canal st. martin, paris photograph by gordon gahan, national geographic light is the single most important element in photography. without light, both we and our cameras are blind. but light is so much more than a tool to physically record. this simple photograph by gordon gahan shows the power of light to ignite even the most mundane scene — a concrete tunnel — and render it beautifully. — annie griffiths photo tip : when exposing for beams of light, it is best to underexpose the rest of the scene. it will add drama and will keep a little detail in the light beams themselves. inner mongolia, china photograph by james l. stanfield, national geographic in this lovely photograph by james stanfield, the quality of light adds to the feeling of intimacy in the moment. it blesses the entire scene with a golden, soft light that leads us from the children to the mother to the animals outside. — annie griffiths photo tip : shooting into the light, or " backlighting, " will add a halo effect to hair and clothing and other details of the subject. when backlighting, it is best to underexpose the image, allowing the highlights to glow. grand canyon national park, arizona photograph by michael nichols, national geographic bad weather makes great pictures. the best bad weather is a stormy day, when the sun is battling the clouds and often breaks through to ignite one part of the scene. in this winter shot of the grand canyon by michael nichols, it is the single touch of sunlight that makes the photograph work. — annie griffiths photo tip : become a storm chaser. if you want to find drama in a landscape, you ’ re more likely to succeed on days when the weather is dynamic. nothing is more boring than a perfect, cloudless day. photograph by william albert allard, national geographic portraits should usually be taken in soft light. it allows the subject to relax, the features to soften, and the eyes to communicate. in this unforgettable portrait by william albert allard, the light plays a key role in leading the viewer to the cowboy ’ s eyes. the light is coming from the side and is low enough to provide illumination beneath the hat. exposing for the light, not the shadow areas, allows the subject to glow. — annie griffiths photo tip : if photographing indoors, window or door light falling on the subject can be beautiful. by positioning the subject near the light source and allowing some of the subject to underexpose, the photographer can let light touch only the most


annie griffiths photo tip : if photographing indoors, window or door light falling on the subject can be beautiful. by positioning the subject near the light source and allowing some of the subject to underexpose, the photographer can let light touch only the most important part of the subject. luxor hotel, las vegas photograph by maria stenzel, national geographic photographer maria stenzel allowed several different sources of light to create the architecture of this photograph. each source of light is a different color, and the bizarre quality of the different lights sets a perfect mood for a picture of las vegas. — annie griffiths photo tip : have fun with artificial light, especially at night. look for different colors and sources of light, then use them in creative compositions. the possibilities are endless. central park, new york city photograph by melissa farlow, national geographic winter scenes are inherently cool in color. snow reflects the color of the sky and, at the beginning or end of the day, often appears purple in color. in this winter scene, photographer melissa farlow waited until the last rays of the setting sun touched the tops of the trees to make her picture. the contrast of the warm sunset light with the cool purples of the scene makes this image striking. — annie griffiths photo tip : when shooting at sunset, don ’ t just shoot the sun itself. often the best scenes are those being ignited by the warm light of the sunset. photograph by clifton r. adams, national geographic this charming photograph by clifton adams is backlit, causing a halo effect around the heads of the three irish girls. by letting the light draw attention to the their happy faces, we are less focused on the grime of their clothing. — annie griffiths photo tip : remember that light can bring emphasis to what you want the viewer to be drawn to in a photograph. when used well, light takes us by the hand and leads us to the important parts of an image. yosemite national park, california photograph by phil schermeister, national geographic this photograph has a quiet symmetry made dynamic by light. the bright light on the mountain face is perfectly balanced by the deep light in its reflection. photographer phil schermeister has made an elegant exposure, which allows the light to glow. — annie griffiths photo tip : when photographing in a high contrast situation, consider your exposure carefully. try different exposures to see what choice makes best use of available light. photograph by beverly joubert, national geographic light after a storm is some of the most dramatic light on earth. instead of


a high contrast situation, consider your exposure carefully. try different exposures to see what choice makes best use of available light. photograph by beverly joubert, national geographic light after a storm is some of the most dramatic light on earth. instead of being the brightest part of a scene, the sky becomes the darkest. light that breaks through is often a lovely color, because it is refracted by tiny droplets remaining in the air. this stunning image by beverley joubert is a perfect shot, in perfect light. — annie griffiths photo tip : when the sky is dark, remember to expose for the light and allow the sky to become brooding and powerful. this will add drama to the part of the photograph that is touched by light. maasai tribesman, africa photograph by mitsuaki iwago, minden pictures photographer mitsuaki iwago used a low angle and the body of the maasai tribesman to add drama to this photograph. the sun is breaking through clouds of dust, so the low angle adds to this effect. but the light is harsh enough to destroy all the shadow areas, unless it is blocked by a silhouette large enough to allow the right exposure. — annie griffiths photo tip : often the light is not ideal for shooting. but if the photographer is thoughtful about how to use the light, magical images can be made. remember to try many different ways to take advantage of the light you are given. nat geo photo workshops subscribe to national geographic magazine and save. print and digital editions available.


one only has to be reminded of the bse crisis and the mmr vaccine scare to recognise the importance of having policy informed by the best available science. now, a collaboration of over fifty academics and policy makers from around the world have come together to agree a new research agenda on the role of science in public policy. the findings appear today friday, 09 march in plos one, a leading interdisciplinary open - access journal. the importance of using science for public policy has long been recognised, but recent years have seen a growing debate over how this is best achieved. ' evidence - based policy ' has become the desired norm, and this has led to a greater embedding of scientists alongside other specialists in public policy. in many governments, scientists are engaged at a senior level. for example, in the uk, in addition to the government chief scientific adviser, all government departments have a dedicated chief scientific adviser post. in spite of their acknowledged importance, however, relations between science and policy are sometimes troubled, and periodically erupt into controversy. prominent examples include the acrimonious debate over scientific understandings of climate change and the continuing disputes over the use of genetically modified crops and foods. the aim of this project was to identify key questions which, if addressed through focused research, could both address important theoretical challenges and also improve the mutual understanding and effectiveness of those who work at the interface of science and policy. to address these issues, professor william sutherland, from the university of cambridge, working with the university ' s centre for science and policy ( csap ), convened a unique workshop which brought together 52 leading scientists and policy makers to agree a new research agenda. they came from a wide range of academic disciplines ( including the physical, biological, environmental, medical, and social sciences ) as well as government, ngos and industry. initially, each participant was invited to produce a list of questions ; through a process of voting, deliberation and further voting, the initial list was distilled into a final set of 40 questions. explaining the significance of the research, professor sutherland said : " when public policy is supported by scientifically - sound evidence, it is to the benefit of all of society. in order to strengthen the relationship between science and policy, we have, for the first time, compiled a clear set of research questions on scientific advice to governments. " the final questions include an examination of how the design of scientific advisory systems affects policy outcomes ( q18 ), whether making science advice more transparent has improved its quality ( q35 ) and how


clear set of research questions on scientific advice to governments. " the final questions include an examination of how the design of scientific advisory systems affects policy outcomes ( q18 ), whether making science advice more transparent has improved its quality ( q35 ) and how to ensure early identification of policy issues that require scientific advice ( q10 ). others, for example, include : - what is the effectiveness of different techniques for anticipating future policy issues requiring science input? ( q17 ) - how and why does the role of scientific advice in policy - making differ among local, regional, national and international levels of governance? ( q19 ) - how do policy makers understand and respond to scientific uncertainties and expert disagreements? ( q29 ) dr robert doubleday, head of research, centre for science and policy ( csap ) at the university of cambridge, said : " for the first time scientific advisers, policy makers, and academics who study science policy have come together through a structured process to agree a common research agenda. this is a critically important step as too often in the past there has been a serious disconnect between the theory and practice of science policy. this paper will help overcome this gap. at csap we are committed to assessing progress made towards addressing these questions. " explore further : the dissector and the draughtsman more information : the paper ' a collaboratively - derived science policy research agenda ' will be published in the 09 march 2012 edition of plos one. after the embargo lifts, the paper can be viewed at dx. plos. org / 10. 1371 / journal. pone. 0031824


the international team of astronauts taking part in esa ' s caving adventure have returned to earth after spending six days underground. the voyage to the surface of our planet took them five hours from basecamp. caves gives astronauts a taste of working as a safe and effective team during long spaceflights. in particular, they can hone their leadership and group skills while working in a typical multicultural team found on the international space station. course designer loredana bessone explains the similarities of caving and working in space : " the ' cavenauts ' have to adapt to a completely new environment. working and living underground is both physically and mentally demanding. " space protocols were used in the course : " cavewalking is similar to a spacewalk. you have to pay continuous attention to the correct use of tools and safety protocols, to the progression path and to obstacles, which correspond to no touch zones and keep out zones on the space station. " caves is the first behavioural course to involve astronauts from all partners of the international space station. astronauts from usa, japan, canada, russia and denmark participated this year. apart from exploring and surveying parts of the caves, the astronauts also conducted speleological research : cave meteorology, geology, biology and microbiology. they set traps and collected specimens of underground life, which have now been forwarded to specialists for further analysis. this year the astronauts explored further than the caves 2011 team and discovered what nasa astronaut mike fincke described as an underground " wonderland. " esa astronaut andreas mogensen is very positive about the course : " caves is perhaps the most physically demanding astronaut training that i have taken part in, and perhaps also the most rewarding. " to complete the training, our crew had to work together effectively and efficiently as a team, which we did. " all in all, it was a fantastic and unique experience. " explore further : astronauts going underground


