as representative of the agrarian god he must be the best husbandman of the group that he leads, following the standard set by hunahpu. the latter was in fact " a man fit for all work, " as the elders continue to exclaim with admiration. disguised as a true worker of the seed fields, dirty, covered with debris from the trees, mud, and pieces of moss, just as one sees the indian amid the activity of his work, hunahpu extols the role of the husbandman who through his work alone gains the right to eat, because this is the reward of all work according to the customs of the maya as decreed by hunahpu. the one who does not work forfeits the right to eat and rest. the posture of rest taken by the twins following their return from the field is still observed by the chortis, and is reproduced in the picture of a figure in the dresden codex, where god b, the homologue of hunahpu, is seated with legs and arms stretched out. assiduity in labor is expressed in the following sentence : " before the next day dawned the twins returned to the seed field, " a custom that the mayas have observed ever since. just as osiris taught the egyptians the cultivation of wheat and barley, hunahpu by his own example teaches the operation of the seed field in all of its ramifications. the life of the farmer is one of effort in which nothing is accomplished without constant work. hunahpu manifests the attitude the indian must assume toward the difficulties that face him. the man of the tropics must especially struggle against two elements : nature itself, whose vigor threatens the fields not kept clear of undergrowth ; and animals that are harmful to agriculture. both factors combined to destroy hunahpu ' s seed field " in a single night. " far from being dismayed by such a misfortune, the twins again sowed the field with maize and considered what they must do. " now we will keep watch over our milpa, and we shall see what we do with those who would surprise us, " they agreed. then they returned to their house ( note again the use of the possessive ), telling their grandmother of the loss incurred, explaining that their field had become one big patch of undergrowth ( which happens when the work of clearing the ground has not been done in time ). " we are going now to watch over the field, because what they are doing to us is bad. " they


field had become one big patch of undergrowth ( which happens when the work of clearing the ground has not been done in time ). " we are going now to watch over the field, because what they are doing to us is bad. " they returned to the seed field and hid themselves in the shade, " waiting without movement, like the lizards, remaining concealed without speaking. " this picturesque description, showing the hero - gods lying in ambush for the marauding animals that came by night, can be applied to the present - day indian who, following the pattern they established, guards his property at night. " by being merely seen and surprised, " the animals are vanquished and unable to carry out their destruction of the crop. here is the origin of a curious custom of the chortis based on the fact that an animal ( or an enemy ) that is surprised, and whose name and features are known, is already overcome by virtue of the principle that to know a person or his name gives one dominance over him. thus, when the chorti husbandman goes around his fields at midnight ( the hour instituted by hunahpu ), he speaks aloud to the visible and invisible animals as follows : " now i see you, now i know you, you are so - and - so, and now i pronounce your name, " with certainty that this magical formula will cause any real or supposed marauding rodents to flee the field. all these details on the way to carry out the serial steps of cultivation ( sowing, resowing, cleaning, and guarding the seed field ) make one think that in the earlier age there was no such work - regimen governing the milpa. it is plausible to think that women did not go out to guard the fields at night and that lacking proper methods of cultivation, the maize plantations did not produce as much as when horticulture gave way to agriculture. confirming such a hypothesis is the fact that maize did not become divine until hunahpu and ixbalamque incarnated the mystery of the germination and growth of this plant, which ever since has been held sacred and representative of hunahpu, the maize god. before its deification, maize was no more than one among a number of food plants that, like the bean, yucca, and other vegetables, were combined with hunted food in the diet of the matriarchal family. the divinization of maize occurred when the kernels had attained some degree of development, to judge by contemporary customs which only


bean, yucca, and other vegetables, were combined with hunted food in the diet of the matriarchal family. the divinization of maize occurred when the kernels had attained some degree of development, to judge by contemporary customs which only regard the largest kernels as the residence of spirit or the maize god. from the time of its deification, the maize milpa is something so sacred for the indian of quiche - maya culture that he dedicates all his time to it, caring for it with painstaking attention, as he would a treasure. the popol vuh then recounts the struggle made by the twins against the animal marauders who, because they " have been seen and surprised, " are finally subdued and must take flight while the twins try to catch them by hand. the puma, the jaguar, the mountain cat, coyote, wild boar, and coati refused to be captured, but the deer and rabbit ran with their tails between their legs ( a sign of fear ) and their pursuers seized them. but the tails broke off, and hunahpu and ixbalamque were left holding only the ends. from that time rabbits and deer have stubby tails. the twins also caught the rat, squeezed its body and burned its tail, " and since then rats have hairless tails and bulging eyes because of the way the twins dealt with them. " this curious etiological legend explaining the form of the tails of these three creatures reminds one of another and similar tradition obtained by dr. jesus aguilar paz in chamelecon, the old territory of the hicaques, which runs as follows : in the time of hun batz, who fed on beetles and spiders, when witches flew and owls spoke, the rabbit had a tail like a cat ' s, the rat a tail like the horse ' s, and the deer one like that of a sheep dog. but the day came when by a work of magic these three tails were transformed — and here the informant gave a story similar to what we transscribe from the popol vuh. in its difficulties, the rat exclaimed, " don ' t kill me as you think to do, because sowing the seed field is not your work. " " well, then, have you anything to tell us? " the twins asked it, because they inferred from what the rat had said that it possessed great knowledge. " if you let me go free i will tell you, because i have truth in my belly


, have you anything to tell us? " the twins asked it, because they inferred from what the rat had said that it possessed great knowledge. " if you let me go free i will tell you, because i have truth in my belly ; but first give me something to eat, " said the rat. the wise rodent demands " payment " in food first before making its statement. but such demands are not acceptable because the twins are laying down the new patterns of conduct, and according to these any reward of nourishment must first be merited. " we will feed you afterwards, but speak first, " they told the rat. then the rat revealed the secret hiding place where the seven ahpu had placed their insignia of splendor before leaving for xibalba. " spears, gloves, and ball were left hanging under the eaves of the house. your grandmother doesn ' t want to show them to you because these had brought about the death of your fathers, " said the rat. since the rat had spoken, they gave it a meal of maize, dry pepper, beans, cacao, and pataxte seeds. " this now will be your food ; hereafter you will search for refuse to gnaw upon for sustenance, " the youths told the rat. their list shows the food plants of the time. these composed the sumptuous meal given the rat in exchange for its service, but from then on it would have a different way of feeding itself. thus the rat lives on garbage, and men must carry out hunahpu ' s sentence by preventing the rat from touching foods reserved only for humankind. because it had revealed its secret — a serious and punishable thing that is contrary to the rules of mayan ethics — the rat fears to appear before the grandmother ; but the twins offer to protect it. after having thought together during the night and reached agreement, hunahpu and ixbalamque went to their house at noon ( the hour corresponding to the sun ' s zenith as well as that of the agrarian god embodied in the twins, the position determining their moment for action ). they carried the rat with them, hidden from view. one then entered by the door and the other through an opening in the wall, and together they let the rat go. note this example of a plurality in a single act ; it is a turn of language constantly found in the popol vuh and signifies a monotheist conception, based on the idea of a plurality within unity


and together they let the rat go. note this example of a plurality in a single act ; it is a turn of language constantly found in the popol vuh and signifies a monotheist conception, based on the idea of a plurality within unity. the twins asked the grandmother for something to eat. " grind our meal " ( the use of the metate ). " we wish a chili dressing, grandmother, " they said ( a. recinos translation ). the grandmother complied, placing the soup and meat before them ( note how the twins request their meal and the old woman obeys ). by quietly emptying the water jars and then asking the grandmother for drinking water, they get her out of the house, since she must fetch the water from the fountain — just as do present - day indian women in observance of the norms established by ixmucane. hunahpu and ixbalamque, their grandmother thus absent, begin the project they had thought about and agreed on during the night. in order to keep their grandmother away from the house longer, they send a mosquito to bore holes in the water jar ( the act of throwing the magical dart that we encounter so often ). ixmucane tried in vain to prevent the water from leaking out of the jar. then, mentioning the grandmother ' s delay and their great thirst, they sent their mother ixquic to look for the old woman. now alone, they took their fathers ' ball, lances, gloves, and pelts and hid them by the road leading to the ball court. these were brought down by the rat through a hole in the house ' s roof ( the image of the sun, identified with the ball, which at the end of its course across the celestial vault goes under the earth through an opening ). then the youths set out toward the river where they find their mother and grandmother occupied with the task of closing up the hole in the face of the water jar. " what happened to you? we got tired of waiting for you and so came here, " said the twins. " well, look then, " replied the old woman, " we cannot close up the face of my water jar. " but the two youths closed it up in a second, and they all returned to the house, the twins going ahead of their grandmother. and that is how they recovered their fathers ' game ball. we have emphasized ixmucane ' s expression regarding the " face of her water jar " because in it we find the


