who knew gillespie for forty years. he spoke about the baha ’ i faith frequently on his trips abroad. he is often called the baha ’ i jazz ambassador. he is honored with weekly jazz sessions at the new york baha ’ i center in the memorial auditorium. gillespie has been described as the “ sound of surprise ”. the rough guide to jazz describes his musical style : the whole essence of a gillespie solo was cliff - hanging suspense : the phrases and the angle of the approach were perpetually varied, breakneck runs were followed by pauses, by huge interval leaps, by long, immensely high notes, by slurs and smears and bluesy phrases ; he always took listeners by surprise, always shocking them with a new thought. his lightning reflexes and superb ear meant his instrumental execution matched his thoughts in its power and speed. and he was concerned at all times with swing — even taking the most daring liberties with pulse or beat, his phrases never failed to swing. gillespies ’ s magnificent sense of time and emotional intensity of his playing came from childhood roots. his parents were methodists, but as a boy he used to sneak off every sunday to the uninhibited sanctified church. he said later, ‘ the sanctified church had deep significance for me musically. i first learned the significance of rhythm there and all about how music can transport people spiritually. ’ ” in dizzy ’ s obituary, peter watrous describes his performance style : in the naturally effervescent mr. gillespie, opposites existed. his playing — and he performed constantly until nearly the end of his life — was meteoric, full of virtuosic invention and deadly serious. but with his endlessly funny asides, his huge variety of facial expressions and his natural comic gifts, he was as much a pure entertainer as an accomplished artist. ” wynton marsalis summed up gillespie as a player and teacher : his playing showcases the importance of intelligence. his rhythmic sophistication was unequaled. he was a master of harmony — and fascinated with studying it. he took in all the music of his youth — from roy eldridge to duke ellington — and developed a unique style built on complex rhythm and harmony balanced by wit. dizzy was so quick - minded, he could create an endless flow of ideas at unusually fast tempo. nobody had ever even considered playing a trumpet that way, let alone had actually tried. all the musicians respected him because, in addition to outplaying everyone, he knew so much and was so


create an endless flow of ideas at unusually fast tempo. nobody had ever even considered playing a trumpet that way, let alone had actually tried. all the musicians respected him because, in addition to outplaying everyone, he knew so much and was so generous with that knowledge … ” gillespie ’ s trademark trumpet featured a bell which bent upward at a 45 - degree angle rather than pointing straight ahead as in the conventional design. according to gillespie ’ s autobiography, this was originally the result of accidental damage caused by the dancers stump and stumpy falling onto it while it was on a trumpet stand on stage at snookie ’ s in manhattan on january 6, 1953, during a birthday party for gillespie ’ s wife lorraine. the constriction caused by the bending altered the tone of the instrument, and gillespie liked the effect. he had the trumpet straightened out the next day, but he could not forget the tone. gillespie sent a request to martin committee to make him a “ bent ” trumpet from a sketch produced by lorraine, and from that time forward gillespie played a trumpet with an upturned bell. gillespie ’ s biographer alyn shipton writes that gillespie probably got the idea for a bent trumpet when he saw a similar instrument in 1937 in manchester, england, while on tour with the teddy hill orchestra. according to this account ( from british journalist pat brand ) gillespie was able to try out the horn and the experience led him, much later, to commission a similar horn for himself. whatever the origins of gillespie ’ s upswept trumpet, by june 1954, he was using a professionally manufactured horn of this design, and it was to become a visual trademark for him for the rest of his life. such trumpets were made for him by martin committee ( from 1954 ), king musical instruments ( from 1972 ) and renold schilke ( from 1982, a gift from jon faddis ). gillespie favored mouthpieces made by al cass. in december 1986 gillespie gave the national museum of american history his 1972 king “ silver flair ” trumpet with a cass mouthpiece. in april 1995, gillespie ’ s martin trumpet was auctioned at christie ’ s in new york city, along with instruments used by other famous musicians such as coleman hawkins, jimi hendrix and elvis presley. an image of gillespie ’ s trumpet was selected for the cover of the auction program. the battered instrument sold to manhattan builder jeffery brown for $ 63, 000, the proceeds benefiting jazz musicians suffering from cancer.


for every dude out there that has a significant other that complains about you having a beard … we have some good news for you! you have an argument to keep it! according to a new study, it might be helping you prevent skin cancer!! apparently, researchers at the university of southern queensland say beards block 90 to 95 percent of all ultraviolet rays from making contact with facial skin. to that, we say, what about the rest of the face? does a beard really take up 95 % of a person ' s face?? so, what kind of scientific study did they do? get a load of these shenanigans : ' researchers reportedly left several mannequins in the sun – some with beards, and some without. those with the beards reportedly fared far better in the blistering sunshine than those without. the beard benefits don ’ t stop there, however – they can also catch allergy - inducing pollens and dust. and the website reported that shaving could lead to detrimental effects such as acne, ingrown hairs and bacterial infection. ' sounds like a bunch of weaksauce findings not based on actual cancer rates to us! still, you could totally site it in your pro - beard arguments if you want! lolz! [ image via wenn. ]


health & disease, soil erosion & contamination, water contaminaton & loss — by craig mackintosh pri editor august 13, 2008 i promised to follow up on our recent which came first – pests, or pesticides? story with some info on how these nasties can affect your environment, and you. we ’ ll do so, specifically, by looking at the meaning of the term bio - magnification. how many have heard the term? hmm …, a few raised hands. how many of you can explain its meaning to others in the class? okay, not so many. it ’ s actually a pretty simple concept to understand, and it ’ s a little frightening to realise the implications once you have. clear lake, california a classic story of bio - magnification was observed at clear lake in california, and well illustrates the deadly process. in 1949 they sprayed ddd, a form of ddt, to kill a non - biting gnat. they met with success, initially …. two years later the gnat was back, so they repeated the treatment ( readers of our previous pesticide story will understand the term ‘ pesticide treadmill ’ in this context ). sprays continued at more frequent intervals until 1954. over the course of these seasons, however, the carcasses of increasingly large numbers of grebes began to accumulate in the lake – hundreds of them …. autopsies of the birds showed incredible concentrations of ddd in their systems, but a check of the lake confirmed the water only contained. 02 ppm ( not at all a toxic amount ). so how on earth could these birds be dying at all – let alone in such large numbers? remember, this is back in the 1950s – at a time when, despite early warnings that natural systems won ’ t take kindly to being doused in toxic chemicals, there was as yet no historical record to prove their dangers. it didn ’ t take long to figure out what happened, however. examining various creatures in the lake brought the following results : - while the water contamination level was a paltry. 02 ppm, the plankton population had accumulated levels of 5 ppm - small fish, feeding on the plankton over the course of their lives, had accumulated significantly more at 40 - 300ppm - predatory fish, which eat many of these smaller fish over the course of their lives, were found to contain 2, 500 ppm then along come the unsuspecting grebes – gulping down dozens of highly toxic


- 300ppm - predatory fish, which eat many of these smaller fish over the course of their lives, were found to contain 2, 500 ppm then along come the unsuspecting grebes – gulping down dozens of highly toxic ‘ treats ’, each containing approximately 125, 000 times more ddd than the water from which they were pulled. in other words, the higher up the food chain the poison travelled, the more it accumulated, or ‘ magnified ’, and this magnification can be exponential. now, how does this relate to you, you ask? it ’ s simple – we ’ re at the top of most food chains. consider that the ‘ further from the sun ’ your dietary habits are, the more our current poison - oriented agricultural practises are likely to impact upon your health. i have heard people reject the idea of vegetarianism with the rebuff : “ those fruit and vegies are covered in pesticides – give me a steak any day! ” hopefully the above will help these people to see that they ’ re trading the risk of a small amount of chemical contamination with a greatly magnified option. an animal that has spent its life eating fertilised and pesticide - sprayed grass and grains, along with dousings of antibiotics, etc., can make that t - bone positively dangerous. pesticides and other chemicals are stored mainly in body fat and tend to concentrate in breast milk fat. they can thus be passed on to children during breast feeding, or to unborn babies through the placenta. if human breast milk came stamped with an ingredients label, it might read something like this : 4 percent fat, vitamins a, c, e and k, lactose, essential minerals, growth hormones, proteins, enzymes and antibodies. in a healthy woman, it contains 100 percent of virtually everything a baby needs to survive, plus a solid hedge of extras to help ward off a lifetime of diseases like diabetes and cancer. breast milk helps disarm salmonella and e. coli. its unique recipe of fatty acids boosts brain growth and results in babies with higher i. q. ’ s than their formula - slurping counterparts. nursing babies suffer from fewer infections, hospitalizations and cases of sudden infant death syndrome. for the mother, too, breast - feeding and its delicate plumbing of hormones afford protection against breast and ovarian cancers and stress. despite exhaustion, the in - laws and dirty laundry, every time we nurse our babies, the love hormone oxyt


