diesel hybrid mass transit if you live in a city like new york, chicago, or san francisco calif., and you use public transportation, chances are good that you ' ve already been a passenger on a diesel hybrid bus. nearly all buses and heavy - duty large trucks use diesel engines because of the massive torque available - - torque helps the vehicle pull huge amounts of weight. just like cars, they use either parallel or series hybrid systems to assist the diesel engines in these buses. san francisco ' s hybrid bus system, first unveiled in april 2007, uses a series hybrid system where the engine turns a generator that produces electricity to power electric drive motors that propel the bus. the wheels aren ' t turned by diesel power directly, but rather electricity. seattle wash. king county metro transit buses run on a parallel hybrid system - this means that at low speed the bus is mostly electrically driven, while at medium speeds it operates on a blend of diesel and electric power and at high speeds it runs on mostly diesel power. the benefit offered by buses powered with diesel hybrid technology is that they produce significantly lower emissions and increased fuel efficiency. one of the downsides is the cost - - they can be several hundred thousand dollars more expensive than conventional buses. in seattle, according to king county ' s web site, fuel economy in the hybrid - powered buses is more than 4 mpg ( 1. 7 km / l ). that ' s pretty good when compared to the 2. 6 mpg ( 1. 1 km / l ) the conventional diesel - powered buses are currently getting. some dispute whether hybrid buses are truly worth the extra cost. in seattle, it has been reported that the buses have never achieved the fuel economy they were supposed to - - and in some cases, they actually achieved lower fuel economy numbers than standard diesel buses. like a diesel hybrid car, it ' s also difficult to argue whether the added initial cost of the buses is made up for in fuel savings. in the next section, we ' ll take a look at some of the diesel hybrid concept cars that have made their way into the auto show circuit. will one end up in your garage?


by rebecca ruiz - mcgill, university communications resistance to chemotherapy is a major obstacle limiting the successful treatment of cancer patients. the discovery of a novel antioxidant compound by a group of university of arizona researchers led by pharmacology and toxicology assistant professor donna d. zhang, phd, has proven its ability to combat chemoresistance and enhance the efficacy of current chemotherapeutic drugs. zhang also is a member of the arizona cancer center. the finding, reported in the proceedings of the national academy of sciences, represents a breakthrough in the effectiveness of cancer treatment. the key to the discovery is an understanding of the transcription factor, or movement of genetic information of the protein nrf2. nrf2 regulates a multitude of genes that promote cell survival under detrimental environments, such as oxidative stress. oxidative stress is associated with an imbalance between the production and removal of chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen known as reactive oxygen species. during times of oxidative stress, the body ' s ability to detoxify and repair damage is disrupted and has been implicated in cancer and other diseases. the ability of cells to properly regulate the nrf2 defense response is important to protect against the damaging effects of oxidative stress. normally, nrf2 is expressed at very low levels in most organs of the body. but recent studies have shown that high levels of nrf2 are present in many types of tumors. these studies, zhang said, " suggested that nrf2 has a dark side. " " clearly, the control mechanism of nrf2 has been hijacked by the cancer cells, and the high levels of nrf2 are creating an environment for cancer cells to survive and thrive and promote chemoresistance, " she added. her team searched for antioxidant compounds that were able to inhibit the nrf2 defense response mechanism and found that brusatol, a quassinoid isolated from the fruit of the brucea javanica tree, is a unique inhibitor of the nrf2 pathway. zhang ' s team showed that brusatol can combat chemoresistance associated with cisplatin treatment, a platinum - based chemotherapy drug. through a reduction in the protein level of nrf2, brusatol is able to sensitize cancer cells to therapeutic treatments. their results show that when brusatol is used in combination with cisplatin, there is an increase in cell death, reduced cell proliferation, and a reduction in tumor growth compared to


november 9, 2011 leave a comment begin in 3ds max by drawing the outline of your mesh. users typically load an image that that they used for creating an rpc into the background and trace it using splines. don ’ t worry about the size. this is determined at the time the rpc is created. be sure and close the spline. i have created an outline of the pumpkin from october ’ s blog and create a shape to represent the base of the rpc. the tip of the triangle depicts the front of the rpc. right click on these and select convert to editable mesh. once i have created the shapes for my rpc ’ s mesh i arrange them the way the final mesh will look. to export the mesh, select the geometry to be exported and then click on the 3ds max icon ( file button ), export then export selected. choose autocad *. dxf as the file type when naming the file. choose the option for selected objects and click on ok. at this point a. dxf file should be successfully created, however we will need to convert this into a. msh file to use it with rpc creator. this can be performed by using the convert to rpc icon tool. this file can be downloaded here : once installed open the convert to rpc icon tool and select the. dxf file just generated and then select a name and creation path for the rpc icon mesh file that will be created. click on convert and the. msh file will be created. this is the file that will be used during the rpc creation process. select the custom mesh option and then browse for this file. when the rpc is added to a scene it will now have a mesh representation prior to rendering so that a better example is given of what the actual rendered object will look like. custom meshes save rpc users the time necessary to have to reposition objects that could have been placed more accurately using this technique.


women who wish to conceive may do best by avoiding foods with trans fats as a recent study claims that taking trans fats even in small quantities can have significant effects on fertility. in the study, american researchers from the harvard school of public health linked trans fats to fertility problems. of the 18, 500 women studied who were attempting to conceive, 438 women faced ovulatory problems. the researchers concluded that trans fats could raise one ’ s likelihood of developing fertility problems even by 70 per cent. but they are unsure as to the exact process by which trans fats affect fertility. meanwhile, british scientists from sheffield university have developed a test that could tell a woman how quickly her biological clock is ticking. the blood test calculates the number of eggs in a woman ’ s ovaries and determines whether her fertility is on a downward spiral. this test, named plan ahead is the first fertility test to bring together pituitary hormone fsh and ovarian hormones inhibin b and amh, as they are responsible for the number of eggs. with an increasing number of women preferring to have babies at a later stage in life, this test can help them prioritize between career and family. on the other hand, indian researchers from the institute for social and economic change, bangalore, have uncovered the disturbing fact that indian women as young as 30 are reaching menopause. while 3. 1 per cent women reach menopause between 30 and 34 years, 8 per cent do so between 35 and 39 years of age. also, such premature menopause is more common in the rural areas than in the urban areas. however, women who wish to marry late have no cause for concern as giving birth at a later age delays the onset of menopause. powered by qumana


filming table top earthquakes ( dec, 1935 ) filming table top earthquakes by earl theisen – honorary curator of motion pictures, los angeles museum. when the director calls for floods, train wrecks, and volcanoes, the miniature men create the scenes. read how they produce these effects. behind the studio walls tucked off in a corner may be found the miniature department. it is hidden away where persons will not interfere with its work or find out its secrets. to the miniature man everything is possible from the fabrication of airplane crashes, train wrecks, explosions, floods, to the bringing to life on the screen of prehistoric monsters. in this department of the studios is filmed those things that cannot be photographed or are too dangerous to be photographed in full size. the miniature men are specialists in reproducing literally on a table top practically anything that occurs in real life. in a picture entitled, last days of pompeii, the destruction of this historic city by a volcanic eruption can be seen on the screen. because of the risk to human life and the expense involved, it was impossible to make the volcanic scenes other than by miniature. besides, by using miniatures, a more forceful and realistic story could be made. streams of flowing lava, smoke, flying debris, destruction of huge buildings, and other volcanic phenomena were reproduced for the screen in this picture. to do this was no simple matter ; chemistry, physics, and much creative ingenuity contributed to the filming. some scenes required as many as five trick super - imposures exposed on the same film. one such scene depicted a boat burning in the harbor of pompeii. in the background mt. vesuvius was shown erupting while the streets of pompeii began to fill with smoke and ash. the burning boat with real - life players was photographed in full size and then later added to the miniature scene by what is known in the studios as the “ projection process. ” this process consists of projecting the movie of the burning boat to a screen placed in the miniature setting. the screen being of glass is easily camouflaged in the setting. by moving the projector, which was out of camera lines near the screen, a proper balance between the size of the boat and the miniature city was reached. to photograph this entire scene it was necessary to run the negative through the camera five times, each time a different portion of the picture was photographed. first the city of pompeii was photographed showing the streets beginning to fill with smoke and ash. the negative was then


scene it was necessary to run the negative through the camera five times, each time a different portion of the picture was photographed. first the city of pompeii was photographed showing the streets beginning to fill with smoke and ash. the negative was then re1 wound in the camera and a second exposure was made showing mt. vesuvius ; then another exposure introduced the smoke and fire effects which were being ejected from the mouth of the volcano ; finally the burning boat was added. a fifth exposure introduced birds flying about in the scene. the various exposures were required because different methods or “ processes ” had to be used for the various effects. the smoke and fire effects had to be photographed at high speed in order to get the proper floating and billowy effect. then the clouds were superimposed over the city by “ stop - motion, ” which is the studio name for the process of photographing action photograph by photograph rather than continuously as is done when “ shooting ” real life stars. in “ stop - motion ” the action is photographed pose by pose on motion picture film. when the progressive poses are projected in the theatre at high speed, the poses blend together to give the illusion of motion. in the destruction of pompeii, the use of “ stop - motion ” made it possible to project the picture of the clouds and falling ashes into the city while the city was being destroyed. this was done by projecting the motion picture of the clouds, which was taken at high speed on to a “ split screen. ” the “ split screen ” which was placed a few inches in front of the camera lens in this “ shot ” is a partially silvered mirror which reflected the image of the clouds and at the same time permitted the camera lens to see through the mirror to photograph the miniature city. in this way the two pictures were combined. in the fabrication of the destruction of a building by earthquake in the last days of pompeii, willis o ’ brien, who did the technical and miniature work on the lost world, king kong, as well as this picture, constructed a miniature building of about four by five feet in size on a table. in order to effect an earthquake movement, the table was set on a series of rocker arms operated by an electric motor. the building was constructed of plaster and wood joined together in sections, and was so built that any desired portion could be made to collapse when desired by pulling wires which ran through the building down to the table, and from there to the control board. in some sea films


