) has been one of the most popular programs initiated and supported by the checkoff. over 200 schools have taken advantage of owls grants in developing outdoor learning laboratories. the chickadee checkoff has supported hundreds of research and surveying projects to help determine the status of nongame species. nearly 300 projects have been funded through the 30 year history of the checkoff to better understand nongame wildlife of kansas. perhaps the most value of the checkoff has been its role in supplying match funding for the larger federal state wildlife grants program ( swg. ) while the checkoff has supplied over 4 million dollars through the years, much of this money has been used as leverage for much larger amounts from the swg program. major projects funded through this matching of dollars have included the two major on - line atlases for reptiles, amphibians and mammals, natural area evaluations in northeast kansas, support for prairie re - establishments, and major survey work for sensitive aquatic species. even though a meager portion of our state wildlife agency ' s total budget, the chickadee checkoff has made a big difference. thirty years ago, there was very little information being pursued about nongame wildlife. today, with the additional support of match funding with swg, there have been major strides made for the conservation of all wildlife, but particularly those nongame species of which so little is known.


one war with two fronts, one against the confederacy in the east and the other against the french in the south, " hayes - bautista said in an interview with cnn. " in mexico today, cinco de mayo means the mexican army defeated the french army, " he continued. " in california and oregon, the news was interpreted as finally that the army of freedom and democracy won a big one against the army of slavery and elitism. and the fact that those two armies had to meet in mexico was immaterial because they were fighting for the same issues - - defending freedom and democracy. latinos were joining the union army, union cavalry, union navy. " the french goal was to eliminate democracy, and remember that mexico had democracy only for 30 or 40 years at that point, " he added. " remember, europe was ruled mostly by monarchs. " french emperor napoleon iii " was no friend of the union and was definitely a friend of the confederacy and flirted with the confederacy constantly with the possible recognition of the confederate government, " hayes - bautista said. president abraham lincoln never referred to the confederacy as a separate government : they were states in rebellion, " the professor said. napoleon iii ' s plan was to instill a monarchy over mexico and " have that monarch cooperate with the confederacy, " hayes - bautista said. in early spring 1862, the union army was unable to move against the confederates, and american democracy was " apparently not doing too well, " hayes - bautista said. the french entry into mexico troubled hispanics, hayes - bautista said. " latinos in california were reading about every single battle of the civil war, " he said. " they were very well - informed, and they were reading with a three - week delay of similarly detailed reports from mexico. so by early may, the french were about 60 miles from mexico city as some latinos feared that the civil war might be over. " but the mexican army prevailed, and the spanish - language newspapers in california reported the victory with such headlines as " hurrah for mexico!!! hurrah for independence! " in his book, hayes - bautista writes : " in town after town, camp after camp, mine after mine, ranch after ranch, latinos eagerly absorbed the news. those who could read shared the glorious details with their illiterate fellows, and up and down the state, latinos savored the blow - by - blow reporting from the front lines of the conflict that had so riveted their attention. " the cinco


shared the glorious details with their illiterate fellows, and up and down the state, latinos savored the blow - by - blow reporting from the front lines of the conflict that had so riveted their attention. " the cinco de mayo victory was then memorialized through a network of latino groups called " juntas patrioticas mejicanas, " or mexican patriotic assemblies, mostly in california but also in oregon, nevada and arizona, with 14, 000 members, hayes - bautista said. the juntas celebrated cinco de mayo with monthly parades, speeches, dances, banquets and bull fights as a morale builder for lincoln and mexican president benito juarez, who, despite the cinco de mayo victory, was subsequently engaged in a three - year struggle against foreign occupation until 1867. " from 1862 to 1867, the public memory of cinco de mayo was forged in the american west, " hayes - bautista said. briefly after the civil war, veterans of the union and mexican armies would put on their uniforms and give speeches every cinco de mayo, he said. but by 1890, the grandchildren of the veterans and juntas had to be taught about cinco de mayo, hayes - bautista said. the meaning of the holiday changed over time, becoming a david versus goliath tale among mexican immigrants in the 1930s and embodying u. s. - mexico unity during world war ii and chicano power in the 1960s and 1970s, hayes - bautista said. in his book, he described cinco de mayo ' s " undeniable commercialization in the late 20th century, a fake holiday recently invented by beverage companies. " in his interview with cnn, hayes - bautista stated : " now it ' s become this big commercial holiday and a wonderful opportunity to get services and products in front of the latino market and it even got its own postage in 1996 and in 2005 president bush even had a cinco de mayo celebration at the white house.


the roots of the american nation thomas paine, as well as franklin, jefferson and washington, * belonged to the movement called freemasonry which in its modern " speculative " form began in london on june 24, 1717 the influence of freemasonry on the minds of educated men in europe and the colonies can hardly be overestimated. but to understand this influence on the collective mentality of a large proportion of the eighteenth - and - nineteenth - century intellectual and political classes, we have to take into consideration the fact, so often ignored or downgraded by historians, that throughout the development of the european culture, a series of usually ill - fated but oft - repeated attempts have been made to prolong and keep alive these aspects of the pre - christian near eastern culture which the fathers of the church, in alexandria and syria, had sought ruthlessly to suppress. we can lump the various movements against which the builders of christian orthodoxy fought under the general term of gnosticism ; but there were many kinds of gnostics, some linked with the hermetic movement in egypt, others with what, at a later period, was set down as the hebrew kabballah and no doubt was influenced by the old chaldeans ' wisdom of babylon. still other gnostic groups sought to prolong the orphic, eleusian, neo - pythagorean and neo - platonic traditions, and even the teachings of the buddhist missionaries who, in the time of the great indian king asoka, had settled on the shores of the dead sea. the catholic church was successful in condensing, appropriating and transforming much of the complex esoteric material that had been poured out by the gnostic " sects, " center in what it was able to keep of all these highly intellectual ideas and of the great symbols of the ancient mysteries around the personage of jesus christ, considered the one and only son of god. after a series of councils in which dissident groups were anathematized, the church triumphed and became the official religion of the disintegrating roman empire, then of the slowly settling down germanic and slavic tribes. it also absorbed the old celtic traditions. but this success was never total. gnostic movements sprang up here and there during the middle ages. the crusades, by bringing french, english and german noblemen in contact with the still flourishing centers of near eastern culture and tradition — especially with the sufi movement, which had become the esoteric aspect of islam ( 4


there during the middle ages. the crusades, by bringing french, english and german noblemen in contact with the still flourishing centers of near eastern culture and tradition — especially with the sufi movement, which had become the esoteric aspect of islam ( 4 ) — spurred the spread of mystical and occult movements. this was especially the case in southern france, where the influence of the mozarabic culture of islamic spain, and of kabbalistic doctrines, had been strongly felt. there the albigenses flourished along gnostic lines ; and in northern france the order of the templars also gained in importance and ( unfortunately for its members ) in wealth. ( 5 ) this led the french monarch to savagely destroy the two movements, with the help of the pope. at the same time, and under the influence of similar ancient traditions, the masons who were building the magnificent gothic cathedrals, under the leadership of architects whose names are mostly lost, incorporated in these cathedrals and their rose windows an immense amount of traditional occult and astrological symbolism. these lodges of " operative " masons were precursors of the lodges of " speculative " masons which were formed in the early eighteenth century or a little earlier. on june, 24, 1717, a grand master, anthony sayer, was elected and for the first time given jurisdiction over several masonic lodges, marking the effective beginning of modern speculative freemasonry. ( it is called " speculative " because it used basic philosophic concepts and symbolic rituals to bring to the intellectual classes of the western world a free, nondogmatic, nonecclesiastic approach to man, god and the universe. ) a fast - growing network of masonic lodges became the means whereby the rationalistic and humanistic ideals that for three centuries had been developing in europe could effectively be propagated. masonry had reached the american colonies during the seventeenth century, and according to the encyclopedia of american facts and dates ( a fascinating mine of information published by t. y. crowell company ), in — 1682 one john skene became the " first freemason to settle in burlington, new jersey. he belonged to the lodge in aberdeen, scotland, and came to the colonies through arrangement with the earl of perth, chief ' proprietor ' of new jersey and an outstanding freemason. " later, in 1730, " daniel coxe became the first appointed grand master of masons of the provinces of new york, new jersey and pennsylvania. " the birth charts of thomas paine, benjamin franklin, thomas


an outstanding freemason. " later, in 1730, " daniel coxe became the first appointed grand master of masons of the provinces of new york, new jersey and pennsylvania. " the birth charts of thomas paine, benjamin franklin, thomas jefferson and george washington are available for viewing. they may also be found in cyberworld khaldea ' s online chart gallery. editor. return cf. shah ' s book the sufis ( doubleday, new york, 1964 ) for a perhaps exaggerated report of the influence of sufism over the unofficial aspect of european culture. return it was founded in 1118 by the french knights hugh de payens and geoffrey de st. omer who were taught by representatives of the very old st. john ' s sect in the near east. return by permission of leyla rudhyar hill copyright © 1974 by dane rudhyar and copyright © 2001 by leyla rudhyar hill all rights reserved. web design and all data, text and graphics appearing on this site are protected by us and international copyright and are not to be reproduced, distributed, circulated, offered for sale, or given away, in any form, by any means, electronic or conventional. for full copyright statement and conditions of use. web design copyright © 2000 - 2004 by michael r. meyer. all rights reserved.


