pesticide retailers operating without a business licence ; over 5000 retailers selling pesticides without having a store or stores failing to meet safety regulations ; and the sale of 2500 kg of banned pesticides and of 10 000 kg of illegally imported or counterfeit pesticides. in terms of occupational safety, a high percentage of farmers are unfamiliar with pesticide safety practices such as compliance with instruction on the label, proper spraying techniques, proper use of protective equipment and safe pesticide disposal. 9, 10 consequently, farmers are at high risk of being harmed by pesticide exposure. in a 2002 study by murphy, 31 % of surveyed farmers in northern viet nam were found to have at least one symptom of pesticide poisoning. 9 in another study published in 2007, dasgupta found that 35 % of farmers in southern viet nam showed blood cholinesterase levels indicative of acute pesticide poisoning and that 21 % of the farmers had chronic signs of poisoning. 10 the objective of this study was to compare pesticide regulations in viet nam and the united states of america to identify ways in which pesticide regulation in viet nam can be improved. the study focused exclusively on pesticide regulation aimed at reducing occupational exposure among farmers. the united states was chosen as the reference country because it has established the benchmark for developing pesticide regulations. for this reason, the united states has a much lower rate of acute poisoning among agricultural workers than viet nam ( 53. 6 versus 35 000 per 100 000 population ). 1, 10, 11 moreover, the united states environmental protection agency ( epa ) model is well - established and posts information on its web site in english on pesticide regulations. data collection and analysis information on pesticide regulations was obtained from the relevant web sites, directly from management agencies and from published research papers. the pesticide regulatory information of the united states was found on the epa ’ s web site and in research papers. the pesticide regulatory documents for viet nam were obtained from the relevant official web sites, including those of the ministry of agricultural and rural development, and from research papers. the keywords used to search the web sites were pesticide regulation ( for english ) and hoa chat bao ve thuc vat ( for vietnamese ). united states and vietnamese regulations pertaining to pesticide registration, suspension and cancellation, labelling, transport, storage and disposal, as well as import and export policy, were compared. any regulation applied in the united states that might not be applicable to management systems in viet nam were excluded from the comparison. areas in need of improvement in


labelling, transport, storage and disposal, as well as import and export policy, were compared. any regulation applied in the united states that might not be applicable to management systems in viet nam were excluded from the comparison. areas in need of improvement in vietnamese pesticide regulations were identified through this comparative analysis. legislative basis for pesticide regulation in the united states, the epa regulates pesticide registration, manufacture and distribution under the authority of the federal insecticide, fungicide and rodenticide act ( fifra ). in addition, the federal food, drug and cosmetic act has authorized the epa to establish tolerable levels for pesticide residues in foods. 12 the fifra requires that all pesticides distributed and sold in the united states be registered by the epa after pesticide approval, which is granted upon determination that the substance “ will not generally cause unreasonable adverse effects on the environment ”. the fifra defines “ unreasonable adverse effects on the environment ” as “ ( i ) any unreasonable risk to man or the environment, taking into account the economic, social, and environmental costs and benefits of the use of any pesticide, or ( ii ) a human dietary risk from residues that result from a use of a pesticide in or on any food inconsistent with the standard under section 408 of the federal food, drug, and cosmetic act ”. 13 in viet nam, the ministry of agricultural and rural development ( mard ) regulates pesticides under the authority of the ordinance on plant protection and quarantine ( oppq ), recommended by the national assembly standing committee in 1993. 14 however, this legislation has not been enacted as law yet. pesticide regulation is one chapter comprising six articles in the oppq, whose definition of “ pesticide ” is the same as the fifra ’ s : “ pesticides are products made from chemical, botanical, or biological materials in order to prevent and eliminate pests that are harmful to botanical resources ”. 14 the oppq requires demonstration that a pesticide is “ safe to human and ecological systems ” before it can be considered for registration. the oppq assigned the ministry of industry, the ministry of science, technology and environment, the ministry of health and the ministry of trade the task of collaborating with the mard in the management of pesticide manufacture, import and export, distribution, storage, labelling, packaging and advertisement. 14 however, the roles of each ministry are poorly defined. in the united states, a registrant must submit data on a given pesticide to the epa for


manufacture, import and export, distribution, storage, labelling, packaging and advertisement. 14 however, the roles of each ministry are poorly defined. in the united states, a registrant must submit data on a given pesticide to the epa for registration, as required by the fifra. 13 the epa decides whether to register the pesticide based on the results of a risk – benefit evaluation, which weighs the pesticide ’ s potential adverse effects against the benefits of its use. 15 registration of the pesticide is not approved unless the pesticide meets : ( i ) the efficiency and labelling requirements of the fifra ; and ( ii ) has been shown to not generally cause “ unreasonable adverse effects on the environment ”. 16 under the fifra, the epa administrators also take into account the economic, social and environmental costs and benefits of the pesticide. 13 the epa dictates what procedures and data are required to evaluate the risk – benefit ratio of a pesticide and provides guidance in determining whether a pesticide causes unreasonable adverse effects. 13, 17 the results of these risk – benefit analyses are then published together with the epa ’ s proposed regulatory decision, followed by the comments of stakeholders. if the pesticide is classified as destined for cancellation or restricted use, the us department of agriculture and the epa ’ s scientific advisory panel are requested to review the risk – benefit analyses before the final regulatory decision. 18 after registration of a pesticide, the registrant is still required to inform the epa of any “ additional factual information regarding unreasonable adverse effects on the environment ”. the information that a registrant must submit consists of : toxicological and epidemiological studies, data on pesticide residues in foods and / or the environment, reports of adverse effects and other information of interest in assessing the desirability of continued registration. the registrants will be convicted of a violation if they do not report the required information. 13, 19 in 2002 under the oppq, the mard issued decision 145 / 2002 / qd - bnn in viet nam concerning regulations on pesticide registration procedures, manufacturing, processing, bottling, packaging, export and import, sale, storage, transport, use, labelling, advertisement and organization of workshops or conferences. 20 a pesticide is considered for registration provided it has not been listed as unauthorized and has been shown to have reasonable bio - effectiveness in crop protection. the decision stipulates that a pesticide is unauthorized for registration if : ( i ) it is in the mard ’


considered for registration provided it has not been listed as unauthorized and has been shown to have reasonable bio - effectiveness in crop protection. the decision stipulates that a pesticide is unauthorized for registration if : ( i ) it is in the mard ’ s list of pesticides for restricted use in viet nam ; ( ii ) it has never been used in other countries ; ( iii ) its trade name and the name of its active ingredient are identical ; ( iv ) the pesticide or its active ingredient has a toxicity level of i as classified by the world health organization ( who ) unless it is used exclusively in construction or to disinfect stores or stations. to assess benefits, a registrant is required to conduct a bio - effectiveness evaluation through small - and large - scale testing of the pesticide with proposed crops. 20 nevertheless, these regulations have not been rigorous enough to properly conduct risk – benefit analyses, since risk assessment cannot be based entirely on toxicity data, even though the results of bio - effectiveness trials can yield information of use in evaluating the economic benefits of a pesticide. moreover, the regulations make no provision for continuing reports of data on a pesticide ’ s adverse effects on man and the environment during its registration period. suspension and cancellation the epa may reconsider the registration of a particular pesticide if new evidence of potential adverse effects emerges. the epa has authority to restrict, suspend or cancel a pesticide ’ s registration. 13 a decision to cancel or suspend a pesticide also depends on the results of cost – benefit analyses focusing particularly on the impact of the cancellation on the production and price of agricultural commodities, retail food prices and other economic factors. before deciding to cancel or suspend a pesticide ’ s registration, an administrator must consider restricting its use. if restriction is deemed unfeasible, the epa will cancel the pesticide and provide a full justification for its action. 13 in viet nam, the oppq contains no specific clause on the suspension or cancellation of a registered pesticide. instead, the mard decides to restrict or prohibit the use of a pesticide in response to an alert from international organizations ( such as who, the food and agriculture organization and the united nations environment programme ) that evidence of toxicity or of the potential for dangerous side - effects has emerged in connection with the use of the pesticide. 21 such decisions, however, are usually made when a new pesticide is first registered, rather than after a pesticide is already registered. in the united states, the labelling and use of pesticides


connection with the use of the pesticide. 21 such decisions, however, are usually made when a new pesticide is first registered, rather than after a pesticide is already registered. in the united states, the labelling and use of pesticides are also subject to epa regulation under the fifra. accordingly, the sale and distribution of any mislabelled pesticide is an illegal action. 13 in addition to directions for use, a pesticide ’ s label must contain a statement to the effect that it is safe for human health and the environment. altering a label or using a pesticide that fails to comply with labelling requirements is prohibited. 13 similarly, under the oppq, the mard requires that the label of any pesticide distributed in viet nam be in vietnamese and that the label contain information on toxicity ; trade name ; ingredients ; directions for use ; safety during or after use ; first aid in case of poisoning ; mixing with other pesticides ; manufacturer ; expiry date ; storage, mixing and using ; re - entry time following pesticide application, and colour strip coding for toxicity level. 20 the worker protection standard ( wps ), which is the united states federal regulation issued to protect people from occupational exposure to agricultural pesticides, contains regulations on pesticide safety training, notification of pesticide application, use of personal protective equipment, field re - entry time restrictions following pesticide application and emergency medical assistance. 22 the epa is authorized to work closely with state - level pesticide regulatory agencies in conducting inspections to ensure that the regulation is implemented and enforced in agricultural communities. in the united states, a pesticide is considered suitable for general use if it has no unreasonable adverse effects on the environment when used as indicated on the label. a pesticide is for restricted use if it “ may generally cause, without additional regulatory restriction, unreasonable adverse effects on the environment ”. 13 under the wps, only a certified applicator or someone supervised by a certified applicator can apply pesticides whose use is restricted, whereas anyone can use non - restricted pesticides. the epa is authorized to issue certification standards for pesticide applicators to ensure that they are competent in the safe and effective use of pesticides. 13 in viet nam, no equivalent wps has been designed, and despite the fact that mard regularly issues a list of pesticides for restricted use, viet nam has established no similar requirements for the training or certification of pesticide applicators. pesticide storage and disposal in the united states the epa regulates pest