constructed of plaster and wood joined together in sections, and was so built that any desired portion could be made to collapse when desired by pulling wires which ran through the building down to the table, and from there to the control board. in some sea films that show boat wrecks or fires, the work is done by use of miniature. in some instances the boat never touches the water but is run on tracks in the studio sound stage. recently ralph hammeras, who is in charge of miniature photography at fox films corporation, constructed a twelve - foot miniature boat in order to show a fire at sea. the boat was complete with every detail of an ocean going liner, even to the use of three thousand miniature globes that actually furnished illumination. the water was added by the “ projection process, ” which projected a moving picture of the desired ocean scene to a screen behind the ship. the camera angle was set so the projected picture of the ocean and the burning ship was combined to show the ship moving in water. in so doing a more forceful and effective action for the story was obtained with no risk to human life. things as complicated as a ballroom with dancing couples have been made in miniature. for the big broadcast, harry reynolds, who makes the miniatures for paramount studios, brought to life such a ballroom where sixty couples danced the waltz, and an orchestra of men made in miniature to represent the vincent lopez orchestra went through all the motions of producing the music. to make these miniatures do this was not a simple matter. harry reynolds constructed a number of conveyor belts on which were anchored the figures. these conveyor belts ran over drums, which had an intricate tripping mechanism which moved the figures in a certain manner when in a desired position. the question arises, “ why go to all that trouble when the real orchestra and ballroom would be available? ” at times it is thought desirable for picture purposes to photograph at an impossible angle, or photograph in a dangerous position. probably the most difficult of all miniature shots are the type that characterize willis o ’ brien ’ s work ; that is, in such pictures as king kong, wherein people in small size are added to miniatures which seem of heroic proportions. the new “ stop - motion ” camera is used in photographing miniatures so they may be moved by hand between each exposure while the camera shutter is closed. the process of photographing a miniature by “ stop - motion ” pose by pose is continued until the desired action is complete. a day ’ s work is often only twenty - five feet of film, which


create an elegant patterned vector owl in illustrator follow this step by step adobe illustrator tutorial to create a stylized vector owl illustration with simple shapes and patterns. we ’ ll start by building the basic owl character with various vector shapes, then begin bringing it to life with colour, shading and pattern fills. the owl character we ’ ll be creating is built from a range of basic shapes to create a simple and elegant style. the illustration is brought to life with shading effects which add depth, and a range of pattern fills to give a feathered impression. to finish off the design it ’ s brought into photoshop for some grungy textures to rough up the clean vectors to give a cool tactile feel. open up adobe illustrator and draw a large circle on the artboard. hold alt and drag the circle to one side to make a duplicate, then use the subtract option from the pathfinder palette to punch out the circle from the original. draw a rounded rectangle with max corner radius ( press the right cursor key ) and carefully align it to the width of the crescent shape. toggle outline mode ( cmd + y ) to ensure everything lines up. merge these two shapes with the pathfinder palette. draw another circle, this time overlap it across the top edge of the owl body. use the subtract option from the pathfinder to create a couple of simple ears on the head. elsewhere on the artboard draw a circle, then with the convert anchor point tool remove the bezier handles from the upper and lower points. use the direct selection tool to drag these points upwards and downwards respectively to lengthen this shapes to produce a simple wing. rotate and move the wing into place on the body of the owl. draw another circle as move into place as an eye. use the pucker and bloat effect to convert the shape. copy the shape then paste in front ( cmd + f ). hold shift while rotating to limit the angle to 45 degrees, then go to object > expand appearance to convert the effect into solid shapes then merge the two with the pathfinder. add a few more circles aligned to the centre of this shape. paste each new circle then scale it while holding shift and alt. finish the eye with a couple of smaller circular highlights. duplicate all the shapes that make up the eye and move them to the opposite side. merge the surrounding shapes to blend them together where the two overlap. create the basics of what will be the owl ’ s beak using three circles – two small


highlights. duplicate all the shapes that make up the eye and move them to the opposite side. merge the surrounding shapes to blend them together where the two overlap. create the basics of what will be the owl ’ s beak using three circles – two small circles placed side by side, then a larger one at the exact with of the two smaller circles. use the direct selection tool to select and delete the upper most point from the larger circle. drag the lower most point downwards vertically ( hold shift ) and remove the bezier curves with the convert anchor point tool. overlap the shapes then use the merge option from the pathfinder to blend them together. move the beak into place between the eyes. use the pen tool while holding shift to draw a flowing shape. keeping the bezier curves on strict angles should help keep the curves flowing smoothly. move all the shapes into their final positions to create the basic structure and outline of the owl character. add a basic blue fill to the body of the owl, then head to effect > stylize > inner glow. select a darker tone of blue and adjust the blur so the glow subtly flows in from the edges. add the same fill and glow settings to the wings. use similar inner glow styling, but this time with grey tones on the ‘ eyebrows ’ and shapes that surround the eyes. to make the eyes stand out that little more, add a drop shadow. adjust the options so there ’ s no offset and the opacity is around 40 %. add a grey to white radial fill to the outer circles that make up the complete eye. move the gradient slider so the grey only creeps in slightly from the edge. give the next circle an orange / yellow radial fill to create a bright iris colour, and add another subtle drop shadow. elsewhere in the document draw a small circle. drag the upper most point upwards with the direct selection tool then remove the bezier curves with the convert anchor point tool. select the rotate tool then alt - click just underneath the shape. in the subsequent options box enter 10 degrees and hit the copy button. repeatedly press the shortcut cmd + d to generate a complete circle of radial shapes. remove the black stroke and group them all together ( cmd + g ). move the radial shapes into place over the iris. use the shortcut cmd + [ to alter the stacking order so it sits under the pupil of the eye. finish off the eye with a black to grey gradient on the pupil and leave the highlights with just a white fill. use


iris. use the shortcut cmd + [ to alter the stacking order so it sits under the pupil of the eye. finish off the eye with a black to grey gradient on the pupil and leave the highlights with just a white fill. use the same colours from iris to colour the beak with a fill and inner glow. don ’ t forget a good old drop shadow to list the objects from the screen. draw another small circle elsewhere on the artboard. delete the upper most point to leave a semi - circle. give this semi - circle a vertical gradient fill from the darker blue tone used on the body to transparent. hold alt and shift while dragging the shape to one side to align multiple circles side by side, then select and drag this row downwards to duplicate a series of further rows. align a guide to the centre of the first circle, then move the second row until the edge of the circles aligns with this guide. repeat the movement on each alternating row using the shortcut cmd + d then group them all together. use three more guides to carefully outline a repeating area within the series of rows. zoom right in to ensure the guides sit perfectly against the centre points and outlines of the circles. draw a blank square inside these guides. select both the group of circles and the blank square and click the crop option from the bottom row of the pathfinder to trim the pattern down to size. drag this graphic into the swatches palette. copy the main body shape and press cmd + f to paste it in front. delete the inner glow from the appearances palette then replace the fill with the newly created pattern swatch. change the blending mode to color burn. repeat the process on the wings, but also go to object > transform > rotate. select just the patterns checkbox and enter 30 degrees into the angle to rotate the pattern to match the orientation of the wing. make another duplicate of the wing and give it a black fill. use a large temporary circle with the pathfinder to clip the shape down. add a large gaussian blur ( effect > blur > gaussian blur ) of around 40px. press cmd - [ to send the black shape underneath the main wing, then rotate it slightly so the blur creeps out slightly further from the lower edge. change the blending mode to multiply at 30 %. draw a large oval over the chest area of the owl. adjust the stroke options to 30pt weight with round cap and bevel join, check the dashed line option and change the dash


edge. change the blending mode to multiply at 30 %. draw a large oval over the chest area of the owl. adjust the stroke options to 30pt weight with round cap and bevel join, check the dashed line option and change the dash to 0 and gap to match the stroke weight of 30pt. go to object > expand and select just the stroke option to convert the stroke into basic shapes. right click and ungroup, then merge everything together with the pathfinder. use a duplicate of the main body shape as a tool along with the intersect option from the pathfinder to trim the chest shape down to size. give it a basic blue fill then set it to multiply at 40 %. to finish off the design with some rough textures, paste it into a large photoshop document with a grey background. paste a copy of the body pattern fill from illustrator and scale it up to fill the whole document. set this to color burn, then add a rough texture and set it to color dodge at 80 %. import another texture file then load the selection of the owl illustration by clicking the layer thumbnail while holding the cmd key. inverse the selection ( cmd + shift + i ) then clear out the excess. set this new texture overlay to color burn at 70 % opacity to finish off the illustration with some dirty distressed marks. there we have one complete owl illustration. the basic vector shapes help build a simple and stylized illustration while the subtle shading effects add depth and dimension to the design. none of my designs are complete without a dirty texture to rough things up, which in turn give the clean vectors a more tactile feel.


