cambyses ii was the son of cyrus the great and king of persia from 530 bce to 522 bce. it was quite natural that, after cyrus had conquered the middle east, cambyses should undertake the conquest of egypt, the only remaining independent state in that part of the world. before he set out on his expedition, he killed his brother bardiya ( smerdis ), whom cyrus had appointed governor of the eastern provinces. in the decisive battle at pelusium the egyptian army was defeated, and shortly afterwards memphis was taken. the captive king psammetichus was executed, having attempted a rebellion. the egyptian inscriptions show that cambyses officially adopted the titles and the costume of the pharaohs. his forces invaded the kingdom of kush without any breakthrough successes. another expedition against the siwa oasis failed likewise. cambyses ii ' s plan of attacking carthage was frustrated by the refusal of the phoenicians to operate against their kindred. according to herodotus 3. 26, cambyses sent an army to threaten the oracle of amun at the siwa oasis. the army of 50, 000 men was halfway across the desert when a massive sandstorm sprang up, burying them all. meanwhile in persia a man was trying to steal the throne, he shared the same name as cambyses ' brother, smerdis, although it was later claimed by darius, after he had killed him and claimed the throne for himself, that this was not in fact the genuine smerdis but an impostor, a magian named gaumata, smerdis having been murdered some three years previously. according to his successor darius, cambyses felt that victory was impossible and committed suicide. according to herodotus, he died of an injury while mounting his horse on the way back to persia. donate and help us! we ' re a non - profit organisation and we need your help! this website costs money and research material isn ' t cheap either. we are supported only by our donors. please consider donating ; even small amounts help. thank you! are you qualified to peer review ancient history information? apply now and help provide quality ancient history information on the web! currently there are no illustrations for cambyses ii, but you can help and upload an illustration. you might also find the following pages interesting...


mustela altaica is found in mountains of asia, from russian central asia to korea to northern india. the mountain weasel lives chiefly in mountains at elevations up to 3, 500 m or more. it may be found in mixed taiga, highland steppes, or above timberline among heaps of stones however, observations suggest this species may be able to live in a larger range of habitats ( sand dunes, among reeds, etc ). it may live near human habitations and nests in rock crevices, among tree roots, or in burrow of rodents. ( novikov, 1962 ) m. altaica generally resembles m. sibiricus but is smaller, with shorter fur, and a less luxuriant tail. males exhibit head and body length of 22 to 29 cm, with the tail adding 11 to 15 cm. males can weigh from 217 to 350 g. females measure 22 to 25 cm, with tails of 9 to 12 cm. they weigh from 122 to 220 g. this species undergoes spring and autumn molts. the winter coat is dark yellowish to ruddy brown on the back, with pale yellow to creamy white on throat and belly. the upper head between the muzzle and ears is usually darker gray - brown. the tail may be more rufous than the back. the summer fur is gray to gray - brown with some light yellow. the lips of these weasles are white, and the chin has grayish - brown to whitish vibrissae. although the mating system of m. altaica has not been described, other species of the genus are typically polygynous. males are known to compete for access to females, and some of their fights can be severe. based upon the large size dimorphism in m. altaica, it is reasonable to assume that the same mating system prevails. ( nowak, 1999 ) according to observations in kazakhstan, mating occurs in february or march. young are seen at the beginning of may. gestation lasts 30 - 49 days. the variablility reported for the length of gestation may be due to delayed implantation of fertilized eggs - - a feature common in other members of the genus. litters are 1 - 8 young. lactation lasts 2 months, following which young begin to lead independent lives, but remain together with litter mates until fall. although the timing of reproductive maturity in this species has not been reported, it is likely that like other members of the genus, young are able to breed in the following season


young begin to lead independent lives, but remain together with litter mates until fall. although the timing of reproductive maturity in this species has not been reported, it is likely that like other members of the genus, young are able to breed in the following season, when they are just under a year of age. ( novikov, 1962 ; nowak, 1999 ) mustelids are born helpless, with eyes closed and fur not well developed. these altricial young are carred for in a burrow by the mother. longevity hs not been reported for this species, but for similarly sized members of the genus mustela, there is very little variation in longevity. these animals live between 7 and 10 years. it is reasonable to assume a simlilar lifespan for m. altaica. ( nowak, 1999 ) mountain weasels are chiefly nocturnal, but occasionally hunt during the day. they are very quick and agile, able to swim and climb as well as run. when faced with danger, these animals may make loud chirring sounds and eject a strong - smelling secretion from their anal glands. infomration on the sociality of this species is not available, but most members of the genus are relatively solitary, except for mating and for the continued assoication of littermates until the end of their first summer. ( novikov, 1962 ) the home range size for these animals is not known. communication has not been described for this species. however, as mustelids go, communication typically involves a variety of forms. vocalizations are made when animals are threatened. tactile communication occurs between rival males, between mates, and between a mother and her offspring. chemical communication occurs in all of the stinky mustelids. there is probably also some visual communication, as these animals do have fairly good vision. voles and pikas form a major portion of the mountain weasel ' s carnivorious diet. these animals may also capture muskrats, ground squirrels, young rabbits, small birds, lizards ( during summer months ), and to a lesser extent frogs, fish, and insects. m. altaica has also been observed to eat juniper berries in some regions. observations in capativity suggest daily requirements of flesh are 45 - 54 g ( 3 - 4 domestic mice ) in an adult male, though it may kill considerably more in the wild. when rodents abound, these animals are thought to eat only the blood and brain. ( novikov, 1962 ) predators for these animals have not been reported.


domestic mice ) in an adult male, though it may kill considerably more in the wild. when rodents abound, these animals are thought to eat only the blood and brain. ( novikov, 1962 ) predators for these animals have not been reported. mustelids in general are very fierce, and might not be a good choice of prey for terrestrial mammalian predators, which could expect these weasles to put up a good fight. primary predators are probably avian, such as owls and hawks. as a predatory species, m. altaica probably plays an important role in regulating the populations of small mammals, such as mice and voles. mountain weasles are considered beneficial in agricultural areas because they exterminate rodents which can be agricultural pests. some trade of fur occurs, but pelts have low trade value and thus are of not much commercial importance. the fur is usually dyed. ( novikov, 1962 ; nowak, 1999 ) this species may occasionally attack domestic fowl when found near human habitation. ( novikov, 1962 ) with several known subspecies, and a very broad range, these animals are not currently a conservation concern. some populations of the mountain weasel are subject to extreme fluctuations, apparently depending on food conditions. mass mortality may occur due to unknown diseases and fires. ( stroganov, 1969 ) nancy shefferly ( editor ), animal diversity web. ellen sherrill ( author ), humboldt state university, brian arbogast ( editor ), humboldt state university. living in the northern part of the old world. in otherwords, europe and asia and northern africa. uses sound to communicate living in landscapes dominated by human agriculture. young are born in a relatively underdeveloped state ; they are unable to feed or care for themselves or locomote independently for a period of time after birth / hatching. in birds, naked and helpless after hatching. having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror - image halves. animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. synapomorphy of the bilateria. an animal that mainly eats meat uses smells or other chemicals to communicate active at dawn and dusk in mammals, a condition in which a fertilized egg reaches the uterus but delays its implantation in the uterine lining, sometimes for several months. in deserts low ( less than 30 cm per year ) and unpredictable rainfall results in landscapes dominated by plants and animals adapted to aridity


fertilized egg reaches the uterus but delays its implantation in the uterine lining, sometimes for several months. in deserts low ( less than 30 cm per year ) and unpredictable rainfall results in landscapes dominated by plants and animals adapted to aridity. vegetation is typically sparse, though spectacular blooms may occur following rain. deserts can be cold or warm and daily temperates typically fluctuate. in dune areas vegetation is also sparse and conditions are dry. this is because sand does not hold water well so little is available to plants. in dunes near seas and oceans this is compounded by the influence of salt in the air and soil. salt limits the ability of plants to take up water through their roots. animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. endothermy is a synapomorphy of the mammalia, although it may have arisen in a ( now extinct ) synapsid ancestor ; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. convergent in birds. union of egg and spermatozoan forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality. an animal that eats mainly insects or spiders. fertilization takes place within the female ' s body offspring are produced in more than one group ( litters, clutches, etc. ) and across multiple seasons ( or other periods hospitable to reproduction ). iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons ( or periodic condition changes ). having the capacity to move from one place to another. this terrestrial biome includes summits of high mountains, either without vegetation or covered by low, tundra - like vegetation. the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic. active during the night having more than one female as a mate at one time an animal that mainly eats blood breeding is confined to a particular season remains in the same area reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female associates with others of its species ; forms social groups. uses touch to communicate coniferous or boreal forest, located in a band across northern north america, europe, and asia. this terrestrial biome also occurs at high elevations. long, cold winters and short, wet summers. few species of trees are present ; these are primarily conifers that grow in dense stands with little undergrowth. some deciduous trees also may be present. that region of the earth between 23. 5 degrees north


cold winters and short, wet summers. few species of trees are present ; these are primarily conifers that grow in dense stands with little undergrowth. some deciduous trees also may be present. that region of the earth between 23. 5 degrees north and 60 degrees north ( between the tropic of cancer and the arctic circle ) and between 23. 5 degrees south and 60 degrees south ( between the tropic of capricorn and the antarctic circle ). living on the ground. a terrestrial biome with low, shrubby or mat - like vegetation found at extremely high latitudes or elevations, near the limit of plant growth. soils usually subject to permafrost. plant diversity is typically low and the growing season is short. uses sight to communicate reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female. macdonald,, d. 1984. encyclopedia of mammals. new york, new york, usa : facts on file, inc. novikov, g. 1962. carnivorous mammals of the fauna of the ussr. jerusalem, israel : ipst press. nowak, r. 1999. walker ' s mammals of the world. baltimore, maryland, usa : johns hopkins university press. stroganov, s. 1969. carnivorous mammals of siberia. jerusalem, israel : ipst press.


