contacts. there are also fact sheets on male and female condoms, their dual role as protection against hiv and pregnancy, and gender and condom programming. this report provides guidance on how to ensure optimal use of condoms as part of a comprehensive hiv prevention strategy. steps include ensuring sufficient condom supplies, promoting their use within at - risk groups and the general population, clearly communicating their effectiveness, and addressing misconceptions. the report spells out the common features of condom promotion success stories and explains how to make condoms campaigns more effective. it gives useful but succinct information on the evidence base supporting condom promotion. attention is given to recognizing and capitalizing on the interactions between different elements of condom promotion, such as social marketing and condom education. condoms for hiv prevention world health organization. ( 2011 ). the world health organization ' s webpage on hiv and condoms provides links to general information as well as technical documents, scientific evidence, and data. there are recommended readings on a range of topics such as condom effectiveness and common myths and misperceptions associated with condom use, as well as a report on a 100 percent condom use program in china. a podcast on condoms for hiv prevention and links to condom - related information on the websites of related un organizations are also accessible via the site. hiv prevention gains momentum : successes in female condom programming united nations population fund. ( 2011 ). this report profiles specific country examples of successful female condom promotion programs. there are seven country profiles covering awareness - raising and behavior change to increase demand for female condoms, such as social marketing in hair salons and barbershops in zimbabwe, and assertiveness training for women on malawi. programs in the caribbean and nigeria are cited as examples of successfully integrating female condom promotion into existing programs, while supply logistics and quality assurance are explored with examples from the caribbean, malawi, and nigeria. strengthening government capacity is also covered with four case studies from sub - saharan countries. view report ( pdf, 2. 72 mb ) center for health and gender equity. ( 2011 ). the publications page of the center for health and gender equity ' s prevention now website has links to a wide range of materials on female condoms and female condom programming. there are fact sheets on female condoms and the prevention now campaign to increase donor funding for female condoms. a report on u. s. support for female condom programming is complemented by a poster detailing five - year trends in u. s. funding. there are country profiles from malawi, uganda, and zimbabwe, and many of the publications are also available in


report on u. s. support for female condom programming is complemented by a poster detailing five - year trends in u. s. funding. there are country profiles from malawi, uganda, and zimbabwe, and many of the publications are also available in french, portuguese, and spanish. condoms and stds : fact sheet for public health personnel u. s. centers for disease control and prevention. ( 2011 ). this three - page fact sheet explains how male condoms must be used correctly and consistently to reduce transmission of sexually transmitted infections, making a distinction between the degree of protection against diseases transmitted by genital secretions and genital ulcer diseases. it explains that male condoms offer a very high degree of protection from hiv, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis, and reduced risk for transmission of genital ulcer diseases such as genital herpes, syphilis, chancroid, and human papillomavirus - related infections, i. e., genital warts and cervical cancer. for both categories of sexually transmitted infections, there are plain - language summaries of the theoretical basis for protection and the findings of laboratory and epidemiologic studies. view full study ( pdf, 1. 4 mb ) compendium of evidence - based hiv prevention interventions u. s. centers for disease control and prevention. ( 2011 ). the risk - reduction chapter of this compendium includes 74 hiv risk - reduction evidence - based interventions, identified by a thorough literature review through december 2009. among the 43 individual - and group - level best interventions are those promoting condom use. the database can be searched according to different characteristics such as risk category, race, and gender of participants. condom use interventions that have the most successful outcomes are those that provide education / training in condom use and are delivered to individuals or small groups using a social - cognitive theoretical approach. reducing sexual transmission joint united nations programme on hiv / aids. ( 2011 ). the joint united nations programme on hiv / aids ( unaids ) website has a range of documents on male condoms, including a joint unaids / united nations population fund / world health organization position statement on condoms and hiv prevention and review document on condom programming. unaids report on the global aids epidemic 2010 joint united nations programme on hiv / aids. ( 2010 ). the 2010 joint united nations programme on hiv / aids ( unaids ) report on the global hiv epidemic draws on the latest available data from 182 countries, including incidence trend data from 60


2010 joint united nations programme on hiv / aids. ( 2010 ). the 2010 joint united nations programme on hiv / aids ( unaids ) report on the global hiv epidemic draws on the latest available data from 182 countries, including incidence trend data from 60 countries, the first time such data has been included in a unaids global report. data is disaggregated by country and by demographic categories. there are chapters giving an update of the epidemic, hiv prevention, hiv treatment, human rights and gender, and hiv investments. the report can be downloaded in its entirety or chapter by chapter. view report ( pdf, 3. 9 mb ) u. s. agency for international development documents u. s. agency for international development ( 2006 ). the development experience clearinghouse of the u. s. agency for international development ( usaid ) is a searchable repository of documents from usaid - funded projects worldwide. there are currently more than 3, 000 documents related to hiv, and the site is due to relaunch with more downloadable documents and more user - friendly search tools. fc2 female condom fc2 female condom. ( 2009 ). this website provides detailed information on the fc2 second - generation female condom, which combines the same safety and efficacy of the first - generation female condom with lower cost. there is information on where to obtain female condoms from both the public sector and on the retail market in the united states. there are step - by - step instructions on how to use the female condom, also available in spanish. health professionals can find resources and training materials, and there are pages for quick facts, frequently asked questions, and fc2 in the news. there is also a link to a 55 - page bibliography of research on the female condom.


there are, and have been, many theories about alcoholism. the most prevailing theory, and now most commonly accepted, is called the disease model. its basic tenets are that alcoholism is a disease with recognizable symptoms, causes, and methods of treatment. in addition, there are several stages of the disease which are often described as early, middle, late, treatment and relapse. while it is not essential to fully define these stages, it is useful to understand them in terms of how the disease presents itself. this series of articles describes the signs and symptoms of each stage as well as exploring treatment options. - early or adaptive stage - middle stage - late stage - treating alcoholism - relapse to drinking 1 – the early or adaptive stage of alcoholism the early or adaptive stage of alcoholism is marked by increasing tolerance to alcohol and physical adaptations in the body which are largely unseen. this increased tolerance is marked by the alcoholic ’ s ability to consume greater quantities of alcohol while appearing to suffer few effects and continuing to function. this tolerance is not created simply because the alcoholic drinks too much but rather because the alcoholic is able to drink great quantities because of physical changes going on inside his or her body. the early stage is difficult to detect. by appearances, an individual may be able to drink a great deal without becoming intoxicated, having hangovers, or suffering other apparent ill - effects from alcohol. an early stage alcoholic is often indistinguishable from a non - alcoholic who happens to be a fairly heavy drinker. in the workplace, there is likely to be little or no obvious impact on the alcoholic ’ s performance or conduct at work. at this stage, the alcoholic is not likely to see any problem with his or her drinking and would scoff at any attempts to indicate that he or she might have a problem. the alcoholic is simply not aware of what is going on in his or her body.


this is the first in a series of articles on the root problems of most chronic illnesses : diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, autoimmune disorders, alzheimer ’ s disease, chronic fatigue, parkinson ’ s disease and early aging. over the next few months, i will share how oxidative stress, inflammation, hormone imbalance and toxins cause chronic illness and how to prevent early aging and chronic illness. free radicals and tornadoes when we mix oxygen with food, we get energy. as our body transforms oxygen and food into energy, we make “ free radicals. ” free radicals include compounds like peroxides and are like little tornadoes that spin off more little tornadoes. these free radical tornadoes go around and damage cells. free radicals damage the protein and fats in cell membranes, mitochondria — which are the energy factories in the cells — and even sometimes dna, leading to cancer. it is estimated the average human cell sustains 10, 000 hits per day from free radicals. when cells are damaged by free radicals, the body reacts with inflammation. chronic inflammation can lead to more cell damage. free radicals lead to a toxic spiral of cell damage, inflammation and cell death. to stay healthy, the body must maintain a healthy balance between formation of free radicals and destruction of free radicals. how does the body do this? it tries to keep the free radicals within the cells and breaks the free radicals down. it uses antioxidants like vitamin c and e to destroy the free radicals and uses natural repair mechanisms to mend damaged cells. combating oxidative stress first, try to avoid toxins like cigarette smoke, pesticides, solvents, ozone and other chemicals that increase free radical production. second, we must have adequate dietary intake and absorption of antioxidant nutrients found in fruits and vegetables. basically, eat more plants so your plate has a variety of colors at every meal. americans ’ poor intake of fruits and vegetables means most americans do not have enough antioxidants to protect them from the damaging effects of free radicals. measuring oxidative stress we can actually measure your body ’ s oxidative stress levels with special lab tests, including glutathione, serum lipid peroxides, 8ohdg and enzymes that increase with oxidative stress. the best defense against oxidative stress is to listen to what your mother always told you : eat your fruits and vegetables. this means at least five servings a day and 10 or 12 servings are better for maximum health. next


field trips and self - guided tours at the smithsonian american art museum, docent - led tours yield lively exchanges about our collections as windows on american history. the renwick gallery helps students glimpse through craft america ' s boundless creative spirit and offers them an opportunity to handle examples of contemporary objects and discuss process, material, and technique. by focusing on a few key artworks, we help integrate your visit with students ' core classwork and standards of learning. docents use teaching techniques of inquiry, guided looking, comparison, and hands - on learning. pre - and post - visit materials are available. support your visit with optional activities that emphasize experiential learning. consult with the smithsonian american art museum ' s education department tour scheduler when you book a tour to determine if the following activities are offered for your visit. learning lab and art a la cart in our learning lab and through the art a la cart program, students extend their gallery visits by exploring primary resources, hands - on activities, animated gallery games, and directed writing exercises. luce foundation center the luce foundation center for american art is a visible storage facility that displays around 3, 400 objects from the museum ' s collection in glass cases and drawers. students can explore the aisles, look up objects on the interactive kiosks, or even create a virtual collection that they can access from home. lunder conservation center in the lunder conservation center, students observe artwork being preserved. this is the first art conservation facility that allows the public permanent behind - the - scenes access to the preservation work of the museum. with a self - guided visit, you are free to explore the collection in a way that best suits your class. in general, for students in kindergarten through second grade, we suggest that you concentrate on a few objects. for older students, we recommend one hour of focused looking and thirty minutes of discussion about the artworks. teachers are invited to consult with the smithsonian american art museum staff regarding content for self - guided tours. contact us via telephone at ( 202 ) 633 - 8531 or email americanartmuseumtours @ si. edu. you can also submit your questions using our school / group registration form. self - guided tours do not require reservations, though they must comply with our policies and guidelines outlined in planning your visit.


