in our family. what do we do? the bottom line is that there is no safe way to carry more people than you have belts to accommodate. if room allows, extra belts can be installed to protect more people. as far as the seat belt law is concerned, if you have four people age 16 or older and three belts, the fourth person is in violation of the law. you also have the hard decision of who you are going to leave unprotected. are employees required to wear seatbelts in company cars? in most cases, yes. unless the vehicle in question has a " commercial " or " farm " license plate and it is being used for business purposes, or is a delivery vehicle making frequent stops and not exceeding 20 mph, or is being used by a rural mail or newspaper carrier, it is covered under the seat belt law. in addition, many employers have seat belt use policies for their vehicles. i ’ m too large for my seatbelt to fit around me. what should i do? seat belt extenders are available for most domestic vehicles for a small fee. these extenders are 10 - inch lengths of webbing with buckles on both ends to fit onto the belts already in the vehicles. take the information on the seat belt label, along with your vehicle, to the parts department of your local dealer. extenders are not interchangeable, so go to the dealer for your particular vehicle. if you have any trouble getting service from the dealer, try another dealer or call the customer assistance number listed in your owner ' s manual. check your owner ' s manual for an explanation of these belt systems. now that i ’ m pregnant, should i still wear a seatbelt? yes, especially now. the greatest threat to the unborn child is death or serious injury to the mother, and a seat belt will help insure your survival in the event of a crash. when possible, both the lap and shoulder belt should be worn with the lap portion low and snug on the hips beneath the baby and the shoulder belt snug and above the baby. can ’ t seatbelts actually cause injuries? yes, they can cause some injuries, especially in severe crashes. these injuries are usually limited to bruises and cracked collarbones and ribs - minor injuries when compared to what often happens without the seat belt. it is important that belts be worn correctly to reduce the chance that they might injure you. lap belts should be worn as low and snug as possible on the hips since belts that are


have you ever stood at the water ' s edge with a flat stone in your hand. if you hold the stone just right, with a flick of your wrist you can send that stone skimming across the surface of the water. well a towable tube works on the same principal but on a much larger scale and with a few more variables thrown into the mix. you the rider simply sit on or in the tube. the tube itself is inflated, so it ' s like a cushion of air on top of the water. a rope attached to the back of the boat is also attached to the front of the tube and it pulls you across the water. at first the ride is slow due to the friction between the towable tube and the water. at a slow rate of speed quite a bit of the towable tube comes into contact with the water. it is riding deep in the water. as the boat increases speed less and less of the bottom of the tube comes into to contact with the water. the tube starts to rise up and sits just barely on the surface of the water. you are now on a plane. the tube is hydroplaning across the surface of the water. by now the tube is moving much faster and the ride has become extremely fun! you are now skimming across the surface of the water like that stone you threw. safety is extremely important. anytime you are in the water. always wear a life jacket and obey all local boating laws and regulations. we want everyone to go home, so that they can return to ride again!


could suffering from depression put children and teens at increased risk for obesity? a study from the journal pediatrics explores the possible link. previous studies have demonstrated a relationship between obesity in adolescence and adulthood, as well as a link between obesity and depression, particularly in women. studies have also suggested that depressed adolescents tend to have a higher body mass index ( bmi ) later in adulthood than adolescents who are not depressed. bmi is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters squared. a bmi of 25 to 29. 9 is considered overweight and 30 or higher is considered obese. bmi from 18. 5 to 24. 9 is considered normal in most people. does depressed mood predict the development and persistence of obesity in adolescents? this is the question that intrigued researchers at the university of cincinnati college of medicine, who analyzed data from a study of adolescents. they reported their findings in the journal pediatrics. study assesses mood and obesity in adolescents the study involved 9, 374 adolescents in grades 7 through 12 who completed in - home interviews for the national longitudinal study of adolescent health. the researchers collected the following information from the adolescents at the start of the study and then again at a follow - up visit one year later : - depression status — determined using the center for epidemiological studies depression scale - bmi — calculated using self - reported measures for height and weight - bmi percentiles — determined using the 2000 centers for disease control and prevention growth charts the researchers also asked a parent of each adolescent for information on household income, parental education, and parental obesity. at the start of the study, 12. 9 % of the adolescents were overweight, 9. 7 % were obese, and 8. 8 % had depressed mood. there was no link between baseline depression and baseline obesity discovered. when looking at adolescents who were obese a year later, the researchers found that at the start of the study 79. 6 % had been obese, 18. 6 % had been overweight, and 1. 8 % had been a normal weight. according to the researchers, having a depressed mood at baseline independently predicted obesity at follow - up, even after controlling for age, race, parental obesity, family socioeconomic status, and number of parents in the home. this relationship persisted after taking into account additional factors that could influence both weight and depression ( such as physical activity, smoking, self - esteem, and conduct disorders ). after controlling for all these factors, depressed mood also predicted obesity even among adolescents who were not obe


persisted after taking into account additional factors that could influence both weight and depression ( such as physical activity, smoking, self - esteem, and conduct disorders ). after controlling for all these factors, depressed mood also predicted obesity even among adolescents who were not obese at baseline. the researchers concluded that depressed adolescents have an increased risk of developing or maintaining obesity during adolescence. a number of factors may influence weight gain in depressed adolescents, perhaps the most observable being overeating in response to the negative emotions or biological factors that accompany depression. for this reason, the researchers believe prevention and treatment should involve an understanding of the shared biological and social factors that play a role in both depression and obesity. signs of depression in adolescents according to the american academy of child and adolescent psychiatry, adolescents most at risk for depression include those who are under stress, have experienced a loss or have attentional, learning, conduct, or anxiety disorders. depressed adolescents may exhibit one or more of the following signs and symptoms : - frequent sadness, crying, feelings of hopelessness - decreased interest in activities - persistent boredom, low energy - social withdrawal - extreme sensitivity to rejection and failure - increased irritability and anger - frequent physical complaints such as headaches and stomachaches - poor performance in school - major changes in sleeping - loss of appetite or overeating - difficulty concentrating - abusing alcohol or drugs - suicidal thoughts or self - destructive behavior - running away from home depressed adolescents need help parents and teachers should be on the alert for signs of depression in adolescents because early diagnosis and professional treatment is essential. depression will not go away on its own. furthermore, suicide one of the leading causes of death in teenagers and young adults. adolescents should always be taken seriously if they talk about suicide. treatment may include individual and family therapy as well as antidepressant medicine. parents should ask their doctor to refer them to a psychiatrist who specializes in the treatment of adolescents. - reviewer : brian randall, md - review date : 02 / 2013 - - update date : 02 / 18 / 2013 -


culture and customs although the expression of culture varies regionally within ukraine, ukrainian customs and traditions are tied to a strong sense of nationalism and christianity. ukraine became a christian nation when prince volodymyr the great accepted christianity in 988. ukrainian history is marked by oppression. as a result, all aspects of culture stress individual freedom and the preservation of one ’ s identity. as previously stated, ukrainian customs reflect christian values. in rural ukraine even traditional greetings have religious overtones. for example, upon meeting, one person greets another with, “ слава ісусу христу!! ” or “ praise be to jesus christ! ”, to which the response is, “ слава на віки ”, in english “ glory forever! ” during the christmas season, one greets another with, “ христос народився ” or ‘ christ is born! ’ to which the response is, “ славімо иого ” or “ let us glorify him! ” and at easter the greeting and response are “ христос воскрес! ” meaning “ christ is risen ” and “ воістину воскрес! ” which translates as “ indeed he has risen ”. today, ukrainians customarily greet each other with, ‘ добрии день ’ “ good day! ” or “ привіт ” “ greetings ” at the workplace, on the street or in other public venues, with the religious greetings reserved for use in homes, at church or during other private functions. it is common for people of all ages to greet one another with a handshake. hugs are frequently exchanged between family members or familiar acquaintances and often with three kisses on the cheeks. the ukrainian language has a long history and reflects many regional dialects and sub - dialects. after world war i, ukrainian writers and authors attempted to establish some uniformity of language and produced books in literary ukrainian. because ukraine has for most of its history been an occupied land and people, the occupiers of the time strived to both impose their language upon the people and to change the ukrainian language by introducing grammatical and literary expressions of the occupier ’ s language. this has been most predominantly felt from the russian influence ( in some parts


ways. on august 24, 1991, ukraine finally achieved independence when the verkhovna rada, ukraine ’ s parliament, voted almost unanimously to unilaterally secede from the soviet union. this historic occasion and event is celebrated and recognized both in ukraine and in canada and saskatchewan in a variety of formal and informal ways. ucc branches celebrate the occasion and those in saskatoon, yorkton, canora, north battleford and regina organize special festivities. birthday of taras shevchenko on march 9th, ukrainians throughout the world pay tribute to one of the greatest poet and “ prophets ” of their history. shevchenko ’ s writings are regarded as being largely responsible for the persistence and survival of ukrainian nationalism and cultural continuity. many communities in ukraine, canada and saskatchewan continue to organize memorial performances and concerts in honour of shevchenko even to this day. rizdvo / christmas ( 07 january ) this celebration covers a number of important feast days and observances, beginning with the pylypivka ( phillipian fast ) and culminating with the feast of the three hierarchs on february 15th. sviata vecheria or holy supper on christmas eve traditionally consists of twelve meatless dishes prepared with vegetable shortening or cooking oil. the table is first strewn with a small amount of hay and then covered with a fine tablecloth. decorated bread ( the koliada ) adorns the centre of the table, and symbolizes prosperity. an extra place is always set at the table, symbolizing departed family members. a didukh ( traditionally the first sheaf of wheat cut at harvest time and symbolizing our ancestors ) is placed in a corner of the house. a lighted candle is also placed in the window to show that a stranger or a lost soul is welcome in the home. family members go to great efforts to be able to come home for rizdvo and sviata vecheria. after the meal, the family sings koliadky or christmas carols and also visit. at midnight or on christmas day, the family attends a church service. christmas celebrations extend over many days, during which time groups of carollers visit the homes to proclaim the christmas event and message. the christmas season also includes malanka ( old new year ’ s ) and st. basil ’ s day, and yordan. the christmas greeting, “ khrystos narodyvsia! christ is born! ” with the response, “ slavimo yoho! let us glor


