public accountability : the perceived usefulness of school annual reports tooley, stuart & hooks, jillian ( 2010 ) public accountability : the perceived usefulness of school annual reports. australasian accounting business & finance journal, 4 ( 2 ), pp. 39 - 59. annual reports are an important component of new zealand schools ’ public accountability. through the annual report the governance body informs stakeholders about school aims, objectives, achievements, use of resources, and financial performance. this paper identifies the perceived usefulness of the school annual report to recipients and the extent to which it serves as an instrument of accountability and / or decision - usefulness. the study finds that the annual report is used for a variety of purposes, including : to determine if the school has conducted its activities effectively and achieved stated objectives and goals ; to examine student achievements ; to assess financial accountability and performance ; and to make decisions about the school as a suitable environment for their child / children. nevertheless, the study also finds that other forms of communication are more important sources of information about the school than the annual report which is seen to fall short of users ’ required qualities of understandability, reliability and readability. it would appear imperative that policy makers review the functional role of the school annual report which is a costly document to prepare. further, school managers need to engage in alternative means to communicate sufficient and meaningful information in the discharge of public accountability. citation countsare sourced monthly fromand citation databases. these databases contain citations from different subsets of available publications and different time periods and thus the citation count from each is usually different. some works are not in either database and no count is displayed. scopus includes citations from articles published in 1996 onwards, and web of science generally from 1980 onwards. citations counts from theindexing service can be viewed at the linked google scholar™ search. full - text downloadsdisplays the total number of times this work ’ s files ( e. g., a pdf ) have been downloaded from qut eprints as well as the number of downloads in the previous 365 days. the count includes downloads for all files if a work has more than one. | item type : | | journal article | | keywords : | | school annual reporting, public accountability, new zealand | | subjects : | | australian and new zealand standard research classification > commerce management tourism and services ( 150000 ) > accounting auditing and accountability ( 150100 ) > auditing and accountability ( 150102 ) | | divisions : | | current > qut faculties and divisions


fatmawati, fidya ( 2010 ) stuttering ( studi tentang latar belakang terjadinya stuttering dan stresor - stresor pemicu munculnya simptom stuttering ). other thesis, university of muhammadiyah malang. download ( 4kb ) | preview stuttering is a speech disorder, in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases, and involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which stutterer is unable to produce sounds. many stutter don t know, causes of stuttering and many stressor as symptom of this. this situation make problem for them in daily activities. this researchers purpose to study of the history and stressors are symptoms of stress stuttering. this research is using qualitative with case study approach, sample amount two people who have been diagnosed according to stuttering criteria of dsm iv. from result of research which have been done, indicated that stuttering happened because of anxiety on family factors, where an over - protective parents. they don t give credence to its people and the lack of communication within the family. in addition, stuttering occurs when they stay on stress situation. the stuttering stress symptoms occur when they speaking in front of other people, situations to talk to someone new, formal speaking situations and situations where people talk about competing to speak. | item type : | | thesis ( other ) | | subjects : | | h social sciences > h social sciences ( general ) | | divisions : | | faculty of psychology > department of psychology | | depositing user : | | rayi tegar pamungkas | | date deposited : | | 13 apr 2012 07 : 47 | | last modified : | | 13 apr 2012 07 : 47 | actions ( login required )


deduction - what does the sentence concern? which words does the unknown word seem to relate to? part of speech - which part of speech is the unknown word? is it a verb, noun, preposition, adjective, time expression or something else? chunking - what do the words around the unknown word ( s ) mean? how could the unknown word ( s ) relate to those words? - this is basically deduction on a more local level. vocabulary activation - when quickly skimming through the text, what does the text seem to concern? does the layout ( design ) of the text give any clues? does the publication or type of book give any clues to what the text might be about? which words can you think of that belong to this vocabulary category? jack quickly entered the didot and cleaned the various misturaes he had been using to repair the wuipit. he had often thought that this job was extremely yullning. however, he had to admit that this time things seemed to be a bit easier. when he finished, he put on his redick and went back to the study to relax. he took out his favourite pipe and settled into the beautiful new pogtry. what a fantastic schnappy he had made when he had bought the pogtry. only 300 yagmas! what could a ' didot ' be? what part of speech is ' misturaes '? if jack used the ' misturaes ' to repair the ' wuipit ' what do you think the ' mistraes ' must be? what could ' yulling ' mean? - what part of speech is often used with an ending ' - ing '? which synonym could be used for ' yulling '? what type of things do you put on? based on the above question, what kind of thing must a ' redick ' be? is a ' pogtry ' used inside or outside? which words let you know that the ' pogtry ' was cheap? what must ' yagmas ' be? - cigarette type - type of money


the technical details : determining delta values when we talk about the isotopic ratio in a sample, we talk about the delta value. let ' s look at how a delta value is actually calculated : - the first step in figuring out the δ13c for a sample is to find the ratio of 13c to 12c within the sample. next compare ( by dividing ) this ratio to the ratio of 13c to 12c in a standard. - there is a specific standard, with a known, unchanging ratio of 13c to 12c that all laboratories use in their comparison. for the stable carbon isotopes, this standard is a limestone ( called pee dee belemnite — or pdb ) from south carolina. although pdb is no longer run as the standard, other carbonates ( with a known, unchanging 13c to 12c ratio ) are used and compared on the pdb scale. the carbonate standard is reacted with an acid to create gaseous co2, so that the sample and standard are both in the same phase. - often the sample and standard may have very similar ratios of the two stable isotopes, which will give you a value very close to ( but not exactly ) 1. two sample bellows are used so that the sample is compared to a standard many samples that actually have different ratios of 13c to 12c will give what seems like similar values ( say, for example, 0. 99 and 0. 98 ). these samples do have different isotopic ratios, but this is hard to see when they only differ after the decimal point. to make this difference easier to see, 1 is subtracted from this value, and then this new calculation is multiplied by 1, 000 to give the actual δ13c of the sample. - this makes it much easier to see the difference between two samples. for the ratios of 0. 99 and 0. 98, the delta values are - 10 ‰ and - 20 ‰ respectively. the equation for this is : making the values more “ friendly ” even when comparing samples with ratios of 13c to 12c of 0. 99 and 0. 98, the delta notation is much easier. well, when we look at ratios that atmospheric scientists actually study, it becomes infinitely easier to compare using delta notation – in fact it would be too difficult without! | carbon pool | | 13c | | actual ratio of 13c to 12c | | ocean & atmosphere | | - 8 ‰ | | 0. 011142 | why go through


delta notation – in fact it would be too difficult without! | carbon pool | | 13c | | actual ratio of 13c to 12c | | ocean & atmosphere | | - 8 ‰ | | 0. 011142 | why go through this much work? this seems like an awful lot of calculations when you can just look at differences among samples in their 13c to 12c ratios and ignore all of the calculation steps. the reason that it is conventional to compare to a standard ( and then continue on to the next steps in order to get a more ‘ friendly ’ value ) is so that it is easier to compare results both among isotope laboratories and within a single laboratory over a long time period. it is impossible to have an isotope ratio mass spectrometer that perfectly finds the ratio of 13c to 12c in a sample. isotope ratio mass spectrometers measure relative isotopic ratios much better than actual ratios. by comparing to a standard, the precision of the data values are much, much better since all values are relative to a given standard. for example, if the ratio for both the sample and standard are overestimated ( or underestimated ) by the same relative amount, then dividing the two values will account for this, making it possible to compare δ13c among laboratories all across the world. the formula for determining the δ14c of a sample is similar to δ13c : the difference is in the term fn [ x ], which is still a comparison of the sample to a standard. however, after this comparison, several other calculations occur to find fn [ x ]. - the ratio is corrected for “ background ” 14c counts, where atoms or molecules that were accidentally and incorrectly identified as 14c are no longer included. - the ratio is additionally corrected for the small amount of radioactive decay between the time the sample was collected and the time it was measured, so that the δ14c at the time of collection rather than the time of analysis is reported. - the final difference is that δ14c is normalized, where the effect of fractionation is removed. that is, we know from the 13c measurements that, for example, when carbon dioxide is photosynthesized by plants, it fractionates, resulting in proportionately less 13c in the plant. the same thing happens to 14c, so plants have proportionately less 14c than the atmosphere does. if we know how much 13c fractionation occurs, we can calculate precisely how much 14c fractionation there


