a smaller version of an instrument now flying on nasa ' s van allen probes has won a coveted spot aboard an upcoming nasa - sponsored cubesat mission — the perfect platform for this pint - size, solid - state telescope. weighing just 3. 3 pounds, the compact relativistic electron and proton telescope ( crept ) will " augment the science of a major flagship mission " and demonstrate the effectiveness of two new technologies that make the instrument four times faster than its 30 - pound sibling at gathering and processing data, says crept principal investigator shri kanekal at nasa ' s goddard space flight center in greenbelt, md. the small solid - state telescope, which kanekal and his team are developing under nasa ' s low - cost access to space ( lcas ) program, will measure energetic electrons and protons in earth ' s van allen belts, which are large doughnuts of radiation that surround earth. crept measurements will give scientists a better understanding of the physics of how the radiation belts lose electrons by a process known as electron microbursts. discovered in 1958 with instruments aboard nasa ' s explorer 1 spacecraft, the van allen radiation belts have long intrigued scientists. the inner belt, stretching from about 1, 000 to 8, 000 miles above earth ' s surface, is fairly stable. however, the outer ring, spanning 12, 000 to 25, 000 miles, can swell up to 100 times its usual size during solar storms, engulfing communications and research satellites, bathing them in harmful radiation. further complicating matters, the outer belt does not always respond in the same way to solar storms. sometimes it swells ; sometimes it shrinks — an event caused when electrons in the outer loop either drop into the atmosphere or escape into space. microbursts, crept ' s primary object of interest, are one mechanism by which the outer belt loses electrons. " we don ' t know when a solar storm hits the earth what the net effect will be, " kanekal says. " the van allen belts can swell, shrink, or in some cases remain unchanged. to understand what will happen when a solar storm impacts earth, we need to know not only why the number of particles increases but also how they decrease or get lost. this is why studying microbursts is important. they tell us how particles are lost. " kanekal, who also is the lead scientist on the relativistic electron and proton telescope ( rept ) now flying on the van allen probes, decided to develop a more compact


is important. they tell us how particles are lost. " kanekal, who also is the lead scientist on the relativistic electron and proton telescope ( rept ) now flying on the van allen probes, decided to develop a more compact version of the instrument in 2012 — an effort initially funded by goddard ' s internal research and development ( irad ) program. " to our delight, nasa selected our proposal, " kanekal said, adding that the unit kanekal created under his irad to demonstrate the telescope ' s flight heritage is expected to fly on a spanish cubesat. under his $ 1. 5 - million lcas award, kanekal and his team will spend the next two years building crept. in year three, he plans to fly the telescope on a three - unit cubesat, which more than likely will be launched by an air force falcon 9 rocket. from its polar orbit, crept will be able to study electron growth and decay from a low - altitude polar orbit — an observing location that augments the science now being performed by rept, which is flying in an equatorial orbit at high altitudes. although not quite as robust as the larger rept, the new instrument offers enhanced processing capabilities. it will carry a processor called the spacecube - mini, one of three in a family of irad - funded processors developed by goddard technologist tom flatley. this new processor is 25 times faster than the current state - of - the - art processor, the rad750. another crept technology is an application - specific integrated circuit developed by goddard scientist nick paschalidis. this analog - to - digital circuit helps analyze data, which then are directly fed into spacecube - mini. combined, the package provides a factor - of - four improvement in time resolution, meaning that the telescope can take measurements every five milliseconds. " we made this instrument more compact and we improved how fast we can measure particles, " kanekal said. " everything came together. we leveraged our technologies from the irad program, which really was crucial. " for more information about the rept, visit : aaas and eurekalert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to eurekalert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the eurekalert! system.


the treatment of enteropathic arthritis learn which medications are used treat the pain and inflammation of arthritis, and the symptoms associated with the enteropathic disorder. some people with a chronic inflammatory bowel disease ( ibd ) — crohn ’ s disease or ulcerative colitis — as well as other gastrointestinal diseases, including celiac disease, may also have enteropathic arthritis. symptoms include pain, stiffness, and inflammation of the joints. up to 30 percent of people with ibd have peripheral arthritis ( arthritis of the extremeties ), or spinal involvement. in fact, these joint symptoms might occur before those of ibd, and may not coincide with the ibd flare - ups. “ usually the challenge [ with enteropathic arthritis ] is to diagnose it, " says chaim putterman, md, chief of rheumatology at albert einstein college of medicine in new york. patients may test negative for a substance called rheumatoid factor, which is usually positive in classic rheumatoid arthritis. to make the proper diagnosis, dr. putterman says, “ there are things in the medical history, the physical, and the lab tests that help suggest [ the arthritis ] is secondary to an enteropathic cause. ” some clues to the diagnosis might include dramatic weight loss, diarrhea, and anemia, in addition to joint symptoms of the back, hip area, or extremeties. treating enteropathic arthritis : sulfasalazine and aminosalicylates depending what kind of symptoms a person first experiences, he may initially go to a rheumatologist or a gastroenterologist. andrew wong, md, chief of rheumatology and program director at ucla medical center, urges patients diagnosed with enteropathic arthritis to coordinate treatment between both medical disciplines. “ sometimes we try to use medications that are helpful in both conditions to simplify the amount of medications that a patient needs, ” he explains. sulfasalazine, for example, is a combination of a sulfur medication and an aspirin or salicylic acid - type medication. " we know that the salicylic component will help the ibs and the sulfur component will help peripheral arthritis, ” says wong. aminosalicylates like sulfasalazine, and also mesalamine, are most effective in ulcerative colitis, but not so effective in crohn ’ s disease. treating enteropathic arthritis : tn


says wong. aminosalicylates like sulfasalazine, and also mesalamine, are most effective in ulcerative colitis, but not so effective in crohn ’ s disease. treating enteropathic arthritis : tnf - alpha inhibitors another class of medications that may be effective in both diseases is the tumor necrosis factor ( tnf - alpha ) inhibitors, which are classed as biological response modifiers or “ biologics. " examples are etanercept ( enbrel ), adalimumab ( humira ), and infliximab ( remicade ). infliximab and adalimumab have been shown effective for crohn ’ s disease, and infliximab is effective for ulcerative colitis. infliximab has been shown to effectively reduce joint pain in a condition called ankylosing spondylitis, which causes lower back and pelvic joint pain similar to the symptoms of enteropathic arthritis. according to wong, “ tnf - alpha inhibitors play a big part in controlling ibd, and the arthritis may also get better. ” some tnf - alpha inhibitors are given as an injection under the skin, and some as a drip into a vein. wong says, “ intravenous tnf - alpha inhibitors may be more effective. ” treating enteropathic arthritis : dmards some disease - modifying antirheumatic agents ( dmards ) are also useful for both types of disease. dmards have been shown to interfere with the inflammatory response of the immune system, thus decreasing joint inflammation. the most commonly used dmard for crohn ’ s disease is methotrexate. methotrexate is often used in treating ankylosing spondylitis, which can manifest similarly to enteropathic arthritis. treating enteropathic arthritis : corticosteroids corticosteroids may also be used for dual - diagnosis patients. this class of drugs includes those that are taken orally, administered intravenously, or injected directly into an inflamed joint — but only if there are not more than two joints involved. corticosteroids are used only short - term for acute treatment of moderate to severe ibd. but, warns wong, “ when you stop the steroids, the arthritis may flare up, so we have to work with the gastroenterologist. ” treating enteropathic arthritis : nsaids non


last modified : 2011 - 06 - 10 by eugene ipavec keywords : spain | subnational flags | autonomous community | comunidad autonoma | province | provincia | region | links : fotw homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors according to the spanish constitution, there are three main administrative subdivisions : autonomous communities, provinces and municipalities. as this appears in the constitution, these three are compulsory administrative entities which cannot be abolished except through constitutional reform. besides, the constitution allows the creation of other administrative subdivisions, without specifying which. the law on basic local rules ( that includes provinces, municipalities and islands ) states that these may create their own administrative subdivisions, with the approval of the respective autonomous community. these subdivisions may be : antonio gutierrez, 27 sep 1999 comarcas are only traditional or historical territories, not administrative ones, with some ( important ) exceptions. the only one i know for certain is that of catalonia whose autonomous government does not like / accept the division of its juridiction into provinces, and uses the division into comarques as official administrative entities, requesting the spanish government to englobe all of catalonia into a single province. on the other hand, archipelagos are not divided into comarcas but into islands. island councils are called cabildo ( s ) insular ( es ) in the canary islands and consell ( s ) insular ( s ) in the balearic islands. santiago dotor, 27 sep 1999 the website manual del estado espanol ( handbook of the spanish state, spanish text only ) by editorial lama contains the descriptions ( no images ) of the provincial flags and coats - of - arms. pascal vagnat, 16 jul 1999 i hope to make a deep revision of the [ provincial flags ' descriptions ] data provided image by pascal vagnat. i think the descriptions come from ministerio para las administraciones publicas 1992. some descriptions in this book are inaccurate and other are outdated ( for example the coat - of - arms of albacete province is, a new one has been adopted ). please note that all autonomous communities have provinces, even if some of them are made up of only one province – asturias, cantabria, la rioja, madrid, murcia, navarre and the balearic islands. ceuta and melilla are autonomous cities. in those regions where there is only one province, the administrative role of the province is minimized ( and also its vexi