episodes in australian lichenology the first century the first publication to mention an australian lichen was the second volume of jacques - julien houtou de labillardiere ' s novae hollandiae plantarum specimen, which appeared in 1806. labillardiere ( 1755 - 1834 ) had travelled with the bruni d ' entrecasteaux expedition of 1791 - 1794 and had collected the specimens in question in tasmania in 1792. in his 1806 monograph labillardiere described and illustrated a species he called baeomyces reteporus. this is a lichen, though he classed it with the algae, and is now known by the name cladia retipora. it was the only australian lichen recorded by labillardiere and his specimens of this lichen are still held in paris. since then the species has been found in many parts of eastern australia as well as in new zealand and new caledonia. the botanist robert brown ( 1773 - 1858 ) accompanied matthew flinders on his 1801 - 1803 voyage in hms investigator to chart the coast of australia and brown remained in australia until 1805. between 1801 and 1805 he collected several thousand plant specimens, including a number of lichens which are now held by the natural history museum in london. in a botanical appendix to matthew flinders ' a voyage to terra australis, published in 1814, brown listed 58 lichen species which he said were common to europe and australia but he gave no information about where in australia he ' d found them. he published nothing else about australian lichens and his collections were forgotten for much of the century. i ' ll say more about them a little later. the year 1814 also saw the publication of synopsis methodica lichenum, a fundamental lichen monograph by erik acharius ( 1757 - 1819 ), the ' father of lichenology '. in his synopsis acharius included labillardiere ' s lichen, but with a name change to cenomyce retipora. acharius mentioned another lichen, collema tremelloides, noting that it was found in " nova hollandia " ( as well as northern america ) but gave no more precise information and the collector of the specimen is unknown. there has been some speculation as to whether the specimen was collected before labillardiere collected his. another possibility is that a non - australian collection was mistakenly labelled as australian. while on the subject of early, mystery collections it ' s the appropriate time to mention the species originally published as del


the specimen was collected before labillardiere collected his. another possibility is that a non - australian collection was mistakenly labelled as australian. while on the subject of early, mystery collections it ' s the appropriate time to mention the species originally published as delisea pseudosticta in 1824 by antoine laurent apollinaire fee in essai sur les cryptogames des ecorces exotiques officinales. fee never visited australia, he does not state the collector ' s name and there is nothing about when it was collected. as to location, fee wrote just " nova hollandia, ile de king " - that is, " new holland, king island " and king island is in bass strait. in 1817 charles gaudichaud - beaupre ( 1789 - 1854 ) travelled to the south seas with the freycinet expedition and collected four species of lichen from australia - two from the sydney area in new south wales and two from shark bay in western australia. these lichens were examined by christiaan hendrik persoon who found three of the four to have been previously unknown species. gaudichaud - beaupre included a report about the lichens in his botanical volume within the multivolume expedition report : voyage autour du monde, execute sur les corvettes l ' uranie et la physcienne. the botanical volume was published in 1826. between 1817 and 1831 allan cunningham ( 1791 - 1839 ) participated in various expeditions and botanized in many parts of australia. amongst his numerous botanical specimens were a number of lichens including usnea scabrida. the first description of this species was published by thomas taylor, in 1844, and was based on a specimen collected by cunningham in the " interior of new south wales ". taylor had been professor of botany at the royal cork scientific institute until 1830, when the government discontinued its grant to the institute. taylor then retired to his family estate but continued his studies of lichens and bryophytes. the first half of the 19th century saw several botanically - inclined travellers from german - speaking europe visit australia as parts of more extensive journeys. franz sieber ( 1789 - 1844 ) visited new south wales in 1823 and collected lichens while there. a paper about sieber ' s lichens was published in 1827 by johann friedrich laurer, who described 11 new species from sieber ' s australian specimens. karl von hugel ( 1795 - 1870 ), a german lawyer / soldier turned natural historian, visited


sieber ' s lichens was published in 1827 by johann friedrich laurer, who described 11 new species from sieber ' s australian specimens. karl von hugel ( 1795 - 1870 ), a german lawyer / soldier turned natural historian, visited australia during 1833 - 1834. he sent his lichens to the german lichenologist august von krempelhuber ( 1813 - 1882 ), who reported 28 species in a paper published in 1868. included in von hugel ' s collections were two previously unknown species. between late 1838 and 1842 ludwig preiss ( 1811 - 1883 ) collected lichens in south - west western australia. elias fries of sweden studied the preiss lichens and his conclusions appeared in volume 2 of plantae preissiana, edited by christian lehmann. of the 23 species mentioned, two were previously unknown. fries also reported that one of the preiss collections was cladonia retipora. this was fries ' name for labillardiere ' s baeomyces reteporus which, as noted earlier, was the first lichen reported from australia, though labillardiere had found it in southern tasmania. however, later research has shown that while there are similar species on both sides of australia the species found by labillardiere in tasmania does not occur in western australia. another piece of information given by lehmann for the western australian species was its aboriginal name : orgeck. william james hooker ( 1785 - 1865 ) and his son joseph dalton hooker ( 1817 - 1911 ) were two of the major botanists of the 1800s. the elder hooker became director of the royal botanic gardens at kew, in london, in 1841 and at his death was succeeded by his son, who remained director until 1885. william established a worldwide network of correspondents and collectors, so that in the mid 1800s numerous botanical specimens flowed into the kew gardens from all parts of the world and the younger hooker continued this network during his own term as director. robert william lawrence ( 1807 - 1833 ) was william hooker ' s first significant tasmanian correspondent. lawrence, a man of leisure, was a keen student of natural history and sent hooker numerous specimens, including many lichens. lawrence introduced another tasmanian, ronald campbell gunn ( 1808 - 1881 ), to hooker and after lawrence ' s early death gunn continued the association with kew over several decades. amongst the lichens gunn sent to hooker was cladia retipora, though hooker knew it by the name cenomyce retipora. he wrote


after lawrence ' s early death gunn continued the association with kew over several decades. amongst the lichens gunn sent to hooker was cladia retipora, though hooker knew it by the name cenomyce retipora. he wrote a short paper about the species noting that the specimens he had received allowed him to give more details than those supplied by labillardiere. here are two of the illustrations that accompanied hooker ' s paper, courtesy of the digital library of missouri botanical garden. what hooker saw, when he examined the specimens closely, induced him to make the sort of statement made by many when they have looked closely at the so - called ' lower ' organisms such as the lichens : nothing in nature can exceed the elegant lace - like appearance of this plant, a structure one would little expect to meet with in the humblest and least perfect part, as it is usually considered, of the vegetable creation, the lichens william hooker also established a productive, long - term association with james drummond ( 1784 - 1863 ), a scotsman who arrived in western australia in 1829 from ireland where he had been curator of the cork botanical gardens. he collected widely in south - western western australia and sent numerous specimens to the hookers. while the bulk of drummond ' s collections were of flowering plants he did send a good variety of bryophytes, lichens and other fungi. a paper published in 1846 described a new lichen genus, thysanothecium, based on specimens that drummond had sent to william hooker. this is still recognized as a distinct genus today and was the first lichen genus to be described from material collected in australia. you can read more in the thysanothecium case study. a little earlier on this web page i mentioned thomas taylor ' s description of the species usnea scabrida. in that same paper taylor noted that he had also received a specimen of that species from drummond " from swan river ". in 1847 taylor documented another 16 of drummond ' s collections that had been sent to william hooker. of the 16 nine were described as new species that are still recognized as distinct species today, albeit now mostly placed in genera different to those assigned by taylor. here are the current names of the nine species ( with taylor ' s generic placements in brackets, where they differ from the modern placement ) : acarospora citrina ( urceolaria ), caloplaca erythrosticta ( lecanora ), calopla


