he believed that god ' s existence could be proven by reason and common sense rather than faith. a detractor of all priests, he found those of the hebrew bible " a bloodthirsty race, as cruel and remorseless as the being whom they represented as the family of god of abraham, of isaac, and of jacob, and the local god of israel. " in 1787, jefferson summed up his view of jewish revelation in a letter to his nephew, warning him to be skeptical of " those facts in the bible which contradict the laws of nature. " as one example, he cited the assertion in the book of joshua that the sun stood still for several hours. since that would have meant, in scientific terms, that the earth stood still, jefferson asked his nephew to consider how the earth, spinning on its axis, could have stopped suddenly and started rotating again without enormous destruction to natural and manmade structures. similarly, the rationalist jefferson doubted that god personally inscribed the ten commandments on a tablet that moses later destroyed and then re - wrote. it bothered jefferson that the god of the ancient hebrews was, in his words, " a being of terrific character, cruel, vindictive, capricious and unjust. " he could also not understand how jews could believe that " the god of infinite justice " would " punish the sins of the fathers upon their children, unto the third and fourth generations. " he agreed with the view expressed by john adams that, in respect to god, " the principle of the hebrew is fear. " jefferson thought that reason and logic demanded a belief in an afterlife, an area in which he found judaism deficient. jefferson argued that, without fear of punishment beyond the grave, individuals lacked an incentive to behave well and that, without hope of reuniting with loved ones, family commitments and friendships would lose their gravity. since judaism did not universally accept a definitive afterlife, jefferson thought it a religion without utility. despite his reservations about the " defects " he perceived in judaism, jefferson never wavered in his commitment to civil and religious freedom for jews. jefferson ' s most notable achievement in establishing religious and civic toleration for american jewry was his 1779 bill for establishing religious freedom in virginia. adopted in 1785, the bill proclaimed : " no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions


the israelites are slaves to pharaoh and god instructs moses to liberate his people. moses and aaron approach pharaoh, who refuses their request. the following article is reprinted with permission from jewish family & life! a new pharaoh rises the sons of israel in egypt were fruitful in births, and the people grew strong. now a new pharaoh rose up over egypt who knew nothing of joseph. this pharaoh was worried that the israelite nation was too mighty. first he levied a tax on them, then he decided to make them slaves. next, pharaoh ordered the hebrew midwives, shifrah and puah, to kill all the hebrew baby boys. but the midwives feared god and told pharaoh that the hebrew woman gave birth before they could arrive. god dealt well with the midwives and the hebrews continued to multiply. the pharaoh then commanded the people to throw every hebrew baby boy into the river. moses is born now, a hebrew couple from the house of levi had a son and kept him hidden for three months. when the mother could hide him no longer, she wove a basket, laid the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the banks of the river. her sister placed herself at a distance to see what would happen to him. when the pharaoh ' s daughter came down to the river to bathe, she saw the basket with the crying child. she took pity on him so that when the baby ’ s sister asked, " shall i call a hebrew woman to nurse the baby for you? " she said yes. the sister then fetched her mother. when the child had grown sufficiently, the mother brought him to the pharaoh ' s daughter. she named him moses because " i drew him from the water. " moses strikes an egyptian when moses was an adult, he could see the burdens of his hebrew brethren. one day, he saw an egyptian man beating a hebrew man. moses turned this way and that and when he saw that no one was there, he struck down the egyptian and hid him in the sand. the next day moses came upon two hebrew men fighting. moses said to the one in the wrong. " why are you striking down your neighbor? " the man replied, " who has made you a prince and a judge over us? do you intend to kill me as you killed the egyptian? " " so the matter is known, " moses said in fear. pharaoh heard too, and sought to kill moses. moses thus fled to the land of midian.


by douglas bradley, nami helpline coordinator having a child diagnosed with mental illness is difficult for parents, but choosing a particular treatment can be just as difficult. every mother and father wants his / her child to be well, but since any treatment ( or lack of treatment ) has potential side effects, deciding on a therapy can be daunting. to confuse matters even more, the symptoms of a psychiatric illness in children may be different from those in an adult and may be hard to distinguish from normal childhood behavior. the first hurdle many parents face is finding a doctor qualified to diagnose and, if necessary, provide treatment for their child. as children don ’ t share all the physical and behavioral aspects of adults, medicine does not regard them as “ small grown - ups ” but as a distinct population with unique needs. because of these differences, the best person to properly assess someone younger than 18 for mental illness is a child psychiatrist. however, in most areas there are few, if any, child psychiatrists available. even when one is nearby, the cost of a consultation, specialized therapy and medicine can prevent parents from getting help - - especially since many child psychiatrists do not take insurance. negative attitudes of family, friends and the community toward mental health treatment can also discourage parents from getting assistance. perhaps the biggest cause of the confusion around the differences in diagnosing children vs. adults is the lack of basic research on children ’ s mental illness and symptoms. while parents and doctors might agree that a child ’ s behavior and mood don ’ t seem “ right, ” there is often disagreement about what these symptoms mean. furthermore, professionals and parents may have “ diagnostic biases. ” for example, family members or a doctor might be comfortable with a diagnosis of adhd, but not bipolar disorder. others may prefer a bipolar diagnosis, as treatment would not potentially involve stimulants. research on therapy in children, as with diagnosis, is far behind that of adults. reasons include a lack of funding, researchers and research subjects. also, the fda has not required data from child subjects in approving new medicines. while off - label use of meds is needed when there is not a research base, physicians and parents often have to make decisions without knowing long - term impacts. parents themselves may also disagree on treatment. not uncommonly, one parent will agree to medication and / or talk therapy for the child while the other is adamantly opposed. sometimes this difference is ideological, but other times it comes from honest but opposing views based on a


also disagree on treatment. not uncommonly, one parent will agree to medication and / or talk therapy for the child while the other is adamantly opposed. sometimes this difference is ideological, but other times it comes from honest but opposing views based on a general lack of information. fortunately, there are resources to help family members make informed decisions. to help clarify the risks and benefits of children taking psychiatric medication, the hastings center, a bipartisan, nonprofit institute, brought together panelists ( including darcy gruttadaro, director of the nami child and adolescent action center ) who represent all sides of the debate over childhood medication. while some differences remained at the end of the workshop, there was also consensus on many topics. for example, members agreed that children can have severe mental illness and that the appropriate use of medication can ease a child ’ s suffering. the panelists also agreed that withholding a beneficial medication was harmful. the main differences of opinion were the criteria used to diagnose, when to use medicine and when another therapy might be appropriate. the panel was careful to note that while the cause of most mental illness is not known, “ this situation … is not unique to psychiatry ; many diagnoses throughout medicine are not moored in an understanding of the underlying pathophysiology. ” parents can ask question about pros and cons of treatments here, although this site will not give a treatment plan and is not meant to take the place of a doctor ’ s opinion. another resource for parents is the national institute of mental health ( nimh ), a branch of the national institutes of health, one of the nation ’ s largest and most comprehensive health research organizations. nimh has a website on child and adolescent mental health that includes information on illnesses, treatments, and current research. lastly, the american academy of child and adolescent psychiatry, a professional group of psychiatrists who specialize in this field, has fact sheets on mental health, substance abuse issues and effects of medication on children. perhaps most useful is the nationwide child and adolescent psychiatrist finder which can allow a family to begin treatment and healing. caring for a child with mental illness is confusing, difficult and sometimes scary. however, the resources listed above can assist people having to make tough decisions. also, as the needs of young patients are increasingly recognized and more research is conducted, the choices for parents, and the lives of the affected children, should become easier.


continents the americas honduras _ _ _ hondurasdestination honduras, this page is about many aspects of honduras. here you will find comprehensive information about honduras in its diversity : geography, economy, science, people, culture, environment, government and history. you will have access to newspapers from honduras and you will find extensive travel and tourism information for honduras. republic of honduras | republica de honduras flag of honduras part of spain ' s vast empire in the new world, honduras became an independent nation in 1821. after two and one - half decades of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to power in 1982. during the 1980s, honduras proved a haven for anti - sandinista contras fighting the marxist nicaraguan government and an ally to salvadoran government forces fighting against leftist guerrillas. the country was devastated by hurricane mitch in 1998, which killed about 5, 600 people and caused almost $ 1 billion in damage. ( source : cia - the world factbook ) border countries : el salvador, guatemala, nicaragua related countries : spain republica de honduras short form : honduras int ' l long form : republic of honduras iso country code : hn actual time : sat - may - 25 14 : 02 local time = utc - 6h country calling code : + 504 capital city : tegucigalpa ( pop. 850 000 ) ; metropolitan area 1. 2 million. san pedro sula the industrial capital of honduras, ( pop. 500 000 ) ; metropolitan area over 1 million. type : democratic constitutional republic. independence : 15 september 1821 ( from spain ) location : central america / middle america, bordering the caribbean sea, between guatemala and nicaragua and bordering the north pacific ocean, between el salvador and nicaragua. area : 112, 492 km² ( 43, 433 sq. mi. ) climate : tropical to subtropical, depending on elevation. population : 8. 4 million ( 2012 ) ethnic groups : 90 % mestizo ( mixed amerindian and european ) ; others of european, arab, african, or asian ancestry ; and indigenous indians 7 %. religions : roman catholic 97 %, protestant minority. languages : spanish, amerindian dialects. natural resources : timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower. agriculture - products : bananas, coffee, citrus ; beef ; timber ; shrimp. currency : lempira ( hnl ) honduras in numbers honduras key statistical data. note : external links will open in a new browser window. congreso


