1. How do you define racism?

As with other “isms” (like capitalism, communism, etc.), racism is both an ideology and a system. As such, I define it in two ways.

As an ideology, racism is the belief that population groups, defined as distinct “races,” generally possess traits, characteristics or abilities, which distinguish them as either superior or inferior to other groups in certain ways. In short, racism is the belief that a particular race is (or certain races are) superior or inferior to another race or races.

As a system, racism is an institutional arrangement, maintained by policies, practices and procedures — both formal and informal — in which some persons typically have more or less opportunity than others, and in which such persons receive better or worse treatment than others, because of their respective racial identities. Additionally, institutional racism involves denying persons opportunities, rewards, or various benefits on the basis of race, to which those individuals are otherwise entitled. In short, racism is a system of inequality, based on race.

2. How is racism different from white supremacy?

White supremacy is the operationalized form of racism in the United States and throughout the Western world. Racism is like the generic product name, while white supremacy is the leading brand, with far and away the greatest market share.

3. Do you think all whites are racist?

I believe that all people (white or of color) raised in a society where racism has been (and still is) so prevalent, will have internalized various elements of racist thinking: certain beliefs, stereotypes, assumptions, and judgments about others and themselves. So in countries where beliefs in European/white superiority and domination have been historically embedded, it is likely that everyone in such places will have ingested some of that conditioning. I think all whites — as the dominant group in the U.S. — have been conditioned to accept white predominance in the social, political and economic system, and to believe that white predominance is a preferable arrangement for the society in which they live, the neighborhoods in which they live, the places where they work, etc.

However, this doesn’t mean that all whites, having been conditioned in that way, are committed to the maintenance of white supremacy. One can challenge one’s conditioning. One can be counter-conditioned and taught to believe in equality, and to commit oneself to its achievement. These things take work — and they can never completely eradicate all of the conditioning to which one has been subjected — but they are possible.

In other words, we can be racist by conditioning, antiracist by choice. That racism is part of who we are does not mean that it’s all of who we are, or that it must be the controlling or dominant part of who we are. By the same token, just because we choose to be antiracist, does not mean that we no longer carry around some of the racism with which we were raised, or to which we were and are exposed.

4. Do you think people of color can be racist against whites?

At the ideological level, anyone can be racist because anyone can endorse the kinds of thinking that qualifies as racism, as defined above. At the systemic level, people of color can be racist in theory, but typically not in practice, and certainly not very effectively. Although a person of color in an authority position can discriminate against a white person, this kind of thing rarely happens because, a) such persons are still statistically rare relative to whites in authority, b) in virtually all cases, there are authorities above those people of color who are white, and who would not stand for such actions, and c) even in cases where a person of color sits atop a power structure (as with President Obama), he is not truly free to do anything to oppress or marginalize white people (even were he so inclined), given his own need to attract white support in order to win election or pass any of his policy agenda. Ultimately, there are no institutional structures in the U.S. in which people of color exercise final and controlling authority: not in the school systems, labor market, justice system, housing markets, financial markets, or media. As such, the ability of black and brown folks to oppress white people simply does not exist.

Having said that, it is certainly true that in other countries, people of color could have power sufficient to discriminate against others, including whites. Although even anti-white bias in those places is somewhat limited by the reality of global economics and the desire for good relations with the West, it is possible for persons of color in those places to mistreat whites individually and, occasionally, collectively. But it is absurd to believe that anti-white racism, practiced by people of color, remotely equates as a social problem to white racism against people of color. While all racism is equally objectionable morally and ethically, they are not practically equivalent by a long shot.
5. What do you mean by white privilege?

White privilege refers to any advantage, opportunity, benefit, head start, or general protection from negative societal mistreatment, which persons deemed white will typically enjoy, but which others will generally not enjoy. These benefits can be material (such as greater opportunity in the labor market, or greater net worth, due to a history in which whites had the ability to accumulate wealth to a greater extent than persons of color), social (such as presumptions of competence, creditworthiness, law-abidingness, intelligence, etc.) or psychological (such as not having to worry about triggering negative stereotypes, rarely having to feel out of place, not having to worry about racial profiling, etc.).

Operationally, white privilege is simply the flipside of discrimination against people of color. The concept is rooted in the common-sense observation that there can be no down without an up, so that if people of color are the targets of discrimination, in housing, employment, the justice system, or elsewhere, then whites, by definition, are being elevated above those persons of color. Whites are receiving a benefit, vis-a-vis those persons of color: more opportunity because those persons of color are receiving less. Although I believe all persons are harmed in the long run by racism and racial inequity — and thus, white privilege comes at an immense social cost — it still exists as a daily reality throughout the social, political and economic structure of the United States.

The fact that white privilege exists and that all whites have access to various aspects of it, does not, however, mean that all whites are wealthy, or that in competitions for jobs and other opportunities, whites will always win. The fact of general advantage doesn’t require unanimity of outcomes favoring whites. In certain situations, other factors will effect the distribution of opportunities: among these, socioeconomic status, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religious identity, age, or physical disability. There are, after all, also such things as class privilege, male privilege, straight privilege, Christian privilege, and able-bodied privilege. And these other forms of privilege exist — and generally provide greater opportunity to their respective group members — even though there are rich people who lead miserable lives despite their money, and there are men, heterosexuals, Christians, and able bodied folks who are poor. On balance, it pays to be a member of any of those dominant groups. And the same is true with whiteness.

6. What is the connection between racism and the class system/capitalism?

The connections are substantial. To begin with, the development of modern white supremacy was very much connected to the way in which the class system developed, especially in the West. In the U.S., for instance, planter elites during the colonial period used the notion of whiteness as a way to split class-based coalitions that often developed between enslaved Africans and indentured Europeans (who were only slightly above slaves themselves). Afraid of rebellions that would threaten their power and their material domination of the poor, elites carved out special legal protections for all Europeans, which placed them above persons of color, and gave them a stake in the system. The landowners and political elites also utilized poor whites on slave patrols, to give them a sense that they were a vital bulwark against black uprisings, and regularly stressed the superiority of Europeans. By convincing white working people that their interests were rooted in skin color, rather than economic need, wealthy Europeans helped link the development of the class system to the development of white supremacy.

As capitalism developed, nationally, internationally, and then globally, elites often used racism and notions of white supremacy to maintain and extend their power. In rallying the masses to support militarism and imperialism for the benefit of the wealthy — as with the war with Mexico, the conquest of Hawaii, the invasion of the Philippines, or several military adventures throughout the twentieth century — notions of racial superiority were regularly deployed to justify those actions undertaken for the benefit of international investment and the growth of capital.

7. Well if racism and capitalism are linked in this way, isn’t the real issue economics? Doesn’t this mean that racism is just an extension of class oppression, and that only by ending class oppression or capitalism can we really hope to address racism?

The issue is race and class. Even people of color who are not poor or working class face racism in housing, schools, the justice system, and the labor market.

More importantly, although modern racism’s roots may be located largely in the development of the class structure, this doesn’t mean that capitalism is the only source of racism, nor that ending class inequity is the only way to effectively conquer white supremacy. To begin, the class system is not the only source of white supremacy. Such notions have also been inculcated by the Christian tradition in the West, and the racialized way in which Christianity developed as a force in Europe, for instance. And today, with hundreds of years of racist conditioning behind us, notions of white superiority have become ingrained in millions of people, with or without active manipulation by elites, and even when those whites are not in direct competition with people of color for “stuff” (as they are often not, within a racially bifurcated class system).

As W.E.B. DuBois noted, over time, white supremacy invested white folks with a “psychological wage,” which allows them to feel superior to people of color, even if they ultimately pay a price for their indulgence of white privilege and advantage. In other words, white racism can now take on an auto-pilot effect, even if elites do not, as they once did, actively manipulate working class emotions. That is not to say that such manipulation no longer occurs, merely that it is no longer a necessary condition to keep white working class folks in line.

For those who come out of a Marxist tradition, and who insist that the working class has false consciousness, which leads them to ignore or misunderstand their true interests — and that this consciousness has been instilled in them largely by capitalists — what is often ignored is the way that white privilege, relative to people of color, has served as the transmission belt of false consciousness. By investing white workers with a sense of their whiteness as property — albeit an inadequate form of property, relative to real material well-being — white privilege and racism provide to whites an alternative sense of their own self-interest. As such, the ability of working people to form effective cross-racial coalitions (which would be needed in order to fundamentally challenge or alter the current class arrangements in the U.S.) is itself made less likely precisely because of white racism and institutional racial inequity and privilege. To the extent whiteness confers certain relative advantages to whites, it makes it less likely that those whites will join with people of color to alter the class system or even push for reforms that would benefit all working people (universal health care, more equitable distribution of wealth, greater investment in education, job creation, etc). So if anything, the equation put forward by those who say “the real issue is class, and we need to end capitalism before we can end racism,” may be exactly the inverse of reality. It may be, instead, that before any substantial alteration in the class system can become possible, we will have to attack white racism and substantially diminish it.

8. Why don’t you discuss other forms of oppression, like sexism, heterosexism, etc?

I do. Several of my essays address these critical matters, and I often discuss them in my speeches as well: especially the way in which these systems of oppression interact and interrelate. That said, I do focus mostly on racism and white supremacy. Likewise, others focus mostly on sexism/patriarchy, straight supremacy, ableism, etc. And all of this work is important in order to replace systems of oppression with systems of justice.