we ' re eating less fast food - - but not by much younger adults tend to eat more fast food than seniors americans are eating less fast food daily than they used to, according to a new report from the centers for disease control and prevention. but it ' s not much less. using data from 2007 to 2010, the cdc ' s national center for health statistics determined adults eat, on average, 11. 3 percent of their daily calories from fast food. that number was 12. 8 percent in 2006 - - a one - and - half point difference. as you would expect, younger adults tend to eat more fast food than seniors. people older than 60 eat approximately 6 percent of their daily calories from fast food. among the younger age groups, non - hispanic black adults eat the most fast food - - using more than one - fifth of their daily calories at fast food establishments. the cdc did not see a significant difference in fast food consumption based on income, according to the report. only in the 20 - to - 39 age group did fast food consumption drop as income increased. fast food has been linked to the obesity epidemic in the united states. not surprisingly, obese adults in each age group ate more of their calories from fast food. copyright 2013 by cnn newsource. all rights reserved. this material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


most active stories krwg. org - the region ' s home page sat january 12, 2013 from corn belt to main street : the drought ' s far - reaching grasp originally published on sat january 12, 2013 5 : 37 pm the u. s. had its hottest year on record last year. that heat, combined with the relatively dry winter that came before, has brought a historic drought. from forest fires and low crop yields, to infrastructure and recreation, the drought has been costly, with early estimates putting the cost at between $ 50 billion and $ 80 billion. the u. s. department of agriculture has declared a disaster area in more than 1, 000 counties, and now the drought is hitting america ' s most important waterway — the mississippi river. water levels are so low that the army corps of engineers is taking emergency action to keep the river navigable. " this is critically important to the economy of the midwest and of the nation, " illinois sen. dick durbin told reporters a few weeks ago. but beyond the dusty plains and dry rivers, the ripple effects of the drought are now being felt throughout the u. s. a not - so - mighty mississippi even if it doesn ' t look dry outside, you ' ve no doubt seen the effect of the drought : higher food prices, water main breaks, dried - out lakes and most recently, a very empty mississippi. that river is the country ' s most important waterway. everything from fertilizer to corn and coal are shipped along the winding river to cities across the country. with 3, 100 barges and 100 towboats, aep river operations, a st. louis - based barge company, usually moves about 70 million tons of cargo on inland waterways each year. but this year has been different. " with the drought scenario we ' re in on the mississippi, the low water conditions has just about brought the river to a close, " says marty hettel, manager of bulk sales for aep. he tells weekends on all things considered host jacki lyden that in current conditions, the company is operating at less than 45 percent shipping capacity. so far, mother nature and the army corps of engineers have kept the river open for business. the st. louis area got some rain a few days ago, helping raise the river level a couple of feet. hettel estimates levels are now about 6 feet below normal, but recent work by the corps has him optimistic. " we ' ll have enough water to operate at least through feb. 7 or 8, and i '


river level a couple of feet. hettel estimates levels are now about 6 feet below normal, but recent work by the corps has him optimistic. " we ' ll have enough water to operate at least through feb. 7 or 8, and i ' m really thinking it will be beyond that, " he says. " what happens from that point forward is up to mother nature and how much rain she can give us. " farms hit hard one of the biggest commodities shipped on the mississippi river is grain, but in some parts of the country, like the texas panhandle, there ' s a lot less of it to ship. the texas panhandle is still in the grip of drought. for the third year now, ranchers and farmers in amarillo have been searching for signs of moisture. in 2012, they had a second record low of just 12 inches of rain, up a little from the year before, but not enough. " if this goes on, we ' re going to be forced to sell our cows this next spring, " says phillip smith. he and his wife, doris, have been farming and ranching the land in amarillo — growing wheat, grain sorghum and hay for cattle — for more than 50 years. the smiths tell lyden that they have already sold off a lot of the herd, and this year might be the last for the " sunshine ranch, " as they ' ve dubbed their farmstead. as the drought began, phillip smith says, submoisture allowed them to produce a " less than average " crop for two years, but this year they might not be able to grow anything. " there is nothing growing on [ the fields ], it ' s pretty much bare ground, " doris smith says. " even the crops that we did plant in the late summer and early fall, because of the lack of moisture, those crops have died. " their farm is just one example of what is happening across the u. s., she says, and when agriculture suffers, we all suffer. " if you eat you are involved in agriculture [ and ] this really affects everybody, " she says. climatologists are hesitant to link any one drought to climate change, but there is consensus there will be more severe dry spells in the years to come. mark svoboda, a climatologist with the national drought mitigation center in lincoln, neb., helped create a drought tracking system about a decade ago. he says that many people didn '


spells in the years to come. mark svoboda, a climatologist with the national drought mitigation center in lincoln, neb., helped create a drought tracking system about a decade ago. he says that many people didn ' t realize drought is one of the leading causes of economic loss in the country. " the main goal was to heighten visibility of drought as a natural hazard that affects millions of people [ and ] covers millions of square miles across our country, " svoboda tells lyden. more than 60 percent of the country was under drought conditions at the drought ' s peak in 2012, svoboda says. what sets this drought apart from previous years is how long it has lasted. " a large part of the affected area [ s ] really are going into year two now, " he says, adding that some parts of the u. s. are even heading into a third year. svoboda says dry conditions brought on by droughts can cause respiratory problems and that losing a livelihood can affect mental health. dry soil, coupled with poor infrastructure, can also lead to water main breaks. " in houston, normally they might see 200 breaks a day, " he says. " they were seeing 700 a day during the summer months. " there is not a lot that can be done to be " drought proof, " svoboda says, but a more conservation mentality might help when times get tough. " even when times are good, let ' s preserve that water [ and ] get it back in the ground so that we can tap into it when times go dry like they are now, " he says. svoboda says he expects the country to be locked into the drought at least until spring.


new sensor provides first instant test for toxic e. coli organism | by jeffery kahn, jbkahn @ lbl. gov december 10, 1996 berkeley, ca - - researchers have developed a sensor that, for the first time, can instantly detect the presence of toxic e. coli bacteria. contamination by this bacteria is responsible for recent illnesses and deaths in the united states involving fruit drinks and fast - food hamburgers, a massive outburst of food poisoning in japan, and a current outbreak in scotland that is linked to 10 deaths. raymond stevens, a chemist at the ernest orlando lawrence berkeley national laboratory ( berkeley lab ), says the sensors his team have developed are capable of providing an extremely inexpensive, on - the - spot litmus test for e. coli strain 0157 : h7. first identified as a threat to humans in 1982, 0157 : h7 is the virulent strain of e. coli responsible for these outbreaks. illustration courtesy of chemistry & biology magazine says stevens, " these sensors have been designed so that the presence of the toxin produced by this strain of e. coli causes a color change, from blue to red. the greater the color change in the sensor, the higher the concentration of 0157 : h7 toxin. the color change is instantaneous. " up until now, no technology existed that would allow either food companies, health inspectors, or consumers to determine immediately whether e. coli 0157 : h7 is present. currently, the best detection method requires the taking of a sample which must be cultured for 24 hours. only then can technicians ascertain whether the bacteria are present ( with the use of a variety of tools ranging from microscopes to dyes. ) another detection technique, now under development, relies on polymerase chain reaction technology to multiply the amount of bacterial dna present in a sample to detectable levels. several hours must pass, however, before results can be obtained. the instant analysis provided by berkeley lab ' s new sensors has obvious advantages as a public health tool. dangerous pathogens can be detected before a food product has been shipped to the store. another advantage is cost. says stevens, " we can make an inexpensive sensor that can be placed on a number of different materials such as plastic, paper, or glass. the cost of the sensor is so nominal that it could be part of a bottle cap or container lid. if you open the product and the sensor has turned from blue to red, then you have a contaminated food product. " as for the maturity of the


cost of the sensor is so nominal that it could be part of a bottle cap or container lid. if you open the product and the sensor has turned from blue to red, then you have a contaminated food product. " as for the maturity of the technology, a number of steps must occur before these sensors can be used commercially. the technology must be licensed to a private company. and then, it must be refined and adapted for mass manufacture and sale. stevens, who is also an assistant professor of chemistry at the university of california at berkeley, developed the sensors in concert with berkeley postdoc quan cheng. the device is a modification of one originally described in the journal science by former lab scientist mark bednarski and lab materials scientist deborah charych. all are current or former members of berkeley lab ' s biomolecular materials program in its center for advanced materials. the center does basic research relevant to both the needs of industry and the department of energy. technically, the working part of the sensor consists of multiple copies of a single molecule which is fabricated into a thin film. this molecule has a two - part composite structure. the surface of the molecule - - developed by stevens and cheng - - binds the bacteria toxin. the backbone underlying this surface is the color - changing signaling system described by bednarski and charych. the biomolecular materials program focuses on adapting nature ' s biological systems to problems outside the living organism. in this case says stevens, " we have made synthetic surfaces that mimic the unique cellular binding sites for the toxins produced by e. coli 0157 : h7 interactions. when these toxins are produced, they hunt around for places to bind. when they find the right receptor site, they attempt to bind. this activity in humans causes disease. in the sensor, it is what triggers the color change. " the backbone of the sensor molecule is composed of a long diacetylene lipid, a molecule similar to the phospholipids that are the building blocks for cell membranes. exposure to uv light links the molecules together by activating a triple bond within the diacetylene lipids, creating a blue - tinted polydiacetylene ( pda ) film. pda films are sensitive to changes on their surface as manifested by the wavelength of light they transmit. when e. coli 0157 : h7 toxins bind to their synthetic membrane surface, the backbone chain of pda reorganizes. the sensor that was blue turns red. with the ability to instantly detect


