he held the highest offices ; his renown will rest chiefly or entirely upon what he did before the beginning of the 19th century. after the close of his second term in 1817, mr. madison retired to his estate at montpelier, where he spent nearly twenty happy years with books and friends. this sweet and tranquil old age he had well earned by services to his fellow - creatures such as it is given to but few men to render. among the founders of our nation, his place is beside that of washington, hamilton, jefferson, and marshall ; but his part was peculiar. he was pre - eminently the scholar, the profound, constructive thinker, and his limitations were such as belong to that character. he was modest, quiet, and reserved in manner, small in stature, neat and refined, courteous and amiable. in rough party strife there were many who could for the moment outshine him. he was not the sort of hero for whom people throw up their caps and shout themselves hoarse, like andrew jackson, for example ; but his work was of a kind that will be powerful for good in the world long after the work of the men of jackson ' s type shall have been forgotten. the full - page portrait of madison in this chapter is from a painting by gilbert stuart. a satisfactory biography of madison is still to be desired. his interesting account of the federal convention is published in elliot ' s " debates on the state conventions " ( 4 vols., 8vo, philadelphia, 1861 ). see also the " madison papers " ( 3 vols., washington, 1840 ), and the " history of the united states by henry adams. vols. v to ix, madison ' s administration, 1809 – 1817 " ( new york, 1890, 1891 ). a complete edition of his writings, edited by gaillard hunt, in 9 octavo volumes, appeared in new york in 1900 – 1910. for biographies there is the cumbrous work of william c. rives ( 3 vols., boston, 1859 – ' 68 ), and the sketch by sydney howard gay in the " american statesmen " series ( boston, 1884 ). his wife, dorothy payne, born in north carolina, may 20, 1772 ; died in washington, d. c., july 12, 1849, was a granddaughter of john payne, an english gentleman who migrated to virginia early in the 18th century. he married anna fleming, granddaughter of sir thomas fleming, one of the early settlers of jamestown. his son, the second


ichneumia albicauda occurs throughout much of sub - saharan africa, with the exception of the congo basin, the ivory coast, and the arid regions of western south africa, namibia, botswana, and angola. white - tailed mongooses are also found throughout the southern arabian peninsula. they are fairly common throughout their range and are found in a wide variety of habitats. biogeographic regions : ethiopian ( native ) - lioncrusher ' s domain, 2004. " white tailed mongoose : ichneumia albicauda " ( on - line ). accessed february 02, 2005 at http : / / www. lioncrusher. com / animal. asp? animal = 132. white tailed mongooses are relatively large mongooses. their long yellowish tan hair, and long, black guard hairs make them appear grizzled. the tail is bushy and is white on the terminal half. hair is lacking on their palms to the wrists and on their upper lip. females have four mammae. other physical features : endothermic ; homoiothermic ; bilateral symmetry sexual dimorphism : sexes alike average mass : 3500 g. habitat and ecology ichneumia albicauda is a terrestrial mammal that is found in a wide variety of habitats from woodland to semi - deserts. white - tailed mongooses seem to prefer areas with thick cover, such as forest edges and riparian corridors, and are found mainly in savannah woodlands and grasslands ( nowak 1991, taylor 1972 ). white - tailed mongoose are not found in very moist habitats, such as rainforests and swamps, and are also absent from the extremely arid regions of southwestern africa. these mongooses den in porcupine or aardvark burrows, termite mounds, and holes under roots. habitat regions : temperate ; tropical ; terrestrial terrestrial biomes : savanna or grassland ; forest ; scrub forest other habitat features : riparian ichneumia albicauda feeds mainly on insects, but it has a diverse diet ( nowak 1991 ). the insects eaten include locusts, beetles, and mole crickets. these mongooses may also consume rats, mice, shrews, lizards, snakes, small birds ( including chickens ), berries, and fruits ( taylor 1972 ). when they occur near human settlements, they have been known to steal chickens ( grzimek 1990 ). they are also known to eat the eggs of wild birds, breaking the


( including chickens ), berries, and fruits ( taylor 1972 ). when they occur near human settlements, they have been known to steal chickens ( grzimek 1990 ). they are also known to eat the eggs of wild birds, breaking the shell by throwing the egg back between its hind legs against a hard object ( nowak 1991 ). animal foods : birds ; mammals ; reptiles ; eggs ; insects ; terrestrial non - insect arthropods plant foods : fruit primary diet : carnivore ( insectivore ) white - tailed mongooses are important as predators of insects and small vertebrates in the ecosystems in which they live. the predators of white - tailed mongooses are unknown. mongooses are aggressive and will actively defend themselves from predators larger than themselves. they are likely to escape predation mainly through their secretive behavior and cryptic appearance. likely predators include large snakes, birds of prey, and larger predators such as jackals and jaguars. white - tailed mongooses may make themselves unappealing as a meal through their noxious scent. anti - predator adaptations : cryptic life history and behavior communication and perception white - tailed mongooses are highly vocal and make unusual sounds associated with sexual behavior that have been likened to a dog - like yap ( nowak 1991 ). they may defend themselves with a noxious secretion from the anal scent glands. communication channels : acoustic ; chemical perception channels : visual ; acoustic captive white - tailed mongooses can live 12 years ( grzimek 1990 ). expected lifespan in the wild is unknown. status : captivity : 12 ( high ) years. status : captivity : 12. 0 years. status : captivity : 10. 0 years. lifespan, longevity, and ageing the author was unable to find information on mating systems in i. albicauda. many details about the reproductive cycle of the white - tailed mongoose are not fully known, but some information exists. females have four mammae ( taylor 1972 ). although litter size is uncertain, it is believed to be between 1 - 3, but some accounts have estimated the litter size to be 2 - 4, while others claim the size to be 1 - 2 ( nowak 1991 ). litters are frequently seen between february to may, and no young appear during the dry season of august - november. weaning occurs before nine months of age, at which time full independence is attained ( nowak 1991 ). the age of sexual maturity is not known, but it is generally


, and no young appear during the dry season of august - november. weaning occurs before nine months of age, at which time full independence is attained ( nowak 1991 ). the age of sexual maturity is not known, but it is generally thought to occur before 2 years of age. the length of the gestation period also is not known, but it is generally believed to be around 60 days ( nowak 1991 ). breeding interval : the appearance of litters during only the wet season suggests that breeding occurs once yearly. breeding season : breeding is estimated to occur between december and march, with litters of young appearing during the wet season, from february to may. range number of offspring : 1 to 4. average gestation period : 60 days. average weaning age : 9 months. average time to independence : 9 months. range age at sexual or reproductive maturity ( female ) : 2 ( high ) years. range age at sexual or reproductive maturity ( male ) : 2 ( high ) years. key reproductive features : iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric / gonochoristic / dioecious ( sexes separate ) ; viviparous average number of offspring : 2. 3. as in all mammals, white - tailed mongooses are cared for and nursed by their mothers until they are weaned. little information is available on reproduction in i. albicauda, so the extent of male parental investment is unknown. young white - tailed mongooses are weaned and acheive independence at about 9 months of age. parental investment : altricial ; pre - fertilization ( provisioning, protecting : female ) ; pre - hatching / birth ( provisioning : female, protecting : female ) ; pre - weaning / fledging ( provisioning : female, protecting : female ) ; pre - independence ( provisioning : female, protecting : female ) iucn red list assessment red list category red list criteria - 1996lower risk / least concern ( baillie and groombridge 1996 ) white - tailed mongooses are common throughout their range. us federal list : no special status cites : no special status iucn red list of threatened species : least concern relevance to humans and ecosystems economic importance for humans : negative ichneumia albicauda may take poultry where they occur near human habitation ( nowak 1991 ). economic importance for humans : positive although white - tailed mongooses are shy relative to other mongooses, they are said to become


which means ' tail '. the white - tailed mongoose feeds mostly on insects, but will feed on a wide variety of other foods as well. locusts, beetles, and mole crickets make up the majority of their diet. rats, mice, shrews, lizards, snakes, small birds are also eaten, along with the occasional fruits and berries. the eggs of birds are also eaten ; they will break open the egg by throwing it between its hind legs against a rock or other hard object. they have been known to raid chicken houses in areas where domestic poultry is raised. ichneumia albicauda is primarily nocturnal and terrestrial. by day they will rest in an abandoned burrow, termite mound, or in cavities under tree roots. the average home range is 0. 97 km² for males and 0. 64 km² for females. ranges of males do not overlap, but ranges of opposite sexes overlap significantly. females either live alone with their own offspring or in a small group with other females and their offspring, although they do not associate with each other. though they may share a range, they forage separately. they are, for the most part, solitary creatures, with the male and female only coming together to mate. reports of groups are either a breeding pair or a mother and her offspring. these mongooses do not migrate except to establish their own territory away from their mother ' s range. these mongooses are very vocal, and make an unusual barking sound that is associated with sexual behavior. if frightened, they will secrete a noxious substance from their anal glands. they do not stand on their hind feet for any length of time like other mongooses. knowledge of the reproduction of the white tailed mongoose is incomplete. litters are seen most frequently from february to may, and no young appear at all during the dry season from august to november, which suggests that they only breed once a year. the young are fully weaned at nine months of age, and around this time, the young disperse. it is speculated that sexual maturity is reached before two years of age, and that the gestation period is around 60 days. - wilson, d. e. ; reeder, d. m., eds. ( 2005 ). " ichneumia albicauda ". mammal species of the world ( 3rd ed. ). johns hopkins university press. isbn 978 - 0 - 8018 - 8221 - 0. oclc 62265494.


