join for just $ 16 a year - discounts on travel and everyday savings - subscription to aarp the magazine - free membership for your spouse or partner true clubfoot is characterized by abnormal bone formation in the foot. there are four variations of clubfoot, including talipes varus, talipes valgus, talipes equines, and talipes calcaneus. in talipes varus, the most common form of clubfoot, the foot generally turns inward so that the leg and foot look somewhat like the letter j. in talipes valgus, the foot rotates outward like the letter l. in talipes equinus, the foot points downward, similar to that of a toe dancer. in talipes calcaneus, the foot points upward, with the heel pointing down. clubfoot can affect one foot or both. sometimes an infant ' s feet appear abnormal at birth because of the intrauterine position of the fetus birth. if there is no anatomic abnormality of the bone, this is not true clubfoot, and the problem can usually be corrected by applying special braces or casts to straighten the foot. experts do not agree on the precise cause of clubfoot. the exact genetic mechanism of inheritance has been extensively investigated using family studies and other epidemiological methods. as of 1999, no definitive conclusions had been reached, although a mendelian pattern of inheritance is suspected. this may be due to the interaction of several different inheritance patterns, different patterns of development appearing as the same condition, or a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors. the msx1 gene has been associated with clubfoot in animal studies. but, as of 2001, these findings have not been replicated in humans. a family history of clubfoot has been reported in 24. 4 % of families in a single study. these findings suggest the potential role of one or more genes being responsible for clubfoot. several environmental causes have been proposed for clubfoot. obstetricians feel that intrauterine crowding causes clubfoot. this theory is supported by a significantly higher incidence of clubfoot among twins compared to singleton births. intrauterine exposure to the drug, misoprostol, has been linked with clubfoot. misoprostol is commonly used when trying, usually unsuccessfully, to induce abortion in brazil and in other countries in south and central america. researchers in norway have reported that males who are in the printing trades have significantly more offspring with clubfoot than men in other occupations. for unknown reasons


when trying, usually unsuccessfully, to induce abortion in brazil and in other countries in south and central america. researchers in norway have reported that males who are in the printing trades have significantly more offspring with clubfoot than men in other occupations. for unknown reasons, amniocentesis, a prenatal test, has also been associated with clubfoot. the infants of mothers who smoke during pregnancy have a greater chance of being born with clubfoot than are offspring of women who do not smoke. author info : l. fleming fallon jr., md, drph, the gale group inc., gale, detroit, gale encyclopedia of genetic disorders part i, 2002this feature is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the care and information received from your healthcare provider. please consult a healthcare professional with any health concerns you may have. enter your symptoms in our symptom checker to find out possible causes of your symptoms. go. enter any list of prescription drugs and see how they interact with each other and with other substances. go. enter its color and shape information, and this tool helps you identify it. go. find information on drug interactions, side effects, and more. go. member access to health and insurance products and services at aarphealthcare. com. members can get an instant quote with aarp® dental insurance administered by delta dental insurance company. members can save on eyewear with aarp® vision discounts provided by eyemed. caregiving can be a lonely journey, but aarp offers resources that can help.


on a moonless texas night in 1895, an ambitious young landowner suffers the loss of “ the only woman he ’ s ever been fond of ” when his wife dies during childbirth with the couple ’ s fourth boy, karel. from an early age karel proves so talented on horseback that his father enlists him to ride in acreage - staked horseraces against his neighbors. but karel is forever haunted by thoughts of the mother he never knew, by the bloodshot blame in his father ’ s eyes, and permanently marked by the yoke he and his brothers are forced to wear to plow the family fields. confident only in the saddle, karel is certain that the horse “ wants the whip the same way he wants his pop ’ s strap... the closest he ever gets to his father ’ s touch. ” in the winter of 1910, karel rides in the ultimate high - stakes race against a powerful spanish patriarch and his alluring daughters. hanging in the balance are his father ’ s fortune, his brother ’ s futures, and his own fate. fourteen years later, with the stake of the race still driven hard between him and his brothers, karel is finally forced to dress the wounds of his past and to salvage the tattered fabric of his family. 1. the book opens with karel ’ s birth, which is also the occasion of his mother ’ s death. how does this change the family dynamic? how does it introduce the themes of guilt and shame and how do you see these themes continue throughout the book? 2. in the book ’ s opening pages, we see sr. villasenor establish himself at the local bank. when he is condescended to by the banker, how does he get his revenge? how are villasenor and skala different sorts of men? how are they the same? 3. discuss karel ’ s relationship with his father. vaclav never holds his infant son ; later, the narrator says, “ karel wanted his pop ’ s strap, the stinging and unambiguous urgency of its attention, and, for karel, the closest he got to his father ’ s touch ” ( p. 20 ). where else do you see the correlation of violence with affection? how else does this correlation play out in karel ’ s life? 4. on pages 30 – 31, karel recounts a nightmare in which his father is kicked by a horse, then a horseshoe is nailed to his hand. what does this image of crucifixion signify in the story? vacl


? 4. on pages 30 – 31, karel recounts a nightmare in which his father is kicked by a horse, then a horseshoe is nailed to his hand. what does this image of crucifixion signify in the story? vaclav is far from christ - like, but what sacrifice happens in the book? what redemption? 5. karel is haunted by the absence of his mother. how does he seek maternal love? how does he confuse maternal love with something else? 6. on page 43, karel kicks a pregnant cow. why does he do this? how do we know this act is premeditated? what sorts of connections might karel have between violence and money, or value? where would those have come from? 7. the structure of the book is not strictly chronological. why do you think the author chose to structure the book this way? how do the characters unfold through this broken narrative? what is gained by seeing karel and the other characters at different points in their lives? 8. does karel feel bonded with the knedlik boys because of the way their fathers died? was that a reliable trust? when you finally read the scene of vaclav ’ s death, is it what you expected? does this change how you feel about karel? 9. discuss the pivotal horserace between karel and graciela. what made this race different than any other race? how is this race different than the one karel ran against the dalton boy earlier in the book? what are we to understand about karel ’ s sportsmanship? 10. after the race, during the fight that ensues between the skala men, what does the author mean when he says the fight was “ flawless in its wickedness ”? why does it feel like this fight was fated? what was gained, and what lost, in the fight? 11. there are a few short passages in the book told from the point of view of father carew. why do you think the author chose to switch the narration for these few moments? what do we gain from his perspective? 12. raymond knedlik says to karel, “ ‘ you ain ’ t got any brothers, skala, unless you ’ re talking about me and joe here. them others won ’ t claim you. ’ ” ( page 293 ). what does karel think of this claim? what does being a brother mean to karel? what do you think makes men into brothers? 13. the title of the book is “ the wake of forgiveness. ” who is forgiven?


the presentation for nouns is simple but very effective you will need - picture of a black triangle ( or a black pyramid if you have one ), paper and black pen. say to the child - can you bring a, quickly go into the hallway and get a, hurry! the child will look confused as you haven ' t specified anything to bring - wait until they ask you what you want them to bring or say i don ' t know what you want. reply ' you don ' t know what to bring me as i haven ' t given you a name ' ask the child their name - ' you all have names, if we look around there are millions of things with names ' ' i am going to write a name ' - write pen and ask the child to get a pen. continue 2 or 3 times naming various objects ' how did you know to bring me a pen / book / teddy etc? ' their response will be along the lines of - because you told us. ' yes, because all these objects have a special name. we call these names nouns. ' noun comes from the latin nomen which means name. the name of something is a noun ( person, place or thing ) introduce the black pyramid / triangle - this black pyramid represents names, because just like names the pyramids are ancient. nouns are probably the oldest part of speech. we followed up with various worksheet games to reinforce the concept. ( i. e. circle the noun in these sentences )


nothing can justify violence towards children in most of europe today, society tolerates and even approves recurrent forms of violence against children, in particular those inflicted in the home. no religion, economic situation or " educational " method can justify hitting, smacking, spanking, abusing, humiliating, or any other practice that violates a child ' s dignity. it is internationally recognised in human rights law that children have a right to protection from all forms of violence, including corporal punishment in all settings – home, school, penal systems, care institutions, wherever children are found. one third of our member states have made corporal punishment illegal and others are committed to legal reform. but despite these positive developments, corporal punishment remains lawful in most countries. lawfulness of corporal punishment is also contrary to the right of children to equal protection under the law. abolishing it calls for changes in legislation and new policies to ensure implementation and guidance for those working with children and families. it also requires awareness raising to inform the public about children ' s human rights. web content display ' ' raise your hand against smacking! ' ' - launch of 2008 awareness - raising action at the launch of the europe - wide initiative against corporal punishment of children in zagreb, ( croatia ), on 15 june, deputy secretary general maud de boer - buquicchio said there was ' ' no footnote ' ' in the european convention granting human rights to adults only. ' ' abolishing corporal punishment is a matter of vision and political leadership, ' ' she added. jadranka kosor, croatia ’ s deputy prime minister and minister of family, veterans ’ affairs and intergenerational solidarity said : ' ' it is important to move from smacking to positive parenting, nurturing and love. ' ' ( more... )


october 4, 2005 : intricate wisps of glowing gas float amid a myriad of stars in this image of the supernova remnant, n132d. the ejected material shows that roughly 3, 000 years have passed since the supernova blast. as this titanic explosion took place in the large magellanic cloud, a nearby neighbor galaxy some 160, 000 light - years away, the light from the supernova remnant is dated as being 163, 000 years old from clocks on earth. this composite image of n132d comprises visible - light data taken in january 2004 with hubble ' s advanced camera for surveys, and x - ray images obtained in july 2000 by chandra ' s advanced ccd imaging spectrometer. the complex structure of n132d is due to the expanding supersonic shock wave from the explosion impacting the interstellar gas of the lmc. a supernova remnant like n132d provides information on stellar evolution and the creation of chemical elements such as oxygen through nuclear reactions in their cores. when viewing objects in space, one must realize that the speed of light is a finite quantity, and that many objects that we are observing with high - powered telescopes, like hubble, are extremely far away. if we refer to the speed of light as an unchanging value, and state that nothing can go faster than this speed, we can then use the term " light - second, " " light - minute, " " light - hour ", and so on up to " light - year " as finite quantities of distance that are equal to the distance that light travels in that amount of time. based on the speed of light and the distance from earth to the sun, we can say that the sun is 8 light - minutes away from the earth and vice - versa. if the sun showed a flare, it would be visible on earth 8 minutes later. if an object is seen in the large magellanic cloud ( lmc ), it takes 160, 000 years for the light from the lmc to reach us. if some event occurs in the lmc, like a supernova, astronomers on earth viewing the supernova going off today know that the supernova actually exploded 160, 000 years ago. if our telescopes show that 3, 000 years have passed since the time of the supernova, based on the presence of ejection material in the remnant, the actual clock - time of when that event occurred based on our earth calendars was 3, 000 + 160, 000 years ago, or