returned to the house, the twins going ahead of their grandmother. and that is how they recovered their fathers ' game ball. we have emphasized ixmucane ' s expression regarding the " face of her water jar " because in it we find the genesis of the glyph for the moon, shown as a large, narrow - mouthed pitcher ( cantaro ) which is the symbol for ixmucane, the old water goddess and lunar deity. the " face of her water jar " is similar to the very face of the goddess, i. e., her starry form as seen in the sky, inasmuch as the indian conceives the moon as a gigantic pitcher that pours water from the sky. thus, to this day he refers to the face of the water jar, and calls its handles ears. the use of this globe - shaped receptacle, which goes back to the matriarchal - horticultural period, is typical of peoples such as the taoajka who preserve the culture of that time and continue making such pitchers even now. this shows that pottery - making had undergone notable advances since its humble beginnings in the second age, and that the kitchen implements of the third age included the grinding stone, water jars, vessels made of calabashes, and earthen bowls or large cups in the shape of the half - calabash. in the remote past as well as the present day, those vessels of globular form designed to carry water are used exclusively by women in accordance with the practice begun by ixmucane. their function is moreover made known in some places by ideograms painted on their " faces " which have to do with rain or water. the double character of the goddess, anthropomorphic and heavenly, is expressed linguistically in the chorti names for the moon : ka tu and uh. compare the chorti ka tu with the miskito ka ti, arawak kat bi, and quiche ka ati. the ka tu ( our mother, our queen ) refers to the anthropomorphic aspect of the divine grandmother, the rank ixmucane had in the mythological family. the other vocable, uh, designates the night star and connotes the idea of sacred, blessed ; it is also used to denote the semispherical earthen bowl used in worship. the order of march, with the twins preceding their mother and grandmother, mirrors another present - day native custom whereby the children walk ahead of their parents, going "


it is also used to denote the semispherical earthen bowl used in worship. the order of march, with the twins preceding their mother and grandmother, mirrors another present - day native custom whereby the children walk ahead of their parents, going " indian file " in order of importance in conformity to the astro - theogonic model in which the young sun ( aurora ) precedes its father ( sun ). the twins next go out to play ball in the ball court, but not without first cleaning off this court where their fathers had played. this requirement, as we have seen, continues a custom going back to the first age when primeval man appealed to his creator in clean places. besides symbolizing the sun ' s relative position in the order of its rising and its daily trajectory, hunahpu and ixbalamque, playing alone for a long time on opposite sides of the court, represent the position of the sun and the moon at opposing solstices, just as this continues to be depicted on chorti altars. all this unmistakably reflects a gradual progress in astronomic and cosmogonic knowledge. of course, the two players were heard by the lords of xibalba, just as these had heard their fathers, the seven ahpu, since the roof of the came ' s dwelling place is the surface of the earth whose openings form the auditory canals of the underworld gods. these lords became angry, and again ordered their messengers to notify the twins that within the space of seven days ( the ritual cipher ) they should present themselves in xibalba to play a game of ball. taking the road that the youths would come along to reach their houses ( note the use of the plural here ), the messengers deliver their message to ixmucane, who replies that the order will be complied with. but instantly the old woman became filled with anxiety, recalling that her sons lost their lives in the same circumstances. " whom can i find to go and warn my grandchildren? " she thought and, despondent, went into her house. then, as if catching her thought, a louse fell into her skirt. she seized it and put it in the palm of her hand. " would you go and call my grandchildren in the ball court? " she asked the louse. " then you will tell them i say that the messengers from xibalba have arrived and they must be there within seven days. " the louse left lazily to carry out its commission, when on


court? " she asked the louse. " then you will tell them i say that the messengers from xibalba have arrived and they must be there within seven days. " the louse left lazily to carry out its commission, when on the road it met a boy named tamazul ( toad ). " where are you going? " the toad asked the louse. " i carry a command in my belly and i ' m looking for the twins, " it replied. note that as in the case of the rat, the belly is the organ of intelligence, memory, and feelings, functions that are also located in the heart, as we shall see, which explains the symbolic equivalence of the heart and umbilicus of heaven and of earth, terms by which the chortis designate the central deity. the ambivalence of the toad and the human being is still preserved in maya worship in the alternate use of persons who croak like frogs or of actual batrachians, for they " implore better than we do " during the ceremony to entreat for rain. " don ' t you want me to swallow you? you will see how fast i run and we will get there promptly, " said the toad. " good, " answered the louse. it was immediately swallowed, and so the two traveled on for a long time, until they met a great white snake called zakicaz. the same series of questions was asked of the toad, which consented and was swallowed by the snake, so that the message might reach the ball court. later the three encountered a bird of prey ( a sparrow hawk or raven ) ; the scene was repeated, the bird swallowing the snake and flying instantly toward the ball court. ever since, birds of prey eat snakes, these eat toads, and toads eat insects. besides this meaning, and to show the relative velocity of the animals in question, the allegory unquestionably objectifies an astronomic episode, the animals symbolizing celestial bodies whose importance has the same relation as that of their relative speed. first, the bird of prey, representative of the sun ; next the white snake which in chorti mythology represents the milky way ; thereafter the chac ( toad ) or god of rain, projected in the star ; and finally the louse, whose meaning we do not know. it is of interest to point out that for the first time mention is made in allegorical form of the milky way, whose movements were perfectly well


of rain, projected in the star ; and finally the louse, whose meaning we do not know. it is of interest to point out that for the first time mention is made in allegorical form of the milky way, whose movements were perfectly well known to the maya, and which still plays a principal role in chorti astronomy, inasmuch as it signals the time of sowing known as " the second. " both the central deity, as well as the milky way and the gods of rain, work in close association, just as the group of animals cooperated to carry ixmucane ' s message to the twins. they also offer a vivid image of the conception of a plurality of beings enclosed in a unity, as found in maya monotheist belief. reaching the ball court, the bird of prey alighted on the building there and cawed three times : quako! quako! quako! this defines the origin of the name of the raven, the onomatopoeia of its sound. the three cries have also a ritual meaning, and with them the bird attracted the attention of the players who, seeing it, shot at it with their blowguns, whereupon it fell to the ground. then the hawk spoke, saying it had a message in its belly which it would deliver when its eye, wounded by the youths ' dart, should be healed. " very well, " they said, and taking coagulated sap from a plant ( resin of the rubber tree according to raynaud ; of the pine according to villacorta ), they applied it to the eye, whereupon it was instantly healed. hunahpu in this case performs as a healer, one of the attributes of the agrarian god and of the chorti elder, its authentic representative. at the same time a formula from the native pharmacopoeia is described for treatment of cataracts or ills of the eye, whose origin is this miraculous operation of hunahpu. if the latter this time heeds the bird ' s imperious request contrary to the way he treated the rat, which he made to speak first, it is because now we are dealing with the nahual of hunrakan, i. e., with an emissary of the solar deity which since the time of its curing by hunahpu is the only animal that can look full into the sun ( in mexico it is the eagle ). at once the hawk spits up the snake which in turn ejects the


solar deity which since the time of its curing by hunahpu is the only animal that can look full into the sun ( in mexico it is the eagle ). at once the hawk spits up the snake which in turn ejects the toad ; but it doesn ' t succeed in dislodging the louse, because the insect stayed locked in its mouth. the toad hadn ' t really swallowed the louse but had only acted as if it had done so. because of that the twins, treating it as one would a liar, beat the toad, " giving it kicks in the rump, so that since then the bones in its rump and legs are fallen. instantly they opened the toad ' s mouth and found the louse caught in the gum, taking the insect from the toad. " aside from the etiological meaning, explaining the form and movement of toads, this allegory emphasizes another rule of quiche - maya ethics : the denunciation and punishment of lying, a vice that is still dealt with in the way hunahpu began it. palacio mentions, in fact, that " whoever is found lying is brutally whipped. " ( relacion al rey don felipe ii, dated march 8, 1576 ) so deep - rooted is the love of truth among the natives that even today those who preserve their traditional social and religious organization continue to respect that elevated principle of ethics. ixmucane ' s herald at last delivers its important message, telling the twins that through their grandmother the came challenge them to a game of ball which has to be held within a period of seven days, and therefore they must take with them their lances, gloves, pelts, and ball so that they can " fight for their existence there. " this is to be a decisive struggle between two kinds of culture, personified by the twins and the came. before setting out for xibalba, the youths went to take leave of their grandmother, leaving with her a personal keepsake, reflecting another rule of conduct observed by the present - day indian. and the memento which hunahpu and ixbalamque left as " a sign of their existence " was nothing less than a stalk of maize. each of us will sow a stalk of maize in the center of our house. if they disappear, it will be a sign that we have died. " they are dead, " you will say then. but if they sprout again, " they live! " you will say. "


in the center of our house. if they disappear, it will be a sign that we have died. " they are dead, " you will say then. but if they sprout again, " they live! " you will say. " o our grandmother! you, little grandmother! you, our mother! do not weep, we have left you the mark of our word, " the twins told the two women. then hunahpu sowed one stalk and ixbalamque did the same ; inside the house they sowed them and not in the field, neither in damp ground, but rather in the middle of their house did they leave them sown. this episode is extremely important from the theogonic point of view inasmuch as it confirms the double function of hunahpu as god of maize and as solar god ( cerbatanero : shooter of darts ), and is moreover a typical example of nahualism, a belief that is still firmly fixed in the native mind. because the stalks of maize sown by the twins are their alter egos or unfoldments, by that token they will suffer an identic fate. if the twins die the stalks will die, but if they live then the stalks will sprout and grow. this explains why they were sown in dry soil and in the middle of the house - floor, for they represent the maize god in the central point of the cosmos, here symbolized by the house, where the plants will remain as the image of the divine youths. the metamorphosis or fate of the stalks of maize no longer depends upon the quality of the soil or of any other natural condition of things, but upon the destiny of the twins, their alter egos, which they reflect. this explains also the etymological relationship between the words center ( insin ) and maize ( isin ). nahualism embodies the belief that there exists between the person and the nahual ( animal or vegetable ) a fully determined, intimate relationship that begins and ends with the life of the person. in the ethnographic part of los chortis we have given cases showing that the death of the individual automatically implies that of his or her nahual, and vice versa. this fact explains the great veneration that is accorded the nahual. the picturesque allegory of the popol vuh is explained in terms of chorti theology by the category of brother gods ( with the meaning of an alter ego ) such as the


