melvindale - northern allen park school district ’ s primary objective is to provide a comprehensive educational program which develops the physical, academic, aesthetic, and social aspect of all our children. therefore, our goal in the education of our children is to provide all learners with a solid foundation of skills, knowledge, and understanding that are necessary for their continual growth and success as students and as adults in society. furthermore, we believe that a quality education is a collaborative effort shared by educators, students, and community. it is our endeavor to consistently and continually evaluate our goals and the strategies being utilized to achieve them. all students will respond in writing with improved structure and organization to various themes in the curriculum. all students will improve fluency and confidence in application of computation skills and understanding of math concepts throughout the curriculum. all students will improve their ability to read and comprehend key elements of narrative and informational text and apply those skills in all subject areas. at allendale, we have employed three strategies to aid in achieving these goals : - differentiated instruction - our teachers proactively plan varied approaches to what students need to learn, how they will learn it, and / or how they can express what they have learned in order to increase the likelihood that each student will learn as much as he or she can as efficiently as possible. - graphic organizers - our teachers utilize graphic organizers across the curriculum to provide a visual aid to facilitate learning and instruction. a graphic organizer is a visual communication tool that uses visual symbols to express ideas and concepts, to convey meaning. a graphic organizer often depicts the relationships between facts, terms, and or ideas within a learning task. it is often referred to as a " map " because it can help teachers and students " map out " their ideas in a visual manner. - various technologies deliver different kinds of content and serve different purposes in the classroom. technology, at allendale, is used as a tool that is applied to our goals and a variety of others in the learning process and serves as a resource to help develop higher order thinking, creativity and research skills. member of the north central association the purpose of the association shall be to require its commission members to have accrediting processes that foster quality, encourage academic excellence, and improve teaching and learning. the association shall also encourage and support cooperative relationships among schools, and colleges and universities that hold membership in the association.


the spicy root of the horseradish plant is a widely used condiment. native to southeast europe, it is currently widely cultivated in germany. in japan, it is called wasabi, and forms a ubiquitous part of sushi cuisine. horseradish root also has a long history of medicinal use. taken internally, it was thought to be effective for bladder infections as well as other bladder and kidney problems. ( horseradish oil once formed a part of a drug licensed in the us for treatment of bladder infection ; however, contrary to statements made on some websites, this drug is no longer in use. ) horseradish was also taken internally as a treatment for respiratory infections and for joint pain. it was also applied externally in the form of a poultice to wounds, painful joints, and strained muscles. what is horseradish used for today? there are no scientific studies of horseradish that have attained even the minimum level of scientific reliability. only double - blind, placebo - controlled studies can show a treatment effective, and no such studies of horseradish taken by itself have yet been reported. ( for information on why such studies are essential, see why does this database rely on double - blind studies? ) germany ’ s commission e has approved horseradish for supportive treatment of urinary tract infections as well as for treatment of respiratory infections such as acute bronchitis, colds, sore throat, and sinusitis ; however, this approval is more on the base of tradition than science. a typical recommended dose of horseradish is 3 to 5 g of the freshly grated root taken three times daily, or 2 to 3 ml daily of horseradish tincture. for external use, freshly grated root is wrapped in thin gauze and applied to the skin until a sensation of warmth develops. the combined nasturtium - horseradish product mentioned above should be taken according to label instructions. as a commonly consumed condiment, horseradish is believed to be relatively safe. however, because of its spicy nature, it can cause burning mouth pain, sweating, and gastrointestinal distress. left too long in contact in the skin, marked irritation may develop. it is definitely not advisable to get horseradish products in contact with the eyes. maximum safe doses of horseradish have not been established for pregnant or nursing women, young children, or people with serious liver or kidney disease. - reviewer : ebsco cam review board - review date : 07 / 2012 - - update


11 alternative ways to learn your abcs most teachers use the typical associations to teach the alphabet : a is for apple, b is for bear, c is for cat, and so on. ( z is usually zebra. ) but if you prefer walking off the beaten path, there is a wealth of alternative alphabets available to teach your children the abcs. 1. the hidden alphabet by laura vaccaro seeger in her lift - the - flap picture book ( and book trailer, above ), seeger not only uses less traditional associations, but she also hides the items within the shapes of the letters. a is for arrowhead, the triangle in the a ; p is for partridge, the hollow in the p ; and q is for quotation mark, the center of the q. 2. the muppet alphabet by mike boon boon, a graphic designer, created an alphabet in which the letters are formed from the muppet show characters. b is for bunsen and beaker, f is for fozzie, and x is for xomfey ( a " pink stalk " from the show ' s pilot episode, " sex and violence " ). you can purchase a t - shirt ( from threadless ) or a poster ( mini through gallery size at society6 ) featuring the alphabet. 3. superhero abc by bob mcleod as an illustrator and artist for both marvel comics and dc comics, mcleod has his fair share of experience with superheroes. his children ' s picture book, superhero abc, was named one of school library journal ' s " best books of the year. " it features astro - man, who ' s " always alert for an alien attack ; " bubble - man, who " blows big bubbles at bullies " ( as well as being a bald man who wears boots ) ; and the volcano, who " vomits on villains. " his web site features superhero abc activity pages as well as links to purchase t - shirts, posters, and other related merch. 4. the alphabet of geekdom by nana leonti the " geekdom " alphabet by artist nana leonti features letters from the logos of popular geek brands / franchises, which leonti hand - drew. m is for magic : the gathering, v is for v for vendetta, and w is for wonder woman. you can purchase t - shirts and prints through redbubble. 5. the abcs of rock by melissa duke mooney and print mafia if you ' re too cool for the alphabet of geekdom, perhaps the


and w is for wonder woman. you can purchase t - shirts and prints through redbubble. 5. the abcs of rock by melissa duke mooney and print mafia if you ' re too cool for the alphabet of geekdom, perhaps the abcs of rock is more your style. when mooney, whose husband is in a band, couldn ' t find a suitable rock ' n ' roll alphabet book for her daughters, she decided to create one herself. near the end of the process, mooney passed away unexpectedly from meningitis, but her husband and others finished the project in her honor. associations from the rockin ' picture book include b for bowie ( david, that is ), f for fleetwood mac, and w for white stripes. 6. the official fart alphabet by ralph masiello and stephanie brockway 7. nerdy baby abcs by tiffany ard the nerdy baby abc flash cards feature associations such as a for atom, b for binary code, and c for cell membrane, all beautifully drawn by children ' s artist tiffany ard. you can pick up a set in the mental _ floss store. 8. my foodie abc by puck and violet lemay puck ' s board book for " gastronomes in training " teaches both the alphabet as well as the foodie terms, with pronunciation guides and descriptions for all the terms and colorful illustrations by lemay. p is for pomegranate, q is for quinoa, and r is for radicchio. 9. a is for ackbar by emma & brandon peat the peats initially designed this star wars - themed alphabet as wall hangings for their baby ' s bedroom. they later printed it up in book form to show family members and distribute as a thank you to those who contributed to their baby ' s college fund. now, it just lives on brandon ' s web site. c is for chewie and c - 3po, e is for ewoks, and l is for luke and leia. ( there ' s also an official star wars abc board book, but it ' s not nearly as adorable. ) 10. the alphabet 2 by n9ve independent design studio n9ve created this alphabet video experiment in which each letter visually represents the meaning of its word. b is a b - shaped biscuit, c is for cell animation, and the d, which explodes, is for destruction. check out their behind - the - scenes photos from the shoot, as well as their first


| official noaa climate monitoring station with warm | air conditioning exhaust blowing on temperature sensor. courtesy : dr. roger pielke, sr. also in the news the last two days is that the ipcc ( the folks that won the nobel prize ) have been wrong about increasing malaria due to global warming. a recent example is the case of malaria and climate. in the early days of global - warming research, scientists argued that warming would worsen malaria by increasing the range of mosquitoes. " malaria and dengue fever are two of the mosquito - borne diseases most likely to spread dramatically as global temperatures head upward, " said the harvard medical school ' s paul epstein in scientific american in 2000, in a warning typical of many. carried away by confirmation bias, scientists modeled the future worsening of malaria, and the intergovernmental panel on climate change accepted this as a given. when paul reiter, an expert on insect - borne diseases at the pasteur institute, begged to differ — pointing out that malaria ' s range was shrinking and was limited by factors other than temperature — he had an uphill struggle. " after much effort and many fruitless discussions, " he said, " i … resigned from the ipcc project [ but ] found that my name was still listed. i requested its removal, but was told it would remain because ' i had contributed. ' it was only after strong insistence that i succeeded in having it removed. " yet dr. reiter has now been vindicated. in a recent paper, peter gething of oxford university and his colleagues concluded that widespread claims that rising mean temperatures had already worsened malaria mortality were " largely at odds with observed decreasing global trends " and that proposed future effects of rising temperatures are " up to two orders of magnitude smaller than those that can be achieved by the effective scale - up of key control measures. " entire story here. so, while many of us sweat, the threat of catastrophic global warming continues to cool.