staph is an abbreviation of staphylococcus, spherical gram - positive parasitic bacteria that tend to form irregular colonies. this bacterium, staphylococcus aureus ( s. aureus ) is the one which causes most of the staph infections. staph infections can vary from minor skin infections and abscesses, to life - threatening diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis and septicemia. s. aureus lives harmlessly on the skin, nose, throat, genitals and anus of a person. in some instances it may be found in the colon and urine. its presence as such does not indicate infection and does not require any treatment. treatment may actually be ineffective as the bacterium tends to re - colonize again. s. aureus may enter the body through an open wound and form furuncles ( boils ) and carbuncles ( a collection of boils ). it can also cause a severe skin disease in children with widespread blister formation. the fluid filled blisters are thin walled and are easily ruptured upon light touch. s. aureus infections are highly contagious and can spread in many different ways, including the following : - contact with pus from an infected wound. - skin to skin contact with an infected person. - contact with towels, sheets, clothes or athletic accessories used by an infected person. s. aureus is capable of secreting different types of toxins that are responsible for specific diseases. people with deficient immune system health and prosthetic joints run the risk of extreme manifestations of staph infections such as septic arthritis, staphylococcal infection of the heart valves and pneumonia, all of which can prove to be fatal. antibiotic resistance is a major hurdle to be tackled when treating staph infections. once a particular bacterium is sought to be treated by using the antibiotic alternative there is a possibility that it may develop resistance to the drug. actually, antibiotics constitute a single compound, which is easy for bacteria to break and then use in their own metabolism. within seven years of introduction of penicillin, 40 % of s. aureus had become resistant to penicillin, rising to an astonishing 80 % in the next decade. despite discovery of more than 100 drugs under the general category of antibiotics that either kill or restrict the growth of bacteria, s. aureus is resistant to many commonly used antibiotics. many times the best option is to use natural alternatives that support overall immune


zometools - zome systems the zometools - zome system, is a fantastic geometry education system. made of precision molded abs plastic, the zometools geometry kits are versatile manipulative tools for problem solving and hands - on exploration of math, geometry and science concepts for first graders through grad students. color and shape coded parts integrate the concepts of shape, number and vector into one coherent geometry system. the result is the best educational geometry construction system on the market. zome system / zometools components are designed to incorporate the fibonacci sequence and the golden proportion - the very same proportions that govern the growth of cells, crystals and other natural forms. connector node provides 62 buildable directions in space. this allows thousands of geometrical zome structures that can ' t be built in any other system. with the help of zometools you can continue to explore : why so many everyday items like balls, pizzas, and can lids are round. the hows and whys of the development of our number system by the ancient greeks. why geometric shapes show up so often in art, science and board games. what properties attributed to the spiral make it the most widespread shape in nature, from embryos and hair curls to hurricanes and galaxies. how the human body shares the design of a corn plant and the solar system. how a snowflake is like stonehenge, and a beehive like a calendar. how our ten fingers hold the secrets of both a lobster and a cathedral. zometools provide an introduction to the geometric code of nature and the universe.


what frequency do you mean? the frequency listed or displayed for a radio station can differ, depending upon the radio receiver, the type of modulation used and how you are demodulating ( or modulating ) the signal, and the person listing the frequency. this is especially true for high frequency ( hf ) radios. to help avoid confusion, three terms are used to describe these radio frequencies : assigned, carrier, and window. the assigned frequency is defined by the international telecommunications union radio regulations as " the centre of a frequency band assigned to a station ". in fact, it is the actual radio frequency of the signal being transmitted and received. this is the most commonly used frequency designation. the carrier frequency is the frequency of the carrier, or the suppressed carrier of a signal. for many, perhaps most radio signals, the carrier frequency and the assigned frequency are identical. they are identical for am ( dual sideband ) signals. they are different for single sideband radios. for maritime hf single sideband transmissions, which are always upper sideband, the assigned frequency is always 1. 4 khz greater than the carrier frequency. the carrier frequency designation, not the assigned frequency designation, is normally used in referring to single sideband transmissions. history partially explains the reason for this. marine radiotelephony was originally am ( dual sideband ), and the carrier and assigned frequencies were the same. certain frequencies, such as the distress and calling frequency 2182 khz, were internationally recognized and known by any mariner using a marine radiotelephone. when marine spectrum became scarce, the international telecommunications union moved all marine radiotelephony transmissions from dual sideband to the more efficient single sideband. at first, the carrier signal was left untouched, so old am radios could still receive the new single sideband transmissions. in time however, the old carrier signal was eliminated. the old marine frequencies such as 2182 khz, commonly known and used, were retained and still displayed by marine radios. although no signal was actually transmitted on these carrier frequencies any longer, receivers still had to be tuned to those frequencies so that the voice signal could be properly demodulated and understood. maritime digital signals, such as narrow band direct printing ( nbdp or sitor ) or digital selective calling ( dsc ), are transmitted on an assigned frequency 1. 7 khz above the ( suppressed ) carrier frequency. marine weatherfax signals are transmitted on an assigned frequency 1. 9 khz above the carrier frequency. nbdp, dsc and weatherfax radios


, are transmitted on an assigned frequency 1. 7 khz above the ( suppressed ) carrier frequency. marine weatherfax signals are transmitted on an assigned frequency 1. 9 khz above the carrier frequency. nbdp, dsc and weatherfax radios normally display the assigned frequency. however, if a single sideband radio with a separate decoder unit is used to receive a sitor, dsc or weatherfax signal, it ' s likely that receiver would have to be tuned to the carrier frequency for the decoder to work properly. the itu assigned channel numbers to many single sideband and nbdp frequencies to help avoid this confusion. however, dsc frequencies, and most simplex single sideband, nbdp and weatherfax frequencies do not have channel numbers. the window frequency is simply the frequency displayed ( on the front panel numeric display " window " ) by a particular radio receiver or transmitter. depending on the equipment, the window frequency could be either the carrier or the assigned frequency. since the window frequency is dependent upon the equipment used, the term is not generally used by the uscg. is the frequency listed assigned or carrier? what frequency do i tune my radio to? the uscg tries to use standard convention in its listing of radio frequencies : single sideband frequencies are generally carrier frequencies ; all others are generally assigned frequencies. when the carrier and assigned frequencies differ, we generally list both. read your radio ' s instruction manual, or talk to your marine electronics dealer, to learn whether your radio should be tuned to the assigned or the carrier frequency.


north korea apparently succeeded in placing a satellite in earth orbit after a wednesday morning ( dec. 12 ) launch that is already drawing condemnation from the united states and other western nations. north korea launched its long - range unha - 3 rocket at 9 : 49 a. m. wednesday local time ( 7 : 49 p. m. est on tuesday ) from sohae satellite launch station on the nation ' s northwest coast. north korean officials declared the launch a success shortly thereafter, claiming that the unha - 3 had delivered a scientific satellite to orbit as planned. the rogue nation has a history of making such claims even after failed liftoffs, but it appears to be telling the truth this time. " initial indications are that the missile deployed an object that appeared to achieve orbit, " the north american aerospace defense command, a joint u. s. - canadian effort, said in a statement. " at no time was the missile or the resultant debris a threat to north america. " if it was indeed successful, the launch would end a string of rocket mishaps for north korea. a satellite launch this past april failed shortly after liftoff, and similar attempts in 1998 and 2009 also flopped. these past blastoffs drew condemnation from the united states, south korea and other nations, which viewed them as thinly disguised missile tests. north korea is an unpredictable, nuclear - armed regime, and the west is concerned about any advances the country may make in its weapon - delivery capabilities. wednesday ' s launch has already elicited a strong reaction. the white house called it a " highly provocative act that threatens regional security, " and united nations secretary - general ban ki - moon declared it a " clear violation " of a un resolution, the bbc reported. while north korea had announced its intention to launch the unha - 3 soon, wednesday ' s liftoff comes as a bit of a surprise. on monday ( dec. 10 ), officials extended the launch window until dec. 29, saying that engineers were working through a technical issue with the rocket. - images : north korea ' s rocket and missile program - north korea ' s unha - 3 rocket launch explained ( infographic ) - top 10 space weapons © 2013 space. com. all rights reserved. more from space. com.


throughout u. s. history, advances in military capability have been fueled by innovation. the military services consistently have managed to use technology in new and creative ways to improve battlefield effectiveness. the application of existing technology is a quick and effective way of enabling u. s. forces to out - think enemies by penetrating the adversary ’ s decision - making cycle, known as the ooda loop ( observe, orient, decide, and act ). the nation also has turned to invention for military capability. this is how the defense department has acquired many of its major systems and platforms, with long and costly development timelines, and pushing state of the art so vigorously that schedule and cost overruns have become common. but the era of big invention is coming to a close, at least for the foreseeable future. even today ’ s generous budgets cannot support existing acquisition plans in the context of the nation ’ s unsustainable economic circumstances. so where do we go now? one answer may be found in a quote from an old british flag officer : " we are now out of money, so we must begin to think. " the financial problems we face are truly staggering. the numbers are so big as to be incomprehensible. the scientist richard feynman put it well : " there are 10 ^ 11 stars in the galaxy. that used to be a large number. but it ’ s only a hundred billion. it ’ s less than the national deficit. we used to call them astronomical numbers. now we should call them economical numbers. " in the defense business, it is clear that things must change. perhaps we should return to the basics of innovation. the coast guard recently hosted its 10th innovation exposition. its leaders celebrated a decade of pursuing novel ways of doing business, while applying existing technology to create efficiencies and new capabilities. one could argue that the coast guard is ahead of the other services in valuing and using innovation. according to one official, " a productivity boom has transformed how private enterprises react to the customer and changing markets while the federal government remains largely unchanged and lagging behind in terms of efficiency, agility and service quality. " senior vice president of fedex david zanca spoke at the conference on this issue. he asserted that real innovation does not equal invention, but arises from creative application of existing technology. he cited several examples from his own company : an iphone app for fedex services, a shipping app on windows outlook, a sensor inside packages that tracks and reports temperature and other environmental conditions inside critical shipments


