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Padraic Colum (18811972). The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy. 1918.
ONE day, as he sat sad and disconsolate in the house of his father, the youth Telemachus saw a stranger come to the outer gate. There were many in the court outside, but no one went to receive the newcomer. Then, because he would never let a stranger stand at the gate without hurrying out to welcome him, and because, too, he had hopes that some day such a one would bring him tidings of his father, Telemachus rose up from where he was sitting and went down the hall and through the court and to the gate at which the stranger stood.
Welcome to the house of Odysseus, said Telemachus giving him his hand. The stranger clasped it with a friendly clasp. I thank you, Telemachus, he said, for your welcome, and glad I am to enter the house of your father, the renowned Odysseus.
The stranger looked like one who would be a captain amongst soldiers. His eyes were grey and clear and shone wonderfully. In his hand he carried a great bronze spear. He and Telemachus went together through the court and into the hall. And when the stranger left his spear within the spearstand Telemachus took him to a high chair and put a footstool under his feet.
He had brought him to a place in the hall where the crowd would not come. There were many in the court outside and Telemachus would not have his guest disturbed by questions or clamours. A handmaid brought water for the washing of his hands, and poured it over them from a golden ewer into a silver basin. A polished table was left at his side. Then the house-dame brought wheaten bread and many dainties. Other servants set down dishes of meat with golden cups, and afterwards the maids came into the hall and filled up the cups with wine.
But the servants who waited on Telemachus and his guest were disturbed by the crowd of men who now came into the hall. They seated themselves at tables and shouted out their orders. Great dishes of meat were brought to them and bowls of wine, and the men ate and drank and talked loudly to each other and did not refrain even from staring at the stranger who sat with Telemachus.
A flush of shame came to the face of Telemachus. There is no wedding-feast here, he said, nor do the men of our clan meet here to drink with each other. Listen to me, my guest. Because you look so wise and because you seem so friendly to my fathers name I will tell you who these men are and why they trouble this house.
THEREUPON Telemachus told the stranger how his father had not returned from the war of Troy although it was now ten years since the City was taken by those with whom he went. Alas, Telemachus said, he must have died on his way back to us, and I must think that his bones lie under some nameless strait or channel of the ocean. Would he had died in the fight at Troy! Then the Kings and Princes would have made him a burial-mound worthy of his name and his deeds. His memory would have been reverenced amongst men, and I, his son, would have a name, and would not be imposed upon by such men as you see heremen who are feasting and giving orders in my fathers house and wasting the substance that he gathered.
Telemachus told him about this also. When seven years had gone by from the fall of Troy and still Odysseus did not return there were those who thought he was dead and would never be seen more in the land of Ithaka. Then many of the young lords of the land wanted Penelope, Telemachus mother, to marry one of them. They came to the house to woo her for marriage. But she, mourning for the absence of Odysseus and ever hoping that he would return, would give no answer to them. For three years now they were coming to the house of Odysseus to woo the wife whom he had left behind him. They want to put my lady-mother between two dread difficulties, said Telemachus, either to promise to wed one of them or to see the substance of our house wasted by them. Here they come and eat the bread of our fields, and slay the beasts of our flocks and herds, and drink the wine that in the old days my father laid up, and weary our servants with their orders.
When he had told him all this Telemachus raised his head and looked at the stranger: O my guest, he said, wisdom and power shine out of your eyes. Speak now to me and tell me what I should do to save the house of Odysseus from ruin. And tell me too if you think it possible that my father should still be in life.
As I look at you, said the stranger, I mark your head and eyes, and I know they are such a head and such eyes as Odysseus had. Well, being the son of such a man, and of such a woman as the lady Penelope, your spirit surely shall find a way of destroying those wooers who would destroy your house.
I think, said the stranger, that Odysseus, your father, has not perished from the earth. He may yet win home through labors and perils. But you should seek for tidings of him. Harken to me now and I shall tell you what to do.
To-morrow summon a council of all the chief men of the land of Ithaka, and stand up in that council and declare that the time has come for the wooers who waste your substance to scatter, each man to his own home. And after the council has been held I would have you voyage to find out tidings of your father, whether he still lives and where he might be. Go to Pylos first, to the home of Nestor, that old King who was with your father in the war of Troy. Beg Nestor to give you whatever tidings he has of Odysseus. And from Pylos go to SParta, to the home of Menelaus and Helen, and beg tidings of your father from them too. And if you get news of his being alive, return: It will be easy for you then to endure for another year the wasting of your substance by those wooers. But if you learn that your father, the renowned Odysseus, is indeed dead and gone, then come back, and in your own country raise a great funeral mound to his memory, and over it pay all funeral rites. Then let your mother choose a good man to be her husband and let her marry him, knowing for a certainty that Odysseus will never come back to his own house. After that something will remain for you to do: You will have to punish those wooers who destroy the goods your father gathered and who insult his house by their presence. And when all these things have been done, you, Telemachus, will be free to seek out your own fortune: you will rise to fame, for I mark that you are handsome and strong and most likely to be a wise and valiant man. But now I must fare on my journey.
The stranger rose up from where he sat and went with Telemachus from the hall and through the court and to the outer gate. Telemachus said: What you have told me I shall not forget. I know you have spoken out of a wise and a friendly heart, and as a father to his son.
The stranger clasped his hands and went through the gate. And then, as he looked after him Telemachus saw the stranger change in his form. He became first as a woman, tall, with fair hair and a spear of bronze in her hand. And then the form of a woman changed too. It changed into a great sea-eagle that on wide wings rose up and flew high through the air. Telemachus knew then that his visitor was an immortal and no other than the goddess Athene who had been his fathers friend. | <urn:uuid:65587988-f139-4c2a-bc0b-11d2d2e889a6> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.bartleby.com/75/2.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00191-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989239 | 1,716 | 2.625 | 3 |
USAP tests electric vehicles during winter in Antarctica
Posted May 13, 2011
Antarctica is a natural laboratory that draws hundreds of scientists down to the southern hemisphere each year to conduct research on everything from climate change to penguins and whales to astrophysics.
However, an experiment under way this winter falls a bit outside the norm.
A pair of lightweight utility vehicles manufactured by e-ride Industries arrived at the U.S. Antarctic Program’s McMurdo Station in February at the end of the austral summer. The goal is to test how the vehicles hold up over the next year. In the winter, temperatures can drop to minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Each electric vehicle has a cab for two people with larger utility-style tires for use on dirt roads, with one sporting an enclosed rear bed and the other an open flatbed. Its maximum speed is 25 miles per hour, with a max load of about 1,000 pounds.
They were outfitted with insulation for the batteries and battery heaters, with one also carrying a data logger that records a variety of information, such as speed, distance, battery charge and even outside temperature. The base price for each vehicle was about $17,000.
If successful, a future generation of a similar electric vehicle might replace much of the station’s truck fleet, if the NSF decides to make the investment, according to Kent Colby, McMurdo’s technical projects manager for Raytheon Polar Services Company (RPSC) , the prime contractor to the NSF. There are about 60 Ford trucks at the station.
“Eighty percent of their usage is just short hops around town,” Colby said. “I could see that they could replace a good amount of the in-town vehicle usage because every time you look at a pickup in town, you have one, maybe two people in it with one, maybe two tool bags.”
DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) , based in Golden, Colo., has worked with NSF and RPSC for the last couple of years to select the vehicles and develop the test protocols, according to Ted Sears, senior task leader at NREL, one of several national labs that support the DOE.
“The idea is that these types of vehicles could be used in other cold-weather programs and NSF sites, such as Summit Station in Greenland and other places, to reduce program dependence on large diesel trucks for fleet operations.” Sears said.
Some of the initial testing was conducted at NREL’s facility using a cold cell where the temperature was dropped down to minus 9 degrees Fahrenheit while the vehicles were on a dynamometer, a device that measures the engine’s power and torque.
On the Ice, the vehicles have performed as expected, climbing the steepest hills on a full charge. However, as winter settles in, the charge only lasts about an hour-and-a-half, Colby said, though he added that may be due to operators not plugging in the battery warmers.
“Keeping the batteries warm is more critical than keeping them charged,” he said.
Noted Sears, “They have limitations. The cold really saps the battery.” But added: “It sounds like to me there are many opportunities for using these.”
The vehicles are also an attractive alternative thanks to the low maintenance required on the electric engines, according to Colby. “Basically, their maintenance schedule is once-a-year lubrication,” he said.
The electric vehicles represent the latest efforts by the USAP to lighten its carbon footprint in the Antarctic. In recent years, more and more field camps sport solar panels and small wind turbines versus diesel generators.
Antarctica New Zealand , with assistance from the USAP, completed installation a three-turbine wind farm on Ross Island in 2009 to power its research station at Scott Base . McMurdo also benefits from the alternative energy, saving about 78,000 gallons of fuel last year.
Even when it must rely on fossil fuel, the program has made strides in being more efficient. Its new power plant diesel engines return 33 percent of the fuel’s energy as electricity, according to George Blaisdell, operations manager in NSF’s Office of Polar Programs , who was recently interviewed in Car and Driver magazine.
The system is able to capture much of the remaining energy as waste heat to warm many of the station’s buildings.
“At McMurdo, we capture a total of 85 percent as useful energy; at the South Pole, we believe we are closer to 95 percent,” Blaisdell said in the interview. He estimated that McMurdo’s light-vehicle fleet only gets back 10 to 15 percent of the fuel’s “energy content.”
“With an electric truck, the power comes from batteries that are charged by our power plant, which is harvesting eight times as much energy from our fuel as the internal-combustion engine does,” he said. “For light electric vehicles, McMurdo’s environment is ideal.”
About the Sun | <urn:uuid:2067ee78-af0e-4eb6-9bd5-818de662baa2> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2424 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396027.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00070-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962449 | 1,088 | 2.71875 | 3 |
Today, artificial plants and flowers are used for both their beauty and the benefit of their low-maintenance upkeep. In fact, the manufacturing of artificial flowers has become so advanced that the real thing can be difficult to differentiate from their faux counterparts. The current day realistic versions of artificial plants and flowers are just the latest installment in an artistic practice that is hundreds of years old.
Early Artificial Flowers
Although it is impossible to pinpoint the very first artificial plant or flower, it is easy to determine that the art of making artificial foliage is at least a few hundred years old. Ancient Chinese, Romans, and Egyptians all manufactured artificial flowers. The Chinese opted for silk and race paper while the Romans adapted a method of making extremely intricate and realistic-looking flowers out of wax. Egyptians used an entirely different material to craft their artificial wreaths — painted horn.
In the beginning, displaying artificial flowers was a sure sign of wealth. These handcrafted artistic flowers were painstakingly crafted out of an assortment of materials, including glass, painted linen, gold, sliver, silk, ribbons attached to wire, feathers, plastic, and more.
Producers of Artificial Flowers and Plants
It is widely believed that China was the first to make these artificial beauties but many other countries followed suit, including England, France, America and Japan. This list would be incomplete without the three reigning three largest producers of artificial plants: Thailand, Honduras, and the still champion China. China alone has built hundreds of artificial plant factories since 1980.
The Industry Today
Artificial plants and flowers has become a multi-billion dollar industry that is supported by millions of homes and commercial buildings in the U.S. and around the world. New technologies such as Permasilk and Permastem are continuing to advance the quality of these products, with some that feel and even smell just like the real thing. It is their realism that has fueled the current trend of using artificials in wedding bouquets, dresses, and veils, and to create elaborate toppers for wedding cakes.
Artificial plants and trees are so popular because they require no sunlight, water, pruning, or soil. They are also allow you to enjoy out of season blooms and to combine two of your favorite flowers that would not naturally be blooming at the same time of year. As our lives continue to get busier and busier, these realistic looking plants allow you to enjoy all your favorite trees and flowers without working in the time to carefully tend to them. Personally, I choose them because I have horrible allergies to grasses and pollens and with silk versions, I can bring the outdoors in without the hassle of swollen eyes and a bright red nose. Once you invest in your first beautiful artificial arrangement, you will be able to experience all of these benefits for yourself, and understand why this industry is here to stay.
About Carly Reynolds | <urn:uuid:1180ff31-42b8-4109-9f13-03d5dc50a298> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.artificialplantsandtrees.com/articles/artificial-plant-flower-industry-beautiful-history/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396459.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00013-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963163 | 585 | 2.546875 | 3 |
A Brief History of Tattoos
The word tattoo comes from the Tahitian "tatu" which means "to mark something."
It is arguably claimed that tattooing has existed since 12,000 years BC. The purpose of tattooing has varies from culture to culture and its place on the time line. But there are commonalties that prevail form the earliest known tattoos to those being done on college students on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley.
Tattoos have always had an important role in ritual and tradition. In Borneo, women tattooed their symbols on their forearm indicating their particular skill. If a woman wore a symbol indicating she was a skilled weaver, her status as prime marriageable material was increased. Tattoos around the wrist and fingers were believed to ward away illness. Throughout history tattoos have signified membership in a clan or society. Even today groups like the Hells Angels tattoo their particular group symbol. TV and movies have used the idea of a tattoo indication membership in a secret society numerous times. It has been believed that the wearer of an image calls the spirit of that image. The ferocity of a tiger would belong to the tattooed person. That tradition holds true today shown by the proliferation of images of tigers, snakes, and bird of prey.
In recorded history, the earliest tattoos can be found in Egypt during the time of the construction of the great pyramids (It undoubtedly started much earlier). When the Egyptians expanded their empire, the art of tattooing spread as well. The civilizations of Crete, Greece, Persia, and Arabia picked up and expanded the art form. Around 2000 BC tattooing spread to China.
The Greeks used tattooing for communication among spies. Markings identified the spies and showed their rank. Romans marked criminals and slaves. This practice is still carried on today. The Ainu people of western Asia used tattooing to show social status. Girls coming of age were marked to announce their place in society, as were the married women. The Ainu are noted for introducing tattoos to Japan where it developed into a religious and ceremonial rite. In Borneo, women were the tattooists. It was a cultural tradition. They produced designs indicating the owners station in life and the tribe he belonged to. Kayan women had delicate arm tattoos which looked like lacy gloves. Dayak warriors who had "taken a head" had tattoos on their hands. The tattoos garnered respect and assured the owners status for life. Polynesians developed tattoos to mark tribal communities, families, and rank. They brought their art to New Zealand and developed a facial style of tattooing called Moko which is still being used today. There is evidence that the Mayan, Incas, and Aztecs used tattooing in the rituals. Even the isolated tribes in Alaska practiced tattooing, their style indicating it was learned from the Ainu.
In the west, early Britons used tattoos in ceremonies. The Danes, Norse, and Saxons tattooed family crests (a tradition still practiced today). In 787 AD, Pope Hadrian banned tattooing. It still thrived in Britain until the Norman Invasion of 1066. The Normans disdained tattooing. It disappeared from Western culture from the 12th to the 16th centuries.
While tattooing diminished in the west, it thrived in Japan. At first, tattoos were used to mark criminals. First offenses were marked with a line across the forehead. A second crime was marked by adding an arch. A third offense was marked by another line. Together these marks formed the Japanese character for "dog". It appears this was the original "Three strikes your out" law. In time, the Japanese escalated the tattoo to an aesthetic art form. The Japanese body suit originated around 1700 as a reaction to strict laws concerning conspicuous consumption. Only royalty were allowed to wear ornate clothing. As a result of this, the middle class adorned themselves with elaborate full body tattoos. A highly tattooed person wearing only a loin cloth was considered well dressed, but only in the privacy of their own home.
William Dampher is responsible for re-introducing tattooing to the west. He was a sailor and explorer who traveled the South Seas. In 1691 he brought to London a heavily tattooed Polynesian named Prince Giolo, Known as the Painted Prince. He was put on exhibition , a money making attraction, and became the rage of London. It had been 600 years since tattoos had been seen in Europe and it would be another 100 years before tattooing would make it mark in the West.
In the late 1700s, Captain Cook made several trips to the South Pacific. The people of London welcomed his stories and were anxious to see the art and artifacts he brought back. Returning form one of this trips, he brought a heavily tattooed Polynesian named Omai. He was a sensation in London. Soon, the upper- class were getting small tattoos in discreet places. For a short time tattooing became a fad.
What kept tattooing from becoming more widespread was its slow and painstaking procedure. Each puncture of the skin was done by hand the ink was applied. In 1891, Samuel O'Rtiely patented the first electric tattooing machine. It was based on Edison's electric pen which punctured paper with a needle point. The basic design with moving coils, a tube and a needle bar, are the components of today's tattoo gun. The electric tattoo machine allowed anyone to obtain a reasonably priced, and readily available tattoo. As the average person could easily get a tattoo, the upper classes turned away from it.
By the turn of the century, tattooing had lost a great deal of credibility. Tattooists worked the sleazier sections of town. Heavily tattooed people traveled with circuses and "freak Shows." Betty Brodbent traveled with Ringling Brothers Circus in the 1930s and was a star attraction for years.
The cultural view of tattooing was so poor for most of the century that tattooing went underground. Few were accepted into the secret society of artists and there were no schools to study the craft. There were no magazines or associations. Tattoo suppliers rarely advertised their products. One had to learn through the scuttlebutt where to go and who to see for quality tattoos.
The birthplace of the American style tattoo was Chatham Square in New York City. At the turn of the century it was a seaport and entertainment center attracting working-class people with money. Samuel O'Riely cam from Boston and set up shop there. He took on an apprentice named Charlie Wagner. After O'Reily's death in 1908, Wagner opened a supply business with Lew Alberts. Alberts had trained as a wallpaper designer and he transferred those skills to the design of tattoos. He is noted for redesigning a large portion of early tattoo flash art.
While tattooing was declining in popularity across the country, in Chatham Square in flourished. Husbands tattooed their wives with examples of their best work. They played the role of walking advertisements for their husbands' work. At this time, cosmetic tattooing became popular, blush for cheeks, coloured lips, and eyeliner. With world war I, the flash art images changed to those of bravery and wartime icons.
In the 1920s, with prohibition and then the depression, Chathma Square lost its appeal. The center for tattoo art moved to Coney Island. Across the country, tattooists opened shops in areas that would support them, namely cities with military bases close by, particularly naval bases. Tattoos were know as travel markers. You could tell where a person had been by their tattoos.
After world war II, tattoos became further denigrated by their associations with Marlon Brando type bikers and Juvenile delinquents. Tattooing had little respect in American culture. Then, in 1961 there was an outbreak of hepatitis and tattooing was sent reeling on its heels.
Though most tattoo shops had sterilization machines, few used them. Newspapers reported stories of blood poisoning, hepatitis, and other diseases. The general population held tattoo parlors in disrepute. At first, the New York City government gave the tattoos an opportunity to form an association and self- regulate, but tattooists are independent and they were not able to organize themselves. A health code violation went into effect and the tattoo shops at Times Square and Coney Island were shut down. For a time, it was difficult to get a tattoo in New York. It was illegal and tattoos had a terrible reputation. Few people wanted a tattoo. The better shops moved to Philadelphia and New Jersey where it was still legal.
In the late 1960s, the attitude towards tattooing changed. Much credit can be given to Lyle Tuttle. He is a handsome, charming, interesting and knows how to use the media. He tattooed celebrities, particularly women. Magazines and television went to Lyle to get information about this ancient art form.
Toady, tattooing is making a strong comeback. It is more popular and accepted than it has ever been. All classes of people seek the best tattoo artists. This rise in popularity has placed tattoists in the category of "fine artist". The tattooist has garnered a respect not seen for over 100 years. Current artists combine the tr5adition of tattooing with their personal style creating unique and phenomenal body art. With the addition of new inks, tattooing has certainly reached a new plateau.
If you have any interesting tidbits to add to this history, please e-mail it. | <urn:uuid:91af9e1e-dc40-48ba-b5d6-e5873a09438f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.powerverbs.com/tattooyou/history.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00091-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977835 | 1,968 | 3.25 | 3 |
Insights › International Trade - Trade Rounds and the World Trade Organization
International trade usually hits the headlines only when a major disagreement degenerates into a “trade war”. Most of the time, trade is carried out peacefully under a set of rules overseen by the World Trade Organization. “Multilateralism” is the basis of the WTO system – that is, the more partners there are to an agreement, the better. But getting 150 or more countries to agree is a long process, carried out over a number of years in the various rounds of trade talks.
© WTO/Jay Louvion and Annette Walls
Chapter 5 looks at the different rounds of negotiation that have helped shape world trade and the major agreements that resulted from these rounds. It also describes the role of the WTO, the international body responsible for trade questions.
Back to International Trade table of contents | <urn:uuid:bf91ef5e-7606-4fb8-af66-ae269de2ab5c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.oecd.org/insights/internationaltrade-traderoundsandtheworldtradeorganization.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397865.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00138-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924375 | 179 | 3.5625 | 4 |
Skin tags are small, soft pieces of skin that stick out on a thin stem. They most often appear on the neck, armpits, upper trunk, and body folds.
The cause of skin tags is not known. They commonly appear after middle age.
Skin tags do not require treatment. But if they are bothersome, a doctor can easily remove them, usually by burning or cutting them off.
eMedicineHealth Medical Reference from Healthwise
To learn more visit Healthwise.org | <urn:uuid:67ccfbf0-f50a-45fc-bf59-40d786f98300> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.emedicinehealth.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=134199&ref=135359 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397695.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00080-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.910922 | 102 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Sprouted Whole Grains
Historically, many of our grains sprouted accidentally, a happenstance that modern techniques have largely eradicated. Now, however, we're learning that we may be missing out by turning our back on sprouting; new techniques of controlled sprouting give us the best of the past, for better health.
Want a quick overview to present to others?
Download a PowerPoint PPTX file here.
What is a Sprouted Grain?
Grains are the seeds of certain plants, largely cereal grasses. Like all seeds, grain kernels are a marvel of nature, containing the potential of a whole new plant, patiently waiting its turn in the sun.
All three edible parts of the whole grain – the germ, endosperm, and bran – are crucial to creating the new plant. The germ is the plant embryo, which, when it grows, will feed on the starchy endosperm. The bran layers provide some additional nutrients and — along with the inedible husk found on many grains – help protect the grain seed until it’s ready to start the growth cycle.
Until then, the seed counts on certain built-in growth inhibitors to keep it from germinating until temperature and moisture conditions are just right. Then, once sprouting starts, enzyme activity wipes out these growth inhibitors and transforms the long-term-storage starch of the endosperm to simpler molecules that are easily digested by the growing plant embryo.
Just as the baby plant finds these enzyme-activated simple molecules easier to digest, so too may some people. Proponents of sprouted grains claim that grains that have just begun sprouting – those that are straddling the line between a seed and a new plant, as shown here — offer all the goodness of whole grains, while being more readily digested.
What’s more, the sprouting process apparently increases the amount and bio-availability of some vitamins (notably Vitamin C) and minerals, making sprouted grains a potential nutrition powerhouse.
There is at this time no regulated definition of 'sprouted grain.' Consumers who want to understand what they are eating, and companies who are considering manufacturing or marketing sprouted grains may find it useful to review and compare existing industry definitions. Click here to see how AACCI and various manufacturers define sprouted grains.
Controlled Sprouting for Maximum Benefits
Until about a hundred years ago, humans harvested their grains, tied them into sheaves, and left them in the field until they were ready to thresh the grain. Inevitably, with this exposure to the weather, at least some of the grain would begin to sprout.
While a little sprouting appears to be good for us, there’s a sweet spot. Just the right amount of time, temperature, and moisture are necessary to start the germination process. Too much moisture, and the grain drowns, with the seed splitting open not from the force of an emerging, vibrant seedling but instead, simply from waterlogged swelling. Or, the sprout may begin to emerge but then, if the moisture source is not removed, it can begin to ferment or even to rot. Time is important too: if a healthy sprout continues to grow indefinitely, it becomes a new grass stalk, losing its digestibility, since humans can’t properly digest grasses.
Fortunately, companies marketing sprouted grains today don’t simply leave their grains randomly in the field. They sprout their grains under carefully-controlled conditions, with just the right amount of moisture and warmth, until the important enzymatic processes are at their peak, and then they use the sprouted grains to make products.
Dry or Wet?
Companies making sprouted grain products currently use two different approaches – dry and wet – once the grains are sprouted.
The Dry Approach. Some companies sprout the grain then dry it , to lock in this ideal stage. At this point, the sprouted grain can be stored until it’s cooked as a side dish, or it can be milled into sprouted grain flour, which is in turn used to make a wide variety of products.
The Wet Approach. Alternately, other companies mash the wet, sprouted grains into a thick purée which is used to make breads, tortillas, muffins and other products. These products are often described as “flourless” and are frequently sold frozen.
Health Benefits of Sprouted Whole Grains
Sprouting grains increases many of the grains' key nutrients, including B vitamins, vitamin C, folate, fiber, and essential amino acids often lacking in grains, such as lysine. Sprouted grains may also be less allergenic to those with grain protein sensitivities.
The pace of research is quickening, with studies documenting a wide range of health benefits for different sprouted grains. Here are just a few:
Sprouted brown rice fights diabetes.
Sprouted buckwheat protects against fatty liver disease.
Cardiovascular risk reduced by sprouted brown rice.
Sprouted brown rice decreases depression and fatigue in nursing mothers.
Decreased blood pressure linked to sprouted barley.
Click here to see details of recent studies on the health benefits of sprouted whole grains.
Cooking and Enjoying Sprouted Grains
There are three main ways to enjoy sprouted grains: You can buy packaged sprouted grains, cook sprouted grains as side dishes, or bake with sprouted grain flours.
Here are just a few great recipes you can try:
Home bakers may also enjoy trying their favorite recipes using sprouted wheat flour (see bread recipe above). According to America's leading bread expert (and WGC culinary advisor) Peter Reinhart (pictured below):
Sprouted wheat flour [from dry milling] really makes a fabulous loaf. Baking with it is easier than I expected. The dough performs beautifully, creating a really nice structure, and results in a flavor that's sweeter, less harsh, then regular whole wheat flour. I've also made bread using milled wet sprouts, and that's delicious too, but totally different.
The next step is to determine how much of the nutritional advantage lasts through the baking process. The whole process needs to be vetted through the proper protocols and research. I'm guessing there will be better digestive news, but even if the nutrition proves to come out the same as regular whole grain bread, bread made with sprouted flour still tastes better!
Every time we think we've hit the final frontier, we discover new options for bread!
We rarely name specific retail brands in the editorial side of this website, but because sprouted grains are so new and may not be available yet in your store, we're listing some retail product sources here, so that you can see what an interesting array of products are starting to sprout up (pardon the pun!)
Photo Credits this page: Sprouted Grains in hands - To Your Health Sprouted Flour; Germination Equipment – Sun Valley Rice; Peter Reinhart – Peter Reinhart. | <urn:uuid:b06080ae-444e-45d1-9a99-7d16eebe2f65> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/sprouted-whole-grains | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391634.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00155-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940715 | 1,459 | 3.5 | 4 |
Ann Hum Genet. 2006 Nov 28; [Epub ahead of print]
Extreme Patterns of Variance in Small Populations: Placing Limits on Human Y-Chromosome Diversity through Time in the Vanuatu Archipelago.
Small populations are dominated by unique patterns of variance, largely characterized by rapid drift of allele frequencies. Although the variance components of genetic datasets have long been recognized, most population genetic studies still treat all sampling locations equally despite differences in sampling and effective population sizes. Because excluding the effects of variance can lead to significant biases in historical reconstruction, variance components should be incorporated explicitly into population genetic analyses. The possible magnitude of variance effects in small populations is illustrated here via a case study of Y-chromosome haplogroup diversity in the Vanuatu Archipelago. Deme-based modelling is used to simulate allele frequencies through time, and conservative confidence bounds are placed on the accumulation of stochastic variance effects, including diachronic genetic drift and contemporary sampling error. When the information content of the dataset has been ascertained, demographic models with parameters falling outside the confidence bounds of the variance components can then be accepted with some statistical confidence. Here I emphasize how aspects of the demographic history of a population can be disentangled from stochastic variance effects, and I illustrate the extreme roles of genetic drift and sampling error for many small human population datasets. | <urn:uuid:2abebac7-f243-43f6-afdd-6441514e31bb> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://dienekes.blogspot.com/2006/12/extreme-patterns-of-variance-in-small.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397428.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00045-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.871738 | 280 | 2.59375 | 3 |
If you’re looking for the future of humanity, look no further than the first plasma generated in the Wendelstein 7-X Stellerator at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics. It turned on for the first time yesterday, and while this isn’t the first fusion power plant, nor will it ever be, it is a preview of what may become the invention that will save humanity.