december 20, 2012 friends of the earth malaysia ( foem ) known as sahabat alam malaysia ( sam ), an environmental organization based in penang, malaysia wishes to draw your attention to the second greatest threat to wild birds. thousands of migrating birds are killed each year from collisions with windows in the soaring glass towers of new york city, toronto, manhattan, and even windows of homes situated along the migratory routes. these conditions warrant concern from everyone. the use of clear or reflective panes of glass or plastic that are used in the windows of human dwellings and other buildings and as noise barriers along roadways are passive invisible killers of wild birds worldwide. buildings that have glass facades disorient the birds by reflecting the surrounding trees. perceiving the reflection as habitat, birds zoom at it full throttle, with no knowledge of the danger. the result is fatal or injurious collisions when the birds attempt to reach illusory habitats or sky reflected in the glass surface. glass is an indiscriminate killer to bird species. the dead and dying birds of glass accidents are most often hidden from view in vegetation surrounding human dwellings. they are either killed outright, injured and struggling to recover, or quickly taken by predators or scavengers. birds that are killed striking glass, from a few to hundreds at any one site, usually go unnoticed or are ignored. glass casualties have been recorded all over the world from windowpanes of all sizes, in residential homes, and single or multi - story buildings. given the invisible nature of the hazard, fatal collisions are predicted to occur whenever birds and glass coexist. the resulting unintended mortality is particularly devastating, because all free flying species from all over the world are vulnerable - the common as well as the rare, threatened and endangered. ornithologist daniel klem of muhlenberg college in allentown, pennsylvania noted that collision victims succumb from head trauma that results in brain swelling, intracranial pressure, cranial herniation, and breaking of the blood - brain barrier, not from the often - assumed “ broken neck ”. klem published estimates of the annual toll exacted on birds in the u. s. alone range from 100 million to 1 billion based on the assumption that one bird is killed per building per year. the 57 year - old ornithologist states, " glass is one of the world ' s great bird killers, " a killer that is rivalled only by habitat destruction, and perhaps cats. approximately 225 species ( 25 %


building per year. the 57 year - old ornithologist states, " glass is one of the world ' s great bird killers, " a killer that is rivalled only by habitat destruction, and perhaps cats. approximately 225 species ( 25 % ) of birds in the united states and canada have been documented striking windows. the species not recorded as window - kills are those that typically do not have habitats near human dwellings. the sex, age, or resident status of a bird in any locale has little influence on their vulnerability to windows. there is no seasons, times of day, and almost no weather conditions during which these birds elude glass. the window hazard is likely to increase for resident and migrant birds, as increased undisturbed habitat is modified by human development and the construction of new buildings contain large expanses of glass. in addition, commercial growth stimulated by economic interests show the return of human population migrating towards rural areas, which results in increased land development and an increased threat for birds. bird casualties at residences and well - known commercial sites are substantial, foreseeable, and avoidable, and it is only right that birds merit protection from sheet glass and plastic at these locations. foem / sam calls for dedicated educational efforts and additional research to inform and convince more of the avian conservation community, building industry professionals, and the public that sheet glass and plastic has a devastating effect on bird populations. these enormous sources of mortality must be addressed in a much more active and effective way. the design and construction of so - called “ green buildings ” should not be considered “ green ” if birds are dying by flying into its windows. no matter how many recyclable materials, energy conserving features, or erosion controls a building possesses, every attempt should be made to encourage and convince architects and building professionals to incorporate bird safe glass and bird - safe architectural and landscape designs into the leadership in energy and environmental design ( leed ) best practices and certification. a concerted effort in education programs is needed to inform the public, the government, non - profit conservation community, builders, glass manufacturers, architects, developers, and landscape planners that, apart from habitat destruction, the lethal toll attributable to sheet glass is equal to, or possibly even greater than, any other human - related avian mortality factor. we appeal to you to write to your town councils, ornithologists, avian conservationists, builders, architects, and property owners to work together in the effort to protect our birds from the unintended and


development of accurate and representative food composition data for the u. s. food supply location : nutrient data title : flavonones in oranges and their near relatives : tangerines / mandarins, tangors, and tangelos submitted to : journal of food composition and analysis publication type : peer reviewed journal publication acceptance date : february 28, 2006 publication date : june 6, 2006 citation : peterson, j., beecher, g. r., bhagwat, s. a., dwyer, j., eldridge, a., gebhardt, s. e., haytowitz, d. b., holden, j. m. flavonones in oranges and their near relatives : tangerines / mandarins, tangors, and tangelos. journal of food composition and analysis. 19 : s66 - s73. interpretive summary : consumption of citrus fruits may be associated with lower risk of colorectal, esophageal, and stomach cancers and may also improve blood profiles. citrus flavanones ( a subclass of flavonoids ) that consist > 90 % of total flavonoids in citrus may be involved in these beneficial health effects. oranges, sweet and sour, and tangerines ( mandarins ) belong to the different species of the genus citrus and tangors and tangelos are hybrids of these species. analytical data on flavonoids were collected form literature dating from 1968 to 1998 and flavanone profiles of these citrus fruits were prepared. sour oranges had the highest amount of total flavanones ( 48 mg / 100g ). their profile was dominated by the flavanones naringin and neohesperdin that contain sugar, neohesperidose, which has tangy or bitter taste. sweet oranges, tangerines and tangors had similar profiles that were dominated by hesperidin and narirutin flavanones that contain sugar, rutinose, which has a neutral taste. total flavanones in this group were ~ 20 mg / 100g. tangelos were place between these two groups with total flavanones ( 30 mg / 100g ) and flavanone profile that had a mixture of four flavanones of the two groups. the database provides information on several varieties of citrus and eight flavanone compounds and will help in investigating relationship between intake of flavanones and disease risk


##none profile that had a mixture of four flavanones of the two groups. the database provides information on several varieties of citrus and eight flavanone compounds and will help in investigating relationship between intake of flavanones and disease risk. consumption of citrus fruits may be associated with lower risk of colorectal, esophageal, and stomach cancers and may also improve blood profiles. flavanones constitute the vast majority of all flavonoids in citrus fruits such as sweet ( citrus sinensis ) and sour oranges ( c. aurantium ) and their near relatives - tangerines / mandarins ( c. reticulata ), tangors, and tangelos and may be responsible for the beneficial health effects. the relevant chemical analytic literature ( 1968 - 1998 ) was researched, abstracted, documented, standardized, examined for quality, enumerated and summarized in a database for these citrus flavanones : hesperidin, naringin, narirutin, eriocitrin, neohesperidin, didymin, neoeriocitrin, and poncirin. sour oranges had a distinct flavanone profile dominated by naringin and neohesperidin, and were highest in total flavanones ( 48 mg / 100g ). total flavanones in sweet oranges, tangerines, and tangors were similar ( ~ 20 mg / 100g ), and hesperidin and narirutin dominated the flavanone profile for these three fruits. total flavanones in tangelos ( 30 mg / 100g ) were midway between sour and sweet oranges and tangelo flavanones profile exhibited characteristics of both species. the database provides information on several varieties of citrus and eight flavanone compounds and will help in investigating relationship between intake of flavanones and disease risk.


a large part of the division for planetary science conference ' s second day ( back on october 11th ) was devoted to studies of the largest satellite of saturn, titan. for this report, i am going to focus on the studies of the features that have been interpreted as hydrocarbon lakes. they were originally discovered through the cassini orbiter ' s synthetic aperture radar observations. the features reflected the radar signals extremely poorly and, as a result, appeared as dark patches in those radar images. this sort of signature indicates that the surface being observed is extremely flat, consistent with a calm liquid surface. the outlines of these areas are also very reminiscent of shore lines — some are even accompanied by what appear to be drainage channels — and the climatic conditions at their sites allow the presence of liquid methane and ethane. thus, the radar - dark features near the north pole have been interpreted as liquid - filled depressions, similar to what we call " lakes " on earth. however, a calm liquid surface is not the only possible scenario that fits the radar image of the features. for example, depressions filled with fine loose particles ( which we would call sand on earth ) could appear dark in radar signature. although the climatology of the polar region makes this scenario unlikely, there has been no direct confirmation that these radar - dark patches are indeed filled with liquid, and researchers continue to study the properties of the features we have been calling the " lakes " to see what they really are. specifically, titan researchers have been searching for signs of specular reflections of sunlight off of the lakes ' surface, which would constitute undisputable evidence that those features are indeed filled with liquid. so far, however, no such reflections have been observed. even if the lakes are actually filled with liquid, the absence of specular reflections is not particularly surprising because titan ' s atmosphere contains a very thick layer of haze, which blocks most direct sunlight. scientists have been looking for reflections in the spectral windows of titan ' s atmosphere, where some wavelengths of light penetrate down to the surface, but they still have not spotted anything. this could be either because we have not observed the lakes from the right angle to see the reflections, or perhaps because the lakes are not filled with liquid. specular reflection on earth, seen on my way home from the conference. specular reflection is a very powerful effect — notice that the bright reflected sun dominates the image even though water covers a very small portion of it. the image also illustrates the importance of the viewing angle ; the river spans the entire