the wavelength of light they transmit. when e. coli 0157 : h7 toxins bind to their synthetic membrane surface, the backbone chain of pda reorganizes. the sensor that was blue turns red. with the ability to instantly detect 0157 : h7, health authorities would have a powerful new weapon to combat what has been a continuing series of outbreaks. these include more than 380 cases of food poisoning and 10 deaths in scotland this month, all linked to tainted meat ; more than 60 confirmed cases of infections linked to unpasteurized fruit juice in late october ; 9, 400 cases of food poisoning in japan during the summer of 1995 ; and illnesses involving sausage and hamburger meat contamination in the u. s. in 1993 and 1994. the 0157 : h7 strain thrives in animal fecal material which is why it often shows up in meat. pasteurization of milk and juices - - a simple treatment with heat - - can kill the organism as can thorough cooking of meats. the bacteria strain is a potent health threat. undoubtedly, numerous unreported outbreaks of e. coli related disease have occurred. children and the elderly are particularly susceptible to infections. symptoms include diarrhea and internal bleeding, and death can result. berkeley lab has several patents pending on its sensors, which now are available for licensing to private industry. firms interested in information about licensing should contact viviana wolinsky in the lab ' s technology transfer department. wolinsky can be reached at 510 - 486 - 6467 or via e - mail at firstname. lastname @ example. org. berkeley lab conducts unclassified scientific research for the u. s. department of energy. it is located in berkeley, california and is managed by the university of california.


lesser long - nosed bats : nectar - powered bat math! counting the calories in cactus contributed by ginny dalton, bat biologist merlin d. tuttle, bci ever wonder : how much energy does it take to operate a bat? how many flowers must a bat visit to stay alive? get ready to count the calories in a cactus flower! after reading this page, you ' ll know everything necessary to answer these questions : - how many saguaro flowers does a bat have to visit to sustain it for one day? - for how many minutes does a bat have to forage to get the nectar it needs - how many saguaro plants do you think would be needed to feed a maternity colony of 10, 000 leptos? is the minimum number of hectares of land required to feed a bat colony containing 10, 000 much energy to operate a bat? let ' s look at how much energy is required by an adult lepto. here ' s an animal with a big energy demand for its size! ( now, nobody has ever measured this exactly for leptos, but we can use information about other bats and extend the results logically. ) it takes roughly 20. 2 kcal to maintain one of these bats for a day. a lepto uses about 100 times less energy in a day than a human does, as you can see on the chart below. but it weighs 2, 000 times less. obviously it takes more energy to operate an ounce of bat that an ounce of human! why? well, for one thing, bats fly - - and the energetic cost of flight is high. * note about calories : there is confusion in the layman ' s literature regarding calories. the calorie in everyday use is actually a kilocalorie ( kcal, also designated calorie, with a capital " c " ), 1000 times larger than a calorie with a lower case " c " ). in fact, the makers of labels on food boxes and cans in the grocery store are careless in their representation of this energy unit. the labels correctly use the upper case when stating total calories of the food within, but then many of them say " based on a 2, 000 calorie diet. " note the lower case " c. " if literally interpreted, it is based on a 2 cal ( or kcal ) diet, which doesn ' t make any sense. you and i can ' t live on 2 calories a day!! they actually


the lower case " c. " if literally interpreted, it is based on a 2 cal ( or kcal ) diet, which doesn ' t make any sense. you and i can ' t live on 2 calories a day!! they actually meant to write " calorie ; " instead they wrote " calorie. " calories in cactus flowers how much energy is available in the nectar of the flowers leptos visit? ( lepto is short for leptonycteris curasoae, or lesser long - nosed bats. ) it has been calculated that the nectar in saguaro flowers is about 24 % sugar. this nectar if very sweet : for comparison, classic coke is 10 % sugar! each flower holds about 1. 0 ml ( milliliter ) nectar. a single bat only takes about 0. 1 ml with each visit to a flower. a bat ' s stomach can hold about 4 ml of fluid when full. of those stomachs measured, 3 ml are sugar water and the remaining 1 ml was pollen. there are about 4 calories ( = 0. 004 kcal ) in a mg ( milligram ) of sugar. there is 1. 0 mg sugar in each microliter (. 001 ml ) of nectar. so how many calories in 1. 0 ml, the amount a flower holds? if a bat drains an entire flower, how many visits would the bat have to make to the flower? and how many total calories would it get from that single flower? ( don ' t forget to multiply your answer in cal / ml by 0. 24 since the nectar contains only 24 % sugar. ) i got 960 cal ( 0. 960 kcal ) in a single flower that contains 1. 0 ml nectar. so, since a bat takes about 0. 1 ml for each visit, a bat would have to visit about 10 flowers to get those 960 cal. q. how many flowers total does a bat have to visit to sustain it for one day ( 20, 200 cal = 20. 2 8 flowers per saguaro per night, how many saguaro plants would have to be visited? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ it takes about 30 seconds per visit to a flower ( that includes transit time to the flower ) for one sip ( 0. 1 ml ) of nectar. that makes us wonder : q. for how many minutes does a bat have to be flying to get the nectar it needs each day ( 24 hours )? _ _


time to the flower ) for one sip ( 0. 1 ml ) of nectar. that makes us wonder : q. for how many minutes does a bat have to be flying to get the nectar it needs each day ( 24 hours )? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ more bat math : mama and baby bats each female gives birth to a single young each year. just think how much energy will be needed by the pregnant bats after they give birth and start nursing! not enough information is available for calculating the exact requirements for pregnant females, but a near - term fetus of a 22 - gram female bat can weigh as much as 8 grams. a pregnant bat carrying that heavy a load can require about 40 % more power for flight. of all the calculations conducted on females during the various reproductive stages, lactation ( when the young are nursing ) is the most energetically demanding on the female. that, for the two months a female is pregnant, she requires an average of 27 flowers per night, since pregnant females require more energy. during pregnancy, how many flowers will one female require? _ _ _ _ _ _ how many flowers will be required by 10, 000 females? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ from studies conducted around tucson, arizona, the average saguaro produces 295 flowers per plant per growing season. ( a single plant blooms from 27 to 61 days and each plant can produce from 82 to 980 blossoms! ) q. how many saguaro plants do you think would be needed to feed a maternity colony of 10, 000 leptos? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ are 6 saguaro plants per hectare on average. using the figure of 295 flowers per plant per nearly 2 - month season, what is the minimum number of hectares of land required to feed a bat colony containing 10, 000 pregnant bats? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


kaizen is a japanese word which means continuous improvement. under this model it is believed that ongoing small changes will help the organisation to continuously progress or as some commentators have said “ evolve ”. as they are small changes they can apply to all areas of the business. under kaizen theory there is no limit to continuous improvement, so the improvement process will never end. anyone and everyone under kaizen theory all employees at all levels can come up with a change. it is believed that changes suggested by the people involved in the processes ( that the changes are about ) are going to be more effective. this is because such people have first hand experience of the process, they are aware of problems and their impact ; they may even be involved in previous changes that were not effective. kaizen theory values employees and invests in them. in a kaizen environment every employee has two jobs ; their company job and their job to look for areas which could benefit from improvement and provide suggestions on how to improve. the challenge for the management team is to convince employees that they have two jobs and one is just as important as the other. teamwork and cells for a kaizen business teamwork is paramount. employees will work together to improve individual and team performance. each team is known as a cell and will be responsible for a particular area of production. each cell is believed to be experts in their area of production and will be encouraged to hold discussions ( quality circles ) about how production can be improved. a kaizen organisation will gave each idea serious consideration and decide on which ones to implement. such consideration and implementation is important, if employees ' ideas are not implemented they will lose faith in the kaizen ethos and kaizen strategy will fail. targets and “ level – up ” to encourage employees to suggest ideas, kaizen includes setting employee and cell targets. achievement against targets will be on display so that everyone in the company can see how well the cell is doing. the posters showing a cells performance against their targets is known a “ level - up ” chart


the states parties to this convention, determined to act with a view to achieving effective progress towards general and complete disarmament, including the prohibition and elimination of all types of weapons of mass destruction, and convinced that the prohibition of the development, production and stockpiling of chemical and bacteriological ( biological ) weapons and their elimination, through effective measures, will facilitate the achievement of general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control, recognising the important significance of the protocol for the prohibition of the use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases, and of bacteriological methods of warfare, signed at geneva on 17 june 1925, and conscious also of the contribution which the said protocol has already made, and continues to make, to mitigating the horrors of war, reaffirming their adherence to the principles and objectives of that protocol and calling upon all states to comply strictly with them, recalling that the general assembly of the united nations has repeatedly condemned all actions contrary to the principles and objectives of the geneva protocol of 17 june 1925, desiring to contribute to the strengthening of confidence between peoples and the general improvement of the international atmosphere, desiring also to contribute to the realisation of the purposes and principles of the charter of the united nations, convinced of the importance and urgency of eliminating from the arsenals of states, through effective measures, such dangerous weapons of mass destruction as those using chemical or bacteriological ( biological ) agents, recognising that an agreement on the prohibition of bacteriological ( biological ) and toxin weapons represents a first possible step towards the achievement of agreement on effective measures also for the prohibition of the development, production and stockpiling of chemical weapons, and determined to continue negotiations to that end, determined for the sake of all mankind, to exclude completely the possibility of bacteriological ( biological ) agents and toxins being used as weapons, convinced that such use would be repugnant to the conscience of mankind and that no effort should be spared to minimise this risk, have agreed as follows : each state party to this convention undertakes never in any circumstances to develop, produce, stockpile or otherwise acquire or retain : ( 1 ) microbial or other biological agents, or toxins whatever their origin or method of production, of types and in quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes ; each state party to this convention undertakes to destroy, or to divert to peaceful purposes, as soon as possible but not