satellite imagery from nasa ' s trmm satellite showed that wind shear is pushing the bulk of rainfall away from the center of tropical storm anais. when nasa ' s tropical rainfall measuring mission ( trmm ) satellite passed over tropical storm anais on oct. 16 at 0654 utc ( 2 : 54 a. m. edt ), light to moderate rainfall was occurring southeast of the center and falling at a rate between. 78 to 1. 57 inches / 20 to 40 mm per hour. the displacement of rainfall from around the storm ' s center to the southeast indicates moderate to strong northwesterly wind shear. there no areas of heavy rainfall, indicating that the storm had weakened since the previous day. forecasters at the joint typhoon warning center noted " the trmm image depicts tightly - curved, shallow convective ( thunderstorm ) banding wrapping into a well - defined center with deep convective banding limited to the south quadrant. " tropical storm anais had maximum sustained winds near 55 knots ( 63. 2 mph / 102 kph ) on oct. 16 at 1500 utc ( 11 a. m. edt ). anais was located near 14. 4 south and 59. 8 east, about 500 nautical miles ( 575 miles / 926 km ) north - northeast of la reunion and moving toward the west - southwest at 9 knots ( 10. 3 mph / 16. 6 kph ). anais is forecast to continue tracking to the west - southwest toward madagascar, while weakening. explore further : nasa sees tropical cyclone anais headed near la reunion island


while most teachers and students were relaxing, a team of physicists spent their summer vacation modeling the physics of learning. they represented the interactions between students and teachers with a set of equations similar to those that describe magnetism in materials like iron. the results, which appear in the 10 september print issue of prl, are consistent with data on student learning, but can equations convey the complexities of the classroom? some educational specialists remain unconvinced. to simulate the classroom environment, clelia bordogna and ezequiel albano of the institute of theoretical and applied physical chemistry in la plata, argentina, used a so - called ising model similar to those that describe magnetism in materials. according to the model, a classroom behaves a lot like a piece of iron : individual students play the role of atoms, and their knowledge of a subject is similar the atoms ’ magnetic orientations. the teacher behaves like an external magnetic field trying to align the student ’ s knowledge into the “ right ” direction ( understanding the curriculum ). but like the atoms in a chunk of iron, the students have other influences : each student could influence her neighbor ’ s orientation, and social entropy, such as talking, passing notes, or obscure explanations, could cause the students to become disoriented. the team ’ s model made several predictions that agree with data gathered in actual classrooms around the country. for example, when low - achieving and high - achieving students were interspersed in groups, they found that the low - achievers caught on more quickly. they also found that when students influenced each other through group work, they learned the material more thoroughly than when they simply listened to the teacher lecture. but some educational specialists express skepticism of the study. “ classroom learning shouldn ’ t be boiled down into a mathematical formula, ” said one educational researcher, adding that this kind of work could actually hurt the field by detracting from research on curriculum and teaching principles. david byrne, a sociologist who also studies chaos and complexity at the university of durham in england, believes that trying to model education creates two problems. first, social interactions in the classroom often lack clear boundaries, which can make them difficult to model. second, human behavior varies significantly, not only among individuals, but among classrooms and regions as well. such variation, he believes, can throw off even the most general statistical models. still, byrne was pleased to see physicists trying to tackle the problem. “ simulations are always interesting – in the social sciences you can ’ t say much more


economy spikes u. s. power plant carbon output : group author : timothy gardner a stronger economy helped push up u. s. power plant emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in 2010 by the highest annual rate on record, a report said on friday. the economy and air conditioning demand from a warm summer sent emissions up 5. 56 percent to 2. 42 billion metric tons in 2010, according to the report by the environmental integrity project based on data by the environmental protection agency. " great news about the economy recovering, but carbon grew faster than the economy, which shows a lot of old inefficient coal plants were pumping out electricity last year, " said eip director eric schaeffer. he co - founded the nonprofit, nonpartisan group in 2002 with fellow former epa enforcement lawyers. the recession pushed emissions down in 2009, but the recovery in 2010 showed how quickly they can rise once the economy gets stronger. the 2010 rise was the highest jump in emissions since 1995, when the epa began keeping data, but the total carbon emissions from power plants were still below the record of 2. 57 billion metric tons set in 2007. environmentalists are worried that the republican - controlled house of representatives could hurt the government ' s ability to fight climate change, especially after last year tied 2005 as the hottest year globally on record. " global warming will not disappear because our politicians choose to pretend it does not exist, " schaeffer said. house republicans have pushed for spending cuts this year for climate programs across the federal government, from the environmental protection agency to the state department. president barack obama and his fellow democrats in the senate are likely to reject most of the cuts. obama has pledged the country would cut emissions about 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. but the senate also has some climate skeptics including james inhofe of oklahoma, who has called human - caused global warming a hoax. emissions from power plants account for about a third of the carbon output from the united states, the world ' s second leading greenhouse gas emitter after china. overall u. s. greenhouse gas emissions have risen about 7. 4 percent since 1990, according to the epa. the state of texas, which opened three new coal - fired power plants in late 2010, led the country in carbon emissions from power plants last year with nearly 257 million metric tons of output. top emissions were then followed by florida, ohio and indiana. ( editing by sofina mirza - reid )


shining new light on dark matter in the 1930s, astronomers discovered that many galaxy clusters observable from earth have a much stronger gravitational field than they should have given their predicted mass. further astronomical observations only added to this puzzle. after much consideration, it was concluded that something mysterious called dark matter must be involved. dark matter is in all respects invisible and can only be detected by its gravitational effect on normal matter. if this new theory was right then dark matter would make up most of the mass of the universe. however, in february three scientists claimed that dark matter was not necessary and in fact by slightly altering einstein ' s equations for general relativity they could account for the acceleration. not everyone was convinced by the new explanation though, and now new evidence has been put forward in support of dark matter through studying the " bullet " galaxy cluster with the chandra x - ray telescope. the cluster was created when two separate clusters smashed together. tremendous amounts of energy were released in this collision ; enough in fact to tear the normal matter and the dark matter apart. even though dark matter is invisible, scientists were able to see the effect by measuring how the mass of the cluster was distributed. the data gathered supported a model involving dark matter but not an altered form of general relativity as was previously proposed. no doubt the argument over the existence of dark matter will continue but supporters of the dark matter model believe this provides the most conclusive evidence yet. you can read the full story on science daily posted by plus @ 2 : 37 pm


the foot is a complex structure of 26 bones, 33 joints, and many muscles, ligaments, and nerves. only a small number of americans are born with foot problems. most problems are due to neglect and poor care, including ill - fitting shoes. with age, changes occur in the feet. some disorders begin early in life and are affected by heredity, walking patterns, and land features. many americans will have foot pain at some point in their lives. common causes of foot pain include : - poor - fitting shoes - high - heeled shoes - poor posture - high impact exercise ( such as running ) foot pain may also be caused by systemic disease, such as : - arthritis ( osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis ) — arthritis can cause stiffness and reduced range of motion. - peripheral vascular disease — this condition affects the legs and feet by causing reduced blood flow, swelling, and increased risk of infection. - diabetes — a common complication of diabetes is reduced blood flow, which causes a number of problems in the legs and feet including abnormal sensation, swelling, and increased risk of infection. - gout — gout may cause pain and swelling in the great toe. for descriptions of many common types of foot pain, click here. what are the risk factors for foot pain? what are the symptoms of foot pain? how is foot pain diagnosed? what are the treatments for foot pain? are there screening tests for foot pain? how can i reduce my risk of foot pain? what questions should i ask my doctor? what is it like to live with a bunion? where can i get more information about foot pain? - reviewer : brian randall, md - review date : 11 / 2012 - - update date : 11 / 26 / 2012 -


eating disorders : when food and weight take control what exactly are eating disorders? how common are eating disorders? what are the symptoms of eating disorders? - excessive weight loss or lack of normal weight gain, often to the point of starvation - intense fear of gaining weight - distorted body image — for example, seeing oneself as too fat even when underweight - obsessive controlling of calories and fat even when underweight - unusual eating habits, such as cutting food into tiny bites - excessive or compulsive exercising - absence of at least three consecutive menstrual periods - frequent episodes of binge eating ( eating an abnormally large amount of food within two hours or less ) - feeling out of control while binge eating - excessive concern with body weight and shape - unusual eating habits, such as hoarding food and eating in secret - frequent episodes of self - induced vomiting or misusing laxatives or diuretics to prevent weight gain - attempts to control weight by excessive exercising, misusing diet pills, or fasting binge eating disorder - frequent episodes of binge eating - little or no use of behaviors to control weight, such as purging, excessive exercising or fasting, although may try dieting - feeling guilty, depressed, or disgusted with oneself because of the binge eating and concern about being overweight - eating large amounts when not hungry - eating rapidly and until uncomfortably full what causes eating disorders? how are eating disorders treated? - health or medical problems treated — first, any medical problems are treated. then, the psychological issues related to the eating disorder are explored. nutrition counseling is provided to help reestablish healthy eating and meal planning practices. medicine may also be prescribed. support groups for people with eating disorders and for their family and friends can also be helpful. - psychotherapy — several different types of psychotherapy may be used in individual, group, or family sessions. cognitive behavioral therapy can help to develop healthy ways of thinking and patterns of behavior, especially with food and relationships. other kinds of psychotherapy focus on underlying psychological issues, such as self - esteem. in some cases, a combination of more than one type of psychotherapy is the most successful approach. - medicine — the most widely used medicines for eating disorders are antidepressants. they are particularly helpful with bulimia and binge eating disorder because they treat mood - related symptoms and suppress the craving to binge. in cases of anorexia, they may help decrease the obsessions and anxiety related to eating. national eating disorders organization


