i don ’ t recall hearing many references to the works of philo as a source for the gospel of mark. maybe there are good reasons for this that i have yet to learn. philo was a jewish philosopher who lived in alexandria, egypt, in the early part of the first century. he would have been in his late 40 ′ s when jesus was supposedly 30 years old. last month i posted what looks to me like an instance where the author of the gospel of mark drew on a particular image and thought that we also find in philo. who said this? was about a parable or riddle of jesus in mark : nothing outside a man can make him ‘ unclean ’ by going into him. rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘ unclean. ‘ ( mark 7 : 15 ) in that post — and it was further elaborated with contributions from others in the comments, if i recall — i noted the same idea expressed as its converse in similar imagery : as plato says, mortal things find their entrance, and immortal things their exit. for into the mouth do enter meat and drink, perishable food of a perishable body ; but from out of it proceed words — the immortal laws of an immortal soul, by means of which a rational life is regulated. ( philo, on the creation, 119 ) there is another saying of jesus in the gospel of mark that also comes to mind when reading the same work of philo, on the creation ( or opus mundi ). the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. ( mark 2 : 27 ) the jesus seminar voted that this is something very like what jesus probably said. maurice casey ( aramaic sources of mark ’ s gospel ) discussed it at length to argue that “ the cultural context ” should inform readers that jesus implied that his use of “ man ” or “ mankind ” here was nonetheless applicable to jews only. he quotes the 1947 cnt ( presumably the commentaire du nouveau testament? ) to confirm that jesus would not have meant to include non - jews in this sabbath saying : as a matter of historical fact the sabbath was not made for man in general. at the time when the saying was uttered the sabbath was a distinctive peculiarity of the jews : and our evidence goes to show that they regarded it as such and resented any non - jewish observance of it. ( t. w. manson, ` mark ii. 27f ’, cnt 11, 1947, 138 - 46, at 145,


evidence goes to show that they regarded it as such and resented any non - jewish observance of it. ( t. w. manson, ` mark ii. 27f ’, cnt 11, 1947, 138 - 46, at 145, followed by beare, ` sabbath ’, 132. ) he also cites the mekhilta shabbath i, exod. 31 : 12 - 17 : r. simeon ben menasya says : look! it says, ` and you shall keep the sabbath, for it is holy to you ’ ( exod. 31. 14 ). the sabbath is delivered to you and you are not delivered to the sabbath. that last sentence is famous for its similarity to the passage in the gospel of mark. some scholars ( e. g. casey, crossley and no doubt others ) use this late rabbinic passage as part of their efforts to set the scene for jesus ’ day. but this does not work. the jewish encyclopedia says r. simeon ben menasya was a contemporary of r. judah ha - nasi i, and wikipedia informs me that he lived and died around the late second century or early third century — assuming that this wikipedia article is about the same rabbi. so the mekhilta does not appear to trace the saying any earlier than a rabbi who lived in the late second or early third century. to use this passage to help reconstruct the ideas floating around in the time of jesus is a bit like taking a text from a chinese author in today ’ s singapore and attempting to use it to reconstruct a thought extant in imperial shanghai in 1800. it may be an accurate match, but we can ’ t bet on it without additional evidence. it is just as likely that the late rabbinic saying found its way into jewish thought via christian contacts. but philo wrote something in the first half of the first century, in egypt, that also suggests the same idea mark ’ s gospel attributes to jesus : xxx. ( 89 ) but after the whole world had been completed according to the perfect nature of the number six, the father hallowed the day following, the seventh, praising it, and calling it holy. for that day is the festival, not of one city or one country, but of all the earth ; a day which alone it is right to call the day of festival for all people, and the birthday of the world. ( on the creation ) now that to me is clear evidence that the 1947 cnt article quoted above is not


all the earth ; a day which alone it is right to call the day of festival for all people, and the birthday of the world. ( on the creation ) now that to me is clear evidence that the 1947 cnt article quoted above is not the whole story when it says there is clear evidence “ that they ( the jews )... resented any non - jewish observance of it ( the sabbath ). ” philo here could hardly have resented it if gentiles celebrated the sabbath day. he suggests here that he would find gentile observance extremely praiseworthy. and here we have a jewish intellectual writing that the sabbath is a day that is given to all mankind. so one must ask how original is the verse in mark? but how likely is it that the author of mark might have known philo ’ s writings? if we knew who wrote the gospel we could answer that without much difficulty. irenaeus associates the gospel of mark with the gnostic teacher basilides — who happened to live in the same alexandria as philo a generation or two earlier. clement of alexandria wrote that basilides was a disciple of glaucias, “ the interpreter of peter ”, and that he wrote a gospel himself. it ’ s a long shot, but one is reminded of other early “ traditions ” that mark was composed from the memories of peter. all of this is speculative, and there are other speculations from equally thin slivers of evidence that mark was composed in rome. there are reasons also to locate its author in syria. in the meantime, i think we now have two passages — closely positioned — in one work of philo ’ s, on the creation, that strike me as having resonance in the gospel of mark.


publication celebrating the exhibition at the wallace collection. in the middle of the fourteenth century, europe was devastated by an appalling epidemic which killed a third of its population. accused of having spread the disease, jewish communities faced terrible persecutions, which often led them to bury their most valuable goods. two of these hoards, discovered at colmar in 1863 and at erfurt in 1998, are discussed and illustrated in this splendid catalogue, published to accompany an exhibition at the wallace collection london. comprising a great variety of jewelry, gold - and silversmiths ’ work and coins, these two hoards constitute an exceptional source for the study of secular metalwork in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, very few examples of which have otherwise come down to us. they provide precious evidence of the economic activities and daily life of the medieval jewish communities, but also of their precarious position within christian europe. in erfurt over 1000 people were killed, the entire jewish population. some of the objects, because of their very personal character, are deeply poignant. edited by christine descatoire, with contributions by marian campbell, christopher cluse, michel dhenin, timothy husband, johann m. fritz, oliver meking, jorg r. muller, mario schlapke, karin sczech and maria sturzebecher


even heard in modern synthesizer arrangements, the melody of the carol " good king wenceslas " brings the words and images of the story into my head : " good king wenceslas looked out / on the feast of stephen / when the snow lay ' round about / deep and crisp and even. wenceslas was a real person : the duke of bohemia, a 10th - century christian prince in a land where many practiced a more ancient religion. in one version of his legend, wenceslas was murdered in a plot by his brother, who was under the sway of their so - called pagan mother. following his death, wenceslas became a saint and martyr revered especially for his kindness to the poor. meanwhile, the catchy tune to " good king wenceslas " was around when people celebrated spring, but the wenceslas legend hadn ' t yet met up with the melody. for centuries, it had been sung in latin as " tempus adest floridum " — a springtime song celebrating nature ' s powers of rebirth. it had verses in various languages, some of them adventurous in their descriptions of these celebrations. almost a thousand years after wenceslas lived, a 19th - century englishman by the name of john mason neale wrote the now - famous english lyric for the ancient melody. the history of this christmas carol is a rich accumulation of music, image and legend that speaks beyond any one religious tradition. its most basic message is summed up in its final lines : " ye who now will bless the poor / shall yourselves find blessing. "


when we last checked in to the nansen sea ice graphs, it looked like they were heading towards the “ normal ” line in a hurry. ice area seems to still be on that trend, while extent seems to be leveling off it ’ s growth rate. area appears to be within about 200, 000 square kilometers of the 1979 - 2007 monthly average and still climbing. of course the fact that the 2007 data is included in the average line, means the average is a lower than usual target than one might expect. if we compare to ice area over at cryopshere today, they use a 1979 - 2000 mean, which is higher. still the rebound we are seeing is impressive. sea ice extent looks like this : these graphs will automatically update, so check back often. for those of you wondering, here is the difference between area and extent, as described in the nsidc faq ’ s page : what is the difference between sea ice area and extent? why does nsidc use extent measurements? area and extent are different measures and give scientists slightly different information. some organizations, including cryosphere today, report ice area ; nsidc primarily reports ice extent. extent is always a larger number than area, and there are pros and cons associated with each method. a simplified way to think of extent versus area is to imagine a slice of swiss cheese. extent would be a measure of the edges of the slice of cheese and all of the space inside it. area would be the measure of where there ’ s cheese only, not including the holes. that ’ s why if you compare extent and area in the same time period, extent is always bigger. a more precise explanation of extent versus area gets more complicated. extent defines a region as “ ice - covered ” or “ not ice - covered. ” for each satellite data cell, the cell is said to either have ice or to have no ice, based on a threshold. the most common threshold ( and the one nsidc uses ) is 15 percent, meaning that if the data cell has greater than 15 percent ice concentration, the cell is considered ice covered ; less than that and it is said to be ice free. example : let ’ s say you have three 25 kilometer ( km ) x 25 km ( 16 miles x 16 miles ) grid cells covered by 16 % ice, 2 % ice, and 90 % ice. two of the three cells would be considered “ ice covered, ” or 100 % ice. multiply the grid cell area by 100 % sea


