a publication of the university of montana um researchers unearth cinnabar scientists track greenland meltwater new um center offers healing tools for indian country new directions : combining health with research view is published twice a year by the offices of the vice president for research and development and university relations at the university of montana. send questions, comments or suggestions to rita munzenrider, managing editor, 327 brantly hall, missoula, mt 59812, or call 406 - 243 - 4824. production manager and designer is cary shimek. contributing editors and writers are brianne burrowes, brenda day and shimek. the photographer is todd goodrich. web design is by shimek. for more information about um research, call judy fredenberg in the office of the vice president for research and development an icy adventure scientists track greenland meltwater world oceans would rise 23 feet and flood many coastal areas if climate change melted the entire greenland ice cap. and satellite images from 1980 onward reveal the surface of this vast ice sheet is warming, getting soggy and staying wet for longer periods every year. however, preliminary research by um and its partners suggests some of this meltwater does not reach the ocean to contribute to sea - level rise. instead it infiltrates downward into colder snow and refreezes into ice layers that can be more than a foot thick. these layers are fragmented, so water can ’ t flow atop them for long before draining downward again and freezing in place. “ we are still working up our results, but so far this is good news concerning worries about greenland ’ s role in the sea - level rise we see happening today, ” says um glaciologist joel harper. “ since many of the ice layers that form during a year of heavy melt are discontinuous, the next year ’ s melt can ’ t travel along the ice layers as a means of escaping the ice sheet. ” he says it ’ s so dark and cold during greenland winters that even with some winter warming the snowpack is still extremely cold going into summer, “ and summer melting always will have a hard time warming a snowpack laden with cold dense ice layers. ” harper was part of a six - person scientific expedition that ventured onto the greenland ice sheet for a month during june and july. they lived in tents high atop the ice cap at about 6, 600 feet in a white, featureless landscape swept by endless wind. to do its work, the group made 60 - to 70 - mile journeys down into the melt zone


and july. they lived in tents high atop the ice cap at about 6, 600 feet in a white, featureless landscape swept by endless wind. to do its work, the group made 60 - to 70 - mile journeys down into the melt zone closer to greenland ’ s west coast, using snowmobiles to pull scientific gear and expedition members on skis. harper says their research was funded by a $ 524, 000 national science foundation grant. his project collaborators are tad pfeffer of the university of colorado and neil humphrey of the university of wyoming. each scientist brought one graduate student to complete the team. the researchers drilled 21 35 - foot - long ice cores during the course of their work. they also dug many snow pits and did numerous experiments with colored dye to track meltwater flow. in addition, they installed two meteorological stations and used radar to map ice layers beneath the snow. in five boreholes located in sequentially lower elevations across a 25 - mile span, the team also installed vertical strings of temperature sensors to note melting and freezing events in the snow up to 35 feet deep. ( when water freezes it releases heat – a thermal signature that can be detected. ) harper says the sensors – called thermistors – have their own power source and will record data until researchers retrieve them next year. he compared the greenland ice cap to pancake batter. in its middle at higher elevations there is more snowfall than melting. as more snow is poured on, it compresses the vast sheet, which flows outward toward the warmer coasts where there is more melting. the team had two snowmobiles to haul six people and their gear down to the melt zones to do their research. the landscape is utterly devoid of landmarks, so they used global positioning systems to navigate during the three - hour traverses. two scientists drove, while the rest were towed behind the snowmobiles on skis. “ while skiing, we put on every bit of clothing we had and an ipod because you were standing behind these snowmobiles for three hours or more, ” harper says. “ we would use a bike tire as a harness clipped to the rope. so we would just stand there and try not to fall asleep as we were pulled along. ” harper, who was a competitive skier as a youth in colorado, also tried using a sail to kite ski across the ice cap. his power source was greenland ’ s endless katabatic winds, which are caused by dense cold air atop the ice sheet flowing downward toward the warmer coasts. “ a


youth in colorado, also tried using a sail to kite ski across the ice cap. his power source was greenland ’ s endless katabatic winds, which are caused by dense cold air atop the ice sheet flowing downward toward the warmer coasts. “ a lot of times it was too windy – you could get up to 30 mph no problem, ” he says. “ i could get screaming along – and i ’ m used to speed – but this was on the edge. i found it was too hard to navigate long distances with gps when you are trying to fly the kite and not crash. it just wasn ’ t compatible with the whole group, so in the end it was more for fun. ” he says some of the melt zone contained barely wet snow, while other areas were a “ slush swamp ” of super - saturated snow that a person without skis could sink into like quicksand. the expedition had to make the long traverses from base camp because members didn ’ t dare camp in the melt zone. too much thawing could bog down their snowmobiles and leave the researchers stranded in an area where ski planes can ’ t land. they might be stranded in the soggy snow until the next freeze. “ and if the snow machines would break, you couldn ’ t possibly ski back in a day, ” he says. “ it ’ s too far. ” harper says his group will return next year to study another 75 - mile stretch of the ice cap. they will start at the lowest elevation examined last summer and continue downward toward the coastal melt zone. the expedition will begin earlier in the year so the snow won ’ t be as treacherous at lower elevations. “ this is one reason why our results are preliminary, ” he says. “ we only have half the story. i suspect things might really be moving down below, but so far in the upper part of the ice sheet, we have thrown that out. in that area we found the melt is increasing every year, but it isn ’ t going anywhere. ” harper says they decided to study the west side of the ice cap because it is accessible from the town of kangerlussuaq, which is the logistics headquarters for science in greenland. the ice they studied also is the headwaters of jakobshavn, one of greenland ’ s big calving glaciers that has increased speed in recent years. their base camp was a three - hour plane ride from kangerlussuaq. “ there was nothing special about our camp, ” he says. “ it was just some


greenland ’ s big calving glaciers that has increased speed in recent years. their base camp was a three - hour plane ride from kangerlussuaq. “ there was nothing special about our camp, ” he says. “ it was just some gps coordinates we selected in the middle of nowhere. we got nailed by a big storm right after we arrived, but after that temperatures stayed between about 10 and 35 degrees fahrenheit. ” harper says their work might partially explain why greenland isn ’ t a larger player in current sea - level rises despite its enormous ice cap. a 2007 article in the journal science contends greenland contributes about 0. 5 millimeters to ocean level rise annually, while smaller glaciers scattered around the globe contribute 1. 1 millimeters to sea - level rise. “ other recent work shows that ice loss from small glaciers and ice caps like those in montana dominate current sea - level rise and will likely continue to dominate sea - level increases for at least the next 50 years, ” he says. “ since there are several hundred thousand small glaciers around the world, the sea - level rise we expect from them is still very significant. “ i don ’ t know of any glaciologist who thinks anything like a 6 - meter ( 19. 8 - foot ) sea - level rise is in the cards by the end of the century, ” harper says, “ but even 1 meter – which is at the upper end of what we currently think might be possible – would be a very big deal. ” — by cary shimek some days the researchers skied up to 70 miles per day behind snowmobiles. ( joel harper photo ) | wind - blasted um researcher joel harper relaxes in a tent on the greenland ice cap. ( tad pfeffer photo ) | a map showing the extent of melting in 2005. the central black dot shows the expedition ' s base camp. ( graphic by russell huff and konrad steffen ) | um glaciologist joel harper kite skis the greenland ice cap. ( tad pfeffer photo )


cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the united states. each year, more than two million people suffer a heart attack or stroke and over 800, 000 die from these conditions. in this podcast, dr. amy valderrama discusses the risk factors for cardiovascular disease. created : 12 / 20 / 2012 by mmwr. date released : 12 / 20 / 2012. series name : a cup of health with cdc. a cup of health with cdc cdc grand rounds : the million hearts initiative recorded : december 18, 2012 ; posted : december 20, 2012 [ announcer ] this program is presented by the centers for disease control and prevention. [ dr. gaynes ] welcome to a cup of health with cdc, a weekly feature of the mmwr, the morbidity and mortality weekly report. i ’ m your host, dr. robert gaynes. cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the united states. each year, more than two million people suffer a heart attack or stroke and over 800, 000 die from these conditions. dr. amy valderrama is a researcher with cdc ’ s national center for chronic disease prevention and health promotion. she ’ s joining us today to discuss the risk factors for cardiovascular disease. welcome to the show, amy. [ dr. valderrama ] thank you. [ dr. gaynes ] amy, what are the leading causes of cardiovascular disease? [ dr. valderrama ] well first, let me start by telling you what cardiovascular disease is. it ’ s a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels that includes heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes. and there are a number of things that can increase your chances of having cardiovascular disease. there are some that you can do something about and some that you can ’ t. the things that you can ’ t change would be having a family history of cardiovascular disease ; this can put you at an increased risk. things that you can change would be high cholesterol ; high blood pressure ; diabetes ; smoking ; eating a diet that ’ s high in saturated fats, cholesterol, and sodium ; being physically inactive ; and being overweight or obese. [ dr. gaynes ] what are the best ways for someone to identify their own risk factors? [ dr. valderrama ] check - ups are very important for knowing if you have high cholesterol or high blood pressure. your health care provider should check your cholesterol levels at least once every five years. get your blood pressure checked at least every two


##derrama ] check - ups are very important for knowing if you have high cholesterol or high blood pressure. your health care provider should check your cholesterol levels at least once every five years. get your blood pressure checked at least every two years if your blood pressure is normal and more often if it ’ s elevated. and you can monitor your own blood pressure by checking it at home with a home blood pressure monitor or at a grocery store or pharmacy kiosk. [ dr. gaynes ] aside from controlling high blood pressure and high cholesterol, what are some other ways we can decrease our chance of having a heart attack or stroke? [ dr. valderrama ] eat a healthy diet that ’ s low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium and high in fiber and fresh fruits and vegetables ; maintain a healthy weight ; exercise regularly ( physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight ) ; don ’ t smoke ; and limit your alcohol use. and remember, if you ’ re taking medication for high cholesterol or high blood pressure, to follow your health care provider ’ s instructions. [ dr. gaynes ] amy, where can listeners get more information about cardiovascular disease? [ dr. gaynes ] thanks, amy. i ’ ve been talking today with cdc ’ s dr. amy valderrama about cardiovascular disease. you can cut your risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke in half with a healthy diet, physical activity, regular checkups, and treatment, when needed. until next time, be well. this is dr. robert gaynes for a cup of health with cdc. [ announcer ] for the most accurate health information, visit www. cdc. gov or call 1 - 800 - cdc - info.


