september everbearing raspberry is one of the most popular home and commercial cultivars. it produces crops in two seasons, with a light crop in june followed by a heavy crop in september. medium - size, tart, juicy, rose - red raspberries with small seeds. excellent fresh, frozen, and in preserves and pies. good for cold climates with cool summers. self pollinating, acidic to slightly basic soil and adapts to a wide range of soil types. 2 ' tall 2 ' wide. shipped as 1 - year - old, # 1 bareroot canes 6 - 12 inches tall ( zones 3 – 7 ). planting instructions : these raspberries prefer a deep, well - drained, fertile soil and typically bear fruit producing on first - year wood. space 30 inches in a row with 8 ' - 10 ' between rows. create a simple t trellis at about knee height with a top 1 1 / 2 feet wide to support the canes. this can be made using rebar or wood with twine or wire strung down each side of the row they thrive in most soil types. your plants require 1 inch of water per week during the growing season and regular, shallow cultivation. watch a video and learn about growing raspberries learn how to prune raspberries try this tree in your yard : zones 3 - 7 zones 3 - 7 the september everbearing raspberry can be expected to grow in the zones shown in color in the arborday. org zone map. type of tree : the september everbearing raspberry falls into the following type ( s ) : fruit trees, shrubs 3 ' - 4 ' high the september everbearing raspberry grows to be 3 ' - 4 ' feet in height. 2 ' - 4 ' spread the september everbearing raspberry has a spread of about 2 ' - 4 ' at full maturity. medium to fast growth this raspberry does well in full sun. the september everbearing raspberry grows in acidic, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, silty loam, well drained, wide range, clay soils. this raspberry has rounded shape. september everbearing raspberry produces crops in two seasons, with a light crop in june followed by a heavy crop in september. medium to large - size, juicy, tart, rose - red raspberries with small seeds. one of the most popular home and commercial cultivars for fresh eating, freezing, preserves


lesson plan contest — imagine arizona $ 25, 000 in prizes end date : march 10, 2013 winners announced : may 10, 2013 grand prize ( individual ) $ 3, 000 grand prize ( team ) $ 6, 000 teachers are the backbone of arizona ’ s educational system ; they create the curriculum and deploy lesson plans that excite and instruct arizona ’ s school children. the arizona experience teachers ’ center invites teachers to build and share lesson plans as part of our imagine arizona lesson plan contest. eligibility — who can participate the contest is open to full - time arizona teachers of grades 4 through 12 at any accredited public, private, charter, alternative, or tribal school. entries will be judged in two categories : individual teachers and teacher teams. lesson plans can pertain to any subject approved by the arizona board of education. entries are subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. the contest objective is to construct a multi - day lesson plan unit that incorporates content from the arizona experience multimedia materials. material developed for the contest should accommodate state education standards, include two content areas ( e. g., english language arts and biology ), and result in a lesson plan unit deployed in the classroom over three to seven days. teams are urged to adopt a cross - disciplinary approach leading to a broader, multi - dimensional lesson plan. subject matter is solely at the discretion of the teacher but is expected to conform to state education standards. view the sample lesson plan for a rough idea of what you can do. the best place to find educational material is right here at the teachers ' center. the student resources page provides a handy list of our top educational pages. but we offer more than that! look around the site and determine the material that works for you! there are no restrictions on the maps, images, videos, or articles on the site that can be used to build your lesson plan. use of outside resources, including citizen science data or building on state or national events such as the arizona science technology festival, is encouraged. you can also find a list of lesson plan ideas and activities on the teacher resources page. participants can choose from any of the hundreds of the arizona experience images, videos, interviews, interactive maps, historic time lines, and oral histories to use individually or in juxtaposition. ideally, contestants will use data visualization software such as microsoft research ’ s layerscape ( worldwide telescope ) to add visualization or maps to the learning unit. each entry should include a one - page description of subject, content matter, and how


. ideally, contestants will use data visualization software such as microsoft research ’ s layerscape ( worldwide telescope ) to add visualization or maps to the learning unit. each entry should include a one - page description of subject, content matter, and how the arizona experience content was incorporated. lesson plans should strive to present an engaging and interactive learning experience that involves students in creative and analytical thinking through inquiry, investigation, and exploration of content. lesson plans must be classroom - tested prior to submission to the contest. only one entry per teacher is permitted, either individually or as a team. download entry form. each entry should include the following : - name of teacher ( s ) - project title - grade level ( s ) - statement of the objective, scope and strengths of the proposed lesson plan - statement of how and which arizona experience content is incorporated into the lesson plan - reflection paragraph about the effectiveness of the lesson in your classroom. - detailed description of the lesson plan - lesson description — describe the objective ( s ) and procedure to accomplish the objective ( s ) - content standards — note which of arizona state standards are addressed in the lesson plan - concepts — identify the concepts engaged by the lesson plan - objectives — student - oriented, observable, measurable and descriptive of a learning outcome - materials — worksheets, student activity forms, assignments, assessment tool ( s ), and other materials used in the lesson plan - time — in - class time required to complete the lesson nominations must be received by 5 : 00 pm on sunday, march 10, 2013. the entry must comply with the guidelines outlined on the application form. the imagine arizona selection committee reserves the right to disqualify entries that do not comply with the guidelines. winning curriculum will be publicized on the teachers ’ center at the arizona experience. entries will be judged by a selection committee including arizona experience team members and individuals from the education community. entries will be judged on the following criteria : - 25 points — incorporating the arizona experience materials ( e. g., publications, web site, multimedia resources, etc. ) - 15 points — arizona standard - based education approach - 15 points — evidence of exemplary teaching methods and effectiveness - 15 points — lesson originality and creativity - 15 points — ease of replication or adaptation ( across curriculum, age groups, and schools ) - all decisions of the selection committee are final and are not subject to appeal. cash prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize in both the individual and team category and for honorable mention ( s ). this


groups, and schools ) - all decisions of the selection committee are final and are not subject to appeal. cash prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize in both the individual and team category and for honorable mention ( s ). this contest appears on getedfunding. com, a free site that lists funding opportunities for educators in arizona. | individual category | | team category ( 2 or more individuals ) | first prize | | $ 3, 000 | | first prize | | $ 6, 000 | | second prize | | $ 1, 500 | | second prize | | $ 4, 500 | | third prize | | $ 1, 000 | | third prize | | $ 2, 000 | conditions and limitations - the arizona experience is not responsible for lost, late, or misdirected entries, including problems arising from network failure - participants retain copyright ownership of submitted lesson plans ; however, as a condition of this contest, participants must agree to release the material according to the creative commons attribution - noncommercial license. ( this allows submissions to be revised and republished while acknowledging the original author ( s ). ) - awardees grant the arizona experience the right to publicize and broadcast their name, voice, and likeness, the fact that they won, and all matters incidental thereto. - an entrant is not a winner unless and until entrant ’ s eligibility has been verified and entrant has been notified that verification is complete. in the event that a winner is determined to be ineligible, his or her prize will be forfeited and the arizona experience reserves the right to select an alternate winner from among remaining eligible entries. conceived to commemorate one hundred years of statehood, it celebrates arizona ’ s past, present, and future. students, residents, and tourists will find compelling stories and practical information presented with the latest technology and web applications. learn more about the arizona experience. the arizona experience team includes experienced digital cartographers, information specialists, and meticulous researchers. scientists and computer programmers in the arizona experience content management team offer expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methods. these skills have guided evaluation of content from hundreds of entities and presentation of information to create an original narrative about arizona ’ s land, people, institutions, companies, and agencies. whether the topic is mining, agriculture, biosciences, renewable energy, space exploration, high technology or preparing the twenty - first century workforce, arizonans are working to sustain and improve the state, its resources,


stems move air : phragmites australis dead stems of phragmites australis move air to shoot and root meristems by use of differential air pressure. | biomimetic application ideas | | passive way to move air through buildings, mines. | > visit strategy page from fig. 4. 8 : " a. differential air pressure caused by wind blowing across dead culms sucks air into the lower culms through the rhizomes and into the taller culms. b. pressurization of new culms due to a build up of vapour pressure or higher temperatures causes mass flow of gasses [ sic ] down the culms into the rhizome and up into more porous older culms. the movement of oxygen from the rhizomes into the roots and out of the roots into the soil is due to diffusion. ( redrawn from colmer 2003 ) " ( van der valk 2006 : 64 - 65 ) " internal transport of gases is crucial for vascular plants inhabiting aquatic, wetland or flood - prone environments. diffusivity of gases in water is approximately 10 000 times slower than in air ; thus direct exchange of gases between submerged tissues and the environment is strongly impeded. aerenchyma provides a low - resistance internal pathway for gas transport between shoot and root extremities. by this pathway, o2 is supplied to the roots and rhizosphere, while co2, ethylene, and methane move from the soil to the shoots and atmosphere. diffusion is the mechanism by which gases move within roots of all plant species, but significant pressurized through - flow occurs in stems and rhizomes of several emergent and floating - leaved wetland plants. through - flows can raise o2 concentrations in the rhizomes close to ambient levels. in general, rates of flow are determined by plant characteristics such as capacity to generate positive pressures in shoot tissues, and resistance to flow in the aerenchyma, as well as environmental conditions affecting leaf - to - air gradients in humidity and temperature. o2 diffusion in roots is influenced by anatomical, morphological and physiological characteristics, and environmental conditions. roots of many ( but not all ) wetland species contain large volumes of aerenchyma ( e. g. root porosity can reach 55 % ), while a barrier impermeable to radial o2 loss ( rol ) often occurs in basal zones. these traits act synergist