For a very long time, it was believed the only way to turn isotopes of hydrogen into helium for the efficient recovery of power was the Tokamak. This device, basically a hollow torus lined with coils of wire, compresses plasma into a thin circular string. With the right pressures and temperatures, this plasma will transmute the elements and produce power.
Tokamaks have not seen much success, though, and this is a consequence of two key problems with the Tokamak design. First, we’ve been building them too small, although the ITER reactor currently being built in southern France may be an exception. ITER should be able to produce more energy than is used to initiate fusion after it comes online in the 2020s. Tokamaks also have another problem: they cannot operate continuously without a lot of extraneous equipment. While the Wendelstein 7-X Stellerator is too small to produce a net excess of power, it will demonstrate continuous operation of a fusion device. [Elliot Williams] wrote a great explanation of this Stellerator last month which is well worth a look.
While this Stellerator is just a testbed and will never be used to generate power, it is by no means the only other possible means of creating a sun on Earth. The Polywell – a device that fuses hydrogen inside a containment vessel made of electromagnets arranged like the faces of a cube – is getting funding from the US Navy. Additionally, Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works claims they can put a 100 Megawatt fusion reactor on the back of a truck within a few years.
The creation of a fusion power plant will be the most important invention of all time, and will earn the researchers behind it the Nobel prize in physics and peace. While the Wendelstein 7-X Stellarator is not the first fusion power plant, it might be a step in the right direction.
[vtol] is quickly becoming our favorite technological artist. Just a few weeks ago he graced us with a Game Boy Camera gun, complete with the classic Game Boy printer. Now, he’s somehow managed to create even lower resolution images with a modified typewriter that produces ASCII art images.
As with everything dealing with typewriters, machine selection is key. [vtol] is using a Brother SX-4000 typewriter for this build, a neat little daisy wheel machine that’s somehow still being made today. The typewriter is controlled by an Arduino Mega that captures an image from a camera, converts it to ASCII art with Pure Data and MAX/MSP, then slowly (and loudly) prints it on a piece of paper one character at a time.
The ASCII art typewriter was recently shown at the 101 Festival where a number of people stood in front of a camera and slowly watched a portrait assemble itself out of individual characters. Check out the video of the exhibit below.
This is a second generation Manta, a touch-based controller with visual feedback made to use with Max/MSP. The hexagonal size and the patterns seen in the video after the break remind us of the arm-based computers the Predators sport in the movies. Like the previous generation, this controller can tell not only which of the 48 sensor you’re touching, but how much of your finger is touching it. The sky is the limit on extensibility with this type of data, but for now you can just try out the pre-built plugin and see how it goes. New with this rendition of the Manta is the use bi-color LEDs which adds another lay of interaction with the PC to which this is tethered.
The Winduino II uses fins to pick up the movement of the wind and translate it into music. Each fin is attached to the main body using a piezo vibration sensor. The signals are processed by an Arduino housed inside and the resulting data makes its way to a computer via a Bluetooth connection to facilitate the use of Max/MSP for the audio processing. Included in the design is an array of solar panels used to keep the battery for the device charged up. Hear and see this creative piece after the break.
[Robert] wrote a program using Max/MSP that lets him make music with his guitar hero controller. There’s another video after the break where he walks through the various features but here’s the gist of it. This works on Mac and Windows and allows a sort of ‘live play’ or midi mapping mode. In the midi mode each key can be configured to do your bidding. His example uses the pick bar to scroll through different samples and the green button the play them or the red button to stop.
The live mode us much more involved. In the software you choose the type of scale and the key you’d like to play in. This makes up for the controller’s lack of enough frets to make it a chromatic instrument and these settings can be adjust from the controller. There is an up-pick offset that makes the upward movement of the pick bar a different note than the downward movement. The motion control can also be used as an input. He demonstrates pitch bending and cutoff using that method.
This looks like a lot of fun. He needs to team up with [Joran] to add drums to the mix, forming a much more creative rock band than you can buy in the store.
[Ryan] let us know about his Max/MSP Controller. Inside the device is an ADXL 335 accelerometer and 6 push buttons wired to an Arduino. The input data is sent to Max MSP, a sequencer controlling 5 audio tracks, correlating to 5 of the buttons. The 6th button controls delay. What we really liked was how the accelerometer modified the speed of the beat in the X-axis, and the delay intensity with the Y-axis. Whats next? We think gesture recognition might be something fun to try, but [Ryan] is unsure. We’ll keep you up to date.
Move over Steve and PEART… there’s yet another robotic drummer in town. [Fauzii] tipped us off to his own MIDI-controlled creation – WizardFingers. According to him, WizardFingers is already capable of 64th note rolls at over 250 beats per minute. That’s on every drum simultaneously. Each drum is hit with a lever attached to a linear pneumatic actuator. A laptop running MAX/MSP generates MIDI sequences, which are sent to Doepfer MTC64 board. All of these actuators are hooked up to the board, which sets them off in sequence.
[Fauzii] ultimately hopes to develop AI software that will allow WizardFingers to compose its own tunes on not only a drum kit, but bar chimes and an organ as well. His site documents the whole concept quite well (just watch out for wild cats). | <urn:uuid:cc016117-d347-4798-9729-26ab05f9399b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://hackaday.com/tag/max/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397797.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00063-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941008 | 1,516 | 3.453125 | 3 |
The Soviet government charges Anatoly Shcharansky, a leader among Jewish dissidents and human rights activists in Russia, with the crime of treason. The action was viewed by many in the West as a direct challenge to President Jimmy Carter’s new foreign policy emphasis on human rights and his criticism of Soviet repression.
Shcharansky, a 29-year-old computer expert, had been a leading figure in the so-called “Helsinki group” in the Soviet Union. This group came into existence in 1975, after the signing of the European Security Act. The European Security Act, also referred to as the Helsinki Accords, was the result of U.S. and Soviet efforts to reinvigorate the spirit of dÝtente. The two nations called 35 other countries together to discuss a variety of topics, and the final agreements signed at the meeting included guidelines for human rights. Although the Soviets signed the act, Jewish dissidents in Russia complained that their rights continued to be violated, particularly their right to emigrate. These Jewish dissidents and other human rights activists in the Soviet Union came together to form the Helsinki group, which was designed to monitor Russian respect of the 1975 act. Shcharansky was one of the best known of this group, particularly because of his flair for sparking public interest in human rights violations in Russia. President Carter used the situation of Russian Jews as an example of the human rights violations he wished to curtail when he came into office in 1977. The Soviets responded with a series of arrests of Helsinki group leaders and the deportation of others. Shcharansky, the most vociferous of the group, came in for the harshest treatment. In June 1977, he was charged with treason, specifically with accepting funds from the CIA in order to create dissension in the Soviet Union. After a perfunctory trial, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison. He was finally released in February 1986, when he and four other prisoners were exchanged for four Soviet spies who had been held in the West.
Shcharansky’s arrest and imprisonment elicited a good deal of criticism from the American people and government, but the criticism seemed merely to harden the Soviet position. It was not until after Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in 1985, promising a freer political atmosphere in the Soviet Union, that Shchransky and other political dissidents, such as Andrei Sakharov, were freed from prison and internal exile. Despite the relatively freer atmosphere of the Gorbachev years, members of the Helsinki group, as well as other Soviet dissidents, continued to press for greater democratic freedom and human rights right up to the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. | <urn:uuid:9e0ccec5-e8aa-4c08-b715-bdcd66ded509> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviets-charge-shcharansky-with-treason?catId=3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397636.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00177-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978341 | 547 | 3.578125 | 4 |
Please be informed that Bali island celebrate Nyepi (Silent) Day on 31 March 2014.
The Nyepi (Silent) Day is a day of absolute silence throughout the island.
No outdoor activities are allowed including check in and check out from hotels.
Saraswati Day is a holiday of Hindu religion especially exists in Bali where according to Hindu belief that on Saraswati day believed that a day descend the science from God as manifestation of Goddess Saraswati which is a lot of described as beautiful goddess.
Saraswati is the Goddess of Knowledge, Her hands hold a palm leaf; a lontar, (a Balinese traditional book which is the source of science or knowledge); a chain (genitri with 108 pieces) symbolising that knowledge is never ending and has an everlasting life cycle; and a musical instrument (guitar or wina) symbolising that science develops through the growth of culture. The swans symbolise prudence, so that one’s knowledge may distinguish between good and evil and the water lilies (Lotus) are symbols of holiness. The Lotus flower is the holiest for Balinese.
Celebration of Saraswati day, fall on Saturday of Umanis Wuku Watugunung (Balinese Calendar) where usually Hindu people celebrate this Saraswati day at school, temple or other holy‘s places. | <urn:uuid:d5886af4-69b3-4e2b-977b-5a2aad237de9> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://blog.balimandira.com/2014/03/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396029.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00005-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915702 | 292 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Earlier this year FDA announced that it was considering changes to the current Nutrition Facts panel. The label was created 20 years ago and is on most foods and beverages in the United States. It gives us an easy-to-understand way to quickly see what’s in the foods we consume each day. It’s also how you determine that a “serving” of ice cream isn’t the whole pint, but a measly quarter-cup. Tell that to my spoon!
The Nutrition Facts design hasn’t been updated since it launched in 1993, and shoppers are becoming more knowledgeable, and curious, about the ingredients in their foods and beverages. NCA supports educating consumers and ensuring transparency and responsibility in food labeling; check out our front-of-pack labeling gallery on Pinterest to see how candy companies are sharing calorie information, right on the front of the packaging. It’s also important to keep the information accurate and the design clean; ambiguous labeling and confusing information will lead to shopper frustration, and that’s the last thing anyone wants at the grocery store.
For example, the International Food Information Council Foundation conducted a national survey of adult consumers, and preliminary findings indicate that the proposed “added sugars” line on the Nutrition Facts panel leads to misunderstanding. Instead of clarifying the total amount of sugars in a product, the extra “added sugars” line item causes shoppers to believe that the products contain more sugars than they actually do. Also, eight out of 10 consumers preferred the simpler, total sugars line item when shown an example of the redesigned label. The IFIC Foundation shared these preliminary findings to FDA on behalf of consumers.
Providing consumers with relevant nutrition information is one of the most important goals for candy makers. Sugars are a source of calories, and of course candy contains sugar, though current scientific evidence doesn’t show a direct connection between total sugar intake and obesity. Candy only makes up 2 percent of calories in the average American’s diet and is only eaten about two or three times a week. Enjoy your candy, but treat right and enjoy it in moderation. | <urn:uuid:86753026-d2c5-459e-ba09-754fe9a0477d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://candydishblog.com/2014/08/14/lets-educate-not-confuse-busy-shoppers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395346.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00041-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929501 | 437 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Meningococcal Disease in Africa
This article, published in Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, discusses the different serotypes of meningococcus that cause disease in Africa, including group-A meningococci, which cause meningococcal epidemics in the African Meningitis Belt. The article also outlines prevention and treatment options for combating meningococcal disease. ABSTRACT ONLY. (Learn how users in developing countries can gain free access to journal articles.)
Author: Hart CA, Cuevas LE
» Visit web page (English)
(Located at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Citation: Hart CA, Cuevas LE. Meningococcal Disease in Africa. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology. 1997;91(7):777-785.
Resource types: Peer-reviewed journal | <urn:uuid:b556c194-5861-4302-8e7d-bebb64f884b8> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.path.org/vaccineresources/details.php?i=883 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395346.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00153-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.786119 | 180 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Study: Human Ancestors Got Herpes From Chimps
To answer that question, you’ll have to go back millions of years, to a time before we were human.
New genomic analysis has found that oral herpes may have been around since before our split with chimpanzees happened about 6 million years ago. The virus then branched out and followed the evolution of hominids to become oral herpes, or herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1).
“The ancestor of all monkeys and apes had the herpes virus,” said study author and virologist Joel Wertheim of the University of California at San Diego. “When the host species lineage started to split, the viruses also formed new lineages.”
The virus responsible for genital herpes hit our ancestors later, likely jumping from proto-chimps to a now-extinct hominid — either Homo habilis or Homo erectus — about 1.6 million years ago. The ancient virus eventually gave rise to what is now known as herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) in humans, commonly spread through sexual contact.
Because the chimpanzee herpes simplex virus found its way back into our lineage, we are the only primate species known to be infected with two distinct herpes simplex viruses. But how the transmission occurred from primate-to-hominid all those years ago remains a mystery.
“We can’t say whether the interaction that led to cross-transmission was physical aggression or sexual contact,” Wertheim said. “We just don’t know, but both are possible.”
Alternate means could have been through hominids hunting and eating the meat of proto-chimps or living with them in close quarters, said virologist Alberto Severini of the University of Manitoba, who was not involved in the research.
Full story here. | <urn:uuid:21c467a0-5d4f-43ce-b7bd-305292b974ec> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.monkeyday.org/2014/06/study-human-ancestors-got-herpes-from.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397873.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00096-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944909 | 404 | 3.5 | 4 |
Gregory Clark’s A Farewell to Alms: A Brief Economic History of the World is not quite as bad as either its author or publisher try to make it. As reported in a major New York Times article heralding the publication of the next blockbuster in economics, the book represents a startling breakthrough in our understanding of how humanity escaped the Malthusian trap”in which rising populations always outpaced their food production”that had captured all human generations before the Industrial Revolution.
The daring approach by which Clark tries to explain this change is self-evidently silly. Yet, putting aside his deeply flawed grand theory, A Farewell to Alms (Princeton University Press, 420 pages, $29.95
) has some useful features. Clark’s central theme is frankly biological. Noting the explosion of self-sustaining economic growth in England around 1800, he uses for an explanation the spread of novel social and cultural patterns that favored enterprise, thrift, and the peaceful resolution of conflict.
Those patterns emerged, he suggests, because over the previous thousand years richer people in England had tended to have far more children than the poor, so that increasingly their genes dominated the population. Modern British people”and their overseas descendants”are largely the offspring of the rich and powerful of the Middle Ages. As that elite stock proliferated, so did its characteristic ideologies and behaviors, the patterns that had made its members rich in the first place:
Pre-industrial England was thus a world of constant downward mobility. Given the static nature of the Malthusian economy, the superabundant children of the rich had to, on average, move down the social hierarchy in order to find work. Craftsmen’s sons became laborers, merchants’ sons petty traders, large landowners’ sons smallholders. The attributes that would ensure later economic dynamism”patience, hard work, ingenuity, innovativeness, education”were thus spreading biologically throughout the population. Just as people were shaping economies, the economy of the pre-industrial era was shaping people, at least culturally and perhaps also genetically.
So what is wrong with this picture? The possibility of genetic change in fairly recent times cannot be rejected out of hand, although it should not be invoked without a full consideration of alternatives. For that matter, Clark is primarily an economic historian of the industrial era and knows next to nothing about who elites were in earlier times, still less what the elite cultural patterns were in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period. He does not know what made for wealth in that Olde England, a society primarily built upon hereditary landed wealth rather than the work of craftsmen and merchants. The urban professionals whose wills and families he analyzes represented only a tiny fraction of the social elite. And although those medieval middling classes could and did rise, usually through law or commerce, only a small part of the elite owed its fortune to patience, hard work, ingenuity, innovativeness, education. And once the mercantile families had ascended to high status, their children typically adopted the leisured ethos of their landed neighbors, otium cum dignitate , rejecting the vulgar ways of their fathers. One token of their new status was that the nouveaux riches sent their children to educational institutions where they would learn little of direct practical value or economic consequence. That’s a dreadful way to begin an economic breakthrough.
Clark’s views might make some sense if the traditional elites were like modern Western middle classes, but they emphatically were not, and no serious historian has ever claimed they were. Yet Clark repeatedly makes statements that assume the identity of elite with bourgeois, as when he links English success to the embedding of bourgeois values into the culture and perhaps the genetics. And if the real upper class, the progenitors of those superabundant children, was not bourgeois but landed, surely his argument falls at the starting gate.
At every point, the mores and culture of those authentic traditional elites contradict Clark’s picture. Anyone who looks at those landed upper classes as they actually operated in 1150, or even 1450, would see not diligent proto-consumers but a society with mores not unlike those of a Los Angeles street gang. What Tom Paine famously called the roving Norman banditti had a well-developed belief in instant gratification, in sinking wealth into ostentatious display, and in defending personal honor through immediate and extreme acts of violence. The English aristocracy had not advanced too far beyond the credo of its recent Viking ancestors, and they earned their wealth the old-fashioned way: by stealing it. If the values of the medieval upper classes (rather than just their genes) had spread through the English population, then its members by 1800 would have been too busy beheading each other to start building power looms or forming shopping cooperatives. At every stage, the changes offered by Clark lend themselves to startlingly obvious alternative explanations. Take for instance that undoubted growth of literacy from the sixteenth century onward, measured for instance by the numbers actually signing wills rather than making marks. Any student of history would ask whether anything happened in England during the Tudor and Stuart periods that might at once have led to a greater desire for reading, as well as an urge to supply the means by which ordinary people could satisfy that craving. Some readers might dimly recollect something called the Protestant Reformation, which is in fact quite well-documented and widely studied. (Clark mentions the Reformation briefly in an aside that confirms his ignorance of the context.) The Reformation had similar effects on concepts of individualism, personal responsibility, and literacy”not to mention charity. So much for the farewell to alms.
This is only one egregious example of the book’s greatest flaw: its persistent neglect of the ideological and legal factors making for social and economic change. Though many passages illustrate the book’s crass materialism, I especially enjoy the comment that there is no sign, for example, that the rewards to numeracy and literacy were any higher in England in 1800 than they were in 1200. How about such rewards as access to the Bible, and thus the possibility of eternal salvation under the Protestant belief system, together with the social status and possibility of political action permitted by that literacy?
Clark is undoubtedly right to posit an English Difference, but his theoretical framework forbids him from dating it appropriately, and thus he cannot see the more plausible sequence of events. Already before 1066, England had a more effective government than any European country, with a system of shires and writs that amazed the Norman invaders, who immediately saw its potential for efficient tax gathering. Over the next two centuries, English law developed a complex institutional framework (Parliament, assizes, circuit-riding judges, new procedures, new kinds of writ) and a growing body of theoretical writing that found an early monument in Henry de Bracton.
Long before the supposed diffusion of upper-class mores throughout the society, English society was thoroughly oriented to concepts of legality and legal process, so that property and inheritance were far better protected than in most European societies and infinitely better than in contemporary Asian states. Of course the law was subject to the abuses of power; one fifteenth-century judge claimed not to know he was doing anything illegal when he mobilized his private army to ambush a rival. But for all the factions and all the corruption, ideology and politics already revolved around courts, laws, and rights, in ways that are thoroughly familiar to modern Americans. Even when scholars trace the emergence of the modern English language, they quote a thirteenth-century squib in which the struggle between king and barons is framed in terms of a type of writ, the Quo Warranto , by which the state demanded to know by what authority landowners held their power: Le roi coveit nos deneres et la reine nos beaus maners [The king wants our money and the queen is out to get our fine manors] / And the Quo Warranto maketh us all to do . Although it took a long struggle, writs and courts really did make them to do. A remarkably strong and flexible state apparatus succeeded in reducing interpersonal violence, admittedly assisted by a slowing of demographic growth and a reduction in the number of young adult males.
The legal environment also permitted (and not just followed) the rise of economic prosperity. Primogeniture helped concentrate estates and capital while forcing younger sons to seek their fortunes elsewhere, particularly in new imperial ventures. Court decisions about mineral rights made it worthwhile for landowners to explore and exploit the wealth under their land. The invention of the joint-stock company laid the foundation for the unparalleled prosperity that allowed England to remain at war with France off and on from 1689 to 1815 without raising its miserly interest rates. (Incredibly, Clark does not cite John Brewer’s classic 1989 book, The Sinews of Power. )
Everything contributed to the growth of confidence and a sense of security”in money, in legality, in prosperity”and the result was a society willing to save, work, and invest. And high confidence in the economy in turn promotes low interest rates, which Clark sees as a touchstone of his argument. Confidence breeds confidence.
Remove any one of those basic legal building blocks and the political consequences would have been utterly different. Nothing vaguely comparable developed in the capricious despotisms of the Middle East or Asia, where property rights were always subject to official whim and all sensible people knew that starting a profitable business was a good way to encourage local bureaucrats to confiscate it. These factors alone are a sufficient explanation of the circumstances for which Clark feels the need to venture into specious genetics.
And yet, although so much is wrong with A Farewell to Alms , the book can still be read profitably, once you take out the author’s basic argument. With a little care, the reader actually can pull together the isolated references that do provide a plausible explanation for the great transition that is the book’s main theme. Clark knows, for instance, about the central importance of property, and he even realizes just how long-established the security of property was in England. And, throughout the book, his broad range of references often suggests interesting parallels and connections.
Most important, he has done a wonderful job in describing the Malthusian trap, and he convincingly portrays the deprivation that characterized all societies before the rise of modernity. As he says, Stone Age people were physically larger, sturdier, and ate better than most of their descendants before 1800. Thinking this through helps us realize the appeal of religious and social movements in those earlier eras of European history, when poverty and hunger were as rife as they are today in Africa. Food and eating were fundamental cultural symbols in Early Modern times, just as they were in the biblical era”and perhaps the Bible and other scriptures can only be read authentically through hungry eyes. Clark reminds us just how very recent is the widespread health and prosperity that we take for granted.
It is an open question whether these virtues outweigh the book’s obvious flaws. Perhaps its most worrying feature is that A Farewell to Alms will be used to legitimize biological and genetic approaches to the study of modern history. It may well begin a fad that we can expect to see imitated in studies of other fields and eras, as scholars start explaining cultural changes in terms of recent evolution and genetic diffusion. Welcome back, eugenics.
Philip Jenkins is Distinguished Professor of History at Pennsylvania State University. | <urn:uuid:c3096c74-0a15-4698-90aa-e527c6c42444> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.firstthings.com/article/2007/10/001-economics-as-eugenics | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00107-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963945 | 2,383 | 2.8125 | 3 |
A prison is a place in which people are confined and deprived of a range of liberties. Prisons conventionally are institutions authorised by governments and forming part of a country's criminal justice system, or as facilities for holding prisoners of war. A prison system is the organizational arrangement of the provision and operation of prisons.
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Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners
Complete text of the United Nations treaty.
Tattoos: Recognition and Interpretation
Tattoo recognition and interpretation is a valuable tool when dealing with state prison parolees.
Other languages 2
Last update:August 19, 2015 at 9:24:07 UTC | <urn:uuid:52b00347-50df-4da6-950d-2922ef347109> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.dmoz.org/Society/Crime/Prisons/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00010-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.880904 | 448 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Words to Know
Copyright © 1998 Plymouth Public Schools
Vermont's different ecosystems are home to a variety of wildlife. The forests, swamps, fields, rivers, and lakes of the state provide habitats for such animals as the woodchuck, bear, beaver, otter, and many different birds. Each of these animal species has a certain way in which it fits into the environment. Each one has its own niche. The woodchuck prefers the edge of fields and lawns where it can feed on plants and retreat to its burrow if it is threatened by predators. The beaver prefers streams and ponds that are close to a food supply of birch and aspen trees. The plants and animals living in our state share the environment with us. We must always be careful to protect animal habitats or we may lose some of these species--they will become extinct.
Check out these crazy laws that deal with animals in Vermont
- You will be arrested if you paint your horse in Vermont
- In Vermont, you can be fined if your pig runs in a public park without the permission.
- In Vermont's Lake Champlain, it is illegal to shoot pickerel or northern pike with a gun.
Find more "Loony Laws" in other states at this site: http://www.xmission.com/~emailbox/loonylaws.htm
The Wild Turkey
The wild turkey is one animal that has regained a place in the Vermont environment. As more and more forest land was cleared in the 1800's, the turkey population declined. By 1842, the turkey was extinct in the state. In 1969, thirty-one live turkeys were brought from southwestern New York and released in western Vermont. About 17 birds were released in Pawlet that year. Another 14 were released in Hubbardton near Castleton in 1970. Some birds were later selected and transplanted to the eastern part of the state and the upper Champlain Valley in the Vermont Lowlands.
Photo used with permission from USGS
Today the turkey population has increased and spread across the state. It is limited to these areas by the high elevations of the Green Mountains and the deeper winter snowfall. The turkey survives on the nuts of oak, chestnut, beech, and hickory trees. The wild turkey is now better able to survive because the forest cover in Vermont has increased from between 20% to 30% in 1850 to about 80% today.
The White-tailed Deer
The story of the wild turkey shows that when humans disturb these different animal habitats, their survival may be put in jeopardy. We have also learned some valuable lessons from the story of the white-tailed deer in Vermont. Before the settlers came to this region, there were plenty of deer that provided food and clothing for the native American Indians. With the arrival of the settlers the deer were hunted year round in large numbers. By the late 1800's much of the land had been cleared for lumber or for farmland. At this time, there were no laws to protect the deer. The deer population dropped considerably.
Vermonters soon realized that something had to be done to reverse this situation. Laws were passed to restrict hunting. Predators of the deer such as wolves and catamounts were eliminated by bounty systems. Bounties were rewards given to people for hunting certain animals that the government wanted to control or eliminate. At the same time, many hill farms in Vermont were being abandoned. This meant that cleared land was returning to brush and young forest growth, the ideal habitat for deer.
White Tailed Deer
Picture from http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/whitetaileddeer.htm
By the 1930's the white-tailed deer population was once again well established in Vermont. Today the deer is a valuable and popular game animal. There are an estimated 160,000 deer in Vermont. We have learned a great deal over the last 100 years about helping the deer herd in Vermont to stay healthy. The proper forest habitat must be maintained. The state government must also continue to control the hunting season through laws.
Click here for a map of Vermont showing deer taken in 1982
Click here for a map of Vermont showing deer taken in 2000.
What has changed? Any ideas why? Tell us!!!
Humans can have a devastating effect upon the population of a wild animal. We sometimes have the ability to correct our mistakes and bring animal populations back.
Facts About the White-tailed Deer
A full-grown deer is about three feet tall at the shoulder. A buck weighs up to 300 pounds and a doe weighs about 140 pounds. Their coats are reddish-brown in the summer and grayish in the winter. Their coats also grow thicker in the winter. They raise their white tail as a warning of danger when they turn and run away.
A doe usually gives birth to one or two fawns in the spring. A fawn is spotted so it blends with the surrounding vegetation, and it has little scent. This way the fawn is protected from predators.
White-tailed deer browse on twigs, buds, acorns, grass, and wild apples. Their preferred habitat is the forest, swamps, and open brush areas. They also move to find protected areas during bad weather.
A white-tailed deer depends on its senses of smell, sight, and hearing to be warned of danger. If it is frightened, it can run up to 35 miles per hour.
Here are some pre-prepared lesson plans dealing with Vermont animals!
Click here for some discussion questions.
Click here for some questions about this section. | <urn:uuid:21f21be7-99f7-49e4-bba2-c9890d1f4758> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://academics.smcvt.edu/vtgeographic/textbook/animals/vermont_animals.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395039.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00130-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963902 | 1,157 | 3.4375 | 3 |
One of the most common cancers, lung cancer usually occurs when a cancer-causing agent, or carcinogen, triggers the growth of abnormal cells in the lung. These cells multiply out of control and eventually form a tumor. As the tumor grows, it destroys nearby areas of the lung. Eventually, tumor cells can spread (metastasize) to nearby lymph nodes and other parts of the body. These include the
In most cases, the carcinogens that trigger lung cancer are chemicals found in cigarette smoke. However, more and more lung cancers are being diagnosed in people who have never smoked.
Lung cancers are divided into two groups, based on how their cells look under the microscope: non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer may be localized. This means that it is limited to the lung or that it hasn't spread beyond the chest. As a result, it can usually be treated with surgery. Small cell lung cancer is rarely localized, even when it is detected early. It is rarely treated with surgery. Knowing whether the cancer has spread is critical, because it affects treatment decisions.
However, even when doctors think that the cancer is localized, it often comes back shortly after surgery. This means cancer cells had started to spread before surgery, but they couldn't yet be detected.
Non-small cell lung cancer
Non-small cell lung cancer is more likely than small cell cancer to be localized at the time of diagnosis. It also is more likely than small cell cancer to be treatable with surgery. It often responds poorly to chemotherapy (anticancer drugs). However, sophisticated genetic tests can help predict which patients may show favorable responses to particular treatments, including chemotherapy.