2005 ). " ichneumia albicauda ". mammal species of the world ( 3rd ed. ). johns hopkins university press. isbn 978 - 0 - 8018 - 8221 - 0. oclc 62265494. http : / / www. bucknell. edu / msw3 / browse. asp? id = 14000638. - hoffmann, m. ( 2008 ). " ichneumia albicauda ". iucn red list of threatened species. version 2010. 1. international union for conservation of nature. http : / / www. iucnredlist. org / apps / redlist / details / 41620. retrieved 14 june 2010. database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern - wilson, d. e. ; reeder, d. m., eds. ( 2005 ). " ichneumia ". mammal species of the world ( 3rd ed. ). johns hopkins university press. isbn 978 - 0 - 8018 - 8221 - 0. oclc 62265494. http : / / www. bucknell. edu / msw3 / browse. asp? id = 14000637. - dewey, t. and n. greene. 1999. ichneumia albicauda at animal diversity web. accessed june 14, 2010. - estes, richard d. ( 1999 ). the safari companion. chelsea green publishing company. p. 261. isbn 1890132446. to request an improvement, please leave a comment on the page. thank you!


state and local climate and energy program energy efficiency ( ee ) - benefits of energy efficiency - local opportunities to improve energy efficiency benefits of energy efficiency improving energy efficiency is one of the most constructive and cost - effective ways to address the challenges of high energy prices, energy security and independence, air pollution, and global climate change. the many benefits of energy efficiency include : - environmental : increased efficiency can lower greenhouse gas ( ghg ) emissions and other pollutants, as well as decrease water use. - economic : improving energy efficiency costs significantly less than investing in new generation and transmission. energy efficiency can also boost the local economy and create downward pressure on natural gas prices and volatility. - utility system benefits : when integrated into energy resource plans, energy efficiency can provide long - term benefits by lowering baseload and peak demand and reducing the need for additional generation and transmission assets. - risk management : energy efficiency also diversifies utility resource portfolios and can be a hedge against uncertainty associated with fluctuating fuel prices and other risk factors. local opportunities to improve energy efficiency local governments can take a wide range of approaches to promoting energy efficiency, both in their own operations and in their communities. the links to the key sectors and utilities partners below provide background information, options for increasing energy efficiency in that sector, actions local governments can take, and technical assistance and informational resources. - local government operations and facilities – nearly one - third of the energy used to run typical government buildings can be conserved. local governments can achieve substantial energy cost savings across their facilities, demonstrate energy and environmental leadership, and raise public awareness of energy efficiency benefits associated with reducing ghg emissions. in addition to improving the efficiency of existing and new facilities, local governments can incorporate energy efficiency criteria into product procurement decisions. - water and wastewater facilities – municipal water treatment systems are typically the largest consumers of energy in municipal operations, accounting for up to 40 percent of their total energy use. improving the energy efficiency of equipment and process technologies at water and wastewater facilities can reduce current and projected energy costs, ghg emissions, and increase treatment efficiency. energy efficiency at many of the nation ' s water and wastewater treatment facilities can potentially be increased by 15 - 30 percent. - non – governmental buildings – government operations typically account for only 5 percent of the total ghg emissions of a jurisdiction. strategies to improve the energy efficiency of commercial, industrial, and other non - governmental buildings allow local governments to achieve much greater benefits than by focusing on their buildings alone. - residential – in 2007, ghg emissions associated with


adding white space around your images can make it easier for the pdf maker to properly tag your documents for accessibility when it does the conversion from microsoft word to the pdf document format. one way to add white space is by placing your cursor immediately after each image and adding a few carriage returns. however, a better way to add the white space is to use the paragraph styles built into microsoft word. adding alternative text will make the images in your adobe acrobat documents more accessible to people who have visual disabilities. however, when you use a decorative image, the image does not any valuable information. to ensure that this kind of image is skipped by a screen reader, you should mark it up as a background object. adding alternate ( alt ) text to your images will make your microsoft word documents more accessible to people who have visual impairments. this will also make any pdf documents created from your microsoft word documents more accessible as well. the alt text is a description of the image that can be read to someone who has a visual impairment by screen reader software. the key to creating a more accessible pdf document is to begin with a good source document in your word processing program. the five tips presented in this tutorial will allow you to create more accessible pdfs by adding accessibility features to your microsoft word documents before they are exported to the pdf format. there is currently no way to add alternative text to images in a document created with microsoft office 2008 for the mac. however, you can take advantage of the fact that the mac has the ability to print to a pdf document as a built - in feature of the operating system. you can then use adobe acrobat to add the alternative text to the images in your pdf document. while it may not be the best way to create a web page, many people only use microsoft word as their primary web authoring software. if you only have access to microsoft word as your web authoring software, you should make sure you add alt text to the images in your word documents. adding alt text to the images will ensure that these images can be properly described to screen reader users when they access the web pages created with microsoft word on a web browser. dreamweaver ’ s preferences include a setting that will remind you to add alt text to each image as you add it to a web page. the web developer toolbar is a free add - on for the firefox web browser. it can be downloaded from http : / / addons. mozilla. org. a version of this toolbar is


while the webster 1913 entry is probably very correct, it most certainly doesn ' t fit the more modern definition. in common usage, a carburetor ) is part of an internal combustion engine the carb sits between your fuel pump and your engine ( or your gas tank and engine if your setup uses a gravity feed, like many older motorcycles ). it ' s job is to atomize fuel and mix it with air. a pretty simple job, in concept - however it is anything but a simple device. modern cars, since the advent of fuel injection don ' t use carburetors, as the fuel injection system takes care of atomizing the fuel and mixing it correctly. however, they are still very common on motorcycles ( in fact, i have never heard of a bike using fuel injection ). the carb consists of several " jets ". each jet is a hole where fuel and air can flow through. the air / fuel mixture is determined by the size of the jets, and the adjustment of the overall system. it is quite an involved process. it must be adjusted so that the engine can idle. too rich of a mixture ( too much fuel, for the amount of air ) and it can foul the spark plugs and really hurt fuel economy ( i had a bike that was getting 10 miles per gallon on the highway until the carb was fixed - now it gets 50 mpg - amazingly its city performance didn ' t change - has always been about 30 mpg ) adjusting the carb requires special tools like a portable tachometer ( the built in tachometer on cars and bikes is not good enough. my bike manual calls for one that can detect a difference of 25 rpms between 0 - 1, 000 rpms - and this is a cruiser not a high performance sport bike ). an improperly adjusted carb ( or one that needs adjustment ) can cause several different problems. any of the following could be caused by a carb problem : of course all of these can be caused by other things too. however if several of these symptoms apear - then there is a good chance that it is a carb problem. as a side note : a carb is really anything that mixes fuel with air to aid burning ( as the webster 1913 definition pretty well states ). it is interesting to note that while the hole in many bongs and pipes is called a " carb ". it is a matter of debate over whether this is, indeed, a carburetor. on one hand it is


use of automatic cluster removers in milking dairy cows posted : may 7, 2005 in order to achieve these goals there are several important decisions that farmers make. these include milking frequency, cow preparation routine, type of equipment to purchase, and when the end of milking occurs for each cow. milking equipment manufacturers have developed automatic cluster removers ( acr, also known as automatic take - offs ) to determine end - of - milking. automatic cluster removers determine when the milk flow rate is low enough to detach the milking machine from the udder. use of this equipment allows greater consistency than is possible with manual machine removal and also allows for a reduction in labor. as dairy farms get larger there is more pressure to increase the pounds of milk / unit of labor or pounds of milk / hour of parlor operation. thus, there is interest in optimizing parlor efficiency. to really take advantage of automatic cluster removers, dairy farmers need to have the correct settings for milk flow rate. in general, the higher the flow rate setting, the quicker the unit will determine the end - of - milking. this is desirable from the standpoint of reduced labor costs and is thought to reduce the stress on teat ends. overmilking from excessive milking time may lead to mastitis. however, there is likely a point at which a higher acr setting leads to a reduction in milk yield. since most farm income comes from milk sales, the loss in milk is very undesirable. thus, the correct acr setting on a farm is likely a compromise between machine - on time and milk yield. the primary purpose of our study at penn state was to evaluate the effect of three acr settings ( 1. 06, 1. 32 and 1. 76 # / min ) on machine - on time and milk yield. a second objective was to determine if there was a difference in response between heifers and older cows. the study used 60 lactating holsteins ( 20 heifers and 40 lactating cows ). cows were milked twice per day. the three acr settings were studied over 12 weeks in a design that was balanced for days - in - milk and stage of bst cycle. data were collected from almost 10, 000 individual cow milkings in a double - 10 parlor with an afifarm system for automatic data collection. results showed that there was a significant reduction in machine - on time as the acr setting was increased. | machine - on time ( min )