9. I read somewhere that you had admitted to being a white supremacist. What did you mean?

My “admission” of white supremacy is far less interesting than some have made it seem. A year or so ago I was asked during a radio show whether I was a racist/white supremacist, and I answered yes, because — as I note above — all of us have internalized aspects of racist thinking thanks to years of conditioning in that regard. I felt it would be dishonest to deny this conditioning, which is something liberal and left whites often do, by denying that we have “a racist bone in our bodies.” So I told the truth. Unfortunately, because of the way we sometimes hear and interpret the terms, “racism” and “white supremacy,” some who learn of this “confession” assume I am admitting to being a closet skinhead, or that I don’t really oppose the system of white supremacy, as I claim. This assumption is false.

I admit that AS IS TRUE WITH ANY WHITE PERSON raised in a racist/white supremacist society, I have internalized certain racist and white supremacist thoughts/beliefs/norms, etc. But the fact that I have been conditioned to do thing x, or believe thing y, doesn’t mean that I can’t challenge that conditioning and choose to do thing z, or believe thing q. I also insist, for myself and others, that although we have internalized white supremacy, this does not mean that all we are capable of is white supremacy. People are not one-dimensional. Just as we are all conditioned in this society to be consumers, and tend to engage in consumerism to one degree or another, it is also the case that we can choose to fight consumerism and materialism, and minimize the extent to which we practice it. Or as men, we’re conditioned to be sexist towards women under a patriarchal system, but we can choose to fight for gender equity and to challenge male domination. People have moral agency and are not mere robots, unable to turn against that which we are taught.


Electronic Liquid Crystalline Phases of Highly Correlated Electronic Systems

In one extreme, where the interactions
are sufficiently weak compared to the interactions, electrons form a “Fermi
liquid” – the state that accounts for the properties of simple metals.  In the other extreme, where the interactions
are dominant, the electrons form various “Mott” insulating or “Wigner
crystalline” phases, often characterized by broken spatial and/or magnetic symmetries.  Corresponding charge and/or magnetically
ordered insulating phases are common in nature.
Between these two extremes lie highly correlated electronic fluids, and
correspondingly a host of interesting and perplexing materials, including such
the failed metamagnet Sr3Ru2O7, and a variety
of quantum Hall fluids.  Some insight
into electron fluids in this rich intermediate coupling regime can be obtained
from viewing them as partially melted electron solids, rather than as strongly
interacting gases.  Here, analogies with
the liquid crystalline phases of complex classical fluids provide useful

Event Type:
Scientific Area(s):
Event Date:
Mercredi, Avril 24, 2013 - 14:00 to 15:30
Lazaridis Theatre


Huge fossil in Argentina could be biggest dinosaur yet

Huge fossil in Argentina could be biggest dinosaur yet
Spanish paleontologist Jose Ignacio Canudo lies alongside a sauropod dinosaur femur, believed to be the largest in the world, in Trelew, Argentina.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - Scientists have uncovered huge bones in Argentina that could be from the largest dinosaur yet found, a kind of titanosaur that munched tree tops more than 90 million years ago.

Carballido said a volumetric estimate based on the femur and humerus they've uncovered suggests the animal weighed around 176,000 pounds (80,000 kilograms).

"Based on what is known of the animal, it was certainly very, very large," said paleontologist John Whitlock of Mount Aloysius College in Pennsylvania.

"Just how large may have to wait for more fossils and will probably depend on the method used to estimate its total size - we've seen how much estimates of mass can change for fragmentary animals like Argentinosaurus - but right now it would certainly seem to be a strong contender for largest known sauropod," Whitlock said.

"Whether or not the new animal really will be the largest sauropod we know, remains to be seen," said Upchurch, who wasn't involved in this discovery but has seen the bones firsthand.

The bones were spotted years ago by a worker at a ranch outside the town of Las Plumas, in Patagonia's Rio Chubut valley, and Carballido's team from the Egidio Feruglio dinosaur museum in Trelew began digging in January 2013.

"What they discovered is a cemetery of dinosaurs the likes of which we had never seen in the history of Argentine paleontology," said the museum's director, Ruben Cuneo. Along with this titanosaur, they have already found the fossils of seven other dinosaurs, and have only uncovered an estimated 20 percent of the find. For now, the rest have been covered with plaster to protect them from the southern winter, and excavations will resume in the spring.


Thursday, October 23, 2014

Is There a European Identity, Is there a Europe?

Conscious Europeanism has little tradition, so I welcome the fact that European awareness is rising from the indistinct mass of the self-evident. By inquiring about it; thinking about it; by trying to grasp its essence, we contribute to our own self-awareness. This is immensely important – especially because we find ourselves in a multi-cultural, multipolar world in which recognizing one's identity is a prerequisite for co-existence with other identities.

If Europe, until recently, paid so little attention to its own identity it was because it incorrectly saw itself as the entire world; or, at least, considered itself to be so much superior to the rest of the globe that it felt no need to define itself in relation to others. Inevitably, this had deleterious consequences on its practical behavior.

Reflecting on Europeanism means inquiring into the set of values, ideals and principles that characterize Europe. It entails, by definition, a critical examination of that set of thoughts, followed by the realization that many European traditions, principles, or values may be double-edged. Some of them – if carried too far or abused in certain ways – can lead us to hell.

In this effort of reflection, emphasis must be placed on the spiritual dimension and the underlying values of European integration. Until now, European unification, and its meaning in the wider context of civilization, has been hidden behind technical, economic, financial and administrative issues.

When unification began after WWII, democratic Western Europe was faced with the memory of the horrors of two world wars, and with the threat of Communist totalitarian rule. Back then, it was unnecessary to speak about the values to be defended, because these were self-evident. It was necessary to unite the West in order to prevent the spread of dictatorship, as well as the danger of a relapse into old national conflicts.

So, in its infancy, the European Union held much the same attitude that I held toward my European background. Europe's moral justification was self-evident; it did not need to be professed. Because Western Europe was defending something equally self-evident, there was no need to describe or analyze it. It was not until the physical threat to Europe disappeared a decade ago that Europe was prompted to engage in profound reflections upon the moral and spiritual foundations of its unification, and what should be the objectives of a united Europe.

The basic set of European values formed by the spiritual and political history of the continent is, to my mind, clear. It consists of respect for the unique human being and humanity's freedoms, rights and dignity; the principle of solidarity; the rule of law and equality before the law; protection of minorities; democratic institutions; separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers; political pluralism; respect for private ownership and private enterprise, and a market economy; and the furtherance of civil society. These values mirror countless modern European experiences, including the fact that our continent is now a multi-cultural crossroads.

In defining what it means to be ‘European', a crucial task is to reflect upon the double-edged nature of what we have gavin the world, to realize that Europe not only taught the world about human rights, but also introduced the Holocaust; that we generated spiritual impulses not only for the industrial and information revolutions, but also to plunder and contaminate nature; that we incited the advance of science and technology, but also ruthlessly ousted essential human experiences forged over several millenniums.

The worst events of the 20th century – World Wars, Fascism, and Communist totalitarianism – were mostly Europe's doing. During the last century, however, Europe also experienced three auspicious events, though all were not exclusively European accomplishments: the end of colonial rule; the fall of the Iron Curtain; the beginning of European integration.

A fourth great task lies ahead. Through the manner of its being, a unifying Europe must demonstrate that the dangers generated by its contradictory civilization can be combated. I would be happy if the people of my country, who are Europeans, could participate in this process of reflection, of defining a European identity, as Europeans fully recognized by Europe.

Read more from our "Havel Lives" Focal Point.

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  1. CommentedFrancisco Menendez Vidal

    Universal values yes, but Europe has been the first zone (ok north America is the other one) where there are countries and societies where these values have been landed in the best way (with fewer imperfections and flaws).
    The main concern I have is that there is a lack of commitment of main street with politicians conducting the European tryp to a common future and a lack of democracy in European institutions (governance is being conducted at country level).
    The economic arena is the clear example: we need to get a basic agreement and we can't achieve that. If economy is basically global and we are not able to agree the economic governance. How can we achieve the rest ones?


The Magus of Magnetism: An Interview With Dr. Percy Seymour

An Astronomer's Magnetic Theory of Astrology and

How Planetary Motion Orchestrates Solar Activity and Geomagnetism

by Bronwyn Elko

[This article first appeared in issue #80 August/September 1998 of The Mountain Astrologer. Thanks to The Mountain Astrologer for allowing us to post this article from their magazine!]

Since the dawn of human history, stargazers have sought to discover the forces by which the planets influence life on Earth. Now, as we enter the 21st century, the long search for a physical mechanism that explains how astrology works may at last be nearing an end. Apropos to these times, which many astrologers believe to be a Neo-Renaissance period for astrology, an English astronomer named Percy Seymour has formulated a scientific theory of astral influences that describes the solar system as an intricate web of planetary fields and resonances. The Sun, Moon, and planets telegraph their effects to us via magnetic signals, says Seymour, an astrophysicist and respected authority in the field of cosmic magnetism. Omnipresent throughout the universe, magnetism is known to affect the biological cycles of numerous creatures here on Earth, including humans. In sum, Seymour's multi-link theory proposes that the planets raise tides in the gases of the Sun, creating sunspots and their particle emissions, which then travel across interplanetary space to strike Earth's magnetosphere, ringing it like a bell.[1] (See Fig. 1) These planetary magnetic signals are then perceived by the neural network of the fetus inside the mother's womb, heralding the child's birth.

Seymour's "magnetoastrology" theory[2] expands themes from French statistician and scientist Michel Gauquelin's work, in which human biological clocks keep time withthe planets.[3] Gauquelin's studies, which showed striking planetary similarities in the birth charts of parents and their children, comprise the strongest scientific evidence in support of astrology to date. But, whereas Gauquelin's studies showed planetary influences for Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the Moon, Seymour proposes that Mercury, Uranus, and Neptune also play a role in orchestrating the sunspot cycle and violent solar activity.