there is something all people have in common to varying degrees, that is fear or phobias in extreme cases! for most people, these fears are minor. but for some, these fears are so severe that they cause tremendous anxiety and can interfere with normal day - to - day life. when these fears are irrational and severe, they are called phobias. if you ’ re living in fear because of your phobia, take hope. you can overcome phobias and fears with the right treatment and self - help strategies. common phobias and fears - fear of needles and injections - fear of public speaking - fear of flying - fear of germs - fear of illness or death - fear of snakes - fear of heights - fear or closed spaces - fear of storms and the list goes on & on … … … … … … … don ’ t wait to seek help. help yourself to overcome your fears and anxieties, start right here! what is fear? when we feel fearful, we believe we do not have the ability to cope with something. this fear may be grounded in reality, as when we fear being knocked over by a car. or the fear may be irrational as when we fear a tiny harmless spider. many of our fears are a mix of reality and misinterpretation of our ability to cope. when there is a large degree of of misinterpretation it is likely that it is a phobia rather than a fear. what is a phobia? the essential ingredient of a phobia is that it has significant degree of irrationality. the person experiencing the phobic feelings is usually well aware that their fear is irrational but they are unable to overcome the fear. fear is one type of emotion that can impacts one ’ s life significantly. animals and humans alike have this emotional response based on any events in their environment that poses danger, whether physical, mental, or emotional. indeed, fear takes on different forms, however, the effect that fear has on a person is important because it can potentially alter one ’ s life and how he or she deals with the environment. how do you know when you feel fear? whatever causes your fear, these are some of the signs listed below : • increase in heart rate and blood pressure • tightened muscles • inability to focus your senses • dilated pupils • intense sweating these symptoms result from the body ’ s natural reaction to threat, with preparations for fight or flight! different forms of fear fear comes in various forms. and yet


blood pressure • tightened muscles • inability to focus your senses • dilated pupils • intense sweating these symptoms result from the body ’ s natural reaction to threat, with preparations for fight or flight! different forms of fear fear comes in various forms. and yet, its effects are can be devastating to the person involved. there are various triggers for these fears but all have the potential to impact a persons ability to think clearly and respond to situations logically. below is a list of some of the different forms of fears : • places : crowds, enclosed places, below ground, or heights • animals : rats, snakes, mice, spiders, etc • people : strangers, homosexuals, feeling over - responsible for others, talking to groups of people, etc • events : war, crime, public speaking, etc • family member / loved ones : death of family member, getting ill • disaster : hurricane, lightening, injury or pain, blood, death, earthquake, etc • other people ’ s reactions or responses : rejection, disapproval, being humiliated, being ignored, insecurity • feelings about one ’ s self : taking the leadership role, speaking to a large crowd, stage fright, embarassing yourself there are many more different categories of fear that is experienced by people, hence people response differently. some are able to use that fear they experience in order to sharpen their responses to a given situation. others, however, do not have control over the level of fear they are experiencing, which often leads to panicking. negative impacts of fear and phobias fear is not always negative, provided that you learn how to deal with the feeling of fear, yet it can be potentially dangerous when the feeling of fear has become really extreme. therefore, it is important that you are able to understand where fear is coming from and deal with it logically. if not, it can lead to you making irrational responses on the situation at hand. such as the following : • inability to make clear and logical decisions. • prevents your ability to trust in your surroundings and people, crucial in your own growth and development. • brings about fear of change due to the uncertainty of events, even though the situation requires it. • results to resistance of help from others. • it confines you and unable you to explore opportunities that come your way. • you become unmotivated to pursue your dreams. • tendency to exhibit self - destructive behavior. confronting your fears before you even think about overcoming your fears, confronting them is the first step. you start off by recognizing your fear


come your way. • you become unmotivated to pursue your dreams. • tendency to exhibit self - destructive behavior. confronting your fears before you even think about overcoming your fears, confronting them is the first step. you start off by recognizing your fear. if you have several types of fears, then they can be ranked according to their intensity. that way, you will be able to recognize which fear needs to be attended to the most, as it can also produce the most negative impact to you. the best way to get yourself to confront your fears is realizing what you can get once you have let go of these fears. the lack of such fears in your life will motivate you to take steps to rid yourself of it. whether it ’ s regaining control over your life or improving your own self image, losing that fear will help boost your confidence about yourself and the world so you can become a better individual. the most effective means to overcoming your fears is to change your perspective and behavior towards it. since it is not easy to do, you need to keep yourself motivated in order to live life free of fears. the first step is identification of fear, which is closely tied with the step of confronting your fear. then, honestly assess the extent of your fear. this is the only way that you can logically come up with methods that can reduce or eliminate the fear you are experiencing. when you encounter a stimuli that could potentially trigger the feeling of fear, think of ways to release tension and keep yourself in a relaxed state. this is important since once you have acknowledged fear, it can quickly consume and overtake you. if possible, get support from your friends or family, to provide assistance in conquering your fears. lastly, this is a long - term procedure and you cannot expect to get rid of your fears overnight.


public goods and private communities : the market provision of social services a valuable analysis of public goods and public finance march 01, 1995 by roy cordato the primary purpose of academic programs in urban economics is to train central planners. traditionally college courses in state and local public finance and urban economics have rationalized everything that local governments do, while invoking elaborate formulations about how these governments might do what they do more “ efficiently. ” dr. fred foldvary ’ s new book, public goods and private communities, turns the standard model of urban economics and local public finance on its head. he first argues that the economic theory of public goods, which supposedly “ justifies ” government provision of many goods and services, is irreparably flawed. he then argues that most if not all of the services that local governments provide can be, and are, provided more efficiently through private contractual arrangements. courses in public finance all begin by discussing the theory of “ public goods. ” basically a good or service is said to have “ public ” characteristics if private producers cannot capture all of the benefits associated with its consumption. the idea is that once such a good is produced people can enjoy the benefits that it provides without having to pay for them. consequently, it is argued that public goods will either be “ underproduced ” in the free market or not produced at all. the government therefore should either subsidize their production or simply produce these goods or services and pay for them through taxation. as an example dr. foldvary uses the building of a dam that would provide flood prevention services to a community. it is easy to see how once the dam is produced, anyone living in the area would automatically receive the flood prevention benefits whether or not they pay for them. this is the so - called free rider problem. public goods theory argues that people will not voluntarily pay for such services and the private sector would have no incentive to undertake projects like the dam. other frequently cited examples of public goods include roads, parks, police and fire protection, national defense, and education. the theory of public goods allegedly provides the economic justification for extensive government involvement in these and many other areas. foldvary attacks the standard theory of public goods from several perspectives. drawing on arguments made by “ public choice ” economists, he points out that there is no reason to expect the government to succeed where the market has supposedly failed. once the political process, dominated by special interests and the self - interest of politicians and bureaucrats, is analyzed, the economic efficiency justification for government provision of “ public goods


is no reason to expect the government to succeed where the market has supposedly failed. once the political process, dominated by special interests and the self - interest of politicians and bureaucrats, is analyzed, the economic efficiency justification for government provision of “ public goods ” falls apart. there is no reason to favor the results of the political process, even over the caricatured results of the free market that are described in the theory of public goods. even on its own terms, the policy conclusion of public goods theory simply substitutes government failure for “ market failure. ” foldvary also argues that public goods theory starts with faulty assumptions about the real world — namely that people live atomistically rather than in geographically defined communities and that public goods must be provided in isolation from private goods. his analysis challenges these assumptions. more realistically, he assumes that people live in communities where societal pressures can be brought to bear on would - be free riders and that the provision of public goods can be “ tied ” to the provision of private and excludable goods. foldvary argues that there is no reason to expect that public goods will not get produced through private contractual arrangements. drawing on the works of “ austrian ” and “ constitutional ” economists such as f. a. hayek, james buchanan, and richard wagner, foldvary advances an economic theory that explains what is observed in real world communities around the country, i. e., the private provision of public goods and services. it is a phenomenon observed in private neighborhood associations, planned communities, apartment complexes, condominium associations, and even shopping malls and amusement parks. all of these represent communities, i. e., voluntary social arrangements, of one form or another. they also require as a condition of membership ( to invoke the analogy of a club ) the purchase of a bundle of public and private goods. for example one might buy into a condominium association because he wants the private services of having his lawn mowed or the use of tennis courts. but these services are typically “ tied ” to the provision of other more “ public ” goods and services such as the provision and maintenance of roads or police protection, i. e., security guards. foldvary illustrates his theory with a number of case studies. he examines several institutional arrangements that have successfully dealt with public goods and free - rider problems. these include walt disney world in orlando, florida ; the community of arden in delaware, where buildings are privately owned but all land is owned by a private trust that charges rent and provides public services ( founded


dealt with public goods and free - rider problems. these include walt disney world in orlando, florida ; the community of arden in delaware, where buildings are privately owned but all land is owned by a private trust that charges rent and provides public services ( founded in 1900 by followers of henry george ) ; the ft. ellsworth condominium association in alexandria, va. ; and the massive “ planned ” contractual community of reston, virginia. foldvary ’ s book also provides a valuable explanation of why private communities that collect fees for the privilege of living there aren ’ t the same as governments. he gives some convincing reasons. first, such communities are based on an explicit contractual arrangement. all the standard laws of contract apply, including the right to sue because of breach of contract. second, the powers of the neighborhood association are limited to those specified in the contractual arrangement. third, the community association does not have the power to redistribute wealth, which is a standard use of tax revenues. lastly, decision - making power within the contractual arrangement is typically held by property owners only. as foldvary points out, under government democracies property owners typically “ have no more voting power than other residents. ” fred foldvary has made a valuable contribution to the economic literature on public goods and public finance. if it is fully appreciated by the economics profession it could revolutionize and dramatically improve the study of urban economics specifically and public economics in general. unfortunately it is not in the interest of individual economists to buck the system as it currently exists. in this sense maybe dr. foldvary ’ s book, itself, should be the subject of some public goods analysis. dr. cordato is lundy professor of business philosophy at campbell university, buies creek, north carolina.