a reference resource orville l. freeman ( 1963 – 1969 ) : secretary of agriculture orville lothrop freeman was born on march 9, 1918, in minneapolis, minnesota. freeman attended public school in minneapolis and then received his b. a. from the university of minnesota in 1940. during world war ii, he served in the marine corps, following which he received his a. b. and ll. b. from the university of minnesota. freeman practiced law in minneapolis, becoming a close political associate of herbert humphrey, who was then serving as mayor of minneapolis and who also had a great deal of influence in the democratic - farmer - labor party ( dfl ). with humphrey ' s aid, freeman helped make the dfl a powerful political organization that in 1954 would help to overthrow republican dominance in the state. in 1954, freeman became governor of minnesota, where he earned a reputation as a progressive ; he was re - elected to that post in 1956 and 1958. after humphrey withdrew from the 1960 presidential race, freeman gave his support to kennedy - a favor kennedy returned following his victory in the 1960 presidential election. freeman himself had failed win re - election in 1960, allowing kennedy to appoint him as secretary of agriculture. when freeman took the post, america was suffering from chronic overproduction that was exacerbated by technological innovations. the kennedy administration believed it important to have the power to set acreage limitations and to control the amount of a crop actually brought to market. it therefore became freeman ' s goal to cut production, increase farm incomes, and distribute, on a large scale, surpluses to the hungry. freeman hoped that the department could reduce its budget and focus on other issues, such as rural development, land conversion, and research. freeman was able to establish a feed - grain reduction program, cut the amount of wheat grown, expand the agricultural trade development and assistance act, forge a wheat deal with the russians in 1963, and complete research on foodstuffs for survival after a nuclear attack. the food for peace program became crucial to distributing u. s. farm surpluses overseas and reducing the amount of dollars spent abroad. after serving as secretary of agriculture until january 1969, freeman became president of the business international corporation in 1970.


hall helping preserve negro leagues legacy pair of presentations held in recognition of black history month cooperstown, n. y. - - the past can ' t be prologue if it goes forgotten. the national baseball hall of fame and museum did its part to keep an oft - ignored chapter of the sport ' s history alive on wednesday, when it staged an interesting combination of presentations in recognition of black history month. john b. odell, the museum ' s curator of history and research, led a delegation of fans through the hall ' s pride & passion exhibit, which was instituted in 1997 in honor of the 50th anniversary of jackie robinson ' s major league debut. later in the day, stephen light, the hall ' s manager of museum programs, carefully displayed some vintage artifacts from that era. the effort, light said, was part of the hall of fame ' s three - fold mission to preserve history, honor excellence and connect the different generations of players and fans. perhaps no era of the game is more shrouded in mystery than the negro leagues, and odell acknowledged that even the hall of fame was a little late in appreciating that part of history. that all changed in 1997, when the hall ' s organizers updated a one - panel exhibit simply titled " negro leagues. " that project, intended to honor robinson ' s historic breaking of the sport ' s color barrier in ' 47, wound up casting the game in a new light and preserving the legacy of a legion of players who may have otherwise fallen through the cracks of history. " everybody knows in some shadowy way about the negro leagues, " said odell. " but what we learned as we were doing more research is that for 50 years prior to that, african - americans had been playing baseball. they started off playing in integrated baseball, and that was an interesting thing that helped us. african - americans and white ballplayers played together in the 1800s on integrated teams, especially in the minor leagues. it wasn ' t easy, and there are any number of stories about african - americans enduring some abuse. but there were integrated teams that were playing until around the 1880 ' s. " odell, speaking to a group of hall visitors and standing in front of a timeline of african - american baseball history, began weaving a rich story full of complex societal issues and little - known baseball facts. he spoke of the informal " gentleman ' s agreement " that barred blacks from playing in the major leagues, and of the eventual blossoming of the negro leagues, which comprised several offshoot


story full of complex societal issues and little - known baseball facts. he spoke of the informal " gentleman ' s agreement " that barred blacks from playing in the major leagues, and of the eventual blossoming of the negro leagues, which comprised several offshoots and grew to be one of the largest industries involving the nation ' s burgeoning african - american culture. still, even during its peak of cultural relevance - - which ran from the 1920 ' s into the ' 40 ' s - - the negro leagues were a diverse and often underfunded operation. odell mentioned the negro world series, which was held intermittently due to the randomly swinging economics of the teams involved, and told of the wildly popular annual east - west all - star game. and then, switching gears, he spoke rationally and reasonably about the reasons why that chapter of the game had gone uncelebrated for so many decades. peering around the exhibit - - which features game - worn jerseys by iconic players like robinson, satchel paige, larry doby and buck leonard - - odell said that such memorabilia is hard to find. " the negro leagues never had as much money as mlb did, so they had a tendency to use, re - use, recycle and finally wear out a lot of the equipment, " he said. " the second thing is that it wasn ' t until very recently - - within our lifetimes - - that people began to look back and think, ' oh, you know what they were doing was really very valuable and was every bit as valuable as what the major leagues were doing. ' the national baseball hall of fame started up in 1939, but it wasn ' t in 1939 that we started collecting negro league artifacts. it wasn ' t until decades later, and that was the same for collectors and historians. it took a long time for baseball to recognize the contributions that african - americans were making to the game. it ' s a sad but true statement. " that all changed with two men locked in a marriage of opportunity and idealism. former dodgers executive branch rickey has long been celebrated for signing robinson, an act that odell said may have been more complicated than it appeared. rickey may have had to deal with the entrenched racism of the day, but he did it for a wide variety of reasons. " one of the great enigmas about branch rickey is why he did it, because depending on the audience that he was talking to, he gave different reasons for it, " said odell.


he did it for a wide variety of reasons. " one of the great enigmas about branch rickey is why he did it, because depending on the audience that he was talking to, he gave different reasons for it, " said odell. " the truth of the matter is that branch rickey had as many different reasons for doing it, as we all have for all of the different things that we do. some of it was financial, because he could sign a better african - american player cheaper than he could sign a white ballplayer.... he also wanted to win. he recognized that there were african - american ballplayers out there who were better than the brooklyn dodgers he had on his team. " and then also, he had his own experiences with discrimination. he had been a college baseball coach, and one of the ballplayers on his team who was african - american was denied entrance to the team hotel. it was not until branch rickey said, ' he ' ll have to stay with me. he can stay in my own room, ' [ that it was resolved ]. he told this story about the ballplayer wishing that he was white so he could stay in the hotel with everyone else, and rickey recognized the injustice of that. " robinson, of course, turned rickey ' s principled stand into one of the most celebrated personnel decisions in the history of sports. baseball, in fact, transformed itself ahead of the nation ' s civil rights movement, but it certainly didn ' t happen overnight. " a very long and slow process, " is how odell phrased it, and indeed it took 13 years for every team to be integrated and nearly 25 years before the 1971 pittsburgh pirates fielded the first all - minority lineup. and it was hardly due to lack of influence, as african - american players accounted for nine rookie of the year awards and nine most valuable player trophies in that span. strangely, that huge success spelled an ignominious end to the venue that birthed it. fan attention was diverted slowly, and with major league opportunity calling, the former workforce for the negro leagues was basically eradicated. that, in turn, made the major leagues stronger and helped turned the negro leagues into a footnote in the annals of the game. " when jackie robinson left for the major leagues, african - americans began really following the major leagues and following jackie robinson a great deal, " said odell, explaining the unintended consequence. " as ballclubs began picking out


game. " when jackie robinson left for the major leagues, african - americans began really following the major leagues and following jackie robinson a great deal, " said odell, explaining the unintended consequence. " as ballclubs began picking out the best and the brightest from the negro leagues, the leagues themselves began to founder. and within really five years of robinson breaking the color line, you find very few references to black baseball, although it continued until around 1960, which is when the negro american league finally ended formally. but it really dropped off with robinson breaking the color line. " things began to change in 1990, when a group of former players founded the negro leagues baseball museum in kansas city. that inspired renewed interest in the era, and the hall of fame followed suit in ' 97 with pride & passion, which has been kept intact but moved to a more permanent display area on the second floor of the cooperstown shrine. light, speaking two hours after odell, gave a hands - on introduction to some of the hall of fame ' s artifacts. wearing a pair of white gloves to help preserve the items in hand, he gave a brief overview of the hall ' s extensive collection, which includes nearly 2. 8 million documents and 12, 000 hours of video footage in the a. bartlett giamatti research center. light also said that the hall of fame has 38, 000 baseball - related artifacts and that only 10 percent of them are on display. the remainder are housed in acid - free boxes under acid - free paper and kept in a climate - controlled vault. even the lighting is tightly regulated, and light said that everything the hall maintains is subject to the same diligent care. " a lot of people ask what ' s the most valuable artifact in our collection. we try to preserve everything equally, " said light of the museum ' s vast storehouse of collectibles. " if something comes in today, we try to keep it in the same state it was when we got it. it switches from being a piece of sporting goods to an artifact as soon as it gets here. " on this day, light chose to present a glove owned by hall of famer james " cool papa " bell and a game - used jersey most likely worn by former player and manager chet brewer. the jersey was a rare item representing the kansas city royals, an all - black barnstorming team that played in the now defunct california winter league. light also showed a rare photo of robinson dressed in a similar royals jersey and told an