individual cow milkings in a double - 10 parlor with an afifarm system for automatic data collection. results showed that there was a significant reduction in machine - on time as the acr setting was increased. | machine - on time ( min ) | | 6. 3 | | 5. 9 | | 5. 6 | | milk yield / cow / milking ( # ) | | 43. 4 | | 43. 8 | | 42. 5 | cows milked 0. 4 minutes / milking quicker when the setting increased to 1. 32 # / min flow rate, and an additional 0. 3 min faster when the setting was increased to 1. 76 # / min. there was no significant difference in milk yield as the acr setting increased from 1. 06 to 1. 32 # / min, but there was a significant reduction in yield as the setting increased to 1. 76 # / min. the 1. 3 pounds of lost milk per milking that we observed at the 1. 76 acr setting may represent a substantial herd loss if multiplied by the number of milkings per day, times the number of cows milked. the average milking time for the 1. 32 setting was 5. 9 min, which is very acceptable for cows that averaged 87. 6 # milk / day. the number of cases of clinical mastitis was also not different among the three groups. there were 3, 2 and 3 cases for the 1. 06, 1. 32 and 1. 76 acr settings, respectively. longer studies must be performed before we can make definitive statements about the effect of acr setting on somatic cell counts, but this study showed no obvious differences. our study also showed that there was no difference in response between heifers and cows, so that one parlor can milk both groups equally well. some caution is needed in interpreting these results. herds with significantly different milk production, different milking frequency, and different pre - milking routines than ours may lead to somewhat different results. however, the principles will likely be similar. in conclusion, it appears that the best acr setting for most pa dairy farms may be to select the highest acr setting that does not reduce milk yield. an acr setting of 1. 32 # milk / minute was optimal in our study. this approach will allow farmers to harvest the optimal amount of milk while reducing machine - on time, labor costs, and potential teat - end stress. complete results and full discussion are in : ( magliaro and kensinger


history of embedded commands embedded commands were first discovered by dr. milton erickson early in his career in psychotherapy. during this phase of his life he was working in a mental hospital and in a wing that specialized in patients who were schizophrenic. in the schizophrenic ward there were many patients who spoke what erickson described as “ word salad ”. instead of forming coherent sentences they would simply spout one unrelated word after another into a sort of word salad that made no sense to anyone listening. erickson began to wonder what the motivation behind such speech was and hypothesized that there was a coherent message embedded within these random speech patterns. in order to test his hypothesis erickson devise and experiment. he too began speaking word salad when talking to these patients that spoke like this. he spoke a mix of random words but slipped in some very intentional commands that he marked by changing his tone of voice on those words. when he communicated with these patients he would sit and talk with them both speaking nonsense word salad while erickson embedded commands such as “ speak correctly ” and “ talk right ” into his salad. the results were outstanding on one occasion while erickson was having a word salad with a patient who had been speaking this way for years the patient suddenly stopped and looked at erickson and said “ talk right doctor, i can ’ t understand you ”. this was the first time this patient had formed a coherent sentence since his admission into the hospital and thus embedded commands were born. development of embedded commands after erickson success with schizophrenic patients he decided to devise another experiment to see how these embedded commands would work on normal people hidden within everyday normal conversation. at this time he had a secretary who suffered from frequent migraine headaches. these headaches were made worse by having to take dictation and often times were so bad that she had to go home. ericson waited till a day when his secretary had a particularly bad migraine then asked her to come take some dictation that he needed done urgently. during the dictation erickson cleverly weaved in embedded commands such as “ free from pain ”, “ feeling great ”, etc. into the dictation. he marked these words from the rest by changing his tone of voice or pausing before and / or after stating the command. within minutes the secretary noticed that her headache had completely resolved. this happened on several more occasions and the headache always resolved within minutes. on one particular afternoon the secretary had


by changing his tone of voice or pausing before and / or after stating the command. within minutes the secretary noticed that her headache had completely resolved. this happened on several more occasions and the headache always resolved within minutes. on one particular afternoon the secretary had a horrible headache and thought “ i always feel better when i take dictation ” so she sought out dr. erickson to see if he needed any done. he was not in the office that day so she went and found someone else and them if she could take some dictation for them. they agreed and within minutes her headache was worse than ever. she thought that perhaps it was something in the words erickson used. so she went and got an old document that erickson had dictated to her earlier and had someone read that to her. no success. the difference was the marking of the embedded commands. it was not just the words that were important it was the way the embedded commands were given or the way they were marked to stand out. analog marking within embedded commands marking the embedded commands you use is called analog marking and this can be achieve in a number of ways. you simply make a word or command stand out from the rest of your conversation. this is a subtle thing and is never noticed consciously. you can change the tone of your voice when you say the command words. you can make eye contact when you say them and look away on other words. you can raise your hand when you say them. you can pause before. you can pause after or you can pause before and after. there is no correct way, there are a million ways. in fact there are so many ways that milton erickson was famous for using multiple levels of embedded commands. he may lower his voice and give you embedded commands concerning self confidence while at the same time pausing before and after commands to stop smoking. at the same time he would make eye contact with you or touch your hand while giving embedded commands to go into a trance state. this is an amazing task. how he kept up with each one and used them all simultaneously all while telling a humorous story. using embedded commands embedded commands are constructed so that the outcome that you desire is contained within it. when embedding a command first think of the command that you wish to give to the person who you are talking to. for example if you wanted people to register for your marketing course then the command word would be register. when you give the command use analog marking in some way to mark that word for the unconscious mind. here is an example


who you are talking to. for example if you wanted people to register for your marketing course then the command word would be register. when you give the command use analog marking in some way to mark that word for the unconscious mind. here is an example of how we can use embedded commands to embed the command register into a sentence : ( we will drop our tone on the embedded commands ) you can – register - right now for our three day coaching course and receive the benefits - now -. when embedding a command you want to choose less than five words at a time to embed. commands are almost always given as short, sharp statements like “ stop that ” or “ help me ”. so keep the embedded commands short and simple they should contain as few words as possible. when you first start using this technique it feels like it is obvious to you that you are using embedded commands and you think other people will notice. i promise you they won ’ t and i encourage you to go out and try to get caught. go out with some friends and practice this and go over board. drastically change your tone of voice on your commands and analog mark them with some flare and see if anyone notices. they won ’ t. so go out and practice your embedded commands with peace of mind knowing this is a covert technique that gets amazing results. incoming search terms : - embed commands - milton erickson embedded commands - embedded commands nlp examples - milton erickson embedded commands history - motivational embedded commands - nlp analogical marking - nlp example of an embedded demand - nlp examples marking words and embedded commands - schizophrenic embedded suggestions - techniques using embedded commands no related posts.


( note : please read the update to this alert. ) the new york times, revealing the interrogation techniques the cia is using against al - qaeda suspects, seemed unable to find a source who would call torture by its proper name. the may 13 article, headlined " harsh cia methods cited in top qaeda interrogation, " described " coercive interrogation methods " endorsed by the cia and the justice department, including hooding, food and light deprivation, withholding medications, and " a technique known as ' water boarding, ' in which a prisoner is strapped down, forcibly pushed under water and made to believe he might drown. " the article took pains to explain why, according to u. s. officials, such techniques do not constitute torture : " defenders of the operation said the methods stopped short of torture, did not violate american anti - torture statutes, and were necessary to fight a war against a nebulous enemy whose strength and intentions could only be gleaned by extracting information from often uncooperative detainees. " the article seemed to accept that the techniques described are something other than torture : " the tactics simulate torture, but officials say they are supposed to stop short of serious injury. " the implication is that only interrogation methods that cause serious physical harm would be real and not simulated torture. the article quoted no one who said that the cia methods described were, in fact, torture. yet it would have been easy to find human rights experts who would describe them as such. the website of human rights watch ( www. hrw. org ) reports that " the prohibition against torture under international law applies to many measures, " including " near drowning through submersion in water. " amnesty international u. s. a. ( www. amnestyusa. org ) names " submersion into water almost to the point of suffocation " as a form of torture, and emphasizes that torture " can be psychological, including threats, deceit, humiliation, insults, sleep deprivation, blindfolding, isolation, mock executions... and the withholding of medication or personal items. " the article did quote the geneva conventions ' prohibition against " violence to life and person, in particular... cruel treatment and torture " and " outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment. " but it did not quote the definition of " torture " under international law, contained in the 1984 convention against torture, which makes it clear that psychological as well as physical methods of coercion are prohibited. according to the convention


