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An idler sprocket is a device used to maintain the tension in a chain or chain drive system. Often consisting of nothing more than a sprocket mounted on a spring tensioned arm, the idler sprocket pulls against the chain in a constant manner to keep the chain tight at all times. The size of the sprocket used in an idler sprocket assembly has no effect on the performance of the chain drive; however; a larger sprocket will often last longer due to the slower speed of the sprocket, which saves wear on the sprocket's bearings. Maintenance for the idler assembly is commonly no more than an occasional greasing of the sprocket's bearings.
When driving a machine by chain, the tension of the chain must be kept at a constant to avoid the chain coming off of the drive sprockets. By installing an idler sprocket in the drive system, the chain is kept taut while not being over-tightened. Operating a chain in an over-tight condition can result in premature bearing and chain failure while an idler sprocket placed in the system is often a way to greatly extend the life of the chain, sprockets and the bearings on the machine's sprocket shafts.
The ideal installation of the idler sprocket is on the opposite side of the chain between the drive sprocket and the driven sprocket. The application should place the idler sprocket in a position that has the sprocket pushing or pulling the chain towards itself as it loops the two primary sprockets in a shape similar to the letter B. This design will allow the pulleys to pull the chain hard without hindering the idler in any way as the drive chain passes over the sprocket. If a condition presents itself which requires the drive to exert excess pressure on the drive chain, the idler will flex against the chain, allowing it to expand while remaining in contact with the drive sprockets.
While the vast majority of idler sprockets are manufactured of steel, many materials are used to manufacture an idler sprocket. Many poly or composite sprockets have been used with great success and some wooden sprockets have also been used on some machinery without issue. Many machines, in an attempt to reduce the wear on the drive chain, use an aluminum, cast iron or steel sprocket coated in a nylon material. The metallic hub allows the idler sprocket to remain very strong while the nylon covering is gentle on the chain links.
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! | <urn:uuid:8358cb38-8e22-48b1-b173-95cf585ab5ad> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-idler-sprocket.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00091-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901037 | 567 | 2.625 | 3 |
The dark stain of dishonor that for 142 years marred the reputation of the brilliant but neglected Maryland "Naval Warrior," Commodore Isaac Mayo, has finally been erased. The struggle begun in April 1976 by his great-great-grandson is a tale of patriotic honor redeemed. It is almost classic tragedy.
The story begins with the start of the Civil War in April 1861. Mayo, about 67 years old, had served in the United States Navy for 52 years, almost 25 of them at sea. He lived in Gresham, the ancestral home on an estate of 1,400 acres on the peninsula between the South and Rhode rivers in Anne Arundel County. The house survives and the area is still called Mayo.
He was born about 1794, nobody is quite sure of the date, the son of a Revolutionary War soldier. He was appointed a midshipman in January 1809, when he was probably 15 years old. He came of age under fire with that extraordinary generation of Maryland seamen who fought in the War of 1812.
He served with distinction aboard the USS Hornet in combat with the British warships Peacock and Penguin. The Hornet, an almost legendary fighting ship, sank the Peacock in less than 15 minutes. Congress awarded Mayo a silver medal for his gallantry in action and Maryland presented him with a dress sword with hilt of solid gold.
Mayo went on to fight in the Caribbean against pirates, in Florida against the Seminole Indians and at Vera Cruz in the Mexican War. He even became the military governor of Alvarado, Mexico. He commanded the African Squadron in the suppression of the slave trade as commodore aboard the USS Constitution, which, in fact, captured a slaver.
He came home to the United States, still serving on the Constitution, when it was decommissioned in June 1855. He was four years older than his ship. And he was coming to the end of his distinguished Navy career, too. He was, indeed, a "Naval Warrior," the title chosen by Byron Lee for his biography of the commodore published by the Anne Arrundell County Historical Society. Lee himself is a retired U.S. Navy captain,
But in May 1861, Mayo faced the most wrenching decision of his lifetime. South Carolina had fired on Fort Sumter three weeks earlier. The Civil War had begun. On April 19, a Baltimore mob had attacked U. S. soldiers in a melee that killed four soldiers and a dozen civilians - the first bloodshed of the war. Annapolis was under martial law. Maryland teetered on the brink of secession from the Union.
Mayo was a proud American patriot. Lee, in his biography, recounts an official letter in which the commodore says proudly that his grandfather, Joseph Mayo, sent seven sons to the Revolutionary War and only two returned, one of whom was his father.
But he was a Marylander from southern Anne Arundel County where Abraham Lincoln received just three votes in the election of November 1860. (Lincoln got one in Prince George's, six in Charles, one in St. Marys and one in Calvert.) Mayo was a Southern sympathizer and a slaveholder surrounded by active supporters of the Confederacy. By the end of April 1861, 222 naval officers apparently more loyal to the South than the United States had resigned, according to a study by William S. Dudley, who is now director of the Naval Historical Center.
Mayo resigned on May 1, 1861, in an eloquent but stinging letter to President Lincoln.
"For more than half a century it has been the pride of my life to hold office under the Government of the United States," he wrote. "For twenty-five years, I have engaged in active service and have never seen my flag dishonored, or the American arms disgraced by defeat. It was the hope of my old age that I might die, as I had lived, an officer of the Navy of a free government.
"This hope has been taken from me," he wrote. "In adopting, the policy of coercion, you have denied to millions of freemen the rights of the Constitution and in its stead you have placed the will of a sectional Party and now demand submission in the name of armed force.
"As one of the oldest soldiers of America, I protest - in the name of humanity - against this `war against brethren.' I cannot fight against the Constitution while pretending to fight for it.
"You will oblige me by accepting my resignation."
He signed it "Most respectfully, Isaac Mayo, Captain U.S. Navy Late Commander U.S. Naval Forces, Coast of Africa, Constitution, Flagship."
"Most people think it was a very harsh way to address the President of the United States," Lee says.
He's not sure Lincoln ever read Mayo's letter. But on the back of the letter, he found the notation "Dismiss by order of the President. Done May 18, 1861" - an action tantamount to dishonorable discharge.
Some believe on that day Mayo shot himself. (The Sun, on Friday, May 24, 1861, reported that Mayo had died, "on Saturday last at his residence," meaning May 18, but offered no details.)
But Lee has become convinced Mayo died on May 10, as Mayo's descendants insist. | <urn:uuid:3e2ec05f-208a-4bd4-975c-1f52a709973f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2003-08-11/features/0308110212_1_mayo-revolutionary-war-arundel-county | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00054-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98356 | 1,105 | 3.15625 | 3 |
Gender-sensitive indicators for media
Framework of indicators to gauge gender sensitivity in media operations and content
The aim of the Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media (GSIM) is to contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment in and through media of all forms, irrespective of the technology used. The main focus of the publication is on the equality and gender dimensions of social diversity in the media.
UNESCO’s commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment is pursued through gender-specific programming and gender mainstreaming with action in all of its fields of competence. UNESCO’s Communication and Information Sector has engaged globally in a wide range of gender-specific initiatives. The two perspectives, equality between women and men working in the media, and equality in news reporting on women and men, are of equal importance and are being stridently pursued.
It is against this backdrop that UNESCO, in cooperation with the International Federation of Journalists and many other partners, has elaborated this global framework of Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media. This is a part of a suite of indicators being developed across all sectors of the organization to enable effective assessment of diagnosis of areas within UNESCO’s mandate of media development.
The process that led to the preparation of GSIM extended over a two-year period. It began in early 2010 with a global debate on the UNESCO Women Make the News platform. A first draft of GSIM was then prepared and a year later it was reviewed during an international consultation in Brussels. Thereafter a second draft was prepared. In order to further enrich it a second round of consultation was carried out with UNESCO media partners globally. This essential consultation enabled UNESCO to underline that GSIM is not an attempt to limit freedom of expression and the independence of media, but to voluntarily enrich these cardinal characteristics.
UNESCO is confident that, if fully implemented and properly harnessed, GSIM will have an impact that should be detectable in both qualitative and quantitative terms. | <urn:uuid:8a77ad63-ccfb-4913-84a0-c8aa8fc5e1c1> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/resources/publications-and-communication-materials/publications/full-list/gender-sensitive-indicators-for-media-framework-of-indicators-to-gauge-gender-sensitivity-in-media-operations-and-content/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393463.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00067-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939656 | 402 | 2.96875 | 3 |
An excerpt from a lengthy essay about the possibility that broadband Internet access should be a civil right
A substantial fraction of Americans now lack access to this modern necessity. In October 2009, a Department of Commerce survey found that a little over one-third of households did not use a broadband service. Sometimes this is by choice, but often it’s because of cost. In one survey, people told the FCC they paid an average of almost $41 per month for broadband, but that can vary widely; as a rule, broadband is more expensive in rural areas, some of which don’t have the relevant infrastructure at all. Usage figures correlate strongly with income, the Department of Commerce found: Households with family incomes above $50,000 overwhelmingly have broadband, but it’s far less common for lower-income people. The numbers also differ by race. Only about 45 percent of African-Americans, and an even lower percentage of Hispanics, use broadband at home.
Given how important the online world is to so many aspects of 21st-century life, when many observers look at Americans without broadband, they see a group of people who are slowly being excluded from society. Without it, says Benjamin Lennett, a policy analyst at the Wireless Futures program at the New American Foundation, “You’re simply not going to be able to have equal standing in society. You’re simply going to be left out.” | <urn:uuid:4c4c72c3-1e70-43c4-b503-68ce5093c45d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://pbokelly.blogspot.com/2010/06/one-nation-online-boston-globe.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392099.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00143-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96143 | 294 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Homepage / Checklist of families
Dryomyzidae is a small family of flies (about a dozen species in four genera; two genera known only as fossils) primarily restricted to the Holarctic Region, although Southern Hemisphere representatives are known. Very little is known of the habits of the adults or immatures of these flies. Adults of living forms are found in moist, shady habits among low-growing vegetation, fungi, and excrement. Larvae have been reared from decaying organic matter including carrion, dung, and fungi. The fossil record of this family is poor. Only four fossil species in three genera (all from the Tertiary of the Northern Hemisphere) are known. Ross & Jarzembowski (1993: 402) recorded the family from the Paleocene, probably based on unpublished material.
Genus DRYOMYZA Fallén
*DRYOMYZA Fallén, 1820e: 15. Type species: Dryomyza anilis Fallén, 1820, by subsequent designation of Zetterstedt (1846: 2082).
pelidua Statz, 1940: 146. PA: Germany (Oligocene) [C].
shanwangensis Zhang, 1989a: 364. PA: China (Miocene) [C].
Genus PALAEOTIMIA Meunier
PALAEOTIMIA Meunier, 1908h: 266. Type species: Palaeotimia lhoesti Meunier, 1908, by monotypy.
lhoesti Meunier, 1908h: 266. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene) [A].
Genus PRODRYOMYZA Hennig
PRODRYOMYZA Hennig, 1965: 73. Type species: Prodryomyza electrica Hennig, 1965, by monotypy.
electrica Hennig, 1965: 73. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene) [A]. | <urn:uuid:1d3e2145-461e-4614-b3d5-a0992c003eed> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/fossilcat/fossdryomyz.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397748.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00131-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.837162 | 416 | 3.28125 | 3 |
Military ManDuring the Independence War, he served as a platoon commander in the Alexandroni Brigade and was critically wounded in the Latrun battle.
In 1953, Sharon founded Unit 101 to conduct reprisal raids against infiltrators from Jordan and the Gaza Strip. In October 1953, one such raid in the village of Kibiya ended with a large number of dead, including women and children. As a result, in January 1954, Sharon decided to disband the unit, which was then integrated into the IDF’s regular Paratroopers Brigade, under Sharon’s command.
In 1956, Sharon was appointed Paratroopers Brigade commander and fought in Operation Kadesh. During the campaign, Sharon led the fighters in the fierce Mitla battle. Many paratroopers died, and Sharon came under verbal attack from critics who charged that the battle had not been necessary.
Armored division commander, Ariel Sharon, Yon Kippur war (Photo: IDF)
During the Six Day War, Sharon commanded an armored division, and in 1970, he was appointed OC Southern Command, in which position he bore the brunt of the War of Attrition. During 1971, in the aftermath of the war, Sharon focused on destroying terrorist cells in the Gaza Strip. In addition, he drove out the Bedouins from northern Sinai, thus earning himself a reprimand from the Chief of Staff.
Sharon retired from the IDF in June 1973, and turned his attention to the Liberal party and Knesset elections. He spent the next several months establishing the Likud party.
When the Yom Kippur War broke out, Sharon returned to active duty as an armored division commander, quarreled with his superiors, and crossed the Suez Canal in what would become the war’s turning point.
Sharon was elected to the Knesset in December 1973, but a year later, he resigned and returned to the IDF. From 1975-1976, he served as then-Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin’s defense advisor.
In Menachem Begin’s government, Sharon served as agriculture minister.
In 1980, Defense Minister Ezer Weizmann resigned, and Sharon wished to replace him. Initially, however, Begin refused Sharon’s request. But following elections for the tenth Knesset in 1981, Sharon was appointed defense minister, as he had hoped. In this position, Sharon initiated Operation Pines, which was designed to eliminate the terrorist bases in Lebanon and end the attacks on the northern border.
The operation, which came to be known as Operation Peace for the Galilee, began on June 6, 1982. Sharon was involved in every stage, and critics charged that Sharon took certain steps without Begin’s knowledge or approval. In September 1982, following Lebanese President Bashir Gemayel’s assassination, Phalangist forces massacred Palestinian residents of the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Lebanon.
A report issued by the Kahan Commission, the investigative committee established to probe Israel’s responsibility for the massacre, determined that Sharon was responsible for ignoring the potential for a massacre to occur, both when deciding to allow the Phalangists into the camps and by not providing the necessary means to prevent a massacre. Begin heeded the Commission’s recommendations that Sharon be dismissed from his position.
Leading Likud (Archive photo: Zvika Tishler)
In Yitzchak Shamir’s government, Sharon was appointed minister of housing and construction.
When Binyamin Netanyahu formed his government in 1996, the new National Infrastructure Ministry was “stitched together” for Sharon, who became a member of the political-defense cabinet. Later, Sharon became foreign minister.
In 1999, Sharon was elected Likud chairman.
In September 2000, Sharon made a well-publicized visit to the Temple Mount, despite warnings that his act could have serious repercussions. Following the visit, Israeli-Arabs joined the Palestinians of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza in a violent wave of protests, which evolved into the so-called Al-Aksa Intifada.
In national elections held on February 6, 2001, Sharon beat out incumbent Prime Minister Ehud Barak by a wide margin. Then, on March 7, Sharon established a national-unity government.
In January 2003, he led the Likud to a sweeping victory in the Knesset elections and continued on as prime minister. During 2003, Sharon and his sons were investigated in two separate cases of alleged corruption: one involving a loan from millionaire Cyril Kern, and the second concerning businessman David Appel’s hiring of Gilad Sharon.
Pushing forwards. Elections 2006 (Archive photo: AFP)
On December 18, 2003, Sharon presented his so-called “disengagement” plan, which involved a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The plan’s details were released in April 2004. Although he faced numerous challenges, Sharon managed to maintain his government’s stability, and his controversial plan was implemented in August 2005. All the Israeli communities in the Gaza Strip, as well as an additional four communities in northern Samaria, were evacuated.
The plan’s implementation rocked the Likud party, which was bitterly divided between “disengagement” supporters and opponents, and the animosity continued even after the evacuation was completed. In November 2005, after the Labor party bolted Sharon’s government and elections were advanced to March 2006, Sharon announced that he was quitting the Likud and forming a new party called Kadima.
Towards the end of December 2005, Sharon suffered a minor stroke and was briefly hospitalized. Then, on January 4, 2006, several days after he had returned to work, he suffered a massive stroke and was hospitalized again.
His responsibilities and official duties as PM were transferred to then-Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who became acting prime minister. Sharon’s tenure as prime minister officially ended 100 days later, when he was rendered permanently incapacitated and unable to resume his duties as prime minister. He died on Saturday, January 11, 2014 and was buried on his home at Sycamore Ranch in the Negev. | <urn:uuid:3ddaec4b-247a-4f33-9d6d-7dd2e1685d3d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3285792,00.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398209.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00091-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980984 | 1,292 | 3.25 | 3 |
Hongzhe Sun and co-workers, University of Hong Kong, have tracked the uptake of bismuth in single Helicobacter pylori cells by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). In doing so, the team has demonstrated that ICP-MS can not only be applied to bulk biological samples, but is also an effective technique for monitoring metal uptake at the single-cell level by providing time-resolved details of the uptake process. The process removes the need for acid digestion of the bulk sample, which is tedious and prone to contamination and sample loss.
Bismuth complexes are used in conjunction with antibiotics to treat H. pylori infections which cause peptic ulcers. The team showed that there is a competitive transport pathway involving bismuth and ferric ions in H. pylori. This improved understanding of the uptake process could lead to the development of improved anti-ulcer drugs.
The research also serves as proof of concept and could see the single-cell IPC-MS technique extended to the rapid diagnosis of metal-relevant diseases and identification of metal-related genes.
Article Views: 2042 | <urn:uuid:d5e73bc7-e51b-4981-b27c-e01ed8e7823c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.chemistryviews.org/details/news/1057995/Tracking_Bismuth.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397567.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00160-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94083 | 238 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Hail All Presidents On Washington’s Birthday
When some of us were in elementary school, lo these many years ago, the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, the first and 16th presidents, respectively, were celebrated as two separate days of significance. Washington’s birthday was a federal holiday and until the late 1980s, corporate businesses and schools in many parts of the country, were closed.
In some localities Lincoln’s birthday, as well as that of Washington, meant a day off from school, but Lincoln was still less celebrated than Washington. A draft of a proposal for amending the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 that would have renamed the holiday to Presidents' Day to honor the birthdays of both Washington and Lincoln failed in committee and the bill as voted on and signed into law on June 28, 1968 kept the name Washington's Birthday. Now familiarly known as Presidents’ Day, it honors all 44 United States presidents as well as Lincoln and Washington.
The holiday, though today more a day off from school and, for some fortunate souls, work, still celebrates the two most noted presidents in America’s history as well as their 42 counterparts. As such, Presidents’ Day also salutes another element for the most part unique to the United States: the egalitarianism that brings outstanding leaders to the Oval Office. Washington was the third son (first-born of a second wife) of a Virginia planter. He distinguished himself in a number of military endeavors and was the logical choice for commanding general of the Continental Army in the War of Independence. The new nation required an elected leader and Washington was the logical choice for Chief Executive as well.
Lincoln came from a less distinguished, less monied background. A truly self-made and largely self-educated man, he was a lawyer and Congressmember before he was elected to the presidency. Although his military experience consisted only of service as a captain in a company of the Illinois militia during the Black Hawk War of 1832, he was able to lead the Union Army as Commander in Chief during the Civil War and hold the country together during a crisis that threatened to tear it apart.
All successors to the first and 16th presidents have been standouts in many ways that made them the person best suited to lead the country, whenever they served and whatever the problems that beset their term or terms in the Oval Office. That they were able to be the right person in the right place at the right time is a testament to the egalitarianism that marks our political process and our society as a whole. On this Washington’s Birthday/President’s Day, let us pause to appreciate the social structure that makes it possible for the cream to rise to the top and give us the president we need at a time when we need a president whose skills, talents and personality are uniquely suited to be the best person available to deal with a particular situation, whatever that situation may happen to be. | <urn:uuid:997ac086-2bc0-4072-b181-e2b89523326d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.qgazette.com/news/2010-02-10/Editorials/Hail_All_Presidents_On_Washingtons_Birthday.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00062-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98042 | 605 | 3.453125 | 3 |
WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- More than two dozen kinds of shellfish fossils and 15 previously unknown species of algae have been found under the seabed off Antarctica, a scientist said Friday.
The discovery of the shells indicates the Ross Sea off Antarctica was 6 to 7 degrees warmer about 1.2 million to 1.8 million years ago, geology professor Peter Barrett told The Associated Press.
Barrett, from Victoria University in Wellington, is the coordinator of a six-nation project drilling the Antarctic coastal seabed off Cape Roberts to study past climatic change.
The scientists believe the rock cores from 1,500 feet below the sea bed could unlock the history of the Antarctic's climate and offer clues to global warming.
They also believe that studying earlier Antarctic warm spells may help them predict what global warming may do to the world's ice and sea levels.
"It's been a controversy over whether periods in the Pleistocene and Pliocene were warmer than the present," said Bill Budd of the Antarctic Cooperative Research Center at the University of Tasmania. Budd studies glacial and coastal ice changes for clues to more recent climate changes.
The Pleistocene and Pliocene epochs, taken together, ran from about 5.3 million years ago to about 10,000 years ago.
Barrett said the shells and algal seaweed beds were both major finds.
"In a glacial environment, shells hardly ever form, and there's an enormous variety, something like 32 different types of mollusks alone" in the one-yard-thick bed, he said.
He said the layer also contained barnacles, corals and other shellfish life forms and indicated "a super-warm period" between ice ages and "indicates a rather different environment in the Ross Sea than we are used to thinking of."
"We also found entirely new micro-flora (algal seaweed) existed in the area 15 to 22 million years ago, and have identified 15 new species, not just for the Antarctic, but to the globe," he said.
Wellington paleontologist Roger Cooper said the find has "exciting implications" for the study of Antarctic climate and the "controversial international debate" of whether Antarctica has been covered in an ice sheet throughout history.
"This new evidence should help resolve the debate and take us further forward in our understanding of Antarctic climate, and therefore its effects on global climate," said Cooper, a research program leader at the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, who was not part of the ice coring project.
He said if the shells were those of temperate and warm water mollusks that would favor the theory that the Antarctic ice sheet disappeared during a past period of global warming.
New Zealand is leading the consortium of 42 scientists from the United States, Italy, Britain, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.
Barrett travels to Washington for a meeting of the group next week, hoping to find an extra $1 million from the U.S. National Science Foundation to extend their work.
© 2016. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us | <urn:uuid:52729bfe-7057-48cd-a9de-433f7fa10672> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/1998/01/31/tec_221636.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408828.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00002-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945939 | 637 | 3.375 | 3 |
Animal advocates and conservationists are fighting to stop the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) from poisoning thousands of black-tailed prairie dogs who live on the Thunder Basin National Grassland in eastern Wyoming.
The prairie dog management plan was put in place years ago, setting aside 85,000 acres where prairie dogs would be protected from poisons and shooting, but complaints from ranchers have led the USFS to propose going backwards and amend the plan to allow prairie dogs to be poisoned within a quarter of a mile of private or state land.
The management strategy was originally intended to promote ecological diversity and ensure prairie dogs and other species had a safe space to live, but the new plan would in effect take away 22,000 acres of this protected land and end up killing an estimated 16,000 prairie dogs, according to a joint press release from the organizations opposing the agency’s proposal, including the Humane Society of the United States, the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, Defenders of Wildlife and WildEarth Guardians.
Unfortunately, prairie dog numbers have already been reduced by habitat loss and disease and because they are often seen as pests who need to be destroyed. According to the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, these prairie dogs now only exist on an estimated two percent of their former range.
Living in colonies known as “towns,” prairie dogs are considered a keystone species who are vital to the health of prairie ecosystems. Their disappearance will affect numerous other species who rely on them as a food source and as habitat developers for species who take advantage of abandoned burrows, including burrowing owls, raptors, swift foxes and badgers, among others. According to the Prairie Dog Coalition, as many as 140 species are believed to be affected by the role of the black-tailed prairie dog in North America.
Prairie dog advocates are opposing the proposal, not only because prairie dogs are important, but because adding more poison to the government’s wildlife management toolbox is dangerous and unacceptable. Using poison is a sickeningly cruel method for dealing with wild animals that results in a horrific death and has no place on our public lands. The use of poison also poses a threat to other non-target species as it moves through the food chain.
“These dangerous poisons shouldn’t be used anywhere, much less in one of our last best grasslands,” said Taylor Jones, endangered species advocate for WildEarth Guardians.
Killing prairie dogs and using poison will also impact the recovery plan for black-footed ferrets, who have been brought back from the brink of extinction through captive breeding programs. Thunder Basin National Grassland is believed to be one of the best places available for releasing more of them, and many believe one of the easiest ways to ensure the success of the recovery program is to work on prairie dog conservation efforts simultaneously.
The organizations fighting this proposal are calling on the USFS to adopt non-lethal management strategies that include building vegetative barriers to deter prairie dogs from expanding onto neighboring lands, relocating prairie dog colonies from boundary areas to protected areas away from private lands when necessary and offering incentives to private landowners to coexist with prairie dogs.
Photo credit: Thinkstock | <urn:uuid:71ff4064-57b5-4341-b9d2-c02f55956d14> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.care2.com/causes/thousands-of-prairie-dogs-in-danger-of-being-poisoned.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398075.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00161-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945798 | 668 | 3.1875 | 3 |
Dita Asiedu at Radio Praha writes:
The Codex Gigas, also known as the Devil's Bible, is the biggest book in
the world. Made at the start of the 13th century in a Bohemian monastery,
it was one of the country's most prized works of art. In medieval times,
its uniqueness was even put on a par with the wonders of the world. . . .
Why, how and by whom the Devil's Bible was made has remained a mystery
until this day. But legend has it that the book was written by a monk, who
faced being walled up alive for breaching a monastic code, and promised to
create the biggest manuscript in the world in just one night in return for
being spared from punishment. But when he realised that he would not be
able to deliver on his promise, he asked the devil for help and his prayer
was answered. The devil, to which the monk sold his soul, is depicted in
the Penitential - a chapter that takes the form of a handbook for priests,
listing various sins and the corresponding forms of repentance.
"The book contains the Old Testament, the New Testament, a necrology
of the Podlazice monastery, a list of Podlazice fraternity members, a
script on natural history, the oldest Czech Latin chronicle - there are
eleven contents items in all.
It is estimated that skin from some 160 donkeys had to be used to provide
sufficient writing material for the book. Written in Latin, it also
includes mystical medical formulae to treat epilepsy and fever but also
solve unusual problems like finding a thief, for example. One of the most
valuable chapters is the Chronica Bohemorum - a copy of the Bohemian
Chronicle, drawn up from 1045 to 1125, that is considered one of the
oldest and best transcripts of the Chronicle. The very end of the codex
includes a list of the days on which Easter falls in the coming years. | <urn:uuid:5f2f112d-3f2a-44f7-ac2a-2f0a01a281d8> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.neatorama.com/2007/04/21/the-devils-bible/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396027.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00056-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960523 | 426 | 2.734375 | 3 |
WhatsWhat.me (Beta), is a unique, “kids-only,” “no bullying allowed” social network for kids aged seven to thirteen that was built on the Drupal platform.
As mainstream social networks are targeted at adults, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires that members of these social networks be at least thirteen years of age. With this in mind, What’sWhat.me (Beta) was created to be safe, secure, and age-appropriate with highly sophisticated privacy and security measures in place, and in strict adherence to COPPA regulations. The site’s mission is to “teach and protect” children as they learn and practice positive online behavior. Also, to help parents “get smart” about kids and social networks, WhatsWhat.me (Beta) has a Parent Resource Center with “Ask The Expert,” a tech glossary, news, and information on keeping kids safe online.
Users of WhatsWhat.me (Beta) can enjoy a wide range of age-appropriate social networking activities such as interacting with friends online through messages, earning points, winning prizes, sharing photos, playing online games, posting comments and creating and joining groups. These activities all take place in a protected environment, ensuring that children are entertained and educated without compromising security.
To make these activities and security features a reality, CommonPlaces deployed a number of solutions. First, facial detection and recognition software was utilized as a security measure.
In keeping with COPPA guidelines, CommonPlaces implemented this unique technology to provide a safe environment for children aged seven to thirteen. As part of the registration process, the child's webcam is used to capture a few photos. These images are then encrypted, stored on secure, state-of-the-art servers, and verified at every login.
Also put into effect were solutions that ensured the privacy of videos submitted to the community. This technology allows for videos to be secured within WhatsWhat.me (Beta) which means they won’t be viewable elsewhere, or picked up on search engines. This helps guarantee that all content is kids-only.
Using the Drupal “user points” module, CommonPlaces set up the community’s “MePoints” system, where users can earn points for certain activities such as logging in, posting comments etc. Upon accumulating a certain amount of points, prizes can be redeemed. | <urn:uuid:bfe31e4e-769c-40b8-aaa4-4c11661754c7> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://www.acquia.com/partners/showcase/commonplaces-e-solutions/portfolio/whatswhatme-beta | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397795.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00177-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942442 | 509 | 2.609375 | 3 |
#include <screen/screen.h> int screen_create_buffer( screen_buffer_t *pbuf );
- An address where the function can store a handle for the native buffer.
This function creates a buffer object, which describes memory where pixels can be drawn to or read from. Memory is allocated to store all information pertaining to a buffer, but not for the buffer itself. Most buffers are created by the composited windowing system through calls to screen_create_window_buffers() and screen_create_pixmap_buffer(). In this case, it is not necessary to create buffer objects with screen_create_buffer(). They can be queried with screen_get_window_property() or screen_get_pixmap_property(). This call is used when buffers must be attached to windows or pixmaps. Applications should use screen_destroy_buffer() when a buffer is no longer used.
If the function succeeds, it returns 0 and a new buffer is created. Otherwise, the function returns -1 and errno is set. | <urn:uuid:84b5410f-c1d3-45e9-8a02-8f30fc9da4a1> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://developer.blackberry.com/playbook/native/reference/com.qnx.doc.screen.lib_ref/topic/rscreen_create_buffer.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393533.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00132-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.739472 | 221 | 3.375 | 3 |
The Classical Mongol language and its relation to the living spoken languages and dialects.
The Mongol vertical alphabet, its origin, its set of graphemes and their positional, facultative and mandatory allographs. The use of the three graphemes aleph, waw and yod for marking the seven basic vowels of the classical language. Digraphs, trigraphs, tetragraphs. The consonantal values of yod. The other consonantal graphemes. Discrepancies between the graphic and phonetic systems. Graphotactics and phonotactics. Orthography. Punctuation. Reading and writing strategies. The alphabetic orders. The digits.
A skeletal grammar. Phonology. Vowel harmony. Variable and invariable, free and bound morphemes. Nouns, verbs, verbal nouns and verbal adverbs. Syntactic markers of the nominal units. Plural markers. The subject possessive marker. Moods vs. aspects and tenses of the finite verbs. Modifiers, conjunctions, particles.
Word formation: deverbal and denominal suffixes; partial reduplication; inflexion.
Syntax. The complement-subject-complement-predicate word order. Nominal and verbal predicates. Negation and prohibition. Coordination and subordination. Embedding structures.
Reading, analyzing and translating texts in transcription and in the original script.
Recommended tools: N. Poppe, A Grammar of Written Mongolian (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 41994); K. Gr nbeck & J. Krueger, Introduction to Classical Mongolian (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 31993); Aleksei Bobrovnikov, Grammatika mongolo-kalmytskogo iazyka (Kazan’, 1849), R. Kullman & D. Tserenpil, Mongolian Grammar (Hongkong: Jensco, 1996); F. Lessing et al., Mongolian-English Dictionary (Bloomington, IN: 51995) | <urn:uuid:b31e74a6-4163-4eb6-85ec-49d34923ba3e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.indiana.edu/~ceus/courses/u566.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399385.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00157-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.694481 | 445 | 3.640625 | 4 |
Henriette Derman, a Russian immigrant, completed her studies at the Simmons library school in 1917. Upon returning to Russia, Mrs. Derman helped modernize the Soviet library system, becoming one of the most important figures in the development of modern Russian librarianship.
In 1938 which was the end of Stalin's repression, she was arrested and sent to a prison camp where she died in 1954.
The purpose of this library guide is to provide information on Derman's career in the United States and in Russia, on life in Soviet Russia while Derman was imprisoned, and to give you a chance to meet and learn more about Henriette Derman.
Derman was born in Riga, Latvia.
The Henriette Derman International Project symbolizes the coming together of two nations in a shared celebration. | <urn:uuid:e7b8ebf9-1c7f-4946-97d0-3334937196fd> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://simmons.libguides.com/Derman | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399522.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00122-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96798 | 167 | 2.75 | 3 |
- Previous 0/1630
Porcelain dish with rounded sides. The dish has yellow enamel over a plain felspathic glaze. There is a mark in underglaze blue on the base.
- Made in: Jingdezhen
- (Asia,China,Jiangxi (province),Jingdezhen)
- Height: 47 millimetres
- Diameter: 216 millimetres
Inscription Typereign mark
Inscription Positionon base
Inscription TransliterationDa Ming Hongzhi nian zhi
Inscription TranslationMade in the Ming dynasty, Hongzhi reign
Inscription CommentHongzhi mark and period
Inscription Positionon footring
Published PDF date : Ming Hongzhi 1488-1505Room 95 label text:
Dish with yellow glaze
This dish demonstrates an attractive use of a monochrome yellow glaze at Jingdezhen. This colour glaze was used to decorate court porcelain for some five hundred years of the imperial era in China from AD 1403 to AD 1911. Potters fired the dish twice, first at a porcelain temperature of around 1280 to1320 °C and then in a second, lower-temperature firing to vitrify the lead-fluxed, iron-pigmented glaze. The base carries an underglaze blue Hongzhi reign mark. There is an incised 天 (tian ‘heaven’) mark in the glaze by the foot ring.
Porcelain with underglaze cobalt-blue mark, transparent and yellow glazes
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province 江西省, 景德鎮
Ming dynasty, Hongzhi mark and period, AD 1488–1505
On display: G95/dc40/sh4
If you’ve noticed a mistake or have any further information about this object, please email: [email protected]
Object reference number: RRC38934
British Museum collection data is also available in the W3C open data standard, RDF, allowing it to join and relate to a growing body of linked data published by organisations around the world.
The Museum makes its collection database available to be used by scholars around the world. Donations will help support curatorial, documentation and digitisation projects. | <urn:uuid:0afe06a7-e63c-4ebf-be1a-2ef1d6caa3e8> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3180217&partId=1&people=162439&page=9&view=list | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395346.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00156-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.727715 | 505 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Molecules that absorb light through ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) and metal-to-metal charge transfer (MMCT)
To meet the energy demands for a sustainable future, abundant carbon-neutral sources of liquid fuel are needed. While existing technologies such as biomass conversion, wind electricity or photovoltaic cells can provide stopgap measures as carbon-neutral energy sources, large-scale liquid fuel production requires the development of new and direct solar-to-fuel technologies. Currently, there is no single device that efficiently incorporates the necessary elements for artificial photosynthesis into an integrated system.
Metal-to-metal charge transfer A d3-d0 Cr(III)-O-Ti(IV) complex
This project focuses on elucidating one of the requirements for solar fuel devices: the fundamental chemistry of excited state electron transfer from a chromophore to a fuel-producing reduction catalyst. In this area, a scientific gap is the control of excited state electron transfer out of the light absorbing chromophore. In order for excited state electron transfer to occur, the excited state must be sufficiently long-lived. Disovering new molecules is vital for fundamental studies of the properties important for efficient charge collection and utilization in solar-to-fuel systems. We are finding that dx-d0 (d3-d0 shown above) mono-oxido bridged heterobimetallic molecules can have visible-light induced metal-to-metal charge transfer (MMCT) transitions with lifetimes of over 100 ns. These types of molecules have potential advantages over existing systems in that properties such as excited state lifetimes and electron transfer rates can be tuned. They are also composed of abundant metals that are theoretically scalable for terawatt deployment. We also aretaking advantage of the properties of first row transiton metals (weaker bonds, low temperature spin-crossover, low spin-orbit coupling) in ways not previously done.
Application of BODIPY dyes as chromophores and fluorophores
BODIPY dyes are a robust platform for a variety of applications. We are studying how to utilize the synthetic versatility of BODIPY dyes in applications such as solar fuels (hydrogen generation), photodynamic therapy, upconversion and water-soluble fluorophores. We have demonstrated that optimizing intersystem crossing can be an efficient tool for enhancing the photocatalytic capabilities of this class of dyes for hydrogen and singlet oxygen generation. We have also developed methods for the synthesis of bright water-soluble BODIPY dyes that can be used as the central platform for biologically focused technologies such as imaging and sensing.
Functional carbon-based materials through the synthesis of extended arenes.
The synthesis of novel carbon-based electronic structures remains an important area of study for the next generation of nano-electronic applications. Historically, research on such structures has focused on conducting polymers, C60 derivatives, or carbon nanotubes. The research in our group explores the possibility for synthetically decorating cycloparaphenylene (cpp) “nanohoops” with metal-arene coordination compounds. These coordination complexes will then be used to link the cpp hoops together, and will serve as the building blocks for self-assembly of these molecular components into extended structures such as chains and nets. By taking a bottom-up approach to the synthesis of such structures, we gain the ability to finely tune the properties of the resulting materials. Of particular interest is controlling the rate and the mechanism of electron transfer through the resulting extended pi network by altering the oxidation state or coordination mode of the arene-metal complex.
We also are working on ways to use the resulting network as a template for the chemical growth of nanotube structures. The resulting material would reflect the structure of the initial self-assembly, and allow for single types of carbon nanotubes to be placed in pre-determined patterns.
Outside Collaborators include the Pushkar Group at Purdue University, the Tamblyn Group at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, the Cuk Group at UC-Berkeley, and the Yachandra/Yano Group at LBNL.
Generous NCSU Startup Funds (Chemistry and College of Sciences) | <urn:uuid:374c6b0d-06dc-40f8-af39-469842beb3e5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www4.ncsu.edu/~wwweare/research.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396027.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00125-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903158 | 874 | 2.5625 | 3 |
This month we review a pioneering study that examines vegetarianism as a movement.
Vegetarianism: Movement or Moment?
Temple University Press, 2002
What does a typical vegetarian look like?
She is most likely a single white middle class woman who has a friend or friends who are vegetarian. She chooses this lifestyle because she is concerned about her health. She is less apt to drink or smoke. She is one of 2.5 to 7 million vegetarians in the United States. The number varies because people asked differ on what vegetarian encompasses. She may have become a vegetarian for a variety of reasons: health, concern for farm animals, world hunger, or disgust at eating animal flesh.
The profile of a vegetarian is one aspect of Vegetarianism: Movement or Moment?, a research project that has been part of sociologist Donna Maurer's life for more than 10 years. A vegetarian who moved toward veganism during that time, Maurer undertook a project not attempted previously, an examination of vegetarianism in North America as a movement. One of the key questions she had to address was whether vegetarianism is a fad or a trend.
Sympathetic to vegetarianism, Maurer does not hesitate to be critical of the movement and its leaders. The movement has focused on the health benefits that have been borne out by research and has lobbied for more vegetarian options. Yet, she reveals two reasons why the movement has not convinced people to become vegetarian. The vegetarian movement has failed to persuade the public that meat eating is dangerous or immoral.
As a movement vegetarianism has not attracted large numbers over the last two centuries. Vegetarianism involves a diet of personal choice rather than a commitment to a collective effort. In order to succeed as a movement, Maurer feel its leaders have to convince people their personal food choices will have an impact on society. Maurer points out that in order to establish a collective identity vegetarian organizations must answer the question, "What does it mean to be a vegetarian?" Many movements have a collective identity based on gender, ethnicity, or sexual preference. Their shared trait becomes the most important trait to their personal identity.
With vegetarians there is no shared trait. Their only commonality is what they avoid -- eating animal flesh. They also do not have an adversary or common enemy. Meat eaters are not adversaries because vegetarian leaders want the message to remain positive to encourage conversion to vegetarianism.
Vegetarian leaders believe people, perhaps after initial resistance, will become converts if they have positive interaction with vegetarians. Maurer found that those who change their diets gradually were more likely to commit to vegetarianism than those making overnight changes. The gradual approach contrasts with the opinion espoused by Drs. Neil Barnard and Dean Ornish. They both feel that rapid change will lead to health improvement and more motivation to continue a vegetarian diet.
The vegetarian movement finds itself overlapping other movements that are concerned with animal rights, health, and the environment. In the case of animal rights, organizations such as PCRM and PETA have embarked on extensive dietary campaigns that are primarily vegan. Membership growth in vegetarian organizations has been static in the 1990's except for increased interest by teenagers and college students.
She concludes by stating that the future of the vegetarian movement depends on convincing people that participation in the movement is important. People have to realize that their food choices can make a difference. By selecting vegetarianism they can help themselves, others, animals, and the environment.
In Vegetarianism: Movement or Moment? Donna Maurer has created an overview for anyone wanting to study vegetarianism on the North American continent. After reading its 150 pages, one comes away with knowledge of the history of vegetarianism, the attitudes of health professionals to the diet, and the activities of vegetarian organizations. The reader is also introduced to the strategies of its leaders, the role the food industry in promoting vegetarian diets, and the ideology of the movement.
The book is filled with information she has gleaned from interviews, questionnaires, publications of local and national groups, participation in regional and national conferences, and attendance at lectures by prominent vegetarian leaders. In the process she has turned what might have been a dry dissertation into very readable and fascinating work.
Reviewed October 2002 | <urn:uuid:09d2a7f5-4294-448c-a634-ffad1135200f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.vegparadise.com/vegreading410.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398628.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00005-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965421 | 861 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Fact Sheet 2011–3011
In 2006, the U.S. Geological Survey completed a study in cooperation with the Wyoming Department of Agriculture to determine the occurrence of pesticides in four major rivers within the Bighorn and North Platte River Basins in Wyoming. Surface-water samples were collected at five sites during three different times of the year and detectable concentrations of pesticides were measured in samples collected during all three sampling events. In 2009–10, the USGS, in cooperation with the WDA, resampled three of the sites from the 2006 study and three additional sites located in areas of interest to the State of Wyoming to further describe the occurrence of pesticides in Wyoming’s rivers. The change was made in order to include sites located near cities and towns. Results from the 2009–10 sampling along with comparisons to data collected in 2006 are presented in this fact sheet.
First posted February 28, 2011
For additional information contact:
Part or all of this report is presented in Portable Document Format (PDF); the latest version of Adobe Reader or similar software is required to view it. Download the latest version of Adobe Reader, free of charge.
Eddy-Miller, C.A., 2011, Pesticides in Wyoming’s rivers, 2006–10: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2011–3011, 4 p. | <urn:uuid:00c31573-3eeb-4c38-90b7-bc83ea64fadd> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2011/3011/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396949.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00161-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959203 | 276 | 3.453125 | 3 |
Gyula Pap, Hungarian Artist; Figure in Bauhaus Movement
Published: September 25, 1983
BUDAPEST, Sept. 24— Gyula Pap, painter and prominent member of the Bauhaus movement in 20th century art, died today, the Hungarian radio said.
He was 83.
Hungarian artists were prominent in Bauhaus, a school of art and architecture founded by Walter Gropius in 1919. Bauhaus style is characterized by severe geometric design.
Mr. Pap, born Nov. 10, 1899, in Oro shaza, studied at art colleges in Vienna and Budapest, joining the Bauhaus soon after its founding. From 1926 to 1933 he taught in Berlin and exhibited his Expressionist portraits and constructionist still-lifes in Vienna, Berlin, Amsterdam and Utrecht before returning to Budapest. He taught at the Budapest College of Art from 1949 to 1962. | <urn:uuid:49c857c8-177a-4f0c-a2bf-f30f3af4a87e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/25/obituaries/gyula-pap-hungarian-artist-figure-in-bauhaus-movement.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391634.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00121-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97006 | 185 | 2.578125 | 3 |
In July 1996 a Blackface ewe gave birth to lamb 6LL3, an outwardly normal baby sheep, at the Roslin Institute's genetic research facility in Edinburgh, Scotland. In the February 27, 1997, issue of Nature magazine, Roslin's chief researcher Dr. Ian Wilmut stunned the world when he announced that 6LL3 (now named Dolly, after American country singer Dolly Parton) was the first successfully cloned mammal. Wilmut was summoned to the British Parliament, and later to the US Senate. He informed alarmed committees on both sides of the Atlantic that he foresaw no particular obstacle to the cloning of humans--the creation of a genetic duplicate of another person. Shocked politicians realized Wilmut's accomplishment coupled with advancements in genetic engineering could alter the future of the human race in a manner not seen since the discovery of atomic energy.
A clone is a genetic duplicate of another organism. Its only natural occurrence in humans is identical twins, in which each share the same DNA and thus develop physically into nearly identical people. Within a few years, predicts Wilmut, cloning humans will be a very real possibility. Why would we do it? There are many reasons, some wonderful, some unquestionably immoral. A women whose husband and child died in a car accident could replace the child by cloning. It has been seriously proposed to clone people to serve as a spare parts depot from which to replace failing hearts or kidneys. Cloning may be possible with the long dead, too. We could unwrap mummified Egyptian King Tut and make a new copy of him, or of Einstein, or of the 5,000-year-old Stone Age man found frozen in the Alps--even revive mastodons. We could take a piece of Buddha's molar from the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, Sri Lanka, and recreate the physical body (though not the enlightened soul) of Gautama Buddha. We could take locks of hair preserved from saints, or dig up samadhi shrines where they are entombed.
The prospects get scary when cloning is combined with genetic engineering (the actual intent of Wilmut's research with sheep). DNA could be taken from a person, customized with genes for disease resistance, intelligence, beauty and then grown into a baby. The perfect musician or the creative genius could be ordered up by calculating parents to be--as could be the perfect unquestioning soldier or murderous sociopath by the less altruistic.
The territory is so new that world leaders are in an ethical void on what to think about it. A host of questions are suddenly being addressed by scientists, politicians, philosophers and religious leaders. After Wilmut's announcement, US President Clinton forbade any federal research on human cloning pending formal review by the US National Bioethics Commission--a significant part of which is to solicit opinions of the world's religions.
Most religious leaders, including Hindu, are opposed to cloning humans. Many consider it "playing God" and therefore wrong. Others question the necessity for another way to make people at a time when we have too many people. Putting these opinions in perspective requires a certain amount of technical background as to exactly what cloning is, how it was accomplished and where genetic engineering fits in.
Every cell a blueprint: It has long been known that each cell contains the complete DNA genetic code, unique to that organism. However, in the growth process, as cells become specialized, parts of the DNA code are "turned off," so that muscle cells make only new muscle cells, brain cells new brain cells and so on. Before this discovery there was no way to make a muscle cell spawn a brain cell, even though the genetic code to do so was present. Many plants are different. Their cells are able to reprogram themselves. That's why we can take a branch cutting from a tree, plant it and have a complete new tree, a clone, develop. The first cloned animals were tadpoles (in 1952), but the results were partial and no adult frogs developed. Scientists thought cloning a mammal would require another half century of research. They reckoned the most likely way was to replace the DNA at the very first stage of growth, in the egg, but had no idea how to accomplish it.
Wilmut's group solved this dilemma with masterful ingenuity. Harvesting and isolating an egg from an adult female sheep had already been done. In fact, the technique is used reliably in humans for in vitro fertilization--"test-tube babies." The second step was removing the DNA-containing nucleus of the egg. Then came the hard part. They took a cell from the mammary gland of an adult sheep and put it into a dormant state, essentially by starving it. During dormancy, they hoped, the cell would forget its mammary identity and be prepared to generate an entire new organism, something that occurs naturally only when the egg is fertilized by a sperm cell. Wilmut used an electric spark to "fuse" the dormant cell into the egg, and, to the amazement of all, an embryo started to develop. The embryo was placed in a surrogate ewe--a process also perfected in humans--and Dolly was born. Hello!
There are four individuals involved in the cloning: the donor (male or female) of the DNA, the donor of the egg, the surrogate mother and the clone. The clone is an identical DNA copy of the cell donor (and always the same sex), and unrelated to either the egg donor or its own birth mother. It required 277 attempts to create Dolly. Some eggs failed to develop, others died during gestation, some were stillborn and others born alive but deformed. Wilmut himself opposes cloning humans, because at this stage researchers would be faced with one success and 276 abortions, stillbirths and deformed babies.
The discovery came cheap. Wilmut's team of 12 managed it on a research grant of US$500,000/year. That's far less than what Nissan spends to develop next year's car model, and mere lunch money compared to the multiple billions spent developing the atomic bomb or going to the Moon. Even though the British government has canceled Wilmut's grant, private companies are rushing to supply him money if he wants it.
DNA is but one factor, albeit an important one, in determining the physical characteristics of a human. Studies on identical twins raised separately reveal they will be, on average, within two inches of the same height, ten pounds of the same weight and six points of IQ. Their fingerprints will be similar, but not identical. They'll have a remarkable affinity for the same medical problems, even communicable diseases. For example, if one twin has diabetes the chances are 80% the twin will, too. Similar figures apply for feeblemindedness, tuberculosis and even criminality. This is vital to the prospect of using cloning for organ transplants, because a clone raised for "spare parts" is likely to have the same weaknesses as the DNA donor--be it heart, kidney or whatever.