' s generic placements in brackets, where they differ from the modern placement ) : acarospora citrina ( urceolaria ), caloplaca erythrosticta ( lecanora ), caloplaca lateritia ( lecidea ), lecidea multiflora, paraporpidia glauca ( lecidea ), parmelina endoleuca ( parmelia ), psora crystallifera ( lecidea ), xanthoparmelia imitatrix ( parmelia ) and xanthoparmelia scabrosa ( parmelia ). some of the remaining seven collections had also been described as new species but later research has shown them to be identical to other species already known at the time. joseph hooker was a member of the scientific expedition that travelled through the southern oceans on the ships hms erebus and hms terror, under the overall command of james clark ross. in an 1840 letter to his father joseph wrote that whilst on kerguelen island : " many of my best little lichens were gathered by hammering at the tufts or sitting on them till they thawed ". during the expedition hooker spent a total of six weeks in tasmania in 1840 and 1841 and visited sydney for three in 1841. in tasmania he undertook botanical collecting trips with ronald gunn. after his return to england hooker sought the help of thomas taylor for a study of the lichens that had been collected during the erebus & terror voyage and in 1844 hooker and taylor published a paper about those lichens, recording 32 species from tasmania. amongst them was the first published description of parmelia rutidota ( now flavoparmelia rutidota ). this species is very common on the bark of live trees and on dead wood in non - tropical australia. in canberra you can find this lichen on many trees within the australian national botanic gardens and, elsewhere in the city, on numerous street trees and in the city ' s nature reserves. it may well be the commonest lichen found on dead wood in australia and also occurs in the southern usa. in 1860 hooker published his flora tasmaniae, an extensive monograph about the tasmanian flora. this work utilised all the tasmanian collections that hooker had access to - collections made during the erebus & terror expedition as well as specimens that had been sent to kew before and after the expedition by gunn, lawrence and many others. taylor had died in 1848 and the flora tasmania


collections that hooker had access to - collections made during the erebus & terror expedition as well as specimens that had been sent to kew before and after the expedition by gunn, lawrence and many others. taylor had died in 1848 and the flora tasmaniae ' s chapter about lichens was written by the reverend churchill babington and william mitten. they recorded 93 species, of which two were previously unknown. babington was a classical scholar with wide interests ( obviously including botany ) and from 1865 to 1880 was a professor of archaeology at the university of cambridge. mitten was a pharmacist by trade but his botanical work ( mostly with bryophytes ) was of a high - calibre. ferdinand mueller arrived in adelaide in 1848 and was appointed victorian government botanist in 1853. he was a prodigious plant collector but also built up a network of correspondents and collectors in australia. mueller corresponded with kew and some of the material mueller sent to kew was used by babington and mitten in their flora tasmaniae chapter. mueller also sent lichens to continental european lichenologists and the first to receive specimens from mueller was ernst georg ludwig hampe ( 1795 - 1880 ) in germany. later mueller sent specimens to august von krempelhuber and jean muller ( 1828 - 1896 ) of geneva. over the second half of the nineteenth century the publications of those three european lichenologists added considerably to the knowledge of australian lichens. that was particularly the case with jean muller who re - examined and revised much of the earlier work on australian lichens during the latter half of the 19th century. the first of hampe ' s papers reporting on the lichens he received from mueller appeared in 1852 and in it hampe described the new species sticta muelleri, which hampe named in honour of ferdinand mueller. the description was based on a specimen collected by mueller in the mount lofty ranges near adelaide. today the species is known as heterodea muelleri and it appears on the cover of the first of the lichen volumes in the flora of australia series. however the bulk of hampe ' s paper was taken up by 36 lichens collected in tasmania by charles stuart, who had met mueller in adelaide and sent mueller many botanical collections. ferdinand mueller received specimens from several exploring expeditions. for example, ludwig leichardt collected a few lichens during his 1844 - 45 expedition from queensland to port essington and these made their way to k


and sent mueller many botanical collections. ferdinand mueller received specimens from several exploring expeditions. for example, ludwig leichardt collected a few lichens during his 1844 - 45 expedition from queensland to port essington and these made their way to krempelhuber via ferdinand mueller. jean muller published a paper about the 54 lichens collected by richard helms during the elder exploring expedition to western south australia and western australia in 1891 - 92. helms had sent these to ferdinand mueller. between 1858 and 1869 william nylander documented the 77 lichens collected by the french naturalist jules verreaux during his visit to australia in the 1840s. nylander ( 1822 - 1899 ) grew up in finland, became a professor of botany at the university of helsinki but in 1863 moved to paris and lived there until his death. he published some important studies on the subject of lichen chemistry. from 1857 to 1859 the austrian navy ' s frigate novara circumnavigated the world with a party of scientific researchers. the expedition had been authorized by the austrian archduke and much of the preparatory work was done by the academy of science in vienna. the expedition stopped in sydney in november - december of 1858 and during that time collected six species of lichens. an account of the expedition ' s botanical findings was published in 1870 under the title reise der osterreichischen fregatte novara um die erde in den jahren 1857 - 1859 unter der befehlen des commodore b. von wullerstorf - urbair, botanischer theil, edited by eduard fenzl. the chapter about lichens was written by krempelhuber. the year 1867 saw the publication, in sydney, of william woolls ' a contribution to the flora of australia, a collection of chapters on various aspects of australian botany, with one chapter headed lichens. in the chapter ' s eleven pages woolls, a schoolmaster with considerable interest in botany, added no new species but gave his readers descriptions of a small number of australian lichens. like various others before him woolls was captivated by cladia retipora and he thought it " the most interesting lichen i have seen in australia ". he also included a range of other observations, amongst which he noted that the genus usnea, whatever it ' s utility in other respects "... there can be little doubt respecting its use to the bird stuffer, and as it is found in almost all countries


range of other observations, amongst which he noted that the genus usnea, whatever it ' s utility in other respects "... there can be little doubt respecting its use to the bird stuffer, and as it is found in almost all countries, from the arctic to the antarctic regions, it is always available for collections of stuffed birds... ". woolls also thought that : the mosses, lichens and fungi, of australia, though probably the vast majority of them may be cosmopolitan, have never received the attention which is necessary for attaining a correct estimate of their numbers, or for determining what species differ materially from those of the northern hemisphere. the question of the relationships between the lichens of australia and those of the rest of the world has continued to exercise the minds of lichenologists and the subject of lichen biogeography is still an active research area. in 1880 the british lichenologist james crombie published a paper about robert brown ' s long - neglected australian lichen collection from early in the century. crombie described these collections as "... valuable if not very extensive... " and also noted that : as is unfortunately the case, both in the older and more recent collections of exotic lichens, no saxicole species are contained in herb. r. brown, though these would have very much added to its value and importance. crombie ' s paper recorded the majority of the collections as coming from tasmania but there are some mistakes in the published locations. for example, according to the paper robert brown collected parmelia australiensis ( now xanthoparmelia australiensis ) and chondropsis semiviridis ( now xanthoparmelia semiviridis ) from " table mt. ", brown ' s name for mount wellington. neither species has been found in tasmania since brown ' s time but both are known from the generally drier areas of mainland australia. the chondropsis is very widespread while the parmelia has been found in the flinders ranges of south australia and on the nullarbor. most likely brown collected both species in south australia and, at some stage between collection and publication, there was a mix - up. crombie listed 73 species, including 12 that were new to science and the descriptions of some of these were provided by william nylander. one of the new species described by nylander, ramalodium succulentum, was also the basis for a new genus. the


, including 12 that were new to science and the descriptions of some of these were provided by william nylander. one of the new species described by nylander, ramalodium succulentum, was also the basis for a new genus. the latter half of the 20th century has seen an additional five species added to the genus ramalodium but ramalodium succulentum is still the only species of the genus known from australia and, since robert brown ' s time, no additional specimens of that species have been found. crombie noted that though brown had published no catalogue of the lichens he ' d collected, it was clear that he had intended to do so, given his notes about some of the specimens he ' d collected. indeed, such were the notes made by brown that, for a couple of the new species in this paper, the descriptions were brown ' s. in 1881 the new zealand surgeon charles knight visited australia and collected lichens in the sydney area. he published a paper about these in 1882 and in the introduction wrote that he "... was led to make the collections on receiving the interesting paper of the rev. mr. crombie on the australasian [ sic ] lichens in robert brown ' s herbarium ". knight ' s paper documented 52 species, a great many of which he described as new and illustrated both the macroscopic appearance as well as the spores and asci of all the " new or interesting " species. frederick manson bailey ( 1827 - 1915 ) was appointed queensland colonial botanist in 1881 and remained the government botanist until his death. he undertook numerous botanical expeditions and also received botanical specimens from various correspondents. bailey sent the lichens he collected or received to overseas lichenologists for identification - in particular charles knight and james stirton ( in glasgow ). stirton was another of the very able amateur lichenologists of the 1800s. he was medically trained and in the late 1800s held appointments as lecturer in gynaecology and professor of midwifery. stirton received specimens from people in various parts of australia and in the 1880s and 1890s published descriptions of many australian lichens. in 1883 bailey published a synopsis of the queensland flora in which he included the lichen species that had been reported to occur in queensland. three synopsis supplements appeared in 1886, 1888 and 1890 and all reported additional lichens for the state. the first supplement included many new species with descriptions provided by knight and two pages of knight ' s black - and


reported to occur in queensland. three synopsis supplements appeared in 1886, 1888 and 1890 and all reported additional lichens for the state. the first supplement included many new species with descriptions provided by knight and two pages of knight ' s black - and - white drawings that showed the features of 27 species. bailey ' s comprehensive catalogue of queensland plants of 1909 listed the state ' s known lichens and the book included black - and - white illustrations of a number of species. those illustrations were fairly simplistic and mostly adaptations of diagrams from other sources. john francis shirley ( 1849 - 1922 ) had studied under thomas huxley in england and in 1878 migrated to queensland where he spent much of his working life as an inspector of schools. he had wide interests in natural history and his travels as a school inspector ( reportedly 6500 - 8000 kilometres annually ) allowed him to indulge these interests in many parts of the state. shirley sent lichens to charles knight, jean muller and james stirton. shirley did much to increase knowledge about queensland ' s lichens and, from 1888, published several detailed papers about the state ' s lichens. his interests extended beyond queensland and he also published some papers dealing with tasmanian and victorian lichens. in 1912, when shirley was aged 63, the university of sydney awarded shirley the degree of doctor of science, based on an examination and the submission of a thesis titled the thallus of the genus parmelia. as far as i know this was the first higher degree on lichen work to be awarded in australia. you can read more in the shirley ' s thesis case study. the reverend francis robert muter wilson ( 1832 - 1903 ) was a minister of the presbyterian church in victoria, first in the country at camperdown and later, from 1877 to 1897, at kew within melbourne. wilson had become quite ill by the end of 1883 and was granted nine months leave to help his recovery. during this time wilson returned to his native scotland and while there an unknown friend suggested that wilson collect victorian lichens for they had not been well studied. wilson began his lichenological work by collecting specimens before he began his return journey to australia and, on his return journey, also collected during a short coaling stop at the indian ocean island of diego garcia. wilson wrote a short account of his hour on the island and here is what he said about the lichens : lichens, however, are what i am after. and there they are! what a beautiful