Non-small cell lung cancer accounts for about 85% of all lung cancers. These cancers are divided into subgroups, based on how their cells look under a microscope:
Adenocarcinoma. This is the most common type of lung cancer. Although it is related to smoking, it is the most common type of lung cancer in nonsmokers. It is also the most common form of lung cancer in women and in people younger than 45. It usually develops near the edge of the lung. It can also involve the pleura, the membrane covering the lung.
Squamous cell carcinoma. This type of lung cancer tends to form a mass near the center of the lungs. As the mass gets larger, it can bulge into one of the larger air passages, or bronchi. In some cases, the tumor forms a cavity in the lungs.
Large cell carcinoma. Like adenocarcinoma, large cell carcinoma tends to develop at the edge of the lungs and spread to the pleura. Like squamous cell carcinoma, it can form a cavity in the lungs.
Adenosquamous carcinoma, undifferentiated carcinoma, and bronchioloalveolar carcinoma. These are relatively rare non-small cell lung cancers.
Small cell lung cancer
At the time of diagnosis, small cell lung cancer is more likely than non-small cell cancer to have spread beyond the lung. This makes it almost impossible to cure with surgery. However, it can be managed with chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Small cell cancers account for about 15% of all lung cancers.
Your risk of all types of lung cancer increase if you
smoke. Smoking cigarettes is by far the leading risk factor for lung cancer. In fact, cigarette smokers are 13 times more likely to develop lung cancer than nonsmokers. Cigar and pipe smoking are almost as likely to cause lung cancer as cigarette smoking.
breathe tobacco smoke. Nonsmokers who inhale fumes from cigarette, cigar, and pipe smoking have an increased risk of lung cancer.
are exposed to radon gas. Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas formed in the ground. It seeps into the lower floors of homes and other buildings and can contaminate drinking water. Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer. It's not clear whether elevated radon levels contribute to lung cancer in nonsmokers. But radon exposure does contribute to lung cancer in smokers and in people who regularly breathe high amounts of the gas at work (miners, for example). You can test radon levels in your home with a radon testing kit.
are exposed to asbestos. Asbestos is a mineral used in insulation, fireproofing materials, floor and ceiling tiles, automobile brake linings, and other products. People exposed to asbestos on the job (miners, construction workers, shipyard workers, and some auto mechanics) have a higher-than-normal risk of lung cancer. People who live or work in buildings with asbestos-containing materials that are deteriorating also have an increased risk of lung cancer. The risk is even higher in people who also smoke. Asbestos exposure also increases the risk of developing mesothelioma, a relatively rare and usually fatal cancer. It usually starts in the chest and resembles lung cancer.
are exposed to other cancer-causing agents at work. These include uranium, arsenic, vinyl chloride, nickel chromates, coal products, mustard gas, chloromethyl ethers, gasoline, and diesel exhaust. | <urn:uuid:993d1d60-20ff-4cdd-bbb9-501279368f9a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://sparkpeople.com/resource/health_a-z_detail.asp?AZ=289 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398628.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00163-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94555 | 1,076 | 3.75 | 4 |
Form drag and tidal flow over topography
For my PhD thesis, I worked with Parker MacCready at the University of Washington. We collaborated with Jim Moum and Jonathan Nash at Oregon State University on the observational portion of the project.
In estuaries and coastal seas, mixing is an essential process for a healthy ecosystem because it moves nutrients and oxygen vertically within the water column. My research looked at what happens when tidal currents flow back and forth over rough topography such as ridges and headlands creating features like internal waves and eddies and eventual mixing, turbulence and dissipation. Specifically, we measured the form drag in an effort to parameterize these processes.
Our study site was Three Tree Point (TTP) a headland in Puget Sound, WA located about halfway between Seattle and Tacoma. Previous work on the form drag at this site include Pawlak et al. (2003), Edwards et al. (2004), McCabe et al. (2006), and Canals et al. (2009). My thesis included three parts: numerical models and theory of form drag due to tidal flow around idealized headlands, an observational experiment at TTP where seafloor pressure sensors were used to measure the form drag at TTP, and a numerical model of TTP which allowed us to gain further insight into the dynamical processes that create form drag at TTP.
Below, find details about the following parts of my research:
- An introduction to form drag
- Numerical models of tidal flow around idealized headlands
- Seafloor pressure measurements at TTP
- Numerical model of the flow at TTP
Details about our cruise at Three Tree Point in October 2010 from the Ocean Mixing Group at Oregon State Universtiy.
Form drag is a force that results from pressure differences across an obstacle in a flow field. In the ocean, form drag occurs when currents flow over and around undersea topography.
Frictional drag and form drag are different. Frictional drag is due to the normal forces that result when a fluid flows over a surface. When the surface is rough there tends to be more frictional drag than when the surface is smooth. Form drag, on the other hand, is due to the normal forces that result when a fluid flows over an object creating areas of high and low pressure. Form drag is calculated by taking the integral of the pressure on the surface times the slope of the object over the entire surface area of the object. In general, streamlined bodies have smaller form drag than bluff bodies.
In the ocean, form drag is associated with eddy generation, internal wave generation and localized mixing.
A full description of this part of the study can be found in a paper published in the Journal of Physical Oceanography (pdf).
This study was motivated by work done at Three Tree Point (TTP), a headland in Puget Sound, WA. TTP is shaped like a ridge on a sloping side wall so some of the water goes around it creating eddies and some of the water goes over it creating internal waves. To isolate the dynamics, we modeled idealized headlands with vertical side walls as seen above.
We found that there are two mechanisms that created form drag. The first part is due simply to the fact that the flow is oscillatory and hence there is a sea surface height tilt that is maximum at slack tide. We refer to this part of the drag as the potential flow drag because it is found by calculating the pressure field due to potential flow around the headlands. Although the potential flow drag can have a large magnitude, it cannot not do tidally averaged work on the flow because its phase is in quadrature with the velocity. The second part of the drag is the separation drag which is due to flow separation on the lee side of the headland. In many cases, its magnitude was much smaller than the potential flow drag, but it accounted for all of the tidally averaged work done on the tidal currents.
Once the potential flow pressure field is removed from the total pressure field, the residual pressure field shows the dynamics that create form drag. There are regions of low pressure associated with local eddies and regions of high pressure associated with flow that is blocked by the eddies and "piles up" on the upstream side of the topography.
Using an array of seafloor pressure sensors (PPODs), we measured the bottom pressure across Three Tree Point (TTP), a headland with sloping side-walls in Puget Sound, WA. Prior to this study, form drag had not been measured with seafloor pressure sensors.
Form drag was then calculated from a spatial integral of the bottom pressure anomalies.
The form drag varied with the tidal currents. The form drag and power (energy conversion rate from the barotropic tides) were largest during strong flood tides.
Before this study, it was assumed that a bluff body drag law would be the best way to parameterize the form drag at TTP because that is the most common parameterization of form drag. However, we found that a linear wave drag law actually did a much better job. The bluff body drag law drastically underprediced the form drag observed at TTP. A wave drag law takes into consideration stratification and therefore is more accurate.
To gain further insight into the dynamics that create form drag at TTP, I built a numerical model of the region using output from the MoSSea model to force the currents at the boundaries of the model. The model was made using ROMS. It had 100 m horizontal resolution. Tides were forced at the boundaries.
During maximum flood tide, an eddy is visible just to the south of the tip of TTP as a region of elevated relative vorticity. The pressure is divided into the internal pressure (anomalies due to changes in isopycnal height), external pressure (anomalies due to changes in sea surface height), and dynamic pressure (sum of the internal and external pressures) because these are the parts of the pressure signal that directly contribute to form drag. In the eddy, the sea surface is depressed due to a local balance between the sea surface pressure gradient and the centripetal force of the currents. At the same time, the isopycnals are raised below this sea surface depression. The internal and external pressures tend to counteract each other within the eddy except in regions close to shore where isopycnals cannot move vertically.
This means that even though the sea surface depression within the eddy is quite large, it is counteracted internally leading to a smaller form drag than would be present with the sea surface depression alone.
Internal waves were also created within the model as currents flowed over the ridge-like part of TTP. Internal waves draw down isopycnals on the lee-ward side of the topography leading to a pressure difference that creates form drag.
Overall, we see that at TTP, the internal waves and the eddies do equal amounts of work on the flow. The pressure anomalies from the eddy are larger than those in the internal waves, however, since the external and internal signals work to counteract each other in the eddy, the dynamic pressure anomaly has nearly the same magnitude as the dynamic pressure anomalies from the internal lee waves.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. OCE-0099058, OCE-0425059 and OCE-0751583. "Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation." | <urn:uuid:360da5bf-54cf-4073-a4c7-ee552346deb5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://people.oregonstate.edu/~warnersa/research_phd.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393997.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00191-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944507 | 1,571 | 3.34375 | 3 |
Blood pressure, weight and kidney disease risks
The study, by a team of medical researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) is available as a pre-publication article online from the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.
Prehypertension is a relatively new medical classification introduced in 2003 in the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on High Blood Pressure (JNC-7), and is defined as systolic blood pressure of 120 to 139 mm Hg or diastolic BP of 80 to 89 mm Hg. Studies from the United States and Asia have shown that prehypertension can increase the risk of serious kidney disease, but because more than 30 percent of the US and European populations can be classified as prehypertensive, treating everyone with this condition would be an enormous undertaking, the researchers observed.
At the same time, obesity is also known to lead to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and death from chronic kidney disease (CKD) as a result of diabetes and hypertension. These increased risks have led medical researchers to consider whether people with prehypertension should be considered for treatment if they have other cardiovascular risks, such as obesity.
Using data from nearly 75,000 participants in the HUNT 1 study, the first Health Study in Nord-Trøndelag, a team of NTNU researchers led by Dr. John Munkhaugen were able to further clarify the risks of ESRD in overweight individuals.
“We found a strong, independent and continuous association with both BP and body weight” on the risk of treated ESRD or chronic kidney disease related deaths, the researchers wrote. However, “prehypertensive participants increased their risk of treated ESRD or CKD-related death only if BMI was greater than 30.0 kg/mg2.”
The strength of the NTNU study is its ability to use data from the two-decade old HUNT 1 study, which provides researchers the ability to follow up on measurements made 20 years ago. The HUNT 1 study involved 88.2 percent of all inhabitants 20 years or older in Nord-Trøndelag county, in mid-Norway. The data were linked to the Norwegian Renal Registry and to the Cause of Death Registry in Norway.
More about HUNT
The Nord-Trøndelag health study (HUNT) is one of the largest health studies ever undertaken. It is comprised of a unique database of personal and family medical histories that were collected during three intensive studies. Today, HUNT is a database with information about approximately 120,000 individuals, where family data and individual data can be linked to national health registries. | <urn:uuid:6669e565-086b-4a92-9c3b-473c38c38d04> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.ntnu.edu/news/kidney-disease-risks | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395039.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00006-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956589 | 561 | 2.875 | 3 |
PORTLAND, Ore. — Structured light illumination (SLI) can automatically build a three-dimensional model of any object, replacing the tedious process of measurement that is usually required. Stripes of light are projected onto objects as a digital camera records their deformation, letting algorithms automatically deduce the size, shape and subtlest contours of even moving objects.
Now microelectromechanical system startup Seikowave (Lexington, Ky.), in cooperation with the Center for Visualization and Virtual Environments at the University of Kentucky, is harnessing MEMS picoprojectors to bring SLI to the mass market.
"We've been using $30,000 DLP [digital light processor] hardware in the research lab; over 90 percent of the cost of our system is in the projector right now," said Seikowave chief technology officer Daniel Lau, who pioneered SLI as a professor at the University of Kentucky. "Where Seikowave comes in is using MEMS to bring the projector cost down to $40, changing the economics to a mass-market technology."
Structured light illumination automatically builds a 3-D model of any object by projecting stripes of light an measuring their distortion with a digital camera.
Source: University of Kentucky.
SLI applications that have already been pioneered in Lau's university lab include contactless fingerprint scanning, intelligent surveillance and automatic profilometry (creation of 3-D models). Even videogame makers could profit from SLI, using it to generate 3-D models automatically with textures from real-world setups created for the game.
From projector to creator
MEMS picoprojectors were invented to enable small electronic devices to control large displays. Seikowave now plans to turn the picoprojector into a low-cost automatic 3-D model generator by writing SLI algorithms for the computer housing the MEMS device.
SLI works by projecting a series of light stripes on an object while observing their distortions with a digital camera. The process has been perfected in the lab for still images, but Seikowave and the University of Kentucky are pioneering SLI-based modeling using live video feeds. At high frame rates (up to 250 frames/second), Seikowave's algorithms use a proprietary lookup table to generate 3-D models in real-time from the observed distortions in the striped patterns.
The company is negotiating with MEMS picoprojector makers to create special high-frame-rate units suitable for SLI. "Picoprojectors are a little short on illumination—we use a laser light source in the lab—and they also need to be running at 120 to 150 frames per second," said Lau.
Seikowave president Matt Bellis described the challenges of moving from a startup's proof-of-concept demonstration to delivering marketable products in a talk at last month's MEMS CTO Meeting, sponsored by Yole Development in Anaheim, Calif. Bellis recently moved to Japan, where Seikowave has opened an office and hired Minoru Niimura as chief operating officer. Niimura is a 25-year veteran from Epson who worked with Bellis at their previous MEMS startup, Miradia, which was acquired by Walsin Lihwa Corp. (Taiwan). | <urn:uuid:0c08d38c-7585-464b-9c6a-95bcf50720f1> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1256987&piddl_msgorder=asc | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396949.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00200-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934931 | 673 | 2.75 | 3 |
From: Matt Mahoney ([email protected])
Date: Fri Oct 16 2009 - 14:38:11 MDT
> A[ ] Develop a mathematically formal definition of Friendliness.
In order for AI to do what you want (as opposed to what you tell it), it has to at least know what you know, and use that knowledge at least as fast as your brain does. To satisfy conflicts between people (e.g. I want your money), AI has to know what everyone knows. Then it could calculate what an ideal secrecy-free market would do and allocate resources accordingly.
One human knows 10^9 bits (Landauer's estimate of human long term memory). 10^10 humans know 10^17 to 10^18 bits, allowing for some overlapping knowledge.
> A->B[ ] Develop an automated test for Friendliness with a 0% false
> positive rate and a reasonably low false negative rate.
Unlikely. Using an iterative approach, each time that a human gives feedback to the AI (good or bad), one bit of information is added to the model. Development will be slow.
> C[ ] Develop a mathematically formal definition of intelligence.
Legg and Hutter propose to define universal intelligence as the expected reward given a universal (Solomonoff) distribution of environments. http://www.hutter1.net/ai/sior.pdf However it is not computable because the number of environments is infinite. Other definitions are possible of course, e.g. the Turing test.
> C->D[ ] Develop an automated comparison test that returns the more
> intelligent of two given systems.
How? The test giver has to know more than the test taker.
However, you don't need C and D. If you solve B then you already have a model of all human minds, and therefore have already solved intelligence, at least by the Turing test.
> B,D->E[ ] Develop prototype systems and apply these tests to them
> iteratively until the Singularity occurs.
Let's keep in mind that a Singularity is *not* the goal. The goal is friendly AI. The Singularity is what happens when we lose control of it.
-- Matt Mahoney, [email protected]
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Wed Jul 17 2013 - 04:01:05 MDT | <urn:uuid:1e0fe525-529c-4353-998a-e1816a722ae5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.sl4.org/archive/0910/20568.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397565.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00120-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926722 | 509 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Mothers may value education particularly highly for their daughters
Ambitious mothers produce super-confident daughters, a University of London study has suggested.
A study of more than 3,000 children born in 1970 found girls whose mothers had high hopes for their future felt more in control of their lives at 30.
Girls whose mothers predicted at age 10 that they would go on to further education had greater self-esteem as adults - there was no link for boys.
But women's earnings were not linked to their mother's expectations.
Ambitions for the children's future education was used as a measure of the mother's belief in her child's capabilities.
Mothers were asked if they thought their child would stay on to 16, 17 or 18.
The link between mothers' expectations for their daughters and their future confidence remained even when factors such as social class, family structure and education were taken into account, New Scientist magazine reported.
Those included in the study tended to be better educated and less disadvantaged than the general population so the effect of the mother's high expectations may be underestimated, the researchers said.
It is thought mothers may push their daughters to achieve in higher education more than their sons, even if they have similar expectations for them.
Mothers may particularly value education in their daughters, the researchers said.
Or daughters may emulate mothers who are ambitious.
Study leader Dr Eirini Flouri said the finding was an important one "given that women are particularly at risk for poor psychological and economic outcomes in adulthood".
Kairen Cullen, spokeswoman for the British Psychological Society and an educational psychologist said other studies had shown that children relate strongly to the same gender parent.
But she added: "It would be fascinating to see what effect fathers' expectations have on daughters - I have a sense that fathers' expectations could have an effect on both genders."
"Mothers may feel it's more important to push and encourage their daughters and that could relate to their own situation and background." | <urn:uuid:60346124-a754-4079-ba18-90f944a046df> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7648068.stm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396959.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00163-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982891 | 405 | 2.9375 | 3 |
Skin cancer prevention measures can actively reduce your chances of developing skin cancer if you implement them in your daily routine. The most common form of cancer in the United States, tens of thousands of Americans contract skin cancer every year.
Skin cancer comes in three forms: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma. Of the three, melanoma is the most dangerous and life threatening. Skin cancer claims the lives of approximately ten thousand Americans on an annual basis.
What causes skin cancer??
Overexposure to ultraviolet sunlight (UV rays) is believed to be the dominant external factor in a person’s development of skin cancer, although genetic factors can play a role. To protect yourself from UV rays, you should take the following 5 steps for proper skin cancer prevention:
1. Avoid Direct Sun Exposure: Avoid exposing your skin to direct sunlight during midday (generally from 10am to 4pm). This is the time when UV rays are most intense. Plan your schedule to avoid outdoor activities during these hours. Also, be aware that sand and snow reflect sunlight, so if you’re at the beach or a ski resort, direct sunlight can bombard you from every direction with UV rays.
2. Cover Yourself: When out in the sun, keep your skin covered. Wear long-sleeves and long pants if possible. Wearing a hat with a 3 to 4 inch brim all around is preferable. This will guard your neck and cheeks from dangerous prolonged exposure. Also note that dry, dark-colored garments offer the best protection.
3. Use Sunscreen Properly: You should always use sunscreen when enduring prolonged exposure in the sun. Find a sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor of at least 15 and read the directions for proper application. The higher the SPF, the higher the protection you will receive against dangerous sunburns. However, sunscreen does not offer “bulletproof” protection, and UV rays can penetrate water, so just because you feel “cool” in the water doesn’t mean you’re protected from sunburn.
4. Use Sunglasses That Block UV Rays: Making certain your sunglasses can block UV rays helps to guard your eyes from serious sun damage. The best constructed sunglasses should have a UV ray absorption rate of 99% to 100%. Never assume that darker lenses equal increased protection. UV rays are blocked by a chemical applied to the lenses. This chemical has nothing to do with the color of transparency of sunglass lenses.
5. Stay Away From Tanning Beds: It is a myth to believe that tanning beds and sunlamps are free of harmful UV rays. These cosmetic instruments might make your skin more attractive in the short-term, but they can significantly increase your risk of developing skin cancer in the long-term. Health professionals advise their patients to avoid them.
By implementing these 5 steps in your daily routine, you can significantly decrease your risk of developing skin cancer, while maintaining a healthy lifestyle that allows for proper exposure to the sun. Another important step in prevention of skin cancer is routine examination by a doctor. If skin cancer is detected early, then your odds of survival are markedly increased. | <urn:uuid:2aa8c10b-dbb0-4612-bbb7-823d0c24385a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.longer-living.com/skin_care/skin_cancer_picture_treatment.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395166.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00108-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.911496 | 653 | 2.953125 | 3 |
NOSTRADAMUS, also known as Michel de Nostre-Dame (1503–1566), French astrologer and physician. Both of his grandfathers, Jean de Saint-Rémy and Pierre de Nostra-Donna, were professing Jews, but when Provence became a French possession in 1488, Charles VIII's anti-Jewish policy induced them to convert to Christianity. Consequently Nostradamus was born and raised as a Catholic. In 1529 he graduated from the University of Montpellier as a doctor of medicine. The unorthodox but successful methods of combating the plague which Nostradamus later described in his Remède très-utile contre la peste (Paris, 1561) nevertheless failed to save his own wife and children in 1538. For some years thereafter he led a wanderer's existence and, while in Italy, is reputed to have sought out Jews, especially kabbalists.
On his return to France, Nostradamus turned to the occult sciences and, from 1550 onward, published a number of astrological works. The most famous of these, Les Prophéties de Maistre Michel Nostradamus (Lyons, 1555), consisted of some 350 quatrains couched in obscure French. The quatrains were arranged in groups of 100, and the work thus acquired its alternative title, Les Centuries. Among the many calamities predicted in it was the French king's death in a duel, and the astrologer's fame was assured when Henri II was accidentally killed at a royal tournament in 1559. In 1564 Nostradamus was appointed physician and counselor to Charles IX. The first complete text of the Centuries appeared in 1610 and ran to countless editions, not only in French but also in many other languages. Nostradamus uncannily predicts the English and French revolutions and even the rise and fall of a German dictator (whom he calls Hister). The most celebrated astrologer of all time, Nostradamus remains one of the most fascinating and enigmatic figures of the Renaissance.
J. Boulenger, Nostradamus (Fr., 1933); R. Busquet, Nostradamus, sa famille, son secret (1950); J. Laver, Nostradamus (Eng., 1952); E. Leoni, Nostradamus, Life and Literature (1961).
[Godfrey Edmond Silverman]
Source: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2008 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved. | <urn:uuid:5a29ed34-df12-40e0-a5e8-5ad945c4846f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0015_0_14925.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396872.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00007-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94205 | 525 | 2.53125 | 3 |
International Conference on Protecting the Ozone Layer Concludes
Use of Key Chemical in the Treatment of Commodity Crop Exports Spotlighted at International Ozone Layer Conference
Governments Also Agree on the Level of Methyl Bromide Exemptions for Developed World Farmers.
Prague/Nairobi, 27 November 2004
An international conference on protecting the ozone layer has ended with governments agreeing to a global survey of the amounts of a key chemical being used in so called quarantine and pre-shipment.
The quantities of methyl bromide, a pesticide and ozone-damaging chemical, used by farmers for fumigating soils is well known.
But the precise levels used to treat shipments of big commodity crops such as rice and maize and consignments in wooden pallets is unknown.
Experts estimate that in 2002 the quantities were around 11,000 tonnes growing to 18,000 tonnes in 2004.
But it is thought that the levels are an underestimate because not all countries are supplying full and accurate figures on the precise levels being used.
The survey is aimed at resolving these uncertainties and may be a first step towards controlling the levels of methyl bromide used in quarantine and pre shipment.
It will be carried out by scientific and technical experts to the Montreal Protocol, the 17 year-old international agreement set up under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to protect the ozone layer from chemical attack.
The survey was among several key decisions made at the sixteenth meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol which ended in the early hours of 27 November 2004, in the historic European city of Prague, Czech Republic.
Requests for so called Critical Use Exemptions for farmers for methyl bromide were also considered based on recommendations by the Protocol’s scientific and technical experts.
Under an agreement made in the middle of the 1990’s, the chemical is scheduled for a full phase out in developed world agriculture next year. In 1991 consumption of methyl bromide was around 63,800 tonnes.
But some farmers, including some in Australia, Europe and the United States, claim that the current alternatives to methyl bromide in some places and for certain crops such as strawberries and tomatoes, are not sufficiently effective.
They have thus requested exemptions from the deadline for 2005 and 2006.
Today the parties to the Protocol agreed to exemptions for developed world farmers totaling just over 2,600 tonnes for 2005 in addition to just over 12,150 tonnes agreed to at a special meeting in March this year.
Based on recommendations by the scientific and technical panels to the Protocol, it was agreed to grant developed world farmers a total of just over 11,700 tonnes-worth of exemptions in 2006.
A further 3,000 tonnes-worth of exemptions were also “provisionally” approved for 2006 which will be reviewed by the scientific and technical experts over the coming months.
The experts will report back to governments as to whether these 3,000 tonnes should be formally granted or whether reliable, ozone-friendly, alternatives exist. This will be debated at a special one-day meeting or Extraordinary Meeting of the Parties scheduled for late June or early July next year.
Governments agreed that the levels of exemptions granted should take into account existing stockpiles of unused or recycled methyl bromide.
Klaus Toepfer, the Executive Director of UNEP which hosts the Ozone Secretariat at its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, said today: “ I am delighted that governments could agree on such as range of sometimes difficult issues. I am also delighted that their decisions were based on sound science”.
“The Montreal Protocol is without doubt one of the most successful, global, environment treaties and has been strengthened by the political commitment show here in Prague. Indeed, I was pleased to note that throughout our discussions all governments stated clearly that they had every intention to phase out methyl bromide and that these critical use exemptions are temporary measures,” he added.
The meeting also made other key decisions including one to grant essential use exemptions for CFCs used in metered dose inhalers. Under the agreements, the United States has been granted 1,900 tonnes of CFCs and Europe several hundred tonnes for use in inhalers containing the chemical salbutamol.
For more information please contact Nick Nuttall at +254-733-632755 (a Kenyan cell phone) or [email protected] or Michael Williams +41-79-409-1528
See also http://www.unep.org/ozone/. You may also contact Michal Broza of UN Information Centre Prague at +420 257 199 833 (Prague office) or +420 724 020 611 (Czech cell phone) or at [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:961e3597-09c8-401e-8bca-63a91bd6c55c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=412&ArticleID=4674&l=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403508.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00082-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945804 | 999 | 2.625 | 3 |
The mining of sand used for hydraulic fracking has become a controversial issue in communities throughout Western Wisconsin. While many discussions examine the environmental and economic impacts of industrial sand mining, a new paper by an anthropology professor from the University of Wisconsin-Stout attempts to take stock of the social impacts of mining. This paper investigates a phenomenon called “loss of place,” which refers to an emotion people have when they lose a sense of their own identity due to changing physical or societal landscapes.
Although the article does a commendable job detailing the feelings of some people living near sand mines, the only mention of an academic study investigating the potential impact of frac sand facilities on air quality is a flawed and widely discredited study that does not use equipment or sampling methods approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As a result, the paper represents a missed opportunity to examine the social impacts of industrial sand mining in light of the best-available science. This could have provided a holistic and objective view of the potential impacts of frac sand mining on communities in Western Wisconsin.
People losing their sense of place are an important and often under-examined issue when it comes to discussing industrial sand mining. A recent Health Impact Assessment from the Institute for Wisconsin’s Health Inc. found although industrial sand mines are unlikely to pollute air and water resources, which could theoretically result in potentially negative health impacts for residents living near industrial sand mines, the stress and anxiety caused by people feeling they have lost their sense of place is likely the only aspect of industrial sand mining to have negative health impacts.
Feelings of stress can be amplified when people feel powerless to control their surroundings, and according to the paper, this feeling can compromise the ability of some people to enjoy their homes. Stress can also be amplified by “ambiguity of harm,” a concept that attempts to describe situations in which information about the potential harm people may incur is not clear, leading to competing interpretations of risk. Sadly, this paper may actually promote feelings of anxiety about frac sand mining, because it only cites discredited air quality research while omitting more credible research.
Air monitoring data collected by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and the University of Iowa, in addition to data collected by nationally respected experts in air monitoring, have used sampling equipment and methodologies approved by EPA, and the results show frac sand facilities pose no threat to public health. These are important results that should have been included in the author’s piece.
Stress and anxiety from feeling a “loss of place” are real. I grew up on a dairy farm my grandfather was born and raised on, so I have experienced this stress first-hand, as my aunts and uncles seem determined to auction off a lifetime’s worth of work to the highest bidder. It has resulted in anger, sleepless nights, and resentment toward family members. Loss of place can stem from any number of causes, but that doesn’t make these emotions any less real or less significant to those feeling them.
If read as a series of case studies, the University of Wisconsin-Stout article provides interesting insight into the lives of a select few individuals who oppose sand mining. The paper never claims to be a representative sample of the people living in frac sand communities, and it never claims to be scientific. Unfortunately, the fact the author only cited deeply flawed air-monitoring research, while omitting credible research, detracts from the article’s credibility, because it shows an unwillingness to objectively consider the costs and benefits of frac sand mining. | <urn:uuid:1007d2f5-641f-4d0c-8709-08a893cd266e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.realclearenergy.org/articles/2016/03/15/loss_of_place_is_legitimate_fear_of_frac_sand_dust_is_not_109072.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397795.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00061-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952742 | 741 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Par"ti*ci*ple (?), n. [F. participe, L. participium, fr. particeps sharing, participant; pars, gen. partis, a part + capere to take. See Participate.]