( submitted august 15, 1998 ) i ' m a middle school geography teacher with no formal expertise in, but a lifelong fascination with, astronomy and space in general. i seem to remember from a long ago college astronomy course a discussion of oblers ' paradox that explains why we don ' t have perpetual daylight despite the billions of bright stars that presumably send their light to all parts of the earth. in trying to explain this concept to my eight - year old daughter, i get tongue - tied by all the technical jargon involved. can you help me put my explanation in layman ' s in an infinite universe, which has existed forever, we shouldn ' t have night. imagine a universe divided into shells, with stars of a single brightness distributed evenly - - - if you look at a shell twice as far, each star is only a quarter as bright, but there are four times as many stars, so each shell is equally bright. if you have an infinite number of shells, you end up with infinite brightness! the big bang cosmology solves this, mainly by the implied age of the universe. we only see light emitted within the last 12 billion years ( or whatever the age of the universe might be ). this is a long time, but certainly not infinite, and not enough to make the night sky bright. koji mukai & maggie masetti for ask an astrophysicist


the cherokee indians were one of the largest of five native american tribes who settled in the american southeast portion of the country. the tribe came from iroquoian descent. they had originally been from the great lakes region of the country, but eventually settled closer to the east coast. despite popular folklore, the cherokee actually lived in cabins made of logs instead of the stereotypical tee pee. they were a strong tribe with several smaller sections, all lead by chiefs. the tribe was highly religious and spiritual. when the american revolution took place, the cherokee indians supported the british soldiers, and even assisted them in battle by taking part in several attacks. the creek and choctaw tribes also assisted in the battles on the british side. eventually around the 1800s, the cherokee indians began to adopt the culture that the white man brought to them. they began to dress more european, and even adopted many of their farming and building methods. in 1828, gold was discovered on the cherokee ’ s land. this prompted the overtaking of their homes, and they were forced out. they had been settled in georgia for many years, but were now being made to leave and find a new place to settle. this is the origin for the historically popular trail of tears, where men, women, and children had to pack up their belongings and find new homes, marching a span of thousands of miles. when all was said and done, about 4, 000 cherokee lost their lives on the journey. today, the cherokee indians have a strong sense of pride in their heritage. the cherokee rose is now the state flower of georgia. today, the largest population of cherokee indians live in the state of oklahoma, where there are three federally recognized cherokee communities with thousands of residents. related article links disclaimer : the american indian heritage foundation or indians. org do not personally endorse or support any of the comments made within the writings of this article.


a sound monetary and banking system is the foundation of economic growth and industrial progress. our central bank, the federal reserve, claims, by mandate, to maintain “ stable prices ” and “ full employment. ” yet its record is one of chronic monetary instability. because money is the essential link between all the diverse, coordinated sectors of our economy, this instability is the root of the painful boom - bust cycles that have repeatedly undercut economic growth over the last century. fortunately, the idea that the fed should be radically reformed or abolished is starting to gain currency among republican politicians. but that raises the question : what is the alternative? “ the gold standard ” is not a sufficient answer. which gold standard? one administered by a central bank like we had from 1913 to 1933? one hindered by onerous and distortionary banking regulations at the federal and state levels like we had before that? the ultimate question, in fact, is not so much about what ought to be the monetary standard — the reserve asset, if any, used to back the currency. the ultimate question is who should decide which asset should be used to back whose currency. the real alternative is between central banking on the one hand and a fully free system of money and banking, on the other. in a free system, banks are free to issue their own currency, backed by whichever reserve asset they choose, in order to compete for depositors who are free to deal with whichever bank they choose. perhaps the best way to learn about this alternative is to look at the actual history of banking systems around the world. it ’ s valuable to see the difference among, for example, the regulated banking system of the u. s. before 1913, the fully centralized system after 1913, and the relatively free banking system enjoyed in canada before 1935. there is no better expositor of this history, and the theory behind it, than george selgin, economics professor at the university of georgia, whose own work in the late 1980 ′ s was critical to the reemergence of free banking ideas. here he is enlightening a room full of congressional staffers on the subject :


jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fibre that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. it is produced from plants in the genus corchorus, which has been classified in the family tiliaceae, or more recently in malvaceae. jute is one of the most affordable natural fibres and is second only to cotton in amount produced and variety of uses of vegetable fibers. jute fibres are composed primarily of the plant materials cellulose ( major component of plant fibre ) and lignin ( major components of wood fibre ). it is thus a ligno - cellulosic fibre that is partially a textile fibre and partially wood. it falls into the bast fibre category ( fibre collected from bast or skin of the plant ) along with kenaf, industrial hemp, flax ( linen ), ramie, etc. the industrial term for jute fibre is raw jute. the fibres are off - white to brown, and 1 – 4 metres ( 3 – 12 feet ) long. jute fibre is often called hessian ; jute fabrics are also called hessian cloth and jute sacks are called gunny bags in some european countries. the fabric made from jute is popularly known as burlap in north america. jute needs a plain alluvial soil and standing water. the suitable climate for growing jute ( warm and wet climate ) is offered by the monsoon climate during the monsoon season. temperatures from 20? c to 40? c and relative humidity of 70 % – 80 % are favourable for successful cultivation. jute requires 5 – 8 cm of rainfall weekly and more during the sowing period. white jute ( corchorus capsularis ) several historical documents ( including, ain - e - akbari by abul fazal in 1590 ) state that the poor villagers of india used to wear clothes made of jute. simple hand looms and hand spinning wheels were used by the weavers, who use to spin cotton yarns as well. history also states that indians, especially bengalis, used ropes and twines made of white jute from ancient times for household and other uses. tossa jute ( corchorus olitorius ) tossa jute ( corchorus olitorius ) is an afro - arabian variety. it is quite popular for its leaves that are used as an ingredient in a mucilaginous potherb called molokhiya, popular in certain arab countries. the book of job in the hebrew


) is an afro - arabian variety. it is quite popular for its leaves that are used as an ingredient in a mucilaginous potherb called molokhiya, popular in certain arab countries. the book of job in the hebrew bible mentions this vegetable potherb as jew ’ s mallow. tossa jute fibre is softer, silkier, and stronger than white jute. this variety astonishingly showed good sustainability in the climate of the ganges delta. along with white jute, tossa jute has also been cultivated in the soil of bengal where it is known as paat from the start of the 19th century. currently, the bengal region ( west bengal, india, and bangladesh ) is the largest global producer of the tossa jute variety. for centuries, jute has been an integral part of culture of bengal, in the entire southwest of bangladesh and some portions of west bengal. during the british raj in the 19th and early 20th centuries, much of the raw jute fibre of bengal was carried off to the united kingdom, where it was then processed in mills concentrated in dundee. initially, due to its texture, it could only be processed by hand until it was discovered in that city that treating it with whale oil, it could be treated by machine the industry boomed ( “ jute weaver ” was a recognised trade occupation in the 1901 uk census ), but this trade had largely ceased by about 1970 due to the appearance of synthetic fibres. margaret donnelly, a jute mill landowner in dundee in the 1800s, set up the first jute mills in bengal. in the 1950s and 1960s, when nylon and polythene were rarely used, one of the primary sources of foreign exchange earnings for the erstwhile united pakistan was the export of jute products, based on jute grown in then east bengal now bangladesh. jute has been called the “ golden fibre of bangladesh. ” however, as the use of polythene and other synthetic materials as a substitute for jute increasingly captured the market, the jute industry in general experienced a decline. during some years in the 1980s, farmers in bangladesh burnt their jute crops when an adequate price could not be obtained. many jute exporters diversified away from jute to other commodities. jute - related organisations and government bodies were also forced to close, change or downsize. the long decline in demand forced the largest jute mill in the world ( adamjee jute mills ) to close in bangladesh. bangladesh ’ s second largest mill


not only for cultivation, but also for various uses. jute is used chiefly to make cloth for wrapping bales of raw cotton, and to make sacks and coarse cloth. the fibres are also woven into curtains, chair coverings, carpets, area rugs, hessian cloth, and backing for linoleum. while jute is being replaced by synthetic materials in many of these uses, some uses take advantage of jute ’ s biodegradable nature, where synthetics would be unsuitable. examples of such uses include containers for planting young trees, which can be planted directly with the container without disturbing the roots, and land restoration where jute cloth prevents erosion occurring while natural vegetation becomes established. the fibres are used alone or blended with other types of fibres to make twine and rope. jute rope has long been popular in japan for use in bondage. jute butts, the coarse ends of the plants, are used to make inexpensive cloth. conversely, very fine threads of jute can be separated out and made into imitation silk. as jute fibres are also being used to make pulp and paper, and with increasing concern over forest destruction for the wood pulp used to make most paper, the importance of jute for this purpose may increase. jute has a long history of use in the sackings, carpets, wrapping fabrics ( cotton bale ), and construction fabric manufacturing industry. traditionally jute was used in traditional textile machineries as textile fibres having cellulose ( vegetable fibre content ) and lignin ( wood fibre content ). but, the major breakthrough came when the automobile, pulp and paper, and the furniture and bedding industries started to use jute and its allied fibres with their non - woven and composite technology to manufacture nonwovens, technical textiles, and composites. therefore, jute has changed its textile fibre outlook and steadily heading towards its newer identity, i. e., wood fibre. as a textile fibre, jute has reached its peak from where there is no hope of progress, but as a wood fibre jute has many promising features. jute can be used to create a number of fabrics such as hessian cloth, sacking, scrim, carpet backing cloth ( cbc ), and canvas. hessian, lighter than sacking, is used for bags, wrappers, wall - coverings, upholstery, and home furnishings. sacking, a fabric made of heavy jute fibres, has its use in the


