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Gindlesperger, James and Suzanne. So You Think You Know Gettysburg?: The Stories Behind the Monuments and the Men Who Fought One of America’s Most Epic Battles. Winston-Salem, NC: John F. Blair Publisher, 2010.
This book is an interesting take at the park where the bloodiest battle on American soil occurred. While other books focus on the tactics, men, and other aspects of the real battle, James and Suzanne Gindlesperger chose to look at the history of the many monuments that dot the battlefield park. It represents the growing influence of both history and memory and public history.
The title is quite proper, as while most may think they know everything about the battlefield, there are many places and monuments included in this book that readers may not be aware of. The coverage of the work goes beyond the park area and includes several sites and locations in and around the town of Gettysburg. Each chapter is devoted to a specific section and area of the Gettysburg, which allows readers visiting the park to use each chapter as a guide to areas including Culp’s Hill, Little Round Top, Gettysburg, etc.
Three key things stand out that make this book great. First is the wonderful use of maps. The authors included an overview map of all areas covered, then incorporated into each chapter a map of the area covered, with locations of each monument or spot numbered on that map. Second is the abundance of photographs, one of each spot. This allows those visiting the park to know which monument they are looking at, and, allows readers unable to visit Gettysburg to view one of the more striking features of the region. Finally, the descriptions are quite detailed, incorporating latitude and longitude coordinates, which is good for users of GPS touring the park, as well as providing brief, but detailed descriptions of the site or monument and the people that motivated the particular item covered. The only thing that would have been great to include was a suggested reading section, as well, as a notes section to give background to where information on locations featured was found. Though a minor issue, it does not really detract from the overall value of this work.
The authors, though not trained historians, according to the description, do have great credentials for writing this book. They live in Pennsylvania and are members of the Friends of Gettysburg Foundation, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Civil War Preservation Trust. Though not an academic book, this is a must have for anyone interested in public history, history and memory, or Gettysburg in general. If visiting Gettysburg in the near future, pick up a copy of So You Think You Know Gettysburg? and see how it changes your visit. | <urn:uuid:fe96a9c4-39e9-4c4c-8ab7-b3dbc1517ef7> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://civilwarhistory.wordpress.com/tag/public-history/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403826.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00130-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94029 | 555 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Hemp fibres 'better than graphene'
- 13 August 2014
- From the section Science & Environment
The waste fibres from hemp crops can be transformed into high-performance energy storage devices, scientists say.
They "cooked" cannabis bark into carbon nanosheets and built supercapacitors "on a par with or better than graphene" - the industry gold standard.
Electric cars and power tools could harness this hemp technology, the US researchers say.
They presented their work at the American Chemical Society meeting in San Francisco.
"People ask me: why hemp? I say, why not?" said Dr David Mitlin of Clarkson University, New York, who describes his device in the journal ACS Nano.
"We're making graphene-like materials for a thousandth of the price - and we're doing it with waste.
"The hemp we use is perfectly legal to grow. It has no THC in it at all - so there's no overlap with any recreational activities."
In countries including China, Canada and the UK, hemp can be grown industrially for clothing and building materials.
But the leftover bast fibre - the inner bark - typically ends up as landfill.
Dr Mitlin's team took these fibres and recycled them into supercapacitors - energy storage devices which are transforming the way electronics are powered.
Conventional batteries store large reservoirs of energy and drip-feed it slowly, whereas supercapacitors can rapidly discharge their entire load.
They are ideal in machines that rely on sharp bursts of power. In electric cars, for example, supercapacitors are used for regenerative braking.
Releasing this torrent requires electrodes with high surface area - one of graphene's many phenomenal properties.
Stronger than diamond, more conductive than copper and more flexible than rubber, the "miracle material" was the target of a £50m investment by UK Chancellor George Osborne.
But while this carbon monolayer is the state-of-the-art material for commercial supercapacitors, it is prohibitively expensive to produce.
Finding cheap, sustainable alternatives is the speciality of Dr Mitlin's former research group at the University of Alberta.
They have experimented with all flavours of biowaste - from peat moss to eggs. Most recently, they turned banana peel into batteries.
"You can do really interesting things with bio-waste. We've pretty much figured out the secret sauce of it," said Dr Mitlin.
The trick is to tailor the right plant fibre to the right electrical device - according to their organic structure.
"With banana peels, you can turn them into a dense block of carbon - we call it pseudo-graphite - and that's great for sodium ion batteries," he explained.
"But if you look at hemp fibre its structure is the opposite - it makes sheets with high surface area - and that's very conducive to supercapacitors."
The first step, he explained, "is to cook it - almost like a pressure cooker. It's called hydrothermal synthesis.
"Once you dissolve the lignin and the semicellulose, it leaves these carbon nanosheets - a pseudo-graphene structure."
By fabricating these sheets into electrodes and adding an ionic liquid as the electrolyte, his team made supercapacitors which operate at a broad range of temperatures and a high energy density.
Direct comparisons with rival devices are complicated by the variety of measures for performance.
But Mitlin's peer-reviewed journal paper ranks the device "on par with or better than commercial graphene-based devices".
"They work down to 0C and display some of the best power-energy combinations reported in the literature for any carbon.
"For example, at a very high power density of 20 kW/kg (kilowatt per kilo) and temperatures of 20, 60, and 100C, the energy densities are 19, 34, and 40 Wh/kg (watt-hours per kilo) respectively."
Fully assembled, their energy density is 12 Wh/kg, which can be achieved at a charge time less than six seconds.
"Obviously hemp can't do all the things graphene can," Dr Mitlin concedes.
"But for energy storage, it works just as well. And it costs a fraction of the price -$500-1,000 a tonne."
Having established a proof of principle, his start-up company Alta Supercaps is hoping to begin small-scale manufacturing.
It plans to market devices to the oil and gas industries - where high-temperature operation is a valuable asset.
His move to the US coincides with a change in regulatory attitudes - with signs that hemp could be making a comeback.
In China the crop is widely cultivated, and in Canada, the industry for textiles is growing.
"Fifty miles down the road from my house in Alberta there was an agricultural hemp processing facility. And all that bast fibre - it just sits in a high bay, and they don't know what to do with it," Dr Mitlin told BBC News.
"It's a waste product looking for a value-added application. People are almost paying you to take it away."
And if the technology really takes off - it could help economies, he argues.
"It's a robust plant - you can even grow it in Alberta, Manitoba.
"A lot of farmers would be thrilled to grow hemp." | <urn:uuid:ad0e9552-3bd5-4822-bc44-868ac998613e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-28770876 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394937.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00071-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938427 | 1,134 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Why do 40 per cent of Caucasians have type A blood, while only 27 per cent of Asians do? Where do different blood types come from, and what do they do?
In 1900 the Austrian physician Karl Landsteiner first discovered blood types, winning the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research in 1930. Since then scientists have developed ever more powerful tools for probing the biology of blood types. And yet I found that in many ways blood types remain strangely mysterious. Scientists have yet to come up with a good explanation for their very existence.
Interesting article about a subject crucial to all of us and yet something few of us know anything about. I’m embarrassed to say I have no clue what my blood type is. | <urn:uuid:53e2e6b7-bd9a-44de-89e7-bd6df4b7642a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.loopinsight.com/2014/07/19/why-do-we-have-blood-types/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396872.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00013-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932851 | 151 | 2.953125 | 3 |
TETRIX is a robotics building system that was created by Pitsco. The system consists of aluminium elements for construction and powerful drive motors, controlled by an NXT brick. This article provides building instructions and programming examples for a simple TETRIX robot.
Here are three Sample TETRIX VIs for TETRIX projects.
Place the plate on top of the channels. There should be four small holes in the plate that line up with four small holes in each channel. Take the DC Motor Controller from your kit and line it up with two of the four holes that line up on one side of your robot. Fasten the controller, plate, and channel together with a screw and nut. Feed the screw down through the top and attach a nut on the bottom. Use the hex key to tighten fully.
Also attach the servo controller to the base in the same way on the other side.
Take a DC motor, a motor mount, a motor shaft hub and a wheel from your kit. Slide the motor mount around the front of the motor until the leading edge of the motor mount is flush with the crack in the motor housing, as seen in the picture. This may take a bit of force as the motor mount is designed to fit snugly.
Once you have the motor mount on the motor, attach the shaft hub by sliding it onto the axle and tightening the screw into the flat part of the axle.
Attach the wheel to the motor axle mount with two screws. Now repeat this procedure with another motor, motor mount, motor shaft hub, and wheel, so that you have two wheels that are ready to be mounted to the base of your robot.
Take the two motors and attach them to the underside of the base, using the long motor mount screws. Secure them the outermost holes on the channels, making the motors as far apart as possible so that you will be able to attach the motor cables later.
Take from your kit a short tube, two tube clamps, and two tube plugs. Place one plug in one end of the tube and attach a clamp to the end. Make sure that the plug stays at the end of the tube and doesn’t wander to the middle.
With the other plug and clamp, Repeat this procedure on the opposite end of the tube, making sure that the new clamp lines up with the existing one along the tube.
Attach a hard-point connector to an L bracket as seen here with a small screw and nut.
Take another L-bracket, a long stand-off post, and the servo joint pivot bracket from the kit, along with the tube assembly and the L bracket you just created. Connect them according to the picture, making sure to use only the stand-off post and a screw when connecting the L bracket with the hard-point connector to the pivot bracket.
Attach an axle hub to one omni-wheel with two screws through the small holes in the center of the wheel. Then attach the other omni-wheel to the other side of the hub, so the two wheels sandwich the hub. Make sure that the small, black, outer wheels on the omni-wheel are staggered, so that only one touches the ground at a time.
Now take your complete tube assembly, the two omni-wheels, two bronze bushings, and two large axle spacers, as well as one axle.
Place the components between the two arms of the joint bracket on the tube assembly in the following order: bushing, spacer, wheels, spacer, bushing. Feed an axle through all of these components and through the two large holes on the joint bracket.
Tighten the screw on the axle hub to keep the axle in place.
Mount the omni-wheel assembly onto the base of the robot by placing the L bracket on top of the plate and screwing it into the two center-most holes.
Next, create this battery-securing apparatus by placing two screws through two hard-point connectors and one flat bracket and into two long stand-off posts.
This apparatus should fit snugly over the battery pack.
Place the battery pack with the flattest side up on the robot base and secure it to the top plate by placing the posts over the pack and screwing them through the plate.
Attach two 5×3 LEGO angular beams to the hard-point connectors with connector pegs. Then connect a 7-hole beam to the outside of each of the angular beams, and connect the NXT to the top hole of the beam, so that it hangs comfortably on top of the robot.
Also attach a touch sensor to the hard-point connector on the front of the robot using connection pegs and another 7-hole beam.
Now connect the wiring of the robot. First, connect the motor controller and the touch sensor to ports 1 and 2 on the NXT. Next, connect the motor power cables to the motor 1 and motor 2 ports on the motor controller and then to the DC motors. Then connect the On/Off switch to the battery port of the motor controller and connect the battery pack to the On/Off switch with the white plug.
The last thing you should do to complete your robot is take all the wires and put them somewhere out of the way. This can be done by tying them down, wrapping them around other parts, or just bundling them together.
To start programming your TETRIX robot, open LabVIEW and choose to open a blank VI targeted to the NXT. Then go to Tools > NXT Tools > TETRIX Motor Configurator. This is where you tell the NXT where the motors are on the TETRIX robot. Click on Add Motor, so that you now have two motors configured. Then look at the drop down menus. If the motor controller is connected to port 1, you should choose port 1 in the NXT Port drop-down. Since only 1 motor controller is connected, the motors are connected to motor controller 1. For the Motor drop-down, change one of them to Motor 2. Then rename the motors, so that you know which one is which. A common naming scheme would be to name them Right and Left. Also, since your motors are facing opposite directions, you can reverse one of them so that they are both oriented the same way. Here is a sample motor configuration.
Once you have the motors configured, you can program the TETRIX robot just as you would any other LEGO NXT robot. The only difference is that instead of stringing in “Port 1” or some other port, you would use the Motor Configurations icon under the TETRIX tab in the Functions Palette. There are several sample exercises on the next page that can be used as introductory programming tutorials on the TETRIX robot.
Exercise 1: Drive forward for 5 seconds, then stop.
Note: These sample programs are available for download at the bottom of this page.
For this exercise, there are three parts to your program. The motors need to turn off, they need to stay on for a while, and then they need to stop. To turn the motors on, use two Move DC Motors blocks to turn on the motors and motor configuration constants to specify which motors. Be sure to specify what power level to give the motors. The one unique part about programming with TETRIX is that the motors need to be constantly fed inputs. If they do not receive a new command in 2.5 seconds, they will stop. To avoid this, you will need to put them in a loop, so that the program constantly feeds them inputs. To stop the motors, simply use two more Move DC Motors blocks and wire in a power level of 0. The final code should look something like this:
Remember that this motor configuration has the right motor reversed. If the right motor was not reversed, the motors would need power levels of opposite sign to drive straight because they are oriented in opposite directions.
Exercise 2: Drive forward until bumped, then back up and stop.
This exercise should look very similar to the first one. Instead of exiting the loop at a certain time, though, this program will wait for a touch (specifically for the touch sensor to be pressed). Therefore the Read Timer icon needs to be changed Read Touch > Pressed. Then you will need to wire in which port the touch sensor is connected to. Once the sensor is pressed, the motors should move backwards, so you will need two Move DC Motor blocks and two motor configuration constants, except this time you should feed them a power level less than zero. Add another a Wait For Time block, but do not have the robot go backwards for more than 2.5 seconds or they will time out. Then stop the motors as you did in Exercise 1, and your code should look like this:
Exercise 3: Drive forward with speed proportional to the reading of the sound sensor. Stop when bumped.
This program will once again look similar to the first. There should a loop constantly telling the motors to move forward, but instead of constants wired in to the power level, place a Read Sensor block set to the sound sensor and connect the output terminal of the Read Sound Sensor block to the power level terminals of the motor block. The code should look like this: | <urn:uuid:5b8eb33b-b6d7-425a-800f-37a14dc9b814> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.legoengineering.com/a-simple-tetrix-robot/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395620.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00055-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92681 | 1,914 | 2.671875 | 3 |
How to Become a Diesel Service Technician or Mechanic
A mechanic replaces a chain on a diesel engine.
Most diesel technicians learn informally on the job after a high school education, but employers increasingly prefer applicants who have completed postsecondary training programs in diesel engine repair. Although not required, industry certification can demonstrate a diesel technician’s competence and experience.
Most employers require a high school diploma or equivalent. High school or postsecondary courses in automotive repair, electronics, and mathematics provide a strong educational background for a career as a diesel technician.
An increasing number of employers look for workers with postsecondary training in diesel engine repair. Many community colleges and trade and vocational schools offer certificate or degree programs in diesel engine repair.
Programs mix classroom instruction with hands-on training, including the basics of diesel technology, repair techniques and equipment, and practical exercises. Students also learn how to interpret technical manuals and electronic diagnostic reports.
Diesel technicians who begin working without any postsecondary education are trained extensively on the job. Trainees are assigned basic tasks, such as cleaning parts, checking fuel and oil levels, and driving vehicles in and out of the shop.
After they learn routine maintenance and repair tasks and demonstrate competence, trainees move on to more complicated subjects such as vehicle diagnostics. This process can take from 3 to 4 years, at which point a trainee is usually considered a journey-level diesel technician.
Over the course of their careers, diesel technicians must learn to use new techniques and equipment. Employers often send experienced technicians to special training classes conducted by manufacturers and vendors to learn about the latest diesel technology.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Certification from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) is the standard credential for diesel and other automotive service technicians and mechanics. Although not required, this certification demonstrates a diesel technician’s competence and experience to potential employers and clients, and often brings higher pay.
Diesel technicians may be certified in specific repair areas, such as drive trains, electronic systems, or preventative maintenance and inspection. To earn certification, technicians must have 2 years of work experience and pass one or more ASE exams. To remain certified, diesel technicians must pass a recertification exam every 5 years.
Many diesel technicians are required to have a commercial driver’s license so they may test-drive buses and large trucks.
Customer-service skills. Diesel technicians frequently discuss automotive problems and necessary repairs with their customers. They must be courteous, good listeners, and ready to answer customers’ questions.
Detail oriented. Diesel technicians must be aware of small details when inspecting or repairing engines and components, because mechanical and electronic malfunctions are often due to misalignments and other easy-to-miss causes.
Dexterity. Mechanics need a steady hand and good hand-eye coordination for many tasks, such as disassembling engine parts, connecting or attaching components, or using hand tools.
Mechanical skills. Diesel technicians must be familiar with engine components and systems and know how they interact with each other. They often disassemble major parts for repairs, and they must be able to put them back together properly.
Organizational skills. Diesel technicians must keep workspaces clean and organized in order to maintain safety and ensure accountability for parts.
Strength. Diesel technicians often lift heavy parts and tools, such as exhaust system components and pneumatic wrenches.
Troubleshooting skills. Diesel technicians must be able to use diagnostic equipment on engine systems and components in order to identify and fix problems in increasingly complicated mechanical and electronic systems. They must be familiar with electronic control systems and the appropriate tools needed to fix and maintain them. | <urn:uuid:8d23b235-3f08-4e78-b902-c6df3dc8b03f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Installation-Maintenance-and-Repair/Diesel-service-technicians-and-mechanics.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391634.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00179-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939716 | 756 | 2.640625 | 3 |
DAVIS, Calif. — As more homeowners generate their own electricity from solar panels, they still need power from a utility after the sun goes down.
Now, automakers say they may have an answer, by storing that carbon-free energy in electric car batteries for later use.
Honda on Tuesday is introducing an experimental house in this environmentally conscious community to showcase technologies that allow the dwelling to generate more electricity than it consumes.
It is one example of the way solar companies and carmakers are converging on a common goal: to create the self-sufficient home, with a car’s battery as the linchpin.
With buildings and transportation accounting for 44 percent of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions, car companies increasingly view all-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell cars as vehicles that will meet environmental mandates and lead to development of new energy services and products beyond the garage.
Ford, Tesla Motors and Toyota are pursuing strategies similar to that.
“It’s a new world in terms of vehicles operating not as isolated artifacts but as being part of a larger energy system, and I think the greatest opportunity for automakers is figuring out how their vehicles become part of that system,” said Daniel Sperling, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis, which provided the building site and the heating and lighting technology for the Honda Smart Home.
The heart of Honda’s 1,944-square-foot home is a room off the spotless garage that contains a 10 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack housed in a black box. The battery is a smaller version of the one that powers the all-electric Honda Fit parked nearby.
Next to the battery pack sits a bigger white box called the Home Energy Management System. It is the brains of the house, deciding when to tap renewable electricity generated by a 9.5-kilowatt solar panel array installed on the home’s roof to charge the car’s battery or store the solar energy.
The rooftop solar array is about twice the size of one typically found on a comparable suburban home. The amount of electricity generated by the solar panels and stored in the battery pack allows the home to operate independent of the power grid, if necessary.
The home sends excess electricity to the grid. And if the utilities become overloaded, say, in the summer when temperatures spike and everyone turns on their air-conditioners, the local electricity provider can send a signal directing the home to send solar electricity to the grid to help avert blackouts.
A similar size home would consume 13.3 megawatt-hours of electricity a year while the smart home would generate an estimated surplus of 2.6 megawatt-hours annually, according to Honda.
“We can get our carbon footprint below zero,” said Michael Koenig, the project leader for the Honda Smart Home, as he stood in the living room of the airy, light-filled house while a rerun of “McHale’s Navy” played on a large flat-screen television embedded in a wall.
He held an iPad that wirelessly controlled all the home’s functions, from lighting to the power systems, and that showed the house generating 4.2 kilowatts of electricity on a partly sunny morning while consuming 0.84 kilowatt.
“The system will calculate the household electricity load for the day based on the home’s history as well as the expected solar output and it’ll only buy power at the lowest price,” Mr. Koenig said.
The Honda Fit EV in the garage has been modified to accept energy directly from the solar array, too.
To minimize electricity consumption, Honda and the university have installed several energy-saving technologies. A geothermal system taps heat in the ground below the house to provide heating and cooling while an energy-efficient automated lighting adjusts the hue of LEDs to mimic natural daylight. In the early evening, for instance, the lights cease to emit blue hues, which have been found to interfere with sleep.
Making concrete is a carbon-intensive process, so Honda replaced half the concrete in the foundation with pozzolan, a volcanic ash.
Steve Center, vice president for American Honda’s Environmental Business Development Office, said the company did not expect to sell green-building innovations like that. Instead, Honda will focus on the potential to sell home energy management technology and battery systems to homeowners, builders and utilities.
“We see a lot of things converging,” Mr. Center said. “There will be new business models like home energy sharing and energy storage, using your car’s batteries.”
He said one way into the home was through alliances with solar panel installers like SolarCity. In 2013, Honda and SolarCity created a $65 million fund to finance the installation of solar arrays for Honda customers.
Ford struck a deal with SunPower to give buyers of its electric cars a discount on the company’s solar panels. A prototype of Ford’s C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid electric car uses 16 square feet of SunPower’s solar panels on its roof to charge the car’s battery. No utility needed.
“There’s clearly a business case for the home market if battery prices continue to fall,” said Mike Tinskey, Ford’s director of global vehicle electrification and infrastructure. “You could charge the battery” of the car “at night using lower-cost, potentially cleaner electrons than you could use during the day when rates are higher.”
That, of course, would threaten the revenues of utilities, which have emerged as an obstacle to such systems.
In California, SolarCity has offered some customers 10 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery packs made by Tesla Motors to store electricity generated by solar panels. But the state’s three big utilities have been slow to connect such systems to the grid, arguing that homeowners could use batteries to store electricity when rates are low and sell it back to them when rates are high.
Regulators have so far sided with solar companies. The California Public Utilities Commission in October ordered the utilities to obtain 1,325 megawatts of energy storage by 2020 to help balance the grid as more sources of renewable but intermittent electricity come online.
The utilities commission also issued a preliminary ruling in October that directed the utilities to plug homeowners’ battery storage systems into the grid at no extra cost. But the ruling allowed homeowners to be charged connection fees if their batteries could store more electricity than their solar panels produced.
With solar installations in the United States soaring and state subsidies paying 60 percent of the cost of home energy systems installed in California, automakers expect more homeowners to view their electric car as a backup power source in the event of disruptions in the grid.
Both electric cars and the hydrogen fuel-cell cars can be modified to return electricity to the home or grid, though that technology has yet to be deployed outside pilot projects.
The Honda Fit EV has a 20 kilowatt-hour battery while the most expensive Tesla Model S electric sports sedan has an 85 kilowatt-hour battery. And the hydrogen fuel cell cars that Hyundai, Honda and Toyota are introducing over the next year can generate at least 100 kilowatts. The average home in the United States consumes about 30 kilowatt-hours of electricity a day, the United States Energy Information Agency says.
“There’s an enormous potential for fuel-cell vehicles to serve as a power source for the home,” Mr. Center said. | <urn:uuid:9bd75e39-2d30-4aaf-9b34-353fe49b75af> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/03/25/business/car-companies-take-expertise-in-battery-power-beyond-the-garage.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397864.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00062-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935748 | 1,577 | 3.1875 | 3 |
|IN THIS ISSUE:
ABOUT FRUIT SIZE
September never lets us down, and this one was no exception. How much rain has fallen across the Valley? It all depends on location. I think it safe to say a minimum of five inches has fallen everywhere, and some locations got that much and more the last Sunday in September.
Not only that, the season's first cool front came in last week. Though temperatures did not drop enough to constitute an "official" cold front, it was refreshing to have a northwesterly breeze (breeze, not strong winds), sparkling blue skies and milder temperatures for a couple of days.
Rainfall upstream has not apparently been as productive in terms of putting more water into the lakes. The US share of waters is currently around 72 percent of conservation level, not much changed from a month ago. Mexico's share of waters has, however, increased from the low to mid 30's to nearly 40 percent of conservation level.
The new crop is ready to go, as quite a few orchards are passing maturity tests?even with the heavy rains. The rains have likely delayed the startup of harvesting due to extremely wet fields, but I should think there are orchards dry enough now for harvesting operations.
What's the new crop like? Indications are that there will be more of it and that fruit size may be as good as last year. Some are predicting a substantial increase of up to 20 percent more, but others don't think there's quite that much out there.
Undoubtedly, there will be the usual plethora of blemishes and scars on the fruit, as there is just no getting away from our winds. However, citrus rust mite blemishing should be minimal, as this pest just didn't like the weather we had (up until September). Still, it is no time to let your guard down, as the mild, rainy weather can trigger a population increase that could readily result in significant damage in the next month or so.
The official crop estimates will be announced by USDA on Thursday, October 12, at 7:30 in the morning (CDT). Because of widely divergent early estimates in Florida, there is a bit more interest than usual in this USDA estimate. To recall, Elizabeth Steger says less than 130 million boxes of oranges in Florida; Louis Dreyfus claims about 160 million, while some growers were looking for more optimistic levels. Those were August estimates, and FCOJ futures prices are still declining from the resulting August highs of about $1.85, with the latest close near $1.70.
For Texas, some are reportedly calling for an increase of as much as 15-20 percent in grapefruit, with more modest increases (10 percent or less) in oranges. Meanwhile, it was recently announced that California's navel crop is expected to be down about one-fourth from last season, with shipping to start a little later in November. Too, California Valencias are getting scarce, so mid-October could see a shortage of California citrus.
ABOUT FRUIT SIZE-
Opinions differ as to the potential fruit size of the current grapefruit crop, with some calling for generally larger sizes such as occurred last season; and others contending that the fruit cannot achieve last year's size levels because of the overall increased fruit set.
As a rule, with more or less normal growth and development and mature trees, the relative size distribution of fruit is not significantly affected by small differences in annual production. That is to say that the percentage of any given size of fruit will be more or less the same from year to year, regardless of crop load. Obviously, greater tonnage will mean more cartons of a given size-though the percentage of that size is unchanged. Note, however, that this does not hold true when there is a rather light crop load or young trees which have not achieved full production as yet.
What determines final fruit size? First, the potential size of a piece of fruit is determined by the number of cells that are formed in that fruit. Cell division in the developing fruit occurs up until the end of the fruit drop periods. That usually occurs around May 20, give or take a few days, in Texas. Thus, the more cells that form, the greater the potential size, so the need for water and other cultural inputs during this critical period is essential to maximize cell division.
From late May until harvest, fruit size increases by the enlargement of the cells that are already present. Hot, dry weather, such as occurs in the Valley during the summers, can slow cell (and fruit) enlargement, but the potential size will ultimately be attained, given time and more favorable conditions.
Why are some fruit larger than others? For the most part, the larger grapefruit on a tree develop from flowers that form earlier than the others. Usually, these flowers are situated in a more preferential position on the tree or branch so that they out-compete other fruit.
According to work by Dr. John Fucik many years ago, Valley grapefruit increases about one commercial size each month it remains on the tree during the fall into early winter. In other words, a size 36 in October could be a size 27 in December.
That's why some growers do not like to harvest in October or November, as the fruit is not so large as it will be in December, so they lose tonnage. While it is true that tonnage is lower in an early harvest, this loss is normally offset by the relatively greater increase in size of the remaining fruit.
Indeed, if groves are not ring-picked in the fall, the largest fruit often become so large, and possibly coarse and puffy, that they often are not suitable for the fresh market. Too, the smaller fruit tend to stay small because they simply cannot compete with these larger fruit. In an ideal world, it would be preferable to do two or even three ring pickings through the season.
JULIAN W. SAULS, Ph.D.
| Valley Citrus Notes Index | Aggie Horticulture | | <urn:uuid:f8f49130-b1aa-4fb8-b147-aa131c506064> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/citrus/citrus_notes/06OCT.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783404405.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155004-00082-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969683 | 1,263 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Changes in the 100 Largest School Districts Between 1997 and 2007
While there has been considerable change in rank by size within the 100 largest school districts over time, the lists of school districts in 1997–98 and 2007–08 are similar. Only 16 of the 100 largest school districts in 1997–98 were not among the 100 largest school districts in 2007–08 (see table D-4 for a list of the 100 largest school districts in 1997–98).14
Between 1997–98 and 2007–08, the number of students in the 100 largest school districts increased by 4 percent, and the number of FTE teachers increased by 21 percent (table 4). However, while the numbers of students and teachers increased between these years, the proportion of the total for the United States and jurisdictions these numbers represent was essentially unchanged. For example, the 100 largest school districts included 23 percent of all students in 1997–98 and 22 percent in 2007–08.
14 When comparing the 100 largest school districts in 1997–98 to those in 2007–08, note that some of the districts changed their name during this period. The 16 public school districts that were among the 100 largest in 1997–98 but not in 2007–08 include Oakland Unified, California; Escambia County School District, Florida; Wichita, Kansas; Caddo Parish School Board, Louisiana; East Baton Rouge Parish School Board, Louisiana; Jefferson Parish School Board, Louisiana; Orleans Parish School Board, Louisiana; Minneapolis, Minnesota; St. Paul, Minnesota; St. Louis City, Missouri; Buffalo City School District, New York; Cincinnati City School District, Ohio; Portland School District 1J, Oregon; Shelby County School District, Tennessee; Ysleta Independent School District, Texas; and Seattle, Washington. | <urn:uuid:1f585fa5-3686-4ff1-9e55-c0ec891ae9a2> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2010/100largest/changes.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399106.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00081-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95113 | 359 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Spatial Databases as Models of Reality
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The real world is too complex for our immediate and direct understanding. We create “models” of reality that are intended to have some similarity with selected aspects of the real world. Databases are created from these “models” as a fundamental step in coming to know the nature and status of that reality. A Spatial Database is a collection of spatially referenced data that acts as a model of reality. A database is a model of reality in the sense that the database represents a selected set or approximation of phenomena. These selected phenomena are deemed important enough to represent in digital form. The digital representation might be for some past, present or future time period (or contain some combination of several time periods in an organized fashion).
Missouri GIS Conference, 1999 | <urn:uuid:97cf37f8-7481-4cfb-b312-fcac05f34259> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/handle/10355/3108 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393997.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00008-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923929 | 174 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Posted by R. Berg on November 07, 2003
In Reply to: Re: Or/nor posted by ABC on November 07, 2003
: : : "I don't know its Chinese name or/nor its English name." Should OR or NOR be used in the above sentence? What is the rule or convention involved here? Thanks.
: : There's probably a shorter, simpler answer. But I don't know what it is.
: : http://www.bartleby.com/64/C001/040.html
: : nor
: : The rules for using nor are neither simple nor easy to spell out. When using neither in a balanced construction that negates two parts of a sentence, you must use nor, not or, in the second part. Thus you must say He is neither able nor (not or) willing to go. Similarly, you must use nor (not or) when negating the second of two negative independent clauses: He cannot find anyone now, nor does he expect to find anyone in the future. Jane will never compromise with Bill, nor will Bill compromise with Jane. Note that in these constructions nor causes an inversion of the auxiliary verb and the subject (does he . will Bill .). However, when a verb is negated by not or never, and is followed by a negative verb phrase (but not an entire clause), you can use either or or nor: He will not permit the change or (or nor) even consider it. In noun phrases of the type no this or that, or is actually more common than nor: He has no experience or interest (less frequently nor interest) in chemistry. Or is also more common than nor when such a noun phrase, adjective phrase, or adverb phrase is introduced by not: He is not a philosopher or a statesman. They were not rich or happy. 1
: : More at neither and or.
: : or
: : When all the elements in a series connected by or are singular, the verb they govern is singular: Tom or Jack is coming. Beer, ale, or wine is included in the charge. When all the elements are plural, the verb is plural. When the elements do not agree in number, some people say that the verb should agree in number with the nearest element: Tom or his sisters are coming. The girls or their brother is coming. Cold symptoms or a headache is the usual first sign. But others object that these constructions are inherently illogical and that the only solution is to revise the sentence to avoid the problem of agreement: Either Tom is coming or his sisters are. The first sign is usually cold symptoms or a headache. 1
: : More at either, neither, nor, and subject and verb agreement.
: So, personally, what would you write: "I don't know its Chinese name or/nor its English name."? Just wonder. Or or nor in this sentence? Thanks.
The correct word in that sentence is "or." | <urn:uuid:a8bba5ae-d516-4565-b639-c089f7ec094a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/25/messages/928.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783404382.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155004-00115-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963773 | 616 | 2.65625 | 3 |
What is Cervical Foraminal Stenosis?
Each neck vertebra or bone in the cervical spinal column has a foramen or tunnel on each side of it through which nerve roots exit the spinal column. Cervical foraminal stenosis, then, refers to the constriction or narrowing of a foramina. When a foramina becomes too narrow, it can put pressure on the nerve root, causing neck pain and other symptoms.
What Causes It?
Narrowing of a cervical foramen is most commonly caused by degenerative changes or “wear and tear” associated with aging. As a person ages, bone spurs can form where a nerve root exits the cervical foramen, thus compressing the nerve as it passes through. This narrowing of the foramen can also be caused by a herniated or bulging disc that decreases the size of the passageway, squeezing the nerve roots in the process. Certain congenital problems may predispose a person to cervical foraminal stenosis.
Symptoms of Cervical Foraminal Stenosis:
Cervical foraminal stenosis typically causes neck pain that radiates into the shoulders and arms. It can also cause numbness, tingling, and weakness in the arms or hands due to pressure on the nerve roots. Narrowing of the cervical foramen usually occurs on only one side of a vertebra, which in turn can lead to symptoms in only one shoulder or arm. Less commonly, stenosis involving the foramina on both sides of the vertebra can cause symptoms on both sides of the body.
The neck pain and stiffness of cervical foraminal stenosis usually develops slowly over many years and may appear intermittently. It can be made worse by participating in certain activities or when holding the neck in certain positions. Some people live with this condition for years, attributing it to a “strained neck.” When the narrowing progresses and puts excessive pressure on the nerve roots, other symptoms such as of numbness, tingling, and weakness may develop.
Diagnosis & Treatment
How Is It Diagnosed?
A physical exam is always the first step in the diagnosis of cervical foraminal stenosis. Examination of the neck plus a neurological exam can be used to pinpoint which nerve roots are being compressed. X-rays are often performed to identify problems such as bone spurs that may be compressing the cervical foramen. This is typically followed by an MRI study of the neck. If the MRI does not identify the problem, a CT scan combined with a myelogram may be necessary.
Treatment of Cervical Foraminal Stenosis:
Anti-inflammatory medications and physical therapy or cervical traction may offer some relief, especially when the symptoms are mild. A nerve root block may be helpful in more advanced cases. This involves injecting a numbing medication and steroid into the area of nerve where it leaves the spinal column. An epidural injection of steroid medication into the area that surrounds the spinal cord may also temporarily relieve the symptoms. When symptoms fail to improve with conservative measures, surgery may be an option. A variety of surgical approaches may be considered, each with the goal of making more room for the nerve root to pass through the narrowed foramen. Fortunately, most people respond well to surgery for cervical foraminal stenosis.
Tom Wascher M.D. will review your imaging studies free of charge or, if needed, provide you with a second opinion. He has performed over 1,800 cervical surgeries during his career and wants to see that you receive the best treatment possible. He is a competent and caring surgeon who has your best interests in mind.
Why Choose Dr. Wascher? | <urn:uuid:798958bc-d6b7-4ba4-8432-c5e0b7060241> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://wascherspineinstitute.com/Conditions/cervical-foraminal-stenosis.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398628.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00176-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928783 | 764 | 3 | 3 |
Much of the recent debate over Australia’s new Energy White Paper deals with climate change, the planned growth of Australia’s coal and gas exports, and the future of electricity sector. And although when most people think of climate change and energy they also think of the transport sector, this new white paper has little to say on the subject.
This lower profile for transport is unfortunate for several reasons. Transport is unusual in its near-total dependence on a single form of energy (oil). The residential and industrial sectors have a greater array of energy sources to potentially meet their needs (such as for lighting, heating, cooling, and powering machinery).
Viable alternative energy sources for motorised transport are also very limited in comparison to other sectors. Indeed, the front-runner is the electric drive system, and it currently relies on electricity from the fossil fuel-dominated national electricity grid.
It’s also worth remembering that transport is largely exempt from the carbon tax.
Normal economic markets cannot resolve these issues. Governments must intervene to address these transport market failures.
Advocates of sustainable transport have identified two major energy issues; both are now widely recognised.
- Transport’s use of oil makes it one the major sources of national greenhouse gas emissions. It might be possible for Australia for largely de-carbonise its economy by 2050 without any significant contribution from transport, but this would require the remainder of the economy to produce almost no emissions.
- Future decline in global oil supply will mark an escalation in the cost of oil, with the obvious economic consequences. Australia’s domestic oil production is already drawing to a close; for us, peak oil is unequivocally a reality Australia will be increasingly reliant on oil imports in coming decades. For car-dependent households on lower incomes in particular, the end of cheap oil will add to the costs of mobility. A range of goods and services will also become more expensive as business recover their transport energy costs.
For these issues, the business-as-usual trends are discomforting. The growth rate of our transport greenhouse gas emissions has slowed, but continues to increase with population growth, while our reliance on imported fossil fuels for transport energy continues to increase. What the white paper has to say on these issues, therefore, is central to the sustainable transport debate.
Unfortunately, the white paper’s interest in climate change and peak oil might be charitably described as modest.
By a stroke of policy partitioning, the white paper leaves climate change to the climate change policies and offers little support for them. Given that cutting greenhouse gas emissions is primarily an energy policy issue, there is an obvious problem when the nation’s energy and climate change policies don’t sing from the same song sheet.
The white paper continues with the approach of the last national policy on energy security and proposes that the international oil market will continue to meet Australia’s needs. On this point, the white paper holds that these supplies are “mature, diverse, and reliable”, so that the domestic markets are “functioning efficiently and effectively and are well placed to meet future needs”. No “resource constraints” are expected to “at least 2035”. Rising demand for fuels will be partly offset by improving engine technologies and increasing use of alternative fuels.
So what does the white paper propose to do about liquid fuels? Three broad actions are offered:
- Continue to “monitor developments in the global liquid fuel market”.
