3 - d applied after several nights of below 32f degree temperatures still gave good control of musk thistles. the trend - line for this two - year test indicated musk thistle control began to decline rapidly in november after more than 11 days of below freezing temperatures. since we have had a decent fall so far, the thistles will still be very susceptible to the chemicals. increase the rate from one quart to 2 quarts of 2, 4 - d per acre did not significantly improve musk thistle control. in most situations it would be advantageous to combine lower rates of 2, 4 - d in combination with tordon 22k, ally, or banvel for more consistent results or a broader spectrum of weed control. details of this research can be obtained by calling your local county isu extension office. donald lewis, isu extension entomology department phone : 515 - 294 - 1101 - e - mail : email @ example. com the field cricket is one of the most common household accidental invader insect pests. there are several species of field crickets ranging in size from 1 / 4 to 3 / 4 inch, but the best known is the black field cricket, a large, shiny black insect. like other accidental invaders, field crickets spend most of their life outdoors where they feed, grow, develop, and reproduce. only during a limited portion of their life cycle do they wander indoors by mistake and create an annoyance. field crickets spend the winter as eggs laid in the soil. these eggs hatch in late spring or early summer, and tiny immature crickets called nymphs begin to feed on a variety of succulent grasses and weeds. the nymphs look like the adults except for their smaller size and the absence of wings. nymphs develop into adults within approximately 90 days. the adults mate and lay eggs in late summer before succumbing to old age or freezing temperatures in the fall. chirping, one of the hallmarks of crickets, is done only by the males as a way to attract the females of their own species. chirping is produced by rubbing the wings together. there is no single, perfect solution for the control of crickets that are invading the house. often, some combination of the following suggestions will work. ultimately, cricket problems end in the fall when the adults are killed by heavy frost or freeze. indoor residual treatments with " cockroach " sprays have little if any benefit. do not use lawn and garden insecticide concentrates indoors


will work. ultimately, cricket problems end in the fall when the adults are killed by heavy frost or freeze. indoor residual treatments with " cockroach " sprays have little if any benefit. do not use lawn and garden insecticide concentrates indoors. direct application or fogging with pyrethrin aerosols is one way besides the fly swatter or rolled up magazine to eliminate crickets that are inside. acreage living is published monthly. for more information, local county isu extension office. editor : shawn shouse, isu extension fs / ag engineering, sw area extension, 53020 hitchcock avenue, lewis, iowa, 51544, ph : 712 / 769 - 2600 layout & design : paulette cambridge, office assistant, sw area extension, 53020 hitchcock avenue, lewis, iowa 51544, ph : 712 / 769 - 2600... and justice for all. the u. s. department of agriculture ( usda ) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. ( not all prohibited bases apply to all programs. ) many materials can be made available in alternative formats for ada clients. to file a complaint of discrimination, write usda, office of civil rights, room 326 - w, whitten building, 14th and independence avenue, sw, washington, dc 20250 - 9410 or call 202 - 720 - 5964.


a warm spring or hot spring is a place where warm or hot groundwater issues from the ground on a regular basis for at least a predictable part of the year, and is significantly above the ambient ground temperature ( which is usually around 55 ~ 57°f or 13 ~ 14°c in the eastern united states ). the water is heated by geothermal heat, or heat generated from the interior of the earth. this occurs in various " hot spots ", where magma or other mantle material is close to the surface. if the water becomes so heated that it builds steam pressure and erupts in a jet above the surface of the earth, it is called a geyser ; if the water only reaches the surface in the form of steam, it is called a fumarole ; and if the water is mixed with mud and clay, it is called a mud pot. warm springs are sometimes the result of hot and cold springs mixing but may also occur outside of geothermal areas, such as warm springs, georgia ( frequented for its therapeutic effects by polio - stricken u. s. president franklin d. roosevelt, who built the little white house there ). because heated water can hold more dissolved solids and gases, warm and especially hot springs also often have a very high mineral content, containing everything from simple calcium to lithium, and even radium. because of both the folklore and the proven medical value some of these springs have, they are often popular tourist destinations, and locations for rehabilitation clinics for those with disabilities. at least three united states national parks feature hot springs :


allegiance, in political terms, the tie that binds an individual to another individual or institution. the term usually refers to a person ' s legal obligation of obedience to a government in return for the protection of that government, although it may have reference to any institution that one is bound to support. in the united states allegiance is required of both citizens and resident aliens. in ordinary speech, the term may include supplemental emotional ties that make it loosely synonymous with loyalty. individuals develop allegiances to social groups, such as family, school, club, and religion, through processes of socialization ; recent scholars have examined the connection of these more intimate processes to the maintenance or shift of political allegiances. political scientists distinguish between natural allegiance, which arises from membership by birth within a political society ; express allegiance, which arises from an oath or promise to support a political society, usually resulting from naturalization ; local allegiance, in which an alien pledges temporary allegiance to a government for the protection it offers ; and legal allegiance, which arises in certain cases from an oath taken to support a government temporarily, as when a foreign soldier joins its armed forces. under european laws a people did not have the right to change allegiance without consent of their governments. in 1868 the united states declared that it was the right of any citizen to voluntarily transfer allegiance to another government. great britain provided the same opportunity for its subjects in 1870, and thereafter other european states followed similar policies. the process of expatriation, however, is by no means universal. see also pledge of allegiance. the columbia electronic encyclopedia, 6th ed. copyright © 2012, columbia university press. all rights reserved. more on allegiance from fact monster : see more encyclopedia articles on : political science : terms and concepts


pony express, in u. s. history, relay mail service. at its inception in apr., 1860, the pony express operated between st. joseph, mo., the western end of a telegraph line, and sacramento, calif. riders carried the mail a distance of nearly 2, 000 mi ( 3, 200 km ) in about eight days, often traveling through hostile native american territory. stations where the riders changed horses were roughly 10 to 15 mi ( 16 – 24. 1 km ) apart. after a rider had covered a certain distance, the mail was turned over to another rider ; this continued until the destination was reached. the pony express was operated by the freighting firm of russell, majors, and waddell. as a business venture, it was unsuccessful. before the pony express, letters to and from california had been carried by ships, wagon trains, and stagecoaches and had required much more time for the journey. the first telegram to san francisco was transmitted oct. 24, 1861, and the pony express was then gradually discontinued. its existence was brief but picturesque, and the pony express lives in legend as well as in history. in 1992 the pony express national historic trail, which covers the entire route followed by pony express riders, was designated part of the national trails system ( see national parks and monuments ( table ) ). see l. r. hafen, the overland mail ( 1926 ) ; a. chapman, the pony express ( 1932, repr. 1971 ) ; r. w. settle and m. a. l. settle, saddles and spurs ( 1955, repr. 1972 ) ; g. d. bradley, story of the pony express ( 2d ed. 1960 ) ; m. mattes and p. henderson, the pony express from st. joseph to fort laramie ( 1989 ). the columbia electronic encyclopedia, 6th ed. copyright © 2012, columbia university press. all rights reserved. more on pony express from fact monster : see more encyclopedia articles on : u. s. history


cordage ( korˈdij ) [ key ], collective name for rope and other flexible lines. it is used for such purposes as wrapping, hauling, lifting, and power transmission. early man used strips of hide, animal hair, and plant materials. hemp and flax were formerly standard in europe and america but were largely replaced in the 19th cent. by hard fibers, especially manila hemp and sisal. in the 20th cent. the natural fibers were replaced in many applications by synthetic fibers such as nylon and polyester. the fibers are straightened, usually by combing, then spun into yarn. twine, which is sometimes called cord, is formed by wrapping two or more yarns together. by twisting together a number of yarns, a strand is formed. by twisting together three or more strands, a rope is produced. a cable - laid rope is formed from three or more ropes. in general a synthetic fiber rope lasts much longer and is much stronger than a natural fiber rope. steel wire, often with a fiber core, is also used for rope. the columbia electronic encyclopedia, 6th ed. copyright © 2012, columbia university press. all rights reserved. more on cordage from fact monster : see more encyclopedia articles on : technology : terms and concepts


united nations relief and works agency ( unrwa ) - homepage : http : / / www. un. org / unrwa / november 2007 : " following the 1948 arab - israeli conflict, unrwa, the united nations relief and works agency for palestine refugees in the near east, was established by united nations general assembly resolution 302 ( iv ) of 8 december 1949 to carry out direct relief and works programmes for palestine refugees. the agency began operations on 1 may 1950. in the absence of a solution to the palestine refugee problem, the general assembly has repeatedly renewed unrwa ' s mandate, most recently extending it until 30 june 2008. since its establishment, the agency has delivered its services in times of relative calm in the middle east, and in times of hostilities. it has fed, housed and clothed tens of thousands of fleeing refugees and at the same time educated and given health care to hundreds of thousands of young refugees. unrwa is unique in terms of its long - standing commitment to one group of refugees and its contributions to the welfare and human development of four generations of palestine refugees. originally envisaged as a temporary organization, the agency has gradually adjusted its programmes to meet the changing needs of the refugees. today, unrwa is the main provider of basic services - education, health, relief and social services - to over 4. 4 million registered palestine refugees in the middle east. " http : / / www. un. org / unrwa / overview / index. html january 2009 : ' the un relief and works agency, the largest humanitarian organisation working in gaza, said there was a " huge and overwhelming need " for aid. ' http : / / news. bbc. co. uk / 1 / hi / uk / 7850407. stm role name type last updated owned by ( partial or full, past or present ) united nations, the ( un ) organization nov 12, 2007 articles and resources date fairness. com resource read it at : jan 26, 2009 mps call on bbc to air gaza film : a commons motion criticising the bbc and sky for refusing to broadcast a plea for humanitarian aid funding for gaza has been backed by 112 mps. quote : the bbc ' s explanation that airing the film would threaten its impartiality was described by labour mp richard burden ' s motion as " unconvincing ".... john ryley, head of sky news, said that broadcasting the film would be " incompatible " with its objective role. british broadcasting corporation ( bbc ) nov