Identical twins can be astonishingly similar in even the smallest physical features, and share many personality traits as well. One set of twins separated at birth in the USA was recently reunited. Among a long list of shared traits, both had become firemen, both grew moustaches, both held a beer glass with the same peculiar grip and both had pet dogs--to which they had given the same name! So far there is no precedent for identical twins growing up separated by time as well as space, as would be the case with clones. It is expected the different environment and astrological chart (see page 36) would result in greater distinctions between donor and clone.
Genetically engineered perfection: Wilmut and associates did not develop cloning as an end in itself. Their main goal is to produce genetically altered sheep whose milk contains commercially profitable hormones for humans. Once one such sheep is successfully made--a very difficult process--it can be cloned again and again. Researchers are similarly attempting to create animals that generate human clotting factor (to treat hemophiliacs) and genetically altered pigs whose organs could be transplanted into humans.
Reproduction by cloning holds the key to genetic alterations to cure certain incurable diseases. Before the donor nucleus is implanted into an enucleated egg, its DNA can be altered. By such "genetic engineering" some 4,000 incurable genetic diseases could theoretically be eliminated. But such cures are not welcomed by all. The large deaf community in the USA has complained that if deafness is eliminated, their distinctive culture, sign language and literature will disappear. If cloning technology were perfected, made-to-order, genetically engineered humans would be the logical next frontier. A superhuman could then be perpetuated by cloning it again and again, just as Wilmut cloned Dolly.
Cloning from the Hindu view: Cloning in India took a wrong turn about 6,000 years ago with the creation of Raktabija ("blood drop"), a mythological demon who appears in the Markandeya Purana. Another of him sprung from every drop of his blood spilled on the battlefield. Only with great effort were he and his clones finally destroyed. More benign results were obtained by dozens of other methods of asexual procreation found in the vast scope of Hindu literature. For example, Lord Ganesha was created from the skin of His Mother and Lord Murugan by a spark from Siva's third eye. Kunti conceived her sons, the Pandavas, by means of mantras (sacred formulas) offered to the Gods.
Even so, there is really no easily found scripture directly addressing the practice of cloning, just as there was no need for a Federal Aviation Agency before airplanes were invented and started to crash. In Hinduism and the other religions, endorsements or objections to cloning are necessarily based upon induction and extrapolation.
Hindus analyze cloning in Hindu terms--karma, reincarnation, ahimsa, all-pervasive Divinity and soul's evolving nature--along with the benefit or danger to society as a whole. In a survey of seven Hindu leaders conducted by Hinduism Today [sidebar], all called strongly for strict regulation. Acharyas and swamis were unanimous that scientists were in no way creating a soul by cloning, in contrast to the Abrahamic belief that the soul is created at conception. In the Hindu view, the God-created soul inhabits the body, but is not the body. The question arises: what kind of soul would take birth in a body created so uniquely. At a gathering of the American Association of Vedic Astrologers (AAVA) Chakrapani Ullal said religious sanctification of marriage helps insure the birth of high souls. Lacking such sanctification, he warned, "people born through cloning will be fraught with problems." Speaking from the view of ayurveda (India's traditional medicine), Dr. David Frawley (Vamadeva Shastri) pondered, "You are trying to have birth without prana [vital life energy]. What kind of creature is going to be created without direct participation of the pranic force?" Mrs. Ullal asked how a normal being could be born from a "conception" devoid of love. The 2,000-year-old Tirumantiram supports their wisdom, describing how each embodied soul is influenced by the consciousness and energies of the parents before and during coitus. Without these pranas, life would certainly be different, though not all think negatively. Perhaps a highly-evolved soul would choose to take such a passionless birth. Dr. M. M. Sankhdher, ex-professor of political science, University of Delhi offered: "To a Hindu, a cloned human being, when this reality materializes, would be another manifestation of a new species as an outcome of the Divine Will."
The research itself violates the tenets of ahimsa, noninjuriousness. Several of Wilmut's sheep, for example, were killed and autopsied by the researchers after their fetuses died. In ayurveda, research on animals is allowed only to benefit the animal. If human cloning is permitted, deformed fetuses will certainly be aborted as part of the larger process. Dr. Dennis Harness, of the AAVA, warned of potential long-term problems, "Cloning involves altering energies on a very subtle level where we don't even realize what we are doing."
Bhairava Sundaram Sivacharya, who belongs to an ancient lineage of Saivite priests, said that Hinduism has always welcomed new discoveries. He asks, "A soul is born with a parabdha karma [the karma it is destined to experience in this life]. When it lives through the parabdha karma, that body will die. Now if we take a cell from that body and make another man, do the parabdha karmas of the first man continue in some way? If so, the original soul cannot get released into the next world upon the body's death. It will bring a great confusion."
Several prominent swami leaders questioned the need for cloning in an overpopulated world, where abortion of unwanted children occurs daily. Rev. Swami Satchidananda warned about unanticipated consequences, the problem of "letting the genie out of the bottle" and not being able to get it back in. Many warned cloning would result in the same havoc to society and the environment as have so many other scientific inventions of the last few centuries.
In a joint statement, Dr. Ajit Ram Verma, ex-director of the National Physical Laboratory of New Delhi and Dr. I. S. Kothari, ex-professor of physics, Delhi University, said, "In an intelligent society, cloning could be used for the betterment of the society. But today decisions may be based on considerations other than society's good. Therefore, research in the field should be carefully controlled." A poll of the US Hindu Students Council concluded, "Hindus believe that man is neither superior or inferior, but simply a part of nature as are the trees, animals, and so on. By manipulating nature, we may be upsetting natural and spiritual balances."
Pramukh Swami Maharaj observes that "Human cloning would mean a parentless society, full of surrogate mothers, careless donors and loveless children." He says a race of clones might develop alongside the human race--with unknown consequences. Clones may be regarded as less than human. Genetic engineering raises other questions, and Pramukh Swami quoted scriptures that warn against introducing animal qualities in man or vice versa. Hindu leaders are divided on whether possible benefits outweigh the risks. Some urge an outright ban; others call for close supervision. Mata Amritanandamayi said, "Historically, it is impossible and unwise to interfere with the advance of science." She and others call for a forum of "spiritually aware and responsible people" to advise industry and governments on cloning. No one polled was willing to leave the regulation to science or business alone, recognizing that the consequences impact all of humanity.
Other religions react: Jewish Rabbi Gershon Gewirtz said, "I think there are too many things we just don't understand. In my view, the risk is just too great." Roman Catholic Cardinal John O'Connor said, "Contrary to the right of every human person to be conceived and born within marriage and from marriage, the clone is reduced to the level of a product made rather than a person begotten." The Navajo Indians of the Southwest US hold the sheep in particular sacredness, and complained that the scientist desecrated the animal. Muslim scholar Abdulaziz Aachedina, a medical ethicist at the University of Virginia, worries about the long-term implications of separating reproduction from human relationship. "Imagine a world with no need for marriage," he invites.
Governments act: Malaysia and France reacted by banning human cloning . In February the US Senate considered a permanent ban, and the research for this article will be part of future deliberation. Senator Tom Harkin protested any ban, defending the impossibility of limiting human knowledge. "What nonsense. What utter, utter nonsense to think that somehow we are going to hold up our hands and say, 'Stop,' " he told his colleagues.
Cloning will not stop. It has been done for a sheep. In a few years it will be done with humans. Cloning may become as easy as ordinary reproduction, with profound consequences on human society. For this reason, and remembering we represent one-sixth of the human family, all Hindus should take a serious interest in this issue.
1. A single cell is taken from the donor woman (or man), for cloning.
2. The donor cell is starved into a state of quiescence in which it stops reproducing on its own.
3. An unfertilized egg is taken from a second woman and the genetic nucleus is removed.
4. The enucleated egg is kept alive in a test tube.
5. After 36 hours (for sheep; humans may differ), the donor cell is fused into the egg with
an electrical spark which also starts cell division. According to Hinduism, an incarnating soul enters at this point, drawn by its karma and by the consciousness and karma of those involved in the conception.
6. For six days (in sheep) the developing egg is kept alive in a test tube.
7. If the embryo is growing normally, it is implanted in a surrogate mother who carries it to term and gives birth normally.
8. The offspring is an exact genetic duplicate of the cell donor, and has no genetic relationship to the egg donor or to the surrogate birth mother.
Swami Satchidananda (Integral Yoga Institute): What is the need for it? It is simply scientific curiosity, and you know curiosity killed the cat. We may think we are doing something good, but if it turns up bad, then we don't have any control over it.
Tiruchi Mahaswamigal (Founder, Kailash Ashram, India): It is not new to our cultural history of India. We did not call it cloning, but there were other methods of procreation. Presently we do not require any such alternative methods of procreation for population, so man need not develop them.
Pramukh Swami Maharaj (Head, Swaminarayan Fellowship): Human cloning is not a matter of a few scientists' research, a few nations' decision or a few leaders' preference. The entire humanity should unite to control this crisis; future generations shall hold us responsible.
Swami Omkarananda Saraswati (Founder, Omkarananda Ashram, Europe, India): Imagine, through millions of abortions around the world, how many saints and benefactors of mankind are destroyed! In the face of this, how senseless and damaging to spend money and God-given time trying to produce unfortunate artificial copies of human beings. The aim of Creation is to help the creature not into false channels, but guide it into the world of knowing, loving and being one with the Creator.
Mata Amritanandamayi ("President of Hinduism" at Parliament of the World's Religions, 1993, Hindu of the Year, 1993): The idea of cloning, though implemented only recently through modern science, was in the minds of the ancient saints and sages of India. Man's attempts to change the natural order of things has a long-term potential of unexpected negative results. Forums of spiritually aware and responsible people can advise a prudent course of action.
Paramhans Swami Maheswarananda (Founder, Sri Deep Madhavananda Ashram, Europe, India): This kind of activity is contrary to ethical and moral principles. Our beloved Master Bhagwan Sri Deep Narayan Mahaprabhuji says, "Do not go against the nature, or else it will take revenge, and you will have to suffer the consequences." Manipulating nature is greatly damaging our Holy Mother Earth.
Swami Chidanand Saraswati "Muniji" (Head, Parmath Niketan, India): The egg needs a waiting soul to activate it and to turn on the potentialities in the genes at proper times. It would be unfortunate if all persons looked like one another, God intends a rich variety. A lot of evil can result from human cloning. However the extension of knowledge should not be stopped. Genetic engineering should go on under strict conditions of global regulation with input from the different nations, races and genders. | <urn:uuid:2ca5e365-681e-40f0-a54d-6043b3f99d49> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/print.php?itemid=4889 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394605.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00019-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958265 | 4,255 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Solar radiation levels in the Southwest are some of the best in the world, and the BLM manages more than 19 million acres of public lands with excellent solar energy potential in 6 states: California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. State renewable energy portfolios, investment tax credits for solar energy projects, volatile oil prices, and international concern about global warming have all contributed toward public and industry interest in utility-scale solar energy development. Solar energy projects can provide significant amounts of electricity while emitting virtually no greenhouse gases, but they require large areas of relatively flat land, and some technologies use substantial amounts of water—a scarce commodity in the arid climates where the solar resources are the best.
Solar energy development projects on BLM-administered public lands are authorized as rights-of-way under Title V of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act if the proposed project is consistent with BLM land use planning. The applicant is required to pay the BLM’s costs in processing the right-of-way application, and all projects require an environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act. Any entity that receives a solar energy right-of-way authorization must comply with the terms and conditions of the authorization and pay fair market value for use of the public lands.
Since 2010, the BLM has approved 34 utility-scale solar energy projects
, including connected-action projects that include electric transmission support authorizations, with a total approved capacity of 9,763 megawatts of clean, renewable energy — enough energy to power nearly 2.8 million homes. In addition, the BLM currently has some 69 pending solar energy applications.
In October 2012, the Secretary of the Interior signed the Record of Decision finalizing a program to facilitate development of solar energy on public lands in six southwestern states. The Western Solar Plan provides a blueprint for utility-scale solar energy permitting in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah by establishing solar energy zones with access to existing or planned transmission, incentives for development within those zones, and a process through which to consider additional zones and solar projects. The Western Solar Plan established an initial set of 17 Solar Energy Zones, totaling about 285,000 acres of public lands, that serve as priority areas for commercial-scale solar development, with the potential for additional zones through ongoing and future regional planning processes. Two additional Solar Energy Zones were designated in 2013 in Arizona and California. If fully built out, projects in the designated areas could produce as much as 27,000 megawatts of solar energy, enough to power approximately 8 million homes. The program also keeps the door open, on a case-by-case basis, for the possibility of carefully sited solar projects outside Solar Energy Zones on about 19 million acres in "variance" areas.
Maps that depict which BLM-administered lands would be available for right-of-way (ROW) application for solar energy development under the BLM's action alternatives as outlined in the Supplement to the Draft Solar Programmatic Environmental Statement (PEIS) are available for downloading in PDF format. These include the BLM's 17 proposed solar energy zones (SEZs) as presented in the Supplement. Additional spatial data are also available for downloading in several formats, or for interactive online viewing.
Fact sheet : Renewable Energy and the BLM: SOLAR (pdf) | <urn:uuid:a9ceb84b-053e-4310-98ae-df67ca9dca8c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/solar_energy.print.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394987.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00035-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927162 | 673 | 2.8125 | 3 |
A mapping group at MIT wants to show us the way to greener cities
Walking down the street, that feeling swells up inside you — the buildings, the restaurants, the parks, the people: THIS is New York.
Or maybe it’s San Francisco. Or Chicago. Or LA. Whatever your city of choice may be, you love it because it’s just got that je ne sais quoi, unlike any other.
But Sep Kamvar, of the Social Computing Group at the MIT Media Lab, thinks it could be so much more interesting than that. With his You Are Here project, he and his group are on a quest to bring out all those little pieces that come together to make each city what it is, by creating a total of 10,000 data visualization maps of cities across the U.S. By doing so, he hopes that urbanites might recognize the elements that they love, and the ones they don’t, to shape their towns into more efficient, happier, healthier, and greener places.
“Each map gives a different angle of what the city looks like,” Kamvar says. The group does this by collecting data from sources ranging from Google Maps to local police departments, and presenting it into compelling visuals — which he hopes can expose the things that need to be fixed.
What do you get out of seeing that bicycle crashes in Brooklyn concentrate around Williamsburg and in San Francisco near The Mission, as shown in the maps above? Besides confirming our suspicions that hipsters can be clumsy with their wheels, Kamvar says the data can help city cyclists advocate for safer streets. And they can further build their case with the Best Mode of Transportation series, which shows that, in many cities, cycling beat out walking, driving, and public transit as the fastest way to get around. “Part of the challenge with urban design is that so much [of what makes a city] is invisible,” Kamvar says. “I kind of think of cities themselves as societal organisms. … Bringing attention to certain things allows a society to subtly shape them.”
The maps are pretty to look at, too. That’s because Kamvar approaches them with backgrounds in both computer science and art. He’s got a Ph.D in scientific computing from Stanford University, and his artwork has been exhibited across the world, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The idea to merge art, data, and software started from observing the food truck scene in San Francisco. Where did the sudden explosion of delicious mobile meals begin? More practically, how did they all get around SF’s strict food truck licensing? When he looked into it, as far as he could tell, the answer was Twitter. “They could drive to a different location every day and tweet where they were,” he says. “Which ended up shaping the city … and not in the traditional way software shapes things, but by enabling a social process that in turned shaped the city. And so that led me to a number of ideas of using software to shape real space.”
If we’re looking for a road forward to shape the cities we love — to have more of what we love about them — Kamvar’s maps just might be able to show us the way. | <urn:uuid:6e88c763-35b1-4cfb-b73b-3f12ee49f713> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://grist.org/people/a-mapping-group-at-mit-wants-to-show-us-the-way-to-greener-cities/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396224.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00055-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960741 | 695 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Henry IV Part 2 Theme of Power
Both Henry IV Part 1 and Part 2 offer an elaborate meditation on kingship. In Part 2, Shakespeare focuses on the anxieties surrounding succession and the transfer of power between father and son. For Henry IV, kingship has been an exhausting and draining experience. Because Henry usurped the crown in Richard II, he spends most of his reign defending his position and worrying about what will happen when his unruly son, Hal, takes over. When Hal replaces his father and becomes Henry V, his position is more legitimate because he's inherited the throne by lineal succession. At the same time, Hal must prove that, despite his wild youth, he's fit to rule the country.
Questions About Power
- How did King Henry IV come to the crown, exactly? How has his path to kingship affected his reign?
- How does Prince Hal's path to the throne compare to that of his father?
- How would you characterize Henry IV's reign?
- How does Prince Hal feel about being heir to the throne? Does Hal change when he becomes Henry V? If so, how is he different?
Chew on This
Because Henry IV usurped the throne from a Richard II, his power and legitimacy are less stable than that of a monarch who inherits the throne by lineal succession – by rebelling against and deposing a king, Henry IV has paved the way for future rebellion.
Although King Henry IV worries about what will become of the kingdom, his anxieties about Prince Hal's succession to the throne are finally put to rest before he dies. | <urn:uuid:b283dae6-a38b-4b65-86e1-1ba4a2958428> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.shmoop.com/henry-iv-part-2/power-theme.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398869.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00058-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981663 | 328 | 3.4375 | 3 |
Other Bicentennial Links
The Official War of 1812 Website
Minnesota and the War of 1812
The Naval War of 1812 Illustrated
The War of 1812
Naval Battleships in the War of 1812
Timeline - The War of 1812
National Park Service War of 1812 Bicentennial
General Society of the War of 1812Other National Society U.S.D. 1812 Links
The Flag House and Star Spangled Banner Museum
The Battle of Lake Erie, Commodore Perry, 10 Sept 1813
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
Old Fort Niagra
Spirit of Enterprize Tall Ship Project
College of the Ozarks
The American Merchant Marine Library Association
St Michael and All Angels Church / Dartmoor Prison, Princetown, United Kingdom
The Star Spangled Banner - The Flag that Inspired the National Anthem
Chalmette Battlefield - Louisiana
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Browse Results For:
Christians and Muslims in the Fifteenth Century
Juan de Segovia (d. 1458), theologian, translator of the Qur'an, and lifelong advocate for the forging of peaceful relations between Christians and Muslims, was one of Europe's leading intellectuals. Today, however, few scholars are familiar with this important fifteenth-century figure. In this well-documented study, Anne Marie Wolf presents a clear, chronological narrative that follows the thought and career of Segovia, who taught at the University of Salamanca, represented the university at the Council of Basel (1431–1449), and spent his final years arguing vigorously that Europe should eschew war with the ascendant Ottoman Turks and instead strive to convert them peacefully to Christianity. What could make a prominent thinker, especially one who moved in circles of power, depart so markedly from the dominant views of his day and advance arguments that he knew would subject him to criticism and even ridicule? Although some historians have suggested that the multifaith heritage of his native Spain accounts for his unconventional belief that peaceful dialogue with Muslims was possible, Wolf argues that other aspects of his life and thought were equally important, especially his approach to the Bible and his experience at the Council of Basel, where his defense of conciliarism in the face of opposition contributed to his ability to defend an unpopular position and where his insistence on conversion through peaceful means was bolstered by discussions about the proper way to deal with the Hussites. Ultimately Wolf demonstrates that Segovia's thought on Islam and the proper Christian stance toward the Muslim world was consistent with his approach to other endeavors and with cultural and intellectual movements at play throughout his career.
A Female Visionary and the Inquisition in Early Modern Portugal
On February 20, 1665, the Inquisition of Lisbon arrested Maria de Macedo, the wife of a midlevel official of the Portuguese Treasury, after she revealed during a deposition that, since she was ten years old, an enchanted Moor had frequently “taken” her to a magical castle in the legendary land of wonders known as the Hidden Isle. The island paradise was also the home of Sebastian, the former king of Portugal (1557–1578), who had died in battle in Morocco while on crusade in 1578. His body remained undiscovered, however, and many people in seventeenth-century Portugal—including Maria—eagerly awaited his return in glory. In Judging Maria de Macedo, Bryan Givens offers a microhistorical examination of Maria’s trial before the Inquisition in Lisbon in 1665–1666, providing an intriguing glimpse into Portuguese culture at the time. Maria’s trial record includes a unique piece of evidence: a pamphlet she dictated to her husband fifteen years before her arrest. In the pamphlet, reproduced in its entirety in the book, Maria recounts in considerable detail her “journeys” to the Hidden Isle and her discussions with the people there, King Sebastian in particular. Not all of the components of Maria’s vision were messianic in nature or even Christian in origin; her beliefs therefore represent a unique synthesis of disparate cultural elements in play in seventeenth-century Portugal. Because the pamphlet antedates the Inquisition’s involvement in Maria’s case, it offers a rare example of a non-elite voice preserved without any mediation from an elite institution such as the Inquisition, as is the case with most early modern judicial records. In addition to analyzing Maria de Macedo’s vision, Givens also uses the trial record to gain insight into the values, concerns, and motives of the Inquisitors in their judgment of her unusual case. He thus not only examines separately two important subcultures in early modern Portugal, but also analyzes how they interacted with each other. Introducing a unique feminine voice from the early modern period, Judging Maria de Macedo opens a singular window onto seventeenth-century Portuguese culture.
Festive Traditions in Late Medieval and Early Modern Spain
A King Travels examines the scripting and performance of festivals in Spain between 1327 and 1620, offering an unprecedented look at the different types of festivals that were held in Iberia during this crucial period of European history. Bridging the gap between the medieval and early modern eras, Teofilo Ruiz focuses on the travels and festivities of Philip II, exploring the complex relationship between power and ceremony, and offering a vibrant portrait of Spain's cultural and political life.
Ruiz covers a range of festival categories: carnival, royal entries, tournaments, calendrical and noncalendrical celebrations, autos de fe, and Corpus Christi processions. He probes the ritual meanings of these events, paying special attention to the use of colors and symbols, and to the power relations articulated through these festive displays. Ruiz argues that the fluid and at times subversive character of medieval festivals gave way to highly formalized and hierarchical events reflecting a broader shift in how power was articulated in late medieval and early modern Spain. Yet Ruiz contends that these festivals, while they sought to buttress authority and instruct different social orders about hierarchies of power, also served as sites of contestation, dialogue, and resistance.
A King Travels sheds new light on Iberian festive traditions and their unique role in the centralizing state in early modern Castile.
This study of the social content of the only surviving Spanish epic provides a means of assessing the motives and intentions of the protagonist and of other characters. Chapters are devoted to such themes as the multifarious significance of kinship and lineage, with special attention to the role of fathers, uncles, and cousins in the world of clan loyalties; amity as a system of fictive kinship, personal honor, and public organization; the importance of women, and the meaning and function of marriage, dowry, and related practices; the emergence of the polity as a rivalry of social, legal, and economic systems; and the implications, within an essentially kin-ordered world, of the poem's notions of shame, honor, status, and social inequality.
Cognitive Cultural Studies and Early Modern Spanish Literature
In Knowing Subjects, Barbara Simerka uses an emergent field of literary study—cognitive cultural studies—to delineate new ways of looking at early modern Spanish literature and to analyze cognition and social identity in Spain at the time. Simerka analyzes works by Cervantes and Gracían, as well as picaresque novels and comedias. Employing an interdisciplinary approach, she brings together several strands of cognitive theory and details the synergies among neurological, anthropological, and psychological discoveries that provide new insights into human cognition.
Jorge de Montemayor's great pastoral novel La Diana (1559), one of the fountainheads of Spanish Renaissance literature, has often been regarded as a work written merely to amuse an effete courtly world. Bruno M. Damiani argues here that, far from being simply a "pastoral dream," Diana has profound socio-historical and religious dimensions, and that Montemayor's intentions in it were largely moral and instructive.
The timeless, idyllic nature which forms the essence of the pastoral is, in the case of Diana, inextricably bound up with the grace and sophistication of urban Spanish culture. Indeed, this study shows, Montemayor's shepherds and shepherdesses exist not in an imaginary Arcadian land but in the very real Spain and Portugal of their author's own time, and many of the characters are disguises for actual persons of the Spanish court, including perhaps the author himself.
Similarly, the philosophical and religious concerns of Renaissance Spain are fully explored in the lives of Montemayor's sorrowing rustics. Symbolically they are sinners who have fallen from grace and must undertake a spiritual pilgrimage, one which ultimately leads them to an understanding of the Christian virtues of faith, hope, and charity.
Mustering a wealth of classical, biblical, medieval, and Renaissance sources, the author reveals the underlying fabric of Diana, an inter-twining of allegory, symbolism, and imagery intended to instruct Monte-mayor's readers in the path of virtue. Damiani's analysis of this important work offers us a clearer view of the intellectual life of Renaissance Spain.
Quevedo y los campos literario y de poder
This text explores the literary, cultural and political relationships of Francisco de Quevedo (1580–1645), one of the major writers of the Spanish Golden Age. It establishes the birth and development of the first Spanish literary field circa 1600 then focuses on the relationship between the literary field and the field of power (the King, the court at large and the Catholic Church hierarchy).
Francisco de Quevedo, the Spanish poet and satirist whose books were by far the most widely read in Spain in the 17 th century, died unaware that his genius had created modern satire in Spanish, and that for the ensuing five centuries, as we now know, his name would be a household word wherever Spanish was spoken. Between 1605 and 1621, Quevedo wrote a sequence of five "Dreams" or "Visions" ( Suenos y discursos ), in each of which he hilariously envisions Spanish society as populated by people rightfully condemned to Hell. These astonishingly witty and irreverent satires of contemporary Spanish culture, morality, prejudice and religious fanaticism, were composed in a style so allusive, elliptical and equivocal as to successfully entertain both those who barely understood their full range and import, and others who celebrated the poet's rebellious insinuations. Censorship prohibited the publication of such satire in its original form, but hundreds of copies were made by hand and circulated widely. In 1993 a critical edition of all of the surviving manuscripts was published. Today the Suenos are commonly read in modern editions of the first censored version, printed in 1627. The present book ( La tradicion. . . ), compares this version with all of the 43 extant manuscripts, and for the first time identifies those groups of manuscripts from which the publishers of the first edition derived their text. This text can now be seen as a version not only censored, but corrupted successively by copyists and editors who did not understand Quevedo's satire, and did not hesitate to add entire clauses, omit others and transfer sentences from one place to another.
First published in 1554 and banned by the Inquisition, the anonymous Lazarillo de Tormes begat a whole new genre—the picaresque novel. This classic has had enduring popularity as a literary expression of Spanish identity and emotion. Through its daring autobiographical form the reader observes the magnificent, conquering Spain of Charles the Fifth through the inner consciousness of the humble Lazarillo.
This editon includes the annotated Spanish-language text and prologue (with modernized and regularized spelling) , a full vocabulary, and concise footnotes explaining allusions and translating phrases of varying difficulty.
Spanish-language with introductions in English | <urn:uuid:ebf7c0df-5371-45f9-be7b-1e2b5c048b0b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://muse.jhu.edu/browse/area_and_ethnic_studies/iberian_studies?items_per_page=10&browse_view_type=default&m=91 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00026-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957277 | 2,258 | 2.75 | 3 |
This quiz could blow you away
Hey kids, see how many of these 'wind' words you can guess.
There's a saying that March can come in like a lion with strong winds and go out like a lamb with gentle breezes. All of the answers below have something to do with the word "wind."
1. These are pieces of glass, metal, beads, wood, or ceramic that are hung loosely together so that they make a soothing sound when blown by the wind. (2 words.)
w i n d _ _ _ _ _ _
2. In this sport, the athlete rides waves by using a sailboard and the wind.
w i n d _ _ _ _ _ _ _
3. Bassoons, clarinets, flutes, oboes, and saxophones fall into this category in a band or orchestra. (2 words.)
_ _ _ _ w i n d _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
4. This is a warm, windproof outer jacket that often has a tight-fitting neck, cuffs, and waistband.
W i n d _ _ _ _ _ _ _
5. This is an opening in a wall of a building or vehicle, usually with an inner frame of wood or metal with glass fitted in it. It helps let light inside. When opened, it lets in air.
w i n d _ _
_ _ _ _ w i n d _ _
7. This is what your parents had to do to reverse the direction of an audiotape or video in order to listen to or view it again.
_ _ w i n d
8. This is a motorized device on a vehicle that has a rubber blade on a metal arm, which is attached just below a vehicle's front (and sometimes back) window. It is used to clean off rain or snow. (2 words.)
w i n d _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Answers on next page
1. Wind chimes
3. Woodwind instruments
8. Windshield wiper | <urn:uuid:3e01b013-5f0f-40d5-9fd6-a8af701349d5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/The-Home-Forum/2008/0327/p18s04-hfks.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398628.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00003-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924502 | 436 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Our ability to hear is extremely important for us to communicate with fellow human beings through speech. It allows us to appreciate fine music and sounds from our environment. Many persons enjoy listening to calypso, dancing to soca music and enjoying the sweet sounds of the steelbands. This would not be possible if we could not hear those sounds. The ability to hear is very precious and should be protected.
One of the most damaging things to our hearing is any type of loud sound. Around Carnival time in Trinidad and Tobago, the noise levels at various activities can be very high. High noise levels can permanently damage our hearing and may also lead to annoying tinnitus (noise in the ear) which may never go away. This type of hearing loss, called noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), usually occurs from high noise exposure over a long period of time.
However, studies have also shown that short exposure to very high sound levels, such as those in concerts, can also cause hearing loss and tinnitus.
In Trinidad and Tobago, ear nose and throat doctors have seen several cases where persons have permanently lost their hearing from short exposure to loud music form speakers and steelbands, and other sources of loud sound. This is called acoustic trauma. It is therefore necessary to protect ourselves and others from this hazard.
A spectator or reveller usually cannot measure the noise levels in Carnival activities, but it is not difficult to judge if the level of noise is loud enough to cause damage to hearing. The following signs should alert persons that the sound around them is loud enough to damage hearing:
• persons have to shout to be heard
• persons cannot understand anyone who is speaking to them from less than two feet away
• persons experience ringing in the ears or hearing loss after exposure to the loud sounds
The following is some general advice for the Carnival season:
• all persons, especially children, should stay well away from speaker boxes, music trucks, very loud steelbands or any other source of loud sound
• ear protection (earplugs or earmuffs) should be worn if any adult or child is likely to be exposed to loud sound for long periods of time
• all musicians (including steelband players, music band players, rhythm section players, entertainers, etc) should wear ear protection whenever the level of sound is high
• all masqueraders should wear ear protection if they are likely to be near to the music source or loud sound (near the "big truck")
• walking in front of loudspeakers should be avoided
• when wearing ear protection, individuals should be very alert and avoid areas with moving vehicular traffic or similar hazards as all sounds will be muted
• children wearing hearing protection should be closely supervised at all times.
The Trinidad and Tobago Society of Otolaryngologists
and Head and Neck Surgeons (TTSOHNS) wishes all to have a
clean, safe and enjoyable Carnival. | <urn:uuid:d8c93d56-6a4d-4281-b469-bcb2a521151b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.trinidadexpress.com/letters/Protect_your_hearing_for_Carnival-187613611.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392099.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00132-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951189 | 601 | 3.3125 | 3 |
In a great move forward for oceans in crisis, conservation-minded countries tipped the balance in favor of whales, dolphins, and porpoises at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting yesterday. They passed a resolution called the Berlin Initiative, which makes conservation the central work of the IWC.
Two humpback whales breaching.
Hard won at 25 votes for and 20 against, the resolution marks
asignificant shift for the IWC away from whaling. It will help
toprioritise the conservation needs of the world's whales,
dolphins, andporpoises. Tens of thousands, and possibly hundreds of
thousands, ofthese animals die annually as a result of human
activities and thecontinuing degradation of the oceans. Threats
range from entanglementin fishing nets, to toxic and noise
pollution, to climate change.
The new conservation committee has a Herculean task ahead of it
toaddress the problems facing whales, dolphins, and porpoises, but
thisis a good first step.
"As the Mexican Commissioner Andreas Rosental said, a vote
againstthis resolution would have been a vote against
conservation," saysGreenpeace Oceans Campaigner Richard Page. "As
expected, whalingnations tried every tactic to prevent the proposal
from succeeding, butit is heartening to see that the will of the
majority of the membercountries of IWC support conservation and
alternate uses of whales likehigh quality whale watching."
Species like the Vaquita in the Gulf of California number only
600,and 39 are killed every year in gill nets. They are in dire
need ofconcrete action. This is a clear case where a species would
benefitfrom the IWC scientists' attention. | <urn:uuid:6c433b66-df64-4209-9fda-da70bce58dc5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/whaling-commission-shifts-to-c/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395621.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00020-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905086 | 372 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped by women and girls in Orissa on every Thursday of the month of Margasira (November – December) and this is known as Manabasa Gurubar. Margasira or Margasir is the ninth month in Oriya calendar. Mahalakshmi, or Laxmi, is the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity and is believed to visit homes in Margasira month. In 2016, Manabasa Gurubar dates are November 17, November 24, December 1, and December 8.
On the morning of Manabasa Gurubar, Oriya women wake up early in the morning and clean the house to welcome Goddess Lakshmi. There is a popular belief that Goddess Lakshmi only visits clean houses. So all the dirt is removed and the houses are kept spick and span.
The entrance to the home is decorated with Alpana. Special pujas are offered to Lakshmi and Oriya scripture Mahalakshmi Purana is read on all Thursdays.
A regional pot used to measure paddy is filled with freshly harvested paddy and is kept in the puja area, which symbolizes prosperity.
Goddess Lakshmi is the consort of Lord Jagannath and she is worshipped as an independent deity in many regions of Orissa. Gajalakshmi Puja is another popular ritual dedicated to Goddess Laxmi in Orissa. | <urn:uuid:4df88953-32cd-4e04-a945-76951a7967fc> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.hindu-blog.com/2008/11/manabasa-gurubar-worship-of-goddess.html?showComment=1355173698419 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393533.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00176-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960405 | 295 | 2.625 | 3 |
With an uncertain economic climate, processors are now more than ever looking to cut costs and foster long-term financial stability. It’s no surprise that the energy-intensive nature of processing leaves many producers vulnerable to rising electricity and fuel prices. These financial motivators coupled with new environmental guidelines and strict industry regulations are prompting many processors to reassess how to most effectively meet their energy needs. On-site renewable energy installations are an attractive solution for progressive manufacturers looking to take control of their energy future.
Fortunately, technology advancements and generous government incentives have made going green not only an environmentally responsible choice, but also a strategic, cost-saving business move. New financing models tailored for industrial end-users allow processing facilities to integrate renewable energy systems for little or no upfront costs, providing a pay-as-you-go model for onsite energy production that serves as a hedge against volatile utility rates. These models, known as power purchase agreements (PPAs), enable sustainability programs without redirecting capital from core business objectives.
Not all renewable energy technologies are created equal
While most plant managers agree renewable energy could be an effective solution to meet sustainability objectives and improve the bottom line, selecting the right technology can be an exhausting process. There are essentially two fundamental solar technologies available for industrial manufacturers: solar photovoltaic (PV), traditional solar panels that generate electricity, and solar thermal, systems that generate heat for hot water and other processing operations that are typically fueled by burning natural gas. Both solar PV and solar thermal supply a valuable energy resource, so why choose between the two?
Introducing solar cogeneration, renewable heat & electricity
For the processing industry where the demand for process heat often meets or exceeds the demand for electricity, solar cogeneration is the ideal solution. Solar cogeneration combines proven solar PV and solar thermal technologies in a single system to deliver both electricity and hot water. While the electronic component connects to the facility’s existing power supply, the thermal end heats water for washing and sanitation, cleaning, pasteurization, fermentation, boiler pre-heating and other practical applications.
The Nitty Gritty — Heating Up with Solar Cogen
By using solar cogeneration, processors reduce a large portion of their natural gas consumption and gain access to clean electricity to sustainably power plant operations. Solar cogen modules are quickly assembled on site and designed to seamlessly integrate with existing hot water boiler equipment. The water is heated through a closed-loop heat exchanger to temperatures around 70° C (160° F), depending on the facility needs, and can be utilized immediately, fed into boilers to be elevated to higher temperatures or temporarily stored and applied during non-sun hours.
Solar cogeneration is the most environmentally responsible solar solution on the market, eliminating greenhouse gas emissions at nearly three times the rate of traditional PV panels while also reducing local VOC (volatile organic compounds) and NOx (Nitric Oxide and Nitrogen Dioxide) emissions released from the onsite burning of natural gas. In some air quality districts, avoidance of VOC and NOx pollutants can obviate regulatory burdens and associated fines.
A Closer Look at Solar Cogen for the Dairy Industry
The U.S. dairy industry has made an aggressive commitment to promote sustainability and identify best practices for processing operations. The energy used for milk pasteurization, packaging and distribution contributes nearly five million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions nationally each year. In an industry call to action, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy announced in January 2009 a voluntary goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the production lifecycle of each gallon of milk by 25 percent by 2020. A partnership with the EPA and the agency’s ENERGY STAR program was formed early last year to rally industry participants and determine transitional guidelines to meet this goal.
The industry’s energy-intensive cleaning practices, fueled by high-temperature heat, were identified as one area for major improvement. Processing equipment and piping systems in milk plants require frequent cleaning to keep milk fresh and abide by FDA regulations. To meet these standards, the inner surfaces of pasteurization equipment and pipes are cleaned daily and raw milk storage tanks are cleaned every 72 hours. Consequently, more than half of a milk processor’s energy consumption is devoted to cleaning equipment and pipes.
The Next Generation Cleaning project was tasked with finding new solutions that lower a processing plant’s fuel demands and greenhouse gas emissions. Recently, the Innovation Center recognized solar cogeneration as a viable solution to maintaining the high-temperature cleaning processes without the large carbon footprint and high fuels costs.
“As a leader in the dairy industry and an active member of The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, we are always interested in technologies that can help us reduce our impact on the environment and the world around us,” explains Howard Depoy, director of power refrigeration and sustainability for LALA USA. “Solar cogeneration could enable us to meet our threefold objective: reduce our carbon footprint and our reliance on fossil fuels, decrease our fuel costs and, of utmost importance, continue to provide our consumers with safe and nutritious dairy products.”
Under the Next Generation Cleaning project scope, the Innovation Center will continue to collaborate with Cogenra Solar to determine the impact of solar cogen on the dairy industry at scale.
Solar cogeneration is by far the most efficient and environmentally sustainable solar solution for processors. Supplying two valuable industrial resources — electricity and hot water — solar cogeneration delivers five times the energy output, three times the greenhouse gas reductions and twice the financial savings compared to traditional solar panels.
For more information on solar cogeneration, visit www.cogenra.com or visit Cogenra Solar at the California League of Food Processors’ Expo & Showcase of Processed Foods in Sacramento, Calif. Feb. 1-2, 2011. Dr. Gilad Almogy will give a presentation on the value of solar cogen on the panel “Solar Energy, Has the Time Come?” on Wednesday, Feb. 2 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. | <urn:uuid:f05e4403-38c0-4364-b07a-43ea0e917405> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.impomag.com/print/articles/2011/01/optimizing-your-solar-potential | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403826.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00066-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912897 | 1,261 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Although there were earlier references, the phrase “run amok” was partially popularized by Captain James Cook in 1772. From Cook’s book:
To run amock is to get drunk with opium… to sally forth from the house, kill the person or persons supposed to have injured the Amock, and any other person that attempts to impede his passage… indiscriminately killing and maiming villagers and animals in a frenzied attack.
In the Malay culture at the time, some believed the state of amok was caused by an evil spirit, “hantu belia”, entering the body of a person, who would then run amok, attacking and attempting to kill anyone they came across, only to recover later and return to normal, if they weren’t killed first. Because it was thought an evil spirit caused this, rather than the person doing it of their own free will, punishments for someone who ran amok and survived were typically light or even non-existent, with the person sometimes getting off scot-free.
Read more at the excellent Today I Found Out. | <urn:uuid:7792d5c1-687c-4c85-b72d-0232d0c2aa7f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://vaviper.blogspot.com/2013/02/origin-of-phrase-run-amok.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403826.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00166-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978173 | 233 | 2.59375 | 3 |
The history, science and poetry of New England's stone walls
In 2007, I returned to eastern Connecticut, where I grew up. Driving north on Interstate 395 past towns like Norwich and Griswold, I was struck by the many old gray stone walls tumbling off into the forests along the highway. Realizing that the trees in those forests weren’t particularly old, I surmised that those forests had once been cleared farm lands.
Casually wondering what had happened to the farms led to a journey of discovery through the forests and fields of New England.
My journey started with the book “Stone by Stone: The Magnificent History of New England’s Stone Walls” by University of Connecticut geology professor Robert M. Thorson. Thorson — known to colleagues and friends as “Thor” — says he was “smitten” by the stone walls after moving his family from Alaska to Connecticut in 1984. At first, studying them was just a hobby for Thorson. “It wasn’t my job,” he says. “I had been teaching and researching. I ran a lab with graduate students and had funded projects ... But I got interested in these stone walls as landforms, so I kept working on it.”
In 2002, Thorson published “Stone by Stone,” his first book on the topic, and he and his wife Kristine founded the Stone Wall Initiative in conjunction with the publication, which Thorson describes as the first geoarchaeological study of New England’s stone walls.
Like the book, the Initiative aims to promote scientific understanding of the walls and advocate for their protection as cultural and ecological resources. Since the book’s launch, Thorson has spoken to thousands of stone wall enthusiasts, authored numerous articles on the subject, and seen his book become the basis of a documentary called “Passages of Time.”
On a brilliant afternoon in January 2014, I joined Thorson for a guided tour of the stone walls in Brooklyn, Conn. The area features many notable stone walls in large part because of its proximity to what Thorson calls “the geological and agricultural center of interior New England,” which provided abundant stones of the perfect size and shape to make them. Thorson notes in “Exploring Stone Walls,” his 2005 field guide, that January is one of the best times in southern New England for stone wall viewing. “Like a negative to a photograph,” he writes, “walls are most visible when life is most invisible. Typically this occurs in January when snow frames the wall from bottom to top and when the strengthening, crystal-clear sun casts strong shadows.”
As we toured the walls, I learned their story: It begins with glaciers during the last ice age, meanders through the Colonial and early New England farming eras, ebbs during industrialization in America as the walls were abandoned and fell into disrepair, and continues today with their memorialization in poetry and refurbishment.
The origins of New England’s wall stones date back to between about 30,000 and 15,000 years ago, when the Laurentide ice sheet — a remnant of which still exists in the Barnes Ice Cap on central Baffin Island — made its way southward from central Canada and then began retreating. “It stripped away the last of the ancient soils,” writes Thorson in “Stone by Stone,” “scouring the land down to its bedrock, lifting up billions of stone slabs and scattering them across the region.”
As the ice sheet melted and receded, it left behind deposits of unsorted material ranging in size from clay to massive boulders chiseled from the slate, schist, granite and gneiss bedrock of northern New England and Canada. The bucolic rolling hills and meadows of New England are formed of rich glacial soil called lodgment till — up to 60 meters thick — that was “almost single-handedly responsible for the success of the agricultural economy in New England,” Thorson says. A thinner, looser layer of rocks and sand called ablation, or “melt out,” till was left above the lodgment till. Most stone walls are composed of stones from melt-out till, which were “abundant, large, angular and easy to carry,” Thorson says, compared to the smaller, more rounded stones from the deeper lodgment till.
Although New England’s stone walls are popularly associated with the Colonial era, there weren’t actually many rocks lying around in the soil at that time. As evidence, Thorson cites Swedish botanist Peter Kalm, who toured New England in the mid-1700s. In his “Travels in North America,” Kalm observed of its forest soils, “[T]he Europeans coming to America found a rich, fine soil before them, lying loose between the trees as the best in a garden. They had nothing to do but to cut down the wood, put it up in heaps, and to clear the dead leaves away.”
Likewise, Colonial-era books on farming, encyclopedias and recorded observations do not mention stone walls, Thorson notes. Instead of stone walls, Colonial farmers used rail and zig-zag fences made of wood — far more abundant at the time than stone — to pen animals. It wasn’t until the latter half of the 18th century that early stone walls were first widely constructed in New England. Even then, other than in long-farmed interior areas such as Concord, Mass., the stone was typically quarried or taken from slopes rather than from fields.
The region’s stones lay deep in the ground, buried under thousands of years’ worth of rich composted soil and old-growth forests, just waiting to be freed by pioneers clear-cutting New England’s forests — a process that reached its peak across most of New England between 1830 and 1880.
Deforestation and Exhumation
Heating an average-sized New England farmhouse during the late 18th and early 19th centuries — which coincided with the waning years of the “Little Ice Age,” the unusually cool climatic period that lasted from the mid-1300s to the mid-1800s — required burning up to 35 cords of cut wood a year. Considering that one cord is 3.6 cubic meters of wood, it is easy to understand why New England’s cold winters, along with the construction of all those farm buildings, meant the demise of vast swaths of forest.
Widespread deforestation exposed New England’s soils to winter cold — scientists estimate winter was 1 to 1.5 degrees Celsius colder on average during the Little Ice Age than it is today — causing them to freeze deeper than they had before. This accelerated frost heaving, and gradually lifted billions of stones up through the layers of soil toward the surface.
These stones weren’t conducive to farming, so, aided by their oxen, farmers hauled the stones to the outer edges of pastures and tillage lands, typically unceremoniously dumping them in piles that delineated their fields from the forest. (Some of these so-called “dumped walls” would later be relaid more intentionally when improved tools and equipment made rebuilding easier.) In the early days, artistry in stone wall building had to wait. The first priority was survival, which meant clearing land to grow crops and raise livestock.
The types of stones and their abundance may have been familiar to those early farmers, who were mainly from the British Isles, Thorson says, because rock in New England is similar to rock in England and Scotland. England and New England have similar natural landscapes because both lands have a similar geologic history. Millions of years ago, England and New England were formed within the same mountain range near the center of Pangaea. So, he says, “the similar fieldstones on opposite sides of the Atlantic were created practically within the same foundry.”
But there was one important difference between these New World and Old World stones: Britain had long been deforested, with its subterranean stones brought to the surface, so its stone walls had been constructed hundreds, if not thousands, of years earlier.
Although the oldest documented stone wall in New England dates to 1607 — made by English settlers of the Virginia Company along the estuary of the Kennebec River north of Portland, Maine — most of the region’s stone walls were built in the Revolutionary period between 1775 and 1825, a period that Thorson calls “the golden age of stone wall building.” By then, the effects of deforestation on the soil were being fully felt; established farms were churning up tons of stones that had to be removed. Simultaneously, a post-Revolutionary War baby boom provided an abundance of young hands to help move them.
During this period, thousands of stone walls were built and thousands more were improved. Thorson writes in “Stone by Stone” that “farmers throughout the region began to look inward at their farms, not as safe havens from war, but out of pride in being American.” Their pride was reflected in the way they painstakingly refashioned the piles of stone and primitive dumped walls along their property lines into the now classical “double walls,” parallel rows of stone filled in with small stones (see sidebar, page 34).
Constructing the walls was labor intensive. For comparison, modern masons typically lay about 6 meters of stone wall per day, Thorson says. He estimates that 40 million “man days” of labor would have been required to build the more than 380,000 kilometers of stone walls in New England — enough to build a wall from Earth to the moon — reported by an 1871 fencing census. “This is an awesome amount of manual labor,” he says, “but it is trivial when compared to the much larger effort of getting stones to the edges of the fields in the first place. That job usually had been done stone by stone, and load by load, by the previous generation.”
Over a couple of generations, New England’s vast stone wall network was erected, and by the 1830s to 1840s, farms were also well established and farmers were no longer clearing as much land, said Christie Higginbottom, a research historian at Old Sturbridge Village, in the documentary “Passages of Time.” Old Sturbridge Village is a living museum of 1830s rural New England life located in Sturbridge, Mass.
As the 19th century progressed, changes in farming, in the nature of work, and in the political climate in the country all profoundly affected New England’s stone walls.
The Industrial Revolution and the Decline of Farms
Farming was ubiquitous in Colonial America. Generations of subsistence farmers cleared and wrung their families’ nourishment from the land. Shortly after the Revolutionary War, however, that began to change. The establishment in 1787 of America’s first cotton mill — the Beverly Cotton Manufactory in Beverly, Mass. — launched one of the greatest transformations and population shifts in the young nation’s history. The American Industrial Revolution brought to New England’s cities thousands of young women and girls, in particular, who left behind their cooking, spinning, weaving and various other farm chores to earn money for their families as hired laborers in the region’s proliferating textile mills.
