cotton mather, thomas jefferson, james madison, john f. kennedy and ronald reagan. these have been vigorous and rational institution builders. in midlife, all have been aggressive advocates of economic prosperity and public optimism, and all have maintained a reputation for civic energy and competence in old age. ( examples among today ’ s living generations : g. i. generation and the millennials. ) artist generations are born during a crisis, a time when great dangers cut down social and political complexity in favor of public consensus, aggressive institutions, and an ethic of personal sacrifice. artists grow up overprotected by adults preoccupied with the crisis, come of age as the socialized and conformist young adults of a post - crisis world, break out as process - oriented midlife leaders during an awakening, and age into thoughtful post - awakening elders. due to their location in history, such generations tend to be remembered for their quiet years of rising adulthood and their midlife years of flexible, consensus - building leadership. their main societal contributions are in the area of expertise and due process. their best - known historical leaders include william shirley, cadwallader colden, john quincy adams, andrew jackson, and theodore roosevelt. these have been complex social technicians and advocates for fairness and inclusion. ( examples among today ’ s living generations : silent and homelanders. ) generations that come of age as young adults during a crisis or an awakening directly absorb the lessons of that defining era, and carry these lessons forward in their attitudes and behaviors later in life. strauss and howe label these dominant generations. generations that grow up as children during a crisis or awakening take a dependent role during that defining era, which shapes their later attitudes and behaviors very differently. strauss and howe label these recessive generations. as a youth generation comes of age and defines its collective persona, an opposing generational archetype is in its midlife peak of power. one reason why the cycle of archetypes recurs is that each youth generation tries to correct or compensate for what it perceives as the excesses of the midlife generation in power. for example, boomers ( a prophet generation, whose strength is individualism, culture and values ) raised millennial children ( a hero generation, whose strength is in collective civic action ). archetypes do not create archetypes like themselves, they create opposing archetypes. as strauss and howe explain, “ your generation isn ’ t like the generation that shaped you, but it has much in common with the generation that shaped the generation


| unraveling : retreat from france | | humanist generation | | artist ( adaptive ) | | 1461 – 1482 ( 21 ) | | crisis : war of the roses | | reformation saeculum ( 104 ) | | reformation generation | | prophet ( idealist ) | | 1483 – 1511 ( 28 ) | | high : tudor renaissance | | reprisal generation | | nomad ( reactive ) | | 1512 – 1540 ( 28 ) | | awakening : protestant reformation | | elizabethan generation | | hero ( civic ) | | 1541 – 1565 ( 24 ) | | unraveling : intolerance and martyrdom | | parliamentary generation | | artist ( adaptive ) | | 1566 – 1587 ( 21 ) | | crisis : armada crisis | | new world saeculum ( 112 ) | | puritan generation | | prophet ( idealist ) | | 1588 – 1617 ( 29 ) | | high : merrie england | | cavalier generation | | nomad ( reactive ) | | 1618 – 1647 ( 29 ) | | awakening : puritan awakening | | glorious generation | | hero ( civic ) | | 1648 – 1673 ( 25 ) | | unraveling : reaction and restoration | | enlightenment generation | | artist ( adaptive ) | | 1674 – 1700 ( 26 ) | | crisis : king philip ' s war / | revolutionary saeculum ( 90 ) | | awakening generation | | prophet ( idealist ) | | 1701 – 1723 ( 22 ) | | high : augustan age of empire | | liberty generation | | nomad ( reactive ) | | 1724 – 1741 ( 17 ) | | awakening : great awakening | | republican generation | | hero ( civic ) | | 1742 – 1766 ( 24 ) | | unraveling : french and indian war | | compromise generation | | artist ( adaptive ) | | 1767 – 1791 ( 24 ) | | crisis : american revolution | | civil war saeculum ( 67 ) | | transcendental generation | | prophet ( idealist ) | | 1792 – 1821 ( 29 ) | | high : era of good feeling | | gilded generation | | nomad ( reactive ) | | 1822 – 1842 ( 20 ) | | awakening : transcendental awakening | | progressive generation | | artist ( adaptive ) | | 1843 – 1859 ( 16 ) | | crisis : american civil war | | great power saeculum ( 85 ) | | missionary generation | | prophet ( idealist ) | | 1860 – 1882


| progressive generation | | artist ( adaptive ) | | 1843 – 1859 ( 16 ) | | crisis : american civil war | | great power saeculum ( 85 ) | | missionary generation | | prophet ( idealist ) | | 1860 – 1882 ( 22 ) | | high : reconstruction / gilded age | | lost generation | | nomad ( reactive ) | | 1883 – 1900 ( 17 ) | | awakening : missionary awakening | | g. i. generation | | hero ( civic ) | | 1901 – 1924 ( 23 ) | | unraveling : world war i / prohibition | | silent generation | | artist ( adaptive ) | | 1925 – 1942 ( 17 ) | | crisis : great depression / world war ii | | millennial saeculum ( 65 + ) | | baby boom generation | | prophet ( idealist ) | | 1943 – 1960 ( 17 ) | | high : superpower america | | nomad ( reactive ) | | 1961 – 1981 ( 20 ) | | awakening : consciousness revolution | | millennial generation2 | | hero ( civic ) | | 1982 – 2004 ( 22 ) | | unraveling : culture wars, postmodernism | | homeland generation34 | | artist ( adaptive ) | | 2005 – present | | crisis : global financial crisis, climate change, war on terror | note ( 0 ) : according to the above chart, generational types have appeared in anglo - american history in a fixed order for more than 500 years, with one hiccup in the civil war saeculum. the reasons for this is because according to the chart, the civil war came about ten years too early ; the adult generations allowed the worst aspects of their generational personalities to come through ; and the progressives grew up scarred rather than ennobled. note ( 1 ) : strauss and howe use the name " 13th generation " instead of the more widely accepted " generation x " in their book, which was published mere weeks before douglas coupland ' s generation x : tales for an accelerated culture was. the generation is so numbered because it is the thirteenth generation alive since american independence ( counting back until benjamin franklin ' s ). note ( 2 ) : although there is as yet no universally accepted name for this generation, " millennials " is becoming widely accepted. other names used in reference to it include generation y ( as it is the generation following generation x ) and " the net generation. " another name " generation next " stems from a pepsi - cola corporation ad campaign featuring one symbol of generation


widely accepted. other names used in reference to it include generation y ( as it is the generation following generation x ) and " the net generation. " another name " generation next " stems from a pepsi - cola corporation ad campaign featuring one symbol of generation y, the spice girls. note ( 3 ) : new silent generation was a proposed holding name used by howe and strauss in their demographic history of america, generations, to describe the generation whose birth years began somewhere in the early 2000s and the ending point will be around the early 2020s. howe now refers to this generation ( most likely currently being born ) as the homeland generation. note ( 4 ) : there is no consistent agreement among participants on the fourth turning message board that the war on terror lies fully within a crisis era. the absence of any attempt to constrict consumer spending through taxes or rationing and the tax cuts of the time suggest that any crisis era may have begun, if at all, later, as after hurricane katrina or the financial meltdown of 2008. the basic length of both generations and turnings — about twenty years — derives from longstanding socially and biologically determined phases of life. [ who? ] this is the reason it has remained relatively constant over centuries. some have argued that rapid increases in technology in recent decades are shortening the length of a generation. according to strauss and howe, however, this is not the case. as long as the transition to adulthood occurs around age 20, the transition to midlife around age 40, and the transition to old age around age 60, the basic length of both generations and turnings will remain the same. in their book, the fourth turning, however, strauss and howe emphasize that the precise boundaries of generations and turnings are erratic. the generational rhythm is not like certain simple, inorganic cycles in physics or astronomy, where time and periodicity can be predicted to the second. instead, it resembles the complex, organic cycles of biology, where basic intervals endure but precise timing is difficult to predict. strauss and howe compare the saecular rhythm to the four seasons, which inevitably occur in the same order, but with slightly varying timing. just as winter may come sooner or later, and be more or less severe in any given year, the same is true of a fourth turning in any given saeculum. america ' s current position in the cycle howe posits that america is currently in or about to enter a fourth turning. the individualism, risk - taking, and conspicuous consumption of the recent third turning


fourth turning in any given saeculum. america ' s current position in the cycle howe posits that america is currently in or about to enter a fourth turning. the individualism, risk - taking, and conspicuous consumption of the recent third turning are winding down, and today ’ s social mood is marked by new sobriety about unpaid debts at home and unmet challenges abroad. society is beginning to view the recent third turning as a period of drift when public problems were allowed to accumulate — problems that are now reaching a level of urgency where the nation must tackle them head - on. like all turnings, fourth turnings are pushed by the aging of each generation into a new phase of life. yet unlike other turnings, the emerging lineup of generational archetypes is likely to push history forward in a sudden, concerted, and decisive direction. according to howe, this is true today as well. as boomers replace the silent as elder leaders, they will reject caution and compromise and act on moral absolutes. as gen xers replace boomers in midlife, they will apply a new pragmatic survivalism to management decisions. as millennials replace gen xers in young adulthood, they will revitalize community, social discipline, and public purpose. according to strauss and howe, there are many potential threats that could feed a growing sense of public urgency as the fourth turning progresses, including financial collapse, a protracted war on terror, a crisis of weapons proliferation, an environmental crisis, an energy shortage, or new civil wars abroad. the generational cycle cannot explain the role or timing of these individual threats. nor can it account for the great events of history, like the bombing of pearl harbor, president kennedy ’ s assassination, or 9 / 11. what the generational cycle can do, however, is explain how society is likely to respond to these events in different eras. it is the response, not the initial event, which defines an era. with the generations aligned as they are now, the risk of a major continuing crisis remains high for the next twenty years. yet howe emphasizes that the fourth turning will also offer crucial opportunities to fix national or even global problems that seem unsolvable today. critical reception the strauss and howe retelling of history through a generational lens has received mixed reviews. many reviewers have praised the authors ' books and theory for their ambition, erudition and accessibility. former u. s vice president al gore — who graduated from harvard university with mr. strauss — called generations the most


