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It’s typical of many professions to cultivate an aura of infallibility and monopoly control of information. Open source doesn’t work that way. There are prima donnas, to be sure, but the culture requires practitioners to show their cards, and it erodes information monopolies. Shared code is just the tip of the iceberg. Below the waterline, there’s a vast body of shared knowledge and tradition, grounded in what Tim O'Reilly calls an architecture of participation. We’ve come to see open source as an economic innovation. Cooperative production of commodity infrastructure paves the way for competitive production of high-value products and services. Perhaps we’ll someday see open source as an educational innovation, too. Cooperative production of shared knowledge isn’t just a by-product. When apprentices, journeymen, and masters engage in a continuous cycle of learning and teaching, an old approach to education is made new again.
Jon Udell wrote an article for InfoWorld called "Open source education," offering another advantage of open source: technology transfer.
Great article, indeed!
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SECTION 18. FALL FOOTBALL PRACTICE REGULATIONS.
The first two days of fall football practice must be in shorts. These two days are designed for coaches to determine if the students are conditioned physically for football practice. On the third day, shoulder pads are allowed for one practice and the length of this practice shall not exceed 1.5 hours. During the first three days of practice, teams are allowed to use hand-held blocking pads. Helmets may be worn from the first day of practice, full pads from the fourth practice day. The earliest date full pads may be worn is August 7.
No matter when a student begins fall football practice, that student must practice for two days in shorts. Shoulder pads are allowed for one practice on that student’s third practice day (1.5-hour practice). The student may practice in full pads on his/her fourth practice day.
In all sports, two-a-day practices may not be conducted on consecutive days. When two-a-day practices are conducted, a four (4) hour break is required between the end of the first practice and the beginning of the second practice. In football, only one practice per day may be in full pads. The other practice that day can be only in helmets and shoulder pads.
NOTE: The two-a-day rule also applies once the classes and school year is in session.
Other Rules Updates
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Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1836-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the
National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress. external link Learn more
Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL
Newspaper Page Text
ti ' x ncauy.
NATIONAL- APPLE DAY IS TUES
By R. J. Coyne.
National Apple Day occurs tomor
row and is now a permanent insti
tution. It is the day-Qf cheer and all
are invited to join in itsfestivities.
There are many reasons why Na
tional Apple Day should be encour
aged. First of all, apples are a valuable
commercial commodity and aid to
ward the nation's wealth when they
are grown and distributed scientl-
Second, their health value Is un
questioned. Even with the knock
given the doctor by the old time
slogan "An apple a day keeps the
doctor away" the doctor has many
good words to say of the medicinal
value of the apple. The modern slo
gan "health's best way, eat apples
every day" is a more pleasing truth.
The phosphorous in the apple is con
sidered a great aid to brain workers,
particularly is apples are eaten on re
tiring at night. Prom an economical
standpoint a box or a barrel of nice
juicy apples will satisfy and please
more persons than any other article
of food or luxury with which you can
entertain them. Prom the humblest
of humanity, to the millionaire, king
or queen, the apple will be accepted
from the barrel or box without the
use of golden or silver platter, and
such is the dignity of the apple, "King
So many good things can be said
of the virtues of the apple, why not
keep a nice box of apples near your
desk and your cigar bill will be less?
Even the other fellow who is ac
customed to the use of strong drink
will change when weaned to the lib
eral use of apples. Prohibitionist
and temperance organizations should
emblazon on their temperance ban
ners: "Don't drink pray
Eat apples every day."
Accordingly, you see apples are
also moral force. I might call them 1
"the sunshine fruit of cheer." The
smiling school children are aided to
health by apples, But do they get their
share? The man or men who supply
their neighborhood school with ap
ples on National Apple Day will be
blessed and revered with joy of giv
ing and the pleasure that is expe
rienced by making so many others
Nature's best fruit, the sunshine
fruit of cheer.
PLEASANT TO HEAR v
"What a silvery ring there is in Mr.
"Yes. And when he proposed to me
last night there was a diamond ring
Don't waste time or advice on peo
ple who can't take a hint.
The world is filled with bluffers
who show up badly on a showdown.
Neighborly sympathy, sometimes,
turns out to be about three-quarters
curiosity. Atlanta Journal,
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Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was.
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
The Pharisees Investigate the Healing
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.
17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”
The man replied, “He is a prophet.”
18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”
20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”
25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”
28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”
30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
39 Jesus said,[a] “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
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Wednesday, November 28, 2012
It is the “other” island in Charleston harbor, the one closest to peninsula Charleston and easily seen from the Battery, often mistaken by visitors for Fort Sumter. Although not much remains of Castle Pinckney proper and its thick brick walls are now crumbling amidst a tangle of wild vegetation, the site has a long and impressive history.
The actual name of this centrally located harbor island is “Shute’s Folly.” Like Folly Beach, the island was originally much larger and named for the lush vegetation it once held – “folly” being an archaic term for a verdant thicket of trees and plants. The island’s first historical mention is found in 1711 when its then-224 acres were deeded to Colonel Alexander Parris (for whom Parris Island near Beaufort was named), a commander of the South Carolina provincial militia. In 1746, the island was deeded to a Quaker named Joseph Shute, thus the name “Shute’s Folly,” and remained in the Shute family until 1763.
The island’s history during these early years is sketchy. It may have been used by coastal Indians in some fashion, for old maps show circular formations of oyster shells which may have been shell middens. As early as 1717, there is mention that it was used as a place to hang convicted pirates and legend has it that their bodies were left hanging from the gallows as a deterrent to others who might consider entering into acts of piracy.
There is early mention of a grove of orange trees during the period of Shute’s ownership and, indeed, during his time oranges were grown in Charleston and the surrounding areas in some abundance. In 1805, 50 acres on the island were purchased by Jonathan Lucas, who, in 1795, had invented the first water-driven rice mill. Since maps of this period show a building on Lucas’ property, it may be that there was a rice mill on the site at one time.
Historically, the island’s strategic harbor location gave it a military significance. Yet throughout the centuries, the fort never quite attained full military importance. Even as early as 1736, when the first thought toward erecting a fortification on the island was considered, the intended fort was built instead at the point of Charleston’s peninsula.
It wasn’t until the American Revolution that the first fort was erected on the island, a small earth and timber structure. In 1797, a second and somewhat larger fort was begun of logs and sand on the island and named Fort Pinckney in honor of General Charles Cotesworth Pinckney of Revolutionary War fame. Facing southeast, this early fort was shaped in a half hexagon, mounted eight guns and held quarters for a small contingency of officers and men.
This fort was severely damaged by the hurricane of 1804, so much so that in 1808 the fort was entirely rebuilt, this time of brick and constructed in a horseshoe shape.
It mounted two tiers with a capability of holding 21, possible 30 guns and had quarters for 50 men in peacetime and 105 men when fully garrisoned. Despite the outbreak of the War of 1812 and Charleston’s direct involvement in that conflict, the fort saw no action. By 1826, it was considered a secondary work by the defense department.
The island began to erode severely in the 1820s causing further problems.
In 1831, extensive repairs were necessary and stone embankments were put into place around the fort to offset the encroaching sea. It was maintained by a small garrison and housed a post hospital but with the outbreak of the Second Seminole War in 1835, the garrison was moved to Florida and the fort was empty again.
It wasn’t until the 1850s that Congress appropriated money to repair the fort and, in 1855, a navigational light was installed. Although the fort remained partially armed, it was ungarrisoned and used primarily as a city powder storehouse. So it remained until 1860.
In December of that year, with secession fever at its height, preparations were made to regarrison Castle Pinckney with U.S. troops. A lieutenant, ordnance sergeant, four mechanics and 30 laborers were sent to clean up the fort. Following Major Robert Anderson’s Christmas night move of his garrison from Fort Moultrie to Fort Sumter (a step seen by South Carolina as a direct act of war), on the afternoon of December 27, 1860, Castle Pinckney was taken, without incident, by a detachment from the 1st Regiment of Rifles under Colonel Johnson J. Pettigrew. For the following four years, Castle Pinckney remained in Confederate hands.
Following the First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) on July 21, 1861, Castle Pinckney was converted into a stockade for Union prisoners-of-war, garrisoned by the Charleston Zouave Cadets. One-hundred-and-thirty Union soldiers captured during that battle were held at the fort, consisting of soldiers and officers from the 11th Zouaves, the 69th Irish Regiment, the 79th Highlanders and the 8th Michigan Regiment. After their exchange in October the fort was converted back to a defensive work, although its location in the inner harbor made it less strategically important than other harbor fortifications.
By 1864, the fort’s casemates were disarmed, the interior was filled with sand and although four guns remained on the island, it saw no further action.
Following the federal occupation of Charleston in February 1865, Castle Pinckney was again used for a brief time as a prison, primarily for captured blockade runners and civilian prisoners.
This was probably the darkest part of Castle Pinckney’s history, for it was during this period that 25 black Union soldiers who had participated in a mutiny were executed and buried on the island.
With peace, Castle Pinckney again fell into disuse. In 1878, with the island now under the control of the treasury department, a light station and supply depot were built on the island, at which time a light keeper’s house and other buildings were erected. It remained active as a light station until 1917 when it was transferred to the U.S. Corps of Engineers who used the island buildings as a storage facility.
In 1924, Castle Pinckney was designated by President Calvin Coolidge as a national monument and it looked as if it might be preserved as an historical site. By 1933, however, when it came into the hands of the National Park Service, it was not considered “significant” enough to merit this status and was declassified.
In 1958, it was sold to the South Carolina Ports Authority and, once again, plans were discussed towards erecting a museum on the site. Again, nothing ever materialized. The island remained unoccupied and its buildings empty.
In December 1967, a tremendous fire broke out on the island, a blaze which destroyed the house and other wooden buildings on the island. Today, Castle Pinckney is on the National Register of Historic Places and is owned by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Fort Sumter Camp 1269. There is hope that someday the site will be fully explored historically and archaeologically and what remains of the original fort preserved.
Castle Pinckney holds an unquestionably important place in Charleston’s past, an abandoned, silent sentinel in Charleston’s harbor of history.
(Suzannah Smith Miles is a writer and Lowcountry and Civil War historian.)
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Step 7 - Create Your Eco-Code
The Eco-Code states your school's environmental values in a memorable way for both students and members of the greater community.
The Eco-Code is a mission statement for your school and should be reflective of both your Eco-Action Plan and your curriculum. It should demonstrate, in a clear and imaginative way, your school's commitment to improving its environmental performance. It should be memorable, familiar and agreed upon by the whole school community. Many schools have used creative competitions to develop their Eco-Codes.
It is crucial that students play a key role in the development of the Eco-Code, as this will give them a greater sense of responsibility toward the values the Eco-Code represents. The content of the Eco-Code should be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that it continues to reflect the school's aims and targets.
How the Eco-Code is formatted is entirely up to the school. It could be a list of statements, a song or rap, or a poem. The format should be appropriate for the ages and abilities of the students.
The Eco-Code should be prominently displayed throughout the school. For instance, post it on your Eco-Schools notice board and website, in every classroom, in communal areas, and in the staff room. The Eco-Code should also be presented to the local community through the press or at events related to your Eco-Schools program.
Sample Eco-Code (from Eco-Schools Programme Ireland)
Try Recycling Ashbourne Shows How
Paper will not be wasted;
All pages in copy will be filled;
Photocopies will be backed;
Every box, paper and cardboard will be reused, recycled and therefore reduced;
Reduction of paper is our aim.
- The Eco-Action Team, with input from the whole school, develops an Eco-Code that is then agreed upon and adopted.
- The Eco-Action Team, with input from the whole school, develops an Eco-Code that is then agreed upon, adopted and displayed.
Green Flag Award
- The whole school and greater community is given the opportunity to make suggestions on developing (or refining and enhancing) the Eco-Code.
- The Eco-Action team takes suggestions, refines the Eco-Code and takes it to the full school for adoption.
- The Eco-Code is prominently displayed for all to read as they enter the school.
- The Eco-Code is reviewed every year as part of review process to ensure that it is still relevant.
Sources: Eco-Schools Programme Ireland, Eco-Schools Programme, Eco-Schools Programme Scotland
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Former Congressman Patrick Kennedy isn’t afraid to open up about mental health, and how access to care and treatment have helped save his life. Suicide Prevention Month, which runs through September, demands “urgency and advocacy” for what he calls a reversible epidemic.
In a video interview with APHA’s Public Health Newswire, Kennedy discussed personal and professional experiences with mental health illness, harsh statistics on national suicide rates and reasons for hope. Today is World Suicide Prevention Day, hosted by the World Health Organization and the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
“Thirty-eight thousand Americans successfully take their lives every year; 18 of our nation’s heroes, veterans, are taking their lives every day,” Kennedy said. “And 90 percent taking their lives are suffering from underlying mental illness. You know that if we were to better treat the underlying mental illness, we would have a very good chance at reducing the overall suicide rate.”
The delivery of mental health services, which under the Affordable Care Act will be considered an essential health benefit that must be provided to patients beginning in 2014, is an emerging national priority — including addressing the impacts of concussions in the NFL and other sports, student bullying and veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder. As a congressman, Kennedy played a major role in winning passage into law of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which he says will ensure that Americans under health plans receive mental health services equal to coverage promised for physical ailments.
During the monthly observance, Kennedy said that Americans need “a checkup from the neck up.”
“Suicide is an example that these are fatal illnesses if they’re not treated,” he said. “We wouldn’t dream of denying people of cancer treatment until they had stage-4, but that’s what we routinely do in mental health. We wait until it becomes a crisis instead of working to prevent it. We need to galvanize people to make sure mental health is vigorously covered in health care plans around the country.”
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| 0.962814 | 434 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Biotechnology and Foods: Executive Summary
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) in 1999- 2000 convened three panels of experts, consisting of IFT members and other prominent biotechnology authorities, to prepare a comprehensive scientific report on biotechnology. The report consists of four sections: Introduction, Safety, Labeling, and Benefits and Concerns. The sections were published in the August, September and October 2000 issues of Food Technology. This document summarizes the findings of the panels.
Modern biotechnology refers to a group of techniques that have wide application in research and commerce. One of these applications, recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA) biotechnology, has become the focus of intense public scrutiny and debate. Commonly known as genetic modification or gene splicing, rDNA biotechnology allows for the effective and efficient transfer of genetic material from one organism to another. Instead of cross-breeding plants for many generations or introducing mutations to introduce a desired trait—processes that are imprecise and that sometimes introduce unwanted changes—scientists can identify and insert one or more genes responsible for a particular trait into a plant or microorganism with greater precision and speed. These transferred genes, or transgenes, do not have to come from a related species in order to be functional, and can be moved virtually at will among different living organisms.
The first rDNA biotechnology-derived food plant marketed in the United States was the FlavrSavrTM tomato, introduced in 1994. This tomato carried an “antisense” gene for the enzyme that is responsible, in large part, for fruit softening. The antisense gene reduced the production of the ripening enzyme. Other rDNA biotechnology-derived crops that soon followed included squash resistant to some strains of zucchini yellows and watermelon mosaic viruses in 1994, insect-resistant potato and corn in 1995 and 1996, and herbicide-tolerant soybean and canola in 1996. Others under development are expected to appeal more directly to consumers. These include fruits, root and leaf vegetables, and grains with enhanced nutritional and healthpromoting properties.
Although biotechnology is widely viewed as new, the plants and animals that modern agriculture produces today to feed the world’s people are the result of over 10,000 years of continuous genetic modification and refinement. Corn, for example, is a classic example of traditional selective breeding. Other crops resulting from such conventional breeding techniques include tomato, potato, corn, oat, sugar beet, bread and durum wheat, rice, and pumpkin. Conventional techniques for crop improvement share the disadvantage that they are by nature imprecise and unpredictable, and only occasionally useful.
Recombinant DNA techniques involve the introduction of one or a few defined genes into a plant much more precisely than the techniques breeders have employed for millennia. Recombinant DNA techniques have provided both an important new set of tools for scientists and access to a broader range of markets. They enable researchers to identify, characterize, enhance, and transfer the appropriate individual genes rather than work with undefined and randomly assorted groups of genes, hoping the desirable ones were included using conventional selected breeding. With precision, researchers can now readily move selected and well-characterized genetic material from virtually any source in nature, greatly increasing the diversity of useful genes available for crop and microbe improvement.
Two methods of plant transformation involving rDNA biotechnology are in use at the present time: free-DNA and T-DNA. In the free-DNA method, DNA carrying the gene of interest is literally shot into cultured plant cells. This method allows the introduction of precise sequences of DNA, but it is difficult to predict exactly where the sequence will be integrated. In the T-DNA method, nonpathogenic DNA from a bacterial plant pathogen, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, carries the genes of interest into the host-cell chromosome. The T-DNA method greatly increases the precision of DNA insertion. In both cases, the precision of rDNA biotechnology permits accurate determination of the location and number of copies of the inserted DNA, even if the location of DNA insertion cannot be controlled.
Government Regulation. The Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology, prepared by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and published in the June 26, 1986, Federal Register, is the comprehensive U.S. policy for ensuring the safety of biotechnology research and products. It explains the coordination among federal agencies.
OSTP’s 1992 document, Exercise of Federal Oversight within Scope of Statutory Authority: Planned Introductions of Biotechnology Product into the Environment, describes a risk-based, scientifically sound approach to the oversight of planned introductions of rDNA biotechnology- derived products into the environment. It focuses on the characteristics of the product and the environment into which it is introduced, not the process by which the product is created. The ultimate goal of the regulatory agencies is to ensure the overall safety of foods, food ingredients, and feeds produced using rDNA biotechnology.
Food Safety. FDA is responsible for ensuring the safety and proper labeling of human food and animal feed. The agency’s policy on foods and animal feed derived from new plant varieties developed by conventional and new breeding techniques is that existing requirements mandate the same safety standards for foods, food ingredients, and feeds, regardless of the techniques used in their production and manufacture. FDA maintains a “voluntary consultation procedure,” in which producers of rDNA biotechnology-derived foods are asked to consult with the agency before marketing their products.
Meat and Poultry Safety. The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for regulating the safety and labeling of meat and poultry products for human consumption. FSIS consults with FDA regarding the safety of food ingredients.
Field Testing and Permits. Under the Plant Quarantine Act and the Federal Plant Pest Act, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regulates the importation and interstate movement of plants and plant products that may result in the entry into the United States of injurious plant diseases or insect pests. The field-testing and the commercial sale of rDNA biotechnology- derived crops are regulated by APHIS through a permit and notification system.
Animal Vaccines. APHIS regulates animal vaccines under the Virus-Serum-Toxin Act. In general, animal vaccines are subject to pre-market approval, based on testing to show their safety and effectiveness. Pesticides. Pesticides produced by plants developed using rDNA biotechnology are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. EPA’s 1994 proposed rule states that plants are subject to regulation only if they produce plant pesticidal proteins as a result of modification with rDNA techniques. The National Research Council accepts this approach, but 11 major scientific societies representing more than 80,000 biologists and food professionals oppose it.
Products derived through rDNA biotechnology are assessed for safety before their introduction into the food marketplace. Food manufacturers also must ensure the safety and quality of products that contain ingredients derived from rDNA biotechnology. In 1992, FDA provided a general outline for the safety assessment of rDNA biotechnologyderived food products based on risk analysis related to the characteristics of the products.
Substantial Equivalence. In the safety assessment of rDNA biotechnology-derived foods, it is helpful to compare the new plant variety to its traditional counterpart because the counterpart has a history of safe use as a food. Substantial equivalence is not an absolute determinant of safety per se, since compositional changes in an rDNA biotechnology- derived food may have no impact on the safety of the food. However, substantial equivalence provides a process to establish that the composition of the plant has not been changed in such a way as to introduce any new hazards into the food, to increase the concentration of inherent toxic constituents, or to decrease the customary content of nutrients. Recombinant DNA biotechnologyderived foods without conventional counterparts need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and would be subject to some types of toxicity assessments, depending on the nature of the modification.
Allergenicity. Virtually all food allergens are proteins, although only a small fraction of the proteins found in nature (and in foods) are allergenic. Since genetic modifications involve the introduction of new genes into the recipient plant and since these genes would produce new proteins in the improved variety, the potential allergenicity of the newly introduced protein should be a key component of the safety assessment process.
International Scientific Consensus on Safety. The safety of rDNA biotechnology-derived foods has been extensively reviewed by a number of scientific organizations, at the national and international level. These organizations recognize that the use of rDNA biotechnology in itself has no impact on the safety of such foods.
The National Research Council published a report in 2000 reaffirming principles set forth in a 1987 National Academy of Sciences white paper, stating that with “careful planning and appropriate regulatory oversight, commercial cultivation of transgenic pest-protected plants is not generally expected to pose higher risks and may pose less risk than other commonly used chemical and biological pest-management techniques.” In 1991, a joint report of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations concluded: “Biotechnology has a long history of use in food production and processing. It represents a continuum embracing both traditional breeding techniques and the latest techniques based on molecular biology. The newer biotechnological techniques, in particular, open up very great possibilities of rapidly improving the quantity and quality of food available. The use of these techniques does not result in food which is inherently less safe than that produced by conventional ones.”
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IFT’s Conclusions. Based on its evaluation of the available scientific evidence, IFT’s Human Food Safety Panel reached the following conclusions:
Biotechnology, broadly defined, has a long history of use in food production and processing. It represents a continuum that encompasses both centuries-old traditional breeding techniques and the latest techniques based on molecular modification of genetic material. The newer rDNA biotechnology techniques, in particular, offer the potential to rapidly and precisely improve the quantity and quality of food available.
- Crops modified by modern molecular and cellular methods do not pose risks any different from those modified by earlier genetic methods for similar traits. Because the molecular methods are more specific, users of these methods will be more certain about the traits they introduce into the plants.
- The evaluation of food, food ingredients, and animal feed obtained from organisms developed with the newer rDNA biotechnology techniques of genetic manipulation does not require a fundamental change in established principles of food safety; nor does it require a different standard of safety, even though, in fact, more information and a higher standard of safety are being required.
- The science that underlies rDNA biotechnology-derived foods does not support more stringent safety standards than those that apply to conventional foods.
- The use of rDNA biotechnology and molecular techniques of genetic manipulation significantly broadens the scope of the genetic changes that can be made in food organisms and broadens the scope of possible sources of foods, but this does not inherently lead to foods that are less safe than those developed by conventional techniques. By virtue of their greater precision, such products can be expected to be better characterized, leading to more predictabilityand an easier safety assessment process.
Labeling requirements that apply to foods in general also apply to foods produced using rDNA biotechnology. Generally speaking, the FDA has authority over food labeling, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has authority over food advertising. Under the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), FDA regulates food labeling through a series of requirements that are intended to assure that the information of significance about a food product is provided and that the food labeling is truthful and non-misleading. FDA’s authority to require specific labeling on foods is limited to the existence of material fact by the FFDCA and considerations of the First Amendment of the Constitution.
FDA requires labeling of rDNA biotechnology-derived foods that differ significantly in composition, nutritional value, or safety from their conventional counterparts. If a safety or usage issue exists for the new food, a statement must be made on the label to describe the issue. For example, if a food produced using rDNA biotechnology has significantly different nutritional properties, its name must reflect the difference (e.g., “high oil corn”). Likewise, if a new food includes an allergen that consumers would not expect based on the name of the food, such as the hypothetical use of a peanut protein in a tomato, the presence of that allergen must be stated on the label.
Foods that are not rDNA biotechnology-derived may be labeled as such in a truthful and non-misleading manner. A processor asserting that a product includes no rDNA biotechnology-derived ingredients must be able to substantiate that claim to provide reasonable assurance of its accuracy.
International Perspectives. The regulation of rDNA biotechnology-derived foods differs widely in other countries. Some countries do not allow them to be imported at all, on the basis that not enough is known about the long-term effects of consuming rDNA biotechnologyderived foods. Other countries permit such foods, with requirements that each food disclose on the label that it was produced using rDNA biotechnology. Still other countries, like the United States, compare the new plant variety to varieties produced using conventional breeding to identify differences for safety evaluation and to determine whether the differences need to be described on the food label. These countries do not require statements that the food was derived using rDNA biotechnology.
The primary international forum for discussion of labeling of biotechnology-derived foods is the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex). The Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) has been discussing how rDNA biotechnology-derived foods should be labeled for several years. The goal is to have a single approach to labeling requirements.
Consumer Opinion. In a 2000 survey by the Wirthlin Group, the majority of consumers supported FDA’s labeling policy, and 28 percent opposed the policy. When presented with an alternative view, that all rDNA biotechnologyderived products should be labeled, 52 percent continued to support FDA’s policy, 43 percent supported labeling all products, and 5 percent did not know.
General consumer research has shown that label statements should be clear and not misleading and should provide salient facts to the consumer. Consumers indicated that labeling should be in laymen’s terms, use consistent terminology, and follow a standard format.
IFT’s Conclusions. IFT’s Labeling Panel concludes that the following facts are fundamental to resolving issues regarding the labeling of rDNA biotechnology-derived foods in the United States:
- Within the constitutional framework, the FFDCA provides for a food labeling regulatory regime that is intended to ensure that information about food products is presented to consumers in a truthful, non-misleading manner. This regulatory system requires disclosure of any significant difference in the characteristics of an rDNA biotechnology-derived food when compared with its conventional counterpart. In addition, voluntary label statements must be substantiated and not misleading, either overtly, by implication, or by omission.
- Mandatory label disclosure requirements may not reach beyond addressing material facts about a food. If rDNA biotechnology were used in the development of a plant variety but the rDNA biotechnology-derived food was not significantly different from the conventional counterpart, there would be no material fact regarding the food to disclose. Thus, absent significant differences, the fact that a food is rDNA biotechnology-derived is not by itself a material fact.
- Voluntary labeling has been used to establish markets for niche categories of foods desired by consumers.
- Any labeling requirements or policies to distinguish rDNA biotechnology-derived foods from other foods would require definitions and monitoring tools sufficiently precise to meet the objectives of the requirement or policy.
- Labeling initiatives for rDNA biotechnology-derived foods are likely to have substantial effects on the production, distribution, and cost of food to consumers.
- If a voluntary labeling initiative to distinguish rDNA biotechnology-derived foods is pursued, broad stakeholder agreement should be achieved regarding appropriate substantiation of claims.
- Terminology used in labeling should convey information to the public in an understandable, accurate, and non-misleading manner.
Benefits and Concerns
New technologies rarely receive a broad and enthusiastic welcome. Canned food, for its first hundred years, was viewed apprehensively, and not without reason. In those pre-bacteriology days, it was far more an uncertain art than a solid science. Pasteurized milk, a life-saving technology in its elimination of the microorganisms causing tuberculosis and undulant fever, was originally viewed with deep suspicion. Artificial insemination of farm animals—critical in selective breeding of improved livestock—was regarded as tampering with nature. Recombinant DNA biotechnology is no exception.
Recombinant DNA biotechnology offers numerous benefits and raises a number of concerns, some more legitimate than others. Examination of the science diffuses many of these concerns. Other concerns are less or no more severe than those associated with conventional breeding techniques that have been practiced for centuries.
Based on its evaluation of currently available scientific information, IFT’s Benefits and Concerns Panel concludes that further development and use of food rDNA biotechnology provides a number of benefits:
- A more abundant and economical food supply for the world.
- Continued improvements in nutritional quality, including foods of unique composition for populations whose diets lack essential nutrients. For example, “golden rice” has been genetically modified through rDNA biotechnology to have increased beta-carotene content, which may help to overcome the severe vitamin A deficiencies which cause millions of poor children to go blind or die every year in low-income, rice-consuming cultures.
- Fresh fruits and vegetables with improved shelf life.
- Foods with reduced allergenicity. For example, rDNA biotechnology has already been used to dramatically reduce the levels of the major rice allergen. Similar approaches could be attempted with more commonly allergenic foods such as peanuts.
- The development of functional foods, vaccines, and similar products that may provide health and medical benefits. Researchers, for example, have developed a system to produce in tobacco plants a therapeutic vaccine against non-Hodgkin’s B-cell lymphoma in mice.
- Further improvements in production agriculture through more efficient production practices and increased yields. Plant breeders, for example, have used rDNA biotechnology to develop a corn that is easier for farm animals to digest. A further improvement came with the development of nutritionally dense corn, which has increased amounts of oil, protein, and essential amino acids necessary for optimal animal growth.
- The conversion of nonproductive toxic soils in developing countries to productive arable land.
- More environmentally friendly agricultural practices through improved pesticides and pesticide usage practices, less hazardous animal wastes, improved utilization of land, and reduced need for ecologically sensitive land such as rain forests.
With regard to several environmental and economic concerns about rDNA biotechnology-derived food production, IFT’s Benefits and Concerns Panel concludes that:
- New rDNA biotechnology-derived foods and food products do not inherently present any more serious environmental concerns or unintended toxic properties than those already presented by conventional breeding practices, which have an impressive safety record.
- Appropriate testing by technology developers, producers and processors, regulatory agencies, and others should be continued for new foods and food products derived from all technologies, including rDNA biotechnology.
- Programs should be developed to provide the benefits of safe and economical rDNA biotechnology-derived food products worldwide, including less-developed countries.
In an effort to contribute to a meaningful dialogue on scientific issues and consumer concerns about rDNA biotechnology, the Institute of Food Technologists, a non-profit society for food science and technology, conducted a comprehensive review of biotechnology
. IFT convened three panels of experts, consisting of IFT members and other prominent biotechnology authorities, to evaluate the scientific evidence and write a report divided into four sections: Introduction, Safety, Labeling, and Benefits and Concerns.
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Sticking needles into a tiger might not seem like the wisest of moves, but that’s exactly what happened at a safari park in Israel.
Vets turned to acupuncture after conventional medicine failed to treat 14-year-old Pedang’s chronic ear infection.
Luckily the Sumatran tiger was anaesthetised before the procedure took place.
A worker at the Ramat Gan Safari open air zoo, near Tel Aviv, said: ‘What we did today is acupuncture in points that will also help him eventually to deal with his own medical issue.’
She added that although the traditional Chinese medicine technique was regularly used on domesticated animals it was normally ‘much harder’ to use on wild animals.
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|Author:||Cleveland Kent Evans (Authenticated as clevelandkentevans)|
|Date:||March 28, 2009 at 12:27:09 PM|
|Reply to:||Almanzo by lac|
The earlier answers about this name were done before I had access to Ancestry library.
From a little research on Ancestry library, it seems that Almanzo as a given name in the USA is probably an alteration of Almanza. The first three males named Almanza in US Census records were born between 1795 and 1800. Within a generation, however, there were girls being named Almanza and Almanzo had appeared for boys. It looks like Almanza was originally used for boys, but then its -a ending lead some people to think Almanza should be feminine and Almanzo should be the "correct" male form.
Almanza is a Spanish surname and place name. There was a famous battle in 1707 during the War of the Spanish Succession called the Battle of Almanza. Perhaps some parents in the northeastern USA were reading about that battle and decided Almanza would make a good name for a son, as it was close in sound to other names like Alonzo and Lorenzo that had been adopted as male names in the USA. Perhaps someone just saw the surname Almanza in some news from Latin America and thought the same thing.
Since, as someone pointed out in an earlier thread, Almanzo Wilder seems to have actually been the first person in his family with that name, the "family legend" explanation that it goes back to an ancestor connected with Al-Mansoor seems more like a fanciful thing his parents told him rather than the real story. It's more likely they just heard the name in upstate New York, where they lived, since most early examples of Almanza or Almanzo are in New England, New York, or Pennsylvania.
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As far as I can remember, PHP has always had a terrible reputation at handling very heavy (or asynchronous) tasks. [...] But PHP can do threading, and more importantly it's a lot easier than you probably think.
[...] In this article I'm going to dive into the pthreads extension (short for POSIX Threads). It has been around for a while (since 2012) but I feel like too many people forget it exists or assume it is going to be painful to use – mostly because the official documentation is rather slim about it.
They start by getting the pthreads support installed locally (it assumes you use OS X and the "brew" package manager but it can be installed manually too). The article starts off by defining some basic nomenclature from the pthreads world and gives a diagram of how it all fits together. From there it gets into some examples, showing a simple thread class to fetch Google results and how to fire off multiple instances at the same time. They then extend this even further and look at the concept of "workers" and using them to manage individual jobs. It then moves up the next level and looks at "pools" of workers and processing multiple workers at the same time.
There's also a section dealing with one "gotcha" that can happen with class inheritance between parent and child threads. They show how to work around this with a custom
Worker class that performs the autoloading for you and is executed at the start of a
Pool. Finally they cover the messaging between the child threads and, as a bonus, how threading could be used in a command bus setup.
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| 0.969355 | 339 | 2.609375 | 3 |
An ear infection, or otitis media, occurs when viruses or bacteria enter the middle ear and cause it to become infected. If you’ve had an ear infection, you know it can cause extreme discomfort. What you may not know is how important it is to get an ear infection diagnosed as early as possible — if left untreated, it could lead to serious complications.
How does an ear infection develop? Your ear has three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. Ear infections affect your middle ear, which is where your eustachian tubes connect the back of your nose to the ears. Eustachian tubes normally allow fluid to drain from your ears, but when these small tubes becomes blocked from something such as a cold or allergies, fluid can build up in the middle ear. A fluid-filled middle ear is susceptible to infection, because bacteria or viruses can grow in the fluid.
An ear infection often occurs after you have developed another illness, such as a cold or a sore throat — the bacteria or viruses that caused your illness can also lead to an ear infection.
Ear infections occur most commonly in babies and young children. In fact, most children will have had at least one ear infection by the time they turn 3. This is partially due to the fact that children's immune systems have not yet fully matured, making it harder for children to fight off infections. Also, children's eustachian tubes are smaller and straighter than adult eustachian tubes, making them more likely to become plugged with fluid. Because children get ear infections much more often than adults, there is a common misconception that they only occur in young children. However, older children and adults can get them, too.
The Painful Symptoms of an Ear Infection
The most obvious sign of an ear infection is ear pain, which occurs because of increased pressure on your eardrum. An ear infection can also decrease your ability to hear, because excess fluid in the middle ear hinders the ability of the eardrum and bones in the ear to function as they should to help you hear. People who have ear infections may also notice the following symptoms:
- Sensation of ear blockage
Ear infections can be particularly difficult to diagnose in babies and very young children, because their language skills may not allow them to communicate how they feel. Common symptoms of an ear infection in kids include:
- Increased irritability
- Trouble sleeping
- Pulling at one or both ears
- Leakage of fluid from the ear
- Balance problems
- Signs of hearing disturbance (for example, lack of response to quiet sounds)
- Loss of appetite
Finding Relief: How to Treat an Ear Infection
If you suspect that you or your child may have an ear infection, see a doctor as soon as you can. When left untreated, an ear infection can lead to a more serious infection (for example, an infection of the brain), permanent hearing loss, and problems with speech and language development (in children).
A doctor can diagnose an ear infection by examining your ear to look for inflammation and fluid.
Treatment for an ear infection often involves taking an antibiotic to kill the bacteria that is suspected of affecting the middle ear. Your doctor may also recommend the following treatments to make you more comfortable as your infection clears:
- Pain medications (such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen)
- Heating pad placed over the ear(s)
- Prescription ear drops to reduce ear pain
Your doctor will most likely schedule a follow-up appointment to see if treatment is working. In some cases, more than one antibiotic will have to be used to manage an ear infection. And in severe cases where fluid does not clear from your ears for more than three months and is affecting your hearing, your doctor might recommend surgically placing temporary tubes in the ears to help circulate air in the middle ear.
Find more information in the Everyday Health Ear, Nose, and Throat Center.
Last Updated: 3/22/2010
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| 0.959762 | 827 | 4.09375 | 4 |
Don’t believe the hype. The GM Volt plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is a threat to those who care about livability, equality and the planet.
For more than three years, General Motors has been touting the Volt and its ability to run for 64 kilometres on electricity before switching to a gasoline engine. In January 2007, the Financial Times concluded that the Volt was designed to counter the “halo effect that Toyota gained from the Prius, which rivals the iPod as an iconic product.” In fact, the Volt was originally named the iCar. “I admit,” said former vice-chairman of GM Bob Lutz, “that it [the Volt] has a secondary benefit of helping to re-establish credibility in technology.”
The lure of technological advancement has always been part of the automobile’s formidable ideological prowess. Popular journals, magazines and other media regularly portray the automotive sector as a forerunner of innovation.
While automakers spend huge sums on R&D the mode of transport is inherently inefficient. These 3000-pound metal boxes carry on average one and a half people, approximately 300 pounds – a mere ten percent of the vehicle’s weight. At the same, the car’s appetite for space is insatiable. Requiring 300 sq feet for home storage, 300 sq feet for storage at destination, 600 sq feet while traveling and another 200 sq feet for repairs, servicing or sale, an automobile occupies about 1,400 sq feet altogether – more space than most apartments.
Buses, trains, streetcars, bikes as well as pedestrians (and just about every other animal, plant or mineral) use space and infrastructure more efficiently than personal cars, whether moving or at a standstill. At approximately four meters across, road lanes are about the same width of railroad tracks, yet rail carries twenty times the number of passengers.
Despite the environmental fanfare, the Volt’s electric battery merely relocates tailpipe pollution to the source: power stations. Yet over half of all US electricity comes from coal, which produces more carbon emissions and pollutants than regular oil. If the goal of the electric car is to limit global warming, using carbon based fuels is puzzling.
Even with alternative fuels or better fuel efficiency the private car will continue to be an ecological catastrophe. From steel and aluminum, to paint and rubber production, to automotive assembly, manufacturing an average automobile generates enormous pollution. A Summer 2007 study titled, From Dust to Dust, concluded that half the energy a car uses in its lifecycle is in the production and destruction phases. Growing awareness of these energy costs prompted Norway to make it nearly impossible for car companies to advertise as “green”, “clean” or “environmentally friendly” without proving that this was the case in every aspect of the lifecycle from production to emissions to recycling.
The basic point is this: there is no such thing as a green car. It is not sustainable for individuals to hop into a two, four or eight thousand pound metal box for mobility.
Beyond ecological costs, car hegemony has a slew of negative side effects. Auto travel leads to significantly higher rates of injury or death than other forms of transportation. Additionally, infrastructure designed for the car undermines walking and biking, which are vital elements of a healthy lifestyle.
An incredibly expensive form of transportation, the amount of time devoted to the car is immense. It’s been calculated that the average person in the U.S. works from January 1st to March 31st to pay for their automobile(s). April 1st has been declared auto freedom day; the day people begin earning money for food, board, clothing, education and the other necessities of life.
When the automobile serves as the primary mode of mass transit, the poorest are hardest hit. Low-income U.S. families spend over a third of their take home pay on transportation, twice the proportion of affluent families. The Volt, which starts at $41, 000, will not alter that. But, it will give a boost to the image consciousness. Since the dawn of the auto age, the car has been a conspicuous symbol of status in a hyper materialist world.
North America’s transportation system, based on individual ownership of vehicles, is inefficient, environmentally destructive and dominates cultural, economic, and political systems in a wide variety of negative ways. Will the Volt revolutionize transportation or will its smoke and mirrors reinforce the dominance of the private car?
It may be time to look beyond private automobility.
Bianca Mugyenyi and Yves Engler are authors of Stop Signs: Cars and Capitalism on the Road to Economic, Social and Environmental Decay to be published in early 2011. Anyone interested in organizing a talk as part of a book tour please e-mail: yvesengler (@) hotmail.com Yves Engler’s most recent book is Canada and Israel: Building Apartheid.
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Ergonomics is the science of designing a person's environment so that it facilitates the highest level of function. A person's work environment should fit his or her capabilities as a worker.
Good ergonomics prevent injury and promote health, safety, and comfort for employees.
The use of ergonomics principles can increase worker productivity and quality. Employers can implement a program that includes guidelines for employees to follow, contributes to an efficient work environment, prevents injuries and the development of chronic medical conditions, and helps employees return to work after an injury has occurred.
Occupational therapy practitioners are trained in the structure and function of the human body and the effects of illness and injury. They also can determine how the components of the workplace can facilitate a healthy and efficient environment or one that could cause injury or illness. An occupational therapist can help employers identify hazards that may contribute to on-the-job injury, and determine how it can be eliminated.
What can an occupational therapist do?
- Identify and eliminate accident and injury risk factors in the workplace, such as actions associated with repetition, force, fixed or awkward postures, poorly designed tool handles, heavy loads, distance, vibration, noise, extreme temperatures, poor lighting, and psychosocial and other occupational stresses.
- Analyze job functions and job descriptions based on job tasks.
- Design pre-hire screenings to determine a candidate's suitability to a particular job.
- Modify tools and equipment so that they do not enable injury or illness.
- Provide education and training on injury prevention, workplace health and safety regulations, and managing job-related stress.
- Determine reasonable accommodations and worksite accessibility that is in compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act.
- Recommend changes employers can take to minimize injury and accident risk factors.
What can a person do to employ good ergonomics in the workplace?
- Take a proactive approach to preventing injury in the workplace.
- Follow guidelines set forth by employers that may prevent injury and illness.
- Report hazards or poor work conditions or employee behavior that may contribute to illness or injury in the workplace.
Need more information?
Proper workplace ergonomics is important and should be addressed by both employers and employees. If you would like to consult an occupational therapist about an ergonomics evaluation, practitioners are available through most hospitals, community clinics, and medical centers.
Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants are trained in helping both adults and children with a broad range of physical, developmental, and psychological conditions. Practitioners also help clients and their caregivers with strategies that can prevent injury and secondary complications, and support health and well-being. Contact your local health organizations for more information.
Copyright 2004 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. All rights reserved. This page may be reproduced and distributed without prior written consent.
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| 0.934141 | 582 | 3.296875 | 3 |
Basic Web Services
The ITIS Web Services provide the ability to search and retrieve data from ITIS by providing access to the data behind the ITIS web site
Description - This lists each service function with its description, inputs, outputs, and a sample URL that returns results.
WSDL - The Web Service Description Language document that fully describes the ITIS Web Service. This document can be used to create clients that access the service.
All services described in the WSDL are available at http://www.itis.gov/ITISWebService/services/ITISService/name_of_service
For example, the web service description can be accessed at http://www.itis.gov/ITISWebService/services/ITISService/getDescription
Creating a Client - This provides step-by-step coding information for creating a Web Service client using the Java language.
JSON Web Services
The ITIS JSON services provide an API that matches the Web Service API. All calls for JSON data are made by substituting "jsonservice" into the Web Service call in place of the "services/ITISService" part of the URL.
For example, the ITIS web service call to get a full record by TSN looks like this:
The corresponding JSON service call is:
The Web Service getDescription shown above would convert to the following JSON call:
JSON-P Web Services
JSON-P calls are made are made by appending "jsonp=function_name" to the argument list for your web service call.
Continuing the above example, since the ITIS JSON service call to get a full record by TSN looks like this:
The JSON getDescription call shown above could convert to the following JSON-P call:
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Aggregation Reversals and the Social Formation of Beliefs
In the past two elections, richer people were more likely to vote Republican while richer states were more likely to vote Democratic. This switch is an aggregation reversal, where an individual relationship, like income and Republicanism, is reversed at some level of aggregation. Aggregation reversals can occur when an independent variable impacts an outcome both directly and indirectly through a correlation with beliefs. For example, income increases the desire for low taxes but decreases belief in Republican social causes. If beliefs are learned socially, then aggregation can magnify the connection between the independent variable and beliefs, which can cause an aggregation reversal. We estimate the model's parameters for three examples of aggregation reversals, and show with these parameters that the model predicts the observed reversals.
Document Object Identifier (DOI): 10.3386/w13031
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Violence against women, particularly sexual violence, is not a new phenomen. According to Vivi Widyawati, one of the leaders of National Committee of Perempuan Mahardhika, it is a “silent violence” that is rarely addressed by the Left and social movements in Indonesia – with the exception of women’s organizations. It can happen every day, in every part and in every aspect of women’s life: from home to the street to the workplace, including state institutions. Sexual violence is also used as a political instrument as happened many times in conflict-ridden areas such as Aceh and Papua , the victimization and stigmatization of the (Communist Party aligned) Indonesian Women Movement (Gerwani) by the Indonesian military government since 1965 , and the sexual violence against ethnic Chinese women during the 1998 riots in Jakarta , and as a tool of war, like in the case of East Timor’s independence struggle against the Indonesian state
At the same time women benefit the least from the average 6 per cent growthrate of the Indonesian economy. This growth has little impact on the rate of maternal mortality of about 320 per 100.000 births (still the highest in Asia) which remains steady, or on the illiteracy of 10,5 million women below the age of 15 year. There are 118.048.783 women from 237.556.363 of Indonesian total population. In general, the economic growth had little impact on the participation of women in school which increased with a little over one fifth in 29 years. Eleven per cent of women above 10 years old have never been to school at all .
That is why women are the most trafficked in sex industry as ”comfort women” and prostitutes and women also dominate the lowest skilled jobs, working in very precarious, insecure, and exploited circumstances, for instance as domestic helpers (inside and outside the country) or in manufacture industry (mostly garment, textile and electronic).
This article tries to locate a red thread connecting these two pressing issues of women’s oppression in Indonesia, on the occasion of international women’s day this year.
The politics of blaming the victims
Since 1998 to 2010 The National Commission on Violence against Women (KOMNAS PEREMPUAN) has documented rape as the most reported form of sexual violence. From 8784 verified reports, 4845 concern rape cases, and from 93.960 unverified reports, 70.115 are sexual violence cases committed by close family or acquaintances such as fathers, husbands, brothers, uncles, boyfriends, grandfathers, etc.
The rape cases have been highlighted recently since the number of rapes in public transportation has significantly increasing . But those numbers seem ’small’ compared with the total number of women. This is because violence against women remains poorly documented by the government. Nationwide figures are unavailable . This it’s understandable since the only state supported institution for monitoring gender-based violence, KOMNNAS PEREMPUAN, has only one office, in the capital city, Jakarta. And we also know that under a patriarchal system and society gender based violence, particularly sexual, is often hidden, discussion of it suppressed.
Indonesia has no legal provision which criminalizes sexual harassment . Until today no fair trials of the ones responsible or attempts to look into the politically motivated cases of rape and other sexual violence in conflict area, have taken place. This violence has not even been made a political issue. Instead of locating the cause of this violence in the patriarchal and capitalist structure of society, and issuing a new criminal code for sexual harassment cases that is free of gender bias, the state supported at least 154 regional bylaws in 2009, and an additional 35 by September 2010, that further give legitimacy for the patriarchal policy of blaming the victims. Examples of those laws are the Sharia Law in Aceh and several cities in West Java that tell women how to dress and how to behave and the ’Anti Pornography Bill No 44’ of 2008, and different ’Anti Prostitution’ and ’Anti-Alcoholic’ laws in different cities. These laws have put women into an even more precarious condition and made it easier for them be to be blamed and become victims of sexual harassment.
That is why a political movement to resist rape and denounce the tendency of blaming the victims is very important. Perempuan Mahardhika is one of the leading organizations that specifically campaigns against the blaming of victims of rapes and other forms of sexual violence. We aim to uncover the true motives for these acts, rooted in a patriarchal culture that is maintained by capitalism. Sexual violence is rooted in patriarchal conditions that place women in the position of inferior, secondary people and as and sexual objects. Capitalism maintains and even provokes these attitudes by the commodification of women’s body. For example, sexist advertisements flood our mass media. It openly exploits women and brings more profit to industries like cosmetics, clothing, household goods, furniture, and electronics. The sex industry, which degrades women even more, is also a capitalist industry.
On Sunday, March 4th 2012, Perempuan Mahardhika held a campaign action to protest rape and other forms of sexual violence. The banners read: “From Home to the State women are raped; State ignores many sexual harassment cases; Don’t Blame the victims, resist, arrest and jail the Rapists.” This action was part of a series of activities in the run up International Women’s Day March 8th 2012. Together with different groups of women and LGBT’s, the ’Women Justice Forum’ was established carry this campaign forward.
Perempuan Mahardhika recently printed a pocket book called “A-Z Sexual Harassment, Resist and Report” as a kind of guideline book to understand the definition and locus of sexual harassment, help build the confidence to resist it, and know the existing legal mechanism to make a report. It also organized a series of discussions on sexual harassment together with Across Factory Labor Forum (FBLP) union, which has a majority female membership, in the Cakung Industrial Zone. According to a survey made by FBLP and Mahardhika last year, many women workers experienced different forms of sexual harassment in the zone. This not something that comes from ’the outside’; Mahardhika members and supporters also experienced sexual violence by men in many social and political organizations.
Building the bridge
Some leftwing labor unions recently called for a political response toward 8 March International Women’s Day. Initially they wanted to organize a mobilization to campaign for a wage raise, following strikes of thousands of workers in several economic zones in Bekasi, West Java and Tangerang, Banten Province. But after the government announced its plan to raise the fuel price on April 1st 2012, the alliance of workers agreed to prioritize this issue on the 8th of March.
It seemed there was nothing wrong with the plan, until Jumisih, a member of Across Factory Labor Forum (FBLP) and a member of Perempuan Mahardhika, suggested to the alliance to emphasize the specific aspects of women within those issues – after all, the mobilization itself is set on International Women’s Day. But this simple suggestion was not taken up - the importance of such an emphasis is so far not understood by most of the (male) leaders of the labor organizations who often remain ignorant of, or indifferent to other aspects of women’s rights.
Of course, at least, 38 per cent of the labor force is female and these women would also benefit from any wage raise. But this raise will not automatically be equal for men and women, nor will it contribute to a decrease of work for women at home. Until now, women are not considered the primary wage-earners in families since men are supposed ’the head of the family’. Seen as only secondary wage-earners, women are always paid less and laid off more easily than men. The fuel price hike will provoke inflation and put heavier burdens women because they are the ones who take care of the family and manage the household expenses. In many cases the husband don’t really know or even care how women manage the family’s economy and cope with inflation. Demands for wage raises and an affordable fuel price in themselves don’t contain specific aspects of women’s liberation. They only give a basis for women to struggle for more rights and liberate themselves. In the economic struggles specific women’s demands should also be raised – otherwise, women’s oppression, which takes specific forms, will be neglected.
In this context, what Jumisih was trying to put forward was a very important issue for the women’s struggle, especially since it is their internationally acknowledged day. One hundred FBLP members is trying to give an example of how to combine the struggle for economic rights and against the specific oppression of women by organizing a protest in front of PT. Woojen Busana on 14th February 2012. The activists demanded a wage raise, overtime pay, a reduction of working hours, and called for a fight against verbal and physical sexual harassment in the factory .
It is still very small contribution in the struggle for the rights and liberation of the millions of women in Indonesia, but by doing this, at least, FBLP has contributed to the education of its members and giving a feminist color to the trade union struggle. Of course it’s still a long way to a feminist revolution.... But, if revolution is a way to liberate people from all kinds of oppression and exploitation, ignoring or postponed the women’s demand is the same like postponing the revolution.
Happy International Women’s Day: more struggle, more equality, more happiness.
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Mabel Smith Douglass: Conservative Feminist - Amanda Winter, Douglass College '03
Personality can be crucial in determining the success or failure of a goal. Influenced by past experiences and the surrounding society, personality controls the way in which one approaches challenges and affects how well one relates to other people. The personality of Mabel Smith Douglass was one of the contributing factors to the success of the New Jersey College for Women, now known as Douglass College. The three personality traits of Mabel Smith Douglass that had the greatest influence in the college's establishment and development were her conservative views, persistence, and control.
In order to understand Douglass' conservative views, one must first examine how they were formed. Douglass' family was of Dutch colonial ancestry and she was a member of the Dutch Reformed Church. Since her father's death did not prevent Douglass from traveling and attending Barnard College, she clearly belonged to the upper-middle class.1 As a member of the upper-middle class, Douglass most likely wanted to maintain the status quo, while expanding women's ability to obtain jobs that were appropriately feminine, such as secretarial work, court stenography, social work, teaching, and housekeeping.2 If women chose jobs that were slightly less traditional, Douglass felt that they would approach these jobs from a female perspective.3
Douglass' conservative views were important because they influenced her idea of what type of college should be established. Her conservative approach also affected how public officials reacted to her idea. As Chairwoman of a State Federation of Women's Clubs committee working to establish a women's college in New Jersey, Douglass wanted to create an institution that had a relationship with Rutgers College similar to the relationship between Barnard College and Columbia College. Douglass believed that a coeducational college was something that none of the parents of the students wanted.4 According to the State Federation of Women's Clubs, coeducation would cause "unpleasant social relations" and "unnatural competition between the sexes."5 Despite the publication of the Scoon Report in 1916, which stated that three-fourths of state superintendents and high school principals felt that a women's state college was needed, no nondenominational college for women in New Jersey existed.6 The fact that Douglass' vision of a college for women did not threaten the status quo helped gain the support of public officials.7
In addition to Douglass' conservative views, her persistence was a key factor in establishing the college and helping it to survive. When Douglass became chairwoman of the college committee, she worked as a volunteer with no guarantee that her work would be successful.8 In order to raise funds to construct the first college building, Douglass began a one-dollar subscription to raise one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. According to Douglass, some people thought that she was crazy to think that such a large amount of money could be raised from one-dollar subscriptions.9 Because of her persistence, Douglass did not allow herself to be prevented from reaching her goal simply because success seemed unlikely. Instead she found a different way to obtain the result she desired.
Another example that demonstrates how her persistence helped the college are the visits she made to a house owned by Drury Cooper and used by bachelor professors from the College of Agriculture. Cooper had told her that if she could convince the professors to move out, he would sell her the building at a reduced price. Douglass frequently visited the professors and talked to them about the students at her college and their need for more space. Eventually, she was successful in convincing them to move out and was able to purchase the building.10 Her use of discarded wartime airplane cases to build a gym is another example of her refusal to admit defeat simply because the usual method of reaching her goal was not feasible.11
Her continued work despite personal tragedy and poor health is another example of how Douglass' persistence assisted the college. In 1915, her poor health forced her to temporarily suspend her work toward establishing a college. During this hiatus, her husband and mother both passed away. Despite the problems in her personal life, she still accepted the position of dean of the New Jersey College for Women when it was offered to her in 1918. Although her son died in 1923, it appears that Douglass continued working.12 It was not until the end of her career as dean that her health problems overcame her. In 1930, Douglass was ill and unable to work at her office for a number of months. She returned to work for two years and then took a leave of absence. Her poor health forced her to resign in 1933.13
Douglass' desire to have control over anything involving the college is reflected in her relationship with the students and faculty, as well as in her administrative style. Her wish to control both her professional life and the college possibly resulted from her lack of control over her personal life. Her mother's death, the death of her husband in 1917, and the death of her son in 1923 were all events that were beyond her control. The fact that she slept in her office the first year that the college opened seems to show that she was attempting to immerse herself in work to avoid dealing with her personal life.
As dean of the college, Douglass was personally involved with the students. She treated them as though they were adults and would ask their opinions regarding different things.14 During the Spanish influenza epidemic, she helped to care for students who had become ill and as a result became ill herself.15 At times, she assisted students with their assignments in algebra and Greek.16 When the size of the college was still small, she held meetings with faculty members who also worked as residential directors, living in the homes with the students and getting to know them personally.17 Douglass seemed to have enjoyed talking to the students. If a student walked past her office without stopping to say hello, Douglass would call the student back to talk with her.18 When the college was still small, Douglass knew the name of each student and attended student social events.19
Douglass' relationship with the faculty was another example of how maintaining control over the college was important to her. Her relationships with faculty members Anna Campbell, Emily G. Hickman, Professor Irving S. Kull, and Trustee Leonor Loree are all examples of how Douglass reacted when she felt that people were threatening or supporting her vision of what the college should be. Even in cases in which she disagreed with people about the way something should be done, her reaction varied from person to person.
Anna Campbell was hired in 1927 as an assistant professor in the History and Political Science department. Douglass approved of Campbell because she did the work that Douglass asked of her and did it in the way that Douglass asked it to be done. Campbell's revival of the History Club upon Douglass' request is one example.20
Unlike Campbell, Emily G. Hickman, another history professor, challenged Douglass' method of doing things. Since Douglass historian George Schmidt described Hickman as "one of the most dynamic individuals on the NJC faculty," her disagreements with Douglass are most likely the reason why she did not receive a promotion after serving as an administrator.21 When asked to revive the History Club, Hickman instead started a new club and held meetings in the faculty clubhouse. Douglass felt it was inappropriate to have students meet in a place intended for adults.22 Hickman's teaching style and lectures away from the college set her apart from the other faculty members.23 Another example of Hickman's challenging of Douglass' wishes occurred when she ordered invitations to be made for the Faculty Club, despite the fact that Douglass had told her that the organization was not to be called the Faculty Club in accordance with Leonor Loree's wishes. Douglass eventually submitted a report to the Board of Managers describing the conflict between Hickman and herself.24
It appears from a letter that Professor Kull sent to Douglass in 1930 that she generally had a good relationship with the head of the History and Political Science Department.25 However, the same letter describes their different views regarding Emily Hickman.26 Kull had also had problems with Hickman's work, but not to the extent of wanting her to resign. Douglass wanted Kull to support her in asking for Hickman's resignation.27 In a letter that Kull wrote to Douglass on May 8, 1930, in response to a previous telephone conversation, he described Douglass' attempt to persuade him to support a request for Hickman's resignation. In the letter, Kull described Douglass as saying that 'though my reputation was that of a man of character though you had known me as such for twelve years and I had always had your respect, if I did not stand up now like a man . I would lose your respect."28 (Kull letter) Douglass' statement to Kull demonstrates how seriously she reacted to what she considered a threat to her control over the college.
Douglass' method of dealing with some of Leonor Loree's gifts to the college demonstrate her ability to exert this control in a subtler manner. In 1928, Loree provided the college with equipment and uniforms to form a drum and bugle corps. Despite her dislike of it, Douglass had the drum and bugle corps perform once and then convinced students to write letters to Campus News politely explaining that they felt that the corps was not appropriate for college students. Loree also gave stone lions from the old Waldorf-Astoria hotel to the college. Douglass did not care for them and they "mysteriously" disappeared.29
Drum and Bugle Corps, 1928
In a letter written to Douglass on January 7, 1915, J. Preston Searle, a professor from the theological seminary, wrote " my renewed tribute to the spirit, the skill, and the persistence, with which you are, I personally believe, shaping the movement into proportions and form which nothing can stop."30 It appears that even at that early stage, Douglass was recognized as an important contributor to the college. Her conservative views allowed her to describe the idea of establishing a college for women as something that was not a new idea but rather an issue which society had not had an opportunity to address. Her control of the college and her persistence in obtaining her goal both had a great impact on the establishment and success of the college.
Douglass College '03
1 George P. Schmidt, Douglass College: A History. (New Brunswick, N.J., 1968,) p. 29.
2 Marie Marmo Mullaney, "The New Jersey College for Women: Middle Class Respectability and Proto-Feminism, 1911-1918." Journal of the Rutgers University Libraries. (June 1980,) p. 35.
4 Schmidt, p. 6-12.
5 Mullaney, p. 32.
6 Ibid, p. 28
27 Ibid, p. 35-38.
8 Mabel Smith Douglass, "The Early History of New Jersey College for Women: Personal recollections by Dean Douglass." Quair (1929), p. 50.
9 Ibid, p. 53.
10 Ibid, p. 64-65.
11 George Christian Ortloff. A Lady in the Lake: the True Account of Death and Discovery in Lake Placid (With Pipe and Book, 1985), p. 43.
12 Ibid, p. 43.
13 Schmidt, p. 76.
14 Ibid. p. 33.
15 Douglass, p. 65-66.
16 Ibid, p. 82.
17 Ibid, p. 84.
18 Ortloff, p. 43.
2 Schmidt, p. 32.
20 Report to the Board of Managers from Mabel Smith Douglass, (May 1930.) Papers of Mabel Smith Douglass, 1935-1932. Folder 3. Special Collections and University Archives.
21 Schmidt, p. 98.
23 Schmidt, p. 99.
25 Letter, Professor Irving S. Kull to Mabel Smith Douglass, (May 8, 1930.) Papers of Mabel Smith Douglass, 1925-1932. Folder 3. Special Collections and University Archives.
29 Schmidt, p. 39-40.
30 Letter, Professor J. Preston Searle to Mabel Smith Douglass, (January 7, 1915.) Mabel Smith Douglass Papers, Box 2, Folder 7. Mabel Smith Douglass Library.
Return To: Introduction | Table of Contents
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Ancient Egypt is one of the most magnificent civilizations founded by man thousands of years ago. The Ancient Egyptians attained very high levels of medicine, science and art, and left hundreds of works behind them. They possessed more knowledge and experience than would have been possible were they the continuation of a primitive society. The levels achieved by the Egyptians have still not been achieved in many parts of the world today. In various parts of Africa, certain regions of South America, and various parts of Asia, and even in Egypt itself, a life way beyond the general level of civilization is still led. The civilization of Ancient Egypt, which registered such great successes in medicine, especially anatomy, urban planning, architecture, fine arts and textiles, is today studied by scientists with great awe and amazement.
The Origin of Medicine in Ancient Egypt
The level of development achieved by medicine in Ancient Egypt is quite amazing. Findings obtained from excavations have amazed both archaeologists and many historians because no historian expected such a highly developed technology in a civilization that existed in the 3000s BC.
It has been revealed, using X-ray analysis of mummies, that brain surgery was performed in Ancient Egypt. i What is more, these operations were carried out using highly professional techniques. When mummy skulls that underwent surgery are examined it can be seen that the sites of the surgery have been cut very neatly. Skull bones that have fused back together have been found, proving that these people survived after such operations. ii
Another example concerns various medicines. Giant strides were made in medicine in the 19th century due to the rapid progress made in experimental science. The discovery of antibiotics was one of the greatest advances made in that century. Yet the word “discovery” is not strictly accurate, because many of these techniques had already been known to the Ancient Egyptians. iii
One of the most important works showing just how advanced the Egyptians were in science and anatomy is without doubt the mummies they left behind them. The Egyptians used hundreds of different techniques in the process of mummification.
The mummification process that permits the bodies of living things to be preserved for thousands of years is actually a highly complex one. In essence, the technique employed by the Egyptians is this:
Firstly, the brain and some of the internal organs of the deceased were removed using special instruments. The next stage in the mummification procedure involved dehydrating the body for 40 days with natron. (Natron is a mineral salt, primarily a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and sodium carbonate with small amounts of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate.) The excess body fluids were drained away and then the body cavity was stuffed with linen, sand or sawdust. The skin was anointed with special herbal preparations and then coated with molten resin to further preserve it. Finally the body was carefully wrapped in linen bandages. iv
The Egyptians’ mummification techniques were applied not only to human beings but also to animals. Archaeological findings and mummification techniques in particular show that medicine in Ancient Egypt was highly advanced. In addition, it must not be forgotten that mummification, carried out without damaging the shape of the body and by extracting all the deceased’s internal organs, shows that the people who performed it possessed a sufficient knowledge of anatomy to know to position of all the various organs.
Many medical techniques and implements used by the Egyptians 5000 years ago apart from for mummification have also been unearthed during excavations. The details of these may be listed as follows:
- The priests involved in medicine in Egypt treated all kinds of disease in their temples. Just as today, Egyptian doctors specialized in various fields of medicine. Every doctor had his own branch. Expert physicians in provided services, from eye doctors to dentists.
- Doctors in Egypt were supervised by the state. If the patient failed to recover or died, the state would investigate the reasons and determine whether or not the method of treatment employed by the doctor conformed to the rules. If any oversight had taken place during treatment this was identified and doctors punished within the framework of the law.
- Every temple possessed a well-equipped laboratory in which medicines were prepared and stored.
- The first steps in pharmacology and examples of the use of bandages and compresses go back to Ancient Egyptian times. The Smith Papyrus described how adhesive strips made out of linen were used to heal wounds. Linen was also an ideal material for making bandages.
- Archaeological findings have revealed a detailed picture of medical practices. In addition, the names and titles of more than 100 doctors specializing in their own fields have been discovered.
- A cavity was made in a relief on the wall of another temple in Kom Ombo and a box of surgical instruments placed inside it. This box contained a pair of large metal scissors, surgical knives, saws, probes, spatulas, small hooks and pincers.
- The techniques employed were numerous and varied. Breaks and fractures were set together, splints employed and wounds closed up with stitches. Breaks treated with great success can be found in most mummies.
- Although no trace of surgical sutures has been found in mummies there are 13 references to wound suturing in the Smith Papyrus (which is wholly concerned with medicine). This indicates that the Egyptians managed proper wound suturing, in which a linen thread was employed. The needles were in all probability made out of copper.
- Egyptian doctors were able to distinguish between sterile wounds and infected ones. They used a mixture of goat fat, fir oil and crushed peas to clean infected wounds.
- The discovery of penicillin and antibiotics was made relatively recently. However, the Ancient Egyptians used the first organic versions of these therapies. In addition, the Egyptians were familiar with different types of antibiotic. They wrote prescriptions suited to various types of disease. v
The Papyrus Smith
As we have seen, Egyptian civilization took major strides forward in the field of medicine, developing methods of treatment and training expert doctors. In addition to these successes in medicine, excavations have also revealed that the Egyptians were very interested in such subjects as urban planning and architecture.
An Advanced Level of Mathematics
Numbers were used in Ancient Egypt from very early times. Papyruses from 2000 BC that describe mathematical problems have been found. These documents are known as the Kahun, Berlin and Rhind papyruses. These documents state, with examples, the bases on which measurements are made. The Egyptians made use of Pythagorus’s Theorem, and knew that a triangle whose sides measure 3-4-5 is a right-angle triangle, in their construction measurements. vi
The Papyrus Rhind
In addition, the Egyptians knew the difference between planets and stars. They added the stars, which are very hard to see, to their studies of astronomy.
On the other hand, since the Egyptians’ lives were dependent on the rising and falling of the Nile, they constantly had to measure and check it. Their ruler had a “Nilometer” made to record the rise and fall of the waters of the Nile, and appointed officials for the purpose.vii
The Egyptians’ knowledge of medicine, urban planning, and engineering and how it should be put into practice are just a few of the proofs that they possessed an exceptionally advanced civilization. This knowledge and the measures they implemented once again overturn the thesis, advocated by evolutionists, that “societies progress from a primitive state to a civilized one.” A society that existed 5000 years ago possessed a more advanced level of civilization than some communities living in the same place in our own day: that is something that cannot be explained in terms of evolution. There is also no doubt that at the time when the Egyptians were enjoying that advanced civilization there were more backward civilizations and people living in more primitive conditions in other parts of the world. Yet none of these had any less-then-human- features, nor any supposedly ape-like ones. The Ancient Egyptians, other people living in primitive conditions at the same period as them and human communities that existed hundreds of thousands of years ago, as well as modern man, have all been entirely human in all respects. Some communities may have lived in more advanced conditions and others in more backward ones, but this does not show, as Darwinists maintain, that they are a species descended from animals or that one group evolved from another. Such an interpretation is a violation of reason and logic.
To purchase the works of Harun Yahya, please visit www.bookglobal.net
i Moustafa Gadalla, Historical Deception: The Untold Story of Ancient Egypt, Bastet Publishing, Erie, Pa., USA, 1996, pp. 295, 296.
ii Interview with Dr. Zahi Hawass, Director of the Pyramids, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/excavation/hawass.html
iii Gadalla, Historical Deception, p. 296
v Afet İnan, Eski Mısır Tarihi ve Medeniyet, Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi, Ankara: 1956, p. 318.
vi Gadalla, Historical Deception, p. 311.
vii Baines and Malek, Eski Mısır, p. 69.
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Previous projects undertaken through the Endangered Archives Programme discovered a surprisingly large and varied body of Theravada Buddhist photographs taken and collected by the monks of Luang Prabang/Laos, from ca. 1880 up to the present.
Coming from more than 20 distinct monastery collections, this unique view from inside documents 120 years of monastic life and ritual, pilgrimage, monks portraits, history and social life. Important historic and political events of an agitated century in Laos at the same time appear as in a mirror: French colonialism, the Royal court, civil war, the Indochina and Vietnam wars, revolution and socialist rule. Quantity and quality of the material are as surprising as is the fact that it was produced in a city as isolated as Luang Prabang. It seems that there has been a particular inclination towards photography, which had been introduced very early by the French, was practised by the Royal court where young princes would learn about it, and take it with them when they were ordained as monks and became abbots of the various monasteries (there are 64 in town).
A particular cultural understanding of the sacredness of the image coming from Indian traditions (darshan) gave photographs of monks and ceremonies importance and power that goes beyond western categories (historic, aesthetic) and could explain why some monks so courageously protected these images in the revolution, when their possession could put them in serious trouble, especially in the first ten years of socialist rule. This protection was so efficient that, in the 1990s, when the country opened to the West, very few people knew about the existence of these collections. Many of the great monk collectors or photographers had died. Their belongings were either dispersed (which meant that their photographs collections were destroyed) or kept in sealed rooms (with the Sangha's permission, the EAP team opened several of these sealed rooms for the first time). A senior monk, Phra Khamchan Virachittathera, for over 70 years had established the largest collection. Upon suggestion by photographer Hans Georg Berger, he opened it for EAP research and agreed with a Major Research Project shortly before his death in July 2007. One by one, other monasteries followed his example. With growing trust in the work of the small EAP team of monks and former monks, an absolutely surprising amount of photographs in about 20 monastery collections was discovered. The collections vary in content and size, and in preservation status.
15,000 photographs have been treated so far in EAP research (digitisation, identification). 17,500 photographs, among them 7,500 negatives, will be preserved in this second EAP Major Research Project. The aim is to fully digitize and secure all Buddhist photographs of Luang Prabang. Digital copies will be with the British Library and the National Library of Laos in the capital Vientiane. All originals remain in Luang Prabang, property of the monasteries. This will make the full body of Buddhist photographs of Luang Prabang accessible for future research, inside and outside the country. The National Library of Laos has an ongoing commitment of making such source material available to Lao students.
For future safe storage of the originals, it is intended to establish an Archive of Photography of the Sangha of Luang Prabang at Sala Thammaviharn, at Vat Khili, Luang Prabang where the EAP work space is at present. The Sangha has agreed to dedicate the space for this purpose.
At the conclusion of the project, EAP will have significantly enhanced the ability of the Sangha to preserve and manage this heritage in the future. The EAP projects comes at a time of revival of Buddhism in Laos, and especially in Luang Prabang, where numerous young people study in Buddhist schools and live in the monasteries. The government's awareness of the importance of cultural heritage is growing since Luang Prabang was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995. EAP research will empower local government, the Sangha and local people to acknowledge, treasure and protect Buddhist heritage, and their immaterial culture.
The unique body of Theravada Buddhist Photographs taken and collected by the monks of Luang Prabang for over 120 years, which at the start of the EAP projects was found to be in high danger of destruction and dispersion, has been fully digitised and identified. Identification information is in Lao; a very large part of it has been translated into English; due to limited research time, priority has been given to identification, not to translation into English which can be completed and corrected at a later time.
Work started in 2007 with Pilot Project EAP086 and Major Research Project EAP177 – since then 33,933 photographs have been discovered in 21 monasteries of Luang Prabang and have been digitised, identified and safely stored. Most of the original photographs (prints and negatives) are now stored in specially designed wooden archive cabinets at the Sala Thammiviharn, Vat Khili, Luang Prabang - an historic monastic building in one of the monasteries, now entirely used by the Archive. Some minor collections have been restituted to their respective owners.
Together with the 15,000 photographs treated in Major Research Project EAP177, the additional 18,933 photographs of this second project constitute the largest collection of historic photographs in Laos, and certainly the one that has been most thoroughly researched.
Awareness of the importance of the collection has been raised through the publication of two volumes in Lao and English. These two publications, funded outside of EAP, were nevertheless made possible through the findings of EAP research.
These originals are accessible for research after authorisation by the Buddhist Sangha, following the presentation of a written request containing an outline of the research, and possible publication plans, addressed to the Buddhist Archive of Photography, Luang Prabang.
Digital copies of the material have been deposited at The National Library of Laos, Preservation of Lao Manuscripts Project, Vientiane Capital, Lao P.D.R. and the British Library, London, United Kingdom.
The National Library of Laos, as well as other institutions of the government of the Lao P.D.R., has acknowledged the existence of this important collection of photographs established by the monks of Luang Prabang. A workshop held at Vat Khili, Luang Prabang, in August 2011, at the conclusion of EAP326, presented the project’s findings to the public in the presence of Lao and foreign researchers, officials of the Ministry of Information and Culture and of the Provincial government, the Governor of Luang Prabang, the Director General of the National Library of Laos, as well as leading monks and abbots of more than 30 monasteries.
A team of young Lao people has been trained in handling, identification, preservation and conservation of photographs. Most likely, the EAP staff are now the only people in the country with such advanced skills in photograph handling, digitisation and preservation.
Watch a short film on the Buddhist Archive of Photography made by French film maker Herve LeGoff, who specialises in short films about the atmosphere of spaces dedicated to photography.
Read about the continuity and sustainability of the work at the Buddhist Archive, with a research project of the Asia-Africa Institute at Hamburg University, entitled The Lao Sangha and Modernity - part of a major research network on the Dynamics of Religion in South-East Asia.
The records copied by this project have been catalogued as:
The catalogue is available here.
Blog: Homage to a monk-archivist – July 2014
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One of the defining images of war-torn London: St Paul's Cathedral shrouded in fire and smoke on 29 December 1940
Christmas 1940: the Germans had an unofficial two-day lull in night raids over the capital and then resumed bombing with renewed vigour on 29 December.
The onslaught was dubbed the Second Great Fire of London.
In the run-up to Christmas many of us will be making our final preparations for the big day.
But 70 years ago, Londoners were more likely to be making another dash for the air raid shelter than spending the day at home.
Santa makes a morale-boosting visit to the East End of seventy years ago
In 1940 the capital was caught in the middle of the Blitz, which caused huge damage and claimed the lives of 20,000 people.
All this week our reporter Matthew Morris looks back at a Christmas under fire.
In the first of the series Robert Trevor, author of Blitz Boy, and wartime evacuee Nat Roos talk about their contrasting experiences of the time.
While many have been forced to sleep in airport departure lounges while flights have been disrupted due to the snow - imagine actually having to bed down for the night and sleep on a Tube platform.
Children decorate a tree on a Tube station platform
During the height of the Blitz in 1940 up to 170,000 men, women and children would do that every night as bombs fell from the sky each night.
Matthew Morris talks to some of the Blitz children who vividly remember spending nights on platforms as Tube trains trundled past.
Initially, these makeshift sleeping quarters were overcrowded, chaotic and mosquito ridden. Gradually conditions improved with refreshments and medical help.
Matthew talks to Len Phillips who slept underground as a child and Sam Mullins of the London Transport Museum.
Firestorm over London
Events on one fateful Christmas night in 1940 have helped shape our understanding of the 'Blitz spirit' of Londoners caught up in the war against Nazi Germany.
14 London fire fighters lost their lives on the night of 29 December 1940
On 29 December around 100,000 bombs fell in just a few hours, causing a firestorm across most of the City's square mile up to Islington.
14 fire fighters were to lose their lives that night, with over 250 injured.
As the fires raged, Prime Minister Winston Churchill insisted that St Paul's Cathedral be saved at all costs. The struggle involved fire crews and local volunteers.
Matthew Morris continues his series by meeting Stacey Simkins, who was there that night.
A symbol of defiance
This image came to symbolise London's wartime defiance
The night of 29 December 1940 - the second Great Fire of London - was captured by a Daily Mail photographer showing St Paul's Cathedral as the only thing visible through the smoke and flames after a night of devastation.
The image was a positive message of the heroic survival of London and beamed around the world. The Cathedral became a symbol of London's defiance and determination to carry on.
Matthew Morris talks to photo historian Roger Hargreaves and Terry Charman of the Imperial War Museum about the effect the photograph had and continues to have.
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Pediatricians now have a new and simple way to diagnose a serious problem facing our nation's children thanks to David Kaelber, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., MetroHealth System pediatrician, internist, and chief medical informatics officer and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researcher and faculty member. Nearly 75% of cases of hypertension and 90% of cases of prehypertension in children and adolescents go undiagnosed. These troubling statistics were documented in previously published research by Dr. Kaelber. From this research, Dr. Kaelber and fellow researchers felt that one of the main reasons for the under-diagnosis may be due to the complex chart currently used to help physicians and medical personnel identify high blood pressure in children. So Dr. Kaelber's team simplified the chart focusing solely on a child's age and gender eliminating the need for a height percentile and reducing the number of values in the blood pressure table from 476 to just 64. The revised chart and accompanying description are published in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association recommend that blood pressure checks be done at all pediatric visits for health care (including dental and optometric appointments) for children ages 3 to 18. The current standard chart used by healthcare providers to evaluate pediatric blood pressure is from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and includes hundreds of normal and abnormal blood pressure values. In order to differentiate between normal and abnormal readings, providers need to, not only remember the variety of blood pressure ranges, but also know the child's height percentile which can be difficult to verify, especially in non-primary care settings.
In re-designing the chart, Dr. Kaelber's team reduced the systolic and diastolic blood pressure cutoff values to one value for girls and one value for boys for each year of life from ages 3 to 18 plus. Researchers used the lower limit of height (5th percentile) in the abnormal blood pressure range for a given gender and age. While they note this may incorrectly flag some taller children as being in the abnormal blood pressure range, the researchers predict this number will be small compared to the number of children with prehypertension and hypertension who are identified. Any reading at or above the listed numbers in the chart will indicate a child who needs further evaluation by a physician.
"We know that children with high blood pressure often become adults with heart disease and other serious medical conditions," says Dr. Kaelber. "Anything that helps health care providers in identifying this life-threatening condition early is essential. The long-term solution will no doubt involve electronic medical records and other electronic tools, but until that is available in all healthcare settings, this simplified table should be a helpful screening tool."
|Contact: Jessica Studeny|
Case Western Reserve University
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|Las Pilas Archaeological Ruins Entrance. Located In|
The Public Swimming Pool Enclosure Of:
The Northern Part Of The City Of Jonacatepec, In Morales, Mexico.
Las Pilas Archaeological Ruins:
Las Pilas Archaeological Ruins is from a small community of the Tlahuica; who were one of the groups of Aztec people living in central Mexico at the time of the Spanish conquest (AD 1521).
The people commonly called Aztecs were divided into numerous local ethnic groups that were linked together into the broader Aztec culture by a common language (Nahuatl), a common historical origin, and many shared cultural traits, ranging from their gods and ceremonies to their money and tools. The Tlahuica were one of those small ethnic groups.
The Tlahuica lived in the area that is now the Mexican state of Morelos. Their largest cities were Cuauhnahuac (modern day Cuernavaca), and Huaxtepec (modern day Oaxtepec).
Las Pilas Archaeological Ruins is next to the public swimming pool in the Northern part of the town of Jonacatepec (ho-nah-KAH-te-pek). Jonacatepec is about 32 mi/51 km ESE of Cuernavaca; 18°41'N 98°48'W.
Neighbouring Chalcatzingo entered its period of decline about 500BC, then the city of Las Pilas was established and it developed trading links with Teotihuacan. Las Pilas declined in power but it remained a religious and ceremonial center into the Post-Classic Era.
We enter the site by going onto the swimming pool sidewalks and by walking past the pool. We then find a worn sign pointing the way into the archaeological site. We first enter into Plaza A, which is the site's main feature. Here we see the remains of walls and rooms composing a complex which could have been a palace.
The West side of the plaza was destroyed to make way for the swimming pool, but to the North we see a platform known as Structure Three, while to the West in front of us is the larger, stepped Structure Two.
A lower platform with a partial stair-way is found on the south of Plaza A and it is called Structure One.
On the other side of Structure Two we find Plaza B which is smaller and near Structure One on the West and by another stepped platform to the East known as Structure Four. Just in front of the stairs to this building are two small altars; one of which may have been used to cast metals.
Originally a canal surrounded the site but it is difficult to see now.
Some of the small figures found at Las Pilas are at the Anthropological Museum in Mexico City.
To get to Las Pilas, drive towards Izucar de Matamoros by using route 160 and turn to the right toward Jonacatepec. You will pass through an arch that covers the road and drive for a short distance. You will then see a sign saying "Balneario Las Pilas" on the left. Drive about two blocks down the street and you will see the arch shown in the picture above. You can park by the entrance. You can see the whole place in about one hour.
Don't expect much. The entrance fee is overpriced for what you see. Only plan to visit the site if you are already visiting Chalcatzingo. Then it may worth the short drive.
To visit this area we would suggest flying into either Mexico City or Cuernavaca and then staying at a hotel of your choice.
The Mexico City International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México or AICM), also called Benito Juárez International Airport (IATA: MEX, ICAO: MMMX) is the commercial airport that serves Mexico City, the capital of Mexico. It is Mexico's and Latin America's busiest.
The General Mariano Matamoros Airport (IATA: CVJ, ICAO: MMCB), also known as Cuernavaca Airport, is the airport located in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, near Mexico City. It handles national and international air traffic for the city of Cuernavaca. It is part of the Mexico City Metropolitan Airport Group, as are the airports of Puebla, Queretaro, Pachuca, Mexico City, and Toluca. The airport is operated by the government-owned corporation Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares (ASA). It was recently renovated with the purpose of offering a fresh image, and modern facilities, and its composed of a sole building (excluding general aviation terminal, hangars, and control tower), with check in facilities, security check-points, a cafe, ATM, customs, waiting room and a sole boarding gate.
There are many very good hotels and motels in the area, and if you need a place to stay; Priceline.com can arrange that for you. In fact, we think they are the best way to do it!
We have personally, booked flights, hotels, and vacations, through Priceline.com and we can highly recommend them. Their website is very easy to use!
We have some links to Priceline.com on this page, since they can arrange all of your air flights, hotels and car.
We of course, appreciate your use of the advertising on our pages, since it helps us to keep our pages active.
We also have links on this page, that will connect you with several of the best hotels in Mexico City. Hotels that we have personally used!
We could, also suggest getting a hotel, and then letting them arrange for either a car, or a tour of Mexico City. If you call their Concierge Services, ahead of your arrival, all of this can be pre-arranged for you.