’ s ) and st. basil ’ s day, and yordan. the christmas greeting, “ khrystos narodyvsia! christ is born! ” with the response, “ slavimo yoho! let us glorify him! ” is used until the feast of the three hierarchs. carols are also sung in church and at home until this time. malanka ( 13 january ) this is the celebration of new year ’ s day as the western world knows and understands it. in the ukrainian tradition, the celebrations centre around festivities known as “ malanka ” which incorporate religious, folkloric and cultural elements. in saskatchewan, malanka activities typically include a meal, a program of events including enactments by mythological and folkloric characters, displays of ukrainian dancing and singing, and a dance. yordan or vodokhreshchia ( 19 january ) ukrainians refer to this feast as yordan / theophany because it refers to the baptism of jesus christ by john the baptist in the river jordan. many people refer to this feast as “ little christmas ” because the holy supper prepared for christmas eve is repeated at this time on the eve of the theophany on 18 january. one important part of this feast is the blessing of water by the priest during the church service celebrated either during the evening or on the feast day itself. in ukraine, and in times past in canada, the blessing of water would take place outdoors beside the church, or on a body of water such as a pond, stream or river if these were available. special songs called shchedrivky are sung at this time. velykden / easter velykden / easter ( pascha ) is the greatest christian celebration of the christian year and calendar. it follows the forty - day pist ( pronounced peest ) or great fast or lent, and is a time of rejoicing and celebration. passion services are celebrated on strasnyi chetver / holy thursday, velykodnia piatnytsia / good friday and holy saturday. on velykden, people attend the resurrection matins and divine liturgy. decorated easter baskets containing krashanky ( coloured eggs ), ham, beets with horse radish, cottage cheese, paska ( easter bread ) and other foods ( reflecting individual ancestral regions of ukraine ) are blessed by the priest. these are consumed at the easter breakfast ; this meal always begins with the eating of the krashanky, followed


, cottage cheese, paska ( easter bread ) and other foods ( reflecting individual ancestral regions of ukraine ) are blessed by the priest. these are consumed at the easter breakfast ; this meal always begins with the eating of the krashanky, followed by the remaining courses. svitlyi tyzhden / easter ( bright ) week is a happy and focused observance of the resurrection. the easter greeting, “ khrystos voskres! christ is risen! ” with the response, “ voistynu voskres! indeed he is risen! ” is used for forty days, until the feast of the ascension. the usual church hymns and songs are substituted with easter songs and hymns during this time. pysanky ( hand - painted easter eggs ) symbolize the coming of spring and the new life that easter brings. education and occupations the first ukrainian settlers to saskatchewan were primarily farmers. because the climatic and agricultural conditions in saskatchewan were quite similar to those in western ukraine, these people adapted quickly and easily to agrarian pursuits. many of them became successful and prosperous grain and animal farmers, and even today continue to contribute in significant ways to the advancement and development of all facets of saskatchewan ’ s agricultural enterprise. in ukraine, education was a symbol of status usually available only to the rich so higher education, both secondary and elementary, was very expensive. education was extremely important to the first settlers. when they settled, the building of a church and the organizing of a school district were next in importance only to improving and clearing their land. while the bulk of the early immigrants had little or no education, they exemplified lifelong learning. many of them acquired skills on their own initiative. children were encouraged to attend school and receive as much education as they desired. as a result, academic achievement has always been a priority for ukrainians. the children of these immigrants entered the professions in significant numbers. one profession in which ukrainians were highly represented was education. many of saskatchewan ’ s teachers and educational leaders were of ukrainian ancestry. this trend continues until the present time, with ukrainians represented in other major professions such as law, medicine, commerce and engineering. ukrainians also entered the trades, with many of these individuals establishing their own companies and enterprises. ukrainians are well represented in all the skilled trades areas. the majority of children of ukrainian background pursue higher education and training at university, technical schools, business schools or other training institutions. two student residences – mohyla institute and sheptytsky institute – are located in saskatoon,


the skilled trades areas. the majority of children of ukrainian background pursue higher education and training at university, technical schools, business schools or other training institutions. two student residences – mohyla institute and sheptytsky institute – are located in saskatoon, and historically have served as residences for out - of - town students. they continue to provide this service until the present time. while these are ukrainian student residences, they accommodate students of all backgrounds. many non - ukrainians know about ukrainians through cultural activities that they have participated in or observed. these typically take the form of dancing, choirs and public events. ukrainian dancing is very popular in saskatchewan. there are many active amateur dance groups in the province, varying in size from very small groups to those with a large membership. besides performing for local events, these groups participate in competitions in the larger centres each spring. many of the groups travel out - of - province for competitions as well. these dance groups are frequently included in local programs of celebration and important events. saskatchewan boasts many professional - calibre ukrainian dance troupes : yevshan ukrainian folk ballet ensemble and pavlychenko folklorique ensemble in saskatoon ; tavria, regina ukrainian dance ensemble and zapovit in regina and many others in communities throughout the province. many of the dancers at all levels are non - ukrainian, particularly in the smaller rural centres. there are even adult dance groups ; the holoska dancers, in melfort, zorya in north battleford and the canora adult ukrainian dancers. ukrainian people love to sing, and they are renowned for their choirs. these exist in saskatchewan as well but tend primarily to be church choirs. at the present time, lastiwka, a youth choir, is active in saskatoon, and the veseli singers, a community choir, is active in prince albert. in regina there is the regina ukrainian folk choir sponsored by the regina ukrainian professional and business association. in addition to these choirs, there are many active church choirs. there are a number of public events and celebrations that happen in saskatchewan each year. in the spring ukrainian festivals are held each year at prince albert and foam lake while saskatoon ’ s vesna festival has been held since 1974. regina ’ s ukrainian community participates in the annual mosaic multicultural festival. in the summer, saskatoon ’ s ukrainian community provides two venues at folkfest, an annual multicultural festival, which is followed by the annual ukrainian day in the park festival which celebrates ukraine ’ s independence in the latter part of august. in the


festival. in the summer, saskatoon ’ s ukrainian community provides two venues at folkfest, an annual multicultural festival, which is followed by the annual ukrainian day in the park festival which celebrates ukraine ’ s independence in the latter part of august. in the fall, prince albert holds an annual multicultural fair in which the ukrainian community participates and moose jaw ’ s ukrainian community hosts a booth at their city ’ s motif festival. because of their sizeable population in saskatchewan, ukrainians have many well - established organizations which allow them to celebrate and promote their culture. the ukrainian canadian congress – saskatchewan provincial council ( ucc - spc ) has its headquarters in saskatoon. there are several branches of this organization in other centres in saskatchewan. ucc - spc is an umbrella organization which serves as a voice for the ukrainian community, lobbies government and related agencies in matters of importance to the ukrainian community, and sponsors and supports a variety of cultural events and activities. prairie centre for the study of ukrainian heritage the prairie centre for the study of ukrainian heritage ( pcuh ) was created in 1998. this program is housed at st. thomas more college, university of saskatchewan, saskatoon. pcuh is supported by the ukrainian catholic and ukrainian orthodox communities of saskatchewan, and st. thomas more college. the centre focuses on the study and preservation of the history of the ukrainian people of western canada. the program offers ukrainian language courses and courses in ukrainian history and religion. eaton memorial project saskatchewan was home to one interment camp during the world war i period. the camp was located near pike lake, just out of saskatoon. while it was open for a short period of time only, it is nonetheless linked to this tragic aspect of canada ’ s history. this project entails the creation, unveiling and dedication of a memorial marker at the site in the fall of 2003. this project is part of a larger effort by the canadian ukrainian community to have the federal government acknowledge responsibility for this tragedy, and to offer an apology to the canadian ukrainian community. ukraine genocide - famine of 1932 - 33 the national government in ukraine has declared the fourth sunday in november as a day of remembrance and observance of the forced famine imposed by the communist regime of joseph stalin. the ukrainian community in canada has joined in the commemoration of this historic tragedy in ukraine ’ s history. many local communities in saskatchewan hold memorial services in their churches, sponsor rallies and parades, and mark the occasion in other ways. for more information on these commemorations, please continue to visit our web site. saskatchewan ukrainian historical society