Farming itself was also changing dramatically with the invention of new tools, such as the cast-iron plow, and a more scientific approach to farming that maintained the soil’s fertility. Even these tools couldn’t help farmers recover from the so-called “Year Without a Summer” in 1816, when the massive eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia in 1815 ejected ash and particulates into the global atmosphere, causing a “volcanic winter” that devastated crops. Between the loss of a year’s harvest and the start of an industrial depression in 1819, many more New Englanders abandoned their farms — and with them, the stone walls — to push westward into New York, Ohio and beyond
By mid-century, the exodus from the farms caused what Thorson calls a “psychological curtain” to descend upon the land and a “biological curtain” to arise, as vegetation overgrew many neglected old walls. “If you walk away from walls in an open landscape,” if there are no cows to keep fields mowed, he says, “the walls are going to get covered with brush very quickly and they’re going to disappear. The white pines are going to shoot up. Within a decade of walking away from them, you’re going to have trouble seeing them.”
Reclaiming and Romancing the Stone
As early as 1850, naturalist Henry David Thoreau revealed in his journal how the rural stone walls had already come to represent something important about the character of New England. “We are never prepared to believe that our ancestors lifted large stones or built thick walls,” he wrote. “How can their work be so visible and permanent and themselves so transient? When I see a stone which it must have taken many yoke of oxen to move, lying in a bank wall ... I am curiously surprised, because it suggests an energy and force of which we have no memorials.”
During the Colonial Revival of the early 20th century, Americans — particularly those well-off enough to reimagine the nation’s past as a series of idealized Currier and Ives lithographs — began to collect artifacts of that past, such as old farm tools, and to reconstruct early villages. People refurbished rural stone walls on properties that had been abandoned generations earlier.
It was American Poet Laureate Robert Frost, perhaps more than anyone else, who imbued New England’s stone walls with mythological significance. Frost’s poetry helped solidify the heroic, all-American image of the Yankee farmer — independent, self-reliant and resilient — standing up, defiantly, to the relentless stone. Thorson says that for Frost, “stone walls were more than symbols. They were oracles.”
Through Frost and other writers and artists, Thorson says, New England “learned to love its stone walls more as memorials to a lost world than they had ever been loved as fences.” And with the growing appreciation of America’s heritage came an increasing understanding of the walls as actual ruins of early American civilization and the awesome human achievement they represent, he says.
A March 2014 study in the Journal of Archaeological Science offers a fascinating glimpse of what lies beneath the forests that now envelop many New England farms abandoned in the latter half of the 19th century.
Using a laser mapping technique called lidar that can see landscapes even through dense forest cover, University of Connecticut geographers Katharine Johnson and William Ouimet conducted aerial surveys of the heavily forested areas of three southern New England towns. The researchers found remnants of a former “agropolis,” vast networks of roads and stone walls that have been hidden for more than a century beneath the dense cover of oak and spruce trees.
Between lidar’s ability to pull back the biological curtain of the forest and Frost’s pulling back the psychological curtain drawn against the pain of abandonment, Thorson muses, it would seem that science and poetry together finally “allow us to actually see things that everyone knew were there all along.”
Through his work with the Stone Wall Initiative at the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, Thorson says he intends to ensure that stone walls — New England’s iconic landform — will continue to be seen by many generations to come. | <urn:uuid:33ffc4a2-022c-4647-974e-2a5eec58af5e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/history-science-and-poetry-new-englands-stone-walls | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396872.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00001-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968894 | 3,341 | 2.90625 | 3 |
Two days after Hitler’s invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Franklin Roosevelt gave a radio address to Americans on the same day, deploring the commencement of war while laying the blame on Nazi aggression. In a careful balancing act, he tried to arouse American indignation at Hitler’s effort to dominate Europe while pledging his adherence to the Neutrality Act passed in 1937. That act had given FDR some flexibility in supporting resistance to Nazi Germany, since it had allowed the sale of arms to Great Britain and France on a “cash and carry” basis (purchasing nations would pay immediately for the arms and would arrange for their transport); but the provision had been written to expire after two years, on May 1. When Hitler had invaded Czechoslovakia in March of 1939, Roosevelt had tried and failed to get the provision renewed. However, on November 4 of 1939, Congress renewed the “cash and carry” provision in a new Neutrality Act—ending the arms embargo with nations fighting Nazi Germany. | <urn:uuid:0f8dcbcb-deee-401f-95f9-a5cfa06aebf2> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://blog.teachingamericanhistory.org/2014/03/11/fdr-responds-to-the-outbreak-of-world-war-ii/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783400031.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155000-00101-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972805 | 216 | 4 | 4 |
Ohio Plant Diagnostic Network Plays Key Role
Ohio State and the Ohio Department of Agriculture are partners in the Ohio Plant Diagnostic Network (OPDN), a statewide collaboration that enhances our ability to protect Ohio's crops, forests and food supply.
The accurate identification of plant diseases and pests is crucial to preventing outbreaks that can devastate our food supply and the environment. Plant diagnostic laboratories provide key services in the identification and diagnosis of plant diseases, insects, and environmental disorders. If harmful pathogens and pests are detected in Ohio, communication between OSU Extension, industry, and regulatory agencies such as the Ohio Department of Agriculture and USDA is critical in formulating responses.
The Ohio Plant Diagnostic Network formally links plant health professionals and diagnostic resources at Ohio State's C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic, and the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA). Monitoring the distribution and severity of plant diseases that impact Ohio's economy and environment is a critical function of the diagnostic clinic. A key element of the OPDN is the creation of a virtual network to link laboratories across Ohio and the U.S. with digital technology and videoconferencing, greatly enhancing capabilities for remote diagnostics and teaching, including seminars throughout the state and for researchers and growers.
The OPDN diagnostic clinic examined over 1200 submitted disease samples annually. Timely advice, based on clinic findings, is disseminated to stakeholder groups and the public through OSU Extension seminars, training workshops, newsletters and websites. Clinic director Nancy Taylor presented seminars to over 1000 people annually, and clinic information was also utilized by OSU Extension specialists and educators throughout the state.
The Clinic also plays a key role in monitoring threats to Ohio such as soybean rust (sentinel plot monitoring), wheat blast (found in Kentucky), boxwood blight (recent nursery concern), Thousand Cankers Disease of Black Walnut (detected in Tennessee), and insects such as Asian longhorned beetle and woolly adelgid. Clinic personnel also provide training to Master Gardeners and students in plant pathology classes at OSU.
OPDN co-director Nancy Taylor, Plant Pathology
Website > ppdc.osu.edu | <urn:uuid:78833591-67b6-4a10-bc32-410ac7347321> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://plantpath.osu.edu/research/impact/SOD/diagnostic-network | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392099.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00077-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927209 | 442 | 2.96875 | 3 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 14, 2005
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A Sandia National Laboratories robot recently withstood enough radiation to kill 40 men in freeing a stuck radiation source — the size of a restaurant salt shaker — at a White Sands Missile Range lab so that the cylinder could be safely returned to its insulated base.
The robot, for its successful efforts, was unofficially dubbed M2 for the cartoon character “Mighty Mouse.”
The operation — carried out by the robot and a joint task force of White Sands and Sandia RAP (Radiation Assistance Program) team members — ended 21 days of warning lights flashing and horns blaring at the 3,000-square-foot Department of Defense lab in Southern New Mexico.
Sandia is a National Nuclear Security Administration laboratory.
Alarms were blaring, warning lights flashing, and personnel were monitoring the stricken site around the clock in late October at the White Sands’ Gamma Irradiation Facility. The cause was a stuck cylinder the size of a restaurant salt shaker but considerably more deadly: Gamma rays from the cobalt-60 it contained could kill a man in half a minute. Its radiation field was too deadly for a human, even in a protective suit, to get near enough to free it.
The cylinder was used to irradiate circuit boards and vehicles to see how their electronic circuits, made smaller each year, stood up to radiation that would be present were a nuclear weapon detonated on or above U.S. soil.
The cylinder normally arrived and departed through a metal sleeve, driven by pneumatic air. The method resembled that used by drive-up banks, where pneumatic air drives a cylinder containing transaction paperwork first one way and then the other.
At White Sands, a pressure of approximately 20 psi was normally enough to move the container from its secure resting place to its forward exposed, or live, position; the same air pressure in the opposite direction sent it back. Over previous decades, on the rare occasions when the cylinder stuck, technicians had merely increased air pressure to send it on its way.
But this problem was different. From the safety of their control room, technicians increased air pressure in steps until they had reached 50 times normal, or 1000 psi, but they could not budge the cylinder. They speculated it had rammed into a signal switch that formed part of the sleeve’s pathway. In design, the switch resembled a teeter-totter. If the switch’s forward end was up when it should have been down, it would resist the cylinder’s passage. More air pressure would only insert the switch’s edge more deeply into the cylinder.
Range management considered its options.
On the positive side, gamma rays decreased in intensity by the square of the distance. That is to say, past a few hundred feet, the surrounding area was perfectly safe. And, unlike neutrons, the rays did not contaminate materials they touched; they were deadly only as they passed through a living organism.
On the negative side, the lab was shut down. It had to be manned around the clock to be sure no security guard wandered into the harmless-appearing area; meanwhile, the continually flashing lights and honking alarms set peoples’ teeth on edge.
There were robots on the East Coast that might be located and flown in.
The facility also had the capability to design, manufacture, transport, and maneuver a very heavy lead shield on a front-end loader to block and then surround the errant source. Technicians drilling through the shield could then send in a probe to force the switch to its normal position.
Within 24 hours, the Range’s management decided instead to call the local NNSA RAP team — the Radiological Assistance Program — headquartered at Sandia National Labs.
It would shortly seem the best move they could have made.
Richard Stump, Sandia RAP leader, explained the problem to robotics manager Phil Bennett, who said his group had a robot that might do the job. The 600-pound, five-foot-long robot, which became unofficially known as M2, rolled on treads, could maneuver around obstacles, and had a long, multi-jointed gripper arm with the dexterity to reach into awkward places and apply force to drills and screwdrivers. It could remember positions, important in starting with tools at the right height and depth. It was intended as a bomb-disabling unit.
But radiation that can kill a human also can kill a robot’s electronics. Bennett estimated M2 could withstand intense radiation for only 50 minutes.
The problem was that the switch was four feet off the floor, set back three feet from any vertical approach, and covered by a protective 3/16-inch steel plate. The plate made a 45-degree angle with the floor. It wouldn’t be easy, but if the robot could reach up and across, and drill a hole through the oddly angled steel plate, it could insert a wire through the drilled hole to nudge the switch’s bar, which rotated on a hinge pin, to a more appropriate position.
Lacking a trigger finger
But when the call to Sandia came, M2 was down with a faulty motor control board in its forearm. A call to DOE provided immediate funding to get it working; a replacement part was built and shipped from Agile Manufacturing in Waterloo, Ontario. Manufacturing, shipping, installation, testing, and querying White Sands to learn everything possible about the situation took two weeks.
“Our people at first wondered what the holdup was,” says White Sands’ Richard Williams, “and then we saw how well [the Sandia RAP team], with all their questions to us, had prepared.” Williams is White Sands’ associate director for its Survivability, Vulnerability, and Assessment Directorate.
Because the robot lacked a trigger finger to depress and release a drill control, the Sandia team stalked the aisles of local hardware stores, buying cordless drills and other equipment they modified into remotely operated drills, hooks, and grippers. On tests performed at Sandia by Bob Anderson and Jim Buttz on a mock-up of the stuck container and switch sent north from White Sands, M2 performed perfectly.
On Oct. 21, the team made the trip to White Sands, where reality — as it often does — proved more complex than the dry run had led the RAP group to anticipate.
Aided by M2’s video camera, Anderson steered the robot around two free-standing radiation shields and stopped it at the work site. The robot drilled through the steel plate, opening a space for a probe to pass through and push down one side of the teeter-totter.
The switch did not budge.
The team decided that a differently positioned hole might offer more leverage. The robot drilled a second hole and again shoved the probe against the teeter-totter’s bar, with the same negative result.
A third hole, drilled through the switch’s hinge pin to take it out and permit the entire structure to slide, failed to dislodge the obstacle.
Undeterred, the robot and its team then attempted to remove the switch by yanking at two wires, linked to each other, that were connected to the switch; the wires merely separated. So the robot grasped one of the separated wires in its pincer, but the wire broke when pulled.
By this time an hour and a half had gone by, and the team was temporarily out of ideas. Phil had estimated that the robot could remain ambulatory in the radiation field for only 50 minutes, and in fact the robot’s lower portion was no longer responding to commands.
Wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole
The RAP team, as a precaution against this very circumstance, working with White Sands personnel had tied a rope to M2 before sending it into the work area. The rope, attached to a RAP team winch 100 feet outside the structure, ensured the robot could be hauled out if radiation damaged its drive unit. But radiation shields now blocked a direct haul. M2 was hemmed in.
Using a ten-foot-long pole and standing at the edge of the field (which fanned out like a flashlight beam, strongest at its center and weakest at its edges), team members hooked and then tugged at the rope hauling M2. The deflection of the rope’s pull slid the robot around a moveable radiation shield without knocking it over. The RAP team’s winch then pulled the robot directly out.
Rebooting the robot and performing other maintenance, Anderson and Buttz found they could reactivate it, and the team finished the day ready to return the next morning.
The new plan was to unscrew six bolts that held in place the 3/16-inch steel plate that blocked the team’s direct access to the switch.
When they returned the next morning, however, the robot again would not start. The problem was traced to a damaged fiber optic line. A White Sands facility that worked with fiber optic lines was able to repair the cable break, but it was Sunday morning. It had taken half a day to replace the damaged line.
The time was not wasted. The RAP group, making frequent trips to the local Home Depot and Lowe’s, modified its tools.
The drills needed to work in reverse when the trigger was pushed, in order to back the screw out rather than tighten it. It had to move slowly enough that the robot could engage the screw head as it pushed down at the start of each effort. But the screwdriver tip could spiral off the screw head as the head turned, stripping the head. The team purchased a small, clear acrylic bubble that acted as a guide to keep the screwdriver blade in place. Unfortunately, heat from the radiation source melted the plastic.
So ended the second day.
The third day
An opaque metal guide bought from the hardware store the next morning was small enough in diameter to satisfactorily seat and keep the tool on the screw head and loosen the plate.
The team then tried air pressure to remove the plate. When this failed, they steered the robot out of the area and attached special tips to the end of its gripper. This time M2 succeeded in removing the plate. A blast of air then blew the entire switch out of the cylinder’s pathway, and the radiation source at long last was blown back to its storage position.
Inspection revealed the problem: Forceful early attempts to blow the cylinder back apparently had bent the straight switch into a right angle
“It would have been impossible to return the source to storage without removal of that switch,” says Stump.
Cleanup extended for another day.
The four-day on-site effort ended the problem, to the exuberance of those working on the project.
“The warning lights and horns that could be heard for miles away finally stopped after 21 straight days of annoying personnel at White Sands,” says Stump.
Says White Sands health physicist Douglas McDonald, “The facility is being evaluated. We’re looking at what happened and considering what we can do to prevent similar incidents in the future.”
Says Williams, “The team effort [between White Sands and Sandia RAP] produced a marvelous job.”
Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin company, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. Sandia has major R&D responsibilities in national security, energy and environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness.
Sandia media contact: Neal Singer, [email protected], (505) 845-7078 | <urn:uuid:779a8fe8-134c-49f8-bc4e-958bdf0223b1> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://share.sandia.gov/news/resources/releases/2005/manuf-tech-robotics/mm-robot.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392527.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00126-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959781 | 2,467 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Hard Times - Published in weekly parts Apr 1854 - Aug 1854
Read it online | Shop for the Book | Shop for the Video | Illustrations
Dickens published his tenth novel, without illustrations, in Household Words hoping to bolster lagging sales of his weekly journal. He had not published in weekly parts since Barnaby Rudge in 1841 and found the format "Crushing."
As a result of the demands of weekly serialization Hard Times is stripped of most of Dickens' trademark humor, rich characterization, and subplot. What remains is Dickens stripped down to the bare essentials, what novelist Angus Wilson called "a menu card for a meal rather than one of Dickens' rich feasts."
Dickens again flies the banner of social reform, touching on themes of industrialization, education, and Utilitarianism in the sweeping Industrial Revolution of the 1850's.
Dismissed initially as "sullen socialism", the novel gained new life with F.R. Leavis' positive critical treatment in The Great Tradition (1948). Leavis considered Hard Times Dickens' "masterpiece" and "his only serious work of art". Since then it has been one of Dickens' best-sellers, widely taught in schools, partly due to the fact that it is Dickens' shortest major work.
Plot (contains spoilers)
Thomas Gradgrind runs a school of hard fact in the industrial city of Coketown. He happens to see his children, Louisa and Tom, peering into a circus in direct opposition to his views on things of fancy. The cause for the offense, suggested by Gradgrind's friend Josiah Bounderby, a "self-made man" banker and mill owner in Coketown, is that Sissy Jupe, the daughter of one of the circus folk from Sleary's traveling circus, has been enrolled in Gradgrind's school and is a bad influence. Gradgrind and Bounderby proceed to visit the girl's father in order to have her removed from school. They find that he has abandoned the girl and Gradgrind agrees to take her in in the hope of reforming her on the condition that she never mention her former life.
Stephen Blackpool, a power loom weaver in Bounderby's mill, is married to a drunk and asked Bounderby how he can get out of the marriage to marry Rachael, another worker at the Mill. Bounderby loftily tells him that he married "for better or worse" and without money cannot be released from the marriage. After his visit to Bounderby he meets an old woman (Mrs. Pegler) in the street who tells him she comes to Coketown every year with the hope of a chance sighting of Bounderby.
Tom, Louisa, and Sissy finish school, Sissy unsatisfactorily. Tom is apprenticed to Bounderby. Bounderby asked Gradgrind for Louisa's hand and she reluctantly agrees to marry him in the hope of helping Tom. Sissy remains with Mrs. Gradgrind to help raise three younger children.
James Harthouse, with a letter of introduction from Gradgrind, now a Member of Parliament, meets Bounderby and becomes a frequent visitor in the household. Harthouse has hopes of going to Parliament.
Stephen Blackpool refuses to unionize with workers of the mill and is ostracized and later fired from his job. Tom has taken to gambling and has fallen heavily into debt. Louisa and Tom visit Stephen and Louisa sympathetically offers money to help him relocate. Tom takes Stephen aside and asks him to loiter around the bank in the evenings before he leaves town on the pretense of offering work.
The bank is robbed and Blackpool, seen loitering about the bank in the days before the robbery, is suspect. Harthouse falls in love with Louisa and tries to lure her away from her unhappy marriage to Bounderby. She flees to her father and reveals the unhappiness she has felt since childhood, he softens as he realizes the mistakes he made in her education. Louisa stays with him, cared for by Sissy. Bounderby abandons her. Mrs. Sparsit, Bounderby's housekeeper, captures Mrs. Pegler and brings her to Bounderby's house where she is revealed to be Bounderby's loving mother, disproving Bounderby's story of being a self-made man, abandoned as a child.
Rachael sends word to Blackpool, who has gotten work in another town, telling of the suspicion in the robbery and expects him to come back to clear his name, but he doesn't show. Rachael and Sissy, walking in the country, come across Stephen's hat near a deserted mine and realize he has fallen in. They summon help, Stephen is brought out alive but dies on the way back to town. Before dying he tells Mr. Gradgrind to question his son, Tom, concerning the robbery. Tom, knowing that capture is close at hand escapes, with the help of Sissy, to a town where Sleary's Circus is performing. Thomas, Sissy, and Louisa meet him there and, after a last minute attempt by Bitzer to capture him, escapes abroad, with the help of the circus folk, where he later dies in misery. Thomas Gradgrind abandons his inflexible demands for facts in favor of "Faith, Hope, and Charity."Characters:
Character descriptions contain spoilers
E. W. B. Childers
Adam Smith Gradgrind
Cecilia (Sissy) Jupe
Master Kidderminster (Cupid)
|Hard Times Links:|
The Dickens Page
The Victorian Web
SparkNotes - Excellent!
According to Angus Easson in Hard Times: A Critical Commentary Dickens used a book in his possession, A View of the Lancashire Dialect by John Collier to perfect the North of England speech of characters in Hard Times.
Dickens' letter to Mark Lemon
(Feb 20, 1854)
Will you note down and send me any slang terms among the tumblers and circus-people, that you can call to mind? I have noted down some-I want them in my new story-but it is very probable that you will recall several which I have not got.
Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them. This is the principle on which I bring up my own children, and this is the principle on which I bring up these children. Stick to Facts, sir!
People mutht be amuthed...they can't be alwayth a working, nor yet they can't be alwayth a learning.
Chuzzlewit | Christmas Carol | Christmas Books | Dombey and Son | Copperfield | Bleak House
Hard Times | Little Dorrit | Tale of Two Cities | Great Expectations | Our Mutual Friend
Edwin Drood | Minor Works | The Uncommercial Traveller | <urn:uuid:8adf87c1-c913-48f9-b48d-74b69a0aa2c3> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://charlesdickenspage.com/hardtimes.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395620.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00127-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951636 | 1,497 | 2.5625 | 3 |
© 1996, Jamie McKenzie,
All Rights Reserved
This article first appeared in
Educational Leadership, November, 1996
Before schools invest millions of dollars* to provide "robust" access to the World Wide Web - meaning sufficient bandwidth to support whole classrooms of students working in pairs or trios on Net-connected computers - they would be wise to stop and ask "why?"
*Bellingham spent nearly half of its $6 million technology bond on infrastructure to connect all 1500 desktops across 18 schools to the Internet and each other.
The once popular "surfing" metaphor is now pretty much discredited as the Net reveals itself as the greatest yard sale of information in human history. Poorly organized and dominated by amateurs, hucksters and marketing gurus, the net offers INFO-GLUT, INFO-GARBAGE, and INFO-TACTICS. Schools which plunge students into this INFO-SEA with nothing but mythical or metaphorical surfboards are courting disillusionment, chaos and what beach folk call "Wipe Out!" Good planning and staff development can convert the "yard sale" into treasure.
After a year and a half of robust access to the Web, Bellingham has found three strategies to optimize the learning experience of staff and students:
The Research Cycle
Since we have eighteen schools all connected to the Internet, it was a simple matter to create web sites at each school. We began by asking "why bother?" in February of 1995.
A quick scan of several hundred school web sites revealed little of consequence. We found pictures of principals and pictures of buildings. Here and there we found examples of student work. There were lists of Internet sites, but we found little substance, little content and little utility.
The several dozen staff members - many of whom were library media specialists - who joined in these "virtual field trips" were quick to call for something better. Entranced by the vivid graphics and superb information provided by adult virtual museums such as the WEB MUSEUM (http://sunsite.unc.edu/louvre/) and the FRANKLIN INSTITUTE (http://sln.fi.edu/), they seized upon virtual museums as a center piece for web site development.
Virtual museums are student constructed collections of digitized artifacts which illuminate some major aspect of the curriculum.
Ellis Island is one elementary school's virtual museum devoted to diversity, national origin and immigration, for example. Students (half of whom are first generation Americans) share the stories of their families' voyages to America from Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Greece and Russia. They digitize family photographs, scan documents, take Apple Quicktake shots of coins and other objects, and then welcome visitors to learn of their experience. For a full listing of Bellingham's museums go to:
A global listing of school virtual museums may be found at:
Students act as curators under the tutelage of teachers like John Schick who help the students to learn HTML as well as the skills of gathering and interpreting artifacts and information. Virtual museums are a great way to engage students in "making meaning" while publishing globally. They challenge students to learn in a fully constructivist manner, building meaning for cyberspace.
We found that many of the lists available on the Web did not point us to quality. The typical user must visit dozens of sites and pass through many levels of menus before finding solid content relevant to the curriculum question at hand. A lack of content is chronic and typical.
We were forced to build our own lists of curriculum-related sites with good content - curriculum pages. Curriculum resource pages eliminate sites which are "media rich but content poor."
In our experience working with Yahoo's lists of curriculum related sites (http://www.yahoo.com/), there was typically a 90% attrition rate.
The team creating the curriculum page saved dozens and potentially thousands of other teachers the trouble of visiting those sites by publishing them on the WWW.
To examine examples of such lists, visit the Bellingham Public Schools at
Because Web lists rarely include annotations and because many of the people who name sites or build lists seem to know little about categorization or labels, it is difficult to identify from simple lists the sites worth visiting. The solution is to add annotations which warn and inform the explorer regarding the site's offerings. These annotations can include comments about large graphics and provide a sketch of the content.
To protect explorers from unnecessary and wasteful passages through menu levels, the addresses for the content pages can be lifted up and placed as links on the curriculum resource page while the link to the home page of the target site can be deactivated. This makes for speedy visits.
Good curriculum resource lists also offer a healthy alternative to districts which are concerned about students coming into contact with controversial materials. Staff and students may visit sites on the list (and stay on them) without risk. Such guidance seems preferable to censorship and site-blocking software.
We learned quickly that old approaches to student research were inadequate to meet the essential learning goals set by the district and were ill suited to the information rich environment we had created with our 1500 PC WAN (wide area network). With all those computers and all of those classrooms connected to great information on CD-ROMs and the Internet, we needed to re-invent our concept of research, upgrading the questioning and elevating the reasoning required while adding a "teaming" component.
We have been engaging teachers in a staff development course titled "Launching Student Investigations." This course was based upon the Research Cycle first published in Multimedia Schools (McKenzie, 1995):
We teach teams of students to move repeatedly through each of the steps of the RESEARCH CYCLE below:
SORTING & SIFTING
(After several repetitions lead to INSIGHT)*
*All of these phases were described in more detail in a 6 part series of articles published by Technology Connection (McKenzie, April '95 - December '95).
We find that most research used to be topical. Students were asked to "go find out about" Dolly Madison or Connecticut. These assignments turned students into simple "word movers." New technologies make word moving - "cutting and pasting" - even more ridiculous. We now emphasize research questions which require either problem-solving or decision-making. Examples: How might we restore the salmon harvest? Which New England city should our family move to?
The student team spends time carving up the question in subsidiary questions. They ask where the best information might lie? What sources are likely to provide the most insight with the most efficiency? Which resources are reliable? How will they sort, sift and store their findings? (database? word processing file?)
If the planning has been thoughtful and productive, the team proceeds to good information sites swiftly and efficiently, gathering only that information which is relevant and useful. Otherwise, teams might wander for many hours, scooping up hundreds of files which will later prove frustrating and valueless.
It is critically important that findings me structured AS THEY ARE GATHERED. Putting this task off until later is very dangerous when coping with INFO-GLUT. It is also important that the team only use the Internet when that is likely to provide the best information. In many cases, books and CD-ROMs will prove more efficient and useful.
SORTING & SIFTING
The more complex the research question, the more important the sorting and sifting which provides the data to support the next stage - synthesis. Some selecting and sorting took place during the previous stage - gathering - but now the team moves toward even more systematic scanning and organizing of data to set aside that which is most likely to contribute to INSIGHT. The team sorts and sifts the information much as a fishing boat must cull the harvest brought to the surface in a net (McKenzie, 1994).
In a process akin to jigsaw puzzling, the student arranges and rearranges the information fragments until patterns and some kind of picture begin to emerge.
Synthesis is fueled by the tension of a powerful research question.
At this point, the team asks if more research is needed before proceeding to the REPORTING stage. In the case of complex and demanding research questions, it often requires several repetitions of the CYCLE. The time for the reporting and sharing of insights is determined by the quality of the "information harvest" during this EVALUATION stage.
As multimedia presentation software becomes readily available to our schools and our students, we are seeing movement toward persuasive presentations. The research team, charged with making a decision or creating a solution, reports its findings and its recommendations to an audience of decision-makers (simulated or real).
Two excellent additional print sources to expand the reader's understanding of information problem-solving would be Michael Eisenberg's Big Six model (1990) and Marty and Jacqueline Brooks' 1993 ASCD publication: In Search of Understanding: the Case for Constructivist Classrooms. An electronic source would be the WWW page devoted to constructivist learning (hhttp://www.ilt.columbia.edu/k12/livetext/curricula/general/webcurr.html)
We see great movement toward information literacy as the information landscape shifts with powerful new technologies. The importance of library media specialists grows dramatically as information systems shift and research becomes central to student-centered. constructivist classrooms. The journey will probably take a full five years of staff development, team planning and invention, but it is a journey well worth undertaking. The pay-off for this investment is the graduation of a generation prepared to make their own meanings in an often confusing, rapidly changing world.
Brooks, M. and Brooks, J. (1993). In Search of Understanding: the Case for Constructivist Classrooms . ASCD, Alexandria, VA.
Eisenberg, M. and Berkowitz, R. (1990). Information Problem-Solving: The Big Six Skills Approach to Library and Information Skills Instruction. Abblex Publishing, Norwood, NJ)
McKenzie, J. (1993). "Grazing the Net: Raising a Generation of Range Free Students." From Now On,, December.
McKenzie, J. (1994). "Culling the Net: A Lesson on the Dark Side." From Now On,, February.
McKenzie, J. (1995). "BeforeNet and AfterNet." Multimedia Schools, June.
McKenzie, J. (1995). "Planning a Voyage into Cyberspace." Technology Connection, April-December issues.
The icons on this page are free GIFs from Jay Boersma's site (http://www.ECNet.Net/users/gas52r0/Jay/home.html).
Return to From Now On Index | <urn:uuid:5c4638f1-018f-41ea-a4c9-a5c3ece9bc74> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.fromnowon.org/ascd.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391634.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00142-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936027 | 2,225 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Features of Constitution1
|Is there a constitution?||Yes|
|Does the constitution provide for freedom of religion?||Yes|
|Source||National Assembly of Sao Tome and Principe|
|Translation||Unofficial translation by ARDA staff from Portuguese source|
|Current as of||May 11, 2011|
Constitution Excerpts (clauses that reference religion)2
Article 8: Secular State
The Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe is a secular state, and there exists a separation from the state with respect to all religious institutions.
Article 15: Principles of Equality
1. All citizens are equal before the law, enjoy the same rights and are subject to the same duties, without distinction of social origin, race, gender, political orientation, religious belief or philosophical belief.
2. The woman is man's equal in rights and duties, being assured full participation in political, economic, social and cultural.
Article 27: Freedom of Conscience, Religion and Worship
1. The Freedom of conscience, religion and worship is inviolable.
2. No one can be persecuted, deprived of rights or exempted from civic duties or obligations because of their religious belief or practice.
3. Nobody may be questioned by any authority about their religious beliefs or practices, except for the purpose of collecting statistical data does not identify individuals, nor may they be discriminated against by refusing to answer.
4. Religious denominations are free in their worship, their instruction and their organization.
Article 31: Right to Freedom of Education and Learning
1. The right to freedom of education and learning is guaranteed.
2. The state may not have the right to plan education and culture in accordance with any philosophical, political, ideological or religious directives.
Article 154: Limits on Matters of [Constitutional] Revision
There may be no revisions to the constitution concerning the following matters:
…b) the secular status of the state;
1. Data under the "Features of Constitution" heading are drawn from coding of the U.S. State Department's 2008 International Religious Freedom Reports conducted by researchers at the Association of Religion Data Archives. The article by Brian Grim and Roger Finke describes the coding of the International Religious Freedom reports. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. Used with permission.
2. The constitutional excerpts shown above are reproduced from the websites given in the "Source" field; the links to these websites were active as of May 2011. Where the constitutional text shown on these websites was provided in a language other than English, this text was translated to English by ARDA staff with assistance from web-based translation utilities such as Google Translate and Yahoo! Babel Fish. Constitutional text was converted to American English where applicable. Constitutional clauses were judged to contain religious content based largely on the standards used in the construction of the Religion and State Constitutions Dataset collected by Jonathan Fox. Emphases were added to the text by ARDA staff to highlight religious content in articles that also contain content that does not pertain to matters of religion. The data on this page were correct to the best of the knowledge of the ARDA as of the date listed in the "Current as of" field shown above. Please contact us at [email protected] if you are aware of any incorrect information provided on this page. | <urn:uuid:79ac68b3-e9e6-4eb8-b1b5-b874fc05692b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_195_6.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397636.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00058-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921951 | 698 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Last September, torrential rains along Colorado’s Front Range Mountains led to catastrophic flooding that covered nearly 2,000 square miles. This unprecedented flash-flooding event caused more than $2 billion in property damage — from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins, including Boulder, northeast Colorado, and parts of the Denver metro area. More than 10,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes and about 200 miles of state highways and 50 state-maintained bridges were impacted, many in challenging mountain terrain.
Immediately following the event, I served as part of a geotechnical engineering team mobilized to help assess the damage and restore access to roads and railroads — as quickly and safely as possible. Responding to natural disasters is an important part of my role, working alongside other engineers and scientists at Shannon & Wilson. While this particular event far exceeded the devastation and long-term impact of most natural disasters, it reinforced several principles I’ve discovered through my involvement in a diverse range of crises.
1. Expect the unexpected — Disasters are never convenient. There’s not a date or time when they seem less intrusive or distressing. But having advance warning can be extremely helpful for allowing individuals, institutions, and municipalities to take necessary precautions, including potentially evacuating a region.
Thanks to ongoing technological advances, we’re able to rapidly assess with greater reliability the consequences of natural hazards as they occur. As an example, social media provides responders of all types the ability to understand precisely what is happening throughout a corridor and to take immediate action to protect other infrastructure and the public.
As we continue honing our ability to monitor trends in historical data, we become increasingly more efficient and proactive in the mitigation and response efforts. Nevertheless, even the most sophisticated climate models and GIS systems will never fully equip us to understand and predict natural hazards and the full range of consequences. Landslides, rockslides, floods, and other natural disasters are likely to continue happening — often without significant advance warning.
2. We’re living in an increasingly infrastructure-dependent world — Most of us rely on cars to transport us to work, buses to take our kids to school, and trucks and trains deliver the bulk of our food and other commercial needs.
And in many cases, infrastructure development is not keeping pace with increases in population and user demand. A highway that accommodated an average of 10,000 vehicles each day in the 1970s may be supporting three times as many vehicles today, with no major upgrades to support that traffic increase.
Given America’s growing reliance on aging roads and railways, the negative economic impact is increasingly more severe when that infrastructure is damaged or disrupted. The direct and indirect consequences are often enormous and far-reaching — coal can’t be delivered to power plants, local businesses are crippled, and the entertainment and tourism industry is devastated.
3. Rebuilding is complex and complicated — In last year’s Colorado flooding, entire sections of U.S. Route 34 west of Loveland were completely destroyed or missing. Those sections of the highway, which is in a very narrow canyon and supported by retaining walls, had to be rebuilt.
The small town of Lyons, in Boulder County, was nearly wiped out entirely. In the span of a couple days, this historic town became completely isolated, with no functioning transportation infrastructure and no functioning wastewater and other utilities. Most of its residents had to leave for several days to weeks until transportation, water, and power were restored.
As our team responded to these devastating scenarios, we faced numerous challenges. Working under a highly compressed schedule, we had to balance the need to restore function to critical infrastructure systems as quickly as possible while preserving the existing infrastructure elements that remained.
And, as in most disaster situations, we had to work with limited access to the full range of construction tools and resources. Concrete and other materials were in short supply and challenging to bring to a site.
While we raced against the clock to bring systems back into operation, we also had to be mindful that the repairs would be resilient. The systems needed to protect the public’s safety for the long term while meeting people’s expectations for aesthetics, comfort, and convenience.
4. Disasters demand unprecedented levels of collaboration — Responding to disaster events requires ongoing collaboration among numerous governmental organizations, corporations, elected officials, and private citizens. Public and private entities that may normally interact sporadically or not at all are suddenly compelled to work together under high-stress, high-stakes conditions.
Effective communication is fundamental to ensure that the numerous stakeholders — all of whom need to move swiftly and decisively — can successfully collaborate to move projects forward as efficiently as possible.
In these urgent situations, it’s always rewarding to see how well the various disciplines and specialties working on a project can cooperate. A conventional design project tends to operate in a more siloed manner, but during a crisis situation, you generally experience more teamwork and don’t have the same disputes you might otherwise have. The professionals who are knowledgeable can simply be empowered to make decisions in the field, with input from other team members.
However, despite the urgency to rebuild and restore functionality to transportation infrastructure, permitting processes and other legislative requirements must continue to be followed. That means working closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fish and Wildlife Service, and other organizations to ensure you’re following procedures and not causing additional damage to the environment.
5. We must proactively plan for the future — If there’s a silver lining to disaster events, it’s that they help serve as a reminder of the importance of managing our aging infrastructure systems on a consistent basis. Because a significant portion of our urban infrastructure network was originally constructed in the 1950s or 1960s, it requires ongoing maintenance and expansion to keep pace with demand.
On a much smaller and simpler scale, it is similar to the need to change the oil and rotate the tires on your car or risk a mechanical breakdown. While the vehicle will eventually need to be replaced, it is likely to last much longer and be more reliable if those maintenance procedures are followed consistently.
Yet, many states and municipalities lack the resources or tools to proactively manage their roads, bridges, and utilities. That’s why we need to promote a greater understanding of the total life cycle costs of infrastructure projects. We must make long-term decisions based on the fact that the initial construction cost usually represents a small percentage of the total cost to maintain a project throughout its life.
A life cycle perspective should influence and be considered at all stages of a project — from allocating a budget to planning, design, and maintenance decisions.
During a disaster, most of the attention is focused on the speed of rebuilding, which is completely understandable. But we also can make decisions during traditional design and maintenance activities that will create efficiency and savings over the life cycle. This involves, for example, considering the layout of infrastructure relative to the hazards, the materials and resources used, and the long-term maintenance plans.
Just as our team continues to learn important lessons from each disaster response project we assist, it’s important that our cities, states, and nation do the same to mitigate the negative human and economic impact of future events that may occur.
Mark Vessely, P.E., M.ASCE, is vice president, geotechnical engineering, at Shannon & Wilson, based in Denver. He can be reached at [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:ca8b857f-19ff-4998-92e9-caddf5699e31> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://cenews.com/article/9842/when-disaster-strikes | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396455.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00195-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952089 | 1,548 | 3.171875 | 3 |
Ever wonder how a solar-powered electric vehicle works? Well, the University of Michigan’s Solar Car Team has been designing these types of vehicles since 1990. The team took home the winning title for the American Solar Challenge on July 21, 2012 which makes them a seven-time champion for this competition. They have also placed 3rd four times in the World Solar Conference that takes place in Australia.
This is a student-run organization that designs and builds new solar electric vehicles every two years or so. Once the vehicle they are working on is complete, they immediately start working on their next vehicle making this organization a full time commitment. When the team is not working on building, they are focused on preparing and planning for their competitions. The World Solar Conference takes place in Australia and the race crew of 20 people have to take off all of fall semester in order to participate in this event. This experience definitely pays off for them especially when they win a big title.
To learn more about the U of M Solar Car Team, click here. | <urn:uuid:9ab0874d-e4cf-4c01-a6c3-9817a74d6cb5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.ases.org/2012/07/u-of-m-solar-car-team-wins-7th-national-championship/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393518.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00153-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97131 | 211 | 2.875 | 3 |
SYDNEY, Australia (JTA) — Sydney’s Jewish Museum and descendants of survivors saved by Oskar Schindler are angry that a carbon copy of his famous list was sold to the State Library of New South Wales.
The German industrialist’s list of more than 800 Jews — described by the library as “one of the most powerful documents of the 20th century” — was given to Australian author Thomas Keneally in 1980 by Leopold Pfefferberg, a Schindler survivor living in Los Angeles. It prompted Keneally to write his Booker Prize-winning work, "Schindler’s Ark," which spawned Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning film, "Schindler’s List."
The library said this week it paid an undisclosed sum to a dealer for Keneally’s manuscript material in 1996. But the document had been languishing in the bowels of the library for 13 years until it was recently discovered by a researcher.
The Sydney Jewish Museum and others related to the Schindler story were disappointed the list was sold to the library. Museum president John Landerer told J-Wire, a local Jewish Web site, “I can only express disappointment that he [Keneally] chose to dispose of such a precious document this way.”
Jake Selinger, whose parents were saved by Schindler’s list, added, “It’s hard to believe that he would sell this precious document without having any care or concern as to where it would end up.”
The 13 pages of yellowed paper listing the names of Jews saved from the Nazis goes on display at the library on Tuesday. | <urn:uuid:3178ccce-5f06-4fcf-90e8-34709a9b6bb4> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.jta.org/2009/04/06/news-opinion/world/schindlers-list-unearthed-at-australian-library | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00118-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964411 | 356 | 2.703125 | 3 |
manueline (mənwĕlˈēn, –Īn) [key], sumptuous, composite Portuguese style of architectural ornamentation of the early 16th cent. It combined contemporary Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Flemish elements and was named for King Manuel I of Portugal (reigned 1495–1521). The Chapter House of the Convent of Christ at Tomar, Portugal (early 16th cent.), with its large-scale windows surrounded with sculptured organic and twisted rope forms, is the major monument of the manueline style. The style was extended to the decorative arts and spread to Spain, Mexico, and India.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:66033ccd-e5e0-4275-8aac-dc1a8bec63b5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.factmonster.com/encyclopedia/entertainment/manueline.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391766.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00091-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912772 | 159 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Much talked about in the energy efficiency sector, the Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a world where everything from lamps to HVAC systems to entire grids will one day be connected. The concept has gained traction in recent years, but deployments remain modest. Only an estimated 1% of the world’s buildings use systems to control and network lighting, and only 7% of commercial building lighting is operated using smart controls.
However, controls products offer huge energy consumption savings opportunities. Enlighted Inc., one lighting controls vendor, claims that its wireless sensor system can cut commercial building energy consumption by 50% to 75%. In an environment where healthcare costs are predicted to increase by 6% annually for the next decade and uncertainty lingers concerning the Affordable Care Act, cost-savings opportunities like that are enthusiastically welcomed.
In the healthcare sector, IT investments increasingly emphasize connectivity and networked systems. Networking enables healthcare systems to lower costs while improving patient experiences and facilitating an advanced degree of care customization. Particularly in the United States, where the cost of patient discharge is about $18,000 (versus $6,000 in other developed nations), networked systems can dramatically cut administrative costs.
One of the greatest benefits is the ability to test and diagnose devices remotely. This can help to reduce device downtime and avoid unexpected breakdowns, thus avoiding shutdown costs and patient rescheduling. Connected devices, such as MRIs, CT scanners, and lab test equipment, can signal when critical operational components are being depleted.
Efficient scheduling is another benefit of IoT technology in healthcare facilities. By leveraging utilization statistics, hospital employees are able to optimize equipment use and avoid over-scheduling procedures.
Seeing the Patterns
The expanded capabilities of smart, connected products and the data they generate are becoming necessary in the increasingly competitive healthcare sector. In addition to cost-cutting benefits, the IoT is opening extensive opportunities for improved operational efficiency and patient satisfaction. This emerging Internet of Healthy Things is composed of apps and hardware that promote positive health outcomes and focus on preventive healthcare for individuals. For example, Fitbit’s wearable device captures health-related data, such as sleep patterns, activity levels, and other personal metrics, to provide a complete picture of behavior and baseline vital signs. Medical device companies offer home health-monitoring systems that allow physicians to remotely monitor their patients’ clinical status. For example, Propeller Health’s asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) tracker allows a doctor to remotely monitor patients’ symptoms. Other apps exist to monitor a range of other health issues, including diabetes.
Although the healthcare sector has been traditionally slow to embrace new technology, the IoT offers improvements for both facility management and individual patient care. As tele-health and other in-home care options continue to expand, IoT-enabled devices can enable progressive hospitals to remain competitive—and improve outcomes. | <urn:uuid:76d51dac-0b30-4d89-b16e-6b741f7d837d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.navigantresearch.com/tag/healthcare | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402746.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00181-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932986 | 590 | 2.796875 | 3 |
The Server Message Block Protocol (SMB protocol) provides a method for client applications in a computer to read and write to files on and to request services from server programs in a computer network. The SMB protocol can be used over the Internet on top of its TCP/IP protocol or on top of other network protocols such as Internetwork Packet Exchange and NetBEUI. Using the SMB protocol, an application (or the user of an application) can access files at a remote server as well as other resources, including printers, mailslots, and named pipes. Thus, a client application can read, create, and update files on the remote server. It can also communicate with any server program that is set up to receive an SMB client request.
Microsoft Windows operating systems since Windows 95 include client and server SMB protocol support. For UNIX systems, a shareware program, Samba, is available. The SMB protocol originated at Microsoft and has gone through a number of developments. A given client and server may implement different sets of protocol variations which they negotiate before starting a session.
Microsoft has offered a public or open source version of SMB for the Internet to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Called the Common Internet File System (CIFS), this new protocol provides more flexibility than existing Internet applications such as the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). CIFS is envisioned as a complement to the Internet's Hypertext Transfer Protocol for Web browsing.
SMB also stands for "small to medium-size business." | <urn:uuid:67e62bc1-374a-4f6a-a726-cff026db3f95> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/Server-Message-Block-Protocol | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393997.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00078-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920249 | 314 | 3.625 | 4 |
- Heartburn Slideshow: Foods to Eat, Foods to Avoid
- Digestive Myths Slideshow: Common Misconceptions
- GERD Quiz: Test Your Digestive Diseases IQ
- Patient Comments: GERD in Infants and Children - Symptoms
- Patient Comments: GERD in Infants and Children - Treatments
- Patient Comments: GERD in Infants and Children - Experience
- Find a local Pediatric Gastroenterology in your town
- What are GER and GERD in infants and children?
- What causes GER and GERD in infants and children?
- What are the symptoms of GER and GERD in infants and children?
- How are GER and GERD in infants and children diagnosed?
- What is the treatment for GER in infants?
- How are GER and GERD treated in infants and children?
- What is the prognosis for GER and GERD in infants and children?
What is the treatment for GER in infants?
Since the fundamental issue for infants with GER is "tincture of time," most infants need no specific therapy. Lifestyle adjustments which have been helpful for some infants include:
- Mild elevation of the head of the crib mattress
- Maintaining an upright position for the first 20 to 30 minutes following a feeding
- Thickening of the formula with rice cereal
- Utilization of an "elemental" formula (for example, Alimentum)
- Introduction of solid foods at the safe and appropriate age (please check with your child's pediatrician prior to initiating these processes).
It is rare, however, an infant may require medications to bridge the gap during the neurologic maturation process that enables your child to "outgrow" his or her GER. These medications are discussed later.
How are GER and GERD treated in infants and children?
It is rare for an infant with GER to generate substantial discomfort, demonstrate aversion to feeding, or show suboptimal weight gain. Conversely, toddlers and older children may experience more substantial symptoms, and thus may need a trial of lifestyle modifications including:
- mild elevation of the head of bed,
- serving smaller but more frequent meals,
- monitoring your child's diet to determine whether specific foods or drinks may tend to aggravate his or her symptoms, and
- weight reduction if indicated.
There are several groups of medications that may need to be considered in certain cases of infant GER (rare) or toddler/childhood GERD. These include:
- Medication to lessen gas, for example, Mylicon or Gaviscon
- Medication to neutralize stomach acid, for example, Mylanta or Maalox
- Medication to lessen stomach acid histamine blockers, for example, ranitidine (Zantac), famotidine (Pepcid) or cimetidine (Tagamet), and proton pump inhibitors or PPIs, for example, omeprazole (Prilosec), lansoprazole (Prevacid) or rabeprazole (Aciphex)
- Medication to promote emptying of stomach contents, for example, metoclopramide (Reglan, however, it has a number of side effects) or erythromycin (more routinely used as an antibiotic but known to have side the effect of increasing stomach contractions, but may be helpful with GERD)
The use of these medications follows a stepwise approach (from #1 to #4) based upon severity of symptoms. Consultation with a pediatric gastroenterologist may be helpful for patients whose response to the above approach is disappointing.
There are very cases where children whose GERD is so severe that a surgical procedure must be considered to manage symptoms. The procedure, called a Nissen fundoplication, involves wrapping the top part of the stomach around the lower esophagus. The displaced stomach contracts during the digestive process, and thus closes off the lower esophagus and prevents reflux. In extraordinary circumstances, a feeding tube directly into the stomach is necessary to complement the Nissen fundoplication. | <urn:uuid:bd1eabaf-c634-45ef-bebe-a94de82d6dc3> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.medicinenet.com/gerd_in_infants_and_children/page3.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397111.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00057-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901407 | 849 | 3.1875 | 3 |
Scandal and Divorce in the 18th Century – by guest blogger Julian Hawkhead
March 16, 2009 0 comments
In Lady Worsley’s time, divorce was a privilege of the wealthy.
