billion a year, as much as 3. 4 percent of u. s. gross domestic product, according to research published in the current bulletin of the american meteorological society. it is the first study to apply qualitative economic analysis to estimate the u. s. economy ’ s weather sensitivity. you remember john kerry, right? tall, silver - haired, urbane enough to be accused of being french. but there ’ s a feisty side to the senior senator from massachusetts, and it was on display at a forum on energy and economic growth, where kerry teed off on congressional republicans and others who doubt the seriousness of the challenge of climate change. “ after a while you get exasperated and jaded and frustrated about it all, ” kerry told the new republic forum at the national press club. “ i ’ ve had it just about up to here with america ’ s indifference to the realities of this crisis … the united states is like an ostrich putting its head in the sand. ” from tales from the trail : when barack obama heads for india next month, he ' ll be carrying a heavy policy agenda - - questions over the handling of nuclear material, the outsourcing of u. s. jobs and india ' s status as a growing economic power, along with regional relations with pakistan and afghanistan. but rajendra pachauri, the nobel peace laureate who heads the u. n. intergovernmental panel on climate change, hopes the u. s. president has time to focus on clean energy too. even as pachauri and the u. n. panel evolve - - and as pachauri himself weathers pressure from some quarters to resign - - he urged obama to work on u. s. - india projects that he said would enhance global energy security. by lisa gansky the opinions expressed are her own. does our economy make us happy? the crash - and - burn of the financial system, a prolonged recession, and high unemployment obviously cause us enormous distress. we are forced to ask ourselves, “ what can we afford now? ” the collapse has also made many of us rethink what we care about. we ' re finally asking, “ are all these things we ’ ve been buying ( and probably still making payments on ) truly making us happy? ” – john kemp is a reuters columnist. the views expressed are his own — current debates about cutting energy consumption and carbon emissions often carry a strong undercurrent of asceticism. there is an almost missionary zeal to save the


december 11, 2012 | 2 if you have seen any of peter jackson ’ s movies, such as this week ’ s release of the hobbit : an unexpected journey, then you have probably noticed the logo for the special effects company weta workshop, which works on most of the director ’ s new zealand – based projects. the workshop is named after a bunch of endemic new zealand insects that look, at first glance, like crickets or grasshoppers on steroids. weta consist of about 70 species of the largest and heaviest flying insects in the world. some giant weta species — “ very cool, prickly little monsters, ” as weta workshop puts it — weigh in at up to 30 grams and boast bodily lengths of up to 10 centimeters. a newly discovered member of the group — the denniston white - faced cave weta — isn ’ t quite that big or monstrous. in fact, the scientists who found and tentatively named the species ( it hasn ’ t been given an official taxonomic name yet ) don ’ t know how big the species grows, because only juvenile insects were found. but they do know that its only habitat could soon disappear. this newest weta was discovered on the denniston plateau on the sparsely populated west coast of new zealand ’ s south island. the plateau receives an amazing six meters of annual rainfall, creating unique rock formations that are home to many rare and endangered species. the 190 - hectare area is slated to be converted into an open - cast coal mine that could increase the country ’ s coal exports by 63 percent but which conservationists say would destroy the habitat and its unique denizens. the denniston white - faced cave weta was found during a four - day “ bioblitz ” in march that identified more than 500 confirmed species on the plateau and another 219 unconfirmed species. among the hundreds of species was the new weta, which bears a mostly black body, a distinctive white band behind its head and leg spines unlike other weta species. “ it just stood out, ” massey university ( m. u. ) associate professor steve trewick said in a prepared statement. “ we haven ’ t seen anything with that appearance and coloration. ” trewick, who led the expedition along with fellow associate professor mary morgan - richards, also tested the new weta ’ s dna, which proved to differ from other known species. “ this weta might occur elsewhere as well as denniston, but what it highlights is that destroying distinctive habitat is likely to destroy biodiversity even before we


december 6, 2011 | 1 the u. s. is currently home to a suite of national laboratories that conduct cutting - edge research. throughout the country, this network of 17 labs ( overseen by the department of energy ) focuses on a wide array of basic science and engineering questions. the results of this research have spurred innovation and technology development for more than seven decades. and, through the technology transfer process, the discoveries unearthed within these institutions – from low - e window coatings to hybrid solar lighting – have the chance to leave the research world and make significant impacts in the marketplace. in order to move cutting edge research from labs to markets, these research institutions agree to let their discoveries leave the nest under technology transfer agreements. the general process for a technology transfer from the lab to a commercial organization is pretty straightforward : lets take an example - northern california ’ s lawrence berkeley national lab ( lbnl ) recently licensed the rights to an aerosol technology that could revolutionize building energy efficiency retrofit programs by making leaky ducts a thing of the past. under a transfer agreement, between lbnl and auroseal, the latter will be able to develop an aerosol technology that can disperse a sealant throughout a building ’ s existing ductwork, effectively sealing any leaks. this technology, developed by lbnl researchers, could vastly improve the energy efficiency of buildings by reducing energy losses due to inefficient distribution of air through the system. this aerosol technology is just one case of discoveries from within the national laboratory system moving into society ’ s wider sphere. over more than 7 decades, researchers within these national labs have developed technologies to harness nuclear power ( both electric and geopolitical ). they have discovered the foundational components for advanced battery technologies ( think lithium ion ), and how to make car airbags an economical option for all americans ( with mems technology ). last year, during the deepwater horizon oil disaster, scientists and engineers from around the world analyzed technologies that could have the potential to help stop the oil leak and also assist in the cleanup the oil that has already escaped. one of the technologies that received significant attention was a large device capable of effectively separating oil and water using centrifugal acceleration. owned by actor kevin costner ’ s company ( ocean therapy solutions ), this technology was licensed to costner for commercialization purposes through the tech transfer process. the technology transfer program allows the discoveries resulting from basic science research to have significant impact outside of the laboratory. through the technology transfer process, inventions funded by federal research


the bronson caves are located in los angeles ' griffith park and are famous as a stage set to countless moition pictures and television shows. the caves are actually man made and were originally a rock quarry during the early 1900s used to lay streets for an expanding los angeles. a hundred years of filmmaking has occurred at the caves imaging events from explosions and gun fights to the discovery of cave paintings. reflecting on this history, the caves are documented on various formats and film stocks over time as an unchanging landscape amidst a chaotic specter of fictional realities. in the series of photographs titled bronson caves, the caves served as a stage set yet again. i performed actions for the camera with massive sheets of colored paper. since a long - exposure photograph was produced rather than a motion picture, the papers were recorded as voluminous, glowing colors. the materiality of the rainbowed forms, emerging from the mouth of the cave, dancing about the canyon, and bubbling up from the ground, are based solely in the photographic process, and can only be experienced when viewing the final photographic prints. if a visitor to the caves were to accidently stumble upon my performance they would only see a mass of crumbled colored paper draped awkwardly over a man moving / dancing to a camera positioned on a tripod. the goal of these performances was to create sculptural, photographic objects that interacted with the history and architecture of the caves. the colored paper used during the production of the cave photographs was transformed, weathered, stained, and torn after months of constant use. deciding to isolate the medium, the props of the action, a studio setting with a pedestal was used to photograph the various scraps of paper. the format of these photographs mimics the traditional way of documenting art objects. however, a photographic technique similar to that explored at the caves was used, exposing the paper into a blurred mass, a pure photographic object. the final phase of the series involved setting the paper ablaze, letting the objects pass in transience but allowing them to persist in photographs.


through the history of art, saints are routinely depicted with a human skull. st. francis is one of the more notable saints who is often depicted holding a human skull. as morbid as this might be, the human skull serves a purpose in the art depicting the saints. the purpose of the human skull in the artistic rendition of saints is to remind the on looker of death — true to its form and meaning as found on pirate flags and bottles of poison. however, the skull in relation to the saints contains an addition meaning. the second meaning of the human skull is to remind the onlooker not only of death but also that all things pass away, and one day everyone will pass from this life into the next. death will happen to everything that lives. death is unavoidable. death is real. the human skull pictured with the saints, not meant as a macabre fetish, acted as a catalyst for the saint and sinner to contemplate his or her own death and life after death. it allowed the saint and sinner to consider all of life in relation to grander schemes of infinity and finitude and temporality and eternity, for as shakespeare alluded to in so many of his tragedies that even a king can pass through a beggar ’ s bowels. moreover, it is like the words written on a wall made of the skulls of some 4, 000 capuchin monks in the capuchin bone chapel in rome as if each departed monk who left behind his skull resounds softly the phrase inscribed on the wall “ what you are now we used to be ; what we are now you will be. ” in his book, the last day of my life, newsman jim moret picks up the artistic rendering of holding a human skull and does a spiritual exercise by proposing the question to himself, “ what if i only had one day to live? how would i live it? ” though the question itself is cliche, the practice of seriously considering the question is not. jim moret, seriously considers and meditates on living the last day of his life. like all the deep questions of life which are spurned on by tragedy, jim, after years of ill content with life, depression, and financial troubles, contemplates driving off a cliff one sunny day in california. for an instance the thought of a world without jim moret, a world left with the broken lives and misery jim moret caused, and a world in which jim moret is


contemplates driving off a cliff one sunny day in california. for an instance the thought of a world without jim moret, a world left with the broken lives and misery jim moret caused, and a world in which jim moret is without the world, and though only a fleeting thought for moret, it is a powerful thought that brings jim to his senses. the wisdom and sobering reality that follows contemplating death or even reading the account of another person is a lesson from which many can learn. though a few chapters miss their mark by the author not bearing enough of himself, there are a number of chapters that should be required reading for a consumer society. one such chapter is the one on possessions, where jim puts his life in perspective and realizes that material goods have not brought him the happiness the goods promised and that true happiness resides outside of material goods. other chapters that hit their mark for required reading are the chapters on love and sacrifice. in the chapter on love jim shares the hard moments of his marriage and how he goes about repairing a broken relationship with his wife and the only way he was able to do this is by swallowing his pride and learning to communicate with his wife more openly. in the chapter on sacrifice, jim discusses an important value that is all of absent in today ’ s society, for as one learns by acquiring wisdom that love and sacrifice and bedfellows. to remove sacrifice from love is to make love unloving and selfish. in the broad stretch of literature of this sort, it is not the best book on the subject, for jim moret is not st. agustine and pales in comparison to augustine ’ s confessions ; however, jim ’ s book is more easily accessible to the common reader than augustine and therein lies it ’ s real worth. jim ’ s book is a modern approach to an ancient question fit with timeless answers. if a person has ever thought “ what if i had only one day left to live? ” and wanted to follow it up with a serious consideration, “ the last day of my life ” provides a framework for the exercise. the greek lover of wisdom aristotle once said, “ the unexamined life isn ’ t worth living. ” jim moret examines life and learns that life is worth living, and he invites others to do the same.