particularly helpful with bulimia and binge eating disorder because they treat mood - related symptoms and suppress the craving to binge. in cases of anorexia, they may help decrease the obsessions and anxiety related to eating. national eating disorders organization http : / / www. nationaleatingdisorders. org / overeaters anonymous https : / / www. oa. org / canadian mental health association http : / / www. cmha. ca / national eating disorder information centre http : / / www. nedic. ca / anorexia nervosa. ebsco dynamed website. available at : http : / / www. ebscohost. com / dynamed / what. php. updated july 2009. accessed july 24, 2009. eating disorder statistics. national association of anorexia nervosa and associated disorders website. available at : http : / / www. anad. org / get - information / about - eating - disorders / eating - disorders - statistics /. accessed may 12, 2011. shapiro jr, berkman nd, brownley ka, sedway ja, lohr kn, bulik cm. bulimia nervosa treatment : a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. int j eat disord. 2007 ; 40 : 321 - 36. - reviewer : brian randall, md - review date : 05 / 2011 - - update date : 05 / 12 / 2011 -


household income quartiles in old toongabbie, the ' highest ' quartile is the largest group, comprising 30 % of households with income. households form the common ' economic unit ' in our society. household income is one of the most important indicators of socio - economic status. with other data sources, such as educational qualifications and occupation, it helps to reveal old toongabbie ' s socio - economic status and economic opportunities. household income levels are not comparable over time because of the influences of economic change such as wage level fluctuations and inflation. the income quartile method is a powerful and objective way of looking at income data and in particular, how it is changing. a detailed explanation of how household income quartiles are calculated and interpreted is available in specific data notes. derived from the census question : ' what is the total of all wages / salaries, government benefits, pensions, allowances and other income the person usually receives? ' | household income quartiles | | quartile group | | number | | % | | city of parramatta | | number | | % | | city of parramatta | | 2006 to 2011 | | quartile group dollar ranges ( households ) | | calculated from income data for new south wales | | weekly income by census year | | household income ranges | | 2011 | | 2006 | | 2001 | | 1996 | | 1991 | | lowest group | | $ 0 to $ 614 | | $ 0 to $ 530 | | $ 0 to $ 418 | | $ 0 to $ 337 | | $ 0 to $ 302 | | medium lowest | | $ 615 to $ 1, 233 | | $ 531 to $ 1, 034 | | $ 419 to $ 828 | | $ 338 to $ 652 | | $ 303 to $ 582 | | medium highest | | $ 1, 234 to $ 2, 272 | | $ 1, 035 to $ 1, 788 | | $ 829 to $ 1, 462 | | $ 653 to $ 1, 146 | | $ 583 to $ 975 | | highest group | | $ 2, 273 and over | | $ 1, 789 and over | | $ 1, 463 and over | | $ 1, 147 and over | | $ 976 and over | income quartiles allow us to compare relative income - earning capabilities across time. analysis of the distribution of households by income quartile in old toongabbie


researchers have found that two proteins which work in tandem in the brain ’ s blood vessels present a double whammy in alzheimer ’ s disease. not only do the proteins lessen blood flow in the brain, but they also reduce the rate at which the brain is able to remove amyloid beta, the protein that builds up in toxic quantities in the brains of patients with the disease. the work, described in the journal nature cell biology, provides hard evidence directly linking two processes thought to be at play in alzheimer ’ s disease : reduction in blood flow and the buildup of toxic amyloid beta. the research makes the interaction between the two proteins a seductive target for researchers seeking to address both issues. scientists were surprised at the finding, which puts two proteins known for their role in the cardiovascular system front and center in the development of alzheimer ’ s disease. “ this is quite unexpected, ” said berislav zlokovic, m. d., ph. d., a neuroscientist and a senior author of the study. “ on the other hand, both of these processes are mediated by the smooth muscle cells along blood vessel walls, and we know that those are seriously compromised in patients with alzheimer ’ s disease, so perhaps we shouldn ’ t be completely surprised. ” for 15 years zlokovic ’ s laboratory has focused on the molecular mechanisms regulating blood supply and the role of the blood - brain barrier in the development of alzheimer ’ s disease. it ’ s not simply that reduced blood supply hurts brain cells by causing a shortage of oxygen and other nutrients. rather, deterioration of blood flow seems to gum up the brain ’ s ability to remove toxic amyloid beta. normally, amyloid is picked up efficiently by blood vessels that then whisk the toxic trash away. but in alzheimer ’ s disease, the system no longer is able to keep up with the body ’ s production of the substance. the molecular trash accumulates, and zlokovic and others believe the buildup kills brain cells.


researchers at the albert einstein college of medicine and the german cancer research institute have shown how protein synthesis is targeted to certain regions of a cell - - a process crucial for the cellular motility that governs nerve growth, wound healing and cancer metastasis. their study appears in the november 24 issue of the journal nature. led by drs. robert singer and dr stefan huettelmaier, the research team focused on migrating fibroblast cells important in wound healing. to move towards a wound, these cells manufacture the protein actin, which polymerizes into long filaments that push the cell ' s membrane outward to form protrusions. the team ' s previous work showed how newly formed actin messenger rna molecules find their way to the cell ' s periphery : a protein called zbp1 binds to the messenger rna and " escorts " it out of the fibroblast nucleus and into the cytoplasm. on reaching the cell ' s periphery, the messenger rna is translated into actin protein responsible for cell motility. this new study reveals another key role for zbp1 : not only does zbp1 bind to actin messenger rna and guide it to the cell ' s periphery, but it also helps regulate where in the cell the messenger rna is translated into actin. " the zbp1 bound to actin ' s messenger rna acts like a lock to prevent it from being translated into protein before reaching its destination, " explains dr. singer. " on arriving at the cell periphery, the messenger rna / zbp1 complex encounters an enzyme, the protein kinase src, which is active only in that part of the cell. src adds a phosphate group to zbp1 close to where it binds to messenger rna, and this phosphorylation reaction detaches zbp1 from the actin messenger rna - - unlocking the messenger rna so it can now be translated into the actin protein that makes cell movement possible. " understanding how actin synthesis is spatially regulated in motile cells could lead to new cancer therapies. " in cancer, " says dr. singer, " we know that expression of zbp1 correlates with benign tumors, while suppression of zbp1 is associated with metastasis - - when motile cancer cells break off from the primary tumor and invade other areas of the body. so a drug that could force tumor cells to express zbp1 might prevent cancers from spreading. " in


individual differences | methods | statistics | clinical | educational | industrial | professional items | world psychology | a monosexual is someone who is sexually attracted to one sex ( or gender ) only, monosexuality being this capacity for attraction or sexual orientation. a monosexual can be either heterosexual or homosexual. the term is fairly uncommon, mostly used in discussions of bisexuality to denote everyone other than bisexuals ( with the exception of asexuals, who are sexually attracted to no - one ). it is sometimes considered derogatory. the proportion of people who fit into the category depends on how one uses the word. if the term is used to mean exclusively monosexual, then according to alfred kinsey ' s controversial studies, only 5 % to 10 % of people are in this group. if the term is used in a non - exclusive sense the proportion would be lower and many people think that kinsey ' s figure is too low, saying that no - one is exclusively monosexual, and that the 90 to 95 % testing as such were just in denial or closeted because of biphobia. freud thought that no one was born monosexual and that it had to be taught by parents or society though most people appear to believe that monosexuals are in fact the majority and identify as such. fred maus ( 2004, p. 164 ) compares the criticism of bela bartok ' s works for their use of tonality and nontonal methods unique to each piece to the bias towards monosexuality and against bisexuality ( see biphobia ). the term “ monosexuality ” has also been used to describe the sexuality of people who only wish to have sex with one specific person, regardless of gender. this becomes important when considering partners that choose to remain in their relationship with a transsexual or transgender person. note that this meaning is quite contradictory to the usual meaning of the term, since someone who chooses to remain in such a relationship cannot reasonably be considered either homosexual or heterosexual. - maus, fred ( 2004 ). " sexual and musical categories ", the pleasure of modernist music. isbn 1580461433. | this page uses creative commons licensed content from wikipedia ( view authors ). |


individual differences | methods | statistics | clinical | educational | industrial | professional items | world psychology | - see also : side effects ( treatment ) a side effect or adverse effect of a treatment is an abnormal, harmful, undesired and / or unintended effect, although not necessarily unexpected, which is obtained as a result of a therapy or other medical intervention, such as drug / chemotherapy, physical therapy, surgery, medical procedure, use of a medical device, etc. iatrogenesis ( literally, generated by a physician ) is a common cause of adverse effects, as well as medical error. using a drug or other medical intervention which is contraindicated may increase the risk of side effects. adverse effects may cause medical complications of a disease or procedure and negatively affect its prognosis. the harmful outcome is usually indicated by some result such as morbidity, mortality, alteration in body weight, levels of enzymes, loss of function or as a pathological change detected at the microscopic, macroscopic or physiological level. they may cause a reversible or irreversible change, including an increase or decrease in the susceptibility of the individual to other chemicals, foods, or procedures ( e. g. drug interaction ). in many countries, adverse effects are required by law to be reported, researched in clinical trials and included into the patient information accompanying medical devices and drugs for sale to the public. in the usa several reporting systems have been built, such as the adverse event reporting system ( aers ), the manufacturer and user facility device experience database ( maude ) and the special nutritionals adverse event monitoring system. in australia, adverse effect reporting is administered by the adverse drug reactions advisory committee ( adrac ), a subcommittee of the australian drug evaluation committee ( adec ). reporting is voluntary, and adrac requests health professionals to report all adverse reactions to its current drugs of interest, and serious adverse reactions to any drug. adrac publishes the australian adverse drug reactions bulletin every 2 months. adverse effects of drugsedit - main article : adverse drug reaction adverse effects can occur as a collateral or side effect of many interventions, but they are particularly important in pharmacology, due to its wider, and sometimes uncontrollable, use by way of self - medication. thus, responsible drug use becomes an important issue here. adverse effects, like intended effects of drugs, are a function of dosage or drug levels at the target organs, so they may be avoided or decreased by means of careful and precise ph