origin or method of production, of types and in quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes ; each state party to this convention undertakes to destroy, or to divert to peaceful purposes, as soon as possible but not later than nine months after the entry into force of the convention, all agents, toxins, weapons, equipment and means of delivery specified in article i of the convention, which are in its possession or under its jurisdiction or control. in implementing the provisions of this article all necessary safety precautions shall be observed to protect populations and the environment. each state party to this convention undertakes not to transfer to any recipient whatsoever, directly or indirectly, and not in any way to assist, encourage, or induce any state, group of states or international organisations to manufacture or otherwise acquire any of the agents, toxins, weapons, equipment or means of delivery specified in article i of the convention. each state party to this convention shall, in accordance with its constitutional processes, take any necessary measures to prohibit and prevent the development, production, stockpiling, acquisition or retention of the agents, toxins, weapons, equipment and means of delivery specified in article i of the convention, within the territory of such state, under its jurisdiction or under its control anywhere. the states parties to this convention undertake to consult one another and to co - operate in solving any problems which may arise in relation to the objective of, or in the application of the provisions of, the convention. consultation and co - operation pursuant to this article may also be undertaken through appropriate international procedures within the framework of the united nations and in accordance with its charter. ( 1 ) any state party to this convention which finds that any other state party is acting in breach of obligations deriving from the provisions of the convention may lodge a complaint with the security council of the united nations. such a complaint should include all possible evidence confirming its validity, as well as a request for its consideration by the security council. ( 2 ) each state party to this convention undertakes to co - operate in carrying out any investigation which the security council may initiate, in accordance with the provisions of the charter of the united nations, on the basis of the complaint received by the council. the security council shall inform the states parties to the convention of the results of the investigation. each state party to this convention undertakes to provide or support assistance, in accordance with the united nations charter, to any party to the convention which so requests, if the security council decides that such party has been exposed


of the results of the investigation. each state party to this convention undertakes to provide or support assistance, in accordance with the united nations charter, to any party to the convention which so requests, if the security council decides that such party has been exposed to danger as a result of violation of the convention. nothing in this convention shall be interpreted as in any way limiting or detracting from the obligations assumed by any state under the protocol for the prohibition of the use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases, and of bacteriological methods of warfare, signed at geneva on 17 june 1925. each state party to this convention affirms the recognised objective of effective prohibition of chemical weapons and, to this end, undertakes to continue negotiations in good faith with a view to reaching early agreement on effective measures for the prohibition of their development, production and stockpiling and for their destruction, and on appropriate measures concerning equipment and means of delivery specifically designed for the production or use of chemical agents for weapons purposes. ( 1 ) the state parties to this convention undertake to facilitate, and have the right to participate in, the fullest possible exchange of equipment, materials and scientific and technological information for the use of bacteriological ( biological ) agents and toxins for peaceful purposes. parties to the convention in a position to do so shall also co - operate in contributing individually or together with other states or international organisations to the further development and application of scientific discoveries in the field of bacteriology ( biology ) for the prevention of disease, or for other peaceful purposes. ( 2 ) this convention shall be implemented in a manner designed to avoid hampering the economic or technological development of states parties to the convention or international co - operation in the field of peaceful bacteriological ( biological ) activities, including the international exchange of bacteriological ( biological ) agents and toxins and equipment for the processing, use or production of bacteriological ( biological ) agents and toxins for peaceful purposes in accordance with the provisions of the convention. any state party may propose amendments to this convention. amendments shall enter into force for each state party accepting the amendments upon their acceptance by a majority of the state parties to the convention and thereafter for each remaining state party on the date of acceptance by it. five years after the entry into force of this convention, or earlier if it is requested by a majority of parties to the convention by submitting a proposal to this effect to the depositary governments, a conference of states parties to the convention shall


it. five years after the entry into force of this convention, or earlier if it is requested by a majority of parties to the convention by submitting a proposal to this effect to the depositary governments, a conference of states parties to the convention shall be held at geneva, switzerland, to review the operation of the convention, with a view to assuring that the purposes of the preamble and the provisions of the convention, including the provisions concerning negotiations on chemical weapons, are being realised. such review shall take into account any new scientific and technological developments relevant to the convention. ( 2 ) each state party to this convention shall in exercising its national sovereignty have the right to withdraw from the convention if it decides that extraordinary events, related to the subject matter of the convention, have jeopardised the supreme interests of its country. it shall give notice of such withdrawal to all other states parties to the convention and to the united nations security council three months in advance. such notice shall include a statement of the extraordinary events it regards as having jeopardised its supreme interests. ( 2 ) this convention shall be subject to ratification by signatory states. instruments of ratification and instruments of accession shall be deposited with the governments of the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland, the union of soviet socialist republics and the united states of america, which are hereby designated the depositary governments. ( 5 ) the depositary governments shall promptly inform all signatory and acceding states of the date of each signature, the date of deposit of each instrument of ratification or of accession and the date of the entry into force of this convention, and of the receipt of other notices. this convention, the english, russian, french, spanish and chinese texts of which are equally authentic, shall be deposited in the archives of the depositary governments. duly certified copies of the convention shall be transmitted by the depositary governments to the governments of the signatory and acceding states.


| the first televised orchestra concert philadelphia orchestra during the first televised orchestra concert photograph by jules schick 20 march 1948 at 5 : 00 p. m. on 20 march 1948, the philadelphia orchestra made broadcasting history as the first american orchestra to perform on network television. the hour - long concert, produced by wcau - tv, the philadelphia affiliate of the columbia broadcasting system ( cbs ), was broadcast live from the academy of music at the corner of broad and locust streets. the broadcast followed close on the heels of an agreement between the american federation of musicians, led by james petrillo, and the networks, which ended a three - year ban on live music performances on television. once the agreement had been reached, the networks jockeyed for the distinction of being the first to televise an orchestra concert. soon after the national broadcasting company ( nbc ) had announced plans to telecast an hour - long all - wagner concert by the nbc symphony orchestra under arturo toscanini at 6 : 30 p. m. on 20 march 1948, cbs countered by scheduling a concert by the philadelphia orchestra for the same evening, ninety minutes earlier. the philadelphia orchestra performed two works : the overture to carl maria von weber ' s opera der freischutz and the recently rediscovered symphony no. 1 by sergei rachmaninoff, which had received its united states premiere by the orchestra the previous evening.


halle study physician hoffmann, friedrich ( 1660 - 1742 ), the most famous physician in a family that had been connected with medicine for 200 years before him, was born at halle, february 19, 1660. he received his school education at the gymnasium of his native town, where he acquired that taste fur and skill in mathematics to which he attributed much of his after success. at the age of eighteen he went to study medicine at jena, whence in 1680 he passed to erfurt, in order to attend kasper cramer ' s lectures on chemistry. next year, returning to jena, he received his doctor ' s diploma, and, after publishinu° a thesis, was permitted to teach. constant study then began to tell on his health, and in 1682, leaving his already numerous pupils, he proceeded to minden in westphalia to recruit himself, at the request of a relative who held a high position in that town. after practising his profession at minden for two years, hoffmann made a journey to holland and england, where he formed the acquaintance of many illustrious chemists and physicians. towards the end of 1684 he returned to minden, and during the next three years he received many flattering appointments. in 1688 he removed to the more promising sphere of halberstadt, with the title of physician to the principality of halberstadt ; and on the founding of halle university in 1693, his reputation, which had been steadily increasing, procured for him the primarius chair of medicine, while at the stun. ; time he was charged with the responsible duty of framing the statutes for the new medical faculty. he filled also the chair of natural philosophy -. with the exception of four years ( 1708 - 12 ), which he passed at berlin in the capacity of royal physician, without however giving up his professorship, hoffmann spent the rest of his life at halle in instruction, practice, and study, interrupted now and again by visits to different courts of germany, where his services procured him honours and rewards. his fame became european. he was enrolled a member of many learned societies in different foreign countries, while in his own he became privy councillor. he died at halle, on november 12, 1742. hoffmann ' s writings, the result bath of compilation and original research, have still a considerable suggestive value, his theories, though sometimes vague and even idle, contributed in some degree to introduce a revolution in medical science ; while his doctrine of atuny and spasm in the living solid as the sole cause of internal


