age spots, also referred to as liver spots, become more common with age, but they ’ re more related to sun exposure than they are a direct consequence of aging. older people who have protected their skin from the sun by wearing sunscreen and protective clothing are less likely to experience age spots, although most people after a certain age will have at least a few of these pigmented lesions on their hands or face. they typically look like small spots on the skin and are brown in color because they ’ re made up of melanin, the pigment that gives skin and hair its color. sun exposure is the number one cause of these spots. when skin is repeatedly exposed to ultraviolet rays from the sun, more melanin is produced. age spots are nothing more than clumps of pigment. as might be expected, they ’ re more common on areas of the skin that are exposed to direct sunlight such as the face, back of the hands and forearms. fortunately, they ’ re not harmful, and they aren ’ t pre - cancerous. on the other hand, sun exposure increases the risk of both age spots and skin cancers, so it ’ s a good idea to have regular skin exams if you have them. sun protection isn ’ t a cure for the problem, but it should be a high priority since sun exposure is what caused sun spots in the first place. wear a sunscreen with an spf of at least 30 that blocks both uva and uvb rays year - round even indoors. uva rays can penetrate glass and cause skin damage. many products combine ultra - effective sun protection with antioxidants for additional defense against ultraviolet light. mineral sunscreens are safe to use even on sensitive skin. they are a good alternative to sunscreens that contain chemicals. there are home treatments that will fade the dark pigmentation over time. some ingredients that are effective include hydroquinone and kojic acid. these compounds work by blocking enzymes involved in synthesizing melanin. they work well alone, but their effectiveness is enhanced by the addition of glycolic acid, a weak acid that most often comes from sugar cane. glycolic acid gently sloughs off the outer layer of skin cells so hydroquinone and kojic acid can penetrate more easily and fade the pigmented areas. some products contain a combination of kojic acid, hydroquinone and glycolic acid to attack age spots in three ways. they have the added benefit of making skin look and feel smoother while dim


easily and fade the pigmented areas. some products contain a combination of kojic acid, hydroquinone and glycolic acid to attack age spots in three ways. they have the added benefit of making skin look and feel smoother while diminishing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. the products can generally be used up to twice a day. retinoids in prescription strength products like retin - a help to fade age spots over time, but it can take up to 6 months to see significant lightening. in addition, some people experience skin irritation and redness when using these products. a weaker form of retinoid called retinol available in over the counter products cause less skin irritation. dermatologists and estheticians can do a series of peels using glycolic acid to lighten age spots, although this may require up to 6 visits. some dermatologists and plastic surgeons use intense pulsed light therapy or laser treatment to reduce pigmented spots due to sun exposure. unfortunately, these treatments are costly. age spots become more common with age, but they ’ re a product of too much sun exposure. that ’ s why sun protection should be a priority for anyone with age or liver spots. products that contain hydroquinone or kojic acid in combination with glycolic acid help to fade spots that have already formed.


early morning sky watchers have a chance to observe a total lunar eclipse tuesday morning depending on the amount of cloud cover over the area. the eclipse is set to begin at 1 : 33 a. m., according to nasa ' s website, with totality taking place at 2 : 41 a. m. the moon will be covered by earth ' s shadow for a period of 72 minutes and the entire event is expected to last around three and a half hours. while the eclipse will be visible throughout north america, as well as other parts of the world, area residents may have some difficulty viewing the event. according to the forecast from the national weather service in state college, mostly cloudy skies are expected overnight tonight and there is a slight chance of snow showers, both of which could obscure the view for observers. a lunar eclipse can occur only during a full moon, and a total lunar eclipse, such as the one set to take place tuesday morning, only occurs when the entire moon passes through earth ' s umbral shadow, which prevents direct sunlight from reaching it. while the moon is within earth ' s shadow it will appear a red - orange color. nasa ' s website explains that " although the physical mass of earth blocks all direct sunlight from the umbra, the planet ' s atmosphere filters, attenuates and bends some of the sun ' s rays into the shadow. the molecules in earth ' s atmosphere scatter short wavelength light ( e. g., yellow, green, blue ) more than long wavelength light ( e. g., orange, red ). this process, which is responsible for making sunsets red, also gives total eclipses their characteristic red - orange color. however, the exact color can vary considerably in both hue and brightness. " for more on this story, see the dec. 20th edition of the daily press.


saturn moon ' s icy secrets shine bright in new nasa images new details about enceladus, one of the icy moons orbiting saturn, are revealed in new images of the bright and shimmering cosmic body. the snapshots highlight some of the grooves in enceladus ' south polar region, including unexpected textures in the moon ' s ice. the photos, taken by nasa ' s cassini spacecraft on nov. 6, are the highest - resolution images of this region obtained so far, according to nasa officials. the new images of enceladus come from data collected by a special radar instrument on cassini, called the synthetic aperture radar. the area photographed by cassini does not include enceladus ' famous " tiger stripes, " which are huge fissures on the moon ' s ice - covered surface that eject plumes of ice particles and water vapor. these icy geysers cover regions just a few hundred miles away from the stripes, nasa scientists said. researchers are scrutinizing an area on enceladus that appears to have a very rough surface texture that glimmers peculiarly bright in cassini ' s radar images. this patch is located at around 63 degrees south latitude and 51 degrees west longitude. [ video : clearest enceladus views yet nabbed by cassini radar ] " it ' s puzzling why this is some of the brightest stuff cassini has seen, " steve wall, deputy leader of cassini ' s radar team at nasa ' s jet propulsion laboratory in pasadena, calif., said in a statement. " one possibility is that the area is studded with rounded ice rocks. but we can ' t yet explain how that would happen. " scientists are also investigating an area where cassini spotted grooved, water - ice bedrock. the spacecraft ' s images reveal unusual undulations and intricate patterns that have not previously been seen. this area is located at around 65 degrees south latitude and 293 degrees west longitude on the icy moon. cassini ' s observations also reveal a central groove in this area that is about 2, 100 feet ( 650 meters ) deep and 1. 2 miles ( 2 kilometers ) wide, with sides that slope at an angle of about 33 degrees. enceladus is the sixth - largest moon around saturn, and new images of the satellite show some similarities to titan, the largest moon orbiting the ringed planet. the western foothills in the so - called xanadu region of titan are also very bright, as are regions surrounding


a party rushes down to the cave, unlocks the door, and finds injun joe starved to death inside. he evidently has eaten the few bats he could catch, used every candle stump he could find, and made a cup out of rock and placed it under a dripping stalactite to catch a spoonful of water a day. “ injun joe ’ s cup, ” twain informs us, has since become one of the chief tourist attractions in the cave. the morning after injun joe ’ s funeral, tom tells huck his theory that the gold never was in room no. 2 at the temperance tavern. instead, he believes that it remains hidden in the cave. that afternoon, the boys take a raft down to the place where tom and becky exited the cave and crawl inside. tom comments on how much he wants to start a gang of robbers and use this part of the cave as a hideout. the boys discuss how grand it would be to be robbers and eventually reach the place where tom encountered injun joe. tom points out a cross that is burned on the wall of the cave and tells huck that this, not the tavern, must be where the gold is hidden. huck becomes frightened that injun joe ’ s ghost could be lurking around, but tom points out that the cross would keep him away. comforted by tom ’ s words, huck helps him search the area. the boys find nothing and decide to dig under the rock. there they find a collection of guns, moccasins, a belt, and the treasure. the boys decide to leave the guns behind, reasoning that they will be useful for their band of robbers in the future. they drag the gold out of the cavern and put it on their raft back to st. petersburg. on their way to hide the treasure, however, they encounter the welshman, who insists that they accompany him to a party at the widow douglas ’ s house. he sees the box they are lugging but assumes they have been collecting old iron. nearly every person of importance in the village has gathered at the widow douglas ’ s house. while the boys change into nice clothes, huck tells tom that he wants to escape out the window because he cannot stand such a large crowd. tom tells him not to worry. sid comes in and informs them that the party is being given in honor of the welshman, mr. jones, and his sons, and that mr. jones plans to surprise everyone by announcing that huck was the real hero. sid


to worry. sid comes in and informs them that the party is being given in honor of the welshman, mr. jones, and his sons, and that mr. jones plans to surprise everyone by announcing that huck was the real hero. sid then says, in a self - satisfied way, that the surprise will fall flat because he has already spoiled it. tom yells at sid for being such a nasty sneak and chases him out of the room. at the supper table, mr. jones tells his secret and everyone pretends to be surprised. widow douglas then announces that she plans to give huck a home and educate him. tom bursts out, “ huck don ’ t need it. huck ’ s rich. ” everyone chuckles at the joke, and tom runs outside and brings in the gold. everyone is shocked. when the money is counted, it adds up to over twelve thousand dollars. huck finn ’ s wealth and the fact that he was now under the widow douglas ’ s protection introduced him into society — no, dragged him into it, hurled him into it — and his sufferings were almost more than he could bear. the news of the gold shocks the village and inspires dozens of treasure hunters. the money is invested and provides both boys an allowance of almost a dollar a day — equal to the minister ’ s salary. becky tells her father about how noble tom has been, and the judge decides that tom should go to the national military academy and then become a lawyer. huck, meanwhile, suffers terribly under the burden of being civilized. he bears wearing clean clothes, sleeping in sheets, and eating with a knife and fork for three weeks ; he then runs away. the town searches for him, but to no avail. tom finds him, eventually, sleeping in an abandoned slaughterhouse, and huck tells his friend that he simply is not cut out for a respectable life. the widow douglas makes him dress nicely and forbids him to spit, swear, or smoke. tom replies that huck can do as he pleases, but if he wants to join tom ’ s gang of robbers, he has to be respectable. otherwise, he says, huck ’ s sour reputation will drag down the whole gang. huck agrees to try the widow ’ s house again for a month — provided that tom allows him to belong to the gang. twain writes that the story must end here because it is strictly a story about a boy. were the story to continue, he states, it would quickly become the story of


