cardiovascular health is defined as the health of your heart and blood vessels. blood vessels are responsible for the transportation of the blood to ( and from ) the heart. as a result, it is crucial that they function properly. in order to perform well, these blood vessels need to be irrigated constantly, and kept unclogged. physical activity ( in addition to healthy eating ) is one of the surest ways to maintain proper cardiovascular health. unfortunately, the lack of physical activity claims several hundred thousand lives every year in the united states alone, thru cardiovascular diseases. in contrast, studies have revealed that there is a direct correlation between the increase in physical activity, and the reduction in risk of hypertension, diabetes and high blood pressure. however, despite this evidence, the vast majority of american adults continue to lead sedentary lives, with very little inclusion of physical activity. benefits of physical activity according to the american heart association ( aha ), a sedentary lifestyle makes up the list of one of the key risk factors for cardiovascular disease. so it ’ s critically important that we incorporate physical activities ( such as exercising ) in our daily lives. there are several health benefits to exercising on a regular basis ( ideally 4 to 6 times per week ). exercising regularly contributes to weight reduction, and helps lower your blood pressure as well as your level of bad cholesterol ( also called ldl cholesterol ). as ldl cholesterol is lowered, hdl cholesterol ( the good cholesterol ) is boosted. besides the biological benefits of exercising listed above, there is also a plethora of physiological advantages to exercising. for example, when you boost your level of physical activity you will see an improvement in your muscle functions and an increased ability for your body to consume more oxygen. the more oxygen in your blood stream, the less likely your blood vessels are to clog up. also, when your oxygen intake increases you feel less fatigued after performing simple daily physical tasks. this is particularly beneficial for those with cardiovascular diseases, whose exercise capacity is generally limited due to their lower level of oxygen. there is also scientific evidence suggesting that exercising causes the blood vessels to dilate, allowing the blood to irrigate our major organs much more generously ( contributing to major health benefits ). as a result, patients diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, show a decrease in stress and anxiety level, following an exercise program over a period of time. how to begin exercising? to start with, answer these questions : are you currently over the


benefits ). as a result, patients diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, show a decrease in stress and anxiety level, following an exercise program over a period of time. how to begin exercising? to start with, answer these questions : are you currently over the age of 45 and do you have two or more of the following risk factors : ( 1 ) close family member with cardiovascular disease, ( 2 ) do you smoke cigarette daily ( 3 ) do you have high blood pressure ( 4 ) are your cholesterol levels abnormal ( 5 ) do you suffer from diabetes, ( 6 ) do you lead a sedentary lifestyle, ( 7 ) are you clinically obese. if you respond yes to a few of these questions, then you must consult with your physician before starting any exercise program. if you do not belong to the category listed above, then you should set aside about 30 minutes daily ( 4 to 6 times a week ) to exercise. you do not necessarily need a gym membership in order to work out. you can have a full - blown workout session right at home. however, if you know that you have a tendency to slack off on your exercising, then it ’ s best to either have a personal trainer, or a workout partner to motivate you. if your days are absolutely jam - packed and you can ’ t find a half - hour slot to insert your workout session, then break it up in 2 or 3 sessions. for example, as soon as you wake up, do 10 minutes of jump rope. then when you get back from work, perform some mountain climbers and squat jumps for instance for another 10 to 15 minutes, or run around the block. some exercise is always better than no exercise. keep in mind that exercising doesn ’ t always have to be done at home or with a personal trainer. if you commute to work, you may decide to park several blocks from the office and walk from ( and to ) your car. also, a time spent at the park on a saturday afternoon can be turned into an afternoon of volleyball or soccer session, or even bike riding or rollerblading. anything that can get your heart rate up is tremendously beneficial for your cardiovascular health. as you can see, there is overwhelming evidence pointing to the benefits of exercising as it relates to cardiovascular health. just as we take care of our homes and cars and other personal properties, we have the responsibility to take care of your body. and that includes engaging in regular physical activities, and eating healthy. so, get your body moving


tomorrow, people around the world will celebrate a very unusual happening on a jewish festival some 2000 years ago. read the account here. but let ’ s back up a bit. one can read the old testament as the story of a tribal religion. by “ tribal ” i mean proprietary – belonging to a specific group of people. the religion of the descendants of abraham came to them in their language, it is full of their stories about their god. there are many tribal religions which also belong to people of a common ancestry, who share the same customs and usually the same language. most tribal religions respect other peoples who have their own gods and religious practices. a careful reading of the old testament shows that god had universal ambitions when he choose to start with abraham and his descendants. which brings us to the first festival of pentecost after jesus was crucified. something happened there which shook to the core the idea that jesus had come to fulfill the aspirations of only a limited group of people – everyone started hearing about the glory of god proclaimed in their own language. tribal religions are almost always locked up in one language. here was something different. from that day, christianity has been a religion which is not tied to one culture or one language. instead, it permeated roman society and the greek language, breaking free from any tribal identity. other events, such as those peter experienced with cornelius came along to confirm and seal the breakout. the apostle paul wrote against those who wanted to tie christianity to tribal roots. occasionally some try again to make christianity a tribal religion – attempting to tie it to a particular language, nation and / or customs. but it never lasts. there are two ways to be a universal religion. one is to assimilate everyone into your tribe. in this method, everyone will eventually have the same customs, perhaps speak the same language, have the same religious practices, and believe the same religious teachings. the other is the path god has taken christianity where the person at the heart of the religion, jesus, comes into languages and cultures and they develop an allegiance to him while continuing to speak their languages and practice their culture – building houses as they did, singing the same kind of music they always did, being proud of their people ’ s history and achievements, and so on. christianity does not seek to assimilate all cultures, even if some of its proponents sometimes mistakenly try to do that. christianity translates itself into the languages and cultural forms of people. christianity does not erase culture, but weaves itself into the culture to create a


heinlein society - scholastic / academic articles robert a. heinlein ' s novel : red planet red planet - blue pencil by jane davitt in 1949 robert heinlein submitted a juvenile called ' red planet ' to scribners. they published it only after many cuts and changes in the plot and this is the version referred to as the 1949 edition in this article. after heinlein ' s death the book as heinlein originally submitted it, with no cuts or alterations, was printed by del rey. this is referred to as the restored edition in this article. additional text found only in the restored book is shown in italics. additional text found in the 1949 publication but not the restored book is enclosed in [ brackets ]. where text in the 1949 publication was in italics and need to be referred to for purposes of comparison, it is shown in upper case to avoid confusion. when a page reference is given, the first page number refers to the restored edition, the second to the 1949 book. it is entirely appropriate that the first altered text in red planet was the phrase, " shut up. " when heinlein was forced by editorial pressure to make changes in his 1949 juvenile he was indeed silenced and the thrust of his message blunted and warped. as he phrased it in a letter to alice dalgleish, one of scribner ' s editors, ' i have made great effort to remove my viewpoint from the book and to incorporate yours, convincingly – but in so doing i have been writing from reasons of economic necessity something that i do not believe. i do not like having to do that. ' this should, incidentally, serve as a caution to those who insist on interpreting heinlein ' s personal beliefs from his fiction …. it is not always a reliable source. young readers a half century later, who will in all probability be reading the restored edition, complete with all its additional text, should find little in its pages to shock them, nor would they perhaps appreciate how galling it was for heinlein to make the changes that resulted in the original publication. they will simply enjoy the story, smile at willis ' s antics and be thrilled by jim and frank ' s adventures as they race across a planet to save their families from bureaucratic treachery and the hardships of a martian winter. so what difference do the changes make? a word for word comparison of the two texts reveals changes in every chapter, some major, covering significant plot and philosophical areas, some minor, yet cumulative


treachery and the hardships of a martian winter. so what difference do the changes make? a word for word comparison of the two texts reveals changes in every chapter, some major, covering significant plot and philosophical areas, some minor, yet cumulative, as slang and ' inappropriate ' concepts are tidied away. perhaps the most puzzling editing comes in the deletion of dozens of single, innocuous words and phrases which, when reinstated, give the text more depth of detail. unless text length was a burning issue it is difficult to understand why these particular changes were made. it is possible to identify several major areas targeted or affected by the editing ; the characters of jim marlowe and dr macrae, the sub plot concerning the sex of willis, the historical and philosophical rationale behind the gun laws on mars, the use of contemporary slang and the sometimes significant deletion of single words or phrases. to a certain extent, these areas both overlap and impinge on one another ; for example the changes in the way gun ownership is treated result in two very different portrayals of jim marlowe. so, why were the changes made at all? it is difficult to judge if alice dalgleish was tailoring the book to suit the sensibilities of the library list out of the knowledge that it would otherwise be rejected, or applying her own, rather narrow, standards to the story and finding it lacking. a little of both perhaps. the end of the 1940 ' s was still a time when writing for children was hedged about with many restrictions ; it would be at least two more decades before the rigid distinctions between fiction intended for children and that aimed at adults were eased. during the discussions of the changes needed in ' red planet ', heinlein pointed out to miss dalgleish that the content of the scribner adult catalogue contained much that would conceivably shock to a young reader, turning 18 who had previously been, ' … sealed in cellophane, sterile in vitro, ' and then exposed to the full gamut of adult reading. ' of all biological phases, adolescence surely is the one in which bodily experiences are of paramount importance ; yet for reasons of convention, squeamishness, and the idea that their audience was in need of moral guidance at every level, children ' s authors until recently have been prohibited from mentioning many of its most fundamental aspects. ' this is certainly borne out in the 1949 publication, where jim is unable to advise his mother, as he does in the restored