muhammad ‘ ali dynasty, a family that ruled egypt for about a century and a half ( 1805 - 1952 ). the following is a brief survey of the line of succession, with particular reference to the role played by the copts during the time of each ruler. dates refer to the years of their accession and demise or abdication. muhammad ‘ ali, viceroy ( 1805 - 1849 ) an outstanding soldier and statesman, muhammad ‘ ali was the founder of modern egypt and of the dynasty that ruled the country until the 1952 revolution. following the french invasion of egypt ( 1798 ), the sultan sent an expeditionary force, including a contingent of macedonian albanians, of whom muhammad ‘ ali was an officer. after the defeat of the french and their departure in 1801, muhammad ‘ ali stayed on and watched the ensuing confusion and struggle for power between the mamluks, the ottoman governor, and the egyptian people, which he exploited for his own benefit. in 1805, having won the confidence of the inhabitants, he was asked by the ‘ ulemas ( the muslim ) to become their ruler, and the sultan had to confirm him as governor ( wali ). muhammad ‘ ali was subsequently able to get rid of his rivals and become the unchallenged master of the country. he now set out to transform egypt into a powerful state self - sufficient economically, industrially, and agriculturally. he rebuilt the army and the navy, with which he achieved resounding successes and victories all around egypt. he extended his influence into arabia, the sudan, syria, crete, and anatolia, upsetting the political balance in the area. with their interests seriously threatened, the foreign powers intervened, and in 1840, muhammad ‘ ali ' s vast empire was reduced to egypt and the sudan. he was also given hereditary rule of egypt. muhammad ‘ ali ' s physical and mental faculties deteriorated toward the end of his life, and he died in 1849, his son ibrahim having predeceased him in 1848. among the influential copts who served under muhammad ‘ ali, supplying him with huge amounts of money from their private sources to finance his projects, was mu ‘ allim jirjis al - jawhari ( d. 1810 ), and mu ‘ allim ghali. muhammad ‘ ali also employed some copts in key administrative positions as governors of provinces : rizk agha in sharqiyyah, makram agha in atfih, mikha ’ il agha in fashn, and butrus agha in


copts in key administrative positions as governors of provinces : rizk agha in sharqiyyah, makram agha in atfih, mikha ’ il agha in fashn, and butrus agha in bardis ( riyad suryal, 1984, pp. 49 - 50 ). it is said that when muhammad ‘ ali was approached by europeans seeking to form a company to finance the building of a canal between the mediterranean and the red sea, mu ‘ allim ghali pointed out to him the inherent danger of such a company to the sovereignty of egypt. ‘ abbas hilmi i, khedive ( 1813 - 1854 ) from the beginning of his reign, ‘ abbas hilmi aimed at setting rules and policies contrary to those of his predecessors. he wanted to relieve the egyptian economy of foreign pressure and influence by liquidating all projects of economic growth inaugurated by his grandfather, muhammad ‘ ali, which, in his opinion, rendered the economy of egypt subservient to europe. as a result, he closed all modern factories and all higher schools, and decreased the forces of both the army and the navy. he believed that his grandfather had opened the door wide for european influence and weakened the ottoman empire by the destruction of its military power in egypt. because of his ottoman education and upbringing, he tended to oppose the policies of both muhammad ‘ ali and ibrahim. consequently, he deviated from their policies and started persecuting all their former assistants in the european projects. in this way, ‘ abbas thought to return egypt to its islamic and oriental character and to free it from western ambitions. but soon time proved his gross misjudgment. in fact, even his relationship with the supreme porte of constantinople deteriorated later because of his attempt to suppress some of its administrative privileges granted under an 1846 treaty. owing to britain ' s favorable position with turkey, ‘ abbas thought to ask the english authorities to negotiate on his behalf with the supreme porte and in return offered the british a project of constructing a railway line from alexandria to suez via cairo. in the meantime, he insisted that this project should be regarded as an egyptian one to avoid the infiltration of english influence into the country. this situation was indirectly affected by the outbreak of the crimean war between russia and turkey. the czar offered britain the opportunity to occupy egypt in return for giving him a free hand to seize certain parts of ottoman territory. accordingly, ‘ abbas hastened to accept the turkish sultan ' s proposal to enter the crimean war


between russia and turkey. the czar offered britain the opportunity to occupy egypt in return for giving him a free hand to seize certain parts of ottoman territory. accordingly, ‘ abbas hastened to accept the turkish sultan ' s proposal to enter the crimean war, by reinforcing the egyptian army and the fortification of his own coasts against any possible incursions by the british navy. in the long run, egypt was able to escape all hazards precipitated by this oriental crisis. internally, the viceroy entertained the idea of transporting the coptic community from egypt to the sudan and ethiopia, thereby giving egypt an unmixed islamic color. this strange project was communicated to the islamic religious authority for comment, and a clear fatwa ( religious opinion ) was issued refuting this idea and informing the viceroy that the copts were the original inhabitants of the land of egypt and that their extermination would be both wrong and impractical. on 14 july 1854, ‘ abbas was assassinated by a group of conspirators from his own family in his own palace at banha. at the time of his death, the railway line had reached kafr al - zayyat ; it was completed in the reign of his successor, sa ‘ id pasha. sa ‘ id, khedive ( 1854 - 1863 ) unlike his predecessor, ‘ abbas hilmi i, sa ‘ id encouraged foreign participation in the egyptian economy and administration, thus facilitating european infiltration. he gave various concessions to foreign companies for the development of the country, the most important being the construction of the suez canal. consequently, by the end of sa ‘ id ' s reign, egypt had contracted huge debts. sa ‘ id had great esteem for the coptic patriarch, cyril iv ( 1854 - 1861 ), father of reform. he gave him permission to build a church in the harit al - saqqayin quarter of cairo. he also relied on the patriarch to negotiate with emperor theodorus of ethiopia an end to the dispute between the two countries over the sudanese frontiers. isma ’ il, khedive ( 1863 - 1879 ) through his western education and his connections in important european capitals at the time, isma ’ il acquired substantial political experience. he ruled egypt during a critical stage of its history, through which european pressure exerted itself throughout the country. to carry out the reforms that he had in mind, he had to have recourse to foreign aid and contracted several loans. he was therefore forced to usher the foreign presence and influence into egypt, since he


pressure exerted itself throughout the country. to carry out the reforms that he had in mind, he had to have recourse to foreign aid and contracted several loans. he was therefore forced to usher the foreign presence and influence into egypt, since he relied on european monetary sources to finance his economic and political projects. nevertheless, isma ’ il ' s reign was one of cultural enlightenment. as he was intent upon setting up a modern administrative system, copts proved of great importance during his reign. he appointed several of them to the ministry of finance and other administrative branches of the government. during his reign, american missionaries started their campaign in upper egypt to convert copts to protestantism. they succeeded in annexing two well known families of asyut, the wisas and the khayyats, to the evangelical church. the copts fought against proselytization. they had the full support of the khedive, who sponsored a tour for pope demitrius ( 1862 - 1870 ) in upper egypt to confront the missionary activity there. al - jam ‘ iyyah al - khayriyyah ( coptic benevolent society ) was established in 1871 to provide educational and social services to copts. it was that society that later set up the coptic hospital. when isma ’ il founded the first egyptian parliament ( 1866 ), a number of copts were elected members as representatives of some rural constituencies. tawfiq, khedive ( 1879 - 1892 ) tawfiq succeeded his father, isma ’ il, after his deposition in 1879. his reign was beset by various political crises that he was too weak to deal with, giving rise to ‘ urabi ' s revolt ( 1881 ) and the british occupation ( 1882 ). lord cromer, the high commissioner, ran the country without any opposition from the khedive. he filled government posts with europeans and preferred syrian christians to copts, as he felt that the british were hated by copts no less than by the muslims. however, some copts who had been appointed prior to the occupation rose to high rank, such as boutros ghali, who won the title pasha. solidarity between muslims and copts was manifest during the ‘ urabi revolt. when the khedive ordered the dismissal of ‘ urabi as minister of war, over five hundred egyptian representatives, including the two religious leaders, the shaykh of al - azhar mosque and the patriarch of alexandria, cyril v ( 1874 - 1927 ), on 22 july 1882


