edgar degas ’ wax - and - fabric statuette little dancer aged fourteen has held the curiosity of millions in its 28 bronze reproductions, but far fewer know the heart - rending history of the model, marie van goethem, and her sisters. in the painted girls, a historically based work of fiction rich with naturalistic details of late 19th century paris, cathy marie buchanan paints the girls who spring from the page as vibrantly as a dancer ’ s leap across a stage. living in the slum of lower montmartre, the girls aspire to be dancers at the paris opera ballet, a resource for urchins to save themselves from life on the streets. practicing long hours and fighting exhaustion and malnutrition, they could earn a meager income if they remain at the lowest rank of petit rat, but they could lead lavish lives if they climb to stardom. such was the dream of the van goethem sisters. when the novel opens, 17 - year - old antoinette has been dismissed from the ballet school for willfulness and belligerence. marie, unattractive and exceptionally skinny, is harder - working, achieves short - lived success and poses for degas ’ statuette at age 14. but charlotte, 7, self - absorbed, pretty, craving bright sashes, is the natural dancer. alternating marie ’ s point of view with antoinette ’ s, the novel contrasts the sheer pleasure of dancing with sharp depictions of brothels, prisons and the guillotine. despite their grace and achievement, the two oldest sisters are bound for calamity. through their bad decisions, lying, thieving and prostitution of one sort or another, one reads on, compelled by love for these girls whom buchanan describes so compassionately. it ’ s a story in the vein of 19th century naturalism, as deterministic as a zola novel. as buchanan reports, the italian criminologist cesare lombroso, corroborated by french anthropologists, theorized that certain cranial characteristics appearing in prehistoric man occur so frequently among modern criminals that they are scientific predictors of depravity : a low, sloping forehead, broad cheekbones, a forward thrust of the lower face. poor marie, the only sister who reads, discovers this theory in a newspaper article, and since her face exhibits these characteristics, she is haunted by the implications. the novel poses the question : is a descent into wretchedness inevitable? buchanan shows marie unwillingly sucked into a glittering salon where wealthy subscribers to the opera


for many of us, being fit means maintaining a healthy weight with diet and exercise. however, the “ healthy weight = fit ” idea omits and misrepresents several important components of what beingtrulyfitmeans. in biological terms, “ being fit ” means “ being able to provide for one ’ s own life and wellbeing ; the fittest are those who can do so the best. ” now that ’ s a little closer to what we should be working toward. not just being fit to the point of sufficiency, but being the fittest. so, the question is : what can you do to be the fittest you can be, or to obtain the best quality of life possible? to answer that question, we ’ ll examine the five components of physical fitness. that ’ s right, there are five. not just “ fitting into my favorite jeans, ” “ being able to run a marathon, ” or “ bench pressing twice my body weight. ” our definitions are from the us department of health and human services. body composition : this refers to the relative amount of muscle, fat, bone, and other vital parts of the body. body composition can provide a better evaluation of overall health than weight or bmi alone, so it is important to maintain a level of body fat that is neither too low ( below 3 - 5 % for men and 8 - 12 % for women ), nor too high ( above 20 - 25 % for men and 29 - 35 % for women ). a variety of body fat measurement tools exist including calipers and bio - electrical impedance devices, and although some are more accurate and expensive than others, all can help you monitor changes. tip : have a body fat analysis performed to know your starting point, and begin implementing small, healthy diet and exercise changes to improve body composition. cardiorespiratory endurance : cardiorespiratory endurance is the ability of the body ’ s circulatory and respiratory systems to supply fuel during physical activity. this means being able to sustain an elevated heart rate. activities like walking, swimming, and bicycling will all lead to improvement, and the good news is that the activity you choose does not necessarily have to be strenuous ( at least initially ). tip : choose an activity you enjoy and start slowly, increasing the intensity and duration over time. flexibility : flexibility is the range of motion around a joint. maintaining good flexibility helps protect the muscles and joints from injury in all kinds of


least initially ). tip : choose an activity you enjoy and start slowly, increasing the intensity and duration over time. flexibility : flexibility is the range of motion around a joint. maintaining good flexibility helps protect the muscles and joints from injury in all kinds of activity. a basic stretching program, such as 10 - 15 minutes of light stretching for the upper body, lower body, and core after a workout, may be all you need to improve this oft - neglected fitness component. yoga and pilates classes can also add more structure to your flexibility program. tip : the key to improving flexibility is to make time for it! add 10 minutes to the end of your workout to stretch or take 10 - minute walking / stretching breaks at work. muscular endurance : muscular endurance is the ability of the muscle to continue to perform without fatigue. you can improve muscular endurance by doing sustained activities such as walking, swimming, or bicycling. when it comes to weight training, completing longer sets ( 12 - 25 repetitions ) would be considered working in the endurance range. tip : look for opportunities to activate your muscles outside the club. for example, walk to the grocery store and flex those biceps by carrying groceries. muscular strength : muscular strength is the ability of the muscles to exert force during an activity. sorry to those of you who want to stick to the treadmill, but this means using your muscles against resistance, whether that comes in the form of a dumbbell, resistance band, or your own body weight against gravity. tip : take the stairs instead of the elevator, or do some pushups during tv commercial breaks. to be truly, “ totally fit ” we need to focus on all five components of physical fitness. not only will we be healthier overall, but we will also enjoy the benefits of reduced risk of injury and disease prevention ( osteoporosis, diabetes, etc. ). the added bonus? improving any single area of fitness will help the others improve as well. so what are you waiting for?! what areas of physical fitness are you focusing on right now? lpga golfer stacy lewis ’ ability to overcome childhood scoliosis to become one of the game ’ s rising stars is an inspiring story that hits home with midtown athletic club in windy hill, georgia member heather mcnally, a coca - cola planning and resource management director. diagnosed with scoliosis at age 10, heather began to experience debilitating migraine headaches — often up to 20 times per month — in 2003. but thanks to a connection made


’ s spa. eight months into the program, heather says that her migraines have virtually disappeared. her back, she adds, is straighter than it has been in 30 years. “ we all know that physical activity is good for the body, ” says dina casso, windy hill ’ s general manager. “ but for heather, the results have been literally life - changing. ” “ many members come to us not only to help them lose weight or firm up areas of their body, but also to help them with debilitating ailments, ” casso adds. “ we help by designing specific physical fitness programs to help provide our clients with a better quality of life. ” mcnally wholeheartedly agrees. “ for me, even my personality has changed, ” she says. “ not living in constant pain has made me a happier person. my family, friends and co - workers have all noticed. if it weren ’ t for dr. feoktistov and my great team at midtown, i can ’ t imagine where i ’ d be today. ” veuillez remplir le formulaire qui suit pour obtenir plus de renseignements sur nos divers programmes et pour faire l ' essai du club en tant qu ' invite. un de nos associes vous contactera sous peu pour prendre rendez - vous.


the 74th anniversary of the 1937 wilsonville sit - down strike is quickly approaching and merits attention. while many labor actions are spurred by the struggle for better wages or working conditions, this strike was set in motion for a different reason. in his memoirs jack battuello recalls : “ whenever they mechanized a mine with one type of machinery that would reduce the working force, we ’ d simply took ‘ em in our ranks and divided whatever work remained. day for day, hour for hour. … all these years under the united mine workers and under the progressives we had unwritten agreement that … when one of these mines shut down then the miners whose mine had shut down had a right to divide work with the remaining three mines. and suddenly for some reason that we never discovered the coal companies decided they didn ’ t want to continue that system. and they refused to let the number 1 men whose mine was shut down – a division of work in the other three mines. ” responding to layoffs caused by the closure of superior mine number 1, the workers at nearby superior mine number 4 demanded that they be allowed to share their work hours with the laid off miners. 540 miners occupied the mine and remained underground in a nine - day “ stay down ” strike and attracted substantial media attention. the image above illustrates how the workers lived during the conflict. ( here ’ s the link to a previous post which shows superior mine number 4 as it appears today. ) sit - down strikes became a widespread tactic in the late 1930 ′ s ; indeed the akron beacon journal editorialized that the use of sit - down strikes had become “ epidemic ”. the best - known example was the flint sit - down strike which occurred several months prior to wilsonville. labor activists utilized sit - down strikes primarily because they were an effective and immediate way to halt production and win concessions. of course, this wasn ’ t lost on factory owners. in may, 1936 goodyear issued a report on the nineteen sit - downs strikes which had occurred in its akron plants concluding : “ resumption of production has been accomplished only by substantial concessions on the part of management in the interest of peace and continuing production during the present peak period. ” more importantly, sit - down strikes often constituted genuine expressions of rank - and - file democracy. in some cases these actions were used to force business leaders to formally accept unionization of the workplace. in other instances workers chose sit - down strikes as a substitute for union - management bureaucratic channels in order to quickly resolve workplace conflict. and in the event that