home from the conference. specular reflection is a very powerful effect — notice that the bright reflected sun dominates the image even though water covers a very small portion of it. the image also illustrates the importance of the viewing angle ; the river spans the entire width of the image but only a small section shows specular reflection. the latest results presented at the conference drew a very mixed picture. first, roger clark of us geological survey presented an analysis that indicated the lakes must be, at most, several millimeters deep to be consistent with the spectrum obtained using cassini ' s visual and infrared mapping spectrometer ( vims ) instrument. he used the spectral characteristics of liquid hydrocarbons to show that vims spectral coverage can measure the depth of lakes up to tens of centimeters before things get too deep ; the liquid hydrocarbon at the sites of the " lakes " seem to be much shallower. while clark hinted that this result makes the feature more similar to mudflats or playas on earth, he also pointed out there could be something floating on the surface of the lakes that could mask any deep layer of liquid underneath. as the density of liquid hydrocarbons is very low, it is unclear what can float on a liquid body of this sort. next, jason barnes of the university of idaho pointed out that the lakes appear the same regardless of the direction of sunlight or the angle of observation. this is a bit of a puzzle, since the spectrum of light scattered by any material usually appear different depending on the geometry of the illumination and the observation. barnes explained this by proposing that the uniform appearance of the lakes is the product of titan ' s atmosphere. since titan is completely covered by a thick layer of haze that scatters sunlight, the surface is illuminated evenly from all angles. we experience the same effect when it is cloudy on earth ; even though there is plenty of light during the day, there are no shadows cast on the ground because the clouds scatter sunlight and create a uniform illumination. thus, if the light given off from the surface of titan ' s lakes is a reflection of the hazy sky, it will appear the same regardless of the observation geometry. barnes also presented many images that show geological features around the lakes that suggest that the depth of lakes has varied in the recent past, perhaps indicating seasonal changes in their levels. another presentation by jason soderblom of the university of arizona showed that the lakes ' surfaces are extremely poor reflectors of light when observed in the 5 - micron spectral window using the vims instrument.


perhaps indicating seasonal changes in their levels. another presentation by jason soderblom of the university of arizona showed that the lakes ' surfaces are extremely poor reflectors of light when observed in the 5 - micron spectral window using the vims instrument. his observations indicate that the lakes ' surfaces reflect no detectable light — he places an upper limit of one percent reflectivity based on the sensitivity of the data. his observations also detect no scattering or specular reflection of sunlight. soderblom argues that this is consistent with an extremely smooth surface, like that of quiescent liquid, in which sunlight reflects only in one direction and the specular reflection can be seen only from a very narrow range of observation angles. in short, one analysis says there is almost no liquid on the surface of those lakes, another shows the depth of the lakes has varied recently and suggests that the hazy sky is reflected on the lake surfaces, while another says there is no light reflecting from the lakes ' surfaces. it is unclear whether there is a scenario that consistently explains all existing observational data, including those presented at the meeting. this situation nicely illustrates a real scientific process, directed towards understanding what makes things appear and behave the way they do. as scientists, we focus on things we cannot explain and try to draw a picture that ' s consistent with everything we know — in fact, even though the three studies presented above may seem to contradict each other, the three presenters are co - authors on each other ' s studies. to be sure, the prevailing interpretation in the field remains that those " lakes " are indeed liquid - filled depressions on the ground ; there remain some things that still need to be explained before we draw any final conclusions. the scientific process is still very much ongoing, so stay tuned for future updates!


california | local july 15, 1999 buckeyballs, spheres of pure carbon shaped like a soccer ball, have been found in a piece of the allende meteorite that landed in mexico in 1969 - - the first evidence that the exotic molecules can be found in nature. the spheres, named after buckminster fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome, were first synthesized in chemistry labs in 1985. the new finding, reported in today ' s nature, confirms speculation that they might be found in space. may 7, 1999 | pharmaceutical researchers have found the first simple molecule that, given by mouth, can mimic the action of insulin in diabetics, a discovery that could eventually free millions of people from the burden of injecting insulin two or more times a day. isolated from a fungus growing on the leaves of a plant collected outside kinshasa, congo, the chemical controls blood glucose levels in mice specially bred to develop diabetes, the team reports in today ' s science. california | local april 21, 1999 what do peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cars and cds have in common? they are all made of atoms and molecules. everything in the universe is made of these things. want to learn more about the building blocks of our universe? use the direct links on the times launch point web site, http : / / latimes. com / launchpoint / level 1 hypermedia textbook ( water, matter and energy, atoms and molecules ) : what happens to the molecules in water when water becomes an ice cube? december 18, 1998 | researchers have identified a molecule that plays a key role in causing asthma symptoms, a finding that could lead to new treatments for the disorder that affects 15 million americans. march 3, 1998 | scientists have altered a gene in rats ' livers by injecting a " repairman " molecule into the animals ' bloodstreams. the technique might lead to an eventual cure for hemophilia and some other inherited diseases in people. the startling thing was how well it worked, scientists said. the treatment produced a specific change in about 40 % of the rat liver ' s supply of the targeted gene. january 16, 1998 | casting a shadow of doubt over the most dramatic and contentious scientific claim in memory - - that fossil life forms were found on a meteorite from mars - - two new studies suggest that organic molecules on the famous rock were actually picked up on earth. the highly charged debate over the true nature of the submicroscopic fossils is far from settled, however. october 24, 1997 |


##ite from mars - - two new studies suggest that organic molecules on the famous rock were actually picked up on earth. the highly charged debate over the true nature of the submicroscopic fossils is far from settled, however. october 24, 1997 | researchers have identified a natural molecule that prevents hiv from infecting cells, a basic discovery they say could lead eventually to powerful new types of aids drugs or even a vaccine. the molecule, discovered by a team led by famed aids researcher robert c. gallo, works against hiv by physically blocking the portal used by the virus to invade lymphocytes and other types of blood cells. september 20, 1997 | of all chemist michael sailor ' s many prestigious awards, the one that probably describes him best is the small stuffed lamb that sits atop a file cabinet in his office at uc san diego. it was given to him by colleagues after his first year of graduate work in 1984 - - the prize for " best new researcher under the mental age of 3. " a quick scan of his office shows that nothing much has changed. there ' s a fierce warrior remote - controlled car ( black with orange flames ), a gum ball machine, mr. july 11, 1997 | the stocky big - game hunters known as neanderthals who lived during the last ice age did not evolve into modern humans, nor did the two groups intermarry and have surviving children - - even though they apparently roamed prehistoric europe and asia together for thousands of years, an international research team reported thursday. california | local march 20, 1997 | japanese scientists say that by delving inside a cell membrane they have found the world ' s tiniest natural motor. the protein molecule, called f1 - atpase, rotated with an incredible force, and they were able to videotape the motion. " we now show that a single molecule of f1 - atpase acts as a rotary motor, the smallest known, by direct observation of its motion, " a team at the tokyo institute of technology reported in the march 20 issue of the journal nature.


chennai : fish scales and sheep fur could soon help restore vision. researchers at sankara nethralaya, a leading chennai - based eye hospital, along with scientists in central leather research institute, have developed a protein from scales and fur that can be used as a scaffold for stem cell therapy that has the potential to reverse at least 40 % of preventable blindness cases. chemical or fire injuries, long term use of contact lens or even allergic reactions can lead to depletion of vital stem cells in eyes. these cells dwell in the limbus, which lies between the cornea and the sclera, the white layer of the eyeball. damage to limbal stem cells can severely impair vision. " most often stem cell therapy is the only hope, ' ' said dr lingam gopal, director ( research ), sankara nethralaya. " such patients are taken for limbal stem cells transplantation, which ensure that vision is restored. the source of stem cells can be the patient ' s other eye, a live donor ( usually siblings / parents ) or cadavers. but these cells cannot be injected directly into the eye for two reasons. first, they should have a convenient environment that will help them live and multiply. second, they could be washed away if they do not have a scaffold to hold them together, ' ' said dr gopal. the conventional way of culturing the stem cells in a laboratory is to grow them on a human amniotic membrane, a thin membrane found in the placenta. but scientists are not very comfortable using a human membrane — there are chances of stem cells getting infected or contracting some unknown disease. " besides bio - safety, there were other problems, ' ' says dr s krishna kumar, director of nano - biotechnology at the hospital. " there is variation in the quality of the product from batch to batch. doctors found the tensile strength was too low. they also found that in some cases the clarity was not good and in some, the process even left a scar in the cornea, ' ' he said. that ' s when his team — including sasi rekha krishnan, a phd student — decided to work on alternative collagen scaffolds. they began their work with funds from directorate of science and technology. " even as we started the search, we were discouraged from using the bovine scaffolds, because of fear of infections such as mad cow disease and foot & mouth disease. we wanted something that is available