florence is the most populous city ( 2006 population 364, 000 ) in the region of tuscany. established by none other than julius caesar, florence is the original italian renaissance city. when we think of middle ages and the renaissance, we think of florence. the arts and architecture of florence is of great importance to the entire art world as we know it. since its beginning, it has been a major european trade center because of it s location on the arno river. when under the medici family rule, the city of florence was the capital of the italian kingdom. famous artists have etched their name across florence. from botticelli, to michelangelo, to the famous leonardo da vinci, this city has seen some of the most influential artists in history. take a walk through time, and be sure to see one of the numerous pieces of architectural history. the entire downtown contains a defense wall built in the 14th century after a flourishing economic growth. within the wall, see the santa maria del fiore the best - known site in florence. the duomo is the world s biggest brick and mortar building to date. last but not least, the uffizi art gallery is one of the finest galleries in the world. home of michelangelo s david, the uffizi is among the biggest art museums in the world. indulge in some traditional italian cuisine in beautiful downtown florence, where the residents are some of the most traditional in all of italy. prepare to be awe struck by this majestic city of history, and let the food speak for itself!


editor ' s note : this article has been corrected to reflect that the bhopal company was majority - owned, not wholly owned, by union carbide. early in the morning on dec. 3, 1984, a leaking tank within an insecticide plant unleashed approximately 45 tons of a toxic gas in the northern area of bhopal, a city in central india. the poisonous gas cloud - - a methyl isocyanate compound - - spread across the surrounding neighborhoods and slums as the people of bhopal slept. direct exposure to the substance reportedly killed 3, 800 people during the night, while thousands of others fled the city and the expanding cloud of toxic fumes. almost three decades later, the gas has vanished, but bhopal remains devastated by the toxic leak. the company responsible for the disaster was a majority - owned subsidiary of union carbide, which itself is now a subsidiary of dow chemical. the story of bhopal has been unearthed because of dow ' s prominent role as a key sponsor in the 2012 summer olympics. a controversial summer games london ' s 2012 summer olympics were supposed to be the " first truly sustainable olympic games, " according to organizers. contrasting with beijing ' s over - the - top production, london aimed to leave a legacy of environmental responsibility. dow ' s sponsorship ( to say nothing of co - sponsors bp and rio tinto ) has put that legacy in serious jeopardy. the relationship between dow, bhopal, and olympic sustainability triggered protests and anti - greenwashing campaigns, while provoking outcries against globalization. we believe the story of bhopal and dow should be shared with investors to encourage corporate transparency around the world. we also believe dow can reverse this public relations nightmare by taking responsibility for bhopal on the global stage of the olympics. as outlined below, we propose a very clear, simple, and fair solution. we strongly encourage readers to share this article to bring further attention to an important issue. we recommend financing a bhopal remediation effort through a public stock offering, a move that would boost dow chemical ' s reputation and, most importantly, provide the people of bhopal with the services and health care they desperately need. the disaster and the devastation that followed for americans, the disastrous gas leak is a distant memory, but the aftermath burdens the daily lives of bhopal citizens even today. while figures vary widely, several accounts estimate the disaster ultimately led to 20, 000 deaths, and a 2006 indian government affidavit stated


leak is a distant memory, but the aftermath burdens the daily lives of bhopal citizens even today. while figures vary widely, several accounts estimate the disaster ultimately led to 20, 000 deaths, and a 2006 indian government affidavit stated that the leak caused 558, 125 injuries. those numbers continue to grow because of the hazardous waste that remains at the crumbling insecticide plant. the city has become a symbol of broken governance, legal maneuvering, and extreme human suffering. originally, union carbide claimed the gas leak was a result of sabotage. however, plaintiffs in a 1998 civil suit in india revealed a laundry list of safety issues that were contributing factors to the catastrophe. among these were poor maintenance, failure to implement safety precautions, and evidence that cost - cutting measures increased the severity of the disaster. reports have noted that the safety equipment and procedures in place in bhopal were seriously lacking compared to those of similar u. s. - based plants. following the disaster, union carbide failed to appear in court for trial in india, and eventually reached a settlement, agreeing to pay $ 470 million in 1989, which amounted to $ 1, 500 per death and $ 550 per contaminated individual. the figure was substantially reduced from the $ 3. 3 billion original claim presented by the indian government and seems drastically low given the lingering adverse health effects of the gas leak. unusually high instances of cancer, respiratory difficulties, immune and neurological disorders, near - blindness, reproductive difficulties, and heart problems continue to afflict the survivors. bhopal ' s miscarriage rate is now seven times the average in india. moreover, no one under the age of 18 was registered as a victim during the aftermath, yet the number of children exposed to the gas is estimated to be over 200, 000. adding insult to injury, some 425 tons of hazardous waste remain on the grounds of the old factory today. little has been done to clean up or remove the various chemicals, which continue to seep into the ground and pollute the local drinking water. the indian government ships fresh water, but the deliveries are highly irregular. as a result, slum - dwellers are left with no choice but to drink the tainted groundwater. to make matters worse, the slums expanded around the site because of the relatively low cost of nearby land. the inhabitants, already crippled by extreme poverty, develop chronic and debilitating illnesses that burden their everyday lives. their ability to work is diminished. children raised in this area face twice the risk of dying as do children


relatively low cost of nearby land. the inhabitants, already crippled by extreme poverty, develop chronic and debilitating illnesses that burden their everyday lives. their ability to work is diminished. children raised in this area face twice the risk of dying as do children elsewhere, partly because their parents cannot care for them adequately. surprisingly enough, despite the serious health problems reported over the years, union carbide once claimed that methyl isocyanate was only a " mild throat and ear irritant. " legal wrangling, scapegoating, and corruption have let persist an environmental cesspool that is destroying human life. had union carbide or the government cleaned up the waste and provided an adequate water supply, as originally intended, countless birth defects and premature deaths could have been avoided. only recently has the madhya pradesh state government taken steps to address the crumbling factory site, which the new york times described as a " wasteland in the city ' s heart. " a german agency has agreed to remove 350 tons of waste over the course of the next year, all at indian taxpayers ' expense. while the local government had previously impeded studies on bhopal ' s environmental contamination, the madhya pradesh government ' s willingness to let the german agency remove the waste is a hopeful sign. still, the epic mess that began over a quarter - century ago is far from over. who can - - and should - - help the remaining victims and put an end to the ordeal once and for all? why dow should assume responsibility for nearly three decades, the companies involved and the indian government repeatedly deflected responsibility for the bhopal disaster. the plant ' s operator at the time of the leak, union carbide india limited, was spun - off from the union carbide corporation after the disaster, but by then the plant had closed permanently and the assets and liabilities were no longer on ucil ' s books. after an extended round of the blame game, the responsibility for bhopal fell into a black hole while bhopali citizens continued to suffer. we conducted a careful analysis and believe all roads lead to dow when it comes to bhopal ' s environmental liabilities. one by one, let ' s dissect and rebut dow ' s arguments : - the indian government should take responsibility for the bhopal site. both india and the u. s. adhere to the " polluter pays " principle, which states that the producer of pollution must pay for its consequences. union carbide was