again for a month — provided that tom allows him to belong to the gang. twain writes that the story must end here because it is strictly a story about a boy. were the story to continue, he states, it would quickly become the story of a man. he adds that most of the characters in the story are still alive and that he might one day explore how they turned out. in a way, the town rewards tom for his disobedience. it hails him as a hero in relation to three actions that are marked by mischief — his return from jackson ’ s island, his testimony against injun joe, and his return from the caverns. a model boy would never get lost in a cave or be able to lie “ upon a sofa with an eager auditory about him and [ tell ] the history of the wonderful adventure. ” tom ’ s adventuresome spirit leads him into risks that others would not attempt, and his payoff is heroism. twain ’ s message, however, is not that disobedience is a virtue. others who disobey, such as injun joe, fall prey to twain ’ s criticism without any heroic tempering. although injun joe, tom, and huck are all inherently mischievous, injun joe harms others to satisfy his inclinations. tom and huck, though true to their mischievous natures, never allow themselves to harm others — they feel bad even about stealing bacon. a third category of characters in the novel includes those who obey outwardly but harbor malevolence on the inside — sid, for example. these hypocrites are the subtle antiheroes of the novel. after his triumphant return from the cave, tom regains his sense of perspective and leads huck back to the cave to find the treasure. their plan for a “ robber band, ” which tom will in fact establish in the adventures of huckleberry finn, marks a return to the world of boyhood fantasy, as it resembles the pirate band they create on jackson ’ s island and the outlaws they pretend to be in sherwood forest. tom and huck also return to their boyhood mind - set in the cave when they argue about superstition. but the way tom deflects huck ’ s arguments, enabling the conversation topic to move beyond superstition so that the boys can get the gold, displays his increasing maturity. when the widow douglas adopts huck, not only his treasure but also his life become subject to adult control. as huck and tom change


topic to move beyond superstition so that the boys can get the gold, displays his increasing maturity. when the widow douglas adopts huck, not only his treasure but also his life become subject to adult control. as huck and tom change upstairs in the widow douglas ’ s house before her dinner party, huck is so worried about the life that awaits him that he attempts to persuade tom to escape. tom dismisses huck ’ s fears, promising to “ take care of [ huck ], ” but huck ’ s worries prove well founded. not long after he and tom go downstairs together, the secret of their riches is revealed, and they are quickly ushered into the daunting adult world. tom is far more ready than huck to enter the adult community. when we first meet huck, twain writes, “ tom envied him his gaudy outcast condition ” ; now tom urges huck to embrace respectability. the tom we meet in the first chapter, with jam on his face and mischief on his mind, has given way to a boy who defends the adult order by preventing huck from escaping out the window. tom is not yet a man and still has plans for a robber gang, but judge thatcher is already talking about sending him to the military academy and law school. when tom finds huck after he has attempted to run away from the widow douglas ’ s house, he couches his appeal to return in the language of childhood, telling huck that he needs to be respectable to be in the robber band. but we sense that tom is using this rhetoric to appeal to huck because, with his newfound money and status, tom has a stake in adult society that he wants to defend. twain ’ s closing words wrap up matters for tom and huck and usher them into adult society without actually showing them as adults. their gold, which has been pursued without the adults ’ knowledge as a kind of game, is no longer a game. the gold has become a business so serious that judge thatcher, the most significant and authoritative figure in the adult hierarchy, assumes control of it. gone are huck ’ s plans to spend it all on candy, although on a dollar a day, he will happily be able to enjoy his share of sweets. there is a note of sadness in twain ’ s concluding statement that tom ’ s story will soon become “ the history of a man. ” the woods and fields around st. petersburg, where tom plays robin hood, pirates, and indians,


sweets. there is a note of sadness in twain ’ s concluding statement that tom ’ s story will soon become “ the history of a man. ” the woods and fields around st. petersburg, where tom plays robin hood, pirates, and indians, have given way to the world of money invested at interest. the freedom of childhood, represented by huck, has been absorbed by the adult order. the novel, which mixes a nostalgia for the carefree days of youth with illuminating criticism of adult society, cannot but regret the conclusion of childhood, even while recognizing — as tom tries to enable huck to recognize — the importance of moving toward maturity and sophistication. the key to reading this book is to concentrate on the anwsers and actually analyze what they are saying. 25 out of 40 people found this helpful if u have a big exam on this novel coming up....... instead of reading all the chapter analysis ' s, read the overall anylsis, quotes and come up with the most important charcters and write out who they really are. just a helpful idea.......! 9 out of 10 people found this helpful after chapter 17, all the chapters are one chapter behind. so chapter 19 is under chapter 18 and so on. i am not positive if this goes on through the rest of the chapters but i know that after chapter 17, this does happen. hope this helps! 13 out of 16 people found this helpful


by philip tung yep very nearly the earliest art of which we have evidence is concerned with animals. it appears to represent species we know our early ancestors hunted and one hypothesis is that the images were part of magical rituals designed to placate the spirits of prey. we may never know whether this is true but the drawings, crude as they are, are vital and carefully rendered, often deep in caves where the only light must have been fire, carefully established and tended. we know the animals were hunted and eaten. we know they were lovingly represented at great difficulty. there is a human ambivalence towards animals which runs like a thread from that remote time until the present day. in more recent times, animals have been worshipped as gods, tried and punished like human criminals in human courts and bred into useful or bizarre forms. their status relative to humans has swung wildly through the centuries. in the past century or two, there have been attempts to establish more firmly their rights, or indeed whether animals can have rights, and our responsibilities towards them. these attempts have met with some success in that most western countries have animal welfare legislation but they can hardly be said to have established any consensus about our ethical responsibility to animals. it might seem that this state of affairs could continue indefinitely however radical advances in some sciences and technologies now present possibilities which could force a rapid reappraisal. as is often the case, these possibilities are foreshadowed, however imperfectly, in science fiction and it is worth examining the fiction for clues as to how events will develop. an immense amount has already been written about human ethical treatment of animals. there is little point adding to this other than to point out some of the sources of conflict. opinion on the subject ranges from the ultimately naive " one mouse life is equal to one human life " to the equally cardboard cut - out " mankind was granted dominion over the beasts of the field " view. the main problem appears to be that animals are living responsive creatures and thus are capable of triggering off a whole range of reactions in us, from love to the need to dominate. we are poorly placed to be objective about them. of course, the same applies to our reactions to other humans but there are widely agreed standards of treatment and people are capable of stating their case in disputes. animals fit in different niches in our mental worlds. we see them as anything from friends to meat, from responsive and communicative souls to " brute beasts ". by defining an animal appropriately, it is possible to justify almost any sort of


. animals fit in different niches in our mental worlds. we see them as anything from friends to meat, from responsive and communicative souls to " brute beasts ". by defining an animal appropriately, it is possible to justify almost any sort of treatment of it and equally to justify almost any sort of action on its behalf. a related problem is that our bases for assigning value to sentient creatures vary. at times, intelligence, the capacity to feel pain, religious value, scarcity and evolutionary closeness to man have been proposed as measures for determining how we treat an animal species. most of these fail dismally if only because they are so utterly unquantifiable and arbitrary. it seems that our treatment of animals says more about ourselves than about them. science fiction rarely addresses this issue. most of the sf stories incorporating unaltered animals either tend towards genre fantasy or the reader ' s digest amazing animals! type. where human - animal relations are addressed, the animals are usually at or over the threshhold to sapience as in h. beam piper ' s " fuzzy " series. there is a strong tradition of stories about alien animals, usually possessing unusual attributes or powers, but these are more concerned with exploring strangeness or surprise than with how we would treat such creatures. uplift is the process, defined by david brin in his book " sundiver ", of elevating animal species to full sapience. if we could do this, and did, our ethical position seems clear. a creature of equal capacity to ourselves, able to think, feel and suffer as we do, surely deserves equal legal and civil rights. however, the more closely the question of uplift is examined, the fuzzier it becomes. consider how uplift might be achieved. in brin ' s books, the methods used, while not necessarily gentle, were not drastic. selective mutation, breeding programs, education and prostheses were all used to mould the natural form into thinking beings. undesirable traits were culled and admirable characteristics encouraged. generally, these programs took place over vast lengths of time. as we are now, humans have neither the patience or constancy for this sort of project. it seems likely that any individual attempt to uplift a species would be done as quickly as we knew how. it is possible to imagine a variety of methods being used - massive genetic engineering, neurosurgery, brain - machine connections or more likely a combination of these. the effort