contain large volumes of aerenchyma ( e. g. root porosity can reach 55 % ), while a barrier impermeable to radial o2 loss ( rol ) often occurs in basal zones. these traits act synergistically to enhance the amount of o2 diffusing to the root apex and enable the development of an aerobic rhizosphere around the root tip, which enhances root penetration into anaerobic substrates. the barrier to rol in roots of some species is induced by growth in stagnant conditions, whereas it is constitutive in others. an inducible change in the resistance to o2 across the hypodermislexodermis is hypothesized to be of adaptive significance to plants inhabiting transiently waterlogged soils. knowledge on the anatomical basis of the barrier to rol in various species is scant. nevertheless, it has been suggested that the barrier may also impede influx of : ( i ) soilderived gases, such as co2, methane, and ethylene ; ( ii ) potentially toxic substances ( e. g. reduced metal ions ) often present in waterlogged soils ; and ( iii ) nutrients and water. lateral roots, that remain permeable to o2, may be the main surface for exchange of substances between the roots and rhizosphere in wetland species. further work is required to determine whether diversity in structure and function in roots of wetland species can be related to various niche habitats. ( colmer 2003 : 17 ) phragmites australis ( cav. ) trin. ex steud. [ roseau cane, roseau, reed grass, phragmites, giant reedgrass, giant reed, ditch reed, cane ] some organism data provided by : itis : the integrated taxonomic information system organism / taxonomy data provided by : species 2000 & itis catalogue of life : 2008 annual checklist application ideas : passive way to move air through buildings, mines. industrial sector ( s ) interested in this strategy : constructionvibro - wind - wind harvesting timothy colmer john s. pate ( emeritus ) faculty of natural and agricultural sciences, the university of western australia


mechanical engineers can visualize themselves easily in a buzzing power plant or by an old boiler, but how about flying in a sailboat or powerboat, ripping through gorgeous strands of blue sea? boat design offers adventurous opportunities for those with a natural affinity for the water, to go along with critical thinking skills. william lasher, professor of mechanical engineering at pennsylvania state university, who has spent the last decade focused on sail dynamics, says this is a field that becomes passion as much as career. " yacht design, for example, puts you up against the structural issues of racing boats, focusing on incredibly complex loading conditions, " lasher explains. " show even a couple percent improvement in the speed and it ' s a major difference. " lasher utilizes finite element analysis, looking at areas such as hydrodynamic resistance of the boat in flat water versus performance in waves, or, for powerboats, the design of the propeller to correspond with the engine. " when it comes to finite analysis, especially at the higher end of racing boats for structure, one of the places used a lot is in the design of keels, " he says. " they hang on the bottom of the boat and it serves the purpose of keeping it from slipping sideways but is made out of lead. some more recent boats are using canting keels to swing the boat sidewise, shifting from one side to the other to get better stability while dealing with the loads on them. when you ' re doing that with tens of thousands of pounds, you need to get pretty exact. " where it begins lasher says design can often start with a blank sheet of paper. " you ' re writing down the basic parameters of the boat : how long, wide, weight, how much sailing are you putting on it, what conditions are you sailing in, " he says. a velocity prediction program is used to take these parameters and find an equilibrium balance between the forces on the sails and the forces on the hull. professor lasher says that boat design can often start with a blank sheet of paper. " the sails are trying to push it forward and sideways and the hull offers resistance, " he says. " and that ' s the most interesting thing about it — how a very complex system interacts with everything else and it ' s hard to change one thing and not have it affect something else. " it ' s the tradeoffs of constantly putting more sail on it, then needing more stability, he adds, or making the boat wider but then affecting the center of gravity.


s hard to change one thing and not have it affect something else. " it ' s the tradeoffs of constantly putting more sail on it, then needing more stability, he adds, or making the boat wider but then affecting the center of gravity. " you ' re trying to improve the performance but dealing with the ‘ penalty of improvement. ' " for cargo ships, lasher says designing is adjusted more to the economic impact, trying to carry as much cargo as you can safely for the lifespan of the ship and safety of the passengers. " these ships have tremendous loads and need to design a structure to support them ; that ' s what ' s driving you when you consider the cost if your design is off, " he says. " i remember when i was a student we went to a society of naval architects meeting and toured an sl7 ( sealand ship ) and went down below. you ' d be just amazed by the six inch - thick metal plates, how much material goes into it … it ' s a lot to manage. " where do i sign? but how do you get involved? lasher says a good way is to get a master ' s degree in naval architecture as he did, feeling that combining this with a bachelor ' s degree in mechanical engineering would give someone a good chance to pick up what boat designing requires. but you must also be committed to continuing to educate yourself long after the diplomas. " there are a number of good books out that outline processes and techniques at various levels, " he says. " but the bible is really skene ' s elements of yacht design revised by kinney. " finally, lasher says you ' ll need one more thing : patience. " someone once said to design a [ large ] ship you have to take the empire state building ' s structural issues, turn it on its side and run it through waves of 25 knots, " he laughs. " now that ' s not an easy challenge! " eric butterman is an independent writer. someone once said to design a [ large ] ship you have to take the empire state building ' s structural issues, turn it on its side and run it through waves of 25 knots. now that ' s not an easy challenge! william lasher, professor of mechanical engineering, penn state university more on this topic herbert mehnert, vice president of engineering for thomas built buses, and bruce miles, an engineer for blue bird, give us insight into where buses... improvements in automotive design, alternative fuels, and it and wireless


mountaineering in turkey a glance at a topographical map of turkey reveals that this is a country of mountains. rising from all four directions, mountains encircle the peninsula of anatolia. a part of the alpine - himalayan mountain range, turkey has mountainous regions with different geological formations. the north anatolian range skirts the mediterranean shore. turkey ' s magnificient mountains and forests are mostly undeveloped, existing as wonderful natural preserves for an extraordinary variety of wild life, flora and fauna. two of turkey ' s most famous peaks are volcanos, both inactive, mt. erciyes in kayseri in central anatolia ( 3917 m ) and mt. agri ; ( mt. ararat 5137 m ) in the east. other mountain ranges are the rize kackar ( 3932 m ) in the eastern black sea region, nigde aladaglar ; ( 3756 m ) in the central taurus range and the cilo and sat mountains ( 4136 m ) near hakkari in the eastern taurus. the mountainous nature of the country has inflounced its cultural evolution. for centuries, nomads and semi - nomadic peoples have moved yearly to the fresh pastures of the higher elevations in the summer. these alpine medows, called yayla, house nomadic people whose traditional culture is still preserved. for climbers and those interested in the geography of mountains, turkey offers a wealth of exploration. glaciers, volcanos, and peculiar geological formations such as karst prove irresistable to researchers and students of the geology. the challenging terrain offers opportunities to aficionados of outdoor sports, who find the most interesting experiences on the mountains of eastern, central and southern turkey. a list of resources to aid an expedition, is found in the rest of this text. the great mount of agri ( ararat ) - 5137 m. rising at the borders of turkey and iran, mount agrı, an inactive volcano capped year round with ice and snow, rises to 5137 meters. the old testament records that it was on this mountain that noah ' s ark came to rest after the great flood. southwest of the mountain, the little mount agrı ( ararat ) reaches up to 3896 meters ; the serdarbulak lava plateau ( 2600 m ) streches out between the two pinnacles. climbing the spectacular agrı is a challenging and rewarding experience. ( view map. ) in the summer, the weather in the area and on mount agr


lava plateau ( 2600 m ) streches out between the two pinnacles. climbing the spectacular agrı is a challenging and rewarding experience. ( view map. ) in the summer, the weather in the area and on mount agrı is sunny, warm and dry. however, in the winter and spring, cold and harsh conditions prevail, and mountain climbers occasionally face blizzards and turbulent weather. july, august, and september are the months when most world mountain climbers come to the area. climbing up agrı is most enjoyable during this period. however, despite the usual sunny and clear weather at that time of year, high altitude mountain weather swirls around above 3000 meters. the southern side of the mountain offers the easiest and safest climb to the summit. with this route one has access to the best route communication and transportation facilities and it is safe. it is not recommended to climb mount agrı alone and without a guide. the trabzon - erzurum - iran international transit highway, an asphalt road skirts the western and southern flanks of agrı before leading into iran. dogubeyazit, 270 km from erzurum and nearby igdir, the two closest towns to the mountain, are located on this route. planes, trains, and buses connect erzurum with ankara. the area surrounding agrı has retained its natural beauty. the local population still engages in a traditional life styles. in the summer months the villagers move to the yayla, the summer pastures, to find fresh grazing for their herds of sheep, goats, cattle and horses. women continue to weave carpets and kilims in time - honored designs ; village of ortulu is particularly renowned as a center of beautiful handicrafts. other nearby tourist attractions include the ishakpasha palace, a fabulous 18th century castle of a local potentate, and the meteor hole near the iranian border. the cilo - sat mountain range ( 4136 m. ) the cilo - sat mountains, within the southeastern hakkari province are the eastern extension of the toros ( taurus ) mountain chain which stretches from west to east along turkey ' s southern boundaries. the mountain range forms the western section of the himalayan mountain belt. at 4136 meters, the uludoruk ( resko ) summit is the highest in the cilo mountains ; catalkaya ( samdi ), which rises to 3794 meters crowns the sat mountains. ( view map. ) resembling the