common names in english : bulb bladderfern, bulblet bladderfern, on rock, or often epiphytic, erect, or occasionally pendent. stems long - to short - creeping, branched or not, bearing scales and few to numerous, usually dictyostelic. leaves monomorphic in bud. petiole, as in loxogramme ], lacking scales or sometimes scaly, with usually 3 vascular bundles. blade simple to often pinnatifid, or pinnate, infrequently more divided ; rachis grooved or not adaxially. veins free ( and simple to several times forked ) to often anastomosing in complex, areoles with or without included. indument on blade absent, or petiole, rachis, costae, and sometimes blade tissue usually bearing hairs ( these often septate and with reddish crosswalls ) and / or scales. sori borne abaxially on veins, round, occasionally elongate, rarely marginal, rarely covering surface ; paraphyses present or absent ; sporangia with stalk of 2 or 3 rows ; indusia absent. spores usually transparent or yellowish ( rarely greenish ), all 1 kind, bilateral, monolete [ rarely trilete, as in some loxogramme ], surface most often smooth, or granulate, occasionally spiny, 64 per sporangium ( spores globose and 32 per sporangium in apogamous spp. ). gametophytes green, aboveground, cordate or elliptic or sometimes glandular ; archegonia and antheridia borne on lower surface, antheridia 3 - celled. genera ca. 40, species perhaps 500 ( 7 genera, 25 species in the flora ) : worldwide, especially tropics and subtropics. genera in this family are variously circumscribed, and the new world species historically were placed in the single genus polypodium. many of the segregates recognized here are still placed in polypodium in recent floristic accounts. limits of genera in both old world and new world are controversial and are currently under study by several workers. on rock, occasionally terrestrial or epiphytic. stems creeping, usually branched, 3 - - 15 mm diam., sometimes whitish pruinose concolored to bicolored, lanceolate to ovate - acuminate, not clathrate to strongly clathrate,


, p. appalachianum, and p. sibiricum. allopolyploid species have originated following hybridizations within a species group ( i. e., p. calirhiza from p. glycyrrhiza × californicum, p. saximontanum from p. amorphum × sibiricum, and p. virginianum from p. appalachianum × sibiricum ) as well as between members of the two groups ( i. e., p. hesperium from p. amorphum × glycyrrhiza ). these reticulate relationships are summarized in the reticulogram. we consider p. scouleri to be peripheral to the " core " diploids even though hybrids have been reported. - whittaker & margulis, 1978 - haeckel, 1866 - cavalier - smith, 1981 - sinnott, 1935 ex cavalier - smith, 1998 - vascular plants - kenrick & crane, 1997, nom. nud. - cronquist et al. - family : polypodiaceae ( ) - berchtold & j. presl, 1820 - common ferns, licorice ferns - order : polypodiales ( ) - link - class : polypodiopsida ( ) - cronquist et al. - infraphylum : moniliformopses ( ) - kenrick & crane, 1997, nom. nud. - subphylum : euphyllophytina ( ) - phylum : tracheophyta ( ) - sinnott, 1935 ex cavalier - smith, 1998 - vascular plants - subkingdom : viridaeplantae ( ) - cavalier - smith, 1981 - kingdom : plantae ( ) - haeckel, 1866 - plants athyrium bulbiferum ( l. ) a. a. eaton • cystea bulbifera • cystea bulbifera ( l. ) watt • cystopteris bulbifera ( l. ) bernh. • filix bulbifera ( l. ) underw. publishing author : l. members of the genus polypodium zipcodezoo has pages for 37 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus : p. amorphum ( irregular polypody ) · p. appalachianum ( appalachian polypody ) · p. attenuatum ( tapered polypody ) · p


varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus : p. amorphum ( irregular polypody ) · p. appalachianum ( appalachian polypody ) · p. attenuatum ( tapered polypody ) · p. bulbiferum ( bulblet bladderfern ) · p. californicum ( california polypody ) · p. calirhiza ( nested polypody ) · p. cambricum ( welsh polypody ) · p. carthusianum ( spinulose wood fern ) · p. dissimile ( forkvein polypody ) · p. dulce ( treetrunk polypody ) · p. exaltatum ( sword fern ) · p. falax ( crested poly ) · p. formosanum ( catepillar fern ) · p. glycyrrhiza ( licorice fern ) · p. hesperium ( western licorice fern ) · p. hexagonopterum ( broad beech fern ) · p. ilvense ( rusty woodsia ) · p. interjectum ( polypody ) · p. lanceolatum ( lanceleaf polypody ) · p. lonchitis ( northern holly fern ) · p. loriceum ( clambering polypody ) · p. musifolium ( polypodium ) · p. pellucidum ( ae ) · p. pellucidum kaulf. var. vulcanicum skottsb. ( dotted polypody ) · p. pellucidum var. pellucidum ( dotted polypody ) · p. pellucidum var. vulcanicum ( dotted polypody ) · p. punctatum ' grandiceps cobra ' ( climbing bird ' s nest fern ) · p. robertianum ( limestone oak fern ) · p. saximontanum ( rocky mountain polypody ) · p. scouleri ( coast polypody ) · p. sibiricum ( siberian polypody ) · p. subauriculatum var. knightii ( polypodium ) · p. submarginale ( brownhair lacefern ) · p. triseriale ( angle - vein fern ) · p. virginianum ( common polypody ) · p. virginianum var. peraferens ( american wall fern ) · p. ' green


years by frederick pursh... london : printed for james black and son, 1816. url p. 664. - great basin naturalist memoirs. 1987 [ provo, utah ] brigham young university, 1976 - 1992. url p. 21, p. 881. - index filicum : a synopsis, with characters, of the genera, and an enumeration of the species of ferns, with synonymes, references, & c., & c. london : w. pamplin, 1857. url p. 279. - journal of the new york botanical garden. 36 1935 lancaster, pa. : published for the garden by the new era printing co., 1900 - url p. 181. - list of pteridophyta and spermatophyta growing without cultivation in northeastern north america. new york, 1893 - 1894. url. - meehan ' s monthly : a magazine of horticulture, botany, and kindred subjects. phila., pa : t. meehan & sons, 1891 - 1902. url. - meehans ' monthly : a magazine of horticulture, botany and kindred subjects / conducted by thomas meehan. philadelphia : thomas meehan & sons, 1891 - 1902. url p. 177. - memoirs of the torrey botanical club. 6 1899 durham, n. c. : published for the club by the seeman printery, 1889 - url p. 258. - natural history of new york. albany : d. appleton : 1842 - 1894. url p. 501, p. 501. - nomenclature of plants ; a text for the application by the case method of the international code of botanical nomenclature. new york, ronald press co. url p. 50. - phytologia. bronx park, new york, h. a. gleason and h. n. moldenke, url p. 35, p. 40, p. 62, p. 70, p. 72, p. 75, p. 80. - plant life of alabama, an account of the distribution, modes of association, and adaptations of the flora of alabama, together with a systematic catalogue of the plants growing in the state. by charles mohr... montgomery, ala., brown printing co., 1901. url p. 318. - plant life of alabama. an account of the distribution, modes of association, and adaptations of the flora of alabama, together with


charles mohr... montgomery, ala., brown printing co., 1901. url p. 318. - plant life of alabama. an account of the distribution, modes of association, and adaptations of the flora of alabama, together with a systematic catalogue of the plants growing in the state. prepared in cooperationwith the washington, govt. print. off., 1901. url. - proceedings of the biological society of washington. washington, biological society of washington url p. 113. - the great basin naturalist. 41 1981 provo, utah : m. l. bean life science museum, brigham young university, 1939 - 1999. url p. 102. - cranfill, r. and d. m. britton. 1983. typification within the polypodium virginianum complex ( polypodiaceae ). taxon 32 : 557 - - 560. - evans, a. m. 1971. polypodium. in : a. m. evans, ed. 1971. a review of systematic studies of the pteridophytes of the southern appalachians. blacksburg. - haufler, c. h. and m. d. windham. 1991. new species of north american cystopteris and polypodium, with comments on their reticulate relationships. amer. fern j. 81 : 7 - - 23. - haufler, c. h. and wang z. r. 1991. chromosomal analyses and the origin of allopolyploid polypodium virginianum. amer. j. bot. 78 : 624 - - 629. - lang, f. a. 1971. the polypodium vulgare complex in the pacific northwest. madrono 21 : 235 - - 254. - whitmore, s. a. and a. r. smith. 1991. recognition of the tetraploid, polypodium calirhiza ( polypodiaceae ), in western north america. madrono 38 : 233 - - 248. - brands, s. j. ( comp. ) 1989 - present. the taxonomicon. universal taxonomic services, zwaag, the netherlands. accessed march 27, 2012. - biodiversity heritage library namebankid : 9532454 - global biodiversity information facility taxonkey : 15792054 - globally unique identifier : urn : lsid : ipni. org : names : 17184490 - 1 - international plant names index