medication. thus, responsible drug use becomes an important issue here. adverse effects, like intended effects of drugs, are a function of dosage or drug levels at the target organs, so they may be avoided or decreased by means of careful and precise pharmacodynamics ( the change of drug levels in the organism in function of time after administration ). adverse effects may also be caused by drug interaction, i. e., when physicians fail to check for all medicaments a patient is taking and prescribe new ones which interact agonistically or antagonistically ( potentiate or decrease the intended therapeutic effect ). significant morbidity and mortality is caused around the world because of this. drug - drug and food - drug interactions may occur, and even so - called " natural drugs " used in alternative medicine may have dangerous adverse effects. for example, extracts of st. john ' s wort ( hypericum perforatum ), a phytotherapic used for treating mild depression are known to cause an increase in the cytochrome p450 enzymes responsible for the metabolism and elimination of many drugs, so that patients taking it are likely to experience a reduction in blood levels of drugs that they are taking for other purposes, such as cancer chemotherapeutic drugs, protease inhibitors for hiv and oral contraceptives. the scientific field of activity associated with drug safety is increasingly government - regulated and is of major concern for the public as well as to drug manufacturers. the distinction between adverse and non - adverse effects is a major undertaking when a new drug is developed and tested before marketing it. this is done in toxicity studies to determine the non - adverse effect level ( noael ). these studies are used to define the dosage to be used in human testing ( phase i ) as well as to calculate the maximum admissible daily intake. imperfections in clinical trials, such as insufficient number of patients or short duration, sometimes lead to public health disasters such as those of fenfluramine ( the so - called fen - phen episode ), thalidomide and, more recently, of cerivastatin ( baycol®, lipobay® ) and rofecoxib ( vioxx® ), where drastic adverse effects were observed, like teratogenesis, pulmonary hypertension, stroke, heart disease, neuropathy, etc., and a significant number of deaths, causing the forced or voluntary withdrawal of the drug from the market. most drugs have a large list


were observed, like teratogenesis, pulmonary hypertension, stroke, heart disease, neuropathy, etc., and a significant number of deaths, causing the forced or voluntary withdrawal of the drug from the market. most drugs have a large list of non - severe or mild adverse effects which do not rule out the interruption of usage. these effects have widely variable incidence, according to individual sensitivity. they comprise nausea, dizziness, diarrhea, malaise, vomit, headache, dermatitis, dry mouth, etc. examples of adverse effectsedit most drugs have a large list of non - severe or mild adverse effects which do not rule out the interruption of usage. these effects have widely variable incidence, according to individual sensitivity. they comprise nausea, dizziness, diarrhea, malaise, vomit, headache, dermatitis,, etc. other side effects of interest to psychologists are : - abortion, miscarriage and / or severe vaginal or uterine hemorrhage associated with misoprostol ( cytotec® ), a labor - inducing drug ( this is a case where the adverse effect has been used legally and illegally for performing abortions ) - addiction to many sedatives and analgesics such as diazepam, morphine, etc. - deafness and kidney failure associated with gentamicin ( an antibiotic ) - death, following sedation in children using propofol ( diprivan® ) - dementia associated with heart bypass surgery - depression or hepatic injury caused by interferon - diabetes caused by atypical antipsychotic medications ( neuroleptic psychiatric drugs ) - diarrhea caused by the use of orlistat ( xenical® ) - drug allergies - drug dependency - drug induced congenital disorders - erectile dysfunction associated with many drugs, such as antidepressants - fever associated with vaccination ( in the past, imperfectly manufactured vaccines, such as bcg and poliomyelitis, have caused the very disease they intended to fight ). - glaucoma associated with corticosteroid - based eye drops - hair loss and anemia may be caused by chemotherapy against cancer, leukemia, etc. - headache following spinal anesthesia - hypertension in ephedrine users, which prompted fda to remove the status of dietary supplement of ephedra extracts - insomnia caused by stimulants, ritalin®, adderall®, etc. - lactic acid


- hypertension in ephedrine users, which prompted fda to remove the status of dietary supplement of ephedra extracts - insomnia caused by stimulants, ritalin®, adderall®, etc. - lactic acidosis associated with the use of stavudine ( zerit®, for anti - hiv therapy ) or metformin ( for diabetes ) - melasma and thrombosis associated with oral contraceptive use - neurolepc malignant syndrome - rhabdomyolysis associated with statins ( anti - cholesterol drugs ) - seizures caused by withdrawal from benzodiazepine - sleepiness or increase in appetite due to antihistamine use - stroke or heart attack associated with sildenafil ( viagra® ) when used with nitroglycerine - suicide, increased tendency associated to the use of fluoxetine and other ssri antidepressants - tardive dyskinesia associated with long - term use of metoclopramide and many antipsychotic medications. sometimes, putative medical adverse effects are regarded as controversial and generate heated discussions in society and lawsuits against drug manufacturers. one example is the current controversy whether autism may be caused by the mmr vaccine ( or by thimerosal, a mercury - based preservative used in some vaccines ). no significative link has been found so far, but this has not prevented lawsuits. due to the exceedingly high impact on public health of widely used medications, such as oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy, which may affect millions of users, even marginal probabilities of adverse effects of a severe nature, such as breast cancer, have led to public outcry and changes in medical therapy, although its benefits largely surpassed the statistical risks. - complication ( medicine ) - dirty drug - drug interaction - drug sensitivity - drug tolerance - evidence - based medicine - list of withdrawn drugs - medical algorithm - medical error - medical prescription - medication induced movement disorders - side effects ( treatment ) - patient safety network. an extremely useful site, with a glossary and articles on all kinds of threats to patient safety, including adverse effects, drug reactions, medical error, iatrogenesis, etc. - adrd. org - searchable database of adverse drug reactions ( adrs ) - australian adverse drug reactions bulletin - published bimonthly by adrac - drugs of concern drugintel. com site for tort lawyers with up - to -


radio jove home page the galactic background radiation the ever - present sound of our galaxy by dr. leonard n. garcia | when making observations of jupiter you may hear all kinds of radio frequency interference. most of the interference will likely be of terrestrial origin and may be natural, like distant lightning strikes, or man - made like power line " buzz " or radio stations. there is however a type of interference that will be inescapable and doesn ' t come from anything on earth. it is the ever - present galactic background radio noise. it can always be heard but not always at the same strength. the discovery of the origin of this background noise is usually marked as the birth of radio astronomy. karl jansky, an engineer working for bell telephone labs, was assigned the task of locating sources of interference in long distance radio - telephone communications. he built in 1931 in holmdel, new jersey an antenna operating at 20. 5 mega hertz which rotated horizontally like a merry - go - round. the rotation of the antenna would allow him to determine the direction from which this interference was coming. jansky heard interference from local lightning storms, interference from distant lightning storms and a third type of interference, "... a steady hiss type static of unknown origin. " the direction of this third type of interference gradually changed over the course of a day moving nearly 360 degrees over 24 hours. after months of careful study of these records jansky concluded as he reports in a paper published in 1933, " the direction of arrival of these waves is fixed in space, i. e., the waves come from some source outside the solar system ". his approximate coordinates for the peak in these radio waves was in the constellation of sagittarius, towards the direction of the center of the milky way galaxy. | on a clear night away from city lights the milky way appears to us as a fuzzy band of light arching across the sky. the moon, the sun and the planets tend to follow a path which intersects this band of light at two points. when jupiter happens to cross the milky way at one of these points especially the point that lies closer to the center of the galaxy we tend to hear an increase in the galactic background level when we point our antennas towards jupiter. the figure below shows a plot of the average galactic background levels heard during observations of jupiter at the university of florida radio observatory. the peaks in the figure in 1972 and 1984 are when jupiter was in the vicinity of the direction towards the center of the galaxy. the spacing of 12 years


the average galactic background levels heard during observations of jupiter at the university of florida radio observatory. the peaks in the figure in 1972 and 1984 are when jupiter was in the vicinity of the direction towards the center of the galaxy. the spacing of 12 years between peaks corresponds to the orbital period of jupiter. the smaller peaks seen in 1977 - 78 and 1990 correspond to times when jupiter was crossing the galactic plane far from the direction of the center. the galactic noise is understood as coming from high speed electrons spiraling around the weak magnetic fields which permeate our galaxy. | | left : a plot of the galactic background antenna temperature ( proportional to brightness ) at 18, 20, and 22 mhz using yagi antennas at the university of florida radio observatory. | | to learn more | | radio jove multimedia exhibits - to hear for yourself what the galactic background sounds like. narrated by richard flagg. ham radio and radio astronomy - the role amateur radio operators " hams " have played in the development of radio astronomy. john d., radio astronomy, cygnus - quasar books, 1988. smith, a. g. and t. d. carr, radio exploration of the planetary system, van nostrand co., 1964. radio jove home page more radio jove science briefs


| part of the series on | game theory is a way of modelling complex phenomena in simple, mathematical ways, showing gains and losses in the form of " points. " it is used most often in psychology, sociology, economics, and international relations to model how people act with each other. in game theory, a particular model is referred to as a " game. " the most famous game is that of the prisoner ' s dilemma. however, there are as many games as there are possible situations to diagram. in international relations, it is now most used by neoliberal institutionalists to model how states may engage in trade or other forms of cooperation, and how to induce " side payments " to reduce the inequity in the gains. previously, it was mostly used by deterrence theorists to describe how to threaten others to convincingly engage in deterrence. a risk is a situation where the outcome is unknown, while carrying some chance of loss or injury. in many of life ' s situations, the only possibilities of gain include some risk, such as investing in a business or trusting another person. " risk management " is the art and science of minimizing the risk inherent in a given endeavor. colloquially, " risky behavior " means activities that are perceived as having a very high risk to benefit ratio, especially if the risks can easily be reduced by simple means. parts of game theory study the risk versus reward aspect of artificial and real life situations. some common games there are really hundreds of games in game theory, but the following are some of the most commonly referenced, and are common in introductory courses. zero sum game a zero sum game is a situation, according to game theory, where for one person ( or side ) to win, another must lose — i. e. that any advantage accrued by one party to the negotiations must be obtained at the expense of the other party ( ies ). essentially : in the whole group of players, there is nothing to be gained or lost, only things to move from one player to another. many card and board games are zero sum games, in that only one can win, and there are a fixed amount of winnings to be had. contrast this relatively artificial situation with the many real - life situations that are non - zero sum games ( see below ). some politicians treat the economy as though it were a static zero sum game, with rhetoric about how the " rich get richer and the poor get poorer ". this would only be true in the extremely rare case of zero gdp growth


