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 may help gain territories in later years, when they in turn breed ( 2 ) ( 4 ). with a population that is thought to be increasing, there appear to be no major threats to the arabian babbler. however, there are some local scale threats, including the unsustainable pumping of groundwater, which causes widespread tree mortality, resulting in uninhabitable areas ( 6 ). furthermore, it is considered the most common resident bird in the negev desert in israel ( 2 ). there are currently no known conservation plans targeting the arabian babbler, although it is found within a number of protected areas ( 1 ). for more information about conservation in the emirates the environment agency – abu dhabi : for more information on the arabian babbler and other bird species, see : authenticated ( 21 / 01 / 2011 ) by dr a ridley, research fellow, macquarie university, - incubate : to keep eggs warm so that development is possible. - territory : an area occupied and defended by an animal, a pair of animals or a colony. iucn red list ( september, 2010 ) - zahavi, a. ( 1990 ) arabian babblers : the quest for social status in a cooperative breeder. in : stacey, p. b. and koenig, w. d. ( eds. ) cooperative breeding in birds : long - term studies of ecology and behaviour. cambridge university press, cambridge. birdlife international - arabian babbler ( september, 2010 ) - perrins, c. ( 2009 ) the encyclopedia of birds. oxford university press, oxford. - dean, w. r. j. ( 2004 ) nomadic desert birds. springer - verlag. germany. - ridley, a. ( january, 2011 ) pers. comm.


la palma giant lizard ( gallotia auaritae ) | size | | snout - vent length : up to 44 cm ( 2 ) | the la palma giant lizard is classified as critically endangered ( cr ) on the iucn red list ( 1 ). the la palma giant lizard ( gallotia auaritae ) belongs to the genus gallotia, a distinctive group of lizards which occurs only on the canary islands ( 3 ). although thought to be extinct, a possible sighting of this species in 2007 suggests that a remnant population of the la palma giant lizard might still exist ( 1 ). from the structure of its skeleton, the la palma giant lizard is known to be a large, robust lizard with well developed, muscular legs ( 2 ). male giant lizards are generally larger than females, with larger, sturdier heads ( 4 ). although recent sighting of this species may be unconfirmed ( 5 ), it is described as being dark - brown in colour ( 2 ). the la palma giant lizard is endemic to the island of la palma, in the canary islands. its historic range is believed to extend from sea level, up to elevations of 800 metres ( 1 ). while there is little information on the habitat preference of the la palma giant lizard, it is believed to have previously inhabited the littoral zone throughout la palma ( 1 ). it is thought to be absent from areas of pine and laurel ( 2 ). an extremely rare and possibly extinct species, there is very little information on the biology of the la palma giant lizard. the structure of its teeth suggests that this species is mainly herbivorous, and therefore feeds primarily on plant matter ( 2 ) ( 4 ). as with other members of the genus gallotia, the la palma giant lizard is thought to be a slow - growing reptile ( 2 ). the la palma giant lizard is believed to be an egg laying species ( 1 ). the decline in the la palma giant lizard population is believed to be mainly due to the arrival of humans to the canary islands ( 1 ) ( 2 ). as well as using this species as a source of food, humans also introduced other predators of the la palma giant lizard, including cats and dogs ( 1 ) ( 2 ). loss of habitat due to land being converted for agriculture and competition with domestic stock have further threatened the survival of the la palma giant lizard ( 1 ) ( 2 ). the la palma giant lizard is believed to be potentially extinct, with a sighting of this species in 2007 remaining unconfirmed (


for agriculture and competition with domestic stock have further threatened the survival of the la palma giant lizard ( 1 ) ( 2 ). the la palma giant lizard is believed to be potentially extinct, with a sighting of this species in 2007 remaining unconfirmed ( 5 ) ( 6 ). if this species does still survive, the remaining population is likely to be extremely small, totalling less than 50 mature individuals. it is not known if this species occurs in any protected areas ( 1 ). all giant lizards in the canary islands were believed to be extinct until the rediscovery of a number of species in the 20th century ( 4 ). urgent research is needed to establish whether a population of the la palma giant lizard still exists, in which case recommended conservation measures include the establishing of strictly protected areas and preventing any future collection of this species for non - conservation purposes ( 1 ). find out more on the conservation of the wildlife of the mediterranean basin : iucn - the status and distribution of reptiles and amphibians of the mediterranean basin : this information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. if you are able to help please contact : - endemic : a species or taxonomic group that is only found in one particular country or geographic area. - genus : a category used in taxonomy, which is below ‘ family ’ and above ‘ species ’. a genus tends to contain species that have characteristics in common. the genus forms the first part of a ‘ binomial ’ latin species name ; the second part is the specific name. - herbivorous : having a diet that comprises only vegetable matter. - littoral zone : the shallow marine zone where light reaches the substrate ; this zone is subject to submersion and exposure by tides. iucn red list ( october, 2011 ) mateo, j. a. ( 2009 ) lagarto gigante de la palma - gallotia auaritae. in : enciclopedia virtual de los vertebrados espanoles. carrascal, l. m. and salvador, a. ( eds. ) museo nacional de ciencias naturales, madrid. available at : - arnold, e. n. ( 2002 ) a field guide to the reptiles and amphibians of britain and europe. harpercollins publishers ltd., london. afonso, o. m. and mateo, j. a. ( 2003 ) los lagartos gigantes canarios : conservacion creativa de poblacion


tuesday 21 may zenker ’ s fruit bat ( scotonycteris zenkeri ) what ’ s the world ’ s favourite species? find out here. zenker ’ s fruit bat fact file - find out more - print factsheet zenker ’ s fruit bat description the little - known zenker ' s fruit bat ( scotonycteris zenkerii ) is distinguished by its distinctive facial markings consisting of a white spot above the nose, and two additional spots above the eyes ( 3 ). the fur on the body ranges from light to dark brown with a paler underside ( 3 ). zenker ' s fruit bat has large forward - facing eyes, which give it great depth perception, as well as good daytime and nocturnal vision ( 3 ). as this bat does not echolocate, it has simple and relatively small external ears ( 3 ). these features are typical of fruit bats, as are the claws that are found on the hind feet which are used predominantly for hanging upside down and climbing ( 3 ). top zenker ’ s fruit bat biology thought to be a solitary species, zenker ’ s fruit bat roosts singly in a tree and has a small home range ( 2 ) ( 5 ) ( 6 ). zenker ’ s fruit bat is, as the name implies, mainly frugivorous ( 5 ) ( 6 ), consuming small fruits and spitting out the pulp and seeds. due to this feeding behaviour, fruit bats are important seed dispersers in the forests they inhabit ( 3 ). like other fruit bats, it is likely that zenker ’ s fruit bat is most active at dawn and dusk, although it may occasionally move around its tree roost during the day to maintain its internal body temperature ( 3 ). most fruit bats have two breeding seasons a year ( 3 ), but females typically only conceive in one of the seasons. births are generally synchronised to correspond with the period of greatest food availability ( 3 ). fruit bats usually give birth to one young at a time after a four to six month gestation period ( 3 ). fruit bats have several natural predators, which include birds of prey, large reptiles and some carnivorous mammals ( 4 ). however, although predators may influence feeding and roosting behaviour, they are seldom a serious threat to fruit bat populations ( 4 ). top zenker ’ s fruit bat range zenker ' s fruit bat occurs in western and central africa ( 4 ). its unconnected range, thought to comprise of


forum — saving the bay : it ’ s one of the things ars does best some locals measure water quality in the chesapeake bay using the “ sneaker index. ” in the 1950s, maryland resident bernie fowler waded into the patuxent river to his shoulders and could see his white sneakers on the riverbed. but in 1988, when fowler, who by then was a state senator, ventured back into the patuxent, he could not see his nice white sneakers once he waded beyond 10 inches of water. it was better in 2009, when he could see his sneakers in 25. 5 inches of water — but it ’ s still not good enough. agricultural research service scientists haven ’ t been watching over the chesapeake bay quite as long as fowler has, but they are committed to restoring water quality in the bay. this is where bald eagles patrol the marshes, american oystercatchers pace the beaches and tidal flats, bottlenose dolphins cruise offshore waters, and crabs with bright blue claws swim sideways through the shallows. and the famed eastern oysters that cluster in massive aquatic reefs double as water - treatment plants — an individual bivalve can filter sediments, algae, and pollutants from as much as 50 gallons of water every day. but the oysters can ’ t keep up with current challenges. in 2006, about 16. 6 million people lived in the bay watershed ( see map of watershed in “ there ’ s more than one way to save the bay ” in this issue ), where the demand for surface - and ground - water supplies continues to grow. at the same time, water sources are contaminated by sewage, sediment, fertilizer runoff from suburban lawns, and expired medications that are poured down drains throughout the six states in the chesapeake bay watershed. agriculture is another major factor in the bay ’ s health. poultry production on the eastern shore is an economic mainstay, but nutrient - rich runoff from poultry litter flows into the creeks and drainage ditches that feed the bay. the runoff prompts growth of algae and other plants, and when the vegetation dies, its decomposition robs those waters of oxygen essential to other aquatic life. sediment and excess fertilizer from crop fields can also eventually migrate into waterways that feed into the bay. none of this is news. over the years, a range of state, federal, local, and nonprofit groups have put their best efforts toward stemming water pollution and restoring bay habitats. there ’ s been some progress, but not enough. so what happens now? and how will ars