and despite the fact that mard regularly issues a list of pesticides for restricted use, viet nam has established no similar requirements for the training or certification of pesticide applicators. pesticide storage and disposal in the united states the epa regulates pesticide storage and disposal for four categories of pesticide users : household consumers, farmers, retailers and commercial applicators. for each of these groups it provides detailed instructions, 23 but the corresponding state and local laws are often stricter than the federal regulations. for example, most states have developed programmes whereby farmers can “ collect and dispose of pesticides in a safe and simple way at little or no cost ”. 24 in viet nam, regulations on pesticide storage and preservation apply to everyone in general, rather than to different types of users. 20 they focus on storage and preservation requirements for industrial manufacturers and distribution companies rather than individual retailers and household applicators. pesticide disposal is regulated by a national chemicals law on hazardous waste management, as it is in the united states. 25, 26 however, no specific regulatory programme for the safe storage and disposal of agricultural pesticides has been developed by provincial agencies. pesticide import and export policy in the united states the epa regulates both the import and export of pesticides under the fifra ( section 17 ). however, the fifra has been criticized for authorizing the epa to comprehensively regulate the domestic use of pesticides while neglecting regulation on pesticide exportation. 17 although the epa issued the new export policy for pesticides “ to protect public health and the environment from unreasonable adverse effects of pesticides, both domestically and internationally ”, the agency still allows companies to export pesticides not registered for use in the united states as long as they fulfil certain labelling and warning requirements. moreover, despite a domestic requirement that product package labels be multilingual, exporters are only required to print multilingual labels for shipping containers but not for attachment to the product packages. 17 therefore, applicators in foreign countries may not have an opportunity to review warning information. in viet nam, any organization that imports or exports pesticides is required to obtain permission for both from the mard. the regulations issued by the mard on the importation of pesticides are relatively comprehensive. information must be furnished on the trade licence, the contract with exporters, the product manufacturer, the results of experimental studies and the listing of the pesticide among those registered for use in viet nam. 20 however, no regulation is in place for the importation of pest


on the trade licence, the contract with exporters, the product manufacturer, the results of experimental studies and the listing of the pesticide among those registered for use in viet nam. 20 however, no regulation is in place for the importation of pesticides that are not registered for use in the exporting country. with respect to pesticide export there is only a general statement to the effect that individuals and organizations belonging to a class of commercial enterprise that is allowed to operate under the law and is a registered trader of pesticides and agricultural equipment are allowed to import and export pesticides. 20 improving pesticide regulation in viet nam table 1 summarizes the areas needing improvement in viet nam ’ s pesticide regulation. they include identifying the specific roles of related sectors and facilitating their active involvement in pesticide management and regulation to ensure that a registered pesticide will not cause unreasonable harm to human beings and the environment ; upgrading the oppq to the category of an official law that embraces, among other things, pesticide regulation, or developing a separate act and regulation ; enhancing the role played by the multisectoral pesticide technical advisory committee by developing an appropriate mechanism for the coordination of these multiple sectors. moreover, guidelines on conducting risk – benefit evaluations before pesticide registration should be developed for government officials, scientists and administrators. an additional clause on the restriction, cancellation and suspension of an existing pesticide registration should be developed and should include a requirement that registrants periodically submit data on a registered pesticide ’ s effects. specific regulations on the transport, storage and disposal of pesticides should be developed for various types of individual pesticide applicators such as farmers, household consumers and small retailers. restricted regulations on the importation of pesticides that are not registered or whose use is prohibited in exporting countries should be developed, and information on countries exporting pesticides should be made accessible through reliable channels. in addition, more specific requirements are needed for pesticide labelling by exporters, especially with respect to content warnings. finally, regulations governing worker protection standards, including pesticide safety training, notification of pesticide application, use of protective equipment, emergency medical assistance, and certification of training programmes for those who apply pesticides, especially restricted ones, should be developed. pesticide regulations in viet nam use a framework similar to the one that exists in the united states, in which pesticide registration is the crucial element in regulating pesticide distribution and use. however, some aspects need to be reformed to improve pesticide regulations and reduce the risk of


nam use a framework similar to the one that exists in the united states, in which pesticide registration is the crucial element in regulating pesticide distribution and use. however, some aspects need to be reformed to improve pesticide regulations and reduce the risk of harmful effects on humans and the environment from the use of pesticides. through our analysis we have identified various areas of pesticide legislation that need improvement in viet nam. the legislative basis for pesticide regulation in viet nam, namely the oppq, should be reviewed and revised to reflect the international code of conduct on the distribution and use of pesticides, since the oppq was adopted 10 years before the code was issued by who and the food and agriculture organization. 27 moreover, regulations alone may not be sufficient to reduce the risk posed by pesticides. to protect agricultural workers, more comprehensive needs assessments involving the farming community should be performed. this work was supported by the australian endeavour post graduate award ( scholarship for doctoral study, grant : abn 83054575567 ). - pesticides and health in the americas [ environment series no. 12 ]. washington : world health organization ; 1993. - yanez l, ortiz d, calderon j, batres l, carrizales l, mejia j, et al., et al. overview of human health and chemical mixtures : problems facing developing countries. environ health perspect 2002 ; 110 : 901 - 9 doi : 10. 1289 / ehp. 02110s6901 pmid : 12634117. - ecobichon dj. pesticide use in developing countries. toxicology 2001 ; 160 : 27 - 33 doi : 10. 1016 / s0300 - 483x ( 00 ) 00452 - 2 pmid : 11246121. - farah j. pesticide policies in developing countries : do they encourage excessive pesticide use? washington : world bank ; 1961. - statistic yearbook of vietnam 2007. hanoi : general statistics office of vietnam ; 2008. - agroinfo, department of customs [ internet ]. in : the report of vietnam fumigation joint stock company ( vgf ). ho chi minh city : bao viet securities company ; 2010. - van hoi p. governing pesticide use in vegetable production in vietnam [ dissertation ]. wageningen : wageningen university ; 2010. available from : http : / / library. wur. nl / webquery / wda / lang / 1928507 [ accessed


pesticide registration. washington : epa ; 2012. in : http : / / www. epa. gov / pesticides / regulating / data _ requirements. htm [ accessed 28 march 2012 ]. - united states environmental protection agency [ internet ]. 45 c. f. r § 158 ( a ) - ( b ). washington : epa ; 1994. available from : http : / / www. epa. gov / pesticides / regulating / laws. htm [ accessed 28 march 2012 ]. - tucker jc, brown ma. comparative analysis of pesticide regulatory programs in the united states and brazil. loy la int comp law j 1995 ; 18 : 81 - 108. - united states environmental protection agency [ internet ]. 40 c. f. r. § 152. 170. washington : epa ; 2007. available from : http : / / www. epa. gov / pesticides / regulating / laws. htm [ accessed 28 march 2012 ]. - united states environmental protection agency [ internet ]. 40 c. f. r. § 153. 67 ( a ). washington : epa ; 1994. available from : http : / / www. epa. gov / pesticides / regulating / laws. htm [ accessed 28 march 2012 ]. - viet nam, ministry of agriculture and rural development. on pesticide production, registration, import, store, dispose, labelling, packaging and advertisement. decision : no. 145 / 2002 / qd - bnn issued 18 december 2002. available from : http : / / www. spsvietnam. gov. vn / englishsps / pages / legal % 20context. aspx [ accessed 28 march 2012 ]. - viet nam, ministry of agriculture and rural development. circular 38 / 2010 / tt - bnnptnt issued on 28 june 2010. available from : http : / / www. spsvietnam. gov. vn / englishsps / pages / legal % 20context. aspx [ accessed 28 march 2012 ] - united states environmental protection agency [ internet ]. 40 cfr part 170, worker protection standard. washington : epa ; 2007. available from : http : / / www. epa. gov / pesticides / regulating / laws. htm [ accessed 28 march 2012 ]. - united states environmental protection agency [ internet ]. pesticides : regulating pesticides. storage and disposal. washington : epa ; 2010. available from : http : / / www. epa. gov / pesticides


tue january 15, 2013 in war - torn aleppo, old doors that reflect a grand tradition originally published on tue january 15, 2013 11 : 37 am aleppo ' s storied old city, which dates to the 12th century, has suffered much in the fighting between syrian government forces and rebels over the past few months. but parts of the city remain intact, as i saw on a recent walk through the winding, stone alleys on the way to the front line. centuries ago, it took muslims from this area months in a caravan to make the pilgrimage, or hajj, to mecca, the holiest site in islam, which is now part of saudi arabia. the trip was so difficult that pilgrims took burial clothes with them in case they didn ' t survive. if they did return home, families would organize a grand welcoming party. they would slaughter a sheep and invite relatives and neighbors. the house would be open for three days and nights. the house would also be decorated, and a stencil would be painted over the door, a mark of honor showing a drawing of the holy stone in mecca — the kaaba — and the archways of the sacred mosque that surrounds it. this way, all would know that a pilgrim, or haji, lived in the house. it ' s a practice that continues today.