claimed that the theory is essentially " non - falsifiable " and " mystifying, " although he believed the authors did have some insights into modern american history. 13th gen in 1993, andrew leonard reviewed the book 13th gen : abort, retry, ignore, fail?. he wrote “ as the authors relentlessly attack the iniquitous ' child - abusive culture ' of the 1960 ' s and 70 ' s and exult in heaping insult after insult on their own generation - - they caricature baby boomers as countercultural, long - haired, sex - obsessed hedonists - - their real agenda begins to surface. that agenda becomes clear in part of their wish list for how the 13th generation may influence the future : " 13ers will reverse the frenzied and centrifugal cultural directions of their younger years. they will clean up entertainment, de - diversify the culture, reinvent core symbols of national unity, reaffirm rituals of family and neighborhood bonding, and re - erect barriers to cushion communities from unwanted upheaval. " again in 1993, writing for the globe and mail, jim cormier reviewed the same book : " self - described boomers howe and strauss add no profound layer of analysis to previous pop press observations. but in cobbling together a more extensive overview of the problems and concerns of the group they call the 13ers, they ' ve created a valuable primer for other fogeys who are feeling seriously out of touch. " cormier believed that the authors " raised as many new questions as answers about the generation that doesn ' t want to be a generation. but at least they ' ve made an honest, empathetic and good - humoured effort to bridge the bitter gap between the twentysomethings and fortysomethings. " in 1993, charles laurence at the london daily telegraph wrote that, in 13th gen, strauss and howe offered this youth generation " a relatively neutral definition as the 13th american generation from the founding fathers, ". according to alexander ferron ' s review in eye magazine, " 13th gen is best read as the work of two top - level historians. while its agenda is the 13th generation, it can also be seen as an incredibly well - written and exhaustive history of america from 1960 to 1981 - - examining the era through everything except the traditional historical subjects ( war, politics, famine, etc ). twenty years later, jon d. miller, at the longitudinal study of american youth ( funded by


exhaustive history of america from 1960 to 1981 - - examining the era through everything except the traditional historical subjects ( war, politics, famine, etc ). twenty years later, jon d. miller, at the longitudinal study of american youth ( funded by the national science foundation ) wrote that strauss and howe ' s 1961 to 1981 definition of " generation x " ( although they called it the 13th generation ) birth years has been used widely in both popular and academic literature. millennials rising david brooks reviewed the follow - up book about the next generation titled millennials rising ( 2000 ). " millennials " is a term coined by strauss and howe. brooks, wrote : “ this is not a good book, if by good you mean the kind of book in which the authors have rigorously sifted the evidence and carefully supported their assertions with data. but it is a very good bad book. it ' s stuffed with interesting nuggets. it ' s brightly written. and if you get away from the generational mumbo jumbo, it illuminates changes that really do seem to be taking place. ” further, mr. brooks wrote that the generations aren ' t treated equally : " basically, it sounds as if america has two greatest generations at either end of the age scale and two crummiest in the middle ". in 2001, reviewer dina gomez wrote in nea today that strauss and howe make their case “ convincingly, ” with “ intriguing analysis of popular culture. ” while conceding that the book " over - generalizes ", gomez also argues that it is “ hard to resist the book ’ s hopeful vision for our children and future. many of the theories they wrote about in their two previous books — generations and the fourth turning — have indeed come to pass. ” in 1991, jonathan alter wrote in newsweek that generations was a “ provocative, erudite and engaging analysis of the rhythms of american life. ” however, he believed it was also “ an elaborate historical horoscope that will never withstand scholarly scrutiny. ” he continued, “ these sequential ' peer personalities ' are often silly, but the book provides reams of fresh evidence that american history is indeed cyclical, as arthur schlesinger jr. and others have long argued. ” he complained, “ the generational boundaries are plainly arbitrary. the authors lump together everyone born from 1943 to 1961 ( baby boomers ), a group whose two extremes have little in common. and the predictions are facile and reckless. ” he concluded


complained, “ the generational boundaries are plainly arbitrary. the authors lump together everyone born from 1943 to 1961 ( baby boomers ), a group whose two extremes have little in common. and the predictions are facile and reckless. ” he concluded : “ however fun and informative, the truth about generational generalizations is that they generally unsatisfactory. ” arthur e. levine, a former president of the teachers college of columbia university said " generational images are stereotypes. there are some differences that stand out, but there are more similarities between students of the past and the present. but if you wrote a book saying that, how interesting would that book be? " in response to criticism that they stereotype or generalize all members of a generation the authors said, " we ' ve never tried to say that any individual generation is going to be monochromatic. it ' ll obviously include all kinds of people. but as you look at generations as social units, we consider it to be at least as powerful and, in our view, far more powerful than other social groupings such as economic class, race, sex, religion and political parties. " gerald pershall wrote in 1991 : " generations is guaranteed to attract pop history and social - science buffs. among professional historians, it faces a tougher sell. period specialists will resist the idea that their period is akin to several others. sweeping theories of history are long out of fashion in the halls of ivy, and the authors ' lack of academic standing won ' t help their cause. their generational quartet is " just too wooden " and " just too neat, " says one yale historian. " prediction is for prophets, " scoffs william mcloughlin, professor of history at brown, who says it is wrong to think that " if you put enough data together and have enough charts and graphs, you ' ve made history into a science. " the book is likely to get a much friendlier reception in sociology and political - science departments. two of harvard ' s grand old men, david riesman and richard neustadt, for example, offer strong, if qualified, praise. sociologist riesman found in the work an " impressive grasp of a great many theoretical and historical bits and pieces. " political scientist neustadt says strauss and howe " are asking damned important questions, and i honor them. " responding to criticism, strauss and howe accepted that some historians might not like their theory, which they presented as a new paradigm for looking at american


political scientist neustadt says strauss and howe " are asking damned important questions, and i honor them. " responding to criticism, strauss and howe accepted that some historians might not like their theory, which they presented as a new paradigm for looking at american history, that filled a need for a unifying vision of american history : people are looking for a new way to connect themselves to the larger story of america. that is the problem. we ' ve felt adrift over the past 10 years, and we think that the way history has been presented over the past couple of decades has been more in terms of the little pieces and people are not as interested in the little pieces now. they ' re looking for a unifying vision. we haven ' t had unifying visions of the story of america for decades now, and we ' re trying to provide it in this book. the kinds of historians who are drawn to our book - - and i ' m sure it will be very controversial among academics because we are presenting something that is so new - - but the kinds who are drawn to it are the ones who themselves have focused on the human life cycle rather than just the sequential series of events. some good examples of that are morton keller up at brandeis and david hackett fischer. these are people who have noticed the power in not just generations, but the shifts that have happened over time in the way americans have treated children and older people and have tried to link that to the broader currents of history. — william strauss, in 1993, gregg aanestad, wrote in his doctoral dissertation that he “ applauded ” the ambition of generations which was “ lively ” and “ colorful ”, but he thought that much of the evidence was cherry picked and did not take into account crucial factors such as generation size, the relative speeding up of generations, or the important role of chance outside events. in 2006, frank giancola wrote an article in human resource planning ( an academic journal ) that stated " the emphasis on generational differences is not generally borne out by empirical research, despite its popularity ". one criticism of strauss and howe ' s theory, and the field of " generational studies " in general, is that conclusions are over - broad and do not reflect the reality of every person in each generation regardless of their race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, or genetic information for example, hoover cites the case of millennials : " commentators have tended to slap the millennial label on white, affluent teenagers who accomplish great things


of their race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, or genetic information for example, hoover cites the case of millennials : " commentators have tended to slap the millennial label on white, affluent teenagers who accomplish great things as they grow up in the suburbs, who confront anxiety when applying to super - selective colleges, and who multitask with ease as their helicopter parents hover reassuringly above them. the label tends not to appear in renderings of teenagers who happen to be minorities, or poor, or who have never won a spelling bee. nor does the term often refer to students from big cities and small towns that are nothing like fairfax county, va. or who lack technological know - how. or who struggle to complete high school. or who never even consider college. or who commit crimes. or who suffer from too little parental support. or who drop out of college. aren ' t they millennials, too? " in their 2000 book millennials rising strauss and howe brought attention to the millennial children of immigrants in the united states, " who face daunting challenges. " they wrote " one - third have no health insurance, live below the poverty line and live in overcrowded housing ". in 1991, professor and new york times writer jay dolan critiqued generations for not talking more about class, race and sex, to which neil howe replied that they " are probably generalizations not even as effective as a generation to say something about how people think and behave. one of the things to understand is that most historians never look at history in terms of generations. they prefer to tell history as a seamless row of 55 - year - old leaders who always tend to think and behave the same way - - but they don ' t and they never have. if you look at the way america ' s 55 - year - old leaders were acting in the 1960s - - you know, the ebullient and confidence of the jfks and lbjs and hubert humphreys - - and compare them with today ' s leaders in congress - - the indecision, the lack of sure - footedness - - i think you would have to agree that 55 - year - olds do not always act the same way and you ' re dealing with powerful generational forces at work that explain why one generation of war veterans, war heroes, and another generation which came of age in very different circumstances tend to have very different instincts about acting in the world. ” - howe, neil ; strauss, william