conditions were looking bleak at the beginning of may. only four months of above normal rainfall had occurred in the previous 28 months. the details can be found in a previous blog post ( here ). much of the state was in a drought and the situation was getting worse. two events happened to change the course of the drought. first, tropical depression beryl brought much needed rain to parts of the drought - stricken midlands. however, there were still areas that received little rain. this was soon followed by an upper - level pattern that brought copious amounts of rain to the southeast, especially along parts of the central gulf coast. it eventually made its way to south carolina bringing an abundance of rain. more than 8 inches of rain fell in just four weeks in the columbia area. the result has been flooding of some of the creeks in the area. | flooding of the rocky branch creek closed the intersection of main st. and whaley st. on monday, june 11. click on any of the images for a larger view. image credit : usgs. | there has been a significant improvement in the drought situation as depicted by the us drought monitor. about 75 % of south carolina was in the severe drought or worse as of may 1st. however, by june 12, only about 28 % of the state was in that category. this is a substantial improvement in the past 6 weeks. in fact a little over 16 % of the state is out of drought conditions. | a comparison of the drought by the u. s. drought monitor. the map on the left is for may 1, while the map on the right is for june 12. the table below compares the two time periods. image credit : usda. | week nothing d0 - d4 d1 - d4 d2 - d4 d3 - d4 d4 may 1, 2012 0. 02 99. 98 98. 93 75. 20 35. 19 2. 41 june 12, 2012 16. 47 83. 53 54. 60 27. 88 4. 46 0. 00 tropical depression beryl brought the first surge of rain to the southeastern half of south carolina. the counties of barnwell, bamberg, and orangeburg counties saw 4 to 7 inches of rain from beryl. much of the northwestern half of south carolina saw little rain from this system. in fact, beryl missed the core of the drought - stricken region, the area from macon to augusta, georgia. the past 365 days have been the driest on record at augusta by over 3 inches,


carolina saw little rain from this system. in fact, beryl missed the core of the drought - stricken region, the area from macon to augusta, georgia. the past 365 days have been the driest on record at augusta by over 3 inches, and georgia climate division 6 ( east - central ga ) had its driest 24 - months on record, nearly 26 inches below normal. | tropical depression beryl at 9 : 15 a. m. edt on may 29, 2012. image credit : noaa environmental visualization lab. | the next surge of moisture began moving out of the gulf of mexico late last week. an upper - level disturbance was slowly moving through the southeast. this brought two waves of rain through the midlands sunday and monday. the two day totals were generally between 1 to 2. 5 inches of rain. this put a damper on the ncaa super - regional baseball tournament being played in columbia. it brought much needed rain to augusta, georgia where 2 to 5. 4 inches of rain fell across the city. | the weather pattern at 500 mb shows a weak upper - level disturbance over the lower mississippi river valley at 00z on june 11, 2012. image credit : wsi. | the precipitation analysis from the advanced hydrologic prediction service shows that a large area of south carolina has seen much above normal rainfall over the past 30 days ( may 12 – june 12 ). parts of barnwell, orangeburg, and williamsburg counties have been as much as 8 inches above normal. | rainfall anomaly for the 30 - day period ending june 12. click on the image for a larger view. image credit : noaa \ ahps. | why isn ’ t the drought completely over? it takes a long time to get into a drought and droughts are rarely over in a short time. however, if the weather pattern is changing then this could be good news for parts of the southeast. this is the wettest time of the year for the midlands. an average or above average summer rainfall should alleviate the drought by fall. keep in mind that el nino may be back by the fall and this would likely bring wet conditions for the winter.


| interpretive panels look at lincoln and the issue of slavery through the political cartoons of the civil war era and particularly the 1860 presidential election. | the national traveling exhibition looking at lincoln : political cartoons from the civil war era will be on display at the west tennessee delta heritage center in brownsville, tenn., now through march 30. included in the exhibit is select editorial cartoons from the local felsenthal lincoln collection. the exhibit is free and opens to the public monday through saturday 9 a. m. – 5 p. m., and sunday 1 - 5 p. m. a special program on abraham lincoln will be presented sunday, march 25, from 2 - 4 p. m. the program will include lincoln ' s second inaugural address delivered by ken jones, associate professor of biology at dyersburg state college. jones is widely known for his one - man portrayals of the sixteenth president. | ken jones, professor at dyersburg state, will present his portrayal of lincoln in a one - main show featuring lincoln ' s second inaugural address sunday, march 25, at 2 p. m.. | the exhibit, developed by the gilder lehrman institute of american history, new york, explores images, especially cartoons, as a way of investigating lincoln in the context of his times. these cartoons are vividly biting ; they invite us to put aside twenty - first century assumptions and look at events through the eyes of people living in the era. among the highlights are : a california printing of the emancipation proclamation signed by abraham lincoln and political cartoons relating to the election of 1860. the theme of the exhibition explores the civil war and issues of slavery from the standpoint of political cartoons. these cartoons appeared in newspapers and were sold individually. artists and citizens who created these images lived in a century in which racism was deeply ingrained in american life. as a companion, the exhibit also includes editorial cartoons from the felsenthal lincoln collection. these cartoons from the 1950s and 60s use lincoln as comparison for current events of the day. believed to be the largest individually owned collection of lincoln memorabilia in the southeast, the collection was donated to the citizens of haywood county by morton felsenthal upon his death in 1983. felsenthal spent his lifetime collecting books and memorabilia concerning lincoln. many of the original cartoons on display were signed by the artist and include personal notes to felsenthal. the west tennessee delta heritage center is a tourist information center and home to three regional museums located at exit 56 off of interstate 40 in brownsville


hyrkan state reservation is situatod in southest part of azerbaijan republic, on the coast of the caspian sea, in lankaran administrative district at 38° 30 ' 34 " of northern latitude and 48° 45 ' 50 " of eastern longitude. the reservation was established by the decree no. 272 of june 18, 1969 of the soviet of ministers. its territory is 2, 9 thousand hectares and is protected by the state. the flora of the reservation consist of 1900 species ; 162 of them are endemic, 95 of them are rare and 38 are being depletod and disappeared. there are widely spread valuable and unique trees in the tree stratum such as ironwood ( porrotia persica ), persimmon ( diospyrus lotus ), silk tree ( albir ~ ia julibrissin ), chestnut - leaved oak ( quercus castaneifolia ), hyrkan fig ( ficus hyrcana ), hyrkan zelkova ( zelkowa carpunifolia ) etc. there a unique fauna in the reservation as well. hyrkan state reservation is a unique natural territory in the worid with its fascinating nature, rich vegetation, hills covered by endemic and relic trees and shrubs, with suitable subtropical climate. being adjacent the caspian sea, close to main roads and rail roads, the reservation is of great importance from the point of view of tourism and establishment of the national park. there are suitable conditions for this purpose in the reservation.


revision 1 as of 2005 - 11 - 07 20 : 34 : 54 converted to 1. 6 markup | no differences found! | whitespace handling in the xsl fo spec some thoughts about the concerns the fo spec must address the following three concerns : - what to do with linefeed characters in the input : consider as space or as a real linefeed? - what to do with xml white space characters other than linefeed in the input : preserve or collapse? these two concerns are governed by the properties linefeed - treatment and white - space - collapse. together these two items address the matter of pretty printing of xml documents ( in this case fo documents ). - what to do with white space and other eligible characters around line breaks? this concern is governed by the properties white - space - treatment and suppress - at - linebreak. xml itself has a prescription for dealing with white space in the input xml file : the parser must report whether white space occurs in element content or not, allowing applications to ignore it in element content ; in sax terms, white space in element content is ignorable white space. because fo does not have a dtd or schema, there is no element content, and all white space is passed on to the fo processor. fo does have its own equivalent of element content. when white space occurs in flow objects which do not take pcdata as children, it is ignored by the fo processor. white space in flow objects that take pcdata children, however, must be taken into account. its interpretation is governed by the first two items. pretty printing can also occur inside pcdata. editors commonly break long stretches of text into separate lines, substituting space characters with linefeed characters. they also commonly indent the lines to illustrate the nesting position of the element containing the pcdata, replacing single spaces with sequences of spaces and tab characters. the above two concerns also undo those pretty printing effects on the output of the fo processor. the first two items are concerned with input. therefore they can in principle be taken care of at the refinement stage. the third item is concerned with input characters whose representation depends on the layout, viz., which are suppressed when they occur before and / or after a line break. therefore it can only be taken care of when the line breaks are known, i. e. at the layout or area building stage. the formulation of this concern was flawed in version 1. 0 of the


before and / or after a line break. therefore it can only be taken care of when the line breaks are known, i. e. at the layout or area building stage. the formulation of this concern was flawed in version 1. 0 of the fo spec. instead of line breaks, it mentions line feed characters. this is clearly not what is needed. users expect white space to be suppressed around line breaks, and fo processors do this, even though the spec has no good prescription for this behaviour. version 1. 1 of the fo spec tries to correct this. but the result is a mixed behaviour of the property white - space - treatment. two of its values refer to input characters and can be taken care of at the refinement stage, the other three refer to suppression as a result of layout and must be taken care of at the layout or area building stage. remarks on white - space - collapse white - space - collapse is formulated in terms of flow objects, so that it only applies to direct siblings. this can give rise to undesirable effects. examples : - spaces before an fo : inline and spaces at the start of an fo : inline are not collapsed, perhaps contrary to the expectation of the user. - fo : marker elements may have spaces at their start and end, which may become adjacent to spaces before and after the fo : retrieve - marker that inserted the fo : marker content. these spaces are not collapsed, again perhaps contrary to the expectation of the user. the user would prefer to think in terms of collapsing of adjacent white space glyph areas. the comments of the xsl editors have made it clear, however, that white - space - collapse is strictly interpreted in terms of sibling flow objects. on the other hand, they do not make it clear why they place white - space - collapse handling at the area building stage. as a result the user must be careful not to add extra white space to inline content. remarks on white - space - treatment and white - space - collapse the values ignore and preserve of white - space - treatment would better be combined with white - space - collapse into a new property, called something like white - space - treatment, with three values ignore, collapse and preserve as follows : - white - space - treatment = " ignore " and white - space - collapse = " true " : ignore - white - space - treatment = " ignore " and white - space - collapse = " false " : ignore - white - space - treatment =