( see below ). some politicians treat the economy as though it were a static zero sum game, with rhetoric about how the " rich get richer and the poor get poorer ". this would only be true in the extremely rare case of zero gdp growth. president bush explained all of this when he said we ought to work harder to put food on our families and make the pie higher. one of the biggest disagreements between liberals and realists in international relations has to do with the nature of the international economy, and whether or not its a zero - sum game. liberals maintain that cooperation can make everyone better off, and so it ' s not a zero - sum game. realists insist that what matters isn ' t the absolute gains a state can make, but instead how well off it is compared to other states. this would then, indeed, be a zero sum game. non - zero sum game a non - zero sum game is a concept in game theory in which the aggregate gains and losses between the parties involved can be greater than or less than zero. essentially it means that one person receiving gains does not mean that the others in the game must lose, and that losses do not necessarily translate into gains for other players. this is contrasted with zero sum games where each loss or gain is associated with a corresponding loss or gain to other players, so that that aggregate total always sums to zero. essentially, in the whole system, it is possible to increase the total amount of points. non - zero sum games have been used to describe many important relationships both in psychology and economics. there are many famous games developed by researchers that tap into fundamental relationships between people. one of the most widely used and cited is the prisoner ' s dilemma game that has been used to describe many areas of human social interaction from advertising to nuclear warfare. non - zero sum game is used in the stock market, international trade, investment, reciprocal altruism, information exchange / communication prisoner ' s dilemma the prisoner ' s dilemma is a situation where two people who committed a crime are being interrogated in separate rooms, giving them two choices on how to act, creating three possible outcomes. we ' ll call the prisoner ' s prisoner a and prisoner b. if prisoner a keeps his mouth shut and doesn ' t say anything, but prisoner b spills his guts, prisoner a will get the bulk of the punishment, while prisoner b will be punished less severely. or, both prisoner a and prisoner b can spill their guts, both get punished, but not as severely. but, if


invisible guardians : women manage livestock diversity women are main guardians of crucial livestock diversity new study argues that to succeed, breed conservation efforts must empower women women livestock keepers worldwide must be recognized as the major actors in efforts to arrest the decline of indigenous breeds, crucial for rural food security and animal genetics, a new fao study argues. yet women ' s contribution to indigenous livestock breeding and conservation is poorly documented and undervalued, the study invisible guardians : women manage livestock diversity says. of the 600 million poor livestock keepers in the world, around two - thirds are women, whose men often have migrated to the cities. women stay at home with the children and live by cultivating crops and keeping indigenous smallstock such as chickens or goats, and perhaps a cow. indigenous breeds are adapted to often harsh local conditions, are disease resistent, thrive on easy to obtain local fodder or forage and generally take care of themselves. such breeds may not produce a lot of meat, milk or eggs but they are low maintenance for run - off - their - feet poor rural women. such breeds are also a repository of irreplaceable genetic material. they often have traits such as disease - resistance that can be important for breeding programmes. and in a world threatened by climate change, breeds that are resistant to drought, extreme heat or tropical diseases are of major potential importance. problems may arise when projects or national authorities try to introduce exotic breeds or cross - breeds to try to increase production of meat, milk and eggs to meet booming worldwide food demand. these animals need special and often expensive feed, wait to be fed rather than foraging on their own, need expensive veterinary care and cannot survive prolonged drought or other extreme weather. poor rural livestock keepers, and women in particular, are often unable to obtain the inputs or spare the time needed to raise these animals successfully. in case such breed introductions and production intensification are successful and livestock becomes an important source of cash income, women often lose their role as livestock keepers. need to document women ' s role the advantages of indigenous breeds have been long known. but the fao study asserts that the role of women in safeguarding and defending indigenous breeds and improving their genetics through careful breeding has not been appreciated. women are the guardians of livestock diversity, says study author ilse kohler - rollefson. meanwhile, according to the latest figures, about 22 percent of the world ' s livestock breeds are still classified as being at risk of extinction, although breed population figures are often unreported or out of


ilse kohler - rollefson. meanwhile, according to the latest figures, about 22 percent of the world ' s livestock breeds are still classified as being at risk of extinction, although breed population figures are often unreported or out of date, making the true state of livestock diversity difficult to estimate. countries are beginning to put programmes into place to reverse the alarming decline in the numbers of indigenous livestock breeds. the new study suggests that these initiatives will not be successful if women ' s role as keepers of indigenous livestock is not taken into account. women have to be the central players in such conservation campaigns, the study says, and to ensure that they are, more groundwork needs to be done. the report recommends that gender issues are made central to projects, programmes and policies that focus on animal genetic resource management. the following actions among others should be taken at the project level : - collect gender - and age - disaggregated data and investigate the rights, needs, roles and responsibilities of women during surveys and before embarking on any project related to animal genetic resources. - design extension, training and the introduction of new technologies so that they are accessible to women. - investigate family structures and how they affect the ability of women to act and interact. - investigate specific problems that women have in accessing markets for their animal products. if governments really want their conservation programmes to bear fruit, they can : - conduct economic studies of keeping locally adapted vs improved breeds. - ensure that poor herders have sufficient access to common property like grazing lands. - inform banks about the importance of providing credit to rural women and about the benefits of indigenous breeds ; banks currently tend to lend to male farmers and people who want to stock improved breeds. - support value - chain development for products from indigenous breeds as a means of creating income opportunities for rural women and reviving local economies. international agencies can back up national efforts to empower women livestock keepers by collecting and disseminating gender - disaggregated data and putting the issue on the global agenda in appropriate forums.


the site of amarna ( commonly known as el - amarna or incorrectly as tel el - amarna ; see below ) ( arabic : العمارنة al - ‘ amarnah ) is located on the east bank of the nile river in the modern egyptian province of minya, some 58 km ( 38 miles ) south of the city of al - minya, 312 km ( 194 miles ) south of the egyptian capital cairo and 402 km ( 250 miles ) north of luxor. the site of amarna includes several modern villages, chief of which are el - till in the north and el - hagg qandil in the south. the area contains an extensive ancient egyptian archaeological site that represents the remains of the capital city newly – established and built by the pharaoh akhenaten of the late eighteenth dynasty ( c. 1353 bce ), and abandoned shortly afterwards. the name for the city employed by the ancient egyptians is written as akhetaten ( or akhetaton – transliterations vary ) in english transliteration. akhetaten means " horizon of the aten. " the frequent designation " tel el - amarna " for the city is inaccurate : nowhere do the ancient remains constitute a mound of eroded architecture that would warrant the description of a " tell " ( arabic : " hill " ), so common elsewhere in the region. cyril aldred notes that the name " tel el - amarna " is a misunderstanding of the name for one of the modern villages near the ruins, et til el amarna. the name " amarna " itself comes from the name of a tribe of nomads, the beni amran, who left the western desert in the 8th century to settle on the banks of the nile along this stretch. the city of akhetatenedit the area of the city was effectively a virgin – site, and it was in this city that the akhetaten described as the aten ' s ".. the seat of the first occasion, which he had made for himself that he might rest in it. " it may be that the royal wadi ' s resemblance to the hieroglyph for horizon showed that this was the place to found the city. the city was built as the new capital of the pharaoh akhenaten, dedicated to his new religion of worship to the aten. construction started in or around year 5 of his reign ( 1346 bce ) and was probably completed by year 9 ( 1341 bce ), although it


of the pharaoh akhenaten, dedicated to his new religion of worship to the aten. construction started in or around year 5 of his reign ( 1346 bce ) and was probably completed by year 9 ( 1341 bce ), although it became the capital city two years earlier. to speed up construction of the city most of the buildings were constructed out of mud - brick, and white washed. the most important buildings were faced with local stone. it is the only ancient egyptian city which preserves great details of its internal plan, in large part because the city was abandoned after the death of akhenaten. the city seems to have remained active for a decade or so after his death, and a shrine to horemheb indicates that it was at least partially occupied at the beginning of his reign, if only as a source for building material elsewhere. once it was abandoned it remained uninhabited until roman settlement began along the edge of the nile. however, due to the unique circumstances of its creation and abandonment, it is questionable how representative of ancient egyptian cities it actually is. akhetaten was hastily constructed and covered an area of approximately 8 miles ( 13 km ) of territory on the east bank of the nile river ; on the west bank, land was set aside to provide crops for the city ' s population. the entire city was encircled with a total of 14 boundary stelae detailing akhenaten ' s conditions for the establishment of this new capital city of egypt. the earliest dated stelae from akhenaten ' s new city is known to be boundary stela k hich is dated to year 5, iv peret ( or month 8 ), day 13 of akhenaten ' s reign. ( most of the original 14 boundary stelas have been badly eroded ). it preserves an account of akhenaten ' s foundation of this city. the document records the pharaoh ' s wish to have several temples of the aten to be erected here, for several royal tombs to be created in the eastern hills of akhetaten for himself, his chief wife nefertiti and his eldest daughter meritaten as well as his explicit command that when he was dead, he would be brought back to akhetaten for burial. boundary stela k introduces a description of the events that were being celebrated at akhetaten : | “ | | his majesty mounted a great chariot of electrum, like the aten when he rises on the horizon and fills the land with his love,