uplift a species would be done as quickly as we knew how. it is possible to imagine a variety of methods being used - massive genetic engineering, neurosurgery, brain - machine connections or more likely a combination of these. the effort might succeed, however there are likely to be many failures and partial successes before we could produce a creature we could call an equal. some of them are likely to be very damaged, unfortunate things but undeniably, if uplift is possible, some of them will be sapient. so, the first question to ask is whether we should embark on a course that will create so much misery no matter how noble the aim? and should we kill our failures, no matter how merciful that might be? let ' s imagine the uplift project has succeeded and pan troglodytes sapiens enters the world. let ' s also imagine that our miserable history of prejudice and xenophobia doesn ' t repeat itself and uplifted chimps are accorded full human rights and are welcomed into society. what sort of creature will we meet? how much of the original animal will remain and how much will be behaviours, values, concerns and drives grafted on by the engineers? in short, will we meet another equal but alien mind or a reflection of our own desires? if the latter, will there be any point to the exercise? in cordwainer smith ' s stories of the exploitation and oppression of animal people, his cat - people and dog - people are an underclass with aspirations and resentments analogous to those of human underclasses. the stories are still popular and entertaining to read but there is very little which is alien about his protagonists. it is his " a game of rat and dragon " where the humans and animals are clearly distinct but linked telepathically that remains one of his most powerful tales. it might be argued that deciding to engage in uplift is like deciding to have a child, that parents mould the clay of a newborn mind according to their desires yet are nearly always surprised when a full - blown independent being emerges. parents, however, don ' t have access to or cause to use the tools that will be used to uplift animals else the result might be very different. one of the most difficult questions faced when considering uplift is likely to be whether we understand our own motives. finally, there is the question of the human state, with its attendent woes. there can ' t be many people who haven ' t occasionally envied


questions faced when considering uplift is likely to be whether we understand our own motives. finally, there is the question of the human state, with its attendent woes. there can ' t be many people who haven ' t occasionally envied dogs or cats living what appear to be troublefree lives. inevitably, the question will arise of whether we have the right to force the pain of self - awareness onto another species, to engineer another fall from innocence. there are two good answers to that question. the first is that animal lives are probably potentially as stressful and fraught as our own. certainly, low animals in the hierarchy in baboon packs show all the symptoms of stress that a harried office worker might. the second is simpler. would you change places with the animal you envy? the posthuman world while our ethical treatment of animals, uplifted or otherwise, may vary widely, we can at least understand the basis for it and what impels it. when dealing with entities which are intellectually superior, we may not have that comfort. there is a common belief, akin to the ' 50s idea that future cars would be larger and more powerful than the models of the day, that future humans will be like us but smarter, more peaceful and wiser. in fact, just about the only safe prediction we can make is that our successors will be unlike us, probably in ways we can ' t comprehend. technological development and scientific knowledge have advanced at such a rate over the last few decades that science fiction has not only failed to predict important advances but has failed to extrapolate from known developments. vernor vinge, one of the more technologically savvy of " hard " sf authors, has ruefully noted this. in an early story he took account of moore ' s law ( the rule of thumb that computer processing power doubles roughly every eighteen months ) but utterly failed to describe the effects of cheaply available computers equivalent to ' 60s supercomputers. since then, vinge has been careful to avoid repeating the mistake but finds that when current trends are extrapolated, a point is reached where the figures either have to be regarded as ridiculous or, if accepted, imply fundamental changes in the nature of human society. for instance, the amount of energy an average citizen in the us can utilise is rising at almost exponential rates. at some point early in the next century, our citizen may be able to command energy resources equivalent to a large corporation and a few years beyond that


the amount of energy an average citizen in the us can utilise is rising at almost exponential rates. at some point early in the next century, our citizen may be able to command energy resources equivalent to a large corporation and a few years beyond that, to a small developed country. similarly, depending upon which measure you accept of the processing capacity of a human brain, computers possessing an equivalent capacity should available some time in the next fifty years. this level of resource cannot fit any more comfortably into our sort of society than large disposable incomes and copious free time could fit into a feudal system. rapid, accelerating technological change implies more than just social changes however. consider the human - equivalent computers which may arise in the next century. human - equivalent hardware doesn ' t imply the software expertise and neurological knowledge necessary to create a human - like intelligence. there is no guarantee that we will be able to build a human mind into a machine, indeed if roger penrose and his intellectual predecessors are correct, it may not even be possible in principle. nonetheless, there are already numerous examples where computer systems can exceed human capabilities. chess programs can already defeat the vast majority of human players. semiconductor design systems can layout microprocessor circuitry too complex for human designers to handle. medical and geological expert systems already achieve lower error rates than human experts diagnosing disease and locating ore bodies. imagine a large distributed system of the early 2100s consisting of a sophisticated planning module with access to specialised design programs, large databases of psychological and political theory, powerful economic modelling software, automated factories, conversational expert systems and a clearly defined set of goals. the system might be no more conscious than a rock, no more self - aware than a plant but to those dealing with it, would this really matter? it might never write a stirring sonnet ( although it could probably write a cohesive one ) but when planning a political campaign, organising the development of the next generation of biochip or prosecuting a war, it could well be superior to any human living. is this system self - aware? no. is it intelligent? maybe, maybe not - it depends upon your prejudices. is it more capable than a human? definitely - frighteningly so. the foregoing is just one model for the development of future superhuman entities. there are many others ranging from the naive, say a. e. van vogt ' s smarter, more peaceful slan, to the unknowable, say vinge ' s powers, the result of runaway


development of future superhuman entities. there are many others ranging from the naive, say a. e. van vogt ' s smarter, more peaceful slan, to the unknowable, say vinge ' s powers, the result of runaway exponential boosting of intelligence. the powers are incomprehensible, their concerns and conflicts both huge and subtle beyond human boundaries. they rarely deal with lesser beings and when they do the results are so awesome and terrifying that the study of these events is known as applied theology. the powers are a curious model of what we may one day become, something which should be central to human concerns. the model is almost blank, featureless. all that can be discerned is the effect and that is inexplicable. the ethical treatment of humans by advanced entities will depend upon the nature of those entities but for the reasons mentioned above, this will probably not be obvious to us. the non - aware system described will have no ethical concerns but may base its behaviour upon projections of the results of different courses of action and their match with its goals. an entity composed of multiple human ( and likely computer ) elements, an intellectual collective, such as star trek ' s borg or the comprise in michael swanwick ' s " vacuum flowers ", might well regard individuals as potentially valuable, depending upon what they brought to the whole, but replaceable. the nearest examples we currently have of this sort of being, large hi - tech corporations, already live by the rule that " no - one is indispensible ". more exotic possibilities such as man - machine hybrids or human personalities translated into computer hardware offer a different range of possibilities. in principle, they come from the same ethical heritage as " natural " humans and can be expected to understand the principles we regard as natural to humans. however, much of our ethical behaviour is determined by non - rational impulses. we seem to be hardwired to respond to a large head - body ratio and thus accord more sympathy to babies than to adults. similarly, with some notable exceptions, we grant more sympathy and value to humans than to animals. much of this behaviour seems to be mediated by hormonal and biological influences and may not survive the transition to non - human bodies or bodies where the biological component is under conscious control. entirely different bases may be necessary for ethics when the instinctual drives are gone or controlled. they may be more rational and thus perhaps more universal but to our way of thinking they may seem harsh and unforgiving. the


component is under conscious control. entirely different bases may be necessary for ethics when the instinctual drives are gone or controlled. they may be more rational and thus perhaps more universal but to our way of thinking they may seem harsh and unforgiving. the whole area of the ethical treatment of humans by superhuman beings is explored widely in science fiction but unfortunately much is fairly naive or human - chauvinist. there are honourable exceptions. arthur c. clarke ' s " childhood ' s end " portrays the collision between humanity and their suddenly incomprehensible children with a stark eye. it is not flattering but it rings true. greg bear ' s noocytes in " blood music " treat humanity well but carry them along in their headlong rush towards transcendence. yet finally, it is vernor vinge ' s vision which rings truest. in " a fire upon the deep ", a war between powers spills into the lesser domain of human - sized intellects. one power, the blight, has twisted the history of the entire galaxy in its machinations, " evil on a transcendent scale " as one protagonist puts it. another, old one, works through human intermediaries to defeat it, yet lets them retain some choice and dignity. this is the range of ethics we find in humans and is the very least we should expect of those that are greater than us. the future would seem to be a dismal place for the human race. the very best we could expect is ethical treatment, as we define it, from our successors. there is only one path which clearly offers us any option other than to be subject to the whims of others and that is to become the others. there is a slim window of opportunity somewhere in the next fifty years when we will either create entities more capable than ourselves or become them. if we close off the paths to superhumanity, others will take them or create beings to fill those opening niches. if we halt human genetic engineering, if we ban research into brain - machine interfacing, if we outlaw smart drugs and place restraints on intellectual collectives, then something without those restraints will expand into those niches. and they are not the small closed niches, the crevices in rocks or dark undisturbed caves. the only equivalent in evolutionary terms is the colonisation of dry land thousands of millions of year ago. the landscapes beyond humanity are empty now. whatever colonises them will face immense challenges but will also have the space to expand


free shipping on orders over $ 59! use code : w3355 see details shop by category p. e. central lesson plan : throwing for distance purpose of activity : to teach children the fundamentals of the overhand throw. activity cues : gr. k : " arm back and up " ; " step with the opposite foot " ; " throw hard " suggested grade level : k - 2 materials needed : different sized balls of varying densities ; one for each child ; suggestions include yarn balls ; nerf balls ; wiffle balls ; " gator - skin " foam balls ; and other soft balls ; one hula hoop and cone or other marker for each student ; lesson plan : description of idea after introducing a couple of the cues for the overhand throw and letting students " practice " them a few times in place without a ball, let students know they will play a game against themselves to see how well they can throw. have one student demonstrate putting a hoop against the wall in front of where they are standing, and then move approximately 8 - 10 feetaway from the wall ( this is where they put their cone ). the child throws the ball to the wall, and if he / she hits the wall with the ball, they then take a step backward. if the child once again can hit the wall with the ball, he / she moves the cone back to where they just were, and then takes another step back. the student then continues to move a step back until their throw misses the wall. at this point, they then stay at the last place their cone was set, and continue to throw from there until they can once again hit the wall. ( remind students it ' s not important if they get the ball in the hoop or not, but the hoop can help them to know where to throw. ) at the " go " signal, have students get a ball of their choice, a hoop, and a cone and set their " game " up to begin. as students throw against the wall, move around the area and give students feedback on how they are doing, reminding them about a cue ( s ) they may not be using. for a formal assessment, check off on an observation sheet whether each student " consistently ", " sometimes ", or " hardly ever " uses each of the cues given. author : heather miner. posted on pec : 6 / 6 / 2001. this lesson plan was provided courtesy of p. e. central ( www. pecentral. org ). products for this lesson :