another example of the ' new south ' feb. 3, 2001 kalamazoo - - for some a symbol of southern pride and heritage, the confederate battle flag became a political symbol against the civil rights movement in the 1950s and ' 60s. that political image is no longer in step with a rapidly changing south and explains why georgia lawmakers voted tuesday to sharply reduce its presence on the state flag and south carolina legislators removed it last year from the capitol dome, says dr. john clark, a wmu associate professor of political science and an expert on southern politics. " there have been dramatic changes in the south in a whole number of areas, " clark says. " the flag is in some ways a symbol of that because it ' s a symbol that was put into place to try and fight against some of those changes and now it ' s being changed because it ' s a symbol that represents what ' s really the past for the south. " it doesn ' t really represent the ' new south, ' which seems to me is a much more progressive, much more forward moving region and that ' s the kind of image that state legislators in south carolina last year and georgia this year want to convey to the rest of the country. " though rapid change in the south over the past three decades is unmistakable, not everyone is happy about it, clark adds. " the south is changing and change comes in a lot of ways, " clark says. " it includes things like economic development and in - migration. we ' ve seen the population in southern states increase again very dramatically in the most recent census, which gives them more political influence relative to the rest of the country. " at the same time, having people move there from other parts of the country and other parts of the world changes the closed nature of that society and that system in a way that some people aren ' t very comfortable with. change tends to frighten people, especially if they don ' t know directly how it ' s going to affect them and especially if they see themselves and people like them as somehow being displaced in society. " clark says economic boycotts or the threat of them, as well as lobbying by the business community and the possible loss of high - profile sporting events influenced decisions on the confederate battle flag in both states. media contact : mark schwerin, 616 387 - 8400, email @ example. com


| the h2 double - slit experiment : where quantum and classical physics meet | for the first time, an international research team carried out a double - slit experiment in h2, the smallest and simplest molecule. thomas young ' s original experiment in 1803 passed light through two slits cut in a solid thin plate. in the groundbreaking experiment performed at als beamlines 4. 0 and 11. 0. 1, the researchers used electrons instead of light and the nuclei of the hydrogen molecule as the slits. the experiment revealed that only one " observing " electron suffices to induce the emergence of classical properties such as loss of coherence. present - day single photoionization experiments demonstrate double - slit self - interference for a single particle fully isolated from the classical environment. but if quantum particles were put in contact with the classical world in a controlled manner, at what scale would quantum interference begin to diminish and particles start to behave classically? the team decided to study the double photoionization ( complete fragmentation ) of h2, creating two repelling protons acting as a double slit, a fast interfering electron, and a second electron behaving as an active or inactive observer. experiments were performed at two different photon energies : = 240 and 160 ev, leaving about 190 and 110 ev to be shared between the two electrons, respectively. at these high photon energies, double photoionization of h2 led in most cases to one fast and one slow electron. the fast electron ' s energies were 185 to 190 ev ; the slow electron ’ s were 5 ev or less ( corresponding to an inactive observer ). the interference pattern of the fast electron was conditioned by the presence and velocity of the other : the greater the difference in their speeds, the less their interaction and the more visible the interference patterns. both electrons were isolated from their surroundings, and quantum coherence prevailed, revealed by the fast electron ' s wavelike interference pattern at the two protons. however, at high photon - energy levels, the fast electron absorbed almost all the energy of the incident single photon, leaving the system too rapidly for interaction with the slow electron. yet the slow electron was also ejected from the molecule through the mysterious process of electron – electron correlation. this " secret entanglement " allows two electrons to remain connected even though far apart. the researchers now had what they needed to build their classical / quantum interface. they choose ionization events where the slow electron had a bit more energy ( 5 – 25 ev ) allowing it act as the classical environment ( an


connected even though far apart. the researchers now had what they needed to build their classical / quantum interface. they choose ionization events where the slow electron had a bit more energy ( 5 – 25 ev ) allowing it act as the classical environment ( an active observer ). the quantum system of the fast electron now interacted with the slow electron and began to decohere, its interference pattern disappearing. however, the overall coherence was still hidden in the two electrons ' entanglement. the dielectron ' s wavelength was short enough to still interfere ( the sum energy of the two electrons was high enough ), and there was no environment to disturb the interference as the two electrons were now combined into one quasiparticle. thus, interference between the entangled electrons could be reconstructed by graphing their correlated momenta from the angles at which they were ejected. two waveforms appeared in the graph, either of which could be projected to show an interference pattern. because the two waveforms were out of phase with each other, when viewed simultaneously, the interference vanished. if the two - electron system is split into its subsystems and one is thought of as the environment of the other, it becomes evident that classical properties such as loss of coherence can emerge even when only four particles are involved. yet because the two electrons ' subsystems are entangled in a tractable way, their quantum coherence can be reconstructed. in solid - state – based quantum computing devices, such electron – electron interaction represents a key challenge as decoherence and loss of information occur on the tiny scale of a single hydrogen molecule. the good news, however, is that, in theory, the information is not completely lost. research conducted by d. akoury, th. weber ( university frankfurt, germany, and berkeley lab, u. s. ) ; k. kreidi, t. jahnke, a. staudte, m. schoffler, n. neumann, j. titze, l. ph. h. schmidt, a. czasch, o. jagutzki, r. a. costa fraga, r. e. grisenti, h. schmidt - bocking, r. dorner ( university frankfurt, germany ) ; t. osipov, h. adaniya, m. h. prior, a. belkacem, ( berkeley lab, ca, u. s. ) ; r. diez muino ( centro de fisica de


december 06, 2010 sex, frogs, and rock & roll acoustic signals are not the only way we humans communicate, we also rely on visual signals. the way we dress and how we carry ourselves play a big part in the mating game. likewise diurnal frogs draw attention to themselves with an array of visual signals ; from toe - trembling, arm waving, limp - shaking, to name a few. think about elvis. however, most frogs prefer to be out at night, in the cover of darkness, as do juvenile homo sapiens out on the hunt. for frogs at night visual cues may not do the trick. for nocturnal frogs, acoustic communication is therefore fundamental for mate - recognition and the reproduction process. notwithstanding the occasional madonna or lady gaga, as talented as so many of them are, and as hard as they try, human musicians who happen to be female have a harder time attracting an audience than male musicians do. beautiful, classically trained women with angelic voices, who can crank out tunes that rival songs by john & paul, usually cannot compete with demonic looking males who may only know two or three guitar cords, cannot sing in tune if their life depended on it, whose songs are rather uninspiring, and louder than they ought to be ; such is the reality of the music industry. this may not be just a socially instituted bias against female musicians, it might be a biological convention dating back eons. the best way for males ( frog or human ) to get the attention of females is by standing out in a crowd. for frogs the more effort a male puts into calling, and the louder he calls, the more effective the calls will be. consequently the volume of noise put out by these little guys is amazing. a successful rock star has a following of groupies ; some of them may be lucky enough to get backstage passes. other fans just come to the concert without getting close to the star at all. an entire hierarchy surrounds the concert scene. back at the frog pond, status is equally important. during the breeding season, many different frogs from many different species may be calling at the same time, and when large groups assemble competition is tough. each species has its own unique mating call, but when many species chorus at the same time, it sounds as if several orchestras are playing different symphonies at once. females single out the calls of their own species from the cacophony and then choose a suitor. for frogs at the pond, male calls may be interfered with by competing members of the same species or


orchestras are playing different symphonies at once. females single out the calls of their own species from the cacophony and then choose a suitor. for frogs at the pond, male calls may be interfered with by competing members of the same species or by the calls of different species ; the larger the chorus the greater the acoustic interference. this poses a problem for females. they can ' t possibly check out all the males in a large chorus, and females that move around investigating different suitors are more likely to run into predators. most females therefore prefer to choose a mate from a relatively small sample group. a female frog usually tracks the call that is the most noticeable — whether it is the loudest, the longest, or the most complex — so males need to make their calls as district as possible. often, the call of a male is fairly distinct until a rival comes along and ruins everything. when interrupted by the call of a competitor, a male may change his own call by changing or adding notes, or by increasing the intervals between notes. a tree frog becomes attentive when a competitor arrives on the scene, and may ignore all interruptions except those of the nearest male. since it is not feasible for one frog to outdo the entire chorus, a male simply distinguishes himself from his nearest or loudest competitor. occasionally a male strikes out on his own, stagging a solo performance, but this can be a chancy business. unless he is prudent, this could take too much energy and allow predators to zero in. therefore, compared to males in a chorus, an isolated male is often more conservative with his energy. the calls of an isolated male are shorter, which makes him less attractive to females. males that call more loudly and more frequently than their competitors should be able to attract more females, but life is not always so simple. dense vegetation may prevent the sound of a frog ' s calls from traveling very far, so the quality of his perching site is significant. breeding success for the north american gray tree frog ( hyla versicolor ) seems to depend more on good perching sties more than any other variable. ideal perches are horizontal and relatively free of vegetation, so that sound can travel far and undisturbed. when the call is made on a horizontal perch it spreads uniformly and is less likely to be reflected — a primitive but effective sound stage. male frogs claim their territory by sound — the farther the call can travel, the larger the territory. a male with a good perch will