moral guidance at every level, children ' s authors until recently have been prohibited from mentioning many of its most fundamental aspects. ' this is certainly borne out in the 1949 publication, where jim is unable to advise his mother, as he does in the restored edition, that, ' " uh, there ' s a toilet right across the hall, " ' when he takes her to his old room at the school to rest. it is also useful to consider the position of ' red planet ' within the body of heinlein ' s work. it was his third juvenile, following closely on the heels of ' rocket ship galileo ' ( 1947 ) and ' space cadet ' ( 1948 ) but it represents a significant shift in approach in a few short years. ' rocket ship galileo ' has its fans but most would consider it to be somewhat lacking in originality and rather formulaic. ' space cadet ' had livelier characters but was still based around a familiar plot : the training of young men in a military organization. ' red planet ' on the other hand was different ; an attempt to depict a whole new way of life on a strange planet complete with mysterious aliens but written in such a way that the reader feels at home almost at once. heinlein had found his balance, targeted his audience and was all set to produce some of the most memorable works in his oeuvre. the sanitized conversation of the 1949 publication does have both positive and negative effects ; it detracts from the colourful personality of the doctor and it makes jim and frank seem unnaturally polite at times but it does mean that the 1949 publication seems less old fashioned than the restored book. nothing dates as fast as colloquialisms and some of the expressions the two boys use in the restored edition have a quaint tang to them. perhaps in this area, the editor unwittingly did the book a service. that said, the prissiness that alters ' bellyache ' to ' tummy ache ' and ' deuce ' to ' dickens ' tends to grate when one considers the intended audience of teenage boys, not renowned for the purity of their language! some of the humour is lost too ; phyllis, jim ' s sister, is a marginal character in both books but in the restored edition she seems less two dimensional ; akin to other young, independent heinlein females with irritating brothers. part of the excised dialogue between the siblings is so realistic that it is a pity to lose it, ' phyllis said, " take the charges out of


less two dimensional ; akin to other young, independent heinlein females with irritating brothers. part of the excised dialogue between the siblings is so realistic that it is a pity to lose it, ' phyllis said, " take the charges out of your gun, jimmy, and let me practice with it. " " you ' re too young for a gun. " " pooh! i can outshoot you. " this was very nearly true and not to be borne ; phyllis was two years younger than jim and female besides. " girls are just target shooters. if you saw a water - seeker, you ' d scream. " " i would, huh? we ' ll go hunting together and i ' ll bet you two credits that i score first. " " you haven ' t got two credits. " " i have, too. " " then how was it you couldn ' t lend me a half credit yesterday? " phyllis changed the subject. ' p12 / p15. the alterations of dialogue do not just affect the two boys or their friends ; doctor macrae is censored even more than they are. this is because he tends to use a very idiomatic style of speech ; for instance when he wants to advise kelly, waiting at the school, that it is safe to emerge he says, ' " okay. you – " macrae grabbed one of his squad by the arm. " - tear back and tell kelly that allee allee out ' s in free. " ' this reference to a children ' s game was evidently deemed too obscure for readers. he also uses the phrase ' " little red schoolhouse " ', when he is alerting dr rawlings to the hostage situation at the school. this is a reference to the single room schoolhouses common in nineteenth century america ; perhaps this was altered to simply, ' school house ' for the sake of overseas readers. in his case the slang adds an aura of antiquity to his personality, something that may be of significance in the restored book where his lifespan seems longer than his appearance warrants. the doctor is fond of blunt speech, and uses the one expletive of the book, deleted, naturally, in the 1949 publication, ' " the company hates the expense of moving us, but more important they are bloody anxious to move more immigrants in here faster than we can take them ; they think they see a cheap way out by keeping north and south colony filled up all the time, instead of building more buildings. " ' p 145 / p 130.


are bloody anxious to move more immigrants in here faster than we can take them ; they think they see a cheap way out by keeping north and south colony filled up all the time, instead of building more buildings. " ' p 145 / p 130. his scathing denunciation of gibbs is likewise diluted, ' " i might mention in passing [ add ] that i was a man grown when this gibbs party was still wetting his diapers [ drooling on his bib ] – " ' yet it is clear that he is an educated man ; his speech has an almost theatrical sound to it at times, as if he is, as james gifford comments in his recent book on robert heinlein, ' … a virtual caricature of the crusty old frontier doctor. ' there is also a tendency to confine the references of the 1949 book to those that would be familiar to young readers, understandable from one perspective but limiting in educational value. for instance, when smitty discusses the terms of his loan to the boys, a reference to shakespeare ' s shylock is deleted from the original edition, ' " i ' ll have both of yours, on one i. o. u., at six per cent – per month. the security will be the pound of flesh nearest your heart. " ' was it really thought that the readers would not pick up the allusion? in a similar way there is an amendment of doctor macrae ' s praise of frank ' s idea about using the martians to help them, ' " it just might work. it ' s worth a whirl. that notion of making use of martian immunity is positively machiavellian [ brilliant ], frank ; you should go into politics. " ' heinlein preferred not to talk down to his readers ; these changes must have irritated him. in considering the deletion of individual words, it is interesting to see how much of a difference the small changes can make. for instance, during the negotiations between mr. marlowe and beecher we are told that, ' beecher seemed excessively pleased with himself. ' the inclusion of ' excessively ' gives us a clearer picture of beecher as somewhat unbalanced ; he is gloating rather than simply satisfied that the plans of the colonists are not going well. similarly, when frank is defending his career choice of rocket pilot to doctor macrae, he says, ' " why not? ' francis answered doggedly. " i might make it. " ' the extra


plans of the colonists are not going well. similarly, when frank is defending his career choice of rocket pilot to doctor macrae, he says, ' " why not? ' francis answered doggedly. " i might make it. " ' the extra word, ' doggedly ' adds much emphasis ; we can see that frank is truly determined, even in the face of disapproval from a respected mentor. this makes his actions in leaving the school to warn the colony and thereby risking that career even more laudable. we also lose much that hints, however faintly, of a criticism of authority, be it parental or scholastic. when jim invites frank and the doctor for dinner at the start of the book, frank declines on the grounds that his mother thinks he spends too much time at jim ' s house. the doctor replies, ' " my mother, if she were here, would undoubtedly say the same thing, " admitted the doctor. " fortunately i am free of her restraining influence. call your mother, jim. " ' later, when the boys are at school and are discussing howe ' s sweeping changes in the school routine, they are told by a cynical older boy, ' " get wise to yourself kid. a man wouldn ' t go into school teaching if he didn ' t enjoy exercising cheap authority. it ' s the natural profession of little napoleon ' s. " " stoobie wasn ' t like that! " " stoobie was an exception. most of them like rules just for the sake of rules. it ' s a fact of nature, like frost at sundown. you have to get used to it. " ' p 50 / p 47. it is not just words like ' stinker ' that are targeted in the 1949 edition ( deleted at least three times from descriptions of howe ) but anything that hints even faintly at sex, including a change in the clothing habits of the colonists. at the start of the book we are given a description of the doctor from willis ' s point of view, ' the mars creature saw an elderly male earthman almost completely covered with wiry grey - and - white hair. the hair was thin on top, thick on chin and cheeks, moderately thick to sparse on chest and arms and back and legs. the middle portion of this strange, unmartian creature was concealed in snow - white shorts [ and shirt ]. ' notice that although in the restored edition jim is described as being appropriately clad for indoors in bright red jockey shorts, the doctor in the 1949 publication wears a shirt. the doctor


of weapons is controlled and subject to approval from a governing body. to heinlein this was anathema. he roundly informed miss dalgleish in a letter that, in his opinion, the right to bear arms is the basis of all human freedom ; a remark that he later puts into jim ' s mouth, as a quotation from dr macrae. he was also opposed to the licensing of guns and disliked the fact that, in order to make the book suitable for publication he had to, ' build up the licensing into a complicated ritual, involving codes, oaths, etc. – a complete reversal of evaluation. ' in the restored edition there is still a form of licensing ; when phyllis asks to be allowed a gun of her own, her father suggests that mrs marlowe take her to city hall to be licensed. the difference is that the necessity for such licensing is not approved of by mr marlowe and is attacked strongly by dr macrae, ' " sir, it is not the natural limitations of this globe that i object to ; it is the pantywaist nincompoops who rule it - these ridiculous regulations offend me. that a free citizen should have to go before a committee, hat in hand, and pray for permission to bear arms – fantastic! arm your daughter, sir, and pay no attention to petty bureaucrats. " jim ' s father stirred his coffee. " i ' m tempted to. i really don ' t know why the company set up such rules in the first place. " ' p13 restored edition. in the 1949 publication, phyllis is never shown to be a gun user, neither is her mother, although one of the reasons she gives for wanting a gun is to be able to help her mother by taking on the duty of protecting her younger brother when he plays outside ; the martian fauna containing some dangers. later in the story, when the colonists are trapped inside the school we are told that, ' men and women, boys and girls, t [ t ] he colony listed hundreds of licensed gun wearers – and yet a handful of gun fighters outside, as few as two, could keep them holed up. ' notice how the reference to an entire colony of armed citizens is deleted ; the implication being that such a widespread gun ownership was not an acceptable part of a story for teenagers. the journey of james marlowe the character of jim, or rather its development, is drastically affected by the cuts. in the 1949 publication he and frank are quite similar. jim tends to


