factories that made cottonseed oil. " but, he added, racial problems arose under a new deal " ‘ resettlement program, ' a land - utilization project supposedly intended to help impoverished blacks acquire land, moving them west of town " and away from depleted soil that would become the 1, 700 - acre tuskegee national forest, but leaving whites on their land. further fueling strife was an effort to block the black vote. the next stop on the trail tells that story. it was at the butler chapel a. m. e. zion church, 1002 n. church st. ( 334 - 727 - 6619 ), where in the mid - 1950s the rev. kenneth buford, responding to a state effort to prevent registered blacks from voting in local elections, began urging parishioners and others in the african - american community to boycott tuskegee ' s white - owned businesses, most of which eventually closed, kirk said. thousands gathered at the red brick church in 1957 for the first meeting of tuskegee ' s civic association ' s " crusade for citizenship. " redrawn boundaries challenged in court were changed, and by 1964 macon county, where tuskegee is located, had a predominantly black electorate,


barrow, alaska, after an icy summer, has no hint of arctic ice on the horizon. … ( rick loomis / los angeles … ) barrow, alaska — here at the top of the world, the news that arctic sea ice has reached a new low — the smallest footprint since satellites began measuring it three decades ago — is not much of a surprise. the arctic seas off the alaska coast have been increasingly ice - free in recent years. on monday, the gray, wind - driven surf churned vigorously along the northern coast, with no sign of ice anywhere under the low, fog - shrouded skies. but it has been a strange summer here. until a few weeks ago, there was more ice spread across the near - shore waters of the beaufort and chukchi seas than anyone can remember for the last several years — a curse for the engineers waiting to begin plumbing oil wells into the sea floor, but a blessing for inupiat hunters, who have had an unusually easy time catching seals from ice floes close to home. “ it really seemed kind of like it was back in the days when the ice was like it used to be, ” said nayuk leavitt, a barrow resident who works on one of shell alaska ’ s oil spill response crews. but the late - lingering near - shore ice in alaska, now in full retreat, was not representative of what is going on most everywhere else in a gradually melting arctic, scientists say. the national snow and ice data center in colorado announced that arctic sea ice had shrunk to 1. 58 million square miles, the lowest expanse recorded since satellites began taking measurements in 1979. that breaks a record of 1. 61 million square miles set in 2007, and the shrinkage appears to be continuing : ice is expected to keep melting through september. scientists said previous warm years had started a pattern of a melting of the multi - year ice that historically has clung to the poles. the newly thinner ice that remained from last year melted even easier this year — although temperatures weren ’ t necessarily warmer. the phenomenon is probably feeding on itself, scientists say. “ in the context of what ' s happened in the last several years and throughout the satellite record, it ' s an indication that the arctic sea ice cover is fundamentally changing, ” walt meier of the national snow and ice data center told reporters in a conference call. the unusually high accumulation of ice into the summer months off the coast of alaska, probably caused by a combination of wind patterns and the cyclical rotation of ice


” walt meier of the national snow and ice data center told reporters in a conference call. the unusually high accumulation of ice into the summer months off the coast of alaska, probably caused by a combination of wind patterns and the cyclical rotation of ice around the north pole, meant uncommonly good hunting for many families in barrow, the highest populated point in the u. s., and nearby communities. residents here say the marine mammals they depend on for food and fur were in many cases perched throughout the early summer unusually close to home, on the near - shore sea ice. “ all my family are hard - core hunters, so they ’ re just happy it was staying in, so they could get all their hunting done, ” said tim mccoy, a barrow resident. in wainwright, on the northwest coast of the chukchi sea, ice lingered close to shore until late july, said ian wiley, who works at one of shell ’ s camps on the coast. “ up until our last hitch here four weeks ago, you could see the sea ice right outside the camp, ” he said. although the late - lingering ice was a factor in delaying the start of the first offshore drilling here in more than two decades, shell officials say the ice now has retreated to more than 20 miles north of the company ’ s primary drilling target, on the berger prospect in the chukchi sea — which itself is about 70 miles offshore. the first of shell ’ s drilling rigs, the discoverer, is scheduled to arrive in the chukchi sea later this week. the other, the kulluk, is halfway on its journey to the beaufort sea. permanent anchors have already been installed at both drilling locations to allow for the reduced target of drilling two complete wells this season, shell spokesman curtis smith said in an interview here. shell has asked the bureau of ocean energy management to consider extending by 18 days the sept. 24 deadline under which the company was supposed to have completed drilling in the chukchi sea, where the relatively remote location requires an early wind - up to ensure there is time to address any problems that occur before the onset of winter ice. but shell ’ s own ocean ice experts say their latest modeling makes them fairly confident that ice is not likely to close in around the chukchi drilling site until mid - november. the company has been spending $ 4. 5 million a year on ice studies, assembling a team of scientists whose expertise rivals or exceeds that of the national weather service. they have documented a pattern of ice