made on a horizontal perch it spreads uniformly and is less likely to be reflected — a primitive but effective sound stage. male frogs claim their territory by sound — the farther the call can travel, the larger the territory. a male with a good perch will have fewer male rivals, and when a female approaches she will be less likely to lose auditory contact. a male must compete for good calling locations either by vocalization or by fighting. tree frogs presumably defend their territories with aggressive calls, but in some species these calls are not appealing to females. thus if a male bickers too long or too often with other males he may forfeit his chance to mate for the night. sound familiar? male golden palm tree frogs ( hyla ebraccata ) of central america manage not to alienate females by finishing their aggressive calls early in the evening, establishing their territories before the females arrive. the later evening is reserved for courting calls. eleutherodactylus coqui have solved this problem in a different way. they devised a combination call, which has the duel function of attracting females and deterring males. since the call has notes for both purposes, the females don ' t seem repelled. a common strategy of subordinate males is to lie low near the perch of a dominant rock star, rather than relocating. when the dominate male is busy mating, his perching spot is temporarily unguarded, and a subordinate male may snatch the post. if the subordinate is lucky he may attract a female before the dominate male is finished mating. another tactic is to intercept a female on her way to the dominate male. this may or may not work, females have been known to reject such overtures. my favorite rock stars among the anurans are the north american bull frogs ( rana catesbeiana ). bullfrogs are loners, but during the spring, these anurans can congregate in large numbers. males arrive first before the females. the mating season is quite long because not all females are receptive at the same time. some will be ready to mate in may others not until july. in addition, females may be gravid for only a day ; thus in the pond males outnumber females. the absolute best location for a male is at the center of the chorus ; usually the largest and oldest males are found there. young males are pushed out to the edges of the chorus or chased away altogether, but if they assume a subordinate posture, they are allowed to remain in the area. a chorus


center of the chorus ; usually the largest and oldest males are found there. young males are pushed out to the edges of the chorus or chased away altogether, but if they assume a subordinate posture, they are allowed to remain in the area. a chorus usually stays at the same location for several nights but eventually dissolves, only to reform again at another location. choruses form when dominate males call and are joined by other males. during the first few nights activity intensifies and peaks. after several successful males have departed and the chorus has lost it lead vocalists, it tends to dissipate. males don ' t know where or when a female will be receptive so by frequently changing location they are more likely to encounter one. when a dominate male leaves for a different location other bull frogs waste no time and quickly follow him. females remain inconspicuous as they move from one male to another and from one chorus to another. they submerge under the water until only their eyes show. hardly causing a ripple, they make their rounds swimming through the crowd. females enter into the males territory, briefly emerge to check out the crowd, and then submerge again to continue the search. females may actively move around the pond for several days and the males pay little attention to them. when a female has her mind made up she touches the male of her choice. as soon as she gives this clue, the male follows her. the pair leaves the chorus to mate, and once this task is complete the female departs. as a young man i often spent as much time observing the behavior of the people who attended concerts and parties as i did listening to the music, and when i got older and obsessed with nature, in particular the nature one finds around wetlands, i couldn ' t help but notice the similarities. so the next time you venture past a crowd of teenagers at a concert or party, observe their posturing and consider how old the game is. the biological imperative is as ancient as life itself, and some aspects of its expression haven ' t changed much. posted by wayne ferrier at 12 : 08 am | permalink


erdberg ( at ) - in today ' s enthusiasm for sustainable development, the hype surrounding many projects often involves their near - zero energy consumption or diminutive carbon footprint. but in the case of coop himmelb ( l ) au ' s award - winning office tower, the so - called ' energy - active ' design is in fact projected to produce more energy than it uses. town town erdberg, located on the outskirts of vienna adjacent to a subway line and nearby the airport and a major highway, intends to be the distinctive centrepiece for sustainable design in this emerging urban zone. like an echinoderm escaped from the sea, the building ' s eccentric architectural form derives from a spiny skin that envelopes both slab and tower elements, and was developed to exploit local climatic conditions. in - depth analyses of wind flows and sun trajectories at the site led the architects to two key energy harnessing elements : the external facade ' s optimum geometry, consisting of folded sheet metal facets and special panels coated with a photovoltaic laminate to capture solar energy, and the integration of a large turbine on the tower ' s top that will produce wind energy. in addition, the entire structure can be naturally ventilated through operable windows or by adjusting the climatic skin. together with low energy consumption and environmental control systems, the sun - and wind - energy harvesting strategies offered by this example of environmentally intelligent building design claim to produce more energy than the building actually consumes. further, the structure is quite efficient in terms of internal space ; the ratio of net usable floor area to gross floor area is 86 %, as opposed to 82 % in a conventional building. no wonder, then, that functionally and climatically optimal town town erdberg is slated to receive the sustainability award of the 2010 mipim architectural review future project awards. ( dutton r. hauhart )


two things i ’ ve learned over the years that i ’ ve worked with lgbt students at the american civil liberties union are that many school administrators and teachers don ’ t have the slightest clue about what their students ’ legal rights are, and that a lot of the ones who do know go right ahead and violate students ’ rights anyway because they think they can get away with it. the only way to be sure that your school will respect and uphold your legal rights is for you to educate yourself about what your rights are and hold your school to its responsibility to protect and enforce them. that ’ s never more true than during day of silence, an annual event designed to bring attention to the bullying, harassment, and name - calling lgbt students often experience in school. here are four things you need to know about your rights as you mark day of silence this year on friday, april 16. - you do have a right to participate in day of silence and other expressions of your opinion at a public school during non - instructional time : the breaks between classes, before and after the school day, lunchtime, and any other free times during your day. if your principal or a teacher tells you otherwise, you should contact our office or the gay, lesbian and straight education network. - you do not have a right to remain silent during class time if a teacher asks you to speak. if you want to stay quiet during class on day of silence, we recommend that you talk with your teachers ahead of time, tell them that you plan to participate in day of silence and why it ’ s important to you, and ask them if it would be okay for you to communicate in class on that day in writing. most teachers will probably say yes. - your school is not required to “ sponsor ” day of silence. but day of silence is rarely a school - sponsored activity to begin with — it ’ s almost always an activity led by students. so don ' t be confused - just because your school isn ’ t officially sponsoring or participating in day of silence doesn ’ t mean that you can ’ t participate. - students who oppose day of silence do have the right to express their views, too. like you, they must do so in a civil, peaceful way and they only have a right to do so during noninstructional time. for example, they don ’ t have a right to skip school on day of silence without any consequences, just as you don ' t have a right to skip school just because you don ’ t like what they think or say.


the occidentalis linux distribution for raspberry pi ( and raspbian as of dec 2012 ) includes support for the ds18b20 1 - wire temperature sensor. these sensors come in a small three pin package like a transistor and are accurate digital devices. in this lesson, you will learn how to use a ds18b20 with the raspberry pi to take temperature readings. since the raspberry pi has no adc ( analog to digital converter ), it cannot directly use an analog temperature sensor like the tmp36, making the ds18b20 a good choice for temperature sensing. this incredibly small stereo amplifier is surprisingly powerful – able to deliver 2 x 3. 7w channels into 3 ohm impedance speakers. inside the miniature chip is a class d controller, able to run from 2. 7v - 5. 5vdc. since the amp is a class d, its incredibly efficient ( over 90 % efficient when driving an 8ω speaker at over a watt ). this amplifier is perfect for portable and battery - powered projects. it has built in thermal and over - current protection, but you really have to drive it hard before it even gets warm! this board is a welcome upgrade to basic “ lm386 ″ amps! stepper motors fall somewhere in between a regular dc motor ( lesson 9 ) and a servo motor ( lesson 8 ] ). they have the advantage that they can be positioned accurately, moved forward or backwards one ‘ step ’ at a time, but they can also rotate continuously. in this lesson you will learn how to control a stepper motor using your raspberry pi and the same l293d motor control chip that you used with the dc motor in lesson 9. the lesson will also show you how to use an alternative driver chip, the uln2803. for this project, it does not really matter if you use a l293d or a uln2803. the lower cost of the uln2803 and the four spare outputs, that you could use for something else, probably make it the best choice if you don ’ t have either chip. the motor is quite low power and suffers less from the surges in current than dc motors and servos ( which use dc motors ). this project will therefore work okay powered from the 5v line of the raspberry pi, as long as the pi is powered from a good supply of at least 1a. we have a new alpha release of the rap


which use dc motors ). this project will therefore work okay powered from the 5v line of the raspberry pi, as long as the pi is powered from a good supply of at least 1a. we have a new alpha release of the rapsberry pi webide ready to go. this latest version is primarily bug fixes, but it does have one new feature! we ’ ve added the ability to create folders at all levels of your project to help with organization of those more complex projects. the new changes for the 0. 3. 2 version of the webide are as follows : navigator : add ability to create folders at all levels. debugger : fix display of local vs global variables. terminal : set terminal width based on containing parent, use entire width and height. the raspberry pi webide includes an advanced, yet easy to use tool, to help you work through code that you ’ ve downloaded or written in python. if you haven ’ t used a debugger, either on the command line or in an integrated development environment ( ide ), hopefully this guide will help you understand why you ’ d want to do so, and how to effectively debug your code. this is my first video in a new series that will cover every aspect of the adafruit learning system raspberry pi webide. the webide is still in the early development phase, but we are rapidly packing in great new features, and squashing bugs. even though it is still in alpha, this first video shows you how incredibly easy it is to install the webide onto your raspberry pi. the goal is to release a new video each friday to cover a new feature of the webide. this lesson describes how to control both the speed and direction of a dc motor using python and a l293d chip. in lesson 8, we used the pi to generate pulses to control the position of a servo motor. in this lesson we use pulses to control the speed of a regular dc motor and the l293d motor control chip to reverse the direction of the current through the motor and hence the direction in which it turns. i2c is a two - wire serial bus interface historically used to communicate between different components of an electronics device on the same circuit board. amidst the rise in hobbyist / open electronics and the “ internet of things ”, i2c has also become popular as a well - defined communication technology between off - the - shelf electronic project components of the type commonly sold at