cases these actions were used to force business leaders to formally accept unionization of the workplace. in other instances workers chose sit - down strikes as a substitute for union - management bureaucratic channels in order to quickly resolve workplace conflict. and in the event that the contractual grievance procedure was followed, the leverage created by a sit - down strike could speed the process considerably. shop - floor democracy was manifested in other ways during a sit - down strike. typically excluded from decision - making in the workplace, striking workers seized the opportunity to practice direct democracy. strikers often demonstrated exemplary cooperation and discipline during these actions. the leaders of organized labor weren ’ t often enthusiastic about the sit - down tactic. certainly they viewed these bottom - up actions as threats to their authority. consequently labor ’ s heirarchy worked to regulate or fully usurp this expression of worker militancy. on may 29, 1937 the new york times reported afl president william green said that sit - down strikes presented “ grave implications detrimental to labor ’ s interests. ” the leadership of the fledgling cio wasn ’ t elated either. ever the opportunist, john l. lewis attempted to leverage sit - downs in order to force employers to accept cio contracts and collective bargaining. lewis promised government and corporate leaders : “ a c. i. o. contract is adequate protection against sit - downs, lie - downs, or any other kind of strike. ” the situation in wilsonville mirrored that power struggle. that strike was called just as progressive miners of america president, joe ozanic courted the american federation of labor in order to win affiliation for the progressive miners. much to ozanic ’ s chagrin, the p. m. a. executive board and officers where completely in the dark. the strike had been called by p. m. a. local 1 without the knowledge or support of the national union. the illinois state register reported : “ joe ozanic, president of the progressive miners, disclaimed responsibility for the action and said the strike was ‘ unauthorized. ’ ‘ they ’ re on their own legs, ’ ozanic declared. ” ( 5 / 21 / 37 ) subsequently in a unanimous vote, the pma ’ s executive board directed the local to end the strike. the members of local 1 didn ’ t support ozanic ’ s efforts to join the afl either. local 1 member jack battuello later recalled : “ we opposed the affiliation … local number1 lead the fight. we even cut off dues for a


of local 1 didn ’ t support ozanic ’ s efforts to join the afl either. local 1 member jack battuello later recalled : “ we opposed the affiliation … local number1 lead the fight. we even cut off dues for a while. we predicted william green was not a proper organization with which to associate. there was not a proper leadership. ineffectual leadership we maintained. and that we ought to be ashamed to affiliating with such a bankrupt, hopelessly outmoded organization. ” however, ozanic and john fisher, strike leader and p. m. a. local 1 president agreed to meet. the next day the illinois state register reported : “ the conference yesterday afternoon was a brief one. for about five minutes fisher and his committee met with [ the ] … executive board … national president joe ozanic, it was said, began with a critical statement about the strike. fisher replied that he and the committee had not come to hear criticism from officers whose salaries they helped pay, but had expected aid in the strike and in arranging a conference with the company. then they walked out. ” ( 5 / 22 / 37 ) in my next post, i ’ ll share the outcome of the strike, the pma ’ s internal conflict as well as the after - effects of the wave of sit - down strikes in the u. s. in the late 1930 ′ s. switch to our desktop site


thousands of fish concentrated in open net pens produce tons of feces. combined with uneaten food pellets, this waste impacts the local environment, polluting the water and smothering plants and animals on the seafloor. scientists are also concerned about spreading disease and parasites — common occurrences in crowded pens — to wild fish. where salmon farms are located near the migration routes of young wild salmon, parasites may infect and kill up to 80 percent of the wild fish. pesticides and antibiotics used to control diseases and parasites can also leak into the environment, impacting local species. issue : chemical use many types of aquaculture require chemical treatments for a successful harvest. the amount of active chemicals released into the environment determines their effect on other organisms and human health. frequent application and the emergence of antibiotic - resistant bacteria can reduce effectiveness and affect our ability to treat human diseases. containing the problem onshore, " closed " farms contain wastes and other byproducts, making them easier to handle. u. s. fish farmers are experimenting with enclosed, recirculating systems, which filter wastewater and compost solid wastes to reduce the impact of untreated wastes. these farms can be located away from sensitive habitats where fish feed and breed. tilapia, catfish, cobia and trout are raised inland in the u. s. most arctic char is also raised onshore using systems that recirculate water, reducing disease transfer and pollution. all of these fish are delicious alternatives to ocean - farmed species and prove that most any fish — even salmon — can be farmed far from sensitive marine habitats. by encouraging measures that protect our waterways and surrounding habitats, you ' re helping ensure that aquaculture is conducted in a sustainable way. stay up to date on ocean policy with our e - newsletter seafood watch pocket guides help you select seafood that is caught or farmed in ways that help promote healthy oceans. choose from the green, " best choice " column. otherwise, try a yellow " good alternative. " download or print a pocket guide


environmental issues are california ’ s political bread - and - butter. los angeles is rightly famous for its smog, though the san francisco bay area is rapidly catching up in this unattractive race. if you ’ re sensitive to airborne pollution, take special precautions on days that local air quality officials designate “ spare the air. ” these are days, mostly in the summer, when pollution levels are especially high. stay indoors or, when going out, use public transportation. water pollution is also an issue in california ; plenty of sensational news stories crucify the state ’ s drinking water, while others laud it. most tap water is safe to drink, but swimming in california ’ s plentiful rivers and ocean requires more caution. sadly, water pollution from dumping into the ocean affects beach goers. dirt and pollution are common in the waters and on the beaches of los angeles and orange counties, while fishing is no longer permitted in the san francisco bay due to the long - standing pollution problems and high mercury levels in the bay ’ s fish. there are major restrictions on the types of power boats you can launch at lake tahoe, due to protections instituted to keep the azure - blue waters of this huge alpine lake pristine. similar restrictions can also be found for waterways across the state ; check the regulations for any lake or river before planning a boating trip. the good news is that environmental conservation and protection are taken very seriously in california. recycling, public transit growth, and water cleanup programs proliferate throughout the state. even as a short - time visitor, you can help california ’ s efforts to get and stay clean : use any recycling bins you see on the street ; minimize your use of plastic bags ; and don ’ t leave litter on the beach or out in wilderness areas — either throw it away or pack it out with you. © liz hamill scott from moon california, 2nd edition


integrates globalization and culture change in every chapter. cultural anthropology introduces students to the concepts and methods that anthropologists bring to the study of cross - cultural diversity. nancy bonvillain brings the study of cultural anthropology to life by encouraging students to see what is going on in the world and helping them understand how it affects cultures. she presents the voices of people studied by anthropologists, and highlights the dynamic, adaptive nature of societies and cultures. a better teaching and learning experience this program will provide a better teaching and learning experience — for you and your students. here ’ s how : - personalize learning – the new myanthrolab delivers proven results in helping students succeed, provides engaging experiences that personalize learning, and comes from a trusted partner with educational expertise and a deep commitment to helping students and instructors achieve their goals. - improve critical thinking – study features include preview and summary questions, critical thinking questions, section reviews, chapter summaries, and a margin glossary and marginal notes. - engage students – each chapter includes features such as “ in their own voices, ” “ anthropology applied, ” and “ controversies. ” - understand anthropology – “ case study ” features help students understand the connections anthropologists make based on practices and change. - support instructors – myanthrolab, classprep, instructor ’ s manual, mytest, powerpoints, and ethnoquesta are available. note : myanthrolab does not come automatically packaged with this text. to purchase myanthrolab, please visit : www. myanthrolab. com or you can purchase a valuepack of the text + myanthrolab ( at no additional cost ) : valuepack isbn - 10 : 0205866182 / valuepack isbn - 13 : 9780205866182.


below are the first 10 and last 10 pages of uncorrected machine - read text ( when available ) of this chapter, followed by the top 30 algorithmically extracted key phrases from the chapter as a whole. intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter - representative searchable text on the opening pages of each chapter. because it is uncorrected material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages. do not use for reproduction, copying, pasting, or reading ; exclusively for search engines. ocr for page 11 attracting science and mathematics ph. d. s to secondary school education 1 introduction the united states is at a critical juncture in its efforts to improve science and mathematics education for its children. reports from the u. s. department of education suggest that the nation will need more than two million new teachers during the next decade. finding qualified teachers of science and mathematics within this pool poses a special challenge. the nation needs to meet these challenges at a time when the national research council ( nrc ) and others are urging states and school districts to improve science and mathematics education through the implementation of national science education standards and other efforts ( national research council, 1996 ; national research council, 1997 ). this report examines whether recent ph. d. s in science and mathematics might provide a resource for helping to meet the nation ' s need for qualified secondary school science and mathematics teachers in the future. background the need for qualified science and mathematics teachers we estimate that the nation will need to hire about 20, 000 public secondary school science and mathematics teachers each year over the next decade, or about 200, 000 in all. those public secondary school teachers who spent the largest portion of their time teaching science and mathematics account for about 10 percent of all k - 12 teachers ( national education association, 1997 ). as shown in table 1 - 1, the national center for education statistics ( nces ) has projected that the nation will need to hire more than two million new teachers from the 1998 - 99 school year to the 2008 - 09 school year. this projection is based on total public and private elementary and secondary school enrollment increasing 4 percent, from 52. 2 million in 1997 to 54. 5 million in 2006, and a large cohort of teachers retiring in the coming decade. ( national center for education statistics, 1999a ; national center for education statistics, 1999b ). if one assumes that 10 percent of new hires will also be in secondary school science and mathematics, then we