etd at indian institute of science > division of earth and environmental sciences > civil engineering ( civil ) > please use this identifier to cite or link to this item : | title : | | stabilised rammed earth for walls : materials, compressive strength and elastic properties | | authors : | | kumar, prasanna p | | advisors : | | reddy, b v venkatarama | | keywords : | | structural analysis ( civil engineering ) | cement stabilised rammed earth rammed earth buildings cement stabilised rammed earth walls rammed earth - strength rammed earth - elastic properties soil - stability stabilised rammed earth | submitted date : | | jul - 2009 | | series / report no. : | | g23519 | | abstract : | | rammed earth is a technique of forming in - situ structural wall elements using rigid formwork. advantages of rammed earth walls include flexibility in plan form, scope for adjusting strength and wall thickness, variety of textural finishes, lower embodied carbon and energy, etc. there is a growing interest in the construction of rammed earth buildings in the recent past. well focused comprehensive studies in understanding the structural performance of rammed earth structures are scanty. clear - cut guidelines on selecting soil grading and soil characteristics, assessing strength of rammed earth walls, density strength relationships, limits on shrinkage, standardised testing procedures, behaviour of rammed earth walls under in - plane and out of plane loads, etc are the areas needing attention. the thesis attempts to address some of these aspects of cement stabilized rammed earth for structural walls. brief history and developments in rammed earth construction with illustrations of rammed earth buildings are presented. a review of the literature on rammed earth has been provided under two categories : ( a ) unstabilised or pure rammed earth and ( b ) stabilised rammed earth. review of the existing codes of practice on rammed earth has also been included. summary of the literature on rammed earth along with points requiring attention for further r & d are discussed. objectives and scope of the thesis are listed. the thesis deals with an extensive experimentation on cement stabilised rammed earth ( csre ) specimens and walls. four varieties of specimens ( cylindrical, prisms, wallettes and full scale walls ) were used in the experiments. a natural soil and its reconstituted variants were used in the experimental work. details of the experimental programme, characteristics of raw materials used in the experimental investigations, methods of preparing different types of specimens and their testing procedures are discussed in detail. influence of soil grading, cement content, moulding water


used in the experimental work. details of the experimental programme, characteristics of raw materials used in the experimental investigations, methods of preparing different types of specimens and their testing procedures are discussed in detail. influence of soil grading, cement content, moulding water content, density and delayed compaction on compaction characteristics and strength of cement stabilised soil mixes were examined. five different soil gradings with clay content ranging between 9 and 31. 6 % and three cement contents ( 5 %, 8 % and 12 % ) were considered. effect of delayed compaction ( time lag ) on compaction characteristics and compressive strength of cement stabilised soils was examined by monitoring the results up to 10 hours of time lag. influence of moulding water content and density on compressive strength and water absorption of cement stabilised soils was examined considering for a range of densities and water contents. the results indicate that ( a ) there is a considerable difference between dry and wet compressive strength of csre prisms, and the strength decreases as the moisture content at the time of testing increases, ( b ) wet strength is less than that of dry strength and the ratio between wet to dry strength depends upon the clay fraction of soil mix and cement content, ( c ) saturated moisture content depends upon the cement content and the clay content of the soil mix, ( d ) optimum clay percentage yielding maximum compressive strength is about 16 %, ( e ) compressive strength of compacted cement stabilised soil increases with increase in density irrespective of cement content and moulding moisture content, and the strength increases by 300 % for 20 % increase in density from 15. 70 kn / m3, ( f ) compressive strength of rammed earth is one - third higher than that of rammed earth brick masonry and ( g ) density decreases with increase in time lag and there is 50 % decrease in strength with 10 hour time lag. stress - strain relationships and elastic properties of cement stabilised rammed earth are essential for the analysis of csre structural elements and understanding the structural behaviour of csre walls. influence of soil composition, density, cement content and moisture on stress - strain relationships of csre was studied. three different densities ( 15. 7 – 19. 62 kn / m3 ) and three cement percentages ( 5 %, 8 % and 12 % by weight ) were considered for csre. stress - strain characteristics of csre and rammed earth brick masonry were compared. the results reveal that ( a ) in dry condition the post peak response shows considerable


##s ( 5 %, 8 % and 12 % by weight ) were considered for csre. stress - strain characteristics of csre and rammed earth brick masonry were compared. the results reveal that ( a ) in dry condition the post peak response shows considerable deformation ( strain hardening type behaviour ) beyond the peak stress and ultimate strain values at failure ( dry state ) are as high as 3. 5 %, which is unusual for brittle materials, ( b ) modulus for csre increases with increase in density as well as cement content and there is 1 to 3 times increase as the cement content changes from 5 % to 12 %. similarly the modulus increases by 2. 5 to 5 times as the dry density increases from 15. 7 to 19. 62 kn / m3 and ( c ) the modulus of csre and masonry in dry state are nearly equal, whereas in wet state masonry has 20 % less modulus. compressive strength and behavior of storey height csre walls subjected to concentric compression was studied. the results of the wall strength were compared with those of wallette and prism strengths. the wall strength decreases with increase in slenderness ratio. there is nearly 30 % reduction in strength as the height to thickness ratio increases from 4. 65 to 19. 74. it was attempted to calculate the ultimate compressive strength of csre walls using the tangent modulus theory. at higher slenderness ratios, there is a close agreement between the experimental and predicted values. the storey height walls show lateral deflections as the load approaches failure. the walls did not show visible buckling and the shear failure patterns indicate material failure. the shear failures noticed in the storey height walls resemble the shear failures of short height wallette specimens. the thesis ends with a summary of the results with concluding remarks in the last chapter. | | appears in collections : | | civil engineering ( civil ) | items in etd @ iisc are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.


a hard hat is a helmet - like protective head covering used to shield the wearer from painful or damaging blows to the skull. once made of metal, modern ones are made of sturdy plastic. besides the hard outer shell, the hard hat also has a fabric mesh or straps on the inside, set about an inch or so away from the shell. this mesh is what rests on the worker ' s head, instead of the shell, to provide a degree of shock absorption due to especially heavy blows. additionally, an adjustment mechanism of some kind can be found on the back, which is used to adjust the hard hat to the wearer ' s head for a secure fit. some have a brim around the edge to direct liquids away from the wearer, in case of rain or liquids spilled from above. others have a short bill in the front like a baseball cap. hard hats can offer several attachments depending on design. some have ear protection built in to the side. some have a spot to attach a face shield for tasks like grinding and pouring chemicals. others can attach a welding mask. usually these are removable so they don ' t get in the way when not needed. hard hats come in many colors, signifying nothing. some companies use different colors to help differentiate workers from each other ( mechanics, electricians, outside contractors, foremen, etc ), but this is an internal decision and is not standardized. most hard hats are white. yellow is also a popular choice due to its high visibility. some workers will decorate their hard hats with stickers or paint to personalize them. this is fine as long as it doesn ' t reduce the effectiveness of the protection or interfere with the worker ' s field of view. the hard hat is intended to protect people working in mining, industrial, or construction areas. they provide excellent protection against bumping the head on low hanging objects and against tools or material dropped from above. they are not intended to replace other personal protective equipment, such as eye protection, only to supplement them. unfortunately, hard hats are uncomfortable as they are rigid, do not breathe well, and require a tight fit to do their job properly, so workers do not like to wear them unless absolutely necessary. when they are necessary, a hard hat could very well save a person ' s life. blows to the head are among the most serious injuries that can be sustained on a job site, because although the skull generally offers good protection to the brain, it was never designed to shield it from today ' s technological marvels


stillwater — whether doing their homework on the computer, playing a video game or watching television, children are spending more time in front of a screen than ever before. however, moderating kids ’ screen time can have positive effects on their physical, mental and emotional well - being. it is estimated that kids spend an average of four to six hours sitting and viewing some type of screen. watching television can be educational — preschoolers can learn the alphabet and older kids can keep up with current events or watch historical documentaries. but, hours of unrestricted screen time can translate into long periods of physical inactivity, less time spent interacting with others and increased exposure to advertising for high calorie, less nutritious foods. since language skills are developed through reading and conversation, extended daily screen time can affect children ’ s ability to learn how to positively interact with others. research also indicates that kids who watch less television do better on standardized tests, while children who watch more television tend to be heavier. “ taking even small steps toward limiting your kids ’ time in front of the television can have big impacts on their overall health, and the well - being of the entire family, ” said deana hildebrand, oklahoma state university cooperative extension nutrition specialist. one effective strategy for limiting screen time is to plan how much time will be devoted on a daily or weekly basis to activities such as watching television, online surfing, playing video games and viewing dvds. the american academy of pediatrics recommends no television for children under the age of 2, and older children should be limited to no more than one to two hours of screen media time per day. developing a chart is a visual way of tracking how much time is spent on various activities, including screen time. each family member should be involved in creating the chart. that way, said hildebrand, everyone has an opportunity for input, which encourages commitment to the plan. “ hang the chart near the television or some other place where it can be seen by everyone, ” she said. “ this helps hold each person accountable and gives parents and older siblings a chance to model positive behavior by managing their own viewing habits. ” identifying specific television shows to view also can help cut down on the time children spent in front of a screen. committing to a viewing plan gives families the added advantage of knowing exactly when the television can be turned on and when it should be turned off. having a television and other related technology in the bedroom increases the likelihood of children watching more television while unsupervised, hildebrand said


the added advantage of knowing exactly when the television can be turned on and when it should be turned off. having a television and other related technology in the bedroom increases the likelihood of children watching more television while unsupervised, hildebrand said. consequently, relocating televisions, gaming systems and computers to common areas of the house translates into greater control over how much screen time children log on a daily basis. “ you can choose not to keep the television on all the time, ” said hildebrand, who suggested establishing media - free periods such as while children are doing their homework or at meal times. “ turning off the televisions, cell phones, pagers, mp3 players and dvd players at certain times of the day means increased quality time with other family members and helps minimize distractions while your children are studying. ” compiling a list of activities to do instead of sitting in front of the television or computer or playing video games can help families curb screen time. “ it could be anything – taking walks, enjoying a family a game night, visiting a museum or organizing a game of volleyball in the yard, ” said hildebrand. similarly, efforts to reduce screen time represent opportunities to encourage kids ’ interest in reading. visiting the library, setting aside time for everyone in the family to read together and having older and younger siblings taking turns reading to each other are all easy ways of promoting and reinforcing the importance of reading. “ you can even get creative. role play scenes from favorite books. pick a book the whole family can read together, and once you all finish it, create a storytelling time. start your own book club with your family members, ” said hildebrand, who suggested checking the national education association website at www. nea. org for ideas, tips and resources related children and reading. when children do watch television or go online, it is a good idea for parents to watch with them or closely monitor the websites they visit. parents should discuss the television programs and online content their children view. these conversations are good opportunities to help kids learn to be media savvy and critically evaluate marketing and advertising campaigns targeting them. “ television and screen time in moderation can be a good thing, ” hildebrand said. “ maintaining a balance and establishing positive viewing habits are two extremely important things you can do for your family. ”