the main usage of the tool is to add wikipedia - tags to openstreetmap and to make localisation of names with the help of interwikilinks, but parts of the tool can also be used for other jobs. the tool works in three steps, see below. take a look to example that works with streets in dresden ( germany ). - on the left side you have the wikipedia part generated by catscan in the background so it goes through a wikipedia category also with subcategories. so user can modify in the form project language, category and the depth of searching in category tree. an additional option on the left side is the question if the user wants to use wikipedia interwikilinks for names in different languages. - on the right side is the openstreetmap part which uses code of query - to - map projects. so the user can choose a bounding box ( bbox ), a key - value combination ( “ * ” for values possible ) and a types definition. the types " points ", " lines ", " areas " will make a request at toolserver database and downloads everything in this area, so it is relatively slow. the types " node ", " way ", " relation " will make a request at overpass api and download only the necessary pobjects so it ' s faster, especially for large objects. types = " no " that the script jumps directly to nominatim and is so much faster. the script will use this parameter to find in the next step matching osm objects where additionally the name - parameter is matching with the wikipedia article name founded on the left side. ( parts of the wikipedia article name in brackets will be ignored. ) as result the user get a table with 3 columns : - wikipedia - articles : is a link to wikipedia - article - interwikilinks : shows the user how many interwikilinks has this article, is interesting if this links are used to generate “ name : language ” - tags for osm. - openstreetmap : is a link osm - add - tags tool see below. this script is looking for matching objects with given parameters. mostly the parameters are generated by the index. php script ( see above but it ' s also possible to use the script for openstreetmap outside of wikipedia content. ) - key, value, types and bbox : ( see above ) to specify complex osm - objects. - name : to find at best exactly the


' s also possible to use the script for openstreetmap outside of wikipedia content. ) - key, value, types and bbox : ( see above ) to specify complex osm - objects. - name : to find at best exactly the right complex osm - object. if this parameter is " * " the user get a list of all objects and also objects without name. this example gives a list of all restaurants of a city and shows if there is a smoking - tag or not. some restaurants in this example have no name so they are on the end of the list as " node... ". - without - tag : define a key that is missing on the object of search. useful to find e. g. restaurants without opening hours or so. ( coming soon... ) - addtags : different tags to add to specified objects. tags written as “ key = value ”, different tags are separated by “ | ” as result the user gets one single object or a list with objects. this list has links to josm / plugins / remotecontrol with addtags - parameter for josm in latest version must run. so it use a local server to control josm. behind the objects the user can see its size ( diagonal length in seconds of degree ) the script works with the toolserver database which is normally used for mapnik, so possibly it is not synchronous or has curious effects. the script finds the nodes, ways and relation numbers in the database and calculates small bounding boxes around each object. if the result is empty the script asks nominatim but the users need to be carefully with the results because there is no key - value proving and it gives only the first result back. for details see : josm / plugins / remotecontrol with the help of remote control josm downloads the area around the defined objects and selects them. in the following dialog box the user can modify selection and tags before applying the changes. it ' s helpful to use osm - tiles ( josm menue : imagery ) as overview in background. the idea is to use this wikipedia - tags later inside the wikipedia embedded map to highlighting the osm objects that match to the wikipedia article. so especially complex line and area objects ( streets, rivers, districts,... ) would be interesting for that. multilingual maps will profit the translations by interwikilinks, especially city - objects ( nodes ) should have priority.


by irene klotz cape canaveral, florida ( reuters ) - nasa on monday showed off the first high - resolution, color portrait images taken by the mars rover curiosity, detailing a mound of layered rock where scientists plan to focus their search for the chemical ingredients of life on the red planet. the stunning images reveal distinct tiers near the base of the 3 - mile - ( 5 - km - ) tall mountain that rises from the floor of the vast, ancient impact basin known as gale crater, where curiosity landed on august 6 to begin its two - year mission. scientists estimate it will be a year before the six - wheeled, nuclear - powered rover, about the size of a small car, physically reaches the layers of interest at the foot of the mountain, 6. 2 miles away from the landing site. from earlier orbital imagery, the layers appear to contain clays and other hydrated minerals that form in the presence of water. while previous missions to mars have uncovered strong evidence for vast amounts of water flowing over its surface in the past, curiosity was dispatched to hunt for organic materials and other chemistry considered necessary for microbial life to evolve. the $ 2. 5 billion curiosity project, nasa ' s first astrobiology mission since the 1970s - era viking probes to mars, is the first to bring all the tools of a state - of - the - art geochemistry laboratory to the surface of a distant planet. but the latest images from curiosity, taken at a distance from its primary target of exploration, already have given scientists a new view of the formation ' s structure. the layers above where scientists expect to find hydrated minerals show sharp tilts, offering a strong hint of dramatic changes in gale crater, located in the planet ' s southern hemisphere near its equator. slanted layers exposed mount sharp, the name given to the towering formation at the center of the crater, is believed to be the remains of sediment that once completely filled the 96 - mile - ( 154 - km - ) wide basin. " this is a spectacular feature that we ' re seeing very early, " project scientist john grotzinger, with the california institute of technology, told reporters on monday. " we can sense that there is a big change on mount sharp. " the higher layers are steeply slanted relative to the layers of underlying rock, the reverse of similar features found in earth ' s grand canyon. " the layers are tilted in the grand canyon due to plate tectonics, so it ' s typical to see older layers be more def


##ed relative to the layers of underlying rock, the reverse of similar features found in earth ' s grand canyon. " the layers are tilted in the grand canyon due to plate tectonics, so it ' s typical to see older layers be more deformed and more rotated than the ones above them, " grotzinger said. " in this case, you have flat - line layers on mars overlaid by tilted layers. the science team, of course, is deliberating over what this means. " he added : " this thing just kind of jumped out at us as being something very different from what we ever expected. " absent plate tectonics, the most likely explanation for the angled layers has to do with the physical manner in which they were built up, such as being deposited by wind or by water. " on earth, there ' s a whole host of mechanisms that can generate inclined strata, " grotzinger said. " probably we ' re going to have to drive up there to see what those strata are made of. " also monday, nasa said it used the rover to broadcast a message of congratulations to the curiosity team from nasa chief charles bolden, a demonstration of the high bandwidth available through a pair of u. s. science satellites orbiting mars. " this is the first time that we ' ve had a human voice transmitted back from another planet " beyond the moon, said chad edwards, chief telecommunications engineer for nasa ' s mars missions at the jet propulsion laboratory in pasadena, california. " we aren ' t quite yet at the point where we actually have a human present on the surface of mars... it is a small step, " edwards said. ( editing by steve gorman and philip barbara ) ( the photo previously attached to this story was incorrectly identified as mars ' mount sharp )


now, it is often thought that pte john parr of the 4th btn. middlesex regiment was the first british battle casualty of the war. not true. although he is obviously an early casualty ( killed on the 21st august 1914 ) he was not the first british casualty. in the early morning of august 6th 1914, with the war being only 32 hours old, hms amphion hit a german mine in the north sea. casualties on that day included 278171 leading stoker andrew collins, ss / 4209 able seaman albert cowley, ch / 18478 f bates ( royal marine light infantry ), and k / 16433 stoker 1st class fred coker the following account of the sinking of hms amphion is taken from naval staffs monographs. vol 10. at 2300 on august 4th 1914, england declared war on germany. in anticipation of war the konigin luise, a former hamburg – holland holiday ferry, had been converted to an auxiliary minelayer by the germans. on the night of 4th august she left her home port of emden and steamed south through the north sea to lay mines off the thames estuary. the ship resembled the steamers of the great eastern railway that plied from harwick to the hook of holland, and so she was painted in their colors of black, buff, and yellow to disguise herself. meanwhile, at the port of harwick 80 miles north of london, hms amphion ( capt. cecil h. fox ) and the destroyers of the 3rd flotilla were preparing to sail. they departed in the early hours of the morning and by daylight on the 5th august they were well out into the north sea sweeping towards the heligoland bight. a few hours after leaving port a destroyer on the screen spoke to a fishing vessel who had seen an unknown vessel “ throwing things over the side ” about 20 miles north of the outer gabbard. at 1025 amphion sighted the unknown steamer and sent the destroyers lance and landrail to investigate. the steamer was the konigin luise which made off at 20 knots, altering course, before disappearing into a rain squall where she began laying mines. at 1030, lance signalled she was engaging the enemy and is credited with firing the first shot of world war 1. they were soon joined by amphion ( which had won the fleetgunnery prize for 1914 ) and the german came under very accurate fire. the konigin luise was only lightly armed with two 3. 7


shot of world war 1. they were soon joined by amphion ( which had won the fleetgunnery prize for 1914 ) and the german came under very accurate fire. the konigin luise was only lightly armed with two 3. 7cm mgs and some smaller weapons and offered little resistance. commander biermann brought her onto a south - easterly course hoping to regain neutral waters and draw the british ships into her minefield. however, after receiving numerous hits, the order was given to sink the ship to avoid any further loss of life. at 1222, on fire amidships and with smoke and steam pouring from her funnels, the konigin luise rolled over to port and sank at 55. 5n 2. 32e. 46 of the 100 crew were rescued. during the action the amphion gun crews from the disengaged side crossed over to watch the firing and showed their appreciation of good salvoes by cheering and applauding. after the action capt. fox mustered all hands and reprimanded the men for leaving their posts. he reminded them that they were at war and no matter what the other fellow was doing, each man was to go on with his duty and stick to it. the ship ’ s company rather enjoyed the lecture and saw the sense in it. the british destroyers now sighted another ship of the same shape and color of the konigin luise. she was flying a huge german flag and the destroyers began their attack. amphion recognized her as the st. petersburg which was carrying the german ambassador back to germany from england. amphion signaled the destroyers to cease fire but in the excitement of the moment they ignored the signal and pressed home the attack. capt. fox then put the amphion between the destroyers and the st petersburg to deliberately foul the range. at 2100 amphion and the destroyers set course to return to harwick. unfortunately, due to reported problems with mines and submarines, the allocated course ran very close to where the konigin luise had laid her mines. at 0645 on august 6th 1914 hms amphion struck a mine which exploded just beside the forebridge and broke the ship ’ s back. the explosion practically destroyed the bridge and smoke and flames poured from the slits in the conning tower. except for one man, all the fo ’ csle gun crews were killed and the bridge occupants badly burnt. as the hands were at breakfast, many were killed or suffocated in the