imbolc is traditionally regarded as the first day of spring. life is beginning to stir again. the celtic festival of imbolc or imbolg - pronounced without the ‘ b ’ sound – is sometimes known as oimelc, means ‘ ewe ’ s milk ’ – named due to the birth of the first lambs at this time, and celebrates the return of fresh milk. sheep are earlier with their offspring than cattle, because they could crop lower for grass and so thrive on the sparse vegetation in late winter. cattle would calf around march. bulbs are beginning to shoot and new lambs are born – the cycle of new life returns to the earth. imbolc marks the rebirth of nature and fertility. it is the celebration of the gradual dawning of increasing light, bringing nature to life again. nature is awakening from her winter rest – the long winter darkness begins to break as the daylight hours begin to get longer. christians celebrate this festival as candlemas. “ as the light lengthens, so the cold strengthens ” imbolc focuses on the goddess, both as mother – as she gave birth to the sun god at the winter solstice, and as the maiden. brigit was originally considered a form of the triple goddess. imbolc is a feast dedicated to the goddess in her maiden aspect, in her guise as brigid, bridget, bride, brighid, brigit or brig – goddess of learning, poetry, prophesying, craftmanship, agriculture and healing. imbolc is considered a traditional healing time and it is a good time to consider ways to improve your health. brigid is the virgin goddess who brings new life to the earth. she is known as bride in scotland – pronounced breed – which is the origin of the word ‘ bride ’. imbolc is also known as bride ’ s day. she was christianised as st. bridget of kildare, the patroness of sheep and fertility, and she was also known as the ‘ mother of ireland ’. briget ’ s cross is woven from corn and consists of four arms that meet to form a square centre – a fire wheel. traditionally, on this day candlelit processions were led to st. bridget ’ s holy shrines – wells imbolc is a ‘ fire festival ’. particular attention was paid to the hearth fire and keeping it alight. a celebratory dish used to be made from the new lambs ’ docked tails. bridie dolls are made out of a sheaf of oats and


’. particular attention was paid to the hearth fire and keeping it alight. a celebratory dish used to be made from the new lambs ’ docked tails. bridie dolls are made out of a sheaf of oats and dressed in women ’ s clothing, and then ritually buried in the earth as a fertility rite. another custom was to place the doll in a ‘ bride ’ s bed ’ of woven wheat, like a basket, which was placed near the front door, or sometimes near the hearth. a white candle was burnt nearby all night. spring cleaning comes from the habit at imbolc of getting rid of unwanted clutter and preparing for the new season, physically and mentally. now is the time to finish old habits and make a fresh start, and realise the world is full of new opportunities. imbolc is a time of optimism and for making new plans for the sunny days ahead. plant the seeds of your plans now and tend them so they mature into your hopes and dreams. now is the time to renew your new year resolutions. like many celtic festivals, the imbolc celebrations centred around the lighting of fires. fire was perhaps more important for this festival than others as it was also the holy day of brigid ( also known as bride, brigit, brid ), the goddess of fire, healing and fertility. the lighting of fires celebrated the increasing power of the sun over the coming months. for the christian calendar, this holiday was reformed and renamed ‘ candlemas ’ when candles are lit to remember the purification of the virgin mary. imbolc is still a special time for pagans. as people who are deeply aware of what is going on in the natural world they recognise that there is strength in cold as well as heat, death as well as life. the horned god reigns over the autumn and winter and although the light and warmth of the world may be weak, he is still in his power. many feel that human actions are best when they reflect the actions of nature, so as the world slowly springs back into action it is time for the small tasks that are neglected through the busy year. rituals and activities might include the making of candles, planting spring flowers, reading poetry and telling stories. merlin says ” it is called imbolc in the druid tradition, or sometimes oimelc. although we would think of imbolc as being in the midst of winter, it represents in fact the first of a trio of spring celebrations, since it is the time of the first


te papa research fellow patrick brownsey was recently contacted about a population near levin of the very rare ophioglossum petiolatum. ophioglossum are odd looking ferns, as befits a common name of “ adder ’ s tongue ferns ”. we don ’ t have a picture of o. petiolatum ( stalked adder ’ s tongue fern ), but the related o. coriaceum is similar ; o. petiolatum has a rounder leaf and a longer fertile spike than shown in the drawing below. ophioglossum petiolatum has a nationally critical conservation status in new zealand. more details and photos from the plant conservation network. pat saw the hokio population about 30 years ago, and wrote an article about it. a local landowner wanted to know if the population still persisted. primary science teacher fellow wendy hogg and i joined pat for the hunt, but we were unsuccessful. the area is much changed, and it seems unlikely ( but not impossible ) that o. petiolatum survives near levin. 1985 article about ophioglossum petiolatum at hokio ( 2. 3 mb pdf ). however, we did find the unusual, floating liverwort ricciocarpos natans. although only a centimetre or two across, it is very distinctive. it has a nationally endangered conservation status, but it is probably under - collected, and may be more common than appreciated. please look out for it amongst the “ duckweed ” on your local ponds!


the last time i gave bees much thought was when i was about five years old and the bee ’ s name was maya. but last night ’ s screening of vanishing of the bees, presented by “ whole foods market do something reel ” film festival, made me realize how much we depend on these industrious little insects. according to the film, a third of everything we eat grows through pollination, “ apples, broccoli, watermelon, onions, cherries and a hundred other fruits and vegetables ”. bees are the only efficient way for many crops to pollinate, and without pollination, there can be no food. in 2007, beekeepers from around the country began reporting the mysterious vanishing of tens of thousands of bees - in a matter of hours. the vanishing bee phenomenon, officially called colony collapse disorder ( ccd ), is alarming not just for the welfare of the bees, but for the welfare of our crops and food supply. where are these bees going and, more importantly, why are they leaving their hives? these are the troubling questions vanishing of the bees seeks to answer. it ’ s narrated by oscar - nominated ellen page, and as a documentary it ’ s intriguing, entertaining and extremely educational. in 90 minutes, i learned more about bees than i ever thought i ’ d care to know - and i was glad for the education. ( i still can ’ t get over how much we depend on these insects! ) and like all good documentaries, vanishing of the bees provides simple steps that we can take to protect nature ’ s little workers - because at the end of the day, we depend on bees to provide something that ’ s very near and dear to us all : food.


in the heart of the large magellanic cloud ( one of the milky way ’ s many satellite galaxies ), there lies a vast complex of gas called 30 doradus. and inside that sprawling volume of space is the tarantula nebula, a star - forming region so huge it dwarfs even our own orion nebula. thousands of stars are churning away in there, going through the process of being born. and as they do, the hottest and brightest of them carve huge cavities in the nebula, heating the tenuous gas therein to millions of degrees. the result? this : [ click to embiggen. ] i love this image! it ’ s a combination of observations from the chandra x - ray observatory ( in blue, showing the incredibly hot gas ) and from spitzer space telescope ( in red, showing cooler gas ). those bubbles of hot, x - ray emitting gas are constrained by the cooler gas around them, but it ’ s likely the hot gas is expanding, driving the overall expansion of the nebula itself. however, it ’ s also possible the sheer flood of high - energy radiation from the nascent stars is behind the gas ’ s expansion … or it ’ s a combination of both. astronomers are still arguing over this, and observations like this one will help figure out who ’ s right. … but you know me. i love pareidolia, and there ’ s no way you can look at this image and not see a really angry screaming face, shrieking at that blue blob hovering in its way. that ’ s so cool! and c ’ mon, nasa : you release this image two weeks after halloween? oh well, i ’ ll add it to my scary astronomy gallery anyway, which is after the jump below. image credit : x - ray : nasa / cxc / psu / l. townsley et al. ; infrared : nasa / jpl / psu / l. townsley et al. i believe without reservation that this may be the greatest instance of pareidolia of all time : an ultrasound of a man experiencing epididymo - orchitis, or pain and swelling of a testicle : having suffered through a similar ( if less traumatic ) version of this, may i add that the expression on the man ’ s, um, " face " is exquisitely accurate. tip o ’ the codpiece to my hive overmind co - blogger ed yong on google +. original image : elsevier, inc. i know


add that the expression on the man ’ s, um, " face " is exquisitely accurate. tip o ’ the codpiece to my hive overmind co - blogger ed yong on google +. original image : elsevier, inc. i know i ’ ve posted a lot about the sun lately, and i know i just posted a funny picture by astrophotographer alan friedman. and maybe i should ’ ve waited for caturday to post this. but c ’ mon. how could i not post this as soon as i saw it? [ click to concatenate. ] it ’ s a sol cat! i love how it looks like it ’ s rubbing its head on the sun. if you want the technical description of what you ’ re seeing, it ’ s a solar prominence, a long stream of ionized gas belched out by the sun, flowing along its magnetic field lines. think of it as a 80, 000 kilometer - long cosmic hairball the sun hacked up. i will from now on. and if you liked that picture by alan, this one will make your hair stand on end! [ update : alan calculated the size of this prominence as 80, 000 km, and that looks about right to me. so just for comparison, i added the earth roughly to scale in the picture here. that ' s a pretty big cat. it ' s head is bigger than our whole planet! imagine the litter box that would take... ] i love the images of the sun taken by astrophotographer alan friedman. i love pareidolia. and i love cryptozoology. so of course i love love love this : [ click to sasquatchenate. ] pareidolia is the trait of seeing recognizable objects in random patterns ( usually, but not always, faces ). cryptozoology is the study of fabled creatures like nessie, or the chupracabra, or … i don ’ t know, for a totally random example, let ’ s say bigfoot. still not sure what i mean? maybe this ’ ll help : ok, i ’ ll be a pedantic dork for just a sec, and say that this is actually just a prominence, an eruption of ionized gas off the surface of the sun, guided by the twisting and churning solar magnetic field. prominences can take all sorts of shapes — even angels and dragons — as they launch upward and fall back down to the sun ’ s surface. alan apeman — ur