the great veneration that is accorded the nahual. the picturesque allegory of the popol vuh is explained in terms of chorti theology by the category of brother gods ( with the meaning of an alter ego ) such as the maize and young solar god, functions that are acquired by the twins, as will be seen. this intimate relationship is also expressed by a common denominator, since both the maize god and solar god are numeral gods whose number is five. mexican mythology offers us xochipilli and xochiquetzal, cinteotl and xilonen, the functional counterparts of hunahpu and ixbalamque in their double character of solar gods ( luni - solar ) and maize gods. similarly to the chorti mythology, xochipilli is the brother of cinteotl. this explains why in a mexican song xochipilli is mentioned as cinteotl, as also seler ' s identification of tezcatlipoca ( agrarian god ) with macuilxochitl ( solar god or god of summer ). in another version ce acatl ( one stalk ) is the name of quetzalcoatl in his function as a young god, and his hieroglyph in the form of a stalk of maize corresponds with that of hunahpu. in short, we find in the very mayan glyphs the ideographic correspondence with the concepts discussed above, expressed in the signs kin and kan, both being represented by a spherical form that is objectified in the popol vuh — the first by the game ball, at once the symbol of the sun and the equivalent of the sign kin ; and the second by the grain of maize, the equivalent of the kan glyph. their single genesis could not be better expressed — as we shall see below — than in the fact that both signs correspond to the head of hunahpu. finally, the positioning of the maize sprouts in the center of the house, coinciding with the descent of the twins into the underworld, expresses another custom of the time, consisting of burial of the dead within the house, a custom that is widespread in the americas. before going to the next chapter, we should mention the custom preserved by quiche indians of sowing two maize stalks in the middle of the plaza in front of their house, in remembrance of the stalks left behind by hunahpu and ixbalamque as a memento for their grandmother


tracking the blackout bug buried in four million lines of c code a number of factors and failings came together to make the august 14th northeastern blackout the worst outage in north american history. one of them was buried in a massive piece of software compiled from four million lines of c code and running on an energy management computer in ohio. to nobody ' s surprise, the final report on the blackout released by a us - canadian task force monday puts most of blame for the outage on ohio - based firstenergy corp., faulting poor communications, inadequate training, and the company ' s failure to trim back trees encroaching on high - voltage power lines. but over a dozen of task force ' s 46 recommendations for preventing future outages across north america are focused squarely on cyberspace. that may have something to do with the timing of the blackout, which came three days after the relentless blaster worm began wreaking havoc around the internet - a coincidence that prompted speculation at the time that the worm, or the traffic it was generating in its efforts to spread, might have triggered or exacerbated the event. when us and canadian authorities assembled their investigative teams, they included a computer security contingent tasked with looking specifically at any cybersecurity angle on the outage. in the end, it turned out that a computer snafu actually played a significant role in the cascading blackout - though it had nothing to do with viruses or cyber terrorists. a silent failure of the alarm function in firstenergy ' s computerized energy management system ( ems ) is listed in the final report as one of the direct causes of a blackout that eventually cut off electricity to 50 million people in eight states and canada. the alarm system failed at the worst possible time : in the early afternoon of august 14th, at the critical moment of the blackout ' s earliest events. the glitch kept firstenergy ' s control room operators in the dark while three of the company ' s high voltage lines sagged into unkempt trees and " tripped " off. because the computerized alarm failed silently, control room operators didn ' t know they were relying on outdated information ; trusting their systems, they even discounted phone calls warning them about worsening conditions on their grid, according to the blackout report. " without a functioning alarm system, the [ firstenergy ] control area operators failed to detect the tripping of electrical facilities essential to maintain the security of their control area, " reads the report. " unaware of the loss of alarms and


report. " without a functioning alarm system, the [ firstenergy ] control area operators failed to detect the tripping of electrical facilities essential to maintain the security of their control area, " reads the report. " unaware of the loss of alarms and a limited ems, they made no alternate arrangements to monitor the system. " with the firstenergy control room blind to events, operators failed to take actions that could have prevented the blackout from cascading out of control. in the aftermath, investigators quickly zeroed in on the ohio line - tripping as a root cause. but the reason for the alarm failure remained a mystery. solving that mystery fell squarely on the corporate shoulders of ge energy, makers of the xa / 21 ems in use at firstenergy ' s control center. according to interviews, a half - a - dozen workers at ge energy began working feverishly with the utility and with energy consultants from kema inc. to figure out what went wrong. the xa / 21 isn ' t based on windows, so it couldn ' t have been infected by blaster, but the company didn ' t immediately rule out the possibility that the worm somehow played a role in the alarm failure. " in the initial stages, nobody really knew what the root cause was, " says mike unum, manager of commercial solutions at ge energy. " we spent a considerable amount of time analyzing that, trying to understand if it was a software problem, or if - like some had speculated - something different had happened. " sometimes working late into the night and the early hours of the morning, the team pored over the approximately one - million lines of code that comprise the xa / 21 ' s alarm and event processing routine, written in the c and c + + programming languages. eventually they were able to reproduce the ohio alarm crash in ge energy ' s florida laboratory, says unum. " it took us a considerable amount of time to go in and reconstruct the events. " in the end, they had to slow down the system, injecting deliberate delays in the code while feeding alarm inputs to the program. about eight weeks after the blackout, the bug was unmasked as a particularly subtle incarnation of a common programming error called a " race condition, " triggered on august 14th by a perfect storm of events and alarm conditions on the equipment being monitoring. the bug had a window of opportunity measured in milliseconds. " there was a couple of processes that were in contention for a common data structure, and


on august 14th by a perfect storm of events and alarm conditions on the equipment being monitoring. the bug had a window of opportunity measured in milliseconds. " there was a couple of processes that were in contention for a common data structure, and through a software coding error in one of the application processes, they were both able to get write access to a data structure at the same time, " says unum. " and that corruption lead to the alarm event application getting into an infinite loop and spinning. " testing for flaws " this fault was so deeply embedded, it took them weeks of poring through millions of lines of code and data to find it, " firstenergy spokesman ralph dinicola said in february. after the alarm function crashed in firstenergy ' s controls center, unprocessed events began to cue up, and within half - an - hour the ems server hosting the alarm process folded under the burden, according to the blackout report. a backup server kicked - in, but it also failed. by the time firstenergy operators figured out what was going on and restarted the necessary systems, hours had passed, and it was too late. this week ' s blackout report recommends that the u. s. and canadian governments require all utilities using the xa / 21 to check in with ge energy to ensure " that appropriate actions have been taken to avert any recurrence of the malfunction. " ge energy says that ' s a moot point : though the flaw has not manifested itself elsewhere, last fall the company gave its customers a patch against the bug, along with installation instructions and a utility to repair any alarm log data corrupted by the glitch. according to unum, the company sent the package to every xa / 21 customer - more than 100 utilities around the world - and offered to help install it, " irrespective of their current support status, " he says. the company did everything it could, says unum. " we text exhaustively, we test with third parties, and we had in excess of three million online operational hours in which nothing had ever exercised that bug, " says unum. " i ' m not sure that more testing would have revealed that. unfortunately, that ' s kind of the nature of software... you may never find the problem. i don ' t think that ' s unique to control systems or any particular vendor software. " tom kropp, manager of the enterprise information security program at the electric power research institute,


of software... you may never find the problem. i don ' t think that ' s unique to control systems or any particular vendor software. " tom kropp, manager of the enterprise information security program at the electric power research institute, an industry think tank, agrees. he says faulty software may always be a part of the electric grid ' s dna. " code is so complex, that there are always going to be some things that, no matter how hard you test, you ' re not going to catch, " he says. " if we see a system that ' s behaving abnormally well, we should probably be suspicious, rather than assuming that it ' s behaving abnormally well. " but peter neumann, principal scientist at sri international and moderator of the risks digest, says that the root problem is that makers of critical systems aren ' t availing themselves of a large body of academic research into how to make software bulletproof. " we keep having these things happen again and again, and we ' re not learning from our mistakes, " says neumann. " there are many possible problems that can cause massive failures, but they require a certain discipline in the development of software, and in its operation and administration, that we don ' t seem to find.... if you go way back to the at & t collapse of 1990, that was a little software flaw that propagated across the at & t network. if you go ten years before that you have the arpanet collapse. " whether it ' s a race condition, or a bug in a recovery process as in the at & t case, there ' s this idea that you can build things that need to be totally robust without really thinking through the design and implementation and all of the things that might go wrong, " neumann says. despite the absence of cyber terrorism in the blackout ' s genesis, the final report includes 13 recommendations focused squarely on protecting critical power - grid systems from intruders. the computer security prescriptions came after task force investigators discovered that the practices of some of the utility companies involved in the blackout created " potential opportunities for cyber system compromise " of ems computers. " indications of procedural and technical it management vulnerabilities were observed in some facilities, such as unnecessary software services not denied by default, loosely controlled system access and perimeter control, poor patch and configuration management, and poor system security documentation, " reads the report. among the recommendations, the task force says cyber security standards established by the north america electric reliability