/ teacher ratio. b total number of teachers for 1996 - 97 through 2008 - 09 based on maintaining 1995 - 96 level. c total number of teachers for 1996 - 97 through 2008 - 09 is from the projections of education statistics to 2008, which assumes decreasing class size. d the number of newly hired teachers was computed using the actual number of teachers. source : national center for education statistics 1999, table 7, p. 35. ocr for page 13 attracting science and mathematics ph. d. s to secondary school education the third international mathematics and science study ( timss ) in the mid - 1990s found, in assessing the performance of a half - million students around the world, that students in the united states were not performing at a level similar to their peers in other countries. a recent nrc report examining timss data concluded, “ the results of timss suggest that u. s. students are falling short. although u. s. fourth graders compare favorably to their international peers, u. s. eighth graders and high school seniors achieve at a lower level than do students in many other countries. ” the report argues that many factors affect the scores of u. s. students in timss, including curricular issues, instructional practices, and school support systems. with regard to the latter, the report argued that one of several “ particularly important aspects of this broader culture ” is the preparation and support of teachers ( national research council, 1999 ). similarly, the attrition rate for students who initially major in science, mathematics, and engineering as undergraduates is unacceptably high in 4 - year institutions in the united states. elaine seymour and nancy hewitt recently found that more than 40 percent of males and 50 percent of females who initially majored in science, mathematics, and engineering fields switched to other majors, and that the problem was even more severe for minorities. for 40 percent of these field switchers, the authors found that inadequate high school preparation in subject matter and study skills was an important factor ( and hewitt, 1997 ). the quality of teaching and teaching methods play a central role in ensuring adequate subject matter preparation in high school. finally, the nrc ' s national science education standards, published in 1996, urged dramatic changes in schools and school systems, including teacher preparation. this report advocates changes in how teachers are educated and keep pace and specifically recommends that teachers focus on “ a new way of teaching and learning about science that reflects how science is done, emphasizing inquiry as a way of achieving knowledge and understanding about the world. ” (


advocates changes in how teachers are educated and keep pace and specifically recommends that teachers focus on “ a new way of teaching and learning about science that reflects how science is done, emphasizing inquiry as a way of achieving knowledge and understanding about the world. ” ( national research council, 1996 ). the need for more qualified secondary school science and mathematics teachers and the call for inquiry - based teaching underlie the nrc efforts to attract ph. d. s to secondary school science and mathematics education. an untapped resource at the same time that the nation requires more qualified teachers of science and mathematics, the number of new science and mathematics ph. d. s who have difficulty securing positions in academe or industry is growing. as shown in table 1 - 2, there were more than 30, 000 postdoctoral fellows in science and mathematics — more than 20, 000 postdoctoral fellows in the life sciences alone — in the united states in 1998. many of these postdoctoral fellows find themselves in a “ holding pattern ” of three or more consecutive postdoctoral fellowships while awaiting employment ( national research council, 1998 ). ocr for page 14 attracting science and mathematics ph. d. s to secondary school education table 1 - 2 number of postdoctorate fellows, by field, physical and life sciences, 1998 field total m. d. sa ph. d. sb physical and life sciences, total 34, 702 6, 672 28, 030 physical sciences 6, 869 26 6, 843 physics and astronomy 2, 256 20 2, 236 chemistry 3, 716 4 3, 712 earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 897 2 895 mathematical sciences 274 16 258 life sciences 27, 559 6, 630 20, 929 biological sciences 15, 480 1, 729 13, 751 health sciences 12, 079 4, 901 7, 178 aincludes m. d., d. o. d. d. s., d. v. m. also includes m. d. - ph. d. s bdoes not include m. d. - ph. d. s source : national science foundation / srs, survey of graduate students andpostdoctorates in science and engineering recent data show that the job market may be improving as increasing numbers of new ph. d. s — even in the life sciences — are entering tenure - track faculty positions at the time they receive their degrees. however, the job market for ph. d. s and our system of graduate education operate such that supply and demand


ph. d. s — even in the life sciences — are entering tenure - track faculty positions at the time they receive their degrees. however, the job market for ph. d. s and our system of graduate education operate such that supply and demand are out of synch from time - to - time, resulting in a periodic oversupply of science and mathematics ph. d. s. unfortunately, those already stuck in postdoctoral positions — especially those who have been in more than one — do not appear to be benefiting from the improving job market. thus, the large numbers of ph. d. s who have found themselves in this postdoctoral “ holding pattern ” — the current “ oversupply ” of ph. d. s — may provide an untapped source of qualified secondary school science and mathematics teachers. this study aims to explore the potential interest of ph. d. s in these positions. nrc role in science and mathematics education the national research council has been deeply involved in the last decade in efforts to improve the science and mathematics education of our nation ' s schoolchildren, emphasizing achieving the national goal of scientific and mathematical literacy for all of our students. the national science education standards, published in 1996, urged dramatic changes in schools and school systems. the standards advocate “ changes in what students are taught, in how their performance is assessed, in how teachers are educated and keep pace, and in the relationship between school and the rest of the community — including the nation ' s scientists and engineers. ” they also emphasize “ a new way of teaching and learning about science that reflects how science is done, emphasizing inquiry as a way of achieving knowledge and understanding about the world. ” ocr for page 15 attracting science and mathematics ph. d. s to secondary school education the nrc has since continued to initiate studies and programs designed to make a difference in our nation ' s science and mathematics education at all levels. the center for education ( cfe ) leads this effort by examining the efficacy and influence of standards - based systemic reform, the preparation and professional development of teachers, and programmatic and curricular models for improved mathematics, science, and engineering education. the nrc is also exploring the science of learning, the skills of teaching, and the assessment of student achievement. to this end the center produces reports on implementing science standards, teacher preparation, and student assessment designed, above all, to improve science and mathematics education. recent nrc reports include : every child a scientist : achieving scientific literacy for all ( 1997 ) improving student learning in


the center produces reports on implementing science standards, teacher preparation, and student assessment designed, above all, to improve science and mathematics education. recent nrc reports include : every child a scientist : achieving scientific literacy for all ( 1997 ) improving student learning in mathematics and science : the role of national standards in state policy ( 1997 ) improving teacher preparation and credentialing consistent with the national science education standards : report of a symposium ( 1997 ) science teacher preparation in an era of standards - based reform ( 1997 ) teaching about evolution and the nature of science ( 1998 ) designing mathematics or science curriculum programs : a guide for using mathematics and science education standards ( 1999 ) global perspectives for local action : using timss to improve u. s. mathematics and science education ( 1999 ) how people learn : bridging research and practice ( 1999 ) commission on behavioral and social sciences and education improving student learning : a strategic plan for education research and its utilization ( 1999 ) commission on behavioral and social sciences and education inquiry and the national science education standards : a guide for teaching and learning ( 2000 ) project on attracting ph. d. s to secondary education in early 1999 the nrc launched a three - phase project to explore the feasibility of attracting science and mathematics ph. d. s to positions in secondary school education. the essential goal of the project is to improve the science and mathematics education and literacy of our nation ' s schoolchildren. among the keys to ensuring ongoing improvement in science and mathematics education — standards - based systemic reform, the excellent preparation and professional development of teachers, new programmatic ocr for page 16 attracting science and mathematics ph. d. s to secondary school education and curricular models for improved science and mathematics education, and the appropriate assessment of student achievement — this project deals with the supply, preparation, and professional development of teachers. it does so by focusing on attracting those ph. d. s who could be well suited to secondary school education positions and could bring new techniques — such as inquiry - based learning — and a strong knowledge of science and mathematics to the classroom. this study reports on the outcomes of the first phase of the project, which focuses on assessing the potential interest of ph. d. s in such positions and the changes that states, school districts, or others might implement to attract these ph. d. s. underlying assumptions in launching this project, the nrc made assumptions about the contributions that ph. d. s could bring to secondary schools. these were : ( 1 ) that ph. d. training with its strong emphasis on


ph. d. s. underlying assumptions in launching this project, the nrc made assumptions about the contributions that ph. d. s could bring to secondary schools. these were : ( 1 ) that ph. d. training with its strong emphasis on experimental evaluation of scientific questions could be useful to teachers in providing the inquiry - based learning environment in schools recommended in the national science education standards, and ( 2 ) that the deeper training of ph. d. s in quantitative approaches and content — and their firm attachments to the nation ' s scientists and engineers — could also be very helpful in improving american science and mathematics education. the project also began with the assumption that the job market for ph. d. s and our system of graduate education are such that supply and demand for researchers will be out of phase from time - to - time, resulting in a periodic oversupply of science and mathematics ph. d. s who might be an untapped resource for science and mathematics teaching. in 1997, an nrc report on the careers of recent ph. d. s in the life sciences indicated that the number of postdoctoral fellows in the united states has been growing and that — particularly in the life sciences — many recent ph. d. s have experienced difficulty moving out of postdoctoral positions into permanent careers in either academia or industry. thus, we have reached one of those moments when an oversupply of ph. d. s has occurred and the nation has an unusual opportunity to attract these ph. d. s to america ' s secondary school classrooms. the committee established to oversee the first phase of this project believes that most ph. d. s are well suited to the research careers they have chosen and should continue to pursue them. yet there are many ph. d. s whose training, personalities, and outlook would make them ideal candidates for secondary school teaching positions and potential leaders in science and mathematics education. just as there are select groups of science and mathematics ph. d. s who have gone on to other careers outside of postsecondary teaching and research, we anticipate that secondary education may also provide attractive career opportunities for some ph. d. scientists. indeed, since 1991, a majority of ph. d. s in science and engineering have worked in careers outside of postsecondary academic institutions ( national academy of sciences, 1995 ; rice, 1996 ; tobias et. al., 1995 ; national science foundation, 1996 ; commission on professionals in science and technology, 1997 ; association of american universities, 1998 ). ocr for page