ukraine ’ s history. many local communities in saskatchewan hold memorial services in their churches, sponsor rallies and parades, and mark the occasion in other ways. for more information on these commemorations, please continue to visit our web site. saskatchewan ukrainian historical society this exciting new initiative will assist ucc - spc to meet community interest in family and community history as well as in the role that ukrainians have played in the development of our province. local history, genealogy, the story of migration and settlement, the study of material culture, the development of unique saskatchewan - ukrainian cultural expressions, labour history, the women ’ s movement, the history of agriculture are but a few areas which the society will explore. suhs ’ s goal is to complement the work of existing ukrainian community institutions like our three community - driven ukrainian museums and the prairie centre for the study of ukrainian heritage. the objectives of suhs are to : • encourage amateur historians and genealogists as well as community members to facilitate the preservation and sharing of ukrainian aspects of saskatchewan ’ s history ; • introduce to a wider public the history of ukrainian settlement in saskatchewan ; • allow ucc - spc to better meet community needs ; • provide a venue for community members to gather and share information related to family and community histories ; • enable joint activities between youth and seniors ; • provide an avenue for saskatchewan citizens to become involved in the organized ukrainian community ; and • build a lasting legacy for the 2005 provincial centenary. suhs will enable those interested in all facets of saskatchewan ’ s ukrainian past to work together, share ideas and projects, mentor each other or see some of their work and research published in print and / or on the internet. annual conferences, seminars and workshops would be organized as well. through this initiative ucc - spc will plant the seeds with the expectation that suhs and the saskatchewan people can harvest a great database of information, facts, stories and images. this will be a natural and appropriate link to the 2005 celebrations of saskatchewan ’ s centennial.


orthogonal complements and the lattice of subspaces we know that the poset of subspaces of a vector space is a lattice. now we can define complementary subspaces in a way that doesn ’ t depend on any choice of basis at all. so what does this look like in terms of the lattice? first off, remember that the “ meet ” of two subspaces is their intersection, which is again a subspace. on the other hand their “ join ” is their sum as subspaces. but now we have a new operation called the “ complement ”. in general lattice - theory terms, a complement of an element in a bounded lattice ( one that has a top element and a bottom element ) is an element so that and. in particular, since the top subspace is itself, and the bottom subspace is we can see that the orthogonal complement satisfies these properties. the intersection is trivial, since the inner product is positive - definite as a bilinear form, and the sum is all of, as we ’ ve seen. even more is true. the orthogonal complement is involutive ( when is finite - dimensional ), and order - reversing, which makes it an “ orthocomplement ”. in lattice - theory terms, this means that, and that if then. first, let ’ s say we ’ ve got two subspaces of. i say that. indeed, if is a vector in then it for all. but since any is also a vector in, we can see that, and so as well. thus orthogonal complementation is now let ’ s take a single subspace of, and let be a vector in. if is any vector in, then by the ( conjugate ) symmetry of the inner product and the definition of. thus is a vector in, and so. note that this much holds whether is finite - dimensional or not. on the other hand, if is finite - dimensional we can take an orthonormal basis of and expand it into an orthonormal basis of all of. then the new vectors form a basis of, so that. a vector in is orthogonal to every vector in exactly when it can be written using only the first basis vectors, and thus lies in. that is, when is finite - dimensional.


charles darwin ’ s theory of evolution by natural selection was a synthesis of ideas that had been brewing for centuries, indeed millennia, about the origins of and relationships between the organisms inhabiting the planet. that its time had come is evidenced by the nearly identical theory of alfred wallace that almost scooped darwin ’ s publication. in what follows, i will briefly outline rebecca stott ’ s book “ darwin ’ s ghosts, ” which provides an excellent sketch of the people and ideas before darwin. in the third and subsequent editions of “ the origin of species, ” darwin added a preface called “ an historical sketch ”. this is a list, along with some brief notes, of some 30 men who had made significant contributions to understanding the relatedness of all organisms, living and extinct. the list begins in the fourth century bc with perhaps the first natural philosopher, aristotle. three books, “ parts of animals, ” “ the history of animals ” and “ on the generation of animals ” represent the first systematic, empirical attempt to understand the nature of life. in a prelude to what would follow over two millennia later, aristotle wrestled with the most appropriate classifications of the animal kingdom. he cautioned his students to investigate what is, not what might be. he was the first to enunciate this most fundamental principle of science, that nature is what it is and is not obliged to conform to our wishes. in the middle of the ninth century a man named al - jahiz, who lived in basra in what is now iraq, wrote a book entitled, “ book of living beings. ” this was a rudimentary harbinger of the theory of evolution by natural selection that would follow a millennium later. the list remains sparse until the late 15th - early 16th century when the likes of leonardo da vinci and bernard palissy speculated about fossil seashells found on mountain tops. by the early 1740s the pace quickened, hastened on by introduction of magnifying glasses and improvements in microscopes. abraham trembley demonstrated how fresh water polyps ( hydra ) were actually animals and, when cut into parts, each part regenerated a new polyp. at the same time charles bonnet discovered aphids could unexpectedly reproduce asexually. these were early days in the development of scientific methods. bonnet cautioned trembley to follow francis bacon ’ s admonition to avoid hypothesizing and just collect and sort facts. but the very act of sorting data, looking at shared characteristics energized their minds. these discoveries


. bonnet cautioned trembley to follow francis bacon ’ s admonition to avoid hypothesizing and just collect and sort facts. but the very act of sorting data, looking at shared characteristics energized their minds. these discoveries, and others that soon followed, caused uproar by challenging long held ideas about the laws of nature. furthermore, they were transforming science from a discipline of pure observation and classification to one including drawing inferences. in 1748 a book was published entitled “ telliamed, ” or “ conversations between an indian philosopher and a french missionary. ” while serving as french consul in egypt, the author, benoit de maillet, studied the region ’ s unique geology, history and unfamiliar ideas. as had been the style used by galileo to deflect accusations of heresy, the book entailed an imaginary conversation. in the course of the conversation the earth was proposed to be billions of years old and that its surface had been gradually transformed over that time while all existing animals had arisen from primitive aquatic organisms. back in france, these were heady and dangerous times for such disquieting ideas. the comte de buffon and denis diderot were routinely hounded by the authorities for their scandalous writings. diderot was publisher of encyclopedia ( yes, he originated the encyclopedia concept ) which was designed to bring knowledge to the common man on such subjects as fossils, glaciers, the sea, mountains, geologic strata, earthquakes and much more. the section entitled “ animals ” had excerpts from buffon ’ s “ natural history. ” one of the milder criticisms of “ natural history ” said it would “ … do harm to natural history by bringing back the taste for hypothesis ”. again, we see the struggle to define natural science. shame on buffon for suggesting he saw “ imperceptible shadings ” between species and for thinking all species might have a common origin. one cannot overlook charles darwin ’ s grandfather, erasmus. his “ zoonomia, ” or the “ laws of organic life, ” published in 1794, was a medical book on the functioning of the body. in it he wrote about the “ great similarity of the warm - blooded animals ” going on to ask, “ … would it be too bold to imagine, that in the great length of time, since the earth began to exist, perhaps millions of years … that all warm - blooded animals have arisen from one living filament ”. jean - baptiste lamarck and georges cuvier ep


to imagine, that in the great length of time, since the earth began to exist, perhaps millions of years … that all warm - blooded animals have arisen from one living filament ”. jean - baptiste lamarck and georges cuvier epitomized the ongoing battle to define science. cuvier was one of the founders of the fields of comparative anatomy and paleontology through studies of living animals and fossils. his most famous work, the animal kingdom was published in 1817. as with cuvier, lamarck was a taxonomist, concerned with classifying organisms. he started as a botanist ( plant scientist ), but, in 1801 published “ natural history of animals without backbones, ” followed by “ researches on the organization of living bodies ” in 1802. his was truly the first draft of a comprehensive theory of evolution. he argued life became increasingly complex as it adapted to environmental forces. cuvier opposed such thoughts, arguing the natural sciences should stick to data collection and classification without venturing hypotheses on their implications. robert grant, author of “ outlines of comparative anatomy, ” toiled over how sea sponges might yield clues to the increase in complexity of life. he argued successive geological strata showed a progressive, natural succession of fossil animals. geoffroy saint - hilaire espoused an underlying unity of design among organisms, and that there might have been transmutation of species over time. in addition to his work in comparative anatomy and paleontology, he did extensive work comparing embryo development in different animals. space precludes naming all the contributors, but carl linnaeus, father of modern taxonomy, deserves mention for the system of classification he developed in the mid - 1700s. darwin was a perfectionist, dragging out the writing of origins so it nearly cost him the credit he deserved. hot on his heels was alfred wallace, a solo naturalist working tirelessly in the forest of the malay archipelago. poor wallace had formulated substantively the same theory as darwin, but he was far away and lacked the reputation and connections of darwin. though the naturalists before darwin had useful insights, in many cases they had parts that were wrong and all were incomplete. primarily they were wrong because their knowledge was insufficient. sometimes they were wrong because they were trying to make new information fit outmoded ideas. darwin and wallace ’ s great genius was in connecting the dots between ideas that had been brewing for a long time and for describing the mechanism, natural selection, which tied it all together. in my next article i will tell how