how to draw cartoons the easy way learning how to draw cartoons is fairly easy if you are keen to do a little practice with your pencil and paper. cartoons are not really complicated if you start with these basics. all drawings are based on simple shapes like an oval, square, cylinder, rectangle, or triangle / cone. follow these simple steps and you will soon be turning out cartoons that look professional. if you can draw these basic four shapes as mention here, you can draw any cartoon type from spiderman to a barbie doll or even your favorite politician! you can ' t imagine a newspaper or magazine like the new yorker without cartoons, a kids tv channel with animated cartoons or trade journals without gag cartoons. and do you know, children make the best cartoonists simply because they are completely uninhibited. they draw with complete abandonment without any thought about? does it look right?? this is a natural flair that almost all children have. okay, so let ' s look a bit deeper into cartooning. first of all before being too creative you have draw things as you see them. sorry, but there are no shortcuts. if you do not have a burning passion to create wonderful cartoons then please do not start — unless of course you only wish to dabble in it. you have to observe the basic structure of the object you are drawing and all the basic forms ( the four major ones at least ) must be able to fit into the object whether that be a human figure or any object. the exact likeness of the form is not necessary otherwise get yourself a digital camera. obviously your interpretation or handwriting comes into play. no two people see the images the same way. the major key is to draw things realistically in your own handwriting. the square or rectangle can be the start to drawing a box ; the sphere can be an apple or the cone can be the basis for an ice cream. remember you are drawing in two dimensions but the objects are three dimensions. see how these basics fit into any of these four basic forms. see how a cone atop a sphere can become a clown without any other form added - - these would be the basics to start off with. so our first exercise is to draw a box using a square. first of all draw a square as shown here and add perspective lines as in the dashes. perspective means any object, animal, human or whatever has what is called a vanishing point. if you see a picture of a railway line you ' ll see the rails disappear into a single point.


the convention ' s chemical review committee based its recommendation on a review of national regulatory actions taken by benin, canada, european union, japan, new zealand, and norway to ban or restrict the use of chemicals that pose an unacceptable risk to human health and the environment. " for the first time since the convention entered into force in 2004, the committee has recommended adding a severely hazardous pesticide formulation to the ' watch list ', advancing our parties ' efforts to ensure that countries ' rights to know and trade chemicals safely are respected, " said fao ' s peter kenmore, co - executive secretary of the rotterdam convention. gramoxone super is an herbicide containing paraquat dichloride, which is used to control weeds in cotton, rice and maize. burkina faso had proposed to include gramoxone super as a severely hazardous pesticide formulation ( shpf ) into annex iii of the convention due to the problems experienced caused by this pesticide formulation under conditions of use in its territory. pentabde and octabde commercial mixtures are brominated flame retardants. due to their toxicity and persistence, their industrial production is set to be eliminated under the stockholm convention on persistent organic pollutants ( pops ). " the recommendation to include these three industrial chemicals marks an acceleration in the rate of submission of industrial chemicals to the crc for review of these substances known to harm human health and the environment. this is, as a result, in part, through the cooperative exchange of information from our sister scientific review committee under the stockholm convention, " said donald cooper, co - executive secretary of the rotterdam convention. the recommendations will be forwarded to the fifth meeting of the conference of the parties to the rotterdam convention in june 2011. jointly supported by fao and by the united nations environment programme ( unep ), the rotterdam convention prevents unwanted trade in the chemicals included in its legally binding prior informed consent ( pic ) procedure. the rotterdam convention does not introduce bans but fosters information exchange mechanisms to help improve decision making about the trade of hazardous chemicals. it enables member governments to alert each other to potential dangers by exchanging information on chemicals and to take informed decisions with regard to whether they want to import such chemicals in the future. the convention makes the international trade in hazardous chemicals more transparent and less vulnerable to abuse through its export notification provisions and by encouraging harmonized labeling of chemicals. exporting member governments are responsible for ensuring that no exports leave their territory when an importing country has made the decision not to accept a pic chemical.


biofuel - powered passenger aircraft are becoming more and more common. but what if you mashed that up with a rocket engine? that ' s essentially what the zero emission hypersonic transport ( zehst ) project by european defense manufacturer eads is all about. zehst could be the rocketplane that flies our kids around the world in the same time it takes us to drive to work. the concorde was retired nearly eight years ago, and the sr71 blackbird concluded flights 22 years ago, but if they ' d got together in the 1980s and had an airborne offspring they would ' ve produced something very much like zehst. the aircraft was unveiled yesterday before the influential paris airshow, and eads seems intent that it ' s no pie - in - the - sky experiment : zehst will hopefully be flying in prototype form by 2020 and in service 30 years after that. you may be thinking " zero emissions and a rocket plane does not compute " but here ' s why it kinda makes sense : zehst has seven engines hidden inside its nacelles, two that breathe air and work like conventional jet aircraft ' s do, two giant ramjets, and three that burn liquid hydrogen and oxygen like conventional rocket engines do. it also relies on existing well - known technologies, materials, and engine designs. so, while it ' s going to take 40 years to get off the ground, it ' s not purely science fiction. the four air - breathers burn biofuel, which could be based on algae - - a technology that ' s getting more and more plausible. indeed boeing just flew its newest aircraft, the 747 - 8 freighter, to paris by using biofuel. this gives them an extremely low eco - footprint compared to conventional jet fuel. meanwhile the rocket engines burn oxygen and hydrogen, like the space shuttle, which leaves a polluting wake that consists only of superheated steam ( making and storing the lh2 and lox in the first place does take energy, which currently isn ' t necessarily the most environmentally friendly practice - - but by 2050 it certainly will be ). the idea is the two jet engines propel the vehicle at low speeds on takeoff and landing. when it ' s accelerating into the air, three rockets take over to push it higher and faster in a boost phase. as the aircraft moves fast enough to ignite ramjets, two of these take over the power production as it continues to rise. after reaching its peak altitude and speed it glide


tips for improving memory our memory helps to shape and define who we are, provide us with comfort, and guide us in our daily lives. while there are many different types of memory we tend to rely primarily on a type of memory that enables us to recall information presented to us either recently or sometime in the distant past. memory can be affected by many factors including level of stress, rest, nutrition, medical status, medications, alcohol, exercise, sensory function, hormones, and information processing ability. common types of memory difficulties include inability to remember names, forgetting directions, forgetting where the car or other object is, and forgetting to complete a task in a specified order. while it is true that our memory ability tends to decline as we age, a healthy older adult can recall quite well, particularly when given cues and prompts. memory in late life should not be confused with disease such as alzheimer ’ s that can impair memory. here are some strategies and tips to assist you with your recall on a daily basis regardless of age : 1. recognize what types of information and situations increase forgetfulness for you. you may be able to identify particular factors that lead to your memory problems and a change of these factors might help your recall. 2. make sure your brain is well rested. you might be surprised to learn that a fatigued brain will not process as deeply or as efficiently as a well rested brain. 3. eat brain healthy foods such as fish, fruits, nuts, and vegetables. 4. information that you need to encode will be recalled better if you repeat the information to yourself several times. 5. if you have problems remembering names of people you meet continue to use their names in every sentence when speaking to them. this is a type of normal repetition that is polite and helpful to your processing. 6. do not be ashamed to admit to someone that you have forgotten their name and need to hear it again. simply tell the person you are bad with names, but you are trying and can benefit if they provide his or her name again. at that point, refer back to point # 5. 7. lists are fine or small pocket book with cues and prompts can be very useful to assist your recall. 8. develop routines and fixed places for placement of items such as car keys. your brain will develop a subconscious process to place and retrieve objects with such routine. this will then free up the conscious part of your brain to learn new 9. engage in memory exercises such as learning an increasingly larger list of words, faces on cards, facts


there are a lot of different ways to approach this problem - - but there is one fundamental that should not be ignored. namely, the allocation of electoral votes lags behind changes in the distribution of the population. presently, the composition of the electoral college is based on the 2000 census - - what if it were based on the population in 2008 instead? the census bureau does not yet have its current population estimate out for 2008. what we can do, however, is take its 2007 estimate, and then add to it the population gain between 2006 and 2007 to come up with a reasonable estimate for 2008. for example, texas had 23. 5 million people in 2006 and 23. 9 million in 2007 - - a gain of about 400, 000 persons. we add another 400, 000 to account for population growth between 2007 and 2008, which gives us an estimate of 24. 3 million for its current population. if we do this for each state, and then reassign electoral votes based on the new population estimates, i show the following electoral votes changing hands : - texas gains three electoral votes. as you can see, the gains tend to come in republican - leaning states, and the losses in democratic - leaning ones. we can be a little bit more specific about this by apportioning the electoral vote changes based on mccain and obama ' s win percentages in each state. for example, we estimate that mccain has a 95 percent chance of winning texas, so we assign mccain 95 percent of texas ' three new electoral votes ( + 2. 85 ), giving obama the small remainder of 0. 15 electoral votes. - arizona, florida, georgia, nevada, south carolina and utah each gain one electoral vote. - iowa, louisiana, massachusetts, michigan, new jersey, new york and pennsylvania each lose one electoral vote. - ohio loses two electoral votes. overall, this results in a swing of slightly fewer than five electoral votes from mccain to obama ( actually 4. 68 ), or a net change of 9 - 10. if electoral votes were assigned based on the current population, rather than the population in 2000, we would show obama with tiny a 269. 7 - 268. 3 advantage, rather than the 274. 4 - 263. 6 advantage that we do now. these new voters places like texas and arizona will show up in mccain ' s popular vote column - - but not in his electoral vote column until new allocations are made after the 2010 census. while there might be other reasons that the electoral math tends to be favorable to mccain,