same circuit board. amidst the rise in hobbyist / open electronics and the “ internet of things ”, i2c has also become popular as a well - defined communication technology between off - the - shelf electronic project components of the type commonly sold at adafruit, sparkfun, and newark. accelerometers, nfc chips, led displays, and many other types of devices are available using this interface, allowing hackers to easily communicate bidirectionally with special - purpose components from their micro - controller or full - fledged computer projects. one example of such a component that is fun to play with is the adafruit 8×8 led matrix w / i2c backpack. this device is pretty much exactly what it sounds like, 64 leds arranged 8×8 that can be individually controlled over an i2c interface via an ht16k33 integrated circuit. starting with a few of these devices and a raspberry pi, i decided to delve into what it would take to drive the leds from my favorite language, go. i started by soldering the led matrix devices to their backpacks as described here : adafruit provides great support for controlling these devices and others that they carry from within python code ( available via github ( https : / / github. com / adafruit / adafruit - raspberry - pi - python - code ) and this code works well for spot - checking that the device has been successfully connected and is in working order. all of my soldering went okay and the device worked ( though i did have to modify the python code slightly because at the time it assumed it would be driving a led matrix on i2c bus 0, but it should have been using bus 1 because the i2c bus number designations flipped around the time the newer 512mb raspberry pi devices became available and my pi is a 512mb model ). what ’ s better than a single led? lots of leds! a fun way to make a small display is to use an 8×8 matrix or a 4 - digit 7 - segment display. matrices like these are ‘ multiplexed ’ – so to control 64 leds you need 16 pins. that ’ s a lot of pins, and there are driver chips like the max7219 that can control a matrix for you but there ’ s a lot of wiring to set up and they take up a ton of space. here at adafruit we feel your pain! after all, wouldn


are driver chips like the max7219 that can control a matrix for you but there ’ s a lot of wiring to set up and they take up a ton of space. here at adafruit we feel your pain! after all, wouldn ’ t it be awesome if you could control a matrix without tons of wiring? that ’ s where these adorable led matrix backpacks come in. we have them in two flavors - a mini 8×8 and a 4 - digit 0. 56 ″ 7 - segment. they work perfectly with the matrices we stock in the adafruit shop and make adding a bright little display trivial. the watch kit already ships with style to spare, but that ’ s no reason to limit yourself to the included watch band when you can make one. here are the steps i took to create the “ circling the square ” timesquare watch body. as i guide you through the steps i followed, i will share plenty of tips and tricks for how you can design your own! we have a new alpha release of the rapsberry pi webide ready to go. this version includes a major new feature that allows you to debug your python programs. this is a real - time step debugger, with breakpoints, output, etc. the new changes for the 0. 3. 0 version of the webide are as follows : python step debugger node. js update to 0. 8 from 0. 6 for faster navigation, and page loads. package node binaries with the webide for faster, and easier installs note : to take advantage of the updated node binaries, and increased speed of the webide, you ’ ll want to do an uninstall / installation, as the binaries are configured during the installation process, so updating within the editor won ’ t pick those changes up. here ’ s a screenshot of the debugger in action : upgrading from 0. 2. 0 and higher you can upgrade from 0. 2. 0 and higher from within the editor. if you ’ d like the increased speed using the new node binaries, you ’ ll want to uninstall / install again. ensure that your code is safely saved in your repository at bitbucket. org. login to the editor. click update in the upper right. update should take about a minute. upgrading from 0. 1. 9 and lower to install this new editor, you ’ ll want to completely remove your old editor, and run the installation script


perhaps one of the most interesting and colorful words in the english language today is the word " fuck ". it is the one magical word which, just by its sound, can describe pain, pleasure, love, and hate. in language, " fuck " falls into many grammatical categories. it can be used as a verb, both transitive ( john fucked mary ) and intransitive ( mary was fucked by john ). it can be an action verb ( john really gives a fuck ), a passive verb ( mary really doesn ' t give a fuck ), an adverb ( mary is fucking interested in john ), or as a noun ( mary is a terrific fuck ). it can also be used as an adjective ( mary is fucking beautiful ) or an interjection ( fuck! i ' m late for my date with mary ). it can even be used as a conjunction ( mary is easy, fuck she ' s also stupid ). as you can see, there are very few words with the overall versatility of the word " fuck ".. aside from its sexual connotations, this incredible word can be used to describe many situations : 1. greetings " how the fuck are ya? " 2. fraud " i got fucked by the car dealer. " 3. resignation " oh, fuck it! " 4. trouble " i guess i ' m fucked now. " 5. aggression " fuck you! " 6. disgust " fuck me. " 7. confusion " what the fuck.......? " 8. difficulty " i don ' t understand this fucking shit! " 9. despair " fucked again... " 10. pleasure " i couldn ' t be fucking happier. " 11. displeasure " what the fuck is going on here? " 12. lost " where the fuck are we. " 13. disbelief " un - fucking - lievable! " 14. retaliation " up your fucking ass! " 15. denial " i didn ' t fucking do it. " 16. perplexity " i know fuck all about it. " 17. apathy " who really gives a fuck, anyhow? " 18. suspicion " who the fuck are you? " 19. panic " let ' s get the fuck out of here. " 20. disbelief " how the fuck did you do that? " 21. directions " fuck off. " it can be used in an anatomical description - " he ' s a fucking asshole. " it can be used to tell time -


here. " 20. disbelief " how the fuck did you do that? " 21. directions " fuck off. " it can be used in an anatomical description - " he ' s a fucking asshole. " it can be used to tell time - " it ' s five fucking thirty. " it can be used in business - " how did i wind up with this fucking job? " it can be maternal - " motherfucker. " it can be political - " fuck democrats! " it has also been used by many notable people throughout history : mayor of hiroshima " what the fuck was that? " general custer " where did all these fucking indians come from? " captain of the titanic " where the fuck is all this water coming from? " john lennon " that ' s not a real fucking gun. " richard nixon " who ' s gonna fucking find out? " anne boleyn " heads are going to fucking roll. " commander of challenger " let the fucking woman drive. " albert einstein " any fucking idiot knows that. " picasso " it does so fucking look like her! " pythagoras " how the fuck did you work that out? " michaelangelo " you want what on the fucking ceiling? " walt disney " fuck a duck. " edmund hilary " why? - because its fucking there! " joan of arc " i don ' t suppose its gonna fucking rain? " noah " scattered fucking showers my ass. " john f. kennedy " i need a parade like i need a fucking hole in my head. " copy & paste to friend : ( click inside box ; ctrl + c to copy ; ctrl + v to paste ) read more blogs! blogs by mrbluefox : | the proper grammar usage of the word fuck


the following excerpts are from witness to history, edited by ruth lichtenstein these are the stories, passed down as a sacred oral tradition, from survivors to their children. these true stories portray the human side of holocaust statistics ; they commemorate six million souls who would otherwise be anonymous victims ; they give a voice to their silenced stories. these are the anecdotes recorded on scraps of paper and in hidden diaries, the stories preserved in the memories of friends and witnesses who cheated death. culled from documents and interviews, here are the words that tell us why the jewish spirit remained alive long after so many jews were murdered. the piaseczner rebbe life had become a macabre nightmare. hunger and terror ruled ; people had been reduced to little more than physical existence, groveling for survival before a monstrous beast. few people could imagine freedom ; fewer still could focus on anything more than their next crust of bread. discovered buried in warsaw, esh kodesh ( holy fire ) is a collection of torah insights revealing a spiritual awareness that transcended the circumstances in which it was composed. this remarkable work was authored by the piaseczner rebbe, rabbi kalonymus kalmish shapira. leader of a chassidic court he had established in piaseczno, poland, at the age of twenty, rabbi shapira commanded a loyal following. his sharp intellect and personality established him as one of the great chassidic leaders of his time, and he founded and taught in the da ’ as moshe yeshivah. rabbi shapira authored several books, among them chovos ha - talmidim, a text of religious inspiration and ethics for yeshivah youth. his notebooks of writings, later published as esh kodesh, were found with a letter from rabbi shapira, begging the finder to arrange for their publication. the book has since become a classic of inspirational religious thought. world war ii broke out shortly before the high holy days of 1939. rabbi shapira immediately left piaseczno for warsaw, along with some of his followers. the early months of the war shattered rabbi shapira ’ s familiar world. his writings during those months, however, reflect a single line of thought : suffering must be used as a medium to perfect a relationship with god. the prayers that year proceeded despite constant shelling, and rabbi shapira maintained his rigorous schedule, giving lectures every sabbath and holiday to all who sought comfort and inspiration in those trying times. during


used as a medium to perfect a relationship with god. the prayers that year proceeded despite constant shelling, and rabbi shapira maintained his rigorous schedule, giving lectures every sabbath and holiday to all who sought comfort and inspiration in those trying times. during the two days before sukkos, incessant bombing ravaged warsaw, killing thousands and injuring the rebbe ’ s only son, rabbi elimelech benzion shapira. he was transferred to the local hospital, and when his wife heard the news, she and her aunt ( rabbi kalonymus ’ sister - in - law ) rushed there. as they arrived, a shell burst near the hospital, killing the two women only a few days before rabbi elimelech, too, died of his wounds, shortly before the sabbath. " there are no words to express our pain, there is no one to mourn, and there is no heart to awaken to worship of god and torah … " that entire sabbath, the piaseczner rebbe ’ s serenity belied his inner anguish. only at the end of the sabbath did the rebbe allow his pain to flicker forth. “ ich hob shoin di milchomo farshpilt ( i have already been defeated in this war ), ” he said to his followers. “ may god help the jewish people emerge victorious. ” his mother passed away only two weeks later. shortly thereafter, he wrote : we cannot go in the ways of god only when things are good for us.... when a person is steeped in good, it ’ s easy for him to serve god with joy, love, and excitement. when, god forbid, he experiences suffering, he should make use of that situation and serve god with a broken heart and an outpouring of his soul. as the hunger and aktionen intensified in the ghetto and fear dominated the lives of its inhabitants, the piaseczner rebbe still urged his fellow jews to study, to grow, and to love god despite — and even because of — all the horrors. “ if we have more free time, we must establish more torah lectures, ” he instructed. among his many inspiring thoughts was one lecture he presented during the summer of 1941 : when a jew contemplates the physical and spiritual holocaust, the destruction of torah and religion... he is deeply saddened, but, because of his deep desire for torah and for worship of god and his pain over its destruction, he can sweeten these terrible decrees