, but arises from creative application of existing technology. he cited several examples from his own company : an iphone app for fedex services, a shipping app on windows outlook, a sensor inside packages that tracks and reports temperature and other environmental conditions inside critical shipments. fedex has institutionalized innovation in the company by encouraging employees to seek smart solutions to problems. the company focuses on early adoption of innovation in order to get ahead of competitors. the bottom line : sustainability and efficiency over the long term. zanca cited apple computer as a model of innovation. it does little invention or basic research. the company ’ s biggest success stories — the iphone, itouch, ipad, itunes and app store — are all based on pre - existing technology. when the iphone and app store rolled out in july 2008, they had one application. eighteen months later, there were 134, 000 third - party apps and 3 billion downloads. defense secretary robert gates has launched an efficiency campaign to save $ 100 billion in overhead costs over five years. innovation here might be in order. it is fair to expect that major programs will be further squeezed. it is a huge concern that our inefficient acquisition system continues to be slow in coming up with new contract vehicles, and that the defense department is likely to dip into modernization accounts to pay for other needs. the 2012 budget will be an indicator. it is also worrisome that the services are beginning to retrench on previous plans. the air force is moving existing platforms ( bombers and fighters ) to the right and enhancing them with structural upgrades and avionics. this is in recognition of the slowdown and increased cost of the f - 35 as well as the lack of an approved plan for a long - range strike platform. rather than focus on a new bomber, the air force will consider a larger family of strike systems, including aircraft, missile and surveillance assets. it plans to collaborate with the navy on this effort. the air force also announced that its next fighter — the sixth generation, due around 2030 — will have both manned and unmanned versions. one can reasonably expect the other services to adopt similar strategies. adding to this tough set of problems — tight budgets, aging platforms, rising acquisition costs — is the fact that future u. s. adversaries are innovating too, and in quite effective ways. as a result, we need to pick up the pace. there is no other choice. we are where we are, and must acknowledge and deal with it. the alternative is to fall into the


lately i have heard a lot of hype about the whole “ juicing ” thing. like many other people i know, i wonder : “ what is the big difference between a juicer and a blender? ” don ' t they do the same thing? isn ' t grinding veggies down to their liquified state the same with rotating blades? apparently not, but both are great ways to keep your body healthy. juicing involves putting the whole fruit or vegetable into a juicer. juicers work by dividing liquid from the vegetable or fruit. this quickly gets absorbed by the body due to its lack of fiber. the reason juicing is so healthy for you is because it provides you with a great boost of nutrients to keep you energized all day. you can combine lots of different vegetables and fruits for a tasty treat, this is a great way to mask the flavor of an undesirable vegetable. simply blend it with some of your favorite veggies and fruits to reap its benefits without the horrible taste you dislike! if you are diabetic, be careful when you juice. don ' t use a lot of fruit due to its high sugar content. instead, use vegetables as your main base for juicing. you should consult a doctor before you begin to be sure it is safe to do so. juicing is good for those people who have digestive issues however. it is much easier to digest due to its lack of fiber. juices are a good addition to a healthy diet to aid in getting all of your daily vegetable and fruit servings in because you can put a lot of “ stuff ” in your juice at one time. blending retains the fiber and pulp of vegetables and fruits. smoothies are the result. these are better suited to replace meals. you can add all kinds of tasty things to your smoothies. some especially great items are : coconut water, almond milk, spinach, tomatoes, flaxseed, whey or any protein powder, nut butters, or avocados. the more healthy things you add, the more nutritional your smoothie. due to the fiber present in smoothies, you will feel fuller longer. the fiber helps slow digestion and lets the nutrients be absorbed into the body at a slower rate. this is good for diabetics because it won ' t cause spikes in blood sugar levels. the drawback here is that it is harder to digest, so people with digestion problems may have difficulty with this way of gaining nutrition


a slower rate. this is good for diabetics because it won ' t cause spikes in blood sugar levels. the drawback here is that it is harder to digest, so people with digestion problems may have difficulty with this way of gaining nutrition. for more information about this and all of our blogs, contact the wayne county ymca at 253 - 2083, or on the web at ymcawayne. com. the information we have shared with you today comes from the website nola. com where registered diatician molly kimble shares her expertise. she also adds : “ tips for juicing and blending here are some ways to maximize nutrient density and minimize sugars and calories, whether you ’ re blending or juicing on your own or ordering at a juice bar : start with a base of nutrient - dense nonstarchy vegetables, incorporating a variety of colors, from dark greens to purples and reds to orange, as each color represents different nutrients. instead of limiting your blend to the same combinations over and over, rotate ingredients with what ’ s fresh and local. not only will you add interest and variety to your juice or smoothie, you ’ ll also ensure that you ’ re getting a broad range of nutrients. keep in mind that everything is concentrated — particularly with juicing. this includes desirable vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, but also potentially harmful pesticides and fertilizers, so be sure that even organic produce is washed thoroughly. boost the flavor and health benefits of juices and smoothies with add - ins like herbs ( think basil, mint or cilantro ) and spices ( cayenne, ginger, cinnamon ). if the drink is going to be used as a meal replacement, increase its staying power with protein such as greek yogurt or whey, soy, or vegan protein powder and healthful fats such as nuts, nut butter and avocado. freshly made juices and smoothies are highly perishable and can lose nutrients quickly, so drink or freeze shortly after juicing or blending.


piranhas, tetras, and relatives ( family characidae ) characins are members of the order characiformes, an extremely diverse group of fish containing well over 1, 500 species. ranging in size from the ⅔ - inch pygmy blue characin ( many species of characins are important to people as a food source and as popular aquarium fish. within this group are found the tetras, many species of which are among the most popular and commonly kept fresh - water aquarium fish. also numbered among the members of this group is the infamous piranha, much feared throughout south america as a voracious maneater. as usual, the truth is far less dramatic, with the well - publicized piranha “ feeding frenzies ” occurring far less regularly than people may think. the species most associated with this phenomenon is the red - bellied piranha ( can piranhas be legally kept in captivity? it depends on where you live. the fact that an animal is offered for sale at a pet store does not guarantee its legality. many countries prohibit or carefully regulate the sale of potentially dangerous creatures such as piranhas. although famous for their meat - eating tendencies, in actuality, most members of the subfamily to which piranhas belong are peaceful vegetarians. one, the amazonian tambaqui ( fascinating in appearance, habits, and life history, the blind cave fish does not get nearly the attention it warrants. native to only one stream near the town of san lois potosi in mexico, individuals that had been swept into a cave by the stream ' s current have undergone a remarkable series of adaptations to their new environment. all those just outside the cave entrance appear quite normal in all respects, but the fish isolated within the cave are white in color and lack eyes. deprived of light and, therefore, the need for eyesight, eyes have degenerated and become covered with skin, and the body color has been lost as well. they navigate entirely by the use of the lateral line organs, and it is quite amazing to see how well they get around objects and how alert they are to the presence of food, despite not be able to see. blind cave fish are actually fairly good community tank members, despite their unique habitat. growing to a length of 5 inches, this fish does best in hard water but is some - what adaptable in that regard. they will consume all matter of aquarium fish foods and compete well at feeding time with their sighted


, despite their unique habitat. growing to a length of 5 inches, this fish does best in hard water but is some - what adaptable in that regard. they will consume all matter of aquarium fish foods and compete well at feeding time with their sighted relatives. the young are born with what appear to be fully functional eyes, but they degenerate rapidly and are soon covered by a fatty pad of skin. this and the other ten or so species of hatchetfish might well be dubbed “ freshwater flying fish. ” although they lack the advanced aerial abilities of their saltwater namesakes, hatchetfish are specifically adapted to gliding above the water surface for short distances to escape predators. this feat is accomplished through the use of powerful muscles that propel the long pectoral fins. the unique, very thin body form also appears to lessen water resistance as the fish breaks the water ' s surface. hatchetfish range throughout the area from panama to paraguay in central and south america. most have silver coloring, with the marbled hatchetfish possessing a very attractive black pattern as well. they are specifically adapted to feeding upon surface - dwelling insects and flying insects that fall into the water. the uniquely upturned mouth suits the hatchetfish well in this regard and allows it to exploit a food source denied to fish with more generalized mouthparts. hatchetfish will take a variety of floating aquarium foods but should be offered small insects whenever possible. their reaction to crickets placed on the water ' s surface is fascinating to behold — they go into immediate action and really do seem to enjoy it.


monday paper archives the africa we never knew spreading the word : prof souleymane bachir diagne of northwestern university in the us was one of the speakers at a recent conference celebrating africa ' s written traditions. here ' s is how the story goes - for eons, word of mouth was the only means africa ' s inhabitants had to pass on its tales, its mythology, its history, from one generation to the next. until, that is, europeans came and dragged the continent kicking and screaming away from the campfire into enlightenment and the written word. that ' s the old version of the story, anyway. but since its independence from the french in 1960, mali, and specifically the never - never city of timbuktu - which is, in fact, a very real city, located just north of the niger river as it bends southward again - has been rewriting the annals of history. timbuktu, now hard up and in danger of being overrun by the sahara, was once a cultural hub, a bustling centre for trade and learning. and there ' s a written record of those glory days. some around the world, a small circle of scholars is poring over copies of these scripts. in uct ' s ford - foundation - funded timbuktu - uct manuscripts project, or tombouctou ( a play on the french spelling ), for instance, dr shamil jeppie and shaid mathee of the department of historical studies are translating and vivisecting 160 manuscripts making up nearly " the aim of our work is to see and gauge the social history of the region, " says mathee. " we hope that the manuscripts will give us a deeper insight into the people and their history. " at a recent conference hosted by jeppie and the sa government ' s south africa - mali project, an initiative kick - started by president thabo mbeki, leading scholars in the field from all corners of africa, europe and the us also got to flesh out that history. the event boasted a marquee line - up - leading scholars and guests, including dr essop pahad, minister in the presidency and chair of the south africa - mali timbuktu manuscripts trust, and minister of arts and culture pallo jordan. one aim of the gathering was to examine the wealth of written works from africa, and the region from whence this came. without downplaying the continent ' s oral tradition, of course. " what timbuktu and also other


jordan. one aim of the gathering was to examine the wealth of written works from africa, and the region from whence this came. without downplaying the continent ' s oral tradition, of course. " what timbuktu and also other places where islamic scholarship was developed teach us, is to have a sense of history that opposes this identification of africa with orality, a generalisation that is just not accurate, " said professor souleymane bachir diagne of northwestern university in the us at the second of the conference ' s two public lectures. " of course orality is important in all cultures and especially in africa. but we should not ignore that the graphic rationality of islam has meant, in many areas, the adoption of arabic, or rather arabic script, by populations who, among other consequences of their conversion to the muslim religion, literally rewrote who they were and created a written intellectual tradition that we need to study. " africa ' s new - found written legacy comes as a surprise to many, says jeppie. " many of my students who came to the conference were dumbfounded. they never knew, for instance, that swahili had a long pre - colonial written tradition. " but, word for word, these students - and others - are learning.