african american newspapersedit this page from familysearch wiki african - american newspapers came into existence before the civil war as a medium of expression of abolitionist sentiment. in 1827, samuel cornish and john b. russwarm started the first african - american periodical, called freedom ' s journal. freedom ' s journal initiated the trend of african - american papers throughout the united states to fight for liberation and rights, demonstrate racial pride, and inform readers of events affecting the african - american community. unfortunately, because the african - americans able to support the paper and the white abolitionists were few, the paper ended its circulation in 1830. also, during the antebellum south, other african - american newspapers came about. one of these, the north star, founded by frederick douglass, had the same fate as freedom ' s journal. as african - americans migrated from fields to urban centers, virtually every large city with a significant african - american population soon had african - american newspapers. examples were the chicago defender, detroit tribune, the pittsburgh courier, and the ( new york ) amsterdam news. while it was certainly important for african - american newspapers to report the news of the day, it was not their primary purpose. most cities already had daily newspapers that were aimed to the general public. the idea of an african - american newspaper was to give african - americans the news through the lens of their own eyes. to learn about african - american newspapers in the area where your ancestor lived, see : - henritze, barbara k. bibliographic checklist of african american newspapers. baltimore, md. : genealogical publishing company, 1995. fhl book 973 f23hb. 5539 titles are identified, including 348 in new york, 337 in mississippi, 336 in georgia, 191 in virginia, and 41 in west virginia. - pinnick, timothy n. finding and using african american newspapers. the gregath publishing company, 2008. isbn : 978 - 0 - 944619 - 85 - 8. from an economic perspective, african - american newspapers were formed in order to make a profit. according to a study of early african - american newspapers, the " primary motivation " of african - american newspaper proprietors was " not uplift, but profit. " in addition, from a social standpoint, these newspapers were a source of pride for the african - american community and a focal point for african - americans to stick together and fight the constant oppression they were under. taking this into account, it seems apparent that it was most beneficial for african


any sound recorded by one mic is a mono sound or track and will never truly be stereo even when placed into a “ stereo ” mix. at this juncture lets discuss some mono or single microphone techniques. the first and most commonly used technique is “ close " micing which places the mic very near to the source, thus excluding virtually all other incident sound and environmental effects and gives the most control over the sound. this is the preferred technique for multitrack recording which is based primarily on mono tracks of many instruments and / or vocals. since the final resulting mix is generally an unknown factor, the purer and more uncolored the initial tracks are, the better the mix options at final mixdown. for example, a coloration from room acoustics in the initial recording cannot be deleted later. tracks resulting from close micing will be far freer from artifacts. the direct opposite of this technique is distant or ambient micing, where the desired result is to pickup the effects of environment along with the specific sound. often when a collection of instruments that are in the same immediate physical location ( such as drum sets ), they can be recorded together to give a cohesive whole kit sound by using “ room ” mics that record all sounds within the room, plus the reverberant character of the room. in this example most often close mics are also used to give precise control over critical portions of the sound. the room mic simply adds the ambience from the environment.


as the winter months grind along, serious forage producers often seek comfort in determining what new varieties of alfalfa they will seed the next spring and where they will be planted. just as important as the “ what ” and “ where ” is the question of “ how ” alfalfa will be established. specifically, will a companion crop be used? what ’ s the first thing that pops into your mind when someone says “ cover crops ”? stopping soil erosion, right? it took barry fisher nearly an hour during a tour of cover crop plots at roger wenning ’ s farm to mention soil savings. the indiana association of soil and water conservation districts recently honored five outstanding families. each received a conservation farmer of the year award. one of the most important crops is the one not to harvest, but to protect and improve the soil. seeding cover crops to enhance basic rotations is a new frontier in nebraska cropping systems, according to its adherents. interest has grown in the past few years in trying seedings of one or two cover crops or a cocktail blend of several after wheat harvest in summer or even after taking off soybeans or corn in the fall. as yet, acreage remains limited. a recent survey from iowa state university estimates that only 15 % of illinois farmers planted a cover crop between 2000 and 2005. according to an increasing number of iowa farmers, agronomists and soil conservationists, cover crops such as rye, wheat and clover are environmentally beneficial, and with proper management won ’ t inhibit yields in various crop systems, including no - till and organic farming. cover crops can help offset feed costs for cattle, hold precious nitrogen in place and add important organic matter to soils, increasing their ability to soak up water during heavy rains. the potential uses of cover crops are many, and new momentum for this practice has increased dramatically. an aerial - applied seeding of a wheat and red clover cover crop mixture is helping to suppress weeds, reduce soil erosion and provide other environmental benefits on 200 acres of certified organic cropland for a farming family in southeast iowa. the 200 acres helps feed their 150 - head certified organic dairy herd in van buren county near milton. taking time this winter to design your cover crop plan will increase the successful establishment of the crop and potentially allow for improved staggering of fall harvest. fall is a busy time even in a normal year. harvesting, handling grain, fall fertility and tillage concerns are priorities. cover crops rank about fifth. it is tough to get a cover crop established in the fall with a


staggering of fall harvest. fall is a busy time even in a normal year. harvesting, handling grain, fall fertility and tillage concerns are priorities. cover crops rank about fifth. it is tough to get a cover crop established in the fall with a tight schedule for the timing. a diverse mix of small grains and cover crops helps spring come a little earlier on the arnaud family farm near monett. in fact, there ’ s something green and growing on just about every acre that jim arnaud farms, just about every month of the year. on our farm we have used yellow blossom sweet clover for many years as a plow - down crop to build our soil. this vigorous, sweet - smelling biennial legume has provided our fields with organic matter and nitrogen since we began organic farming. the morton county, n. d., soil conservation district and bismarck state college farm management education received a conservation innovation grant. the three year project studies the use of intensive cover crops with no - till farming to increase production on highly erodible, low - quality land. winter can be a tough time for cover crops. snow, rain, ice and cold temperatures can really push these plants to their limits. cover crops are the green plants that cover the ground between harvest of a cash crop in the fall, such as corn or soybeans, and planting of a new cash crop during the following spring. some members of practical farmers of iowa have been experimenting with adding cover crops to their farming systems since the on - farm research program, the cooperators program, formally began in 1987. some farmers are concerned about winter cover crops being a potential host for goss ’ s wilt. if you were going to build a road, how would you do it? hans kok says most road builders start with a sandy loam soil if possible, wet it down, then disk it many times. you ’ ve got a soil at its most vulnerable time, and a tool that compacts soil. you don ’ t read often about a tool that has never been tried. but mike shuter and sons patrick and brian, frankton, have a good record at developing innovative equipment. at press time, their latest tool was ready to rock ‘ n ’ roll but hadn ’ t officially been in the field yet. dan gillespie, hudson, s. d., was one of seven farmers who received south dakota ’ s soil conservation award in 2010. one reason he was recognized was for his use of cover crops to help control weeds, improve soil health and produce plant


dan gillespie, hudson, s. d., was one of seven farmers who received south dakota ’ s soil conservation award in 2010. one reason he was recognized was for his use of cover crops to help control weeds, improve soil health and produce plant nutrients. two years ago when jamie foster was moving from florida to become a texas agrilife research forage agronomist in south texas, her job almost hit her in the face — literally. trying something new and innovative is always easier when you can learn from someone else ’ s experience. for a small group of innovative farmers experimenting with cover crops in pottawattamie county in western iowa, that someone else is pete hobson. mark pokorny is one of 10 farmers working with iowa learning farms and practical farmers of iowa on a project comparing corn and soybean yields following a winter rye cover crop. located near clutier in tama county, he began hosting a demonstration site in fall 2009 for the cover crop working group. last fall an estimated 40, 000 acres of cover crops were planted in iowa. a number of iowa farmers planted a cover crop, usually rye, in fields to help protect against soil erosion over winter. those that had enough soil moisture had a good stand of cover crops, while others had little to no fall germination. what ’ s the best approach to restoring a field that flooded during the summer? chris nelsen, mission hill, s. d., says he isn ’ t an expert at it, but has some experience. cover crops have been around as a sound cropping and soil health practice for years. but in the past few years, they ’ ve been steadily growing in popularity throughout the midwest. the practice would probably be growing faster if there wasn ’ t so much head - scratching about how to get seed established in fall. ray styer knows how to build on something patiently to make it pay off. that is the way he treats his soil, which he continually improves by using a careful cover - crop selection over decades. in research plots at the center for environmental farming systems in goldsboro, n. c., george naderman, a retired extension soil specialist and an associate professor emeritus at north carolina state university, measured from 100 to 200 pounds more of nitrogen in the top 5 inches of soil where conservation tillage had been used for six crop years, compared to conventional tillage. researchers had put on the same amount of n on both fields during operations. cover crops seem to be taking the midwest by storm.