I recently came across an interesting article in the BBC History Magazine about an infamous 18th Century divorce. It brought to mind the recent news about the lady in Dubai who has been imprisoned for committing adultery and may never see her children again once she is deported from that country, I wondered to what extent progress has been made.
The case in question concerned Sir Richard Worsley and his wife, Lady Seymour Dorothy Worsley. The year was 1781 and Lady Worsley had eloped with her lover Captain George Bisset, leaving for the big smoke and staying at the Royal Hotel on Pall Mall. The affair, colourfully described in Hallie Rubenhold’s book Lady Worsley’s Whim, led to her husband’s instigation of divorce proceedings.
Back in the 18th Century, divorce was a privilege of the wealthy, as it was only the wealthy who could afford the expense. Proceedings could only be brought by the husband. He could obtain a divorce through an Act of Parliament, which was an embarrassing rummage through the history of the marriage by his peers (imagine the scandal and gossip!) who would then agree that the marriage should be dissolved. An alternative option was to go to the religious ecclesiastical court to obtain a “separation from bed and board”, which ended the husband’s financial responsibilities towards his wife but left the couple in a “half-life” of still being married.
Sir Richard Worsley made an intriguing claim that related to a charge of “criminal conversation”. The charge was brought by Sir Richard against Captain Bisset for compensation, for damages to Sir Richard’s property. The “property” in question? His wife.
The religious laws against adultery – and perhaps these are still echoed in the law of Dubai – had been relaxed in the late 17th Century. This meant that other ways of seeking recompense could be sought. Sir Richard also alleged that Captain Bisset had committed the civil offence of trespass and damaged his wife’s chastity. He sought £20,000 in damages – the equivalent of £25.4 million today.
Reading about the case, I fell to thinking about the state of our current law and how the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1973 has given the Court wide powers to exercise its discretion and deal with assets in a “fair” manner. The Court looks at a whole range of factors, prioritising the needs of any children, but looking at every factor in a balanced way. It was only as a result of successful campaigning for wives’ rights that in the early 19th Century, the first Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857 recognised women as individuals with rights separate from those of their husbands.
Even now, no law is perfect. The current requirement for parties to wait for two years to avoid a “fault based” divorce is too long, in my opinion. At the same time there is an awful lot to be said for our English system, which steers away from black and white and from formulaic outcomes. Instead, it attempts to provide fair outcomes in differing circumstances. Hard rules can lead to unfair outcomes: the lady in Dubai has claimed that she was set up by her husband, who aimed to take custody of the children from her and have her thrown out of the country.
Back in the 1780s, the unfortunate Lady Worsley became the object of a terrible dispute. Captain Bisset defended the charges brought against him by claiming that Lady Worsley was simply not worth £20,000. In fact, he said, she was worth nothing! He alleged that Sir Richard had actively promoted Lady Worsley’s liaisons – not only with Captain Bisset but also with move than twenty other men during the couple’s six years of marriage.
In effect, Captain Bisset argued that the damage had already been done. The Court agreed with him – and the compensation awarded to Sir Richard was a meagre shilling.
You probably read a great deal about Sir Paul Mcartney’s divorce last year. Imagine reading about Lord and Lady in your Sunday newspaper!
Julian Hawkhead is the Head of the Domestic Family Law Department at Stowe Family Law. Specialising in cases involving complex financial arrangements for high net worth clients, often with a corporate or business element, Julian is becoming known as a leader in the field.
Julian has also trained as a collaborative lawyer through Resolution, the family solicitors group, and has successfully dealt with multi-million pound cases on that basis. | <urn:uuid:d430962b-ff0a-4fb7-aaf7-42af3cca562f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.marilynstowe.co.uk/2009/03/16/scandal-and-divorce-in-the-18th-century-%E2%80%93-by-guest-blogger-julian-hawkhead/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394937.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00169-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981805 | 994 | 2.53125 | 3 |
www.maltagenealogy.com is dedicated to celebrating and reassessing the history of the Maltese People.
A visitor’s assessment of two museums in Malta
There is a great wealth of history in Malta, so rich and varied that you can get numbed by the sheer volume, but that does not mean the guide can get away with anything he says. We checked some claims on the web and drew some conclusions.
The Palazzo Falson in Mdina
Palazzo Falson is a two-storey palace which is associated with the nobility of Malta. Today it has been lovingly restored and is run as a museum.
According to the official website the building dates to the 13th century and “it was originally a one-storey high courtyard house that was built around the first half of 13th century on the remains of an even earlier structure known as La Rocca”. http://www.palazzofalson.com/palazzofalson/content.aspx?id=56477
It is also known as the “Norman House” but there is nothing Norman about the building and it appears that this claim has been discontinued.
We have learnt that at least into the 15th century one of the noble families of Malta was that of Rocca represented by one Cola (Nicholas). We also know that up to Abela’s time of writing (1647), this family long extinct in Malta, was still remembered for having constructed a Church (where today’s Carmelite Church stands): “Conserva fin hoggi tal cognome nella nostra Citta’, la Venerabile Chiesa quivi fatta fabricare da i maggiori di questa famiglia detta S. Maria ta’ Rocca”http://www.maltagenealogy.com/libro%20d'Oro/Rocca.html
Moreover, today’s Palazzo Falson is immediately opposite the Carmelite Church. http://www.carmelitepriorymuseum.com/Default.aspx
It is therefore probable that there was an association between the medieval Rocca family of Malta and today’s “Palazzo Falson” but this does not appear to be important enough.
By the 17th century the noble Rocca family’s memory had already been muddled, where “Rocca” became “Bocca”: In the Falsone-Testaferrata marriage contract dated 1684, the house is described as “Item locum domorum situm etpositum in dicta Civitate Notabile in quarterio della Madonna della Bocca sive del Carminecum viridario [...] possides a Federicio donante, et in quo habitat Donna Scolastica mater di Federici [...]”.
The same official website goes on to say that according to “secure documented records” it is known that by the 16th century the house was owned by Ambrosio de Falsone, who was the Head of the Town Council, and was then inherited by his cousin, the Vice-Admiral Michele Falsone, adding that the late 16th century “Matteo Falson was held to be one of Palazzo Falson’s most notorious residents. He was Master of the Rod in Mdina, but fell foul of the Inquisition due to his Lutheran sympathies, and fled the island in 1574. The Inquisition seized his estates which included Palazzo Falson. Possession of the house eventually passed to the Cumbo-Navarra family and their descendants”.
Unfortunately none of this appears to be supported by the documents we have.
According to Claude Busuttil in his article “A Double Act for the ‘Norman House’:Palazzo Falzon or Palazzo Cumbo-Navarra?” Melita Historica New Series. 12(1999)4(411-418), (http://melitensia.250free.com/melitahistorica/MH12/1204/08.adoubleactfor.pdf ), after delving into the historical ownership of the building, concludes “it is apparent that the Palazzo was only coincidentally occupied by members of the Falsone family, namely Scolastica Falsone née Navarra and her husband Matteolo. Their son, Federico Falsone, seems to have never lived in the house, and his son, Carlo Falsone Navarra never had any surviving male descendants from his marriage to Eleonora Testaferrata.” In arriving at this conclusion, Busuttil gives much importance to the marriage deed dated 11th January 1681, in the Acts of Not. Andrea Vella, Federico Falsone drew up a document by which he passed the Bahria estates onto his son, Carlo Falsone Navarra since his son was to marry into the Testaferrata family. (Carlo and his wife Eleonora were later granted the right to the titles of “Most Illustrious and Noble” in 1725, see http://www.saidvassallo.com/SME/maltesenobility.htm )
In 1927 Olof Gollcher and his mother Elisa Gollcher née Balbi bought the first part of the ‘Norman House’, for which they paid the then princely sum of £680. Part of the house had been leased out and it could not therefore be sold in its entirety. The 1927 acquisition included the part of the house numbered 28 and 29, Villegaignon Street (then Strada Reale) and No. 1, Saviour Street. Gollcher had to wait for eleven years to acquire the second part of the house, by which date his mother had passed away leaving her share of the Palazzo to Olof. On 7th June 1938 Gollcher acquired No. 2 Saviour Street which had been leased out to a Mrs. Lina Pullicino and for which he had to pay £550. The 1927 deed is itself the key to the history of the house since it gives the details on the line of succession by which the ‘Norman House’ was passed on from generation to generation from the Navarra, to the Cumbo and eventually the Palermo Navarra Bonici family before it was sold.
Busuttil also explains how the Federico Falsone to whom the marriage contract makes reference was certainly not a descendent of the principal branch of the Falsone family which had been cut short by the death of Matteolo Falsone, son of Matteo. He explains how Matteolo Falsone had been charged with heresy by the Holy Inquisition and fled to Sicily, dying in penury. The Matteolo Falsone who married Scolastica Navarra and fathered Federico Falsone, could not have been the same Matteolo Falsone who died in Sicily because Federico Falsone was himself on excellent terms with the Holy Inquisition, holding the office of Promotore Fiscale which administered the property seized from heretics, and was therefore, unlike the disgraced Matteolo Falsone, a familiarus of the Holy Inquisition. One could also add that the Testaferratas were successively appointed Depositarius of the Inquisition therefore eliminating any likelihood of intermarrying with someone who had fallen foul of the Inquisitor.
It is also claimed that “at this time, further architectural changes were effected to the Palazzo in preparation for the visit of Grand Master Philippe Villiers de l’Isle Adam, who was hosted here in 1530 when he visited Mdina, after Malta was donated to the Knights of the Order of St. John by Emperor Charles V”. However, the Grand Master did not reside in this building. Abela describes this as follows:
“A xxv d’Ottobre si parte il Gran Maestro Villiers, con il Sagro Convento da Siracusa, e la mattina del Mercoledi xxvj giorno fortunatissimo a’ due hore di sole, approdando felicemente si presenta alla sua Isola, e residenza, & a’ 13 di Novembre, come nuovo Principe accompagnato da tutti I Signori della Gran Croce, e della maggior parte de gl’ altri Cavalieri; fu’ con grandissimo applauso ricevuto nella Citta’ Notabile dall’ Ecclesiastico, dal Magistrato, da i Nobili, e da tutto il resto del Popolo solennemente sotto un Baldachino, portato dal Capitano della Verga, da’ Giurati, e dal Secreto, con universal allegrezza, e contento specialissimo, havendo prima esso Signor Gran Maestro alla porta della Citta’, la qual per cerimonia gli fecero trovar chiusa, reiterate il giuramento d’osservagli I priviligi loro; & essendosi state doppo presentate due chiavi d’argento, fu’ aperta la porta, e salutato con reiterate salva d’artigliarie, e con molti altri segni di giubilo condotto alla Catedrale, in cui udi la Santa Messa; e finalmente menato, e servitor in casa di Michele Falsone Viceammiraglio dell’ Isole, ove un lauto, e sontuoso conuito apparecchiato si era. Su ‘ l principio ando’ ad habitare nel Castel S. Angelo, e nella Chiesa Parrocchiale di S. Lorenzo del Borgo, e destino’ la Conventuale dell’ Ordine.”
The noble families of Malta numbering 121 in total are described at http://www.saidvassallo.com/SME/maltesenobility/oldfamilies1647.htm The family of Falsone features prominently as a landed family, which held the fief of Diar Chandul (1399), a monetary fief (1506) as well as il giardino della grande Fontana (1513) as well as various appointments to principal municipal offices of the island. http://www.maltagenealogy.com/libro%20d'Oro/falson.html
Busuttil notes that to date, it has been assumed that this Michele Falsone’s residence was the ‘Norman House’, but it is now clear that this Palazzo did not belong to the Falsone family. ‘Palazzo Falsone’ is therefore a misnomer.
Within the ‘Norman House’ one finds the coat of arms of Grand Master L’Isle Adam in the lounge, surmounting the fireplace, and in the garden, showing a quartered emblem with a white cross on a red background, with a handkerchief hanging from a stretched forearm. These coats of arms are a twentieth-century addition and were the result of Captain Gollcher’s belief that his ‘Norman House’ had really been the seat of the Falsone family who received the Grand Master in 1530. In 1929 the facade of the ‘Norman House’ was radically modified after some so-called restoration work was carried out with the permission of the Antiquities Committee. But the lack of attention given to the overall conservation of the building only resulted in confusion between the different architectural features of the facade. This was then the common practice. Busuttil concludes that such an operation would “now be considered a sacrilege, to say the least”.
Our conclusion is that “Palazzo Falsone” was lived in by old Maltese Nobility in the late medieval period but we can’t say who the family was.
Whilst the association to the Rocca family and the ‘Palazzo Falsone’ in Mdina may be conjectural, we know that another Rocca did have a large house in Valletta.
According to Victor F Denaro in his article “Still more houses in Valletta” , Melita Historica Journal of the Malta historical Society. 3(1962)3(42-58), we find "The Sant Fournier family own the palace (No. 143 St. Christopher Street). Here, on the 28 October 1864, died Monsignor Publio de’ Conti Sant, Bishop of Malta. Adjacent to the Sant Fournier house is the Casa Rocca Grande (No. 141 St. Christopher Street) built by Fra Pietro La Rocca, Prior of Santo Stefano, towards the end of the 16th. century.” http://melitensia.250free.com/melitahistorica/MH03/0303/stillmorehouses.pdf .
In 1585, Prior La Rocca was sent to Naples to congratulate the new viceroy, Don Diego Enriquez de Guzman d’Alva de Lista. He was appointed resident ambassador in Rome in 1593, where he was to point out that the easy hearing of appeals, at the Roman Courts, from members of the Order who had been punished in the Convent for misdeeds, was making members lose respect towards their superiors and causing discipline to become lax in the Convent.
In 1598, Fra Pietro La Rocca was appointed Admiral of the Order and later created Bali of Santo Stefano. On Bali La Rocca’s death, the house passed to the Italian Langue.
In an earlier article of Denaro “Houses in Kingsway and Old bakery Street, Valletta” : , Melita Historica Journal of the Malta historical Society. 2(1959)4(201-215), we find
“House No. 74 Kingsway which, from the earliest days of the city, belonged to the Langue of Italy, was known as the Casa Rocca Piccola. A commission nominated in 1784 to trace the origin of the house failed to find any in the archives and the Treasury of the Order relating to the original owner of the house,38 though it is quite possible that, like the Casa Rocca Grande, this building was once the property of Fra Pietro La Rocca, Admiral of the Order in 1598.” http://melitensia.250free.com/melitahistorica/MH02/0204/housesinkingsway.pdf
Both houses were retained by the Italian Langue for more than 2 centuries and were leased to many of its important dignitaries. Eventually they were sold: the one in Kingsway (today’s Republic Street) was sold by the Order’s Italian Langue to Count Francesco Sant in 1788. In June 1798 the Order was dissolved and its assets including the house on St. Christopher Street, passed on to the new French Republican Government; This was sold by the Republic to the same Francesco Sant on the 14 Fructidor year 6 of the Republic (21 August 1798): by then Sant had been reduced to simple Citoyen Francesco Sant. Although Sant was a Maltese, his title was of foreign origin http://www.saidvassallo.com/SME/foreigntitlesinmalta.htm He was married to the heiress, equally Maltese, whose surname was “Bonnici Platamone Cassia” http://www.maltagenealogy.com/libro%20d'Oro/ghariexem.html
It appears that the premises on St. Christopher Street (‘Casa Rocca Grande’) were later in the 19th century into two separate houses - No.141 (Palazzo Messina) and No.143 (Palazzo Marina), St. Christopher Street.
No. 141 was purchased by Count Messina from whose heirs they were purchased by the late Professor Vittore Stilon de Piro and in 1989 it was purchased by the German-Maltese Circle with the financial assistance of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1989 from the heirs of the Noble Liliana Stilon DePiro. Today, Messina Palace houses the administration and the activities of the German-Maltese Circle. http://www.germanmaltesecircle.org/messinapalace.htm
No. 143 remained owned by the Noble Sant Fournier family as evidenced by Denaro. The Sant Fournier family is a junior male branch of the Count Sant http://www.maltagenealogy.com/libro%20d'Oro/sant1.htmland enjoys the foreign titles of Count Fournier and Baron de Pausier .
Denaro notes that “No. 74 was acquired by the late Comm. A. Cassar Torregiani about the year 1919, and have now passed to his daughter, the Baroness De Piro D’Amico Inguanez.”
The Casa Rocca Piccola in Valletta
Today this house at No. 74, possibly previously owned by Admiral Rocca, has been restored and is run as a museum. According to the official website the building “is still privately owned and is a much loved family home. The value of Casa Rocca Piccola lies in its ability to provide unique historical evidence into the customs and traditions of the Maltese nobility over the last 400 years.” http://www.casaroccapiccola.com
Needless to say there is very little to account for the claim that this building had any association with the Maltese Nobility before it was first acquired by Count Sant in 1788. Denaro lists all the tenants of the house before that year. None of the Maltese families, known to be noble at the time, feature in this list.
Titles of nobility were abolished by Napoleon in 1798. In 1975 legislation was enacted saying that they were no longer recognized. The period in between is confusing because in the late 19th century the British Government decided to grant recognition to those titles which were previously “granted or recognized by the Government of the Order of St. John, (1530-1798)” . In 1878 the British Government allowed recognition of the title of Baron (Malta, 1716 http://www.saidvassallo.com/SME/maltesenobility/titlesdisposablebynomination.htm) and Marquis (Spain, 1742 http://www.saidvassallo.com/SME/maltesenobility/marquisdepiro1.htm) to two branches of the Depiro family.
Further research into the history of the Depiro family shows that they were not listed amongst the 121 noble families of Malta http://www.saidvassallo.com/SME/maltesenobility/oldfamilies1647.htm and were only first ennobled in 1716 by a grant of the title of Barone di Budach . No land was attached to this title but this family had given it such importance that rather than having the title follow the family entail (as was the case in other titles such as Gomerino, Catena, Bahria and Buleben), they established an entail to follow the title as results from the deed received by Notary Chircop on the 30 April 1717, with the proviso that should Gio. Pio’s descendants no longer enjoy that title, then the properties would be erected into a majorat stemming from the same Gio Pio giving preference to agnatic descendants rather than the rule of primogeniture http://www.maltagenealogy.com/libro%20d'Oro/depiro2.html .
It appears that the titles granted by the Grand Masters prior to 1725 were not well received abroad and could then have possibly been given as much value as today’s private orders. http://www.saidvassallo.com/SME/maltesenobility/Melita/maltesenobility1725.htm On the other hand, we find in 1727 a formal legislation giving this family the right to the titles of “Most Illustrious and Noble” http://www.saidvassallo.com/SME/maltesenobility.htm . Without doubt, the Depiro family was regarded as a Noble family of Malta at least by 1727. Some items on display precede this date.
Another claim by the website is that “The Counts Sant Cassia lived here for most of the 18th Century”http://www.casaroccapiccola.com/residence.php . This is not supported by the fact that the Count Sant first acquired the property only in 1788. Moreover, we found that the Francesco’s marriage to the heiress only took place in 1777 http://www.maltagenealogy.com/libro%20d'Oro/sant1.html .
The website also says that Sant Cassia then “sold it to Antonio Cassar Torregiani an ancestor of the present owner the 9th Marquis de Piro. Today it is possible to visit this privately owned, 50 -roomed Palace and get an insight into Maltese aristocratic tradition and heritage”.
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This year sees the thirtieth anniversary of the death in London of Hitler's favourite architect and close friend, Albert Speer.
Today Speer remains the most controversial and perhaps the most enigmatic of the so-called "Hitler's Henchmen." More important to us was was this man aware about the "Final Solution" and forced exploitation of slave labour?
Albert Speer once claimed that everything in his life had came easily to him.
And for the purpose of this article we can perhaps place his life into three important time periods
(1) Youth and the Nazi Party
Born in 1905 to a privileged lifestyle, the Speers were a professional family of architects and naturally the young Albert wished to emulate his father-it seems he also had the talent to do this.
Post war Germany was of course witnessing a country struggling for survival. Severe food shortages that had ravaged millions of Germans barely seems to have touched the Speer household. It seems love and warmth were also absent in this household. Of Germanys humiliatingly defeat it seems this and politics were never even discussed at the dinner table. And certainly not religion.
Later studying in Munich and Berlin, Speer married his wife Margaret and would go on to father six children. (His parents did not approve of their sons marriage and did not attend.) But like many others he was searching for a meaning in his life.
In 1931 he was to make the lasting acquaintance of his future mentor Adolf Hitler. Joining the NSDAP (Nazi Party) he was issued the membership party number of 474,481. A later invite to lunch with Hitler would seal Speer's fate forever.
Speer's architectural follies would also attract Hitler artistic interest. He would be commissioned to re-design Nuremberg and Berlin.
Out of this friendship would arise Hitler's dream of a new city "Germania."
This massive new metropolis would have levelled boulevards a vast meeting hall (to hold 180,000 people.) And situated on the highest dome was the eagle crowning the building within its sharpened claw is the swastika held upon the world and this future city would house ten million people. (Apparently Speer's 75-year-old father, himself an architect, remarked after inspecting the full-scale plaster Cast: "You have both become totally mad," shaking his head sadly.
Hitler often mused on the fact that his Metropolis would be the spiritual Nazi home for 150 million Europeans....rather like Mecca or the Vatican for its faithful you might say.
The preparation and planning of this future city would bring both Hitler and Speer in to what has been called a "homoerotic friendship." And though I doubt very much that the relationship was ever sexual between these two men, some of Speer's recorded remarks do sound interesting in context such as: "In those first years I was ready to follow him [Hitler] wherever he led and I was dizzy with excitement!"
This sounds more like the dreams and aspirations of a teenage girl and not the musings of a 28-year-old married man.
Certainly as the dominant force in the relationship and I suggest Hitler realized much of his own thwarted ambitions would be accomplished by Speer the son he never had. And perhaps this interesting sexual (though unconsummated) relationship between master and apprentice can perhaps never be fully explained or even ever understood. It still remains a talking point in some circles.
Finally it's amusing to speculate that the European city of Brussels could perhaps have been Germania! If the Nazis had won the war!
As the War careered towards total destruction for Germany and its people, Albert Speer as Armaments Minister, was amazingly able in increase the Reich's military production line, particular in panzer tanks and all of course with the terrible use of slave labour. He still even enjoyed privileges within Hitler's inner circle, as others would be swiftly banished from Hitler's court.
On Speer's 40th birthday as the final curtains fell on the Third Reich, he was presented by his Fuehrer with a signed photograph. One has to speculate if it was propped up in his cell over the following decades and he did once remark that he used to dream about Hitler-frequently. All Very strange.
In the final year of this disastrous war Speer apparently realizing all was lost and I certainly suspect he saw the spidery writing on the wall well before 1945. So before this he apparently decided on finishing the Fuhrer and using a strain of Tabrun nerve gas. (He would arrange to have it dropped into the ventilation system of the bunker. It's now evident that the whole of this story that he related to the court was just fictional.)
However Hitler's uncanny intuition once more saved him-he simply had the air inlet covered!
His final farewell in the Bunker/Chancellery, much of which he had designed with Adolph Hitler-was on 23rd April 1945.
"So you are leaving then? Good. Until we meet again," mumbled a trembling Hitler to the man he had placed so much of his inner self into. And with that dismissive gesture Albert Speer would walk into captivity whilst Hitler would finally descend screaming into Hell, prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41.)
Before Nuremberg "Histories Greatest Trial," as it was called, the American's had taken a close interest in Speer and the troika of Paul Nitze, George Ball, Ken Galbraith (all one world men) that were dispatched to grill him for important military information that would assist the US in the coming onslaught of Japan (perhaps carpet bombing.) And interestingly at Nuremberg the American prosecutor Robert Jackson would be criticized in his soft approach to questioning Speer, I also suspect Jackson was well acquainted with the previous troika.
(2) The Neuermberg/Spandau Years
Speer would enjoy three brief weeks of freedom before being held captive in Nuremberg prison. The Commandant at the prison wrote that he was 40 years old, very businesslike and co-operative. He also scored an IQ test of 128 (later at Spandau from 1947 onward he would be housed in cell number 17.) All in all he would remain the next 21 years behind prison bars. Mainly at the Allied controlled Spandau prison. (The building has since been demolished.)
The Nuremberg war trials witnessed Albert Speer along with other convicted prominent Nazis sitting in the dock accused of appalling war crimes. (Watching the old black and white newsreels of the defendants, there seems to be a lot of handshaking and back slapping, almost as if they have all met for the first time. Looks like some old boys masonic reunion-very strange.)
For 18 months they were incarcerated by Colonel Andrus, then a strict military disciplinarian. Spiritual guidance however for Speer and others arrived with Chaplin Gerecke, the Lutheran army minister, who believed half of the prisoners repented and were saved.
Of Speer and his religious beliefs or his relationship with God remained somewhat hazy. He would at times come under the pastorship of a Calvinist minister, a Catholic priest and a Rabbi. Boy what a cocktail of organized religion and none of it could or would ever save his immortal soul.
He would confess in the 1970s, when asked if he really believed in God, he paused and replied: "I don't think so." Or was it all just an intellectual past time for him.
Later yet another spiritual cleric he knew once claimed: "I was convinced that he had sincerely repented."
And later in 1953 he would affectionately write to his daughter:
"My parents didn't go to church.....At school the Chaplin imposed the learning of Psalms by heart as a punishment! Your mother and I did marry in a church...Hitler never forced anything on us-on the contrary to leave their churches, and he himself, as you may know, never formally renounced the catholic church....I suspect he couldn't give it up." (Now this is interesting because is all religion and Catholicism is dangerously addictive.)
So it seems that Speer's hesitant journey in faith and perhaps seeking repentance was a hit and miss thing-something he examined intellectually and but never as a lost sinner. I suspect his intellectual arrogance remained always with him or rather part of his persona. (Romans 11:20 reminds us "be not high minded, but fear.") Rather do not be arrogant but certainly be afraid.
The Spandau prison years were the longest of Speers forced incarceration.
Amazingly during this period he would smuggle out to the outside world thousand of scarps of paper, toilet paper, and any other discarded writing material he could lay his hands on. Apparently this was done by bribing certain prison guards to take them out of the prison.
The point of this willing labour was to be part of his printed memoirs Inside the Third Reich, 1969 and Spandau the secret diaries, 1976. He also enjoyed his daily walk in the prison exercise area-he even calculated he had walked around the world within his mind-aided by assorted travel guidebooks.
Later planning a garden that was mischievously named "Speer's garden of Eden." He would also practise his professional skills to raise assorted flowers, a paved path and fresh vegetables for the prison kitchen, to be eaten by prisoners and guards alike no less.
One has to speculate whilst preparing this horticultural task did any sadness or denial about the planned Jewish holocaust ever invade his memory.
His abilities and talents were still paramount even there in jail. But did he recall the one concentration camp he had visited as Minister of armaments and munitions that of "Mauthausen" or was it all airbrushed from his mind like melting snow on the long flight home.
These good works in the prison garden would not be enough to save him from the Judgment that comes to all one day.
When the murder of President Kennedy in Dallas shocked the world, grief overtook him, and he would write: "We are building on sand." Isn't life always fragile and passing.
(3) Freedom and death
Freedom for Albert Speer arrived at midnight 1st October 1966. "I'm quite glad to be out," he said smiling to the world press-fame had arrived-the new Speer would quickly reinvent himself. Then seated in a fast car followed by the paparazzi he then returned to the family home in Heidelberg.
During the next fifteen years Speer through his published memoirs would become a wealthy man.
The myth that he was "The good Nazi" somehow seems to have evolved in the 1960s. Through these and other means he quietly reinvented himself, very little guilt or contrition were ever seen or mentioned-at least to the public.
Perhaps this is the myth of the murderer.
In 2005 new documents were discovered that revealed Himmler and Speer had discussed Auschwitz with the idea of using even more slaves to fuel their grotesque empire of torture and sin.
And a chance remark that surfaced on 2007 seemed to confirm he knew much more that he would ever admit.
But I propose that if new incriminating damning evidence had been presented by the prosecution at Nuremberg in 1946, Albert Speer would certainly have hung by the neck in the prison gymnasium as the others prisoners did on the night of 16-17 October 1946.
Instead Speer suffered a heart attack in a London hotel in 1981 just hours before he was due to take part in a BBC Television programme and apparently his young mistress was with him at the time-he was then later pronounced dead in St. Thomas' hospital.
Today he is buried in Heidelberg cemetery, along with his reputation and guilt and the terrible haunting screams of his innocent victims.
"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Heb. 9:27.)
One useful book about Albert Speer was Albert Speer his battle for truth, by Gitta Sereny.
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PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPOSURE CALCULATION - A HISTORY
The earliest photographic emulsions, the Fox-Talbot Calotype Fox-Talbot Calotype & the Daguerreotype Daguerreotype, were so insensitive to daylight (blue thru' UVA), that exposure times were a matter of guestimation born from experience. Exposures ran to several minutes even in high summer sunlight. The first photographic exposures tables were published by C.F. Albanus in 1844 and journals and manuals would often include such tables as a guide to exposure..
The solar eclipse of July 28, 1851 was the first correctly exposed photograph of a solar eclipse, using the daguerreotype process.
The earliest commercial photographic exposure meter was Claudet's Photographometer, 1848, described in "The History And Practice Of The Art Of Photography; Or The Production Of Pictures Through The Agency Of Light" by Henry H. Snelling, Published BY G. P. Putnam, 155 Broadway, 1849. History And Practice Of The Art Of Photography
Frederick Scott Archer's invention of the Collodion process in 1851 Collodion & its subsequent improvement by Bolton & Sayce in 1864 Bolton & Sayce led to a marked increase in sensitivity, yet exposures in full sunlight still required several seconds, and because the collodion & silver salts emulsion was prepared by hand for each batch of glass plates, the speed of the batches varied, leaving the photographer the chore of determining the exposure based on personal experience.
Formal measurements were first conducted and published by Bunsen and Roscoe in 1858 which connected sunlight with the position of the sun to time of day and year.
The invention of the gelatin dry plate silver bromide process in 1871 by Richard Leach Maddox, Richard Leach Maddox and the subsequent commercial sale of hard emulsion dry plates by Charles Bennett in 1878 Charles Bennett, led to a further increase in sensitivity, and a need for a means of measuring reflected light in order to determine the exposure time.
The Bing graduated wedge actinometer, invented in 1866-68 provided a numerical value for light, as compared to a relative comparison of plate sensitivities provided by Claudet's Photographometer and Brice's 1876 patented instrument that tested the developing chemicals & light conditions by making test strip exposures.
The earliest calculator introduced by Hurter & Driffield in 1888 was the result of their extensive work on emulsion sensitometry Hurter & Driffield The "Actinograph" was a slide rule calculator designed for use in England, sold by Marion & Co. from 1892.
The late 1880's saw the invention by George Eastman of nitro-cellulose roll-film and the Kodak box camera which heralded the advent of popular photography. George Eastman Kodak Exposure times were fixed, the box camera being supplied pre-loaded. Exposures were made outdoors in good light, and the camera returned to Kodak. "You press the button, we do the rest".
Kodak introduced their folding pocket camera in 1898. It too had a fixed shutter speed. When their No.1 Autographic Junior folding camera was introduced in 1915, because it had a leaf shutter with variable speeds, exposure calculators came into general usage although Burroughs-Wellcome had incorporated cardboard dial calculators into their Photographic Diary from 1900.
The No.1 Autographic KODAK, Junior 1815 advertisement
No.1a AUTOGRAPHIC KODAK JR. folding camera
No.1 SERIES III AUTOGRAPHIC KODAK
Throughout the first half of the C20th exposure calculators were the vogue. .
Direct means of measuring ambient light comprised Actinometers, manufactured by Green & Fčidge (1884); Watkins (1890); Wynne (1893) & Bee (1902), and Extinction meters, manufactured by Decoudon (1897); Heyde (1904); James; Minofot; Dremophot (1926 & 1931). Photoelectric photographic exposure meters became portable by the early 1930's pioneered by Weston, GEC, AVO, & L.M.T.
Actinometers, Extinction, & Photoelectric light meters, are all types of light measuring devices. There purpose is to provide a qualifiable or quantifiable measure of luminous intensity of actinic radiation.
Slide rule type exposure calculators rely on the photographer to estimate the scene brightness. Calculators were provided with lighting subject factor tables; usually determined for a specific and narrow range of latitudes, and film speed factors, either in recognised rating systems or a rating system defined by the calculator's manufacturer.
Because exposure calculators were very much cheaper than Actinometers, Extinction & Photoelectric light meters, they entered into common usage in the early C20th and remained so until the 1960's..
It is possible by comparing exposure indices and emulsion speed rating systems employed in these calculators to make comparisons between the sensitivities of photographic films and earlier dry and wet plates. This I have done and the results have been compiled into an Appleworks spreadsheet, and a page view 1Mb pdf plate_film_sensor_ratings.
Here are a few examples from my collection chosen as representative of the type of exposure calculators in use from about 1930 thru' 1960.
PHOTAX ADDEX EXTINCTION METER 1939
NEBRO VISUAL EXTINCTION METER 1949
The Amateur Photographer magazine Exposure Calculator c1950
Cappelli - Milano Fotometro c 1930
Ensign Posometer "dial" calculator c1930
Concentric Indicator Laboratories Fotogram c1949
Nebro exposure calculator manufactured by Neville Brown & Co. Ltd. c1949.
Johnson's Standard exposure "dial" calculator c1955 (intro 1945)
Kodak exposure calculator Model II - undated, c1960
How do exposure calculators work?
Exposure Value Chart
iii) The sensitivity of the photographic emulsion or the equivalent sensor sensitivity is nowadays expressed as an ISO value. The ISO scale is based on the old ASA scale and is arithmetic, a doubling of the ISO number corresponds to a doubling in the emulsion or sensor sensitivity. (A CCD or CMOS sensor has a base sensitivity, increasing the ISO rating does not in reality increase the sensor's sensitivity, it equates to an increase in the readout A/D amplifier gain setting).
So how is the calculation made?
The exposure duration is inversely proportional to the area of the lens, emulsion speed and subject brightness. If we call the exposure duration "t" for time in seconds; the lens area "A", the emulsion or sensor speed "S" and the subject brightness "B"; we have:
A x S x B = 1/t
"A" can be expressed in terms of the f/#, but because the f/# is based on the square root of the lens area, if we substitute f/# for "A" we must square it, and because f/# is a reciprocal: A = 1/(f/#)2
t = (f/#)2/S x B
We know what units "S" is expressed in - ISO speed numbers, but what about "B", what units is it expressed in? The brightness value "B" is determined from the exposure value (Ev). B = (2^Ev)/ &Pi
An article based on this method, applied to astrophotography exposure time calculation was published by Richard Levy in Sky & Telescope's "Observer's Page" July 1962.
(When Sky & Telescope was a subscription only magazine dedicated to the serious amateur astronomer and not today's dumbed down off-the-shelf hobby mag. It is a disgrace that none of S&T has been digitized and archived, and that neither NASA's ADS service or Google or Biblioteque have been given permission to digitize the archive. So I reproduce the pages here.) S&TJUL1962_p30 S&TJUL1962_p31
Is there a simpler way?
Yes, its called the APEX or "Additive Photographic EXposure" system APEX developed in 1960. Although, in general, it did not catch on with photographers, it did prove a boon to astrophotographers.
We can rewrite the algebraic equation in terms of base 2 logarithms thus:
from: A x S x B = 1/t
is obtained: lg.A + lg.S + lg.B = -lg.t
The APEX system defined pairs of these terms in terms of exposure value Ev from which
the APEX equation follows: Ev = Av + Tv = Bv + Sv
Av = 2lg.f/#
Tv = -lg.t
Bv = lg.B.&Pi (B rationalised into foot-lamberts)
Sv = lg(ISO/&Pi)
Ev = 2lg.f/#+ -lg.t = lg.B.&Pi + lg(ISO/&Pi)
This may not at first glance appear simpler, but it is, because using the APEX system you can compile a simple additive table or draw nomograms nomograms or construct slide rules slide rules. For example the LORD ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY EXPOSURE TIME NOMOGRAM first published in the JBAA,89,3pp273-278 April 1979. <p273><p274-275><p276-277><p278>
(Again it is typical of the BAA, an organisation with a considerable balance sheet invested here there and everywhere, that they cannot find the wherewithall to digitize their journal archive, although some of it is available from NASA's ADS service)
LORD ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY EXPOSURE TIME NOMOGRAM c1979
and the "Astrophotography Exposure Calculator" designed by Glen LeDrew and sold by The Starry Room.
The APEX Ev table follows from the base 2 log scale values:
NB When B is expressed in candles/sq.ft Ev=0 corresponds to t=1s; f/# = 1; ISO = &Pi
A book based on the base 2 log APEX system was published in 1985 by Willmann-Bell Inc. "Astrophotography" by Barry Gordon, featuring the fx system of exposure determination. Astrophotography
How do I use the APEX system to calculate an exposure time?
Suppose you are photographing the First/Last Quarter Moon, high in a clear night sky, with an f/7 telescope, using either ISO100 film or a DSLR set to ISO100.
From the APEX equation:
Ev = Av + Tv = Bv + Sv
and from the APEX table we obtain the following values by reading across to the Ev column from the f/#; ISO & Brightness columns:
f/7 corresponds to Av = 5.7
B = 40 corresponds to Bv = 7.0 (B=40 is the brightness value of the First/Last Quarter Moon)
ISO100 corresponds to Sv = 5.0
Tv = Bv + Sv - Av = 7.0 + 5.0 - 5.7 = 6.3
& Tv = 6.3 corresponds to t = 1/81 secs
& you then select the closest shutter speed available; either 1/50s, 1/60s, 1/100s or 1/125s. Maybe your DSLR allows you to select 1/80s, if so, so much the better. Exposure times should be bracketed ▒1 stop at least. If the sky is hazy, or the Moon low, bracket from -1 stop to + 2 stops.
This page was created by SimpleText2Html 1.0.2 on 22-Feb-2010 | <urn:uuid:5f35be8a-f371-4f66-a570-7fd0d72f73de> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://brayebrookobservatory.org/BrayObsWebSite/HOMEPAGE/PHOTO_EXP_CALC_HIST.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396538.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00181-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.911766 | 2,509 | 3.21875 | 3 |
Blood (1.) As food, prohibited in Gen 9:4, where the use of animal food is first allowed. Compare Deu 12:23; Lev 3:17; Lev 7:26; Lev 17:10. The injunction to abstain from blood is renewed in the decree of the council of Jerusalem (Act 15:29). It has been held by some, and we think correctly, that this law of prohibition was only ceremonial and temporary; while others regard it as still binding on all. Blood was eaten by the Israelites after the battle of Gilboa (Sa1 14:32). (2.) The blood of sacrifices was caught by the priest in a basin, and then sprinkled seven times on the altar; that of the passover on the door posts and lintels of the houses (Ex. 12; Lev 4:5; Lev 16:14). At the giving of the law (Exo 24:8) the blood of the sacrifices was sprinkled on the people as well as on the altar, and thus the people were consecrated to God, or entered into covenant with him, hence the blood of the covenant (Mat 26:28; Heb 9:19, Heb 9:20; Heb 10:29; Heb 13:20). (3.) Human blood. The murderer was to be punished (Gen 9:5). The blood of the murdered "crieth for vengeance" (Gen 4:10). The "avenger of blood" was the nearest relative of the murdered, and he was required to avenge his death (Num 35:24, Num 35:27). No satisfaction could be made for the guilt of murder (Num 35:31). (4.) Blood used metaphorically to denote race (Act 17:26), and as a symbol of slaughter (Isa 34:3). To "wash the feet in blood" means to gain a great victory (Psa 58:10). Wine, from its red colour, is called "the blood of the grape" (Gen 49:11). Blood and water issued from our Saviour's side when it was pierced by the Roman soldier (Joh 19:34). This has led pathologists to the conclusion that the proper cause of Christ's death was rupture of the heart. (Compare Psa 69:20.)
Bloody Sweat The sign and token of our Lord's great agony (Luk 22:44).
Blot A stain or reproach (Job 31:7; Pro 9:7). To blot out sin is to forgive it (Psa 51:1, Psa 51:9; Isa 44:22; Act 3:19). Christ's blotting out the handwriting of ordinances was his fulfilling the law in our behalf (Col 2:14).
Blue Generally associated with purple (Exo 25:4; Exo 26:1, Exo 26:31, Exo 26:36, etc.). It is supposed to have been obtained from a shellfish of the Mediterranean, the Helix ianthina of Linnaeus. The robe of the high priest's ephod was to be all of this colour (Exo 28:31), also the loops of the curtains (Exo 26:4) and the ribbon of the breastplate (Exo 28:28). Blue cloths were also made for various sacred purposes (Num 4:6, Num 4:7, Num 4:9, Num 4:11, Num 4:12). (See COLOURS.)
Boanerges Sons of thunder, a surname given by our Lord to James and John (Mar 3:17) on account of their fervid and impetuous temper (Luk 9:54).
Boar Occurs only in Psa 80:13. The same Hebrew word is elsewhere rendered "swine" (Lev 11:7; Deu 14:8; Pro 11:22; Isa 65:4; Isa 66:3, Isa 66:17). The Hebrews abhorred swine's flesh, and accordingly none of these animals were reared, except in the district beyond the Sea of Galilee. In the psalm quoted above the powers that destroyed the Jewish nation are compared to wild boars and wild beasts of the field.
Boaz Alacrity. (1.) The husband of Ruth, a wealthy Bethlehemite. By the "levirate law" the duty devolved on him of marrying Ruth the Moabitess (Rut 4:1). He was a kinsman of Mahlon, her first husband. (2.) The name given (for what reason is unknown) to one of the two (the other was called Jachin) brazen pillars which Solomon erected in the court of the temple (Kg1 7:21; Ch2 3:17). These pillars were broken up and carried to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar.
Bochim Weepers, a place where the angel of the Lord reproved the Israelites for entering into a league with the people of the land. This caused them bitterly to weep, and hence the name of the place (Jdg 2:1, Jdg 2:5). It lay probably at the head of one of the valleys between Gilgal and Shiloh.
Boil (rendered "botch" in Deu 28:27, Deu 28:35), an aggravated ulcer, as in the case of Hezekiah (Kg2 20:7; Isa 38:21) or of the Egyptians (Exo 9:9, Exo 9:10, Exo 9:11; Deu 28:27, Deu 28:35). It designates the disease of Job (Job 2:7), which was probably the black leprosy.
Bolled (Exo 9:31), meaning "swollen or podded for seed," was adopted in the Authorized Version from the version of Coverdale (1535). The Revised Version has in the margin "was in bloom," which is the more probable rendering of the Hebrew word. It is the fact that in Egypt when barley is in ear (about February) flax is blossoming. | <urn:uuid:84b69e3c-a1ff-4bcb-a87e-1f254745d33b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/ebd/ebd061.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00142-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950687 | 1,275 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Despite the requirement to melt down old ornaments, a small but significant proportion of the regalia in the Museum’s collection bears traces of repair. Repairs are restricted to soldered patches that have been applied to miscast or broken areas, especially around suspension holes, loops and lugs where the greatest wear occurs (see nos 1.2 and 7.2). Evidence of wear and tear clearly points to age and usage and occasional repairs to such items appear to contradict the idea that gold ornaments were routinely melted down. Instead, this practice suggests that, in some cases, the Asante may have appreciated old gold ornaments for their aesthetic and sentimental value and taken steps to conserve them. Interestingly, there are a number of pristine items that show no traces of wear or tear at all in the collection (see nos 10.2, 3.31 and 6.4). The absence of signs of use points to the possibility that these items were either newly cast or formed part of the gold reserve held in the palace treasury at Kumase when they were discovered and removed.
There is compelling evidence to suggest that certain designs and motifs were also repeatedly used to decorate some important items of Asante royal regalia. The British Museum’s collection includes two disc pendants and a circular sword ornament which have identical bow and arrow motifs (see nos 2.7, 2.11 and 3.9). These discs were all collected at different times but the similarities in their forms and decoration lends credence to the idea that they represent a sequential series of related artefacts that were known by the same name, had the same status and functioned within the same contexts. When one example was worn, damaged or lost a copy was made, and analysis of these three examples indicates slight variations in the execution of the decoration which is consistent with their having been fashioned by different craftsmen at different times.
The evidence for the repeated use of certain forms and designs through time reinforces the notion that some symbolism was so important that it always featured on royal regalia, whereas other motifs enjoyed recurring episodes of popularity. There are many examples where the same abstract geometric and representational symbolism has been used. These include the equal-arm cross design, concentric banded circles, swirls and foliate motifs that decorate a variety of disc pendants, disc beads and finger-rings collected between 1818 and 1982. Several European-derived forms are also found on items of regalia that were cast many years apart such as bells (see nos 3.43, 3.44 and 3.45), keys (3.55, 15.3 and 6.12), as well as forms associated with Islam. Interestingly, the repoussé patterns which decorate the precious metal casings of Islamic amulets in the collection are similar to those found on disc pendants and beads, which underlines their function as devices for spiritual protection (see nos 15.1 and 15.2 and compare with 2.16 and 13.6).
Other items in the collection are associated more closely with the work of Baule goldsmiths from the Cote d’Ivoire as discussed earlier (see nos 1.5, 1.8, 2.24, 2.25, 2.26, 2.27 and 4.9). Their inclusion in regalia that was collected in the late 19th century may indicate that some sort of contact was maintained between the two peoples following the migration westwards of the Baule to their present location in the Cote d’Ivoire some time after ad 1730. The characteristic technique capitalizes upon the textural interest that is created when the original wax thread construction of the wax model is allowed to show through on the finished casting. The borrowing of Baule and Islamic forms and motifs by the Asante occurred over a long time period and their inclusion in regalia assemblages highlights the importance that was attached to these sources of trade and wealth.
The same is also true of the Asante appropriation of European forms and decorative devices. One of the best examples of this is seen on a magnificent sword ornament (abosodee) which appears to be modelled on a late 18th- or early 19th-century piece of European silverware (no. 13.11). It is possible that the original vessel had been sent as a diplomatic gift to the Asantehene or was captured during one of the Asante invasions of the coast. Several visitors to the Asante court in the 19th century describe seeing large amounts of Portuguese, Dutch and British silver plate in the palace of Asantehene Osei Tutu Kwame Asibey Bonsu, some of which had been captured from the Fante in 1807 and 1816 (Bowdich 1819, Dupuis 1824). The Asante goldsmith who modelled this piece re-created all of the intricate moulded decoration that was fashionable on European silverware but curiously inverted the swag and tassel motif that encompasses the circumference of the vessel so that it appears upside down. This item would originally have been attached to one of the important state swords on which public oaths of loyalty were sworn.
Other items in the collection that show evidence of European influence include a hollow lost wax casting that was probably intended to be a pendant (no. 1.9). The decoration on the larger end is reminiscent of 18th-century scroll-work and classical acanthus leaf motifs. Other pieces, whose decoration may have been inspired by architectural ornamentation, include a finger-ring with shoulders, cast in the shape of classical acanthus leaf pilasters (no. 7.21). Several beads and finger-rings also feature scroll-work (see nos 7.21 and 4.10). One in particular is modelled on a European signet ring with an oval bezel surrounded by strap-work, which resembles architectural designs that were popular in late Victorian England c. 1890s (no. 7.19). | <urn:uuid:eceb95bf-d574-4812-a6fd-a8e982d6fdf8> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/online_research_catalogues/ag/asante_gold_regalia/ii_gold-working/iiiv_gold-working_continued.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398075.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00010-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965435 | 1,234 | 3.328125 | 3 |
Question: Does consumption of any particular kinds of food cause depression?
Answer: Many people when they're depressed talk about having cravings for certain types of foods -- that they may crave chocolate or sweets, and binge eat, which can make their depression even worse. More commonly we find that when people get depressed they eat less, and they actually lose weight. I generally recommend that people try to eat a healthy diet, which will make them feel better about themselves, and less likely to binge and feel negative, which will certainly fuel their depressions.
Previous: Are There Any Environmental Causes Of Depression? | <urn:uuid:f79dd556-2867-421d-bb4d-a09b9ceba956> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://abcnews.go.com/Health/DepressionRiskFactors/story?id=4356198 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397748.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00083-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977578 | 121 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Recently a comment published in Nature made the case for a catastrophic release of the methane (a very potent GHG) in the Arctic which in turn could cause sudden warming and cause massive economic damage in the trillions of dollars.