over the years, a range of state, federal, local, and nonprofit groups have put their best efforts toward stemming water pollution and restoring bay habitats. there ’ s been some progress, but not enough. so what happens now? and how will ars be involved? on may 12, 2009, president barack obama signed executive order no. 13508 for the chesapeake bay protection and restoration, which directed federal agencies to increase their cooperation and collaboration in a concerted effort to clean up the bay. ars scientists will carry out the president ’ s mandate by strengthening their current research and continuing to forge new collaborative efforts with other federal agencies. these partnerships will allow ars to more fully address the environmental issues presented by the bay ’ s complex landscape — a mix of crop fields, pastures, forests, wetlands, and urban and suburban areas. for instance, since 2004, ars scientists in beltsville, maryland, have been leading the conservation effects assessment project ’ s watershed assessment study of maryland ’ s choptank river watershed ( see “ ars chesapeake bay research intensifies ” in this issue ). their long list of county, state, federal, university, and local partners reflects just how vital these studies are to understanding the watershed processes that affect water quality in the bay. ars scientist greg mccarty and usda forest service ecologist megan lang are using remote sensing to map forested wetlands in the chesapeake bay watershed ( see “ forested wetlands in the chesapeake bay watershed ” in this issue ). they ’ ve increased the accuracy of wetland maps by around 30 percent and developed techniques to track temporal variations in wetland flooding and soil moisture. mccarty is also working with u. s. geological survey physical scientist dean hively to use remote sensing to monitor the effectiveness of winter cover crops in sequestering nitrogen, which will support maryland ’ s cover crop cost - share programs ( see “ chesapeake bay cleanup revs up! ” in this issue ). ars scientists laura mcconnell and cathleen hapeman are partnering with the u. s. environmental protection agency to examine atmospheric, agricultural, and urban sources of bay pollutants. a few hours up the road, ars scientists at the pasture systems and watershed management research unit in university park, pennsylvania, are making their own contributions to cleaning up the chesapeake bay watershed. researchers peter kleinman, ray bryant, john schmidt, tony buda, curt dell, and clinton church have teamed up with regional partners on a range of water - quality projects that start in new york and end up on a former chicken farm on maryland ’ s eastern


biological science laboratory technician the overall goal of my laboratory is to provide molecular tools and integrated phylogenies needed for timely identification and treatment of nematode outbreaks in alfalfa, harvested forages and associated rotation crops, weeds, and grasses. this project includes fundamental research needed to fill gaps in knowledge regarding the diversity of nematodes and their relationship with beneficial or harmful endophytes in the rhizosphere. - development of novel methodologies for identifying and classifying plant - parasitic nematodes, including pcr, diagnostic assays and phylogenies based upon ribosomal, mitochondrial, or new protein coding genes ( such as hsp90 ). - discovery and characterization of novel molecular targets from nematodes or host plants that may be manipulated by transgenic methods for the purpose of bioengineering nematode - resistant cultivars. novel molecular markers and assays that provide rapid, accurate, and reliable identifications of nematode species and pathotypes will aid regulatory agencies and other nematologists in making scientifically - based management and quarantine decisions. these identification tools will facilitate the continued export of billions of dollars of agricultural products while preventing the introduction or spread of dangerous pathogens. identification and characterization of genes involved in essential nematode life processes will uncover novel targets for nematode control. likewise, the identification of host plant genes expressed in response to nematode infection will reveal additional targets or markers that may be used to increase host resistance to nematodes. second - stage juvenile of the northern root - knot nematode, a pest of alfalfa free nematology resource! dr. skantar has contributed a new section to " introduction to nematodes, " a multimedia resource for nematology instruction. dr. skantar ' s section describes molecular diagnostics methods for identification of nematodes. the slideshow can be downloaded for free from the following web sites :


- special reports traditionally, hearing aids, pacemakers, defibrillators, cochlear implants, neurostimulators and other medical devices depend on lithium - ion batteries. however, batteries add extra weight. batteries also raise numerous safety and reliability concerns. in addition, they pose a big challenge to medical engineers as they attempt to design and package increasingly smaller devices. medtronic inc., one of the largest medical device manufacturers in the world, recently found out the hard way why batteries can cause headaches. patients encountered “ reduced battery performance ” with its implantable drug infusion pumps. several years ago, medtronic ’ s implantable cardioverter - defibrillators suffered from premature battery depletion. energy harvesting technology promises to eliminate the need for bulky batteries and the risk of battery - related defects. engineers are attempting to capture unused power generated by everyday human activity, such as walking or breathing. “ energy harvesting is becoming an increasingly viable source of power for a variety of devices, especially where the environmental and economic costs of maintaining batteries is untenable, ” says bob gohn vice president of pike research. “ consumer products such as laptops and mobile phones are already being powered by energy harvesting technology. ” gohn believes medical device will be the next market to capitalize on the benefits of energy harvesting. “ in many of these applications, maintaining batteries is a major logistical and cost issue, ” gohn points out. “ viable energy harvesting technology exists today and developers are fast becoming familiar with how to implement it into ever more - innovative devices. ” several recent efforts focusing on energy harvesting promise to address these issues by eliminating the need for batteries in implantable medical devices. most r & d activity has focused on pacemakers. for instance, engineers at the university of michigan recently designed a device that harvests energy from the reverberation of heartbeats through the chest and converts it to electricity to run a pacemaker or an implanted defibrillator. it sends electrical signals to the heart to keep it beating in a healthy rhythm. “ the idea is to use ambient vibrations that are typically wasted and convert them to electrical energy, ” says daniel inman, chairman of the department of aerospace engineering. “ if you put your hand on top of your heart, you can feel these vibrations all over your torso. ” inman and his colleagues originally designed the energy harvester for use in light unmanned airplanes, where it could generate power from wing vibrations. they engineered the ceramic layer to a


top of your heart, you can feel these vibrations all over your torso. ” inman and his colleagues originally designed the energy harvester for use in light unmanned airplanes, where it could generate power from wing vibrations. they engineered the ceramic layer to a shape that can harvest vibrations across a broad range of frequencies. they also incorporated magnets, whose additional force field can drastically boost the electric signal that results from the vibrations. the new device could generate 10 microwatts of power, which is about eight times the amount a pacemaker needs to operate. “ it always generates more energy than the pacemaker requires, and it performs at heart rates from seven to 700 beats per minute, ” says inman. “ that ’ s well below and above the normal range. by taking the place of the batteries that power them today, the new energy harvester could save patients from repeated surgeries. “ currently operations must be scheduled about every seven to 10 years to replace the battery, ” inman points out. “ if our system works, it will negate the need for such operations. ” the researchers haven ' t built a prototype yet, but they ' ve made detailed blueprints and run simulations demonstrating that the concept would work. according to inman, a hundredth - of - an - inch thin slice of a piezoelectric ceramic material would catch heartbeat vibrations and briefly expand in response. “ piezoelectric materials can convert mechanical stress ( which causes them to expand ) into an electric voltage, ” he explains. the device is not close to commercialization because “ we have to go through animal tests, human certification and solve manufacturing issues yet, ” notes inman. however, he expects to see energy harvesting applied to other types of medical devices, wherever electrical power is needed inside the body to run monitoring devices. some devices, such as an internal defibrillator, would be more challenging, because it takes a large charge. “ but, we are thinking about it, ” adds inman.


red team leader commander kevin kregel, and colleagues janet kavandi and gerhard thiele initiated extension of the radar mast at 5 : 27 p. m. cst. after 17 minutes, all 87 cube - shaped bays of the carbon fiber - reinforced plastic, stainless steel, alpha titanium, and invar structure were deployed by 5 : 44 p. m. total length of the mast was 60. 95 meters, or just under 200 feet. the crew also maneuvered the shuttle into the proper attitude, or orientation, for mapping. this orientation points the shuttle payload bay - and its inboard and outboard radar antennas - at the earth. endeavour ' s tail is leading the way as the shuttle orbits about 150 statute miles above the surface. the red team then began a series of jet thruster firings to test the ability of dampers to absorb the force of planned maneuvering jet firings and keep the inboard and outboard antennas properly aligned. this alignment is crucial for scientists who will need to combine the radar images received by the two sets of antennas. the shuttle radar topography mission will record radar data in both c - band and x - band radar wavelengths. this data eventually will be processed into 3 - d maps of the earth that are 30 times more exact than those currently available. these maps will be important to scientists in many disciplines, ranging from ecology to geology to hydrology, as well as a number of military and commercial applications. as the red team performed the checkout procedures, blue team members dom gorie, janice voss and mamoru mohri set up the shuttle ' s network of portable computers and began an abbreviated six - hour sleep period at 3 : 44 p. m. they ' ll be awakened at 9 : 44 p. m. to begin radar mapping operations late tonight. endeavour is orbiting the earth in an orbit inclined 57 degrees to either side of the equator for the radar mapping of a majority of the earth ' s surface. the shuttle completes one orbit every 90 minutes at an altitude of about 150 statute miles.