indian ocean island of diego garcia. wilson wrote a short account of his hour on the island and here is what he said about the lichens : lichens, however, are what i am after. and there they are! what a beautiful one on that tree - the colour a splendid greenish blue, the shape circular, and about 6 in. in diameter. how regularly the narrow divisions of the thallus are arranged! and the black apothecia scattered around the centre add to the beauty of the plant. it is evidently a physcia. i select one or two smaller specimens, and, taking out my knife, cut off the lichens along with the very thick bark of the tree, and wrap them up in newspaper, with which i came plentifully supplied. i come out of the deep shade and find another, apparently the same physcia, but it is white, doubtless from the action of the sun. however, i cannot stop to examine closely. hah! what is it that gives such vivid colours to the stems of those cocoanut [ sic ] trees? - yellow and orange, rich brown and snowy white. lichens, i see ; and apparently verrucarias. here are some graphidea ; and there are other forms new to me. i get excited, i collect largely of each kind, pushing on through the grove of cocoanuts, but keeping my eye on the direction i am going ; for i have not been a traveller in the australian bush without learning prudence... the hour has flown by far too rapidly, and with regret i return to the ship, leaving many species of lichen ungathered... after his return wilson collected numerous lichen specimens from many areas of eastern australia and also from several pacific islands. the first person from whom wilson had sought advice was charles knight and in 1890 began a correspondence with jean muller to whom he sent many specimens. john shirley was another of wilson ' s correspondents. wilson had helped shirley with some lichen identifications and the two exchanged specimens. between 1887 and 1900 wilson published 22 papers on the subject of australian and non - australian lichens. his final paper dealt with the lichens collected by robert hall on kerguelen island and lodged at the melbourne herbarium. this was published in the french journal memoires de l ' herbier boissier. the herbarium at the royal botanic gardens in melbourne received a major part of the lichens wilson had collected but


about the tasmanian bryophytes. in the february 1914 issue of the victorian naturalist ( the fncv journal ) bastow published notes on the lichen - flora of victoria, in which he briefly described the characteristics of the lichen genera found in victoria. this was intended to help lichen enthusiasts recognize genera. as with bastow, weymouth ' s major contribution to tasmanian botany was his bryological work but he did send lichens to overseas experts. one of these was the italian antonio jatta ( 1853 - 1912 ) who, apart from botanical work, also had archaeological interests and served as a senator in the italian parliament. jatta devoted a 1911 paper to documenting the specimens weymouth had sent. in 1903 edwin cheel ( 1872 - 1951 ) published his bibliography of australian lichens and in 1906 supplemented that with a bibliography of australian, new zealand and south sea island lichens. both appeared as papers in the journal papers and proceedings of the royal society of new south wales and both were very useful publications. australian lichens had been documented in such a variety of australian and overseas journals or books that, without a good bibliography, it could be very difficult for anyone to find out what publications there were about australian lichens. a century of study of australian lichens had shown that this continent possessed species quite different to those elsewhere in the world as well as species similar to or even the same as those in other parts of the world. papers published by several european lichenologists were beginning to show how the australian lichen flora was related to the lichen floras in other parts of the world. by the end of the century resident australian lichenologists such as wilson and shirley were working assiduously and making their findings available in various australian journals. it would have seemed likely that, on the basis of such a good foundation, work on australian lichens would have continued fairly steadily. yet, there was a hiatus, with little additional study of australian lichens for several decades and the further history is continued in the second century page. history of australian lichenology pages on this website


opinion : people must remember, follow non - violent example set by martin luther king university of michigan bentley historical library as i look around with mature eyes i see torture being justified, drones killing civilians, assassinations being legalized, hatred for “ those people ”, massive gun violence, loyalty oaths to governments that engage in genocide, invasions and occupations, songs about bombing countries, war planes being cheered as they fly over sports stadiums, violence showcased on tv and movies and video games. all of these set examples. in the 1960 ’ s dr. king asked those in the cities to stop using violence to solve problems. “ they asked if our own nation wasn ’ t using massive doses of violence to solve its problems. " dr. king concluded that, “ the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today — my own government ”. yes, there are good things about america, but there are many areas of silence. dr. king said “ the calling to speak is often a vocation of agony, but we must speak, " and “ a nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death. ” on the only national holiday that recognizes a person who worked for peace and justice, read “ beyond vietnam. " dr. king studied and practiced non - violent conflict resolution. we, as a nation, need to do the same.


sep ' 11 - nov ' 11 we learn at elementary school that the morning sunlight took eight minutes to arrive. each ray of light from the sun acts as an exiled messenger who indicates whether the star is on or off. when the sun dies, it will take eight minutes for its last message to reach the earth. as stephen hawking states in a brief history of time, ‘ the death of the sun does not affect us immediately because we are not in its future light cone ‘. since the fastest way we can perceive distant events is through light, its direction and speed of travel limits how quickly we can experience an event. mapped through time, the event forms a conical horizon around itself whose width is determined by the speed of light rays ; if the observer is within its boundary, we can perceive the event ; if outside, there is no way we can know of it. in other words, our universe is structured so that we are always looking at the past. throughout history, light had been the signal that bridges past, present, and future, and brings about the beginning and end of time. according to ancient hebrew belief, life takes a linear path, beginning with the genesis creation myth where god said, “ let there be light! ”. in the judeo - christian worldview, the eschaton – the end of time – was crucial in establishing the belief that linear time justified a particular system of ethics and law. in the myth of the eternal return, the mythologist and religious historian mircea eliade describes a worldview where the universe is cyclical and is destined to repeat itself in a self - similar form for an infinite number of times across time and space. this worldview was inherent in indian ( and later egyptian ) philosophy, and was later taken up by followers of pythagoras as well as the stoics. the cyclical view of time was more in keeping with pre - historical, agrarian communities in which seasons and daily cycles had more significance than the progress of civilization and history. the linear view of time tends to dominate modern thought, and we obsess over possible environmental and apocalyptic endings to human history. however, some contemporary astrophysicsts, following einstein, have analyzed the behaviour of light and the nature of space - time as an infinite universe, with implications similar to cyclical views of time and history. ( left ) an event is visible through time, like a pebble thrown into a bond creates outward waves / / / ( right ) an event in the present can only be perceived in a


with implications similar to cyclical views of time and history. ( left ) an event is visible through time, like a pebble thrown into a bond creates outward waves / / / ( right ) an event in the present can only be perceived in a certain region of space - time. knowing that our time in the sun is limited, sometimes we try to capture time and light with images. albrecht durer ’ s etching, “ melancholia i ” associates light with order and darkness with chaos. the composition places the products of the imagination – geometry, mathematics, tools, and architecture – within the timeframe of an hourglass running out. in this picture, the imagination succeeds in creating a mental zone that overrides both astrophysics and religion – it holds together past, present and future with rays of perpetual sunlight – messengers of time etched in metal. / / / next week : skin, shell and skeleton part i nuclear bomb test, bikini atoll, 1946. the small black figures just outside the cloud are decommissioned world war ii battleships from the us navy. / / in addition to an urban investigation into the power structures of moscow, i ' ve been looking at ideas about the sublime and its relation to... - - yesterday china launched tiangong - 1 ( heavenly palace - 1 ), its first step towards a manned orbital space station. i remembered reading that the last space shuttle mission, sts - 135, finished earlier this year, signalling an end to america ’ s utopian dream of colonizing space. as i read more... i ' ve just started on the cooper union march ii course, and am excited to be here in new york to say the least! i ' ll be sharing my project work for studio, sculpture, and elsewhere over the upcoming year. for this first post i thought i ' d share something i wrote for a course appropriately titled...