computer games have introduced a new grammar, totally foreign to those who have only focused on creating or studying books, movies, or traditional courses. today, serious games can be used to develop conviction and competence, through the increased use of engagement, practice, emotion, and richer content. when i design or judge sims and other serious games, especially sims that are expected to be stand - alone, this is on what i focus. a ) interactive world ( 30 % ) from a design perspective, the highest level goal is to create and then present a small, self - contained simulation “ world, ” “ environment, ” or “ content model ” with appropriate rules, real - time rich interactivity, and visual and action based feedback. the player of the sim “ learns ” though practicing on and interacting with various subsections of this environment. b ) entice ( 5 % ) initially, the program actively helps the user understand and be excited about the sim engagement. this may include a formal entice mode. here, as in old coin - operated arcade games, the program will launch a short, non - interactive video style presentation that will expose users to basic rules, show some core interactions, and make the user excited about and comfortable with the upcoming experience. it is possible that some users will skip this content all together, while others will watch it two or three times to get a feel for the content before engaging. c ) role of coach ( 5 % ) the serious game should use some type of “ coach ” framework. this provides a consistent voice throughout ( all or most of ) the sim. this can include an explicit virtual coach. the “ coach ” avatar can be used to create a connection with the user by kicking off levels and concepts, providing debriefings, and giving tips and encouragement. finally, the coach will present any pedagogically traditional content that will be used to augment the experience, such as bulleted summaries and diagrams of concepts. however, the best sims can predictably develop knowledge in players without explicitly teaching them anything. this coach can be part of the story, or it can break the fourth wall. an example of a coach avatar d ) level components ( 5 % ) each level should begin with a briefing, and after the player engages the sim, end with a customized debriefing either explaining the success of failure. if the sim does not have discreet levels, a character or even note found can serve the same function more seamlessly. e ) first level ( s )


engages the sim, end with a customized debriefing either explaining the success of failure. if the sim does not have discreet levels, a character or even note found can serve the same function more seamlessly. e ) first level ( s ) ( 10 % ) the player should be allowed to engage the interactive section as quickly as possible ( i. e. there should be minimal required presentation - style content ). the design goals of the first level ( s ), rather than highly instructional, are as follows : 1. the player has to get a general feeling for the interactivity. 2. a player can finish it quickly ( in less than a few minutes ), with experienced players finishing it more quickly than inexperienced players. 3. the directions and goals are unambiguous, with immediate feedback and a clear sense of success or failure. it should be set up through a brief cut scenes, and very high feedback, such as in - game tips / directions. 4. there is a reset button ( to encourage exploration and reduce fear of failure ). 5. there is room for some exploration, and / or promise of more interesting things to come. in fact, through the design and any instruction, players should be encouraged to simply exist in a safe, subsection of this world, exploring and testing the rules on their own. the world should feel like an open - ended sandbox. to accomplish this, players can either replay the first level as often as they want, or they can achieve the stated goal, but linger before they move on to the next level. f ) small challenges that allow for creativity ( 10 % ) the sim, after the initial level ( s ), gives players small challenges in this world that can be solved using a variety of different techniques. ( minimize the use of single solution challenges. ) let players express themselves if possible. open up the world a bit. g ) more complicated challenges ( 15 % ) then the sim should increase the depth and length of the challenges until they are more multi - faceted and elaborate. make challenges harder, and also combine the application of various other skills. challenges can be solved through a variety of approaches, not just one. imagine the skills within a player as a cone that gets bigger throughout the levels. ( for example, each new level may bestow one new ability and add one new type of challenge, perhaps on a new map. ) the games can be synchronous, or the game can provide artifacts ( such as screen shots of solutions, awards,


, each new level may bestow one new ability and add one new type of challenge, perhaps on a new map. ) the games can be synchronous, or the game can provide artifacts ( such as screen shots of solutions, awards, or scores ) that a student can share in a community. the game may require stories for contexts. easter eggs may be included to increase the value of community. h ) replay with a focus on different approaches to win ( 5 % ) encourage players to replay the same levels over again, but try new approaches. levels should be available for replaying after they have been won, and open - ended challenge levels should be available after the player is done with a story mode. this may use explicit “ trophies ” or “ achievements ” to be given for the successful application of new approaches. i ) rigorous assessment ( 15 % ) finally, present the player with rigorous challenges to solve. this part of the program may use a traditional presentation of material that lines up with the destination application, such as in a test or real world problem. this can serve to " prove " that the player has really learned something of value. here, as well, there may be less ability for users to come up with unique solutions, and instead find the one correct answer. these ideas have been taken from my ( 2. 5 pound, almost 600 page ) industry textbook : the complete guide to simulations and serious games - how the most valuable content will be created in the age beyond gutenberg to google ( wiley, 2009 ), as well as its companion book, building sims the clark aldrich way, currently in draft version and available for free here.


the first assignment of the quarter involves field practice in observing a public space and enumerating its various texts. for this exercise, we define text broadly and liberally as not only traditional, written textual elements but also as any non - traditional agents of communication. we chose the husky union building ( hub ) on the uw campus because it was close and accessible to everyone. additionally, we reasoned that observing the same space would allow everyone to experience, and report on, very different types of texts... thus learning from one another. your assignment is to compile a list of 15 - 20 types of communication texts that you find at the hub. by texts we mean more than just written language. texts can be signs and other written artifacts, but they can also be other forms of communication like arrangements of furniture, architecture, lighting, seating, etc. - anything that somehow communicates a message. spend a couple of hours over the next week documenting some examples. be creative in what and how you document. take notes, pictures, look for existing artifacts ; collect whatever you can think of. explore, this is an investigative process. the following short reports were turned in by each student. in addition to listing the types of texts that were encountered, we asked students to identify themes and patterns, speculate on possible motives, and reflect on their own research methods. finally, because we emphasized engagement and fun, we pasted examples of individual students ' reports into a unified document. the resultant document included everyone ' s observations


the effigy of a black man, a son of southern soil and descendant of slaves, now stands over the nation ’ s mall among its founding fathers, notorious slave owner in front and the so - called great emancipator to his back. looking out over the placid tidal basin with a steely - eyed reserve and chiseled determination, the martin luther king, jr. national memorial, the first monument on the mall dedicated to a man of color, has whipped up yet another tempest of protest. besides the same types who did not and still do not commemorate the life of this influential civil rights leader on the third monday of every january, other dissenters have noted that the veined, confrontational depiction of the brother preacher by the chinese sculptor lei yixin does not evoke the round docility associated with the open - armed love of nonviolence. for them, the image goes against what they see as king ’ s true legacy, while others see the statute as an appropriate stance of well - grounded, stony defiance and pride. perhaps the best way to understand martin is through his foil, the other brother minister, malcolm x. as the chronicler of the black experience manning marable wrote in last year ’ s authoritative biography of malcolm, “ the leader most closely linked to malcolm in life and death was, of course, king. ” however, these two men were linked more by their perceived differences than they were known for their similarities. malcolm was “ widely admired as a man of uncompromising action, the polar opposite of the nonviolent, middle - class - oriented negro leadership that had dominated the civil rights movement before him. ” but if malcolm was known for his action, martin has been remembered for his results. despite their perceived divergence, malcolm and martin ’ s convergence is the essential condition for understanding the black freedom movement and socio - political struggle in general, just as it was in the turbulent times when these two leaders were slain. though their constituencies were different – martin ’ s southern, largely rural base standing in contrast to malcolm ’ s northern and western urban industrial community – their desire to develop black dignity insured an ongoing dialogue, even if martin used a language of christian integration - based citizen rights and malcolm championed an islam - inflected black cultural nationalism. in 1954, at the time that martin was finishing his phd at boston university, malcolm was preaching for the nation of islam, and according to marable they walked the streets of the same neighborhood. yet they would not meet in person until


cultural nationalism. in 1954, at the time that martin was finishing his phd at boston university, malcolm was preaching for the nation of islam, and according to marable they walked the streets of the same neighborhood. yet they would not meet in person until march 26, 1964, walking the senate gallery after a conference king had with senator hubert humphrey and jacob javits. that these two figures, who embodied two different currents of the black freedom movement, met only once is remarkable. in the ten years between these dates much had changed with both men. but their streams of black consciousness and political action continued to both diverge and converge. though malcolm often decried the uncle tom negro leadership of which martin was conceivably a member, he would rarely call martin out directly, sparing the young energetic leader his typically pointed barbs. he spoke highly of the montgomery bus boycotts and the courage of people like rosa parks. king, on the other hand, often used malcolm to make his ideological platform and political practice more palatable for whites. in response to a june 1962 comment malcolm made about god answering his prayers to kill 121 whites in a paris - atlanta flight, king assured the white press “ that the hatred expressed toward whites by malcolm x [ was not ] shared by the vast majority of negroes in the united states. while there is a great deal of legitimate discontent and righteous indignation in the negro community, it has never developed into large - scale hatred of whites. ” in spite of martin ’ s attempts at distancing, it is no simple task to place these men as opposing forces. both were what we might call institutional men. granted, the natures of the institutions were very different. king came up in the black church, atlanta ’ s black bourgeoisie, defined by the black intellectual network of the atlanta university center and organizations such as the naacp, ultimately arriving at the elite institutions of crozer theological seminary and boston university. malcolm, on the other hand, came up against the backdrop of marcus garvey ’ s universal negro improvement association, foster homes, the assembly line, and prison. martin ’ s class position and christian ideology positioned him in a conciliatory stance, whereas malcolm, who shifted constantly between the working class and the lumpenproletariat, was prepared to separate from the entire system. any discussion of these two men must start from this basic understanding. martin had the material means and the social support to develop an entire intellectual program that he could start to execute at the age of