- Work with industry and the Alternative Transport Fuels Implementation Advisory Group that takes “a market-led approach to the development and deployment of alternative transport fuels”.
- Develop a “more consistent long-term policy framework for liquid fuels so as to promote stability and certainty for future investment”. The first step is a Productivity Commission review on fuel excise and its possible replacement by a carbon-and energy-content based system.
There are also a set of actions relating to monitoring and assessment.
Clearly, these policies will add little to the nation’s efforts to reduce transport emissions or address oil energy security. Australia’s energy policy and climate change policy are seemingly pulling in different directions and nowhere is this clearer than in the transport sector.
Australia’s Federal Government has invested considerably in alternative transport energy research and policy development, but few of these outputs inform the white paper. And there are signs of differences in outlook; while climate change policy features the carbon tax and government intervention in markets, the energy white paper works with prevailing market activities and values.
This outcome points to a deeper and persistent schism in Australian politics. National resource and economic policy is being governed though essentially free-market policies while environmental policy is based in more regulatory and market-interventionist approaches.
Australia’s last energy white paper was from the Howard government in 2004. Advocates of sustainable transport were concerned about that policy’s failure to acknowledge the problem of peak oil, its technological optimism, and its failure to tackle greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector. Much of this criticism was sheeted home to that government’s scepticism over climate change and its boosterish attitude towards reaping the benefits from the nation’s energy exports.
Under the Gillard government, climate change is recognised as a major policy challenge for Australia. But this seems to have little impact on that government’s view of the future of transport. Those market forces that have served to direct the path of our transport sector to date have been entrusted with its future; this has been facilitated and supported by Federal Government policy. And it is not good news for either our emissions, or reducing our dependence on expensive oil.
Leigh Glover is a Research Fellow, GAMUT at University of Melbourne
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Reproduced with permission.
RenewEconomy Free Daily Newsletter | <urn:uuid:4b7d63d9-bdcd-40c2-b1f5-9b3600b8a16b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://reneweconomy.com.au/2012/oils-well-in-the-white-papers-version-of-future-transport-82376 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395620.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00198-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94858 | 1,205 | 2.921875 | 3 |
June 11, 2011
By Jason Bardi
Source: UCSF News Services
A report issued by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) last December reviewed all the available scientific data compiled to date about potential environmental risks of breast cancer—factors such as pesticides, beauty products, household chemicals, and the plastics used to make water bottles.
The IOM report concluded that there was not enough data to confirm or rule out that exposure to most of these factors caused breast cancer. However, the report did identify two factors that definitely increased risk: post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy and radiation exposure from medical imaging.
Now, a special article in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine details the findings of the IOM report as they relate to medical imaging and what women can do to minimize their risk of breast cancer.
"The single thing that the IOM highlighted that a woman can do to lower her risk of breast cancer is to avoid unnecessary medical imaging," said Rebecca Smith-Bindman, MD (left), a professor of radiology and biomedical imaging, epidemiology and biostatistics at UCSF, who wrote the article, and who contributed to the IOM report.
While CT scans and other forms of medical imaging have revolutionized medicine and can be life-saving, said Smith-Bindman, women need to engage their doctors in the decision-making process and insist on the necessity and safety of all radiological scans they undergo.
"They should understand the risks and benefits and ask their doctor to explain the risks and benefits," said Smith-Bindman.
She suggested that patients ask their doctors questions like:
The article, "Environmental Causes of Breast Cancer and Radiation from Medical Imaging/Findings from the Institute of Medicine Report" by Rebecca Smith-Bindman appears in the Archives of Internal Medicine on June 11, 2012.
The report was commissioned by the breast cancer foundation Susan G. Komen for the Cure | <urn:uuid:c10f9269-a9bc-4f25-ae84-e5b560a92d9e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.coe.ucsf.edu/coe/news/bc_lower_riskIOM.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783400572.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155000-00200-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964118 | 391 | 2.625 | 3 |
Historical Timeline of Reproductive Rights in the United States
1973 (January 22) The U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in Roe v. Wade.
Roe v. Wade challenged a Texas statute that made it a crime to perform an abortion unless a woman's life was at stake. The court struck down the Texas law and recognized that the constitutional right to privacy "is broad enough to encompass a woman's decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy". By a 7-2 vote, Roe established that:
Justices White and Rehnquist dissented in both cases.
1976 In the case, Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth, the Supreme Court ruled against a Missouri statute that would force a married woman to obtain her husband's approval before getting an abortion and ruled against a written parental consent requirement for minors.
Congress enacted the first Hyde Amendment and thereby limited federal funding for abortions through Medicaid and all other HHS programs.
The first marital rape law is enacted in Nebraska, making it illegal for a husband to rape his wife.
1977 In Maher v. Roe, the Supreme Court upheld a Connecticut ban on public funding for abortions, with the exception of abortions that were "medically necessary."
The Hyde Amendment is revised to allow states to deny Medicaid funding except in cases of rape, incest, or "severe and long-lasting" damage to the woman’s physical health.
1978 Congress amended Title X, legislation that provides funding for family planning and health screening services. The amendment placed "a special emphasis on preventing unwanted pregnancies among sexually active adolescents," adding services specifically for teenagers
1979 Physician John Franklin succeeds in challenging a vague Pennsylvania state law that places unnecessary restrictions on doctors performing abortions when a fetus is or "may be" viable.
1980 The Supreme Court upheld the Hyde Amendment in Harris v. McRae, ruling that "a woman's freedom of choice (does not carry) with it a constitutional entitlement to the financial resources to avail herself of the full range of protected choices."
1983 A Missouri requirement that abortions after the first trimester must be performed in hospitals is found unconstitutional. Another anti-abortion law, mandating parental consent or court authorization for an abortion, is upheld.
1986 Pennsylvania health care providers join in a challenge to several state abortion restrictions, which leads to a resounding affirmation of a woman’s constitutional right to choose abortion. State-scripted lectures biased against abortion and extreme, health-threatening limits on post-viability abortions are struck down.
1989 In Webster vs. Reproductive Health Services, the Supreme Court broadened the restrictions that could be put on the use of tax money to pay for abortions. It also approved a requirement in the State of Missouri that after 20 weeks the physician must do viability testing on her pre-born baby.
1991 In Rust v. Sullivan, the Supreme Court rules that family planning clinics that receive Title X funding can be forbidden to answer clients’ questions about abortion.
Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania reaffirms the "core" holdings of Roe v. Wade that women have a right to abortion before fetal viability, but allows states to restrict abortion access so long as these restrictions do not impose an "undue burden" on women seeking abortions.
1992 In the case Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, while refusing to overturn Roe, the Supreme Court nevertheless upheld a laundry list of abortion restrictions (parental consent, anti-abortion counseling, and a waiting period) only invalidating spousal notification.
1993 President Clinton lifts the “gag rule” that forbade doctors in federally funded clinics from mentioning the option of abortion. He also lifted the ban on the use of fetal tissue in research.
Dr. David Gunn is killed outside his Pensacola, Florida clinic. Michael Griffith is convicted of his murder.
1994 John Salvi kills two receptionists and wounds five others in two Boston-area clinics.
Congress passes the Freedom of Access to Clinics Act (FACE), making it a federal crime to use force of threats to interfere with a woman’s right to seek an abortion.
Paul Hill fatally shoots abortion provider John Britton and his bodyguard in Pensacola, Florida.
1996 President Clinton vetoes legislation that would have banned a late-term procedure” because it lacked an exception for the women’s health as well as her life.
Bernard Slepian, a Buffalo, New York abortion provider is shot to death.
2000 The FDA approves RU-486 “abortion pill”, a safe, effective, and private alternative to surgical abortion.
President Bush closes the White House Office for Women’s Initiatives and Outreach, which served as a liaison between the White House and women’s organizations. [what is this? – brief explanation]
President Bush removes contraceptive coverage from the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan (FEHBP), even though the Office of Personnel Management found that the coverage did not add any additional cost to the FEHBP premiums.
The House passes the “Unborn Victims of Violence Act.” The bill elevates the legal status of a fetus to that of an adult human being.
2002 Bush administration announces new rules covering fetuses but not pregnant women in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), reducing women to “host” status.
The House passes the “Child Custody Protection Act” which would make it a federal crime to transport a minor across state lines for an abortion unless the parental involvement requirements of her home state had been met.
President Bush withholds $34 million in funding for birth control, maternal and child health care, and HIV/AIDS prevention from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
President Bush fails to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination (CEDAW), an international treaty, already signed by 170 nations, to protect women’s rights. The legislation requires ratifying nations to remove barriers to discrimination against women in the areas of legal rights, education, employment, health care, politics, and finance.
U.S. House of Representatives passes “Abortion Non-Discrimination Act” (ANDA), which allows a broad range of health care entities to refuse to comply with existing federal, state, and local laws and regulations pertaining to abortion services.
Bush administration reverses U.S. position in support of 1994 global agreement that affirms the right of all couples and individuals to determine freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children and to have the information and means to do so.
2003 President Bush's proposed budget for fiscal year 2004 denies women access to abortion services and provides no increase for the Title X family planning program.
Senate and House defeat Department of Defense (DOD) Amendments that allow women in the military stationed overseas to obtain an abortion at military facilities if they pay for it with their own funds. Currently, military women must either search for abortion services elsewhere in the country in which they are currently serving or ask their supervisors for permission and time to travel to another country where abortion is legal.
The U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives pass the “Partial Birth Abortion Ban” with no exception for women’s health, which President Bush then signs into law. This ban threatens to overturn Roe v. Wade and criminalizes the most common abortion procedure used after the first trimester. Immediately upon the bill's signing, major reproductive rights organizations filed three separate lawsuits. In each case, the courts have issued temporary restraining orders preventing the law from being implemented.
Site Map Login Contact | <urn:uuid:bb64448f-60a9-4913-9da0-f68836c9d5cd> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.trustblackwomen.org/2011-05-10-03-28-12/publications-a-articles/african-americans-and-abortion-articles/28-historical-timeline-of-reproductive-rights-in-the-united-states | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395620.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00147-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936955 | 1,567 | 3.4375 | 3 |
NATHAN, SIR MATTHEW:
English soldier and administrator; born in London Jan. 3, 1862; son of Jonah Nathan. He joined the Royal Engineers on May 19, 1880, from the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, where he received the Pollock medal as the most distinguished cadet of his term, and the sword for exemplary conduct. He was promoted captain in the engineers on May 19, 1886, and major on Oct. 22, 1898. He served in Sierra Leone (1883-84) in connection with its fortification as an imperial coaling-station, and again as commanding the Royal Engineers in 1885-86 and 1886-1887; likewise in Egypt in 1884-85 (Nile expedition), in India in 1887-91, and in the Lushai expedition of 1889, for which he received a medal with clasp. He acted as secretary to the Colonial Defense Committee from May 11, 1895, and was created a companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (Jan. 2, 1899) for services in this capacity. In March, 1899, Major Nathan was appointed by Queen Victoria to administer temporarily the government of Sierra Leone. In Oct., 1900, he was appointed by the queen, governor of the Gold Coast in succession to Sir F. M. Hodgsom. This was the first appointment of a Jew to a distant English colonial governorship. He was appointed governor of Hongkong in 1904.
Major Nathan has been a member of the council and of the executive and building committees of the Anglo-Jewish Association.
One of Nathan's brothers is Major F. L. Nathan, R.A., who was appointed in 1900 superintendent of the Royal Gunpowder Factory, Waltham Abbey. Another brother, Sir Nathaniel Nathan, is a colonial judge at Trinidad, West Indies. He was knighted in 1903.
- Jew. Chron. March 10, 1899, and Oct. 26, 1900. | <urn:uuid:4a8bb467-6093-4b70-aa4e-185f943252e4> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11365-nathan-sir-matthew | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398216.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00085-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979271 | 402 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Exposition of the Old and New Testament, by John Gill, [1746-63], at sacred-texts.com
zac 0:0INTRODUCTION TO ZECHARIAH
This book is in the Hebrew copies called "the Book of Zechariah"; in the Vulgate Latin version, "the Prophecy of Zechariah"; and, in the Syriac and Arabic versions, the Prophecy of the Prophet Zechariah. His name, according to Jerom, signifies "the memory of the Lord": but, according to Hillerus (a), "the Lord remembers": either us, or his covenant; his promises of grace, and concerning the Messiah, of which there are many in this book. The writer of this prophecy could not be, as some have imagined, Zacharias the father of John the Baptist; since there must be some hundreds of years difference between them; nor the Zacharias, the son of Barachias, slain between the temple and the altar, our Lord speaks of in Mat 23:35 for though their names agree, yet it does not appear that this prophet was slain by the Jews; indeed the Jewish Targumist, on Lam 2:20, speaks of a Zechariah, the son of Iddo, a high priest, slain in the temple; but it could not be this Zechariah, since he was no high priest; Joshua was high priest in his time; nor could he be slain in such a place, seeing the temple and altar were not yet built; nor was this prophet Zechariah the son of Jehoiada, slain in the court of the Lord's house, Ch2 24:20 for, as their names do not agree, so neither their office, he being a high priest, this a prophet; nor the times in which they lived, Zechariah the son of Jehoiada lived in the times of Joash king of Judah, two or three hundred years before this; but this was one of the captivity of Babylon, and who came up from thence with Zerubbabel, Neh 12:16 and was contemporary with the Prophet Haggai; so that the time of his prophecy was after the Babylonish captivity, and was delivered to the Jews that were returned from thence; and the design of it is to stir them up to build the temple, and restore the pure worship of God; and to encourage their faith and hope in the expectation of the Messiah; for the book consists of various visions and prophecies relating to him, and to the times of the Gospel; and the visions are, as some Jewish writers (b) observe, very obscure, and like the visions of Daniel, and difficult of interpretation. There are several passages cited out of this book in the New Testament, as Zac 8:16 in Eph 4:25, Zac 9:9 in Mat 21:5 in Mat 27:9 in Joh 19:37 in Mat 26:31 which abundantly confirm the authenticity of it. This prophet seems to have lived and died in Jerusalem; and, according to Pseudo-Epiphanius (c), was buried near Haggai the prophet; and with which agree the Cippi Hebraici (d), which inform us that Haggai was buried in a cave in the downward slope of the mount of Olives; and at the bottom of that mount was a large statue called the hand of Absalom, near to which was the grave of Zechariah the prophet, in a cave shut up, and over it a beautiful monument of one stone: and Monsieur Thevenot (e) tells us, that now is shown, near the sepulchres of Absalom and Jehoshaphat, on the descent of the mount of Olives, the sepulchre of the Prophet Zacharias.---It is cut in a diamond point upon the rock, with many pillars about it. Sozomen (f) the historian, indeed, makes mention of Caphar Zechariah, a village on the borders of Eleutheropolis, a city in Palestine, where it is pretended the body of this prophet was found in the times of Theodosius, to which no credit is to be given; nor is there any dependence to be had on the former accounts.
(a) Onomastic. Sacr. p. 508, 957, 958. (b) Aben Ezra & Jarchi in loc. & R. Abendana in Miclol Yophi in loc. & Kimchi in ver. 8. (c) De Prophet. Vita & Interitu, c. 21. (d) P. 29. Ed. Hottinger. (e) Travels, par. 1. B. 2. ch. 37. p. 184. (f) Hist. Eccles. l. 9. c. 17. | <urn:uuid:bb7eaab8-5a34-42a7-8d3f-29054c9d39a0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/cmt/gill/zac000.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396959.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00130-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96845 | 1,019 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Tracking monsters: Skye and Australia's Dino Stampede
- 10 May 2013
- From the section Highlands & Islands
New research has questioned the established view of what is regarded as the only known example of a dinosaur stampede. But one Scottish scientist says he is interested, but not convinced, by the latest theory.
In central Queensland, Australia, there is the Dinosaur Stampede National Monument.
The monument is a former quarry where, since the 1960s, as many as 4,000 dinosaur footprints have been uncovered.
In 1984, the tracks were identified by scientists as being the result of small creatures fleeing from a larger animal, possibly a predator similar to the Tyrannosaurus rex, about 95 million years ago.
"The story is an interesting one," says Dr Neil Clark, of University of Glasgow's Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery.
However, he adds: "I am afraid that I don't agree with the aquatic footprints."
Two years ago a BBC Two programme, Dino Stampede, examined the Australian site and interviewed Dr Clark as an expert on the subject.
The programme used evidence of dinosaur footprints found at Valtos on Skye - Scotland's Misty Isle - to help explain what happened in Queensland.
Dr Clark has previously described Skye as one of the world's most important palaeontology sites. Its standing is underlined by the number of finds from the Middle Jurassic, about 170 million years ago.
Evidence of dinosaurs and ancient large reptiles from other periods have also been found on the island. They include more than 100 marks left by a lizard called Isochirotherium - also known as the hand-beast - 270 million years ago.
Dr Clark has been intrigued by the new research challenging Australia's dinosaur stampede.
"Yes, the animals probably were running about in wet mud, perhaps a shallow stream to allow for the aligning of the bits of plant, as they suggest," says Dr Clark.
"However, they would not have been running at the same rate counter to the flow direction, as they are with the current if they were swimming.
"Long claw marks is not an indication of swimming tracks."
Dr Clark adds: "If you ever go to the beach and look at the marks left by dogs walking, or running, along the shoreline, you will see some very long drag marks of their claws in the sand.
"I think that they are dealing with a shoreline deposit - which would also explain the aligning of the plant material parallel to the shore - with dinosaurs running along it, mostly in one direction, but not exclusively."
Dr Clark admits to also having some doubts about a stampede of small dinosaurs being pursued by a large predator.
He says that some of the footprints show animals running towards the bigger beast. Dr Clark suggests the tracks may have been made over a number of hours, days or weeks in different layers of mud.
While having doubts about there having been a stampede, Dr Clark does not dismiss completely theories that the larger footprints were made by a theropod, a diverse group of creatures that stood up on their back legs and include Tyrannosaurus rex.
He said: "I would plank for the predator - or at least a large theropod of some sort - based on the sharp, pointed claw marks of the larger tracks."
The smaller prints may have been made by family groups of smaller theropods possibly similar to those that left footprints on Skye.
Dr Clark said: "In short, I am not sure that the case has been made for either the stampede, or the current swimming, and a lot more work will need to be done on this to account for all the observable features of the track site." | <urn:uuid:36084e14-3c0b-4724-943c-d3c2c8491ff5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-22465864 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396887.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00032-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976536 | 770 | 3.390625 | 3 |
A crew onboard a Russian ship has spotted debris from Japan's tsunami floating 3,000 kilometres out into the Pacific.
It is believed to be the first confirmed sighting of tsunami debris so far out into the ocean.
The Russian ship was sailing near Midway Atoll, 3,000 kilometres east of Japan, when crew sighted the collection of floating debris.
Among the wreckage was a television set, a refrigerator and a small boat registered in Fukushima.
The crew of the Russian ship recovered the boat and is now trying to trace its Japanese owner.
The International Pacific Research Centre in Hawaii says it understands that this is the first confirmed sighting of debris created by the Japan tsunami in March, which followed a major 8.9-magnitude offshore earthquake. | <urn:uuid:446c7640-cf92-4208-9753-e500a63b8a25> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-16/tsunami-debris-spotted-far-from-japan/3573498?pfm=sm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396147.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00122-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950453 | 154 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Tokenized: Colonization & Its Effect on Gender Expression
Submission by Sylvia Renee, TNG columnist
For centuries nearly every culture allowed for some kind of gender expression beyond what we now view as masculine and feminine roles. Those who lived in these borderlands between genders were often thought to have a sacred perspective, one that allowed them to understand gendered interactions in ways that no else could.
And then their physical and spiritual landscapes were colonized, occupied by hostile forces in the name of monotheistic religion.
Their sacred insights were viewed as a threat to the new social order. The first step toward making an occupied land forget themselves is to make them feel ashamed of their own heritage.
Religious decrees set out new rules of what was acceptable behavior and what wasn’t. Some of the earliest broad prohibitions against crossing the gender line come from the god of the desert in the book of Deuteronomy.
As the avalanche of this new history swept the landscape, it left only the colonial re-imagination of the wreckage.
And so we went from spiritual leaders to outcasts, freaks, and medicalized monsters.
Too often, people who live in border lands are forced to choose a side. Do you belong to Mexico or to the US? Are you Black or White? Are you gay or straight? Are you a woman or a man? Are you one of us, or are you one of them? Yet, this space in between was, and is, rightfully ours because it explicitly and accurately reflects all of our experiences and uncertainty in this world of binary oppositions?
For trans people, or any of the other gender cousins, as a whole, we are expected to largely disavow our lives prior to transition. While these experiences make us who we are they also mark us as being outsiders. Are you a man or a woman? We are told both explicitly and implicitly that we can only be one. We have to pick a side from limited (and limiting) options. For many of us, the act of picking or being forced to pick can be quite traumatic. We always face the consequences of this choice at the hands of the occupation.
Thousands of these sacred representations are now extinct. The few left have been filtered through generations of hatred – sometimes by identities that were equally sacred, such as the contemporary gay and lesbian movement. Even trans communities think that some weekly flavor of gender just is not trans enough to be considered authentic.
It would be easy to interpret this as another white person searching the spiritual wasteland of modern consumer culture. It would be easy to appropriate any of the few remaining identities, such as Two Spirit – an identity that the broader North American Indigenous Peoples use to recognize the multiple genders found in their individual traditions. It may be en-vogue for various people to claim the heritage of a people other than their own in the name of being different or somehow more spiritual. However in practice this is an act of violence. Though it would be easy to find safe-haven in one of these resilient traditions, it would be the latest in an equally long line of colonization and occupation of a space that we are not a part of. Beyond that, the identity becomes just another commodity to dull the pain of daily existence as soon as it is appropriated.
We are therefore left with a choice. We can continue the colonial project either through appropriation or shame. Or we can begin the long process of healing the wounds gained during the occupation until we can tear down our internalized barriers and once again find ourselves in the borderlands. Though the scars may fade, they are a memory of everything that we have lost and everything we need to rebuild.
The space between is rightfully ours and it will be again.
You can find more on this topic in Transgender Warriors by Leslie Feinberg.
This is the first of a series of columns on the colonization of identity. There will be at least two more over the course of the next few weeks, and certainly more in the future.
First time here? See what we're all about... Get involved... Send us a tip!... | <urn:uuid:15d29eaf-ac20-4b88-a226-5d9cfcabbf72> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://thenewgay.net/2011/01/occupation-part-i.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396224.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00088-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963103 | 834 | 2.796875 | 3 |
From America OnLine:
My 10-year old son was diagnosed with diabetes about 14 months ago. He has excellent control of blood sugars. How can we find out if he is a candidate for the BCG vaccine or get more info on the vaccine?
There are many studies underway world-wide to identify kids at high risk of developing diabetes through measurement of antibodies, then administering something to hopefully delay or, better still, prevent diabetes from occurring. Such studies have been evaluating:
- the use of insulin (in the The Diabetes Prevention Trial),
- BCG (which is an anti-tuberculosis vaccine),
- various anti-rejection medications that are used in transplant patients, and
- and nicotinamide (a vitamin).
All these substance have shown some promise in animal studies, and haven't yet been shown to work reliably in humans (although there's at least one youngster who hasn't gotten diabetes after seven years of insulin therapy to prevent diabetes when he's only had positive antibody studies, and it had been expected based on these antibody studies that he'd get diabetes within three years!)
The BCG trials include one at the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, in Denver, Colorado, but they have already enrolled enough kids that they are not accepting anymore (as of April 9, 1996).
Since your son already has diabetes, he probably doesn't qualify for these preventive trials.
However, if you have other children without diabetes, their antibody levels should be measured, and they could possibly become part of the Diabetes Prevention Trial.
For more information about the BCG research study, you could contact Dr. Georgianna Klingensmith at the Barbara Davis Center at (303) 270-8796.
Original posting 11 Apr 96
Last Updated: Tuesday April 06, 2010 15:08:52
This Internet site provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other health care professional.
This site is published by T-1 Today, Inc. (d/b/a Children with Diabetes), a 501c3 not-for-profit organization, which is responsible for its contents. Our mission is to provide education and support to families living with type 1 diabetes.
© Children with Diabetes, Inc. 1995-2016. Comments and Feedback. | <urn:uuid:23421a88-6905-4ecc-a828-fb4fdbcfb200> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/dteam/1996-04/d_0d_13c.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392159.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00077-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952366 | 490 | 2.859375 | 3 |
This resources brings a popular old resource up to date. As well as being smartened up this resource is compatible with iPads and other tablets as well as PCs. In essence it is the same as the older resource and is made to accompany a puzzle published in an old book by Henry Ernest Dudeney. The puzzle is a useful one for teaching deeper mathematical thinking because while it can be solved by trial and error, thinking about the maths behind it can make it much easier.
The goal is to choose a number that all 4 sides of the frame can add up to and arrange the cards to do this. Some numbers are possible some numbers are not. This puzzle has been selected as it allows students of all abilities to have a go as the maths involved is not difficult. The challenge should be to find a method of determining what numbers can be used as the common total amount, and then how to make finding the layout much easier. The resource provided here allows the puzzle to be demonstrated easily and can also allow whole class discussion of how to approach the problem. Clicking on one card and then another causes them to swap places. The resource totals the different lines automatically. Tapping the chalkboard brings up brief instructions.
If you would like the solution and teaching notes to this puzzle please contact me on twitter as this makes it much easier to see if it is a teacher or a child cheating on homework! If you don’t use twitter leave a request in the comments but this will take longer to receive a response.
This resource does not work with Internet Explorer 9. On Windows please upgrade to IE 10 or use Chrome or Firefox. Or use the original version of this resource linked to above.
HTML5 performance is still not quite there yet so on some devices this resource may lag slightly. | <urn:uuid:9a34ea3f-9371-42eb-bd69-44f05d447211> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.teacherled.com/2013/03/12/card-frame-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00142-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952204 | 362 | 3.484375 | 3 |
There's a good chance someone you work with is depressed.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 10 American adults are suffering from depression, which negatively impacts their relationships at work and home.
In fact, the costs of untreated depression are astronomical, totaling over $51 billion in absenteeism from work and lost productivity, according to Mental Health America.
This far exceeds the $100-$400 per person costs associated with treatment.
In fact, a new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto shows workers who were treated for a moderate depressive episode were 2.5 times more likely to be highly productive than those who were not. Those treated for severe depression were 7 times more likely to be high-performing than those who weren't.
But in the U.S., few workplace programs for treating depression exist because the benefits for employers are not always obvious. The absence of treatment programs is also likely driven by the stigma surrounding the disorder and the fact that it is largely misunderstood. | <urn:uuid:5a8bc754-5a8a-487c-be4a-d9fee2ff2856> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.businessinsider.com/treating-employee-depression-invest-psychology-2012-1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397873.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00064-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981795 | 203 | 2.71875 | 3 |
FARM SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
The Farm Security Administration (FSA) was created through the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act in September of 1937, in order to deal with the chronic poverty of American independent farmers and migrant farm laborers. This act created the fsa out of the Resettlement Administration, which President Franklin Roosevelt had launched via an executive order in the spring of 1935.
The FSA's activities fell into two chief categories: rationalization of farming in order to increase its e.ciency and decrease cyclical agricultural booms and busts and elevation of public awareness of the problems confronting farmers, especially in the Dust Bowl–ravaged Southern Plains. In order to achieve the former goal, the FSA sponsored fragmentary land-use reform, provided loans which Farmers Unions used to build cooperatives, and offered rehabilitation and settlement camps for a limited number of migrant farmworkers. fsa-sponsored photography documented the struggles of farmers and migrant farm workers, and included the work of Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Ben Shahn, Roy Striker, and Marion Post Wolcott. The FSA also sponsored Pare Lorentz's influential documentary, The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936). In the Great Plains, the fsa helped launch irrigation projects, most notably on the Platte River in Nebraska and the Colorado River in Texas. It also offered soil conservation assistance and loans at 3 percent to farmers, while sponsoring continued research into the causes and outcomes of the ecological crisis of the Dust Bowl in the region.
The Farmers Home Administration Act of 1946, signed into law by President Harry S. Truman, abolished the FSA and created the Farmers Home Administration (FHA) in its place.
Bradley H. Baltensperger Michigan Technological University
Baldwin, Sidney. Poverty and Politics: The Rise and Decline of the Farm Security Administration. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1968.
Lowitt, Richard. The New Deal and the West. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1984.
Worster, Donald. Dust Bowl: The Southern Plains in the 1930s. New York: Oxford University Press, 1979. | <urn:uuid:bff5df4a-0be8-4462-8de6-7d878453cbd3> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.ag.037 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397842.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00141-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92214 | 445 | 3.59375 | 4 |
Cultural Geography and Geography in the Media.
For students and teachers of Geography.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
New intercultural studies website...
Thanks to Rachel Bowles for the tipoff to a new site, written by the estimable Stephen Scoffham and Fran Martin.
It's called 'Frameworks for Intercultural Learning'.
It's being piloted at the moment, so head over there and check it out.
Recognising our role as global citizens is an essential part of living in the twenty first century. Global challenges such as climate change, the loss of biodiversity and conflicts between social groups require global solutions.
Schools, universities and other educational institutions have a key role in developing critical and creative thinking about such issues, and intercultural learning is central to this process. However, to find new solutions to global problems we need to promote intercultural dialogue and go beyond the limitations of Western models of development.
By directly applying the findings from the project
By exploring themes and topics which have emerged from the research.
Our aim is to help you to think more deeply about how you interpret your inter-actions with people from a range of places and cultures. Although the website draws on thinking and research from both Western and Southern perspectives, we acknowledge that it is located within an Anglo-Saxon context and expressed through the medium of the English language.
A central notion is that the nature of the relationship between people of different cultures is at the core of ethical and worthwhile intercultural learning experiences.
There are tasks to complete, videos to watch and other elements to support teachers and students interested in exploring cultural geography a little more. | <urn:uuid:70e27cfe-dc13-49d7-9015-5f1bb554fca8> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://cultcha.blogspot.com/2013/06/new-intercultural-studies-website.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395560.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00051-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949471 | 338 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Obesity Paradox: Thin Not in for Type 2 Diabetes?
Normal Weight in People Diagnosed With Type 2 Diabetes Tied to Higher Risk of Early Death
Body Size and Death Risk
For the study, researchers pooled data from five different studies of heart disease. During the course of those studies, 2,600 adults over age 40 were diagnosed with diabetes. A total of 293 people (11.2%) had normal weight based on body mass indexes (BMIs) at the time of their diagnosis.
Even after accounting for health risks, like smoking, high bad cholesterol, waist size, and high blood pressure, people who had normal BMIs were about twice as likely to die during the studies compared to people who were overweight or obese.
The study wasn't able to tease out what it was about normal-weight people with diabetes that might have made them less healthy than those who were overweight or obese, but researchers have some theories.
Body Composition, Fat Distribution May Trump Body Size in Diabetes
One is body composition -- the ratio of fat to muscle. Muscle is critical to controlling blood sugar because it is metabolically active, uses insulin, and burns sugars and calories.
"The muscle-versus-fat ratio is extremely important for diabetes development as well as health outcomes related to diabetes," Carnethon says.
Studies show that it's becoming more common for normal-weight people to carry less muscle and more body fat.
Doctors have even coined a term for this: TOFI, or thin outside, fat inside. It's especially common in older adults who naturally lose muscle and bone with age.
"It could well be that these people do have an adverse body fat distribution. They haven't measured it in this study, so you can't be 100% sure, but it would fit into the general idea that these people have an adverse fat distribution. There could be more on the inside," says E. Louise Thomas, PhD, a research scientist at University College London. Thomas studies body fat and metabolism, but she was not involved in the research.
"What may be very significant is not just the actual weight, but what's in that weight. What's the ratio between muscle and fat and where is that fat stored?" says Rifka C. Schulman, MD, an endocrinologist at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y. | <urn:uuid:fde88c79-e159-48e8-8aa3-34a308d1e707> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20120807/obesity-paradox-thin-not-in-for-type-2-diabetes?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396100.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00050-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975053 | 486 | 2.625 | 3 |
Neuroscience research on Autism has shown how misoprostol interferes with neuronal cell function. The researchers describe how misoprostol interferes at a molecular level with prostaglandins, which are important for development and communication of cells in the brain.
York U Autism-related study discovers how drug interferes with neuronal cell function
Molecular research shows misoprostol prevents cell communication.
A York University study has shown for the first time how the drug misoprostol, which has been linked to neurodevelopmental defects associated with autism, interferes with neuronal cell function.
It is an important finding because misoprostol is similar in structure to naturally-occurring prostaglandins, which are the key signaling molecules produced by fatty acids in the brain.
Past clinical studies have shown an association between misoprostol and severe neurodevelopmental defects including autism symptoms. Those studies looked at cases in Brazil in which women misused the drug early in pregnancy in unsuccessful attempts to terminate their pregnancies.
The York study examined mouse neuronal cells to discover how the drug actually interferes at a molecular level with prostaglandins, which are important for development and communication of cells in the brain.
“Early in the first trimester of pregnancy, neuronal cells reach out to communicate with one another,” says Dorota Crawford, an assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science in York’s Faculty of Health. “Our study shows that misoprostol interferes with this process by increasing the level of calcium ions in neuronal extensions, which reduces the number and length of these extensions. It prevents the cells from communicating with each other. If changes in prostaglandin level alter the development or differentiation of cells, it may have a physiological impact.”
Crawford and Javaneh Tamiji, who undertook the research for her master’s thesis in the Neuroscience Graduate Diploma Program at York, co-authored a study published online in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications: “Prostaglandin E2 and misoprostol induce neurite retraction in Neuro-2a cells.”
There is no indication that women in Canada are misusing misoprostol to terminate pregnancies, and in fact the drug is used safely for other purposes such as treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal ulcers. However, during early neuronal development the drug misoprostol or other environmental factors such as infections or inflammations, which can also increase the level of prostaglandins, may interfere with normal brain function, says Crawford.
Crawford and Tamiji focused on the drug misoprostol because they had evidence from the clinical studies of the neurotoxic effects of the drug. They used misoprostol and the naturally occurring prostaglandins side by side in their study and found that both compounds produced the same effects on neuronal cell function.
The study shows that misoprostol interferes with the prostaglandin pathway in a dose-dependent manner – in other words, the higher the dose, the greater the problems created.
“What that indicates to us is whether it is infection that will activate it, or whether it is the drug, it will cause the same effect,” says Crawford.
Now that it has been shown that misoprostol affects interaction between cells, the next step will be to do animal studies on mice to examine the physiological impacts on particular parts of the brain, she says.
Crawford’s lab is one of very few in the world that has adopted a multidisciplinary approach to the study of autism spectrum disorders, using molecular techniques to understand the link between causative biological factors (genes and environment) and the behavioural expression.
York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 200,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 Faculties and 28 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
Contact: Janice Walls, Media Relations, York University
Source: York University | <urn:uuid:cec0caf1-cb99-4878-a27d-d9d9bb88ca54> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://neurosciencenews.com/autism-research-misoprostol-neuronal-function/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398216.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00041-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927032 | 940 | 2.578125 | 3 |
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3History and geography of the United Kingdom: customs and traditions [Test]
Tradition has it that the first person over the threshold on New Year's Day will ... the furthest, survives the most rolls, or is successfully aimed between two pegs!
4Describing a picture - English
Eating out-Vocabulary - Dialogue : On the phone ( formal) - Dialogue .... On that day, approximately 3,000 people died. ... The picture is divided into two parts by a horizontal line that shows the normal temperature on Earth. On the right ... They tell the difference between the temperature of a year and the normal temperature.
5Around the world in 80 days - English
Similar tests: - At the station - At the airport - Dialogue : At the customs - Means of transportation ... They had arrived in Bombay two days earlier. ... between Kholby and Allahabad. ... to mistake sb for sb: to think that one person is someone else.
6Singular or plural. - English
series ==> a television series ==> two television series species ... We often think of them as a number of people (= 'they'), not as one thing (= 'it'). So we often ...
7Both / both of / neither / neither of / either / either - English
(talking to two people) Can either of you speak Spanish? ? I asked two people the way to the station but neither of them knew. You must say 'both of before us/ ...
>>> Search pages about this theme: search DIALOGUE BETWEEN TWO PERSON on our 100% free site to learn English.
8Direct and indirect speech - English
RULE TWO. ? If in direct speech the words within the quotation marks talk of a universal truth or habitual action then RULE ONE is followed or in other words the ... | <urn:uuid:62f54e34-67ce-497b-817d-666e8af6f23e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.tolearnenglish.com/english_lessons/dialogue-between-two-person | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397565.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00066-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920463 | 569 | 2.625 | 3 |
February 15, 2011
In a lesson, Anneena wants to write a play like a fairy tale. She started a play. The title is “The Castle Garden.”
Long, long ago and far, far away was a castle. The castle had a large garden with smart grassy paths and neat flower beds. In the castle lived King Charley and Princess Tara. King Charley said to Tara, “It’s time you had a husband.” But, Tara doesn’t want a partner.
The king arbitrarily sent a lot of invitations to dukes, princes, and kings. He did this because he wants to decide on Tara’s husband and besides, he wants to be a richer king. Princess Tara was cross. “This is a silly plan. The king’s plan is much too fast,” she said. From the invitations a lot of kings and young men came up to the castle with treasures and valuable things for her.
The castle’s parking lot was always full.
However, she never wanted anything like expensive carpets, hand crafted silks and gold and silver chests.
She ran into the garden. Gardener Carl, who was working there, listened to her story. He understood her anger. “I have always loved you but you could never love me. I’m a gardener. I have no chance,” said Carl sadly. “I love you, too,” said Tara. “We will tell my father at once.”
She said a nice speech to King Charley. “Look at these seeds, Father. They mean more to me than gold, silk, and carpets.”
“Wait and see” is the last message from Anneena.
I like this story. The young girl Tara is a smart princess. She has good eyes and a pure mind. We need those things now, too. I believe Tara and Carl will get married with the nation’s blessing.