modernism is one of most influential and independent movements in history of architecture. at the same time, it can be seen as one of most ignorant and blind minded, mainly because of its trailblazing character attacking tradition. western europe countries suffered even more from this believe, due to the socialist - realism interpretation of original modernistic manifestos. while in most parts of europe modernism follows modernization, in the countries from under influence of soviet union, socialist - realism mutation of modernism was rather a tool in hands of the government to mentally trigger progress. results of transformations, applied due to this spirit onto xix century urban tissue of warsaw, can be visible till now days. setting up progress and modernity as an main national value, network of new transportation aortas was drown across destroyed city, with no relation what so ever to historical reminiscence and worked out across the centuries urban tissue divisions. presented plot is one of those places where xix century urban block was literally cut off by new urban plan, leaving piece of vacant land between blank wall and the street ( pic. 01 ). six stories high blind wall is situated right in the centre of the city, between office building and holiday in hotel, creating a part of highly eclectic and aesthetically doubtful urban elevation of jana pawla ii street. twelve meter wide plot seems to be perceived as worthless by investors despite its amazing orientation. it is not only located next to shopping mall, office business centre and some historical sites of warsaw, but it is also standing for communication node of the city ( next to the grand central and planed metro station ) ( pic. 02 ). all of those attributes can be easily transformed into valuable architectural that will stood for both, rebuilding place aesthetics and generating new value for surrounding area. in the broadest common definition, accelerator is a system or a device capable of increasing efficiency of other systems. on of the ways to achieve acceleration in physical systems is ordering and rooting flows depending on their specification, segregating, buffering and upgrading each item it the system before releasing ordered flow into the main stream. same systematics can be applied while dealing with urban flows, their quality and efficiency. correctly located local system can considerably affect city animation positive factor in global scale. presented design ( pic. 03 ) approaches problems of the sites, offering not only new aesthetic quality for the place, but also using its specific location to accelerate transportation efficiency within the city. proposed structure contains two main functional areas. first one, located an the bottom of the building, open and transparent, is


sites, offering not only new aesthetic quality for the place, but also using its specific location to accelerate transportation efficiency within the city. proposed structure contains two main functional areas. first one, located an the bottom of the building, open and transparent, is a orange ramp - shaped bicycle parking integrated with the city bike transportation system ( pic. 04 ). second one is stack of independent container - like units, providing cheep sleeping and shower opportunity on daily basis for the less demanding travelers. both functionalities were partly enclosed by simplistic building skin. historical reference was achieved by both, extruded reduced shaped on a historical building as straightforward connection and alien contradiction of main facade, designed as an partial, cross - section like division. this solution was meant to underline discontinuity and sudden ending of existing form, showing that a part of original building is missing, and what is left, is literally cut along the new urban division line. this cutting line was used in the design to reveal surprising, aesthetically, etheric and contemporary insides of the building ( pic. 03 ). strict centre of warsaw ; around palce of culture and main railway station ; is dedicated to nobody. insufficient roads grid and not enough parking spaces makes it very problematical to communicate to, and from downtown, by car. small number of bicycle and pedestrian paths, not enough small architecture and green areas make it uneasy and unpleasant to go by foot or drive a bicycle. as far as every architect, urbanist, and member of the city council has his own view on for whom the city centre should be, there is still no decision which way should we go, what improvements must be undertaken. presented proposal suggest to close the city centre for private cars as to make space and good conditions for pedestrians and cyclists - to give back the heart of warsaw its personal look, real flow. people in cars just drive through while people walking or driving by bike must stop, need a drink, meet with friends - they are not just commuters, they are real citizens, animators of their habitat, performers of action. accelerator makes it easier for them to use warsaw. because it is rather informal ( to hop - in, hop - out ), accelerator can be used by more people in shorter amount of time ; it reflects fast pulse of the city. status : school project location : warsaw, pl


a video and paper in current biology about a veined octopus, amphioctopus marginatus, that carries coconut halves to deploy as a shelter has gotten a lot of play in the popular press. the story is usually accompanied by the claim that this is the first reported case of invertebrate tool use. maybe this is true amongst the squishies ( cephalopods ), but i think that arthropods accomplish much more exciting feats of tool use every day. coconut octopus, meet coconut crab. earlier, i talked a little about coconut crabs, mentioning that they use mollusk shells when they are small, and eventually discard them as they grow. they also have an intermediate size behavior where they use hollowed out coconut shells as a shelter. photos : finn et al., 2009 and nancy and neil. first a disclaimer : i think cephalopods are awesome. they are probably the second coolest animal group behind mantis shrimp. also, this video and paper represent a really interesting finding, and any antagonism in this post is meant to be humorous. i only take exception to the tool use claim. i, of course, realize that any assessment of “ tool use ” is completely dependent on how you define “ tool use. ” however, even by the researchers own exclusive definition, arthropods still beat their motile mollusk to the punch. let ’ s see how they define tool use in order to exclude the numerous arthropod examples : … simple behaviours, such as the use of an object ( or objects ) as shelter, are not generally regarded as tool use, because the shelter is effectively in use all the time, whereas a tool provides no benefit until it is used for a specific purpose. this rules out examples such as the use of gastropod shells by hermit crabs, but includes situations where there is an immediate cost, but a deferred benefit, such as dolphins carrying sponges to protect against abrasion during foraging and where an object is carried around in a non - functional form to be deployed when required. actually, i don ’ t see how this definition even negates hermit crabs from tool use. there is no benefit for the crab in dragging around a heavy shell or coconut on its back while it forages. it is only beneficial later, when the animal wants to rest or block an attack. i would say that is a fairly specific deferred purpose with an immediate cost. regardless, there are a bunch of other examples of art


while it forages. it is only beneficial later, when the animal wants to rest or block an attack. i would say that is a fairly specific deferred purpose with an immediate cost. regardless, there are a bunch of other examples of arthropod tool use that i can pull off the top of my head. - spiders construct structurally elaborate webs as methods of defense as well as prey capture. in addition to the common trap webs, some gladiator spiders also make web nets that they hold in their front arms and use to pin prey to the ground. - gonodactyloid mantis shrimp are capable of complex masonry work, chiseling into form and stacking walls of rubble and shells around their lairs. they strongly suggest planning capacities with this behavior. - the amphipod phronima hollows out tunicate carcasses to live inside and drive around in the deep - sea in search of more prey. again, calling any of this “ tool use ” is extremely definition dependent. however, under the above interpretation, i think many arthropods have just as strong a claim to tool use as the octopus. regardless, squishies and crunchies need to get along so that they can join their tool - using forces to protect us from those goddamn dolphins.


in virginia we are fortunate to have among our feathered friends a bird that is considered one of the most intelligent of birds : the raven. when edgar allen poe published " the raven " he did this bird a disservice, painting it in a dreary tale of loss and loneliness. these birds have quite a lot to offer the birding enthusiast. ravens are about the size of a hawk and are covered from head to tail with glossy black feathers. they have a deep throaty call, sometimes referred to as a " rronk, " but have been known to make a variety of musical calls as well. perhaps one of the most impressive facts about the raven is its flight, as it is often seen soaring and wheeling in the sky in an acrobatic display. these displays are usually performed with a mate, but can also be seen demonstrated by a single individual. biologists surmise they do this for fun. wouldn ' t you? ravens have been found in many different habitats, including deserts, tundra and sea coasts. in virginia, you only have to go as far as the blue ridge mountains to find this bird. don ' t confuse it with its cousin the crow, which can be found in many places around the state. the crow is much smaller and has a call that is a " caw. " its tail is also different, being rounded or square, not long and wedge - shaped as the raven ' s is. ravens demonstrate their intelligence in other aspects of their behavior. * have been known to drop hard - shelled food such as snails or clams on rocks or roads to crack them open * often work together to find and flush out food * have pair bonds that can last for years * will follow predators to get a free meal. it is no wonder that baltimore chose the ravens as the symbol for its football team. not only are these birds intelligent, acrobatic and organized, they are entertaining as well! as for our poet friend, when he asks if you fear to see a raven this halloween, you can answer : nevermore! however, if you are interested in meeting a crow, venture out to the night of the living museum on oct. 21 or 22, you may just get your chance. susan summers is an education associate at the virginia living museum in newport news. nature notes is a bi - weekly column. you can access the museum ' s web site at www. valivingmuseum. org. *


visakhapatnam : scores of indigenous plant species with medicinal value are vanishing from the eastern ghats and coastal regions of andhra pradesh as indiscriminate exploitation and unscientific method of extracting these plants is hampering their regeneration and resulting in escalation of costs of herbal medicines. biodiversity in the region is being adversely affected by untrained locals extracting medicinal plants unscientifically, without planting and seeding, at the behest of middlemen who are associated with herbal product exporters or ayurvedic drug manufacturers, point out experts. " plants like saptarangi, one of the very few herbs used in anti - diabetic medicines that is found in the marshy lands, is becoming scarce and so is sidacordisolia that is used for arthritis and rheumatic disorders and is found in the eastern ghats, " said ayurvedic physician k jayakrishna. v susheela, an ayurvedic doctor from sree aurvedic hospital, said, " plants such as satavari used for curing gynaecological disorders, sariba for skin ailments, aswagandha for curing anxiety plus neurosis and sarpagandha for treating hypertension are in need of adequate conservation. the cost of herbal medicines has risen 4 to 5 times in the last 2 to 3 years due to the limited availability of certain herbs as well as the hike in prices of gold and mercury, which are important mineral ingredients for ayurvedic preparations. proper inspection from the ayush ( ayurveda yoga unani sidha and homepathy ) department is required to check the indiscriminate and unscientific exploitation and trafficking of rare herbal plants. " " deforestation and unscientific extraction are rampant in eastern ghats and other coastal belts of ap, which is a treasure house of medicinal plants and herbs. the local tribes are given a few bucks by the middlemen employed by ayurvedic companies who remove all the endemic plants at the same time without enabling propagation or sowing them elsewhere. these plant collectors don ' t have the required knowledge of chemistry, botany and ayurveda and hence scarcity of various species of herbs is rising due to their unscientific activities. training of these tribals in their local language is needed for scientific extraction of herbs, " said jayakrishna. zoologist and plant conservationist professor