gun ownership was not an acceptable part of a story for teenagers. the journey of james marlowe the character of jim, or rather its development, is drastically affected by the cuts. in the 1949 publication he and frank are quite similar. jim tends to be more likely to speak without thinking, as he does when he defends his home and family against howe ' s disparaging comments but generally, when willis is not involved, he and frank are much alike. in the restored edition jim initially takes on a far more aggressive personality, in sharp contrast to frank ' s more sensible and pragmatic attitude. this cannot be simply put down to gun ownership by someone too young to be responsible ; in both versions jim has a weapon and has been trained in how to use it, in both stories we see him firing it at water seekers and at a sniper. the difference is that in the restored edition jim seems to have no qualms about threatening to use his gun whenever he perceives there to be a danger to himself or willis. the undeniable fact that in most, if not all, of the cases, using his weapon would increase rather than decrease the problem or danger makes this reaction seem immature, even foolhardy. the reason for having an apparently flawed hero is of course to provide an object lesson. it is a common theme in a heinlein juvenile to have the hero learn and grow from the events he experiences during the course of the book. in jim ' s case he is apparently only given a short time in which to mature ; the period from howe ' s confiscation of willis to the end of the book is a scant thirteen days. heinlein manages to sidestep this potential weakness in the plot by making those days count by cramming them with hardship and difficult decisions and with the interlude in which jim watches months and months of willis ' s memories. this strange vision or trance enables jim to evaluate a long period of time in a few short hours. it is a pivotal event in the changes in his personality, changes that can perhaps be mapped by his various reactions to the idea of losing willis. jim still has moments of impetuousness but this experience seems to begin the process of stabilizing his emotional responses. at the start of the book no amount of well meaning advice from friends or family will persuade him to let willis hibernate or remain in familiar surroundings. he reacts emotionally to the temporary loss of willis in the school ; tears pouring down his face as he vows vengeance on


the book no amount of well meaning advice from friends or family will persuade him to let willis hibernate or remain in familiar surroundings. he reacts emotionally to the temporary loss of willis in the school ; tears pouring down his face as he vows vengeance on howe. later, when he and frank are resting with the martians and gekko tells him that willis cannot be returned to him he goes on a disruptive rampage through the building, searching for his friend, ' jim would no more have disturbed a martian in a trance, ordinarily, than an american western frontier child would have teased a grizzly – but he was in no shape to care or notice ; he shouted in there, too, thereby causing an unheard - of and unthinkable disturbance. the least response was violent trembling ; one poor creature was so disturbed that he lifted abruptly all of his legs and fell to the floor. ' p 114 / p 102. when gekko manages to catch up with jim he picks him up and holds him like a child and it is as a child that jim responds, ' jim sobbed and beat on the martian ' s hard thorax with both his fists. gekko endured it for a moment, then wrapped a third palm flap around jim ' s arms, securing him. jim looked wildly up at him. " willis, " he said in his own language, " i want willis. you ' ve got no right! " ' the 1949 publication lacks a description of jim ' s reaction to the loss of willis at the end of the story. the doctor remarks that he is going to break the news to jim and mr marlowe replies that jim won ' t like it. in the restored book we are actually shown jim ' s reaction and see that he has mellowed considerably, ' jim took it well. he accepted macrae ' s much expurgated explanation and nodded. " i guess if willis has to hibernate, well, that ' s that. when they come for him, i won ' t make any fuss. it ' s just that howe and beecher didn ' t have any right to take him. " ' to fully appreciate the growth in jim that allows him to be so reasonable at the end of the story, it is necessary to examine his earlier actions in the restored book. the 1949 publication deletes or waters down jim ' s aggressive responses and the changes in his personality are lacking. the jim we meet at the start of the book is little different than the one at the end. the


actions in the restored book. the 1949 publication deletes or waters down jim ' s aggressive responses and the changes in his personality are lacking. the jim we meet at the start of the book is little different than the one at the end. the restored book benefits from the inclusion of the incidents because they provide a benchmark against which jim ' s emotional growth can be measured. the changes begin at the point where he and frank leave for their new school. the journey is broken at cynia where they meet up with a martian, gekko, who picks up willis. the martian was meditating so the boys carefully stepped round him ; willis then attracted his attention by rubbing against his legs and letting out some ' mournful croaks ' ; probably an attempt to communicate in martian. what he said is not translated but it may even have been a request to be picked up. the martian emerged from his trance, bent down and scooped up willis. jim reacts strongly to this fairly innocent action in the restored book, ' " tell him to put willis down! or, so help me, i ' ll burn his legs off! " " oh, now, jim, you wouldn ' t do anything like that. it would get your whole family in trouble. " " if he hurts willis, i sure will! " " grow up [ relax ]. martians never hurt anybody. " ' throughout the book much is made of the fact that the martians are sacrosanct ; jim and frank even use this as a way of resolving the siege at the end of the story. ' every human who set foot on mars had it thoroughly drummed into him that the natives must not be interfered with, provoked, nor their customs violated – nor, above all things, hurt. ' jim knows this, has been brought up with it and yet he is prepared to break the taboo simply because willis has been picked up, possibly at his own request. his instinctive reaction is to use his weapon to protect his friend ; we do not know if he would have carried through his threat but that he made it at all is indicative both of his impetuous nature and the degree to which he feels responsible for willis. when frank manages to communicate with the martian, jim is picked up and carried towards the city with willis. he again wants to reach for his gun, but is physically too tangled up to do so, ' he cradled willis in one arm ; his other two arms came snaking down suddenly and enclosed jim, one palm flap cr


the city with willis. he again wants to reach for his gun, but is physically too tangled up to do so, ' he cradled willis in one arm ; his other two arms came snaking down suddenly and enclosed jim, one palm flap cradling him where he sat down, the other slapping him across the belly. jim was unable to get to his gun, which was just as well. ' yet, moments later, after gazing into the martian ' s eyes, jim is overwhelmed by a feeling of trust and friendship. this sudden change in attitude is underlined by jim ' s physical reaction to the martian ' s odour, ' worse, the little supercharger on the top of jim ' s mask compressed not only the thin air, but also he body odor of the native ; the stench was overpowering. ' strong words and ones that frank evidently agrees with ; when he is picked up a few moments later he says, rather rudely, ' " judas - what a smell! pew! " ' however by this time, the martian has managed to calm jim down to such an extent that not only is he no longer bothered by the, ' stink of his kind ', he has already forgotten that he ever was bothered, ' " smell? don ' t be a sissy. he smells better than you do. " ' this part of the book was probably deleted for the same reason that three references to howe being a " stinker " are deleted ; it was perhaps felt to be in bad taste. yet the deletion costs us not only a significant hint about the mental powers of the martians but also a link to the 1956 book, double star in which lorenzo smythe has a similar reaction to the smell of martians, cured in his case by hypnosis. the demonstration of gekko ' s control is impressive. all of jim ' s hostility drains away in moments. it could also provide an explanation of his excessively protective feelings about willis, a younger martian but with talents of his own. this nuance is missing in the book as it first appeared. it could be argued that it is interaction with the martians that speeds up jim ' s maturation rather than the actual adventures he and frank experience. certainly gekko and the water sharing experiences play their part in opening jim ' s eyes to feelings which he would normally have buried and ignored. during the first water sharing alone he changes his attitude quite radically. ' he was acutely aware of the presence of the martians, of each


experiences play their part in opening jim ' s eyes to feelings which he would normally have buried and ignored. during the first water sharing alone he changes his attitude quite radically. ' he was acutely aware of the presence of the martians, of each individual martian, and was becoming even more aware of them with each drifting minute. he had never noticed before how beautiful they were. " ugly as a native " was a common phrase with the colonials ; jim recalled with surprise that he had even used it himself, and wondered why he ever had done so. he was aware, too, of frank beside him and thought about how much he liked him. staunch – that was the word for frank, a good man to have at your back. he wondered why he had never told frank that he liked him. ' p 35 / p 34. after the " growing together " ceremony with their new friends, the boys resume their journey to school. the arrival of mr. howe, the new headmaster is the cause of much disturbance as he makes sweeping changes in the way the school is organized. after he discovers and confiscates willis, he makes the most significant changes ; the abolition, in the original book, of the student council and the post of student armourer in charge of weapons. neither the council nor the armourer is mentioned in the restored book ; this seems to be another attempt by the editor to stress that weapons are not readily available to the students and are closely monitored. in both books the headmaster is to be in charge of all the guns in the future, including those belonging to licensed gun owners. frank thinks that the primary reason for the change is that when mr. howe confiscated willis, jim ' s reaction was so extreme that he feared for his own safety : ' " there was murder in your eye and he saw it. " ' this is a fair comment ; as howe left their room with willis, jim had tears streaming down his face. he turned to frank and said, ' " i should have burned him, " he muttered. " i should have burned him down where he stood. " " suppose you did? want to spend the rest of your life in an asylum? " [ frank went on ] don ' t let him get your goat, fellow ; if he gets you angry, you ' ll do something silly and then he ' s got you. " ' p 53 / p 50. again there is no overt threat to willis ; jim has dug himself into a hole by his insistence that willis is a free


you angry, you ' ll do something silly and then he ' s got you. " ' p 53 / p 50. again there is no overt threat to willis ; jim has dug himself into a hole by his insistence that willis is a free agent and not a pet. incidentally, this is not borne out by the events in the book ; jim seems to treat willis exactly as one would a pet, albeit a pet that can talk. like john thomas and lummox in ' the star beast ' the balance of power is ostensibly weighted on the side of the human. if he had carried out his threat it is difficult to see how the situation would have been improved. could jim really think that after killing his headmaster he would be allowed to keep willis? next day jim reads the notice about surrendering weapons and says, ' " i ' m not going to give up my gun. dad wouldn ' t want me to. i ' m sure of that. anyhow, i ' m licensed and i don ' t have to. [ i ' m a qualified marksman, i ' ve passed the psycho tests, and i ' ve taken the oath ; i ' m as much entitled to wear a gun as he is. ] " ' p 54 / p 51. it has to be remembered here that in the restored edition where jim expresses the wish to shoot howe, there are no ' psycho tests '. if there were it seems debatable as to whether jim would have passed them at this point in his life. when jim visits the headmaster to retrieve willis and send him home, there is, in the restored book, a section dealing with howe trying to get jim to hand over his gun ( hidden by smitty – for a price ) and jim evading his questions in an attempt not to tell an outright lie about where his gun is. jim certainly confirms howe ' s belief that he is dangerous ; when howe accuses him of lying ( and jim is lying by omission ), he is told, ' " you know that i have no gun, or you wouldn ' t dare say that. " ' the implication seems to be that jim would have shot howe for calling him a liar. as frank and jim discuss plans for leaving, jim once again has to be calmed down by his clearer headed friend, ' " i ' ll wait until daylight and just walk out. if howe tries to stop me, so help me, i ' ll blast him. " " the idea, " frank said dryly, "