yet rabbi shapira qualified this opinion in late 1942. with the horrors of the summer ’ s mass deportations still fresh, and barely a remnant of what was the largest jewish community in poland still alive, rabbi shapira wrote that his former statement applied... only for the tribulation until the end of 5702 [ summer of 1942 ], but after the unprecedented suffering and terrible deaths that the murderous evildoers invented for the jews, according to my knowledge of [ the words of ] chazal [ the sages ] and the history of the jews, there has never been anything like this. and may god have mercy on us. in his later writings in 1942, when the end seemed near, rabbi shapira expressed his increasing pain at the horrors occurring around him : everything that a jew says or does, the essence of his soul actually directs toward god, so it seems to a person that he is requesting a favor from a man, but his inner soul is really appealing to god... and when we hear the cries of pain of young and old, crying out, “ save us, save us, ” we know that this is the cry of their soul, and of the soul of all of us, to god, our merciful father — “ save us, save us ” — so long as there is a breath of life within us. and indeed, it is amazing that the world can still stand after so many such cries. in the [ midrash of ] the ten martyrs of israel [ ten sages whom the romans tortured and murdered in the second century ce ] it says [ that ] a heavenly voice declared, “ if i hear one more cry, i will turn the world to water. ” and now innocent children... and the holy great ones of israel are killed and butchered just because they are jewish... and the whole world fills with their screams. and the world is not turned to water, but stands as if nothing has happened. " the whole world fills with their screams. and the world is not turned to water, but stands as if nothing has happened. " the closing lines of rabbi shapira ’ s esh kodesh convey both his sensitivity to jewish suffering and his faith in god ’ s salvation : on shabbos chazon, we read of the vision of isaiah... because in heaven they see the afflictions of the jews.... and through this pain, they bring the salvation. the reading begins with the most


: on shabbos chazon, we read of the vision of isaiah... because in heaven they see the afflictions of the jews.... and through this pain, they bring the salvation. the reading begins with the most difficult of all visions and concludes with the salvation, “ zion [ israel ] shall be redeemed with justice, and her captives with charity. ” shortly before the germans liquidated the ghetto, the piaseczner rebbe was assigned to work in the “ schultz shop, ” the shoe factory managed by avraham hendel. during the warsaw uprising, rabbi shapira was deported to the poniatow labor camp near lublin. he was murdered there on november 2, 1943. he stayed with his people until his death, offering comfort, inspiration, and a vision of a higher purpose amid the most unimaginable evil. a life ’ s work rabbi moshe chaim lau, [ father of rabbi yisrael meir lau, ashkenazic chief rabbi of israel from 1993 – 2003 ] rabbi of piotrkow, poland, had spent years researching the jewish laws of kiddush hashem in preparation for a book on the subject. few understood his passion for a seemingly impractical topic. he told them, “ i foresee that hard times are coming, when every jew will need to know these laws. we must study how to die, just as we now study how to live. ” when the nazis invaded in 1940, his prediction came true. rabbi lau was appointed to the judenrat, the jewish city council, and his home became a haven for the needy of piotrkow and the refugees passing through the town. on october 14, the nazis ordered the jews of piotrkow to report to the deportation area. a serene rabbi lau appeared in the square, dressed in his traditional clothing, his full beard intact. more concerned for his followers than for himself, he was afraid that if he hid, his absence would prompt the nazis to launch an intensive search for him, which would ferret out other jews from their hiding places. rabbi lau remained in the deportation square throughout the aktion, a small torah scroll in his arms, as the nazis dragged the townspeople onto the trains. on the fourth day, the head nazi roared at him, “ the jews need you there, too! ” and so he joined the last transport to treblinka. in treblinka, with the end imminent, he stood at the head of


fourth day, the head nazi roared at him, “ the jews need you there, too! ” and so he joined the last transport to treblinka. in treblinka, with the end imminent, he stood at the head of the crowd and cried out the final viduy, the confession before death, his words echoed by the voices of the jews repeating it after him. his vision of a need for a work on kiddush hashem had tragically become a reality. warsaw ghetto, 1942 : the aktion was raging. a group of jews huddled in an attic, among them rabbi aharon perlow. rabbi perlow was known as a scholar, a violinist, and the sensitive, self - effacing son of the stoliner rebbe, head of one of lithuania ’ s chassidic groups. the cramped, dark attic in which the jews were hiding had been arranged by berele “ ganif ” ( thief in yiddish ), a local jew known for his pilfering tendencies. “ jews, ” he screamed, “ how can we sit by while a jewish woman is in danger? ” a crack in the wall of the attic afforded them a view of both the lower level of the house in which they hid and the entrance area to the building. a few days into the aktion, reb aharon and the others noticed a terrified pregnant woman running into the building looking for a place to hide, with a nazi just behind her. they watched as she fell, her body thudding to the ground. the nazi cocked his rifle, aiming it directly at her. rabbi perlow leaped up and reached for the door. the others tried to stop him from leaving, pleading with him that he could do no good ; the nazi would simply kill them both, and possibly discover their hideout. “ jews, ” he screamed, “ how can we sit by while a jewish woman is in danger? ” the soft - spoken rabbi ran out of the attic, roaring at the nazi : “ murderer, is your heart made of stone? do you not have a mother of your own? ” the nazi, shocked by the sight of the man in full chassidic garb shouting at him, initially turned to run from the building. but then he twisted back and began to fire his gun furiously, repeatedly, mechanically, mortally wounding both the woman and rabbi perlow. shuddering in agony from his wounds, rabbi perlow raised a clenched fist and whispered : “... say vidu


then he twisted back and began to fire his gun furiously, repeatedly, mechanically, mortally wounding both the woman and rabbi perlow. shuddering in agony from his wounds, rabbi perlow raised a clenched fist and whispered : “... say viduy. bring my violin and play the niggun [ melody ].... ” berele ganif raced to get the violin as rabbi perlow lay in a growing pool of his own blood. berele ganif played the melody. he cried and played, the music mingling with the screams of rabbi perlow ’ s wife... he played until the rabbi ’ s eyes finally closed, and then berele fell to the ground, clutching the holy man ’ s body : “ rebbe! i was a thief, but i have a jewish heart. i swear, i swear on your body, on your holy soul, rebbe, that i will continue this niggun! ” a torah court case in auschwitz rabbi yehoshua moshe aronson recalls : june 1944. i was one of the old - timers in the buna - auschwitz death camp when we were told of the arrival of the “ magyars. ”... much to my astonishment i found that the meaning [ of this term ] was the jews of hungary — our brothers, our flesh, pious jews, jews who trembled for the word of god ( and among them many prolific torah sages ). the most exceptional thing about the hungarian jews was their simplicity.... after five years in the seven levels of hell, their simplicity was strange to behold. upon the arrival of one prisoner at auschwitz i could see that he was a great sage. this jew had been sent to auschwitz together with his two young sons... he was the rabbi of veititzka and his family name was roth.... soon i spoke with the rabbi about jewish law and torah. i was very taken with his great knowledge and his attachment to learning. still, i could not convince him of one thing : that auschwitz was a death camp. the simple rabbi of veititzka believed like many of the hungarian jews that he was in some kind of “ health camp ”.... i tried to convince the rabbi that these were falsehoods, german schemes and nothing more. i went to tell him the bitter truth.... the rabbi did not put credence in my words.... one night the rabbi of veititzka


rabbi that these were falsehoods, german schemes and nothing more. i went to tell him the bitter truth.... the rabbi did not put credence in my words.... one night the rabbi of veititzka came to me, swollen, his entire body beaten and sore. he whispered to me that his strength was waning and that he would not survive much longer.... as we spoke, the kapo of the engineering squad entered our barrack. he was a young former chassid and yeshivah student... a thought bolted into my mind, as if it had been heaven - sent. the engineering squad was one of auschwitz ’ s “ good ” assignments. eighteen men worked there, doing specialized work for the ss. only intelligent men, knowledgeable in engineering, could work there. the members received additional food.... i told the kapo of the terrible plight of rabbi roth, who was working in one of the hardest squads, breaking stones, and that he wouldn ’ t survive long at this — a day or two more at best. i asked the kapo, “ isn ’ t it possible that you only merited to be appointed to this position in order to help this jew? and it is not just one soul you will save but three, since you will be saving his two sons. ” the kapo hesitated. a long moment passed before he said “ good, i can take the risk. tomorrow the rabbi will join my engineering squad. ” within a few days, the rabbi of veititzka began to recover. i took pleasure in seeing him as he became healthier with each passing day.... and not just this, his sons, sustained by the extra rations... recuperated as well.... but then, one evening as i returned from a day of grueling labor i was told that the kapo wanted to see me.... in brief, he wanted a din torah [ a torah court case ] against rabbi roth! " if he does not eat treyf he will soon die. so why did i take this great risk?! " “ for what purpose, ” asked the kapo in great anger “ did i assume on myself an enormous risk to move rabbi roth from the rock squad to my commando? why did i put myself in such great danger? so that in the world to come... i could come and say “ i saved a soul in israel! i saved a