A part of speech partaking of the nature both verb and adjective; a form of a verb, or verbal adjective, modifying a noun, but taking the adjuncts of the verb from which it is derived. In the sentences: a letter is written; being asleep he did not hear; exhausted by toil he will sleep soundly, -- written, being, and exhaustedare participles.
By a participle, [I understand] a verb in an adjectival aspect.
⇒ Present participles, called also imperfect, or incomplete, participles, end in -ing. Past participles, called also perfect, or complete, participles, for the most part end in -ed, -d, -t, -en, or -n. A participle when used merely as an attribute of a noun, without reference to time, is called an adjective, or a participial adjective; as, a written constitution; a rolling stone; the exhausted army. The verbal noun in -ing has the form of the present participle. See Verbal noun, under Verbal, a.
Anything that partakes of the nature of different things.
The participles or confines between plants and living creatures.
© Webster 1913. | <urn:uuid:3496b02f-3baf-41a5-9943-0d812e83c133> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://everything2.com/title/Participle | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397797.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00000-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.876351 | 310 | 2.75 | 3 |
Theodore Steinberg, "The Holocaust and the Humanities: And Exhortative Meditation," The Humanist Educator (March 1980): 114-128.
"Hitler patronized, indeed, got much of his inspiration from opera, literature, and philosophy. Rosenberg fancied himself a philosopher. Goebbels held a doctorate in literature. Himmler taught in elementary school. Concentration camp commandants would come home from a hard day of killing to read Shakespeare and play string quartets. Only the plastic arts really suffered, and only because Hitler thought himself an artist" (119).
In these fourteen pages, Steinberg attempts to reconcile humanity with the atrocities committed during the Holocaust. He also attempts to define "the humanities" both for the present day and classically. Steinberg points out that, classically, the humanities "developed largely as a reaction to late medieval scholasticism and ... emphasized the study of classical Latin and, to a lesser extent, Greek literature" (115). While the humanities may have begun as "studia humanitatis," or a liberal education, Steinberg, distinguished teaching professor of English at the State University of New York at Fredonia, believes that the word has developed into something quite different. "It leads, in short, to the transformation of the humanities from the expression of human spirit and the exploration of what it means to be human to lists of rules and categories, as though Milton checked his handbook of literature to make sure he knew the rules for an epic before he wrote Paradise Lost" (117).
Steinberg, whose teaching and research focus on biblical, medieval, ancient Greek and Roman literature and Renaissance literature, prefers to define "the humanities" as an examination and expression of the human spirit rather than the rules of form and grammar it has come to represent in K-12 schools. "Of course students should learn to read, write, and do arithmetic, but not at the expense of their humanity, not if it means forcing them to be blindfolded with both trembling hands behind their backs" (126). The humanities has been subjected to standardized testing, Regents requirements, and funding issues for so long that educators who do not teach at the university level are forced to focus on mechanics rather than guiding students to understand language's role in constructing meaning. Discussions that involve the relationship between writing, expression and the human experience seem to have little importance in pre-college humanities classrooms.
"We are reminded always that it was the Nazis - a mythical horde of sub-humans from outer space - who did it all. They descended, unbidden, on the most highly sophisticated, Kultured nation on earth and issued orders which they dare could not, and did not, disobey. Apparently no living German was ever a Nazi; very few even saw one, and whatever atrocities did happen, took place during what is known as the 'Hitler Era' - or in the 'time of the Nazis' - which is the greatest collective alibi ever conceived" (118). Steinberg's greatest question, to which he responds with a firm yes, is: Could a humanistic education and the study of the humanities help to prevent a holocaust?[ Back to Top ] | <urn:uuid:ed456add-399d-4770-99c0-cbf3b2ca79c7> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/mlwsymposium/steinberg.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396029.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00017-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966214 | 658 | 3.40625 | 3 |
After 20 years of research, Rehan Aziz Farooqi, has invented a unique power generator that runs solely on water, and, wait for it, the design can be used to allow any engine that runs on petrol, diesel or green gas to use water as fuel. He estimates that if the government applies his idea on a large-scale, Pakistan’s current electricity crisis can be resolved in three years time.
Explaining the workings of the power generator that he built from scratch, Farooqi said that water is first filled into a unit where it is split into hydrogen and oxygen gases through the process of electrolysis. The hydrogen gas is channelled to a reservoir, and then to an engine to be used as fuel to generate electricity.
“As water is abundantly available, electricity generated using this process will in fact be free of cost,” he exclaimed.
Farooqi claims to have spent more than Rs2 million on his invention and now requires the government’s permission and support to help him launch the product in the market. He has also asked the government to help him set up a research centre to find further applications for his invention.
“I have designed a method to power hydro turbines using this technology, which can go a long way in overcoming the electricity crisis within a few years,” he said. He also claimed to have drafted a method to generate electricity using the earth’s radiation.
Farooq said he does not want to hurry into launching the water-powered generator before making sure that the technology is a 100 per cent safe. Hydrogen is the lightest and most explosive gas, explained Farooq, and warned that even technical experts should proceed with caution if they are attempting to produce it in labs or their homes.
Apart from his major feats, Farooqi has initiated many other small research projects for children, in which he claims to prepare electricity using vegetables like tomatoes and potatoes. “Anything which has iron can generate electricity with a magnetic field. I can prove that practically if anyone wants,” he said. He added that he wants to teach people so that they can take up such projects themselves.
He urged the youth to put their creative abilities to work and help resolve the country’s issues.
Source The Express Tribune | <urn:uuid:e21276ac-15de-42a5-b3f9-b73345cb9cfa> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://blog.paksc.org/2012/05/14/rehan-aziz-farooqi-invented-unique-power-generator/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00070-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971817 | 473 | 2.984375 | 3 |
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Today I was listening to a radio talk show. The topic of the discussion was “Who do you blame for childhood obesity?” Listeners were calling in with all sorts of culprits: canned soda, lack of exercise, processed foods, the decline of home cooking, fast food restaurants, school lunches, and the most vituperated offender of all: the parents. Interestingly, nobody mentioned genetics.
We all know people who diet and exercise yet nevertheless struggle with their weight throughout their lives. Everybody also knows at least one person who eats with impunity or doesn’t exercise and still manages to maintain a normal weight. Let’s extend that observation to the world at large, specifically to what is known as the “French paradox.” The French, (and other European nations as well), consume notable amounts of fat, (not to mention alcohol and tobacco), and yet display significantly lower rates of obesity and heart disease than Americans. Conversely, America has been in the throes of a fanatical health craze of unprecedented magnitude for decades, and still obesity rates have remain unchanged, or possibly worsened.
I’m sure there are portly individuals whose girth is due to gluttony and/or idleness but I don’t think this explains the truly obese. The brunt of causality resides in those microscopic strands of deoxyribonucleic acid, a.k.a., DNA. There is clear evidence of the paramount role of genetics in obesity: (www.newsweek.com/2009/09/09/the-real-cause-of-obesity.html).
The question that follows of course is what is obese? Depends on who you ask. One traditional definition is being more than 20% over your ideal weight after taking into account age, sex, height and build. The National Institutes of Health defines obese as a body mass index, (BMI), of 30 or higher, (thirty pounds overweight or more). Whatever definition you employ, my contention is that biology is more involved than diet with the unequivocally obese as opposed to the “could stand to lose a few pounds” folks.
What kind of visceral reaction did you have just now when I proclaimed that obesity is largely due to genetics? Did you scoff? You’re not alone. Many people recoil at the notion that biology plays a pivotal role in body weight. Why? You’re not going to like this answer either but it’s because humans need to blame. If one’s weight is due to metabolic factors then fingers cannot be pointed. Soda cannot be maligned. Schools cannot be held accountable. And most of all, parents cannot be imputed. We WANT it to be someone’s fault. We NEED it to be someone’s fault.
Humans are not exactly the most empathic creatures. When someone doesn’t measure up to our standards we often react with condemnation. This is exemplified by the “blaming the victim” mentality. This is particularly true when anger is generated. No other emotion creates such an impetus to crucify someone or something as anger. Free-floating, undirected anger is extremely uncomfortable. It literally feels better to have someone to blame; to have a target. It allows the emotion to be discharged. Have you ever been in an irascible mood and almost wanted someone to say or do something wrong just so you can jump all over them?
There’s a very famous episode from the Seinfeld series entitled “The Rye.” George and his lunatic parents are having dinner at the home of his fiance’s parents. George’s father brings a loaf of marble rye bread for the meal. The hosts innocently forget about the bread and leave it in the kitchen during dinner. Afterward on the ride home, George’s father is livid at the oversight and believes the other couple purposely insulted him. George endeavors to explain that maybe they just simply forgot but his father will have none of it. He repeatedly yells that their actions were deliberate. In his mind they have to be. How else to justify the overwhelming anger? And how to direct it?
Let’s return to the radio talk show that introduced this article. Think about the title of the discussion: “Who do you blame for childhood obesity?” The very words beg the question that we need to blame someone for it. Why? Why do we have to blame? Why couldn’t the host merely ask what the causes of obesity are? Or how do we address the obesity epidemic in America? I have even better questions. Why do we ostracize obese individuals? Why do we ridicule them? Why do we need to make them, or their parents, feel guilty about it?
There’s something about overweight people that offends or repulses non-overweight people. I don’t know what it is in the human psyche but there’s something about obesity that engenders hostility. We make women feel disparaged for not being thin. There are innumerable “fat” jokes. There have even been cases of discrimination against obese people. And the most disgraceful shame of all, are the countless school children who have been mercilessly tormented by their peers because of their weight. Many overweight people suffer from poor self-esteem. Not because of their weight, but because of society’s reaction to them. And don’t even try to argue that it’s concern for their health. If contempt is how you express your concern, then as the saying goes, you have a funny way of showing it.
I think the preponderance of the vitriol toward obesity is inherent to the human psyche and sadly irremediable. But some of it is not. Now it’s my turn to blame. I think part of the anti-fat mentality is a product of good ole American food neurosis and flagrant ignorance about nutrition, food and science.
Our country is fat-phobic because of its psychotic obsession with health. Here I mean the fat in food and not in our bodies. However, our derangement with nutritional “fat” has spilled over onto bodily fat. Numerous foods are demonized, usually for irrational or at least partly irrational reasons. Sugar for example was long ago branded as one of the bad guys. Part of that inpugnment includes an exaggeration of its caloric dangers to the point that many directly blame sugar for obesity. Most people don’t know that sugar has the same amount of calories-per-gram as protein and less than half the calories-per-gram of fat. Doesn’t matter. Ignorance and witch hunts have put sugar square in the crosshairs. I get a particular kick out of the concrete individuals who think sugar causes diabetes but that’s another story.
One day I was having lunch with a friend who was irked about her neighbors who allow their children to drink soda. Actually she was quite flabbergasted. She specifically ranted about the calories in soda and obesity. Yet she ordered her toddler a big glass of chocolate milk. Little does she know that eight ounces of chocolate milk has over 200 calories but eight ounces of soda has only 100. And they both contain sugar. Granted, the milk has more vitamins and minerals but her focus was not on the nutrients but the calories, and the “evils” of sugar.
It doesn’t matter where calories come from. Body weight is about the total number of calories consumed vs. the number expended. If you are burning more calories than you are consuming there is no displacement of unneeded energy into fat. Conversely, if you are taking in excess calories, no matter what the source, the body will convert them into fat. Sugar, in and of itself, cannot make you any fatter than red meat or broccoli. Now in all fairness, you can pack a lot more calories into an ice cream cone than you can into a pound of green beans. But the issue still boils down to mathematics, not a specific substance. Not to mention all the countless other factors, (many biological), that affect our body weight.
In fact, the whole issue of body weight, nutrition, exercise, and all the science involved is quite daunting. I certainly don’t profess to know it all. Body weight involves a host of variables, their interaction, and some very complicated science. When an issue is very complex, there’s a tendency for people to oversimplify it. Learning about and comprehending all the intricacies is too overwhelming. Mentally, it’s far easier to reduce the issue to a few simplistic, knee-jerk, “common sense” explanations. Pooh-pooh all the egghead science. Mary is lazy and that’s why she’s a fat pig. It’s interesting how mental laziness begets a conception that overweight people are physically lazy.
Moreover, the resistance to genetic explanations for obesity and the willingness to blame things like sugar or fat, allows for yet another ugly human dynamic to emerge: the need to control. Sodas have been banned from city vending machines in San Francisco. New York has proposed a tax on sugary beverages. Countless schools across the nation have removed many “unhealthy” foods from their lunch menu. Trans fats are outlawed in certain jurisdictions. I’ve written on this issue many times and will not belabor it here. The bottom line is nobody has the right to dictate to anyone else what they should eat. What supreme arrogance that people think they have the right to foist their beliefs on others.
Lastly, there’s one more tidbit from the dark side of human nature. Blame implies penalization for wrongdoing. There have been proposals that obese individuals should pay more for their health insurance. Obviously it would be more difficult to mete out such a punishment if they are victims of biology. Society wouldn’t even think of suggesting such an action with cystic fibrosis, hemophilia, or sickle cell anemia. Those poor souls are pitied. But the obese are scorned. Thus, the causes of obesity are perceived in a manner to justify the bias and contemptuousness.
If only people could adopt a diet of erudition and sensitivity, and refrain from judging. Or maybe even ask themselves why they’re so prone to hold overweight individuals in such a negative light. But I guess that’s a fat chance.
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Please take the time to request permission. | <urn:uuid:c4c57143-8ca5-40c1-8d62-818017db13fe> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.foodreference.com/html/obesity-blame-game-711.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396945.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00122-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957212 | 2,383 | 2.578125 | 3 |
The Two Stroke
The Connecting Rod is fitted between the crosshead
and the crankshaft. It transmits the firing force, and together
with the crankshaft converts the reciprocating motion to a rotary
motion. Made from drop forged steel, on the older engines
the bottom of the con rod terminates in a flange known as a Marine
Palm which is bolted to the split bottom end (Crankpin) bearing,
whilst at the top another flange is formed on which is bolted the
two crosshead bearings.
Connecting Rods on the later engines are produced as
a single drop forging incorporating the top half of the crankpin
bearing housing and the bottom half of the solid crosshead pin
On older engines the bearings were white metal thick wall
bearings, scraped to fit. Clearances were adjusted by inserting or
removing shims between the bearing halves. Modern bearings are of
the "thinwall" type, where a thin layer of white metal
or a tin aluminium alloy is bonded to a steel shell backing. The
clearance on these bearings is non adjustable; When the clearance
reaches a maximum the bearing is changed.
Oil to lubricate the crankpin bearing is supplied down a
drilling in the con rod from the crosshead. When inspecting the
crankpin bearing and journal it is good practise to check the
journal for ovality because if this is excessive, a failure in the
hydrodynamic lubrication can occur. | <urn:uuid:7423deff-a730-4c7d-8a91-985f2eee2c90> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.marinediesels.info/2_stroke_engine_parts/con_rod.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397865.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00017-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.902195 | 316 | 2.859375 | 3 |
HIGH POINT, N.C., Feb. 17, 2016 – A sculpture of George Washington Carver will be the newest addition to a long line of inspirational figures featured at High Point University.
In honor of Black History Month, HPU has commissioned a sculpture of Carver to join 23 others displayed across campus to surround students with influential leaders who inspired the world and accomplished great things in their lives. These include Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Rosa Parks, Sir Isaac Newton and Amelia Earhart, to name a few.
Carver was born into slavery in Diamond, Missouri, in the early 1860’s. He went on to become one of the most prominent scientists and inventors of his time, as well as a teacher at the Tuskegee Institute. Carver devised more than 100 products using one major crop – the peanut – including dyes, plastics and gasoline. He wanted poor farmers to grow alternative crops both as a source of their own food and as a source of other products to improve their quality of life. He received numerous honors for his work, including the Spingarn Medal of the NAACP.
Stephen H. Smith, who has been sculpting professionally for 34 years and is based in Marshville, N.C., will craft the sculpture of Carver. He has served as the sculptor and designer of The Wright Brothers First Flight Centennial National Memorial, the largest national memorial in the Southeast. He has worked with the National Park Service, former North Carolina Gov. Michael F. Easley, the Department of Cultural Resources, the Department of Transportation and the director of the North Carolina Museum of Art, Larry Wheeler.
The sculpture is expected to arrive to campus in late 2016.
“George Washington Carver’s scientific breakthroughs and efforts to serve people who were struggling with food and economic opportunities embody the values we instill at High Point University,” says Dr. Nido Qubein, HPU president. “His presence will remind students that anything is possible for those who choose to work hard and smart enough.” | <urn:uuid:338338db-baad-45eb-ae13-54109ea61e34> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.highpoint.edu/blog/2016/02/hpu-commissions-george-washington-carver-sculpture-in-honor-of-black-history-month/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397428.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00190-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969575 | 423 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Thinking with the spinal cord?
Two scientists from the University of Copenhagen have demonstrated that the spinal cord uses network mechanisms similar to those used in the brain. The discovery is featured in the current issue of the journal Science.
The research group behind the surprising results consists of Professor Jorn Hounsgaard and Post.doc Rune W. Berg from the University of Copenhagen, and Assistant Professor and PhD Aidas Alaburda from the University of Vilnius. The group has shown that spinal neurons, during network activity underlying movements, show the similar irregular firing patterns as seen in the cerebral cortex.
Our findings contradict conventional wisdom about spinal cord functions, says Rune W. Berg from Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology at the Faculty of Health Sciences. Until now, the general belief was that the spinal networks functioned mechanically and completely without random impulses. The new discovery enables researchers to use the theory on cortical networks to explore how spinal cords generate movements.
Still puzzled by movement
How humans are able to move at all remains a puzzle. Our muscles are controlled by thousands of nerve cells in the spinal cord. This entire, complex system must work as a whole in order to successfully create a single motion. The new research shows that even if we repeat a certain motion with high accuracy, the involved nerve cells never repeat their activity patterns. This particular observation reflects the organisation of the nerve cells of the cerebral cortex.
Source: University of Copenhagen
Based on the paper:
Balanced Inhibition and Excitation Drive Spike Activity in Spinal Half-Centers
Berg et al.
Science 19 January 2007: 390-393
Many limb movements are composed of alternating flexions and extensions. However, the underlying spinal network mechanisms remain poorly defined. Here, we show that the intensity of synaptic excitation and inhibition in limb motoneurons varies in phase rather than out of phase during rhythmic scratchlike network activity in the turtle. Inhibition and excitation peak with the total neuron conductance during the depolarizing waves of scratch episodes. Furthermore, spike activity is driven by depolarizing synaptic transients rather than pacemaker properties. These findings show that balanced excitation and inhibition and irregular firing are fundamental motifs in certain spinal network functions.
Other papers of interest:
The evolution of the spinal cord in primates: evidence from the foramen magnum and the vertebral canal
Journal of Human Evolution, Volume 30, Number 2, 1996, pp. 121-138(18)
Based on evidence from the foramina magna of two Eocene adapid species, Adapis parisiensis and Leptadapis magnus, it has previously been suggested that the spinal cord increased in size during primate evolution (Martin, 1980). However, it is shown here that foramen magnum size is not related simply to spinal cord size. The adapid group as a whole had a wide range of relative foramen magnum size, which is very difficult to explain. Unlike the foramen magnum, vertebral canal dimensions provide quite good indication of spinal cord dimensions.
The canal dimensions of two other adapid species, Notharctus tenebrosus and Smilodectes gracilis , are compared with the vertebral canal and spinal cord dimensions of modern primates. The cervical and thoracic spinal cords of these notharctine species were relatively smaller than those of any modern primate, and a spinal cord of modern relative dimensions could not have fitted through the fossil thoracic vertebral canal. On the other hand, the lumbar spinal cord of the notharctines was within the relative size range of modern species. The increase in the size of the cervical and thoracic regions of the spinal cord that has occurred during primate evolution is probably related to locomotor control of both the forelimb and the hindlimb. Forelimb innervation apparently increased as well as the flow of neural information to and from the hindlimb and the brain.
Size increase in the corticospinal tract and dorsal columns may have been important, affecting the agility and coordination of movement, including fine digital movement. Evidence from the vertebral canal therefore supports the suggestion from previous work that spinal cord size has increased during primate evolution in association with increasing sophistication of locomotor control.
The scaling of gross dimensions of the spinal cord in primates and other species
Journal of Human Evolution, Volume 30, Number 1, 1996, pp 71-87(17)
Previous work on quantitative aspects of the evolution of the spinal cord suggests either that the cord has undergone considerable evolutionary changes, or that it is invariable and somatic. Variation in gross dimensions of the spinal cord is investigated here, mostly in mammals, including new data on 12 primate species, plus some bird and amphibian species.
Allometric analyses demonstrate that spinal cord size varies little relative to body size in mammals, including primates. Some gross locomotor differences, but not others, are associated with small differences in relative cord dimensions. Birds, on average, have slightly smaller spinal cords than mammals relative to body size; amphibians may have much smaller spinal cords. On the basis of present evidence, spinal cord weight in mammals scales to body weight with an exponent of 0?69. This is significantly different from the scaling exponent of 0?75 for brain weight to body weight. Therefore, metabolic explanations developed to explain the scaling of brain size are not applicable to the spinal cord.
However, the scaling exponent calculated for spinal cord weight is compatible with its scaling to body weight as a surface area to a volume, which may be important for functional interpretation of the scaling of somatic innervation. Simple brain:cord ratios should not be used as measures of relative brain size or intelligence, as the two parts of the central nervous system scale to body size with different exponents, and, at least between classes, because relative spinal cord size also varies. Analysing brain weight relative to spinal cord weight allometrically gives a functionally meaningful assessment of brain size relative to the level of neural communication between the brain and body.
Mammals have both large relative brains and cords compared with other classes, which may be required for the sophisticated control of their mode of locomotion. Some species, including the haplorhine primates, have expanded their brain sizes beyond this common level for increased cognitive capacity.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U S A. 1983 October; 80(19): 5936-5940.
Ontophyletics of the nervous system: development of the corpus callosum and evolution of axon tracts.
M J Katz, R J Lasek, and J Silver
The evolution of nervous systems has included significant changes in the axon tracts of the central nervous system. These evolutionary changes required changes in axonal growth in embryos. During development, many axons reach their targets by following guidance cues that are organized as pathways in the embryonic substrate, and the overall pattern of the major axon tracts in the adult can be traced back to the fundamental pattern of such substrate pathways. Embryological and comparative anatomical studies suggest that most axon tracts, such as the anterior commissure, have evolved by the modified use of preexisting substrate pathways.
On the other hand, recent developmental studies suggest that a few entirely new substrate pathways have arisen during evolution; these apparently provided opportunities for the formation of completely new axon tracts. The corpus callosum, which is found only in placental mammals, may be such a truly new axon tract. We propose that the evolution of the corpus callosum is founded on the emergence of a new preaxonal substrate pathway, the "glial sling," which bridges the two halves of the embryonic forebrain only in placental mammals.
Recent posts include:
Technorati: spinal, cord, brain, science, research, neurons, cerebral, cortex, neuroscience, nerve, cells, inhibition, excitation, network, primates, human, evolution, primate, neural, evidence, discovery, mammals, birds, species, central, nervous, system, genes, complexity, neuron, cell | <urn:uuid:ad744998-edb0-445a-981d-6384e62ccfb4> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://evomech1.blogspot.com/2007/01/thinking-with-spinal-cord.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397842.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00034-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918266 | 1,674 | 3.484375 | 3 |
I have to do a very good,clear and simple presentation on embryo stem cells so that everyone can understand. I have done the part of biology regarding this cells but I have to do the part that regards philosophy and bioethics. In many countries embryo stem cell's medical application have provoked large discussions. Can we consider the embryo a person? Does it have a dignity This are the questions that generate the discussion.I want to present the phylosophical meaning of person. Can you suggest me one very important author that had given a really considerable and deep concept of person? (I want to focus on one fundamental author avoiding a boring presentation) I thought about Mounier or Scheler but I really don't know. I need your help. Thank you in advance!
There is no one philosophical position on the meaning of "person". There are at least three important camps on personhood: animalists think that something is a person if and only if it is a human being, Lockeans think that something is a person if and only if it is the subject of the right kind of mental states (Lockeans disagree about exactly which state is taken to be important), and Lynn Rudder Baker holds a view called constitutionalism, which is supposed to be a middle ground. According to her something is a person if it has the right psychological states (she thinks having "first-personal awareness" is the important state) AND it is constituted by a body of the right kind.
Do a little more research on the topic and when you have more specific questions, come back and we'll see if we can help more. | <urn:uuid:949f8bd2-76ec-47f0-89ee-210eb5c45919> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://philosophy.stackexchange.com/questions/11422/embryo-stem-cells-and-the-concept-of-person | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391634.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00191-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962418 | 327 | 2.703125 | 3 |
UPDATE: As we discussed on a subsequent FastForward Radio, this story has been almost completely discredited. Sorry I got all excited over nothing.
Per Gizmodo, NASA is preparing to announce the discovery of an entirely new form of life:
Hours before their special news conference today, the cat is out of the bag: NASA has discovered a completely new life form that doesn’t share the biological building blocks of anything currently living in planet Earth. This changes everything.
At their conference today, NASA scientist Felisa Wolfe Simon will announce that they have found a bacteria whose DNA is completely alien to what we know today. Instead of using phosphorus, the bacteria uses arsenic. All life on Earth is made of six components: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur. Every being, from the smallest amoeba to the largest whale, share the same life stream. Our DNA blocks are all the same.
But not this one. This one is completely different. We knew that there were bacteria that processed arsenic, but this bacteria–discovered in the poisonous Mono Lake, California–is actually made of arsenic. The phosphorus is absent from its DNA. The implications of this discovery are enormous to our understanding of life itself and the possibility of finding beings in other planets that don’t have to be like planet Earth.
Interesting conversation developing in the comments on the Gizmodo story — people trying to figure out how significant this is, some expressing disappointment that what’s being announced is not the discovery of alien life.
Two points I’d like to make on that.
1. This is huge. How can anyone not see tthat this is huge?
2. Of course it’s alien life. Whether it developed on this planet independently or it was deposited here by some meteor — this is alien life.
To borrow a phrase from our most recent podcast, this is at the very least a “proof of concept” for alien life.
If it’s from this planet, is there some path by which it could have evolved from common ancestors of the rest of the biosphere? If so, how could that have happened? Every other living thing on earth shares the same chemistry — but not these bacteria.
And if it’s NOT from this planet…
Let’s just say that raises some questios, too. | <urn:uuid:7bfcb099-1b14-4242-bc05-628b3fc2255f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://blog.speculist.com/strange_new_worlds/new-life-form-discovered.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397795.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00069-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95334 | 493 | 3.359375 | 3 |
The terms "at least" as well as "or" I know they have their roles to play. Or means, "either one or the other, or both" And the term "At Least" better yet("At Least One"). To find this step you have 4 steps you must conduct, "Use the Symbol A to denote the event of getting at least One". Let A(Compliment) represent the event of getting none of the items being considered. Calculate the probability that None of the items considered" 3-Calculate the probability that none of the outcomes results in the event being considered. 4 Subtract the result from 1, that is evaluate this expression P(At least One)=1-P(None). They are 2 different steps, one is basically for the addition rule the other multiplication rule.
Now, I have a question(I don't want anybody to solve it, I will do that on my own) the question states, What is the Probability that if a single student is randomly selected they would have a GPA greater than or equal to 3.0 or be taking at least 8 units.
I haven't had a problem that has both symbols. Most of my HW has been OR, and also AT LEAST ONE. I have not had both, so I just want a stepping stone, not sure if I am going to be doing the addition method or another way. I have gone through my book, I haven't seen a problem like this. | <urn:uuid:7f23e7d3-dbdf-4744-91b1-638fe8e431ef> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://mathhelpforum.com/statistics/203465-question.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398516.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00055-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979589 | 305 | 3.546875 | 4 |
Acres of Developed Land in 1997, Previously Irrigated in 1992
This dot density map shows the total acreage of Developed Land in 1997 that was previously irrigated in 1992. Dots are aggregated by 8- digit hydrologic unit. One red dot = 1,000 acres. Areas with 95% or more Federal area are shaded gray. There were 581,000 acres of irrigated land converted to developed land from 1992 to 1997.