what is plastic surgery? plastic surgery is a medical specialty focused on the reconstruction of injured, impaired and defective parts of the face and body. reconstructive plastic surgery may be required as a result of birth defects or developmental disorders, injuries, burns and tumors or other diseases. although reconstructive plastic surgery may restore or improve a patients ’ appearance, the primary focus of plastic surgery is the restoration of the body. the term “ plastic ” derives from the greek term “ plastikos ” which means “ able to be molded ”. what procedures does a plastic surgeon perform? generally speaking, reconstructive plastic surgery involves the removal of tumors, repair of fractured bones and lacerations on the face and body, surgery on the hands, breast reduction ( in women and men ) and reconstruction, repair of cleft palates and other congenital abnormalities and skin grafts to repair severe burns. plastic surgeons can also create new body parts from tissue and skin, such as an ear, and attach it to a patient ; they also reattach amputated extremities. plastic surgery is an extensive field that has been broken down into the following subspecialties : is cosmetic surgery different than plastic surgery? - microsurgery – microsurgery entails the transfer of tissue, skin, muscle, bone or fat to other areas of the body where needed on the face and body, as well as the reconnection of blood vessels. popular procedures include breast reconstruction, head and neck reconstruction and hand surgery. - hand surgery – a part of microsurgery, hand surgery is practiced by hand surgeons, plastic surgeons, orthopedic surgeons and general surgeons. it focuses on the reconstruction of acute and chronic diseases of the hand and wrist, nerve problems ( carpal tunnel syndrome ) and the correction of congenital malformations of the hands as well as the reattachment of amputated extremities. - burn surgery – acute burn surgery is the treatment immediately after a burn ; reconstructive burn surgery takes place after the burn wounds have healed. common burn surgery procedures are skin grafts, in which areas of skin are transplanted to cover a burned area of skin. - craniofacial surgery – pediatric craniofacial surgery focuses on the reconstruction of congenital anomalies of the hard and soft tissues of the face, such as cleft lip and palate. adult craniofacial surgery focuses on the reconstruction of facial fractures, as well as orbital reconstruction (


surgery focuses on the reconstruction of congenital anomalies of the hard and soft tissues of the face, such as cleft lip and palate. adult craniofacial surgery focuses on the reconstruction of facial fractures, as well as orbital reconstruction ( area of the face around the eyes ) and orthognathic surgery ( surgery on the jaw and face to correct conditions such as sleep apnea or tmj ). - pediatric surgery – pediatric surgery is a blend of hand surgery and craniofacial surgery, dealing with deformities and defects in children. cosmetic surgery is a subspecialty of plastic surgery. however, unlike plastic surgery, cosmetic surgery is primarily focused on enhancing a patient ’ s appearance. cosmetic surgery can be performed on all areas of the head, neck and body, and is typically elective ( i. e. the necessity is at the discretion of the patient ). some of the most common cosmetic procedures include breast surgery ( either augmentation such as with implants sometimes desired after surgery for removal of cancers of the breast, or breast reduction desired for proportion or to improve comfort ), rhinoplasty or “ nose job ”, blepharoplasty or “ eyelid surgery ”, abdominoplasty or “ tummy tuck ” and liposuction. popular nonsurgical procedures include botox injections and laser hair removal.


probably more commentaries, study guides, and helps have been published on the book of psalms than on any other book of the bible. it is not my purpose here to supplant those other works. rather, i want to offer some suggestions to the christian on how to use the psalms so that he can then more profitably use these other works on the psalms. the psalms themselves were written throughout the entire period of old testament revelation, from the time of moses ( psalm 90 ) to the period after the exile ( psalm 126 ). the titles of seventy - two psalms ascribe them to david, while others are by solomon, asaph, heman, and the sons of korah. some of the psalms may have been used in temple worship ( hence the phrase “ to the choirmaster ” in more than fifty psalm titles ). the psalms are of different types. some are laments, both individual ( psalm 42 ) and corporate ( psalm 44 ). some are psalms of thanksgiving ( psalm 100 ), while others are hymns, or songs of praise ( psalm 96 ). some of the psalms are commonly referred to today as “ wisdom ” psalms, such as psalms 1 and 119. these psalms tend to be reflections on the word of god. some psalms, such as psalms 69 and 109 are referred to as “ imprecatory ” psalms, in which the substance of the psalm is a prayer against the enemies of god ( an imprecation ). the new testament writers refer to the book of psalms more often than any other book of the old testament. this tells the reader that one major focus of the psalms is the work of the messiah and his kingdom. since christ had not yet appeared, he is spoken of generally in types and shadows in the character of the davidic king. in some psalms, however, traditionally called “ messianic psalms, ” christ is spoken of directly and clearly. these messianic psalms include psalms 2, 22, 45, 72 and 110. hence one use of the book of psalms for the modern reader is to search there for christ. ( a very useful guide in this endeavor is william binnie ’ s the psalms : their history, teachings and use, recently reprinted as a pathway into the psalter, solid ground christian books, 2005 ). however, the book of psalms has another use as well. it is, as calvin says, “ an anatomy of all the parts of the soul. ” it is a guide to piety for the believer. in particular the book of


2005 ). however, the book of psalms has another use as well. it is, as calvin says, “ an anatomy of all the parts of the soul. ” it is a guide to piety for the believer. in particular the book of psalms provides guidance for the christian in four areas : meditation, expostulation, prayer, and song. the art of christian meditation is in our age largely a lost art, though our puritan and reformed forefathers wrote dozens of treatises on the subject. the term meditation has been appropriated by the practitioners of eastern and new age religions. insofar as meditation has come in to the evangelical church it has often come in under a baptizing of these new age ideas. meditation, as understood and practiced by new age religions, is an emptying of the mind. it is an attempt to achieve a sort of mindless spiritual condition in which the one meditating becomes open to “ spiritual forces, ” having been emptied, as it were, of himself and thus ostensibly open to the presence of god. the book of psalms, on the other hand, teaches the reader what true biblical meditation is. consider psalm 1 : 2 : “ his delight is in the law of the lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. ” in understanding the point this verse makes, it first must be understood that law here is not limited to the legal sections of the old testament. the word translated law is torah, and it means not just legal statements but “ every word that comes from the mouth of the lord ” ( deut. 8 : 3 ). thus, the practice of christian meditation is an intellectual, spiritual exercise in which the believer reflects on and considers the word of god, seeking first to understand it and second to apply it to himself. the word translated meditate has the idea of “ mutter, ” hence the idea of repeating, chewing over what has been read. psalm 119 is an example for the believer of a meditation on the law of god. virtually every verse in the psalm refers to torah, or some synonym as verse by verse the psalmist seeks to understand the meaning of god ’ s word for his own life. a number of the psalms are particularly useful as guides to meditation, among them psalms 1, 34, 37, 49, 111, 112, and 119. expostulation is another word that has virtually disappeared from the modern christian ’ s vocabulary. the verb expostulate is defined in webster ’ s new collegiate dictionary as “ to reason earnestly


, 37, 49, 111, 112, and 119. expostulation is another word that has virtually disappeared from the modern christian ’ s vocabulary. the verb expostulate is defined in webster ’ s new collegiate dictionary as “ to reason earnestly with a person for purposes of dissuasion or remonstrance. ” in the context of the use of the psalms, this has the idea of an earnest reasoning with oneself for the correcting of one ’ s views or behavior. talking to oneself, in this sense, is not a bad thing. it is a step beyond meditation in that it takes what the person has learned from the word of god, holds it up as a mirror to his beliefs and practices, and strives to correct those beliefs and practices. thus, a man tempted to sin would expostulate with himself regarding the awfulness of sin, the dishonor it does to god, the damage it does to the man himself, and the greater damage it does to the church at large. this is one significant way in which the christian actively develops a biblical worldview. a number of the psalms are excellent guides to the practice of expostulation. in psalm 11, for example, david has been brought to despair, or discouragement, by the question, “ if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? ” ( v. 3 ). in other words, things are falling apart, so you might as well give up. david responds by reminding himself that “ the lord is in his holy temple, ” “ the lord tests the righteous ” and hates the wicked, and “ the upright shall behold ” the face of god ( vv. 4 – 7 ). in other words, david reminds himself, based on the things he has learned from god ’ s word, that regardless of how things seem god is still in control and he is the judge of all the earth. other psalms that provide useful models for expostulation are psalms 34, 37, 42, 43, and 62. it is often a sad thing to hear the people of god pray. at least in public prayers ( the only prayers that others can evaluate ) god ’ s people often seem to lack vocabulary for prayer. if someone uses the acts approach to prayer ( adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication ) there is usually some brief mention of god ’ s greatness and goodness, some generic reference perhaps to our sinful condition, a few words of thankfulness for specific prayers that god has answered, and


confession, thanksgiving, and supplication ) there is usually some brief mention of god ’ s greatness and goodness, some generic reference perhaps to our sinful condition, a few words of thankfulness for specific prayers that god has answered, and a laundry list of supplications for those suffering from some illness or other. the christian who meditates on the psalms, however, can develop a powerful vocabulary for prayer. not only are many of the psalms examples of prayer, but even those that are not give us wonderful resources for opening our own hearts to god. look, for example, at the opening verses of psalm 18. david calls god his strength, his rock, his fortress, his deliverer, his refuge, his shield, the horn ( that is, the power ) of his salvation, and his stronghold. what great statements of adoration and thanksgiving! in addition, a little meditation here will remind the christian that david knew himself to be in the midst of spiritual warfare in which god was the sole basis for his comfort, strength, and deliverance. the modern christian is also in the midst of spiritual warfare, though he often seems to forget it, and carries on his life as if the real enemies with which he must do battle are those on the opposite end of the political spectrum. other psalms that give examples of prayers of different kinds are too numerous to list here, but the attentive reader can find them easily. finally, the psalms can be used to teach the christian to sing. the reformed churches developed a virile piety through the singing of psalms. some have the view that christians are required to sing only the psalms in public worship. while i have some sympathies for that view, i do not agree. however, the utter lack of singing of psalms that is characteristic of our age has contributed to the spiritual weakness of the church. not all psalms were intended to be songs, but many are. they can be set to old tunes, or to new tunes, but the church ( and the individual christian ) that seeks to add the singing of the psalms to their practice of praise will greatly enrich themselves. psalms 95 – 100 are particularly potent examples of songs of praise that have a deep and rich understanding of who god is, and his ways and purposes among the sons of men. in brief, the man who would grow as a christian will benefit by reading and meditating on any portion of the word of god. but if a man would grow in the vibrant piety that is the