by frank r. zindler the probing mind, october, 1987 in the words of harvard biologist - paleontologist stephen jay gould, " creation science is an oxymoron. " an oxymoron ( lit., " a wise fool " ) is a contradiction in terms. just as it is impossible for a fool to be wise, so too is it impossible for creationism to be science. anyone concerned about the meanings of words must concur with professor gould in his judgment. because any intelligible use of the term creation must imply the existence of a creator, and because the creator of all of nature must be, quite literally, super - natural, we see that the fundamental force operating in " creation science " is a super - natural force - which is a polite term for magic. science, however, involves the study of natural forces only, and ceases to be science when it attempts to explain phenomena by means of super - natural forces. it should not be surprising, therefore, that creationists do almost nothing at all that even imitates scientific research. almost all their " research " is done in libraries, not laboratories, and all their " evidence " for creation is really nothing more than intentionally or unintentionally garbled evidence against evolution - as if they could prove the genesis mythology by disproving darwin! as a matter of fact, most creationists are so devoid of any understanding of logic that it is not at all rare to hear one claim, " if i can disprove darwin ' s theory of natural selection, the only thing left is the biblical theory. " at least three things are wrong with this statement : ( 1 ) it confuses the question, " has evolution occurred? " with the question, " what is the mechanism of evolutionary change? " darwin ' s theory concerning how evolution takes place is but one of several attempts to account in natural terms for evolutionary change ( descent with modification ). disproof of darwin ' s theory, which identifies natural selection as the mechanism of evolutionary change would still leave other naturalistic ( i. e., scientific ) theories, such as the theory of genetic drift. it would also leave certain almost - scientific explanations, such as theistic evolution, which accepts the fact of evolutionary change but posits divine acts of alteration as its motive force. of course, even if one could show that all available explanations for how evolutionary change occurs were incorrect, the evidences showing that evolution has occurred would remain. ( 2 )


of evolutionary change but posits divine acts of alteration as its motive force. of course, even if one could show that all available explanations for how evolutionary change occurs were incorrect, the evidences showing that evolution has occurred would remain. ( 2 ) it falsely presumes that the genesis creation myths ( there are two! ) are the only existing supernatural accounts of origins, and ignores the contradictions between these two accounts. of course, every primitive culture in the world has produced its own account of human origins, and creationists are obliged, after they " disprove " naturalistic, evolutionary theories, to show that their own mythology is true. they must produce evidence that green plants existed before the sun was " created, " and that all life and all of nature came into existence in six days. they should show the superiority of their myth to the native american story about old man coyote and the chinese myth of the cosmic egg. if they wish us to accept the notion that any type of supernatural account is to be taken seriously, they must be willing to show how the jewish " theory " is superior to the egyptian " theory " that the world began with masturbatory activity on the part of the sun god. indeed, once they abandon the canons of proof standard in the natural sciences and allow the possibility of supernatural shenanigans, it would seem that they are obligated to show that all other mythologies known are false. however the logicians may come down on this question, the fact remains that the creation myths recorded in the first and second chapters of genesis are but two of a myriad of such myths, and creationists must find evidence to support one or the other of the mutually exclusive biblical accounts. the burden of proof now rests with the creationists. ( 3 ) it misuses the term theory. creationists either use the term pejoratively ( " evolution is only a theory " ), or they misapply the term to creationism. in scientific usage, a theory is the highest form of scientific understanding. a theory is an explanatory hypothesis which has passed test after test, and is still the best available explanation of the facts in question. in the case of creationism, however, those components of the apology which can be tested ( e. g., the idea that the earth is only six thousand years old and was covered by a shell of water in the year 2, 348 b. c. e. ) have been tested and found to be demonstrably false - showing


. g., the idea that the earth is only six thousand years old and was covered by a shell of water in the year 2, 348 b. c. e. ) have been tested and found to be demonstrably false - showing that creationism is not a viable theory, because viable theories have to pass tests. on the other hand, those components of creationism which involve certain types of magical events ( e. g., the divine creation of a young universe with all of its components bearing the false imprint of great age ) make the claims of creationism untestable - making creationism not a theory at all, because theories must be testable! we have pointed out that creationists confuse the question " has evolution occurred? " with the question " what is the cause of evolution? " the scientific answer to the first question is, of course, " yes, " and the answer to the second question ( at least in part ) is " natural selection. " what logic and evidence leads scientists - and atheists - to these answers? the logic of evolution the conclusion that evolution has occurred is drawn from two simple observations : observation 1 : living things come only from living things. spontaneous generation is not possible when living things are already in existence. observation 2 : fossil remains show that living things in the remote past were very different from living things today. conclusion : life has changed through time ( evolved ). a dramatic proof of the thesis that life has changed through time is seen in the fossil record of the vertebrates, animals having a segmented backbone. at the beginning of the cambrian period ( 570 - 500 million years ago ), there were no vertebrates at all. later in the cambrian, problematic forms appeared which seem to have been related to the vertebrates, but showed distant affinities with the echinoderms as well. ( echinoderms today are represented by starfish, sea lilies, sea cucumbers, etc. ; embryologically they appear to compose the phylum most closely related to the chordata, the phylum to which vertebrates belong. ) toward the end of the cambrian period, the first vertebrates appeared : the ostracoderms, jawless fishes possessed of a bony armor plate and having flattened bodies apparently adapted to a bottom - feeding way of life. according to the fossil record, vertebrates went without jaws for many millions of years. finally, at the beginning of the devonian period ( 395 - 345 million


armor plate and having flattened bodies apparently adapted to a bottom - feeding way of life. according to the fossil record, vertebrates went without jaws for many millions of years. finally, at the beginning of the devonian period ( 395 - 345 million years ago ), the first fish with jaws entered their remains into the record in the rocks. at the very end of the devonian or the beginning of the carboniferous period ( 345 - 280 million years ago ), the first primitive amphibians arose. these fish - like animals differed from their air - breathing fish ancestors mostly in their elaboration of the bony structure of the paired appendages - converting fins into hands and feet - and in reinforcement of the structures attaching the paired appendages to the spinal column. the first reptiles did not appear until the last half of the carboniferous period. to give the lie to creationist claims that there are no connecting - link fossils to join the vertebrate classes, the permian period ( 280 - 225 million years ago ) saw the appearance of an entire order of animals, the mammal - like reptiles ( therapsida ), which can be seen to change with time from typical, primitive reptiles, into primitive mammals. it was not until late in the triassic period ( 225 - 190 million years ago ) that the therapsid - mammal transmutation was complete. contrary to the first chapter of genesis, which claims that the first mammals appeared on the earth a mere twenty - four hours after the first fish, the first mammals did not appear on earth until more than 300 million years of fish evolution had transpired! birds, which, according to both creation myths in genesis, were created on the same day as fish, do not enter the fossil record until the jurassic period ( 190 - 136 million years ago ). representing an ultimate variation on the dinosaur theme, birds trace their descent from reptiles quite different from those ancestral to the mammals. contrary to the claims of some creationists, evolutionists do not claim that reptiles evolved into birds, and birds evolved into mammals! even though the first mammals appeared in the triassic period, forms for which the english language has names would not appear until the late cretaceous ( 136 - 65 million years ago ), when opossum - like forms appeared, the eocene epoch ( 60 - 40 million years ago ), when primitive whales originated, and the oligocene epoch ( 40 - 25 million years ago ), when apes, monkeys, and primitive grazing mammals appeared. the record in the


appeared, the eocene epoch ( 60 - 40 million years ago ), when primitive whales originated, and the oligocene epoch ( 40 - 25 million years ago ), when apes, monkeys, and primitive grazing mammals appeared. the record in the rocks, thus, is evidence either for fishes evolving into birds and mammals, or it is evidence of thousands of successive " special creations " - magical replacements of successive faunas by slightly different ones. curiously, the latter interpretation is as unbiblical as it is unscientific. if either of the biblical myths were true, all types of vertebrates - living types of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes - would be found along with bacteria and trilobites at the very beginning of the fossil record and would be extractable from all rock layers of later ages. but of course, nothing could be farther from reality. the infamous " gaps in the fossil record, " adduced by creationists as evidence against evolution, are actually a devastating refutation of the idea that all forms of life were miraculously zapped onto the earth at the same time! the logic of natural selection since creationists in their attacks of evolution in general, and of natural selection in particular, usually obfuscate the scientific principles involved and generally substitute a straw man which is easier to ridicule, it is important that we state clearly just what it is that science has to say on the topic of how new species come to be. the modern ( " synthetic " ) theory of natural selection consists of a tightly interwoven fabric of observations and logical conclusions drawn from them. in a nutshell, the structure of the theory is the following : observation 1 : all living things tend to reproduce in geometric progression, so that if all offspring survived, the entire earth would be overrun by them. observation 2 : in fact, however, the earth is not so overrun. the populations of various species remain approximately constant in size from century to century, due to the finite resources of the environment. conclusion a : there must be a competition for the available resources of the environment, a " struggle for existence. " observation 3 : heritable variations ( mutations ) are observed to occur spontaneously, from time to time, in populations of all species. observation 4 : in a given environment, some of these variations are helpful in the struggle for existence, and others are harmful or neutral. conclusion b : a natural selection of individuals will result. those with helpful mutations will survive and expand in numbers,