canvas. hessian, lighter than sacking, is used for bags, wrappers, wall - coverings, upholstery, and home furnishings. sacking, a fabric made of heavy jute fibres, has its use in the name. cbc made of jute comes in two types. primary cbc provides a tufting surface, while secondary cbc is bonded onto the primary backing for an overlay. jute packaging is used as an eco - friendly substitute. diversified jute products are becoming more and more valuable to the consumer today. among these are espadrilles, floor coverings, home textiles, high performance technical textiles, geo textiles, composites, and more. jute floor coverings they consist of woven and tufted and piled carpets. jute mats and matting with 5 / 6 mts width and of continuous length are easily being woven in southern parts of india, in solid and fancy shades, and in different weaves like, boucle, panama, herringbone, etc. jute mats & rugs are made both through powerloom & handloom, in large volume from kerala, india. the traditional satranji mat is becoming very popular in home decor. jute non - woven and composites can be used for underlay, linoleum substrate, and more. jute has many advantages as a home textile, either replacing cotton or blending with it. it is a strong, durable, color and light - fast fibre. its uv protection, sound and heat insulation, low thermal conduction and anti - static properties make it a wise choice in home decor. also, fabrics made of jute fibres are carbon - dioxide neutral and naturally decomposable. these properties are also why jute can be used in high performance technical textiles. moreover, jute can be grown in 4 – 6 months with a huge amount of cellulose being produced from the jute hurd ( inner woody core or parenchyma of the jute stem ) that can meet most of the wood needs of the world. jute is the major crop among others that is able to protect deforestation by industrialisation. thus, jute is the most environment - friendly fibre starting from the seed to expired fibre, as the expired fibres can be recycled more than once. jute is also used to make ghillie suits, which are used as camouflage and resemble grasses or brush. another diversified jute product is geo textiles, which made this agricultural commodity more popular in the


fibres can be recycled more than once. jute is also used to make ghillie suits, which are used as camouflage and resemble grasses or brush. another diversified jute product is geo textiles, which made this agricultural commodity more popular in the agricultural sector. it is a lightly woven fabric made from natural fibres that is used for soil erosion control, seed protection, weed control, and many other agricultural and landscaping uses. the geo textiles can be used more than a year and the bio - degradable jute geo textile left to rot on the ground keeps the ground cool and is able to make the land more fertile. methods such as this could be used to transfer the fertility of the ganges delta to the deserts of sahara or australia. jute has gained an advantage as being an eco - friendly option instead of poly and paper bags as polybag are made from petroleum and are non - biodegradable and manufacturing paperbags requires large quantities of wood. jute has none of these problems and are therefore being used widely for these purposes but higher cost is a setback for it. it is also used for making fashion & promotional bags. jute leaves are consumed in various parts of the world. it is a popular vegetable in west africa. the yoruba of nigeria call it “ ewedu ”. the hausa people of nigeria and their fulbe neighbours call it “ rama. ” they use it to produce soup ( “ taushe ” ) or boil the leaves and mix it with “ kuli - kuli ” or groundnut cake and consume the mixture which they call “ kwado ” in hausa. the hausa peasant farmers cultivate it beside their corn - stalk constructed homesteads or among their main crops in their farms. there are commercial jute farmers in northern and south western nigeria. they ( jute commercial farmers ) have a strong national association registered by the authorities. in northern sudan it ’ s called “ khudra ” meaning green in sudanese arabic. the hausa and fulbe peoples also use jute leaves to treat some diseases. and the songhay of mali call it “ fakohoy ” whereas tunisians call it mulukhiyah. it is made into a common mucilaginous ( somewhat “ slimy ” ) soup or sauce in some west african cooking traditions, as well as in egypt, where it is called mulukhiyya, cypriots call it molocha – and that refers to food – in terms of fibre this would


slimy ” ) soup or sauce in some west african cooking traditions, as well as in egypt, where it is called mulukhiyya, cypriots call it molocha – and that refers to food – in terms of fibre this would be unknown – and it is sometimes eaten as boiled vegetable with lemon and olive oil. it is also a popular dish in the northern provinces of the philippines, where it is known as saluyot. jute leaves are also consumed among the luyhia people of western kenya, where it is commonly known as ‘ mrenda ’ or ‘ murere ’. it is eaten with ‘ ugali ’, which is also a staple for most communities in kenya. the leaves are rich in betacarotene, iron, calcium, and vitamin c. the plant has an antioxidant activity with a significant? - tocopherol equivalent vitamin e. diversified byproducts from jute can be used in cosmetics, medicine, paints, and other products. - jute fibre is 100 % bio - degradable and recyclable and thus environmentally friendly. - it is a natural fibre with golden and silky shine and hence called the golden fibre. - it is the cheapest vegetable fibre procured from the bast or skin of the plant ’ s stem. - it is the second most important vegetable fibre after cotton, in terms of usage, global consumption, production, and availability. - it has high tensile strength, low extensibility, and ensures better breathability of fabrics. therefore, jute is very suitable in agricultural commodity bulk packaging. - it helps to make best quality industrial yarn, fabric, net, and sacks. it is one of the most versatile natural fibres that has been used in raw materials for packaging, textiles, non - textile, construction, and agricultural sectors. bulking of yarn results in a reduced breaking tenacity and an increased breaking extensibility when blended as a ternary blend. - the best source of jute in the world is the bengal delta plain in the ganges delta, most of which is occupied by bangladesh. - advantages of jute include good insulating and antistatic properties, as well as having low thermal conductivity and a moderate moisture regain. other advantages of jute include acoustic insulating properties and manufacture with no skin irritations. - jute has the ability to be blended with other fibres, both synthetic and natural, and accepts cellulosic dye classes such as natural, basic,


other advantages of jute include acoustic insulating properties and manufacture with no skin irritations. - jute has the ability to be blended with other fibres, both synthetic and natural, and accepts cellulosic dye classes such as natural, basic, vat, sulfur, reactive, and pigment dyes. as the demand for natural comfort fibres increases, the demand for jute and other natural fibres that can be blended with cotton will increase. to meet this demand, some manufactures in the natural fibre industry plan to modernize processing with the rieter ’ s elitex system. the resulting jute / cotton yarns will produce fabrics with a reduced cost of wet processing treatments. jute can also be blended with wool. by treating jute with caustic soda, crimp, softness, pliability, and appearance is improved, aiding in its ability to be spun with wool. liquid ammonia has a similar effect on jute, as well as the added characteristic of improving flame resistance when treated with flameproofing agents. - some noted disadvantages include poor drapability and crease resistance, brittleness, fibre shedding, and yellowing in sunlight. however, preparation of fabrics with castor oil lubricants result in less yellowing and less fabric weight loss, as well as increased dyeing brilliance. jute has a decreased strength when wet, and also becomes subject to microbial attack in humid climates. jute can be processed with an enzyme in order to reduce some of its brittleness and stiffness. once treated with an enzyme, jute shows an affinity to readily accept natural dyes, which can be made from marigold flower extract. in one attempt to dye jute fabric with this extract, bleached fabric was mordanted with ferrous sulphate, increasing the fabric ’ s dye uptake value. jute also responds well to reactive dyeing. this process is used for bright and fast coloured value - added diversified products made from jute. 1. bbc. co. uk ( http : / / www. bbc. co. uk / iplayer / episode / b00n5pvr / brian _ coxs _ jute _ journey / ) 2. a b jute. ( ijsg ) ( http : / / web. archive. org / web / 20080526151933 / http : / / www. jute. org / home2. htm ). retrieved 13 june 2007. 3. the golden fibre trade centre


on may 22, a falcon 9 rocket carrying a dragon space capsule lifted off the pad at cape canaveral air force station. the mission itself was unremarkable : carry cargo to the international space station. but it was historic. on that day, spacex became the first private company to take on a mission to supply the iss, ushering in a new era of space flight. more flights are planned by spacex and a host of other companies that hope to tap into what may be a lucrative new growth industry. the space race is on again, but this time involves private companies and regions that hope to get a piece of the action. the field is packed. ap science writer seth borenstein pointed out that there are more companies looking to make bucks in orbit than there are major u. s. airlines still flying. the federal aviation administration has licensed eight spaceports, and alabama in early 2012 said it might try to establish one, perhaps on the gulf coast. that alabama is interested is no surprise. the state for years has been a player in the space industry, thanks to huntsville, home of nasa ’ s marshall space flight center and the army ’ s missile programs. once the purview of nation states, space is a bold new playing field for private companies. the aerospace industries association estimates space to be a $ 45. 14 billion piece of the $ 217. 65 billion aerospace industry in 2012. fortunately for the gulf coast, it ’ s already a player in the wide - open field and part of the exclusive club of areas with technology - focused nasa centers. it has two nasa operations, mississippi ’ s stennis space center and new orleans ’ michoud assembly facility. in addition, the gulf coast is home to an air force center at eglin air force base that for 40 years has operated a powerful space surveillance system which tracks more than 16, 000 near and deep space objects. but the big question is, how much of the commercial sector can the region attract? both stennis and michoud are offering thousands of acres to private companies. and with space flight costs so high, that could provide a savings hard to pass up. ssc is the most capable of the nasa sites where rocket engines are tested, the last place in the country where nasa can test full - scale engines or whole rocket stages 24 / 7. it will test engines for nasa ’ s space launch system. forty miles away, michoud has 43 acres under one roof that includes world - class advanced manufacturing equipment. it ’ s building