Note: The Castle Garden is Stage 6 of Floppy’s Phonics, part of the Oxford Reading Tree, by Roderick Hunt and Alex Brychta (Oxford University Press). | <urn:uuid:8e305607-c219-457f-828e-2850c8aac28a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://mycorneroftheworld.edublogs.org/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398873.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00176-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97342 | 463 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Fuel cells: The science, study and promise of the newest player in materials handling
This cross section illustrates a proton exchange membrane, one of several fuel cell configurations and the one best suited to the materials handling industry.
Given volatile propane prices and the limitations of batteries, companies might feel as though they are forced to choose the lesser of two evils when powering their lift truck fleets. The emergence of fuel cell technology in the materials handling industry could offer a viable third option, but many questions remain unanswered. How reliable and durable is the hardware?
How safe are hydrogen fuel cells? What are the up-front and long-term costs? To what extent are fuel cells greener than conventional energy sources?
In recent years, fuel cell manufacturers and their customers have seen enough promise to begin a series of small-scale lift truck trials, many of which have turned into larger trials or full-scale installations. But even as pioneers work to answer some of the questions above, the long-term data many buyers prefer simply hasn’t yet been collected. Only time will tell how much of the lift truck market fuel cells will ultimately capture. Early indications suggest the technology could compete strongly in materials handling applications, offering reliable performance, a smaller carbon footprint as well as multifaceted savings.
Following the invention of fuel cells in 1838, they were referenced in the writings of Jules Verne, the father of science fiction. Laboratories spent the next century and a half working on the science, but viable commercial solutions remained a fiction. In a world where technological revolutions seem to come on a daily basis, impatient consumers and industry experts alike developed a dismissive attitude toward the technology.
“It’s always been a joke that fuel cell technology has been ‘the coming thing in the next few years’ for 30 years,” says Eric Jensen, director of research and development for new technologies at Crown Equipment.
Now that solutions have finally hit the market, Jensen suggests lift trucks could be the proving ground for more widespread adoption of the technology. “Materials handling is kind of hidden. It’s not in the consumer limelight. You see advances in fuel cell technology for the automotive industry, and it ends up on the front page. But I believe materials handling is leading the way with fuel cells for the automotive industry,” he says.
Fuel cells in the field
The space between lift trucks and freight trucks has already been bridged at sites like the new hydrogen fueling station at a Kimberly-Clark distribution center in Graniteville, S.C. Unveiled on Feb. 11 as the first of its kind, the station supports the entire lift truck fleet of the DC as well as county government vehicles and a Bridgestone/Firestone manufacturing facility across the street.
Bob Simon is director of process solutions for GENCO ATC, which partnered with Kimberly-Clark, Plug Power and Air Products to realize the hydrogen station project. The station was built with the help of $1.1 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars designed to accelerate the commercialization of hydrogen fuel cells. According to Simon, the application submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy suggested over-the-road freight trucks that travel routinely between the same destinations might benefit from hydrogen fueling stations at each stop.
In the meantime, the technology will likely be dependent on similar federal grants to build momentum in the market. “The outlook is promising, but there are still some obstacles, namely cost,” says Simon. “Without programs and incentives, it will be hard to overcome some of the reservations in the industry. Customers are willing to be leaders, but they don’t want to be pioneers.”
Frank Devlin, fuel cell segment manager for Raymond, agrees, noting that despite hydrogen’s reputation as catastrophically combustible, tens of thousands of fuel cell refuelings have occurred with no reported incidents. As fuel cells continue to prove themselves, energy prices might also work to encourage customers to give it a chance.
“Energy is on everyone’s minds these days, especially with the political unrest in the Middle East,” says Devlin. “People are asking what’s the best way to power anything, from your cell phone to your lift truck.” | <urn:uuid:26adad86-10f8-428f-9d29-19009cdb28e0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.mmh.com/article/fuel_cells_the_science_study_and_promise_of_the_newest_player_in_materials_ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395620.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00115-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956416 | 883 | 2.609375 | 3 |
(SCHLOTTANUS, VAN DER SLOOTIEN), (JOHN GEFFEN)
Polemical writer; born at Geffen, Brabant; died at Cologne, 9 July, 1560. He joined the Dominican order at Cologne about 1525. For many years he ably defended the Faith against the heretics by preaching and writing. Later he taught sacred letters at Cologne, and in 1554 was made a doctor of theology. About this same time he became prior of his convent at Cologne, and as such exercised the offices of censor of the faith and papal inquisitor throughout the Archdiocese of Cologne and the Rhine country. In the discharge of these responsible duties Slotanus came into conflict with the learned Justus Velsius, who in 1556, on account of heretical teachings, was obliged to leave Cologne. The vehement writings which Velsius afterwards published against the Cologne theologians moved Slotanus to write two works in which nearly all the heretical doctrines of his time are discussed with admirable skill.
Among his various works those most worthy of mention are: "Disputationum adversus hæreticos liber unus" (Cologne, 1558); "De retinenda fide orthodoxa et catholica adversus hæreses et sectas" (Cologne, 1560); "De barbaris nationibus convertendis ad Christum" (Cologne, 1559). In the last-named work Slotanus witnesses to the ardent missionary zeal which fired the religious men of his time.
The Catholic Encyclopedia is the most comprehensive resource on Catholic teaching, history, and information ever gathered in all of human history. This easy-to-search online version was originally printed between 1907 and 1912 in fifteen hard copy volumes.
Designed to present its readers with the full body of Catholic teaching, the Encyclopedia contains not only precise statements of what the Church has defined, but also an impartial record of different views of acknowledged authority on all disputed questions, national, political or factional. In the determination of the truth the most recent and acknowledged scientific methods are employed, and the results of the latest research in theology, philosophy, history, apologetics, archaeology, and other sciences are given careful consideration.
No one who is interested in human history, past and present, can ignore the Catholic Church, either as an institution which has been the central figure in the civilized world for nearly two thousand years, decisively affecting its destinies, religious, literary, scientific, social and political, or as an existing power whose influence and activity extend to every part of the globe. In the past century the Church has grown both extensively and intensively among English-speaking peoples. Their living interests demand that they should have the means of informing themselves about this vast institution, which, whether they are Catholics or not, affects their fortunes and their destiny.
Copyright © Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company New York, NY. Volume 1: 1907; Volume 2: 1907; Volume 3: 1908; Volume 4: 1908; Volume 5: 1909; Volume 6: 1909; Volume 7: 1910; Volume 8: 1910; Volume 9: 1910; Volume 10: 1911; Volume 11: - 1911; Volume 12: - 1911; Volume 13: - 1912; Volume 14: 1912; Volume 15: 1912
Catholic Online Catholic Encyclopedia Digital version Compiled and Copyright © Catholic Online | <urn:uuid:3afa9cb6-d47b-4bb2-8638-71b90bca9dd2> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=10892 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396459.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00021-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942561 | 697 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Our programs are based on the scientifically proven positive reinforcement methods.
Positive reinforcement is about rewarding the animal for doing the right thing using what motivates the dog:
- Game of tug
- Kind words
This method is not about food bribing but about catching the dog doing the right thing. The more good behaviour is rewarded the more it will be repeated.
The advantage of this method is it does no harm and strengthens the bond between guardian and dog. | <urn:uuid:40038807-883b-4603-a96c-80e8dd6e28e9> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.positivedogtraining.com.au/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397695.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00059-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92702 | 94 | 2.71875 | 3 |
Welcome to "Nature Info: an online community & resource for nature lovers, gardening & conservation advocates."
The 11 CATEGORIES BELOW cover the following topics: • CONSERVATION • RECYCLING • Garden PESTS (ways to deter them), NATURAL HOUSE CLEANING, Which Fish are Safe to Eat • ATTRACTING & FEEDING Birds & Butterflies, Moths, Helping Injured Birds & Butterflies, Home-made Suet • AWESOME Nature things we saw or heard • FLOWERS, Trees, Bushes; questions & answers • NATURE CENTERS & Reserves • NUTRITION for Humanity (help third-world countries); also, our FOUR TOP FRUITS • PLANETS, Comets, Meteors, Natural Phenomena & Fractals • Nature EVENTS • SOUNDS OF NATURE (listen to whooping cranes, dolphins talking to human fetuses in the womb, etc.). Also, under this "WELCOME" category, visit some inspirational sites that will tweak your brainstorming, spirituality and enjoyment of life, or learn about the Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine; free anywhere in the U.S.
Note: I attracted ORIOLES & GROSBEAKS for two weeks, on their way north, in early May!
For extensive info on ATTRACTING BIRDS YEAR-ROUND anywhere: which prefer which seeds, which only feed off the ground, which are insect-eaters, cavity nesters, and descriptions of them, go to my article http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/34074/how_to_attract BIRDS.
For details on WHICH PLANTS ATTRACT WHICH BUTTERFLIES, their identification, natural defenses against predators, tips and photos, go to http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/32344/how_to_attract BUTTERFLIES, or check under "Attract birds, butterflies, etc." on this site.
Important: The last three categories don’t appear on this page, so please scroll down to “Previous Posts” on the sidebar to the right, click on the last posting, scroll down to Previous Posts again, and you’ll see them listed there. Now, let's immerse ourselves in nature! | <urn:uuid:aab2d248-543b-4388-8d2a-975884572e9a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://natureinfo.blogspot.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396455.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00178-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.825802 | 492 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Controls of Bedrock Geochemistry on Soil and Plant Nutrients in Southeastern Utah
The cold deserts of the Colorado Plateau contain numerous geologically and geochemically distinct sedimentary bedrock types. In the area near Canyonlands National Park in Southeastern Utah, geochemical variation in geologic substrates is related to the depositional environment with higher concentrations of Fe, Al, P, K, and Mg in sediments deposited in alluvial or marine environments and lower concentrations in bedrock derived from eolian sand dunes. Availability of soil nutrients to vegetation is also controlled by the formation of secondary minerals, particularly for P and Ca availability, which, in some geologic settings, appears closely related to variation of CaCO3 and Ca-phosphates in soils. However, the results of this study also indicate that P content is related to bedrock and soil Fe and Al content suggesting that the deposition history of the bedrock and the presence of P-bearing Fe and Al minerals, is important to contemporary P cycling in this region. The relation between bedrock type and exchangeable Mg and K is less clear-cut, despite large variation in bedrock concentrations of these elements. We examined soil nutrient concentrations and foliar nutrient concentration of grasses, shrubs, conifers, and forbs in four geochemically distinct field sites. All four of the functional plant groups had similar proportional responses to variation in soil nutrient availability despite large absolute differences in foliar nutrient concentrations and stoichiometry across species. Foliar P concentration (normalized to N) in particular showed relatively small variation across different geochemical settings despite large variation in soil P availability in these study sites. The limited foliar variation in bedrock-derived nutrients suggests that the dominant plant species in this dryland setting have a remarkably strong capacity to maintain foliar chemistry ratios despite large underlying differences in soil nutrient availability.
Neff, J. C., Reynolds, R., Sanford, R. L., Fernandez, D., & Lamothe, P. (2006). Controls of bedrock geochemistry on soil and plant nutrients in southeastern Utah. Ecosystems, 9:6, 879-893. doi:10.1007/s10021-005-0092-8 | <urn:uuid:9456b4e9-d932-4568-bf89-b45c1e62b412> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/crc_research/99/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393997.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00031-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.887947 | 453 | 3.15625 | 3 |
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This is the last in our series of posts on working with lines in photography which we highly recommend you check out.
When framing a landscape shot one of the types of environmental features that many photographers look for and like to incorporate in their shots is converging lines.
We’ve talked previously about how lines have the potential to add interest to an image – but multiple lines that converge together (or come close to one another) can be a great technique to lead your viewers eye into a shot.
Perhaps the classic example (and one that’s probably been overdone) of converging lines are railway tracks.
Position yourself in the middle of two tracks (after taking a look at what might be coming from behind of course) and you’ll see the two tracks on either side of you appear to get closer and closer together as they go into the distance.
Note: we don’t really recommend taking shots on tracks in this way. Safety first!
Take this shot and the natural reaction for those looking at the scene will be for them to follow the lines off into the distance. In a sense the two lines act like a funnel which directs the gaze of those entering them in a certain direction.
The same effect can be achieved with roads or pathways, converging fence lines, a set of stairs, power lines or virtually any other lines that run parallel into the distance or that actually converge at some point.
1. Experiment with Positioning – the classic railway line/road shot described above has many possibilities. One is to position the tracks dead center and symmetrically in the shot.
Another positioning would be to step to one side of the tracks and let them run diagonally through your frame from a lower corner to the opposite upper corner. The beauty of this is that you’ll end up with a more dynamic shot. Symmetrical and vertical placement of the lines can be powerful but diagonal lines tend to convey movement.
Alternatively stepping away from the start of the lines can give another perspective – as can holding your camera on an angle to give another diagonal framing of the lines.
2. Wide Angle Lenses – different lenses can totally change the impact of a shot with converging lines. I find that a wide angle lens can be particularly useful – especially when positioning yourself between the two lines.
This will help to give the perception that the distance between the lines at the starting point of the image is wider than it is. This exaggeration of the width of your lines can have a powerful impact upon your shot.
As you’re framing your shot ask yourself – ‘where is the most effective position to frame this?”
3. Positioning the ‘convergence’ – one thing to consider when you have converging lines in an image is that they draw the eye into a shot – towards the point that they converge – this becomes one of the most important parts of this image – a focal point.
Keep in mind rules like the Rule of Thirds that says that the intersecting points of imaginary lines a third of the way into an image are key points for positioning points of interest. This can be a good place to let your converging lines lead (although breaking this rule can be powerful too)
Also know that if the point of convergence is outside the frame of the shot that you are leading the eye out of your shot. This could leave a shot unbalanced and with tension – alternatively it could enhance the shot and leave your viewers wondering about the place that they converge.
4. Adding Interest at the Point of Convergence – Sometimes it is worth enhancing the point of convergence with something of interest (for example waiting until a train appears in the distance on the tracks – or positioning a person at the top of stairs) – on other occasions the composition of the shot is strong enough without adding an extra subject.
Here are a few more Converging Lines shots to illustrate the point and hopefully give a little inspiration.
Thanks for subscribing! | <urn:uuid:9f9d0855-ee60-49a5-a35f-1ee859178fbf> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://digital-photography-school.com/converging-lines/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393518.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00201-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947041 | 838 | 2.71875 | 3 |
Ralph Waldo Emerson once described a weed as, “a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.” Might we not consider garbage in the same way? One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, after all. To the non-recycler, an empty bottle is garbage. To the reuse enthusiast, that empty bottle could be a chandelier, a vase, a drinking glass, a candelabra … you get the picture.
In a world being consumed by waste, it’s time to think of our trash in a different light (and save some money while we're at it). The following 50 tips are just a few of the endless ways in which to discover the virtues of garbage.
1. Use a gallon milk jug to water the roots of garden plants without standing there with a hose: Poke small holes in the bottom of the jug and bury it; fill with water for slow and steady irrigation.
2. Place old silica gel packets with personal papers and important documents to protect them from moisture and mildew.
3. Humidity and light are deleterious to printed photos; tackle the moisture part by storing photos with silica get packets.
4. Use old wine corks to create a floating key ring; never worry about your keys sinking while at the beach or lake again.
5. Become a recycling old master, like artist Scott Gundersen, and transform old wine corks into masterpieces.
6. Make a bird feeder out of a 2-liter plastic bottle.
7. Pour used bacon grease into a tuna or cat food can, chill until firm, and wire the can to a tree to give your feathered visitors some food. Bacon grease may be gross to some of us, but it attracts bluebirds, crows, jays, ravens, starlings, woodpeckers and Carolina wrens.
8. Spread out old newspaper beneath a tablecloth to provide further protection against spills.
9. Don’t forget the old trick of using newspaper instead of paper towels to clean windows.
10. Once it's time to retire an old game, use the game board to make coasters.
11. Use old game pieces – Monopoly movers, dice, Scrabble tiles – to make jewelry or to decorate wrapped packages.
12. Place an open jar or bowl of dried, used coffee grounds in your refrigerator or freezer to neutralize odors.
13. Keep a jar of dried, used coffee grounds under the sink and use with dish soap as a scouring agent for cleaning caked-on stubborn food.
14. Mound used coffee grounds in a ring around garden plants to keep ants and slugs away.
15. Keep used tea bags in the refrigerator; in the morning, dampen if needed and put one on each eye to relieve puffiness and refresh sleepy peepers.
16. Dampen cool, used tea bags and place them on insect bites and minor burns; it’s said that the tannins help soothe and reduce inflammation.
17. Pack old newspaper sleeve bags in your purse of backpack for use as emergency galoshes.
18. If you hate the feeling of rubber gloves against your skin, use newspaper sleeve bags to protect your hands while washing dishes.
19. Did your bike inner tube spring a leak? Lucky you! Now you can save the tube and cut it into strips for a bonanza of rubber bands in custom widths.
20. You can also use a bike inner tube to fashion an industrial chic door draft stopper: Cut a length of tube a little longer that the door’s width, fill with sand and seal both ends; block drafts and stay cozy.
21. We are a people of rampant toilet paper use and thus, we are all left with a lot of toilet paper tubes. You can turn those tubes into playthings and nesting materials for your small furry pets.
22. Torn and crumbled toilet paper tubes also make fine packing material.
23. If paper towels are one of your “eco sins” (we all have our indulgences), you can use the cardboard tubes for any number of crafts.
24. Old disposable lighters can be turned into jewelry, toys, and tricky secret compartments in which to store your secret things.
25. Empty pill bottles need not head to the landfill when they can be taming the mess of your junk drawer, tool box, sewing kit, and so forth; they love to contain little things.
26. And speaking of sewing kits and pill bottles, you can put together a teeny one with thread, needles and safety pins, and house it in a pill container.
27. Pill containers can also hold a stash of Band-Aids in your purse for when blisters and paper cuts strike.
28. For little bits of soap that have given up their lather, collect them and put them in a stocking leg to keep by an outdoor faucet, ensuring that you’ll have soap on hand for outside cleanup.
29. Another way to use soap slivers is to wrap a group of them in a washcloth and tie it into a bundle; presto, you have a self-sudsing scrubber.
30. Put old, stained T-shirts to use fighting stains; cut them up and use them for messy spills around the house and in the garage.
31. Cut T-shirts into strips and knit with them; yes, knit.
32. Snagged pantyhose or tights may look unsightly on the legs, but nobody will care when they are being used in the home. For starters, they make great sleeves for posters, wallpaper rolls, wrapping paper and anything else that needs to stay rolled up.
33. Stockings that have passed their prime make great rags for cleaning and dusting.
34. And since over-the-hill pantyhose and tights seem to come in endless supply, they can also be cut and used for ersatz bungee cords, hair bows, sashes and arm warmers.
35. For the super crafty, use your old jeans for any of these cool old jean things.
36. Old sailors know this one: use banana peels to shine your shoes. Rub the inside of the peel on shoes, then buff with a soft cloth.
37. Don’t toss the ends of bread loaves; they deserve love too. Let them dry out and then turn them into breadcrumbs.
38. Use the peels of juiced lemons to make zest and twists, which can be dried or frozen for later use.
39. Use juiced citrus halves sprinkled with salt to clean stainless steel and other metal fixtures.
40. Add a hunk of orange peel to brown sugar to ensure it stays soft; no more trying to fit brown-sugar boulders in a measuring cup.
41. Parmesan cheese rinds may lack nice texture, but they have plenty of taste left and add richness to sauces; put them in soup stocks, minestrone, risotto and pasta sizes while cooking, then remove what’s left at the end.
42. Don’t throw old books away; upcycle them into beautiful handmade journals.
43. Have an ugly sweater that is just too ugly and is calling for the trash? Mittenize it! (That would mean turn it into mittens; see the how-to here.)
44. Another wonderful way to reincarnate a sweater is to unravel the yarn and knit it again; and if you’re not up for the reknitting part, there’s a mom at Reknit who will do the knitting for you.
45. During windy rainstorms the trash cans on city corners overflow with sad, broken umbrellas; all those materials just waiting for the landfill, while there are so many ways to use them. For starters, salvage the cloth and use it for purses, skirts, or best of all, a doggie rain coat.
46. Styrofoam to-go containers can be cleaned, torn up and used as packing peanuts.
47. Use paper egg cartons to start seedlings; since the paper will biodegrade, each cup with its seedling can be dropped right into the soil. Toilet paper tubes can be used in the same way.
48. Little jars can be cleaned and employed in a desk drawer to organize office supplies, a junk drawer for odds and ends, or a dresser drawer for jewelry.
49. Just because you may have gone paperless doesn’t mean you should throw your binder clips away. On the contrary: read 16 clever uses for binder clips.
50. Yes, this may seem random, but here goes: don’t throw away your old garden rake! Remove the head and hang it on the wall for use as a necklace tree, a rustic tie holder, a scarf organizer, a belt holder … the possibilities are many.
Related stories on how to reuse your garbage: | <urn:uuid:b1cd3e51-bf0a-4846-b5d6-46eee6bcdfbd> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.mnn.com/money/personal-finance/stories/50-ways-to-reuse-your-garbage | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399428.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00115-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.910483 | 1,903 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Figure SPM-6: Stabilizing CO2 concentrations would require
substantial reductions of emissions below current levels and would slow the
rate of warming.
- CO2 emissions: The time paths of CO2 emissions that
would lead to stabilization of the concentration of CO2 in the
atmosphere at various levels are estimated for the WRE stabilization profiles
using carbon cycle models. The shaded area illustrates the range of uncertainty.
- CO2 concentrations: The CO2 concentrations specified
for the WRE profiles are shown.
- Global mean temperature changes: Temperature changes are estimated using
a simple climate model for the WRE stabilization profiles.Warming continues
after the time at which the CO2 concentration is stabilized (indicated
by black spots), but at a much diminished rate. It is assumed that emissions
of gases other than CO2 follow the SRES A1B projection until the
year 2100 and are constant thereafter. This scenario was chosen as it is in
the middle of the range of SRES scenarios. The dashed lines show the temperature
changes projected for the S profiles (not shown in panels (a) or (b)).The
shaded area illustrates the effect of a range of climate sensitivity across
the five stabilization cases. The colored bars on the righthand side show
uncertainty for each stabilization case at the year 2300. The diamonds on
the righthand side show the average equilibrium (very long-term) warming for
each CO2 stabilization level.Also shown for comparison are CO2
emissions, concentrations, and temperature changes for three of the SRES scenarios.
Back to text | <urn:uuid:fa5082bd-a9e6-4c54-ac4a-e59a48c99f25> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/tar/vol4/english/figspm-6.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393332.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00103-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.872161 | 339 | 3.484375 | 3 |
We Do NOT Have a Federal Government
by Paul Rosenberg
WHAT WAS “FEDERAL”?
Nearly all of us use the word federal to refer to the United States national government, as distinct from the state governments. This has been an error on our part.
Federal was a description, not a name. It would be fair to use federative in its place. It described a type of government, not a particular organization.
For example, when we say “my friend has a fast car,” we don’t think that fast is the car’s brand name – it is merely a description of the car’s acceleration and top speed.
Federal was not the brand name of the government that James Madison designed, it was a description, like fast.
Notice how Madison distinguishes between national and federal. We have lost this distinction, and it is crucial. | <urn:uuid:5fb6004e-1c93-4a4e-bfda-e6154cdbaf5a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://revolutionradio.org/?p=18842 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397696.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00005-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951954 | 185 | 3.0625 | 3 |
After a historically tough year in 2012, public health and mosquito control experts are uncertain about what to expect this summer.
What is certain is that after a rainy June and recent hot weather, the mosquitoes are out there in big numbers.
“We have a large population of summer flood water mosquitoes, and the marsh mosquitoes that come out every year in June and July,” said David Henley, superintendent for the East Middlesex and Suffolk County mosquito control projects, which serve 28 communities, including Boston. He said field technicians started collecting samples of mosquitoes from traps in the latter part of June.
“We’re seeing mosquito collections that are really large.”
In Massachusetts, the concern is about two mosquito-borne viruses that can potentially be fatal to humans: West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis.
The trapping and testing is part of a system of surveillance done by mosquito control agencies around the state. Along with various forms of spraying or other treatments, the surveillance is a tool used to determine where the viruses are and whether infected mosquitoes are being found in increasing numbers. Along with treating catch basins or spraying, surveillance is a primary tool in managing the mosquito population, and therefore the illness risk.
The first — and so far only — West Nile virus finding of the season was found in a mosquito sample taken in Whitman on June 26. As they do every year, state and local public health officials are urging that people use precautions, particularly during the peak hours of mosquito activity, during dawn and dusk.
There were a record 33 human cases of West Nile virus in Massachusetts in 2012 and seven human cases of Eastern equine encephalitis, including two in Essex County that resulted in the deaths of people in Georgetown and Amesbury.
“It was the worst year for West Nile virus we’ve ever had, and the worst year for EEE since the 1950s, in terms of human cases,” said Dr. Catherine Brown, state public health veterinarian for the Department of Public Health. That department doesn’t officially track human deaths, she said, but at least three of the seven EEE cases resulted in deaths, as well as one West Nile Virus death.
There was also a dramatic spike in West Nile cases nationally, with 5,387 human West Nile cases reported in 2012. In 2011, the number of human cases was 712.
Part of his job is to prepare for the worst, acknowledged Jack Card Jr., director of the Northeast Massachusetts Mosquito Control and Wetlands Management District, which services 32 communities, primarily in Essex County.
“With what’s been happening, if it’s worse than last year it’s really going to be bad,” he said.
Experts have said that last year’s high number of cases had a lot to do with the hot temperatures, but predicting what will happen in this or any mosquito season can be difficult.
“For everything we know about West Nile and EEE, there is still a lot that we don’t know,” Brown said. “It makes it virtually impossible to predict accurately what a season is going to be like. That’s one of the reasons we rely so heavily on our mosquito surveillance data. By doing trapping and testing of mosquitoes, it helps us measure the season as it’s progressing and that’s what gives us our ability to assess risk.”
Brown advises people to stay aware of the surveillance data by checking in weekly with the Department of Public Health at www.mass.gov/dph/mosquito, which provides information, a risk map, and advice on how to protect yourself and your family.
State and local health departments recommend that people apply insect repellent with DEET while outdoors, be aware of mosquito activity particularly during peak hours of dawn and dusk, and wear light, long-sleeved shirts and pants, and white socks when outdoors. People are also advised to drain water from bird baths, gutters, and other potential breeding spots for mosquitoes, and to install or repair screens.
Brown noted that there are alternatives to using DEET.
“There are now multiple EPA-approved active ingredients that are found in different repellents, and so what I urge people to do is to pick one that works for you, because if you’re not willing to wear it, it’s not going to help you,” Brown said.
Amesbury and Salisbury Regional Health Department director Jack Morris, chairman of the Northeast Massachusetts Mosquito Control and Wetlands Management District, said the choices people make to protect themselves from mosquito-borne viruses should become part of the summer lifestyle, like applying sunscreen.
“We can assure people that West Nile virus and EEE are in the environment, and that people should use personal protection,” he said. “It’s like going out in the rain with an umbrella.”David Rattigan can be reached at DRattigan.Globe@gmail .com. | <urn:uuid:415e4668-ad37-4e79-ae5c-bf6b9c67be9e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/north/2013/07/03/health-officials-fear-bumper-crop-mosquitoes-this-year-mosquito-experts-fearing-tough-year/8ajRgTKcwaQ7acTeQKJlWN/story.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397873.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00134-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958599 | 1,044 | 2.953125 | 3 |
- change ups
But dont the landfills need organic waste
If companies like Organicycle are successful and people stop throwing their food scraps into their trash, won’t that rob the landfill of material to make methane?
Landfills around the nation produce a significant amount of methane gas, much of which is now captured and burned as fuel to generate electricity. The original intent, however, was to prevent the methane from escaping; methane is a greenhouse gas that remains in the atmosphere for years, and is more than 20 times more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, according to the EPA.
Still, landfill generating plants are relying on that methane, which comes from anaerobic breakdown of organic material in the trash buried underground.
According to the South Kent Landfill website, its 24 gas wells produce enough methane to generate 1.32 megawatts of electricity — enough to power several hundred homes. The Ottawa Farms Landfill power plant next to I-96 in Coopersville can generate up to 6 megawatts from its methane gas. Both of those landfill generating plants were built by Granger Construction in Lansing.
Joel Zylstra, chief operating officer of Granger, was asked if there was any concern about not enough organic material going into landfills to produce methane.
“Interesting question,” he said — after he stopped laughing. He indicated that landfill generating plant operators are not worried.
“It’s good that people are always trying to figure out better ways to recycle and use waste products in a better way. If they can do that productively, we’d encourage that,” he said.
“The good thing about what we have going is, if for whatever reason that kind of recycling can’t happen and it does end up in landfills where we have gas recovery systems, we kind of become the last ditch recycler of that energy,” he added. | <urn:uuid:3ce61758-3c8a-4312-a4dd-2e7769c7fe25> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.grbj.com/articles/73845 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395346.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00084-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953468 | 400 | 3.28125 | 3 |
The Afrocentric Controversy
Clyde Ahmad Winters
The attacks on Afrocentricism by Eurocentrists are unfounded. The scientific research methods support the findings of the Afrocentrists, and not the Eurocentrists.
Controversy surrounds the legitimacy of ancient Afrocentric history. Recently this debate has been mainly between Europeans and include Lefkowitz, D'Souza, and Bernal .
In the recent debate on Afrocentrism Lefkowitz and Bernal have argued about the legitimacy of this method of Africalogical research. D'Souza and Lefkowitz assert that the Afrocentric claims of Africans in ancient Greece and the Egyptian influence over Greece are nothing more than "Afrocentric mythologies of the ancient world" . And, as a result, Lefkowitz claims that the Afrocentrists are not teaching history. Lefkowitz, writes that there were no Egyptians in ancient Greece whereas the archaeological evidence makes it abundantly clear that Egyptians were in Greece hundreds of years before the coming of the Indo-Europeans.
The archaeological evidence discovered over the past century of Blacks as the founders of the Egyptian, Elamite and Sumerian civilizations validates the perennialists Afrocentric view of ancient history (Diop, 1974; DuBois, 1965, 1970; Jackson, 1974; Winters, 1985, 1989, 1991, 1994). This body of knowledge discussed in detail by Afrocentric essentialist supports the proposition that we teach students about the immense role of Blacks in the ancient world based on the Classical and Old Testament narratives. This literature provides us with the basis of the "Ancient Model" of world history discussed expertly by Bernal ( 1987, 1991).
C. Anta Diop is the founder of modern Afrocentricism . Diop (1974,1991) laid the foundations for the Afrocentric idea in education. Diop (1974, 1991) has argued that the genetic model can be used to explain the analogy between ancient African civilizations. There are three components in the genetic model: 1) common physical type, 2) common cultural patterns and 3) genetically related languages (Winters 1989a). Diop over the years has brought to bear all three of these components in his illumination of Kemetic civilization (Diop 1974,1977,1978,1991).
The foundation of Diop's (1974, 1991) view of ancient African history is that Egypt was a Black Civilization. The opposition of many Eurocentric scholars to Afrocentricism results from white hostility to Diop's idea of a Black Egypt, and the view that Egyptians spoke an African ,rather than Afro-Asiatic language.
Many Eurocentrists believe that African-Americans should only write about slavery and leave the writing of ancient history to more "qualified" scholars. Moitt (l989) observed that:
"The limitation has come about of the bias in
historiography. The central problem is that
historians have made plantation slavery and its
effects in the Americas their sole
preoccupation. And they have persuaded their
students to do likewise. The damage this has done
is incalculable. Blacks viewed their history and,
by extension that of Africa in terms of
Moitt (l989) believes that this desire to deny blacks a role in ancient history is the root cause of white opposition to Diop. He wrote that: "All of this raises the question of historical methodology and goes to the heart of the matter of Diop's isolation....To what must we attribute this negation of Diop? The negation goes beyond the artificial division of the African continent at the Sahara desert and hinges on Diop's ideas the most contentious of which is that the ancient Egyptians were Blacks. In this respect, the negation is not of Diop alone, but formation, Bantu migration, Islam and the slave trade are seen as major problems in African history, the debate over Egypt is stifled" (Moitt 1989,p.358).
Recently, Eurocentric American scholars have alleged to write reviews of Diop's recent book (Diop 1991). Although these reviewers mention the work of Diop in their articles, they never review his work properly, because they lack the ability to understand the many disciplines that Diop has mastered (Lefkowitz 1992,1996; Baines 1991).
For example Lefkowitz (1992,1996) , summarizes Diop (1974) but never presents any evidence to dispute the findings of Diop. The most popular "review" of Diop (1991) was done by Baines (1991) review in the New York Times Book Review. In this "review" Baines (1991) claims that "...the evidence and reasoning used to support the arguments are often unsound".
Instead of addressing the evidence Diop (1991) presents of the African role in the rise of civilization that he alleges is "unsound", he is asking the reader to reject Diop's thesis without refutation of specific evidence presented by Diop of the African contributions to Science and Philosophy. Baines (l991) claims that Diop's Civilization or Barbarism, is not a work of originality, he fails to dispute any factual evidence presented by Diop.
Baines (1991) wants the public to accept his general negative comments about Civilization or Barbarism ,based on the fact that he is an Egyptologist. This is not enough, in academia to refute a thesis one must present counter evidence that proves the falseness of a thesis not unsubstantiated rhetoric. We can not accept the negative views of Baines on faith alone.
Extreme Eurocentrists like D'Souza (1995) and Lefkowitz (1992, 1996) have assumed that the Afrocentrists are wrong about the prominent role of African/Black people in ancient times. D'Souza (1995) and Lefkowitz (1996) assert that the Afrocentric claims of Africans in ancient America, Asia, Greece and the Egyptian influence over Greece are nothing more than "Afrocentric mythologies of the ancient world" (Lefkowitz, 1996, 157) . And, as a result, Lefkowitz claims that the Afrocentrists are not teaching history.
The major spokesman for the Eurocentric view of African history is Dinesh D'Souza . Mr. D'Souza, a non-historian, linguist, etc., has made his mission in life the destruction of Multiculturalism, and Afrocentricism in particular, as additions to the curriculum of American schools. D'Souza (1995) believes that "...Afrocentrism fundamentally remains a pedagogy an initiation into a new form of black consciousness and also into manhood" (p.360). Given this Eurocentric view of Africalogy, D'Souza sets out to prove that slavery was not racist; that segregation was established by paternal whites to protect the former slaves; and especially that "Egypt was a multiracial society" dominated by white skinned Egyptians, and that the only time that Blacks /Africans ruled Egypt, was during the Nubian dynasty (p. 367-368) .
D'Souza (1995, 379) has questioned the Afrocentrists confirmation of the worldwide supremacy of African people before 500 B.C. The Afrocentric researchers, on the otherhand, have long ago proven that Kemet (ancient Egypt) (Diop, 1974; DuBois, 1965; Winters, 1994), the first two ancient civilizations of China (Xia and Shang) (Winters, 1983d, 1985c) , the Pelasgian civilization of Europe(DuBois, 1965; Parker, 1917, 1918; Winters, 1983b, 1983c, 1984a, 1985, 1994) and civilizations in ancient America (DuBois, 1965; Rensberger, 1988; van Sertima, 1976; Wiercinski, 1972; Wiener, 1920-1922; Winters, 1977, 1979, 1981/1982, 1984, 1984b) were founded by Black/African people speaking African languages.
Using the ancient model of historical research Bernal (1996), Asante (1996), and Winters (1994) have discussed the classical evidence of an African role in the rise of Greece.
Bernal (1996) on the other hand, argues that some Afrocentrists have "failed" to support some of their claims about the role of African people in ancient history. But overall these Africalogical researchers of the Afrocentric research tradition are presenting a view of history based on the "ancient model" of historical research.
Selected African and African American academics have also attempted to attack Diop (Blakey, 1995; Holl, 1995). Blakey (1995), like Baines (1991) disputes the findings of Diop but he fails to present any specific criticism of Diop's (1974, 1991)abundant archaeological, linguistic and historical findings denoting an African origin of Egypt. As a result, Blakey (1995) says that Afrocentrists "lack anthropological background" but he does not give one example of this "lack of background" in his long essay attacking Afrocentrism.
Holl (1995) an excellent African archaeologist that has made significant discoveries in relation to the ancient empire of Ghana has also recently criticized Diop. Holl (1995) provides a good summary of Diop's methods and research.
Holl (1995) believes that Diop's idea were based on Pan-Africanist movement and had direct roots in the work of Blyden (1887,1890,1905) and DuBois (1965,1970). As a result of Diop's participation in the Pan-Africanist movement, Holl (1995, 198-200) argues that the work of Diop is based on a political agenda.
The main criticism Holl (1995, 207) expresses regarding Diop's work is his identification of Ancient Egypt, Nubia and parts of the Sahara as the original homeland of the people of Senegal. Holl (1995, 207) claims that Diop has failed to support the migration of West Africans from a "Nilotic cradle" in the East, into West Africa.
This criticism is unfounded. There is abundant archaeological and linguistic evidence supporting the Saharan origin of the West Africans. Much of West Africa was heavily forested until the last part of the first millennium B.C. ( McIntosh & McIntosh, 1983; Winters, 1986). The Niger Delta, for example, was uninhabited until after 500 B.C. (McIntosh & McIntosh, 1983, 39-42).
Diop has marshaled linguistic and archaeological data to support an African origin for the people of West Africa. He used toponyms and ethnonyms to prove the migration of West Africans from the Central and Eastern Sudan (Diop, 1981).
Research is the foundation of good science, or knowing in general. There are four methods of 1) Method of tenacity (one holds firmly to the truth, because "they know it" to be true); 2) method of authority (the method of established belief, i.e., the Bible or the "experts" says it, it is so); 3) method of intuition (the method where a proposition agrees with reason, but not necessarily with experience); and 4) the method of science (the method of attaining knowledge which calls for self-correction). To explain Africans in ancient America, I use the scientific method which calls for hypothesis testing, not only supported by experimentation, but also that of alternative plausible hypotheses that, may place doubt on the original hypothesis.