moon crater shapes date : 1999 - 2000 the craters on the moon are obviously round but impacts with a grazing incidence should leave a v shaped crater. i would think that some percentage of the impacts would be at shallow angles of attack but this does not appear to be the case in photos. have they discovered such craters and if not why?? it doesn ' t work that way. a crater is like a frozen ripple, and ripples are round. there is an asymmetric distribution of matter in the ripple, and the blanket of stuff ejected from the surface, that do record the angle of incidence. these are superimposed on the ripple, but it ' s the ripple that is most noticeable because of its sharp actually, impacts at a grazing angle will also make a round hole. this was a controversial point regarding meteor crater in arizona, which was basically the first site recognized on earth as a meteor impact site. the fact that no meteorite fragments were found in the earth below the center of the crater was initially taken as evidence against the hypothesis that the structure was an impact crater, but further research showed that if the impact is very energetic, such as a rifle bullet fired into mud, the resulting hole is round, even if the impact angle is quite flat. richard barrans jr., ph. d. click here to return to the astronomy archives update : june 2012


| born | | august 26 1880 | died | | 9 november 1918 ( aged 38 ) | occupation | | poet, writer, art critic | guillaume apollinaire ( in french pronounced [ ɡijom apɔliˈnɛʁ ] ) ( august 26, 1880 – november 9, 1918 ) was a french avant - garde poet, writer, publisher, editor, art critic and dramatic innovator who is known to have directed french poetry into new contemporary directions as well as promoting the art of cubism. as a writer of periodicals and a founder of a new magazine, apollinaire saw life in wild almost absurd poetic and artistic values, an example of which is viewed in one of his poems of war : " the sky is starry with boche shells ; the marvelous forest where i live is giving a ball. " apollinaire became very close to artists pablo picasso and andre derain, the playwright alfred jarry, and the painter marie laurencin. as he used the french avant garde movement to experiment with advanced and very daring poetic techniques and ideas, his novel thoughts would also enliven composers and musicians, and francis poulenc set apollinaire ' s " le bestiaire " to music. among the foremost poets of the early twentieth century, he is credited with coining the word surrealism and writing one of the earliest works described as surrealist, the play les mamelles de tiresias ( 1917, later used as the basis for an opera in 1947 ). surrealism became one of the most important artistic movements of the early twentieth century. a product of an unstable time when the notion of progress was severely undermined through the catastrophe of the first world war, surrealism played with old norms and conventions of form and, ultimately, of meaning as well. | french literary history | born wilhelm albert vladimir apollinaris kostrowitzky / waz - kostrowicki and raised speaking french, among other languages, he emigrated to france and adopted the name guillaume apollinaire. his mother, born angelica kostrowicka, was a polish noblewoman born near navahrudak ( now in belarus ). his father is unknown but may have been francesco flugi d ' aspermont, a swiss italian aristocrat who disappeared early from apollinaire ' s life. he was partly educated in monaco. apollinaire was one of the most popular members of the artistic community of montparnasse in paris. his friends


a swiss italian aristocrat who disappeared early from apollinaire ' s life. he was partly educated in monaco. apollinaire was one of the most popular members of the artistic community of montparnasse in paris. his friends and collaborators during that period included pablo picasso, gertrude stein, max jacob, andre salmon, marie laurencin, andre breton, andre derain, faik konica, blaise cendrars, pierre reverdy, jean cocteau, erik satie, ossip zadkine, marc chagall and marcel duchamp. in 1911, he joined the puteaux group, a branch of the cubist movement. on september 7, 1911, police arrested and jailed him on suspicion of stealing the mona lisa, but released him a week later. apollinaire then implicated his friend pablo picasso, who was also brought in for questioning in the art theft, but he was also exonerated. he fought in world war i and, in 1916, received a serious shrapnel wound to the temple. he wrote les mamelles de tiresias while recovering from this wound. during this period he coined the word surrealism in the program notes for jean cocteau and erik satie ' s ballet parade, first performed on may 18, 1917. he also published an artistic manifesto, l ' esprit nouveau et les poetes. apollinaire ' s status as a literary critic is primarily based on his famous and influential recognition of the works of marquis de sade, whose works had for a long time been obscure. through apollinaire sade ' s works gained an audience and became influential upon the dada and surrealist art movements gaining currency in montparnasse at the beginning of the twentieth century. apollinaire saw in sade " the freest spirit that ever existed. " the war - weakened apollinaire died of influenza during the spanish flu pandemic of 1918. two years after being wounded in world war i, he died at age 38. he was interred in the le pere lachaise cemetery, paris. apollinaire ' s first collection of poetry was l ' enchanteur pourrissant ( 1909 ), but alcools ( 1913 ) established his reputation. the poems, influenced in part by the symbolists, juxtapose the old and the new, combining traditional poetic forms with modern imagery. in 1913, apollinaire published the essay les peint


writings of the group members. from the dada activities of world war i surrealism was formed with the most important center of the movement in paris and from the 1920s spreading around the globe. his poems and stage works were instrumental in leading french poetry into evoking expressions of abstraction and daring concepts. his status as a literary critic is most famous and influential in his recognition of the marquis de sade, whose works were for a long time obscure, but which gained in popularity as an influence upon the dada and surrealist art movements at montparnasse at the beginning of the twentieth century. apollinaire admired sade as " the freest spirit that ever existed. " - le bestiaire ou le cortege d ’ orphee, 1911 - alcools, 1913 - vitam impendere amori ', 1917 - calligrammes, poemes de la paix et de la guerre 1913 - 1916, 1918 ( published shortly after apollinaire ' s death ) - il y a..., 1925 - ombre de mon amour, poems addressed to louise de coligny - chatillon, 1947 - poemes secrets a madeleine, pirated edition, 1949 - le guetteur melancolique, previously unpublished works, 1952 - poemes a lou, 1955 - soldes, previously unpublished works, 1985 - et moi aussi je suis peintre, album of drawings for calligrammes, from a private collection, published 2006 - mirely ou le petit trou pas cher, 1900 - " que faire? ", - les onze mille verges ou les amours d ' un hospodar, 1907 - l ' enchanteur pourrissant, 1909 - l ' heresiarque et cie ( short story collection ), 1910 - les exploits d ’ un jeune don juan, 1911 - la rome des borgia, 1914 - la fin de babylone - l ' histoire romanesque 1 / 3, 1914 - les trois don juan - l ' histoire romanesque 2 / 3, 1915 - le poete assassine, 1916 - la femme assise, 1920 - les epingles ( short story collection ), 1928 plays and screenplays - les mamelles de tiresias, play, 1917 - la brehatine, screenplay ( collaboration with andre billy ), 1917 - couleurs du temps, 1918 - casanova, published 1952 articles, essays, etc. - le theatre italien, illustrated


tiresias, play, 1917 - la brehatine, screenplay ( collaboration with andre billy ), 1917 - couleurs du temps, 1918 - casanova, published 1952 articles, essays, etc. - le theatre italien, illustrated encyclopedia, 1910 - pages d ' histoire, chronique des grands siecles de france, chronicles, 1912 - meditations esthetiques. les peintres cubistes, 1913 - la peinture moderne, 1913 - l ' antitradition futuriste, manifeste synthese, 1913 - case d ' armons, 1915 - l ' esprit nouveau et les poetes, 1918 - le flaneur des deux rives, chronicles, 1918 - adema, marcel. apollinaire. paris : plon, 1954. oclc 222067976 - adema, p. guillaume apollinaire. paris : la table ronde, 1968. oclc 1003860 - bates, s. guillaume apollinaire. new york : twayne publishers, 1967. oclc 649498 - breuning, l. c. guillaume apollinaire. new york : columbia university press, 1969. isbn 9780231029957 - couffignal, r. apollinaire. university of alabama press, 1975. isbn 9780817373221 - grimm, j. guillaume apollinaire. munchen : c. h. beck, 1993. isbn 9783406350542 - mathews, t. reading apollinaire. new york : st martin ' s press, 1964. oclc 1342408 - shattuck, roger. the banquet years. new york : vintage books, 1968. oclc 437218 - steegmuller, francis. apollinaire, poet among the painters. new york : farrar, straus 1963. oclc 965238 all links retrieved october 23, 2012. - works by guillaume apollinaire. project gutenberg - les exploits d ' un jeune don juan at the internet movie database new world encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the wikipedia article in accordance with new world encyclopedia standards. this article abides by terms of the creative commons cc - by - sa 3. 0 license ( cc - by - sa ), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the new world


this is one of a number of portraits that lambert painted of young girls. the subject was probably mary mond ( 1901 – 1937 ), the eleven - year - old daughter of the british industrialist and politician sir alfred mon bt ( 1868 – 1930 ), later first baron melchett and one of the founders of imperial chemical industries ( ici ). lambert depicted the young girl sitting slightly precariously on the elegant sofa. he presented her with her face in profile in a version of the whistler ’ s mother pose, but without the rigorous simplification of that painting. indeed, he showed mary as a pretty young miss with rosy cheeks, hair in ringlets and wearing a frilly white dress. the fluffy white dog nearby, looking up at her attentively and painted in a similar range of whites to her dress, suggests that she may have had some of the cuteness and cuddliness of this dog. in his depiction of the decorative fabric on the sofa, the floral carpet and the japanese screen, this portrait is unusual for lambert. this luscious background is indicative of the wealth with which mary mond was surrounded. portraits of children can be found throughout the history of art, but they were particularly popular during the edwardian era – an era which also saw the creation of memorable children ’ s books such as j. m. barrie ’ s peter pan ( 1904 ), kenneth grahame ’ s the wind in the willows ( 1908 ) andthe many stories by beatrix potter.