subsidies and tax breaks are a tried and true way of helping a developing industry get up on its feet. one of the strategies to accelerate a transition to cleaner greener renewable energy sources is to subsidize research development, and production of renewable energy sources, such as wind power, solar power, geothermal, etc. free market advocates often say that the emerging renewable energy industry should not be subsidized. what is not widely know though, is that subsidies for well established fossil fuels exceed renewables by almost six to one. research by the woodrow wilson international center for scholars and the environmental law institute reveals that the lion ’ s share of energy subsidies supported energy sources that emit high levels of greenhouse gases ( ghgs ). the study, which reviewed fossil fuel and energy subsidies for fiscal years 2002 - 2008, showed that the federal government spent about $ 70 billion on the fossil fuel industry, and about $ 12 billion on renewables. as the report points out : moreover, just a handful of tax breaks make up the largest portion of subsidies for fossil fuels, with the most significant of these, the foreign tax credit, supporting the overseas production of oil. more than half of the subsidies for renewables are attributable to corn - based ethanol, the use of which, while decreasing american reliance on foreign oil, has generated concern about climate effects. these figures raise the question of whether scarce government funds might be better allocated to move the united states towards a low - carbon economy. n. b. carbon capture and storage is a developing technology that would allow coal - burning utilities to capture and store their carbon dioxide emissions. although this technology does not make coal a renewable fuel, if successful it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to coal plants that do not use this technology. the production and use of corn ethanol can generate significant greenhouse gas emissions. recognizing that the production and use of corn - based ethanol may generate significant greenhouse gas emissions, the data depict renewable subsidies both with and without ethanol subsidies. fossil fuel extraction is increasingly toxic ( e. g. fracking poisons public water systems ) and environmentally destructive ( e. g. gulf oil “ spill ” ). and fossil fuel production seems to be hitting a peak oil wall. as production lags demand, we should expect oil and gas prices to rise precipitously. subsidizing oil keeps us addicted to it. three of the top 5 biggest companies in the world are oil companies ( exxon, bp, royal dutch shell ). rather than subsidize big


outreach workshop : roller coasters in your classroom you provide the floor space and we ’ ll provide the excitement and learning. what better way to learn about the physics of energy, force and motion than through hands - on science? experience these principles first hand as you build and modify your own roller coaster designs and then get to show off your discoveries to your classmates. this workshop also available as 50 - minute session for grades k - 8th. the 50 - minute version allows for simplified exploration of the concepts presented in the program. $ 300 first workshop. additinal workshops $ 250 each. michigan grade level content expectations, science v. 1. 09 - recognize that science investigations are done more than one time. ( s. rs. 01. 12 ) - recognize that when a science investigation is done the way it was done before, similar results are expected. ( s. rs. 02. 13 ) - describe the motion of objects in terms of direction. ( p. fm. 03. 41 ) - demonstrate scientific concepts through various illustrations, performances, models, exhibits and activities. ( s. rs. 04. 11 ) - distinguish between contact forces and non - contact forces. ( p. fm. 05. 21 ) - demonstrate contact forces to change the motion of an object. ( p. fm. 05. 22 ) - identify kinetic or potential enrgy in everyday situations. ( p. en. 06. 11 ) - demonstate the transformation between potential and kinetic energy in simple mechanical systems ( for example : rollercoasters, pendulums ). ( p. en. 06. 12 ) centrifugal force : a virtual force felt by a body in motion around an axis. this apparent force acts opposite the centripetal force and is caused by the natural inertia of the body in motion. centripetal force : the force responsible for pulling an object in rotation back towards the axis. energy : the capacity to do work. friction : surface - to - surface resistance between two objects, resulting in the loss of energy to heat. gravity : the force of attraction towards the center of the earth. inertia : the tendency for an object in motion to stay in motion or an object at rest to stay at rest so long as it is not acted upon by an external force. kinetic energy : the energy of an object based on its movement. parabola : the natural path of an object in motion through the air. a parabola is completely symmetric about the axis. potential energy : the energy of an object


an external force. kinetic energy : the energy of an object based on its movement. parabola : the natural path of an object in motion through the air. a parabola is completely symmetric about the axis. potential energy : the energy of an object based on its location. this is the stored energy. roller coaster : a gravity - based train where all of the movement is propelled by gravity. the only input energy is to reach the starting point. post - visit activities provide your students with an opportunity to review workshop - presented concepts and introduce related subjects. below you will find a classroom extension activity and a list of suggested resources for further exploration. we hope that you enjoyed our outreach hands - on workshop and we look forward to visiting your students again! hands - on activity : flying high - 2 golf balls - 2 tennis balls - 2 basketballs - outdoor space this is a great demonstration for illustrating the principle of conservation of momentum. take your class outside and ask if they know what momentum is. explain that momentum is equal to the mass times the velocity of an object. the law of conservation says that if two ( or more ) objects collide, the total momentum before the collision must be equal to the total momentum after, not taking into consideration principles like gravity and friction. for the demonstration, first stack the two basketballs on top of each other and drop them as one. observe what happens. now, hold the tennis ball on top of the basketball and repeat. be careful that nothing is in line with the tennis ball. here, you ’ ll notice that the tennis ball travels a good distance higher than the drop point. try different combinations to see if you can maximize the height. to understand what ’ s going on, explain that the total mass of your two objects can be thought of as one larger object falling at a specific velocity. when they hit the ground, the top one bounces off the bottom one. the small one soars because you ’ ve suddenly removed most of the mass. as a result, the velocity must increase in order to compensate. example : imagine you have a 10 pound ball and a 1 pound ball stacked and falling at 10 meters per second hit the ground. the 10 pound ball isn ’ t elastic enough to bounce at all. what velocity will the 1 pound ball now have? your total initial mass = 11 pounds. so, set up your equation like this : 11lb × 10m / s = 1lb × vm / s ( where v = the unknown velocity ). if you solve for v, you


want to integrate science, math, & geography? check out this great program! globe is a worldwide, hands - on, school - based education and science program. globe links k - 12 students, teachers, and the scientific research community together to learn more about our environment through student data collection. over one million students worldwide from more than 100 countries have taken part in this program! students learn by : · taking scientifically valid measurements in the fields of atmosphere, hydrology, soils, and / or land cover / phenology – depending on their local curricula · reporting their data through the internet · creating maps and graphs on the free interactive website to analyze data sets · collaborating with scientists and other globe students from around the world. teachers choose which fields they are interested in and which protocols they want to do. some require daily measurements all school year, and some require biweekly or weekly measurements and / or measurements for only part of the year. teachers must attend a training session, and are responsible for acquiring the scientific - quality instruments required. teachers receive assistance through : · training at professional development workshops · detailed on - line teacher ’ s guide, with downloadable lessons, overheads, and student worksheets · “ how - to ” videos, and other teaching materials · continuing support from a help desk, scientists, and partners · contact with other teachers, students, and scientists worldwide how do i become a partner school? all teachers who want to be officially involved and report their data through the internet must attend a training session. see the globe website for the next training session that fits your schedule! want to learn more and talk to a teacher who has been involved for many years? come to the vga summer workshop on thursday, july 21 for a morning session on how to use the globe program in your classroom. don ’ t want to become a partner? you can still use the protocols, the teaching activities, and the student worksheets in the on - line teacher ’ s guide for projects at your school. or, use the data sets on the website from schools around the world to create great maps and graphs. here are some lesson ideas : world climate patterns patterns of world green - up and green - down seasonal change - watch spring spread to the poles latitude and longitude how to read isoline and contour maps using the metric system manipulating positive and negative numbers ph of precipitation patterns relationships between soil moisture and seasons yearly cycles of wetlands comparing land cover, droughts, and forest fires to see for yourself, visit www. globe. gov


what are tendon problems? two major problems associated with tendons include tendonitis and tenosynovitis. tendonitis, inflammation of a tendon ( the tough cords of tissue that connect muscles to bones ) can affect any tendon in the body. when the tendons become irritated, swelling, pain, and discomfort will occur. tenosynovitis is the inflammation of the lining of the tendon sheaths which enclose the tendons. the tendon sheath is usually the site which becomes inflamed, but both the sheath and the tendon can become inflamed simultaneously. the cause of tenosynovitis is often unknown, but usually strain, overuse, injury, or excessive exercise may be implicated. tendonitis may also be related to disease ( for example, diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis ). common tendon disorders include the following : lateral epicondylitis ( commonly known as tennis elbow ). a condition characterized by pain in the back side of the elbow and forearm, along the thumb side when the arm is alongside the body with the thumb turned away. the pain is caused by damage to the tendons that bend the wrist backward away from the palm. medial epicondylitis ( commonly known as golfer ' s or baseball elbow ). a condition characterized by pain from the elbow to the wrist on the palm side of the forearm. the pain is caused by damage to the tendons that bend the wrist toward the palm. rotator cuff or biceps tendonitis. a shoulder disorder characterized by the inflammation of the shoulder capsule and related tendons. dequervain ' s tenosynovitis. the most common type of tenosynovitis disorder characterized by the tendon sheath swelling in the tendons of the thumb. trigger finger / trigger thumb. a tenosynovitis condition in which the tendon sheath becomes inflamed and thickened, thus preventing the smooth extension or flexion of the finger / thumb. the finger / thumb may lock or " trigger " suddenly. what are the symptoms of tendonitis? the following are the most common symptoms of tendonitis. however each individual may experience symptoms differently. symptoms may include : pain in the tendon when moved swelling from fluid accumulation and inflammation, or a grating sensation if not swollen the symptoms of tendonitis may resemble other medical conditions or problems. always consult your doctor for a diagnosis. how is tendonitis diagnosed? diagnosis of tendonitis is usually


printing matrices for " narrative of the u. s. exploring expedition " - introduction in 1836 the u. s. congress authorized president andrew jackson " to send out a surveying and exploring expedition to the pacific ocean and south seas. " the u. s. exploring expedition ' s narrative... ( vols. i - v ) was written to follow the path of the three - year and ten - month expedition ( 1838 – 1842 ), which traveled from norfolk, virginia, east to the islands off the coast of portugal, around the tip of south america to antarctica, and then up the west coast of south america. during the rest of the expedition, either lieutenant charles wilkes, the commander, or parts of his squadron traveled to australia and new zealand, the south pacific islands, the philippines, singapore, hawaii, and north america ' s west coast. expedition members included scientists and artists who illustrated the people encountered, the narrative scenery, the cartographic studies, and the specimens collected. the five narrative volumes were published in 1844. of the accompanying scientific volumes vi – xxiv, fourteen were published between 1844 and 1874. the remaining five were never officially distributed. the printing matrices — either engraved plates and blocks or lithographic stones — used to print the narrative of the u. s. exploring expedition and its accompanying volumes are housed in the graphic arts collection of the national museum of american history. this collection includes 309 engraved wood blocks, 133 engraved copper and steel - faced plates, with an additional presentation card plate, and 19 lithographic stones.