for the mother, too, breast - feeding and its delicate plumbing of hormones afford protection against breast and ovarian cancers and stress. despite exhaustion, the in - laws and dirty laundry, every time we nurse our babies, the love hormone oxytocin courses out of our pituitaries like a warm bath. human milk is like ice cream, valium and ecstasy all wrapped up in two pretty packages. but read down the label, and the fine print, at least for some women, sounds considerably less appetizing : ddt ( the banned but stubbornly persistent pesticide famous for nearly wiping out the bald eagle ), pcb ’ s, dioxin, trichloroethylene, perchlorate, mercury, lead, benzene, arsenic. when we nurse our babies, we feed them not only the fats, sugars and proteins that fire their immune systems, metabolisms and cerebral synapses. we also feed them, albeit in minuscule amounts, paint thinners, dry - cleaning fluids, wood preservatives, toilet deodorizers, cosmetic additives, gasoline byproducts, rocket fuel, termite poisons, fungicides and flame retardants. … some of the chemicals i ’ m mainlining to my 1 - year - old daughter will stay in her body long enough for her to pass them on to her own offspring. pcb ’ s, for example, can remain in human tissue for decades. on a body - weight basis, the dietary doses my baby gets are much higher than the doses i get. this is not only because she is smaller, but also because her food — my milk — contains more concentrated contaminants than my food. it ’ s the law of the food chain, and it ’ s called biomagnification. – toxic breast milk?, mindfully. org the problems of pesticide usage do not end with you alone. accidents in manufacturing plants are extremely dangerous and can be deadly. in 1984, a malfunction at the union carbide plant in bhopal, india, killed thousands of people outright and maimed tens of thousands more. while this has been the most serious accident so far, it has not been the only one. the widespread dioxin contamination of the area around seveso, italy, and the severe contamination of the rhine following an accident at the sandoz plant in basel, switzerland, are two other recent examples. perhaps even more worrisome are the routine


widespread dioxin contamination of the area around seveso, italy, and the severe contamination of the rhine following an accident at the sandoz plant in basel, switzerland, are two other recent examples. perhaps even more worrisome are the routine releases of toxic wastes from pesticide plants – events that do not make the newspapers. the sandoz accident was followed by the deliberate release of toxics from other plants along the rhine, including the basf plant at ludwigshafen. every year, the health of millions of farm workers is directly threatened by pesticides. people working in the fields inhale poisons during and after application and ingest them in their food and water. again, the situation is particuarly severe in the south, where labels and warnings are often unintelligible, and where relatively few workers are provided with the recommended protective equipment. however, even when manufacturers ’ instructions are followed precisely, poisoning is still common. in 1983 the united nations economic and social committee for asia and the pacific estimated that between 400, 000 and 2, 000, 000 farmers worldwide are poisoned by pesticides each year, 20, 000 to 40, 000 of whom die as a result. another estimate suggests that as many as 300, 000 farm workers in the united states alone may be suffering from pesticide - related illnesses. direct causal links between pesticide exposure and subsequent long - term illness are extremely difficult to establish. however, the evidence is mounting. out of 426 chemicals named in 1988 by the ministry of agriculture, fisheries, and food as ingredients in pesticides cleared for use in england, 164 had been implicated in causing cancer, genetic mutations, irritant reactions, or reproductive problems ranging from impotency to birth defects. a 1986 national cancer institute study reported that farmers exposed to herbicides – espectially 2, 4 - d – for more than twenty days per year were six times as likely to develop non - hodgkins lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. in the prime agricultural region of the san joaquin valley of california, where 35 % of the wells are contaminated with dpcp, the state department of health services found an increased mortality rate for stomach cancer, the primary site for tumour induction in animals used in testing dpcp. in the small farm community of mcfarland, california, thirteen children have developed cancer since 1981, and six have died ; miscarriages, fetal deaths and low birth weights are common. a definitive causal link has


used in testing dpcp. in the small farm community of mcfarland, california, thirteen children have developed cancer since 1981, and six have died ; miscarriages, fetal deaths and low birth weights are common. a definitive causal link has not been established, but pesticide contamination in the region is a likely factor. other recent studies link agricultural chemicals to an increase in birth defects. … scientists are finding higher and higher levels of pesticides in people throughout the world. the effects are poorly understood, but the increased use of pesticides and other industrial chemicals has been followed by increased cancer rates. since chronic health problems are usually slow in developing, it may well be that the most serious effects of pesticide contaminaton are yet to come. pesticide use in the less industrialised parts of the world is particularly disturbing. seventy percent of the pesticides used in india are banned or severely restricted in the west. although regulation on permissible levels in food do exist, they are poorly enforced. a recent survey of vegetables in a delhi market revealed pesticide residues twenty times above legal limits, while a world health organization ( who ) survey in india found 50 % of samples contaminated. in a survey in the estate of punjab, ddt and bhc, both banned in the west, were found in all seventy - five samples of human milk. – from the ground up, rethinking industrial agriculture, p. 18 - 20. as some of you may have noticed (! ), i often come down hard on large corporations that put profits before people. the following passage is an exemplary example of why some are fully deserving of censure : the united states produces between 100 and 150 million pounds of pesticides which are considered too dangerous for use within the country ’ s borders. these chemicals are exported for use in other nations with less stringent environmental safeguards. – from the ground up, rethinking industrial agriculture, p. 23. where ’ s the logic? a chemical is outright banned. so what do we do with it? we sell it!! but, as they say, what goes around, comes around : yet these same banned and restricted agricultural chemicals find their way to the dinner table in homes all across the united states, in the form of residues on imported beef, cheese [ bio - magnification, remember ] and vegetables. while inspectors at us borders check food imports for certain chemicals, they are only able to sample 1 - 2 % of all shipments, and test for less than 40 %


on imported beef, cheese [ bio - magnification, remember ] and vegetables. while inspectors at us borders check food imports for certain chemicals, they are only able to sample 1 - 2 % of all shipments, and test for less than 40 % of the pesticides on the market. in many cases, pesticides which cannot be legally used in the us – but which are manufactured domestically and exported overseas – are among those for which inspectors do not test. according to the us department of agriculture figures for 1990, illegal residues on imported food were four times as common as residues on domestic foods. it is not known how much of this contamination originated from pesticide factories operating within the us. – from the ground up, rethinking industrial agriculture, p. 23. a potentially ( even ) more troubling worry is our water supply. because chemicals move very slowly through the soil, even if, today, we were to make a complete shift back to organic systems of agriculture, our water tables, wells and aquifers would continue to be drip - fed ongoing deliveries of chemicals for years to come. there is no way to speed up nature ’ s water purification systems, so these chemicals may remain with us for decades after their use has ceased. this has often been shown to be true when water tests discover wells contain chemicals that have been banned several years prior. do you realise that virtually none of the poisons we spray on our fields actually end up on their target – the ‘ pest ’? but, they do end up everywhere else. pesticides are designed to kill. they are released deliberately into the environment and onto food. only about 1 % of a pesticide actually reaches its target. the rest is released into the environment, exposing innocent people and wildlife. – wwf but, as mentioned in our previous pesticide post, the use of chemicals is not slowing up – we ’ re using more and more, and, they ’ re getting stronger : according to david pimentel, entomologist at cornell university, over the past 50 years pesticide use has increased 30 times ( and toxicity of pesticides more than a hundredfold ) … and for what? … many pesticides are losing their effectiveness as the bugs and plants they are designed to eradicate develop resistance. ( already 504 insect and mite species, 150 plant diseases, and 188 weed species have developed resistance. ) farmers still lose about 20 per cent of their crops to weeds and insects, the same proportion as they lost in 1930. – wwf … twice as much


taking without giving back, this will not be an overnight move in many places, and it can never happen while we ’ re using the modern day large - scale cargill / monsanto monocrop farming model. this corporate system needs to be recognised for what it is – a failed exercise promoted for the profit of a few, and not for the public good. this short - sighted, arbitrary, destructive and reductionist approach has marched across our social, cultural and actual landscape, uprooting traditional sustainable and, might i add, more efficient family farms with every stride. | why do we subsidise all the wrong things? | to change course there is a critical epiphany that needs to take place in the minds of certain people that have the means and opportunity to make a difference. the subsidies that favour corporate agribusiness and long - distance trade and force family farmers into cities to become factory workers and wal - mart - type employees must cease. the current conviction that the health of a nation is determined by its bottom line, its fiscal state, and an unending growth in consumerism must give way to the realisation that the true measure of wealth in a society can only be based on the health, wealth and well - being of its individual members. through changes in agricultural policies we would begin a gradual dismantling that would promote and encourage smaller, bio - diverse family farms – making them once more an attractive and viable prospect. large - scale monocrop farming must become a dying breed, and give way to the rebuilding of localised farming communities. “ agripower, ” it will be noted, is not measured by the fertility or health of the soil, or the health, wisdom, thrift, or stewardship of the farming community. it is measured by its ability to produce a marketable surplus, which “ generates agridollars. ” it is to be measured by “ productivity, combined with processing and marketing efficiency. ” the income from this increased production, we are told, is spent by farmers not for soil maintenance or improvement, water conservation, or erosion control, but for “ purchased inputs ” : “ household appliances, farm equipment, building supplies, and other capital and consumer goods. ” i do not mean that we should necessarily begrudge the farmer these purchases ; i am only noticing that, to mr. bell [ a former assistant secretary of agriculture ] the farmer does not prosper to become a better farmer, but to become a bigger spender. the assistant secretary was applying to