software services not denied by default, loosely controlled system access and perimeter control, poor patch and configuration management, and poor system security documentation, " reads the report. among the recommendations, the task force says cyber security standards established by the north america electric reliability council, the industry group responsible for keeping electricity flowing, should be vigorously enforced. joe weiss, a control system cyber security consultant at kema, and one of the authors of the nerc standards, says that ' s a good start. " " the nerc cyber security standards are very basic standards, " says weiss. " they provide a minimum basis for due diligence. " but so far, it seems software failure has had more of an effect on the power grid than computer intrusion. nevertheless, both weiss and epri ' s kropp believe that the final report is right to place more emphasis on cybersecurity than software reliability. " you don ' t try to look for something that ' s going to occur very, very, very infrequently, " says weiss. " essentially, a blackout like this was something like that. there are other issues that are higher probability that need to be addressed. " software bug contributed to blackout it failures in the great us blackout sparks over us power grid cybersecurity ncsp drafts secure code guidelines cyber security alliance sets sights on washington leeds uni, ms teach undergrads to write secure code


europe ( i / ˈjʊərəp / ewr - əp or / / yur - əp ) is, by convention, one of the world ' s seven continents. comprising the westernmost peninsula of eurasia, europe is generally ' divided ' from asia by the watershed divides of the ural and caucasus mountains, the ural river, the caspian and black seas, and the waterways connecting the black and aegean seas. europe is bordered by the arctic ocean to the north, the atlantic ocean to the west, the mediterranean sea to the south, and the black sea and connected waterways to the southeast. yet the borders of europe — a concept dating back to classical antiquity — are somewhat arbitrary, as the primarily physiographic term " continent " can incorporate cultural and political elements. europe is the world ' s second - smallest continent by surface area, covering about 10, 180, 000 square kilometres ( 3, 930, 000 sq mi ) or 2 % of the earth ' s surface and about 6. 8 % of its land area. of europe ' s approximately 50 states, russia is by far the largest by both area and population, taking up 40 % of the continent ( although the country has territory in both europe and asia ), while the vatican city is the smallest. europe is the third - most populous continent after asia and africa, with a population of 733 million or about 11 % of the world ' s population. europe, in particular ancient greece, is the birthplace of western culture. it played a predominant role in global affairs from the 15th century onwards, especially after the beginning of colonialism. between the 16th and 20th centuries, european nations controlled at various times the americas, most of africa, oceania, and large portions of asia. in 1900, europe ' s share of the world ' s population was 25 %. both world wars were largely focused upon europe, greatly contributing to a decline in western european dominance in world affairs by the mid - 20th century as the united states and soviet union took prominence. during the cold war, europe was divided along the iron curtain between nato in the west and the warsaw pact in the east. european integration led to the formation of the council of europe and the european union in western europe, both of which have been expanding eastward since the fall of the soviet union in 1991. other articles related to " europe, world " :... to persuade molotov to abandon his demands about europe as the price of soviet entry into the war as a german ally were entirely


eastward since the fall of the soviet union in 1991. other articles related to " europe, world " :... to persuade molotov to abandon his demands about europe as the price of soviet entry into the war as a german ally were entirely unsuccessful... as world war ii went on, ribbentrop ' s once - friendly relations with the ss became increasingly strained... assemblage of sa men to german embassies in eastern europe, with manfred von killinger going to romania, siegfried kasche to croatia, adolf beckerle to bulgaria, dietrich von jagow to hungary, and...... museums and audio - visual material from across europe... general european navigator first digital library on the history of a united europe... general michael multilingual inventory of cultural heritage in europe general a project funded by the european commission to give access to digital collections in european archives, museums and...... many historical issues, especially related to world war ii and the 1944 – 89 period, suppressed by communist censorship have been re - evaluated and publicly discussed ( like the massacre in jedwabne, the koniuchy... in poland, as unfortunately the rest of europe it is more or less at the same level as the rest of europe... before the war, the yeshiva chachmei in lublin was europe ' s largest...... antisemitic activity in prewar poland was also typical of antisemitism found in other parts of europe at that time, developing within a broader, continent - wide pattern with counterparts in every other european country... sentiment in poland had reached its zenith in the years leading to the second world war... as a result, on the eve of the second world war, the jewish community in poland was large and vibrant internally, yet ( with the exception of a few professionals ) also... famous quotes related to europe : “ europe is so well gardened that it resembles a work of art, a scientific theory, a neat metaphysical system. man has re - created europe in his own image. ” — aldous huxley ( 18941963 ) “ i have no more patience for this europe where autumn wears the face of spring and spring reeks of misery. ” — albert camus ( 19131960 ) “ whoever lights the torch of war in europe can wish for nothing but chaos. ” — adolf hitler ( 18891945 ) “ positively i sit here


lamanai is the maya word for “ submerged crocodile. ” the site ’ s name – “ lamanay ” or “ lamayna ” was recorded by franciscan missionaries in the seventeenth century. it is one of the only sites retaining its original name and is among one of … read more altun ha was a wealthy ceremonial center boasting two main plazas, thirteen structures ( including the temple of sun god or the temple of the masonry altars ). el pilar means “ pillar ” in spanish and it was named after an army camp in the area. el pilar is one of belize ’ s largest classic maya sites with a well - defined ceremonial section including both private and public areas. there are … read more the name of the site means “ place of ticks ” in the yucatecan maya language. this name was coined in the 1950 ′ s when the area around the site was used for pasture. this protected area was declared belize ’ s first ramsar site based on the wetland ’ s international significance especially for many migratory and non - migratory wetland bird species in 1998. large numbers of wading birds flock into the lagoons during belize ’ s dry season ( february … read more these wetlands in the toledo district attract a number of very visible birds forming the principal attraction for visitors to the sanctuary.


the holy month of ramadan is the ninth month of the islamic lunar calendar, which calls for 29 or 30 days of ascetic fasting during the daylight hours. important hari raya dates ramadan 2012 begins on saturday, july 21 and continues for 30 days until 18 august, which is a saturday. when the new moon comes out on the final day of ramadan, it puts an end to the fasting and heralds the first day of hari raya aidilfitri, known better in other parts of the world as eid al - fitr. this year, hari raya aidilfitri is on sunday, 19 august, 2012. hari raya aidilfitri is the first of the two eid festivals celebrated by muslims. the second one is eid al - adha, known in singapore and malaysia as hari raya haji which is celebrated on the 10th day of the last month in the islamic lunar calendar. this year, it will be on friday, october 26, 2012. roots of ramadan getting back to ramadan, it ’ s not just about food, because muslims all over the world refrain from all forms of self - indulgence during ramadan. in fact, the original arab word for fasting is “ sawm ” or “ to refrain. ” you cannot think bad thoughts, and your body and senses must follow. the eyes cannot look at bad things, the hands cannot touch what is wrong, you cannot speak ill of others or listen to it. giving up all such physical needs during the day allows those fasting to do some introspection and focus on correcting one ’ s own moral compass. it helps people give up vices, reach out in friendship to those who have been wronged and get back in touch with family and friends. this last communal aspect is what attracts foreign visitors who come to malaysia and singapore in droves during ramadan. people come home to their families and after a pre - dawn meal and a full day of fasting or “ puasa, ” millions of malays break the fast in the evening in a communal meal known as “ buka puasa ” or “ breaking the fast. ” this is a veritable feast, with traditional malay food and delicacies piled up and enjoyed together by family and friends. malaysia is majority muslim nation, with a minority contingent of chinese and indian populations. singapore is majority chinese, with minority muslim and indian populations. be that as it may, muslim homes and public places in each neighborhood are


enjoyed together by family and friends. malaysia is majority muslim nation, with a minority contingent of chinese and indian populations. singapore is majority chinese, with minority muslim and indian populations. be that as it may, muslim homes and public places in each neighborhood are filled with people from all three communities enjoying “ iftar ” parties. the main entertainment quotient is made up of the ramadan bazaars, which come alive a few hours before the buka puasa and then people celebrate with food and shopping. everything is on sale, from clothing and electronics to household appliances and utensils. some of these places are replaced the rest of the year by evening markets, known as a “ pasar malam ” or “ night market. ” but it ’ s just not the same as a ramadan bazaar, which has a holiday or carnival vibe where the crowds, the food and the kaleidoscopic colors will just reel you in. visitors can make it easy by booking a ramadan tour package. apart from the usual sight - seeing and tourist activities, the package will include a special hotel promotion for ramadan, with iftar meals included and a trip to some of the most famous and biggest ramadan bazaars. mouth watering food of hari raya but ramadan is best experienced with a special buka puasa meal at a food court in one of the ramadan bazaars or an iftar party in a friend ’ s home or neighborhood. the food is freshly cooked over open charcoal grills. you will get to taste a dazzling array of malay cuisine, from the traditional kueh which are sweet desserts to rendang which is a meat cooked in coconut milk and spices, and roti murtabak which is a kind of wrap with eggs and minced meat inside the roti. there will be a huge variety of rice ( nasi ) dishes, from the popular nasi lemak to lontong, lemang and nasi kerabu. chicken dishes and items are quite popular, including nasi ayam ( chicken rice ), ayam percik and satay ( grilled chicken ). the food, shopping and celebrations continue so long into the night that the government allows shopping malls and bazaars in popular tourist hotspots to stay open all night right up to the sahur ( pre - dawn meal ). visitors can either schedule trips to popular ramadan markets like the one in the shah alam stadium, bandar tun razak bazaar in kuala lumpur proper and geylang sera