back | next articles > satyagraha / civil disobedience > dandi... a turning point of freedom struggle dandi.... a turning point of freedom struggle history of dandi march after proclaiming the declaration of independence of india on january 26, 1930, mahatma gandhi realized that a new anti - government campaign was imperative for mobilizing indians of all hues in the fight against british raj. he contemplated the most appropriate course of action to take and came to the conclusion that non - violent civil disobedience was the ideal path. in february 1930, gandhi decided that the british salt tax one of the many taxes used to generate revenue to support british rule – would be the focal point of non - violence political protest. the british monopoly on salt meant that the sale or production of salt by anyone but the british government was a criminal offence punishable by law. salt was invaluable to indians, many of whom were agricultural labourers and required it in an environment of immense heat and humanity where sweating was profuse. salt occurred in low - lying coastal zones of india and was readily accessible to labourers who were instead forced to pay money for a mineral that they could easily collected for a mineral that they could easily collect themselves for free. gandhi also realized that protest against the salt tax would appeal across regions, classes, and ethnic boundaries. the penal sections of the salt act, dated 1882 stated that any person convicted of an official under section 9 – dealing with illegal production of salt – would be punished with imprisonment for a term which could extend to six months. all contraband salt, and every vessel, animal or conveyance used in carrying contraband salt would be liable to confiscation. intentions of gandhi in an effort to amend the salt tax without breaking the law. on march 2, 1930 gandhi wrote to the viceroy, lord irwin, “ if my letter makes no appeal to your heart, on the eleventh day of the ashram as i can take, to disregard the provision of the salt laws. i regard this tax to be the most iniquitous of all from the poor man ’ s standpoint. as the independence movement is essentially for the poorest in the land, the beginning will be made with this evil ”. the viceroy promptly wrote back to express his regret that gandhi was again “ contemplating a course of action which is clearly bound to involve violation of the law and danger to public peace ”. on march 12, 1930, gandhi and around 78 male satyagraha set out


wrote back to express his regret that gandhi was again “ contemplating a course of action which is clearly bound to involve violation of the law and danger to public peace ”. on march 12, 1930, gandhi and around 78 male satyagraha set out, on foot, fort the coastal village of dandi some 380 kms from their starting point in sabarmati, a journey which was to last 23 day. virtually every resident of each city along this journey watched the great procession, which was at least two miles in length. on april 6th, he picked up a lump of mud and salt. gandhi termed the march as the first implored his thousands of followers to begin to make salt wherever, along the seashore, “ war ” on the salt tax was to be continued during the national week, that is, up to april 13. reaction of the british government the british government incarcerated over sixty thousand indians by the end of march. on the night of may 4, gandhi was sleeping on a cot under a mango tree, at a village near dandi. a little after midnight, the district magistrate of surat drove up with two indian officers and thirty heavily – armed constables. he woke gandhi by shinning a torch in his face, and arrested him. the effect of the salt march was felt across india. thousands of people made salt, or bought illegal salt. this period is considered the apex of gandhi ’ s political appeal, as the march mobilized many new followers from all of indian society and the march grabbed the world ’ s attention. most historians see dandi as a key turning point in india ’ s struggle for freedom. source : the times of india, dated march 14, 2005, page 12


did you know there are mummies in korea? i didn ’ t, until i found this article from 2007 on national geographic. ( apparently, archaeologists didn ’ t, either, until the bodies started showing up, as old cemeteries were moved to make way for new houses in the recent construction boom. ) this person lived about 500 years ago and was found in south korea. according to national geographic, the mummification is perhaps the result of a burial practice that evolved in 14th - century korea : “ the people believed the body should dissolve in a natural manner, without external factors such as worms, ” said mark spigelman of the hebrew university of jerusalem, who is known for his pioneering studies of ancient diseases found on mummified bodies around the world. “ this is why they developed a special burial custom. ” the method involves laying a body on ice for 3 to 30 days during mourning, placing the corpse inside an inner and an outer pine coffin surrounded by the deceased ’ s clothes, and covering the coffin in a lime soil mixture. “ in some cases, this inadvertently resulted in extremely good natural mummification, ” spigelman added. “ they didn ’ t expect mummification and, in fact, that ’ s the one thing they wouldn ’ t want. ” this method — unlike the artificial ( and brittle - making ) mummification processes used in ancient egypt — resulted in mummies that are relatively pliable, with better preserved dna. researchers were even able to take samples from one mummy of the virus that causes hepatitis b, which could pave the way for research that might help modern - day sufferers of the disease. a more recent discovery — featured in the daily mail — is this lady, who is also believed to be about 500 years old : she was found in osan, in south korea ’ s gyeonggi province, with her purse.


photograph : larry w. smith / epa at the weekend, the texas forest service responded to 63 new fires, many fanned by winds from tropical storm lee. texas has been in drought for a year, with more than 3. 6m acres burnt in wildfires since the fire season began in november. a record number of 38c days has dried grass and hay, leaving ranchers with no choice but to sell cows for slaughter. weekly auctions that usually sell 1, 500 cows at this time of year are attracting 5, 000 and even turning away potential sellers, underlining the cost of severe weather that texas a & m university estimates has brought $ 5. 2bn losses. while texas is the biggest drought victim, oklahoma, new mexico, kansas, georgia and louisiana are also affected. “ this is an all - time record for the driest, hottest summer on record in this area since 1895, ’ ’ said travis miller, a professor in texas a & m soil and crop sciences department. high temperatures and no rain have devastated cotton – texas ’ s biggest cash crop, with about 50 per cent of the us total. of 7. 1m acres planted this year, 3. 4m acres have been abandoned. “ most of that never came up ; it didn ’ t have enough rain to seed, ’ ’ mr miller said. the country will feel texas ’ s pain in higher prices for cotton and sorghum, of which texas is also the biggest us producer. the state is the country ’ s second largest producer of peanuts and grapefruit and the third - biggest producer of sugarcane, carrots, honeydew melons and oranges. “ it will have a ripple effect on the national economy, ’ ’ said bernard weinstein, a business economics professor at southern methodist university. the federal reserve bank of dallas ’ s latest survey noted that all 13 of the state ’ s regions were in drought. it commented : “ crop insurance claims are expected to be the major source of income for the 2011 crop year. ” yet insurance is not expected to carry businesses for years. brian fuchs, a climatologist at the national drought mitigation centre at university of nebraska - lincoln, said indications are that la nina climatic conditions, which have led to drought in 33 per cent of the us, might continue into 2012. bill hyman, executive director of the independent cattlemen ’ s association of texas, has sold 40 per cent of his pasture cattle. within 30 days he will sell half of what is left, and


cent of the us, might continue into 2012. bill hyman, executive director of the independent cattlemen ’ s association of texas, has sold 40 per cent of his pasture cattle. within 30 days he will sell half of what is left, and then will sell the rest. “ my hay ’ s about out, ’ ’ mr hyman said. with supplies running up to $ 120 a bale – triple the normal price – and two of his three water sources already dry, it is too risky to continue : “ when you run out of water, you ’ re done. ’ ’ many of his cattle had up to seven years of breeding time left. and what is fetching $ 500 today – given the buyer ’ s market – will easily cost $ 1, 600 to replace when grazing conditions return to normal. “ other than to cry for you, i don ’ t know what else to say, ’ ’ he said. hope is low for government assistance because of the poor state of its finances. meat prices will rise with the loss of supply from the us biggest producer : texas provides 16 per cent of the country ’ s beef cows, 37 per cent of its goats and 15 per cent of its sheep and lambs. beef prices, in particular, should rise, given that the second largest cattle - producing state is oklahoma. but for donnie dippel, president of the texas agriculture industries association, the pain is felt now. “ we ’ ve been selling cattle here or there, ’ ’ he said. “ we ’ re trying to keep a few heifers back so we don ’ t sell our factory. when you sell your factory, you ’ re through. ’ ’


today as citizens of the world, we face a daunting array of social and environmental problems ranging from health care and education to global warming and economic inequality. for each of these issues, whether local or global in scope, there are millions of people who care passionately about working for change but lack the information and opportunities necessary to translate their interest into effective action. quick tips for keeping yourself safe on social networks - put everything behind password protected walls, where only friends can see - protect your password and make sure you really know who someone is before you allow them onto your friends list - blur or morph your photos a bit so they won ’ t be abused by cyberbullies or predators - don ’ t post anything your parents, principal or a predator couldn ’ t see - what you post online stays online – forever – so, thinkb4uclick! - don ’ t so or say anything online you wouldn ’ t say offline - protect your privacy and your friends ’ privacy too … get their okay before posting something about them or their pic online - check what your friends are posting / saying about you. even if you are careful, they may not be and may be putting you at risk. - that cute fourteen year old boy may not be cute, may not be fourteen and may not be a boy! you never know! - and, unless you ’ re prepared to attach your myspace or facebook to your college, job, internship, scholarship or sports team application, don ’ t post it publicly! embedded video from cnn video embedded video from cnn video middle school students in green bay, wisconsin are facing fines and suspensions tonight after posting their school yard fight on youtube. com earlier this week. at least four students have been suspended at franklin middle school, for involvement with the incident and up to six students have been ticketed by police for disorderly conduct. several fight scenes coming out of franklin middle school have been recorded and posted – in one fight, two students punch each other in the school bathroom while other watch, laugh, and videotape with their cell phones. this is just one incidence amongst many in a recent trend of posting fights and harassment on youtube. check out the clip below for an in - depth description and brief footage from the fights. discuss what is appropriate / inappropriate for posting on youtube. make sure to mention that your school name should never be tagged or mentioned. we are thrilled to announce that the middle school collected 112 jeans to be donated to homeless teens for the dosomething / aeropostale teens for