The aim of science is theory construction (F.N. Kirlinger, Foundations of behavior research, (1986) pp.6-10; R. Braithwaite, Scientific explanation, (1955) pp.1-10). A theory is a set of interrelated constructs, propositions and definitions, that provide a systematic understanding of phenomena by outlining relations among a group of variables that explain and predict phenomena.
Scientific inquiry involves issues of theory construction, control and experimentation. Scientific knowledge must rest on testing, rather than mere induction which can be defined as inferences of laws and generalizations, derived from observation. This falsity of logical possibility is evident in the rejection of the African origin of the Olmecs hypothesis. Michael Coe, Bernard de Montellano and others reject outright the possibility that Africans built the Olmec civilization, because they observe Amerindian speakers in areas formerly occupied by the Olmec people. Just because these people may live in the Olmec heartland today, says very little about the inhabitants of this area 3000 years ago. These writers base their theories solely on observation--nonscientific knowledge is not science.
Karl Popper in The Logic of Scientific Discovery, rejects this form of logical validity based solely on inference and conjecture (pp. 33-65). Popper maintains that confirmation in science, is arrived at through falsification.
Therefore to confirm a theory in science one test the theory through rigorous attempts at falsification. In falsification the researcher uses cultural, linguistic, anthropological and historical knowledge to invalidate a proposed theory. If a theory can not be falsified through test of the variables associated with the theory it is confirmed. It can only be disconfirmed when new generalizations associated with the original theory fail to survive attempts at falsification.
In short, science centers on rejection of conjecture and refutations. Many commentators on Afrocentricism maintain that the Olmecs weren't Africans. In support of this conjecture they maintain: 1) Africans first came to America with Columbus; 2) Amerindians live in Meso-America; 3) the Olmec look like the Maya; 4) linguistic groups found in the Olmec heartland have always lived in areas they presently inhabit. These are all logical deduction, but they are mainly nonfalsifiable and therefore unscientific.
In summary , we tested four variables relating to the African origin of the Olmecs : : 1) Africans first came to America with Columbus; 2) Amerindians live in Meso-America; 3) the Olmec look like the Maya; 4) linguistic groups found in the Olmec heartland have always lived in areas they presently inhabit. Granted, we do recognize that Zoquean/Soquean and Maya speakers in Olmecland today. But the linguistic evidence of Swadesh indicate that they were not in this area 3000 years ago when a new linguistic group appears to have entered the area.
Secondly, any comparison of Mayans depicted in Mayan art, and the Olmec people depicted in Olmec art especially the giant heads, indicate that these people did not look alike (see http://geocities.com/Athens/Academy/8919/heads.htm). Moreover, just because Africans may have come to America with Columbus, does not prove that they were not here before Columbus. Yet, subscription to these theories is logical, but logical assurance alone, is not good science.
Logically we could say that because Amerindians live in the Olmec heartland today, they may have lived in these areas 3000 years ago. But, the evidence found by Swadesh, an expert on the Mayan languages, of a new linguistic group invading the Olmec heartland 3000 years ago; and the lack of congruence between Olmec and Mayan art completely falsifies the conjectures of the Amerindian origin of the Olmec theorists. The opposite theory, an African origin for the Olmecs, deserves testing.
I have presented here and on my numerous WebPages a theory for the African origin of the Olmec people ( http://homepages.luc.edu/~cwinter ; and http://geocities.com/Athens/Academy/8919 ). Within the various WebPages I have enumerated the following variables: 1) African scripts found during archaeological excavation; 2) the Malinke-Bambara origin of the Mayan term for writing; 3) cognate iconographic representations of African and Olmec personages; 4) the influence of Malinke-Bambara cultural and linguistic features on historic Meso-American populations; and 5) the presence of African skeletal material excavated from Olmec graves in addition to many other variables. The relation between these five variables, or a combination of these variables explains the African origin of the Olmecs.
For example, the linguistic evidence of Swadesh indicates that the Huastec and Mayan speakers were separated around 1200 BC by a new linguistic group. This implies that if my hypothesis that African settlers of Mexico wedged in between this group 3000 years ago, we can predict that linguistic evidence would exist in these languages to support this phenomena among contemporary Meso-American languages.
To test this hypothesis I compared lexical items from the Malinke-Bambara languages, and Mayan , Otomi and Taino languages (see : http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/8919/yquiche.htm).
This comparison confirmed cognition between these languages, and suggests a former period of bilingualism among speakers of these languages in ancient times.
In other words, in the case of the linguistic variable alone, the proposition of my African origin theory, matches the observed natural phenomena. The predicting power of this theory, confirmed by cognate lexical items in Malinke-Bambara, the Mayan, Otomi and Taino languages, indicates that the theory is confirmed. The ability to reliably predict a linguistic relationship between Malinke-Bambara and MesoAmerican languages, is confirmation of the theory, because the linguistic connections were deducible from prediction.
We controlled this theory by comparing Malinke-Bambara and Meso-American terms. This theory was first identified by Leo Wiener who noted the presence of many Malinke-Bambara terms in the cultural, especially religious lexicon of the Aztec and Maya speakers. Since we have predicted reliably this variable of my African origin of the Olmec theory, this variable must be disconfirmed, to "defeat" my hypothesis. Failure to disconfirm this theorem, implies validity of my prediction.
In this essay I have only discussed the linguistic evidence of an African origin, to demonstrate the difference between science and conjecture. My ability to predict successfully, a linguistic relationship between Malinke-Bambara and MesoAmerican languages, makes it unnecessary to search for a different underlying explanation for the Olmec heads, which look like Africans, because there were Africans who modeled for the heads. Moreover, the fact that the Taino words , were collected when the early Explorers arrived in America, long before any African slaves were deposited on these shores make it clear that any cognition between Taino and Mande terms have to pre-date the coming of Columbus.
This confirmation of variables in the African origin of Olmec theory indicates the systematic controlled , critical and empirical investigation of the question of African origins of the Olmec. This is validation of the Malinke-Bambara theory first proposed by Leo Wiener, in Africa and the Discovery of America, which presumed relations among the Olmec and Black Africans. This also illustrates that the Eurocentrists attacks on Afrocentrism are unfounded.
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Senghor, L.S. (1961). Negritude and African socialism, African Affairs, pp.20-25.
Toukara, B. (1989). Problematique du comparatisme , egyptien ancien/langues africaines (wolof), Presence Africain, no.149/150, pp.313-320.
Welmers, W. (1968). Niger Congo-Mande. In T.A. Sebeok (Ed.), Current Trends in Linguistics, 7,113-140.
Williams, B. (1987). The A-Group Royal Cemetery at Qustul:Cemetery L. Chicago: Oriental Institute, University of Chicago Press.
Winters,Clyde Ahmad (1977). "The influence of the Mande scripts on ancient American Writing systems", Bulletin l'de IFAN, T39, serie b, no2, (1977), pages 941-967.
Winters,Clyde Ahmad. (1977a) "Islam in Early North and South America", Al-Ittihad) .
Winters,Clyde Ahmad. (January 1979b). "Trade between East Africa and China", Afrikan Mwalimu, pp. 25-31.
Winters,Clyde Ahmad. (1979c). "Manding Scripts in the New World", Journal of African Civilization 1, no1 , pp. 61-97.
Winters, Clyde Ahmad. (1980a). "The genetic unity of Dravidian and African languages and culture",Proceedings of the First International Symposium on Asian Studies (PIISAS) 1979, Hong Kong:Asian Research Service.
Winters, Clyde Ahmad.(1980b) "A Note on the Unity of Black Civilizations in Africa, IndoChina, and China",PISAS 1979, Hong Kong: Asian Research Service.
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Winters,Clyde Ahmad (1981c). "Further Thoughts on Japanese Dravidian Connection",Dravidian Language Association News 5, no9, pp. 1-4.
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Winters,Clyde Ahmad, (1982b) "The Harappan script Deciphered :Proto-Dravidian Writing of the Indus Valley", P Third ISAS,1981,(Hong Kong:Asian Research Service) pp.925-936.
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To create this e-zine, I just sat down and thought to myself: what do I like to read? The content comes from a variety of sources: some I've written myself, some has been written by friends, and some has been contributed by other Internet users just like you.
I hope you enjoy this e-zine. Be sure to sign my guestbook at the bottom of the screen or send e-mail to let me know what you think (or to contribute articles or ideas). I'll be updating frequently, so check back often! | <urn:uuid:aa97ee17-7c4f-47a2-b9f2-a2b81819a6e9> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://clyde.winters.tripod.com/junezine/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392069.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00179-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.837631 | 7,899 | 3.15625 | 3 |
In his recent book “In the King’s Shadow”, Philip Manow explores the thesis that modern democracies have incorporated many monarchic forms of legitimization and expression. Our interpretation of democracy is rooted in the imagination of the monarchy. In his analysis, Manow focuses on regicide. He quotes the French revolutionary Robespierre, who is said to have commented on the public decapitation of King Louis XVI with the words, “the king must die so the country can live.”
The past eight weeks must have felt like a recurring walk to the guillotine for the German president Christian Wulff. But that is not the comparison I am interested in making. Instead, I want to focus on a peculiarity of the German political landscape: The office of the president can be interpreted as a remnant of feudal times. Like the British queen or the French president, the German president is the “head of the nation” rather than “head of state”. We expect the president to be of impeccable moral character, not unlike medieval kings. In Germany, the president holds no political power. His function is representative, and it is shored up by a rather diffuse appeals to “authority” and “dignity”.
The consent of the people plays a central role in this context. The divine right of kings was rooted in Christian teachings about the “kingdom of Jesus”, who was seen as the representative of God on earth. The people could dispose of kings when they failed to live up to the standards of generosity and decency that Jesus had embodied. The idea of “vox populi, vox dei” – the voice of the people is the voice of God – is a sentence that existed well before it was popularized by Marx and Engels in the 19th century.
Today, the people have spoken again. The judicative – in a democracy, prosecutors are acting on behalf of the people – announced that it would seek to have Mr. Wulff’s immunity suspended in order to launch an investigation into a possible corruption case. Here, we see a crucial difference to former kings: The consecration of kings was meant to be irreversible; immunity is a temporary concession. But when the point has been reached where consecration is questioned and immunity suspended, we sense that the time has come for the king to abdicate and for the president to resign. Legal and moral arguments became increasingly intertwined over the past few days, and the German president was forced to step down.
Yet even Mr. Wulff should have been held innocent until proven guilty. Under modern rule of law, guilt means that someone has violated a law, and that the violation has been proved beyond reasonable doubt. The law is not rooted in religious morality, and it is unfair to measure the president against those standards. Evidently, even modern democracies have never quite abandoned the conventions of feudalism. We praise the rule of law, yet judge by the standards of divine morality. Mr. Wulff’s insistence that his resignation does not imply an admission of guilt should be taken for granted. Sometimes, we seem to forget the protection of innocence. Under the cover of the law, we live and act as our forefathers did under the rules of divinity or the protection of the monarch.
Today, the nation has lost its head. The almost divine head of the German president has (metaphorically) been chopped off, and the political machine has slowed to a standstill. What is the body without its head, the state without the nation, or politics without a common idea?
This is the moment to pursue far-reaching change. In Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”, the sky darkens when the king is murdered. But today, the sky over Berlin remains bright. Evidently, our modern king is more expendable than we thought. So why don’t we reconsider the office of the president: Do we really want to protect and perpetuate those remnants of the monarchy? Or has the time come to abandon them? The president must die, so the free and secular republic can live.
Read Newest From Column Alexander Görlach: Kant and Merkel | <urn:uuid:ab6f0f7d-e3d3-493d-a24d-dd8f8cf20a34> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.theeuropean-magazine.com/40-goerlach-alexander/558-the-german-president-resigns | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393146.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00143-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971499 | 873 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Visualizing How Our Brains Make Visual Meaning of Our World
Posted by The Situationist Staff on December 26, 2012
Information designer Tom Wujec talks through three areas of the brain that help us understand words, images, feelings, connections. In this short talk from TEDU, he asks: How can we best engage our brains to help us better understand big ideas?
Related Situationist posts:
- The Situation of Human Vision
- Beau Lotto on the Situation of Sight,
- The Situation of Sight,
- Brain Magic,
- Magic is in the Mind, and
- The Situation of Illusion
Click here for a collection of posts on illusion. | <urn:uuid:ae44f6f0-e387-4002-a92b-2a3995ddc423> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://thesituationist.wordpress.com/2012/12/26/visualizing-how-our-brains-make-visual-meaning-of-our-world/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=1c947633de | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397428.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00083-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.880098 | 138 | 2.71875 | 3 |
Proving Angles Congruent - Proofs Worksheet
Number of Problems:
Angles – Supplementary, Complementary, Vertical, Adjacent – Proofs
1) Two angles whose measures have a sum of 180 are ________.
2) Two angles whose measures have a sum of 90 are ___________.
3) ____________ angles are two coplanar angles with a common side, common vertex, and no common interior points.
Write an equation and solve.
4) and are complementary. 2 5 and 15. Find ∠A ∠B m∠A = x − m∠B = x + the value of x, m∠A,m∠B
5) A supplement of an angle is 4 times the complement of the angle. Find the measure of the angle. Then find the measure of its complement and supplement.
6) The measure of a complement of an angle is three more than twice the measure of the angle. Find the measure of the angle and its complement.
7) A supplement of an angle is four times the measure of the angle. Find the measure of the angle.
8) Vertical Angles are always ________. (complementary, supplementary, or congruent). | <urn:uuid:b93dfe5d-8130-44e5-96a7-adc8b46c0ca3> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://tutor-usa.com/free/geometry/worksheet/proving-angles-congruent-proofs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398628.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00186-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.869526 | 262 | 3.828125 | 4 |
Thank goodness for the following study. It is good news for those of us who are professional daydreamers. I always knew it was true (hoping anyway.) Cheers to productive dreaming…
Peace out – Martin Fox with the Center for Global Leadership.
Surprise! Daydreaming Really Works the Brain -Got a tough problem to solve? Try daydreaming.
Contrary to the notion that daydreaming is a sign of laziness, letting the mind wander can actually let the parts of the brain associated with problem-solving become active, a new study finds.
Kalina Christoff of the University of British Columbia in Canada and her colleagues placed study participants inside an fMRI scanner, where they performed the simple routine task of pushing a button when numbers appear on a screen. The researchers tracked subjects’ attentiveness moment-to-moment through brain scans, subjective reports from subjects and by tracking their performance on the task.
Until now, scientists had thought that the brain’s “default network,” which is linked to easy, routine mental activity, was the only part of the brain that remains active when the mind wanders. But in the study subjects, the brain’s “executive network” – associated with high-level, complex problem-solving – also lit up.
The less subjects were aware that their mind was wandering, the more both networks were activated.
“This study shows our brains are very active when we daydream – much more active than when we focus on routine tasks,” Christoff said.
The findings, detailed in the May 11 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that daydreaming is an important cognitive state where we may unconsciously turn our attention from immediate tasks to sort through important problems in our lives.
“When you daydream, you may not be achieving your immediate goal – say reading a book or paying attention in class – but your mind may be taking that time to address more important questions in your life, such as advancing your career or personal relationships,” Christoff said.
That’s particularly good news, because daydreaming can occupy as much as one third of our waking lives, previous studies have found. | <urn:uuid:ca7058a1-8437-4064-bd5b-b8048281da42> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://centerforgloballeadership.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/surprise-daydreaming-really-works-the-brain/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397636.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00164-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949876 | 465 | 2.71875 | 3 |
The Hubble Space Telescope spied an asteroid breaking up into as many as 10 smaller pieces — a phenomenon that scientists have never seen before.
While we've seen more fragile comet nuclei disintegrate as they approached our Sun — the massive comet ISON famously broke apart near the Sun last year and was seen again in pieces shortly after — scientists haven't ever observed a breakup like this in an asteroid.
See also: The Hunt for Killer Asteroids
"This is a really bizarre thing to observe — we've never seen anything like it before,” says Jessica Agarwal of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Germany. "The break-up could have many different causes, but the Hubble observations are detailed enough that we can actually pinpoint the process responsible.”
This illustration, below, shows one possible explanation for the disintegration of the asteroid, which has been dubbed P/2013 R3.
We know that P/2013 R3 didn't collide with another asteroid because it didn't explode, but rather gradually broke apart. This means that it had a weak, fractured interior, likely the result of it surviving near-death collisions with other asteroids over the past 4.5 billion years. Now it's disintegrating because the sunlight is speeding up its rotation.
The photos below, which the Hubble telescope captured on Oct. 29, 2013, show the asteroid as it broke apart.
The grainy spots that form the comet-like tails are actually dust coming from rotating rock.
This week, two asteroids flew by Earth, coming closer to our planet than our own moon. The space rocks are just two of about 20 rocks per year that fly by Earth at a similar distance, NASA says. | <urn:uuid:337b8ddc-6af8-4c0e-9e80-0b8073b004b1> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://mashable.com/2014/03/06/asteroid-mysteriously-crumbles/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395560.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00127-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966445 | 350 | 3.734375 | 4 |
You have probably heard Hans Rosling's presentations on world population using the cool Gapminder software before. In his latest presentation — his sixth for TED — he mixes in some analog technique as well. This new analog teaching technique he picked up from Ikea, he says. This presentation below is excellent and is a good example of mixing analog and digital visualization techniques that result in a memorable short-form presentation. Watch the video below.
At a glance
Let's look at a few stills from Hans Rosling's talk below.
Above. One box represents one billion people. In 1960 there were one billion people in the industrialized world and two billion in the developing world. The gap on the table between the blue box and the yellow boxes represents the large socio-economic gap that existed in 1960.
Above. In 1960 those in the developed world aspired to buy a car, those in the developing world aspired to buy shoes. What Hans wants to show is that in spite of some of the old "the West and the Rest" language that is still used today, the world has changed.
Above. Here you can see the gap between the poorest of the developing (yellow/green boxes) nations and the rich (blue box) nations is much larger. The two billion of the poorest nations are struggling almost as much as in 1960, Hans says. In between the poorest and the richest are the emerging economies, the bulk of the world population. Hans's point is that while there is a "continuous world" from the poorest to the richest and no longer just a simplistic "us and them" or "the West and the Rest," the troubling part is that the poor are still very poor.
Above. For sure China is going to catch up by 2050 just like Japan did, Hans says, and if we invest well in green technology, etc. the emerging nations will move up right along the richest nations.
Above. Now how about the poorest two billion, will they catch up? The problem here, as Hans explains, is one of population growth (note that the two boxes have become four). In the rich and emerging countries, population growth will have essentially stopped by 2050. However, in the poorest countries the population will double by 2050 as demonstrated above.
Above. We've got to make a change so that people on this level are not stuck looking for food and shoes (i.e, move them away from poverty and its consequences), otherwise population growth will continue. However, if (and only if) they get out of poverty, get better health care, achieve high child-survival rates, etc. then the birth rate will stop increasing in 2050.
Above. Turning to the digital display to reinforce the point Hans shows how much of the world now has good child-survival rates and smaller families, but the two billion of the poorest still have a relatively large number of births per woman and poor child-survival rates. (Note how the analog box metaphor is also shown in the graph next to the population bubbles they represented earlier.)
The point is not to do it like Hans or even to use Gapminder software. The real point is for us to ask ourselves how we can incorporate digital and analog techniques into our presentations in a way that helps make the data come alive and illuminate the story in an honest and yet engaging and memorable way. There are many ways to do this; Hans Rosling's style is just one approach. But as Hans (and his team at Gapminder) has shown many times, data is not dull, in fact it tells a story. | <urn:uuid:7acbdd18-9bad-4b55-8700-a5be165e87ca> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2010/07/hans-rosling-redux-mixing-analog-with-digital-visualization.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395160.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00093-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958004 | 732 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Native art captures the spirit as well as the object
When the National Museum of the American Indian opened in 2004 as the newest venture of the Smithsonian Institution, a trustee of a large American art gallery didn't like what she saw.
"This is not a museum for collectors," she sniffed. "There's something else going on here."
She was right, grins the museum's founding director, Rick West. From Washington, West is leading a global transformation in the museum practice.
"It's a considerable shock to those grounded in Western art," West admitted in a Canberra lecture yesterday. Western traditions have always assumed that expertise sits within the institution rather than outside it. But this museum, designed by American Indians for American Indians, is as much a live cultural centre as a museum.
Here, native voices explain the meaning of the objects on their own terms. This was never meant to be a complete rejection of the traditional classification systems of many museums, says West. Rather, it is a recognition that Native Americans' own understanding of their material culture is authentic - and worthy.
He cites a Seneca Indian, Tom Hill, who when a boy learned about good and evil, creation, healing and respect, through the Iroquois ceremonial masks in his relatives' homes. Hill later realised museums also had masks. "But these exhibitions never captured the masks' spirit," he said. "Behind glass, they become [only] objects."
So the museum places as much emphasis on context as on object. Art lovers may be dismayed, West says, but it makes sense from the Native American perspective, where the object is secondary to the ceremonial or ritual process that led to its creation.
"This fusion of the profoundly spiritual with the otherwise purely physical, this primacy of the process of creating an object over the beautiful object itself ... are native ways of viewing objects that arguably are significantly different from the paradigms of Western art and art history.
"These are also the very reasons why the National Museum of the American Indian needs the interpretive voices of native peoples themselves in its exhibits."
West, the son of a Cheyenne artist and a non-native mother, admits the relationship between Native Americans and museums was not one of mutual affection. Besides treating Native Americans as "culturally vestigal", museum research methods dehumanised native people. In the Smithsonian's own collection are decapitated heads swept off battlefields for cranial studies.
The National Museum of the American Indian's 800,000-item collection was largely assembled by the almost obsessive George Gustav Heye in a "cultural salvage operation", says West. "American Indians were on their way off the stage of history," he says.
Now West, as at ease in his cufflinks and satin braces as in his tribal feathered regalia, is ensuring they take centre stage instead. | <urn:uuid:7c21c18c-2d11-4c45-8360-2b5b1547b438> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.smh.com.au/news/arts/native-art-captures-the-spirit-as-well-as-the-object/2005/07/07/1120704489112.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394605.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00165-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972967 | 581 | 2.953125 | 3 |
High Stakes Tests
I know schools are required to give state-mandated tests. But are children required to take these tests?
My child is significantly learning disabled. I don't see the point of putting him through the frustration of taking state mandated tests in 4th and 8th grade.
We understand that some parents of children with disabilities do not want their children to be tested. Like you, parents are afraid. They want to protect their children from pain and frustration. Before we answer your question, we'd like to talk about the issues with you and other parents.
High Stakes Tests
As parents listened to these groups, their anxieties grew. Parents were afraid their children would not be able to pass these tests. Some parents banded together to eliminate or water down the Standards of Learning.
We live in a rural county of Virginia. The population of our county is less than 10,000 people. The median income and education level is lower than most counties in the state. Teacher pay is low.
are four schools in our county - two elementary schools, a middle
school, and a high school. These schools are small. Teachers know
when children are having problems.
How did our schools do on the high stakes tests? One elementary school passed all the Standards of Learning tests. The other elementary school, middle school and high school passed all but one or two tests. Some children with disabilities are exiting special education because they passed the Standards of Learning tests. These children will continue to receive support they need to learn.
not know that Pete was diagnosed with severe learning disabilities
when he was 7. He had intensive one-on-one Orton-Gillingham remediation
from Diana Hanbury King every day after school for two years. For
years, he felt / feared that he was defective.
Because Pete had remediation, his reading and writing skills improved dramatically. And he can touch type very fast - almost as fast as he thinks.
State & District Assessments
In August 2000, OSEP published a report on state and district assessments. In this report, they discuss several reasons why parents should allow their kids to be tested:
Parents are change agents
It's our belief that if children are tested, parents will know if their kids are being taught the basic skills (which should happen in special ed). If children are not being taught, we believe that parents will pressure schools to provide effective educational remediation - and improve results.
We understand that parents want to protect their children from painful experiences.
that if parents pull their children out of state and district testing,
accountability will go down in smoke.
This is a hot topic with no easy answers. Stay tuned for more information. | <urn:uuid:36bdacf3-4659-4e7c-a2f2-553869234793> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/ltrs/exempt_state_tests.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402746.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00148-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976581 | 560 | 2.9375 | 3 |
In which Scrabble dictionary does DISSECTING exist?
Definitions of DISSECTING in dictionaries:
- verb -
cut open or cut apart
- verb -
make a mathematical, chemical, or grammatical analysis of
verb - to cut apart for scientific examination
There are 10 letters in DISSECTING:
C D E G I I N S S T
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SCRABBLE is the registered trademark of Hasbro and J.W. Spear & Sons Limited. Our scrabble word finder and scrabble cheat word builder is not associated with the Scrabble brand - we merely provide help for players of the official Scrabble game. All intellectual property rights to the game are owned by respective owners in the U.S.A and Canada and the rest of the world. Anagrammer.com is not affiliated with Scrabble. This site is an educational tool and resource for Scrabble & Words With Friends players. | <urn:uuid:169204ec-6750-4bf1-872c-b11214381b34> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.anagrammer.com/scrabble/dissecting | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408828.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00165-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.864325 | 282 | 3.28125 | 3 |
Community Service Teacher Resources
Find Community Service educational ideas and activities
Showing 1 - 20 of 2,641 resources
Should the Government Impose a Mandatory Year of Service?
Polling is an important aspect of research. Here's a skill-building activity that models for pollsters how to poll and how to analyze the results. After reading an annotated text that presents arguments for and against mandatory...
7th - 10th English Language Arts
Acting for the Common Goods
The first of a three-part series on bullying, this plan has class members present skits about bullying, write and sign an anti-bullying pledge, and complete a service project. For the skit, learners use information from previous lessons...
3rd - 5th Visual & Performing Arts
Ornaments for Nursing Home Tree
Students participate in an activity that will allow them to create a gift for a nursing home patient and give their gift to someone who needs a caring hand. In this community service lesson, students learn compassion, and also understand...
K - 5th Social Studies & History
Project-Based Learning: Community Service
Community service is the basis for a project based learning experience. Your class participates in four weekly activities that require them to research community issues and contribute their time and talent to assist those in need. This...
9th - 12th Social Studies & History | <urn:uuid:b15c8423-ae32-425b-b2e2-2526933af7b9> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.lessonplanet.com/lesson-plans/community-service | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399428.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00193-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927871 | 280 | 3.640625 | 4 |
A colorless liquid hydrocarbon of the alkane series, present in petroleum products such as kerosene.
- Chemical formula: C10H22; many isomers, especially the straight-chain isomer (n-decane), which is used as a solvent and in jet fuel research.
Oraciones de ejemplo
- The solvent was removed by evaporation with a N 2 stream and the dried lipid film was resuspended in decane to form a final total lipid concentration of 25 mg/ml.
- These compounds are sufficiently soluble in decane to form stable bilayers if they are combined with DOPE.
- Bilayers were composed of 80% phosphatidylethanolamine and 20% phosphatidylcholine dissolved in decane at a final concentration of 50 mg/ml.
For editors and proofreaders
División en sílabas: dec·ane
Definición de decane en:
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= de moda | <urn:uuid:3f1fa5fb-beb9-4b53-bfee-a4884e432e88> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/es/definicion/ingles_americano/decane | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397749.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00185-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.684258 | 276 | 2.5625 | 3 |
These web tools will assist you in determining your risk under specific circumstances, based on yield and distance. Do you want to know how your location would be affected by blast, heat and radiation if that base near you ever gets nuked? Each of these has something good to offer.
Something to keep in mind when using simulators to gage your vulnerability. The primary goal of your work should be to determine if you are within the damaging blast pressure radius, or pressure ring, of a likely hit near you. Be realistic in your scenario building. Valid targets for a Russian attack are military bases and supply /arms depots, official government communications hubs, cities over 200K in population and paved runways with a minimum length of 7,000 feet. Plot these locations on your maps. Russian SSBN missile warheads will be 100-200kt. ICBMs *may* deliver 2Mt, but more likely something around 750kt. For extreme purposes, assume that military targets of importance, such as airbases and large depots will receive 1.5Mt. See if your location falls within the 2.5psi pressure ring. If it does, your stick-built home will survive with some broken windows. If it is within a greater pressure ring, you have some advanced planning to do.
Nuke Map – A simulator that allows for Airburst altitude settings. It has an Advanced Options tab that allows for a great deal of customization. Alex Wellerstein is the creator.
High Yield Detonation Effects Simulator – (HYDESim)
Enter an address to move the point of impact to “ground zero”. 1000KT = 1MT.
Nuclear Weapons Effects Calculator – Federation of American Scientists (FAS)
“This interactive tool is intended to give an idea of the devastating blast effects of ground-level, shallow subsurface, and low-altitude nuclear weapon detonations. It is relevant to traditional nuclear weapons, potential terrorist attacks, and next generation nuclear weapons such as “Bunker Busters” or “Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrators” (RNEPs).”
Ground Zero II – from Carlos Labs
Missile Range Map Tool – from Carlos Labs
“In the last few years, missiles and launch systems have become the new bargaining chip in international diplomacy.”
Create a Nuclear Firestorm – Nuclear Weapons Explosion Simulator
A rather comprehensive data generator.
“Choose a city or location (type in an address) and select the size or type of nuclear weapon to be detonated. Depending on the weather conditions, the size of the certain and probable area of the nuclear firestorm, created by the nuclear explosion, will vary.
The model used to approximate the size of the firestorm is accurate in the range of 10 to 20%. The simulator can produce this degree of accuracy for explosions that range from 15 kilotons to 2000 kilotons (2 Megatons or 2 MT).”
Nuclear Bomb Effects Computer
Go to the bottom of the page for the web-version. But for interesting reading, read about the “slide rule” calculator the simulation is based upon.
FAS – Fallout Calculator
“This java-based interactive calculator shows the distribution of fallout, by wind, from nuclear bomb blasts of various yields. The contours depict calculated radiation doses of 300, 25, and 1 REM at 96 hours after detonation.”
Impact of Low Yield Nuclear Weapons – “Suitcase” Nukes, and Their Effects
Data and summary of the effects of 1, 10 and 25KT weapons.
Fallout Software and Fallout Meters
Here is an Excel spreadsheet designed to calculate fallout levels at specific times. fallout5.xls – This is a powerful tool, with a lot of information critical to your particular situation, if you feed it good data. You WILL need a radiation meter of some sort. A few are available at our Amazon store. You can also find reconditioned and re-calibrated Civil Defense meters at RadMeters4U. | <urn:uuid:3d325698-14c7-4159-ba3c-89ec90669fd8> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://asurvivalplan.com/nuclear-effects-tools/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00195-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.904345 | 844 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Kessler Institute Offers Tips on Preventing Baseball & Softball Injuries
April 18, 2012
West Orange, NJ – From Little League to the Major League and at all levels in between, baseball and softball season is in full swing – and with that comes the risk of injury. Tens of thousands of players will require medical attention for injuries that include strains, sprains, fractures and concussions, while countless others will experience aches and pains that go unreported.
"The most common injuries are mild soft tissue injuries such as ligament sprains and muscle strains, along with cuts, bruises and contusions," said Jeremiah Nieves, M.D., Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation. "We also see more serious ligament tears and cartilage damage in the knee caused by the start-and-stop motion of play, as well as overuse injuries, such as tendonitis, in the shoulder, elbow and wrist. Each year, thousands of players also wind up with fractures. And finally, despite protective equipment, players of all ages are at risk of experiencing eye injuries and concussions."
Although baseball and softball are considered non-contact sports, players typically sustain the more serious injuries because of contact with a ball, bat or another player. According to Mark Brinn, P.T., director of outpatient rehabilitation services at Kessler Institute, "Injuries cant be avoided, but can be minimized. Sports, like baseball and softball, demand agility, speed, skill and coordination, and good overall conditioning can help players stay in the game throughout the season."
Preparing to Play
Kessler Institute, one of the nations leading providers of comprehensive physical medicine and rehabilitation services, suggests the following guidelines:
- Ideally, conditioning should begin long before the season starts to help players build core strength, flexibility and endurance. Trying to get in shape too quickly can lead to acute muscle strains and other injuries.
- Prior to taking the field for practice or a game, perform a minimum of 10 minutes of warm-up activities such as jogging, jumping-jacks, skipping, hopping or push-ups to increase body temperature and blood flow.
- Follow the warm-up activities by stretching all parts of the body, particularly the shoulders, back and hamstrings. Players should move into each stretch gently and avoid producing any pain.
- After stretching, do a few minutes of simple calisthenics such as arm circles, neck rolls and hip rotations.
- Finish your warm-up by playing soft-toss at a short distance. Gradually increase your distance and the intensity in which you are completing your throws.
In addition, players, coaches and trainers are advised to observe basic rules for equipment use and technique, including:
- Make sure that helmets, face guards and other protective equipment fit properly and are worn correctly.
- Provide instruction in proper sliding techniques and other on-field skills.
- Follow established pitching guidelines particularly for youth baseball and softball.
- Ensure that players stay well-hydrated and follow a balanced diet during the season.
Getting back in the game
Despite the best preparation, players will still experience injuries. Brinn suggests that players listen to their bodies, as well as to their physicians and trainers, before considering resuming play. For example, a player with a joint injury should have full range of motion, no pain or swelling, and be at full strength before returning to the field. Any player who has sustained a concussion should undergo post-injury imPACT testing and a neuropsychology evaluation to be cleared for play.
"Injuries should always be evaluated by a medical professional and treated accordingly," said Brinn. "Whether that means simply icing the injury and getting some rest or participating in a program of physical and/or occupational therapy, this will allow a player to optimize recovery and return to play in the best possible time frame." | <urn:uuid:30fac386-ddca-4439-88eb-43104a37a61c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://kessler-rehab.com/company/newsroom/News-2012-4-18-Baseball.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396224.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00197-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957976 | 794 | 2.59375 | 3 |
What is shingles?
Shingles is a painful skin rash, often with blisters. It is also called Herpes Zoster or just Zoster. A shingles rash usually appears on one side of the face or body and lasts from 2 to 4 weeks. Its main symptom is pain, which can be quite severe. Other symptoms of shingles can include fever, headache, chills, and upset stomach. Very rarely, a shingles infection can lead to pneumonia, hearing problems, blindness, brain inflammation (encephalitis), or death.
For about one person in five, severe pain can continue even after the rash clears up. This is called post-herpetic neuralgia.
Shingles is caused by the Varicella Zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. Only someone who has had chickenpox, or rarely, has gotten chickenpox vaccine, can get shingles. The virus stays in your body, and can cause shingles many years later.
You can't catch shingles from another person with shingles. However, a person who has never had chickenpox (or chickenpox vaccine) could get chickenpox from someone with shingles. This is not very common.
Shingles is far more common in people 50 and older than in younger people. It is also more common in people whose immune systems are weakened because of a disease such as cancer, or drugs such as steroids or chemotherapy. At least 1 million people a year in the United States get shingles.
A vaccine for shingles was licensed in 2006. In clinical trials, the vaccine reduced the risk of shingles by 50%. It can also reduce pain in people who still get shingles after being vaccinated.
A single dose of shingles vaccine is indicated for adults 60 years of age and older.
Which people should not get shingles vaccine or should wait?
A person should not get shingles vaccine who:
- has ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to gelatin, the antibiotic neomycin, or any other component of shingles vaccine. Tell your doctor if you have any severe allergies.
- has a weakened immune system because of AIDS or another disease that affects the immune system; treatment with drugs that affect the immune system, such as prolonged use of high-dose steroids; cancer treatment such as radiation or chemotherapy; cancer affecting the bone marrow or lymphatic system, such as leukemia or lymphoma.
- is pregnant, or might be pregnant. Women should not become pregnant until at least 4 weeks after getting shingles vaccine.
Someone with a minor illness, such as a cold, may be vaccinated. But anyone with a moderate or severe illness should usually wait until they recover before getting the vaccine. This includes anyone with a temperature of 101.3 °F (38.5 °C) or higher.
What are the risks from shingles vaccine?
A vaccine, like any medicine, could possibly cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. However, the risk of a vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small. No serious problems have been identified with shingles vaccine.
- Redness, soreness, swelling, or itching at the site of the injection (about one person in three).
- Headache (about one person in 70).
Like all vaccines, shingles vaccine is being closely monitored for unusual or severe problems.
What if there is a moderate or severe reaction?
- Any unusual condition, such as a severe allergic reaction or a high fever. If a severe allergic reaction occurred, it would be within a few minutes to an hour after the shot. Signs of a serious allergic reaction can include difficulty breathing, hoarseness or wheezing, swelling of the throat, hives, paleness, weakness, a fast heart beat, or dizziness.
- Call a doctor, or get the person to a doctor right away.
- Tell your doctor what happened, the date and time it happened, and when the vaccination was given.
- Ask your provider to report the reaction by filing a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) form. Or you can file this report through the VAERS website at http://vaers.hhs.gov/index, or by calling 1-800-822-7967.VAERS does not provide medical advice.
How can I learn more?
- Ask your doctor or other health care provider. They can give you the vaccine package insert or suggest other sources of information.
- Contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): call 1-800-232-4636 (1-800-CDC-INFO) or visit the CDC's website at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines.
Shingles (Zoster) Vaccine Information Statement. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 10/6/09. | <urn:uuid:989c7228-9f5a-44c8-8f1d-ec2dabde40c2> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a607025.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396872.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00160-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946793 | 1,034 | 3.796875 | 4 |
Thomas Hobbes/Related Articles
From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium
- See also changes related to Thomas Hobbes, or pages that link to Thomas Hobbes or to this page or whose text .
Auto-populated based on Special:WhatLinksHere/Thomas Hobbes. Needs checking by a human.
- Adam Ferguson : (1723-1816) philosopher and historian of the Scottish Enlightenment, sometimes called the "father of sociology."
- Alternative medicine (theories) : Overview of social, cultural and philosophical perspectives of concepts relating to human health and healing offering links to more detailed discussions
- Anthropology : The holistic study of humankind; from the Greek words anthropos ("human") and logia ("study").