often times a teacher is faced with parents who feel their children are academically excelling and would like to skip them to a higher grade. this might occur more in lower grades, as it is not uncommon to have a student or several students who have caught on to reading and math skills easily. even though these students may be performing above grade level, many factors have to be considered when skipping a grade. henry was a new student who arrived in my classroom with his father early monday morning. my principal and i had discussed his placement into my second grade classroom. he explained that henry ’ s father believed his son should be skipped to the third grade. my principal had convinced this proud and zealous parent that we should be given time to evaluate his son to make sure he was making the right decision for him. holding on to his father ’ s hand stood a pint size young man. his father proceeded to tell me everything my principal and i had discussed, while henry stood frozen to his side. i assured henry ’ s father i would be assessing henry and we would definitely be in touch. henry was exactly as proficient as his father had described ; he definitely was reading above the class ’ level and his math skills were also above grade level. henry was a model student. he obeyed class rules and was motivated to do anything i asked in class. i knew i would be able to meet his needs for language arts, but math was going to be a little more difficult. plus, i felt pressured by his father to have henry skipped to a higher grade, so i decided i would send him to a third grade class for his math period. i had another student escort him to his first day of his math class, allowing henry to feel more confident. the next day i told him it was his turn to go to math class on his own. i could see the reluctance in his eyes, he was unsure of the walk. that was one of my first indications that he was truly a 6 - year - old boy developmentally, despite his brilliance. i proceeded to watch henry and make mental notes as he interacted with his fellow students on the playground and as he collaborated with other students in the classroom. on the playground, i observed henry was always playing alone. he hadn ’ t found a friend with whom to play, even after several weeks. i questioned him saying, “ why are you always playing alone? ” he shyly responded, “ i don ’ t have any friends to play with. ” this is when i knew it was time


with whom to play, even after several weeks. i questioned him saying, “ why are you always playing alone? ” he shyly responded, “ i don ’ t have any friends to play with. ” this is when i knew it was time for me to step in. i arranged for several students to take responsibility for playing with henry at recess and lunch. before long, his face was smiling and ready to go when it was time for outside play. physical education was also a difficult time for henry ; he often had trouble performing skills as simple as bouncing and catching a ball, skipping, jumping or playing a kicking game. henry stayed in my class for most of the year. after numerous conversations, i convinced his father of the social skills and the confidence henry must have to make friends. he saw a change in henry at home. he was much happier and started wanting to do outside activities. there was no more talk of skipping. henry and his family moved away before the end of the year. his father assured me he would be putting him right back in 2nd grade. several years later i had a surprise visit from henry ’ s father. i was standing duty on the playground and i recognized him as he walked up to me. he proceeded to tell me he was on a business trip and had to make a special stop to see me. i was astonished to see him and listened as he explained his gratitude. he presented me with a beautiful piece of jewelry made of jade, a token of his culture, as a thank you for helping him to make the right decision for henry. henry had developed into a happy, excellent student with many friends.


teaching quality has a significant impact on academic access, retention and performance. yet many teachers in sub - saharan africa, conditioned by male - dominated values in their communities, employ teaching methods that do not provide equal opportunity to participation for girls and boys. neither do these methods take into account the individual needs of learners, especially girls. fawe developed the gender - responsive pedagogy ( grp ) model to address the quality of teaching in african schools. the model trains teachers to be more gender aware and equips them with the skills to understand and address the specific learning needs of both sexes. it develops teaching practices that engender equal treatment and participation of girls and boys in the classroom and in the wider school community. features of fawe ’ s grp model the grp model trains teachers in the design and use of gender - responsive : - teaching and learning materials. - lesson plans. - language in the classroom. - classroom interaction. - classroom set - up. - strategies to eliminate sexual harassment. - management of sexual maturation. - school management systems. - monitoring and evaluation. gender - responsive pedagogy was initiated in 2005 and has been introduced in burkina faso, chad, ethiopia, the gambia, guinea, kenya, malawi, namibia, rwanda, senegal, tanzania, uganda and zambia. impact of fawe ’ s grp model - improvement in girls ’ retention and performance. - greater participation of girls ’ in the classroom. - improved gender relations within schools. over 6, 600 teachers have benefited from fawe ’ s grp training since 2005.


could it be true that thoreau was only seeking the adventure of mt. katahdin for poetic “ raw material ”? did he traverse the range solely for a thrilling story for the public? as a hopeless literary romantic, i would dare say not ; and will go further to defend the legitimacy of thoreau ’ s expedition! in claiming maine, disabato accuses thoreau of venturing into the wilderness in order to obtain an economic gain, the likes of which he claims to denounce in excerpts of the maine woods and the economy introduction of walden. she states, along with other authors, that thoreau perhaps was only involved in such an undertaking to “ extract ” what he needed from nature, in this case the raw material for his journals. now, it is simple to equate that thoreau, considering himself a writer or thinking – man by profession, has the right to define the means of his own income. for this span of his life, while residing at walden pond, the successes of his labors were not the fruit of work or of his chores, but the result of a fulfillment of something more true to heart – a man ’ s desire to relate himself to the natural world around him. these economies related to no one but himself, and he himself acted as proprietor and consumer. it is my romanticized idea to believe, within the entirety of my logic, that upon traveling to the maine woods thoreau wished to only traverse a landscape more wild than previously experienced. is it too much that a man desire the shelter of a nature more desolate, in a sense of human stability? could a landscape deprived of human influence be more beautiful than that of a scenic hamlet? in this case, who is allowed to define beauty? is seeking such a place and solidifying an experience extracting a metaphorical raw material? are we thinking way too far into this? before reading this i have never thought of myself as “ extracting ” anything from nature as i immerse myself in a forest, but just the appreciation and joy of just being. the more i think about it, i am extracting moments, later to be memories, or particular species i see, or behaviors i observe, i am extracting knowledge and questions. claiming maine has helped me digest the thoreau reading from last week. lorianne disabato exposes thoreau ’ s deepest questions, including the ownership of land for humans or animals, or “ why earthly creation often resists human control ”, and even in naming nature


the thoreau reading from last week. lorianne disabato exposes thoreau ’ s deepest questions, including the ownership of land for humans or animals, or “ why earthly creation often resists human control ”, and even in naming nature. another issue that i struggle with as a naturalist myself, is hunting. thoreau is opposed to hunting because he believes that people hunt more than just to sustain themselves, but just for the sport. although when he comes upon a dead moose, he is able to get observations he would never be able to if the moose were alive. must we kill species to really learn about them? as humans we must know everything, and if we don ’ t know the answer there is someone in the world working to find it out. why isn ’ t the appreciation of nature and the present knowledge that we have enough for us? one of the most impressive feats of victorian era outdoorsman - ship ( the word in itself is a reminder of it ’ s sexist attitude and it ’ s continuation to the present day ) is that fails to identify any true connection to nature other than the romanticization of landscapes and features as wholly individual parts and mutually exclusive of each other. reinforced through cultural traditions such as the boy - scouts, eagle - scouts, girl scouts and culminating in the military, most of our knowledge of living in the “ wild nature ” comes from the “ war on nature ” attitude and perspective. i find it at once ironic and very true that a connection with nature can be the very antidote for a militaristic mindset, due to that fact that people in the front lines of the military are the most well trained to survive and cope with these wild places due mostly to the rigorous training and disciplined mind set that comes along with ordered chaos that our armed forces tend to become. life in the trail camp before the 2nd half of the 20th century was largely the realm of the man. it was the proving ground for the more rugged types who shunned or needed a respite from their banal urban existence. flagship icons such as theodore roosevelt stood at once for preservation and wholesale destruction of the natural resources contained in the north american continent and beyond. the trophy hunting attitude that both ended wild nature and exposed what it once was to the general public came with a hefty price indeed that was to be levied on the next few generations or more. the question is will we learn from our past failed relationships with nature, and give her the freedom that she requires, or continue on our


public came with a hefty price indeed that was to be levied on the next few generations or more. the question is will we learn from our past failed relationships with nature, and give her the freedom that she requires, or continue on our self destructive attempts at a failed relationship? - weather patterns - boreal and temperate forest mixing areas - life style of layered clothing - relationship between deer and moose - the northern forest region has high alcohol use and abuse compared to the rest of the united states - maslow hierarchy of needs - constant job market - regulation for growth on lakes, rivers and other water sources - a plan for today and tomorrow - rural, large tracks of disturbed but not destroyed land. - carbon production and selling of credits, for control - energy production and selling ( solar, wind, water ) and storage for energy - research and development in nofo, small organizations of like goals working together, ccc style programs - like laws to help region not states, guiding license in maine and new hampshire - research into density by population like in the adirondacks for other mountainous areas in the nofo. * baby steps to a larger goal : - federal and local ( nonprofit ) funding for research and development - college preparation to enter into forest related industries - initiate inventory and conservation techniques to establish corridors for all types of life through the nofo - community outreach programs, public input sessions and using college course load to advertising for nofo giving simple facts and leading discussions of local issues on a regional scale - local representation of all industries on boards and committees final project outline : nature and culture of the northern forest video to create a documentary film ; “ original ” actor and “ original ” scene are better guides than their fictional counterparts to interpret the modern world ; and that materials “ thus taken from the raw ” can be more real than the acted article. creating a story that would benefit and enhance the diversity of voices we are able to hear in our daily lives and in our classroom excursions and discussions : a history of northern forest culture from the horses mouth. part! – circa 1700 – 1950 - lucy terry prince bars fight ” ( 1746 ) - elinore pruitt stewart - john gyles voice over narrative for character voices preserved in journals and other printed media overlapped with historic photographs, paintings, drawings, carvings and historical re - creations of music and audio. part!! – circa 1950 – 2100 some photographs from 2nd half of century overlapped with video of living lifelong residents of the northern forest who have something to say about the region