ways and purposes among the sons of men. in brief, the man who would grow as a christian will benefit by reading and meditating on any portion of the word of god. but if a man would grow in the vibrant piety that is the lifeblood of the virile christian life, he could not do better than to immerse himself in the book of psalms. from them, he will learn what it is to meditate on the word of god. from them he will learn how to expostulate with himself in applying the word of god to his own discouragements and distresses of soul. from the psalms he will learn to pray with power and understanding. finally, from the psalms the christian will learn what it is to sing praise to our gracious savior god. © tabletalk magazine permissions : you are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way, you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, and you do not make more than 500 physical copies. for web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred ( where applicable ). if no such link exists, simply link to www. ligonier. org / tabletalk. any exceptions to the above must be formally approved by tabletalk. please include the following statement on any distributed copy : from ligonier ministries and r. c. sproul. © tabletalk magazine. website : www. ligonier. org / tabletalk. email : firstname. lastname @ example. org. toll free : 1 - 800 - 435 - 4343.


the gothic life of william blake : 1757 - 1827 quite possibly the greatest british poet and artist to ever live. the art history archive - gothic william blake may not fit into the role of what we consider to be a " modern goth "... but his poetry and art about sex, love, religion and especially death marks him as a goth within the romanticist period of art. he was a poet, an artist, a sexual liberator, a political activist and devoutly against the corruption within the catholic church. his art about dante in particularly shows his allegories against the catholic church and the politics of death. see also the following sites about william blake, gothic art & romanticism : poet, printmaker, visionary, the british artist william blake ( 1757 - 1827 ) made work that is both profoundly personal and universal. tate britain is now presenting the most comprehensive exhibition of blake ' s work ever held ( 9 november - 11 february 2001 ). the aim is to show blake as an artist, as a poet and as a man. blake saw himself as a medieval craftsman, not a sophisticated modern artist, and this part of the exhibition examines how the gothic world influenced his art, imagination and ideals. blake did not become famous in his own lifetime. only after his death did his fame spread wildly. the life william blake : blake was born in 1757, and died in 1827, at the age of sixty - nine. his poetry and his art reflected his personal beliefs in sex, love, innocence, corruption, religion, ecology and the environment. sex was not a sin in his mind, corruption was. william blake was born on november 28, 1757 in london at 28 broad street, golden square, where his father had a successful hosiery business. since blake was an unruly child his parents educated him at home instead of formal school. he spent his youth roaming about london and the countryside on the edge of town. he describes this in a song from his poetical sketches which he started writing at the age of thirteen : how sweet i roamed from field to field at the age of about ten, blake said that he saw his ' first vision ' when, sauntering along on peckham rye, he looked up to see a tree filled with angels. according to the accounts blake gave of his literary development, he was already reading the works of milton and isaiah as a child. at the age of ten, blake was sent to mr pars ' drawing school in the strand, where he copied plaster - casts of ancient


accounts blake gave of his literary development, he was already reading the works of milton and isaiah as a child. at the age of ten, blake was sent to mr pars ' drawing school in the strand, where he copied plaster - casts of ancient sculptures. his father, unable to afford the cost of placing blake as the pupil of a leading painter, took the prudent decision to apprentice him to an engraver at the age of fourteen. blake ' s master, james basire of queen street, lincoln ' s inn, was engraver to the london society of antiquaries. as a result, blake was sent to westminster abbey to make drawings of tombs and monuments. here he learned to love gothic art. he stood on the tombs to view them better and even made sketches when the grave of edward i was opened. in his free time, blake collected prints of then unfashionable artists such as durer, raphael, and michelangelo. in literature too, he rejected eighteenth - century polish, preferring the elizabethans ( shakespeare, jonson and spenser ) and ancient ballads, both authentic ( such as percy ' s reliques of ancient english poetry ), and forged ( such as macpherson ' s ossian and chatterton ' s poems of rowley ). in august 1779, blake was admitted to the royal academy ( founded by the painter sir joshua reynolds who was then its president ). paying his way by producing engravings for novels and catalogues, blake drew from casts, life models and corpses, and shared in the dream of founding a new english school of historical painting. there was, however, friction between blake and his teachers. reynolds recommended that he work with ' less extravagance and more simplicity ', while george michael moser, another teacher there, discouraged blake ' s admiration for the ' old, hard, stiff and dry unfinished works ' of raphael and michelangelo. on the other hand, blake was inspired by the artist james barry and his grand historical paintings. he made friends with other young artists and was able to exhibit his own historical watercolours. blake married catherine boucher at st mary ' s, battersea in 1782. the newly - weds then moved out of blake ' s father ' s house to green street, near leicester square. in the next year blake ' s poetical sketches were published, and there was even talk of raising a subscription to send him to study in rome. in the summer of 1784, blake ' s father died. while the eldest son, james,


. in the next year blake ' s poetical sketches were published, and there was even talk of raising a subscription to send him to study in rome. in the summer of 1784, blake ' s father died. while the eldest son, james, took over the hosiery business in number 28, blake and his wife moved into the next - door house at 27 broad street. there he set up in business as a print seller in partnership with james parker. the partnership lasted only three years, and in 1787 blake moved to a house around the corner in poland street. in the same year his beloved younger brother, robert, died. blake sat by him during his last illness, and claimed to see his spirit pass through the ceiling on its way to heaven. blake said that the spirit of robert came to him ' in a vision in the night ' and revealed the secret technique for combining poem and picture on a single printing plate. in 1788, blake started work on the first of his illuminated books using this method. his first efforts were in simple, chapbook style, but by 1789, the songs of innocence had been completed with blake and his wife hand - producing the book. in the words of blake ' s first biographer alexander gilchrist, they did everything ' except manufacturing the paper '. lambeth was still a village when blake and his wife moved to no. 13 hercules buildings in 1791. a much larger house than any blake had lived in before, it provided the light and space that he needed for his work. blake now entered upon the most creative and productive period of his life. blake ' s work had become more overtly political after the upheavals in france in 1789. his poem the french revolution, though printed in 1791 by joseph johnson ( publisher of tom paine ' s rights of man ), was deemed too dangerous to actually publish. by this time, blake already felt himself to be losing out to his contemporaries in the art world, and now he saw the door to public recognition closing. the 1793 co - publication of the gates of paradise, an emblem book for children, was blake ' s last venture into commercial publishing. in october of the same year, blake published his prospectus a public advertisement of his recent works. the prospectus was also a critique of the establishment and the difficulty of gaining reconition for artists who lacked ' the means to propagate such works as have wholly absorbed the man of genius '. blake was literally taking matters into his own hands by producing his own work and offering it


the establishment and the difficulty of gaining reconition for artists who lacked ' the means to propagate such works as have wholly absorbed the man of genius '. blake was literally taking matters into his own hands by producing his own work and offering it for sale at his home. the prospectus advertised the illuminated prophetic books which had begun to pour forth from his press : the marriage of heaven and hell, a brief epic interspersed with proverbs, the visions of the daughters of albion, an allegory about freedom, and america, a prophecy, a mixture of history and myth, all date from 1793. there was no letting up in 1794, when the songs of experience ( the pessimistic ' contrary ' volume to the songs of innocence ) was completed. in the same year blake also published europe, a prophecy ( an allegory of the political situation in europe with warnings about the dire consequences of war ), and the first book of urizen ( his account of the origins of mankind and the natural world ). the illustrations in blake ' s prophetic books had been growing ever larger and more colourful. it was therefore a logical step for him to adapt his printing - methods to produce full - scale paintings. the year 1795 saw the production of the series of twelve large watercolour prints, including newton and nebuchadnezzar and the house of death ( shown here ), which biographer peter ackroyd calls ' the finest artistic statement of blake ' s lambeth visions '. in 1796, richard edwards, a bookseller, commissioned blake to illustrate young ' s night thoughts, a philosophical verse epic immensely popular in the late eighteenth century. ultimately, however, edwards lost interest, and finally less than half the poem was published, with only forty - three engravings from blake ' s 500 watercolours. blake ' s friend, the sculptor john flaxman, commissioned him to illustrate the poems of thomas gray. in addition, blake ' s most important patron the civil servant thomas butts, commissioned a series of biblical paintings from him. however, this work was not enough to compensate for price inflation and the depressed art market, caused by the war with france. work was scarce and life was hard, so it seemed like a stroke of luck when william hayley, an eccentric gentleman poet, invited blake down to live on his estate in sussex. the blakes were glad to leave the ' terrible desert of london ' for ' sweet felpham '. delighted by the natural beauty around him, blake