powerful generational forces at work that explain why one generation of war veterans, war heroes, and another generation which came of age in very different circumstances tend to have very different instincts about acting in the world. ” - howe, neil ; strauss, william ( 1991 ). generations : the history of america ' s future, 1584 to 2069. new york : william morrow & company. isbn 978 - 0 - 688 - 11912 - 6. - howe, neil ; strauss, william ( 1993 ). 13th gen : abort, retry, ignore, fail?. vintage books. isbn 9780679743651. - howe, neil ; strauss, william ( 1997 ). the fourth turning : what the cycles of history tell us about america ’ s next rendezvous with destiny. new york : broadway books. isbn 978 - 0 - 7679 - 0046 - 1. - howe, neil ; strauss, william ( 2000 ). millennials rising : the next great generation. knopf doubleday publishing group. isbn 9780375707193. - howe, neil ; strauss, william ( 2007 ). millennials & k - 12 schools : educational strategies for a new generation. great falls : lifecourse associates. isbn 978 - 0 - 9712606 - 5 - 8. - howe, neil ; strauss, william ( 2007 ), " the next twenty years : how customer and workforce attitudes will evolve ", harvard business review : 41 – 52 - howe, neil ; strauss, william ( 2008 ). millennials go to college : strategies for a new generation on campus ( 2nd ed. ). great falls : lifecourse associates. isbn 9780971260610. - strauss & howe, 1991. - strauss & howe, 1997. - strauss & howe 1997, pp. 119 – 121. - hoover, 2009. generations established its creators as pioneers in a burgeoning field. they soon became media darlings, best - selling authors, and busy speakers. generations would popularize the idea that people in a particular age group share distinct personae and values by virtue of occupying the same " place " in time as they grow up. - jones,, gary l. ( fall 1992 ). " strauss, william and neil howe ' generations : the history of america ' s future, 1584 – 2069 ' ( book review ) ". perspectives on political science 21 ( 4 ) : 218. issn 10457097. - hoover,


strauss, william and neil howe ' generations : the history of america ' s future, 1584 – 2069 ' ( book review ) ". perspectives on political science 21 ( 4 ) : 218. issn 10457097. - hoover, eric ( 11 october 2009 ). " the millennial muddle : how stereotyping students became a thriving industry and a bundle of contradictions ". the chronicle of higher education ( the chronicle of higher education, inc. ). retrieved 11 january 2011. - giancola, 2006. - strauss & howe, 1991. p. 14. - " william strauss, founding partner ". lifecourse associates. retrieved 6 november 2012. - howe, neil. on borrowed time : : how the growth in entitlement spending threatens america ' s future. google books. retrieved 6 november 2012. more than one of - millennials : a profile of the next great generation ( dvd ). wmfe & pbs. isbn 978 - 0 - 9712606 - 7 - 2. - strauss & howe, 1997. p. 338. - " lifecourse associates : history ". retrieved 6 october 2010. - ringle, ken ( 22 december 2007 ). " bill strauss : he was the life of the parody ". the washington post. retrieved 24 may 2010. - " neil howe ". international speakers bureau. retrieved 6 november 2012. - strauss & howe, 1993. - strauss & howe, 2000. - strauss & howe 1991, pp. 58 – 68. - strauss & howe 1991, pp. 433 – 446. - strauss & howe 1997, p. 101. - strauss & howe 1997, pp. 145 – 152. - strauss & howe 1997, p. 102. - strauss & howe 1997, pp. 171 – 179. - strauss & howe 1997, pp. 102 – 103. - strauss & howe 1997, pp. 103 – 104. - strauss & howe 1997, pp. 254 – 260. - strauss & howe 2007, pp. 23 – 24. - strauss & howe 1997, pp. 2 – 3. - strauss & howe 1997, pp. 14 – 15. - strauss & howe 1997, pp. 58p62. - galland, david ( 2009 ). " into the fourth turning : a casey research interview with neil howe, co - author of the fourth turning ". casey research special report. retrieved 3 september 2010. - strauss & howe 1997, pp. 40 – 41. - strauss & howe 1991


" into the fourth turning : a casey research interview with neil howe, co - author of the fourth turning ". casey research special report. retrieved 3 september 2010. - strauss & howe 1997, pp. 40 – 41. - strauss & howe 1991, pp. 123 – 137. names, dates, and descriptions of the saecula and turnings are also available at the lifecourse associates website. retrieved 6 november 2012. - strauss & howe 1991, pp. 69 – 72. - strauss & howe 1991, p. 71. - strauss & howe 1991, p. 93. - strauss & howe 1997, pp. 36 – 41. - strauss & howe 1997, p. 40. - strauss & howe 1997, pp. 106 – 116. - strauss & howe 1991, pp. 73 – 74. - strauss & howe 1997, p. 70. - strauss & howe 1991, pp. 357 – 365. - for the first 24 generations, see strauss & howe 1991, pp. 123 – 137 ; for the 25th generation now being born, the homeland generation, see strauss & howe 2008, pp. 109 – 111. generational names, birthdates, and descriptions are also available at http : / / www. lifecourse. com / about / method / timelines / generations. html. retrieved 05 - 07 - 2012. - strauss & howe 1997, p. 84. - strauss & howe 1997, p. 96. - strauss & howe 1991, pp. 69 – 73. - strauss & howe 1997, p. 79. - strauss & howe 2007, pp. 21 – 24. - strauss & howe 1991, p. 300. - " lifecourse associates : generations in anglo - american history ". retrieved 7 may 2012. - strauss & howe 1997, pp. 53 – 62. - simon, 2010. - strauss & howe 1997, pp. 51 – 52. - neil howe ( 2009 ). the winter of history : an interview with neil howe on “ the fourth turning ”. lifecourse associates. isbn 978 - 0 - 9712606 - 6 - 5. retrieved november 6, 2012. - strauss & howe 1997, pp. 266 – 271. - howe, neil ; & strauss, william ( 2007 ) “ the next twenty years : how customer and workforce attitudes will evolve ”. harvard business review. july – august ed, pp. 41 – 52. - strauss & howe 1997, pp. 273 – 279 ; on the current fourth turning see galland 2009. -


twenty years : how customer and workforce attitudes will evolve ”. harvard business review. july – august ed, pp. 41 – 52. - strauss & howe 1997, pp. 273 – 279 ; on the current fourth turning see galland 2009. - strauss & howe 1997, pp. 6 – 7 ; on the current fourth turning see howe, neil ; & strauss, william ( 2007 ) " the next twenty years : how customer and workforce attitudes will evolve ". harvard business review, july – august ed, p. 41 - 52. - brooks, david ( 5 november 2000 ). " what ' s the matter with kids today? not a thing ". the new york times. retrieved 21 october 2012. - parshall, gerald ( 8 april 1991 ). " history ' s cycle ride ". u. s. news & world report. - michael lind ( january 26, 1997 ). " generation gaps ". new york times review of books. retrieved 1 november 2010. " the idea that history moves in cycles tends to be viewed with suspicion by scholars. although historians as respected as arthur m. schlesinger jr. and david hackett fischer have made cases for the existence of rhythms and waves in the stream of events, cyclical theories tend to end up in the sargasso sea of pseudoscience, circling endlessly ( what else? ). the fourth turning is no exception. " - aanestad, gregg ( 1993 ). the bust generation : a cohort analysis ( ph. d. ). university of hawaii. http : / / scholarspace. manoa. hawaii. edu / handle / 10125 / 10141. - piccoli, sean ( 3 april 1991 ). " 13ers ; the story of the new ' lost generation ' ( and america ' s hottest sound bite ) ". the washington times. p. e1. - parshall, gerald ( april 8, 1991 ). " history ' s cycle ride ". u. s. news & world report. - bowman, james ( april 5, 1991 ). " another grand theory comes of age ". - kaiser, david ( january 12, 1997 ). " turning and turning in a widening gyre ". the boston sunday globe. retrieved 22 december 2012. - kaiser, david. " confirmation ". retrieved 22 december 2012. - kaiser, david. " the president takes up the challenge of our time ". blogspot. retrieved 22 december 2012. - kaiser, david. " is civilization


december 2012. - kaiser, david. " confirmation ". retrieved 22 december 2012. - kaiser, david. " the president takes up the challenge of our time ". blogspot. retrieved 22 december 2012. - kaiser, david. " is civilization in danger? ". blogspot. retrieved 22 december 2012. - leonard, andrew ( 23 may 1993 ). " the boomers ' babies ". the new york times. retrieved 21 october 2012. - cormier, jim ( 8 may 1993 ). " a young whine, with a sharp bite 13th gen : abort, retry, ignore, fail? ". the globe and mail. - laurence, charles ( may 11, 1993 ). " the bitter new generation and why they are criticizing their baby boomer parents ". london daily telegraph. - ferron, alexander ( july 1, 1993 ). " 13th generational malaise ". eye magazine. - " ' xplaining generation x - an nsf - sponsored webcast ". national science foundation. retrieved november 6, 2012. - miller, jon d. " the generation x report : active, balanced, and happy : these young americans are not bowling alone ". university of michigan, longitudinal study of american youth, funded by the national science foundation. retrieved october 30, 2012. - horovitz, bruce ( 5 / 4 / 2012 ). " after gen x, millennials, what should next generation be? ". usa today. retrieved november 24, 2012. - gomez, dina ( may 2001 ). " the next great generation ". nea today, v. 19 no. 4. retrieved 22 december 2012. - alter, jonathan ( 15 april 1991 ). " the generation game ". newsweek. - host : brian lamb ( 14 april 1991 ). " generations : the history of america ' s future ". booknotes. c - span. http : / / www. booknotes. org / watch / 17548 - 1 / william + strauss. aspx. retrieved 21 october 2012. - giancola, frank ( 2006 ). " the generation gap : more myth than reality ". human resource planning 29 ( 4 ) : 32 – 37. " research and expert opinion do not fully support the generational premise. for example, two duke university sociologists have found that the three assumptions behind the premise are not always supported by a body of research ( hughes & o ' rand, 2005 )... according to an independent review of the literature,