however, the nonviolence / violence dichotomy does not accurately depict the actual schools of thought in the struggle to achieve black subjectivity, nor does it allow for the type of evolution that we have already seen among the two thinker - activists. first, nonviolence does not imply that demonstrators are non - confrontational, or even the absence of violence. on the contrary, nonviolence is an aggressive passivity intended to incite a disproportionately violent response, exposing the morally bankrupt structure. this tactic – and many, including martin, referred to it as a tactic – required an aggressive, courageous resistance. this method did not exclude the possibility of violence. as king himself wrote in 1958, “ nonviolent resistance is not a method for cowards ; it does resist … this is why gandhi often said that if cowardice is the only alternative to violence, it is better to fight. ” moreover, king ’ s early interventions did not exclude the protection of armed self - defense. in his recent colored cosmopolitianism, nico slate narrates a visit by a veteran civil rights activist : “ when bayard rustin visited king ’ s home during the early days of the montgomery boycott, he found armed guards on the porch and weapons scattered throughout the house. ” it was not until much later in his career that nonviolence become an all - embracing philosophy for king. even then, he admitted that for most black people, nonviolence would remain a tactic, at most. meanwhile, throughout the south, armed self - defense became a promising approach to combat ruthless and murderous racists, the kind that left medger evers assassinated and four little girls dead. few figures were as influential as robert f. williams in advocating armed self - defense to achieve safety and dignity for blacks in america. having labored in northern industry and served in the army during world war ii, williams returned to his north carolina home – trained, disciplined, and radicalized. he rose to a leadership role with the union county chapter of the naacp, a position from which started to insist on the need “ to meet violence with violence. ” in 1957, williams started the black armed guard, with a charter from the national rifle association. the group probably saved many lives when on october 5, james “ catfish ” cole led a klan rally that ended with a raid on the black part of town. the war veterans fought off the motorcade from fortified positions in trenches and foxholes with small arms. the next day,


when on october 5, james “ catfish ” cole led a klan rally that ended with a raid on the black part of town. the war veterans fought off the motorcade from fortified positions in trenches and foxholes with small arms. the next day, klan motorcades, which had sometimes been escorted by police, were banned by the city of monroe. the 1961 freedom riders foray into monroe was intended to show the advantage of nonviolence. but when thousands of rioting klansmen showed no respect for philosophy, williams and his black armed guard were called on to protect the demonstrators. here nonviolence and armed self - defense worked together in a dynamic dialectic. at his funeral, rosa parks said that she and others who marched with martin in montgomery admired williams ’ contribution to the struggle. as slate puts it, “ the ability of nonviolent activists to mobilize black communities depended largely on the capacity of local blacks to physically defend activists … nonviolent tactics and armed self - defense worked together to channel white violence into less deadly and more politically useful situations. ” williams ’ book negroes with guns would come to be influential for younger black political actors, such as black panther leader huey p. newton. a few months after their only meeting, malcolm sent a telegram to martin, extending an offer to help protect the nonviolent protesters in saint augustine, florida who had been attacked. “ we have been witnessing with great concern the vicious attacks of the white races against our poor defenseless people there in st. augustine, ” malcolm wrote. “ if the federal government will not send troops to your aid, just say the word and we will immediately dispatch some of our brothers there to organize self defense units among our people and the ku klux klan will then receive a taste of its own medicine. the day of turning the other cheek to those brute beasts is over. ” defensive violence, however, was not the only type of violence that militants in the black freedom movement considered. contemporary developments in china, cuba, and algeria seemed to make a convincing argument for an offensive armed revolutionary struggle. even after his disillusionment with the communist party, harold cruse was forced to contemplate “ the relevance of force and violence to successful revolutions ” after visiting cuba in june of 1960. “ the ideology of a new revolutionary wave in the world at large, ” he recalled, “ had lifted us out of anonymity of lonely struggle in the united states to the glorified rank of visiting dignitaries. ” cruse asked, “


“ the ideology of a new revolutionary wave in the world at large, ” he recalled, “ had lifted us out of anonymity of lonely struggle in the united states to the glorified rank of visiting dignitaries. ” cruse asked, “ what did it all mean and how did it relate to the negro in america? ” marable ’ s biography of malcolm shows that near the end of his life, with his connection to people like max stanford and the revolutionary action movement, he anticipated the development of a revolutionary underground that would emerge later in the decade and in the 1970s. if martin and malcolm ’ s divergence can be explored through their evolving stances on the use of violence, their convergence may be best assessed by stances along the axis of transgression. the italian workerist ferruccio gambino ‘ s 1993 essay, which recasts malcolm ’ s life and legacy as a transgression of the logic of the state, captures this relationship : malcolm x – the laborer, the convict, and the minister of the nation of islam – had seen too many and too well the least - lit corridors of the state to avoid a collision with it. in this respect, his path was similar to martin luther king, jr. ’ s. the young desegregationist minister of the southern christian leadership conference had seen so many black people suffer indignities during his early campaign in the south that he could only relate these to the cheapness of living labor there. indeed, as early as 1957 he had said, “ i realize that the law cannot make an employer love me or have compassion for me. ” as king too began to walk away from the role the state had expected of him, he headed toward assassination while supporting a strike by black laborers in memphis, tennessee. the transgressions of the entire black freedom movement, though they have since been validated and subsumed into the narrative of liberal democracy ’ s ability to accommodate, encompass nonviolent conformist activities just as much as militant direct action, each equally criminal. the most potent transgression is the rejection of the state ’ s “ gods, ” its symbolic embodiments of power. islam forced malcolm “ to occupy the double political space of ‘ the immigrant, ’ ” as gambino argues, a “ self - location ” which “ violated the written and unwritten codes of legitimate political behavior. ” malcolm ’ s islam was a symbolic and spiritual orientation to an afro - asiatic anti - colonial internationalism that struck


” as gambino argues, a “ self - location ” which “ violated the written and unwritten codes of legitimate political behavior. ” malcolm ’ s islam was a symbolic and spiritual orientation to an afro - asiatic anti - colonial internationalism that struck a claim on politics outside the state ’ s monopoly of legitimate power. his transgressions, mental, criminal, and spiritual, are widely understood. but against martin ’ s easy incorporation, we should remember that he, too, transgressed. it is true that the familiar and domestic language of christianity of martin made him acceptable to many americans. however, couched in that language was the vernacular of a long tradition manifested in black liberation theology that signified on the master ’ s religion, developing a sometimes dormant, sometimes active opposition to white power. it is a lineage emerging from people like richard allen, who started the african methodist episcopalian church in 1816 to create autonomy for black congregations. there are the likes of henry mcneal turner, an early “ back to africa ” advocate and missionary who once said that “ hell is an improvement upon the united states where the negro is concerned. ” turner ’ s own theology understood the symbolic power of the state ’ s gods : every race of people who have attempted to describe their god by words, or by paintings, or by carvings, or any other form or figure, have conveyed the idea that the god who made them and shaped their destinies was symbolized in themselves, and why should not the negro believe that he resembles god as much as other people? more direct influences on king can be found in the likes of howard thurman and benjamin mays. the two had visited gandhi in india and worked towards establishing functional solidarities with south asians during their struggle against the british empire in the 1930s. importantly, thurman and mays contributed to a theology that sought to isolate the religion of jesus from its imperial uses. thurman, a classmate of martin ’ s father and a mentor while martin was at boston university, and mays, martin ’ s mentor at morehouse college, helped martin to develop a transgressive philosophy. as nico slate writes, martin was almost immediately hailed as the montgomery mahatma after beginning the boycott : “ king ’ s connection to gandhi strengthened his appeal to both blacks and whites. gandhi represented courage, civil disobedience, and the rising colored world to many blacks while symbolizing non - threatening nonviolence to whites. ” slate argues that this double space of meaning did


gandhi strengthened his appeal to both blacks and whites. gandhi represented courage, civil disobedience, and the rising colored world to many blacks while symbolizing non - threatening nonviolence to whites. ” slate argues that this double space of meaning did not prevent martin from identifying race as only one variable in the equation of oppression. as king wrote of his visit “ to the land of gandhi ” in ebony magazine, “ the bourgeoisie – white, black or brown – behaves about the same the world over. ” today the legacies of both martin and malcolm benefit from an official acknowledgement of their contributions to the black freedom movement. this is largely because, as gambino writes, “ the attitudes of ethnic leadership towards the state are shaped over a long period of time, often being the result of continuous readjustments over many generations. ” that there is such a grand official salute to martin reflects that the state “ often believes it can redress past wrongs with reforms that are supposed to have the effect of ‘ cooling off ’ both ethnic leadership and the people as a whole, ” and that “ the state ’ s late discovery of a collective symbolic reality one shade removed from its official gods has often ended in a redefinition of the state and its pantheon, or in the demise of both. ” that martin ’ s legacy today appears to tower over so many others indicates just how well he occupied the double space of meaning while acting for dignity and freedom. now our task is to refuse the state ’ s gods and reach into our past, to recover the possibilities for future transgression. wendell hassan marsh is a graduate student at columbia university ’ s department of middle eastern, south asian and african studies. he has written for reuters, the root, allafrica. com, and the harvard journal of african american policy.