We have used this method, many times, when traveling in Mexico. We have found it to be safe and it works!!! We have never experienced a problem, doing it this way!
|Las Pilas Swimming Pool|
Photo Taken From The Ruins
|Las Pilas Sign|
At Swimming Pool
Enter To The Right
Of The Sign
|Plaza A View, Structure Three||Plaza A View, Structure Two|
|Plaza A View, Structure One||Patio B,|
Structure Four In Background
|Patio B||Patio B|
|Patio B||Patio B|
|Chalcatzingo Olmec Ruins Nearby.
|Back To Mexico Trips Main Page
|Back To DeLange Home Page
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Attn. Editors & Reporters: Important back to school issue
Scientists study exposes inadequate coverage of evolution by most leading biology textbooks
Seattle, WA In a critique on biological pseudo science, a Discovery Institute scientist issued failing grades to popular biology textbooks after he found that they inadequately cover the evidence for Darwinian evolution.
The report, "An Evaluation of Ten Recent Biology Textbooks," which will be published in September by Discovery Institutes Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture, examines ten of the most popular high school and college level textbooks and issues grades based on their presentations of the theory of evolution.
For example, textbooks present students with drawings of similarities between fish and human embryos, and claim that these similarities are evidence that fish and humans share a common ancestor. And, photographs of light and dark colored moths on tree trunks are used to teach students how natural selection altered the proportions of the two forms when trees were darkened by pollution during the industrial revolution.
"But scientists have known for over a century that the embryo drawings were faked," said biologist Dr. Jonathan Wells, author of the report and a senior fellow of the Seattle-based Discovery Institute. "The embryos actually look very different. And all of the peppered-moth pictures were staged .Scientists have known since the 1980s that the moths do not normally rest on tree trunks. And yet textbooks have failed to change with the times."
"Science is the search for truth," explained Wells. "Most biology textbooks are simply lying to students about the evidence for evolution."
Wells also analyzed five other misleading icons of evolution used in biology textbooks.
"We're not trying to ban the teaching of evolution, were trying to improve it," explained Wells. "We want students to learn more about evolution than promoters of Darwin's theory want them to know. And we want to give them the resources to think critically about what they learn."
Darwin's theory of evolution is the officially approved scientific account of the origin and history of life and is presented to millions of people every year in biology classes, magazine articles and television nature documentaries. Such presentations typically rely on vivid images that embody key elements of the story. Yet many of the images, which Wells has dubbed "icons of evolution," misrepresent the truth and amount to nothing more than junk science.
"The pattern of misrepresentation in biology textbooks betrays a dogmatic approach to teaching evolution that ignores or distorts the evidence, to the detriment of both students and teachers," noted Wells.
"What Wells might have added," points out Jon Buell, President of Foundation for Thought and Ethics in Dallas, Texas, "is that teachers dont know the mythological dimension of these icons. I had Dr. Wells address an audience of high school biology teachers, and it was obvious his information, though well documented, was new to them."
"Dogmatic Darwinists claim that nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution, and textbooks misrepresent the evidence to promote that view," said Wells. "The truth is, nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evidence, and our children deserve to know what the evidence really is."
The complete report of Dr. Wells' textbook study is available online at Discovery Institute's website at http://www.crsc.org/biology/. For more information, to schedule interviews, or to receive a copy by fax or mail, call (206) 292-0401 ext. 107.
Jonathan Wells is a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute's Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture and has a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California at Berkeley. He is the author of Charles Hodge's Critique of Darwinism (Edwin Mellen Press, 1988), and the forthcoming book Icons of Evolution (Regnery Publishing, October 2000).
This Discovery report copyright 2000 Discovery Institute
Discovery Institute's Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture
1402 Third Ave. Seattle, WA 98101
File Date: 9.14.00
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US-Africa Cooperation: Focus on Sustainable Development Outcomes
In its cooperation with Africa the United Sates focuses on sustainable development outcomes based on economic growth, democratic governance, and sustainable systems for meeting basic human needs and food security. The U.S. government emphasizes the critical role good governance plays in development.
In January 2012 the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched a major effort to move 30 per cent of its funding to the private sector, entrepreneurs and local civil society organizations in Africa to promote private sector-led development and to form innovative and high-impact public private partnerships.
The U.S. government’s bilateral cooperation with the AfDB has been strengthened through two cooperation agreements. In 2008, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with USAID to launch a five-year partnership in support of African small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The thrust of this MoU is to accelerate investment in African SMEs.
In another MoU that was concluded with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in October 2010 to collaborate in infrastructure (transportation, water and sanitation), agriculture, environment, and health, as well as gender integration.
In 2012, USAID contributed US $200,000 to the Migration and Development Initiative (MDI), which is a Multi-Donor Trust Fund. The MDI aims at improving knowledge on migrant remittances in Africa, providing support to reforms of the regulatory frameworks required to improve transfer conditions, developing financial products, and providing support for productive investment and local development in the migrants’ countries of origin.
At the Launch of the Sustainable Energy For All (SE4All) Africa Hub held during the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) 2013 Annual Meetings in May 2013 in Marrakech, Morocco, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced that it will support the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa as part of the agency’s long-term commitment to foster the growth of sustainable energy sources on the continent.
The agency announced a USD 5 million contribution to the Fund. “Many of Africa’s small businesses lack access to the capital and technical expertise they need to build the continent’s electricity infrastructure,” the USAID Assistant Administrator for Africa, Earl Gast, said. “Because reliable energy is key to Africa’s long-term development and economic growth, USAID is eager to help remove the obstacles that prevent entrepreneurs from advancing those objectives,” he added.
Overall, concerning the promotion of the private sector, trade, governance, inclusive and green growth, the African Development Bank (AfDB) is in total agreement with the American government. In its exchanges with member countries, and support to investment projects, the AfDB advocates the furtherance of these issues. One of the best examples is the support given to renewable energy projects in several countries, in particular Cape-Verde and Morocco.
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One state adds a 7 percent sales tax to the price of most products purchased within its jurisdiction. This tax, therefore, if viewed as tax on income, has the reverse effect of the federal income tax: the lower the income, the higher the annual percentage rate at which the income is taxed.
The conclusion above would be properly drawn if which of the following were assumed as a premise?
(A) The amount of money citizens spend on products subject to the state tax tends to be equal across income levels.
(B) The federal income tax favors citizens with high incomes, whereas the state sales tax favors citizens with low incomes.
(C) Citizens with low annual incomes can afford to pay a relatively higher percentage of their incomes in state sales tax, since their federal income tax is relatively low.
(D) The lower a state’s sales tax, the more it will tend to redistribute income from the more affluent citizens to the rest of society.
(E) Citizens who fail to earn federally taxable income are also exempt from the state sales tax.
Provide detailed explanations to your answer.
On a purchase of $100 product, Larry, whose income is $1000, spends $7 because of the interest on the product.
On the purchase of same $100 product, Alisa, whose income is $100000, spends $7 because of the interest on the product.
$7 of 1000 IS MUCH MUCH higher than $7 of 100000. Thus, Larry is paying a greater percentage of his income for this tax than Alisa is. This entire scenario is exactly opposite to the federal tax paradigm, where a higher earner spends a greater percentage against his/her tax.
What did we assume here; we assumed that both Alisa and Larry paid only "$7" for the product. What if the price of the taxable products vary. We know the tax doesn't vary but the product price itself may vary.
A product that Larry purchase is priced at $100. Larry pays $7 in tax. $7 of 1000 is 0.007
And, the same product if bought by Alisa can be priced at $100000, as it is purchased by a high earner. She pays 7000 in tax. 0.07 of her income.
Who paid more tax now; Alisa of course.
Thus, if we assume that the prices of the taxable products are constant across all income levels, the conclusion can properly be drawn.
Conclusion is - lower the income, higher the federal tax, opposite of that is the outcome of the state tax, so higher the income, higher the person pays in sales tax
A is not about price of taxable product, its about amount spend on taxable product. So, Alisa and Larry spend the same $100 and pay the same $7 in taxes. So, Larry actually paid a bigger portion of his income in taxes than Alisa. How does that help with the conclusion?
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A form of escapement in clocks and watches in which the teeth of the crown wheel or balance wheel act on the pallets by recoil.
Oraciones de ejemplo
- Beginning his experiments around 1658 he had made two significant steps by 1660, namely the use of a balance controlled by a spiral spring and an improved escapement called the anchor escapement.
- But by the middle of the seventeenth century, pendulum clocks with an anchor escapement were being manufactured that were accurate to within ten seconds per day.
- In another decade, the anchor escapement was perfected by William Clement.
For editors and proofreaders
Saltos de línea: an¦chor es¦cape|ment
¿Qué te llama la atención de esta palabra o frase?
Los comentarios que no respeten nuestras Normas comunitarias podrían ser moderados o eliminados.
Muy popular en Reino Unido
Muy popular en Australia
= de moda
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After nearly 30 years at Caltech as a professor of theoretical physics and, eventually, provost, Steven Koonin took a leave of absence in 2004 to become BP's chief scientist. After a year of study, he recommended a strategy for the company that has included investments in unconventional sources of oil as well as renewable energies such as solar. The company has also invested $500 million in research on biofuels.
Technology Review's energy editor, Kevin Bullis, sat down with Koonin after his talk at [last] week's EmTech conference to discuss BP's strategy and whether it will be possible to meet the world's energy challenges.
Technology Review: BP has invested a lot of money in research on biofuels. Yet biofuels have come under criticism lately--experts say they've contributed to rising food prices. How much can we rely on biofuels?
Steven Koonin: The Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture did a study a couple of years ago that said that with domestically produced biomass, you could probably satisfy 30 percent of current gasoline demand without significant environmental impacts or changes to food. That requires better use of agricultural waste, better management of the forests and use of forest products, and some fraction of energy crops. Most of the crops we grow now are for food, and they've been tuned to maximize food yield. We haven't started to maximize energy crops yet, to maximize biomass production per acre per year, as opposed to maximizing food production. There's tremendous technical headroom for doing that.
Brazil, right now, could probably [import] a million gallons of ethanol per year to the U.S. But there's a tariff on imported Brazilian ethanol. If you look at that, you say that the political system is not yet serious about dealing with energy security matters.
TR: When you look at public policy decisions, what are some other mistakes you've seen?
SK: One is confusing transportation with stationary sources of power and heat. What problems are we trying to solve? If it's carbon dioxide emissions, there are cheaper ways to do it than improving transportation. If you improve the efficiency of a vehicle to reduce fuel use and carbon dioxide emissions, for many vehicle technologies it will take several hundred dollars per ton of carbon dioxide. But transport is only 20 percent of energy-related emissions. Heat and power from stationary sources are most of it. At $50 a ton, there's a lot of carbon that can be wrung out of stationary sources. When you start cranking the price up to $100 to $200, that's when you start to affect transport, whereas we can shift to lower-emissions heat and power at $50 a ton.
TR: Why the difference?
SK: There are about twice the emissions, per unit of useful energy, from coal as from gasoline.
TR: But isn't it still worth reducing gas consumption for the United States to reduce dependence on unstable or even hostile countries for oil?
SK: Security of supply is much more important than carbon emissions, in my opinion, in transport.
TR: What's the best way to reduce gas consumption?
SK: Raising the price of driving is the simplest way to induce conservation and efficiency. Look at how much response we saw when the price of gasoline went up to $4.50 a gallon. We've seen it work over the last year. But raising gas prices is very difficult politically to do. In fact, you see the candidates going in the opposite direction.
The prices for gas and for carbon need to be high enough to make some difference, so that means there will be some pain. And it needs to be stable enough so that people can make long-term investments for deploying alternative technologies.
TR: When we look at oil companies, there's a lot of entrenched positions and not much movement. That seems to be a basic institutional problem.
SK: I can only talk about one company that I know well. I've found the folks at BP eager to listen, to learn, to engage in discussions, and to try to do the best job that they can in balancing the short-term operations of the company against these longer-term things. After all, they have a business to run; they have shareholders to report to. They have a responsibility to produce [a certain percentage] of the world's oil every day, which the world needs. So it's a balancing act.
One of the things I have learned, which was surprising but makes sense in retrospect, is that companies are wonderful optimizers of their situation. If the government sets the playing rules appropriately, they will respond strongly and rapidly. So it is a question of getting the right policies in place, as well as a push from within the company.
TR: So the markets aren't going to solve these problems?
SK: Left to its own devices, the market will not price the externality of carbon dioxide, nor will it effectively deal with the security-of-supply problem. I think [that's] because it's longer term, and the markets have a shorter-term focus. I think markets are good for tactical allocation, but it's not obvious to me that they're the right thing for strategic allocation [or] longer-term planning.
TR: Are you hopeful we're going to be able to meet these challenges?
SK: I'm optimistic about security of supply. I see many sources for liquid hydrocarbons. I see great potential for efficiency improvements in U.S. transportation fleets. I am less optimistic about carbon dioxide emissions reductions. The world should give it its best shot, but there are so many forces aligned against it that I think it's going to be very difficult for the world to stabilize emissions, let alone stabilize concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide lives in the atmosphere for a very long time--a thousand years or so. What that means is that the atmosphere is accumulating emissions, and emissions right now are on an exponential growth path--2 or 3 percent a year. If we manage to make modest reductions in emissions, it will only be in the rate at which the concentration grows, but it won't stop the growth. So the usual societal response of dealing with a problem partially is not good enough to deal with the CO2 problem. We really need major changes in the ways we produce and use energy if we're going to prevent concentrations from rising. I don't think people understand that.
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The 2008 OECD Survey of Canada incorporates a long and surprisingly critical overview of developments in the energy sector, with a major focus on the tar sands. (Chapter 4). It is, in many respects, far closer to the views of the Pembina Institute and the Parkland Institute in Alberta than to those of the Alberta and federal governments, and even endorses some ideas advanced in last year’s Alternative Federal Budget from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
It is noted here that the Canadian “oil boom†is mainly a price effect. Real output of the energy sector has, in fact, lagged the economy as a whole, 2003-07, and productivity in the sector has sagged as large new investments have yet to generate significant increases in output.
Echoing Pembina and others, it is noted that conventional oil and gas production have both peaked and are in decline, and that future oil sands output will be severely constrained by rising natural gas prices, limited availability of water, requirements to reduce carbon emissions, and rising development costs.
The positive medium-term impacts of tar sands development on Canadian GDP are expected to be surprisingly small, just an extra 1.1% of GDP in 2020. Almost half of the employment generated from development will be outside of Alberta, and the rest of Canada increase in GDP in 2020 is only marginally greater than the increase in the rest of world (ie. US) share.
That leaves the main economic benefit as a short-lived construction boom. “ Looking forward, the construction boom is not expected to last long. Oil sands investment is being heavily concentrated in a short period of time, and following the peak many workers will be released. It will thus be important to ensure Alberta’s set of policies allows firms to make the most of this market opportunity, mitigates the boom-bust cycle and facilitates adjustment when the construction boom ends. “ (p.107.) As things stand, high quality, long term jobs in Alberta secondary industries are being pushed out of the province. (P. 108.)
The OECD endorses investment of resource rents captured by the provincial government in a Norway like investment fund, to spread the windfall returns over a long period of time and to prevent over-heating and other negative “Dutch disease†effects on the rest of the economy. Their view seems to be that the new royalty regime still leaves significant un-captured rents, though it is an improvement from the very generous current system. (P 124-125.) “It will be necessary to regularly review the (new) royalty regime …. one possibility would be to have a formula whereby parameters are reset in line with key competitor country royalty rate changes.†(P.125.)
The report calls for the elimination of remaining tax subsidies to the oil sector, including the end of the 100% write-off for the intangible costs of development of tar sands mines and special treatment of exploration and development expenses.
Most radically, the OECD questions the wisdom of making provincial resource royalties deductible for federal corporate income tax purposes (p.88.) This undermines the capacity of the rest of Canada to benefit from tar sands developments, and accentuates regional inequalities, especially if Alberta does not impose sufficient royalties. “In particular, insofar as provinces fail to capture pure resource rents via their royalty systems, deductions for royalty payments from the federal corporate income tax should be curtailed.†(P.88.)
Even more importantly, the OECD clearly favours strong action to reduce carbon emissions, and is critical of the federal and Alberta government view that it is sufficient to reduce the emissions intensity of the tar sands. They cite the relative merits of carbon taxes over cap and auction system, but clearly want much stronger federal government action on climate change issues.
- Ten things to know about the 2016-17 Alberta budget (May 3rd, 2016)
- Using Data to End Homelessness in Calgary (April 9th, 2016)
- Dix choses à savoir sur les défis associés avec mettre fin à l’itinérance au Canada (December 8th, 2015)
- Ten Things to Know About the Challenges of Ending Homelessness in Canada (November 18th, 2015)
- Ten Things to Know About Homelessness in Canada (September 17th, 2015)
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With the "polar vortex" bringing frigid temperatures across the country, going outside isn't just uncomfortable — it can be downright dangerous.
The temperature will drop to -25 F in Fargo, N.D., -31 F in International Falls, Minn., and -15 F in Indianapolis and Chicago, according to the Associated Press.
Straight temperatures aren't all that matter. Brave adventurers (or those forced to leave their homes) should really consider wind chill — the temperature it "feels like" outside based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin, according to the National Weather Service.
In colder temperatures, you shiver to produce heat in your muscles. You'll also need to pee more. Exposure to cold reduces blood flow to the skin's surface which also decreased the overall volume that your body can hold. Your body responds by ditching liquid, according to an infographic from the Toronto Sun.
Fingers, toes, ear lobes, or the tip of the nose are the areas most susceptible to frostbite. Your body works hard to keep internal organs and your head warm, and sometimes extremities get left behind.
Usually, when parts of your body get too cold, they turn red and hurt. Symptoms of frostbite, however, include a loss of feeling and lack of color. Anyone showing signs of hypothermia or frost bite should seek medical attention immediately.
The chart below shows how long you can be exposed to certain temperatures before it will result in frost bite.
For example, a temperature of 0°F and a wind speed of 15 mph creates a wind chill temperature of -19°F. Under these conditions frost bite can occur in just 30 minutes. In some areas of the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, wind chill reached below negative 60 degrees, according to the NWS, when exposed skin can freeze in just freeze in 10 minutes.
You can, however, survive a winter scenario like this. Check out these tips — like wearing mittens instead of gloves.
Extremely cold temperature can also cause hypothermia, when the body's temperature dips below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Warning signs include uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness, and obvious exhaustion, according to the NWS.
Surprisingly, hypothermia can occur at any temperature lower than normal body temperature. Factors like body fat, age, alcohol consumption, and especially wetness can affect how long hypothermia takes to strike.
If you fall into water, the situation becomes drastically more dangerous.
For example, in water 32.5 degrees Fahrenheit or colder, you might not survive more than 15-to-45 minutes. You'll undergo shock within the first two minutes and some functional disability before 30 minutes, according to the United States Coast Guard.
Check out this chart from the Personal Floatation Device Manufacturers Association:
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According to a report by Reuters, a 2 million-year-old fossil of a part-human, part-ape species, was found. The being had hands and ankles much like that of a human, however its brain was small but advanced. Found in a cave north of Johannesburg, the fossils may serve to change views on the origins of humans. The fossil displays a list of anatomical features which have never been seen before, but which show how close this species links to human beings.
Could this point to the evolution of early man? "The many very advanced features found in the brain and body, and the earlier date make it possibly the best candidate ancestor for our genus, the genus Homo, more so than previous discoveries," said Lee Berger, at the Institute for Human Evolution at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Berger and a team of experts examined the site where the fossils were found.
The hand, hip bone and ankle bones have been well preserved and are paving the way for further research and discovery. "This is giving us insight, that isn't guesswork into an area of anatomy that is crucial and critical in how human walking evolved," Berger said of the foot and ankle bones. The hand discovered can be describes as human-like, attached to an ape-like arm. The fossil indicates that the hand had a precision grip which would have come in handy for making tools, said Tracy Kivell, a researcher at Germany’s Max Planck Institute, and a member of the team. The brain of the being was the size of a grapefruit and now opens the door to re-discover theories about brain enlargement in human development. The site was discovered in August 2008 and since then 220 bones have been found of these early hominids.
Photo by Paleontology Suite 101
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From Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia
One way to find articles in the Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia is by browsing through the categories, rather than doing a keyword search.
On the Main Page of the Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia, you will see an alphabetical listing of all the main categories under which all of the articles are organized. Any given article may be assigned to more than one category, so there may be several different ways of finding it.
When you click on one of the categories from the main page, you will be brought to the category page, where all of the articles in that category are listed alphabetically by title. Personal names are listed under the first letter of the last name.
In a few cases, the main categories will have subcategories as well. These will be listed alphabetically on the category page, above the other articles in the main category.
Clicking on the name of an article on the category page will take you directly to that article. Within an article, you will find links in the text to any number of other articles whose subjects are mentioned. There may also be direct links to related articles under See Also, and you can see a list of articles that link to your article by clicking on What links here under Toolbox on the left side of the screen. Finally, you can return to the parent category page or go to other category pages by clicking on the names of the categories listed at the bottom of each article.
- Clicking on the word Category (or Categories) at the bottom of any article will bring you to a special page listing all of our categories and subcategories, and indicating how many articles are in each one.
- To see an alphabetical listing of all articles in the Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia, click on Special Pages under Toolbox on the left side of your screen, then click on All pages in the list you see.
- Click on Recent changes under Navigation on the left side of the screen to see a list of articles that have been most recently updated.
- Clicking on Random page under Navigation on the left side of the screen sends you to an article that is randomly selected by the wiki software.
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Towards frictionless nanomachines
Jul 14, 2006
Two independent groups of researchers have taken important steps in overcoming friction in nanosized mechanical devices. A team from the University of Basel in Switzerland has shown that friction between the tip of an atomic-force microscope and a salt crystal can be cut 100-fold by applying a small vibrating force normal to the interface. Meanwhile, another group from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California has found a way to control friction in a similar set-up using electric fields.
Friction is a big problem in nanosized devices because they have huge surface-to-volume ratios, which means that their surfaces quickly wear out and seize up. Traditional lubricants are useless in such machines because they become thick and sticky when confined in such tiny enclosed spaces. Scientists therefore need to learn how to conquer friction if nano- and microscale devices are ever to become a commercial reality.
In the Swiss experiment, Anisoara Socoliuc of the University of Basel in Switzerland and colleagues formed a contact between a sharp silicon tip and an atomically flat surface made of sodium chloride. When the salt crystal is moved, the tip sticks and slips in a series of instabilities. However, when the researchers applied a sinusoidally varying tensile force between the tip and the crystal, the instabilities were surpressed, reducing friction by more than a 100 fold (Science 313 207). This is because the varying force reduces the peaks and troughs in the potential-energy landscape between the tip and the surface.
In the other experiment, Jeong Young Park and co-workers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California dragged a microscope tip over a silicon substrate that has well defined n- and p-doped regions (Science 313 186). They found that applying a voltage of +4V to the surface doubled the amount of friction in the p-doped region. Although friction went up, not down, the researchers say the effect could still be a useful control mechanism in real nanoscale devices, where it is easy to apply voltages of this size. However, the team does not know why the increase occurs.
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A square board divided into sixty-four alternating dark and light squares (conventionally called ‘black’ and ‘white’), used for playing chess or draughts (checkers).
- The playground is now a more pleasant and interesting place for the children with grid games, such as hopscotch, jigsaws, target games and three chessboards with draught pieces.
- The stereotypical embodiment of such games is the classic chessboard, in all its variations.
- Also, it's the number of squares on the chessboard.
For editors and proofreaders
Line breaks: chess|board
Definition of chessboard in:
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed.
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Native Americans all across the USA planted these three crops for a very good reason. By combining them in there diet they had a base of complete nutrition. It is not just any kind of beans. corn and squash. You need to grow mature dry beans, corn as a grain and winter keeping squash. String beans, sweet corn and summer squash will not do. Neither beans or corn develop protein until fully mature and dry. Summer squash has almost no calories and not that much in the way of vitamins. Both corn and beans contain Amino Acids which are the building blocks our bodies use to assemble protein. We need about 4 or 5 times as much corn in our diet to balance with dry beans.
Early European settlers learned about The Three Sisters from the Native Americans. This combination almost certainly helped them to survive too. Today we know more about why this combination works so well. The bottom line is that it still is a very good basic diet, and works just as well today as it has for centuries.
Native Americans needed nutritious foods which store well and provide calories protein and vitamins. Agriculture provided a foundation while hunting and fishing complemented their diet. Most people would rather have plenty of meat or fish every day, but we can live well on mostly The Three Sisters. As any hunter or fisherman knows, you can spend all day out there and come home empty handed. The Three Sisters you can grow in your garden. They store well so they are available as you need them.
Beans and Squash both have to be grown in full sunlight all day long. They must not be shaded by trees or buildings. Corn must be grown in blocks of 4 or more rows for the best pollination. Tall corn and pole beans will also shade the area to the north. To grow a balanced amount of The Three Sisters we only need a single wide row for squash so arrange your garden so that it is along the side toward the south.
The runners from the squash will need lots of room so allow at least 6 feet of garden space on both sides of the row of hills of winter squash.The row or hills of corn closest to the squash will have full sun all day long, You can plant pole beans among that one row of corn when it is 4 inches high. The rest of your corn crop should be in at least 3 more adjacent rows to the north side of the first row so it will not shade the beans growing up on that first row of corn.
So which way is south? A simple way to tell is notice where the sun rises and sets on the horizon. Stand in your garden area with your arms out straight to each side. Turn your head to the left and have that arm pointing toward where the sun rises. Now turn your head to the right and have that arm pointing to where the sun sets. Look straight ahead, and that is south.
Planting Instructions for our 3 Sisters Collection
With a string measure – 6 – 30′ rows running East to West. The rows should be 3′ apart and the last row must face toward the South.
Next – Make 10 hills that are 3′ apart in each row.
Fertilize – Heavily under all hills, taking care to work the fertilizer into the soil.
Plant – 5 Corn seeds in each hill after the soil has thoroughly warmed. In the 6th row, when the corn is 4” high, plant 5 pole bean seeds around the corn in each of the 10 hills.Weed throughly before planting beans.
( Be sure this row is facing South to get maximum sun exposure).
Measure – 6′ from the corn and bean row and plant 10 hills of squash seed. Use 5 seeds per hill and make hills 3′ apart.
Allow – 6′ of garden space on this side of your squash row as well.
Note: You have enough seed in this seed collection to plant a 33′ by 33′ area. If that is too much garden space plant 5 hills in each of the 7 rows instead of 10.
- The Prepper's Guide to Surviving the End of the World, as We Know It: Gear, Skills, and Related Know-How
- The Prepared Prepper's Cookbook: Over 170 Pages of Food Storage Tips, and Recipes From Preppers All Over America!
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- 31 Days to Survival: A Complete Plan for Emergency Preparedness
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Health Tip: Giving Baby a Pacifier
(HealthDay News) -- Pacifiers may do a great job of soothing cranky little ones, but parents should take steps to make sure their toddlers are safe.
The American Academy of Pediatrics offers these safety guidelines for pacifiers:
- Never offer the nipple of a bottle (even if connected to the ring) as a pacifier, as it may pose a choking hazard.
- Choose a pacifier that is molded together and does not have pieces that may split apart.
- The shield on the pacifier should be at least 1.5 inches in diameter so baby cannot put the entire pacifier in the mouth. The shield also should have ventilation holes.
- Never tie a pacifier to your child or the crib.
- Inspect a pacifier regularly and discard it immediately if discolored or torn.
- Make sure you offer a pacifier that is appropriate for your child's age, as recommended by the manufacturer.
-- Diana Kohnle
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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Links to other sites
Handheld Tesla Coils: Violet wands and
High Voltage Forums
A Brief History
Plasma Globes were invented by Nikola Tesla some time before 1892.
Glass-enclosed Tesla coil terminals containing low-pressure gases were
part of Tesla's effort to develop a new source of lighting not covered by
In 1974 The same device became an art object when William
an intern at the Exploratorium museum in SF, redesigned the older "Argon
Candle" science exhibit to produce a long plasma streamer. Parker named
"AM Lightning". His later devices were spherical and contained
various gas mixtures producing a wide variety of nonlinear plasma
phenomena. Parker exhibited these in Cambridge MA at the
MIT Compton Gallery in 1985, and sold large versions to science
museums world wide.
Bill B's short Plasma Sphere instructions for experienced electronics hobbyists:First built a tiny Tesla Coil based on a flyback trans former. Flyback units can be had from old TV sets or dead computer monitors. Build your Tesla Coil using one of the following schematics:
If you want to get ambitious you can eliminate the light bulb.
Instead build your own glass globe. Use a glass jar, or better yet a
boiling flask from a mailorder chemistry
supplier or a lab
glass outfit. Stopper with a 3-hole stopper. Provide two hoses, one
to inject gas, the other as an outlet. Push the inlet hose deep into the
flask so the injected gas can push the air ahead of it. Tape a layer of
paper towel around the end of the gas tube inside the bulb. (Or perhaps
stuff some fiberglas in the tube end.) This acts as a gas diffuser to
prevent turbulent mixing. Insert a wire into one hole as the H.V.
terminal, with the tip of the wire centered in the flask. Turn on the
tesla coil, turn out the lights, then use pure Argon to slowly flush the
nitrogen out of the glass globe (welding argon is pure enough. Note that
argon is slightly heavier than air.) As the N2 and O2 is replaced by the
Argon, the small corona discharge on the wire in the globe will grow
larger and larger. When the discharge is large and white, turn off the
argon and clamp the hoses. Seal the stopper holes with epoxy if desired
(don't use silicone caulk, the acetic acid fumes destroy the plasma
X-rays/Ionizing radiation from light bulbs
A note about x-rays. When placed atop a Tesla coil, some small bulbs fail to produce
purple streamers of plasma. Instead the space inside the bulb remains
dark. But the glass flickers blue, or white, or sometimes green. This
shows that the bulb contains a fairly hard vacuum. And at high voltage
(above 10KV,) such a bulb will produce soft x-rays as electrons
slam into the glass and cause x-ray fluorescence via "Bremsstralung".
USUALLY the x-ray intensity is insignificant. They're far too little to
light up a fluorescent screen. (No viewing your own bones! Aww too bad.)
They might pass through aluminum foil and cardboard, but they won't pass
through steel. But they will make a geiger counter fairly ROAR with
clicking, but only if the GM probe has a thin window (for alpha particles
and x-rays below 50KeV.). The response of the alpha-window geiger counter
on an x-ray light bulb is about the same as that for a hunk of uranium
X-ray sources: All radio tubes, crt tubes, many types of small
appliance bulbs, oblong aquarium lights, lectern bulbs, museum-case bulbs,
exit sign lamps, screw-in xmas bulbs, etc., any small cheap incandescent
bulbs which lack an argon fill. These will produce weak low-energy
ionizing radiation when used as a "plasma globe." I've heard that the
x-ray output is a bit higher if the filament is incandescing via a
floating battery. And it's much higher if a piece of grounded metal foil
is glued to the end of the bulb. So, to avoid even the slightest x-ray
hazard, use only the large 4-inch spherical bulbs for your "plasma globe."
Or at the very least, only use bulbs which produce a bright blue/violet
gas glow at the filament. If in doubt, use a Geiger Counter to detect any
x-rays. Stay away from those small green-fluorescing aquarium bulbs!
Here's some radiation info, compare x-ray hazards to the risk of
canoe trips and eating peanut butter .
Construction Articles in Magazines
Back issues of RADIO ELECTRONICS magazine, HANDS-ON ELECTRONICS magazine, and EXPERIMENTER'S HANDBOOK magazine are available from your local public library via the Interlibrary Loan service. Contact the reference desk.
Also see Plasma Sphere without vacuum pump for more info.
OLD LINKS GONE BAD? Try http://archive.org, "The Wayback Machine"
It offers billions of old websites and even some of the graphics. But it's not searchable. You have to know the URL of the old site.
Quick link to old sites: simply add this prefix to any expired URL: http://web.archive.org/web/*/
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<urn:uuid:46293d10-37e5-4d7c-9639-61da944689cf>
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://amasci.com/tesla/plasplan.html
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|
en
| 0.875248 | 1,175 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Whenever there’s a revolution in computing, there’s a period of wild experimentation. Ideas are explored, prototypes are built, and manifestos are written.
The final outcome does not always achieve the great ambition of the first prototypes. Not everything works well in practice. Some features prove difficult to build, are punted to v2, and never get shipped.
The World Wide Web, with its HyperText Markup Language, was heavily influenced by the ideas of hypermedia. The idea of hyperlinks — cross-referencing documents — was radical. There were even court cases disputing the right to link to content.
Here’s the web they envisaged.
Today’s hyperlinks are one-way: when you visit a webpage, you do not know what links point to it. You can only see what links start from it.
It’s useful information, enabling the reader to discover related pages. Indeed, the basic principle of Google’s PageRank is founded on crawling the web to find back links.
Bidirectional links are alive and well in Wikipedia, which provides a ‘What links here’ feature to discover related topics.
Today’s web cannot include one page in another. You could manaully scrape the HTML and paste it in, but then you miss out any future updates.
HTML does provide the
<iframe> tag, but the embedded content does
not flow into the original page. It’s clunky and rarely used in
Twitter, with its many constraints, does provide a transclusion facility.
The above embedded tweet contains the current retweet and like counts, without me updating my blog post.
Twitter takes this idea further in its clients. If a tweet contains a hyperlink, it includes a preview – another form of transclusion!
Twitter calls this functionality Twitter Cards. For short content, such as other tweets, the preview includes the entire content.
Link rot can prevented by adding another level of indirection. PURLs (Persistent URLs) allow users to refer to an URL which they can update if the underlying URL changes.
For example, Keith Shafer (one of the original PURL developers), has a personal web page at purl.oclc.org/keith/home. This originally linked to www.oclc.org:5046/~shafer, which no longer resolves. However, the PURL has been updated, so visitors are now redirected to docs.google.com/document/d/1tnDck…/.
A common source of link rot is page renaming. Stack Overflow, a Q&A site, includes question titles in URLs. These are often edited to clarify the question. Stack Overflow embeds unique question IDs in its URLs to ensure old links work.
Thus http://stackoverflow.com/questions/37089768/does-pharo-provide-tail-call-optimisation is the canonical URL, but http://stackoverflow.com/questions/37089768/foobar still works.
URLs in today’s web can also reference named HTML tags. For example, http://wilfred.me.uk/blog/2016/06/12/hypermedia-how-the-www-fell-short/#unique-ids directly links to this section of this blog post. However, this requires co-operation from the author: they must provide named anchors, which cannot change in future.
A common UI pattern is provide discoverable links on headings in web pages. This assumes that headings never change or repeat in a document, but fits the common use case.
The other major limitation of section links is that they cannot reference a range of tags on a page. Genius (a website offering song lyric interpretations) is one of very few websites that allow users to link to arbitrary sections of a page.
Finally, early hypermedia designs kept historical versions of content. You could link to old versions of content if desired.
We don’t have this in today’s web. There’s the Wayback Machine, which periodically snapshots many websites. For high-profile online news, NewsDiffs regularly snapshots stories to see how articles are edited over time.
This is another example where wikis come closer to the traditional idea of hypermedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertext links to the current version of the hypertext article on Wikipedia, whereas https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hypertext&oldid=722248276 explicitly links to the version at time of writing, regardless of future changes.
Should we throw away today’s web and rebuild? Certainly not.
The web we have works incredibly well. Its feature set has enabled users to write billions of web pages. The technology is standardised and there are many mature implementations.
HTML is still a medium where some things are easy and some things are not. We should not lose sight of how HTML will affect how we communicate. Instead, we should pillage the ideas of the past to make the best use of our content today.
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| 0.893579 | 1,076 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Skunk Hollow: History of a 19th Century Community of Free African-Americans
Throughout most of the nineteenth century, a small community of free blacks existed along the New York/New Jersey state line about a mile south of Palisades. Known as Skunk Hollow, it was settled by former slaves and their descendents 60 years before slavery was abolished in New Jersey. The first known deed was to Jack Earnest, a former slave, who, on January 1, 1806, paid $87.50 for five acres and 30 square rods; in 1822 he purchased another six acres.
While blacks initially referred to the entire area as "The Mountain," whites sometime later called the New Jersey community Skunk Hollow (perhaps for a spring plant that proliferates in area swamps) and the land just into New York they called Turkey Ridge. The wooded terrain had been deforested by its white owners, then sold off because of difficulty farming the land with its rock outcroppings, steep hills and swamps. Blacks, willing to buy degraded land for a home site even though it was marginal for agriculture, may have been drawn to its isolation.
It appears from tax records that Skunk Hollow settlers, while poor, were more prosperous than other African-American families in the township. By 1854, most Skunk Hollow residents owned property. Indications suggest a stable and enduring male-dominated family structure. It is likely that freed blacks worked for former owners. The family name most frequently documented is Oliver. Jim Oliver, a former slave, acquired land in 1840 when Johannes Blauvelt, his master, died and gave him his freedom. The Olivers and the Whiteheads established burial grounds on their property. (The Palisades Cemetery includes a tombstone of baby Jane Sisco who died in 1846. It was moved from Skunk Hollow in 1974.) Some of the long time inhabitants of Skunk Hollow were the Cartwrights, Siscos, Treadwells, Millers, Browns and Johnsons.
Economic and social ranking existed within the group. By 1860, the wealthiest man in Skunk Hollow was William Thompson (Reverend Billy), an African Methodist minister who had purchased Jack Earnest's property upon his death at 71. The religious leader was a binding force in the community, building a church between 1856 and 1860. Most likely the first church of its kind in Bergen County, it occupied a pivotal position in the black community.
In the 1850s, a piece of land on present Route 340 was also purchased and the "Old Swamp Church" built to accommodate members who had moved from the Mountain. Thompson was its pastor until his death in 1886. In 1889, with a declining community, the Swamp Church was moved several miles north to Sparkill. Called St. Charles A.M.E. Zion Church, it was completed in 1897 and in 1910 became incorporated with the Methodist-Episcopal Church in Piermont. As more people moved out of Skunk Hollow, the Mountain church had only limited services and by 1900 was abandoned.
Skunk Hollow reached its greatest growth by 1880 with thirteen households and 75 people. According to census records, five years later the number of households had dropped to six with 26 inhabitants. Joan Geismar, a doctoral student of anthropology at Columbia University, based her 1982 dissertation, The Archaeology of Social Disintegration in Skunk Hollow: A Nineteenth-Century Rural Black Community, on fieldwork at the site coupled with census data, tax records, an unpublished diary and local history. She states, "The disintegration of Skunk Hollow can be chronologically tied to the loss of status of its ranking individual, the Reverend William Thompson… perhaps the result of his death or inactivity."
This was a time of change. The passage of New Jersey's first major civil rights law in 1884 guaranteed all New Jersey residents equal access to public accommodations and jury service. Rural areas had become less isolated with technological changes, new roads and railroads. A road built in the 1870s linked Skunk Hollow with Closter four miles to the south and Palisades less than a mile north.
Ms. Geismar reports that Skunk Hollow was abandoned between 1907 and 1911 with some of the inhabitants moving to Turkey Ridge, a small community of both blacks and whites. (The original road to Turkey Ridge ran to the east of 9W through the Mann farm orchard at Highland Avenue and what is now Washington Spring Road.) Others settled in Closter or Sparkill.
While large parts were abandoned by 1911, other sections of the Mountain continued to be lived in. The February 20, 1979 issue of The Journal News reports, "Several families remained until the Great Depression when much of the Mountain properties were sold for unpaid taxes and the families evicted. Even so, the houses still continued to be used as summer homes…right up to WWII."
Geismar states, "By the 1930s, the land constituting the core of Skunk Hollow was purchased by the Rockefellers and donated to the Palisades Interstate Park." In 1954 the Palisades Park Commission bulldozed a number of the abandoned buildings while constructing the Parkway. The land now belongs to the Borough of Alpine, Columbia University (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the Florence Lamont Nature Sanctuary) and the Palisades Interstate Parkway. Little remains of the original structures.
Slavery existed in New Jersey for 200 years, ending in 1865 with the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment. Prior to this, slaves were freed after serving in the Revolutionary War or with their masters' approval. Some blacks were descendents of slaves freed during colonial times by the Dutch West India Company and others, like the Siscos, whose ancestor Jan Francisco arrived by Spanish ship in c. 1624, were never slaves. Jan was granted land in New Amsterdam in 1644. Free blacks were denied the right to vote; 1807 legislation, in effect until 1875, limited the vote to free white males.
Copies of Ms. Geismar's dissertation are available at the Palisades Free Library. Much of this information is based on her findings.
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| 0.979011 | 1,260 | 3.59375 | 4 |
Summary of the Marriage Act, no. 25 of 1961 (With Amendments)
This Act sets out the requirements for the solemnisation and registration of civil marriages in South Africa. It was amended in 1997 by the Marriage Extension Act to extend to the whole of the country. It is also affected by the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act and the recent Civil Union Act of 2006.
Who Can Conduct a Marriage?
|Only authorised marriage officers may perform marriages and they must sign a form stating that they are entitled to perform marriages. Civil marriages are solemnised at offices of the Department of Home Affairs and at churches with authorised marriage officers. It is an offence to pretend to be an authorised marriage officer.||A marriage officer will not solemnise a marriage if the couple cannot produce identity documents.|
Marriage officers who are also ministers of religion are allowed to refuse to conduct a marriage for religious reasons.