least two phases of construction. to the south of the city was the area now referred to as the southern suburbs. it contained the estates of many of the city ' s powerful nobles, including nahkt ( chief minister ), renefer ( general ), panehesy ( high priest of the aten ) and ramose ( master of horses ). this area also held the studio of the sculptor thutmose, where the famous bust of nefertiti was found in 1912. further to the south of the city was kom el - nana, an enclosure, usually referred to as a sun - shade, and was probably built as a sun - temple., and then the maru - aten, which was palace or sun - temple originally thought to have been constructed for akhenaten ' s queen kiya, but on her death her name and images were altered to those of meritate, his daughter.. surrounding the city and marking its extent, the boundary stelae ( each a rectangle of carved rock on the cliffs on both sides of the nile ) describe the founding of the city and are a primary source of information about the city. away from the city akhenaten ' s a royal necropolis was started in a narrow valley to the east of the city, hidden in the cliffs. only one tomb was completed, and was used by a un - named royal wife, and akhenaten ' s tomb was hastily used to hold his and probably meketaten, his second daughter. in the cliffs to the north and south of the royal wadi, the nobles of the city constructed their tombs. the amarna art - style is unique among the egyptian world for its more realistic depiction of its subjects, instead of the strict idealistic formalism universal in egyptian art up until that point, as well as for depicting many informal scenes such as the royal family playing with their children. although the worship of aten ( often referred to as the amarna heresy ) was completely suppressed, the artistic legacy had a more lasting impact. the art broke with a number of important long - established egyptian conventions. these included intimate portrayals of affection within the royal family, and the abandonment of portraying women as lighter coloured than men. the art also has a realism that sometimes borders on caricature. rediscovery and excavationedit the first western mention of the city was made in 1714 by claude sicard, a french jesuit priest who was travelling through the nile valley, and described the boundary stela


that sometimes borders on caricature. rediscovery and excavationedit the first western mention of the city was made in 1714 by claude sicard, a french jesuit priest who was travelling through the nile valley, and described the boundary stela from amarna. as with much of egypt, it was visited by napoleon ' s corps de savants in 1798 – 1799, who prepared the first detailed map of amarna, which was subsequently published in description de l ' egypte between 1821 and 1830. after this european exploration continued in 1824 when sir john gardiner wilkinson explored and mapped the city remains. the copyist robert hay and his surveyor g. laver visited the locality and uncovered several of the southern tombs from sand drifts, recording the reliefs in 1833. the copies made by hay and laver languish largely unpublished in the british library, where an ongoing project to identify their locations is underway. the prussian expedition led by richard lepsius visited the site in 1843 and 1845, and recorded the visible monuments and topography of amarna in two separate visits over a total of twelve days, using drawings and paper squeezes. the results were ultimately published in ' [ denkmaler aus ægypten und æthiopien between 1849 to 1913, including an improved map of the city. despite being somewhat limited in accuracy, the engraved denkmaler plates formed the basis for scholastic knowledge and interpretation of many of the scenes and inscriptions in the private tombs and some of the boundary stelae for the rest of the century. the records made by these early explorers teams are of immense importance since many of these remains were later destroyed or otherwise lost. in 1887 a local woman digging for sebakh uncovered a cache of over 300 cuneiform tablets ( now commonly known as the amarna letters ). these tablets recorded select diplomatic correspondence of the pharaoh and were predominantly written in akkadian, the lingua franca commonly used during the late bronze age of the ancient near east for such communication. this discovery led to the recognition of the importance of the site, and lead to a further increase in exploration. in 1891 and 1892 alessandro barsanti ' discovered ' and cleared the king ' s tomb ( although it was probably known to the local population from about 1880 ). around the same time sir flinders petrie worked for one season at amarna, working independently of the egypt exploration fund. he excavated primarily in the central city, investigating the great temple of the aten, the great official palace, the king ' s house,


same time sir flinders petrie worked for one season at amarna, working independently of the egypt exploration fund. he excavated primarily in the central city, investigating the great temple of the aten, the great official palace, the king ' s house, the bureau of correspondence of pharaoh and several private houses. although frequently amounting to little more than a sondage, petrie ' s excavations revealed additional cuneiform tablets, the remains of several glass factories, and a great quantity of discarded faience, glass and ceramic in sifting the palace rubbish heaps ( including mycenaean sherds ). by publishing his results and reconstructions rapidly, petrie was able to stimulate further interest in the site ' s potential. the copiest and artist norman de garis davies published drawn and photographic descriptions of private tombs and boundary stelae from amarna from 1903 to 1908. these books were republished by the ees in 2006. in the early years of the 20th century ( 1907 to 1914 ) the deutsche orientgesellschaft expedition, led by ludwig borchardt, excavated extensively throughout the north and south suburbs of the city. the famous bust of nefertiti, now in berlin ' s agyptisches museum, was discovered amongst other sculptural arteftacts in the workshop of the sculptor thutmose. the outbreak of the first world war in august 1914 terminated the german excavations. from 1921 to 1936 an egypt exploration society expedition returned to excavation at amarna under the direction of t. e. peet, sir leonard woolley, henri frankfort, stephen glanville and john pendlebury. the renewed investigations was focused on religious and royal structures. during the 1960s the egyptian antiquities organization ( now the egyptian supreme council of antiquities ) undertook a number of excavations at amarna. exploration of the city continues to the present, currently under the direction of barry kemp ( reader in egyptology, university of cambridge, england ) under the auspices of the egypt exploration society. in 1980 a separate expedition led by geoffrey martin described and copies the reliefs from the royal tomb, later publishing its findings together with objects thought to have come from the tomb, this work was published in 2 volumes by the ees. in 2007, the continuing ees exploration discovered a cemetery of private individuals, close to the southern tombs of the nobles. notes and referencesedit - ↑ " google maps satellite image ". google. http : / / maps. google. com / maps? t = k & ie = utf


cemetery of private individuals, close to the southern tombs of the nobles. notes and referencesedit - ↑ " google maps satellite image ". google. http : / / maps. google. com / maps? t = k & ie = utf8 & ll = 27. 649016, 30. 908833 & spn = 0. 056566, 0. 077248 & z = 14. retrieved 2008 - 10 - 01. - ↑ " the official website of the amarna project ". http : / / www. amarnaproject. com /. retrieved 2008 - 10 - 01. - ↑ 3. 0 3. 1 3. 2 david ( 1998 ), p. 125 - ↑ 4. 0 4. 1 " middle egypt survey project 2006 ". amarna project. 2006. http : / / www. amarnaproject. com / pages / recent _ projects / survey / middle _ egypt / 2006. shtml. retrieved 2007 - 06 - 06. - ↑ grundon ( 2007 ), p. 89 - ↑ 6. 0 6. 1 " excavating amarna ". archaeology. org. 2006 - 09 - 27. http : / / www. archaeology. org / online / interviews / kemp. html. retrieved 2007 - 06 - 06. - ↑ aldred ( 1988 ), p. 47 - ↑ aldred ( 1998 ), pp. 47 - 50 - ↑ 9. 0 9. 1 aldred ( 1998 ), p. 48 - ↑ 10. 0 10. 1 waterson ( 1999 ), p. 81 - ↑ 11. 0 11. 1 grundon ( 2007 ), p. 92 - ↑ waterson ( 1999 ), p. 82 - ↑ moran ( 1992 ), p. xiv - ↑ waterson ( 1999 ), p. 138 - ↑ " kom el - nana ". http : / / www. amarnaproject. com / pages / amarna _ the _ place / komelnana / index. shtml. retrieved 2008 - 10 - 04. - ↑ eyma ( 2003 ), p. 53 - ↑ " boundary stelae ". http : / / www. amarnaproject. com / pages / amarna _ the _ place / boundary _ stelae / index. shtml. retrieved 2007 - 06 - 09. - ↑ " royal tomb ". http : / / www. amarnaproject. com


. com / pages / amarna _ the _ place / boundary _ stelae / index. shtml. retrieved 2007 - 06 - 09. - ↑ " royal tomb ". http : / / www. amarnaproject. com / pages / amarna _ the _ place / royal _ tombs / index. shtml. retrieved 2008 - 10 - 04. - ↑ 19. 0 19. 1 " mapping amarna ". http : / / www. amarnaproject. com / pages / recent _ projects / survey / index. shtml. retrieved 2008 - 10 - 01. - ↑ " the robert hay drawings in the british library ". http : / / www. astene. org. uk / associated _ events _ societies / hay. htm. retrieved 2008 - 10 - 01. - ↑ " wallis budge describes the discovery of the amarna tablets ". http : / / members. tripod. com / ~ ib205 / budge. html. retrieved 2008 - 10 - 01. - ↑ 22. 0 22. 1 grundon ( 2007 ), pp. 90 - 91 - ↑ " royal tomb ". the amarna project. http : / / www. amarnaproject. com / pages / amarna _ the _ place / royal _ tombs / index. shtml. retrieved 2008 - 10 - 01. - ↑ grundon ( 2007 ), p. 71 - ↑ " fieldwork - tell el - armana ". http : / / www. ees. ac. uk / fieldwork / amarna. htm. retrieved 2008 - 10 - 01. - ↑ john hayes - fisher ( 2008 - 01 - 25 ). " grim secrets of pharaoh ' s city ". bbc timewatch. news. bbc. co. uk. http : / / news. bbc. co. uk / 2 / hi / science / nature / 7209472. stm. retrieved 2008 - 10 - 01. - redford, donald ( 1984 ). akhenaten : the heretic king. princeton. - david, rosalie ( 1998 ). handbook to life in ancient egypt. facts on file inc.. - aldred, cyril ( 1988 ). akhenaten, king of egypt. thames & hudson. - grundon, imogen ( 2007 ). the rash adventurer, a life of john pendlebury. london : libri. - de garis davies, norman ( 1903 - 1908