zoroaster and the birth of an apocalyptic faith by r. d. brinsmead the following outline has been drawn, for the most part, from three excellent and highly acclaimed publications about zoroastrians : norman cohn, cosmos, chaos, and the world to come : the ancient roots of apocalyptic faith ; mary boyce, zoroastrians : their religious beliefs and practices ; and s. a. kapadia, the teaching of zoroaster and the philosophy of the parsi religion. norman cohn has written such an excellent afterword at the end of his equally excellent book, that i will quote it in full : " this book is concerned with a major turning - point in the history of human consciousness : it tries to describe how the destiny of the world and of human being came to be imagined in a new way, and how these new expectations began to spread abroad. a brief recapitulation of the main argument may not come amiss. until around 1500 bc peoples as diverse as egyptians, sumerians, babylonians, indo - iranians and their indian and iranian descendents, canaanites, pre - exilic israelites were all agreed that in the beginning the world had been organised, set in order, by a god or by several gods, and that in essentials it was immutable. for each people, security – meaning fertility of the land, victory in war, stable social relations sanctioned by custom and law – was the outward and visible sign that a divinely ordained order did indeed exist. however, that order was never untroubled, it was always threatened by evil, destructive forces – sometimes identified as flood or drought, famine or plague, inertia or death itself – but sometimes also as hostile peoples or tyrannical conquerors. in the combat myth, in its various formulations, the conflict between universal order and the forces that threatened and invaded and impaired it – between cosmos and chaos – was given symbolic expression. a young hero god, or divine warrior, was charged by the gods with the task of keeping the forces of chaos at bay ; and in return he was awarded kingship over the world. some time between 1500 and 1200 bc zoroaster broke out of that static yet anxious world - view. he did so by reinterpreting, radically, the iranian version of the combat myth. in zoroaster ’ s view that world was not static, nor would it always be troubled. even now the world was moving, through incess


. he did so by reinterpreting, radically, the iranian version of the combat myth. in zoroaster ’ s view that world was not static, nor would it always be troubled. even now the world was moving, through incessant conflict, towards a conflictless state. the time would come when, in a prodigious final battle, the supreme god and his supernatural allies would defeat the forces of chaos and their human allies and eliminate them once and for all. from then on the divinely appointed order would obtain absolutely : physical distress and want would be unknown, no enemy would threaten, within the community of the saved there would be absolute unanimity ; in a word, the world would be for ever untroubled, and secure. unheard of before zoroaster, that expectation deeply influenced certain jewish groups – as witness some of the apocalypses and some of the writings found at qumran. above all, it influenced the jesus sect, with incalculable consequences. in this book the story is carried only to the close of the first century ad – but the story itself has continued down the ages. and what a story it has become! much theological speculation ; innumerable millenarian movements, including those now flourishing so vigorously in the united sates ; even the appeal once exercised by marxist - lenin ideology – all this belongs to it. nor is there any reason to think that the story is nearing its end. the tradition whose origins are studied in this book is still alive and potent. who can tell what fantasies, religious or secular, it may generate in the unforeseeable future? " zarathrustra – the first prophet of an apocalyptic faith zarathrustra ( or zoroaster as the greeks called him ) was born somewhere around 1500 bce. he was reputed to have been miraculously born in answer to the prayers of a holy man and his equally holy wife. the evil spirit and seducer called angra mainyu who from the beginning was believed to be the enemy and man, was said to have fled in terror at zarathrustra ’ s birth, only to return later to unsuccessfully tempt the man of god with the promise of rulership over the kingdoms of this world. at the age of seven zoroaster began his training under priestly care, and at the age of 15 ( the age when manhood began in his culture ) he became a priest in his ancient iranian faith. at 20 years of age, zoroaster began a


seven zoroaster began his training under priestly care, and at the age of 15 ( the age when manhood began in his culture ) he became a priest in his ancient iranian faith. at 20 years of age, zoroaster began a period of wandering in search of the truth. when he was 30 years of age, he went down into the waters of a river to draw water for a religious ceremony, and as he was coming up out of the water, he encountered a shining being on the banks of the river. this supernatural being conducted zoroaster into the very presence of ahura mazda, the eternal creator. this was the first of a number of times that zoroaster was to commune with ahura mazda in vision. by these prophetic experiences, zoroaster came to embrace and teach a worldview that in his age was entirely revolutionary. its main features were as follows : there are two primal, antagonistic spirits of the cosmos. on the one hand there is the spirit of ahura mazda the creator - the source of the order ( asha ) of truth, justice and all that is good. on the other hand there is a hostile spirit, an adversary, a counter - creator who is hostile to all that is good. his name is angra mainyu. this mythical figure is much the same as what the devil or satan came to be in the christian religion. ahura mazda created man in the environment of a perfect world, knowing full - well that angra mainyu would seduce humanity and bring decay and death into this perfect world. ahura mazda ’ s plan, however, was to use the creation of man as a means to entrap his great adversary. despite angra mainyu ’ s apparent success in corrupting god ’ s creation, ahura mazda ’ s plan was to use humanity as his ally to finally defeat the enemy of all that is good. what all this meant was that this world was to be seen as the battleground between good and evil. it was not john milton in his great epic called paradise lost, nor ellen white in her great controversy between christ and satan, nor even st. john the divine ’ s book of revelation that first depicted this cosmic conflict between good and evil. long before moses or post - exilic judaism, and longer still before the christian book of revelation came to be written, the iranian prophet zoroaster had essentially outlined the great cosmic war between god and the one whom christians call satan. zoroaster succeeded in transforming the old combat myth


doubt correct when he says that the only old testament book that comes anywhere near zoroaster ’ s apocalyptic vision of the end of history is the book of daniel. this was a very late book and the last to be included in the old testament canon. daniel was an apocalyptic book written after the jews had lived for two hundred years under the friendly rule of the achaemenian ( persian ) empire. during that period, leading jewish thinkers drank deeply at the fountain of the zoroastrian religious tradition. significantly, the post - exilic biblical writers had no scathing comments to make about the persian divinities as they did in respect to the babylonian, canaanite or assyrian divinities. a large section of daniel ( chapters 2 - 7 ) was written in aramaic, the universal language of the achaemenian empire - much as koine greek became the universal language in greco - roman times. daniel ’ s account of the great image with head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron and feet of iron and clay ( daniel 2 ) was taken straight out of a zoroastrian teaching of a symbolic tree made of gold, silver, bronze, iron and a final mixture of iron and clay. many key words throughout the book of daniel have a zoroastrian origin. above all, scholars generally recognize that the last judgment of daniel 7 and its teaching of a bodily resurrection of all mankind in daniel 12 show the unmistakeable influence of the zoroastrian faith. complementing this teaching of the last judgment and the resurrection of the body and the “ making wonderful ” of the restored paradise on earth, zoroaster had a clear teaching of “ the intermediate state ” between the moment of an individual ’ s death and the general resurrection. upon death, the soul of the departed was depicted as crossing a narrow bridge. those weighed down by more bad deeds than good deeds would fall into the abyss of hell where they would suffer preliminary punishment as they awaited the final judgment and resurrection of the body. conversely, the souls of those whose good deeds outweighed their evil deeds would enter the bliss of an intermediate state in the presence of god. martin luther was reputed to have quipped, “ it would be a foolish soul who wanted to have his body back. ” zoroaster, however, had a different view of the body. he taught that the happiness of the soul could not be complete until it was re - united with its body. this teaching sprang from


soul who wanted to have his body back. ” zoroaster, however, had a different view of the body. he taught that the happiness of the soul could not be complete until it was re - united with its body. this teaching sprang from zoroaster ’ s understanding that there was first a spiritual creation followed by its being completed in the creation of a material or physical form. it was a teaching that gave zoroastrianism a high view along with a deep appreciation of the physical environment, including the importance of the human body. although zoroastrianism was a confessional faith which faithfully preserved the original tradition with little change, there was some development of its theology subsequent to zoroaster ’ s time. one of these developments was in the matter of the ultimate fate of those who fell off the bridge into the punishments of hell. zoroaster had originally taught that these lost souls would eventually be annihilated in the final punishment of a merciful “ second death. ” ( as if to anticipate the teaching of some christian sects like the seventh - day adventists ) but later zoroastrian theologians began to conceive that even these fallen souls will have their evil purged from their nature so that they will join the host of redeemed humanity. because they too are god ’ s children they will eventually realize the intended destiny of all who share in god ’ s nature. in this respect the zoroastrians anticipated the “ universalism ” of origen and a minority of christian thinkers down through the ages who have taught that all of humanity will eventually be saved. moral code and ethics the moral code and ethical ideals of zoroaster were equal, if not superior in some respects, to the law of moses. zoroaster ’ s moral teachings are so excellent that they deserve to be placed alongside the writings of the great hebrew prophets. the law of ahura mazda enjoined an order consisting of good thoughts, good words, and good deeds. love of neighbour demanded no less than this. diligence was everywhere commended, and sloth in every place condemned. love of neighbour demanded that the “ sons of light ” would refrain from slander, infidelity in marriage and non - payment of debts. care and kindness toward others is enjoined under all circumstances. zoroastrianism had a higher view of women than the law of moses in that it leaned more towards treating women as equals. other standout features of the zoroastrianism * there