before you can bring a bird into your home, you must purchase everything you will require for his care. fortunately, all the items your pet will need should be available from your local pet store. the following are the basic must - have supplies. birds will bathe in a water dish, but it ' s best if you offer yours a daily bath in a flat, shallow dish instead to prevent him from fouling his water supply. you can use the clay or plastic dish that sits underneath a flowerpot ; a clean ashtray ; or a shallow bathing dish purchased from a pet shop. the size of the cage you need will depend on the bird ( or birds ) you plan to keep, but a good rule of thumb is to house your bird in the largest cage that you can afford and have room for in your home. ( if you can ' t purchase or place a very large cage, you shouldn ' t acquire a large bird. ) your cage should be square or rectangular rather than round to provide your pet with more room to fly. also, the bars should be evenly spaced, not tapered toward the top. in a cage with tapered bars, a bird can get his toe, wing, or even his head caught where the bars come together, causing serious injury. the cage should also have a removable grate at the bottom ( usually made of metal ) that catches the bird ' s waste and prevents him from getting to it. the cage itself should be made of metal or a combination of metal and plastic. stainless steel, powder - coated steel, and wrought iron make suitable cage materials — other metals may contain harmful toxins that your bird could ingest. acrylic cages can also work well because the solid walls prevent mess, but moisture can build up in the cage if it doesn ' t have adequate ventilation. never keep your bird in a wooden cage — the wood is likely to become moist and harbor bacteria. you can use a variety of materials to line your bird ' s cage, but the best options are newspaper or paper towels. both are safe, inexpensive, easy to replace, and clearly show a bird ' s droppings, which can be important for monitoring his health. ( a change in droppings may indicate a potential health problem. ) food and water bowls food and water dishes for birds are often called " coop cups. " stainless steel is the ideal material for these cups because it ' s easy to scrub and disinfect. although your cage may come with a couple plastic cups, these can become scratched


food and water dishes for birds are often called " coop cups. " stainless steel is the ideal material for these cups because it ' s easy to scrub and disinfect. although your cage may come with a couple plastic cups, these can become scratched, allowing bacteria to grow in the crevices. these items provide much - needed calcium to your bird ' s diet, and he ' ll also have fun chewing and destroying them to keep his beak trim. make sure that he has at least one of each, and replace them when he soils or consumes them. perches can be made of concrete, plastic, rope, or wood, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. offer your bird various perches of assorted materials in many different dimensions. a bird who stands on the same perch consistently may develop foot disorders. unless you keep your bird in an acrylic cage, you will need some kind of seed and debris catcher to prevent debris in the cage from reaching your floor. some cages come with these already attached or as an accessory option, or you may have to buy one separately. you can also use a thin layer of plastic attached to the bottom half of the cage or a " birdie bloomer, " a kind of fabric that slips over the bottom of the cage. most birds benefit from having items in their cage to keep them active and entertained. a wide variety of toys is available, and different species of birds enjoy different types of toys. to ensure a good variety of toy types for your bird, consider placing one or two of each of these types in your bird ' s normal cage setup : thinking toys ( items that stimulate his mind ) ; action toys ( items that make a lot of noise or require your bird to move ) ; comfort toys ( items that your bird can enjoy calmly and quietly ) ; and toys to destroy ( items he can chew to keep his beak in good condition ). a travel carrier is necessary for taking your bird to the vet ' s office and other places. a typical carrier for a bird has a grating and door on the top so that the bird can see up instead of just out of one door. a door on the top also makes it easier to catch a bird who is reluctant to leave the carrier. the carrier should be easy to clean and small enough to fit beneath the seat of an airplane. it should also have adequate ventilation and a place to put food and water dishes.


european painting before 1900, johnson collection triptych showing scenes from the martyrdom of saint barbara and scenes from the life of christ master of the laufen high altarpiece, austrian ( active salzburg ), dated work 1467 oil and gold on panels ew1993 - 127 - 2a - - cpurchased with the w. p. wilstach fund, the george w. elkins fund, and museum funds, 1993 as described in the golden legend, written in about 1267 by jacopo da voragine, saint barbara converted to christianity against the wishes of her pagan father. locked in a tower by him, she ordered workmen to construct a third window inthe building to symbolize the christian trinity. enraged, her father turned her over to the roman authorities for torture, and when her execution was ordered, he himself beheaded her. the left and right panels on the front of this triptychillustrate episodes from barbara ’ s gruesome martyrdom. these graphic depictions are intended to help the viewer equate barbara ’ s physical torments with those of christ, whose crucifixion is depicted in the top center composition. the figures at the top left and right, probably the apostles john and luke, hold sayings taken from the last words of christ on the cross, which here apply also to barbara ’ s death. the bottom center panel shows barbara enthroned in heaven, wearing a crown and holding a palm frond as symbols of victory over death. a tower and chalice, her identifying attributes, appear nearby. barbara ’ s martyrdom is paralleled on the reverse by the resurrected christ standing in the tomb. the left and right panels of the back, which are movable and can be folded shut to appear on the front, show the angel gabriel announcing the incarnation of christ to the virgin mary. social tags [? ] austrian [ x ] gabriel [ x ] gold [ x ] martyr [ x ] three [ x ] trinity [ x ] triptych [ x ] [ add your own tags ] * works in the collection are moved off view for many different reasons. although gallery locations on the website are updated regularly, there is no guarantee that this object will be on display on the day of your visit.


phlebotomy training is necessary for those individuals who want to develop specialized skills in order to collect blood from the patient with least amount of pain. phlebotomy training is relatively new specialized procedure for collecting blood from the veins. the demand for trained phlebotomist grew within last two decades. phlebotomy classes learning has made the procedure of blood collection a very safe and sterile method. phlebotomy training is very important for those who are willing to get an extremely good job in a reputed hospital, research laboratories, research institutes, etc. this training involves providing guidance for handling and controlling biohazardous materials such as blood sample, unused sterile needles and used needles. phlebotomy training is all about collecting, testing and transporting the blood samples with getting them spoiled. phlebotomy training classes in phlebotomy training, the students learns in detail about the human anatomy, creating patient rapport, needle technique, medical safety and the process of keeping the records. in addition to the theoretical knowledge, the student is also given practical training about handling several medical equipments including container of biohazardous waste containers, biohazardous spill kits, syringes of various sizes, dermal puncture devices, vacuum tubes, blood culture bottles, bandages, tapes, tourniquets, looking arm rest, etc. this kind of training can be done in the same way as other medical training programs. phlebotomy training can be done as 4 year bachelors degree or a two year associate degree. some hospitals, community colleges, research institutes also provide vocational programs from phlebotomy training. phlebotomy training : work and salary after taking phlebotomy training along with cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a person may get $ 10 per hour and this amount of salary increases with time and experience of the phlebotomist. it can be up to $ 30 per hour. the salary figure after a phlebotomy training depends on the kind of job and the place the person is working on. details of phlebotomy training phlebotomy training is done in order to become a certified phlebotomist. phlebotomy certification is the best certification for a person seeking a good career in hospital field in which a person can help reduce the pain of the patient in taking blood out of patient ’ s body. it is done through venipuncture. venipuncture is the process of collecting venous blood which


a team of anthropologists that studied chimpanzees trained to use treadmills has gathered new evidence suggesting that our earliest apelike ancestors started walking on two legs because it required less energy than getting around on all fours. " when our earliest ancestors started walking on two legs, they took the first steps toward becoming human, " said lead researcher michael sockol of uc davis. " our findings help answer why. " the research appears this week in the online early edition of the proceedings of the national academy of sciences. it will appear in the july 24 print edition. " this is the first time anyone has succeeded in studying energetics and biomechanics in adult chimps, " said sockol, who worked for two years to find an animal trainer willing to coax adult chimps to walk on two legs and to " knucklewalk " on all fours on the sort of treadmill found in most gyms. the five chimps also wore face masks used to help the researchers measure oxygen consumption. while the chimps worked out, the scientists collected metabolic, kinematic and kinetic data that allowed them to calculate which method of locomotion used less energy and why. the team gathered the same information for four adult humans walking on a treadmill. the researchers found that human walking used about 75 percent less energy and burned 75 percent fewer calories than quadrupedal and bipedal walking in chimpanzees. they also found that for some but not all of the chimps, walking on two legs was no more costly than knucklewalking. " we were prepared to find that all of the chimps used more energy walking on two legs - - but that finding wouldn ' t have been as interesting, " sockol said. " what we found was much more telling. for three chimps, bipedalism was more expensive, but for the other two chimps, this wasn ' t the case. one expended about the same energy walking on two legs as on four. the other used less energy walking upright. " these two chimps had different gaits and anatomy than their knucklewalking peers. and when the researchers examined the early hominid fossil record, they found evidence of these traits – skeletal characteristics of the hip and hind limb that allow for greater extension of the hind limb - - in some early bipeds. taken together, the findings provide support for the hypothesis that anatomical differences affecting gait existed among our earliest apelike ancestors, and that these