- Aristotle : (384-322 BCE) Ancient Greek philosopher and scientist, and one of the most influential figures in the western world between 350 BCE and the sixteenth century.
- Catalog of political philosophers : Add brief definition or description
- Civil society : The space for social activity outside the market, state and household; the arena of uncoerced collective action around shared interests, purposes and values.
- Cogito ergo sum : René Descartes' most famous catchphrase: "I think, therefore I am".
- Deism : A religious philosophy which holds that religious beliefs must be founded on human reason and observed features of the natural world, and that these sources reveal the existence of a God or supreme being.
- England : The largest and southernmost country in the United Kingdom, and location of the largest city and seat of government, London; population about 51,000,000.
- Ethics : The branch of philosophy dealing with standards of good and evil.
- Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel : (1770–1831) German idealist philosopher, most famous for writings on Geist and dialectic.
- George Croom Robertson : (1842–1892) Scottish philosopher; editor of Mind.
- Government : The system by which a community or nation is controlled and regulated. A government is a person or group of persons who govern a political community or nation.
- Intelligence dissemination management : The process of managing the distribution of intelligence information to appropriate consumers, consistent with the conflicting demands of security and usability.
- John Locke : (1632–1704) English empiricist philosopher.
- Law : Body of rules of conduct of binding legal force and effect, prescribed, recognized, and enforced by a controlling authority.
- Louis XIV : Longest reigning (1643-1715) King of France whose expensive foreign wars were distastrous.
- Neoconservatism : A political philosophy and ideology which combines many traditional conservative opinions with an emphasis on the importance of foreign policy and using American power to push democracy forward.
- Paris : Capital of France, population about 2,200,000.
- Philosophy of science : Philosophical study of the assumptions, foundations, and implications of science.
- Philosophy : The study of the meaning and justification of beliefs about the most general, or universal, aspects of things.
- Political philosophy : Branch of philosophy that deals with fundamental questions about politics.
- Politics : Activity that relates to the way in which society is governed, and the process by which human beings living in communities make decisions and establish obligatory values for its members.
- Positivist calendar : Alternative calendar proposed by Auguste Comte in 1849, with each day and month celebrating a different person.
- René Descartes : French 17th-century philosopher, mathematician and scientist, author of the Discourse on Method.
- Social contract : Agreement among the members of an organized society or between the governed and the government defining and limiting the rights and duties of each.
- State : Please do not use this term in your topic list, because there is no single article for it. Please substitute a more precise term. See State (disambiguation) for a list of available, more precise, topics. Please add a new usage if needed.
- Talcott Parsons : Twentieth Century Harvard sociologist who developed theories of structural functionalism and social systems, highlighted the role of professions and organizations in modern society and made numerous other contributions to understanding of social relations.
- The Pentagon's New Map : A book on grand strategy and world development by Thomas P. M. Barnett, which postulates that world conflict is chiefly due to lack of "connectedness" of nations to the information-intensive core of nations; he also proposes a partnership, in peace enforcement, between the high-technology "takedown" function and the "nation-building" role
- Thomas Aikenhead : The last person to be executed for blasphemy in the UK. | <urn:uuid:3de9a28e-c126-471c-954e-48a1f8058b7d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Thomas_Hobbes/Related_Articles | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399117.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00121-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.872775 | 975 | 2.90625 | 3 |
Texas is a state in between the Western and Southern regions of the United States of America, and sharing some of the cultural aspects of both. It is considered part of the Southwest and geographically on the American Great Plains. Texas declared its independence from Mexico in 1836 and existed as the independent Republic of Texas for nearly 10 years.
The age of consent is 18, (The age of consent in Texas is considered to be 17 years of age, however, until the minor turns 18, he or she can only have sexual relations with someone 2 years older.). Texas amended its constitution to ban same-sex marriage. The law concerning the act of sodomy in Texas was struck down in court and that the law is 'null and void'. | <urn:uuid:b1f2a6a9-567c-499b-9891-91f2db1279e2> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.daddysreview.com/venue/usa/texas | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403823.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00090-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973563 | 147 | 2.828125 | 3 |
What is machine control?
Machine control involves the integration of positioning tools into construction machinery. Various hardware and software solutions exist with the sole purpose of determining a machine's current position on the earth and then comparing that position with a desired design surface. The difference is then displayed inside the machine cab allowing the operator to easily and efficiently determine what is required to create the intended design on the ground.
Machine control, guidance, automation – what’s the difference?
Machine control, machine guidance and machine automation are generally used fairly interchangeably within the construction and mining industries.
Technically speaking 'machine control' is the generic term used to describe the technology as a whole. The term 'machine guidance' refers to indicative systems – those systems that purely display the design difference to the operator. The term 'machine automation' refers to those systems that not only show the operator the design difference but are also able to directly control the machine hydraulics to maintain a desired position. Fully automatic machine control systems are typically used for final grading to gain precision levels.
The use of the term 'machine guidance' for this website is a bit of a play on words. We hope to provide guidance and supporting information for all machine control products and processes.
How was machine control conceived?
Machine control technologies are essentially an extension of traditional survey tools. Over time, inventions have appeared that have made a surveyor's job not only easier but much more accurate. Today surveyors can utilise GPS satellite technology to determine centimetre accurate positions along with EDM Total Station measurement tools for millimeter accuracy. Survey software has become more user-friendly and intuitive allowing for efficient and widespread field use, including the integration into construction machines.
Basic machine control devices were developed in the 1970's with the invent of the Global Positioning System or GPS. However, it wasn't until the late 1990's when GPS reached its maturity that machine control really started to be utilised on construction machinery. Dramatic technological improvements over recent years along with more cost-accessible technology and greater industry awareness have all helped develop the concept of machine guided construction.
The Australian construction and mining industries are at the forefront of utilising machine control technology as a compliment or replacement for traditional survey methods. That being said, the market penetration of machine control products could be estimated at 10-15%. Machine control will almost certainly continue to be integrated into the construction and mining industries and the opportunities for practical uses within other industries are yet to be discovered.
What is GPS?
GPS (Global Positioning System) is a worldwide satellite-based positioning system. Each satellite is able to send a radio signal back to earth that can be received and processed to determine a relatively accurate position. GPS receivers require an unobstructed sight to at least 4 of the 24 functioning GPS satellites at any one time in order to determine a position on the ground.
The GPS network was created and is maintained by the United States Department of Defence. Initially developed as a military tool, the satellite codes have been released to the general public, making GPS positioning data freely accessible to anyone with a GPS receiver.
Technically speaking, GPS refers to the original USA satellite system. The Russian GLONASS system also provides satellite navigation systems. Modern receivers are able to receive both constellations which collectively are referred to as the Global Navigation Satellite System - GNSS.
How does GPS work?
Using GPS satellite positioning techniques is all about measuring distances. Distance is a product of rate and time. Satellite signals travel at the speed of light and the time taken to get to the receiver is measured using extremely accurate atomic clocks. GPS receivers can determine a position range based on the measurements from a single satellite signal. By intersecting the position range (called trialateration) from at least 4 satellite signals, a receiver can calculate its known position within an expected error. The more satellite ranges a receiver can process, the less error in its position.
Unfortunately, there are additional causes of error when dealing with satellite signals. Refraction (or bending) of the satellite signals is caused when travelling through the earth’s atmosphere and can also occur when close to some metallic objects (called multi-pathing). Using satellite signals alone will result in a 10-20 meter accuracy. This amount of error is OK for your average car or boat navigation system but is not adequate for construction machinery systems.
Luckily, the errors caused by refraction can be adjusted with the use of a GPS base station. A base station is a separate GPS receiver that is located within or close to a construction site, mounted over a point with known coordinates. The base station receives the same satellite errors as all other receivers, but because it knows its true position it is able to calculate the satellite signal error and therefore determine what is required to correct the satellite position data. The base station then transmits these corrections to all other GPS devices in range (including machine control and surveyor units). This process is called Real Time Kinematics (RTK) and utilising it allows for a GPS accuracy of 10-30mm!
How does GPS machine control work?
GPS machine control systems use a combination of satellite antenna(s), satellite signal receiver(s), on-machine sensor(s), base station radio receiver and cab-mounted display(s) when utilising GPS satellite guidance. The GPS antenna receives the satellite signals which are decoded by the receiver. When using RTK machine control, the on-board radio also receives the corrections that are being transmitted from the base station. The machine control system processes all this data constantly to produce the real-time position of the machine’s GPS antenna.
The GPS antenna is mounted directly on to the outside of the machine so as to maintain a clear line of sight to the sky. The calculated position of the antenna is transferred throughout the machine by a combination of sensor readouts and complex mathematical equations so as to determine the exact position of the machines ground-breaking attachments. For example, a grader may have one GPS antenna mounted above one side of the blade. In order to determine the position of the other side of the blade, dimensional measurements are combined with sensor readouts such as the rotation, slope and pitch of the grader blade. Excavators use two GPS antennas mounted at the rear of the machine which can quickly determine the machine’s body position. This is then combined with sensor readouts along the stick and boom to determine the bucket’s current position.
The user interface or GPS display is mounted inside the machine cab. The display receives and processes all the information from both the GPS receivers and the sensors to calculate the machines current position. The display also contains the design information and can compare the current and desired positions to calculate a horizontal and vertical difference. The display processes all of this information at break-neck speeds to display the real-time cut/fill on its screen.
Can I only use GPS for machine control?
When most people think of machine control they think of GPS guidance, but it is by no means the only way! GPS and machine control work well together on large bulk earthworks operations and help achieve vertical results accurate to +/- 30mm. Other popular positioning methods are via laser and total station guidance.
Laser transmitters emit a 360 degree beam of light on either a level plane, single slope or dual slope. This beam can be read by the machine control system to calculate an elevation accurate to +/- 10-15mm. Laser systems can also be augmented with GPS position data thus enabling a GPS horizontal position with the more accurate laser elevation.
Total station positioning works in much the same way as GPS positioning with a lot more accuracy. The position of the total station instrument is determined by a resection of at least 2 known points in the same way as you would see a surveyor work. After the instrument has been located it can be set-up to robotically measure a machine-mounted target. The instrument measures distances and angles and then transfers the positioning data to the machine control display to be processed in real-time. Total station positioning is the most accurate positioning solution currently available achieving results of +/-5mm. Total station positioning is usually reserved for final pavement operations.
Why use machine control?
There are numerous advantages to utilising machine control technologies. Users are realising productivity gains of up to 100% (twice as fast!). Less reliance for on-the-ground setout and grade checking is resulting in reduced survey and earthworks personnel costs. Eliminating guesswork is resulting in increased accuracy and re-works as well as material savings. Machine control provides operators and surveyors alike with more job satisfaction which helps increase employee retention. Most importantly, the reduction of on-the-ground workers means massive advancement in workplace safety.
How much does it cost?
Costs for machine control system vary significantly depending on the system requirements and desired accuracies. Suffice it to say that any machine control system is a significant outlay. However, with such huge operational advantages and potential operational cost savings, it does not take long for a project that is utilising machine guidance effectively to realise the massive costs benefits, especially when comparing machine guided construction to traditional construction methods.
What type of machine can I use it on?
Where there’s a will, there’s a way! Machine control systems are being used on most typical construction machinery and can be customised to fit just about any earthworks operation available. Typical machine applications include graders, excavators, bulldozers, compactors, scrappers, pavers and tunnel-boring machines. Machine control can also be commonly found on trimmers, smooth-drum rollers, backhoes, kerb and channel machines … the list goes on! | <urn:uuid:629bae83-78a7-4790-aa63-210f53bc9dab> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.machineguidance.com.au/FAQ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395346.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00039-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933534 | 1,984 | 2.90625 | 3 |
Choosing Fresh Fish
To be sure the safety of seafood is being properly preserved, only buy fish that is refrigerated or properly iced. Fish should be displayed on a thick bed of fresh ice that is not melting, and preferably in a case or under some type of cover.
Fish should smell fresh and mild, not fishy, sour, or ammonia-like.
- A fish's eyes should be clear and bulge a little (except for a few naturally cloudy-eyed fish types, such as walleye pike).
- Whole fish and filets should have firm, shiny flesh and bright red gills free from slime. Dull flesh could mean the fish is old. Note: Fish fillets that have been previously frozen may have lost some of their shine, but they are fine to eat.
- The flesh should spring back when pressed.
- Fish fillets should display no darkening or drying around the edges. They should have no green or yellowish discoloration, and should not appear dry or mushy in any areas.
Put seafood on ice or in the refrigerator or freezer soon after buying it, using these guidelines for safe storage:
- If seafood will be used within two days after purchase, store it in the refrigerator.
- If seafood won't be used within two days after purchase, wrap it tightly in moisture-proof freezer paper or foil to protect it from air leaks, and store it in the freezer.
Special Health Concerns
Keep in mind that some people are at greater risk for foodborne illness, and should not eat raw or partially cooked fish or shellfish. These susceptible groups include:
- Pregnant women
- Young children
- Older adults
- Persons whose immune systems are compromised
- Persons who have decreased stomach acidity
If you are unsure of your risk, ask your healthcare provider. | <urn:uuid:ea9b6a07-674b-4bbf-80a7-4f675dc6a254> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.newleafmarket.coop/departments/seafood/seafood-guidelines | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783404405.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155004-00049-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930882 | 381 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Satellite imagery from the University of Colorado at Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Center shows a portion of Antarctica's massive Wilkins Ice Shelf has begun to collapse because of rapid climate change in a fast-warming region of the continent.
While the area of collapse involves 160 square miles at present, a large part of the 5,000-square-mile Wilkins Ice Shelf is now supported only by a narrow strip of ice between two islands, said CU-Boulder's Ted Scambos, lead scientist at NSIDC. "If there is a little bit more retreat, this last 'ice buttress' could collapse and we'd likely lose about half the total ice shelf area in the next few years."
In the past 50 years, the western Antarctic Peninsula has experienced the biggest temperature increase on Earth, rising by 0.9 degree F per decade. "We believe the Wilkins has been in place for at least a few hundred years, but warm air and exposure to ocean waves are causing a breakup," said Scambos, who first spotted the disintegration activity in March.
Satellite images indicate the Wilkins began its collapse on Feb. 28. Data revealed that a large iceberg, measuring 25.5 by 1.5 miles, fell away from the ice shelf's southwestern front, triggering a runaway disintegration of 160 square miles of the shelf interior. The Wilkins Ice Shelf is a broad sheet of permanent floating ice on the southwest Antarctic Peninsula roughly 1,000 miles south of South America.
The edge of the shelf crumbled into the sky-blue pattern of exposed deep glacial ice that has become characteristic of climate-induced ice shelf breakups such as the Larsen B ice shelf breakup in 2002, said Scambos. A narrow beam of intact ice about 3.7 miles wide was protecting the remaining shelf from further breakup as of March 23.
Scientists track ice shelves and study collapses carefully because some of them hold back glaciers, which if unleashed, can accelerate and raise sea level, Scambos said. "The Wilkins disintegration won't raise sea level because it already floats in the ocean, and few glaciers flow into it. However, the collapse underscores that the Wilkins region has experienced an intense melt season. Regional sea ice has all but vanished, leaving the ice shelf exposed to the action of waves."
With Antarctica's summer melt season drawing to a close, scientists do not expect the Wilkins to further disintegrate in the next several months. "This unusual show is over for this season," Scambos said. "But come January, we'll be watching to see if the Wilkins continues to fall apart."
After images from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS, and data from the ICESat satellite showed that a portion of the ice shelf was in a state of collapse in March, Scambos alerted colleagues around the world.
The British Antarctic Survey flew over the shelf, collecting video footage and other observations. BAS glaciologist David Vaughan, who said the ice shelf is supported by a single strip of ice strung between two islands, said the Wilkins is the largest ice shelf on West Antarctica yet to be threatened. "This shelf is hanging by a thread."
Associate Professor Cheng-Chien Liu at Taiwan's National Cheng-Kung University used high-resolution color satellite images of the area from Taiwan's Formosat-2 satellite operated by the National Space Organization to analyze the activity. "It looks as if something is slicing the ice shelf piece by piece on an incredible scale, kilometers long but only a few hundred meters in width," Cheng-Chien said.
In addition, Andrés Rivera and Gino Cassasa at the Laboratory for Glaciology and Climate Change at the Center of Scientific Study in Chile acquired images of the Wilkins from the ASTER instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite.
The combined efforts have begun to provide observational data that will improve scientific understanding of the mechanisms behind ice shelf collapse, Scambos said. "The Wilkins is an example of an event we don't see very often, but it's a key process in being able to predict how sea level will change in the future."
The Wilkins is one of a string of ice shelves that have collapsed in the West Antarctic Peninsula in the past 30 years. The Larsen B became the most well-known of these, disappearing in just over 30 days in 2002. The Prince Gustav Channel, Larsen Inlet, Larsen A, Wordie, Muller and Jones ice shelf collapses also underscore the unprecedented warming in this region of Antarctica, said Scambos.
For more information on CU-Boulder's NSIDC, visit nsidc.org/. | <urn:uuid:1fb99db6-c703-4bd2-98e4-61a867c8dffe> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.colorado.edu/news/releases/2008/03/25/antarctic-ice-shelf-disintegrating-result-climate-change-scientists-say | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393093.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00160-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942051 | 966 | 3.359375 | 3 |
During the Apollo 17 mission, astronaut and geologist Harrison H. "Jack" Schmitt collected moon rocks to bring back to Earth. One of these rocks he dedicated to the children of the world as the "Goodwill Rock." Photo courtesy of NASA.
The precedent for such a price came about in December 1993 when Sothebys
sold at auction a magnifying slide with three small lunar bits from the 0.7
pounds of lunar material Russia collected during its 1970s unmanned Luna missions.
The small particles from the Luna 16 probe sold for $442,500.
The price perhaps inspired retired military officer Roberto Agurcia Ugarte of Honduras to look for a buyer for a moon rock chip he had acquired that was encased in a hard plastic Lucite ball and attached to a plaque President Richard Nixon had presented to the people of the Republic of Honduras in 1973.
As a token of goodwill after the success of the Apollo 11 mission, the United States made 192 plaques displaying lunar dust to distribute to foreign nations and U.S. governors. At the conclusion of the Apollo missions, a second round of plaques were made from samples of the moon rock geologist and astronaut Harrison H. Jack Schmitt collected and dedicated to the children of the world during his Apollo 17 mission. This Goodwill Rock was sample number 70017 and provided the rock chip in each of the plaques made in 1973. The Republic of Honduras received two plaques, one with a sample from the Apollo 11 mission and the other with a lunar rock chip weighing 1.142 grams from the Apollo 17 Goodwill Rock, according to NASA files.
It is unknown when or how Ugarte came into possession of this later plaque. Indeed his name is only known because he eventually found a buyer: fruit distributor Alan Rosen.
Rosen, 65, who now lives in Pembroke Pines, Fla., was working in Honduras distributing passion fruit juice and other items when he learned about the moon rock. When an intermediary friend of Ugartes told me he was trying to sell it for a million dollars I laughed, he says. It was like someone trying to sell me the Brooklyn Bridge. He says he spent a year contemplating the offer as he traveled between Honduras and the United States. While researching the plaques history, Rosen read in a news article that NASA did not consider the gifts to be U.S. property. He then purchased the plaque and pill-sized rock chip in 1995 for what he says was a total of $50,000.
At left is a photo of the plaque before the United States presented it to Honduras in 1973, courtesy of NASA. At right is the plaque displayed on Rosen's web page. He covered the stars of the flag and the words "Republic of Honduras" with paper, to keep from advertising that the plaque was Honduran, he says.
In 1996, Rosen submitted the moon rock without the plaque to David Lange of Harvard University for analysis. I certainly wanted it to be authenticated prior to any sale, Rosen says. Of course I had an ulterior motive. If NASA thought it was illegal they would pick it up and that would be the end of it.
Lange, unaware the rock was from Honduras, contacted James Gooding, then NASAs
lunar sample curator at the Johnson Space Center. Gooding provided Lange with
the general descriptions of the diplomatic gifts from the Apollo 17 mission.
Earlier, Rosen had the base of the two-inch-wide Lucite ball cut and polished
to expose a small area of the rock chip. Lange performed the electron microprobe
analyses of the mineral phases and confirmed the rock did indeed belong to the
lunar sample 70017.
When Rosen returned to Harvard to learn of the results, Nobody in trench coats was waiting for me. He then went to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington to confirm that Lange had made the appropriate analyses. I wasnt exactly trying to hide this, he says.
At NASA, the OIG is in charge of detecting and preventing fraud, waste and abuses. Beginning with Apollo 11, as soon as we brought back lunar samples, NASA had two problems: the issue of not exposing them to Earths environment and also securing them to keep them from collectors or someone who wants to benefit from the governments efforts, Carrington says. The astronauts encased the material in nitrogen-filled containers for the return trip to Earth where, upon landing, the samples were locked in a vault at the Johnson Space Center. The bulk of the material almost 650 pounds of the original 842 pounds of lunar rocks, core samples, pebbles, sand and dust brought back between 1969 and 1972 is still in its pristine state within that vault.
Now that NASA had a legitimate collection of lunar material belonging to the United States, the OIG had to monitor forgeries of moon rocks in the public market. As these things come up we look at them independently, Carrington says. In the last five to 10 years, with the increase of sales on the Internet, NASA agents are finding more hoaxes but also getting the word out to the public. On average only a couple cases a year lead to an actual arrest or seizure of material. The rest are no more dangerous than someone making a joke, he says.
In October 1997, NASA agents began following Internet sales by a man in Arizona who claimed to have decorated pictures with a sprinkling of moon rock particles. He returned to the United States after fleeing to Canada, and NASA and FBI agents arrested the man in New Milford, Conn. The case ended on Oct. 30, 2000. Richard Keith Mountain pled guilty to six counts of mail and wire fraud in connection with a scheme to sell alleged moon rocks to interested buyers, says Michael Kreps, Special Agent in Charge of the NASA OIG in Long beach, Calif. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison, three years probation and 300 hours of community service and ordered to pay $98,750 in restitution back to victims, plus a $600 special assessment fee.
In September 1998, NASA OIG linked up with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to launch a sting operation to catch forgeries of lunar rocks. Operation Lunar Eclipse included an undercover agent placing an advertisement in USA Today that read, Moon Rocks Wanted. Ironically, Rosen, who had a real moon rock, responded to the ad on Sept. 29, 1998. At that point, NASA requested the aid of U.S. Customs in the operation. During a meeting at a Miami restaurant, Rosen offered the rock to the undercover agents for $5 million.
Agents seized the rock from its location in a safety deposit box in November 1998 with the argument that it was a piece of property considered stolen, smuggled or clandestinely imported or introduced into the United States. The moon rock was seized by Customs Service agents because it was smuggled into the United States without being properly declared on Customs Service forms, as is required by law, says Zach Mann, U.S. Customs special agent spokesman. If Martians had brought down pieces of Mars for sale in the United States, as long as they declared customs it would be duty free, Mann adds. It is only legitimate if someone has legal possession and authority to own it and as long as it is declared.
Since 2001, this moon rock has been involved in a unique case proceeding. The case, entitled United States v. One Lucite Ball Containing Lunar Material (One Moon Rock) and One Ten Inch by Fourteen Inch Wooden Plaque, is one of forfeiture, where the court makes the final call as to the owner of the property. Rosen is defending his claim to the property and has suggested that if a settlement is made he would sell the rock at auction and use some of the money to establish a small-loans banking business in Honduras. But the prosecuting attorney on July 19 filed a motion for summary judgment. Judge Adalberto Jordan will determine if the case will go to trial or if enough evidence exists to forfeit the property to the U.S. government, which would most likely return the moon rock and its plaque to the Republic of Honduras.
As for the stolen samples more recently recovered, the three suspects Thad Ryan Roberts, age 25; Tiffany Brooke Fowler, age 22; and Gordon Sean McWorter, age 26 are charged with Conspiracy to Commit Theft of Government Property and Transportation in Interstate Commerce of Stolen Property. FBI agents arrested a second woman Shae Lynn Saur, age 19 on July 22 in Houston for Conspiracy. Three of the suspects, Roberts, Fowler and Saur, worked as student employees at the Johnson Space Center.
Little did they realize their alleged plan to find a potential buyer before stealing the lunar material set them up for failure. In May, someone posing as Orb Robinson sent an e-mail to the Mineralogy Club of Antwerp, Belgium, claiming: Priceless Moon Rocks Now Available!!! Another e-mail was sent specifically to one of the clubs members, photographer Axel Emmermann. You have to be real dumb to think that a fake moon rock would not be recognized as such if you sell it on a site that is scrutinized by mineralogists, Emmermann says, so he decided there was a chance the rocks might be stolen. He contacted the FBI, which with NASA OIG agents followed the case and convinced the suspects to bring the lunar material, stolen on July 13, to undercover agents in Orlando.
To report suspected criminal activity contact NASA OIG cyberhotline or the FBI. | <urn:uuid:89d1012d-cba0-4700-a1c6-ccb856fc8529> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.geotimes.org/oct02/NN_moon.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398869.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00146-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959433 | 1,942 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Lahaina has a long and varied history, which is now woven into the fabric of the present-day town. The earliest settlers of Maui stepped foot on its shores around 450 A.D – and some think even earlier. However, it was the prosperity of the 1800s and the foresight of King Kamehameha that put Lahaina on the map.
In 1802, King Kamehameha pronounced that the West Maui town of Lahaina would be the capital of his Hawaiian island kingdom. He even built a brick palace on the shores of Lahaina (the ruins of which are still there) along with other royal buildings and residences on a site called Moku`ula. Lahaina served as the seat of government for over 50 years, until the capital moved to Honolulu.
In the 1800s, Lahaina was also a major whaling port and fishing town, thanks to the calm harbor and it’s location on the whale migration routes. Also known as Lele, which means “Land of Relentless Sun,” the weather was a major draw for immigrants as well. However, the bawdy sailors had to share the immigration limelight with the missionaries that were also attracted to the area. This brought about a battle of virtues – the missionaries had many virtues and the sailors had none. Eventually, with the construction of missionary schools, the introduction of the missionaries of the printing press on the island and the construction of a prison for sailors in 1853, the missionaries won out and tamed the nautical culture.
In 1873, the now-famous Banyan tree was first planted by the courthouse by the sheriff of Old Lahaina Town, William Owen Smith. Its original purpose was a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Lahaina’s first Christian Mission. In 1886, it served as the site for a birthday party for King Kamehameha III, and in 1898 was the site of a ceremony marking Hawaii becoming a United States territory.
Lahaina has moved with the times, and now the wooden buildings along Front Street that were once outfitters for sailors and grog houses are now unique shops and art galleries. The port that was once where whalers’ ships docked is now where tourists take boat excursions. However, the past is always present in Lahaina. | <urn:uuid:5fa1ad6a-2453-471d-b2b1-043f3a558c6e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.lahaina.com/content/history.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395992.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00135-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982912 | 481 | 3.125 | 3 |
Although sometimes difficult to see and find, amphibians are beautiful animals. Many frogs and salamanders are true jewels of the forest with their intriguing colors. But they are also extremely sensitive barometers of environmental health and their disappearance would have dramatic consequences for species that share the same ecosystems -including people.
The permeable skin of amphibians makes them susceptible to changes in the environment, but also arms them with significant biomedical properties. A painkiller isolated in the skin of a frog is 200 times more potent than morphine. Potential treatments for HIV and skin cancer have been isolated from the skin of amphibians. Amphibians also regulate crop pests and vectors of disease such as malaria. If we do not act quickly, we risk losing many similar benefits before they are even discovered.
Not to mention their incalculable role in human cultures, from classical literature to fairy tales, and the aesthetic worth of their bright colors and melodic calls. | <urn:uuid:12e6170a-eaf9-457a-a00f-d675395601a4> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.sospecies.org/sos_projects/amphibians/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393533.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00107-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963739 | 189 | 3.390625 | 3 |
The process of benchmarking, or identifying the best practices that exist in your particular business or industry, is a method that is rapidly gaining a reputation for helping businesses improve productivity and profit. Benchmarking, which set standards for operation through measurable, scientific, or business methods, is a concept that has developed and solidified into a clear series of steps that benefit industry or businesses as a whole.
Benchmarking is used to identify what other businesses do to increase profit and productivity, and then adapting those methods to make your business become more competitive. Imagine if you had a car lot that sells 50 cars per month and down the street a competitor sells 300 cars per month. By studying and identifying what your competitor is doing, you could increase sales.
Identifying Areas of Excellence
Another productive use of benchmarking is to identify areas of excellence with your employees and in your existing business. Picture a furniture factory where one employee assembles more chairs than his co-workers. By examining his methods and setting them as the benchmark for productivity, other employees can be trained to work in less time. This will increase productivity as a direct result of using these techniques.
Businesses also use benchmarking as an ongoing process that always changes and adapts. By studying and comparing your benchmarks to the competition, the industry, and within the individual processes of your company, you allow them to evolve to meet changing demands and requirements. By keeping your company and your personal business benchmarks fluid, you ensure that your business follows the best practices defined by you. The end result should be a marked increase in productivity and profits.
- tape measure image by Christopher Hall from Fotolia.com | <urn:uuid:6bf22d00-60c1-41f0-865d-e12c122a1f54> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://smallbusiness.chron.com/businesses-use-benchmarking-improve-productivity-profit-493.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398516.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00195-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957062 | 335 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Brain Teasers: From Manual to Automated
Anyone who has faced a production problem with a need to solve it by using production data can relate to the notion of a brain teaser. The brain teasers presented here are based on real-world situations encountered by workers in manufacturing environments. The brain teasers have three parts: (1) the situation, (2) available data or other supporting information and (3) questions that various workers need answered for continual improvement. Recommended solutions follow in the next issue and on the Web at Quality Online (www.qualitymag.com).
Charles is a process engineer who works for a company that manufactures platforms for security cameras. His assignment is to determine which processes can be converted from manual assembly to automation through the use of robots. One step Charles wants to automate is the insertion of a pin on a swivel frame into an opening on the platform. The pin must move freely in the opening so that the frame may rotate. However, if the pin is too loose, the swivel frame will not maintain the correct orientation. Specifications for this clearance are 0.5±0.3.
During assembly, operators insert
a pin in the opening and spin it to see if the pin is too tight or too loose. If the pin does not rotate to the satisfaction of the operator, the pin is replaced by another until the assembly "feels" right. In addition to the extra time taken at this step, there are parts left over that cannot be assembled. Before he can determine how to automate this process step, Charles has decided to collect data to study the individual components.
The platform is manufactured in house and the pin is purchased from a supplier. Charles collects data internally on the inside diameter (ID) of the opening periodically as the platform is produced. These data are shown in the table, "Inside Diameter of Opening." He also set up a data collection plan for the outside diameter (OD) of the pin as shipments are received from the supplier. These data are given in the table, "Outside Diameter of Pin."
1. Are all opening inside diameters and pin outside diameters in specification?
2. Can Charles predict that these dimensions will continue to meet their respective specifications?
3. Why are the operators having trouble getting the pins to fit the opening in the platform?
4. Is this process step ready for automation?
Answers to July Brain Teaser
In her role as operations manager for a company that produces a variety of motors, Suellen has worked diligently to reduce the unit cost of motors. One high-volume motor, Model MM400, has gone over the budgeted cost three months in a row while a similar motor, Model MM325, has not. Suellen and her boss are concerned about making the current budget.
Q: Looking at the data for Model MM400, does Suellen's boss have reason to be concerned?
A: During the past 17 months, the unit cost of Model MM400 has exceeded the budgeted value six times. The first three times occurred during 2004 and were not consecutive. The remaining three times were from the most recent three months. It seems reasonable to Suellen's boss that a trend is developing. But is this really true? See the answer to the next question.
Q: What can Suellen learn about the cost per unit for Models MM400 and MM325 using process behavior charts?
A: An individuals and moving range chart for the Model MM400 data shows that the process was predictable during 2004 with an average unit cost of $24.69. The natural process limits indicate that in any given month the unit cost can be as low as $23.39 or as high as $26.00 without anything changing in the process. Data for the first five months of 2005 are consistent with these limits. Therefore, the unit cost for Model MM400 is predictable at an average that is $0.21 below the budget value of $24.90, but there will be some monthly results above budget. See the chart, "Model MM400 Cost per Unit."
For Model MM325, an individuals and moving range chart shows a predictable behavior with an average of $22.21 during 2004 which is below the budgeted value of $23.45. However, the upper natural process limit of $23.71 for this motor shows that there can be individual monthly values that exceed the budgeted value with no change in the process. Up to this point in time, no individual monthly value has exceeded the budgeted value. See the chart, "Model MM325 Cost per Unit.'
Q: Based on the results of an analysis of the cost per unit for these two models of motors, what is the real issue for Suellen to address?
A: Both motors have a predictable cost per unit since January 2004. However, in both cases the upper natural process limit is greater than the respective budgeted values ensuring that there will be months where the unit cost is above budget. The real issue lies with the variation month to month. For each model, the average monthly cost per unit is under the budgeted cost, and as long as the process remains predictable for cost per unit, Suellen will meet budget for the year. The variation drives the individual values around the average, and in both cases, this variation guarantees that there can be months with unit costs above the budgeted value.
Q: How should Suellen address the situation based on the analyses?
A: First, Suellen needs to understand the implications of a predictable process. As long as the cost per unit for these motors is predictable, responding to a single monthly value as if the process has changed will only cause more variation. At a minimum, the result of such actions is wasted resources. Worst case, variation is added to the process. The only way to stay under the budgeted value every month is to enact fundamental process changes that would lower the average monthly cost per unit or reduce the month-to-month variation so that the upper natural process limit equals the budgeted value. Such changes would be based on an in-depth analysis of all costs as well as wastes associated with production.
Dr. Sophronia Ward is a continual improvement specialist. Brain teasers are now incorporated in the new training programs, Six Sigma Training for Champions, Black Belts and Green Belts, offered by Dr. Ward and her associates at Pinnacle Partners Inc. For more information, call (865) 482-1362 or visit www.pinnaclepartnersinc.com. | <urn:uuid:878f1aa9-fe15-480c-a19d-b0d5e5563309> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.qualitymag.com/articles/83570-brain-teasers-from-manual-to-automated | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398075.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00015-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943572 | 1,345 | 3.28125 | 3 |
DistributionRead full entry
Range DescriptionThis species is native to South America, and has been introduced to North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia (not all these introduced locations are mapped here) (Bertolino 2005). It is patchily distributed throughout its historic range in association with mesic habitats and water bodies. Its distribution in the Patagonian steppe is likely the result of human introduction (Ojeda, Lessa, and Bidau pers. comm.). | <urn:uuid:3aec2b1b-7a3c-4569-8b22-4a276ca13ff7> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.eol.org/pages/328471/overview/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396222.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00082-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.911656 | 97 | 2.75 | 3 |
noun (plural umbilici /-ˌkī/ /ˌ-ˌsī/ /-ˌkē/ or umbilicuses)Anatomy
- A 22-gauge needle can be inserted in a Z-tract fashion, to minimize leakage of fluid after the paracentesis, in midline between the umbilicus and the pubis symphysis in order to avoid collateral vessels.
- Conventional colorectal surgery was performed through a vertical midline incision that extended from 5 cm to 10 cm above the umbilicus to the mons pubis.
- He has a palpable ‘olive’ above the umbilicus near midline and he is severely dehydrated.
1.1 Zoology A depression or hole at the center of the shell whorls of some gastropod mollusks and many ammonites.
- Only in conch thickness do they show a relatively wide variability, ranging from pachyconic conchs with moderately wide umbilici to extremely slender, oxyconic conchs with closed umbilici.
- A coiled conch develops a closed umbilicus only when certain very limited conditions are fulfilled, thus permitting only very limited degrees of freedom.
- Paosia differs from the enigmatic and poorly defined Pterodonta by having a much less globose adult last whorl, lower spire, anterior end of outer lip projected and incurved, a more sinuous growth line, and in lacking an umbilicus.
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Definition of umbilicus in:
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Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed. | <urn:uuid:aabd7e2c-57b4-4d0f-bd74-1fe79e96f264> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/umbilicus | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397428.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00080-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.879126 | 370 | 2.59375 | 3 |
This article appeared in the March 20, 1941 issue of The Wanderer. (Well, 70 years later we can add 15 trillion into the example.)
Here’s a simple and homely illustration of what one billion dollars amounts to:
Suppose we take an imaginary boy, aged 15 years, and assign to him the task of counting one billion dollars in one-dollar bills.
If he’s unusually alert and tireless, he might manage to count about 100 one-dollar bills a minute. (Try it and see.)
We’d have to be sure our young man was strong and persevering, for we propose to work him eight hours a day and five days a week until the task of counting one billion dollars is completedAfter he finishes this job you might think he would be able to qualify for a position in a bank, or at the US Treasury, or even at some of the race tracks where a they handle more money than you would imagine. Well, wait and see whether our dollar bill counter would be apt to get such a job.
But to get back to the counting work.
Counts 48,000 dollars every Day
If he counts 100 one dollars a minute, he will real off $6,000 dollars an hour. That’s a tough pace,, but well have to keep the young mans nose to the grindstone, so to speak, or we we’ll never get this through.
He’s working eight hour a day, remember. That will account for f$48,000 by the end of the first day.
Now we are getting started. By the end of the first week are young man has counted $240,000 and he thinks he is making a dent in the pile of billion one dollar bills. Poor boy! Working steadily with no vacation, and only five days off for holidays, this youth finds that at the end of the first year he has counted $12,240,000.
When he reaches his 21st birthday, his tally shows that he has counted $73,440,000. Six years of steady work, and still a huge pile of $1 bills in front of him.
Forty Years to Count a Half-billion
As the years rolled by the pile gradually grows smaller, but by the time both piles are equal in size — the counted pile and the uncounted heap of one dollar bills — the man counting them has passed his 55th birthday. While, no use stopping now; he’s half through!
So he continues to count. The years pass and monotonous succession. He never realized that counting one billion dollars was going to occupy his entire life. But here he is, an old man. He’ll see it through, however–if he lives long enough.