4136 meters, the uludoruk ( resko ) summit is the highest in the cilo mountains ; catalkaya ( samdi ), which rises to 3794 meters crowns the sat mountains. ( view map. ) resembling the alps both in general appereance and glacier topography, the cilo - sat mountains are the areas in turkey most affected by glaciers. the high altitudes of the mountains testify to the effects of glacial formation and water erosion. of the ten differently shaped glaciers, the largest, izbirak, measures five kilometres in length, 500 - 600 meters in width. it reaches up to 100 meters in depth. a wide arid expanse stretches across the southern base of the mountain range. the highlands, in contrast, receive plentiful precipitation during the winter months. in between crests and summits, fertile green valleys dotted with rural settlements, enjoy a temperate climate that makes them ideal for wine and fruit agrıculture. above the low valleys, alpine meadows blanket the mountain slopes at altitudes between 2000 and 3100 meters. herds of domestic animals, the raising of which makes up the primary economic activityof the region, graze on these pastures. trips and climbs arduous and elevated summits, high glaciers, glacial rivers and fast moving streams combine to make the cilo - sat mountains both a fascinating geographic and geological site of worldwide importance and a national park of spectacular beauty. the best time for summer excursions is during june, july, august and september. for winter climbing february and march are the most suitable months. to reach the cilo - sat mountains, travel to van from ankara by road, rail, or air and then follow the 245 km long highway to hakkari. serpil village offers one route for an ascent of uludoruk ; another route is dezkoy. a vast plateau, yayla culture has evolved on the cilo and sat mountains, and the summer migration of the colorfully clad local population to the high grazing pastures is a memorable event. mountain glaciers and swiftly running rivers alive with fish and beautiful glacier lakes are a few of the area ' s natural wonders. the kackar mountains ( 3932 m. ) in the rainy and lush landscapes of northeastern turkey, the kackar mountains form the northern section of the anatolian mountain chain. the kackar kavron summit, at an altitude of 3932 meters, is the highest point in the range. extensive glacier and water erosion have given these mountains their craggy, rugged look,


northern section of the anatolian mountain chain. the kackar kavron summit, at an altitude of 3932 meters, is the highest point in the range. extensive glacier and water erosion have given these mountains their craggy, rugged look, and they are known for the complexity and power of the streams and rivers which rush down to the lower altitudes. in fact, this range is the third most important glacial region in turkey following the agrı ( ararat ) and cilo - sat mountains. the geological and mountaineering aspects of the kackars contribute to their importance in turkey ' s economy and tourism. the region enjoys an almost sub - tropical climate of temperate yet rainy weather with an average temperature of 14º c. the lowest temperature, 7º c., fall in the month of january while august sees the hottest days reaching a maximum recorded temperature of the kackars rise in between the shores of the black sea to the north ( see map ) and the river coruh valley to the south ( see map ). on the northern flank, a good variety of vegetation flourishes in the rainy climate. up to 500 meters above sea level, tea plantations and citrus orchards cover the hillsides. chesnut, hornbeam, beech and other large - leafed trees forest the slopes to 750 meters. between 750 - 1500 meters of elevation, pines mix in with the large - leafed trees forest the slopes to 750 meters. between 750 - 1500 meters of elevation, pines mix in with the large leafed trees until gradually they remain the only species of tree from 1500 - 2000 meters. alpine meadows and other grassy vegetation covers the ground above 2100 meters. on the southern faces of the kackars, which receive strong sunshine and less precipitation, the agriculture is based on the cultivation of fruits and vines. as on the north side in the higher elevations, meadows of wild flowers and grass blanket the slopes up to 2300 meters. trips and climbs the altiparmak, kavron, varsamba mountains are the principal peaks of the kackars. both the north and south faces of the altiparmak and kavron can be scaled but varsamba should only be attemted from the north face. it is imperative to use a local guide when climbing the kackars. the toros ( taurus ) mountains the toros mountains are the western most branch of the great mountain chain that stretches across all of asia - the himalayan mountain belt. the turkish section of this massive mountain range follows the southern


the kackars. the toros ( taurus ) mountains the toros mountains are the western most branch of the great mountain chain that stretches across all of asia - the himalayan mountain belt. the turkish section of this massive mountain range follows the southern border of anatolia and it is made up of four major sections, the western, central, southern and southeastern toros ranges. the highest peaks rises out of the central and southeastern branches, a stretch of mountains which are rugged, magnificent and arduous to climb. the toros aladaglar mountains forming part of the central toros range, the aladaglar range runs from the southwest to the northeast for approximately 50 kilometers. it is between 25 and 30 kilometers wide and boasts the region ' s highest peak, demirkazık which stretches to 3756 meters. other high summits include kızılkaya in the center ( 3725 m ), a peak that reaches 3688 meters in the south and mount vayvay in the east ( 3565m ). the long range is situated in the provinces of nigde and adana and rises between lake ecemis and the zamantı river ( maps ). emli valley - aladaglar nigde the geological formation of the area is responsible for the interestingrock formations and waterfalls. the erosion of limestone has created a fascinating karstic topography and hydrography, especially in the yedigoller valley, where karstic underground rivers and caverns collect the surface water. both the mediterranean and anatolian weather systems influence the climate of the aladaglar bringing warm summers and cool winters to the trips and climbs the best season to climb the mountains is during june, july and august when the alpine meadows of higher elevations are rich in vegetation. researchers and mountaineers ascending the aladaglar usually begin their climb from either camardi or cukurbag villages. those attempting to climb the demirkazık summit depart from demirkazık village. both of these village lie 65 km from nigde and can be reached by an asphalt road. the plateau, yayla of the toros aladag are the summer homes of entire villages and the summer grazing of herds of animals. be sure to see the gathering in of all the animals for milking. traditionally women of these encampment have produced some of turkey ' s most beautiful carpets and kilims, and it is often possible to see a carpet still in progress. mount erci


see the gathering in of all the animals for milking. traditionally women of these encampment have produced some of turkey ' s most beautiful carpets and kilims, and it is often possible to see a carpet still in progress. mount erciyes ( 3917 m. ) one of turkey ' s most important mountaineering and winter sports centers, mount erciyes, rises from the south of the kayseri valley. the sultan sazlıgı marshes lie to its west and to the south falls the develi valley. its summit always covered with snow and ice, mt. erciyes ranks as central anatolia ' s tallest volcano. approximately 18 kilometers in diameter and covering an area of 1000 square kilometers, the mountain ' s stratification and geology make it a fascinating geographical formation. the region ' s climate, influenced by that of the anatolian plateau is typical steppe. winter brings considerable snowfall to higher elevations. the northern side of the mountain enjoys a more temperate climate encouraging the cultivation of vast areas of vine and fruit orchards between 1100 and 1600 meters. above that altitude, expanses of meadows stretch far into the distance. the higher elevations display typical alpine vegetation. herds of animals graze year round on the east, north and west slopes of the mountain. trips and climbs mountaineers attempt mt. erciyes either on the northwestern flank or from the south and find the best climbing in june, july, august and september. tourists visiting the area should also see the fantastic rock formations, underground cities and fabulous frescoes in rock carved churches in neighbouring cappadocia. the sultan marshes, a habitat for many different species of birds, has been fortunately designated a national park and wildlife preserve. mount nemrut ( 3050 m. ) in fact, turkey can boast of two peaks called nemrut. the one near adıyaman in the southeast is primarily of historical and archaeological interest, home for over 2000 years to the colossal stone heads of king antiochus i and classical dieties. the other mount nemrut in in eastern anatolia, the more interesting of the two peaks, is well - known for its geological formation and for inactive volcano, mt. nemrut nearby tatvan ascends to 3050 m. it is located within the process of bitlis, rising from the southwestern shore of lake van, and entering the district of ahlat to the north. mt. nemrut is the most southern and youngest of the chain of volcanos in the eastern anatolia. a strato


of bitlis, rising from the southwestern shore of lake van, and entering the district of ahlat to the north. mt. nemrut is the most southern and youngest of the chain of volcanos in the eastern anatolia. a strato - type volcano, mt. nemrut began erupting during the fourth geological era and continued to be active untill 1441 a. d. as a result of the volcanic eruptions of mt. nemrut, the single van - mus river basin was divided into two separate basins. trips and climbs treks up mt. nemrut begin on the mountain ' s southeastern flank at tatvan. climbers reach the south or southeastern side of the crater after an easy hike for 4 - 5 hours. those who reach this point have the rare chance to see the wondrous crater of this inactive volcano. for those who find the climb to the crater too strenuous, four - wheel drive vehicles can reach the summit from either ahlat or tatvan. mt. nemrut is bare of vegetation, except in the south which has oak groves and birch trees. summer ( june - september ) is the best season for expeditions in mt. nemrut. hikers who climb to the crater and summit from the southeast or eastern face of the mountain are rewarded with wonderful views of lake van. mount suphan ( 4058 m. ) mount suphan, a magnificent dormant vocano rises from the north - west shores of lake throughout the winter, snow falls on suphan reaching three to four meters. the mountain ' s steep slopes and snow blanket combine to make it a good location for " heli - skiing " - using helicopters to drop you off on the slopes for an adventure of high mountain skiing. trips and climbs the easily accessible southern and eastern flanks of suphan are the preferred faces for ascending the mountain ; they both offer spectacular views. to climb from the eastern flank take the coast road that circles lake van. in the stretch between adilcevaz and ercis, turn north to aydınlar village. from there you continue on to kıcgıllı village where you engage a guide to lead you in your ascent. the climb from the south begins at the village of harmantepe. the western branch of the toros ( taurus ) mountains, the beydagları range, is located in the province of antalya. the crest of the range parallels the north - south line of the