msp : middleschoolportal / energy transfers and transformations : sparking student interest from middle school portal energy transfers & transformations : sparking student interest - introduction as we each move through our day, we are constantly witnessing and experiencing changes in energy. most of us just don ’ t notice. it starts when the alarm clock goes off and continues as we power up with breakfast, do our morning workout, and drive to school. even the leaves on plants are quietly converting solar energy into chemical energy! it is easy to get hung up with the concept of energy. even nobel laureate richard feynman ( 1995, pgs. 71 - 72 ) found it an abstract topic. it is important to realize that in physics today, we have no knowledge of what energy is. we do not have a picture that energy comes in little blobs of a definite amount. it is not that way. however, there are formulas for calculating some numerical quantity and when we add it together it gives " 28 " — always the same number. it is an abstract thing in that it does not tell us the mechanisms or the reasons for the various formulas. the purpose of energy transfers & transformations is to provide you with resources that help your students understand how energy moves and changes. we followed the recommendations of the national science education standards ( nrc, 1996 ) that middle school students experience energy moving from place to place and changing forms. students should see how energy can cause objects to move. when we raise students ’ awareness of the energy movements and conversions around them in their daily lives, energy becomes more real. the terms energy transfer and energy transformation are often used interchangeably. here we will refer to the movement of one form of energy from place to place as energy transfer and the conversion of energy from one form to another as energy transformation. if we are talking about heat being conducted from a warm to cool area, that would be energy transfer. when we refer to electrical energy being converted to light, we use the term energy transformation. we ' ve selected resources that give you an idea of middle school energy concepts and activities. they are not meant to meet all of your teaching needs, but will perhaps spark some ideas for you and your students to convert the abstract to the concrete. references : feynman, richard p. ( 1995 ). six easy pieces : essentials of physics explained by its most brilliant teacher. cambridge, ma : perseus books. national research council. ( 1996 ). national science education standards. washington, dc : author. background information


. ( 1995 ). six easy pieces : essentials of physics explained by its most brilliant teacher. cambridge, ma : perseus books. national research council. ( 1996 ). national science education standards. washington, dc : author. background information for teachers if you didn ’ t read the quote by richard feynman in the introduction, take a second to do that. done? now, breathe a sigh of relief. even physicists of the nobel laureate type don ’ t completely understand energy. that said, we encourage you and your students to dig into this topic with gusto. for guidance on how to sequence your lessons, consider the relationships among energy transfer concepts. this tool - - nsdl strand map service - - maps a sequence of learning goals from grades k - 12 and lists resources related to specific science and math concepts. the maps illustrate connections between concepts as well as how concepts build upon one another across grade levels. an image of the grade 6 - 8 section of the energy transformations map appears below. the energy transformations map is one of sixteen maps under the physical setting heading. clicking on a concept ( aka learning goal within a gray box ) will show nsdl resources relevant to the concept, as well as information about related aaas project 2061 benchmarks and national science education standards. move the pink box in the lower right hand corner of the page to see the grades 6 - 8 learning goals. below is a handful of informational resources that you and your students can consult to help underpin your exploration of energy transformations. use them to supplement the materials you already have. for each resource, we ’ ve indicated if it is appropriate for student use, teacher use, or for use by both groups. you ’ ll find resources about potential and kinetic energy and other forms of energy, including one resource focused just on light. introduction to energy are you a little confused about types of energy and their transformations? teachers and students can learn how different types of energy are categorized into potential and kinetic forms. each brief paragraph explains how the form of energy is stored or released. small icons are used to show how energy is transformed from one form to another. for example, readers can see that the chemical energy in gasoline is transformed into energy of motion in a car. at the bottom of the document you will find additional information about renewable and nonrenewable sources of energy. types of energy here ’ s a reading that can introduce students to a variety of energy forms and to some of the energy transformations that humans use to meet our energy needs.


you will find additional information about renewable and nonrenewable sources of energy. types of energy here ’ s a reading that can introduce students to a variety of energy forms and to some of the energy transformations that humans use to meet our energy needs. paragraph - long overviews of each of nine different energy types are provided. gravitational, mechanical, nuclear, and sound energy are among the featured types. these overviews touch on what the energy form is, where it can be found ( for example, chemical energy in a match ), and ways that humans can or might be able to convert the energy form into a more usable type. the reading is from a site about the future of energy. energy tutorial although most of this teacher - level tutorial is afield from our focus ( but quite nice if you ’ re interested in energy use ), two sections of it — energy and energy conversion — are worth dipping into for background information presented from a perspective other than that of your textbook. since the tutorial is the handiwork of the national fuel cell research center, you can probably guess that it deals with energy issues like supply and efficiency from a practical viewpoint. no contrived real - world connections here! energy transfers and transformations are more than the stuff of textbooks. here ’ s a crop of hands - on activities that will have your students observing, experiencing, and building an understanding of how energy moves and changes forms. the activities take from one to two class periods to complete. potential and kinetic energy : spool racer this teaching aid provides multiple parts that support students learning about potential and kinetic energy. one part is a segment of the television program zoom, in which two young children build and demonstrate a spool racer. a goal of the video is to illustrate how the potential energy of a stretched rubber band is released as kinetic energy when the racer careens across the table. since the words potential and kinetic energy are never mentioned, you may decide to hold off introducing the terms until the students answer the question " what makes the spool racer go? " because the segment is just under 2. 5 minutes and can be viewed separately, you have a lot of flexibility in how you use this resource. if your students are going to build spool racers, they can view the video to see how to make them. if the students are not going to construct the racers, they can consider what happens in the video to answer the discussion questions. the second part is three paragraphs of background information that are appropriate for either you or your students.


how to make them. if the students are not going to construct the racers, they can consider what happens in the video to answer the discussion questions. the second part is three paragraphs of background information that are appropriate for either you or your students. the information contains real - world examples of potential and kinetic energy. if the students are doing this as a discovery activity, you will want to have them read this section after they are done with the spool racer. even though the children in the video look to be in elementary school, the discussion questions and the activity are very appropriate for middle school students. a link to the related standards is provided. energy at play students learn about potential and kinetic energy firsthand in this design challenge. the challenge is two - tiered : students design a toy that can propel a ball first a short and then a longer distance. ( consider converting the distances so that they are both in the metric system. ) in between the two tasks, the teacher demonstrates and facilitates a discussion about the conservation of energy. the packet offers substantial teacher support material, including materials lists, teaching points and related questions to ask students about the energy concepts involved in their designs, and lists of design constraints to share with students. although grades 3 - 6 are the target audience, the challenge ’ s content aligns well with the national physical science standards for grades 5 - 8. note that gravitational and elastic potential energy — the forms of potential energy addressed here — are not the only kinds of potential energy. atmospheric processes : radiation need some experience doing quantitative science experiments? in these activities, students take measurements, graph the results, and draw conclusions. they even generalize their results to real - world applications! after explaining the differences between conduction, convection, and radiation, this teacher guide offers activities in which the students learn first - hand the relationship between the color or texture of an object and its ability to absorb energy. students first measure, at one - minute intervals for ten minutes, the temperature of three materials ( water, light soil, and dark soil, or materials chosen by the teacher or students ) heated by a reflector lamp. the students also measure the temperature of the three materials as they cool for ten minutes. students consider that the earth is made of a variety of materials that absorb heat unevenly. what impact do you think this has on the earth ’ s atmosphere? good way to link energy transfer to weather and climate, isn ’ t it? testing materials for thermal conductivity we didn ’ t select this heat conduction activity because


unevenly. what impact do you think this has on the earth ’ s atmosphere? good way to link energy transfer to weather and climate, isn ’ t it? testing materials for thermal conductivity we didn ’ t select this heat conduction activity because it is new and different. that said, this version did catch our eye for a number of reasons : ( 1 ) the student activity sheet is written clearly, and the activity is well - designed ; ( 2 ) short answer and multiple choice assessment questions and answers are included ; and ( 3 ) the producers of the lesson plan, the texas state energy conservation office, have set the activity in a real - world context - - that of home insulation. a required reading from the same site is the basis for some of the assessment questions, a few of which are specific to texas. the teacher instructions come first in the packet, so don ’ t be confused if you see assessment answers before spotting the questions. dancing penny with the most basic of equipment ( a coin, a bottle, and water or oil ) and this demonstration, you can get students thinking about the transfer of heat and the cascading effects of that transfer. the activity, part of the well - known whelmers set, comes with all the teacher supports you ’ d expect, including presentation notes, standards correlations, an explanation of the demonstration ’ s science content, and an assessment idea. the demo calls on students to consider the conduction of heat, the chain of energy conversions leading up to the heat transfer, and the relationship between the temperature and pressure of a gas. smartr : virtual learning experiences for students visit our student site smartr to find related virtual learning experiences for your students! the smartr learning experiences were designed both for and by middle school aged students. students from around the country participated in every stage of smartr ’ s development and each of the learning experiences includes multimedia content including videos, simulations, games and virtual activities. visit the virtual learning experience on energy. the funworks visit the funworks stem career website to learn more about a variety of science - related careers ( click on the science link at the bottom of the home page ). national science education standards these excerpts from the national science education standards ( nses ) relate to the study of energy in middle school. physical science as a result of activities in grades 5 - 8, all students should develop an understanding of : transfer of energy - energy is a property of many substances and is associated with heat, light, electricity, mechanical motion, sound, nuclei