Who Can Get Married?
Certain categories of persons are not allowed to marry: persons of the same sex are prohibited from marrying, although they are allowed to seek a civil union, according to the Civil Union Act of 2006. This Act grants them the same legal status as married couples.
Minors cannot marry, unless the prescribed consent to the marriage has been given.
Persons already married are also not allowed to marry. Bigamy is a punishable offence in South Africa. Such marriages are considered to be null and void.
In addition, a man may not marry any person mentioned in column one, and a woman may not marry any person mentioned in column two in the following table:
|Father’s mother||Father's father|
|Mother’s mother||Mother's father|
|Son’s daughter||Son's son|
|Daughter’s daughter||Daughter's son|
|Wife’s mother||Husband's father|
|Wife’s daughter||Husband's son|
|Father’s wife||Mother's husband|
|Son’s wife||Daughter's husband|
|Father’s father’s wife||Father's mother's husband|
|Mother’s father’s wife||Mother's mother's husband|
|Wife’s father’s mother||Husband's father's father|
|Wife’s mother’s mother||Husband's mother's father|
|Wife’s son’s daughter||Husband's son's son|
|Wife’s daughter’s daughter||Husband's daughter's son|
|Son’s son’s wife||Son's daughter's husband|
|Daughter’s son’s wife||Daughter's daughter's husband|
|Father’s sister||Father's brother|
|Mother’s sister||Mother's brother|
|Brother’s daughter||Brother's son|
|Brother’s daughter’s daughter||Brother's brother's son|
|Sister’s daughter||Sister's son|
|Sister’s daughter’s daughter||Sister's son's son|
|Sister’s son’s daughter||Sister's daughter's son|
When Is a Minor Allowed to Marry?
For purposes of the Marriage Act, a minor is a person under 21 years who has not been married before. The following requirements apply:
- Where both parents are alive, and neither of the parents has sole guardianship of the minor, both parents must consent, in writing, to the marriage.
- If the minor is a child born out of wedlock, only the mother’s written consent is required.
- If one parent has been granted sole guardianship of the minor, only that parent’s written consent is required.
- If the minor is in the care of a legal guardian, only the guardian’s written consent is necessary.
- If a parent whose consent is legally required cannot be found to grant consent, or is legally incompetent to do so, application to a commissioner of child welfare may be made for consent to the marriage.
- Should the minor’s parents, and/or a commissioner of child welfare refuse to grant consent, the minor may apply to a Judge of the High Court for consent. The Judge will not grant consent unless there is sufficient evidence that the marriage is in the interest of the child and that consent has been unreasonably refused.
Boys under 18 and girls under 15, in addition to the consent of the parents or guardian, as the case may be, also require the consent of the Minister of Home Affairs. The Minister may, upon application, also condone a marriage which required his or her consent and was contracted without such consent.
A marriage contracted without the legally required consent of the parents or guardian is valid until declared null and void by the High Court. The Act stipulates that the parents or guardian may, before the minor turns 21 and within six weeks of the date on which the marriage first came to their knowledge, apply to the High Court for dissolution of the marriage. The minor may apply before he or she turns 21, or within three months after turning 21.
Where Can a Couple Get Married?
In terms of the Act, a marriage must be conducted in a church or another building used for religious services, or in a public office or private house, with open doors, and in the presence of the parties to the marriage and at least two witnesses. (However, in the case of serious illness or injuries, the marriage may take place in the hospital or facility concerned.)
What Is Required to Make the Marriage Valid?
|On the day of the marriage, the following documentation must be presented to the marriage officer by the couple:
The Marriage Formula
If the marriage formula of a particular religion is approved by the Minister of Home Affairs, it may be used to solemnise the marriage. If the formula has not been approved, then the following questions must be asked:
"Do you, A.B., declare that as far as you know there is no lawful impediment to your proposed marriage with C.D. here present, and that you call all here present to witness that you take C.D. as your lawful wife (or husband)?"
Once these questions have been asked to both parties and answered in the affirmative, the officer must then solemnise the marriage with the following words: "I declare that A.B. and C.D. here present have been lawfully married."
Signing the Marriage Register
After solemnisation of the marriage, both parties to the marriage, two witnesses and the marriage officer must sign the marriage register, upon which the marriage officer must issue the parties with a marriage certificate.
Registration of the Marriage
After the marriage, the marriage officer must submit the marriage register to the nearest Home Affairs office for recording of the marriage particulars in the National Population Register.
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| 0.943571 | 1,458 | 2.75 | 3 |
THURSDAY, July 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Adults with dyslexia are more likely to report that they were physically abused as children or teenagers than people who don’t have the learning disorder, according to a new study.
Dyslexia, which affects up to 10 percent of people, causes problems with reading and writing. Researchers found that 35 percent of adults with this condition said they suffered physical abuse during their childhood, compared to 7 percent of those without dyslexia.
“Even after accounting for age, race, sex and other early adversities such as parental addictions, childhood physical abuse was still associated with a sixfold increase in the odds of dyslexia,” study co-author Esme Fuller-Thomson, a professor at the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, said in a university news release.
It’s unclear if dyslexia makes children a more likely target for abuse or if physical abuse contributes to problems with learning, the study’s authors said.
Study co-author Stephen Hooper is a professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. He said: “It is possible that for some children, the presence of dyslexia and related learning problems may place them at relatively higher risk for physical abuse, perhaps due to adult frustrations with chronic learning failure.
“Alternatively, given the known association between brain dysfunction and maltreatment, it could be that the experience of physical abuse may also contribute to and/or exacerbate such learning problems,” Hooper said in the news release.
The study, published online recently in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, involved more than 13,000 adults who participated in the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey.
Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that doctors should screen all children with dyslexia for physical abuse.
“Although we do not know if the abuse-dyslexia association is causative, with one-third of adults with dyslexia reporting childhood abuse, it is important that primary health care providers and school-based practitioners working with children with dyslexia screen them for physical abuse,” Fuller-Thomson concluded.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more about dyslexia.
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| 0.961152 | 480 | 2.875 | 3 |
PBS KIDS is committed to providing the highest quality programming and learning environment for children to stimulate their curiosity, encourage interaction and foster their imagination. PBS KIDS remains a leader in the industry enriching the lives of children across the country. Throughout their years of broadcasting, PBS KIDS has produced numerous "green" assets. Below are a few highlights.
Watch a series of eight short, funny videos to get thinking about the stuff you use and see every day and what it all can do to the environment. Learn how to reuse items like magazines and catalogs that are lying around your house, how to reduce the amount of garbage you produce a week by recycling and composting, just what happens to those juice boxes you have with lunch, and why you should not set any unwanted pets free in the wild. The videos also feature educational lessons, such as how Velcro came to be, and just where breakfast juice comes from. One video, "Happiness," even teaches kids about smart shopping. After learning about good "green" practices, see what ways you can come up with to help the environment!
On this interactive site about looking after the planet, kids can watch short cartoon adventures of this "green" family, and discover related eco-friendly games and news, read the blog, download iron-on green logos, and much more. Learn how and why to buy local, plant a fall garden, and conserve your resources. See just how green you are with the carbon footprint calculator. Play a memory game which gives you Outdoor Tips such as, "Follow a butterfly. See where it goes and what it does." Or download the "Light it Right" game on your iPhone to turn out lights in rooms that members of the family are not occupying.
The acclaimed kids' series website features two dozen green projects and activities submitted by kids from all over the U.S. Learn different ways to build a battery out of a lemon or water filters from household items. Make your own apple sauce, and mix your own ice cream from scratch. Recycle your old clothes into sweater mittens, and jean pocket bags. And take a poll of what you think it means to "be green."
Is it greener to recycle paper or reuse it? What's the greenest way to get to school? Find out in the Groovy Garden, an interactive game on the ARTHUR website, designed to get kids thinking about the environment and making environmentally friendly choices. The game is set in the Elwood City Community Garden and is hosted by Fritz, the community gardener (with appearances by Buster and Pal!) Test your green knowledge and win seeds to plant in the garden. With sun and water and some green answers, you can watch this groovy garden grow!
Everything Must Go!
Curious George and his Clean Machine could use some direction! In Everything Must Go!, kids can help George clean up his room while learning about potential reuses for things in their own homes. Is the laundry hamper, the toy basket or the book cart the correct place to recycle each toy, book or item of clothing offered up? Click on a spring to highlight a destination, or click on the destination itself to activate the Clean Machine, which then tosses the object into the chosen spot. Level two adds a recycling bin and level three, a compost bucket. In between rounds the kids learn where their sorted plastic bottles, egg shells, old boots and other objects end up: in a recycling truck, as fuel for the garden, at a homeless shelter, at the children's hospital or in the library.
Ruff Ruffman has a few games to help you better understand your environment. What does it mean to be green? These six "Go Green!" activities on the FETCH! website send kids on real world challenges to discover how much water, electricity, fuel, paper, bags, and trash they use. Kids collect data and report back to the site where, using a dynamic map, they can see who is using more or less by state and how they compare to the over-all average. Kids are encouraged to assume the role of scientist, using logical thought, memory and attention to detail, ultimately coming up with ways to reduce their own consumption.
On the creative side, Ruff has been exploring the imaginary Western reaches of Upper-Minutia, but he has disturbed the habitats of the animals there. He needs help figuring out who belongs where. In this Suess-meets-science feature, Ruff gives players a new challenge, each month, to Draw That Habitat for an imaginary animal, a white-bellied sneeloph, or the spotted venubix, for example. Use your imagination with a drawing tool, and create a habitat that provides food, water, shelter, and space for the animal that lives there. Submit your drawings to be posted on the FETCH website. The drawings are selected and then rated by online G-Team members, based on the inclusion in the drawing of the attributes of a habitat. There is a Gallery for visitors to check out and rate the drawings. Players can also print and save drawings to their desktops.
Design Squad Nation
This site is dedicated to getting kids excited about engineering, including how engineers work to help the environment. Watch kids solve "green" challenges in series episodes, like creating a pedal-powered mobile garden and recycling everyday materials into the next big invention. Meet inspiring "green" engineers like SeaWorld’s Jennifer Nakayama and package designer Jennifer Chua. Experience the connection between engineering and the environment hands-on by building eco-friendly projects like furniture made of paper and an animal-safe holder for soda cans. Kids can also share their own "green" invention ideas in the Projects section, a fully-moderated online community for young engineers.
My American Experience
We invite you to tell us your own stories - whether you lived through a tumultuous time period or learned about it from a relative, a book or a movie.
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| 0.943998 | 1,221 | 3.265625 | 3 |
Experts recommend trees be 20 feet apart. However, he said many people don't realize the trunks being a good distance away from each other isn't enough.
The space between branches needs to be at least 20 feet apart. Otherwise, fires can leap from one tree to the other, and without defensible space, a blaze can go from tree to home in seconds.
Mann also said homeowners can still have a good amount of trees, as long as they follow these rules. He talked about clumping or grouping trees together.
If you are interested in participating in the Wildland Fire Education and Prevention Program, go to http://www.3riversrcd.org/WFEP.htm for more details as to how to keep your home safe.
|
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| 0.972405 | 155 | 2.859375 | 3 |
The report says that the current global food system is cracking under the strain of increased demand (due to growth in income and population) and the widespread use of farming methods that use natural resources faster than the resources can be regenerated. The flashes of volatility in food prices we saw in 2007-8 (and today) and the sensitivity of the numbers of hungry people to those historically quite modest price increases are consistent with a system under extreme stress. Future income growth and climate change will make business as usual forms of farming even more unsustainable. We need to find ways of producing more food in ways that reduce hunger today and in 25 and 50 years time. If we don't, food prices will rise (the only question is how fast), smallholder farmers will not be able to take advantage by increasing production in a profitable way, and the result will be more hunger and all the terrible things that go along with that. So, how can this triple goal of food production that is sustainable and equitable be achieved? The report highlights several strands of action.
1. Change the global food system: (a) as a response to uncertainty, diversify food production. Create breadbaskets in multiple sites, don't just rely on the usual food production breadbaskets. This is good for income generation from agriculture and creates the possibility of denser networks of trade, (b) make sure international trade is reliable and fair. This means rules-based trade, where the poorer countries are engaged in the setting of the rules. It also means investing in infrastructure, and information to allow trading to be efficient and transparent, (c) empower farmers, especially smallholders: blend their expertise with formal scientific expertise. Achieving the goal of sustainable food production that is hunger reducing is not easy. Different solutions will evolve in different contexts through different processes. Farmers are the local experts, they have to be involved in formal innovation processes, (d) empower consumers--consumer choices are affected by price, culture and taste, but as Fairtrade has shown, choices can be influenced by other factors, such as the resource footprint of a particular food. The report argues strongly for better and clearer consumer labels to guide choices about which foods are the most resource intensive to produce (and consume).
2. Refocus agricultural investments: (a) invest in crops that are important to poor farmers and poor consumers; invest in developing traits in crops that will make them more resilient to the stresses of climate change; and invest in traits that improve nutrition. (b) invest in infrastructure that promotes increases in smallholder agricultural productivity in ways that are sustainable, (c) invest in information systems that allow tradeoffs between intensification, sustainability and equity to be identified and avoided when possible, (d) on technology for farming, whether the farming is inorganic or organic, biotech or conventional, invest in the governance of the innovation, development and deployment process that determines who benefits, leaving individual countries and their citizens to decide what is an acceptable distribution and what is not.
3. Hold ourselves to account: hunger is easy to neglect. The hungry have little political power, and everyday hunger is not deemed media-worthy. There are few mechanisms available to hold our governments, businesses and civil society to account for being complacent about hunger. The report recommends (a) developing monthly hunger hotspot maps--providing the basis for action from civil society and governments, (b) developing commitment indices to assess the gap between rhetoric and reality on who is doing what to reduce hunger, (c) being more conscientious about assessing the impact of agricultural interventions and how impact is defined and (d) enabling a new generation of anti-hunger leaders to emerge. Ex-President Lula showed us how leadership can make a difference on hunger, but we can't sit around waiting for the next Lula, we have to systematically and deliberately create the environment that makes leaders more likely to emerge.
Much of the work in the report builds on the work of other such reports. So, what's new?
Some of the modeling is new in its ability to connect climate, agriculture and nutrition and develop new scenarios. There is a set of 40 success stories from Africa which reports on interventions that affect 10 million farmers on the continent and which offer potential for scaling. There is a deliberate attempt to recommend pragmatic ways of building in feedback loops into the system to make hunger harder to ignore in the future. There are countless examples of how to do all of this, intended to inspire rather than prescribe.
Finally, there is a realisation that we are at a unique moment in time. I know, all reports say this. But the unique moment comes from the realisation that post 2050, population will begin to decline. This means that the costs of getting decisions right now may make things better for a very long time. Conversely, the costs of getting things wrong are illustrated by the 2007-8 food price spike. During that spike, modest compared to the 1970s, the numbers of hungry people world wide grew by 100 million. Hunger numbers had taken about 20 years to fall that much pre-2007. A food price spike even half of that seen in the 1970s could wipe out 20 years of development progress. Truly a tightrope across the canyon from 2011 to 2050.
Tomorrow, President Obama will deliver his State of the Union speech to the US Congress. Exactly 70 years ago, President Roosevelt was giving his State of the Union, outlining the Four Freedoms, including the freedom from want, the precursor of freedom from hunger. That freedom --as elusive today as it was then--is under renewed threat. We all must rise to the challenge.
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Helen, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful of women; daughter of Leda and Zeus, and sister of Castor and Pollux and Clytemnestra. While still a young girl Helen was abducted to Attica by Theseus and Polydeuces, but Castor and Pollux rescued her. Later, when she was courted by the greatest heroes and chieftains of Greece, her foster father, Tyndareus, fearful of their jealousies, demanded that each suitor swear to defend the rights of the man Helen chose. She then married Menelaus, who, when Paris carried her off to Troy, reminded her former suitors of their oath. They then recruited an army and defeated the Trojans in the Trojan War.
Some legends say that Paris forcibly abducted Helen; others that she fell in love with him and went willingly. In one peculiar account, originating in Stesichorus and used by Euripides, Helen was rescued by Proteus in Egypt, who substituted in her stead a phantom that sailed to Troy with Paris. Proteus then cared for Helen until Menelaus finally claimed her. In the Iliad and Odyssey, Helen becomes Paris' wife but is in sympathy with the Greeks. She is easily reconciled with Menelaus after the war, and they return to a peaceful life at Sparta.
There are several other accounts of the story of Helen. Some say that after she and Menelaus returned to Greece, Orestes vengefully tried to kill her but that Zeus deified her. She bore Menelaus one daughter, Hermione, and, by some accounts, a son, Pleisthenes. Helen had cults in Sparta and elsewhere and is considered by some scholars to be a "faded" goddess—perhaps an ancient fertility goddess—who became a mortal woman.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Folklore and Mythology
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If you believe what you see on TV, women are inscrutable, conniving, hysterical and apt to change their minds without reason or warning. Some women's magazines perpetuate these stereotypes by offering advice on how to entrap men or keep them guessing. And some of the basic differences between men and women can seem a little confusing, depending on your point of view. So it's not surprising that one of the most requested articles in the history of HowStuffWorks is "How Women Work."
The irony is that from conception until the eighth week of gestation, male and female bodies are almost exactly the same. The only difference is at the chromosomal level, deep inside the embryos' cells. Inside every cell of a person's body, DNA is tightly wound into pairs of structures called chromosomes. One pair of chromosomes determines whether the person is male or female. Except in the case of extremely rare abnormalities, a person with two X chromosomes is female, and a person with one X chromosome and one Y chromosome is male. For a few weeks, these chromosomes are all that differentiates male embryos from female embryos.
Of course, by the time embryos grow into adults, there are big differences between male and female bodies. On average, females are shorter and smaller than males are, although females have a higher percentage of body fat. Typically, female bodies have reproductive organs that can support a developing baby and nourish it after its birth. Their blood pressure is lower, and their heart beats faster, even when they're asleep [Source: FDA]. Female bodies also have faster blood flow to their brains and lose less brain tissue as they age than male bodies do [Source: Psychology Today].
And then, of course, there are hormones, which a lot of people view as a huge difference between men and women. But every person's body, whether it's male or female, uses hormones to regulate and control a wide range of processes. Hormones are the products of the endocrine system, which includes numerous glands located in various parts of the body. For example, two well-known hormones are adrenaline, which comes from the adrenal gland, and insulin, which comes from the pancreas. These and other hormones are vital to the lives and health of all people.
Sex hormones, on the other hand, work a little differently in male and female bodies. In male bodies, the testes produce the hormone testosterone, which regulates sperm production and causes masculine secondary sex characteristics. In female, the ovaries produce hormones like estrogen and progesterone, which regulate reproductive processes. Male bodies convert a little testosterone into estrogen, and females' bodies make small amounts of testosterone, so neither hormone is exclusive to one sex or the other.
A man's testosterone levels can fluctuate throughout the day as his body regulates its production of sperm. But a woman's sex hormone levels fluctuate as part of her reproductive cycle, which takes about a month to complete. During a woman's childbearing years, the recurring changes in her hormone levels can cause symptoms like irritability and moodiness, known as premenstrual syndrome (PMS). When a woman reaches perimenopause, her body slows down its production of sex hormones. During the process, her levels of estrogen and progesterone can vary significantly, causing symptoms like hot flashes and trouble sleeping.
Sex hormones can affect a woman's emotions and physiology throughout most of her life. But contrary to some people's perceptions, they're not responsible for every facet of her behavior. In this article, we'll look at some other common perceptions and stereotypes about women as we examine how they work.
Women and Emotions
A 2001 Gallup poll asked American adults whether a series of qualities applied more to men or to women. Ninety percent of those surveyed said that the characteristic "emotional" applied more to women. The survey didn't ask about particular emotions or specify positive or negative connotations for the word "emotion." But it seems likely from the results that most Americans view women as either able to experience or prone to experiencing a wider, more intense range of emotions than men do.
Are women more emotional than men are? Do they cry more?
The perception that women cry more than men is pretty widespread. But as babies and children, boys and girls cry about the same amount on average. Only during puberty do girls begin to cry more than boys do. According to a 2005 New York Times article, by age 18, women cry four times as much as men.
A possible explanation for this is the hormone prolactin, which contributes to how much people cry. Prolactin is present in blood and tears, and it's more prevalent in women than in men. Women's tear ducts are also shaped a little differently from men's, which could be either a cause or an effect of increased crying [Source: New York Times]. In addition, people who are depressed may cry four times as much as people who are not, and two-thirds of people diagnosed with depression are women [Psychology Today].
Of course, another common explanation is that some societies encourage women to cry while discouraging men from crying. In the United States, an exception to this standard seems to be the business world. In some businesses, crying is discouraged -- a woman who cries in the office may be viewed as weak or ineffectual [Source: New York Times].
In the next section we'll look at how women handle stress.
Women and Stress
Are women more stressed out than men are?
Women sometimes have a reputation for being worriers. According to a 2005 Gallup poll, women are more worried about a range of social issues than men are. Significantly more women than men answered that they worried "a great deal" about seven of the 12 issues in the survey.
Studies show that, in addition to worrying more often, women may be physiologically prone to experiencing more stress. For example, the amygdala of the brain processes emotions like fear and anxiety. In men, the amygdala communicates with organs that take in and process visual information, like the visual cortex. In women, though, it communicates with parts of the brain that regulate hormones and digestion. This may mean that stress responses are more likely to cause physical symptoms in women than in men [Source: Live Science].
In addition, women's bodies produce more stress hormones than men's bodies do. Once a stressful event is over, women's bodies also take longer to stop producing the hormones. This may be a cause or an effect of women's tendency to replay stressful events in their minds and think about upsetting situations [Source: Psychology Today].
Are women more jealous than men are?
In some people's minds, women are more jealous and possessive than men are, especially in the context of romantic relationships. But research suggests that women aren't more jealous than men -- they're just jealous about different situations.
In one German study, researchers showed participants images of several scenarios. The participants used a computer to describe which of the scenarios would be more upsetting. The results suggest that, across cultures, women find emotional infidelity more upsetting than sexual infidelity. Men's responses varied across cultures, but in general they were jealous of sexual infidelity [Source: Human Nature].
On the other hand, a study at the University of California at San Diego measured participants' blood pressure and heart rate rather than asking them to describe their responses. Men had greater physical reactions to physical infidelity, while woman reacted with about the same intensity to both scenarios. Women who were in committed relationships were more upset by physical infidelity than those who were not. However, 80 percent of the women in the study thought emotional infidelity would be more upsetting to them than physical infidelity [Source: Psychology Today].
Next, we'll look at some common perceptions of how women learn and communicate.
Women: Brains, Bodies and Barbies
In 1992, Mattel Toys released a talking Barbie doll that said the phrase, "Math class is tough!" The doll caused controversy, especially among parents and teachers who thought that it reinforced the stereotype that girls are not good at math. Standardized test scores seemed to support the stereotype -- in general, boys' scores in math were higher than girls' [Source: Psychology Today].
Research into the differences in men's and women's brains also seemed to support the idea that men should be better at math. Men have 6.5 times more gray matter in their brains than women do. Women have 10 times more white matter. Gray matter creates processing centers in the brain, and white matter creates the connections between them. In other words, men have lots of areas for processing concrete data -- like mathematical equations -- and women have lots of connections that allow them to see and process patterns [Source: Live Science]. Some researchers believe that this difference in brain structure supports the idea that men are better at math while women are better at language.
However, other researchers argue that men aren't really better at math. Girls often make better grades in math than boys do. Researchers theorize that the stereotype that women are not good at math may be partly to blame for this discrepancy. According to Dr. Robert Josephs of the University of Texas-Austin, women fear that their performance on standardized tests will prove that they're bad at math. For this reason, they don't do as well on tests, regardless of whether they've made good grades in math classes. Men, on the other hand, see such tests as an opportunity to prove that they are good at math, so they perform better [Source: Psychology Today].
In addition, women tend to receive higher scores on math tests when they take them without men in the room. According to one study that evaluated men and women who had made similar SAT scores, women's scores increase by up to 12 percent when taking tests without men in the room. Researchers say this is due to a stereotype threat, or a fear that a person will conform to a common stereotype [Source: Cook].
Regardless of how well they score on standardized tests, women seem to be able to develop math skills that are equal to men's. A large-scale analysis of data also suggests that there's very little difference between men and women's abilities in math [Source: Economist].
Women and Pain
Do women have a higher pain tolerance than men?
Some people suppose that, because they are able to bear children, women have a higher pain tolerance than men do. However, several studies do not support this theory. A study at the Pain Management Unit of the University of Bath reported that women feel more pain in their lifetimes and that they feel pain for longer durations than men do. One experiment involved men and women submerging their arms in ice water. In that experiment, women had a lower pain threshold and lower tolerance for pain than men did [Source: Live Science].
Women's brains also respond a little differently to pain than men's brains do. There is considerable overlap in the areas of the brain that respond to pain and stress, but women's limbic centers become active in addition to these areas. The limbic center is responsible for a person's emotions, so this suggests that women are likely to have emotional responses to pain and stress. Researchers theorize that this is because of the traditional gender role of women as caregivers [Source: Science Daily].
Does Barbie really make women hate their bodies?
In 1995, researchers at the University of Arizona studied how African-American and Caucasian girls viewed their bodies [Source: University of Arizona]. They asked teenaged girls to describe their own bodies as well as what a perfect girl would look like. African-American girls were reluctant to assign physical traits to an ideal girl, but Caucasian girls gave roughly the same description. Their idea of an ideal girl was 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighed about 100 pounds and had long hair. Researchers called this description "a living manifestation of a Barbie doll" [Source: Quindlen].
Some researchers have used this as evidence that Barbie dolls encourage women to strive to have bodies that are unattainable. Some say Barbie is responsible for breast implants and eating disorders. However, there hasn't been a large-scale study directly linking playing with Barbie dolls to low self-esteem or increased eating disorders. There haven't been any studies proving that girls want to look like Barbie dolls, either. In fact, a 2005 British study revealed that girls often deface or mutilate their Barbie dolls while leaving their other toys unharmed [Source: Live Science].
However, one study has suggested that toys with unattainable proportions might affect a person's self-image. But the study didn't involve Barbie -- it involved male subjects and Ken dolls as well as action figures like the Hulk and G.I. Joe. The men in the study reported a more negative self image after playing with hyper-muscular action figures than after playing with Ken [Source: Sex Roles: A Journal of Research]. If playing with a toy can affect men in this way, it may affect women similarly.
Doctors and scientists are still discovering other similarities and differences in men and women, and they've made some surprising discoveries. For example, after World War II, pharmaceutical companies feared that drug tests could harm pregnant women and that women's hormones could affect test results. So, they tested drugs primarily on men. But in the last several years, the medical community has discovered that women and men often have different responses to drugs. For this reason, human trials of new drugs include both men and women [Source: The Science of Sex and Gender in Human Health]. You can learn more about how gender affects physiology, psychology and other human traits by following the links on the next page.
Related HowStuffWorks Articles
More Great Links
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A growing problem and a going problem. More families are dealing with bedwetting than ever before. In the 1950s, most kids were dry through the night by age two. But times have changed.
“In 2003, they looked at that number again and it certainly wasn’t two years of age; it was actually moved to five at that point. In terms of my practice, I see what we see pretty much nationally which is 80 percent will be dry by five years of age,” says Dr. Pierre Loredo, a pediatrician with The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.
Bedwetting is considered primary if the child has never had a prolonged period of being dry through the night. It indicates immaturity of the nervous system.
“It’s development, in short. And so what happens is, there’s a nervous system where our brain and bladder are talking. There’s a muscle within that bladder, and all these different types of development need to take place before the patient’s able to stay dry at night,” says Dr. Loredo.
In short, the bedwetter doesn’t recognize the sensation of a full bladder. Experts do have training tips. The first - make sure the child isn’t drinking too much too close to bedtime.
“Limit the fluids to about eight ounces. About three hours before bedtime, hold off on those fluids,” says Dr. Loredo.
Creating a ‘path to success’ is also important. Make sure the child has easy access to the bathroom at night and proper lighting like a night light, so they won’t be afraid to get up.
It may help to set goals and offer rewards for progress.
“I always recommend getting a calendar so you can mark off days we stay dry; maybe if we stay dry for a week we can go ahead and pick a little gift or do some fun activity,” says Dr. Loredo.
And never, ever, punish the child for wetting the bed.
“One, it doesn’t help; and two, it winds up giving a lot of psychological stress to the patient that doesn’t make this process any easier. In fact, it could make it worse,” says Dr. Loredo.Finally, be patient. Breaking the bedwetting cycle doesn’t happen overnight.
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Chilean media reported that a man called Oscar Munoz found the remains on October 19, 2003 at an abandoned settlement called La Noria in the Atacama Desert.
The remains were found near an abandoned church wrapped in a white cloth. According to the Daily Mail
, a Chilean newspaper reported that the skeleton was "no bigger than 15cm [the size of a pen]. It was a creature with hard teeth, a bulging head with an additional odd bulge on top. Its body was scaly and of dark color. Unlike humans, it had nine ribs."
Since the remains of the "Atacama humanoid," nicknamed "Ata," were discovered, there have been speculations about its identity and nature. Some have suggested Ata was the aborted fetus of a human or a monkey. Others have suggested that it was an alien species.
The new documentary film, Sirius
, however, claims that DNA tests performed by experts have confirmed that the mummified remains are human.
Prior to Monday's premier of the film, there were widespread speculations of a major breakthrough in the search for extraterrestrial beings. ET and UFO enthusiasts speculated that that the film would unveil evidence showing the remains to be alien.
The filmmakers deliberately fueled expectations of a major breakthrough in the search of extraterrestrial life. PR
for the film had claimed "paradigm shifting physical evidence of a medically and scientifically analyzed DNA sequenced humanoid creature of unknown classification."
The filmmaker, Dr. Steven Greer
, who founded the Center for the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence (CSETI)
and the Disclosure Project
, referred to Ata as an extraterrestrial being.
But before he performed the DNA tests, Garry Nolan, director of stem cell biology at Stanford University's school of Medicine California, said; "My interest, frankly, is to disprove that it's anything unusual or anything paranormal. I would like to prove that this is human [and] just an interesting mutation. In every situation with scientists, your reputation's at stake. I have every expectation that even doing this is going to lead to some ribbing from some of my colleagues."
The test's results presented in the film refuted claims that Ata was an alien. It also contradicted claims that it was a human or monkey fetus. According to results of scientific analysis of DNA samples from the bone marrow, the remains were those of a mutant male human that survived for six to eight years after birth.
Nolan said : "I can say with absolute certainty that it is not a monkey. It is human - closer to human than chimpanzees. It lived to the age of six to eight. Obviously, it was breathing, it was eating, it was metabolizing. It calls into question how big the thing might have been when it was born... The DNA tells the story and we have the computational techniques that allows us to determine, in very short order, whether, in fact, this is human... The sequence that we got from the mitochondria [energy factories of cells] tells us with extremely high confidence that the mother was an indigenous Indian from the Chilean area. The other thing that immediately fell out of the analysis is that it's male. It probably died in the last century, if I were to make a guess."
Besides addressing the question of the origins of Ata, the film, by the Emmy-winning director Amardeep Kaleka, also examines claims of ET and UFO phenomena. It explores claims about secret UFO files and efforts to get the US government to disclose knowledge about advanced alternative energy and propulsion technologies that are allegedly being suppressed by vested interests in current fossil fuel-based technology.
The film, narrated by actor Thomas Jane, includes interviews with witnesses who claim access to classified information about alien visitations to Earth and that governments are suppressing information about alternative energy sources.
Greer said: "There have been attempts to bring this information out for over 60 years. Here we sit with the world still burning oil and gas and coal, when we have had technology, sciences and all the information we need to have had a completely new civilization."
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First, Armstrong and Green contend that agreement among forecasters is not related to accuracy—and may reflect bias as much as anything else. “You don’t vote,” Armstrong told me. “That’s not the way science progresses.”
Next, they say the complexity of the global warming problem makes forecasting a fool’s errand. “There’s been no case in history where we’ve had a complex thing with lots of variables and lots of uncertainty, where people have been able to make econometric models or any complex models work,” Armstrong told me. “The more complex you make the model the worse the forecast gets.”
Finally, Armstrong and Green write that the forecasts do not adequately account for the uncertainty intrinsic to the global warming problem. In other words, they are potentially overconfident.
When a prediction about a complex phenomenon is expressed with a great deal of confidence, it may be a sign that the forecaster has not thought through the problem carefully, has overfit his statistical model, or is more interested in making a name for himself than in getting at the truth.
Excerpt From: Silver, Nate. “The Signal and the Noise.” Penguin Group, USA, 2012-09-05. iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.
Check out this book on the iBookstore: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-signal-and-the-noise/id520233773?mt=11
Nate Silver does not discount global warming but applies the same analysis to the difficulty and mistakes that arise from using complex models to predict from unlimited data that he applied to predicting earthquakes, economic collapses, and terrorist attacks.
What is often missing from such predictions is not the lack of facts or data but the lack of imagination. It is what Donald Rumsfeld referred to as the unknown unknowns. We consider the possibilities we can think of and we are ultimately surprised by the possibilities we did not think of . The more that politics are involved and other agendas take priority the more we are surprised by the possibilities we did not consider.
In a country so protected from foreign invasion we thought the threat at Pearl Harbor was from sabotage and collected the fleet and the planes in a confined space to better protect them- a fatal lack of imagination. We experienced similar failures on 9/11.
Complex simulations tend to give a very false sense of security. We consistently fail to consider the probabilities of failure and success. On Wall Street a philosophical understanding of risk was replaced with delusional mathematical certainty. Economic predictions are made with a certainty that often confounds policy. The more data we have the more noise we also collect.
It is that ability to distinguish signal from noise that is essential for better predictions.
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Learn something new every day
More Info... by email
Rock viola is a style of playing employed primarily in the rock genre but also in other subgenres, such as alternative music. This style uses techniques from the classical method but ultimately employs a modified, faster attack style of playing. Rock bands like Yellowcard, The Velvet Underground, and 10,000 Maniacs have utilized the viola in their sound.
The viola is more commonly known as a classical stringed instrument used in orchestras. It is part of the violin family, though it is larger than a violin and strung with heavier strings. A musician who plays the viola is known as a violist.
There are a few basic techniques used by rock violists. Throwing or tapping is a way of hitting the strings quickly and aggressively with the bow that can produce rapid-fire sounds with quick rests in between each note. The tapping that comes with striking the strings produces a percussive sound as well. This pulse is the sound of the strings themselves colliding with the fret board. This technique in rock viola can also be used to imitate the sound of a slap bass guitar.
Finger picking is sometimes used for an old-timey, medieval sound, though it is a quieter method of playing and used less in rock. The Decembrists and Gogol Bordello are rock bands that have used this technique with their stringed instruments. This technique in rock viola gives the music gypsy-swing undertones or a ragtime folk sound. Rock viola is also a staple in Celtic rock bands, such as The Dropkick Murphys.
Pedals and effects are often added by rock violists to enhance and thicken the sound. Putting distortion on a viola gives the instrument a stronger sound similar to a rhythm guitar playing short power chords. Rock viola is often best used as a lead instrument due to its assertive striking sound but can be played as a rhythm tool as well. Yellowcard, an American rock band, has used this technique in several of their songs. Many of U2's guitar pedals use effects to imitate this rock viola sound, sometimes giving the illusion the band is backed by an orchestra.
While widely underutilized by modern rock groups, the viola can add tremendous uniqueness to a band’s sound. While it is still known as a proper orchestra instrument used in classical music performances, it is indeed much more versatile. Contrary to popular belief, the viola can give off a rollicking rock-and-roll presence, especially when combined with distortion, amplification, and other tools.
One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!
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Over the last few decades, engineers have developed submersible technologies capable of meeting the many challenges that the deep sea imposes upon explorers. Using advanced submersible technologies, remarkable new deep-water ecosystems have been discovered. Many of these communities were believed not to exist in harsh environments devoid of light and under crushing pressure. One such community was found in an area surrounding a hydrothermal vent, where water temperatures reach hundreds of degrees Centigrade and the water is bathed in caustic sulfur. After preliminary studies, which discovered many new species and raised even more questions about these organisms, researchers declared these communities to be as complex as many found on land.
As much as we may learn about our planet's underwater habitats through the use of satellites, shipboard sensors and divers, these technologies scratch only the surface of the oceans. Submersibles alone enable us to explore the abyssal depths. This section of the site highlights some of the major advancements in submersible technology. These submersibles allow us to travel deeper and with a greater degree of freedom than ever before, so that we can observe, describe and ultimately explain the phenomena of life in the deep ocean realm.
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Asynx Planetarium is a easy to use planetarium program and solar system simulator. It can display the night sky from any location on earth and between the year 1760 and 9999. Perfect for students, kids and astronomy beginners.
The ultimate goal of the project is to integrate popular bioinformatics tools and algorithms within a single visual interface that can be easily used by molecular biologists.
Copan for Windows
Copan for Windows is a very functional and easy-to-use geomatics engineering tool for computing and managing plane surveying and mapping coordinates.
MEGA (Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis) is an integrated tool for conducting automatic and manual sequence alignment, inferring phylogenetic trees, mining web-based databases, estimating rates of molecular evolution, and testing evolutionary hypotheses.
Project QSpider started on December, 19th, 2007. The project purpose is working out of free software QSpider for modelling mechanical systems (robots, mechanisms of parallel kinematics).
QSpider is a free program for engineers and researchers. You also can will join work on the program.
Features of QSpider:
- Mathematical modelling of spatial mechanisms with use of multilevel representation of mechanical systems. The given approach allows to simplify and reduce time of construction of models considerably.
- Modelling of auxiliary elements of the equipment, for example, the rotary tables, special adaptations, etc.
- The main feature of the program is global parameterisation of model. Any of model parametres can set a variable. The program allows to enter defined a mathematical parity in the form of mathematical expressions and to modify all model at change of another or other sizes (parametres) of model.
- Construction of constructive elements of mechanisms (the basis, a platform, a bed, etc.).
- Independent sources of the program. The program is developed on C++ with use of free version Qt. QSpider works under control of operational systems: Windows, Linux and MacOS.
A deep sky atlas, library, night planner and companion for the deep sky observer. Final release: 25 million stars (GSC 1.2) and more than one million deep sky objects.
This open source, digitizing software converts an image file showing a graph or map, into numbers. The image file can come from a scanner, digital camera or screenshot. The numbers can be read on the screen, and written or copied to a spreadsheet.
The process starts with an image file containing a graph or map. The final result is digitized data that can be used by other tools such as Microsoft Excel and Gnumeric.
The soil hydraulic parameters for analyzing water movement in variably saturated soil can be determined by fittig soil hydraulic model to a soil water retention curve. SWRC Fit performs nonlinear fitting of 5 soil hydraulic models to measured soil water retention curve.
- It is written in numerical calculation language GNU Octave.
- Web interface is also available.
- Initial estimate of parameters is automatically determined by the program.
- Five models are (1) Brooks and Corey model, (2) van Genuchten model, (3) Kosugi's model, (4) Durner's model and (5) Seki's model.
This software is primarily intended for scientists in the field of hydrology and geoscience to help their research. It may also be used for educational purposes.
Data Master 2003
Programmable scientific and technical graphics optimized for automation of test and measurement systems, data acquisition and post-process. Especially suitable for scientists who would like to make high-performance, precise measurements in the experimental research. Features include powerful visual tools (graphic editor, plot digitizer, base line subtractor), wide set of numeric and symbolic calculations (integration, differentiation, smoothing, etc), linear and nonlinear NLSF (Levenberg-Marquardt) regression analysis, configurable user interface and more. You can visualize, edit and analyze data produced by any instruments with RS-232 interface or another numerical data sources. Embedded ActiveX-compatible scripting environment allows you easily add new custom operations and integrate this software with popular desktop applications.
3D Solar System
A rolling advanced 3D solar system with all the planets and some big moons orbit. If you have a very fast computer - set 'True Worlds'-option 'On', and you will not be
disappointed! You can manually select view of planet or moon and the camera takes you there. It includes options like 'Freeze All', 'Height of view', 'Orbit speed / Distance',
'Light and Shadow on/off', 'Atmosphere on/off', 'Rotation speed', 'Bank Angle', 'Model scale' and 'Zoom scale'. Support 3D or none 3D card and changes of GFX resolution.
You can also save the preferences. DirectX.
A comprehensive Earth and sky simulator for Windows which displays the Earth, tracks satellites, asteroids, and comets, includes an
extensible multimedia object catalogue, a simulated telescope for viewing the sky at any magnification or location, a database of more than a quarter
million stars, and a complete hypertext help file and introduction to astronomy linked to the components of the program. Displays include the illuminated
portion of the Earth, the Sky, the Telescope, the Earth as viewed from a satellite, the Moon, or the Sun, an orrery, panels displaying current information
about the Moon and planets, and more. Real-time astronomical information can be exported to other applications via DDE.
Features: Draw Any Atom, Draw Any Molecule, Three Types of Rendering, Asymptotes, Translucence and Index of Refraction, Animations, Stereo, Cutaway, Lighting, Save TIFF, PPM, BMP, AVI, and VRML files.