the dismissal of ‘ urabi as minister of war, over five hundred egyptian representatives, including the two religious leaders, the shaykh of al - azhar mosque and the patriarch of alexandria, cyril v ( 1874 - 1927 ), on 22 july 1882 signed a declaration of support of ‘ urabi and a condemnation of the khedive ' s surrender to foreign powers. among the other signatories were boutros ghali and other copts ( al - rafi ‘ i, 1966, pp. 439 - 448 ). ‘ abbas hilmi ii, khedive ( 1892 - 1914 ) the fifth member of the muhammad ‘ ali dynasty to rule egypt, ‘ abbas hilmi acceded to the throne at the age of eighteen. his reign was eventful because of the role he played in the national movement and his policy in relation to the british occupation of egypt. unlike his father, khedive tawfiq, he resented the idea of being a puppet in british hands. he therefore dismissed mustafa fahmi pasha on 15 january 1893. this was the first cabinet to include boutros ghali pasha as a minister, who was to become prime minister in november 1908. at the outset of ‘ abbas hilmi ii ' s reign, there was disagreement between the members of the community council, on the one hand, and pope cyril v, on the other, over the methods of reform. the council asked for the removal of the pope to dayr al - baramus, where he stayed for approximately one year before returning to his seat in cairo through the intervention of some copts opposed to the council. during ‘ abbas hilmi ' s reign, a group of coptic intellectuals started to mobilize coptic public opinion in support of certain sectarian requirements that were opposed by boutros ghali, thus leading to radical trends in the political movement. this reached its climax with the assassination of boutros ghali by a muslim fundamentalist and triggered sectarian riots. in 1911 the copts held a congress at asyut ( see coptic congress of asyut ) to discuss their sectarian demands. another congress, known as the egyptian conference of heliopolis, organized by muslim personalities and some copts, was held in cairo. it sought a solution to the sectarian crisis and put an end to the riots. the british occupation forces took the opportunity to muzzle the press, ban political meetings, and liquidate the nationalist movement. hussein kamil, sultan ( 1914 - 1917 ) when


sought a solution to the sectarian crisis and put an end to the riots. the british occupation forces took the opportunity to muzzle the press, ban political meetings, and liquidate the nationalist movement. hussein kamil, sultan ( 1914 - 1917 ) when world war i broke out in 1914, ‘ abbas hilmi ii was on a visit to the sultan in constantinople. the british seized the opportunity to depose him, on the grounds of his loyalty to their enemy. they installed his uncle hussein kamel with the title sultan, the first egyptian ruler to carry this title. egypt was declared a british protectorate, and martial law was imposed. the economic resources of the country were put in the service of the british army, as egypt became a military base. this inflamed public feelings against the british, culminating in the eruption of the 1919 revolt. hussein kamel died in october 1917, after a reign of three years. his son declined to succeed him to the throne, which was therefore offered to his brother, fouad. fouad i, king ( 1917 - 1936 ) following the death of hussein kamel, his brother, fouad, occupied the throne from 1917 to 1936. as a young man, fouad had accompanied his father, isma ’ il, in his exile to italy, where he finished his education at the military academy, after which he was appointed artillery officer in the army and later military attache at the turkish embassy in vienna. fouad ' s reign was characterized by his autocratic approach to parliamentary life. after the promulgation of the 1923 constitution, he retained the right to dismiss the government, suspend the constitution, and dissolve parliament. the wafd government was replaced by various authoritarian cabinets. when the constitution was restored, negotiations with britain were resumed to pave the way for the 1936 anglo - egyptian treaty. two major positive achievements were fulfilled during king fouad ' s reign : the establishment of the first egyptian university, which revitalized the intellectual life of the country ; and the foundation of the misr bank in 1920, which helped to counterbalance the excessive domination of foreign capital. in addition to playing a prominent part in the 1919 revolution under sa ‘ d zaghlul, the copts were active in the political and parliamentary life of the country, with such well - known names as makram ebeid and wissa wassef. they found conditions favorable for pursuing social and cultural activities by setting up benevolent societies and educational organizations. farouk i, king


and parliamentary life of the country, with such well - known names as makram ebeid and wissa wassef. they found conditions favorable for pursuing social and cultural activities by setting up benevolent societies and educational organizations. farouk i, king ( 1936 - 1952 ) the last monarch of the muhammad ‘ ali dynasty, farouk succeeded his father, fouad, in may 1936, as a young man straight back from school in england. farouk ' s reign coincided with various political and social movements that eventually led to the 1952 revolution. among these may be mentioned young egypt ( misr al - fatah ) and the muslim brethren ( al - ikhwan al - muslimun ), both of which adopted fascist ideologies within an islamic framework. the reaction to these movements was manifest in the formation of the short - lived coptic nation association ( jama ‘ at al - ummah al - qibtiyyah ). the search for a true egyptian identity polarized two distinct tendencies : to consider egypt as part of the mediterranean world, with its roots in ancient egyptian civilization, and to emphasize egypt ' s islamic past. in addition, a new current of arab nationalism led to the foundation of the arab league in march 1945. in 1948 the outcome of the palestine war damaged farouk ' s standing, and the country was seething with the rumors of corruption in high places. the cairo fire of 26 january 1952 was the beginning of a series of events that culminated in farouk ' s abdication and the proclamation of the egyptian republic. ra ‘ uf ‘ abbas hamed click tabs to swap between content that is broken into logical sections.


abu mina, a pilgrimage center in the libyan desert where the tomb of saint menas the miracle maker was venerated from the fourth century on. it was about 28 miles ( 46 km ) southwest of alexandria, near lake mareotis. the settlement consisted of a civil area and an ecclesiastical area, which included menas ' tomb, a market and accommodations for pilgrims, and a great tripartite complex — the martyr church, the great basilica, and the baptistery. there were also the north basilica and, nearby, the east church in a group of hermits ' dwellings. these structures, now in ruins, are described below. the ancient name of the site has not come down to us. despite its considerable area, which is partially surrounded by a fortification wall that was once quite high, it was not a municipality in the legal sense. no bishop was ever in residence there. according to legends and literary sources, which go back only to the seventh century and attribute too early a date to everything that took place, the body of menas, the martyr who died in the persecution, under diocletian, was buried in an insignificant site in the libyan desert. the tomb itself was forgotten ; it was first rediscovered decades later through a number of miraculous incidents. the rediscovery prompted the setting up of a small memorial structure that is said to have had the form of a tetrapylon. the first pilgrim church, as the legends tell, was established under the emperor jovian about 363. in the time of his successor, valens, the transfer of the bones of menas to the crypt was carried out. at the request of theophilus, patriarch of alexandria, a second church was built by the emperor arcadius in the early fifth century. it expanded upon the old church, but the work was delayed to such an extent that the building was completed only under timothy ii aelurus, patriarch of alexandria in the late fifth under the emperor zeno, a start was made on extending the settlement. he provided the necessary land, erected hostels for pilgrims, and established a garrison. furthermore, he is reputed to have completed the pilgrim ' s way from lake mareotis. all these assumptions, however, are based on very weak grounds and are without archaeological confirmation. the tomb of the martyr beneath the martyr church, which constitutes the principal sanctuary of abu mina, lies an ancient hypogeum ( underground burial chamber ) whose most important ( though not oldest ) tomb forms an arcosolium ( arched


archaeological confirmation. the tomb of the martyr beneath the martyr church, which constitutes the principal sanctuary of abu mina, lies an ancient hypogeum ( underground burial chamber ) whose most important ( though not oldest ) tomb forms an arcosolium ( arched cell ) venerated as the burial place of saint menas. leading from the hypogeum are two galleries with several lateral burial chambers, unfortunately robbed of all their original artifacts. the original entrance consisted of a shaft situated to the north of the tomb in the area of a small dome - shaped hall that was built later. an incomplete extension of the same shaft was found in a slightly displaced position immediately beneath the tomb of menas. these shafts fell out of use when the formal veneration of menas was established in the hypogeum. a proper staircase was cut with horizontal corridors. at the same time the entrances to the older galleries were moved. later, new tomb chambers were established along the corridors, two of which have been preserved in the southeast corner of what is now the eastern staircase. the cult of menas was first practiced in the hypogeum. in the first half of the sixth century, when the ground level of the martyr church took its final shape above the tomb, the below - ground area of the cult was once more thoroughly reorganized, at the expense of the neighboring tombs, which were now rendered inaccessible. the level of the remaining area was lowered about 4 feet ( 1. 2 m ), and a small domed chamber ( confessio ) for the pilgrims ' use and occasional liturgies was arranged in front of the tomb of menas. to cope with the flow of pilgrims, it was further necessary to separate the entrance from the exit by building another staircase, which made it possible to circumambulate the tomb. it may be considered certain that the hypogeum under the martyr church belonged to an older settlement. several more tombs were located in the area of the baptistery. the precise site of this older settlement, however, has not yet been identified. nevertheless, in the course of investigations in the great basilica, several sections of older houses were discovered that might have belonged to the marginal quarters of this early settlement. the settlement developed considerably as the cult of menas grew and contributed substantially to the prosperity of the region. the most conspicuous part of the settlement is a partially walled ecclesiastical area containing a large, rectangular pilgrim ' s court in the center, near which are set the martyr church on the south side and the xenodo