village of harmantepe. the western branch of the toros ( taurus ) mountains, the beydagları range, is located in the province of antalya. the crest of the range parallels the north - south line of the western shore of the gulf of antalya. the crest of the range parallels the north - south line of the western shore of the gulf of antalya. with altitudes ranging between 600 and 3086 meters, these mountains offer geologists and geographers many peculiar morphological characteristics. tekedorugu, bakırlıdag, tahtalıdag and kızlarsivrisi summits are particularly remarkable. the highest peak in the mountains is mt. kızlarsivrisi ( 3086 m ). climbers reach the peak through the cedar forested camcukuru valley. the best way to get to the valley is by road inland from antalya to elmalı. antalya, of course, can be reached from izmir, istanbul and ankara by land, air and sea routes. mount tahtalı, west of kemer, offers another interesting ascent. rising to an elevation of 2360 meters, pine and deciduous forests cover the slopes up to an altitude of 200 m. bare meadows stretch to the summit. the climb up mt. tahtali begins at sogukpinar, a short drive from kemer. from there both walking and climbing bring you to a place for camping. the final ascent is carried out on the flank facing the coast and offers a spectacular and ever - changing view. although it is possible to organize trips to beydaglari all year round, april, may and june offer both a temperate climate and a chance to experience the rich vegetation in the the bolkar mountains ( 3524 m. ) continuing the line of summits in a southeastern direction, the bolkar mountains are bounded by the river goksu to the west and the river pozanti to the east. the northern part of the mountains lies in nigde province, while the southern peaks rise in mersin these mountains exhibit interesting geological characteristics. made of sedimentary material such as limestone and dolomites, the range reveals excellent examples of nappes, or folds in the layers of rocks. there are vast formations of karst as well as landscapes that reveal the effects of glacier and water erosion. despite this erosion, no water network has developed on the mountains. because of the sedimentary nature of


copyright © 2001 – 2008 jsd i set up some spreadsheets to solve laplace ’ s equation, with more - or - less any boundary conditions you want. the spreadsheet becomes, essentially, a 2d cellular automaton that directly emulates the physics. this version handles objects in a d = 2 universe in rectangular coordinates. in flatland, i. e. d = 2, the z direction simply does not exist. alas many people are unfamiliar with the laws of physics in flatland. therefore it might be better to think of this as a d = 3 universe in which all d = 3 objects are infinitely tall and translationally invariant along the z axis. in this case, the z direction exists, but is uninteresting, and the essential physics is the same as the d = 2 case. ( this is not the same as considering a thin flat “ d = 2 ” object embedded in the d = 3 universe! ) in any case, each cell represents an area dx∧dy in the xy plane. the spreadsheet to handle this case can be found in reference 1. occupying a large area near the upper left of the spreadsheet is a grid that i call the potential grid. you can set boundary conditions for the problem by choosing cells that you want to represent electrodes, and specifying the potential on these electrodes. for example, reference 1 contains three electrodes : within the universe, cells that are not electrodes are called vacuum cells. they contain a formula that will be used to calculate their potential, in accordance with laplace ’ s equation, subject to the specified boundary conditions. if you want to “ erase ” part of an electrode, you should use the copy - and - paste function to fill those cells with the vacuum formula. just to the right of the " potential " grid there is second grid that i call the | field | grid because it calculates and displays the magnitude of the electric field at each point. farther right is a third grid that calculates the charge density ( charge per unit volume ). if you add up all the cells in a given area, you get a charge per unit length. this means length in the z direction ; it is the charge per unit length of the object rooted in the given area and extending infinitely far perpendicular to the screen. principle of operation : consider a cross - shaped group of 5 elements somewhere on the spreadsheet, and label them as shown in figure 1. now the discrete approximation to the second derivative in


the given area and extending infinitely far perpendicular to the screen. principle of operation : consider a cross - shaped group of 5 elements somewhere on the spreadsheet, and label them as shown in figure 1. now the discrete approximation to the second derivative in the horizontal direction is b + c−2w, and in the vertical direction it is a + d−2w. the laplacian vanishes if w = ( a + b + c + d ) / 4, i. e. if the central element is equal to the average of its four neighbors. recall we are assuming ( d / dz ) is zero. this leads to an algorithm that says that for each cell in the vacuum, we want to equal the average of its four neighbors. so the basic step of the algorithm is to run through the grid and just set each cell to the average of the neighboring cells. that does not immediately solve the problem, because whenever we change a cell it requires us to change all the neighbors. however, each basic step brings us closer to a good solution, so we just repeat the basic step several times. this is called the relaxation algorithm. another way to motivate the same algorithm is to consider the electrostatic field energy. it depends on the square of the electric field, i. e. the square of the first derivatives of the potential. this energy is minimized when the central cell is equal to the average of its four neighbors. therefore each step of the update algorithm lowers the local energy. tangential remark : you can say that the field energy serves as a lyapunov function for the relaxation algorithm... but if this doesn ’ t mean anything to you, don ’ t worry about it. reference 1 has 841 cells arranged as a 29x29 grid. for a grid of this size, the relaxation algorithm converges in a few seconds. that ’ s fast enough that it ’ s not boring, but slow enough that you can observe the propagation of changes if you fiddle with the boundary conditions. there is a cell just above the top right of the potential grid, labeled object potential. if you change the value of this cell, you can watch how the charge distribution responds. while the algorithm is running, i. e. after you have changed something but before the algorithm has converged to a solution, the grid contains an approximate solution that doesn ’ t exactly satisfy laplace ’ s equation. that is, during this phase, there will be nonzero charge in the “ vacuum ”. this


but before the algorithm has converged to a solution, the grid contains an approximate solution that doesn ’ t exactly satisfy laplace ’ s equation. that is, during this phase, there will be nonzero charge in the “ vacuum ”. this is unavoidable ; because the spreadsheet strictly enforces local conservation of charge, as discussed in section 2. 2. that means there is no way for the objects to acquire the correct charge unless charge flows through the vacuum somehow. the algorithm gradually moves all this charge to the boundaries. the “ manual recalculation ” mode ( using the “ f9 ” key ) may help you observe this, as discussed in section 5. excel evaluates cells in a sequence that it chooses. the sequence defies simple description, and it has nothing to do with the physics. ( remember, this is an electrostatic problem ; there is no physically - significant timescale. ) unfortunately, this sequencing means charge propagates quickly in certain directions across the grid, and slowly in the opposite directions. if you were writing in a computer language that gave you more control than excel does, you could get rid of this unphysical asymmetry by evaluating things in checkerboard - sequence ( all the black squares, then all the white squares ) or in randomized order. as mentioned above, just outside the edge of the potential grid is a layer of cells that implement the boundary conditions. in this example, they implement born / von - karman periodic boundary conditions. that is, given a universe of n rows by m columns, row n + 1 is constrained to equal row 1, and column m + 1 is constrained to equal column 1. you can think of this as a torus, where the top edge of the n×m grid joins the bottom, and the left edge joins the right. equivalently, you can imagine tiling an infinite region with copies of the n×m grid, subject to the constraint that corresponding cells have the same value in every tile. below the potential grid is a graph with many traces ; each trace shows the potential as a function of x, while different traces show different y values ( rows ). clicking on one of the traces highlights the corresponding row. this may help you locate extremal values. below the field grid is a similar graph with many traces. you can make the universe bigger by adding more rows and columns if you like ; use the " fill across " and " fill down " features to propagate the vacuum formula into


values. below the field grid is a similar graph with many traces. you can make the universe bigger by adding more rows and columns if you like ; use the " fill across " and " fill down " features to propagate the vacuum formula into the new cells. beware : you must fill from a vacuum cell that is not adjacent to the newly - added cells or the results will be incorrect. you could extend this calculation to d = 3, removing any assumption of translational symmetry. one possible brute - force solution would be to make a spreadsheet with 29 different 29x29 grids and put the appropriately - generalized formula in them. on the other hand, when the problem gets this complicated, you ’ re probably better off using a more sophisticated programming language, such as c + +. reference 2 is similar to reference 1, but has several additional features. for one thing, it uses a fancier formula in the vacuum cells. it uses a technique called “ over - relaxation ” to improve the speed of convergence. this is described at e. g. reference 3. basically the idea is to figure out how big a step the simple relaxation algorithm would have ‘ taken, and take a step larger than that by a factor of gamma, in hopes of moving more quickly towards the final result. gamma = 1 corresponds to the plain old relaxation algorithm, with no over - relaxation. values between 1 and 2 make sense. ( if gamma were set greater than 2, the electrostatic energy would increase at every step, so the algorithm would not converge. ) the value of gamma is controlled by a cell near the top right of the potential grid. more generally, reference 4 describes a fancy fortran program for doing calculations of this sort. if you ’ re interested in such things, take a look there. reference 2 has another cute little feature, the “ gate ” cell at the lower right of the potential grid. setting it to zero sets the vacuum potential to zero everywhere. setting it back to a nonzero value allows the potentials to be recalculated. this is convenient if you just want to watch how the solution propagates. it is also invaluable for recovering from the following situation : if you enter an invalid expression into a cell in or near the vacuum, the spreadsheet will be unable to calculate the neighboring cell values, and the problem will spread from cell to cell like a disease. as mentioned above, all the potential grids in reference 1 and reference 2 implement periodic boundary conditions – also