toward others is enjoined under all circumstances. zoroastrianism had a higher view of women than the law of moses in that it leaned more towards treating women as equals. other standout features of the zoroastrianism * there was a great emphasis on hygiene that included water purity, body cleanliness and a separation from the contamination of dead bodies – all of which finds a counterpart in the law of moses which came after zoroaster. * zoroastrian ethics demanded a duty of care and kindness toward animals that is quite astonishing. zoroaster taught that even animals have souls which would rise up on the day of judgment to accuse those who had in any way neglected or had been unkind and uncaring toward them. on the other hand, every small deed of kindness - to a dog, a goat or a cow - would not go unnoticed or unrewarded. while zoroaster did not go as far as enjoining vegetarianism, he taught that no animal life should be sacrificed, even when hunting, apart from human necessity, and always with prayer and respect for the life of the beast. hunting for pleasure was strictly forbidden. if the life of an animal was to be taken for human needs, it was to be done respectfully and reverently. a portion of the meat was given to the officiating priests, and no meat was eaten apart from reverence for the life that was sacrificed. in this matter of care and kindness toward animals, zoroaster appears to express an even higher or more advanced state of human consciousness than is generally found in the judeo / christian tradition, with the possible exception of some of the sayings of jesus. * zoroaster was vehemently opposed to religious fasting. in his view, fasting would weaken rather than strengthen the body that was needed to serve humanity as required by ahura mazda. the only kind of “ fasting ” that ahura mazda wants from his worshippers is not to abstain from food but to abstain from any an evil thought, word or action. this kind of religious outlook appeared to be entirely new in that age. yet a hebrew prophet who lived under achaemenian rule was also scornful of religious fasting. he declared that the only kind of fasting that was pleasing to god was a genuine love for humanity expressed in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and providing shelter for the homeless ( isaiah 58 ). it is hard to avoid the conclusion that this passage from deutero -


kind of fasting that was pleasing to god was a genuine love for humanity expressed in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and providing shelter for the homeless ( isaiah 58 ). it is hard to avoid the conclusion that this passage from deutero - isaiah has not lifted this kind of teaching from the prophet zoroaster. * the reason that the zoroastrian faith was not written up until the 6th century ce is that the old zoroastrians believed that writing was an invention of the devil. the zoroastrian priests rejected writing as an unfit medium to record the holy words of the faith. in this, they perhaps expressed the beginnings of an insight that was later taken up and developed by the author of the fourth gospel of the new testament. this author teaches that the word of god cannot be contained in any written book, but can only be incarnated in a human life. ( see john 1 ) st. paul too contends that a living faith in the new age of the spirit transcends the lifeless texuality of any written document ( galations 3 and 4 ; 2 corinthians 3 : romans 7 ). * zoroastrians held to some quaint myths that were integral to their culture. fire was a sacred symbol / sacrament of the divine presence. the evil one had corrupted fire by creating smoke. smoke was associated with the demonic. frogs were evil and were created by the evil one. so were lizards, snakes, scorpions and other repugnant creatures. this helps to illuminate some passages in the nt apocalypse that uses frogs, scorpions and smoke as portents of evil – another indication of the zoroastrian influences on christian literature. there are other features of zoroaster ’ s teaching that are a precursor of judeo / christian scripture. notably : * zoroaster taught that there were 6 periods in the creation of the world – stage 1, the creation of the heavenly firmament, stage 2, the appearance of water, stage 3, the formation of the earth, stage 5, the creation of plants, stage 5, the creation of animals, and stage 6, the creation of man. * the first man was called yima. he was a hebrew adam and noah all rolled into one person. like the man in the genesis story, yima was told to cultivate the earth and is given dominion over it. later he was told to build an enclosure to preserve the best animals and plants from coming destructive weather events. this clearly finds its echo in


the man in the genesis story, yima was told to cultivate the earth and is given dominion over it. later he was told to build an enclosure to preserve the best animals and plants from coming destructive weather events. this clearly finds its echo in the biblical story of noah and the ark. yima became a powerful ruler under the blessing of ahura mazda, but then angra mainyu seduced him to become first proud and then disobedient. this was all part of the great contest between good and evil that was destined to be fought out on this earth. as we have already pointed out, we encounter this theme of the great cosmic war in the last book of the new testament ( the apocalypse of st. john ) and in the later writings of john milton ( paradise lost ) and ellen g. white ( the great controversy between christ and satan ). a cosmic saviour at first zoroaster hoped that he would live to see the “ making wonderful ” event at the end of history – just as st. paul at first expected to be alive to see what the first christians called the parousia event. in other words, early zoroastrianism was imbued with the sense of “ immediacy ” and “ imminence ” – always the mark of a genuine apocalyptic faith. for the most part, zoroastrianism managed to retain this sense of the imminence of the end - time, or at least they were able to rationalize the delay of the apocalyptic event just at the early christians managed to rationalize why their messiah had not returned. when zoroaster sensed that he was not going to live to see the “ making wonderful ” event of the end - time, he prophesied that ahura mazda would raise up someone like himself to lead humanity into the final battle between good and evil. a parallel story appears in hebrew scripture when moses, about to die, tells his people that god would send israel a prophet like himself. ( deuteronomy 18 : 15 ) out of this hope that another zoroaster - like prophet would arrive in the last days, zoroastrians developed a belief in the coming of a cosmic saviour called the saoshyant – “ the one who brings benefit. ” according to this belief, he would lead humanity into the last battle against evil, using supernatural weaponry not unlike the warrior messiah in the apocalypse of st. john. when zoroaster died, it was believed that the seed from his sperm was buried in


according to this belief, he would lead humanity into the last battle against evil, using supernatural weaponry not unlike the warrior messiah in the apocalypse of st. john. when zoroaster died, it was believed that the seed from his sperm was buried in lake kasaoya ( in iran, of course ) where it was guarded by 999, 000 departed righteous souls. in the fullness of time, after conditions on earth would seriously deteriorate, a chosen virgin would go down to this lake to bathe and become pregnant with zoroaster ’ s seed. although the child would be fully human - the fruit of a union of both male and female - he would be endowed with supernatural powers and weaponry for the great final battle. in this sense also he would be a cosmic messiah figure rather than a mere national messiah of jewish expectations. perhaps it is significant that paul of tarsus ( a city renown for being a centre of the zoroastrian religion ) elevated jesus christ above the status of a mere jewish messiah to become a cosmic messiah of zoroastrian proportions. the same thing could be said about the apocalypse of st. john. it borrowed heavily from the old testament book of daniel – which in turn borrowed heavily from the zoroastrian faith. the reason why st. paul was so successful in promoting a world - wide faith ( whereas those who remained jewish christians were not ) is because his christ figure was not just a jewish messiah, but a cosmic messiah who fulfilled both jewish and iranian hopes. more than this, the christ of st. paul was a messiah figure who fulfilled the hopes associated with all the dying and rising divinities of the ancient world. as joseph campbell puts it, “ we discover in egypt the mythology of the slain and resurrected osiris ; in mesopotamia tammuz ; in syria, adonis ; and in greece, dionysos : all of which furnished models for the early christians [ led by st. paul ] for their representations of christ. ” ( myths to live by, p. 10 ). being the first apocalyptic faith, zoroastrianism provided the archetypal model or paradigm for apocalyptic judaism and apocalyptic christianity. zoroaster lives on in many aspects of western christianity. it even lives on in secular movement that have sprung up from the soil of western christianity. as cohn says at the end of his book, zorastrianism “ is still alive and potent. who can tell what fantasies, religious or secular, it may generate in the unforeseea


up from the soil of western christianity. as cohn says at the end of his book, zorastrianism “ is still alive and potent. who can tell what fantasies, religious or secular, it may generate in the unforeseeable future. ” there is one intriguing thing that needs to be said about zoroaster ’ s apocalyptic combat myth. when it was taken up into judaism and then christianity it became ( to use a phrase taken from joseph campbell ) “ one of the most brutal war mythologies of all time. ” in apocalyptic judaism and apocalyptic christianity this old zoroastrian battle between “ the sons of light ” and “ the sons of darkness ” came to be expressed by demonizing the differing “ others ” who were deemed to be on the wrong side of the spiritual conflict. carried to its bitter end, this apocalyptic zeal for god led to an appalling amount of internecine strife, persecution of heretics and outright bloodshed. it does not appear, however, that this kind of religious aggression toward the differing “ others ” was a feature of the zoroastrian faith. the achaemenian empire ( whose rulers were zoroastrians ) were generally tolerant of the indigenous religions within their empire. cyrus the great and his successors were very supportive of the jews rebuilding their temple in jerusalem.


while already available via apps mostly requiring a rooted device, the wifi hotspot functionality was introduced as a " native feature " with android 2. 2 ( aka frozen yoghurt aka froyo ). it allows to transform your android device into a wifi router, to which up to five other wifi enabled devices can connect. this way they can not only access the internet via the hotspot device ' s mobile data connection, but also communicate with each other. as the hotspot creating device then needs to keep open multiple network interfaces simultaneously, its power consumption increases as well - - a fact to keep in mind when using this feature " on the road ". - tethering : generic term for the facility to provide the device ' s data connection to other devices. aside from wifi, this is also possible via usb - tethering and bluetooth - tethering - reverse - tether : for the opposite direction ( using another device ' s internet connection with your android device ). usually this utilizes the laptop ' s / computer ' s internet connection via usb - wifi - tethering : similar to the above described hotspot functionality, there are things like ad - hoc - networks for point - to - point connections. these solutions usually require the android device to be rooted.