today, could we find a quiet moment to close our eyes and listen to hope? alice sciscioli pratt, an instructor at the hochstein school of music, shares her thoughts beethoven ’ s ninth symphony … hope never eludes me when i reach the fourth movement of the famous ninth symphony by ludwig van beethoven. it was his last symphony before he died. deaf at the time of its composition and first performance and having lived through such a tumultuous time in history, what was in his heart that, at the very end of his life ’ s work, propelled the vision of hope despite such bleakness? the most famous section of this movement includes the setting of the poem “ ode to joy ”, by the german poet friedrich von schiller. there have been countless other lyrics put to beethoven ’ s melody and it found its way into many a hymnal, suggesting that there is something inherent in those notes about the love of our god with or without the original poem. but the most thrilling version is the one from its source. besides the melody, the orchestral writing is beyond what i can describe in words. one must listen. one must be open to feel. how could this suffering man end his work with such an uplifting and hopeful finale? was his love of god so big that it overcame his own hardships to leave us with such an amazing work of art? was god driving his hand as he wrote, hearing the orchestration only in his mind? having sung this once under the baton of the great eugene ormandy, conducting the philadelphia orchestra at the saratoga performing arts center in saratoga, ny i recall the spontaneous hugs of the chorus when the lights went out after we took our final applause as performers. i remember wanting to jump for joy, a phrase perhaps i had not truly understood before. i believe god used this incredible genius to leave a message to us, for as long as the earth is to be. as mentioned above, the lyrics have often been changed. looking at the english translation of the original german poem, the language sung by the singers in the symphony, two sections seem to speak in words what beethoven suggests in music : joy, thou source of light immortal, daughter of elysium! touched with fire, to the portal, of thy radiant shrine, we come. your sweet magic, frees all others, held in custom ’ s rigid rings, all men on earth become brothers, in the haven of your wings. endure courageously, you millions! endure for the better world! over


myoglobin - serum serum myoglobin is a test that measures the amount of myoglobin in the blood. myoglobin is a protein in heart and skeletal muscles. when you exercise, your muscles use up any available oxygen. myoglobin has oxygen attached to it, which provides extra oxygen for the muscles to keep at a high level of activity for a longer period of time. when muscle is damaged, myoglobin is released into the bloodstream. the kidneys help remove myoglobin from the body into the urine. in large amounts, myoglobin can damage the kidneys. see also : urine myoglobin how the test is performed a blood sample is needed. for information on how this is done, see : venipuncture how to prepare for the test there is no special preparation. how the test will feel when the needle is inserted to draw blood, you may feel moderate pain, or only a prick or stinging sensation. afterward, there may be some throbbing. why the test is performed myoglobin levels may be obtained to confirm suspected muscle damage, including heart and skeletal muscle damage. the normal ( " negative " ) range is 0 - 85 nanograms per milliliter ( ng / ml ). note : normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results. the examples above show the common measurements for results for these tests. some laboratories use different measurements or may test different specimens. what abnormal results mean greater - than - normal levels ( a " positive " result ) may indicate : there is very little risk involved with having your blood taken. veins and arteries vary in size from one patient to another and from one side of the body to the other. taking blood from some people may be more difficult than from others. other risks associated with having blood drawn are slight but may include : - excessive bleeding - fainting or feeling light - headed - hematoma ( blood accumulating under the skin ) - infection ( a slight risk any time the skin is broken ) amato aa, brooke mh. disorders of skeletal muscle. in : bradley wg, daroff rb, fenichel gm, jankovic j, eds. neurology in clinical practice. 5th ed. philadelphia, pa : butterworth - heinemann elsevier ; 2008 : chap 83. barohn rj. muscle diseases. in : goldman l, ausiello d, eds


. neurology in clinical practice. 5th ed. philadelphia, pa : butterworth - heinemann elsevier ; 2008 : chap 83. barohn rj. muscle diseases. in : goldman l, ausiello d, eds. cecil medicine. 23rd ed. philadelphia, pa : saunders elsevier ; 2007 : chap 447. o ' connor fg, deuster pa. rhabdomyolysis. in : goldman l, ausiello d, eds. cecil medicine. 23rd ed. philadelphia, pa : saunders elsevier ; 2007 : chap 114. david c. dugdale, iii, md, professor of medicine, division of general medicine, department of medicine, university of washington school of medicine. also reviewed by david zieve, md, mha, medical director, a. d. a. m., inc. the information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. a licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. call 911 for all medical emergencies. links to other sites are provided for information only - - they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997 - a. d. a. m., inc. any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.


it ' s very easy to think dinosaurs lived only in swamps and in sub - tropical climates as shown in so many illustrations found in popular dinosaur books, posters, and films. but in recent years, since the mid - 1980s ', scientists have been making astonishing discoveries of fossil remains of dinosaurs living in areas such as alaska, australia, and antarctica where the environment there is anything but sub - tropical and swamp - like. some dinosaurs did lived in swamps and sub - tropical areas, but others lived in mountainous, forested, desert, savannah, and arctic areas. just like animals of today, dinosaurs lived all over the world on every continent and in every environment they adapt themselves in. oard, on the other hand, just couldn ' t comprehend the concept of dinosaurs living in the arctic so he uses his delusional imagination and pretend these dinosaurs along with other organisms found in the arctic were transported into those areas by the flood, never mind the complete absence of their fossils found anywhere else in the world. in his article from cmi entitled, polar dinosaur ( sic ) conundrum, after he gives out a review of dinosaur fossils being found in arctic places, he asks, " how could dinosaurs live at polar latitudes? " answer : they adapt to it. dinosaurs living in polar regions is able to adapt to those regions and survive so well. back then it was a lot warmer than it is now. but that doesn ' t mean dinosaurs living in the region never experienced cold weather. dinosaurs like leallynasaura have huge large eyes that enables them to see well at night. where it lives, the sun never shines during the cold, dark winter season and the only lights leallynasaura saw is the aurora that lights the night sky. after going through references on how scientists are explaining how dinosaurs are able to survive the cold regions based on fossil evidence, oard in the popular extinction hypotheses questioned section claims that all this is going up against the old theory that claims dinosaurs died out due to the climate becoming too cold for the dinosaurs to live in whether it ' s from a slow cooling or from volcanic and meteorite debris blocking the sun. actually the meteorite, upon impact, created a massive firestorm that incinerate much of the earth, wiping out 70 % of all organisms, including all non - avian dinosaurs. then oard gives a lowdown on how scientists are discovering that the polar areas, where so many fossils of plants, dinosaurs, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians have been found


% of all organisms, including all non - avian dinosaurs. then oard gives a lowdown on how scientists are discovering that the polar areas, where so many fossils of plants, dinosaurs, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians have been found, was much warmer than what it is now. the first example comes from the region of southern australia where " cold - blooded tetrapods, such as crocodiles, turtles, and some amphibians, have been found in southeast australia with the dinosaurs. " actually crocodiles in the region are about a meter long and lived way far north where it was much warmer. crocodiles cannot live in cold climatic areas so labyrinthodonts, large amphibians such as koolasuchus that lived a lifestyle similar to crocodiles, took their places and patrol the chilly waters for potential prey. when the cold season comes, the labyrinthodonts would go seek shelter and hibernate throughout the dark winter months. the next example is the discovery of champsosaurs, primitive crocodiles that lived during the cretaceous period and a major discovery of an early cenozoic mummified forest where 45 million year ago in the eocene epoch, global warming was real. it was a highly warm time where even the poles were a lot like hawaii where everything ' s tropical and warm all year long with no sign of snow anywhere. yet, the early mammals including primates were able to adapt to this year - round warm climate. both fossil sites each coming two separate periods of time are found on axel heiberg island where the climate today is much colder than what it was back then. the third example is the discovery of the arctic ocean being warmer in the cretaceous period than what it is now and the discovery of tropical breadfruit dated 90 million years ago found in what is now greenland. it is believed that part of the reason why it was warmer back in the cretaceous period than it is now is said to be the result of volcanoes spewing out heat - trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, causing the tempts to rise and provide homes for cold - blooded animals that would otherwise live only in warm places such as areas near the equator. now the last part of the article is when oard display his utmost folly and states out of ignorance that there ' s no way can these plants and animals live in cold climates and concludes the article with this idiocy, " all these warmth - loving organisms, including the polar dinosaurs, were more likely transported to polar latitudes during the flood " without


there ' s no way can these plants and animals live in cold climates and concludes the article with this idiocy, " all these warmth - loving organisms, including the polar dinosaurs, were more likely transported to polar latitudes during the flood " without any shred of evidence, oard just concludes that the plants and animals were just transported by the flood waters to the arctic areas they are found in, never mind the stumps complete with roots that stayed put for the past 45 million years, never mind the animals ' ability to adapt to the surroundings where there ' s prolonged days of warmth and light that causes plants to grow abundantly and cold, prolonged nights where the plants just lay dormant and the animals either migrate to warmer areas, hibernate in shelters, or just stayed put and active to toughen it out by developing large eyes to see in the dark and insulation in the form of either hair or feathers that kept their body temperature at a stable range, never mind their fossils being found exclusively in the arctic areas and none elsewhere, never mind the continental drift and the ocean currents being different back then than it is now, and never mind the real reason why the forest is well preserved for 45 million years without being rapidly and violently buried by the fictional flood of 4, 500 years ago. if oard thinks they where all transported to their respective places by the flood, then where did they come from? and why are they not found in anywhere else in the world? if oard can ' t honestly answer such 2 questions, then it ' s official : oard is making it all up.