At last the job is done. The whiskered old man has completed his life’s work. He’s passed 96 years old and he has just counted one billion dollar bills. He was 15 years old when he started. Its hard to realize, isn’t it?
It would require about seventy lifetimes to count the money Mr. Roosevelt has spent since he became president and we would use an additional thirty to count the money that will be spent within the next two years. | <urn:uuid:02fda495-6093-48c8-9a13-9f20ffc6d4bd> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://thewandererpress.com/repository/how-much-is-one-billion-dollars/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395346.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00125-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974808 | 679 | 3.046875 | 3 |
In which Scrabble dictionary does REPROGRAPHY exist?
Definitions of REPROGRAPHY in dictionaries:
The process of reproducing, reprinting, or copying graphic material especially by mechanical, photographic, or electronic means.
There are 11 letters in REPROGRAPHY:
A E G H O P P R R R Y
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SCRABBLE is the registered trademark of Hasbro and J.W. Spear & Sons Limited. Our scrabble word finder and scrabble cheat word builder is not associated with the Scrabble brand - we merely provide help for players of the official Scrabble game. All intellectual property rights to the game are owned by respective owners in the U.S.A and Canada and the rest of the world. Anagrammer.com is not affiliated with Scrabble. This site is an educational tool and resource for Scrabble & Words With Friends players. | <urn:uuid:299e795c-d344-43e5-b79a-49a147633948> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.anagrammer.com/scrabble/reprography | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402479.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00047-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.874538 | 274 | 2.8125 | 3 |
EGAPP Working Group Recommendation
Use of Genomic Profiling to Assess Risk for Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and Identify Individualized Prevention Strategies
Cardiogenomic profiles (or “heart health” profiles) are a type of genetic test. These tests attempt to predict risk for cardiovascular disease, and look for genetic variants that may be associated with an increased risk of disease. These tests are being marketed to physicians and the general public as a way to find out a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Some of these tests can be ordered online and without the involvement of a physician.
EGAPP Recommendation Statement: The Evaluation of Genomic Applications in Practice and Prevention Working Group (EWG) found insufficient evidence to recommend testing for the 9p21 genetic variant or 57 other variants in 28 genes (listed in Table 1 of article) to assess risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the general population, specifically heart disease and stroke. The EWG found that the magnitude of net health benefit from use of any of these tests alone or in combination is negligible. The EWG discourages clinical use unless further evidence supports improved clinical outcomes. Based on the available evidence, the overall certainty of net health benefit is deemed “Low.”
EGAPP Recommendation (December 2010)
Evidence Report (December 2010)
Additional Evidence Article (February 2010)
CDC Summary of EGAPP Recommendation (October 2011)
- Question 1 (Overarching Question): Does the use of 'cardiogenomic profiling' lead to improved outcomes for the patient/consumer, or is it useful in medical or personal decision making?
- Question 2: What is known about the analytic validity of tests that identify variations in genes associated with 'heart' or cardiovascular health, including the analytic sensitivity and specificity, assay robustness (e.g., failure rates, resistance to changes in variables such as sample quality), and other factors?
- Question 3: What is the clinical validity of cardiogenomic profiles, including clinical sensitivity and specificity and positive and negative predictive value?
- Question 3a: What is the strength of association of cardiovascular health outcomes with the presence of specific gene variants (e.g., odds ratios)?
- Question 3b: How well does this testing alone predict specific cardiovascular outcomes (e.g., MI, stroke)?
- Question 3c: How well does this testing in combination with other CVD testing (e.g., cholesterol) predict specific cardiovascular outcomes?
- Question 3d: Do other factors (e.g., race/ethnicity, family history, smoking, diet, exercise level, other conditions) affect the clinical validity of the testing?
- Question 4: What are the issues relating to the use of cardiogenomic profiles in the designated populations and what is the impact on patient/consumer outcomes?
- Question 4a: What are the management options for patients/consumers based on cardiogenomic profile results in a medical model vs. a DTC model, and how would they differ from routine health messages?
- Question 4b: How could the results of cardiogenomic profiling in the general population impact health behaviors or inform decision-making by patients and their healthcare providers that affect outcomes?
- Question 4c: In what ways could the use of cardiogenomic profiling in the designated populations impact clinical outcomes (e.g., morbidity / mortality)
- Question 4d: What is known about other contextual issues, such as cost-effectiveness, likelihood of behavioral change, and family history considerations?
Why EGAPP Selected this Topic for Review:
Key Criteria: Prevalence and severity of CVD; testing is offered through both clinical and direct-to-consumer models, each with unique considerations.
Other Considerations: Estimating risk of CVD based on variants in multiple genes, individually and in combination, challenges risk assessment and EGAPP evidence review methods.
Links to organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by EGAPP, and none should be inferred. EGAPP is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.
Page last updated: May 15, 2013
Page last reviewed: May 15, 2013
Content Source: OPHG Staff | <urn:uuid:ac51c498-fa41-4a49-b2fc-aab07cd0b03a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.egappreviews.org/recommendations/cvd.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396100.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00014-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.913213 | 891 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Hyssop is a semievergreen shrub that grows one to two feet high, producing narrow leaves and clusters of double-lipped flowers. Depending on the species, the flowers range in colour from white to purple, pink, blue, or bluish-purple. Native to southern Europe, hyssop grows freely in the Mediterranean countries, especially the Balkans and Turkey.
The narrow, dark green leaves of hyssop have a minty aroma and a strong, bitter taste that is penetrating and persistent. The small purple-blue flowers occasionally appearing in pink or white. The white have the same flavor but are somewhat milder.
The American plant called anise hyssop, Agastache fornieulu, is botanically unrelated to hyssop. Its pointed leaves and purple flowers smell and taste of anise and produce a flavorful tisane. They may be used fresh or dried in place of anise seed in any recipe. | <urn:uuid:89248bad-89cf-4863-9491-3c090153c999> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.rosmaimpex.com/hyssop.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392527.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00103-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914413 | 195 | 2.578125 | 3 |
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In 1803 Lewis and Clark set out on their epic expedition across the American wilderness west of the Mississippi, armed with the typical weapon of their day, the single-shot muzzle-loading rifle. By 1865, a variety of breech-loading and repeating arms had been invented there were both easier to use and more accurate. This encyclopedic study, part one of a two-part book, traces the development and uses of firearms on the frontier during that period, drawing on primary sources such as correspondence and diaries, newspaper accounts, government reports, and patent materials. Equally significant are the many rare photographs and illustrations that accompany the text.
Then, as now, most of the advances in weaponry were made in response to the military s needs, becoming available somewhat later to civilians, and then to Indians. The authors thoroughly cover the refinements and adaptations of weapons for employ by these three groups and by explorers and trappers, describing in detail each gun, its modifications, operations, and uses. Some of the varieties of the weapons discussed include rifles, smoothbores, carbines and musketoons, and pistols.
In many ways the history of firearms on the frontier parallels the history of the development of the West. This engrossing, detailed study adds an important new dimension to our understanding of many of the pivotal events in the settlement of the region, broadening, too, our knowledge of the individuals who took part in them.
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To evaluate thinning effectiveness using the “fruitlet model,” individual apples must be labeled and measured two or three times to assess their rate of growth.
While chemical fruit thinners can work fairly well on apples, the thinning effect is variable year to year.
Growers are reluctant to make repeated thinner applications without knowing if the original application was effective and how many apples are going to persist on the tree. This natural hesitancy often results in the need for further thinning by hand, an expensive proposition.
“It would be very useful to be able to accurately assess thinning response,” said University of Massachusetts researcher Dr. Duane Greene. “Unfortunately, we have not had a system in place that would allow orchardists to assess the crop load potential and to determine the effectiveness of thinning treatment in time to make a second thinner application during the thinning window of opportunity.”
However, Greene says there is a way for growers to accurately predict which and how many fruitlets will fall off due to the thinning chemical and make the assessment within seven to ten days after thinner application, when the fruitlets are still small enough to make additional thinner applications.
During an educational session of the International Fruit Tree Association in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in March, he explained what he calls the “fruitlet model” for predicting final set after a thinner has been applied.
The model assumes that fruitlets that will persist after a chemical thinning spray will continue to grow rapidly through the June drop period, whereas those fruit that will drop will slow their growth and eventually stop growing and drop off, he said. “Regardless of the mode of action of a thinner, a reduction in growth rate precedes abscission, and sometimes this occurs as much as two or more weeks in advance.
“Thinning predictions from 13 experiments over four years confirmed that a prediction can be made within seven to ten days with near 95 percent accuracy if 130 to 140 heating degree units (base 50°F) have been accumulated after the thinner application.
“We followed the growth rate of thousands of fruit, and slow fruit growth is highly correlated with fruit abscission. Rapid fruit growth is highly correlated with fruit set.”
The idea, then, is to measure the diameter of fruitlets on the tree at intervals. Those growing at less than half the rate of the fastest growing fruitlets will drop off. The fastest growing fruits are the standard against which to measure others.
- Select 10 to 20 spurs per tree on five to ten trees (for a total of 100 spurs) and tag them before applying the thinner.
- Mark and identify individual fruits on each tagged spur. The fruits will be small, but Greene used a permanent marker to write a number on each fruitlet.
- It generally requires at least four days after thinner application to note growth reduction on fruit destined to abscise. In cool years, this could take up to seven days.
- Using a caliper (a digital readout is handy), measure each fruitlet, starting no earlier than when it reaches 6 to 7 millimeters diameter and record each fruit’s size.
- Measure fruit at two- or three-day intervals and record measurements. As few as two measurements may be enough; one starting at four days after application and another three to four days later.
- Predict which fruitlets will drop off—those failing to grow at least half as fast as the fastest growing.
An accurate prediction can normally be made within seven days of application, Greene said, which allows time for a grower to make repeat applications since the fruit is still small enough to respond to thinners.
He suggests that, before starting, growers set a goal of how many fruit they’d like to see on the tree. If you want to set one fruit for each two spurs, and each spur has four fruitlets, you want 88 percent of the fruit to be gone after the thinning process.
Growers can find help in this procedure by going to the Web site www.umass.edu/fruitadvisor. In the address line, type in /2008/predictfruitset2008.xls for an Excel spreadsheet that will do calculations for you and /2008/predict thinprocedure.pdf for step-by-step instructions.
Greene would like to hear back from growers who use the process about how well it worked for them.
Steve McArtney, a fruit-thinning expert from North Carolina State University who spoke during the same IFTA meeting, urged growers to leave a control when trying new thinning strategies:
“Always, always, leave unsprayed trees to test the effect of your thinners. You need to do it, or you won’t know what caused the thinning.” | <urn:uuid:37543bfb-72eb-48b6-9a0b-1c38be1984b9> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.goodfruit.com/effective-fruit-thinning/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393533.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00094-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956027 | 1,011 | 3.484375 | 3 |
Units of Study
SCLG6916 - Indigenous Rights - Global Issues
Semester 2, 2011 | Credit Points: 6
Coordinator: Deirdre Ellen Howard-Wagner
This unit will provide students with an appreciation of the Indigenous peoples' struggle for Indigenous rights through an understanding of international, regional and national processes relevant to this struggle. Students will not only learn about Indigenous peoples histories in relation to colonisation and state building and the relevance of the nation-state and governments to the struggle for Indigenous rights but also the significance of international law, globalisation and economic development to Indigenous peoples struggle for Indigenous rights.
1x3000wd research essay (65%), 1x1500wd seminar paper (35%)
only available to B Socio-legal Studies to include majors in sociology, social policy, indigenous studies
A timetable is not available for this session.
Please refer to the list of Units of Study on the left-hand menu to view the units on offer for the relevant academic year.
The information displayed above is indicative only as online information is subject to change without notice. The Faculty Handbook and the University of Sydney Calendar are the official legal source of information relating to study at the University of Sydney | <urn:uuid:aa0b7016-8479-45ca-829a-873d6bdc29db> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://sydney.edu.au/arts/sociology_social_policy/postgrad/units_of_study.shtml?u=SCLG_6916_2011_2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00174-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.870376 | 248 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Friday, September 14, 2007
Thursday, September 13, 2007
With oil prices flirting with new all-time highs, there has been a lot of talk about the global oil crisis recently. A combination of the price, the peak oil hypothesis, global security issues, and global warming means that the industrialized world’s reliance on petroleum is increasingly being questioned.
One increasingly popular alternative to petroleum is some sort of biofuel; that is oil derived from organisms that have been killed recently, instead of having died millions of years ago. There is a historical precedent for biological oil production; during the first 70 or so years of the industrial revolution, prior to the discovery of petroleum, oil was mainly produced by the whaling industry.
Needless to say, the global thirst for oil has increased since the days of Moby Dick and the old Nantucket sailing ships. But it is still a useful exercise to determine just how many whales would have to be harvested to supply the modern world with oil. In deference to the cultural and literary value of the sperm whale, we will use it as our cetacean of choice for the following calculations.
The current annual production of petroleum is just a shade under 30 billion barrels. Simply dividing this number by the oil that can be produced from each whale should tell us how many whales we will need.
According to industry website SaveTheWhales.org, a sperm whale could produce 2000 gallons, or 47.6 barrels, of oil. Thus a touch of long division tells us that we will need to slaughter approximately 630 million sperm whales each year in order to completely replace our petroleum production. Since there are only an estimated one million sperm whales currently living on Earth, wiping out the entire species would power the global economy for about half a day.
Clearly, a whale breeding program is needed to make such a scheme feasible.
Trouble is, whales are not rabbits. With a slow breeding species like sperm whales, we can only afford to harvest a small percentage- say, 10%, of the total stock each year if we are to use their oil in a sustainable fashion. So in order to have an annual 630 million whale kill, we will actually need a total population of about 6.3 billion animals. That’s about two whales for each person on earth.
And those 6.3 billion whales will get very hungry. Sperm whales have an unusual diet, which consists almost entirely of giant squid. And although the exact rates of consumption are not known, a good ecological rule of thumb for carrying capacities is that predators need a prey population with a body mass that is 10-1000 times larger than that of the predators.
Using a geometric average of 100 times per food chain step, and an average whale mass of 40 metric tones, we will need about 2.5x1016 kilograms of squid to feed our whales. That’s either 840 million billion calamari rings, or a single mollusk that is twice the mass of the Martian moon Phobos. Such a squid is illustrated below.
And because squid are not autotrophic, they too will need something to eat. 2.5x1016 kg of squid will need to eat 2.5x1018 kg of fish, which will need 2.5x1020 kg of zooplankton, which in turn will require 2.5x1022 kg of phytoplankton. This is either an absurd number of microbes, or a giant foram that is one third the size of our moon. And this is where things get tricky.
The Earth’s hydrosphere contains a mere 1.4x1021 kg of water, meaning that it is insufficient to host the phytoplanktonic base of our food chain. Thus we will need to move our whale breeding program to another celestial object, where more water is available. Fortunately, several such objects are available in our solar system.
Ganymede, the mercury-sized moon of Jupiter, has a mass of 1.5x1023 kg, more than half of which is water. Assuming that algal blooms can happily grow at concentrations of 30% of the water mass, this Galilean satellite would be a perfect place to host our whale breeding stock, provided that we can thaw it out. And this should not be too hard to do.
Ganymede, which is gravitationally bound to the giant planet Jupiter, orbits more than 500 million kilometers from the nearest swing electorate. There are relatively few special interest groups or corrupt corporations with a vital interest in the icy satellites of Jupiter, so the only barriers to harnessing this planetoid to fight global warming are physical, not political. Therefore, transporting this enormous iceball to Earth orbit and turning it into a cetacean breeding pool should be substantially easier than producing electric cars, or putting up windmills in Senator Kennedy’s backyard.
I suggest that we simply pop Ganymede into a 1:2 orbital resonance with our current moon. This would give Ganymede an orbital period of two weeks- a useful time frame for the commodities futures market. It would also give us great solar eclipses, and wicked tidal currents. As the whales are needed, they can simply be catapulted into a collision course with Earth, using a trajectory that minimizes the burnup of blubber during re-entry.
While this scheme may seem hare-brained and overly ambitious to some, it is far more practical than taking the bus to work, or driving a Prius.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
When dropping acid, calcite is a hot, shaken coke, while dolomite is a glass of guiness left on the coffee table over night.
Calcite's reaction to dolomite is simply a matter of age and life experience. Calcite is merely a young, naive carbonate which, due to youth or sheltered lifestyle, has never had a significant relationship with magnesium ions.
Dolomitization is generally a one-way reaction. It is almost unheard of for a dolomite to get calcified. | <urn:uuid:09b11664-3ffd-4ee7-a940-beea45df2c69> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://lablemminglounge.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397797.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00004-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940897 | 1,266 | 2.78125 | 3 |
In March 1965, civil rights activists—including students and teachers—participated in a five-day, 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Their cause: voting rights for African Americans in the South. Their legacy: the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories of the civil rights era. This act banned racial discrimination in voting practices such as poll taxes and literacy tests and enfranchised millions of African Americans.
The Selma-to-Montgomery march is more than an isolated chapter in our history, and today it deserves more than just our commemoration. Barriers still exist to equal voting rights in the United States, but so does the commitment to justice and social change. By using these resources, you can teach the Selma-to-Montgomery legacy in the depth it deserves and empower your students to apply its lessons—including the power of the vote—in their own communities.
- Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot tells the story of a courageous group of students and teachers who, along with other activists, fought a nonviolent battle to win voting rights for African Americans in the South. This 40-mintue documentary was produced for classrooms and is available free to educators.
- The Viewer’s Guide for Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot supports classroom viewing with background information, discussion questions and lessons. In Do Something!, a culminating activity, students are encouraged to get involved locally to promote voting and voter registration.
- What Issues Inspire You? TT Director Maureen Costello’s blog encourages educators to take inspiration from teachers in Selma and find the courage to take a stand when they see injustice and inequity in schools.
- Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot. This blog introduces the documentary in some depth and explains how it fulfills the five critical practices for civil rights education as outlined in The March Continues.
- Remembering Bloody Sunday. Author Sean Price reflects on both the events and the effects of Bloody Sunday, when Alabama State Troopers and deputized “possemen” brutalized hundreds of civil rights activists as they attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge, marching for voting rights.
Lessons and Supplemental Content
- Signing of the Voting Rights Act. This short NBC News clip shows President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
- A Second Revolution. This resource documents how Reconstruction and the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments—at the time of their passages—made promises to African Americans that weren’t kept for generations. Situated against this historical backdrop, the resource underscores the extent to which African Americans persevered in their efforts to secure and expand voting rights.
- The Right to Vote. In this video, Congressman John Lewis and others reflect on their participation in the campaign for African-American voting rights in the 1960s. Their voices are situated alongside historical footage and reporting by NBC Learn. (The transcript can be accessed here.)
- African Americans Face and Fight Obstacles to Voting. This lesson plunges students into the history of African-American voting rights, from the Reconstruction amendments that mandated citizenship and enfranchisement to the regular opposition and intimidation that made the Voting Rights Act of 1965 necessary.
- 1965 Voter Registration Problems in Mississippi. This transcript of an NBC Learn video provides accounts of voter registration efforts from a Holmes County, Mississippi, resident and a college student who went there from Pennsylvania to help with the campaign.
- The Voting Rights Act, 1965 and Beyond. In this lesson, students will read a summary of the Voting Rights Act to find out what it said, then study data that show the law’s impact. They will also consider the grounds on which people have based their objections to the Voting Rights Act and explore efforts in their own states to limit voter participation and how to counter those efforts, or the success of efforts in their area to increase voter registration and participation.
- Voting Rights Today. An excerpt from the viewer’s guide for Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot, this essay by TT Director Maureen Costello examines the importance and implementation of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 and the continuing issues around voting since pieces of the Act were successfully challenged in 2013.
- Learning From the Summer of ’64. This Web package includes lessons and background information that can provide students with greater context when learning about the passage of the Voting Rights Act the following year.
Texts in Perspectives for a Diverse America
- Registering to Vote. In this recorded conversation between Theresa Burroughs and her daughter, Toni Love, Burroughs details the discriminatory tests she endured to register to vote in the Jim Crow South. It was recorded for StoryCorps, a nonprofit oral history organization seeking to collect and preserve the diverse stories of people throughout the United States. (To locate this text, go to the Central Text Anthology and filter titles for grade bands 3-5 or 6-8 and for the race and ethnicity lens within the multimedia text type category.)
- Confrontation at the Bridge. Confrontation at the Bridge, a 1974 silkscreen print by Jacob Lawrence, depicts the civil rights march in Selma, Alabama, on March 7, 1965, in which a group of nonviolent voting-rights protestors faced police violence when they reached the end of the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The event is now known as Bloody Sunday. (To locate this text, go to the Central Text Anthology and filter titles for grade bands 6-8 or 9-12 and for the race and ethnicity lens within the visual text type category.)
- Teaching the Movement 2014: The State of Civil Rights Education in the United States. This report provides an in-depth look at state standards for instructional coverage of the civil rights movement and includes suggestions for how to improve them.
- The March Continues: Five Essential Practices for Teaching the Civil Rights Movement. Continuing the Teaching the Movement initiative, this guide provides practical advice for classroom teachers on teaching the civil rights movement at the level of depth it deserves.
- Civil Rights Done Right: A Tool for Teaching the Movement. A detailed set of curriculum-improvement strategies for classroom instructors who want to apply the essential practices of teaching about the civil rights movement.
- John Lewis Talks With TT. Watch Congressman John Lewis discuss his experiences as a civil rights activist, the ongoing struggles for justice in the United States and the reasons he wrote his memoir as a series of graphic novels. | <urn:uuid:a49429ab-3912-4146-8ea8-d6cff3ba7873> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.tolerance.org/voting-rights-web-package | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395160.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00141-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929407 | 1,335 | 4.0625 | 4 |
Night and day. Black and white. Up and down. Rush Limbaugh and Janeane Garofalo.
Get the picture? To this list of opposites, you might add memoir and family history, for writing a memoir is much, much different that writing a family history.
A memoir is your telling of your story in your words. It’s OK to consult others to refresh your memory, but the memories should be yours. Memoirs are written in the first person.
A family history, on the other hand, is a collection of stories and facts about and from an assortment of family members. A family history may be written completely in third person or may be structured with an effective blend of first-person recollections weaved into a third-person narrative. The family history you create may also include stories common to your memoir, but it is a difficult challenge when you are a part of the story.
The most effective interviewer is a dispassionate interviewer, one who doesn’t let personal experiences guide or shape the interview. It’s important to let the person being interviewed tell his or her story free of your biases and suggestions. Open-ended general questions that elicit thoughtful responses are preferable to those that can be answered simply or from a particular perspective.
For instance, it’s far better to ask “Tell me about the pool incident with Uncle John” than to ask “Tell me about the time you pushed Uncle John in the pool.”
It’s important, too, to give the stories of others equal weight to yours. There’s often a tendency to follow the familiar path in family history, even though the path may be wrong. Don’t assume that the stories you grew up with are the correct ones when confronted with evidence to the contrary. Evaluate the conflicting data the best you can before arriving at a conclusion.
Flickr photo courtesy of scragz. | <urn:uuid:00de681c-3a3e-48ad-9d0c-f2f14606113a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://whenwordsmatter.typepad.com/passing_it_on/2009/03/your-memoir-is-not-your-family-history.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393518.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00103-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952375 | 398 | 2.78125 | 3 |
The mystery of Mercury’s core
The MESSENGER spacecraft recently completed its study of the planet Mercury which it orbited for one Earth-year.
According to MESSENGER Principal Investigator Sean Solomon of the Carnegie Institution, the spacecraft’s mission has "completely altered" current theories about the solar system’s innermost planet.
Indeed, scientists have discovered that Mercury's core - already suspected of occupying a greater fraction of the planet's interior than Earth, Venus, or Mars - is even larger than anticipated.
In addition, elevation ranges on Mercury are much smaller than on Mars or the Moon, with evidence pointing to large-scale topographical changes since the earliest phases of the planet's geological history.
Both discoveries were facilitated by MESSENGER's radio tracking, which allowed scientists to develop the first precise model of Mercury's gravity field which. When combined with topographic data and the planet's spin state, the model helps shed light on the planet's internal structure, the thickness of its crust, the size and state of its core, along with its tectonic and thermal history.
As noted above, Mercury's core occupies a large fraction of the planet, approximately 85% of the planetary radius, even larger than previous estimates. Because of the planet's small size, at one time many scientists hypothesized the interior cooled to the point that the core would be solid. However, subtle dynamical motions measured from Earth-based radar, combined with MESSENGER's newly measured parameters of the gravity field and the characteristics of Mercury's internal magnetic field that signify an active core dynamo, indicate that the planet's core is at least partially liquid.
Essentially, Mercury's core is different from any other planetary core in the Solar System. For example, Earth has a metallic, liquid outer core sitting above a solid inner core - while Mercury appears to boast a solid silicate crust and mantle overlying a solid, iron sulfide outer core layer, a deeper liquid core layer, and possibly a solid inner core.
MESSENGER also managed to generate the first-ever precise topographic model of the planet's northern hemisphere by characterizing slopes and surface roughness over a range of spatial scales. From an eccentric, near-polar orbit, the MESSENGER’s Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA) illuminates surface areas as wide as 15 to 100 meters (50 -325 feet), spaced about 400 meters apart (1,300 feet).
Interestingly enough, the spread in elevations is significantly smaller than those of Mars or the Moon. The most prominent feature is an extensive area of lowlands at high northern latitudes that hosts the volcanic northern plains. Within this lowland region is a broad topographic rise that formed after the volcanic plains were emplaced.
At mid-latitudes, the interior plains of the Caloris impact basin - 1,550 kilometers (960 miles) in diameter - have been modified so that part of the basin floor now stands higher than the rim. The elevated portion appears to be part of a quasi-linear rise that extends for approximately half the planetary circumference at mid-latitudes. These features imply that large-scale changes to Mercury's topography occurred after the era of impact basin formation and large-scale emplacement of volcanic plains had ended. | <urn:uuid:5c2ac0ff-b1b5-4b71-857b-d9a372a610ac> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.tgdaily.com/space-features/62234-the-mystery-of-mercury-s-core | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398216.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00022-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934782 | 678 | 4.375 | 4 |
In these lessons, you'll
animate a four-legged character, a dog, to walk in a continuous
way. You’ll use the ForeFeet option to make the fingers of the biped
hands behave like toes on forefeet.
A Quick Review of a Biped
If you don’t use Biped
to create a walk for you, it helps to know that a human walk cycle
is defined by two steps: left foot to right foot, followed by right
foot to left foot (or vice versa). The two steps break down into
Left to right:
5. Contact again (same
as 1, but with legs reversed)
- Contact: Both
feet are on the ground. At this point, the stride is at its longest:
this is known as an extreme pose.
- Down or “Recoil”: After
contact, the weight goes down on the front leg. The body lowers,
and both legs bend.
- Passing or “Breakdown”: The
front leg straightens and the back leg passes it. The body raises
to a point that is higher than in the contact position.
- Up or “High Point”: The
back foot is now the front one, and is about to make contact. The
other foot pushes up and forward, raising the body to its highest
- Contact: The
same as pose 1, but with the opposite leg forward.
You can start animating
the cycle at any of these poses. Animators often prefer to begin
with the contact pose, as that pose (in general, any extreme pose)
is a good reference to build from.
You have to decide how
many frames the walk cycle will use. 12 frames yields two steps
per second: this is a natural pace, which we will use in this tutorial.
Cartoonists sometimes use an 8-frame cycle to create a fast, humorous
walk. A 24-frame cycle would give (for film) one step per second, suitable
for a slow-moving character.
The Walk Cycle for Quadrupeds
A quadruped walk is essentially
two biped walks linked together, but out of phase with each other.
When a biped walks, the shifting weight on the pelvis causes the
up-down motion just described. For a quadruped, the same weight
shifts occur for the pelvis and the shoulders.
Quadrupeds have different
proportions than human bipeds. In particular:
- The rib cage is elongated downwards,
unlike the flatter human rib cage.
- The shoulder blades lie along the side
of the rib cage, not on the back.
- There are no collarbones.
The lack of collarbones
gives the shoulder blades more freedom. This affects weight distribution
on the front legs.
When you use Biped to
animate a quadruped, its “clavicle” parts behave more like shoulder
In spite of these differences,
and some others we will mention later, a 3ds Max Biped can model
a quadruped quite well. | <urn:uuid:b3717160-2140-4e66-b9bf-0add2d503806> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://docs.autodesk.com/3DSMAX/12/ENU/3ds%20Max%202010%20Tutorials/files/WSf742dab04106313311b7d0e3112a19e3350-7fe1.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399522.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00078-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.877815 | 661 | 3.609375 | 4 |
|Part of a series on:|
|Strategy video games|
Strategy video games are a genre of video game that emphasize skillful thinking and planning to achieve victory. They emphasize strategic, tactical, and sometimes logistical challenges. Many games also offer economic challenges and exploration. These games sometimes incorporate physical challenges, but such challenges can annoy strategically minded players.
They are generally categorized into four sub-types, depending on whether the game is turn-based or real-time, and whether the game focuses on strategy or tactics.
Strategy video games are a genre of video game that emphasize skillful thinking and planning to achieve victory. Specifically, a player must plan a series of actions against one or more opponents, and the reduction of enemy forces is usually a goal. Victory is achieved through superior planning, and the element of chance takes a smaller role. In most strategy video games, the player is given a godlike view of the game world, and indirectly controls game units under their command. Thus, most strategy games involve elements of warfare to varying degrees, and feature a combination of tactical and strategic considerations. In addition to combat, these games often challenge the player's ability to explore, or manage an economy.
Even though there are many action games that involve strategic thinking, they are seldom classified as strategy games. A strategy game is typically larger in scope, and their main emphasis is on the player's ability to out-think their opponent. Strategy games rarely involve a physical challenge, and tend to annoy strategically-minded players when they do. Compared to other genres such as action or adventure games where one player takes on many enemies, strategy games usually involve some level of symmetry between sides. Each side generally has access to similar resources and actions, with the strengths and weaknesses of each side being generally balanced.
Although strategy games involve strategic, tactical, and sometimes logistical challenges, they are distinct from puzzle games. A strategy game calls for planning around a conflict between players, whereas puzzle games call for planning in isolation. Strategy games are also distinct from construction and management simulations, which include economic challenges without any fighting. These games may incorporate some amount of conflict, but are different from strategy games because they do not emphasize the need for direct action upon an opponent.
Although strategy games are similar to role-playing games in that the player must manage units with a variety of numeric attributes, RPGs tend to be about a smaller number of unique characters, while strategy games focus on larger numbers of fairly similar units.
Conflict in strategy games takes place between groups or singular combatants, usually called units. Games vary in how many types of units a player can use, but each unit has specific strengths and weaknesses. Units vary in their movement and speed, as well as the amount of health or damage they can withstand. Units may also have different levels of attack strength or range. Although units are typically used for combat, they may also be used for other purposes such as transport and scouting. Units that cannot move such as fixed turrets are often still treated as units. If a unit is destroyed, the player loses the benefit of that unit. Most strategy games allow players to construct new units in buildings or factories.
The player commands their forces by selecting a unit, usually by clicking it with the mouse, and issuing an order from a menu. Keyboard shortcuts become important for advanced players. Units can typically move, attack, stop, hold a position, although other strategy games offer more complex orders. Units may even have specialized abilities, such as the ability to become invisible to other units. Some strategy games even offer special leader units that provide a bonus to other units. Units may also have the ability to sail or fly over otherwise impassable terrain, or provide transport for other units. Non-combat abilities often include the ability to repair or construct other units or buildings.
Even in imaginary or fantastic conflicts, strategy games try to reproduce important tactical situations throughout history. Techniques such as flanking, making diversions, or cutting supply lines may become integral parts of managing combat. Terrain becomes an important part of strategy, since units may gain or lose advantages based on the landscape. Some strategy games such as Civilization III and Medievel 2 total war involve other forms of conflict such as diplomacy and espionage. But warfare is the most common form of conflict, because game designers have found it difficult to make non-violent forms of conflict as appealing.
Strategy games often involve other economic challenges. These can include building construction, population maintenance, and resource management. Strategy games frequently make use of a windowed interface to manage these complex challenges.
Most strategy games allow players to accumulate resources which can be converted to units, or converted to buildings such as factories that produce more units. The quantity and types of resources vary from game to game. Some games will emphasize resource acquisition by scattering large quantities throughout the map, while other games will balance put more emphasis on how resources are managed and applied by balancing the availability of resources between players. To a lesser extent, some strategy games give players a fixed quantity of units at the start of the game.
Strategy games often allow the player to spend resources on upgrades or research. Some of these upgrades enhance the player's entire economy. Other upgrades apply to a unit or class of units, and unlock or enhance certain combat abilities. Sometimes enhancements are enabled by building a structure that enables more advanced structures. Games with a large number of upgrades often feature a technology tree, which is a series of advancements that players can research to unlock new units, buildings, and other capabilities.[6 ] Technology trees are quite large in some games, and 4X strategy games are known for having the largest.[6 ]
A build order is a linear pattern of production, research, and resource management aimed at achieving a specific and specialized goal. They are analogous to chess openings, in that a player will have a specific order of play in mind, however the amount the build order, the strategy around which the build order is built or even which build order is then used varies on the skill, ability and other factors such as how aggressive or defensive each player is.
Early strategy games featured a top-down perspective, not unlike a board game or paper map. Later games adopted an isometric perspective. Even with the rise of 3D graphics and the potential to manipulate the camera, games usually features some kind of aerial view. Very rarely do strategy games show the world from the perspective from an avatar on the ground. This is to provide the player with a big picture view of the game world, and form more effective strategies.
Exploration is a key element in most strategy games. The landscape is often shrouded in darkness, and this darkness is lifted as a player's units enters the area. The ability to explore may be inhibited by different kinds of terrain, such as hills, water, or other obstructions. Even after an area is explored, that area may become dim if the player does not patrol it. This design technique is called the fog of war, where the player can see the terrain but not the units within the explored area. This makes it possible for enemies to attack unexpectedly from otherwise explored areas.
Strategy video games are categorized based on whether they offer the continuous gameplay of real-time strategy, or the discrete phases of turn-based strategy. These differences in time-keeping lead to several other differences. Typically, turn-based strategy games have stronger artificial intelligence than real-time strategy games, since the turn-based pace allows more time for complex calculations. But a real-time artificial intelligence makes up for this disadvantage with its ability to manage multiple units more quickly than a human. Overall, real-time strategy games are more action-oriented, as opposed to the abstract planning emphasized in turn-based strategy.
The relative popularity of real-time strategy has led critics to conclude that more gamers prefer action-oriented games. Fans of real-time strategy have criticized the wait times associated with turn-based games, and praised the challenge and realism associated with making quick decisions in real-time. In contrast, turn-based strategy fans have criticized real-time strategy games because most units do not behave appropriately without orders, and thus a turn-based pace allows players to input more realistic and detailed plans. Game theorists have noted that strategic thinking does not lend itself well to real-time action, and turn-based strategy purists have criticized real-time strategy games for replacing "true strategy" with gameplay that rewards "rapid mouse-clicking". Overall, reviewers have been able to recognize the advantages associated with both of the main types of strategy games.
Most strategy video games involve a mix of both strategy and tactics. "Tactics" usually refer how troops are utilized in a given battle, whereas "strategy" describes the mix of troops, the location of the battle, and the commander's larger goals or military doctrine. However, there is also a growing subgenre of purely tactical games, which are referred to as real-time tactics, and turn-based tactics. Game reviewers and scholars sometimes debate whether they are using terminology such as "tactics" or "strategy" appropriately. Chris Taylor, the designer of Total Annihilation and Supreme Commander, has gone so far as to suggest that real-time strategy titles are more about tactics than strategy. But releases that are considered pure tactical games usually provide players with a fixed set of units, and downplay other strategic considerations such as manufacturing, and resource management. Tactical games are strictly about combat, and typically focus on individual battles, or other small sections in a larger conflict.
Strategy games can take place in a number of settings. Depending on the theatre of warfare, releases may be noted as naval strategy games, or space strategy games. A title may be noted for its grand strategic scale, whether the game is real-time, or turn-based. Strategy games also draw on a number of historical periods, including World War II, the medieval era, or the Napoleonic era. Some strategy games are even based in an alternate history, by manipulating and rewriting certain historical facts. It is also common to see games based in science fiction or futuristic settings, as well as fantasy settings.
Some strategy games are abstract, and do not try to represent a world with high fidelity. Although many of these may still involve combat in the sense that units can capture or destroy each other, these games sometimes offer non-combat challenges such as arranging units in specific patterns. However, the vast majority of computerized strategy games are representational, with more complex game mechanics.
Strategy games include single-player gameplay, multiplayer gameplay, or both. Single player games will sometimes feature a campaign mode, which involves a series of matches against several artificial intelligence opponents. Finishing each match or mission will advance the game's plot, often with cut scenes, and some games will reward a completed mission with new abilities or upgrades. Hardcore strategy gamers tend to prefer multiplayer competition, where human opponents provide more challenging competition than the artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence opponents often need hidden information or bonuses to provide a challenge to players.
More recently, massively multiplayer online strategy games have appeared such as Shattered Galaxy from 2001. However, these games are relatively difficult to design and implement compared to other massively multiplayer online games, as the numerous player-controlled units create a larger volume of online data. By 2006, reviewers expressed disappointment with the titles produced thus far. Critics argued that strategy games are not conducive to massively multiplayer gameplay. A single victory cannot have much impact in a large persistent world, and this makes it hard for a player to care about a small victory, especially if they are fighting for a faction that is losing an overall war. However, more recent developers have tried to learn from past mistakes, resulting in Dreamlords from 2007, and Saga from 2008.