be calmed down by his clearer headed friend, ' " i ' ll wait until daylight and just walk out. if howe tries to stop me, so help me, i ' ll blast him. " " the idea, " frank said dryly, " is to get away, not to stir up a gun battle. what you want to do is pull a sneak. " ' during all of this melodrama, frank remains the voice of reason but he must be getting a little worried about jim ' s emotional stability. this is not to say that frank is a man of peace but he waits until the true perfidy of the non migration plan is exposed by willis to make a stand, ' " that fat slug, " frank said softly, " i wonder how he would like to tackle a winter at charax? maybe he ' d [ he ' d ] like to stay inside for eleven or twelve months at a time – or go outside when it ' s a hundred below. i ' d like to see him freeze to death – slowly. " ' frank then goes on to discuss getting the money they need, ' " we ' ll get it out of smitty. " " we ' ll get it. i ' ll tear off his arm and beat him over the head with it if i have to. let ' s go. " ' frank ' s threats are more rhetorical, whereas jim ' s involve using a gun with which he is expert and are thus both more believable and more dangerous. at least jim agrees with frank that guns were not an option when it comes to the scene at the scooter station where the driver leaves without them. jim blames himself for getting out of the scooter to eat but frank points out, ' " can you imagine us shooting it out with a couple of innocent bystanders and hijacking the scooter? i can ' t. " " uh – no. i guess you ' re right. " ' an interesting comment found in both versions of the book occurs when the two boys are with their martian friends for the second time and jim is told that willis cannot be returned to him. ' it is not important that jim did not have his gun with him ; gekko could not inspire the hatred in him that howe did. ' this seems to imply that jim needs to know and dislike someone to be able to threaten them with his gun but as has been shown this is not really the case. consider his reaction later on in the story when his father


him that howe did. ' this seems to imply that jim needs to know and dislike someone to be able to threaten them with his gun but as has been shown this is not really the case. consider his reaction later on in the story when his father, not fully comprehending the situation, advises him to surrender. there is no one present who could conceivably be considered an enemy or a threat yet, ' his right hand, almost instinctively, was hovering around the place where his holster ordinarily hung. ' his father, if he had noticed this, must have been even more worried a few moments later when he tells him of the charges howe has made against him and jim responds, ' " i ' ll ' theft ' him! if he ever shows up around me, i ' ll burn him down! " " well, i will! " ' mr. marlowe is obviously taken aback at his son ' s attitude but it is interesting that when mr. sutton shows up with frank a few moments later, he too, has a similar reaction to threats, ' " pop told them that if they touched me he ' d burn their legs off [ make them sorry ] ", frank said proudly, " and he would too. " jim caught his father ' s eye. mr. marlowe looked away. ' the reader is being encouraged to approve of a supportive father, mr. sutton, even though he is, at this point, behaving in a manner that seems far from exemplary. one can sympathise with jim and understand frank ' s pride but at the same time feel that perhaps such bellicose threats are an over reaction. if the martians and their mental powers play a significant part in jim ' s growth it must also be remembered that jim is accompanied by a human role model : his friend, frank. frank is the peacemaker, in many ways the most rational of the pair. he is the one who constantly reminds jim of the consequences of his actions. it is noticeable that frank does not approve of jim ' s, often wild, threats ; at one point he literally wrestles jim to the ground and sits on him in an effort to calm him down. frank could be viewed as a shadowy figure in the book ; a sidekick rather than a co lead character but in fact he is an example of what jim needs to become in order to be an asset to the colony rather than an immature child. jim tends to model himself on doctor macrae, quoting his words and turning to him in times


co lead character but in fact he is an example of what jim needs to become in order to be an asset to the colony rather than an immature child. jim tends to model himself on doctor macrae, quoting his words and turning to him in times of crisis but frank is in many ways a more suitable mentor. frank undergoes many hardships himself in the course of the book ; worry over his mother if the migration does not take place, a physically exhausting journey when he is ill and yet does not seem to change much. given his importance in the book this can be taken as an indication that he is already on the right track and needs no significant alterations in his character. the combination of frank ' s influence as a peer and a friend and the mystical forces used by the martians serve to divert jim from his rather reckless behavior patterns and onto the road to adulthood. in the restored book this is a significant part of the story : in the 1949 publication it is not stressed as much due to the deletion of jim ' s aggressive threats. dr macrae, back seat driver or eminence grise? the complex character of dr macrae dominates the book, though his influence over frank and jim seems greater in the restored edition. he is, by virtue of his age, the senior member of the colony ( some even speculate that he is the senior in disguise …. that theory, enticing though it would be to explore, is however outside the scope of this article! ) but his adventurous attitude, ' [ salty comments and outrageous observations ] ' make him both a mentor and an ally to the boys. they turn to him, rather than their own parents, confide in him, trust him and quote his words constantly throughout the book. for example, jim, in discussing smitty ' s business like approach to howe ' s new rules remarks, ' " he reminds me of something doc used to say ' every law that was ever written opened up a new way to graft. ' " " that ' s not necessarily so. my old man says doc ' s a crackpot. come on. " ' this rapport is shown in the opening pages, as he attempts to dissuade frank from his chosen career as rocket pilot, a passage missing from the 1949 publication that also gives a hint at the difference between the society on earth and that on mars, paving the way for the later conflict. ' " see here, frank, do you really want to live a life bound around with rules and regulations


the 1949 publication that also gives a hint at the difference between the society on earth and that on mars, paving the way for the later conflict. ' " see here, frank, do you really want to live a life bound around with rules and regulations and discipline? " " mmmm … i want to be a pilot. i know that. " " on your head be it. me, i left earth to get away from all that nonsense. earth has gotten so musclebound with laws that a man can ' t breathe. so far, there ' s still a certain amount of freedom on mars. when that changes – " ' p 6 / p 11. the character of dr macrae is a real scene stealer in both books but in the restored edition he is even more intriguing, rather carelessly dropping clues about his past that, if true, would make him practically an old one himself. it is possible that heinlein was laying the foundations for the doctor being a member of the howard families and thus tying in his juvenile series to the future history timeline that he had developed. it is equally possible that scribners would have frowned on this link between one of their juveniles and ' methuselah ' s children ' which at this point had only appeared in the ' pulps '. miss dalgleish viewed these early science fiction magazines with some scorn as being rather ' cheap '. heinlein may also have decided that setting all of his stories, especially full - length books intended for younger readers, within the future history framework was too restrictive. the different versions of aliens and earth itself that occur in the juveniles would tend to indicate that he preferred them to stand alone. the first hint that the doctor is older than he appeared comes at the dinner party with jim ' s family, ' " tell me, sir, do you know what television was used for when it first came out? ' " no. how would i? " " well, i didn ' t see it myself of course, but my father told me about it. it seems – " " your father? how old was he? when was he born? " " my grandfather then. or it may have been my great grandfather. that ' s beside the point. " ' p 15 / p 17. later when the boys are sent to him to be checked over after their journey and they are discussing jim ' s strange experience with the old martian, invisible to frank, he again lets something slip, ' " sure you did – because seeing takes place


. later when the boys are sent to him to be checked over after their journey and they are discussing jim ' s strange experience with the old martian, invisible to frank, he again lets something slip, ' " sure you did – because seeing takes place in the brain and not in the eye. i can close my eyes and ' see ' the great pyramid shimmering in the desert heat. i can see the donkeys and hear the porters yelling at the tourists. see ' em? shucks, i can smell ' em – but it ' s just my memory. " jim looked thoughtful but frank looked incredulous. " say, doc, what are you talking about? you never saw the great pyramid ; it was blown up in world war iii. " frank was, of course, correct as to his historical facts ; the eastern allies should never have used the pyramid of cheops as a place to store atomic bombs. dr macrae looked annoyed. " can ' t you permit a man a figure of speech? " ' p 135 / 6 / p 121. he continually uses expressions that stand out as being somewhat old fashioned and heinlein uses this subtly at times to show how far ahead in the future red planet is set ; for example, the doctor is old yet he refers to, ' " way back when women wore skirts, " ' as if that change in fashion was long in the past. to the modern reader it may seem that this small reference was deleted because what is there to marvel at in a woman not wearing a skirt? it is more likely that it was deleted in the 1949 publication because the widespread fashion for women ' s trousers was relatively new. in britain, ' women took to wearing trousers when working in factories, civil defence or turning out at night into their air - raid shelters. if the war can be credited with producing any fashion in women ' s clothes it was the popularizing of trousers for women of all ages. ' it is probable that american women also found that trousers were a liberating, useful addition to their wardrobe but this change was viewed with some horror by traditionalists who felt that trousers were both unfeminine and immodest. donning a pair of slacks in a story set in the 1940 ' s was often used as a metaphor for a female character shedding inhibitions. consider for example this quotation from a novel set in wartime britain and written in 1960, ' she bought two woolen jerseys and a pair of stout walking - shoes, and – most daring and exciting