Cautions for this Product:
Within an 8-digit hydrologic unit, dot counts represent total acreage, with an error of plus or minus one dot to account for remainders. Irrigation data is only collected for cropland and pastureland. Data are not available for Alaska or the Pacific Basin. Data for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are aggregated by 6-digit hydrologic unit.
Source: National Resources Inventory, 1997
NRI sample data are generally reliable at the 95% confidence interval for state and certain broad substate area analyses. Generally, analyses that aggregate data points by smaller geographic areas and/or more specific criteria result in fewer data points for each aggregation and therefore less reliable estimates. NRI maps reflect national patterns rather than site- specific information.
Aggregate Layer: Cross of State with 8 Digit Hydrologic Units and Federal Land Other Layers Displayed: State
A Land cover/use category that includes areas used for the production of adapted crops for harvest. Two subcategories of cropland are recognized: cultivated and noncultivated. Cultivated cropland comprises land in row crops or close-grown crops and also other cultivated cropland, for example, hayland or pastureland that is in a rotation with row or close-grown crops. Noncultivated cropland includes permanent hayland and horticultural cropland. [NRI-97]
A combination of land cover/use categories, Urban and built-up areas, and Rural Transportation Land.
A hierarchical system developed by the U.S. Geological Survey that divides the United States and the Caribbean into 21 major regions, 222 subregions, 352 accounting units, and further subdivided into 2,150 cataloging units that delineate river basins having drainage areas usually greater than 700 square miles. [USGS]
Land that shows evidence of being irrigated during the year of the inventory or during two or more years out of the last four years. Water is supplied to crops by ditches, pipes, or other conduits. Water spreading is not considered irrigation; it is recorded as a conservation practice. [NRI-97]
Pastureland and Native Pasture:
A Land Cover/Use category of land managed primarily for the production of introduced or native forage plants for livestock grazing. Pastureland may consist of a single species in a pure stand, a grass mixture or a grass-legume mixture. Management usually consists of cultural treatments-fertilization, weed control, reseeding, or renovation and control of grazing. (For the NRI, includes land that has a vegetative cover of grasses, legumes, and/or forbs, regardless of whether or not it is being grazed by livestock.) [NRI-97]
Rural transportation land:
A Land Cover/Use category which consists of all highways, roads, railroads and associated rights- of-way outside urban and built-up areas; including private roads to farmsteads or ranch headquarters, logging roads, and other private roads, except field lanes. [NRI-97]
Urban and built-up areas:
A Land Cover/Use category consisting of residential, industrial, commercial, and institutional land; construction sites; public administrative sites; railroad yards; cemeteries; airports; golf courses; sanitary landfills; sewage treatment plants; water control structures and spillways; other land used for such purposes; small parks (less than 10 acres) within urban and built-up areas; and highways, railroads, and other transportation facilities if they are surrounded by urban areas. Also included are tracts of less than 10 acres that do not meet the above definition but are completely surrounded by Urban and Built-up land. Two size categories are recognized in the NRI: (i) areas 0.25 to 10 acres, and (ii) areas greater than 10 acres. [NRI-97]
Product ID: 5347
Production Date: 12/13/00
Product Type: Map
For additional information contact the Resources Inventory and Assessment Division. Please include the Product ID you are inquiring about. [email protected] or 1400 Independence Avenue SW - P.O. Box 2890 - Washington D.C. 20013. If you use our analysis products, please be aware of our disclaimer. | <urn:uuid:1d2ece41-f690-45ad-9537-592845782a2c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/technical/nra/dma/?cid=nrcs143_013900 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397873.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00093-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909683 | 1,002 | 3.109375 | 3 |
Civil registration systems
Civil registration is defined as the continuous, permanent, compulsory and universal recording of the occurrence and characteristics of vital events pertaining to the population as provided through decree or regulation in accordance with the legal requirements of a country. Civil registration is carried out primarily for the purpose of establishing the legal documents provided by the law. These records are also a main source of vital statistics. Complete coverage, accuracy and timeliness of civil registration are essential for quality vital statistics.
A civil registration system refers to all institutional, legal, technical settings needed to perform the civil registration functions in a technical, sound, coordinated, and standardized manner throughout the country, taking into account cultural and social circumstances particular to the country.
A major goal of the vital statistics programme in the United Nations Statistics Division is to assist countries in developing capacities to operate and maintain the fundamental systems of civil registration and vital statistics in a coordinated manner.
In 1968, the Economic and Social Council approved, in its resolution 1307 (XLIV), the World Programme for the Improvement of Vital Statistics. This Programme aimed to improve vital statistics through various means such as issuing recommendations and guidelines, organizing seminars for exchange of experience, providing trainings and technical assistance and disseminating statistics.
As a follow-up to the implementation of the Programme, a progress report was prepared by the Secretary General in 1981 on civil registration and vital statistics, describing activities carried out at the country, regional and international levels in connexion with the World Programme for the Improvement of Vital Statistics (E/CN.3/547). Subsequently, a review and evaluation of the technical assistance projects carried out under the Programme was conducted in 1993.
In 1991, the Statistical Commission adopted the International Programme for Accelerating the Improvement of Vital Statistics and Civil Registration Systems (See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1991, Supplement No. 5, (E/1991/25), para. 118). The Programme provides technical guidance and support for countries to undertake programmes to strengthen their civil registration and vital statistics systems, with an emphasis on national efforts. The Programme aims to employ a number of new strategies designed to overcome the weaknesses of earlier technical cooperation efforts in the field of civil registration and vital statistics in order to allow sustainability nationally.
The activities under the Programme refer to: | <urn:uuid:9ca4f39a-e588-4ec6-a17e-8b92a5fa760a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://unstats.un.org/UNSD/demographic/sources/civilreg/default.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397636.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00173-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.911809 | 462 | 3.390625 | 3 |
There’s a growing body of evidence that links the experience of racism with poor health and illness. Recent, ground-breaking research further confirms this.
Any type of stress can impact health, but none may be quite as toxic as the tension and anxiety people experience when they fear that they will be discriminated against, reveals a groundbreaking new study led by Margaret Hicken, PhD, a Robert Wood Johnson (RWJF) Health & Society Scholar (2010-2012).
Working with a team that included David R. Williams, PhD, a veteran disparities researcher and head of the RWJF Commission on Building a Healthier America, and RWJF Health & Society Scholars Hedwig Lee, PhD, and Sarah Burgard, PhD, Hicken worked across disciplines to uncover several of the many ways that racism gets under the skin. “This research grew out of conversations with other Robert Wood Johnson Foundation scholars with backgrounds in sociology and epidemiology,” explains Hicken, who focuses on social demography and public health.
Using survey results from the Chicago Adult Community Health Study, a population-representative sample of 3,105 people, the team conducted two studies that measured the possible health effects of remaining hypervigilant about encountering racism when engaging in simple, everyday activities.
Health and the Stress Response
The first study was “‘Every Shut Eye, Ain’t Sleep’: The Role of Racism-Related Vigilance in Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Sleep Difficulty,” published in the June 2013 issue of Race and Social Problems. The results suggested that Black, but not Hispanic, adults were most likely to maintain high levels of racism-related hypervigilance (also called anticipatory stress), and toss and turn during the night. The Black adults reported 15 percent more hypervigilance-related sleep problems than the White adults.
The second study revealed far more striking differences among racial groups. In the article, “Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Hypertension Prevalence: Reconsidering the Role of Chronic Stress,” published online November 18 in the American Journal of Public Health, the team reported large differences in rates of hypervigilance and hypertension between Black and White study participants, and only a small difference among Hispanics.
Not only were the Blacks surveyed more likely to be hypervigilant about experiencing discrimination, that hypervigilance may have contributed to significantly higher levels of hypertension in them. At the lowest levels of hypervigilance, Black and White study participants had similar levels of hypertension. However, at the highest levels of hypervigilance, 55 percent of Black study participants had hypertension while 20 percent of the White study participants had hypertension.
The study findings may contribute greatly to the understanding of differences in health between racial groups, because disparities in hypertension are considered a significant contributor to health disparities in America.
The Racism/Hypertension Link
“We think that the chronic activation of the biological stress response system that takes place when a person anticipates a negative event like encountering discrimination is what contributes to the higher rates of hypertension among the Blacks in our study,” Hicken says.
After controlling for variables such as income, gender, age, and socioeconomic status, study respondents’ feelings were measured through questions that included:
- In your day-to-day life, how often do you do the following things: (a) try to prepare for possible insults from other people before leaving home; (b) feel that you always have to be very careful about your appearance to get good service or avoid being harassed; and (c) try to avoid certain social situations and places.
The researchers wrote, “the anticipatory nature of vigilance sets it apart from traditional notions of perceived racial discrimination. For decades, a large body of scientific and lay literature has provided evidence of the pervasive consequences of interpersonal and societal discrimination. In qualitative studies, social scientists often report on the way Blacks continually think about the potential for discrimination.”
“Overall, the work shows that in cases where racism-related vigilance is low or absent, Blacks and Whites have similar levels of hypertension. But when people report chronic vigilance, the rates in Blacks rise significantly. They rise a little in Hispanics, but not at all in Whites,” Hicken explains.
“For our next study,” she adds, “we are going to expand the questionnaire to gather better data and explore how or if the impact of hypervigilance can be mitigated.”
Originally posted at Robert Johnson Wood Foundation. | <urn:uuid:b3f1a2a6-061a-493a-a371-357a3c60e7ac> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.racismreview.com/blog/category/health/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392159.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00064-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940564 | 941 | 2.734375 | 3 |
1. Before going for a party Dr. Dolittle ordered the three musketeers, Tom, Jerry and Donald – to keep watch on
the three gluttonous pets - the cat, the dog and the bear. After the party got over, Dr. Dolittle reached back
home to find that three items viz, milk, meat and honey were missing from the refrigerator. He then asked the
musketeers what happened to the three items. Following were the replies of the three musketeers.
Tom : The cat drank the milk. The dog ate the meat. The bear had the honey.
Jerry : The dog ate the meat. The bear had the honey. The cat did not drink the milk.
Donald : The dog did not have the honey. The bear did not drink the milk.
The cat did not eat the meat.
The statements made by each of the musketeers were alternately true and false but which comes first is uncertain.
1.If each pet ate exactly one of the three items, can you help Dr. Dolittle find who had the honey?
(1) The cat (2) The dog (3) The bear (4) Cannot be determined
2. There are exactly four married couples among four men - Pradeep, Pavan, Kamal and Ranjeet − and four
women − Radha, Puja, Leena and Rama. Each couple owns a car of a different colour from among Yellow,
Green, Red and Blue.
Pradeep’s car is not painted Red or Yellow.
Ranjeet is Puja’s husband.
Leena owns a
Neither Radha’s car nor Rama’s car is painted Yellow.
Neither Pavan’s car nor Rama’s car is
Which of the following additional information is required to know the names of the pair of
spouses and colours of the cars owned by them?
(1) Radha’s car is painted Blue. (2) Ranjeet’s car is painted Yellow.
(3) Leena is Kamal’s wife. (4) Pradeep is Radha’s husband.
3. Five persons -
exactly between Joseph and John, then
Rahim and Joseph, then Ram is to the immediate left of Rahim. If Ram is to the right of John, then John is
exactly between Rahim and Joseph. If John is to the right of
is at one end of the row and
Which of the following statements is true?
I. Joseph is between Ram and Rahim.
II. Krishna is at one of the ends.
III. John is to the immediate right of Ram.
(1) Only I and II
(2) Only II and III
(3) Only I and III
(4) I, II and III
4. In the business street of a town, there are five buildings in a row, each of which is occupied by a different
company. The total number of floors that five buildings have are 9, 10, 13 and 14 in such a way that all the
buildings have different total number of floors, except the two buildings which have 13 floors each.
Names of the companies which have occupied these buildings are Hutch, Airtel, BPL, BSNL and Tatatel. Sum
of the number of floors of two adjacent buildings is 23, in two instances. No two adjacent buildings have the
same number of floors. Tatatel, which has 14 floors, is at the extreme left end of the street. The office of Airtel
is exactly between the offices of Hutch and BSNL. Neither Hutch nor BSNL is in the building which has 9
floors. What is the number of floors of the building in which Airtel has its office?
(1) 13 (2) 9 (3) 10 (4) Cannot be determined
5. Four persons A, B, C and D participated in two races [Race-I and Race-II]. Neither Race-I nor Race-II had two
or more persons finishing the race at the same time. One person finished first in one race, and fourth in the
other race. Exactly one person finished in the same position in both the races. Between B and C, whoever
finishes later in Race-I finishes Race-II in the first position. Between A and D, whoever finishes later in Race-
II finishes Race-I in the first position. B finished ahead of A in exactly one race. The position of A was not the
same in both the races.
Based on the information given above, can you find out the name of the person who
finished first in Race-I?
(1) A (2) B (3) Either A or B (4) Either C or D
6. Each of the five friends - Vijay, Vinay, Vikas, Vilas and Venkat − owns a different car among - Uno, Indica,
Matiz, Maruti and Santro. Each car has a different colour among Black, Blue, Green, Yellow and Red. The
colour of Vijay’s car is Red. Vikas owns neither Maruti nor Matiz. Vinay owns neither Maruti nor Matiz. The
colour of Vikas’s car is Green. Venkat owns an Uno. Indica’s colour is Black. Matiz is painted neither Yellow nor
Which of the following statements must be false?
(1) Vijay owns a Maruti.
(2) Vikas owns a Santro.
(3) Venkat owns the Yellow car.
(4) Vilas owns the Green car.
7. Every time Grant the Ant hears a whistle from her maternal uncle, she takes a right turn and continues travelling.
After she travels twice as much distance as she just covered in the previous direction, her uncle blows the whistle
again. Grant started at a point and proceeded in a northerly direction. She heard the first whistle from her uncle after
she covered 1 km. How far is Grant from the starting point immediately after she heard the sixth whistle from her
(1) 6 km to the West and 13 km to the North.
(2) 26 km to the East and 13 km to the North.
(3) 26 km to the East and 3 km to the North.
(4) 5 km to the West and 3 km to the North.
8. How am I related to my father’s mother’s only daughter-in-law’s sister’s father’s only son?
(1) Nephew (2) Niece (3) Uncle (4) Cannot be determined
9. Given below are three logical statements:
(A) If all Dogs are Cats, then some Dogs are Rats.
(B) No Dog is a Cat, unless some Cats are Rats.
(C) Only if some Cats are Rats, some Dogs are Rats.
If all the above three statements are true, then which of the following need not be true?
(1) All Cats are Rats (2) No Dog is Rat (3) All Dogs are Rats (4) All Dogs are Cats
10. After their dismal performance in the World Cup, the rejected and the dejected foursome Tendu, Gangu, Dravid and
Viru decide to play a few games among themselves . They play Tippy Tippy Tap, Hide and Seek, Pillar Pillar and
Kabaddi. All four of them play all the four games mentioned above. No two persons are ranked the same in any
single game and no person gets the same rank in any two games. Further, the following information is known;
(A) Tendu is neither the winner nor the 3rd runner-up in Hide and Seek, and Gangu is
neither the 1st runner-up nor the 3rd runner-up in Tippy Tippy Tap.
(B) Dravid is neither the 3rd runner-up nor the winner in Pillar Pillar and Viru is neither
the 3rd runner-up nor the winner in Kabbadi.
(C) Gangu is neither the winner nor the 2nd runner-up in Pillar Pillar and Dravid is neither
the winner nor the 2nd runner-up in Hide and Seek.
(D) Viru is neither the winner nor the 3rd runner-up in Tippy Tippy Tap and Tendu is
neither the 3rd runner-up nor the 1st runner up in Kabaddi.
If Dravid’s rank is better then Tendu’s rank in Kabaddi, then
which of the following statements must be false?
(1) Tendu is the winner in Pillar Pillar.
(2) Gangu is the 2nd runner-up in Hide and Seek.
(3) Dravid is ranked higher than Viru in Tippy Tippy Tap.
(4) None of the above.
DIRECTIONS for questions 11 and 12: Five items – Geyser,
– are each manufactured by a different company among Godrej, LG, Videocon, Samsung and
information is also known about them.
(i) Each of the items has a distinct warranty period ranging from to 5 years.
(ii) Geyser is not manufactured by LG, does not have the maximum or minimum war
ranty and it is also not the costliest.
(iii)AC has the maximum warranty of 5 years, is cheaper than 3 of the items and is
(iv) Cooking Range is not manufactured by Godrej or Videocon, it has a warranty of 2
years and is priced at Rs.6,000.
(v) Washing Machine is manufactured by Samsung, and it has a warranty of 3 years and i s
cheaper than the Fridge.
(vi) Geyser costs Rs.2000 more than the
the items put together.
(vii) The Washing Machine and the AC cost 90% and 70% of the Fridge, respectively, and
it is known that the item manufactured by Videocon is the costliest.
11. Which company manufactures the Geyser?
(1) Godrej (2) Videocon (3) Samsung (4) Cannot be determined
12. What is the cost of the item having the least warranty?
(1) Rs.10,000 (2) Rs.9,000 (3) Rs.8,000 (4) Cannot be determined
DIRECTIONS for questions 13 to 15: Praful and Karan have a bad habit each. Praful tells lies on Mondays,
Tuesdays and Wednesdays (but speaks the truth on the other days of the week) whereas Karan tells lies on Thursdays,
Fridays and Saturdays (but speaks the truth on the other days of the week). Umesh is a common friend of
Praful and Karan.
13. On one day, when Umesh wanted to find out what day of the week was it, he met only Praful who made the
following two statements:
I. I lied yesterday. II. I will lie two days after tomorrow.
What day of the week was it on this day?
(1) Monday (2) Tuesday (3) Wednesday (4) Thursday
14. On what day(s) of the week is it possible for Praful to make the following two statements?
I. I lied yesterday . II. I will lie tomorrow.
(1) Monday (2) Wednesday (3) Either (1) or (2) (4) No such day is possible
15. One day Umesh met two cousins of Praful - Archna and Rachna. One of them behaves similar to Praful, who tells
lies on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays (and speaks the truth on the other days of the week) and the other
behaves sililar Karan, who tells lies on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (and speaks the truth on the other days
of the week). But Umesh does not know who behaves similar to Praful and who behaves similar to Karan. He
also does not know what day of the week it is. They introduced themselves to him one by one:
First One : I am Archna Second One : I am Rachna
Which of the following statements is true?
(1) The first one is Archna. (2) The first one is Rachna.
(3) Insufficient data to deduce. (4) Inconsistent data.
DIRECTIONS for questions 16 to 18: In a laboratory, four animals are tested, each with a different medicine out
of four kinds of medicinal formulae − P, Q, R and S. The animals available for the test are a rat, a rabbit, a cat and
a monkey. S cannot be tested on rats. P cannot be tested on rabbits. R cannot be tested on cats. Q cannot be tested
16. Which of the following additional information will not be sufficient to decide the medicinal formulae to be
used on different animals?
(1) P and S cannot be tested on cats and monkeys.
(2) Q and R cannot be tested on rabbits and rats.
(3) P and S cannot be tested on rats and rabbits.
(4) P and S cannot be tested on rabbits and cats.
17. If neither rats can be tested with Q or S nor cats can be tested with Q or S, then which of the following can be
used on neither rabbits nor cats?
(1) Only P (2) Only Q (3) P and Q (4) S
18. Either R and Q or P and R are used to test on the cats and the rabbits, then which of the following can be tested
(1) Only P (2) Only Q (3) Only R (4) Either P or Q
DIRECTIONS for questions 19 to 21: Deeptha comes to college on her scooter or in her father’s Ambassador or
in her friend’s Maruti. She has college from Monday through Saturday and Sunday is a holiday. The modes of
conveyance she uses satisfy the following conditions.
I. She does not use the same mode of conveyance for more than two consecutive working days.
II. Every Monday, she comes in her friend’s Maruti.
III. On Saturdays, her father’s Ambassador is not available.
IV. If she comes in her friend’s Maruti on one day, she has to use her scooter the next day she
goes to college.
V. If Deeptha uses any mode of conveyance on two consecutive working days, the mode of
conveyance she uses immediately after these two days cannot be the same as the one she
used on the day immediately preceding these two days.
19. If Deeptha used the Ambassador on Thursday and her Scooter on Friday, then which of the following is not true?
(1) She must have used her scooter on Wednesday.
(2) She must used her scooter on Saturday.
(3) She could have used the Ambassador on Wednesday.
(4) None of the above
20. If Deeptha used her scooter on a particular Friday, then which of the following statements is/are true?
I. She must have used the Ambassador on Thursday.
II. She must have used her scooter on Wednesday.
III. She must have used the Ambassador on Wednesday.
(1) Only I (2) Only I and II (3) Only I and III (4) Only II
21. In how many different ways can Deeptha select her weekly conveyance schedule?
(1) 7 (2) 8 (3) 9 (4) None of these | <urn:uuid:e81b2fe6-8260-4c1d-981a-eea835a29004> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://mbadreamtrue.blogspot.com/2009/07/logical-reasoning-practise-exercise.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397695.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00174-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947086 | 3,380 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Feeding Birds in Winter May Do More Harm Than Good
Believe it or not, but over 55 million Americans feed wild birds and spend over $3 billion a year on bird food, and millions more on bird feeders, baths, and other accessories. Many of us have at least one bird feeder in our yards, not only to decorate our outdoor space, but also to attract wildlife. Besides those clever, pesky squirrels that compete for the seed, birds use bird feeders as a fast-food outlet in times of food shortages. While birds do not actually need the food we offer in these feeders, it seems that these backyard feeders are always the popular spot to be, especially during the winter.
However, according to researchers at the University of Exeter and the British Trust for Ornithology, feeding wild bird populations during the winter can actually result in less successful breeding during the following spring.
Wild bird populations are generally thought to benefit from being given additional food in winter but researchers say the effects of such food provision is incomplete.
Researchers studied woodland blue tits that were provided with fat balls as a supplementary food during the winter months. Consequently, this population went on to produce chicks that were smaller, of lower body weight and which had lower survival than the chicks of birds that did not receive any additional food.
Dr Jon Blount from Biosciences at the University of Exeter who led the research said: "Our research questions the benefits of feeding wild birds over winter. Although the precise reasons why fed populations subsequently have reduced reproductive success are unclear, it would be valuable to assess whether birds would benefit from being fed all year round rather than only in winter. More research is needed to determine exactly what level of additional food provisioning, and at what times of year, would truly benefit wild bird populations."
Dr Kate Plummer, lead author of the paper, said: "There could be a number of different explanations for our results. One possibility is that winter feeding may help birds in relatively poor condition to survive and breed. Because these individuals are only capable of raising a small number of chicks, they will reduce our estimation of breeding success within the population. But more research is needed to understand whether winter feeding is contributing to an overall change in the size of bird populations."
The research is published in Scientific Reports.
Read more at the University of Exeter.
Blue tit image via Shutterstock. | <urn:uuid:b5686e7c-b17e-481c-8461-ad04737ddc38> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/46138/print | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783400572.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155000-00051-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962492 | 491 | 3.453125 | 3 |
Rise in crime and inmate population 02
California incarceration & prison funding rates 03
Super-max prison security measures 04
Changing U.S. attitudes toward crime 05
Ineffectiveness of Super-Max prisons 06
Brutality and inhumanity of Super-Max prisons 06
Eighth-Amendment and crime deterrence 07
Discussion, Recommendations & Conclusions 08
The rise in crime during the past three decades in American society has resulted in mandatory sentencing guidelines, tougher parole policies, stricter drug sentencing laws, and longer sentences are adding and keeping more criminals in prison for longer periods of time. In 1995 the Justice Department reported there were 1,012,851 people in federal and state prisons, a quadrupling of the inmate population since 1970 (Prison, 1995, 223).
The fear of crime in American society has resulted in an extraordinary expansion of the U.S. prison system over the past decade. More significantly, the prison boon has seen the advent of Super-Max Prisons. Super-Max prisons are designed to house offenders who are considered the worst-of-the-worst by the criminal justice system, super predators. Super-Max prisons, no-frills environments with cells without windows and little to no human contact for inmates for years at a time, have become a national model for high-tech security. As John Vanyur, an associate warden at a Super-Max facility, explains, “There are motion detectors in underground crawl spaces, 1,400 remote-controlled sliding steel doors, cameras at every nook and cranny, and 12-foot-chain-link fences topped with razor wire. Cells are designed so inmates cannot make eye contact with other prisoners” (Unruh, 1994, A1).
Despite California budgeting more than $5 billion for prison construction in 2000, instead of and at the expense of education, many argue Super-Max prisons are ineffective at best and at worst are a violation of inmates Eight Amendment rig... | <urn:uuid:cd682b57-c84c-4797-8874-6476b4f6c4c4> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1685157.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396959.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00085-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.913775 | 407 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Major Gauges of the Global Rail Systems, 2008
Although there are numerous gauges being used around the world, six
major gauges dominate the global rail systems with the Standard Gauge
(1435 mm) being the most common. Several countries have more than one
gauge but the above map depicts the most prevalent lengthwise. Since
North American railways have the same gauge, its rail system is well
integrated (transnational ownership and operations), while in Europe
interoperability is an issue for the Iberian Peninsula and former Soviet
Republics. For South America and most of Africa rail systems are national
and un-integrated, which tend to limit their market potential as they
are mainly penetration lines from a port to a resource-oriented hinterland.
The main advantages of integrated gauge systems are:
- Lower equipment costs. Standard equipment tends
to be cheaper since it benefits from economies of scale.
- Allocation of equipment. An equipment pool
can be made available and allocated on different segments of the
system based on fluctuations of the demand. This leads to a better
level of asset utilization.
- Market penetration. An integrated rail system
can be seen as one transport market that favors competition between
different gateways. This eventually leads to the formation of mega-carriers. | <urn:uuid:525372e6-72d1-471c-8a29-3c033d655072> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch3en/conc3en/major_gauges_rail.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395620.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00155-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937347 | 273 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Sociology is the scientific study of society. This field involves the study of human behavior and the social lives of people, groups and societies. If you are interested in social justice, working with diverse groups of people, understanding how people interact and how society is organized in ways that can both support and suppress its own citizens, you may want to consider majoring in sociology.
As a sociology major at Meredith, you will choose from a variety of courses that address each part of these larger questions. Students are asked to make connections between course concepts and theories and what is going on in our local communities through service learning and other experiential opportunities. For example, students in Race and Ethnic Relations volunteer in struggling local elementary schools, while students in Social Problems work with Interact, a local domestic violence prevention organization, to help promote Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment of sociologists is expected to grow 18 percent through 2020—a rate higher than the average for all occupations. Sociologists will experience much faster than average job growth because the incorporation of sociology into research in other fields continues to increase. | <urn:uuid:6eaac554-ed53-4e50-801d-afcb14ab1499> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.meredith.edu/academics/schools/arts_and_humanities/sociology/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397865.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00194-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956777 | 229 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Why Do People Whistle?
Why do people whistle while they are working or doing something? Did you ever hear the song “whistle while you work”? Whistling is a fun thing to do. It is considered to be on a par with humming or singing and is thought to be a type of musical expression by a lot of people. When it is done properly and has tune and rhythm, then it can be a very good melody to the ears of those who hear it. Whistling can serve as music, especially in places where they are devoid of new technology, and it is enjoyed by many.
It is also an art that can also be mastered by many. People who have a passion for humming or singing can whistle without any difficulty at all. It can serve as a defense mechanism for some people so they can forget their problems in a safe but enjoyable way. Can you imagine a place where music is the way to cope with problems? It would be a wonderful world I guess. People wouldn’t think of turning to alcohol, smoking or drugs for temporary release from their problems or pains.
Some people also love to whistle for fun. They find pleasure and satisfaction when they are doing this. They can whistle a tune they like and feel like they are singing. Some people would like to become a singer but can’t because their voice is not good enough, but would rather whistle, because with whistling no one can ever tell you that you have a terrible voice. However, they can enjoy the kind of tune you are creating.
Another reason why people whistle is to impress someone. They can hum a tune they want and not all people can do that. Thus, if you want to impress someone, but are not blessed with a good singing voice, do it through whistling. They may have admiration for you because of your talent or skill.