poured from the slits in the conning tower. except for one man, all the fo ’ csle gun crews were killed and the bridge occupants badly burnt. as the hands were at breakfast, many were killed or suffocated in the forward messdecks. this included 19 of 21 german survivors. capt. fox stopped engines and proceeded aft to take charge. the ship was well down at the bows and attempts to extinguish the raging fires in the forward part of the ship failed. abandon ship was ordered. as most of amphion ’ s boats were destroyed, the destroyers sent their boats to rescue the crew. there was no confusion or panic. the men fell in on deck. within twenty minutes of the first explosion all the survivors were safely on board the destroyers. among the survivors was midshipman e. f fegan who would later win a vc as captain of the jervis bay when it was sunk in ww2. unfortunately, although amphions ’ s engines were stopped, she still had way on and she continued turning in a circle. at 0703, just as the last boatload of survivors were taken off, she again struck the same row of mines. her magazine detonated in a huge cloud of pale yellow smoke and the fore part of the ship completely disintegrated showering the attending destroyers with debris. there were several casualties, one 4 - inch shell falling on board the destroyer lark, killing two of amphion ’ s men and a german prisoner. amphion then suddenly slid astern and sank at 0705 at 52. 11n 02. 36e. one officer and 150 men were lost.


about the annamites ecoregion annamites - covering over 23 million hectares this area encompasses an incredibly broad, diverse and special range of habitats, animals and plants, accounting for a remarkably rich biodiversity. includes the da lat range the term annamite mountains normally refers to the blocks of mountains lying between lao p. d. r and vietnam, only. however, as the entire mountain range south of the da lat plateau is ecologically similar to the annamite mountains, it has been included in the ecoregion ( maps ). reaching over 2500 m the greater annamites ecoregion straddles the laos - vietnam border for over 1100 km, includes small parts of cambodia, covers over 23 million hectares and rises to over 2500 m at its highest point. also known as... although the term annamite is used here, the mountain range is more commonly known as truong son in viet nam, and as sai phou louang in laos. many species found no - where else many species are exclusive to the ecoregion. indeed, one of the greatest concentrations of endemic species in a continental setting are found here, including the beautiful and threatened douc langur ( pygathrix nemaeus ). other species include the asian tiger and elephant, and the javan rhinoceros. more than 30 ethnic groups live in the annamites, each with their distinctive and traditional music, language, dress and customs. the natural resources of the greater annamites are vital to all of the people. - size : 23 million ha - protected : 3 million ha - habitat : tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests - geographic location : indochina : laos, vietnam and a small part of cambodia - endangered species : 8


subjunctive vs. indicative – present ( noun, adjective and adverbial clauses ) this course presents spanish grammar and vocabulary. if this is too basic then please try intermediate spanish or advanced spanish if your goal is to speak spanish today then you should go to conversational spanish. prepositions - por vs. para the spanish prepositions por and para tend to be difficult for students, because they can, but don ' t always, mean " for ". comparacion entre por y para irregular spanish verbs irregular verbs tend to be difficult for students, because they do not follow the rules. verbos irregulares the spanish verb tener the spanish verb tener is used to indicate possession and for a multitude of other uses, such as expressing hunger, thirst, fear, luck, and much, much more! verbo tener y usos - le verbe avoir spanish reflexive verbs reflexive pronouns and verbs are used much more in spanish than in english. this section will teach you how they work. idiomatic expressions using vez in spanish, there are a number of idiomatic expressions that employ " vez ". don ' t leave home without knowing these! spanish negative words also referred to as negation. these are negative words, expressions and constructions used in spanish. learning interrogative pronouns is easy. the difficulty lies in determining when to use which one. the verb gustar the verb gustar is used to express likes and dislikes. it is formed in a unique manner. the preterite ( simple past ) is a past action tense. we use the preterite to answer the question " what happened? ". imperfect - regular verbs do you ever have problem figuring out wether to use preterite or imperfect? this section will help you to know which to use? imperfect - irregular verbs yep, spanish imperfect also has irregular verbs! we use the future simple to talk about future actions. expressing future plans with the verb " ir " it is often useful to discuss the future by using the present form of ir, ( to go ) the preposition a, and the infinitive form of the desired verb. usually, this translates in english as " going to. " spanish adverbs provide additional information about manner, quantity, frequency, time, or place. adverbs explain when, how, where, how often, or to what degree something is done. spanish relative pronouns the words that, which, and who are not just used in questions. when they are


, frequency, time, or place. adverbs explain when, how, where, how often, or to what degree something is done. spanish relative pronouns the words that, which, and who are not just used in questions. when they are used in statements they are called relative pronouns. comparative and superlative adjectives the correct use of the comparative and superlative forms is key when learning how to express your opinion or make comparative judgments. spanish gerunds and the progressive tenses the gerund ( gerundio ) is a special, invariable form of the verb which always ends in ( ndo ). it is mistaeknly referred to as the “ present participle ”. the progressive tenses express an action viewed as being in progress. do not use the progressive for other purposes, such as for expressing a future action. do not overuse the progressive tenses, since they are used far less frequently in spanish than in english. do not use them unless you are portraying an action as truly being in progress. spanish past participle spanish past participles typically end in - ado or - ido. the word " worked " is a past - tense verb in the sentence " i worked " but a past participle in " i have worked. " spanish present perfect tense the present perfect may be used to indicate an action or state as having occurred, and having been completed, prior to the present time. spanish past perfect tense the past perfect tense express an action, state or event that was already completed before the start of another past action, state or event. spanish passive voice the passive voice in spanish is most frequently used in the preterit, although it can occur in any tense, both in the indicative and in the subjunctive. spanish future perfect tense this tense views an action or state as having occurred, and been completed, at some time in the future. it is used in spanish in the same way it is used in english. spanish direct object a direct object is the noun or pronoun that the verb acts directly on. spanish indirect object an indirect object is the person affected by the action but not acted directly upon. direct object pronouns direct object pronouns receive the action of the verb. indirect object pronouns indirect object pronouns present a way in spanish to answer the question : to or for whom or what? double object pronouns a spanish sentence can have both a direct and an indirect object pronoun. these " double object pronouns " cannot be separated, and the indirect


pronouns present a way in spanish to answer the question : to or for whom or what? double object pronouns a spanish sentence can have both a direct and an indirect object pronoun. these " double object pronouns " cannot be separated, and the indirect pronoun always precedes the direct pronoun. a conjunction is a word that creates a relation among words, phrases, clauses or sentences. conjunctions have no meaning by themselves. spanish present subjunctive the present subjunctive refers to things which may, or may not, happen. irregular verbs - pensar the spanish verb pensar is irregular in the present subjunctive irregular verbs - entender the spanish verb entender is irregular in the present subjunctive irregular verbs - sentir the spanish verb sentir is irregular in the present subjunctive irregular verbs - acordar the spanish verb acordar is irregular in the present subjunctive irregular verbs - mover the spanish verb mover is irregular in the present subjunctive irregular verbs - dormir the spanish verb dormir is irregular in the present subjunctive irregular verbs - pedir the spanish verb pedir is irregular in the present subjunctive the imperfect tense of the subjunctive mood is used to express the same subjective attitudes as the present subjunctive, but in the past. spanish conditional tense the conditional tense works hand in hand with the imperfect subjunctive to create situations that can be characterized by “ if this, then that. ” spanish conditional perfect conditional perfect is formed with the verb " haber " in various tenses + the past participle. present perfect of the subjunctive mood the present perfect subjunctive, also known as the past or perfect subjunctive, is used when a verb or expression requiring the subjunctive in the main clause is in the present, future, or present perfect. pluperfect of the subjunctive mood the past perfect tense express an action, state or event that was already completed before the start of another past action. spanish imperative mood the imperative mood is used to give orders or commands. imperative mood only has one tense, the present tense. spanish language exercises links to all of the exercises listed above.


if there is one thing we know, it is juicers. i think we sometimes even have dreams about juicers. if our fancy internet tools aren ' t helping you decide, give us a buzz at 877 - 695 - 8423 and we can help. nutrition and taste it ' s well known that a diet rich in fruits in vegetables is best for our health. juicers can help retain vital enzymes in raw vegetables and fruits that are sometimes damaged by heat or cooking. for people who can ' t tolerate raw fruits and vegetables ( or simply don ' t like them ), juicing is a way to still receive the goodness from both. juicer basics — construction and use a manual citrus juicer ( also known as a citrus reamer ) is used for squeezing juice from soft citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, grapefruits and limes. people often invest in citrus juicers to enjoy the taste and benefits of fresh - squeezed juice each morning. manual juicers are straightforward and simple to use. centering the fruit halves cut - side down over the juicer, simply press the fruit down and turn the fruit back and forth to extract juice, discarding the rind and excess pulp. today you can also find electric models. a juice extractor separates juice from the pulp of most fruits, herbs, leafy greens, and vegetables. the pulp can be thrown out, but is useful for composting. it can also be used as a base ingredient in muffins and breads. juicers fall into three main categories : - centrifugal juicers use blades and a sieve to separate juice from pulp, and spins at a high speed to completely extract the juice - masticating juicers " chew " fruit to a pulp to create juice - triturating juicers have twin gears to crush fruit, then press it. - masticating and triturating juicers are recommended for juicing wheatgrass. single auger masticating juicers crush fruits and vegetables against a static screen, allowing juice to flow through the screen while pulp is expelled through a different chamber. the lower speed of single auger machines minimizes oxidation, maintaining beneficial enzymes. twin gear triturating machines offer the best juice yield. twin gear juicers crush juice out of fruit and vegetable fibers.