this is the second book wrote by lee lehman and presents in a very detailed manner the astrological dignities. it was published in 1989 by whitford press. in chapter 1 - two unsung revolutions in astrology the author explains how the copernican revolution changed the way astrologers understand dignities. at page 18 one can find a table with traditional and modern essential dignities. chapter 2 - using traditional rulerships here you ' ll find many practical examples of charts analyzed using traditional dignities. there are presented five countries ( confederate states of america, italy, iran, switzerland, ussr ), five corporations ( general motors, ford, chrysler, coca - cola, pepsi ), five individuals ( jane austen, lewis carroll, doyle arthur, niccolo machiavelli, mark twain ) and one horary chart. of course, it is always nice to see how the theory applies in practice, but i was expecting from these examples to emphasize the different results which appears when analyzing the charts with traditional and modern dignities. unfortunately, this is not happening, the charts are analyzed using only traditional dignities. in chapter 3 - the origin of rulerships : a botanical interlude you can find out which planer or sign rules every planet. you ' ll see that onion is ruled by mars, beans by venus, holly by saturn etc. also, there is a table with the medicinal uses of jupiter - ruled plants. i didn ' t test these, but it may be helpful. chapter 4 - modern “ rulerships ” : do they work? the author is trying to prove that modern rulerships aren ' t working well and to find arguments. she points out that : “ when modern astrologers discuss the modern rulerships the criterion appears to be : which body ( planet, asteroid or comet ) has qualities which most resembles the sign in question? ” so, modern rulerships are assigned counting if a planet qualities are similar with the sign qualities and not looking at the planet strength in a sign. see another quotation : “ we haven ' t any evidence that the ancients thought that pisces and jupiter were synonymous. it was a question of the strength of jupiter in pisces, not the similarity of jupiter and pisces. ” now, i think the idea is pretty clear. i must say that i totally agree with this point of view. then the charts of marie curie, jeddu krishnamurti, adolf hitler and death of dracula are analyzed. this time,


” now, i think the idea is pretty clear. i must say that i totally agree with this point of view. then the charts of marie curie, jeddu krishnamurti, adolf hitler and death of dracula are analyzed. this time, lee lehman makes an analogy between the charts interpretations with modern and traditional rulerships. the results are pretty good and the lecture enjoyable. only one problem, from my point of view. it is analyzed the chart “ death of dracula ”, where lee writes things like : “ i have been fascinated by charts of people who are, so to speak, energy sucks ”, “ scorpio sun ( life of the vampire ) ”, etc. hei, i am from romania and i tell you there is no vampire. dracula is just a myth assigned to a romanian prince, vlad iii of wallachia. it is true that he was cruel and liked to kill people by impaling them on a sharp pole, but everything else is imagination. chapter 5 – the meaning of each of the essential dignities in this chapter you ' ll find some general characteristics for the five essential dignities : ruler, exaltation, triplicity, term and face. at page 127 is a table with key words associated with these dignities. starting from these key words lee lehman gives many descriptive explanations for dignities, but it just seems to much! there are the same things explained over and over again, it seemed pretty boring to me. in chapter 6 – a statistical interlude the author is trying to determine the influence of terms ( both chaldean and egyptian ) making a few tests. she selected a number of charts from different categories ( suicide, scientist, sport champions ) and counted the terms for each planet. in the final, we can see that the planet that rules the category ( for example, mars for sport champions ) obtained more points that usually, on a normal pattern. even the results apparently validates the importance of terms i won ' t give to much credit to such a test. why? because i don ' t see terms so important to determine a person belong to a category or another. for example, more points in the term of saturn won ' t drive you to suicide because can be many other ( not even major ) aspects that can change this influence. probably, i just don ' t believe terms are so important an if lee lehman is making those test it is clear that she also has doubts. chapter 7 – detriment, falls and peregrines means several


aspects that can change this influence. probably, i just don ' t believe terms are so important an if lee lehman is making those test it is clear that she also has doubts. chapter 7 – detriment, falls and peregrines means several pages where you can find short descriptions for every planet detriment and fall. in chapter 8 – conclusions there are the final words. my evaluation : 6 conclusion. if i would have to say quickly, at my first impression, some words about this book i think would be : “ too much noise for nothing ”. but, then, if you think for a moment you realize that you can ' t say “ for nothing ” because dignities are a very important part in astrology and one could write a whole interesting book about this subject. so, back to my reasoning, why this impression? why “ too much noise for nothing? ”. maybe, because this book presents shortly the five dignities associated with some main characteristics, ideas repeated in different chapters, but the rest of the book is somewhat near the subject. you can read about history, botany, statistics, all connected with dignities, but the book doesn ' t seem to touch the essential points. it is a surface play. it doesn ' t have those clear, rational statements that gives you a better understanding of the subject. if a medium astrologer reads this book i don ' t think will have much to learn and to integrate in his astrological system. maybe i am a little too harsh, but it is my purpose here to criticize and to present a clear point of view about the astrological books i read. my evaluation is 6.


next stop : saturn! poor saturn is neither the largest nor the most massive. but this planet may be most eccentric — the memorable in its appearance and properties. named after the titan of time, saturn was the roman king of the titans and father of jupiter. saturn is the least dense planet, even less dense than water! how does this happen? saturn is only 1 / 8 the density of earth, but with its large volume, is over 95 times more massive than earth. comprising mainly of the lightest element, hydrogen, saturn is very “ light ” for its size. saturn ’ s mass is 95 times that of earth, but its volume is 764 times that of earth. since density = mass / volume, saturn large volume and relatively small mass equates to a very small density ( 0. 687 ). so, if you build an enormous bathtub and fill it with h2o, saturn would bobble around on the surface like a rubber duckie! in contrast to jupiter ’ s myriad of colorful bands and zones, saturn ’ s upper atmosphere of mainly ammonia crystals gives the planet a bland yellow - brown coloration. once every 30 years, saturn exhibits ephemeral storms on its banded surface, one known as the great white spot. at its north pole, saturn has a weird hexagon - shaped storm that may be a novel aurora or a wave pattern. underneath that banal surface, winds reach up to 1, 100 mph, faster than those on jupiter! unlike its ever - changing gaseous layers, saturn ’ s core may be solid iron, nickel, and rock. reaching up to 11, 700 °c at the core, saturn radiates 2. 5 times more energy than received from the sun by the kelvin - helmholtz mechanism of slow gravitational compression and the “ raining out ” of droplets of helium in its interior. accumulating into a helium shell surrounding the core, the helium droplets release heat by friction passing though low density hydrogen. layers of metallic hydrogen ( deep ), liquid hydrogen and liquid helium ( intermediate ), and hydrogen gas ( outer ) blanket the core. electrical currents within the metallic hydrogen caused saturn ’ s weak magnetic field to form. effective at deflecting solar wind particles, saturn ’ s magnetosphere also produces aurorae. saturn has magnificent, highly reflective ice rings, perfectly visible with a telescope. all gas giants have rings, but with nine main continuous rings, three discontinuous arcs if ice particles, rock debris, and dust, saturn and its rings are truly


saturn has magnificent, highly reflective ice rings, perfectly visible with a telescope. all gas giants have rings, but with nine main continuous rings, three discontinuous arcs if ice particles, rock debris, and dust, saturn and its rings are truly inseparable. in 1655, christiaan huygens suggested saturn was surrounded by a ring. since then, astronomers have named the main rings from a to g. the cassini division is a large gap between rings a and b, and the roche division is a gap between rings a and f. some moons, like pan and prometheus, are shepherd moons that prevent saturn ’ s rings from expanding. saturn has the second most number of moons with 62. inhabit saturn ’ s rings, saturn ’ s moons range from the hundreds of “ moonlets ” to its largest natural satellite titan. of its 62 known moons, saturn has 53 with actual names, 13 with diameters larger than 50 km, 7 with hydrostatic equilibrium due to planetary mass, dense rings, and complex orbits of their own, 24 regular satellites ( prograde orbits not greatly inclined ) named after titans and titanesses, and 38 irregular satellites with farther orbits and high inclination orbits and named after inuit, norse, and gallic mythological characters. there can be no objective boundary for the classification of saturn ’ s moons, for saturn ’ s rings contain objects from the microscopic to the largest object titan. the most prominent is titan. larger than mercury, titan is the only moon to retain a substantial atmosphere. titan produces white convective clouds in cold nitrogen and methane atmosphere. its surface is relatively young with few impact craters, dark regions of frozen hydrocarbons, flow channels, volcanoes, and sand of frozen water or hydrocarbons. the only moon with large bodies of methane / ethane lakes, titan, like ganymede and europa ( jupiter ’ s moons ) may have a subsurface ocean of water and ammonia. the largest lake on titan, kraken mare, is larger than the caspian sea. brief takes on other prominent moons mimas : smallest and least massive of inner round moons, large impact crater called herschel, no known geologic activity enceladus : one of the smallest of saturn ’ s spherical moons, smallest known body geologically active, diverse surface that includes ancient heavily crated terrain and younger smoother areas, south pole unusually warm and emits jets of water vapor and dust that replenishes material in saturn ’ s e ring and is the main source of ions in saturn ’