At other times, some people whistle in an attempt to imitate a song or tune that is playing repeatedly in their head. This is driving them insane so they need to get it out, by whistling the song. Some people are incredibly good at it. They are able to produce incredible music with their whistling skills. This talent is great as long as it is used in the right way, and doesn’t annoy people too much. Another reason why people whistle is to pass the time away, since they are either dull or bored and they want to do something worthwhile. | <urn:uuid:3264e32e-ad5f-41fc-bfea-13d2765dd10d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://whydopeople.net/why-do-people-whistle/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402699.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00161-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988004 | 500 | 2.765625 | 3 |
|"Forget the Rest" blog|
Plutonium Pit Production — LANL's Pivotal New Mission
The first plutonium (Pu) atomic bomb core (“pit”) was made at Los Alamos in 1945 and detonated near Alamogordo on July 16. The second core was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan a few days later, destroying the city and 74,000 of its inhabitants.
Los Alamos continued to make all the pits for the U.S. nuclear stockpile, first at Building D (where the Quality Inn is today) and then at DP Site (TA-21) until 1949, when the Hanford site in WA began pit production, supplemented by Rocky Flats in 1952.
“Rocky” took over plutonium machining completely in 1965. LANL and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) continued to make pits for nuclear testing (and possibly for the stockpile at times) until 1992.
In 1988 the Department of Energy (DOE) realized that the mounting environmental, safety, and moral protest problems at “Rocky” would doom the plant and issued the first of many plans to replace it in December of that year. Rocky Flats stopped production in 1989 after an FBI/EPA raid and extensive public protest. Partial cleanup there has cost taxpayers about $12 billion.
DOE has tried to restart production again and again
DOE’s December 1988 plan for nuclear weapons production was followed by a stealth 1989 plan, a February 1991 plan, a July 1993 plan, and a May 1995 plan that was finalized in late 1996. All have been defeated so far by citizen intervention, Congressional skepticism, and the facts on the ground.
LANL pit production is housed in Building PF-4 at TA-55, built in 1978. Pit production per se occupies about 30% of the available PF-4 space, with an additional 25% devoted to Pu metal preparation.
After the 1997 decision to downscale and delay, six years passed before Los Alamos manufactured its first “certifiable” pit in 2003 — meaning that the pit could have been used in the stockpile if needed. Since then, LANL has been tuning up its production processes and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA, that part of DOE which manages the nuclear weapons program) now expects to begin producing an initial 10 pits/yr by FY08, down from its earlier 20 pits/yr target and delayed one year.
As long as LANL is the only pit production facility, NNSA is keeping LLNL as a pit production backup and has taken steps to increase its Pu inventory.
The rise and fall of the “Modern Pit Facility”
Meanwhile in September 2002 NNSA issued a notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for a big new pit production facility called the Modern Pit Facility (MPF), with a proposed capacity of 125-450 pits/yr. This facility was estimated to cost $2-4 billion and would be built at one of five sites, one of which was LANL. It was to begin production in 2019 (later, 2021).
The MPF siting decision was expected in April 2004 but congressional appropriators led by the House concluded in late 2003 that it was premature to pursue further decisions on MPF given that NNSA had no firm plan for the future of the stockpile at that time. Congress trimmed the project’s FY04 budget accordingly.
In FY05 Congress again tied NNSA’s hands on MPF, directing the agency to focus on producing pits at LANL. The MPF budget was slashed by almost 80%. In FY06 Congress took away all MPF funds, instead requesting NNSA to look hard into a consolidated production center that would allegedly save money, provide greater security, and be safer to operate. In the meantime, LANL would make what pits might be needed.
NNSA asked for no MPF funds for FY07 and none are contemplated in Congress. It should be noted that the entire New Mexico congressional delegation supported the MPF.
A shiny new bomb factory vs. a“stealth” factory vs. no factory
In March 2004, DOE promised in House testimony to study consolidating the nuclear weapons complex. The study began in January 2005 and was completed in July of that year by the Secretary of Energy’s Advisory Board (SEAB), since disbanded. The SEAB concluded it was in the nation’s interest to build a Consolidated Nuclear Production Center (CNPC) and close down most nuclear materials operations at LANL, Y-12, and other sites by roughly 2030, with CNPC construction costs to be more than offset in the long run by reduced overhead.
Meanwhile many parties, including Senator Domenici, were engaged in trying to expand LANL’s pit production capacity and thereby commit the U.S. to large-scale pit production at LANL. The centerpiece of this plan is the proposed Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement (CMRR) facility, to be located at TA-55 adjacent and connected to PF-4. The CMRR replaces an old facility at TA-3 which was to be used for pit production in DOE’s 1996 plan but which was found to be situated over an active earthquake fault. The CMRR is similar to a facility proposed in 1989 that was defeated by New Mexico activists in 1990.
The CMRR, a $900+ million project, has been opposed by House appropriators but promoted by Senator Domenici – so far successfully. Construction on the first phase could begin at any time, despite that fact that the House Appropriations Committee proposes to remove $100 million (out of $112 million) in next year’s project funding, calling the project “irrational.” They argue that there is no current need to make pits in any quantity and they also argue that if the CMRR is built, it might operate for only a few years before being superseded by the CNPC.
By the end of FY06, DOE/NNSA will have spent about $2.5 billion on pit production at LANL alone. With the CMRR and related expenses needed to rebuild PF-4 and other facilities, sunk pit production costs at LANL would be least $5 billion by 2012, more than the estimated cost of the MPF! A renewed PF-4 plus CMRR plus the other facilities needed would be in fact a kind of crazy-quilt MPF, with key facilities and systems not designed for production and already quite old when production would begin.
Why does NNSA want to make more pits?
The U.S. has about 23,000 pits, of which about 10,000 are in weapons and roughly 13,000 are in storage at the Pantex Plant near Amarillo , TX .
Nearly all the pits in the stockpile were made between 1978 and 1989. No one knows how long pits will ultimately last, but weapons experts and congressional studies have said that pits will last at least 60 years. No signs of degradation or any upper limit on working age have been found. All deployed pits will thus last through 2038 at a minimum. Through accelerated aging experiments, NNSA is gathering an additional 14-16 years of pit “longevity” data each year, raising serious questions about the rush to spend billions of dollars on a new pit production factory.
At LANL, pit production is being established to build W88 pits, an existing type used in warheads for Trident submarine missiles. NNSA now plans to curtail W88 production in favor of a new type of pit, called the “Reliable Replacement Warhead” (RRW), which is to be the prototype of a family of new (and untested) warheads meant to replace all existing U.S. warheads.
Despite occasional denials, NNSA has stated that the evolving nuclear arsenal, for which evolution RRW is to be the primary means, will provide new military capabilities as well as foster a “responsive” production infrastructure.
NNSA hopes to begin trial production of RRW pits at LANL in the 2009-2012 period, proceeding in parallel at first with W88 manufacture and then replacing W88 production entirely by 2015.
We should be careful, because no one outside NNSA and LANL can be sure exactly what pits LANL is making now or is preparing to make in the future, since these programs are classified. Many details can be withheld even from Congress in a variety of ways. Most workers in these programs have no access to this information.
The first RRW pits are meant to replace pits in W76 Trident warheads, which are currently near the beginning of an extensive and militarily significant $2.5 billion upgrade.
Missile upgrades are also underway, with dramatic improvements in accuracy now tested and approaching possible deployment. These accuracy improvements are said to be for “conventional” warheads but it is virtually certain they will also be applied to nuclear warheads sooner or later as well, enabling new “warfighting” uses for nuclear warheads with “mininuke” yields. It is very unlikely that RRW warheads would be incompatible with these striking developments.
In all these plans, LANL is the pivotal site
Of all the nuclear weapons facilities, Los Alamos is the most pivotal because it is only at Los Alamos that pits can be made. And this will remain true for at least the next 15 years. With no new pits, new weapon designs can only be made from recycled pits, limiting design options and constraining the future stockpile as well as the weapons complex itself.
Unfortunately, innovative weapons based on RRW designs or other clandestine designs may be requested in small quantities only, as LANL managers, military staff, and DoD officials have frequently discussed over the last 14 years. It has happened already. Only 50 B61-11 earth-penetrating bombs were produced in 1997 – and these were ordered in secret, without congressional debate. Thus even a small pit production capability could produce adequate quantities of new “warfighting” weapons, with most observers none the wiser.
Former U.S. Strategic Commander in Chief General Lee Butler, who eventually came to believe that nuclear deterrence was a specious doctrine, has said: “The nuclear beast must be chained, its soul expunged, its lair laid waste.”
Ending pit production at Rocky Flats seriously injured the nuclear beast. It is a momentous fact that plans to produce new nuclear weapons, and all they portend for humanity’s prospects, will succeed or fail depending in substantial part upon the actions of New Mexico citizens. We are at a moment of truth in which decades of citizen resistance to weapons of mass destruction have come to renewed focus, here and now.
Weapons production pollutes the environment
Needless to say, pit production creates a great deal of nuclear waste, currently disposed at LANL and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad . LANL’s nuclear waste dump, “Area G,” is already the largest nuclear dump in New Mexico and three surrounding states and is slated to expand indefinitely as more waste is generated from LANL’s nuclear missions. This is a dump located on a narrow mesa adjacent to springs which is not lined, not licensed, not externally regulated, and not subject to cleanup. Management of the dump was recently taken from environmental scientists and given to LANL’s pit production chief.
As long as such dumping continues, LANL’s billion-dollar “cleanup” program is really running in reverse, notwithstanding a great deal of distracting rhetoric and more than a billion dollars spent so far. The dumping won’t end until nuclear weapons design and production, which produce nearly all the waste at Los Alamos , likewise come to an end. Once nuclear waste is made it must be disposed somewhere. Better not to make it.
The greater environmental impact of the New Mexico nuclear labs occurs in other ways, however. Historically, the nuclear labs led the way in polluting the entire biosphere with radioactive fallout, reliably estimated to have caused several hundred thousand early deaths so far. These labs have played key roles in promoting nuclear technologies worldwide, the global effects of which, from mining to spent fuel disposal to weapons proliferation and everything in between, have been vast.
Today LANL and SNL are key players in the proposed worldwide resurgence of nuclear power. They have been working for many years to promote nuclear technologies through the semi-secret Global Nuclear Vision Project and by many other means. They have especially promoted fantastically expensive, exotic, and unproven nuclear technologies using plutonium and spent nuclear fuel, approaches which create large amounts of nuclear and hazardous waste, but which also happen to create more work for themselves (viz. the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership).
To summarize a longer argument, the identities and cultures of the nuclear weapons labs have been built around technologies of mass environmental destruction, developed in a Faustian quest for power over nature that has no place for humble human stewardship of the earth. Pollution – here, there, or everywhere – is not an accidental byproduct of these ambitions but rather an inherent aspect of them.
LANL TA-55 main gate with guards. Security here is all-pervasive. | <urn:uuid:c7a43452-363b-40dc-8bc8-5e99f879e704> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.lasg.org/campaigns/PUPitProd.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394605.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00186-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965665 | 2,742 | 3.25 | 3 |
Tuesday, 16th December 2008 by Ian Brown
Daisen-Kofun is the resting place of Emperor Nintoku who ruled Japan in the early 5th century, with this kofun dated to 443AD. At 486m long and 305m wide, it is considerably larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Protected by 3 moats and rows of trees, it is a silent enclave invisible from nearby roads, as Street View shows.
The 740 officially-designated Royal kofun are strictly protected against most excavation, but past research has shown that Emperors and other royals were buried with mirrors, swords, clay pots and other goods. It is believed that the tombs were originally covered with stones, but time and nature have provided a covering of trees.
There are several other kofun visible in the area surrounding Daisen-Kofun.
Estimates of the total number of kofun range from 10,000 – 30,000, with construction taking place between the 3rd and 7th centuries AD. In addition to keyhole-shaped kofun, researchers have discovered many round and square tombs, as well as a few octagonal ones. Similar tombs are also found in Korea.
Clusters of kofun are visible in several locations throughout Japan, including Nara City which does have a reasonable Street View.
To learn more, I encourage you to read this detailed history of the Kofun period.
Thanks to Matt Van Pelt, Norimasa Hayashida, Nao and Tetsuo Tanno. | <urn:uuid:4c6433f9-cd3e-4e6f-831d-e81d6812d148> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://googlesightseeing.com/2008/12/daisen-kofun/comment-page-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408840.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00036-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968938 | 329 | 3.296875 | 3 |
Lesson 1 (from Act 1, Scene 1)
Walter Lee Younger is one of the major characters in this play. His struggle for respect and to provide for his family is on that many men have trouble dealing with. In this lesson, students will explore his character.
1) Ask students to discuss the moment when Walter Lee gives his son a dollar. Why did the character do that, when it meant that he would have to ask his wife for the money later on? What does that say about the character?
2) Have students work in pairs to write a scene between Walter Lee and his employer later in the day in which Walter Lee asks employer for a raise. Invite them to share their scenes with the class.
3) Ask students to discuss Walter Lee in terms of being an African-American man. Would his objectives or obstacles be different if he were white?
4) In class...
This section contains 7,637 words
(approx. 26 pages at 300 words per page) | <urn:uuid:99c8fa9b-267c-47c5-8396-6b5e6ac009da> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.bookrags.com/lessonplan/raisinsun/lessons.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394987.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00015-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98212 | 208 | 4.0625 | 4 |
“The statue will be of the Maratha warrior king Shivaji, considered a hero in Maharashtra for his defiance of Mughal and British forces.”
The officials apparently have in mind a rival for the American Statue of Liberty: “Vishal Dhage, a state government official, said the statue would be about the same height as the Statue of Liberty – which, with plinth included, stands at 305ft (92.69m).”
But where the Statue of Liberty was intended in part as a sign of international friendship and, later on, as a symbol of welcome to immigrants. In 1903, Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus” was posted on a bronze plaque standing inside the Statue of Liberty. The poem reads in part:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
That’s a far cry from some of the symbolism behind a modern Indian statue of Shivaji: “King Shivaji is an icon adopted by the militant right-wing Maharashtra group, Shiv Sena, which says more should be done to promote the rights of ‘local’ people in the state rather than ‘outsiders’.”
If the US hasn’t always been as welcoming to distressed and oppressed immigrants, at least since 1903 it has had an ideal to aspire to. | <urn:uuid:90d71cb6-5377-4232-a8fe-f14e578713f0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://blog.acton.org/archives/tag/emma-lazarus | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783400031.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155000-00145-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963547 | 321 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Jakow Trachtenberg believed that everyone is born with phenomenal abilities to calculate, he devised a set of rules that allows every child to make multiplication, division, addition, subtraction and square-root calculations with unerring accuracy and at remarkable speed.
; January 2011
272 pages; ISBN 9780285639959Read online
, or download in secure EPUB
Title: The Trachtenberg Speed System of Basic Mathematics
Author: Jakob Trachtenberg
Buy, download and read The Trachtenberg Speed System of Basic Mathematics (eBook) by Jakob Trachtenberg today! | <urn:uuid:6a49690f-ace9-4cd6-a9eb-11f04c5426f6> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.ebooks.com/710389/the-trachtenberg-speed-system-of-basic-mathematics/trachtenberg-jakob/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396949.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00030-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.824133 | 130 | 3.140625 | 3 |
• hoodwink •
hUd-wingk • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Verb, transitive
Meaning: 1. To fool, deceive; to pull the wool over someone's eyes, hornswoggle, boondoggle. 2. (Archaic) To blindfold.
Notes: There is little to say about this word; other than the opaqueness of its meaning (see Word History), it is a perfectly normal compound verb. A person who hoodwinks is a hoodwink himself or a hoodwinker who engages in hoodwinkery.
In Play: Hoodwink generally implies mischief more than crime, but its meaning often hovers over the line between the two: "Gertrude hoodwinked me into cleaning her house last weekend by telling me that she was scheduled for surgery today. I just saw her at the mall." Anywhere you can use pull the wool over someone's eyes, you can use today's word to shorten your sentence: "Lenny knows a dozen ways to hoodwink a bartender into giving him a free drink."
Word History: Today's word is a compound noun that seems to have strayed off its original meaning. Actually, only the meaning of wink has lost its bearings. In 1562, questions like this were posed: "Will you enforce women to hoodwink themselves in the church?" So to hoodwink originally meant to literally cover someone's eyes with a hood, the equivalent of pulling the wool over their eyes. Later the meaning of wink shifted to merely closing the eyes. In 1664 Tillotson wrote in The Wisdom of Being Religious: "Men are not blind, but they wink, and shut their eyes; they can understand, and will not." Since then the meaning of wink has shifted further while hoodwink's meaning has held its course. (I will not hoodwink you, good reader; it was Mary Jane Stoneburg who suggested today's word.)
Come visit our website at <http://www.alphadictionary.com> for more Good Words and other language resources! | <urn:uuid:41c5f3ac-fe8d-4ae7-8d41-5de35c8d63a1> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.alphadictionary.com/goodword/word/hoodwink | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397636.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00146-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969147 | 433 | 2.6875 | 3 |
|Name: _________________________||Period: ___________________|
This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Does God derive His existence through nothing?
(a) Most likely.
2. Anselm argues that the Word "derives" existence from God through His birth, but not His __________.
3. This being is the best of all beings for what reason?
(a) It is the source of all being.
(b) It is the smartest of all beings.
(c) It is the best of all beings.
(d) It is the most compassionate of all beings.
4. Chapters eighteen through twenty-four describe God's what?
(a) Inability to feel compassion.
(b) Eternality and omnipresence.
(c) Desire for justice.
(d) Love and kindness.
5. We can understand aspects of Him, but we cannot do what?
(a) Listen to Him.
(b) Make connections between those aspects.
(c) Love aspects of Him.
(d) Understand Him in his totality.
6. What does this Word help to "express" or create?
(a) The world.
(b) Some things.
(d) Many thing.s
7. Could God have been brought into existence by anything else?
(b) Most likely.
8. All things live through whom?
9. The Monologium is ______________ than the Proslogium.
(a) Much shorter.
(b) Much longer.
(c) Much more interesting.
(d) Much more tedious.
10. What does the answer to number 86 follow?
(a) The Lord's Prayer.
(b) The Nicene Creed.
(c) The Apostles' Creed.
(d) The Ten Commandments.
11. Why must God exist?
(a) We would not exist without Him.
(b) To say He does not exist is blasphemous.
(c) The world would fall apart without Him.
(d) He is the standard by which all other things are judged.
12. There must exist a being that is what?
(a) The source of all existence.
13. As what does the Word exist?
(b) An idea.
(c) A place.
(d) A thing.
14. Chapters one and two argue that a being which is "best, and greatest and highest of all existing beings" _________ exist.
(c) Do not.
15. The first man, Adam, discarded a state of unity with God which was __________ to keep.
(c) Somewhat difficult.
Short Answer Questions
1. God's idea of Himself is equivalent to what?
2. God's compassion and justice are compatible because through __________________, God will make the wicked good and thus worthy of forgiveness.
3. The expression of God is identical with _______.
4. Anselm begins the Proslogium in the preface by stating his dissatisfaction with _______________ and his rationale for writing the Proslogium.
5. What is the only method of creating the world?
This section contains 395 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) | <urn:uuid:cb61198e-16fa-4de3-baf8-f51d2828a7a0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.bookrags.com/lessonplan/st-anselm/test1.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397795.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00047-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.887315 | 717 | 2.671875 | 3 |
- Word Explorer, Word Parts
|part of speech:
||a straight line from the center to the edge of a circle or sphere.
||a circular area measured by the length of its radius.
There are no stores within a mile radius of my house. | <urn:uuid:376a154a-8c4a-4397-95ef-8f277394c656> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.wordsmyth.net/?level=2&rid=33944 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00130-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.681109 | 55 | 3.390625 | 3 |
Community is a term often thrown around these days to define so many things, but what does the term community truly convey especially to you? Geographically, most live in a community, which stems from the biological definition of community: a group of interacting organisms sharing an environment. In an educational setting you have learning communities, where groups of students are learning together. Sometimes you can have learning communities in work environments, where companies, institutions and organizations have programs in place where their employees can continue their education.
A community may also refer to groups that share common values or interests; furthermore, these groups get together in a regular basis to interact for a common cause or to socialize or both. These are the types of community that can make the most powerful impact on our world either in a positive or negative way. It is best that we join together in a community to promote a positive change such as promoting recycling in our neighborhoods or feeding the hungry. One can be in multiple communities like a church, a social service club or organization, a book club, an art league and on-line social networks, such as Facebook or Twitter (or both).
Using our positive influences in our communities we can sway our group to do great things. It is with positive intentions, common beliefs and shared resources that communities can do wonderful deeds to promote a more caring and loving world. With the birth and development of the internet, communities can span huge geographical areas reaching all over the globe. This is often called the GLOBAL COMMUNITY.
Virtual communities can greatly influence the dynamics of our world and have the potential to do many wonderful deeds to promote a more loving and caring world through global awareness, intent and action. The world is indeed getting smaller in the way people can influence each other through all the communities we are involved. The question is, how involved are you? Consider the following, how involved would you like to be? The choice is entirely up to you. You can become part of the solution simply by showing up in your community.
- The Many Ways Virtual Communities Impact Our World Offline (bruceclay.com)
- How to Act Online (blog2) (csmt12.wordpress.com)
- How Social Media has united the world (wisemarketing.wordpress.com)
- Management by radical transparency (restreaming.wordpress.com) | <urn:uuid:a87a5178-2a38-4854-98ed-4e789d1b19bc> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://akissofbliss.wordpress.com/2012/02/18/community-feb-17-post/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397428.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00067-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953879 | 479 | 3.3125 | 3 |
December 2, 2009
Study Finds Logging Effects Vary Based On A Forest’s History, Climate
A Smoky Mountain forest's woodland herb population has shown that climate may play a role in how forest understories recover from logging, according to Purdue University research.
Despite heavy logging in portions of the forest nearly 80 years ago, the distribution of trillium plants on the secondary forest floor was similar to that of undisturbed areas. Michael Jenkins, a Purdue assistant professor of forestry and natural resources, said that contrasts with a study by other researchers of an Oregon forest in which trillium didn't recover after logging.Jenkins said the findings, reported in a November issue of the journal Forest Ecology and Management, suggest that climate and history play a role in a forest's ability to rebound from logging. The study was done in collaboration with Christopher R. Webster, an associate professor of forest resources at Michigan Technological University.
"There's still a lot of controversy about the effects of logging," Jenkins said. "There is an effect on a forest, but there is also recovery as we've seen."
The Smoky Mountain site receives 51.3 centimeters of rain in the summer months, compared to an Oregon site - which received 7.3 centimeters of rain - in which trillium did not rebound well after logging. Also, the Oregon site was burned and replanted after it was logged. The Smoky Mountain site was not treated post-logging.
Trillium is a woodland herb that spreads slowly, often with ants moving its seeds only a meter at a time. The slow spread makes trillium a model plant to show the effect that a major disturbance such as logging has on a forest's understory. Trillium plants also can live for more than 20 years, and stem scars act much in the way rings do in tree trunks to allow for determining the plant's age.
"The old-growth trillium populations were structurally complex, but the secondary-growth populations were nearly as complex," Jenkins said. "It suggests that the population in secondary forests was not eliminated by historic logging. Populations of secondary-forest trillium are quite healthy and still expanding. They've had sufficient time to develop more complex clusters of individual plants."
"We would expect that you'd see similar trends in other understory species, but they're difficult to study because you don't have the ability to age the plants the same way you can trillium," Jenkins said.
Jenkins' future research will focus on whether logged and unlogged areas differ in how often populations of trillium occur across large forest areas to confirm this study's findings on a larger scale.
On the Net: | <urn:uuid:5ca33804-139e-47ed-bafb-98ad8844bf8b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1794149/study_finds_logging_effects_vary_based_on_a_forests_history/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783400572.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155000-00191-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975995 | 557 | 3.703125 | 4 |
If you've moved up from a PC to a LAN behind a hardware router or a software router/NAT (network address translation) program, you may feel safer, but you may not be as safe as you think.
Routers have become enormously popular for sharing broadband and even fast dial-up lines among two, three, or, in my family's case, eight computers. Prices too low to ignore on 10/100-Mbps Ethernet adapters, hubs, and switches started the headlong rush, and plummeting hardware router prices have made the home LAN irresistible. A router, in my book, is vastly preferable to an always-on PC acting as a gateway. Although some broadband providers encourage routers and sharing, others expressly forbid it or don't seem to care. But even where sharing is verboten, it's like the old 55-mph speed limit: Everyone I know ignores the rule.
How Sharing Works
Internet connection sharing is accomplished by a clever bit of magic known as NAT. Every machine on a network has to have a unique IP address, and your ISP assigns you oneeither permanently (static IP) or temporarily each time you connect (dynamic IP). Multiple machines behind your cable or DSL modem need separate addresses, or chaos would reign. You could request additional IP addresses from your ISP, but there are a couple of practical limitations: additional cost and a finite limit to the number of static addresses. So your router, strategically located between the modem and your PCs, tells your ISP that it is the only machine present. It then assigns an IP address, typically in the 192.168.xxx.xxx space, to each machine. Addresses in this range are nonroutable, which means they cannot pass through a router. They can be viewed by other machines behind the router, however.
Within each IP address, a packet of information can be addressed to any of 65,535 different ports, which are just software subaddresses. Some are predefined, such as port 80 (for HTTP traffic) and port 110 (for POP3 mail). Most of the thousands of others are undefined. Your router substitutes a port number for each machine's nonroutable IP address and appends it to your assigned IP address, so that it can route reply packets to the right machine, a process sometimes called "opening a tunnel."
You've no doubt heard that a PC exposed to the Internet shouldn't have any ports open (software acting as a server of one kind or another), because they can act as an entry point for hackers. A router, by nature, doesn't have any ports to open, so it's impervious to port probes. And no probe can find those machines with nonroutable addresses, right? Not necessarily.
The techniques are too complex for me to describe here, but it's possible to hack NAT. And if the truth be told, NAT isn't all that smart: A series of rogue packets could follow a tunnel that's just been opened to one of your PCs, and a bad packet that sufficiently resembles a good one can be passed through. And none of NAT's machinations defend you from viruses, Trojan horses, or zombie programs that take over your machine and open a big hole, letting what looks like legitimate traffic pass through your router. To be truly safe, you should run antivirus and firewall software on each machine behind your router. Firewall software also prevents supposedly trusted machines from probing your LAN. I've logged attempts from my coworkers.
Too Much Faith
Do people put too much faith in NAT? I recently ran a poll at www.extremetech.com to find out. Roughly 25 percent of those who responded said they trust NAT; 40 percent said they don't and also run firewall software. 10 percent run routers with stateful packet inspection, and 15 percent don't do anything special but say they've never been hacked. The remainder don't know whether they're secure or not.
To those who say you've never been hacked: How do you know? Your machine could be zombied at this very moment. Stateful packet inspection is a good defense against some kinds of attacks but still does nothing to prevent viruses or Trojans. It can't protect you from hacks coming from local machines. And a compromised machine behind the router has the potential to give up your machine.
Router vendors are aware of the unwarranted faith that some users place in NAT, and some now recommend and even bundle firewalls. Take heed. | <urn:uuid:0b7a224d-65f2-4b6b-af4b-28ae18e2afb3> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,388,00.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397749.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00064-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959606 | 919 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Hi Lifehacker, Is it legal to park a vehicle on the wrong side of the street? It’s customary to park your car so that its left side is closer to the kerb (since we drive on the left-hand side of the road), yet I see so many cars parked pointed the wrong way. I was once told that this was illegal since you have to drive on the wrong side of the road to park it, and then drive on the wrong side of the road again when you leave. Is that the case? Thanks, Nosey Parker
Tyre clamp picture from Shutterstock
In all states and territories, drivers are required to park in the same direction as moving traffic when parked on the adjacent kerb (you can read an overview of NSW’s parallel parking rules here). This law exists for various reasons, ranging from the obstruction of your rear reflector lights at night to causing unnecessary confusion for other drivers.
As you note, it also indicates that the driver was driving on the wrong side of the road when they parked their car. Usually this is because they spotted a parking space on the opposite side of the road, or pulled out of a driveway in the wrong direction. Whatever the reason, it’s still illegal. The only exceptions we can think of are 45 degree parking spaces and areas with specific signage that grant permission.
If you park your car in this manner you’re liable to get a ticket from a parking inspector, or even the police if the positioning is deemed to be dangerous. That said, it’s pretty low down on the crime-busting stakes so people continue to do so without suffering any repercussions. If the situation bothers you and you think it could cause an accident, contact your local council and provide them with the relevant information: one fine is usually all it takes to make a driver follow the rules.