hayley, an eccentric gentleman poet, invited blake down to live on his estate in sussex. the blakes were glad to leave the ' terrible desert of london ' for ' sweet felpham '. delighted by the natural beauty around him, blake embarked on his new life in sussex with great optimism. blake received many commissions from his new patron, producing plates for hayley ' s ballad little tom the sailor, and engravings for his ballads on anecdotes relating to animals and for his life of cowper. but by 1802, the situation had soured. blake was tired of the endless stream of trivial commissions from hayley and his society neighbours. he had no wish to waste his talents painting a series of great poets ' portraits for hayley ' s new library ( see portrait of milton above ), or handscreens for his neighbour, lady bathurst. the next year blake wrote a letter to his patron butts stating that only in london that he could ' carry on his visionary studies... see visions, dream dreams '. to make matters worse, in august 1803 blake had driven a soldier, private john schofield, out of his garden, allegedly uttering the treasonous words ' damn the king. the soldiers are all slaves. ' scheduled to be put on trial for sedition, blake moved back to london in late 1803, thoroughly sick of his officious patron, of his damp cottage and of the law. he briefly returned to sussex in early 1804 and was acquitted to the riotous approval of the court. blake ' s optimism about his return to london was ill - founded. at his new lodgings on the first floor of no. 17 south moulton street, he began work on the illuminated books, milton and jerusalem. however, commercial work proved even more elusive than it had before. ' art in london flourishes, ' he wrote, ' yet no one brings work to me '. when the publisher robert cromek approached him to both illustrate and engrave the poet robert blair ' s grave, blake ' s luck seemed to have taken a turn for the better. the disappointment was only the more intense, therefore, when cromek ultimately chose the artist schiavonetti to engrave blake ' s illustrations instead of blake himself. the grave proved a success, but blake received little financial reward. he now became increasingly paranoid and cantankerous, breaking off from most of his friends and patrons. in 1806, cromek teamed up with the artist thomas stothard to produce a


proved a success, but blake received little financial reward. he now became increasingly paranoid and cantankerous, breaking off from most of his friends and patrons. in 1806, cromek teamed up with the artist thomas stothard to produce a painting and engraving of chaucer ' s canterbury pilgrims. blake claimed they had stolen the idea from him and when stothard ' s work was exhibited to great acclaim, blake decided to hold a one - man exhibition centered around his own version of the canterbury pilgrims. unfortunately, he could not afford to show his work in a fashionable part of town, so his exhibition was held in his brother ' s hosiery shop in may 1809. almost no one came. the reviews were cruel, mocking blake as ' an unfortunate lunatic whose personal inoffensiveness secures him from confinement ', and dismissing his descriptive catalogue as ' a farrago of nonsense... and egregious vanity '. by 1810, blake was impoverished and estranged from his friends and patrons. indeed his first biographer entitled the chapter dealing with the period 1810 - 1817 ' years of deepening neglect '. but blake continued to work, believing his jerusalem, an epic about war, peace and liberty focused on london, to be his finest work. as blake turned sixty, his work at last began to find passionate admirers among younger artists, such as the watercolourists john linnell and john varley. it was varley who encouraged blake to draw sketches of his ' spiritual visitants ', of which the most famous is the ghost of a flea. linnell, meanwhile, despite being over thirty years blake ' s junior, commissioned works for himself, and helped blake secure commissions from others. it was thanks to his influence that blake made the woodcuts for robert thornton ' s schooltext of virgil ' s pastorals in 1821. and linnell himself ordered a duplicate set of the watercolours of the book of job ( originally produced for thomas butts ) and commissioned the series of drawings from dante ' s divine comedy in 1824. in 1821, blake moved to a couple of rooms in fountain court, strand, from which he could see the thames. his young admirers called him ' the interpreter ', and confident in the judgement of posterity, he grew into a gentler and less angry man. in the spring of 1827, blake fell ill. a friend at his deathbed said he died ' singing of the things he saw in heaven ' on august 12 at the age of sixty


virgil, and the exaggerated pose of the fleeing dante. notice also that the three beasts hardly look terrifying at all. blake, in fact, seemed to have difficulties depicting wild animals. compare, for example, the tiger in songs of experience ). dante is being led by virgil, the roman poet, through hell, purgatory and paradise. here they are shown entering the gate of hell. once inside, they shall first pass through the region where the souls of the uncommitted ( those who lived their lives without doing anything notably good or bad ) reside. they shall then be ferried by charon across the river acheron into hell proper. virgil is the right - hand figure in blue, dante the left - hand one in grey. notice how the greenery framing the outside of the gate contrasts with the bleak panorama of fire and ice inside. if you look carefully you can see tiny figures in torment on the hills. these successive hills represent the different circles of hell, where the souls of people guilty of different sins are punished in an appropriate manner. those guilty of the sin of lust, for example, are buffeted about by the winds of passion and desire in the second circle. in this circle people guilty of the sin of lust are whirled round and round in an unending storm. the storm, of course, represents irresistible passion. among those being blown about are mythic and historical queens such as helen of troy and cleopatra of egypt. dante, however, chooses to speak to paolo and francesca, famous lovers from rimini. francesca had been married to the brave, but physically deformed gianciotto. she was reading an arthurian romance with his better - looking brother, paolo, when passion got the better of them. gianciotto, enraged, murdered them both, for which he was consigned to the deepest circle of hell ( where dante shall later meet him ). dante is so moved by this romantic tale that he faints, hence his position flat on his back. notice that above virgil ' s head a sun - like disc contains a sketch of a couple embracing, while the wind - blown lovers themselves seem to be flying up and out of the picture to freedom. blake disapproved of dante for depicting god as a vengeful judge, whose role was to inflict ingenious punishment ( similar to his own urizen ), and these details are his subtle protest. as we can see in poems such as ' the garden of love ', blake himself believed that suppress


judge, whose role was to inflict ingenious punishment ( similar to his own urizen ), and these details are his subtle protest. as we can see in poems such as ' the garden of love ', blake himself believed that suppressing desire was a far worse crime than yielding to it. cerberus is a monstrous three - headed dog who stood guard over hades, the hell of classical mythology. here in the divine comedy he stands guard over the third circle of hell. he is always hungry, and will only allow dante and virgil to pass after they have placated him by throwing earth into his three mouths. it is the gluttons who are punished in this circle. their fate is to lie wallowing in the mud like pigs, pelted by an endless storm of hail and snow, in the very opposite of luxury. compare this monster with those in dante running from the three beasts or ghost of a flea. simony is the sin of exploiting one ' s position in the church to make money, and the eighth circle of hell is a chasm containing the popes guilty of this sin. their punishment is to be thrust upside down in a stone hole, with the soles of their feet on fire. this picture depicts pope nicholas iii. dante has just been ranting against the corruption of the church, and against nicholas in particular. in response, pope nicholas has writhed in anger, causing an alarmed dante to leap into virgil ' s arms. notice how dante seems to have literally shrunk from fear. notice also the blue - lighting that gives an atmosphere of unworldly horror to this dynamic picture. in this picture dante ( standing in the right hand corner ) finally meets beatrice, who is the crowned figure on the chariot. beatrice was the love of dante ' s life, and was the subject of his first collection of poems, vita nuova. she died when she was only 25 years old - hence her presence in the afterlife as the central figure of the divine comedy. anxious that dante had gone astray after her death, it was beatrice who, in the scheme of the poem, arranged for virgil to guide him through hell and purgatory. she is veiled but dante nonetheless senses who she is and begins to tremble. beatrice, however, represents more than love. in the scheme of the poem she is divine revelation and grace. the rich and bright colours used here express dante ' s double delight. he is reunited with his lady - love, and at the same time


early migration chapter1 author : fr lawrence e. attard on november 12th 1903 the british governor of malta, sir charles mansfield clarke, addressed the new legislative assembly in valletta and hinted at a major headache that was troubling the administration. the particular problem which was troubling the governor was the expanding population of the maltese islands which in 1901 had reached the total of 184, 742. the colonial administration was worried about too many civilians crowding the restricted space of these small islands which happened to be a very important base for the british navy. on that particular day sir mansfield clarke said that the maltese islands had the highest population density in the world and that unless new measures were taken the excessive population of the towns would pose a very serious problem. more than ninety years before, in 1812, a british commission of inquiry had been sent to malta to suggest how to govern the island which had not as yet been formally incorporated into the empire. the royal commissioners commented favourably on the general standard of living of the maltese who were not only contented with their newly acquired status of association with great britain but were also enjoying unprecedented wealth and prosperity. however the commissioners did note that the maltese not only lived long but also loved their families, which were usually large, and because of this there were too many people on an island which was primarily a strategic base for the royal navy. in spite of such dire forebodings the maltese always managed not only to survive but also to live in a degree of comfort not always shared by their mediterranean neighbours. maltese harbours flourished after 1869 when the suez canal was opened and valletta became the chief bunkering station in the mediterranean when ships of various nationalities called in for coal. the initial years of the twentieth century had brought with them an economic boom and admiralty works in the dockyard kept many workers busy ; in 1905 the number of men employed by the naval establishment was 9, 175. the war office undertook the construction of various barracks, and the two great arms of the breakwater, which made the waters inside grand harbour safe throughout the year, were by now nearing completion. no wonder that there was no real unemployment and that labourers had to be lured from spain and italy. as wages went up so did the material well being of the maltese. according to r. vadala the maltese had in 1901 a fleet of some thirty - five boats which employed two hundred and twenty - seven men. it had long been suggested that a locally financed merchant fleet would not only provide more jobs but would also bring in more revenue.