top four tips for camps - establish good hygiene policies : mrsa transmission from person to person can be prevented by instituting simple measures including hand - washing policies, policies against sharing personal items ( such as razors and towels ), and the covering of infections. - ensure that your health center has established policies to avoid the spread of disease : eighty - six percent of all invasive mrsa infections are health - care center associated. insist that your health center establishes stringent polices to avoid transmission. see below for resources. - train your non - health care staff to detect situations that might lead to transmission of disease : counselor and program staff can be enforcing hand - washing and personal hygiene policies ; and keeping on the look - out for campers with open wounds and infections. - partner with your local health department : should an outbreak occur, it is important that you partner with your local public health officials to strategize about next steps and keep everyone safe from further spread of infection. what is mrsa? most methicillin - resistant staphylococcus aureus ( mrsa ) infections are skin infections. mrsa is a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics called beta - lactams. these antibiotics include methicillin and other more common antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin, and amoxicillin. causes of mrsa infection mrsa infections, as with all staph, are usually spread by having contact with someone ' s skin infection or personal items they have used, like towels, bandages, or razors that touched their infected skin. national population - based estimates of invasive mrsa infections are 94, 360 invasive mrsa infections annually in the us ; with associated 18, 650 deaths each year. the centers for disease control and prevention ( cdc ) recommends the following prevention techniques : - frequent hand washing with soap and water, or alcohol - based hand rubs, is critical to the prevention of spread of disease. - maintain a clean environment. establish cleaning procedures for frequently touched surfaces. - do not share personal items. the sharing of personal items such as towels, razors, and clothing can lead to the spread of disease. - use mouth, nose, eye, and hand protection in your health center. since 86 % of mrsa infections are spread in health - care settings, this is expecially important. most mrsa infections are skin infections that appear as pustules or boils which often are red, swollen, painful, or have pus or


planes of motion it ’ s a bird … it ’ s a plane … it ' s planes of motion! planes of motion can be a challenging concept to grasp. the human body is divided into three primary planes - transverse plane, frontal plane, and the sagittal plane. sagittal plane : divides body into right and left sides frontal plane : divides body into anterior and posterior sides ( front / back ) transverse plane : divides body into superior and inferior parts ( top and bottom ) all motion occurs around one of these three planes of motion. generally they occur as follows : sagittal plane : flexion / extension frontal plane : abduction / adduction transverse plane : internal rotation / external rotation pages 109 and 110 in the ace essentials of exercise science for fitness professionals manual lists all the fundamental movements in each plane. below is a great website to help with your understanding of movement in different planes. understanding planes of motion another suggestion is if you are viewing the link above and you get to the diagrams of the people … find a doorway that spans two rooms ( doorway leading into your bedroom for example ). when reviewing the sagittal plane of motion, stand with your nose against the doorframe so one foot is in the hallway and one foot is in the bedroom. this divides your body into right and left sides down the middle ( just like the sagittal plane does ). when reviewing the frontal plane, stand with your back against the wall ( and pretend it divides you into half - front half / back half ). this might be an easier way to visualize the different planes. planes of motion can be difficult to grasp initially, but with some patience and ‘ hands on ’ practice, you might find the information starting to make sense. remember, if you have any questions, please contact an education consultant at 1 - 888 - 825 - 3636 x782


several new raspberry varieties were set out in commercial fields in 2007 and 2008. here we report on observations made by the growers and our summer students in 2009 - 2011. we will continue to make notes on these varieties in 2012. two summer red raspberry varieties were planted in 2008 in three locations in southwestern ontario. this variety was developed in new zealand and is of interest because it is resistant to raspberry bushy dwarf virus. the raspberry variety moutere does not have acceptable flavour for most ontario markets. it is very productive and has a nice large, oblong berry. it had good winter hardiness in essex county in 2009 and 2010. the berries are red to dark red, with a weak neck. glen ample was early, large and firm, however the flavour was mild and further testing of this variety is needed. it was not overly productive but large berry size made it appealing. the fruit is round, red, without much shine, neck strength is good and skin strength is good. the drupelets are very large, making the fruit seem solid, and " meaty ". it suffers from more cane dieback than moutere. although this variety is of interest it will not be commercially available in ontario until 2014. glen ample variety several new primocane fruiting raspberry varieties have been released with potential for ontario. five of these varieties were planted at two sites in 2007 : one in eastern ontario and one in niagara region. however, few show improved earliness, fruit brightness, quality or colour over the current standard autumn britten. the most promising varieties of those tested are polka and joan j, especially for high tunnel production. autumn britten is sometimes less vigourous than the other selections in this trial, however it produces the earliest primocane crop. fruit size and quality of autumn britten are good, but the fruit is dark after harvest. although early, fruit of jaclyn was difficult to harvest. it is a long, conical bright red berry. the fruit is irregular in shape. jaclyn was the next earliest to autumn britten in this trial. leaf rust was prevalent on jaclyn. fruit is well formed and firm with tight drupelets. polka is interesting for its excellent fruit quality and good yields. fruit colour is bright red tending to dark red, and size is large at first, but mostly average. polka is very susceptible to fire blight, a serious bacterial disease. fruit colour is dark red, however other aspects of fruit quality


good yields. fruit colour is bright red tending to dark red, and size is large at first, but mostly average. polka is very susceptible to fire blight, a serious bacterial disease. fruit colour is dark red, however other aspects of fruit quality are very good. the fruit has excellent neck strength and skin strength, and is large in size. the canes are nearly spineless. it is a productive variety with fruit quality and earliness that make it promising. drawbacks include the darker colour and susceptibility to fire blight. caroline is known for its excellent flavour and yields, however it is generally too late for field production in most of ontario. caroline is a very vigorous variety, with high yields but it is later than autumn britten being ready for harvest only a week earlier than heritage. caroline and himbo top were the latest selections in this trial. foliage is bright green. leaf rust was prevalent on caroline. himbo top is too late for field production in most of ontario but should be evaluated further for high tunnel production. it is a very vigourous variety. caroline and himbo top were the latest selections in this trial. thanks to the ontario berry growers association who supported this and other variety test plots with funding from the farm innovation program.


fast - growing fish may never wind up on your plate washington, d. c. ( ap ) — salmon that ’ s been genetically modified to grow twice as fast as normal could soon show up on your dinner plate. that is, if the company that makes the fish can stay afloat. after weathering concerns about everything from the safety of humans eating the salmon to their impact on the environment, aquabounty was poised to become the world ’ s first company to sell fish whose dna has been altered to speed up growth. the food and drug administration in 2010 concluded that aquabounty ’ s salmon was as safe to eat as the traditional variety. the agency also said that there ’ s little chance that the salmon could escape and breed with wild fish, which could disrupt the fragile relationships between plants and animals in nature. but more than two years later the fda has not approved the fish, and aquabounty is running out of money. the fda said it ’ s still working on the final piece of its review, a report on the potential environmental impact of the salmon that must be published for comment before an approval can be issued. that means a final decision could be months, even years away. while the delay could mean that the faster - growing salmon will never wind up on american dinner tables, there ’ s more at stake than seafood. aquabounty is the only u. s. company publicly seeking approval for a genetically modified animal that ’ s raised to be eaten by humans. and scientists worry that its experience with the fda ’ s lengthy review process could discourage other u. s. companies from investing in animal biotechnology, or the science of manipulating animal dna to produce a desirable trait. that would put the u. s. at a disadvantage at a time when china, india and other foreign governments are pouring millions of dollars each year into the potentially lucrative field that could help reduce food costs and improve food safety. already, biotech scientists are changing their plans to avoid getting stuck in fda - related regulatory limbo. researchers at the university of california, davis have transferred an experimental herd of genetically engineered goats that produce protein - enriched milk to brazil, due to concerns about delays at the fda. and after investors raised concerns about the slow pace of the fda ’ s aquabounty review, canadian researchers in april pulled their fda application for a biotech pig that would produce environmentally friendly waste. “ the story of aquabounty is disappointing because everyone was hoping the company would be a clear signal that genetic modification in animals is