diverse surface that includes ancient heavily crated terrain and younger smoother areas, south pole unusually warm and emits jets of water vapor and dust that replenishes material in saturn ’ s e ring and is the main source of ions in saturn ’ s magnetosphere, may have liquid water under south pole, pure ice and high reflective surface tethys : third largest inner moon, large impact crater called odysseus, cast canyon system called ithaca chasma, composed of mainly water ice with little rock dione : second largest inner moon, heavily cratered old terrain, extensive system of troughs and lineaments named “ wispy terrain ” indicates tectonic activity rhea : second largest moon, only moon that has rings, two large impact basins called tirawa and inktomi ( “ the splat ” ), a young crater which has butterfly - shaped bright rays, geologically dead hyperion : closest moon to titan ( when titan makes four revolutions, hyperion makes three ), very irregular shape, sponge - like tan - colored icy surface, numerous impact craters, no well - defined poles or equator ( chaotic rotation ) which makes its rotational behavior unpredictable iapetus : third largest moon, most distant large moon, greatest orbital inclination ( orbits at a greater altitude, at 14. 72° ), one hemisphere is pitch - black ( iapetus ’ s leading hemisphere collides with dust and ice particles as it rotates, darkening its surface ) and the other is bright as snow missions : cassini - huygens, pioneer 11, voyager - order in solar system : # 6 - number of moons : 62 - orbital period : 29. 5 years - rotational period : 10. 5 hours - mass : 5. 6846 x 10 ^ 26 kg ( 95. 152 earths ) - volume : 8. 2713 x 10 ^ 14 km³ ( 763. 59 earths ) - radius : 60, 268 km ( 9. 4492 earths ) - surface area : 4. 27 x 10 ^ 10 km² ( 83. 703 earths ) - density : 0. 687 g / cm³ ( less than water! ) - eccentricity of orbit : 0. 056 - surface temperature ( average ) : 134 k - escape velocity : 35. 5 km / s - apparent magnitude : + 1. 47 to - 0. 24 on december 3, 2012, the planets mercury, venus, and saturn will align with the giza pyramids in egypt. this will be the


velocity : 35. 5 km / s - apparent magnitude : + 1. 47 to - 0. 24 on december 3, 2012, the planets mercury, venus, and saturn will align with the giza pyramids in egypt. this will be the first planetary / pyramid alignment in 2, 737 years! now, the three giza pyramids are also in perfect alignment with the three stars of orion ’ s belt. in 1983, robert bauval proposed this orion correlation theory and published this idea in discussions in egyptology in 1989. the giza pyramids were built in the 3rd millennium b. c. the alignment is very curious. could the egyptians have built the giza pyramids that way on purpose? - eccentricity of orbit : measures the ellipticity of orbit ( ranges 0 - 1, with 0 as spherical and 1 as very elliptical ) - density : mass per unit volume ; mass in grams and volume in cubic centimeters - oblateness : measures how much the middle section of the planet bulges - surface gravity : the larger the surface gravity, the thicker the atmosphere as gravity pulls in more gases - albedo : measures the fraction of light reflected compared to the amount of light received from the sun ; the higher the albedo, the more reflective the surface - escape velocity : minimum speed or velocity needed to escape the planet ’ s gravitational pull - rotation : most planets rotate in counter - clockwise direction ( prograde ) ; others rotate in the clockwise direction ( retrograde ) - rotational period is shortest for gaseous planets and longest for venus - roche limit : about two and a half times the radius of the planet ; within the roche limit, matter cannot accretes to form moons because the tidal force of the planet tears matter apart to form rings giant planets : giant planets have lighter elements such as hydrogen and helium in their atmospheres. they have stronger gravity and are at larger distances from the sun. jupiter, saturn, and neptune are stormy with great spots of lasting storms and belts and zones. however, uranus is comparatively bland and uniform. all giant planets are home to convection, or hot gases rising and cold gases falling. terrestrial planets : terrestrial planets have heavier elements such as carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen. mercury is most heavily cratered while earth is least cratered. larger terrestrial planets have plate tectonics. earth has a sizable magnetic fields that can protect it from solar wind particles and van allen belts. earth has the “ goldilocks phenomenon, ” or the right conditions for the development of life. “ the planets


california proposition 11, beverage container reuse and recycling act ( 1982 ) proposition 11, the beverage container reuse and recycling act, would have required " every empty beer and other malt beverage, mineral water, soda water, and similar carbonated soft drink container to be redeemable for cash, as a means of encouraging consumers to return empty cans and bottles rather than discard them as litter or municipal waste. " specifically, proposition 11 would have : - required that beginning on march 1, 1984, every such beverage container sold or offered for sale in california would have had a refund value ( when returned empty ) of at least 5 cents. - required that when a consumer returned an empty container to a retailer selling that same kind, size, and brand of beverage, that retailer must pay the consumer the refund. - retailers or redemption centers that returned empty containers to a wholesaler or bottler of the same kind, size, and brand must be paid the refund, plus a handling fee equal to 20 % of the refund. if proposition 11 had been approved, it would have amended division 12. 1 ( commencing with section 14500 ) of california ' s public resources code, relating to beverage containers. proposition 11 ' s official ballot summary said : - " requires that beverage containers sold, or offered for sale, on or after march 1, 1984, have a refund value, established by the distributor, of not less than 5 cents. requires refund value be indicated on container. requires that dealers and distributors pay the refund value on return of empty container. provides for establishment of redemption centers. provides for handling fees for dealers and redemption centers. prohibits manufacturer from requiring a deposit from a distributor on a nonrefillable container. contains definitions, specified exceptions, conditions, and other matters. provides violation of statute is an infraction punishable by fine. summary of legislative analyst ' s estimate of net state and local government fiscal impact : net fiscal effect on state and local governments cannot be determined. could result in reduced litter cleanup costs, reduced solid waste disposal costs, and an unknown increase or decrease in tax revenue collections. variables involved are discussed in more depth in analyst ' s estimate. " the fiscal estimate provided by the california legislative analyst ' s office said : - " this measure would have a fiscal effect on both the state and local governments. the net impact of the measure ' s fiscal effect, however, cannot be determined. - based on the experience of states with deposit laws, it appears that this measure, if


this measure would have a fiscal effect on both the state and local governments. the net impact of the measure ' s fiscal effect, however, cannot be determined. - based on the experience of states with deposit laws, it appears that this measure, if approved by the voters, would result in a significant increase in the percentage of empty beverage containers recycled or refilled and, therefore, a significant decrease in the percentage of empty beverage containers that are discarded. - the shift in the disposition of empty beverage containers would be accompanied by changes in the behavior of both businesses and individuals, which could affect ( 1 ) the amount of litter and solid waste in california, ( 2 ) beverage prices, ( 3 ) beverage sales, ( 4 ) corporate profits, ( 5 ) employment, and ( 6 ) the average wage levels of workers involved in the production and sale of beer and carbonated soft drinks. as a result, the measure could affect government costs and revenues in numerous ways. these include : - 1. reduced litter cleanup costs. deposit laws in other states have caused reductions of approximately 80 percent in the amount of beverage container litter. estimates of the resulting change in total litter range from almost no change to reductions in excess of 30 percent. if this measure is approved, it is likely that governmental agencies would experience some savings in litter cleanup costs. - 2. reduced solid waste disposal costs. deposit laws in other states also have resulted in an estimated 3 - to 4 - percent reduction in the amount of municipal solid waste that must be disposed of. because solid waste disposal services in california are provided by government agencies, as well as by private firms, a reduction in the amount of waste to be disposed of would reduce costs to these agencies. in the short run, a reduction in the volume of waste would result in only moderate savings for government agencies that provide solid waste disposal services, because local solid waste removal systems are sized to handle the current volume of waste and a large portion of the costs of these systems is fixed. in the long term, these agencies could experience significant savings as a result of the reduction in solid wastes requiring disposal. - 3. an increase or decrease in tax revenue collections. this initiative could change the amount of tax revenues which state and local governments collect, although the overall magnitude of this change - - and even its direction ( up or down ) - - is unknown. a change in revenues can be anticipated because the initiative could affect such factors as corporate profits, beverage sales, and beverage - related employment and wage levels. this, in turn, could


and even its direction ( up or down ) - - is unknown. a change in revenues can be anticipated because the initiative could affect such factors as corporate profits, beverage sales, and beverage - related employment and wage levels. this, in turn, could have an impact on revenue collections from the sales and use tax, the bank and corporation tax, the personal income tax, and the excise tax on beer. some of these revenue effects are likely to be positive ; others are likely to be negative. for example : - sales and use tax revenues could be reduced if the volume of beverages sold declines. these revenues could also be increased, however, to the extent that beverage prices rise. the effect of the measure on sales and use tax revenues would also depend on whether the deposit paid by consumers on nonrefillable bottles and cans is itself subject to tax. the effect of the measure on sales and use tax revenue would further depend on the way in which any increase or decrease in spending by consumers on beverages is offset by changes in their spending on other taxable and nontaxable commodities. - excise tax revenues from the sale of beer would decline if the volume of beer sales declines as a result of the measure. - bank and corporation profits tax revenues could decline if the costs incurred by bottlers and retailers increase as a result of the measure and the increase is not offset by higher prices charged to consumers. - personal income tax collections could decline to the extent that proprietors ' incomes fall, or more lower - wage and fewer higher - wage workers are employed in the manufacturing, distribution, and retailing of beverages. personal income tax revenues could also increase, however, if total beverage - related employment and wages paid rise significantly due to an increase in the demand for retail and beverage transportation workers. - experience with mandatory deposit laws in other states does not yield conclusive evidence regarding the ongoing impact of these laws on those key economic variables that affect government revenues. therefore, it is not possible to predict with any reliability what the net effect of this measure would be on state and local government revenues in california. path to the ballot as an initiated state statute, proposition 11 earned its spot on the ballot through the collection of signatures on petitions. - pdf of the mailed november 2, 1982 voter guide for proposition 11 - hastings california i & r database - california law library, november 2, 1982 ballot propositions