tioga river ( chemung river ) the tioga river ( / / tie - o - guh ) is a tributary of the chemung river, approximately 58 miles ( 93 km ) long, in northern pennsylvania and western new york in the united states. it drains a region of ridges in the northern allegheny plateau in the watershed of the susquehanna river. it rises in the mountains of western bradford county and flows initially southwest into tioga county, passing through tioga state forest. in southern tioga county it turns north, cutting gaps in four separate ridges while flowing past blossburg and mansfield, then through tioga reservoir. north of tioga it receives crooked creek from the west, then crosses into steuben county, new york, near lawrenceville, pennsylvania. it receives the cowanesque river from the west approximately 1 mi ( 2 km ) north of the state line, then receives the canisteo river from the west in southwestern steuben county, approximately 10 mi ( 15 km ) southwest of corning. it joins the cohocton river at painted post, just west of corning, to form the chemung, a tributary of the susquehanna. in the 19th century the tioga valley supported a large shipbuilding industry. logs were floated down the tioga and the chemung to the susquehanna river and on to the chesapeake bay and the shipyards of baltimore. tioga reservoir the tioga river has one major impoundment, the tioga reservoir, formed by a dam just after the borough of tioga, pennsylvania and just before it receives crooked creek. the lake has a surface area of 498 acres ( 2. 02 km2 ) and is administered by the united states army corps of engineers, which built the tioga dam from 1973 to 1979. built together with the adjoining hammond dam and hammond lake ( on crooked creek ), the total project cost $ 200 million. the dam projects were initially authorized by the united states congress in the flood control act of 3 july, 1958 ( public law 85 - 500 ). construction was begun in the aftermath of the devastating floods caused by hurricane agnes in june 1972. a channel connects the two lakes so that hammond lake ( which has greater storage capacity ) may be used to store excess ( flood ) water from tioga lake. however, in addition to flood control on the chemung and susquehanna rivers, the dams are also meant to help decrease the acidity of water in the tioga river downstream of the dams by dilution with the more neutral waters of


january 2010 : extremes and monthly summary the globe recorded its fourth warmest january since record keeping began in 1880, according to noaa ' s national climatic data center. nasa ' s goddard institute for space studies rated january 2010 as the 2nd warmest january on record, behind january 2007. january 2010 global ocean temperatures were the 2nd warmest on record, next to 1998. land temperatures in the southern hemisphere were the warmest on record, but in the northern hemisphere, they were the 18th warmest. the relatively cool northern hemisphere land temperatures may have been due to the well - above average amount of snow on the ground - - january 2010 snow cover in the northern hemisphere was the 6th highest in the past 44 years. global satellite - measured temperatures for the lowest 8 km of the atmosphere were the warmest on record in january, according to both the university of alabama huntsville ( uah ) and rss data sets. this was the second time in the past three months that the uah data set has shown a record high global atmospheric temperature. figure 1. departure of surface temperature from average for january 2010. image credit : national climatic data center. a few notable global weather highlights from january 2010 : according to the united kingdom ' s met office, the u. k. as a whole had its coolest january since 1987 and the eighth coolest january since records began in 1914. scotland had its coolest january since 1979. during the first two weeks of january, the irish republic experienced a spell of extreme cold weather that began in mid - december, resulting in the most extreme cold spell over ireland since early 1963, according to the irish meteorological service. most places of the irish republic had its coolest january since 1985 and the coolest january since 1963 in the dublin area. a rare summer snowfall occurred on january 18th in the town of bombala, new south wales, australia. the town received a light dusting of accumulation, marking the first summer snow in the high terrain of southeast australia since records began in 1965. the town has an elevation of around 3, 000 feet ( 900 meters ) above sea - level. forecasters said that snow at such low elevations is unusual at any time of year, especially summer. six days before the snow, temperatures had hit 37°c ( 99°f ) in bombala. eleven inches ( 28 cm ) of snow fell in seoul, south korea on the 3rd, marking the greatest snowfall amount for that city since records began in 1937 ( source : bbc ). central beijing, china received 3 inches ( 8 cm


bombala. eleven inches ( 28 cm ) of snow fell in seoul, south korea on the 3rd, marking the greatest snowfall amount for that city since records began in 1937 ( source : bbc ). central beijing, china received 3 inches ( 8 cm ) of snow on the 2nd, the most for a single day since january 1951, while suburbs of the city reported 13 inches ( 33 cm ). over 90 percent of flights at beijing. s international airport were affected. on january 6th, temperatures in beijing dropped to - 16. 7°c ( 1. 9°f ), the lowest minimum temperature in the first ten days of january since 1971. figure 2. an unusual sight : virtually all of britain was covered by snow on january 7, 2010. image credit : nasa. january 2010 : near - average temperatures in the u. s. for the contiguous u. s., the average january temperature was 0. 3°f above average, making it the 55th coolest january in the 115 - year record, according to the national climatic data center. the u. s. has been on quite a roller coaster of temperatures over the past four months - - the nation recorded its third coldest october on record, followed by its third warmest november, followed by its 14th coolest december, followed by an average january. the coolest january temperature anomalies were in florida, which had its 10th coldest such month. the pacific northwest was very warm, with oregon and washington recording their 4th warmest january on record. seattle experienced its warmest january since records began in 1891. figure 3. ranking of temperatures by state for january 2010. florida had its 10th coldest january on record, while washington and oregon had their 4th warmest. image credit : national climatic data center. precipitation across the u. s. was near average in january. notably, arizona had its 5th wettest january and new mexico its 7th wettest. the only state much drier than average was michigan, which had its 8th driest january. at the end of january, 3 % of the contiguous united states was in severe - to - exceptional drought, a decrease of 4 % from the previous month. this is the lowest drought footprint for the country since detailed drought statistics began in 1999. a few notable records set in the u. s. during january 2010, courtesy of the national climatic data center : : all - time low pressure records were set across most of california, arizona, nevada, and southern oregon on january 20 - 21. this was approximately 10


set in the u. s. during january 2010, courtesy of the national climatic data center : : all - time low pressure records were set across most of california, arizona, nevada, and southern oregon on january 20 - 21. this was approximately 10 - 15 % of the area of the u. s. arizona set its all - time 24 - hour state snowfall record : 48 " at sunrise mountain jan. 21 - 22. the 50. 7 inches ( 129 cm ) that fell in flagstaff, az jan. 16 - 23 was the third highest five - day total ever recorded there. yuma, arizona ' s total of 2. 44 inches of rain ( 62 mm ) was their 2nd greatest january total ever, narrowly missing the record of 2. 49 ( 63 mm ) set in 1949. their daily total of 1. 95 ( 50 mm ) inches on the 21st was the greatest one - day january total ever. near wikieup, az, the big sandy river crested at 17. 9 feet, washing away numerous roads and setting a new all - time record crest, breaking the previous record of 16. 4 feet set back in march 1978. burlington, vt had its largest single snowstorm on record, 33. 1 " on jan. 1 - 3. sioux city, ia tied its all - time max snow depth record ( 28 " on jan. 7 ). beckley, wv had its snowiest january on record ( 40. 9 " ; old record 37. 3 " in 1996 ) bellingham, washington tied its record highest january temperature of 65°f on january 11. hondo, texas tied its record coldest january temperature of 12°f on january 9. cotulla la salle, texas tied its record coldest january temperature of 16°f on january 9. records were broken or tied at daytona beach, orlando, melbourne, and vero beach florida for the greatest number of consecutive days in which the daily high temperature remained below 60 degrees f ( 15. 5 c ). daytona beach ' s string was twelve days. jackson, ky and london, ky tied their record for longest streak of consecutive days falling below 32°f ( 11 days ). pensacola, fl had its 2nd longest such streak ( 10 days ), and mobile, al its 3rd longest ( 10 days ). key west, fl had its 2nd coldest temperature ever measured, 42°f. the record is 41°f, set in 1981 and 1886. moderate el nino conditions continue moderate el nino conditions continue over the tropical eastern pacific


( 10 days ). key west, fl had its 2nd coldest temperature ever measured, 42°f. the record is 41°f, set in 1981 and 1886. moderate el nino conditions continue moderate el nino conditions continue over the tropical eastern pacific. ocean temperatures in the area 5°n - 5°s, 120°w - 170°w, also called the " nina 3. 4 region ", were at 1. 2°c above average on february 10, in the middle of the 1. 0°c - 1. 5°c range for a moderate el nino, according to the australian bureau of meteorology. the strength of el nino has been roughly constant for the first two weeks of february. a burst of westerly winds that developed near the date line in january has pushed eastwards towards south america over the past month, and this should keep the current el nino at moderate strength well into march. all of the el nino models forecast that el nino has peaked and will weaken by summer. most of the models predict that el nino conditions will last into early summer, but cross the threshold into neutral territory by the height of hurricane season. january sea ice extent in the arctic 4th lowest on record january 2010 northern hemisphere sea ice extent was the 4th lowest since satellite measurements began in 1979. ice extent was lower than in 2009 and 2008, but greater than in 2005, 2006, and 2007, according to the national snow and ice data center ( nsidc ). the weather pattern over the arctic in the first half of january 2010 featured a strongly negative arctic oscillation ( ao ). this pattern tends to slow the winds that typically flush large amounts of sea ice out of the arctic between greenland and iceland. in this way, a negative ao could help retain some the second - and third - year ice through the winter, and potentially rebuild some of the older, multi - year ice that has been lost over the past few years. however, the ice pack is the thinnest on record for this time of year, and much above average temperatures this summer would likely cause a new record summertime sea ice loss. my next post will be monday or tuesday.