open all night right up to the sahur ( pre - dawn meal ). visitors can either schedule trips to popular ramadan markets like the one in the shah alam stadium, bandar tun razak bazaar in kuala lumpur proper and geylang serai in singapore, or leave it up to the tour operator to take you to the right places. please take note of a few points that might come in handy, especially in malaysia. because a majority of the people will not be eating or drinking anything during the day, many malay and indian restaurants ( called mamak stalls ) are either closed or have a bare minimum staff. chinese food courts are open and it will be business as usual. do spare a thought for those fasting restaurants in popular tourist areas are also mostly open all day and they will happily serve food to foreigners. there ’ s no shortage of fast food outlets either, with plenty of kfc and mcdonalds outlets everywhere. you can get chilled beer anywhere, which feels pretty good in the heat. but in the sprit of ramadan and as a sign of respect for local customs and culture, try to avoid takeaways and eating or drinking in public places during the day. after the month of fasting, ramadan gives way to hari raya aidilfitri, which is as important as christmas for christians, and just as eagerly awaited by muslims all over the world.


scabies is an easily spread skin disease caused by a very small type of mite. causes, incidence, and risk factors scabies is found among people of all groups and ages around the world. - scabies spread by skin - to - skin contact with another person has scabies. - less often it can be spread by sharing clothes or bedding. sometimes whole families are affected. outbreaks of scabies are more common in nursing homes, nursing facilities, college dorms, and child care centers. the mites that cause scabies burrow into the skin and lay their eggs. this forms a burrow that looks like a pencil mark. eggs hatch in 21 days. the itchy rash is an allergic response to the mite. pets and animals cannot spread human scabies. it is also not very likely for scabies to be spread by : - a swimming pool - contact with the towels, bedding, and clothing of someone who has scabies, unless the person has what is called " crusted scabies " itching, most commonly at night rashes, mostly between the fingers - sores ( abrasions ) on the skin from scratching and digging - thin, pencil - mark lines on the skin mites may be more widespread on a baby ' s skin, causing pimples over the trunk, or small blisters over the palms and soles. - in young children, the infection may be on the head, neck, shoulders, palms, and soles of feet. - in older children and adults, the infection may be on the hands, wrists, genitals, and abdomen. signs and tests the doctor will examine your skin for signs of scabies. the doctor will look at scrapilngs taken from a burrow to look for the mites. a skin biopsy can also be done. before treatment, wash underwear, towels, and sleepwear in hot water. vacuum the carpets and upholstered furniture. use calamine lotion and soak in a cool bath to ease itching. take an oral antihistamine if your doctor recommends it for very bad itching. medicines from your health care provider the whole family or sexual partners of infected people should be treated, even if they do not have symptoms. creams prescribed by your health care provider are needed to treat scabies. - the cream most often used is permethrin 5 %. - other creams include benzyl benzoate,


, even if they do not have symptoms. creams prescribed by your health care provider are needed to treat scabies. - the cream most often used is permethrin 5 %. - other creams include benzyl benzoate, sulfur in petrolatum, and crotamiton. - lindane is rarely used because of its side effects. apply the medicine all over your body. creams may be used as a one - time treatment tor they may be repeated in 1 week. for hard to treat cases, your health care provider may also prescribe a pill known as ivermectin. itching may continue for 2 weeks or more after treatment begins. it will disappear if you follow your health care provider ' s treatment plan. most cases of scabies can be cured without any long - term problems. a severe case with a lot of scaling or crusting may be a sign that the person has a disease such as hiv. intense scratching can cause a secondary skin infection, such as impetigo. calling your health care provider call your health care provider if : - you have symptoms of scabies - a person you have been in close contact with has been diagnosed with scabies habif tp, ed. clinical dermatology. 5th ed. philadelphia, pa : mosby elsevier ; 2009 : chpat 15. diaz jh. scabies. in : mandell gl, bennett je, dolin r, eds. mandell, douglas, and bennett ' s principles and practice of infectious diseases. 7th ed. philadelphia, pa : churchill livingstone elsevier ; 2009 : chap 294. last reviewed 11 / 20 / 2012 by kevin berman, md, phd, atlanta center for dermatologic disease, atlanta, ga. review provided by verimed healthcare network. also reviewed by a. d. a. m. health solutions, ebix, inc., editorial team : david zieve, md, mha, david r. eltz, stephanie slon, and nissi wang. - the information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. - a licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. - call 911 for all medical emergencies. - links to other sites are provided for information only - - they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited


saint patrick ’ s day is a religious public holiday celebrated in many countries on the 17th march. it is named after ireland ’ s patron and saint, saint patrick, who is commonly recognised with the ‘ green country ’ and is believed to be credited with bringing christianity to ireland. originally the day started out as a catholic holiday and over time it became an official feast day in the early 17th century. nowadays it is more of a non - inspirational celebration of irish culture ; associated with everything irish such as green, gold, shamrock and luck. initially the associated colour was blue but over the years the colour green and its overtone with saint patrick ’ s day grew. now people dress up in green and decorate drinking establishments with green ribbons and shamrocks according to legend st. patrick used the shamrock, a three - leaved plant, to explain the holy trinity to the pre - christian irish people. it is for this reason that he shamrock is the national flower of ireland. folklore also claims st. patrick chased all the snakes out of ireland and that ’ s why they don ’ t have any over there! so rejoice in the special day by making arts and crafts with the children ; you can have tons of fun spending time together as a family and celebrate if you have any irish heritage or ancestors. pot of gold it ’ s irish folklore and it has it that if you follow the rainbow the leprechauns, otherwise known as irish fairies, will leave a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. this super easy project is a fun way to create a little package of goodies! a great craft that can be made by all ages you can simply recycle an old baby food or jam jar. a simply arts project that can amuse the kids for hours! use anything to colour in the shamrock from paints, coloured pens and green textiles ; use many shades of green to make it as bright as possible. the outlined shape can be sketched onto a plain white piece of paper or an example can be printed off the internet. this is a fantastic way for the children to have lots of fun getting messy with paint as well as educating them on the colours of the rainbow. get imaginative and sprinkle glitter on the rainbow like fairy dust and combine the projects by drawing a pot of gold at one end of the rainbow. implement some irish charm into your home with some irish themed tea towels from ulster weavers.


- united nations high commissioner for refugees ( unhcr ). awarded the nobel peace prize in 1954 and 1981. - united nations relief and works agency for palestine refugees in the near east ( unrwa ) - united nations children ’ s fund ( unicef ) and refugee children - convention relating to the status of refugees ( 1951 ) and its protocol relating to the status of refugees ( 1967 ) - world food programme ( wfp ) : its work with refugees and internally displaced persons ( idps ) - inter - agency standing committee ( iasc ) and its “ cluster approach ” in responding to humanitarian crises. - world refugee day ( 20 june ) the inter - agency standing committee - the inter - agency standing committee ( iasc ) - brings together all major humanitarian agencies, both within and outside the un system. it develops humanitarian policies, agrees on the clear division of responsibilities, and identifies and addresses gaps in response. - the iasc is chaired by the united nations emergency relief coordinator. - ocha ’ s humanitarian reform support unit ( hrsu ). - ocha ’ s central emergency response fund ( cerf ) - launched in march 2006 as an improved financing mechanism to facilitate an immediate response to humanitarian emergencies. - reliefweb. the world ’ s foremost humanitarian website, it provides the latest information on emergencies worldwide ( managed by ocha ). - irin. a news service that offers accurate and impartial reporting and analysis about sub - saharan africa, the middle east and central asia for the humanitarian community ( hosted by ocha ). - the humanitarian early warning system ( hews ) - comprehensive list of ocha websites. iasc ’ s “ cluster approach ” to humanitarian assistance the “ cluster approach ” to humanitarian assistance aims to strengthen humanitarian response by ensuring high standards of predictability, accountability and partnership. any major new or ongoing emergency is addressed in terms of the following clusters, each with its own lead agency or agencies, and a range of un and non - un partners : - agriculture - food and agriculture organization of the united nations ( fao ) - camp coordination and management - for conflict - induced displacement, the un high commissioner for refugees ( unhcr ) - for natural disaster migrations, the international organization for migration ( iom ) - crisis prevention and recovery - united nations development programme ( undp ) - education - united nations children ’ s fund ( unicef ) and the international save the children alliance - emergency shelter - for conflict - generated internal displacements, the unhcr - for disaster situations, international federation of red