metaphor for a female character shedding inhibitions. consider for example this quotation from a novel set in wartime britain and written in 1960, ' she bought two woolen jerseys and a pair of stout walking - shoes, and – most daring and exciting of all – she bought a pair of navy - blue trousers and a polo jersey. ' later, when she wears the trousers for the first time she discovers that, ' the trousers were not as comfortable as she had expected – there was a strange flappy feeling about the legs – but whether they were comfortable or not she was determined to wear them, for they were symbolic of her new life. '. the doctor also has a slightly subversive effect on the boys. he makes no bones about encouraging them to deceive their parents in both versions of the book. jim and frank approach him with a plan for escaping the siege at the school and ask what his opinion is, only to be told, ' " however, about the other stunt – the garbage can paratrooper act – if you ask your father, he ' ll veto it. " " can ' t you ask him? he ' ll listen to you. " " i said ' if you ask your father, ' you idjut. do i have to wipe your nose for you? " ' p 166 / p 148. in the aftermath of the fight we get another indication of dr macrae ' s original views as he comments that beecher is clearly paranoid. dr rawlings agrees and says that beecher will need to be hospitalized but macrae has other ideas, ' " certainly, certainly, " agreed macrae, " but speaking non - professionally, i ' d rather see the no - good so - and - so hang. paranoia is a disorder only contracted by those of fundamentally bad character. " " now, doctor, " protested rawlings. " that ' s my opinion, " insisted macrae and i ' ve seen a lot of cases, in and out of hospital. " ' p 183 restored edition. it is somewhat amusing that in the 1949 publication this section is replaced by an attempt by mr marlowe to get macrae to take over the headmastership of the school until a replacement for howe can be appointed. the suitability of macrae for such a position is debatable but it ' s a moot point ; he refuses vehemently and we lose the chance to see him in control of the school, a situation which might have had far longer lasting effects on the pupils than howe


such a position is debatable but it ' s a moot point ; he refuses vehemently and we lose the chance to see him in control of the school, a situation which might have had far longer lasting effects on the pupils than howe ' s petty restrictions. another major revision in the plot, linked again to what seems excessive prudery on the part of the editors, occurs when the boys are recuperating with the martians and wake up to discover that willis has apparently laid eggs during the night. this entire sub plot was excised from the 1949 publication, much to the detriment of the story. the fact that willis has done something extraordinary makes the martians ' anger at those who would harm him more believable. without it we never really appreciate why he is important though both versions speculate that he is a baby martian, a caterpillar to their butterfly. we are given a clear picture of the imperturbable martians, who wait long minutes before speaking, being jarred out of their normally calm behaviour, ' neither of the boys had ever seen a martian hurry before, nor show any signs of excitement. gekko let out a deep snort and left the room at once, to return promptly with as many companions as could crowd into the room. they all talked at once and paid no attention to the boys. ' the story closes with the deaths, one could say the executions, of beecher and howe and the tense negotiations between the martians and the colonists, represented by the ubiquitous doctor, which end with a tenuous peace between the two races. in the restored edition we also get confirmation that willis is not all he seems, ' " that ' s the trouble. it ' s very complicated and i don ' t know where to start. willis is important and it does matter that he ' s a she. " ' ( one wonders incidentally, why it was initially assumed that willis was male ; because he used jim ' s voice as his own perhaps? ) we are then told that willis ' s martian name means, ' " in whom the hopes of a world are joined " ' mr. marlowe comments, " sounds like a name for a messiah, not a bouncer " ' it is tempting for readers to make a connection between this comment and the plot of ' stranger in a strange land ' especially as the martians in both books appear to be the same ; ' red planet ' though written first is of course set later than the events of ' stranger


to make a connection between this comment and the plot of ' stranger in a strange land ' especially as the martians in both books appear to be the same ; ' red planet ' though written first is of course set later than the events of ' stranger '. red planet is one of four heinlein books reissued in a restored form. the reasons for the editing are not the same in each case and each version has its fans and critics. ' podkayne of mars ' has perhaps the least amount of new or changed words but the alteration of the ending has a profound effect on the rest of the book. ' stranger in a strange land ' is unchanged as far as plot goes but is enriched ( or encumbered ) by hundreds of tiny additions to the text. perhaps the most similar case to ' red planet ' is ' the puppet masters ' which, although unquestionably an adult book was divested of much of its darker and more adult themes. the difference is that the cuts were made in an effort to create a book that was more suitable for serialization in a magazine : length, rather than content was the primary factor. certainly heinlein was willing to make those changes as they did not result in a book that endorsed views contrary to his own. it is partly because ' red planet ' as it first appeared was not written the way that heinlein wanted it to be written that the restored edition is more valuable to a heinlein reader who also enjoys the sometimes dangerous, always exhilarating, hobby of analyzing the stories. there is less point in analyzing the 1949 book ; it was so altered that heinlein seriously put forward the suggestion that miss dalgleish should be named as a co - author. that is not to say that the 1949 publication has no merits but weighed against the loss of heinlein ' s intended message it cannot be viewed as superior or preferable. the reader may not endorse the message but it is authentic heinlein, not watered down or twisted heinlein. if we are to have a target to aim at, let it be a valid one. it is also weakened by the lack of emphasis on jim ' s growth and the references to the importance of willis as a hope for the future. what then is the message or theme of ' red planet '? it seems to be an exploration of a frontier society and the need for a return to the values of the past which served america so well as the vast land was tamed. echoes of even more distant history


message or theme of ' red planet '? it seems to be an exploration of a frontier society and the need for a return to the values of the past which served america so well as the vast land was tamed. echoes of even more distant history are evoked in the tension between the earth based company and the mars based colony, resolved once more in favour of the colonists and their fight for independence. it is interesting to note several passing references in the book which link the martian colony to america ' s past. for instance, when jim disturbs meditating martians, this is described as being akin to an american child of the frontier taunting a grizzly. i have mentioned doctor macrae ' s use of the term, ' little red schoolhouse. ' earlier in the book, when macrae and marlowe are discussing gun licensing, the doctor also mutters, ' something that combined ' danegeld ' and the ' boston tea party ' in the same breath. ' on a less serious note, when phyllis asks for an explanation of the term, ' folk dancing ', the doctor mentions an important tradition of the pioneering families, ' " these kids are missing something. i think i ' ll organize a square - dancing club. i used to be a pretty good caller, once upon a time. " ' when the colonists meet to discuss the recording that willis has made about the migration, doctor macrae makes a direct link between the situation in which the colonists find themselves and that of the americans before the war of independence, ' " the question is not whether or not we can last out a polar winter ; the eskimo caretakers do that every season. it isn ' t just a matter of contract ; it ' s a matter of whether we are going to be free men, or are we going to let our decisions be made for us on another planet, by men who have never set foot on mars! " just a minute – let me finish! we are the advance guard. when the atmosphere project is finished, millions of others will follow. are they going to be ruled by a board of absentee owners on terra? is mars to remain a colony of earth? now is the time to settle it! " there was dead silence, then scattered applause. marlowe said, " is there more debate? " mr. sutton got up. " doc has something there. it was never in my blood to love absentee landlords. " kelly called out, " right you are, pat! " ' p 145 / p 130


is there more debate? " mr. sutton got up. " doc has something there. it was never in my blood to love absentee landlords. " kelly called out, " right you are, pat! " ' p 145 / p 130. later, doctor macrae spells it out again in another impassioned speech to the colonists as they debate their options in the school, ' " now as i see it, this is a frontier society and any man old enough to fight is a man and must be treated as such – and any girl old enough to cook and tend babies is an adult, too. whether you folks know it yet or not you are headed into a period where you ' ll have to fight for your rights. the youngsters will do most of the fighting ; it behooves you to treat them accordingly. twenty - five may be the right age for citizenship in a moribund, age - ridden society like that back on earth, but we aren ' t bound to follow customs that aren ' t appropriate to our needs here. " ' p 158 / p 141 the story ends with doctor macrae ' s vision for the future a real possibility after the negotiations with the martians and there is a final nod to history, ' " is the proclamation of autonomy written? did the folks go for it? " " yes, it ' s written – we cribbed a good deal from the american declaration of independence i ' m afraid, but we wrote one. " in this milieu, with the dangers from the martian fauna ( and indeed the martians themselves ) weapons and a trained, armed citizenry are seen by heinlein to be essential. the changes that were made in the text militated against this vision ; it is implied that only men were armed and the restrictions applied to gun ownership would have been seen as unnecessary by heinlein. as he remarked in a letter to miss dalgleish, ' i am aware of the dangers of guns, but i do not agree that those dangers can be eliminated nor even ameliorated by coercive legislation – and i think that my experience entitles me to my opinion at least as much as school teachers and librarians are entitled to theirs. ' and there indeed lies the heart of the matter and the reason to prefer the restored edition ; we may want to disagree with heinlein or we may be in profound agreement but no matter what our views, we want to apply them to the story as written by heinlein. 1. '


and the reason to prefer the restored edition ; we may want to disagree with heinlein or we may be in profound agreement but no matter what our views, we want to apply them to the story as written by heinlein. 1. ' grumbles from the grave ' p 62 [ return ] 2. ' grumbles from the grave ' p 77 [ return ] 3. ' you ' re a brick, angela! ' p 97 [ return ] 4. ' robert a heinlein a reader ' s companion p 158 [ return ] 5. ' green hills of earth ' p 63 [ return ] 6. ' green hills of earth p 80 [ return ] 7. ' grumbles from the grave p 62 [ return ] 8. ' grumbles from the grave ' p 53 [ return ] 9. ' you ' re a brick, angela! ' p 284 [ return ] 10. ' spring magic ' p 35 [ return ] 11. ' spring magic ' p 46 [ return ] 12. ' grumbles from the grave ' p 64 [ return ] ' red planet ' robert a heinlein victor gollancz ltd 1963 ' red planet ' robert a heinlein ballantine books 1990 ' robert a. heinlein a reader ' s companion ' james gifford. nitrosyncretic press 2000. isbn 0 - 967987 - 1 - 5 ' spring magic ' d. e. stevenson. fontana books 1960. ' you ' re a brick, angela! ' mary cadogan and patricia craig. victor gollancz ltd 1976 isbn 0 575 02061 x ' grumbles from the grave ' robert a. heinlein edited by virginia heinlein. a del rey book ballantine books december 1990. isbn 0 - 345 - 36941 - 6 ' the green hills of earth ' robert a heinlein. pan books 1956. isbn 0 330 10679 1 there are two editions of red planet referred to in this article. the original 1949 publication was published by scribners. the edition i used was published in 1967 by pan books ltd 4th printing 1978 isbn 0 330 107127. the restored book is a del rey book published by arrangement with charles scribner ' s sons. first revised edition january 1990. isbn 0 345 34039 6. ©2001 - 2010 the heinlein society