- the indian government should take responsibility for the bhopal site. both india and the u. s. adhere to the " polluter pays " principle, which states that the producer of pollution must pay for its consequences. union carbide was the polluter, and the continued existence of severe health problems and toxic waste in bhopal shows that union carbide never fulfilled its responsibility. further, union carbide signed a lease with the indian government, promising to return the site " in its original condition. " even though the indian government does in fact own the site now, union carbide failed to fulfill its original obligation. - if union carbide owned the bhopal plant, dow bears no responsibility. in 1984, union carbide owned the plant. a decade later, union carbide claimed that the plant was sold during an auction in 1994. however, contradictory to that claim, the plant was no longer on the books at the time of the auction. instead, the indian government had shut down the plant, and the legal ramifications of the pollution were still being resolved. in 2001, dow acquired union carbide for $ 11. 6 billion and the two entities became one and the same. so when we write " dow, " think " union carbide. " union carbide describes the relationship in its annual report : " union carbide ' s business activities comprise components of dow ' s global operations rather than stand - alone operations. " - dow bought union carbide free of liabilities. according to international law, the principal of " successor liability " requires the purchaser to gain both the assets and liabilities of the target. so, along with the wealth of assets acquired from union carbide, dow should also be responsible for the environmental and health damage union carbide caused in bhopal. - there is no precedent for dow assuming union carbide ' s liabilities. a dow spokesperson has pointed out that providing funds for bhopal is out of the question since it would open up the company for additional liabilities. however, after purchasing union carbide in 2001, dow acknowledged its responsibility for asbestos liabilities from american incidents involving union carbide dating back to 1972. in fact, dow set aside $ 2. 2 billion to resolve the asbestos issues. so dow recognizes that " successor liability " applies, yet it ignores the inherited liabilities of the bhopal disaster. - union carbide settled the claim years ago. the


dow set aside $ 2. 2 billion to resolve the asbestos issues. so dow recognizes that " successor liability " applies, yet it ignores the inherited liabilities of the bhopal disaster. - union carbide settled the claim years ago. the indian government ' s $ 470 million settlement with union carbide represented 15 % of the original $ 3. 3 billion claim, and left victims with about $ 550. dow public relations officer kathy hun once asserted that " $ 500 is plenty good for an indian. " according to the bhopal reader, " it was widely believed that the courts had been pressured or influenced by the [ indian ] congress government... and that the government had made a private deal with union carbide. " to this day, dow has continued to pressure the indian government to keep the company free of liability, acknowledging that the debt is not fully paid and the criminal case not entirely resolved. in a 2006 letter to the indian ambassador, dow ceo andrew liveris sought assurance dow had no further responsibility at bhopal " to ensure that we have the appropriate investment climate. " - eveready industries should be liable. while eveready industries did purchase union carbide india limited, union carbide ' s indian subsidiary, in 1994, the bhopal plant had long been closed, so there was no transfer of the site and its liability to eveready. union carbide owned and operated the bhopal site, so union carbide ( and now dow ) should be held liable according to the " polluter pays " principle. a company should take responsibility for the environmental damage caused by its operations. since dow acquired union carbide outright in 2001, this responsibility should lie with dow, but thus far the u. s. courts have disagreed. untangling the legal liability is outside of our focus, however, and the mistakes by the indian government only made the legal mess worse. ultimately, dow should remedy the situation for ethical reasons, and establish an entirely new precedent. this type of convoluted legal maneuvering by union carbide and dow is not a new story. in ecuador, beginning in the 1960s, texaco discharged billions of gallons of oil waste directly into the amazon rainforest, creating an oil spill that ruined the lives of countless indigenous people. chevron, after acquiring texaco ( and its liabilities! ) in 2001, has refused to pay the $ 18 billion fine ordered by ecuadorian courts, claiming fraud. in a company statement,


spill that ruined the lives of countless indigenous people. chevron, after acquiring texaco ( and its liabilities! ) in 2001, has refused to pay the $ 18 billion fine ordered by ecuadorian courts, claiming fraud. in a company statement, chevron argues that petroecuador, the state - owned oil company that took over texaco ' s facilities after 2001, should be held responsible. sound familiar? as these cases illustrate, multinational companies can use legal loopholes to shirk their responsibilities in developing countries. some of the world ' s richest companies profit at the expense of some of its poorest citizens. meanwhile, shareholders in these companies often remain oblivious to the true nature of these transactions. a solution to this continuing tragedy dow ' s management team, employees, and shareholders should capitalize on the unique opportunity the company has as a sponsor of the 2012 olympic games. while dow has no legal obligation, dow has an ethical obligation to right this wrong, a move that will end up benefiting dow in the long run. independent of the indian government, dow should create a bhopal relief fund immediately to accomplish the following : - end unnecessary human suffering. dow must take responsibility for the survivors ' health and rehabilitation. while the indian government has attempted to finance a health insurance policy for victims, the effort failed because of bureaucracy and corruption. dow should buy a group insurance plan to ensure people receive the care they deserve, while adhering to the " polluter pays " principle. - build health care facilities. dow must provide ongoing access to treatment for the individuals affected by the bhopal disaster. allow organizations representing victims to participate and conduct research to better understand the afflicting illnesses. - clean up the site. a thorough cleanup is of utmost priority to prevent further exposure to toxic soil and groundwater. beyond removing the waste, cleanup will include decontaminating the soil and water to remove all traces of the toxic chemicals and will ensure that dow ' s liability does not keep growing. estimating the cost of the above actions is difficult. at this point, only the indian government has access to critical information about the site and victims, and its studies recently estimated that just over $ 1 billion would be an appropriate comprehensive total. we outline below how dow could finance at least half this amount ( perhaps much more ) soon after the 2012 olympic games : 1. conduct a subsequent stock offering ( $ 540 million investment ) dow ' s board of directors should propose a 1. 5 % dilutive stock offering, which would result in 18 million new common


perhaps much more ) soon after the 2012 olympic games : 1. conduct a subsequent stock offering ( $ 540 million investment ) dow ' s board of directors should propose a 1. 5 % dilutive stock offering, which would result in 18 million new common shares. such an offering would raise approximately $ 540 million at dow ' s current share price of $ 30, all of which would be committed to the bhopal relief fund. initially, shareholders might balk at the idea of diluting their claim on the company ' s earnings. the recommended sum, $ 540 million, may give investors sticker shock, but this isn ' t an unusual move for the $ 36 billion company. just last year, dow issued 9. 2 million new shares, half the amount proposed here. even if shares drop initially, dow ' s support would help erase a liability that management has ignored for over a decade. we think the market could interpret dow ' s approach positively, if the company communicates the proposal effectively. at the fool, we encourage buy - and - hold investing practices, and shareholders with a similar outlook would recognize the move as an intangible investment in dow ' s reputation. investors should urge dow to rise above its legal maneuvering and make a long - term investment by aiding the victims of bhopal. 2. sponsor an olympic fundraising campaign ( $ 10 million investment ) in addition to the stock offering, dow should raise funds through a widespread campaign announced during the olympics. thus far, dow ' s olympic sponsorship has resulted in utter outrage in london and india. a motion in march 2012 to terminate dow chemical ' s olympic sponsorship was only narrowly rejected in an 11 - 10 vote by the organizing committee. the backlash has yet to subside, but dow could change public sentiment during the london games. dow should announce the launch of a $ 10 million campaign to raise awareness for the people of bhopal, calling attention to its intent to remediate bhopal during one of the most widely watched events in the world. while it ' s impossible to estimate third - party donations resulting from such a campaign, the response could be significant. dow ' s willingness to take action despite its lack of legal obligation would set an important precedent in corporate america. overall, dow ' s contribution would go a long way in addressing its liability to bhopal inherited from union carbide. dow would be committing more than half of the $ 1 billion requested by the indian government. this is a fair and reasonable approach that would prevent dow from paying for the


long way in addressing its liability to bhopal inherited from union carbide. dow would be committing more than half of the $ 1 billion requested by the indian government. this is a fair and reasonable approach that would prevent dow from paying for the government ' s inaction and missteps over the years. at the same time, this move would show that dow has decided to rise above the legal mess, take responsibility for its subsidiary ' s negligence, and do what is ethically right. dow ' s refusal to take responsibility for bhopal has hit the company ' s bottom line well beyond the associated legal costs. the unaddressed liability has hurt its reputation, resulted in protests and media backlash, and even limited its ability to invest overseas. one activist organization went so far as to pose as a dow spokesperson on the bbc, claiming responsibility for the bhopal disaster, and consequently causing a sell - off in european markets that erased $ 2 billion worth of dow ' s market cap ( which was recovered when the hoax was revealed ). despite dow ' s disregard for bhopal, the company ' s " human element " advertising campaign allegedly " showcases dow ' s commitment to addressing global economic, social and environmental concerns. " now is the time for dow to embody this uplifting message it has paid millions to publicize. by taking action for bhopal, dow has an opportunity to rebuild its brand and become the paradigm for corporate social responsibility. dow ' s employees, shareholders, and even the broader investing community have something at stake. dow ' s reparations would pay back a debt to thousands of victims that had previously been excluded from its balance sheet, creating transparency in an opaque reporting environment. this approach should be championed across the business world. we ' re forwarding this article and our proposal to dow ' s 10 largest institutional investors. alone, these 10 institutions hold 42 % of the company, but there are millions of other shareholders. every dow investor should use his or her voice to support a resolution to help the people of bhopal. there is no better time than now for dow to live up to its advertising campaign and demonstrate the ideals of the olympic games. how can you help? our goal is to spread the word about a tragedy that many americans had never heard of or scarcely remember. share this article with friends and family, and tell them about the bhopal tragedy. also, contact the dow investor relations office at 1 - 800 - 422 - 8193 and voice your concerns about dow ' s


in social animals, including humans, social grooming is an activity in which individuals in a group clean or maintain one another ' s body or appearance. a related term, allogrooming, indicates social grooming between members of the same species. grooming is a major social activity, and a means by which animals who live in proximity may bond and reinforce social structures, family links, and build relationships. social grooming also is used as a form of reconciliation and a means of conflict resolution in some species. mutual grooming typically describes the act of grooming between two individuals, often as a part of social grooming, pair bonding, or a precoital activity. it is a reuse of ordinary grooming behavior, a means of achieving hygiene and good health, in that an animal helping another animal to clean itself also is helping to form a social bond and trust between them. the ubud monkey forest is a nature reserve and temple complex in ubud, bali. its full name as written on a welcome sign is the padangtegal mandala wisata wanara wana sacred monkey forest sanctuary. the complex houses approximately 340 crab - eating macaque ( macaca fascicularis ) monkeys ( 32 adult males, 19 male sub adult, 77 adult females, 122 juvenile and 54 infants ). there are four groups of monkeys each occupying different territories in the park. the sacred monkey forest is a popular tourist attraction in ubud, and is often visited by over 10, 000 tourists a month. the forest comprises approximately a tenth of a square kilometer ( approximately 27 acres ) and contains at least 115 different species of trees. the monkey forest contains the pura dalem agung padangtegal temple as well as a " holy spring " bathing temple and another temple used for cremation ceremonies. the monkey forest is owned by the village of padangtegal, and village members serve on the monkey forest ' s governing council. the padangtegal wenara wana foundation manages the monkey forest and serves to maintain its sacred integrity and to promote the sacred site as a destination for visitors.