Like Michel Gauquelin before him, Seymour's alignment with astrology predictably raised a storm of protest from several members of the scientific community when his book, Astrology: The Evidence of Science, appeared in April 1989. In an Omni interview later that same year, Seymour commented, "Of course, I expected people to take objection to my theory. But I didn't expect the reaction to be so vehement or so irrational."[4]

Seymour brings to the astrology-science debate a rich body of experience and credentials. His grandfather taught him to identify Orion's belt and other southern constellations. Growing up as the son of an interracial couple in apartheid South Africa, Seymour also learned what it meant to be labelled "Cape colored," a racist colloquialism applied in that country to non-whites. It was an experience that has left him intolerant of bigotry of any kind, including the prejudicial arguments against astrology employed by some scientists. Holding doctorates in astronomy and astrophysics, Seymour's expertise in the study of the magnetic fields that thread our galaxy, and his book, Cosmic Magnetism, have won him academic acclaim.[5] Director of the William Day Planetarium and principal lecturer in astronomy at the University of Plymouth, Seymour teaches gifted undergraduate students and conducts research in astronomy. In addition to Cosmic Magnetism, he is the author of five books: Halley's Comet, The Scientific Basis of Astrology, Astrology: The Evidence of Science, The Paranormal: Beyond Sensory Science, and Adventures in Astronomy, a hands-on approach to building simple astrolabes, star clocks, and sundials.

A chartered member of the Institute of Physics and Fellow member of the Royal Astronomical Society, Seymour's fascination with navigational instruments and the history of science has inspired him to organize and hold a pioneering conference at Plymouth University entitled, "Navigation in Astronomy." Scheduled to run simultaneously with the "Astrology in the 21st Century" conference, which is being organized by the Astrological Association of Great Britain, these two events will bring hundreds of astrologers and astronomers together under the full shadow of the much-discussed eclipse of August 11, 1999. Conference

Seymour lives in southwest England with his wife, Dianna, and his 16-year-old son, Bruce. He enjoys walking the moors in the company of family pets, a beagle and a spaniel. A Sun-sign Capricorn and self-described "inventive fixer-upper" with Uranus in Taurus on the IC, Seymour restores old family furniture in his spare time and reads extensively. Our first transcontinental conversation occurred during an exact Sun-Jupiter conjunction.
[Editor's Note: A Glossary of terms is presented following the article.]

TMA: How did you first become interested in astrology?
Percy Seymour: In the summer of 1984 a BBC film training crew came to Plymouth to do a film about astrology. The film crew interviewed people on the streets and byways, asking their views on the subject. They sought out my opinion due to my reputation here in Plymouth as the reigning authority on astronomy. Of course, as a trained astronomer and physicist, I trotted out all the normal objections. I told them that I knew there was some evidence in support of astrology, but that I couldn't think of a mechanism that might explain how the planets affect human life. It was actually the first time I'd been put on the line, so to speak, with no other astronomers there to back me up. (laughs) Suddenly these arguments didn't sound right to me. They ruled out the idea that any progress could be made in this area. They were totally dogmatic. And that got me thinking.

Then one of the BBC interviewers asked me whether I'd read a book, Astrology: Science or Superstition?, in which authors Eysenck and Nias suggest that solar disturbances and their particle emissions are the most probable link between biological and extraterrestrial events.[6] Also mentioned by the BBC people was the work of a radio engineer named Nelson, who had apparently noted heliocentric planetary alignments corresponding with bad radio conditions.[7] At the time, I hadn't heard of either of these works. After the film crew left I found myself delving deeper into the scientific objections to astrology, and it became quite clear to me that the arguments being put forth were based on single-link theories, simple models that are easy to disprove. A well-known example of this is using gravity to explain how a planet might directly influence the fetus, and then showing how this can't possibly work because of the weak tidal tug of the planets. This type of approach completely ignores the possibility of multi-link theories.

I know you've been influenced by Gauquelin's research. Have you been following the controversy that still surrounds
his results?
In The Journal of Scientific Exploration, Gauquelin's Mars effect[8] has again come under attack, most recently by the Committee PARA of Belgium.[9] One of its members decided to defend their earlier arguments, claiming that, although the Mars effect showed interesting correlations between planetary positions at birth and eminence in certain professions, Gauquelin's controls weren't rigorous enough because he failed to consider all of the sociodemographic factors involved, leaving his results inconclusive. On the other hand, there are those who, over the last three years, have reassessed their original objections, largely, I think, as the result of Suitbert Ertel's and Ken Irving's book, The Tenacious Mars Effect.[10]

What do you think?
I've always known about this argument regarding the Mars effect. Basically, the difficulty lies in defining in objective terms what constitutes eminence in professions. I found Gauquelin's work on planetary heredity links[11] much more interesting, as it dealt exclusively with hard data-time, place of birth, and the planetary positions for both parents and child. In those studies, it was shown that, if a certain planet in a parent's birth chart was placed in a Gauquelin planetary zone of influence (see Fig. 2), the child showed a tendency to be born with a similar planetary placement. So these new objections to Gauquelin's work are limited, in my view, because they totally ignore the planetary heredity effect.

Gauquelin's studies also showed that on days when the geomagnetic index was high, the planetary heredity effects of Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and, to some extent, the Moon, were enhanced (see Fig. 3). This seemed very significant to me because geomagnetism is known to rise during periods of heightened solar activity. The level and intensity of solar activity waxes and wanes within the eleven-year solar cycle, also called the sunspot cycle. My theory proposes that certain planetary alignments affect solar activity. Thus, the build-up of sunspots within the solar cycle can be accounted for by the complex interactions of planetary forces acting upon the Sun's magnetic field, which in turn affects Earth's magnetosphere. (A sunspot is a dark area in the Sun's photosphere, or visible surface layers, that is associated with strong magnetic fields.)

This brings us to another intriguing aspect of Gauquelin's planetary heredity work that his critics often ignore, and which fueled my interest in astrology-the fact that the four-pronged pattern, involving two large peaks and two small peaks, that emerges for Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the Moon, is very similar to the shape of the average lunar daily magnetic variation for one month. Earth's magnetosphere (see Fig. 4) contains a wide range of frequencies, one of which we know is connected to the Moon, and is well known to geophysicists. This lunar daily magnetic variation is caused by the Moon tugging at the layers of plasma, or charged particles, trapped in Earth's magnetosphere. When this plasma is dragged around by the Moon's tidal forces, it causes variations in the atmospheric pressure at ground level, and these we can measure. So, this resemblance between Gauquelin's four-pronged pattern for Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the Moon and the pattern for the monthly average of the lunar daily magnetic variation suggested to me that the tidal tugs of the planets were in some way disturbing Earth's magnetosphere, just as the Moon and Sun are known to do. I began to suspect the existence of a daily planetary magnetic variation, different for each planet, which might account for Gauquelin's planetary maximums all falling into this same four-pronged pattern.

Your theory posits that the planets play a role in disturbing both Earth's and Sun's magnetic fields. First, tell us how the planets affect solar activity.
According to my theory, the tidal effects of the planets on the geometry of the Sun's field disrupt that field, causing violent solar activity. We're saying that it doesn't matter that the tidal forces of the planets are weak; they can be amplified via what I call magneto tidal resonance. I'll try to explain this as simply as possible.

The Sun's magnetic field can be pictured as a series of meridian lines that, roughly speaking, come in at the south pole and go out at the north pole (see Fig. 5A).

Because the Sun's equator rotates faster than its polar regions, these lines of force become stretched and distorted over time (see Fig. 5B).

The indication is that, as the solar cycle progresses, just below the surface of the Sun the magnetic lines or tubes of force are getting twisted, dragged sideways. The field is getting "wound up" by the differential rotation of the Sun. As the sunspot cycle builds toward maximum, because the equatorial regions of the Sun rotate faster than the polar regions, the north-south lines are distorted, forming a series of magnetic canals parallel to the surface on
either side of the solar equator (see Fig. 5C).

Now, what's important about the Sun's magnetic canals is their capacity to greatly amplify the weak tidal forces of the planets. Such canals can amplify planetary tidal effects because they are able to channel the Sun's very hot gases parallel with the equator. If you could pluck one of these canals with your finger, it would vibrate like a violin string. Thus, the magnetic lines of force actually behave like the strings of a musical instrument. And what we've shown is how the weak tidal effects of the planets on the gases trapped in these lines of force could give rise to resonance late in the solar cycle.

What we've basically done is apply George Biddell Airy's canal theory of ocean tides to the magnetic canals beneath the surface of the Sun.[12] Airy worked out a rigorous mathematical theory which showed that if you constructed a specially designed water canal around Earth's equator, a wave traveling around the canal could become amplified. Amplification of this kind is called resonance, and it means that you can get much bigger ocean tides than normal. How you get tidal resonance in the case of the Sun works like this. Say you take the subplanetary point of Jupiter and plot its course across the surface of the Sun. As the Sun spins on its axis, Jupiter's subplanetary point moves across the Sun's surface at a specific speed.

Now, the braided lines of force vibrate with their own frequency as they travel around the Sun's magnetic canals. The speed of the wave as it goes around the magnetic canals is called the Alfven speed, which varies within the solar cycle. The Alfven speed of the free wave moving along the canal travels faster and faster as the solar cycle progresses toward  maximum. When the speed of Jupiter's subplanetary point matches the speed with which the free wave propagates along the Sun's canals, you'll get resonance. In other words, the free wave that keeps step with the subplanetary point grows as it travels around the Sun, and will gain amplitude. I call this phenomenon magneto tidal resonance. When the tidal tug of a planet sits on a given wave crest traveling around the magnetic canals, it causes the wave to grow in size, until eventually it erupts on the Sunís surface in the form of a bridge, or prominence. The "feet" of the bridge, or prominence, are called sunspots. The loops or prominence of sunspots that arch high above the visible surface are still anchored in the active sunspot region of the Sun (see Figs. 6 and 7).