flamenco mantons are associated with the port of manila ( philippines ), where there was an important spanish colony of merchants who brought goods from the far east during the sixteenth century. actually the origin of this piece is in china. the first mantons were made of silk and generally had beautiful hand embroidered flowers or birds. at first were decorated with dragons, pagodas and bamboo designs ( typical chinese decorations ). they were really big pieces in the beginning. they were supposed to cover both arms, going around them, and covered the whole torso. the light fabric made them more comfortable to wear, in spite of their big dimensions. they would not disturb dancers and performers when performing movements or figures, and advantage which became noteworthy for flamenco dancers in the centuries to come. the manila shawl is strongly associated with flamenco and andalusian folklore, but complements the dress worn by the singers also and also at certain times, has been used as an everyday garment. as a matter of fact, it is not unusual to see haute couture models wearing some sort of manila shawls. china is the place of origin of this type of embroidery shawl. the first embroidered shawls and other clothing, and kimonos, cushions or tables were made of silk and hand embroidered with floral motifs of nature such as flowers, birds, and chinese motifs : pagodas, dragons … all set in the eastern landscape. although its origins lie in china, manila is the point from where the popularity of the manton spread throughout the world. manila is the capital city of the philippines, a former spanish colony. in the spanish imperial era ( sixteenth century ) maritime trade takes shape in several routes : one is the route from manila to veracruz ( mexico ) and sevilla ( andalucia ). this is how flamenco mantons landed in sevilla, their new adoptive fatherland.


chapter ix. scientific knowledge among the romans. but the greeks, after all, were the only people of antiquity who elevated astronomy to the dignity of a science. they however confessed that they derived their earliest knowledge from the babylonian and egyptian priests, while the priests of thebes asserted that they were the originators of exact astronomical observations. [ footnote : diod., i. 50. ] diodorus asserts that the chaldeans used the temple of belus, in the centre of babylon, for their survey of the heavens. [ footnote : diod., ii. 9. ] but whether the babylonians or the egyptians were the earliest astronomers, it is of little consequence, although the pedants make it a grave matter of investigation. all we know is, that astronomy was cultivated by both babylonians and egyptians, and that they made but very limited attainments. the early greek philosophers, who visited egypt and the east in search of knowledge, found very little to reward their curiosity or industry ; not much beyond preposterous claims to a high antiquity, and an esoteric wisdom which has not yet been revealed. they approximated to the truth in reference to the solar year, by observing the equinoxes and solstices, and the heliacal rising of particular stars. plato and eudoxus spent thirteen years in heliopolis for the purpose of extracting the scientific knowledge of the priests, but they learned but little beyond the fact that the solar year was a trifle beyond three hundred and sixty - five days. no great names have come down to us from the priests of babylon or egypt. no one gained an individual reputation. the chaldean and egyptian priests may have furnished the raw material of observation to the greeks, but the latter alone possessed the scientific genius by which indigested facts were converted into a symmetrical system. the east never gave valuable knowledge to the west. it gave only superstition. instead of astronomy, it gave astrology ; instead of science, it gave magic and incantations and dreams - poison which perverted the intellect. [ footnote : sir g. g. lewis, hist. of anc. astron., p. 293. ] they connected their astronomy with divination from the stars, and made their antiquity reach back to two hundred and seventy thousand years. there were soothsayers in the time of daniel, and magicians, exorcists, and interpreters of signs. [ footnote : dan.


during their embryonic development, all chordates pass through a stage called the pharyngula [ view ] with these features : there are three subdivisions of the chordates : - a dorsal, tubular nerve cord ( " 1 " ) running from anterior to posterior. at its anterior end, it becomes enlarged to form the brain. - a flexible, rodlike notochord ( " 2 " ) that runs dorsal to the digestive tract and provides internal support. in vertebrate chordates, it is replaced by a vertebral column or backbone long before maturity. - pairs of gill pouches. these lateral outpocketings of the pharynx are matched on the exterior by paired grooves. in aquatic chordates, one or more pairs of gill pouches break through to the exterior grooves, forming gill slits ( " 3 " ). these provide an exit for water taken in through the mouth and passed over the gills. - a tail that extends behind the anus the cephalochordates and tunicates never develop a vertebral column. they are thus " invertebrates " and are discussed with the other invertebrates. [ link ] the vast majority of chordates have a skull enclosing their brain, eyes, inner ear, etc. ). all but one group of these ( the hagfishes ) also convert their notochord into a vertebral column or backbone thus qualifying as vertebrates. although hagfishes, never replace their notochord with a vertebral column, and thus might seem not to qualify as vertebrates, they share a number of other features with other vertebrates and certainly should be classified with them. still uncertain is whether they represent the most primitive vertebrates or are simply degenerate vertebrates ( probably the latter ). all the other members of the craniata convert their notochord into a vertebral column or " backbone " ( even though in some it is made of cartilage not bone ). they also differ from all other animals in having quadrupled their hox gene cluster ; that is, they have 4 different clusters of hox genes ( on 4 separate chromosomes ). perhaps this acquisition played a key role in the evolutionary diversity that so characterizes the vertebrates. the vertebrates are subdivided into the - jawless vertebrates ( agnatha ) and the - jawed vertebrates ( gnathostomata ) lampreys and hagfish


that so characterizes the vertebrates. the vertebrates are subdivided into the - jawless vertebrates ( agnatha ) and the - jawed vertebrates ( gnathostomata ) lampreys and hagfishes are the only jawless vertebrates to survive today. they both have a round mouth and for this reason are often referred to as cyclostomes. they are the most primitive of the vertebrates. by " primitive ", a biologist means that they are the least changed from the first vertebrates. besides lacking jaws, - they have no paired pectoral ( shoulder ) or pelvic ( hip ) fins. - their notochord persists for life, never being completely replaced by a backbone even in the lampreys. - they have no scales. - the axons of their neurons are unmyelinated ( like those of all invertebrates ). - lampreys have both an innate immune system and an adaptive immune system, but the latter is entirely different from that found in the jawed vertebrates. the photo ( courtesy of the carolina biological supply company ) is of the west coast lamprey. note the gill slits and the absence of paired pectoral and pelvic fins. as well as having jaws, all the members of this group have fossils of cartilaginous fishes become abundant in deposits dating to the devonian period. they were very much like the sharks of today. the group, which today is made up of some 800 species of gets its name from the fact that their skeleton is made of cartilage, not bone. - myelin sheaths around the axons of their neurons. this permits much more rapid transmission of nerve impulses — a trait probably as important for active vertebrates as their jaws. - an adaptive immune system backing up their innate immune system. with their gills exposed to sea water, all marine fishes are faced with the problem of conserving body water in a strongly hypertonic environment. sea water is about 3. 5 % salt, over 3 times that of vertebrate blood. the cartilaginous fishes solve the problem by maintaining such a high concentration of urea in their blood ( 2. 5 % — far higher than the ~ 0. 02 % of other vertebrates ) that it is in osmotic balance with — that is, is isotonic to — sea water. this ability develops late in embryology, so the eggs of these species cannot simply be


the ~ 0. 02 % of other vertebrates ) that it is in osmotic balance with — that is, is isotonic to — sea water. this ability develops late in embryology, so the eggs of these species cannot simply be released in the sea. two solutions are used : - enclose the egg in an impervious case filled with isotonic fluid before depositing it in the sea. - retain the eggs and embryos within the mother ' s body until they are capable of coping with the marine environment. both these solutions require internal fertilization, and the cartilaginous fishes were the first vertebrates to develop this. the pelvic fins of the male are modified for depositing sperm in the reproductive tract of the female. as their name indicates, the skeleton in this group is made of bone. the group is subdivided into the - ray - finned fishes ( actinopterygii ) and - lobe - finned fishes ( sarcopterygii ) - their fins are thin and supported by spines. - there are over 30, 000 species ( representing more than half of all living vertebrates ). - they are an important part of the human diet in many areas of the world and, in affluent nations, support a large sports fishing industry. although the earliest bony fishes may have appeared late in the silurian period, their fossils become abundant in freshwater deposits of the devonian period. in addition to gills, these fishes had a pair of pouched outgrowths from the pharynx which served as lungs. they were inflated with air taken in through the mouth and may have provided a backup gas exchange organ when the water became too warm and stagnant to carry enough dissolved oxygen. their kidneys were adapted for the hypotonic environment in which they lived. [ illustrated discussion ] these animals diversified through the remainder of the devonian period ( which is often called the " age of fishes " ). some migrated to the oceans. in this more stable environment, their lungs became transformed into a swim bladder with which they could alter buoyancy. their kidneys became transformed as well adapting them to their new — hypertonic — surroundings. [ link to discussion ] the only ones to survive today are : - two species of coelacanths. coelacanths were long thought to have become extinct at the end of the mesozoic era, some 70 million years ago. but in december 1938, a living coelacanth, la