atlantic salmon because they are the most widely consumed salmon in the u. s. and are farmed throughout the world : in 2010, the u. s. imported more than 200, 000 tons of atlantic salmon, worth over $ 1. 5 billion, from countries like norway, canada and chile. using gene - manipulating technology, aquabounty adds a growth hormone to the atlantic salmon from another type of salmon called the chinook. the process, company executives say, causes its salmon to reach maturity in about two years, compared with three to four years for a conventional salmon. aquabounty executives say if their fish are approved for commercial sale, there are several safeguards designed to prevent the fish from escaping and breeding with wild salmon. the salmon are bred as sterile females. they also are confined to pools where the potential for escape would be low : the inland pens are isolated from natural bodies of water. and the company says that these pens would be affordable thanks to the fast - growing nature of aquabounty ’ s fish, which allows farmers to raise more salmon in less time. overall, the company estimates that it would cost 30 percent less to grow its fish than traditional salmon. but getting the fish to market hasn ’ t been easy. the company began discussions with the fda in 1993. but the agency did not yet have a formal system for reviewing genetically modified food animals. so aquabounty spent the next decade conducting more than two dozen studies on everything from the molecular structure of the salmon ’ s dna to the potential allergic reactions in humans who would eat it. by the time the fda completed its roadmap for reviewing genetically modified animals in 2009, aquabounty was the first company to submit its data. after reviewing the company ’ s data, the fda said in a public hearing in september of 2010 that aquabounty ’ s salmon is “ as safe as food from conventional atlantic salmon. ” the fda also said the fish “ are not expected to have a significant impact ” on the environment. but as the company has inched toward fda approval it has faced increasing pushback from natural food advocates, environmentalists and politicians from salmon - producing states. in fact, following the fda ’ s positive review of the fish, the house of representatives passed a budget that included language barring the fda from spending funds to approve a genetically engineered salmon. “ frankenfish is uncertain and unnecessary, ” said rep. don young of alaska, who authored the language. the senate did not adopt the measure. despite such opposition,


language barring the fda from spending funds to approve a genetically engineered salmon. “ frankenfish is uncertain and unnecessary, ” said rep. don young of alaska, who authored the language. the senate did not adopt the measure. despite such opposition, environmental groups such as the food and water watch say that fda approval seems inevitable. “ we think there is a clear bias toward approving genetically modified animals within the fda, ” said patty lovera, assistant director of food & water watch, a nonprofit that promotes environmentally friendly fishing and farming practices. “ this thing is trapped in a regulatory process that is predisposed toward approving it. ” but the delay could cause aquabounty to go bankrupt before its salmon reaches supermarkets. aquabounty, which started in 1991 focusing on proteins used to preserve human cells, changed direction after acquiring the rights to gene - manipulation technology from researchers at the university of toronto and memorial university of newfoundland. initial financing came from boston - area investors and biotech - focused venture capital funds, but the company has burned through more than $ 67 million since it started. according to its mid - year financial report, aquabounty had less than $ 1. 5 million in cash and stock. and it has no other products besides genetically modified salmon in development. in february, the cash - strapped company agreed to sell its research and development arm to its largest single shareholder, kakha bendukidze, a former republic of georgia finance minister turned investor, in return for his help raising $ 2 million in cash to stay afloat. aquabounty ’ s ceo stotish fretted that bendukidze, who controlled nearly 48 percent of aquabounty ’ s public stock, would move the company overseas. but in october bendukidze ’ s investment fund sold its shares to intrexon, a biotech firm headquartered in germantown, md. stotish views the sale as a positive development, but he still worries that the u. s. government is unwilling to approve the technology at the heart of his company ’ s work. “ this is about more than aquabounty and more than salmon, ” stotish says. “ and shame on us if we allow this to slip away because of partisan bickering and people who oppose new technology. ”


science fair project encyclopedia billboard is a weekly american magazine devoted to the music industry. it maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs or albums in various categories on a weekly basis. its most famous chart, the " hot 100 " survey, ranks the top 100 songs regardless of genre and is frequently used as the standard measure for ranking songs in the united states. the " billboard 200 " survey is the corresponding chart for album sales. when founded in 1894, billboard magazine was originally concerned with carnival entertainment, but music coverage grew to the point that its earlier subjects were spun off into a separate journal in the 1950s. on january 4, 1936 billboard magazine published its first music hit parade and on july 20, 1940 the first music popularity chart was calculated. since 1958 the hot 100 has been published, combining single sales and radio airplay. radio countdown programs for many years, the weekly syndicated radio program " american top 40, " hosted by casey kasem ( 1970 to august 1988 and the middle of 1998 to 2004 ) and shadoe stevens ( august 1988 to feb. 1994 ), played the top 40 songs on that billboard chart in reverse order ; in 2004, kasem was replaced with american idol host ryan seacrest. billboard magazine covers every aspect of the entertainment business, from dvds to video cassette sales to internet music downloads. it features news stories and opinion articles. for the most part, billboard is intended for music professionals, such as record label executives and djs. it is generally not intended for the general public, though it can occasionally be found at bookstores. but despite their extensive coverage of the entertainment business, they are best known for their charts. methodology of its charts currently, billboard uses a system called nielsen soundscan to track sales of singles as well as different genres of albums. essentially, it ' s a system that registers sales when the album or single is purchased at the cash register of soundscan - enabled stores. billboard also uses a system called broadcast data systems or bds, which they own as a subsidiary, to track radio airplay. essentially, each song has something like a fingerprint. when it is played on a radio station that is contracted to use bds, a detection is made. these detections are added it up every week among all radio stations to determine airplay points. each of billboard ' s many charts use this basic formula. what separates the charts is what stations or stores each chart uses. each genre ' s department at billboard is headed up by chart managers, who makes these determinations. sometimes,


airplay points. each of billboard ' s many charts use this basic formula. what separates the charts is what stations or stores each chart uses. each genre ' s department at billboard is headed up by chart managers, who makes these determinations. sometimes, what ' s ok on one chart is not ok on another chart. the most famous example of this was the song " into the groove " by madonna. it was initially only available as a 12 inch single. at the time, this was not acceptable to the managers of the hot 100 chart. so even though the song got extensive airplay, it was not allowed to chart on the hot 100. however, the r and b singles chart did not have this restriction, so " into the groove " actually charted on the r and b singles chart. for many years, a song had to be commercially available as a single to be considered for any of billboard ' s charts. at the time, instead of using soundscan or bds, billboard obtained its data from manual reports filled out by radio stations and stores. in 1990, the country singles chart was the first chart to use soundscan and bbs. they were followed by the hot 100 and the r and b chart in 1991. today, all of billboard ' s charts use this technology. before september 1995, singles were allowed to chart in the week they first went on sale based on airplay points alone. the policy was changed in september 1995 to only allow a single to debut after a full week of sales on combined sales and airplay points. this allowed several tracks to debut at # 1. in december 1998, the policy was further modified to allow tracks to chart on the basis of airplay alone without a commercial release. a variety of charts currently, billboard has many, many different charts with the hot 100 and billboard 200 just being the most famous. billboard also has charts for the following music styles : country, bluegrass, jazz, classical, r and b, rap, electronic, latin, christian music and even for ringtones for cell phones. it also features a modern rock tracks chart and a mainstream rock tracks chart. the size of these charts varies from 10 positions up to 75. - list of number 1 hits ( usa ) by year - list of most frequently mentioned brands in the billboard top 20 - joel whitburn - publisher of numerous books compiling billboard chart data the contents of this article is licensed from www. wikipedia. org under the gnu free documentation license. click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details


arthralgia - pain in the joint. arthritis - inflammation of the joint. arthrogram - x - ray of a joint. arthroscopy - the use of an intra - articular camera inserted into the joint through a small incision to show the inside of a joint ; the procedure allows the physician to also assess, repair, or reconstruct various tissues both within and around joints. bone scan - a nuclear imaging method to evaluate any degenerative and / or arthritic changes in the joints ; to detect bone diseases and tumors ; to determine the cause of bone pain or inflammation. bursas - fluid - filled sacs between bones and ligaments, or other adjacent structures. bursitis - inflammation of the bursas. cartilage - a connective tissue that covers the ends of bones in a joint. cast - a cast holds a broken bone in place as it heals, prevents or decreases muscle contractures, or provides immobilization, especially after surgery. casts immobilize the joint above and the joint below the area that is to be kept straight and without motion. for example, a child with a forearm fracture will have a long arm cast to immobilize the wrist and elbow joints. clubfoot - also known as talipes equinovarus, clubfoot is a foot deformity that is detected at birth. it affects the bones, muscles, tendons, and blood vessels and can affect one or both feet. the foot is usually short and broad in appearance and the heel points downward while the front half of the foot, or forefoot, turns inward. the heel cord ( achilles tendon ) is tight. the heel can appear narrow and the muscles in the calf are smaller compared to a normal lower leg. computed tomography scan ( also called ct or cat scan. ) - a diagnostic imaging procedure that uses a combination of x - rays and computer technology to produce cross - sectional images ( often called slices ), both horizontally and vertically, of the body. a ct scan shows detailed images of any part of the body, including the bones, muscles, fat, and organs. ct scans are more detailed than general x - rays. congenital - present at birth. contusion - bruise. developmental dysplasia of the hip ( ddh ) - a condition of the hip joint that is congenital ( present at birth ). the hip joint is created as a ball - and - socket joint. in ddh, the hip socket may


developmental dysplasia of the hip ( ddh ) - a condition of the hip joint that is congenital ( present at birth ). the hip joint is created as a ball - and - socket joint. in ddh, the hip socket may be shallow, letting the " ball " of the long leg bone, also known as the femoral head, slip in and out of the socket. the " ball " may move partially or completely out of the hip socket. dislocation - a dislocation occurs when extreme force is put on a ligament causing the two bone ends to separate. dislocations can also affect a joint, the point where two or more bones come together. the joint is created as a " ball - and - socket " joint. a dislocated joint causes the head of the bone ( ball ) to partially or completely come out of the socket. electromyogram ( emg ) - a test that measures the electrical activity of a muscle or a group of muscles. an emg can detect abnormal electrical muscle activity due to diseases and neuromuscular conditions. femur - thighbone. fractures - a partial or complete break in the bone. joint - where the ends of two or more bones meet. juvenile rheumatoid arthritis ( jra ) - a form of arthritis in children ages 16 or younger that causes inflammation and stiffness of the joints. kyphosis - a forward curvature of the back bones ( vertebrae ) in the upper back area, giving the child a " humpback " appearance. legg - calve - perthes disease - a temporary condition in children in which the head, or " ball, " of the thigh bone, referred to as the femoral head, loses its blood supply. as a result, the " ball " of the thigh bone collapses. the body will absorb the dead tissue and replace the dead bone cells with new bone cells. the new bone cells will eventually reshape the " ball " of the thigh bone. this condition causes the hip joint to become painful and stiff for a period of time. ligaments - a white, shiny, flexible band of fibrous tissue that binds joints together and connects various bones and cartilage. lordosis - a curvature of the back bones ( vertebrae ) in the lower back area, giving the child a " swayback " appearance. magnetic resonance imaging ( mri ) - a diagnostic procedure that uses a combination of large magnets, radiofrequencies, and a computer to produce