They will be stretched out into interplanetary space by a stream of energetic particles, called the solar wind, which gusts against Earth's magnetosphere, causing it to fluctuate.

Which planetary alignments disrupt the Sun's magnetic field?
Jane Blizard's work for NASA showed evidence for heliocentric planetary conjunctions, oppositions, and certain 90" alignments giving rise to violent solar disturbances.[13] No one could explain the squares until we put forward this theory. Since each planet possesses its own orbital speed around the Sun, the speed of each subplanetary point differs as it moves across the surface of the Sun. Say, for example, that the speed of the Alfven free wave within magnetic canals of different depths lies between the speed of Jupiter and the speed of Saturn. Then you can actually get a Jupiter-Saturn heliocentric square configuration that gives rise to strong events on the Sun. So our theory is able to explain this aspect of Blizard's work.

The theory also goes further in proposing that the regular magnetic reversal of the Sun's field, which occurs roughly every eleven years, is due to the tidal effects of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The Sun itself actually moves about the common center of mass of the solar system with a period of just over ten years, and this is mainly due to the pull of Jupiter and Saturn. By violently tugging on the common center of the mass of the solar system, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune cause the little eddy currents that generate the Sun's magnetic field to reverse or flip over from being in one direction to being in another direction. (See Fig. 8)

As these four planets cause the flipping over of the Sun's magnetic field, and the Sun's equator rotates faster than the poles, the lines of force are dragged into the form of canals. Then all the planets in turn can play a part in disrupting the Sun's magnetic canals.

So, we've clarified how the planets can affect the magnetism of the Sun by amplifying tidal resonance. We've also generalized the theory by extending the application of magneto tidal resonance to Earth's magnetosphere. We're saying that some of the planets can have a direct influence on Earth's magnetic field.

Certain planets directly affect Earth's magnetosphere, not just via the solar wind?
Yes, I think so. Earth's magnetic field shows myriad bands of frequencies, ranging from a few minutes to several years. We know one such frequency is associated with the Moon-the lunar daily magnetic variation. Not all of these frequencies will have a coherence about them. When they start and end will be random. But, say you have a spectral line or frequency in Earth's magnetic field that is very close to the synodic period of Mars. If placed on a graph, you would see a peak that closely coincides with the synodic period of Mars. Just as resonance occurs when the subplanetary point of Mars moving across the surface of the Sun matches the speed of the free wave, resonance can also happen when the frequency of Mars closely matches a frequency already present within Earth's magnetic field. It then becomes phase-locked. In other words, those frequencies in Earth's magnetosphere that are close to the tidal frequencies of the planets Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn will remain in step with those planets. Youíll have one magnetic frequency associated with Mars, another with Jupiter, and so on.

Your theory draws upon research into the biological consequences of fluctuations in Earth's magnetosphere. How did this
research impact the formulation of your theory?
In the process of trying to formulate a mechanism to explain Gauquelin's results, I was led to consider magnetobiology, a vast body of knowledge that links planetary alignments with magnetic events on the Sun and the biological consequences of fluctuations in Earth's magnetic field. That's what actually gave me the idea that there is a mechanism, magneto tidal resonance, which can not only explain the Sun's magnetism, but also why specific fluctuations in Earth's magnetosphere can get phase-locked with the tidal effects of the planets.

Research in magnetobiology shows that a wide variety of organisms respond to changes in Earth's magnetic field.[14] For
instance, Professor Franck Brown of Northwestern University, who has done much work in this area, showed how mudsnails and turtles followed the lunar daily magnetic variation even when these creatures were removed from the sea and lodged inside laboratory tanks.[15] The experiments of Dr. Robin Baker of Manchester University suggest that humans are also sensitive to changes in Earth's magnetic field.[16] Baker first placed people inside a darkened room and asked them to locate North. Most of the time people got it right. But when Baker then fitted these same subjects with a little magnetic skullcap, they lost their ability to find North. This strongly suggests the presence of an internal compass or biological clock.

What I think might be happening is that the fetus's neural network acts as a sort of antenna that tunes into fluctuations in Earth's magnetic field. The imprinting of the neural antennae depends on genetic heredity, which gives us our basic congenital personality. Thus, the fetus is genetically predisposed to hear specific planetary signals, much as a radio is resonantly tuned to receive a particular station. So it's not that the planets make the person. Rather, the planets label a person's genetic predisposition to respond to specific magnetic signals.

Take the Moon in the case of the lunar personality. We already know that the lunar daily magnetic variation has two peaks and two troughs that roughly correspond to Gauquelin's four-pronged pattern of the child born with a lunar personality. This suggests that the fetus is responding when the lunar daily magnetic variation is at either maximum or minimum, but nowhere between these two extremes. It doesn't matter whether it's a peak or a trough because it is acting on something in the body that is responding to the lunar daily magnetic variation. The neural network of the fetus thus tunes into very low frequency fluctuations in Earth's field that are connected with where the Moon is, and ignores all others.

Looking at the lunar daily magnetic variation around the globe, however, shows that the peak of the lunar daily magnetic variation doesn't always occur when the Moon is about to rise. There can be a phase lag, which is a function of the longitude and latitude on the surface of Earth, that is actually telling you something about the geometry of the field in that particular locale. This can be caused by geological deposits of magnetic materials. The Moon rises at a given observatory, and the lunar daily magnetic variation peaks, but at another observatory where the geometry of the field is different, it might peak up to 40 minutes later. The peak won't exactly coincide with the Moon rising on the horizon. There's a time delay vis-à-vis the Moon's position due to the phase lag. So the fetus doesn't really respond to where the Moon is in the sky per se, but to the actual physical agency that the Moon is affecting, in this case the lunar daily magnetic variation.

I think this might be so. It might well be that the human neural network has a threshold above which the magnetic fluctuations of given planets must be in order for it to respond to these signals. So it's likely that certain planetary alignments will cause the geomagnetic tide of specific planets to be above this level.

We've expanded the theory since 1992, but we still can't explain everything about Gauquelin's results. We know that high sunspot activity causes Earth's magnetosphere to grow in size, amplifying solar-terrestrial effects. Gauquelin himself noted that periods of violent solar activity corresponded with enhanced planetary heredity results.[18]

You mention in your books that, while there's strong evidence supporting the effect of planetary alignments as seen from the Sun, only some evidence exists to support geocentric aspects. What does this mean in terms of your theory?
If you have, say, a Sun-Jupiter conjunction opposite Saturn, the planets are actually all in a straight line. It doesn't matter whether the view is heliocentric or geocentric, but, with the square, it depends on which planets are involved. An exact heliocentric square of Jupiter and Saturn, as seen from Earth, would be about 98" instead of 90". Tight squares involving Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are possibly influential. But the theory thus far rules out geocentric squares involving inner planets with outer planets because, heliocentrically, the orb would be too wide. Smaller aspects, such as semi-squares, also do not appear to be influential.

Where does Pluto fit into this scheme?
We haven't actually plotted Pluto because its orbit is too elliptical and the planet too lightweight to have much of an effect in terms of my theory. However, we're not ruling out the possibility that it may play a role later on in the solar cycle.

We've found out that the strength of the field that we've calculated is in keeping with the strength of the field measured by other methods, such as the Zeeman effect, which is how the magnetic field affects the light of the Sun. The theory gives us an independent method of calculating what the strength of the magnetic field of the Sun ought to be in sunspots in order to make this mechanism work. It also explains quite naturally why there is a migration of sunspots from higher to lower latitudes as the solar cycle progresses toward maximum (see Fig. 10). According to our theory, sunspots should migrate toward the Sun's equator in a way that is consistent with a solar cycle of roughly eleven years. This just sprang out of the equations once we began dealing with the more detailed calculations, and we didnít realize it until 1993. In other words, the theory explains sunspot migration in a way that suggests the theory itself is correct in some respects. Interestingly, our critics often ignore these facts. We're not saying our theory is right, but at least it doesn't run into certain problems presented by other theories that say the solar cycle should only be a few months long.

You've organized a conference to be held at Plymouth University during the August 11, 1999 eclipse. "Navigation in Astronomy" is scheduled to run parallel with another conference, "Astrology in the 21st Century," organized by the Astrological Association of Great Britain. What hopes do you have for astrologers and astronomers rubbing shoulders at these event?
The Astrological Association of Great Britain is holding their conference in conjunction with ours at my suggestion. The conference I'm organizing is on the impact of navigation on the history of science. Nautical instruments are another keen interest of mine, so in a way it's an opportunity for me to combine several areas of interest under one umbrella. But I also hope the conference will inspire scientists to realize that astronomy wouldn't exist without the two main stimuli of navigation and astrology. Greenwich Observatory, for example, wasnít founded solely in the interests of science, but to solve the longitude problem. Then Greenwich broadened its work to include all extraterrestrial events affecting navigation. And when it was found that the compass needle had a deviation that depended on the sunspot cycle, a solar observatory was also set up. Some astronomers are snooty in that they dismiss all astrology as superstition, which is wrong. The Greek and Babylonian astrology that arose 200 years before the birth of Christ was different from earlier star lore, which was more the result of an associative process. From Greco-Babylonian astrology emerged the first systematic attempt to form a theory that could explain life and the universe, a Theory of Everything, which is basically what physicists strive to formulate today. The great historian of science, Otto Neugebauer, pointed out that it is wrong to dismiss the astrology of the ancient world, because it heralded the beginning of an orderly methodology as a means of formulating a theory within which all phenomena could be explained.[21] So I hope conference attendees will mix their diet with both astrology and astronomy.