a virtual private network ( vpn ) is a network technology that is used to link multiple computers, servers and any vpn - capable devices through private or public and secured web tunnels. vpn also make use of an encryption system in the transmission of data ; hence keeping every bit of information being transmitted from one system to another as secured as possible and therefore can only be accessed by the authorized recipient / s. using a vpn let you enhance your web browsing security by accessing information through secure vpn tunnels, bypass censorships and access online content without hassles, and change your ip and server for added web browsing anonymity. in reality, a virtual private network is just a network of different computers, network devices or servers that are connected either through the private or the public domain using secure tunnels. this means that a vpn is not entirely different from a lan or a wan, but the data transmission usually happens over a secure network, immaterial of the medium of transfer. data transfer is of paramount importance for any organization and individuals alike. in the olden days, data transfer was made through secure, storable and transportable mediums such as discs, and it usually involved a lot of risk and was considered to be time consuming. however, with access to internet, it has become possible for various organizations and companies to connect their different satellite offices together and make the process of data transfer both fast and seamless. this has allowed various companies to set up shop in different countries around the globe. this even led to a rise in the number of professionals who started working out of their homes or tiny satellite offices that were set up in convenient locations to reduce the overall costs. but fast, easy and cheap data transfer over the internet led to another issue, security. data transfer over the internet offers the least security. various hackers, viruses and malicious programs are constantly on the lookout for gaining access to confidential and sensitive data that will give them an opportunity for making financial gains. and leasing special lines across these distances can prove to be extremely expensive. a vpn on the other hand, allows the company to connect via the internet and use the security of secure vpn tunnels. these tunnels are basically encrypted connections created by connecting the devices through intermediary servers often hosted by vpn service providers. large companies and government organizations usually develop their own virtual private networks to manage large projects and host the servers and experts in - house. but managing and hosting a vpn can prove to be quite expensive for smaller companies


often hosted by vpn service providers. large companies and government organizations usually develop their own virtual private networks to manage large projects and host the servers and experts in - house. but managing and hosting a vpn can prove to be quite expensive for smaller companies and individuals, which is why there are dedicated vpn service providers who will look after the technical aspects of managing a vpn, while the subscribers can enjoy vpn services for a small monthly subscription fee. how does vpn work? vpn works through a complex process of traffic rerouting and encrypting. while the detailed explanation can include quite a few technical details and server information, in simpler terms, a vpn works by rerouting your traffic, which is in turn done by connecting your device first to an anonymous vpn server, before proceeding towards your intended online action path. therefore, the primary duty of a vpn is to connect your device to a vpn server, after which, all the actions and paths will originate from the vpn server itself. to better understand the concept, you will need to know about the effects your ip on your browsing experience. every isp provides a dedicated, or in other cases dynamic, ip for each user. your dedicated ip address is representative of your actual geographical location, which is the single - most factor that determines your online presence. even if your isp provides you with a dynamic ip, the actions performed by you on the network can be traced back to you. this data is often used by websites, government agencies and other organizations to track your online behavior, censor internet content and outright block you from accessing any online information. by connecting using a vpn, you can entrust the vpn server to lift all the heavy load, and every action performed by you will only be tracked back to the anonymous vpn server, not your actual ip address. this is something that attracts most users to a vpn service provider, and security of online browsing is just an added bonus. read more : list of top vpn providers what are the differences between vpn and proxy? both of these technologies are used to change your ip address. however, they differ in operations ( e. g. how they re - route network traffic and change ip addresses ). proxy server is a server that acts as a filter. when using proxy in protecting your internet activities, you have to setup first your internet browser with the correct proxy settings. this means that you can only have secured internet activities when you ’ re browsing through


server is a server that acts as a filter. when using proxy in protecting your internet activities, you have to setup first your internet browser with the correct proxy settings. this means that you can only have secured internet activities when you ’ re browsing through an internet browser that has proxy settings setup to it. for vpn, users simply need to install the vpn client software and that ’ s about it – no need to make tweaks with the internet browsers. every time users browse the internet, they simply need to connect the vpn client app first to have safe and private internet browsing experiences. the advantage of vpn over proxy is that the former can be used for any internet - capable devices / applications while the latter only works with internet browsers. so what technology offers more secured connections? it has to be vpn, no doubt about that. read more : premium vpn vs free vpn vs free web proxies what are the different types of vpn protocols? there are various types of vpn protocols that people can use to have secured internet connections. here are the most commonly used vpn protocols. • point - to - point tunneling protocol ( pptp ) • internet protocol security ( ipsec ) • secure socket tunneling protocol ( sstp ) • layer two tunneling protocol ( l2tp ) pptp and l2tp / ipsec are the more preferred types of protocols because they are the fastest security protocols available today. sstp and openvpn are the best when it comes to security. however, more secured connections means more encryptions ; therefore slowing down the connection and browsing experiences on sstp and openvpn. read more : learn about the different vpn protocols why use vpn? there are several benefits of using a vpn service. there isn ’ t any particular end user or customer specific demographic as far as vpn usage is concerned. from the very outset, vpn can be made useful for the average internet browser, and the benefits may increase from individual user to large organizations. from an everyday internet user ’ s perspective, security of online browsing is the key, especially if the user is prone to use various financial related websites and make financial transactions through online payment processors. along with security, the user may also remain anonymous and can avoid leaving tracks. a vpn can also be used for accessing blocked content. internet censorship is a serious issue across several countries throughout the world. many popular online websites, social media sites and even entertainment


, the user may also remain anonymous and can avoid leaving tracks. a vpn can also be used for accessing blocked content. internet censorship is a serious issue across several countries throughout the world. many popular online websites, social media sites and even entertainment channels are blocked for various reasons. facebook, twitter and youtube are just a small group of websites that are blocked in countries like china, iran, egypt and more. therefore, citizens of these countries can utilize the services of a vpn service provider to gain access to blocked content. there are country specific online entertainment websites such as netflix, hulu, iplayer, cbs, etc, that only allow users from a specific country to access their services. for instance, the entire range of netflix services is only accessible to u. s users, while the bbc iplayer is only accessible to u. k viewers. therefore, to watch these channels from a different country, users will need access to vpn. for companies and organizations, vpn can be helpful in connecting various entities together, and immaterial of the actual physical distance between them, every device can be connected to a same network using vpn without any security issues. this will allow greater flexibility for operations and will allow fast, easy and secure transfer of data from one point to the other. read more : what are the 5 main benefits of using a vpn?


it can be a bit mind bending to look at a landscape today and realize just how altered it is from the original. such is the case in seattle as well as numerous other coastal communities along the shores of the salish sea. the burke gillman museum has put together a remarkable on line exhibit of the shaping of the seattle shoreline http : / / www. burkemuseum. org / waterlines /. the exhibit includes a you tube video as well. while the history and changes are interetsing, this type of historical work can be very important to geologists and engineers. in my own work, the most complex geology - like map with multiple cross - sections i ever produced was at a water front fill site. entire mappable units of various fill materials. good historic information and old maps can be critical for understanding development projects in urban areas. i knew that there were cactus locations in western washington, but until this week i had never seen the rare for western washington plant opuntia fragilis. i would have missed this one all together except todd had seen it on a previous trip to the same area and he had seen it only because someone had place drift wood around the plant to either protect it or mark its location. i have heard of other cacti sites on the south side of lopez island, the west shore of central whidbey island and at dungeness spit. all of these sites share being located within the olympic mountain rain shadow and all are on well exposed dry sites. the same species is found in eastern washington and up into the dry interior areas of british columbia. i have encountered on the east side more often stepping into a patch - a rather unpleasant experience in light shoes. this particular very small patch is located on a dry south facing slope on decatur island within an area of rock outcrops, grass covered slopes and a mix of douglas fir and gary oak. this particular species is very common in other areas of the dry west and is not much bothered by cold weather with a range well up into northern alberta. the smallest school in the country at the moment is a school k - 8 school with only one student. this size can not be beat. decatur school interior the decatur school is a public school in the lopez school district and is located on decatur island. it is one of 10 or 11 schools deemed by the state superintendent of public instruction as a " remote and necessary " school. the school was built in 1980 ; the previous school building is still on the island. the school population has declined in recent