bones ( vertebrae ) in the lower back area, giving the child a " swayback " appearance. magnetic resonance imaging ( mri ) - a diagnostic procedure that uses a combination of large magnets, radiofrequencies, and a computer to produce detailed images of organs and structures within the body. metatarsus adductus ( also called metatarsus varus. ) - a common, congenital ( present at birth ) foot deformity that causes the front half of the foot, or forefoot, to turn inward. muscular dystrophy ( md ) - is a broad term that describes a genetic ( inherited ) disorder of the muscles. md causes the muscles in the body to become very weak. the muscles break down and are replaced with fatty deposits over time. the most common form of md is called duchenne muscular dystrophy ( dmd ). musculoskeletal system - the complex system that include : bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and nerves. nursemaid ' s elbow - a condition common in children younger than 4 years of age in which the radius ( one of the bones of the forearm ) slips out of place from its attachment to the elbow joint. orthopaedic surgeon ( also called an orthopaedist. ) - a physician who diagnoses, treats, manages the rehabilitation process, and provides prevention protocols for patients who suffer from injury or disease in any of the components of the musculoskeletal system. orthopaedic surgery ( also called orthopaedics. ) - the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and prevention of injuries and diseases of the body ' s musculoskeletal system. osgood - schlatter disease - an overuse condition or injury of the knee that causes pain and swelling below the knee area. osteogenesis imperfecta ( also called oi or brittle - bone disease. ) - a genetic ( inherited ) disorder characterized by bones that break easily. there may not be a particular cause for the broken bones. osteomyelitis - an infection in the bone. overuse conditions - injuries due to minor trauma involving soft tissue injuries - injuries that affect the bone, muscles, ligaments, and / or tendons. patella - the knee - cap. rheumatologist - a physician who specializes in the treatment of arthritis and other rheumatic diseases that may affect joints, muscles, bones, skin, and other


##s, and / or tendons. patella - the knee - cap. rheumatologist - a physician who specializes in the treatment of arthritis and other rheumatic diseases that may affect joints, muscles, bones, skin, and other tissues. r. i. c. e. - rest, ice, compression, and elevation. scoliosis - a lateral, or sideways curvature and rotation of the back bones ( vertebrae ), giving the appearance that the person is leaning to one side. septic ( infectious ) arthritis - an infection in the joint fluid and tissues. slipped capital femoral epiphysis ( scfe ) - a condition in children in which the head, or " ball, " of the thigh bone, referred to as the femoral head, slips off the neck of the thigh bone. an analogy commonly used to describe this condition is that is can be like a scoop of ice cream slipping off the top of a cone. this condition causes the hip joint to become painful and stiff. soft tissue - the ligaments, tendons, and muscles in the musculoskeletal system. sprain - a partial or complete tear of a ligament. strain - a partial or complete tear of a muscle or tendon. stress fracture - a bone injury caused by overuse. synovial fluid - a clear, sticky fluid that is released by the synovial membrane and acts as a lubricant for joints and tendons. synovial membrane - a tissue that lines and seals the joint. tendons - the tough cords of tissue that connect muscles to bones. tibia - the shin bone. tibial torsion - an inward twist of the shin bones, the bones that are located between the knee and the ankle. tibial torsion causes the child ' s feet to turn inward, or have what is also known as a " pigeon - toed " appearance. it is typically seen among toddlers. x - ray - a diagnostic test which uses invisible electromagnetic energy beams to produce images of internal tissues, bones, and organs onto film. click here to view the online resources of orthopaedics | pocket doc mobile app | | maps and locations ( mobile ) | | programs & services | | for health professionals | | for patients & families | | find a doctor |


in child composers and their works : a historical survey, barry cooper examines over 100 composers born before 1900 who wrote substantial musical works before age 16. the book provides a general overview of the subject, examining the ways and identifying possible reasons these works have been marginalized in the general literature. the book also contains an annotated checklist of over 100 notable child composers, presenting a valuable and handy reference of these creators and their early works. the annotated checklist presents a chronological listing of child composers born before 1900 and features a descriptive list of what they wrote, often including analytical commentary and offering occasional music examples for illustration. the list also includes a select catalog of works, suggestions for further reading, and recordings when available. complete with a bibliography and an index of composers, this resource is invaluable to scholars and historians. a lofty undertaking? certainly. but one that must happen if we are to move beyond the barriers that brooks has so ably shown exist in understanding the value of music by one such undersung group - children. and by hearing - and patiently working to understand - the voices of the voiceless we will experience the truth richness of the human life cycle, from beginning to end. wosu public media weblog barry cooper is a prominent scholar and prolific writer about beethoven and other musical subjects. here he explores a relatively untouched and somewhat marginalized area : music written by children younger than 16... includres bibliography and composer index. the beethoven journal this work is an essential purchase for all larger public and academic librarians. american reference books annual cooper reveals that study of this subject can illuminate broader issues of interest to those involved in the study of children more generally. recommended. choice this volume is an attempt to fill an enormous void in historical musicology studies : the works of child composers. the author in his introduction is quite detailed and precise about what he feels this " virgin field " is. he is not talking about music written by adults for children, or children ' s music concerned with pedagogy in the classroom. the purpose of this book is to provide preliminary research for more extensive studies of musical compositions written by children in the past. international association of music libraries


one of the largest federally mandated programs ever is coming down the pike and it will impact every aspect of u. s. steelmaking. it ' s expected to become the law of the land soon after a new president moves into the oval office. when the law is signed, as most expect it will be in early 2009, u. s. manufacturers will have to cap their emissions, probably at 2009 levels. at that point, depending on the bill ' s language, they will either be sold or given emissions " credits. " the credits will be bought and sold among emitters, and as the price of carbon rises so too will the incentive to accumulate more credits. it will be in the economic interest of manufacturers, therefore, to reduce their emissions and thereby save the planet from the catastrophic impacts of global warming. while the idea of cap and trade is simple — the system ' s goal is to reduce carbon emissions, the leading contributor to global warming — drafting the bill, not to mention its implementation, could be a nightmare. europe, the first to implement a cap - and - trade program, made significant mistakes right out of the gate. it gave away too many credits for free, and the price of a ton of carbon has suffered as a result. the u. s. congress would rather get it right the first time, and its main legislative vehicle, the lieberman - warner bill, is expected to come up for vote in the senate in june. despite their best efforts to stop it, steel producers have mostly accepted the idea that there will be a mandatory cap - and - trade program. steel industry lobbyists are now focusing on how to get the best possible deal and are spending a lot of money to try to steer the legislation in their favor. but a battle may be brewing between the two major groups of producers, according to sources. because of their blast furnaces, integrated steel companies like pittsburgh - based u. s. steel corp. and arcelormittal sa, luxembourg, produce more emissions than mini - mills with electric - arc furnaces. the growth of recycling and the widespread deployment of electric - arc furnace technology in the united states since the early 1980s are major reasons for the declining carbon footprint of the u. s. steel industry, jim slattery, a trade attorney, told congress in march. american steelmakers emit an average of only a little over 1. 2 tons of greenhouse gases per ton of steel produced, according to the american iron and steel institute ( aisi ). mini - mills produce about 0


, told congress in march. american steelmakers emit an average of only a little over 1. 2 tons of greenhouse gases per ton of steel produced, according to the american iron and steel institute ( aisi ). mini - mills produce about 0. 6 ton while the integrateds produce about 1. 7 tons. on average, steel producers around the world emit more than 1. 7 tons of greenhouse gases, directly and indirectly, for every ton of steel produced. china, the world ' s largest steel producer, emits maybe three times that amount, although sources say data on chinese emissions is incomplete. today, the production of steel accounts for less than 2 percent of total u. s. greenhouse gas emissions. according to the u. s. environmental protection agency, the steel industry directly emitted 86. 2 million tonnes of co2 in 1990. in 2005, those emissions totaled 46. 2 million tonnes, a reduction of nearly 50 percent even though steel production in 2005 was more than 7 percent higher than in 1990. as it currently stands, the cost impact of the lieberman - warner bill would be about three times greater on integrated mills, where emitting carbon is a necessary part of the process of making steel. " we are condemned to create co2 no matter how much anyone tells us to stop it, " one integrated producer said. the integrated producers want the bill to acknowledge that inevitability, and one steel industry lobbyist said they are making progress getting so called " process emissions " exemptions included in the bill. cap and trade also encourages manufacturers to increase their energy efficiency, but that ' s something integrated producers say they have already " maxed out " on. but that doesn ' t mean the bill lets mini - mills off the hook. electric - arc furnaces suck up a great deal of electricity, more than half of which comes from burning coal. cap and trade likely would raise the price of traditional energy sources like coal in order to promote increased use of renewable and clean energy technologies. to help offset this, the mini - mills want a recycling credit put into the bill. at closed - door meetings of the american iron and steel institute ( aisi ) in washington, the mini - mills and integrateds are discussing ways for the cap - and - trade pain to be evenly distributed so that the balance of u. s. production remains at its current level of 60 percent mini - mill and 40 percent integrated. but the mini - mills also see an opportunity to get a leg up on their integrated competitors, and one