the top 5 inches of soil where conservation tillage had been used for six crop years, compared to conventional tillage. researchers had put on the same amount of n on both fields during operations. cover crops seem to be taking the midwest by storm. here ’ s why these farmers are sold on them. cover crops can help conserve moisture, says kris nichols, research soil microbiologist with the usda agriculture research service, mandan, n. d. nearly 90, 000 acres of cover crops were planted in iowa in the fall of 2012. that estimate is based on data from several sources including sales figures from major cover crop seed companies and cost - shared acres through the usda natural resources conservation service ’ s eqip program, and the iowa department of ag and land stewardship ’ s state cost - share funding. gail fuller admits he didn ’ t harvest much of a corn crop this year. but the emporia farmer did manage to chop some silage in july and he actually harvested 60 acres of corn planted late and into cover crops, he told attendees of this year ’ s no - till on the plains annual winter conference in salina jan. 24 - 26. one of the biggest issues for farmers in areas where drought can be a ever - present problem — like most of kansas — has been how summer cover crops perform, and what kind of moisture they take out of the soil profile when the weather turns hot and dry. drought throws a wrench into our best strategies. it can ruin a market garden. it robs our livestock of needed forages. it throws plant growth cycles off. it is difficult to deal with. eventually, bare ground in a farm field will be a rare sight, predicts steve groff, a cover crop researcher and no - till farmer from holtwood, pa. as farmers become aware of the benefits of using cover crops, more of them are protecting and improving their soil with cover crops, he explains. “ the trend is upward, so you ’ ll probably be doing it one day or another, one decade or another. ” looking across the 14 different cover crop plots on tom finkenbine ’ s farm, it ’ s natural to wonder which one ’ s the best. but no one crop will be best for every situation. paul brown is a young man who could be making big bucks in north dakota ’ s oil fields. but he figures he ’ s making more per hour mob - grazing yearling beef cattle on his family ’ s bismarck, n. d., ranch. cereal


is a young man who could be making big bucks in north dakota ’ s oil fields. but he figures he ’ s making more per hour mob - grazing yearling beef cattle on his family ’ s bismarck, n. d., ranch. cereal rye and manure, when combined, provide benefits to each other, resulting in greater overall benefits to livestock producers, their bottom line and the environment. when bryan jorgensen turns his family ’ s agricultural enterprise, jorgensen land and cattle, over to the next generation, he wants the fields he now manages to be in better condition and more productive than when they started raising crops there in the early 1900s. cronin farms, gettysburg, s. d., is making some big gains in soil organic matter. it ’ s risen from 2 % soil organic matter to 4 % organic matter in recent years — which is worth about $ 1, 100 per acre by some estimates. mitch and andy hoenhause, lisbon, n. d., are doing some things on their farm that might be worth watching. andy and mitch hoenhause ’ s success with cover crops has encouraged the lisbon, n. d., brothers to try some new ways to get the cover crops planted on more of their acres. the recent mid - april storm reminded many southern iowa farmers why there is never a good time for tillage — even after a dry winter and the warmest march on record. up to 8 inches of rain, along with strong winds and tornadoes, hit southern iowa on april 14, causing property and cropland damage. in many cases, crop inputs like corn seed and fertilizer washed away. the most productive soils overwhelmingly have features in common ; certain physical, chemical and biological properties that allow them to function well and produce abundant biomass. the benefits of no - till farming and management for soil health were on full display sept. 5, when the south central kansas residue alliance made its annual summer crop tour of eight fields in harper county to see firsthand how they fared at the end of a second blistering - hot, dry summer. for harper county farmer robert sharp, there ’ s no such thing as too much residue. glenn bauer, regan, n. d., has had good luck using cover crops to convert conservation reserve program acres to cropland. yields have been good, and costs have been low, he says. cover crop research is gaining ground in the northern plains. north dakota state university is conducting several studies. gabe brown and son paul have a breakeve


did hurricane wilma have 209 mph sustained winds? at last week ' s 30th conference on hurricanes and tropical meteorology of the american meteorological society, dr. eric uhlhorn of noaa ' s hurricane research division presented a poster that looked at the relationship between surface winds measured by the sfmr instrument and flight - level winds in two category 5 storms. hurricane hunter flights done into category 5 supertyphoon megi ( 17 october 2010 ) and category 5 hurricane felix ( 03 september 2007 ) found that the surface winds measured by sfmr were greater than those measured at flight level ( 10, 000 feet. ) usually, surface winds in a hurricane are 10 - 15 % less than at 10, 000 feet, but he showed that in super - intense category 5 storms with small eyes, the dynamics of these situations may generate surface winds that are as strong or stronger than those found at 10, 000 feet. he extrapolated this statistical relationship ( using the inertial stability measured at flight level ) to hurricane wilma of 2005, which was the strongest hurricane on record ( 882 mb ), but was not observed by the sfmr. he estimated that the maximum wind averaged around the eyewall in wilma at peak intensity could have been 209 mph, plus or minus 20 mph - - so conceivably as high as 229 mph, with gusts to 270 mph. yowza. that ' s well in excess of the 200 mph minimum wind speed a top end ef - 5 tornado has. the joplin, missouri ef - 5 tornado of may 22, 2011 had winds estimated at 225 - 250 mph. that tornado ripped pavement from the ground, leveled buildings to the concrete slabs they were built on, and killed 161 people. it ' s not a pretty thought to consider what wilma would have done to cancun, key west, or fort myers had the hurricane hit with sustained winds of what the joplin tornado had. figure 1. hurricane wilma ' s pinhole eye as seen at 8 : 22 a. m. cdt wednesday, oct. 19, 2005, by the crew aboard nasa ' s international space station as the complex flew 222 miles above the storm. at the time, wilma was the strongest atlantic hurricane in history, with a central pressure of 882 mb and sustained surface winds estimated at 185 mph. the storm was located in the caribbean sea, 340 miles southeast of cozumel, mexico. image source : nasa ' s space photo gallery. figure 2. damage


with a central pressure of 882 mb and sustained surface winds estimated at 185 mph. the storm was located in the caribbean sea, 340 miles southeast of cozumel, mexico. image source : nasa ' s space photo gallery. figure 2. damage in joplin, missouri after the ef - 5 tornado of may 22, 2011. image credit : wunderphotographer thebige. official all - time strongest winds in an atlantic hurricane : 190 mph the official record for strongest winds in an atlantic hurricane is 190 mph, for hurricane allen of 1980 as it was entering the gulf of mexico, and for hurricane camille of 1969, as it was making landfall in pass christian, mississippi. in dr. bob sheets ' and jack williams ' book, hurricane watch, they recount the hurricane hunters flight into camile as the hurricane reached peak intensity : on sunday afternoon, august 17, and air force c - 130 piloted by marvin little penetrated camille ' s eye and measured a pressure of 26. 62 inches of mercury. " just as we were nearing the eyewall cloud we suddenly broke into a clear area and could see the sea surface below, " the copilot, robert lee clark, wrote in 1982. " what a sight! although everyone on the crew was experienced except me, no one had seen the wind whip the sea like that before... instead of the green and white splotches normally found in a storm, the sea surface was in deep furrows running along the wind direction.... the velocity was beyond the descriptions used in our training and far beyond anything we had ever seen. " so, the 190 mph winds of camille were an estimate that was off the scale from anything that had ever been observed in the past. the books that the hurricane hunters carried, filled with photos of the sea state at various wind speeds, only goes up to 150 mph ( figure 2 ). i still used this book to estimate surface winds when i flew with the hurricane hunters in the late 1980s, and the books are still carried on the planes today. in the two category 5 hurricanes i flew into, hugo and gilbert, i never observed the furrowing effect referred to above. gilbert had surface winds estimated at 175 mph based on what we measured at flight level, so i believe the 190 mph wind estimate in camille may be reasonable. figure 3. appearance of the sea surface in winds of 130 knots ( 150 mph ). image credit : wind estimations from aerial observations of sea conditions ( 1954 ), by charlie neumann.