high temperatures increase west nile virus in mosquitoes utah ' s first human case of west nile virus has been detected in a utah county resident. mosquito pools, chickens and wild birds are testing positive throughout the state. emery county has the state ' s first confirmed positive west nile virus horse. when west nile virus is found in horses, it can mean an increased risk for humans too, because the virus is infecting more than just mosquitoes and birds. the virus is normally transmitted through intravenous contact. the most common method of transmission is through mosquitoes. preventing mosquito bites is the way to avoid getting west nile virus. all residents who are outside between sundown and sunup can protect themselves by : using mosquito repellents that contain deet when outdoors from dusk to dawn wearing long - sleeved shirts and long pants while outdoors getting rid of standing water around your house to reduce the number of mosquitoes ( old tires, buckets, wading pools, etc. ) " wnv can affect everyone, not just the young or old. we all need to take measures to protect ourselves until the end of mosquito season, which is typically after the first hard frost in the fall, " stated brady bradford, regional epidemiologist. " the high temperatures we ' ve been experiencing give us near - perfect mosquito - breeding weather, " james nielsen, emery county ' s weed and mosquito abatement manager states. one of the best ways to help contol mosquito populations is limiting standing water, where mosquitoes breed. high temperature along with standing water shortens the developmental stage of the mosquito. nielsen suggests individuals need to monitor standing water and contact their county ' s mosquito abatement program if they see mosquito larvae. these department have the equipment and resources to help combat mosquito populations. " focusing on prevention can be much more effective than trying to fix the problem and interrupting the development at the larvae stage is part of the prevention, " said nielsen.


| some interesting facts about wood | | have you ever noticed how much wood is around you? take a minute and look around you. indoors we find oak, pine, redwood, cedar and mahogany. outside we find the same woods used for seating and extra living space. wood is a big part of our lives. you clean and protect your wood furniture inside. why wouldn ' t you take the same kind of care of the wood you use outdoors? | the cost of wood is increasing at an alarming rate. today, the replacement cost for a wood deck or fence can be out of reach for many homeowners. we are actually running out of trees, and wood is being replaced every day that could have been saved with good maintenance. | the weathering process of wood | | the forces of weathering can be devastating to wood. moisture from rain, snow, and dew, are quickly absorbed by unprotected wood causing it to swell while washing out the natural wood resins and coloring. the heat from the sun dries and shrinks the wood. these daily cycles of wet and dry swelling and shrinking causes the wood to warp, splinter, cup, crack and become discolored while also allowing the sunlight ( uv ) rays to break down the cell structure and degrade the woods integrity. these factors combine to physically and chemically attack the woods lignin, ( the chemical structure ( glue ) that holds the wood fibers together. moisture that is allowed to sit in the wood will soon serve as a natural food source for mold, mildew, algae, and fungus causing black, green or gray discoloration. | | even worse for wood | | since decks are horizontal surfaces, they hold water, snow and dew for longer periods of time and this accelerates the damaging effects. decks get up to 40 percent more uv radiation from sunlight than comparable vertical surfaces. the prolonged dampness attracts dirt from atmospheric pollution and airborne fungal spores. | the temperature difference between the sun exposed top of the board and the shaded bottom can be as much as 50 degrees f. in addition to this, decks are subject to more foot traffic than other structures.


transient familial hyperbilirubinemia transient familial hyperbilirubinemia is a metabolic disorder that is passed down through families. babies with this disorder are born with severe jaundice. transient familial hyperbilirubinemia is an inherited disorder. it occurs when the body does not properly break down ( metabolize ) a certain form of bilirubin. bilirubin levels rapidly build up in the body. the high levels are poisonous to the brain and can cause death. the newborn may have : - yellow skin ( jaundice ) - yellow eyes ( icterus ) if untreated, seizures and neurologic problems ( kernicterus ) may develop. exams and tests blood tests for bilirubin levels can identify the severity of the jaundice. babies who are treated can have a good outcome. if the condition is not treated, severe complications develop. this disorder tends to improve with time. death or severe brain and nervous system ( neurological ) problems can occur if the condition is not treated. when to contact a medical professional although this problem is usually found immediately after delivery, call your doctor if you notice your baby ' s skin turning yellow. there are other causes for jaundice in the newborn that are easily treated. genetic counseling can help families understand the condition, its risks of recurring, and how to care for the patient. phototherapy can help prevent the potentially serious complications of this disorder. reviewed by : chad haldeman - englert, md, wake forest school of medicine, department of pediatrics, section on medical genetics, winston - salem, nc. review provided by verimed healthcare network. also reviewed by david zieve, md, mha, medical director, a. d. a. m., inc.


people got very excited in 2004 when nasa ’ s rover opportunity discovered evidence that mars had once been wet. where there is water, there may be life. after more than 40 years of human exploration, culminating in the ongoing mars exploration rover mission, scientists are planning still more missions to study the planet. the phoenix, an interagency scientific probe led by the lunar and planetary laboratory at the university of arizona, is scheduled to land in late may on mars ’ s frigid northern arctic, where it will search for soils and ice that might be suitable for microbial life ( see “ mission to mars, ” november / december 2007 ). the next decade might see a mars sample return mission, which would use robotic systems to collect samples of martian rocks, soils, and atmosphere and return them to earth. we could then analyze the samples to see if they contain any traces of life, whether extinct or still active. such a discovery would be of tremendous scientific significance. what could be more fascinating than discovering life that had evolved entirely independently of life here on earth? many people would also find it heartening to learn that we are not entirely alone in this vast, cold cosmos. but i hope that our mars probes discover nothing. it would be good news if we find mars to be sterile. dead rocks and lifeless sands would lift my spirit. conversely, if we discovered traces of some simple, extinct life - form – some bacteria, some algae – it would be bad news. if we found fossils of something more advanced, perhaps something that looked like the remnants of a trilobite or even the skeleton of a small mammal, it would be very bad news. the more complex the life - form we found, the more depressing the news would be. i would find it interesting, certainly – but a bad omen for the future of the human race. how do i arrive at this conclusion? i begin by reflecting on a well - known fact. ufo spotters, raelian cultists, and self - certified alien abductees notwithstanding, humans have, to date, seen no sign of any extraterrestrial civilization. we have not received any visitors from space, nor have our radio telescopes detected any signals transmitted by any extraterrestrial civilization. the search for extra - terrestrial intelligence ( seti ) has been going for nearly half a century, employing increasingly powerful telescopes and data - mining techniques ; so far, it has consistently corroborated the null hypothesis. as best we have been able to determine, the night sky


intelligence ( seti ) has been going for nearly half a century, employing increasingly powerful telescopes and data - mining techniques ; so far, it has consistently corroborated the null hypothesis. as best we have been able to determine, the night sky is empty and silent. the question “ where are they? ” is thus at least as pertinent today as it was when the physicist enrico fermi first posed it during a lunch discussion with some of his colleagues at the los alamos national laboratory back in 1950. here is another fact : the observable universe contains on the order of 100 billion galaxies, and there are on the order of 100 billion stars in our galaxy alone. in the last couple of decades, we have learned that many of these stars have planets circling them ; several hundred such “ exoplanets ” have been discovered to date. most of these are gigantic, since it is very difficult to detect smaller exoplanets using current methods. ( in most cases, the planets cannot be directly observed. their existence is inferred from their gravitational influence on their parent suns, which wobble slightly when pulled toward large orbiting planets, or from slight fluctuations in luminosity when the planets partially eclipse their suns. ) we have every reason to believe that the observable universe contains vast numbers of solar systems, including many with planets that are earth - like, at least in the sense of having masses and temperatures similar to those of our own orb. we also know that many of these solar systems are older than ours.