what is it? turmeric is a plant. you probably know turmeric as the main spice in curry. it has a warm, bitter taste and is frequently used to flavor or color curry powders, mustards, butters, and cheeses. but the root of turmeric is also used widely to make medicine. turmeric is used for arthritis, heartburn ( dyspepsia ), stomach pain, diarrhea, intestinal gas, stomach bloating, loss of appetite, jaundice, liver problems and gallbladder disorders. it is also used for headaches, bronchitis, colds, lung infections, fibromyalgia, leprosy, fever, menstrual problems, and cancer. other uses include depression, alzheimer ’ s disease, water retention, worms, and kidney problems. some people apply turmeric to the skin for pain, ringworm, bruising, leech bites, eye infections, inflammatory skin conditions, soreness inside of the mouth, and infected wounds. in food and manufacturing, the essential oil of turmeric is used in perfumes, and its resin is used as a flavor and color component in foods. don ’ t confuse turmeric with javanese turmeric root ( curcuma zedoaria ). how effective is it? natural medicines comprehensive database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale : effective, likely effective, possibly effective, possibly ineffective, likely ineffective, ineffective, and insufficient evidence to rate. the effectiveness ratings for turmeric are as follows : possibly effective for... - stomach upset ( dyspepsia ). some research shows that taking turmeric by mouth might help improve an upset stomach. - osteoarthritis. some research shows that taking some turmeric extracts can reduce the pain caused by osteoarthritis of the knee. in one study, turmeric worked about as well as ibuprofen for reducing pain. insufficient evidence to rate effectiveness for... - skin cancer. there is some evidence that applying a turmeric ointment might help to relieve odor and itching caused by skin cancer. - rheumatoid arthritis ( ra ). curcumin, a chemical in turmeric, might help reduce some symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. - liver and gallbladder problems. - menstrual problems. - eye infections. - skin problems. - alzheimer


curcumin, a chemical in turmeric, might help reduce some symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. - liver and gallbladder problems. - menstrual problems. - eye infections. - skin problems. - alzheimer ’ s disease. - other conditions. more evidence is needed to rate turmeric for these uses. the chemicals in turmeric might decrease swelling ( inflammation ). are there safety concerns? ( update ) turmeric is likely safe when used appropriately by adults. turmeric usually does not cause significant side effects ; however, some people can experience stomach upset, nausea, dizziness, or diarrhea. in one report, a person who took very high amounts of turmeric, over 1500 mg twice daily, experienced a dangerous abnormal heart rhythm. however, it is unclear if turmeric was the actual cause of this side effect. until more is known, avoid taking excessively large doses of turmeric. special precautions & warnings : pregnancy and breast - feeding : taking turmeric by mouth in medicinal amounts is likely unsafe in pregnancy. it might promote a menstrual period or stimulate the uterus, putting the pregnancy at risk. don ’ t take turmeric if you are pregnant. there isn ’ t enough information to rate the safety of turmeric during breast - feeding. it ’ s best not to use it. gallbladder problems : turmeric can make gallbladder problems worse. don ’ t use turmeric if you have gallstones or a bile duct obstruction. gastroesophageal reflux disease ( gerd ) : turmeric can cause stomach upset in some people. it might make stomach problems such as gerd worse. don ’ t take turmeric if it worsens symptoms of gerd. surgery : turmeric might slow blood clotting. it might cause extra bleeding during and after surgery. stop using turmeric at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery. be cautious with this combination. medications that slow blood clotting ( anticoagulant / antiplatelet drugs ) turmeric might slow blood clotting. taking turmeric along with medications that also slow clotting might increase the chances of bruising and bleeding. some medications that slow blood clotting include aspirin, clopidogrel ( plavix ), diclofenac ( voltaren, cataflam, others ), ibuprofen ( advil


and bleeding. some medications that slow blood clotting include aspirin, clopidogrel ( plavix ), diclofenac ( voltaren, cataflam, others ), ibuprofen ( advil, motrin, others ), naproxen ( anaprox, naprosyn, others ), dalteparin ( fragmin ), enoxaparin ( lovenox ), heparin, warfarin ( coumadin ), and others. herbs and supplements that might slow blood clotting turmeric might slow blood clotting. taking turmeric along with herbs that also slow clotting might increase the chances of bruising and bleeding. these herbs include angelica, clove, danshen, garlic, ginger, ginkgo, panax ginseng, red clover, willow, and others. there are no known interactions with foods. the following doses have been studied in scientific research : for upset stomach ( dyspepsia ) : 500 mg of turmeric four times daily. for osteoarthritis : 500 mg twice daily of a specific turmeric extract ( meriva, indena ) ; 500 mg four times daily of a non - commercial product has also been used. for rheumatoid arthritis ( ra ) : 500mg twice daily of a specific formulation of the turmeric constituent, curcumin ( bcm - 95®, arjuna natural extracts, india ), has been used. curcuma, curcuma aromatica, curcuma domestica, curcumae longa, curcumae longae rhizoma, curcumin, curcumine, curcuminoid, curcuminoide, curcuminoides, curcuminoids, halada, haldi, haridra, indian saffron, nisha, pian jiang huang, racine de curcuma, radix curcumae, rajani, rhizoma cucurmae longae, safran bourbon, safran de batallita, safran des indes, turmeric root, yu jin. to learn more about how this article was written, please see the natural medicines comprehensive database methodology. methodology ( http : / / www. nlm. nih. gov / medlineplus / druginfo / natural / methodology.


jin. to learn more about how this article was written, please see the natural medicines comprehensive database methodology. methodology ( http : / / www. nlm. nih. gov / medlineplus / druginfo / natural / methodology. html ). to see all references for the turmeric page, please go to http : / / www. nlm. nih. gov / medlineplus / druginfo / natural / 662. html. - chandran b, goel a. a randomized, pilot study to assess the efficacy and safety of curcumin in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. phytother res 2012 ; 26 : 1719 - 25. - carroll re, benya rv, turgeon dk, et al. phase iia clinical trial of curcumin for the prevention of colorectal neoplasia. cancer prev res ( phila ) 2011 ; 4 : 354 - 64. - belcaro g, cesarone mr, dugall m, et al. efficacy and safety of meriva, a curcumin - phosphatidylcholine complex, during extended administration in osteoarthritis patients. alt med rev 2010 : 15 : 337 - 4. - kuptniratsaikul v, thanakhumtorn s, chinswangwatanakul p, et al. efficacy and safety of curcuma domestica extracts in patients with knee osteoarthritis. j altern complement med 2009 ; 15 : 891 - 7. - lee sw, nah ss, byon js, et al. transient complete atrioventricular block associated with curcumin intake. int j cardiol 2011 ; 150 : e50 - 2. - baum l, lam cw, cheung sk, et al. six - month randomized, placebo - controlled, double - blind, pilot clinical trial of curcumin in patients with alzheimer disease ( letter ). j clin psychopharmacol 2008 ; 28 : 110 - 3. - thapliyal r, maru gb. inhibition of cytochrome p450 isozymes by curcumins in vitro and in vivo. food chem toxicol 2001 ; 39 : 541 - 7. - thapliyal r, deshpande ss, maru gb. mechanism ( s ) of turmeric - mediated protective effects against benzo ( a )


vivo. food chem toxicol 2001 ; 39 : 541 - 7. - thapliyal r, deshpande ss, maru gb. mechanism ( s ) of turmeric - mediated protective effects against benzo ( a ) pyrene - derived dna adducts. cancer lett 2002 ; 175 : 79 - 88. - sugiyama t, nagata j, yamagishi a, et al. selective protection of curcumin against carbon tetrachloride - induced inactivation of hepatic cytochrome p450 isozymes in rats. life sci 2006 ; 78 : 2188 - 93. - takada y, bhardwaj a, potdar p, aggarwal bb. nonsteroidal anti - inflammatory agents differ in their ability to suppress nf - kappab activation, inhibition of expression of cyclooxygenase - 2 and cyclin d1, and abrogation of tumor cell proliferation. oncogene 2004 ; 23 : 9247 - 58. lal b, kapoor ak, asthana op, et al. efficacy of curcumin in the management of chronic anterior uveitis. phytother res 1999 ; 13 : 318 - 22. - deodhar sd, sethi r, srimal rc. preliminary study on antirheumatic activity of curcumin ( diferuloyl methane ). indian j med res 1980 ; 71 : 632 - 4. - kuttan r, sudheeran pc, josph cd. turmeric and curcumin as topical agents in cancer therapy. tumori 1987 ; 73 : 29 - 31. - antony s, kuttan r, kuttan g. immunomodulatory activity of curcumin. immunol invest 1999 ; 28 : 291 - 303. - hata m, sasaki e, ota m, et al. allergic contact dermatitis from curcumin ( turmeric ). contact dermatitis 1997 ; 36 : 107 - 8. - rasyid a, rahman ar, jaalam k, lelo a. effect of different curcumin dosages on human gall bladder. asia pac j clin nutr 2002 ; 11 : 314 - 8. - thamlikitkul v, bunyapraphatsara n, dechatiwongse t, et al. randomized double blind