believe the 190 mph wind estimate in camille may be reasonable. figure 3. appearance of the sea surface in winds of 130 knots ( 150 mph ). image credit : wind estimations from aerial observations of sea conditions ( 1954 ), by charlie neumann. figure 4. radar image of hurricane camille taken at 22 : 15 utc august 17, 1969, a few hours before landfall in mississippi. at the time, camille had the highest sustained winds of any atlantic hurricane in history - - 190 mph. the infamous hurricane hunter flight into wilma during its rapid intensification while i was at last week ' s conference, i had a conversation with rich henning, a flight meteorologist for noaa ' s hurricane hunters, who served for many years as a air reconnaissance weather officer ( arwo ) for the air force hurricane hunters. rich told me the story of the air force hurricane hunter mission into hurricane wilma in the early morning hours of october 19, 2005, as wilma entered its explosive deepening phase. the previous airplane, which had departed category 1 wilma six hours previously, flew through wilma at an altitude of 5, 000 feet. they measured a central pressure of 954 mb when they departed the eye at 23 : 10 utc. the crew of the new plane assumed that the hurricane, though intensifying, was probably not a major hurricane, and decided that they would also go in at 5, 000 feet. winds outside the eyewall were less than hurricane force, so this seemed like a reasonable assumption. once the airplane hit the eyewall, they realized their mistake. flight level winds quickly rose to 186 mph, far in excess of category 5 strength, and severe turbulence rocked the aircraft. the aircraft was keeping a constant pressure altitude to maintain their height above the ocean during the penetration, but the area of low pressure at wilma ' s center was so intense that the airplane descended at over 1, 000 feet per minute during the penetration in order to maintain a constant pressure altitude. by they time they punched into the incredibly tiny 4 - mile wide eye, which had a central pressure of just 901 mb at 04 : 32 utc, the plane was at a dangerously low altitude of 1, 500 feet - - not a good idea in a category 5 hurricane. the pilot ordered an immediate climb, and the plane exited the other side of wilma ' s eyewall at an altitude of 10, 000 feet. they maintained this altitude for the remainder of the flight. during their next pass through the eye at 06 : 11 utc, the


recently, the benefits of technology discussed how modern innovations help researchers either find lost sites or recover important data that was considered long gone. this past weekend, the bbc reported another fascinating development and this one hails from the vienna academy of sciences. rome has over 40 jewish and christian catacombs tunneling more than 100 miles in and around subterranean rome. however, due to structural concerns, the vatican only allows public access to approximately 1, 600 feet of these treasures. other catacombs can be accessed only by special permission. over the past three years, a team of 10 scientists have been mapping the largest one, saint domitilla, via laser scanner. the scanner looks deceptively like something one would find in an astronomy store but has a more complex programming. the instrument collects data by sending out light impulses. the impulse bounces off the catacomb wall back into the scanner which then records the information in its database as a specific location point. over time, these points build up into a pixilated photo. since the scanner turns while it ’ s sending light impulses, the end result photo is a 360 degree view of both the frescoes and the actual building structure. the ability to study the structural aspect of these tombs in 3 - d was the plus in using the laser scanner as opposed to the more inflexible video option. unfortunately, there are no plans at this time for scanning all of the catacombs but this hasn ’ t been ruled out entirely. however, the vienna academy has promised to share its findings on saint domitilla once the data has been studied. this release is tentatively planned within a year ’ s time. this means researchers can now expect to see unique fresco art finally brought to the light after 2, 000 years in darkness. for more photos and carvings, see tales from the crypts.


population : 10. 5 million ( july 2009 estimate ) area : approximately 11, 780 square miles ( 30, 528 sq km ) borders : france, luxembourg, germany and the netherlands coastline : about 40 miles ( 60 km ) on the north sea belgium is an important country to both europe and the rest of the world as its capital, brussels, is the headquarters the north atlantic treaty organization ( nato ) and of the european commission and the council of the european union. in addition, that city is the home of many worldwide banking and insurance firms, leading some to call brussels the unofficial capital of europe. history of belgium like many of the world ' s countries, belgium has a long history. its name is derived from the belgae, a celtic tribe that lived in the area in the first century b. c. e. also, during the first century, the romans invaded the area and belgium was controlled as a roman province for nearly 300 years. around 300 c. e., rome ' s power began to diminish when germanic tribes were pushed into the area and eventually the franks, a german group, took control of the country. after the arrival of the germans, the northern part of belgium became a german - speaking area, while the people in the south remained roman and spoke latin. soon after, belgium became controlled by the dukes of burgundy and was eventually taken over by the hapsburgs. belgium was then later occupied by spain from 1519 to 1713 and austria from 1713 to 1794. in 1795, however, belgium was annexed by napoleonic france after the french revolution. shortly thereafter, napoleon ' s army was beaten during the battle of waterloo near brussels and belgium became a part of the netherlands in 1815. it was then not until 1830 that belgium won its independence from the dutch. in that year, there was an uprising by the belgian people and in 1831, a constitutional monarchy was established and a monarch from the house of saxe - coburg gotha in germany was invited to run the country. throughout the decades following its independence, belgium was invaded several times by germany. in 1944 though, british, canadian and america armies formally liberated belgium. languages of belgium because belgium was controlled by different foreign powers for centuries, the country is very diverse linguistically. its official languages are french, dutch and german but its population is divided into two distinct groups. the flemings, the larger of the two, live in the north and speak flemish - a language closely related to dutch. the second group lives in the south and consists of the wall


dutch and german but its population is divided into two distinct groups. the flemings, the larger of the two, live in the north and speak flemish - a language closely related to dutch. the second group lives in the south and consists of the walloons who speak french. in addition, there is a german community near the city of liege and brussels is officially bilingual. these different languages are important to belgium because concerns over losing linguistic power has caused the government to divide the country into different regions, each of which has control over its cultural, linguistic and educational matters. today, belgium ' s government is run as a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch. it has two branches of government. the first is the executive branch which consists of the king, who serves as the head of state ; the prime minister, who is the head of government ; and the council of ministers which represents the decision - making cabinet. the second branch is the legislative branch which is a bicameral parliament made up of the senate and the house of representatives. the major political parties in belgium are the christian democratic, the liberal party, the socialist party, the green party and vlaams belang. voting age in the country is 18. because of its focus on regions and local communities, belgium has several political subdivisions, each of which have a varied amount of political power. these include ten different provinces, three regions, three communities and 589 municipalities. industry and land use of belgium like many other european countries, belgium ' s economy consists mainly of the service sector but industry and agriculture are also significant. the northern area is considered the most fertile and much of the land there is used for livestock, although some of the land is used for agriculture. the main crops in belgium are sugar beets, potatoes, wheat and barley. in addition, belgium is a heavily industrialized country and coal mining was once important in southern areas. today, though, almost all of the industrial centers are in the north. antwerp, one of the largest cities in the country, is the center of petroleum refining, plastics, petrochemicals and the manufacturing of heavy machinery. it is also famous for being one of the world ' s largest diamond trading centers. geography and climate of belgium the lowest point in belgium is sea level at the north sea and its highest point is signal de botrange at 2, 277 feet ( 694 m ). the rest of the country features a relatively flat topography consisting of coastal plains in the northwest and gently rolling hills throughout the country ' s central portion. the


its highest point is signal de botrange at 2, 277 feet ( 694 m ). the rest of the country features a relatively flat topography consisting of coastal plains in the northwest and gently rolling hills throughout the country ' s central portion. the southeast, however, does have a mountainous region in its ardennes forest area. the climate of belgium is considered maritime temperate with mild winters and cool summers. the average summer temperature is ( ) while winters average around ( ). belgium can also be rainy, cloudy and humid. a few more facts about belgium - belgium has a literacy rate of 99 % - the life expectancy is 78. 6 - 85 % of belgians live in towns and cities - nearly 80 % of the population of belgium is roman catholic but there are several other religions in the country, all of which receive government subsidies. central intelligence agency. ( 2010, april 21 ). cia - the world factbook - - belgium. retrieved from : https : / / www. cia. gov / library / publications / the - world - factbook / geos / be. html infoplease. com. ( n. d. ) belgium : history, geography, government, and culture. retrieved from : http : / / www. infoplease. com / ipa / a0107329. html united states department of state. ( 2009, october ). belgium ( 10 / 09 ). retrieved from : http : / / www. state. gov / r / pa / ei / bgn / 2874. htm


digital preservation : audio and video formats in the last of our four - part series on digital preservation, this webinar present and explain : - basic formats and standards used in digital audio and video collections for libraries, archives, and museums - the development of audio and video formats and introduce participants to the significant technical features that pertain to digital libraries. - audio formats and encodings introduced include pulse - code modulation ( pcm ), wav and bwav, and the issues related to compression for online delivery. - video topics include formats and standards, particularly the role of compression and data storage. - the meaning of “ hd ” and options for video transfer and capture, as well as format and encodings for uncompressed video and the motion jpeg standards. participants in this webinar will be able to make informed decisions about digital audio and video projects and revisit their planned or existing projects with an eye to making sure they will be useful sustainable into the future. this webinar will be of interest to : librarians archivists who are involved in developing digital projects, no special technical background required. this presentation is the fourth in the series. archived webinars are available at : webinar 1, digital preservation : fundamentals archive webinar 2, digital preservation : text and image formats archive webinar 3, digital preservation : storing and managing digital collections feb 7, 2012


het dorp rincon, te rincon, rincon : rinon ( papamientu ) meaning of rincon, spanish for corner / nook, may refer to : a “ rincon ” is also a place where you can have activities, such as a restaurant ( “ ex : the corner of the good food ” ) or a shop ( “ the corner of hot sales ” ). it means as well a remote settlement, a group of houses. a rincon can be built inland or by the sea. is rincon protected from the pirate attacks? 1 / rincon is sheltered in the north by the brandaris ( 240 m ) and seru mangel ( 144, 6 m ), in the west by seru dos pos ( 125, 6 m ) and montagne ( 143 m ), and, in the south by seru largu ( 133 m ). rincon is almost invisible from the sea and far less exposed than palu di lechi. 2 / rincon is protected by a very shallow sand bank on the east side of bonaire, right in front of the town. 3 / even inland, sheltered and protected, the rincon has been raided several times, cf laurens prins in 1665. rincon village is the oldest village on bonaire. additionally, it is the oldest in continual existence within the netherlands antilles and aruba. in 1527, the spaniards came back from hispaniola to bonaire and then founded the first settlement on bonaire : rincon. on their return they brought indians and various types of livestock along. rincon ’ s location was chosen because it is in a fertile valley and has an always blowing trade wind and it was out of the eye of passing ( pirate ) ships and beyond the reach of their raids. in 1636 the west india company, which has long been established on curacao, decided to bonaire add to their possessions. the dutch exploited bonaire mainly for its salt and paint timber. brasil wood ( palu di brasil ) was used as red pigment for paint. when the dutch saw that they needed more labor, they imported slaves from africa, who then had to settle in rincon. the slaves worked on plantations in the area of rincon and on salt pans on the opposite side of the island. because the walk from rincon to the salt pans took about 10 hours the slaves build themselves small huts to sleep in