full - scale engines or whole rocket stages 24 / 7. it will test engines for nasa ’ s space launch system. forty miles away, michoud has 43 acres under one roof that includes world - class advanced manufacturing equipment. it ’ s building some of the sls, including the orion crew vehicle. but both locations have room to do even more. nasa and dixie it was the underdeveloped south that was the big winner in the space race. spurred on by president kennedy ’ s challenge to get a man on the moon before the end of the decade, nasa launched an ambitious program to establish the manufacturing, test and launch facilities needed to beat the soviets. the south became the home to key nasa facilities in part because of the availability of large tracts of land and interconnected waterways needed to transport large space vehicles. longer periods of fair weather flying, the same things that attracted the military, also played a role. in addition, powerful, senior southern politicians embraced the space program and recognized the economic benefit it would bring. the huntsville operation was joined by houston, cape canaveral, bay st. louis, miss., and new orleans, and the term “ space crescent ” was used to describe the arc of centers in the south. “ way station to space ” by mack r. herring pointed out a cover story in the july 20, 1964 issue of u. s. news & world report that described the space program as a new industry in the south worth “ billions. ” the article said money for facilities was being spent at the rate of “ one million dollars every two hours. ” that the south benefited when nasa dominated the space program is clear. what is less clear is how well it will do in an age when private players may eventually dominate space. some areas are already taking steps to ensure they get a piece of the growing field. it was big news in florida late last year when a nasa facility at kennedy space center, that faced an uncertain future with the end of the space shuttle program, got a new lease on life when boeing decided to use it to build the company ’ s cst - 100 spacecraft. space florida, an aerospace economic development agency, took over the space shuttle main engine processing facility and processing control center and is leasing it to boeing for 15 years to build its crew space transportation spacecraft there, and move the program ’ s headquarters there as well. a november story in time magazine likened the lease to an aristocrat selling off parts of the family estate. but with aerospace workers idled, florida officials saw


its crew space transportation spacecraft there, and move the program ’ s headquarters there as well. a november story in time magazine likened the lease to an aristocrat selling off parts of the family estate. but with aerospace workers idled, florida officials saw the buildings as a chance to attract the commercial space flight industry. the commercial industry ’ s growth appears inevitable, and it ’ s not just the number of spaceports that tell the tale. the federal aviation administration said 21 percent of orbital launch attempts in 2011 were commercial, earning revenue of $ 1. 9 billion. in addition, more than two dozen teams are competing for google ’ s $ 30 million prize to be the first privately funded team to land a robot on the moon. the list of companies now pushing into space is impressive. it includes spacex, bigelow aerospace, virgin galactic, orbital sciences corp., alliant techsystems, boeing co., sierra nevada corp., and blue origin. the commercial interest is understandable. companies have been part of the space program from the start. one reason having a nasa center was seen as an economic boon was the space program ’ s ties to the aerospace industry. nasa needed companies to develop systems, whether it was a grumman - built lunar module or saturn v rocket with stages built by boeing, north american aviation and douglas aircraft. in many cases they established operations close to nasa centers to be near the customer and facilities it had established. but in the new age, nasa might wind up being simply one customer, and perhaps not even the largest. space flight companies are cropping up in multiple places nationwide, including washington and colorado. still, the south continues to have some of the most unique capabilities available in the world, and it ’ s those capabilities that can be a lure for the new breed. the industry, whether a huge aerospace company that ’ s worked in the field for years or one of the startups backed by the deep pockets of billionaires, still needs the same things nasa has built up over 60 years. for some companies it makes sense to tap into what ’ s already there. patrick scheuermann, director of stennis space center, said there are a lot of companies with great ideas that are in the laboratory or subscale version. success with those smaller versions will force them to make an investment in their own back yard or search for a location to test the larger scale. “ rather than them duplicating infrastructure somewhere or putting their capital dollars somewhere, they ’ re basically using resources that


a number of videos about the parthenon and pericles ’ building program are available on - line : this video, by the hellenic ministry of culture, presents a wonderful visual history of the parthenon in only a few minutes. at the end, a narrator reads an excerpt from byron ’ s “ curse of minerva ” in condemnation of lord elgin ’ s removal of sculpture to the british museum. for more information on the “ elgin marble ” controversy, you can read mary beard ’ s excellent discussion here. this short 5 - minute video on the parthenon from pbs ’ “ the greeks : crucible of civilization ”, narrated by liam neelson. it includes some good visuals, especially of the interior and the frieze. this short documentary includes discussion of the form and construction of the parthenon : finally, the entire nova episode, secrets of the parthenon, is now available on hulu. com. it includes fascinating discussion about the current efforts to preserve the monument. you may also be interested in these 3d models of the acropolis for google earth : - 3d model of acropolis as it looks today : view in google earth - 3d model of athens in 150 ce, including the acropolis, walls, houses near the acropolis, the dipylon and sacred gates, and more : view in google earth. please note that this model includes structures that were built after the classical period ( notably, the odeon of herodes and stoas on the south slope of the acropolis, and the temple of olympian zeus, which was begun by peisistratos, but only completed 750 years later during the reign of the roman emperor hadrian ).


every time you turn around, another person is deciding to give up caffeine. while some people have a real allergy to the stuff, most of the people are doing it because of peer pressure. there are reports everywhere about how bad caffeine is for people. “ time to stop caffeine ” is what newly expectant women listen to, usually immediately after they ’ ve announced their pregnancy. whenever an individual decides to “ get healthy ” one of many first pieces of advice they get is to give up caffeine. giving up caffeine may be the first sign that someone is trying to get healthier. the simple fact is that there are numerous benefits connected to caffeine too. it ’ s true! keep reading to educate yourself about a few of the great things about ingesting caffeine. harvard university not long ago unveiled a study that showed adult men who consumed four or more cups of coffee a day were at a much lower risk of developing parkinson ’ s disease. they appear to believe that the reason is, caffeine improves the activity of the dopamine molecules in your brain. they believe it ’ s also possible that, on account of caffeine ’ s blocking of adenosine receptors, the brain become less likely to develop amyloid - beta. this is the exact brain plaque which is often associated with alzheimer ’ s disease. there are not any studies that can say definitively whether or not caffeine can make you smart ( that we are able to find anyway ) but it is nice to find out that it may be able to reduce your risk of contracting alzheimer ’ s or parkinson ’ s diseases. there will always be of evidence that demonstrates that caffeine raises your body ’ s blood pressure. this means that it could possibly put you at a larger risk for diseases of the heart as well as heart failure. there are actually scientific studies, however, that say the other. brooklyn college commissioned a study that proved men who ingested a few cups of coffee each day would be less likely to develop heart issues. the basic thought is that, if you aren ’ t already suffering from hypertension, caffeine won ’ t make the problem worse. if you do already suffer from difficulty with your heart, though, you should avoid taking in caffeine. there usually are many people who think caffeine will help you with your exercise routines. muscle contraction is definitely reliant upon your body ’ s release of calcium. adenosine helps the body regulate that.


avoid taking in caffeine. there usually are many people who think caffeine will help you with your exercise routines. muscle contraction is definitely reliant upon your body ’ s release of calcium. adenosine helps the body regulate that. caffeine hinders the adenosine receptors. that possibly sounds counterproductive but when a person ’ s adenosine receptors get obstructed, your brain sets of a chain of electrical impulses. the electrical impulses make your whole body release bursts of calcium. since your muscle mass need calcium to work out, the extra calcium can help you make your workouts more effective. of course, for caffeine to be effective and be helpful it should only be taken in in moderation. while caffeine may be very good for disease prohibition and increasing health, that isn ’ t a good excuse to go over the top in your consumption of it. the simple fact is that an excess of caffeine really is bad for you. when ingested in moderation, however, caffeine will surely transform your overall health. don ’ t you intend to reduce your threat of heart disease? who doesn ’ t want to prevent parkinson ’ s disease? who doesn ’ t really want his or her exercise sessions to be more effective? as long as you never over do it, caffeine can really assist you with all of that.


how might a migrant worker convict luxurious homeowners about their oppressive lifestyles? what might a poor, rural believer say to wealthy, urban idolaters? amos was neither trained as a prophet nor assumed the career of a prophet. he was a shepherd near the judean wilderness six miles se of bethlehem in the backwater village of tekoa. he supplemented his income through cultivating sycamore - fig trees ( probably as a kind of migrant worker since they did not grow in the area of tekoa ). he was, most likely, a poor man and certainly so by the standards of the ruling elite in israel. nevertheless, he was, for a brief time, yahweh ’ s voice out of zion ( jerusalem ) to the northern kingdom of israel. he ventured into israel sometime prior to the great earthquake that rocked israel around 760 bce. the destruction was so devastating that not only is there evidence of it in hazor ’ s archeological record, but the earthquake became part of palestine ’ s living memory. zechariah 14 : 5 uses it as a metaphor for the day of the lord some 250 years after it happened. it was for ancient palestinian jews what the 1755 lisbon earthquake was for europe. the 760s, however, were a time of prosperity and peace. jeroboam ii ( 786 - 746 bce ) ruled over the northern kingdom while uzziah ( 783 - 742 bce ) reigned over judah. jeroboam ii had the longest reign of any northern king and uzziah had the second longest of any king of judah. together their reigns approximated the “ golden age ” of solomon himself in terms of territory, building projects and economic trade. they lived in peace as assyria had suppressed syria ( aram ) even as assyria ’ s imperial designs were interrupted by internal troubles. israel and judah developed their economies and expanded their borders. peace and prosperity, however, did not form a just and faithful nation. on the contrary, wealth was increasingly located in the hands of the few and the elite. instead of thanking yahweh, they thanked other gods for their blessings. whereas their blessings should have blessed all, the wealthy consumed their blessings rather than sharing them. the shepherd amos went from his rural environs near tekoa to the heartland of israel ’ s ruling elite in bethel and samaria. his message decries injustice, oppression and idolatry. he announces israel ’ s future – one of both judgment and hope. how do the