. observation 4 : in a given environment, some of these variations are helpful in the struggle for existence, and others are harmful or neutral. conclusion b : a natural selection of individuals will result. those with helpful mutations will survive and expand in numbers, and those with harmful mutations will tend to perish and be reduced in numbers. observation 5 : the source of inheritable changes is either ( 1 ) change in the sequence of chemical " bases " in the dna molecules making up an organism ' s genes, ( 2 ) rearrangement of genes on chromosomes, or ( 3 ) multiplication or deletion of genes or chromosomes. observation 6 : physically and chemically speaking, there is no limit to the amount of base changing possible in dna or the amount of gene rearrangement which can take place. conclusion c : there will be no limit to the amount of variation possible in any given species. given enough time, and changing environmental conditions, mutation will add to mutation, and any species will gradually change into one or more new species. as mutations cause greater and greater cumulative change, and as sexual recombination assembles novel hereditary ensembles, species will turn into new genera, genera into new families, etc. with the exception of the observations concerning changes in dna and chromosomes as the source of evolutionary variation, the theory above was discovered by charles darwin in the middle of the last century. darwin came to his theory grudgingly - he had originally been a creationist himself. but the facts of nature which he uncovered in his trip around the world on h. m. s. beagle forced him to give up the genesis mythology in favor of evolutionary science, and made him formulate the theory of natural selection. it is not often remembered that darwin was not the only person to discover the principle of natural selection. at the same time that darwin was formulating his theory, alfred russell wallace - completely independent of darwin, and half a world away - was forced by his study of the plants and animals of the malay archipelago to conclude that evolution had occurred, and that natural selection was the motive force! the lesson to be learned from this is that the facts of nature compel unbiased minds to conclude that evolution has occurred, and that natural selection is at least a part of the cause of evolutionary change. ( population size and genetic isolation of populations are also important factors affecting the degree to which evolutionary change will occur. ) as we examine the bizarre details of the genesis creation myth, however, we must ask : is it conceivable that


change. ( population size and genetic isolation of populations are also important factors affecting the degree to which evolutionary change will occur. ) as we examine the bizarre details of the genesis creation myth, however, we must ask : is it conceivable that any person not already aware of the first genesis myth could go out into the world of nature and conclude that green plants came into existence before the sun? that birds existed before reptiles? without knowledge of the second genesis myth, who would come up with the idea that man is older than both plants and animals, but that woman did not come into existence until the last animal species had appeared? without being brainwashed by the noah ' s ark tale, what geologist would conclude that the whole planet was covered by a shell of water 4, 334 years ago? what independent observer would conclude that the kiwi, which can neither swim nor fly, came to new zealand from mt. ararat in turkey, but couldn ' t make it to greece or australia? could anyone conclude that there was once a " firmament " in the sky - - with windows in it, and water above it? of course not. but we can be quite sure that even if the creationist legions of darkness should succeed in eradicating all knowledge of darwin ' s theory, honest men and women of the future studying the facts of nature would discover it anew. this is because evolutionary science is science, and is true in the sense that it is testable and accords with the facts of nature. the creationist dogmas, however, are not science and - to the extent that they are testable - are contradicted by the testimony of nature. while it is nothing less than scandalous that creationist beliefs have survived into the twentieth century, we must also express our embarrassment at the fact that there are many people who, despite the fact that they are relatively well schooled in evolutionary science, believe in something known as theistic evolution. this is the view that evolution has, in fact, occurred, but it has been directed by a supernatural power. the long road from jawless fishes, to fishes with jaws, to amphibians, to reptiles, to mammal - like reptiles, to mammals, to adolf hitler or the ayatollah khomeini was, they must avow, all the unfolding of a divinely guided plan. theists must accept the plagues produced by evolution as part of their god ' s plan. not only can such a view be a bar to progress, it


was, they must avow, all the unfolding of a divinely guided plan. theists must accept the plagues produced by evolution as part of their god ' s plan. not only can such a view be a bar to progress, it can be a direct road to madness of the type exemplified by the case of simon " stylites, " the quintessential " saint " who lived atop a pillar until he developed maggoty, purulent wounds in his flesh. when a maggot got pushed out of one of the pullulating wounds in his body, he put it back into the wound and preached it a sermon. god had given the " worm " his flesh to eat, he admonished, and the creature should not be ungrateful! the best thing that can be said about the theistic evolution idea is that it is not contradicted by the facts of nature. but of course, it could not be contradicted by any facts, if all the facts of nature are precisely what a god has ordained. alas for the theistic evolutionists, this places the " theory " outside the realm of science, since scientific statements must be testable. the idea of theistic evolution suffers from still another serious defect : it violates ockham ' s razor. this is the principle in logic that basic assumptions should not be multiplied beyond necessity. if natural forces alone are adequate to account for the course of evolution, why posit additional supernatural forces? such forces are superfluous. it is simpler to stick with the observable, measurable forces of nature. the idea of theistic evolution is associated, it would appear, with an emotional immaturity that makes men and women unable to accept the fact that they are probably alone in the universe, that they must find meaning and fulfillment among the comrades - both human and nonhuman - with whom they share the planet. mature personalities can accept the world for what it is : uncreated and unconscious. constrained only by the limits of the laws of nature, the mature mind may do all in its power " to grasp this sorry scheme of things entire, " and then " remold it nearer to the heart ' s desire ". atheists know that cancer and tapeworms are not parts of a divine plan. atheists are completely free to do something about such plagues - and they are doing it! according to bishop ussher ' s chronology, often printed in the margins of king james bibles, this


task uvsector will flag a sector of visibility data with a given u - v position angle ( or hour angle ). while you can give the position angle of the sector to be flagged directly ( via the angle parameter ), it is more convenient to indicate the position angle indirectly via the stripe direction in an image. how do you specify a stripe direction? you do this by specifying a long, thin region in a image. normally you will generate the region by using cgcurs ( see section 17. 3 for more information on cgcurs ). with cgcurs, you display a greyscale of the image, and then use a cursor to selection a long, thin, region containing the crest of a single stripe. the selected region is then written into a text file, cgcurs. region. while this may be a rather odd way to define a direction, it allows uvsector to use the interactive facilities of cgcurs. typical inputs to use cgcurs are | in = vela. icln | | input image ( probably cleaned ). | | range = | | set the range to highlight the stripes. | | device = / xs | | pgplot device - xwindows here. | | options = region | | define a region of interest. | the width of the sector that uvsector flags is given as an angle ( in degrees ) via the width parameter. remember that 1 degree is equivalent to 4 minutes of observing time, so do not set it to any value larger than you need. normally you would set this to a few degrees, based on your confidence in the accuracy of the stripe direction. the default is 5 degrees. as uvsector flags a sector, if your input visibility data - set contains multiple configurations, data within that sector for all configurations will be flagged by default. generally this is not what you are likely to want. if you know which configuration contains the bad data, you can use the select keyword to ensure just that configuration is affected. selecting by time is probably the easiest. the breadth of a stripe also contains useful information - a glitch in just the short baselines will cause a broad stripe, whereas a glitch in just the long baselines will cause a narrow stripe separation. a glitch in just one baseline will give a two dimensional sinusoid. given the separation between stripes, you could make an approximate calculation of the corresponding u - v radius of the bad data. for a stripe


turning her back on her privileged life in victorian england, gertrude bell ( 1868 - 1926 ), fired by her innate curiosity, journeyed the world and became fascinated with all things arab. traveling the length and breadth of the arab region, armed with a love for its language and its people, she not only produced several enormously popular books based on her experiences but became instrumental to the british foreign office. when world war i erupted, and the british needed the loyalty of the arab leaders, it was gertrude bell ' s work and connections that helped provide the brain for t. e. lawrence ' s military brawn. after the war she participated in both the paris and cairo conferences, played a major role in creating the modern middle east, and was generally considered the most powerful woman in the british empire. in this incident - packed biography, janet wallach reveals a woman whose achievements and independent spirit were especially remarkable for her times, and who brought the same passion and intensity to her explorations as she did to her rich romantic life. too long eclipsed by lawrence ' s fame, gertrude bell emerges in this first major biography as a woman whose accomplishments rank as crucial to world history ( especially in light of the continuing geopolitical importance of the middle east ) and whose life was a grand adventure. ©1996 janet wallach ( p ) 2012 random house audio details of the arab world in the early 20th century and the extraordinary personality of gertrude bell one cannot compare apples and oranges. each biography is therefore different because of the different personalties and situarions the narrator did an excellent job, especially with all the arab names that would have been impossible and there was so much information one had to pause to digest each bit the author took too long to describe bell ' s character and personalikty and i preferred the last third with all the facts and details report inappropriate content


people who walk a lot have lower risk of diabetes walking may help prevent diabetes ( ezra shaw, getty images ) new york ( reuters health ) - among people with low physical activity and a high risk of diabetes, those who walk more throughout the day are less likely to actually get the blood sugar disorder, according to new research. the study, published in the journal diabetes care, is part of a growing body of evidence that for people who get very little exercise, " even small amounts of activity will provide a really good return on their investment, " said catrine tudor - locke, who studies walking and health at pennington biomedical research center in baton rouge, louisiana, and was not involved in the research. daily walking recommendations typically point to a minimum of 10, 000 steps per day. tudor - locke said a good rule of thumb is that 2, 000 steps equals about one mile. earlier studies, based on questionnaires, have shown that walking more is tied to a lower risk of diabetes. but few studies have used precise measures of how many steps people take each day, said amanda fretts, the lead author of the new report and a researcher at the university of washington in seattle. to get a better sense of walking ' s potential benefits, fretts and her colleagues asked more than 1, 800 people to wear a pedometer on their hip for a week to tally the number of steps they typically took each day. all of them came from native american communities in arizona, oklahoma and north and south dakota that are known to have low physical activity levels and high rates of diabetes. about a quarter of the group were considered to have very low activity, taking fewer than 3, 500 steps a day, while half took fewer than 7, 800 steps per day. at the beginning of the study, none of the participants had diabetes. but after five years of follow - up, 243 people had developed the condition. about 17 percent of the people in the lowest activity group developed diabetes, compared to 12 percent of the people who took more than 3, 500 steps a day. after taking into account people ' s age, whether they smoked and other diabetes risk factors, fretts ' s team determined that people who walked the most were 29 percent less likely to develop diabetes than those who walked the least. " our finding wasn ' t surprising given that other studies have shown that even light activity is associated with a lower risk of diabetes, " fretts wrote in an email to reuters health. the findings don ' t prove that walking