epa works with our mexican neighbors on the u. s. - mexico environmental program, a collaboration between the united states and mexico to improve the environment and protect the health of the nearly 12 million people living along the border. the bi - national program focuses on cleaning the air, providing safe drinking water, reducing the risk of exposure to hazardous waste, and ensuring emergency preparedness along the u. s. - mexico border. the border 2012 program closed this year after successfully meeting and exceeding program goals and objectives. along the border, more than 12 million scrap tires were removed and properly disposed of, more than 54, 000 homes were connected to safe - drinking water system, and more than 540, 000 homes were connected to wastewater systems. 2012 national coordinators meeting epa administrator lisa p. jackson and mexican secretary for the environment juan elvira quesada met in tijuana on august 8, 2012 to sign the border 2020 framework agreement for continued environmental cooperation along the u. s - mexico border. they were joined by u. s. and mexican officials attending the annual national coordinator meeting ( pdf ). the border 2020 program is the latest environmental initiative implemented under the 1983 la paz agreement. building on the border 2012 environmental program, it emphasizes regional, bottom - up approaches for decision making, priority setting, and project implementation to address the environmental and public health problems in the border region. border 2020 will seek to reduce pollution in water, air, and on land, reduce exposure to chemicals from accidental releases or terrorism, and improve environmental stewardship. learn more about border 2020 goals and objectives. border 2020 will build on the success of border 2012 by maintaining the bottom - up approach to program design, and by committing to strategic priorities to achieve an ambitious set of goals and objectives. explore our work : - new! border 2020 program - border 2012 program - becc and nadbank - border activities on air quality - preparing for and preventing environmental emergencies - us - mexico border : water infrastructure program additional resources about environment and the mexico - u. s. border : - border eco web. this site is designed to facilitate public - access to environmental information about the mexico - u. s. border region. information is available in both spanish and english. - international boundary and water commission ( ibwc ). the u. s. and mexico have cooperated on their shared border environment for over a hundred years. much of this cooperation took place under the auspices of the ibwc, a u. s. - mexico international organization with a presence in both countries. the ibwc


munida subrugosa is the most abundant galatheid crab species in the beagle channel ( 55°s 68°w ) off tierra del fuego, argentina. samples of crabs and the epibenthic community were taken on a monthly basis at two different depth strata ( < 40m and > 70m ), by means of epibenthic trawling from 1998 to 1999. stomach contents from 1582 crabs were analysed, out of which only 2 % had empty stomachs. the quantity of food in the stomach contents was clearly seasonal and similar at both depths. the organic matter varied throughout the year and between both depths, being significantly higher in summer / spring than in autumn / winter. munida subrugosa shows two different and simultaneous feeding habits : ( 1 ) as a predator m. subrugosa feeds on crustaceans, algae, and polychaetes ; and ( 2 ) as a deposit feeder m. subrugosa consumes particulate organic matter and organisms associated with the superficial layer of of the sediment. the composition of the diet of munida subrugosa was similar for both years, and independent of depth, sex or season. munida subrugosa selected crustaceans only in autumn and winter, whereas most food items were found according to their availability in the habitat. helmholtz research programs > marcopoli ( 2004 - 2008 ) > pol4 - response of higher marine life to change


trinidad head baseline observatory battered by winter stormjanuary 26, 2006 the noaa trinidad head baseline atmospheric observatory located on the northern california coastline ( 41. 05 n, 124. 15 w ), and one of the five noaa global baseline atmospheric observatories, was shut down for 3 days due to regional power outages produced by a severe winter storm that battered the california and oregon coasts earlier this month. wind speeds of 97 mph ( 42 m s - 1 ) produced waves of 25 ft ( 8 m ) and uprooted three large 150 year old monterey cypress trees located near the observatory, one of which moderately damaged the roof of the ozonesonde balloon launch facility. nevertheless, the observatory was up and running within hours of power restoration. the trinidad head observatory, established in the spring of 2002, provides continuous measurements of atmospheric pollutants and climate forcing agents entering the west coast of the u. s. from asia. in addition to its long term monitoring mission, the facility has hosted or supported a number of large intensive studies including the noaa 2002 intercontinental transport and chemical transformation ( itct ) campaign, the 2004 intex ozone network study ( ions ) and the 2005 altair integrated system flight demonstration project. in addition to the normal complement of baseline observatory instruments, the observatory presently supports, or has supported in the past, instruments noaa / csd, nasa - goddard space flight center ( gsfc ), uc - berkeley, uc - davis, uc - san diego, scripps institution of oceanography ( sio ), and the university of wisconsin - madison. the advanced global atmospheric gases experiment ( agage ), operated since 1995 by sio, is also located on trinidad head. the trinidad head observatory suffered only minimal damage in a severe 50 - year storm, and was back in operation within hours of the resumption of power. this same storm produced significant loss of standing timber including up to 70 % loss of trees just north of the observatory, presumably due to a reported funnel cloud. funnel clouds are a very unusual phenomenon for the west coast. the extreme wind event was the result of intense pressure gradients associated with the formation of a bent back occluded front, itself a relatively rare event on the california coast. to see views of the observatory, tree damage, and surfers riding huge waves coming ashore near half moon bay, following the storm go to the link below and view the images in the photo gallery at the bottom of the page.


- informed consent has two components : information and consent. this right to information stems form the patient ' s right of self - determination as laid down in articles 10 and 11 of the dutch constitution. this means that medical treatment of patients is only allowed with their consent or that of people empowered to decide for them. information and consent seem to occur but that is not necessarily so. the medical practitioner ' s obligation to supply information has been a long - standing, major issue in literature. - consent to treatment is a basic principle in health care and serves as the justification of the doctor ( s intervention. without it, there is, generally speaking, a situation of matreatment for which the physician can be prosecuted. the patient then will have to state and prove that an action has been carried out without his consent, unless the burden of proof lies elsewhere because of any special regulation or the demands of reasonebleness and fairness. - a distinction is usually made between consent ot enter into a contract for medical treatment and consent to the medical treatment itself. explicit consent is required for a contract for medical treatment, which must be emphatically distinguished from the various separate, medical actions. consent once granted does not imply consent to each and every medical action, the separate actions require consent as well. on the other hand, separate consent is not required for each and every medical action, however slight it may be. cosent may be revoked at any time. - the requirement of consent for treatment to be undergone does not imply that explicit consent has to be asked for each medical action. the physicion can inform a patient explicitly without asking for his explicit consent for the medical action. the physician may presume consent to have been granted if the medical action itself or its consequences are not major ones, such as the taking of blood during an operation. presumed consent may also be deduced from a person ' s behaviour. a physician should not presume consent too easily with furhter - reaching treatment. if he does so, he will have to furnish proof of consent. - in an emergency consent in its generality may be presumed, the duty of medical care then overriding the principle of consent. an instance here could be when during an operation the need arised to perform a follow - up operation, which has not been considered to. considerations here are : the severity and emergency of the unforeseen situation and the inconvenience of a separate operation. here, as elsewhere, reasonableness and fairness are the criteria for a physician ' s


which has not been considered to. considerations here are : the severity and emergency of the unforeseen situation and the inconvenience of a separate operation. here, as elsewhere, reasonableness and fairness are the criteria for a physician ' s actions : what would a patient in sound mind have wandted. another instance is the situation when a patient is brought in unconscious. a physican should be allowed to act ' although the contract for medical treatment has not been closed. ' the physician who does not aks for consent, solely motivated by the fear of the patient ' s refusal to consent to the operation, acts reprehensibly. - a new phenomenon in the nehterlands os tje filling out of forms of consent. a written declaration has the advantage of being able to contain all kinds of general information about illness and its treatment. an additional advantage of such a written declaration for the patient is the considerable facilitation of his own proof of consent to certain medical actions. another novelty is the recognition of the submitted written declaration of will, which is also called ' life testament ', and should not be confused with a declaration of euthanasia. such a life treatment can be used to indicate that, and in which circumstances, treatment and / or reanimation should not be given. more in general, such a document may indicate what kind of action should be taken inf a patient himself is no logner able to do so. wgbo does not define the specific requirements for such a life testament ; its legal status requires the medical practitioner to in principle adhere to the patient ' s will expressed in the document. in reaching his final decision, however, a medical practitioner may be guided by the following questions : - what is the date of the life testament ; - have there been any changes in the situation of the person concerned since then ; - under what circumstances and in what way did the document come into being? ( source : international encyclopaedia of laws - medical law - the netherlands )


the canterbury tales : the parson ' s prologue the manciple ' s tale heere folweth the prologe by that the maunciple hadde his tale al ended, the sonne fro the south lyne was descended so lowe that he nas nat, to my sighte, degrees nyne and twenty as in highte. foure of the clokke it was tho, as i gesse, for ellevene foot, or litel moore or lesse, my shadwe was at thilke tyme, as there, of swiche feet as my lengthe parted were in sixe feet equal of proporcioun. therwith the moones exaltacioun, i meene libra, alwey gan ascende, as we were entryng at a thropes ende ; for which oure hoost, as he was wont to gye, as in this caas, oure joly compaignye, seyde in this wise : " lordynges everichoon, now lakketh us no tales mo than oon. fulfilled is my sentence and my decree ; i trowe that we han herd of ech degree ; almoost fulfild is al myn ordinaunce. i pray to god, so yeve hym right good chaunce, that telleth this tale to us lustily. " sire preest, " quod he, artow a vicary? or arte a person? sey sooth, by the fey! be what thou be, ne breke thou nat oure pley ; for every man, save thou, hath toold his tale. unbokele, and shewe us what is in thy male ; for, trewely, me thynketh by thy cheere thou sholdest knytte up wel a greet mateere. telle us a fable anon, for cokkes bones! " this persoun answerde, al atones, " thou getest fable noon ytoold for me ; for paul, that writeth unto thymothee, repreveth hem that weyven soothfastnesse, and tellen fables and swich wrecchednesse. why sholde i sowen draf out of my fest, whan i may sowen whete, if that me lest? for which i seye, if