rosacea is a chronic disease which usually first appears as subtle reddening on the face. it is usually focused on the center of the face. rosacea commonly starts on the nose and spread outwards to include the cheeks, chin and forehead. over time this may develop into some inflammation and may be accompanied by skin eruptions. if left untreated, rosacea can worsen over time and even affect the eyelids and mucous membranes. • flushing or blushing that occurs easily and often and lasts longer than normal. • rashes and redness on part or all of the face. often has the appearance of sunburn and may become worse over time. • visible red lines on the face called telangiectasis. these lines are caused by broken blood vessels. • a bright red central face, capillary prominence and eruptions mark full - blown rosacea. • white pustules with rare occurrence of blackheads. • burning or stinging sensations with strong senitivity to many topical preparations. stages of rosacea : at the very beginning of the disease, patches of redness appear, usually in the center of the face or on the cheeks. this can be mistaken for rosy cheeks or a harmless change in complexion. however, the redness does not go away. the progress of the disease can be interrupted by periods of remission, which means that the symptoms calm down and seem to go away. these cycles of flare - ups and remissions are common in rosacea. it is unfortunate, but the remission periods are often followed by a worsened period of activity — a return of the pimples, redness, nose bumps, etc — when the disease is left untreated. symptoms ordinarily develop in the following order : first, the redness and pimples, then the visible blood vessels, and then the nose bumps. rosacea can also involve the eyes, mucous membranes and connective tissue beneath the skin. the symptoms of rosacea often mimic acne and sunburn. for this reason, it is often left untreated in its early stages. however, early and effective treatment can stop the progress of the disease. for more info, download rosacea symptoms, a free ebook.


carbon with that latte? sonia narang 07. 03. 07, 6 : 00 am et how starbucks hopes to trim its emissions footprint. in its shop in downtown san mateo, calif., for instance, baristas serve up about 40, 000 cups of coffee drinks every month. just based on utility bills alone, that means starbucks is serving up about 4, 900 pounds of carbon with its drinks - - or about two ounces per cup. starbucks executives say they are looking for ways to trim those carbon emissions. but they are reluctant to say just how much starbucks ' worldwide carbon footprint is - - and how it has changed over the past few years. starbucks has calculated the carbon footprint of its north american locations only once, in 2003. since then, its number of u. s. company - owned stores has almost doubled to 6, 281. its international company - owned locations, also left out of the calculation, now number more than 1, 500. " although we have grown in size, the nature of our business remains the same - - the operation of retail stores and roasting coffee, " says jim hanna, environmental affairs manager at starbucks in seattle. while starbucks chooses not to calculate its carbon footprint every year, the company does conduct annual progress checks, but these numbers are not publicly reported. other eco - friendly companies are also surprisingly coy. last month, for instance, google ) led a group of 40 other companies ( including starbucks ) in kicking off the " climate savers computing initiative, " a project aimed at building and buying more energy - efficient pcs. google is nonetheless keeping a watch on the size of its carbon footprint and hopes to achieve carbon neutrality by the end of this year by using non - carbon energy sources for much of its power needs and purchasing carbon offsets for the rest. recently, google flipped the switch on 1. 6 megawatts of solar power modules on the roof of its mountain view headquarters. starbucks was early among eco - sensitive companies. executives became convinced early in this decade that atmospheric carbon could wreak havoc on the global climate - - and so on the supply and price of coffee beans. " we ' re facing environmental risks posed by climate change that could negatively affect many aspects of our company, including our ability to procure coffee, " hanna says. temperature and rainfall dictate how much coffee comes out of regions including latin america and asia. " as we hope to increase to 40, 000 stores worldwide in the next 10 years, we ' re going to need a larger supply


" hanna says. temperature and rainfall dictate how much coffee comes out of regions including latin america and asia. " as we hope to increase to 40, 000 stores worldwide in the next 10 years, we ' re going to need a larger supply, " hanna says. in 2003, starbucks hired denver - based engineering firm ch2m hill to calculate the carbon footprint of the approximately 3, 700 stores it then had in north america. ch2m hill began measuring corporate footprints in the late 1990s and has done comparable calculations for a few dozen companies, including nike ( nyse : nke - news - people ), 3m ( nyse : mmm - news - people ), sc johnson and energy firm kinder morgan ( nyse : kmi - news - people ). doing such calculations is still something of a black art. ch2m hill ' s lisa grice, who worked on the coffee company ' s carbon footprint, says the final number primarily includes electricity used in retail stores. carbon calculators take into account stores ' geographic locations. that ' s because electricity generated at power plants in one state may come from a different source than a power plant in another state. some stores may get electricity from coal - fired plants, which results in greater carbon emissions, while others may depend on hydroelectric power, which has a lower carbon byproduct. starbucks decided to leave out the additional 81, 000 tons of carbon dioxide it emitted through transporting coffee materials and disposing solid waste. according to starbucks environmental affairs manager ben packard, the company can only control and manage carbon emissions from energy used in retail stores and coffee - roasting plants. it took about half a year of data collection and complex calculations to figure out that starbucks emitted 295, 000 tons of carbon into the atmosphere in 2003. starbucks decided to leave out an additional 81, 000 tons of carbon dioxide it emitted by transporting coffee materials and disposing of solid waste. according to starbucks environmental affairs manager ben packard, the company can only control and manage carbon emissions from energy used in retail stores and coffee - roasting plants. starbucks attributes 81 % of its greenhouse gas emissions to purchased electricity and 18 % to coffee roasting at its three north american plants and natural gas usage in stores. that 295, 000 - ton figure gives starbucks a small carbon footprint, among a list of about 1, 000 companies compiled by the carbon disclosure project, a london - based nonprofit. near the top of the list is energy giant american electric power ( nyse : aep - news -


gives starbucks a small carbon footprint, among a list of about 1, 000 companies compiled by the carbon disclosure project, a london - based nonprofit. near the top of the list is energy giant american electric power ( nyse : aep - news - people ) with 146. 5 million tons of carbon emissions. next in line are oil and gas companies royal dutch / shell and british petroleum ( nyse : bp - news - people ) with 105 million tons and 92 million tons. comparatively, general electric ' s ( nyse : ge - news - people ) 12. 4 million ton footprint makes it a medium - size emitter. the smallest carbon emitters weighed in at a few thousand tons. most of the lower footprints belong to insurance companies, retailers and banks. starbucks execs say that even as they ' ve been growing the number of outlets, they ' ve been trying to be more energy efficient. in 2005, starbucks joined the world research institute ' s green power market development group, a consortium of 15 companies ranging from staples ( nasdaq : spls - news - people ) to google. the group helps its members purchase renewable energy at lower prices. last year, the coffee company increased its wind power to 20 % of the total energy usage in north american stores. this offset 62, 000 tons of carbon dioxide. but to track progress in reducing carbon emissions accurately, companies need to update those footprints frequently, says marcus peacock of the u. s. environmental protection agency. " we ' ve asked companies to check their numbers annually, " he says. a number of companies are doing just that. both intel ( nasdaq : intc - news - people ) and sun microsystems ( nasdaq : sunw - news - people ), which are also part of the climate savers computing initiative, report their carbon footprints annually. intel ' s carbon footprint added up to 4 million tons in 2006, a number that includes worldwide operations. sun first calculated its footprint at 255, 000 tons last year, and used past data to figure out carbon emissions dating back four years. the company also reports up - to - date carbon numbers on its web site. " we calculate this monthly so that we can make sure we ' re on track with improving emissions, " says sun ' s vp of eco responsibility dave douglas. both intel and sun are part of the epa ' s climate leaders program, a group of companies that sets tangible carbon reduction goals. climate leaders began five years ago, when few companies even knew the meaning of carbon footprint


the adopt - a - stream program is a citizen ' s volunteer stream monitoring program that assesses the health of local waterways through chemical and biological parameters, including ph, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and macroinvertebrate surveys. the hands - on activities of the adopt - a - stream program can be educational and fun for citizens of all ages, and any level of involvement is welcomed. adopt - a - stream is a state - wide program administered through the georgia environmental protection division of the department of natural resources. ¬ † fulton county is certified by the state to offer training and certification to our citizens in this program. ¬ † all data collected by our volunteers is entered into the state ' s database and is accesible on their website. ¬ † what do volunteers do? adopt - a - stream volunteer monitors look out for their local streams. they visit them on a regular basis, report problems, and collect water quality data. fulton county public works provides the training and most supplies needed for both chemical and biological monitoring. chemical testing is done on a monthly basis. volunteers use field kits to collect air and water temperatures, ph, and dissolved oxygen readings. this data is sent on to the county and input into a statewide database maintained by the georgia environmental protection division. biological monitoring is conducted quarterly and is an even better chance to get up close and personal with your adopted stream section. volunteers don wading boots and use nets and buckets to sample the macroinvertebrate life of the stream. one of the best measures of stream health is looking at the life that the stream is supporting. we use aquatic macroinvertebrates ( which is a fancy term for stream dwelling bugs, including insects, crustaceans, worms, snails, and clams ) as indicators because they are easy to collect and identify. what might you find in the creek? here are a few samples of common insects found in a fulton county stream. you will notice that the bugs shown here have the word " fly " in their names. that is because many flying insects have an aquatic, or water based, larval stage. these insects have gills and breathe dissolved oxygen when in this part of their life cycles. pretty cool, huh? right : common net spinning cadisfly larva below left : damselfly larva below right : mayfly larva for size perspective, these bugs were photographed in the bowl of a plastic spoon. ¬ † photos courtesy of daniel mcmahill.