Any comments on the eclipse itself?
As far as my theory is concerned, an eclipse is not any different from a conjunction because the Moon doesn't have a magnetic field that stretches way beyond it. So I don't think it's going to be dramatic from an astrological point of view. The solar cycle will be approaching, but not near, maximum. I do think we're going to see some spectacular solar flares, which would enhance direct planetary effects on the magnetosphere, but not dramatically so. From the point of view of solar activity, May 2000 is the time to watch.

The language describing these solar-terrestrial events evokes images of a living system. Particles eject from beneath the surface of the Sun and energize the plasma of Earth's magnetosphere, which resembles a sort of womb. It's similar to how living bodies operate.
Yes. The way sunspots are born out of the Sun is very much like the way a baby is born out of the womb. Changes in the Sun's magnetic field can be likened to a gestation period for sunspots. The "flipping" over of the eddy currents, due to the movement of the Sun about the common center of mass of the solar system, determines the total length of time that the field will have one direction of polarity rather than another (see Fig. 8 on page 24). This process and the differential rotation of the Sun are the astrophysical processes that "prepare" the solar magnetic field to respond to the resonant tidal tug of the planets. In this sense, the formation of a sunspot pair plus a loop prominence is somewhat akin to the birth process. And so you have the biological process taking place inside the womb ó preparing the nervous system to respond to the magneto tides of the planets-causing an ejection from the womb.

Modern physicists' viewpoint of the subatomic, deepest level of reality is not dissimilar from that of the mystics of old. I think concepts presented by Fritjof Capra in his book, The Tao of Physics, are essentially correct.[22] And I see my theory in a similar light. We're actually attempting to quantify and rephrase in scientific terms ideas that have been around for a long time.
I think there may very well be other ways that Earth's magnetosphere can affect the developing fetus. Right through the entire nine-month gestation period, the neural network of the fetus may be synchronizing and tuning its biological clock into Earth's magnetic fluctuations. Thus, our own resonances may be evolving along with changes in Earth's magnetic field. Perhaps at different stages of development we pick up different magnetic tunes from out of the solar symphony, which later become part of our earliest memories. These preprogrammed magnetic memories may be evoked later in life when similar magnetic tunes are repeated. And this may even help us through certain exciting or challenging phases in life.

Oddly enough, explanation in science isn't about certainty. People who believe that are fooling themselves. What we do is grope toward a better understanding of how the universe hangs together. To believe that weíve found all the answers simply isn't true. I think there's a grudging respect from critics of my theory because I'm not dogmatic about being right. I'm not saying, "This is the Truth." In trying to clarify basic principles to explain the salient features of Gauquelin's work and the solar cycle, we've developed the principles of resonant coupling between the tides of the planets and the evolving magnetic field of the Sun.[23] We're still working out details of a theory that may provide a fundamental underpinning for astrology. Meanwhile, I'm using the debate to highlight the very real need for science students to be taught the philosophy of science.

Paving the way for open-mindedness in future scientists -- that's exciting news. We look forward to hearing the results of your student's thesis on planetary dominance in the solar cycle. Thank you very much, Dr. Seymour.
You're welcome. It was nice talking to you.

References and Notes
1. The ringing bell analogy was taken from Doug Margel's article, "Ringing the Bell: Storms on the Sun," The Mountain Astrologer, Aug./Sept. 1997. Margel examines the astrology of solar flares affecting Earth's magnetosphere.
2. Percy Seymour, The Scientific Basis of Astrology, W. Foulsham, Slough, U.K.: Quantum, November 1997.
3. Michel Gauquelin, The Cosmic Clocks, San Diego, CA: ACS Publications, 1982.
4. Dava Sobel, "Dr. Zodiac," Omni, December 1989, p. 62.
5. Percy Seymour, Cosmic Magnetism, Bristol, U.K.: Adam Hilger, 1986.
6. H. Eysenck & D. Nias, Astrology: Science or Superstition?, London, England: Maurice Temple Smith, 1982.
7. J. H. Nelson, "Shortwave Radio Propagation Correlation with Planetary Position," RCA Review, March 1951.
8. Michel Gauquelin, Neo-Astrology: A Copernican Revolution, Chapter 3, London: Arkana, Penguin Group, 1991. Gauquelin examines the controversy surrounding his studies, in which the birth charts of outstanding athletes were shown to have Mars positioned in one of the four "Gauquelin plus zones" of the diurnal circle (see Fig. 2). This planetary effect later became known as "the Mars effect."
9. J. Dommanget, "The 'Mars Effect' as Seen by the Committee PARA," Journal of Scientific Exploration, Volume 11: Number 3:
Article 2, 1997, pp. 275-295; Jan Willem Nienhuys, "The Mars Effect in Retrospect," Skeptical Inquirer, Nov./Dec. 1997, pp. 24-29; Suitbert Ertel and Kenneth Irving, "Mars Effect -Dead or Alive? Dissenting from J. W. Nienhuys' 'Retrospect,'" Skeptical Inquirer, Vol. 22, No. 4, July/Aug. 1998, p. 59; and J. W. Nienhuys, "Responding to Ertel: Mars Flukes," Skeptical Inquirer, Vol. 22, No. 4, July/Aug. 1998, p. 60.
10. Suitbert Ertel & Kenneth Irving, The Tenacious Mars Effect, Urania Trust, England, 1996. This book may be obtained by telephoning The Astrology Center of America at 1-800-475-2272.
11. Michel Gauquelin, Planetary Heredity, San Diego: ACS Publications, 1988.
12. George Biddell Airy, "Tides and Waves," London, England: Encyclopedia Metropolitan, 1845.
13. J. B. Blizard, "Long Range Solar Flare Prediction," NASA Contractor Report, CR 61316, 1969.
14. P. A. H. Seymour, Astrology: The Evidence of Science (revised and extended paperback version), Great Britain: Arkana-Penguin, 1990. Diverse research and references provided by Dr. Seymour on the biological consequences of fluctuations in the geomagnetic field.
15. F. A. Brown, Jr. et al., "Comparison of Fluctuations in Cosmic Radiation and Organismic Activity during 1954, 1955, and 1956," Amer. J. Physiolo., Vol. 195, 1958, pp. 237-243. Brown has several published works detailing his research in this vast field of study.
16. R. Robin Baker, "Human Navigation and Magnetoreception in Animal Behavior," Phys., Technol., Vol. 35, 1987, pp. 691-704.
17. Michel Gauquelin, Neo-Astrology: A Copernican Revolution, pp. 171-173. Gauquelin discusses possibilities as to why subsequent studies of the planetary heredity effects failed to replicate earlier, positive results.
18. Michel Gauquelin, The Cosmic Clocks, pp. 127-129.
19. Dava Sobel, "Dr. Zodiac," Omni, p. 68.
20. For more details on the strong planetary aspects of May 2000, see Tem Tarriktar,"Millennial Alignments: 1999-2000," The Mountain Astrologer, June/July 1998, p. 67.
21. Otto Neugebauer, The Exact Sciences in Antiquity, New York: Dover, 1969.
22. Fritjof Capra, The Tao of Physics, Berkeley, CA: Shambhala, 1975.
23. P. A. H. Seymour, "Magneto-Tidal Coupling Between the Components of the Solar System," in Proceedings of the First International Conference on Geocosmic Relations, Pudoc (Wageningen), 1990.Bibliography R. B. Culver and P. A. Ianna, The Gemini Syndrome: A Scientific Evaluation of Astrology, Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books, 1982.

Magnetosphere -- A magnetic cavity surrounding Earth formed by the interaction of the planetary magnetic field with the solar wind as it flows past. Earth's magnetosphere fluctuates between 20 to 30 times the size of the diameter of the planet, and contains
layers of multi-frequencies, some of which make shortwave and satellite communications possible. High sunspot activity causes Earth's magnetosphere to grow in size (see Fig. 4).

Tidal forces/tidal tug -- The gravitational pull of the Sun, Moon, and planets on each other. The Moon, for instance, is known to "tug" on the Earth's oceans, causing the changing tides. Likewise, the planets constantly pull on each other.
In Seymourís theory, a key effect of tidal tugs is how the outer planets tugging on the common center of mass of the solar system cause the reversal of the Sun's magnetic field.

Geomagnetic index -- A general term for a measurement of magnetic variations in Earth's field. Several indices using various methods are employed for this purpose. "A-index," for example, measures solar particle radiation by its magnetic effects. Gauquelin noted in The Cosmic Clocks, " . . . if a child is born on a [magnetically] disturbed day, the number of heredity similarities is twice as high as on quiet days. This suggests that the Moon and planets do affect life, through the solar field," p. 127.

Lunar daily magnetic variation -- A phenomenon in which the Moon's tidal tug on Earth's ionized regions of plasma registers variations in the atmospheric pressure at ground level. The lunar daily magnetic variation varies according to latitude on the surface of the planet, the geometry of the land mass, and the presence or lack of iron ore deposits. Seymour asserts the possibility that even buildings constructed with reinforced steel may affect the local geometry of the field, thus distorting magnetic signals picked up by the fetus.

Plasma -- A highly ionized gas cloud comprised of electrically-charged particles. Earth's ionosphere has various layers differing in intensity and frequency. These layers exist in the Earth's upper atmosphere due to solar radiation, which strips atoms of some of their electrons, thus creating an electrically- conducting medium. Four major factors seem to influence the Earth's ionosphere. Daily changes in the various layers are caused by the rotation of the Earth about its axis. Seasonal changes occur due to the constantly changing positions of the Earth and Sun relative to the Earth's orbit around the Sun. Geographical variations in the ionosphere depend on latitude; in equatorial regions where the Sun is more directly overhead, greater intensity is noted. Cyclical variations caused by the eleven-year sunspot cycle are perhaps the most influential in altering the intensity of plasma regions, which are the regions employed by radio short- wave communications. This happens as a result of the solar wind transporting charged particles from the Sun's magnetic field to the Earthís magnetosphere, thus disrupting the field.