the surface of the sun, guided by the twisting and churning solar magnetic field. prominences can take all sorts of shapes — even angels and dragons — as they launch upward and fall back down to the sun ’ s surface. alan apeman — urp, sorry, i mean friedman — takes simply amazing pictures of the sun which i feature here all the time ; see the related posts section below for many more. and you should keep an eye on his pictures. who knows what you ’ ll find in them? image credit : alan friedman hey, i haven ’ t posted a fun pareidolia ( patterns that look like faces or figures ) news article in a while, and this is a good one : a man in finland found this interesting image on his wall : [ here ' s the google translation into english. ] of course, the article claims it looks like the virgin mary. now look : i know that the standard depiction of mary is usually with her head bent, covered in a cowl, with a robe of some sort. that kind of figure lends itself to pareidolia — it ’ s an easy shape to make, from oil stains to an mri. but this is a pretty far cry from even that! unless mary ’ s head is a perfect sphere. it looks very much like this is a simple reflection off a window or other shiny object. the way the light plays on the wall makes that clear. of course, i cannot rule out a supernatural influence … so if it ’ s not mary, who is it? when you build and launch a high - resolution solar observatory that stares at the sun 24 hours a day, you ’ re bound to catch some pretty cool stuff. as proof, check out this video of a stunning prominence erupting from the sun ’ s surface on july 12, 2011, as seen by nasa ’ s solar dynamics observatory : [ make sure you set the resolution to at least 720p. ] that ’ s really graceful, especially considering that tower reached the staggering height of about 150, 000 km ( 90, 000 miles ) above the sun in just a few minutes! the gas on the sun is ionized, which means it ’ s had one or more electrons ripped away from its atoms. technically called a plasma, this makes it sensitive to the sun ’ s strong magnetic forces. that becomes really obvious after it starts to collapse ; it doesn ’ t follow a ballistic trajectory like you ’ d expect ( the path a ball thrown up in the air would follow ), but instead


it sensitive to the sun ’ s strong magnetic forces. that becomes really obvious after it starts to collapse ; it doesn ’ t follow a ballistic trajectory like you ’ d expect ( the path a ball thrown up in the air would follow ), but instead flows along the sun ’ s magnetic field lines. this video is in the ultraviolet, where such a plasma glows brightly. for a moment there, just at its peak, it coincidentally looks like a classic angel with wings spread. of course, once the angel dissolves it forms more of an arc … so i guess this makes it an archangel. i ’ m glad no one heard a trumpet playing when this happened. that could ’ ve been awkward. i glanced out my office window the other day and saw what is clearly a sign that the weather is ticked off about something : go cloud! punch that sky! i was thinking at first the cloud was the result of a big convective updraft ; warm air screaming upwards and forming a puffy column. a couple of weeks ago i saw this happen in a ginormous cumulonimbus storm cloud. there were several rapidly rising columns of air moving up so quickly they were forming pilei, which are caps of water vapor that look like little shock waves at the top of the cloud. however, when i was looking at this fist cloud just a few minutes later as it blew east toward my house, i saw this was just a perspective effect, and it was just a normal puffy cloud. too bad. i was getting into it. give it to the man! fight the stratus quo! this is a pretty nifty illusion : as you look at a spot between two rapidly changing images of faces, your brain distorts the images, making them look really weird : i could do without the title they chose for the video, but the paper on which it ’ s based is called " flashed face distortion effect : grotesque faces from relative spaces ", which may not explain much, either. what it means, basically, is that as the faces flash, certain features get distorted by your brain, and the amount of distortion depends on how much that feature deviates from the rest in the set. in other words, someone with slightly larger eyes gets perceived by you as having huge eyes. go ahead and pause the video and click through it ; the faces are pretty much normal faces, so the distortion really is an illusion. i think that ’ s pretty neat ; i ’ m fascinated by how our brains perceive faces


as having huge eyes. go ahead and pause the video and click through it ; the faces are pretty much normal faces, so the distortion really is an illusion. i think that ’ s pretty neat ; i ’ m fascinated by how our brains perceive faces in particular, since people see them everywhere. i ’ d love to see some variations on this, like showing men ’ s faces, or a man on one side and a woman on the other. would it work for animal faces too? hmmm. i ’ ll note that some people have a hard time seeing this illusion ; my friend richard wiseman — who knows a thing or two on how the brain can be fooled! — doesn ’ t see it well. do you? tip o ’ the nacker cube to gizmodo and my old friend bill dalton. it ’ s very common to see familiar things in random patterns. we see faces in clouds, jesus in a tortilla, and smiley faces everywhere. it ’ s so ubiquitous there ’ s a term for it : pareidolia. so when i saw on reddit that people were talking about seeing an epic dragon fight in the orion nebula, i smiled. but then i saw the image, and that smile turned to pure amazement. why? because here ’ s the image : [ click to ensmaugenate. ] do you see the dragon on the left, wings outstretched, breathing fire, blasting it at the man on the right? he has a face, and i see his shoulder, back, and outstretched arm as well, as if he ’ s battling the dragon. let me be clear : this picture is real! well, the dragon and face aren ’ t real — they ’ re more pareidolia — but the images in the nebula are actually there. you might see them more easily in this contrast - enhanced version, too. let me explain … pareidolia is the psychological term for seeing patterns in random or near - random distributions of things. the face on mars, the man in the moon, jesus in a taco shell, and so on … most of the time it manifests as faces, since our brains are geared to recognize them as easily as possible. but sometimes you get other patterns too. i don ’ t know about you, but i agree with astronomer yurii pidopryhora : this is a dolphin : it ’ s actually a cold molecular gas cloud about 25, 000 light years away in our galaxy, seen in the radio part of the spectrum


“ the urinary excretion of ( an ) odorous substance ( s ) after eating asparagus is not an inborn error of metabolism as has been supposed. the detection of the odour constitutes a specific smell hypersensitivity. those who could smell the odour in their own urine could all smell it in the urine of anyone who had eaten asparagus, whether or not that person was able to smell it himself. thresholds for detecting the odour appeared to be bimodal in distribution, with 10 % of 307 subjects tested able to smell it at high dilutions, suggesting a genetically determined specific hypersensitivity. ” face it : your pee smells after you eat asparagus. ( and if you think yours doesn ’ t, it ’ s because you can ’ t smell it. ) this phenomenon ( which is caused by various malodorous sulfur - containing compounds ) has tickled the fancies of many researchers, as well as such luminaries as proust, who wrote of asparagus : “ exquisite creatures who had been pleased to assume vegetable form, and whose precious essence when, all night long after a dinner at which i had partaken of them, they played ( lyrical and coarse in their jesting like a fairy - play by shakespeare ) at transforming my chamber pot into a vase of aromatic perfume ( translated from du cote de chez swann, gallimard, 1988, i, 119 ; i, 131 ). but our favorite allusion to the asparagus - pee phenomenon has to be from benjamin franklin, who, in 1871 1781, wrote a letter asking researchers to come up with a solution to fart smells ( the letter is definitely worth reading in full : to the royal academy of farting ) : “ certain it is also that we have the power of changing by slight means the smell of another discharge, that of our water. a few stems of asparagus eaten, shall give our urine a disagreable odour ; and a pill of turpentine no bigger than a pea, shall bestow on it the pleasing smell of violets. and why should it be thought more impossible in nature, to find means of making a perfume of our wind than of our water? ” so, now that we understand why our pee stinks when we eat asparagus, can we address benjamin ’ s larger concern? check back tomorrow for some cutting - edge research on fart - smell - reduction!


forget blackadder, turnips and the black death : medieval england was extremely sophisticated there ' s a tendency to think of the medieval english living an archaic, primitive, blackadder sort of life : a lot of knobbly - faced peasants rotating crops, marrying at 12, before succumbing to their first bubons in the armpit at 15. an exhibition opening at the british library today, royal manuscripts : the genius of illumination, puts that right. not only are the 154 gilded books on display extraordinarily beautiful – and in fresh, glittering condition – but they also show how sophisticated medieval england was. pictured is winchester ' s new minster charter, an anglo - saxon manuscript, gilded a century before william the conqueror turned up. the workmanship and the colour are extremely advanced. it ' s not just the works themselves that show up so well. english gothic architecture, which appears as a backdrop to many of the illuminations, comes across as beautiful, skilled and varied, all the way through from around 1150 ad till 1530 ad. the manuscripts give similarly complimentary insights into medieval english philosophy, history, political thought, law and kingship. a convenient view on english history sets up elizabethan england, shakespeare and the arrival of renaissance architecture in the early 17th century as the great turning point – when stupid old rural england caught up with avant - garde continental thought, art and architecture. this exhibition turns that view on its head. modern architects have forgotten how to build beautiful new houses may 17th, 2013 10 : 44 the british man of letters is alive and well … may 11th, 2013 9 : 24 people with firsts rarely come first in life – but, boy, are they pleased with themselves may 8th, 2013 12 : 26 there will never be another alex ferguson – club owners are too impatient nowadays may 8th, 2013 10 : 26 the queen won ' t abdicate, but she is cleverly planning her succession may 7th, 2013 10 : 28