program. the u. s. fish and wildlife service recognizes the importance of working with partners in the community through building relationships that will help conserve fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats. our outreach program serves to link the work of the usfws to the community and help connect people to nature by providing opportunities for citizens to take part in protecting our connecting people with nature. our goal is to get people to go outdoors and experience for themselves the joys of nature. it can be found in the parks, forests, beaches, and mountains of our beautiful region, and it ' s as nearby as your own neighborhood and your own backyard. discover the bees, hummingbirds, bats, butterflies, moths, and others on this poster. beesmart™ tools are available to help you s. h. a. r. e. your own pollinator discoveries. the wonder of discovery – pollinators all around 2013 poster debuts pollinator scenes artist - carolyn vibbert. it ' s an app! the bee smart™ pollinator gardener is your comprehensive guide to selecting plants for pollinators specific to your area. follow our new blog to see some what others are doing and discovering : the new blog, faces of nature, is hosted and narrated by usfws summer intern meghan kearney. enjoy beautiful photos of oregon ' s landscape and read stories of the many ways that people are connecting with nature. join connecting people with nature on facebook : become part of the connecting people with nature community on facebook. check in with us to learn about getting out! get the national perspective on usfws ' connecting people with nature. let ' s go outside! the u. s. fish and wildlife service has teamed up with the u. s. department of education to help your school be recognized for being green with the green ribbon award program. the department recently announced the pilot u. s. green ribbon school award program honoring schools that have taken steps to green their campuses including their buildings and grounds. by participating in the u. s. fish and wildlife service ' s schoolyard habitat program, not only will you be creating homes for wildlife and educational spaces for students you will also be eligible to apply for the green ribbon school award. our schoolyard habitat program helps schools initiate, create and incorporate wildlife habitat projects that are also used as outdoor classrooms. teachers are able to enhance standard curriculum that align with federal and state education goals and mandates, while improving students skills in core subjects such as science, math, reading, and language arts. share our technical expertise


the genus ficus, latin for fig, is a member of the family moraceae. it contains over 800 species of woody trees, shrubs, or vines. some cultivated varieties can produce edible fruit or possess ornamental value. all species of ficus can become susceptible to pest problems and diseases. some diseases can be caused by specific fungi. the ficus family has a large number of species, and each has its own distinctive characteristics. the ficus benjamina, or common weeping fig, can grow as tall as 60 feet. it is hardy to u. s. department of agriculture ( usda ) zones 10b to 11 and prefers full sun to part shade and well - drained soil. ficus carica is best grown in usda zones 8 to 10 in rich, moist, well - drained soil. it requires full sun to part shade. when grown outside, the weeping fig grows large and rather quickly with a fruit that stains if it lands on cars and sidewalks. these trees are best in park settings or landscapes with large open areas. they can be planted in yards but pruning must be done to control size. the ficus carica is used as a deciduous shrub that is 10 to 15 feet tall, or a small tree 15 to 30 feet tall in garden landscapes. most ficus are used as indoor houseplants. several diseases are caused by fungi that affect different species of ficus : aerial / web blight, caused by thanatephorus cucumeris / rhizoctonia solani ; anthracnose, caused by glomerella cingulata / colletotrichum gloeosporoides ; and cercospora leaf spot, caused by cercospora fici, cercospora spp. symptoms of aerial / web blight appear first on the leaves, causing a yellowing of the leaf. in time, the top of the leaf turns a grayish - white color with the underside becoming enveloped in the fungus, leaving brown webbing. the webbing holds the leaf onto the tree but also transfers the fungus onto the branch or twig. the twigs will die, and if there is fruit, it will become covered by the fungus webbing. the fungus can reproduce by forming small black spots on the webbing. the fungus can live a long time in plant debris or in the soil. anthracnose shows on the leaves as recessed spots with brown edges. eventually the entire leaf turns brown and falls off. the fruit becomes soft and rot


##ing. the fungus can live a long time in plant debris or in the soil. anthracnose shows on the leaves as recessed spots with brown edges. eventually the entire leaf turns brown and falls off. the fruit becomes soft and rots and can fall off the tree. it can also become covered by the webbing of the fungus and remain on the tree as a source of new infection. leaf spot can develop quickly during rainy periods. spots first appear on the leaves as reddish - brown. the spots will grow bigger and the centers will become tan with a yellow edge. wounds can also develop on the leaf tips. control & management aerial / web blight, management involves good pruning practices to remove infected areas and to increase air movement around the leaves. the plant or tree should be watered low at the base so as not to wet the leaves, and removal of all infected fallen diseased debris is important. no epa chemical treatment is available for this fungus as of 2010. for anthracnose, it is important to remove all fallen fruits and leaves to reduce survival of the fungus from season to season. no epa chemical treatment is available as of 2010. leaf spot management is almost identical to aerial / web blight management. plants or trees infected with leaf spots should be watered low to avoid wetting the leaves, and all infected fallen diseased debris should be destroyed. no epa chemical treatment is available as of 2010.


perthshire, scotland - history and description, 1868 " perthshire, an extensive inland county in the centre of scotland, lying between 56° 41 and 56° 57 ' n. lat., and between 3° 4 ' and 4° 50 ' w. long. it lies on the highland border, connecting the northern highlands with the southern lowlands, and the highlands of the w. with the lowlands on the e., thus comprising almost every variety of soil and climate to be found in scotland. its geographical boundaries are for the most part defined by natural barriers of lofty mountain ranges, forming parts of the northern and western grampians and of the ochill hills. on the n. and n. w. it is bounded by the counties of aberdeen and inverness ; on the e. by forfarshire ; on the s. e. by fifeshire, the frith of tay, and kinross - shire ; on the s. by clackmannan and stirling shires ; on the s. w. by stirling and dumbarton shires ; and on the w. by argyllshire. the form of the county is compact, but a small section of it, comprising the parishes of culross and tulliallan, on the n. side of the frith of tay, is separated from the main body by a belt of the counties of clackmannan and fife, and another small detached section is almost surrounded by stirlingshire. its extreme length from invergowrie on the e. to benley on the w. is 77 miles, and its extreme breadth from the source of the tilt on the n. to culross on the s. is 67 miles. its superficial extent is variously estimated between 2, 588 and 5, 000 square miles, but the measurement now commonly received is 2, 835 square miles, or 1, 814, 063 acres, of which about 32, 000 are lakes. in the earliest times of which we have record this county seems to have been inhabited in the eastern portion by the vennicontes, or vecturiones, of ptolemy ; in the s. by the horestii mentioned by tacitus ; and in the highlands of the w. by the damnii albani, whom richard of cirencester describes " as a people wholly secluded among lakes and mountains. " it was overrun by the romans under agricola in a. d. 83 - 4, and by severus in 206, when it


the n. w., and stormont and strathearn in the middle, each of which was under the jurisdiction of a distinct sheriff or steward. the act of 1748, abolishing hereditary jurisdictions, put an end to these divisions, though the names are still popularly applied to the districts, or retained in the titles of the nobility. ; in 1795 an act of parliament was passed dividing the county for special purposes into the ten districts of auchterarder, blairgowrie, carse of gowrie, crieff, culross, cupar - angus, dunblane, dunkeld, perth, and weem, but the sheriff - depute exercises rule over all the county, and appoints two substitutes, the one of whom presides at perth and the other at dunblane. this county is almost entirely comprehended in the basin of the tay, except the district of menteith in the s., which forms part of the basin of the forth, and a small district in the s. w., which is drained by streams flowing into loch lomond. the great watershed of the country declines from the lofty summits of the grampians in the n. and w. gradually towards the s. and e., where the numerous streams unite their waters in the copious flood of the tay, which discharges a greater volume of water into the ocean than any other river of great britain. this monarch of british rivers, however, is so far obstructed by sandbanks in its channel, and a bar at its mouth, as to have been only navigable for vessels of 100 tons as high up as perth, previous to 1834, when extensive works were undertaken to deepen the channel of the river, and to construct a harbour and wet docks at perth, so as to admit vessels of 380 tons to come up to any harbours at spring tides, and vessels of 130 tons at neap tides. the navigation is also somewhat impeded by the strength of the tides, which renders the time of ascending precarious. the whole length, from its source on the border of argyleshire to the frith or estuary of tay, is 105 miles, in the course of which it receives the waters of the fillan, the dochart, and the lockie before entering loch tay. this loch is a long narrow lake, about 14 miles in length by 1 mile broad, and entirely embosomed in mountains, having ben lawers


waters of the fillan, the dochart, and the lockie before entering loch tay. this loch is a long narrow lake, about 14 miles in length by 1 mile broad, and entirely embosomed in mountains, having ben lawers on its north - western bank. after leaving the loch the tay flows through strath tay, receiving on its left bank the considerable rivers lyon and tumel, fed by numerous mountain streams, some of which form falls and rapids, and about 6 miles lower down, on the right bank, the braan or bran ; it then flows for about 12 miles through strathmore to its junction with the isla, where the united streams take a southerly direction, and being swollen by the airdle, the shochie, and the almond, pass perth, a little below which town the tay is joined by the river earn on the right bank, bringing to it the waters of the lednoch, ruchil, turret, powaffray, machony, shaggie, ruthven, may, and farg. after its junction with the. earn the tay gradually widens for about 20 miles, till it forms the estuary of tay. the other rivers of perthshire are the forth, which flows just within the southern boundary of the county, draining the district of menteith, so named from the teith, a tributary of the forth, rising just within argyleshire border, and forming loch katrine, a sheet of water about 8 miles long, immortalised as the subject of sir walter scott ' s " lady of the lake. " the allan and devon are also feeders of the forth ; on the latter stream are the celebrated falls and rapids known as the deil ' s mill, the rumbling bridge, and the cauldron linn. the lakes are both numerous and of considerable size, including lochs tay and katrine, mentioned above ; loch earn, at the head of the river earn, in breadalbane ; loch rannoch, a long narrow sheet of water, over 9 miles in length by 1 mile broad, and abounding in trout ; loch ericht, on the border of inverness - shire, extending in length 14 miles from n. to s. by 1 mile in breadth ; loch lydoch, a large sheet of water on the border of argyleshire, the source of the river tumel ; loch garry, a narrow lake 3 miles long by half a mile broad, lying between rannoch and athole ; loch tu