GRANDTOUR can simulate space as seen from the Voyager and Giotto spacecraft. In addition, GRANDTOUR can generate scenes from arbitrary points in
space or the Earth, with the spacecraft visible to the observer. The planet, moons, and rings of interest (or comet, nucleus, and tail), stars, the sun, and the
spacecraft are all accurately drawn with wireframe representations. Hidden line removal is done for the body surfaces. The motions of the bodies themselves are
highly accurate, with errors no greater than 500 kilometers. The user has considerable control over the time step, field of view, etc., and many frames per
second are typically generated. The program was originally developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory by John D. Callahan to assist in the analysis of science and
optical navigation data. In addition, the program was filmed by the BBC as part of a NOVA documentary on the Voyager Uranus encounter, and by the Four Point
Entertainment Company for a commercially available video on Halley's Comet. Program conveniently runs from any Windows/DOS.
Home & Education
Calendars & Planners
Food & Beverage
Health & Nutrition
Kids & Parenting
Religion & Spirituality
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Energy is not only the essence of life, but also a great driving force determining a country’s economic stability and security benefits. Struck by the first oil crisis in 1973 and the oil price hikes since 2000, the U.S. government has learned the urgent needs to increase the national energy independence. To avoid constantly exposing to this energy vulnerability, the U.S. government has made various efforts including expanding the production of biofuels. However, biofuels do not come free.
As the US Department of Agriculture stated “…environmental uncertainties to be expected as the second-generation biofuel production emerges.” The global communities also projected that the water demand associated with the increase in biofuel production will increase by 74% in 2017 as compared to 2009 if agricultural and irrigation schemes remain the same. According to US Government Accountability Office (GAO), understanding and managing the energy and water tradeoffs is one of the urgent tasks on the national level. In the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Congress also directed the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a federal program to address the energy-water nexus as an effort for preventing negative environmental consequences. The US is not alone in fighting this issue. For example, the World Bank has listed the water-energy nexus one of the key factors driving future sustainability, and has launched the Water Partnership Program to play an influencing role of the water-energy nexus.
To better support biofuel policies, the Energy Systems Division has made efforts to identify biofuel’s water implications through various feedstocks pathways since 2006. We have investigated water footprint associated with the production of biofuels generated from several proposed feedstock, including conventional crops, agricultural residue, woody residue, algae, and perennial grass. In this presentation, I will brief the research efforts, scopes, results, and how the findings can be employed to support energy decision-making processes.
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1 GEOGRAPHIC SETTING AND ENVIRONMENT
Kenya is located in East Africa near the Equator (the imaginary line that divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres). The country is approximately twice the size of Nevada. The southeast part of Kenya borders the Indian Ocean. The land regions are varied and range from year-round snow in the Kenya and Kilimanjaro Mountains to warm, tropical beaches. Some of the regions are desert, but most land is rolling grasslands and forests.
Kenya's climate is as varied as the land areas. Typically, there are two rainy seasons. The highest amount of rainfall occurs in April and the least rainfall occurs in January. The evenings in the Central Highlands can be quite chilly and the coastal areas are usually hot and humid.
2 HISTORY AND FOOD
When the Portuguese arrived in 1496 on the coast of Kenya, they introduced foods from newly discovered Brazil. Maize, bananas, pineapple, chilies, peppers, sweet potatoes, and cassava were brought in and became local staples. The Portuguese also brought oranges, lemons, and limes from China and India, as well as pigs.
Pastoralism (cattle herding) has a long history in Kenya. Around A.D. 1000, a clan from North Africa called the Hima introduced cattle herding. By the 1600s, groups like the Maasai and Turkana ate beef exclusively. Cattle provided meat, milk, butter, and blood.
When the Europeans arrived at the shores of Kenya, they brought with them white potatoes, cucumbers, and tomatoes. The British imported thousands of Indians for labor, and curries (spicy dishes made with curry spice), chapattis (a flat, disk-shaped bread made of wheat flour, water, and salt) and chutneys (a relish made of spices, herbs, and/or fruit) became a traditional Sunday lunch for many Kenyans.
3 FOODS OF THE KENYANS
Kenya is a multi-racial society, the majority of people comprising native ethnic groups. The rest of the population is Asian, Arab, and European. The official languages of Kenya are Swahili and English.
Traditional Kenyan foods reflect the many different lifestyles of the various groups in the country. Most Kenyan dishes are filling and inexpensive to make. Staple foods consist mainly of corn, maize, potatoes, and beans. Ugali (a porridge made of maize) and meat are typically eaten inland, while the coastal peoples eat a more varied diet.
The Maasai, cattle-herding peoples who live in Kenya and Tanzania, eat simple foods, relying on cow and goat by-products (such as the animal's meat and milk). The Maasai do not eat any wild game or fish, depending only on the livestock they raise for food.
The Kikuyu and Gikuyu grow corn, beans, potatoes, and greens. They mash all of these vegetables together to make irio . They roll irio into balls and dip them into meat or vegetable stews.
In western Kenya, the people living near Lake Victoria (the second-largest freshwater lake in the world) mainly prepare fish stews, vegetable dishes, and rice.
- 2 cups corn
- 2 cups red kidney beans
- 4 potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 2 cups spinach
- Salt and pepper
- Place the potatoes into a pot, cover with water, and boil until soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, combine the corn, beans, and spinach and cook over low to medium heat until vegetables are soft.
- Add the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and mash the mixture with a fork or wooden spoon.
Western Kenya Cabbage and Egg
- 1 cup water
- 1 small cabbage, chopped
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped
- 3 eggs
- Salt, to taste
- In a saucepan, boil the water, then add the cabbage. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Drain, season with salt, and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the onions and tomatoes. Cook over medium heat until soft.
- Add the salted cabbage to the frying pan and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In a small mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Stir the eggs into the frying pan with the vegetable mixture and cook for about 3 minutes, or until the eggs are thoroughly cooked.
- Serve with rice, ugali , or potatoes.
Serves 2 to 4.
The only place where a distinct cuisine has developed is on the eastern coast, where Swahili dishes reflect the history of contact with the Arabs and other Indian Ocean traders. They sailed in with dried fruits, rice, and spices, which expanded the Swahili diet. Here, coconut and spices are used heavily.
Although there is not a specific national cuisine, there are two national dishes: ugali and nyama choma. Maize (corn) is a Kenyan staple and the main ingredient of ugali , which is thick and similar to porridge. Many Kenyans eat this on a daily basis. It takes a lot of practice to boil the porridge without burning it. Ugali is usually eaten with meat, stews, or sukuma wiki, which literally translates to "stretch the week." This means that the food is used to stretch meals to last for the week. Sukuma wiki is a combination of chopped spinach or kale (a leafy green vegetable) that is fried with onions, tomatoes, maybe a green pepper, and any leftover meat, if available. It is seasoned with salt and some pepper. The traditional way of eating ugali is to pinch off a piece of the dough with the right hand, and shape it into a scoop by pressing and indentation into the dough with the thumb. The ugali is used to scoop sauces or stew.
- 1 cup milk
- 1¼ cups cornmeal
- 1 cup water
- Pour the milk into a mixing bowl. Slowly add ¾ cup of the cornmeal and whisk constantly into a paste.
- Heat the water in a medium saucepan to boiling.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir cornmeal and milk paste mixture into the boiling water. Reduce heat to low.
- Slowly add the remaining ½ cup of cornmeal, stirring constantly. The mixture should be smooth with no lumps.
- Cook for about 3 minutes. When the mixture begins to stick together and pull away from the sides of the pan, remove from heat.
- Pour mixture into a greased serving bowl and allow to cool.
- Serve at room temperature as a side dish to meat and vegetables.
- 2 Tablespoons oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
- One bunch sukuma (kale or collard greens), chopped
- ½ cup water
- Heat oil in a frying pan and add the onions. Sauté about 2 to 4 minutes.
- Add tomato and greens and sauté about 1 minute.
- Add ½ cup water and then add salt to taste. Let the mixture simmer until the sukuma is tender.
Nyama choma is roasted or grilled meat, usually goat. The process of grilling meat in Kenya is different from the process of barbequing meat typically used in the United States. Basting (moistening the meat) and the use of herbs and seasonings (except salt and pepper) are not used in most Kenyan dishes. When eating nyama choma at a restaurant, the diner chooses from a selection of meat that is bought by the kilogram (1 kilogram equals about 2 pounds). It is grilled plain and brought to the table sliced into bite-sized pieces. It is often served with mashed vegetables.
The varied climate and geographical areas in Kenya are home to many different types of fruits. Some examples are mangoes, papaya, pineapple, watermelon, oranges, guavas, bananas (many varieties), coconuts, and passion fruit. Passion fruit juice is sold everywhere and is the most popular, known locally in English simply as "passion."
4 FOOD FOR RELIGIOUS AND HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS
Kenya's religious heritage mirrors its ethnic history. About 65 percent of the population are Christians and 2 to 4 percent are Muslim. The remainder practice traditional native beliefs.
Christmas in Kenya is a time for social gatherings and food. Visitors will stop at the homes of friends and family, and food is served to everyone. Christmas dinner is likely to be fish or nyama choma . Goat or beef is used for nyama choma , although goat is considered a greater delicacy. Vegetables, fruit, and chapattis are often served with chutney.
- 1½ cups yogurt
- 2 Tablespoons mint, finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- Hot pepper flakes, to taste
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
- Serve as a condiment for meats and vegetables.
- 3 pounds beef short ribs or spare ribs
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Season the ribs with salt and pepper.
- Grill on a gas or charcoal grill over medium-high heat for 1 hour. Alternatively, roast in the oven at 300°F for 1½ to 2 hours. The meat should be dry and chewy.
Serves 4 to 6.
One of the biggest celebrations in Kenya is Kenyatta Day (October 20). It is in honor of Kenya's first president and patriot, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. During this holiday (and all observed holidays), schools and businesses are closed. Celebrations include festivities such as dancing in homes, bars, and nightclubs. Feasts of nyama choma, candy, and bottled drinks, such as Fanta (orange soda), are common.
5 MEALTIME CUSTOMS
A typical Kenyan chakula (meal) is usually a heavy staple food, such as ugali or potatoes, with a side of vegetables. Ugali is typically served on a large dish where everyone can reach (using the right hand). Fruit is usually eaten for dessert in place of sweets.
Mandazi , a semisweet, flat doughnut, is usually eaten at chakula cha asubuhi (breakfast) with kahawa or chai (coffee and tea in Swahili). Chai is served very milky and sweet. The tea, milk, and sugar are put into cold water and brought to a boil. Kenyans also eat chapattis at breakfast and usually dunk it into their coffee.
Lunch is the main chakula of the day. Meat such as beef, goat, or mutton (sheep) is most commonly eaten. Other dishes can include githeri , a mix of beans (usually red kidney beans) and corn, and matoke , or mashed plantains (similar to a banana). Foods served at dinner are much like what is served at lunch.
- 1 can corn
- 1 can kidney beans
- Pour corn and beans into a saucepan.
- Heat on medium to low and simmer until cooked through.
- Serve with chapattis, ugali , and meat to complete a Kenyan meal.
Serves 2 to 3.
Matoke (Mashed Plantains)
- 8 plantains (can be found in most supermarkets)
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 2 cups beef stock
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
- Peel the plantains.
- In a bowl, soak in lukewarm water with lemon juice for 2 minutes.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan.
- Fry the onions and coriander for about 3 minutes.
- Add pepper flakes to taste.
- Add the bananas and cover with the beef stock.
- Simmer on low heat for about 30 to 35 minutes.
Serves 4 to 6.
A knife and fork are usually used when eating European cuisine in Kenya. When eating the traditional Kenyan way, a piece of ugali, held in the right hand, is used as a sort of utensil to scoop up food. The Kiswahili word for "right" is kulia , which means "to eat with." The right hand is usually used to pass and accept items. Use of the left hand is considered improper. Eating customs vary throughout Kenya. For example, among the Samburu, warriors avoid eating in front of women, men are often served first, and children sometimes eat separately from adults.
Street vendors are found on almost any street corner in Kenya and offer a variety of snacks. Sambusas are deep-fried pastry triangles stuffed with spiced minced meat and are considered the most common snack. Corn on the cob is roasted on a wire grill over a bed of hot coals and sold cheaply for a few Kenyan shillings (one Kenya shilling equals about sixty U.S. cents). Another snack is called mkate mayai ("bread eggs"), a wheat dough spread into a thin pancake, filled with minced meat and raw egg, then folded. Sweets such as ice cream, yogurt, and deep fried yams (eaten with a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkling of chili powder), are offered as well. In rural areas, children can be seen snacking on roasted maize (corn) and sugar cane. Kenyan children like to snack on burgers and fries as well, which are sold in fast food shops.
Kenyans enjoy eating in a variety of international restaurants and fast-food chains. Fries with ketchup are popular, along with sausages, eggs, fish, and chicken. Most fast food restaurants are located in Nairobi, Kenya's capital city.
6 POLITICS, ECONOMICS, AND NUTRITION
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, a prolonged drought (especially affecting northern Kenya) was a major cause of malnutrition, destroying food crops and forcing poorer families to live on meals of maize. This lack of protein results in deficiency diseases, especially with younger children. Symptoms of such diseases include fatigue and lethargy. In children, lack of protein results in poor growth with generalized swelling. A protuding round stomach is a common and visible symptom of severe malnutrition. Skin rashes and hair loss are also common.
About 41 percent of the population of Kenya is classified as undernourished by the World Bank. This means they do not receive adequate nutrition in their diet. Of children under the age of five, about 23 percent are underweight, and over 34 percent are stunted (short for their age).
7 FURTHER STUDY
Eldon, Kathy. More Specialities of the House. Nairobi, Kenya: Kenway Publications, 1989.
Gardner, Ann. Karibu: Welcome To the Cooking of Kenya . Nairobi, Kenya: Kenway Publications, Ltd., 1993.
Kairi, Wambui. Kenya. Austin, TX: Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishers, 2000.
Karimbux, Adil. A Taste of Kenyan Cooking. Nairobi: Kenway Publications, 1998.
BellaOnline. [Online] Available http://www.bellaonline.com/society_and_culture/ethnic_culture/kenyan/subjects/sub984156722364.htm (accessed April 11, 2001).
Department of African Studies at University of Pennsylvania. [Online] Available http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Cookbook/Kenya.html (accessed April 11, 2001).
International Expeditions. [Online] Available http://www.ietravel.com/destafrkenyaculhis.html#cuis (accessed April 11, 2001).
Kenyalogy. [Online] Available http://www.kenyalogy.com/eng/info/datos7.html (accessed April 11, 2001).
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Views of Palestine: perspectives and experiences from the British Mandate
Joint Middle East Department/Palestine Exploration Fund lecture series
Thursday 3 October 2013,
Free, just drop in
Recommend this event
Anne Lineen discusses her search for images of the British Mandate in Palestine.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Palestine was depicted to Western audiences as an archaic and unchanging, the people of the country existing only as extras and props in the popular Bonfils postcards or Underwood and Underwood stereoviews.
These beautiful and beguiling images created an imagined landscape that served only as the setting for Bible stories. However, events before and during the period of British rule can only be explained by representing the aspirations, expectations and anxieties of the people who lived and served in Palestine.
Anne Lineen, curator of the Brunei Gallery's recent 'Britain in Palestine' exhibition discusses her search for images that hinted of a more complex and human reality.
Well-worn and much loved family snapshots in private collections, beautiful studio portraits that survive in public archives, and pages from albums proudly compiled by Palestine policemen or British soldiers – all these created a rich tapestry of images that conveyed the complexity, the drama and the trauma of life in Palestine under the British Mandate.
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Haifa in the late 1930s, Elias Massoud Raffoul (detail). By kind permission of Antoine Raffoul.
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Most U.S. consumers believe they're protecting their computers against cyberattacks, but their actions indicate they aren't as safe as they think, according to a study released Monday.
Eighty-seven percent of U.S. consumers surveyed believe they have antivirus protection installed on their computers, but scans of their systems found only 52 percent have antivirus software that's been updated in the last month, according to a study by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and McAfee Inc. More than nine in 10 consumers surveyed said they believe their computers were protected from viruses.
In addition, 70 percent of U.S. consumers believe they have anitspyware software installed on their computers, but only 55 percent do, the study said. And 61 percent believe they have antispam software installed, but only 21 percent do.
"Consumers at this point in time have a false sense of security," said Bari Abdul, vice president of worldwide consumer marketing at McAfee. "What they say they have on their PC doesn't match with what they actually have."
Seventy-eight percent of computers McAfee scanned for the study did not have what Abdul called "core protection" -- a combination antivirus, antispyware and firewall software -- on their computers. The survey was conducted through e-mail invitations, and the 378 people who answered the survey allowed their computers to be scanned.
McAfee and NCSA, an educational group made up of U.S. government agencies and private companies, released the survey during a day-long event in Washington, D.C., to launch October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month.
During the event, Deborah Platt Majoras, chairwoman of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, and Greg Garcia, assistant secretary for cybersecurity and communications at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, both encouraged private companies to work with government to educate consumers and organizations about the importance of cybersecurity defenses.
"Individual and enterprise cybersecurity are really two sides of the same coin," Garcia said. "It's not possible to have one without the other."
Majoras and Garcia said their agencies are both working hard to improve cybersecurity with efforts to educate consumers and businesses. One of the current problems that "drives me crazy," Majoras said, is phishing attacks, where people receive an e-mail that looks like it's from their bank, credit card or other business provider, asking the recipients to click a link to update their personal information.
The phishing problem would be largely fixed if more consumers were educated about the identity-theft scam, Majoras said.
In the McAfee/NCSA survey, 75 percent of respondents said they had heard of phishing, but only 54 percent of those could describe it accurately, Abdul said. Forty-four percent of respondents said they believe they have spyware or adware installed on their computers.
Nearly 90 percent of those who responded store personal information on their computers and conduct sensitive activities such as banking or stock trading online.
More education is needed, Abdul said. "It's extremely important to take this dialog to the next level," he added.
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JACKSONVILLE’S TELEPHONE HISTORY
John W. Cowart
Jacksonville’s first telephone line stretched for a single city block. That line ran from the office of A.N. Beck at Main and Bay streets to the Inland Navigation Company at Bay and Laura streets.
Today, Jacksonville contains 424,000 miles of aerial wire and cable stretched along 31,818 telephone poles; and four million miles of underground line, as well as 18 million duct feet of conduit, said Dick Brown, Southern Bell community relations director.
“That’s enough wire and cable to wrap around the world 180 times,” he said.
That first phone line here was installed in 1878 – only two years after Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.
Jacksonville businessman John G. Christopher of the firm of Wightman & Christopher quickly saw the advantages of the new invention. He contracted with B.D. DeForrest, assistant superintendent of the Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Co., and in 1880 Jacksonville’s first exchange was formed with 34 subscribers.
Today, over 275,000 customer lines are served in the Jacksonville area, Brown said.
During the early days of phone service in Jacksonville, some people viewed the instrument with reservations. For instance, in 1883, small pox broke out in the city and the question arose: Could infection travel through the phone lines?
A quarantine hospital was set up and, a June 3, 1883 newspaper reported, “The hospital has been connected with the telephone exchange and yesterday a Times-Union man mustered up courage enough to engage in a conversation with Dr. Babcock, of course at the safe distance of one and one-half miles and that after the Doctor had promised not to breath very hard while talking in the instrument”.
Apparently the doctor did not breath hard enough to spread the germs because both the reporter and the infant phone company survived that ordeal.
But the yellow fever epidemic of 1888 proved more serious.
Yellow fever depopulated Jacksonville; everyone who could fled, but of the people remaining in the city over 5,000 caught the disease and nearly 500 died. Telephone employees were no exception; all of them came down with the fever and several succumbed.
An October 17, 1888, letter from chief operator, Mrs. W.B. Owen, who was recovering form her own bout with yellow fever, captures the anguish of the day:
“Mamie Davis has been sick today and has not been to the office… I do not think that Mamie has any symptoms of the fever, but it is dangerous to get sick now…
“There is no doubt that if it had not been for her the exchange would have been closed, as at one time we were all down… She ran everything by herself. For sometime she had been alone… working form six in the morning to night and eating her dinner at the switchboard,,, It was very sad and lonely, her only company being the calls and most of them for doctors, undertakers and ambulances… I sincerely hope she is not going to have the fever”.
By 1890, the number of subscribers grew to 288. Business rates “within one-half mile radius of the exchange” cost $16 per quarter, while the residential rate was $12.50. On July 26, 1897, long distance service was established between Jacksonville and Savannah, Ga.
The telephone exchange caught fire on August 18, 1891. A new exchange was built at 212 West Forsyth Street. The great Jacksonville fire of 1901 leveled the city but missed the new exchange – although most telephone company records were destroyed.
Many surviving documents as well as displays of early equipment and historic photographs are exhibited at a company museum in the Southern Bell Tower. Tours can be arranged.
The same year as the Great Fire, another communications business, the Jacksonville Telephone Co., was established to compete with Southern Bell. Due to financial troubles it folded in three years.
By 1910, Southern Bell had 6,367 Jacksonville customers and people were constantly discovering new uses for their telephones:
“If anyone desires to select the right kind of wife,” said the February 12, 1912 issue of Life magazine, “One should never see the lady, but should first talk with applicants over the telephone.
“A woman’s voice is a certain indication of her character. Selfishness, sympathy, shallowness, cultivation, reserve strength, control and the capacity to bore – all these things and much more are revealed in a woman’s voice; therefore, make a list of girls… call them up on the telephone and select the voice you want. Never mind how she looks, she will always look well to you if you can listen to her with constantly increasing enjoyment”.
People are still discovering new uses for their telephones. The recently established Open Talk Service – with which people can join a round-table discussion on topics of current interest with up to a dozen other callers – draws 3,000 area callers each day.
An enhanced 911 service to enable callers to reach police, fire and emergency personnel is scheduled to be introduced in Duval, St. Johns and Clay counties next February. This service will not only simplify emergency calls for the caller, but also will immediately display the location of the calling phone and the location of the closest source of help to the dispatcher.
Brown foresees the day when customers will be able to bank or shop by telephone as well as have wide spread access to electronic mail and news services.
“The technology is available but at what point it will be ready for home use, who knows? It looks like we’re expecting to add 13,700 new lines – new businesses, new residences, new offices – during 1986. And we’re spending 63 and a half million dollars to expand and modernize telephone facilities to meet Jacksonville’s new growth,” Brown said.
“There is almost no limit to what technology can achieve through fiber optics and computer switching systems; there’s an exciting future ahead,” he said.
This article was published in the April 14, 1986, issue of the Jacksonville Business Journal.
Thank you for visiting www.cowart.info
I welcome your comments at John’s Blog!
You can E-mail me at [email protected]
Return to John’s Home Page
You can view my published works at
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1. Phosphoric acid is a clear, colorless, odorless liquid with a syrupy consistency.
2. Phosphoric acid is used as an acidifying agent to give colas their tangy flavor.
3. Due to the use of phosphoric acid, cola is a actually more acidic than lemon juice or vinegar! The vast amount of sugar acts to mask and balance the acidity.
4. Phosphoric acid also goes by E338, orthophosphoric acid, and phosphoric(V) acid.
5. Food-grade phosphoric acid is a mass-produced chemical, available cheaply and in large quantities.
6. Phosphoric acid is commonly used for rust removal.
7. Phosphorus-containing substances occur naturally (0.1%-0.5%) in foods such as milk, meat, poultry, fish, nuts, and egg yolks.
8. Phosphoric acid has been linked to lower bone density in some epidemiological studies, including a discussion in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
9. Other studies showed the opposite – that *low* intake of phosphorus leads to lower bone density. Guess who funded the studies? PepsiCo.
10. Aside from the risk of osteoporosis, cola consumption has also been linked to chronic kidney disease and kidney stones.
11. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a consumer watchdog group not affiliated with the food industry, only a small fraction of the phosphate in the American diet comes from additives in soft drinks. Most comes from meat and dairy products. Therefore, your reason for not drinking Coke should be its sugar content and artificial food colorings, not the phosphoric acid.
- Calvo MS, Tucker KL. Is phosphorus intake that exceeds dietary requirements a risk factor in bone health? Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2013 Oct;1301:29-35
- Tucker KL, Morita K, Qiao N, Hannan MT, Cupples LA, Kiel DP. Colas, but not other carbonated beverages, are associated with low bone mineral density in older women: The Framingham Osteoporosis Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Oct;84(4):936-42.
- Wyshak G. Teenaged girls, carbonated beverage consumption, and bone fractures. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2000 Jun;154(6):610-3.
- McGartland C, Robson PJ, Murray L, Cran G, Savage MJ, Watkins D, Rooney M, Boreham C. Carbonated soft drink consumption and bone mineral density in adolescence: the Northern Ireland Young Hearts project. J Bone Miner Res. 2003 Sep;18(9):1563-9.
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The History of Hydrogen Peroxide Propulsion
Hydrogen peroxide has been used in many applications for propulsion and power generation in the last 70 years.
Its first major use was by the German Luftwaffe during Word War II. In 1936 Helmuth Walters´ Walterwerke developed a 1000 kgf hydrogen peroxide propelled ATO (= Auxiliary Take Off) rocket engine for the Heinkel He 176. This first engine was a cold monopropellant rocket engine using injection of calciumpermanganate solution as a decomposition catalyst. 80% conc. H2O2 was used.
Shortly after this, the same company supplied the rocket engine to the Messerschmidt Me 163B Komet. This engine was a hot bipropellent rocket engine. 80% conc. H2O2 was used as the oxidizer. As the organic liquid fuel a mixture called "C-Stoff" was used. It contained hydrazine hydrate and methyl alcohol. C-Stoff was self-igniting (aka hypergolic), so no other decomposition catalyst was needed in this engine.
Probably the most well-known application of H2O2 during WW II was in the V2-rocket for the turbo-pump gas generator.
Hydrogen peroxide was used in several other applications by the Germans, like in submarines and torpedos, but the most frequently used device was a catapult operated on 80-85% H2O2 and calciumpermanganate solution. Several hundreds of these catapults were produced and each catapult was used many times.
Post WW II - 1980's
Many different peroxide propulsion projects were launched in UK, USA and in the Soviet Union after WWII.
The most successful development were probably the English Black Knight/Black Arrow projects. These were rocket engines produced by Rolls Royce. The concept was based on the bipropellant principle. 83-87% H2O2 was used as the oxidizer. In the early stages of the English projects the hydrogen peroxide was still produced in Germany! Later on the English company La Porte took over the production. The H2O2 was decomposed on a silver wire mesh catalyst and kerosene was used as the organic fuel.
The United State Air Force and the Marines used H2O2 propelled engines after WWII. The standard rocket grade H2O2 in the US had a concentration of 90%.
General Electric produced a Hybrid Rocket Engine. The H2O2 was decomposed on a silver mesh catalyst and the organic solid fuel was polyethylene.
When jet engines were developed after the war, the peroxide propulsion rocket engines in the field of jet aviation became obsolete.
In the field of space exploration, other fuels with a higher specific impulse replaced hydrogen peroxide. These new systems were much more complicated and expensive. They were in many cases also poisonous or cancerogenic or harmful to the environment. At that time in history, these things were less important than winning the cold war and the race to the moon!
The only military field in which peroxide propulsion survived the cold war was as torpedo engines.
Regular production of rocket grade hydrogen peroxide stopped in the US in the middle of the 1980's.
Even if the use in the military sector and in space declined, a couple of very interesting and fascinating uses were developed during this time period that are still in use, even if they are yet not wide spread:
* One is the Personal Rocket Belt, developed by Wendell Moore at Bell Aircraft Company. US Patent 3021095. One version of this back pack rocket was flying at the opening cermony of the Los Angeles Olympic Games 1984. This event has etched itslef into many peoples minds! For the general public it is by far the best known application of hydrogen peroxide rocket technology.
* The other application is the rotor tip rocket for helicopters, developed by Gilbert W Magill and others. US Patent 4473199.
These patents have expired at this time. If you want to read them, go here and punch in "US" and the patent number.
1990's - present
The good news are that hydrogen peroxide has seen a great deal of renewed interest in the 1990s. There are many reasons for this. Most important I believe is its minimal environmental impact, simplicity of handling and lower cost. Since 1998 there have been six (!) International Hydrogen Peroxide Propulsion Conferences. Civil scientists and organizations like ESA, NASA and Russian organizations cooperate openly and peacefully in the field.
This article was updated on November 30th, 2007
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What is Morris Dancing?
All of the dancing is done to live music, traditionally performed on instruments such as pipe and tabor (a small drum), button accordion, fiddle, etc. Modern Morris dancers have been seen accompanied by saxophone, baritone horn, guitar, bassoon, or whatever else is handy. The songs are mainly traditional in origin, and each dance goes with a particular tune. Since Morris is a living tradition, new dances are being written all the time, to traditional or new tunes.
Although the dances originated in England, there are now teams around the world. Large ales create the opportunity for many teams to dance and party together. There are well over 100 teams in America, as well as teams in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Canada. This world-wide network creates an unofficial travel club for dancers. Many teams travel to England and elsewhere, visiting and sharing dances, music, beer, and conviviality with their fellow and sister dancers.
The origins of the Morris are the subject of much speculation and little actual knowledge. There is written documentation dating from the sixteenth century, including references in Shakespeare, indicating that the dances were considered ancient at that time. These sources confirm that the dances were done by both men and women, and that they were a popular form of spectacle. They would seem to have gotten away somewhat from their pagan significance by this time, although these roots would be familiar to an audience which had been Christianized but hardly severed from superstition and the influence of ancient myth. Even the name Morris is a mystery. Some claim that it is a corruption of Moorish, indicating that the dances may have had their origins somewhere in Africa. Or it may simply refer to the dancers practice of blackening their faces with cork as a simple disguise (as in much ritual dance, the dancers were considered to be someone other than their usual selves while they were dancing). Or it may be derived from the Latin moris, meaning custom or tradition. Or maybe it has something to do with some guy named Maurice. We have no idea.
At any rate, the Morris was danced for hundreds of years, at least, passed down through the generations in the villages of rural England. Like many other rural traditions, it became endangered in the late nineteenth century due to the social upheavals brought on by the Industrial Revolution, mainly the depopulation of villages in favor of increased economic opportunity in the cities. Fortunately, there were those who were concerned enough about the potential loss of cultural heritage to go into the countryside and collect the songs and dances from the old villagers who still remembered them. Due to the efforts of Cecil Sharp, and organizations like the Country Dance and Song Society, many of the traditions were rescued from the edge of extinction. Revival sides were started in several villages, and the dances reintroduced to new generations. Sometimes the dances had to be reconstructed from less than clear notes, which has led to some divergence in practice. This may charitably be regarded as another anomaly of the folk tradition, which invariably results in the evolution of practice over time.
Types of Morris Dancing
When speaking of Morris dancing, the first thing that comes to mind is Cotswold Morris, which may be thought of as the regular kind. This is generally danced in groups (or sets) of six dancers, arranged in two rows of three. The dancers hold hankies in their hands, or perhaps sticks, either two short or one long one, and have bell-pads tied at their knees which make a loud and cheerful rhythm as they dance. Border Morris originated in the Border region (that is, close to the Welsh border), and is usually danced in sets of four or eight. Most of the dances involve sticks rather than hankies, and the costumes worn are slightly different than those for Cotswold, although they also include bells. The dances also tend to be a little wilder, although this may be a more recent development.
There are other kinds of English folkdance which are often seen in conjunction with Morris. Sword dancing is of later origin. Longsword tends to be rather slow and stately, involving repeated patterns danced by a group of six dancers linked by long wooden bars. Rapper sword developed in the area around Sheffield with the invention of spring steel. It is danced by groups of five or six dancers in a tight knot, and involves quick stepping and complex patterns woven by the swords of bendable steel which link the dancers. Northwest Morris is danced, usually but not always by women, in sets of eight. The dancers wear clogs rather than bells for rhythmic noisemakers, and carry beribboned sticks which they twirl and clash. As one might guess, this dancing originated in the northwest of England.
For more information, consult the books listed in the bibliography section of the Morris Dancing FAQs at URL: http://www.tomkeays.com/morris/faq/19. Good overview books include:
|Six Fools and a Dancer by Anthony Barrand, Northern Harmony Publ., 1991, ISBN 0-9627554-1-9|
|The Morris Book by Cecil Sharp and Herbert MacIlwaine, The Morris Ring, 1991, ISBN 0-95030203-5|
|A Handbook of Morris Dances (aka "The Black Book") by Lionel Bacon, The Morris Ring, 1974|
|The Welsh Border Dances of Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire by Dave Jones, Publ. by Dave Jones, 1988.|
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Do not give your child any product that contains aspirin. A child or teenager who has the symptoms of any viral disease, including chickenpox, should never be given aspirin, because the combination of aspirin and viral disease has been linked to the development of Reye's syndrome, a dangerous complication.
When to Call the Doctor about Chickenpox
If your child develops vaginal or rectal lesions, or bad sores in his mouth, call your physician.
If your child develops a fever consistently over 102°F, an earache, a very painful sore throat, a persistent cough, and/or increased difficulty breathing, seek your doctor's advice. It is possible for a child with chickenpox to develop such complications as an ear infection, strep throat, or pneumonia. If your child seems to be developing any of these conditions, seek medical attention.
The antihistamine diphenhydramine (found in Benadryl) or chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton) can help relieve the awful itching a child with chickenpox experiences. Benadryl is available in pill form as well as in a spray. The pill form is generally more effective at relieving the itching of chickenpox. An antihistamine can also help an uncomfortable child to fall asleep.
Viscous Xylocaine is a local anesthetic that can be used as a mouth rinse to decrease pain and itching in the mouth. This rinse numbs mucous membranes, making it more comfortable for a child with mouth sores to eat, drink, or brush his teeth. This is a prescription drug, and it must be used in small quantities because of its potential toxicity.
Burow's solution is a powder available over the counter at most drug stores. Mixed with water and applied as a soak, it is very effective at drying up weeping sores.
Calamine lotion can help to relieve itching and dry weeping sores.
Acyclovir (Zovirax) is a drug that has some effectiveness against the chickenpox virus. However, it is very expensive and shortens the course of the illness by only a few days. It is therefore used primarily in severe cases that occur in children with disorders that impair immune system function, such as leukemia.
Offer plenty of fluids so that your child stays well hydrated.
Prepare a simple, clean, whole-foods diet. Include easily digested foods high in vitamins and minerals, such as soups, well-cooked whole grains, and vegetables.
If your child has lost his appetite and is not eating well, try tempting him with diluted fruit juices, herbal teas, and soups. Frozen fruit-juice popsicles are usually well received.
For age-appropriate dosages of nutritional supplements, see
Dosage Guidelines for Herbs and Nutritional Supplements.
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2000 Jordan Institute
4, No. 2
Working with Adults with Mental Illness
While most parents with mental illness do not abuse their children, and while the parents of most abused children are not mentally ill (National Clearinghouse, 1994) child welfare workers often encounter adults with mental illness. Making the appropriate referrals is extremely important in such cases.
However, once you have assisted an adult with mental illness in reaching people who can address his or her needs, you will probably still be interacting with this person, perhaps very closely. You may be required to share some decision-making regarding his or her children.
The children who are your clients are part of a larger system that includes their close family members (Anderson & Carter, 1990). The mental illness of an adult in the household can have a powerful effect on children (Schlosberg & Kagan, 1977). You and your clients may face difficult situations that require you to interpret, understand, and react to an adult's actions when those actions may be confusing, or even frightening, due to the adult's illness.
It is therefore important to have some basic knowledge and skills regarding adult mental disorders. Mental illness is distinct from developmental disabilities, such as autism or mental retardation (DSM-IV, 1994). While these ailments are also risk factors for abuse (Cantwell, 1980; Frude, 1989), and may introduce new difficulties into your work, we will limit our discussion here to working with adults with mental illness.
Mental illnesses are extremely varied. Some can be quite serious and debilitating; others may be so mild as to go unnoticed, even by mental health professionals. Since your client is the child, you aren't there to treat the adult's illness. Attempting to do so would be inappropriate (Reamer, 1995; Hepworth & Larsen, 1997). However, increasing your knowledge can prepare you to work more effectively with adults who are mentally ill.
Learn about Mental Illness. Consider reading further about mental illness, especially any particular illness that affects the adults with whom you work. You can discuss these issues with mental health professionals, remembering to respect the confidentiality of the adult in question. Learning about mental illness can help you work with a mentally ill adult and avoid stigmatizing mental illness.
Avoid Stigmatizing Mental Illness. Adults with mental illness have long been the victims of severe social stigmas, based on the assumption was that they had a moral deficiency (Lin, 1995). Today, professionals recognize that most individuals with mental illness suffer from a biological imbalance of the chemicals in the brain; this is why many medications are effective in treating mental illness (Kramer, 1993). Other contributing factors to mental illness include medical conditions, stress, trauma, severe childhood abuse, prolonged substance abuse, exposure to toxins, and genetically inherited traits (DSM-IV, 1994; Rauch, Sarno, & Simpson, 1991).
Balance Flexibility with Firmness. You can expect that parents with mental illness will be difficult to work with sometimes. Depending on their particular condition, they may be unwilling to accept responsibility, unable to remember agreements, untrustworthy, difficult to understand, inconsistent with discipline, poor at keeping appointments, and unpredictable emotionally (Schlosberg & Kagan, 1977). They may generally demonstrate confusing behavior.
On the other hand, adults with mental illness, like everyone else, are responsible for their actions. Missed appointments, lying, and dangerous behavior cannot be accepted. Communication with your supervisoror with the appropriate mental health professionals on your agency's staffis the surest way to avoid problems (Shulman, 1995).
Good Supervision Is Critical. In dealing with adults with mental illness it is crucial that you receive consistent supervision from someone with the professional training and experience to assist you. This person will be able to help you make the distinction between appropriate flexibility with a mentally ill adult and inappropriate collusion with that adult. In other words, a certain amount of tolerance may be necessary to get your job done.
Confidentiality. Confidentiality may also become an issue with adults with mental illness. Keep in mind that only information essential to the treatment of your client and the safety of staff, clients, and other individuals need be shared with other professionals, and only people legally allowed to have such information should get it (Reamer, 1995; Hepworth & Larsen, 1997). Working with adults with mental illness may provide some interesting stories, but these individuals are entitled to privacy, and breaking confidentiality is a serious offense. Speak with your supervisor about any questions you may have about this.
Monitor Your Level of Involvement. It may be appropriate to offer some limited assistance to adults with mental illness in the family of your juvenile client. Letting the adult know about services in the community or handing the adult a bus schedule can be a very useful way of relieving family stress without taking on the role of "rescuer" (Schlosberg & Kagan, 1977). But the safety of the child(ren) is your primary concern, and becoming over-involved with the parents can be detrimental.
There is also the risk of forming an adversarial or confrontational relationship, and this, too, can be harmful to your work. Countertransference (emotional reactions on your part that affect your work) is a serious risk. It is easy to become frustrated or angry with an adult's inappropriate behavior. It is also understandable that you feel sympathy for people with mental illness and that you may want to help them (Lin, 1995). But allowing these reactions to interfere with your primary role would be unprofessional and detrimental to your work (Schlosberg & Kagan, 1977; Hepworth & Larsen, 1997).
Focus on Strengths. It would be quite easy to regard people with mental illnesses as crises waiting to happen and, focusing on their problems, to view their situations as hopeless. But rather than focusing on the problems, you will meet with more success and reduce stress and stigmatization if you seek to find the particular strengths of each individual, family, and system.
So, while a parent may have a severe mental illness, such as depression, that person may also be extremely intelligent. Or, while a parent may be suffering from substance abuse disorder, he or she may express great love for his or her children, and be willing to receive assistance with parenting skills.
No matter how severe the mental illness, there are always strengths to be built upon. Take the time to learn about your clients' families and their strengths; they will appreciate it, and everyone will benefit (Hepworth & Larsen, 1997).
Treat Everyone as a Person First. It is best to approach adults with mental illness in the same way you would relate to anyonewith respect, with appropriate boundaries, and with an understanding of that person's role in the life and care of your client. Therefore, discussing parenting strategies with a parent with mental illness, just as you would with another parent, is appropriate.
Granted, this may be more difficult due to the parent's illness. While many with mental illness are extremely intelligent and motivated, a severe mental illness can present communication barriers, and may hinder the parent's ability to implement parenting strategies. Yet each parent will have strengths that can serve as a starting point. The ability to read, or a sincere motivation to learn, can be the perfect starting point for a struggling parent.
Certain mental illnesses may make it difficult or impossible for a parent to care for children effectively and consistently (DSM-IV, 1994). A mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or clinical social worker, may recognize these situations; he or she may also be able to treat parents with therapy or drugs so that they are again able to function as a parent.
The training given to a child welfare worker may enable you to judge that a particular parent is being neglectful due to mental illness. However, when judging whether the parent with mental illness is capable of proper care, the same criteria should be used as with any other parentthat is, your careful, informed observation. Simply being mentally ill does not disqualify someone from being a parent. In fact, many adults with mental illness benefit from the structured approach to parenting offered by child welfare workers. In the end, people with mental illness are just humanno more, no less.
To learn more about working with adults with mental illness, see "Working with Adults with Mental Illness: Practice Tips".
Anderson, R. & Carter, I. (1990). Human behavior in the social environment: A social systems approach. New York: Aldine DeGruyter.