walked the least. " our finding wasn ' t surprising given that other studies have shown that even light activity is associated with a lower risk of diabetes, " fretts wrote in an email to reuters health. the findings don ' t prove that walking more is responsible for the lower risk of diabetes, but fretts offered some possible explanations for how walking might help. " increased physical activity may prevent weight gain and promote weight loss, a major determinant of diabetes risk, " she told reuters health. indeed, when fretts took into account how large people were, based on a measure called body mass index ( bmi ), she found that extra walking didn ' t provide any benefits to reducing people ' s diabetes risk. " bmi is one of the plausible biological mechanisms by which physical activity ( or walking ) may lower diabetes risk - that is, walking may promote weight loss - and weight loss is a major factor related to diabetes risk, " fretts said. physical activity also has effects on inflammation, glucose and other molecules in the body that could help lower diabetes risk, said fretts. tudor - locke added that the potential benefits of moderate levels of walking are " only for those who are really inactive to begin with " and don ' t mean others should decrease their activity levels. source : http : / / bit. ly / lr2pkb diabetes care, online june 20, 2012. ( this story corrects attribution in last paragraph )


filter design can affect the smoking experience and even the taste of cigarettes how are the components of a cigarette put together in manufacturing and how can design vary the taste and smoke yield? the cellulose acetate tow in a filter is a web of fibres made from wood pulp. in manufacturing, the filter material arrives as a single long band of over 10, 000 fibres pressed into large 750 kg bales. in a filter maker, this band of compact fibres is mechanically stretched to open the fibres up, sprayed with a plasticizer to bind them together, wrapped with thin paper, cut, and fed into a cigarette - making machine. varying the taste and smoke yield once the taste has been determined, other design features can vary the strength of the taste, and can reduce the yields of various smoke components, as measured by a standardised machine method. filter design : the design of the filter can be varied, for example by making perforations, by changing its length or its density ( by using more fibres ), by the fineness of the fibres and by the type of material used. all these filter variations can affect the amount of filtration, and thus the taste, smoking experience and smoke yields as measured by a standardised machine method. charcoal is sometimes combined with the standard cellulose acetate, as its adsorption properties can reduce some of the gas components in smoke. it is usually used in a filter with two sections : a plain white cellulose acetate section at the mouth end and a section that has been sprinkled with charcoal. because charcoal is mainly elemental carbon, these are sometimes called carbon filters. making small perforations in the filter is called filter ventilation, to reduce a cigarette ’ s yield and sensory strength. these dilute the smoke with air, leading to less smoke being produced in each puff. filter ventilation is important in reducing smoke gases that are not trapped in the filter. paper : the paper around the tobacco rod and around the filtration zone can be adjusted. the porosity of the paper ( the amount of air that can pass through it ) will affect the yield, strength and taste of the cigarette. the more air that can pass through the paper, the more the smoke constituents passing through the cigarette are diluted, to make a lower yield, lighter tasting product. expanded tobacco : another design feature to vary the taste, strength and delivery of smoke constituents is the use of expanded tobacco lamina, known as dry ice expanded tobacco ( diet ). this is


as we grow older and our bodies and lifestyles change, our nutritional needs change, as well. we need about 20 percent fewer calories at age 80 than at age 30. about two - thirds of this decrease can be blamed on a more sedentary lifestyle that often comes with getting older, and the rest on a lower metabolic rate. although healthy older adults who eat a balanced diet don ' t need a dietary supplement, several aspects of aging may increase the likelihood of a deficiency in key vitamins and minerals, according to the national institute on aging. these include having a reduced sense of taste and smell ; spending more time indoors ; difficulty chewing ; following a restricted diet because of a health condition ; eating alone ; experiencing loss of appetite ; and taking medications that may prevent absorption of vitamins and minerals. older adults also are at higher risk for dehydration because they may not notice when they are thirsty. as we age, our bodies do not process and absorb certain important nutrients, such as vitamin b12 and vitamin d, as well as they used to. in addition, many people don ' t get adequate amounts of calcium. here ' s why each of these nutrients is vital for good health : vitamin b12 may help reduce the risk for heart disease and stroke, and helps protect against memory problems, dementia and balance and walking problems. getting enough of this vitamin usually isn ' t a problem if your diet includes animal products. in older adults, however, vitamin b12 can be more difficult to absorb because of too little stomach acid. the stomach acid separates the vitamin b12 from the protein that contains it, allowing the body to make use of the vitamin. antacids and h2 blockers also can affect how well this vitamin is absorbed. according to the american heart association ( aha ), research is underway to determine how much folic acid, b6, and / or b12 is required to lower homocysteine levels. elevated homocysteine levels have been linked to heart disease. at this time, however, the aha does not recommend using folic acid or vitamin b supplements to prevent heart disease or stroke. vitamin d helps the body process calcium and keeps bones strong. because we get vitamin d from the action of sunlight on the skin, people who don ' t get outdoors much, or always wear sunscreen, may need a vitamin d supplement. this also affects people who live north of the 45th parallel. vitamin d is added to many foods, such as cereals and some dairy products. calcium


don ' t get outdoors much, or always wear sunscreen, may need a vitamin d supplement. this also affects people who live north of the 45th parallel. vitamin d is added to many foods, such as cereals and some dairy products. calcium helps keep bones, muscles, and nerves healthy. osteoporosis, which causes bones to thin and increases the risk for fractures, is a serious concern for women. women of all ages may find it challenging to get enough calcium through food alone. men are also susceptible to osteoporosis, especially if they take certain medications ( like prednisone ) for a long time. when choosing a calcium supplement, read the label to make sure it contains enough elemental calcium, which is the amount that the body absorbs from the supplement. vitamins a, c, and e, as well as beta carotene and lycopene, are antioxidants from food that may help slow the aging process and help fight cancer and heart disease. vitamins c and e from food are associated with lower risk of heart disease and certain cancers. supplements don ' t provide the same protection against heart disease and cancer as food. here are the dris for older adults from the food and nutrition board of the institute of medicine. these are the recommended intake levels for each age group. vitamin a, 900 micrograms vitamin c, 90 milligrams ( mg ) vitamin d, 15 micrograms vitamin e, 15 mg vitamin b6, 1. 5 mg vitamin b12, 2. 4 micrograms folate, 400 micrograms iron, 8 mg calcium, 1, 000 mg niacin, 14 mg vitamin a, 700 micrograms vitamin c, 75 mg calcium, 1, 200 mg vitamin c, 90 mg vitamin d, 20 micrograms vitamin b6, 1. 7 mg niacin, 16 mg it ' s important to note that some vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins a, d, e, and b6, and iron, can be harmful in excess or for people with particular diseases or conditions. research has found that up to 10 percent of older adults unnecessarily get 10 times the rda ( recommended daily amount ) of certain vitamins. talk with your health care provider to help assess how dietary and exercise habits have affected your overall nutritional needs as you get older. together, you can determine whether taking multivitamin and mineral supplements is warranted.


music played6 items the aye aye is probably madagascar ' s strangest - looking lemur – it emerges only at night, and taps branches with its elongated middle finger, looking for insects to eat. wildlife finder : more clips from the crazy world of the aye - aye written by ian gray ( producer ) wildlife finder : watch ring - tailed lemurs in action ring - tailed lemurs are creatures of the warm southern lowlands of madagascar, so we were intrigued to hear rumours about several troops living at high altitude in the decidedly lemur unfriendly andringitra mountains. treeless and windswept, these bare granite peaks rise to nearly three thousand metres above the surrounding plains and experience the most extreme climate on the island, with night - time temperatures often dropping below zero. trying to film them was an opportunity too good to turn down. but it ' s a major undertaking working in these mountains ; we had to be entirely self - sufficient, trekking for miles to a remote camp on the plateau supported by a posse of porters. to add to the difficulties, the lemurs have never been studied so we were dependent on our local guides to scout for these elusive creatures. after several days fruitless searching, the scouts reported hearing lemur calls in one of the high boulder fields over three hours trek from our advanced base camp. for days we left before dawn in freezing temperatures to hike up to the location, then spent each following day being roasted by a ferocious sun as we searched in vain for any sign. finally one morning as i headed off to answer a call of nature, i scrambled over a ravine and there they were ; a troop of five ring - tailed lemurs happily feeding on the tough, drought - resistant cacti and aloe that grow here. i radioed back to cameraman john brown who crept up to my hiding place. we were lucky enough to spend several hours in their company as they foraged across this barren moonscape before we finally lost them in a maze of boulders and gullies. over the next days we returned to the same spot but never saw them again. but happily that one glorious day had allowed us a unique glimpse into the life of these tough little animals. david attenborough ' s madagascar fifty years ago, sir david went to madagascar to film early wildlife tv series zoo quest. with several return visits over the intervening years, the country and its wildlife has continued to capture his imagination. watch the best of david attenborough ' s madagascar films written by