##virons near tekoa to the heartland of israel ’ s ruling elite in bethel and samaria. his message decries injustice, oppression and idolatry. he announces israel ’ s future – one of both judgment and hope. how do the poor speak a word from god to the rich? how does a lowly shepherd address the ruling elite about the plight of their nation? what might that address say for us? that is why we read amos. we stand with amos as he speaks against injustice and idolatry. yes, we want to stand with the prophet. but we will miss the message if we do not become amos ’ audience as well. we must hear amos as those who live in luxury with more wealth than we need. we must see ourselves as amos ’ audience if we are to be convicted by his words. otherwise we will simply make excuses and judge that his words do not apply – much like israel itself responded to amos. the ancient words of amos address us. we may not live in 760 ′ s palestine – and the cultural differences are enormous, but we – especially middle class to upper class americans – share a similar social location that gave rise to the prophet ’ s mission. prosperity often creates spiritual apathy along with greed and covetousness ( as we always want more ). if nothing else, the words of amos warn us that prosperity is only a blessing if it is acknowledged with gratitude and shared. otherwise it becomes the root of greed, injustice and oppression. how we hear amos will probably say more about our own hearts than it does anything else.


some info for the people choose food over food - like substances, food writer michael pollan tells cdc by daniel j. denoon webmd health news reviewed by louise chang, md we americans suffer a national eating disorder : our unhealthy obsession with healthy eating. that ' s the diagnosis delivered by food author michael pollan in a lecture given last week to an overflow crowd of cdc scientists. as part of an effort to bring new ideas to the national debate on food issues, the cdc invited pollan - - a harsh critic of u. s. food policies - - to address cdc researchers and to meet with leaders of the federal agency. " the french paradox is that they have better heart health than we do despite being a cheese - eating, wine - swilling, fois - gras - gobbling people, " pollan said. " the american paradox is we are a people who worry unreasonably about dietary health yet have the worst diet in the world. " in various parts of the world, pollan noted, necessity has forced human beings to adapt to all kinds of diets. " the masai subsist on cattle blood and meat and milk and little else. native americans subsist on beans and maize. and the inuit in greenland subsist on whale blubber and a little bit of lichen, " he said. " the irony is, the one diet we have invented for ourselves - - the western diet - - is the one that makes us sick. " snowballing rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease in the u. s. can be traced to our unhealthy diet. so how do we change? 7 words & 7 rules for eating pollan says everything he ' s learned about food and health can be summed up in seven words : " eat food, not too much, mostly plants. " probably the first two words are most important. " eat food " means to eat real food - - vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and, yes, fish and meat - - and to avoid what pollan calls " edible food - like substances. " don ' t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn ' t recognize as food. " when you pick up that box of portable yogurt tubes, or eat something with 15 ingredients you can ' t pronounce, ask yourself, " what are those things doing there? " pollan says. don ’ t eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients you can ' t pronounce


or eat something with 15 ingredients you can ' t pronounce, ask yourself, " what are those things doing there? " pollan says. don ’ t eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients you can ' t pronounce. stay out of the middle of the supermarket ; shop on the perimeter of the store. real food tends to be on the outer edge of the store near the loading docks, where it can be replaced with fresh foods when it goes bad. don ' t eat anything that won ' t eventually rot. " there are exceptions - - honey - - but as a rule, things like twinkies that never go bad aren ' t food, " pollan says. it is not just what you eat but how you eat. " always leave the table a little hungry, " pollan says. " many cultures have rules that you stop eating before you are full. in japan, they say eat until you are four - fifths full. islamic culture has a similar rule, and in german culture they say, ' tie off the sack before it ' s full. ' " families traditionally ate together, around a table and not a tv, at regular meal times. it ' s a good tradition. enjoy meals with the people you love. " remember when eating between meals felt wrong? " pollan asks. don ' t buy food where you buy your gasoline. in the u. s., 20 % of food is eaten in the car. 7 words & 7 rules for eating continued... is this good advice? janet collins, phd, director of the national center for chronic disease prevention and health promotion, is one of the cdc officials who met with pollan. collins agrees with pollan that advice from health experts has to be simplified. and she loves the suggestions he makes. " some of the changes in our environment are the reasons behind our obesity epidemic, " collins tells webmd. " pollan ' s advice to eat at the table with your family and not the tv is excellent. and portions : during our grandmothers ' era, plates were smaller. if you took the portions that filled their plates and put them on ours, it wouldn ' t look like much to eat. " eat foods, not nutrients pollan, author of in defense of food : an eater ' s manifesto and the omnivore ' s dilemma : a natural history of four meals, is professor of science and environmental journalism at the university of california, berkeley. pollan says that where we ' ve


in defense of food : an eater ' s manifesto and the omnivore ' s dilemma : a natural history of four meals, is professor of science and environmental journalism at the university of california, berkeley. pollan says that where we ' ve gone wrong is by focusing on the invisible nutrients in foods instead of on foods themselves. he calls this " nutritionism " - - an ideology that ' s lost track of the science on which it was based. it ' s good for scientists to look at why carrots are good for us, and to explore the possible benefits of, say, substance x found in a carrot. what happens next is well - meaning experts tell us we should eat more foods with substance x. but the next thing you know, the food industry is selling us a food enriched with substance x. we may not know whether substance x, when not in a carrot, is good or bad for us. and we may be so impressed with the new substance - x - filled product that we buy it and eat it - - even though it may have unhealthy ingredients, such as high - fructose corn syrup and salt. pollan identifies four myths behind this kind of thinking : myth # 1 : food is a delivery vehicle for nutrients. what really matters isn ' t broccoli but its fiber and antioxidants. if we get that right, we get our diet right. foods kind of get in the way. myth # 2 : we need experts to tell us how to eat. nutrients are invisible and mysterious. " it is a little like religion, " pollan said. " if a powerful entity is invisible, you need a priesthood to mediate your relation with food. " myth # 3 : the whole point of eating is to maintain and promote bodily health. " you are either improving or ruining your health when you eat - - that is a very american idea, " pollan says. " but there are many other reasons to eat food : pleasure, social community, identity, and ritual. health is not the only thing going on on our plates. " myth # 4 : there are evil foods and good foods. " at any given time there is an evil nutrient we try to drive like satan from the food supply - - first it was saturated fats, then it was trans fat, " pollan says. " then there is the evil nutrient ' s doppelganger, the blessed nutrient. if we get enough of that we, will be healthy and maybe live forever. it


saturated fats, then it was trans fat, " pollan says. " then there is the evil nutrient ' s doppelganger, the blessed nutrient. if we get enough of that we, will be healthy and maybe live forever. it ' s funny through history how the good and bad guys keep changing. " eat foods, not nutrients continued... pollan remembers that when fats were declared to be evil, his mother switched the family to stick margarine. his grandmother predicted that some day stick margarine would be the evil food. today, we know that margarine was made with trans fats. the trouble with the whole notion of " evil ' and " blessed " ingredients is that they help the food industry sell us processed foods that are free of the evil thing or full of the blessed one. we buy them, not realizing they may contain many other ingredients that aren ' t good for us. collins agrees with pollan ' s central theme that whole foods are vastly better for us than are processed foods. but our food system makes it hard for many americans to get whole foods. " if our food system made more whole foods at lower cost and made them more available, that would help with our public health, " collins says. " we need full - service groceries in urban centers, where people can get to them. unfortunately, urban centers are getting filled with fast food stores and liquor stores. pollan ' s rules are good, and it is one thing to eat by his rules, but making our environment such that people can live by the rules is not always easy. " will the cdc be pushing for these kinds of changes? yes, suggested anne haddix, chief policy officer at the cdc ' s office of strategy and innovation, during the panel discussion following pollan ' s remarks to the cdc. " how we go forward on this will take some very different types of thinking than we have done in the past, " haddix said. " we have an opening we have not had for years.... of the federal agencies trying to address food issues, cdc is uniquely positioned. we have to step out as leaders.... now is the time to ramp up our efforts and reach out to people who make us uncomfortable and go for it. "


posted by admin | posted in parenting | posted on 06 - 04 - 2012 - 05 - 2008 the experts in the article suggest that you talk to your children about what is happening, being honest but not alarming them. stress that although things may be hard, you are confident that you can handle tough times together as a family. encourage your children to talk about their concerns with you or another close adult. look for free and inexpensive activities you can do, and emphasize that lack of money doesn ’ t have to mean lack of fun. keep up a regular routine, eat healthy, and get enough sleep and exercise. find ways to help yourself keep calm such as listening to music or walking. avoid isolating yourself by reaching out to family and friends. you may also take advantage of some of the free evidenced based programs and services project assist offers to parents during these stressful times. these programs offer parents more tools they can use to take care of their children. “ parenting wisely ” is a computer based program that parents can work on individually at their own pace with the support of staff. the “ incredible years ” program is a group for parents of 3 - 6 year - old children. our next group will be on friday mornings from 9 - 11 am starting, april 13. please call jade or katie at 508 - 837 - 6957 if you are interested in either of these programs or in any of the free services we have to help unemployed residents of fall river ( including the project assist job club, case management and job mentoring ). link to article from national child traumatic stress network : http : / / www. nctsnet. org / sites / default / files / assets / pdfs / coping _ for _ parents _ final. pdf


the boy scouts of america relies on volunteers to provide leadership and support to cub scout packs, boy scout troops, and venturing crews. scouting volunteers come to scouting from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. plumbers, lawyers, housewives, teachers, doctors, janitors, and scientists — people from just about every occupation imaginable — are involved in leading youth to become responsible, caring, and competent citizens. they also quickly discover that scout volunteering enables them to learn new skills and build lifelong friendships while having fun. you benefit, too. whether you wish to volunteer your time with elementary school – age boys or middle and high school – age youth, the boy scouts of america has a volunteer opportunity that is right for you. in addition to the reward of working with youth, through volunteering for scouts you will : - develop a greater level of pride in your community. - have the opportunity to demonstrate moral and ethical decisions. - build a closer bond with your children and other children in the community. - become a better role model image for youth in your community. - develop a more personal relationship with god. volunteering with the boy scouts of america enables you to work with youth to build a better future for everyone. to learn more about how volunteering helps youth, please read the volunteer outcomes study.