the slaves worked on plantations in the area of rincon and on salt pans on the opposite side of the island. because the walk from rincon to the salt pans took about 10 hours the slaves build themselves small huts to sleep in. the slaves worked the salt pans and stayed in their huts during the week, on saterday they were allowed to go back to their homes in rincon. in 1850, these shacks were replaced by stone houses. these stone houses are still standing along the salt pans. after the abolition of slavery on july 1st of 1863, the former slaves stayed in rincon, they maintained their culture and to this date many of the current residents of rincon are descendants of the slaves. 1 altamira unjo – panorama rincon 2 cadushy distillery & heritage center 3 polar bar ( closed ) 4 catholic church 5 rose inn 6 kos bon so grill restaurant 7 excellent supermarket 8 community centre – centro di bario 9 gas station 10 lourdes grotto – replica of lourdes cave 11 mangazina di rei – culture park 12 protestant church 13 direction playa grandi 14 direction dos pos 16 plantation onima 17 watapana school 18 san luis bertran school 19 windmill park 20 traditional cottage – kas krioyo ( closed ) 21 kanta orchidia 22 soccer stadium 23 kununu ’ s ( farming grounds ) west 24 kunuku ’ s ( farming grounds ) east 25 statue of julio abraham 26 memorial stone founding of rincon 27 posada para mira 28 market square 29 tropicana bar 30 orange bar ©2012 olivier douvry / globedivers


the nas ’ s errors regarding speciation science and creationism also deals with speciation, another of the classic errors of the evolutionists ( science and creationism, p. 10 ). according to this booklet, " scientists also have gained an understanding of the processes by which new species originate. " in this view, living things exposed to geographic isolation — in other words separated from one another by geographical borders — become increasingly different from the other members of the group they have split away from, as a result of mutation, natural selection, and other processes. the result is that new species eventually emerge. or so the nas claims. however, the fact is that the process referred to here leads not to the emergence of new species, but rather to variation — in other words to different forms within a single species. what is misleading here is that the evolutionists use the concept of " species " — which is in any case subject to debate — in a manner to suit their theory. different experts in various areas of biology offer differing definitions of " species. " the biologist john endler makes the following comment about the chaos these various definitions have caused : species are " tools that are fashioned for characterizing organic diversity " ( lewin, 1979 ). just as there are a variety of chisels made for different purposes, different species concepts are best for different purposes ; and just as it is inadvisable to use a carving chisel to cut a mortise, problems arise when one species concept is used when it is inappropriate. confusion and controversy have often resulted because different people working with different groups of organisms mean different things by " species. " 1 professor ali demirsoy, a prominent proponent of darwinism in turkey, expresses this fact in these terms : the question of along which lines the species, taken as the basic unit in the classification of animals and plants, should be distinguished from other species, in other words the definition of " species, " is one of the hardest questions for biology to answer. to give a definition which applies to all animal and plant groups appears impossible in the present state of our knowledge. 2 the word species generally brings to mind kinds such as dogs, horses, spiders, dolphins, and apples. the theory of evolution ' s claims regarding the " origin of species " bring to mind the origin of these life forms. biologists, however, define " species " in a different way. according to modern biology, a living species is a population consisting of individuals which can mate and reproduce amongst themselves. this definition separates groups of


to mind the origin of these life forms. biologists, however, define " species " in a different way. according to modern biology, a living species is a population consisting of individuals which can mate and reproduce amongst themselves. this definition separates groups of living things that we think of as single species in daily life, into many more species. for instance, some 34, 000 species of spider have been described. 3 some 34, 000 species of spider have been identified. in order to understand the deception in evolutionary theory with regard to speciation, " geographic isolation " first needs to be clarified. in every living species there are differences stemming from genetic variation. if a natural obstacle such as a mountain range, a river, or the sea comes between two populations belonging to a given species, and the populations thus become " isolated " from one another, then in all probability different variants will begin to dominate the two separated groups. 4 for instance, variant a, a dark - colored and long - haired variation, might come to dominate one group, while variant b, a shorter - haired and lighter - colored variation, might become predominant in the other. the more the two populations are separated from one another, the more the two variants become distinct. cases of variation like these, with distinguishing morphological differences among subgroups of the same species, are known as " subspecies. " here the speciation claim enters the picture. sometimes it happens that when variants a and b, after having split away from each other due to geographical isolation, are brought back together in some way but are unable to reproduce with each other. since they are unable to reproduce, they cease being subspecies, according to the modern biological definition of " species, " and become separate species. this is known as " speciation. " evolutionists, however, make the following unwarranted inference : " there are some cases of speciation in nature by natural means ; therefore, all species emerged in this way. " however, there is a major deception concealed within this argument. two important elements of this deception are : 1 ) variants a and b, geographically isolated from one another, may not be able to reproduce when they come together. yet this generally stems from " mating behavior " differences. in other words, individuals belonging to variants a and b do not mate because they regard the other variant as foreign to themselves. however, there is no genetic impediment to their reproducing. for that reason, they are still members of the same species from the point of view of genetic information


not mate because they regard the other variant as foreign to themselves. however, there is no genetic impediment to their reproducing. for that reason, they are still members of the same species from the point of view of genetic information. ( in fact, for this reason the concept of " species " continues to be the subject of debate in biology. ) 2 ) the really important point is that the " speciation " in question is not an increase in genetic information, but on the contrary stems from a loss of such information. the reason for the differentiation is not that new genetic information has been added to one or other of the variants. there is no such addition. for instance, neither of the variants acquires a new protein, enzyme, or organ. there is no " development " here. on the contrary, instead of a population which had previously harbored different sets of genetic information ( in our example, a population possessing both long and short hair, as well as both light and dark colors ), now there are two populations that are both impoverished from the point of view of genetic information. how did living species first come into being? how did the bacterial, protist, fungus, plant, and animal worlds first emerge on the earth? how did phyla — the highest taxonomic category ( for example, chordates and molluscs ) — as well as classes ( mammals and birds ), orders ( primates and carnivores ), and families ( cats and dogs ) first come about? these are the questions which evolutionists really need to answer. for this reason, nothing about speciation supports the theory of evolution. the theory of evolution claims that living species evolved from one another, from the simpler to the more complex, completely by chance. for the theory to be taken seriously, therefore, it needs to posit a mechanism for increasing genetic information. it needs to be able to explain how living things without eyes, ears, hearts, lungs, wings, feet, and other organs and systems came to acquire them, and where the genetic information describing such systems and organs came from. a mechanism that divides an already - existing species into two groups, each of which undergoes a loss of genetic information, clearly has nothing to do with this. this is in fact accepted by evolutionists. for this reason, they define variations within a species and instances of speciation by division of a population into two parts as " microevolution. " microevolution is used in the sense of variations occurring within an already


by evolutionists. for this reason, they define variations within a species and instances of speciation by division of a population into two parts as " microevolution. " microevolution is used in the sense of variations occurring within an already existing species. yet the inclusion of the term " evolution " in this description is a deliberate deception. there is no evolutionary process here at all, not even a " micro " one. this process merely distributes genetic information that already exists within the genetic pool among a different combination of individuals. the questions that need to be answered are these : how did the living categories first come into being? how did the kingdoms of the monera ( bacteria ), protista ( amoebas ), fungi ( mushrooms ), plantae, and animalia come into being? how did the higher taxonomical categories of families ( cats and dogs ), orders ( carnivores and primates ), classes ( birds and mammals ), and phyla ( chordates, arthropods, and molluscs ) first come into being? these are the issues that evolutionists need to be able to explain. evolutionists describe their theories concerning the origin of these basic categories as " macroevolution. " it is actually macroevolution which is intended when the theory of evolution is referred to. that is because the genetic variations known as microevolution are an observed biological phenomenon accepted by everyone, but one which has nothing to do with evolution itself ( in spite of the name ), as we have seen above. as far as the claim of macroevolution is concerned, there is no evidence for it at all, either in observational biology or in the fossil record. there is an absolutely essential point to be made here. those with insufficient knowledge in this area may be deceived into thinking that " since microevolution takes place in a very short space of time, macroevolution could also occur given tens of millions of years. " some evolutionists do indeed make this mistake, or else attempt to use this error to make others believe in the theory of evolution. this is the form that all of charles darwin ' s " proofs of evolution " in the origin of species take. the examples put forward by subsequent evolutionists are all along the same lines, as well. in all of these examples, the genetic variation known to evolutionists as microevolution is used as proof of the theory they describe as macroevolution. let us give an