1) Methane is an important part of the anthropogenic radiative forcing over 20thC. Human caused increase from 0.7ppm to 1.8ppm
2) Methane emissions have a direct GHG effect, and they effect atmospheric chemistry and strat water vapour which have additional impacts
3) Direct forcing from anthropogenic methane ~0.5 W/m2, indirect effects add ~0.4 W/m2. (For ref: CO2 forcing is ~1.8W/m2)
4) natural feedbacks involving methane likely to be important in future – via wetland response to T/rain chng, atmos chem &, yes, arctic src
5) monitoring and analysis of atmos conc of CH4 is very important. However, despite dramatic Arctic warming and summer sea ice loss ….. >
…. In recent decades, little change has been seen in atmos concentrations at high latitudes.
6) There are large stores of carbon in the Arctic, some stored as hydrates, some potentially convertible to CH4 by anaerobic resporation
7) there’s evidence in deep time records of large, rapid exogenous inputs of carbon into climate system; leading theory relates this to CH4
8) it is therefore not silly or alarmist to think about the possibilities, thresholds and impacts for these kinds of events
9) in more recent past, there have been a number if times when Arctic (not necessarily globe) has been significantly warmer than today.
10) Most recently, Early Holocene, which had significantly less summer sea ice than even 2012. Earlier, Eemian 125kyrs ago was sig warmer
11) At neither of these times is there any evidence for CH4 emissions or concentrations in excess of base pre-industrial conditions.
12) this means that we are not currently near a threshold for dramatic CH4 releases. (Though we may get there)
13) Much of the concern re dramatic changes in Arctic methane come from one off surveys and poorly calibrated remote sensing
14) thus potential for Arctic CH4 to have threshold behaviour is real, but very lg scenario used in Nature comment is not realistic
15) We should be monitoring the Arctic better than we are, and we should be alert for ‘surprises’ in the greenhouse.
16) But we should not take what-if sensitivity experiments as predictions. | <urn:uuid:246f0309-d7df-4292-b6ed-8c1aa2a312d2> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://planet3.org/2013/07/26/what-is-the-deal-with-methane/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393093.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00076-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923144 | 542 | 3.21875 | 3 |
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted IMUN - Israel Model United Nations, a two-day UN model conference, which began on Sunday. Nearly 140 high school students participated in a simulation – the UN model 2007, resembling discussions in the UN General Assembly.
Students in the 11th and 12th grades dressed professionally, represented 18 nations and simulated General Assembly debates. Preparation for the Model UN was a month and a half long process, giving students time to learn the work of the UN and the work of diplomats of participating member states.
Participating member states included Syria and Israel, which sat around the same table, the US, North Korea, Iran, Sudan, Egypt, Great Britain, Italy, India, Ghana, Japan, Panama, South Africa, Russia, China, Venezuela and France.
The Foreign Ministry purchased for the first time a Syrian flag to wave in the hall, but had difficulty locating an Iranian flag and was forced to print one out on the Internet.
During the two-day event, the young diplomats engaged in “debates,” simulating the General Assembly. The diplomats began their presentations with “I believe…” as they represented their countries.
The Model UN is a worldwide project of which 40 nations participate, making it possible for thousands of youths in the world to be exposed to the way the UN operates, teaching students the work of the United Nations, as well as international conflicts and global problems faced by member states.
Roni Adam, director of the department of the UN in the Foreign Ministry said that Israelis need to become joined to the international agenda presented by the UN.
“We all know that the simulation of Israel in the world depends on the necessity of a method we look at in the world and in the UN. We are beginning to do this here and with hope that constitutes education in Israel and will drive the model in the years to come so the Israeli public will become aware of the great importance of joining the UN.” | <urn:uuid:ebea11e5-5416-4c2e-b204-1e11efb62126> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/11022/Default.aspx?archive=article_title | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396224.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00167-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959224 | 404 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Press here to CLOSE XClassifying Quadrilaterals and Triangles
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Practice classifying quadrilaterals and triangles - Press a radio button to select:
1. Classifying quadrilaterals: parallelogram, rectangle, square, rhombus, trapezoid.
2. Classifying triangles: isosceles, scalene, equilateral, acute, obtuse, right.
Click the best answer and a check mark will appear. Click the problem, press the ENTER or RETURN key, or click on the reset problem button
to set a new quadrilateral or triangle classification problem.
Click the yellow check mark to keep score! Select the number of problems by clicking up and down by the 25 default.
After you think you've correctly answered a problem, reset it. Each time you reset the problem,
the left counter increases for a correct answer; the right counter counts the number of problems you've done.
The black check mark will not appear when keeping score.
When you've finished, your score will be shown.
The spinning math signs mean we're waiting on the server - if it goes too long, you can try pressing the reset button again.
Click the math teacher's apple
to return to the geometry | <urn:uuid:12cc1bda-c5c1-4fa6-9db8-2c3b2fa68785> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.thegreatmartinicompany.com/geometry/classifying-quadrilaterals-triangles.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395166.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00166-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.767675 | 275 | 3.203125 | 3 |
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has taken a lead position over the last 30 years, in assessing and monitoring the state of global water resources and their use and management. In collaboration with partners and collaborating centres, it collates and analyzes water resource data on a global scale.
In spite of a concerted effort to create a comprehensive database on global water use, many gaps still remain in the information available, which several projects and programmes are working to fill; among them the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA/LBA), Global Environment Monitoring System Freshwater Quality Programme (UNEP-GEMS/Water) and programmes dealing with fresh, coastal and marine waters from other United Nations’ agencies and partners.
This report, which is the 2008 updated version of the one published in 2002, has also greatly benefited from inputs and research provided by the international French language newspaper "Le Monde diplomatique". Its goal is to produce a clear overview, through a set of graphics, maps and other illustrations, of the current state of the world’s fresh, coastal and marine waters. It also illustrates the causes and effects of trends that threaten our water resources, with examples of areas of major concern and future scenarios for the use and management of fresh, coastal and marine waters.
It is hoped that this information will be useful to enable a general audience to better understand water issues and assist water users and professionals to make decisions that will protect our water resources for future generations.
This is a joint publication of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and its collaborating centre GRID-Arendal in Norway. It is published as part of UNEP’s global water policy and strategy. | <urn:uuid:cd248814-56cf-4193-951e-b8ab7fe2c8be> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.grida.no/publications/vg/water2/page/3297.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402746.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00194-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918768 | 356 | 3.34375 | 3 |
Olympic Solidarity Programmes
6The Olympic Solidarity is the body responsible for managing and administering the share of the television rights of the Olympic Games that is allocated to the National Olympic Committees (NOCs).
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) supports the general development of Olympic Sports through its Olympic Solidarity programmes. The direct beneficiaries of these programmes will be the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), particularly those with the greatest needs.
The NOCs will work closely with the National Member Federations (NFM) in the lead up to the 2014 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) and 2016 Olympic Games so that they can develop their own structures to favour the expansion of sport in their country.
FOUR AREAS OF ACTIVITIES
For the NOCs to be able to consolidate their place and role within the Olympic Movement, as well as within their own national structures, Olympic Solidarity is proposing four main areas of activity for its 2013-2016 quadrennial plan:
• World Programmes
• Continental Programmes
• Olympic Games Subsidies
• Complementary Programmes
The world programmes provide the NOCs with access to technical, financial and adminstrative assistance for organising specific activities linked to the development of sport.
For the 2013-2016 quadrennial plan, Olympic Solidarity is offering 17 world programmes. These programmes are fully in-keeping with the previous plan, even though some of them have been slightly modified or even combined. Their main aim is to increase global assistance to the athletes, to optimise the management of NOCs and to simplify administrative procedures, in order to adapt to the NOCs’ requirements and needs. They are split into four separate sections considered essential for the NOCs to accomplish the mission entrusted to them by the Olympic Charter:
Olympic Solidarity’s international office in Lausanne will manage the world programmes, in cooperation with the continental associations concerned, in order to better coordinate every continent’s actions. Olympic Solidarity will also work closely with the International Federations of Olympic sports, the IOC commissions and several other partners to develop these world programmes and make them available to the NOCs.
All the NOCs will have access to the world programmes during the 2013-2016 quadrennial period. However, in line with Olympic Solidarity’s mission, the budget allocations granted in the framework of these programmes will be provided to the NOCs which have the greatest need, as a priority.
The continental programmes provide the NOCs with access to technical, financial and administrative assistance responding to their specific needs and priorities, by continent. These programmes are in addition to those available on a world level, and are managed by the Olympic Solidarity office of each continental association.
In line with the Olympic Solidarity decentralisation policy, the five NOC continental associations below will offer continental programmes specific to each of their constituent NOCs during the 2013-2016 quadrennial plan:
Following the approval of the budget for the 2013-2016 quadrennial plan by the Olympic Solidarity Commission in November 2012, each continental association must decide on the programmes, objectives and budgets of the continental programmes offered to the NOCs during the 2013-2016 plan.
The continents’ quadrennial plans (programmes, objectives, options within programmes and annual and programme budgets) must be presented to and approved by the competent authority within the structure of the continental association concerned, and sent for ratification to the Chairman of the Olympic Solidarity Commission. It will then be communicated to the NOC directly by the respective continental associations.
The strategic management of the continental programmes will be led by the five Olympic Solidarity offices within the continental associations after consultation, and in full coordination, with the international Olympic Solidarity office in Lausanne.
For the 2013-2016 quadrennial period, the Olympic Solidarity Commission wishes to consolidate all the aspects related to the financial, technical and administrative coordination between Olympic Solidarity (international office) and the Olympic Solidarity offices within the continental associations.
Olympic Games Subsidies
The aim of this programme is to help the NOCs cover part of their Olympic Games participation expenses. The financial aid has two different yet complementary objectives: on the one hand, to help to promote the universal spirit of the Olympic Games by guaranteeing the participation of all the NOCs; and on the other, to offer additional support to the NOCs which contribute to the development and success of the Games. This financial aid is provided in three stages: before, during and after the Games.
The subsidies concerning the participation of the NOCs in the London Olympic Games were paid in 2012. However, as the financing of the corresponding budget was covered by the London Olympic Games television rights revenue, which, alongside that for Sochi, constitutes the source of revenue for the 2013-2016 period, this is integrated into the construction of the financial and budgetary plan of this quadrennial plan.
For the 2013-2016 quadrennial plan, Olympic Solidarity wishes to maintain its existing programmes or introduce new ones, which will bring added value to the NOCs and constitute a complement to the world and continental programmes already available. These programmes are:
• Regional forums (already in place)
• Visits to NOCs (already in place)
• Olympic Solidarity special fund (new)
• Olympic Solidarity knowledge centre (new)
• Support towards efficient use of Olympic Solidarity funding for NOCs with greatest need (new) | <urn:uuid:f6c4b4a0-9f88-44ae-b608-4e1845b89208> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.igfgolf.org/olympic-games/olympic-solidarity/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396100.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00180-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92219 | 1,146 | 2.84375 | 3 |
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Language to Create Believable Characters
by Lisa Hood
Have you ever
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meet someone and a little voice says: "I like
him" or "I don't trust her". Have you ever
wondered why you formed that immediate opinion?
Body language plays a big role in intuition as it gives
us messages about the other person that we can interpret
at an intuitive level. We are always communicating
verbally and nonverbally.
To make a good impression, it is important to understand
that you are always communicating through body language,
whether it is intentional or not. Studies done in
the field indicate that:
. 55% of the communication consists of body language,
. 38% is expressed through tone of voice (paralanguage)
. 7% is communicated through words. (1)
As a writer, you can use the body language of your
character to convey a great deal of information.
There are four types of body language to be aware of:
facial expression, including eye contact, gestures,
posture and space relationship.
1. Facial Expressions including eye contact -
"Darwin believed that facial expressions of emotion
are similar among humans, regardless of culture."
However, researchers now believe "our non verbal
language is partly instinctive, partly taught and partly
imitative." (1) There are some universal
facial expressions; a smile, a frown, a scowl, however,
there are many more nonverbal messages that are learned
and may be unique to specific cultures.
Eye contact is direct and powerful. The eyes are
always talking. A poet and writer of 19th-century
France wrote, `Eyes are so transparent, that
through them, one sees the soul.' Nothing builds
trust and rapport as effectively as eye contact. (2) The
use of eye contact varies significantly from culture to
culture. In some regions, direct eye contact may be
considered insulting or challenging. In the United
States, direct eye contact is often considered a sign of
trustworthiness. So, if your character is American,
regular, attentive eye contact would convey honesty,
straight forwardness and/or approachability. However, a
hard, unblinking stare will send a much different message.
can be used purposefully to emphasis meaning. Fidgeting
shows boredom and restlessness. Pressing fingers together
to form a steeple shows interests, assertiveness and
determination. Touching the nose or rubbing eyes
indicates discomfort, or it may even be a signal that
your character is not being completely honest. A hand to
the back of the neck may indicate withdrawal from a
Posture - The
way people hold themselves gives important information.
Body posture can be closed or open. Interested people
always pay attention and lean forward. Leaning
backwards demonstrates aloofness or rejection. A
firm handshake will give the impression of assertiveness
or honesty, too firm can seem arrogant or challenging.
Folding arms across your chest or body is protective and
will give the impression of a character who's closed,
guarded and defensive. People with arms folded, legs
crossed and bodies turned away are signaling that they
are rejecting messages. People showing open hands, both
feet planted on the ground are accepting. A head
held straight up signals a neutral attitude. A head
tilted to the side indicates interest. A head down is
negative and judgmental.
Space - Dr.
Edward T Hall, a professor of anthropology at
Northwestern University, coined the phrase "Proxemics"
to describe his theories about zones and territory and
how we use them. There are four distinct zones in which
most people operate, including: intimate distance,
personal distance, social distance and public distance.
The cultural influence on spatial relationships is
significant. "How we guard our zones and how
we aggress to other zones is an integral part of how we
relate to other people." (1)
"The orientation of speakers and listeners: face-to-face,
side to side, or back-to-back, can send powerful non-verbal
messages. In a group situation, when the leader
faces the group and turns toward the one who is speaking,
this conveys strong attention. When two people are
communicating, competitors are more likely to sit facing
each other while collaborators are more likely to sit
side-by-side. If one stands while the other is
sitting, the standing person may be sending dominance
signals, which can stifle free exchange of ideas." (2)
You now understand different types of body language and
you may be able to incorporate body language into your
writing to make your characters come alive on the page.
(1) Dick Mooney, Often, actions really do speak louder
words. Knoxville, TN: ACA Communicator, 2002
(2) Debbie O'Halloran, How to use Body Language in an
The Irish Jobs Column, 2002
Lisa Hood is the author of "Shades of Betrayal"
and "Shades of Revenge". She has been
writing for over 10 years and is presently working on her
third suspense novel, "Shades of Jealousy." She
is also the Talent Liaison @ BOOKJOBBER.com. http://www.bookjobber.com
Best-Sellers in 3 Years!
Brilliant New Course by Nick Daws will show you
how to write any book in 28 days or less - | <urn:uuid:ac061b57-7d22-489c-afbf-a35dbe33066a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.fictionfactor.com/guests/bodylanguage.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396949.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00142-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.910249 | 1,257 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Greenpeace activists around the world are remembering the world's worst industrial disaster, twenty years after a toxic gas leak killed and maimed thousands in the Indian city of Bhopal (1). Bearing candles and photos of people stricken by the poisonous gas leak, the activists are calling on DOW Chemical to take full responsibility for Bhopal.
"Twenty years on, people in Bhopal are still suffering because
DOW Chemical refuses to take responsibility for their welfare or
for the toxic waste that is still poisoning their land and water
(2). Thousands around the world are remembering Bhopal and what its
stands for today - the danger of the chemical age, double standards
and lack of accountability of multi-national corporations," said
Vinuta Gopal, Greenpeace campaigner in Bhopal.
Greenpeace activists in fifteen countries, and seven Indian
cities, including Bhopal, will hold candlelight vigils and form
human chains. In Switzerland, they will deliver an exact replica of
the memorial statue in Bhopal to the DOW European headquarters in
Zurich. Photo exhibitions showing people impacted by the poisoned
gas and the contamination of the site are being held in Belgium,
France, Australia, India, Slovakia and China, among others.
"In an increasingly globalised world, there is a need for
corporations like DOW to use consistent standards around the world
and take responsibility for their operations. If this disaster had
happened in Europe or the US, the site would have been cleaned and
the people fully compensated. We demand that DOW takes full
responsibility for the horrendous disaster in Bhopal", Gerd
Leipold, Greenpeace International Executive Director will say at a
seminar on Bhopal and corporate accountability in Brussels on
Greenpeace and International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal
(ICJB) (3) are demanding that DOW, the multinational chemical
leader, pays for the health treatment of the survivors, cleans up
the large stockpiles of dangerous poisons left behind at the
factory site since the disaster and cleans up the contaminated
underground water. They are also calling for international
corporate accountability legislation to make sure disasters like
Bhopal never happen again.
Notes: (1). On the night of December 2-3rd 1984, forty tons of lethal gases leaked from a pesticide factory in Bhopal, owned by Union Carbide, now DOW Chemicals. The disaster has killed up to 20,000 people and left at least 150,000 chronically ill to date. Survivors and their children continue to suffer long-term health effects ranging from cancer and tuberculosis to birth defects and chronic fevers.(2). A further 20,000 people remain at risk of being poisoned by toxic waste that has been abandoned at the site since the disaster. The toxic chemicals include carbon tetrachloride and other persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals such as mercury, according to the scientific findings of Greenpeace in 1999, 2002 and 2004. (3). http://www.bhopal.net | <urn:uuid:4d75381f-29cd-4507-b6b6-db9af52c6db0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/20-years-are-more-than-enough/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397795.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00000-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928496 | 638 | 2.84375 | 3 |
EDOM—the land of Esau, known as IDUMEA in Greek (Isa. 34:5,6; Ezek. 35:15)
The Edomites were descendants of Edom (Esau) and took over the land of the Horites.
“The land of Edom” (Genesis 32:3; 36:16) is mountainous (Obad. 1:8,9, 19, 21). It was called the land, or “the mountain of Seir,” the rough hills on the east side of the Arabah. It extended from the head of the Gulf of Akabah, the Elanitic gulf, to the foot of the Dead Sea (1 Kings 9:26), and contained, among other cities, the rock-hewn Sela (q.v.), generally known by the Greek name Petra (2 Kings 14:7).
It is a wild and rugged region, traversed by fruitful valleys. Its old capital was Bozrah (Isa. 63:1).
The early inhabitants of the land were Horites. They were destroyed by the Edomites (Deut. 2:12), between whom and the kings of Israel and Judah there was frequent war (2 Kings 8:20; 2 Chr. 28:17).
At the time of the Exodus they churlishly refused permission to the Israelites to pass through their land (Num. 20:14-21), and ever afterwards maintained an attitude of hostility toward them.
They were conquered by David (2 Sam. 8:14; compare 1 Kings 9:26), and afterwards by Amaziah (2 Chr. 25:11-12).
But they regained again their independence, and in later years, during the decline of the Jewish kingdom (2 Kings 16:6; Revised Version marginal notes: “Edomites”), made war against Israel. They took part with the Chaldeans when Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem, and afterwards they invaded and held possession of the south of Israel as far as Hebron.
At length, however, Edom fell under the growing Chaldean power (Jer. 27:3, 6).
PROPHECIES—There are many prophecies concerning Edom (Isa. 34:5-6; Jer. 49:7-18; Ezek. 25:13; 35:1-15; Joel 3:19; Amos 1:11; Obadiah; Mal. 1:3-4) which have been remarkably fulfilled.
The present desolate condition of that land is a standing testimony to the inspiration of these prophecies. After an existence as a people for above seventeen hundred years, they have utterly disappeared, and their language even is forgotten for ever. In Petra, “where kings kept their court, and where nobles assembled, there no man dwells; it is given by lot to birds, and beasts, and reptiles.”
The Edomites were Semites, closely related in blood and in language to the Israelites. They dispossessed the Horites of Mount Seir; though it is clear, from Genesis 36, that they afterwards intermarried with the conquered population. Edomite tribes settled also in the south of Judah, like the Kenizzites (Genesis 36:11), to whom Caleb and Othniel belonged (Josh. 15:17).
The southern part of Edom was known as Teman. | <urn:uuid:07cff392-aa03-4d55-a897-eaaa61d24a9b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://christiananswers.net/dictionary/edom.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396538.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00096-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957575 | 717 | 3.4375 | 3 |
Frogs were an important focus for the Alps Bioscan survey in Victoria's Alpine National Park in November last year. The deadly amphibian chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, thrives in cool environments, meaning high-altitude frog populations are particularly susceptible.
Dr Katie Smith, Collection Manager of Vertebrates, led the frog-hunting team at the Alps and explained why this fungus is so insidious. "It's a major contributor to global amphibian decline. Lots of frogs worldwide are affected," she said. "It penetrates their skin and leads to death in some species and individuals, while some are able to survive it and act as carriers."
View this video with a transcript
The museum's frog team searched for frogs in several sites in the Alps and collected skin swabs from every frog found. The swabs will be tested for the presence of chytrid (pronounced 'kit-trid') as part of ongoing monitoring by researchers from the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research. "We need to know what populations have it and whether this leads to changes in those populations, such as whether there's lower species diversity in areas where chytrid fungus is present."
The chytrid fungus has a free-living stage called a zoospore and a reproductive stage called a zoosporangium. Zoospores can live several weeks in the water until they find a host frog to infect. Once settled, the zoosporangia cause the frog's skin to thicken and slough away. There are a few hypotheses as to how the chytrid fungus kills frogs. One hypothesis proposes that a frog with a heavy chytrid infestation can't maintain its salt balance. Sodium and potassium levels, essential for normal muscle and nerve function, drop significantly and the frog dies from cardiac arrest.
A froglet found during the Alps Bioscan. Froglet species seem to have some resistance to chytrid fungus, and may act as carriers between water bodies.
Image: David Paul
Source: Museum Victoria
Researchers believe that the fungus arrived in Australia in the 1970s, and is linked to the sudden decline (and in some cases, extinction,) of several local species, including the Southern Gastric Brooding Frog and the Southern Corroborree Frog. There are a few theories about how it got here, but the most likely culprit is the international trade in African Clawed Frogs for use in pregnancy tests. In the 1930s it was discovered that injecting one of these frogs with the urine of a pregnant woman caused the animal to produce eggs. Hundreds of thousands of frogs were brought into Australia from Africa for this purpose and probably, with them, the chytrid fungus. While the fungus was first identified in 1998, retrospective examination of historical specimens found the earliest known chytrid infestation on an animal collected in 1938. This African Clawed Frog specimen, held by the South African Museum, supports the theory of African origin.
Once loose in a new environment, chytrid fungus can spread rapidly. "It can be spread by frogs – anything that moves through those water bodies, even other animals that visit those areas and researchers themselves," explained Katie. "You might walk into one site, jump in the car and accidentally transfer it to a healthy population."
You can help prevent the spread of chytrid fungus in a couple of ways. Firstly, says Katie, "never move a frog, tadpoles or eggs that you find in one area to another area, because you don't know which populations may have the chytrid fungus." Frogs are protected in Australia which means that you cannot legally catch, remove or relocate them; the threat of chytrid fungus is another good reason to leave them where they are. Frogs often hitchhike from Queensland in bunches of bananas, so if you find a stowaway in your supermarket, follow the instructions of the Victorian Frog Group and never release the frog into the wild.
Katie continued, "secondly, if you're moving between water bodies, wash your shoes really well and anything else you put in water." The Alps Bioscan teams bleached and scrubbed shoes and equipment between each aquatic field site, and Katie's frog team wore fresh surgical gloves when handling each frog.
The results from the survey and chytrid tests will be available later this year once the researchers have completed their analysis.
Ché Weldon, Louis H. du Preez, Alex D. Hyatt, Reinhold Muller,and Rick Speare. Origin of the Amphibian Chytrid Fungus, Emerg Infect Dis. 2004 December; 10(12): 2100–2105. | <urn:uuid:450f8544-7ef1-4099-b98c-11abcc67e5ab> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://museumvictoria.com.au/about/mv-blog/jan-2014/alpine-frogs-and-chytrid-fungus/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397797.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00021-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950733 | 983 | 3.875 | 4 |
The brown recluse, or fiddleback spider, is one of the more dangerous spiders found in the United States. Though the spider has a fearsome reputation, it is actually quite shy and uninterested in human beings. Still, the brown recluse delivers a venomous bite that can cause massive tissue damage, and in extremely rare cases, death. With that said, it is very important to understand how to identify the brown recluse.
The brown recluse spider has a number of distinctive features that can help identify it. The first thing to know about the brown recluse spider is the formation of the eyes. The brown recluse actually has only six eyes instead of the spider norm of eight. They are situated on the head in sets of two.
The brown recluse also has a violen shaped marking on the head, and the neck of the violin stretches towards the abdomen. This marking is clearer on some than others, and they are not the only species of spider to have such markings.
The brown recluse spider is fairly small, with the total body width of about a quarter fully grown. (this is including the legs) The brown recluse also can vary wildly in color, from a light yellowish color to to a dark brown. Some are even reddish in tint. It depends on the age, location, and particular group of recluses. They are a variation of brown in most cases.
The brown recluse is just what their name implies – reclusive. They hide away in dark, dry places which leads them to contact with humans that leave clothing in open storage, or after climbing into a shoe.
While this dangerous spider is certainly a serious problem in some areas, the vast majority of brown recluses are never seen by human eyes. If you leave them alone, then chances are you will never get bitten. It is important to shake out anything that has been left sitting for a long time. This is true both for the brown recluse, and the other dangerous spider well known in the United States – the black widow.. | <urn:uuid:44c3f48c-a590-477a-95c5-c5382d27f8fb> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.snakesandspiders.com/identifying-spiders-the-brown-recluse/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393997.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00005-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96249 | 419 | 3.40625 | 3 |
Some claim it is a variant of the Greek word Phoebos, meaning "bright," which is why it goes together with Shraga (= flame in Aramaic).
However, others dispute this etymology. Here is one interesting alternative:
"Feivel" does not come from the "Phobos" (aka Apollo), the Greek Sun God! (This was a false etymology put about by German Jewish scholars in the 19th century.) Etymologically, the earliest instances of the the name "Feibush" are written as "Vivs" (Vivus) which is the Latin equivalent of "[C]Haim", "life", a name which was given to sick children (and adults) to "confuse the Angel of Death" (who could then no longer find the person named on his "list" who he had to kill).
Stated a bit differently here (scroll about halfway down):
Uri, Shraga and Phoebus (of which Feivish and Feivel are yiddishized corruptions) all mean basically 'bright', 'shining', 'light'.
"Fayvush or Faivel are the kinnuim of Shraga. Fayvush is an ancient Jewish name whose origin was the Latin vivus (living, alive), a loan translation (calque) from Hebrew chaim (life). Later the name Fayvush was erroneously considered to be a derivation from Phoebus, god of the sun--consequently Fayvish became the kinnui not only for the Biblical Hebrew name Uri (light) but for the Aramaic name Shraga (candle) in the Rabbinic period. Folk legends along with true and false etymologies gave rise to these interwoven associations between Hebrew name and kinnui. | <urn:uuid:588652b8-e182-4580-b9c5-2df14980c028> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/7686/etymology-of-the-name-feivel/7690 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395548.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00115-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963463 | 383 | 3.015625 | 3 |
International Panel: Bridging Policy and Practice
A Focus on Teacher Preparation
The Case of In-service in Egypt
Prepared by Fayez Mourad Mina and Jean Michel Hanna
1. In-service teacher education
Principal features of in-service education in Egypt are characterized as follows. In-service teacher education in Egypt is generally planned in the absence of teachers. It is usually structured as a pyramid with leaders and inspectors at the central level, then teachers at the governorate levels. Methods used in in-service are mainly based on lectures to large groups, followed by sessions with smaller group (with some exceptions, such as: using videotapes of real lessons as material in in-service teacher education, classroom observation and analyzing teacher performance).
In-service education is usually related to changing programs or establishing new textbooks. Many centers organize training programs for teachers or for supervisors. Some centers that offer these programs include The Ministry of Education, The Center for Curriculum and Instructional Materials Development, The National Center for Examinations and Educational Evaluation, and The National Center for Educational Research. Additional centers that provide these programs include The General Directorate for In-service Training, The Regional Training Centers, The Television and Radio Broadcasts, and other institutions or organizations that depend on Universities or cultural centers.
Several problems exist in in-service teacher education in Egypt. These problems include an absence of harmonization between different centers working in teacher education and fragmentation of teacher education responsibilities, a lack of qualified or effective trainers, and a lack of active roles for head teachers at the school level. In addition to these problems, higher priority is given to the number of teachers receiving training rather than the quality of the training. There is no formal evaluation of training programs, training rarely focuses on the teacher performance, and teachers receive little real feedback. Adding to these difficulties is the costs of traveling to training centers and lodging during the work.
2. Pre-service teacher education
The teacher education system is a sub-system of the larger educational system, which in its turn is a sub-system of societal, regional, and global systems. Nevertheless, there are common achievements, problems, and needed changes to be found all over the world. Teaching is, or must be, professionalized, regardless of the educational stage at which one teaches. This implies a minimum of requirements to be a teacher that include continuous in-service teacher education.
Teachers' organizations, National Government Organization's (NGO), educational authorities and other societal agencies can support the profession of teaching in many different ways. One way would be to restrict teaching at all levels to "licensed" teachers (whether for governmental schools, private schools, higher education, or NGOs educational program), and for teachers' organizations to have a voice in current educational issues and the development of education.
Teacher education should cope with, and contribute to, recent developments in science (basically "complexity"), education (especially continuous concurrent self-education), psychology (e.g., cognitive psychology and multiple intelligences), and in the area of study and their implications for teaching (e.g., in case of mathematics; the paradigm shifts in mathematics and mathematics education). Teacher education should play a role in solving social problems, e. g., illiteracy, discrimination and so on, and attempt to deal with diversity through education. As a result of the two previous assumptions, we can look at the teacher on the one hand as an educational facilitator and as an active citizen in the society on the other.
Teaching and learning in programs of pre-service teacher education should be conducted in an atmosphere comparable to what ought to be in schools (in its ideal form) associated with training on analyzing and teaching particular curricula (professionalization of teacher education). These activities constitute some of the basics of pre-service teacher education. As well, intensive discussion and analyses of reality of schools, curricula and teaching, and the role of the teacher in their development are essential to teacher education, whether pre- or in-service education.
Teacher education should help teachers consider possible future developments in all respects. An "ideal case" 20-30 years from now, could be as follows: Almost all curricula are introduced in an integrated form in terms of problem solving, where problems mostly relate to everyday life. Calculators and computers are accepted tools in the classroom. Students submit "evidence" to justify their conclusions rather than "logical exercises" in terms of logical proofs. At the secondary level, a student selects a certain number of "integrated" problems and produces an article/piece of research in a "transdisciplinary" area. In such a vision teachers would be educated to have a "transdisciplinary" background, be able to work in "teams" to teach integrated transdisciplinary units and take part in collecting data and research work. In addition, they would need to be able to work in the framework of the "methodology of complexity." They would need to be able to use non-traditional methods of teaching including group work, based almost on self-education, employing advanced technology to collect data in an "encyclopedic form." They would also need to be able to use non-traditional means of evaluation, such as open-book exams, extended assignments, self-evaluation, and so on. To achieve these goals, in-service teacher education should be continuous and constitute an integrated part of teacher education. In-service teacher education should also meet the actual needs of teachers (as they identify them) and be conducted in ways that motivate teachers toward greater involvement in their profession.
Some Basic Ideas and Concerns
The different regions of the globe have many common problems (e.g., environmental problems fundamentalism, addiction, etc.). Some keys to their resolution lie in the behaviors and values of individuals and institutions. School curricula, and thus teacher education programs, should address them, side by side with other concerned societal institutions.
In addition to those global and regional problems, each society has its own specific problems, (e.g., overpopulation, illiteracy at different levels, problems in some particular economic sectors, some aspects of discrimination, etc.). These problems must be reflected in school curricula as well as in teacher education programs. Although they have to be shared by all societal agencies (e.g., family, school, media), the school has an important role to play. Some means of evaluation of both the processes and products of teacher education should be established. Informal means used in this respect have proved to be effective in this concern (e.g., questionnaires, interviews, content analysis, self-conception of graduated teachers, judgments of social institutions). Some of the important points in this respect are to have an organized way to attempt such an evaluation, to get feedback from the process, and to use the feedback to improve teacher education.
Much more attention must be paid to the preparation of teacher educators. In addition to the general requirements for appointing faculty members in different universities, teacher educators must have special characteristics, such as cultural and knowledge background, involvement in societal activities at different levels, and intentions to help their students and people in general. In addition continuous plans for training and follow up must become part of the system.
This includes a strong system of support for teachers, especially in their first year(s) of work. In addition to in-service training sessions, this system might take the form of "supervision" at different levels (e.g., head teacher or supervisor). To do this effectively might require changing the concept of supervision, its goals and administration from a judgemental concept to a supportive one. Generally speaking, supervision might be seen as some kind of "consultancy" helping to link school and actual teaching, research agencies for daily problems, and so on.
Suggested Policies for Teacher Education in Egypt
Minimum requirements to become a student-teacher are to have successfully completed secondary education with evidence of the desire and ability to be a teacher. The minimum requirement to recruit a teacher could be that he or she gets a bachelor's degree, with educational preparation as one of its major components. Different approaches can be used to deal with unqualified teachers; for example, open education and training programs can provide training to practicing teachers who were hired before the increase in minimum requirements. Teachers syndicates, professional organizations, educational authorities, NGOs, and the public at large, can play a great role in supporting the profession of teaching through establishing systems for "licensed teachers," providing continuous in-service teacher education and qualifying studies, holding meetings, conferences, and seminars, issuing publications, ensuring appropriate salaries for teachers, etc.
Teacher education curricula should be oriented towards the following aspects:
Particular Considerations in Teacher Education in the Area of Mathematics
Although the above mentioned parts of this overview are essential for mathematics teacher education, some particulars should be added and seriously considered in any process of planning, designing or implementation of pre and in-service programs of teacher education and/or in any relevant activity. The most important of these particular considerations seem to be as follows:
Some aspects to avoid present criticism to theories of "mathematical truth," an to attempt to build-up a new vision to it, should be considered (Mina, November 2002): Reality should not simply confined to "physical reality," but should be extended to include "virtual reality" as well as the content of "conditional propositions." Human behavior can be more easily explained assuming that the mind constructs mental models of reality, rather than by assuming the existence of a "mental logic." Mathematical systems are open and have been influenced by other systems, introducing change in all of their components.
PCMI@MathForum Home || International Seminar Home || IAS/PCMI Home | <urn:uuid:56df1e41-a302-4447-b0e7-c1d16640735f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://mathforum.org/pcmi/int2002report/page75.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399522.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00119-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957996 | 1,989 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Editor's note: This article is by Dr. Haim Nelken, Manager of Healthcare and Privacy at IBM Research – Haifa.
Anyone who has been a patient in a hospital will probably agree that the experience has room for improvement. Much of that sentiment stems from the fact
that hospitals are complex production facilities. Meaning, while their goal is to keep us healthy, the diverse activity that goes on (not to mention the
coordination between staff and departments) make decisions more difficult and processes less efficient.
Instrumentation and the proper use of data and knowledge can make a real difference when it comes to improving patient care. Towards this end, our team
at IBM Research’s lab in Haifa, Israel developed the Intelligent Hospital Management System (IHMS). The system can help hospitals and health ministries coordinate the massive amounts of information associated with different aspects of their services. IHMS provides real time information about relevant key performance indicators (KPI), such as average waiting time, bed occupancy, current infection status, average utilization of resources, readmission rates, and manpower per department — and most importantly, how all these processes impact one another. The system is open and healthcare providers decide which indicators to cover.
Hospital Management Systems
IHMS provides an environment for proactively managing hospitals and the big data running through them by analyzing information from hospital events and processes.
If Big Data is the blood in a hospital’s veins, IHMS is the modality that visualizes and analyzes the insights from the hospital’s information, hospital
events and processes. The technology includes a central dashboard, alerts, and reports, alongside predictive analytics and support for decision-making.
For example, IHMS can provide real-time visualization into events as they develop. Hospital executives can get a better picture of what's going on from
the operation’s point of view and can gain additional insights and better understanding through analysis of ”what if” scenarios: What if we discharge all
mothers of newborn babies a day early? How many beds will then be available? How will it affect readmission? What will be the associated costs? Is there a
subgroup for which earlier discharge provides higher benefits?
Government health ministries can use the IHMS dashboard to see what kind of inoculations were given in the country hospitals, follow the spread of
influenza, mortality, recovery, or treatment options provided. They can also see how the number of flu patients changes over time.
Improving Citizen Health
ministries can use the IHMS dashboard to see what kind of inoculations were given in the country hospitals, follow the spread of influenza, mortality,
recovery, or treatment options provided. They can also see how the number of flu patients changes over time.
IHMS can also improve patient experience and optimize workflows. For example, once it knows the queue and wait time in each hospital lab and
discovers a patient who needs to undergo a series of urgent tests, it can determine their best order – whether to do an x-ray first and then blood
tests, or vice versa. It can also send alerts that an orderly will soon arrive to help transfer a patient. By combining clinical and operational information,
hospitals can also gain further insights into treatment effectiveness per population groups, improve outcome and share best practices.
Intelligent Hospital Management System
KPIs are the powerful link IHMS makes between measurements and goals. For example, a hospital working to become completely paperless towards achieving
HIMSS Analytics Stage 7 can track the appropriate indicators that identify progress and eliminate bottlenecks. Similarly, at a country level, government
officials can follow of the same population health indicators that the World Health Organization measures to identify local regions where more focus is
|Dashboard for Intelligent Hospital Management System|
Although the idea of a hospital dashboard isn't new, most, simply provide static data reports. The IHMS intelligent dashboard uses chosen operational and
clinical KPIs to help healthcare decision makers compare and learn from hospital performance trends, and understand how different processes,
departments, and decisions connect. Now, healthcare administrators can use IHMS to make informed short-term tactical decisions while gaining insight into how
their decisions will affect various outcomes, staff groups, and finances.
In short, an intelligent hospital management system improves the patient and caregiver experience, helps reduce the demands on a physician's time,
eliminates unnecessary tests, and better organizes a “healthier hospital.”
Labels: disease, government, Haim Nelken, healthcare, hospital management, hospitals, IBM Research - Haifa, IHMS, intelligent hospital management system, physicians, World Health Organization | <urn:uuid:e3afbcaa-b375-40de-9d51-26b936fa8f0b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://ibmresearchnews.blogspot.co.il/2013/08/cultivating-healthier-hospitals.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398216.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00011-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91721 | 981 | 2.53125 | 3 |
A view over the recently harvested sugar cane fields in the parish of Saint Andrew's of Barbados.
Saint Andrew ("St. Andrew") is one of eleven parishes of Barbados. It is situated is the northern area in the country.
Saint Andrew is one of the more unspoiled parts of the island owing to its physical makeup of green rolling hills. The parish of Saint Andrew also has the country's highest natural elevation, the 336 m (1,102 ft) Mount Hillaby at the southern part of the parish.
The parish is named after the patron saint, Saint Andrew, who is also the basis of the name for Barbados' highest national award "The Order of Saint Andrew" and also the shape of the cross formed by two sugar cane stalks in the national Coat of Arms of Barbados.
During the colonial years under Britain, the British thought the area resembled the hills and fields of Scotland. This led to parts of the Parish of Saint Andrew today being nicknamed the "Scotland District". During the 1990s the Government of the time proposed a "Greenland Landfill" located within the parish. However, because of Saint Andrew's fragile environment and its possibility of future soil erosion the opening of the completed landfill has yet to come-about after almost a decade.
Saint Andrew lies on the eastern coastline of Barbados, where the Atlantic Ocean tends to be more turbulent. As part of Barbados' attempts to preserve the environment the parish is also home to several natural reserves including the Turner's Hall Woods
The original picture was taken on slide film. It has been digitised and cleaned up as far as possible using Photoshop. Apologies for any remaining imperfections. | <urn:uuid:6266856d-d9b2-417f-8391-d753d0554b31> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.trekearth.com/workshops/1450219/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396100.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00134-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963603 | 343 | 2.59375 | 3 |
- Clarksville, TN Online - http://www.clarksvilleonline.com -
NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover gets set to start Drilling
Posted By News Staff On Wednesday, January 30, 2013 @ 1:30 am In Technology | No Comments
Written by Guy Webster
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Pasadena, CA – NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has placed its drill onto a series of four locations on a Martian rock and pressed down on it with the rover’s arm, in preparation for using the drill in coming days.
The rover carried out this “pre-load” testing on Mars yesterday (January 27th). The tests enable engineers to check whether the amount of force applied to the hardware matches predictions for what would result from the commanded motions.
The next step is an overnight pre-load test, to gain assurance that the large temperature change from day to night at the rover’s location does not add excessively to stress on the arm while it is pressing on the drill. At Curiosity’s work site in Gale Crater, air temperature plunges from about 32 degrees Fahrenheit (zero degrees Celsius) in the afternoon to minus 85 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 65 degrees Celsius) overnight.
Over this temperature swing, this large rover’s arm, chassis and mobility system grow and shrink by about a tenth of an inch (about 2.4 millimeters), a little more than the thickness of a U.S. quarter-dollar coin.
The rover team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, sent the rover commands yesterday to begin the overnight pre-load test (Monday).
“We don’t plan on leaving the drill in a rock overnight once we start drilling, but in case that happens, it is important to know what to expect in terms of stress on the hardware,” said JPL’s Daniel Limonadi, the lead systems engineer for Curiosity’s surface sampling and science system. “This test is done at lower pre-load values than we plan to use during drilling, to let us learn about the temperature effects without putting the hardware at risk.”
Remaining preparatory steps will take at least the rest of this week. Some of these steps are hardware checks. Others will evaluate characteristics of the rock material at the selected drilling site on a patch of flat, veined rock called “John Klein.”
Limonadi said, “We are proceeding with caution in the approach to Curiosity’s first drilling. This is challenging. It will be the first time any robot has drilled into a rock to collect a sample on Mars.”
An activity called the “drill-on-rock checkout” will use the hammering action of Curiosity’s drill briefly, without rotation of the drill bit, for assurance that the back-and-forth percussion mechanism and associated control system are properly tuned for hitting a rock.
The rover team’s activities this week are affected by the difference between Mars time and Earth time. To compensate for this, the team develops commands based on rover activities from two sols earlier. So, for example, the mini-drill activity cannot occur sooner than two sols after the drill-on-rock checkout.
Each Martian sol lasts about 40 minutes longer than a 24-hour Earth day. By mid-February, the afternoon at Gale Crater, when Curiosity transmits information about results from the sol, will again be falling early enough in the California day for the rover team to plan each sol based on the previous sol’s results.
NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory Project is using Curiosity to assess whether areas inside Gale Crater ever offered a habitable environment for microbes. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the project for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ . You can follow the mission on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity and on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity .
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© 2015 Clarksville Online | <urn:uuid:05a55a4f-3b77-43e3-9240-9d472e156035> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2013/01/30/nasas-mars-curiosity-rover-gets-set-to-start-drilling/print/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396872.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00134-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.817172 | 1,349 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Key: "S:" = Show Synset (semantic) relations, "W:" = Show Word (lexical) relations
Display options for sense: (gloss) "an example sentence"
- S: (n) curb, curbing, kerb (an edge between a sidewalk and a roadway consisting of a line of curbstones (usually forming part of a gutter))
- S: (n) curb, curb bit (a horse's bit with an attached chain or strap to check the horse)
- S: (n) American Stock Exchange, AMEX, Curb (a stock exchange in New York)
- S: (n) bridle, check, curb (the act of restraining power or action or limiting excess) "his common sense is a bridle to his quick temper"
- S: (v) control, hold in, hold, contain, check, curb, moderate (lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits) "moderate your alcohol intake"; "hold your tongue"; "hold your temper"; "control your anger"
- direct troponym / full troponym
- S: (v) suppress, stamp down, subdue, conquer (bring under control by force or authority) "suppress a nascent uprising"; "stamp down on littering"; "conquer one's desires"
- S: (v) choke off, choke down, choke back (suppress) "He choked down his rage"
- S: (v) hush, quieten, silence, still, shut up, hush up (cause to be quiet or not talk) "Please silence the children in the church!"
- S: (v) burke (get rid of, silence, or suppress) "burke an issue"
- S: (v) silence (keep from expression, for example by threats or pressure) "All dissenters were silenced when the dictator assumed power"
- S: (v) squelch, quell, quench (suppress or crush completely) "squelch any sign of dissent"; "quench a rebellion"
- S: (v) quench (electronics: suppress (sparking) when the current is cut off in an inductive circuit, or suppress (an oscillation or discharge) in a component or device)
- S: (v) damp (restrain or discourage) "the sudden bad news damped the joyous atmosphere"
- S: (v) mortify, subdue, crucify (hold within limits and control) "subdue one's appetites"; "mortify the flesh"
- S: (v) mortify (practice self-denial of one's body and appetites)
- S: (v) deny, abnegate (deny oneself (something); restrain, especially from indulging in some pleasure) "She denied herself wine and spirits"
- S: (v) train (cause to grow in a certain way by tying and pruning it) "train the vine"
- S: (v) catch (check oneself during an action) "She managed to catch herself before telling her boss what was on her mind"
- S: (v) bate (moderate or restrain; lessen the force of) "He bated his breath when talking about this affair"; "capable of bating his enthusiasm"
- S: (v) thermostat (control the temperature with a thermostat)
- S: (v) countercheck, counteract (oppose or check by a counteraction)
- direct hypernym / inherited hypernym / sister term
- derivationally related form
- sentence frame
- S: (v) curb (keep to the curb) "curb your dogs"
- S: (v) restrict, curtail, curb, cut back (place restrictions on) "curtail drinking in school" | <urn:uuid:456a2479-1974-47f0-88da-fbb34aa5cfc0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?o2=&o0=1&o8=1&o1=1&o7=&o5=&o9=&o6=&o3=&o4=&s=curb&h=00001113013000022222221000002220130222201302201000000000&j=50 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00074-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.864554 | 828 | 3.203125 | 3 |
The Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, NY is one of the nation’s most polluted waterways. Toxic sludge lines the bottom of the canal, designated a Superfund site, and used condoms, human feces and tampons bob on the surface. Every time it rains, wastewater treatments plants inundated with storm water flush sewage and run-off into the Gowanus (check out this crazy video) in a process known as combined sewer overflow. Earlier this week, Hurricane Sandy caused the Gowanus to overflow its banks, and the foul waters crept into parking lots, spread over sidewalks and lapped against doorways.
Of course, Hurricane Sandy is only the latest extreme weather event to call attention to a problem that has been around forever. Many aging sewers are designed to carry both sewage and storm water to a treatment plant in a single pipe. This works well until it rains or snow melts, when water gushes into drainpipes and overflows the system. When this happens, wastewater treatment plants discharge raw sewage and storm water directly into nearby rivers, streams and harbors. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 850 billion gallons of untreated water pours into waterways each year from roughly 772 communities with combined sewer systems, mostly concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest. In the West, Oregon and Washington have the vast majority of combined sewer systems, with three and eleven respectively. The effects of such spills are varied, but include contaminated shellfish and fish kills, beach closure, gastrointestinal illness in swimmers and general unpleasantness.
Guidelines for combined sewer overflows, or CSOs, vary by state, but in Washington wastewater districts are limited to one overflow event per drainpipe per year. This is easier than limiting the volume of the flow, said Mark Henley, with the Washington Department of Ecology’s water quality program. When the state passed its first CSO law in the late 1980s, it required each of its eleven cities with combined sewers to create a plan to control their overflows. The cities could choose how to get their CSOs under control, whether by building underground storage tanks to hold excess storm water until it can be treated, separating the sewer and storm water pipes, or building mini-treatment systems at the discharge points. While each city’s CSO situation is different, storage is a popular solution, Henley said. Treatment plants are expensive and only make sense for large volumes of discharge, whereas separating sewer and storm water pipes means ripping up streets, something that is politically unpalatable.
In recent years solutions limiting the amount of storm water that makes it to the drains have become popular. Usually this involves "green" solutions that reduce the amount of nonpermeable surfaces, like pavement and concrete, that exacerbate stormwater runoff problems. Portland, Ore., for example, is installing more than 500 “green streets” with permeable pavement in the Willamette River watershed. The $81 million project also involves building various structures that absorb and filter precipitation, like rain gardens and green roofs, and will hopefully help the city avoid enlarging existing storm water pipes, which could cost an estimated $144 million.