loch lydoch, a large sheet of water on the border of argyleshire, the source of the river tumel ; loch garry, a narrow lake 3 miles long by half a mile broad, lying between rannoch and athole ; loch tumel, a lake, about 2 miles from w. to e. and half a mile broad, formed by the river tumel, in athole ; also lochs venacher, monteith, and lubnaig, each about 5 miles long, in the district of menteith, loch voel, in balquhidder, besides numerous smaller lakes, as achray, ard, butterstone, chon, cluny, dochart, doine, drumellie, freuchie, lyon, lows, ordie, tilt, turret, & c. in all the hilly districts springs are abundant, and pitcaithley is specially noted for its mineral waters ; but in the level tracts of monteith and the carse of gowrie pure water is scarce, occasioning in dry seasons considerable sickness and scarcity, while in wet seasons the same districts are almost inundated and the soil converted into a miry expanse. the rivers, which flow from the mountains in the n. and n. w. towards the tay, run for the most part in an easterly or southerly direction, giving name to a scries of straths, or broad valleys, which open in the same aspect, and to the glens, or narrow vales, through which they pass in their upper course - as strath tay and strathmore, forming the valley of the tay ; strathearn, extending almost across the centre of the county from w. to e., and forming the channel of the earn ; strathallan, or the vale of the allan, in the southern part of the county, separating the ochills from the western highlands ; strath - airdle, in the north - eastern part of the county, forming the basin of the airdle, and a branch of the isla, which rises at the foot of cairn gower, in the ben - y - glue mountains. some of the smaller valleys, or glens, are these of the beg, shee or ericht, feral, bruar, tilt, and erockhie, in the n., and of the lyon, lochy, dochart, falloch, and artney, in


are these of the beg, shee or ericht, feral, bruar, tilt, and erockhie, in the n., and of the lyon, lochy, dochart, falloch, and artney, in the w. these valleys bear but a small proportion to the aggregate area of the county, contrasting strikingly by their warmth and luxuriance with the barren summits which environ them. about two - thirds of the whole county, from loch ericht, or the moor of rannoch, on the aberdeen and inverness border, south - eastward, is comprehended in the grampian or highland region. this district is formed of ridges of rocks rising in alpine grandeur one above another, with their bare and weatherworn summits almost hidden in the clouds. among the loftiest peaks are ben - lawers near loch tay, rising 3, 945, or, according to others, 4, 015 feet above the sea - level ; ben more, 3, 819 ; beny - gloe, near glen tilt, 3, 690 ; schihallian, or schichalleon, 3, 564 ; ben uammore, 3, 589 ; ben scarsoch, 3, 390 ; ben ledi, between lochs katrine and lubnaig, 2, 863 or 3, 009 ; ben venue, 3, 000 ; also glas mhiel, bruochcarravan, ben chualach, ben chonzie, and duntchmore. the passes and other spots on the verge of the highlands command fine views. the ochill hills traverse the south - eastern part of the county, separating the basins of the forth and tay, and attain an altitude of 2, 359 feet at ben clench. the sidlaw hills traverse the eastern part adjoining forfarshire and section of the rich district of the carse of gowrie from the broad plain of strathmore, attaining an altitude of 1, 500 feet at birnham hill. the detached hill of dunsinane, celebrated in scottish story as the site of the castle of macbeth, is a spur of this range, and has an altitude of 1, 114 feet. a line through the passes of aberfoyle, leny, comrie, and killiecrankie divides the lowlands from the highlands. the carse of gowrie, between the sidlaws and the frith of tay, differs from every other part


passes of aberfoyle, leny, comrie, and killiecrankie divides the lowlands from the highlands. the carse of gowrie, between the sidlaws and the frith of tay, differs from every other part of the county, excepting a portion of strathearn and the district of monteith, in being nearly a dead level, highly fructiferous, and everywhere abounding with orchards and wheat - fields. old red sandstone is the prevailing rock in the lowlands, and mica slate in the highlands, skirted by clay, chlorite, and horneblende slates, which pass insensibly into mica slate, with occasional beds of quartz, sandstone, and greywacke, and some patches of granite, as at rannoch moor, which is 1, 000 feet above sea - level ; and at glentilt a highly elevated range of breccia, or puddingstone, may be traced in various places, separating the primitive district from the secondary district in the s. e. of the county. a bed of limestone extends from leny, near callander, in a north - easterly direction towards braemar, and coal measures underlie a large part of the culross district, and extend from near crieff in the direction of dumbarton, coming up to the south - eastern skirts of the ochills, on the fife border. the ochill hills and the sidlaws in the s. e. consist of a mixture of sedimentary and erupted rocks, the former chiefly porphyry and amygdaloid, and the sidlaws principally sandstone and greenstone. the hill of kunioul, near perth, is amygdaloid interspersed with nodules of agate and cornelian. the principal minerals worked are roofing slates, of various colours, at birnam and in other parts of the island, coal and fine clay at fossaway and tulliallan, ironstone at culross, and in the coal regions w. of the ochills, blue marble at leny and glentilt, sandstone at longforgan, auchtergaven, and errol, and very good building - stone at kin goodie, in the carse of gowrie, and at longannat on the forth. limestone is burnt both for cement and manure, but both it and coal are scarce in parts of the county from the difficulty of carriage.


kin goodie, in the carse of gowrie, and at longannat on the forth. limestone is burnt both for cement and manure, but both it and coal are scarce in parts of the county from the difficulty of carriage. copper ore occurs among the southern ochills, and lead in breadalbane, chiefly at tyndrum, benledi, and glenlyon, also nodules of sulphate of barytes in the bed of the river shaggy, in strathern. peat fuel is cut in the bogs and mosses. the soils are extremely various, but maybe described as till, sand, and gravel, with rich clay in the carse of gowrie, loam in the highland valleys, and in the upland extensive tracts of moor, bog, and moss, though these last are gradually diminishing. only about one - third of the whole surface is under cultivation, the remainder being mountain, sheep pasture, moss, or irreclaimable waste. some remains of the old forests are left in breadalbane and monteith, but the greater part of the present woods have been planted since the middle of the last century. the late duke of athole alone planted 27, 000, 000 trees, chiefly larch and spruce fir, with some oak, ash, elm, and birch. the most valuable tracts are the carse of gowrie, which rivals in fertility the richest land in scotland - the lower part of strathearn, the valley of the tay above perth, the district of monteith, and the vale of the forth. all these tracts yield abundant crops of wheat, beans, turnips, and potatoes, of which last great quantities are yearly sent to london by railway. the carse of gowrie is also very rich in orchards, but in the midland districts fruit is but rarely cultivated, and oats and barley are the principal grain crops. there is little cultivated land in the highland districts. mosses of various extent, depth, and firmness, according to the time they have been in formation, are scattered over the plains or flats, and not unfrequently cover the slopes of the higher hills. many of these, formerly valueless tracts, including the famous flanders moss in the vale of the forth, have recently been the scene of grand georgical experiments, which have rendered the localities of blair drummond and kincardine famous in the history of agriculture. all the appliances of draining, special manuring, and improved


moss in the vale of the forth, have recently been the scene of grand georgical experiments, which have rendered the localities of blair drummond and kincardine famous in the history of agriculture. all the appliances of draining, special manuring, and improved rotation of crops, have been adopted with great success by the enterprising farmers and landowners of this part of scotland. the estates are in general entailed, and many large, but there are also numerous smaller proprietors, the total number on the new valuation rolls of 1856 being 5, 064, of whom 525 were returned as qualified to be commissioners of supply. the valued rental of the county according to the old scotch valuation in 1674 was £339, 192, and the real rental under the new valuation act in 1856 was £680, 611. arable farms range from 50 to 500 acres, and in the lowlands, where great advances have recently been made in agriculture, are universally held on lease, commonly for 15 or 19 years, but some of the small highland occupiers are yearly tenants. the miserable farmhouses of a former period, without light or ventilation, have within the present century been almost universally superseded by substantial, slate - roofed houses of two stories, surrounded by improved farm buildings ; but this is not the case in the highlands, where mean hovels are frequently to be met with. many farms on the mutual confines of the lowland and the uplands comprise small tracts of arable ground in connection with large tracts of hill pasture or moorland ; but the highland farms are mostly sheep farms for tweeddale and cheviot breeds with some southdowns and leicesters, recently introduced. there is no breed of cattle peculiar to the county, the west highland breed being that most commonly fed on the highland pastures, but ayrshire cows for the dairy have been successfully introduced into the lowlands. the native animals include the red deer, roe and fallow deer, fox, wild cat, badger, weasel, black cock, ptarmigan, partridge, blue hare, and the eagle. although perthshire is generally considered a pastoral and agricultural county, more persons are returned as engaged in trade, commerce, and manufacture than in agriculture. the linen trade has long been established, and cotton - spinning and paper - making were introduced towards the close of the last century, the principal cotton - mills being at deanston on the teith, stanley on the tay, and cromwell park on the almond ; but most of the papermills have been abandoned. there are


making were introduced towards the close of the last century, the principal cotton - mills being at deanston on the teith, stanley on the tay, and cromwell park on the almond ; but most of the papermills have been abandoned. there are also flax spinning - mills, fulling mills, linseed oil - mills, several small woollen manufactories for shawls, blankets, and other woollen fabrics ; extensive bleach - fields round perth, and in strathmore, besides a considerable number of weavers, employed by the glasgow manufacturers, chiefly resident at auchterarder, crieff, and dunblane ; also leather - dressers, miners, and colliers, besides other trades, chiefly confined to the town of perth ( which see ). the principal commerce is carried on at perth and kincardine. the population is very unequally distributed, the highland parishes, comprising two - thirds of its area, being very thinly peopled, while the lowland parishes in the s. e. are comparatively densely populated. the population decreased in the decennial period between 1831 and 1841, from 142, 166 to 137, 457, owing chiefly to emigration, the incorporation of farms, and formation of deer forests, and has subsequently never recovered itself, having further declined from 138, 660 in 1851, to 133, 511 in 1861. the inhabited houses, also, in the last decennial period have declined from 22, 528 to 22, 056. perthshire returns two members to parliament, one for the county, and one for the parliamentary borough of perth ; while culross contributes to. stirling and tulliallan, and with four adjacent parishes have votes for kinross. it is governed by a lord - lieutenant, vice - lieutenant, sheriff, and two substitutes, who reside respectively at perth and dunblane, and by about sixty deputy - lieutenants. for special purposes it is divided into ten departmental districts, as mentioned above, and is further divided into sixty - nine entire quoad sacra civilia parishes, with parts of eleven others ; but these do not correspond with the present ecclesiastical parishes, which are continually being altered, both as to number and extent. the greater part of seven presbyteries in the synods of perth, angus, and fife, are comprised within this county. perth and culross are royal and parliamentary burghs, the former being also the county and sessions town. auchterarder, abernethy