the gem command is one of the most used ruby - related commands, but most users don ' t take the time to learn anything past gem install and gem search. learning the gem command well is an essential ruby skill. the gem command - line utility is split into a number of commands. among these are the familiar install and search, but other useful commands exist such as spec and sources. however, you should start with the help command. the gem command has integrated help. by running the command gem help, you can get a basic help screen. to get a list of commands available, run the gem help commands command. to get further help about a specific command, here, for example, the purge command, run the gem help purge command. another useful help screen is the examples screen, accessible by the gem help examples command. most commands work on a gem repository, either local ( the gems you have installed ), or remote. though, by default, it ' s the local repository. to specify the repository you intend, add either - - remote or - - local to the end of the command. for example, to search the remote repository for gems with the word " twitter " in them, you would run gem search twitter - - remote. specify both remote and local repositories by using the - - both switch. when running any gem command, the name can be shortened as long as it doesn ' t become ambiguous. to run a gem dependency command, you can simply run a gem dep command. below is a list of the commands and an explanation of their function. build - given the source code for a gem and a. gemspec file, this will build a. gem file suitable for uploading to a gem repository or installing on another computer with the gem command. a. gemspec file holds information about a gem including name, author, version and dependencies. cert - manages certificates for cryptographically signed gems. if you ' re worried that a malicious user is going to compromise the gems you install, you can cryptographically sign them to prevent this. keys may be added or deleted from your list of acceptable keys, as well as a few other crypto key related functions. check - performs a number of actions, including running any unit tests, checking the checksum of installed gems and looking for unmanaged files in the gem repository. the type of check you wish to run must be added to the end of the gem command. cleanup - removes old versions of installed gems from your


tests, checking the checksum of installed gems and looking for unmanaged files in the gem repository. the type of check you wish to run must be added to the end of the gem command. cleanup - removes old versions of installed gems from your local repository. if you frequently upgrade gems, you can have old versions hanging around that you don ' t need anymore. contents - shows the contents of an installed gem. this is a list of files the gem installed and where they are on the filesystem. dependency - shows all the gems the listed gem depends upon, as well as the versions of the gem it depends upon. for example, running gem dep twitter tells me the twitter gem relies on hpricot, activesupport, httparty and echoe. this is useful when packaging your applications for deployment. environment - displays various information about the rubygems environment, including the version installed, where it ' s installed, where the gem repository is, etc. fetch - fetches a gem and saves the. gem file in the current directory. this is useful for transferring gems to be deployed on other servers, without them needing to download the gem themselves. generate _ index - generates an index for a gem server. this is only useful if you ' re running a gem repository. install - downloads a gem from the specified repository ( - - local or - - remote ) and install it. also, downloads any dependencies and installs them as well. to install a specific version of a gem, use the - - version switch. list - displays a list of gems in the repository. note that doing this with - - remote will generate quite a large list. save this list to a file for fast searching. lock - generates a ruby script that requires the exact version of all dependencies of a certain gem. this ensures that the gem versions tested during development will be installed, not future or past versions which may have bugs the developers cannot account for. mirror - mirrors an entire gem repository. note that trying to mirror the rubygems repository is a huge task. do not do so unless you need to run a local mirror for other clients. outdated - displays a list of installed gems that have newer versions on the remote repository. pristine - returns gems to their original state. this means unpacking all gems from the local cache, overwriting any changes made to the gems in the local gem repository. this can be used to repair a broken gem. rdoc - generates rdoc documentation for an installed gem. this rd


this means unpacking all gems from the local cache, overwriting any changes made to the gems in the local gem repository. this can be used to repair a broken gem. rdoc - generates rdoc documentation for an installed gem. this rdoc documentation can then be viewed with a web browser. search - searches the names of all gems and returns a list of gems whose name contains a string. for example, to search for all gems containing the word twitter in the name, run gem search twitter. server - starts a web server that will act as a gem repository and serves rdoc documentation for all installed gems. this is most useful for the documentation feature. sources - manages the list of sources for remote repositories. by default, only http : / / gems. rubyforge. org is in the list, but more can be added or removed. specification - displays the gemspec of a gem. this will tell you all the information about a gem, including author, dependencies, etc. stale - displays a list of installed gems, as well as the access times ( the last time the gem was included ). this can help you weed out gems you no longer user to uninstall them. uninstall - uninstalles a gem. if there are any installed gems that depend on this gem, you will be prompted whether you want to uninstall this gem. if you do, any gems that depended on this gem will be broken until it is reinstalled. unpack - unpacks an install gem into the current directory. this can be used to " freeze " gems to your project directory. update - checks if there are new versions of the specified gem in the remote repository. if there are, download and install the newest version. which - finds the exact location of the. rb file to include. this can be useful for getting a path for requiring a gem without requiring the rubygems library.


melting polar ice is changing the landscape in the region. the quantity of ice covering the arctic fell in the summer of 2010 to a record minimum researchers stated in a study to be published soon, suggesting that the thinning of ice exceeded the area of recovery. the study estimated that the ice cover in the arctic in 2010 – calculated based on thickness and extent – was lower than the previous record low in 2007, reflecting the trend of global warming. scientists predict that the arctic might be ice - free during the summer in a couple of decades. this would create lucrative opportunities in locations such as shipping and oil exploration, but would also have consequences for weather all over the world, beginning with the rise in sea levels. the authors from the university of washington in seattle have created a model to estimate ice thickness in the arctic ocean based on measurements of winds and atmospheric and ocean temperatures. the outcomes had been compared with actual samples. “ the really worrying fact is the tendency of reduction in the last 32 years, ” stated axel schweiger, main author of the study, referring to satellite records of the arctic. the reduction in 2010, based on the study entitled “ uncertainty in the estimated volume of arctic sea ice by models ” was “ by a sufficient margin to establish a statistically significant new record. ” schweiger released information in an e - mail report to reuters on board the icebreaker arctic sunrise, from greenpeace, which is in the arctic ocean between the norwegian island of svalbard and the north pole. piomas simulated arctic sea ice thickness ( m ) the thickness of the ice is as important as its length, or much more, to understand what ’ s happening in the arctic. some experts argue that the dramatic reduction in the extent of ice cover in recent years is simply because of a steady thinning in recent decades. the method used in the study is criticized by some specialists, who consider it less accurate than direct observation. the authors argue, however, that the general tendency of thinning of the ice ends up being recorded by this method. last week – with two weeks until the end of the melting season – the ice cover in the arctic ocean was below 4. 6 million square kilometers. the record low was 4. 13 million square kilometers in 2007. the sea ice itself doesn ’ t raise sea level when it thaws, but the warming arctic might accelerate the melting of the greenland ice sheet, which is composed of fresh water accumulated on the land in a volume sufficient to raise the overall global level of the oceans by 7


pressure and buoyancy problems let ' s state the two working equations we have so far. | pressure and depth : | | p = po + rgh | | buoyancy : | | fbuoyancy = weight displaced = rgvdisplaced | the solutions to the problems below can be found at the end of this page. as always, try all the problems before looking at the solutions. it ' s much easier to understand a solution put before you than to come up with the solution yourself. to develop the skills necessary to solve the problems yourself, you must spend the time doing it. - what is the absolute pressure at the bottom of the virgin islands basin ( located between st. thomas and st. croix ), at a depth of 4000 meters? express your answer in atmospheres of pressure. what is the gauge pressure? if there are fish at this depth, how would they deal with this pressure? the density of sea water is 1. 03 x 103 kg / m3 - a water hose is connected to a spigot located at the bottom of a cistern. the cistern is half full with 5 ft of water. the nozzle at the other end of the hose is turned off but is left down by the papaya tree, which is 20 ft below the bottom of the cistern. if the spigot is left open, what is the pressure at the nozzle? why would it be a good idea to turn off the spigot when you are finished watering the tree? - a large part of holland is below sea level. earthen dikes keep the sea at bay. there ' s a holland legend of a boy who uses his finger to plug a hole in the dike and saves the country side. assume the hole is located 3. 0 meters below the sea level. the hole is the same size as the childs finger, a diameter of about 1 cm. how much force would the child have to exert against the sea pressure in order to keep the sea at bay? do you think a child could do this? - a 10 lb box falls overboard and is floating. the box has the shape of a cube, 1 ft on a side. what is the buoyancy force on the box? - the float in a toilet tank is a sphere of diameter 10 cm. 1 ) what is the buoyancy force on the float when it is completely submerged? you might need a reminder that the volume of a sphere is v = 4 / 3p ( r )


a toilet tank is a sphere of diameter 10 cm. 1 ) what is the buoyancy force on the float when it is completely submerged? you might need a reminder that the volume of a sphere is v = 4 / 3p ( r ) 3 2 ) here ' s a slightly tougher one. if the float must have an upward buoyancy force of 3. 0 n to shut off the ballcock valve, what percentage of the float will be submerged? - here ' s an interesting puzzle to see if you really understand buoyancy and displacement. you are floating in a small dingy in your pool. there ' s a brick in the boat. you toss the brick out of the boat and into the pool. the brick sinks to the bottom of the pool. does the water level at the side of the pool rise, stay the same, or decrease? don ' t look at the answers until you ' ve tried the problems on your own!! - using the si system of units, p = po + rgh = 1. 01 x 105 + 1. 03 x 103 x 9. 8 x 4000 = 4. 0 x 107 pa. in terms of atmospheres, that would be 3. 9 x 107 pa / 1. 01 x 105 pa / atm = 400 atmospheres! the gauge pressure is p - po which is just the rgh term. that would be about 399 atm. if fish lived at that depth, they would not notice the pressure anymore than we notice the 15 psi pressure pushing on us. organism generally adapt to the pressure around them. the fish take water into their bodies at the ambient pressure so there is no net or gauge pressure difference. however, changing depth can present problems. many sea mammals, such as sea lions, have developed systems that allow them to dive to extraordinary depths. - the nozzle end is 5 + 20 = 25 ft below the water level. we can convert this to meters and apply the static pressure equation in the si units. but we could also use the fact that 34 ft of fresh water produces a pressure of 1 atmosphere = 14. 7 psi. so 25 ft corresponds to 14. 7 x 25 / 34 = 11 psi. note that this is the gauge pressure, which is appropriate since atmospheric pressure act both on the surface of the water and on the hose. this means there will be a net force of 11 lb pushing outward on every square inch of the hose. it ' s probably best to turn the spigot off. - the gauge pressure