But, as a team of Pacific Northwest reporters from Earthfix, Investigate West and Ecotrope points out, it’s harder to get the private sector on board in reducing runoff because developers aren’t legally required to integrate storm water management systems into new construction. And some local officials worry a smattering of green roofs and gardens will be harder to maintain than one centralized sewer system, albeit one that doesn’t work very well.
Last summer, when I was still living in Portland, Maine, I biked to the beach for an afternoon swim. There weren’t many people in the water that day, except those retrieving Frisbees their distracted dogs had abandoned. Later that night I found out the drainage pipe at the beach had dumped sewage the night before, due to a thunderstorm. Although I didn’t get sick, I scrubbed extra hard in the shower and vowed to pay more attention to the weather before swimming. Obviously there are more severe effects of CSOs than ruining my afternoon at the beach, but I think people shouldn’t have to think twice about going for a swim on a hot day, even if that fecal matter floating in the water is covered by a discharge permit.
I put this question to Henley, who said it’s impossible to expect cities to keep every drop of sewage out of their waterways at all times. “I think it would be considered impractical from a rate payer perspective and physically it would be very hard to do because you’d be designing these control facilities for the largest storm that you have on record.” Think of all the CSOs happening in New York City right now, he said. “They might not even be able to build tanks big enough to store those flows.”
Still, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect CSOs to occur only during those once in a generation storms, like Hurricane Sandy, not once a year. But until then, shit happens.
Emily Guerin is an intern at High Country News. | <urn:uuid:c06384cd-818a-46a6-9907-e927b230b886> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.hcn.org/blogs/goat/fecal-matters/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783404826.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155004-00003-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950985 | 1,058 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Enhancing your memory and increasing your brain power is usually done 2 ways. 1. Proper Nutrition and healthy habits for that body. 2. Brain games/exercises. Below I have gathered some suggestions that will help you enhance your memory quickly as well as increase mental ability.
Grow New Cognitive abilities. Based on research, intense aerobic exercise (for example running, biking, etc.) stimulates the growth of cells in the brain's hippocampus therefore making it possible to grow new cognitive abilities (neurons) within the memory center of your brain.
Stay Sharp with Brain Games. Challenge your brain to remember things. Whenever your brain needs to remember things, it will work harder, develop faster and much more fully in order to accomplish this. All of the memory aids we use may affect how well our memory works without these tools. If you are using planners or agenda books for school or work, try and remember things rather than writing them down. In your own home, undergo each subject and then try to recall the assignments. If you can't remember, call a buddy. Before long, you will observe a heightened capability to mentally note any homework easily. After that you can go back to making use of your planner only if there are more than say, 10 things to do per day. Or use it just to remember your results dates or your appointments etc.
Read - Reading works both your short-term and long-term memory (you have to remember what went down around the last page in addition to what happened within the last chapter). Not only is reading great for your memory, it's been shown to improve your intelligence too.memory improvement
Sing an audio lesson - Mnemonics (Memory Tools) for example singing make remembering anything a lot easier. The sillier the song is, the better. To keep in mind numbers (like a locker code), make a mathematical equation from the three numbers, or remember what they equal to, for instance, 3, 19 and 21 = 43.
Don't skimp on exercise or sleep. Just as athletes rely on sleep and a nutrition-packed diet to do their finest, what you can do to remember increases whenever you nurture your mind with a good nutritious diet along with other healthy habits. When you exercise the body, you exercise the brain. Treating your body well can enhance your ability to process and recall information. Workout increases oxygen to your brain and cuts down on the risk for disorders contributing to loss of memory, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Exercise may also enhance the results of helpful brain chemicals and protect cognitive abilities. Enhance your memory by sleeping on it. When you're sleep deprived, your brain can't operate at full capacity. Problem-solving abilities, Creativity, and critical thinking skills are compromised. Whether you're working, studying, or simply trying to juggle life's many demands, sleep deprivation is a occur. But sleep is crucial to learning and improving memory in an even more fundamental way. Studies have shown that sleep is necessary for memory consolidation, using the key memory-enhancing activity occurring throughout the deepest stages of sleep.
Make time for friends and fun. Most of us believe that wrestling with the Ny Times crossword puzzle or mastering chess strategy is the only method to improve memory quickly but countless studies show that lighthearted pastimes-hanging out with friends or enjoying a funny movie-can have many cognitive benefits. | <urn:uuid:4590faac-5fb4-4bb3-acdc-271aa52b07c9> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.purevolume.com/lucianolee847/posts/1804792/Tips+to+Improve+Memory+Quickly+and+Increase+Brain+Power | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395160.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00195-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944268 | 688 | 2.90625 | 3 |
"Based on coronary artery calcium - scores, obese individuals were found to have a much higher prevalence of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis, or early-stage plaque buildup in the arteries than their normal weight counterparts."
Washington, May 1 - Are you obese but have a healthy heart? Don't get duped by the notion of 'healthy' obesity.
An alarming research shows that obese individuals who have no signs of cardiovascular disease show a much higher prevalence of early plaque buildup in the arteries compared to healthy individuals.
Obese individuals who are considered 'healthy' because they do not currently have heart disease risk factors should not be assumed healthy by their doctors, explained Yoosoo Chang, a professor at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital Total Healthcare Center for Cohort Studies in Seoul, Korea.
The idea of healthy obese - individuals whose body weight puts them in the obese category but they show no signs of cardiovascular disease - is controversial.
The new study challenges this idea. Researchers recommend all obese individuals be counselled about their risks for cardiovascular disease and receive tips for achieving a healthy weight.
Our research shows that the presence of obesity is enough to increase a person's risk of future heart disease and that the disease may already be starting to form in their body, Chang noted.
It is important that these people learn this while they still have time to change their diet and exercise habits to prevent a future cardiovascular event, he advised.
Researchers in this study looked at 14,828 metabolically healthy adults aged 30 to 59 years who had no known cardiovascular disease.
Based on coronary artery calcium - scores, obese individuals were found to have a much higher prevalence of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis, or early-stage plaque buildup in the arteries than their normal weight counterparts.
Atherosclerosis, if not managed, can lead to heart attack and sudden cardiac death, among other cardiovascular conditions, said the study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. | <urn:uuid:c361e049-c84d-4627-a55e-b945018db471> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.nerve.in/news:2535002371001 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399522.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00148-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945071 | 397 | 2.71875 | 3 |
The successful creation and adoption of Open Educational Resources.
GUEST COLUMN | by Mike Messner
Even though the open education resource (OER) movement has been moving toward mainstream acceptance for some time, many teachers and administrators still remain wary of incorporating open content into their classrooms. The advantage of OER is that they are free, public domain education material that is available on the Internet for teachers and students. Many believe this resource, if organized properly, is already superior to flat textbooks; and is growing geometrically in both quantity and quality. Yet, the resistance to whole-hearted adoption stems in some cases from actual obstacles, and in other instances, perceived ones.
The impediments, real or imagined, include technology issues such as access to computers, iPads, tablets, or Androids; pushback from administrators or teachers – depending on who is instigating its acceptance – that content is not standard-aligned; material excess – how to select from the plethora of good digital content; and logistics – simply knowing where to start, how to organize the materials and then how to ‘go for launch’ when sharing the resources of an OER-driven initiative with students.
Eliminate the“Not Invented Here Mentality”
So what does it take for a classroom teacher, school principal or district administrator to adopt an OER program? To begin with, there has to be audience acceptance – belief that high-quality, credible, free, non-copyrighted educational materials exist in a great number of repositories and portals. Many teachers and administrators alike are encumbered by the “not invented here” syndrome where OER developed anywhere else –or not contained in a bound textbook – can’t possibly be as good as what has been developed ‘in house’ or produced by a long-standing publisher. Overcoming this mindset requires a concerted effort to change both the culture and attitude.
Where’s Waldo? The Search for Appropriate OER
Recent studies determined that novice OER users were successful in finding appropriate content only about half of the timei, and that they had more success with general sites rather than at OER specific sites. It can take substantial time to sort through the abundance of resources and discover what works for a particular class, sequenced in a way that matches teacher’s lesson plans or pedagogical approach, evaluated, and used effectively in the classroom.
Providing fresh educational experiences is critical to the future of education. In much the same way that newspapers and the music industry slumbered while times changed, K-12 administrators must advocate for going digital – giving teachers the authority to collaborate on developing materials for, and use by, other teachers across the district and around the globe.
Start by compiling a list of faculty-created resources – presentations, videos, slideshows, e-books, PDFs, audio books, text, Web links, assignment sheets, assessments, etc. Consider deploying an intuitive interface, like Net Texts, where teachers can find, build and customize multimedia courses beyond those created in their school or district. Net Texts offers educators a mix-and-match library of more than 50,000 free OER items from trusted providers we have had the privilege to work with like CK-12, Curriki, Khan Academy, Smithsonian, and some of the world’s top colleges and universities including MIT OpenCourseWare. Our researchers have done the homework, vetted, and amassed a myriad of complete lessons, units and courses that are available in subjects ranging from British and American Literature to Calculus, Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, and U.S. and World History, and more.
Revamping the Ramp-up
Whereas no technical support is required to use a print textbook, ramping up digital learning materials often does require support. Look for consulting services that can assist a school or district that wants to implement a comprehensive OER platform across one or more grades. Consider the need to build and customize courses ensuring that schools find the best open educational resources and create template courses that follow State and Common Core standards. For 1:1 implementations, it’s important to set up and configure your tablets to include the best companion education apps and to restrict non-educational apps through mobile device management solutions. Build it and they will come? Maybe. Be sure to offer professional development workshops that introduce the use of iPads, other tablets and Androids in conjunction with OER.
Bridging the Digital Divide
Given the reliance of open education content on networked technologies, learners’ lack of access to appropriate technologies and sufficient bandwidth to access streaming content, pose a significant barrier. Look for solutions where students can simply download the courses to their tablets or computers and engage in interactive learning at any time, inside and outside the classroom. Our free app allows the content to be stored locally on the devices, so there is no need for students to have Wi-Fi access in order to view and complete their assignments. This design reduces the demand on the school’s Wi-Fi and Internet bandwidth, which is a significant advantage; most schools lack the infrastructure to handle hundreds of Wi-Fi devices with streaming video.
In its purest sense, OER should be a source of inspiration for innovation and creativity. At the root, OER is about using, remixing, and redistributing the best resources and combining them with current, relevant, fresh digital content all while maintaining a premium emphasis on quality. Failing to support and encourage teachers to incorporate OER ensures that nothing but traditional methods of instruction will continue. Identifying and eliminating the barriers to OER adoption is key. In a rapidly changing educational environment, failing to embrace the low-cost open content movement and full transition to OER-driven teaching platforms is the surest path to remaining stuck in the centuries old, textbook-bound education model.
Mike Messner is the co-founder of Net Texts. | <urn:uuid:f3dc4099-219f-4503-8246-f7e79d3ebba8> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://edtechdigest.wordpress.com/2013/07/04/from-barriers-to-benefits/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396027.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00113-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929192 | 1,220 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Pope Benedict XVI said scientific tests confirmed shards found in the underground chamber at the church of St Paul's-Outside-the-Walls in Rome were from the apostle.
Saint Paul was said to have been buried with Saint Peter in a catacomb on the Via Appia, one of the Roman roads which leads out of the city, before being moved to a basilica which was erected in his honour.
For centuries it was believed that his remains were buried beneath the basilica's main altar, which was covered with a slab of marble inscribed in Latin with the words Paulo Apostolo Mart – "Paul, apostle and martyr".
The theory gained credence in 2006, when Vatican archeologists discovered a white marble sarcophagus hidden beneath the floor of the basilica – the largest in Rome after St Peter's at the Vatican – after four years of excavations.
It took three years for archeologists to subject the remains to the first ever scientific tests and establish that they belonged to Saint Paul, a Jewish Roman citizen from Tarsus, in what is now Turkey.
Pope Benedict XVI announced the findings during a service at the basilica, as Rome prepared to celebrate the Feasts of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.
"This seems to confirm the unanimous and undisputed tradition that these are the mortal remains of the Apostle Paul," he said.
He said experts had drilled a tiny hole in the sarcophagus, which has remained closed for nearly two millennia, to allow inspection of its interior.
Inside they found "traces of a precious linen cloth, purple in colour, laminated with pure gold, and a blue coloured textile with filaments of linen," Benedict said.
"It also revealed the presence of grains of red incense and traces of protein and limestone. There were also tiny fragments of bone, which, when subjected to Carbon 14 tests by experts, turned out to belong to someone who lived in the first or second century."
The announcement of the discovery was timed to mark the end of the "Pauline Year" – 12 months in which the Roman Catholic Church has been celebrating the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of the "Apostle of the Gentiles".
Saint Paul converted to become a follower of Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. Regarded as one of Christianity's most influential early missionaries, he took the Gospel to Greek and Roman cities and travelled extensively around Asia Minor.
He is believed to have been beheaded in Rome around AD 65, on the orders of Emperor Nero, during the persecution of early Christians.
The discovery of the bone fragments came shortly after the Vatican announced archaeologists had discovered what they believe is the oldest image in existence of Saint Paul, dating from the late 4th century, on the walls of catacomb beneath Rome.
The Vatican's newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, published a picture of a frescoed image of a man with piercing eyes, a pointed black beard and a furrowed forehead, against a red background, inside a bright yellow halo. Lasers were used to remove centuries of dirt from the oval portrait. | <urn:uuid:cb4dc32a-98a6-4c9d-90db-d51ecb819e4e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/5685157/Bone-fragments-confirmed-to-be-Saint-Paul.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395560.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00116-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975284 | 637 | 2.84375 | 3 |
When numbers on a thermometer dip, it’s a good idea to check for frostbite—and be aware of the symptoms and prevention.
If you live in a colder climate and are hardy enough to weather the elements, the temperature outdoors should not keep you indoors, within reason. However, when it is 32 degrees Fahrenheit or less, take precautions to avoid frostbite.
Frostbite occurs most often on the extremities of exposed skin surfaces, like your face, earlobes, or fingertips. (Hopefully, if it is less than 32 degrees out, your feet are well covered.) The telltale sign is a white discoloration of the skin. The affected patch will lose sensation and look waxy.
Frostbite is dangerous because it kills a layer of your skin tissue, making you even more susceptible to frostbite in those same affected areas in the future.
One key to prevention is to cover exposed skin—pull your hat over your ears and wear a neck gaiter or other outdoor apparel meant to protect you in frigid temperatures. It’s also a good idea to not be alone. Another person can regularly check you for the beginning signs of frostbite called frostnip—when the skin gets red and starts to tingle—and full-on frostbite.
If you have a patch of frostbite and can not get to a shelter, you need to slowly warm the affected area. When I see someone skiing with a white patch of skin on his or her face, I always tell the person that they might have frostbite. Once your skin goes from “nipped” to “bitten,” you can not feel anything, so you might not realize that anything is wrong. You, or that person, should put a warm (hopefully) hand over the area until it starts to thaw out. This is not medical advice, since I am not a doctor, but a little enlightenment goes a long way in prevention.
Another tidbit I learned over the years on cold days spent outdoors is to add an extra layer of protection to your skin by smoothing Bag Balm on your face. This thin layer gives added protection against the elements, though I can not vouch for what it will do to your pores. My beauty tip advice is to protect yourself from frostbite now and worry about your pores later.
Please add your comments, questions, and tips on how to protect your skin! | <urn:uuid:fda56fa8-b307-4581-8461-692ec9d26a95> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.almanac.com/blog/outdoor-adventure/tips-protect-your-skin-against-frostbite?quicktabs_2=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395620.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00148-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935621 | 503 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Is Economic Openness Good for Regional Development and Poverty Reduction? The Philippines
External influences on a country's urban and regional development are not new. Such were common during colonial times when cities became the strategic contact points of the colonizer with the colony. The evolution of ports and local transport systems were strongly shaped by the trade and investment decisions of colonial authorities. Indeed, the location of ports had a decisive impact on the choice of what were to become the primary and secondary urban centers.
- Patterns of Regional Development
- Determinants of Regional Development and Poverty Reduction | <urn:uuid:9a2076fb-5283-4755-b28f-411c8520133d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.adb.org/publications/economic-openness-good-regional-development-and-poverty-reduction-philippines | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393997.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00081-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962694 | 113 | 3.09375 | 3 |
ARTICLES / Children/
Helping Children Deal With Loss ... /
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Helping Children Deal With Loss
Through the Journaling Process
Today more and more American
families are involved in the care of their loved ones.
Often that creates a change in family dynamics,
routines, reassigning roles, economic hardships and
demands on adult time and emotional stress for all
family members involved. The changes taking place can be
threatening for children. Change creates loss and loss
creates grief. A grieving child needs our reassurance
that he/she will be cared for and is loved.
It is extremely important to listen to your child
verbalize their fears, anger, confusion and doubts. We
should explain that grief and the feelings it evokes are
natural responses to loss. We must encourage our
children to let their sadness out by sharing their
thoughts, feelings and memories with trusted listeners.
We can be a trusted listener by encouraging them to
express themselves by drawing, writing and sharing their
feelings and thoughts through the process of keeping a
journal. Long-term illness impacts family life,
especially if your loved one is being cared for at home.
Illness can be sudden or it may creep into our loved
one’s life in stages as in Alzheimer’s disease. Our
loved one may be dealing with the loss of their health,
independence and in some cases, ultimately the loss of
life. The family will be dealing with these losses as
well. The changes associated with the disease are
threatening for our loved one, our children and
ourselves. Our children need our love and support to
help them cope with the grief associated with change and
loss. It is important to take the time to discuss the
disease with children so they can understand what is
happening to their loved one.
Children and teens may experience a wide range of
emotions. All too often, many caregivers are too
overwhelmed by their own shock, sadness and grief to
notice their children are grieving too. For children, as
adults, there is no magic wand in overcoming grief. It
is a process and it is as individual as the people going
through it. The stages of grief are not linear. There
will be ups and downs, peaks and valleys and the
inevitable bumps in the road. Shock, denial, anger,
regression, guilt, bargaining and finally acceptance are
the myriad of emotions that are part of the healing
process called grief.
For some children keeping a journal is a wonderful way
to facilitate the grieving process. Encourage them to
draw about their feelings. I call this type of drawing,
“heart art.” Young children think symbolically rather
than with the use of written words. Pictures reveal a
child’s thinking. Drawing actually helps children find
their words Journal exercises provide opportunities for
gentle discussions and can offer insights into a child’s
fears and misconceptions. Keeping a journal allows
children to creatively express themselves. Use their
drawings as a springboard for caring conversations. For
older children and teens, writing in a journal gives
them permission to record their feelings and emotions.
It allows them to feel close to their loved one and
remember happier times. It also provides an opportunity
to say good-bye. This is a very important step towards
acceptance in the grieving process. | <urn:uuid:3ae37425-ef91-4a8f-af8e-f20d43c5fd8b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.caregiver.com/articles/children/journaling_process.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397565.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00018-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927958 | 728 | 2.96875 | 3 |
LONDON (Jul. 14)
The folly of anti-Semitism is described in a booklet by Sidney Dark and Herbert Sidebotham, two prominent English publicists, published by Hodder and Stoughton.
Anti-Semitism, the authors point out, is not merely a Jewish concern, but the concern of all men who care for justice, decency and kindness; it is the deliberate exaggeration of difference for mean ends. The authors deny the existence of a Jewish anywhere, even in Nazi Germany.
“The character of Nazism, and its development,” they write, “suggest that there is no such thing as a peculiarly Jewish problem. The Jewish problem is part of the problem of a world in the throes of revolutionary change and of the clash of antagonistic ideas. The war against the Jew is not the war against an alien minority but against the freedom of the individual, which is vital both to democracy and to Christian philosophy, as the late Pope insisted in one of his great Encyclicals. Paster Niemoeller soon followed the Jewish rabbis into a concentration camps. As has always been his fate, the Jew is the vanguard of suffering. But he will not suffer alone.
“German anti-Semitism has certain characteristics that might not necessarily be associated with anti-Semitic developments in other countries, since German racialism is the outcome of distinctively German qualities. But contempt for any group of men and women, not because of individual vices or deficiencies, but because of their descent, is foolish and demoralizing and, given untoward circumstances, may always become the prelude to persecution.
“Anti-Semitism has curiously contradictory excuses. In Germany the Jew was resented because he was prosperous and influential. In Poland he is resented because he is poverty-stricken. To Certain critics of capitalism the Jew is the most effective supporter of the tyranny of interest. To the defenders of capitalism he is the power behind international communism. These contradictions are themselves indicative of the folly of an agitation that has to find different excuse according to circumstance and surroundings. And everywhere behind the racial and economic pleadings there is a wealth of opportunity for fully satisfying jealousy, envy, hatred, and all uncharitableness.” | <urn:uuid:aeb440da-a373-4b3a-9cc5-4e4fb7c8d0a9> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.jta.org/1939/07/16/archive/folly-of-anti-semitism-described-in-volume-by-two-english-publicists | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398216.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00097-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961219 | 458 | 2.765625 | 3 |
The Western Front Today - New British Passchendaele Cemetery
New British Passchendaele Cemetery, which dates from the 1920s, contains 2,100 burials and memorials: 1,019 UK, 646 Canadian, 292 Australian, 126 New Zealand, 6 Guernsey, 3 South African, 1 Newfoundland and 7 special memorials. Around 75% are unknown.
Among the latter the Albertina Memorial records the closure of the Passchendaele Offensive on 28 September 1918.
It is the 25th and last of the diamond-shaped markers erected by the Belgians from 1984-88 to commemorate the death of King Albert I.
Each bears his monogram and marks a significant site or event relating to the First World War.
Before Endeavours Fade, Rose E.B. Coombs, After the Battle 1994
Major & Mrs Holt's Battlefield Guide - Ypres Salient, Leo Cooper 2000
A "listening post" was an advanced post, usually in no-man's land, where soldiers tried to find out information about the enemy.
- Did you know? | <urn:uuid:631b952b-8055-4fc1-9e18-d196915186af> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.firstworldwar.com/today/newbritishpasschendaele.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398869.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00142-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.888559 | 230 | 2.765625 | 3 |
For Back to School
When students go on a field trip, it risks interrupting what they’re studying, rather than complementing it. If it’s not clear how the visit fits into the curriculum, the educational impact may be limited, particularly if it’s just for one day.
Awareness of these pitfalls inspired the Calgary Board of Education’s Gillian Kydd to envision a new approach to learning beyond the classroom: one where students would come to the site prepared for what they were going to learn, and could spend a whole week there rather than just a day. The result has become the Campus Calgary/Open Minds program.
The CBE launched the program’s first site at the Calgary Zoo in 1993, as a pilot project funded by the Devonian Foundation. Chevron later extended funding to the zoo site, and eventually “schools” at the science centre and the Glenbow Museum as well, as part of its Open Minds School Program. Open Minds is now a part of the broader Campus Calgary program, which other corporate and community sponsors have helped expand to a total of 13 locations.
Teachers from any Calgary school can apply to participate in Campus Calgary, which is open to students from kindergarten through Grade 12. However, the program’s education co-ordinator, Trish Savill, says it generally caters to grades 3 through 8, as it’s hard for high school students to take a whole week away from regular classes. But regardless of the participating students’ age, the program’s objectives are the same.
“Basically it’s an opportunity to move the classroom into the community for a week,” says Savill, “and so students are developing the competencies for citizenship. And it’s about experiential knowledge, created and shared within and beyond the classroom.”
But participating in Campus Calgary, Savill stresses, is about much more than the week students spend on-site. Teachers who wish to participate must submit a proposal outlining how what students learn during that time will tie into their activities before and after.
“They create a big idea that is intended to guide their year,” says Savill. “So while we talk about students being moved into the community for just one week, it’s about a way of looking at your curriculum throughout the whole year, with that week as a catalyst for thinking about your studying.”
Cherisse Audet, a grade 5/ 6 teacher at St. Gerard School, witnessed the impact seeing the curriculum come alive had on her students when they visited Campus Calgary’s City Hall School. Audet had heard good things about the program from other teachers, and wanted to try it with her own students. She chose the City Hall School because it fit nicely with the citizenship component of the Grade 6 social studies curriculum.
Audet’s class participated in a variety of activities at the site, including question and answer sessions with Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Ald. Brian Pincott; tours of the municipal building and Stephen Avenue that explored the role they play in supporting citizenship and building community; and a mock election. While her students won’t be able to vote for a while yet, Audet says they now realize they don’t have to wait until then to become citizens.
“They came away with a better idea of what it meant to be a citizen,” she says. “Before they thought citizens had to be adults that paid taxes and voted and it really helped them broaden their perspective. And they also felt like they were citizens too. They took more of an ownership for their community.”
Educating students on how choices they make in their daily lives affect themselves and their community is a key component of the program, whatever the site. Students visiting Cardel Active Living School, a new location launching this September, will learn about the importance of fitness and nutrition, while the bird sanctuary’s Nature School teaches them about their role in environmental sustainability.
Sustainability is a concern for the program itself, says Savill, if it’s going to expand. There’s no shortage of interest, with 8,000 students participating last year, and 100 teachers turned down because of lack of space. | <urn:uuid:f98fcb8c-4303-4d48-b78b-98321ee39c58> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/bts/Outreach+programs+help+students+community/7168140/story.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396538.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00113-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971444 | 898 | 2.65625 | 3 |
What is in this article?:
- Similarities exist between resistant weeds and drugs
- Continued, widespread use is catalyst for resistance
- New products, management systems needed
It’s an alarming pattern affecting both agriculture and human medicine, say two experts.
On one hand, farmers are left scratching their heads wondering why certain weeds have become resistant to common herbicides; on the other, physicians across the U.S. are seeing patients becoming resistant to common, prescription antibiotic drugs.
In both farming and human medicine, traditional tools used to solve routine problems may no longer be as effective as they used to be.
“In both agriculture and medicine, we may have been using too much of a good thing and it’s catching up with us,” said Dr. Paul Baumann, a Texas AgriLife Extension Service state weed specialist.
For example, Baumann said glyphosate (Roundup and other products) is highly effective, “because it binds a specific enzyme that’s needed to produce plant proteins.”
“It is a highly effective herbicide that controls a large number of weeds and can be used safely in crops that have glyphosate-resistant genes,” Baumann said. “These positive features have led to continued, widespread use and in many cases as the only herbicide in the program. This has been the foundation for what we are seeing as weed resistance in some parts of Texas, but predominantly in the Southeastern U.S.”
Herbicide-resistant weeds such as Palmer amaranth began to pop up in Georgia cotton fields in 2004 and have since continued to escalate due to the repetitive use of glyphosate herbicide and nothing else. | <urn:uuid:4bb1474a-f9a8-46d1-93f4-6ca065592dca> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://southwestfarmpress.com/management/resistance-seen-among-certain-common-herbicides-prescription-drugs?page=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396538.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00101-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957326 | 350 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Peggy G. Lemaux
Annual Rice Growers Meetings - February 1999 Colusa and Yuba City, California
Genetic engineering will play an increasing role in the future, providing alternatives to the farmer and manufacturer. Methods have been devised to introduce one or a few genes into many different cultivars of rice. These can result in very specific changes in a specific trait without affecting the overall performance or characteristics of the plant (see Agronomic Issues section below).
In the future these might improve disease and pest resistance, change the nutritional or production qualities of rice and its starch or add value to the grain by producing an alternative product in the seed. These products are not likely to be "magic bullets" that will provide quick solutions to problems, but they will provide useful, complementary tools in the grower's arsenal.
In 1992, when I first started in this position, I had to focus on the promise of biotechnology. There were no products in the marketplace and most activity relating to biotechnology was taking place in the laboratory. Today biotechnology is no longer just a promise , much is reality. We have crops in the field and products in the marketplace that have been genetically engineered and are being eaten by consumers. We have seen enhanced flavor tomatoes, higher solids tomato paste, viral resistant papayas and squash, herbicide- resistant soybeans, and insect resistant maize and cotton. In the summer of 1998, the percentage of actual production acreage was 50% of cotton was genetically engineered in the U.S., 30% of soybean and 20% of maize. In 1999, these numbers are expected to be 50% for cotton and soybean and 25% of maize for a total of about 60 million acres will be devoted to genetically engineered varieties.
In addition there is much in the pipeline. A rather sizeable effort relates to engineering fungal, bacterial, viral and insect resistance. The first products resulting from these technologies are already in fields, but these are only the initial rather limited offerings of the technology. There are second and third generation strategies that hopefully will come along before significant problems with pest resistance arises.
Agronomic traits include enhanced nitrogen utilization and herbicide tolerance. Harvest and post-harvest characteristics include the slow or no-ripening and more uniformly ripening tomatoes; high solids tomatoes and high starch potatoes. In the arena of value-added products, those for which value exists but for which new or improved functions can be identified that increase the value of the product. Examples would be specialty oils from rape or soybean with improved heat stability or sugarbeets that produce fructans, a sweet, no-calorie sugar substitute.
One of the more unexpected applications is in the area of functional foods or neutriceuticals. These are foods in which products in the food are either enhanced to prevent disease or removed if they cause undesirable effects in humans. In the category of products that prevent disease, an example is a potato engineered to produce high quantities of protein that is believed to prevent type I juvenile diabetes. Examples of those that cause undesirable human effects include food allergies; plants have been engineered to reduce the allergenic potential of foods. Perhaps the ultimate functional food is the plant that has been engineered to vaccinate the human or animal consumer.
Before looking at the issues, I would like to give you a general overview of herbicide tolerance and where this trait is at the moment with respect to rice. I have obtained this information from a variety of sources, but the responsibility for the synthesis of this information rests with me. At the moment there appear to be three approaches to herbicide tolerance in rice being pursued by three different groups. Imi-rice: The first combination is Imi-rice coupled with imidazilinone-type herbicides. The development of these varieties resulted not from genetic engineering ps and seed dealers. These seed may/may not be viewed by the public as a GMO. I do not know what is envisioned for this germplasm in terms of introgression into California varieties.Liberty Link Rice: Liberty-link varieties, being developed by AgrEvo, are being pursued through the introductions of a single bacterial gene into rice that inactivates the herbicide. Of the herbicide tolerant varieties, these are the furthest along toward commercial development, I believe, and the expectation (or perhaps hope) is that varieties tolerant to Liberty will be available on the market in 2001. In late January or early February AgrEvo petitioned the USDA for deregulation of its Liberty Link varieties; the USDA is presently seeking public comment until March 29 on whether these lines pose a plant pest risk, the area of responsibility for the USDA. The lines are also under review by the EPA, which will release a separate report.Roundup Ready Rice: Roundup Ready varieties, being developed by Monsanto, also represent single gene introductions through genetic engineering. Instead of herbicide inactivation, this gene is responsible for the synthesis of a target biosynthetic enzyme that is unaffected by the herbicide. At this point, these lines are in the early phases of development; early material is being screened to try to find lines that are marketable. They hope these lines make it to the marketplace by 2003.
Rice lines with tolerance to both Liberty and Roundup are being tested here in California at the Rice Experiment Station (RES) and at other locations. Both tolerances have been engineered into the California variety, M202, developed by Carl Johnston at the Rice Experiment Station. The goal and participation of the Rice Experiment Station is to try to make these varieties available to growers at a reasonable cost and to bring value to these varieties in California.
At present this work is being done under a fee for services rendered basis; they are not focused on varietal development and there are no royalties being paid to the station. Contracts for future development of varieties are under negotiation. The hope is that second- generation varieties will involve a more active participation by the RES.
According to contacts at AgrEvo, genetically engineered seed produced by the RES will be "Foundation Certified Seed", but it will be produced under contract to the company. Final marketing of the seed will "involve" AgrEvo, meaning that they will play a role in how it will be done.
Production contracts will be different from what they are now because of the need for tighter quality control. What does tighter quality control mean? It relates to the actual genetic makeup of the seed. In addition to current seed certification requirements, molecular certification requirements will be added. A corollary to this is that engineered and nonengineered plants grown for seed production cannot be grown together. In addition, the exact genetic makeup of the crop, including the precise location of the introduced gene in the genome, will have to be the same as that approved for commercialization. This will be carefully monitored by regulatory agencies. The regulatory structure is in place in part to help with consumer acceptance through the use of scientific review of human health and nutrition safety issues.
The focus at the moment in rice is on herbicide tolerance but this is represents only the first application of this powerful technologyWith these positive benefits, however, come some issues raised by their use. Some of these issues are specific for the herbicide-tolerance trait and some are more general and relate to the genetic engineering strategies themselves. This list of concerns were relayed to me by Cass Mutters and they fall into six general categories: agronomic, environmental, regulatory, consumer acceptance, industrial and intellectual property concerns.
1. Reduced yield potential
2. Cleaning up the undesirable characteristics arising from the gene insertion.
3. Lines derived from direct insertions will be less adapted and produce less high quality seed.
4. Gene stacking (eg. herbicide resistance and Bt) will further reduce yield.
5. In long term there will be little genetic improvement for yield. Industry focuses on short term objectives with little concern for the importance of quantitative genetics in yield improvement.
6. Yield stability over years and locations not a concern of companies.
7. Terminator technology - what is it and how might it be used?
This represents my own area of research expertise, so I can speak to these points with some personal knowledge. While it is true that often the process of introducing a gene can result in plants that are less robust than their nonengineered siblings, there are ways to minimize this effect. This negative effect comes not from the gene itself that interferes with some plant function (the new gene only represents about 1/300,000th of the total genomic content of the cell).
The effects come from the actual process needed to manipulate the plant tissue during the genetic engineering process. These negative effects can be minimized by careful selection of the plants that are advanced during product development. This is another characteristic used to advance lines, in addition to the performance of the transgene. In addition to selection on the basis of performance, engineered plants can be outcrossed to nonengineered plants to remove any negative effects of the transformation process. Since the effects are due to the process and not the introduced gene, this is readily possible although it does take some years to accomplish and sometimes the defects are closely linked to the newly introduced gene. There is no reason why stacking of genes inherently will result in yield loss. After all, there are over 100,000 genes in a plant already and manipulating two of these is not going to cause a yield drag in and of itself.
I do not believe it is the intent of the companies to put forth agronomically inferior seed in the marketplace. According to Ron Vargas, a CE Advisor working on genetically engineered cotton, his suggestion to cotton growers is that they chose their lines based on their agronomic traits and not on the particular technology that will be used for weed control. This should be tempered, however, with considerations for weed resistance management control.
With regard to improvement of germplasm for yield, I believe that this goal will remain a responsibility of public sector breeders. Because of this, I believe is will be necessary and prudent for companies to develop good working relationships with these breeding programs and that both sides benefit. Portions of the royalties from the sale of these genetically engineered seed should return to the public breeding programs so that they can continue to focus on the development of next generation germplasm with improved overall agronomic traits, while companies focus on the identification and characterization of value-added genes. The two entities then work together to introduce the new traits into improved germplasm. This is the only scenario that makes sense for the long-term improvement of agricultural production. Neither side can accomplish these goals alone and both could and should benefit.
Technology Protection System or "Terminator Technology". This approach is a relatively new one patented by a small cotton company, Delta and Pine Land, and the USDA; the Monsanto Corporation has made a bid to buy DP, but that deal is still awaiting approval by the Department of Justice. The fundamental idea with this technology is to prevent a plant from reproducing itself by interfering with seed development, thus insuring that the user of the seed cannot replant a field without repurchasing the seed, thereby protecting the company's investment in developing the variety. Plants produced from germplasm that has been engineered with the terminator system will produce sterile seeds incapable of reproducing. DP&L is currently pursuing this technique in cotton and wheat and expect these products to be on the market by 2005. With the entry of Monsanto into the equation, application of the technology could accelerate into many more crops and the advent into the marketplace could be much more rapid.
There has been much furor and debate about this technology since obviously it can be viewed as an interference with farmer's rights and insures that farmers return every year to purchase a new lot of seeds. The appeal of such a technology is that it affords the companies a way to protect their investment in the development of the new varieties by making it compulsory for the grower to return to purchase seed each year. This eventuality has led a large, international, not-for-profit agricultural research organization, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, or CGIAR, to consider banning the use of the technology in crop development programs. While certainly there is a negative aspect to the technology related to farmer's rights, I would offer a counter perspective on the use of such a technology. Another concern held by environmentalist and certain agriculturalists is that certain traits, like herbicide tolerance and certain other traits, will escape from the crop plant and enter into wild species located nearby, thereby creating situation where it is difficult to control the wild species or it has some other new, adverse characteristic. This issue has been raised with rice and red rice. The use of such a technology for engineering rice that has red rice nearby is a prudent approach to preventing the dissemination of genes to the weedy population.
1. Outcrossing to related species may create super weeds.
The major issue here is red rice. The specter of outcrossing with red rice has been a consideration in the introduction of herbicide resistance in rice. Since this is not as big a problem in California (or Australia and Japan) as it is in other rice-growing areas in the U.S., there are fewer worries here as long as red rice is kept in check. At this point, there are no plans to market Roundup Ready Rice in the southern states because of red rice problems; if this occurs, it is likely at least five years away.
Tests have been conducted to look at the rate of outcrossing of red rice with conventional rice varieties. If flowering of red rice and conventional rice occurs at the same time, outcrossing frequencies can be as high as 50% when panicles are touching. Under conditions of normal distances between plants (10-20 feet), outcrossing frequencies are considered to be very low.
In the case of Liberty Link Rice, if conventional and herbicide tolerant rice are planted at the same time and sprayed with different amounts of Liberty at sublethal levels, red rice will be delayed in flowering. This will drastically reduce the opportunity to outcross since rice pollen remains viable for only a few hours.
Pricing strategies could also influence the re-development of the red rice problem. Twenty-five years ago, red rice was a problem in the state. If seed is priced too high, there is a possibility that growers will be tempted to find a lower quality source of seed that is not certified and the red rice problem could return.
2. Development of resistant/and or harder to kill weeds.
Perhaps the greatest protection against the development of herbicide resistant weeds is the rotation of herbicides and herbicide tolerant crops from year to year. The charge implied here is that it is prudent for all of these traits to be introduced into California rice varieties; germplasm within the state should not in my opinion be made exclusively available to a single company.
With competing chemistries available, the grower should be encouraged to change chemistries from year to year to avoid the problem of herbicide-resistant weeds. The development of imidazlinone-resistant weeds is well-documented, so care must be taken in utilizing this chemistry when repeated in successive years. With respect to Roundup, it has been stated that as a result of the inherent properties of the biochemistry of the herbicide and its resistance, the rate of resistance development would be very low, if it occurred at all. However, in recent years in Australia and now in Northern California, examples of herbicide resistance in weed populations have been confirmed. Liberty is a relatively new chemistry and, although I have not heard of documented cases of resistance developing, this is likely to occur. If it is going to be possible to retain these varieties as options for weed management, it would be wise to rotate herbicide-tolerant crops and chemistries on a yearly basis. This means that popular rice varieties in the state should be made available with all the tolerance genes in them.
3. Spray drift from one farm to another
This seems to be a major issue with the deployment of herbicide-tolerant crops. It would not be possible for each grower to know precisely what, if any, herbicide-tolerant crops are being grown in his neighbor's fields. In addition, it would not be possible to protect his/her own crops from drift from a neighbor, who might have Roundup Ready varieties of cotton, while your acreage might have Liberty Link varieties of rice. Since there are no outward signs that would alert one grower to the varieties in his neighbors' fields this could lead to a serious problem with drift damage and it is not clear how this could be managed.
1. Isolation requirements.
2. Maintenance of identity from field to processing to shipment could require substantial and costly changes in the infrastructure.
Industry is developing a very robust regulatory package, which if carefully adhered to, should result in no restrictions on the movement of grain in international trade. These shipments will be monitored using molecular methods to show that the grain is identical to the specified product. Each variety will have its own "genetic fingerprint" and it will likely be up to the importing county to confirm this identity. AgrEvo is attempting to get import clearances into all major markets, Canada, South America, Europe and Japan. These packages will be put forward after the data from this winter's trials are analyzed. They project it will require 1-2 years to get clearance in Europe; the new directive is that each application for clearance will be on a case-by-case basis. AgrEvo just obtained clearance on their Liberty Link Soy.
It is not anticipated that there will be labels put onto food containing transgenic rice in the U.S. If this were enacted then there would be a substantial requirement for careful tracking of varieties and maintenance of identity, requiring substantial changes in the infrastructure of grain movement and manipulation. In Europe and Japan, it is not known for sure what will be required by the time these foods reach the marketplace.
In part, regulatory structure is put into place to assure adequate scientific assessment of the safety of these crops, thereby aiding in consumer acceptance. That this system of regulation is in place and generally being regarded as effective by the U.S. public marks a major difference between the U.S. and Europe. Much of the unrest in Europe is due to the fact that the governments there are often viewed as being controlled by the very industry they attempt to regulate.
At this point no one knows what the consumer acceptance issues are going to be in Europe in particular. At this point, however, acceptance issues appear to be much bigger than the technical and mechanical aspects of creating or growing engineered plants. Over the last five years the situation has changed dramatically in the U.S., as well as Europe. Some change has been toward greater acceptance, some toward lesser.
In another five years who knows what the situation is likely to be, although it is likely to be much different. GMOs will be very prevalent; it will be difficult to purchase a processed food that does not have some component that is GMO. This should lead to consumer familiarity and loss of skepticism. In addition there will be products in the marketplace with real consumer appeal (unlike herbicide-tolerant varieties, which have grower-appeal but not many consumers share the enthusiasm). Products seen as desirable by consumers will likely lead to greater acceptance, as has been shown by the widespread use of Olestra, the fat substitute that bears a label with warnings about antinutritional factors.
To date, the major crops that have been genetically engineered have been used as processed products, food ingredients and/or animal feed, products such as soy lecithin, cottonseed oil or high-fructose corn syrup. Rice might be the first directly consumed, major staple food to hit the market.
Issues relating to acceptance will likely be the same for all members of industry and should be approached in unison by all. AgrEvo is approaching the acceptance issue as Calgene approached this for the Flavr Savr tomato. The regulatory package will be more extensive than that prepared for BollGard Cotton or Roundup Ready Soybean. It should be kept in mind, however, that rice is a cooked food and thereby some issues related to the potential for DNA transfer to gut bacteria will not apply here as they did with Flavr Savr. In addition in the case of Liberty Link Rice, there will be no antibiotic resistance gene product associated with the food; however, the herbicide tolerance protein, PAT, will have to undergo extensive food safety testing, as was done for the antibiotic resistance gene product (Kan) in the Flavr Savr. AgrEvo will do extensive scientifically conducted tests to assure food safety of PAT itself as well as the whole food.
1. Chemical personnel are overselling the value of herbicide resistant varieties; they are just an additional tool for weed control. 2. Some of these concerns have been realized in cotton, corn , soybean, and canola transgenics.
I spoke about these issues with Ron Vargas. He told me that 7,000 acres of Roundup Ready cotton was grown in California in 1998 to perform agronomic testing. These data indicated that this trait provided excellent weed control and few if any problems with cotton injury or loss of yield due to improper application timing. It has completely eliminated the need for hand hoeing and this resulted in a considerable cost savings to growers.
Ron made some specific points about Roundup Ready CottonThe availability of these varieties doesn't offer anything new, per se, but simply provides another tool for weed control and an additional option for resistance management. The choice of varieties to use should be driven by considerations of agronomic traits, not based on the particular technology. It would not make sense to pick a variety with the Roundup Ready gene and poor yield potential or poor disease resistance. Research studies on application of the herbicide revealed that a wise alternative to through-season application of Roundup might be to use it to control early emergence (no later than the 4-leaf stage), but to use a different chemistry for late season control. This could lead to better weed resistance management and prevent damage to bolls that occurs with later application.
With regard to Liberty application rates and times, Matt Elhardt and Jim Hill have done field research that will help to define the label for Liberty. As with all agricultural chemicals, will define the application rate, method and timing of application; this is developed in consultation with the EPA. These recommendations are aimed at minimizing crop damage, maximizing weed control and limiting the chemical residue in the grain. Because of the latter, the label will define a certain period after which the herbicide cannot be sprayed. The label will likely be similar to labels currently in place where red rice grows. There is currently a debate as to whether the label will state that you must spray if you have red rice growing in the vicinity.
3. Growers must enter a licensing agreement with companies to inspect fields, seed storage etc. Violators may suffer substantial economic losses.
Monsanto has taken to court farmers who have attempted to save seed and replant genetically engineered varieties in their own fields. Fields apparently are monitored by the company to assure compliance. The practice of saving seed is in violation of a company rule that requires farmers to buy the seeds every year. The obvious reasoning here is so that the company can recoup the millions of dollars spent developing the seed. Some farmers claim that the seed that Monsanto has found on their property is not "saved" seed but must have entered into their fields from nearby neighbor's fields. The issue of saving seed appears not to be such an issue with rice growers in California since few farmers replant their own seed anyway, probably due to the red rice issue.
1. Confidentiality agreements and lawyers.
This is a reality of the new technology. While cumbersome and unfamiliar, it has happened to protect and encourage investment in the technology. Perhaps with time, this aspect of the technology will change in how it affects the industry and the development of germplasm. But, for the moment, it is the reality with which we must live and grow rice. There are alternatives, however, and that relates to the types of practices and germplasm that were used before these varieties were available; these can still be used.
2. How to protect the genes in CA varieties.
AgrEvo, for example, has a patent on the herbicide tolerance gene and on the methods to introduce the gene. This leads to their having made a major investment in using these methods and identifying genes for germplasm development. It is estimated by Monsanto, for example, that each new engineered seed requires 10 years and $300 million to create as a commercial product. For every new engineered seed that makes it to field trials, 10,000 failed during the development. Alternatively public breeding programs have spent thousands of hours. drawn on years of experience from the breeders and taken decades in the development of their finely tuned varieties. Each side in this equation has a significant investment in the final product.
The Rice Experiment Station has developed the basic germplasm into which genes are placed by the private sector partner. The private partner has invested resources into identifying and characterizing the genes and herbicides used and for the technology to introduce the gene. In addition companies are taking responsibility for and paying for obtaining regulatory clearances for the varieties and this is no small matter. Therefore it seems prudent that both sides should ultimately benefit from the creation of the new, engineered varieties.
3. A variety containing the gene will be controlled by the patent holder.
In the long term, I believe that companies realize they will need access to the latest germplasm. This will lead to cooperativity with the developers of germplasm adapted to particular areas. This is not the last value-added gene that will be introduced into rice and the technology is not likely to "go away" in the near or long-term. Therefore it would be short-sighted to overlook a "win-win" situation for them. The stated intent of the private sector is to share value with the growers. If the company can realize, for example, $20 benefit from a particular improvement, they intend to charge $15 not $30 because they consider the grower a customer and want to share the benefits with them.
There will be a grower agreement when purchasing the seed. Although the precise details of this agreement for rice are not known at present, it is likely to look like agreements that are in place with computer software in that you are free to use it for your own benefit, but you are not to share it with others. According to my sources, most growers do not save seed at present, only about 2-5%.
In summary, it is important to realize that the new technologies bring benefit, but with that benefit change that is often uncomfortable. Herbicide-tolerant rice varieties can be a benefit for weed management, as they are proving to be in cotton. But with this new tool come some responsibilities for resistance management. Different combinations of engineered plants and herbicides need to be available to growers and rotation of these chemistries should be encouraged. This is most likely to occur if the traditional sources of germplasm development are involved in the development of the varieties. Both the private and public sector, as well as agriculture in general and the consumer, will benefit from the cooperation of these two sectors in future germplasm development. | <urn:uuid:37217c2a-0ee4-4fe9-a3a0-09b8206908e5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://ucbiotech.org/resources/biotech/talks/crops/ricemtgn.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402479.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00001-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960232 | 5,635 | 2.71875 | 3 |
|About this Recording
8.554706 - VERDI, G.: Aida (Highlights) (Dragoni, Johannson, Dever, Rucker, Saccani)
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901): Aida (Highlights)
In the course of a long life Giuseppe Verdi came to dominate Italian opera, after his first significant success with Nabucco in 1842. His Egyptian opera Aida was written for performance at the new Cairo opera house, which had opened with a performance of his opera Rigoletto. The story of the enslaved Ethiopian princess Aida and her love for the Egyptian hero Radamès, in rivalry with her mistress, the Egyptian princess Amneris, and the death of the first two, has some basis in the Hellenistic Aethiopica of Heliodorus, but was claimed as the original work of Auguste Mariette, known as Mariette Bey. It has been suggested that Temistocle Solera was responsible for the scenario, but if this was so, the fact was unknown to Verdi, who had quarrelled with Solera in 1846 over the libretto of his opera Attila. The text of Aida was by Antonio Ghislanzoni. The opera was staged in Cairo on Christmas Eve 1871 and at La Scala, Milan, in February 1872, in both places to very considerable acclaim.