while the right to education act ( rte ) mandates that every child has the fundamental right to free and compulsory elementary education in india, how do you ensure education for children in difficult circumstances? malini sen finds out from west bengal and jharkhand, chhattisgarh to orissa, the maoist - dominated regions are making the headlines. but, in the sidelines of the news is another story - education for children in difficult circumstances, which requires special attention. apart from political strife, difficult circumstances indicate internal displacement, natural disasters, communal and other forms of violence. while the right to education act ( rte ) mandates that every child has the fundamental right to free and compulsory elementary education in india, how do you set up formal schools in these vulnerable regions? how do you convey the importance of education, when life itself is uncertain? during a visit to dantewada ( chhattisgarh ) and khammam ( andhra pradesh ) a few years ago, the national commission for protection of child rights ( ncpcr ) had strongly urged that schools be identified as ' zones of peace. ' this would include nonuse of schools for any other than educational purposes, separation of schools from the camps, and introduction of programmes addressing the psycho - social needs of the children delivered within the school environment with appropriate training of teachers. shantha sinha, chairperson, ncpcr, asserts that education should not be compromised at any cost. " in regions of conflict, children are more prone to trafficking, joining the labour force or even the armed conflict. the only way to make sure that they are safe is to keep them in school. and now, with rte, it is their fundamental right, " she adds. the ncpcr is working towards reviving schools in districts facing civil unrest, where there has been a total breakdown of the education system. according to unicef sources, at present, there are around 33 districts that are affected by naxal violence. access to education has been significantly affected, staff enjoy little mobility, teacher attendance is low, civil work has come to a standstill, several school buildings have been destroyed and a number of schools are being used by the forces. in chhattisgarh, unicef has been working with the local administration in south bastar to bring children back to residential school facilities in porta cabins ( prefabricated bamboo structures ) and provide them with a child - friendly environment. at the initial phase, the methodology should be more about direct delivery, says bhagyashri dengle, executive


to residential school facilities in porta cabins ( prefabricated bamboo structures ) and provide them with a child - friendly environment. at the initial phase, the methodology should be more about direct delivery, says bhagyashri dengle, executive director, plan india. " for example, setting up of child - care centres for children aged 0 - 6 years, special training centres for children in the age group of 10 - 18, supplying teaching - learning materials such as text books, etc. " secondly, trained facilitators should be engaged to provide psycho - social support to the children affected by emergencies. the primary aim is to provide care and support to the children at regular intervals. " our role should be of a facilitator, building the right linkages with schools so that children can go back to school safely, " adds dengle. reiterating the importance of psycho - social support, venkatesh malur, education specialist, unicef, says sports for development and arts - based therapy has been undertaken to engage children in various participatory activities and divert their attention from what is happening around them in chhattisgarh. " avenues for expression and articulation of their thoughts and ideas have been created using which children have been able to exhibit their skills, " he adds. innovative measures such as activity - based learning methodologies are being used in the classroom. teachers have been trained on the methodology and age - appropriate learning materials have been designed. education also has a vital role to play in social reconstruction in the aftermath of a disaster. in gujarat, after the earthquake ( 2001 ), the concept of building as a learning aid ( bala ) was developed in some schools. " the rebuilding of schools and resuming classes is a positive step towards recovery and the future. it is essential to review the development of new curricula and training of teachers in these areas, this could begin to symbolise a departure from the violent past and the advance towards a peaceful future, " says geeta menon, who is working as a consultant with unicef on education in emergencies. the druk white lotus school in leh, which became famous after it featured in the bollywood film 3 idiots, was devastated in a cloudburst in 2010. several rooms including the computer lab and elementary classes block was damaged in the disaster. thanks to the concerted efforts of both the local and school authorities, the school got a new lease of life. education is essential both as a human right and as a component of the peace - building