- two species of coelacanths. coelacanths were long thought to have become extinct at the end of the mesozoic era, some 70 million years ago. but in december 1938, a living coelacanth, latimeria chalumnae, was pulled up from the depths of the ocean off the east coast of africa. since then, over 200 additional specimens have been caught. - several species of lungfish found in africa, south america, and australia. the nostrils of bony fishes open only to the outside and are used for smelling. some of the lobe - finned fishes developed internal openings to their nostrils. this made it possible to breath air with the mouth closed as modern lungfishes do. judging from present - day lungfishes, two other significant adaptations evolved in this group : - two atria and a partial septum in the ventricle of the heart ( similar to the frog heart ). this permitted a partial separation of oxygenated blood returning from the lung ( s ) and the deoxygenated blood returning from the rest of the body. - an enzyme system to convert ammonia into the less toxic urea. this mechanism is highly - developed in the african and south american lungfishes. while in the water, these fishes excrete their waste nitrogen as ammonia, just as most ray - finned fishes do. in time of drought, these animals burrow in the mud and switch to urea production. these rare modern lobe - finned fishes are the sole survivors of once - flourishing groups that also gave rise to the tetrapods — the four - legged vertebrates. in the devonian ( perhaps as early as 395 million years ago ), the paired fins of some sarcopterygians moved under the body and developed limbs ( complete with digits ). this enabled them to venture out on land. so once again, evolution was opportunistic giving rise to the first land vertebrates, the amphibians. the figure shows the relationship between the bones of two tetrapod forelegs and the pectoral fin of a sarcopterygian. with their bony limbs and lungs inherited from their lobe - finned ancestors, amphibians were so successful during the carboniferous ( mississippian and pennsylvanian periods ) that these periods are known as the age of amphibians. the carboniferous was followed by the permian, when the earth became colder and dryer. the fortunes of the amphibians began to decline


( mississippian and pennsylvanian periods ) that these periods are known as the age of amphibians. the carboniferous was followed by the permian, when the earth became colder and dryer. the fortunes of the amphibians began to decline until only three groups — totaling about 6500 species — remain today : as the name suggests, amphibians are only semiterrestrial : - frogs and toads ( anura ) ( the one pictured is rana pipiens, the leopard frog. ) - salamanders and newts ( urodela ) - caecilians ( apoda ), which are rare, limbless, tropical animals. - their skin is soft and moist so they are at risk of desiccation in dry surroundings. - their eggs have no waterproof covering so - they must be laid in water ( which makes them useful animals for studying embryonic development ) where they are fertilized or - placed within the mother ' s body ( some use a pouch in the skin, some use their mouth, some even use their stomach — which stops secreting acid and enzymes for the duration! ) after external fertilization. some 310 million years ago ( in the pennsylvanian ), some amphibians evolved the ability to lay shelled, yolk - filled eggs. the embryo developing within the egg produces 4 extraembryonic membranes : the | link to descriptions of the heart and kidneys of amphibians. | - amnion, which surrounds the embryo with a fluid as watery as the pond water around a frog ' s egg ( and accounts for the name amniota ) ; - chorion, which serves for gas exchange ; - allantois, which serves both for gas exchange and to store metabolic wastes ; - yolk sac, which supplies the embryo with food. a shelled egg is just as impervious to sperm as to water, so its arrival coincided with the development of internal fertilization. the early aminotes soon diverged into two major lines of descent : - the synapsids ( the ancestors of the mammals ) and the with the arrival of the cold, dry permian, reptiles were well - adapted to survive because of their development of a shelled, yolk - filled egg which could be deposited on land without danger of drying out. the photo ( courtesy of the carolina biological supply company ) shows an american chameleon emerging from its egg. other adaptations that enabled the reptiles to flourish for the next 220 million years were : beginning


could be deposited on land without danger of drying out. the photo ( courtesy of the carolina biological supply company ) shows an american chameleon emerging from its egg. other adaptations that enabled the reptiles to flourish for the next 220 million years were : beginning late in the paleozoic era and exploding in the triassic period, the reptiles underwent a remarkable adaptive radiation producing the diapsids. - a dry, water - impermeable skin ; - lungs inflated by expansion of the rib cage [ view ] ; - a partial septum in the ventricle reducing the mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood [ link to illustrated discussion. ] this group developed the ability to convert their nitrogenous waste into uric acid. uric acid is almost insoluble in water so its excretion involves little loss of water. ( it is the whitish paste that pigeons leave on statues. ) this modification largely freed the diapsids and their descendants from a dependence on drinking water ; the water in their food is usually sufficient. diapsid evolution soon produced : thecodonts were able to run fast by rising up on their hind legs, which became larger than their front legs, and using their long tail for balance. the group diversified into : - lizards and snakes ( squamata — some 6, 300 species survive today ) ; - crocodiles and alligators ( crocodilia — 22 species survive today ) ; - an extraordinary array of dinosaurs from some of which evolved today ' s birds. the dominance of the reptiles during the mesozoic era has giving it the name, the age of reptiles. feathers are the feature that most clearly distinguishes the birds from their dinosaur ancestors. these scaly skin outgrowths provide other adaptations are : - a light, strong surface for the wings ; - heat insulation, making it possible to be small but still warm - blooded. all of these adaptations help birds to fly ( to escape predators and find suitable food and nesting sites ). almost 10, 000 species are known today. the early synapsids had their legs under, rather than at the sides of, the body. this permitted more rapid running on land. - hollow bones ; - a single gonad ( in females ), which becomes enlarged and active only during the breeding season ; - no teeth ( their function is replaced by the gizzard ) ; - powerful breast muscles attached to an enlarged sternum ; - a four - chambered heart. - soon a group of small, active land - dwelling


during the breeding season ; - no teeth ( their function is replaced by the gizzard ) ; - powerful breast muscles attached to an enlarged sternum ; - a four - chambered heart. - soon a group of small, active land - dwelling therapsids evolved from these and, by the jurassic, they had produced the mammals first appeared early in the mesozoic. by ~ 220 million years ago, they had diverged into the - milk secreted from mammary glands ; - hair ; conserves body heat permitting even tiny mammals to be warm - blooded ; - teeth specialized for cutting ( incisors ), tearing ( canines ) and grinding ( molars ) their food ; - some 5, 400 species living today. the only prototheria to survive until now are the monotremes : the duckbill platypus and three species of spiny anteaters ( echidnas ). these animals retain several traits of their therapsid ancestors including - prototheria ( " first beasts " ) and although the therians diverged into the - a cloaca — the final segment of the digestive tract into which both the urinary and reproductive tracts empty ( monotreme = single hole ) ; - lay shelled eggs. some 190 million years ago, it was not until the extinction of the dinosaurs at the end of the cretaceous ( ~ 66 million years ago — link ) that they began to diversify into the various orders that we see today. - marsupials ( marsupialia ) and - placental mammals ( placentalia ) their amniotic egg has no shell and develops for only a brief time within the reproductive tract of the mother. during this time they receive some nourishment from the yolk sac which grows into the wall of the uterus. they are born at such an early stage of development [ view ] that they must crawl into a pouch on the mother ' s abdomen, attach themselves to one of her milk - dispensing nipples, and complete development there. outside of australia, the only marsupials found today are the opossums — one species in north america, some 69 species in south america. in australia, however, where they were protected far longer from an influx of placental mammals, there is still an broad array of marsupials. [ view, for example, the wombat. ] the placental mammals, with some 4, 500 species living today, retain their shell - less amnio


an influx of placental mammals, there is still an broad array of marsupials. [ view, for example, the wombat. ] the placental mammals, with some 4, 500 species living today, retain their shell - less amniotic egg within the mother. the egg contains little yolk, but the extraembryonic membranes form an through which the young secure nourishment ( and oxygen ) from their mother until they are well - developed and ready to be born. - umbilical cord and the table shows the orders of placental mammals and representatives of each. the members of orders shown with the same color belong to a single clade ; that is, they are more closely related to each other than to the mammals in any other orders. these clades are based on the most recent analysis of dna sequences of several genes — both nuclear and mitochondrial — and the building of phylogenetic trees from these data. | | lemurs, new world monkeys, old world monkeys, great apes ( hominoids ), humans | | rats, mice, squirrels, beaver | | dogs, cats, lion, skunk, walrus, sea lion | horse, zebra, rhinoceros ( even - toed ungulates and | cow, sheep, pig giraffe, hippopotamus and whales, dolphins, porpoises the 5 orders shown in yellow are found in africa. they appear to be the most primitive of the placental mammals. the 2 orders shown in red ( armadillos, sloths, giant anteaters ) probably arose in the part of gondwana that today is south america. the hugely - successful glires ( rodents and rabbits ) form a clade ( light blue ) that is so closely related to the clade ( dark blue ) that includes the tree shrews, the flying lemurs, and all our primate relatives, that they are grouped together. [ link to page on primate evolution. ] these 6 orders, shown in green, have been assigned to the laurasiatheria because they are first found in the supercontinent of laurasia. [ map and discussion ] the even - toed ungulates and the cetaceans turn out to be so closely related that they are placed in a single order the cetartiodactyla. in fact, hippos appear to be more closely related to the cetaceans than they are to the other even - toed ungulates. 23 april 2013


the anti - trafficking in persons especially women and children act was first filed in the ninth congress of the philippines and was passed on the third reading in the house of representatives in the eleventh congress. the senate of the philippines passed on third and final reading an urgent measure penalizing trafficking against women. the proposed anti - trafficking act has been pending since the 9th congress. various government agencies and nongovernmental organizations have faithfully and vigilantly monitored the movement and progress of this measure, driven by the goal to eliminate and suppress trafficking activities. philippines ratified the united nations protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children supplementing the united nations convention on transnational organized crime on september 30, 2001. the definition of trafficking in persons in the philippines ' bill is very similar to that of the protocol. the version of the bill on anti - trafficking passed in the house of representatives defines trafficking in persons as " the recruitment, transportation, transfer or harboring or receipt of persons with or without the victim ' s consent or knowledge through legal or illegal means within or across national borders by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or of position, taking advantage of the vulnerability of the person, or, the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal or the sale of organs. " 1 the enactment of the bill will address the cases against sex trafficking among women and children. the bill would prohibit the trafficking of women and children for prostitution and forced labor purposes, stop sex tours in the country, criminalize the use of the internet to promote prostitution and sexual exploitation, and define the roles of the various government agencies in the campaign against trafficking of women and children. furthermore, the bill proposes the creation of an inter - agency mechanism to : 1 ) apprehend illegal recruiters, pimps and others who facilitate the trade ; 2 ) protect and support trafficked persons ; and 3 ) initiate bilateral agreements between sending and receiving countries for legal and logistical support. it also imposes still penalties for the perpetrators and decriminalizes victims by removing culpability from them. 2 senate president franklin m. drilon will introduce key amendments the week of march 17, 2003 to the bill in order to give it more teeth and ensure its effective implementation