academic institutions ( national academy of sciences, 1995 ; rice, 1996 ; tobias et. al., 1995 ; national science foundation, 1996 ; commission on professionals in science and technology, 1997 ; association of american universities, 1998 ). ocr for page 17 attracting science and mathematics ph. d. s to secondary school education there are, of course, a number of potential obstacles to ph. d. s taking secondary school teaching positions. these include the willingness of ph. d. s to take education courses and obtain certification ; the attitudes of professors, colleagues, mentors, high school principals, and other secondary school teachers ; the potential opposition of teachers ' unions ; and salary levels. it is the object of the phase one study to explore the interest of ph. d. s in secondary school education and to see what incentives might be implemented to overcome the potential obstacles to ph. d. s following this career path. problems and possibilities the nrc launched this project understanding that certain aspects of the graduate education and secondary school environments pose obstacles to ph. d. s taking secondary school teaching positions. success will depend, first, on the willingness and ability of ph. d. s to apply their knowledge and skills in a different educational environment. success will also depend on their ability to obtain certification, possibly through alternative certification programs that have already provided teacher preparation to many others. school districts, states, and higher education institutions will need to design programs — including appropriate teacher preparation programs — that offer incentives for scientifically trained ph. d. s to enter secondary school education. finally, the scientific community will need to provide these ph. d. s with support and treat them as colleagues throughout their careers. we have some information about areas where we might meet obstacles to success. number of ph. d. s employed in k - 12 educational institutions. as displayed in table 1 - 3, data from the 1997 survey of doctorate recipients ( sdr ) show that only a very small fraction — just 0. 8 percent — of ph. d. s in the life sciences, physical sciences, and mathematics currently work in k - 12 educational institutions. table 1 - 3 ph. d. s in biological and health sciences, physical sciences, and mathematics employed in k - 12 educational institutions, 1997 employed employed in k - 12 education * field population estimated percent estimated number physical and life sciences, total 275, 860 0. 8 % 2, 200 physical sciences 129, 650 0. 8 % 990 physics and astronomy 35, 920 0. 8 % 280 chemistry 54


education * field population estimated percent estimated number physical and life sciences, total 275, 860 0. 8 % 2, 200 physical sciences 129, 650 0. 8 % 990 physics and astronomy 35, 920 0. 8 % 280 chemistry 54, 220 0. 9 % 470 earth / atmospheric / marine sciences 15, 110 0. 7 % 110 mathematical sciences 24, 400 0. 5 % 130 life sciences 121, 810 0. 9 % 1, 080 biological sciences 104, 630 0. 9 % 900 health sciences 17, 180 1. 0 % 180 * these data are calculated by special tabulations of a sample survey. they represent approximate estimates of the number and percentage of science and mathematics ph. d. s employed in k - 12 educational institutions. source : national science foundation / survey of doctorate recipients, specialtabulation. ocr for page 18 attracting science and mathematics ph. d. s to secondary school education alternative certification. for nearly 20 years, alternative certification has helped school districts and states meet the need for qualified teachers and will continue to be important as they seek to hire 200, 000 or more teachers each year in the next decade. school districts, states, and institutions of higher education first developed alternative certification programs in response to the threat of teacher shortages in the early 1980s and the number of programs has grown since. in 1998, according to the private, non - profit national center for education information ( ncei ), 41 states and the district of columbia report at least one alternative teacher certification program. these programs include a wide range of efforts, as ncei notes, “ from emergency certification to very sophisticated and well - designed programs that address the professional preparation needs of the growing population of individuals who already have at least a baccalaureate degree and considerable life experience and want to become teachers ” ( feistritzer and chester, 1998 ). many individuals with non - traditional backgrounds have and could contribute their knowledge and skills to secondary school education. ncei estimates that more than 80, 000 individuals — those trained to teach years ago but who never did, those who switch careers or retire from the military, and those from other institutions such as liberal arts colleges — have already been certified through these programs. thousands more receive certification through alternative programs created by institutions of higher education ( feistritzer and chester, 1998 ). graduate school training. although many science graduate programs require that their ph. d. candidates teach undergraduates as part of their training, none of these programs currently view its mission to prepare graduates to teach in secondary


to attract science and mathematics ph. d. s to secondary school positions, drawing on the results of phase one, and a dialogue with those interested in secondary school science and mathematics education ; and ( 3 ) the implementation of demonstration programs that place ph. d. s in such positions in selected states. phase one : assessing the potential interest of ph. d. s in secondary school science and mathematics education the first phase of the project was carried out under the auspices of the nrc ' s office of scientific and engineering personnel ( osep ), in conjunction with the center for education ( cfe ). to identify the potential interest of ph. d. s in secondary school teaching and how they might be attracted to such positions, this committee carried out a national survey of graduate students and recent ph. d. s. we also conducted a series of interviews with ph. d. s working as secondary school teachers and educational administrators at the k - 12 and postsecondary level. this report summarizes the findings from our investigations, with suggestions to the committee overseeing phase two. phase two : designing demonstration programs in the second phase of this project, a new committee will bring information from a number of sources to bear on the design of programs to attract ph. d. s to secondary school science and mathematics education. one source of information will be the data and recommendations contained in this report. another will be a workshop of interested persons in secondary school science and mathematics education — including representatives of states interested in sponsoring demonstration programs — to discuss the design of demonstration programs. based on the outcomes of that workshop, discussions with other experts, and its own deliberations, the phase two committee will produce a report that recommends components of demonstration programs. phase three : implementing state demonstration programs once phase two of the project has been completed, the nrc will seek funding to implement and evaluate demonstration programs in three to five states, based on the goals ocr for page 20 attracting science and mathematics ph. d. s to secondary school education and design elements identified in phase two. this phase will also be overseen by an nrc committee. scope of the study the charge to the phase one committee the charge to this committee was very narrowly directed to two issues : is there a potential to attract science and mathematics ph. d. s to secondary school teaching and other leadership positions? what incentives would be useful for states, school districts, and others in attracting them to such positions? the committee was not asked to examine or substantiate the premises that underlie the charge,


s to secondary school teaching and other leadership positions? what incentives would be useful for states, school districts, and others in attracting them to such positions? the committee was not asked to examine or substantiate the premises that underlie the charge, nor was it asked to implement its findings. moreover, it was not charged with assessing the potential benefits of placing science and mathematics ph. d. s in secondary school teaching. these suggested benefits and their costs should be made explicit and carefully evaluated by the phase - two study committee. the charge for the phase one committee was primarily to provide information to the committee overseeing the second phase of the project as it deliberates on how demonstration programs might be designed. nevertheless, members of this committee do believe that a program to attract science and mathematics ph. d. s to secondary school classrooms could be of significant value to science education of secondary school students and would also provide a rewarding new career opportunity for ph. d. scientists. the charge to the committee was to investigate the career ambitions of ph. d. s in the physical and life sciences through focus groups, a national survey, and interviews. the committee was also asked to examine the potential interest of recent ph. d. s in secondary school teaching and curriculum development positions and to determine the kinds of incentives — regarding work conditions and compensation packages — that states, school districts, and others could use to induce ph. d. s to take these positions. the positions included the teaching of physics, chemistry, biology, and various electives in public high schools, as well as positions fostering better science and mathematical education at the secondary level. the committee found it necessary to discuss and address two issues that developed directly from the study data and that extended beyond its specific charge. first, in the course of holding focus group discussions, the committee found that many participants believed there were a number of ways, beyond secondary school teaching and curriculum development, that ph. d. s could contribute to improving science and mathematics education. graduate students and postdoctoral fellows clearly liked the idea of working on the development of science and mathematics curricula, not just for secondary school courses but across grades from kindergarten to grade 12. focus group ocr for page 21 attracting science and mathematics ph. d. s to secondary school education participants suggested that ph. d. s could also contribute by working in professional development, science education partnerships, or science museums and environmental centers. they indicated that ph. d. s might be interested in serving as science or mathematics specialists in school districts, science resource teachers in