bladder. asia pac j clin nutr 2002 ; 11 : 314 - 8. - thamlikitkul v, bunyapraphatsara n, dechatiwongse t, et al. randomized double blind study of curcuma domestica val. for dyspepsia. j med assoc thai 1989 ; 72 : 613 - 20. - shah bh, nawaz z, pertani sa. inhibitory effect of curcumin, a food spice from turmeric, on platelet - activating factor - and arachidonic acid - mediated platelet aggregation through inhibition of thromboxane formation and ca2 + signaling. biochem pharmacol 1999 ; 58 : 1167 - 72. - thaloor d, singh ak, sidhu gs, et al. inhibition of angiogenic differentiation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells by curcumin. cell growth differ 1998 ; 9 : 305 - 12. - deeb d, xu yx, jiang h, et al. curcumin ( diferuloyl - methane ) enhances tumor necrosis factor - related apoptosis - inducing ligand - induced apoptosis in lncap prostate cancer cells. mol cancer ther 2003 ; 2 : 95 - 103. - araujo cc, leon ll. biological activities of curcuma longa l. mem inst oswaldo cruz 2001 ; 96 : 723 - 8. - surh yj. anti - tumor promoting potential of selected spice ingredients with antioxidative and anti - inflammatory activities : a short review. food chem toxicol 2002 ; 40 : 1091 - 7. - zhang f, altorki nk, mestre jr, et al. curcumin inhibits cyclooxygenase - 2 transcription in bile acid - and phorbol ester - treated human gastrointestinal epithelial cells. carcinogenesis 1999 ; 20 : 445 - 51. - sharma ra, mclelland hr, hill ka, et al. pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic study of oral curcuma extract in patients with colorectal cancer. clin cancer res 2001 ; 7 : 1894 - 900. - fetrow cw, avila jr. professional ' s handbook of complementary & alternative medicines. 1st ed. springhouse, pa : springhouse corp., 1999. - mcguffin


great tosson : in the 20th century during the last century great tosson witnessed profound social, economic and demographic changes in common with the other villages in the national park. two world wars left their mark on this part of coquetdale in terms of the casualties amongst those who went off to fight. world war ii also left a tangible reminder in the fabric of the locality in the shape of the concrete pillboxes built at newtown and ryehill as part of the coquet line of defence in 1940. agriculture now employs fewer people than in the past, but it remains a crucial element in the economy of the locality and the farms in the village continue to operate, having acquired the usual assortment of large modern shelter sheds and the like. however other local industries have also declined. the limestone quarry has long since fallen into disuse, as lime is no longer such an important agricultural input, and the woollen mill which was still flourishing at the beginning of the century, when dixon wrote ( 1903, 469 - 70 ), had already closed by the time volume xv of the county history, which dealt with great tosson, appeared in 1940 ( nch xv ( 1940 ), 397 ). leisure and tourism have assumed much greater importance following the creation of the northumberland national park in 1956 and the increasing recreational time and opportunities available to all sections of the population in the second half of the 20th century. any negative aspects of the last century and its impact on the village must be balanced against the enormous improvement in living standards experienced by ordinary people over its course. the houses and cottages in the village all now form comfortable homes with the full range of services - power, water and telephone - expected in the modern world. it is likely that this residential function - in providing homes for people who work elsewhere - will become increasingly important for great tosson as the current century progresses. pictures : cottages at tosson


flax production in the seventeenth century detail of painting by nps artist sydney king when sir george yeardley returned to jamestown in 1619, one of his instructions from the virginia company of london was to promote flax harvesting. the stockholders hoped that, as with silkworm cultivation, viticulture and glass production, the colonists would use this ancient crop to both realize a profit and diversify their labors. ultimately, none of these ventures was a commercial success. the labor involved was either too intensive or required too much skill, the climate and soil of the chesapeake region did not cooperate, or plain bad luck attended the operations. that did not mean, however, that wine, silk or linen were never produced in virginia. although flax, the plant from which linen is derived, never rivaled tobacco as a cash crop in the chesapeake, most farmers and plantation owners grew small amounts will into the 1800 ' s for their own use. the plant which provides the raw material from which linen is made is an annual which grows two to three feet high on a slim, little - branching stem. it is this woody stalk, hollow when dried, which is harvested and ultimately manufactured into linen. spinning flax into thread is facilitated by properties inherent to the fiber, including its length ( two to three feet when will prepared ), its high pectin content ( when wet, the pectin acts as a glue to further bind fibers together ) and the nodes which appear along the length of the fibers ( similar to those found on bamboo ) which incline them to join even more readily. additional properties of flax make it a desirable finished product. other than ramie, it has the greatest tensile strength of any natural fiber, and is 20 % stronger when wet. it is highly absorbent and dries quickly, and its high wax content gives it linen ' s characteristic luster. it is also long lasting. if not exposed to synthetic bleaches or mechanical drying, a regularly - used linen sheet can survive for a century or more. making flax an even more valuable crop, the seeds can be harvested and linseed oil ( used in wood treatments, paint and animal fodder ) extracted. flax has been with humankind long before europeans ' discovery of the western hemisphere. linum angostifolium, the wild ancestor of flax, can be found from the black sea to the canary islands. l. usitatissimum ( meaning " of greatest use " ), is the oldest cultivated fiber plant


. linum angostifolium, the wild ancestor of flax, can be found from the black sea to the canary islands. l. usitatissimum ( meaning " of greatest use " ), is the oldest cultivated fiber plant, with evidence of its growth and use dating back to the fifth millennium bc in both mesopotamia and egypt. while the former concentrated on wool production, the latter, employing the fertile fields of the nile delta, became experts at the creation of linen textiles which cannot be rivaled in strength and fineness of weave today. egyptians turned the coarser, low - grade flax into rope and string ; the finest quality was reserved for clothmaking. workmen ' s wives set up makeshift looms in the doorways of their dwellings to weave linen for household use. female serfs and slaves worked endlessly in crews on large estates ; in unplundered tombs hundreds of sheets are commonly found, stored up in anticipation of the departed ' s return. linen fabric, millennia before coinage was invented, served as a medium of exchange and a measure of wealth. l. angustifolium grows wild in briton and was employed as early as 3000 bc by the swiss lake dwellers. because these people centered their communities over swampy areas, many wooden and fiber artifacts have survived from their culture. tools for flax preparation, hanks of spun thread and cloth of complex weave have all been found in the alkaline lake mud. l. usitatissimum is believed by many historians to have been introduced into england by the romans ; by the 16th century, laws were enacted requiring that a quarter of an acre ( one rood ) of flax be planted for every sixty acres under cultivation. linen and wool were the two most common fibers, often combined in linsey - woolsey, a fabric with warp threads of linen for strength and weft threads of wool providing bulk and warmth. although flax has many advantages as a fiber crop, its overwhelming disadvantage is the amount of labor, skilled and otherwise, required from sowing to harvest. flax needs a deep, rich soil, and, like tobacco, quickly depletes the nutrients from the land where it is planted. in early settlement days in virginia, that meant it could only be raised on newly - cleared ground. after two or three years of a flax crop, a farmer needed to sow a less nutritionally - demanding crop, such as wheat. later in the colonial period, farmers could incorporate flax into a rotation process


on newly - cleared ground. after two or three years of a flax crop, a farmer needed to sow a less nutritionally - demanding crop, such as wheat. later in the colonial period, farmers could incorporate flax into a rotation process which included heavy dunging or the sowing of cow peas a year or two before the next flax crop was to be planted. after plowing in november, february and march, the ground was harrowed and raked fine. the small, oily flaxseeds were sown broadcast in april and a final harrowing took place. the closer the seeds were spaced, the less branching took place in the resultant plants and the higher the quality of the crop. if flax is sown properly, weeding is unnecessary because there is no space for unwanted plants. flax takes about a hundred days to mature. when the leaves yellow and the seed turn brown, the flax is pulled from the ground by the roots, spread to dry for a few days, and, if time was not a factor, stored until the next year to age. processing flax is an extremely labor - intensive process, providing skilled and unskilled employment for both adults and children. first, the upper part of the flax bundles are drawn through coarse combs to remove seed in a process called rippling. after the seeds are removed, it is necessary to separate the long, silky inner fibers which constitute the end product from the straw and inner pitch. retting, in which the unwanted fibers are loosened and decomposed, can be achieved in several ways. the flax can be left out in the field, where the exposure to the elements, particularly the moisture in the air, can do the work. a pond or through can be used to achieve the same effect in much less time, but with a prodigious odor. the ideal way to ret flax is to expose it to constantly running water, such as a stream. the amount to time this step requires depends on the quality of the flax, the temperature and numerous other variables. when the straw comes away easily from the few bent fibers, it is time to grass the flax. the bundles are untied and laid in a field for a few days until they are dried on one side, then turned so the other side can be dried. when the crop is thoroughly moisture free, it is stacked inside to age for a few more weeks. next, a series of steps free the linen fiber from the boon (


are dried on one side, then turned so the other side can be dried. when the crop is thoroughly moisture free, it is stacked inside to age for a few more weeks. next, a series of steps free the linen fiber from the boon ( unwanted plant material ). the brake, a large wooden machine, is used to break down the trash material and loosen it further from the end product. then the flax is scutched ( beaten against a board with a blunt wooden knife ). the final process is hackling, in which the fiber is drawn through a series of metal combs to remove the last of the boon and shorter fibers. the end result is a strick, a half - pound bundle of long, light grey fibers which resemble human hair. over 85 % of the plant has been removed before the strick is produced. some of the shorter fibers removed during hackling can be used as tow for sacking or inferior cloth. since flax is such a long fiber, special care must be given before spinning to keep it from tangling. a distaff is a tool which keeps the fibers separated and properly aligned during spinning. thread is produced using the small wheel often called a flax wheel. an experienced spinner has little difficulty creating a fine, strong thread with flax. in order to produce a smooth yarn, however, she must also be able to moisten the flax continuously as she is spinning. after the thread is spun, it must be stretched and boiled to set the twist put into it by spinning. bleaching can be done either before or after weaving, by exposing the fiber to sunlight for prolonged periods or using such chemical treatments as chloride of lime, soap and soda or lye water. today, eastern europe produces 80 % of the world ' s flax crop. france, china, egypt, holland and belgium provide flax as well. due to increasingly efficient mechanical harvest and processing, this ancient fiber is becoming more popular than a generation ago. beverley, robert. the history and present state of virginia. clark, alice. working life of women in the seventeenth century. davenport, elsie g. your handspinning. diderot, denis. a diderot pictorial encyclopedia of trades and industry. fannin, allen. handspinning : arts and techniques. goodrich, frances louisa. mountain homespun. hartley, dorothy. lost country life. kluger, marilyn. your handspinning. linder, olive and harry. handspinning flax.