, sir david went to madagascar to film early wildlife tv series zoo quest. with several return visits over the intervening years, the country and its wildlife has continued to capture his imagination. watch the best of david attenborough ' s madagascar films written by ian gray ( producer ) filming trips can go wrong for all kinds of reasons ; broken gear, uncooperative animals, misleading information … but one we hadn ’ t really anticipated was being thwarted by a cyclone. cameraman john brown and i had spent two days trekking into the andringitra mountains to film the orchid meadows that flourish beneath the 2658 - metre high pic d ’ imarivolanitra, one of the highest peaks on the island. as our rag - tag column of porters, guides and cooks clambered over the last escarpment, we were confronted by an amazing sight - kilometre after kilometre of upland prairie, covered in thousand upon thousand of orchids - whites, pinks, oranges and purples, spread like fallen confetti as far as the eye could see. after all the difficulties of just getting here, it felt like nothing could stop us now. little did we know that tropical cyclone hubert had other plans for us. that night, i was woken by the staccato rhythm of rain hammering down on my tent. by morning, the wind was pummelling the tent so powerfully it was like being on the inside of a punch - bag. reluctantly, i dragged myself out of my sleeping bag to be confronted by a scene of utter devastation. this tropical grassland now looked like a scottish moor. the wind was screaming across the plateau, driving the rain in horizontal waves before it and flattening everything in its path. our tents were being shredded, there was gear strewn about the place, sitting in puddles, hanging in trees or being whisked off towards the horizon. but worse than that, the swathes of delicate orchids we had come all this way to film had been completely obliterated. we took refuge in the cattle byre that doubled as our kitchen, but half the hut ' s thatched roof had already blown away, leaving 30 people and our remaining gear squeezed into this ever - diminishing sanctuary. yet despite the chaos, the cold and the discomfort, someone was playing a guitar, accompanying some much - needed community singing and mugs of the local ' rocket - fuel ' rum to keep out the cold. with nothing left to film, there seemed little point in prolonging everyone


and the discomfort, someone was playing a guitar, accompanying some much - needed community singing and mugs of the local ' rocket - fuel ' rum to keep out the cold. with nothing left to film, there seemed little point in prolonging everyone ' s agony. we had other sequences to film down on the coast, so we packed up what was left of the camp and headed back down the mountain, our tails firmly between our legs. cyclone hubert 1 : bbc madagascar team 0. tadpoles for tea article written by ian gray ( producer ) of all the things one can imagine wasps eating, tadpoles are perhaps not the first thing that springs to mind. but while researching for the madagascar series, this is exactly the story we stumbled upon. obviously wasps can ' t hunt underwater, but these particular insects hunt tadpoles that have hatched from frog spawn left on the leaves of stream - side plants. under normal circumstances, the tadpoles mature over several days then wriggle free from their jelly and drop into the water beneath. these aerial nurseries spare the tadpoles the attention of predatory fish, but leaves them open to attack from other hunters such as wasps. so, as the frog breeding season reached its climax, cameraman barrie britton was dispatched to a small pond deep in the rainforests of andasibe to try and get to the bottom of this remarkable story. we were sceptical about his chances, since this phenomenon had only been seen once before. on arrival, he found several plants around the pond already laden with the right kind of frog spawn – great globular masses containing hundreds of eggs and wriggling tadpoles - but not a single predatory wasp in sight. while barrie kept vigil at the pond through the daily torrential downpours, teams of spawn - hunters were enlisted from the local villages to search the forest for any sign of wasp action. finally word came back of a distant pond where something interesting might be happening. as barrie emerged from the forest, he found his ' spotter ' pointing excitedly at a nearby palm. on its leaves were several clumps of eggs and amazingly not one but two large wasps playing havoc with the tadpoles. landing on the leaf, they repeatedly chewed their way through the jelly to reach the wriggling tadpoles within. often their entire head and upper body would disappear as they struggled to snatch their helpless prey. then they would chew up their prey and fly off to feed it to their own larvae in a nearby nest


focus areas of statewide significance what are beginning with habitat focus areas? beginning with habitat ( bwh ) focus areas are natural areas of statewide ecological significance that contain unusually rich concentrations of at - risk species and habitats. these areas, identified by biologists from the maine natural areas program ( mnap ), maine department of inland fisheries and wildlife ( mdifw ), maine department of marine resources ( dmr ), u. s. fish and wildlife service ( usfws ), the nature conservancy ( tnc ), maine audubon, and maine coast heritage trust ( mcht ), support rare plants, animals, and natural communities, high quality common natural communities ; significant wildlife habitats ; and their intersections with large blocks of undeveloped habitat. bwh focus area boundaries are drawn based on the species and natural communities that occur within them and the supporting landscape conditions that contribute to the long - term viability of the species, habitats, and community types. one or more of the following must be present before an area is considered a candidate focus area ( in most cases, two or more are present ) : - globally rare plant or animal - 3 or more healthy populations of a rare plant species - any healthy population of a rare animal species - rare natural community - excellent example of a common natural community - good example of a common natural community and one or more high value wildlife habitats - large undeveloped block and at least one of the following : a good example of a common natural community or high value wildlife habitat or two or more healthy populations of a rare plant species to date, collaborative efforts by state, federal, and conservation organization biologists have resulted in the designation of 140 focus areas ( link to map ) of statewide ecological significance. for a list of beginning with habitat focus areas and to find fact sheets about each area, visit the focus area description website. why designate focus areas? it is hoped that the mapping of a bwh focus area will help to build regional awareness, and draw attention to the exceptional natural landscape conditions that result in a convergence of multiple resource occurrences. the resulting appreciation of these truly special places can then provide momentum to municipalities, land trusts, and regional initiatives focused on strategic approaches to conservation. are other areas insignificant? areas that rise to the level of statewide ecological significance may not occur within the jurisdiction of every land trust or within the boundaries of every town. strategic conservation planning is important at all levels and can be pursued to identify areas of local or regional significance as well. although the frame of reference of b


ecological significance may not occur within the jurisdiction of every land trust or within the boundaries of every town. strategic conservation planning is important at all levels and can be pursued to identify areas of local or regional significance as well. although the frame of reference of bwh efforts has been a comprehensive analysis of maine ' s organized territories, the criteria used in designating focus areas can be easily adapted to the local or regional perspective. bwh maps such as map 2 ( high value plant and animal habitats ) and map 3 ( undeveloped habitat blocks ) offer a good starting point to identify unique locations rich in significant habitat feature convergence that can then be designated as local focus areas that serve as a starting point for developing your town ' s or land trusts conservation blueprint. strategies for local action : - incorporate focus areas into long - term plans for conservation. towns and land trusts can work together on comprehensive and open space plans and capitalize on opportunities where goals coincide - identify property owners whose lands host significant natural features and investigate conservation options ranging from voluntary actions to fee purchase - become familiar with the rare plants, animals, and habitats and learn better how to manage them for long - term preservation - educate landowners and the general public about significant natural areas and create support for local conservation initiatives - cooperate with neighboring landowners and jurisdictions - incorporate focus areas in grant applications - work with state agencies to garner support for projects


hepatitis b — the " hidden " std anne and joe, both lawyers in their late 30s, have been dating seriously for six months. after having mild flu - like symptoms for a month, anne was diagnosed with hepatitis b. joe immediately went to be tested, and to his surprise discovered that he is a chronic carrier of hepatitis b ( hbv ). although anne most likely contracted the virus from joe, he ' s not sure how he got it. however, he vaguely remembers that one of his previous girlfriends had symptoms similar to anne ' s for a few months. anne has a 90 % chance of recovering fully from hbv within several months. if she doesn ' t recover, like joe, she will go on to develop chronic hepatitis b. anne would then have to cope with a lifelong illness that may cause liver damage. chronic hepatitis also puts people at high risk for liver failure and liver cancer. because joe is already a chronic carrier, all of his future sexual partners should get vaccinated for hbv before having sex and should at least practice safe sex. what is hepatitis b? hepatitis b is a common, yet serious, disease characterized by inflammation of the liver. it is caused by the highly infectious hepatitis b virus, and often contracted through unprotected sexual contact. hence, hbv is considered a sexually transmitted disease ( std ). although there are other types of hepatitis, these are not as easily transmitted via sexual contact. most people who contract hbv recover within six months. however, a small percentage of them cannot clear the virus from their body and develop chronic hepatitis b. they may experience ongoing liver damage that can lead to cirrhosis ( scarring of the liver ), liver failure, or liver cancer. more than 200, 000 americans get hbv every year, and more than one million people in the us are chronic carriers. chronic hepatitis b consists of two possible states : chronic carrier or chronic active. carriers do not have active disease, but hbv can reactivate at any time. patients with chronic active form of the virus have continuing liver inflammation. those with either chronic carrier or chronic active hepatitis are contagious to others and are at risk for cirrhosis and liver cancer. patients with chronic active are at much higher risk for cirrhosis and liver cancer than are chronic carriers, but long - term carriers of hepatitis b are also at increased risk for these diseases. the good news is that hbv is preventable. how is hepatitis b spread?


much higher risk for cirrhosis and liver cancer than are chronic carriers, but long - term carriers of hepatitis b are also at increased risk for these diseases. the good news is that hbv is preventable. how is hepatitis b spread? hepatitis b is transmitted through contact with infected body fluids, such as blood, semen, and vaginal secretions, most often via unprotected sex. it can also be transmitted through blood from cuts or open sores and by sharp objects contaminated with infected blood ( such as hypodermic needles, ear or body piercing, tattooing, razors, or toothbrushes ). mothers can pass it on to their newborns at birth or soon after. hbv is 100 times more contagious than the hiv virus that causes aids. what are the symptoms of hepatitis b? hepatitis b is often referred to as a " silent infection " because many people have no symptoms at all. often, these people don ' t realize they are ill ; in fact, most babies and children who get hbv don ' t seem sick at all. many adults don ' t develop symptoms at first, but about 50 % experience some symptoms after an incubation period of 40 to 140 days. whether or not they have symptoms, a person with hbv can pass the virus onto other people. this explains why 30 % - 40 % of people with hbv, like joe, are not sure how they got it. when symptoms are present, they may vary from mild and flu - like to severe. common symptoms include appetite loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, fever, and joint or muscle aches. some people also have dark urine, light stools, or jaundice. how is hepatitis b diagnosed and treated? the only way to know whether you have hbv is to have a blood test that detects the hbv antigen or antibody in your blood. there are no specific treatments for acute hbv, other than treating the individual symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. about 90 % of adults clear the virus from their system within six months and then become immune to it. the other 10 % become chronic carriers. there is no cure for chronic hbv. if you are chronically infected you may or may not have symptoms. either way, the virus is in your blood, which means that it can be transmitted to others while steadily attacking your liver. currently, there are four medications which have been