##hart and tay valleys ; all which converge at perth. besides these, there are three roads leading from stirling, through monteith, into the western highlands. the road - trusts are divided into the eleven districts of aberfeldy, auchterarder, blairgowrie, carse of gowrie, cupar - angus, creiff, culross, dunblane, dunkeld, perth, and weem. five main lines of railway - the scottish central ; edinburgh, perth, and dundee ; scottish midland junction, or north - eastern ; the inverness and perth junction ; and the dundee and perth ; all centre at perth. the scottish central railway traverses the southern part of the county for about 28 miles, and has branches to crieff and callander. the scottish midland junction railway passes through a portion of the south - eastern corner of the county, and has branch lines to blairgowrie and to dunkeld, at which latter place it joins the inverness and perth junction ; and another branch up the almond to methven. the eastern fork of the edinburgh, perth, and dundee, and the dundee and perth lines, also traverse part of the eastern district. " do not copy any part of this page or website other than for personal use, or as given in our conditions of use [ description ( s ) from the national gazetteer of great britain and ireland ( 1868 ) transcribed by colin hinson ©2003 ]


1799 clement cruttwell map of france in provinces description : a fine 1799 map of france divided into provinces by the english map publisher clement cruttwell. france was organized into provinces until march 4, 1790, when the establishment of the department system superseded provinces. the change was an attempt to eradicate local loyalties based on feudal ownership of land and focus all loyalty on the central government in paris. there were roughly 40 provinces in france before they were abolished. maps displays all provinces, including the province of ile - de - france, the center of power during most of french history. many atlas produced during this period thus included two maps of france, one in provinces, and one in departments. includes parts adjacent austrian netherlands, switzerland, germany, italy, and spain. includes rivers, political boundaries, important cities, ports and gulfs. mountains and other topographical features shown by profile. outline color and fine copper plate engraving in the minimalist english style prevalent in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. drawn by clement cruttwell and published in the 1799 atlas to cruttwell ' s gazetteer. date : 1799 ( dated ) source : cruttwell, c., atlas to cruttwell ' s gazetteer, 1799. cartographer : clement cruttwell ( 1743 - 1808 ) was an english book and map publisher active in bath and london in the late 18th and early 19th century. cruttwell was born the son of william cruttwell, a gentleman of wokingham, berkshire, england. as a young man cruttwell was educated to be an anglican reverend and consequently maintained a lifelong interest in religious matters. throughout his life, he published a number of religious works and geographical gazetteers including several focused on the british isles and one dedicated to france. though little is known of cruttwell today, he was highly regarded in his own time. in his obituary, a period publication, the universal magazine of knowledge and pleasure describes cruttwell as a gentleman whose various literary performances, for labour, extent, and utility, have rarely been equaled, and, when regarded as the productions of an unassisted valetudinarian, have perhaps never been surpassed. cruttwell was also a known correspondent of george washington to whom he sent his own translation of the holy bible, which washington kept in his personal library until his death. click here for a list of rare maps by clement cruttwell. size : printed area measures 14 in height x


posts tagged ‘ stoping hydroplaning ’ the viscous hydroplaning due to the characteristics of the water slimy. a thin film of liquid over a thousandth of an inch in depth is all that is necessary. the tire can not penetrate the liquid and the tire rolls over the movie. this can occur at a rate much lower than the hydroplane dynamic, but requires a temporary flat or smooth surface such as asphalt or a touchdown area covered with rubber accumulated past landings. such a surface can have the same coefficient of friction than wet ice. when confronted with the possibility of hydroplaning, the best land in a grooved channel ( if available ). the touchdown speed must be as slow as possible consistent with safety. after the wheel bow down the runway, braking should be applied moderately. if the deceleration is not detected and hydrofoils is suspected, the nose should be lifted and used aerodynamic drag to decelerate to a point where the brakes become effective. inverted rubber ( steam ) that hydroplaning occurs during heavy braking which results in a prolonged skid locked - wheel. only a thin film of water in the channel is required to facilitate this type of hydroplaning. the tire skid generates enough heat to make the rubber in contact with the channel fresh investment to its original. inverted rubber acts as seal between the tire and the runway, and retards the flow of water in the area of the footprint of the tire. the water heats up and turns to steam which supports the tire of the channel. the inverted rubber hydroplaning often follows an encounter with dynamic hydroplaning, while the driver can lock the brakes in an attempt to slow the plane. the plane eventually slows enough to where the tires make contact with the surface of the runway and the plane starts to skid. the remedy for this type of seaplane pilot is to throw the brakes and let the wheels do spin up and apply moderate braking. inverted rubber hydroplaning is insidious in that the pilot may not know when it starts, and may persist groundspeeds very slow ( 20 knots or less ). dynamic hydroplaning is a relatively high speed that occurs when a film of water on the runway that is at least one tenth inch deep. as the aircraft speed and depth of water increased, the layer of water builds up an increasing resistance to dislocation, resulting in the formation of a wedge of water under the tire. at a certain speed, called the hydroplaning


deep. as the aircraft speed and depth of water increased, the layer of water builds up an increasing resistance to dislocation, resulting in the formation of a wedge of water under the tire. at a certain speed, called the hydroplaning speed ( vp ), the upward force generated by water pressure equals the weight of the aircraft and the tire is removed from the surface of the channel. in this condition, the tires no longer contribute to the directional control and braking action is nothing. dynamic hydroplaning is related to the inflation pressure of the tire. the data obtained during hydroplaning tests have shown the minimum dynamic hydroplaning speed ( vp ) of a tire to be 8. 6 times the square root of the tire pressure in pounds per square inch ( psi ). for an airplane with a head pressure of 24 psi tire, the calculated hydroplaning speed would be about 42 knots. it is important to note that the rate referenced above is calculated for the beginning of dynamic hydroplaning. once hydroplaning has begun, may persist to a significantly reduced rate depending on which is experienced. to recover while traveling in a straight line, the driver should not turn the steering wheel of a car or applying the brakes. any action could put the car into a skid from which recovery would be difficult or impossible to. instead, no change in steering input, the driver should gently ease the throttle pressure. the control should then return. if braking is unavoidable, the driver should lightly pump the brakes until hydroplaning has stopped. if the rear wheels and cause hydroplaning oversteer, the driver should steer in the direction of the skid until you gain traction following links, and then goes rapidly in the other direction to straighten the car. prevention by the driver the best strategy is to avoid as many contributors to hydroplaning as is possible. proper tire pressure, narrow tires and not spent, and slow speeds of those deemed suitable will moderate dry mitigate the risk of hydroplaning. avoidance of standing water is another effective strategy of prevention.


sleep and your body clock what is the body clock? body ' s " biological clock, " or 24 - hour cycle ( circadian rhythm ), can be affected by light or darkness, which can make the body think it is time to sleep or wake up. the 24 - hour body clock controls functions - sleeping and waking. - the balance of body fluids. - other body functions, such as when you feel hungry. how are body clock problems and sleep problems connected? body clock sleep problems have been linked to a hormone called melatonin. light and dark affect how the body makes melatonin. most melatonin is made at night. during the day, light tells your body to make less melatonin. if you work at night in artificial light, your body may be making less melatonin than it needs. as those who can ' t sleep until very late and those who go to bed very early — have circadian ( say " ser - kay - dee - un " ) rhythms that are different from those of most people. other people with sleep problems may have regular circadian rhythms but have to adjust them to new situations, such as working a what sleep problems are related to problems with your body clock? things that may affect melatonin production and can cause sleep problems include : - jet lag. crossing time zones disrupts your body clock. you have sleep problems because your body clock has not adjusted to the new time zone. your body thinks that you ' re still in your old time zone. for example, if you fly from chicago to rome, you cross seven time zones. this means that rome is 7 hours ahead of chicago. when you land in rome at 6 : 00 in the morning, your body thinks it ' s still in chicago at 11 : 00 the previous night. your body wants to sleep, but in rome the day is just - changing your sleep schedule. when you work at night and sleep during the day, your body ' s internal clock needs to reset to let you sleep during the day. sometimes that ' s hard to do. people who work the night shift or rotate shifts may have trouble sleeping during the day and may feel tired at night when they need to be alert for - your sleep environment. too much light or noise can make your body feel like it is not time to sleep. - illness. certain illnesses and health problems can affect sleep patterns. these include dementia, a head injury, recovering from a coma, and severe depression. some medicines that affect the central nervous system may