click on any phrase to play the video at that point. close five hundred seventy - one million two hundred thirty thousand pounds of paper towels are used by americans every year. if we could - - correction, wrong figure - - 13 billion used every year. if we could reduce the usage of paper towels, one paper towel per person per day, 571, 230, 000 pounds of paper not used. we can do that. now there are all kinds of paper towel dispensers. there ' s the tri - fold. people typically take two or three. there ' s the one that cuts it, that you have to tear off. people go one, two, three, four, tear. this much, right? there ' s the one that cuts itself. people go, one, two, three, four. or there ' s the same thing, but recycled paper, you have to get five of those because they ' re not as absorbant, of course. js : okay. wet hands. shake - - one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12. why 12? twelve apostles, twelve tribes, twelve zodiac signs, twelve months. the one i like the best : it ' s the biggest number with one syllable. js : now, there ' s now a real fancy invention, it ' s the one where you wave your hand and it kicks it out. it ' s way too big a towel. let me tell you a secret. if you ' re really quick, if you ' re really quick - - and i can prove this - - this is half a towel from the dispenser in this building. how? as soon as it starts, you just tear it off. it ' s smart enough to stop. and you get half a towel. js : now, let ' s all say it together. shake. fold. you will for the rest of your life remember those words every time you pick up a paper towel. and remember, one towel per person for one year - - 571, 230, 000 pounds of paper. no small thing. and next year, toilet paper. you can share this video by copying this html to your clipboard and pasting into your blog or web page. need to get the latest flash player. got an idea, question, or debate inspired by this talk? start a ted conversation. you use paper towels to dry your hands every day, but chances are,


be the first to post a comment! to write a comment please log in or register. nicolas poussin was a french painter who was the founder and greatest practitioner of 17th - century french classical painting. his work symbolizes the virtues of logic, order, and clarity, and it has influenced the course of french art up to the present day. poussin was of peasant extraction, born near les andelys, normandy, in june 1594. he studied painting in paris and perhaps also rouen. in 1624 he went to rome, where, except for an 18 - month sojourn in paris from 1640 to 1642, he lived for the rest of his life. his early work in rome reflects the crowded compositions and animated surfaces of mid - 16th century mannerism. about 1630 his style began to change as he drew away from the emerging exuberant baroque style and devoted himself entirely to his passion for the antique, concentrating on biblical and mythological subjects. at first his paintings, such as the plague at ashdod ( 1630 - 1631, musee du louvre, paris ), had the rich, glowing color of the venetian artist titian, but after 1633 poussin moved steadily toward more sober, cool tonalities. his compositions became more serene and his figures more sculptural, echoing the mature paintings of raphael, while he attempted to depict emotion through easily readable gestures, poses, and facial expressions, as in adoration of the golden calf ( 1634?, national gallery, london ). poussin journeyed to paris in 1640 with some reluctance, although the trip earned him the enduring patronage of wealthy bourgeois collectors and also cemented his relations with the french academie royale, which later elevated his style to the status of formal doctrine. his paintings of the next decade, from 1643 to 1653, such as holy family on the steps ( 1648, national gallery, washington, d. c. ), following his return to rome, are the purest embodiment of french classicism. they are characterized by calm, structured composition, cool colors, hard, clear lighting, and a feeling of solemnity. during his last years, from 1653 to 1665, poussin ' s style developed and changed. he minimized the actions and facial expressions of his subjects but maintained the emotional intensity of his paintings. allegory, symbolism, and mysticism played an even greater role than before ; his scenes were still, yet vital and intensely personal. paintings like the arcadian shepherd ( 1656?, musee du louvre


‘ electronic skin ’ patch will do many thingsaugust 12th, 2011 - 7 : 05 pm ict by ians london, aug 12 ( ians ) american scientists have created little patches of ‘ electronic skin ’ that might heal wounds and monitor a patient ’ s heart rate in the near future. “ what we are trying to do here is to really reshape and redefine electronics … to look a lot more like the human body, in this case the surface layers of the skin, ” said john a. rogers of the university of illinois, us. “ the goal is really to blur the distinction between electronics and biological tissue, ” he said, researchers implanted sensors in a film thinner than a human hair, which was placed on a polyester backing like those used for the temporary tattoos popular with children, reports the journal science. the result was a sensor that was flexible enough to move with the skin and would stick without glue, according to the daily telegraph. researchers said the devices could stick up to 24 hours. while normal shedding of skin cells would cause the monitors to come off, rogers expected the new devices to remain in place for two weeks. besides monitoring patients, the devices could monitor brain waves, muscle movement, sensing the larynx for speech, emitting heat to help heal wounds and perhaps even being made touch sensitive and placed on artificial limbs, rogers said. - indo - asian news service - all - in - one cardiac catheter to make heart surgeries simpler, better - mar 07, 2011 - new therapy can ease irritable bowels - jul 19, 2011 - robots to get touchy - feely with sensitive artificial skin - sep 14, 2010 - blast of sound can speed up wound healing - nov 23, 2010 - now, a system that documents healing process of injured joints in detail - mar 19, 2011 - ' tooth tattoo ' developed that could save your life - jun 08, 2012 - smart ' spider web ' sensors to make aircrafts fly like birds - sep 24, 2010 - device to free diabetics from pinpricks? - sep 09, 2012 - circuits will be shrunk to sand grain ' s size - jul 21, 2011 - ' rubber band electronics ' will cut hospital visits - jul 03, 2012 - ipad to impart greater accuracy to diagnosis - jul 21, 2011 - human skin mixed with spider silk can halt bullets - sep 14, 2011 - vibrations to help in energy harvesting - may 07, 2012 - lizard enzyme could let humans regrow organs,


hepatitis c and co - infection : an overview as more people with hiv are living longer, co - infection with hepatitis c virus ( hcv ) has emerged as a significant concern. serious illness and death from hepatitis c - related liver disease are increasing in hiv - positive people. in the united states, about one - third of people with hiv are co - infected with hcv ; the rates vary by area because up to 90 % of people who got hiv through injection drug use are also infected with hcv. before the hepatitis c virus was identified in 1988, doctors knew that some people had a type of viral hepatitis that they called non - a, non - b ( nanb ). initially, nanb hepatitis wasn ' t considered a serious health concern, but after many years, some people with nanb hepatitis began to develop serious liver problems. a small rna virus - - hepatitis c - - turned out to be the culprit in most cases. only about three out of ten people have symptoms immediately after infection. these symptoms can include : about one out of seven people has a strong immune response that clears the infection two to six weeks after infection. unfortunately, clearing the virus doesn ' t make you immune to hcv re - infection. if the infection clears, the antibodies to hcv remain in your blood, but the actual virus doesn ' t. it may be harder for hiv - positive people to clear hcv infection because the immune system isn ' t as strong. in 1999, hcv was categorized as an opportunistic infection because of the potentially serious health consequences of living with two chronic viral infections. due to the overlap in modes of transmission between the two viruses, it is recommended that people with hiv undergo hcv antibody testing. most people who have been infected with hcv will develop antibodies within three months. if your antibody test is positive, a viral load test can diagnose current hcv infection. qualitative viral load testing can confirm whether virus is present in a blood sample. the test will find virus if there ' s more than 50 to 60 copies in the sample, but it can ' t tell you the amount of virus in your blood. a quantitative viral load test does measure the amount of virus in a blood sample ( the test can find any amount above 600 copies per ml ). qualitative testing is usually used to confirm or rule out chronic hcv infection because it ' s cheaper and more sensitive. hcv viral load will show up two weeks to six months after infection. if your quali


600 copies per ml ). qualitative testing is usually used to confirm or rule out chronic hcv infection because it ' s cheaper and more sensitive. hcv viral load will show up two weeks to six months after infection. if your qualitative viral load test doesn ' t find any virus, re - testing six months later is recommended to confirm or rule out current hcv infection. if the second viral load test still doesn ' t detect any hcv, either the antibody test result was a false positive or the initial infection may have cleared. if the hcv antibody test is negative, many medical providers recommend hcv viral load testing - - either qualitative or quantitative - - as a follow up for people whose immune systems are weak and / or have symptoms of liver disease ( persistently high liver enzymes, fatigue or liver pain ). a damaged immune system may just be too worn out to make antibodies. hcv usually progresses very slowly, so a person might not develop any serious liver damage until 10 to 50 years after infection - - if they ' re going to develop serious damage at all. most of our information about hcv disease progression comes from studies of people without hiv. based on those studies, about 25 out of 100 of people with hcv will never have any symptoms or liver problems. forty to 50 will experience some symptoms and liver damage ( mild liver scarring called fibrosis ) that will affect their quality of life, the most common symptoms being fatigue and depression. about 20 out of 100 will develop serious liver scarring ( cirrhosis ), and only 1 % to 4 % of people with cirrhosis will eventually develop liver cancer. at most, that ' s one person out of 100. hcv disease may progress more rapidly in people with hiv. studies conducted prior to the use of haart ( highly active antiretroviral therapy ) showed that hiv could speed up hcv disease progression. but haart ' s boost to the immune system may help to slow down hcv - related liver damage. co - infected people usually have higher hcv viral loads than people with hcv alone, but much controversy remains about hcv disease progression in co - infection. long - term follow - up is needed to help provide more answers about hiv ' s role in hcv disease progression. several other factors also play a role : alcohol consumption, general liver health before hcv and hiv infection, which infection you got first, age, overall immune health, access to care and the quality of care received,


role in hcv disease progression. several other factors also play a role : alcohol consumption, general liver health before hcv and hiv infection, which infection you got first, age, overall immune health, access to care and the quality of care received, drug use, and use of haart. a recent swiss study showed that co - infected people had a higher risk of progression to aids and death despite the use of haart, implying that hcv may be a co - factor in hiv disease progression. several studies have shown that co - infected people do not gain as many cd4 cells after beginning hiv treatment compared to those with hiv alone. a spanish study, for example, found that after two years of haart, co - infected people gained an average of 53 cd4 cells, while those with hiv alone gained an average of 111 cd4 cells. a study at johns hopkins followed a group of co - infected people from january of 1996 until june 2000 and saw similar results. in addition, the hopkins study found that co - infected people with cd4 cell counts between 50 and 200 progressed to death more quickly than those with hiv alone. however, other studies of co - infected people have not seen a difference in survival rates. since so many factors can contribute to both hiv and hcv disease progression, further research is needed to confirm whether hcv does make hiv disease worse. statistics about the chance of developing liver damage from hcv can ' t give you specific information about your individual hcv disease progression. there are several tests available that provide information about the condition of your liver. while these tests aren ' t a crystal ball, the results can help you recognize changes over time and make treatment decisions. many people are used to looking at an hiv viral load test as a predictor of disease progression. hcv viral load testing won ' t provide this information. the amount of virus in your blood can ' t predict how much liver damage hcv has caused or the likelihood of liver damage in the future. an average hcv viral load ranges between two and five million copies - - much higher than in hiv. this can be scary if you ' re used to seeing much lower viral load results and associating them with changes in your health. hcv viral load testing is primarily used before and during treatment to determine how likely you are to respond or are responding to hcv medications. liver function testing our liver cells die periodically and are replaced with new ones. when liver cells are damaged or dying, liver enzymes ( called ast and alt ) see