subsequent evolutionists are all along the same lines, as well. in all of these examples, the genetic variation known to evolutionists as microevolution is used as proof of the theory they describe as macroevolution. let us give an example to illustrate the error in this reasoning. what would you say if someone proposed to you the following argument? " a bullet fired into the air from a pistol travels at 400 km ( 250 miles ) an hour. it will therefore shortly leave the earth ' s atmosphere and reach the moon, and in the weeks that follow will eventually arrive at the planet mars. " if someone made such a claim to you, you would immediately realize that it was a simple deception. the person making the claim is expressing only a very narrow observation ( about the speed of the bullet leaving the pistol ) and is concealing two basic facts, gravity and friction, which restrict the progress of the bullet. all evolutionists ' attempts to derive macroevolution from microevolution employ exactly the same method. the upshot of this micro / macro evolution debate and evolutionists ' " speciation " fairytales is this : living things emerged on the earth as " kinds " possessing structures that differed from one another. ( the fossil record demonstrates this. ) within these kinds, variants and subspecies may appear thanks to the richness of their genetic pools. for instance, the " rabbit " type contains white - haired and grey - haired, and long - eared and short - eared, variants within itself, and these have spread according to the prevailing natural conditions. however, kinds can never turn into each other. there is no natural mechanism that can design new kinds, or that can form new organs, systems, or body plans within a type. each kind was created with its own peculiar structure, and since god has created them all with a rich variation potential, every kind produces a rich, but restricted, range of variation. evolutionists ' confessions about speciation apart from " amateur " evolutionists who have only a superficial knowledge of the subject and such dogmatic evolutionists as the members of the national academy of sciences, almost all darwinists are very well aware of the fundamental problem : to account for the origin of living kinds and the diversity of life. as theodosius dobzhansky, one of the architects of neo - darwinism, wrote in the introduction to his genetics and the origin of species, the main problem facing evolution is the variety of life. 5 this is the subject that charles darwin and


only act over very long periods of time. for that reason speciation cannot be observed in nature or in the laboratory. " however, this, too, is nothing but a rationalization with no scientific basis. that is because no sign of speciation has been seen in fruit flies or bacteria, which have very short life spans, thus making it possible for a single scientist to observe thousands of generations. to date, countless experiments and studies on various microorganisms and animal species have destroyed evolutionists ' dreams. one evolutionist, kevin kelly, the editor of wired magazine and chairman of the all species foundation, describes this : no case of speciation has ever been seen in creatures such as fruit flies or bacteria, of which thousands of generations can be observed by scientists due to their short life spans. despite a close watch, we have witnessed no new species emerge in the wild in recorded history. also, most remarkably, we have seen no new animal species emerge in domestic breeding. that includes no new species of fruitflies in hundreds of millions of generations in fruitfly studies, where both soft and harsh pressures have been deliberately applied to the fly populations to induce speciation … in the wild, in breeding, and in artificial life, we see the emergence of variation. but by the absence of greater change, we also clearly see that the limits of variation appear to be narrowly bounded, and often bounded within species. 9 in order to demonstrate speciation, fruit flies have been bred for the last 70 years or so. these have constantly been exposed to mutations, yet no evolutionary change has been experienced, and no form of speciation encountered. fruit flies have remained fruit flies. 10 in the same way, experiments and studies on the bacterium escherichia coli down the years have revealed no new bacteria, much less multicellular organisms. e. coli have remained e. coli. 11 however, the difficulties facing evolutionists are not restricted to such observations and experiments : the fossil record also definitively rejects the concept of speciation. there is absolutely no sign in the record of the countless intermediate species that should have once lived according to darwinism. it has now been acknowledged that darwin ' s claim that these fossils would be found in the future is definitely incorrect. evolutionists now offer the excuse that " speciation is so rapid that it cannot be seen in the fossil record " or, to put it more accurately, they attempt to console themselves with that thought. the approximately 300 - millionyear old paraisobuthus ( scorpion ) fossil is identical to the present


is so rapid that it cannot be seen in the fossil record " or, to put it more accurately, they attempt to console themselves with that thought. the approximately 300 - millionyear old paraisobuthus ( scorpion ) fossil is identical to the present - day scorpion. kevin kelly and his book out of control : the new biology of machines, social systems, and the economic world. in brief, subjects such as the origin of species, the emergence of species, and the variety of life cannot be accounted for by natural processes and random effects as maintained by the theory of evolution. moreover, scientific discoveries prove that darwinism is an unscientific and unrealistic theory. a great many scientists today are aware of this. yet, out of a fear of being excluded from the scientific community, very few biologists openly express such views. one of those who do is the well - known professor lynn margulis of the university of massachusetts. margulis states that darwinism ' s claims on this subject are " completely mistaken. " margulis ' s views were also cited in kevin kelly ' s book, out of control : the new biology of machines, social systems and the economic world : " it is totally wrong. it ' s wrong like infectious medicine was wrong before pasteur. it ' s wrong like phrenology is wrong. every major tenet of it is wrong, " said the outspoken biologist lynn margulis about her latest target : the dogma of darwinian evolution. [ with her theses ], margulis was... denouncing the modern framework of the century - old theory of darwinism, which holds that new species build up from an unbroken line of gradual, independent, random variations. margulis is not alone in challenging the stronghold of darwinian theory, but few have been so blunt. 12 david tilman, of the department of ecology, evolution and behavior at the university of minnesota, summed the matter up most appropriately in an article published in nature on may 11, 2000 : " the existence of so great a diversity of species on earth remains a mystery. " 13 the myth of the evolving finches science and creationism says " a particularly compelling example of speciation involves the 13 species of finches studied by darwin on the galapagos islands, now known as darwin ' s finches. " ( science and creationism, p. 10 ) the fact is, however, that darwin ' s finches are an instance not of speciation, but of variation.


the galapagos islands, now known as darwin ' s finches. " ( science and creationism, p. 10 ) the fact is, however, that darwin ' s finches are an instance not of speciation, but of variation. during his trip on the beagle, darwin studied different finch species on the galapagos islands, later attributing the differences in beak size and feeding habits amongst these birds to evolution. thirteen species live on the galapagos islands themselves and one species on cocos island, some 600 kilometers to the northeast. although these birds are classified into 14 different species, they closely resemble one another, possessing similar body shapes, colors, and habits. in science and creationism, it is suggested that these birds evolved from a single species that came from south america. ever since darwin, evolutionists have been portraying these birds as an example of evolution by means of natural selection and the best - known proof of evolution. this chapter will explain that the different species of finch do not represent evidence of evolution, and show how evolutionists attempt to portray them as such by misinterpreting the facts. 14 different species of finch. darwin wrote in his origin of species that the emergence of new species by means of natural selection is a very slow process, which is why it cannot be observed, but only inferred. this, however, was not acceptable to the developing standards of modern science. in order to maintain their claims that the theory of evolution is actually scientific, neo - darwinists began looking for new " proofs. " at this point, the story of the galapagos finches appeared as a savior. these birds thus became the focus of wide - ranging research. a number of evolutionists made statements based on their own observations. in an article in the april 1953 edition of scientific american magazine, the ornithologist david lack claimed that the evolution of the birds on the galapagos had taken place in the recent past, and that this could even be seen as proof of differentiation between species. 14 another evolutionist, peter grant, suggested that the evolution of the galapagos finches was still going on. 15 the names of peter grant and his wife rosemary grant can be found in most articles and writings about the finches in question. in fact, the claims made about the finches in science and creationism are actually based on the grants ' work. these two researchers first went to the galapagos islands in 1973, with the aim of observing the effects of evolution on


question. in fact, the claims made about the finches in science and creationism are actually based on the grants ' work. these two researchers first went to the galapagos islands in 1973, with the aim of observing the effects of evolution on the finches, and carried out detailed studies and observations in the following years. they are thus remembered as experts on darwin ' s finches. 16 peter and rosemary grant ' s errors peter grant and his wife, both from the department of ecology and evolutionary biology at princeton university, studied individual members of the medium ground finch species on the galapagos for years, and regularly monitored some 20, 000 finches across several generations. in addition, the grants and their team constantly measured the amount of rainfall on the islands and studied the effects of different climates on birds. at this point we need to make a brief mention of the climatic conditions on the galapagos islands. generally speaking, the islands enjoy a hot and rainy climate from january to may ; on some islands, a cooler and drier climate prevails. total rainfall levels during the warm and rainy season vary widely from year to year. furthermore, atmospheric events known as " el nino, " which occur at irregular intervals and various intensities every two to 11 years, alter the climatic balances. during times of el nino, an excessive amount of rain falls on the galapagos, while the years which follow are generally dry and rainless. the amount of rain is of vital importance for the finches, which feed on seeds. in years when rain is plentiful, the finches can easily find the seeds they need to grow and reproduce. in years of drought, however, the number of seeds produced by plants is limited and may not be enough ; as a result some finches die of starvation. left, medium ground finch grant and his colleagues measured the rainfall on daphne major, one of the galapagos, as normal in 1976, but as only one - fifth of that level in 1977. in the period of drought which began in the middle of 1976 and lasted until the rain began again in january 1978, they observed a severe drop in the amount of seeds on the island and noticed that a number of ground finches had disappeared — to such an extent, in fact, that the ground finch population fell by 15 % over the preceding year. they assumed that most of the vanished birds had died, and that a few had migrated. grant and his team also recorded that those finches which survived after the drought had rather