Got your own question you want to put to Lifehacker? Send it using our contact form. | <urn:uuid:0c245bbe-90cb-4ee1-848e-951dd28d7a87> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2013/07/ask-lh-is-it-legal-to-park-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-street/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398075.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00188-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957207 | 403 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Volume 16, No.12 - December 2012
Global dialogue on development
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities will be celebrated with a number of events at UN Headquarters on 3 December under the theme “Removing barriers to create an inclusive and accessible society for all”
The United Nations has a long history of advocating for the full and effective participation of persons with disabilities in society and development. Persons with disabilities – more than one billion persons – who make up more than 15% of the world’s population – have so much to contribute when and if the barriers are removed for their participation.
The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons, proclaimed by the General Assembly in 1992, aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for action toward protecting and promoting the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities.
As the global population with disabilities continues to grow, an accessible and inclusive world is more important and essential than ever.
This year’s event will focus on the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on Disability and Development (HLMDD), which will take place on 23 September 2013 in accordance with General Assembly resolution 66/124. It will also mark the official opening of the preparatory process for the High-level Meeting. The President of the 67th session of General Assembly along with the co-facilitators of the HLMD will officially launch the preparatory process on Monday, 3 December 2012 at a high-level opening ceremony of the International Day.
The commemorative events for the Day will also include a panel discussion under the theme: “The way forward: a disability inclusive development agenda towards 2015 and beyond” and will culminate with the annual United Nations Enable Film Festival (UNEFF), featuring short films to help raise awareness concerning disability issues with a view to promoting the full and effective participation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of society and development.
The event will be co-sponsored by the Office of the President of General Assembly, Governments of the Philippines and Spain and UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
“Together, we must strive to achieve the goals of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: to eliminate discrimination and exclusion, and to create societies that value diversity and inclusion,” said the UN Secretary-General in his message for the day.
For more information:
International Day of Persons with Disabilities
The Vienna Policy Dialogue on Gender Equality will take place on 13-14 December to discuss how to anchor gender equality and the empowerment of women in the evolving post-2015 UN development agenda
Given the centrality of women as critical drivers of development, the Development Cooperation Forum (DCF) Vienna Policy Dialogue will discuss how to firmly anchor gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls and the protection of their rights in the changing landscape of international development cooperation and in the post-2015 UN development agenda.
Organized by DESA, in partnership with UN Women and the Government of Austria, the Vienna Policy Dialogue, will bring together senior representatives, experts from national and local governments, civil society organizations, parliaments, women’s organizations and the private sector with representatives of international organizations to develop concrete policy recommendations to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women in response to the profound shifts in international development cooperation.
The Vienna Policy Dialogue is the first in a series of consultations in preparation of the 2014 DCF. The DCF is the principal multi-stakeholder platform for global dialogue and policy aimed at reviewing trends and progress in international development cooperation. It provides policy guidance and recommendations to promote more effective and coherent international development cooperation.
For more information: Vienna Policy Dialogue on Gender Equality
The United Nations is calling for nominations for the UN Public Service Awards 2013, which is an international event designed to promote and support innovations in public service delivery worldwide (deadline 7 December 2012)
The awards are open to public organizations of all kinds, including governments and public-private partnerships involved in delivering services to citizens.
An annual United Nations event, the Public Service Awards are bestowed on those public institutions that have distinguished themselves in the following categories: Preventing and Combating Corruption in the Public Service; Improving the Delivery of Services; Fostering Participation in Policymaking Decisions through Innovative Mechanisms; Promoting Whole-of-Government Approaches in the Information Age; and Promoting Gender-Responsive Delivery of Public Services.
“The winners of the United Nations Public Service Awards set an example in improving delivery, promoting accountability and combating corruption. Through the search for innovative approaches to public governance challenges, they are building a better future for us all,” the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon noted in his 2012 United Nations Public Service Day welcome message.
The United Nations Public Service Day was established by the Economic and Social Council in 2003 to promote better delivery of services by governments and to encourage excellence in the public service through the collection, transfer and adaptation of innovative public service initiatives. Learning from other countries’ experiences in reinventing government can inspire new reforms, and in some cases help countries to leapfrog stages of development. “Such successful innovations and initiatives are concrete evidence proving that in order to find solutions to challenges of our times we need to learn from each other and think outside the box,” stressed Mr. Wu Hongbo Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.
The United Nations Public Service Awards winners, selected by the United Nations Committee of Experts on Public Administration, receive a trophy and a certificate of recognition during the United Nations Public Service Awards Ceremony and Day held annually on 23 June. The global event is organized by the Division of Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), in partnership with UN Women and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
While contenders cannot nominate themselves, interested institutions deemed to have very good performance in any one of the categories can have their name put forward by governments or civil society organizations.
Nominations for 2013 are being accepted online until 7 December 2012 at UN Public Service Awards Application
A live chat on Facebook was arranged on 27 November to engage the online community in a discussion on the post-2015 development agenda
“We hope to bring views from all corners of the world together because what we are striving for is an agenda that will take us to a shared, secure and sustainable global development for all, our generation and all future ones,” said Rob Vos, Director of DESA’s Division for Development Policy and Analysis (DPAD).
More than 900 participants took part in the chat themed “Keeping the momentum beyond 2015: Moving forward towards a new global development agenda”. Panelists from the UN System Task Team on the Post-2015 Development Agenda included DPAD Director Rob Vos with DPAD colleagues Diana Alarcon and Sabrina Axster, Fred Soltau from DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development and Jose Dallo and Gina Lucarelli from the UNDP Bureau of Development Policy.
The live chat was jointly organized by DESA and UNDP to engage various stakeholders in the preparations for a global development agenda beyond 2015 that can build on the progress of the MDGs and meet the new challenges ahead.
The chat was very popular among the online audience and the engagement level was high. Words of appreciation came from many including from this participant in Malaysia, who said that “it is a very healthy two-way interaction platform that has been created by the UN to engage online participants in a transparent way and interactive chat.”
For more information:
Video promoting the event
Facebook event page | <urn:uuid:4799cabd-e67d-47e0-803f-307cb518abc2> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/newsletter/desanews/dialogue/2012/12/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395621.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00061-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925547 | 1,575 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Predictions of September ice extent
2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
Predictions of Alaskan summer ice conditions
The 2010 Polar Science Weekend at the Seattle Pacific Science Center
Seasonal Sea Ice Prediction
I have been interested in the seasonal prediction of sea ice conditions for some years and recently wrote a paper about using model estimates of the state of the ice and ocean conditions to estimate the ice extent up to a year in advance. The idea is that there might be a memory in the system that would allow such predictions. It uses past statistical correlations between the model fields of ice thickness, ice concentration, or ocean temperatures in an earlier month and the ice extent in September.
The method is based on a retrospective analysis of the state of the ice and ocean system created by a high resolution coupled ice/ocean model developed by my colleague Dr Jinlun Zhang. The model uses the observed air temperature, wind, clouds, and precipitation to estimate maps of the ice motion, ice thickness distribution, and ocean temperatures and currents for past years, up to and including the most recent month. Statistical relationships between the model parameters in March (or any other month) and the ice extent in September are found from past years using a method developed by Dr. Drobot. This relationship is then used with the current March model output to predict the September ice extent. The method may be used to predict either the pan-Arctic ice extent or the extent in particular regions. It depends fundamentally on a stable relationship between the various components of the system, such as ice thickness in March compared to the ice extent in September.
It seemed to work fairly well using historical data. However the summer of 2007 showed a tremendous loss of sea ice and the predictions from this method were way too conservative. This has led me to think that the statistical relationships between the ice extent and the state of the ice and ocean are changing rapidly and the past relationships cannot be a reliable guide to the future. However the most recent years are used to improve the model fits, so that extreme years such as 2007 are now included in the prediction.
Predicting ice conditions months in advance is a challenging problem for Arctic scientists. The current condition of the ice pack can help some because we know old thick ice can often survive the summer melt season but new thin ice can't. The exact thickness of the ice in spring that might survive depends on the location and on the air temperatures and cloud cover during the summer, both of which are not possible to predict more than a week or so into the future. Also, the ice extent is strongly dependent on the winds, as we saw in the summer of 2007. It is not possible to accurately predict the strength and direction of the winds months in advance. Depending on the air pressure patterns, the winds may or may not herd the remaining ice to one side of the basin, thus reducing the extent. What we do know is that the reduced ice thickness of recent years will lead to much more variability in the fall ice area and extent because the open water created during the summer is more sensitive to the initial ice conditions and the amount of melt. We still have a lot to learn about seasonal ice prediction.
Lindsay, R. W., J. Zhang, A. J. Schweiger, and M. A. Steele, 2008: Seasonal predictions of ice extent in the Arctic Ocean, J. Geophys. Res., 113, C02023, doi:10.1029/2007JC004259. pdf file
Poster from the 2007 Polar Meteororlogy and Oceanography Conference, St John's Newfoundland: | <urn:uuid:d9046e90-2c88-42c4-b2b3-02851cee7129> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://psc.apl.washington.edu/lindsay/prediction.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403823.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00074-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943724 | 729 | 2.625 | 3 |
Hundreds of archaeological sites are under threat from a weeks-old, still raging wildfire in eastern Arizona. (See Arizona-fire pictures.)
Since it began in late May, the so-called Wallow Fire—the biggest in Arizona's history—has burned at least 733 square miles (1,900 square kilometers), and has now crossed the state line into New Mexico (regional map), the Associated Press reported Tuesday.
Within that vast expanse are large swaths of Arizona's Apache and Sitgreaves National Forests and New Mexico's Gila National Forest, parts of which have already burned.
Both forests contain thousands of known prehistoric and historic archaeological sites, from Native American stone ruins to remnants of 19th-century mines and mills.
The majority of the threatened sites once belonged to the Mogollon culture, a Native American farming civilization that occupied the region between around the year zero and A.D. 1500, said Bob Schiowitz, the U.S. Forest Service archaeologist for the Gila National Forest.
Schiowitz estimates there could be up to a thousand known Mogollon sites that could be affected by the Wallow Fire.
However, "not all of those are incredibly significant," he said, referring to the rubble piles that make up most of the sites.
Among the more exceptional sites are areas with standing architecture as well as rock shelters and cliff dwellings with "exceptional preservation," he said. Ancient rock paintings are also at risk, he added. "If the fire's hot enough, it can cause all that stuff to chip and flake off."
When wildfires threaten, Schiowitz and colleagues "look at the records and try to figure out which ones have fire-sensitive elements or that are most important."
Firefighters will then try to save the sites that are marked as high priority by archeologists. "You can't go and look at all of the sites," Schiowitz said. "There's just no way to do that."
(Related: "Fires Can Create 'Volcanic' Thunderclouds.")
Arizona Sites Face Unprecedented Fire Risk?
Archaeologists expect many of the Mogollon sites to survive the Arizona fires.
"Most of these sites have been abandoned for at least 500 to 1,000 years, so over that time they've stabilized and have probably been burned over before," Schiowitz said.
The majority of the artifacts—mostly fragments of ceramic bowls and jars and stone tools and weapons—are also relatively fire resistant.
Even so, the sites may now be more likely than ever to be harmed by fires, in part because for decades the Forest Service made a policy of stomping out blazes before they grow out of control. This can lead to a buildup of flammable plant material—adding fuel to future fires.
"There's an unusually high buildup of fuels in some places, and that tends to make these fires a little more catastrophic than they might've been in [past centuries]," Schiowitz said.
For example, some Mogollon sites have experienced so few fires in recent decades that trees have begun to sprout from their ruins. When these trees catch fire, they can burn all the way down to their roots, baking the soil and any artifacts buried in it.
"Over the last 15 to 20 years, we've been doing a lot to reduce those fuels" around archaeological sites, Schiowitz said.
Bulldozers and Backfires
Sometimes reducing those fuels is just the problem, however, Schiowitz said.
For example, firefighters will intentionally set sections of forest aflame to deprive an approaching wildfire of kindling. These so-called backfires, or backburns, "can be just as damaging to cultural sites as a natural fire coming through," he said.
Additionally, bulldozers are sometimes used to construct barriers to wildfires, called firebreaks, which can cause unintentional damage to sites.
To steer bulldozers clear of important sites, archaeologists often go into the field with firefighters. If time permits, scientists have even been known to help plan firebreaks and backfires so they do the least damage possible, Schiowitz explained.
(Hope for the future? "Electric Wand Makes Fire Disappear.")
Fires Threaten More Recent Sites Too
In addition to prehistoric sites, the Wallow Fire could damage non-Native American historic sites from the 19th and 20th century, especially since many are wooden.
"These include ranches, cabins, old mines, and mills," Schiowitz said. "They also have historical value, and some of them we're actively trying to preserve."
Retired archaeologist Fred Kraps noted that wildfires often expose previously unknown archaeological sites by burning off concealing surface material.
This can be a silver lining for archaeologists—but only if they discover the new sites before the public does, said Kraps, who is president of the Yavapai Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society.
"Looters and pot hunters can follow in on the fires," he said. "That happens a lot." | <urn:uuid:b8296210-4d09-49e1-bc6c-4a943a0dac4d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/06/110614-arizona-fire-wallow-archaeological-sites-science-nation/?source=link_tw20110614news-arizona | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395621.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00063-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959355 | 1,046 | 3.484375 | 3 |
I became interested in the health value of fermented foods after I noticed a curious coincidence. Humans have three mysterious food preferences: for (a) sour food, (b) food with umami flavor, and (c) food with complex flavor. I realized that all three preferences made bacteria-laden food more attractive. Bacteria change sugars to acids, increasing sourness. They break down proteins, creating glutamate, which produces umami flavor. And the many chemicals they introduce into a food make its flavor more complex. After I noticed this, I came across many studies that supported the idea that fermented foods are good for health. I also found studies that suggest the bacteria in our digestive system are crucial to health.
This raised the question: What fermented foods to eat? How many? How often? To begin to answer these questions, it would help to know how bacteria in our food help us be healthy. There were two obvious answers:
1. Stimulate the immune system. The bacteria in fermented food are inherently safe: they are specialized to reproduce on/in food, which is so different than inside the human body. But the immune system doesn’t know this. If this was one benefit of fermented food, you could study which ones to eat by measuring immune system activation. Unfortunately, that is nearly impossible.
2. Improve digestion. Many people have digestive problems and some of them are helped by fermented foods. Obviously they contain bacteria that digest food. I don’t have digestive problems so I can’t study this by figuring out which fermented foods help.
Recently, I have begun to think there is a third reason:
3. Place competition. To make us sick, outside bacteria need to stick inside us. To digest our food, the surfaces of our digestive system, such as the inside of our intestines, is much more porous than other surfaces, such as our skin. It is our digestive system, therefore, that is most vulnerable to dangerous microbes. The totally-safe microbes in fermented foods compete for sticky spots with other, more dangerous microbes. If there are plenty of safe bacteria — say, billions in a serving of yogurt — they may do a lot to protect us against the dozen or so similar dangerous bacteria we might get from touching the same surface as a sick person. I think of a wooden floor where the lumber is not quite well-fitted. If you want to protect what’s below that floor from black sand (dangerous), an excellent method would be to pour an enormous amount of white sand (safe) on the floor.
If Effect #3 (place competition) is the main reason fermented food protects us from disease, it implies that dead bacteria work as well as live bacteria (in contrast, live bacteria do not digest food, Effect #2). This might explain the potency of alcoholic beverges such as wine, where most of the bacteria are dead. It also suggests that what matters is diversity of where bacteria stick and how much they stick. It might someday be possible to feed people (non-radioactive) bacteria and learn where in the body they end up. | <urn:uuid:cf9e04a3-2790-4a00-8fb4-dbcc19ec76ae> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://blog.sethroberts.net/2012/12/11/why-do-fermented-foods-improve-health/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402746.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00141-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967276 | 633 | 2.921875 | 3 |
The Element Beryllium
[Click for Isotope Data]
Atomic Number: 4
Atomic Weight: 9.0121831
Melting Point: 1560 K (1287°C or 2349°F)
Boiling Point: 2744 K (2471°C or 4480°F)
Density: 1.85 grams per cubic centimeter
Phase at Room Temperature: Solid
Element Classification: Metal
Period Number: 2 Group Number: 2 Group Name: Alkaline Earth Metal
What's in a name? From the Greek word beryl, a type of mineral.
Say what? Beryllium is pronounced as beh-RIL-ee-em.
History and Uses:
Although emeralds and beryl were known to ancient civilizations, they were first recognized as the same mineral (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) by Abbé Haüy in 1798. Later that year, Louis-Nicholas Vauquelin, a French chemist, discovered that an unknown element was present in emeralds and beryl. Attempts to isolate the new element finally succeeded in 1828 when two chemists, Friedrich Wölhler of Germany and A. Bussy of France, independently produced beryllium by reducing beryllium chloride (BeCl2) with potassium in a platinum crucible. Today, beryllium is primarily obtained from the minerals beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) and bertrandite (4BeO·2SiO2·H2O) through a chemical process or through the electrolysis of a mixture of molten beryllium chloride (BeCl2) and sodium chloride (NaCl).
Beryllium is relatively transparent to X-rays and is used to make windows for X-ray tubes. When exposed to alpha particles, such as those emitted by radium or polonium, beryllium emits neutrons and is used as a neutron source. Beryllium is also used as a moderator in nuclear reactors.
Beryllium is alloyed with copper (2% beryllium, 98% copper) to form a wear resistant material, known as beryllium bronze, used in gyroscopes and other devices where wear resistance is important. Beryllium is alloyed with nickel (2% beryllium, 98% nickel) to make springs, spot-welding electrodes and non-sparking tools. Other beryllium alloys are used in the windshield, brake disks and other structural components of the space shuttle.
Beryllium oxide (BeO), a compound of beryllium, is used in the nuclear industry and in ceramics.
Beryllium was once known as glucinum, which means sweet, since beryllium and many of its compounds have a sugary taste. Unfortunately for the chemists that discovered this particular property, beryllium and many of its compounds are poisonous and should never be tasted or ingested.
Estimated Crustal Abundance: 2.8 milligrams per kilogram
Estimated Oceanic Abundance: 5.6×10-6 milligrams per liter
Number of Stable Isotopes: 1 (View all isotope data)
Ionization Energy: 9.323 eV
Oxidation States: +2 | <urn:uuid:a938d99b-740b-4db1-92ac-c06ec11a0554> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele004.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783400572.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155000-00142-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.907172 | 719 | 3.953125 | 4 |
True Reformers Hall
Lincoln Theatre and Colonade
The Howard Theater was the nation's first, full-sized theater built for black audiences and entertainers. About twenty years before the Apollo Theater in New York featured black entertainment, the Howard was a showcase for black musical, theatrical, and comedy talent including Washington natives like Pearl Bailey and Duke Ellington. Designed by J. Edward Stock and constructed in 1910, the baroque theater contained 1,200 seats with a balcony and eight boxes. Backstage there were dressing rooms for 100 performers.
When the theater opened in 1910, the black newspaper The Washington Bee reported, "The Washington Society was out in full force... the private boxes were filled with many ladies of society...(It was) first class in every appointment, a theater for the people." In attendance at the baroque palace, complete with crystal chandeliers, marble staircases and eight proscenium boxes, were Assistant U.S. Attorney J.A. Cobb and the former governor of Louisiana.
After twenty good years of top notch entertainment, including road shows, vaudeville acts, and musicals, the theater closed after the 1929 stock market crash and the space was leased for evangelical revivals. It did not reopen as a theater until 1931, with the triumphant return of hometown hero Duke Ellington, who packed the house for a week to mark the gala reopening. In rigidly segregated Washington, whites would sit next to blacks to see the great entertainment the Howard offered. Acts like Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Eckstine, Louis Armstrong, Sarah Vaughan and Lionel Hampton were regulars, sometimes playing as many as eight shows a day. It would be easier to name the black performers who didn't play the Howard - there weren't very many.
For the first half of the 20th century, the Howard was the cultural heart of an entertainment-filled black Washington. Attendance at the Saturday night shows was an important part of growing up in Washington. "You would save your money all week long to get the 25 cents to get into the Saturday supper shows at the Howard," recalls 91 year old Alice Spraggins. Piano great Billy Taylor, who grew up just down the road remembers the Howard as "a magical place... because this is where music and artistry came alive. It was where I saw funny comedians and I saw great tap dancers and people who did kind of ballet dancing and I heard wonderful artists and they were true artists doing whatever they did... I mean when I was a kid, this was a huge, big just gorgeous place with I mean balconies, I mean it just looked big."
The theater continued to thrive through the 50s and 60s, however it closed again for the first half of the 70s, its demise brought on by desegregation, rising crime rates and ticket prices. The Howard Theater Association operated it briefly in 1977 and owned it until 1986. Currently owned by the Washington DC government, the Howard remains locked and abandoned.
On a hot July day in 1903 the Reverend William Lee Taylor rose to speak before a crowd of 100,000 people who had assembled for the dedication of Washington's most powerful symbol of black ingenuity to date. "I was not willing to put any kind of a building in Washington," the Reverend intoned. "This is the capital of the nation. The critics from all over the country center in Washington. The Negro is the bone of contention, and there are many that say he is indolent and only fit for a 'hewer of wood and a drawer of water.' Therefore I made up my mind...to put up a building in Washington that would reflect credit upon the Negro race."
True Reformers Hall, as the building came to be known, is situated on the corner of 12th and U Streets. Five stories tall, constructed of beige and red brick, ringed with pairs of arched, 18-foot windows, and crowned with an ornamental frieze, it was a stately addition to the black neighborhood.
But the nature of the labor that made it possible is one of the most notable attributes of the building. The United Order of the True Reformers was a black self-help organization founded twenty years earlier in Richmond, Virginia by the Reverend William Washington Browne. They had hired a black construction firm and enlisted the talents of 28-year-old black architect John Anderson Lankford to build their institution a $46,000 home in Washington. The building had been financed, designed, and built by entirely by African-Americans and was considered so noteworthy, the Washington Post ran a story headlined "Erected by Negroes, White Race Had No Hand In Any Part of Work."
True Reformers Hall was not only stately, it was also eloquent, saying in effect (to paraphrase Lankford), "Look at what the Negro can do and has done with is brain, skill and money." The existence of the Negro race's skill was something that needed proving in turn-of-the-century Washington, DC-a fact that all African Americans were keenly aware of. For the building's dedication ceremony, President Theodore Roosevelt had actually written a letter, which patronizingly declared, "No one can watch with more interest than I do the progress of the colored race; and with the colored man as with the white man, the first step must be to show his ability to take care of himself and those dependent on him."
The first floor of True Reformers Hall was used as commercial and retail space and the upper floors housed offices that were leased to physicians, lawyers, and newspaper bureaus. The building's basement contained a drill room and armory for the First Separate Battalion, Washington's black national guard unit. The second and third floors held a dance hall where Duke Ellington played his first gig for 75 cents. A monument to black enterprise, True Reformers Hall drew other businesses to U Street.
The United Order of the True Reformers declared bankruptcy in 1910, but their building remained under black ownership. It was deeded to another benevolent organization, the Knights of Pythias. Then, in 1937, the Boys Club of the Metropolitan Police leased the building and hired the original architect to transform it into a recreation center, spending $17,000 to create a gymnasium, locker room, library, music room and game room. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt cut the ribbon on opening day. It became the largest of the four clubs in the city and the only one to admit black people.
The boys club closed in 1959, and the site became a distribution center for Duron Paint Company, which used only the first floor, closing the other floors and boarding up their windows. True Reformer's hall was named a National Historic Landmark in the 1980s. The Public Welfare Foundation purchased the building in 1999, and it is currently being completely restored.
From the day it opened in 1922, the Lincoln Theater was extremely important to DC's black community because it was managed by African Americans. It stood in direct competition with two other neighborhood movie houses, the Republic and the Booker T, and it is the only one of the three still standing.
Located on U Street between 12th and 13th Streets, the Lincoln boasted a 1,600 seat auditorium. Behind the theater, the Lincoln Colonnade, a dance hall with a tunnel entrance off U St., hosted all the big bands of the day. Everyone had their proms there and fraternities used it for parties. Centrally located, it was the place to meet on U Street.
The Lincoln was frequented by such public figures as Ralph Bunche and poet Sterling Brown. In the 20s, Louis Brown gave an organ concert there. Eleanor Roosevelt and Joe Louis visited the theatre during a much-publicized March of Dimes rally. It was purchased in 1927 by the Lincoln-Howard Corporation and, like all DC movie theatres, the Lincoln was segregated until the 1950s. But by the time the theater's white owner had passed away, the company had reorganized to include black stockholders. | <urn:uuid:9faad140-dcb8-4781-8859-2c5f7eff5a82> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.pbs.org/ellingtonsdc/vtTheaters.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395613.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00152-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976045 | 1,657 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Submitted to the Driftwood, September 16, 2004
'Why is this shell midden here?', exclaimed the handwritten note on the archaeological site form. Discovered by a local resident of Salt Spring Island, this ancient archaeological site was surprisingly found along a hiking trail atop of a mountain nearly one and a half kilometres from the coastline and over 180 m (600 feet) above sea level (ASL). The majority of known archaeological sites recorded on Salt Spring Island are found along the waterfront, where Coast Salish peoples historically settled. The discovery of such rare 'inland' shell middens on the southern Gulf Islands has often raised the curiosity of many local island residents: "Are these really archaeological sites?"; and if so, "What were First Nation people in the past doing here so far from the coastline?".
From a regional perspective, inland shell middens on Salt Spring Island are very rare, unique and poorly understood. Despite the thousand archaeological sites located in the Gulf Islands, there exist less than 30 recorded inland shell midden sites. In 1987, archaeologists first investigated a complex of these rare inland archaeological sites threatened by new subdivision development at False Narrows Bluff on Gabriola Island. Located up to a kilometre distant from False Narrows, a total of 16 previously unrecorded sites were discovered in association with the forested escarpment of stepped, sandstone bluffs, including inland shell midden features, petroglyph rock art, burial crevices, and rockshelter habitations. Few archaeological sites had been previously identified so far inland from the shoreline in the southern Gulf Islands, and never before had such rare sites been observed in such density or diversity of past settlement activity. At first believed to be recent sites dating within the last thousand years or so, archaeologists did not expect to learn that carbon-14 dating evidence later revealed the use of this archaeological landscape dated over a period of a millennia from two to three thousand years ago.
A similar complex of inland archaeological site locations exist on several mountains of Salt Spring Island. In 1988, an archaeological investigation of one of these inland shell middens on Salt Spring Island took place on the slopes of Mount Tuam. This archaeological excavation was conducted as a salvage project before gravel mining operations had completely destroyed the site in advance of a proposed subdivision. Positioned on a high, flat terrace overlooking Fulford Harbour, local residents had been recovering artifacts from the quarry site for years, including a rare human-seated figure bowl and other possibly ceremonial-related objects. The remnant portions of the site were revealed by archaeologists in 1988 to represent a formerly large and variably deep, stratified shell deposit reaching up to 0.80m in depth. The structure and depth of the site indicated that the site had been used over a period of time on a repetitive basis. The diversity of shellfish, fish and other faunal remains and the different types of artifacts and their manufactured stages suggested that a range of settlement activities had occurred at this location. Two carbon-14 dates estimated the inland shell midden site at Mount Tuam to date around two millennia ago and occupied over a four hundred year period. Except for its perplexing location, the Mount Tuam site may be considered typical of many coastal shell midden sites found in the southern Gulf Islands.
The existence of such inland shell middens atop mountains on Salt Spring Island and other southern Gulf Islands challenges our common understanding of ancient Coast Salish culture. While there has been much public speculation to explain the location of these inland shell middens over the years (including everything from ancient sea level fluctuations to recently imported shells used for garden fertilizer, even road bed fill), academic debate as to why past cultures chose to locate settlements so far inland at such high elevations remains a largely unexplored archaeological problem.
It is clear that for the last five thousand years or more, sea levels have been depressed below present levels. While there is potential for high-elevation archaeological sites dating to the early post-glaciation era, the few inland shell midden sites that have been carbon-dated derive from more recently times between two to three thousand years ago. Therefore, other explanations than changes in sea levels over time must be explored to explain the location of many of these inland shell midden sites. Increasingly, there is archaeological and ethnographic evidence that presents the answers are likely much more dynamic, offering to lend a new appreciation of the complexity of ancient history in the southern Gulf Islands and how pre-contact and contemporary Coast Salish people perceive their cultural landscape.