substantially to the prosperity of the region. the most conspicuous part of the settlement is a partially walled ecclesiastical area containing a large, rectangular pilgrim ' s court in the center, near which are set the martyr church on the south side and the xenodochia ( guests ' houses ) on the north side. the access to this pilgrim ' s court consists of a long processional way flanked on both sides with colonnades behind which lay shops, storerooms, and public buildings such as two public bathhouses and a large building with a peristyle. a covered market was situated in the western region. at the south side of the church is a semicircular court surrounded by a colonnade, which gave access to a number of rooms. since the rooms are nearly equidistant from the crypt with the tomb of the saint, they probably served as rest chambers for sick visitors. the civil and residential parts of the settlement are situated outside the ecclesiastical area and for the most part consist of ordinary mud - brick houses. occasionally, however, the houses are impressively large. when the processional way was extended to the north, it passed through the northern part of this area, and a number of stone buildings were erected on both sides of the street. at the end of the sixth century measures were taken to surround the whole settlement with a fortification wall. a long section of this wall with several towers and two gates was found in the north and northwest parts of the settlement. it seems, however, that the wall was never completed. there is no evidence of monastery buildings within the settlement, nor are there even rudimentary accommodations for monks. traces of a small group of hermits were found in the neighborhood of the east church. the martyr church the martyr church erected over the tomb of menas is the most important building of the pilgrim center. here the cult began in earnest, and here the last great church was built after many destructions in the ninth century. archaeologically, it is possible to distinguish five phases of construction indicated by drastic alterations. the first building was a very small rectangular structure of undressed stones put up about the end of the fourth century. it was no larger than a walled sarcophagus and was probably intended as a cenotaph. at the beginning of the fifth century this structure was enclosed in a small building made of mud brick that allowed freedom of access on three sides. only the west wall lay directly in front of the cenotaph. unfortunately, only a few sections of the west


beginning of the fifth century this structure was enclosed in a small building made of mud brick that allowed freedom of access on three sides. only the west wall lay directly in front of the cenotaph. unfortunately, only a few sections of the west wall and the extension of the south wall of this mud - brick building have been preserved. everything else was destroyed by later construction on the same site. in a third phase that cannot be fixed before the second quarter of the fifth century, the two structures were replaced by a new building in the form of a basilica with a nave and two aisles. it had the customary tripartite division of the sanctuary, or transept, on the east an apse and adjoining rooms on both sides. however, it had no return aisle along the western end. a little later it seems that a baptistery was added to this building. as further extensions on the other sides indicate, this basilica was in operation for a comparatively lengthy period. it appears that later it was changed into a basilica with a nave and four aisles. during further extensions to the martyr ' s crypt, an annex with a nave and two aisles and an apse was attached, in whose northeast corner the older entry to the crypt was accommodated. near the end of the fifth century the decision was made to transform anew the whole structure of the building and to add new buildings, a process that lasted several decades. everything was to be on a much larger scale than before. the great basilica was erected first. then in the sixth century the baptistery in the martyr church was renovated. after the completion of the great basilica and the baptistery, the reconstruction of the martyr church started at the time of justinian, after 528. in this fourth phase the earlier basilica with its annexes was replaced by a large tetraconch construction ( having a semicircular room on each side ) with a slightly elongated ground plan and a rectangular outer form. it was openly joined to the narthex ( entrance area ) of the great basilica. its interior was richly decorated with mosaics and polychrome marble incrustation on the walls. this fine church was destroyed sometime during the seventh century, probably during the persian invasion in 619. it would appear from archaeological finds that the church as well as all the other buildings in abu mina suffered mostly by fire. after this only very provisional repairs were made. with the arab conquest in 639 - 641 the whole pilgrimage center came into the hands of the coptic church, and apparently the majority of the


of the tetraconch phase of the martyr church. on each of the two narrow sides ( east and west ) the church was provided with a conch, or semicircular exedra ( room ), with columns. the western front consisted of a row of columns that merged with the columns in the east conch of the martyr church. other structures - - courtyards, additional devotional rooms, storehouses, and shops - - were attached at the south side of the great basilica, although they are no longer immediately connected to it. the baptistery, the third and last part of the great tripartite church complex at abu mina, is situated west of the martyr church. it appears to have been rebuilt several times. in its first phase it consisted of a rather narrow annex of the martyr church in its small - basilica phase. in connection with the lateral extensions on all sides of the latter, a spacious, multiroomed baptistery was erected lying on the same axis that already included the lateral extensions of the basilica. its main constituent was a square room with a piscina ( pool ) in the center, in addition to an area that may be called a narthex. the function of the remaining rooms is uncertain. even before the martyr church entered into its tetraconch phase, the baptistery was rebuilt again, and extensions were made to the south and west. the square central room was replaced by an octagon covered with a dome that enclosed semicircular niches in the diagonal corners. a second apsidal room, also containing a piscina and thus sharing a function similar to that of the octagon, was added to the west side. on the extended south side, a small courtyard took the place of the original rooms. the last building activity in the area of the baptistery falls within the period of the eighth century, when extensive protective measures were carried out on the cupola of the octagon, which threatened to collapse. extra small rooms were erected on the north side. the north basilica, whose construction is defined with extraordinary clarity, is situated in the north of the settlement beyond the walled ecclesiastical area. it has a ground plan with a nave and two aisles, the traditional tripartite sanctuary, and a return aisle on the west. the staircase at the southern end of the return aisle originally extended as a rectangular component part outside to the south of the body of the church. later the church was furnished with additional outbuildings, some of which belonged to the


aisle on the west. the staircase at the southern end of the return aisle originally extended as a rectangular component part outside to the south of the body of the church. later the church was furnished with additional outbuildings, some of which belonged to the original project, although they were constructed only later. the most important of these is the atrium in the west, which is more of a residential courtyard bordered by rooms on both sides with a small triclinium ( dining room ) in the northeast corner. to the newer buildings not contained in the original plan of the church belong the baptistery on the south side and a devotional room with three apses in the east. on the basis of pottery finds, the north basilica can be dated to the first half of the sixth century. the east church is situated about 1 mile ( 1. 6 km ) from abu mina and belongs, like the martyr church in its later stage, to the tetraconch type. in contrast to the martyr church, however, the fourfold form was also carried out in the external walls. curiously enough, the rooms in the corners have an irregular angular shape with no recognizable symmetry. the church has a baptistery in the northeast corner and an atrium in the west, to which is connected a large, formerly paved courtyard to the north. this church may date from the middle of the sixth century. prior to this date the church was a small basilica with a return aisle in the west and a narrow apse in the east but without adjacent apsidal rooms. these were added only later in the form of one single rectangular room surrounding the apse on three sides. in the neighborhood of the east church are spread a great many little buildings that reveal the same simple two - room ground plan. apparently they were hermitages. the east church may thus be regarded as the center of an extensive settlement of hermits. click tabs to swap between content that is broken into logical sections.


biographies of some former georgia slaves contributed by robert scott davis jr. the records resulting from the civil war and reconstruction contain information on the lives of tens of thousands of former slaves. although the genealogically valuable surviving records of the freedman ’ s bank are being indexed, most of this material remains almost inaccessible for just one name or person. for information on these sources see the new guide to georgia research being published by the georgia genealogical society. the following brief biographies of twenty georgia african americans comes from the war of the rebellion ( 1895 ), vol. 47, pp. 37 - 39. they went to washington to meet with secretary of war edwin stanton and general william sherman about the future of african - americans in georgia on january 12, 1865. * william j. campbell, aged fifty - one years, born in savannah ; slave until 1849, and then liberated by will of his mistress, mrs. mary maxwell ; for ten years pastor of the first baptist church of savannah, numbering about 1, 800 members ; average congregation, 1, 900 ; the church property, belonging to the congregation ( trustees white ), worth $ 18, 000. * john cox, aged fifty - eight years, born in savannah ; slave until 849, when he bought his freedom for $ 1, 100 ; pastor of the second african baptist church ; in the ministry fifteen years ; congregation, 1, 222 persons ; church property, worth $ 10, 000 belonging to the congregation. * ulysses l. houston, aged forty - one years, born in grahamville, s. c. ; slave “ until the union army entered savannah ; ” owned by moses henderson, savannah, and pastor of the third african baptist church, congregation numbering 400 ; church property, worth $ 5, 000, belongs to congregation ; in ministry about eight years. * william bentley, aged seventy - two years, born in savannah ; slave until twenty - five years of age, when his master john waters, emancipated him by will ; pastor of andrew ’ s chapel, methodist episcopal church ( only one of that denomination in savannah ), congregation numbering 360 members ; church property worth about $ 20, 000, and is owned by congregation ; been in the ministry about twenty years ; a member of georgia conference. * charles bradwell, aged forty years, born in liberty county, ga ; slave until 1851 ; emancipated by will of his master, j. l. bradwell ; local preacher, in charge of the methodist episcopal congregation ( andrews chapel ) in the absence of the minister