Cantwell, H. B. (1980). Child neglect. In C. H. Kempe & R. E. Helfer (Eds.), The Battered Child (pp. 183-197). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition. (1994). Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association.
Frude (1989). The physical abuse of children. In K. Howells & C. Hollin (Eds.), Clinical Approaches to Violence (pp. 155-181). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Hepworth, D. H. & Larsen, J. (1997). Direct social work practice: Theory and skills. Pacific Grove, California: Brookes Cole Publishing Company
Herring, R. (1992). Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Howard University, Washington D.C.
Kramer, P. (1993). Listening to Prozac. New York: Penguin Books.
Lin, A. M. (1995). Mental health overview. In R. Edwards (Ed.), The Encyclopedia of Social Work. Washington, D.C.: National Association of Social Workers.
Munro, J. (1985). Counseling severely dysfunctional families of mentally and physically disabled persons. Clinical Social Work Journal, 13(1), 18-31.
National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information. (1994). Child abuse and neglect fact sheet. Washington, D.C.: Author.
Polansky, N. A., Borgman, N. D., & DeSaix, C. (1972). Roots of utility. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Rauch, J., Sarno, C., & Simpson, S. (1991). Screening for affective disorders. Families in Society. 72(10), 602-609.
Reamer, F. (1995). Ethics and values (including the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics). In R. Edwards (Ed.), The Encyclopedia of Social Work. Washington, D.C.: National Association of Social Workers.
Schlosberg, S., & Kagan, R. (1977). Practice strategies for engaging chronic multiproblem families. Social Casework, 58, 29-35.
Shulman, L. (1995). Supervision and consultation. In R. Edwards (Ed.), The Encyclopedia of Social Work. Washington, D.C.: National Association of Social Workers.
© 1999 Jordan Institute for Families
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The Republic Day of India commemorates the date on which the Constitution of India came into force replacing the Government of India Act 1935 as the governing document of India on 26 January 1950. The 26th January was chosen to honor the memory of the declaration of independence of 1930. It is one of the three national holidays in India.
Although India obtained its independence on 15 August 1947, it did not yet have a permanent constitution; instead, its laws were based on the modified colonial Government of India Act 1935, and the country was a Dominion, with George VI as head of state and Earl Mountbatten as Governor General. On 28 August 1947, the Drafting Committee was appointed to draft a permanent constitution, with B R Ambedkar as chairman. While India's Independence Day celebrates its freedom from British Rule, the Republic Day celebrates the coming into force of its constitution.
This was the day when our rights and duties were brought to a concrete form. It holds a lot of value in every Indian’s heart and mind. The patriotic fervor of the people on this day brings the whole country together even in her essential diversity. Every part of the country is represented in occasion, which makes the Republic Day the most popular of all the national holidays of India.
To mark the importance of the occasion, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, New Delhi, from the Raisina Hill near the Rashtrapati Bhavan (President's Palace), along the Rajpath, past India Gate . Prior to its commencement, the Prime Minister lays a floral wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti, a solemn reminder of the sacrifice of the martyrs who died for the country in the freedom movement and the succeeding wars for the defence of sovereignty of their country . Thereafter he reaches the main dais at Rajpath to join other dignitaries, subsequently the President arrives along with the chief guest of the occasion. First he unfurls the National flag, as the National Anthem is played, and a 21-gun salute is given. Next, important awards like the Ashok Chakra and Kirti Chakra are given away by the President, before the regiments of Armed Forces start their march past.
The parade is followed by a pageant of spectacular displays from the different states of the country. These moving exhibits depict scenes of activities of people in those states and the music and songs of that particular state accompany each display. Each display brings out the diversity and richness of the culture of India and the whole show lends a festive air to the occasion. The parade and the ensuing pageantry is telecast by the National Television and is watched by millions of viewers in every corner of the country.
Celebrations are also held in state capitals, where the Governor of the state unfurls the national flag. If the Governor of the state is unwell, or is unavailable for some reason, the Chief Minister of the state assumes the honor of unfurling the National Flag of India. On this day India became a totally republican unit. The country finally realized the dream of Mahatma Gandhi and the numerous freedom fighters who, fought for and sacrificed their lives for the Independence of their country. So, the 26th of January was decreed a national holiday and has been recognized and celebrated as the Republic Day of India, ever since.
Republic day parade in New Delhi begins from the Raisina Hills near Rashtrapati Bhavan (President’s Palace) through Rajpath, past India Gate and concludes in Red Fort. It includes vibrant parades, floats and ends with fly past from the Airforce Jets. The official conclusion of the festivities occur on Jan 29 following the beating the retreat...Click here to read more
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News & Announcements
Temple-Penn Researchers Identify Calcium “Accelerator,” A Crucial Piece to Keep Cell Power Supply Ticking.
A team of scientists from Temple University School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania has moved another step closer to solving a decades-long mystery of how the all-important flow of calcium into the cell's power source, the mitochondria, is controlled.
By painstakingly shutting down the activity of 50 genes, one at a time, they have identified a protein, MCUR1, which hugs the inside of the mitochondrial membrane and is part of an elaborate mitochondrial channel pore system. MCUR1 acts as an accelerator to help regulate calcium coming into the mitochondria from the cell’s large reservoir.
The results, appearing November 25, 2012 in an advance online issue of the journal Nature Cell Biology, may also point to new treatment opportunities. Understanding how to manipulate MCUR1 may help in the development of treatments for disease conditions involving excessive calcium in the cell, such as cardiovascular disease and stroke.
"Calcium is a key to regulate many fundamental processes in cells," said co-senior author Muniswamy Madesh, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at Temple University School of Medicine and a member of Temple's Center for Translational Medicine. "Excessive calcium in the cell's mitochondria could lead to heart and neuronal mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death. This pathway could be contributing to disease conditions during ischemia/reperfusion injury and stroke, and this discovery opens up possible therapeutic interventions."
Maintaining calcium at an appropriate level is crucial for cells to work properly, and especially important in the mitochondria. Cells rely on mitochondria to generate usable energy in the form of the chemical ATP, which is necessary to carry out normal cellular and metabolic activities. ATP production in turn depends on calcium – more specifically, charged calcium ions – that can enter into the mitochondria from the cell's vast supply in the cytoplasm. Dr. Madesh, co-senior author Kevin Foskett, PhD, at the University of Pennsylvania, and their co-investigators recently described the role of a gatekeeper protein in maintaining a calcium "set point" under normal resting conditions in the mitochondria. But a long unanswered question remained: the details of how calcium entry into the mitochondria is controlled.
How MCUR1 Dictates Calcium Load
In the current study, Drs. Madesh and Foskett and their co-workers may have come closer to solving this puzzle. Dr. Madesh and his group sought to identify the genes involved in the flow of calcium into the mitochondria. They developed a way to use a technology called targeted RNA interference (RNAi) to screen 50 mitochondrial proteins, systematically testing whether eliminating the function of each of these genes individually altered the movement of calcium into the mitochondria. They found a mitochondrial inner membrane protein – MCUR1 – that regulates a calcium channel pore during active calcium uptake.
MCUR1 is part of a calcium channel pore called the uniporter, the existence of which has been known for some five decades. Recent studies identified two important pieces of the pore – a subunit protein, MCU, and the gatekeeper protein, MICU1, to maintain calcium levels at a resting, set point. The researchers found that MCUR1 interacts with MCU to accelerate the movement of calcium into mitochondria when the cell's calcium level rapidly rises.
"MCUR1 is an essential third component of the uniporter complex," Dr. Madesh said. "In the absence of MCUR1, mitochondrial calcium uptake is markedly reduced, with adverse cellular consequences, including compromised cellular bioenergetics."
Without this accelerator, the mitochondria channel pore alone cannot take up calcium. When MCUR1 is physically attached to the pore, it is functional, and when it is not attached, it is much less active. "The regulator is always on, and its activity level increases when the extra-mitochondrial calcium levels increase. When there is a high calcium level, say during a disease state, the MCUR1 senses this and facilitates the channel activity, dumping calcium inside," Dr. Madesh explained.
Calcium Control as a Targeted Therapeutic
Dr. Madesh explained that in some disease conditions – such as ischemic reperfusion injury (tissue damage that occurs when blood returns to tissue after a period without oxygen), stroke involving brain injury from ischemia, and myocardial infarction – calcium floods into the mitochondria. "The mitochondria have a massive membrane potential and grab external calcium. The mitochondria then are overloaded and rupture, leading to cell death and possible organ injury."
Because some diseases are characterized by an overabundance of calcium in the mitochondria, a possible therapy could involve slowing down the amount of calcium coming into the mitochondria. "We want to control the calcium entering the mitochondria," he said.
"Further studies already underway should reveal the precise molecular mechanisms by which MCUR1 accelerates the channel pore MCU, providing insights into mitochondrial bioenergetics," said first author Karthik Mallilankaraman, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry and the Center for Translational Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine.
Other investigators contributing to the work include Patrick Doonan, Harish C. Chandramoorthy, Krishna M. Irrinki, and Priyanka Madireddi, Temple University, Cesar Cardenas, Jun Yang, Marioly Muller, Russell Miller, Jill E. Kolesar, Brett Kaufman, University of Pennsylvania, Tunde Golenar, Gyorgy Csordas, Gyorgy Hajnoczky, Thomas Jefferson University, and Jordi Molgo, Institute de Neurobiologie Alfred Fessard, Laboratoire de Neurobiolgie Cellulaire et Moleculaire, France.
The research was supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health grants R01 HL086699, HL086699-01A2S1, 1S10RR027327-01, GM56328 and the American Heart Association.
Date Published: Sunday, November 25, 2012
back | view all news
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Methuselah, the longest-lived human being of all time, died at the age of 969 years on the 11th of Cheshvan of the year 1656 from creation (2105 BCE) -- exactly seven days before the beginning of the Great Flood. Methuselah was Adam's great-great-great-great-great-grandson and Noah's grandfather.
The matriarch Rachel died in childbirth on the 11th of Cheshvan of the year 2208 from creation (1553 BCE) while giving birth to her second son, Benjamin.
Rachel was born in Aram (Mesopotamia) approximately 1585 BCE. Her father was
Laban, the brother of Jacob's mother,
Rebecca. Jacob came to Laban's home in 1576 BCE, fleeing the wrath of his
brother Esau. He fell in love with Rachel and worked for seven years tending Laban's sheep in return for her hand in marriage. But Laban deceived his nephew, and on the morning after the wedding Jacob discovered that he had married Rachel's elder sister, Leah. Laban agreed to give him Rachel as a wife as well in return for another seven years' labor.
Rachel was childless for many years, while her elder sister and rival gave birth to six sons and a daughter in succession. Finally, in 1562 BCE, she gave birth to Joseph. Nine years later, while Jacob and his family were on the road to Jacob's ancestral home in Hebron (after a 22-year absence), she gave birth to a second son, but died in childbirth. Jacob buried her by the roadside, in Bethlehem; there, "Rachel weeps over her children, for they are gone [in exile]" (Jeremiah 31:14). Her tomb has served as a place of prayer for Jews for more than 35 centuries.
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| 0.983846 | 381 | 3.09375 | 3 |
A command line argument (or parameter) is any value passed into a batch script:
C:> MyScript.cmd January 1234 "Some value"
Arguments can also be passed to a subroutine with CALL:
CALL :my_sub 2468
You can get the value of any argument using a % followed by it's numerical position on the command line. The first item passed is always %1 the second item is always %2 and so on
%* in a batch script refers to all the arguments (e.g. %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 ...%255)
only arguments %1 to %9 can be referenced by number.
When an argument is used to supply a filename then the following extended syntax can be applied:
we are using the variable %1 (but this works for any parameter)
%~f1 Expand %1 to a Fully qualified path name - C:\utils\MyFile.txt
%~d1 Expand %1 to a Drive letter only - C:
%~p1 Expand %1 to a Path only e.g. \utils\ this includes a trailing \ which will be interpreted as an escape character by some commands.
%~n1 Expand %1 to a file Name without file extension C:\utils\MyFile or if only a path is present (with no trailing backslash\) - the last folder in that path.
%~x1 Expand %1 to a file eXtension only - .txt
%~s1 Change the meaning of f, n, s and x to reference the Short 8.3 name (if it exists.)
%~1 Expand %1 removing any surrounding quotes (")
%~a1 Display the file attributes of %1
%~t1 Display the date/time of %1
%~z1 Display the file size of %1
%~$PATH:1 Search the PATH environment variable and expand %1 to the fully qualified name of the first match found.
The modifiers above can be combined:
%~dp1 Expand %1 to a drive letter and path only
%~sp1 Expand %1 to a path shortened to 8.3 characters
%~nx2 Expand %2 to a file name and extension only
These parameter/ argument variables are always denoted with a single leading %
This is unlike regular variables which have both leading and trailing %'s such as %variable%, or FOR command variables which use a single leading % on the command line or a double leading %% when used in a batch file.
if a filename with no drive letter/path is expanded to display a drive letter/path the command shell will assume; often incorrectly; that the file resides in the current directory.
When writing batch scripts it's a good idea to store the values in a variable SET _LogFile=%~dp1, the rest of the script can then refer to the easy-to-read variable name %_LogFile% This will also make life easier if you later need to change around the order of the parameters.
Tokenization of the command line arguments is not always done by the cmd.exe shell. Most often the tokenization is done by the newly formed processes' runtime, at the OS level, Windows passes a command line untokenized as a single string to the new process. You can read more about the low-level details of the batch language/cmd escaping from the excellent answers by jeb and dbenham on this StackOverflow question.
In addition to passing numeric or string values on the command line, it is also possible to pass a variable name and then use the variable to transfer data between scripts or subroutines. Passing by reference is a slightly more advanced technique but can be particularly useful when the string contains characters that are CMD delimiters or quotes.
You can get the pathname of the batch script itself with %0, parameter extensions can be applied to this so %~dp0 will return the Drive and Path to the batch script e.g. W:\scripts\ and %~f0 will return the full pathname W:\scripts\mybatch.cmd
You can refer to other files in the same folder as the batch script by using this syntax:CALL %0\..\SecondBatch.cmd
This can even be used in a subroutine, Echo %0 will give the call label but, echo "%~nx0" will give you the filename of the batch script.
When the %0 variable is expanded, the result is enclosed in quotation marks.
FOR's %%~aI recognizes 9 NTFS file attributes. The expansion of a file attribute produces a series of 9 dashes, with each recognized attribute replacing a dash with a letter. A file with no recognized attributes or with none set will expand to 9 dashes like this: ---------Attribute Expansion FILE_ATTRIBUTE_DIRECTORY d-------- FILE_ATTRIBUTE_READONLY -r------- FILE_ATTRIBUTE_ARCHIVE --a------ FILE_ATTRIBUTE_HIDDEN ---h----- FILE_ATTRIBUTE_SYSTEM ----s---- FILE_ATTRIBUTE_COMPRESSED -----c--- FILE_ATTRIBUTE_OFFLINE ------o-- FILE_ATTRIBUTE_TEMPORARY -------t- FILE_ATTRIBUTE_REPARSE_POINT --------l FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL ---------
Other NTFS attributes not recognised by %%~aI can be read using FSUTIL usn command:
Example: Expansion of a file with the Hidden and System attributes:
The maximum length of any command line (or variable) within CMD is 8191 characters.
In mathematical terms a parameter is "a numerical or other measurable factor" so typically a number.
In programming terminology:
A parameter represents a value that the procedure expects you to pass when you call it.
An argument represents the actual value that you pass to a procedure.
In practice the phrases argument and parameter tend to be used interchangeably, CMD batch files do not perform any type checking.
The FOR command creates parameter variables which are identified with a letter rather than a number (e.g. %%G).
The Parameter Expansions described above can also be applied to these.
To avoid confusion between the two sets of letters, avoid using the letters (a, d, f, n, p, s, t, x, z) as FOR parameters or just choose a FOR parameter letter that is UPPER case.
So for example in a reference like %%~fG the %%G is the FOR parameter, and the ~f is the Parameter Expansion.
Pass parameters from one batch to another:
MyBatch.cmd SMITH 100
Or as part of a CALL :
CALL MyBatch.cmd SMITH 100
Get the file size of C:\demo\sample.xlsx using the %~z parameter extension:
@Echo off For %%G in ("C:\demo\sample.xlsx") do set _var=%%~zG Echo File size is %_var%
Passing values from one part of a script to another:
:: Using CALL to jump to a subroutine CALL :s_staff SMITH 100 :: Calling a subroutine from a FOR command FOR /F %%G IN ('DIR /b *.*') DO call :s_subroutine %%G
“A gift is pure when it is given from the heart to the right person at the right time and at the right place, and when we expect nothing in return” ~ The Bhagavad Gita
Bug when using ~s to display short file/folder names
CALL - Call one batch program from another.
CMD - Start a new DOS shell (cmd.exe)
IF - Test that required inputs are in place (not NULL)
FOR - Conditionally perform a command several times.
SETLOCAL - Control the visibility of environment variables
SHIFT - Shift the position of replaceable parameters in a batch file.
StackOverflow - How does the Windows Command Interpreter (CMD.EXE) parse scripts?
Equivalent bash command (Linux): dirname - Convert a full pathname to just a path.
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When you generate your own power from a solar energy system or other renewable technology, your home or business’ onsite electrical load will be served first and any electricity you don’t consume will be exported to the grid. Most of the time, customers use the power from their solar or renewable systems, but may still draw power from the grid. Sometimes, particularly during the day, the system may generate more energy than the home or business requires, and the surplus power is exported to the grid.
PG&E only has a single meter that is connected to the home and the only information that is recorded is net usage—either the amount of energy that is flowing to the house (a positive number), or the amount of energy that is flowing to the grid (a negative number). Some customers may measure the production from the solar or other renewable system using a separate meter attached directly to the system.
Learn more about Net Energy Metering and Billing >>
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Does Disease Cause Autocracy?
October 11, 2011
In attempting to explain those factors which lead to the rise or fall of liberalism, democracy and wealth, several scientists believe they have identified a new culprit: disease. The eradication of proliferating diseases correlates strongly with the rise of democratic institutions and liberal social norms such as individualism, gender egalitarianism and property rights. Such a relationship may seem distant, but new research offer several explanations, says Ronald Bailey, Reason Magazine's science correspondent.
Firstly, disease keeps the poor, poor.
- Heavy disease burdens create persistent poverty traps from which poor people cannot extricate themselves.
- High disease rates lower their economic productivity so they can't afford to improve sanitation and medical care, which in turn leaves them vulnerable to more disease and further reduces their ability to prosper economically.
Secondly, a high prevalence of disease encourages intolerance and localism.
- In the same way that the human immune system adapts to fight pathogens, groups of people evolve customs that reduce the transmission of diseases.
- This usually includes a degree of xenophobia, whereby members of isolated groups avoid contacts with "out-group" members who may have parasites to which the group is neither accustomed nor resistant.
- This limits the flow of people and ideas, diminishing social tolerance and eating away at the foundation of liberal thinking.
This natural defensiveness toward out-groups, developed by survival instincts, also explains the lack of power sharing in these nations. Elites, who because of their wealth have not been so heavily exposed to disease and parasites, limit interaction with the poor for this very reason, decreasing the potential for top-down reform. Simultaneously, bottom-up reform is undercut by the inability of the poor to organize because of the aforementioned xenophobia. Thus, the lack of unity amongst the lower class opens these societies to autocratic rule.
Should these hypotheses prove true, the implications for foreign aid to poor nations are that efforts should prioritize disease eradication over the myriad of other issues. It remains to be seen, however, if the very ethnocentrism and xenophobia predicted by these studies will also hinder efforts by outsiders to break the vicious cycle.
Source: Ronald Bailey, "Does Disease Cause Autocracy?" Reason Magazine, October 2011.
Browse more articles on Government Issues
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This tutorial will show you how to create motion tweening text. You will also learn:
1. How to break apart the text,
2. How to convert every letter into a Graphic Symbol,
3. How to place every letter in separate layer,
4. How to enlarge every letter using the Free Transform Tool (Q),
5. How to apply on it Alpha effect and more.Example:
Click on text toll(A) icon, set font, color, size and other characteristics of text tool in Properties Pannel. After that click on stage and write some kind of a text, like "Tutorials".
It's time to split the text. It is done by marking text with a mouse or by shortcut (Ctrl+A) and pressing (Ctrl+B) one time.
Now you have each letter for itself.Step 3
Now deselect text by pressing Esc on the keyboard.Step 4
Select just the T letter using selection tool (V) and clickin on the letter "T".Step 5
After you have selected "T", press F8, and under Behavior choose Graphic, name whatever you like and press ok.Step 6
Repeat step 5 for all of the letters.Step 7
If you open the Library (Ctrl+L or F11), you'll se that all of the letters have been turned into graphic symbols.Step 8
Select all of the letters by pressing (Ctrl+A) and clicking on Modify - Timeline - Distribute to layers, or press (Ctrl + Shift + D).
Now you have separate layer for each letter in Timeline.
Look at the picture bellow.Step 9
Click on the layer tutorials and delete it becouse it is now useless.Step 10
Choose first frame of the letter "U" and pull it on to the frame three.
Pay attention to the picture under the text.Step 11
Click on the first frame of the letter "T" and pull it in the same manner on the frame six.
Repeat this for other letters and pull each further for three frames.
(frame of the letter o on frame nine, frame of r on frame twelve...)
Pay attention to the picture under the text.Step 12
Click on the first frame of the letter "T" and then click on frame twenty of the same layer and press F6.Step 13
Click on third frame of letter "u", and after that click on frame twenty three and press F6
Repeat for each letter.Step 14
Click on the last frame of the last letter, in my example that's letter "s".
Select vertically all of the other frames of other letters in the level with letter "s" and press F5.
Look at the picture bellow.Step 15
Click on the first frame of the letter "T" and then click once on letter "T" to select it.
Choose Free Transform Tool (Q) and inlarge it, while you doing this, you must hold down shift key!Step 16
After you have done that, select letter "T" and in Properties Pannel (Ctrl+F3) under color choose alpha and set it to 0 %.Step 17
Repeat step 16 for each letter, but not to do so much work, there's an quicker way.
Open History Pannel (Ctrl+F10), or click on windows - other pannels - History.Step 18
Choose icons alpha and instances alpha, then click on preformances icon.Step 19
Under preformances icon choose save as command, write a command name, like (motion_twenning text_alpha0) and press ok.Step 20
Close History pannel.
If you choose Commands icon you'll see the command name that you have saved.Step 21
Choose first frame of the u letter, select the letter "u" and then click on the icon Commnads and choose name that you have saved in a History Pannel. After you have done that that Flash will iautomatically inlarge letter "u" as it did the letter "T".
You practically glued the effect, size and alpha of the first letter on the second and saved you a lot of time.
Do this for all of the other letters.Step 22
Click on the first frame of the letter "T" and in Properties Pannel(Ctrl+F3), under Tween, choose motion and set the Ease option to –100. Step 23
Repeat step 23 for all of the other letters.
We're done! Download example
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<urn:uuid:0c741acd-8eb8-4738-ab5c-db3574e92582>
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://www.toxiclab.org/tutorial.asp?ID=39
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en
| 0.828057 | 943 | 3.265625 | 3 |
Neuroscience: First detailed map of the Grand Central Station of the brain
In "First Detailed Map of the Human Cortex" in MIT's Technology Review, Emily Singer notes,
"A new imaging technique reveals previously hidden brain structures, including the central hub" and explains,
The first high-resolution map of the human cortical network reveals that the brain has its own version of Grand Central Station, a central hub that is structurally connected to many other parts of the brain. Scientists generated the map using a new type of brain imaging known as diffusion imaging. The technique maps the largely inaccessible tangle of the brain's white matter--the long, thin fibers that ferry nerve signals between cells.and we also learn,
Conventional imaging techniques, such as structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), reveal major anatomical features of the brain. But in humans, the brain's finer architecture--the neural projections that connect its different parts--has, until recently, remained hidden. "The brain we've been looking at with conventional MRI or CT scans all these years is not the real brain," says Van Wedeen, a neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston, who was also involved in the study. "We're just seeing a shadow of its surfaces."The notion of the "real" brain vs. "a shadow of its surfaces" is an intriguing one. My guess is, we will never find the "real" brain for the same reasons as we never find the "real" Grand Central Station or the real Canada. There is a physical reality that corresponds to Grand Central Station and one that corresponds to Canada. But usually, what we find is a series of overlapping material and immaterial things whose "reality" can only be understood as a series of generalities - the reality is not any one of the generalities nor even all of them together, nor only in specific things we can point to.
I suspect that it will always be much easier to find the answers to specific questions about the brain than to find - and take in - the"real" brain.
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://mindfulhack.blogspot.com/2008/07/neuroscience-first-detailed-map-of.html
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en
| 0.940787 | 420 | 3.21875 | 3 |
The Four Stages of Learning
The learning process has often become more difficult than necessary because of the bad feelings people get when they make mistakes in learning. The bad feelings come from judgments like, "not doing it right," "not good enough," "can never learn this," etc.
Ironically, not doing it right and making mistakes are vital steps in the learning process. Yet too often our attention goes to trying to avoid the bad feelings, rather than to the learning at hand. Understanding the four stages of learning a skill can help keep the learning process focused on learning to do something, and not feeling bad about ourselves for not already knowing how. Here are the four stages of learning as uncovered by Abraham Maslow:
1. Unconscious Incompetence
"I don't know that I don't know how to do this." This is the stage of blissful ignorance before learning begins.
2. Conscious Incompetence
"I know that I don't know how to do this, yet." This is the most difficult stage, where learning begins, and where the most judgments against self are formed. This is also the stage that most people give up.
3. Conscious Competence
"I know that I know how to do this." This stage of learning is much easier than the second stage, but it is still a bit uncomfortable and self-conscious.
4. Unconscious Competence
"What, you say I did something well?" The final stage of learning a skill is when it has become a natural part of us; we don't have to think about it.
Using the example of learning to drive a car, as a child I first thought that all I needed to do was sit behind the wheel and steer and use the pedals. This was the happy stage of unconscious incompetence.
When I began learning to drive, I realized there was a whole lot more to it, and I became a little daunted. This was the stage of conscious incompetence. There were so many different things to do and think about, literally hundreds of new behaviors to learn.
In this stage I made lots of mistakes, along with judgments against myself for not already knowing how to do it. Judgment release can be very helpful here in the second stage because mistakes are integral to the learning process. They're necessary because learning is essentially experimental and experience-based, trial and error. Information can be accumulated, but until it is practiced and used, it's only information. It's not learning, and certainly not a skill.
As I practiced, I moved into the third stage of learning, conscious competence. This felt a lot better, but still I wasn't very smooth or fluid in my driving. I often had to think about what to do next, and that felt awkward and uncomfortable.
Finally, after enough practice, I got to the place where I didn't have to think about every little thing I was doing while driving. I thought about my driving only when something alerted me to it. I became unconsciously competent. Because of the ease and grace in unconscious competence, my driving became much safer.
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://processcoaching.com/fourstages.html
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en
| 0.987472 | 631 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Q: I rescued a box turtle for my grandchild. The turtle is in a container. It has laid two eggs and we’re not sure what to do or how to care for the eggs. Would the eggs normally been laid in the ground or are they laid above ground? Do they lay eggs even if they are not fertile?
A: It’s best, of course, to let wild animals stay in the wild but this website tells general care instructions:
This link from The Georgia Museum of Natural History should tell you everything else you want to know.
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http://www.walterreeves.com/gardening-q-and-a/box-turtle-care/
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en
| 0.952992 | 117 | 2.65625 | 3 |
October 02 2008 / by Garry Golden / In association with Future Blogger.net
Category: Energy Year: 2013 Rating: 4
How might storing electricity in the form of solid hydrogen change the future landscape of energy? We believe it could change the performance of mobile power, lower the cost of renewable energy production, and change the nature of refueling your car by ‘swapping out’ boxes of fuel.
Hydrogen & Electricity = ‘Hydricity’
Electricity powers the future. Look beyond the transportation sector of liquid fuels, and most devices and machines run on electrons. Today, we understand the important role of electricity in our world, and tomorrow we might understand its sister companion – hydrogen.
Hydrogen might be the most misunderstood and misrepresented piece of the future energy landscape. Devotees often overstate it as the savior of Planet Earth, and staunch critics underestimate its short term challenges for longer term potential in energy systems and materials science.
A ‘Hydrogen economy’ is an economy driven by electricity. The hydrogen is merely a way of storing electron power via chemical bonds of hydrogen. So hydrogen and electricity are one in the same thing. Ballard Power Founder Geoffrey Ballad has coined the phrase ‘hydricity’ to help people understand the balance of these electrons carriers.
Fuel cells capture energy released when coated membranes strip apart those hydrogen-hydrogen bonds and merge it with oxygen to get water. This is a much more efficient (and cleaner) process when compared to blowing up carbon-hydrogen bonds via combustion. But it is also harder and more expensive (at least today!).
Advances in Hydrogen Storage
The two challenges for hydrogen are production and storage. For now we’ll focus on an emerging platform for high density, low cost and safe storage systems based on ‘solid’ hydrogen.
News from Argonne National Laboratory on ‘crystal sponges’
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http://www.futureofgadgets.com/futureblogger/tag/solid
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en
| 0.91728 | 396 | 3.109375 | 3 |
U.S. Army in the Cold War
CMH Pub 45-1, Cloth; CMH Pub 45-1-1, Paper
2005; 483 pages, illustrations, charts, maps, index
Building for Peace traces the U.S. Army's engineering construction activities in Europe, beginning immediately after World War II in 1945 and ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. In their fine organizational account that details the twists and turns of the Cold War's history, Robert P. Grathwol and Donita M. Moorhus describe the often less glamorous but nonetheless critical missions of conscientious Army engineers-military officers, civilians, and local-national employees and contractors-who worked tirelessly to prepare the physical infrastructure in Europe, the battleground of what was perceived as the next Armageddon. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers played a central role in building and maintaining the infrastructure in support of the U.S. and NATO forces that stood on the front lines of the Cold War. Grathwol's and Moorhus's study, covering almost a half-century of military construction in Europe that cost more than $5 billion, serves to record not only the achievements of Army engineers but also their contribution to the legacy of the peaceful triumph of democracy. This story is worth reading and remembering.
* View this publication online.
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://history.army.mil/catalog/pubs/45/45-1.html
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en
| 0.937834 | 273 | 2.796875 | 3 |
NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partner university faculty. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Treating scar tissue on the lungs
What is the best way to treat scar tissue on the lung? What is it starts growing?
There are many conditions that can cause scar in the lung. Most scars in the lung arise from previous injury or infection and no treatment is necessary. When the scar tissue is due to interstitial lung disease, treatment is directed toward the underlying interstitial disease. However, no matter what the cause, once scar develops in the lung, there is no way to make it go away and so our treatment (in interstitial lung disease) is really to prevent new scar from forming.
James N Allen, Jr, MD
Clinical Professor of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine
College of Medicine
The Ohio State University
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http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/68626.htm
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en
| 0.943494 | 198 | 2.53125 | 3 |
A user installed application (UIA) is one that is installed on a computer by an end user, instead of by a corporate IT department.
Applications provisioned by IT are typically tested to ensure compatibility and stability, but a user installed application can cause problems for other applications or for the entire operating system. In a traditional environment, this is less of a problem because it will only affect one user. With the advent of desktop virtualization, however, user-installed applications can be a threat to an entire environment.
There are two major approaches to dealing with user installed applications:
- Lock down computers and make it impossible for users to install applications. If there is a legitimate business need for an application, a user can request that their IT department provide it. IT can then test and decide how to provision an application.
- Implement a solution that allows users to safely install applications. An IT department can give their users a second, unmanaged virtual machine, or provide a user environment virtualization solution. User environment virtualization products can redirect user-installed application reads and writes to a safe alternate location in a profile, leaving the core OS image untouched in a method similar to some types of application virtualization. These solutions, however, cannot always accommodate all applications.
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://searchvirtualdesktop.techtarget.com/definition/user-installed-applications
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en
| 0.938966 | 255 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Hosts: Preferred hosts include oak, apple, birch, boxelder, hawthorn, linden, poplar, sweet gum, and willow
Evidence: The distinctive felt-like, tan egg masses may be seen on bark, branches, and in other sheltered locations throughout the winter. In early May, shot hole damage to leaves by young larvae is apparent. Large larvae, which are hairy and gray with five pairs of blue dots and six pairs of red dots, consume all but the larger veins and midvein (a,b). They tend to feed at night, and gather in protected areas during the day. They may even gather in nests of the eastern tent caterpillar.
Life Cycle: There is one generation per year, with winter spent in the egg stage. Eggs hatch at the time that shadbush (serviceberry) begins to bloom, and larvae feed until July. Pupation takes place in sheltered locations on tree trunks or branches, or under other objects such as rocks and picnic tables. Adults emerge about 2 weeks later to mate and lay eggs. Although the heavier white females (c) do not fly, the smaller brown males are very active fliers and often become a nuisance in infested areas.
Management: Gypsy moth outbreaks occur periodically. Egg mass counts can be used to predict spring infestation levels, with 10 or more masses per tree indicating that severe defoliation may follow. As egg masses remain somewhat intact for several years, be sure that the count includes only viable eggs. Viable eggs should be firm to the touch and "pop" when crushed. Should you desire to provide relief by scraping off egg masses, be sure to scrape them into a container so that they can be destroyed, not onto the ground where they may still hatch. Bacillus thuringiensis applied to very young larvae in May can provide good control. Residual insecticides are necessary if applications are made after mid- to late-May. Although barrier bands can afford some protection to individual ornamental trees, they should be used with great caution. Any materials applied directly to the bark may be toxic to thin-barked trees. Diseases and starvation become important control agents when populations are high.
Figure a: E. Bradford Walker, Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, Waterbury, VT
Figure b: E. Bradford Walker, Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, Waterbury, VT
Figure c: Ronald S. Kelley, Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, Morrisville, VT
Drooz, A.T. 1985. Insects of Eastern Forests. USDA Forest Service Miscellaneous Publication 1426. p 229-233;
Johnson, W.T. and Lyon, H.H. 1991. Insects That Feed on Trees and Shrubs. 2nd edition. Cornell University Press. p 138-141;
Martineau, R. 1984. Insects Harmful to Forest Trees. Agriculture Canada Government Publishing Centre, Supply and Services, Ottawa. p 112-114;
Rose, A.H. and Lindquist, O.H. 1997. Insects of Eastern Hardwood Trees. Canadian Forest Service Publication, Forestry Technical Report 29. p 141 and 144-145.
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<urn:uuid:a458bd27-3743-40b9-9c07-9806bc605181>
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://www.forestpests.org/vermont/gypsymoth.html
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en
| 0.922427 | 669 | 2.984375 | 3 |
A 400-year old cottage was discovered by a construction crew near Pendle Hill (in northern England) that is believed to have been the home of one of the Pendle Witches. The eleven women known as the Pendle Witches were found guilty of murdering ten people with witchraft in 1612, and all but one were hanged for their supposed crimes.
Archaeologists believe this cottage has ties to witchcraft because they found the remains of a cat set inside a brick in the wall. From BBC News:
It is believed the cat was buried alive to protect the cottage's inhabitants from evil spirits...
Simon Entwistle, an expert on the Pendle witches, said: "In terms of significance, it's like discovering Tutankhamen's tomb.
"We are just a few months away from the 400th anniversary of the Pendle witch trials, and here we have an incredibly rare find, right in the heart of witching country. This could well be the famous Malkin Tower - which has been a source of speculation and rumor for centuries.
"Cats feature prominently in folklore about witches. Whoever consigned this cat to such a horrible fate was clearly seeking protection from evil spirits."
It will be interesting to see what develops in this case, perhaps the witches will be found innocent four centuries later.
Link --via BoingBoing
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<urn:uuid:04ba6c46-4513-4d5c-a259-6c67a7ea2af5>
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://www.neatorama.com/2011/12/09/pendle-witch-cottage-discovered-in-lancanshire/
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en
| 0.971698 | 276 | 2.875 | 3 |
PREMIUM LEGAL RESOURCES
ASK A LAWYER
BUYING OF TITLES
The purchase of the rights of a person to a piece of land when the seller is deceased.
When a deed is made by one who, though having a legal right to land, is at the time of the conveyance disseised, as a general rule of the common law, the sale is void; the law will not permit any person to sell a quarrel or, as it is commonly termed, a pretended title. Such a conveyance is an offence at common law and by a statute of Hen. VIII.
This rule has been generally adopted in the United States and is affirmed by express statute. In some of the states it has been modified or abolished. It was recognized in Massachusetts and Indiana. In Massacbusetts, there was no statute on the subject, but the act has always been unlawful. In Connecticut the seller and the buyer each forfeited half the value of the land. In New York, a person deceased could not convey except by way of mortgage, but the statute does not apply to judicial sales. In North Carolina and South Carolina, a conveyance by a disseisee was illegal; the seller forfeits the land and the buyer its value.
In Kentucky such sale was void. But when the deeds were made since the passage of the statute of 1798, the grantee might, under that act, sue for land conveyed to him which was adversely possessed by another, as the grantor might have done before. The statute rendered transfers valid to pass the title. The statute of 1824, 'to revive and amend the champerty and maintenance law,' forbids the buying ot titles where there is an adverse possession. In Ohio, the purchase of land from one against whom a suit is pending for it is void, except against himself if he prevails. In Pennsylvania, Illinois, Missouri, a deed is valid, though there be an adverse possession.
The Roman law forbade the sale of a right or thing in litigation.
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://www.lectlaw.com/def/b122.htm
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en
| 0.970023 | 419 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Ask the Dust
Struggling writer, Arturo Bandini, fights to scrape by, living in the Bunker Hill area of 1930's Los Angeles, as he is distracted from his work by his infatuation with Camilla Lopez, a local waitress who flirts with him by insulting him, uninterested in him treating her like a "Mexican princess". ... The Road to Los Angeles
This posthumously published novel was way ahead of its time when written in the 1930's. Its ethos still seems contemporary today. It introduces the character Arturo Bandini a young man struggling with his desire to be a great writer. Bandini is forced to work in a fishery cannery by his uncle to support his mother and sister. He is wretchedly alienated from his fellow workers and family by his Nietzchean self proclaimed belief that he is a writer.
... Wait Until Spring, Bandini
The story of the Bandini family over a bleak winter. Arturo Bandini later the protagonist in Ask the Dust and The Road to Los Angeles lives with his father, mother and brothers in bleak poverty. Whilst Arturo lies and steals from his mother and generally misbehaves at school he tries to woo the heart of Rosa a beautiful Italian classmate. His father (Svevo Bandini) unable to bricklay during the frozen winter drinks and gambles and finally gets some wo...
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<urn:uuid:b2842e16-965b-41ae-bda5-37099a21b8f2>
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://allreaders.com/books/john-fante-2761
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en
| 0.984264 | 282 | 2.515625 | 3 |
September 2, 2009
Galaxy Plays Host To Most Distant Supermassive Black Hole
University of Hawaii (UH) astronomer Dr. Tomotsugu Goto and colleagues have discovered a giant galaxy surrounding the most distant supermassive black hole ever found. The galaxy, so distant that it is seen as it was 12.8 billion years ago, is as large as the Milky Way galaxy and harbors a supermassive black hole that contains at least a billion times as much matter as our Sun. The scientists set out their results in a paper in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society later this month.
Dr. Goto stated, "It is surprising that such a giant galaxy existed when the Universe was only one-sixteenth of its present age, and that it hosted a black hole one billion times more massive than the Sun. The galaxy and black hole must have formed very rapidly in the early Universe."Knowledge of the host galaxies of supermassive black holes is important in order to understand the long-standing mystery of how galaxies and black holes have evolved together. Until now, studying host galaxies in the distant Universe has been extremely difficult because the blinding bright light from the vicinity of the black hole makes it more difficult to see the already faint light from the host galaxy.
Unlike smaller black holes, which form when a large star dies, the origin of the supermassive black holes remains an unsolved problem. A currently favored model requires several intermediate black holes to merge. The host galaxy discovered in this work provides a reservoir of such intermediate black holes. After forming, supermassive black holes often continue to grow because their gravity draws in matter from surrounding objects. The energy released in this process accounts for the bright light emitted from the region around the black holes.
To see the supermassive black hole, the team of scientists used new red-sensitive Charge Coupled Devices (CCDs) installed in the Suprime-Cam camera on the Subaru telescope on Mauna Kea. Prof. Satoshi Miyazaki of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) is a lead investigator for the creation of the new CCDs and a collaborator on this project. He said, "The improved sensitivity of the new CCDs has brought an exciting discovery as its very first result."
A careful analysis of the data revealed that 40 percent of the near-infrared light observed (at the wavelength of 9100 Angstroms) is from the host galaxy itself and 60 percent is from the surrounding clouds of material (nebulae) illuminated by the black hole.
Yousuke Utsumi (Graduate University for Advanced Studies /NAOJ), a member of the project team,
said, "We have witnessed a supermassive black hole and its host galaxy forming together. This discovery has opened a new window for investigating galaxy-black hole co-evolution at the dawn of the Universe."