after shoveling another 8 inches of snow after a winter of white, the banks along my walkway are now nearly at eye level. if there ’ s a lawn under there, i ’ m gonna need a team of archaeologists to find it. no matter, that won ’ t stop spring. tomorrow morning at 6 : 02 a. m. ( central time ) the sun quietly slips over the line into the northern half of the sky. we call this the vernal equinox or start of spring. for me it will be a matter of faith in the cyclical movement of the sun. for you, the zephyrs of the new season may already be blowing through your hair. on the first day of spring, earth ’ s axis is oriented neither toward nor away from the sun. if the southern hemisphere represents the planet ’ s feet and northern hemisphere its head, tomorrow we ’ ll be showing the sun our belly or profile if you like. in winter, the northern hemisphere is tipped away from the sun with short days and a low, chilly sun. in summer, we ’ re tipped toward the sun with long days, a high sun and more heat than most of us need. but during the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, neither hemisphere has the solar advantage ( or disadvantage ) and equality rules. days are 12 hours long, nights are 12 hours long. the sun also also rises due east and sets due west. if you ’ ve ever been puzzled by which direction is which in your neighborhood, face the sunset sun around the time of the equinoxes and stick out both your arms at your sides. your right arm points due north, the left due south. pretty handy, eh? spring and fall are the in - between times when temperatures moderate and the sun rests for a brief moment between extremes. for folks living on the equator, tomorrow the sun will rise in the east and pass directly overhead at noon before declining in the west. equatorial skywatchers will stand in their own shadows at local noon. take an imaginary flight to earth ’ s south pole and tomorrow means something quite different. there the sun will hover along the horizon 24 hours straight, neither rising nor setting. starting march 21, it won ’ t breach the horizon for another 6 months. what marks the start of spring for northerners means the beginning of fall for australians and a temporary end of sunshine for itinerant antarcticans. as you ’ d expect, the situation is just the opposite at the north pole, where 6 months


. what marks the start of spring for northerners means the beginning of fall for australians and a temporary end of sunshine for itinerant antarcticans. as you ’ d expect, the situation is just the opposite at the north pole, where 6 months of daylight begins with tomorrow ’ s sunrise. our planet ’ s tilted axis combined with its yearly orbit makes such strange things happen here on the ground. just think how monotonous the weather and daylight - length would be if our axis were straight up and down with no tilt. our skewed planet is like an artist looking at the world from varied and surprising perspectives. spring also coincides with a series of fine morning passes of the international space station ( iss ) for at least the u. s. and canada. less than an hour before spring ’ s start, the station will pass over northern minnesota tomorrow morning. to find times when it ’ s visible from your location, log on to heavens above ( which also provides excellent maps of its path in the sky ) or key in your zip code at spaceweather satellite flybys page. the iss first appears in the western sky and moves eastward, appearing like a very bright, moving star. space station times for duluth, minn. region : * tues. march 20 starting at 5 : 14 a. m. “ magically ” appears out of earth ’ s shadow high in the southern sky and moves east. brilliant pass! * weds. march 21 at 5 : 58 p. m. across the northern sky * thurs. march 22 at 5 : 09 a. m. exits earth ’ s shadow at 5 : 09 a. m. above the north star and moves eastward * fri. march 23 at 5 : 52 a. m. across the northern sky * sat. march 24 at 5 : 03 a. m. exits earth ’ s shadow just below the north star and moves east * sun. march 25 at 5 : 46 a. m. across the northern sky