vacuum, the spreadsheet will be unable to calculate the neighboring cell values, and the problem will spread from cell to cell like a disease. as mentioned above, all the potential grids in reference 1 and reference 2 implement periodic boundary conditions – also known as born / von - karman boundary conditions. periodic boundary conditions are not the only possible choice. another option to have a hall of mirrors. that is, imagine that just to the left of the model universe there is a mirror - image copy of itself. then impose periodic boundary conditions on the pair ( with the appropriate double - length period ). do the same in the vertical direction. you can turn on this feature in the advanced spreadsheet by putting a nonzero value in the cell labeled “ hall of mirrors ” near the lower - right corner of the potential grid. the hall - of - mirrors condition has an interesting property : it causes the directional derivative of the potential, in the direction perpendicular to the edge, to be zero at the edge of the universe. for some applications, for instance if you are trying to model the “ self - capacitance ” of some object, the hall - of - mirrors boundary condition may approximate the desired physics better than periodic boundary conditions would. in reference 2, over on the lower right below the main charge - density grid, there is a pair of smallish grids labeled “ charge conservation ”. they serve to illustrate the principle of global charge neutrality and local charge conservation. the pair consists of a potential grid and the corresponding charge - density grid. in this potential grid, you can put an arbitrary arrangement of values in the cells. no matter what you do, no matter how weird the potential - arrangement is, the total charge ( i. e. the sum over the charge - density grid ) comes out zero, provided you don ’ t mess with the periodic boundary conditions. it is easy to see why this must be so : we calculate the charge by convolving the operator ( a + b + c + d−4w ) with the potential grid. every nonzero potential cell contributes to the convolution grid five times : once as a, once as b, once as c, once as d, and once ( weighted by - 4 ) as w. if you add those five contributions, you get zero every time. ( there may be small discrepancies due to roundoff errors, which we ignore. ) the cells in this little grid are just numbers. we do not run the relaxation algorithm


if you add those five contributions, you get zero every time. ( there may be small discrepancies due to roundoff errors, which we ignore. ) the cells in this little grid are just numbers. we do not run the relaxation algorithm on them. this should make it clear that the global charge neutrality, in this model system, has nothing to do with the relaxation algorithm. you could use potential values from the relaxation algorithm, or from some other algorithm, or from a random - number generator, and the total charge in the universe would still be zero. no algorithm can change this zero. this zero can be seen as a manifestation of gauss ’ s law. we can consider the edge of the universe to be a gaussian pillbox. the periodic boundary condition ensures that whatever field lines leave the top of the universe re - enter the bottom of the universe. therefore there is no net flux flowing into the universe. ( in the example, the field happens to be zero at the edge, making it extra - obvious that there is no net flux. ) since there is no net flux, the net charge on the interior must be zero. the validity of gauss ’ s law depends on the structure of the operator ( a + b + c + d−4w ) and not much else. its applicability depends on the boundary condition for the universe itself. global charge neutrality automatically implies global conservation of charge. global conservation is vaguely interesting, but it is important in physics, however, to have a local conservation law. here ’ s why : suppose some charge unaccountably disappeared from my lab. it would give me little comfort to be told that it reappeared in some unknowable distant part of the universe ; i would be unable to distinguish non - local conservation from from non - conservation. fortunately, our model system does have a local conservation law. if you increase the potential in any one cell, it causes an increase in the charge - density in the corresponding cell — but this increase is exactly counterbalanced by a decrease in the four neighboring cells ( not in some goofy distant cells ). again, this depends on the structure of the laplacian, not on the update algorithm. just below the aforementioned pair of grids is yet another pair of smallish grids, labeled “ gauge invariance ”. as in most of the other grids, i have imposed born / von - karman periodic boundary conditions. as before, this exhibits global charge neutrality and local charge conservation. this grid is


. the grounded enclosure option does not generally converge to the same limit, as is obvious from the following : using any of the aforementioned spreadsheets, if you have just one object and nothing else, the capacitance of the object is always zero. gauge invariance guarantees it. that is, you can put any potential you like on the singleton object, and it won ’ t develop any charge. the only way to produce a charge is to have two ( or more ) objects with different potentials. ( the enclosure, if present, counts as an object like any other. there is nothing special about the enclosure. ) i created another very - similar spreadsheet that solves laplace ’ s equation in d = 3 for objects with rotational symmetry about the z axis. it can be found in reference 5. unlike the previous versions, it does not assume translational invariance along the z axis, so you can calculate the behavior of objects shaped like pears, or bowls, et cetera. each cell represents an area dr∧dz in polar coordinates. note that i am avoiding the word “ cylindrical ” because mathematicians use the word to describe anything with translational invariance, while physicists use the same word to describe anything with rotational invariance. sigh. this is the same as the previous spreadsheet, but it uses the formula for the laplacian in polar coordinates as discussed at e. g. reference 6. the potential grid represents a slice through the axis of symmetry. rotational symmetry implies that any such slice has reflection symmetry. if you fill in the left half - plane of the potential grid ( with your chosen objects and other boundary conditions ), the spreadsheet formulas will mirror it in the right half - plane. it is not necessary or desirable for you to manually change anything in the right half - plane. similar remarks apply to the symmetry of the charge - density grid ; it represents a slice through the axis of symmetry. in d = 3 with rotational symmetry about the z axis, the laplacian is ( d / dr ) 2 + ( 1 / r ) ( d / dr ) + ( d / dz ) 2 ; we know the phi - derivative is zero. ( you can contrast this with the previous cases, namely d = 3 with translational symmetry in the z direction, where the laplacian was ( d / dx ) 2 + ( d / dyf ) 2 ; we knew the z - derivative was zero. ) in the cells of


namely d = 3 with translational symmetry in the z direction, where the laplacian was ( d / dx ) 2 + ( d / dyf ) 2 ; we knew the z - derivative was zero. ) in the cells of the spreadsheet, i have simplified the formula by observing that ( 1 / r ) ( d / dr ) is equal to ( 1 / x ) ( d / dx ) on the slice of interest, by cancellation of a factor of sign ( x ). in this spreadsheet there is a fourth grid, just to the right of the grid that shows the charge per unit volume. it shows the charge per unit area ( dr∧dz ) in a ring. you can find the total charge on an object by summing the numbers in this grid. there is no point in summing the numbers in the charge - per - unit - volume grid ; that doesn ’ t make sense for several reasons, including dimensional analysis. to improve the accuracy, i use a smart estimate of the quantity ( 1 / r ) ( d / dr ). in particular, i take the arithmetic mean of the left - hand difference ( w−b ) / x1 and the right - hand difference ( c−w ) / x2 ; this accounts for an important nonlinearity because the radius is different in the two denominators. validity checks : i verified that a region with a log ( r ) potential produces zero charge density, with high accuracy. i also checked that the field calculation and charge calculation are automatically gauge invariant, because of the structure of the lapacian operator. i implemented periodic boundary conditions in the z direction, and this is the default behavior. i also implemented hall - of - mirrors boundary conditions, which you can optionally use instead. in the r direction, there is only one choice : the perpendicular component of the electric field vanishes on this boundary. this is reminiscent of the hall - of - mirrors boundary condition, but there is no physical interpretation in terms of tiling the universe. instead, this can be viewed as surrounding the region of interest, at each z level, with an annulus extending to infinity. the potential on this annulus depends on z but is independent of r. this means that outside the region of interest, there will be zero charge, although there will be nonzero fields. these fields seem a bit unphysical. to make these fields go away, you can arrange that the potential at the large - r boundary is independent of


the region of interest, there will be zero charge, although there will be nonzero fields. these fields seem a bit unphysical. to make these fields go away, you can arrange that the potential at the large - r boundary is independent of z. to achieve this, it suffices to arrange that one of your electrodes fully encloses all the other electrodes. you can use these spreadsheets to calculate capacitance. we start by assigning suitable voltages to objects on the potential - grid and observing the induced charges. we find the total charge on each object by summing the cells of the charge - grid occupied by each object. then we hold n−1 of the objects at constant potential and wiggle the voltage on the remaining one. we observe what happens to the charge on each and every object by turning the crank on laplace ’ s equation. this gives us numerical values for the matrix elements cij. for details on what a capacitance matrix is, and how to calculate its matrix elements, see reference 7. the following remarks apply to all three versions of the spreadsheet. i ’ ve got “ iteration - mode ” turned on. suggestion : if you are going to seriously play with this, you will want to make use of the spreadsheet ’ s recalculation controls. you might want to delay recalculation if you are making numerous changes to the grid, but thereafter you will want automatic recalculation : at any time you can invoke the manual " recalculate now " function with the f9 key. the following small features probably require having the “ 1997 ” ( or later ) version of excel. they are known to work with version 9 ( the one that comes with office 2000 ) : copyright © 2001 – 2008 jsd


my pediatrician says i may not be producing enough breast milk. is there anything i can do to help increase production? or is there a way to balance breastfeeding with formula supplementation? don ' t panic! meet with a lactation consultant to help you determine if your milk supply is adequately meeting the needs of your baby. if you ' re not producing enough milk, your baby may be fussy and gaining weight slowly. if you discover that you aren ' t producing enough milk, there are things you can do to help. but first, let ' s talk about how your body makes milk. after your baby is born and the placenta detaches from the uterine wall, there is a big shift in hormones and your milk - making hormone, prolactin, begins to rise. this hormonal shift lets you body know that the baby is out and it is time to start making milk. prolactin continues to rise through stimulation, which happens when your baby nurses. nursing your baby soon after delivery and with frequency ( eight to 10 times a day ) will help your milk come in quickly and plentifully. in addition to nursing often, a good latch will go a long way in helping you to reduce nipple soreness and maximize your milk production. ( your lactation consultant can help your baby achieve a proper latch. ) is baby getting enough milk? try these tips and watch for the following signs to ensure that your baby is getting enough milk : - make sure baby is having plenty of wet and soiled diapers. ( a baby that is a week old should have six to eight wet diapers and at least four yellow - colored stools in a 24 - hour period. ) - listen for swallows when the baby is nursing. - do your breasts feel softer after feeds? if baby is nursing properly, they should feel less full after feedings. - does baby appear content between feedings? sated babies tend to be less fussy. - most babies can be fussy in the evening and want to nurse more frequently — this is normal. - growth spurts occur about every three weeks — baby will want to nurse more often than usual. follow her lead : she will increase your milk supply through this increase in stimulation. - limit pacifier use. if baby is hungry, pacifiers may temporarily soothe her rather than satisfy her hunger. - avoid use of supplements, unless your doctor suggests it as medically necessary. - watch baby ' s weight. was she back to her birth weight