school. physical science as a result of activities in grades 5 - 8, all students should develop an understanding of : transfer of energy - energy is a property of many substances and is associated with heat, light, electricity, mechanical motion, sound, nuclei, and the nature of a chemical. energy is transferred in many ways. - heat moves in predictable ways, flowing from warmer objects to cooler ones, until both reach the same temperature. - light interacts with matter by transmission ( including refraction ), absorption, or scattering ( including reflection ). to see an object, light from that object - - emitted by or scattered from it - - must enter the eye. - electrical circuits provide a means of transferring electrical energy when heat, light, sound, and chemical changes are produced. - in most chemical and nuclear reactions, energy is transferred into or out of a system. heat, light, mechanical motion, or electricity might all be involved in such transfers. - the sun is a major source of energy for changes on the earth ' s surface. the sun loses energy by emitting light. a tiny fraction of that light reaches the earth, transferring energy from the sun to the earth. the sun ' s energy arrives as light with a range of wavelengths, consisting of visible light, infrared, and ultraviolet radiation. author and copyright carolee barber and judy ridgway, formerly of eisenhower national clearinghouse for science and mathematics education, instructional resources. carolee barber was a science education resource specialist at enc. she has taught a variety of science courses and worked for a conservation organization. judy ridgway was enc ' s assistant director of instructional resources. she is a veteran educator in the biological sciences. please email any comments to firstname. lastname @ example. org. connect with colleagues at our social network for middle school math and science teachers at http : / / msteacher2. org. copyright march 2005 - the ohio state university. last updated september 19, 2010. this material is based upon work supported by the national science foundation under grant no. 0424671 and since september 1, 2009 grant no. 0840824. any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author ( s ) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the national science foundation.


experimental targeted therapy shows early promise against medulloblastomas – a type of childhood brain cancer chicago, june 5, 2010 / prnewswire / — researchers from st. jude children ’ s research hospital and the pediatric brain tumor consortium ( pbtc ) presented today at the american society of clinical oncology the findings of a pediatric brain tumor study using an experimental drug that targets the underlying genetic makeup of the tumor. the research focused on a new way to attack the tumors by blocking the hedgehog pathway that is linked to approximately 20 percent of medulloblastomas. the study is the first to report that the drug can be safely administered to children. the study also suggested that the drug is showing early signs of efficacy in this patient population, with some children still on treatment almost a year with no progression of disease. all the children on this study had medulloblastomas that persisted or returned despite standard treatment with radiation and chemotherapy. recurrent medulloblastoma currently has a cure rate of less than 5 percent. the researchers found that patients whose tumors had the hedgehog molecular pathway activated appear to be some of the same patients who have responded to treatment in this trial, based on length of time on study. investigators have observed tumor responses in similar young adult patients whose tumors had the hedgehog molecular pathway activated. these early findings have given the green light for pediatric research to advance to a larger phase ii study scheduled to open later this year, and to increase the number of patients on the young adult study. the phase i study ( pbtc - 025 ) included 13 patients, 12 of them evaluable, ranging in age from 4 to 21 years. all received one of two different doses of gdc - 0449 daily for a minimum of 28 days and continued on treatment for as long as their disease remained stable. in addition to determining the safety and dosing of this experimental drug for children, the trial also conducted extensive research into pathologic and genomic methods for better identifying tumors that have the hedgehog pathway activated. “ medulloblastomas are the most common malignant brain tumors in children, ” said amar gajjar, m. d., co - chair of the st. jude department of oncology and principal investigator of the pbtc trial. “ the trend in treating children with these cancers is toward targeted therapies like this one, which block key signaling pathways and disable the cancer ’ s ability to function or reproduce. we know that this hedgehog


of the pbtc trial. “ the trend in treating children with these cancers is toward targeted therapies like this one, which block key signaling pathways and disable the cancer ’ s ability to function or reproduce. we know that this hedgehog pathway is important in the growth of these especially hard - to - treat tumors. ” the pbtc has an ongoing phase ii trial in recurrent medulloblastomas in young adults ( age 22 and older ), with this same agent, which has recently been expanded to include more patients. a phase ii trial of gdc - 0449 ’ s effectiveness against recurrent medulloblastomas in children ( up to age 21 ) will start later this year based on the results of today ’ s reported phase i trial. all of the pbtc trials are being sponsored by the division of cancer treatment and diagnosis, national cancer institute ( nci ) under a cooperative research and development agreement letter of intent between nci and genentech, inc. st. jude is home to the nation ’ s largest research - based pediatric brain tumor program. st. jude investigators have played a pivotal role in advancing understanding of the molecular missteps that give rise to medulloblastomas as well as seeking new, more targeted therapies to combat the tumors. st. jude investigators have published evidence that targeting the hedgehog pathway eradicated medulloblastomas in laboratory models. during fetal development the hedgehog pathway plays a central role in normal growth of the cerebellum. the cerebellum is located at the base of the skull and is the structure that helps coordinate movement and plays a role in mastering balance and other motor skills. medulloblastomas begin in the cerebellum, and uncontrolled activity along this pathway is linked to several cancers, including basal cell skin cancer. the pediatric brain tumor consortium ( pbtc ) is a federally - funded collaborative clinical trial group based at st. jude children ’ s research hospital that also includes children ’ s memorial hospital, chicago ; duke university medical center, durham, n. c. ; texas children ’ s cancer center, houston ; children ’ s hospital of philadelphia ; children ’ s hospital of pittsburgh ; university of california at san francisco ; children ’ s national medical center, washington d. c. ; and the national cancer institute ’ s pediatric oncology branch. the consortium is dedicated to developing new treatments against the brain and central nervous system tumors that strike about 3, 000 children


francisco ; children ’ s national medical center, washington d. c. ; and the national cancer institute ’ s pediatric oncology branch. the consortium is dedicated to developing new treatments against the brain and central nervous system tumors that strike about 3, 000 children and adolescents annually in the united states. st. jude children ’ s research hospital st. jude children ’ s research hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering research and treatment of children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. ranked the no. 1 pediatric cancer hospital by parents magazine and the no. 1 children ’ s cancer hospital by u. s. news & world report, st. jude is the first and only national cancer institute - designated comprehensive cancer center devoted solely to children. st. jude has treated children from all 50 states and from around the world, serving as a trusted resource for physicians and researchers. st. jude has developed research protocols that helped push overall survival rates for childhood cancer from less than 20 percent when the hospital opened to almost 80 percent today. st. jude is the national coordinating center for the pediatric brain tumor consortium and the childhood cancer survivor study. in addition to pediatric cancer research, st. jude is also a leader in sickle cell disease research and is a globally prominent research center for influenza. founded in 1962 by the late entertainer danny thomas, st. jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world, publishing more research articles than any other pediatric cancer research center in the united states. st. jude treats more than 5, 700 patients each year and is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. st. jude is financially supported by thousands of individual donors, organizations and corporations without which the hospital ’ s work would not be possible. in 2010, st. jude was ranked the most trusted charity in the nation in a public survey conducted by harris interactive, a highly respected international polling and research firm. for more information, go to www. stjude. org.