treatment to determine how likely you are to respond or are responding to hcv medications. liver function testing our liver cells die periodically and are replaced with new ones. when liver cells are damaged or dying, liver enzymes ( called ast and alt ) seep into the bloodstream. liver enzyme levels can be higher than normal for many reasons. this is often a sign that the liver is working hard to break down hiv medications, alcohol, street drugs or other medications. enzyme levels often go up and down with hcv, and if your liver is damaged, it may be too worn out to make them. although liver enzyme testing can ' t predict hcv disease progression, it ' s a useful tool ; it can help you measure your response to hcv treatment and / or changes in your diet and use of alternative or complementary therapies. ( see " keeping your liver healthy " for a discussion of other important measurements of liver function. ) genotypic testing looks at the genetic makeup of an individual ' s virus. it identifies which type of hcv you have. there are at least six different hcv genotypes. genotype 1 is the most common in the united states - - about 75 % of people with hcv in the u. s. have genotype 1. genotype doesn ' t predict disease progression, but it is the single most important predictor of your response to hcv treatment. genotypes 2 and 3 respond much better to treatment than genotype 1. some people with genotypes 2 and 3 may need only six months of hcv treatment, although some medical providers recommend that people with co - infection complete a year of hcv treatment regardless of genotype. other predictors of treatment response besides your hcv genotype, your immune health may influence your response to hcv treatment. the higher your cd4 cell count, the better your response to hcv treatment is likely to be. hcv treatment is not as effective in people with less than 200 cd4 cells. the condition of your liver can also impact response to hcv treatment. people without cirrhosis tend to have better responses to treatment, although hcv treatment can prevent cirrhosis from worsening. an hcv viral load under 2 million copies and lower body weight or body mass index are also associated with better response to treatment. in addition, people under 40, especially women, have a better response to treatment. ultrasound and biopsy ultrasound testing uses sound waves to get a picture of the liver. the test is not invasive


mass index are also associated with better response to treatment. in addition, people under 40, especially women, have a better response to treatment. ultrasound and biopsy ultrasound testing uses sound waves to get a picture of the liver. the test is not invasive, but the information it provides about the condition of your liver is limited. liver biopsy, an outpatient procedure, is the most accurate way to identify the extent and cause ( s ) of liver damage. a needle is inserted quickly through the abdomen, under the ribs on your right side, and a very small liver tissue sample is removed. an ultrasound can be used to guide the biopsy to areas where liver damage is present and to lower the already small risk of puncturing other organs. liver biopsy can be painful. if you ' re concerned, ask your doctor about pain management options. in rare cases ( less than 1 % ), a biopsy can cause internal bleeding or death. results from a liver biopsy are graded between 0 ( no fibrosis or inflammation ) and 4 ( serious scarring that impairs liver function ). currently, the standard of care for hcv is a combination of two drugs : interferon and ribavirin. interferon, a protein made in small amounts by the body, literally interferes with a virus ' s ability to infect cells. hcv therapy uses much larger amounts of synthetic interferon than the body naturally produces. standard interferon is given as an injection three times a week. early last year, a new formulation of the drug called pegylated interferon was approved by the food and drug administration. pegylation is a process that attaches a small molecule to interferon to maintain steady levels in the body for a longer period of time. pegylated interferon is injected once a week. ribavirin capsules are taken twice a day. like several anti - hiv drugs, ribavirin is a nucleoside analogue, although it has no effect against hiv. adding ribavirin to interferon produces much better results than interferon alone. dosing of either or both drugs may need to be adjusted during treatment to help manage side effects. it may be best to try to treat side effects before lowering the dose of either interferon or ribavirin - - if the dose is too low, the treatment won ' t be as effective. ( see sidebar. ) side effects are different for each person who uses a drug. both versions of inter


dose of either interferon or ribavirin - - if the dose is too low, the treatment won ' t be as effective. ( see sidebar. ) side effects are different for each person who uses a drug. both versions of interferon can cause side effects that range from uncomfortable to life threatening. these include flu - like symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue as well as mild hair loss, thyroid problems and low white blood cells and platelets. interferon can also produce a rapid heartbeat and, in rare cases, heart attacks. interferon can also cause sleeplessness, mood swings, irritability, and depression - - sometimes resulting in suicidal thoughts or even attempts. side effects of ribavirin include shortness of breath, stuffy nose, sinusitis, coughing, itchiness, diarrhea and anemia. there may also be a risk of mitochondrial toxicity ( damage to the power plants of cells ) if ribavirin is used with other nucleoside analogues. in rare cases, this could lead to a very serious condition called lactic acidosis. ( see " antiretrovirals & liver toxicity : how big a concern? " ) both interferon and ribavirin can cause serious birth defects. men and women must wait six months after completing treatment before trying to conceive a child. currently, there ' s one brand of pegylated interferon available, schering - plough ' s peg - intron. hopefully, within a year, the food and drug administration will approve hoffmann - laroche ' s brand of pegylated interferon, pegasys. some states ' medicaid and aids drug assistance programs ( adaps ) cover standard interferon and / or pegylated interferon. schering - plough offers a peg - intron patient assistance program for people who are uninsured and with low incomes. hopefully, when roche ' s pegasys is approved, it will also be available through a patient assistance program. there are different ways to measure how a person has responded to hcv treatment. some differences in treatment response have been seen in co - infected people compared to people who are infected with hcv alone, while other studies have shown similar responses. treatment usually lasts for one year, although continuing interferon therapy for 18 months is being studied as a possible way to halt or slow down liver damage and improve the condition of a person ' s liver. usually, treatment will be discontinued


similar responses. treatment usually lasts for one year, although continuing interferon therapy for 18 months is being studied as a possible way to halt or slow down liver damage and improve the condition of a person ' s liver. usually, treatment will be discontinued after six months if you continue to have a detectable hcv viral load because you ' re extremely unlikely to clear the virus even if you continue treatment for a year. recent studies show that viral load might be used earlier in the course of treatment to predict response. more definitive information about the best time to use hcv viral load testing as a predictor of response to treatment will be helpful to people who are making tough decisions about continuing treatment. sometimes hcv treatment is evaluated by measuring the amount of hcv in your blood after you ' ve finished treatment. this is called an end of treatment response ( etr ). unfortunately, an etr doesn ' t mean that you ' ll remain free of hcv. a sustained virologic response ( svr ) - - no detectable virus six months after finishing treatment - - is a much more reliable indicator of long - term viral clearance. the likelihood of achieving a svr after a year of hcv treatment with standard interferon plus ribavirin for mono - infected people with genotype 1 is about 28 %. when pegylated interferon is used with ribavirin, svr rates for mono - infected people with genotype 1 range from 30 % to 50 %. in mono - infected people with genotypes 2 and 3, after six months to one year of treatment with standard interferon and ribavirin, the svr rate is about 60 %, and the svr rate rises to about 75 % with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. even if a person does not achieve an svr, hcv treatment can improve the condition of the liver tissue by giving the liver a break. improvements in liver tissue ( histological response ) can be measured by liver biopsy before and after treatment. people who reduce and maintain low liver enzymes after treatment may have gained benefit from treating hcv. although current hcv treatment options are severely limited, several new treatments are in development - - drugs to reduce or slow fibrosis, drugs to boost the effect of ribavirin, a therapeutic vaccine, immunomodulaters, hcv protease inhibitors and several new interferons, both standard and pegylated. some of these are in very early stages of development


to boost the effect of ribavirin, a therapeutic vaccine, immunomodulaters, hcv protease inhibitors and several new interferons, both standard and pegylated. some of these are in very early stages of development ; others are further along in the process. hopefully, within the next three to five years, people will have more treatment options. many doctors would treat hcv first in someone with a cd4 count above 500. the rationale behind this is the higher likelihood of a good response to hcv treatment and the possibility of " wiping out " hcv, leaving your liver in better condition to deal with hiv medications, some of which can be hard on the liver. other doctors believe that if hiv infection is controlled with haart, hcv will also remain controlled. guidelines for when to start hiv treatment in co - infected people don ' t exist yet. people with less than 200 cd4 cells are at greater risk of developing hcv - related cirrhosis, so keeping your immune system as healthy as possible is an important part of hcv care. of course many people don ' t find out that they have hiv until their cd4 cell counts are already low. unless your liver has been seriously damaged by hcv, most doctors would try to boost the cd4 count above 200 before beginning hcv treatment. interferon can cause a temporary drop in cd4 cells, which could put people with low counts at risk for developing certain opportunistic infections. a lower cd4 cell count may also add more preventive medications to your drug regimen, increasing the risk of drug interactions and possible stress on the liver. part of making the treatment decision that ' s right for you involves collecting information. although some hiv doctors may be knowledgeable about hcv, consulting a liver specialist - - a gastroenterologist or hepatologist - - can be very helpful. different doctors have different philosophies about which tests are most important and about when to treat hcv ( and hiv ). having a list of questions for any doctor you consult can help you select one you ' ll be able to work with well. for example, you might want to try alternative or complementary therapies and check your liver enzymes frequently, while your doctor might be more comfortable offering you a liver biopsy and interferon / ribavirin treatment. if you ' re working with more than one doctor, get copies of your lab results and medical records. make them available to both doctors and do everything