to identify relevant scientific studies on the effects of each intervention to include on the asat website, a search was conducted of standard databases of published research in medicine ( medline ), psychology ( psycinfo ), and education ( eric ). in addition, previous reviews of research on autism interventions were consulted, including educating children with autism ( national research council, 2001 ) and reports from the cochrane database of systematic reviews. practice guidelines developed by organizations such as the american academy of pediatrics and the american speech and hearing association also were inspected. finally, writings by the developers of each intervention, either in printed media or on the worldwide web, were examined. research studies were evaluated based on criteria developed by the clinical psychology division of the american psychological association ( chambless et al., 1996 ). summaries of the research were sent to anonymous reviewers for feedback prior to being posted on this website. the summaries are intended to provide a brief overview of the evidence on an intervention, rather than to describe each individual study in detail or to list every individual report on an intervention. the american psychological association criteria focus on studies that have been published in peer - reviewed journals. in such journals, the editor receives research reports from authors and sends the report to several experts, whose identities are usually withheld from the authors of the report so that they can give honest feedback. the experts scrutinize the adequacy of the research methodology, soundness of the conclusions, and contribution to scientific knowledge. the editor uses the expert feedback to make a recommendation for or against publishing the report and passes along the comments and recommendation to the authors. while not a perfect process, peer review increases the likelihood that published reports are reliable and useful sources of information. many autism treatments, however, do not receive this kind of review and are instead publicized in sources such as the popular media, websites, advertisements, and workshops. peer - reviewed reports are generally much more trustworthy than reports in the popular media and are emphasized in the research reviews on the asat website. the american psychological association criteria take into account two kinds of research designs : between - group and single - subject studies. in one between - group approach, called the randomized clinical trial ( rct ), participants are randomly assigned to two or more groups. one group receives the treatment, and the other is untreated ( or receives an alternate treatment ) ; then the outcomes of each group are statistically compared. this design has yielded strong evidence for the efficacy of some interventions, such as


more groups. one group receives the treatment, and the other is untreated ( or receives an alternate treatment ) ; then the outcomes of each group are statistically compared. this design has yielded strong evidence for the efficacy of some interventions, such as the use of the medication risperidone to reduce aggression ( mccracken et al., 2002 ), which is a problem for some ( but not all ) individuals with asd. the design also has been used to show that some interventions are ineffective. for example, 14 rcts evaluated injections of secretin, which is a hormone that aids with digestion and which was proposed as a possible cure for asd. because none of the studies detected a benefit from secretin ( williams, wray, & wheeler, 2005 ), researchers now consider this intervention to be discredited. quasi - experimental designs, in which groups are matched on relevant pretreatment variables but are not randomly assigned to groups, are often used because of the ethical and practical difficulties of conducting random assignment for a treatment as lengthy and complex as early, intensive aba. this design also can yield important evidence of efficacy of an intervention. such studies ( e. g., lovaas, 1987 ) involve comparisons of children who received this intervention to similar children who received other services, with assignment determined on the basis of factors such as therapist availability ( e. g., whether there are qualified therapists who have openings to start early, intensive aba with a new child ). however, rcts are still needed to confirm the results of quasi - experiments. single - case designs compare a baseline phase in which an individual receives no treatment to one or more intervention phases in which the individual does receive treatment. data are collected continuously on the outcome measure. consistent improvement on the outcome measure during intervention relative to baseline indicates that the treatment was effective for that individual. many aba teaching methods have been confirmed by multiple single - case studies ( goldstein, 2002 ; mcconnell, 2002 ). other interventions have been disconfirmed by single - case studies. for example, in facilitated communication ( fc ), the practitioner holds a person ’ s hands, wrists, or arms to guide that person to type messages on a keyboard or a board with printed letters. proponents of this intervention assert that this method produces sudden, dramatic gains in communication by individuals with asd, but numerous single - case studies, involving hundreds of individuals with asd, revealed that the practitioner rather than the individual with asd controls the communication that occurs during fc ( most


this method produces sudden, dramatic gains in communication by individuals with asd, but numerous single - case studies, involving hundreds of individuals with asd, revealed that the practitioner rather than the individual with asd controls the communication that occurs during fc ( mostert, 2001 ). thus, the apparent gains in communication do not reflect actual improvement. when possible, intervention studies should be conducted in a double - blind, placebo - control manner such that study participants and practitioners are unaware of whether the participants are receiving treatment or placebo. for example, pills that contain the active ingredient can be made to appear identical to placebo pills. investigators can postpone telling participants and practitioners which pill they received until the completion of the study. although this strategy is not viable for most behavioral or educational studies because the interventions cannot be disguised, it is feasible for most complementary and alternative medicine ( cam ) treatments and was important in the studies on secretin. unfortunately, many interventions for asd have support only from testimonials, surveys, or laboratory tests that are unvalidated for asd research. ( for example, some cam practitioners conduct urinalyses and hypothesize, despite very limited evidence, that the results may reveal imbalances in neurotransmitters of the central nervous system ). much of this work is presented in the popular media or on the internet, but some of it does find its way into prestigious, peer - reviewed publications ( e. g., wakefield et al., 1998 ). thus, it is necessary to scrutinize the research methodology to determine whether it meets the standards described above, and to require multiple peer - reviewed studies confirming the efficacy of an intervention, rather than drawing conclusions from a single report. while scientifically rigorous research with objective measures eventually may corroborate some anecdotal reports, it is also possible ( and historically has usually happened ) that research will indicate that outcomes of the intervention are not significantly better than outcomes in control conditions. for example, fc and secretin have had many ardent proponents who gave stirring testimonials, but they were refuted by research. thus, no matter how compelling they may sound, testimonials are not reliable evidence that an intervention for asd is efficacious. the most recent update of the asat research review was conducted in december, 2009. if you believe relevant, peer - reviewed research with strong scientific designs has been overlooked in the research summaries, please contact email @ example. com


traditional costumes of the vietnamese people tend to be very simple and modest. men wear brown shirts and white trousers. their headgear is simply a piece of cloth wrapped around the head and their footwear consists of a pair of plain sandals. for formal ceremonies men would have two additional items, a long gown with slits on either side, and a turban, usually in black or brown made of cotton or silk. in feudal times, there were strict dress codes. ordinary people were not allowed to wear clothes with dyes other than black, brown or white. costumes in yellow were reserved for the king. those in purple and red were reserved for high ranking court officials, while dresses in blue were exclusively worn by petty court officials. men ' s dress has gradually changed along with social development. the traditional set of a long gown and turban gave way to more modern looking suits, while business shirts and trousers have replaced traditional long sleeved shirts and wide trousers. traditional costumes still exist and efforts are increasingly being made to restore traditional festivals and entertainment which incorporate traditional costumes. young women wear light brown - colored short shirts with long black skirts. their headgear consists of a black turban with a peak at the front. to make their waist look smaller, they tightly fasten a long piece of pink or violet cloth. on formal occasions, they wear a special three layered dress called an " ao dai ", a long gown with slits on either side. the outer garment is a special silk gown called an " ao tu than " which is brown or light brown in colour with four slits divided equally on its lower section. the second layer is a gown in a light yellow colour and the third layer is a pink gown. when a woman wears her three gowns, she fastens the buttons on the side, and leave those on the chest unfastened so that it forms a shaped collar. this allows her to show the different colors on the upper part of the three gowns. beneath the three gowns is a bright red brassiere which is left exposed to cover the woman ' s neck. over time, the traditional " ao dai " has gone through certain changes. long gowns are now carefully tailored to fit the body of a vietnamese woman. the two long slits along the side allow the gown to have two free floating panels in the front and at the back of the dress. the floating panels expose a long pair of white silk trousers. an elegant looking conical palm hat, which is traditionally known as a " non bai tho " (


the gown to have two free floating panels in the front and at the back of the dress. the floating panels expose a long pair of white silk trousers. an elegant looking conical palm hat, which is traditionally known as a " non bai tho " ( a hat with poetry written on it ), is worn as part of a woman ' s formal dress. this traditional conical hat is particularly suitable for a tropical country such as vietnam, where fierce sunshine and hard rain are commonplace. to make a conical hat, a hat maker chooses young palm leaves that have been been dried under continued sunshine. attached beneath the almost transparent layers of dried palm leaves is a drawing of a small river wharf. below the drawing, there is a piece of poetry to be recited by the hat wearer. in recent years some foreign fashions have been introduced to vietnam ; however, the traditional " ao dai " remains preferable to women in both urban and rural settings. in general, vietnamese clothing is very diverse. every ethnic group in vietnam has its own style of clothing. festivals are the occasion for all to wear their favorite clothes. over thousands of years, the traditional clothing of all ethnic groups in vietnam has changed, but each ethnic group has separately maintained their own characteristics. in the mountain areas, people live in houses built on stilts, wear trousers or skirts and indigo vests with design motifs imitating wild flowers and beasts. in the northern uplands and the central highlands, the young women have made skirts and vests with beautiful and coulourful decoration in a style convenient for farm work in terraced fields and to travel on hilly slopes and mountain gorges.