the nature conservancy - date submitted : 1 nov 2011 - stakeholder type : major group - name : the nature conservancy - submission document : download full submissionsubmission from the nature conservancy to the compilation document, as the basis for preparation for the zero - draft outcome document for uncsd 2012 ( rio + 20 ) in order to address new and emerging challenges, and plan for a future which allows all people to live sustainably, it is essential that natural resources are managed effectively. healthy ecosystems are the very foundation upon which societies depend, through critical ecosystem services such as : food and water security ; materials for shelter ; income from tourism and sustainable use of terrestrial and marine resources ; and protection from climate change impacts and natural disasters. we are, however, currently degrading that natural capital at a rate that threatens human development. in october 2011, global population reached 7 billion ; by 2050, it is predicted to be over 9 billion. by that time, the world will likely add another 3 billion middle class consumers. increasing demands on food and water, and the expansion of hard infrastructure have created a? nexus of need? for those with responsibility for, and expertise in, human development planning and environmental management to work cooperatively and, indeed, seamlessly, to adopt a holistic approach to future planning. the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity report estimated that under a business - as - usual scenario,? a year? s natural capital loss would lead to a loss of ecosystem services worth in the order of us $ 2. 0 - 4. 5 trillion over a 50 year period?? as much or more than the total financial capital lost during the 2008 financial crisis. if we do not become more conscious of the impacts of our actions, and collectively change our practices accordingly, resource constraints, natural capital loss and climate change will produce negative feedbacks that could limit sustained and sustainable development and growth. the un conference on sustainable development ( rio + 20 ) provides a unique opportunity to address these challenges, particularly through the theme of? a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication?. a green economy is one that is ecologically and economically healthy and productive, which provides social benefits to improve people? s lives. the maintenance of healthy natural resources, which has been a theme running through international discourse and documents over the past few decades, including the legally - binding, as well as? soft? law outcomes from the 1992 un conference on the environment and development, and the targets and timetables in the


which has been a theme running through international discourse and documents over the past few decades, including the legally - binding, as well as? soft? law outcomes from the 1992 un conference on the environment and development, and the targets and timetables in the 2002 johannesburg plan of implementation, underpins our collective capacity to achieve a green economy. addressing implementation of such commitments through appropriate enabling conditions, tools and policies that facilitate the development and? scaling up? of innovative approaches should be a core issue in the outcome document for rio + 20. with reference to a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, the rio + 20 outcome document should refer to the following issues as necessary to create a new global development paradigm :? recognizing the fundamental role of nature as a solution - provider to development challenges, such as food, water, and energy security, poverty alleviation and human health, further efforts to mainstream and integrate the values of ecosystem services as integral to development planning are necessary. in particular : o improving valuations of natural capital as part of national accounting frameworks. o scaling up payments for ecosystem services across sectors. o creating supportive policies and incentives to mainstream the value of nature, and activities to maintain natural systems, into development planning processes. o creating policies that position natural infrastructure as a building block for a new green economy, by integrating natural infrastructure into the processes of infrastructure planning and investment. o creating policies which enable planning at whole river basin scales. example : through payments for ecosystem services mechanisms such as? water funds?, operational in latin america, downstream water users, such as municipalities and corporations, are compensating upstream land managers to keep the watersheds clean and healthy. this public - private partnership for ecosystem services ensures continued water quality and availability for cities, and provides a more sustainable and cost - effective solution than the? gray? alternative : construction and maintenance of water treatment plants. valuing natural capital, through payments for ecosystem services, should be included in the outcomes for rio + 20.? recognizing the importance of oceans and coasts to achieving economic and social development objectives ( often referred to as a? blue economy? ), it is imperative to catalyze action towards achieving sustainable management of oceans and coasts. notably, sustaining the economic prosperity and welfare of coastal communities and states will require implementing and scaling up a suite of marine and coastal conservation tools and community planning initiatives. in particular : o scaling up efforts to protect and restore critical ecosystems that provide important ecosystem services and social and economic benefits. o mainstreaming the value and importance of


require implementing and scaling up a suite of marine and coastal conservation tools and community planning initiatives. in particular : o scaling up efforts to protect and restore critical ecosystems that provide important ecosystem services and social and economic benefits. o mainstreaming the value and importance of marine and coastal ecosystem services and promoting ecosystem based approaches in adaptation to the impacts of climate change and disaster risk reduction strategies. o integrating ecosystem considerations into marine and coastal development planning through the use of marine spatial planning and strategic environmental assessments. o improving sustainability of fisheries, and in particular coastal fisheries, through leveraging community - based and rights - based approaches to fisheries management and galvanizing investments in, and market demand for, sustainable seafood that supports and facilitates reforms in fisheries management. o promoting sustainability standards and increased sound investments in ocean businesses and technologies. example : through the micronesia challenge, the caribbean challenge, the coral triangle initiative, and the progression of the new western indian ocean and coastal challenge, island and coastal states are responding to common challenges and working together to sustainably manage their natural resource base. in the micronesian sub - region, the three independent states and two us trust territories are completing the process of valuing their ecosystem services and the financial cost to maintain them, and established the micronesia conservation trust to fund sustainable development activities in perpetuity. by working collectively, these states are better able to share experiences, leverage their successes, and plan for the future. in order that these commitments to sustainable marine resource management become the effective building blocks within the context of a new green economy, and so that the international community can learn from their respective challenges and innovative solutions, further efforts to integrate and invest in such experiences will be necessary.? recognizing the asset value of ecosystem services, all actors ( states, private sector and civil society ) need to cooperate in developing new and innovative finance mechanisms within a green economy to provide sustainable sources of funding for natural resource management and social development planning. such mechanisms include debt - for - nature swaps ; conservation trust funds ; and compensation for reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation. example : debt loads of developing countries are an ongoing burden which greatly limits their ability to implement effective development plans and reduce poverty. recently, by forgiving a portion of such debt, the united states has increased indonesia? s capacity, both immediate and long - term, in relation to management of the forest sector. increasing the use of debt swaps as a finance mechanism within the green economy, has the potential to accelerate the achievement of sustainable development and poverty eradication.? recognizing the contribution of all


long - term, in relation to management of the forest sector. increasing the use of debt swaps as a finance mechanism within the green economy, has the potential to accelerate the achievement of sustainable development and poverty eradication.? recognizing the contribution of all actors ( public, private and civil society ) in establishing a new holistic green economy, and noting that many are not formally represented in traditional international legal processes, the creation of international norms needs to further evolve, to one that includes a suite of more flexible and open approaches involving actors from a range of sectors and interests. the current nine major groups? framework does not allow the kind of collaborative and open exchange of ideas and lessons that will be required within a new sustainable development paradigm. example : the nature conservancy and dow chemical have embarked upon a collboaration to help dow and other companies recognize, value and incorporate nature into global business goals, decisions and strategies. the aim of the collaboration is to advance the incorporation of the value of nature into business, and to take action to protect the earth? s natural systems and the services they provide people, for the benefit of business and society. the lessons they learn will also help governments, at national and sub - national levels, as well as other corporations and organizations, to more accurately value their ecosystem services and plan both for the immediate and long - term. there is currently, however, no space within the international system for such lessons to be shared. creating the space for non - state actors to interact more effectively with governments would help ensure that relevant expertise is available to assist societies in finding creative solutions to the challenges they face with regard to transitioning to a green economy within the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication.? recognizing that for the outcomes of rio + 20 to be effective, they will need to be integrated into a number of multilateral processes related to sustainable development. of particular importance, the revision of the millennium development goals provides a critical opportunity to learn from past experiences and include new and innovative approaches that have proven to be cost - effective, sustainable and have multiple benefits. over the past few decades, there are a number of examples that demonstrate that nature - based solutions have contributed to solving key development challenges. sustainable management of natural resources can, and should, be given a higher priority within the global development agenda and be further integrated in other development goals particularly in preparation for the post - 2015 development framework. conclusion the rio + 20 outcome document should focus on what is required to implement the commitments and pledges already delivered in previous sustainable development


within the global development agenda and be further integrated in other development goals particularly in preparation for the post - 2015 development framework. conclusion the rio + 20 outcome document should focus on what is required to implement the commitments and pledges already delivered in previous sustainable development fora and documents, and include what we have learned, and what we need to focus on to improve our planning, as guided by science. we know that forest conservation is a low - cost solution to a significant part of the climate mitigation problem, comprising up to 40 % of the cost - effective near - term measures to limit warming to 2 degrees. we know from experiences in new york city, bogota and quito that upper watershed conservation is a cost - effective solution to water quality and availability issues for cities, compared to building filtration plants. we know from thailand and vietnam and louisiana that restoring mangroves and coastal estuaries is a cost - effective way to protect coastal communities and infrastructure. the outcome document should provide a way forward to build upon these concepts, including in discussions across the financing for development, sustainable development, environment, climate change and biodiversity - related fora within the un system. rio + 20 needs to commit to a global investment program in the planet? s natural capital, because the earth? s natural systems are cost - effective solution providers.