, and tellen fables and swich wrecchednesse. why sholde i sowen draf out of my fest, whan i may sowen whete, if that me lest? for which i seye, if that yow list to heere moralitee and vertuous mateere, and thanne that ye wol yeve me audience, i wol ful fayn, at cristes reverence, do yow plesaunce leefful, as i kan. but trusteth wel, i am a southren man, i kan nat geeste ' rum, ram, ruf, ' by lettre, ne, god woot, ryn holde i but litel bettre ; and therfore, if yow list - i wol nat glose - i wol yow telle a myrie tale in prose to knytte up al this feeste, and make an ende. and jhesu, for his grace, wit me sende to shewe yow the wey, in this viage, of thilke parfit glorious pilgrymage that highte jerusalem celestial. and if ye vouche sauf, anon i shal bigynne upon my tale, for which i preye telle youre avys, i kan no bettre seye. but nathelees, this meditacioun i putte it ay under correccioun of clerkes, for i am nat textueel ; i take but the sentence, trusteth weel. therfore i make protestacioun that i wol stonde to correccioun. " upon this word we han assented soone, for, as it seemed, it was for to doone, to enden in som vertuous sentence, and for to yeve hym space and audience ; and bade oure hoost he sholde to hym seye that alle we to telle his tale hym preye. oure hoost hadde the wordes for us alle : " sire preest, " quod he, " now faire yow bifalle! telleth, " quod he, " youre meditacioun. but hasteth yow, the sonne wole adoun ; beth fructuous, and that in litel space, and to do wel god


the widely - accepted name for a system developed by the former soviet union to allow the country to retaliate against a nation aggressor ( though let ' s be honest, we all know who they meant ) should a nuclear strike destroy or incapacitate the soviet leadership. such a strike is called nuclear decapitation. in fact the u. s. also has a similar system, though it is slightly - slightly - less terrifying in its execution. both share the predictable goal of nuking the aggressor back to the stone age, despite the destruction of the home country and much of civilization. basically the last word in " if i go down, i ' m taking you with me. " the soviet system was developed in the 1970s in line with its doctrine of centralised control over all of the union ' s machinations. it became operational sometime during the 1980s. according to one source the west did not even know it existed until a 1993 article on it in the new york times ( one of the sources for this writeup ), penned by a former minuteman launch officer citing unnamed russian sources. the soviet leadership used a procedure that would guarantee a nuclear retaliation, in the event of their being killed or incapacitated by a nuclear attack. how was this ensured? communications between the soviet leadership and the general staff ( the country ' s highest military organisation ; the u. s equivalent is the joint chiefs of staff ), various installations such as radar tracking stations, missile silos and military command centres were / are all monitored. if a sudden loss of communications occurs, together with the detection of nuclear explosions ( how this was / is monitored for is unclear ), the system activates and retaliates. destruction complete, case closed, crisis over. in 1984 the system was tested, though at the time it was unknown outside the soviet union that it was anything beyond a missile test. two ballistic missile firings were detected by western surveillance satellites, spaced about 40 minutes apart. an ss - 20 communications rocket was launched from kapustin yar ; after a flight of about 35 minutes it relayed launch instructions to an ss - 18 missile silo in kazakhstan, which fired a test missile that impacted on the kamchatka peninsula. this is a handy illustration of how the system would work. should the system be triggered, a series of ballistic missiles would be launched from predetermined sites around the country. the missiles, in place of their ' regular ' payload of nuclear warheads, carry communication packages.


how the system would work. should the system be triggered, a series of ballistic missiles would be launched from predetermined sites around the country. the missiles, in place of their ' regular ' payload of nuclear warheads, carry communication packages. they fly such trajectories as to collectively overfly virtually every nuclear missile silo in the soviet union, ( presumably ) now the russian federation. when in range of each respective installation, the missile relays an electronic launch command which locks out external ( read : human ) commands at the silo, which then automatically launches its missiles. there is some discrepancy between sources as to whether the system is automatically or manually activated ; some state the system is automatically triggered once the preconditions are met, others state that a small number of operators are required to trigger the system but that it subsequently operates automatically. russia has purportedly continued spending money to keep the system current, including the construction of new communication facilities to relay launch instructions to russian boomers. facilities are currently being built under about 1000ft of granite in the ural mountains and it is believed by many that they are intended to support the dead hand system. one of the installations is reported to include the huge extremely low frequency communications equipment needed to transmit to submarines worldwide. there is no recorded name for the u. s. system so i ' ll just refer to it as the doomsday machine, another common moniker for the soviet / russian version. the doomsday machine ( dm ), like dead hand, works off a nationwide network of sensors and monitors on communication lines. these monitors are placed on links between, for example, command centres such as norad and nuclear missile silos, or early warning radar stations. the dm is triggered upon detection of a number of nuclear explosions and the simultaneous loss of communications between these facilities. upon detection of this, a series of ballistic missiles are launched from around the country. as with the soviet / russian system these missiles contain communication packages. between them they overfly every nuclear missile silo in the continental u. s. ( possibly missile regiments based abroad are also covered, though i could not find confirmation of this ). on passing each missile silo a message is relayed containing an order to the installation commander to launch all missiles, together with the pal key codes required for doing so. the commanders, human hesitation notwithstanding, then proceed to launch their missiles. the difference here is that there is room for human error - should the russian system be triggered by accident there


launch all missiles, together with the pal key codes required for doing so. the commanders, human hesitation notwithstanding, then proceed to launch their missiles. the difference here is that there is room for human error - should the russian system be triggered by accident there would be no way to stop it, short of shooting down the communication rockets. having said that, if any country has the capability to do that at the time of writing it ' s probably russia. one thing that popped up a couple of times during the limited research that was possible for this subject is the idea that if you want to destroy america, ' all ' you have to do is nuke russia. stay with me. since the mutual detargeting agreement between russia and america ( subsequently adopted by britain too ), the nuclear missiles of each country are no longer aimed at the other. ignore that said agreement has, at best, symbolic significance. instead, consider that while most american icbms are currently targeted at various oceans ( trident and peacekeeper missiles have no targets ), russian missiles all have no targets and if launched without change, would automatically revert back to their default targets. guess where they are? * if one could ape the conditions of a nuclear attack taking place in russia ( the simultaneous severing of multiple, critical communication lines and the foiling of enough nuclear explosion sensors ) the country, like the world ' s deadliest headless chicken, may launch all of its icbms against the united states. i am avoiding certainty here because i do not know whether the system is triggered manually or automatically. i will also take this opportunity to say that the dead hand system is not universally accepted as existing. still, in considering that possibility, consider also the u. s ' s recent interest in nuclear bunker - buster bombs and that the jane ' s information group - not exactly a bastion of frenzied, unfounded speculation - has reportedly confirmed the existence of the system. it is worth noting that with the current russian policy by which nuclear launch codes are disseminated to lower level officers, nuclear launch authority is essentially delegated to local commanders. this authority could be employed regardless of any dead hand system, if it was believed that the russian leadership had been destroyed by nuclear bombardment. sources do disagree somewhat on the current usability of the system. some paint it as being the most up - to - date system in the russian military, while others as a decaying relic of a country clinging to the belief in the western imperialist enemy ( if there is a


current usability of the system. some paint it as being the most up - to - date system in the russian military, while others as a decaying relic of a country clinging to the belief in the western imperialist enemy ( if there is a difference ). still others declare its present status unknown. certainly there were fears that the system might be triggered on january 1, 2000 because of year 2000 problem clashing with ageing russian equipment. still, an interesting perspective on the belief that a nuclear war can be won, and the lengths to which tit for tat can be taken. the book ' dead hand ', by harold coyle, is a tale of the system ' s accidental activation by an asteroid strike. it sounds pretty bad. master villian says re dead hand nuclear retaliation - it ' s like they watched dr strangelove and missed the point. before you / msg me telling me i ' m talking out of my arse, let me say that the limited number of available sources for this subject, together with my status as a slightly - more - informed - than - normal nobody means this writeup should perhaps be considered slightly higher than speculation. interesting speculation, though. * - the launch command may contain target data too, rendering this point irrelevant. it would certainly make sense if targets were supplied, though if the system has not, in fact, been updated then it is just as likely that they would be old, cold war - era targets. jasinski, michael ; " russia : strategic early warning, command and control, and missile defense overview " ; - sanders, kevin ; " y2k, nuclear weapons and nuclear power " ; - blair, bruce g ; - " russia ' s doomsday machine " ; - " we keep building nukes for all the wrong reasons " ; fas public interest report ; " launch on warning : basic russian plan " ; " national defense authorization act for fiscal year 1998 ( house of representatives - june 20, 1997 ) " ;


shaw in algeria and tunis — hornemann in fezzan — adamson at senegal — houghton in senegambia — mungo park and his two voyages to the djoliba, or niger — sego — timbuctoo — sparmann and lavaillant at the cape, at natal, and in the interior — lacerda in mozambique, and at cazembe — bruce in abyssinia — sources of the blue nile — tzana lake — browne ' s journey in darfur. an englishman named thomas shaw, a chaplain in algeria, had profited by his twelve years ' stay in barbary to gather together a rich collection of natural curiosities, medals, inscriptions, and various objects of interest. although he himself never visited the southern portion of algeria, he availed himself of the facts he was able to obtain from well - informed travellers, who imparted to him a mass of information concerning the little known and scarcely visited country. he published a book in two large quarto volumes, which embraced the whole of ancient numidia. it was rather the work of a learned man than the account of a traveller, and it must be admitted that the learning is occasionally ill - directed. but in spite of its shortcomings as a geographical history, it had a large value at the time of its publication, and no one could have been better situated than shaw for collecting such an enormous mass of material. the following extract may give an idea of the style of the work : — " the chief manufacture of the kabyles and arabs is the making ' hykes, ' as they call their blankets. the women alone are employed in this work ; like andromache and penelope of old, they do not use the shuttle, but weave every thread of the woof with their fingers. the usual size of a hyke is six yards long and five or six feet broad, serving the kabyle and arab as a complete dress during the day, and as a covering for the bed at night. it is a loose but troublesome garment, as it is often disarranged and slips down, so that the person who wears it is every moment obliged to tuck it up and rearrange it. this shows the great use there is of a girdle whenever men are in active employment, and explains the force of the scripture injunction of having our loins girded. the method of wearing this garment, with the use it is at other times put to as bed