dr emily baldwin posted : november 09, 2009 by looking far back into the depths of the universe, astronomers have found a galaxy located at just 787 million years after the big bang, and 22 other early galaxies. the big bang blasted the universe into existence 13. 7 billion years ago, and 400, 000 years later, temperatures had cooled enough for electrons and protons to join and form neutral hydrogen. within one billion years the first stars and galaxies were born. these new residents of the universe radiated energy and ionized the hydrogen, initiating what is known as the reionization period. astronomers know that this era ended about one billion years after the big bang, but when it began has remained something of a mystery. this is a composite of false colour images of the galaxies found at the early epoch around 800 million years after the big bang. the upper left panel presents the galaxy confirmed in the 787 million year old universe. e these galaxies are in the subaru deep field. image : m. ouchi et al. now, researcher masami ouchi of the carnegie observatories, and colleagues, have implemented a technique to shed light on the universe ' s first brood of galaxies. “ we look for ‘ dropout ’ galaxies, ” says ouchi. “ we use progressively redder filters that reveal increasing wavelengths of light and watch which galaxies disappear from or ‘ dropout ’ of images made using those filters. ” older, more distant galaxies ‘ dropout ’ of progressively redder filters and the specific wavelengths reveal the galaxies ’ distance and age. “ what makes this study different is that we surveyed an area that is over 100 times larger than previous ones and, as a result, had a larger sample of early galaxies ( 22 ) than past surveys. plus, we were able to confirm one galaxy ’ s age. ” the hydrogen signature of one galaxy reveals its age as 787 million years post big bang, the first age - confirmation of a so - called dropout galaxy. ouchi confirms that since all the galaxies were found using the same dropout technique, they are likely to be the same age. ouchi ' s team made the observations using a custom - made, super - red filter on the wide - field camera of the 8. 3 - metre subaru telescope between 2006 and 2009 as part of the subaru deep field and great observatories origins deep survey north field. using this data and that from other studies, they determined that star formation rates were considerably lower from 800 million years to one billion years after


2006 and 2009 as part of the subaru deep field and great observatories origins deep survey north field. using this data and that from other studies, they determined that star formation rates were considerably lower from 800 million years to one billion years after the big bang, than after this time frame. accordingly, the rate of ionization would be very slow during this early time, due to the low star - formation rate. “ we were really surprised that the rate of ionization seems so low, which would constitute a contradiction with the claim of nasa ’ s wmap satellite. it concluded that reionization started no later than 600 million years after the big bang, ” says ouchi. “ we think this riddle might be explained by more efficient ionizing photon production rates in early galaxies. the formation of massive stars may have been much more vigorous then than in today ’ s galaxies. fewer, massive stars produce more ionizing photons than many smaller stars. ” the research will feature in a december issue of the astrophysical journal. this special publication features the photography of british astro - imager nik szymanek and covers a range of photographic methods from basic to advanced. beautiful pictures of the night sky can be obtained with a simple camera and tripod before tackling more difficult projects, such as guided astrophotography through the telescope and ccd imaging. u. s. & worldwide store mars rover poster this new poster features some of the best pictures from nasa ' s amazing mars exploration rovers spirit and opportunity. u. s. & worldwide store home | news archive | magazine | solar system | sky chart | resources | stores | spaceflight now © 2013 pole star publications ltd.


yesterday ' s discussion on tolerance is naturally linked to another slogan that appears too often in moral discussion, the principle that we should not force our ideas of right and wrong on others. however popular this slogan may be, the proposal is completely incoherent. what the person making this statement is actually saying is, " thou shalt not force thy morality upon others, or else. " this, of course, is a moral statement. typically, the person making it is quite content to bring social and political sanctions against those who would violate this principle. that is to say, they are willing to force this moral principle on others. some recognize the inconsistency in forcing this moral principle upon others. they may refuse to do so. but, if they sit back and do nothing, then they are acting in all ways as if those who force their morality on others are entitled to do so. this drains the principle that it is wrong to force one ' s morality on others of all significance. there is no way out of this trap because it is built on a contradiction. a moral principle is nothing more than a rule about what may be legitimately forced upon others. debates over what morality requires and prohibits are debates over what it is permissible or impermissible to universally force on people. there is no sense to a moral principle that says that one not to have any moral principles. custom vs. morality to shed more light on the problem, let me note that i am not talking here about social customs. some cultures hold that it is rude to belch at the table ; others hold that it is a great compliment to the cook. there is no " right " or " wrong " on matters of custom. with respect to these types of concerns, it is perfectly legitimate to argue that it is morally wrong to impose one ' s own custom on others. however, morality deals with a different set of concerns. at its core, morality deals with such things as theft, fraud, rape, torture, slavery, and murder. the person being told not to force his morality on others is being told to tolerate things like theft, fraud, rape, torture, slavery, and murder. if we do anything to protest this type of behavior, it is hard to describe this as anything other than forcing one ’ s morality upon others. moral issues are those issues where it is specifically legitimate to force one ' s morality upon others. there is no wrong in forcing one ' s morality upon the thief, con man, rapist, torturer ( and


one ’ s morality upon others. moral issues are those issues where it is specifically legitimate to force one ' s morality upon others. there is no wrong in forcing one ' s morality upon the thief, con man, rapist, torturer ( and those who he serves ), slave trader, and murderer, among others. the very thing we are trying most to do, with respect to these moral wrongs, is force a morality on those who engage in this type of behavior. there are circumstances within which a morally concerned individual may be forced to do nothing because he lacks the power the correct for certain abuses. he may enter a society where slaves are bought and sold and recognize that there is nothing he can do, at least not yet. this is not a matter of being tolerant of other systems. it is a matter of weighing practical concerns in considering how to handle such matters. sometimes, those who do evil are simply too powerful to stop. in law, we recognize that force is prima facie worse than peace. therefore, we adopt a rule that a person is to be presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. our default position is that we are going to leave other people alone. we are going to leave this default position only when the evidence is compelling enough that we see no reasonable option. if we are uncertain, if we have reasonable doubt, we will give those who we would impose burdens upon the benefit of the doubt. in other words, it is up to those who would deny people their life, health, liberty, and happiness to prove that it is necessary. it is never up to those whose life, health, liberty, or property would be taken to prove that the loss is unjustified. this is one of several moral principles that have been written into the law in order to create a system of justice. we find it in the law. however, it is a principle that we put into the law because morality demands it. this same moral principle tells us that it is not only in law, but in all things, that we are to leave people alone unless we have compelling evidence of the need to impose some burden on them. this suggests a presumption in favor of tolerance and against imposing one ' s morality on others. however, this is merely a presumption. like the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, it can be overridden if we have enough evidence. clearly, in cases like slavery, murder, rape, theft, perjury, fraud, and the like,


presumption. like the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, it can be overridden if we have enough evidence. clearly, in cases like slavery, murder, rape, theft, perjury, fraud, and the like, there is evidence beyond reasonable doubt that we should not be allowing these types of actions to pass unnoticed. in these cases, we can make a convincing case that prohibitions on this type of behavior may be forced on those who would do these kinds of things. faith is not proof in trying to arrive at proof beyond a reasonable doubt, faith is not proof. again, we can see the moral principles for how we ought to treat others in the principles we use in courts of law. an accuser who stood up before the court and said that he did not need evidence against the accused, but knows that the accused is guilty based on faith alone, would be tossed out of court. the same principle applies to those who want to use faith alone to prove that some citizen should shoulder some burden – that his life, health, liberty, or property is to be taken from him. those who do the taking need something more substantial than faith for the taking to be justified. no objection can be raised against the person who uses faith to direct his own life. objections can be raised against the person who, on the basis of faith alone, does harm to his neighbor. we must remember that the 9 - 11 attacks, suicide bombers, witch hunts, jihads, crusades, inquisitions, and religious wars without count were all conducted by people who had faith that they were doing the right thing. " thou shalt not force thy morality upon others " is an entirely incoherent moral position. it contradicts itself. it asserts that everybody should be made to follow the follow principle that nobody should be made to follow any given moral principle. this is incoherent. morality is intrinsically concerned with what may be imposed on others, and there are clearly some things that may be imposed upon others. restrictions on behavior that tends to be harmful to others provides the clearest example of a set of restrictions that may be imposed upon others. there is no function more central to the institution of morality than imposing on others a set of restrictions that they not engage in such things as rape, murder, theft, and slavery. yet, a case can be made in favor of a presumption that others are to be left alone. the burden of proof rests on those who call for interfering with the lives of


the united nations on thursday rejected a compensation claim from haiti for its cholera victims, who currently number in the 600, 000 - range, including around 8, 000 deaths. in a statement to reporters, martin nesirky, un secretary - general ban ki - moon ’ s spokesman, said that the claim was “ not receivable ” under terms of a 1946 convention which laid out the un ' s immunity for its actions. the epidemic, which is the worst in modern history, broke out after the january 2010 earthquake in the poorest country in the western hemisphere. it is thought that the un itself unwittingly introduced the disease through leaking sewage pipes in one of its buildings, the bbc said. the un has refused to accept responsibility, saying that the source of the outbreak is unidentifiable. lawyers for some of the victims said that the claim would have cost the un more than $ 1 billion in damages, al jazeera reported. the un also said that they would continue their rebuilding efforts in haiti. " the secretary - general again expresses his profound sympathy for the terrible suffering caused by the cholera epidemic, and calls on all partners in haiti and the international community to work together to ensure better health and a better future for the people of haiti, " ban ’ s spokesman nesirky said. in december 2012, ban announced the un would be funding a $ 2. 27 billion initiative to help eliminate cholera in haiti and the dominican republic, the ap reported. to contact the editor, e - mail :