your body feel like it is not time to sleep. - illness. certain illnesses and health problems can affect sleep patterns. these include dementia, a head injury, recovering from a coma, and severe depression. some medicines that affect the central nervous system may also affect sleep patterns. - aftereffects of drugs and alcohol. some drugs cause sleep problems. and you may fall asleep with no problems after drinking alcohol late in the evening, but drinking alcohol before bed can wake you up later in the night. other sleep problems related to the body clock - having a hard time falling asleep until very late at night or very early in the morning and then feeling tired and needing to sleep during the day. people who have this problem may be called " night owls. " this is a common problem, and it usually starts in the early teen or young adult years. people who have a parent with this problem are more likely to have it themselves. - falling asleep early — at 8 p. m. or earlier — and waking up early — between 3 a. m. and 5 a. m. if you wake up early, you may be called an " early bird. " this problem is not as common as staying up late and waking up late. experts are not sure what causes it. how can you treat sleep problems related to your body clock? how you treat a sleep problem related to your body clock depends on what is causing the problem. here are some tips for the most common problems. taking melatonin supplements may help reset your body clock. studies show that melatonin has reduced the symptoms of jet lag for people flying both east and west. 1 suggestions about times and dosages vary among researchers who have studied melatonin. doctors recommend that you : - take melatonin after dark on the day you travel and after dark for a few days after you arrive at your destination. - take melatonin in the evening for a few days before you fly if you will be flying east. the safety and effectiveness of melatonin have not been thoroughly tested. taking large doses of it may disrupt your sleep and make you very tired during the day. if you have epilepsy or are taking blood thinners such as coumadin ( warfarin ), talk to your doctor before you use melatonin. the sleeping pills eszopiclone ( lunesta ) and zolpidem ( ambien ) have been studied for jet lag. they may help you sleep despite jet lag if you take them before


you use melatonin. the sleeping pills eszopiclone ( lunesta ) and zolpidem ( ambien ) have been studied for jet lag. they may help you sleep despite jet lag if you take them before bedtime after you arrive at your destination. side effects include headaches, dizziness, confusion, and feeling sick to your stomach. for more information on jet lag, see : - sleep problems : dealing with jet lag. if you work the night shift or rotate shifts, you can help yourself get good sleep by keeping your bedroom dark and quiet and by taking good care of yourself overall. in some cases, prescription medicine or over - the - counter supplements may help. here are some tips on sleeping well when you do this type of shift - make sure that the room where you sleep is dark. use blackout drapes, or wear a sleep eye mask. - wear earplugs to block sounds. - don ' t have alcohol or caffeine in the hours leading up to bedtime. - take a nap during a work break if you can. - ask your doctor if you should try a dietary supplement or medicine. doctors usually advise people to use a supplement or medicine only for a short time. for more information, see the topic shift work sleep disorder. some people, no matter what they do, have trouble falling asleep at night and being up early during the day. this may or may not cause problems for them. it depends on their lifestyle and work or school schedule. if you are one of those night owls, there are things you can try so that you fall asleep earlier and sleep through the - getting up at the same time every day no matter what time you go to sleep. on the weekends ( or on days when you don ' t have to get up ), don ' t let yourself sleep more than 1 hour longer than you do when you have to get up for work or school. if that doesn ' t work, you can try the treatments listed below. - light therapy. in this case, light therapy means exposing yourself to bright light as soon as you wake up. you can use sunlight or a bright ( 10, 000 lux ) light box for 30 to 45 minutes each day. - melatonin. ask your doctor about taking melatonin supplements in the evening to help you get to - chronotherapy. for night owls, this method involves creating a 27 - hour day. during each sleep - wake cycle, you go to sleep


. ask your doctor about taking melatonin supplements in the evening to help you get to - chronotherapy. for night owls, this method involves creating a 27 - hour day. during each sleep - wake cycle, you go to sleep 3 hours later until the time to go to sleep has cycled back around to the time you actually want to go to sleep. after you complete the cycle once, then you would keep going to bed at that desired time. this method can be hard to do because of the way it can disrupt your daily schedule and because you have to keep to a rigid schedule. here is a sample schedule : - day 1 : if you normally go to bed at midnight, you would wait until 3 a. m. to go to sleep. - day 2 and beyond : go to sleep at 6 a. m., and then keep delaying sleep 3 hours each day until you are going to bed at the time you desire. this will probably take 5 to fall asleep very early and wake up before dawn may try the following to try to stay up later at night and sleep later in the morning. - light therapy. in this case, light therapy means exposing yourself to bright light in the evening. use a bright ( 10, 000 lux ) light box for 30 to 45 minutes each - antidepressant medicine. a doctor may prescribe antidepressants along with having you try to stay up 15 minutes later every few days. this treatment is usually for people who are depressed in addition to having sleep problems. - chronotherapy. for early birds, this method involves creating a 21 - hour day. during each sleep - wake cycle, you go to bed 3 hours earlier until the time to go to sleep has cycled back around to the time you actually want to go to sleep. this method can be hard to do because of the way it can disrupt your daily schedule and because you have to keep to a rigid schedule. here is a sample schedule : - day 1 : if you normally go to bed at 8 p. m., you would go to bed at 5 p. m. - day 2 and beyond : go to bed at 2 p. m., and then keep going to sleep 3 hours earlier each day until you are going to bed at the time you desire. this will probably take about a week. then you would keep going to bed at that desired time. after you get treatment for the illness or health problem that is causing your sleep problem, you will need to practice


to bed at the time you desire. this will probably take about a week. then you would keep going to bed at that desired time. after you get treatment for the illness or health problem that is causing your sleep problem, you will need to practice good sleep habits. this includes getting regular exercise ( but not within 3 or 4 hours of your bedtime ), going to bed at the same time each day, and using the bed only for sleep and sex. for more tips on improving sleep habits, see : - insomnia : improving your sleep. health tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health. | | | actionsets are designed to help people take an active role in managing a health condition. | | | | insomnia : improving your sleep | | | | sleep problems : dealing with jet lag | herxheimer a ( 2008 ). jet lag, search date june 2008. online version of bmj clinical evidence : http : / / www. clinicalevidence. com. other works consulted reite m, et al. ( 2002 ). insomnia complaints. in concise guide to evaluation and management of sleep disorders., 3rd ed., chap. 3. washington, dc : american psychiatric | by : | | healthwise staff | | last revised : december 1, 2011 | | medical review : | | anne c. poinier, md - internal medicine | lisa s. weinstock, md - psychiatry © 1995 - 2013 healthwise, incorporated. healthwise, healthwise for every health decision, and the healthwise logo are trademarks of healthwise, incorporated.


a polish study, published in the european journal of personality, suggests that we take into account a person ’ s smell when forming a first impression. “ we express ourselves with how we smell ”, author agnieszka sorokowska of the university of wroclaw says. during the study, 30 men and women were asked to wear white cotton t - shirts for three consecutive nights. they were also asked not to use fragrances, deodorants or soaps, and not to smoke or drink. shirts from the “ odour donors ” were rated by 100 men and women, evaluating five personality traits. the judges ’ ratings matched up with the self - assessment of the donors for three personality traits : extroversion, neuroticism and dominance. yes, it ’ s true. the iconic eiffel tower could be transformed into the world ’ s largest tree! ginger, an engineering group specialising in ‘ green ’ architecture has been working on a us $ 96 million project for the last two years, planning to cover the 327 metre tall tower with 600, 000 plants, as reported in the french newspaper le figaro. architects and engineers have already built a prototype several metres tall to assess the effect of the additional 378 tonnes weight on the structure. the results of the tests are expected to be known soon. seedlings would then be cultivated until june next year, which would be placed on the structure until january 2013. the plants would then continue to grow till january 2014 and be left there until their removal in july 2016. we can now look forward to a fresh green eiffel tower. mammoths became extinct 10, 000 years ago, but a recent discovery of the well - preserved marrow inside the thigh bone of a woolly mammoth in siberia has raised hopes that the species could be cloned. scientists claim that the extinct woolly mammoth could be brought back to life in five years. the scientists work with russia ’ s sakha republic ’ s mammoth museum and japan ’ s kinki university. by replacing the nuclei of egg cells from an elephant with those taken from the mammoth ’ s marrow cells, embryos with mammoth dna can be produced, according to the researchers. a team at the university of nottingham recently sent caenorhabditis elegans, a tiny worm, to the international space station. why? to understand how astronauts would be affected by extended journeys, such as a two - year trip to mars, the daily mail reports. caenorhabditis elegans was deployed for


when your name is comette you may get used to jokes about rockets and space and planets. but french schoolboy hugo comette, 11, had the last laugh when of all the places, in all the countries on earth, a piece of rock from outer space landed on his home. an egg - sized meteorite believed to be 4. 57bn years old smashed through the roof of the comette family home on the outskirts of paris some time over the summer when everyone was away on holiday. and there the rock, blackened by its journey through earth ' s atmosphere stayed, buried in the roof insulation, until hugo ' s mother, civil servant martine comette, 32, noticed the roof was leaking and called out someone to fix it. the roofer took one look at the broken tile and told the comettes that whatever had smashed their roof tile must have come from the sky. " it would have had to be superman to break a tile in this way, " he said. it was only then that the meteorite, weighing 88g ( 3. 5oz ), was discovered. curious to know exactly what it was, mrs comette called out scientist alain carion, a mineral expert, who declared it an " exceptional " discovery. " it ' s extremely rare. we have had only 50 or so meteorite falls in france over four centuries, " carion told journalists. " we have never found anything like it within an 80km radius of paris before. " he said the comettes ' meteorite was a piece of chondrite that had come from the belt of asteroids between mars and jupiter. most meteorites recovered on earth are chondrites. they were formed when dust and small grains present in the early solar system created primitive asteroids. chondrite meteors include dust believed to predate the formation of our solar system and to have come from elsewhere in the galaxy. although they have been told some meteorites sell for up to €1, 000 ( £860 ) a gramme, the comettes say selling theirs is out of the question. " a piece of the history of space of which we know nothing, but which is fascinating, has fallen on us, " mrs comette, an accountant at the french ministry of finance, told le parisien newspaper. " it ' s like a fairytale, and less likely than winning the lottery, we ' re told. " not that the lump of rare chondrite hugo comette has been proudly showing off at school has convinced everyone. " i