atmosphere & energy first nations in northeast b. c. and some prominent environmental organizations are critical of the province ' s announcement monday that it ' s going ahead with the site c dam. the council of treaty 8 chiefs, representing first nations in the peace region, said that when combined with forestry, oil and gas and mining projects, the dam would cause irrevocable damage to fish, wildlife and local agriculture. the sierra club of b. c. said the site c dam would destroy forest and farmland, hurt wildlife and increase carbon emissions, while the david suzuki foundation said too many questions about the project remain unanswered for it to proceed. [ snip ]... read more » canadian zoe caron literally cowrote the book on climate change — that is, the book for those who are a tad unclear about the greenhouse effect, renewable energy, and the kyoto protocol. caron got the idea for global warming for dummies in january 2006 while she was studying for the exams she ’ d missed ; she ’ d instead been attending the united nations climate change negotiations in montreal. now as the youngest - ever president of the sierra club canada and the climate policy and advocacy specialist for the world wildlife fund canada, caron is focusing on the g8 and g20 summits in ontario later this year. edmonton - the sierra club prairie has obtained a leaked copy of the most recent alberta wetlands policy that shows the extent of industry influence over environmental decisions for the province. the confidential document reveals an undermining of the work of the alberta water council, a multi stakeholder group that has been developing the tenets of the wetlands policy. the policy, already a compromised position to get the buy - in of 25 multi - sectoral groups, was radically changed after backdoor industry pressure. language changes in the document gut and water down the policy, changing wording from ‘ will ’ to ‘ may ’ in addition to providing companies with ‘ non - replacement ’ options for wetlands destruction.... read more » hudsons hope, b. c. - the b. c. government says it will move forward on a massive hydroelectric project on the peace river that would provide for british columbia ' s energy needs well into the future, producing enough energy to provide power to 460, 000 homes for a century.... read more » trade & environment fact sheet by janet eaton, sierra club canada for the trade justice network, april 19, 2010 ( http : / / www. tradejustice. ca ) the canada -


full text : sixty years since peaceful liberation of tibet the information office of the state council, china ' s cabinet, on monday published a white paper on the sixty years since peaceful liberation of tibet. following is the full text : sixty years since peaceful liberation of tibet on may 23, 1951 the agreement of the central people ' s government and the local government of tibet on measures for the peaceful liberation of tibet ( " 17 - article agreement " for short ) was signed in beijing, marking the peaceful liberation of tibet. the peaceful liberation of tibet was an important part of the cause of the chinese people ' s liberation, a great event in the chinese nation ' s struggle against imperialist invasion to safeguard national unity and sovereignty, an epoch - making turning point in the social development history of tibet, and a milestone marking the commencement of tibet ' s progress from a dark and backward society to a bright and advanced future. over the 60 years since its peaceful liberation, tibet, under the leadership of the communist party of china ( cpc ) and the central people ' s government, has undergone a great historic process starting with democratic reform, and proceeding to the establishment of the tibet autonomous region, socialist construction, and to the reform and opening - up era, made unprecedented achievements in the modernization drive, and witnessed great changes in its social outlook and profound changes in its people ' s life. these achievements were attained by all the ethnic groups in tibet through concerted efforts, and vividly manifest how china implements the ethnic minority policy of promoting unity and achieving common prosperity and development. this year marks the 60th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of tibet. we review and summarize the spectacular historic process over the 60 years and demonstrate the great achievements in the development of new tibet, so as to help tibet achieve leapfrogging development and maintain lasting stability, while laying bare the lies of the dalai clique, giving a better understanding of the true history of the 60 years since the peaceful liberation of tibet to the outside world and enabling people around the world to get to know that socialist new tibet is full of vigor and vitality. i. realizing the peaceful liberation of tibet 1. tibet has been an inseparable part of china since ancient times. china is a unified, multi - ethnic country, and the tibetan people are important members of the family of the chinese nation. china ' s territory and history were created by the chinese nation ; the tibetan group, as one of the centuries - old ethnic groups in china, has made important contributions to the creation and development of this unified, multi