in our modern complex world we tend to think that all the best ideas have been thought of. history proves that is never the case. here are 7 inventions that were invented one hundred years ago, in the year of 1912. ( click here for 1913 ) all of them are still relevant today. also with all of them, the technology for their operation was already in existence and had been for some time. so they could all have been invented 1, 10 or maybe 50 years earlier. but weren ’ t. most of us don ’ t invent anything much in our lifetimes. part of that reason is that we think of invention as grandiose and that we ’ d need to invent time travel, teleportation or anti - gravity to have invented something worthwhile. inventors don ’ t think like that. instead they look at a problem, a real problem that they or other people they know actually have. their inventions are solutions to those real life problems. the kitchen worktop surface was invented by daniel j. o ’ conor and herbert a. faber who originally conceived it as a substitute for mica used as electrical insulation. it was made of wrapped woven fabric coated with bakelite thermosetting resin, then slit lengthwise, flattened, and cured in a press. because the new product acted as a substitute “ for mica ”, faber coined the name “ formica ”. the electric blanket invented by the american physician sidney i. russell. a swede, gideon sundback, working in america, invented the zipper. chocolate pieces filled with a soft fondant center were invented by jean neuhaus ii, a belgian chocolatier. the first commercial slot cars ( now most famously made by scalectrix ) were made by the lionel model company in the usa, drawing power from a toy train rail sunk in wide slot between the rails ( see pic ). the traffic light the first traffic controlling light was invented in by a detroit policeman named lester wire as a two - color, red - and - green light with a buzzer to warn pedestrians ahead of the impending change. baron pierre de coubertin, the founder of the modern olympic games invented the modern pentathlon which was was first contested at the 1912 summer olympics in stockholm. we should all be focusing on real life problems within our own spheres of interest and work on how to solve them. perhaps we too could come up with a solution that would benefit the world. don ’ t get bogged down thinking there ’ s nothing left


should all be focusing on real life problems within our own spheres of interest and work on how to solve them. perhaps we too could come up with a solution that would benefit the world. don ’ t get bogged down thinking there ’ s nothing left to invent. at every point in the history of civilisation where people thought ‘ everything that could be invented has been invented ’ – it has always been soon followed by an amazing era of progress and invention. they ’ ll be nothing left to invent when the world has no more problems to solve. and that ’ s a long way off …. so have a think. what could you invent this year? can you imagine an idea that will still be in general use in 2112? have a look at 10 things that were invented the following year, in 1913, here. ayd instone works with people to explore and unlock their creative ideas in ways they may never have thought possible, to inspire innovation in their lives, and their business. book ayd to speak about the power of ‘ what if? ’ and inspiration for innovation at your conference, or in your business. a great way to open your event or as an after lunch energiser. for more interesting info see : www. aydinstone. com


what is the fair debt collection practices act? the fair debt collection practices act is federal law that regulates the activities of those who collect debts from others. many states have adopted similar laws regulating the practices of debt collectors. a debt collector : - may contact you by mail, in person, by telephone or by telegram during " convenient hours " ( commonly between 8 am and 9 pm ) ; - may not contact you at work if the collector knows or has reason to know that the employer forbids employees from being contacted by debt collectors at the workplace ; - may not contact you if you are represented by a lawyer ( the debt collector must then contact your attorney ) ; - may not continue to contact you after you have sent him / her a letter telling him / her not to contact you ( however, s / he may contact you to tell you that some specific action is going to be taken ) ; - may not contact you after you send him / her a letter by mail within 30 days of the first contact that you dispute all or part of the debt ( however, s / he may begin collection activities again if s / he sends you proof of the debt ) ; - must within five days of the first contact send you a written notice stating the name of the creditor you owe money to, the amount of money you owe, what to do if you believe you do not owe the money, and the name of the original creditor if different from the current creditor ( because the debt was sold or assigned to someone other than the original creditor ) ; - may not threaten violence against you or your property, use obscene or profane language, repeatedly telephone you to annoy or harass you, make you accept collect telephone calls or pay for telegrams, or use false or misleading information in an effort to collect the " debt. " if a debt collector violates the law, you can write a letter concerning the activity to the nearest office of the federal trade commission. you can file a federal or state lawsuit against the debt collector for violation of the law, although there is usually a 1 - year " statute of limitations. " that means you have to file the lawsuit within 1 year of the violation to recover the actual damages that you ' ve suffered. you can also recover up to a $ 1, 000 in an individual lawsuit or $ 5, 000 in a class - action lawsuit for each violation, plus attorney fees and costs. for more information on the fair debt collection practices act visit the federal trade commission ' s website.


a new policy ( april 2011 ) by colleagues at the american academy of pediatrics recommends what i have been discussing for a while now : children up to age two should remain in rear - facing safety seats. the new policy is supported by research that shows children younger than 2 are 75 % less likely to die or be severely injured in a crash if they are rear - facing. so how did we get here? original recommendations ( established in 2009 ), i had followed with my own patients. i discussed turning the car seat to a forward facing position if the child had reached 12 months and 20 pounds. then in april, an article was published ( inj prev. 2007 ; 13 : 398 - 402 ), which was the first u. s. data to substantiate the benefits of toddlers riding rear facing until they are two years of age. this study showed that children under the age of two are 75 percent less likely to die or experience a serious injury when they are riding in a rear - facing. that is a fairly compelling statistic to keep that car seat rear - facing for another year! studies have shown that rear - facing seats are more likely to support the back, neck, head and pelvis because the force of a crash is distributed evenly over the entire body. toddlers between the ages of 12 and 23 months who ride rear facing are more than five times safer than toddlers in that same age group who ride forward - facing in a car seat. there has also been concern that rear - facing toddlers whose feet reach the back of the seat are more likely to suffer injuries to the lower extremities in a car accident. but a commentary written by dr. marilyn bull in pediatrics ( 2008 ; 121 : 619 - 620 ) dispelled the myth with documentation that lower extremity injuries were rare with rear - facing seats. so, it has now been over two years since this data was published and recommended, and parents continue to say, " i just turned the seat around any way " or " i didn ' t know. " i did go look at car - seats the other day and i noted that the labeling on the boxes had all been changed to recommend rear facing until two years or until a toddler reaches the maximum height and weight recommendations for the model. i take this to mean that some " small " toddlers could even rear face longer as they do in some european countries. for safety sake, rather than convenience, keep that car seat in the rear facing position. i


jobtips : helping to level the playing field for individuals with autism in the workforce this is a blog post by louise buchholz southern, m. ed., bcba., formal special educator and content director at do2learn. com. many people with autism spectrum disorders are fully capable of joining the workforce, living full and independent lives and being tax - contributing members of our communities. yet the number employed is relatively low due to lack of access to information and supports that would result in gainful employment. jobtips is our attempt to help level the playing field. as a former special educator at the secondary level, i spent so much time focusing on my students ’ academic and social skills development that i had little time to track down or develop resources that supported their vocational needs. i was not alone. a group of us – educators, clinicians, parents and advocates – banded together to see what resources were actually out there. unfortunately, what we found was very limited and not tailored to the special needs of individuals with autism. many people reside in remote and underserved areas, where there is even less access to supports, combined with the fact that not all available resources and instructional strategies are of a high quality or consistency. many of these students are not going on to pursue post - secondary education options, but often graduate without the basic skills needed to find and maintain employment. understanding the “ why ” a prospective job applicant like “ james ” is ill - equipped to follow his dream in the workplace. getting along with co - workers is really hard for him. he gets tired of “ adjusting to them ” and often asks “ why can ’ t they adjust to me? ” james, like many young adults with autism we see every day, has trouble keeping jobs. over the last 10 years he has been hired and fired repeatedly, seldom understanding why. for others, the challenge is simply getting hired. tough questions. tough questions that we felt could be addressed by merging technology with our expertise in the field of autism. we broke down this web - based resource into four core parts – determining interests, finding a job, getting a job, and keeping a job. we designed real - life, interactive exercises that not only deal with the practical skills of identifying jobs that match their strengths and filling out applications, but developing their understanding of, and response to, the important social nuances that underlie the workplace environment. to teach them the “ whys ” of social interactions that typically get in the way of their success. successful employment is a


pyramid apartment house every tenant has an outside apart ment in a pyramid - shaped house de signed by edwin a. koch, new york architect. some time ago, koch planned a bank of apartments for a steeply sloping hillside. then the bold idea occurred to him of joining four of the dwellings, back to back in a pattern like a cross, with the result shown above. settee resembles old wagon resembling a covered wagon of early pioneering days in appearance, a novel lawn settee drew much attention at a recent home - furnishing show in chicago, ill. a wooden chassis mounted on springs attached to wooden axles and wheels serves to hold a comfortable mattress and cushions, while a sun shade is provided in the form of the wagon ’ s canvas roof. a short wooden “ tongue ” attached to the front axle enables the settee to be towed. housekeeping tools to minimize labor a rubber cap replaces the metal one taken from a bottle of ginger ale or other refreshment and, being air - tight, preserves what is left of the contents for future use. the deep groove lets the core go inside the bottle when you give it a twist, and allows the rim of the cap to encircle the outside of the top of the bottle. the three aluminum kettles shown here fit inside one another so that a different dish may be cooked in each, although only one burner of a stove is required. the upper kettles may be used for steaming or boiling. handles are insulated and do not get hot. church cut in half to make way for new street one of the most unusual engineering feats in recent years was the moving of a 4, 000, 000 - pound detroit church steeple to make way for a wider street. the 180 - foot stone tower was moved by seven men while hundreds of breathless spectators looked on. working under the direction of carl f. henrichsen and carl a. johnson, veteran building movers, the men first cut out a 27 - foot section of the church so that the front could be moved back the same amount. contractors build freak test house to determine the feasibility and artistic effect of various materials for a group of new college buildings, a test building using many different materials was erected at principia college, elsah, ill from the results gleaned from the novel experiment, the combination and types of material to be used in the construction of the main buildings was determined. the small test building was constructed of stone, brick, cast concrete, and timber in brick and concrete.