. d. s could also contribute by working in professional development, science education partnerships, or science museums and environmental centers. they indicated that ph. d. s might be interested in serving as science or mathematics specialists in school districts, science resource teachers in elementary or secondary schools, or science specialists in regional or university - based science education resource centers. the committee believed it was important to explore these suggestions both in their own right and as context for the more specific questions on secondary school teaching and curriculum development it was asked to address. while the focus of this study remains secondary school science and mathematics education, the suggestions of focus group recipients were addressed by adding an additional question to the survey questionnaire. the results of this question are discussed at the end of chapter 2. second, the committee realized that recent ph. d. s by themselves cannot satisfy the need for new secondary school science and mathematics teachers. we considered the question of whether we should also examine the interest of other individuals with extensive science and mathematics education backgrounds. this included those who were abd ( “ all but dissertation ” ) and / or had master ' s degrees. in this case, the committee decided that a systematic exploration of the interest of these individuals in secondary school teaching and how to attract them to positions would take them beyond their charge. nonetheless, the committee believes that graduate students in science and mathematics who obtain master ' s degrees or who are “ abd ” should also be considered a potential source of qualified science and mathematics teachers. the fact that the focus groups we held and the questionnaire we fielded during the course of this study included graduate students as participants and respondents in some measure substantiates the potential interest of these additional groups, as well as the interest of those who have already received the ph. d, degree. questions to be answered by the present study the data reveals that there is only a small number of ph. d. s working in k - 12 educational institutions, but is the potential interest of ph. d. s in working in secondary school education higher than this small number might suggest? how do ph. d. s perceive the teacher certification process and what is required to ensure that ph. d. s become certified in an expeditious and effective manner? how should ph. d. s who take positions in secondary school science and mathematics education be prepared? what incentives — related to the work environment and compensation — might be useful in attracting ph. d. s to positions in secondary school science and mathematics education? ocr for page 22 attracting science and mathematics ph.


school science and mathematics education be prepared? what incentives — related to the work environment and compensation — might be useful in attracting ph. d. s to positions in secondary school science and mathematics education? ocr for page 22 attracting science and mathematics ph. d. s to secondary school education what have been the experiences of ph. d. s who have taken secondary school teaching and curriculum development positions and what can we learn from these experiences? how do secondary school and higher education administrators perceive the strengths and weaknesses of ph. d. s as secondary school science and mathematics teachers? what kinds of ongoing relationships should ph. d. s who teach secondary school science and mathematics have with postsecondary education and academic research? this study is a first effort at addressing these kinds of questions. the information gathered here is designed to inform the discussions and deliberations of the committee overseeing the second phase of this project as this committee addresses options for developing demonstration programs with a small number of states. methods of study the committee began its information gathering by conducting five focus groups with advanced graduate students and recent ph. d. s on their career aspirations and perceptions of secondary school science and mathematics education careers. led by a professional facilitator, the focus groups obtained reactions to a number of hypothetical incentives that might be used to attract ph. d. s to secondary school positions. the groups provided background information and elicited topics for a survey questionnaire to be fielded to graduate students and recent ph. d. s on their career aspirations. to obtain data on the willingness of ph. d. s to consider positions in secondary school science and mathematics education and on the various conditions that might enhance their recruitment, the committee conducted a national survey of graduate students and postdoctorates. the survey questionnaire reflects input from the five focus groups as well as the committee members and staff from several nrc units. it covers four broad areas of interest : ( 1 ) the demographic characteristics of the respondents, ( 2 ) their short - term and long - term career aspirations, including salary expectations, ( 3 ) the conditions under which the respondent might consider secondary school science and mathematics education as a career, and ( 4 ) incentives that might be required for the respondents to consider such careers. respondents were asked to comment on their interest in a range of positions in k - 12 science and mathematics education : elementary and secondary school teaching ; k - 12 science or mathematics curriculum development ; professional development for teachers ; school, district, or regional science resource specialist ; working for a science education partnership ;


a range of positions in k - 12 science and mathematics education : elementary and secondary school teaching ; k - 12 science or mathematics curriculum development ; professional development for teachers ; school, district, or regional science resource specialist ; working for a science education partnership ; or working in a science museum, environmental center, or similar institution. the survey was fielded in july and august 1999 to a national sample of 2, 000 graduate students and recent ph. d. s stratified by field of study. we received 719 responses, for a 39 percent response rate. a telephone survey of nonrespondents to the survey indicated that there was little or no detectable nonresponse bias. the respondents ocr for page 23 attracting science and mathematics ph. d. s to secondary school education had demographic characteristics similar to the population of graduate students and recent ph. d. s from which our sample was drawn. the number of responses provided sufficient power to perform the required data analyses. in addition to fielding the survey, staff conducted a series of telephone interviews with interested individuals in secondary school science and mathematics education during the summer of 1999. we conducted interviews with 18 science and mathematics ph. d. s currently in secondary school teaching or curriculum development positions to learn about the barriers they encountered, their strategies for overcoming these barriers, their areas of success and achievement, and their thoughts on the recruitment and retention of other science ph. d. s. interviews were also conducted with high school principals, school district superintendents, and chief state school officers to obtain information about their attitudes toward employment of ph. d. s in secondary schools, about certification issues, and about funding of ph. d. s in secondary school education. in addition, telephone interviews were conducted with graduate school deans to identify potential obstacles and ascertain the kinds of programmatic changes required in graduate education to prepare ph. d. s for careers teaching in secondary schools. a more detailed explanation of the study methodology is provided in appendix a. the committee deliberated whether staff should interview other interested individuals beyond the principals, superintendents, and deans, such as union representatives, non - ph. d. secondary school teachers and postsecondary faculty, but determined that limited time and resources for its part of the overall project precluded interviewing these individuals. the committee overseeing the second phase of the project is charged with engaging the many additional interested persons, including union representatives, in conversations about bringing ph. d. s into classrooms. overview of the report chapter 2 reviews the results from five focus group sessions


the following html text is provided to enhance online readability. many aspects of typography translate only awkwardly to html. please use the page image as the authoritative form to ensure accuracy. issues in the integration of research and operational satellite systems for climate research : ii. implementation for research missions as for operational systems, observational requirements and considerations of data accessibility drive sensor and ground systems to a particular implementation that emphasizes innovation, data quality, and long - term accessibility. rather than fly copies of specific sensors, the science research community generally prefers to fly new technology, and its missions are usually designed and implemented with strong scientific oversight. sensor calibration and data product validation are critical elements of each mission. ground systems focus on providing long - term access to low - level data to support reprocessing. although there are cost constraints for research missions, these constraints are not applied to the system as a whole. compelling new missions can be developed and funded somewhat independently of other elements of the nasa / ese budget. although the operational and the research approaches can appear to conflict, there are features of both that are essential for climate research and monitoring. however, the operational agencies are necessarily wary of assuming responsibility for new requirements that may be open ended in an environment that is cost constrained. the research agencies are similarly concerned about requirements for long - term, operational - style measuring systems that might inhibit their ability to pursue new technologies and new scientific directions. despite their need for long - term commitments to measure many critical variables, they wonder about relying on operational programs that might decrease the level of scientific oversight as well as opportunities for innovation. long - term, consistent time series are essential for the study of many critical climate processes, which vary over inherently long time scales. that said, many of the variables of interest for climate research have analogs in observing systems for short - term forecasting, although the performance requirements may differ significantly. for example, one of the fundamental attributes of operational observing systems — long - term commitment to data availability — is especially appealing to the climate research community. however, climate research also requires the ability to insert new observing capabilities to ensure that data remain at the state of the art as well as to respond to new science opportunities. thus, the fundamental challenge is not the transitioning of research capabilities into the operational systems but rather the integration of the two capabilities in a rational manner. both climate research and climate monitoring require a long - term commitment to consistent data sets and short - term flexibility to pursue new science and technology directions. the integration of research and operational capabilities


systems but rather the integration of the two capabilities in a rational manner. both climate research and climate monitoring require a long - term commitment to consistent data sets and short - term flexibility to pursue new science and technology directions. the integration of research and operational capabilities for climate research will require continuing cooperation between nasa and noaa. eventually, a single federal agency may be responsible for the overall climate observing strategy, but for the foreseeable future, the committee expects that the expertise from multiple agencies will be required. its recommendations, therefore, are directed to nasa, noaa, and the ipo. key implementation issues the following are the key implementation issues : long - term comparability of data sets such that sensor performance and other technical performance issues are not mistaken for natural variability in earth ’ s system ( the committee prefers the term “ comparability ” rather than “ consistency ” because, in its view, the long - term objective is to develop data records that can be compared and the basis quantified — it is difficult to develop consistent data sets even with identical sensors ) ; data product validation, including quantitative assessments of the temporal and spatial accuracy of the data ; data continuity and strategies to launch replacement sensors to maintain the quality of the long - term data record ; long - term archiving of data sets and capabilities for reprocessing and analysis ; accessibility and availability of data, including pricing ; and


artist ' s rendering of mariner 4 in space. credit : nasa " mariner 4 ran into a cloud of space dust, " says bill cooke of the marshall space flight center space environments team. " for about 45 minutes the spacecraft experienced a shower of meteoroids more intense than any leonid meteor storm we ' ve ever seen on earth. " the impacts ripped away bits of insulation and temporarily changed the craft ' s orientation in space. fortunately, the damage was slight and the mission ' s main objective - - a flyby of mars - - ad been completed two years earlier. but it could have been worse. " there are many uncharted dust clouds in interplanetary space. some are probably quite dense, " says cooke. most of these clouds are left behind by comets, others are formed when asteroids run into one another. " we only know about the ones that happen to intersect earth ' s orbit and cause meteor showers such as the perseids or leonids. " the mariner 4 cloud was a big surprise. what does a piece of space dust look like? this picture shows one that is only 10 microns across. it was captured by a u2 aircraft in the stratosphere. credit : nasa " of all nasa ' s mars spacecraft, mariner 4 was the only one we ' ve sent with a micrometeoroid detector, " he continued. during its journey to mars and back, the detector registered occasional impacts from interplanetary dust grains - - as expected. the space between the planets is sprinkled with dust particles. they ' re harmless in small numbers. but when mariner 4 encountered the cloud " the impact rate soared 10, 000 fold, " says cooke. mapping these clouds and determining their orbits is important to nasa for obvious reasons : the more probes we send to mars and elsewhere, the more likely they are to encounter uncharted clouds. no one wants their spaceship to be surprised by a meteor shower hundreds of millions of miles from earth. much of cooke ' s work at nasa involves computer - modeling of cometary debris streams - - long rivers of dust shed by comets as they orbit the sun. he studies how clumps form within the streams and how they are deflected by the gravity of planets ( especially giant jupiter ). he and his colleagues also watch the sky for meteor outbursts here on earth. " it ' s a good way to test our models and discover new streams, " he says. one such outburst happened on june 27, 1998. sky watchers