the family of the chinese nation. china ' s territory and history were created by the chinese nation ; the tibetan group, as one of the centuries - old ethnic groups in china, has made important contributions to the creation and development of this unified, multi - ethnic country and to the formation and evolvement of the chinese nation. archaeological and academic research findings show that since ancient times the tibetan people have been closely connected with the han and other ethnic groups in blood relationship, language, culture and other aspects, and economic, political and cultural exchanges between tibet and inland china have never been broken off. in the 13th century the central government of the yuan dynasty ( 1271 - 1368 ) formally incorporated tibet into the central administration by setting up the supreme control commission and commission for buddhist and tibetan affairs to directly administer the military and political affairs of the tibet region. following this, the yuan central government gradually standardized and institutionalized the administration of tibet, including directly controlling the local administrative organs of tibet and exercising the power of appointing local officials in tibet, stationing troops there and conducting censuses. following the yuan system, the ming ( 1368 - 1644 ) government implemented such policies as multiple enfeoffment, tributary trade and establishment of subordinated administrative divisions. the qing dynasty ( 1644 - 1911 ) strengthened the central government ' s administration of tibet. in 1653 and 1713 the qing emperors granted honorific titles to the 5th dalai lama and the 5th panchen lama, officially establishing the titles of the dalai lama and panchen erdeni, and their political and religious status in tibet. from 1727 the qing court established the post of grand minister resident in tibet to supervise local administration on behalf of the central authorities. in 1751 the qing government abolished the system under which the various commandery princes held power, and formally appointed the 7th dalai lama to administer the local government of tibet, and set up the kashag ( cabinet ) composed of four kalons ( ministers ). in 1793, after dispelling gurkha invaders, the qing government promulgated the ordinance by the imperial house concerning better governance in tibet ( 29 articles ), improving several systems by which the central government administered tibet. the ordinance stipulated that the reincarnation of dalai lama and other living buddhas had to follow the procedure of " drawing lots from the golden urn, " and the selected candidate would be subject to the approval by the central authorities of china. in the qing dynasty five dalai lamas were selected in this way, but two did not go through the lot - drawing procedure


lots from the golden urn, " and the selected candidate would be subject to the approval by the central authorities of china. in the qing dynasty five dalai lamas were selected in this way, but two did not go through the lot - drawing procedure as approved by the qing emperors. the qing emperors deposed the 6th dalai lama, tsangyang gyatso, in 1706 and the 13th dalai lama, thubten gyatso, in 1904, and again in 1910. the revolution of 1911 toppled the qing empire, and the republic of china ( 1912 - 1949 ) was founded. on march 11, 1912 the republic of china issued its first constitution - the provisional constitution of the republic of china, which clarified the central government ' s sovereignty over tibet. it clearly stipulated that tibet was a part of the territory of the republic of china, and stated that " the han, manchu, mongol, hui and tibetan peoples are of one, and the five ethnic groups will be of one republic. " on july 17 the government set up the bureau of mongolian and tibetan affairs under the state council. after the provisional government of the republic of china was set up in nanjing, a commission for mongolian and tibetan affairs was established in 1929 to exercise administrative jurisdiction over tibet. in 1940 the commission for mongolian and tibetan affairs opened an office in lhasa as the permanent mission of the central government in tibet. the central government of the republic of china safeguarded the nation ' s sovereignty over tibet in spite of frequent civil wars among warlords in the interior. the 14th dalai lama, dainzin gyatso, succeeded to the title with the approval of the national government, which waived the lot - drawing convention. no country or government in the world has ever acknowledged the independence of tibet. 2. so - called " tibet independence " was part of imperialist aggressors ' attempt to carve up china. since the opium war britain started in 1840, china had been gradually reduced to a semi - feudal, semi - colonial country. at the end of the 19th century imperialist forces set off mad spree to carve up china, and the british aggressors took the opportunity to invade tibet. british troops intruded into tibet twice - in 1888 and 1903 - but failed due to the resistance of the tibetan army and civilians. after their failure to turn tibet into a colony through armed aggression, the imperialists started to foster pro - imperialist separatists in tibet, plotted activities to separate tibet from china and trumpeted " tibet '