##ifier use. if baby is hungry, pacifiers may temporarily soothe her rather than satisfy her hunger. - avoid use of supplements, unless your doctor suggests it as medically necessary. - watch baby ' s weight. was she back to her birth weight by two weeks of age? did your baby gain about an ounce a day for the first three months? and then half an ounce a day from three to six months? increasing milk production if you ' re hoping to increase milk production, try the following : - follow the baby ' s lead — nurse on demand ( eight to 10 times a day ) - spend time skin - to - skin with baby - make sure you are drinking at least 64 ounces of water a day - eat a healthy, balanced diet - rest! ( sleep when the baby sleeps ) - make sure the baby is latched properly - use a double electric pump two to three times a day after nursing to increase stimulation - talk to a lactation consultant or your healthcare provider about medications ( galactagogues ) that can be used in special situations to increase milk production effects of supplementing supplementation with infant formula will definitely impact your supply and decrease how much milk you produce. your body will usually respond in kind to your baby ' s demands. if it is determined that you can ' t make enough milk, supplementation may be necessary. some mothers find that their supply may drop temporarily when going back to work or after being ill. situations such as these may necessitate using infant formula. again, i encourage you to meet with a board - certified lactation consultant who can consult with your doctor to help you determine if you need to supplement your breastmilk. the lactation consultant can work with you to maximize your supply and ensure continued breastfeeding success.


our kids are in trouble. maybe not your kids, but their friends, or perhaps a teenager down the street. two whole generations - - starting with people entering their thirties now - - have grown up with what authors like richard louv label " nature - deficit disorder. " despite being america ' s most environmentally aware segment, many of these young people have few real connections to the outdoors. they are taught to hug a tree, but not how to climb one. fortunately, the cure isn ' t a mystery. our kids need to move. hike, bike, paddle, skate, walk, run, whatever - - just move. and they need to do it outdoors, both for the exercise and the exposure to sunshine and fresh air. introduce kids to nature at a young age, studies show, and you give them a foundation for lifelong health, fitness, and self - confidence. at a national level, the outdoor foundation, the children & nature network, and first lady michelle obama ' s " let ' s move " initiative are training leaders and developing tool kits that help parents and educators make a difference. but even more exciting is what ' s happening at the grassroots level. across the country, local hiking clubs, guides, and teachers are inventing new programs to reintroduce the outdoors to one child, one school, and one neighborhood at a time. how can a backpacker reader help kids get off the wii and into the woods? we talked to 10 local heroes to highlight creative - - and successful - - initiatives. start a local hiking group ten months after the birth of her first child, wendy sparks was going nuts. " i needed to get outside, " the idyllwild, california, mom recalls, " so i convinced some friends to go hiking. " they quickly noticed their kids were the only ones on the trail. figuring that fellow moms didn ' t know where to go, sparks organized more hikes and recruited participants through social - networking websites, posters, and flyers. two years later, inland empire kids outdoors ( iekidsoutdoors. org ) organizes weekly hikes and events for more than 600 families. " southern california is populated by new residents living in recently built suburbs who don ' t know where to go, " says sparks. her club not only describes local trails, but members hike in the safety of a group - - a big plus for parents with young kids. if you can ' t find an existing club, ask friends and neighbors to join you on hikes, says sparks


e. cobham brewer 18101897. dictionary of phrase and fable. 1898. ( b. aslacton, notts., july 2nd, 1489 ; d. at stake, oxford, july 21st, 1556 ). catechismus, that is to say, a shorte instruction into christian religion for the singular commoditie and profyte of children and yong people ( 1548 ) ; a defence of the true and catholike doctrine of the sacrament, with a confutation of sundry errors concernyng the same ( 1550 ) ; an answer unto a crafty and sophistical cavillation devised by stephen gardner, byshop of winchester, agaynst the trewe and godly doctrine of the moste holy sacrament ( 1551 ) ; a confutation of unwritten verities, both bi the holye scriptures and most auncient autors ( 1558 ) ; etc. works edited by the rev. h. jenkyns ( 1834 ), and by the rev. j. c. cox, for the parker society. see hooks lives of the archbishops of canterbury, the lives by strype ( 1694 ), gilpin ( 1784 ), todd ( 1831 ), cox ( 1844 ), and j. m. norton ( 1863 ) ; and vindication of cranmers character, by daubigne ( 1849 ).


nearly all americans consider themselves patriotic and voice pride in being american. sizeable demographic and political differences do emerge, however, when it comes to intense expressions of patriotism. and many of those who voice strong patriotism and pride in the country also are highly critical of the federal government and its political leaders. a new national survey by the pew research center for the people & the press, conducted june 24 - 27 among 1, 001 adults, finds that more than eight - in - ten ( 83 % ) say they are either extremely proud ( 52 % ) or very proud ( 31 % ) to be an american. just 14 % say they are moderately proud ( 8 % ) or have little or no pride ( 6 % ) in being an american. nearly six - in - ten ( 59 % ) non - hispanic whites say they are extremely proud of being an american compared with 36 % of non - hispanic blacks. people younger than 30 also are less likely than older americans to say they are extremely proud of being an american. those who give barack obama the lowest job ratings - predominately republicans and independents who lean republican - also are more likely to say that they are extremely proud to be an american than are those who give the president more positive ratings wednesday, june 30, 2010 tuesday, june 29, 2010 in the new york post, michael uhlmann writes that new yorkers - - and others - - might end up regretting the move : under the u. s. constitution, the states have exclusive and plenary ( complete ) power to allocate their electoral votes, and may change their state laws concerning the awarding of their electoral votes at any time. under the national popular vote bill, all of the state ' s electoral votes would be awarded to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the district of columbia. the bill would take effect only when enacted, in identical form, by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes — that is, enough electoral votes to elect a president ( 270 of 538 ). think about it : suppose a majority of new yorkers vote in 2012 to re - elect barack obama, only to discover that their state ' s 31 electoral votes have been awarded to the republican, who happened to win more popular votes than obama nationwide. ( in 2004, for example, president bush failed to carry new york but beat john kerry nationwide by more than 3 million votes. ) suppose further that, in response to the inevitable public outcry, new york ' s legislators or election


nationwide. ( in 2004, for example, president bush failed to carry new york but beat john kerry nationwide by more than 3 million votes. ) suppose further that, in response to the inevitable public outcry, new york ' s legislators or election officials seek to withdraw from the interstate compact and appoint a new set of electors committed to obama. the professors insist their compact prevents that - - but few politicians will bow to some academic legal theory when so much is at stake politically. and if new york ' s electoral votes determined the national outcome, don ' t suppose the gop candidate would stand idly by while state officials sought to reverse their compact commitment. lawyers ' briefs would fly like cannon shot at waterloo - - not only in new york but throughout the nation, as politicians in various states tried to anticipate or reacted to steps being taken by politicians elsewhere. every state where the vote was close, and thus had the potential to change the presidential outcome, would see angry demonstrations, allegations of fraud and demands for recounts that would make florida in 2000 look like a picnic. monday, june 28, 2010 ever since nominees to the supreme court started to subject themselves to comprehensive grilling in 1939, their confirmation hearings have been dismissed by the legal elite as an empty charade. a 35 - year - old lawyer named william h. rehnquist, who would go on to become chief justice of the united states, said as much in the harvard law record in 1959. four decades later, a 35 - year - old law professor named elena kagan, whose confirmation hearings start monday, agreed in the university of chicago law review. but a new study, based on an analysis of every question asked and every answer given at supreme court confirmation hearings in the last 70 years, shows that the hearings often address real substance, illuminate the spirit of their times and change with shifts in partisan alignments and the demographic characteristics of nominees. here is the abstract of the paper : this paper examines the questions asked and answers given by every supreme court nominee who has appeared to testify before the senate judiciary committee since 1939. in doing so, it uses a new dataset developed by the authors. this database, which provides a much - needed empirical foundation for scholarship in emerging areas of constitutional law and political science, captures all of the statements made at the hearings and codes these comments by issue area, subissue area, party of the appointing president, and party of the questioning senator. the dataset allows us to quantify for the fist time such things as which issues


of the statements made at the hearings and codes these comments by issue area, subissue area, party of the appointing president, and party of the questioning senator. the dataset allows us to quantify for the fist time such things as which issues are most frequently discussed at the hearings, whether those issues have changed over time, and whether they vary depending on the party of the appointing president and the party of the questioning senator. we also investigate if questioning patterns differ depending on the race or gender of the nominee. some of our results are unsurprising : for example, the hearings have become longer. others, however, challenge conventional wisdom : the bork hearing is less of an outlier in several ways than is frequently assumed, and abortion has not dominated the hearings. we also discover that there is issue area variation over time, and that there are notable disparities in the issues addressed by democratic versus republican senators. finally, we find that female and minority nominees face a significantly different hearing environment than do white male nominees. sunday, june 27, 2010 the last time america found itself in a budget debate pitting domestic priorities against war expenditures, richard nixon was in the white house and david obey was the youngest member of congress — an antiwar liberal whose insurgent campaign unexpectedly vaulted him into the house seat vacated by the hawkish president ’ s new defense secretary. in those dark days of the late 1960s and early 1970s, as obey was still learning his way around washington, it was the guns of vietnam and the cold war versus the butter of the great society and the war on poverty — and despite obey ’ s protests, guns won the day. nonsense. check the figures from the office of management and budget on the percentage of budget going to defense and human resources........... defense human resources so by 1975, we were spending twice as much on human resources as on defense. saturday, june 26, 2010 that perspective differs from the standard journalistic point of view in emphasizing structural, rather than personality - based, explanations for political outcomes. the rise of partisan polarization in congress is often explained, in the press, as a consequence of a decline in civility. but there are reasons for it — such as the increasing ideological coherence of the two parties, and procedural changes that create new incentives to band together — that have nothing to do with manners. or consider the president. in press accounts, he comes across as alternately a tragic or a heroic figure, his stock fluctuating almost daily depending