published : november 10, 2008 have you ever found an ugly wooden button, perhaps in a poke box, that has an eagle emblem and the letters " nra " stamped on the back? other manufactured goods - picture frames, candy boxes, bias tape packaging, cards of snaps - also feature the emblem and initials of the u. s. national recovery administration. like nra buttons, they have quite a story to tell. wood, brass embellishment blond wood, eagle and nra backmark on reverse wood, stylized floral design, painted during world war i, the american economy was booming. farmers were encouraged to grow all the wheat they could, and the price of grain was high. american farmers fed not only americans, but many people in europe as well. u. s. farmers were plowing up great portions of the great plains. what had been prairie for thousands of years was now farmland. the rains came and the crops were plentiful. after the war, soldiers returned and railroads brought trainloads of immigrants to the great plains. prosperity reigned. between 1924 and 1929, wheat acreage in the texas panhandle grew from 867, 000 to 2. 5 million acres. people put money into unregulated banks, which then loaned the money for land. the stock market was booming. in industrial areas, factory workers labored 12 to 15 hours each day for six days a week. children as young as 8 years old were employed in this fashion. prosperity breeds distress by the mid 1920s, europe began supplying her own needs, resulting in great over - production of american wheat, corn and other farm products. inevitably, farm prices fell. in the eastern u. s., factories lost contracts. the downward spiral had started. the american stock market crashed on oct. 29, 1929 - " black tuesday " - losing 40 percent of its value over the next three weeks. by the early 1930s, two million americans were living as nomads, having lost their homes and farms. franklin d. roosevelt was elected president in 1932 by 22. 8 million votes. in his inaugural address, roosevelt called for financial reform, emergency relief to the unemployed, realignment of agriculture, and cooperation between labor, government, and management. these tenets were the basis of the u. s. national industrial recovery act, which called for the creation of the national recovery administration, or nra. the nra would form consortiums of like industries to limit competition, raise prices and wages, guarantee the right of workers to organize,


. s. national industrial recovery act, which called for the creation of the national recovery administration, or nra. the nra would form consortiums of like industries to limit competition, raise prices and wages, guarantee the right of workers to organize, establish industry standards, a minimum wage, and limits for working hours. unemployment would drop from 25 million to 10 million. blue eagle soars and falls in the summer of 1933 the nra adopted the blue eagle as its official symbol. charles t. coiner, a noted american advertising executive, designed the blue eagle. it was to be used on all material issued by companies meriting an nra code of authority. if you look closely at the brown nra button pictured with this article, you can see the wheel in the right talon and the bolts of lightning in the left talon. the wheel is a symbol of industry ; the lightning is a symbol of power. parades were held in cities across the country to introduce the symbol and explain the benefits of the nra for industry. but big business mounted a legal challenge against the nra, and in 1935, the supreme court ruled the nra unconstitutional. within weeks, the blue eagle disappeared. the little nra button was out of business, nearly as quickly as it had appeared. button history elusive nra buttons are representative of a short period of time, completed just 2½ years after the nra began. they typically have a face embossed with a geometric or repeating pattern. one frequently found example features a stylized flower. as a button collector, i have not been able to learn the manufacturing location of the nra buttons. in addition, i studied 138 of these buttons and found only 30 with at least a portion of a back mark. of the buttons i studied, eight were painted : four were royal blue, two were green, and two were black. two had dots of paint on the face ( red and blue ). nine buttons had some metal embellishment, either white metal or brass. twenty - two were sew - through buttons. i even found three matching scotty - dog nra buttons. a look at the edge of each button confirmed they were wood, although the same design can be found in wood composition buttons. these dog buttons reflected the popularity of president roosevelt ' s scotty, called falla. did the two companies that made wood - composition buttons under the trade names burwood and syroco produce the wooden buttons for the nra? i tend to think not, as the quality of the nr


' s scotty, called falla. did the two companies that made wood - composition buttons under the trade names burwood and syroco produce the wooden buttons for the nra? i tend to think not, as the quality of the nra buttons is quite poor in comparison with burwood and syroco buttons, and there is so little consistency in production methods exhibited in the buttons. in spite of the brief life of the nra, american society still benefits from many ideas developed as the result of its existence. the national labor relations board was a direct result of the repeal of the nra, as was the bureau of labor and industry. the bureau was established to oversee compliance with industrial safety standards, the 40 - hour workweek, overtime controls, minimum wage enforcement, and restrictions on the employment of children. nra buttons symbolize a period in u. s. history characterized by great hardship and significant progress in labor reform. | this article was provided by the national button society, nationalbuttonsociety. org. dorothy krugner has been a button collector since 1984. she is a lifetime member of the national button society and a member of three state button societies. you can contact dorothy at firstname. lastname @ example. org. | | this denotes premium bead & button magazine subscriber content. learn more »


the oxford handbook of modern german history helmut walser smith oxford university press, sep 29, 2011 - 863 pages this is the first comprehensive, multi - author survey of german history that features cutting - edge syntheses of major topics by an international team of leading scholars. emphasizing demographic, economic, and political history, this handbook places german history in a denser transnational context than any other general history of germany. it underscores the centrality of war to the unfolding of german history, and shows how it dramatically affected the development of german nationalism and the structure of german politics. it also reaches out to scholars and students beyond the field of history with detailed and cutting - edge chapters on religious history and on literary history, as well as to contemporary observers, with reflections on germany and the european union, and on ' multi - cultural germany. ' covering the period from around 1760 to the present, this handbook represents a remarkable achievement of synthesis based on current scholarship. it constitutes the starting point for anyone trying to understand the complexities of german history as well as the state of scholarly reflection on germany ' s dramatic, often destructive, integration into the community of modern nations. as it brings this story to the present, it also places the current post - unification federal republic of germany into a multifaceted historical context. it will be an indispensable resource for scholars, students, and anyone interested in modern germany.


calculate your loan balance based on current payment, interest rate and remaining term what is the balance on my loan? credit and the consumer while credit stimulates the economy, it does have to be used judiciously. credit is not money. derived from the latin word for " trustworthiness, " credit is based on faith that the borrower will repay the debt with real money. one should not use credit in place of money when there is little or no likelihood that payment in real money will be made — using credit without the intent or ability to pay is theft. today, credit has become a business in its own right. credit is issued by banks, savings and loans, credit unions, public utilities, and even merchants. according to the federal reserve, there was more than $ 2. 5 trillion of consumer debt outstanding by late 2009 — this is more than double the amount outstanding in 1994. this represents hundreds of billions of dollars in interest earnings to lenders. this is why credit card companies aggressively compete to get you to use their credit cards and services. the marketing is so aggressive that consumers may lose sight of the fact that this is not free money and make excessive purchases to the point where they find themselves in financial difficulty. click here for full article what are the benefits of credit? without credit, the global economic system would grind to a stop. credit allows borrowers to immediately buy things they could not afford now. most persons would not be able to purchase a house without credit. most young adults do not have sufficient savings to afford the cost of even the most humble of homes. yet, credit allows them to purchase a home that they can gradually pay off over time as their earnings increase. without credit, many individuals would not be able to purchase an automobile. credit also makes it convenient to make spontaneous purchases without the need to carry large sums of cash or checks. businesses rely upon credit to manage their cashflow. manufacturers borrow money to buy raw materials. merchants buy goods on credit from manufacturers. consumers buy goods from merchants on credit. without credit, the process would slow to a halt. click here for full article responsible use of credit while credit is very important to the economy, its abuse is harmful. credit is extended with the faith that borrowers will repay the debt. goods and services are provided on credit with the expectation that they will be paid for with money in the future. credit makes commerce more convenient. when credit is abused, everyone loses. credit abuse increases the cost of credit to everyone. one should never use credit to purchase things


provided on credit with the expectation that they will be paid for with money in the future. credit makes commerce more convenient. when credit is abused, everyone loses. credit abuse increases the cost of credit to everyone. one should never use credit to purchase things for which one will not be able to pay in the future. many impulse purchases are made on credit with little thought given to how the debt will be repaid in the future. if one calculated the true cost of goods bought on credit, one would have second thoughts about making the purchase in the first place. here is an example : a new television flat - screen hdtv model retails for $ 5, 000. if purchased on a credit card with a 12 % annual percentage rate ( apr ) compounded daily, and with minimum monthly payments of $ 166 paid over three years, it winds up costing over $ 5, 980. is it worth almost $ 1, 000 more to have it now ( furthermore, the retail price in 3 years will probably drop )? that is like going into a store that advertised " sale - - add 20 % to every purchase. " click here for full article this information may help you analyze your financial needs. it is based on information and assumptions provided by you regarding your goals, expectations and financial situation. the calculations do not infer that the company assumes any fiduciary duties. the calculations provided should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice. in addition, such information should not be relied upon as the only source of information. this information is supplied from sources we believe to be reliable but we cannot guarantee its accuracy. hypothetical illustrations may provide historical or current performance information. past performance does not guarantee nor indicate future results.