The opening Prelude suggests, in its themes, the conflict that will develop between Aida and the Egyptian priests.
Act I: Scene 1
In a hall in the palace of the Egyptian King at Memphis the young captain Radamès is in conversation with the High Priest, Ramfis, who hints broadly that the goddess Isis has chosen Radamès to lead the Egyptian armies against the Ethiopians.
Left alone, Radamès wonders if it can be true that he is the chosen man, fulfilling his ambition. Then he might return in triumph to his beloved Aida, whose heavenly beauty he praises.
The Egyptian princess Amneris suspects that Radamès, whom she loves, is secretly in love with Aida. The King enters with his guards, ministers and priests and declares that the time has come for war against the Ethiopians and their King, Amonasro, Aida's father. He appoints Radamès to lead the Egyptian armies. They leave for the Temple or Vulcan and Aida is left with divided feelings. She cannot wish Radamès victorious against her own father and her brothers, and yet she loves him. She cannot mention the names or her father and her lover and trembles in confusion, for only death can end her dilemma.
In the Temple or Vulcan the rites are performed and priestesses carry out a sacred dance, as Radamès is appointed leader or the armies, to be given his sacred sword and armour.
Act II: Scene 1
In a room in the quarters of Amneris slaves dance before her, singing of coming victory. She dismisses them and is joined by Aida, whose confidence she tries to gain, tricking her into confessing her love for Radamès. Amneris threatens her, in angry jealousy. She orders her to accompany her at the triumphal celebration of victory, leaving Aida to call on the gods for pity.
Before the great Temple of Ammon the people crowd around, awaiting the triumphant return of the victors. The army marches in, preceded by fanfares, passing before the King, seated on his throne, with Amneris standing by him. Dancing-girls carry in the spoils or victory. The people sing the praises of the conquerors, their voices joining with those of Ramfis and the priests, giving thanks to the gods.
The King greets Radamès as the saviour of his country and promises him whatever he wants. Among the prisoners who are brought in is Amonasro, who conceals his identity. Radamès seeks the release of the prisoners, against the objections or Ramfis, but only Amonasro is detained, as a hostage. The King grants Radamès the hand of his daughter Amneris in marriage, to the dismay of Aida and her lover, while Amonasro secretly assures Aida that revenge is at hand.
It is a starry night by the banks of the Nile. The Temple of Isis can be seen and from within are heard the voices of priests and priestesses. A boat draws near and Amneris disembarks, with Ramfis and some of the court women, and her guards. She enters the temple to seek divine favour on the eve of her marriage. Aida enters cautiously, apparently summoned by Radamès for what she believes must be their last farewell. She remembers the blue skies, sweet breezes, green hills and flowing rivers of her own country. She is startled to see her father, Amonasro, approaching. He tells her that he knows of her difficulties with Amneris and the situation in which she finds herself. With her help, she can be restored to her rightful position in her own country, if she can discover from Radamès the route the Egyptian armies will take. She is horrified at the very suggestion that she should betray her lover.
Aida is joined by Radamès, while Amonasro withdraws and hides among the palm-trees. Her own dilemma is reflected in that of her lover, who is reluctant to desert his own country, but eventually agrees to do so. As they are about to hurry away together, Aida asks him about the route to be taken by the Egyptian army, so that they may avoid the soldiers. Radamès, overheard by Amonasro, reveals the army plans, aghast when Amonasro steps forward and reveals himself as Aida's father and King of Ethiopia. He invites Radamès to join together with the Ethiopians, but they are overheard by Amneris, emerging from the temple. She accuses Radamès of treachery and is threatened with death by Amonasro, but saved by the young captain's intervention. Ramfis calls the guards and Radamès tells Aida and her father to make their escape, while he stays behind.
Act IV: Scene 1
In a hall in the royal palace, outside the door of the prison where Radamès is incarcerated, Amneris regrets the escape of her rival, Aida. Radamès will be condemned as a traitor, although she would save him, if she could. She foresees, however, his condemnation by the priests. Brought in by the guards, he vows to say nothing in his defence, but Amneris tells him that if he does not defend himself he must die. Nevertheless he is ready to face death. She urges him to live and promises to sacrifice everything for him. He had believed Aida dead, but Amneris tells him that Amonasro was killed but that Aida still lives. She will save him, if he gives up Aida, but he prefers death. In fury Amneris threatens revenge, if he continues to reject her. Radamès, however, will accept death as a great good and has no fear of the threatened revenge of Amneris.
Radamès is taken away by the guards and Amneris is left in despair, blaming herself for his capture. She sees the priests, led by Ramfis, seeking divine guidance, while she prays for his release. Finally Radamès is condemned to death, immured, living, in the tomb. Amneris pleads for him, but in vain, and ends by cursing the priests, as they go out.
The scene is on two levels, the upper representing the interior of the temple, splendid in its gold and light. Below is an underground chamber, with long arcades disappearing into the distance. Radamès is there, as two priests seal the entrance with a stone. He is prepared to die, losing the light of day and his beloved Aida. At this moment Aida reveals herself. She explains how she has hidden in the tomb, anticipating his death. He is overcome with emotion at her sacrifice and, almost in a trance, she tells him how she sees the angel of death drawing near; Heaven now awaits them. The voices of the priests are heard from above, singing their hymn of death. Radamès tries to move the stone that seals the chamber, but without success. Together they bid the earth farewell, while the priests continue their chant. Amneris, dressed in mourning, appears in the temple above, throwing herself down on the stone that seals the underground vault. In the tomb below Aida dies in the arms of her lover, while Amneris prays to Isis for them and the priests call on the great god Fthá.
Close the window | <urn:uuid:bafba274-c3cc-4d0d-bcc2-078d02cb92df> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.naxos.com/mainsite/blurbs_reviews.asp?item_code=8.554706&catNum=554706&filetype=About%20this%20Recording&language=English | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399117.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00136-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971694 | 1,870 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Insufficient Vitamin K–Key Factor in the Development of Varicose Veins
One of vitamin K's primary actions in the body is the carboxylation (activation) of matrix GLA protein (MGP). Critical to maintaining the health of the entire cardiovascular system, MGP is known to prevent calcification in the arteries. Now, new research shows vitamin K-activated MGP is also needed to prevent the excessive proliferation and mineralization of muscle cells in the walls of the veins that causes varicose veins. (Cario-Toumaniantz C, Boularan C, Schurgers L, et al. J Vasc Res. 2007)
Researchers compared healthy veins from 36 male patients (ranging in age from 30 to 83) with varicose veins from 50 male patients (age range 40 to 81). High levels of uncarboxylated (inactive) MGP and increased calcification were seen only in the varicose veins. When vitamin K was added to cultures of small muscle cells from the varicose veins, MGP was activated, stopping the mineralization process.
There are two main forms of vitamin K: phylloquinone (vitamin K1) which is found in green leafy vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli and spinach, and makes up about 90% of the vitamin K in a typical Western diet; and the menaquinones (vitamins K2), which make up about 10% of Western vitamin K consumption. The K2 forms can be synthesized from K1 by microflora in the gut and are also found in the diet in meat and fermented food products like cheese and natto, an especially rich source.
Cario-Toumaniantz C, Boularan C, Schurgers LJ, Heymann MF, Le Cunff M, Léger J, Loirand G, Pacaud P. Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes in Human Varicose Veins: Involvement of Matrix Gla Protein in Extracellular Matrix Remodeling. J Vasc Res. 2007 Jul 20;44(6):444-459 [Epub ahead of print]
Vitamin K Promotes Insulin Sensitivity
Intriguing new animal research shows that vitamin K is involved in regulating energy metabolism. Vitamin K-activates osteocalcin, a protein secreted by osteoblasts, the cells responsible for building bone. It turns out that osteocalcin is also directly involved in the proliferation of pancreatic β-cells (the cells that produce insulin), thus improving glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity.
Mice genetically engineered to lack the genes expressed in osteoblasts that enable osteocalcin secretion are unable to produce normal levels of pancreatic β-cells, and become glucose intolerant and insulin resistant. In addition to stimulating the production of insulin by β-cells, vitamin K-activated osteocalcin also increases production of adiponectin, an insulin-sensitizing hormone produced by fat cells (adipocytes), further improving insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. (Lee NK, Sowa H, et al. Cell 2007)
Lee NK, Sowa H, Hinoi E, Ferron M, Ahn JD, Confavreux C, Dacquin R, Mee PJ, McKee MD, Jung DY, Zhang Z, Kim JK, Mauvais-Jarvis F, Ducy P, Karsenty G. Endocrine regulation of energy metabolism by the skeleton. Cell. 2007 Aug 10;130(3):456-69.
Vitamin K's Anti-Wrinkle Actions
Vitamin K plays a key role in protecting skin elasticity and could soon be the latest nutraceutical appearing in savvy high-end cosmetic lines. The research is just coming out that people who cannot metabolize vitamin K end up with severe premature skin wrinkling. (Gheduzzi D, Boraldi F, et al. Lab Invest. 2007 Oct;87(10):998-1008.)
One of the principal researchers involved is Leon Schurgers, a vitamin K icon whose name appears on numerous landmark studies involving the nutrient. Schurgers thinks vitamin K deficiency is also highly likely to be linked to wrinkling in healthy "normal" populations because vitamin K2 (menaquinone) is necessary for the activation of Matrix γ-carboxyglutamic acid protein (MGP), which inhibits calcium from depositing in elastin fibers.
In the same way that vitamin K2 (via MGP) prevents calcification in the cardiovascular system, (a.k.a.,atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries), vitamin K2 prevents calcification of our skin's elastin, the protein that gives skin the ability to spring back, smoothing out lines and wrinkles.
Could those unrelenting smile lines be a sign you're lacking optimal levels of vitamin K2? A few facts to consider:
- Even a diet quite rich in leafy greens supplies less than half the vitamin K needed for this nutrient's calcium-regulating activities. (Cranenburg EC, Schurgers LJ. Thromb Haemost. 2007 Jul;98(1):120-5.)
- Unlike the other fat-soluble nutrients (vitamins A, D and E), vitamin K is not stored in the body, so must be provided daily. Despite vitamin K2's production by healthy intestinal bacteria, humans can develop a deficiency of the vitamin in as few as 7 days on a vitamin K-deficient diet. (Israels LG, Israels ED, et al, Semin Perinatol. 1997 Feb;21(1):90-6.)
- Absorption of vitamin K, like that of other fat-soluble nutrients (A, D and E), depends on healthy liver, gallbladder and digestive function. Deficiency is more likely in people with digestive problems like celiac disease, irritable bowel disease, or who have had intestinal bypass surgery, since all increase likelihood of fat malabsorption.
- Canola and soybean oils are a primary source of vitamin K in the American diet. However, hydrogenation changes the vitamin K in these oils into a form no longer capable of activating osteocalcin, MGP and other vitamin-K dependent proteins. If you eat a fair amount of processed or fast foods that contain hydrogenated oils, your risk of functional vitamin K deficiency is greatly increased. (Booth SL, Lichtenstein AH, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Dec;74(6):783-90)
- Studies of healthy adults have found high levels of uncarboxylated (not activated) osteocalcin and matrix Gla-protein (MGP) in all subjects tested. K2 activates both proteins, so high levels of their inactive forms indicate a lack of sufficient K2 to do the job. (Cranenburg EC, Schurgers LJ. Thromb Haemost. 2007 Jul;98(1):120-5.)
- Vitamin K needs increase with age. Older individuals (>70) require higher levels of vitamin K to keep levels of uncarboxylated (inactivated) vitamin-K dependent protein low. (Tsugawa N, Shiraki M, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Feb;83(2):380-6.)
K2: Beauty from Within
By helping to keep our skin as well as our arteries supple, vitamin K2 gives new meaning to the old adage, "Beauty comes from within." While it's possible that vitamin K may soon appear in high-end cosmetics, no research has yet been done on topical application of the vitamin. Taking a daily K2 supplement, however, both for its demonstrated ability to get calcium into bone and keep it out of arteries, as well as it potential anti-wrinkle actions, seems like a wise move right now.
Gheduzzi D, Boraldi F, Annovi G, DeVincenzi CP, Schurgers LJ, Vermeer C, Quaglino D, Ronchetti IP. Matrix Gla protein is involved in elastic fiber calcification in the dermis of pseudoxanthoma elasticum patients. Lab Invest. 2007 Oct;87(10):998-1008.
Cranenburg EC, Schurgers LJ, Vermeer C. Vitamin K: The coagulation vitamin that became omnipotent. Thromb Haemost. 2007 Jul;98(1):120-5.
Israels LG, Israels ED, Saxena SP. The riddle of vitamin K1 deficit in the newborn. Semin Perinatol. 1997 Feb;21(1):90-6.
Booth SL, Lichtenstein AH, O'Brien-Morse M, et al. Effects of a hydrogenated form of vitamin K on bone formation and resorption. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Dec;74(6):783-90
Tsugawa N, Shiraki M, Suhara Y, et al. Vitamin K status of healthy Japanese women: age-related vitamin K requirement for gamma-carboxylation of osteocalcin. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Feb;83(2):380-6.
Trans Fat Prevents Vitamin K Activity
Unfortunately, in the U.S. where the typical diet is low in green leafy vegetables and high in processed foods that contain partially hydrogentated fat (trans fat), the most consumed form of vitamin K is an unnatural form produced when oils containing vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) are hydrogenated. Called dihydrophylloquinone, this unnatural form of vitamin K is unable to carboxylate (activate) MGP.
In other new research, those individuals consuming higher amounts of dihydrophylloquinone were found to have lower bone mineral density at the neck, hip and spine. Given the importance of vitamin K to vascular health, it would be reasonable to assume that insufficient intake of natural vitamin K (phylloquinone) and/or a high intake of dihydrophylloquinone would also increase susceptibility to varicose veins and atherosclerosis. (Troy LM, Jacques PF, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007)
Troy LM, Jacques PF, Hannan MT, Kiel DP, Lichtenstein AH, Kennedy ET, Booth SL. Dihydrophylloquinone intake is associated with low bone mineral density in men and women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Aug;86(2):504-8.
Increased Risk of Heart Attack Outweighs Decreased
Risk of Fracture in Women Taking Calcium to Prevent Osteoporosis–Insufficient Vitamin K Explains Why
To prevent osteoporosis and bone fractures, calcium supplementation has become standard practice for women during and after menopause, but research published in the February 2008 issue of the British Medical Journal indicates that just taking calcium, or even calcium plus vitamin D, can result in a highly unacceptable trade off: a 12% decrease in risk of fracture for a 212% increase in risk of cardiovascular disease!
The research, a randomized controlled trial involving 1,471 postmenopausal women, revealed that women taking calcium supplements increased their risk of heart attack an average of 149%, stroke 142%, and sudden death 137%. (Bolland MJ, Barber PA, et al. BMJ. 2008 Feb 2;336(7638):262-6.)
Why? Calcium supplements have generally been thought to be safe, and much has been made recently of the role played by vitamin D in our ability to absorb calcium. But what hasn't been considered is the equally essential role of vitamin K, which ensures that all that calcium we're absorbing ends up where we need it—in bone—and not where we don't—in blood vessels.
In an accompanying editorial titled, "Cardiovascular risks of calcium supplements in women," and subtitled, "Increased risk of myocardial infarction outweighs the reduction in fractures," the authors note:
"Under certain stimuli, vascular smooth muscle cells may undergo a phenotypic switch to bone-like cells, and in the presence of high amounts of calcium these may be capable of producing vascular calcification." (Jones G, Winzenberg T. BMJ. 2008 Feb 2;336(7638):226-7.)
In plain English, what this says is that certain stimuli – i.e., lack of sufficient vitamin K2, as the footnote attached to this sentence in the editorial makes clear, but the editorial fails to spell out – can cause the cells lining blood vessel walls to act like bone cells, i.e., absorb calcium. (Wallin R, Wajih N, et al. Med Res Rev. 2001 Jul;21(4):274-301.)
If you are taking calcium to protect your bones, especially if you are also taking vitamin D, which will, among it numerous other benefits, improve your absorption of calcium, you should also be eating lots of vitamin K-rich leafy greens and taking vitamin K2 to ensure that calcium ends up where you want it. These nutrients interact, and we ignore this fact at our peril.
Bolland MJ, Barber PA, Doughty RN, et al. Vascular events in healthy older women receiving calcium supplementation: randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2008 Feb 2;336(7638):262-6.
Jones G, Winzenberg T. Cardiovascular risks of calcium supplements in women. BMJ. 2008 Feb 2;336(7638):226-7.
Wallin R, Wajih N, Greenwood GT, et al. Arterial calcification: a review of mechanisms, animal models, and the prospects for therapy. Med Res Rev. 2001 Jul;21(4):274-301.
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Lara Pizzorno is a member of the American Medical Writers Association with 25+ years of experience writing for physicians and the public, Lara is Editor for Longevity Medicine Review as well as Senior Medical Editor for SaluGenecists, Inc. Read more...
Lara Pizzorno, MDiv, MA, LMT
John Morgenthaler has been active in the field of nutritional medicine since 1986. Today, John travels the world looking for breakthrough nutraceuticals and anti-aging therapies. He also continues to publish cutting-edge nutrition and medical science books and periodicals. Read more...
John Morgenthaler, Publisher | <urn:uuid:2710f58a-2292-4f07-aa79-e6ae4a074456> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.lmreview.com/articles/view/vitamin-k/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399428.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00170-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.887612 | 3,176 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Hands-On Architecture and Civics
Part of an award-winning national curriculum, Box City® is a hands-on, interactive program in which youth create, build and plan their own city. Box City® teaches the basic elements of architecture and urban planning while incorporating multiple curricula including civics, art, architecture, history, preservation and social studies.
Come sit on the floor with us and have fun using the skills employed by architects, builders, municipalities and preservationists!
What are you able to build with your blocks?
Castles and palaces, temples and docks.
Rain may keep raining, and others go roam,
But I can be happy and building at home.
Let the sofa be mountains, the carpet be sea,
There I'll establish a city for me:
A kirk and a mill and a palace beside,
And a harbor as well where my vessels may ride.
Great is the palace with pillar and wall,
A sort of a tower on top of it all,
And steps coming down in an orderly way
To where my toy vessels lie safe in the bay.
This one is sailing and that one is moored:
Hark to the song of the sailors on board!
And see on the steps of my palace, the kings
Coming and going with presents and things!
-Robert Louis Stevenson | <urn:uuid:42e3cd90-b61c-47ef-a32a-3ea8f6c1a02f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.atlantapreservationcenter.com/box_city | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00019-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928441 | 281 | 2.671875 | 3 |
One of the great lessons for the world that became clear at the Rio Summit was that building a higher quality of life for people and protecting the health of the planet go hand in hand.
Economic development and care for the environment are compatible, interdependent and necessary. High productivity, modern technology and economic development can co-exist with a healthy environment.
One of the most serious challenges facing us continues to be living up to the Copenhagen and Rio commitments to place people at the centre of development in a globalized economy.
As we try to solve the current global financial crisis, we cannot neglect social development and environmental protection.
The fight to protect economies and the propping up of falling currencies should not be at the cost of our fragile ecosystems and diminishing species. Lowering environmental precautions at this stage will constitute not only bad environmental policy but also bad economic policy as the longer term clean-up required is often more costly. If we are to have any hope of protecting our environment, we must understand the connections between the health of the world's economies and the health of the resources on which those economies rely.
While economies readjust and grow, governments and international organizations must accord high priority to identifying policies that hurt the poor. Public policies must enhance people's lives while protecting the most vulnerable from the negative impact of essential adjustments with well-targeted safety nets.
We must also realize that no development can be sustainable unless the needs of the least advantaged and most vulnerable sections of the society are met. It is the livelihood of the poor and their hopes that shrivel in the arid anguish of drought and are drowned in the raging fury of the floods.
The longer the circumstances of extreme poverty and environmental degradation persist, the higher will be the remedial costs and the external social and economic costs for nations that can ill afford to foot the bill. The incalculable human suffering associated with this process and the destruction of invaluable wildlife and natural resources can never be recouped.
On this day, let us resolve to eliminate by early next century from the face of the Earth, the worst forms of poverty. We must pay great attention to problems of severe malnutrition, unsafe drinking water and inadequate levels of sanitation and health care. Improving these conditions is necessary for the elimination of poverty." *******
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Tore J. Brevik
Information and Public Affairs
UNEP, PO Box 30552
UNEP News Release 1998/105 | <urn:uuid:58cd3cfc-beac-4d72-86d4-09534c0b43cb> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.grida.no/news/press/1856.aspx?p=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397696.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00199-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919237 | 501 | 2.75 | 3 |
State health officials say an increase in childhood lead poisoning cases in Iowa could be tied to the economic downturn.
Kevin Officer, with the Iowa Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Lead Poisoning Prevention, says many people living in older homes are choosing to do their own repairs and they’re not always following lead-safe practices.
“Homeowners or landlords are doing scraping or sanding of the existing lead pain on the homes,” Officer said.
Removing lead-based paint can be dangerous if it’s not done correctly. “One of the primary things they can do when they’re removing the paint is keeping it moist or wet with a mister, basically a bottle mister to mist the area before scraping or painting it. That will keep the dust down and keep paint chips from getting all over the place,” Officer said.
Other safety tips include using a tarp or piece of plastic to catch paint chips and washing all surfaces with household detergent when the renovation job is complete. Officer says the prevalence of lead poisoning among children in Iowa under the age of six is seven-percent. That’s more than four times the national average. Many homes built before 1978 were painted with lead-based paint.
“The homes in Iowa are a lot older than in many other states,” Officer said. “Iowa ranks in the top five in terms of older homes around the state.”
Officer says children with very high blood lead levels can suffer severe brain damage or even die. Of the childhood lead poisonings investigated by inspectors with the Iowa Department of Public Health, 75-percent were exposed to lead from home remodeling projects. | <urn:uuid:222e128e-a5a6-4822-b7f8-43aac116904f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.radioiowa.com/2009/11/27/uptick-in-lead-poisoning-cases-related-to-economy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397695.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00074-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958668 | 350 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Between Glasshouse Alley and Whitefriars Street is the site of the Whitefriars Glass Company. From 1710 until 1923 it continued to output the finest of lead crystal glassware to be found anywhere in the world. Until the mid-16th century the site had supported another labour of love; that of preaching. Since 1241 the Carmelite friars had occupied this vast site stretching westward as far as the Temple and who knows, they may still have been here had Henry VIII not turfed them out in 1538. For near on 200 years after their departure the area remained a den of crime and squalor brought about by the villains who took advantage of the honoured right of sanctuary enjoyed by the friars.
Eerie and almost devoid of natural daylight are the only words to describe this narrow alleyway. Walking down here, one cannot avoid the experience of confinement and a need to depart in haste lest a ruffian from the dark ages should still be lingering. Old stone flag paving beneath the feet and high rise old buildings tower on both sides. What a relief to emerge into Tudor Street and slink into the White Swan Tavern for a heart composing brandy. Of course, for the more stout hearted, Glasshouse Alley is not such a tormenting place at all; if the mind does not wander, the palpitations are kept in check. - Maybe, after all, a pint of ale will suffice.
Glass making in 17th century London was a growing industry and by 1700 there were no less than 30 factories turning out glass for various uses. Due to the noxious fumes produced in the manufacturing of glass the factory owners were required to build high chimneys to take away the fumes and so prevent ill health problems in local communities. Those owners who failed to comply were ordered to do so, or ran the risk of closure.
When a glass works was set up in this Yard about 1677 it probably happened amid shouts of protest from neighbouring residents that included the old gentlemen at Thomas Sutton's hospital, who shared the adjacent buildings with the Charterhouse School. However, the inscribed history of this square site lying between St John Street and Aldersgate Street begins much further back in time. In 1348 this prosperous city of near on 60,000 population was stricken by the most fatal epidemic - the Black Death. At its height, in the spring months of 1349, the disease was claiming lives at the rate of hundreds every day. Burial pits were opened in fields owned by St Bartholomew's Hospital and at Smithfield, where it is said that over 200 bodies were tipped daily. With this sort of volume the mass graves were quickly nearing capacity, so Sir Walter de Manny, a distinguished swordsman of Edward III, purchased this land, then known as Spital Croft, to be used as a supplementary burial ground. But Manny's plans for the site were not short term; he had long been nurturing the idea of founding a community of twelve priests and so, when the epidemic was over, he built here a chapel and adjoining domestic quarters. At the request of the Bishop of London, Michael de Northburgh, his plans were to take on new dimensions and by 1371 the entire site was covered with cloisters, cells and allotments. It was named the Priory of the Salutation of the Mother of God and its foundation was to welcome the Carthusian monks who for the previous 200 years had been making their way from their mother house at Grande Chartreuse in France. It is from this name that we get the corruption, Charterhouse.
After the dissolution of the monasteries, many of the buildings were pulled down and the site was granted to Edward North, afterwards Lord North, who built a mansion here. Throughout the remainder of the 16th century the estate passed through the hands of the Dukes of Northumberland and Norfolk, both of whom were executed, until it was bought by Thomas Sutton for £13,000 in 1611. Sutton had made a fortune from selling coal and on this site ploughed his reserves into the founding of a hospital for aged gentlemen and a free school for forty poor boys.
Out of Thomas Sutton's foundation, Charterhouse School quickly developed into one of the most distinguished public schools in the country. In 1872 it was transferred to Godalming in Surrey and 1875 the Charterhouse site became the temporary home of the Merchant Taylors' School. Excavations carried out prior to rebuilding, after devastating damage in 1941, revealed the lead coffin containing the remains of the priory founder Walter de Manny - he died in 1372 and was buried beneath the high altar. New buildings here are now the home of St Bartholomew's Medical School.
Depleted finances now allow for a maximum of forty old gentlemen who must be bachelors or widowers, over sixty years of age, and members of the Church of England. They occupy rooms, or almshouses, in Master's Court and Wash-house Court.
There is no access to the Charterhouse from Glasshouse Yard but admittance can be gained via the 16th century gatehouse in Rutland Place off the northeast corner of Charterhouse Square. Permission is however required from the Master and there is a charge.
Today's high walls of Glasshouse Yard no more contribute to a salubrious habitat than their predecessors did in those bygone days; it was not a pretty place then - but for the newness of the orange bricks of the five storey Orion building the visual impact has changed little. Once it was a typical yard with a narrow passage giving access to the wider working area, but now it has effectively been turned into a passage with the opening up of a second entrance onto the main road - providing for a hasty retreat should you feel the need.
At the junction with Oxford Street and Davies Street, near Bond Street Station, turn into South Moulton Street. Globe Yard is approx 135 yds on the left adjacent to number 56.
Globe Yard, in the midst the fashionable South Moulton Street shops, leads to the Globe Restaurant and Wine Bar. Following the Yard round to the right it emerges into Haunch of Venison Yard.
Today it is almost impossible to accept that South Moulton Street was once the scene of untold deprivation. Such was the destitution here that it was commonly know as Poverty Lane. The area forms part of the Grosvenor Estate and was developed in the early 18th century.
Gloucester Court is a relative newcomer to the City, created out of the eastern end of Great Tower Street which, until the end of the 19th century, used to continue to Tower Hill. In a programme of major alterations a section of Great Tower Street, from Rood Lane to Mark Lane, was widened, and at the same time, Byward Street was constructed to provided a more convenient access to Trinity Square. Thus the narrow east end of Great Tower Street was rendered redundant, pedestrianised, and called a court. It now contains touristy shops, and yes, as if you had not already guessed - a Macdonalds. At the western end, where the Court has more recently become Tower Place, there are a number of seats.
Along side the Court at its western end is the church of All Hallows, more correctly titled All Hallows Barking, with its dedication to the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the Saints. Barking, because it was founded as a chapel for the nuns of Barking Convent. The date of its foundation is unknown but certainly there has been a church on this site since the 13th century and possibly much earlier. All Hallows is steeped in history, contributed to by its close proximity to the Tower. Victims of the unsavoury happenings on Tower Hill were often temporarily accommodated until a final resting place could be arranged. John Fisher, after remaining headless on Tower Hill for a whole day, was taken by order of the King to be buried at All Hallows. Humphrey, Duke of Monmouth after suffering at the hands of a drunken executioner found momentary repose there. Archbishop Laud and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey too had passing graves in the churchyard of All Hallows.
It narrowly escaped destruction in the Great Fire thanks to the quick thinking of Admiral Penn who sent workmen to blow up neighbouring houses, so creating a gap and starving the flames of fuel. However, the last war took its toll when the church was severely damaged by incendiary bombs.
John Quincy Adams who later was elected President of the United States was married here in 1797, so too was the infamous Judge Jeffries who in later years knelt at the mercy of the executioner only yards away on Tower Hill. William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, was baptised in the church in 1644.
In 1922 All Hallows was made the Guild Church of Toc H. The constantly burning 'Lamp of Maintenance', from which all Toc H lamps are lit, is kept here.
Right in the centre of the frontage to The Theatre Goers Club of Great Britain are two steps leading into this narrow gem of a court. Built about 1627 it really is a delightful experience - a treasure of old London, and as fresh today as when the mortar was still wet. On the south side of the Court, numbers one to eight have enchanting Georgian bowed windows painted black, and highly polished knockers and knobs fitted to each of the doors. There are also some fine examples of working gas lamps outside the stepped entrances to number 1, owned by C P Carpets of Kidderminster, and numbers five and eight. Note the clock above the first floor window over the archway leading into Bedfordbury.
Before the London Fire Brigade was established, it was up to the individual owners of property to insure against damage by fire. So that the fire fighting forces of the day could see that houses were insured, owners displayed identification marks on doors. One of these marks can be seen at Goodwin's Court.
Number 10 is Giovanni's Italian Restaurant, a delicate reminder that the properties here used to be shops.
The wide cul-de-sac forming Goslet Yard has greatly changed its image since the stock rooms of Alfred Goslet encompassed the entire area. Whether for the better or worse, it now contains the rooms of the Royal George public house from where the young blooded in their droves pour out into the open air. Loud music seems to be the order of the day - every day; the customers love it - and, for a different reason, so do the management.
Alfred Goslet started his own business as a supplier of plate glass in 1854 after serving for a number of years as a salesman for the Soho Glass Company. His shop used to be adjacent to the Yard on Charing Cross Road - an impressive frontage with tall arched windows.
When Richard Gough, a prosperous wool merchant, wandered down Fleet Street in the closing years of the 17th century, nipping in and out of the narrow passages, he took a shine to a small plot of land quite near to the Globe tavern. Within a year or two it was laid out to reflect his mind's eye plan - a quadrangle surrounded with elegant three storey houses. Very soon after the Square was built it became popular with the well-to-do fashionable element of society who were attracted by the secluded location. Most of the houses were pulled down at the beginning of the 20th century to make way for commercial premises and only number 17 remains.
There is one person and one person only who can justly be associated with Gough Square, and he is none other than that crotchety lexicographer, writer and wit, Samuel Johnson.
While still a relatively unknown figure in the City streets, Johnson moved into number 17 Gough Square in 1748 out of the need to be conveniently near to his printer, William Strahan of New Street. Dressed in his very rusty looking brown suit of clothes, ill drawn up black worstered stockings, unbuckled shoes and his old shrivelled un-powdered wig, the affluent neighbours must have wondered what on earth was coming upon them. It was during his time at Gough Square the Johnson achieved public notoriety; most of the happenings for which he is remembered, his character and personality, opinions and events, occurred after walking through the door of number 17.
He arrived clutching the contract for his Dictionary of the English Language, a work he hoped to bring to the 'verge of publication' within three years. When asked how he was going to complete such a mammoth task in so short a time, when the French Academy took forty years, he relied 'Sir, thus it is. This is the proportion. Let me see; forty times forty is sixteen hundred. As three to sixteen hundred, so is the proportion of a Frenchman to an Englishman.' - it actually took him eight years.
On the top floor of the house, he and six helpers laboured - he pouring over books and writing definitions while the others were involved in cutting and pasting. For this tedious drudgery the six were collectively paid a princely twenty-three shillings per week (£1.15). Although he was never happy that they delivered value for money, they were company for the great orator and provided him with conversation when he needed a break. At last, in 1755, the final pages went to press and Boswell was there to record the event: 'When the messenger who carried the last sheet to Millar [Johnson's publisher] returned, Johnson asked him,"Well, what did he say?" - "Sir (answered the messenger), he said thank God, I have done with him." - "I am glad (replied Johnson with a smile), that he thanks God for any thing."' The dictionary appeared in two large folio volumes containing a total of almost 2300 pages of words and their definitions. Soon after its publication it was suggested to Johnson that perhaps he had not realised the enormity of the undertaking, to which he responded 'I knew very well what I was undertaking - and very well how to do it - and have done it very well.'
At Gough Square Johnson suffered the greatest set-back of his entire life - the death of his wife Elizabeth, 'Tetty', as he affectionately called her. After a sequence of illnesses her final day came on the 17th March 1752, and only then did he realise the full value she had contributed to his life. We hear very little of her while alive but after her death Johnson scarcely let a day go by without a mention in his diaries; until his own final hours she was always his 'poor dear Tetty'. Although he held the view that 'a second marriage is a triumph over experience', Johnson never remarried.
Over the steps leading up to the doorway of number 17 have passed some of the most famous characters in the history of literature. To this house, on many occasions, came the man from whom we have learnt virtually all we know of Samuel Johnson - his biographer, James Boswell. John Hawkins, who from another angle told of the life of Johnson, paid many a visit. Actor David Garrick, who accompanied Johnson in the move from Litchfield to London, made frequent calls, as did artist Sir Joshua Reynolds, Oliver Goldsmith, Edmund Burke, and Charles Burney. Johnson was constantly surrounded by people, many came purely for the scintillating conversation and others to quiz on this and that
Since Tetty's death, the house in Gough Square had become more and more unmanageable; it was fine while she was around busying herself with household chores but now he no longer needed a property of these proportions. His negro servant, Frank Barber, having temporarily left him for the high seas, Johnson decided to quit the Square and by March 1759 had taken up lodgings at Staple Inn.
During Johnson's time at number 17 the third floor had three windows looking down onto Gough Square but the middle one was blown out during the Second World War and the space was bricked up. Towards the end of the 19th century the ground floor was occupied by Waller and Bains, printers. The first floor was a reading club set up by a Mr Campbell in 1887 for the use of working boys and girls. In 1911 the house was purchased by Cecil Harmsworth to save it from demolition and presented it as a gift to be kept in trust for the nation - it is now restored in much the same character as the doctor left it. All that is missing is the man himself. It is now the home of the London Johnson Society, open to the public on Monday to Saturday throughout the year.
Buildings first occupied the site of Grange Court in the early 13th century when the Dominican Friars, commonly known as the Black Friars, built their substantial but temporary monastery on land stretching to the north-east. In 1279 the monks moved to a new site on the north bank of the Thames (Blackfriars) and Edward I granted the house, sundry buildings, and land to his buddy, Henry de Lacey, Earl of Lincoln. In his twenties Lacey had studied law and now as an established practitioner the King appointed him to set up a working committee with responsibility for investigating unscrupulous trends in the courts of law. When Lacey died in 1312 he left his mansion and all out-houses at the disposal of students of law for use as hostels.
Three or four of the out-houses stood close to the site of Grange Court and by the end of the 14th century these were being used as the bakery and grain store of the inn. By about 1700 it appears that the Society of Lincoln's Inn had no further use for this small cluster, they were abandoned and subsequently demolished. There seemed little else to do with the vacant site so they built a tavern and, reflecting the old wheat store - with slight corruption - named it the Grange. The house was demolished in 1852.
Grange Court is dominated on the west side by the grimy brick walls of the London School of Economics. On the east side, behind railings, are the brighter but characterless modern buildings of the Royal Courts of Justice, completed in 1968.
In 1774 Sir Thomas Edwardes was already in the process of developing the land he had some years previously acquired from Thomas Barrett. It consisted of a small but valuable plot adjoining the west side of the Cavendish-Harley estate which Edward Harley, Earl of Oxford, had commenced building up in 1717. Sir Thomas's plans were to construct a number of streets to link up with the fashionable, well-to-do complex around Cavendish Square and thereby attract the wealthy classes to provide him with a nice little earner.
His research, however, had faltered along the way and he overlooked one possible complication: Edward Stratford was sitting prettily on an intervening slender strip of land leased from the City of London Corporation in 1771. For four years the plot lay unused and there was no apparent urgency to present any plans until, that was, Stratford heard of his neighbours proposals. Before Edwardes could think of his next move the markers for Stratford Place were already being laid out. It seems too much of a coincidence to suppose that this vindictive action was already in the pipe-line for the resulting 'street' protrudes like a sore thumb, a cul-de-sac going nowhere, and at that time, leading to nothing. The effect on Thomas Edwardes's scheme can still be seen today in the partly completed Barrett Street which he intended to connect with Henrietta Place on the east side of Stratford Place. His expectations for the new development were instantly dashed; prospective tenants withdrew their interest, resulting in the dire aftermath of rapidly declining property values.
There was a small corner of the plot that still remained undeveloped but Edwardes was advised that his finances would be less depleted if he leased the land at a small price rather than enter into personal development expenditure. Enter Edward Gray, locally famed scavenger and open dustbin for anything going. He was not a builder himself, in fact he was not aligned with any recognised trade, donning the hat which happened to fit at the time. If ever there was a quick way to dispose of a near useless piece of land it was surely by offering it to Gray. The plot was snapped up on an agreed lease and without further ado work was commenced on Gray's Yard followed by Edward's Mews.
Beyond its large square opening the widened out Yard contains nothing of special interest - not that it ever has. Old Gray was not prone to adding those non-essential trimmings, and in keeping with his strictly adhered to style, his commemorative cul-de-sac is totally devoid of them. In contrast, the most striking feature around here is on the opposite side of the main street. During the summer months James Street takes on a truly Continental appearance decked with numerous tables, chairs and a forest of parasols outside the Christie Ristorante Italiano and other like establishments. If Gray's Yard is a disappointment, this scene is certainly not.
The outstanding feature of Great Swan Alley is the hall of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. Whilst not being of particularly ancient construction it does offer certain delights on which to feast the eye. It was designed by John Belcher and built in 1893 with an extension added in 1930. Of particular note is the frieze above the first floor windows which depicts a variety of crafts, trades, and professions presented in an expanse of over 100 figures continuing round the building into Moorgate Place.
Today, Great Swan Alley is approximately half its former length. It was curtailed in 1835 when work began on the construction of Moorgate. Before that time it linked Copthall Avenue with Coleman Street. This area of the City is an intriguing place with its many alleys and narrow streets, once so confined that during the Great Plague the local sexton was almost driven insane through the problems encountered when removing bodies. Until 1969 you could still take refreshment in the tavern which gave the Alley its name, the White Swan. It replaced a previous tavern on the site and in the process its name was changed to Ye Old Swans Nest.
Great Bell Alley, or purely Bell Alley, as it was originally named - from the Old Bell Inn that stood in Coleman Street during the 17th century - was one of many which were truncated when the construction of Moorgate was commenced in 1835. It used to continue along the line of Telegraph Street and mingle into the little maze of alleys and courts between Moorgate and Copthall Avenue. The western length which remains today was renamed Great Bell Alley while the severed length to the east retained its old name. When the General Post Office opened a branch of the telegraph office on the site in 1840 the name of the eastern length was changed to Telegraph Street.
Robert Bloomfield, author of The Farmers Boy, served his apprenticeship as a shoemaker and in later years set up his shop at number 14. The site is now covered by the Butler's Head public house, on the corner of Whalebone Court.
Until Holborn Viaduct Station caused its truncation, this was the eastern upper limit of Turnagain Lane. So called because it went down to the bank of the Fleet River where there was no bridge across, which meant that the only option was to turn round and come back. Holborn Viaduct Station was opened on the 1st March 1874 and now Green Arbour Court proceeds no further than its walls. The dedication of its name is not certain but it seems that the lane was once lined with shady trees, hence arbour (bower): an enclosure surrounded by foliage or trees.
Today that idyllic greenery is replaced by cold, drab concrete buildings. The Spear and Pond Hotel formerly stood at number 15 Old Bailey, on the corner of the Court. Now the site is occupied by the Friends Provident Insurance Company.
ã No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without the written permission of the author | <urn:uuid:e25065e0-fd8c-4768-a4b6-2c0036fe5213> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.gyford.com/archive/2009/04/28/www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Cabana/9424/page14.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396100.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00003-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979934 | 4,976 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Let’s take a manifold with boundary and give it an orientation. In particular, for each we can classify any ordered basis as either positive or negative with respect to our orientation. It turns out that this gives rise to an orientation on the boundary .
Now, if is a boundary point, we’ve seen that we can define the tangent space , which contains — as an -dimensional subspace — . This subspace cuts the tangent space into two pieces, which we can distinguish as follows: if is a coordinate patch around with , then the image of near is a chunk of the hyperplane . The inside of corresponds to the area where , while the outside corresponds to .
And so the map sends a vector to a vector in , which either points up into the positive half-space, along the hyperplane, or down into the negative half-space. Accordingly, we say that is “inward-pointing” if lands in the first category, and “outward-pointing” if if lands in the last. We can tell the difference by measuring the th component — the value . If this value is positive the vector is inward-pointing, while if it’s positive the vector is outward-pointing.
This definition may seem to depend on our choice of coordinate patch, but the division of into halves is entirely geometric. The only role the coordinate map plays is in giving a handy test to see which half a vector lies in.
Now we are in a position to give an orientation to the boundary , which we do by specifying which bases of are “positively oriented” and which are “negatively oriented”. Specifically, if is a basis of $ then we say it’s positively oriented if for any outward-pointing the basis is positively oriented as a basis of , and similarly for negatively oriented bases.
We must check that this choice does define an orientation on . Specifically, if is another coordinate patch with , then we can set up the same definitions and come up with an orientation on each point of . If and are compatibly oriented, then and must be compatible as well.
So we assume that the Jacobian of is everywhere positive on . That is
We can break down and to strip off their last components. That is, we write , and similarly for . The important thing here is that when we restrict to the boundary the work as a coordinate map, as do the . So if we set and vary any of the other , the result of remains at zero. And thus we can expand the determinant above:
The determinant is therefore the determinant of the upper-left submatrix — which is the Jacobian determinant of the transition function on the intersection — times the value in the lower right.
If the orientations induced by those on and are to be compatible, then this Jacobian determinant on the boundary must be everywhere positive. Since the overall determinant is everywhere positive, this is equivalent to the lower-right component being everywhere positive on the boundary. That is:
But this asks how the th component of changes as the th component of increases; as we move away from the boundary. But, at least where we start on the boundary, can do nothing but increase! And thus this partial derivative must be positive, which proves our assertion.
If we have a manifold with boundary , then at all the interior points it looks just like a regular manifold, and so the tangent space is just the same as ever. But what happens when we consider a point ?
Well, if is a chart around with , then we see that the part of the boundary within — — is the surface . The point has a perfectly good tangent space as a point in : . We will consider this to be the tangent space of at zero, even though half of its vectors “point outside” the space itself.
We can use this to define the tangent space . Indeed, the function goes from to and takes the point to ; it only makes sense to define as .
This is all well and good algebraically, but geometrically it seems that we’re letting tangent vectors spill “off the edge” of . But remember our geometric characterization of tangent vectors as equivalence classes of curves — of “directions” that curves can go through . Indeed, a curve could well run up to the edge of at the point in any direction that — if continued — would leave the manifold through its boundary. The geometric definition makes it clear that this is indeed the proper notion of the tangent space at a boundary point.
Now, let be the function we get by restricting to the boundary . The function sends the boundary to the boundary — at least locally — and there is an inclusion . On the other hand, there is an inclusion , which then sends to — again, at least locally. That is, we have the equation
Taking the derivative, we see that
But must be the inclusion of the subspace into the tangent space . That is, the tangent vectors to the boundary manifold are exactly those tangent vectors on the boundary that sends to tangent vectors in whose th component is zero.
Ever since we started talking about manifolds, we’ve said that they locally “look like” the Euclidean space . We now need to be a little more flexible and let them “look like” the half-space .
Away from the subspace , is a regular -dimensional manifold — we can always find a small enough ball that stays away from the edge — but on the boundary subspace it’s a different story. Just like we wrote the boundary of a singular cubic chain, we write for this boundary. Any point that gets sent to by a coordinate map must be sent to by every coordinate map. Indeed, if is another coordinate map on the same patch around , then the transition function must be a homeomorphism from onto , and so it must send boundary points to boundary points. Thus we can define the boundary to be the collection of all these points.
Locally, is an -dimensional manifold. Indeed, if is a coordinate patch around a point then , and thus the preimage is an -dimensional coordinate patch around . Since every point is contained in such a patch, is indeed an -dimensional manifold.
As for smooth structures on and , we define them exactly as usual; real-valued functions on a patch of containing some boundary points are considered smooth if and only if the composition is smooth as a map from (a portion of) the half-space to . And such a function is smooth at a boundary point of the half-space if and only if it’s smooth in some neighborhood of the point, which extends — slightly — across the boundary.
Let’s say we have a diffeomorphism from one -dimensional manifold to another. Since is both smooth and has a smooth inverse, we must find that the Jacobian is always invertible; the inverse of at is at . And so — assuming is connected — the sign of the determinant must be constant. That is, is either orientation preserving or orientation-reversing.
Remembering that diffeomorphism is meant to be our idea of what it means for two smooth manifolds to be “equivalent”, this means that is either equivalent to or to . And I say that this equivalence comes out in integrals.
So further, let’s say we have a compactly-supported -form on . We can use to pull back from to . Then I say that
where the positive sign holds if is orientation-preserving and the negative if is orientation-reversing.
In fact, we just have to show the orientation-preserving side, since if is orientation-reversing from to then it’s orientation-preserving from to , and we already know that integrals over are the negatives of those over . Further, we can assume that the support of fits within some singular cube , for if it doesn’t we can chop it up into pieces that do fit into cubes , and similarly chop up into pieces that fit within corresponding singular cubes .
But now it’s easy! If is supported within the image of an orientation-preserving singular cube , then must be supported within , which is also orientation-preserving since both and are, by assumption. Then we find
In this sense we say that integrals are preserved by (orientation-preserving) diffeomorphisms.
If we have an oriented manifold , then we know that the underlying manifold has another orientation available; if is a top form that gives its orientation, then gives it the opposite orientation. We will write for the same underlying manifold equipped with this opposite orientation.
Now it turns out that the integrals over the same manifold with the two different orientations are closely related. Indeed, if is any -form on the oriented -manifold , then we find
Without loss of generality, we may assume that is supported within the image of a singular cube . If not, we break it apart with a partition of unity as usual.
Now, if is orientation-preserving, then we can come up with another singular cube that reverses the orientation. Indeed, let . It’s easy to see that sends to and preserves all the other . Thus it sends to its negative, which shows that it’s an orientation-reversing mapping from the standard -cube to itself. Thus we conclude that the composite is an orientation-reversing singular cube with the same image as .
But then is an orientation-preserving singular cube containing the support of , and so we can use it to calculate integrals over . Working in from each side of our proposed equality we find
We know that we can write
for some function . And as we saw above, sends to its negative. Thus we conclude that
meaning that when we calculate the integral over we’re using the negative of the form on that we use when calculating the integral over .
This makes it even more sensible to identify an orientation-preserving singular cube with its image. When we write out a chain, a positive multiplier has the sense of counting a point in the domain more than once, while a negative multiplier has the sense of counting a point with the opposite orientation. In this sense, integration is “additive” in the domain of integration, as well as linear in the integrand.
The catch is that this only works when is orientable. When this condition fails we still know how to integrate over chains, but we lose the sense of orientation.
Well, paradoxically, we start by getting smaller. Specifically, I say that we can always find an orientable open cover of such that each set in the cover is contained within the image of a singular cube.
We start with any orientable atlas, which gives us a coordinate patch around any point we choose. Without loss of generality we can pick the coordinates such that . There must be some open ball around whose closure is completely contained within ; this closure is itself the image of a singular cube, and the ball obviously contained in its closure. Hitting everything with we get an open set — the inverse image of the ball — contained in the image of a singular cube, all of which contains . Since we can find such a set around any point we can throw them together to get an open cover of .
So, what does this buy us? If is any compactly-supported form on an -dimensional manifold , we can cover its support with some open subsets of , each of which is contained in the image of a singular -cube. In fact, since the support is compact, we only need a finite number of the open sets to do the job, and throw in however many others we need to cover the rest of .