the results gleaned from the novel experiment, the combination and types of material to be used in the construction of the main buildings was determined. the small test building was constructed of stone, brick, cast concrete, and timber in brick and concrete. one side of the roof was made of concrete covered with slate, while the opposite side was plain concrete. old - fashioned, oven - flavored, buttered toast for breakfast takes only two minutes with this new munsey toaster that also bakes frozen waffles, warms coffee cake, toasts cheese sandwiches and browns rolls. made of lightweight aluminum with electric coils as its heating element, the toaster comes with a pull - out tray on which you can toast four slices of bread at once. it ’ s fine for english muffins and chunky italian bread and you have no problem putting in or taking out such items as you often do with pop - up toasters. bedroom on stilts 10 degrees cooler than on the ground when a. winters, a californian, needed a cooler sleeping place he built a bedroom on top of a forty - foot steel tower, up in the air where the breezes are blowing. the room is large enough for a bed, two chairs and a small table. what ’ s new for your home a four - page “ shopping section ” dedicated to modern homemakers lightweight lawn mower weighs 19 pounds and cuts to within one inch of walls. rear rollers spin blades self - wringing mop has a cellulose sponge that folds like a book when sleeve on the handle is pushed. it mops without splatter and wipes dry carries own grass 200, 000 miles when charles miller, of portland, oregon, found the wanderlust too much for him in spite of his love for the old home, he decided to see the world and carry his home right with him, too. so he built a complete bungalow on the chassis of his car — not even forgetting to put in a nice bit of lawn. then he started out and since starting he has traveled over 200, 000 miles and isn ’ t through yet. mr. miller claims to have the only motorized house and lot in the country. the “ lot ” consists of a narrow strip of earth and turf. canvas house costing but $ 1000 to be home of future canvas is now being considered by architects as an attractive and economical building material for the small homes of the future. canvas can now be treated with preservative paints to make it waterproof and


“ it is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. ” - albert einstein “ the mediocre teacher tells. the good teacher explains. the superior teacher demonstrates. the great teacher inspires. ” - william arthur ward on one side of the room, the interviewer ’ s palms begins to sweat. although the young man has done his research, his guest is unpredictable. his guest has an agenda, his guest has a polarizing position on a very divisive issue, and his guest may lie or make up facts right there on the spot. the moderator will step aside once the debate commences, and the interviewer won ’ t be allowed any notes. he ’ s got an audience that he ’ s desperate to get the truth out to, and these next ten minutes — the interview of a lifetime — could be the last time he ’ s ever in this position if he fails to make his case. image credit : stuart franklin / getty images news. his only saving grace? he ’ s got a team of researchers that have his back, and a tiny microphone in his ear where the researchers can communicate to him in real - time with fact - checks, figures, sources and more. after all, while he ’ s in the hot seat, his research team has prepared for this, too, and has a collection of information to supply him with if he gets in trouble, or if his guest tells a lie. image credit : smannion on flickr / cc by - nc - sa 2. 0. only, this isn ’ t the most important 10 minutes of television you ’ ll see this year. image credit : © 2010 valley news – patrick t. fallon. this is a high school classroom, or at least it can be, if we equip it with trapit education. this type of lesson — where you put the students into a real - life scenario that makes the lesson particularly relevant to them — is known as an active engagement lesson, and is demonstrably the most effective way to get students to learn and retain knowledge, even years later. this type of lesson isn ’ t static, either, but allows teachers and students to engage events and news stories in real - time, as they unfold. thanks to the power of the internet and the near - instant availability of information, as well as the fact that public high schools now boast a student - to - computer ratio of 4 - to - 1, if a student can separate the signal - from


to the power of the internet and the near - instant availability of information, as well as the fact that public high schools now boast a student - to - computer ratio of 4 - to - 1, if a student can separate the signal - from - the - noise in the internet, they can perform real - time research on practically any topic. and there ’ s no better tool to create that topical stream of content than trapit, available both on the web and on the latest device sweeping classrooms worldwide : the ipad. image credit : oak technology & learning / oak tasmania. for teachers, the difficulties in getting this into their classroom are threefold : - lessons like this take a long time to design and implement for a particular subject, - getting students to distinguish quality information and sources from misleading ones, despite its importance, is a difficult and time - consuming task to take on, and - there is a huge push — at least in the usa — to design lessons that are compliant with the new common core state standards initiative ( ccssi ), the standards that are replacing no child left behind starting this current academic year. these new standards have been adopted by 45 states and the district of columbia. image credit : education week. and i ’ m not going to lie : having taught for many years, the resources to address these points haven ’ t really ever been there to help teachers implement this. but here at trapit, we ’ re committed to making all the available information in the world accessible — in real - time — to everyone. so we ’ ve gone and made these resources ourselves, and are giving them away to the entire world, for free. without these tools, teachers are left to their own devices to sift through the gigantic, 66 - page documents ( plus supplements ) that are the ccssi, design their own active - engagment lesson plans, handouts and assignments from scratch, and incorporate digital learning technologies into their classroom. on its own, trapit is that ideal digital learning technology to empower students to create their own real - time news streams on any suitable classroom topic, from science to health to history and social sciences, to name just a few. but we want to empower educators, and create as many helpful materials as we can to help them empower their students to meet the new standards with outstanding, active engagement lessons. to that end, we ’ ve created a complete package for educators, available in both pdf and ms office 2010 / 2011 formats, that contains : - a package introduction ( pdf, ms


students to meet the new standards with outstanding, active engagement lessons. to that end, we ’ ve created a complete package for educators, available in both pdf and ms office 2010 / 2011 formats, that contains : - a package introduction ( pdf, ms office ) : introducing trapit education to teachers and administrators, - a presentation for educators ( pdf, ms office ) : a visual slideshow of trapit ’ s tools and resources for the coming academic year, - a broad content outline ( pdf, ms office ) : a 2 - page summary of the grades 9 - 12 ccssi reading standards, and trapit ’ s effectiveness at addressing them, - four customizable lesson plans and assignments : an individual researcher lesson ( pdf, ms office ) and assignment ( pdf, ms office ), a collaborative news program lesson ( pdf, ms office ) and assignment ( pdf, ms office ), an empowering confirmation bias lesson ( pdf, ms office ) and assignment ( pdf, ms office ), and a highly customizable general lesson ( pdf, ms office ) and assignment ( pdf, ms office ), - and a feedback form ( pdf, ms office ) : to share experiences and suggestions for improvement with us. so download the entire educational package we ’ ve created for free, in either pdf or ms office 2010 / 2011 formats, for use anywhere in the entire world. let ’ s give students and teachers complete and open access to the tools to achieve greatness, and encourage everyone to make the next school year amazing. if we can teach the generation on the precipice of adulthood today the value and utility of evaluating the quality of their information, the sources it comes from, and to recognize misleading rhetoric and logical fallacies, we may just help create the world we all wish we lived in.


students who travel each year on sojourn to the past end their trip with a plan to try to bring changes to their schools and their communities. at terra nova high school in pacifica, calif., students joined forces with project peace club to make t - shirts. the first featured a quote from the rev. fred shuttlesworth, who was beaten and brutalized in birmingham, ala., for his work in the civil rights movement. shuttlesworth ’ s quote : “ a person who can ’ t stand for something will fall for anything. ” the second t - shirt featured a quote from minnijean brown - trickey, one of the first nine black students to face down an angry mob and help to desegregate central high school in 1957 while 1, 200 armed soldiers watched. brown - trickey speaks regularly on tolerance and ending bigotry, inspiring sojourn students with her story. her quote : “ you have to be a little crazy to change the world. ” sojourn students from city schools in youngstown, ohio, decided to raise awareness in their schools and their town ( which has one of the nation ’ s highest murder rates ) about the power of nonviolence to bring about reconciliation. to help spread the news, they put up billboards around the city, wearing t - shirts that read : “ nonviolence or nonexistence. ” the backs of the shirts featured principles of nonviolence and quotes such as this one from shuttlesworth : “ a handshake is more powerful than a fist. ” these sojourn students convinced the administration to let them sponsor a week of training on nonviolence at the high schools. that included creating a “ word wall ” at each school, enabling students to write sayings and quotes that promote nonviolence. impressed with the program, administrators asked sojourn students to present it to the other schools, too. their peers along with principals and teachers bought into their message of nonviolence, and soon everyone was buying their t - shirts, too. the mayor and city council presented the students with a plaque and declared that week in october as youngstown ’ s “ week of nonviolence. ” proof that the message caught on could be found in parents ’ positive reactions, said teacher penny wells, who worked with the students. “ one mother asked, ‘ why is it just one week? ’ ” the students planted the seeds of nonviolence, and now the watering will follow, said wells, who helps raise money