terminological issues of islamic architecture summarised extracts from a full article, see resources below, where end notes, references and bibliography are given. by : foundation for science technology and civilisation. info @ fstc. co. uk the terminological issues are connected with the use of " muslim " and " islamic " architecture. the two words are theoretically interconnected but conceptually different. muslim is a general word referring to religious and geographical setting of islam. muslim architecture is the building style of the countries of muslim religion, a term which may include modern or old architecture practised in these countries and which may not be necessarily islamic nor display any known features of islamic architecture such as the arch, the dome, stucco decoration... etc. similarly, we say today muslim city to refer to its location in a muslim country rather than to its islamic morphological features. the other disadvantage of using this concept is related to buildings of muslim origin but not in the muslim world as the case of spain, sicily, old ussr and other countries. more positively, one can define it as including the architecture that was accomplished by muslim masons, architects, for or under muslim patronage ( government ), or in a muslim country. islamic architecture can also be misleading as one may understand that it refers to the architecture of a particular religious ( islamist ) group or that of a religious function while in reality it refers to the islamic way of building as prescribed by the sharia law. in this definition, we are not concerned with the location and actual function of the building but rather with its islamic character in terms of design, form and decor, a definition which includes all types of building rather than only monuments. the main rule of this is apparent in the quran, which emphasises the building of robust structures for the sake of god, see for example the verse : " is he, therefore, better who lays his foundation on fear of allah and ( his ) good pleasure, or he who lays his foundation on the edge of a cracking hollowed bank, so it broke down with him into the fire of hell ; and allah does not guide the unjust people. " ( endnote 2 ) ( 9 : 109 ) this is practical for the ordinary house as well as the mosque, the palace and other major architectural monuments. however, one can analytically categorise muslim architectural achievement in two main areas involving religious and secular. the centre of the first is the mosque which was invented in early years ( the first year of hijra ) to serve a prestigious role providing


however, one can analytically categorise muslim architectural achievement in two main areas involving religious and secular. the centre of the first is the mosque which was invented in early years ( the first year of hijra ) to serve a prestigious role providing shelter and refuge for the believer from the turbulent life and a world of evil. the faithful gather there five times a day and every friday on a weekly basis. the articulation of elements such as arches, domes and columns, calligraphic illustrations and geometrical decorating patterns create a continuous sense of peace and contemplation reflecting the quranic verse : " o ye who believe! enter into islam whole - heartedly ; and follow not the footsteps of the evil one ; for he is to you an avowed enemy. " ( 2 : 208 ) ( see separate article, the mosque ) architecturally, the second most important religious building is the madrassa, a university ( or college ) which evolved from the mosque and was finally established at a time when europe was in its early dark ages. the form of madrassa progressively evolved starting from the simple form of houses of the teachers and reaching the monumental character of kuttubia in morocco. here, the building incorporated lecture theatres, library, residential rooms for students and facilities such as bathes, fountains and a courtyard ( endnote 3 ). although, a handful of madrassas still exist today in the muslim world, most of its religious teaching is undertaken by modern universities which do not structurally differ from their western counterparts. other religious buildings include monastic mosques ( zawiya ) and mausoleums which can also be very elaborate, reaching sometimes a monumental position like the taj mahal in india. muslim secular buildings consist largely of domestic structures ; palaces and ordinary houses. here, one cannot stop appreciating the successful adaptation of space to religious values and teachings especially those relating to private and public domains. from early palaces of the ummayyad and abbassid caliphate to modern houses, there was much observance of segregation between the female and male territories. the first was designed for family and domestic life, reserved for children and women. in the palace, the public space was for conducting public affairs such as reception halls, meeting rooms, ceremonial courts ( maidaan ) and mosques for princial entourage. their setting, organisation and decor had worldwide reputation that they were made settings for many western sagas and tales. other buildings that form part of muslim secular architecture include military structures such as castles, ribats and towers and walls. these


##ncial entourage. their setting, organisation and decor had worldwide reputation that they were made settings for many western sagas and tales. other buildings that form part of muslim secular architecture include military structures such as castles, ribats and towers and walls. these were erected to provide protection for cities especially in areas where external threat was menacing as in palestine and its bordering countries ( syria and jordan ), in cairo and north african coast. giant gates forming part of the defensive system as well as elements of ceremonial furniture ( victory ) were also erected along these ramparts. the oldest of these is bab raqqa in baghdad of al - mansur ( in 772 ) ( creswell, 1958 ), and bab alfutuh in cairo ( 11th century ). muslim keen interest in trade produced highly developed architecture in the form of numerous caravanserais, warehouses ( qaysariya or khan ) and suqs ( bazaars ) which formed the economic heart of the muslim city. in engineering architecture, muslims managed to create ensembles of structures combining high degree of engineering, functionality and outstanding beauty. their bridges, fountains and reservoirs also form fascinating elements showing sense of purpose and professional excellence. a feature that was instructed and nurtured by the prophet ( pbuh ) himself who declared that : " allah loves that when one accomplishes a task, to perfect it. " by : fstc limited, thu 17 january, 2002


( also called ' blood pressure - high ', ' bp ( high blood pressure ) ', ' high blood pressure ' ) what is high blood pressure? blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure or force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. the heart pumps blood into the arteries ( blood vessels ), which carry the blood throughout the body. high blood pressure, also called hypertension, means the pressure in your arteries is above the normal range. in most cases, no one knows what causes high blood pressure. how is blood pressure recorded? blood pressure is written as two numbers, such as 118 / 72. the first number is the systolic pressure. this is the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats and fills them with blood. the second number is the diastolic pressure. this is the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats. what is a normal blood pressure reading? | type of blood pressure reading | | normal blood pressure | | stage 1 hypertension | | stage 2 hypertension | | less than 120 mmhg | | 160 mmhg and above | | less than 80 mmhg | | 100 mmhg and above | mmhg = millimeters of mercury – the unit of measure for blood pressure how will i know if i have high blood pressure? your health care provider can tell you if you have high blood pressure by checking your blood pressure with a special meter. you usually cannot feel high blood pressure. many people who have high blood pressure don ' t know they have it. you should have your blood pressure checked once a year to make sure you don ’ t have high blood pressure. do not rely on drug store measurements, as they may not be accurate. what can happen if high blood pressure is not treated? - enlarged heart - heart failure - peripheral vascular disease - heart attack - kidney disease / failure who is more likely to have high blood pressure? - people with family members who have high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes - african americans - women who are pregnant - women who take birth control pills - people over 35 - people who are overweight - people who are not active - people who drink a lot of alcohol - people who eat too many fatty foods or foods with too much salt - people who smoke what should i do if i have high blood pressure? - if you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, you should aim to lower your blood pressure to less than 140 / 90, or to less than 130 / 80 if you have diabetes or kidney disease. - check your own blood


high blood pressure? - if you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, you should aim to lower your blood pressure to less than 140 / 90, or to less than 130 / 80 if you have diabetes or kidney disease. - check your own blood pressure at home as recommended. - eat healthy foods that are low in salt and fat. - achieve and maintain your ideal body weight. - limit alcohol to no more than two drinks each day. one drink is defined as 1 oz of alcohol, 5 oz of wine, or 12 oz of beer. - be more physically active. - quit smoking. - work on controlling anger and managing stress. - take high blood pressure medicine if your health care provider prescribes it, and follow the health care provider ’ s directions carefully. - have regular blood pressure checks by your health care provider. what should i include in my diet to control high blood pressure? - eat foods that are lower in fat, salt, and calories such as skim or 1 % milk, fresh vegetables and fruit, and plain rice and pasta. ( ask your doctor or health care provider for a more detailed list of salt - free foods to eat. ) - use flavorings, spices, and herbs to make foods tasty without using salt. - avoid or cut down on butter and margarine, regular salad dressings, fatty meats, whole milk dairy products, fried foods, and salted snacks. - ask your health care provider if you should increase potassium in your diet or if you need to take a potassium supplement. how can i be more active? - check first with your health care provider before increasing your physical activity. ask your provider what type and amount of exercise is right for you. - choose aerobic activities such as walking, biking, or swimming. - start slowly and increase activity gradually. aim for a regular routine of activity three to five times a week for 30 to 45 minutes each session. what should i know about blood pressure medicine? there are many different medicines to treat high blood pressure, and you might need to take medicine from now on. if you are told by your health care provider to take high blood pressure medicine, be sure to follow the exact directions. also ask what side effects can happen with your medicine, and talk to your health care provider about any problems or side effects you might have with your medicine. lastly, do not stop taking the medicine on your own. how can i learn more about high blood pressure? talk to your health care provider or visit your local library. you


9 principles of safe - fail probes in a fail - safe environment, the key objective is to prevent things going wrong. it is a system that has been structured such that it cannot fail ( or that the probability of such failure is extremely low ) to accomplish its assigned mission. high levels of planning and predictability accompany any such initiatives. indeed, some contexts demand this kind of rigour - take for example the recent serious of " could - have - been - worse " incidents in the south african civil aviation arena. every eventuality must be covered, and when there is the slightest doubt, get the plane onto the ground, even if it is only the backup system that has given a warning. however, not all environments are as predictable the engineering surrounding an aircraft.. ; ( not that all of civil aviation is predictable - just consider the number of planes, people, airports, weather phenomena, passenger behaviour patterns, and the like - i refer here mainly to the technical safety of an aircraft ). some contexts require a different approach completely. this is is the realm, not of the complicated but predictable, but of the complex and unpredictable. in the complex world ( now we can talk about all those other things in civil aviation ), we rather need to create ways that allow unpredictable things to happen, and then to have a plan to deal with them, and learn from them. moreover, we can even create situations that will test the stability ( or lack thereof ) of a complex system, and then observe the results. if it goes wrong, that is ok - it is allowed to. we can call these types of interventions or events, safe - fail. i would like to suggest that when we are deliberately setting about to the test the patterns that exist in complex systems by means of these experiments, or probes, we should consider the following 9 principles : - don ' t be afraid to experiment - some will fail. - every experiment will be different - don ' t use the cookie - cutter approach when designing interventions. - don ' t learn the same lesson twice - or maybe i should say, don ' t make the same mistake twice. - start with a low - risk area when you begin to experiment with a system. - design an experiment that can be measured. that is, know what the success and failure indicators of each experiment are. - don ' t be afraid - did i mention that already? - try doing multiple experiments on the same system - even at the same time. some will work, some will fail - good. shut