. it is one of 10 or 11 schools deemed by the state superintendent of public instruction as a " remote and necessary " school. the school was built in 1980 ; the previous school building is still on the island. the school population has declined in recent years as students have graduated and no new students have arrived. high school students must take a boat across to lopez island to attend high school. the school hopes that new families with students will arrive. an on going problem on a smallish island with no public transportation access. i very much appreciate wildlife photographs, but my own abilities are very limited. the major limitation is imposed by not having the appropriate camera kit. hence, if i do get a good picture it means i had to be remarkably close to the animal in question. great blue herons are a common shore bird in western washington. this one seemed to not be very concerned with my proximity. got a good sense of how these birds move and use their feet. the nooksack river does a lot of moving around in its upper reaches. fortunately there is not a lot of development along these reaches of the river. perhaps some of the development that did take place in the past has been washed away. one exception is at deming, an unincorporated town. the town has one advantage in that the burlington northern santa fe rail road track passes through the town between the town and the river. the rail line with its elevated tracks and prism of rocks has provided a level of protection to the community as well as other development further down stream. however, development has crept over the rail line, and this reach of the nooksack has become one of the more expensive stretches of the river in terms of flood hazard investment. at deming the nooksack river made a major coarse shift to the north in the 1980s and began to threaten the bus and shop facilities of the mount baker high school as well as the high school sewer treatment facility. the river also threatened to take out the nooksack casino drain field. the new river bank was lined with a heavy angular rock rip rap levee to reduce flood risk and prevent further migration of the river. initially the river approached the upper east end of this heavy armored levee at nearly a 90 degree angle. but over the past decade the river has progressively migrated to the west taking aim at different portions of the levee as it progressed. overall the levee has held up well with some relatively minor rock replacement. the progression of the river along the levee has been fascinating to watch : whatcom county flood zone


the west taking aim at different portions of the levee as it progressed. overall the levee has held up well with some relatively minor rock replacement. the progression of the river along the levee has been fascinating to watch : whatcom county flood zone district is working toward doing improvements on the east end of the dike. if the river shifts back to the east again which it will eventually, the east end would fail and the river would get back behind the dike. to prevent this scenario a new levee section will be constructed from the current east end of the heavy armored levee to the edge of the burlington northern railroad. as can be seen in the last image, the river will likely migrate to the west end of the levee. that will likely lead to a fairly broad area of rapid channel migration if the river holds its current pattern. fortunately, the river has a lot more room to meander down stream of deming without threatening structures or public facilities as the forest bottom lands have been occupied by the river within the past 100 years and will likely be occupied again. lisa put up some father ' s day pictures yesterday. this one was actually a sort of geology excursion from a different era. will getting excited about geology actually he liked being swung and thrown above my head this trip was to the cascade river area in the north cascade range. the peak behind will ' s head is the haystack. the haystack is an epidote bearing pluton. epidote is not a rare mineral but it is a bit unusual to see it as a magmatic mineral - that is it crystallized within a magma. this means that the haystack pluton crystallized from a magma to a solid at great depth something like 25 km below the surface zen. to the right of the haystack on the ridge with snow patches is the edge of another magma body, the eldorado pluton. there is no epidote in the eldorado and it solidified at a much shallower depth something like 10 km even though the metamorphic rocks around the perimeter of the eldorado all indicated very deep burial. the haystack is approximately 75 million years old and the eldorado is approximately 90. an early interpretation of this 15 km off set suggested a major fault structure which had the eldorado faulted against the otherwise much deeper rocks. the problem was finding the contact of the fault had proven difficult. my graduate work was to hunt down the fault line and try to figure out the direction and timing


major fault structure which had the eldorado faulted against the otherwise much deeper rocks. the problem was finding the contact of the fault had proven difficult. my graduate work was to hunt down the fault line and try to figure out the direction and timing of motion. indeed finding the fault line proved to be impossible and the answer as to why it was impossible was on the other side of that ridge behind us. the fault did not exist. the eldorado had melted its way into the surrounding country rocks 90 million years ago. afterwards the area somehow got deeply buried or pushed downward to 25 km or more in depth and the haystack magma intruded and then solidified within these deep rocks. another nearby pluton provided a time for when the area was back at shallower depths by 65 million years. hence this chunk of the north cascades was deeply buried pushed deep into the earth sometime after 90 million years ago and sometime before 65 million years ago. other parts of the north cascades have been deeply buried as well. however, those areas were deeply buried at different times. for geologists trying to figure out the north cascades ( and the south end of the bc coast range ) this deep burial at different times always has to be part of the discussion as to how the range evolved. there is another aspect of the ridge that is not geologic. while working on this ridge, we encountered a lot of bears. a couple of the bears sure looked like grizzlies. at the time i thought they were too small. but apparently north cascade grizzlies are smallish so we very well may have seen grizzlies. will is a much larger object these days. two summers ago he hiked up to the haystack area and encountered lots of bears as well. it is a very tough hike in with over 5, 000 feet of elevation gain from the valley floor and then some tough going up and down and the weather does not always cooperate. being mid june and fairly far north the term gloaming applies well to our very long evenings this time of year. the gloaming lasts for hours as the sky stays light well past sunset as the sun tracks downward at a low angle below the horizon. for those readers that live west of the cascades, yesterday seemed like the gloaming was all day long with mild but steady thick misty rain mixed with fog. there area several bits of music called " the gloaming ", but jonae ' s is my favorite. no good


, yesterday seemed like the gloaming was all day long with mild but steady thick misty rain mixed with fog. there area several bits of music called " the gloaming ", but jonae ' s is my favorite. no good youtube of the band performing the gloaming, so fireworks pictures will have to do. and 4th of july has a very long gloaming whilst waiting for the fireworks and it also coincides with a shift in weather from the june gloom to the long dry spell of july, august and early september - the time we can all enjoy the gloaming of living near the 49th parallel. a couple of months back i heard an interview of john mckay, a former federal prosecutor regarding marijuana legalization in washington state. this fall washington voters will vote on legalizing marijuana washington _ initiative _ 502. there are a array of reasons to legalize marijuana that mckay covered, but mckay also emphasized the dangers illegal business activity associated with marijuana. he reminded me of my own close calls as a geologist regarding the illegal drug trade. well before the rampage of drug gang warfare became as widespread and as well known as it currently is in mexico, lisa, raven and i traveled through one of the major marijuana production areas in mexico. at the time it was very clear to us that the part of mexico we were traveling through was barely under the control of the government. in two days we passed through over a dozen road blocks with heavily armed military with automatic weapons in hand. these were not casual road stops. we were required to open every bag and every compartment in the car all the while watched intently by soldiers with their fingers over the triggers of their guns. i kept thinking, " these guys are afraid, this is not good ". a few years before while doing some mapping on federal land i heard the whistle of bullets overhead a split second before hearing the retort of a rifle. this was at a time when grow operations were taking place on public land in the west and we were working in an area that was a well known grow area. the shots were warning shots. we decided we did not need to figure out the fold structure we were working on until it got cold in the fall. at about the same time word came out of northern california that a field geologist working in the coast range had been shot to death. i have only stumbled directly into a grow operation once and was very glad no one was around. i recently was told by a property manager of some forest land that he and is crew have


field geologist working in the coast range had been shot to death. i have only stumbled directly into a grow operation once and was very glad no one was around. i recently was told by a property manager of some forest land that he and is crew have collected a fair bit of equipment from irrigated grow operations along a power line corridor through the area he manages. john mckay, the former u. s. attorney noted that it is the height of arrogance to believe that the large drug trade that has developed between bc and washington state will not evolve into a more and more violent business venture between competing illegal business. the drug wars, will like all wars, have collateral damage. is it really worth it? the seattle city council passed a resolution a few weeks ago in opposition to coal terminals in washington state resolutions 31379. pdf. for coal terminal proponents this is not a good sign. the resolution passed unanimously. yes, seattle is not reflective of the thinking throughout the state of washington, but it is the biggest city and has more clout than any other city in the state. the resolution will encourage the agencies to consider a broad range of impacts when evaluating the various proposed projects, and it appears that is becoming the trend. the 8 % number will likely be half in a few years when the centralia coal power plant closes. and the percent will decline further with the pending closure of the portland run plant in boardman, oregon as well as the continued increase in other renewables and wind. the tone of the letter with the wrong percentages for coal power was highly critical of the seattle city council for not having all the facts. i suspect the letter signer did not check the facts before signing. but statements provided as facts provided in the letter made it clear that ssa, the terminal proponent, is not a reliable source of information. the 30 % vs 8 % was not the only error, but given the huge hydro projects all over washington state was a sign of a company not understanding washington state or energy policy in washington state. i took my first trip to vancouver from bellingham via amtrak on monday. the rail route is much more scenic than the drive, is very relaxing ( we shared some champagne ) and avoids the cost of gas, wear and tear and parking. scenery announcements were made including an announcement for a glacial erratic - white rock at the beach front as white rock, bc. disappointed the rock is actually painted to make it whiter than it really is. white rock at white rock bc at crescent beach north of white rock were escorted