Dr. Goto is a fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). He received his PhD from the University of Tokyo in 2003 and has also worked at Carnegie Mellon and Johns Hopkins universities, and at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, a part of JAXA, the Japanese equivalent of NASA. He came to UH Institute for Astronomy in 2008 to work with Dr. David Sanders on quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) and luminous infrared galaxies.
Other members of the research team are Dr. Hisanori Furusawa (NAOJ) and Dr. Yutaka Komiyama (NAOJ).
Image Caption: False-color image of the QSO (CFHQSJ2329-0301), the most distant black hole currently known. In addition to the bright central black hole (white), the image shows the surrounding host galaxy (red). (Tomotsugu GOTO, University of Hawaii)
On the Net:
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<urn:uuid:84170686-2720-4356-a4cf-c1946ed89178>
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1746475/galaxy_plays_host_to_most_distant_supermassive_black_hole/
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en
| 0.936027 | 794 | 3.46875 | 3 |
NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partner university faculty. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Friday, July 1, 2016
Glimpses at the First Trimester
- Nausea and Vomiting ("Morning Sickness")
- Urinary Frequency
- Breast Tenderness
- Headaches and Dizziness
- Weight Gain
Pregnancy typically lasts 40 weeks, beginning from the first day of a woman's last menstrual period which means that it includes the two weeks before ovulation and conception takes place. It is often referred to in three parts called trimesters. The first trimester lasts 12 weeks, the second from 13 to the end of 27 weeks, and the third from 28 to 40 weeks. These divisions are somewhat arbitrary and you may encounter slightly different versions of these time periods during your pregnancy. Your doctor will probably refer to your pregnancy by the age of the fetus in weeks.
Certain important milestones in pregnancy occur during each trimester. For example, specific tests are performed during the first trimester. The trimester divisions help both you and your doctor in the planning and management of your pregnancy.
The first trimester is a time of profound changes inside your body, and you'll experience these changes in your own unique way. Some women know right away that they have conceived, whereas others may not be convinced that they're pregnant even after a positive pregnancy test and confirmation by their physician. The first trimester may bring increased energy and a sense of well being. Some women may feel tired and emotional. Others may not notice changes until much later in pregnancy.
There are a number of physical changes during early pregnancy that may make you uncomfortable, but will not endanger your health or the health of your baby. Each pregnancy is unique, and you may experience many, some, or none of the changes and symptoms described here. It isn’t uncommon for a woman to have completely different experiences from one pregnancy to another. It doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with the pregnancy, but rather demonstrates the variation in pregnancies. Knowing what the symptoms mean, in terms of what is happening inside your body, and knowing what you can do to make yourself more comfortable will help you cope with the adjustments in early pregnancy. If this is not your first pregnancy, you may notice some changes are occurring earlier. This is sometimes referred to as the "warming up" effect.
Most women are more tired than usual in early pregnancy. This feeling is understandable: Your body has a lot of work to do. During the first weeks of pregnancy, your body begins to produce more blood to carry nutrients to the fetus. Your heart multiplies its efforts to accommodate this increased blood flow, and your pulse quickens by as much as 10 to 15 beats per minute. Your body changes the way it uses water, protein, carbohydrate and fat. The combination of these profound changes translates into the fatigue you feel.
In addition to the physical changes that make you feel tired, you are also adjusting to new feelings and concerns. Whether your pregnancy was planned or unplanned, you may have conflicting feelings about it. Even if you are overjoyed at being pregnant, there are probably added emotional stresses in your life at this time. You may have fears about whether the baby will be healthy, anxiety about how you will adjust to motherhood, and concerns about increased expenses. If your work is demanding, you may worry about being able to sustain your productivity throughout pregnancy. These concerns are natural and normal. It is important to recognize that they also play a part in how you feel physically.
Rest. Try to get the rest you need. After the birth of your baby, your lifestyle is sure to change, and there are adjustments you can make even now. In addition to eating well and avoiding the harmful effects of smoking and alcohol, you should find ways to feel as rested as possible.
Take naps when you can during the day. At work, finding time to rest comfortably with your feet up can renew your energy. If you can't nap during the day, maybe you can do so right after work, before dinner or evening activities. If you have a partner or other children, ask them to help as much as possible.
Also, cut down on social events if they are wearing you out. Those who care about you will understand and will be more than happy to make allowances for you. Ask for the support and understanding that you need during this time, keeping in mind that you will almost certainly have more stamina in later pregnancy.
If you need to go to bed at 6:30 or 7:00 to feel rested, do it. It may also help if you avoid drinking fluids for a few hours before bedtime so you won't have to get up as frequently during the night to empty your bladder.
Exercise. One of the best ways to increase your energy level is to exercise. The more you exercise, the more energy you seem to have to continue exercising, as well as to perform your daily tasks. For example, walking for 30 minutes each day can really help you feel energized. See the Frequently Asked Questions-Exercise in Pregnancy for more guidance.
Eat well. Eating a balanced diet is even more important when you're pregnant than it was before. The fatigue that is natural in early pregnancy can be aggravated if you're not getting enough iron or protein. Check with your health care provider to make sure your diet is nutritious and balanced. Look at the Food Guide Pyramid.
2) Nausea and Vomiting ("Morning Sickness")
"Morning sickness" can actually occur at any time of the day, and it affects nearly 3 out of 4 pregnant women. The symptoms of nausea and vomiting usually begin within the first month or two of the pregnancy and end 3-1/2 to 4 months into the pregnancy. Throughout your pregnancy, your body will continue to undergo tremendous physical, hormonal, and emotional change. Hormonal changes that come with pregnancy contribute somewhat, as do changes in your gastrointestinal system- the stomach empties a little more slowly under the influence of the hormones of pregnancy. Emotional stress and fatigue can also add to your feelings of "morning sickness."
Morning sickness can be more severe in a first pregnancy, in young women and in women carrying multiple fetuses. Some women have nausea and vomiting beyond the first trimester, and a few even throughout their entire pregnancy. In rare instances, nausea and vomiting may be so severe that a pregnant woman cannot maintain proper nutrition and fluids or gain enough weight. This condition is known as hyperemesis gravidarum.
Controlling Nausea and Vomiting
Modify your eating habits. Eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day often helps alleviate nausea. Drinking less fluid with meals may also provide relief. The reason for these measures is to avoid having your stomach completely empty or completely full, either of which can make nausea worse.
Eat morning snacks. If nausea is worse when you first wake up, try nibbling on soda crackers or sipping weak tea before you get out of bed. Rise slowly, allowing a little time to digest before you get up.
Rest. The fatigue that is so common in early pregnancy can also contribute to nausea. Additional sleep each night may help. Avoid displeasing smells and foods. Many women find certain smells or foods unpleasant when they are pregnant, even if they had no such reactions before. Whenever possible, try to avoid foods or smells that seem to aggravate your nausea.
Other Possible Remedies for Nausea and Vomiting:
3) Urinary Frequency
The increasing size of the uterus in the first trimester, along with more efficient functioning of the kidneys, may cause you to feel the need to urinate more often. You may also experience leaking of urine when sneezing, coughing or laughing. This is due to the growing uterus pressing against your bladder, which lies directly in front of and slightly under the uterus during the first few months of pregnancy. By the fourth month, the uterus will have expanded up out of the pelvic cavity, so that the pressure on your bladder is not as great.
Controlling Urinary Frequency
You may find that if you avoid drinking anything for a few hours before bedtime you will get up less often -- and sleep better -- throughout the night. It is not a good idea, though, to otherwise restrict your fluid intake during pregnancy.
Urinate as often as you feel the need. Holding in your urine can result in incomplete emptying of the bladder, which may in turn lead to a urinary tract infection. Leaning forward while you urinate will help to empty your bladder more fully. Completely emptying the bladder may also have the added benefit of cutting down on how often you need to urinate. If you leak urine throughout the day, wearing panty liners will make you more comfortable.
4) Breast Tenderness
The increased production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone is the primary reason for the changes in a pregnant woman's breasts. After a few weeks of gestation, you may notice tingling sensations in your breasts, and they may feel heavy, tender and sore.
Controlling Breast Tenderness
A good support bra can help alleviate breast soreness. Try a maternity bra or a larger-sized athletic bra; they tend to be breathable and comfortable. If you have large breasts that make you uncomfortable at night, you might want to try wearing a bra while sleeping.
5) Headaches and Dizziness
Occasional headaches trouble many women in early pregnancy. The cause is uncertain, but like so many other discomforts of the first trimester, changes in your hormone levels and blood circulation may be factors. Other possible causes are the stress and fatigue that often accompany the emotional and physical adjustments to pregnancy. If you suddenly eliminated or cut down on caffeine once you learned you were pregnant, this change may also cause headaches for a few days.
Dizziness is common in pregnant women and can result from circulatory changes during pregnancy. Blood settles (pools) in the lower limbs more readily in pregnancy which makes the heart's job of pumping blood to the brain more difficult. At times, the amount of blood may not be sufficient and lead to lightheadedness or even fainting. Stress, fatigue and hunger may also be causes of dizziness or faintness. Although headaches and dizziness at this point in your pregnancy may be nothing to be concerned about, call your doctor right away if these symptoms are persistent or severe. Migraine-like, throbbing headaches or fainting spells should also prompt you to call your doctor immediately.
Controlling Headaches and Dizziness
Sinus headaches can be soothed by applying warm compresses to the front and sides of your face, around your nose, eyes and temples. Applying a cold compress to the back of the neck may relieve tension headaches.
Relaxation exercises can help alleviate headaches as well as give you a greater overall sense of well being. These exercises may consist of simply closing your eyes and imagining a calm, peaceful scene. Eating well and getting enough rest and exercise are also important.
It is easier said than done, but minimizing the stresses in your life will help get you through the first trimester, as well as the rest of pregnancy. Some sources of stress, however, cannot be avoided. The key is to improve your coping skills. If you are under more stress than you feel you can handle, talking with a therapist or counselor, even if only on a one-time basis, can be very helpful.
Talk to your doctor before using pain relievers, even over-the-counter medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen sodium (Advil, Ibuprin, Motrin IB, Nuprin, Aleve). Acetaminophen (Aspirin Free Excedrin, Panadol, Tylenol) is a better choice during pregnancy, but it is best to avoid taking any medication during pregnancy unless absolutely necessary, and only when prescribed or advised by your doctor.
To prevent mild, occasional dizziness, move slowly as you get up from lying or sitting down. When on your feet, keep moving. By moving and contracting the leg muscles, you are helping force blood back to the heart. Try to keep your blood sugar level on an even keel by snacking occasionally on food such as dried or fresh fruit, whole-wheat bread, crackers or low-fat yogurt.
6) Weight Gain
Although you will probably gain about 25 to 30 pounds (11 to14 kilograms) during the course of your pregnancy, only a small percentage of this amount will be gained during the first trimester. You may experience few signs of pregnancy and gain only 3 to 4 pounds.
During the first trimester, you may find it difficult to believe you are pregnant. Yet, the first 3 months of pregnancy are critical to your baby's health. During this time the baby will grow to 3 inches long and will have developed all of the major organs. Untreated illness or disease, radiation, or the use of tobacco, drugs, or alcohol during this time may harm your baby. Make sure you eat well, rest, and avoid taking any medication that has not been prescribed by your doctor. Tell any doctor, nurse, or dentist you visit that you are pregnant. Prenatal care, good nutrition, and adequate rest should be started immediately.
First and Second Month
For the first eight weeks your developing baby is called an "embryo." The heart, lungs, and brain begin to develop and the tiny heart beats by the 25th day. The embryo is enclosed in a sac of fluid to protect it from bumps and pressure. The baby will grow in this sac until birth. Your baby's umbilical cord is also developing. This cord is made up of blood vessels that carry nourishment from your body to feed the baby and carry away the baby's waste.
Gestational Age Five Weeks
At five weeks, your baby is about 1/17 of an inch long (1.5 mm). The embryo has divided into three layers from which tissues and organs will develop.
A groove, called the neural tube, has begun to take shape in the top layer, along the midline of the body. The brain, spinal cord, spinal nerves and backbone will develop from this region.
The middle layer of cells forms the beginnings of the heart and a primitive circulatory system - blood vessels, blood cells and lymph vessels. The foundations for bones, muscles, kidneys, and ovaries or testicles also develop from the middle layer of cells.
By the end of this week, the earliest blood elements and vessels have formed in the embryo and developing placenta. Circulation now begins, and the heart will develop rapidly. The circulatory system thus becomes the first functioning organ system.
The inner layer of cells will give rise to a simple tube, lined with mucous membranes, from which lungs, intestines and urinary bladder will develop. This week, however, there is little growth in the inner layer. Most of the growth that does occur is for the nervous and circulatory systems.
During this time you may not notice weight gain, but your breasts may be larger and may feel tender. You may also have some "morning sickness" or nausea. You should schedule your first prenatal exam during the first six weeks of pregnancy.
Gestational Age 7 weeks
Because the embryo is curled into a snug position is the uterus, it is difficult to measure the total length including the legs. It is easier and more common to measure a "crown-rump" length, the distance from the top of the head to the buttocks. At this stage, your baby is about 1 1/4 inches (3.2 cm) long from head to rump. It weighs less than 1/2 of an ounce (15 grams).
The beginnings of all the major body organs are formed. Bones of the skeleton are forming. Fingers have formed. The eyelids have grown, but the eyes look closed. The outer ears are forming.
After eight weeks the embryo becomes a fetus, which means "young one." Arms with tiny hands and fingers, and legs with the beginnings of knees, ankles, and toes begin to form. Organs such as the stomach and liver have also begun to develop. The head now appears very large compared to the rest of the body because the brain is growing rapidly. Tiny ears and the beginnings of hair are forming on the head.
By the end of the third month, your baby is about four inches long, weighs a little over an ounce, and signs of the baby's sex are beginning to appear. Finger and toenails are developing. The mouth opens and closes and the baby will begin to move its hands, legs, and head. You will not yet be able to feel this movement.
You may have gained about three to four pounds and your clothes will begin to feel a little tight. You may also feel warmer than usual.
All organ systems are in place. Equally significant is the fact that the brain, nerves and muscles are starting to function. The palate has completely formed by the end of this period and the genitals are beginning to have male or female characteristics. The baby moves his or her body in jerks, flexing the arms and kicking the legs, but you won't feel these movements until your baby grows a bit more.
Last Reviewed: Mar 19, 2006
Thomas A deHoop, MD
Formerly Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology
Director, Medical Student Education
No longer associated
Arthur T Ollendorff, MD
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati
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Turkiye, known officially as the Republic of Turkiye, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. Turkiye borders eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest, Greece to the west, Georgia to the northeast, Armenia, Azerbaijan (the Nakhichevan exclave), and Iran to the east, Iraq and Syria to the southeast. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean Sea to the west, and the Black Sea to the north. Turkiye also contains the Sea of Marmara, which is used by geographers to mark the border between Europe and Asia, thus making Turkiye transcontinental.
The region comprising modern Turkiye has overseen the birth of major civilizations such as the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. Because of its strategic location, where two continents meet, Turkiye's culture has a unique blend of Eastern and Western tradition, often described as a bridge between the two civilizations. A powerful regional presence from the Adriatic Sea to China in the Eurasian landmass between Russia and India, Turkiye has come to acquire increasing strategic significance.
Turkiye is a democratic, secular, unitary, constitutional republic whose political system was established in 1923 under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, following the fall of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I. Since then, Turkiye has become increasingly integrated with the West while continuing to foster relations with the Eastern world. It is a founding member of the United Nations, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, a member state of the Council of Europe since 1949, and of NATO since 1952. Since 2005, Turkiye has been in accession negotiations with the European Union, having been an associate member since 1963. Turkiye is also a member of the G20, which brings together the 20 largest economies of the world.
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New Options for the Future
Up ahead on the HIV horizon lurks a possible new weapon against HIV. This weapon is in the form of a "Fusion Inhibitor." Fusion Inhibitors are a new class of anti-HIV medications. T-20, (also known as Pentafuside) developed by Trimeris Inc. in collaboration with Hoffman-La Roche Inc. is the first of this class to make it to clinical trials.
What's really exciting about T-20, is that it works very differently than any of the approved treatments currently available. Unlike our current treatment options, which attempt to inhibit the viral enzymes that HIV needs to replicate itself (once it has already entered a T-cell), Fusion Inhibitors work to block the virus from ever making that first connection. By actually binding with the virus, T-20 attempts to stop the interaction between the envelope of proteins on HIV that make it possible for HIV to fuse itself with a host cell. Because T-20 works so differently than any retroviral now in use, it is unlikely to have any cross resistance with existing treatments. Yea! This is especially good news for those of us who have a lot of treatment experience.
Week sixteen results from T20-205, a Phase II clinical trial evaluating the safety (ie; did it make people sick) and antiviral activity (meaning how well it suppressed the virus) of T-20 were announced this past September.
The study, which involved a twice daily injection of T-20 under the skin in combination with existing HIV meds, showed more than half (60 percent) of the heavily pretreated participants saw a more than one-log drop in their viral load (viral load decreased significantly), and almost one third had a viral load below the level of detection (for the particular type of test that they were using).
T-20 seemed to be well tolerated, and although no one dropped out of the study due to adverse reactions to the medication, it was not without a small share of side effects. Though mild to moderate in severity, the most commonly reported side effects were skin irritation at the site of injection, headache, nausea, and fever. (A connection to T-20 and some of these results has yet to be made.)
Other than having to inject T-20, the only other real downside of this medication, is that it is only effective against HIV-1. HIV-1 is the particular strain of virus that is the most predominant on this side of the globe.
The T-20 Phase II adult clinical trials are still ongoing, and in November the company announced the first pediatric study of T-20 in infected children.
Currently under study are various other forms of fusion inhibitors. T-1249, another product of Trimeris has received fast track approval from the FDA and is currently undergoing phase I clinical testing.
For more information regarding T-20 and other treatments for HIV, please contact the Treatment Advocates at Women Alive at 1-800-554-4876.
Back to the Women Alive Winter 2000 Contents Page.
This article was provided by Women Alive. It is a part of the publication Women Alive Newsletter.
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ver the course of time, Frankenstein's monster has usurped the very name of his creator, Victor Frankenstein, the precocious student of natural philosophy from Geneva, where Mary Shelley was living with two gifted poets, her husband, Percy, and George Gordon, Lord Byron, when she conceived the strange Gothic tale. A period of bad weather in Switzerland bred a compact between Byron, Percy, and Mary, that while at the Villa Diodati, each should write the kind of story the trio were so enjoying reading. Numerous twentieth-century films attest to the story's durability, perhaps because of what science has become in western society over the past two centuries. The subtitle, "The Modern Prometheus," suggests the mythic dimensions of the three-fold tale. The author, incredibly not quite nineteen at the time of composition (and, moreover, a teenaged mother), draws a correspondence between young Frankenstein's hope of scientific glory prompting him to manufacture a monster and God's creating the archangel who would become the rebel Satan. God's making of man is also at issue in the epigraph that Mary Shelley takes from Milton's Christian epic of creation and original sin, Paradise Lost:
Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay
To mould Me man?
Shelley's fable thus enquires into the responsibility of the Creator for the misery and evil in His created world.
Mary Shelley was no ordinary nineteen-year-old; rather, as the daughter of radical novelist William Godwin and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, and the wife of one of the leading second-generation Romantic poets, she was, as Gilbert and Gubar style her, "one of England's most notable literary heiresses" (221). After endlessly studying her mother's and father's works, Mary Shelley went on to read voraciously: contemporary Gothic novels; works in French and German; Milton's Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, Comus, Areopagetica, and Lycidas; the works of the great Romantics — her husband, Byron, Coleridge, and Wordsworth; and, shortly before writing Frankenstein, Swift's Gulliver's Travels. From seventeen to twenty-one, moreover, Mary was almost continually involved in physical procreation: pregnant, confined, or nursing. "For her developing sense of herself as a literary creature and/or creator seems to have been inseparable from her emerging self-definition as daughter, mistress, wife, and mother" (Gilbert and Gubar: 224).
For Gilbert and Gubar, the Miltonic creation epic is central to the meaning of Frankenstein; indeed, they maintain that Mary Shelley's novel is a nineteenth-century, Romantic, and Feminist reading of Paradise Lost:
Like Victor Frankenstein, his author and superficially better self, the monster enacts in turn the roles of Adam and Satan, and even eventually hints at a sort of digression into the role of God. Like Adam, he recalls a time of primordial innocence, his days and nights in "the forest near Ingolstadt," where he ate berries, learned about heat and cold, and perceived "the boundaries of the radiant roof of light which canopied me" (88, ch. 11). Almost too quickly, however, he metamorphoses into an outcast and Satanic figure, hiding in a shepherd's hut which seems to him "as exquisite . . . a retreat as Pandemonium . . . after . . . the lake of fire" (90, chap. 11). . . . . Eventually, burning the cottage and murdering William in demonic rage, he seems to become entirely Satanic: "I, like the arch-fiend, bore a hell within me" (121, chap. 16) . . . . At the same time, in his assertion of power over his "author," his mental conception of another creature (a female monster), and his implicit dream of founding a new, vegetarian race somewhere in "the vast wilds of South America," (131, chap. 17), he temporarily enacts the part of a God, a creator, a master, albeit a failed one. [Gilbert and Gubar, 235-36]
Undoubtedly a part of Mary Shelley's recreation of Milton's epic in novel form is the Edenic quality of the valleys, rivers, and lakes in Frankenstein; moreover, the monster learns language from the De Laceys' reading of Paradise Lost, the syntax and diction of which become the models for his own speech throughout the novel.
Another pattern that both Anne Mellor in "The Female in Frankenstein" and William Veeder in "Frankenstein: Self-Division and Projection" discuss is that of name symbolism, which reinforces Victor Frankenstein's hubris in trying to eliminate the female as he attempts to win eternal fame as the founder of a new line of superhumans. Instead of submitting himself to the will of the community and the family, the scientist asserts his ego by challenging the laws of nature. Whereas the Russian sea-master sacrifices his hopes for marriage that his beloved may marry the man of her choice and Clerval sacrifices his plans to attend university to nurse the stricken Victor, Walton and Frankenstein make no concessions in their quest for greatness. While Walton's polar expedition (actuated by the wrong-headed notion acquired as a child that Hyperboreans lead a paradisal existence at an iceless North Pole) threatens the lives of his crew, Frankenstein acknowledges that his experiment has loosed a killer upon unsuspecting humanity. In contrast to the phallocentric Frankensteins, the De Lacey family (unlike the Frankensteins, impoverished, but like them and the Godwins after Mary's birth lacking a matriarch) shares work and responsibility equally between male and female in an atmosphere of rational companionship, mutual concern, and love. As their symbolic names suggest, Felix embodies happiness, Agatha goodness. They are then joined by Safie (sophia or wisdom). Safie, the daughter of the Turkish merchant, is appalled both by her father's betrayal of Felix and by the Islamic oppression of women he endorses; she has therefore fled from Turkey to Switzerland, seeking Felix. Having reached the De Lacey household, she promptly becomes Felix's beloved companion and is taught to read and write French. Safie, whose Christian mother instructed her "to aspire to higher powers of intellect, and an independence of spirit, forbidden to the female followers of Mahomet" (p. 119), is the incarnation of Mary Wollstonecraft in the novel. Wollstonecraft too traveled alone through Europe and Scandinavia; more important, she advocated in
A Vindication that women be educated to be the "companions" of men and be permitted to participate in the public realm by voting, working outside the home, and holding political office. [Mellor, 222-223]
Significantly, the "loners" of the tale, Walton and Frankenstein, seek limited male companionship, relegating the females in their lives to correspondents rather than companions. Moreover, it is Victor's destruction of his bride, who is to be his sole companion, that prompts the monster to murder Elizabeth on her wedding night.
Veeder notes that the female correspondents stand for the balance and judgment ('keeping') that the polar explorer and the natural philosopher, both obsessed by dreams of glory and heroic accomplishment, tend to lack. Both Victor and Walton have violated the will of a father in pursuing their vain and reckless schemes, and have left their sisters.
"Margaret" is a jewel, a "pearl" of great price. "Saville" suggests the native and communal through the French "sa ville." If Mary had not wanted this French connection, she would have used the traditional English spelling, Savile. . . . .Together "Margaret" and "Saville" give to this native jewel the imprimatur of Mary Shelley's own initials, M. S. . . . . "Walton" as "walled-town" suggests the isolation inevitable to Prometheans like Robert and Professor "Waldman." Only by leaving Robert's bachelor realm behind — without even the trace of a middle initial — can Margaret reach Saville, that native community which is the union of male with female and the ideal of Agape. [Veeder, 82-83]
Veeder adds that not only "Robert" ("bright in fame") but also the Russian cities that serve as the jumping-off points for his polar expedition have symbolic significance. "The very motion of his journey is away from the female and toward the male, away from Margaret and on to Peter (Petersburgh) and Michael (Archangel), away from sa ville and on to the ultimately phallic pole" (88).
Whereas modern critics have focussed on the eponymous character, in his review of an apparently male author's book Percy Bysshe Shelley shifts attention from Victor (perhaps recognizing in that character his own personality traits) to the monster, whom he terms a "Being."
Treat a person ill, and he will become wicked. Requite affection with scorn; — let one being be selected, for whatever cause, as the refuse of his kind — divide him, a social being, from society, and you impose upon him the irresistible obligations — malevolence and selfishness. [Rpt. in Veeder 226 from The Complete Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley 6]
Two further articles examine Frankenstein from the perspective of psychology and behavioural patterns. In "The Tempest-toss'd Summer of 1816," John Clubbe discusses how both Shelleys and Lord Byron were influenced by the notion then in vogue that individual and national character were profoundly shaped by climate, and specifically how the novel was written during one of Europe's most inclement summers. "With the onset of the rain and the cold," writes Clubbe, "the thoughts of those closeted within [Geneva's Villa Diodati] turned inward" (31). All three Romantic writers were fascinated by the Alpine thunderstorms ("bises or 'north-easters'") which brought a strange chiaroscuro to the Swiss landscape, investing it with mysterious blackness and sublime lightning. Such storms indeed constitute a pattern in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: "For her, a storm embodied the unknowable, elemental power of against which man's being, his rational intellect especially, appeared puny and helpless" (33). That lightning should be able to reanimate a corpse was within the realm of possibility for early nineteenth-century Europeans, whose world was not yet wholly mapped and whose scientists such as Cuvier were beginning to unearth fossil evidence that huge monsters once walked the planet. Only fifty years before, Cook had discovered Australia, and the polar regions remained a mystery. "In 1816 the eerie creations imagined by Mary Shelley, both creature and novel, seemed all too possible" (37).
Paul Youngquist in another 1991 article subjects the feminism implicit in Frankenstein to a psychological rather than a New Historicist examination.
For Shelley, body is fate; all idealizings, cultural and personal, liberal and feminist, mask more profound — and irrational — imperatives. If it is ugliness that fuels the monster's social exclusion, it is beauty that drives his revenge: he destroys what he cannot possess. Hence the inadequacy of Wollstonecraft's arguments [in A Vindication of the Rights of Women] that reason is natural and beauty mere ornament.
Through authorship, Mary Shelley slipped the mortal bonds of bodily regeneration. Youngquist argues that Shelley's Frankenstein is the author's alterego, producing a creature free from the defilement of sexual procreation and the taint of mortality.That a male without sexual contact can reproduce is a feminist fantasy, for the laboratory's replacing the womb frees woman from the constraints of the body. Justine and Elizabeth escape the defilement of sexual procreation, dying sacrificial virgins and therefore pure; they, along with Saphie and Agatha are reflections of the Ideal Woman, biologically immaculate because uncontaminated by sexual know-ledge and motherhood. The book's female characters are "such an insipid lot" (349) because they are not characters at all, but mere symbols, sacrificial virgins and dead mothers who must atone for Victor Frankenstein's usurpation of procreation.
Mothers in Frankenstein are categorically dead because their biological function is primordially defiled. . . . . Mary Shelley's own life as child and mother bore ample witness to this paradox [that life lives upon death]. It has become almost obligatory for critics of Frankenstein to cite the long list of deaths that dogged the early life of its author: her mother Mary Wollstonecraft expiring eleven days after Mary's birth; her half-sister Fanny Imlay poisoning herself and referring obliquely in her suicide note to her illegitimacy; Percy's first wife Harriet Westbrook dying pregnant by another at the time of her suicide; and finally, Mary's first daughter passing quietly two weeks after her premature birth. All of these deaths implicate the mother by exaggerating the proximity of life's origin and end. (351)
The monster, however, is not a fully formed individual, but an "abortion," a defilement of the human form, and so deeply repulsive to all (including himself) who see him. "The monster is an ugly botch because he incarnates a male fantasy of creative autonomy" (347). The fault is not the monster's but his creator's; the monster is a sympathetic consciousness trapped in a repulsive form that even Victor, his mother-and-father, detests. The creature's appearance immediately makes manifest his creator's violation of social norms, for the monster's ugliness exemplifies his impurity; his very form contradicts Wollstencraft's liberal feminism for it "demonstrates openly the implied imperatives of corporeal life: there can be no transcendence of sex, no rationalist utopia oblivious to the body" (344).
Selected List of References
Blamires, Harry. "Mary Shelley." The Age of Romantic Literature. Harlow, Essex: Longman/York Press, 1990. 115-116.
Boyd, Stephen. "Frankenstein as a Novel." Mary Shelley: Frankenstein. Harlow, Essex: Longman and York Notes, 1994. 52-55.
Clubbe, John. "The Tempest-toss'd Summer of 1816: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein." Byron Journal 19 (1991): 26-40.
Dixon, Wheeler Winston. "The Films of Frankenstein." Approaches to Teaching Shelley's Frankenstein, ed. Stephen C. Behrendt. New York: MLA, 1990. 166-179.
Gilbert, Sandra M., and Gubar, Susan. "Horror's Twin: Mary Shelley's Monstrous Eve." The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1984. 213-247.
Mellor, Anne K. "The Female in Frankenstein." Romanticism and Feminism, ed. Anne K. Mellor. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1988. Pp. 220-232.
Veeder, William. Mary Shelley and "Frankenstein": The Fate of Androgyny. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986.
Youngquist, Paul. "Frankenstein: The Mother, the Daughter, and the Monster." Philological Quarterly 70, 3 (Summer 1991): 339-359.
Wheeler Winston Dixon, "The Films of Frankenstein." Approaches to Teaching Shelley's "Frankenstein", ed. Stephen C. Behrendt (New York: MLA, 1990): 166-179.
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This was the standard Japanese light AA of the war, being mounted aboard practically everything that floated. It was an adaptation of a French Hotchkiss design. It was also a very mediocre weapon, being hampered by slow training and elevating speeds (even in power-operated triple mounts), excessive vibration and muzzle flash, and the fact that the ammunition feed was via a 15-round fixed magazine which necessitated ceasing fire every time the ammo had to be changed. All in all, it was more comparable to the U.S. 20mm Oerlikon, and was vastly inferior to the U.S. 40mm Bofors in every respect except rate of fire (and only barely in that respect: the Bofors could put out a sustained 120 round/minute because of its constant-fire top-fed ammo clip design; whereas the 25mm's frequent ammo box changes lowered its nominal rate of fire to only half of its theoretical maximum of 260 rounds / minute). This stunning lack of an adequate medium automatic AA weapon, coupled with inferior fire control, proved to have dire consequences for Japanese surface units as the war progressed.
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Stanford’s Office of Technology Licensing (OTL) brings technology created at Stanford to market. In 2014–15, Stanford received more than $95 million in gross royalty revenue from 695 technologies. Thirty-nine of the inventions generated $100,000 or more in royalties. Eight inventions generated $1 million or more. In 2014–15, OTL concluded 112 new licenses.
Among the Inventions Licensed by OTL:
Antibody therapies: In the 1980s, Leonard Herzenberg, Vernon Oi and Sherie Morrison invented a technique for producing functional antibodies, enabling treatments for such conditions as autoimmune diseases and cancer.
Bioplastics: Researchers in Craig Criddle's laboratory have developed a method of producing bioplastics from municipal, agricultural and food waste materials.
Data analytics: Visutalization software created in 2001 in the laboratory of Patrick Hanrahan helps anyone working with large amounts of data to quickly analyze, visualize and share information.
Digital music: John Chowning developed FM sound synthesis for digitally generating sounds in the late 1960s, leading to the music synthesizer.
Disease management: The Stanford Patient Education Research Center creates programs for chronic health problems, including arthritis and HIV/AIDS, that have been licensed to more than 500 organizations in 17 countries.
DSL: In the 1980s, John Cioffi and his students discovered how to use traditional phone lines for high-speed data transmission, resulting in patents used in asymmetric digital subscriber lines.
Google: The world’s most popular search engine got its start at Stanford in 1996 when Sergey Brin and Larry Page developed the page-rank algorithm while computer science graduate students.
Optical fiber amplifier: This invention by John Shaw and Michel J.F. Digonnet enabled the bandwidth explosion in optical communications and telecommunications essential to the Internet.
Recombinant DNA: This ubiquitous tool for molecular biology was developed in 1973 by Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer to enable scientists to perform genetic engineering by combining pieces of DNA from different organisms, laying the groundwork for the biotechnology industry.
Refocus photography: Ren Ng, Patrick Hanrahan, Marc Levoy and Mark Horowitz invented a camera that captures an entire light field with an array of thousands of sensors. Photographers can use this camera to take interactive pictures that can be refocused after the fact.
Tuberculosis test: Gary Schoolnik and colleagues developed a diagnostic test for tuberculosis that can distinguish between patients who have been vaccinated and those who actually have the disease.
Wellspring of Innovation
A 2012 study estimated that companies formed by Stanford entrepreneurs generate world revenues of $2.7 trillion annually and have created 5.4 million jobs since the 1930s. Stanford alumni and faculty have created 39,900 companies since the 1930s, which, if gathered collectively into an independent nation, would constitute the world’s 10th largest economy.
Frederick Terman, provost from 1955 to 1965, is called the “academic architect” of the high-technology region known as Silicon Valley.
Some of the companies Stanford faculty and alumni have helped create:
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The Civil war is another catastrophe for Greece, for many worse than the Nazi occupation. More people are killed during the Civil war than during the occupation. Greece is the first battle of the Cold War.
In 1944 Greece is liberated from the German occupation though the celebration is a short one. The victorious resistance fighters of the left and the right have already
fight each other. With the King,
the government and the army still in Egypt, and the collapse of the occupation government, it is the Greek communists who control most of the country. Even before the Germans had left the communist led resistance controlled all but the cities. But it has already been decided by Stalin and Churchill that Britain will be in charge of a non-communist Greece in return for Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary falling under the influence of the Soviet Union. This is known as Percentages
Agreement. The usual interpretation is that the main reason that Churchill wanted to keep the Soviets out of Greece was the eternal British preoccupation with keeping the Russians out of the Dardenelles Straits and Greece so as to deny their Navy unfettered access to the Mediterranean. The British also know that their business interests in Greece have no future if the communists are able to take over. The forces of ELAS (The Greek-communist resistance) could
taken the city
of Athens but instead obey the orders of the British and the promise that they will have a part in the post-war government of Greece, perhaps believing that the small British force in Athens was just the tip of the iceberg with more troops waiting in the wings. When George Papandreou returns to Greece with his government he is in a difficult position. On one side is EAM who have been preparing through the years of occupation for the day that they would take power in Greece. On the other side is the
British who to protect their own interests will back the king, the collaborators and the security battalions because they are anti-communist. Papandreou had foreseen that the communists would be in a strong position to take over the country once the Germans had left and had asked Churchill to send a large force to Greece. Churchill said he did not have the forces to spare so Papandreou did the next best thing. He got them to agree that King George would not return to Greece until after a plebiscite. At least
would keep the Royalists and the Republicans unified against the communists instead of fighting each other.
In the meantime in England, Winston Churchill informs British foreign secretary Anthony Eden that he is planning to create a confrontation between the new Greek government and the former
fighters of EAM-ELAS. He tells Eden
that he will use the British military, already in Athens, to defend Papandreou's government. Papandreou orders the 60,000
members of the resistance to disarm if they want to continue to take part in the government. The communists agree provided that all Nazi collaborators are removed from positions of power and the members of the ultra-right security battalions who have been terrorizing the left are disarmed or arrested. The British are now focused on the communist threat and have no desire to disarm these groups, choosing now to form an alliance with the extremist forces of the collaborators. With the country so polarized Papandreou
as a moderate is in an impossible situation. He can't carry out the programs of the British-backed extreme right nor can he join the communist who seem to be heading for open revolt. When the EAM ministers resign from the government a protest rally is staged by their supporters in Syntagma Square followed by a general strike. The British ambassador demands the government to not allow the Greek people to express their views through this protest (as they are entitled to in any true democracy)
and the government agrees to break up the rally, by force if they have to. Whether by accident or by plan the police open fire on the demonstrators, killing several. This sets off battles all over Athens as ELAS units attack police stations to get weapons and ammunition. The riots of December 3rd 1944 and the six weeks of fighting which follow are known as the Dekembriana. The Greek fighters who have just finished a war with the Germans are now at
war with the British troops in Athens and the right-wing security battalions all over Greece. During this battle the British control a small area around Syntagma Square and their headquarters in the Grande Bretagne Hotel, while the forces of ELAS control almost all of Athens with the exception of Kolonaki. British paratroopers are stationed on the Acropolis where they have a view of most of the city.
On Christmas day of 1944, Winston Churchill arrives in Athens along with Anthony Eden. Papandreou is replaced by an old Venizelist, General Plastiras, and
is convinced to delay his return
to Greece and allow the role of regent to be filled by Archbishop Damaskinos. Churchill had previously described Damaskinos as a 'pestilent priest' and a 'survivor of the middle ages' but he leaves Greece with a new respect for the religious leader of Athens and he has also brokered a cease-fire between ELAS and British forces. In 1945 the government and the communists sign the Varkiza Agreement which is to disarm the ELAS resistance fighters as well as the Nazi collaborators and members of
the far right who have been attacking the communists in retribution for attacks against them during the occupation. As trials begin for members of ELAS and the collaborators begin, an odd pattern takes form. Communists are given the death sentence while Nazi collaborators are let off lightly. In the British House of Commons this sets off a debate and the trials are stopped, but the persecution of the members of ELAS continues. The government of Prime Minister Plastiras has no power over the British
supported right-wing para-government, a-state-within-a-state. In the trials of the leaders of the Nazi collaborators three members of the puppet government are sentenced to death including Prime Minister Rallis who had ordered the execution of fifty Greek hostages as a reprisal for the execution of a Nazi collaborator. None of these death sentences are carried out.
Aris Velouchiotis, the hero of the resistance,
that taking part in the new government is capitulation
and the only way to achieve the communist goal is through armed struggle. He takes off for the hills with a small group of followers where he is killed (or some say commits suicide) after being surrounded by the National Guard. He had been denounced as a traitor by the Greek Communist Party (KKE) politburo the day before. In December of 1945 members of the KKE meet with various Bulgarian and Yugoslavian officers who assure them that they can use Albania, Bulgaria, and
Yugoslavia as bases in the event of a full-scale war. When the government does not honor the agreement to rid the country of fascists collaborators who continue to attack the left, the communists abstain from the elections. They attack a police station in Litohoro, Pieria. The Civil war has begun. In January of 1946 three thousand members of General Grivas rightwing terrorist organization known as X attacked the town of Kalamata, freeing imprisoned collaborators who were waiting to go to trial, burning
files and attempt to take over the building where the communists were being held. Failing this they kill 14 unarmed citizens and escape with 150 hostages. After executing some of the hostages they attack towns in Laconia and killed the relatives of known communists.
The government is powerless or unwilling to take action and the communist party of Greece publicly tells its members to take matters into their own hands, a call to war. In the United Nations,
Vishinsky details attacks
on Greek citizens by the British backed security battalions which British Foreign minister declares propaganda, claiming that upcoming elections in March would be free and honest. But with the countryside a battleground of murders and reprisals the communists want the elections postponed at least until order can be restored. The British tell the Greeks that the elections can't be postponed because the allied mission of election observers can't stay longer. Prime Minister Sophoulis declares that the elections
will be held with or without the communists but privately urges them to participate. With the left voting in the elections the possibility of a centrist government to oppose the right and limit their power, was possible. Nikos Zakhariades, leader of the KKE, who had spent the entire Second World War in Dachau, considers the advice
of his counterpart in the Italian Communist party who
also urges him to take part in the elections to avoid Greece being totally dominated by the right. To the glee of the right, Zakhariades decides the communists will not take part in the election. The opponents of the far right have been split.
The British government pressures the Greeks to hold the elections as planned though they know the results will rip the country apart. Fourteen of the thirty-five ministers in the Greek government are against the elections, nine of whom resign. But it is not only the British at fault for this rush to a marred democracy. The United States made it clear to Prime Minister Sophoulis that it was in Greece's best interest not to postpone the elections. So despite
was around the next corner, the Greek government declared that since not even a two month postponement would be permitted by the UK and the US, elections would go on as planned.
In the first free elections in 10 years only half the eligible voters of Greece actually vote. The two right-wing parties get a majority of these votes. The foreign observers low-ball the abstentions
to give the election validity and claim the elections fair since they had observed no violence or voter intimidation. But who was there
to intimidate if the left did not participate? A right-wing coalition dominated by the new People's Party is elected and their leader Constantinos Tsaldaris in
the opening session of parliament calls for the return of the king and initiates a constitutional plebiscite. When members of Britain's labor party come to Athens they report on well-armed bands attacking the left and the liberals, and daily political assassinations. The new right wing government is using the power of the state against anyone who is opposed to them. Laws are passed that result in the dismissal from government jobs and jobs in the private sector of anyone with democratic or leftist leanings.