with the price of admission into newer vehicles steadily climbing, 4x4s are being asked to be more and more versatile, doing everything from handling your daily commuter chores to primary trail rig duty. so what do we consider the most important element of your vehicle if you want to experience a serene ride over glass - smooth blacktop, controlled bounding over a fast sandy wash, or steady clambering up a boulder - strewn route? the answer is easy : your shocks. while shocks are fairly simple in principle and design, we ' ll walk you through the basics and answer some common questions to better help you understand what makes shocks an important aspect of your trail rig, and hopefully arm you with enough knowledge to take the edge off of your next shock - buying experience. if we are going to discuss the basics of how shocks work, then we will start by defining what a shock is. a shock is simply a hydraulic device that converts kinetic energy ( movement ) into heat energy, which is dissipated through the shock body. basically, a shock controls the up and down movement of a vehicle. now you might say, " hey, what about springs? " well, a spring supports the vehicle ' s weight and only allows up and down movement of the suspension, but doesn ' t control it. without shocks on your four - by, you will bounce and bob down the highway, and crash and bang on the bumpstops over each and every surface imperfection. a shock ' s primary function is to dampen the spring movement and keep your tire in contact with ground at all times, providing the driver with comfort and control, through handling and braking. in fact, worn shocks actually contribute to longer braking distances, something our heavy rigs with giant meats tend to be sensitive to. spring rates only control the movement of your chassis, but shocks control the length of time it takes for each of these movements to occur. think of shocks as timing devices. without shocks, consistent tire contact patches would not exist, and controlling the vehicle would be nearly impossible. to understand how a shock works, we must understand the different parts that make up a shock. the first thing you notice when looking at a shock is the shock body. this is what mounts to the vehicle and houses the air and hydraulic shock fluid. the next thing you ' ll see is a chrome rod, sticking out of the body. this is the shaft, which also mounts to the vehicle, and moves up and down with the suspension movement, also called a stroke. inside the shock body,


the next thing you ' ll see is a chrome rod, sticking out of the body. this is the shaft, which also mounts to the vehicle, and moves up and down with the suspension movement, also called a stroke. inside the shock body, a piston sits on the shaft, and has a series of shims connected to it with various - sized holes that allow the shock oil to pass through them as the shock compresses and extends. unlike air, hydraulic fluid cannot be compressed, so as the piston travels up and down within the shock body, fluid is forced through the shims, resisting vehicle movement. with more or bigger holes, there is less resistance, and the shock piston travels through the oil faster, creating a softer shock action. the opposite is true with less, or smaller holes. premium shocks have the added benefit over standard shocks because they replace the air with a pressurized gas, such as nitrogen. nitrogen resists cavitation, or the forming of air bubbles in the hydraulic fluid. you have probably encountered cavitation if you have ever taken a stock vehicle down a fast sandy wash and experienced the vehicle becoming uncontrollable after a fairly short distance, only to find the symptoms disappearing after a short time of the vehicle sitting and the shock oil settling and cooling down. a shock which has cavitated can no longer provide the resistance necessary for the shock to do its job. shocks usually wear out gradually, but some things can happen, especially off - pavement, to hasten their wear. one of the first things to look for is either a nicked or bent shaft, which can easily be caused by flying gravel or debris. once damaged, the shaft can allow contaminants to enter the oil and destroy the piston seal, which will eventually lead to a leak of the shock fluid. if not replaced, the shock will eventually lose its ability to function properly. other signs of worn shocks are excessive bouncing after crossing a dip or bump, rocking back and forth after a stop, excessive body roll around corners, tire cupping, and straight - line braking that isn ' t so straight.


today ' s challenges to the battery in the workshop challenges relating to batteries in the modern workshop and how to achieve 100 % reliability. modern cars have such high energy requirements that the alternator cannot compensate for the power drained off if the vehicle is mainly used to make short journeys. the result is a negative charge balance after each journey, which can lead to battery problems down the line. at colder times of the year this can lead to problems with starting and battery failure. if the car is not used for long periods, such as during holidays or long business trips, the battery may discharge due to consumers that are on standby. because of this, modern cars need a substantial top - up charge whenever they come into the workshop, allowing the vehicles to receive the maximum possible power boost within the limited time the vehicle is in for servicing. this considerably reduces starting problems and long - term damage due to sulphation and greatly increases customer satisfaction with the vehicle make and the workshop. most modern vehicles come into the workshop for servicing with a depleted battery. this is because today ' s driving patterns, frequently typified by short journeys, mean the vehicle ' s high energy requirements cannot be met by the alternator. during a service, the vehicle will normally be on the lifting platform with the doors and boot open and all the interior lights on. if work needs to be carried out on the interior that involves having the ignition or electronic systems switched on, the mechanics have to deal with even higher drains on an already depleted battery. if there is no permanent power supply during the service, the battery will become further depleted. problems with ignition are often encountered after repair work, or the customer drives off with a depleted battery and comes back a few days later with a complaint about the battery. these days the electrical energy drawn by the vehicle power supply during diagnostics and repair work in the workshop is very important. when updating software in the control device ' s flash memory, the power requirements are particularly high and a constant system voltage is essential. updating the flash memory in the engine management system causes emergency running conditions of the engine to be simulated. these leave many electrical components on full power for the duration of the memory update. with large engines, a 65 a current can be flowing for more than 90 minutes, whereas 45 a for 30 minutes is standard in smaller engines. if the vehicle voltage should fall below 12 v, the flash operation is cancelled automatically and must be started again from scratch. if this happens it frequently causes irreparable damage to the control device. this


for 30 minutes is standard in smaller engines. if the vehicle voltage should fall below 12 v, the flash operation is cancelled automatically and must be started again from scratch. if this happens it frequently causes irreparable damage to the control device. this will involve costs of €300 to €3, 000 for a replacement part, not to mention all the time lost. costs that, unfortunately, the workshop has to bear if no charger or the wrong charger is used during diagnostics or software updates. new vehicles often have to travel a long way to reach their destination from the factory and, in many cases, the battery is in a poor state by the time the vehicle reaches the dealer. handing the new vehicle over with the battery in this condition would inevitably lead to complaints. servicing the battery before handing the vehicle over to the customer is standard procedure in most workshops. some automotive manufacturers program new vehicles with a basic factory setting that is only sufficient for the needs of the journey from the plant to the local dealer. enabling and programming the entire on - board system to commission the vehicle does not take place until it gets to the dealer. if the vehicle voltage should fall below 12 v during programming, the flash operation is cancelled automatically and must be started again from scratch. in addition to time lost, this can lead to irreparable damage to the control device. before a vehicle is dispatched to the customer, many manufacturers put it through a standard workshop procedure in which all the important systems are tested one last time and the vehicle is cleaned. it is important to take extra care with the battery at this final stage as it may have become partially discharged during periods of inactivity or during a service. storage batteries often spend long periods in storage before being used. it is normal for batteries to lose some of their charge during storage. the battery will become more and more discharged and increasingly sulphated if not recharged promptly. in the worst case, damage to the battery is so severe that the only option is replacement, with unnecessary costs arising for a new battery.


dig and store dahlias as frost blackens the tops of your dahlia plants, it \ ' s time to dig and store the tubers. dig up only the largest tubers, wash off the soil, and let them air dry. cut the stem to just above the tuber. store them in a cool basement in newspaper - lined boxes in a single layer and cover them with slightly moistened vermiculite. mist them if they start to shrivel during the winter. spring - flowering tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and crocuses all can be planted now. choose a sunny location with well - drained soil. plant bulbs in groups and add a handful of bulb fertilizer such as bulb booster to each hole. plant the bulbs to a depth of two times the diameter of the bulb. bring in houseplants tropical houseplants such as hibiscus that spent the summer on a back deck or porch need to be moved indoors now. first check plants carefully for signs of insects and spray them with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, if necessary, before moving them indoors. inside, place them in a sunny window, cut back on fertilizing and watering, and continue checking for insects. dig and store gladiolus dig up gladiolus corms now to store through winter. cut off the tops and let the dug corms dry in a shady, indoor location until the soil is dry. remove the older bottom corm and save the new upper corm in a milk crate or cardboard box filled with dry peat moss. store them in a 40 - degree f room with high humidity, such as a basement. pumpkins that are turning orange shouldn \ ' t be left out in the field during frosty nights. the frost will weaken the skins and make the pumpkins more likely to rot before halloween. put a blanket over them if frost threatens, or harvest them even while they show some green and move them into a protected barn or garage to continue maturing.