resistance of the tibetan army and civilians. after their failure to turn tibet into a colony through armed aggression, the imperialists started to foster pro - imperialist separatists in tibet, plotted activities to separate tibet from china and trumpeted " tibet ' s independence. " on august 31, 1907 britain and russia signed the convention between great britain and russia on tibet, changing, for the first time, china ' s sovereignty over tibet into " suzerainty " in an international document. in 1913 the british government engineered the simla conference to instigate the tibetan representative to raise the slogan of " tibet ' s independence " for the first time, which was immediately rejected by the representative of the chinese government. the british representative then introduced the so - called " compromise " scheme, attempting to change china ' s sovereignty over tibet into " suzerainty " and separate tibet from the authority of the chinese government under the pretext of " autonomy. " these ill - intentioned attempts met with resolute opposition from the chinese people and government. in july 1914, upon instruction, the representative of the chinese government refused to sign the simla convention, and made a statement saying that the government of china refused to recognize any such agreement or document. the chinese government also sent a note to the british government, reiterating its position. thereupon, the conference collapsed. in 1942 the local government of tibet, with the support of the british representative, suddenly announced the establishment of a " foreign affairs bureau, " and openly carried out " tibetan independence " activities. with opposition from the chinese people and the national government, the local government of tibet had no choice but to withdraw its decision. in 1947 the british imperialists plotted behind the scenes to invite tibetan representatives to attend the " asian relations conference, " and even identified tibet as an independent country on the map of asia hung in the conference hall and in the array of national flags. the organizers were forced to rectify this after the chinese delegation made a stern protest. on july 8, 1949 the local government of tibet issued an order to expel officials of the tibet office of the commission for mongolian and tibetan affairs on the excuse of " prohibiting communists from staying in tibet. " in november 1949 the local government of tibet decided to dispatch a so - called " goodwill mission " to the united states, britain, india, nepal and some other countries to seek political and military support for " tibet ' s independence, " making it obvious that it was intensifying separatist activities. around the end


called " goodwill mission " to the united states, britain, india, nepal and some other countries to seek political and military support for " tibet ' s independence, " making it obvious that it was intensifying separatist activities. around the end of 1949 the american lowell thomas roamed tibet in the guise of a " radio commentator " to explore the " possibility of aid that washington could give tibet. " he wrote in a us newspaper : " the united states is ready to recognize tibet as an independent and free country. " in the first half of 1950 american weaponry was shipped into tibet through calcutta in order to help resist the people ' s liberation army ( pla ) in its entry into tibet. historical facts clearly demonstrate that the so - called " tibetan independence " was in fact cooked up by old and new imperialists, and was part of western aggressors ' scheme to carve up the territory of china. 3. the liberation of tibet was an important part of the cause of the chinese people ' s liberation. in face of aggression and oppression from imperialists, all ethnic groups of china, including the tibetans, had waved unyielding struggles for more than a century and at the cost of many lives to safeguard the independence, unity and territorial integrity of china, and to realize the liberation of the chinese nation. it was under the leadership of the cpc that the chinese people achieved final victory in the liberation war after extremely hard struggle. in 1949 the chinese people won decisive victory in the people ' s liberation war, and the people ' s republic of china was founded. then, it came on the agenda that the pla would march into tibet, liberate it and expel imperialists from it. in response to " tibetan independence " activities plotted by imperialists and reactionary forces from the upper strata of tibet, on september 2, 1949 xinhua news agency, with authorization from the cpc, published an editorial under the headline, " foreign aggressors are resolutely not allowed to annex china ' s territory - tibet. " the editorial summarized how some big powers had invaded tibet over the previous century, and then pointed out, " tibet is part of chinese territory ; all foreign aggression is not allowed. the tibetan people are an inseparable part of the chinese nation, and any attempt to divide them from china will be doomed. this is a consistent policy of the communist party of china and the people ' s liberation army. " all sectors of society of tibet quickly responded and expressed support for the