both on the surface of the water and on the hose. this means there will be a net force of 11 lb pushing outward on every square inch of the hose. it ' s probably best to turn the spigot off. - the gauge pressure would be 1. 03 x 103 x 9. 8 x 3. 0 = 3. 1 x 104 pa. the force exerted by his " round " finger would be f = pa = 3. 1 x 104 ( p (. 01 / 2 ) 2 = 2. 4 n. this is about. 53 lb... no problem! - the info on the size of the box is not relevant. if the box is floating, then the buoyancy force must be equal to the weight of the box... = 10 lb! here ' s another problem to try. a cubic foot of water weighs about 64 lb. can you see why the box would float with 10 / 64 th of its volume submerged? this would mean about 1. 9 inches below the water. - the volume of the float is v = 4 / 3p (. 05 ) 3 = 5. 2 x 10 - 4 m3. assuming there is freshwater in your toilet tank, then fbuoyancy = 103 x 9. 8 x 5. 2 x 10 - 4 = 5. 1 n. if you need 3. 0 n of upward force to shut off the valve and there ' s 5. 1 n of buoyancy force when completely submerged, then you would need 3. 0 / 5. 1 x 100 % = 59 % of the float to be submerged. - did you figure this one out? the water level in the pool goes down! some of our physics major get fooled by this one. while in the boat, the entire weight of the brick is being supported... ultimately by water displaced by the dingy. since the brick sinks when out of the boat, it must be more dense than water. hence, the volume of water displaced is greater than the volume of the brick. but when the brick is tossed into the pool, it displaces only its own volume. ok, try again. what if the object tossed overboard floated?


who belongs to snoqualmie tribe? ' this is a mess ' a look at original documents at the national archives alerts a researcher that records of family lineage used to claim enrollment at the snoqualmie tribe are unreliable. seattle times staff reporter he traveled with a notebook in his pocket, on an urgent mission. all over western washington, for two years beginning in late 1916, indian agent charles roblin sought out homeless, landless indians, left behind and hiding out during the treaty - making era, who had never received the benefits promised in return for the loss of their land : a school for their children, tools for farming, money. on sandbars in the rivers in northern puget sound, he found sauk indians chased out of communal gardens that had sustained them for generations, run out of the forests where loggers didn ' t want them, and burned out of villages where fishermen didn ' t want them, either. he traveled to tolt, where snoqualmies had lost their livelihood when the hop ranches were destroyed by aphids. roblin took down their names and family history, and recorded their enrollment in tribes according to their bloodline, so they could secure the benefits they had been promised under the treaties. those records are called charles roblin ' s schedule of unenrolled indians, dated jan. 1, 1919, or roblin rolls for short. in those records roblin used a red pen to denote families that did not qualify to be enrolled at snoqualmie, because they were already enrolled in other tribes. but the red ink was undetectable in the black - and - white copies and microfilmed records that made it to northwest archives, and at least three major families called out in the roblin rolls nonetheless claim snoqualmie ancestry today. seattle anthropologist jay miller discovered that secret as he combed through the original roblin rolls — organized in a rainbow of colored papers and folders, and notated in colored inks — to help resolve an ongoing tribal enrollment dispute under a contract signed by snoqualmie tribal secretary nina repin. miller ' s research indicates that shelley burch, chairwoman of the tribal council, several other council members, and some tribal members claiming hereditary chief status are descended from families nixed by roblin in red ink. the mismatch with the original record shows that contemporary records used to claim membership today are unreliable, miller said. " most records after 1920 are inaccurate, messed up, corrupted or intentionally falsified, "


required by the tribe ' s constitution : " that roll had no blood quantum on it, and it was signed off by both governments and accepted, " she wrote. in the email, burch wrote she was satisfied with the roll because it had been accepted by the tribe ' s general membership. but that doesn ' t meet the terms of the tribe ' s constitution. " they ' ve got to clean up their act, " miller said. " they are the equivalent of a rogue state. i have laid the foundation based on the constitution, and called attention to the illegality of the membership rolls, and the council. " miller provided a copy of his findings to the snoqualmie tribal council and casino leadership nov. 25, but says he has received no response. his work is not finished, he notes, because neither the bia nor the tribe would allow access to their files, to compare the lineage claimed by snoqualmie families today against the historic public record. but that is work, he said, that needs to be done. at snoqualmie, the membership fight has intensified since 2007, when the tribe moved to open its casino in snoqualmie, taking on $ 330 million in debt, the largest ever shouldered by a tribe to open a casino. " the fraudulent records are there long before the casino, but they have come to roost with all the moneys and resources, which are not serving constitutional tribal people, " miller said. " it ' s not serving people who are snoqualmie. they are supposed to come out of the snoqualmie homeland. people need to know that behind all this are a bunch of really corrupt records. " the tribe is seeking to expand the casino with a 350 - room hotel tower and 600 more slot machines, for a total of 1, 700 machines in all. one estimate shows that could pump up total revenue for the tribe ' s casino property to nearly $ 300 million a year, including $ 230 million in gambling revenue. that would be a big jump from 2012, with $ 189 million in gambling revenue and $ 40 million from the casino ' s restaurants and other facilities. " somebody has to respect the documents. what i am doing is warning everybody who works in puget sound that this is a mess, and it has gotten to be a mess because of all the millions of dollars involved, " miller said. " if it were a little tribe in the middle of nowhere, i am sure nobody would have cared. " feds not acting marvin kemp


, and it has gotten to be a mess because of all the millions of dollars involved, " miller said. " if it were a little tribe in the middle of nowhere, i am sure nobody would have cared. " feds not acting marvin kempf is one of the latest snoqualmie tribal members to take aim at the current council. in a letter to snoqualmie gambling commissioner jennifer repin dated nov. 26, he put the commission on notice that there are council members who don ' t meet the constitutional requirement to hold office, either as council members or the board overseeing the casino. " any actions by the tribal council and the [ board ] would be illegal and criminal, as pertains to the revenues and lawful property of the snoqualmie tribal membership / general council, " kempf wrote. " this letter [ is ] important in that it places you on notice of past, current, and future problems associated with the administration and assets of the snoqualmie people. " kempf said he received no response to the letter. he has taken his battle to the federal level, urging the bia to get involved, and insisting the snoqualmies provide a base roll that meets the tribe ' s constitutional requirement. said kempf, " we want them to do their job. " but in the past, the bia has pushed the job right back to the tribe, which the agency says is legally responsible for managing its own affairs. and with federal funds frozen because of the federal budget crisis, there is no urgency for them to get involved, according to the bia. " the bia northwest regional office is aware of a tribal government dispute that may involve issues of membership qualifications, " bia spokeswoman nedra darling, for the agency in washington, d. c., wrote in a recent email to the seattle times. " as of mid - november the bia had determined that there currently was no pending federal action that it needed to take with respect to the snoqualmie tribe. therefore, at this time we are still deferring to tribal forums for the resolution of their membership and tribal disputes. " the snoqualmies can always change their constitution by a vote of the membership to make anyone a member they want to. but so far, the tribe hadn ' t done that yet, either. as for nina repin, the tribal council has since expelled her from her seat on the council. her council stipend has been cut off, and she ' s lost


from corn - based ethanol to clean - coal technology, from al gore ’ s push for carbon - free electricity within a decade to t. boone pickens ’ s vision of wind power from the great plains, everyone has a favorite plan. enthusiasm springs eternal for a new nuclear era, or for turbines tapping the enormous power of ocean currents and the atmosphere ’ s jet stream. but unfortunately these plans offer aspirations, not realistic goals : converting all of america ’ s farmland to corn for ethanol would produce just 12 percent of today ’ s gasoline needs ; the birth of clean coal or the rebirth of nuclear are fraught with fearful costs and apprehensions ; turbines aloft or in the deep are beyond the threshold of realistic engineering applications. consider this : it took 45 years for the us to raise its crude oil use to 20 percent of the total energy supply ; natural gas needed 65 years to do the same. as for electricity generation, coal produced 66 percent of the total in 1950 and still 49 percent in 2007 — wind - driven generation now produces 1. 5 percent and solar photovoltaic a fraction of that. whatever the eventual solution, whether it is converting the country ’ s filling stations to natural gas or hydrogen, or building new long - distance high - voltage transmission lines to carry arizona ’ s solar electricity to new york and north dakota ’ s wind power to california, the new requisite infrastructures are unlikely to be completed in the next few years. ultimately, this is a problem of scale : a small country with modest per - capita energy use can accomplish any energy transition much easier than a large, populous nation with exceptionally high energy consumption. the us now claims about 21 percent of global energy and uses about three times as much per capita as the eu. we must ask ourselves the hard question of whether this profligate consumption is necessary, or sustainable. america ’ s energy transition to nonfossil energies promises to be a long, arduous process. to speed it up and ease the pain, we must, paradoxically, slow down, and begin consuming less of everything. — vaclav smil is a professor in the study of energy, food, and the environment at the university of manitoba. originally published april 7, 2009