siri is a speech - recognition computer application. it has both speech input and output, meaning you can speak to it, and it can speak back to you. you speak to siri to ask it questions and give it commands, such as small tasks that you ’ d like it to complete. for example, ask siri about the weather, and it will respond out loud with a short summary of the day ’ s weather report and on - screen with a snapshot of the five - day forecast. tell siri that you need to schedule an appointment for 2 : 30 p. m. on wednesday, and it will add an item to your calendar, then confirm verbally that it has done so. say you receive an incoming text message but can ’ t devote your eyes to the screen to read it ; you can command siri to read it aloud to you. siri does not process your speech input locally on your phone. the software sends commands through a remote server, so you have to be connected to wi - fi or a 3g signal. here ’ s an infographic from the findings of university college london research on the use of siri amongst 661 iphone 4s users from 79 countries. besirious. com is part of a user interface research project at university college london. this research is looking into how people actually use voice driven user interfaces and what they think about them. design and developed by wpoets


the arabian nights tell me a tale : the tradition of storytelling “ kan ya makan fi qadim al - ziman … ” “ once upon a time … ” storytelling is a tradition as old as humanity itself. from ancient cave drawings to today ’ s 3 - d movies, telling stories seems to be an inherent part of being human. after all, the iliad and odyssey, two of the most foundational texts in western civilization, are attributed to the blind storyteller homer, who sang the poetry to listeners around a campfire – and the stories of scheherezade are thought to have originated as oral folktales. though we might generally think of telling stories as a way to entertain, most historians believe that storytelling began as a functional tool. before books, stories were a way for people to preserve important events. before scientists, creating stories about incomprehensible events, such as natural disasters, helped people understand the world and its intricacies. before law and organized religion, stories served as models of morality, teaching people how to behave and relate to others. since books could not be widely circulated until the invention of the printing press in the mid - 15th century, literacy was a low priority for most ancient peoples. oral tradition and storytelling were the only ways for information to survive generations. storytelling holds a particularly important place in arabic tradition. across what is now considered the middle east, storytellers called al - hakawati entertained in ancient times, even before the era of the roman empire. always given the place of honor, al - hakawati performed for groups of listeners at cafes or in homes, relating and enacting popular sagas and legends. though early al - hakawati probably told stories based on truth, what could be a half - hour account was transformed into hours and hours of narration, complete with as many vivid ( and imagined ) details as possible. al - hakawati used many techniques to enliven their stories. sometimes they told tales in rhyming arabic, and sometimes the storyteller used different rhythms according to the action he was relating. they drew on local knowledge and legend, weaving community wisdom into their stories to make them more relevant to the audience. some also employed dramatic gestures and character voices, as well as pauses and silence to create tension. however, the full responsibility of telling the story did not rely solely on the al - hakawati – the audience was expected to be fully involved in the act of the story. it wasn ’ t unusual for


as pauses and silence to create tension. however, the full responsibility of telling the story did not rely solely on the al - hakawati – the audience was expected to be fully involved in the act of the story. it wasn ’ t unusual for factions to form and audience members to take sides, cheering or booing as their favorite characters rose or fell. listeners would even bribe the storyteller so that the “ right ” character came out on top. often, storytellers would cut off at a cliffhanging moment, only to be shouted down by his listeners demanding to hear the end – as in this recollection from palestinian - israeli writer and politician emil habibi : “ i remember that at the entrance to the syrian market in haifa was a two - storied cafe in which the storyteller would seat himself among the nargillah smokers and tell his tales. periodically, he would appear to interrupt his tale when, for example, the hero antara was captured, and the listeners would get up and threaten that they would not release him until he released antara. ” the tradition of al - hakawati has survived into the 21st century ; however, as with many traditional arts, it has suffered greatly from the rise of tv, radio, and the internet. today, in syria, one man claims to be the “ last hakawati ” : abu shady. since the early 1900s, shady has been performing nightly in the al - nawfara coffee shop, and he hopes to keep the tradition alive even after his story ends. check out the “ last hakawati ’ s ” stories below, and explore an age - old tradition that is a pillar of culture all over the world. this age - old tradition was also on founding artistic director zelda fichandler ’ s mind when she started arena stage 60 years ago. zelda had “ the idea to take the theater back to its tribal beginnings … when someone said, ‘ gather round and let me tell you how it happened. ’ ” in building her original theater in - the - round, zelda drew heavily on these traditional methods of storytelling, in an effort to unite “ audience and play in one room, in one emotional environment. ” now, as the set for this production of mary zimmerman ’ s the arabian nights, arena ’ s fichandler stage will once again be the home for the ultimate night of storytelling. extras & insights is funded, in part, by a grant from the national endowment of the humanities.


there is hardly anyone who hasn ' t heard of jamshedji tata. but few remember his elder son dorab. to this tata goes the credit of starting the olympic movement in india. dorab tata was mostly educated in england and his interest in sport was a result of his western upbringing. in the 1880s and ' 90s, dorab tata was active in organising school and college cricket in bombay. he then became involved with the deccan gymkhana where he was nominated president. the committee, which ran the gymkhana, was not conversant with the details of managing athletic meets on european lines and wanted to develop their sports programme more in line with established indian traditions. at the first athletic meet the gymkhana organised, dorab tata discovered that the competitors were " all boys of the peasant class working in the fields and living off poor fare ". naturally they had no idea of european rules or modern training of any kind. dorab tata found that the competitors were proposing to run their 100 - yard heats round a bend without strings. this was because their sports ground was very small and the track was part of a rough unrolled grass field. other popular events included the long distance race of about 25 miles. the peasants who participated were used to running barefoot on hard macadamised or dirt roads. despite their lack of training and primitive conditions, the first three or four men ran the distance in good time. dorab tata felt that their time compared well with those in europe or elsewhere. in 1919, some of their times were close to the times clocked in the olympics. suitably impressed, the tata scion decided to send three of the runners, at his own expense, to the antwerp games of 1920. later he wrote a letter to ioc president count baillet latour explaining his motives : " i therefore offered to arrange for the sending of three of the best runners to antwerp to run the olympic marathon at the next meeting, when i hoped that with proper training and food under english trainers and coaches they might do credit to india. " ultimately six or seven athletes from india proceeded to antwerp with dorab tata bearing a bulk of the cost, which was estimated to be rs 35, 000. dorab, however, only visited antwerp briefly. suffering from poor health, he could not find time to see the games or meet the indian contingent. thus began india ' s eventful olympic journey.


children who are exposed to violence experience wear and tear to their dna that is similar to that seen in aging, according to a new study that may help explain why they face a heightened risk of mental and physical disorders as adults. in a long - term study of 118 pairs of identical twins, researchers at duke university found that boys and girls who had experienced violence had shorter genetic structures called telomeres than youngsters who had more peaceful upbringings. the children in the former group had been physically abused by an adult or bullied frequently, or had witnessed domestic violence between the ages of 5 and 10. and the more types of violence a child had experienced, the faster his or her telomeres eroded, said study leader idan shalev, who published the findings tuesday in the journal molecular psychiatry. telomeres are strands of protective dna that cap the tips of chromosomes inside the cell. each time a cell divides, the telomeres get a little bit shorter. after about 50 to 60 cell divisions, the telomeres become so small that the cell begins to shut itself down. scientists have demonstrated a link between shortened telomeres and susceptibility to disease, suggesting that they are a useful gauge of biological age, shalev said. stress seems to speed up the telomere erosion process, he added. previous research had already established that people who had experienced childhood stress had shorter telomeres as adults. shalev and his colleagues sought to find out whether the dna damage occurred around the time that stressful events took place. they turned to children from the british environmental - risk study, which tracked 1, 116 sets of same - sex twins born in 1994 and 1995. all of the children provided cells through cheek swabs when they were 5 and 10 years old, but because it was too costly to measure telomeres in all of the children, the duke researchers focused on a subset of identical twins who lived near london, including many with teenage mothers. the researchers measured telomeres in tens of thousands of cells from each child, ultimately establishing an average telomere length. through interviews with primary caregivers, the team also assessed the subjects ' exposure to violence at ages 5, 7 and 10. telomere length declined in all the children as they got older. but it plummeted in the 39 children who had experienced multiple types of violence, shalev said. he hazarded a rough estimate that these children had lost perhaps seven to 10 years of life compared with children who had more tranquil lives. "


sheep farming, an ancient and iconic institution in rural wales, is coming under threat from a number of different angles. sheep - raising once dominated britain ’ s economy and played a significant role in the country ’ s industrial development. in 1660, in fact, wool accounted for two - thirds of the nation ’ s exports. while the wool industry has largely vanished from the landscape, lamb production remains a significant endeavor, particularly in wales - - as recently as 2009, sheep accounted for almost one - fifth ( 19 percent ) of welsh agricultural output. about 13, 000 sheep farms still operate in wales today, with about three times as many jobs related to raising of lambs. on the whole, british sheep meat exports accounted for about 10 percent of global lamb trade. in a report for the nuffield farming scholarships trust, arwyn owen - - farm manager at hafod y llan, which is owned by the national trust, in north wales - - noted that the climate and poor soil of wales precluded the development of agricultural crops, but was ideal for livestock farming. but now, dropping lamb prices, declining production, foreign competition, the euro zone financial crisis, rising feed costs, reduced government subsidies and global warming, among other issues, may conspire to endanger a lifestyle that has defined the welsh culture and economy for centuries. the farmers guardian newspaper reported that average lamb prices have dropped almost one - third over the past year, putting extreme pressure on welsh sheep farmers. “ i understand the frustration the current situation is causing for producers, with many of the factors, such as the weather and exchange rates, clearly outside the control of the welsh government, ” deputy agriculture minister alun davies said. “ while it is ultimately for the sheep industry to ensure it produces what the market requires, the welsh government will provide increased support to help lamb producers achieve the efficiency and profitability we all agree is required. ” davies also said he had asked authorities to provide sheep farmers with technical assistance. “ these services are key to helping farmers drive down costs and deliver modern, thriving, profitable businesses, ” he said. however, farming union officials warn that the danger is urgent - - that slipping prices will slash incomes by more than half for many welsh sheep farmers. ed bailey, president of the welsh branch of the national farmers union ( nfu - cymru ) said that while breeding flock has been increasing in recent years ( after a loss of more than 1 - million breeding ewes in wales between 2001 and 2009 ), he is worried about the