from my point of view, “ unnatural ” spans a range of things. all domesticated breeds are genetically altered. look at corn compared to its progenitor teosinte, a wild grass still found in central america. or a toy poodle compared to the timber wolf that was its progenitor before people started breeding them for all kinds of traits. humans have done a lot to alter animals genetically for thousands of years by just selective breeding. genetic engineering makes it possible to make fast genetic changes without selective breeding. i am not comfortable with it because of unintended consequences. but compared to the unintended ( and intended ) consequences of agriculture in general, with its pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, habitat destruction, predator control, water diversions and groundwater depletion, not to mention the explosion of human population facilitated especially by the green revolution, genetic alteration through genetic engineering seems almost a minor issue. what i do dislike is patents on genetically engineered life forms, and especially the way some companies have used patented, genetically engineered forms to directly drive people out of business through horribly unethical legal maneuvering. so there are broad issues, among which is the sustainability of farmed salmon. one issue with farming is the food conversion ratio, the amount of fish meal, for instance, that you have to feed a salmon to get a pound of meat back. the genetically engineered salmon actually use food more efficiently. and i don ’ t believe human safety from eating a genetically engineered salmon is an added concern. i ’ d rather they weren ’ t genetically engineering farm animals, but to me, in the whole array of environmental and agricultural issues, there are bigger fish to fry. so i have mixed feelings and am generally not comfortable with the larger implications. but at the moment i don ’ t think it ’ s a human health issue from a strictly culinary or medical standpoint. - carl safina


click the study aids tab at the bottom of the book to access your study aids ( usually practice quizzes and flash cards ). study pass is our latest digital product that lets you take notes, highlight important sections of the text using different colors, create " tags " or labels to filter your notes and highlights, and print so you can study offline. study pass also includes interactive study aids, such as flash cards and quizzes. highlighting and taking notes : if you ' ve purchased the all access pass or study pass, in the online reader, click and drag your mouse to highlight text. when you do a small button appears – simply click on it! from there, you can select a highlight color, add notes, add tags, or any combination. if you ' ve purchased the all access pass, you can print each chapter by clicking on the downloads tab. if you have study pass, click on the print icon within study view to print out your notes and highlighted sections. to search, use the text box at the bottom of the book. click a search result to be taken to that chapter or section of the book ( note you may need to scroll down to get to the result ). view full student faqs 11. 4 summary and exercises the basic law of partnership is found in the uniform partnership act and revised uniform partnership act. the latter has been adopted by thirty - five states. at common law, a partnership was not a legal entity and could not sue or be sued in the partnership name. partnership law defines a partnership as “ an association of two or more persons to carry on as co - owners a business for profit. ” the uniform partnership act ( upa ) assumes that a partnership is an aggregation of individuals, but it also applies a number of rules characteristic of the legal entity theory. the revised uniform partnership act ( rupa ) assumes a partnership is an entity, but it applies one crucial rule characteristic of the aggregate theory : the partners are ultimately liable for the partnership ’ s obligations. thus a partnership may keep business records as if it were a legal entity, may hold real estate in the partnership name, and may sue and be sued in federal court and in many state courts in the partnership name. partnerships may be created informally. among the clues to the existence of a partnership are ( 1 ) co - ownership of a business, ( 2 ) sharing of profits, ( 3 ) right to participate in decision making, ( 4 ) duty to share liabilities, and ( 5 ) manner in which the business is operated.


partnership are ( 1 ) co - ownership of a business, ( 2 ) sharing of profits, ( 3 ) right to participate in decision making, ( 4 ) duty to share liabilities, and ( 5 ) manner in which the business is operated. a partnership may also be formed by implication ; it may be formed by estoppel when a third party reasonably relies on a representation that a partnership in fact exists. no special rules govern the partnership agreement. as a practical matter, it should sufficiently spell out who the partners are, under what name they will conduct their business, the nature and scope of the business, capital contributions of each partner, how profits are to be divided, and similar pertinent provisions. an oral agreement to form a partnership is valid unless the business cannot be performed wholly within one year from the time that the agreement is made. however, most partnerships have no fixed terms and hence are “ at - will ” partnerships not subject to the statute of frauds. - able, baker, and carr own, as partners, a warehouse. the income from the warehouse during the current year is $ 300, 000, two - thirds of which goes to able. who must file a tax return listing this as income, the partnership or able? who pays the tax, the partnership or able? - the havana club operated in salt lake city under a lease running to defendant dale bowen, who owned the equipment, furnishings, and inventory. he did not himself work in operating the club. he made an oral agreement with frances cutler, who had been working for him as a bartender, that she take over the management of the club. she was to have the authority and the responsibility for the entire active management and operation : to purchase the supplies, pay the bills, keep the books, hire and fire employees, and do whatever else was necessary to run the business. as compensation, the arrangement was for a down - the - middle split ; each was to receive $ 300 per week plus one half of the net profits. this went on for four years until the city took over the building for a redevelopment project. the city offered bowen $ 30, 000 as compensation for loss of business while a new location was found for the club. failing to find a suitable location, the parties decided to terminate the business. bowen then contended he was entitled to the entire $ 30, 000 as the owner, cutler being an employee only. she sued to recover half as a partner. what was the result? decide and discuss. - raul, a business student,


. bowen then contended he was entitled to the entire $ 30, 000 as the owner, cutler being an employee only. she sued to recover half as a partner. what was the result? decide and discuss. - raul, a business student, decided to lease and operate an ice cream stand during his summer vacation. because he could not afford rent payments, his lessor agreed to take 30 percent of the profits as rent and provide the stand and the parcel of real estate on which it stood. are the two partners? - able, baker, and carr formed the abc partnership in 2001. in 2002 able gave her three sons, duncan, eldon, and frederick, a gift of her 41 percent interest in the partnership to provide money to pay for their college expenses. the sons reported income from the partnership on their individual tax returns, and the partnership reported the payment to them on its information return. the sons were listed as partners on unaudited balance sheets in 2003, and the 2004 income statement listed them as partners. the sons never requested information about the management of the firm, never attended any meetings or voted, and never attempted to withdraw the firm ’ s money or even speak with the other partners about the firm. two of the sons didn ’ t know where the firm was located, but they all once received “ management fees ” totaling $ 3, 000, without any showing of what the “ fees ” were for. in 2005, the partnership incurred liability for pension - fund contributions to an employee, and a trustee for the fund asserted that able ' s sons were personally liable under federal law for the money owing because they were partners. the sons moved for summary judgment denying liability. how should the court rule? - the volkmans wanted to build a house and contacted david mcnamee for construction advice. he told them that he was doing business with phillip carroll. later the volkmans got a letter from mcnamee on stationery that read “ dp associates, ” which they assumed was derived from the first names of david and phillip. at the dp associates office mcnamee introduced mr. volkman to carroll, who said to volkman, “ i hope we ’ ll be working together. ” at one point during the signing process a question arose and mcnamee said, “ i will ask phil. ” he returned with the answer to the question. after the contract was signed but before construction began, mr. volkman visited the dp associates office where the two men chatted ; carroll said


##namee said, “ i will ask phil. ” he returned with the answer to the question. after the contract was signed but before construction began, mr. volkman visited the dp associates office where the two men chatted ; carroll said to him, “ i am happy that we will be working with you. ” the volkmans never saw carroll on the construction site and knew of no other construction supervised by carroll. they understood they were purchasing carroll ’ s services and construction expertise through dp associates. during construction, mr. volkman visited the dp offices several times and saw carroll there. during one visit, mr. volkman expressed concerns about delays and expressed the same to carroll, who replied, “ don ’ t worry. david will take care of it. ” but david did not, and the volkmans sued dp associates, mcnamee, and carroll. carroll asserted he could not be liable because he and mcnamee were not partners. the trial court dismissed carroll on summary judgment ; the volkmans appealed. how should the court rule on appeal? - wilson and vanbeek want to form a partnership. wilson is seventeen and vanbeek is twenty - two. may they form a partnership? explain. - diane and rachel operate a restaurant at the county fair every year to raise money for the local 4 - h club. they decide together what to serve, what hours to operate, and generally how to run the business. do they have a partnership? the basic law of partnership is currently found in - common law - constitutional law - statutory law - none of the above existence of a partnership may be established by - co - ownership of a business for profit - a formal agreement - all of the above which is false? - an oral agreement to form a partnership is valid. - most partnerships have no fixed terms and are thus not subject to the statute of frauds. - strict statutory rules govern partnership agreements. - a partnership may be formed by estoppel. - are not taxable entities - may buy, sell, or hold real property in the partnership name - may file for bankruptcy - have all of the above characteristics - are free to select any name not used by another partnership - must include the partners ’ names in the partnership name - can be formed by two corporations - cannot be formed by two partnerships


is red meat really so dangerous? the latest food scare was in the form of news stories that said that eating red meat causes breast cancer. here ’ s what the study was really all about. a study of more than 90, 000 nurses, led by a faculty member at harvard medical school, was published in a respected medical journal in november, 2006. when the women entered the study in 1989, they were between 25 and 42 years old. the women reported their own food habits to the researchers in 1991, 1993, and 1995. their health was evaluated from 1991 through 2003. of the 1021 women who developed breast cancer while participating in the study, women with a certain type of common breast cancer ( estrogen and progesterone receptor positive ) were more likely to have eaten, on average, at least 11 servings of red meat every week. in contrast, the study showed that women who ate 5 servings or fewer of red meat every week were only about half as likely to develop breast cancer. in addition to beef, pork and bacon were both included as red meats. the study results showed that women who ate more pork were more likely to develop breast cancer than women eating beef or bacon. the study did not distinguish whether the women ate organic red meat or not. what is surprising, however, is that the red meat that is most associated with breast cancer in this study — pork – does not have the hormone residues that beef may have. the researchers therefore conclude that the fat content, processing, and other factors may be more important factors affecting breast cancer than whether the beef is organic or not. for most people, the most reassuring aspect of the study results is that even the women with the lowest risk of breast cancer were eating up to 5 portions of red meat every week. this suggests that even if eating red meat does contribute to breast cancer risk, it is probably safe to eat red meat on a regular basis – just not everyday. on the other hand, it is important keep in mind that a portion of any food is generally considered about the size of a fist. larger portions, such as a large steak, probably would count as two portions – or more! perhaps most important to remember : this is just one study. more research is needed to determine if pork or any kind of red meat really does increase the risk of breast cancer, and if so, whether the risk is caused by meat itself, only certain kinds of meat, or the way the meat is processed or cooked. to separate fact from fiction on other internet health info