bemidji - the governor ' s task force prevention of school bullying met with bemidji students, parents and educators wednesday evening kicking off a series of sessions to help redefine the state ' s anti - bullying statute. " the governor has organized a task force of citizens from around the state to make recommendations to the governor and to the legislature in regards that might be put forth that would direct all the school districts in the state as to how they should address bullying, " said nancy riestenberg, school climate specialist at the department of education. riestenberg joined members of the task force to speak with students from bemidji high school and students from schoolcraft to discuss their concerns about bullying and ways in which they think it could be prevented. students like thomas caddy and tia siddens, 9th graders at bemidji high school, bullying is present at the school and it is seen both physically and verbally. " words hurt more than fists in a lot of situations because if the physical wound isn ' t there it could still leave a mark on the mind, " siddens said. the students said the most common targets of bullying in school are people of different race, sexual orientation or people with a mental disability. " people who don ' t have a lot of friends are targeted more because if you don ' t always have those friends there to help speak up, " schoolcraft student katie fgevje said. " with less friends you are more vulnerable in my eyes because you don ' t have that person to kind of help you get through it. " when asked what the students would recommend the task force do to help the bullying problem in schools, a lot of students said there needs to be an effort to teach students from a young age why bullying is wrong, but also to teach the staff how to resolve and prevent bully situations. " we have some programs that address bullying and i am happy we have them but i don ' t think they are exactly effective because if the person is doing it they are not going to be listening to the reasons why they are not supposed to be doing it, " thomas caddy said. riestenberg said this was the first of many student sessions she and the task force will conduct but she said she was impressed by how engaging the students were. " they confirmed for me what i teach in my job as the school climate specialist at the department of education and gave insight to the task force about what students face and what they need, " riestenberg said


impressed by how engaging the students were. " they confirmed for me what i teach in my job as the school climate specialist at the department of education and gave insight to the task force about what students face and what they need, " riestenberg said. following the parent session, the task force went to the middle school to meet with parents and educators to see what their concerns and recommendations were. the common concern among the parents was the issue of cyber bullying in addition to racial and sexual orientation bullying. the parents agreed that the school and the parents need to make sure students know their resources on who they can talk to when being bullied. " we need to be held accountable for our own actions and we not only need to listen to our kids but we need to show them that we are trying to do something, " marty cobenais, a parent in attendance said. " if we don ' t make an effort to do something our kids are not going to come talk to us when they have a problem. " bemidji school superintendent james hess said the bullying issue is one that does need to be addressed not only at the school level but also the community level. " i think about bullying and i think about the school ' s role in bullying and i don ' t think the school is the place to lay all of the blame, " hess said. " i know that if you walk into any classroom in the district you won ' t find any teachers teaching bullying. i think we need to be a part of the search for a solution to bullying but i don ' t think we are the stopping place, we are the starting place. we need to look at the greater community to find solutions that are going to be the lasting solutions. " the task force will be meeting with schools across the state and will pass along recommendations to the legislature by august.


roominate gives a modern twist to a typical girl ' s dollhouse. along with building individual rooms, girls can also change the wiring and rig different rooms with working light switches, buzzers, or even fans. the project began with three women majoring in engineering, math, and science who saw that there is a gap in girls ' toys that inspire engineering and electronics. the women, being in a field dominated by men, wanted to offer toys that promoted a different kind of play for young girls. with the help of kickstarter, they created roominate to hopefully inspire girls to get out of their prepackaged pink barbie boxes and get down and dirty with electronics and building. they succeeded their goal of $ 25, 000 and accumulated over $ 85, 000 to fund the project. for those lucky enough who got to snag a kit will have two wooden walls, a floor, various building pieces to construct furniture, one complete circuit, and assorted decorations. technology is ever changing and is becoming more integrated in our daily lives. it ' s refreshing to see that toys are reflecting the expansive world of electronics to not only boys, but girls as well. creativity and exposure to different ideas shouldn ’ t be limited by our sex, and roominate makes room for young female engineers to learn and grow without feeling alienated.


bidmc ' s division of transplant immunology has international reputations for excellence and innovation. the center attracts students, fellows and post - doctoral individuals from around the world. terry b. strom, md, co - chief laurence turka, md, co - chief xian c. li, md, phd wenda gao, md, phd the challenge : organ rejection transplant patients and physicians face a significant challenge : organ rejection. our bodies ' immune systems are naturally designed to do battle with " foreign invaders. " under normal circumstances, this system is highly effective, protecting us from viruses, bacteria and other infections. however, our immune systems are not as successful at differentiating between dangerous foreign bodies ( for instance, bacterial infections ) and beneficial intruders ( such as a new kidney, liver or pancreas ). for organ transplant patients, the normally protective immune response can threaten the longevity and function of the transplanted organ. currently, organ transplant patients must take immunosuppressive or anti - rejection medication to prevent the immune system from fighting against the new, transplanted organ. however, over the long - term, these drugs pose a number of risks, and side effects that are particularly devastating to children. the mission : prevent rejection, improve function scientists in the division of transplant immunology are working to : - develop new methods to prevent rejection - develop new methods to diagnose rejection before injury to the transplant - improve the function of organs after transplantation - reduce the number of medications patients must take to prevent rejection, including reducing steroid use - minimize the side effects of therapy - create immune tolerance to the transplant to totally eliminate the need for use of immunosuppressive medications the center ' s basic or bench research is directed toward a broader understanding about transplant science and immunology ( the body ' s ability to accept or reject foreign tissue ), and how medicines can protect and maximize donor organ function and endurance. we are leaders in one ) developing new approaches to overcome organ rejection without the use of highly toxic immunosuppressive drugs, and two ) diagnosing early rejection and enabling application of medication before the transplant is damaged. principal areas of investigation the interests of the research group include immune tolerance and t - cell biology, cytoprotection ( the role of protective genes in transplantation ), molecular diagnostics, and bioinformatics, as well as a number of subspecialties within these key areas. immune tolerance and t - cell biology immune tolerance refers to the ability of the immune system


of protective genes in transplantation ), molecular diagnostics, and bioinformatics, as well as a number of subspecialties within these key areas. immune tolerance and t - cell biology immune tolerance refers to the ability of the immune system to accept or tolerate new organs without taking life - long medications. by creating tolerance, researchers hope to ensure long - term transplant function without life - long drug therapy ( which carries a number of risks ). scientists investigate the t - lymphocyte cells, or t cells, which are among the body ' s key infection - fighting cells. normally t cells circulate through the blood in a resting or naive state. when they encounter a foreign invader ( such as a virus or bacteria ) or foreign tissue ( a transplanted organ ), they receive a chemical signal to attack and destroy the " intruder. " researchers are working to understand this signal - how is it triggered, how can it be disarmed, and how can the t cell be disabled against ( or help protect ) the donor transplant ( to maximize organ function ), while remaining vigilant and ready to destroy truly harmful microbes and other infectious agents that enter the body. bidmc scientists are leading the way in refining immunosuppressive protocols, or treatment guidelines, to target t cells. they are learning how to train t cells to protect, rather than attack, transplanted organs. they are studying a new combination of immunosuppressive drugs, some of which have been developed in the division of transplant immunology, called " power mix. " administered for a very short time after transplant, this power mix has been shown to prevent islet cell rejection in monkeys. islet cells are the insulin producing cells in the pancreas that are deficient in people who have diabetes. short - term power mix therapy has proven useful in permanently restoring normal blood sugar level and tolerance to islet cells in a mouse model of juvenile diabetes. in a parallel study this same team has determined that a short course of treatment with alpha1 anti - trypsin, a human protein that is normally produced in response to inflammation, is also curative in this model of juvenile diabetes. these studies are paving the way for clinical trials in the near future for patients with diabetes. the power mix also has exciting potential for other autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis. another area of t - cell investigation involves a better use of


. the power mix also has exciting potential for other autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis. another area of t - cell investigation involves a better use of anti - lymphocyte antibodies, to reduce the number of aggressive t cells in the immune system, in combination with donor bone marrow cells. patients undergoing a kidney transplant, for example, would receive anti - lymphocyte antibodies to knock out the aggressive t - cells, in combination with the kidney donor ' s bone marrow. this approach has shown great promise in improving organ tolerance. cyto or " cell " protection is another significant research area and has to do with protecting the graft, or donor organ, from damage. scientists examine a process called apoptosis, or programmed cell death. every cell in our body comes equipped with a unique life - cycle program. cells survive and thrive until they are no longer useful and then they automatically die. scientists are looking for the switch : what turns on the death program, and how do cells disappear without notice? with cancer, this orderly process goes haywire, allowing cancer cells to grow unchecked into tumors. in transplanted organs, researchers look to turn off the death program and turn on the survival signal, to keep the organ vital, functioning and less vulnerable to injury. researchers also study gene therapy to help protect and fortify the cells in the transplanted organ. genes, located within the nucleus of each cell, contain our unique hereditary information, a personal blueprint, which is passed from cell to cell. the division of transplant immunology has succeeded in identifying protective genes that have proved useful in fortifying the transplanted organ, helping to prevent chronic rejection and increasing graft survival. experiments have also shown that carbon monoxide can prevent the delay in kidney function that sometimes occurs after transplantation. this delay is attributed, in part, to how the organ must be preserved once it is removed from the donor. molecular diagnostics examines how proteins and genes interact within a cell, and captures this information as a " molecular signature. " researchers study these gene and protein patterns for early warning signs that predict the likelihood of organ rejection or tolerance. the goal is to disarm the t - cell attackers before the body ' s immune system can mount a defense and destroy the transplanted organ, thereby short - circuiting the rejection process before it even begins. to check gene expression, we perform real - time quantitative pcr assay