The origin of strategy video games is rooted in traditional tabletop strategy games like Chess and Go, as well as board and miniatures wargaming. The first console strategy game was a Risk-like game called Invasion, released in 1972 for the Magnavox Odyssey. Strategic Simulations (SSI)'s Computer Bismarck, released in 1980, was the first historical computer wargame. Companies such as SSI, Avalon Hill, MicroProse, and Strategic Studies Group released many strategy titles throughout the 1980s. Reach for the Stars from 1983 was one of the first 4X strategy games, which expanded upon the relationship between economic growth, technological progress, and conquest. 1989's Herzog Zwei is often considered the first real-time strategy game, although real-time strategy elements can be found in several earlier games such as Dan Bunten's Cytron Masters, published by SSI for the Atari 8-bit family and Apple II, as well as Don Daglow's Utopia for the Intellivision, both dating back to 1982. In 1983 Imagine Software released D.H. Lawson and John Gibson's Stonkers for the ZX Spectrum, and SSI released Steven Faber's Epidemic!. In 1984 Broderbund released versions of Evryware's The Ancient Art of War for several different 8-bit computers.
The genre was popularized by Dune II three years later. Brett Sperry, the creator of Dune II, coined the name "real-time strategy" to help market the new game genre he helped popularize. Real-time strategy games changed the strategy genre by emphasizing the importance of time management, with less time to plan. Real-time strategy games eventually began to outsell turn-based strategy games.
4X games are a genre of strategy video game in which players control an empire and "explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate". The term was first coined by Alan Emrich in his September 1993 preview of Master of Orion for Computer Gaming World. Since then, others have adopted the term to describe games of similar scope and design.
4X games are noted for their deep, complex gameplay. Emphasis is placed upon economic and technological development, as well as a range of non-military routes to supremacy. Games can take a long time to complete since the amount of micromanagement needed to sustain an empire scales as the empire grows. 4X games are sometimes criticized for becoming tedious for these reasons, and several games have attempted to address these concerns by limiting micromanagement.
The earliest 4X games borrowed ideas from board games and 1970s text-based computer games. The first 4X games were turn-based, but real-time 4X games are also not uncommon. Many 4X games were published in the mid-1990s, but were later outsold by other types of strategy games. Sid Meier's Civilization is an important example from this formative era, and popularized the level of detail that would later become a staple of the genre. In the new millennium, several 4X releases have become critically and commercially successful.
Artillery is the generic name for either early two- or three-player (usually turn-based) computer games involving tanks fighting each other in combat or similar derivative games. Artillery games are among the earliest computer games developed; the theme of such games is an extension of the original uses of computer themselves, which were once used to calculate the trajectories of rockets and other related military-based calculations. Artillery games have been typically described as a type of turn-based strategy game, though they have also been described as a type of "shooting game."
Early precursors to the modern artillery-type games were text-only games that simulated artillery entirely with input data values. A BASIC game known simply as Artillery was written by Mike Forman and was published in Creative Computing magazine in 1976. This seminal home computer version of the game was revised in 1977 by M. E. Lyon and Brian West and was known as War 3; War 3 was revised further in 1979 and published as Artillery-3. These early versions of turn-based tank combat games interpreted human-entered data such as the distance between the tanks, the velocity or "power" of the shot fired and the angle of the tanks' turrets.
Usually applied only to certain computer strategy games, the moniker "real-time strategy" (RTS) indicates that the action in the game is continuous, and players will have to make their decisions and actions within the backdrop of a constantly changing game state, and computer real-time strategy gameplay is characterised by obtaining resources, building bases, researching technologies and producing units. Very few non-computer strategy games are real-time; one example is Icehouse.
Some players dispute the importance of Strategy in Real Time Strategy games, as skill and manual dexterity are often seen as the deciding factor in this genre of game. According to Troy Dunniway, "A player controls hundreds of units, dozens of buildings and many different events that are all happening simultaneously. There is only one player, and he can only pay attention to one thing at a time. Expert players can quickly flip between many different tasks, while casual gamers have more problems with this." Ernest Adams goes so far as to suggest that real-time gameplay interferes with strategy. "Strategic thinking, at least in the arena of gameplay, does not lend itself well to real-time action".
Many strategy players claim that many RTS games really should be labeled as "Real-Time Tactical" (RTT) games since the game play revolves entirely around tactics, with little or even no strategy involved. Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs or MMOs) in particular have had a difficult time implementing strategy since having strategy implies some mechanism for "winning". MMOs, by their nature, are typically designed to be never-ending. Nevertheless, some games are attempting to "crack the code," so-to-speak, of the true real-time strategy MMOG. One method by which they are doing so is by making defenses stronger than the weapons, thereby slowing down combat considerably and making it possible for players to more carefully consider their actions during a confrontation. Customizable units are another way of adding strategic elements, as long as players are truly able to influence the capabilities of their units. The industry is seeking to present new candidates worthy of being known for "thought strategy" rather than "dexterity strategy".
The game considered the father of RTS games is Dune II, by Westwood Studios, and was followed by their seminal Command & Conquer games. Cavedog's Total Annihilation (1997), Blizzard's Warcraft (1994) series, StarCraft (1998), and Ensemble Studios' Age of Empires (1997) series are some of the most popular RTS games. In addition, online games such as NukeZone can be considered belonging in this genre as well.
Real-time tactics (abbreviated RTT and less commonly referred to as fixed-unit real-time strategy) is a subgenre of tactical wargames played in real-time simulating the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare and military tactics. It is also sometimes considered a subgenre of real-time strategy, and thus may in this context exist as an element of gameplay or as a basis for the whole game. It is differentiated from real-time strategy gameplay by the lack of resource micromanagement and base or unit building, as well as the greater importance of individual units and a focus on complex battlefield tactics. Example titles include Warhammer: Dark Omen, World In Conflict, and the Close Combat series.
The term "turn-based strategy game" (TBS) is usually reserved for certain computer strategy games, to distinguish them from real-time computer strategy games. A player of a turn-based game is allowed a period of analysis before committing to a game action. Examples of this genre are the Civilization, Heroes of Might and Magic, Making History (game), Advance Wars and Master of Orion series.
TBS games come in two flavors, differentiated by whether players make their plays simultaneously or take turns. The former types of games are called simultaneously-executed TBS games, with Diplomacy a notable example. The latter games fall into the player-alternated TBS games category, and are subsequently subdivided into (a) ranked, (b) round-robin start, and (c) random, the difference being the order under which players take their turns. With (a), ranked, the players take their turns in the same order every time. With (b), the first player is selected according to a round-robin policy. With (c), random, the first player is, of course, randomly selected.
Almost all non-computer strategy games are turn-based; however, the personal computer game market trend has lately inclined more towards real-time games. Some recent games feature a mix of both real-time and turn-based elements thrown together.
Turn-based tactics (TBT), or tactical turn-based (TTB), is a genre of strategy video games that through stop-action simulates the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare and military tactics in generally small-scale confrontations as opposed to more strategic considerations of turn-based strategy (TBS) games.
Turn-based tactical gameplay is characterized by the expectation of players to complete their tasks using only the combat forces provided to them, and usually by the provision of a realistic (or at least believable) representation of military tactics and operations. Examples of this genre include the Jagged Alliance and X-COM series, as well as tactical role-playing games such as the Final Fantasy Tactics series and the Heroes of Might and Magic series of games.
The primary gameplay mode in a wargame is usually tactical: fighting battles. Wargames sometimes have a strategic mode where players may plan their battle or choose an area to conquer, but players typically spend much less time in this mode and more time actually fighting. Because it is difficult to provide an intelligent way to delegate tasks to a subordinate, war games typically keep the number of units down to hundreds rather than hundreds of thousands. | <urn:uuid:b6ed4660-46cb-4e09-a9ae-2d2161a1ea6b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.thefullwiki.org/Strategy_video_game | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00197-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966141 | 4,491 | 3.046875 | 3 |
"This summer will mark 35 years since the first reports of AIDS. Additionally, two decades have now passed since combination antiretroviral treatment began to transform a health crisis into a more manageable public health concern. " [more inside]
By the dawn of the 19th century, the deadliest killer in human history, tuberculosis, had killed one in seven of all the people who had ever lived. The disease struck America with a vengeance, ravaging communities and touching the lives of almost every family. The battle against the deadly bacteria had a profound and lasting impact on the country. It shaped medical and scientific pursuits, social habits, economic development, western expansion, and government policy. Yet both the disease and its impact are poorly understood: in the words of one writer, tuberculosis is our "forgotten plague." [54:11]
One of the most distinctive masks worn during the Carnival of Venice is “Il Medico della Peste,” or “The Plague Doctor.” But the distinctive bone-white mask and black clothing was actually the 17th century equivalent of a biocontainment suit. Albeit one based on very shaky science.
So what is wrong with listening to the drumbeat, to the endless calls to protect ourselves against the coming plague – against Ebola from Africa and bird flu from Asia? Is it possible that a huge pandemic could erupt from some as-yet unknown pathogen? Is apocalypse lurking out there, among rats or monkeys, or bats or flying squirrels or birds? The Black Death shows that you can never say never: there might be an animal pathogen out there that, under the right circumstances, can evolve and maintain both virulence and transmissibility among humans as well as animals.
Plague is a new social networking app that spreads information like a contagious disease. You see a post from someone who is geographically close to you. Swipe up to spread it to the users nearest to you, swipe down to not share it. The more fun part is posting your own content and watching it travel around globe. These articles explain with more detail.
Alkebu-lan 1260 AH (higher resolution) is an alternative history map of Africa in AD 1844, taking as its point of departure from our timeline an even deadlier medieval Black Death, killing almost all Europeans. It is made by Swedish artist Nikolaj Cyon, who explains some of his sources and thinking in this Prezi presentation. Cyon's thinking about alternative history is partly inspired by playing the computer game Civilization, and he has made a mod where you can play the medieval kingdom of Kongo
Alison Atkin is a Ph.D. student in osteoarchaeology at the University of Sheffield, studying plague cemeteries. Her research is presented in this quirky, hand-drawn poster. Don't miss GIFs of the interactive panels at her blog, Deathsplanation.
Research on DNA extracted from the skulls of Black Death victims has revealed that the plague was not spread by rat fleas after all, and instead must have been airborne. [more inside]
A month after its release, Naughty Dog's sweeping interactive epic The Last of Us is being hailed as one of the best games of all time, with perfect scores even from notoriously demanding critics. Inspired by an eerily beautiful segment from the BBC's Planet Earth, the game portrays an America twenty years after a pandemic of the zombiefying Cordyceps fungus (previously), leaving behind lush wastelands of elegant decay teeming with monsters and beset by vicious bandits, a brutal military, and the revolutionary Fireflies. Into this bleak vision of desperate violence journey Joel, a gruffly stoic Texan with a painful past, and his ward Ellie, a precocious teenager who may hold the key to mankind's future. Boasting tense, immersive gameplay, compelling performances from a diverse cast, a movingly minimalist score from Oscar-winning Gustavo Santaolalla, and an array of influences from Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men to Cormac McCarthy's The Road, it's already being slotted alongside BioShock Infinite and Half-Life 2 as one of modern gaming's crowning achievements. And while it's hard to disentangle plot from action, you don't have to buy a PS3 to experience it -- YouTube offers many filmic edits of the game, including this three-hour version of all relevant passages. And don't miss the 84-minute documentary exploring every facet of its production. [more inside]
It's debatable whether the troubled World War Z signals the end of the ongoing zombie craze, but the film that started it all is much more clear: Danny Boyle's bleak, artful cult horror-drama 28 Days Later, which saw its US premiere ten years ago this weekend. From its iconic opening shots of an eerily abandoned London (set to Godspeed You! Black Emperor's brooding post-rock epic "East Hastings") to the frenzied chaos of its climax, Boyle's film -- a dark yet humanist tale of a world eviscerated by a frighteningly contagious epidemic of murderous rage -- reinvented and reinvigorated the genre that Romero built (though many insist its rabid, sprinting berserkers don't really count). And while sequel 28 Weeks Later with its heavyhanded Iraq War allusions failed to live up to the original (despite boasting one of the most viscerally terrifying opening sequences in modern horror), and 28 Months looks increasingly unlikely, there remains a small universe of side content from the film, including music, short films, comics, and inspired-by games. [more inside]
In 2003, the BBC reported that a population explosion of Great Gerbils had destroyed more than 4 million hectares of grasslands in China's north-western Xinjiang region -- an area about the size of Switzerland. By 2005 the damage covered 5 million hectares, and the Xinjuang Regional Headquarters for Controlling Locusts and Rodents were reported to be breeding and attracting pairs of golden eagles to curb the gerbil population. So McSweeney's Joshuah Bearman was assigned to the story. His report: An Investigation Into Xinjiang's Growing Swarm of Great Gerbils, Which May or May Not be Locked in a Death-Struggle With the Golden Eagle, With Important Parallels and/or Implications Regarding Koala Bears, The Pied Piper, Spongmonkeys, Cane Toads, Black Death, [and] Text-Messaging..
Tuberculosis, which kills around 1,000 people a day in India, has acquired a deadlier edge. Forty years ago, the world thought it had conquered TB. [more inside]
"There is a parallel between what amphibian taxonomists do these days and what homicide detectives do. Both arrive at scenes of mayhem. Maybe they solve the crime, but they are powerless to undo it." A fungal plague is killing the world's amphibians. Hundreds of species are already gone. There is no vaccine and no cure. There is, however, an ark.
DNA from the teeth of medival corpses confirm that the Black Death was caused by Yersinia pestis. [more inside]
"One must be very naïve or dishonest to imagine that men choose their pants independently of their situation."
Demon Denim. Feeding off a earlier column in the WSJ by Daniel Akst, who wrote, "no fabric has ever been so insidiously effective at undermining national discipline," conservative columnist George Will takes up the (denim-free) banner in the crusade to rid America of "the plague of that ubiquitous fabric, which is symptomatic of deep disorders in the national psyche."
Scientists Discover 21st Century Plague? Bartonella bacteria, spread by the brown rat, Europe's largest and most common rodent, are considered emerging zoonotic pathogens because they have the potential to transmit human disease worldwide, including heart disease and nervous system infections. [more inside]
Retrospectacle on the Plague. Shelley Batts is a neuroscience PhD candidate who writes the great blog Retrospectacle [Prev]. She's recently posted a series on the bubonic plague: It's real and perceived causes (1 2), the bizarre medical garb doctors used, and modern cases of Yersinia pestis* infection in the U.S. and the world.
They bite, they stain, they squeak, they pheromone. Looks like they've taken Brixton. Collect them up and send them to the Professor, or let the Harlequin Survey know. Here's what they look like and where they came from. Dammit, now we've got your ladybugs.
"Virtual Virus Sheds Light on Real-Life Behavior." A researcher at Tufts University's Center for the Modelling of Infectious Diseases, Dr. Nina Fefferman, is studying the behavior of World Of Warcraft players during the recent plague that broke out in Ironforge (discussed on Metafilter here.) But Dr. Fefferman is not the first academic to study MMORPGs seriously. Edward Castronova, an economist, arguably pioneered the field with his 2001 paper Virtual Worlds, in which he argues that the economy in Everquest produced a GNP per capita somewhere between that of Russia and Bulgaria. (He has followed up that paper with many more on similar subjects.)
Thomas Campbell Butler at 63 years of age, is completing the 1st year of a 2-year sentence in federal prison, following an investigation and trial that was initiated after he voluntarily reported that he believed vials containing _Yersinia pestis_ were missing from his laboratory at Texas Tech University.
What do HIV, breast cancer, dental plaque, and stem cells all have in common? Why, you can wear them! as a tie, a lovely scarf, or even underwear! The Infectious Awearables collection will definitely be catching...spreading like an epidemic...infectious and charming! (via Blue's News)
Bubonic plague strikes again... It seems that bubonic plague has never actually gone away with reports of occurences in Madagascar, Bolivia and now it seems, from New Mexico. Given that the disease has been diagnosed and treated outside of the host cities in the cases of the Bolivian woman and the couple in New York, I think this highlights how diseases we tend to classify as third world health problems, are merely a plane ride away from causing an outbreak here.
Mum, I’m playing a syphilitic Hackney whore being impassively tupped by a boil-faced plague-pit digger in the desperate belief that my pox will cure his plague
Mum, I’m playing a syphilitic Hackney whore being impassively tupped by a boil-faced plague-pit digger in the desperate belief that my pox will cure his plague If you didn't have the chance to see the Channel 4 programme about the Black Death don't worry, this article is much more entertaining.
Black Death Decoded: the BBC is reporting that scientists have decoded the genetic structure of the bacterium responsible for the plague. More information is available here. Meanwhile Harvard is working on an anthrax antidote.
Dot-Com Deaths = Black Plague?
Toronto Star Internet columnist K.K. Campbell takes a look at the startling simularities of the dot-com deaths and the black plague."The Dot-Com Death resulted primarily from a little parasite (Internet hypesters, Bombasticus bullroaricus) carried on the body of another parasite (Wall Street IPO underwriters, Securitus scammus maximus) on corporate stocks moving along business capital routes."
Synthetic virus nearing reality Scientists will have the technology to create a wholly artificial virus within the next five years, a major conference in the US has been told. This is the quote I like best... Prof Hutchinson added: "Am I worried about a synthesised virus? No, you only worry about it if someone does it out of malicious motives."
In 1545 and 1576, plagues swept across the Yucatan peninsual in Mexico and killed 17 million people, including 80 percent of the native Indians. The traditional view is that American Indians succumbed to European diseases to which they had no natural resistance. A new and subtle theory says that the plagues were not imported but were in fact of local origin. It doesn't let the Europeans off the hook though. | <urn:uuid:7f93356a-9901-4f5c-a0a8-f9198cd96029> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.metafilter.com/tags/plague | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397111.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00045-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94741 | 2,575 | 3.09375 | 3 |
William James Knowles (1832 - 1927):
W. J. Knowles was born in Fenagh, near Cullybackey, County Antrim. He was educated privately, and later taught botany and geology. He taught in Cullybackey, Portglenone and Ballymena, such diverse subjects as heat and light and the principles of agriculture. He was the land agent for the Casement estate, and from 1879 to 1920, secretary of the Antrim County Land, Building and Investment Company. He embarked on his antiquarian career in 1870 and in 1871 discovered sandhill settlement sites in Portstewart, excavated at Whitepark Bay and at Tievebulliagh, where his major achievement was the discovery of a Neolithic Axe Factory. In 1878 he was secretary of the committee set up by the British Association for the Advancement of Science, in order to investigate such sites. He founded the Ballymena Naturalists' Field Club and the Ballymena Archaeological Society. He was a member of the Royal Irish Academy, a fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, a member of Belfast Naturalists' Field Club, and a fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. He published more than seventy papers in journals. His fine collection of antiquities was dispersed in 1924 and he left Ballymena and retired to Ballvcastle. He is buried at the Craigs. | <urn:uuid:79cccd95-05a1-4ff7-89f1-47f48242e242> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.newulsterbiography.co.uk/index.php/home/viewPerson/804 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393533.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00005-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972376 | 303 | 2.609375 | 3 |
The Stockdale Paradox is a term coined by famous author Jim Collins in the book “Good to Great”. He named this idea based on the story of Vice Admiral James Stockdale.
James Stockdale was a Squadron Commander for the United States during the Vietnam War. On September 9 1965, Stockdale was forced to eject over hostile territory and was taken as a Prisoner of War (POW) by the Vietnamese.
Stockdale was a Prisoner of War for the next seven years.
During this time, what kept him alive is his undying determination to get through the ordeal and get home. According to him: “I never lost faith in the end of the story, I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade”.
Turning the ordeal into a defining event of his life. Remember that.
But this is not the reason why the term “Stockdale Paradox” was coined. When asked who were the ones who did not survive, he replied: “The optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas.’ And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’ And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart.”
On the surface, it seems like his undying determination runs contrary to his view of the optimists who hoped for an early release. Looking deeper, you can see how much wisdom Stockdale had. Stockdale never lost sight of his ultimate goal, his grand vision. But he never was dazzled by false hopes, and he was willing to face the brutal reality of the situation he was in.
This duality of perspective is the Stockdale Paradox.
We must learn from Admiral Stockdale by knowing and embracing the reality we are in, by accepting that things will not magically go our way; but never losing sight of the grand vision that will bring us liberation from our constraints.
“This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be” – Vice Admiral James Stockdale (1923-2005)
-A Garlic Man | <urn:uuid:c69e0410-26a9-41a2-bc90-9eef38dfeb9e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.isharelight.com/the-stockdale-paradox/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398628.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00123-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984505 | 538 | 2.75 | 3 |
A Patient's Guide to Leptospirosis
by John Smith
Leptospirosis is a relatively rare bacterial illness that affects animals (particularly rats, mice, moles, birds, amphibians and reptiles)and humans. At least five variations in the bacteria exist in the U.S: Icterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola, Pomona, Grippotyphosa, and Bratislava. If you or a loved one has contracted leptospirosis, this must-have book gives you all you need to know about the disease. | <urn:uuid:d326aa54-d10d-46fc-8cca-924f9086fd9f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://www.smashwords.com/books/tags/black_jaundice | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399428.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00082-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.839735 | 122 | 3.21875 | 3 |
An African tribe called the Ik throws their children out of their homes once they turn 3. They are left to fend for themselves with no help from their parents at all, and to survive, form groups with others their age. These groups only last a few years, and every so often the individual will join a completely different group.
Nearly every primitive culture has had rituals and celebrations to guarantee the proper passage of the seasons and to ensure the fertility of crops and animals. Oversight of these ceremonies was generally the provenance of local kings or priests.
Suppose that the adventurers dispatch one of these fellows. The local peasants may become hysterical, fearing famine and death will stalk the land. Alternatively, they may want one of the new heroes to become king. For a while, this can be a good thing, but the first time that the crops fail, the superstitious locals will want to sacrifice their new leader. | <urn:uuid:7e93b4e2-0697-445d-b9ed-a37249b639e5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://strolen.com/ideas/author/Essus | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393093.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00106-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968502 | 183 | 2.9375 | 3 |
In November 2011, conversations about connection technologies have shifted from whether governments should use social media to how governments should use social media. Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and YouTube are part of the default template for the websites of newly elected officials.
As the year comes to an end, the risks and rewards of Web 2.0 are better known for both citizens and government alike. People from every walk of life naturally have questions about what the explosion of social media will mean for the future of society, including difficult questions about what this new landscape will mean for privacy, security, freedom of expression and online identity. Predictions about what the future of social media will mean for an increasingly networked society range from dystopian autocracies with pervasive surveillance to stronger, data-driven digital democracies. Or both.
It’s in that context that the National Archives recently convened a conversation about “What’s Next?” at the McGowan Theater in its headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Access to records in this century means digital access. For many people, if it is not online, it doesn’t exist. The use of social media to increase access is the new norm. NARA [National Archives and Records Administration] has been going after innovative tools and projects that increase digital access to our records, including projects that invite public participation. We are developing a Citizen Archivist Dashboard that will encourage the public to pitch in via social media tools on a number of our projects.
Ferriero introduced the idea of a “citizen archivist” after he joined the National Archives in 2009. Now, the National Archives is moving forward with enlisting the help of the people in identifying, digitizing and archiving the nation’s history with the use of the Internet.
Prior to the “What’s Next?” forum, National Archives staff hosted a social media fair where they showed how they were using Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and location-aware social networks to share the nation’s history and connect to citizens online. To learn more about how this “Citizen Archivist Dashboard” will work, you can watch the video embedded below and download a PDF of the presentation that Pamela Wright, chief digital access strategist at NARA, gave at the forum. Joseph Marks attended the forum and wrote about the dashboard at NextGov afterward.
If you watch the video, you’ll see Ferriero and Wright discuss how the National Archives is thinking about the work of preservation in the age of social media. As more records become digital, the institution faces huge challenges in how it approaches retaining the historical records.
At the forum, I gave a short presentation in which I talked about the past, present and future for social media. The talk framed a subsequent panel discussion about social media where Wright and I joined David Weinberger, senior researcher at the Harvard Berkman Center for Internet and Society, and Sarah Bernard, deputy director for the Office of Digital Strategy at the White House.
Weinberger shared some thoughts about “what’s new in social media” prior to the forum on his blog:
1. The Internet began as an open “address space” that enabled networks to be created within it. So, we got the Web, which networked pages. We got social networks, which networked people. We are well on our way to networking data, through the Semantic Web and Linked Open Data. We are getting an Internet of Things. The DPLA [Digital Public Library of America] will, I hope, help create a network of cultural objects.
2. The Internet and the web have always been social, but the rise of networks particularly tuned to social needs is of vast importance because the social determines all the rest. Indeed, the Internet is a medium only because we are in fact that through which messages pass. We pass them along because they matter to us, and we stake a bit of ourselves on them. We are the medium.
3. Of all of the major and transformative networks that have emerged, only the social networks are closed and owned. I don’t know how or if we will get open social networks, but it is a danger that as of now we do not have them.
Over the course of the evening, I moderated an engaging conversation about what the rapidly expanding universe of collaborative technologies means for the society, government and media. There was a lively question and answer period, with the people “formerly known as the audience” joining us in the theater and through an active online backchannel via Twitter. It was an honor to join this discussion. | <urn:uuid:381b3ed9-06d5-4436-bfe3-369da60c3928> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/11/national-archives-social-media.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397567.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00123-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941848 | 952 | 2.53125 | 3 |
2012 was the second most expensive year on record for U.S. weather-related disasters that cost more than $1 billion
Introducing Frontline Online: a weekly round up of environmental news and action from around the globe
January 12th, 2013
by Lorna Howarth
In her new weekly column, the Ecologist's Lorna Howarth reports on the stories that show standing up for what we believe in can and does make a real difference.
Obama has promised to make climate change a priority - now he needs to turn those words to action
In light of the constant news stories about last years drought and crop failure in the US, it comes as little surprise that on January 8, 2013, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed 2012 was the hottest year on record for the continent (whilst it was the wettest year on record in the UK). NOAA also announced that 2012 was the second most expensive year on record for US weather-related disasters that cost more than $1 billion. Most of the country suffered from climate-related extremes, including extensive heat and drought, western wildfires, and destruction from Storm Sandy.
President Obama has committed to a ‘national conversation’ on climate change “with scientists, engineers and elected officials to find out what more can we do to make short-term progress in reducing carbon.” But according to Angela Anderson, the Director of the Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a national conversation is not nearly enough. “The longer we delay reducing emissions, the more climate change we’re going to lock in. The President has promised to make climate change a priority in his second term, but he needs to turn those words into action. The price tag for dealing with unchecked climate change makes the fiscal cliff look like a crack in the sidewalk.”
“Climate change is starting to hit us in our own backyards,” Anderson continued. “As dealing with it becomes more expensive locally, denying it is going to become more expensive politically. The revolt in the House of Representatives over disaster relief for victims of Storm Sandy is a taste of what’s to come if climate policy amounts to little more than cleaning up after disasters.”
While the United States has made significant progress in reducing emissions through laws such as improved fuel efficiency and state renewable electricity standards, it’s falling short of its own emissions reduction goals. The United Nations Environment Program estimates that the world is on track to warm more by the end of the century than the 3.6 degree Fahrenheit reduction global leaders have pledged to achieve by stabilizing the amount of heat-trapping emissions in the atmosphere. Despite ongoing high-profile climate change denial in the country, the US National Academy of Sciences has concluded that, “Climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for a broad range of human and natural systems.”
Lorna Howarth is a writer and environmentalist. She is a contributing editor to Resurgence & Ecologist magazine and the founder of a small independent publishing ageny, The Writer Factor www.thewritefactor.co.uk. Contact: [email protected]
image courtesy of www.shutterstock.com
Using this website means you agree to us using simple cookies. | <urn:uuid:d2c137b8-8dc5-40e2-8763-c556d832fd72> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/1762464/introducing_frontline_online_a_weekly_round_up_of_environmental_news_and_action_from_around_the_globe.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396949.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00076-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954871 | 688 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Given that the new online world is being transformed by creative technology companies like Facebook, Twitter, Google and video games companies, it seems incredible that there is an absence of computer programming in schools. The UK has gone backwards at a time when the requirement for computer science as a core skill is more essential than ever before.
When Sir Clive Sinclair launched the ZX Spectrum in 1982, affordable computers were eagerly purchased for the homes of a creative nation.
At the same time, the BBC Micro was adopted as the computer platform of choice for most schools and became the cornerstone of computing in British education in the 1980s. There was a thirst for creative computing both in the home and in schools creating a further demand at universities for courses in computer science.
This certainly contributed to the rapid growth of the UK computer games industry. But instead of building on the BBC’s Computer Literacy Project in the 1980s, schools turned away from programming in favour of ICT. Whilst useful in teaching various proprietary office software packages, ICT fails to inspire children to study computer programming. It is certainly not much help for a career in games.
In a world where technology affects everything in our daily lives, so few children are taught such an essential STEM skill as programming. Bored by ICT, young people do not see the potential of the digital creative industries.
It is hardly surprising that the games industry keeps complaining about the lack of industry-ready computer programmers and digital artists.
Ironically, today’s children are naturally attracted to the digital world. They are a connected generation. They prefer to access and process information when needed using whatever media devices are available. Calculators and smartphones are not a substitute for learning; they enable it.
It would be a simple matter to inspire them with creative computing. Enable them to build digital bridges for their shared world. Collaborating in teams with different but complementary skills naturally prepares them for their working life.
It would be impossible to make any video games without teams of computer programmers and digital artists working together. And it’s not just about the video games and VFX industries; these skills are transferable and afford people a career in all of the digital creative industries.
Extracted from the Livingstone-Hope Review | <urn:uuid:ad44cae2-3a82-46e2-a8f2-89fc6adcf0c5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/opinion-games-education-must-move-quickly/05018 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396872.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00166-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962404 | 456 | 3.359375 | 3 |
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Ana and Ross looked in a trunk in the attic. They found old cloaks and gowns, hats and masks.
"We could make costumes up for ", said Ana.
"I could wear a black cloak, green mask and pointy hat", said Ana.
|"Look at me in the black cloak and Dracula mask. Put the crown on me please", said Ross.|
How many possible costumes could Ross have made if he kept the black cloak and Dracula mask but wore one of the different hats?
Here are two other costumes that Ana and Ross made up.
List or draw all of the different cloaks and gowns, masks and hats that they have used.
If they changed around their clothes, hats and masks, how many different costumes do you think Ana and Ross could make?
Find out if your guess was correct.
|Ross found extra masks in the trunk.|
|"I think I'll change my face!" laughed Ana.|
I wonder how many other costumes Ana and Ross could put together if they put one of these other masks on.
Can you find out?
|Ana looked deep into the trunk. "I've found a different cape",
she cried. "Now we can make even more costumes!"
How many different costumes could Ana and Ross make altogether?
How can you be sure that you have found all of the possible costumes?
I wonder how many more different costumes they could possibly make if they had found this bag of old shoes.... | <urn:uuid:44b2c17b-5bc6-4de5-8a13-d74fc06c7d93> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://nrich.maths.org/95/index?nomenu=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398516.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00166-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965508 | 323 | 2.875 | 3 |
Research suggests that breast-fed babies may be less likely to have high cholesterol levels as adults.
A researcher at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston says a study of 4-month-olds found differences in the way formula-fed and breast-fed infants produce cholesterol, which is crucial in the brain's development.
Breast milk has six times more cholesterol than formula, and formula-fed babies respond by producing their own, says Dr. William Wong, an associate professor of pediatrics at Baylor.
Despite the increased production, formula-fed babies still have 40 percent less cholesterol in their blood. "Maybe the bottle-fed infants are not getting as much cholesterol as they are supposed to," Wong says.
Also, the increased cholesterol production may have an "imprinting effect" that persists later in life, meaning bottle-fed babies might suffer from high cholesterol levels as adults, Wong says.
Adding more cholesterol to formula would be difficult, Wong says, because it would cause fat to form and possibly clog passage through the bottle. "Breast milk is Mother Nature," Wong says. "If possible, you should breast feed."
Wong's findings were published recently in the Journal of Lipid Research. | <urn:uuid:28f1a9d7-ac5b-4afc-a664-542287df9525> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1994-01-23/features/9401230443_1_breast-fed-formula-fed-bottle-fed | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00189-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977722 | 247 | 3.109375 | 3 |
The Parish Church dedicated to St. Mary Madeleine was erected in 1595. The chapel is surrounded by a system of fortifications that functioned as a stronghold, repelling the attack of Tatars troops in 1624. The tower was probably erected in the 18th c and renovated between 1871 and 1877, in 1903 and between 1983 and 1985. In the 90’s of the 20th c, the tower’s ground floor was restructured – a part of formwork was dismantled and a stone vestibule with buttresses in the corners was erected. The church was erected according to the Gothic tradition which was strong and persistent especially in southern Poland. | <urn:uuid:512bda8b-fc5e-4e39-a2e5-2da9f3f2109f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.touristlink.com/poland/the-parish-church-of-st-mary-madeleine/overview.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783404826.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155004-00138-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987447 | 137 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Various Linux distributions these days have started rolling out fancy GUIs to attract end users. Though this is a good strategy but working on Linux without understanding and using command line utilities is still not possible. Some one who uses Linux should know at least some basic commands that are required every now and then to accomplish trivial tasks. So, In this article, we will discuss a few commonly used (but must know) Linux commands with an example for each.
1. Linux ps command This command is used to provide information on the... [More] | <urn:uuid:4692a9ff-96a0-463a-bbae-c4cecaa9b276> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/blogs/58e72888-6340-46ac-b488-d31aa4058e9c/tags/netcat(nc)?sortby=0&maxresults=30&lang=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403826.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00101-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923418 | 108 | 2.609375 | 3 |
By Jonathan Wynn
The Black Lives Matter movement was made possible by social media, and offers an opportunity for different groups to have a conversation about race in America.
My grandparents were very religious and active in the civil rights movement. Bomb threats were directed at churches in the Washington D.C. area that planned to house southern African Americans making their way to the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. In coordination with their church, my grandparents housed dozens of men and women in their home. (For a vivid retelling of the time by one of the key figures in the movement, see John Lewis's graphic novel, March.)
Continue reading "Connecting Across Race" »
By Teresa Irene Gonzales
Zahira Kelly, who writes an advice column for The New Inquiry and for the blog Bad Dominicana, was recently on my campus to talk about the lack of Afro-Latin@/x representations within American and Latin American culture, history, and popular media. In her candid conversation, Zahira spoke honestly about her frustrations with systemic racism and heterosexism, and she mentioned the hate mail that she receives because she speaks openly about her experiences as a Black Latina.
While Kelly's talk highlighted the personal ways that racial erasure in popular media affects her on an individual level, it also showcased the lack of representations of a variety of people of color within our popular American consciousness. This negation of difference among and between communities of color both homogenizes these complex lived experiences and reinforces a simplistic understanding of race and culture that relies heavily on skin color and privileges whiteness.
Continue reading "Popular Culture, Race, and Representation" »
By Jonathan Wynn
When teaching sociology—particularly theory—we'll often hear about how most of the classic readings we assign are written by "dead white guys." And when you look through the canon it is, indeed, very pale and very male.
Few women are credited in shaping early sociology. Marianne Weber influenced her husband Max and Georg Simmel, and was a powerful sociologist in her own right. Harriet Martineau translated and edited Auguste Comte's famous Cours de Philosophi Positive so well that Comte preferred her version of his book over his own. Charlotte Perkins Gilman (of The Yellow Wallpaper fame) and Jane Addams both described themselves as sociologists, taught sociology courses, published articles in the American Journal of Sociology, and were charter members of the American Sociological Society (now called the American Sociological Association). Mary Jo Deegan writes on the exclusion of women in the American Sociological Society here.
Still, I think that it is completely fair to concede that classical sociological theory has a lot of "dead" and "guys."
What about that "white" part, though? Let's examine that more closely.
Continue reading "The Dead White Guys of Theory?" »
By Peter Kaufman
Alone, you can fight,
you can refuse,
you can take what revenge you can
but they roll over you.
These words come from Marge Piercy’s poem, "The Low Road." It is one of my favorite sociological poems about the potential power that is unleashed when people join together and fight for social change. I probably mention this poem at least once a semester in one or more of my classes and I will certainly be invoking it again as I discuss the recent events at the University of Missouri.
Black students at the University of Missouri have been protesting for months about ongoing racist incidents on campus. They are particularly frustrated by what they perceive to be the failure of the university’s administration, and particularly President Tim Wolfe, to adequately address these events. Using the hashtag #ConcernedStudent1950, in reference to the year that black students where finally admitted into the University of Missouri, the protesters were calling for the resignation or removal of President Wolfe.
Continue reading "University of Missouri and the Power of Student Protests" »
By Teresa Irene Gonzales
Aside from my Netflix marathons, there are only a handful of network television shows that I make time to actually watch. And the new Fox prime time show Empire is one of them. Like so many great shows, it includes moments of fantasy, joy, and struggle that oftentimes mirror very real social issues that are on the forefront of their viewers’ minds.
For instance, the season two premiere opened with a #FreeLucious concert that paid homage to the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and highlighted the overrepresented numbers of African-American men in our prison systems and their mistreatment by police. The imagery (particularly that of Cookie Lyon in a Gorilla suit and caged) and discourse used within that opening scene speaks to broader national issues. As highlighted by Gene Demby at NPR, however, these narratives are not common within prime time television.
Continue reading "Racial (In)Equality in the U.S." »
By Teresa Irene Gonzales
I was recently listening to an episode of The TakeAway on NPR; the host was interviewing Shirin Lao-Raz Salemnia on her commitment to fostering an interest in coding among young girls. This got me thinking about my own experiences as a young, female computer technician during my late teens and early twenties.
I began working in information technology when I was 19. I didn’t know many women who were also interested in mainframes, computer networking, hardware technologies, et cetera. In fact, I was both the youngest person and the only woman in my computer engineering courses, and at both of my tech-related jobs. I didn’t really know how to process the explicitly gendered and sexist, and implicitly racist comments and treatment that I received (I once had a VP pat me on the head and say he’d call one of the guys to help him out). At the time, social networking was in its infancy and I didn’t know how to connect with others who had similar interests and/or challenges as me.
Continue reading "Girl Code and Heteronormativity in STEM Fields" »
By Aaron J. Howell
Assistant Professor of Sociology SUNY-Farmingdale
Racial politics have come to the forefront of political and social debates in the United States (U.S.) over the last year. The Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and Freddie Gray (just to name a few) cases have caused many communities to rethink police-community relations and begin to have some honest conversations about race.