the u. s global change research program ( usgcrp ) stands at the threshold of a major transition. over the next several years, in addition to continuing to improve our understanding of the earthis environment and how it is changing, the program will greatly advance our knowledge about the implications of such change for society. the research successes of the last decade have laid the foundation for a global environmental change information service that will allow global change research results to be applied more effectively to national needs. since its establishment a decade ago, the usgcrp has supported a comprehensive program of scientific research on the multiple issues presented by climatic and other changes in the earth system. usgcrp - supported research has produced substantial increases in knowledge, predictive understanding, and documented evidence of global environmental change, including major scientific advances in the understanding of stratospheric ozone depletion, the el nino - southern oscillation phenomenon, global climate change, tropical deforestation, and other issues. these interlinked problems of global environmental change present long - term challenges at local and regional scales as well. science has much to contribute to the management of these challenges. in the next decade, the usgcrp will focus on understanding the earth system as a whole, on the dynamics of environmental change, and on connecting that knowledge to societal needs, including the provision of information on regional implications of change. a series of five broad objectives are guiding the program as it pursues determine the origins, rates, and likely future course of natural and anthropogenic changes. increase understanding of the combined effects of multiple stresses on ecosystems. understand and model global environmental change and its processes on finer spatial scales and across a wide range of timescales. address the potential for surprises and abrupt changes in the global environment. understand and assess the impacts of global environmental change and their consequences for the united states. of the program a recent national research council report, global environmental change : research pathways for the next decade, which was commissioned by the usgcrp, has influenced the definition of the near - term research challenges identified in this report, and is important input to developing a new long - term research strategy for the usgcrp, which will be completed in fy 2000. to respond to the scientific challenges described in the pathways report, the usgcrp will be organized and managed as a series of closely - linked program elements. this fy 2000 implementation plan and budget overview contains detailed descriptions of a series of research challenges and fy 2000 objectives for each program element. usgcrp program


usgcrp will be organized and managed as a series of closely - linked program elements. this fy 2000 implementation plan and budget overview contains detailed descriptions of a series of research challenges and fy 2000 objectives for each program element. usgcrp program elements carbon cycle science is receiving heightened emphasis within the usgcrp. the need to understand how carbon cycles through the earth system is critically important to the ability to predict future climate change. the usgcrp is establishing a carbon cycle science initiative, with significant new investments proposed in the fy 2000 budget. this effort will provide critical scientific information on the fate of carbon dioxide in the environment, the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide on continental and regional scales, and how sinks might change naturally over time or be enhanced by agricultural or forestry practices. a new level of interagency coordination is being put in place to pursue this important objective. the program will be guided in this task by a science plan that has been drafted with extensive participation by many of the leading scientists in this field. understanding the earthis climate system, with a focus on improving our understanding of the climate system as a whole, rather than focusing on its individual components, and thus improving our ability to predict climate change and variability. biology and biogeochemistry of ecosystems, with a focus on improving understanding of the relationship between a changing biosphere and a changing climate and the impacts of global change on managed and composition and chemistry of the atmosphere, with a focus on improving our understanding of the global - scale impacts of natural and human processes on the chemical composition of the atmosphere and determining the effect of such changes on air quality and human health. paleoenvironment and paleoclimate, with a focus on providing a quantitative understanding of the envelope of natural environmental variability, on timescales from centuries to millennia, within which the effects of human activities on the planetis biosphere, geosphere, and atmosphere can human dimensions of global change, with a focus on explaining how humans intervene in the earth system and are themselves affected by the interactions between natural and social processes. the global water cycle, with a focus on improving our understanding of the movement of water through the land, atmosphere, and ocean, and on how global change may increase or decrease regional water availability.


the national archives is a government department and an executive agency of the secretary of state for justice. it brings together the public record office, historical manuscripts commission, the office of public sector information and her majesty ' s stationery office. it is also the uk government ' s official archive, containing 900 years of history with records ranging from the doomesday book and parchment and paper scrolls through to digital files and archived websites. the national archives makes open records available to all, either onsite or online, continuously developing new tools to make history tangible for everyone. part of the national archives website is the archon directory, which includes contact details for record repositories in the united kingdom and also for institutions elsewhere in the world which have substantial collections of manuscripts noted under the indexes to the national register of archives. this is an extensive collection of repositories with 2050 listed in england alone. the national archives ' documentsonline include such popular databases as wwi campaign medals, wills, cabinet papers, wwi diaries, the domesday book, digital microfilm project and many other records. some of these records are free and others may have a nominal charge for downloads or copies. this is another major collection of online records that gets little mention in genealogy circles. interestingly, this huge site is not listed as one of familytree ' s 101 best websites for british researchers. however, familytree magazine does list one of the services, access to archives, as a favorite site. also, familysearch. org lists archon archive online as a resource but does not have a reference to the whole national archives website.


recombinant antibodies have reached blockbuster drug status. herceptin, avastin, remicade, and others rack up billions of dollars per year in sales. almost all the clinically approved antibodies in use today are naked, or unconjugated, antibodies. when participants recently met for the strategic research institute ’ s “ world antibody summit, ” discussion focused on novel approaches to therapeutic antibody development, including immunoconjugates. in the early days of mabs, the magic bullet concept was vigorously pursued. investigators followed the century old notion of designing antibodies that could carry killer molecules to the cell. the idea has great prima facie appeal in that an enzyme - antibody fusion protein is expected to be active against its target at very low concentrations. theoretically, the conjugate could hone in on a cancer cell, perform a killing reaction, move to the next cell, and repeat the process over and over again. unfortunately, this approach was notoriously unsuccessful, since protein toxins stimulated a strong immune response in the host. even using humanized or human antibodies, such toxins as ricin, diphtheria toxin, and pseudomonas exotoxin when linked to the antibody provoked violent immunological reaction. moreover, many patients already have antibodies against bacterial toxins, developed in earlier bouts of infection. maytansinoids as immunoconjugates rajeeva singh, ph. d., director of biochemistry at immunogen ( www. immunogen. com ), adapted the magic bullet approach. his group focuses on the maytansinoids, highly potent cytotoxic agents that can be easily coupled to antibodies. since one would not anticipate that the conjugate molecule could work in a catalytic fashion, it is essential that compounds with extremely high potency be incorporated into the procedure. many poisonous substances must be present in micromolar levels to exert significant cytotoxicity. delivering such a high level of toxin to the cell is clearly impossible, precluding their use as immunotoxins. this requires that only the most potent candidates can be considered for this system. maytansinoids fit the bill, as these inhibitors of microtubular assembly boast ic50s in the subnanomolar range. the members of the maytansinoid family are bacterial compounds that are extensively modified to improve stability and solubility. immunogen chemists increased the stability of a disulfide linker by alky


in the subnanomolar range. the members of the maytansinoid family are bacterial compounds that are extensively modified to improve stability and solubility. immunogen chemists increased the stability of a disulfide linker by alkyl substitution, while a thioether conjugate allows a covalent attachment to the antibody. in a model system of human colon cancer xenografts, the human antibody huc242 coupled to a synthetic maytansinoid has effective killing power. the controls without antibody or applied to other cell lines that lack the target antigen, however, had little effect. a surprising property of the system is a bystander effect by which the antibody - drug conjugate is seen to kill nontarget cells in close proximity to the tumor cell when challenged in vitro. when cells containing the antigen targeted by the huc242 antibody are mixed with antigen - negative tumor cells, both tumor types are destroyed following treatment with the conjugate. this property could help to eliminate nearby tumor cells that have not taken up the drug. currently, immunogen is moving the maytansinoid - antibody conjugates into the clinic through a collaboration with genentec ( www. gene. com ). using herceptin conjugated with a noncleavable, thioether linker, a phase i study of her2 positive, metastatic breast cancer patients showed it was well - tolerated. also, four out of 10 patients demonstrated an objective response. the study was reported at the recent “ american society of clinical oncology ” meeting. in another series of trials, patients were evaluated with immunogen ’ s hun901 antibody conjugate targeting multiple myeloma and cd56 - expressing solid cancers as well as small - cell lung cancers. once again, the drug was well tolerated, and several patients showed objective responses. the antibody - maytansinoid conjugates with sterically hindered disulfide linkers appear to be an appealing and novel approach to the issue of malignancy. immunogen is engaged in a number of clinical and preclinical programs in collaboration with centocor ( www. centocor. com ), biogen - idec ( www. biogen. com ), biotest ( www. biotest. com ), genentech, and sanofi - aventis ( www. sanofi - aventis. com ). other immun