enormous risk to move rabbi roth from the rock squad to my commando? why did i put myself in such great danger? so that in the world to come... i could come and say “ i saved a soul in israel! i saved a rabbi and a torah giant!... and what did our rabbi do? from the time he joined the engineering squad, he avoided eating the ss soup because it was not kosher. he subsisted only on dry bread. he did not want to eat treyf. yet if he does not eat treyf he will soon die. so why did i take this great risk?! i took a simple prisoner and masqueraded him as an engineer! i didn ’ t do this so that he might die of starvation!... i have come to a final decision. if the rabbi does not meet me at a din torah then tomorrow morning i will return him to the stone quarry. ” i tried to convince the kapo to let the issue ride. a din torah in the death factory of auschwitz was absurd. but the kapo would not back down : a din torah — or the quarry squad! so early the next morning, i conducted a din torah. the kapo presented his case : he risked his life to save a torah giant, a living jew — one with the ability to stay alive and disseminate torah in israel... the words of the rabbi were short and to the point. he was no longer in danger and his health was good. the kosher food could suffice for him. he had a little bread ( half a kilo a day ) and so he had no need to eat treyf. the debate raged, but i finally succeeded in convincing them to accept a compromise : the rabbi would eat the non - kosher soup at the first sign that his health was once again failing. the kapo wasn ’ t particularly happy, but he finally acquiesced. rabbi roth survived auschwitz, but he collapsed and died on the second day of the death march. his two sons survived. mala zimetbaum was young, deeply religious, and fluent in ten languages, a rising star in the jewish community of antwerp, belgium. when the germans entered belgium, armed with guns, swastikas, and ominous new laws, mala ’ s father knew that his only daughter, then in her twenties, must be hidden far away from this new danger. posing as a non - jewish private music tutor, mala moved in with


, swastikas, and ominous new laws, mala ’ s father knew that his only daughter, then in her twenties, must be hidden far away from this new danger. posing as a non - jewish private music tutor, mala moved in with a kind non - jewish family. one day, in a moment of seeming solitude, she softly sang the kol nidrei, that most haunting yom kippur song, to herself. abruptly, she grew aware of her hostess in the doorway, mouth agape. in the adjacent room was a visitor to her host family, a teacher in the gymnasium. now he entered the room, smiling genially as the melody ’ s echo hung in the tense air. “ ah, my daughter, don ’ t worry. i ’ m a good christian, friend to all the downtrodden. that song, so terribly sad, so jewish in its sadness.... ” he paused. “ i know your secret, my dear jewish friend, but don ’ t fear, it is safe with me. ” the gestapo arrived. they beat her violently until she bled, and then they sent her to auschwitz. that night, the gestapo arrived. they beat her violently until she bled, and then they sent her to auschwitz. in the camp, mala ’ s language skills convinced the nazis that her life was worth preserving. appointed as a translator for the germans at auschwitz, she relayed their messages to kapos hailing from many different countries. it was a privileged job, but mala shared her extra food and favors with those worse off than her. she smuggled food to prisoners who were wasting away, arranged for better working conditions for some, spirited medicine to those who were too weak to survive, and warned of upcoming selections in the sick ward. there was another side to mala : she was secretly working with the resistance, passing them arms and information. february 25, ( rosh chodesh adar ) 1944. appel, as usual. but one person was missing from the women ’ s camp : mala. a search was organized and a note was found on mala ’ s bed : “ i cannot live among murderers. i must go out and tell the world what you are doing to my people. ” the germans went wild. a massive hunt was launched. two weeks later, the entire camp was summoned to an emergency appel. mala had been found! surrounded by armed nazis, she was brought before the rows of jews and accused of “ crimes against the reich.


wild. a massive hunt was launched. two weeks later, the entire camp was summoned to an emergency appel. mala had been found! surrounded by armed nazis, she was brought before the rows of jews and accused of “ crimes against the reich. ” an officer, his well - fed form dwarfing the frail woman, said to her : “ if you beg forgiveness, you will be forgiven. ” “ never, ” said mala. “ i will never give up. i will never stop trying to escape, never stop trying to tell the world what you are doing. ” and then she turned, and cried out, her voice rising : “ it is upon you to rebel... and not to be content with this situation. i know well the schemes of these evildoers.... [ yet ] my father taught me : if one comes to kill you, strike first and kill him. ” as the hangman set up his noose, the nazis tried to beat her into silence. the crowd erupted with pleadings for mercy, begging for mala ’ s life. mala looked out at her people. “ now i am going to die, but i will live on forever in the hearts of the women of israel! ” and then, from nowhere, she pulled out a razorblade and cut her own wrists. the germans were furious. “ she must be kept alive! she must be hung! " “ god will forgive me, ” she cried, and she lifted her arms, blood spilling from the gaping slits. “ and you, too, my friends, my people... you, too, must forgive me! ” she fell, bleeding but still alive. the germans were furious. “ she must be kept alive, ” the chief officer yelled wildly. “ she must be hung ; she must be kept alive to be hung, alive. ” they raced her to the hospital, her life draining from her. what happened next is unclear. some witnesses say she died immediately and was sent to the crematorium. some say she was sent to the crematorium while still alive. the sonderkommando, who staffed the crematorium, refused to burn her and only the harshest of german threats compelled them to that terrible task. but before she had died, mala had begged for one last favor. that night, they dug a hole, and buried her ashes. mala received a jewish burial in auschwitz ’ s soil, one of the very few who did. even when dead, she broke the


animal rights articles moo - ving people toward compassionate living visit the all - creatures. org home page. write us with your comments : email @ example. com by humane farming association ( hfa ) despite overwhelming scientific evidence presented during the past two decades demonstrating a relationship between meat consumption and disease, the amount of animal flesh consumed in the u. s. has not dropped. in fact, it has increased slightly. the per capita consumption of mammal and bird flesh rose from 196 pounds in 1980 to 213 pounds. americans continue to eat large amounts of animal flesh – far more than what could be considered necessary for nutritional purposes – because it is aggressively marketed to seem desirable and essential, it is readily accessible and convenient, and because it is relatively cheap. the take - over of agriculture in the u. s. by large corporations has allowed a larger number of animals to be produced more quickly and for less money. agribusiness has reaped great profits while keeping consumer prices low. but the real costs of factory farming – in terms of the loss of family farms, food - borne illness, damage to the environment, and animal suffering – have been tremendous. loss of family farms family farms are being squeezed out of business by their inability to raise the capital to compete with huge factory farms. traditional farming is labor intensive, but factory farming is capital intensive. farmers who do manage to raise the money for animal confinement systems quickly discover that the small savings in labor costs are not enough to cover the increasing costs of facilities, energy, caging, and drugs. the increase in factory farms has led to a decrease in the price independent farmers get for their animals, forcing thousands out of business. the number of u. s. farmers dropped by 300, 000 between 1979 and 1998. during a recent 15 - year period, hog farms in the u. s. decreased from 600, 000 to 157, 000, while the number of hogs sold increased. consolidation has resulted in just 3 percent of u. s. hog farms producing more than 50 percent of the hogs. similarly, 2 percent of cattle feed operations account for more than 40 percent of the nation ’ s cattle. in the poultry industry, the number of “ broiler ” chicken farms declined by 35 percent between 1969 and 1992, while the number of birds raised and slaughtered increased nearly three - fold. the demise of small farms in the u. s. has been helped along by actions of the federal government. congress, influenced by strong lobbying groups, has consistently passed federal farm programs benefiting


number of birds raised and slaughtered increased nearly three - fold. the demise of small farms in the u. s. has been helped along by actions of the federal government. congress, influenced by strong lobbying groups, has consistently passed federal farm programs benefiting the large agricultural corporations. according to the center for public integrity, between 1987 and 1996, the food industry made campaign contributions of more than $ 41 million to federal lawmakers. the bias against small farms continues despite the appointment of a special commission in the late 1990s by then - secretary of agriculture dan glickman to study how small farms have been displaced by factory farms and how the trend might be reversed. the report from that commission, titled “ a time to act, ” described the enormous social costs of the destruction of the american family farm, as the economic basis of rural communities in the u. s. diminishes and rural towns are “ lost. ” according to the u. s. department of agriculture ’ s ( usda ) national agricultural statistics service, each year about 10 percent, or 900 million, of the animals raised for food never reach the slaughterhouse. they die on the farm due to stress, injury, and disease. the on - farm death rate ranges from a low of 4 percent for cows and calves to 12 percent for turkeys, 14 percent for hogs, and 28 percent for some types of chickens. agribusiness corporations claim that animals in factory farms are “ as well cared for as their own pet dog or cat. ” nothing could be further from the truth. the life of an animal in a factory farm is characterized by acute deprivation, stress, and disease. industrialized agriculture has made the determination that it is more “ cost effective ” to accept some loss in inventory than to spend money on treating animals humanely. farm animals, by the millions, are forced to live in cages or crates just barely larger than their own bodies. while some species, like hogs and veal calves, may be caged alone without any social contact, others, like egg - laying hens and chickens, may be crowded so tightly together that they fall prey to stress - induced cannibalism. unable to groom, stretch their legs, or even turn around, the victims of factory farms exist in a constant state of distress. if a private citizen confined a dog or cat in a manner common in factory farms, or subjected an animal to surgical procedures without anesthesia, the individual could be charged with cruelty to animals. farming is an area, however, that