. he and his colleagues also watch the sky for meteor outbursts here on earth. " it ' s a good way to test our models and discover new streams, " he says. one such outburst happened on june 27, 1998. sky watchers were surprised when hundreds of meteors streamed out of the constellation bootes over a few - hour period. earth had encountered a dust cloud much as mariner 4 had done years earlier. the meteors of 1998 were associated with a well - known meteor shower called the june bootids. normally the shower is weak, displaying only a few meteors per hour at maximum. but in 1998 it was intense. similar outbursts had occurred, with no regular pattern, in 1916, 1921, and perhaps 1927. the source of the june bootids is comet 7p / pons - winnecke, which orbits the sun once every 6. 37 years. the comet follows an elliptical path that carries it from a point near the orbit of earth to just beyond the orbit of jupiter. pons - winnecke last visited the inner solar system in 2002. the comet ' s dusty trail is evidently clumpy. when our planet passes through a dense spot in the debris stream, a meteor shower erupts. meteor forecasters d. j. asher and v. v. emel ' yanenko ( mnras 331, 1998, 126 ) have calculated that the meteors seen in 1998 might return in 2003, although 2004 is more likely. " that ' s why watching for june bootids this year is important : any activity now may herald another outburst in 2004, " notes robert lunsford, secretary - general of the international meteor organization, who is encouraging people to monitor the sky this week.


road salt is toxic to pets - saturday, 12 december 2009 as reluctant as we may feel sometimes, our pets still need to get outdoors for exercise and fresh air in the cold winter months. but even as we bundle up to take fido for a walk, it ' s important to be aware of some outdoor hazards, in particular, road salt and other ice melting products used for de - icing roads and sidewalks. according to the natural resources defense council, about 10 million tons of salt are used on roads in the united states each year, and that number doesn ' t include the amount of salt individuals and businesses use on walkways on private property. road salt and ice melting products used for de - icing roads and sidewalks are an irritant and are increasingly recognized as a serious environmental toxin. they are described as a toxic substance as defined by the canadian environmental protection act of 1999 and pose a risk to plants, animals, and the aquatic environment. most road salt is composed of chloride combined with sodium, calcium, magnesium or potassium, they may also contain ferrocyanide salts. unlike table salt, they may contain other contaminants, including heavy metals depending on where they are sourced. while data on toxicity in people and pets is limited, the precautionary principle suggests that we should do our best to limit or eliminate our pets ' exposure. many dogs suffer from painful burning and cracked and dried out pads from walking on salt - treated roads and sidewalks. if not washed off, your pet can also ingest the salt through licking. this can cause serious irritation and inflammation in the mouth and digestive system, and possibly electrolyte imbalance if a significant quantity is taken in. chronic ingestion adds to your pet ' s total toxic load, which could contribute to a variety of degenerative diseases. where possible, avoid roads, sidewalks, and walkways that have been salted. as soon as you get in from a walk, wash your pet ' s feet with warm ( not hot ) water and dry them thoroughly. also wipe or wash off other areas that have been exposed such as the underside, especially in small or heavy coated dogs. if your dog tolerates them, boots are also a good solution, but an alternative is to use a natural cream or wax - based paw protection that is applied before going out. an added advantage is that these can soothe and moisturize dry, cracked pads. one caution : be sure the ingredients are all - natural and food grade. not only can different compounds


near field communication versus bluetooth nfc technology consumes little power when compared to standard bluetooth technology. only when nfc has to power a passive, unpowered source such as an nfc tag does it require more power than a bluetooth transmission. the close proximity that devices connected using nfc must be to each other actually proves useful in crowded locations to prevent interference caused when other devices are present and trying to communicate. bluetooth may have trouble dealing with interference when trying to send signals between two devices, especially when several other devices are in close proximity. another benefit of nfc technology comes in its ease of use. bluetooth requires users to manually set up connections between smartphones and takes several seconds. nfc connects automatically in a fraction of a second, so fast it seems instantaneous. though the users must be close to one another to use nfc technology, it is faster and easier to set up than a bluetooth connection. bluetooth does still offer a longer signal range for connecting during data communication and transfers. nfc technology has taken advantage of this and can connect two devices quickly, then turn the signal over to bluetooth so the owners can move further away without severing the connection. the latest development in bluetooth technology, bluetooth low energy ( ble ), is targeted at low power consumption and uses even less power than nfc. as the technology increases, bluetooth and nfc technology may continue to work together, relying on each other to help users meet their data transmission needs. - near field communication technology standards - nfc signaling technologies - history of mobile & contactless payment systems - security concerns with nfc technology - development of nfc compatible smartphones - felica technology - nfc sd and sim cards - qr codes versus nfc tags - near field versus far field - near field communication versus bluetooth


narayeenam is a condensed version of bhagavata. the original bhagavata, which received its present textual shape between the 6th and the 8th century a. d. is considered one of the eighteen mahapuranas, and is today the most widely accepted religious literature of its kind. a mahapurana deals with the following ten topics. 1. sarga or primary creation. 2. visarga or secondary creation. 3. vritti or means of sustenance. 4. raksha or protection. 5. manvantara or epoch of manus. 6. vamsa or genealogy 7. vamsanucharitra or dynastic history. 8. samstha or dissolution. 9. hetu or purpose and finally 10. apasraya or ultimate support. narayaneeyam follows the same format. narayeenayam is a condensed version of bhagavata and this book presents the original sanskrit sloka or poem followed by english translation. the english translation is ably rendered by swami tapasyananda of sri ramakrishna order. originally published in 1976 it has run into many editins. mepatthur narayana bhattatiri, was a nambudri brahmin of kerala. he was a prodigy. the book narayaneeyam was completed in hundred days. though the author is today famous for narayaneeyam, a devotional work his achievements in the field of scholarship and his fame among contemporaries had a much broader basis.


runners often look for the magic bullet to help them run faster, get leaner, and feel better. this makes diet books and supplements appealing. but do they work? let ' s take a look at the evidence for a few popular diets. the paleolithic diet the paleolithic diet is often shortened as the paleo diet. it is the diet plan that best resembles how early cavemen ate thousands of years ago, eating plants and wild animals. meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, tree nuts, vegetables, roots, fruits, and berries are allowed, while grains and dairy are prohibited. a major advantage of this diet is that processed foods are eliminated and foods high in protein, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and antioxidants are consumed. the creators of the paleo diet adapted it for athletes, recognizing that athletes do need more carbohydrates before, during, and after exercising. the paleo diet for athletes allows for inclusion of grains and higher glycemic carbohydrates, especially for recovery after exercise. if following a paleo diet, one needs to consume enough variety to obtain all of the nutrients needed for optimal health. following this diet by picking and choosing only certain foods can lead to deficiencies. since it is toughest to consume enough calcium and vitamin d with this diet, it may be wise to take a calcium and vitamin d supplement. at this writing there is no conclusive evidence that this particular diet is superior to others in optimizing health and performance. the raw food diet raw foodism is a belief that plant foods in their most natural state are the most wholesome for the body. the raw food diet is 75 percent fruits and vegetables. food choices include seaweed, sprouts, whole grains, beans, and nuts. food preparation involves a food dehydrator that heats to a temperature no higher than 118 degrees fahrenheit so that vitamins, minerals, and food enzymes are not destroyed. although many benefits can be achieved through a high fruit and vegetable diet, some fruits and vegetables are more available to the body when cooked. for example, the lycopene in tomatoes is more beneficial for the body when the tomatoes are cooked. foods prepared at temperatures at or below 118 degrees may not destroy all harmful, food - borne bacteria and can be dangerous. people following this diet may have difficulty obtaining sufficient vitamin b12, calcium, iron, and omega - 3 fatty acids, thus requiring supplementation.