northern research station 11 campus blvd., suite 200 newtown square, pa 19073 ( 610 ) 557 - 4132 tty / tdd title : carbon stocks in urban forest remnants : atlanta and baltimore as case studies. chapter 5. author : yesilonis, ian d. ; pouyat, richard v. publication : dordrecht, netherlands : springer : 103 - 120. key words : urban, forest, carbon, land use, management abstract : urban environments influence carbon ( c ) and nitrogen ( n ) cycles of forest ecosystems by altering plant biomass, litter mass and chemistry, passive and active pools of c and n, and the occurrence and activity of decomposer organisms. it is difficult to determine the net effect of c storage due to the number of environmental factors exerting stress on urban forests. using a conceptual model to synthesize results from gradient studies of forest patches in metropolitan areas, we attempt to explain the mechanisms affecting c cycling. we also assess the relative importance of c accumulation in urban remnant forests with respect to other land uses previously disturbed or managed. the cities of baltimore and atlanta are used as case studies. the c density of forest above - ground biomass for baltimore city, 8 kg m - 3, and atlanta, 10. 6 kg m - 3, is significantly higher for both medium - and high - density residential areas. baltimore city has a forest - soil c density of 10. 6 kg m - 3, a below - to - above ground ratio of 1. 3. urban forest remnants in these two cities store a high amount of c on a per - unit basis both above - and below ground relative to other land uses, but total c storage is lower due to the lower acreage of urban forest in these cities relative to other land uses. this document is in pdf format. you can obtain a free pdf reader from adobe. forest service home | usda. gov | recreation. gov


press release 98 - 033 biomaterials are transforming medicine mit scientist and engineer describes a new field in an nsf lecture june 25, 1998 this material is available primarily for archival purposes. telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date ; please see current contact information at media contacts. how can doctors deliver drugs in ways less invasive and more controlled than an injection? robert s. langer views the question as an engineering design problem. langer, germeshausen professor of chemical and biomedical engineering at mit, described how researchers are using biomaterials to create engineering solutions to medical problems in a lecture at the national science foundation ' s ( nsf ) headquarters on june 17. langer ' s lecture, " biomaterials : from basic science and engineering to clinical practice, " focused on advances in biomaterials, a field that langer pioneered. " historically, materials have found their way into medicine by clinicians, " he said. for the first artificial heart, doctors ' search for a strong substance with flexibility led them to use polyether urethane, found in girdles. " i thought we could do better, " said langer. after all, " something designed as a lady ' s girdle might not be the best thing to put in a human body. " since langer began his work in 1974, genetic engineering has made possible larger and larger " macromolecule " drugs, such as growth hormones. with the help of nsf grants, langer found that certain hydrophobic polymers made it possible to deliver macromolecular drugs like albumin into the body and at a controlled rate over a period of time. since then, biomaterials have enabled the slow release of ever - larger bioengineered proteins into the body, with release times ranging from one day to more than three years. products like lupron depot permit controlled release of medicines that would normally deteriorate in minutes to be released slowly over four months. " i ' d like to think these are the tip of the iceberg, " said langer. researchers are also working on ways to deliver growth hormones and methods to provide a constant release of insulin for diabetics. fortune magazine cited estimates that these new technologies will cause sales in the drug - delivery sector to almost triple, reaching $ 25 billion by 2006. for medicines like insulin, research is also exploring methods for administering doses in preprogrammed " pulses, " or on demand. using an oscilla


cause sales in the drug - delivery sector to almost triple, reaching $ 25 billion by 2006. for medicines like insulin, research is also exploring methods for administering doses in preprogrammed " pulses, " or on demand. using an oscillating magnetic field, a wristwatch - like device could, for example, release a dose of insulin just before a diabetic ' s meal. the magnetic field would release the drug by squeezing drug - containing pores at a microscopic level. trials using such a device on mice are underway. with dr. henry brem, an oncologist at johns hopkins university, langer explored more focused drug delivery for types of brain cancer. treatment usually involves chemotherapy, which can have terrible side effects for the liver and other organs. for a more targeted release of the drug bcnu, doctors inserted a dime - sized polymer wafer containing bcnu in the surgical cavity at the tumor. as the polymer eroded, it released the drug over time directly to the tumor without the impediment of the blood - brain barrier. in this study, physicians have used the polymer wafers to treat thousands of brain cancer victims, with significant improvements. in tissue engineering, cells from a patient can be cultivated on a polymer mesh or " scaffold ", allowing regeneration of the cartilage for an ear, for example. physicians could also apply these techniques to regenerate damaged tendons, sciatic nerve endings and skin tissue. " we ' ve raised more questions than we ' ve answered, " langer concluded, but biomaterials have already contributed products " that can relieve suffering and prolong life for many people. " gregory lester, nsf ( 703 ) 292 - 8070 firstname. lastname @ example. org frederick g. heineken, nsf ( 703 ) 292 - 7944 email @ example. com the national science foundation ( nsf ) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. in fiscal year ( fy ) 2012, its budget was $ 7. 0 billion. nsf funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2, 000 colleges, universities and other institutions. each year, nsf receives about 50, 000 competitive requests for funding, and makes about 11, 500 new funding awards. nsf also awards about $ 593 million in professional and service contracts yearly. get news updates by email useful nsf web sites : nsf home page : http : / / www. nsf


kelp contains the complete spectrum of minerals needed by man, as they are contained in the ocean itself. aside from the fact that sea water as such is a veritable treasure trove of minerals, land minerals are constantly washing into the sea, enriching it still further ( ibid. ). even more important than the minerals needed in relatively large amounts, such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, and so forth, are the trace minerals - - iodine, copper, manganese, boron, zinc, etc. these minerals appear in minute quantities in food. our bodies need only microscopically small amounts of them. yet if that tiny amount is not there, we can die from the lack. one of the most important trace elements in kelp is iodine. this mineral is essential for the proper functioning of the thyroid which manufactures the hormone thyroxin. if an adequate amount of iodine is not provided in the diet, the thyroid gland is forced to work overtime and becomes enlarged in an effort to make up for the deficiency. this enlargement is known as goiter. kelp is a much better source of iodine than the much - touted iodized salt, which is chemically isolated sodium chloride to which potassium chloride has been added. most of us should not take as much salt as might be needed to supply the needed amount of iodine. kelp is the ideal source of iodine. to get the daily requirement of 100 micrograms of iodine estimated as the requirement for human beings you would need to consume : 10 pounds of fresh vegetables and fruits, or 8 pounds of cereals, grains and nuts, or 6 pounds of meat, fish, fowl, or 2 pounds of eggs, or 3 pounds of marine fish, or. 2 pounds of shellfish. used as a condiment, kelp could supply easily the amount required ; it contains 10 times as much iodine as american iodized salt ( rodc : 7 16 ). 100 % vegetarian capsules. | brand : | | christopher ' s original formulas ( more products ) | | size : | | 100 cap |


proteins provide the body critical amino acids that serve as building blocks for the formation of new muscle. but not all dietary proteins are equal. the major proteins in milk are casein and whey. these two milk proteins are both excellent sources of all the essential amino acids, but they differ in one important aspect — whey is a fast - digesting protein and casein is a slow - digesting protein. whey stimulates protein synthesis fast - digesting whey means it is emptied from the stomach quickly, resulting in a rapid and large increase in plasma amino acids. this translates into a quick but transient increase in protein synthesis, while protein breakdown is not affected. whey also has higher levels of leucine, a potent amino acid that stimulates protein synthesis. whey protein is superior at augmenting protein synthesis rapidly, but this positive effect is short - lived. consuming repeated doses of whey allows for sustained high levels of blood amino acids and repeated bursts of protein synthesis that provide superior effects on muscle protein balance. casein offers a positive protein balance casein is the most abundant protein in milk. it is relatively insoluble and tends to form structures called micelles that increase solubility in water. during the processing of milk, which usually involves heat or acid, the casein peptides and micelle structure become disturbed or denatured to form simpler structures. as a result, a gelatinous material is formed. this is the basis for why casein has a slower rate of digestion, and results in a slow but steady release of amino acids into circulation. in one study, researchers gave healthy subjects 30 grams of either whey protein or casein protein and made several measures of the anabolic and catabolic effect for 7 hours after the meal. whey protein resulted in a rapid increase in blood amino acids and protein synthesis, but it was short - lived. casein, on the other hand, resulted in a prolonged increase in blood amino acids that resulted in a 34 % reduction in protein breakdown. the net protein balance remained more positive after intake of casein protein over a 7 - hour period. the superior long - lasting effect of casein was attributed to a delayed gastric emptying and slower absorption rate from the gastrointestinal tract to the blood. whey and casein are better together since whey rapidly increases protein synthesis and casein blocks protein breakdown, a combination of both would be ideal. a recent study compared the effects of supplementing with either a combination whey and case


the blood. whey and casein are better together since whey rapidly increases protein synthesis and casein blocks protein breakdown, a combination of both would be ideal. a recent study compared the effects of supplementing with either a combination whey and casein protein versus carbohydrate on several markers of muscle anabolism during strength training. 3 untrained men participated in a 10 - week resistance training program and either supplemented with 40 grams of carbohydrate or 40 grams of protein containing a mixture of whey and casein. half of the supplements were consumed one hour before and then immediately after exercise on workout days. the results were overwhelmingly positive for the combination protein group. despite similar background diets and identical training programs, supplementation with protein resulted in greater increases in several measures of muscle anabolism, including greater increases in lean muscle mass, thigh muscle mass, muscle strength, anabolic hormones and muscle specific proteins. in a similar study that lasted 14 weeks, untrained men performed resistance training and received either 25 grams of carbohydrate or 25 grams of a combination whey and casein protein one hour before and immediately after exercise. the combination protein group had significantly greater increases in muscle fiber size compared to the carbohydrate group. these studies provide strong evidence that a combination protein consumed before and after workouts increases muscle size. practical uses of whey and casein the science unequivocally shows that the digesting rate of protein is an important regulator of protein balance. whey provides a quick burst of protein synthesis while casein makes an ideal protein supplement to sustain long periods of an anabolic environment for muscle growth. based on these different characteristics, whey and casein can be used alone and in combination to exploit their unique biologic effects. for example, whey protein can be very effective before and after a workout and first thing in the morning. but since the benefits of whey after exercise are short - lived, you should consume a meal containing protein 20 - 60 minutes after drinking a post - workout whey protein shake. in one study, 30 grams of whey protein were provided in a sequence of 13 small meals given each 20 minutes. this was found to be far superior for muscle anabolism compared to a single meal of whey or casein. alternatively, a combination of whey and casein ( 20 grams ) could be consumed one hour before and immediately after exercise for a sustained benefit on protein balance. casein is a perfect protein for a shake