, that the ground finch population fell by 15 % over the preceding year. they assumed that most of the vanished birds had died, and that a few had migrated. grant and his team also recorded that those finches which survived after the drought had rather larger bodies and deeper beaks than normal. the average depth of ground finch beaks on the island — in other words, the distance between the top and bottom of the beak at the point where the beak joins the body — was approximately half a millimeter, or 5 %, larger in 1977 compared to 1976. taking this as their starting point, the researchers suggested those finches which fed solely on small seeds were weeded out, while those with beaks capable of breaking and opening larger and harder shells survived. in an article in the journal scientific american published in october 1991, peter grant declared that this research was direct proof of evolution. according to grant, 20 selection events were sufficient to turn the medium ground finch into the large ground finch ; if it is assumed that there is a drought every 10 years, then such a change could happen in as little as 200 years. he maintained that, with the addition of a margin of error, it might take 2, 000 years, but that bearing, in mind the long time the birds had been on the island, even that figure might be too short. a greater period of time was required for natural selection to turn the medium ground finch into the cactus - eating finch. 17 grant renewed his claims in subsequent articles, insisting that finches had verified darwinism and proved that natural selection caused living things to evolve. 18 avıew of the galapagos islands these statements were regarded as a salvation in evolutionist circles : the theory of evolution by natural selection, which had always failed in experiments and observations, was portrayed as having been proved. grant ' s research was the theme of jonathan weiner ' s pulitzer prize – winning book the beak of the finch. with this book, peter and rosemary grant were made the icons of darwinism. it is true that professor grant and his team put in a lot of work in the galapagos islands. yet, for some reason their care and attention in the field were not reflected when it came to analyzing their results. they made a serious error by evaluating their discoveries not in the light of science, but in that of their evolutionist preconceptions. let us now consider the evolutionists ' errors on this subject, especially those of professor grant and the national academy of sciences. the error of extrapolating


not in the light of science, but in that of their evolutionist preconceptions. let us now consider the evolutionists ' errors on this subject, especially those of professor grant and the national academy of sciences. the error of extrapolating the change in finches ' beaks as we have already made clear, el nino affects the western regions of north and south america once every few years, and there is heavy rainfall in the galapagos islands at such times. this leads to luxurious plant growth and abundant seeds. finches are thus easily able to obtain the seeds they need. their numbers therefore increase during rainy periods. grant and his colleagues witnessed just such a situation in 1982 - 1983. with the rain there was an abundance of seeds, and the beak size in medium ground finches returned to its previous value to before the drought of 1977. this astonished evolutionists, who were expecting regular growth in beak size. the explanation for the change in the average size of the galapagos finches ' beaks is this : in years of drought when seeds are scarce birds with beaks slightly larger than the average are able to use these more powerful beaks to open the remaining hard and large seeds. weak individuals and finches with small beaks die off since they are unable to adapt to the prevailing conditions. in this way, the average beak size goes up. during periods of heavy rain, when small and soft seeds are plentiful, the situation is reversed. under these conditions, those finches with small beaks are able to adapt to the prevailing conditions, and their numbers rise. the average beak size thus returns to normal. peter grant and his student lisle gibbs actually accepted this in an article published in nature magazine in 1987. 19 in short, the findings show that there is no such thing as evolutionary change. average beak size sometimes rises above a fixed value according to the seasons and sometimes falls — in other words, it fluctuates. as a result, there is no directional change. danny faulkner, a professor of astronomy and physics from the university of south carolina, says that this fluctuation in beak size is no evidence for evolution : and so if you have supposed microevolution one direction and then later it reverts right back to where it started from, that ' s not evolution, it can ' t be. 22 therefore, any increase or reduction in the size of finches ' beaks depending on food resources proves nothing in regard to evolution. evolutionists ' belief that they have found proof


from, that ' s not evolution, it can ' t be. 22 therefore, any increase or reduction in the size of finches ' beaks depending on food resources proves nothing in regard to evolution. evolutionists ' belief that they have found proof of evolution in the oscillation in finch beak sizes is a purely ideological one. grant and his team analyzed thousands of ground finches ( geospiza fortis ) from the 1970s until the 1990s and found no tendency towards either a net increase or reduction in beak size. moreover, no new species or feature appeared, and there was no change in any specific direction. this is what the observations show. the duty of an objective scientist is to report these facts without distorting them or engaging in speculation. it is unacceptable to exaggerate this phenomenon or distort its meaning solely for the sake of producing evidence for evolution. yet, professor grant made a totally contradictory analysis, claiming a phenomenon he did not observe — namely, that a species of finch could turn into another species in as little as from 200 to 2, 000 years, and thus casting a shadow over his entire study. as the biologist dr. jonathan wells puts it, this is " exaggerating the evidence. " 23 wells states that darwinists frequently resort to such methods and cites examples of statements in science and creationism, saying : it is astonishing that an institution such as the national academy of sciences, which claims to be scientifically trustworthy, would perpetrate such a deception in order to provide evidence for evolution in finches and for natural selection in general. in this regard, professor phillip johnson of the university of california at berkeley says the following in an article on the subject in the wall street journal : when our leading scientists have to resort to the sort of distortion that would land a stock promoter in jail, you know they are in trouble. 25 to sum up, this story of the galapagos finches, which is claimed to be one of " the most impressive examples of evolution by natural selection, " is in fact a clear case of deception. it is also one of hundreds of examples showing that evolutionists will resort to all kinds of unscientific methods. 10. gordon r. taylor, the great evolution mystery, new york : harper & row, 1983, p. 48 ; michael pitman, adam and evolution, london : river publishing, 1984, p. 70 ; jeremy rifkin, algeny, new york : viking press, 1983, p. 134. 11. pierre -


james augustin brown scherer ( aka james a. b. scherer ) was born in salisbury, north carolina on may 22, 1870 to the rev. simeon scherer and harriet isabella brown. after earning his bachelor ' s degree from roanoke college, scherer accepted a position teaching english at the japanese imperial government school in saga, japan. while serving in this post, he met bessie brown, a native of yamaguchi, japan, whom he wed on july 5, 1894. he also began a lifelong interest in the japanese people and culture. scherer returned to the united states with his new wife the following year, and went on to complete both his master ' s and doctoral diplomas at pennsylvania college in 1897. scherer ' s work as an educator and administrator began in earnest when he took his first teaching position as a professor of history at the lutheran seminary at charleston, s. c. after seven years teaching, nearby newberry college offered its vacant presidency to scherer and he accepted. in 1908, scherer came west to head the throop polytechnic institute. throop ' s board of trustees knew of scherer ' s aptitude for organization and fundraising and hired him although had little scientific background or training. scherer reorganized throop into a west coast center of science and an academic powerhouse - renaming it the california institute of technology in the process - the following year. when the united states entered world war i in 1917, scherer volunteered to serve as the chief field agent for the state councils ' section of the council of national defense. in the summer of 1918, scherer abruptly quit his post when secretary of war newton baker ordered him to cease his criticism of william randolph hearst ' s newspapers, which scherer had felt harbored pro - german sentiments. though he remained on as a special representative of the united states shipping board, scherer resigned his primary post on the grounds that baker ' s orders infringed on his rights to free speech. in 1920, scherer retired from caltech and spent six years traveling the nation and writing. during this period, he produced a number of books on the history of california. on his return, he became director of the southwest history museum at los angeles. he continued in this position until 1931, when he made a final voyage to japan. during these five years, scherer wrote six books on the japanese, which garnered him the imperial order of the sacred treasure - an extraordinary honor


at los angeles. he continued in this position until 1931, when he made a final voyage to japan. during these five years, scherer wrote six books on the japanese, which garnered him the imperial order of the sacred treasure - an extraordinary honor - from emperor hirohito in 1937. true to his convictions regarding his freedom of speech, however, scherer returned the medal to the japanese government a year later when it suppressed his indictment of japanese imperialism in japan defies the world ( 1938 ). during world war ii, scherer again offered his services to the war effort. after the entrance of the united states into the war in december 1941, the office of war information ( owi ) capitalized scherer ' s fluency in the japanese language and his familiarity with the japanese people, and had the former university president send out bi - weekly short - wave broadcasts across the pacific ocean. once again, scherer found his participation in the war effort cut short, due not to political disagreements, but to ailing health. scherer never lived to see the rapprochement between the united states and japan. he passed away at his home in santa monica of a heart defect in february 1944. scope and content the bulk of the collection centers on scherer ' s work with the council of national defense during the first world war. there are two and half boxes of documents which had been previously collected in two large volumes. the original arrangement ( by date ) has been retained for both collections ( labeled " bulletins " and " general letters " respectively ) in cataloged form. the " general letters " collection is the most extensive ; it comprises the entirety of box 2 and the first half of box 3. in some cases - due to the similarity of their subject material - two or more consecutive listings in the index have been cataloged together in one folder. there are two smaller collections labeled " noteworthy activities undertaken by state councils " and " i. c. a. circulars. " these two smaller document collections have their own folders in box 3. all four contain an index - those for the two still - bound collections list the bulletins in the reverse order of their appearance. the two large volumes have been cataloged in the order listed in their indexes. the collection also has one box of semi - cataloged manuscripts, correspondence, and ephemera. in addition to directives on the formation of community - level patriotic organizations and meetings, americanization programs, and fuel and food conservation for the