antibody - drug conjugate was much more potent against the tumor than the drug alone, reported medarex. in another set of studies, the team built immunoconjugates between cbi and a human anti - psma antibody with high affinity for the antigen. the psma antigen is a glycosylated 100 kd homodimer molecule, highly expressed in prostate epithelial cells and in some prostate cancers. in the lncap prostate cancer cell line, the antibody is rapidly internalized, according to the company. the medarex team designed the conjugate using either a hydrazone or peptide linkage, both of which proved to be stable. after subjection to the linkage reaction, the antibody retained its binding capability. the antibody has high affinity for and rapidly internalizes into psma expressing cells, according to medarex. moreover, in a scid mouse model system, the antibody conjugate was much more effective at suppressing tumor growth than the free drug. a hallmark of the cancer cell is its ability to avoid apoptosis. targeting the tnf - related apoptosis inducing ligand ( trail ) receptor with appropriate antibodies can trigger the self - destruction of cancer cells, providing a new approach to tumor therapy, noted gilles gallant, ph. d., vp, clinical oncology at human genome sciences www. hgsi. com ). dr. gallant discussed how activation of the trail receptor family prompts tumor regression and inhibits new tumor growth. the trail receptor is, in fact, a family of receptors that when stimulated embark upon a cascade of destruction inducing caspases that rampage through the cell with resulting blebbing, fragmentation, and finally engulfment by macrophages. a group of scientists at hgs developed a mab, lexatumumab ( hgs - etr2 ), capable of inducing apoptosis via activation of the trail - r2 receptor. the antibody binds to trail - r2 with high specificity and is effective in inducing apoptosis in vitro in the colo205 colorectal cell line, reported hgs. this is not surprising, given the high level of expression of trail - r2 on colorectal cancer xenografts. lexatumumab causes regression of large colorectal tumors in the mouse model as well as non - small - cell lung carcinoma in a comparable system. moreover, the antibody works effectively in vitro in combination with traditional therapies. the


these include an assay that checks the real life stability of the molecules as compared with computer predictions. by using these structure - guided methods the sequence space was reduced to a manageable size by which 100 candidate mutants in just over 40 positions were screened from four genetic antibody libraries. a stable, robust, and nonaggregating bispecific antibody is all well and good, but does the new entity have therapeutic potential? an improved hercules ii antibody possesses these properties and, moreover, exhibited potent killing in a cell death assay comprising multiple tumor cell lines, according to biogen idec. the merit of the bispecific antibody concept was born out of the fact that the hercules ii ag is more potent than combinations of the single antibodies in some of the tumor cell lines. targeting tumors through their t - cell receptors “ are the 90 percent of proteins localized within the cell possible targets for antibody therapeutics? ” asked jon weidanz, ph. d., chief scientist and founder of receptor logic ( www. rectptorlogic. com ). dr. weidanz ’ company uses the major histocompatibility complex, or hla, as a bridge for delivering therapeutic antibodies to the cancer cell. the company ’ s rationale is based on exploitation of t - cell recognition systems. “ we took advantage of a novel protein, an rna helicase known as p68, ” dr. weidanz continued. “ this protein is overexpressed in cancer cells, and peptides from it are displayed in the cell ’ s mhc i receptors. ” mhc class i molecules display peptides derived from self proteins in a special peptide binding cleft. malignant and diseased cells display intracellular peptides on their surfaces, which allow them to be recognized and eliminated by killer t cells. receptor logic researchers produced an antibody specific for the peptide ( yllpaivhi ) - hla - a2 complex that they had found on the surface of a breast cancer cell line. this peptide, a component of the helicase protein, was shown to be overexpressed in a variety of cancer cell lines, both at the rna and the protein level. the antibody behaves as a t - cell receptor mimic and can bind to and be internalized by the appropriate cancer cells. so the question is, can the antibody, which will be internalized by the cancer cell, be used as a therapeutic device? potential killing mechanisms include complement activation, antibody - dependent cellular cytotoxicity, and


by the appropriate cancer cells. so the question is, can the antibody, which will be internalized by the cancer cell, be used as a therapeutic device? potential killing mechanisms include complement activation, antibody - dependent cellular cytotoxicity, and cross linking at the cell surface. dr. weidanz found that a peptide from human chorionic gonadotropin beta could be used to trigger an antitumor response. this protein also is an overexpressed, cancer - related marker observed in the human breast cancer cell line mda - mb - 231. using an antibody against the peptide - mhc i receptor complex, dr. weidanz showed that the tumor cells were killed by complement activation as well as through antibody - dependent cell cytotoxicity. moreover, in an in vivo nude mouse model, the antibody prevents tumor growth in the human breast cancer cell line. in these experiments, the mechanisms by which the tumors are eliminated have not yet been defined. it may be that the antibodies trigger the host immune response, as appears to be the case for naked antibodies such as rituximab used to treat b cell non - hodgkin lymphoma and alemtuzumab for patients with b cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. shooting at a moving target with the announcement of each new advance in cancer treatment there is great euphoria, followed by optimistic predictions, and then depression when these starry - eyed prophesies are not realized. it is interesting to compare the last 25 years of cancer research with the vast improvements that have occurred during this period in the field of hiv investigation. although there is no cure or vaccine for aids, the condition for many sufferers is a manageable, long - term, chronic illness, and afflicted individuals can, with luck, anticipate a long life span. in many ways the cancer dilemma is comparable ; a population of highly unstable, mutatable cells that is constantly evolving resistance to the cancer treatment de jour. there is now a host of candidates waiting in the wings for their opportunity to prove their mettle. no drug moves into human cancer trials without extensive preclinical investigation, and many of the agents covered in this review are quite effective in suppressing xenografted tumors in the mouse scid model system. however, human tumors are highly heterogeneous and there is every reason to believe that no matter how effective innovative antibody therapies are in preclinical models, resistant populations will


the order of the bath the order of the bath is mainly awarded to officers of the armed services, as well as to a small number of civil servants. numbers may be increased in times of war or in the event of any military or civil action or service which merits ' peculiar honour or reward '. in 1971 women were admitted to the order for the first time. the order now consists of the sovereign ( the queen ), the great master ( the prince of wales ) and three classes of members. the statutes provide for 120 knights and dames grand cross ( gcb ), 295 knights and dames commander ( kcb and dcb ) and 1, 455 companions ( cb ). the title of the order is late medieval in origin. it arose from the ritual washing ( inspired by the washing of baptism ), a symbol of spiritual purification, which formed part of a knight ' s preparations for the conferment of knighthood. the honour was not conferred until the candidates had prepared themselves by various rituals designed to purify the inner soul by fasting, vigils and prayer, and cleansing themselves by bathing. the earliest mention in an official document, after the crowning of william i, of the ceremony of bathing at the creation of a knight was that of 15 - year - old geoffrey count of anjou ( later husband of mathilda ) in 1128. at henry v ' s coronation in 1413 ' fifty gallant young gentlemen, candidates for knighthood of the bath, according to custom went into the baths prepared severally for them '. by the end of the fifteenth century, many of the ceremonial rituals were beginning to disappear, although ' knights of the bath ' were still made at coronations - the court goldsmith made 75 badges for charles ii ' s coronation. the order was revived by george i in 1725 as a regular military order, to serve the purposes of the first prime minister, sir robert walpole, who required an additional source for political rewards. the revived order consisted of the sovereign, a great master and 36 knights companions. george i ' s statutes stated that : " whereas in case of a war in europe we are determined that this realm should be in a posture of defence against the attempts of our enemies, we do hereby ordain that from henceforth every companion of the said military order in case of any danger of invasion from foreign enemies or from rebellion at home shall maintain at his own cost four men - at - arms for any number of days the sovereign shall think proper. " in 1815


henceforth every companion of the said military order in case of any danger of invasion from foreign enemies or from rebellion at home shall maintain at his own cost four men - at - arms for any number of days the sovereign shall think proper. " in 1815, at the end of the napoleonic wars, the prince regent ( later george iv ) created two divisions, military and civil, and the order was expanded - which caused some controversy at the time as some thought the increased numbers made the order valueless. the rites of bathing, vigils and so on were formally abolished. the first installation of knights after the revival of the order took place in 1825 in the henry vii chapel in westminster abbey, which had been selected as the chapel of the order. the ceremony of bathing was not included, nor were the former customs, which included vigils and fasting. the service of installation of knights and dames grand cross has taken place in the henry vii chapel ever since. a total of 34 of the most senior knights grand cross are allocated stalls in the chapel. above these are hung the standards of the knights and their armorial plates are affixed to the stalls. the stallplates of past knights can be seen attached to the stalls, and among these is that of lord nelson. the star of the military knights and dames grand cross is composed of rays of silver, charged with an eight - pointed ( maltese ) cross. tria juncta in uno ( three joined in one ) a chapel in westminster abbey knight / dame grand cross, knight / dame commander and companion gcb, kcb / dcb and cb


node : about environments, next : local variables, up : about closure we said earlier that a variable name in a scheme program is associated with a location in which any kind of scheme value may be stored. ( incidentally, the term " vcell " is often used in lisp and scheme circles as an alternative to " location ". ) thus part of what we mean when we talk about " creating a variable " is in fact establishing an association between a name, or identifier, that is used by the scheme program code, and the variable location to which that name refers. although the value that is stored in that location may change, the location to which a given name refers is always the same. we can illustrate this by breaking down the operation of the define syntax into three parts : a collection of associations between names and locations is called an environment. when you create a top level variable in a program define, the name - location association for that variable is added to the " top level " environment. the " top level " environment also includes name - location associations for all the procedures that are supplied by standard scheme. it is also possible to create environments other than the top level one, and to create variable bindings, or name - location associations, in those environments. this ability is a key ingredient in the concept of closure ; the next subsection shows how it is done.