in the wake of the corpse whale biologists are discovering that commercial fishing and global warming imperil the narwhal ' s frozen corner of the globe it is 2 a. m. on a mid - august night, but the sun still hangs on the horizon, and the temperature hovers in the 30s. two biologists are standing watch on the rocky shoreline of creswell bay on somerset island in the eastern canadian high arctic. suddenly the dorsal ridge of a narwhal, a small arctic whale, surfaces in the bay and advances toward a net the scientists have stretched 150 feet out from shore. when the narwhal barrels into the net, the biologists sound the alarm. instantly, everyone in the nearby research camp clambers out of tents, dons orange survival suits and rushes to launch zodiacs for a race to the entrapped whale. soon, two boats circle the spot where the narwhal struggles underwater. the crews grab the net with thickly gloved hands and begin pulling the flailing 2, 600 - pound male to the surface, avoiding the long, slender tusk protruding from his snout. " we have to react quickly so the animal doesn ' t drown, " says mads peter heide - jørgensen, a senior scientist at the greenland institute of natural resources. the animal pulls the inflatables back and forth, splashing the biologists, but they still manage to put a rope around his tail and slide straps under his body, gradually bringing the narwhal to the surface. with his tail out of the water and air in his lungs, the animal stops struggling. the biologists go to work, taking skin samples for dna studies and attaching to the whale ' s tusk a satellite transmitter that will record the animal ' s movements and the depths of his dives. in less than an hour, they are done, and the narwhal quietly moves off. until recently, scientists knew little about narwhal natural history. but biologists from greenland, denmark and the united states are generating a wealth of information about this lifelong denizen of regions above the arctic circle, where the narwhal feeds on a variety of deep - sea fish. this knowledge is arriving at a crucial time, as the narwhal is increasingly threatened by developing commercial fisheries and global warming. an adult narwhal ranges from 13 to 16 feet long, making it one of the smaller whale species. males average about 2


arriving at a crucial time, as the narwhal is increasingly threatened by developing commercial fisheries and global warming. an adult narwhal ranges from 13 to 16 feet long, making it one of the smaller whale species. males average about 2, 700 pounds, females about 1, 800. the narwhal is the only whale with a tusk, one of two teeth growing from the upper jaw through the lip in an artful spiral, like braided strands of ivory ending in a sharp point. found primarily in males, tusks grow up to 6 feet long. viking traders in the 10th century sold narwhal tusks to foreigners, claiming the tusks came from unicorns. medieval europeans believed these tusks possessed magical properties. the tusk ' s value to the narwhal is still a matter for conjecture. males occasionally joust with them, but most biologists believe the tusks are simply advertisements to attract mates. though poaching for tusks continues, heide - jørgensen thinks that the narwhal is more threatened by native inuit who increasingly use modern boats, radios and navigational equipment to hunt the whales for meat, which they sell for up to $ 14 a pound. inuits consider narwhal skin a delicacy. it is traded throughout greenland. " it has a high level of vitamin c, " says heide - jørgensen. " it ' s one of the reasons inuit society has survived without carrots, salads and cucumbers. " narwhals - - the name is danish for " corpse whale, " apparently a reference to the species ' mottled, gray color - - live about 35 years, summering in high arctic bays and fiords in canada and greenland. in winter, almost the entire population of about 50, 000 animals moves south some 900 to 1, 250 miles to winter for six months in the dense pack ice of baffin bay and davis strait. the whales normally travel in groups of 15 to 30, although rune dietz, a senior scientist with the national environmental research institute in denmark, observed between 1, 000 to 2, 000 whales migrating together past a point in admiralty inlet one summer. " they have this strict seasonal cycle, returning to the same places, following the same paths, arriving at the same time year after year, " says kristin laidre, a research biologist at the university of washington in seattle. though the narw


" they have this strict seasonal cycle, returning to the same places, following the same paths, arriving at the same time year after year, " says kristin laidre, a research biologist at the university of washington in seattle. though the narwhal takes some arctic squid, polar cod and arctic cod, its favorite food is greenland halibut. this fish has a high concentration of fat, rich in energy, something the narwhal needs for surviving the arctic. because halibut rest at the bottom of the bay, narwhals regularly dive to depths greater than 5, 000 feet to find them. " narwhals are doing this for six months, all winter long, over and over again, " says laidre, a behavior that ranks narwhals among the deepest divers, along with sperm whales and elephant seals. sperm whales have been recorded diving to 6, 300 feet and elephant seals to below 5, 000. heide - jørgensen estimates the maximum depth for narwhals to be about 5, 500 feet. narwhals make relatively short, shallow dives in summer, gradually increase dive depth and duration in autumn and make their deepest dives in winter. hal whitehead, a sperm whale biologist at dalhousie university, in halifax, nova scotia, thinks the greatest advantage of deep diving for a living is the speed of the prey down there. " surface waters have a lot of oxygen, " he says. " but when you get down below 1, 300 feet, there is little oxygen, and the escape responses of prey are weaker. " to dive to these depths requires enormous biological adaptations. narwhals have a very high volume of blood per pound of muscle mass, almost twice that of humans. plus they have high levels of hemoglobin, the molecule in blood that captures oxygen. the whales carry oxygen down in their blood, not in their lungs, which collapse with increasing depth. the collapsing of the lungs keeps nitrogen out of the bloodstream, protecting the whale from the bends and rapture of the deep that attack humans who dive deeply. narwhals also avoid high - pressure nervous syndrome, which affects humans between 350 and 700 feet deep as increasing pressure strangles nerve cell membranes, leading to involuntary tremors, seizures and death. the whales glide right through these zones, shunting blood away from outer extremities and concentrating it on the heart and lungs. they also are such efficient swimmers


strangles nerve cell membranes, leading to involuntary tremors, seizures and death. the whales glide right through these zones, shunting blood away from outer extremities and concentrating it on the heart and lungs. they also are such efficient swimmers that the energy they use to dive to extreme depths is not much higher than that used when swimming in shallower waters. pack ice up to several yards thick is another challenge the narwhal faces in winter, when baffin bay almost completely freezes over. according to heide - jørgensen, satellite images of the terrain show nothing but white. " only when you go over it in a helicopter do you see the cracks and long narrow openings that are vital to the narwhal, " he says. those cracks may decrease as winter progresses, constituting less than half a percent of the northern part of the bay by the end of march. but even this space is not guaranteed. open water can suddenly freeze during periods below minus 22 degrees f and without winds. that combination can be lethal to narwhals, which can get caught in shrinking holes and literally freeze solid. nearly 150 narwhals died when they were trapped in a small hole in the mouth of disko bay, west greenland, in 1994. ironically, scientists worry that increased entrapments might be one of the results of global warming. in general, the northern hemisphere is heating up, and sea ice is decreasing alarmingly in the arctic. but increased rains from global warming are reducing ocean salinity, a change that could shut down north atlantic currents that bring warm water from the equator. the result could be colder temperatures and increased ice in baffin bay. development of potential halibut fisheries in baffin bay also could affect narwhals. commercial fishers in canada, greenland and norway are all interested in what heide - jørgensen refers to as " one of the few pristine fish stocks left in the world. " the fishery is a fairly recent find, and problems have yet to materialize, but experience elsewhere is not encouraging. local sport and subsistence fishers in sitka, alaska, for example, saw a steep decline in their fishery when commercial and charter vessels arrived in the 1990s. state statistics showed that local residents who had caught 3, 019 halibut in sitka sound in 1993 caught only 447 there in 1996. a management plan now divvies up the resources among competing interests. but heide - jørgensen


showed that local residents who had caught 3, 019 halibut in sitka sound in 1993 caught only 447 there in 1996. a management plan now divvies up the resources among competing interests. but heide - jørgensen wonders how fisheries managers off greenland will allocate the resources between fishermen and narwhals. increased ice and fishing would affect the narwhal in its winter range, where scientists believe the whales take most of their food. yet scientists have been unable to secure funds to study narwhals there. the biologists ' greatest concern is that survival challenges are mounting while data to monitor harm does not exist. for the narwhal, ignorance is not bliss, but peril. says heide - jørgensen, " these risks from climate change and increased fishing pressure are taking place in one of the remotest parts of the world, in the middle of winter, where it ' s completely dark, in offshore areas where the bulk of the narwhal population exists, and yet we know very little. a proper understanding of the difficulties these special animals are facing is urgent to ensure their long - term survival. " michael tennesen wrote a feature article on the giant pacific octopus for the december / january 2003 issue. narwhal : a cetacean sensation what ' s special : although the narwhal is a small whale, averaging only 2, 700 pounds for males, it is the only whale that sports a tusk. the tusk : narwhals have only two teeth, both in the upper jaw. when males are about a year old, the left tooth erupts as it begins maturing into a tusk that can grow up to 6 feet long and weigh up to 22 pounds. about 3 percent of females grow tusks, but female tusks reach a maximum length of only 4 feet. some males grow two, although the right is always smaller than the left. range : in seas from the canadian arctic east to central russia, although sometimes found in eastern siberia, alaska and western canadian arctic. strays may occur as far south as newfoundland. numbers and status : although the species numbers not more than 50, 000, it is hunted both for food and tusks. inuit people eat narwhal skin raw and fat. tusks are sold to tourists and other markets. about 300 to 550 narwhals are taken yearly in canada and 560 in greenland.