chapter 6 : analysing the data another example of how chi - square can be used, is if you wanted to check if your sample had too many males in it or too many females and so be unrepresentative of the general population. for this exercise we will take the data from figure 6. 12 and the information in the output 6. 7 for gender. note the expected value in each case is 10 because we would expect 50 % of our total sample to be male and 50 % to be female. 2 ( 1 ) = 0. 20 is definitely not significant ( critical value = 3. 84 ), so we have no reason to suspect our sample is unbalanced with regard to gender representation. cross - tabulation and contingency tables chi - square tests for contingency tables are extremely useful statistical procedures for determining whether two categorical measures are related. if one of the variables is group membership and the other a dependent variable, the test may be used to analyse data from a simple randomised design, and the research may be either experimental or quasi - experimental. the data are organised into a row x column table, and the statistical test is made to determine whether classification on the column variable is independent of classification on the row variable. for example, suppose that the column variable was used to classify the subjects with respect to political affiliation while the row variable was used to classify subjects with respect to religion. the chi - square test is then used to determine whether there is an association between religion and political affiliation. there is no restriction with respect to the number of categories in either the row or column variable when the chi - square statistic is used to analyse data in a contingency table. there are, however, restrictions with respect to sample size similar to those encountered in the chi - square tests of goodness of fit ( i. e., the expected value in any cell should be > 5 ). the expected frequencies are derived from the marginal frequencies. these expected frequencies may be calculated from the formula : whereeij = the expected frequency for the cell in row i, column j ri = the sum of the frequencies in row i ci = the sum of the frequencies in column j n = the sum of the frequencies for all cells the chi - square statistics is calculated by summing over all cells : the degrees of freedom associated with the contingency table chi square is found by ( r - 1 ) ( c - 1 ). that is the number of rows minus one multiplied by the number of columns minus


in pakistan, an estimated 2 million people have been affected, as of monday, by flooding following four days of heavy rains in the wake of cyclone yemyin on 23 june. three out of four people affected are children and women, and at least 300, 000 of affected children are under 5 years old. accessibility remains a concern, with many areas still cut off by rising water, and many water distribution systems have been totally or partially destroyed, leading to poor hygiene and unsanitary conditions that are causing waterborne diseases, dehydration and infection. with hospitals and health clinics closed or only partially functioning, humanitarian aid is desperately needed. the worst hit areas in balochistan and sindh are among pakistan ' s most disadvantaged, making children and women there especially vulnerable to natural disasters. unicef is coordinating with government, un agencies and other partners on assessments, with a particular focus on the needs of children. unicef has issued an " immediate needs " document requesting $ 5 million for the response through october 2007. emergency unicef supplies have arrived in thandwe township in myanmar ’ s rakhine state, the western coastal state bordering bangladesh which was hit by torrential rains at the start of july. flooding has also been reported in ayeyarwaddy, bago and tanintharyi divisions on the central and southern coasts. flood waters have destroyed houses, covered the floors of hospitals, health posts and schools with mud, contaminated hundreds of drinking wells with mud and blocked latrines. unicef has been able to distribute essential drugs, oral - rehydration salts, water purification tablets and family kits, in part because of efforts to preposition supplies following the tsunami. unicef staff who were in rakhine state to help monitor the third phase of the polio vaccination campaign are now helping conduct a rapid assessment to assess the further needs of the flood - affected communities. heavy monsoon rains have preceded flash floods in parts of west bengal, orissa and rajasthan, india. unicef has received requests for assistance from the governments of west bengal and orissa and has health, water and sanitation, and nutrition supplies prepositioned to respond. additional supplies for shelter and health are being arranged. some prepositioned supplies were used in the last few days in chattisgarth and orissa to provide immediate relief. in afghanistan, flooding in late june caused the deaths of over 100 people and the displacement of thousands. unicef response included the distribution of emergency health kits, oral rehydration salts, water purification tablets and water bladders. unicef has


guidelines on best available techniques and best environmental practices for the production and use of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid ( pfos ) and related chemicals listed under the stockholm convention scope : the convention prohibits the use of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid ( pfos ), its salts, perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride ( pfos ‐ f ) except in certain applications or as intermediate in the production of chemicals used in these applications. production of pfos, its salts and pfos ‐ f is allowed only for use in these applications and the production of chemicals used in these applications. parties that produce and / or use pfos have to register with the secretariat of the convention and should take into account guidance on best available techniques ( bat ) and best environmental practices ( bep ). furthermore, in 2011, the cop adopted a decision that encourages parties to implement recommendations on risk reduction for pfos, its salts and pfos ‐ f, that relate to the different stages in the life cycle of pfos and processes and materials containing pfos. the objectives of this guidance document is to assist parties in developing strategies for applying of bat and bep for the production and use of pfos and for implementing the recommendations of the cop on risk reduction for pfos. main target audience : staff responsible for developing management plans for the application


chinese medicine for dermatological treatments i chinese medicine materia medica, tcm chinese medicine, chinese herbal medicine traditionally chinese medicine has been known as traditional chinese medicine or tcm, an alternative therapy administered in topical, oral or injected methods. herbs are generally used for treatment and often tcm is used for dermatological treatments. however, tcm is not always taken in the best of lights and this is because adequate research and understanding of the process has not been achieved. herbal medicines have 3 primary functions :? detoxification and elimination? maintenance and management of overall health? building of health different applications have different formulas and herbal methods are often used like a particular part or type of plant employed. us therapists use ‘ orthodox ’ therapies that are approved by the fda. though it works, patients are often sick of using them. thus they go for alternative therapies like tcm. dietary manipulation, vitamin therapy and herbal solutions are the common treatments used. dermatologists are now sufficiently informed about the placebo controlled effects of tcm and medical literature contain evidences about its efficiency. popular in mainland china and japan, tcm has been authenticated by chinese medical studies. one myth about tcm is that it is free of side effects, although hepatotoxicity and dermatitis are common adverse effects. tcm is effective as this is used for treating a lot of diseases like psoriasis. it is similar to psoralen uva phototherapy. the radix angelicae pubescentis is a chinese herbal alternative. furocoumarins are also common in tcm and when compared with psoralen uva treatments they effectively treat psoriasis. when administered in patients, a majority of them showed improvement. the adverse effects include nausea and headaches. toxic effects of tcm include gastro intestinal reactions, abnormal menstruation and cutaneous and mucotaneous reactions in human beings and animals. abnormal reactions in the hematopoietic system are also common in some individuals. exacerbation, abnormal functioning of the liver and latent chronic hepatitis is also observed. other tcm samples like ethyliminum are an active ingredient in indigo naturalis and are often used in western medicine as a treatment for psoriasis. some of the samples have fewer amounts of adverse effects and are widely prepared and commercially marketed in china. tcm topical agents have also beneficial effects such as the alkaloids that have anti neo plastic activities such as campototheca,


- prayer and worship - beliefs and teachings - issues and action - catholic giving - about usccb this article appeared in the january 31, 1997, issue of commonweal. it appears here with the permission of the editor of commonweal. the watershed for catholics with regard to other religions is the vatican ii document, nostra aetate. celebrated for its breakthrough in acknowledging the status of jews as god ' s people – " the gifts and call of god are irrevocable " ( rom. 11 : 29 ) – this slim statement reaches out to all " other religions, " notably to islam for its steadfast preaching of one transcendent god who is the free creator of all that is. it was that very preaching, of course, that set islam on a collision course with christianity over the ages, since both movements could be described as inviting all nations to worship the god of abraham, isaac, and jacob. yet the qur ' an " came down " to muhammad ( a. d. 570 - 632 ) six centuries after jesus, so that a large portion of the developed world which it soon overran had been evangelized for centuries. the result was relatively isolated pockets of christians living within dominant islamic polities, and a massive stand - off between western christianity and islam. they were, after all, competing for the same " souls. " many of the military engagements, celebrated in the church calendar or by verse in our heritage – tours, lepanto, and, of course, the crusades – feature islamic armies as the enemy. little has changed in that regard, as the current western readiness to foist blame for nearly everything on " muslim fundamentalists " can testify. yet, as we shall see, the faith which christians and muslims share with jews regarding the free creation of the universe by one god will be borne in on us more and more as we attempt to negotiate our way in a society ever in danger of losing any access to the transcendent source of all. what i have learned from living among muslims and sharing in their life of faith is a profound respect for the palpable presence of god in human history, and a keen sense that each of us has a in - built destiny : to return all that we have received to the one from whom we have received it. and we have and do receive " nothing short of everything " from the one. it is that sense of faith, which i first experienced in the holy land, then in bangladesh and in egypt, that has fueled my


from whom we have received it. and we have and do receive " nothing short of everything " from the one. it is that sense of faith, which i first experienced in the holy land, then in bangladesh and in egypt, that has fueled my intellectual interest in islam. and it has meant that i always take away more than i bring to any interfaith encounter with muslims. this sounds so utterly at variance with the stereotype associated with " muslim fundamentalist " that it should make us sit up and take notice : anyone who has experienced the muslim world comes away with a keen sense of its hospitality, and a desire to discover how it is rooted in islam ' s particular faith in god. and certainly nothing is more opposed to terrorism than hospitality. historical prejudices, however, die all too slowly. yet a historic collective enemy will invariably fascinate its adversary, particularly the latter ' s cultural and intellectual elites. so it will not be surprising to hear that many western medieval thinkers, notably thomas aquinas, reached out to understand islamic thinkers, especially to learn from their philosophical reflections. that outreach also reflects the fact that the islamic cultural renaissance in tenth - century baghdad had anticipated the touted medieval renaissance in the west by a full two centuries. while europe was passing through the dark ages, islamic culture in what we call the middle east was at its peak. medieval thinkers in the west learned their astronomy, medicine, mathematics, and philosophy from the east, and its practitioners were muslims. what was it about this conquering group of people from the arabian peninsula that allowed them so quickly to assimilate hellenic culture with its arts and sciences? and to communicate this to the west in such a way as to stimulate the renaissance of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries? the revelation grated to muhammad in the desert beginning about a. d. 610 – the qur ' an ( until recently transliterated as " koran " ) – is taken by muslims to be the word of god made arabic, just as orthodox christians take jesus to be the word of god made flesh. god ' s word is eternally with god, for god could not be mute, but it was spoken in time to god ' s final prophet, muhammad, over a period of years and in response to diverse situations that muhammad faced. yet the qur ' an remains god ' s word, not muhammad ' s, so that christians should liken the qur ' an to jesus rather than to the bible. this point is cardinal yet confusing. for while muslims grant a privileged place to jews