you are here review : the creation controversy & the science classroom one of the greatest needs for biology instruction is an understanding of why many students consider a fundamental theory of science to be faulty and what to do about it pedagogically. a deeper understanding of students ' underpinning religious beliefs concerning evolution, the age of the earth, and science in general benefits biology instructors ( and other science instructors as well ) in helping to comprehend students ' learning roadblocks, why the roadblocks exist, the history of the roadblocks, and why everyone does not share such roadblocks. naturally such an understanding is helpful, but also important is how instructors can nevertheless increase student understanding of such a publicly controversial topic as evolution. appropriately, the national science teachers association published a 56 - page booklet containing two chapters responding to these two needs of understanding and strategies : the creation controversy & the science classroom. the work is divided into two chapters, each addressing one of these needs : " modern science and the book of genesis " by james skehan and " effective strategies for teaching evolution and other controversial topics " by craig nelson. in his chapter, skehan — an ncse supporter — starts by taking readers through why people believed in a young earth in the past and why some still do today. he explains that both scientific education and religious education are important in a civilized society. he personally believes that the god of the bible created the universe and the physical processes driving physical and biological evolution — identifying himself as a theistic evolutionist. in explaining the genesis of genesis, skehan succinctly recounts st augustine ' s reasoning, the external evidence for the biblical authors, the evidence from the genesis document itself, varying traditions of scripture scholars, and how creationists differ from those in the mainstream of scriptural studies. the significant difference between creationists and most biblical scholars is the creationist belief that the bible is to be taken literally and must not be interpreted by techniques used on other literary works. a transition is then made to creationist attempts to determine the age of the earth from the bible. skehan explains how and why biblical scholarship and science have changed over the years, including sections on the age of the earth as calculated from the bible, and the physical and biological data concerning the age and evolution of the earth. the chapter ends by summarizing the creationists ' ultimate position : if there is a conflict between science and a literal interpretation of the bible, then science is wrong. skehan explains how religious and scientific endeavors are two different kinds of knowledge


earth. the chapter ends by summarizing the creationists ' ultimate position : if there is a conflict between science and a literal interpretation of the bible, then science is wrong. skehan explains how religious and scientific endeavors are two different kinds of knowledge, explaining that those who misrepresent the bible as science, rather than a theological document, are damaging religion. the reader quickly comes to understand that the reasons why creationist students believe what they do about evolution often has as much ( or more ) to do with biblical illiteracy or marginal literalist traditions than with misconceptions in science. because of this problem, skehan goes as far as to state : the education of every science teacher who is likely to face the creation science mindset should include something about the premises and procedures of modern biblical scholarship ( p 16 - 7 ). class = " rncse " > probably everyone would wholeheartedly agree that it would benefit science teachers better to understand the reasons for their students ' learning roadblocks, but encouraging future teachers to take biblical scholarship training to become public high school science teachers will be suspect by some — including many practicing science teachers. yet it could be plausibly argued that because the history and philosophy of science has included brushes and entanglements ( to say the least ) with biblical scholarship, and because the history and philosophy of science should be integrated in science courses, the education of science teachers should therefore include some biblical scholarship. however, skehan goes further and states that : teachers must be able to help students from varied backgrounds... realize that there is no necessary conflict between interpretations of data from scientific studies and religious beliefs based on the bible ( p 2 ). class = " rncse " > this is a stimulating statement. most people would probably have no problem with students ' coming to an understanding that no conflict exists between science and the bible as a by - product of public school education. however, many more people might take issue with preparing public school science teachers to be able to help students to realize that their religious tradition is erroneous ( or at least part of their religious tradition is erroneous ). it is a subtle distinction that can be an intriguing point of discussion for educators. this first chapter is a concise, detail - rich history of some of the relevant issues concerning science and biblical scholarship, with a good relevant criticism of creationism woven throughout for instructors wanting better to understand the biblical beliefs that may underpin their students ' concluding that the science of evolution is unsound —


history of some of the relevant issues concerning science and biblical scholarship, with a good relevant criticism of creationism woven throughout for instructors wanting better to understand the biblical beliefs that may underpin their students ' concluding that the science of evolution is unsound — all in only 18 pages! nelson ' s chapter on effective strategies for teaching evolution is also to the point, with a great number of useful ideas and strategies packed in a short read. his recommendations are useful not only for teaching evolution to a variety of students but also for teaching many other controversial issues. he believes that most other major scientific theories, which may be less well understood by the public than evolution is, would be rejected even more widely if the public understood these theories well. the chapter begins with a discussion of key pedagogical strategies with corresponding problems, emphasizing the fundamental role of " active learning ". the results of empirical studies supporting the use of these strategies in college - level education are given to show the significant positive effects of active learning compared to using only traditional didactic pedagogy and passive learning practices. nelson then turns his attention to problems that arise from traditional content and curricula, emphasizing that instructors can make considerable changes here also. some problems addressed are : ( a ) in the rush to cover the material, teachers often present just the conclusions, leaving out the importance of science ' s evidence - based critical thinking ; ( b ) too often teachers appear to present all topics in science as equally well supported ( even though evolution is far more supported than many other accepted scientific concepts ) ; and ( c ) words are often used in science education in a way contradictory to students ' common usage. not all pedagogical problems arise from using traditional pedagogy and content ; many arise from outside traditional pedagogy and content. nelson addresses some of these problems, such as public controversies that usually rest on disagreements about consequences of the science. employing a " rusty hand - grenade " as his key metaphor, nelson effectively illustrates risk analysis in a manner understandable to virtually all students. the intended result is that students can rationally disagree on how strong the evidence must be to justify various decisions based on the trade - offs — as recognized by students. this examination of trade - offs and consequences is then considered in light of teaching evolution. students who perceive they have much more to risk ( for example, eternal salvation ) may require a great deal more evidence of the soundness of evolution than those students who feel they have little to risk. before nelson proceeds to more explicit juxt


evolution. students who perceive they have much more to risk ( for example, eternal salvation ) may require a great deal more evidence of the soundness of evolution than those students who feel they have little to risk. before nelson proceeds to more explicit juxtaposing of evolution and types of creation, he effectively cautions his science - teacher readers not to incorporate the religious consequence approaches if they feel uncomfortable. the tools that he gives for bridging false creation / evolution dichotomies are certainly useful in post - secondary education, but some may be problematic to implement in public high school science courses due to their religious nature. however, even if some teachers are uncomfortable with personally implementing such approaches, the material is important for all teachers to understand. more strategies are given for matters arising from outside traditional pedagogy and content. the ubiquitous problem of students ' wanting teachers just to tell them what to memorize is countered with three separate strategies : ( a ) teaching the " game " of science — and explaining why evolution is good science, ( b ) drawing a clear distinction between what science does and what religion does, and ( c ) focusing on humans — because most students are quite interested in the details of the evidence for human evolution, they will be more motivated to do the necessary work for higher - level understanding. the chapter ends with a table of 21 evolution questions with brief answers from " quick creation " ( sometimes including " gradual creation " ) and basic science, including lines of evidence and applications. the information from the table is to be used in a very understandable " big mac " metaphor for helping students to learn the wide variation in strength of support among different statements about evolution. nelson claims the strategies in the chapter make teaching more inclusive, effective, and fun. i certainly agree.


media briefing : influenza a ( h1n1 ) ( conducted by dr. jon k. andrus, pan american health organization, may 11, 2009 ) good afternoon. welcome again to members of the press corps on the line, and thank you for taking the time to listen to today ’ s briefing by the pan american health organization on the influenza a ( h1n1 ) epidemic. - today, i will focus on two issues : firstly, an update on the influenza a ( h1n1 ) candidate vaccines, and then secondly, implications of public health disease surveillance. - as expected, the h1n1 virus is spreading south to more countries of central and south america. we estimate that in the americas > 4700 cases have been reported. a total of 54 deaths have been reported : mexico 48, usa 4, canada 1, and costa rica 1. - we are dealing with a new disease caused by a new virus that no one has ever seen before. therefore, humans have no prior protective immunity and we just don ' t know what is going to happen. - one very positive development is the number of institutions advancing rapidly on the vaccine front. who collaborating centers at the cdc in atlanta, and the national institute for biological standards and control in the uk are among a half - dozen laboratories that are developing candidate vaccine viruses using reverse genetics technology, and two of these expect to have their candidate viruses ready by the end of the month. - at least 3 other laboratories are working on vaccine virus candidates using the classical reassortant technology, and four others are developing vaccine potency reagents. - in addition, wild virus samples have been sent directly to at least 10 vaccine manufacturers for use in developing the necessary vaccines. - as i have said before, this rapid progress means that we may have h1n1 vaccines available within the next 6 months. meanwhile, we need to remain focused on what we can do as individuals, and what our society as a whole can do to support our individual actions. - from an individual standpoint, i need to ask myself : what can i do to protect myself and my family from catching influenza a ( h1n1 )? - the main route of transmission of the new influenza a ( h1n1 ) virus seems to be similar to seasonal influenza, via droplets that can be expelled by speaking, sneezing or coughing. - you can prevent getting infected : by avoiding close contact with people who show influenza - like symptoms by trying to maintain a distance of about 1 metre if