at first glance, an adult metallic starling looks completely black with bright red eyes. upon closer inspection, a visitor is rewarded with an iridescent collage of blues, purples, and greens. if one lone metallic starling is something to give you pause, the polychromatic flock of over 60 starlings in the owens aviary at the san diego zoo is always a complete showstopper! the metallic starlings start their breeding season in early spring. for these months the starlings are only interested in nesting material ( see october ’ s digital zoonooz article on owen ’ s aviary for their nest - building shenanigans ). once the nests are fairly well built, we know we have only a few weeks — the incubation time for a metallic starling egg — before the flock switches from being crazy for nesting material to being batty for bugs! adult metallic starlings are omnivores and eat everything from fruit and nectar to crickets, mealworms, ants, and wasps! baby starlings, however, need a lot more protein than their parents, hence their dependence on bugs for the first few weeks. after being fed a diet of mealworms and crickets to help feather and muscle development, a growing chick is eventually brought fruit and pellets to pack on the ounces. about three weeks after hatching, the chick is ready to make its first flight. the chick has to scoot to the small hole of its enclosed nest, jump out, spread its wings, and try to land on a nearby perch. with a healthy set of lungs and a loud chirp, the chick is able to advertise its new location to mom and dad. the parents are still responsible for feeding the chick for a few more weeks as it learns how to eat a bug without one being placed directly into its gaping mouth! we start to see young starlings leaving their nests from the beginning of june through late august. when they first leave the nest, they have dark eyes, black - and - white streaked chests, and yellow markings on their bill. as they develop, they quickly lose their yellow markings and slowly get some red coloring in their eyes. it takes a full year before they trade in their streaked chests for smooth, glossy black ones and their dull, red eyes for brilliant ruby - colored ones. in september and october we see the starling colony settle down into its new routines. the newest members of the flock stick closely together and explore their huge exhibit free from their parents ’


by janeen madan as world leaders gathered for the millennium development goals summit at the un headquarters in new york last week, there were also a number of important side events taking place. on friday september 24, the qatar national food security programme ( qnfsp ) hosted “ the global dry land alliance - partnering for food security ” event, which launched a global alliance aimed at strengthening cooperation among dry land nations. the event provided a much - needed forum to discuss challenges specific to dry lands which account for 45 percent of the world ’ s land area. the issue of food security in dry land areas is extremely crucial to the global fight against hunger — 60 percent of the world ’ s food insecure population lives in dry lands and over 80 percent of the rural population in these areas are dependent on crop agriculture and livestock for both food and income. dry land areas suffer from land loss due to erosion, salinity, desertification, disappearing vegetation cover, loss of biodiversity and increasing water scarcity. as kanayo f. nwanze, president of the international fund for agricultural development ( ifad ), noted in his statement at the event, “ land degradation damages the livelihoods of some 2 billion people living in dry lands. ” in the sahel, a band of land that crosses africa at the southern fringe of the sahara desert, 10 million people are threatened by food shortages. furthermore, the middle east, with 5 percent of the world ’ s population, accounts for 40 percent of the world ’ s cereal imports and experiences the highest level of water scarcity in the world. the recent food and financial crises have highlighted the need to support domestic agricultural systems in order to reduce vulnerability to volatile global markets. in regions where extreme weather threatens food supply, the answer is not short - term aid, but a global commitment to strengthening long - term food security. according to fahad al - attiya, qnfsp chairman, the newly formed global dry land alliance will constitute 45 to 60 nations with arid or semi - arid environments, including countries in the middle east, africa, the united states and india. in 2008, qatar launched its own national food security program after the country experienced high food price inflation. while national country - led programs such as qnfsp play a significant role in finding solutions to enhance domestic production, responsible foreign agricultural investments and regional partnerships in areas of trade, research and technology offer tremendous potential in securing global food systems. ifad, for example, has invested over $ 3. 5 billion to support agricultural and rural


finding solutions to enhance domestic production, responsible foreign agricultural investments and regional partnerships in areas of trade, research and technology offer tremendous potential in securing global food systems. ifad, for example, has invested over $ 3. 5 billion to support agricultural and rural development in these areas. between 2000 - 2007, the mauritanian government, in collaboration with the food and agriculture organization, launched the rehabilitation and extension of nouakchott green belt project to improve sand encroachment control and protect the infrastructure of its capital city, nouakchott. this project stands as a model of success in halting desertification. sharing knowledge and expertise, however, is also important among farmers. faced with harsh growing conditions, small - scale farmers in dry land areas are working to mitigate land degradation through innovative practices. many of their approaches offer useful models for larger - scale efforts. in niger, for example, farmers are restoring the sahel ’ s degraded land through farmer - managed natural regeneration ( fmnr ). by pruning shoots that periodically and naturally sprout from below - ground root webs, farmers promote forest growth. while fmnr is a simple technique, it produces multiple benefits. this practice has helped improve up to 5 million hectares of land and is also practiced in other countries including chad, burkina faso and ethiopia. to ensure that even more farmers know about fmnr and its benefits, the web alliance for the re - greening in africa ( w4ra ), a joint project between african re - greening initiatives ( ari ), the web foundation, and vu amsterdam, is helping to create web - based information exchanges between farmers. to learn more about innovative efforts to mitigate land degradation in dry areas, see : “ re - greening ” the sahel through farmer - managed natural regeneration, putting a stop to the spreading sands, and aid groups, farmers collaborate to re - green sahel. janeen madan is a research intern with the nourishing the planet project. - kenyan professor promotes indigenous food to solve climate change food crisis - creating game plans for investment and policy to improve food security - beyond the price of food : putting food security into farmers hands - innovations in access to land : land grab or agricultural investment? - the future of our food system : our changing climate and food availability - cultivating food security in africa - un pledges support of african food security - improving global food security with focus on agriculture


traveling to seattle, a friend and i went to the john bastyr school for one of their health and herbal festivals. a nature walk through the forest next to the campus intrigued me. it was incredibly informative, discussing how to use plants in the wilderness for medical treatments and health. the pacific northwest forest was dappled with sunlight and the treacherous devils club hung over our heads at one point in trail. i worked around the group trying to get a good angle on the plant to capture the details with the strong backlighting. the devil ’ s club is one that i ’ ve run into since a child digging around the forests of the pacific northwest, and trust me, this is one you do not want to stumble into. called the devil ’ s club or walking stick, it can grow up to 16 feet ( 5 meters ) tall in rainforests and damp environments to which western washington is well equipped. spines are found not only on the stems but the leaves, making it a painful experience to touch in any way, even brush against. according to our guide, native americans used devil ’ s club for medicine to treat diabetes, tumors, chapped lips, and tumors. it can also be used as an analgesic, though it isn ’ t as strong as traditional aspirin. it can be used in herbal teas and he said that they ate it as food. he didn ’ t clarify which part they ate, from the red fruits that form in clusters off stems that look like clubs, or from the leaves or root. for me, this is a plant i ’ ve endured most of my life, having spent too many hours pulling its little thorn - like spines from by arms and legs and out of my dogs. still, it is a magnificent examples of the unusual in the world. a plant i think of when i imagine what plant life was like during the dinosaur times.


rethinking spraying around water bodies there ' s pressure to manage better posted : june 9, 2009 water bodies and crop protection. ask many farmers how they feel about these two terms and there ' s a bit of a love / hate relationship. many farmers see value in water bodies, but in strict management terms they often just get in the way. so how do you manage? we talked to three people – a conservationist, a provincial weed specialist, and a senior agronomist - and this is their advice : should i keep the water body? perhaps the first question producers should ask themselves is whether the water body is worth keeping. it ' s for this reason that jennifer stoby, a conservation technician with alberta environmentally sustainable agriculture ( aesa ), recommends a moderate, benefit - based approach to riparian area management. in other words, the amount of benefit a wetland provides should equal the amount of protection the landowner gives it. " we agree that in a cropping system you ' re not going to keep every single slough and pothole, but it ' s good to have two or three larger wetlands instead of draining them totally off and losing all of the benefits, " she says. also, in some cases, draining the water body and converting it to cropland may yield no benefit and may in fact present a risk to surrounding cropland when cleared, says stoby. " if a wetland is drained it can be a source of minerals and salts to adjacent productive cropland. sometimes there ' s a salinity problem there but the water was keeping it at bay. " know the legislation. the clearest indication of distances between spray operations and water bodies is the federal regulations set by health canada, says clark brenzil, provincial weed control specialist with the saskatchewan ministry of agriculture. these are the minimum setback differences printed on the label of each registered pesticide on the canadian market. in addition to these, each province will have its own regulatory structure surrounding the protection of water or other habitat which is usually connected with environmental or safety legislation. " this legislation can be more restrictive than the federal rules, but not less restrictive, " says brenzil. maintain a buffer zone. buffer zones composed of grasses, legumes or shelterbelt shrubs and trees can play a key role in protecting a water body from spraying operations in addition to trapping snow and adding moisture to the cropland, says stoby. perhaps one of the biggest challenges with buffer zones, however, is weed management. although she