trail, b. c. - on a beach in northeast washington state near the canadian border, patti bailey grabs a handful of what looks like sand and rolls the dark grains through her hands. it ’ s slag, the grainy waste from the teck resources lead and zinc smelter in trail, b. c., about 10 kilometres north of the nearby canadian border. “ they ’ re little time bombs and they ’ re releasing zinc, copper, arsenic and other metals into the environment, ” said bailey, an environmental planner for the confederated tribes of the colville reservation. a washington state judge has ruled that teck is liable for the costs of cleaning up contamination in the columbia river south of the border from decades of dumping slag and effluent from the company ’ s trail operations. in a decision announced late last week, judge lonny suko ruled that, “ for decades teck ’ s leadership knew its slag and effluent flowed from trail downstream and are now found in lake roosevelt, but nonetheless teck continued discharging wastes into the columbia river. ” suko noted that the company admitted treating the international waterway as a free waste disposal service. specifically, the judge in yakima, wash., found that from 1930 to 1995, teck intentionally discharged at least 9. 97 million tons of slag that included heavy metals such as lead, mercury, zinc and arsenic. the judge also found that teck knew the hazardous waste disposed of in the columbia river was likely to cause harm. the decision gives the u. s. environmental protection agency the ability to force teck to pay for the cleanup, and potentially for any ongoing damages and losses that result from the ongoing contamination. that issue has yet to be determined by the court. some believe the landmark case could have implications for mining and other industrial interests on both sides of the border. the canadian government, the province of british columbia and the u. s. national mining association have all intervened in the case to argue that the issue should be resolved bilaterally. as they awaited the judge ’ s decision, washington state officials were optimistic. “ we ’ re hopeful after... how many years has it been? ” joked kristie elliott, lawyer for the washington state attorney general. “ after this much significant litigation we ’ re now finally to the substance of the case. ” eight years after the case was launched and on the eve of a trial this fall, teck admitted to discharging slag and liquid e


general. “ after this much significant litigation we ’ re now finally to the substance of the case. ” eight years after the case was launched and on the eve of a trial this fall, teck admitted to discharging slag and liquid effluent into the river from 1896 to 1995. but it argued the u. s. law that forces companies to clean up contamination sites, known as the superfund law, was never intended to reach across the international border. but elliot said complaints about the contamination from the trail smelter surfaced as early as the 1940s, when farmers from washington state sued cominco, teck ’ s predecessor, over air pollution from the smelter. that case was eventually resolved in arbitration by the two federal governments, and set a precedent for cross - boundary pollution law. “ still, they continued to discharge, and they knew it was accumulating in lake roosevelt and that studies being done by various government agencies were finding mercury contamination down there, ” elliott said. the 209 - kilometre long lake was created in 1941 after the grand coulee dam was built on the columbia river. the company took out insurance to cover liability, but didn ’ t stop discharging effluent for decades, she said. within the fences of the largest smelting operation in north america, about a billion and a half dollars has been spent modernizing teck ’ s trail operations over the past 25 years. a new furnace installed in 1996 cut emissions dramatically. last month, teck completed a $ 5. 8 - million project to reduce the risk of a spill into the river. the company is now installing a $ 1. 2 - million automated leak detection system, and a $ 125 - million acid plant that will reduce sulphur dioxide emissions a further 15 to 20 per cent. recycled lead makes up about 20 per cent of total production and anything that can be used or recycled is, right down to granules of slag sold for processing into portland cement. “ the employees who work here at trail operations live in this local area, and participate and take part in everything it has to offer, ” said richard deane, manager of environment, health and safety at the smelter. “ it ’ s a great area from an outdoor quality of life perspective. everyone here enjoys the benefits of the river — swimming, kayaking, fishing, all these types of things. ” the company has also spent tens of millions of dollars on environmental rehabilitation, from digging up contaminated gardens and bringing in


quality of life perspective. everyone here enjoys the benefits of the river — swimming, kayaking, fishing, all these types of things. ” the company has also spent tens of millions of dollars on environmental rehabilitation, from digging up contaminated gardens and bringing in replacement soil, to replanting dead trees. lead emissions have decreased from about 100 tonnes a year in the early 1990s to about half a tonne last year. teck is now taking aim at “ fugitive dust ” emissions, covering raw materials stored outdoors, and is building an indoor facility for all mixing processes that stir up dust. that has not been the case south of the border, say the colville tribes. years of discussions went nowhere, so they petitioned the u. s. environmental protection agency in 1999 to assess the river contamination under the u. s. superfund law. the agency found the river was indeed contaminated, and it found teck was responsible. that ’ s when the legal battle began. frustrated by the lack of action, two band members launched civil action eight years ago. the legal wrangling has gone all the way to that country ’ s highest court — the u. s. supreme court refused to hear teck ’ s appeal. the smoke - billowing smelter on the banks of the columbia river towers over trail like a fortified castle of old. the town has literally grown around this industrial giant, which first fired up its stacks in 1896. “ teck is trail and trail is teck, ” said mayor dieter bogs, a former teck engineer - turned - politician. “ i don ’ t know what trail would be like without teck, because the city and the company are really one and the same. ” bogs admitted there are concerns about a recent study that found elevated levels of bowel disease in the washington state community of northport, just across the border. in trail, it was blood lead levels in children that sparked alarm in the 1970s. that has greatly improved, bogs said. in children under three, levels are considered safe but remain persistently higher than the community ’ s health committee would like. the trail health and environment committee released results last month of the most recent annual testing, which found an average level of 5. 4 micrograms of lead per decilitre — higher than last year ’ s average of 5 micrograms. eighty - four per cent of children tested below 10 micrograms, the level health canada considers a concern. the committee is working on a plan to minimize exposure. “


powerhouses in the body : the muscles acar has one single engine. airplanes often fly with two or four. how many “ engines ” enable you to hold this book in your hand, or to take a single step? whatever you may be doing, countless microscopic engines produce the power necessary for you to perform that action. the engines in question are your muscle fibers. there are more than 6 billion of these tiny engines in your body, which allow you to drink, drive, walk, speak, allow your heart to beat, your eyelids to blink, and let you eat and turn your head. even as you read these lines, the movement of your eyes takes place thanks to the energy produced by these tiny motors. the size of the muscle cells depends on where they are used. some may be no more than 1 / 100, 000th of a centimeter in size, whereas others can be 3 centimeters ( 1. 18 inches ) long. 73 these tiny muscle fibers come together to constitute larger powerhouses — the muscles themselves. for example, the muscle that permits you to contract your forearm consists of the combination of millions of tiny motors. there are more than 400 of these powerhouses, large and small, in your body. some — those that regulate the amount of light entering the eye, for example — are very small. of whatever size, however, all are powered the same way : billions of tiny engines work together to allow the muscles to act. when you pick up a pen, for example, more than 100 individual muscles go into action. 74 the working systems of all the muscles in your body have been set out within very sensitive bounds. in addition, your muscles need to cooperate in order for you to be able to move. one of the muscles ’ most important features is their being linked to a control system that permits us to survive. every muscle in the body consists of large numbers of muscle cells. we are able to survive thanks to these cells ’ harmonious actions. the control system in the muscles human muscles are divided into two kinds : those voluntary muscles that you can control and those involuntary ones that you cannot. in order to be able to move our voluntary muscles, you need to think and make a decision. for example, when you want to bend your arm, the muscles contract in the light of the command from your brain, and movement then takes place. control of the involuntary muscles, however, does not depend on your wills. since these involuntary muscles ’ functions are of vital importance, their expansion and contraction is controlled by the


in the light of the command from your brain, and movement then takes place. control of the involuntary muscles, however, does not depend on your wills. since these involuntary muscles ’ functions are of vital importance, their expansion and contraction is controlled by the autonomous nervous system. thanks to this, your heart, stomach and intestines perform their vital functions, all beyond your volition. this is a most essential precaution to preserve human life. what would happen if the control of the muscles in question were at this very moment left up to you? imagine that the control of just one involuntary muscle —, your heart muscle, for instance — was left up to you. you would have to devote all your time to contracting and expanding your heart, to the total exclusion of everything else. as soon as you fall asleep death will inevitably follow, since you will be unable to supervise your heart ’ s functioning. your heart muscle must never stop working, not even for a moment, not even when you sleep : the heart continues working, though it does slow down. you therefore need to adjust your heartbeat according to prevailing circumstances. this one example is enough to see how truly wise and flawless are the boundaries set out with regard to the muscles. certain muscles are under the individual ’ s control at some times, and outside it at others. for example, you can open and close your eyelids at will as well as by blinking — a reflex beyond your control. the diaphragm muscle that allows you to breathe is another that can be consciously controlled, but it works automatically during the course of your day - to - day life. many other muscles have their own particular ways of working. many people are quite unaware of when they should be working and when not, but thanks to the perfect control system created inside the body, there is no reason ever to think about such things. in the face of this considerable facility, a person ’ s only responsibility is to give thanks to the lord, the infinitely merciful and compassionate, and to behave ways that will be pleasing to him. who could do greater wrong than someone who is reminded of the signs of his lord and then turns away from them, forgetting all that he has done before? we have placed covers on their hearts, preventing them from understanding it, and heaviness in their ears. though you call them to guidance, they will nonetheless never be guided. ( surat al - kahf : 57 ) muscle fibers work with a 25 % efficiency level — more or less the same as that of modern