of the national farmers union ( nfu - cymru ) said that while breeding flock has been increasing in recent years ( after a loss of more than 1 - million breeding ewes in wales between 2001 and 2009 ), he is worried about the future. “ despite the fact that i remain optimistic for the long - term prospects of the welsh sheep industry, i am however concerned that recent events will make a number of producers consider their future plans, ” he told the shropshire star newspaper. wales also needs to find more export markets for its lamb as the appetite for mutton in europe appears to be falling. the financial pinch on the continent, particularly france, one of the top markets for welsh lamb, has also hurt the business. one alternate possibility is china, which already accounts for a large portion of the global market. indeed, according to the u. n. ’ s food and agriculture organization, nearly 80 percent of lamb produced in 2010 was consumed by the developing world, including china, which accounts for 30 percent of consumption. closer to home, a potential exit by the united kingdom from the european union, some speculate, could also doom the welsh sheep industry. the daily post newspaper reported that emyr jones, president of the farmers ' union of wales, warned that if britain pulled out of the eu – which may be put to referendum by prime minister david cameron ’ s government - - it would drain some £500 million ( $ 786 million ) out of the british economy, requiring every sheep farmer in the country to generate an extra £40 per lamb just to compensate. “ the eu injects around half a billion a year into wales ’ rural communities through the cap, ” jones said, referring to the eu ’ s direct subsidy payment scheme, the common agricultural policy. “ without that money our rural communities would collapse. the uk government has made it clear it will not provide that half a billion if we exit the eu. but it has not explained how our economy will make up for the loss of that money. " such a scenario, jones warned, would lead to the closure of abattoirs and trigger job losses. agriculture minister davies also expressed alarm over the british government ’ s proposals to cut cap payments. “ this is critical funding that will help underpin not only individual farm businesses, but the wider rural economy, ” he noted. some factors hurting wales ’ sheep industry are beyond anyone ’ s control. for example, bad weather, which can exacerbate the already high costs of production and distribution. “ last year


businesses, but the wider rural economy, ” he noted. some factors hurting wales ’ sheep industry are beyond anyone ’ s control. for example, bad weather, which can exacerbate the already high costs of production and distribution. “ last year was one of the wettest summers in the uk since records began and slowed the rate at which farmers were able to get their lambs ready for market, ” dai davies, chairman of the welsh red meat development agency, hybu cig cymru, told the shropshire star. “ this delay has meant more domestic lamb coming onto the market at the same time as cheaper lamb from other countries traditionally comes into the uk. the competition on supermarket shelves has meant the market value of lamb in the uk has dropped, while the delay in finishing lambs has led to an increase in costs. ” davies added : “ at this time of year, most farmers will need to use concentrates to finish lambs because they may not get the necessary nutrients from grass alone — but this cost has increased significantly with some suppliers quoting prices 25 percent higher than last year. ” climate change also poses a potentially grave threat to wales ’ sheep. an animal geneticist, professor mike bruford of cardiff university ’ s school of biosciences, told wales online that if temperatures rise over the century by the magnitude expected, the country ’ s current stock of lowland sheep need to either adapt or disappear. “ i think they [ lowland sheep ] are vulnerable on two counts, ” he said. “ first, because they have lower genetic variation and because they are more [ in ] control over sires. secondly, because the prediction is that the temperature variations [ are ] going to be much higher at lower altitudes - - i think they are vulnerable, yes. if you look at the sheep in the south of britain, below the m4 corridor [ from london to south wales ] and at sea level, the predictions are really quite stark. i think you ’ re going to need different sheep. it is a bit like an ‘ adapt or die ’ message. ” so, will wales ’ sheep farms go the way of the legendary coal mines, which have virtually disappeared? owen, for one, does not think so, striking a cautiously optimistic tone. “ despite all the economic pressures, there are still young people keen to start farming, ” he said. “ it has always been difficult to make a living from sheep production and virtually impossible without [ government ] support payments. however, sheep play a crucial role in shaping the


on its 150th anniversary, the ircc warns it is struggling to cope one hundred and fifty years after it was founded, the international committee of the red cross ( icrc ) says it is struggling to cope with humanitarian catastrophes caused by war. the destructive power of modern weapons and technology, and the proliferation of non - state actors, means the icrc now faces demands unimagined in the original geneva conventions. established in 1863 when swiss businessman henri dunant witnessed the suffering of soldiers wounded on the battlefield of solferino in northern italy, the world ' s oldest aid organisation remains committed to protecting the rules of war and the rights of prisoners of war. with an annual budget of $ 1. 2 billion, it employs 13, 000 people in 92 countries, including many of the most dangerous parts of the world. on its 150th anniversary, icrc chief peter maurer said the movement was " needed today more than ever ", but warned it was unable to cope with the demands posed by " new weapons and new types of actors coming into conflict ". use of pilotless drones, and the involvement of multiple armed groups meant frontlines were constantly shifting, maurer said, leading to a rising toll from " collateral damage ". the five men who founded the icrc, on 17 february 1863 ( icrc. org ) it is estimated that civilians today make up more than 90 percent of war victims. at solferino, there was just one civilian casualty. maurer said : " we see conflicts when one convoy has to overcome 35 roadblocks before the convoy gets to areas where food and medicine can be distributed. " over the years, he said the movement had " tried its best to protect populations and care for soldiers in the battlefields ", but had also been responsible for " developing laws, and inspiring diplomats ' and states ' policies to create the legal framework necessary to ensure a minimum of respect for humanity in wars, armed conflicts and battles ". " my conclusion is that if the icrc is getting bigger and bigger, this is because there are incontestable needs to address, " he said. " conflicts have not become less damaging for civilian populations or for soldiers. " along with organisations such as the federation of red cross and red crescent societies, the organisation ' s guiding principle remained the protection of international humanitarian law and the delivery of aid to civilians, said maurer. but he warned the movement was struggling to meet the demands posed by the increasing prevalence of conflicts involving non - state militias. " the philosophy and


s guiding principle remained the protection of international humanitarian law and the delivery of aid to civilians, said maurer. but he warned the movement was struggling to meet the demands posed by the increasing prevalence of conflicts involving non - state militias. " the philosophy and the methods the icrc developed for dealing with nation states are also valid for the non - state groups that we are seeing today, " said maurer. " there are no alternatives to discussion and constant engagement when it comes to convincing them to respect laws, the rules of conduct, to distinguish between military personnel and civilians, and rules of conduct for how to treat prisoners. " last november, the icrc issued a warning over syria ' s escalating humanitarian crisis, saying the nature of the conflict left it unable to plan ahead. instead, it was increasingly forced to deliver aid on an ad - hoc, day - to - day basis, as and when conditions permitted. relief workers were very often prevented from reaching certain parts of the country, said maurer. " we are a humanitarian organisation. we do not protect ourselves with weapons. our strength is our conviction, " he said. conflicts from afghanistan to mali to congo meant the organisation remains as vital today as when it was established, he said. " if i would make a calculation of people in dire need of aid, i would certainly put on the front page the conflicts in the democratic republic of congo, in somalia, in yemen, in afghanistan and in the sahel. " it is being on the ground, near the conflicts, knowing the different actors, being aware of the population ' s suffering and responding to the population ' s needs. " it is about engaging with the arms - bearers to get them to respect a minimum of humanitarian law. that is the essence of what we are doing in afghanistan, in syria, in somalia, and in congo. " in face of increasing challeges, the icrc would need to co - operate with the national red cross and red crescent societies, as well as with the un agencies and other non - governmental organisations, he said. " balancing distinction and co - operation is a big challenge, " said maurer, adding the organisation had " an important role to constantly remind the international community of where the objective needs are. " for an interactive timeline of 150 years of icrc history, see the icrc website. to report problems or to leave feedback about this article, e - mail : to contact the editor, e - mail :


classical general relativity in more than four spacetime dimensions has been the subject of increasing attention in recent years. among the reasons why it should be interesting to study this extension of einstein ’ s theory, and in particular its black hole solutions, we may mention that - string theory contains gravity and requires more than four dimensions. in fact, the first successful statistical counting of black hole entropy in string theory was performed for a fivedimensional black hole. this example provides the best laboratory for the microscopic string theory of black holes. - the ads / cft correspondence relates the properties of a d - dimensional black hole with those of a quantum field theory in d − 1 dimensions. - the production of higher - dimensional black holes in future colliders becomes a conceivable possibility in scenarios involving large extra dimensions and tev - scale gravity. - as mathematical objects, black hole spacetimes are among the most important lorentzian ricci - flat manifolds in any dimension. and the translation : traditional general of relativity in more than four masses of that the time of the space was the subject of the increase attention these the slipped years. to the relations of transformation, so that he had that to being interesting, to this extension of the theory of einstein to study and in the detail of the relative solutions to perforate black color, that we can we mentioned this - the theory of the series of the characters will count the force of the gravity and it more has the necessity of the one of mass four. they executed the first guessed right statistical client of the entropy of the black color that really perforates in the theory of the series of the characters the end to perforate the black color of the fivedimensional. this better example releases the laboratory available for the microscopic theory of the series of the characters of the black color of the perforations. - the correspondence of ads / cft connects the characteristics of a d dimensional schwarzen that the sacadores with those with a theory of the zone of the section of the time in the d without mass 1. - the production of the perforations that the high - dimensional - black color in her the future transforms of colliders inside the great possibilities imaginable ones into the writing of the suggestion adds of the film and in the fairs of tev the force of the gravity. - as matemati of the messages those we belong spacetimes of the black color that the sacadores to the tubes the greatest piece of the important stocherkaehne i