, drawings, carvings and historical re - creations of music and audio. part!! – circa 1950 – 2100 some photographs from 2nd half of century overlapped with video of living lifelong residents of the northern forest who have something to say about the region as a whole and where it is going. - thomas rowell - dolphis sweeny thoreau saw the world through the eyes of a man who was both out of place in his time and our own. or perhaps he is an ideal petrie dish for both, displaying, in journalistic terms, the sentiments of a amateur naturalist ( or in today ’ s terms, and environmental activist ). preserving in his writing, a contribution to our culture ’ s twisted sense of a connection to the natural world as a tourist. his observations are at once charming and disconcerting in that they both romanticize the lives of truly wild people and places yet at the same time we may envy his timing to see these places in a more “ wild ” state than they exist today. while he was content eating alpine berries and hiking for leisure, i can only wonder what the inner dialogue of his companions had been relative to thoreau, having more experience and work behind them while the educated man went for a stroll or scribbled in his notebook. though we all love a great story of long lost worlds, i can only refer back to a book i once read, “ how much should a person consume? ” by ramachandra guha, which revolved centrally around eastern and western perspectives on wilderness, preservation and humans relationship with nature, and how our cultures differ in that respect and who were the central figures who shaped the collective, or in the words of the publisher “ offers trenchant critiques of privileged and isolationist proponents of conservation, persuasively arguing for biospheres that care as much for humans as for other species ”. at the time i read this i had scarcely been to the northern forest, and over this course have seen a few of the different uses and jurisdictions in a vast and humanistically disconnected web of woods, and how the balance of human needs ( or wants, and wherever lies the distinction ) regulates and influences the health of the forest and it ’ s non - human inhabitants.


... simply bring up the ide then click on : [ file ] - > [ preferences ]... interesting... i did that and i found that for my 64 - bit windows 7 installation it pointed to : c : \ users \ don \ documents \ arduinowhen i got there i found that the ' libraries ' folder was already present. inside the libraries folder i found readme. txt and the contents of that file said " for information on installing libraries, see : http : / / arduino. cc / en / guide / libraries ". now that looks awfully familiar.... note that depending on your ( microsoft ) operating system version the documents folder may be called my documents. anyway - my recommendation still stands, this is just a different way of finding out that it is no longer recommended to put your ' extra ' libraries in the same location as those supplied with the ide. i completely agree with you that for normal situations, putting your libraries under your own sketchbook directory is much better and i highly recommend doing that as well. there are a few situations like when wanting to develop or test with specific ide versions where this method can ' t be used, but that is by far not the norm. with repsect to locating the users personal sketchbook directory, i think your exercise further demonstrates why the method i described for locating the sketchbook directory is better. it works for all the operating systems, including linux which is what i use. there is no need to have describe specific directories or operating systems as limor has done. ( she somewhat punted on the path for linux ) my rule of thumb is less is more, and so if you can come up with a simpler way to describe something that works in the general case rather than have to describe each individual specific case, then the simpler way is " better ", and that is why, in my view, the best method for locating the sketchbook directory ( which is where the libraries subdirectory will live ) is to have the ide tell you where it is looking because that is what really matters and when the ide tell ' s you, it is always correct no matter which os or os version you are using. btw, the support of a separate user " libraries " under the user " sketchbook " directory has been in the ide for several years, and many release prior to 1. x


judge william wayne justice has died at age 89 after a long illness. texas can now exhale, and those who are crafting a new texas should take the life of judge justice as an example of the type of justice texas doesn ’ t want and won ’ t tolerate. appointed to the federal district bench by president lyndon johnson in 1968, he became known as a liberal judge whose decisions radically changed law and society in texas. justice did not believe that the us constitution and the bill of rights were static and unchangeable. he advocated the living constitution viewpoint that the constitution should evolve as the society evolved. consequently, he legislated from the federal bench. his legal decisions covered issues in prison reform, immigration, public education, public housing and voting law. in one of his more infamous rulings in 1977, doe v. plyler, he ordered that undocumented immigrant children had the same rights as us citizens and must receive public education. he also ordered bilingual public education. once his liberalism was chronicled and well - known, reformers and social do - gooders flocked to his courtroom to file class action cases. some of the class action cases, many of which were the largest lawsuits in america, dragged on for decades. and his court decisions changed texas forever and influenced legal precedent nationwide. frank kemerer, justice ’ s biographer and university professor, said that justice was perhaps the single most influential agent for change in 20th - century texas history. likely, kemerer is right. but justice ’ s brand of change did violence to the us constitution. he should have been impeached and removed from office. but in a tyrannical federal government that snickers at state ’ s rights and outright ignores the us constitution, justice was a hero. in the new nation of texas, federal judges must be chosen that are committed to strict interpretation of the new texas constitution. the judges should be required to sign an affidavit stating their commitment to strict interpretation, and judges should stand for re - election or re - appointment every few years. no lifetime appointments to the bench. in instances of judicial activism, judges should be subject to removal from the bench at any time. the new texas deserves no less than judges who will protect liberty.


dinosaurs are a headache for biblical literalists. since religion has no rational basis, you have to build your base of believers by indoctrinating children at a young age. and because children are fascinated by dinosaurs and can ’ t seem to get enough of them, you need to work them into the story somehow. the fact that dinosaurs existed at one time and are now extinct is an unquestioned fact and must be faced. the catch is that dinosaurs are not mentioned in the bible. it is no good for creationist adults to deny their existence the way they deny other inconvenient scientific facts because even the most trusting and naive child is going to balk at such a counterfactual statement. young earth creationists cannot accept the most common scientific explanation of dinosaur extinction as a result of an asteroid collision with the earth 65 million years ago that changed the climate, because that explanation is too deeply integrated into an old earth model in which dinosaurs lived long before humans. biblical literalists believe in a 6, 000 year old earth in which humans existed from the beginning and hence were contemporaneous with all animals so it would be hard to explain why the catastrophic event that wiped out the dinosaurs did not destroy humans as well. besides asteroids are not mentioned in the bible either. as a result, there has developed an entire creationist cottage industry devoted to ( a ) arguing that the bible does indeed talk about dinosaurs, and ( b ) providing explanations as to why they are no longer around. blog reader david sent along a little cartoon booklet titled there go the dinosaurs! that gives one such attempt. as he said it is at the same time both hilarious and sad. the booklet says that the reason dinosaurs are not mentioned in the bible is that they used to be called dragons, which are mentioned extensively in the bible, and that they were ‘ renamed ’ as dinosaurs in 1841. it is true that the name dinosaur was only coined in 1842 by the naturalist richard owen after the discovery of the fossils. but this ‘ renaming ’ gambit that makes dragons and dinosaurs the same is quite a neat trick because it solves two embarrassing problems at once. one is that dinosaurs existed but the bible does not mention them and the other is that dragons are widely accepted to be mythical creatures that never existed but the bible and other fables repeatedly refer to them. of course, since god knows the future, it does not explain why he did not tell the authors of the bible to use the term dinosaur. but we ’ ll let that go. so why did the


and other fables repeatedly refer to them. of course, since god knows the future, it does not explain why he did not tell the authors of the bible to use the term dinosaur. but we ’ ll let that go. so why did the dinosaurs go extinct, if it was not due to a catastrophic event? the booklet said that humans hunted them for their meat. during the great flood, a pair of dinosaurs was saved in the ark by noah and after the flood subsided they reproduced like other animals. but because the flood wiped out all the vegetation, the air in the immediate post - flood era was oxygen poor. apparently dinosaurs need more oxygen - rich air and as a result they got tired easily and couldn ’ t run as fast ( like what happens to humans in high altitudes, i suppose ) and so were much more easily caught and killed. hence they went extinct. what is interesting about this scenario is the attempt to provide a scientific - sounding explanation for an accepted fact that picks and chooses from the scientific universe. what creationists do is mix as much standard science as possible with evidence - free assertions. creationists tend to use science only when it consists of either those things that are common knowledge and cannot be disputed or things that people experience in their everyday lives and seem commonsensical or it provides results that they agree with. any science that is not common knowledge and contradicts the bible is rejected. radiometric dating, for example, requires esoteric and technical knowledge and thus can be dismissed and its conclusions breezily cast aside. the way that creationists operate is to accept just those scientific facts that ‘ every one knows ’ ( continents drift, during photosynthesis trees take in carbon dioxide and emit oxygen, the earth moves around the sun, the universe is vast ) and then weave elaborate stories around these anchors to create ‘ explanations ’. the catch is that as time goes by, more and more things that once could be dismissed as esoteric start to enter the world of ‘ everyone knows ’ knowledge, creating more headaches for creationists, requiring more ad hoc additions. for example, creationists realize that it is futile to deny that the continents once formed a single large land mass that drifted apart. but in order to explain how that could have happened in 6, 000 years, they say that they moved really fast until just recently. the idea that trees are producers of oxygen ( true ) and that low oxygen content in air can more easily lead to fatigue ( true ) is thrown in with a purely ad hoc assertion ( that