the hip and hind limb that allow for greater extension of the hind limb - - in some early bipeds. taken together, the findings provide support for the hypothesis that anatomical differences affecting gait existed among our earliest apelike ancestors, and that these differences provided the genetic variation natural selection could act on when changes in the environment gave bipeds an advantage over quadrupeds. fossil and molecular evidence suggests the earliest ancestors of the human family lived in forested areas in equatorial africa in the late miocene era some 8 to 10 million years ago, when changes in climate may have increased the distance between food patches. that would have forced early hominids to travel longer distances on the ground and favored those who could cover more ground using less energy. " this isn ' t the complete answer, " sockol said. " but it ' s a good piece of a puzzle humans have always wondered about : how and why did we become human? and why do we alone walk on two legs? " sockol, a doctoral candidate in anthropology, has been pursuing his research for four years as part of his dissertation. he conducted the research at uc davis and at a private animal refuge and training facility in northern california with colleagues herman pontzer of washington university in st. louis and david raichlen of the university of arizona. source : uc davis explore further : navy dolphins discover rare old torpedo off calif. coast near coronado


ibm researchers have discovered a way to use graphite effectively in building nanoelectonic circuits vastly smaller than those in silicon - based computer chips. ibm researchers today announced a discovery that combats one of the industry ' s most perplexing problems in using graphite - - the same material found inside pencils - - as a material for building nanoelectonic circuits vastly smaller than those found in today ' s silicon based computer chips. for the first time anywhere, ibm scientists have found a way to suppress unwanted interference of electrical signals created when shrinking graphene, a two - dimensional, single - atomic layer thick form of graphite, to dimensions just a few atoms long. scientists around the world are exploring the use of graphene as a much smaller replacement for today ' s silicon transistors. graphene is a two - dimensional honeycomb lattice of carbon atoms, similar to atomic - scale chicken - wire, which has attracted strong scientific and technological interest because it exhibits promising electrical properties and could be used in transistors and circuits at scales vastly smaller than components inside of today ' s tiniest computer chips. one problem in using these nano - devices is the inverse relationship between the size of the device and the amount of uncontrolled electrical noise that is generated : as they are made smaller and smaller, the noise - - electrical charges that bounce around the material causing all sorts of interference that impede their usefulness - - grows larger and larger. this trend is known as hooge ' s rule, and occurs in traditional silicon based devices as well as in graphene nano - ribbons and carbon nanotube based devices. " the effect of noise from hooge ' s rule is exaggerated at the nanoscale because the dimensions are approaching the nearly smallest limits, down to only a handful of atoms, and the noise that is created can overwhelm the electrical signal that needs to be achieved to be useful, " said ibm researcher dr. phaedon avouris, who leads ibm ' s exploration into carbon nanotubes and graphene. " to quote the famous physicist rolf landauer, at the nanoscale ' the noise is your signal ' ; in other words, you cannot produce any useful electronic device at the nanoscale if the noise is comparable to the signal you are trying to switch on and off. " now, ibm scientists have found that the noise in graphene - based semiconductor devices can, in fact, be suppressed and report the results today in the journal nano letters. in their experiments, the ibm researchers


are trying to switch on and off. " now, ibm scientists have found that the noise in graphene - based semiconductor devices can, in fact, be suppressed and report the results today in the journal nano letters. in their experiments, the ibm researchers first used a single layer, or sheet, of graphene to build a transistor and noted that the device does in fact follow hooge ' s rule : as they are made smaller and smaller, there is an increase in the noise that is created. two layers are better than one however, when the ibm researchers built the same device with two sheets of graphene instead of one - - one stacked on top of the other - - they noted that the noise is suppressed, and is weak enough that these so - called bilayer graphene ribbons could prove useful for building future semiconductor devices for use in sensors, communications devices, computing systems and more. the noise is inhibited because of the strong electronic coupling between the two graphene layers that counteracts the influence of the noise sources : the system acts as a noise insulator. while further detailed analysis and studies are required to better understand these phenomena, the findings provide exciting opportunities for graphene bilayers in a variety of applications. the report on this work, entitled " strong suppression of electrical noise in bilayer graphene nanoribbons " by yu - ming lin and phaedon avouris of ibm ' s t. j. watson research center in yorktown heights, n. y. is available online at the journal nano letters : pubs. acs. org / cgi - bin / abstract. cgi / nalefd / asap / abs / nl080241l. html explore further : scientists develop cheaper, more efficient fuel cells


" everything flows. everything is movement. " from the makers of dimensions comes a great free online movie exploring dynamical systems, the butterfly effect and chaos theory by means of stunning visuals accompanied by a beautiful musical score. the dynamics of the weather, the three - body problem, smale ' s horseshoe — it ' s all there, including cute lego athletes whizzing around a lorenz attractor. " the film is for everybody, " says the mathematician etienne ghys, one of its creators. " it is split into nine chapters. the level [ of the mathematics ] continuously increases from chapter one to chapter nine and, in principle, one should not be frustrated if one does not watch the film until the very end. " so whatever your level of maths there is something in it for you. the field of dynamical systems was created by henri poincare some 125 years ago. " its purpose is to understand the motion of mechanical systems, like celestial bodies for instance, without solving any equations, " says ghys. " the trick is to use pictures to prove theorems : this is just what is needed for a movie. " poincare was indeed something of a pioneer in the use of pictures. " during the nineteenth century, especially in france, there was a period in maths during which pictures were considered a taboo, " says ghys. " they were supposed to be evil : the origin of mistakes. under the influence of mathematicians like poincare mathematics, or at least some parts of maths, has become more visual and movies are indeed a wonderful tool to explain things. one picture is worth a thousand words! " so just imagine how many words a whole movie can replace! watch chaos : a mathematical adventure.


by cliff walker ( this entire section is slated for revision. ) 2. what is theism? if atheism is, at minimum, the lack of a god belief and, more properly, the rejection of theism, we need to agree upon a definition for theism. theism is the belief that a god ( or many gods ) exists. beyond this ( like atheists ), two particular theists may not have anything else in common. however, agreeing on a basic definition for theism for two reasons is best for two reasons. first, people often misuse the word god. many people use the word god to describe something that they best describe with other terminology. this dodge introduces confusion into the discussion. one example is using the word god to refer to anything that someone reveres ; guitarist eric clapton, for example, was once called " god " in graffiti throughout london. a possible goal for doing this may be that if we can make the word god mean a number of different things, then more people will agree that " a god " exists. but such people are not all talking about the same thing when they say the word god. secondly, some theists say they believe in something they call " god, " but upon examination we cannot distinguish their beliefs from atheism. the only difference between atheism and some forms of theism is the theists ' use of the word god. we will try to be fair in describing the most common attributes of the gods of theism. also, we will explain why some definitions for the word god are not valid for a discussion of atheism. when we mention a god ( or gods ), we refer to a being who is ( said to be ) supernatural or transcendent. that is ( as some say ), that a being exists who is somehow " above " or " beyond " the natural, knowable universe. this necessarily would include any being who created the universe and still exists today. if a god created the universe, that god is not part of the universe. atheists reject the idea of such a being, or simply lack the belief that such a being exists. some people believe in superior beings who are not supernatural, but part of the universe. calling such beings gods is improper because we cannot distinguish them from the benevolent space brothers that pop groups sang about in the 1970s. most atheists do not reject the possibility of benevolent space brothers ( though most are skeptical of the reports of alien encounters and abductions ). trying to equate


cannot distinguish them from the benevolent space brothers that pop groups sang about in the 1970s. most atheists do not reject the possibility of benevolent space brothers ( though most are skeptical of the reports of alien encounters and abductions ). trying to equate benevolent space brothers with gods injects confusion into any discussion of atheism. a common motive for using this definition for gods is to place atheists squarely within the camp of theism. atheists reject theism, that is, they reject the notion of supernatural entities. belief in the possibility of a superior race of aliens is not theism. alcoholics anonymous uses similar language as a bait - and - switch con game to gain the confidence of impaired, desperate people who suffer from alcohol addiction. step two of aa states : " came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. " this, they tell us, can mean any power ( though they capitalize the word ). some suggest a doorknob, a light bulb or a 1968 harley - davidson motorcycle. this ruse starts to break down in step three, which mentions " god as we understand him " ( note uppercase " g " and " h " ). aa ' s position falls apart completely when you substitute something else for the word god in step six : " became entirely ready to have [ a harley ] remove all our defects of character. " as mentioned above, stepism denies that it is religious, insisting, instead that it is " spiritual - - not religious. " this distinction means nothing to atheists. " this dance with semantics implies that religion is stuffy, hierarchical, or phony, whereas spirituality is spontaneous, personal, honest, and genuine. the merriam - webster ' s tenth collegiate dictionary does not support these shades of meaning. " nevertheless, several united states court cases have ruled that alcoholics anonymous fits well within the legal definition of religious, according to the establishment clause in the bill of rights. many people are pantheists, that is, they say the universe itself is a god. they object to thinking of a god as transcendent, that is, distinct from the universe. while pantheism sees nature as the ultimate context for human existence, pantheists do not necessarily think of the god as a person, or person - like ( anthropomorphic ). this is one way to have the best of both worlds, so to speak : pantheists enjoy one advantage of theism in that they can avoid the tag atheist. unlike traditional