perpetrators and decriminalizes victims by removing culpability from them. 2 senate president franklin m. drilon will introduce key amendments the week of march 17, 2003 to the bill in order to give it more teeth and ensure its effective implementation once it is enacted into law. he mentioned in a news release issued from his office that he wants to tighten language of the bill so that prosecution of offenders or the women traffickers will be easier and more effective. furthermore, he mentioned that he would like to plug all legal loopholes in order to ensure government law enforcers are given adequate powers to curb trafficking. 3 the national commission on the role of filipino women ( ncrfw ) is requesting the office of the president through the presidential legislative liaison office ( pllo ) to certify the bill as urgent. 2press release. " ncrfw launches 16 - day campaign against gender - based violence, urges senate to pass anti - trafficking bill. " november 25, 2003. http : / / www. ncrfw. gov. ph / 3news release. office of senate president franklin m. drilon. " drilon amendments to give more teeth to anti - trafficking bill. " march 18, 2003. http : / / www. senate. gov. ph / press _ rel / drilon2 _ mar18. htm search the entirety of the site for resources or updates.


in tarantino ’ s vision, slavery ’ s definitive injustice was its gratuitous and sadistic brutalization and sexualized degradation. malevolent, ludicrously arrogant whites owned slaves most conspicuously to degrade and torture them. apart from serving a formal dinner in a plantation house — and tarantino, the chance the gardener of american filmmakers ( and best original screenplay? really? ) seems to draw his images of plantation life from birth of a nation and gone with the wind, as well as old warner brothers cartoons — and the mandingo fighters and comfort girls, tarantino ’ s slaves do no actual work at all ; they ’ re present only to be brutalized …. django unchained trivializes slavery by reducing it to its most barbaric and lurid excesses. slavery also was fundamentally a labor relation. it was a form of forced labor regulated — systematized, enforced and sustained — through a political and institutional order that specified it as a civil relationship granting owners absolute control over the life, liberty, and fortunes of others defined as eligible for enslavement, including most of all control of the conditions of their labor and appropriation of its product. historian kenneth m. stampp quotes a slaveholder ’ s succinct explanation : “ ‘ for what purpose does the master hold the servant? ’ asked an ante - bellum southerner. ‘ is it not that by his labor, he, the master, may accumulate wealth? ’ ” that absolute control permitted horrible, unthinkable brutality, to be sure, but perpetrating such brutality was neither the point of slavery nor its essential injustice. the master - slave relationship could, and did, exist without brutality, and certainly without sadism and sexual degradation. in tarantino ’ s depiction, however, it is not clear that slavery shorn of its extremes of brutality would be objectionable. it does not diminish the historical injustice and horror of slavery to note that it was not the product of sui generis, transcendent evil but a terminus on a continuum of bound labor that was more norm than exception in the anglo - american world until well into the eighteenth century, if not later. as legal historian robert steinfeld points out, it is not so much slavery, but the emergence of the notion of free labor — as the absolute control of a worker over her person — that is the historical anomaly that needs to be explained. django unchained sanitizes the essential injustice of slavery by not


much slavery, but the emergence of the notion of free labor — as the absolute control of a worker over her person — that is the historical anomaly that needs to be explained. django unchained sanitizes the essential injustice of slavery by not problematizing it and by focusing instead on the extremes of brutality and degradation it permitted, to the extent of making some of them up, just as does the help regarding jim crow. as another condemning review pointed out, you hardly if at all see actual slaves working in fields in django ( and that it takes a white guy named dr. king to free slaves [ and even includes a scene w / white dr. king telling a metaphorical story of travelling to the mountaion top … ] ) this won a writing award at the oscars, didn ’ t it? yo, but for how fucking long has this been painfully evident and repeated ad nauseum? 30 years? i know that ’ s pulling from a pretty pathetic pool, but there ’ s gotta be a creme de la crap, right? i ’ m guessing it ’ s either ari kohen or squashed. listen, electoral politics is horseshit, i ’ ve grown to despise talking about it even tangentially, but this is a pretty decent reminder of why that ’ s so. it ’ s just so you know / keep in mind that this is what underlies all that “ the economy is recovering / showing good signs ” talk and why “ vote for x because y is bad for the economy ” talking points are for suckers.


skip to main content your organization might have access to this article on the publisher ' s site. to check, click on this link : http : / / dx. doi. org / + 10. 1063 / 1. 1148044 a highly sensitive gas sensor for detection and analytical identification of hazardous gases was developed, by depositing partially crystalline powder from an aqueous suspension of cds powder on an alumina substrate. when the deposited layers were promoted with catalysts from pt - group metals, they exhibited high sensitivity to different gas molecules upon modulation with light of certain frequency, depending on catalyst and impurity concentration. dark resistance and photosensitivity of the sensors were monitored against gas concentration, sensor temperature, and frequency of the modulating light. depending on the gas and its concentration, a change of up to 100 % in sensor response was observed. variation of photosensitivity with dark resistance showed different slopes for different molecules. variation of the low frequency phase angle with photosensitivity at different concentrations also produced different slopes, depending on the type of molecule. this differentiation likely comes about by different interactions of gas molecules with surface recombination centers, depending on the nature of physisorption and / or chemisorption on the surface. thus, in addition to detecting the gas, it can be identified from their slopes of variation with light frequency, and the sensor can be used as an analytical tool. © 1997 american institute of physics.


the meat industry has long been hailed as one of the most significant factors driving global warming — and this is in addition to being damaging to your health. however, chinese scientists are looking to change all that, and they have cloned a genetically modified lamb that instead of producing the unhealthy fat commonly found in lambs, creates a healthy fat that contains high levels of the omega - 3 fatty acids found in fish and nuts. the lamb called peng peng was created in a beijing genomics institute ( bgi ) laboratory in xinjiang, western china. there scientists introduced a gene from a roundworm into a donor cell taken from the ear of a small chinese merino sheep. once implanted into an unfertilized egg, it was fertilized and the resultant embryo was implanted into the womb of a surrogate sheep. the scientists, led by dr yutao du, of the bgi in shenzhen, hope the breakthrough will reduce the emissions caused by livestock as well as producing a healthier alternative to organic lamb. “ the gene was originally from the c. elegans roundworm which has been shown to increase unsaturated fatty acids, which is very good for human health, ” dr. du said in an interview to the telegraph. he added that omega - 3 fatty acids not only protect against heart disease, but could even boost brainpower. he also noted that the bgi was now “ ready for the industrial - scale development ” of gm sheep. however, before you start worrying about peng peng ending up on your dinner plate in the near future, rest easy. currently, no gm animal has been approved for human consumption anywhere in the world, and china is no exception. “ the chinese government encourages transgenic projects, but we need to have better methods and results to prove that transgenic plants and animals are harmless and safe for consumption ; that is crucial, ” he said. peng peng is not the first gm - modified cloned animal to make the headlines recently. last month a rare himalayan goat was cloned in order to produce a specific type of wool, and us firm aquabounty have patented a gm atlantic salmon that contains a gene from another fish allowing it to grow twice as quickly. it is rumored to be the first ‘ transgenic ’ animal will be approved by the us food and drug administration this summer. while gm crops are commonplace these days, there is something, to say the least, worrying about a cloned animal being created for consumption. however, it is better than the artificial meat currently


motorcycle accidents : overview motorcycle riders are in a unique position on the road. they enjoy the freedoms that come with their chosen form of transportation, but they are also left exposed to dangers not met by automobile drivers and other motorists. the lack of any substantial protective barriers between a motorcycle and the road, as well as the difficulty that other motorists may have in anticipating and seeing a motorcycle, leave riders prone to serious injury in the event of an accident. motorcycle riders, therefore, must be aware of their legal rights and remedies if they are involved in a traffic accident. the insurance laws in your state may be very different with respect to motorcycles versus automobiles ; consequently, it is very important to consult with an attorney regarding the applicable laws in your state. the risks of the road for motorcycle riders the risks that motorcycle riders face, and the need to protect their rights of recovery after an accident, become readily apparent through a review of the following statistics : - in two - thirds of motorcycle accidents involving another vehicle, the driver of the other vehicle violated the motorcycle rider ' s right of way and caused the accident. - motorcyclists are about 26 times more likely to die in a crash than someone riding in a passenger car, and are 5 times as likely to be injured. - per mile traveled in 1998, motorcyclists were about 16 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die, and about 3 times as likely to be injured, in a motor vehicle crash. some of the unique problems faced by motorcycle riders on the road include : - visual recognition : motorcycles make smaller visual targets, which are more likely to be obscured by other vehicles, or by road and weather conditions. this is an issue especially at intersections, where approximately 70 percent of motorcycle - versus - vehicle collisions occur. - road hazards : hazards that are minor irritations for an automobile can be a major hazard for a motorcycle rider. these include potholes, oil slicks, puddles, debris, or other objects on the roadway, ruts, uneven pavement, and railroad tracks. - speed " wobble " accidents : especially at higher speeds, the front end of a motorcycle may become unstable and begin to shake or " wobble. " this problem may be due to a misalignment of the front and rear tires of the motorcycle. if an accident is caused by such a high - speed wobble, the manufacturer of the motorcycle might be held financially responsible for any resulting injuries, under a product liability theory. - riding skills ; familiarity : a motorcycle requires much