while americans and others may celebrate easter only on a sunday, that occasion is marked in spain by an entire week of festivities known as semana santa, or holy week. the holy week festivals that take place all over the country are especially marked in andalucia. here, the emphasis is less on doleful repentance and more on celebration of the central figures of christianity. the central feature of all those activities are the notable processions that take place in every town in the region. the times, participants and style varies considerably from town to town. but almost all have some common themes. typically, traffic is closed off to allow for the floats and the hundreds or sometimes even thousands of people that precede or follow them. the festival is marked by religious figures dressed in church finery carrying candles and directing the parade. encircled by them is the main focus of the event : the floats. every float is a unique and creative construction that contains a figure of jesus, mary or an important saint. a small statue of saint rocco, for example, may be held aloft on one platform, displaying his bare leg. he is regarded as a patron of the sick and the hopeful will often toss money onto the float, seeking relief or improvement. other floats will depict scenes from the bible, early christian stories, or any of a thousand different images that evoke memories of tales passed down through hundreds of generations. there is the gitano del polvorin, the virgen de la victoria and the senor de sevilla, among many more. the processions, like the stories, are an ongoing tradition that has its origins in the early middle ages. as far back as 1, 500 years ago the faithful annually walked with the platforms to celebrate the annunciation, the sermon on the mount, the rising from the dead and other well - known scenes from the bible. for centuries – during the period spain was ruled by islamic moors, berbers, arabs and others from north africa – the festivals were forbidden. not surprisingly, therefore, after the reconquest by christian kings and the re - establishment of christianity in the country, the festivals started anew. they have been a regular event in andalucia, with few interruptions, ever since. but the natives are not the only participants. church officials from rome and elsewhere, along with people from around the world merely wanting to take part, celebrate the holy week festivals, too. the celebrations ramp up a notch the final few days before easter, making that an especially good time to


that the true intentions of a religious organization, the muslim brotherhood, would become the most hotly debated issue surrounding the overthrow of egypt ' s president, hosni mubarak, would have garnered guffaws among western intellectuals only four decades ago. at that time, virtually all of them — all of us — were in the grip of secularization theory : the belief that religion was a dying supernova, enjoying its final glow before disappearing from history. america ' s foreign - policy establishment is still under the theory ' s spell. on february 10, the director of national intelligence, james r. clapper, told a congressional committee that the brotherhood is a " largely secular " organization. with equal glibness, other analysts have declared the brotherhood an extremist sect intent on establishing a violent theocracy. when david ignatius, of the washington post, was in tahrir square for a " victory march, " he found the sight of egyptians staging mass prayers " unnerving. " such is the subtlety of our secularist outlooks. we regard religious people as either not truly religious or as irrational, violent, and scary. but if american foreign - policy makers want to promote democracy and stability, they must come to realize that secularism is a poor analytical tool. the great surprise of the past generation has been the resurgence of religion ' s influence. despite a powerful array of secularizing regimes, ideologies, and social trends, religion has not only outlasted its most ferocious 20th - century rivals, but in many cases, it also appears poised to supplant them. the brotherhood is a perfect example : an organization that survived decades of harsh repression is now in a position to wield considerable influence in egypt. - the rise of shia political activism — a theological, doctrinal movement — leading to the iranian revolution of 1979 and the establishment of a theocratic regime. - the dissolution of the ussr and its east european satellites, in part resulting from the efforts of john paul ii, a polish pope who exposed the soullessness, illegitimacy, and corruption of those regimes. - the muslim - extremist attacks of september 11, 2001, the 2004 madrid train bombings, and, a year later, the london bombings. - the proliferation of nongovernmental organizations, particularly faith - based organizations ( fbo ' s ). britain ' s department for international development estimates that as much as half of all health and education services in sub - saharan africa are provided by fbo ' s


of nongovernmental organizations, particularly faith - based organizations ( fbo ' s ). britain ' s department for international development estimates that as much as half of all health and education services in sub - saharan africa are provided by fbo ' s. what explains religion ' s resurgence? ironically, it has been empowered by three trends that secularization theory predicted would bury religion. the first is modernization. religion was supposed to wither as people became " modern " — i. e., socialized into an industrialized, urban society in which individuals exercise control over their own fates. in 1968 the great sociologist of religion peter berger predicted that communities of faith would dwindle, and that religious folks would be isolated, " huddled together [ in small sects ] to resist a worldwide secular culture. " berger has since retracted his thesis. even in advanced industrialized countries, more than 60 percent of people claim that religion remains important to them ( the global average is just above 80 percent ). the second trend is democratization, which took off in the early 1970s. in contrast to many authoritarian regimes, which sought to eradicate or subjugate religious actors, democracies typically allow religious groups to enter the political arena. in 48 of 78 countries that witnessed democratic progress between 1972 and 2009, religious groups were vocal opponents of repressive governments. and even where religion has played a more minor role, its influence has increased when political systems opened up. in the current " arab spring, " religious actors have not always played a leading role, but their effect has been significant. the third trend is globalization. people and ideas now travel across the globe at much greater distances, at much faster speeds, and in much greater volume. as transnational actors, religious groups have been uniquely well positioned to harness new technologies, from the internet to text - messaging to twitter. the global resurgence of religion is a reality. but is it good or bad? is, for example, the muslim brotherhood ' s rise in egypt to be feared or welcomed? two factors are critical when assessing whether religion is more likely, on balance, to yield peace or terrorism, democracy or authoritarianism, reconciliation or civil war. the first is the political theology of the group. does it include the need or right to challenge political authority? if yes, does the group legitimate the use of force? in recent decades, for instance, religious leaders like pope john paul ii and archbishop desmond tutu, of south africa, tapped from their traditions a theology of reconciliation that brought unity among warring


? if yes, does the group legitimate the use of force? in recent decades, for instance, religious leaders like pope john paul ii and archbishop desmond tutu, of south africa, tapped from their traditions a theology of reconciliation that brought unity among warring peoples. the second critical factor is the degree of freedom that religious actors enjoy vis - a - vis state authority. what we have consistently found is that marginalized groups, those with little freedom of action, are more likely to resort to violence. the roots of al qaeda are not global, but they can be traced to its founders ' relationship with particular repressive regimes in the middle east, especially saudi arabia. the corollary is also true : religious groups that enjoy a semblance of freedom and independence have played peaceful and accommodating roles, advancing democracy and stability in conflict - ridden societies. in indonesia, for instance, two major islamic movements were the only civil - society actors able to maintain a modicum of independence under the three decades of suharto ' s dictatorship — and they played a robust role in midwifing democracy in the late 1990s. if u. s. foreign - policy makers better understood religion, they would become more adept at working with religious groups to promote democracy, development, and stability. for example, close attention to the muslim brotherhood ' s deeply rooted political theology reveals that it has extremist strands that threaten egypt ' s women and minorities as well as regional peace. but a nuanced understanding of the brotherhood ' s historical trajectory and relationship with the egyptian state suggests that it is a complex organization that has renounced violence, strives to renew religious faith among egyptians, and seeks to do so democratically insofar as it is afforded space to participate in politics. in a democratic setting, the success of the brotherhood will depend on its appeal to a broad swath of egyptian society. it is also possible that the muslim brotherhood could splinter as it shifts from being an opposition movement to a political participant. indeed, this process began abortively in the 1990s when the wasat ( center ) party split from the brotherhood to advance a more moderate agenda. the effort was short - circuited when the mubarak regime refused to license it. now, however, that party can compete with the brotherhood because it won official legitimacy from the new government on february 19 — the first party to be granted such status after mubarak ' s overthrow. there are precedents. many analysts were rightly concerned about the rise of the hindu - nationalist bjp