most active stories tue november 13, 2012 how the alternative minimum tax could slam you originally published on tue november 13, 2012 12 : 29 pm anyone who follows the adventures of the alternative minimum tax has to be getting sick of the many sequels. again and again, this unpopular income tax threatens to hit middle - class families with large and unexpected tax increases. and each time the threat reappears, congress applies a " patch " to fix the problem temporarily. that makes the threat an annual event — along with the associated congressional hand - wringing and taxpayer confusion. so here we are again, with the amt looming over about 27 million more taxpayers this year. it ' s just one part of the so - called fiscal cliff — a big cluster of automatic spending cuts and tax hikes that will take effect at year ' s end unless congress acts. to understand the amt, you need three chunks of information, involving its history, its impact and the politics. let ' s get started. in 1969, congress enacted an individual amt to ensure that everyone paid a minimum amount of taxes, even while preserving tax breaks written into the code as economic and social incentives. here ' s an example : congress wanted to keep the home mortgage interest deduction to provide more incentive to buy real estate, on the grounds that homeownership has economic and social value. but the tax code had so many different deductions that some wealthy people would take lots of them and end up paying very little in taxes. so congress, in effect, said, " ok, let ' s keep the cherished deductions, but still make sure the rich pay their fair share. wealthy americans can figure out their taxes the regular way, taking whatever deductions that may apply to them. and then they can recalculate everything under a formula that sets a minimum amount of tax. the wealthy taxpayers will pay whichever amount of taxes is greater. " but congress did not build in an inflation escalator. and then it cut tax rates. the combined effect of higher inflation and lower rates played havoc with the intention of the amt, allowing the parallel tax system to cover more and more middle - class families. a tax that was supposed to hit only the richest americans must continually get updated or it will affect larger and larger numbers of average people. originally, the amt was supposed to affect only the top taxpayers. these days, congress " patches " it so that it hits around 5 million upper - middle - class households. usually, those are


will affect larger and larger numbers of average people. originally, the amt was supposed to affect only the top taxpayers. these days, congress " patches " it so that it hits around 5 million upper - middle - class households. usually, those are families with children in high - cost states like new york and california. this year, unless congress applies a new patch, the amt will apply to nearly half of people with incomes of $ 75, 000 to $ 100, 000. without action, an estimated 27 million more tax filers could find themselves paying an average of $ 3, 700 more in taxes for 2012. and yes, the financial hit applies to this tax year. even if the new, incoming congress applies an amt patch after january, experts say it will be an accounting nightmare. it ' s difficult to undo the tax once the filing season has begun in january, and at the least, it would result in long processing delays of all returns. " the biggest and thorniest problem for the irs and next year ' s filing season is the amt patch, " irs commissioner doug shulman said in a september speech to the american bar association. raising taxes for tens of millions of middle - class americans and delaying tax refunds for millions more would hurt consumer spending, economists say. the amt makes for a fine exhibit a for anyone trying to make the case that the u. s. tax code is a mess. and that means it may have some positive political value as congress struggles with the fiscal cliff and its tangled collection of expiring tax breaks. the amt is so unpopular that lawmakers may be able to use its elimination as a kind of " carrot " to get lawmakers to move along toward compromise. on the other hand, often on capitol hill, dangling a juicy " carrot " in front of lawmakers can hurt negotiations as each side scrambles to grab it first and hold tight. " if patching the amt were the only thing out there, it would get done, " says eric toder, co - director of the tax policy center, a nonpartisan research group. but as part of a grand bargain on taxes and spending, " this could get tied up in the negotiations, " he warns. so why does congress annually put itself through this weird exercise of having to patch the amt? why not just eliminate it? toder says the problem is that the amt — if unpatched — generates loads of theoretical tax revenues in coming years. when congress puts together the annual federal budget


bronchiolitis is a common illness of the respiratory tract caused by an infection that affects the tiny airways, called the bronchioles, that lead to the lungs. as these airways become inflamed, they swell and fill with mucus, making breathing difficult. most often affects infants and young children because their small airways can become blocked more easily than those of older kids or adults typically occurs during the first 2 years of life, with peak occurrence at about 3 to 6 months of age is more common in males, children who have not been breastfed, and those who live in crowded conditions day - care attendance and exposure to cigarette smoke also can increase the likelihood that an infant will develop bronchiolitis. although it ' s often a mild illness, some infants are at risk for a more severe disease that requires hospitalization. conditions that increase the risk of severe bronchiolitis include prematurity, prior chronic heart or lung disease, and a weakened immune system due to illness or medications. kids who have had bronchiolitis may be more likely to develop asthma later in life, but it ' s unclear whether the illness causes or triggers asthma, or whether children who eventually develop asthma were simply more prone to developing bronchiolitis as infants. studies are being done to clarify the relationship between bronchiolitis and the later development of asthma. bronchiolitis is usually caused by a viral infection, most commonly respiratory syncytial virus ( rsv ). rsv infections are responsible for more than half of all cases of bronchiolitis and are most widespread in the winter and early spring. other viruses associated with bronchiolitis include rhinovirus, influenza ( flu ), and human metapneumovirus. the first symptoms of bronchiolitis are usually the same as those of a common cold : these symptoms last a day or two and are followed by worsening of the cough and wheezing ( high - pitched whistling noises when exhaling ). sometimes more severe respiratory difficulties gradually develop, marked by : rapid, shallow breathing a rapid heartbeat drawing in of the neck and chest with each breath, known as retractions flaring of the nostrils irritability, with difficulty sleeping and signs of fatigue or lethargy the child may also have a poor appetite and not feed well or become dehydrated. vomiting after coughing may occur as well. less commonly, babies, especially those born prematurely, may have episodes where they briefly stop breathing ( this is called apnea ) before developing other


a poor appetite and not feed well or become dehydrated. vomiting after coughing may occur as well. less commonly, babies, especially those born prematurely, may have episodes where they briefly stop breathing ( this is called apnea ) before developing other symptoms. in severe cases, symptoms may worsen quickly. a child with severe bronchiolitis may get fatigued from the work of breathing and have poor air movement in and out of the lungs due to the clogging of the small airways. the skin can turn blue ( called cyanosis ), which is especially noticeable in the lips and fingernails. the child also can become dehydrated from working harder to breathe, vomiting, and taking in less during feedings. the infections that cause bronchiolitis are contagious. the germs can spread in tiny drops of fluid from an infected person ' s nose and mouth, which may become airborne via sneezes, coughs, or laughs, and also can end up on things the person has touched, such as used tissues or toys. infants in child - care centers have a higher risk of contracting an infection that may lead to bronchiolitis because they ' re in close contact with lots of other young children. the best way to prevent the spread of viruses that can cause bronchiolitis is frequent hand washing. it may help to keep infants away from others who have colds or coughs. babies who are exposed to cigarette smoke are more likely to develop more severe bronchiolitis compared with those from smoke - free homes. therefore, it ' s important to avoid exposing children to cigarette smoke. although a vaccine for bronchiolitis has not yet been developed, a medication can be given to lessen the severity of the disease. it contains antibodies to rsv and is injected monthly during peak rsv season. the medication is recommended only for infants at high risk of severe disease, such as those born very prematurely or those with chronic lung or heart disease. the incubation period ( the time between infection and the onset of symptoms ) ranges from several days to a week, depending on the infection causing the bronchiolitis. cases of bronchiolitis typically last about 12 days, but kids with severe cases can cough for weeks. the illness generally peaks on about the second to third day after the child starts coughing and having difficulty breathing and then gradually resolves. fortunately, most cases of bronchiolitis are mild and require no specific professional treatment. antibiotics aren ' t useful because bro


illness generally peaks on about the second to third day after the child starts coughing and having difficulty breathing and then gradually resolves. fortunately, most cases of bronchiolitis are mild and require no specific professional treatment. antibiotics aren ' t useful because bronchiolitis is caused by a viral infection, and antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infections. medication may sometimes be given to help open a child ' s airways. infants who have trouble breathing, are dehydrated, or appear fatigued should always be evaluated by a doctor. those who are moderately or severely ill may need to be hospitalized, watched closely, and given fluids and humidified oxygen. rarely, in very severe cases, some babies are placed on respirators to help them breathe until they start to get better. the best treatment for most kids is time to recover and plenty of fluids. making sure a child drinks enough fluids can be a tricky task, however, because infants with bronchiolitis may not feel like drinking. they should be offered fluids in small amounts at more frequent intervals than usual. indoor air, especially during winter, can dry out airways and make the mucus stickier. some parents use a cool - mist vaporizer or humidifier in the child ' s room to help loosen mucus in the airway and relieve cough and congestion. if you use one, clean it daily with household bleach to prevent mold from building up. avoid hot - water and steam humidifiers, which can be hazardous and can cause scalding. to clear nasal congestion, try a bulb syringe and saline ( saltwater ) nose drops. this can be especially helpful just before feeding and sleeping. sometimes, keeping the child in a slight upright position may help improve labored breathing. acetaminophen can be given to reduce fever and make the child more comfortable. be sure to follow appropriate dosing and interval of medication based on your child ’ s weight. when to call the doctor call your doctor if your child : is breathing quickly, especially if this is accompanied by retractions or wheezing might be dehydrated due to poor appetite or vomiting is sleepier than usual has a high fever has a worsening cough appears fatigued or lethargic seek immediate help if you feel your child is having difficulty breathing and the cough, retractions, or wheezing are getting worse, or if his or her lips or fingernails appear blue.