t - cell attackers before the body ' s immune system can mount a defense and destroy the transplanted organ, thereby short - circuiting the rejection process before it even begins. to check gene expression, we perform real - time quantitative pcr assay ( qrt - pcr ) using standard curve method. we custom design the primers and probes ( p & p ) for our qrt - pcr assays. we extract rna from the biopsies, peripheral blood, and urine specimens. for quality control, rna quantity and purity is tested by nanodrop spectrophotometer. rna integrity is examined by bio - analyzer. 1ug / 100ul of the quality control passed total rna is used to synthesize cdna. we developed pre - amplification technique that increases the sensitivity and allows measuring over 20 targets by qrt - pcr using samples as small as 30 ng of total rna. for miniscule specimens such as core - biopsies and urine pellets, where rna is limited, pre - amplification technique is extremely useful. the pre - amplified cdna is used to perform qrt - pcr. standard curve method of qrt - pcr is performed using 18s rrna amplicon as standard. the following performance characteristics are used as quality control measures for the qrt - pcr assay : ( 1 ) the slope of the standard curve must be between - 3. 320 to - 3. 500, and the correlation co - efficient must be greater than 0. 990 ( fig ) ; ( 2 ) the highest copy number in the standard curve ( 2. 5 million copies ) is adjusted to be 18 threshold cycles ( ct ) and the minimum copy number ( 25 copies ) is at 35ct ; ( 3 ) the differences between replicate ct must be less than 0. 5 ct ; and ( 4 ) the ct of endogenous controls should always be statistically invariant. the results are shown in normalized copies per 1μg of total rna / 100μl. the samples that do not have atleast 50 million copies of 18s rrna are considered to have failed the quality test. researchers use bioinformatics, which incorporates chemistry, statistics, and computer science among other techniques, to address biological challenges from the molecular perspective. at bidmc, researchers are studying the genome, the complete set of genes that make up our hereditary information and account for how we develop, look and behave. armed with this information about donors and recipients, doctors


unlike his predecessors john campbell and john elliot, was hostile to catholicism. ewer ’ s request in 1790 to construct a chapel at ferryland was rejected summarily, with milbanke using the occasion to threaten the restriction of church activities. the situation remained perilous until the arrival the next year of chief judge john reeves, who was able to assure o ’ donel that the catholic church in newfoundland would not be harassed by the local authorities. the danger of persecution removed, ewer was free to attend to the needs of a large parish. in 1791 o ’ donel sought an irish - speaking priest for the trepassey – st mary ’ s section, but without success, and ferryland continued to include “ near 2, 500 people... in ten different harbours in the space of about seventy miles. ” by 1796 ewer had completed an elegant chapel and house at ferryland, built largely at his own expense. at bay bulls he had much success in bringing anglicans to roman catholicism. in fact, so strongly catholic did the entire district become that in 1796 the anglican clergyman, samuel cole ( with whom ewer was on good terms ), had to leave ferryland for lack of support. in 1806 ewer exchanged parishes with father ambrose fitzpatrick, moving from ferryland to harbour grace ( where he had temporarily served in 1800 ). there, too, ewer showed himself to be an enterprising pastor. he is regarded as the founder, in 1814, of the harbour grace benevolent irish society, a charitable association. in his time chapels were built throughout the parish – at bay de verde, port de grave, carbonear, harbour main, northern bay, cupids, and brigus. the assistance of able curates from 1817 onwards, notably nicholas devereux from 1819 to 1830 and dennis makin from 1822 to 1832, meant that better service could be provided. liberally supported, in the 1820s ewer spent over £5, 000 in erecting at harbour grace a new house and a magnificent wooden church, probably then the colony ’ s largest building. no religious strife disturbed the area ; indeed lewis amadeus anspach, the church of england rector, once wrote that “ no part of the world could possibly enjoy a greater degree of peace and tranquility. ” in 1796 o ’ donel had become newfoundland ’ s first bishop and vicar apostolic. ewer, previously vice prefect, thereupon became vicar general, an appointment he held until his death. he thus administered the vicariate ( usually from


. ” in 1796 o ’ donel had become newfoundland ’ s first bishop and vicar apostolic. ewer, previously vice prefect, thereupon became vicar general, an appointment he held until his death. he thus administered the vicariate ( usually from st john ’ s ) during several prolonged absences of the bishops, notably in 179697, 1811 – 12, 1815 – 16, and 1823 – 24. in this role ewer handled the final negotiations with government in 1811 for a cemetery in st john ’ s, the first grant of public land to the catholic church in newfoundland. similarly, in 1823 – 24 he shouldered much of the responsibility for organizing opposition to proposed marriage legislation [ see thomas scallan ]. ewer actively supported various educational projects. in 1812 he was a leading proponent of a non - denominational sunday school in st john ’ s for poor children. he personally founded a school at harbour grace in 1814 and for 12 years supported it from his own pocket. in 1826 he had this school put on a more permanent footing as st patrick ’ s free school, wherein there was to be “ no distinction of clime, country or creed, ” with clergy of all denominations invited to care for their own charges. ewer ’ s great dream was to see a local seminary for the training of priests, to him an essential need if newfoundland was to have a sufficient and stable clergy. he initiated such a project in 1817 but had to abandon it, probably because of the poverty of the times. ( his will, however, provided a major bequest for the education of priests for newfoundland. ) by 1830 ewer ’ s health was faltering, and three years later he died after a short, though painful, illness. his 44 years in newfoundland had witnessed roman catholicism ’ s growth from the religion of a barely tolerated minority to that of a powerful and well - organized majority. ewer was an intelligent, effective, and dedicated church leader, who made his own substantial contribution to this progress, all the while retaining universal respect. an obituary spoke of his greatest quality as “ the boundless benevolence of a truly catholic spirit. ” it was an apt summation. aaq, 210 a, i : 8 ; 30 cn, i. arch. of the archdiocese of dublin, troy papers, i – iii. arch. of the archdiocese of st john ’ s, fleming papers ; o ’ donel papers ; scallan papers. archivio della propaganda fide ( rome ), scritture rifer


of dublin, troy papers, i – iii. arch. of the archdiocese of st john ’ s, fleming papers ; o ’ donel papers ; scallan papers. archivio della propaganda fide ( rome ), scritture riferite nei congressi, america antille, 2 ( 1761 – 89 ) – 3 ( 1790 – 1819 ). cathedral of the immaculate conception ( harbour grace, nfld. ), reg. of baptisms. pro, adm 80 / 121 ; co 194 / 46, 194 / 49, 194 / 67, 194 / 78. uspg, c / can / nfl., 1 – 3 ; x 145. m. a. fleming, relazione della missione cattolica in terranuova nell ’ america settentrionale... ( rome, 1837 ). patrick morris, remarks on the state of society, religion, morals, and education at newfoundland... ( london, 1827 ). newfoundlander ( st john ’ s ), 28 oct. 1829, 14 feb. 1833. newfoundland indicator ( st john ’ s ), 17 feb., 18 may 1844. newfoundland mercantile journal, 4 april 1822, 3 nov. 1825, 6 july 1826. public ledger, 8 feb., 1 march 1833. centenary volume, benevolent irish society of st. john ’ s, newfoundland, 1806 – 1906 ( cork, [ republic of ire., 1906? ] ). george conroy, “ the first bishop of newfoundland, ” in his occasional sermons, addresses, and essays ( dublin, 1884 ), 315 – 27. m. f. howley, ecclesiastical history of newfoundland ( boston, 1888 ; repr. belleville, ont., 1979 ). “ the old graveyards of st. john ’ s, ” the book of newfoundland, ed. j. r. smallwood ( 6v., st john ’ s, 1937 – 75 ), 5 : 108 – 10. philip o ’ connell, “ dr. james louis o ’ donnell ( 1737 – 1811 ), first bishop of newfoundland, ” irish ecclesiastical record ( dublin ), 103 ( 1965 ) : 308 – 24. europe, europe - - republic of ireland, north america, north america - - canada, north america - - canada - - newfoundland and labrador, north america - - canada - - newfoundland and labrador - - newfoundland


best known for mother teresa was the founder of the order of the missionaries of charity, a roman catholic congregation of women dedicated to helping the poor. after receiving a message from god, mother teresa gave her life to the poor. a man who changed the course of the future of india with his ideas of non violence and political and religious peace was unfortunately shot in his prime. mahatma gandhi was known for leading india in their independence from the british. learn about his fight for freedom through nonviolent actions. discover some of mahatma gandhi ' s most famous quotes. think you know about biography? answer questions and see how you rank against other players. play now as was the custom for loreto nuns, she took on the title of " mother " upon making her final vows and thus became known as mother teresa. mother teresa continued to teach at saint mary ' s, and in 1944 she became the school ' s principal. through her kindness, generosity and unfailing commitment to her students ' education, she sought to lead them to a life of devotion to christ. " give me the strength to be ever the light of their lives, so that i may lead them at last to you, " she wrote in prayer. however, on september 10, 1946, mother teresa experienced a second calling that would forever transform her life. she was riding a train from calcutta to the himalayan foothills for a retreat when christ spoke to her and told her to abandon teaching to work in the slums of calcutta aiding the city ' s poorest and sickest people. " i want indian nuns, missionaries of charity, who would be my fire of love amongst the poor, the sick, the dying and the little children, " she heard christ say to her on the train that day. " you are i know the most incapable person - - weak and sinful but just because you are that - - i want to use you for my glory. wilt thou refuse? " since mother teresa had taken a vow of obedience, she could not leave her convent without official permission. after nearly a year and a half of lobbying, in january 1948 she finally received approval from the local archbishop ferdinand perier to pursue this new calling. that august, wearing the blue and white sari that she would always wear in public for the rest of her life, she left the loreto convent and wandered out into the city. after six months of basic medical training, she voyaged for the first time into calcutta ' s slums with no more specific goal than to aid " the unwanted