might be more comfortable offering you a liver biopsy and interferon / ribavirin treatment. if you ' re working with more than one doctor, get copies of your lab results and medical records. make them available to both doctors and do everything in your power to make them talk to each other! without long - term follow up information on people with co - infection or treatment guidelines for co - infection, making treatment decisions can be confusing. a conference to revise the out - dated national institutes of health 1997 hcv treatment guidelines and add guidelines for co - infection took place in june. ( read the guidelines at http : / / consensus. nih. gov / cons / 116 / 116cdc _ intro. htm ) these guidelines will help you and your medical provider begin a discussion about the right treatment strategy for you, including how often you want to monitor your liver enzymes and hcv viral load, whether or not to have a liver biopsy, and all the potential risks and benefits of hcv treatment. tracy swan, an hiv treatment activist, works at acria as a treatment educator. this article was provided by aids community research initiative of america. it is a part of the publication acria update. visit acria ' s website to find out more about their activities, publications and services.


mark steinhoff and colleagues ( sept 27, p 918 ) 1 propose a modification of who ' s guidelines for the presumptive treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis. they suggest a modified guideline whereby pharyngeal exudate or large cervical nodes would indicate antibiotic treatment. in their series, this criteria brings sensitivity from 12 % to 84 % and specificity from 94 % to 40 %, and increases the proportion of children with sore throat and pharyngeal erythema who receive antibiotics from 7 · 53 % to 65 · 63 %. we believe that the implications of this proposal should be looked at from a broader public - health perspective. the incidence of symptomatic pharyngitis in the age - group investigated ( 2 — 13 years ) can be estimated to range from 18 000 per 100 000 children under 14 years per year2 to at least twice as much. usually about 33 % of these cases are culture positive for β - haemolytic group a streptococci, 1 but in about half of these cases the bacteria would not have an aetiological role. thus, the incidence of streptococcal pharyngitis can vary from 3000 to 6000 per 100 000 children per year. the incidence of rheumatic heart disease — the main target of primary prevention — is estimated to range from 9 to 24 per 100 000 children under 14 years in developing countries. 2 in the most favourable scenario, assuming the highest incidence of rheumatic heart disease and 100 % effectiveness of the antibiotic treatment, 12 000 children will have to be treated to deal with 2000 cases of streptococcal pharyngitis, and to ultimately prevent 24 episodes of rheumatic heart disease — ie, 500 treated patients for one prevented case of rheumatic heart disease. in the less favourable scenario, 24 000 cases must be treated to prevent nine cases of rheumatic heart disease — ie, 2640 for one. it is true that there are additional benefits from an aggressive treatment strategy, represented by the prevention of suppurative complications and shortening of illness in the cases due to group a β - haemolytic streptococci. however, the individual ( allergic reactions including ana - phylaxis ) and ecological ( selection of resistant strains, selection of other pathogens due to less competition by eradicated streptococci ) effects of such a widespread use of antibiotics must also be taken into account. experience gained so


so you ' ve got bad breath and bacteria ' s to blame? you could use an alcohol - based mouthwash and risk drying out your mouth and leaving your halitosis intact, or you can rinse with an alcohol - free specialty rinse, follow it with dose of probiotics and be odor - free. if you ' ve ever wondered how probiotics work and what separates them from antibiotics, you ' re not alone. plenty of people are a little hazy on the mechanisms of these treatments and their connection to bad breath. simply put, antibiotics are bacteria - killing drugs. probiotics are actual bacteria. your mouth is absolutely bursting with microbes, billions and billions of them. most of these little critters are relatively harmless, but several dozen strains of oral bacteria can do damage to your mouth. these species erode your enamel, infect your gums, attack the roots of your teeth and, of course, pump out the stink that your nose associates with bad breath. so why don ' t we take antibiotics to kill these microorganisms once and for all? the problem is two - fold. first, anything designed to kill oral bacteria - whether it ' s the alcohol in a cheap mouthwash or the antibiotics prescribed by a doctor - typically kills most microbes, not all. and once you stop using such a product, bacteria gradually repopulate your tissues. this means that antibiotics would not necessarily do the trick. second, and more importantly, while probiotics are safe and effective for halitosis, the indiscriminate use of antibiotics for any reason is extraordinarily dangerous! the reason is pretty simple. bacteria evolve really, really fast. the more a strain is exposed to a particular antibiotic, the more likely it is to develop a resistance to that drug. the consequences of such a turn of events can be serious. consider the recent discovery, reported in the journal clinical infectious diseases, of a strain of tuberculosis in india that is reportedly totally drug - resistant. a study appearing in the journal oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology confirmed that using antibiotics to fight bad breath is a bad idea. it noted that prolonged use of two antibiotics ( aureomytin and vancomycin ) for this purpose could lead to hearing loss, kidney damage and thrush. yikes. by contrast, probiotics are safe, gentle and effective. these specialty products simply introduce " good " bacteria into your mouth. these microbes then crowd out those that cause halitosis


waterloo region record yellowknife — federal officials are scrambling to clean up a crumbling, abandoned northern gold mine that is in imminent danger of releasing massive amounts of arsenic, asbestos and other toxins. “ it ’ s pretty scary stuff, ” said mark palmer, senior adviser on aboriginal affairs and northern development ’ s giant mine project, which describes a proposed cleanup of collapsing, poison - filled buildings and caverns on the shore of great slave lake as an emergency response. “ we are worried they are going to fall down, and if that happens there will be a release. ” the giant mine just outside yellowknife was an economic mainstay for 50 years. but its gold was locked within crystals of arsenopyrite, and after the mine finally closed in 2004, about 237, 000 tonnes of highly toxic, water - soluble arsenic trioxide remained on the site. most of the arsenic was blown back underground, where huge dustpiles of it sit in 15 subterranean chambers, some big enough to swallow an 11 - storey building. about 3, 600 cubic metres of arsenic and arsenic - contaminated material remain in surface structures — uncontained and, in many cases, exposed to the elements. a $ 488 - million plan to clean up the site and freeze the underground arsenic in place — canada ’ s biggest environmental cleanup — is before northern environmental regulators. but engineering reports say the buildings and some of the underground caverns have deteriorated so badly that the cleanup must begin as soon as possible to contain various poisons, which also include mercury, cyanide and pcbs. “ many of the underground elements are showing signs of failure, including the formation of a sinkhole at the surface, ” says the department ’ s application for the emergency cleanup. “ there is the potential for significant impacts to the environment and injury to humans through falling cladding, partial building collapse and arsenic and asbestos exposure to humans and wildlife. ” arsenic poisoning starts with headaches, confusion, severe diarrhea and drowsiness. when the poisoning becomes acute, symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, blood in the urine, cramping muscles, hair loss, stomach pain and more convulsions. continued poisoning leads to a coma followed by death. photographs from the site show piles of arsenic dust lying exposed inside the old flues that used to carry it underground. those flues are pulling away from the building they were attached to and slowly collapsing as concrete and wood pillars that held them up rot away. snow blows freely through derelict walls and roofs


lying exposed inside the old flues that used to carry it underground. those flues are pulling away from the building they were attached to and slowly collapsing as concrete and wood pillars that held them up rot away. snow blows freely through derelict walls and roofs onto arsenic - contaminated equipment. asbestos insulation waves in the wind as it flakes off old pipes and buildings. underground, arsenic - stuffed caverns are in danger of falling in from the surface or collapsing into mined - out areas below. the mine ’ s main smokestack is crumbling. palmer said the work needs to start this summer before the poison starts escaping. “ we ’ re saying it could happen. it ’ s got to be an unacceptable risk. “ our main goal is the health and safety of northerners and the people on the site. ” he said he hopes regulatory approvals will be in place by june. the cleanup would be dicey. the worst - contaminated surface building, where arsenic and gold were separated, would have to be sealed off as it was taken apart. workers would have to wear full hazmat suits and breathe supplied air. as much of the arsenic as possible would have to be cleaned up and sent underground. solid waste from buildings would be removed and stored until full remediation began. palmer estimates an emergency cleanup would take two summers, by which time a full cleanup plan would likely be through the regulatory process. he was unable to supply a cost estimate, as the project is just going out for bids. whatever the cost, it would be borne by taxpayers. giant was built before northern miners were required to post environmental cleanup bonds — in fact, the mess left at giant is one of the reasons such legislation was drafted. the cost of addressing giant ’ s imminent toxic threat is just the latest addition to the mine ’ s bitter legacy. although it once provided a livelihood to generations of yellowknifers, giant was also the scene of a violent 1992 labour dispute that saw nine miners murdered in a deliberately set underground explosion. after that, the failure of owner royal oak mines left a pension fund badly depleted by management ’ s purchase of company stock. many longtime employees got a fraction of what they were owed. the widows of the murdered miners were also forced to go through years of civil litigation in an attempt to win a $ 10 - million wrongful death settlement, which eventually failed before the supreme court. striking miner roger warren, convicted of the killings, remains in prison on a life sentence. the canadian press