` abdu ' l - baha : ( 1844 - 1921 ) son of baha ' u ' llah, designated his successor and authorized interpreter of his writings. named ` abbas after his grandfather, ` abdu ' l - baha was known to the general public as ` abbas effendi. baha ' u ' llah gave him such titles as " the most great branch, " " the mystery of god, " and " the master. " after baha ' u ' llah ' s passing, he chose the name ` abdu ' l - baha, meaning " servant of baha ' u ' llah. " administrative order : the system of administration as conceived by baha ' u ' llah, formally established by ` abdu ' l - baha, and realized during the guardianship of shoghi effendi. it consists, on the one hand, of a series of elected councils, universal, national, and local, in which are invested legislative, executive, and judicial powers over the baha ' i community, and, on the other hand, of eminent and devoted baha ' is appointed for the specific purpose of propagation and protection of the faith under the guidance of the head of that faith, the universal house of justice. abha : most glorious. " baha " means glory, and " abha " is its superlative form. both are titles of baha ' u ' llah and of his kingdom. ablutions : the ritual washing of the hands and face in prepration for prayer. baha ' u ' llah requires ablutions as part of the daily obligatory prayer. administrative order : collectively, the institutions that administer the affairs of the baha ' i faith. the administrative order was created by baha ' u ' llah, and certain of its elements were further elaborated by ' abdu ' l - baha, shoghi effendi, and the universal house of justice. afnan : the relatives of the bab. literally, " twigs. " aghsan : the relatives of baha ' u ' llah. literally, " branches. " ' akka : the prison - city near haifa ( in modern - day israel ) where baha ' u ' llah was imprisoned from late august, 1868 through june, 1877. ' ala : " loftiness, " the nineteenth month in the baha ' i calendar. ' ala is also the month during which the 19 - day fast is observed. allah - u - abha : a form of the greatest name, literally meaning " god, the all - glorious


" the nineteenth month in the baha ' i calendar. ' ala is also the month during which the 19 - day fast is observed. allah - u - abha : a form of the greatest name, literally meaning " god, the all - glorious. " it is often used by baha ' is as a greeting. ancient of days : a title of god. in the bible it appears in the book of daniel. it also appears frequently in the baha ' i holy writings. ancient beauty : a title of baha ' u ' llah arc : an arc cut into mount carmel in haifa, israel, along which the international administrative buildings of the baha ' i faith are being built. auxiliary boards : an institution created by shoghi effendi in 1954 to assist the hands of the cause of god. when the institution of the continental boards of counsellors was established in 1968 by the universal house of justice, the auxiliary boards were placed under its direction. bab, the : the title, meaning " gate, " assumed by siyyid ` ali - muhammad, who was the prophet - founder of the babi faith and the forerunner of baha ' u ' llah. born 20 october 1819, the bab proclaimed himself to be the promised one of islam and announced that his mission was to alert the people to the imminent advent of " him whom god shall make manifest, " namely, baha ' u ' llah. because of these claims, the bab was executed by order of naziri ' d - din shah on 9 july 1850. baha ' i era : the period of the baha ' i calendar beginning with the declaration of the bab on 23 may 1844, and expected to last until the next appearance of a manifestation ( prophet ) of god after the expiration of at least one thousand years. baha ' i international community : a name used generally in reference to the worldwide baha ' i community and officially in that community ' s external relations. in the latter context, the baha ' i international community is an association of the national spiritual assemblies throughout the world and functions as an international non - governmental organization. its offices include its secretariat at the baha ' i world centre, a united nations office in new york with a branch in geneva, an office of public information, an office of the environment, and an office for the advancement of women. baha ' i world centre : the spiritual and administrative center of the baha ' i faith, located in the twin cities of ` akka and haifa, in israel. baha ' u ' ll


the environment, and an office for the advancement of women. baha ' i world centre : the spiritual and administrative center of the baha ' i faith, located in the twin cities of ` akka and haifa, in israel. baha ' u ' llah : title assumed by mirza husayn - ` ali, founder of the baha ' i faith. born on 12 november 1817, he declared his mission as the promised one of all ages in april 1863 and passed away in ` akka, palestine, on 29 may 1892 after forty years of imprisonment, banishment, and house arrest. baha ' u ' llah ' s writings are considered by baha ' is to be direct revelation from god. consultation : a form of discussion between individuals and within groups which requires the subjugation of egotism so that all ideas can be shared and evaluated with frankness, courtesy, and openness of mind, and decisions arrived at can be wholeheartedly supported. its guiding principles were elaborated by ` abdu ' l - baha. continental boards of counsellors : an institution created in 1968 by the universal house of justice to extend into the future the work of the institution of the hands of the cause of god, particularly its appointed functions of protection and propagation. with the passing of shoghi effendi, the guardian of the baha ' i faith, there was no way for additional hands of the cause to be appointed. the duties of the counsellors include directing the auxiliary boards in their respective areas, advising and collaborating with national spiritual assemblies, and keeping the universal house of justice informed concerning the conditions of the faith in their areas. counsellors are appointed for terms of five years. convention : a gathering called at a regional, national, or international level for consultation on matters affecting the welfare of the baha ' i community and for the purpose, respectively, of electing delegates to a national convention, electing the members of a national spiritual assembly, or electing the members of the universal house of justice. german templer colony : group of houses with red - tiled roofs at the foot of mount carmel that once housed members of the society of the temple, founded in germany in the mid - 1800s. templers foregathered in haifa in 1863 to await the second coming of christ. hands of the cause of god : individuals appointed first by baha ' u ' llah, and others named later by shoghi effendi, who were charged with the specific duties of protecting and propagating the faith. with the passing of shoghi e


the cause of god : individuals appointed first by baha ' u ' llah, and others named later by shoghi effendi, who were charged with the specific duties of protecting and propagating the faith. with the passing of shoghi effendi there is no further possibility for appointing hands of the cause ; hence, in order to extend into the future the important functions of propagation and protection, the universal house of justice in 1968 created continental boards of counsellors and in 1973 established the international teaching centre, which coordinates their work. holy days : eleven days commemorating significant baha ' i anniversaries, on nine of which work is suspended. huququ ' llah : arabic for " the right of god. " as instituted in the kitab - i - aqdas, payment to " the authority in the cause to whom all must turn " ( at present, the universal house of justice ) of nineteen percent of what remains to one ' s personal income after one ' s essential expenses have been covered. funds generated by the payment of huququ ' llah are used for the promotion of the faith and for the welfare of society. international teaching centre : an institution established in 1973 by the universal house of justice to bring to fruition the work of the hands of the cause of god in the holy land and to provide for its extension into the future. the duties of the international teaching centre include coordinating, stimulating, and directing the activities of the continental boards of counsellors and acting as liaison between them and the universal house of justice. the membership of the teaching centre comprises all the surviving hands of the cause and also nine counsellors appointed by the universal house of justice. the seat of the international teaching centre is located at the baha ' i world centre in haifa, israel. knight of baha ' u ' llah : title initially given by shoghi effendi to those baha ' is who arose to open specified new territories to the faith during the first year of the ten year crusade ( 1953 - 1963 ) and subsequently applied to those who first reached the remaining unopened territories on the list at a later date. lesser peace : a political peace to be established by the nations of the world in order to bring about an end to war. its establishment will prepare the way for the most great peace, a condition of permanent peace and world unity to be founded on the spiritual principles and institutions of the world order of baha ' u ' llah and signalizing humanity ' s coming of age. local spiritual assembly :


the way for the most great peace, a condition of permanent peace and world unity to be founded on the spiritual principles and institutions of the world order of baha ' u ' llah and signalizing humanity ' s coming of age. local spiritual assembly : the local administrative body in the baha ' i faith, ordained in the kitab - i - aqdas. the nine members are directly elected by secret ballot each year at ridvan from among the adult believers in a community. monument gardens : beautifully landscaped gardens at the heart of the arc on mount carmel where befitting monuments have been erected over the graves of the daughter and wife of baha ' u ' llah, his son who died in prison in ` akka, and also the wife of ` abdu ' l - baha. mount carmel : the mountain spoken of by isaiah as the " mountain of the lord. " site of the baha ' i world centre including several baha ' i holy places, the most important of which are the shrine of the bab and the monument gardens. national spiritual assembly : the national administrative body in the baha ' i faith, ordained in the baha ' i sacred writings, with authority over all activities and affairs of the baha ' i faith throughout its area. among its duties are to stimulate, unify, and coordinate the manifold activities of local spiritual assemblies and of individual baha ' is within its jurisdiction. the members of national spiritual assemblies throughout the world constitute the electoral college for the universal house of justice. at ridvan 1998, there were 179 national or regional spiritual assemblies. see also regional spiritual assembly. nineteen day feast : the principal gathering in each local baha ' i community, every baha ' i month, for the threefold purpose of worship, consultation, and fellowship. pioneer : any baha ' i who arises and leaves his or her home to journey to another country for the purpose of teaching the baha ' i faith. " homefront pioneer " is used to describe those who move to areas within their own country that have yet to be exposed to the baha ' i faith or where the baha ' i community needs strengthening. regional spiritual assembly : an institution identical in function to the national spiritual assembly but including a number of countries or regions in its jurisdiction, often established as a precursor to the formation of a national spiritual assembly in each of the countries it encompasses. ridvan : arabic for " paradise. " twelve - day festival ( from 21 april through 2 may ) commemorating baha ' u ' llah ' s declaration of his mission to his companions in 1863 in