there is of a girdle whenever men are in active employment, and explains the force of the scripture injunction of having our loins girded. the method of wearing this garment, with the use it is at other times put to as bed - covering, makes it probable that it is similar to if not identical with the peplus of the ancients. it is likewise probable that the loose garment flung over the shoulder, the toga of the romans, was of this kind, as the drapery of statues is arranged very much in the same manner as the arab hyke. " it is unnecessary to linger over this work, which has little interest for us. we shall do better to turn our attention to the journey of frederic conrad horneman to fezzan. this young german offered his services to the african society of london, and, having satisfied the authorities of his knowledge of medicine and acquaintance with the arabic language, he was engaged, and furnished with letters of introduction, safe - conducts, and unlimited credit. leaving london in july, 1797, he went first to paris. lalande introduced him to the institute, and presented him with his " memoire sur l ' afrique, " and broussonet gave him an introduction to a turk from whom he obtained letters of recommendation to certain cairo merchants who carried on business in the interior of africa. during his stay at cairo, horneman devoted himself to perfecting his knowledge of arabic, and studying the manners and customs of the natives. we must not omit to mention that the traveller had been presented by monge and berthollet to napoleon buonaparte, who was then in command of the french forces in egypt. from him he received a cordial welcome, and buonaparte placed all the resources of the country at his service. | " he received a cordial welcome. " | as the safer method of travelling, horneman resolved to disguise himself as a mohammedan merchant. he quickly learned a few prayers, and adopted a style of dress likely to impose upon unsuspecting people. he then started, accompanied by a fellow - countryman named joseph frendenburg, who had been a mussulman for more than twelve years, had already made three pilgrimages to mecca, and was perfectly familiar with the various turkish and arabic dialects. he was to act as horneman ' s interpreter. on the 5th of september, 1798, the traveller left cairo with a caravan, and visited the famous oasis of jupiter ammon or


te kurapa was the third of five children born to te tuhera te kurapa and his wife matahera. as a young child he was given to his mother ' s cousin, te whenuanui ii ( also known as rangiteremauri ), as a tamaiti whangai, and raised traditionally. after a few years he was sent to his paternal grandfather, haniko te ao, at ruatoki, but he ran away, back to te whenuanui when he was seven. his elders at ruatahuna were widely respected tohunga, masters of different aspects of maori and tribal culture and tradition, religious and practical, and te kurapa was a diligent student. they were also devout members of te kooti ' s ringatu religion. at first he and his family lived on a very isolated farm, but when the eldest was 10 they moved back to ruatahuna to be near schools. he gradually succeeded to spiritual leadership of the ringatu church in the district, and he passed on his traditional knowledge to his children, grandchildren, and others of the tuhoe tribe. his leadership also succeeded in stopping a government - inspired plan to amalgamate lands in the area, but one of his sons died, explained by the te urewera sub - tribe ( the party he supported in the dispute ) as the price exacted by the gods for success. he had two wives and 17 children, four of whom were sent as tamaiti whangai to other families.


" it is tragic what we do in the poorest neighborhoods, entrapping children in, first of all, child laws, which are truly stupid, " said the former house speaker friday at the kennedy school of government at harvard. " most of these schools ought to get rid of the unionized janitors, have one master janitor and pay local students to take care of the school. the kids would actually do work, they would have cash, they would have pride in the schools, they ' d begin the process of rising. " newt gingrich considers himself to be a " historian, " which dictionary. com says means " an expert in history ; authority on history. " and history is, in turn, " the branch of knowledge dealing with past events. " perhaps gingrich really is an expert on past events, in that he knows that they happened, and even perhaps what happened. for example, he is likely aware of the horrific abuse of children in the past, before there were " truly stupid " laws governing how and when children could work. he is probably not so aware of widespread problems today of child slavery and abuse - ' cause it ' s not in the past and he is a historian. but he also seems to be a blithering idiot. how else to explain his belief that you could pay some really poor children in a school to clean up after the other, better - off children, and that this would be a good thing ( instill a work ethic, and so forth )? was he ever a child? perhaps his grasp of personal history is terribly weak. children can be incredibly cruel beings. how long would it take before some evil bullies started taking dumps right on the floors in the bathroom stalls? or deliberately eating and then puking up lots of disgusting stuff? the children who took these jobs would become laughingstocks of the entire school, objects of scorn and abuse. but, ok, suppose that wasn ' t the case. suppose that all the children in the school are really nice to each other, and would never think of doing such awful things to one another? presumably the school has more than a handful of really poor children, anxious to put the janitor father of some other children out of work ( thereby sending the whole family into poverty ) so that they can work their way out of laziness and someday become a grown - up janitor ( but not at a school ). which of these deserving and desperate children get the jobs? how do you choose


whole family into poverty ) so that they can work their way out of laziness and someday become a grown - up janitor ( but not at a school ). which of these deserving and desperate children get the jobs? how do you choose? or perhaps you rotate the honor, so that the income ( surely well below minimum wage, that job killer, right, newt? ) and lessons are spread across many young minds and bodies? but then the lesson will be diluted. they might only be able to pull themselves up by a quarter of a bootstrap, which might not be enough in the 21st century. and so on. we all had a great laugh at herman cain ' s expense when he couldn ' t come up with an answer to how he felt about obama ' s actions in libya. and that was pretty funny ( and awful, too, when you consider that this man claims to want us to take him seriously as a possible finger on the button of nuclear destruction ). but why isn ' t gingrich being similarly mocked and taken to task? he is supposed to be some sort of deep intellectual, fully informed about past events, ready to take on the future. and this is the best he can do? offer up some half - assed, incredibly destructive, completely un - thought - out call to return to a past in which children were routinely abused and taken advantage of in order to increase profit margins? shame on you, newt gingrich.


describing a new cryptodont dicynodont from the permian of tanzania 2013 reu project : dicynodonts are an extinct group of ancient mammal relatives, and during the permian and triassic periods of earth history they were the most diverse and abundant terrestrial vertebrate herbivores. the best fossil record of permian dicynodonts comes from the karoo basin of south africa, but recently i have conducted fieldwork with collaborators in the permian rocks preserved in the ruhuhu basin of southwestern tanzania. research methods and techniques : we will describe a new species of dicynodont from the permian of tanzania. the species is represented by the skull, jaw, and partial postcranial skeleton of a subadult individual, and a skull fragment of a second larger individual. we will describe the morphology of the specimen, compare it to other dicynodonts to firmly establish that it is a distinct species, discuss the reasons why the primary specimen seems to be a subadult, examine how it is related to other dicynodonts, and investigate its biogeographic implications. the project will provide the opportunity to learn about vertebrate anatomy and morphology - based taxonomic and phylogenetic methods. curator / advisor : dr. kenneth d. angielczyk ( assistant curator of paleomammalogy, geology )


uv - rays shouldn ’ t be your only skin concern when frequenting the pool this summer. if you don ’ t take the necessary precautions, you might be walking away from a fun filled day in the sun with that itchy, burning disease known as athlete ’ s foot. athlete ’ s foot is a contagious fungal infection. there are three main types of athlete ’ s foot. first, there ’ s toe web infection, which causes the skin between your fourth and fifth toes to become scaly, peel and crack. another kind of foot fungus is a moccasin - type infection. this fungal infection starts out with a general feeling of soreness and then causes the skin around the heel to become thick and crack. it can even cause your toenails to thicken, crumble, and fall out. vesicular infection is the third type. if you contract this type of fungal infection, you ’ ll experience an outbreak of fluid - filled blisters on your foot. a certain amount of fungi on your skin is normal, and it usually stays under control as long as you keep your skin clean and dry. an infection develops after you come into contact with an environment that has a thriving population of fungi. the most treacherous areas are warm moist places, like swimming pools, where your feet come into contact with the same ground that hundreds of other feet have tread upon. more breeding spots for fungi include shoes and towels. even if your feet come into contact with fungi, you won ’ t necessarily develop athlete ’ s foot. some people are more susceptible than others. those at higher risk for contracting the disease include men, those with a history of fungal infections, those with an impaired immune system due to diabetes, cancer, or hiv, those living in warm damp climates and older individuals. while fungal infections run more rampant during the summertime, there are some steps you can take to prevent contraction. keep your feet dry, especially the area between your toes, and give your feet some breathing time at home. wear socks made out of natural, moisture wicking material like cotton or wool and change your socks often — two times a day or more if you have sweaty feet. when it comes to buying shoes, avoid tight shoes and shoes made with vinyl or rubber materials. instead, buy lighter, more ventilated options. also, never share your shoes. remember to switch up your shoes every day so each pair has ample drying time before you take another stroll in them. lastly, enjoy yourself at the pool safely this summer by wearing


low - cost rabies clinic is saturday, february 2 posted on 1 / 17 / 2013 please have dogs on leashes and cats and ferrets be in carriers. if you do not have a carrier, loaners are available. pets must be 3 months of age or older to receive the rabies shot. this clinic is only for 1 - year vaccinations. forsyth county animal control is located at 5570 sturmer park circle in winston - salem ( just off university parkway ). for more information, call ( 336 ) 703 - 2480. in 2012, there were 14 confirmed cases of rabies in forsyth county. rabies is a preventable disease of mammals most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. that is because rabid animals have the disease in their saliva or drool. if rabies enters the body, it attacks the brain and spinal cord. in north carolina, raccoons are more likely to have rabies than any other animal. however, cats, dogs, foxes, skunks, and farm animals can also get rabies. even humans can get rabies. rabies kills if it is not prevented. once signs of the disease appear in an animal or a human, they usually die within 10 days. but you can get anti - rabies shots to fight off the disease. rabies shots need to be given as soon as possible after a bite has occurred, before symptoms appear. the vaccination consists of a series of six shots given over 30 days.