, they say that they moved really fast until just recently. the idea that trees are producers of oxygen ( true ) and that low oxygen content in air can more easily lead to fatigue ( true ) is thrown in with a purely ad hoc assertion ( that dinosaurs need more oxygen - rich air than humans ) to arrive at the desired result. as rudyard kipling showed with his just so stories once you are allowed this freedom to be evidence - free, you can explain anything, a point reinforced by the cartoon strip jesus and mo. what is really going to destroy contemporary creationism is the age of the earth and evolution. the idea that the earth is really old, of the order of billions of years, is now so widely accepted that creationists will come to rue the day that they decided that a young earth and special creation of species had to be bedrock beliefs. even the mainstream media, ever solicitous of not offending people ’ s religious beliefs, no longer bother to provide ‘ balance ’ when it talks of the age of the earth being 13. 7 4. 5 billion years old. the same is true that species have evolved. at some point, young people will peel away from creationism because just so stories that argue for a young earth and special creation of species will be just too far fetched for them to take.


finding the minimum information for passenger lists to find the name of the port of exit on a passenger list, you must at least know the individual ' s full name and the approximate date of arrival. however, the more information you know, the better. for example, if you know the individual ' s nationality or the port of arrival, you will be able to narrow down your search. if you do not have the minimum information to find a passenger list, you can either : get help finding some of the minimum information by selecting one of the following items, click the back button on your browser to return to the list of other places where you can find a port of exit, or read the paragraphs below for a few additional tips. finding passenger lists knowing the port of entry may help you find the passenger list that you need. contact the state archives or national archives branch in the vicinity of the port of entry and find out what type of ship arrival records they have for that port. once you know the names and dates of ships that came through the port of entry, you can begin looking up passenger lists under various ship names. you don ' t have to look up the lists for all of the ships that came through that port, but only for those that came from a likely port of exit and arrived on the date you think your ancestor entered the country. eventually, you may come across the passenger list that contains your ancestor ' s name. if you don ' t know the port of entry, then you can make some educated guesses. for example, many people moved hundreds of miles away from their port of entry, but others stayed in the general area. if you can make an educated guess, you at least have a possible place to start looking for passenger lists. if you don ' t know exactly where an individual lived when they arrived in the united states, you may be able to take a guess at it by finding out where they were at other points in their life. for example, where did they get married? where were their children born? where did they die? where were they at the time of each census? the answers to these questions may help you out. for assistance finding any of this information, return to the main step - by - step topic. finding a port of exit if you know that your ancestor departed from hamburg, you should check the departure records that are available through the family history library of the church of jesus christ of latter - day saints. the departure records for hamburg are indexed by year from 1850 - 1934, and


geneva, switzerland – the nobel peace prize was awarded friday 12 october to the european union in a surprise move that reminds the eu of what it has achieved, at a time when there is heated debate over its current problems. the prize was given, the norwegian nobel committee says on its web site, to acknowledge that “ the union and its forerunners have for over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in europe. “ in the inter - war years, the norwegian nobel committee made several awards to persons who were seeking reconciliation between germany and france. since 1945, that reconciliation has become a reality. the dreadful suffering in world war ii demonstrated the need for a new europe. over a seventy - year period, germany and france had fought three wars. today war between germany and france is unthinkable. this shows how, through well - aimed efforts and by building up mutual confidence, historical enemies can become close partners. ” but the award is likely to be the latest in a series of controversial ones, reports the financial times on cnn, and “ the eu award is also likely to provoke sharp debate in norway where anti - eu feelings are running at an all - time high with a poll last year suggesting 72 per cent of norwegians would say no to joining the 27 - country club. ”


in yesterday ’ s actvac handicap results i have included the ast % figures, and will do so in future, because they are an interesting way of comparing the times of each runner which takes their age into account. what are ast percentages? ast stands for “ age standard times ”. they are calculated against the actual age of each competitor in an event. in 1989 the world association of veteran athletes ( wava ) developed the first age - graded tables in one - year age increments and they have since been updated. the tables are composed of world class standards as a function of both age and distance. that means that for every age starting at age 8 and going to age 100 there are standards for every long distance running event, for every common track & field event, and for race walking. using the data in the tables it is possible to determine an age graded time ( as seen in the results of the australian masters championships in hobart ) and the equivalent percentage ( as provided yesterday and with most actvac results. ) here ’ s an example of how the calculations are done for three masters men in a 10k race. in the above example, the 64 year old man had the best performance, even though he had the slowest finishing time. rough “ classifications ” are recognised to be as follows : 100 % = approximate world record level over 90 % = world class over 80 % = national class over 70 % = regional class so when you see the ast % listed, you know that the higher scores are the better results. the scores give everyone a new incentive to improve their performances in a measurable way. and provide you with new rivals to challenge as you try and get a higher ast % than someone who has been ahead of you. not to mention an extra reason to celebrate your birthday every year, not just every five years! are you short of energy? here ' s katy ' s solution! 21 minutes ago


for immediate release office of the press secretary october 3, 2003 fire prevention week, 2003 by the president of the united states of america more than 1. 7 million fires strike american homes, parks, and businesses each year. this devastation costs lives, causes injuries, ruins property, and disrupts businesses. while fires are powerful and destructive, many fires are preventable. during fire prevention week, we join with our nation ' s first responders to help prevent fires and ensure the safety of our homes and communities. as the official sponsor of fire prevention week, the national fire protection association is joining forces with the department of homeland security ' s federal emergency management agency and the united states fire administration to emphasize the importance of being prepared to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities. this year ' s fire prevention week theme is " when fire strikes : get out! stay out! " across our country, most fire - related deaths occur where people feel safest - - in their own homes. national surveys reveal that most americans underestimate the risk of fire in their homes and lack an emergency response plan. fires can grow quickly, and individuals may have as few as 2 minutes to evacuate. working smoke detectors give people more time to escape fires. at least 94 percent of american homes are equipped with smoke alarms, yet most home fire deaths happen in homes where smoke alarms are not working. by installing and maintaining working smoke alarms on every level of the home, having a fire emergency response plan, and evacuating if the alarm sounds, families and individuals can be ready to respond to a fire. this week also reminds us of the dangers that brave first responders face as they risk their lives to fight fires and protect our communities, our people, and our natural resources. our fire services respond to more than 20 million emergency calls a year. americans are grateful for their courage, skill, and commitment to public safety, and we honor the sacrifice of those who have been injured or killed in their efforts to protect us. through fire safety and prevention, we can save lives, including those of our firefighters and other first responders. now, therefore, i, george w. bush, president of the united states of america, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the constitution and laws of the united states, do hereby proclaim october 5 through october 11, 2003, as fire prevention week. on sunday, october 5, 2003, in accordance with public law 107 - 51, flags will be flown at half staff on all federal office buildings in honor of


by jeanne marie teutonico and staff of the gci to achieve our objectives, we rely on a strong, multidisciplinary staff that includes over sixty conservators, architects, archaeologists, scientists, educators, and other professionals. over the years, the gci has developed expertise in a number of core areas that include preventive conservation, monitoring and control of museum environments, conservation and management of archaeological sites, methodologies for materials analysis, earthen architecture, and the conservation of architectural surfaces, such as wall paintings and mosaics. the getty conservation institute ( gci ) works internationally to create and deliver knowledge that will benefit the professionals and organizations responsible for the conservation of the visual arts in all their dimensions — objects, collections, architecture, and sites. the ultimate goal of the gci is to advance conservation thinking and practice through research, education and training, model field projects, and the dissemination of information in a variety of forms. however, what perhaps distinguishes the gci from many other conservation organizations is our capacity to identify conservation needs outside conventional boundaries. because we are not a political or governmental institution, we have the opportunity to tackle questions of broad theoretical and practical significance to the conservation profession, even those that have resisted solution for many years. we select our projects based on their potential for impact or resonance beyond a particular artifact or initiative, and we always look for a strong research and / or educational component. of course, we continue to work in the thematic areas where we have expertise and experience, but we are also free to explore new areas in light of identified needs. in all its endeavors, the gci is greatly enriched by working in collaboration with a broad variety of partners, both at the getty and beyond in the international community. through cooperation with governments, universities, and other conservation organizations, we both extend our mission and leverage our resources to better serve the conservation profession at large. through our collaborative relationships, we also attempt to build capacity where it does not exist and to forge institutional alliances that complement our own expertise and experience. organizationally, the gci is divided into four departments that work together to advance particular aspects of its mission. the field projects group collaborates with a variety of international partners to develop and implement model projects that incorporate strong research, planning, and educational objectives. the science group carries out applied research across a broad spectrum of thematic areas to address unsolved conservation problems, understand the deterioration of historic buildings and sites, develop analytical methodologies, and advance the field ' s research agenda. the science