We can then find a partition of unity subordinate to this cover of . We can decompose into a (finite) sum:
which is great because now we can define
But now we must be careful! What if this definition depends on our choice of a suitable partition of unity? Well, say that is another such partition. Then we can write
so we get the same answer no matter which partition we use.
We’ve defined how to integrate forms over chains made up of singular cubes, but we still haven’t really defined integration on manifolds. We’ve sort of waved our hands at the idea that integrating over a cube is the same as integrating over its image, but this needs firming up. In particular, we will restrict to oriented manifolds.
To this end, we start by supposing that an -form is supported in the image of an orientation-preserving singular -cube . Then we will define
Indeed, here the image of is some embedded submanifold of that even agrees with its orientation. And since is zero outside of this submanifold it makes sense to say that the integral over the submanifold — over the singular cube — is the same as the integral over the whole manifold.
What if we have two orientation-preserving singular cubes and that both contain the support of ? It only makes sense that they should give the same integral. And, indeed, we find that
where we use to reparameterize our integral. Of course, this function may not be defined on all of , but it’s defined on , where is supported, and that’s enough.
Of course now that we have more structure, we have more structured maps. But this time it’s not going to be quite so general; we will only extend our notion of an embedding, and particularly of an embedding in codimension zero.
That is, let be an embedding of manifolds where each of and has dimension . Since their dimensions are the same, the codimension of this embedding — the difference between the dimension of and that of — is . If and are both oriented, then we say that preserves the orientation if the pullback of any -form on which gives the chosen orientation gives us an -form on which gives its chosen orientation. We easily see that this concept wouldn’t even make sense if and didn’t have the same dimension.
More specifically, let and be oriented by -forms and , respectively. If for some smooth, everywhere-positive , we say that is orientation-preserving. The specific choices of and don’t matter; if gives the same orientation on then we must have for some smooth, everywhere-positive , and ; if gives the same orientation on then we must have for some smooth, everywhere-positive , and .
In fact, we have a convenient way of coming up with test forms. Let be a coordinate patch on around whose native orientation agrees with that of , and let be a similar coordinate patch on around . Now we have neighborhoods of and between which is a diffeomorphism, and we have top forms and in and , respectively. Pulling back the latter form we find
That is, the pullback of the (local) orientation form on differs from the (local) orientation form on by a factor of the Jacobian determinant of the function with respect to these coordinate maps. This repeats what we saw in the case of transition functions between coordinates. And so if whenever we pick local coordinates on and we find an everywhere-positive Jacobian determinant of , then preserves orientation.
If we orient a manifold by picking an everywhere-nonzero top form , then it induces an orientation on each coordinate patch . Since each one also comes with its own orientation form, we can ask whether they’re compatible or not.
And it’s easy to answer; just calculate
and if the answer is positive then the two are compatible, while if it’s negative then they’re incompatible. But no matter; just swap two of the coordinates and we have a new coordinate map on whose own orientation is compatible with .
This shows that we can find an atlas on all of whose patches have compatible orientations. Given any atlas at all for , either use a coordinate patch as is or swap two of its coordinates depending on whether its native orientation agrees with or not. In fact, if we’re already using a differentiable structure — containing all possible coordinate patches which are (smoothly) compatible with each other — then we just have to throw out all the patches which are (orientably) incompatible with .
The converse, as it happens, is also true: if we can find an atlas for such that for any two patches and the Jacobian of the transition function is everywhere positive on the intersection , then we can find an everywhere-nonzero top form to orient the whole manifold.
Basically, what we want is to patch together enough of the patches’ native orientations to cover the whole manifold. And as usual for this sort of thing, we pick a partition of unity subordinate to our atlas. That is, we have a countable, locally finite collection of functions so that is supported within the patch . Then we define the -form on by
and by outside of . Adding up all the gives us our top form; the sum makes sense because it’s locally finite, and at each point we don’t have to worry about things canceling off because each orientation form is a positive multiple of each other one wherever they’re both nonzero.
Any coordinate patch in a manifold is orientable. Indeed, the image is orientable — we can just use to orient — and given a choice of top form on we can pull it back along to give an orientation of itself.
But what happens when we bring two patches and together? They may each have orientations given by top forms and . We must ask whether they are “compatible” on their overlap. And compatibility means each one picks out the same end of at each point. But this just means that — when restricted to the intersection — for some everywhere-positive smooth function .
Another way to look at the same thing is to let be the pullback , and . Then we must ask what this function is. It must exist even if the orientations are incompatible, since is never zero, but what is it?
A little thought gives us our answer: is the Jacobian determinant of the coordinate transformation from one patch to the other. Indeed, we use the Jacobian to change bases on the cotangent bundle, and transforming between these top forms amounts to taking the determinant of the transformation between the -forms and .
So what does this mean? It tells us that if the Jacobian of the coordinate transformation relating two coordinate patches is everywhere positive, then the coordinates have compatible orientations. On the other hand, if the coordinate transformation’s Jacobian is everywhere negative, then the coordinates also have compatible orientations. Why? because even though the sample orientations differ, we can just use and , which do give the same orientation everywhere.
The problem comes up when the Jacobian is sometimes positive and sometimes negative. Now, it can never be zero, but if the intersection has more than one component it may be positive on one and negative on the other. Then if you pick orientations which coincide on one part of the overlap, they must necessarily disagree on the other part, and no coherent orientation can be chosen for the whole manifold.
I won’t go into this example in full detail yet, but this is essentially what happens with the famous Möbius strip: glue two strips of paper together at one end and we can coherently orient their union. But if we give a half-twist to the other ends before gluing them, we cannot coherently orient the result. The Jacobian is positive on the one overlap and negative on the other. | <urn:uuid:a9a83429-f2ba-4aa4-a785-a26497f205e2> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://unapologetic.wordpress.com/category/topology/page/3/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783404382.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155004-00038-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932611 | 4,121 | 3.28125 | 3 |
Armistice Day - At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, we remember.
On Armistice Day, the country will again be asked to pause for two minutes silent remembrance in memory of those who have served and died for Britain. The silence takes place at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month - the time the guns fell silent along the Western front in 1918, and an armistice was declared. It was first observed in November 1919 following a suggestion by an Australian journalist. The proposal was supported by a former high commissioner to South Africa and endorsed by the cabinet and King George V just a few days before the first anniversary of the armistice. | <urn:uuid:8acda11a-4007-43a7-864d-205d331602b0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://heritagehistoria.blogspot.com/2013/11/armistice-day-at-11th-hour-of-11th-day.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397428.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00184-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977846 | 147 | 3.265625 | 3 |
By Amanda Drane '12 (journalism)
As the potential consequences of climate change continue to grow and impact populations around the globe—from increasingly frequent storms to rising sea levels and a rash of severe weather that has become the new norm—Elisabeth Hamin (landscape architecture and regional planning) is working with communities in the region and beyond to incorporate resiliency frameworks into their budgets and prepare for extreme weather events.
Hamin, who heads the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, has gone town-to-town with doctoral student Ana Mesquita to interview regional planners along the east coast. This field research made it clear to Hamin that many communities are ill-prepared for the kind of damaging weather that continues to persist. She finds that this general lack of preparedness is not because of a lack of political will, but rather due to planners not having enough information and resources at their disposal.
“The planners can’t be the ones to figure out what the risks are…. It’s beyond the scope of what a non-expert can do. One of the things they need to move forward is some sort of officially sanctioned projections,” says Hamin.
In their efforts to normalize resilience in the face of climate change, Hamin and her colleagues work with communities to identify new priorities. As part of the Regional Planning Studio (which Hamin taught for several years), the class partners with a different municipality each year to help them fine-tune their master plan. They begin by collecting information about the town’s geography, population, societal trends, geology, and cultural divides. They then layer these data, along with climate trends and municipal zoning, into one aggregated map to identify emerging trends and future scenarios if these trends continue. Students also meet with key decision makers and hold public workshops to discuss community concerns. Environmental justice, Hamin explains, inevitably comes into play during the process. Major coastal cities like New York and Boston can often more easily harness the necessary resources to protect susceptible areas while communities with fewer resources remain vulnerable. Recently, Hamin and her students worked with the coastal town of Marshfield, Massachusetts on a climate adaptation plan. The plan was so well received by the community that the town incorporated it into their master plan, acknowledging the need for surge protection and hurricane preparations—one of the first towns in the region to do so.
“That’s sort of where we want to end up…climate change and resilience are not exotic,” says Hamin.
To share what she and her colleagues have learned, Hamin is collaborating with UNHabitat on web-based training modules to be shared with teachers around the globe. To develop the modules, Hamin worked with colleagues in South Africa and Australia to compile relevant climate adaptation information and organize it into an accessible online format. The aim is to provide pedagogic content that teachers can readily draw upon as they work towards adaptive solutions to the impacts of climate change. Hamin also serves as a co-principal investigator on the campus’s Offshore Wind Energy Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), where she is helping to train the next generation of wind energy leaders. Her specific focus is with one of the three major research thrusts of the program—understanding the intersection of public acceptance and technological effectiveness of proposed wind farms.
With new NSF funding, Hamin is expanding her field research beyond the east coast, working with co-principal investigator and civil engineer Don DeGroot. For the project, they will develop a network of planners, researchers and policy experts from the northeast to the Caribbean. The goal is to devise a framework for climate change resiliency that improves coastal infrastructure planning and mitigates the impacts of fast-onset disasters (such as hurricanes and tsunamis) while incorporating plans for slow-onset issues (such as sea-level rise).
Hamin’s road to regional planning was not a direct one. Fresh from business school, she began her career in real estate development. She enjoyed the planning element of her work, but soon began to question the morality behind certain projects that encroached upon open space and special environmental areas. She decided she wanted to help communities make decisions for themselves, and changed her academic path.
“I thought I could use some of what I learned for the forces of good. I was interested in how to empower communities and work with them to achieve their own goals,” says Hamin. | <urn:uuid:52c412b7-24c3-45cf-a471-420428b6f4dc> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.umass.edu/sbs/news-events/news/empowering-communities-plan-climate-change | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783400031.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155000-00057-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955577 | 941 | 2.9375 | 3 |
— Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann’s acknowledgment that she suffers from migraines has sparked debate about whether her headaches should keep her out of the White House.
At least 36 million Americans are thought to experience migraines, and three-quarters of them are women. Migraines are often described as intense, throbbing pain in one part of the head accompanied by extreme sensitivity to light and sound, nausea and vomiting. Some people experience an “aura,” such as flashing lights or a temporary loss of vision, before the onset of a migraine.
Bachmann says her migraines are controllable, but news reports say that, over the years, Bachmann has missed hours or even days of work because of debilitating migraines. She has not released information about the frequency of her headaches but says she takes prescription medication on occassion when she starts to develop symptoms.
Some reports refer to Bachmann’s condition as “chronic.” If that’s true, then, in the strict medical sense, that would mean she suffers migraines 15 or more days a month for at least four hours a day, says Houston neurologist and headache specialist Dr. Randolph Evans.
Even if they’re not chronic, “migraines could be a huge problem for somebody who’s president,” says Evans, adding that about half of all migraine attacks are debilitating enough to force a sufferer to lie down.
Plus, he says, common migraine triggers, such as stress, travel, changes in sleeping or eating patterns, are practically part of the president’s job description. And topiramate, an anti-seizure drug commonly prescribed to prevent migraines, causes cognitive impairment — difficulty finding the right word or problems with short-term memory — in about 10 percent of patients, he says.
Even so, says Evans, himself a migraineur who’s never missed a day of work because of his headaches, “having a migraine automatically doesn’t make you unfit to be president.”
Bachmann's campaign released a letter by Brian Monahan, the attending physician for the U.S. Congress, that said Bachmann has had an extensive evaluation by his office as well as a neurologist.
"Your evaluation has entailed detailed labwork and brain scans all of which were normal. Your migraines occur infrequently and have known trigger factors of which you are aware and know how to avoid," Monahan said in the letter to Bachmann.
He said she controls her migraines with prescription medication sumatriptan and odansetron and that "you are overall in good general health."
After a rally in South Carolina Tuesday, Bachmann pointed out that she hasn't been incapacitated while campaigning.
"I'd like to be abundantly clear: My ability to function effectively will not affect my ability to serve as commander-in-chief," Bachmann said. "Since entering this campaign for the presidency, I have maintained a full schedule between my duties as a congresswoman and as a presidential candidate traveling across the nation to meet with voters."
Dr. Joel Saper, founder of the Michigan Headache & Neurological Institute in Ann Arbor, notes that White House doctors would quickly be able to inject Bachmann with any one of several drugs that can effectively treat migraines.
Although he doesn’t know Bachmann, Saper says, he’d recommend that she go public with more information about her migraines. “Most cases are treatable.”
If Bachmann were elected president, she reportedly wouldn’t be the first migraineur to hold that office. According to the National Migraine Association, a nonprofit based in Alexandria, Va., both Thomas Jefferson and Ulysses S. Grant suffered from migraines. More recently, in Super Bowl XXXII in 1998, former Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis earned MVP honors despite having to sit out the second quarter because of a migraine. | <urn:uuid:da8b29ce-de2c-4337-bcce-7cdb2dcbb0d5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2011/07/20/7122917-doctors-weigh-in-on-bachmanns-migraines | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403825.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00033-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965235 | 836 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Jatropha curcus is a drought-resistant perennial, growing well in marginal/poor soil. It is easy to establish, grows relatively quickly and lives, producing seeds for 50 years.
Jatropha the wonder plant produces seeds with an oil content of 37%. The oil can be combusted as fuel without being refined. It burns with clear smoke-free flame, tested successfully as fuel for simple diesel engine. The by-products are press cake a good organic fertilizer, oil contains also insecticide.
It is found to be growing in many parts of the country, rugged in nature and can survive with minimum inputs and easy to propagate.
Medically it is used for diseases like cancer, piles, snakebite, paralysis, dropsy etc.
Jatropha grows wild in many areas of India and even thrives on infertile soil. A good crop can be obtained with little effort. Depending on soil quality and rainfall, oil can be extracted from the jatropha nuts after two to five years. The annual nut yield ranges from 0.5 to 12 tons. The kernels consist of oil to about 60 percent; this can be transformed into biodiesel fuel through esterification.
Family: Euphorbiaceae Synonyms: Curcas purgans Medic. Vernacular/common names: English- physic nut, purging nut; Hindi - Ratanjyot Jangli erandi; Malayalam - Katamanak; Tamil - Kattamanakku; Telugu - Pepalam; Kannada - Kadaharalu; Gujarathi - Jepal; Sanskrit - Kanana randa.
Distribution and habitat
It is still uncertain where the centre of origin is, but it is believed to be Mexico and Central America. It has been introduced to Africa and Asia and is now culti-vated world-wide. This highly drought-resistant spe-cies is adapted to arid and semi-arid conditions. The current distribution shows that introduction has been most successful in the drier regions of the tropics with annual rainfall of 300-1000 mm. It occurs mainly at lower altitudes (0-500 m) in areas with average an-nual temperatures well above 20°C but can grow at higher altitudes and tolerates slight frost. It grows on well-drained soils with good aeration and is well adapted to marginal soils with low nutrient content.
It is a small tree or shrub with smooth gray bark, which exudes a whitish colored, watery, latex when cut. Normally, it grows between three and five meters in height, but can attain a height of up to eight or ten meters under favourable conditions.
It has large green to pale-green leaves, alternate to sub-opposite, three-to five-lobed with a spiral phyllotaxis.
The petiole length ranges between 6-23 mm. The inflorescence is formed in the leaf axil. Flowers are formed terminally, individually, with female flowers usually slightly larger and occurs in the hot seasons. In conditions where continuous growth occurs, an unbalance of pistillate or staminate flower production results in a higher number of female flowers.
Fruits are produced in winter when the shrub is leafless, or it may produce several crops during the year if soil moisture is good and temperatures are sufficiently high. Each inflorescence yields a bunch of approximately 10 or more ovoid fruits. A three, bi-valved cocci is formed after the seeds mature and the fleshy exocarp dries.
The seeds become mature when the capsule changes from green to yellow, after two to four months.
Flowering and fruiting habit
The trees are deciduous, shedding the leaves in the dry season. Flowering occurs during the wet season and two flowering peaks are often seen. In permanently hu-mid regions, flowering occurs throughout the year. The seeds mature about three months after flowering. Early growth is fast and with good rainfall conditions nursery plants may bear fruits after the first rainy season, direct sown plants after the second rainy season. The flowers are pollinated by insects especially honey bees.
Jatropha curcas grows almost anywhere , even on gravelly, sandy and saline soils. It can thrive on the poorest stony soil. It can grow even in the crevices of rocks. The leaves shed during the winter months form mulch around the base of the plant. The organic matter from shed leaves enhance earth-worm activity in the soil around the root-zone of the plants, which improves the fertility of the soil.
Regarding climate, Jatropha curcas is found in the tropics and subtropics and likes heat, although it does well even in lower temperatures and can withstand a light frost. Its water requirement is extremely low and it can stand long periods of drought by shedding most of its leaves to reduce transpiration loss. Jatropha is also suitable for preventing soil erosion and shifting of sand dunes.
Altitude: 0-500 m, Mean annual temperature: 20-28 deg. C, Mean annual rainfall: 300-1000 mm or more.
Soil type: Grows on well-drained soils with good aeration and is well adapted to marginal soils with low nutrient content. On heavy soils, root formation is reduced. Jatropha is a highly adaptable species, but its strength as a crop comes from its ability to grow on very poor and dry sites. | <urn:uuid:fb6d2ea2-4165-46a5-a78e-7e709f7b9173> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.jatrophabiodiesel.org/aboutJatrophaPlant.php?_divid=menu1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394605.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00060-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943736 | 1,123 | 2.828125 | 3 |
METEOROLOGIST JEFF HABY
The primary air mass classifications are given below:
mT= Maritime Tropical
mP= Maritime Polar
cP = Continental Polar
cT = Continental Tropical
A = Arctic
H = Highland
The maritime tropical air mass is most often felt in the Southeast US. In the winter this air mass is shoved
toward the equator but in summer it can cover much of the US east of the Rockies. This air mass results from
the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf Stream. The warm waters in this region evaporate an enormous
volume of water. Cold water currents tend to stabilize the atmosphere and produce little evaporation while
warm waters destabilize the atmosphere and add moisture. The warm waters warm the low levels of the atmosphere.
Temperatures in this air mass warm to highs in the 80's and 90's in the summer and the 70's and 80's in winter.
dewpoints characterize mT air. At all times of the year dewpoints are greater than 50 ° F. The majority
of US thunderstorm activity develops within the mT airmass, most being by way of scattered
thermodynamic thunderstorms and thunderstorms out ahead of fronts.
As the maritime tropical airmass moves over land it begins to "pick up" characteristics of a continental
climate. This is particularly true when the mT airmass moves toward the North. The mT airmass modifies
due to lower sun angles, drier land below, and cooler land below.
The source region for mP air is over cold ocean currents or high latitude ocean waters. This air does not have
the moisture content as mT air. Since mP air is always near saturation,
orographic lifting of the air mass can
produce widespread rain or snow. This air mass is notorious for producing
fog, drizzle, cloudy weather and long
lasting light to moderate rain. The temperature of mP air ranges from just above freezing to below 70 ° F. mP
air is modified as it moves over elevated terrain. On the
windward side of mountain ranges, mP air can produce
an abundance of rain and snow. Once on the lee side of mountains, the mP airmass modifies into a continental
airmass. These air masses produce cold fronts but the air is not as cold as polar or arctic fronts. They are
often termed "Pacific fronts" or "back-door cold fronts".
This airmass has low dewpoints, cold temperatures and a high degree of stability. The denseness of cP air
creates surface high pressure and a
trough aloft, especially when cP air moves into lower latitudes. Precipitation
in association with cP air is usually light due to the
dryness and low moisture capacity of the air. Precipitation
is most common on the "edges" of cP air, especially where it intersects and displaces mT air. Precipitation
within a cP air mass is elevated and dynamically induced. These dynamical uplift mechanisms include
isentropic lifting and
positive differential vorticity advection. Cold surface temperatures and a dry boundary
layer inhibit thermodynamic convection.
cP air modifies rapidly as it moves to the South. The dewpoints remain low but the temperature of this
airmass increases when moving South due to the following: warmer soil temperature, a shallower airmass,
higher sun angles and a lack of surface snow cover. cP air will modify less rapidly if soil temperature
are abnormally low to the south (especially if surface snow cover exists). On some occasions the
subtropical jet will "overrun" the shallow cP air. If this occurs, the cP air will modify less rapidly due
to a much reduced solar heating. Once cP air modifies significantly it no longer makes sense to label it
Polar air. After modification, cP air becomes modified cP air or modified mid-latitude continental air.
The source region for cT air is the desert Southwest, the high plains and Mexico. The air has low dewpoints
and warm to hot afternoon temperatures but with mild nighttime temperature. Due to the buoyancy and elevation
of cT air across North America, this air will advect into the mid levels of the atmosphere once it moves out of
its source region. This creates a
cap of mild dry air. If this air advects over
PBL mT air, the severe
thunderstorm threat increases significantly. The boundary of cT is most noticeable with the creation of a
dryline separates mT air from cT air. Depending on the strength of the dryline,
convergence along the dryline and the dynamics above the dryline,
severe thunderstorms can form near a dryline boundary.
The source region for A air is northern Canada. It has the same characteristics as Polar air except it is colder
with even lower dewpoints. This air often forms when a high pressure area becomes nearly stationary over Eastern
Alaska and the Yukon. Due to a near lack of winter solar radiation, abundant surface snow/ice cover and the
continuous emission of radiation from the Earth's surface the air will progressively become colder and colder.
Temperatures can reach -30 ° F to -60 ° F. If the
jet stream becomes
meridional during the same time frame
Arctic air builds, very cold air will spread into Southern Canada and the US. Once Arctic air moves into the
Southern US it modifies to Polar air and then eventually to modified Polar Air behind
the cold front boundary.
This air mass occurs in regions with large elevation changes over short distance. It is not a source region
for one particular type of air mass. Since highland climates are in an elevated terrain, they can promote
dryness in the interior of the highland climate. When air masses enter a highland climate they modify due
to these elevation changes. mP and mT air is dried (on lee-ward side) due to
orographic descent. cP air has
difficulty entering a highland climate due to the high density of the cP air. Cold dense air has difficulty
moving over elevated terrain.
Some important points to keep in mind concerning air masses:
*Surface low pressure and fronts are most often found within the transition zone of air masses
*Fronts occur on the edges of polar air masses
*Cold/ dry air masses are stable due to having a higher density and higher average molecular weight
(dry air is more dense than moist air)
*Warm moist air masses are
unstable due to a lower density due to thermal expansion and a lower molecular weight.
*Air masses are 3-D. Polar and Arctic air masses become shallower moving away from the source region.
*mT air can
isentropicallly lift over mP or cP air creating elevated precipitation. This is especially
true north of warm fronts
*Low pressure forces air mass movement. With a strong low pressure, abnormally warm air will be to the SE
of the low with abnormally cool conditions to the west of the low.
*The mid-latitudes are unique in that they can experience several different air mass types over the course of
a year. Tropical and Polar areas tend to have more uniform weather throughout the year, although the
can experience a wet and dry season while the polar elevation temperature depends heavily on the sun angle from
season to season.
*Air masses and
air mass modification are determined by latitude, altitude, ocean currents, sunshine hours,
sunshine angle, vegetation, soil temperatures, snow cover,
prevailing wind, etc.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. Next to each state, name the top 1 or 2 air masses that dominate the state during a year.
Florida -- maritime tropical is dominant by far
Colorado-- East side - continental polar, modified continental tropical, West side- Highland
Oregon-- Maritime Polar
New Mexico-- Continental Tropical
Ohio-- Many different air masses through the course of a year
2. Why does maritime tropical air tend to be vertically deeper than polar or arctic air?
Answer: Warm air is less dense than cold air. Moist air is less dense than dry air. Warm and moist air
has a much greater thickness than cold and dry air and is thus vertically deeper.
3. From Chart #1, how will the cold front over Northern California modify as it moves into Nevada?
Answer: The front will lose its moisture on the windward facing mountain slopes in California. The front
will bring in cooler and moist air to coastal regions. As it moves into the Nevada, the front will not
have as much of an influence in Nevada as compared to California. The front will not have its moisture
in Nevada but will bring in cooler temperatures.
4. Which air mass on average covers the smallest area over the United States?
Answer: Continental Tropical
5. Why does polar air modify most rapidly when it moves over the Gulf of Mexico?
Answer: The Gulf evaporates moisture into the drier air. The ocean surface conducts heat into the polar air
and warms it significantly. The Gulf turns the air from dry and cold to more moist and warmer.
6. Why are thunderstorms uncommon with a mP or Arctic air mass? Why are they more common
in a maritime tropical air mass?
Answer: Not enough moisture and instability in mP or Arctic air; mT air is more buoyant and has a
high moisture concentration.
7. In what way is the continental tropical airmass important for severe weather?
Answer: When cT air is advected into the mid-levels of the atmosphere it creates a capping inversion which
traps heat and moisture in the PBL. Once this building heat breaks the cap, explosive convection can occur.
The dry mid-level air also promotes a large evaporational cooling potential that results in microbursts. The
dry air also promotes convective instability. | <urn:uuid:80e934a0-3bb4-40f4-98f6-097b58bbf13b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.theweatherprediction.com/basic/airmass/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397865.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00070-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.889117 | 2,118 | 3.625 | 4 |
The Cassini spacecraft just had a few close encounters with some of the odder moons in the Saturn system... and given how weird Saturn is, that's saying something. I was particularly enthralled with these two small worlds:
On the left is the moon Janus and on the right is Epimetheus. The scales are not quite the same; Janus is roughly half again as big as Epimetheus' size of 135 x 110 x 105 km (81 x 66 x 63 miles). Cassini was a little over 100,000 km from Epimetheus and 75,000 km from Janus when these images a were taken. These are raw images, so they haven't been processed yet to remove cosmic ray hits, brightness variations, and so on. But they are still fascinating. Epimetheus looks to me exactly how I picture a big asteroid; beaten, battered, looming. The low angle of sunlight on the side accentuates the craters there, making this almost a caricature of what an asteroid looks like. Technically it's not an asteroid; it's a moon. And even if it weren't orbiting Saturn we might not call it an asteroid; it has a high reflectivity indicating a lot of ice on the surface (and a low density consistent with that too). If it orbited the Sun on an elliptical path, we might very well call it a comet!
But there's more to these moons. Amazingly, Janus and Epimetheus are on almost -- but not quite -- the same orbit around Saturn! Currently, Janus is a bit closer to Saturn than Epimetheus.
I say "currently", because every four years these moons swap orbits! Since Janus has an orbit slightly closer to Saturn, it is moving faster around the planet than Epimetheus. It slowly but eventually catches up to the outer moon. As they approach, Janus pulls back slightly on Epimetheus, and Epimetheus pulls Janus forward. In other words, Janus steals orbital energy Epimetheus! This means Epimetheus drops into a slightly lower orbit, and Janus gets boosted into a slightly higher one, effectively swapping the orbits of the two moons. Although the two orbital paths are separated by only about 50 km (30 miles) -- smaller than the radii of either moon -- they never collide. The swap takes place when the moons are still more than 10,000 km apart, so they never get a chance to bump uglies.
How did this weird situation arise? Perhaps, in the distant past, there was one bigger moon orbiting Saturn, and it got whacked by an interloper. The moon disrupted, breaking into two big pieces and lots of littler ones. The debris got cleaned up by the gravity of the two big pieces and other gravitational effects, leaving these two square-dancing satellites on slightly different but still interacting paths.
However, the actual cause of this still isn't known for sure. Cassini observations like this one may help astronomers figure out how it is these two little moons came to be, and why it is that although they can always approach each other, they can never actually touch. | <urn:uuid:e0c2c5ce-82cd-4de0-9388-af45fea296eb> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2010/04/08/cassini_eavesdrops_on_orbit_swapping_moons.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396459.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00006-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945528 | 646 | 2.953125 | 3 |
While writing Automation code using WATiN we could observe that we need to mention ApartmentState as STA. In my initial period of time I was thinking why we need to mention STA?
On curiosity I tried to find out the reason behind it. I searched goggle, msdn and loads of blogs to get the exact cause behind it and at last I got the answer of it. Today I thought i should share my learning with others also.
STA: The Thread will create and enter a single-threaded apartment.
Let me put some point over here before moving into deep :)
1. Internet Explorer is not Thread safe we need to use STA.
2. And we are creating any instance of Internet Explorer through COM.
Now move into the deep inside ...
An apartment is a logical container within a process for objects sharing the same thread access requirements. All objects in the same apartment can receive calls from any thread in the apartment. The .NET Framework does not use apartments, and managed objects are responsible for using all shared resources in a thread-safe manner themselves.
Because COM classes use apartments, the common language runtime needs to create and initialize an apartment when calling a COM object in a COM interop situation. A managed thread can create and enter a single-threaded apartment (STA) that allows only one thread, or a multithreaded apartment (MTA) that contains one or more threads. You can control the type of apartment created by setting the ApartmentState property of the thread to one of the values of the ApartmentState enumeration. Because a given thread can only initialize a COM apartment once, you cannot change the apartment type after the first call to the unmanaged code.
Visit MSDN link for more Information.
Differences in ApartmentState between .Net 1.1 and .Net 2.0
I copied below explanation from MSDN.
In .Net 1.1 the default ApartmentState of a Thread is Unknown. A running Thread with this ApartmentState can be set to STA or MTA, but only once. Trying to set the Apartment state of a running Thread from MTA to STA (or vice versa) doesn’t have any effect, it remains MTA (or STA).
In .Net 2.0 the default ApartmentState of a Thread is MTA. Trying to reset the ApartmentState of a running Thread from MTA to STA (or vice versa) doesn’t have any effect, it remains MTA. Setting the ApartmentState to Unknown or STA instead of MTA, can ONLY be done BEFORE the Thread starts.
Happy WATiN Automation.
Please leave your comments.Thanks!!! | <urn:uuid:f4630979-89f5-4239-91f5-9bd6c2bc4986> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://jawedm.blogspot.com/2009_09_05_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393093.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00056-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.911311 | 552 | 2.5625 | 3 |
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A Bleeding Good Time
This quiz tests your knowledge of the major arteries in the human body.
#1 Systolic blood pressure is the arterial blood pressure at the point in the cardiac cycle when the heart is contracting.
#2 What is the name of the artery directly originating from the left ventricle of the heart?
Superior vena cava
#3 What is the name of the artery that arises from the right ventricle of the heart, delivering deoxygenated blood to the lungs?
#4 Which one of these arteries does not supply any blood to the brain?
Circle of Willis
#5 The heart does not require further blood supply from any arteries because it is filled with blood.
#6 When taking a pulse near the wrist, you are feeling transmitted impulses from the radial artery.
#7 The aorta terminates by dividing into the left and right common iliac arteries.
#8 What is the name of the artery located behind the medial malleolus (inner ankle bone)?
Dorsalis pedis artery
Tibialis anterior artery
Tibialis posterior artery
#9 Obesity is the single largest risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis (fatty blockages of arteries).
#10 Angioplasty is the placement of a stent in a blocked artery.
#11 What percentage of blood, at any given time, is typically present in the systemic arteries (not including arteries to the lungs)?
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Our goal was to engage the students in a meaningful application of mathematics. We chose a project format requiring a significant amount of sustained work, hoping that the excitement and enthusiasm generated would carry over into the mathematics itself. We tried to make the project fun for the students, but at the same time we were careful about our work and how we presented ourselves to the rest of the school community. The students walked away from this unit feeling good about themselves and what they had done.
The next time we undertake such a project, we will have the students keep a portfolio. This will help us document our work, and allow us to refer back to earlier results. With a portfolio, for example, it would be easy to compare our initial estimates to the actual measurements, something we want to be more careful about next time.
We spent more time on the project than we had originally planned, mainly because it kept pulling us in different directions requiring certain math skills we hadn't anticipated in advance. In any event, it was time well spent, and we hope to do it again.
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Ontario could ban compact fluorescent light bulbs from landfills
WATCH: A new report finds 90% of CFL bulbs are thrown away instead of being recycled. Christina Stevens has the details as to why this is a concern for the government.
TORONTO – Ontario is considering a total ban on disposing of compact fluorescent light bulbs in landfills because they contain mercury which can poison the environment.
Environment Minister Glen Murray says he’s in the middle of consultations with municipalities and industry groups to find ways to divert toxic waste from dumps, where they currently make up two to three per cent of materials.
Murray says there’s no consensus yet on the best way to make it easier for consumers to dispose of energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs so they don’t throw them in the trash.
He says officials are looking at issues such as having the different producers create a united depot system for returns and then imposing an outright ban.
READ MORE: Where to recycle compact fluorescent lights
Currently, compact bulbs and florescent light tubes can be dropped off at depots in some municipalities and at some large, chain stores.
The NDP say there’s no point banning CFL bulbs from landfills if there’s no system for safe, easy disposal, and if consumers aren’t given clear information on packages that show items contain toxic materials that must be disposed of in a specific manner.
“My corner stores takes old batteries,” said New Democrat energy critic Peter Tabuns. “It should be that convenient so I can just go and drop (the bulbs) off there.”
The update to Ontario’s Waste Reduction and Diversion Act is expected to be passed in the legislature before the summer.
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This book might come as a surprise for non-specialists, since black Africans are identified with slave trade to the Americas, while the Renaissance is regarded as a purely European phenomenon, centred on a largely homogeneous ethnicity. Neither of these assertions is true, and this excellent book helps to deconstruct such historical stereotypes. Europe received black Africans regularly and in significant numbers from the mid-fifteenth century onwards. The Mediterranean was a cross-cultural and inter-ethnic space even before Classical Greece. The Renaissance reflected not only the rediscovery of classical culture, but also the influx of techniques and ideas brought by the Arabs. Intercontinental navigation revealed simultaneous processes of cultural renovation, which helped to reshape Europe.
At the outset of the volume, Kate Lowe defines the editors’ key question: how were the main stereotypes concerning black people established in this period? She provides several examples relating to the main set of prejudices: the African was generally identified as a naked person who would mutilate his/her face and body with scarification, piercings, and tattoos; he/she would be considered as carefree and characterized by immoderate laughter, unaware of his/her condition, lazy and sexually promiscuous, physically strong, a good musician or dancer. Lowe recognizes the existence of noble or ennobled black men in European courts, but she stresses the role of black people as a necessary counter-image in the construction of European whiteness and ‘civilization’ (a notion coined in the eighteenth century). This is a necessary starting point, although some of the chapters develop a more nuanced vision of race relations in this period.
Anne Marie Jordan, for instance, has a fine chapter on slaves in the Lisbon court of Queen Catherine of Austria, where mainly women and children of different ethnic origins were used as musicians, cooks, pastry chefs, housekeepers, pages, or servants in royal apothecaries, kitchens, gardens, and stables. Jordan points out how white Moorish slaves were favoured because of skin colour prejudices, but black slaves were considered trustworthy for religious reasons. The black slaves were a sign of social prestige and distinction in a cosmopolitan court: this feature explains why Catherine spent so much money clothing and offering them as exotic gifts to her favourite ladies and relatives in other European courts. The representation of small black slaves in the portraits of Iberian princesses, as in the painting of Juana de Austria by Cristóvão de Morais, reinforced their image as symbols of empire building.
Jorge Fonseca presents the results of his research on sixteenth-century Southern Portugal, where he estimates a total of six to seven per cent of blacks in the population, mainly in urban areas, in contrast with the Northern region, where blacks were scarce. His analysis of the perceptions of black people by Nicholas Cleynaerts, a Flemish scholar who taught in Louvain, Paris, and Salamanca, spending several years in Portugal as tutor of infant Henry (the future cardinal and General Inquisitor), is less convincing. The scholar is presented as an ‘exotic visitor’, which is misplaced, since he belonged to the international Renaissance elite who circulated between different European countries. Cleynaerts bought young slaves and taught them as assistants. His observation that they were like ‘monkeys’ (meaning capable of imitating but not of creating) is considered by Fonseca as a sign of the contrast between two societies, the Flemish and the Portuguese, the first unaware of black people, the second used to them. It is disputable that Cleynaerts’ classification of the young slaves as ‘monkeys’ was his own, and not influenced by the Portuguese, but the implicit assumption that the Portuguese were less ‘racist’ than the Flemish is questionable.
Didier Lahon proposes an interesting analysis of the mixed confraternity of Nossa Senhora do Rosário in Lisbon, which split into two branches of white and black members. The conflict that existed between them for more than one century, and the final victory of the white branch in 1646, is interpreted as a shift from a relatively tolerant society, open to manumission (one of the privileges of the confraternity) and to intervention against bad treatment of slaves, to a more rigid and intolerant society in the seventeenth century. The implementation of the obligatory baptism of slaves throughout the second half of the sixteenth century is also reconstituted in detail. The analysis of the impact of the notion of blood purity in Portugal is much less convincing, with a deficient chronology and huge gaps, while comprehensive studies are ignored. The idea that the Iberian Peninsula dealt with the presence of Moors, Jews, and New Christians as an anomaly from 1350 onwards is simply wrong, as Maria José Ferro Tavares and Maria Filomena Lopes de Barros have demonstrated.
Thomas Earle focuses his study on the work of Afonso Álvares, a mulatto poet and playwright, cautiously alerting the reader to the lack of evidence to prove that they were one and the same person. Álvares is one of the few mixed-race intellectuals in Europe in the sixteenth century. He wrote satirical poems and four plays based on saints’ lives, commissioned by the Augustinian canons of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon. Earle discusses the quality of the plays and convincingly refuses the historical devaluation of the writer, who has been seen as a minor disciple of Gil Vicente. A particularly interesting section concerns the polemic in satirical redondilhas between Afonso Álvares and another poet, António Ribeiro Chiado. Álvares accused Chiado of low birth and immorality. Chiado insulted Álvares in racist terms, accusing him of being a mulatto, son of a black woman, a slave freed by marriage. Álvares underlined the nobility of his father—whose identity was never disclosed; it might have been Dom Afonso de Portugal, bishop of Évora, in whose household Álvares was educated. In his plays, Álvares reflects the dominant anti-Semitic mood. There is sufficient material here for a deeper reflection on the racial prejudices of the Portuguese Renaissance society and on the conflicting mechanisms of social promotion among subaltern groups.
Jeremy Lawrence presents a very good overview of the Black Africans in Spanish literature, identifying the main ideas: dehumanization of slaves as chattels, defined by bestiality, nakedness, lascivious vulgarity, burlesque behaviour, pidgin language. He focuses his study on the ‘habla de negros’ enlarging the already significant bibliography on the subject (the crucial study by Paul Teyssier on Gil Vicente could have been mentioned). The author selects less known texts and provides two excellent critical editions of pliegos in the appendix. The originality and subversive meaning of the poems is brought out clearly in this chapter, since they staged strong black characters with unconventional relations with white women. Baltasar Fra-Molinero is another author who has extensively written on blacks in Spanish literature, and has contributed to changing the field. He has shown how this marginal and neglected topic played an important role in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Here he concentrates on Juan Latino, the only black Latinist, scholar, and writer in the European Renaissance, who lived in Granada. He has previously pointed out how Juan Latino reflected on the black condition and refused a social hierarchy based on skin colour prejudices. Fra-Molinero analyses now the poem Austrias Carmen, dedicated by Juan Latino to Juan de Austria after his victory over Morisco insurrection in Granada, known as the War of the Alpujarras (1568–1572). In the text, Latino searched to establish the dignity of all black Africans, relating them to biblical Ethiopia and refusing the idea of natural slavery. He imagines white people subordinated in Ethiopia (a reversed irony) and exalts blackness in the final verses.
Debra Blumenthal addresses a very interesting issue: the role of a black African confraternity in Valencia founded in 1472 by forty black freedmen that collected alms and negotiated contracts of manumission on behalf of their fellows in captivity. She knows the context of slave trade in Valencia well, the variety of the black community in the town, and the functions of the confraternity (‘casa dels negres’) as shelter, hospice, and hospital. She analyses two cases of manumission, concerning Ursola and Johana, in which all the financial, juridical, and social difficulties are analysed, as well as the subsequent barriers to full integration.
Aurelia Marín Casares, who has written a very good book on slavery in Granada, presents here part of her enquiry into free and freed black Africans in the region. She has identified most of their occupations: men were stable workers, esparto workers, smelters and casters in foundries, carriers and vendors of water or firewood, bakers, butchers, hod carriers, builders, diggers, pavers; women were housewives, farmers, embroiders, maids, taverns and inns employees, sorceresses. The author details the confraternities created by blacks and mulattos in Granada. The notion of blackness and the different types of black people do not become clear in this article, however, since in many cases Moriscos were considered black by the Christian population.
The ‘Italian section’ is one of the most interesting in the book. Paul Kaplan argues that Isabella d’Este and Andrea Mantegna created a new iconographic type: the black attendant to a white European protagonist. In his opinion, Judith’s servant was depicted as black for the first time by Mantegna in a drawing from 1492. As the author points out, this idea of displaying black servants to suggest the universal reach of imperial power had already been coined by Frederick II. Kaplan stresses the diffusion of this idea among European rulers, namely the Aragonese kings of Naples or the ruling houses of Ferrara, Mantua, and Milan, in which black servants were used as human accessories and depicted as such. The only problem in this stimulating chapter is the uniform definition of ‘blackness’, while in several paintings (see for example the Allegory of Virtue by Correggio) there is a gradation of skin colour from black to brown.
John Brakett suggests that Alessandro de’ Medici, the first duke of Florence (1529–1537) was of mixed race, an illegitimate son of Lorenzo de’ Medici, duke of Nemours and ruler of Urbino (and a direct descendent of Lorenzo ‘il Magnifico’ and Cosimo ‘il Vecchio’) and a peasant woman, a freed slave, generally considered as a ‘Moor’, but now depicted as a Black African. The argument is based not on new documents but on the analysis of the set of images of Alessandro de’ Medici. The problem lies in the final conclusion: the author considers that there was no intellectual racism in the sixteenth century, since the duke was murdered under the accusation of being a tyrant, but his racial status was not used in political debate or in denigration of his memory, which proves the supremacy of the innate quality of princes. This is an open issue: as the author mentions in his text, the duke was nicknamed ‘the Moor’ and ‘the mule’ of the Medici in his lifetime, which suggests a more complicated picture.
Sergio Tognetti concentrates on the trade in black African slaves in fifteenth-century Florence. The percentage of East European slaves in North Italian cities was quite important by the end of the fourteenth century, mainly in Genoa (nearly ten per cent) due to the Genoese trading communities in the Black Sea, but the fall of Contantinople in 1453 ended this commercial exchange. The slave trade in black Africans spread throughout the fifteenth century, replacing the previous trade. Networks also changed, from Arab merchants to Portuguese ones. This careful research, based on the account books of the Cambini bank, shows the value of slaves (proving also how whiter skin was more appreciated than darker skin) and the overwhelming control of the market from Lisbon, confirming the role of Bartolomeo Marchionni as the biggest slave trader in those days.
The pastoral care of black Africans in Renaissance Italy is the subject of Nelson Minnich’s chapter. The zigzag policies of the Popes from Martin V to Paul III is well documented, with successive bulls prohibiting the African slave trade (1425) and black slavery (1462), then allowing the trade with captive people (1455, 1456, 1493), and finally condemning the enslavement of native American people (1537), while the citizens of Rome were authorized to hold slaves (1548). The creation of black confraternities in Naples, Palermo, and Messina was a result of the activity of different religious orders among slaves and freedmen. The access of black people (slaves and freedmen) to the sacraments of penance, communion, and marriage is well documented, while the ordination of black priests was very rare—one Ethiopian and one Congolese bishop, suggested by the Portuguese king in 1513, were exceptional cases.
Anu Korhonen addresses the crucial proverb ‘washing the Ethiopian white’ in Renaissance England. It became a metaphor for everything considered useless, irrational, and impossible. It was widespread in England, although the relatively frequent literary references to black people in literature were brief and stereotyped. Africans were explicitly related to apes, defined by unruly sexuality, a lack of reason, violence, and ugliness (English is the only language in which the same term, fair, is used for beauty and blondness). Although Korhonen quotes an impressive range of sources, some of them from a very early period, it would have been interesting to establish the turning point of the process of construction and diffusion of the stereotype.
Lorenz Seelig studies the fascinating case of the ‘Moor’s Head’ produced circa 1600 by the Nuremberg goldsmith Christoph Jamnitzer. It shows the features of a young African with full lips, broad nose, and curled hair, with a headband chased with eight ‘T’s. It as a heraldic work of art representing the armorial bearings of the Florentine Pucci family, coupled with the coat of arms of the Florentine Strozzi family. This splendid object, made of silver and rock crystal, is also a drinking vessel: the upper part of the head can be taken off, like a cover. Seelig relates the object to the German tradition of drinking vessels, the double sense of the word kopf and the practice of drinking from human skulls (relics of saints), which is documented until the late-eighteenth century. He points out that, outside of the ecclesiastical sphere, profane drinking vessels were considered signs of moral decadence such as in the tradition of fools’ head cups. Cups, jugs, or oil lamps were represented as black Africans (Seelig indicates an early example from the workshop of Andrea Ricci, circa 1500, with deformed face, open mouth, and protruding jaw to hold the wick). But on the other hand, Seelig points to the statues or cameos of the black Venus and black Diana, or the dignified sculptures of black prisoners and ambassadors (namely by Pietro Tacca, Pietro Francavilla, Francesco Bordoni, Nicolas Cordier, Francesco Caporale), relating to a notion of a rich Africa which contradicts the ideas of savagery and poverty. The only slippery moment in the article comes when Seelig points out a contradiction between the role of Roberto Pucci as commander of the order of Santo Stefano, responsible for chasing African pirates, and the attractive representation of the African head in his coat of arms. This is exactly the origin of the fashionable heraldry of African heads in many medieval coats of arms in Europe, following the crusades and the naval conflicts in Mediterranean.
Jean-Michel Massing writes a fascinating article on the representation of lip-plated Africans in Pierre Descelier’s world map of 1550. In his typical manner of detective research (perhaps inspired by the paradigma indiziario founded by Giovanni Morelli), Massing shows the crucial meaning of two figures of black men with enlarged lips, placed in central Africa, sitting opposite each other, probably bartering a gold nugget for a flowery plant. He reconstitutes the first accounts of the enlarged lips found in different parts of Africa, namely by Isidore of Seville, Rabanus Maurus, Vincent of Beauvis, and Alvise da Mosto. He traces the original image of the bartering scene, a woodcut from a Strasbourg edition of Ptolemy’s Geography published in 1522. He rightly interprets the scene as an expression of the notion that ‘such people’ have no idea of the true value of things. But it is at the beginning of the article, when Massing defines the circle of cartographers in Dieppe and the powerful ship-owners like Jean Ango, who created huge friezes in his house and his chapel representing peoples of different continents, that the most interesting hypothesis of the book is produced. Massing sustains that Northern Europeans recorded in their drawings the features and material culture of other peoples of the world (Africans, Indians, or Americans) with greater care than the southern Europeans, namely the Italians, who were looking for aesthetic solutions and became relatively blind to the rich variety of non-European people. This hypothesis requires further enquiry, but it raises a very interesting issue, related to the idea of the art of describing studied by Svetlana Alpers for a later period, in seventeenth century Dutch Art.
The only problem of this book is the unbalanced space dedicated to Southern and Northern Europe. We have thirteen chapters concerning Southern Europe (Portugal, Spain, and Italy), and three about the rest of Europe (England, France, and Germany). We already have a significant number of books and PhDs on black slaves and freedmen in Portugal and Spain (Saunders, Tinhorão, Lahon, Fonseca, Stella, Martín). We needed to have more information on Northern Europe to understand how black Africans circulated and stereotypes in this area developed. This would enable us to answer better the following questions: why was the theory of races born in Northern Europe from the 1730s to the 1850s (Linnæus, Camper, Cuvier, Gobineau)? What were the precedents of that theory, not only from a colonial point of view, but also through an internal European dynamic of contact with African people?
But we have to be fair with the editors of the volume: the books published on black Africans in Portugal and Spain have not been translated into English and some of their main authors were invited to participate; the final result is a truly excellent, well illustrated set of chapters, which raise new issues and provide much information and analysis. | <urn:uuid:c1d0344c-04f7-4ac9-8263-ec13fb021619> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/print/review/619 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397111.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00084-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955374 | 4,044 | 3.40625 | 3 |
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