a weekly updated section with stories and links about being a coach. what can playing football do for me? teaches physical education according to the cdc ( center for disease control ) more than a third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. the main cause of childhood obesity is the food selection. eating fast food for dinner is a lot more convenient that cooking at home. overeating is another major problem since portion size and portion control are not monitored properly. increased use of technology, such as video games, internet, and tv, complicates the matter further because it leads to physical inactivity. playing youth football helps keep the children physically active so that they are better able to maintain a healthy body weight, and it will give your children something else to do besides video games and surfing the web. deters juvenile delinquency when playing youth football, children are in a safe and controlled environment with other children and away from otherwise bad influences. according to the ojjdp ( office of juvenile justice and delinquency prevention ) most gang members join their gangs when they are between the ages of 12 and 15. children involved in youth football will have positive role models and mentors who will in turn help keep kids away from the wrong crowd of people. according to childrensdefense. org, juveniles were responsible for 26 % of all arrest for property crimes. youth football provides a positive activity for children to participate in during those crucial after school hours, so they are less likely to get into trouble. football requires a lot of practice time. it also requires a commitment to physical fitness, skill development, learning plays and game planning. youth football will also help a child develop positive work ethic. developing a strong work ethic will better enable children to achieve their goals later in life. there is no sport that requires more resilience than football. during football games there are ups and downs. things can go from very good to very bad all too fast. being able to bounce back from adversity and setbacks shows a child ’ s resilience. playing football well requires fighting through adversity and staying positive. life is full of adversity and challenges. here ’ s a great way to help children develop some “ fight ” and help to prepare them for their teen years and adulthood. provides positive role model a good youth football coach will be a positive influence on your child. a good coach will develop confidence in his players and keep the kids interested in playing the sport. do not underestimate


them for their teen years and adulthood. provides positive role model a good youth football coach will be a positive influence on your child. a good coach will develop confidence in his players and keep the kids interested in playing the sport. do not underestimate the positive influence a youth football coach can have. having a good coach will be a positive role model for all players including those who might be considered “ high risk ” and will help keep them out of trouble. encourages family time and community involvement game day is great family time. athletes arrive in cars loaded with family and friends to root them on. the whole family can participate by supporting the individual and team, while enjoying being outdoors! parents will talk to other parents and family members ; and friendships are born. it is a true social event. parents, other family members and friends are encouraged to come to games and support the team. builds self confidence playing youth football will develop a great deal of self confidence in your child. as the skill level of the youth football player increases, so does the child ’ s self - confidence. being a part of a team helps children create friends - which will help deter bullying in schools. youth football promotes physical fitness, bullies will think twice about picking on a well conditioned football athlete. football is a competitive sport. playing youth football will encourage competitiveness in other areas of life. players will have to compete in practice for playing time. players will compete against other teams on game day. to be successful in life you need to be competitive. being non - competitive often leads to underachievement, therefore football is good training for later in life. coaches should encourage competitiveness and hard work. when a player works hard and competes they will be rewarded with playing time, regardless of their skill level. when you work hard and are competitive, good things happen. football requires eleven players on the field at the same time, all doing their specific job in order to be successful. this requires a lot of teamwork. the plays will not work if one person doesn ’ t do their job. youth football requires the players to work together in order to be successful. as the season progresses the team start to jell and the players support each other during practices and games. teamwork only happens with good communication. teamwork is all about clear and decisive communication. youth football players will learn to communicate with one another in order to accomplish a team goal. good communication leads to good teamwork. communication and teamwork are vital traits that will serve children well when they are teens and into


about clear and decisive communication. youth football players will learn to communicate with one another in order to accomplish a team goal. good communication leads to good teamwork. communication and teamwork are vital traits that will serve children well when they are teens and into adult hood, and football can be instrumental in developing these traits football has many rules and requirements. with that said, youth football will help develop discipline in children. it will require children to work hard, be on time to practices and games, and play within the rules. it teaches the children follow directions and execute instructions given by authority figures. football develops physical strength and agility, and a learning activity. youth football players will be required to remember plays during practices and games, they will have to absorb the instruction and then need to execute these instructions. remembering the plays and game plans are a challenging task. playing youth football is not only a physical activity ; it also requires a lot of learning. provides stress relief physical activity is a healthy and natural way to relieve stress. it is the perfect activity for children if there is stress at home. we want our children ’ s lives to have as little stress as possible and to give them healthy and safe opportunities to relieve what stress they have. consistent stress can only be bad. youth football is a positive, safe, and controlled environment where children can vent and have fun. it is a positive way for a child to burn their energy which will allow them to be calmer and more in control when they are at home. a child who has an avenue to release stress, and burn excess energy, will be calmer, happier and more content at home. deters smoking and illegal drug use according to dr. mehmet oz, ” in the 12 - 17 age group, the average age of smokers first use is 15 years ”. once these kids start, they get hooked. smoking while involved with grueling football practices and games is nearly impossible. it ’ s the number one reason why kids love to play youth football. it ’ s simply a lot of fun!


by neal singer the first step in deploying lasers on space satellites will take place sept. 9, when nasa sends a lidar system into orbit on the space shuttle discovery, says the ui researcher who helped design the major experiments for the mission. the lidar system, dubbed nasa lite, is expected to be aboard the shuttle when it is launched at 4 : 30 p. m. edt from cape canaveral, fla., to monitor earth ' s atmosphere. the shuttle is scheduled to return sept. 18. lidar, an acronym derived from light detection and ranging, emits laser beams rather than radio waves to obtain information. lite derives from lidar in space technology experiment. " through use of a pulsed laser beam as an active sensor, we can measure light back - scattered from air molecules, clouds and aerosols, or reflections from earth ' s surface, and infer information about characteristics of the atmosphere, " says ui electrical and computer engineer chester s. gardner. the system will be firing 10 times a second in the green, ultraviolet and infrared ranges. the returning light, captured by a telescope adjacent to the laser on the satellite, should yield the best information on concentrations of aerosols, movements of storm systems and heights of clouds. later lidar systems will study atmospheric ozone depletion, the accumulation of carbon dioxide and water vapor in the atmosphere, and the expansion or shrinkage of polar ice caps. the information is expected to be much more detailed than that obtained by current methods. satellites now use a horizon - scanning technique that measures the thinning of sunlight as it passes through the edge of earth ' s atmosphere. the technique can identify chemical constituents of the atmosphere, but its resolution is relatively poor, he said. a major challenge for lite will be to measure water reflectivity at different amounts of surface turbulence. in an attempt to accomplish this, the shuttle will pitch forward 30 degrees as it passes over specific sites and will rotate at a speed that allows it to keep the laser beam focused on specific sites. the process is expected to help calibrate water reflections of different size waves for future generations of orbiting lidar systems. calibration stations around the globe will beam lidars upward to compare their readings with the shuttle ' s lidar as it passes above them. the largest such check station in terms of telescope size - 3. 5 meters - will be at the starfire optical range in albuquerque, n. m., and will be staffed by ui electrical and computer engineer george papen


| | | | ask marilyn : when you ' re twice as old as your child kelly buch of darien, connecticut, writes : marilyn : i read the question regarding being twice as old as your child. ( november 4, 2012 ) the question was, " there is only one time in your life when you ' re twice as old as your child. when is that? " your response was, " when the child reaches the age you were when he or she was born. " actually, there are two different times in your life when you ' re are twice as old as your child, if you round to the year. here ' s an illustration : i was born the day before my mother ' s birthday. she was 28 then and turned 29 the next day. in four years, i will turn 28. on my birthday, my mom will be 56 — twice as old as me. the next day, she will turn 57. when i turn 29 the following year, she will still be 57, turning 58 the next day — again twice my age. this will stay true until my next birthday. so there are two time periods during which my mom will be twice as old as i am. thank you, kelly. readers, it ' s correct that there ' s only one time when you ' re actually twice as old as your child — when the child reaches the exact age you were when he or she was born. but when you round to the year, it happens twice, as kelly demonstrates. the two periods will always add up to about one year. ( i say " about " to forestall getting letters about leap years! )


what ' s in a name? a bit of deception when it comes to the american clean energy and security act. a more accurate title might be : the american clean energy and less security act. to get to the bottom of what ' s wrong with the 1, 400 - page energy bill passed by the house of representatives, you have to dig deeper than canada ' s tar sands. and what you find there is just as sludgy - and taxing to process. crudely refined : the greener we are, the less secure we ' re likely to be. meaning, we either can be green or we can be less dependent on oil from terrorist - sponsoring states. but under the current energy bill, we can ' t be both. put another way : the more we cap our carbon, the happier the saudis are. that ' s because most middle eastern crude is more easily accessible and requires less processing than what we and our friendlier neighbors can produce. if you don ' t know this, it ' s because beer summits are more fun than math. herewith, a short course for word people. basically, the energy bill focuses primarily on stationary sources of co2 emissions ( power and manufacturing plants ) and would do little to address mobile sources of emissions, i. e. transportation. since virtually all u. s. stationary sources use domestic energy - coal, natural gas, nuclear, wind, solar, biomass, etc. - the energy bill would do almost nothing about reducing oil or gasoline imports. foreign sources provide about 70 percent of the oil used in refining gasoline and diesel. in fact, new restrictions and associated costs would likely mean that we ' d be going to foreign suppliers for oil more often rather than less. the only way to be less dependent, obviously, is to produce as much domestic oil as possible. but even if drilling were allowed in the arctic national wildlife refuge, for example, the cost of retrieving and processing the oil could be prohibitive under new cap - and - trade restrictions. the waxman - markey bill, as the legislation is more commonly known, would require the u. s. to reduce carbon emissions to 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83 percent below by 2050. as a prius - driving, pro - seal, recycling, organic vegetarian, i ' m heavily tilted toward saving the planet. but we probably ought not to pretend that this bill would make us more secure by reducing dependence on foreign sources. even canada ' s crude creates problems under the new proposed restrictions