an announcement for a glacial erratic - white rock at the beach front as white rock, bc. disappointed the rock is actually painted to make it whiter than it really is. white rock at white rock bc at crescent beach north of white rock were escorted by eagles. we were told we might see eagles - we saw 17. after the eagles we had a nice traverse across the tide flats of boundary bay. shortly before arrival we had a nice view of a swollen and muddy fraser river. this is the flood season on the fraser as it floods from high snow melt. the snow pack is very high this year, but the high snow pack has been off set by rather cool and sometimes chilly weather. you don ' t get to see the fraser if you take the main highway ( i - 5 and 99 ) to vancouver as the highway goes under the river. a great way to visit an amazing city. it makes little sense to drive if your business is in the central part of the city. during our return leg of a trip to vancouver via amtrak we got a distant glimpse of a dead gray whale on the tide flat near white rock, british columbia. not much to see at a distance, but it was fascinating to see the number of people gathered on the tide flats near and around the whale. the whale appeared injured and was entangled in fishing gear and was emaciated. the whale had been in the news in vancouver so we were on the alert as we approached the u. s. border. people gathered on beach at white rock bc on the boundary bay shore whale is on the far left people gathered around dead whale at white rock, bc south of coupeville, washington on whidbey island is a broad swath of rich farm land with thick black soil. this area has been managed as a sort of farm land for at least 3, 000 years. prior to white settlement the fields in this area were managed by frequent burning. these clear prairie lands were some of the first lands to be settled by whites and resulted in some of the understandable violence that followed. ebey ' s landing fields south of coupeville but before this area was farmed it was for a short period an icy bay. as the puget ice lobe melted out of present day puget sound approximately 15, 000 years ago, the the southern terminus of the ice lobe lingered for a period just north of these fields. the full mass of ice from the puget lobe had pushed the land surface downward. hence the area in the above photo was below sea level as a shallow bay with


the the southern terminus of the ice lobe lingered for a period just north of these fields. the full mass of ice from the puget lobe had pushed the land surface downward. hence the area in the above photo was below sea level as a shallow bay with glacial ice just to the north in what is now the town of coupeville. across the valley from the picture the land is a lumpy jumble of debris left behind by the ice, but in the shallow icy bay the deposits left a smooth surface of silty soils ideal for future farming. …. the line of the boundary between the territories of the united states and those of her britannic majesty shall be continued westward along the said 49th parallel of north latitude to the middle of the channel which separates the continent from vancouver ’ s island ; and thence southerly through the middle of said channel, and of fuca ’ s straits to the pacific ocean … - the oregon treaty of 1846 between great britain and the untied states. for the most part the dispute over the pacific northwest was resolved with the oregon treaty ; however, a new dispute soon arose over just exactly how the boundary would traverse through the waters separating the main land from vancouver island. this dispute had some interesting twists and if one finger had been a little quick with a trigger the outcome of the us civil war may have been a bit different. san juan islands parked smack dab in the middle. where would you draw the border? between vancouver island and the mainland lies a broad archipelago of islands. some of these islands had significant agricultural value at the time. while much of area of what is now northwest washington and southeastern british columbia was heavily forested, large swaths of the islands between the mainland and vancouver island were prairie and covered with grass lands. at the time of the oregon treaty these lands were ideal pasture land for sheep. the sheep provided wool for clothing and cloth valuable to local residences and for trading for other goods. the hudson bay company already firmly established at the southeast end of vancouver island at present day victoria began agricultural operations in parts of the san juan islands shortly after the oregon treaty was signed. it should be noted that for the british citizens of the area there was strong resentment that the border was at the 49th parallel and that britain had given over the puget sound region. great britain and the us both claimed the san juans. it took some time for the dispute to heat up but whatcom county played a role. the oregon territory was split into two territories in 1853 with oregon territory being the southern half and the new washington territory


and the us both claimed the san juans. it took some time for the dispute to heat up but whatcom county played a role. the oregon territory was split into two territories in 1853 with oregon territory being the southern half and the new washington territory being the northern half. at that time whatcom county covered all of northwest washington and given that the us claimed the san juan islands, whatcom county included the san juans on the county tax roles. in 1855 whatcom county assessed the hudson bay company properties in the san juans and when the tax was not paid foreclosed on the property and announced a sale of the land ( and sheep ) for tax foreclosure purposes. of course the hudson bay company ignored the position of the county. then the whatcom county sheriff landed on san juan island at night and rounded up sheep for a midnight sale to other whatcom citizens. they were caught doing this. it is a remarkable thing that no shots were fired and was was avoided. if war had broken out between great britain and the u. s. in 1855, it is hard to imagine the u. s. civil war taking place the way it did. a boundary commission was set up in 1856 to try to resolve the conflict, but the commission meetings ended with the san juan islands still in dispute. england claimed the boundary was rosario strait on the east side of the islands and the us claimed it was haro strait on the west side of the islands. a last gasp compromise that offered san juan island as well as a few other more western islands being used by hudson bay company to england was rejected by the english contingent. with both american and great britain claiming the islands the conflict continued to simmer. the san juans were a neutral zone where the law was not clear. with both english and american citizens claiming and setting up farms, the san juan islands were off to a lawless start. the islands were a great place to import wool through as well as other items in order to avoid duty fees. however, it did not take long for conflict to arise with the pig war in 1859. and unlike the conflict with the whatcom county sheriff, both the english and americans had troops and gun ships aligned against one another. remarkably the conflict was resolved without blood shed ( except for the pig ). a cool headed british commander declined to force the issue and no one fired the first shot. again the trajectory of the civil war may well have been determined by what sounds like a light funny incident at first read. a joint military occ


pig ). a cool headed british commander declined to force the issue and no one fired the first shot. again the trajectory of the civil war may well have been determined by what sounds like a light funny incident at first read. a joint military occupancy was set up in 1859 and continued through the us civil war and to 1872. at that point great britain and the us agreed to send the conflict to arbitration. the powers in washington dc and london thought better of going to war over a small set of rocky islands. an additional conflict was also in the mix with u. s. claims against great britain regarding britain aiding the confederacy during the civil war via the building of a war ship, the alabama. the arbitrator was kaiser wilhelm of germany. wilhelm set up a 3 person panel to hear evidence and make a recommendation. the panel listened to presentations made by the americans and english that utilized navigational charts made by wilkes in the 1840s and vancouver in the 1790s to determine how to draw the line from the strait of georgia to the strait of juan de fuca and separate vancouver island from the continent. so back to the map. in our case we have a nice satellite image. the panel had the best maps of the day, but they were a bit tougher to decipher. vancouver ' s 1798 map so where would you draw the line? where is the middle of the channel that separates the continent from vancouver island? of course today the deabte would go a bit differently because geologists would have tesitified that vancouver island is now part of the north american continent. wilhelm ' s panel split 2 - 1 in their recommendation and wilhelm went with majority setting the line down haro strait on the west side of the islands giving a future washington state tourist mecca to the united states. as for whatcom county ' s jurisdiction over the san juans. that ended with the clarification that the islands were part of the u. s. and a new county was formed - san juan county. i have to wonder how things would have turned out if the night of sheep round up on san juan island someone got shot. a few summers ago i was working in the forest on the northwest olympic peninsula and thought it odd that even though it was late june, the red alders were leafless. on closer inspection i realized that they had been stripped of leaves by caterpillars. marian edain of frosty hollow ecological services had a write up at part of the whidbey environmental action network that provides a bigger picture


were leafless. on closer inspection i realized that they had been stripped of leaves by caterpillars. marian edain of frosty hollow ecological services had a write up at part of the whidbey environmental action network that provides a bigger picture perspective. tent dwellers of the northwest woods once upon a time there were ancient forests of enormous douglas firs and western red cedars in the puget trough. there were red alder present near streams and wetlands, and in the openings where the occasional giant tree came crashing down, but they were not particularly common. one of the species native to these forests was the tent caterpillar. it ate mostly red alder leaves and converted the vegetation into compact packets of fairly intense fertilizer. those packets ( the polite term is “ frass ” ) provided a shot of nutrients to the surrounding conifers. good system. then white folks settled the area and cut down the conifer forests. nature abhors a vacuum and filled a lot of that bare ground with a band - aid : the quick growing red alder. we ended up with large areas of alder where formerly there had been conifer forest. given enough time ( say 50 + years ), douglas firs would grow up among the alders, top out over them, and slowly shade out the shorter lived alders. tent caterpillars, which had formerly been a pretty small component of the forest system, took advantage of those large areas of alder to explode their population. the exploding population ate the leaves off the alders, which allowed sunlight down to the forest floor where the little doug firs were struggling along, at the same time as it delivered a great big jolt of fertilizer in the form of all those frass pellets. even with the system out of kilter, the tent caterpillars were performing a very useful re - balancing service. and because they only produce one generation per year, they rarely actually killed any trees. they came, they went, and the trees produced another set of leaves. the only fly in this ointment is that the tent caterpillars also like to munch on almost everything in the rose family - like your apple, cherry, plum, peach, apricot, and pear trees. a lot of people want things all neat and clean, and they reach for the pesticide spray to kill those nasty tent caterpillars. not good. counterproductive. does more harm than good. the caterpillars go through