parties, and procedural changes that create new incentives to band together — that have nothing to do with manners. or consider the president. in press accounts, he comes across as alternately a tragic or a heroic figure, his stock fluctuating almost daily depending on his ability to “ connect ” with voters. but political - science research, while not questioning that a president ’ s effectiveness matters, suggests that the occupant of the oval office is, in many ways, a prisoner of circumstance. his approval ratings — and re - election prospects — rise and fall with the economy. his agenda lives or dies on capitol hill. and his ability to move congress, or the public, with a good speech or a savvy messaging strategy is, while not nonexistent, sharply constrained. these powerful, simple explanations are often married to an almost monastic skepticism of narratives that can ’ t be substantiated, or that are based in data — like voter ’ s accounts of their own thinking about politics — that are unreliable. think about that for a moment, and the challenge to journalists becomes obvious : if much of what ’ s important about politics is either stable and predictable or unknowable, what ’ s the value of the sort of news — a hyperactive chronicle of the day ’ s events, coupled with instant speculation about their meaning — that has become a staple of modern political reporting? friday, june 25, 2010 effective federal tax rates by source and quintile : thursday, june 24, 2010 mr. obama, aides say, consulted with advisers — some, like defense secretary robert m. gates, who warned of the dangers of replacing general mcchrystal, others, like his political advisers, who thought he had to go. he reached out for advice to a soldier - statesman, colin l. powell. he identified a possible successor to lead the war in afghanistan. and then, finally, the president ended general mcchrystal ’ s command in a meeting that lasted only 20 minutes. according to one aide, the general apologized, offered his resignation and did not lobby for his job. after a seesaw debate among white house officials, “ there was a basic meeting of the minds, ” said rahm emanuel, the white house chief of staff and a major player in the deliberations. “ this was not good for the mission, the military and morale, ” mr. emanuel said. mr. obama has forced out officials before, including the director of national intelligence, dennis c. blair ; the white


player in the deliberations. “ this was not good for the mission, the military and morale, ” mr. emanuel said. mr. obama has forced out officials before, including the director of national intelligence, dennis c. blair ; the white house counsel, gregory craig ; even general mcchrystal ’ s predecessor, gen. david d. mckiernan. but this is the highest profile sacking of his presidency. the time between mr. obama ’ s first reading of the rolling stone article and his decision to accept general mcchrystal ’ s resignation offers an insight into the president ’ s decision - making process under intense stress : he appears deliberative and open to debate, but in the end, is coldly decisive. by the time the meeting with gates and mullen ended, obama had made his decision. the aides left, and petraeus entered. the two met privately for 40 minutes, during which time the president asked him to step down from his current post as the head of the central command in florida and take on the new duties. petraeus agreed, but aides said it was clear to obama that he was doing so " at some great personal sacrifice. " asked what the sacrifice was, one senior official said : " tampa to kabul. " wednesday, june 23, 2010 government officials in gulf states praised a federal judge ' s ruling tuesday lifting the moratorium on offshore drilling, while the obama administration vowed to appeal it. in may, as the catastrophic bp oil spill spiraled out of control, the administration called a halt to deepwater projects and suspended drilling in 33 exploratory wells, the associated press reported. mississippi governor haley barbour and his louisiana counterpart, bobby jindal, both republicans, complained that the moratorium would cost their states jobs. on tuesday, barbour hailed the ruling. " hopefully, the judge ' s ruling will go into effect quickly and be upheld on upheal, " he said. " the moratorium is bad policy. " on his facebook page, jindal called the ruling " welcome news to louisianans whose jobs were threatened by the ' arbitrary and capricious ' moratorium. " - the first is the role of the judiciary, which may sometimes check actions by the other branches. as tocqueville wrote, " there is hardly a political question in the united states which does not sooner or later turn into a judicial one. " - the second is federalism. the perspectives of governors are different from those of presidents. - the third


louisiana said this week, “ we are not winning this war. ” the county commissioners in okaloosa county, fla., got so fed up with outside interference that they unanimously voted to give their emergency management team the power to do whatever it wants. “ we made the decision legislatively to break the laws if necessary, ” chairman wayne harris told the northwest florida daily news. some of this rage is unavoidable when you have a crisis that no one can control. but it ’ s also clear that we have a federalism problem. all around the region there are local officials who think they know their towns best. they feel insulted by a distant and opaque bureaucracy lurking above. the balance between federal oversight and local control is off - kilter. we have vested too much authority in national officials who are really smart, but who are really distant. we should be leaving more power with local officials, who may not be as expert, but who have the advantage of being there on the ground. sunday, june 20, 2010 the court - ordered election that allowed residents of one new york town to flip the lever six times for one candidate — and produced a hispanic winner — could expand to other towns where minorities complain their voices aren ' t being heard. but first, interested parties will want to take a look at the exit surveys. the unusual election was imposed on port chester after a federal judge determined that hispanics were being treated unfairly. the standard remedy was to break a municipality into districts, with one district including many from the minority, thereby increasing the chances for a candidate backed by the minority group. the justice department proposed that solution for port chester. but the village of about 30, 000 objected to districts. it suggested instead a system called cumulative voting. all six trustees would be elected at once and the voters could apportion their six votes as they wished — all six to one candidate, one each to six candidates or any combination. the system, which has been used in alabama, illinois, south dakota and texas, allows a political minority to gain representation if it organizes behind specific candidates. judge robinson went for it, and cumulative voting was used for the first time in a new york municipality. saturday, june 19, 2010 i think all of the previous bioethics commissions have been models of deliberation. they have all brought commissioners from different perspectives together to talk and argue with an idea of coming up with some action - guiding recommendation. let me give you the most obvious example from recent history : the commission that president clinton put


models of deliberation. they have all brought commissioners from different perspectives together to talk and argue with an idea of coming up with some action - guiding recommendation. let me give you the most obvious example from recent history : the commission that president clinton put together. shortly after it was formed, dolly was cloned, and president clinton charged the commission with coming up with recommendations on how the government should approach the issue of cloning. the commission deliberated and came up with a report that the president recommended. similarly, on a different issue, shortly after our commission was created, craig venter announced that he had synthesized a genome in a cell that was self - replicating. and president obama has asked our commission to deliberate on that issue and come up with a report in six months that recommends to the federal government policies that the government should undertake, both in reaction to this development and other developments in the field. why did you decide to take on this challenge? my scholarly expertise is political philosophy and ethics of public policy. i spent my entire professional career writing and speaking about ethics of public policy and in particular about the advantages of making democracy more deliberative. i founded an ethics center at princeton - - the university center for human values. i ' ve written books on deliberation and democracy and articles on bioethics. so when the president asked me, it seemed, first, " how could i not accept a call to serve from the president? " and, second, it was a sweet spot of mine to be able to bring a group of experts together to deliberate about important issues in bioethics. you are known for this idea of deliberative democracy. could you explain it? the easiest way of understanding it is what it isn ' t : it ' s the opposite of sound - bite democracy. the idea is quite simple, which is : democracies do better to the extent that they allow people to discuss, including robustly argue about, their differences to try to find common ground where possible - - and, where common ground isn ' t possible, to come to the greatest respect possible for reasonable differences of perspective on controversial issues. so it ' s the give - and - take of viewpoints with an aim of finding common ground and reaching mutual respect where common ground isn ' t possible. can you give an example of how this might work? friday, june 18, 2010 according to a new pew global survey, views of the united states remain more favorable than they were a few years ago : the positive views are not unanimous


t possible. can you give an example of how this might work? friday, june 18, 2010 according to a new pew global survey, views of the united states remain more favorable than they were a few years ago : the positive views are not unanimous. see muslim views of the united states : the survey finds a fair amount of cross - national agreement regarding one aspect of america ’ s image : its religiosity. when asked whether the u. s. is too religious or not religious enough, majorities or pluralities in 18 of 22 countries say it is not religious enough. this is especially true in all three arab nations surveyed – jordan ( 89 % ), egypt ( 81 % ), and lebanon ( 64 % ) – as well as in indonesia ( 67 % ) and pakistan ( 55 % ). majorities also hold this view in india ( 57 % ), brazil ( 55 % ), mexico ( 56 % ), kenya ( 53 % ) and nigeria ( 57 % ). the exceptions on this question are the economically advanced nations of western europe and japan. in particular, the french are considerably more likely than others to see the u. s. as too religious ( 71 % ). more than four - in - ten feel this way in britain ( 47 % ), germany ( 46 % ) and japan ( 42 % ). the spanish are divided : 38 % think the u. s. is too religious and 40 % believe it is not religious enough. thursday, june 17, 2010 but now all is bright for minor parties. california voters just passed a " top - two " primary in which candidates from all parties run in one big mid - year primary and the top two finishers - - regardless of party - - end up on the november ballot. george will writes : it ’ s becoming a more familiar story : voters, frustrated by the anti - incumbent malaise sweeping the political landscape, turn on incumbents and put their weight behind underdogs. although good management and fundraising certainly play a role in party growth, today ’ s zeitgeist could help make a libertarian boom out of the two - party bust. for the 2010 election, 171 candidates for u. s. congress are running with an “ l ” beside their names, up from 127 in 2008 and 114 in 2006. at all levels of public office, the party counts 716 candidates running as libertarians this year, compared to 593 in 2008, and 596 in 2006. wes benedict, executive director of the libertarian national committee, said