, born in liberty county, ga ; slave until 1851 ; emancipated by will of his master, j. l. bradwell ; local preacher, in charge of the methodist episcopal congregation ( andrews chapel ) in the absence of the minister ; in ministry ten years. * william gaines, aged forty - one years, born in wills county, ga ; slave “ until the union forces freed me ; ” owned by robert toombs, formerly u. s. senator, and his brother, gabriel toombs ; local preacher of the methodist episcopal church ( andrews chapel ) ; in the ministry sixteen years. * james hill, aged fifty - two years, born in bryan county, ga ; slave “ up till the time the union army comes in ; ” owned by h. f. willings, of savannah ; in ministry sixteen years. * glasgow taylor, aged seventy - two years, born in wilkes county, ga ; slave “ until the union army come ; ” owned by a. p. wetter ; is a local preacher of the methodist episcopal church ( andrew ’ s chapel ) ; in the ministry thirty - five years. * garrison frazier, aged sixty - seven years, born in granville county, n. c. ; slave until eitht years ago, when he bought himself and wife, paying $ 1, 000 in gold and silver ; is an ordained minister in the baptist church, but, his health failing, has now charge of no congregation ; has been in the ministry thirty - five years. * james mills, aged forty - six years, born in savannah ; freeborn, and is a licensed preacher of the first baptist church ; has been eight years in the ministry. * abraham burke, aged forty - eight years, born in bryan county, ga ; slave until twenty years ago, when he bought himself for $ 800 ; has been in the ministry about ten years. * arthur wardell, aged forty - four years, born in liberty county, ga ; slave “ until freed by the union army ; ” owned by a. a. solomons, savannah, and is a licensed minister in the baptist church ; has been in the ministry six years. * alexander harris, aged forty - seven years, born in savannah ; freeborn ; licensed minister of third african baptist church ; licensed about one month ago. * andrew neal, aged sixty - one years, born in savannah ; slave “ until the union army liberated me ; ” owned by mr. william gibbons, and has been deacon in the third baptist church for ten years


; licensed about one month ago. * andrew neal, aged sixty - one years, born in savannah ; slave “ until the union army liberated me ; ” owned by mr. william gibbons, and has been deacon in the third baptist church for ten years. * james porter, aged thirty - nine years, born in charleston, s. c. ; freeborn, his mother having purchased her freedom ; is lay reader and president of the board of wardens and vestry of saint stephen ’ s protestant episcopal colored church in savannah ; has been in communion nine years ; the congregation numbers about 200 persons ; the church property is worth about $ 10, 000 and is owned by the congregation. * adolphus delmotte, aged twenty - eight years, born in savannah ; freeborn ; is a licensed minister of the missionary baptist church of milledgeville, congregation numbering about 300 or 400 persons ; has been in the ministry about two years. * jacob godfrey, aged fifty - seven years, born in marion, s. c. ; slave “ until the union army freed me ; ” owned by james e. godfrey, methodist preacher, now in the rebel army ; is a class leader and steward of andrew ’ s chapel since 1836. * john johnson, aged fifty one years, born in bryan county, ga ; slave “ up to the time the union army came here ” ; owned by w. w. lincoln, of savannah ; is class leader and treasurer of andrew ’ s chapel for sixteen years. * robert n. taylor, aged fifty - one years, born in wilkes county, ga ; slave “ to the time the union army come ; ” was owned by augustus p. wetter, savannah, and is class leader in andrew ’ s chapel for mine years. * james lynch, aged twenty - six years. born in baltimore, md ; freeborn ; is presiding elder of the methodist episcopal church, and missionary to the department of the south ; has been seven years in the ministry and two years in the south.


,. x£ cl btt ^ 3 < ksij ^ c ^ ^ lllx ^ ^ i iii i iii seattle public library 0 01 00 5476939 2 " it is the privilege of the victims of hiroshima to remind the world never to see this dishonor to mankind repeated • " the seattle peace information center, 2308 third avenue, is presenting the hiroshima exhibit at the seattle world ' s fair coliseum. the purpose of the hiroshima exhibit is not to frighten or accuse. its purpose is to demonstrate the immorality and self - defeat of modern war and to appeal to every individual to work actively toward a peaceful world. in bringing the hiroshima exhibit to this country, neither we of the peace center nor the people of hiroshima desire to dwell upon the past. on the contrary, it is the future which concerns us. the hiroshima exhibit offers us a glimpse of what that future must surely be unless the nuclear arms race is halted. but this exhibit gives only an incomplete view of such a future. for the hiroshima bomb was of inconsiderable power compared to today ' s nuclear bombs, which range up to twenty - five hundred times the size of the bomb that fell on hiroshima. no ultimate political purpose can be served by reliance upon such weapons. the political rights we cherish, the freedoms we wish to extend, cannot be furthered by nuclear warfare ; they can only perish in the holocaust. morally, the adoption of a policy of preparedness to use these weapons means the abandonment of ethical


there has been growing concern recently about the rapid increase in the number of “ nonpayers ” — those americans who have no income tax liability because of the numerous credits and deductions in the code. as of 2010, 41 percent of tax filers — some 58 million in all — had no income tax liability after taking their credits and deductions. there are currently more americans off the tax rolls than at any time since 1940, when the income tax became a “ mass tax. ” aside from the revenue impact of not having 58 million americans pay income taxes, economists worry about the social and political effects of having so many people disconnected from the cost of government — a phenomenon known as fiscal illusion. the concern is that when people perceive the cost of government to be cheaper than it really is, they will demand ever more government benefits because they either don ’ t feel the cost directly or believe that others will be paying those costs. indeed, when one takes into account those who do not file, about half of all households pay no federal income tax, making the situation particularly worrisome in a majority - rule democracy. despite these extensive concerns, there has been surprisingly little investigation of any possible linkage between the growth of nonpayers and the growth of government spending or government benefits. after tracking this trend for more than a decade, tax foundation economists set out to explore the fiscal consequences of the growing number of americans being taken off the income tax rolls. a review of the data suggests these concerns are not unfounded. our analysis finds that in the post - wwii era, there is a very strong connection between nonpayers and federal government transfer payments. transfer payments are programs that give direct assistance to people such as unemployment insurance, social security, medicare, medicaid, and food stamps. in fact, our model suggests that a 1 percentage point increase in the share of tax filers who are nonpayers ( from 40 percent to 41 percent, for example ) is associated with a $ 10. 6 billion per year increase in transfer payments. since the number of nonpayers has increased by 20 percentage points over the last two decades, our model indicates that in 2010 alone, over $ 213 billion in transfer payments are associated with this two decade increase in nonpayers. further, analysis suggests that the increase in nonpayers may also be affecting other aspects of public finances such as the national debt. this is not surprising given that the growth of transfer payments has been a key driver of the growth of the national


the master wears an amulet with a blue eye in the center. before him, a candidate kneels in the candlelit room, surrounded by microscopes and surgical implements. the year is roughly 1746. the initiation has begun. the master places a piece of paper in front of the candidate and orders him to put on a pair of eyeglasses. “ read, ” the master commands. the candidate squints, but it ’ s an impossible task. the page is blank. the candidate is told not to panic ; there is hope for his vision to improve. the master wipes the candidate ’ s eyes with a cloth and orders preparation for the surgery to commence. he selects a pair of tweezers from the table. the other members in attendance raise their candles. the master starts plucking hairs from the candidate ’ s eyebrow. this is a ritualistic procedure ; no flesh is cut. but these are “ symbolic actions out of which none are without meaning, ” the master assures the candidate. the candidate places his hand on the master ’ s amulet. try reading again, the master says, replacing the first page with another. this page is filled with handwritten text. congratulations, brother, the members say. now you can see. for more than 260 years, the contents of that page — and the details of this ritual — remained a secret. they were hidden in a coded manuscript, one of thousands produced by secret societies in the 18th and 19th centuries. at the peak of their power, these clandestine organizations, most notably the freemasons, had hundreds of thousands of adherents, from colonial new york to imperial st. petersburg. dismissed today as fodder for conspiracy theorists and history channel specials, they once served an important purpose : their lodges were safe houses where freethinkers could explore everything from the laws of physics to the rights of man to the nature of god, all hidden from the oppressive, authoritarian eyes of church and state. but largely because they were so secretive, little is known about most of these organizations. membership in all but the biggest died out over a century ago, and many of their encrypted texts have remained uncracked, dismissed by historians as impenetrable novelties


historically, mad cow has never been reported in cattle which are totally grass fed. the outbreak in britain and europe which occurred 15 years ago has been linked to the practice of using animal by - products in feeding. providing cattle with their god designed diet of grass and forage results in the safest beef for what is mad cow disease? bovine spongiform encephalopathy ( bse ), known in vernacular as mad cow disease, is one of a group of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies ( tse ). these transmissible, slowly progressive, degenerative, fatal diseases affect the central nervous system of many animals including man and cause neurological symptoms. these diseases include bse in cattle, scrapie in sheep, chronic wasting disease ( cwd ) in elk and deer, and creutzfeldt - jakob disease ( cjd ) in humans among others. what causes mad cow disease? the causative agent for these diseases have not been proven exactly, however, numerous theories exist. the leading and most accepted theory is that the diseases are caused by a prion ( a protein particle ). other theories involve a virus, spiroplasma bacteria, organophosphates, magnesium, aluminum, and the autoimmune system. the greatest attention has been given to bse when evidence in the 1990is linked it to nvcjd ( new variant creutzfeldt - jakob disease ). cjd has been recognized with worldwide distribution for at least 80 years and usually has an onset in 60 - 70 year olds. new variant cjd ( nvcjd ) was only recognized in the last decade and has been the form linked to bse. it has been seen in young people and even children. though not proven how, bse may be spread to humans. evidence indicates that nvcjd has occurred after consuming bse - contaminated cattle products. evidence has also indicated that the transmission of bse to humans is only possible with the consumption of brain, eyes, lymph nodes or spinal tissue. the outbreak of bse in cattle, which occurred in britain, is believed to have started from the feeding of scrapie - contaminated sheep meat and bone meal to cattle. this outbreak was then made worse by the practice of feeding rendered bovine meat and bone meal to young calves. please also read our page for current info in