, recycling, organic vegetarian, i ' m heavily tilted toward saving the planet. but we probably ought not to pretend that this bill would make us more secure by reducing dependence on foreign sources. even canada ' s crude creates problems under the new proposed restrictions while seeming to solve others. as matt schlapp, a veteran of energy policy debates and former white house political director, describes it, canada ' s oil is a sludge that borders on solid, which makes it difficult to refine : " let ' s just say, the days of jed clampett are gone. you don ' t just stumble across oil anymore. the easy stuff is gone. " to refine canadian muck to a usable form that would meet new emissions standards would require extensive processing that carries its own co2 freight. because saudi crude is easier to get to, it ' s more attractive in a world where carbon is expensive. " we ' re giving the saudis an advantage, in other words, " says schlapp. " why would we want to do that? " meanwhile, the transportation issues remain largely unaddressed. the extent to which oil and gasoline imports do decline in coming years wouldn ' t be a function of the waxman - markey bill, but will be thanks to initiatives begun by george w. bush and implemented by barack obama, according to c. boyden gray, former ambassador to the european union and pro - ethanol " green " republican, who served under bush 41 as special envoy for eurasian energy. one, the so - called cafe ( corporate average fuel economy ) legislation, raised auto mileage standards by about 30 percent. bush 43 also pushed through energy legislation in 2005 and 2007 that requires the blending of 36 billion gallons of biofuels in the transport sector - or about 20 percent of total liquid fuel consumption. " these measures should significantly reduce oil imports, " says gray. " but both cafe and the biofuel legislation predate waxman - markey and would achieve much of the import - reduction security goals publicly associated with waxman - markey. " although the bill would put refined gasoline consumption under the cap along with coal, natural gas, etc., the baseline for counting reductions is 2003. the reductions in oil consumption already required by the cafe and biofuels bills may exceed for many years the requirements of waxman - markey. in other words, it ' s not clear what more the oil industry would have to do under waxman - markey than is already happening. waxman - markey


the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity : ecological and economic foundations human well - being relies critically on ecosystem services provided by nature. examples include water and air quality regulation, nutrient cycling and decomposition, plant pollination and flood control, all of which are dependent on biodiversity. they are predominantly public goods with limited or no markets and do not command any price in the conventional economic system, so their loss is often not detected and continues unaddressed and unabated. this in turn not only impacts human well - being, but also seriously undermines the sustainability of the economic system. it is against this background that teeb : the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity project was set up in 2007 and led by the united nations environment programme to provide a comprehensive global assessment of economic aspects of these issues. the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity, written by a team of international experts, represents the scientific state of the art, providing a comprehensive assessment of the fundamental ecological and economic principles of measuring and valuing ecosystem services and biodiversity, and showing how these can be mainstreamed into public policies. the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity and subsequent teeb outputs will provide the authoritative knowledge and guidance to drive forward the biodiversity conservation agenda for the next decade. 1. integrating the ecological and economic dimensions in biodiversity and ecosystem service valuation 2. biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services 3. measuring biophysical quantities and the use of indicators 4. the socio - cultural context of ecosystem and biodiversity valuation 5. the economics of valuing ecosystem services and biodiversity 6. discounting, ethics, and options for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem integrity 7. lessons learned and linkages with national policies appendix 1 : how the teeb framework can be applied : the amazon case appendix 2 : matrix tables for wetland and forest ecosystems appendix 3 : estimates of monetary values of ecosystem services " a landmark study on one of the most pressing problems facing society, balancing economic growth and ecological protection to achieve a sustainable future. " - simon levin, moffett professor of biology, department of ecology and evolution behaviour, princeton university, usa " teeb brings a rigorous economic focus to bear on the problems of ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss, and on their impacts on human welfare. teeb is a very timely and useful study not only of the economic and social dimensions of the problem, but also of a set of practical solutions which deserve the attention of policy - makers around the world. " - nicholas stern, i. g. patel professor of economics and government at the london school of economics and chairman of the grantham research institute on climate change and the environment "


practical solutions which deserve the attention of policy - makers around the world. " - nicholas stern, i. g. patel professor of economics and government at the london school of economics and chairman of the grantham research institute on climate change and the environment " the [ teeb ] project should show us all how expensive the global destruction of the natural world has become and – it is hoped – persuade us to slow down. ' the guardian ' biodiversity is the living fabric of this planet – the quantum and the variability of all its ecosystems, species, and genes. and yet, modern economies remain largely blind to the huge value of the abundance and diversity of this web of life, and the crucial and valuable roles it plays in human health, nutrition, habitation and indeed in the health and functioning of our economies. humanity has instead fabricated the illusion that somehow we can get by without biodiversity, or that it is somehow peripheral to our contemporary world. the truth is we need it more than ever on a planet of six billion heading to over nine billion people by 2050. this volume of ' teeb ' explores the challenges involved in addressing the economic invisibility of biodiversity, and organises the science and economics in a way decision makers would find it hard to ignore. " - achim steiner, executive director, united nations environment programme this volume is an output of teeb : the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity study and has been edited by pushpam kumar, reader in environmental economics, university of liverpool, uk. teeb is hosted by the united nations environment programme ( uenp ) and supported by the european commission, the german federal ministry for the environment ( bmu ) and the uk department for environment, food and rural affairs ( defra ), recently joined by norway ' s ministry for foreign affairs, the netherlands ' ministry of housing ( vrom ), the uk department for international development ( dfid ) and also the swedish international development cooperation agency ( sida ). the study leader is pavan sukhdev, who is also special adviser – green economy initiative, unep. view other products from the same publisher


the photographs shown here reveal a remarkably detailed picture of titanic and her sister ships, olympic and britannic. they vividly portray edwardian belfast, capturing the industrial might of the city in which they were built, and the optimism of the pre - first world war era. if you would like to purchase any of these photographs please contact the national museums picture library on : during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, belfast was one of the most important industrial centres in the world. its shipbuilding, engineering, linen and ropemaking industries supplied many countries throughout the world. these photographs not only give us a unique view of titanic, but they allow us to step back in time to the glimpse the economic, social and political elements that made up that ere. these images, taken by the photographer william a. green between 1910 and 1925, vividly capture the bustle of street scenes in and around belfast city centre. these photographs, featuring some of belfast ’ s most prominent public buildings, were taken by william a. green during the years 1910 to 1925. these images show titanic ’ s sister ship, britannic. launched in 1914, just as the first world war broke out, she was used as a hospital ship, but was sunk by a mine in 1916 and never entered commercial service. these images show britannic being fitted out at the harland & wolff shipyard. they capture the huge scale of the three olympic - class liners, olympic, titanic and britannic. olympic ( 1911 ) was the first of an intended trio of superlative liners for the white star line ’ s north atlantic service. this collection contains a rare aerial shot of the ship at sea. these images capture the refined elegance of first class accommodation on board olympic. these stunning images show the huge arrol gantry at queen ’ s island in the harland & wolff shipyard. it was inside this steel web that olympic, titanic and britannic were built. the gantry remained in use until the 1960s. the process of fitting out olympic involved not just the installation of engines, boilers and electrical hardware, but also all the services and furnishings necessary to provide for the comfort and needs of passengers. it took enormously large and powerful engines and machinery to power a ship weighing over 45, 000 tons, as these photographs reveal.


new viruses are popping up all over these days – heartland virus in missouri last month, a new virus in the same family as sars in saudi arabia this month. and now, a never - before - seen hemorrhagic fever virus in central africa. it ' s called bas - congo virus after the province where it was found just west of kinshasa, the teeming capital of the democratic republic of congo. the discovery was announced today in the journal plos pathogens. so far only three people in the remote village of mangala are known to have contracted bas - congo hemorrhagic fever, two of whom died. one was a health care worker who cared for the other two villagers, which means it can apparently be transmitted from person to person, although no one knows how easily. but the small number of known cases is actually one of the important things about this finding. it signifies that scientists may have found an emerging disease very soon after it made its jump from whatever species it came from into humans. we ' ll come back to its most likely origins a little later. the reason for thinking bas - congo only recently began infecting humans is that researchers have run blood tests on people throughout the drc and found no evidence of antibodies that would indicate any of them has been exposed to the new virus. " it doesn ' t appear to be widespread throughout the congo, " study co - author charles chiu of the university of california san francisco told shots. he says the team is planning to do more blood tests on people in the drc and neighboring countries, such as congo - brazzaville right next to bas - congo province. " i would say we caught it fairly quickly, " said another study author, joseph fair, in a telephone interview from the other side of the drc, where he ' s helping to track down the origin of an ongoing outbreak of ebola hemorrhagic fever that has so far afflicted 51 people and killed 20. " this wasn ' t hiv, where we ' re 15 years into a pandemic before we actually find that we have a pandemic, " says fair, who ' s with a group called metabiota that contracts with governments and health agencies to track disease outbreaks. the three known cases of bas - congo fever actually occurred three years ago. but tissue samples from the victims languished in a laboratory freezer in kinshasa until an astute doctor called the cases to fair ' s attention. that time lag