Magneto tidal resonance -- Seymour's new term to describe resonance phenomena connected with the tidal effects of the planets. An example of resonance is when an opera singer shatters a wine glass by matching the frequency in her voice with the natural frequency of the glass. A more dramatic display of resonance occurred in Washington state some years ago when high winds produced resonance phenomena that caused the Tacoma Narrows bridge to collapse. Seymour's theory applies magneto tidal resonance to planetary tides affecting solar activity beneath the surface of the Sun, and to planets affecting the Earth's magnetosphere.

Solar cycle  --  Cyclical variation in solar activity measured by the number of sunspots, with a period of roughly eleven years.  A new solar or sunspot cycle begins when new spots first appear 30 to 40 degrees north and south of the solar equator.   The Sun's equatorial regions are relatively "spot-free" during this phase.  As the solar cycle progresses, sunspots increase in size and number, gradually appearing closer and closer to the Sun's equator.  In other words, newly emerging sunspots "flee" the Sun's poles, clustering around the solar equator.  This migration of sunspots from higher to lower latitudes as the solar cycle progresses creates the butterfly diagram (see Fig. 10).

As the cycle nears its end, old-cycle spots at higher latitudes begin to vanish. It should be noted that sunspots are associated with strong magnetic fields.  The magnetic fields of sunspots and their migratory movements appear interrelated with other aspects of solar activity.  For instance, astronomers have discovered that at the beginning of each new sunspot cycle, the Sun's north and south magnetic poles switch polarity.  This reversal of the Sun's magnetic field is called the Sun's magnetic cycle, which is approximately 22 years long, twice the duration of the eleven-year solar/sunspot cycle.

Eddy currents -- Convective currents that circulate and transfer heat/energy in the form of hot gases. Heated gases from the Sun's interior expand and rise. As they rise to the Sun's surface regions, the gases cool and fall. The Sun's magnetic field is generated by the complex churning motions of these gases. As the gases move, the lines of magnetic force follow, thus producing what Seymour calls the "braiding of the field."

Subplanetary point -- Draw a line from the center of a planet to the center of the Sun. Where that line intersects the surface of the Sun is the subplanetary point of that planet.  As the Sun rotates, the subplanetary point moves across the surface of the Sun, which corresponds with a gravitational pull of that planet on the Sun.

Alfven speed -- The speed at which the free wave naturally propagates along a canal. A wave motion occurring in a magnetized plasma.

Spectral line -- A graphic representation of a well-defined frequency, denoted by a peak or vertical "spike." Atoms broadcast a number of light waves of various frequencies. These narrowly defined frequencies correspond to specific lines in the spectrum.

Zeeman effect -- A measurement used to determine the strength of magnetic fields in the Sun and other stars. All atoms give off a set of colors characteristic of their chemical elements. The Dutchman Zeeman showed how atoms placed in a magnetic field change the colors they emit. Astronomer George Hale first used the Zeeman effect to measure the strength of the magnetic fields in sunspots. Percy Seymour, Astrology: The Evidence of Science, p.132.

Percy Seymour

© 1998 The Mountain Astrologer - all rights reserved


Projects in Africa

Fast-growing Fish Can Contribute to Poverty Reduction in the Volta Basin As urban populations continue to expand rapidly in Africa, the continent’s demand for fish grows accordingly. Unfortunately, existing stocks of fish cannot keep pace with this growth. Fish accounts for over 30% of total animal protein consumption in the diets of Africa’s poor. In some countries, it is even higher. In Ghana, that value is about 60%. Although Ghana and many other African countries import fish at a loss in an attempt to meet some of the demand for low-cost protein, they still face shortfalls. This dire situation provides African fish farmers with an opportunity to increase...
Taking an ecosystem approach to small scale fishing in the tropics From beach-side communities dotted across the Solomon Islands archipelago, to coastal villages lining Tanzania’s Indian Ocean shoreline, thousands of communities rely on coastal fisheries.
Dried Chisense
Boosting nutrition and livelihoods in Zambia through the chisense fishery For the people of Zambia, especially the poor, fish is the most important and sometimes only source of animal protein and other essential nutrients. However, the per capita supply of fish today is only half of what it was 30 years ago, due to stagnating production, growing populations and increasingly competitive trade. Projections for future supplies are that fish will become increasingly expensive also in Zambia. Currently Zambian households in most parts of the country spend more money on fish than on any other food item, including staple foods and other animal products. If this trend...
Development of African aquaculture needs a whole-industry approach.
African aquaculture: development beyond the fish farm Despite global hunger declining, the number of people going hungry in Africa remains high with 30% of people reported to be undernourished in 2010. Fish are an important source of food for many African people, providing around 18% of their animal protein, but with a growing and rapidly urbanizing population and capture fisheries largely reaching their limit, many African countries are now looking towards aquaculture to supply an increasing demand for fish.
Building Livelihood Security and Reducing Conflict in Freshwater Ecoregions The freshwater ecoregions of Lake Victoria, Lake Kariba and the Tonle Sap Lake are characterized by persistent poverty, high dependence on aquatic resources to provide food security and livelihoods, and intense resource competition. Moreover, significant new pressures have the potential to lead to broader social conflict if not addressed adequately, such as a further increase in the number of local resource users (through population growth, migration and displacement); commercial exploitation of limited resources; competition over water for agriculture and hydropower; and climate change.
Coastal Planning and Management Program for Western Ghana The six districts of Ghana's coastal zone represent less than seven percent of the land area of the country, yet they are home to 25 percent of the nation's total population. The combination of increasing food and livelihoods insecurity, population growth, and environmental degradation continues to impact negatively on the quality of human life in this coastal zone. In addition, rapidly evolving extractive industries in the region, including fisheries, plantation crops, hard minerals and petroleum, present challenges that regional governments are not equipped to handle.
Sustainable Water Usage in the Chinyanja Triangle In sub-Saharan Africa, the integration of pond aquaculture into rainfall-based agriculture systems, using practices such as Integrated Agriculture Aquaculture (IAA), has been largely successful. In some cases, fishponds have doubled household income, and increased household food production by 150%. Farms using IAA are proving to be 8% more productive during droughts, with women becoming more actively involved. Adoption of the approach has been growing at 25% per annum in Malawi since 2000, and is fast expanding. This is especially noted in the Chinyanja Triangle in the lower Zambezi River...

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28C3 - Version 2.3.5

28th Chaos Communication Congress
Behind Enemy Lines

Artur Janc
Day Day 2 - 2011-12-28
Room Saal 2
Start time 20:30
Duration 01:00
ID 4811
Event type Lecture
Track Hacking
Language used for presentation English

Rootkits in your Web application

Achieving a permanent stealthy compromise of user accounts with XSS and JS injection attacks.

XSS bugs are the most widely known and commonly occurring Web vulnerability, but their impact has often been limited to cookie theft and/or simple actions, such as setting malicious email filters, stealing some data, or self-propagation via an XSS worm. In this work, I discuss practical approaches for exploiting XSS and other client-side script injection attacks, and introduce novel techniques for maintaining and escalating access within the victim's browser. In particular, I introduce the concept of resident XSS where attacker-supplied code is running in the context of an affected user's main application window and describe its consequences. I also draw analogies between such persistent Web threats and the traditional rootkit model, including similarities in the areas of embedding malicious code, maintaining access, stealthy communication with a C&C server, and the difficulty of detecting and removing attacker-supplied code.

Despite a few high profile cases of XSS worms, most XSS exploitation attempts have so far been limited to cookie-stealing and executing simple malicious actions. However, as a consequence of the same-origin policy and a combination of other browser mechanisms, a single XSS vulnerability can often lead to a long-term compromise all of a user's interactions with an affected webapp in the same browser profile, long after the original bug has been fixed. In particular, an attacker can maintain access across window/browser closures, survive cookie and cache deletions, and compromise other user accounts accessed from the same browser. Yet more troubling is the fact that Web application authors currently have no means to detect or mitigate such threats once an attack has taken place.

In the talk I provide an overview of techniques to escalate an XSS into long-term account compromise, and explore the similarities between such persistent Web bugs and traditional rootkits. In particular, I:

I will present the above with concrete examples of vulnerable applications and a demo.


bird louse

bird louse (suborder Amblycera and Ischnocera), any of two groups of chewing lice (order Phthiraptera) that live on birds and feed on feathers, skin, and sometimes blood. Probably all bird species have these chewing lice. Although they are not harmful, if they become too numerous, their irritation may cause the bird to damage itself by scratching and may even interfere with egg production and the fattening of poultry.

Birds with damaged bills are often heavily infested because they cannot preen themselves properly. Two important species of chewing lice are the chicken louse, Menopon pallidum, and the pigeon louse, Lipeurus baculus.

Some authorities consider the two suborders as a single group called Mallophaga.


District administration urged to provide infrastructure

Leaders, cutting across party lines, a cross-section of people and rubber growers want the Kanyakumari district administration to provide infrastructure facilities in the western parts on par with the eastern parts of the district.

The number of vehicles being registered at the Regional Transport Offices at Nagercoil and Marthandam has touched a daily average of 300. The flow of vehicles to the district from other places in Tamil Nadu and other States has also increased considerably in the past years. The rapidly developing places in Kanyakumari are the western parts such as Marthandam, Kulasekaram, Thuckalay and Azhagiyamandapam which reel under traffic congestion frequently.