similar to seasonal influenza, via droplets that can be expelled by speaking, sneezing or coughing. - you can prevent getting infected : by avoiding close contact with people who show influenza - like symptoms by trying to maintain a distance of about 1 metre if possible, and by taking the following measures : - avoid touching your mouth and nose ; - clean hands thoroughly and frequently with soap and water ; you can also use an alcohol - based hand rub on a regular basis ; - reduce the time spent in crowded settings if possible ; - improve airflow in your living space by opening windows ; - practice good health habits including adequate sleep, eating nutritious food, and keeping physically active. - so what can society and the public health infra - structure do to control this outbreak? with a new disease, we need the best information to be able to understand it and therefore take the measures that will ensure the most effective outbreak response. - in the early phase of the epidemic, when countries try to combat the first cases, they try containment strategies, such as school closure and restricting attendance to public events. these strategies may help slow down the outbreak, which is good. we want to avoid overwhelming the health system. - we are learning that these measures may be helpful during the initial phases, particularly if the first cases in a country are from a smaller village or school. - eventually, though, transmission spreads, and such measures are much less effective, if at all, during the later phases of the outbreak. - by far, one of the most important things we can do is implement effective surveillance so we can monitor trends and better understand risk factors. - effective disease surveillance will help us identify people who have a more severe form of the disease so they can receive life - saving attention and treatments in a more timely fashion. - we have learned that the deaths in mexico have occurred generally in two groups : one group includes people with chronic disease and the other includes young, healthy adults aged 20 - 40 years. the first group makes sense : they have chronic diseases which pose well - known risk factors for complications when stressed with acute infection. what we have learned about the second group is that these folks tended to reach the health facilities late, and therefore received the necessary medical attention and treatments late. - so, enhanced, more effective surveillance should help us prevent unnecessary deaths in countries newly reporting cases, particularly in the southern hemisphere. - paho and cdc are working to ensure as many of the accurate test kits as possible are getting to the countries. we are also discussing plans to ensure


children of immigrants often have trouble fitting into north american culture. language is at the heart of the problem. some children of immigrants reject their native language and culture in hopes of fitting in. parents are concerned that different generations in the family may not be able to speak to each other. they are left with a balancing act of preserving language, while joining the american melting pot. about 20 children bubbling with energy gather in a brightly decorated classroom at the end of the school day. spanish and english words fly around the room. a couple adult volunteers try to give instructions in spanish. this is owatonna ' s club latino, an after school program for children in grades 1 - 8. it ' s a place where children gather once a week to be reminded of their roots. they make pinatas and other crafts, eat mexican food and play games that help them practice their spanish. consuelo contreras, who helps organize the group, has a 10 - year old daughter. speaking through a translator, she says her daughter did not want to speak spanish with her in school. " she felt embarrassed that other people could hear her speaking another language. it ' s really difficult to bring a child to another country speaking a foreign language. " contreras says many times when immigrant children first arrive in the united states, their self esteem suffers along with their grades. she ' s seen a positive change in her daughter since club latino started. claudia silva rodriguez, 17, is a teen leader with club latino. she moved to owatonna two years ago from mexico with her immediate family. she says life was really difficult here initially. speaking through a translator, she says at school she met a few teenagers who have forgotten or rejected their first language. " i say ' hola. ' they say ' hi. ' i ask, ' do you speak spanish? ' they say, ' no. ' they speak only english but they ' re latinos. it ' s bad, " says rodriguez. rodriguez says she ' s proud to be mexican - american. judy auger, esol program coordinator for rochester public schools, says it ' s more difficult for immigrants who come to the u. s. as teenagers. " they want desperately to fit into this culture, " auger says. " and fitting into this culture means wearing what other students wear. perhaps that means participating in activities. if they want to fit in, sometimes that means rejecting everything about their own culture. " she says last year there were 58 different languages spoken in the rochester


and fitting into this culture means wearing what other students wear. perhaps that means participating in activities. if they want to fit in, sometimes that means rejecting everything about their own culture. " she says last year there were 58 different languages spoken in the rochester schools - - too many for the schools to offer bilingual programs. auger encourages parents to speak the first language to their children at home. this issue is nothing new. every immigrant group throughout u. s. history has had to struggle to find a balance between maintaining culture and fitting in. in the late 1800s, it was the norwegians. kathleen stokker, norwegian professor at luther college in decorah, says when norwegians first started coming to minnesota, norway was overpopulated and norwegians wanted to give their children a better life. but the generation gap between children and parents became a cultural gap as well. " children view the customs and world view and values of the parent generation - which they identify as very old country - as something to almost be ashamed of because it doesn ' t fit in, " stokker says. she says her parents never taught her norwegian because it was important to be a part of the melting pot. " teddy roosevelt said, ' there is no room in america for hyphenated americans. we are all either americans or we are not americans, ' " stokker says. " and this put just a terrible chill into the continuation of any kind of ethnic identification. parents came to feel very strongly that they would be doing their children a disservice by continuing to teach them the language. " stokker says history has repeated itself. getting in touch with roots has become a popular pastime. but she says the recent flag - waving in the united states has been reminiscent of the nationalism felt during world war i. tensions introduced by sept. 11 led to intolerance of minorities. for many immigrants, fitting in has been more challenging than ever. some of the recent waves of immigrants - latino, hmong, somali, bosnian and thai - have succeeded in protecting their cultural identity through groups like club latino. but for smaller communities, it ' s up to the parents. sarun prum, a cambodian refugee, moved to rochester and started a family several years ago. his three children speak english at home, but prum speaks to them in khmer. it ' s important for prum that his children communicate with their grandparents in cambodia. prum ' s oldest daughter is 15. he says it wasn ' t until her junior high


speak english at home, but prum speaks to them in khmer. it ' s important for prum that his children communicate with their grandparents in cambodia. prum ' s oldest daughter is 15. he says it wasn ' t until her junior high teacher showed her class the movie the killing fields that she became interested in her heritage. " she asked me, ' is it where you come from? ' " prum recalls. " it was a very good tool. her teacher ask her to interview me so she had to learn from me. she must do her homework. if sitting at the table and i was telling story of cambodia ( sic ), maybe she doesn ' t want to listen. " prum told her about what life was like when he was her age. " the war started 1968 in our hometown, so we started running from place to place from war at the age of 9, " he says. " so i lost that age. i told them that. i say you have a lot. i miss a lot of what you have right now. " the cambodian government is still unstable, but prum says the killing has stopped. he says once his children are fine on their own he ' ll return to cambodia. some youngsters see advantages to being bilingual. in owatonna, 9 - year - old stephanie ortiz looks forward to club latino each week. ortiz was born in the united states but her parents are from mexico. she speaks spanish at home and english at school. " people say its a very good thing when you know two languages, " ortiz says. " and you ' ll get a good job when you grow up. you ' re lucky and stuff. and people ask me, ' how do you say this? ' ' how do you say that? ' it ' s pretty cool. " ortiz says she ' s been translating for some of her classmates since the first grade. and she says that ' s pretty cool, too. more from mpr


earth absorbs more of our co2 emissions : science even as man ' s output of earth - warming co2 has risen, so has the capacity of plants and the oceans to absorb it, scientists said wednesday, but warned this may not last forever. carbon storage by land and sea, known as carbon sinks, has more than doubled in the past 50 years from about 2. 4 billion tonnes in 1960 to some five billion tonnes in 2010, said a study in nature. at the same time, fossil - fuel co2 emissions rose almost four - fold. " the growth rate of atmospheric co2 continues to rise because fossil fuel emissions are accelerating not because sinks are diminishing, " researcher ashley ballantyne of the university of colorado ' s geology department told afp. the finding was contrary to widespread expectations that carbon sinks were slowing their co2 uptake. " we were somewhat surprised by this result because several recent studies have been published showing that the land and oceans have been taking up less co2, " said ballantyne. " we discovered that the earth continues to take up more co2 every year and there is no indication that this uptake has weakened. " ballantyne and colleagues used reported annual changes in atmospheric co2 levels, from which they subtracted annual total man - made emissions to quantify earth ' s uptake. about half of man - made co2 emissions caused by burning fossil fuels and land - use changes such as deforestation, are taken up by plants and the oceans. co2 can be stored away deep in the oceans for centuries. plants and trees also use co2 but later return it to the atmosphere through respiration or the burning of forests, for example. " we don ' t expect this uptake to continue to increase indefinitely because increased temperature as a result of rising co2 may limit the net uptake of co2 by land and oceans, " said ballantyne. in fact, carbon sinks may become new sources of co2 within the next century. " obviously if the earth suddenly stopped taking up as much co2 this would have potentially catastrophic consequences for earth ' s climate system. " better understanding of these processes is crucial for climate change planning. " it makes a big difference whether the extra carbon emitted is stored in reservoirs such as the deep oceans, where it could stay for hundreds or thousands of years, or whether it is taken up by the growth of new forests where it would stay for only a few years or decades, " german scientist ingeborg levin said in a comment that accompanied