of the chinese nation, and any attempt to divide them from china will be doomed. this is a consistent policy of the communist party of china and the people ' s liberation army. " all sectors of society of tibet quickly responded and expressed support for the editorial and the hope that the pla would enter tibet as soon as possible. on october 1, 1949 the 10th panchen lama sent a telegram to the central people ' s government : dispatching troops to liberate tibet and expelling the imperialists as soon as possible. " on november 23 mao zedong and zhu de telegraphed the 10th panchen lama : " the central people ' s government and the chinese people ' s liberation army will certainly comply with this wish of the tibetan people. " on december 2 reting yeshe tsultrim, an aide of the 5th regent reting rinpoche, arrived in xining, qinghai province, to make complaints to the pla about the imperialists ' atrocities of destroying the internal unity of tibet, urging the pla to liberate tibet as soon as possible. in early 1950 over 100 tibetan people, including farmers and herdsmen, young people, women and democratic representatives, assembled in lanzhou, which had been liberated not long before, and urged the pla to liberate tibet. the 5th gedar tulku of beri monastery in garze, xikang ( kham ) province, headman shaka tobden of yilung in northern xikang, and the business tycoon pangda dorje in southern xikang sent representatives to beijing to pay tribute to chairman mao zedong of the central people ' s government and they expressed the tibetan people ' s urgent and earnest wish for the liberation of tibet. to address the complicated changes in the international situation and the grave situation in tibet, and to satisfy the tibetan people ' s wish for liberation as soon as possible, in december 1949 mao zedong wrote a letter to the cpc central committee in manzhouli on his way to the soviet union for a visit. in the letter, mao made the strategic decision that " it is better for the pla to enter tibet sooner rather than later. " when planning the liberation of tibet and exploring the way of liberation, the cpc decided on the way of peaceful liberation in view of the fact that tibet was a special region inhabited by the ethnic minorities, in order to enable the pla to enter tibet smoothly, safeguard the interests of the tibetan people and strengthen national unity. in


cpc decided on the way of peaceful liberation in view of the fact that tibet was a special region inhabited by the ethnic minorities, in order to enable the pla to enter tibet smoothly, safeguard the interests of the tibetan people and strengthen national unity. in march 1949 when the people ' s liberation war was about to end with people ' s victory, chairman mao pointed out that the possibilities of peaceful liberation, like that of beiping, for other areas were growing. then hunan and ningxia, as well as xinjiang, yunnan and xikang, which all bordered tibet, were liberated peacefully in succession, affording useful experience for the peaceful liberation of tibet. on january 20, 1950, in response to the local government of tibet ' s dispatching of a so - called " goodwill mission, " a spokesperson of the ministry of foreign affairs delivered a speech with authorization from chairman mao, saying that the tibetan people demanded the exercise of appropriate regional autonomy under the unified leadership of the central people ' s government, and that " if the lhasa authorities send delegates to beijing to negotiate the peaceful liberation of tibet, they will be well received. " to achieve the peaceful liberation of tibet, the central people ' s government organized and did a lot of work in political persuasion. in 1950 the southwest and northwest bureaux of the cpc central committee sent delegates or delegations to tibet for mediation four times, in order to persuade the 14th dalai lama and the local government of tibet to send representatives to negotiate with the central people ' s government on the peaceful liberation of tibet. on february 1 the northwest bureau sent a tibetan cadre, zhang jingcheng, to tibet with a letter for the 14th dalai lama and regent taktra ngawang sungrab from liao hansheng, then vice chairman of the qinghai provincial people ' s government. at the end of march an eminent han monk, master zhiqing, who had good relations with the political and religious circles of tibet, started for tibet from chengdu, with approval from the cpc central committee and the support of the southwest bureau. in july a delegation composed of members from qinghai temples and monasteries, led by taktser rinpoche of kumbum monastery, set out from xining. sherab gyatso, vice chairman of the qinghai provincial people ' s government and a leading tibetan scholar, delivered a radio talk, calling on the local government of tibet to " quickly dispatch plenipotentiary representatives to beijing for peace talks. " on july 10 a delegation of ten