a person, or person - like ( anthropomorphic ). this is one way to have the best of both worlds, so to speak : pantheists enjoy one advantage of theism in that they can avoid the tag atheist. unlike traditional theists, though, they needn ' t grapple with the physical and logical impossibilities inherent in the supernatural models. many atheists think the pantheists ' use of the word god is, in a sense, dishonest. a likely response to pantheism is to ask, " why bother using the word god at all? why not just say, ' the universe ' and be done with it? " as schopenhauer put it, " to call the world ' god ' is not to explain it ; it is only to enrich our language with a superfluous synonym for the word ' world '. " martin gardner said, " i regard spinoza as essentially an atheist, because to him god and nature were synonyms. in his writings you could replace the term " god " with the term " nature " and it doesn ' t change anything. " one absurdity of pantheism shows itself when we ask if calling part of the universe god is okay, or must we mean the entire universe when we say god? is the state of new jersey god? what happens when we extend the meaning to cover the whole of north america? can we further expand the meaning to mean the planet earth, or the milky way galaxy? how does this differ from calling the universe a god? for the most part, if we understand what is meant by " god " ( and remove any new age elements that may exist ), we can barely distinguish pantheism from atheism. atheists generally have the same respect for the planet that any human ( or animal ) would have for its home - - its source of life. all organism have a built - in drive to stay alive ; in humans, this generally spills over to an innate respect for the life - giving environment. thus, contrary to the claims of some pantheists, an additional " reverence " for the planet ( or the universe ) is not needed. universalism, as some practice it, contains elements of pantheism in that the god of universalism is not necessarily personal. members of the unitarian / universalist church are free to choose or develop whatever idea of theism makes sense to the individual - - or to reject theism altogether. a personal god is one


in that the god of universalism is not necessarily personal. members of the unitarian / universalist church are free to choose or develop whatever idea of theism makes sense to the individual - - or to reject theism altogether. a personal god is one with whom someone feels a one - to - one relationship, a deity who cares specifically for that individual and to whom that person can appeal directly. few universalists would characterize god in such personal terms. most do not believe in a supernatural, supreme being who can directly intervene in and alter human life or the mechanism of the natural world. many believe in a spirit of life or a power within themselves, which some choose to call god. universalists do not believe spirits of the disembodied variety. however, most agree that a " spiritual dimension " connects to the physical, mental, emotional, and psychological aspects of life. very few universalists believe in a continuing, individualized existence after physical death, and even fewer believe in heaven or hell. rather, most believe immortality manifests itself in the lives of those we affect during our lifetime and in the legacy we leave when we die. except the language regarding god and a spiritual dimension, distinguishing universalists from atheists is difficult. deism is the idea that a god created the universe - - started the ball rolling, so to speak, or wound up the mechanism - - but has left no revelation that we can translate or transcribe. deists say it ' s an affront to its god to accept a so - called revelation ( the upanishads ; the bible ; the koran ). instead, deism points to nature and science as the only " revelation " that the god has given us. deism differs from pantheism in that its god is usually personal ( is a person ) whereas pantheism rejects the notion of a personal or anthropomorphic god. deism also sees its god as separate from the universe ; in pantheism the universe itself is god. the deistic notion that one can offend a god has caused a few others to think of deism as benevolently dogmatic. justification for deism rests almost entirely on the argument from design : the universe, and most particularly life ( they tell us ), is so complex that it must be the product of a creative process or act. we will discuss the teleological argument, as theologians call it, later. the basic objection to the design argument is simple. the universe is so complex, they tell us,


complex that it must be the product of a creative process or act. we will discuss the teleological argument, as theologians call it, later. the basic objection to the design argument is simple. the universe is so complex, they tell us, that we need to explain its existence with a creator. such a creator, then, would be that much more complex and would even more require an explanation for its existence. in other words, if the existence of the universe is unlikely, then the existence of the universe plus a god is even less likely than that. even if we grant the notion of design, it does not follow that a particular creator exists, or that there is only one creator. the idea of design says nothing about whether the creator still exists today, or whether anybody can know the creator. the most important philosophical objection to the argument from design is the idea that we cannot speak of creation until we can detect and identify a creator. to posit creation first ( evidenced upon complexity and unlikelihood ) is to jump the gun, so to speak. ( this logical fallacy is called begging the question. ) this is the strongest refutation of william paley ' s watch - in - the - desert analogy. if we find a watch in the desert, we can know it had a creator. we do not determine this because the watch is very intricate ; we know it was created because we can go to switzerland and identify its creator. judaism, christianity, islam, hinduism, and other religions base their understanding not on human reason but on scripture. scripture is the alleged revealed word of the god in question, presented via a prophet. while each revealed religion once held its scripture to be flawless ( fundamentalism ), modern variations contain sects which hold the scripture or revelation up to human scrutiny. the fundamentalist varieties of these religions claim that their particular revelation is flawless ; therefore, the fundamentalist religions are easiest to dismiss as untrue. all one need do, is to discover a single error in the scripture and the foundation of fundamentalism crumbles away. in christianity, two defenses of fundamentalism have thrived : roman catholicism and wesleyanism. roman catholicism depends on its leadership, particularly the pope, to interpret difficulties. in the early years of protestantism, the roman catholic inquisition executed people who published the bible and made it available to the people. opponents suggest this move was to protect biblical flaws from public discovery. john wesley popularized an approach to the bible that is, philosophically, not far removed from that of catholicism in


inquisition executed people who published the bible and made it available to the people. opponents suggest this move was to protect biblical flaws from public discovery. john wesley popularized an approach to the bible that is, philosophically, not far removed from that of catholicism in that it allows for reinterpretation of the scriptures. wesley said that if a particular passage does not make sense, then god did not intend that passage for you. ( they still claim divine inspiration for the bible, though. ) this left individuals and churches free to ignore the bible ' s more barbaric statements, which humans naturally find hard to justify. what is left over is a more compassionate, more humanistic message in its place. some opponents call this a " warm and fuzzy " gospel. wesleyanism also opened the door to the process of " smoothing over " bible difficulties, mostly its self - inconsistencies. in his book the age of reason, thomas paine presented a most compelling objection to inspiration. paine says, " admitting, for the sake of a case, that something has been revealed to a certain person, and not revealed to any other person, it is revelation to that person only. when he tells it to a second person, a second to a third, a third to a fourth, and so on, it ceases to be a revelation to all those persons. it is revelation to the first person only, and hearsay to every other, and consequently they are not obliged to believe it. " monotheism is the most popular form of religion in the west, covering judaism, christianity ( the doctrine of the trinity notwithstanding ) and islam. monotheism is the belief that there exists exactly one god. polytheism speaks of many gods and goddesses, each with his or her special jurisdiction or function. often, a god or goddess would oversee a particular tribe or nation and would either compete with or cooperate with the deities of other nations. belief in a single creator superceded polytheism in judaism, christian, and islamic cultures. the gods of judaism, christianity, and islam were all once polytheistic tribal gods. the gods and goddess of polytheism were not necessarily creators, and usually had weaknesses just like humans have. theologians tell us the gods of monotheism are all - powerful ( omnipotent ), all - knowing ( omniscient ) and sometimes all - merciful. the monotheistic god has no equals or superiors. if a monotheistic god has a desk, the sign on it


- powerful ( omnipotent ), all - knowing ( omniscient ) and sometimes all - merciful. the monotheistic god has no equals or superiors. if a monotheistic god has a desk, the sign on it says, " the buck stops here. " western theologians almost universally regard monotheism as an improvement over polytheism. this prompts atheists to ask, if belief in one god is an improvement over belief in many goddesses and gods, would belief in no gods be a further improvement over belief in one god? nevertheless, monotheism ' s claims to superiority over polytheism are lacking in several ways. first, monotheism ' s claims to being true are no more believable than those of polytheism. one can use every traditional argument used for the existence of one god, to argue for the existence of many gods or goddesses. no traditional theistic argument eliminates the notion that more than one god may have worked on the project. furthermore, how could we assert that the god who created this universe was not, himself, created by an even bigger god ( as gnosticism and mormonism suggest )? if the universe needs a creator to explain its existence, then the creator, being that much more complex, needs to be explained. otherwise, we are free to rest in the fact that the universe simply exists, period. if we brush aside discussions of whether one or the other system is true, claims that the concept of monotheism is superior to that of polytheism don ' t hold water. we need merely glance at some history books to see that monotheistic religions almost always breed intolerance. the god of the ancient jews commanded them to eliminate all competitors, saying, " thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth. " jesus the merciful allegedly said, " if a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered ; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. " christians, both catholic and protestant, followed this command for centuries by burning heretics at the stake. as competing christian sects, they decimated their own ranks ; they also slaughtered jews, muslims, pagans, unbelievers, and the tribes native to the western hemisphere. islam ' s motto speaks for itself : " slay the idolaters wherever you find them. " people generally convert to islam only " in terror or in quest of power,