scientists on the lookout for utility - scale, high efficiency batteries are developing new “ flow ” systems that that store energy more effectively than lead - acid or lithium - ion batteries, but there ’ s a catch. the flow batteries in operation now are about the size of a house and they cost more than the equivalent in lithium - ion batteries. the race is on to find smaller, cheaper alternatives and researchers at sandia national laboratories believe that they are on to the solution, which is, in fact, a solution of liquid salts called metils. the limits of lithium - ion for wind and solar lithium - ion batteries have been the gold standard of energy storage solutions for a long time, but they fall short when it comes to the utility - scale systems needed to keep up with new high efficiency wind turbines and advanced solar technology. the cost of lithium - ion batteries is one factor. another is their relatively short lifespan, compared to flow batteries. according to sandia chemist travis anderson, a flow battery can withstand about 14, 000 cycles, which adds up to about 20 years of energy storage. flow battery basics flow batteries work by converting chemical energy into electricity. stephanie hobby of sandia explains it thusly : “ a flow battery pumps a solution of free - floating charged metal ions, dissolved in an electrolyte — substance with free - floating ions that conducts electricity — from an external tank through an electrochemical cell to convert chemical energy into electricity. ” flow batteries charge and discharge rapidly, and they have a long lifespan, but all is not perfect in flow battery land. the most promising systems so far use zinc bromine and vanadium, both of which are “ moderately toxic ” according to hobby. in addition, the price of vanadium can spike wildly on the open market. the sandia “ american - made energy ” solution in keeping with president obama ’ s theme of developing american - made energy, the sandia team focused on low cost, non - toxic substances that can be dug up out of american soil, including iron, copper and manganese. working from this foundation the team designed a new family of liquids, the aforementioned metils, which stands for metal - based ionic liquids. by using metal based liquids, the team was able to eliminate the use of water - based solutions that are the foundation of conventional flow batteries ( water limits the energy density of the battery, and makes it more susceptible to fluctuations in outside temperatures ). with a few additional tweaks, the result is a flow battery that could be far smaller, about those


several schools have suspended children for joking about guns in the wake of the sandy hook shootings. a 7 - year - old in maryland was suspended for chewing a breakfast pastry into the shape of a gun, while others have received the same punishment for pointing their fingers like guns or using toy guns that blow bubbles. suspension seems like a counterintuitive disciplinary tool, since many children would prefer to stay home from school, anyway. why is suspension such a common punishment? because it ' s familiar, cheap, and convenient. it ' s also demonstrably ineffective. its deterrent value is low : a 2011 study showed that texas students who were suspended or expelled at least once during middle school and high school averaged four such disciplinary actions during their academic careers. fourteen percent of them were suspended 11 times or more. suspensions don ' t even seem to benefit the school as a whole. in recent years, while baltimore city schools have dramatically reduced suspensions, the dropout rate has been cut nearly in half. still, surveys consistently show that parents support suspension, because it keeps those students perceived as bad apples away from their peers. principals continue to rely on suspension, in part because it creates the appearance of toughness. parents can ' t complain about inaction when a principal regularly suspends or expels bad actors. administrators may also favor suspension because it edges problem students out of school : students who have been suspended are three times more likely to drop out. some researchers refer to a student who gives up on school after repeated suspension as a " push out " rather than a dropout. suspension has been a school punishment seemingly forever, but there have been two watershed eras for the practice. during the 1960s and ' 70s, many school administrators observed an increase in fighting, possibly as a result of desegregation. suspension increased dramatically during this period. that spike caused education researchers to begin asking questions about the efficacy of suspension. a number of studies showed that minority children, students with low grades, and the poor are suspended disproportionately — a fact that remains true today. few studies successfully examined the efficacy of suspension as a punishment, though. despite the lack of reliable data, politicians pushed for more suspensions in the mid - 1990s. the 1994 gun - free schools act required schools to expel students caught with guns for a year, kicking off the " zero tolerance " movement. today, many school districts have draconian codes of conduct that impose suspension for such trivial offenses as gum chewing or, ironically, truancy


schools to expel students caught with guns for a year, kicking off the " zero tolerance " movement. today, many school districts have draconian codes of conduct that impose suspension for such trivial offenses as gum chewing or, ironically, truancy. these codes and laws likely have something to do with the post - sandy hook spate of suspensions for fake guns. some state statutes explicitly allow a school to suspend students who maliciously display anything that looks like a gun. one of the reasons suspension sticks around is that the alternatives require more money and effort, at least up front. researchers suggest pairing in - school suspension with regular counseling, or offering so - called positive behavior support classes, which teach appropriate conduct in the same way schools teach writing or mathematics. other creative solutions include youth courts, in which students sit in judgment of one another, or restorative circles, which involves bringing together the offender and the victim with other students to work out a fair resolution to conflict. still, most reformers concede that suspension has its place, especially in the immediate aftermath of violence. got a question about today ' s news? firstname. lastname @ example. org. explainer thanks robert coombs of the council of state governments justice center ; david dupper of the university of tennessee - knoxville, author of " a new model of school discipline : engaging students and preventing behavior problems " ; and pamela fenning of loyola university chicago.


" unfortunately kids are like vectors that have all these bacteria that are all around them and so they just pass it on to other children, and those children pass it on to their parents, and then teachers, and then everybody gets sick, " says nurse practitioner susan lindberg, " so it ' s very important to keep kids home if they have sniffles, a bad cough, if they have a fever, if they ' re vomiting or having diarrhea. " lindberg says there are five main health reasons to keep your children home from school : if they have a cold, stomach flu, ear infection, pink eye or sore throat. some require doctor ' s attention, some just require rest, but it ' s very important they stay home. it ' s difficult for parents - with work and busy schedules - but necessary. " every family should have a plan that if their child is sick either a grandparent, a trusted neighbor, another brother or sister when they ' re home, should be able to take care of that child when they ' re sick, " she says. lindberg says children ' s immune ' s system aren ' t as developed as adults - and their health needs to be taken seriously. good health starts with clean hands. " kids need to wash their hands probably more often than adults do. when you wash your hands sing happy birthday to yourself to make sure you ' re washing them long enough, rinse them off and make sure that you dry them. " diet is also important - be careful that your children aren ' t eating too many fruit roll ups and getting fruits, vegetables, whole grains and protein every day. at least eight hours of sleep is a must - without television distraction - and exercise even in cold weather. lindberg suggests, " if possible they should be outside enjoying the weather whether it ' s cold or warm, but they really should be outside as much as possible. inside is where a lot of the germs are during the winter and we have our windows closed so if they get out and get fresh air they ' ll probably be healthier. " while flu season is over in a few months, lindberg stresses the importance of the flu shot. and remember, as inconvenient as it can be, it ' s important to keep kids home when they ' re under the weather.


a pocket - size book that helps farmers diagnose and treat crop problems as they come across them is back with new and updated information. many sections of the 2002 corn and soybean field guide were rewritten to reflect the latest in plant disease and pest management research. the purdue crop diagnostic training and research center and the purdue pest management program produce the bright yellow guide, published every year since 1986. " these books are made to serve as a reference in the field, to help you make on - the - spot decisions or, at least, narrow the options until you can get back to a regular reference source, " says greg willoughby, director of the crop diagnostic training and research center. " the guides are less than 225 pages and fit in your hip pocket or shirt pocket. they also include phone numbers of all of our extension specialists in the agronomic fields. " in addition to sections on insects and diseases, the guide includes chapters on weeds, herbicides, pesticides, plant fertility, growth stages, sprayer calibration and compaction. the guide is packed with charts, graphs and full - color photos of pests and disease symptoms. contributing writers come from purdue ' s departments of agronomy, botany and plant pathology, entomology, and agricultural and biological engineering. " we ' ve got 22, 000 copies going into distribution, " willoughby says. " our current distribution is ranging from alabama up into canada, all the way to the east coast and as far west as texas, nebraska and kansas. " we encourage people who might be interested in ordering to get their orders in soon, because we typically run out of stock somewhere in the middle of planting season. " field guide copies are $ 4 each. to order, call purdue extension toll - free at 888 - 398 - 4636 ( ext - info ) and ask for the media distribution center. orders also may be placed online at agcom. purdue. edu / agcom / mdc / distrib. html


of those who enter high school, only about 70 percent will graduate - - one of the lowest rates among industrialized nations ( greene & winters, 2006 ). as important, however, is the fact that, of those who do receive a diploma, only half are academically prepared for postsecondary education ( greene & winters, 2005 ). a recent study of high school juniors and seniors taking the act college entrance exam confirms this ; half of the students were ready for college - level reading assignments in core subjects like math, history, science, and english ( act, 2006 ). if these figures are accurate, 30 % of students drop out of high school and of those that remain half are unprepared for the rigors of college. when the increased demand for postsecondary education is coupled with the poor preparation many students receive in high school, it is perhaps not surprising that colleges and universities are being forced to offer, and often require, remedial courses to large numbers of students. these classes have the sole objective of teaching pre - collegiate subject matter. across the nation, 42 percent of community college freshmen and 20 percent of freshmen in four - year institutions enroll in at least one remedial course ( nces 2004b ). that is almost one - third of all freshmen. inside higher education puts these figures in better context. bob wise, president of the organization, said that the new estimates are probably on the " very conservative " end because the numbers do not include students who attend four - year public or private colleges, nor older community college students. additionally, they assume that each student takes only one remedial course. so at least 1 / 3 of students are so unprepared that they need to take remedial courses upon entering college. and bear in mind that many high school grads choose not to go to college at all. it is likely that these kids represent the bottom of the academic curve, so its safe to say that they would also require remediation that is likely even more extensive. and, here ' s the most important graf : research shows that the leading predictor that a student will drop out of college is the need for remedial reading. while 58 percent of students who take no remedial education courses earn a bachelor ' s degree within eight years, only 17 percent of students who enroll in a remedial reading course receive a ba or bs within the same time period ( nces, 2004a ). it all comes back to elementary school. kids in