food service program fat, oil and grease ( fog ) fat, oil and grease ( fog ) are a major cause of preventable sanitary sewer blockages and overflows that can cause health hazards, damage homes and businesses and threaten the environment. food service establishments generate fog through normal kitchen activities. fat, oil and grease are common and can be found in items such as meat, food scraps, cooking oils, shortening, lards, dairy products, salad dressings, and butter / margarine and are commonly washed into the plumbing system through the sink during clean - up in the kitchen. fog is an issue, because it doesn ’ t dissolve in water. when it enters the plumbing that discharges directly into the collections system, it can decrease pipe capacity when it cools down by coating the inside of drain pipes, causing slow drainage, and eventually blocked pipes both within the food service establishments internal plumbing and the subregional wastewater collection system. food service establishments include all restaurants, fast food establishments, caterers, bakeries, donut shops, halls and auditoriums with kitchens, and any other businesses that do commercial cooking or food preparation. the city of santa rosa utilities department environmental compliance section regulates, inspects, and permits all food service establishments within the santa rosa subregional water reclamation system. the fog program encompasses food service establishments located in the cities of santa rosa, rohnert park, sebastopol, cotati and the south park county sanitation district who are our subregional partners. the existing program has been an element of the city of santa rosa non - residential source control program which was initiated in 1986. in 2006, the california state water quality board finalized their statewide approach to reducing sanitary sewer overflows and passed order no. 2006 - 003, the statewide general waste discharge requirement ( wdr ) for wastewater collection agencies. this wdr requires that all owners / operators of sanitary sewer collection systems develop a sanitary sewer management plan ( ssmp ). a fog control program is one of the elements that is now mandated in the state of california to be incorporated within the ssmp. the fog source control program objectives have remained the same since its initial implementation. they include : • reducing the amount of fog entering the subregional collection system and the laguna water reclamation facility originating from food service establishments. • protecting the environment by eliminating fog related collection system backups and overflows. • eliminating storm water pollution sources associated with non - permitted outdoor food service establishment activities such as washing kitchen mats and restaurant equipment and


reclamation facility originating from food service establishments. • protecting the environment by eliminating fog related collection system backups and overflows. • eliminating storm water pollution sources associated with non - permitted outdoor food service establishment activities such as washing kitchen mats and restaurant equipment and other maintenance activities in outdoor areas that discharge to the storm water collection system. • continuing to comply with the city of santa rosa, the state of california, and other applicable federal regulatory requirements and with other city goals and objectives. grease removal devices all food service establishments that discharge wastewater to the subregional wastewater collection system are required to have city approved and properly sized grease removal device also commonly referred to as “ grease traps ” or “ grease interceptors ”. both devices are primary grease removal devices that are designed and work in the same way, by separating and retaining free - floating fat, oil and grease ( fog ). the difference between the two types of grease removal devices is basically the size and physical location of the unit. grease interceptors are larger units ( with a capacity of 800 gallons and larger ) that are typically located in - ground and outside of the building ’ s exterior. grease traps are much smaller units, typically located inside the kitchen directly under the sink ( s ). minimum grease removal device sizing requirements in all cases of redevelopment and new construction, staff from the environmental compliance section will review and must approve the type and sizing of any proposed grease removal device ( s ) during the plans approval stage, before a plumbing permit will be issued by the building department within the jurisdiction of the city of santa rosa or the other subregional partner where the food service establishment is proposed to be located.


museum tells the story of romania ’ s jews we are in the jewish museum in bucharest, which is also known as the museum of the history of the jewish community in romania. “ the story of the jews of romania is only beginning to be told, ” says elena maxim, a non - jewish historian. the museum in romania is a repository of a rich culture and history. it ’ s housed in the ornate three - storey tailor ’ s synagogue. on the ground floor are displays of ritual objects – candlesticks, torah crowns, spice boxes and seder plates. some of the torah ornaments were created in the viennese style ; others reflect the skill of jewish silversmiths and the influence of romanian folk art. on the second floor ( the first balcony ) is a section displaying paintings by 19th - and 20th - century jewish artists. the museum has walls of photos as well as a section devoted to the yiddish theatre, which was founded by abraham goldfaden in the town of iasi in 1876 and soon moved to bucharest. amazingly, the state jewish theatre continues today, although the plays are not always in yiddish. there are posters, costumes and photos of actors, directors and playwrights. one thing missing is a section on music : no other country had such an influence on klezmer music as romania. the word “ horah ” comes from romanian. photos of noted rabbis and cantors are featured. and there are small models of synagogues across romania. bucharest once had dozens of synagogues, both sephardi and ashkenazi, and a thriving jewish community, urbane and well suited to this city that used to be called “ litte paris. ” writers paul celan and tristan tsara were two of bucharest ’ s literary luminaries. today, only three synagogues remain. most were razed, along with churches, by the communist dictator, nicolae ceausecsu, to make room for his megalomanic projects, including the people ’ s palace, the second - largest building in the world, now a tourist attraction. “ there were 800, 000 jews in romania and now there are 8, 000, ” maxim says, pointing to a statement printed on the wall of the museum. the romanian state ’ s responsibility for the deaths of 280, 000 romanian and ukrainian jews was not officially acknowledged before 2004, when a presidential commission of international historians issued a report. for decades, most of the blame had been attributed to the hungarian collaboration with the germans in what had been romanian territory. among the


, 000 romanian and ukrainian jews was not officially acknowledged before 2004, when a presidential commission of international historians issued a report. for decades, most of the blame had been attributed to the hungarian collaboration with the germans in what had been romanian territory. among the 135, 000 romanian jews in northern transylvania who were deported to auschwitz was writer and activist elie wiesel. the presidential commission was named after him. more than half of romanian jews survived, mainly because the antisemitic dictator, ion antonescu, ordered the killing stopped, mostly due to pressure from jewish communities and allied powers. romania switched over to the allied side toward the end of the war, and this deterred adolf eichmann, one of the major organizers of the holocaust, from coming to bucharest to murder romanian jews. the 8, 000 jews that maxim cites ( the number has been cited elsewhere as 12, 000, but nobody knows for sure ) numbered more than 400, 000 after world war ii. many jews left when the western border was opened for a time at the end of the war. others immigrated to israel during the decades that followed. outside of bucharest, there are 98 synagogues, mostly intact, if not in use. their architecture ranges from late baroque and moorish to a painted wooden synagogue that looks as if it was inspired by romanian folk art. there are more than 800 jewish cemeteries in romania. ruth ellen gruber has studied the artful carvings on the gravestones, particularly the depictions of candlesticks on the women ’ s stones. she wrote an article called sticks and stones, about representations of women in romania ’ s jewish cemeteries, which was published in the sept. 30, 2009, edition of the online magazine tablet ( www. tabletmag. com ). israeli meyer phaina is the mashgiach at the cafe attached to the synagogue. he said that before the war 1, 500 jews lived in brasov. afterward that number doubled. “ this was one of the places where people hid jews and made false papers from them, ” he added. today, though, there are only about 150 jews there. and while so many jews have left romania for israel, hebrew can be heard in hotel lobbies, as israelis do business in romania. for them, as for many north americans, the romanian specialties of pastrami and mamaliga ( polenta ) are familiar foods.


nestled in the north - eastern corner of pennsylvania, we are freshmen anxious to share our thoughts with the world! we gladly welcome comments from everyone! to see student work, scroll down to student entries on the right, or select an assignment under teacher assignments and scroll beyond the directions. the amazon rainforest is in danger. deforestation is one of the most known threats facing the rainforest today. logging companies are systematically destroying acres a day. unsustainable expansion of agriculture and cattle ranching, construction of roads and dams, and activities such as illegal logging have the biggest influence on deforestation. this may not seem important right now, but it is. right now we have the ability to change what is to come in the future. ecologists have predicted roughly 55 % of the rainforest could be gone by 2030. think about it … once this amazing place is gone, its gone forever. there is no bringing it back. containing a variety of plants and animals, freshwater fish, and reptiles ; the rainforest has a huge. when you think about it, the rainforest is just another ecosystem of many. i say no, some of the worlds most unique and productive species of both plants and animals have called this place home. most of the species in which thrive in the rainforest have no chance anywhere else. this means, when the rainforest is gone so are the many species that live there ass well. as technology advances, further research is analyzed. did you know it is in the rainforest that cures are being discovered for cancer, and other devastating diseases we face everyday? scientists have discovered over hundreds of plant species which produce saps, barks, and toxins that when mixed with other ingredients can kill bad bacteria, and tissues in the body, and provide a chance for people to live life without worry or pain. when we are destroying the rainforest, we are destroying the plants in which hold the key to tomorrows answers. imagine a world with a chance against diseases such as cancer and diabetes. the rainforest is natures pharmacy. not only are we destroying ecosystems in which don ’ t exist anywhere else in the world, and plants holding future cures for disease ; but homes which belong to our people. more than 350 indigenous and ethnic groups live in the rainforest. these people depend on nature. agriculture, clothing, medication. some of these groups rely on the rainforest solemnly for their basic needs ; food, water, and shelter. are we willing to take away homes of our people to get something of short term gains? these people may live in a different perspective


world bank publishes paper on inclusive green growth in lac 31 may 2012 : the world bank has released a new publication on inclusive green growth in latin america and the caribbean ( lac ), highlighting experiences in promoting low - carbon growth within the region. the paper, titled “ inclusive green growth in latin america and the caribbean, ” focuses on lac as a learning lab for inclusive green growth in terms of urban and infrastructure services, as well as natural resources and rural services. the first section of the publication demonstrates how lac has been the world ' s testing ground for inclusive green growth through socially - inclusive innovation, for example by adopting the first regional catastrophic risk insurance facility, as well as rapid bus transit systems, payments for ecosystem services and sustainable cattle ranching practices. it indicates that currently, the challenge is for such innovation to become mainstream in sustainable and urban development policies, infrastructure services, and natural resource use. the second section focuses on green urban planning, the energy sector, water and sanitation services, and urban transport, noting the challenges these sectors face in adopting low - carbon growth strategies especially in low - lying cities vulnerable to extreme weather events. the third section looks at inclusive green growth objectives and progress in a rural context through reviewing issue areas such as rural transport, market access and connectivity, water resource management, and the agriculture sector, in each case highlighting objectives and challenges for the ' greening ' of these sectors. [ publication : inclusive green growth in latin america and the caribbean ] [ world bank press release ]