archive for july, 2012 making good decisions has special requirements for a christian leader. read proverbs 1 : 1 - 7. for the christian leader making good decisions includes elements beyond accurately analyzing and processing information and temporary success or failure. to bear the name christian along with the title leader they must also consider fairness, honesty, and morality as part of each decision. the book of proverbs isn ’ t a decision - making textbook, but it was inspired by god and written by king solomon of israel, a leader who over the centuries has become known as the wisest man to have ever lived. we make decisions every day, and the patterns we establish in the small decisions shape the larger ones. read 1 chronicles 12 : 32. the background for 1 chronicles 12 : 32 is that israel ’ s first king, saul, was dead. david, from the tribe of judah had been appointed king and was ruling the nation from the city of hebron. many of the fighting men from each of the other 11 tribes of israel were coming to hebron to turn saul ’ s kingdom over to david and re - unify the nation. this simple statement, tucked away in the middle of a listing of the men who had volunteered to serve david and who supported his anointing as king over all israel, tells us of some men from the tribe of issachar “ who understood the times and knew what israel should do. ”


vitamin d a bone booster for people with digestive problems people with digestive diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and crohn ’ s disease, are especially susceptible to osteoporosis and bone fractures, due in part to nutrient deficiencies caused by malabsorption and medication side effects. a new study found that people with good vitamin d status early in the course of their disease had higher bone density and a greater likelihood of increasing bone density over time. healthy vitamin d levels predict healthy bones the study, published in the american journal of gastroenterology, included 101 people who had recently been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease ( ibd ). vitamin d levels in the blood and bone mineral density were measured at the beginning of the study, and bone density measurements were repeated approximately two years later. only 22 % of the people had optimal vitamin d levels at the beginning of the study. higher vitamin d levels were associated with higher bone density in the spine, hip, and total body. people with better vitamin d status were more likely than others to have an increase in bone mineral density over the course of the study. the link between ibd and bone density ibd is a group of inflammatory conditions affecting the large and small intestines. ulcerative colitis and crohn ’ s disease are the most common types, both of which are believed to be autoimmune ( when the immune system attacks the body ’ s cells ) in nature. people with ibd usually experience chronic abdominal pain and diarrhea, often with bleeding and mucus. in people with ibd, inflammation in the bowel wall and diarrhea compromise absorption and result in nutrient deficiencies. in addition, corticosteroid medicines that are used to treat ibd can interfere with calcium absorption and metabolism. maintaining healthy bone density requires the integrated work of a number of nutrients, including calcium and vitamin d, so it is not surprising that people with ibd have high rates of low bone density ( osteopenia and osteoporosis ). improving vitamin d status vitamin d is made in the body through a series of chemical reactions that begins in sun - exposed skin. modern lifestyles with limited outdoor time and widespread use of sunscreens have led to increasing rates of vitamin d deficiency in the general population, and these rates are even higher in the elderly and people with chronic disease. “ poorer vitamin d correlates with lower baseline bone mineral density and better vitamin d status is correlated with a gain in total bone


of vitamin d deficiency in the general population, and these rates are even higher in the elderly and people with chronic disease. “ poorer vitamin d correlates with lower baseline bone mineral density and better vitamin d status is correlated with a gain in total bone mineral density. early optimization of vitamin d may play an important role in preventing ibd - related bone disease, ” said the researchers from the university of manitoba in winnipeg. small amounts of vitamin d are found in eggs and fish, as well as fortified dairy foods and some dairy substitutes, but the authors noted that their findings suggest that adding vitamin d supplements is warranted for most people with ibd. september 11, 2008 ( am j gastroenterol 2008 ; 103 : 1451 – 9 ) maureen williams, nd, received her bachelor ’ s degree from the university of pennsylvania and her doctorate of naturopathic medicine from bastyr university in seattle, wa. she has a private practice in quechee, vt, and does extensive work with traditional herbal medicine in guatemala and honduras. dr. williams is a regular contributor to healthnotes newswire. copyright © 2008 healthnotes, inc., dba aisle7. all rights reserved. republication or redistribution of the aisle7 content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of aisle7. healthnotes newswire is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. if you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. aisle7 shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. aisle7 and the aisle7 logo are registered trademarks of aisle7.


food and nutrients help to form strong teeth and bones, muscles and a healthy body. a balanced diet can also help to protect your child against illness. children ’ s need for energy and nutrients is high, but appetites are small and children can be fussy, so it can be a challenge to get your child ’ s diet right especially when feeding them organic food. but there ’ s quite a bit at stake because healthy eating aids early learning and childhood development. it ’ s useful to know that young children can usually regulate their own intake, so remember that pre - school children normally eat the amounts they want, even if it seems they ’ re not taking in very much. at this age, children are often good at regulating their appetite. if they ’ re not hungry, insisting on larger amounts of food can create a battle, which you ’ re likely to lose. base your child ’ s intake on the following food groups to help ensure she ’ s getting all the important nutrients. make sure your child has a balanced diet, with food from each of the key food groups every day. the food pyramid helps kids to receive all the nutrients growing children need each day from the five food groups. these are : protein – this includes lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, legumes grains – this includes bread, cereals, rice, pasta and noodles dairy – this includes milk, yoghurt, and cheese they, and you, will need to eat a number of serves from each group depending on their age and how active they are. growing children need the following number of serves from each group. let mindful eating be a guiding principle. this table shows the suggested number of serves per day by age : age in years 3 – 4 4 – 6 4 – 5 1 – 2 1 – 1. 5 4 – 7 5 – 9 3 – 4 3 – 5 1 – 2 sample serves from the australian guide to healthy eating. young children have small appetites, so fibre - rich carbohydrates can be bulky and inhibit the absorption of some minerals. a good mindful eating tip is to gradually introduce higher fibre carbohydrate foods, such as whole wheat pasta and brown rice, so that by the time children are five, they ’ re eating the same fibre - rich foods as the rest of the family. giving your baby a pure start to life really begins nine months before birth. it ’ s not so surprising really, given all that rapid and miraculous cell growth and division is fuelled by you.


fibre - rich foods as the rest of the family. giving your baby a pure start to life really begins nine months before birth. it ’ s not so surprising really, given all that rapid and miraculous cell growth and division is fuelled by you. so what to eat when pregnant is a key issue because that truly is the real baby food! on the other side of the coin, there are some things that are definitely not good. alcohol, nicotine and other “ recreational chemicals ” need to be avoided, preferably before you conceive. enough said on that score. there is no “ magic food ” to consume. as usual the answer is simple and logical. the best things to eat when you ’ re pregnant are simply wholesome fresh foods. plenty of fruits and vegetables, obviously, but choose a balanced diet from each of the five food groups. although you ’ re eating for two, remember its quality not quantity that you ’ re after. let mindful eating be a guiding principle. just think about what ’ s going in your mouth and eat what you should, not what you could, and make water you ’ re preferred drink. the interesting thing about this approach is that you ’ re likely to feel a whole lot better, be healthier and possibly even shed some unwanted fat, even though that ’ s not the objective. and remember it ’ s not good to be dieting during pregnancy without the agreement and oversight of your doctor. make sure too, that the foods you ’ re eating contain enough of the key nutrients for pregnancy. most of us get these through a balanced diet, but you might want to check out choline, usually grouped with the b - complex vitamins. choline isn ’ t technically a b vitamin, but it is often included in the b - vitamin family because it does work closely with other b vitamins, especially folic acid vitamin b9 ) and cobalamin ( vitamin b12 ), to process fat and keep the heart and brain healthy. we ’ ve blogged on choline recently. pregnancy is a time when the body ’ s demand for choline is highest. choline is particularly used to support the fetus ’ s developing nervous system. i mention it again because studies show intake is low and feedback to our previous blog shows that women don ’ t know this particular “ vitamin ”, despite it being an essential nutrient. you can get it through eggs, by the way. obviously, as an organic baby food company we like to keep abreast of the latest findings on


that women don ’ t know this particular “ vitamin ”, despite it being an essential nutrient. you can get it through eggs, by the way. obviously, as an organic baby food company we like to keep abreast of the latest findings on organic food. the university of barcelona has just released a study that shows that organic tomatoes contain more polyphenolic compounds than conventionally produced tomatoes. phenolic compounds are organic molecules found in many vegetables and have proven human health benefits. polyphenols are natural antioxidants and are considered to be of great nutritional interest because their consumption is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular and degenerative diseases. most interesting is the researchers view of why this might be. organic farming doesn ’ t use nitrogenous fertilizers ; as a result, plants respond by activating their own defense mechanisms, increasing the levels of all antioxidants. it seems that conventionally fertilised plants “ don ’ t have to try so hard ” and as a result their production of phenolic compounds is lower. numerous scientific investigations show that the consumption of these antioxidants has a variety of health benefits. researchers claim that more studies of clinical evidence are still needed to be able to state that organic products are truly better for our health than conventional ones. pregnancy is a wonderful time in any woman ’ s life. a bit of a roller coaster, yes, but it ’ s full of new feelings and new learning. unlike many previous generations, first time mothers now have a clearer picture of what they need to know about nutrition when they ’ re “ eating for two ”. eating for two these days is about quality, not quantity, and new research is turning up all sorts of interesting information on some of the critical nutrients first time mothers, indeed all mums, should ensure form part of their dietary intake. the most important nutrients to support pregnancy can be summarised as follows : biotin • choline folate • iodine iron • vitamin a let ’ s take a quick look at choline. choline is clearly important but it appears most pregnant women don ’ t ingest the recommended daily dose. choline is a chemical similar to the b - vitamins, and is often lumped in with them, although it is not ( yet ) an “ official ” b - vitamin. although its entire mechanism of action, particularly how it interacts with other nutrients, is not completely understood, it seems too often work in concert with folate and an amino acid called methi