unbelievers, and the tribes native to the western hemisphere. islam ' s motto speaks for itself : " slay the idolaters wherever you find them. " people generally convert to islam only " in terror or in quest of power, or to avoid heavy taxation, or to escape humiliation, or if taken prisoner, or because of infatuation with a muslim woman. " such is the story of monotheism. the insane drive to force everybody to conform to a single system is foreign to the philosophies of polytheism, and entirely absent from their histories. almost every variant of monotheism, says former muslim ibn warraq, expresses " dogmatic certainty that it alone has access to the true god, that it alone has access to truth. " however, polytheism, as david hume noted, " is only so much greater similarity to human affairs. " lecky, discussing the early christians ' hatred of the circus and theater, remarks : " the austerity with which the christians condemned them was probably one of the chief causes of the hatred and consequent persecution of which the early church was the victim, and which contrasts so remarkably with the usually tolerant character of polytheism. " the intellectual order that monotheism would bring is superficial at best. superstition would not be reduced, but it would merely be focused upon the single god rather than upon many gods and goddesses. however, strict monotheism fails to provide for the great chasm that inherently exists between a human and a monotheistic god. zwi werblowski wrote, " when polytheism is superceded by monotheism, the host of deities is either abolished ( theoretically ) or bedeviled ( i. e., turned into demons ), or downgraded to the rank of angels and ministering spirits. " the same can be said of the veneration of saints both in non - protestant christianity and islam. furthermore, in many of the ancient myths, the heroes were once gods. arthur drews, in the christ myth, mentions that " abraham ( the ' great father ' ) is, however, only another name for israel, ' the mighty god. ' this was the earliest designation of the god of the hebrews, until it was displaced by the name jahwe, being only employed henceforth as the name of the people belonging to him. " in other words, the great patriarchs were once gods. their exploits were later attributed to men,


hebrews, until it was displaced by the name jahwe, being only employed henceforth as the name of the people belonging to him. " in other words, the great patriarchs were once gods. their exploits were later attributed to men, upon the advent of monotheism. after the christian party won control of rome, says john william draper, " crowds of worldly persons, who cared nothing about its religious ideas, became its warmest supporters. pagans at heart, their influence was soon manifested in the paganization of christianity that forthwith ensued. " when a religion gains political control, it always faces this danger of diluting its focus. being in control, the diluted religion sets itself up as the final arbiter of truth. then, the rest of us are required to support a religion that has been further debased from its original state. with religion in control of the state, everybody comes out a loser every time. the goddesses and gods of polytheism were simple, more down - to - earth. being more human - like ( anthropomorphic ), it was easier to relate to them. the monotheistic deities are simply too big, too vast, for many people to grasp. a monotheistic god must be in charge of everything. this god must also be bigger than the universe itself - - " above " or " beyond " nature - - supernatural. he or she must somehow " transcend " the universe. though many theists talk about their god ' s transcendence, atheists tend to question what this even means. what does it mean to be " above " or " beyond " nature? this makes no sense. as a concept, we cannot relate to it, because we have experience only with the natural world. the theists who say they believe in such a deity probably don ' t know themselves what this means. they learn from childhood to repeat the creedal formula and then to claim they believe it. is it possible to believe something that makes no sense? does a proposition have to constitute genuine belief? or are such theists only fooling themselves? theodore m. drange thinks so, and calls this phenomenon the mumbo - jumbo theory of some religious language. when people say they believe something, but their statement of belief is pure nonsense, they don ' t actually believe it, but are speaking mumbo - jumbo. as the monotheistic deity becomes more and more sophisticated, she or he becomes less and less accessible to the common


in 1782 an expatriate french aristocrat named j. hector st. john de crevecoeur who lived in new york ’ s hudson valley published a book in london called letters from an american farmer. the third letter was titled “ what is an american? ” that question reverberated in the late 18th century as the old world tried to make sense of the new. it ’ s still relevant 230 years later, in part because americans are changing even as america itself remains much the same. crevecoeur wondered, “ what then is the american, this new man? ” he was a citizen by choice, not birth — he had decided to come here. such a thing had never existed before. in many ways, barack obama is the 21st century version of this new american. but he ’ s more than just a political figure ; he ’ s a cultural one. he is the first president to embrace gay marriage and to offer work permits to many young undocumented immigrants. there has been much talk of the coalition of the ascendant — young people, minorities, hispanics, college - educated women — and in winning re - election, obama showed that these fast - growing groups are not only the future but also the present. about 40 % of millennials — the largest generational cohort in u. s. history, bigger even than the baby boomers — are nonwhite. if his win in 2008 was extraordinary, then 2012 is confirmation that demographic change is here to stay. obama is the first democratic president since fdr to win more than 50 % of the vote in consecutive elections and the first president since 1940 to win re - election with an unemployment rate north of 7. 5 %. he has stitched together a winning coalition and perhaps a governing one as well. his presidency spells the end of the reagan realignment that had defined american politics for 30 years. we are in the midst of historic cultural and demographic changes, and obama is both the symbol and in some ways the architect of this new america. “ the truth is, ” the president said in the oval office, “ that we have steadily become a more diverse and tolerant country that embraces people ’ s differences and respects people who are not like us. that ’ s a profoundly good thing. that ’ s one of the strengths of america. ” all elections are about change, and 2012 ’ s was as well. pretty much everyone voted for change of some kind : 49 % of voters wanted to change the president, while 51


good thing. that ’ s one of the strengths of america. ” all elections are about change, and 2012 ’ s was as well. pretty much everyone voted for change of some kind : 49 % of voters wanted to change the president, while 51 % of voters wanted the change that obama promised four years earlier. the pollster frank luntz told me that 40 % of america is ecstatic, 20 % is accepting and 40 % thinks the country is going to hell. “ the only other time we ’ ve seen this was fdr in 1936, ” he said. “ those who are alienated believe the president and his policies are not grounded in american values. ” ( inside the white house : never - before - seen photos ) but whose america is that? is there a battle between the old america and the new? obama would say no. he sees his time in office as a kind of convergence of past and future. “ i think about this eight - year project, ” he says, as one in which “ we ’ ve also accommodated all the demographic changes and cultural and technological changes that are taking place and been able to marry those with some of the old - fashioned virtues of hard work and discipline and responsibility — all in a way that allows us to succeed and to thrive. ” that ’ s the new america. and it ’ s finding its voice : the president we heard at the wrenching memorial service in connecticut was more assertive, more personal, more willing to risk his political capital for what he truly believes. at the end of invisible man, ralph ellison ’ s great 1952 novel about racial injustice, the central character says, “ america is woven of many strands ; i would recognize them and let it so remain … our fate is to become one, and yet many — this is not prophecy, but description. ” just 12 years ago, obama was so invisible that he attended the 2000 democratic national convention in l. a. and watched it on the jumbotron in the staples center parking lot. today he is universally visible — and known. but he would agree with ellison ’ s observation that this change is indeed description and not prophecy. the new america is not so much the old e pluribus unum — out of many, one — but, as ellison says, one and yet many. that is obama ’ s america. for finding and forging a new majority, for turning weakness into opportunity and for seeking, amid great adversity, to create a more perfect union, barack obama is time ’ s


for the first time, scientists have identified fresh produce as the source of an outbreak of human yersinia pseudotuberculosis infections, according to an article published in the march 1 issue of the journal of infectious diseases, now available online. the outbreak was identified in finland and traced epidemiologically to farms producing lettuce. y. pseudotuberculosis, first identified in 1883, causes infections characterized by fever and abdominal pain that are often confused with acute appendicitis. the microbe is well known in veterinary medicine as the cause of illnesses in hares, deer, and sheep, among other animals. y. pseudotuberculosis infections in humans are relatively rare, and while foodborne transmission has long been suspected, attempts to trace the pathogen to a concrete source of contamination in the past have been unsuccessful. in october of 1998, two microbiology laboratories in southern finland discovered an alarming increase in infections during routine surveillance of laboratory - diagnosed infections. j. pekka nuorti, of the national public health institute of finland, and colleagues from the university of helsinki, the national public health institute of finland, and the national food agency of finland initiated epidemiological and environmental investigations that would eventually reveal the source as contaminated iceberg lettuce. in a case - control study, 38 patients with confirmed infections were questioned about what and where they ate in the two weeks before the onset of their symptoms. the investigation led to four lunch cafeterias where the patients reported eating iceberg lettuce. the lettuce served in those cafeterias was traced to four farms in the southwest archipelago region of finland. while no lettuce remained from the shipments identified from the cafeterias, y. pseudotuberculosis was discovered in soil, irrigation water, and lettuce samples from one of those farms. the investigators suspect that the pathogen was spread by the feces of roe deer, which have been carriers of the pathogen in the past. deer feces were found in and around the open, unfenced fields where the lettuce was grown. in an accompanying editorial, robert v. tauxe, of the centers for disease control and prevention, notes that the next step in preventing future outbreaks of this kind might begin with studying the behavior of y. pseudotuberculosis in lettuce plants and attempting to define whether deer or other animals are the specific reservoir of the pathogen. such investigations may lead to better methods of prevention - - from fenced


women who experienced a short but severe decrease in their food intake during the 1944 – 1945 dutch famine have an increased risk of breast cancer compared with women whose caloric intake was not as greatly affected, according to a study in the april 7 issue of the journal of the national cancer institute. several animal studies have found that reducing caloric intake by one - third to one - half for the animals ' lifetime prevents various types of cancer, but the implications of short - term caloric restriction are largely unknown. however, reproducing these types of studies in humans raises ethical and practical issues. during world war ii, a famine in the western part of the netherlands resulted from a food embargo imposed by german authorities. between 1983 and 1986, about 15, 000 women participating in a dutch breast cancer screening program who were between ages 2 and 33 during the 1944 – 1945 famine responded to a questionnaire about their famine experience. sjoerd g. elias, ph. d., of the julius center for health sciences and primary care at the university medical center utrecht, the netherlands, and colleagues used data gathered from these women to study the effects of the famine on subsequent breast cancer risk. women were given a famine exposure score - - absent, moderate, or severe exposure to famine - - based on information about hunger, cold, and weight loss. the risk of breast cancer increased with increasing severity of famine exposure. for example, women who experienced severe exposure to famine had a 48 % increased risk of breast cancer compared with women who were not affected by the famine. the association between famine exposure and breast cancer risk was highest among women who were between ages 2 and 9 during the famine compared with women exposed at older ages. the risk was also stronger among women who never gave birth compared with women who had children. although a mechanism for the increased breast cancer risk among women exposed to short - term famine is unknown, the authors suggest that several endocrine systems may adapt to the extreme conditions of the famine, particularly while such systems are developing in young children, and are consequently inadequately developed to respond to a much higher caloric intake later on in life. " although the 1944 – 1945 famine is a black page in dutch history, it provides a unique situation in which to study the long - term consequences of a short but severe famine in humans, " the authors write. source : eurekalert & otherslast reviewed : by john m. grohol, psy. d. on 21 feb 2009 published on psychcentral. com.