more than two months after the end of the three - day new york city transit strike, both the attention and the tension have dimmed. but there is still no settlement in place, and indeed some transit workers have signed a petition to vote again on the contract that had been rejected on january 20th by a mere seven votes. it would be difficult to say with whom the majority of new york bus and subway riders sided, the transit workers or the management of the metropolitan transportation authority. it is a safe bet to say that during the inconvenience of the strike itself, most commuters had little polite to say about either of them. since people tend to sympathize with those who seem similar, it is worth looking at the ways in which transit workers resemble, and differ from, transit riders. new york city is one of the few places in the united states in which only a minority of people rely on the automobile to get to work. nationwide, 86 percent of people who live in or near central cities commute by car. in new york city, that number is about 33 percent. table 1 offers a breakdown : it is interesting to note that public transit workers in new york actually commute by automobile at a higher rate than new yorkers as a whole. there are also sharp demographic differences among commuters, depending on the means by which they get to work. for instance, those who use commuter rail to come to nyc generally earn more income, live in more affluent households, are more often male, are more likely white, are more often living with a spouse and have graduated from college than those using other means to get to work. they differ substantially from those who drive or ride an automobile, work at home or get to work by other means. by contrast, those who take public transit are more likely to be black and hispanic than the other groups. they are less likely to be living with a spouse. they are also likely to have less education. the median income of those using public transit ( subway or bus ) is about $ 34, 000. public transit workers make a median income that is more than the public they service. instead of $ 34, 000, they earn a median income of $ 47, 000. there are other differences as well. a larger fraction of transit workers are male and black than the public at large. they are also less likely to be educated, are as a group older than new yorkers as a whole, and are more likely to own their own homes and live in married - couple households.


workers are male and black than the public at large. they are also less likely to be educated, are as a group older than new yorkers as a whole, and are more likely to own their own homes and live in married - couple households. despite their relative lack of education, the arduous nature of transit work coupled with their unionized power has led them to a relatively high income. how this analysis was done. this analysis made use of the public use micro - sample data from the ipums website. using a variety of variables it was possible to isolate those who work in the public or private transit industry, as well as those who work in new york city and travel to their jobs in various ways. young lawyers get $ 20, 000 raises according to new york observer, a bidding war has broken out among the major so - called wall street or white shoe law firms. new associates are now being offered $ 145, 000 up from $ 125, 000, where it has been for about 5 years. my earlier column on new york lawyers still seems to be basically accurate, though the figures have increased. nine million new yorkers? is new york growing so fast that it is likely to reach 9 million population in the next two decades? using recent projections from some private entities a new york times story indicates that the bloomberg administration is planning for it. new york city reached over seven million by 1940 and it took 60 years to reach eight million. could it really reach nine million by 2025? so far, according to census numbers, new york city is growing more modestly than it did in the 1990s. the census recently changed their estimation methods, but the city usually challenges their estimates and is given credit for a few more thousand people. during that decade the census estimated that the city was only growing about 10, 000 per year, but it actually was growing about 60, 000. we will probably know more when the new fully implemented american community study data are released next august. until then, the census will issue a new estimate for the population through july 31, 2005 sometime this spring. census says keep counting the prisoners in prison despite the efforts of many in the redistricting and criminal justice communities the census bureau says that prisoners should still be counted at the prison sites and that the data should continue to be added to the counts in many small towns and counties. a rider was added to the census appropriation bill asking for a report on this issue. not surprisingly the census bureau did not want to change a thing. the current method deprived the


americans remain protected today by a wondrous document published : sunday, september 16, 2012 at 3 : 15 a. m. last modified : thursday, september 13, 2012 at 4 : 12 p. m. monday is constitution day. few documents enjoy such an important place in american history and the american imagination as the u. s. constitution. the men who wrote this document had lived through america ' s struggle for independence from great britain. they still shared many common beliefs with their cousins on the other side of the atlantic. perhaps the most important link remained the tradition of english constitutionalism and the concept of natural rights — the idea that basic human rights existed from god or nature, and that governments could interfere with these rights only at their great peril. americans reading this column ought to know the three natural rights most important to the founding of the american republic : life, liberty, property. while thomas jefferson ' s phrase about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness may be more familiar today, it was john locke ' s life, liberty, property that eventually made its way into the constitution. americans fought the revolution to preserve their natural rights — liberty — in the face of british excesses. the phrase " no taxation without representation " represented both an effort to evade british taxes and a statement of constitutional philosophy. most americans did not want to send representatives to parliament where they would be heavily outnumbered by englishmen who paid far more taxes than americans — and who wanted to share that burden with their upstart cousins. colonists increasingly saw parliament as the source of attacks upon american liberty, and came to resent this source of central authority. american colonists looked to their own colonial legislatures as the legitimate source of legislation and the protectors of their liberty from the excesses of great britain. america ' s first federal constitution, the articles of confederation, quite naturally sought to protect american liberty by placing most power in the hands of the several states. some americans lamented the absence of a stronger federal authority almost immediately, but the legacy of parliament ' s efforts to impose taxes and control the colonists meant that it would take manifest failures before america rethought its constitutional philosophy. the articles of confederation established a weak government that did not have the direct power of taxation. america had difficulty building a military establishment to protect itself — - indeed, after the revolution ended, congress could not even evict british troops from american soil on the frontier. state legislatures proved especially vulnerable to popular pressures and special - interest groups, and seemed to be hopelessly corrupted by an " excess


— - indeed, after the revolution ended, congress could not even evict british troops from american soil on the frontier. state legislatures proved especially vulnerable to popular pressures and special - interest groups, and seemed to be hopelessly corrupted by an " excess of democracy. " popular democracy, sometimes termed the regulator movement, let disgruntled people ignore laws by calling out the militia, shutting down courthouses and chasing out state officials ; jury nullification existed, as it had before the revolution, as a favorite device that communities could use to nullify the impact of laws. these failures, by 1787, convinced a number of americans that this weak federal government yet again threatened their liberty. that year represented an effort to protect everyone ' s liberty from the dangers of the era : external and internal violence, runaway democracy and mob rule, and an uncertain business environment. the new constitution provided for a federal system with powers divided between the national and state governments. the mistrust of a powerful national establishment remained, and numerous breaks upon federal power existed, from the prohibition of appropriations for the army greater than two years in length, to a dual military system that left states with their own militias. however, the new constitution provided the national government with the powers that it needed to rationalize contract law, levy taxes, impose order and build the modern bureaucratic - military establishment necessary to preserve american independence and territorial integrity. liberty would now be guaranteed by the national rather than the state governments. numerous devices now would protect americans from excesses of democracy. the geographic isolation of a central capital represented an attempt to protect congress from public pressures. the indirect election of senators and the life appointments ( and not elections ) of federal judges equally served to insulate the federal government. the electoral college, essentially a congress with one power, represented another way to remove the federal government from popular pressures. most states did not even hold popular elections during the first presidential cycle, and it wasn ' t until 1848 that we had a national election day. south carolina did not hold a popular vote for president until after the civil war. these were not power - hungry despots. in fact, the attempts to insulate america from popular forces reflected an effort to protect all americans from the tyranny of the majority. the best protections for life, liberty and property, many founding fathers thought, came from putting government into the hands of a disinterested, moral elite who would govern for the common good. certainly the constitution did not protect the liberty of large segments of the american population. yet


adenoviruses are viruses affecting both humans and animals and were initially isolated in human adenoids ( tonsils ) — hence the name. the infections caused by these viruses tend to cause illnesses mainly in your toddlers ’ respiratory system. children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years are most commonly susceptible to these infections. the common cold is the most typical example of an upper respiratory tract infection. a pharyngoconjunctival fever involves sore throat, red eyes with fever. this is another commonly occurring adenoviral infection. other adenoviral infections may include : your toddlers and the virus toddlers spend their time touching their mouths, noses and eyes throughout the day. they can often be observed running around with runny noses and afterwards, suffering from occasional fevers. the two causes are not unrelated — the one leads to the other. this is because viruses tend to survive on surfaces which your toddlers touch and easily enter their bodies through contamination. make sure kids cover their noses when they sneeze and cough. wash their hands before and after play and otherwise as frequently as possible. wash the surfaces they come in contact with — avoid contamination. it is important to remember that antibiotics are not useful in this situation. although there is no cure for common cold, there are ways of making your toddlers comfortable and relieving them of their symptoms with the help of the following techniques.