Accidents, many fatal, have become order of the day. But the officials concerned and leaders of all political parties are keen to improve only well-known areas such as Kanyakumari, Nagercoil and Marthandam. They fail to provide basic amenities to lesser known but rapidly developing areas such as Arumanai, Kuzhithurai, Vettuvenni, Azhagiyamandapam, Kulasekaram and Thuckalay.

The western parts of the district, with its rubber plantations, government and private schools, engineering colleges, medical and other facilities, are developing on a fast pace. Added to this, this region is bestowed with scenic beauty in addition to manmade tourist spots such as Mathur Flume (known as Mathur Thottipalam), Thirparappu falls with boating facilities, Pechipparai and other dams, and historic temples at Thiruvattar, Kuzhithurai etc. Consequently many areas in Kalkulam and Vilavancode taluks of the district face acute traffic problems. Such problems could be redressed by initiating effective steps to ensure smooth flow of traffic. Re-arrangement of bus stops and demarcation of parking areas would be of great help.

Speaking to The Hindu, the secretary of Consumers Protection And Vigilant Association, Alamattil D.Gopalakrishnan said that at Kulasekaram market junction, buses going towards convent junction and Pechipparai could be stopped in front of the Canara Bank. Buses bound for Thirparappu and beyond could be stopped in front of Rasi Textiles and all the buses proceeding towards Thiruvattar could be halted in the existing bus stand.

In Nagacode junction in Kulasekaram, buses going towards Pechipparai and Kulasekaram could be stopped in front of Swiss Bakery, whereas buses bound for Thirparappu and beyond could be halted in front of Santhi Vessels. The traffic police should make arrangements of stopping the buses to Thiruvarambu in front of Sukumar Hospital and buses towards Thiruvattar in front of Sharon Medicals.

In connection with Kavalstalam junction (check-post), buses bound for Thirparappu and beyond could be halted just 100 metres away from Convent junction. Other buses could be stopped as usual.

Heavy traffic

Similarly, the district administration in cooperation with the local people and other consumer as well as voluntary organisations could explore the ways and means to decongest traffic and to provide other infrastructure facilities in Arasamood junction, Convent, Arumanai, Kuzhithurai, Thuckalay, Azhagiyamandapam and other important junctions in the western region of the district. By improving road facilities, basic amenities and de-congesting traffic, more foreign and domestic visitors could be attracted to the lesser known tourist spots in western parts of the district.

No safety

Besides, call taxis, vans and autorickshaws occupy a large space near bus stops in many places, thus making it a Herculean task for pedestrians and two wheeler to move about safely.

The traffic committee with participation of non-governmental organisations and civic body representatives should be constituted in every police sub-divisions and circle divisions in the western parts to elicit their views to improve the overall development of the district, said the MLA of Padmanabhapuram Assembly Segment, Pushpaleela Alben.


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Railway Operations

Operation Area Network

The JR-West railway network extends over a total distance of 5,015.7 km, covering 18 prefectures. With the objective of enhancing safety, the JR-West Group is united in action to implement its Safety Think-and-Act Plan 2017. Meanwhile, to ensure that our railway inspires trust and a sense of reliability in the customer, we work to instill an ethos of customer satisfaction, to deliver convenient and user-friendly facilities, and to improve the quality of our customer-facing operations.

Transportation Revenues

Map of Rail Lines in Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe Area

Travel Times for Major Routes of the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen

(As of March 15, 2014)
Shin-Ōsaka - Okayama 44min
Shin-Ōsaka - Hiroshima 1h19min
Shin-Ōsaka - Hakata 2h22min
Shin-Ōsaka - Kumamoto 2h58min
Shin-Ōsaka - Kagoshima-chūō 3h42min
Okayama - Tōkyō 3h12min
Hiroshima - Tōkyō 3h47min
Hakata - Tōkyō 4h50min

* Fastest travel times are shown.

Hokuriku Shinkansen

The Hokuriku Shinkansen between Tokyo and Kanazawa is scheduled to commence operation at the end of FY 2015. JR-West will provide service with the following trains.

Kagayaki Trains operating between Tokyo and Kanazawa (Express)
Hakutaka Trains operating between Tokyo and Kanazawa (Local)
Tsurugi Trains operating between Toyama and Kanazawa (Shuttle)

FY2015, etc. refer to the fiscal years ending March 2015, etc.

Ticket Information

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Chemicals Policy

Category archives for Chemicals Policy

Children breathe more air, drink more water and eat more food per unit of body weight than adults. Therefore, if a child’s air, water or food is contaminated with chemicals, children receive a larger dose per unit of body weight than would an adult in the same situation. The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) has been unable to regulate chemicals effectively, and new chemical legislation must consider these key physiological differences.

Explosion, chemical hazards persist at Pilgrim’s Pride poultry plants

Pilgrim’s Pride is the world’s second largest poultry producer. The firm’s repeat violations of chemical process safety management should earn them OSHA’s severe violator label.

US Chemical Safety Board to hit hard on OSHA’s inaction on chemical hazards

The US Chemical Safety Board has been criticized for not doing more to press recipients of its recommendations to implement them. At a public meeting later this month, the Board will consider classifying OSHA’s response to several recommendations as “Open-Unacceptable.”

When Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) passed away Monday at the age of 89, the Senate lost one of its longest-serving members and the US lost a public-health champion.

Colorado community demanded health impact review of 200 proposed natural gas wells

Death on the Job report: US workers deserve better protections

The AFL-CIO’s “Death on the Job” report shows why U.S. workers deserve much better protections than they are getting.


B Vitamins for Bariatric Surgery Patients

after Weight

After gastric bypass surgery, malabsorption symptoms are common because vitamins are mostly absorbed in the digestive tract. High quality bariatric vitamins are necessary to prevent nutritional deficiencies.

Malabsorption problems will vary in severity depending on how your nutrition was before surgery and how radical your form of surgery was. In general, gastric band and gastric sleeve surgeries allow for better absorption. But every kind of weight loss surgery results in some loss of your ability to absorb vitamins. This is why it's vitally important that you take a good supplement.

Vitamin B1 after Weight Loss Surgery

Every living thing on the planet needs Vitamin B1, but animals are the life form that most take it in by food. The richest source of this vitamin in food is in the form of yeast and pork.

Given the limitations in carbohydrates after weight loss surgery, supplementation is necessary to ensure intake of adequate levels of this vitamin. Increases over the USDA recommended daily allowance may even lead to perceived increases in mental clarity.

Vitamin B2 for Weight Loss Patients

Vitamin B2, in the form of Riboflavin, can be found in foods like milk, eggs, nuts, green leafy vegetables, and meat.

It may help prevent cervical cancer, prevent cataracts, reduce age related memory loss, boost the immune system, may help improve the health of hair and skin, reduce canker sores, reduce muscle cramping, and even help athletic performance.

It can also be used for treating migraines. Vitamin B12 is also known for increasing energy levels, boosting the immune system, and increasing an overall sense of well-being.

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Bariatric Surgery - Drastic Measures for Drastic Measurements

excess weight

It used to be that bariatric surgery or stomach stapling was a rare and extreme response to dangerous cases of obesity.

With most of us normally so reluctant to go under the knife, what's driving the popularity of bariatric procedures? Quite simply, as an investment in health, they offer a very high return.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, bariatric surgery offers the best treatment to produce sustained weight loss in patients who are morbidly obese.

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Balancing Hormones For Permanent Weight Loss

hormone that

I found that lifestyle choices can lead to an imbalance in hormones, and this imbalance in hormones can lead to weight gain or make it difficult to maintain a desired weight, even if you are following a healthy diet and exercising. So let's look at what hormones affect your weight, and what you can do to balance these hormones and permanently lose weight and/or maintain your ideal weight.

Ghrelin is a hormone that increases your appetite, decreases your satiety and increases the amount of fat you store. It also stimulates the reward center in your brain for unhealthy foods such as sugary and fatty foods. When you have high levels of ghrelin, it is extremely difficult to lose weight or maintain a desired weight. Thinking that you can eat sugary, fatty, processed and refined foods and continue to maintain your ideal weight is a lie! Research has shown that you can suppress ghrelin production by eating natural, wholesome foods such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, fish, chicken, eggs, turkey and lamb. Studies have also shown that sleep deprivation will lead to an increase in ghrelin levels, appetite and hunger and that the supplement, 5-HTP, will help promote sleep and decrease sugar cravings.

Leptin is a hormone that suppresses your appetite and let's your brain know when you have stored enough fat in your body. When you gain weight, the leptin in your body stops working properly, and you become resistant to the signals that leptin sends. This resistance leads to additional weight gain and makes weight loss nearly impossible. Research has shown that the best way to increase levels of this natural appetite suppressant is to eat anti inflammatory foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, cold water fish, nuts, beans and seeds.

hormone that

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Balanced Diet For Children

vitamins minerals

While developing a balanced diet for children is not hard, you do have to keep in mind that what works for adults does not work for kids. Children in general are much more active than adults and since they are still growing, they need to eat foods that are highly nutritious. Children develop life long eating habits when they are young as well, so presenting the correct food groups is very important. If a child learns how to eat correctly when they are young, they are twice as likely to eat healthy as they become an adult.

How Nutrition Can Affect Growth

Protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals contribute to different aspects of development including proper bone and teeth growth. It is estimated that approximately 96% of children do not consume the correct amount of these foods as recommended by the food pyramid. This can lead to a host of health problems that could range from dental problems such as cavities and gum disease to bones that are weak and brittle. Iron is also absorbed from these foods and is needed for proper cell transportation of oxygen. For children to develop properly and be healthy, foods from all food groups should be included every day.