be evenly distributed so that the balance of u. s. production remains at its current level of 60 percent mini - mill and 40 percent integrated. but the mini - mills also see an opportunity to get a leg up on their integrated competitors, and one source said the temptation for them to let that happen is great. still, the mini - mills realize they need the integrateds — after all, if the integrateds went out of business completely the minis would eventually face a serious scrap shortage. publicly, however, the mini - mills say they are in arm - and - arm with the integrateds. " i think the bill hurts all sides of our industry because energy costs are going to skyrocket, " patrick j. mcfadden, director of governmental affairs at charlotte, n. c. - based nucor corp., said. " as an industry, we have already reduced our emissions significantly. " thomas danjczek, president of the steel manufacturers association, agrees. " it ' s not winners and losers, it ' s just losers and bigger losers, " he said. duke energy corp., charlotte, n. c., one of the country ' s largest generators of electricity, predicts that a cap - and - trade program could cause electricity prices in the duke service area to rise by 53 percent by 2012. the aisi, meanwhile, is funding research on an ironmaking process called hydrogen flash smelting, which doesn ' t use carbon as a fuel and therefore produces no carbon dioxide emissions. that technology is still in the research phase, however. the integrateds have at least one advantage over the minis some of them already operate under the european cap - and - trade system. " u. s. steel ' s european operations ( in slovakia ) are currently regulated under the eu ( emissions trading system ), " scott salmon, director of government affairs at u. s. steel, said. another concern that cuts across the production chasm is how to keep u. s. - produced steel globally competitive since most of the rest of the world doesn ' t have a cap - and - trade system. one answer is to tax imports at a level that reflects what they would have cost to produce under u. s. laws. that ' s a problematic solution, however, and would certainly invite challenges at the world trade organization. still, without some border - adjustable component, producers fear production would move overseas.


african americans have limited access to mental and behavioral health care of the nearly 34 million people who identify themselves as african american, 22 % of which live in poverty. these individuals are at particular risk for mental health illness due to an overrepresentation in homeless populations, people who are incarcerated, children in foster care and child welfare systems, and victims of serious violent crime. [ surgeon general ’ s report : mental health, cultural, race, ethnicity, 2001 ] african americans are at - risk for mental and behavioral health problems 40 % of youth in the criminal justice system and 45 % of children in foster care are african american. [ surgeon general ’ s report : mental health, cultural, race, ethnicity, 2001 ] psychologists can work to eliminate or reduce behaviors prevalent in foster care children, such as aggression, fighting, negativism, and isolation. [ apa, monitor on psychology 2005 ] over 25 % of african american youth exposed to violence have proven to be at high risk for post traumatic stress disorder ( ptsd ). [ surgeon general ’ s report : mental health, cultural, race, ethnicity, 2001 ] psychologists can teach community intervention methods, such as dialogue and coalition building, as well as interpersonal communication, negotiation, mediation, and community organizing. for traumatic stress, psychologists can encourage youth to contemplate the psychosocial impact of violence, loss, and suffering as well as crisis response skills. [ apa, monitor on psychology 2001 ] african americans are nearly twice as likely as non - hispanic whites to be diagnosed with schizophrenia. [ mental health services research, 2000. ] psychologists have become an integral part in programs that help treat schizophrenic patients, allowing them to live normal, independent lives by teaching them to handle the symptoms and effects of schizophrenia, such as voices or delusions. [ apa, monitor on psychology 2000 ] african americans are twice as likely to have diabetes as whites, substantially more likely to die of stroke and around 10 % more likely to have some form of heart disease. [ hhs fact sheet minority health disparities at a glance, 2005 ]. psychologists play an essential role in helping people modify their behavior to prevent and recover from chronic illnesses like these. they have developed treatment and prevention programs for some of america ’ s most serious behaviorally - based health problems. poverty and social structures barriers to psychological services studies show african americans are just as much at risk for mental illness as their white counterparts, yet receive substantially less treatment. analysis of u. s. census bureau data shows that in


on psychology. american psychological association. vol. 31, no. 2, february 2000. " mental health : cultural, race, ethnicity. " surgeon general ’ s report. us department of health and human services, office of the surgeon general, samhsa. 2001. o ’ conner, elieen m. " from classroom to conflict resloution. " monitor on psychology. american psychological association. vol. 32, no. 8, september, 2001. " president ’ s new freedom commission on mental health. " www. mentalhealthcomission. gov 2003. psychiatric disorders greatly underdiagnosed in hospital emergency departments, study finds. apa press release. public affairs office, february 2005. ronzio, cynthia r. phd ; guagliardo, mark f. phd ; persaud, navita mph, ches. " disparity in location of urban mental service providers. " american journal of orthopsychiatry. american psychological association. vol. 76, january 2006, p 37 - 43. snowden, lonnie r. " barriers to effective mental health services for african americans. " mental health services research, vol. 3, no. 4, december 2001. staff. " a call for data collection to eliminate health disparities. " apa monitor on psychology. vol. 37, no. 4, april 2006.


the carpathian english walnut grows in acidic, alkaline, drought tolerant, loamy, moist, sandy, well drained, clay soils. a popular tree for its dual role of food and shade provider. the flavorful walnuts are easy to shell and a favorite for eating fresh and baking. it is a fast growing, stately tree with strong, sturdy branches that form a spreading crown for dense shade. this cultivar is well adapted for cold climates. can be planted as a nut - bearing landscape tree. nuts are thin - shelled, easy to open. tree ' s crown is rounded, spreading and open. prefers deep, dry, light loamy soils. avoid wet or poor subsoil. grows 40 ' to 60 ', 40 ' - 60 ' spread. ( partially self - fertile, plant multiple trees to ensure pollination ) ( zones 5 - 9 ) the thin shell of the carpathian walnut makes the kernel more available to wildlife that the harder shelled native black walnut. the word walnut is a derivative of the " gaul nut. " gaul, the former name for france, was one of the places to which this persian tree spread at the end of the ice age. pinnately compound, alternate, 5 - 9 leaflets, 2 " - 5 " long, medium to dark green. a round, fleshy green husk in clusters of 3 - 9 encloses a hard, thin 1 1 / 2 " - 2 " shell with a rich, flavorful kernel. at maturity the husk opens and releases the walnut which falls to the ground. harvest in late september to mid - october.


overview of content related to ' rss ' this page provides an overview of 1 article related to ' rss '. note that filters may be applied to display a sub - set of articles in this category ( see faqs on filtering for usage tips ). select this link to remove all filters. rss ( most commonly expanded as really simple syndication ) is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works - such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video - in a standardized format. an rss document ( which is called a " feed ", " web feed ", or " channel " ) includes full or summarized text, plus metadata such as publishing dates and authorship. web feeds benefit publishers by letting them syndicate content automatically. they benefit readers who want to subscribe to timely updates from favored websites or to aggregate feeds from many sites into one place. rss feeds can be read using software called an " rss reader ", " feed reader ", or " aggregator ", which can be web - based, desktop - based, or mobile - device - based. a standardized xml file format allows the information to be published once and viewed by many different programs. ( excerpt from wikipedia article : rss ) see our ' rss ' overview for more data and comparisons with other tags. for visualisations of metadata related to timelines, bands of recency, top authors, and and overall distribution of authors using this term, see our ' rss ' usage charts. ariadne contributors most frequently referring to ' rss ' :


arabian babbler ( turdoides squamiceps ) | also known as : | | arabian brown | | french : | | craterope ecaille arabe | | size | | length : c. 28 cm ( 2 ) | | weight | | 65 - 85 g ( 2 ) | the arabian babbler is classified as least concern ( lc ) on the iucn red list ( 1 ). a superbly camouflaged dark brown bird, from a distance the arabian babbler ( turdoides squamiceps ) appears rather plain, but upon closer inspection the fluffy plumage is in fact quite attractive. the feathers covering the head have dark centres with white edges, giving an appealing mottled effect. the dark centres of the feathers on the underparts become lighter and the white turns a tan colour. the arabian babbler has short, curved wings, an elongated tail that balances the bird as it weaves through dense or thorny vegetation, and a long, thin, slightly downward - pointing bill ( 2 ). the arabian babbler is found from yemen, oman and the united arab emirates in the southern arabian peninsula into saudi arabia, jordan, israel and egypt ( 3 ). the arabian babbler is found in a variety of different habitats, ranging from arable land and plantations, to grassland, saltmarshes, shrubland and true desert, up to altitudes of 2, 800 metres ( 3 ). in the negev desert of israel, the arabian babbler uses acacia bushes for cover and nest sites ( 2 ) ( 4 ). remaining close to cover, the arabian babbler feeds mainly on insects, but during the winter when insects are scarce, it feeds largely on fruit, as well as small lizards and snakes ( 2 ) ( 5 ). the arabian babbler reproductive cycle is the most studied of the babbler species ( 6 ). generally, two to three eggs are laid in an open - cup nest in a small tree ( 6 ), but in areas of reproductive conflict, multiple females will lay eggs in a single nest ( 2 ). the eggs are then incubated for some 14 or 15 days. fledglings continue to receive food from adults up to two months after fledging ( 6 ). babblers are cooperative breeders, meaning small, compact family groups cooperate to defend a territory and raise offspring. by defending an area with family members and helping to raise siblings, juvenile babblers build strong bonds within the group, which