while the battle at arnhem was turning into a desparate struggle for survival, the ground forces and the 2 other airborne divisions were fighting an intense battle of their own. after the irish guards reached the son bridge, royal engineers worked through the night to build a bailey bridge. the bailey bridge, one of the engineering achievements of the war, was made of very few parts, could be carried in trucks and built by very few men in the minimum of time. as soon as the bridge was completed before dawn on 19 september, the tanks raced towards grave, where the 82nd airborne had succesfully captured the bridge on the first day. after rushing through grave, they came to a halt in nijmegen. although general browning knew that nijmegen bridge would be pivotal in the whole operation, he curiously ordered general gavin, the 82nd ’ s commander, to concentrate on holding their landing zone at the groesbeek heights. although they felt that the heights were tactically important, it is also possible that browning was concerned by unfounded rumours of german armour in the reichswald forest just over the border. also, browning had chosen groesbeek for his own headquarters. whether browning needed to go into action is also open to debate. isolated with the 82nd, he was in no position to have any influence on the battle at all. his headquarters was not designed or trained to be operational, and used almost a battalion ’ s worth of gliders, which were taken from urquharts allocation at arnhem. therefore, the nijmegen bridge was still in german hands when the guards arrived. knowing that the bridge was crucial to the allies, the germans had put in place strong defences. however, gavin and his officers put together a daring plan to cross the river in assault boats and seize both ends at once. what followed was one of the outstanding small - unit actions of the whole war. the airborne troopers crossed to the north bank, at the same time as the grenadier guards tanks assaulted the south bank. what followed was one of the most devestating events of the whole war. at a time when the john frost and the 2nd battalion at arnhem were fighting for their lives, and the road to arnhem was wide open, the british tanks stopped for tea. although they had been ordered to wait for infantry to catch them up, it is hard to escape the fact that many american troops had died fighting their way across the river, and knew that their comrades


carol a. barnes, ph. d. professor of psychology and neurology university of arizona q : you are examining how memory processes change with normal aging. why focus on normal memory changes as opposed to alzheimer ’ s disease or other pathologies? a : one reason we are interested in studying normal age - related memory changes is that only about five percent of people over 65 have alzheimer ’ s disease ( ad ). the proportion increases in older age ranges, but the fact remains that most of us will age relatively normally and will not have a dementing illness. the question then becomes : what is normal versus what is pathological in terms of memory changes? to answer that, you have to first know what is normal. only then can you begin to assess what goes wrong in alzheimer ’ s or other dementias. that ’ s the approach we have taken. my interest in separating pathology from normal also stems partly from my fascination with the fact that only humans get ad. no other animal gets it. what we ’ re studying in animal models of memory loss is normal age - related memory loss. we ’ re trying to use the knowledge we can gain from animals to then define in humans what might be expected at what age range. if we could understand that, it would have a tremendous impact. the population is growing fastest in the higher age ranges, so it would be very good for us to have a clear, long - term view of how the brain processes that underlie memory change with age. that ’ s the basic rationale for this kind of work. the ultimate goal is to develop therapeutic interventions that could be used to optimize cognitive performance, in normal aging or in pathological states. q : has the view of what happens to the brain during normal aging changed in recent years? a : one critical issue revolves around the question of what is happening in the brain networks underlying memory. do we lose neurons as we age from brain structures that support memory? the dogma until very recently has been, yes, of course, we lose many many neurons as we age. in fact, it was presumed that we lose neurons every day. that has turned out to be false. it is really remarkable that the hippocampus, the structure that ’ s so important to memory, actually maintains a steady supply of its principal cells across the lifespan. this has now been shown across species, from mice and rats to dogs and primates. if cell loss is not the issue, then what is it that goes wrong in the aging brain? it


a steady supply of its principal cells across the lifespan. this has now been shown across species, from mice and rats to dogs and primates. if cell loss is not the issue, then what is it that goes wrong in the aging brain? it turns out that what goes wrong involves changes in the connections between the cells. even where there is no reduction in the number of cells, there is a loss of synaptic contacts. as a result, the ability of one cell to communicate with another is diminished. this disrupts the networks that serve memory functions. so we have two sets of broad changes occurring in the aging brain. we know that the synaptic contacts decline ; that ’ s an anatomical change. we also know that the ability of the synapses to be modified — the plasticity of the synapse — is altered with aging. that represents a functional change. q : what does this emerging view of normal aging suggest in terms of therapeutic development? a : i think this is good news in terms of therapeutics. the reason i feel that way is because if the cells are gone, there is very little you can do to replenish them, at least in most parts of the brain. but there may well be something you can do about reconnecting cells. maintaining these cell - to - cell connections is critical, because if the cells are not communicating as well, synaptic plasticity, and the ability of the circuits to store information will be altered. the quest to better understand the activity across networks of cells has fostered new approaches to studying brain circuits. for example, so - called ensemble recording methods make it possible to record from multiple single cells simultaneously to track changes in neural networks in real time. this kind of approach is necessary for decoding high - level brain functions such as memory, which involve complex interactions among various brain regions and populations of cells. observing the activity of one cell in a particular brain structure is not going to give you a very good idea of what the structure does unless you ’ re in a very basic structure such as the primary visual area, for example. in a higher - level structure like the hippocampus, which is very complex in terms of its connections with other brain areas, it ’ s particularly important to be able to monitor the activity of populations of cells. q : what have you learned so far from studying the behavior of networks of cells in the hippocampus? a : we ’ ve been using ensemble recording to study the activity of a particular type of


to monitor the activity of populations of cells. q : what have you learned so far from studying the behavior of networks of cells in the hippocampus? a : we ’ ve been using ensemble recording to study the activity of a particular type of cell in the hippocampus — the so - called “ place cells. ” these cells record where an animal is in a particular space and generate what i call a “ hippocampal map, ” which is essentially the pattern of cell activity that corresponds to a specific environment. if you put an animal into a very familiar environment, the animal will retrieve the corresponding map. you can actually reconstruct where the animal was in the environment just by analyzing the firing patterns of the place cells. typically, you can bring the animal back into the same environment time after time after time, even after a delay, and they retrieve the same map. but in older animals, something sometimes goes wrong : about a third of the time they retrieve the wrong hippocampal map. they retrieve a completely different map for a completely identical experience, as though they really think they are somewhere else. it is analogous to being in tucson and trying to use a map of phoenix to find your way around. you ’ re going to have grave problems in spatial navigation. we think this could be part of the explanation for why older people and older rats more frequently become lost ; it may be because they don ’ t have the right map to help them navigate the space. q : what might be impairing the older person ’ s ability to retrieve the right spatial map from their memories? a : what we think is going wrong gets back to the concept of plasticity. it turns out that you need a strong capacity for modifying synapses in order for cell - to - cell communication to stabilize the hippocampal map. we think that something goes wrong with cellular plasticity mechanisms — the same mechanisms that underlie learning. we ’ ve known for many years that plasticity mechanisms are weaker in older animals. it ’ s not that older animals can ’ t learn ; plasticity does occur, but the durability of the plasticity mechanism declines with age. so the failure to call up the right map may be related to the older animals ’ reduced ability to make strong synapses. q : what are the next steps in your research? a : we ’ re exploring an exciting avenue that allows us to examine large circuits of individual cells spread across the brain to investigate which cells are active in a given experience


make strong synapses. q : what are the next steps in your research? a : we ’ re exploring an exciting avenue that allows us to examine large circuits of individual cells spread across the brain to investigate which cells are active in a given experience, and how patterns of activity change with age. our dream is to be able to do this as a whole - brain image — that is, to look at networks of cell activity throughout the entire brain all at once. right now, we are settling for hippocampal circuits and some neocortical circuits. we are looking at dynamic changes in gene expression, and specifically, at the arc gene, which is necessary for proper synaptic function. arc expression is an indicator of where activity occurs in a given cell network — we can think of it as a marker of cellular activity. with this method, you can determine, for example, whether the same circuits or different circuits are being engaged in the young brain versus the older brain, just by looking at the patterns of arc expression. and you can extract temporal information by looking at whether arc is expressed in the cell nucleus or in the cytoplasm. we call this the catfish method, an acronym for compartment analysis of temporal gene transcription activity by fluorescence in situ hybridization. catfish not only gives you the number of cells activated but also the time frame during which those cells were activated. using this method, we have shown that the same proportions of a type of hippocampal cell ( the ca - 1 pyramidal neuron ) are active in a given environment in young and old rats alike. in other words, if 30 percent of ca - 1 cells are active in a particular behavioral situation in a young rat, the same proportion will be active in an old rat during that same behavioral condition. that fits with the concept of no age - related cell loss in this part of the hippocampus. you can then perform a pcr analysis [ short for polymerase chain reaction, a fast, inexpensive technique for making an unlimited number of copies of any piece of dna ] to obtain levels of arc rna and provide a quantitative measure of how much of the arc gene product is present during the particular behavior. now we are able to put these two techniques together, using half the brain for the catfish analysis and the other half for the pcr method. using this dual approach, we ’ ve been able to determine that, even though the same numbers of cells express arc in the old animals as in the young, there is less arc activated per