At this point it is not only the communists who are heading for the mountains but terrified citizens. Once again in yet another rigged election 68% vote for the return of the king, some of whom may have seen Greece's return to a monarchy as being better then being run by the communists. King George arrives in Greece on September 27 1946 at about the same time as the British Parliamentary delegation is writing their report on the situation, calling it hopeless.
While the Tsaldaris government in Athens relies on the right-wing security battalions to fight ELAS sympathizers in the city's streets, the communists announce the formation of
a new Democratic
Army or DAG (Demokratikos Stratos Elladas) under the leadership of former ELAS leader Markos Vafiades, and begin to wage war on the government. By the end of 1946, he has 7,000 combatants. By early 1947, the Democratic army controls perhaps 100 Greek villages. Their first battles are against right-wing bands and the establishment of 'free territories' in the mountains of northern Greece where 'People's Tribunals' try and execute
They also begin to collect taxes from held villages, conscript peasants as labor or fighters and force them to donate food, livestock and other necessities to the Democratic Army of Greece. The ranks of the DAG are swollen by enforced recruitment and villages that refuse to cooperate suffer severe reprisals. There are also secret Communist units carrying out assassinations and terrorism in the cities. In 1947 the communist party is outlawed in Greece. Napoleon Zervas, founder of EDES (National Republican
Greek League) becomes the minister for public order and promptly arrests some 3,000 Communists
condemned a number to death. That
same year, the British, losing influence in the Middle East and realizing that they have made a mess of things in Greece, announce they no longer are able to support the government they have put in power. They step aside to let the Americans take over. President Truman pours money, weapons and military advisors into the country to support the right wing-royalist Greek government against the communists. Greece is the first battle of what comes to be known as The Cold War. His speech to the US congress asking for money to fight communism worldwide, but particularly in Greece, becomes known as The Truman Doctrine.
America joining the fray is vindication of a sorts for Winston Churchill. President Roosevelt believed Great Britain's policies in Greece were a mistake and that people
had the right to work out their problems democratically without influence from the outside. Had
Roosevelt been in control instead of Churchill one might argue that the war and the years that followed would have been completely different. In fact if left to work this out for themselves without the intervention and manipulations of the British the next twenty or thirty years in Greece might have been quite pleasant. As it turns out they could not have been any worse. America's attempt to clean up the mess the British have made, combined with their zeal for stamping out communism caused them to make matters
worse rather then get the two sides to the table and force them to work things out. Despite controlling the countryside, the communists did not have more than 25% support of the country. They might have been part of coalitions but were the democratic process allowed to go forth, without the right having the military might of the allies behind them and the communists feeling like they were in a no-win situation, true democracy would have come to Greece a lot sooner. The majority of the Greeks believed in
democracy. It was the US and Great Britain who believed democracy in Greece, at this particular moment was not in anyone's best interest. At least until they were certain that someone they liked could be elected.
March 1948, the communists, who kept records on all the children aged three to fourteen in all the areas they
controlled, take children
from the villages and send them across the northern borders,
supposedly for safety reasons. The perception (probably correct) of many of
the Greeks is that they want to indoctrinate them as future soldiers
much as the Turks did with the young Greek boys who became jannisaries
during the Ottoman
period. More than 25,000 Greek children
are taken to the communist Balkan countries and Eastern Europe.
On November 17, 1948, and again in November 1949 the UN General assembly passes a resolution
condemning the removal of the Greek children, demanding their return. These and all subsequent UN resolutions
are never answered. From 1950 to 1952 only 684 children are permitted to return to Greece. By 1963,
around 4000 children (some of them born in Communist countries) have been
repatriated. Of those who did not return many died of illness, some escaped
to Germany and others have since returned or have yet to return.
The kidnapping of the children is a bad move
by the communists because from that point on they lost any support
they had in the villages. It must be pointed out that the Yugoslavians provided nearly 10,000 volunteers recruited from their own army,
and had the communists eventually been successful in winning the
war, some territories in Northern Greece would have been handed
over to their neighbors in the north. In the eyes of the Greek government
and their new ally this would have been just the first step.
The war went beyond the fear of having a leftist
government running Greece. This was a fear that the country of Greece would
cease to exist, becoming a part of an ever expanding communist world
with its capital in Moscow.
May 16, 1948 the body of CBS News correspondent George Polk is found in the
harbor of Thessaloniki several days after he'd left his hotel for an interview with
Markos Vafiades of ELAS. This becomes an international news story, some
say the equivalent of the Dreyfus affair (or the Lambrakis murder
in the same city 15 years later). In the trial, another
journalist, Gregory Staktopoulos is convicted of being an accomplice
along with several guerilla leaders, (two of whom may have
already been dead before the murder took place). Staktopoulos who had worked for a local Greek Communist daily published clandestinely during the
German occupation, was believed to have been the scapegoat and many theories
circulate that Polk was killed by the Americans, British Intelligence,
the Greek ultra-right, the communists or take your pick. Polk's
articles had been very critical of the Truman Doctrine and
the Greek Government. He had uncovered a scandal involving leading
Royalist and Greek Foreign Minister Constantine Tsaldaris which
could have brought down the government.
Whoever killed Polk it was obvious to people
that the communists are the scapegoats and unlikely perpetrators.
When the New York Newspaper Guild attempts to send an independent team of journalists to Greece to
investigate Polk's death they are pre-empted by a committee of
prestigious media representatives, headed by Washington columnist Walter
Lippmann. The Lippmann Committee refuses to back an independent inquiry,
working with the State Department in monitoring the Greek
government's investigation and appointing General William (Wild Bill)
Donovan, the wartime head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), as their
counsel. Under pressure by the Americans to make an arrest Staktopoulos
is picked up and tortured until he names the killers as two
high-ranking communists on orders from the Kremlin and 'admits'
his role was to set-up Polk. Unlikely story, but the Greek and International
press bought it and that was the end of it. Except that Staktopoulos
declares his innocence until he dies in 1988. In January
2004 his widow, Theodora Zisimopoulou-Staktopoulouís appeal for
a posthumous retrial based on claims that
new evidence proves his innocence, is rejected by the Supreme Court
of Greece. Clearly if the US and Greek governments were not involved
in the murder their investigators had failed to ask the most important
question when one wants to solve any crime; Motive. Who had the stronger motive
for wanting Polk dead? The communists? Why? Was the interview with
Markos so bad? On the other hand the Greek government might
go to great lengths to avoid being exposed as corrupt or in the
pocket of the US. And as for the Americans, one life is cheap to protect the world from
In January of 1949 Markos and his strategy of
guerilla warfare are replaced by Nikos
Zakhariades. He believes in more
conventional warfare, but by now the Greek Armed forces are better equipped by the Americans who have introduced a new weapon to finish off the war. It is called Napalm B. The Greek Army is led by General Alexander Papagos,
the hero of the 1940 triumph over the Italians. Zakhariades
decision to fight conventionally is another bad one and one has
to wonder how this guy had any followers whatsoever. But this
decision is not as critical
mistake as siding with Moscow in its dispute with Tito and Yugoslavia. Everything
from weapons to food had been coming across the border from communist Bulgaria,
Yugoslavia and Albania. When
Yugoslavia closes its borders and cuts off the essential supply
of weapons, followed by Albania a few months, later the communist
position is hopeless and Stalin tells them so. The new-improved
Greek armed forces begins an offensive in the summer of 1949, code-named Operation TORCH. Papagos attacks the
last communist strongholds in northern Greece with more than 50,000 men, driving them across the border into Albania and
The Civil war is another catastrophe for Greece, for
worse than the occupation. More people are killed during
the Civil war than during the occupation. The village populations
fall as people move to the cities, some for safety reasons
and others because they are forced to by the government who believe
that the fewer people in the villages, the less support the rebels
will have. This creates tremendous pressure on the government to
feed these refugees from the countryside who have filled the cities
and towns, many who never return to the villages. In the end the communists
realise their struggle is over, for now. Some are
executed as traitors. Many are sent to the
prison island of Makronissos
Others escape across the border to Yugoslavia and Eastern Europe, never
to return again. It is easy to have sympathy for someone who has fought
to liberate Greece and is then declared an enemy of the state, hunted down,
tortured and made to confess to treason, and then executed or exiled. A large
number of the communist fighters were young and naive, and though hardened
by war still had a dream of a new, more democratic society.
But the executions, torture and reprisals that took place on both
sides are enough to turn sympathy into a simmering hatred of
an enemy that at one time was a fellow countryman. This kind of hatred can continue for generations.
is perhaps the darkest in Greek history. But the world is never as black and white as it seems. The Greek
Civil war was not a clash of good vs evil but one of two extreme
belief systems that could not co-exist, with the majority of
the Greek people trapped somewhere in the middle. It was a battle of ideologies
and while the Greek government can be blamed for seeing the communists
as a bigger problem then the fascists (who were never purged), the
communists by abstaining from the elections chose to give up their
small slice of the pie, which could have grown larger. (The communists did have some
support and do so even today.) Rather then play whatever role they could
get in Greek post-war politics and gain power a bit at a time they
chose to go back to the mountains and play the part of resistance
fighters which they had become
comfortable with during the occupation. When
you have two antagonistic groups who both believe they are
right and are willing to fight to the death, there are always those people
who will stand on the sidelines to cheer and supply weapons,
in exchange for an influential role in the society of
the victors. When one side is backed by these forces the only chance
the other has of victory is by being patient and playing the role assigned to them
while taking small steps to bring forth their agenda. The communists
were victims of their inability to adapt to a new situation.
They had the misfortune of being communists at the exact moment
that the US declared war on communism. (Photo on left is the funeral of the victims of the Dekembrianna)
The sense of hopelessness
in Greece triggers a mass exodus of young people looking
for a better life in Australia, the USA and Canada. Starting from
the bottom and building new lives in the new world, some open restaurants and
other small businesses in what can be viewed as yet another
wave of Hellenization as Greek communities increase in New
York, Chicago, Detroit, Melbourne and other towns and cities. Many
back to support their families in the decimated villages and on the islands.
Greek Immigration Figures) For the next 25 years or so Greece is to be under
the influence of the US government who protect their investment
by injecting lots of money, much of it for the military, into the
country. At the same time the number of Greeks living and finding
success in America creates a bond between the people of both
countries. Without the British and the Americans it is likely Greece
would have become a communist country. Where it would have gone
from there, nobody can say for certain. But while the rest of war-torn Europe was
rebuilding, Greece was fighting a war with itself and is several years behind.
With the communist threat now over it is up to the Americans to
try to help the Greeks rebuild their country from the ground
up. Whatever lies behind America's interest it is a partnership
that Greece has no choice but to accept. The glories
and heroism of the Greeks that had inspired the world during Second
World War are nearly forgotten. What is not forgotten are the scars of
this period in Greek history, which will last through the rest of the
century, and the contradiction of a free US-protected Greece
with concentration camps that are just as horrific and brutal
as those during the Nazi occupation.
For more on post-war Greece and the Civil war I recommend this very interesting video called Greece: The Hidden War. This is a British political documentary produced in 1986 and shown for just one and only time in British television, before being banned.
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Late Antique Textiles
Late Antique textiles are unique in a number of ways and provide a useful insight into the larger context of the Late Antique Period. Textiles are especially important as an art form because they combine aesthetics and function. Not only do they demonstrate popular styles and forms and speak to cultural concerns and narratives, they provide information about the daily practices of their users. Most textiles found are pieces of clothing such as tunics, shawls or cloaks, hats, and leggings, in fragment or whole. Also common are decorative pieces such as wall coverings or cushion covers.
The abundance of surviving, well-preserved Late Antique textiles is unusual among textiles in general. This is mainly a result of the burial practices adopted in Egypt during the rise of Christianity. The new practice abandoned embalming and mummification for a rapid burial in which they dressed the bodies in clothing or special burial cloths and placed them directly in the ground. The lack of embalming materials, which deteriorated the cloth over time, combined with the dry desert climate provided prime conditions for preservation.
Unfortunately, these new grave types were also especially easy to uncover, encouraging looting. There was also a lot of early archaeology that lacked proper methods of documentation, so most of these textile fragments were not recorded thoroughly upon excavation, making their exact provenance nearly impossible to uncover. Without this information we may never know where the textiles were found, when they were made, or whether they are even antique, and not contemporary fakes.
Instead, scholars must rely on other techniques such as scientific testing and scholarly comparison within our bank of knowledge. For example, A. De Moor, a Belgian scholar has recently begun using radiocarbon dating on Late Antique textiles, but methods such as this are not in common practice. Their effectiveness may remain unknown until a larger sampling of textiles in all different collections is tested (Auth). Instead, for textiles lacking an archeological context or sufficient documentation, it is best to study them in relation to pieces of a known provenance. Sometimes, like in the work of Nancy Arthur Hoskins in the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington, this practice can be especially fruitful. In this case, certain fragments were found to match pieces in other museum collections and through this connection their provenances linked. Obviously this is not a common occurrence, but the precedent stands, proving that analysis through comparing fragments to one another is a useful endeavor.
Following this practice, I looked to the Bode Museum in Berlin for possible connections. One of Germany’s Staatliche Museums or ‘state’ museums, it has one of the largest collections of Late Antique Egyptian art in the world and one of the most important collections outside of Egypt. Its textile collection is especially impressive and contains about 1,500 pieces. The collection’s provenance has been relatively well documented, and serves as a good model for our collection. The majority of the textile collection was bought by the curator Wilhelm Bode in 1900 from the German consul in Cairo, C. Reinhardt. Another large portion came from the collection of T. Graf of Vienna and other private collections in 1905.
One formal theme seen throughout the Bode Collection is the cavalry figure encircled in a medallion-shaped element, a pattern also seen in textile fragment 1966.1.900 in the Mayer collection. Here a figure on horseback, presumably a hunter or warrior, is framed by a thick circular band decorated with a subtle repeating circle pattern. Both the figure and the horse are decorated with thin white lines, possibly denoting some kind of ornate uniform. The rider appears to be holding a spear-like weapon. The space between the figure and the border is filled with small leaf and vine elements. Interestingly, underneath the horse there is another animal depicted. It is unclear what species this animal is or whether this animal is running with the horse and rider or if it is possibly being hunted.
One of the most striking comparisons to this piece in the Bode Museum is 11423 S. 57 (Wulf and Volbach). There is an almost identical figural composition, complete with a second animal underneath the horse and rider. The medallion is encased in a square filled with centaurs and lions. This piece appears to be a cushion cover or mat because of the fringe running along the edge (it was probably not incorporated into a larger cloth, such as a piece of clothing). In the catalogue by Wulff and Volbach it is dated to the fifth or sixth century. It was acquired by the Bode Museum from the Fouquet Collection in Cairo in 1922, but unfortunately, like our textiles, it has no provenance.
There are also close stylistic and iconographic parallels between our piece and 9229 in the Bode Museum: the same monotone purple and white medallion with a cavalry figure. Even here, however, within this well documented collection, the provenances of these specific pieces are known only in part because of the lack of precise archaeological documentation. Additional comparisons can be made to 6899 and 9286, both dated to the sixth or seventh century, in the Bode Museum. None of these, however, have clearly documented provenances.
There are many similarities between the Bode Museum’s collection and our own, but we still must be wary when drawing any concrete conclusions. These stylistic and iconographic comparisons do provide some level of contextual evidence, but because formal elements, iconography, and stylistic traditions were so widespread through the period and sometimes prevailed for centuries, a comparison of this kind might not actually mean that the pieces are from a similar area or time. Here we see precedence for this style in the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries, but these purple and white monotone geometric compositions, along with some mythological figures, can be found as early as the third century and as late as the Fatimid Caliphate in the tenth century (Török). Because of the rich and broad cultural traditions of the period, styles were mixed and modified and used over and over again over centuries. While these comparisons provide us with a foundation of possibilities, it is important to understand that these are merely clues and do not provide any definitive answers. These comparisons do, however, provide us with a context of artistic tradition. With this we can understand an array of possibilities and form a better understanding of the pieces in our collection.
Stephanie Hamilton '13 is an Art History and Architectural Studies major and Middle Eastern Studies minor at Colgate University.
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Test your skills
How to create a new database? Please give easy steps since I’m new to it. Your help will be much appreciated. Thanks!
You can use the CREATE DATABASE <database name> statement. But before that, you have few things to consider. You need to create a user account on the on the database for you to use when opening the connection. The user you are to create must have enough rights to create a database. You can use the Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) which has a graphical user interface for creating Oracle databases. You can also create database manually using a script.
Take a look at this web site to learn more about how to create Oracle databases.
I hope it helps.
There are two steps for creating an Oracle database.
By using the DBCA (Database Configuration Assistant) and by using a CREATE statement to do it manually.
And most importantly, some facts are there which need your attention, like Oracle System ID (SID), Establishing admin authentication, SYSDBA, Instance etc.
So rather than stating all of them here, its more convenient if you can learn more from the guide to Oracle Database Administration. You can understand everything as they are described in much simple methods
Follow this link to the Oracle Database Administration Guide: http://docs.oracle.com/cd/B19306_01/server.102/b14231/create.htm#i1008816
Hope you will get help out of this and learn everything.
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By the time Henry VIII came to the throne, the cathedral and all its surrounding buildings were complete and substantially as they are today. As the Reformation got under way, Wells was less affected than those cathedrals which were monastic foundations, but the king’s chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, who was lay dean of Wells, ensured that most of the cathedral treasures and the contents of its library were removed to London. It was during the reign of Henry’s son, Edward VI, that the greatest change took place.
In 1547 an act of parliament abolished chantries, and this severely reduced the cathedral’s income. Chantry altars and chapels were designed for the saying of masses for the souls of the dead, to speed their journey through Purgatory to Heaven. Pious people left money to pay for the masses. When chantries were abolished, all such income was confiscated by the crown. The consequent drop in income forced the Chapter to sell off the furnishings of the chapels, medieval memorial brasses and lead from the roof to make up the loss. Three chantry chapels, those of Bubwith and Sugar in the nave, and Bekyngton’s in the south quire aisle became redundant, though the structures remained, but the mortuary chapel of Bishop Stillington off the East Cloister was demolished stone by stone.
Other changes in the outward appearance of the Cathedral included the whitewashing over of all the paintings of biblical scenes and saints which covered the internal walls, and the erection of a pulpit in the nave. The preaching of sermons was a Protestant custom and nothing symbolises the Reformation changes more in Wells than Bishop Knight’s pulpit, built out from the redundant Sugar chantry. The reversion to Catholic rites during the reign of Queen Mary involved the Chapter in more expense for the purchase of new vestments and psalters. Restoration of religious harmony in the country came under Queen Elizabeth, who granted both the Dean and Chapter and the College of Vicars Choral new charters for their government in 1591 and a period of relative stability followed.
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Dec. 17, 2003 — The suborbital spaceship being tested by aircraft designer Burt Rutan and his team at Scaled Composites fired its rocket engine and went supersonic for the first time Wednesday, on the centennial of the Wright brothers' historic first flight. Hours later, multibillionaire Paul Allen confirmed long-rumbling rumors that he was the financial backer of Rutan's space effort.
The day's developments brought the underpinnings of the White Knight / SpaceShipOne program into the clearest focus yet — and added to a sense that the dawn of the age of private-enterprise spaceflight was just months away.
"Our flight this morning by SpaceShipOne demonstrated that supersonic flight is now the domain of a small company doing privately funded research, without government help," Scaled Composites, based in Mojave, Calif., said in a news release. "The flight also represents an important milestone in our efforts to demonstrate that truly low-cost space access is feasible."
Rutan's launch system is designed to take passengers to the edge of space — beyond 100 kilometers or 328,000 feet in altitude — and win the $10 million X Prize in the process. It involves a White Knight carrier jet as well as the SpaceShipOne rocket plane, which is attached to the White Knight at takeoff.
According to Scaled Composites' account of today's test, the White Knight brought SpaceShipOne to 48,000 feet, then released it. Test pilot Brian Binnie fired the hybrid rocket motor, accelerating to 3 G's and flying near Mach 1.2 (930 mph).
Components of the rocket motor were supplied by SpaceDev, a company based in Poway, Calif. James Benson, SpaceDev's chairman and chief executive, provided a breathless account of Wednesday's test flight.
"It was an incredible sight!" he said. "We were watching as the White Knight dropped SpaceShipOne at about 10 miles up, and we waited breathlessly as the White Knight peeled off and SpaceShipOne fell for a few seconds. Then with a really visible flash of light and stream of smoke, our rocket motor lit, and SpaceShipOne seemed to blast straight up for about 15 seconds that seemed like minutes. Then the flame and smoke stopped, but you could still see little SpaceShipOne coasting up toward space at an incredible speed. What a sight! It was even more exciting than watching Apollo 17 lift off at night way back in 1972. After working on this project for four years, space is now exciting again!"
Vertical flight topped out at 68,000 feet, and Binnie then went into a "feathered" glide that reproduced the near-weightless feeling of a suborbital space flight.
Traditionally, Scaled Composites has held the details of its flight testing program close to its chest. Weeks ago, some observers had speculated that Rutan's team might actually attempt a spaceflight on Wednesday's historic date. The supersonic flight didn't quite meet that standard, but it was still a history-making way to mark the Wright brothers centennial.
Allen spending 'tens of millions of dollars'
The centennial and SpaceShipOne's success emboldened Allen to declare Wednesday night that he has funded the SpaceShipOne project since March 2001. He told The Associated Press that he has put "tens of millions of dollars" into the effort.
Allen is a co-founder of Microsoft Corp. who currently owns a wide variety of ventures, ranging from Charter Communications, the nation's fourth-largest cable provider, to the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA and the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL. His estimated net worth of $22 billion makes him No. 3 on Forbes magazine's list of the 400 richest Americans, behind fellow Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and mega-investor Warren Buffett. (MSNBC is a Microsoft-NBC joint venture.)
Allen also referred to the fortuitous timing of the supersonic test.
"As we celebrate the centennial of flight, it's wonderful to be able to capture the spirit of innovation and exploration in aviation," he said. "SpaceShipOne is a tangible example of continuing humankind's efforts to travel into space, and effectively demonstrating that private, nongovernmental resources can make a big difference in this field of discovery and invention."
Rutan was quoted as saying that SpaceShipOne "would never have been possible" without Allen's support.
"Paul shares our energy and passion for not only supporting one-of-a-kind research, but also a vision of how this kind of space program can shape the future and inspire people around the world," Rutan said.
SpaceShipOne isn't the only serious competitor for the X Prize, but Wednesday's announcements solidified its position as the front-runner. The widely held expectation is that the prize could be won within the next few months.
This archived report is adapted from Alan Boyle's Cosmic Log for Dec. 17, 2003.
© 2013 msnbc.com Reprints
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Martell, M., J. Nibe, and J. Galli. 1990. A report on bald eagle use of the Wacouta Bay, (Mn.) area of the Mississippi River along with management recommendations. Final report submitted to the Nongame Wildlife Program, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. 15 pp.
Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) use the Mississippi River as a nesting, migration, and wintering area. The importance of this area to wintering eagles has been recognized for many years, and probably began with the construction of Locks and Dams along the river earlier in this century. Currently the Mississippi River and its tributaries account for more than 30% of the Bald Eagles wintering in the lower 48 states.
We began a 3 year project to document bald eagle use of those portions of the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers bordering the State of Minnesota in the winter of 1987-88. Total counts of eagles using the rivers were made during weekly aerial flights. Feeding areas, daytime perching spots, evening roosts,and travel areas along the river were monitored from the ground. In addition, individual eagles were tracked with radio telemetry.
In November of 1989 an evening roost was discovered at Wacouta Bay, south of Red Wing, on the Minnesota side of the river. Bald eagles using the roost were counted once a week beginning 22 November and ending 6 April 1990. Observers with spotting scopes counted all eagles using the roost, and attempted to determine the birds age; either adult (mostly white head and tail) or subadult. Failing light often made this distinction difficult. Counts were taken starting at 1600 hrs. and continued until dark.
Aerial surveys were conducted weekly to bimonthly from October through March in 1987, 1988, and 1989 including January through March 1990. Counts were conducted by two observers (the pilot and a biologist) usually in a Cessna 172 at a survey height of 150-300 feet above ground level. The survey route along the Red Wing portion of the river followed the mid-line of the main river channel from Lock and Dam #3 south or east to river mile (RM) 788. The route turned north and eagles were counted along Wisconsin channel west to its confluence with the main channel at RM 793.4. The plane then returned to the main channel and counts resumed at RM 788.
The route did not pass directly over the roost. Perched eagles were counted along both sides of the main channel and the shore of Upper and Lower Lakes. Notes were also made of flying eagles. The plane usually did not disturb the perched birds.
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Everything you need to understand or teach The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen.
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, written in 2001, is an award-winning novel (2001 National Book Award and 2002 James Tait Black Memorial Prize). The story gives a comedic look at a Midwestern family and the tragic events that have plagued their lives. The three children of Enid and Alfred Lambert (Gary, Chip, and Denise) are simultaneously dealing with problems in their own lives largely as a result of bad choices. As Alfred suffers from Parkinson's disease, Enid desires to bring the family back together to celebrate Christmas at their home in St. Jude. Things go from bad to worse and force the family to face their problems.
The Corrections Lesson Plans contain 104 pages of teaching material, including:
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1. What do the introductory sections of the book cover and what is the overall intent of Livy?
2. What is interesting about the Roman religion and where was it adopted from?
3. What are the two different stories about the origin of Romulus and Remus?
This section contains 4,020 words
(approx. 14 pages at 300 words per page)
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Research study shows only heirloom organic breeds nutritionally complete.
One look at a big, red tomato and one can almost taste its’ juicy freshness…unless, that tomato was part of a group of 43 fruit and vegetable crops analyzed by Dr. Donald Davis, research associate at the Biochemical Institute at the University of Texas, Austin. For two decades, Davis and two colleagues Melvin Epp, and Hugh Riordan analyzed nutritional data taken from selectively bred high yield conventionally grown produce. In 2005, their study titled “Changes in USDA Food Composition Data for 43 Garden Crops, 1950 to 1999” showed the results.
According to Davis, “We tracked 50 years in U.S. Department of Agriculture food composition data for 13 nutrients in 43 garden crops, vegetables, strawberries and three melons. Low and high yield varieties were grown and analyzed side by side eliminating key uncertainties that apply to historical data. The data was then analyzed. “
The following information is taken from that paper with editorial changes made to increase its understanding for readers. What the researchers found were declines in average concentrations of six nutrients. The subtraction sign representing the negative symbol, indicates decline. The results of 20 years showed declines in: protein of – 6%, calcium: –16%, phosphorus: – 9%, iron: –15%, riboflavin: – 38%, and vitamin C: – 20%.
In the article, Davis cited direct evidence of genetic trade-offs between yield and mineral concentration in broccoli, between calcium and magnesium, and for wheat, in iron between zinc, copper, selenium, phosphorus, and sulfur. Correlation coefficients between yield and nutrient concentrations were negative for 14 hard red winter wheats. For 27 commercial broccoli hybrids, correlation coefficients between yield and calcium and magnesium ranged from – 0.46 to -0.69.
“There seems little doubt that sizable genetic trade-offs exist, but we do not yet know their breadth,” Davis stated in his conclusions.
An explanation of exactly what happens in genetically engineered dilution effects may be helpful. Over many years of using yield potential as the dominant criterion in developing improved varieties, while average yields have risen, plant root systems have not been able to keep pace in drawing more needed micronutrients from the soil. When breeders selectively breed for one resource, using a selected trait like yield, fewer resources remain for other plant functions as the study explains.
“There may be trade-offs between the number of seeds and their size or between yield and growth rate and pest resistance. In tomatoes, there are trade-offs between yield which is the harvest weight and the dry weight, or between yield or fruit size and vitamin C, and between lycopene which gives tomatoes their the primary color and beta-carotene which is the precursor to vitamin A.”
This information on nutritional decline and selective breeding is nothing new to agricultural researchers and scientists. Science journals began publishing writings on nutritional decline over 20 years ago. A 1981 review in “Advances in Agronomy” discussed the widely cited “dilution effect,” in which yield-enhancing methods like fertilization and irrigation may decrease nutrient concentrations, an environmental dilution effect. Recently, evidence has emerged that genetically based increases in yield may have the same result, a genetic dilution effect. An explanation of exactly what happens in genetically engineered dilution effects may be helpful. Over many years of using yield potential as the dominant criterion in developing improved varieties, while average yields have risen, plant root systems have not been able to keep pace in drawing more needed micronutrients from the soil. When breeders selectively breed for one resource, using a selected trait like yield, fewer resources remain for other plant functions as the study explains.
Either way, modern crops that grow larger and faster are not necessarily able to acquire nutrients at the same, faster rate, whether by synthesis or from the soil.
In view of all of this, Davis merely contends, “We should not assume that plant composition remains constant as we increase yield.”
Farming’s bottom line is based on per acre crop yield per harvest. The dry weight of a crop which is the size of a crop, determines its profitability. The yield per acre can increase or decrease based on a variety of factors ranging from weather to pests to soil corrosion or erosion.
When during the 60s’ and 70s’, major changes in environmental and genetic growing methods came into wide use resulting in higher crop yields, it was seen as an economic boon to farmers especially grain farmers. These methods included fertilization, better irrigation, pest and weed control, increased variety and selective seed breeding. Greatly increased yields of wheat, rice, and maize followed. Little did anyone know that by breeding increased yield, nutritional quality would be compromised. This unintended nutritional side effect was the basis for Davis’ study, “Tradeoffs in Agriculture and Nutrition” in March 2005 in “Food Technology”.
Chief scientist and sustainable agriculture expert for The Organic Center, Charles Benbrook had this to say about nutritional declines. “Plant breeders could maintain and even increase the nutrient content of most crops. But this goal usually takes a back seat to economic issues,” Benbrook said. “Large growers want size and fast growth so they can harvest early. These factors feed into sacrifices in nutritional quality.”
Benbrook says farming’s dependence upon chemical nitrogen fertilizers means we’re getting less for our money.
“Numerous studies have demonstrated that high levels of nitrogen stimulate quick growth and increase crop yields because the fruits and vegetables take up more water. In effect, this means consumers pay more for produce diluted with water. High nitrogen levels make plants grow fast and bulk up with carbohydrates and water. While the fruits these plants produce may be big, they suffer in nutritional quality.
“You can’t buy soil quality in a bag any more than you can buy good nutrition in a pill. Unless we understand much more fully what the critical balances are (in natural plants) it’s very difficult to import them to the farm in a bag or a bottle.” Benbrook said.
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is a non profit that works for fair trade, food safety, organic farming and sustainability. Featured on their website is a Mother Earth News article from 2004. The article documented nutritional declines in meats, poultry, dairy products, fruits and vegetables. The OCA contacted the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture for the official explanation. The secretary was asked if nutritional declines were linked to preventable factors.
The USDA’s Agricultural Research Service Director responded on behalf of the Secretary confirming that the nutritional decline findings were true in many, but not all cases. The Director went on to list variables that might be related to these apparent declines but offered no indication that the USDA would be studying the issue further. Recently the same reporters contacted the USDA again to find out any new developments on the matter. The USDA office referred them to their previous response and had no further comment on the subject. Both email and telephone contacts to the USDA were made for this article. No response had been received.
Benbrook has been quoted saying the USDA has a “tacit policy to avoid discussions of differences in food quality and safety that may be a function of how food is grown and processed,” Benbrook said. “The Department (USDA) made a political decision when they finalized the national organic rule. They declared that organic food was not nutritionally superior or safer than conventional food, even though there is solid evidence suggesting otherwise. Organic production systems which use slow-release forms of nitrogen produce foods that usually yield denser concentrations of nutrients and deliver consumers a better nutritional bargain per calorie consumed.”
The nutritional decline findings alone give reason to eat organic fruits and vegetables and eat more of them. In fact, for nearly all nutrients, organic fruits and vegetables remain our most nutrient-dense foods. When asked the best way for people to buy high quality fruits and vegetables, Davis said, “If the evidence holds up, the only sure remedy available will be going back to older, lower yielding varieties. A few specialty farmers are doing this already, for reasons of flavor, color and novelty, for example “heirloom” varieties. One thing that might help, when selecting vegetables and fruits at the store, choose the smallest specimens, because they may have smaller dilution effects. I do this, when the pricing is per pound. Wine makers say that the smallest grapes make the best wines.”
For a family eating fruits and vegetables, how much more do they need to eat to fulfill USDA nutrition needs?
“The median declines we found from data published in 1950 to 1999 ranged from 6% to 38%, with an average around 15%. So 15% more vegetables and fruits would theoretically make up the difference, with very little increase in calories. But to reach 5 to 9 servings per day, most Americans would need to make much larger increases,” Davis said.
This information makes the updated food pyramid not so much current as reflective of the need for an increase in fruits and vegetables in order to get the same nutritional benefits. Davis was asked his views concerning the USDA food pyramid.
“It’s good in many ways. I question the idea, however, that grains, even whole grains, are the best foundation for everyone.” Davis said. “ Another big problem, but not with the pyramid itself, is that Americans on average don’t even come close to the recommendations to limit added sugars, added fats and oils, and white flour and white rice.”
”Which brings up another point,” Davis emphasized. “For those who are concerned about nutrient losses in foods, and Americans should be concerned, the biggest problem and the most room for improvement is not with our current food crops. It is with what we do to with the major portion of them, calorie-wise after harvest. An amazing two-thirds (2/3) of American calories, on average come from depleted, man-made sources such as purified sugars, added fats and oils, white flour, white rice, and distilled liquor,” Davis said. “All of these items have suffered much deeper and broader nutrient losses than the nutrient declines we and others report in vegetables and fruits.”
“The remedy is available now to everyone, with no change in agricultural methods: Eat more whole foods, with the nutrients they had when they grew, and much less of these badly depleted, non-whole foods that never existed in nature. This is a very old message that most Americans don’t readily welcome or don’t think is important,” Davis
Davis was asked how he would reorganize the current system of corporate farming to make it nutritionally better for consumers. Davis was clear. said.
“I think the way for this to happen is for aware consumers to be willing to pay more for foods that are grown in ways that they prefer. These preferences can involve higher levels of nutrients and phytochemicals where they can be documented. Fruits and vegetables with more flavor and greater maturity, especially fruits. Fruits and vegetables from local sources grown using lower levels of pesticides and herbicides.”
That conclusion certainly jives with the Organic Authority’s fruit and vegetable of choice, as always and in one word, organic.
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From Dr. Art Evans' Blog – The bumble flower scarab, Euphoria inda (Linnaeus), is the most widely distributed species of Euphoria in North America, ranging from Quebec south to Florida, west to British Columbia, Oregon, Colorado, and southeastern Arizona. The head and pronotum are mostly black, while the elytra are yellowish-brown with variable black spots. The dorsal surface is shiny or dull.
The larvae develop in various accumulations of plant materials, rotten wood, and within the thatched nests of ants in the genus Formica. Adults emerge from their earthen pupal cases in late summer, overwinter, and become active again the following spring. They are often found flying close to the ground in the morning until midday, especially over piles of grass, edges of haystacks, compost piles, manure, and other plant debris. They are sometimes found in numbers drinking sap from wounds on tree trunks and exposed roots, or feeding on various flowers and ripe fruits.
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Estimates call for some 1200 new satellites to be launched by 2019. Meanwhile, an estimated half-million pieces of space debris currently orbit the earth. Impact seems inevitable.
In a few weeks, according to news reports, the International Space Station will have a new little buddy – China's Tiangong I, an unmanned 8.5-ton space lab designed to function as a test bed for a future 60-ton lab destined for launch around 2020. Elsewhere, Russia's Orbital Technology has unveiled plans to open up a space hotel by 2016. Meanwhile, Euroconsult estimates that more than 1,200 satellites will go into orbit between now and 2019.
It's going to start getting crowded up there.
Actually, it already is. According to NASA, some 19,000 pieces of space junk more than 10 cm in diameter are merrily circling the earth, the bulk of them in orbital altitudes ranging from 800 to 850 km. Narrow the window to between 1 cm and 10 cm, and the number jumps to 500,000. Sources range from decommissioned spacecraft and discarded launch stages to debris generated by explosions or collisions. Of course, where it comes from hardly matters – the problem is that it's not going anywhere. At altitudes around 600 km, objects might fall to Earth within a few years, but at the 800 km point, debris will remain stable for decades. Jump up to 1,000 km, and it will be there for a century or more – a century during which space travel will most likely become routine, if not commonplace.
Figure 1: NASA simulation provides an idea of just how crowded the neighborhood has gotten. (Courtesy of NASA)
Aesthetics aside, orbital debris can present a significant hazard to satellites and vehicles alike. NASA estimates the relative speed of impact between two objects in orbit to be roughly 10 km/s. Debris shields might protect against centimeter-size objects, but the larger the pieces are, the more kinetic energy they carry. The probability of impact between objects larger than 10 cm is characterized as low, but part of the reason the 800 to 850 km range is so crowded is because of a 2009 impact between Russian and U.S. satellites.
Granted, there are moves underway to address the problem. NASA has a sophisticated debris tracking project to ensure manned or other high-value spacecraft can perform evasive maneuvers in the event that they are threatened by a large object. Space agencies around the globe have teamed to form the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC), which works to alter manufacturing and deployment with an eye toward minimizing the generation of new debris.
Figure 2: Orbital debris punched this roughly 0.7-mm-diameter hole in a panel of the Solar Max experiment. (Courtesy of NASA)
Still, there's no real way to clean things up outside of waiting for orbits to degrade. And If space tourism truly takes off (pardon the pun), the probability of impact between debris and a manned vehicle will only increase. Any idea how we can handle this situation?
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Definition of Modenas
1. modena [n] - See also: modena
Click the following link to bring up a new window with an automated collection of images related to the term: Modenas Images
Lexicographical Neighbors of Modenas
Literary usage of Modenas
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. Leaves from the autobiography of Tommaso Salvini by Tommaso Salvini (1893)
"modenas METHOD OF TEACHING MODENA'S system of instruction was more by practice than by theory. In our day he would be blamed, now that it is considered ..."
2. The Cambridge Modern History by Adolphus William Ward, George Walter Prothero (1908)
"... great figure in Brandenburg-Prussian history, see K. Jacob, Der Grosse Kurfürst im Lichte der modenas Forschung (Deutsche Literaturzeitung, 1007, 1-6). ..."
3. The Fortnightly Review (1871)
"For a bright, starlike Florence, how many dark, cloudy modenas ? And hew long did the dazzling period last? Did there ever come the slightest shadow of a ..."
4. Macmillan's Magazine by David Masson, George Grove, John Morley, Mowbray Morris (1901)
"Next to the pulpit nothing is more productive of good than the stage, if it be understood as the Talmas, the modenas, ..."
5. French Painting in the Sixteenth Century by Louis Dimier (1904)
"... and the modenas—feeble artists, hack-workers—who were then serving the King of France, were just the men to apply themselves in this way to the work of ..."
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en
| 0.863526 | 392 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Economy of Malta: strong points and development of Maltese business and trade
Malta has limited resources but a thriving economy
Malta does not have any natural resources and experiences a limited fresh water supply; and it only produces around 20% of the food requirements. Thus, the economy is dependent on the human resources and foreign trade. Malta’s economy is practically driven by financial services, tourism, real estate, Igaming and manufacturing
, particularly of electronics. Other significant sectors are pharmaceuticals, information technology, and call centres.
The development of Malta’s Economy
Before the 1800, most Maltese were farmers or fishermen, even if there was considerable commerce. At the time there were very few industries apart from cotton, tobacco and shipyards. During wars, Malta's economy flourished because of its strategic location in the Mediterranean. With the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Malta saw a substantial rise in the number of ships entering the port, as the Mediterranean became the main trade road.
Malta's Economy after the Second World War
By the end of the Second World War, Malta lost its strategic importance and the British had to wonder about alternative ways of income. When Malta got its independence in 1964, economic activity was minimal, but huge government efforts to start up the manufacturing and tourism industry yielded good results. Aided by agreeable international economic conditions and policies that supported foreign investment, the Maltese economy sustained fast growth right to the end of the 20th century.
Malta's Economy in the aftermath of EU membership
Malta joined the European Union in 2004 and the Eurozone in 2008. When comparing the per capita GDP in the EU, the country falls just above the middle with respect to wealth. The Maltese Government has pursued a policy of gradual economic liberalization and privatisation, taking some steps to shift the emphasis in trade and financial policies from reliance on direct government intervention and control to policy regimes that allow a greater role for market mechanisms. While change has been very substantial by international standards, the economy remains fairly regulated and continues to be hampered by some longstanding structural weaknesses.
The Economy in Malta today
Malta managed to maintain a relatively low unemployment rate, mainly because of the constant growth and by policies encouraging continuous training for the labour force. Globally, Malta ranks sixth in inward Foreign Direct Investment and amongst the top twenty among countries most likely to sustain economic growth over the medium and long term.
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| 0.943867 | 499 | 3.09375 | 3 |
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