and 114 in 2006. at all levels of public office, the party counts 716 candidates running as libertarians this year, compared to 593 in 2008, and 596 in 2006. wes benedict, executive director of the libertarian national committee, said that some of these declared candidates might not meet the requirements to be placed on the ballot. the party will add new candidates up until the election, though, and he thinks the final candidate number could remain above 700. read more : http : / / dailycaller. com / 2010 / 06 / 16 / libertarian - party - sees - resurgence - as - number - of - congressional - candidates - jumps - by - 35 - percent - over - 2008 / # ixzz0r7bk4ezh in areas where democrats or republicans dominate - - there are more and more of them as the nation increasingly sorts itself out into clusters of the like - minded - - the november ballots will offer voters a choice of two democrats or two republicans. voters with sensitive political palates can savor faintly variant flavors of liberalism or conservatism. voters who prefer their political menu seasoned with the spices provided by minor parties are pretty much out of luck. under proposition 14, such parties - - green, libertarian, etc. - - which previously could place candidates on november ballots, will almost always be excluded from those by failing to run first or second in primaries. wednesday, june 16, 2010 obama : that ’ s why just after the rig sank, i assembled a team of our nation ’ s best scientists and engineers to tackle this challenge - - a team led by dr. steven chu, a nobel prize - winning physicist and our nation ’ s secretary of energy. scientists at our national labs and experts from academia and other oil companies have also provided ideas and advice. nixon : i have today directed the president ' s science adviser, dr. dubridge, to bring together at the earliest possible time a panel of scientists and engineers. they will recommend to me ways and means in which the federal government can best and most rapidly assist in restoring the beaches and waters around santa barbara. they will also submit their views as to how best to prevent this kind of sudden and massive oil pollution. obama : so one of the lessons we ’ ve learned from this spill is that we need better regulations, better safety standards, and better enforcement when it comes to offshore drilling. nixon : as all of you are aware, the secretary of the interior yesterday issued regulations that cover this area and also offshore drilling generally that are far more


that we need better regulations, better safety standards, and better enforcement when it comes to offshore drilling. nixon : as all of you are aware, the secretary of the interior yesterday issued regulations that cover this area and also offshore drilling generally that are far more stringent than any that ever existed before. that only indicates that the previous ones in the past have been inadequate. obama : the one answer i will not settle for is the idea that this challenge is somehow too big and too difficult to meet. you know, the same thing was said about our ability to produce enough planes and tanks in world war ii. the same thing was said about our ability to harness the science and technology to land a man safely on the surface of the moon. and yet, time and again, we have refused to settle for the paltry limits of conventional wisdom. instead, what has defined us as a nation since our founding is the capacity to shape our destiny - – our determination to fight for the america we want for our children. nixon : the lessons of the apollo project and of the earlier manhattan project are the same lessons that are taught by the whole of american history : whenever the american people are faced with a clear goal and they are challenged to meet it, we can do extraordinary things. tuesday, june 15, 2010 immigrants convicted of minor drug offenses should not face automatic deportation, the supreme court ruled unanimously monday, a decision that could allow thousands of legal immigrants the chance to argue for leniency from immigration judges. the court overruled the legal interpretations of the federal government and a lower appeals court in saying that jose angel carachuri - rosendo should have had a chance to make his case for staying in the country. read more : http : / / www. politico. com / news / stories / 0610 / 38489. html # ixzz0qvsnf7pl the author of arizona ’ s controversial new immigration law is considering a new proposal that would block the children of illegal immigrants from becoming citizens if they were born in the united states. critics of the bill that republican state sen. russell pearce is weighing say it would fly in the face of the 14th amendment to the constitution, which grants citizenship to anyone born in the u. s. pearce has been hinting for months that he may introduce legislation targeting the so - called anchor babies but had not detailed his plan until an interview last week with time magazine. monday, june 14, 2010 • control cannabis like alcohol : allow adults 21 and older in california to possess up to


that he may introduce legislation targeting the so - called anchor babies but had not detailed his plan until an interview last week with time magazine. monday, june 14, 2010 • control cannabis like alcohol : allow adults 21 and older in california to possess up to one ounce of cannabisthe revenue claim is highly debatable. even if the measures passes, marijuana will still be illegal under federal law. filing tax paperwork on marijuana sales would amount to confessing to a federal offense - - in writing. it is questionable whether many businesses would be willing to do so. • give local governments the ability to tax the sale of cannabis to adults 21 and older • generate billions of dollars in revenue to fund what matters most in california : jobs, healthcare, public safety, state parks, roads, transportation, and more in the new york times, daniel okrent uses the example of prohibition to warn that marijuana revenues would not bring income tax relief. advocates of repeal, such as pierre dupont, argued that revenue from alcohol taxes would allow congress to scrap income taxes on corporations and individuals. things did not work out as they had hoped. roosevelt and congress did respond to the repeal windfall by cutting income tax rates for workers earning less than $ 3, 000 a year. but the new deal had little sympathy for the wealthy, whose taxes actually increased over the next few years. rather than the trade - off dupont expected, the government used the excise income to expand. [ t ] he constitution explicitly assumes that felons may be barred from voting. the 14th amendment — which, like the 15th, was passed during reconstruction to ensure equal treatment of african americans — acknowledges that states can disenfranchise people for " participation in rebellion, or other crime. " so an interpretation of the voting rights act to bar felon disenfranchisement would not only be inconsistent with the intent of that statute, it would exceed congress ' constitutional authority. or look at it this way : when someone is kept from voting because he has been convicted of a felony, this does not " result in a denial or abridgement of the right … to vote on account of race or color " ( to quote the law ) ; it results in the denial of the right to vote because that person has chosen to commit a serious crime against a fellow citizen. and they conclude : today ' s laws may have a disproportionate impact on some racial groups, because at any point in time there are always going be some groups that commit more crimes than others, but that doesn


a fellow citizen. and they conclude : today ' s laws may have a disproportionate impact on some racial groups, because at any point in time there are always going be some groups that commit more crimes than others, but that doesn ' t make the laws racist — just as the fact that more crimes are committed by men doesn ' t make criminal laws sexist. and the people whose voting rights will be diluted the most if felons are allowed to vote are the law - abiding people in high - crime areas, who are themselves disproportionately black and latino. sunday, june 13, 2010 in california, government - sector unions, once among the most entrenched and powerful labor groups in the country, mainly have themselves to blame. for most of the postwar period, they were a force for progressive change, prospering by winning over public support for their agenda. in the 1970s and ' 80s they backed laws like the public records act and brown act to make state and local government more transparent. because unions enjoyed broad - based political support, efforts to enhance government accountability and responsiveness to voters were seen - correctly - as benefiting the unions and their members. the public interest and public employees ' interests were aligned. but the unions switched strategies. although the change was gradual, by the 1990s, california ' s government unions had decided that, rather than cultivate voter support for their objectives, they could exert more influence in the legislature, and in the political process generally, by lavishing campaign contributions on lawmakers. adopting the tactics of other special - interest groups, government unions paid lip service to democratic principles while excelling at the fundamentally anti - democratic strategy of writing checks to legislators, their election committees and political action committees. while not illegal ( in fact, such contributions are constitutionally protected ), the unions ' aggressive spending on candidates put them on the same moral low ground as casino - owning tribes, insurance companies and other special interests that have concluded that the best way to influence the legislative process is to, well, buy it. in an effort to reduce the burden on their budgets, at least a dozen states have passed laws this year overhauling their retirement systems. some have created less - generous pensions for newly hired workers. others have increased the amount of money employees must pay into their pensions. some have done both. the trend is being driven by big budget deficits and the 2008 stock market crash, which left many pension plans underfunded. meanwhile, sympathy for public employees '


increased the amount of money employees must pay into their pensions. some have done both. the trend is being driven by big budget deficits and the 2008 stock market crash, which left many pension plans underfunded. meanwhile, sympathy for public employees ' pensions has waned as anxious voters in the private sector struggle with turbulent 401 ( k ) plan results and frozen pensions. arizona, mississippi and virginia are among those that instituted lower retirement benefits for newly hired workers. even union - friendly states like michigan and illinois, their budgets depleted by the recession, reduced pensions for new hires. saturday, june 12, 2010 under the proposal, the fee to apply for a green card, the document for legal permanent residents, would increase to $ 985 from $ 930. the application for employment authorization would increase to $ 380 from $ 340. a separate fee for fingerprints and other biometrics with many applications would increase to $ 85 from $ 80. among several new fees, officials said, will be a $ 6, 230 charge for foreigners proposing to invest $ 500, 000 or more in businesses to create jobs in the united states. the fee for naturalization would remain at $ 595. that fee was raised in july 2007 by 69 percent and the immigration agency was overwhelmed by applications from immigrants rushing to file ahead of that increase. since then, naturalization applications have dropped steeply and advocates blamed the higher fee for discouraging eligible immigrants from becoming citizens friday, june 11, 2010 what we are witnessing in this election cycle is the slow death of traditional statewide campaign journalism. i noticed the same pattern ( and the same nearly reporter - free campaign trail ) in kentucky last month as i covered libertarian rand paul ' s decisive defeat of the state republican establishment in the gop senate primary. aside from an occasional ap reporter, virtually the only print journalists whom i encountered at campaign events were my national press - pack colleagues from the new york times, the washington post, politico and the atlantic monthly. newspapers like the louisville courier - journal and the state, south carolina ' s largest paper, have dramatically de - emphasized in - depth candidate coverage because they are too short - handed to spare the reporters. a survey by the american society of newspaper editors ( asne ) found that newsroom staffs across the country have declined by 25 percent since 2001. this time, however, o. f. a. volunteers won ’ t be asking their friends and neighbors to vote for a young, electric, racially transcendent presidential candidate. instead, in a lot of districts