state of distress. if a private citizen confined a dog or cat in a manner common in factory farms, or subjected an animal to surgical procedures without anesthesia, the individual could be charged with cruelty to animals. farming is an area, however, that federal and state laws protecting animals barely touch. the powerful agribusiness and pharmaceutical lobbies have seen to it that farm animals are specifically excluded from welfare laws. there are virtually no federal laws that protect farm animals from even the most harsh and brutal treatment as long as it takes place in the name of production and profit. the federal animal welfare act, which regulates the treatment of animals for commercial purposes, does not apply to farm animals unless they are being used in research or for exhibition. moreover, a majority of states have specifically exempted some aspect of the treatment of animals in agriculture from their cruelty laws. ( states that exempt some aspect of agriculture from animal anti - cruelty statute : alaska, colorado, connecticut, delaware, georgia, idaho, illinois, iowa, kansas, kentucky, louisiana, maryland, michigan, missouri, montana, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, oregon, pennsylvania, rhode island, south carolina, south dakota, tennessee, texas, vermont, virginia, washington, west virginia, and wyoming. ) it is left entirely to the preference of the individual company how many egg - laying hens are stuffed into each little wire cage, or whether an artificially inseminated sow must spend her entire pregnancy chained to the floor of a cement - bottomed cage. making people sick factory farm conditions result in severe physiological as well as behavioral afflictions in animals. anemia, influenza, intestinal diseases, mastitis, metritis, orthostasis, pneumonia, and scours are only the beginning of a long list of ailments plaguing animals in factory farms. by ignoring basic needs such as exercise, fresh air, wholesome food, and proper veterinary care, factory farms are a breeding ground for stress and infectious disease. it is all done in the name of increasing profits. animals in factory farms are confined in cages and crates to save on space and limit the number of workers required. the animals are given antibiotics, hormones, and highly concentrated feed to accelerate growth and weight gain. factory farms attempt to counter the ill effects of this intensive confinement by administering continuous doses of antibiotics and other drugs to the animals. this “ cost effective ” practice has a significant negative impact on both the animals and the people who consume


growth and weight gain. factory farms attempt to counter the ill effects of this intensive confinement by administering continuous doses of antibiotics and other drugs to the animals. this “ cost effective ” practice has a significant negative impact on both the animals and the people who consume them. veterinarians and animal protection advocates have long expressed concern over the conditions on factory farms, and now medical doctors are warning that the tragedy of factory farming reaches well beyond the farm animals themselves. in 1954, american farmers used about half a million pounds of antibiotics a year in raising food animals. today, about half of the 50 million pounds of antibiotics produced in the u. s. each year is used for animals, 80 percent of which is poured directly into feed to make animals grow faster. among the most commonly used antibiotics are penicillin and tetracycline. the squandering of these important drugs to increase the profits of factory farms is wreaking havoc for physicians in the treatment of human illness. widespread overuse of antibiotics is resulting in the evolution of new strains of virulent bacteria whose resistance to antibiotics poses a great threat to human health. doctors are now reporting that, due to their uncontrolled use on factory farms, these formerly life - saving drugs are often rendered useless in combating human disease. conditions on factory farms and in slaughterhouses are also responsible for a large proportion of food - borne illnesses reported in the u. s. each year. officials at the usda and the centers for disease control and prevention have referred to the current situation with food - related disease as an “ epidemic. ” most food - related diseases are caused by the contamination of food, milk, or water with animal fecal material. animals in factory farms are commonly infected with a number of pathogens capable of causing food - related illness and death that are transmitted to consumers in the flesh itself or through carcass contamination at the slaughterhouse. studies have found that nearly 80 percent of ground beef sampled – and about the same percentage of poultry – contain microbes spread by animal feces. according to the general accounting office ( gao ), 81 million americans become sick, and 9, 000 die, from food - borne illness every year. the gao sets the price tag for these illnesses and deaths at about $ 22 billion a year. the full extent of the health ramifications of factory farming is unknown, however, as nobody counts deaths from drug - resistant infections and a majority of food - borne illnesses go unreported. poisoning the land, air & water in


year. the full extent of the health ramifications of factory farming is unknown, however, as nobody counts deaths from drug - resistant infections and a majority of food - borne illnesses go unreported. poisoning the land, air & water in 1996, the u. s. cattle, pork, and poultry industries produced 1. 4 billion tons of animal waste, or 130 times more than produced by the entire human population – about 5 tons of waste for every man, woman, and child in america. that calculation was included in a 1998 report on factory farming pollution prepared at the request of senator tom harkin ( d - ia ). the harkin study attributed 1. 2 billion tons of the waste to cattle manure, 116 million to hog manure, and 14 million to poultry manure. while some of the manure is used to fertilize crops, harkin ’ s report noted that most is stored in large pits or “ lagoons ” where it poses a serious threat to the land, air, and especially the water. a study released in 1998 by the natural resources defense council ( nrdc ) claimed that water quality in at least 30 states was threatened by manure from large dairies, feedlots, chicken farms, and hog farms. the study cited the situation in california ’ s central valley as being particularly acute. “ you have 900, 000 dairy cows in the valley producing waste equivalent to 21 million people, ” said an nrdc official. “ that ’ s having a terrible effect on drinking water quality, fisheries and wildlife. ” in fact, the federal environmental protection agency ( epa ) has identified 60 percent of u. s. rivers and streams as “ impaired, ” and agriculture runoff is cited as the biggest culprit. after years of inaction, the epa and some states are finally taking steps to clamp down on agricultural pollution. in 1998 the epa began implementation of a plan to impose new pollution controls on cattle, hog, and poultry farms. revised regulations governing concentrated animal feeding operations ( cafos ) were finally approved in late 2002. the new rules require that farms develop a plan to manage animal manure and expand the number of facilities covered from 4, 500 to 15, 000. unfortunately, the cafo rules don ’ t apply to the majority of poultry farms and do not extend to the big processing companies that contract with farmers to raise animals. moreover, the rules do not allow for public review of waste management plans for individual farms. oversight by the federal government is essential as three -


the majority of poultry farms and do not extend to the big processing companies that contract with farmers to raise animals. moreover, the rules do not allow for public review of waste management plans for individual farms. oversight by the federal government is essential as three - quarters of u. s. factory farms are subjected to no state pollution controls. california, for example, specifically exempted farm machines from smog restrictions more than 30 years ago, and provided farms with 20 - year waivers on water pollution controls. fortunately, the rules have changed – primarily as a result of environmental lawsuits – and california ’ s $ 30 billion agricultural industry is now starting to be held accountable for its waste. you can help share information about what you ’ ve learned with your family, friends, and members of your community. hfa will be happy to provide materials. join local activist groups to oppose the construction of any factory farms in your area. notify hfa for assistance. support local, organic farms. eliminate or significantly reduce the amount of animal flesh in your diet. for information about adopting a vegetarian diet, see the vegetarian resource group website at http : / / www. vrg. org. support hfa in its campaigns to protect farm animals from cruelty, to protect the public from food - borne disease and the chemicals used on factory farms, and to protect the environment from the impacts of animal factories. for more information, visit humane farming association http : / / www. hfa. org. return to animal rights articles the calf photo on these pages is from farm sanctuary with our thanks. we welcome your comments : fair use notice : this document may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owners. we believe that this not - for - profit, educational use on the web constitutes a fair use of the copyrighted material ( as provided for in section 107 of the us copyright law ). if you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. all creatures animal rights article : justice, peace, love, compassion, ethics, organizations, bible, god, lord, jesus, christ, holy spirit, grass roots, animals, cruelty free, lifestyle, hunting, fishing, traping, farm, farming, factory, fur, meat, slaughter, cattle, beef, pork, chicken, poultry, hens, battery, debeaking. thee is also a similarity to the human aspects of prolife, pro life, pro - life, abortion, capital punishment


science fair project encyclopedia this page explains commonly used terms in chess in alphabetical order. some of these have their own pages, like fork and pin. for a list of unorthodox chess pieces, see fairy chess piece ; for a list of terms specific to chess problems, see chess problem terminology. see also : sample chess game - adjournment : suspension of a long chess game with the intention to continue later, usually another day. - algebraic notation : a way of recording a chess game using alphanumeric codes for the squares. - annotation : commentary on a game using a combination of written comments, chess symbols or notation. - arbiter : a tournament official who arbitrates disputes and performs other duties such as keeping the score when players are under time pressure. - armageddon : a game which white must win to win the match, but which black only needs to draw to win the match. white has more time than black : the discrepency can vary, but in fide world championships, white has six minutes, black five. typically used in playoff tie - breakers where shorter blitz games have not resolved the tie. - back rank : a player ' s first rank ( the one on which the pieces stand in the initial array ) ; white ' s back rank is black ' s eighth rank and vice versa. - back rank mate : a checkmate delivered by a rook or queen along a back rank in which the mated king is unable to move up the board because the king is blocked by friendly pieces ( usually pawns ) on the second rank. - bad bishop : a bishop which is hemmed in by pawns of its own color. - battery : two or more pieces of the same color supporting each other on the same file, rank or diagonal. only queens, rooks and bishops can be part of a battery. - bishop : see bishop - bishops on opposite colors : a situation in which one side has only its white - squared bishop remaining while the other has only its black - squared bishop remaining. in endgames, this often results in a draw if there are no other pieces ( only pawns ), even if one side has one or two pawns extra, since the bishops control different squares ; in the middlegame, however, the presence of opposite colored bishops can give an attack an extra edge, since one bishop can attack squares which cannot be covered by the other. - bishop pair : in open positions, two bishops are considered to have an advantage over two knights or a knight