opossums are truly unique among our local wild mammals. unfortunately long islanders are probably most familiar with them as road kill, observed belly up along our busy roadsides. that ’ s not a sight that inspires curiosity about these animals that are really one of our more interesting wild neighbors. i hope this blog will engender a little more respect for didelphis virginiana – the north american opossum. our local opossum is also known as the virginia opossum after the state in which european colonists first noted it in the early 1600 ’ s. it was described in rather unflattering terms as having “ a tail like a rat, and a head like a swine ” to paraphrase. this may be superficially true, but the opossums tail, while rat like, is much more versatile than the tail of a rodent. for that matter, rodents are only distantly related to opossums. the tail of this marsupial is quite prehensile, and is often used rather like a fifth limb, in addition to its other dexterous four feet. the tail, which is hairless, allows the opossum to navigate tree branches with ease. amazingly to me, it also uses its tail to help gather twigs and leaves for nesting material. check out the attached video provided by kings park focus on nature reader stephan nash. you ’ ll be impressed to see this animal gathering leaves for a nest with its tail. the opossum also possesses a toe on each foot which is somewhat offset from the other toes. this gives the feet an appearance analogous to a human hand, and allows the marsupial to firmly grip branches. this animal ’ s body is covered with soft, grey – brown fur, while the facial area is white. opossums are active all year round, and do not hibernate like some other mammals in our area. these nocturnal creatures are omnivores, and this diet makes them well adapted to suburban life. if they have access to trash, or pet food they will readily take advantage of that opportunity. their natural diet includes insects, other invertebrates such as slugs and snails, and small animals such as reptiles and amphibians. they will also take small rodents as prey, including voles and rats. additionally, opossums are not above scavenging carrion. rounding out their diet are a variety of fruits ( the more rotten the better! ) and berries. these mammals are especially unique in that they are north


including voles and rats. additionally, opossums are not above scavenging carrion. rounding out their diet are a variety of fruits ( the more rotten the better! ) and berries. these mammals are especially unique in that they are north america ’ s only marsupials, contrasting with the far more numerous placental mammals, including us. the female gives birth to a litter of as many as eight babies. the young crawl from the small womb to the compartment called the pouch, where they remain for up to three months. protected from the elements, the young will have a choice of thirteen nipples for milk! when lodgings in the pouch become more crowded than cozy, the young will leave the pouch and make their way to their mothers back. they will hitch - hike on their mom for another two months before finally going off on their own. a virginia opossum produces up to two litters a year. the male of the species plays no role in rearing the young. these marsupials are harmless if left alone, and although they have lots of sharp teeth ( fifty, to be exact ) they are reluctant to use them even in self - defense. though they can inflict a painful bite, if given the option they prefer to flee from danger. if that isn ’ t possible they have the curious tendency to “ play possum ” by entering a state of torpor. in this reflexive condition they are limp, their eyes open, and tongue lolling. additionally, they excrete a vile smelling liquid. this strategy has evolved to either deter predators that are stimulated to attack by live prey, or to defuse an animal ’ s territorial instinct. despite this unique survival adaptation, opossums are confronted with many challenges. they must run a gauntlet of predators, including owls, foxes, coyotes, and of course humans and our cars. an opossum is genetically programmed to have a very short lifespan. in the wild they will live typically live about two years, at most four years. despite these handicaps, this species is hardy. didelphis virginiana is resistant to diseases that affect other mammals, such as rabies and lyme. the fossil record of the opossum goes back 70 million years, so clearly these animals are an evolutionary success story. their ancestors managed to dodge the likes of the dinosaurs. unfortunately they have a more difficult time staying out of the way of suv ’ s. having read this blog, i hope you ’ ll look at these interesting marsupials


adam / dave / rod : september 17, 2009 scripture text for this study : revelation 8 a. seventh seal : prelude to the seven trumpets ( 8 : 1 - 6 ) verse 2 : the seven angels who were given the seven trumpets are said to “ stand before god. ” is it possible that one of these seven angels was gabriel, as he testified to zechariah ( luke 1 : 19 ) that he “ stands in the presence of god ”? steve gregg, editor of revelation : four views ( a parallel commentary ), says, “ for israel, the trumpet was an instrument used to rally the troops for war or to warn of an enemy invasion. likening the upcoming judgments to the sounding of trumpets suggests that god himself is making war against his enemies in apostate israel ” ( p. 146 ). verses 3 - 5 : the “ prayers of all the saints ” were offered together with “ much incense ” on the golden altar that was in front of the throne pictured in heaven. it seems clear that the judgments that followed were, in part, a direct result of these prayers. sam storms sees a direct link between the cries of the martyrs for vengeance ( rev. 6 : 10 ) and god ’ s response here in these verses. as a result of the censer filled “ with fire from the altar ” being thrown to the earth, there were “ peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. ” one application to take away from this passage, then, is that god hears the prayers of his people and acts in a sovereign way in his own timing and according to his will. the thunder, lightning, and rumblings are again reminiscent of the giving of the old covenant through moses at mount sinai ( exodus 19 : 16 ), just as in rev. 4 : 5. john piper said in 1994 that this text “ portrays the prayers of the saints as the instrument god uses to usher in the end of the world with great divine judgments … [ it ] is an explanation of what has happened to the millions upon millions of prayers over the last 2, 000 years as the saints have cried out again and again, ‘ thy kingdom come … ’ ” sam storms, a historicist, agrees with piper ’ s cause / effect premise, but disagrees with him regarding the timing of god ’ s actions : it may well be that the trumpets, no less than the sixth and seventh seals, are god ’ s answer to the prayers of his people in 6 : 9 - 11 for vindication


disagrees with him regarding the timing of god ’ s actions : it may well be that the trumpets, no less than the sixth and seventh seals, are god ’ s answer to the prayers of his people in 6 : 9 - 11 for vindication against their persecutors. if so, this would strongly militate against the futurist interpretation which relegates the trumpets to the final few years of history just before the second coming. in other words, it seems unlikely that god would act in response to that prayer only at the end of history while passing by and leaving unscathed more than sixty generations of the wicked. sam storms goes on to say that most of the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments “ describe the commonplaces of history. ” the preterist response, of course, is that the prayers of the first - century martyrs who cried out “ o sovereign lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? ” ( rev. 6 : 10 - 11 ) were vindicated within one generation when god poured out his judgment on jerusalem in 70 ad ( cf. matt. 23 : 29 - 38 ; luke 13 : 33 - 35 ; rev. 17 : 6, 18 : 20, 24 ). the historicist idea that god has continued to act in various ways upon the prayers of his people throughout history certainly applies. b. first trumpet : vegetation struck ( 8 : 7 ) hail and fire, mixed with blood, is thrown to the earth. in our study of revelation so far, we have suggested that many of the references to “ the earth ” in the book of revelation are not meant to be taken as worldwide in scope, but as dealing instead with the land of israel / palestine. in a 3 - part study on this subjectbeginning with this post, i have outlined nearly 20 instances where this appears to be the case ( see, for example, the post on revelation 1, where we examined the phrase “ tribes of the earth ” in verse 7, which is often thought to be worldwide in scope. when this prophecy is compared, though, to its counterpart in zechariah 12 : 10 - 14, it ’ s clear that every one of those tribes belonged to the land of israel ). steve gregg notes that “ [ as ] the first four seals [ rev. 6 : 1 - 8 ] were set off from the latter three, in that each of the first group revealed a horseman, so the first four trumpets


of israel ). steve gregg notes that “ [ as ] the first four seals [ rev. 6 : 1 - 8 ] were set off from the latter three, in that each of the first group revealed a horseman, so the first four trumpets are set off from the last three, in that the latter are referred to as ‘ woes. ’ the entire series, however, is concerned with the jewish war of a. d. 66 - 70, ‘ the last days ’ of the jewish commonwealth ” ( p. 148 ). steve quotes from jay adams, who notes that during this period “ the land suffered terribly. the plagues are reminiscent of those in egypt, at the birth of the hebrew nation. here they mark both the latter ’ s cessation, and the birth of a new nation, the kingdom of god ( i pet. 2 : 9, 10 ). ” we are told that a third of the earth ( the land of israel ), the trees, and the green grass were burned up in this judgment. if meant to be taken literally, this account from josephus points to a very plausible fulfillment during the five - month siege upon jerusalem leading up to its destruction in 70 ad ( steve gregg, pp. 151 - 152 ) : and now the romans, although they were greatly distressed in getting together their materials, raised their banks in days, after they had cut down all the trees that were in the country that adjoined to the city, and that for ninety furlongs round about, as i have already related. and, truly, the very view itself of the country was a melancholy thing ; for those places which were before adorned with trees and pleasant gardens were now become a desolate country every way, and its trees were all cut down : nor could any foreigner that had formerly seen judea and the most beautiful suburbs of the city, and now saw it as a desert, but lament and mourn sadly at so great a change ; for the war had laid all signs of beauty quite waste ( wars, vi : 1 : 1 ). c. second trumpet : the seas struck ( 8 : 8 - 9 ) verse 8 : john was shown “ something like a great mountain burning with fire … thrown into the sea. ” steve gregg asserts that there is both a symbolic and a literal sense in which this trumpet can be applied to the destruction of jerusalem and israel in 66 - 70 ad : it ’ s symbolic, in that in biblical prophecy a mountain often refers to a government or a kingdom, even as