yet the qur ' an remains god ' s word, not muhammad ' s, so that christians should liken the qur ' an to jesus rather than to the bible. this point is cardinal yet confusing. for while muslims grant a privileged place to jews and to christians as " peoples of the book " – yet the relevant points of comparison are the qur ' an and jesus. so sufi muslims, employing selected verses of the qur ' an as mantras for a meditation called dhikr ( or recollection ), will respond to that word in their minds and hearts much as christians respond to communion in the context of eucharist. the prevailing emotion is one of thanksgiving : that believers have been given god ' s word to guide their actions and to enliven their hearts – the very word through which the universe is created – " god said ‘ be ' and it was " – and by which all human beings will be raised up on the last day. these core beliefs profoundly shape muslim society. they are put into practice via the famous " five pillars " of islam : ( 1 ) confessing that god is one and muhammad is god ' s prophet ( the shahada ) ; ( 2 ) communal ritual prayer, five times daily ; ( 3 ) fasting during the lunar month of ramadan, which ends with ( 4 ) an annual obligatory almsgiving ; and ( 5 ) for those able to do so, making the pilgrimage to mecca at least once in their lifetime. the first and last of these are eminently personal actions, yet as the first profession of faith initiates one into the umma ( the community ), the other gives eloquent expression to that inclusive community itself. the three other " pillars " underscore the communal character of islam. they consist of actions undertaken in solidarity with other believers or designed to alleviate the lot of the community ' s less fortunate members. the umma figures prominently in every aspect of islamic life and practice. muslims characterize islam as an entire way of life rather than merely a religion. contemporary christians might want to object, feeling that christianity is also a way of life. but hearing muslims testify to their communal life of faith can make us acutely aware of how much the modern pattern of " privatizing " even religion has affected western christianity. in islam, individual rights are decidedly subordinated to the well - being of the community, with consequent effect on the various roles the community assigns to its members. it is here that the image of islam can chafe western sensi


christianity. in islam, individual rights are decidedly subordinated to the well - being of the community, with consequent effect on the various roles the community assigns to its members. it is here that the image of islam can chafe western sensibilities, especially in those western societies that combine a so - called rights doctrine with a capitalist consumer culture. yet just as personal affluence usually buys a relative dispensation from communal obligations – a fact even islamic society has not avoided – we can readily imagine why islam is so attractive to those members of a society who taste little of its affluence and privilege. in those sectors of our own society where the spirit of capitalism is most starkly displayed in the lucrative but destructive commerce of drug dealing, the communal bonds of islam and its inherent discipline offer not only welcome protection but a protest against a dominant ideology that has marginalized entire sectors of society in the name of individual rights and economic success. in its communal life, islam affords a genuine alternative to a liberal society ' s libertarian drift, and to the illusory freedom it touts, a freedom utterly beholden to powerful interest groups. if the phrase " common good " has ceased to function in our standard political vocabulary, it needs to become embodied in integral communities. in the united states, islam has emerged as a viable one in our midst. islam is the fastest growing faith worldwide, and in recent years has made striking advances in north america, particularly in the united states among african - americans. it is important that christians study islam to understand how it articulates itself from within, in its styles of theological reflection. muslims are more at home with the descriptor " theology " than are jews, yet they share something of a jewish hesitation concerning academic theology. the qur ' an offers people a " straight path, " how to return all they have received to the one from whom they have received everything. this path is elaborated in qur ' an commentaries of a quasi - legal sort ( fiqh ). islam tends to be tolerant of a relatively wide range of beliefs, insisting primarily on compliance with the five pillars, however latitudinarian their practice may be. in short, orthopraxy is more important than orthodoxy. ( indeed, as the salmon rushdie affair shows, egregious disrespect for the prophet may be treated more harshly than outright statements of heterodoxy. ) here the axial differences between sunni and shi ' a muslims, the two major branches of


salmon rushdie affair shows, egregious disrespect for the prophet may be treated more harshly than outright statements of heterodoxy. ) here the axial differences between sunni and shi ' a muslims, the two major branches of islam, offer a prime example. although their very names indicate striking dissimilarities – sunni means " consensus " while shi ' a means " a group apart " – both have a mutual stake in showing the world that " we are all muslims. " the best example of a theologian we can find in islam is al - ghazali ( a. d. 1058 - 1111 ). his summa of theology – ihya ' ulum ad - din – uses the philosophy his predecessors had assimilated from the heritage of the greeks to elaborate a rich understanding of islamic faith and practice. the theological centerpiece of that work, " the book of faith in divine unity and trust in divine providence [ kitab at - tawhid wa tawakkul ], " shows how crucial is the shahada to muslim faith, for confessing that god is one ( and muhammad his prophet ) implies that all - that - is comes forth freely from god, and that all power in the universe is god ' s power, however much we may be impressed with our own. but the relation of the universe to the one on whom it depends so utterly and so intimately is quite beyond our capacity to understand, short of a " mystical unveiling. " so our understanding of it will better be measured by our trust in god ' s providential care than in the brilliance of theological constructs. it will be displayed and tested by the manner of our actual response, our orthopraxy, though we can certainly use a subtle human understanding, by way of theological refection, to temper and to direct that response. yet if right living is better test of understanding in matters divine than correct theological formulations, there is no less room for sophistication in " practical reason " than in " speculative reason. " muslim theology is more focused on knowing how than attempting to know why, thereby respecting the ineffable transcendence of the one god. sufi spirituality within islam offers a way of understanding god ' s oneness that transcends the conceptual, concentrating at the same time on serving the needs of the disadvantaged members of the community. despite this emphasis, sufis make a point of not differing in their appearance from other muslims ; their focus is the heart and


may find a similar response among those who are quite favored by this society but have come to find it empty and soulless. the manifest point of appeal is the umma ( or community ), of course, but the very meaning of " islam " can find resonance as well. lexically translated as " submission, " the multivalent work " islam " is best rendered by complex phrase : returning everything to the one from whom everything comes. anyone who partakes of muslim society and its hospitality cannot but be impressed by their palpable sense of the presence of god : god the provider, to whom we are enjoined to give thanks by our actions on behalf of others. we are never to forget that our life comes forth each moment from the hand of god, and our destiny as well. this latter can easily spawn a form of " fatalism, " where the ubiquitous phrase " in sh ' allah " ( god willing " ) becomes an excuse for taking no initiative whatsoever. yet we in the west are also beginning to acknowledge the corrosive effects which our equally ubiquitous " autonomy " can have on a social order. so each religious culture, it seems, will invariably distort the revelation which inspires it, presenting a sinister collective face to the world, and one which can prove lethal to other religious groups. yet to recognize our own shadow side is also to acknowledge how the other can help us to offset it. the point where christians find islam an attractive alternative to western liberal society might offer a path for us to discover afresh our role as distinctive communities within that society. correlatively, islamic communities living in the midst of a society which often seems antithetical their values will need to find fresh ways to enculturate their young as well as witness to the society that surrounds them. a christianity that no longer enjoys hegemony in the west, that is in search of new ways to witness to the community it claims to be, may take heart from an islam transplanting itself in a society where it is clearly an outsider. the challenge of the new century to all religious groups is not only to learn to live together, as we so cavalierly put it, but to learn from each other how to do so in the face of a corrosive ethos that bears little respect for human life and destiny while ostensibly celebrating the individual. that may be one of the critical insights we can take home from islam. we will do so if we set ourselves to learn from muslims how to live our lives as gifts


##hos that bears little respect for human life and destiny while ostensibly celebrating the individual. that may be one of the critical insights we can take home from islam. we will do so if we set ourselves to learn from muslims how to live our lives as gifts from the free creator of all, and so regard our freedom as a challenge to return to that creator all that we have received – which is " nothing short of everything. " as more people find muslims moving in as neighbors, this task will become easier. meeting them will also spur us to identify the inevitable bias in reporting things muslim, and urge us to work against prejudice toward this group as we have been schooled to fight anti - semitism. indeed, arabs will remind us that they too are semites, as american jews will remark that the prejudice against them seems to have been readily transferred to arabs in our time and, by extension, to all muslims. this essay has tried to explain why such biases persist, on both sides of the muslim - christian divide, and how much is at stake in dispersing them. the fringe benefit, as many have discovered, will be to meet people well - schooled in receiving others with a generosity intended to match allah ' s to them, to open to them a " straight path " to god in the qur ' an. encounters like that can only press us to understand the gospels afresh ; " mutual illumination " seems the most accurate watchword for interreligious dialogue. david b. burrell, c. s. c., is theodore m. hesburgh professor in arts and letters at the university of notre dame. back to resources on islam and muslims by accepting this message, you will be leaving the website of the united states conference of catholic bishops. this link is provided solely for the user ' s convenience. by providing this link, the united states conference of catholic bishops assumes no responsibility for, nor does it necessarily endorse, the website, its content, or