Continue reading "Black and White Understandings of Urban Uprising" »
By Peter Kaufman
I’m not a big fan of horror stories. I’ve never read Dracula, Frankenstein or even a Stephen King novel, and I don’t regularly watch movies full of chainsaws, ghostly figures, or creepy twins. But recently, I read a sociological horror story that I couldn’t put down. I was engrossed with it. It was beautifully written, painstakingly told, and depressingly disturbing. Although it did offer details of death and destruction, these were not the scariest passages. What made this story so frightening and unsettling was the plain, unadulterated sociological truth it told.
Continue reading "The Horror of Race in the United States" »
By Colby King
Assistant Professor of Sociology, Bridgewater State University
The ongoing debate about the confederate flag on the grounds of the South Carolina State House reminds us of the power of the symbols we put in our places, and the way we talk about those symbols and those places.
Continue reading "Social (Re)Construction of Place in Columbia, South Carolina" »
By Sally Raskoff
Have you heard about the woman in Spokane, Washington, the former head of the local NAACP chapter who resigned when people discovered that her identified race did not match her ancestry?
I’m talking about the case of Rachel Dolezal. With white ancestry but a strong identification with African American realities, she maintains that her racial identity is black. She passed as black by changing her appearance until her parents spoke to the media about their confusion with her mismatched self-identity.
Continue reading "Racial Construction and Appropriation" » | <urn:uuid:7c3bc7e1-9270-4546-929c-c81494268420> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.everydaysociologyblog.com/race_and_ethnicity/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398216.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00109-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960989 | 1,709 | 3.03125 | 3 |
07 January 2014
Siamese Twin Gray Whales
Scientists in Mexico's Scammon's Lagoon have discovered what they think might be the first ever case of Siamese twin gray whales.
Siamese twins, also known as conjoined twins, come from a single fertilised egg, so they are always identical and always the same sex. Instead of separating fully and growing into two separate babies, some of the egg’s cells stay linked and fuse the twins together.
Examples have been seen in many other animal species, including humans, and whale species including fin and minke whales, but never gray whales.
Sadly these twins did not survive and were most likely miscarried by their mum.
At this time of year, gray whales are arriving in lagoons along Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, after undertaking a mammoth 6,000-mile journey from the cold Arctic waters in the north. Usually, they give birth during the journey, or once they've arrived in the lagoons. They'll then stay in the warm, quiet waters for several weeks, nursing their calves and resting before starting on the return journey, back to their feeding grounds in the Arctic.
Find out more about gray whales. | <urn:uuid:5d1bae74-b9a8-4978-882b-1562cf8ecc25> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.wdcs.org/wdcskids/en/news.php?select=1546 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397111.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00072-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964498 | 253 | 3.375 | 3 |
Calculate a Fractional Number of Years Difference Between Two Dates in SQL
Published: October 29, 2008
Is there anything new in SQL that will calculate the difference between two dates and return a fractional number of years? For example: "2007-09-10"--"1997-01-01" should return 10.69 years.
The normal DB2 SQL function to return a difference between two timestamps (TIMESTAMP_DIFF) will not return fractional values as your calculation requires.
However, if super accuracy isn't a great need, there is an easy way to do this. Simply calculate the number of days between the two dates to get the number of days difference. Then divide the result by 365.2425, which is the average number of days in the Gregorian calendar, and you have a fractional number of years difference. For more info on using 365.2425 as the number of days in a year, click here. Other websites have the average number of days as 365.2422 although the value is gradually declining.
Here's an SQL example using host variables that rounds the result to two decimals:
,2) As No_Years
And there you have it, an easy way to calculate a fractional number of years between two dates in SQL.
On a related note, this same technique can be used to get the fractional number between two months; but this is a little sloppy when using an average of 30.4369 days per month. However, starting in V6R1 the new MONTHS_BETWEEN function can be used to better estimate the fractional number of months between two dates without the SQL mess shown above. Here is an example from the IBM manual:
SELECT MONTHS_BETWEEN('2005-02-20', '2005-01-17')
This example will return the value 1.096774193548387.
Michael Sansoterra is a programmer/analyst for i3 Business Solutions, an IT services firm based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Send your questions or comments for Michael to Ted Holt via the IT Jungle Contact page.
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|ELCore.Net > Catholicity > MacCaffrey|
(b) Febronianism and Josephism.
The spirit of opposition to the Holy See soon spread from France to the various states of the Holy Roman Empire. The violent onslaughts of the Reformers and the imminent danger of heresy had driven the Catholics of Germany to cling more closely to the Holy See, and had helped to extinguish the anti-Roman feeling, that had been so strong in the early years of the sixteenth century. But once the religious wars had ended without a decisive victory for either party, and once the theory of imperial neutrality had been sanctioned formally by the Peace of Westphalia (1648), the Catholic rulers of Germany, not excluding even the spiritual princes, showed more anxiety to increase their own power than to safeguard the interests of their religion. The example of the Protestant states, where the rulers were supreme in religious as in temporal affairs, could not fail to encourage Catholic sovereigns to assert for themselves greater authority over the Church in their own territories, in utter disregard of the rights of the Pope and of the constitution of the Church. Frequently during the reigns of Leopold I. (1657-1705), of Joseph I. (1705-11), and of Charles VI. (1711-40) the interference of the civil power in ecclesiastical affairs had given just cause for complaint. But it was only during the reign of Francis I. (1745-65), and more especially of Joseph II. (1765-90), that the full results of the Jansenist, Gallican, and Liberal Catholic teaching made themselves felt in the empire as a whole, and in the various states of which the empire was composed.
The most learned exponent of Gallican views on the German side of the Rhine was John Nicholas von Hontheim (1701-90), who was himself a student of Van Espen (1646-1728), the well-known Gallican and Jansenist professor of canon law in the University of Louvain. On the return of von Hontheim to his native city of Trier he was entrusted with various important offices by the Prince-bishop of Trier, by whose advice he was appointed assistant-bishop of that See (1740). He was a man of great ability, well versed especially in ecclesiastical and local history, and a close student of the writings of the Gallicans (Richer, Dupin, Thomassin, and Van Espen). At the time the hope of a reunion between the Lutherans and the Catholics in Germany was not abandoned completely. It seemed to von Hontheim that by lessening the power of the Papacy, which was regarded by the Protestants as the greatest obstacle to reconciliation, Gallicanism provided the basis for a good reunion programme, that was likely to be acceptable to moderate men of both parties in Germany. With the object therefore of promoting the cause of reunion he set himself to compose his remarkable book, De Statu Ecclesiae et de Legitima Potestate Romani Pontificis, published in 1762 under the assumed name of Justinus Febronius.
According to Febronius Christ entrusted the power of the keys not to the Pope nor to the hierarchy, but to the whole body of the faithful, who in turn handed over the duty of administration to the Pope and the hierarchy. All bishops according to him were equal, and all were independent of the government of their own dioceses, though at the same time, for the purpose of preserving unity, a primacy of honour should be accorded to the successor of Saint Peter. But this primacy was not necessarily the special prerogative of the Roman See; it could be separated from that Church and transferred to another diocese. In the early ages of Christianity the Roman bishops never claimed the power wielded by their successors in later times. These pretensions to supreme jurisdiction were founded upon the false decretals of Isidore and other forgeries, and constituted a corruption that should not be tolerated any longer in the Church. In reality the Pope was only the first among equals, empowered no doubt to carry on the administration of the Church, but incapable of making laws or irreformable decrees on faith or morals. He was subject to a General Council which alone enjoyed the prerogative of infallibility. Febronius called upon the Pope to abandon his untenable demands, and to be content with the position held by his predecessors in the early centuries. If he refused to do so spontaneously he should be forced to give up his usurpations, and if necessary the bishops should call upon the civil rulers to assist them in their struggle. As a means of restoring the Papacy to its rightful position, Febronius recommended the convocation of national synods and of a General Council, the proper instruction of priests and people, the judicious use of the Royal Placet on papal announcements, the enforcement of the Appelatio ab Abusu against papal and episcopal aggression, and, as a last resort, the refusal of obedience.
The book was in such complete accord with the absolutist tendencies of the age that it was received with applause by the civil rulers, and by the court canonists, theologians, and lawyers, who saw in it the realisation of their own dreams of a state Church subservient to the civil ruler. The book was, however, condemned by Clement XIII. (1764), who exhorted the German bishops to take vigorous measures against such dangerous theories. Many of the bishops were indifferent; others of them were favourable to von Hontheim’s views; but the majority suppressed the book in their dioceses. Several treatises were published in reply to Febronius, the most notable of which were those form the pen of Ballerini and Zaccaria. New editions of the work of Febronius were called for, and translations of the whole or part of it appeared in German, Italian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. It was received with great favour in Austria, where the principles of Febronius were adopted by most of the leading court canonists. At a meeting held in Coblenz (1769) the three Prince-bishops of Mainz, Trier, and Cologne presented a catalogue of complaints (Gravamina) against the Roman Curia, many of which were extracted from or based upon the work of Hontheim. After repeated appeals of the Pope to the Prince-bishop of Trier to exercise his influence upon von Hontheim, the latter consented to make a retractation in 1778, but his followers alleged that the retractation having been secured by threats was valueless. This contention was supported by a commentary published by Hontheim in explanation of his retractation, in which he showed clearly enough that he had not receded an inch from his original position. Before his death in 1790 he expressed regret for the doctrine he put forward, and died in full communion with the Church.
The teaching of Febronius, paving the way as it did for the supremacy of the State in religious matters, was welcomed by the Emperor Joseph II., by the Elector of Bavaria, as well as by the spiritual princes of the Rhine provinces. In Austria, especially, violent measures were taken to assert the royal supremacy. Joseph II. was influenced largely by the Gallican and liberal tendencies of his early teachers and advisers. He dreamed of making Austria a rich, powerful, and united kingdom, and becoming himself its supreme and absolute ruler. During the reign of his mother, Maria Theresa, he was kept in check, but after her death in 1780, in conjunction with his prime minister, Kaunitz, he began to inaugurate his schemes of ecclesiastical reform. He insisted upon the Royal Placet on all documents issued by the Pope or by the bishops, forbade the bishops of his territories to hold any direct communication with Rome or to ask for a renewal of their faculties, which faculties he undertook to confer by his own authority. He forbade all his subjects to seek or accept honours from the Pope, insisted upon the bishops taking the oath of allegiance to himself before their consecration, introduced a system of state-controlled education, and suppressed a number of religious houses. In order that the clergy might be instructed in the proper ecclesiastical principles, he abolished the episcopal seminaries, and established central seminaries at Vienna, Pest, Louvain, Freiburg, and Pavia for the education of the clergy in his dominions. Clerical students from Austria were forbidden to frequent the Collegium Germanicum at Rome lest they should be brought under the influence of ultramontane teaching. Even the smallest details of ecclesiastical worship were determined by royal decrees. In all these reforms Joseph II. was but reducing to practice the teaching of Febronius.
By personal letters and by communications through his nuncio Pius VI. sought to induce Joseph II. to abstain from such a policy of state aggression; but, as all his representations were ineffective, he determined to undertake a journey to Vienna, in the hope that his presence might bring about a change in the policy of the Emperor, or at least stir up the bishops to defend the interests of the Church (1782). He arrived at Vienna, had frequent interviews with the Emperor and with his minister Kaunitz, and was obliged to leave without any other result, except that he had assured himself of the fact that, whatever about the Emperor or the bishops, the majority of the people of Austria were still loyal to the head of the Catholic Church. The following year (1783) Joseph II. paid a return visit to Rome, when he was induced by the representations of the Spanish ambassador to desist from his plan of a complete severance of Austria from the Holy See.
Joseph II. had, however, proceeded too quickly and too violently in his measures of reform. The people and the large body of the clergy were opposed to him as were also the Cardinal-Archbishop of Vienna, the bishops of Hungary, and the bishops of Belgium under the leadership of Cardinal Frankenberg. The state of affairs in the Austrian Netherlands became so threatening that the people rose in revolt (1789), and Joseph II. found himself obliged to turn to the Pope whom he had so maltreated and despised, in the hope that he might induce the Belgian Catholics to return to their allegiance. He promised to withdraw most of the reforms that he had introduced, but his repentance came too late to save the Austrian rule in the Netherlands. He died in 1790 with the full consciousness of the failure of all his schemes.
While Joseph II. was reducing Febronianism to practice in the Austrian territories, the Prince-bishops of Mainz, Trier, and Cologne hastened to show their anxiety for the suppression of ultramontanism in the Rhinelands. The list of grievances against Rome presented to the Emperor in 1769 indicated clearly their attachment to Gallican principles, and this feeling was not likely to be weakened by the erection of an apostolic nunciature at Munich in 1785. This step was taken by the Pope at the request of Carl Theodore, Elector of Bavaria, a great part of whose territory was under the spiritual rule of the prince-bishops. The prince-bishops of the west, together with the Prince-bishop of Salzburg, all of whom were hostile already to the papal nuncio, were greatly incensed by what they considered this new derogation of their rights, and sent representatives to a congress convoked to meet at Ems (1786). The result of the congress was the celebrated document known as the Punctuation of Ems, in which they declared that most of the prerogatives claimed by the Pope were unknown in the early centuries, and were based entirely on the false decretals. They insisted that there should be no longer appeals to Rome, that papal ordinances should be binding in any diocese only after they had been accepted by the bishop of the diocese, that the oath of allegiance taken by all bishops before consecration should be changed, that no quinquennial faculties should be sought as bishops already had such faculties by virtue of their office, and that religious orders should not be exempt from the authority of the ordinaries, nor be placed under the jurisdiction of foreign superiors. The Punctuation of Ems reduced the primacy of the Pope to a mere primacy of honour, and had it been acted upon, it must have led inevitably to national schism.
The bishops forwarded a document to Joseph II., who, while approving of it, refused to interfere. The Elector of Bavaria opposed the action of the bishops as did also Pacca1 (1756-1854), the papal nuncio at Cologne. The latter issued a circular to the clergy warning them that the dispensations granted by the prince-bishops without reference to Rome were worthless. This circular gave great annoyance to the prince-bishops, particularly as they found themselves deserted by most of those on whose support they had relied. Even the Protestant ruler Frederick II. of Prussia took the part of Rome against the archbishops. In face of the unfriendly attitude of the bishops and clergy nothing remained for the prince-bishops but to withdraw from an untenable position. The Archbishop of Cologne for reasons of his own made his submission, and asked for a renewal of his quinquennial faculties (1787). The Archbishop of Trier made a similar application, not indeed as Archbishop of Trier, but as Bishop of Augsburg. But their submission was meant only to gain time. They sought to have the matter brought before the Diet at Regensburg in 1788, but the action of the Elector of Bavaria produced an unfavourable verdict. Having failed in their design, they addressed a letter to the Pope asking him to put an end to the disedifying quarrel by withdrawing the papal nuncio from Cologne, and by sending a representative to the Diet to arrange the terms of peace. The reply of Pius VI., covering as it did the whole ground of the controversy, contained a masterly defence of the papal rights and prerogatives (1789). The Archbishop of Trier publicly withdrew his adhesion to the Punctuation, and advised his Gallican colleagues to do likewise, but they refused, and in the election agreement of 1790 and 1792 they sought to pledge the emperors to support their policy. At last the Archbishops of Cologne and Salzburg made their submission, but the Archbishop of Mainz clung obstinately to his views, until the storm of the French Revolution broke over his city and territory, and put an end to his rule as a temporal prince.
In Tuscany where Leopold, brother of Joseph II., reigned (1765-90), a determined attempt was made to introduce Febronian principles as understood and applied in Austrian territory. Leopold was supported strongly in this attempt by Scipio Ricci, who, though a Jansenist at heart, had been appointed to the Bishopric of Pistoia at the request of the Grand-Duke. The Bishop of Pistoia set himself deliberately to introduce Jansenism and Gallicanism amongst his clergy. For this purpose he established a seminary at Pistoia, and placed it in the hands of teachers upon whom he could rely for the carrying out of his designs. In 1786 the Grand-Duke called a meeting of the bishops of the province, and explained to them in detail his programme of ecclesiastical reforms. With the exception of the Bishop of Pistoia and two others they refused to co-operate with him and his designs. This plan having failed recourse was had to other measures. A synod was summoned at Pistoia, which was presided over by Scipio Ricci, and guided in its deliberations by Tamburini the well-known Gallican professor of Pavia (1786). It was attended by over two hundred priests, some of whom belonged to the diocese, while others were total strangers. As might be expected the decrees of the synod were strongly Gallican and Jansenist. To ensure their introduction into the province of Tuscany a provincial synod of the bishops was called, but the bishops expressed their strong disapproval, and the people attacked the palace of the bishop. He was obliged to retire from his diocese, though at the same time he remained the active adviser of Leopold until the death of Joseph II. led to Leopold’s election to the imperial throne (1790), and put an end to the disturbances in Tuscany. Pius VI. appointed a commission to study the decrees of Pistoia, and in 1794 he issued the Bull, Auctorem Fidei, in which the principal errors were condemned. The unfortunate bishop refused for years to make his submission. It was only in 1805, on the return journey of Pius VII. from the coronation of Napoleon at Paris, that he could be induced to make his peace with the Church.2
Chapter VII Section (b) Footnotes
1 Pacca, Memorie storiche della nunziatura di Colonia.
2 Scaduto, Stato e chiesa sotto Leopoldo I., granduca di Toscana, 1885. Venturi, Il vescovo de Ricci e la Corte Romana, 1885.
Chapter VII Section (b) Bibliography
Febronius, De statu ecclesiae deque legitima potestate Romani Pontificis, etc., 1762. Idem, Commentarius in suam retractationem, etc., 1781. Kuentziger, Febronius, et le Febronianisme, 1890. Werner, Geschichte der Katholischen Theologie in Deutschland, 1866. Codex iuris ecclessiastici Josephini, etc., 1788. Gendry, Les debuts de Josephisme (Revue des Quest. hist., 1894). Receuil des actes concernant le voyage du Pape Pie VI. a Vienne, 1782. Stigloher, Die errichtung der papstlichen Nuntiatur und der Emser Kongress, 1867. Munch, Geschichte des Emser Kongresses, 1840. De Potter, Vie de Scipion de Ricci, 1825.
|Chapter VII Section (a) | Table of Contents | Chapter VII Section (c)|
|Webpage © 2000 ELC
Lane Core Jr. ([email protected])
Created November 22, 2000; revised November 23, 2000. | <urn:uuid:88fb1aa8-eb9b-4dc4-ac24-d609c6ac71e2> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://catholicity.elcore.net/MacCaffrey/HCCRFR1_Chapter07b.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394414.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00025-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978382 | 3,890 | 2.9375 | 3 |
Titled "Yellow Cake" based on four nuclear events since 1945.
Yellowcake came to the world's attention as the Bush administration's justification for the invasion of Iraq. The reference to yellowcake was derived from falsified classified documents initially from Niger disclosed by Italian intelligence to the United Kingdom. These documents depict an attempt by the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq to purchase yellowcake uranium from Nigeria during the Iraq disarmament crisis. In the end, no Yellowcake existed.
1) Nuclear explosion July 16, 1945
The centerpiece of the sculpture is a large yellow tank reminiscent of the shape of the first nuclear device exploded at the Alamogordo test site in New Mexico. The title of this test was "Trinity".
2) Hiroshima August 6, 1945 and Nagasaki Japan August 9. 1945
The four airplanes landing gears represent the two B-29 bombers "Enola Gay" that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima and "Bock's Car" that dropped its bomb on Nagasaki. Each is located at the ends of two intersecting aluminum I beams forming an X which references a target point X on a map.
3) Cuban Missile Crisis October 15th - 28th 1962
579 hemp ropes are each representational of a13/1 ratio of nuclear warheads ready for launch respectively in the Soviet Union and in the United States in October 1962. These hemp ropes tipped in a black tar also pictorials the first use of gunpowder fuses.
4) United States invasion of Iraq March 20, 2003
Yellow Cakes (also called urania) are uranium concentrates obtained from leach solutions, representing an intermediate step in the processing of uranium ores. | <urn:uuid:0b55ff5f-9868-40dc-89fe-df7baf952de7> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.markgrote.com/pcake.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399106.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00191-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937215 | 340 | 2.875 | 3 |
HIV/AIDS in Asia
August 2013—Asia is confronting a complex and devastating HIV/AIDS epidemic. Although HIV did not hit Asian countries until the late 1980s, by the late 1990s the epidemic was well established across the region. UNAIDS reports that in 2011, more than 370,000 Asians/Pacific Islanders were newly infected with HIV, bringing the total number living with HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific to nearly 5 million. In the same year, approximately 310,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses in this region.
National HIV Data
The overall prevalence of HIV in most Asian countries remains low, but with a regional population that is roughly 60 percent of the world’s total, even low prevalence translates into large numbers of infected people:
In Thailand, where the AIDS epidemic started earliest and prevention efforts have achieved some success, HIV prevalence is 1.2 percent. By the end of 2011, approximately 490,000 Thais were living with HIV/AIDS, with an estimated one-third of all new infections in 2012 occurring through intercourse between intimate heterosexual partners. Prevalence among injection drug users (IDU) remains high, ranging between 30 and 40 percent. And HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) is on the rise: HIV prevalence among Thai MSM rose from 17 percent in 2003 to 29 percent in 2011.
In India, the estimated number of HIV/AIDS cases in 2011 was 2.1 million, down from 2.4 million in 2009, and the overall adult prevalence was 0.27 percent. The number of people on antiretroviral therapy nearly tripled between 2009 and 2011, but a high percentage of people do not get tested or access treatment until their disease has progressed to dangerous levels.
In China, 780,000 people were living with HIV/AIDS in 2011. Although injection drug use and male-male sexual contact continue to be significant drivers of the epidemic, heterosexual sex has become the predominant mode of HIV transmission and the proportion of women living with HIV in China has doubled during the past decade.
Though epidemics in Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, and Thailand declined by 25 percent between 2001 and 2011, those in Indonesia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka rose by more than 25 percent in the same period.
Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, has seen a significant increase in HIV infections, especially among sex workers, MSM, and IDUs. In 2011, 36 percent of all IDUs were HIV-positive and 380,000 people were living with HIV/AIDS, including 110,000 women.
The estimated number of people living with HIV in Vietnam more than doubled between 2000 and 2009, from 120,000 to 250,000. Primary risk groups include sex workers and IDUs. In 2011, 70 percent of HIV infections in the country were among IDUs.
In May 2013, new HIV diagnoses in the Philippines were reported to be 50 percent higher than in 2012, and greater than any period since 1984.
People Most at Risk
The prevalence of HIV varies widely between and within Asian countries, and vulnerable segments of the population have disproportionately high HIV infection rates. Male and female sex workers and IDUs were the first groups to be seriously affected by HIV/AIDS in most of Asia and the Pacific, and they remain key affected populations. In Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Thailand, over 20 percent of IDUs are HIV-positive, and while HIV rates have fallen in female sex workers across the region, in many provinces the rate remains above 10 percent. UNAIDS has indicated that the overlap of injection drug use and sex work is an important factor in China’s HIV epidemic.
Economic upheaval over the past two decades has resulted in increased population mobility and environmental degradation, which encourage people to move to cities in search of better employment opportunities. Sexual transmission of HIV is exacerbated by this mobility, with migrant workers spending long periods of time away from home and frequently visiting sex workers. They then return home and infect their spouses, who in turn pass the virus to their newborns. Throughout the region, HIV continues to spread along trucking routes, among traveling sailors, fishermen, migrant workers, and within the sex industry, which is itself fueled by economic disparity.
Injection drug users
Growing poverty in some areas is also driving increased injection drug use. According to UNAIDS, more than 4.5 million people in Asia are estimated to inject drugs, putting them at risk for HIV and hepatitis C infection. Many countries in the region still lack effective harm reduction programs, though some have taken steps in recent years to expand access to syringe exchange, overdose prevention, and opioid substitution therapy. However, in many countries drug laws conflict with national HIV plans, and the financial resources available for harm reduction are still far below what is needed. Sixteen percent of IDUs in the region are HIV-positive, and Asia has the highest rate of opioid overdose of any region in the world.
The sharp rise in the number of new HIV infections among MSM in the region has continued, while sexual activity between men is frequently stigmatized and kept hidden. Approximately 15 percent of MSM in South and Southeast Asia were infected with HIV in 2012, and many MSM also have female partners. Male-male sex remains illegal in at least 11 countries in the region and prevention programs for MSM remain limited. Studies in several countries have found high levels of risk behaviors among MSM, including having multiple sex partners and low rates of condom use. Countries need to scale up their HIV programs that target MSM and reduce the stigma and discrimination they frequently encounter in healthcare settings to prevent higher HIV rates both among MSM and the general population.
By 2020, almost 50 percent of all new infections in Asia could be in MSM, according to the UN Commission on AIDS in Asia. Unless we change the course of the HIV epidemic among MSM, new infection rates among this population will surpass those among every other high-risk group in the region.
As elsewhere in the developing world, sex-based socioeconomic disparities play a significant role in the spread of HIV. The highest risk factor for HIV infection among women is often marriage. Even when women know or suspect that their husbands are HIV-positive or are having sex with multiple partners, they have little power to insist on condom use. As a result of these and other factors, women accounted for 40 percent of adults with HIV in Asia at the end of 2010—up from 21 percent in 1990.
Children and adolescents
The number of HIV-positive children in Asia continues to grow. In 2010, 180,000 children and adolescents were living with HIV in the region. Programs to prevent mother-to-child-transmission in South and Southeast Asia have expanded to reach approximately 18 percent of HIV-positive pregnant women in 2011, but this figure was far below the global average of 57 percent. Many HIV-positive women are understandably reluctant to seek antiretroviral therapy or to bottle-feed their infants for fear of arousing suspicion regarding their HIV status and confronting the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. Access to pediatric treatment remains limited; in 2010 only 39 percent of children in Asia in need of antiretroviral therapy were receiving it. In addition, many children who have been living with HIV since birth are approaching adolescence, presenting a new set of challenges for programs originally designed for young children.
Mounting an Effective Response
Evidence from successful interventions in the region shows that prevention efforts targeting those at greatest risk can stem the spread of HIV. Above all, to be effective in Asia, prevention messages will have to both acknowledge and challenge cultural stereotypes and expectations that often prevent frank discussion of issues surrounding sex and drug use. Communities face persistent challenges to overcome the stigma that surrounds the disease and creates barriers to prevention and care.
Mounting an effective response to the epidemic in Asia and the Pacific will require increasing the level of resources committed to HIV/AIDS programs, and balancing the need for continued prevention efforts with the growing demand for HIV treatment. International recommendations continue to call for earlier treatment and more effective prevention, posing significant challenges to both national healthcare budgets and existing healthcare infrastructures. | <urn:uuid:013aecfc-4818-4bee-82fa-8b289da66b06> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.amfar.org/around-the-world/treat-asia/aids-in-asia/hiv-aids-in-asia/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397562.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00119-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959419 | 1,666 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Louisiana Autism Spectrum and Related Disabilities Project
The LASARD Project is a collaborative effort between LSUHSC Human Development Center and the Louisiana Department of Education. The goals of the project are:
- to improve educational practices and outcomes for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and related disabilities and
- to develop statewide capacity to provide high quality educational programs for these students.
Ten school districts/LEAs currently participate in the Project:
Each district/LEA contracts directly with HDC through the LASARD project for Training and Technical Assistance. LASARD facilitators provide regular technical support to each building level team to support their efforts to implement their action plans and become demonstration sites.
Autism Training Modules
In collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Education, the LSUHSC Human Development Center has developed online professional development modules as part of the Louisiana Autism Spectrum and Related Disabilities (LASARD) Project. There are nine modules offered:
All modules are available online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for your convenience. | <urn:uuid:569fe833-7634-4fc7-b3b2-8f892d7a5f95> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.hdc.lsuhsc.edu/lasard/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395621.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00064-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921059 | 214 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Nowadays, when small gardens are the order of the day, this lovely little multistemmed shrub has been overlooked as a potential form plant for that special corner or focal point.
Searsia magalismontana subsp. magalismontana is a multistemmed, evergreen, dwarf shrub, 150-500 mm high. Depending on the habitat it is found in, it can have the same spread or more. It grows from a woody rootstock wedged between rocky crevices. The young growth on the plant is often bronze, coral pink or red with numerous brownish dots, whereas the old stems are brown.
The leaves are trifoliolate (bearing three leaflets), erect, leathery, grey-green, very rigid when mature, and are very conspicuous from early spring to late summer. The venation is very prominent, and the stalks may be winged when the plant is young.
As is usual for this genus, there are separate male and female plants. The flowers are minute, creamy yellow and occur in dense sprays from October to November.
The fruit is yellowish, turning red when ripe from November to December and is slightly flattened.
The bergtaaibos is widespread. Gauteng Nature Conservation has adopted a policy to protect natural ridges, and this will ensure the protection of this species from decline in future.
Distribution and habitat
This species is widespread on hillsides and ridges in grassland and bushveld and often occurs in dense stands in the following provinces: Limpopo, North-West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and the Northern Cape at altitudes ranging from 1 000 to ± 2 000 m.
Derivation of name and historical aspects
The old genus name Rhus was derived from the Greek word, rhous, for sumach, and from rhodos, meaning red, and it most probably refers to the red fruits or autumn leaves of some of the species; the species name magalismontana refers to it being discovered originally in the Magaliesberg Mountain Range.
The new name Searsia originally featured in a footnote to a key to the genera of the Anacardiaceae family where Barkley (1942) stated 'Searsia n.gen. = (Rhus) Section Gerontogeae' and named it after Paul B. Sears.' Sears later became a well-known ecologist, palaeontologist and head of the Yale School of Botany. This publication was illegitimate as it contained no description of the genus. The next year when Searsia appeared as genus six in the Flora of Texas, it was corrected, fully described and included the cultivated South African Searsia lancea (L.f) F.A.Barkley (1943) where he made the new combination of S. tomentosa, and designated it as the type species. Nineteen more combinations in Searsia were made between 1950 and 1965.
Barkley (1965) criticised the traditional concept of the genus Rhus and his view was vindicated as research between 2001-2006 on the generic status of Rhus provided evidence that the Old World species of Rhus are significantly different to justify a generic status of their own (Moffett 2007).
The very small flowers are pollinated by insects and the red fruits attract many fruit-eating birds which is an asset to any garden.
Uses and cultural aspects
Not much is known about this plant and no knowledge exists that indicates that it has been or is still used culturally for anything.
Growing Searsia magalismontana subsp. magalimontana
Collect ripe fruit, clean and sow the seeds in November-December in sandy loam soil. The plant is very hardy and can tolerate frost as it grows on very exposed rocky areas. It is drought resistant and does not require a lot of water as can be seen from the habitat photograph included. This is definitely a small shrublet that can be used more in gardens especially in a rockery.
References and further reading
- Barkley, F.A. 1942. A key to the genera of the Anacardiaceae. American Midland Naturalist 28: 465-474.
- Barkley, F.A. 1943. Searsia Barkley. In C.L. Lundell, Flora of Texas 3: 104, 105.
- Barkley, F.A. 1965. A criticism of the traditional concept of the genus Rhus. Monographs of the Biological Society of Iraq 3: 52-58.
- Carr, J.D. 1994. The propagation and cultivation of indigenous trees and shrubs on the Highveld. Sandton Nature Conservation Society and the Tree Society of South Africa.
- Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds). 2003. Plants of southern Africa : an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
- Jackson, W.P.U. 1990. Origins and meanings of names of South African plant genera. University of Cape Town Ecolab, Rondebosch.
- Jeppe, B. 1974. Trees and shrubs of the Witwatersrand. Witwatersrand University Press, Johannesburg.
- Joffe, P. 1993. Die tuinier se gids tot Suid-Afrikaanse plante. Delos, Cape Town.
- Moffet, R.O. 2007. Name changes in the Old World Rhus and recognition of Searsia (Anacardiaceae). Bothalia 37: 165-175.
- Van Wyk, A.E. (Braam) & Malan, S. 1988. Field guide to the wild flowers of the Witwatersrand and Pretoria region including the Magaliesberg and Suikerbosrand. Struik, Cape Town.
- Van Wyk, A.E. (Braam) & Malan, S. 1998. Field guide to the wildflowers of the Highveld. Struik, Cape Town.
Pretoria National Botanical Garden
To find out if SANBI has seed of this or other SA species, please email our seedroom | <urn:uuid:5d365f7e-0a23-4fef-80e7-faca616683f1> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantqrs/searsiamagalis.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397428.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00156-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.906089 | 1,304 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Title: The Biology of Learning
Calibrations, Average Word Count, and Answer Keys
For this assignment the
student is asked to:
1. Understand the difference between information and knowledge.
2. Carefully consider the brain changes that accompany learning and how best to facilitate these changes.
3. Understand the two components of learning.
4. Understand how repetition and elaboration aid memory.
5. Take the Learning Styles Survey and establish what your learning style is. Consider new study methods and strategies suggested by the Learning Styles Survey.
6. Review the methods and strategies of study and apply them to your particular learning style.
Write an essay that relates the learning biology of your brain to the study methods and strategies you use. Discuss how you might change, organize, or otherwise improve your study strategies in light of any new knowledge gained from the"Biology of Learning," "Learning Styles Survey" and other assigned resources.
"The Biology of
Learning" by Dr. Stephen Londe is the main resource and is the basis of the
DVC Online Learning Style Survey for College (http://www.metamath.com/lsweb/dvclearn.htm) This resource was prepared by learning specialists at Diablo Valley College. You are asked to take the Learning Styles Survey to see what kinds of things might help you assimilate and comprehend course material.
Sleep web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping An interesting overview of the "science" of sleep with some additional references.
"The Brain from top to bottom" http://www.thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/index_d.html
epecially important: memory http://www.thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/i/i_07/i_07_cr/i_07_cr_tra/i_07_cr_tra.htm#2 This is a good website about the brain and its function. It is written at several levels and is a great introduction to this complex field.
"How Not to Plagiarize" - Here's a brief overview on plagiarism and how not to do it. URL: http://http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/plagsep.html
"Tips for Writing Essays" - A short and VERY basic primer for proper essay construction. A paragraph (which is what you are to write in THIS assignment) is much like an essay, but the first sentence introduces the concept, each following sentence develops your arguments, and the final sentence is a conclusion. URL: http://www.infoplease.com/homework/hwessays.html
Raims, Ann: "Keys for Writers". 4th Edition; Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company; March 30, 2004. A very good general writing manual reference for all writing. (Optional)
Your 400-1200 word
essay should be based on information from the article by Dr. Londe, "The
Biology of Learning." posted on eCompanion. Make sure you read it carefully.
Take some notes or outline the information for use in your essay.
Take the "Learning Styles Survey" and then compare the reccomended study methods and strategies in both of these resources to your present methods of study. Here take some notes on the study method suggestions for use in your essay.
Describe in your essay any changes in method or strategy of study that you might adopt based on these two resources.
Follow the Guiding questions.
Think about how best to organize your essay in response to the Writing Prompts.
Check your essay completeness by doing a preliminary calibration using the calibration questions, which are posted on eCompanion.
What is the difference between information and knowledge?
2. What is learning and what are the two components of learning?
3. What are the changes in the brain brought about by the process of learning?
4. What are the two main strategies of remembering?
5. What are short-term, long-term, and working memory?
6. What are the study methods suggested to facilitate learning?
7. What are some strategies to facilitate learning, make learning more efficient, and provide the best conditions for learning?
Write a short essay of 400 - 5000 WORDS briefly summarizing the biology of learning and how it might affect your personal strategies for performing well at the college level. Be sure to use your own words -- don't just cut and paste from the articles (that is plagiarism and will result in automatic F with additional serious academic consequences!). Address all the issues raised in the writing prompt. Ensure you INCLUDE EACH of the following in your final (submitted) essay in separate paragraphs.
The grading scheme will address the topics and how they're presented, and you will lose points if you fail to follow instructions properly.
Write the essay according to the general guidelines provided. Keep this at hand for frequent referral as necessary. Your essay should clearly demonstrate that you have read and understood the source material. Use the calibration questions posted for you on eCompanion to assess completness of your essay before submitting it.
1. Summarize the main
points in the article "The Biology of Learning." Explain how brain
biology relates to methods of study especially your present methods of study.
Explain what new methods you might use.
2. Take the "Learning Styles Survey" and include in your essay, strategies you might employ to do well in college. If you already use all these strategies, indicate which ones have worked well for you in the past.
3. Add any of your own ideas to this mix. It is important for you to express your ideas, find a common theme for your introduction, and then organize it all logically. Creativity is prized.
4. Use some of the information in the "Biology of Learning" and the "Learning Styles Survey" as they relate to you and explain how you might add to or change your study habits.
5. Do the web sites on sleep and the brain add any useful information? Include it in your discussion.
6. In summary, there should be about FIVE OR MORE PARAGRAPHS: Introductory, "Biology of Learning" including information and how it relates to the your study methods, "Learning Styles Survey" including information and how it relates to the your study methods, a paragraph containing pertinent information from the a sleep and brain website, and finally a summary or conclusion paragraph.
7. After you have written the first full draft, review it to be sure that the paragraph subjects are included in the first paragraph main theme and that there is a smooth and logical transition.
8. End with an appropriate summary or conclusion.
9. Answer the calibration questions posted for you on eCompanion to assess you essay before submitting it.
10. Remember "SAVING" just saves the material for further writing and editing. You must format it in HTML and "SUBMIT" it for final credit. Remember to HIT "PREVIEW TEXT" to see that it looks right! To format it (see SMC CPR Student Handout section on "Formatting Essays").
n.b The Calibration Questions are the same for the calibration essays and the review essays. They follow below. The instructor answers have been removed for the calibration essays.
Average Calibration Word Count = 634 | <urn:uuid:5f4be709-270f-4f86-b59c-f56774598982> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.smc.edu/cpr/CPR1TheBiologyofLearning.doc.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393463.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00080-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.911802 | 1,537 | 3.109375 | 3 |
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