cities had indirectly helped to bring malta ' s economic boom and trade monopoly to an end. the difficulty of finding work at home, coupled with the decrease in trade with foreign countries, made the maltese worker look to emigration as a solution to this double problem. maltese had been emigrating to the lands bordering on the mediterranean for many years and there were maltese colonies in egypt, tripolitania, tunisia and algeria. the colonisation of cyprus and the ionian isles had been tried with no spectacular success and even the little island of lampedusa was turned into a maltese colony for some forty years. the british had never involved themselves in organised emigration from malta but they considered emigration as a possible solution to the overpopulation of the island which would cost them nothing. the local papers plunged into the argument for or against emigration with uncontrolled zest. newspapers with imperial loyalties, which were published in english, favoured emigration to the vast and empty lands of the empire or at least to countries where english was spoken. other newspapers considered emigration as an evil tool of the imperialists who were secretly planning to get rid of th, civilian population so that the island would better serve its military and naval call as one of britain ' s most strategic bases. a daily newspaper published in english which strongly advocated organised emigration was the daily malta chronicle. in an editorial dated september 30th 1910 the paper said : " there is one question which rises above all other questions. month by month it acquires greater importance. it may well be called our burning question : it is the question of emigration. there can be no longer any hope for us of welfare, except in getting for ourselves another home in a favourable land ". in a somewhat dramatic vein the editor put the question to his readers : " what is to become of us? when we had a mighty fleet and a great garrison, we could all get along somehow... we are left like some tree that had flourished in good soil but at length could find but scanty nourishment in the ground. the tree decays because it cannot be transplanted. and we shall decay unless we are determined to transplant ourselves! " the prolonged absence of the navy from maltese harbours de discharges from the dockyard inevitable. a number of men were employed as casuals only to be declared redundant when their jobs had been finished. others, barely surviving on very low wages, were often sent on compulsory leave for an indefinite period during which even those low wages were withheld. workers and their families who were living under such insecure


be declared redundant when their jobs had been finished. others, barely surviving on very low wages, were often sent on compulsory leave for an indefinite period during which even those low wages were withheld. workers and their families who were living under such insecure conditions began to look to other places where work was available and skilled people were appreciated. another newspaper, the malta herald, in a letter dated june 16th 1913 aired the prevalent despondency : " workpeople who are living in these straits have no option to resort to, but to quit their island home and settle in such parts of america where work is plentiful, substantial wages prevail, and the employers ' treatment and appreciation of skill, sobriety and honesty of the labour employed are of the very best ". another correspondent laments that... " wages have fallen to nothing... there are mechanics, even doing dangerous work, who receive 14s a week. one shilling and four pence a day is considered to be remuneration enough for thousands of able bodied workmen! " accordingtoaparliamentaryquestionputbylordchariesberesfordin1913 to the first lord of the admiralty, dr macnamara, in the british house of commons, wages in malta had remained practically stationary for the last thirty years. unemployment had brought an increase in the number of beggars who were seen pestering people ; many of these beggars were young children pushed out into the streets by their parents in order to earn that little extra money. these were usually the children of illiterate parents ; but the children of the more comfortable middle classes had their worries too. malta has always had to carry the burden of those who by family tradition feel that manual work is not for them. between 1909 and 1912 some two hundred students had received their diplomas and degrees from the royal university and these swelled the ranks of lawyers, notaries and legal procurators ; in those unsettled days these students had little prospects for a remunerative practice. many of them ended up by entering the political arena for the sake of having something to do. although the island suffered because of the superfluous number of men who had come out from the university, there certainly was enough room for good doctors. maltese generally enjoyed good health, but the prevalent poverty which preceded the first world war and the primitive standards in hygiene did contribute to occasional scares of cholera and fever ; trachoma was unfortunately very common. it is only fair to state that


good doctors. maltese generally enjoyed good health, but the prevalent poverty which preceded the first world war and the primitive standards in hygiene did contribute to occasional scares of cholera and fever ; trachoma was unfortunately very common. it is only fair to state that other countries did not fare much better. immigrants from southern europe and the mediterranean littoral were particularly scrutinised as they set foot in receiving countries because of the diseases referred to and also because of the obvious prejudices enter - tained in those days against catholics and latins in english - speaking countries. in 1911 a number of emigrants from malta were left stranded on ellis island, new york, because their eyes were infected with trachoma ; in spite of the hardships endured and the expense which they had to make in order to make the voyage from malta to the u. s. a., all of them were sent back. trachoma had been widespread in malta for many years and was only eradicated during the late forties when systematic inspections were carried out in the schools and throughout the villages. it seems that few were the doctors in malta who had professional knowledge of the disease because a number of prospective migrants had been examined before they emigrated only to be refused entry once they were examined by health officials. very often, those same migrants who carried with them official certificates which stated that they had had their eyes examined by local doctors, were found to be sufferers from trachoma. professor lawrence manche ' was in charge of the ophthalmic institute at hamrun where he and his son examined men and women who were going to foreign countries. when the professor appeared before the royal commission on december 13th 191 1, he stated that he had examined some 1, 500 cases in his clinic. he also stated that although he had published leaflets in maltese about the causes of trachoma and wrote down suggestions on how to check the infection, he did not believe that his leaflets had had much impact on the populace because so many people were illiterate. the professor also criticized district medical officers who treated patients suffering from trachoma very superficially. the report of the royal commission of 1912 stated clearly that... " no candidate should be approved unless he possesses a medical certificate that his health will enable him to stand the climate and other conditions of the country in which he is to work. there are diseases to which malta is subject which add to the importance of this consideration ". in fact the colonial administration of the time did very little to follow the sound advice given by


climate and other conditions of the country in which he is to work. there are diseases to which malta is subject which add to the importance of this consideration ". in fact the colonial administration of the time did very little to follow the sound advice given by the royal commissioners. emigration continued till 1914 in a very unplanned manner. the rulers of malta simply had developed no policy regarding emigrants and emigration. the emigrant had to plan his future on his own because he found hardly anybody willing to help him. illiteracy, destitution, disease, rough manners and the language handicap, weighed so heavily against the maltese migrant, that one cannot but admire the courage and resourcefulness of those early emigrants who set out on their own for the vast spaces of foreign countries when, till then, they had hardly ever ventured away from their village square. the secretary of the malta emigration committee, dr charles mattei, in a letter written on march 17th 191 1, to a local newspaper gave a somewhat cynical account of how the eminently practical doctor disposed of his less fortunate brethren who had applied to emigrate but who had no knowledge of the english language. the letter ran thus : " as many people have asked me how the language difficulty is overcome by our countrymen emigrating to north america, the following may be of interest. i give a man a piece of cardboard with the following writing in large letters : i am - e. g. antonio calleja a british subject from malta, europe - 1 am perfectly healthy in body and mind 1 have enough money according to united states immigration law : and a fully paid ticket to my destination - 1 want to go to e. g. mr fenech, sansome street, san francisco, california - please send me on ". " the emigrant was instructed to hand this round his neck, over his clothes on his chest, in a conspicous place and be sure to have it on when landing, when going through the immigration offices at ellis island, new york, and on the train - to trust implicitly and obey to the best of his intelligence officials with long blues frock coats and brass buttons ". " practically i attached a label to this man and sent him by mail carriage paid and he was safely delivered - the man reached his destination safely without trouble and is now working at two and a half dollars a day. on reaching san francisco he was put on a tram car and dropped at mr fenech ' s place. one could be dropped at st. bruno where


man reached his destination safely without trouble and is now working at two and a half dollars a day. on reaching san francisco he was put on a tram car and dropped at mr fenech ' s place. one could be dropped at st. bruno where other maltese live - they soon recognise each other through a cummerband, or curls on the forehead, or a maltese cross hanging about somewhere. there is now a ' parcel ' of six women and four children waiting to be ' mailed '. " subsequent history remained silent on what happened to such hapless people in search of work and food in lands completely strange to them. mattei ' s attitude does not show any particular concern about later experiences of these migrants. the letter indicates that any interest that was shown in emigration seemed to have been to deliver the goods and conveniently forget about the whole thing as soon as possible. the image of the maltese emigrant was that of a poor and confused itinerant. when in 1912 some migrants were about to embark on a boat that would eventually take them to brazil, professor manch @ noticed that some of them had neither enough clothing nor the financial means to support themselves during the long voyage. manche ' suggested that a voluntary subscription should be opened to provide those men and women with some decent covering. the impression given by maltese migrants to australia and north africa was also unsatisfactory. the tunis correspondent of the daily malta chronicle wrote on august 9th 1913 about maltese immigrants who arrived in groups, without having any shoes on their feet or jackets on their backs. in australia people looked on the maltese in amazement because they spoke a language nobody could understand. the same corres - pondent noted that the maltese were known for their foul language and that the french in north africa referred to them as swearers. one other nuisance which seemed to be associated with the maltese abroad and at home was the habit of spitting which they seemed to be doing ail the time. the general impression in malta before the outbreak of the first world war was that emigration was the only solution to the problem of over - population and unemployment. workers without a job were considered as a potential danger to the stability of the political system and to the efficiency of the island as an important imperial base. even the local middle classes were uneasy at the sight of unemployed people because these were now a burden on the economy. it should be remembered that while the ruling classes of malta discussed emigration and argued about the countries which offered the best opportunities, they themselves felt that they were only academically