How Nutrition Affects Education

Recent studies have shown that children who lack the proper diet often have lower test scores. Improper nutrition is also directly linked to aggressive behavior and problem with attention in class. In order to provide your child with the tools needed to obtain a proper education, you must include a healthy diet.

food groups

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Balanced Diet For Body Building

body building

Body building and diet are like two faces of the same coin. Without one thing the other cannot exist. It is important for you to know the value of diet if you are very serious of building your body. Probably a million dollar is spent in a year throughout the world by many private companies to come up with commercials for their products. However the fact is you do not need to shell out a dollar to eat a good diet.

Before we go into detail of diet and body building we need to understand the concept of balanced diet. As the name itself indicated balanced diet is one which has all the components in a balanced quantity. The components of a normal diet can be divided into carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Minor components includes vitamins, minerals, antioxidant etc. so a balanced diet is one which has all these things in proper quantities which helps the body to produces extra muscle mass which is needed for body building.

Know coming to the question as to why a good diet is required by body builders. The answer is without a proper balanced diet the body will not be able to handle the amount of stress and strain put on the body while exercising. It is very vital that the body is supplied with proper amount of nutrients which will allow the body to function normally and also handle the extra amount of work.

The concept of balanced diet Is not a new one.It has been there for several decades now. However the significance of this was not discovered very recently. If a body builder consumes a balance diet he or she does not needs to consume any extra supplements to help him or her achieve their goal. Balanced diet contains sufficient proteins that is required to repair and rebuild the muscle fibers. It also contains fats which can take care of the skin and assist is absorption of vitamins. The beauty of balanced diet is that even with the presence of fats and carbohydrates one does not put on extra weight. The reason being that the carbohydrates and fats are present in just the right quantity that is necessary for the proper functioning of the body.

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Baldness and Hair Loss Affect Men and Women - Fight Back, Regrow Hair Naturally Today

have side effects

Are you the victim of the most common form of hair loss found in both men and women known as androgenic alopecia. In males, this condition is male-pattern baldness because there is a well-defined pattern of loss of hair which overtime the hairline recedes. Hair becomes thinner gradually causing baldness. Male-pattern baldness is caused by the increased level of the hormone dihyfrotestosterone (DHT). Researchers don't completely understand how DHT affects the scalp but it is known if a person is genetically prone to baldness, DHT may initiate the process of follicular miniaturization. This process can start as early as the end of puberty. Follicular miniaturization progressively leads to thinner and thinner hair until it is completely lost. When there is to much DHT in the scalp, it binds itself to hair follicles blocking the blood supply and preventing hair from growing. As time goes on, the follicles are being starved from nutrients, causing shrinkage, and hair shaft to decrease. Your hair gets thinner. When hair shaft becomes too small, new hair cannot grow from the follicle.

Do You Know What You Can Do To Prevent Hair Loss?

It is possible to prevent and reverse baldness that is the good news! Because baldness is primarily caused by the excess amounts of DHT, the best solution is to decrease the level of DHT. You can do this by using synthetic chemical drugs or natural remedies.

they have side effects

The effectiveness of drugs such as Propecia or Rogaine is not universally accepted. Since, these are synthetic chemicals, they have side effects, gynecomastia, erectile dysfunction, chest pains, blurred vision etc.

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Balanced Diet - Find Out What is a Nutritional Based Diet

balanced diet

A balanced diet is something we are constantly reminded of in magazines and by the government as ways of leading a healthy and longer life. Not always that easy with so many temptations along the way offering fast food, sugary and fatty foods. Smoking and alcohol don't help and missed meals are taken because of the pace in which we live. It is a discipline to not deviate of course. The benefits do far out way the negatives. A well balanced diet provides you with energy, clear skin, healthy body and organs, a sharp mind and protects you from diseases and infections.

A balanced diet is the adequate amount of nutrients required for living and growth.

We can talk of food in five groups for a healthy balanced diet-

1) Cereals, wheat and rice are need for starch, carbohydrates, Vitamin B and of course fibre. We should have 6 -8 servings daily.

2) Dairy products like milk and cheese provide us with protein, calcium and vitamins like A, B2, B12 and D. Daily intake 2 -4

3) Vegetable and fruit for minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates and fibre. Daily servings 2 -3

balanced diet

4) Meat , fish and poultry for protein, vitamin B12 , zinc and iron. Daily servings 2 -3

5) Oils, fats and sugars are the major source of energy for our bodies.

I know it is easy for health chiefs to dictate their ideas on what we should be eating and it is not always easy to fit these recommended servings into our busy lifestyles. How ever a useful tip is if you should miss out on your daily intake alway carry some fruit around with you or nutrition bar.

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How does Judicial Review Work?

Generally speaking, judicial review works when a judge looks for a previous case in order to determine the outcome of a current case at hand. If there was no previous case, or if the outcome of that case was not relevant, then the judge makes a new decision or law.
1 Additional Answer
Judicial review works by allowing a court to decide whether or not a law is constitutional. If they decide the law is not constitutional, the law is automatically null and void.


This essay examines existing sociological explanations of the development of the central surveillance of citizens in the light of the English experience, and finds them wanting. Sociologists see the state using surveillance for the benefit of capitalist elites, to reimpose social control over the “society of strangers” created by industrialisation. But surveillance pre-dated industrialisation, and the development of information gathering by state elites had more to do with their own need to preserve their position both within the English polity, and international geo-politics.


Out Wit Deer

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The Encyclopedia of Deer by Dr.Leonard Lee Rue III

Deer - Diet

Deer diet, as with most wild animals is quite varied. They are more often than not browsers, meaning they prefer foods that are 12 inches are taller above ground, but they will graze if needed. They prefer grasses, vines, shrubs, fruits eating all parts of the plant including woody stems. They enjoy plants over animal foods and have quite the appetite. How does this translate to your yard? Deer will eat just about any vegetable in your garden, save for the pungent ones such as garlic and onions, but a truly hungry animal will eat any food. They will eat the leaves off your fruit trees and in the winter the twigs from them, too!

Nutritional value of the foods deer eat is very important to the survival and viability of the species. Deer who do not get the proper nutritional balance will fall prey to diseases quickly.

Deer Diet-Food

As an herbivore, these large mammals eat only plants. In the wild they prefer Osage orange, oaks, sumacs in the south. In the Northeast white cedar, white pine, maples, yellow birch, dogwoods and vibirnum, sumac, aspen, jack pine, oaks, ash, white birch, witch hazel. The best grain crops and grasses include oats, wheat and rye and bluegrass, brome grass and cheat grass. On the smaller side they will partake quite joyfully in alfalfa, bluebells, burnet, cloves, dandelion and wild lettuce, sweet clover and onions.

The leaves and twigs of shrubs preferred by deer include bitterbrush, buckwheat, dogwood, serviceberries’, sagebrush and willows.

Trees including crabapple, apple and chokecherry have leaves and fruits much appreciated by deer, too. Mushrooms are eaten, as well.

In your vegetable garden they enjoy beans, peas, pansies, impatiens, geraniums, and just about everything you can grow.

Deer Diet-Physical Attributes

Deer diet is comprised of a lot of low nutrient foods. To help them make the most of this menu the deer are equipped with a four (4) chambered stomach. Deer are considered ruminant animals or animals that chew their food twice. Basically the process involves the food entering the first stomach where it is softened. The food than is regurgitated up and back into the mouth where it is chewed again. This second generation food is call “cud”. The deer then will swallow its food again which will then enter the second part of the stomach, then the third, followed by forth each of which perform more digested.

With over 40 percent of a deer’s energy coming from food absorbed in its first stomach it is not difficult to correlate overall health of the animals based on the available food supply.

Deer Diet-Seasonal Variances

Food sources available in the fall, winter, and early spring are most critical to deer because they affect body condition, winter survival, and reproduction. During these seasons, deer browse on the leaves, needles, buds, and twig ends of trees and shrubs. During these periods nuts and tree buds become a very important part of the deer diet.

Overall these mammals will enjoy eating acorns, nuts, fruits and green plants in the summer, evergreens and grasses in the fall, and switching over to woody plants in the winter.

Whether or not they visit your yard may actually depend on the seasonal variations of your location. You may find deer more frequent in your landscape if you live in mountainous areas for their normal food supply is buried beneath a deep layer of snow. If you have a regular dry season, deer will be more apt to venture into yards during the dry seasons versus the rainy seasons.

Deer Diet-Benefits and Detriments to Humans and the Ecosystem
The deer diet has many detriments to humans, due for the most part to their ability to eat most any plant in sight. This type of diet can cause harm to backyard gardens and farmers crops.

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If it had happened today, Ayrton's Senna's crash might not have been fatal. Channel 4 News looks back at a moment that changed F1 forever, as a film about the star - Senna - arrives in UK cinemas.

Before the race Senna had expressed his upset at the death of his fellow driver in the qualifying session. When nurses removed the Brazilian's overalls after the fatal crash, an Austrian flag was found tucked under Senna's sleeve presumably intended to be waved from his cockpit in tribute to Ratzenberger after his expected victory.

Ayrton Senna for McLaren. (Reuters)

The circumstances of his death, and the mystery surrounding his car's malfunction, have been the subject of legal battles, trials and finger-pointing.

The specific cause of the crash has never been determined, yet the effect that the death of arguably Formula One's greatest talent created an unprecedented investigation and reform of F1 safety.

We lifted him from the cockpit and laid him on the ground. As we did... I felt his soul depart at that moment. Sid Watkins, friend and F1 chief medical officer

Wheel bracket
The wheel brackets buckled and penetrated Senna's visor on impact causing an injury above his eye that would again have been enough to kill him. The two safety measures explained above indicate how the possibility of this happening again have been reduced. A comparison of the Massa crash in 2009, Michael Schumacher's head-on collision in 1999 which broke his leg, and Senna's fatal accident in 1994 highlights the achievements of 17 years progress in safety measures.