a new initiative, " kidney disease : improving global outcomes " ( kdigo ), has been established to assemble international expertise and resources in addressing the global epidemic of chronic kidney disease ( ckd ). chronic kidney diseases represent a new and rapidly developing worldwide threat, according to the international society of nephrology ( isn ). today, more than 1 million people around the world are alive on renal dialysis. the incidence and prevalence of kidney failure have doubled in the last 15 years and are expected to continue to increase. according to the national kidney foundation, more than 20 million people in the united states - - one in nine adults - - have ckd, and most don ' t even know it. there is a clear need for the development of a " uniform and global public health approach to this worldwide epidemic, " states an article in the october issue of kidney international. data shows that kidney disease can be detected through simple tests in its early stages and then effectively treated. in end stages, dialysis treatment keeps patients alive, though sufferers of kidney disease, who are also susceptible to heart disease, are actually more likely to die from the latter, before even reaching stages where they would need dialysis. thus, early detection and proper care are imperative to slow kidney failure and premature death from complications. recently, clear evidence - based guidelines and actual clinical practice have been proven to be the best approach to addressing the problem of inadequate care. dr. garabed eknoyan, corresponding author of the paper outlining kdigo, notes " the implementation of previous initiative guidelines, such as the kidney disease outcomes quality initiative, by federal and private providers has been shown to favorably affect practice and outcomes. similar initiatives have been launched in other countries. " dr. eknoyan is one of the co - chairs of kdigo. the international board of kdigo will work to develop, implement and evaluate plans to improve outcomes of ckd. success will depend on this development and on how it is received by the international community. the kdigo initiative complements the worldwide activities of the international society of nephrology and supports isn ' s objectives of early detection and prevention of kidney disease. as a worldwide organization, isn will partner and work closely with the kdigo initiative on developing guidelines from a global perspective, with special attention to local and regional relevance. source : eurekalert & otherslast reviewed : by john m. grohol, psy. d. on 21 feb 2009 published on psychcentral


from coping with trauma - related dissociation : complex ptsd consists of of six symptom clusters, which also have been described in terms of dissociation of personality. of course, people who receive this diagnosis often also suffer from other problems as well, and as noted earlier, diagnostic categories may overlap significantly. the symptom clusters are as follows : alterations in regulation of affect ( emotion ) and impulses changes in relationship with others changes in meaning changes in the perception of self changes in attention and consciousness alterations in regulation of affect ( emotion ) an impulse : almost all people who are seriously traumatized have problems in tolerating and regulating their emotions and surges or impulses. however, those with complex ptsd and dissociative disorders tend to have more difficulties than those with ptsd because disruptions in early development have inhibited their ability to regulate themselves. the fact that you have a dissociative organization of your personality makes you highly vulnerable to rapid and unexpected changes in emotions and sudden impulses. various parts of the personality intrude on each other either through passive influence or switching when your under stress, resulting in dysregulation. merely having an emotion, such as anger, may evoke other parts of you to feel fear or shame, and to engage in impulsive behaviors to stop avoid the feelings. changes in attention and consciousness : people with complex ptsd suffer from more severe and frequent dissociation symptoms, as well as memory and attention problems, than those with simple ptsd. in addition to amnesty due to the activity of various parts of the self, people may experience difficulties with concentration, attention, other memory problems and general spaciness. these symptoms often accompany dissociation of the personality, but they are also common in people who do not have dissociative disorders. for example everyone can be spacey, absorbed in an activity, or miss an exit on the highway. when various parts of the personality are are active, by definition, a person experiences some kind of abrupt change in attention and consciousness. changes in the perception of self : people who have been traumatized in childhood are often troubled by guilt, shame, and negative feelings about themselves, such as the belief they are unlikable, unlovable, stupid, inept, dirty, worthless, lazy, and so forth. in complex dissociative disorders there are typically particular parts that contain these negative feelings about the self while other parts may evaluate themselves quite differently. alterations among parts thus may result in rather


inept, dirty, worthless, lazy, and so forth. in complex dissociative disorders there are typically particular parts that contain these negative feelings about the self while other parts may evaluate themselves quite differently. alterations among parts thus may result in rather rapid and distinct changes in self perception. changes in relationship with others : it is especially hard to trust other people if you have been repeatedly abused, abandoned or betrayed as a child. mistrust makes it very difficult to make friends, and to be able to distinguish between good and bad intentions in other people. some parts do not seem to trust anyone, while other parts may be so vulnerable and needy that they do not pay attention to clues that perhaps a person is not trustworthy. some parts like to be close to others or feel a desperate need to be close and taken care of, while other parts fear being close or actively dislike people. some parts are afraid of being in relationships while others are afraid of being rejected or criticized. this naturally sets up major internal as well as relational conflicts. people with complex ptsd often have medical unexplained physical symptoms such as abdominal pains, headaches, joint and muscle pain, stomach problems, and elimination problems. these people are sometimes most unfortunately mislabeled as hypochondriacs or as exaggerating their physical problems. but these problems are real, even though they may not be related to a specific physical diagnosis. some dissociative parts are stuck in the past experiences that involved pain may intrude such that a person experiences unexplained pain or other physical symptoms. and more generally, chronic stress affects the body in all kinds of ways, just as it does the mind. in fact, the mind and body cannot be separated. unfortunately, the connection between current physical symptoms and past traumatizing events is not always so clear to either the individual or the physician, at least for a while. at the same time we know that people who have suffered from serious medical, problems. it is therefore very important that you have physical problems checked out, to make sure you do not have a problem form which you need medical help. ” changes in meaning : finally, chronically traumatized people lose faith that good things can happen and people can be kind and trustworthy. they feel hopeless, often believing that the future will be as bad as the past, or that they will not live long enough to experience a good future. people who have a dissociative disorder may have different meanings in various disso


california department of education taking center stage – act ii the field of youth development focuses on research about protective factors that build students ’ strengths and protect them from social, emotional, and physical harm. youth development shifts the focus from fixing negative behaviors to building youths ’ strengths and capacity, their resilience, or assets. the search institute identified 40 developmental assets as building blocks of healthy development. the list of assets contains both external and internal assets that families and schools can nurture to help students succeed. to view the list, go to the search institute ( outside source ) web page on assets. resilience research identified three principles that protect students from risk and help them succeed : 1 " these supports and opportunities, referred to as protective factors, have been linked to the development of resilience — broadly defined as the ability to rebound from adversity and achieve healthy development and successful learning. they should be available in all environments in a young person ’ s world : home, school, community, and peer groups. ” 2 in california, much of the youth development research comes through the safe and healthy kids initiative. the resilience & youth development module provides findings from the california healthy kids survey ( outside source ) between fall 1999 and spring 2002. in the fifth and seventh grades, students take the survey, giving school professionals a look at how safe the students feel and whether they perceive that adults care about them and their success ( external assets ). it also measures their internal assets such as cooperation, communication, empathy, problem solving, self - efficacy, self - awareness, and goals and aspirations. research indicates that these internal assets protect a young person from involvement in health - risk behaviors and contribute to improved health, social, and academic outcomes. results from the surveys can be an extremely useful tool in applying for grants such as the 21st century community learning centers. kastner intermediate school, clovis unified school district, a 2008 schools to watch™ - taking center stage model school kastner promotes adolescent resilience by developing student assets. the mission of the school is to provide a safe and nurturing environment that promotes character, respect, and academic excellence. to help students develop those assets — or strengths — staff members support students through small learning communities. the grade - level teams are staffed by a vice principal, a counselor, and a secretary. in addition, all students benefit from a wide range of support services provided by a part - time school psychologist, a full - time nurse, a part - time school liaison officer, and a full -