educational objectives. the science group carries out applied research across a broad spectrum of thematic areas to address unsolved conservation problems, understand the deterioration of historic buildings and sites, develop analytical methodologies, and advance the field ' s research agenda. the science group also works in close cooperation with colleagues at the both the getty museum and the getty research institute to better understand particular objects and to provide information valuable for their conservation, interpretation, and use. the education group works across departmental boundaries to develop courses and other midcareer educational opportunities, produce publications and didactic materials, convene educators, and advance conservation pedagogy. finally, the dissemination and research resources group oversees the dissemination of information in a variety of media, manages the gci ' s guest scholars and interns, and develops public initiatives at both the getty center and the getty villa. the short articles that follow describe a few of the gci ' s projects, past and present, illustrating how we have worked in a number of areas and with diverse partners to advance thinking and practice in the conservation field. our cultural heritage, from museum collections to archaeological sites, is increasingly threatened by competing economic interests, rapidly expanding cities, political instability, and mass tourism, to name just a few factors. it is our hope that the work of the gci will assist those entrusted with the care of our cultural patrimony to have the knowledge and skills needed to ensure its survival for future generations. jeanne marie teutonico, associate director, programs the getty conservation institute museum lighting research damage to objects caused by light is the only environmental hazard that museums cannot completely eliminate while maintaining their mandate to exhibit their collections. to fulfill this obligation one must accept some level of inevitable damage. it is therefore imperative to limit that damage to the absolute minimum. highly light - sensitive artifacts have always been troublesome to display. minimizing exposure for these works while providing display environments that render light - sensitive color palettes literally in the best possible light is far trickier than for more robust, light - stable objects, such as paintings and sculpture. to make light - sensitive artifacts last for as long as possible with as little change as possible, exhibitions are shortened, artifacts are put on a low - travel diet, and lighting is distinctly warm and dim — a condition that sacrifices the color relationships in these compositions. there are few, if any, other options. the gci ' s collaborative museum lighting project, begun in 2002, asks if other possibilities can be offered for the display of these works


dim — a condition that sacrifices the color relationships in these compositions. there are few, if any, other options. the gci ' s collaborative museum lighting project, begun in 2002, asks if other possibilities can be offered for the display of these works. the gci undertook this project because solutions, if they are to be found, would necessarily involve many collaborators, sophisticated engineering and scientific support, and the ability to persist in the face of a high risk of failure. old master drawings are the focus of the research. some lightsensitive artifacts have a naturally limited color range. some have less light - sensitivity, and some are so valued for their artistic and art - historical merit that they are frequently requested for exhibition. because old master drawings encompass these three conditions, they allow researchers greater latitude than most light - sensitive artifacts for research into new ways of thinking about lighting. the project is investigating the possibility of altering the visible spectrum of display lighting without sacrificing the viewer ' s experience. in exhibition lighting, removing wavelengths to which the human eye is insensitive has been acceptable practice for forty years. but removing light energy within the visible portion of the light spectrum is fraught with potential aesthetic problems. the gci and its project partners are undertaking the substantial research required to determine how to optimize color rendering while reducing overall energy to acceptable levels. this includes investigating the use of three - band filtered light sources ( e. g., red - green - blue, the approach used in computer monitors ), primarily with thin coatings applied to glass. the project — which has demonstrated that such complex coating systems, involving fifty or more layers, can actually be made — is currently testing the aesthetic results of the first three filter models on a group of conservators, curators, and other museum professionals. in addition to altering the spectrum of the illuminant, the project is also conducting large - scale surveys of colorants ( artistic and biological ) under oxygen - free atmospheres, to better understand the extent to which differences exist in reducing the risks of photo - oxidation and photo - reduction color change. the findings from this project ' s research can potentially aid a full range of institutions — from fine art museums to natural history collections — in meeting their mandate to display the objects in their care while preserving them for future study and enjoyment. the gels cleaning research project proper cleaning of museum artifacts is among the most basic and important treatment processes conducted by conservators. typical cleaning procedures involve the use of common organic solvents to selectively


while preserving them for future study and enjoyment. the gels cleaning research project proper cleaning of museum artifacts is among the most basic and important treatment processes conducted by conservators. typical cleaning procedures involve the use of common organic solvents to selectively remove aged varnishes or overpaints. unfortunately, it can be difficult to remove these layers without damaging underlying original layers, due to limited control over the solvent cleaning process. toxic solvent vapors also pose health risks to conservators. for these reasons, the search for optimal cleaning methods has been a significant part of conservation research. in the early 1980s, richard wolbers at the university of delaware introduced gels cleaning systems to the conservation community. these systems offered conservators greater control by allowing the preparation of mixtures tailored to remove specific layers while minimizing exposure to harmful solvent vapors. however, widespread adoption of gels systems was tempered with concerns regarding potential long - term effects of residues that may remain on surfaces after cleaning. a core aspect of the gci ' s mission is enhancing the ability of conservation professionals to do their work. recognizing that research on gels systems could facilitate the use of this unique conservation tool, the gci undertook a major project in 1998 to address questions related to this cleaning approach, in partnership with the getty museum ; the winterthur museum, garden, and library ; the winterthur university of delaware program in art conservation ; and the department of chemistry at california state university, northridge. the five - year gels cleaning research project tackled a number of significant issues, including identifying and quantifying gel residues remaining on surfaces and assessing their potential for long - term damage to artworks. the project ' s findings, which were periodically disseminated to the conservation community, culminated in the book solvent gels for the cleaning of works of art : the residue question ( getty conservation institute, 2004 ). as a result of the project, the impact of gels cleaning systems on works of art is now much more clearly understood. the solvent gels book has become an important reference for selecting the best methods for cleaning artworks while minimizing risk. the project and the book have renewed interest in gels systems, and have also stimulated interest in their applicability to modern paintings. an important outcome of the project is the development of a methodology to assist conservators in preparing solvent gels for use on various surfaces. a decision tree was designed to simplify the procedure for developing an appropriate cleaning strategy ; private con


paintings. an important outcome of the project is the development of a methodology to assist conservators in preparing solvent gels for use on various surfaces. a decision tree was designed to simplify the procedure for developing an appropriate cleaning strategy ; private conservator chris stavroudis further tested and revised the decision tree to create the modular cleaning program ( mcp ), an online database tool available to conservators. to date, over four hundred registered users from around the world have accessed the database. the gels cleaning research project satisfied basic goals of the institute — to advance conservation practice by adding to the body of knowledge available to conservation professionals and by facilitating the use of more effective conservation tools. the china principles over the last two decades, china watchers have been awed by that nation ' s speed of development. hand in hand with this development has been the rise of domestic tourism to historic sites, with dire and accelerating consequences for china ' s heritage. with much already lost to development, over - restoration, and compromised authenticity, what is the future of china ' s vast heritage of temples, palaces, gardens, archaeological sites, and grottoes? on the positive side, the opening of china in the late 1970s allowed renewed engagement with the international cultural and scientific community — china ratified the world heritage convention in 1986, joined iccrom ( international centre for the study of the preservation and restoration of cultural property ), and plays an increasing role in icomos ( international council on monuments and sites ), forming its own chapter. china ' s state administration of cultural heritage ( sach ) has also welcomed partnerships with institutions such as the gci, which began collaborative projects in china in 1989. this work ultimately led to the development of the principles for the conservation of heritage sites in china ( the china principles ), a comprehensive set of national guidelines for the conservation and management of immovable cultural heritage. partners in the development of the principles were sach, the gci, and the australian department of environment and heritage ( deh ). sach leadership recognized that an international perspective would benefit the development of the guidelines — hence the tripartite partnership. three years in drafting, the principles were approved by sach and issued by china icomos in 2000. in essence, the principles rest on the identification of a site ' s explicit values, primarily its historic, artistic, scientific, and social values. in addition, heritage management decisions and interventions should in no way degrade the site ' s values. these two concepts underpin


principles rest on the identification of a site ' s explicit values, primarily its historic, artistic, scientific, and social values. in addition, heritage management decisions and interventions should in no way degrade the site ' s values. these two concepts underpin the principles and are consonant with other countries ' guidelines — for example, the burra charter of australia. the gci is collaborating with chinese site authorities at two world heritage sites — the mogao grottoes and the chengde imperial mountain resort — to demonstrate the principles in planning, conservation, and management. in addition to undertaking these demonstration projects, the partners recognized that training a new generation of heritage professionals in the ethos of the china principles and their application was essential. the gci with the deh and sach recently completed a workshop designed to initiate a systematic program of national - level training courses in the principles. the china principles stress the integration of conservation and site management, previously viewed within china as separate activities. their promulgation has begun the process of moving heritage conservation in china away from the purely scientific or technical approach that often leads to ill - considered decisions or to excessive restoration with a consequent loss of authenticity. given the size of china and given its vast and ancient cultural heritage, this project, in terms of potential impact, is perhaps the most ambitious undertaken by the gci. the china principles, a response to a crisis in heritage management, is now well rooted within the heritage system and acknowledged in china as a methodology of great flexibility and power. the royal bas - reliefs of abomey africa is a continent with a vast and diverse cultural heritage, as seen in its historic sites and living traditions. the royal palaces of abomey, a world heritage site, constitute a noteworthy example of both. the city of abomey, the capital of the historic kingdom of dahomey, located in benin, west africa, is rich in the cultural traditions of building in earth and embellishing palaces and temples with wall paintings and bas - reliefs. the polychrome earthen bas - reliefs of the ajalala ( palace ) of king glele, believed to date from the late nineteenth century, are among the last remaining original bas - reliefs at the royal palaces of abomey. they constitute an important archive of the history of the fon people, who, prior to french colonization, had no written language and recorded their history with images and oral tradition. following their removal from the facade of the ajalala in 1988, the bas - reliefs showed damage