both a symbolic and a literal sense in which this trumpet can be applied to the destruction of jerusalem and israel in 66 - 70 ad : it ’ s symbolic, in that in biblical prophecy a mountain often refers to a government or a kingdom, even as it did for israel ( e. g. exodus 15 : 17 ). the sea is a frequent prophetic “ symbol of the gentile nations, in contrast to ‘ the land, ’ signifying israel. the symbolism could predict the jewish state collapsing and the resultant dispersion of the jews throughout the gentile world. ” ( 97, 000 jews were sold into slavery by rome in 70 ad. ) it ’ s also literal in that jerusalem was burned with fire by the romans in 70 ad ( pp. 154, 156 ). verses 8 - 9 : john was also shown a third of the sea becoming blood, with the result being that a third of the living creatures in the sea died and a third of the ships were also destroyed. for those open to the idea of revelation having been written before 70 ad, this most definitely calls to mind some of the battles during the jewish - roman war ( 66 - 70 ad ). the roman emperor nero officially declared war on israel in february 67 ad in response to the jewish rebellion, and by the spring of that year his general vespasian had marched into the land of judea with 60, 000 men. in the coming months more than 150, 000 jews were killed in judea and galilee. the jewish historian josephus described galilee at one point as “ filled with fire and blood. ” steve gregg ( pp. 156, 158 ) highlights one battle in particular, recorded by josephus, whose words, says gregg, “ seem almost as if they were calculated to present the fulfillment of this trumpet judgment. ” this battle took place on the sea of galilee ( tiberius ) : and for such [ jews ] as were drowning in the sea, if they lifted their heads up above the water they were killed by darts [ arrows ], or caught by the [ roman ] vessels ; but if, in the desperate case they were in, they attempted to swim to their enemies, the romans cut off either their heads or their hands ; and indeed they were destroyed after various manners everywhere … one might then see the lake all bloody, and full of dead bodies, for not one of them escaped. and a terrible stink, and a very sad sight there was on the following days over that country ; for as for the shores, they were full of shipwr


the lake all bloody, and full of dead bodies, for not one of them escaped. and a terrible stink, and a very sad sight there was on the following days over that country ; for as for the shores, they were full of shipwrecks, and of dead bodies all swelled ; and as the dead bodies were inflamed by the sun, and putrefied, they corrupted the air [ and the conditions were so miserable that even the roman perpetrators felt pity ]. with such carnage, it ’ s easy to see how many creatures in the sea of galilee were poisoned and did not survive, and how a third of its ships could have been destroyed. in my recent term paper on jerusalem ’ s destruction in 70 ad, i also referenced a book written by george peter holford in 1805 ( “ the destruction of jerusalem ” ). the following is an excerpt from my paper, based on his writing, of another battle in the port city of joppa : one of the first towns vespasian crushed was joppa, because its inhabitants had provoked his men by their frequent piracies at sea. the jews there tried to flee from vespasian on their ships, but vespasian was helped by a tremendous storm that blew in just as they began to flee. their vessels were crushed against each other and against the rocks, and when this slaughter was complete more than 4, 200 bodies were strewn along the coast and a very long stretch of the coast was stained with blood. d. third trumpet : the waters struck ( 8 : 10 - 11 ) this passage speaks of a “ great star ” falling from heaven, “ burning like a torch, ” causing many deaths because a third of the rivers and springs of water become wormwood ( bitter ). some futurists interpret this trumpet judgment symbolically, as referring either to a future antichrist ( e. g. arno gaebelein ) or a future pope ( e. g. h. a. ironside ) who causes much corruption ( steve gregg, pp. 161, 163 ). other futurist interpreters ( e. g. henry morris, charles ryrie, john walvoord ) see this as a literal reference to a burning meteorite or “ a giant set of meteors ” that will enter earth ’ s atmosphere “ with contaminating influence upon the rivers and waters ” of the entire planet ( p. 165 ). steve gregg ’ s articulation of the preterist understanding is helpful : the turning of fresh water


that will enter earth ’ s atmosphere “ with contaminating influence upon the rivers and waters ” of the entire planet ( p. 165 ). steve gregg ’ s articulation of the preterist understanding is helpful : the turning of fresh water sources bitter and toxic may be in part a literal result of the decaying corpses that lay in the sea of galilee and in the river as the result of war. however, this fouling of the waters has symbolic significance, occurring as it does here to the nation of israel. there is probably an intentional allusion to the promise ( and implied threat ) god made to israel when they first came out of egypt. when they came to the bitter waters of marah, in response to moses ’ casting a tree into the waters, god made the waters sweet and wholesome … however, god ’ s promise / warning implies that their disobedience to him will result in his placing upon them the same plagues that he placed on the egyptians — the waters can be made bitter again [ cf. exodus 15 : 25 - 26, deuteronomy 28 : 59 - 60 ] … it is noteworthy that throughout the pages of revelation, the plagues that come upon the apostates are comparable to those with which god afflicted the egyptians in the days of moses. the star which was burning like a torch ( v. 10 ) is reminiscent of the tree cast into the waters by moses, but has the opposite effect ( pp. 160, 162 ). david chilton adds, the name of this fallen star is wormwood, a term used in the law and the prophets to warn israel of its destruction as a punishment for apostasy ( deut. 29 : 18 ; jer. 9 : 15 ; 23 : 15 ; lam. 3 : 15, 19 ; amos 5 : 7 ). again, by combining these old testament allusions, st. john makes his point : israel is apostate, and has become an egypt ; jerusalem has become a babylon ; and the covenant - breakers will be destroyed, as surely as egypt and babylon were destroyed ( gregg, p. 164 ). [ the following information in blue font was edited into this post on october 26, 2009 : ] to further illustrate this point, it ’ s also instructive to consider the test for adultery under the law of moses, as recorded in numbers 5 : 11 - 31. this test was to be administered by a priest in cases where a married woman was suspected of defiling herself in an adult


also instructive to consider the test for adultery under the law of moses, as recorded in numbers 5 : 11 - 31. this test was to be administered by a priest in cases where a married woman was suspected of defiling herself in an adulterous manner ( numbers 5 : 11 - 14 ). the priest would mix dust from the floor of the tabernacle into holy water contained in a vessel, to create “ the water of bitterness that brings the curse ” ( vss. 16 - 18 ). the woman would then take the following oath : if no man has lain with you, and if you have not turned aside to uncleanness while you were under your husband ’ s authority, be free from this water of bitterness that brings the curse. but if you have gone astray, though you are under your husband ’ s authority, and if you have defiled yourself, and some man other than your husband has lain with you, then ( let the priest make the woman take the oath of the curse, and say to the woman ) the lord make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the lord makes your thigh fall away and your body swell. may this water that brings the curse pass into your bowels and make your womb swell and your thigh fall away ( vss. 20 - 22 ). the woman would then say, “ amen. amen, ” and the curses would be written into a book and washed off into the bitter water. the woman would then be made to drink the water ( vss. 23 - 26 ), with the following possible results : and when he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and has broken faith with her husband, the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain, and her womb shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away, and the woman shall become a curse among her people. but if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, then she shall be free and shall conceive children ( vss. 27 - 28 ). if this imagery and this procedure is what is mirrored by the third trumpet judgment, then this is one more indication that israel had been found to be apostate. many people died from the bitter water because they were indeed guilty of spiritual adultery, and were found to be in a state of defilement. e. fourth trumpet : the heavens struck ( 8 : 12 - 13 ) verse 12 : regarding the common contention of fu


from the bitter water because they were indeed guilty of spiritual adultery, and were found to be in a state of defilement. e. fourth trumpet : the heavens struck ( 8 : 12 - 13 ) verse 12 : regarding the common contention of futurists that these judgments must literally take place in the future, i. e. a third of the light of the sun, moon, and stars will cease to shine ; a practical question is in order. since this is not to be the final plague, and other judgments must follow this one, is it possible that any life would continue to survive for even a few days, let alone months, under those conditions? we know that life exists on this planet because the sun basically maintains its present intensity. a significant increase or decrease in its intensity would either cause mankind to burn or freeze. alternatively, david chilton writes, the imagery here was long used in the prophets to depict the fall of nations and national rulers ( cf. isa. 13 : 9 - 11, 19 ; 24 : 19 - 23 ; 34 : 4 - 5 ; ezek. 32 : 7 - 8, 11 - 12 ; joel 2 : 10, 28 - 32 ; acts 2 : 16 - 21. [ he quotes f. w. farrar ( 1831 - 1903 ), who wrote that ] “ ruler after ruler, chieftain after chieftain of the roman empire and the jewish nation was assassinated and ruined. gaius, claudius, nero, galba, otho, vitellius, all died by murder or suicide ; herod the great, herod antipas, herod agrippa, and most of the herodian princes, together with not a few of the leading high priests of jerusalem, perished in disgrace, or in exile, or by violent hands. all these were quenched suns and darkened stars ” ( gregg, pp. 166, 168 ). verse 13 : as terrible as these plagues are, a flying eagle with a loud voice announces that the three remaining trumpet judgments are even more woeful. their target again is “ those who dwell on the earth, ” another reference to the land of israel, as discussed earlier. we will see these woes beginning in chapter 9. steve gregg quotes from adam clarke ( 1732 - 1815 ), who he says is a historicist but “ accurately puts forth the preterist position ” : these woes are supposed by many learned men to refer to the destruction of jerusalem : the first woe — the seditions among the jews themselves ; the second