vice principal, a counselor, and a secretary. in addition, all students benefit from a wide range of support services provided by a part - time school psychologist, a full - time nurse, a part - time school liaison officer, and a full - time district police officer. all staff members serve as mentors and proactively interact with all students, with a special focus on students exhibiting at - risk behavior. an annual needs assessment and climate survey help to inform staff members about potential needs for staff development and targeted strategies. an active student human relations committee helps to give students a voice about the school climate and to keep staff members alert to any potential areas of concern. ethnic student clubs help to connect students and build a sense of belonging. in addition, students at kastner can receive training as peer counselors, peer mediators, or eighth grade web ( where everybody belongs ) mentors for seventh grade students. in addition, kastner students are invited to participate in challenge day sensitivity training that teaches them to identify their own issues and biases and how they can challenge themselves and others accept each other as who they are and celebrate everyone ’ s contributions. all of these services are available to address the unique needs of adolescents facing very challenging issues in today ’ s world. the kastner population includes 1, 200 students in seventh and eighth grade. the demographic profile is 52 percent white, 23 percent hispanic, 13 percent asian, 5 percent african american, 3 percent other, and 1 percent native american / alaskan. several research studies show a positive correlation between academic achievement and developmental assets. among other things, the research suggests that : one key asset that schools help students develop is self - discipline. research found that the amount of self - discipline students reported at the beginning of school was “ more than twice ” as important as intelligence quotient in terms of student choices. researchers included final grades, high school selection, school attendance, hours spent doing homework, hours spent watching television ( inversely ), and the time of day students began their homework in the measures of success. these findings suggest that failure to exercise self - discipline is a major reason for students falling short of their intellectual potential. 7 fortuna middle school, fortuna union elementary school district eighth - grade science students brainstormed methods to study the various effects of drugs and the situations and environments in which a student might encounter drugs. the students decided to develop board games that incorporated the effects of drug abuse and presented scenarios of what to do if students encounter drugs. the students discussed the


to study the various effects of drugs and the situations and environments in which a student might encounter drugs. the students decided to develop board games that incorporated the effects of drug abuse and presented scenarios of what to do if students encounter drugs. the students discussed the importance of early education on drug use and decided to teach the sixth - grade students how to play their new drug education game. the eighth graders also created a presentation that explained the project in its entirety. students copied the presentation and project onto compact disks so the service - learning activity could be shared with other teachers and students. the students incorporated the language arts content standards through the design and production of the board games. this service - learning activity also included the health education content standards for middle schools in the following manner : after creating their board games, the eighth graders explained what they learned about short - term and long - term effects of substance abuse to the sixth - grade classes. the eighth - graders followed up the discussion by teaching the sixth graders how to play the board games and coached them on avoidance strategies. ventura county office of education in 2007, the office of the ventura county superintendent of schools published creating asset rich environments for children and youth - - a call to action : ventura county cares. the document reflects the vision of the ventura county building assets strengthening individuals and communities commission ( basico ), which was convened by the county superintendent of schools. creating asset rich environments for children and youth presents the work of the commission, including : three basic youth resilience tenets form the basis for the cares action plan : 1resilience & youth development module. prepared by wested and the safe and healthy kids program office. sacramento : california department of education, 2002, 1. 5getting results : developing safe and healthy kids update 5 ; student health, supportive schools, and academic success ( pdf ; 895kb ; 89pp. ). sacramento : california department of education, 2005, 34. 6bonnie benard, fostering resilience in children ( outside source ), eric digest ( august 1995 ). 7angela l. duckworth and martin e. p. seligman, " self - discipline outdoes iq in predicting academic performance of adolescents, " psychological science, vol. 16, issue 12 ( december 2005 ). back to top california department of education 1430 n street sacramento, ca 95814


← hinduism test 5 written questions 5 matching questions - rig veda - a a collection of over two hundred texts composed of between 900 and 200 bc that provide philosophical commentary to the vedas - b pleasure, especially sensual love ; one of the four goals of life. - c a collections of 1, 017 sanskrit hymns composed about 1500bc earlier ; hinduism ' s oldest text. - d the lowest of the four classes of the caste system, traditionally made up of servants and laborers. - e a wandering ascetic who has advanced to the fourth and highest stage of life. 5 multiple choice questions - an incarnation, or living embodiment, or a deity, usually vishnu, who is sent to earth to accomplish a divine purpose ; krishna and rama are the most popular avatars. - the third of the four classes of the caste system, traditionally made up of producers, such as farmers, merchants, and artisans. - the eternal essence of reality and the source of the universe, beyond the reach of human perception and thought. - traditional division of hindu society into various categories ; there are four main varnas ; or classes : brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra ; each class contains certain subgroups, resulting in more than three thousand categories. - the moral law of cause and effect of actions ; determines the nature of one ' s reincarnation. 5 true / false questions bhakti marga → - the most popular of the three hindu paths to salvation, emphasizing loving devotion to one ' s chosen god or goddess. dharma → the moral law of cause and effect of actions ; determines the nature of one ' s reincarnation. sati → cosmic illusion brought about by divine creative power. brahmin → the highest of the four classes of the caste system, traditionally made up of priests. atman → pleasure, especially sensual love ; one of the four goals of life.


directional antenna basics at the outputs of this network, or networks, the rf will typically enter the transmission line feeding each tower. at the far end of the transmission line is the atu. this portion of the system takes its rf at the transmission line impedance and transforms it to the tower drive point impedance using a specific phase shift. the drive point impedance of each tower is the impedance of the tower when the array is active. it is derived from the self - impedance of the tower and the coupling that occurs with other elements in the array when the array is active. certain designs can result in a negative tower, which is a condition in which the resistance of the drive point impedance is less than zero. instead of delivering power to the array, the negative tower is parasitic and absorbs power delivering it back to the phaser. contrary to popular wisdom, a negative tower is not a nine - headed hydra unless the impedance is within a couple of ohms of zero. such low impedances, regardless of the sign, tend to cause stability issues. now that the power is out to the tower, we have to have some way of measuring what is actually there. this is where the sampling system comes into play. typically, current transformers or sample loops are used to feed a voltage sample back to the phase monitor. section 73. 68 of the commission ' s rules provides the requirements for approved sampling systems. in addition to the sampling system, many arrays still have ways of measuring the base currents. although no longer mandatory, maintaining the ability to measure base currents is highly recommended as it provides an additional health check on the antenna. next time i ' ll delve deeper into the directional antenna array and look at tee networks. ruck is a senior engineer with d. l. markley and associates, peoria, il. acceptable use policy blog comments powered by disqus [ an error occurred while processing this directive ] today in radio history the history of radio broadcasting extends beyond the work of a few famous inventors. read each issue online in our digital edition format in your web browser. eas information more on eas the feed provides feeds for all us states and territories. need a calendar for your computer desktop? use one of ours. information from manufacturers and associations about industry news, products, technology and business announcements. this high - visibility and high - traffic area got the full acoustic treatment. browse back issues [ an error occurred while processing this directive ] also in the may issue - remote access and site connectivity


the mug shot has, by now, become so universal that it ’ s hard to imagine a criminal justice system without it. but in the mid - 19th century, when photography was still a new medium, there was no standardized record - keeping system in place to help police departments identify repeat criminals. random daguerreotypes and loose photographs laying around unfiled weren ’ t cutting it — which is why in the early 1880s, french criminologist alphonse bertillon introduced the paris police force to a standardized method that documented mug shots, body measurements, and in some cases, early finger prints. that anthropometric bertillon system, which was a recent subject of the podcast “ stuff you missed in history class, ” would eventually be replaced with finger printing in the 1910s. but until then, its strange measurements — the width of the head, length of right ear, length of the cubit, etc. — represented huge advances in forensic science and criminal identification in both europe and the states. below the jump, browse through our gallery of bertillon card mug shots of 19th - and 20th - century suspicious persons, and make your own with the blanks we ’ ve included at the end. keyboard shortcuts : v vote up article j next comment k previous comment


8. 1 irreducible ( minimal ) realizations the internal structure of a system may allow some of the integrators ( or delay elements ) to be shared by several input - output pairs and still result in the same transfer matrix. the system that realizes the maximum possible degree of sharing ( and, consequently, the smallest possible dimension of the associated state space ) is called the irreducible ( or minimal ) realization ( see, e. g., brogan ( 1991 ), section 12. 4 ). the function minimalrealization tries to find such a realization. finding the irreducible ( minimal ) realization. the input system for minimalrealization can be in either state - space or transfer function form ; the resultant system is always a state - space one. for siso transfer function systems, minimalrealization constructs a state - space realization after an attempt to cancel common pole - zero pairs ( the underlying function, polezerocancel, can also be accessed directly, see section 8. 6 ). otherwise, minimalrealization constructs a state - space realization first and then uses the functions controllablesubsystem and observablesubsystem consecutively to select first the controllable and then the observable subspaces. the result is therefore a subsystem that is both completely observable and controllable. see section 8. 2 for more on the definitions of the controllable and observable subspaces. in contrast, dominantsubsystem eliminates weakly controllable and observable modes ( see section 8. 5 ). selecting controllable and observable subspaces. load the application. consider a third - order state - space system with two inputs and two outputs. the first mode is uncontrollable, and the second one is unobservable. these modes, then, have no effect on the input - output relations and so can be dropped without changing the transfer function matrix. we can verify that this system is not controllable. neither is it observable. this selects the controllable subspace. this selects the observable subspace. by selecting the observable subspace of the controllable subspace, we arrive at a minimal realization. the same result can be obtained directly. the minimal realization is both controllable and observable. the method that controllablesubsystem and observablesubsystem use to reduce the