of the history of the fon people, who, prior to french colonization, had no written language and recorded their history with images and oral tradition. following their removal from the facade of the ajalala in 1988, the bas - reliefs showed damage and deterioration. facing the loss of these bas - reliefs, the benin ministry of culture and communication asked the gci — with its expertise in the conservation of earthen architecture and wall paintings — to assist them in saving this significant piece of benin ' s cultural heritage. in 1992 the gci and the ministry began a project to conserve fifty of the bas - reliefs. benin has been one of the leading countries in west africa to embrace conservation and to train museum professionals to care for the country ' s cultural heritage ; it was active in iccrom ' s preventive conservation in museums in africa initiative ( prema ) and is the only country in the region to establish a school for cultural heritage preservation. the gci project provided an important opportunity to further train beninois museum professionals in a specialized area of conservation, and to build capacity in conservation at a local and regional level. the abomey project included the study, documentation, conservation, and exhibition of the bas - reliefs, as well as training. at the end of the project in 1997, an international conference, " past, present, and future of the royal palaces of abomey " ( organized with the benin department of cultural patrimony and iccrom ), aimed to raise the awareness of local and national authorities to the site ' s significance and to the importance of conservation and site management. subsequently, the council of royal families of abomey, traditional caretakers of the royal palaces, became much more involved in the site. since 1997 the beninois trained by the project have gone on to positions in the department of cultural patrimony as decision makers for sites and museums in benin. the methodology developed to conserve the ensemble of bas - reliefs serves as a model for other conservation projects in the region. polychrome bas - reliefs on the ajalala of king behanzin, also on the site of the royal palaces of abomey, were conserved in situ by museum staff trained during the project, and a permanent exhibit of the conserved bas - reliefs from the ajalala of glele was installed in the museum. the abomey project enabled the gci to help benin build capacity, to advance the principles and practice of conservation in a place where conservation is an emerging interest, and to raise awareness of the significance of this


the aic, and the association of north american graduate programs in conservation — examined web - based teaching and learning for conservation. held in may 2006 in austin, texas, the retreat brought together nineteen educators from north america, europe, and australia to consider the potential of web technology for conservation education. since several of the institutions represented in the retreat had experience using the web for classroom and distance education, participants could reflect on these experiences and consider how they might shape their own work. participants also looked at ways to take advantage of the growing use of educational technology and the web for achieving conservation teaching and learning goals. specific ideas for collaborative activities were identified during formal and informal gatherings, including the possibility of cooperative research on blended learning ( i. e., combining classroom - based and online teaching ), an online resource for conservation education, and online conservation science tutorials. by providing educators with occasions to meet for focused thinking and discussion, the retreats contribute to achieving an important gci goal — strengthening the infrastructure for conservation education. museums emergency program education initiative natural and human - made emergencies are as inevitable in the cultural field as they are in every other aspect of life. recent disasters — hurricanes in the united states, tsunamis in southeast asia, and military conflicts in many regions — have demonstrated the vulnerabilities of cultural resources. unfortunately, most of the world ' s museums do not understand the range of risks that can affect them and are unprepared to guard against the devastating losses that can occur from even a relatively small emergency. acquiring knowledge and skill — particularly in such a complex and interdisciplinary area as emergency management — is a long - term process. while a short course can offer basic information, effective emergency management entails changes in institutional policy and practice. this requires moving beyond short courses to a more sustained effort at capacity building. the gci — long active in promoting emergency preparedness in the cultural field — has sought to develop education models that appropriately address the learning needs of professionals. most recently, through an innovative teaching approach, the gci has focused on museum personnel training in emergency preparedness. over the past year and a half, the institute has partnered with icom ( international council of museums ) and iccrom on an initiative that is part of icom ' s museums emergency program ( mep ), a multiyear project to assist museum and other heritage professionals to prepare for and respond to natural and human - made threats. the gci and its project partners developed a three - phase pilot course, teamwork for integrated emergency management, which combined


), a multiyear project to assist museum and other heritage professionals to prepare for and respond to natural and human - made threats. the gci and its project partners developed a three - phase pilot course, teamwork for integrated emergency management, which combined a classroom - based workshop with a seven - month period of practical work. teams from eight national museums and two museum studies programs in asia attended the workshop phase of the course in bangkok in august 2005. the workshop was followed by the second phase, which ran from september 2005 through march 2006. over seven months of practical work, each team, via e - mail, regularly reported its progress to course mentors who commented on the achievements and, if necessary, provided advice or information. in addition, there was a course web site that contained teaching materials along with links to emergency management web sites and course contact information. during this period, course participants began implementing practical changes with colleagues at their institutions. the mentoring phase also helped to reinforce the bonds among the institutions and to provide the basis for a regional network. the third and final phase of the course was a meeting in seoul, in june 2006, to review the achievements of each museum team. the teams discussed the substantial progress they had made over the course of the year : undertaking risk assessments, re - examining or revising institutional emergency plans, reviewing security protocols, and conducting staff drills and training. the learning model used in teamwork for integrated emergency management — traditional classroom - based workshop and extended mentored practice — may be adapted to other gci training efforts. facilitated by new communication technologies, it extends the classroom into the workplace and aids the growth of a sense of community among practitioners, essential to the development of the field. the following gci staff contributed to this article : james druzik, senior project specialist herant khanjian, assistant scientist neville agnew, principal project specialist martha demas, senior project specialist leslie rainer, senior project specialist francesca pique, former gci project specialist kathleen dardes, senior project specialist


family stories, everybody loves to read or hear about them. as i do my family research, and those of you who are genealogists, whether by profession or hobbiest, we come across some unique stories. sometimes they are not written down in story format, but we learn things about our family or those we are researching. for example, we learn by documenting the census our ancestor ’ s migration patterns. i did a family friend ’ s history who only knew her family lived out west. well, documenting via the census showed one year they lived in the south. no one in this generation knew this. a story is now ready for her to write for future generations. where did they live in the south? what brought them there? why did they move back out west? were any births, deaths or marriages occur in the south? this is one example of how a story can be formed. you do not have to be a professional writer to do this. in your own words tell what you have learned. it is important to document where you found your informaton for future generations who may want to view your sources. while a basic description could provide sufficient data, take some time to learn the proper way to document your sources. once you start documenting your sources appropriately, it will be an easy thing to do and help your descendants view the records you have used — whether it is the census, a birth certificate or family bible. as you write these stories, put them in your journal or a safe place. write about your grandmother and how she may have fed the chickens, your cousin who ran away and joined the army, or your brother who loved to sit in a corner all day and read. there are many stories all around you whether current, or those you discover as you do your research. also, consider putting these stories out there for others to read. i have done this and had others write me about similar family occurances. i have met new cousins doing this. start up a blog and write your family stories on them. so, what are you waiting for. pick up that pen, grab that paper, or sit at your computer and write about your discoveries! more articles from tina sansone can be read at genealogy @ bellaonline entry filed under : bellaonline. tags :.


this pasture mixture slashes costs, expands grazing window with today ' s high input costs, beef producer jeff schmidt wants to get as much bang as possible from every production buck. that ' s why he seeds a blend of winter triticale and spring oats in mid - august and gets both fall and early spring grazing. schmidt, operator of jr ranch, othello, wa, says cattle that would normally get baled hay from october through november and then in march and early april now have access to grazing. “ the less hay i have to cut and bale, the more money there is in my pocket, ” says schmidt. “ it ' s just basic economics. ” he says the oats in the irrigated mix emerge quickly and are available for intensive grazing in october, while the triticale sprouts but remains in the understory until winter sets in. a severe winter kills most of the oats, while the triticale goes dormant but remains viable. when conditions are normal in schmidt ' s region, the triticale breaks dormancy at the end of february. “ in milder years, when there is less winterkill in the oats and a shorter or no dormancy period in the triticale, this opens the door to year - round grazing, ” he says. besides the financial advantage of extending his grazing season, schmidt notes that seeding simultaneously for fall and spring grazing is more efficient than seeding the two grains separately. based on research by schmidt ' s seed supplier, progene plant research, othello, it ' s estimated that 14 acres of the blend can accomplish the same goals as 10 acres of each grain seeded separately. planting spring oats in august for fall grazing is a fairly common practice throughout the northwest and midwest. ohio state university extension researchers report that, in a growing environment where perennial hay averages less than 3 tons / acre / year, spring oats on a summer recrop after winter wheat will equal if not beat that figure. the use of winter triticale for early spring grazing is also an established practice. beef producers in the northwest, who have access to late spring and summer grazing leases, are often in need of forage in late winter and early spring to carry their cows through spring calving. for these cow - calf operators, triticale, with its remarkable early season growth rate of up to 2 ” of leaf mass per day, is the annual forage of choice. while schmidt has used oats and triticale separately