catfish analysis and the other half for the pcr method. using this dual approach, we ’ ve been able to determine that, even though the same numbers of cells express arc in the old animals as in the young, there is less arc activated per cell in the older animals. so for some reason, arc expression is reduced in older animals. q : what do you think could be behind the decreased expression of arc in older animals? a : we think that this reduction in arc transcription in the old animals is partly due to a reduction in dna methylation [ a naturally occurring process by which dna is chemically modified, typically resulting in gene silencing. ] this is a very exciting new finding that we are in the process of submitting for peer - review publication. it may be one mechanism responsible for the instability of the hippocampal network in older animals that we discovered in our electrophysiological recordings. it ties together the results we ’ ve seen from the ensemble recordings and may provide an explanation for those results — the answer to the “ why ” question. we are also excited by this finding because we know that if we can understand and target the mechanisms of this altered dna methylation process, we might be able to pump up cellular levels of arc to strengthen the synaptic connections and, ultimately, improve memory. that is the hope. right now this is all pie in the sky, because we aren ’ t able to do that yet. we need to carefully analyze exactly where this process is going wrong. there are a number of regions on the arc gene that could be affected by methylation, so we ’ re trying to identify the locus, to understand where this is happening. if we can find a very selective locus, we might be able to identify an agent that would reverse that process and therefore reverse some of the age - related memory changes that are seen in animals and humans — that ’ s the thinking. to get to that point, it ’ s critical that we understand the specificity of the changes that reduced methylation produces in the arc gene, because if you change dna methylation throughout the brain in a nonspecific manner, you would wreak havoc on all sorts of cell functions. but if you can target a selective region of the gene, then you have some hope of selectively improving cognition and not causing all sorts of horrible side effects. that is one of our goals long term. q : what drives your work in your field? a : i see the suffering of people who have alzheimer ’ s


have some hope of selectively improving cognition and not causing all sorts of horrible side effects. that is one of our goals long term. q : what drives your work in your field? a : i see the suffering of people who have alzheimer ’ s disease or other age - related dementias, and there is so much pain for family members. i cannot personally imagine anything more horrible than my memory going. i don ’ t want to live forever, but i really want to have a functioning brain for as long as possible, and i don ’ t think i am alone in that desire. what are we besides our memories? when you lose your memories, you lose yourself in a way, and that is just devastating. unfortunately, i think the prognosis for finding a cure for alzheimer ’ s is rather discouraging right now, so the best we can do is to understand it well enough to at least try to delay it. we really don ’ t have the best drugs available to us right now to be able to do anything but delay the progression a bit. some breakthrough could be right around the corner, but in reality, we ’ re probably looking at a much longer trajectory, on the order of five or ten years. i think there is a lot to be learned from just understanding normal aging well enough. if you can do that, some of those agents that might come out of research on normal memory problems might be applicable to dementia and alzheimer ’ s disease. q : does that suggest that alzheimer ’ s exists on a continuum with normal aging in terms of memory problems? a : i really do not see alzheimer ’ s and normal age - related memory loss on a continuum at all. i ’ ve contributed to some of the literature that suggests that they really are distinct phenomena. this has not necessarily been a popular view, but i think more and more people are coming around to having the same viewpoint as the evidence gets stronger. rather than being on a continuum, i believe that alzheimer ’ s disease is overlaid on normal aging, which partly explains why it is so hard to tease out pathological changes from normal ones. the patterns of changes in normal aging are very distinct from the brain regions that change in ad. there may indeed be similar mechanisms at play, but they are affecting different regions. for example, in normal aging, monkeys, humans, and rats all seem to be vulnerable in the dentate gyrus, a region of the hippocampus. in ad, there is very little change in the granular cells of


in my previous blog 10 things you probably did not know about selinux.. # 7 i stated that one of the times you can get a syscall to succeed even though avc ' s were generated was : 3. an avc was generated but the syscall still succeeded by going down a different code path within the kernel. this is not that common. eric paris pointed out to me in an email and example of this : ( people have a ) " fundemental misconception is the belief that there is a 1 - 1 mapping between a syscall and an selinux permissions check. selinux is not a syscall filter. we check the security state between objects ( aka between a task and a file, or a task and a socket, or a task and task ) and the result of that check may or may not cause the intended purpose of the request syscall which triggered this check to fail. a great example of a syscall which is likely to generate avcs but still give success = yes is execve ( ). on execve selinux will check the permissions between the new task and any file descriptors passed from the parent to the child. notice the check is not about the syscall, execve ( ), but between the new task and the file descriptors. if the new task is not allowed to access one of the passed file descriptors we will generate an avc, and will close the fd and open / dev / null in it ' s place. this is an example of an alternate code path. the syscall is still going to succeed since we will have resolved the security violation that caused the avc. it ' s not common, but other such places exist in the kernel, place where we are able to resolve the security issue by doing some other operation and thus the syscall does not need to fail. " dan walsh ' s blog - follow up to # 7 does an selinux audit log message always mean something was blocked?


keyframes, tweening and framerate are concepts shared by almost every process that creates animated sequences, including flash, 3d applications, video editors, and now css3. as such, it ’ s very important to understand the basics of animation. the classical animation process, pioneered by walt disney, was a natural evolution of the production line developed by henry ford and other industrial magnates of the early 20th century. it was a response to a simple problem : past the relative simplicity of steamboat willy, it was almost impossible for any one person to create an animated feature by themselves in anything like a reasonable amount of time. instead, the primary drawings of an animation sequence – the key frames – were drawn by a lead animator. in a cartoon character ’ s leap, those frames might be the crouch, the moment of upwards drive, the top of the leap, and the landing. these keyframes would be passed off to leagues of junior animators, who would draw, or fill in, the frames in - between these moments, using the key frames as a reference ( thus creating the term “ tweening ” ). modern digital media artists are today ’ s lead animators, with the computer taking the work of tweening. what ’ s important is that we create the best keyframes possible, so that the computer can understand what we are trying to achieve. when we create our animation, we have the ability to control how many frames appear between each keyframe, or ( alternatively ) how much time elapses between each keyframe. as a general rule, the more time / frames between keyframes, the smoother and slower the resulting animation will appear ; fewer frames tend to result in choppy, staccato animation.


this section discusses internal locking ; that is, locking performed within the mysql server itself to manage contention for table contents by multiple sessions. this type of locking is internal because it is performed entirely by the server and involves no other programs. external locking occurs when the server and other programs lock myisam table files to coordinate among themselves which program can access the tables at which time. see section 8. 7. 4, “ external locking ”. mysql uses row - level innodb tables to support simultaneous write access by multiple sessions, making them suitable for multi - user, highly concurrent, and oltp applications. mysql uses table - level locking for merge tables, allowing only one session to update those tables at a time, making them more suitable for read - only, read - mostly, or single - user applications. table locking in mysql is deadlock - free for storage engines that use table - level locking. deadlock avoidance is managed by always requesting all needed locks at once at the beginning of a query and always locking the tables in the same order. mysql grants table write locks as follows : if there are no locks on the table, put a write lock on it. otherwise, put the lock request in the write lock queue. mysql grants table read locks as follows : if there are no write locks on the table, put a read lock on it. otherwise, put the lock request in the read lock queue. table updates are given higher priority than table retrievals. therefore, when a lock is released, the lock is made available to the requests in the write lock queue and then to the requests in the read lock queue. this ensures that updates to a table are not “ starved ” even if there is heavy select activity for the table. however, if you have many updates for a table, select statements wait until there are no more updates. for information on altering the priority of reads and writes, see section 8. 7. 2, “ table locking issues ”. you can analyze the table lock contention on your system by variables, which indicate the number of times that requests for table locks could be granted immediately and the number that had to wait, respectively : show status like ' table % ' ; + - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + - - - - - - - - - + | variable _ name | value | + - - - - - - - - -


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + - - - - - - - - - + | variable _ name | value | + - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + - - - - - - - - - + | table _ locks _ immediate | 1151552 | | table _ locks _ waited | 15324 | + - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + - - - - - - - - - + myisam storage engine supports concurrent inserts to reduce contention between readers and writers for a given table : if a myisam table has no free blocks in the middle of the data file, rows are always inserted at the end of the data file. in this case, you can freely mix select statements for a myisam table without locks. that is, you can insert rows into a myisam table at the same time other clients are reading from it. holes can result from rows having been deleted from or updated in the middle of the table. if there are holes, concurrent inserts are disabled but are enabled again automatically when all holes have been filled with new data. this behavior is altered by the variable. see section 8. 7. 3, “ concurrent inserts ”. if you acquire a table lock explicitly with lock tables, you can request a read local lock rather than a read lock to enable other sessions to perform concurrent inserts while you have the table locked. to perform many select operations on a table real _ table when concurrent inserts are not possible, you can insert rows into a temporary table temp _ table and update the real table with the rows from the temporary table periodically. this can be done with the following code : lock tables real _ table write, temp _ table write ; mysql > insert into real _ table select * from temp _ table ; mysql > delete from temp _ table ; mysql > innodb uses row locks. deadlocks are possible innodb because it automatically acquires locks during the processing of sql statements, not at the start of the transaction. advantages of row - level locking : fewer lock conflicts when different sessions access different rows fewer changes for rollbacks possible to lock a single row for a long time disadvantages of row - level locking : requires more memory than table