environment and property act of 2012 repeal 17 now the agenda 21 link takes you to the sovereignty international website where years of data about agenda 21 has been collected. the repeal 17 now link takes you to the repeal 17 coalition website where the case for repealing the 17th amendment is presented, along with a growing list of organizations that are supporting the effort. the freedom movement | organization members | the freedom21 logo | freedom21 responsibilities freedom21 is the manifestation of the belief that american society operates best when it is founded upon these principles : - people have inherent, natural, unalienable rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness - the foundations of sovereignty. - governments exist expressly to protect these rights. - governments derive power from the consent of the governed, to protect these rights. - public policies which constrain people ' s rights must be enacted only by representatives elected by the people. - constitutionally limited government is the best form of government. - that government is best which governs least. - no foreign government shall supersede the authority of the government of the united states of america. these principles were identified, debated, and adopted by the people who attended the first annual national freedom21 conference, july 9 - 12, 2000, in st. louis, missouri. freedom21 ’ s mission is to advance these principles in public policy at every level of government. freedom21 began in 1999 when its predecessor, the environmental conservation organization, asked the leaders of about a dozen other organizations to assemble in washington, dc. the purpose of the meeting was to develop a new strategy to counter the explosion of new laws and regulations that ignored private property rights and individual freedom. the meeting was hosted by the committee for a constructive tomorrow. the group quickly agreed that the president ’ s council on sustainable development, working to implement the recommendations set forth in agenda 21, was a major source of the freedom - eroding policies being implemented by the government. the group recognized, and agreed, that the efforts of our various organizations were mostly defensive, working to defeat the proposals and policies advanced by the pcsd, and its proponents. what was needed, the group decided, was to develop a strong offense, to develop a positive strategy to advance the principles of freedom, in addition to defeating the proposals produced by the pcsd. the first step was the first annual freedom21 national conference held in st. louis, missouri in 2000. more than a hundred leaders of grassroots organizations from around the country attended the conference. speakers outlined the new strategy. attendees divided


by the pcsd. the first step was the first annual freedom21 national conference held in st. louis, missouri in 2000. more than a hundred leaders of grassroots organizations from around the country attended the conference. speakers outlined the new strategy. attendees divided into committees to develop the principles that would guide the group and to develop priorities and suggest tactics. after considerable discussion and revision, the “ principles of freedom ” were unanimously adopted. organizations that are members of freedom21 are organizations that have a proven track record of effective, determined work that advances the principles of freedom. these organizations work in a variety of different issue areas. some concentrate on education issues. some work primarily on property rights issues. some focus on the negative aspects of sustainable development policies. freedom is being attacked on every front, and grassroots organizations that work to defend, and advance the principles of freedom are rising to meet the challenge. these are the organizations that are, or should be members of freedom21. working together, these organizations draw strength and support from each other. as one organization confronts a serious challenge, it can call on other freedom21 organizations to join in a coordinated campaign to overcome it. this is the power of the freedom movement. freedom21 is a voluntary, cooperative effort in which no hierarchy issues decisions. instead, any member organization can ask for, and receive support from other freedom21 members on any issue. the more individuals and organizations that participate in freedom21, the more powerful the freedom movement becomes. freedom21 works to promote, publicize, and advance the work of all its member organizations through its publications, websites, press releases, news articles, videos, and other educational materials. individuals and organizations that use the freedom21 logo help to build recognition of freedom21 as the growing freedom movement that it has become. the freedom21 logo is a positive symbol of the principles of freedom with which no american can disagree. america is facing another period in its history when freedom is threatened anew. the enemy is the same : collectivism, but it is dressed in a new uniform. this time, it ’ s not hitler - styled socialism, or soviet - styled communism, it is international collectivism wearing a “ sustainable development ” uniform. and it has beguiled a great many americans who fail to see its dangers. it is our responsibility as individuals, as organizations – as freedom21 – to not only expose the dangers, but to offer positive, pro - active policy proposals to city councils, to county commissions, to state legislatures, and to congress to uphold and advance the principles of


responsibility as individuals, as organizations – as freedom21 – to not only expose the dangers, but to offer positive, pro - active policy proposals to city councils, to county commissions, to state legislatures, and to congress to uphold and advance the principles of freedom. this is our task. this is our challenge. this is our mission. our success, or failure, will shape the future for generations to come. what we, each of us, do from this day forward will determine our success or failure. we need to become and stay informed about the issues we care about. this is achieved by staying involved with the organizations that are working to advance the principles of freedom within those issues. we need to develop a missionary zeal to help our friends and neighbors learn about those issues through our conversations, our correspondence, community meetings, church, and every other opportunity. we need to respond to our organization ’ s call for activism, whether it is attendance at a city council meeting or contacting a congressman. we need to do whatever we can as individuals. we need to support our organizations – freedom21 organizations. the people who lead these organizations often work with little or no salary for their organizational work, and actually help finance their work from their own paycheck earned from other jobs. they need financial support and they need our freedom21 is a new idea in the market place of grassroots activism. it consists of organizations working in an array of issue areas populated with individuals from all walks of life. the common denominator for individuals and organizations alike is belief in the principles of freedom on which freedom21 is constructed. let ’ s determine together to build this movement into a tidal wave of influence that will wash away the last remnant of collectivism that contaminates public policy. this is a long term goal that must be achieved incrementally. every victory, no matter how small, by every individual and every organization, is an incremental step toward this goal. together, we can multiply these victories. together, we can celebrate, and publicize these victories. and in the doing of it, we can attract new members to our organizations, and double and redouble our effectiveness. the structure has been built and the strategy is before us. now, we go to work anew!


have you ever wondered about the meaning of your last name or where your family surname came from? what your ancestors did, how they looked or where they lived? surname meanings can sometimes tell a story about your family, one handed down for hundreds of years. by tracing the possible origin of your last name, you can learn more about the medieval ancestors who first bore the surname and, ultimately, handed it down to you. select a letter to find your surname meaninga | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i | j | k | l | m | n | o | p | q | r | s | t | u | v | w | x | y | z to learn more about your last name meaning and ethnic origin, just browse to the appropriate letter in the surname meanings and origins glossary for your last name. this free glossary includes surname meanings and etymologies for english surnames, irish surnames, german surnames, french surnames, italian surnames, spanish surnames, australian surnames, canadian surnames, polish surnames and jewish surnames, plus research links, common surname spelling variations, and surname search tips. plus, surname meanings for the 100 most popular u. s. surnames as well. when searching for the origin or etymology of your surname it is also important to consider that your last name may not have always been spelled the way that it is today. even through at least the first half of the 20th century it is not unusual to see the same individual ' s last name spelled in many different ways from record to record. for example, you might see the seemingly easy - to - spell surname kennedy spelled as kenedy, canady, kanada, kenneday, and even kendy, due to clerks, ministers, and other officials spelling the name as they heard it pronounced. sometimes alternate variants stuck and were passed down to future generations. it is even not that uncommon to see siblings passing down different variants of the same original surname.


contemporary medicine brings with it ethical problems that human beings have not faced before. with the advent of modern resuscitative techniques, issues arise of when to start and stop cardiopulmonary resuscitation. in the 1950s, doctors in hospitals often carried a scalpel that was used when a patient went into cardiac arrest – the chest would be opened, and the heart massaged directly. this method saved the lives of many surgical patients as well as generally healthy pregnant women who had reactions to the anesthesia then routinely given during labor and delivery. it is still used today on trauma victims and on some heart attack victims. in 1960, william b. kouwenhoven and his associates published an article in the journal of the american medical association on closed - chest heart massage, which is still taught to the general public in cpr classes today. in the early days, doctors would sometimes work on a patient for over an hour, and some of these patients recovered without significant brain damage. over the years, many other patients suffered severe, disabling brain damage. as cpr spread beyond drowning victims and victims of cardiac death due to a medical condition ( such as a myocardial infarction, a “ heart attack, ” debates over when to use it intensified. cpr might, for example, bring back briefly a dying cancer patient, but what would be the point ( unless the patient was waiting for a family member he wished to see before he died or another personal reason )? “ do - not - resuscitate ” forms came into vogue, in which the patient or a proxy could let his wishes be known on whether he should be given cpr. i have had several relatives and friends die in peace because they did not go through cpr and advanced cardiac life support after cardiac arrest. but what about the following scenario : a young woman collapses while jogging at a marathon. cpr is immediately started, along with advanced cardiac life support by the ambulance crew, and the patient is taken to a hospital. it is twenty minutes after her cardiac arrest. doctors immediately pronounce her “ dead on arrival. ” this is an actual case ; i am leaving out the names of the marathon, the city, and the hospital. what troubles me is that even today some doctors do not give up after twenty minutes, and patients do recover after an hour of cpr and acls. some of these patients fully recover, physically and mentally. why pronounce a young woman dead twenty minutes after cardiac arrest – maybe her


doctors do not give up after twenty minutes, and patients do recover after an hour of cpr and acls. some of these patients fully recover, physically and mentally. why pronounce a young woman dead twenty minutes after cardiac arrest – maybe her heart only had an electrical glitch that, with treatment, could be controlled, or she could be given an implantable defibrillator and live for many years. we would not know – but twenty minutes seems so short in a decision that guarantees that the woman is dead. one reason i feel strongly about death being pronounced so quickly in such a case is that my mother suffered a cardiac arrest. doctors worked on her over two hours ( and she did have some times in which her heart would beat off and on during that time ), and eventually put one pacemaker line in that did not work ; the second line did. she recovered without neurological effects and received a pacemaker and implantable defibrillator. it seems that too many cpr decisions, both by paramedics and by hospitals, are more based on triage than on what could help patients ( albeit a very small percentage of patients ). i once asked a pa student who had worked at a hospital whether doctors would work on a trauma patient in cardiac arrest ( which they sometimes do if the patient had signs of life at the scene ). he replied it depended on how much time they had. i wonder if this is the same for patients in medical cardiac arrest. now some of these patients may have had a dnr order that was discovered, so when the newspaper says someone was pronounced dead after a short ride to the hospital the dnr is the real reason. but when i read in the paper about drowning victims who were in the water less than five minutes being pronounced doa twenty minutes later, this is troublesome. would not there be a moral obligation, in a life or death situation, to try a bit longer, especially given the existence of some successes in the past? if a fifty - year - old man has his first mi, a witnessed arrest with bystander cpr, is twenty minutes ’ effort enough for him? i am sure doctors mean well and are looking at “ evidence - based medicine, ” and studies that say the success rate of acls after 20 minutes is extremely low. because of such studies, paramedics are calling codes over after 20 minutes of cpr and acls in the field. in an unwitnessed arrest, this may be justified. if the arrest is