Of the several hypotheses that have speculated upon by archaeologists, the commonest idea is that these inland shell midden sites represent defensive sites - sentinel look-outs or places of refuge for coastal villagers during times of conflict. The site on Mount Tuam certainly indicates a duration and diversity of settlement activity occurred over time by past populations. It is known the contemporary period of culture, known as the Marpole Phase (2500-1000 RYBP) (Radiocarbon Years Before Present, A.D.1950), is a period of increasing regional interaction in the Strait of Georgia region, with the expansion of social and economic relations across southeastern Vancouver Island and the Lower Fraser River. With this understanding, perhaps these inland shell midden sites on mountains of Salt Spring demonstrate evidence of increasing regional interaction during the Marpole Phase not based on solely trade and exchange, but increasing social conflict and warfare.
An alternate hypothesis is that these inland shell midden sites are evidence
of interior resource use by past populations in upland mountain environments.
The Garry Oak meadow ecosystems of the Gulf Islands are well-known to have been
intensively exploited by historic Coast Salish peoples for their camas lily
and other carbohydrate-rich root plants. Under this scenario, inland shell middens
may have acted as seasonal field camps for small family groups to collect, prepare
and store resources gathered on the mountains during the early spring and summer.
Small quantities of shellfish and other marine resources would have been transported
as food supplies from the coast during travels up the mountain, which over time
accumulated into large, stratified shell deposits. However, this 'traditional
use' hypothesis does not adequately explain why the chronology of the few excavated
inland shell middens appear to narrowly date to the Marpole Phase. If these
inland shell middens were associated with Coast Salish peoples gathering important
food resources on upland environments over time, the chronology of these sites
would be expected to demonstrate a longer-term use of the landscape over thousands
of years continuing up to historical times. Admittedly, carbon-14 dating evidence
is presently limited and further exploration of this hypothesis would be valuable.
In contrast to these perspectives, however, a recently published report speculates that the discovery of a zoomorphic stone bowl at an inland shell midden in Sechelt indicates that the site may not have been used for domestic purposes but 'shamanic' religious use during the Marpole Phase. While not a well-supported argument, the idea that there may be ceremonial or ritual purposes for the placement of these sites deserves more rigorous academic attention. An valuable direction to consider is the idea that the landscape where these inland shell midden sites have been placed held 'symbolic' meaning for ancient Coast Salish people.
For most residents of British Columbia, the land lacks any deep, historical presence. In First Nation culture, however, the lands are rich, storied landscapes embedded by ancient family connections, cultural history, and mythic events. Today, many Coast Salish peoples perceive the mountains on southeastern Vancouver Island and southern Gulf Island as 'heritage sites' which hold intangible, sacred significance to their cultures. Oral histories relate mountains as ancient places where the First Ancestors descended from the Sky World, and mythic places during creation times where the Transformer changed humans and non-human beings into figures of the natural landscape. The ethnographer Charles Hill-Tout at the turn of the century recorded a version of a well-known Coast Salish myth, which specifically explains the mythic existence of 'shells' seen atop of the mountains of Salt Spring Island. According to this narrative, Sqaleken 'The Boy with Lightning Eyes' acquired non-human spirit powers so potent that he was forced to remove himself from society and reside on the mountains of Salt Spring Island. Sqaleken asked his uncle to collect a canoe-full of broken-clam shells from a nearby beach and brought up the mountain to line a fresh-water well. Hill-Tout's Coast Salish informant explained, the shells " may be seen there to this day on top of the mountain". Thus, Coast Salish people in historical times certainly knew about the existence of ancient shell middens on the mountains of Salt Spring Island and attributed a mythic origin to them.
Did ancient Coast Salish people during the Marpole-era similarly perceive mountains
as powerful, mythic places which embedded symbolic meaning for their cultures?
Did this cultural perception of these mountain landscapes shape their ideas
about how to use the land? Were the use of inland shell midden sites less important
than the symbolic act of placing these shell deposits on the broader cultural
landscape of the mountain itself?
I believe that the key to understanding these sites lie embedded in the landscape where they are situated. These inland shell middens are not isolated sites, but associated with a network of interior archaeological sites. Across the entire Strait of Georgia region, these inland sites appear to concentrate in relation to specific landscapes. It is the archaeological context of these sites, their relationship to each other, and their relation to the broader regional landscape that will ultimately provide some understanding of these places. At present, the nature of these inland shell middens remains to be unanswered.
The southern Gulf Islands are nationally treasured for their unique natural heritage, their endangered ecosystems and their rare species at risk. The rich, threatened cultural heritage of the southern Gulf Islands has unfortunately received much less public recognition. Increasing subdivision and land developments threaten our public appreciation of this ancient landscape. While this ancient heritage places are recognized to embody great scientific and cultural values; some among the public continue to actively dismiss these sites as "imported road fill". There is a long colonial history of ignoring, negating and purposefully destroying First Nations' cultural connections to their land in British Columbia. In our modern era of reconciliation, I believe Salt Spring Island must be understood as an ancient place, the place shaped by generations of human experience, once a major centre of Coast Salish life. With this cultural perspective, Salt Spring Island will begin to recognize these lands are not just a place of historical significance for Coast Salish people, but as a living cultural landscape, a place embedded with contemporary symbolic meaning for modern Coast Salish cultural identity.
ERIC MCLAY, M.A. (UBC 1999) is an archaeologist who specializes in the archaeology of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Eric has worked on many archaeological research projects in the southern Gulf Islands over the past decade, and has a strong professional interest in integrating First Nations in heritage resource management. He presently lives in Ladysmith and works as an independent archaeological consultant working on behalf of local First Nations, including the Hul'qumi'num Treaty Group. | <urn:uuid:6a4da88d-cdde-4c28-b039-025c6f2fa7c1> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://saltspringarchives.com/multicultural/firstnations/rediscovering.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398216.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00137-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947918 | 2,321 | 3.359375 | 3 |
One vote (per voting precinct) elected John F. Kennedy, and Harry S. Truman, president of the United States1
One vote brought the state of Texas into the Union.1
ONE VOTE per precinct determined the winners for Governor in the states of Maine, Rhode Island, and North Dakota in 1962.1
In 1776 English was chosen over German as the language for America by ONE vote.2
In 1923, Hitler won the leadership of the German Nazi Party by ONE vote.2
Massachusetts midterm elections are today. The polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
You can go online to find out where to vote.
I know you are all resourceful individuals. You can find a way to get to your polling place and exercise your right to vote. Get more Massachusetts voting information here.
You may not be politically active, and that is okay, but as United States citizens, we all have a responsibility to exercise our right to vote, or we risk losing that right. | <urn:uuid:a3361981-9487-4a70-ae19-f65fdc286c4b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.becker.edu/presidentjohnsonblog/students/one-vote-does-make-a-difference/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399106.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00087-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95219 | 215 | 3.234375 | 3 |
Men who are deficient in vitamin D often have more aggressive prostate cancer at the time of surgery, according to a recent study.
While other studies have shown an association between vitamin D levels and aggressive prostate cancer, they were based on blood drawn well before treatment. The new study provides a more direct correlation because it measured D levels within a couple of months before the tumor was visually identified as aggressive during surgery to remove the prostate (radical prostatectomy).
The finding can offer guidance to men and their doctors who may be considering active surveillance, in which they monitor the cancer rather than remove the prostate.
“Men with dark skin, low vitamin D intake, or low sun exposure should be tested for vitamin D deficiency when they are diagnosed with an elevated PSA or prostate cancer. Then a deficiency should be corrected with supplements,” says Adam Murphy, an assistant professor of urology at Northwestern University and lead investigator.
The relationship between vitamin D and prostate cancer may explain some disparities seen in prostate cancer, especially among African-American men. Prior research by Murphy and colleagues showed African-American men who live in low sunlight locations are up to 1½ times more likely to have vitamin D deficiency than Caucasian men.
But because vitamin D is a biomarker for bone health and aggressiveness of other diseases, all men should check their levels, Murphy says.
“All men should be replenishing their vitamin D to normal levels,” Murphy adds. “It’s smart preventive health care.”
Aggressive prostate cancer is defined by whether the cancer has migrated outside of the prostate and by a high Gleason score. A low Gleason score means the cancer tissue is similar to normal prostate tissue and less likely to spread; a high one means the cancer tissue is very different from normal and more likely to spread.
The study was part of a larger ongoing study of 1,760 men in the Chicago area examining vitamin D and prostate cancer. The current study included 190 men, average age of 64, who underwent a radical prostatectomy to remove their prostate from 2009 to 2014.
Of that group, 87 men had aggressive prostate cancer. Those with aggressive cancer had a median level of 22.7 nanograms per milliliter of vitamin D, significantly below the normal level of more than 30 nanograms/milliliter. The average D level in Chicago during the winter is about 25 nanograms/milliliter, Murphy notes.
“It’s very hard to have normal levels when you work in an office every day and because of our long winter,” he says.
The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Murphy collaborated on the study with Rick Kittles, associate director of cancer disparities at the University of Arizona Cancer Center.
The National Institutes of Health, the Veterans Health Administration, and the US Department of Defense funded the study.
Source: Northwestern University | <urn:uuid:ad98f5c7-5409-4924-9fb5-866c7cd31af6> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.futurity.org/vitamin-d-prostate-cancer-1115142-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395621.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00038-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954637 | 594 | 3.03125 | 3 |
Born: December 1, 1935
Brooklyn, New York
American filmmaker, actor, author, and comedian
Woody Allen is one of America's most prominent filmmakers. He has made many comedies and serious films that deal with subjects that have always interested him—the relationships of men and women, death, and the meaning of life.
Woody Allen was born Allen Stewart Konigsberg on December 1, 1935, in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, New York, into a family that he described as "typical noisy ethnic." His father, Martin, held a variety of jobs including bartending, and his mother, Nettie, worked as a bookkeeper. His only sibling is a sister. As a teenager Woody did not show much intellectual or social interest and spent long hours in his bedroom practicing magic tricks. He started using the name Woody Allen at age seventeen when he began submitting jokes to a local newspaper. People noticed his jokes and asked him to write for other comedians.
After Allen graduated from high school, he enrolled in New York University as a motion picture major and, later, in the night school at City College, but he was unhappy. He dropped out of both schools to pursue his career as a comedy writer.
Before Allen turned twenty he had sold twenty thousand gags (short jokes) to the New York newspapers. By the time he turned twenty-three he was writing for one of television's biggest comedy stars, Sid Caesar (1922–). He also hired a tutor from Columbia University to teach him literature and philosophy (the study of knowledge).
Allen began performing his own material in a small New York City nightclub in 1960. He worked six nights a week and learned how to work with an audience. He began to be noticed and started to appear on network television. Unlike other comics who favored political humor, Allen made jokes about his own comic character whom he had invented, a little guy tormented by the big questions about life issues and his hard luck with women. Success in clubs and on television led to a comedy album that was nominated for a Grammy (a recording industry award) in 1964.
Allen had long been a lover of movies, American and foreign, but the first one he wrote and acted in, What's New, Pussycat? (1965), turned out to be a very bad experience for him. He was so unhappy that he said he would never do another movie unless he was given complete control of the cast and how it looked in the end. Fortunately, What's New, Pussycat? was so successful that Allen was given his wish for future movies.
Allen was successful in writing and directing films such as Take the Money and Run (1969), and Bananas (1971). His Broadway play Don't Drink the Water was also made into a movie in 1969, although Allen neither directed it nor acted in it. His success continued with Play It Again, Sam (1972) (also based on a play he wrote), Sleeper (1973), and Love and Death (1975).
Allen made his first serious film, Annie Hall, in 1977. It was a bittersweet (having both pleasure and pain) comedy about a romance that ends sadly. The movie won four Academy Awards (Oscars) including Best Screenplay (script) for Allen. He followed Annie Hall with Interiors (1978) and Manhattan (1979), both of which were more serious than comedic. His career as a serious film-maker had definitely been recognized.
Annie Hall also marked the beginning of a nine-picture collaboration with movie cameraman Gordon Willis. Allen continued to use different filmmaking techniques to create a new style for each new film. He imitated the style of Italian director Federico Fellini (1920–1993) in his next film, Stardust Memories (1980). In that movie he plays a film-maker who does not like his fans. During an interview with Esquire magazine in 1987, Allen said, "The best film I ever did, really, was Stardust Memories. "
Allen has been married to or has been romantically involved with the women who have starred in his movies. These include Louise Lasser (1939–), Diane Keaton (1946–), and Mia Farrow (1945–). Lasser acted in several of Allen's earlier films. Keaton appeared not only in Annie Hall, but also in Bananas; Play It Again, Sam; Sleeper; Love and Death; Interiors; Manhattan; and Radio Days (1987). Each relationship ended unhappily, but each actress received very favorable recognition for her roles in Allen's films.
In 1982 Allen began working with his new off-screen partner, actress Mia Farrow, in a film that was loosely based on Shakespeare's (1564–1616) A Midsummer's Night Dream. Farrow also starred in Zelig (1983), Broadway Danny Rose (1984), and The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985). Hollywood gave three Oscars to the next movie they made, Hannah and Her Sisters (1986). They worked on several more films but ended their personal life together in 1992.
Allen continued to write and direct many films, including Manhattan Murder
Allen continued with another comedy in 1995, making Mighty Aphrodite, a modern story that includes scenes parodying (comically imitating) Greek tragedy. The next release, Everyone Says I Love You, (1996) marked Allen's first attempt at a musical. Reports said that he waited until two weeks after the film's stars signed their contracts to mention that he was making a musical. On purpose he chose actors who were not necessarily musically trained in order to get more honest emotion in the songs. (Allen himself is a very accomplished musician. He plays clarinet in the style of old New Orleans jazz every week at a club in New York City and has performed music for several of his own films.)
Woody Allen's most recent films are Small Time Crooks (2000), The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001), and Hollywood Ending (2002). Most of Allen's films have been made on modest budgets in New York City. Of the many film writers and directors, he is one of the few who has complete control of his films.
Woody Allen has grown beyond his beginnings as a comedian. Today he is regarded as one of the most versatile (capable of doing many things) movie makers in America.
Baxter, John. Woody Allen: A Biography. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2000.
Lax, Eric. Woody Allen: A Biography. New York: Knopf, 1991.
Meade, Marion. The Unruly Life of Woody Allen: A Biography. New York: Scribner, 2000. | <urn:uuid:b3fe5875-1abb-451a-bde9-85fa6f4d29eb> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.notablebiographies.com/A-An/Allen-Woody.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394937.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00070-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983014 | 1,374 | 2.578125 | 3 |
An ACL means Access Control List.
It is a list that controls access to networks.
To answer your question, you need to be more specific.
In which equipment do you intend to deploy the ACL brand and model.
What is your layer 3 network configuration?
What addresses are you using in your local and remote subnet (the one you want to block)
Do you want to block any traffic or specific traffic?
PLease post back.
Think of an ACL as a “network traffic filter” – they can be used to allow, prevent or redirect certain types of traffic..
A good example of one that accomplishes what I believe you’re asking is as follows:
(This config was done on a Cisco 1841 and is assuming your LAN is 192.168.10.0 /24, and the remote LAN is 172.16.1.0 /24)
<b>Router(config)#access-list 100 deny ip 192.168.10.0 0.0.0.255 22.214.171.124 0.0.0.255</b> – This blocks ALL traffic from one LAN to the other
<b>Router(config)#access-list 100 permit ip any any</b> – This prevents the ACL from killing ALL traffic NOT destined for the remote LAN
Then Apply the ACL to the router interface that connects to your LAN:
Router(config-if)#ip access-group 100 in
That should block the 192.x LAN from getting to the 172.x LAN without blocking any other traffic to the Internet or other networks… | <urn:uuid:c24de10b-c941-4a87-b0dc-6968ee2ddc46> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/itanswers/using-acl-to-block-traffic-from-internal-lan/?watch=94634 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00199-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.815755 | 341 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Louisiana has the sixth-highest level of inequality in the United States, a problem that has worsened in recent years due to stagnating wages for the poorest residents coupled with increases by those with high incomes, according to a report on the gap between rich and poor residents released Thursday. The state has seen the gap between those two population segments grow since the 1970s, a trend also apparent in the rest of the country, according to the report.
"Before the Great Recession hit our economy was growing," said Elizabeth McNichol, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and one of the authors of the report. "This growth was not experienced by much of America and many state policies served to widen the gaps between low and middle income households and those on the top."
The findings in the report, which was put out by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., show the need to expand tax credits low income residents in Louisiana, said Jan Moller, director of the Louisiana Budget Project in Baton Rouge. All three groups are liberal thinks tanks that look particularly at fiscal policy and issues of inequality.
The study is based on U.S. Census data that tracks income after federal taxes and benefits are taken into account. It tracks inequality from the late 1970s, a time period chosen because it represents the end of a pattern that began in the 1950s and saw all income levels increase, McNichol said.
The state with the highest level of inequality, based on data from 2008 to 2010, is New Mexico, with the top 20 percent of residents making 9.9 times as much as the bottom 20 percent, according to the report. Arizona, California, Georgia and New York round out the top five.
The most equal state is Iowa, where the highest earners make 5.6 percent as much as those at the bottom.
In Louisiana, the richest 5 percent of households have an average income of more than 14 times the size of the bottom 20 percent, according to the report. Those top earners, who average about $238,600 a year, make about 4.5 times as much as the middle 20 percent of earners.
Nationally, the richest 5 percent of households make more than 13 times as much as the poorest 20 percent and 4.5 times as much as the middle 20 percent.
Compared to the rest of the country, Louisiana has not seen inequality spike as much since the 1970s. During that time frame, the richest fifth of the population saw their incomes rise by 114.1 percent while the poorest 20 percent saw an increase of about 6.9 percent. In Louisiana, those top earners saw a 61.9 percent increase during those decades while the incomes of the bottom 20 percent increased by 9.6.
The report may actually understate the problem of inequality in Louisiana because while it accounts for federal taxes the Census data do not reflect the burden of the state's sales tax, Moller said. Louisiana's sales tax rate is the third highest in the country, with a state sales tax of 4 percent is combined with an average local levy of 4.86 percent, according to a report issued earlier this year by The Tax Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C.
"We have a tax code strongly tilted toward the wealthy and one of the most regressive tax structures in the country," he said.
To improve the situation, Moller said lawmakers should double the state's Earned Income Tax Credit, which benefits low and middle income residents, and maintain or expand tax credits for child care.
Louisiana's state Earned Income Tax Credit, which is worth 3.5 percent of the federal version, is the lowest among the states that offer their own version of the credit.
"The Earned Income Tax Credit is one of the best anti-poverty tools available," he said. "Right now it costs about $45 million a year at the state level so doubling it would double that credit and that's money that would go directly into the pockets of low income working families."
Those families, in turn, will spend the money on goods and services, putting it back into the economy, he said.
Earlier this year, Gov. Bobby Jindal announced that next year's legislative session would focus on overhauling the state's tax code. That announcement came after legislators created the Revenue Study Commission during last year's session. That group is now combing through the state's hundreds of tax breaks and could issue recommendations on removing or altering some of them.
Administration officials have the governor's goal for the session will be to make the tax code "flatter, fairer and lower." The administration has not yet released its specific proposals for revamping the tax code. | <urn:uuid:7661b6e2-ac0d-4323-9846-01c5566d47de> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/11/louisiana_has_sixth_highest_in.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397567.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00113-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972362 | 974 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Welcome to the Virus Encyclopedia of Panda Security.
Clicker.ARB allows hackers to get into and carry out dangerous actions in affected computers, such as capturing screenshots, stealing personal data, etc.
It affects productivity, preventing tasks from being carried out:
It causes a loss of productivity in the local network to which the compromised computer belongs:
It reduces the security level of the computer:
Clicker.ARB does not spread automatically using its own means. It needs the attacking user's intervention in order to reach the affected computer. The means of transmission used include, among others, floppy disks, CD-ROMs, email messages with attached files, Internet downloads, FTP, IRC channels, peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing networks, etc.
Clicker.ARB has the following additional characteristics: | <urn:uuid:2ef1bc62-b19b-42a2-a757-4f28e43de766> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/security-info/219410/information/Clicker.ARB | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395560.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00071-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.891193 | 167 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Question About Oregon Sighting: Meteor or Iridium Flare
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff
(Manzanita, Oregon) – A little over a month ago, Oregon Coast Beach Connection snapped a pic of what appeared to be a shooting star above the north coast town of Manzanita. Checking in with astronomy expert Jim Todd from OMSI, the initial verdict was that it likely was.
Now, it actually may be something rarer.
The photograph was taken late at night on this north Oregon coast beach, with the Big Dipper floating above the moving object. Todd's first reaction was that the white streak was likely a meteor from a set of meteor showers happening that month.
“It does look like you have a shooting star or meteor from the September Perseid,” Todd said at the time.
But soon after he said it may instead be an iridium flare – the extended gleam of a satellite's metallic surface as it catches the sun. (Above: the Big Dipper is just above the streak).
This phenomenon is also known as a “satellite glint.” According to Wkipedia, it is “the phenomenon caused by the reflective surfaces on satellites (such as antennas or solar panels) reflecting sunlight directly onto the Earth below and appearing as a brief, bright flare.' “
Certain kinds of communication satellites have a distinctive shape and there polished antennas. Periodically, one of these antenna reflect sunlight back down to the Earth, creating a flare that lasts a few seconds.
There are actually many websites that can predict these. Although they are predictable, they are rarer than actual meteors sightings.
Case in point: while Oregon Coast Beach Connection was photographing this nocturnal beach scene, several shooting stars were seen. These were apparently part of the Leonid showers Todd talked about, although it was a few days from the peak. This particular incident came from a 47-second test shot, and it wasn't seen with the naked eye. Staff only saw this particular phenomenon when viewing the photo after it was downloaded onto the computer.
Considering the almost cylindrical shape of this streak, and when comparing it to other iridium flare photographs, this does seem likely it's a flare rather than a meteor. Where to stay in this area - Where to eat - Maps and Virtual Tours
More photos from Manzanita, and Manzanita, Wheeler, Rockaway Beach lodging below.
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All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted | <urn:uuid:c5d81035-6041-434a-84b9-f4a7f7ca84e3> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.beachconnection.net/news/iridium102712_535.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403825.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00019-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942988 | 572 | 2.578125 | 3 |
In a study published today in Nano Letters, Professor Ted Sargent and colleagues advance the use of one laser beam to direct another with unprecedented control, a featured needed inside future fibre-optic networks. "This finding showcases the power of nanotechnology: to design and create purpose-built custom materials from the molecule up," says Sargent, a professor at U of T's Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Until now, engineering researchers have been unable to capitalize on theoreticians' predictions of the power of light to control light. The failure of real materials to live up to their theoretical potential has become known as the "Kuzyk quantum gap" in molecular nonlinear optics. "Molecular materials used to switch light signals with light have, until now, been considerably weaker than fundamental physics say they could be," says Sargent. "With this work, the ultimate capacity to process information-bearing signals using light is within our practical grasp."
To breach the Kuzyk quantum gap, Carleton University chemistry professor Wayne Wang and colleague Connie Kuang designed a material that combined nanometre-sized spherical particles known as "buckyballs" (molecules of carbon atoms resembling soccer balls) with a designed class of polymer. The polymer and buckyball combination created a clear, smooth film designed to make light particles pick up each other's patterns.
Sargent and U of T colleague Qiying Chen then studied the optical properties of this new hybrid material. They found that the material was able to process information carried at telecommunications wavelengths - the infrared colours of light used in fibre-optic cables. "Photons - particles of light - interacted unusually strongly with one another across the set of wavelengths used for communications," says Sargent. "Calculations based on these measurements reveal that we came closer than ever to achieving what quantum mechanical physics tells us is possible."
According to Sargent, future fibre-optic communication systems could relay signals around the global network with picosecond (one trillionth of a second) switching times, resulting in an Internet 100 times faster. To do this, they need to avoid unnecessary conversions of signals between optical and electronic form. Says Sargent: "By creating a new hybrid material that can harness a light beam's power, we've demonstrated a new class of materials which meets the engineering needs of future photonic networks."
The paper addresses a limit originally predicted by Washington State University theorist and physicist Professor Mark Kuzyk. Kuzyk was the first to predict the fundamental physical limits on the nonlinear properties of molecular materials in 2000 and says that by approaching the quantum limit, the U of T-Carleton team has succeeded where all other researchers have failed.
"The report on reaching the quantum limit by the Toronto and Carleton team of researchers is a major advance in the science of nonlinear optical materials that will impact directly many important technologies," says Kuzyk. "This intelligent nanoscale approach to engineering nonlinear-optical materials, which is guided by principles of quantum physics, is the birth of a new and significant materials development paradigm in synthetic research."
The research was supported by the Ontario Research and Development Challenge Fund, Nortel Networks, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Canada Research Chairs Foundation, the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Innovation Trust.
University of Toronto Public Affairs | <urn:uuid:193d4494-9a45-4e68-9158-7a6ebed6729a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-08/uot-nts081104.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395992.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00122-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925461 | 689 | 3.453125 | 3 |
Western Scrub Jay in Santa Fe, NM.
© Peter Wallack
Most people, even most kids, know that birds have no teeth.
Likewise, it’s common knowledge that quite a few birds consume almost exclusively hard foods such as grains and seeds.
So so how do birds digest these tough morsels if they can’t chew them into more edible pieces?
The answer lies in a bird’s stomach—in the lower part of its stomach, to be specific, the area called the gizzard. It’s here that the powerful mixing and gnashing of food that occurs in human mouths takes place in birds.
But rather than bicuspids, molars, and the like, the gizzard uses small rocks, shells, and sand to break apart hard foods. The bird swallows these rocks and whatnot specifically to help with digestion. And when they wear down, as inevitably happens, the bird simply passes them on as waste and consumes a fresh supply.
Almost every species of bird has a gizzard,as do some species of reptiles, earthworms and fish. A bird’s gizzard has thick, muscular walls and is lined with a protective substance known as koiln.
So having a gizzard is a bit like having a drawer filled with spare teeth—only without the dentist’s bills! | <urn:uuid:a1ffa056-ff1d-4aab-be40-55345409d2c6> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://wild.enature.com/blog/how-do-birds-eat-if-they-have-no-teeth | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399117.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00111-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952569 | 281 | 3.84375 | 4 |
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This is the first module in the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) Project Suite curriculum. Activities are self-directed by students or student teams using online videos and data from the SDO satellite to explore, research and build knowledge about... (View More) features of the Sun. Students build vocabulary, apply or demonstrate learning through real world connections, and creating resources to use in their investigations. Each activity comes with both a teacher and student guide with sequential instructions and embedded links to the needed videos and internet resources. Activity 1A: Structure of the Earth's Star takes students through the features and function of the Sun's structures using online videos, completing a "Sun Primer" data sheet using information from the videos, and creating a 3D origami model of the Sun. Students use a KWL chart to track what they have learned. Activity 1B: Observing the Sun has students capture real solar images from SDO data to find and record sunspots and track their movement across the surface of the Sun. Activity 1C has students create a pin-hole camera to use in calculating the actual diameter of the Sun, and then calculate scales to create a Earth-Sun scale model. Students reflect on their learning and results at the end of the module. An internet connection and access to computers are needed to complete this module. See related and supplementary resources for link to full curriculum. (View Less)
This is the fourth and culminating module in the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) Project Suite curriculum. Student teams use information and resources from the other three modules in the project suite to create a 3D interactive solar exhibit to... (View More) educate others about the Sun and how SDO informs scientists about the Sun's activity, structures and features, and Earth-Sun interactions. Students then self-evaluate their team's solar exhibit. Both a teacher and student guide are included, as well as tools for students to self-direct and track project process, and record reflections and information. A computer for student-teams and access to the internet are needed for this module. See related and supplementary resources for link to full curriculum. (View Less)
This is a book about the importance of the Sun's energy as it relates to its impact on the Earth’s environment. Learners will read or listen to a story about a young boy, Joshua, who finds out that the Sun provides the Earth with energy in the... (View More) form of light and heat, which is necessary for all forms of life, for maintaining Earth's environment, and for allowing humans to produce their own forms of energy. Additionally, an extension activity is included, Searching for the Sun, where learners can conduct a hands-on experiment observing how plants grow towards sunlight in order to make conclusions about why the Sun’s energy is a necessary component for life. Reading and vocabulary activities are also included. (View Less)
This is a lesson about the electromagnetic spectrum. Learners will read two pages of information about the electromagnetic spectrum and answer questions in an accompanying worksheet. This activity is from the Stanford Solar Center's All About the... (View More) Sun: Sun and Stars activity guide for Grades 5-8 and can also accompany the Stanford Solar Center's Build Your Own Spectroscope activity. (View Less)
Using a set of activities, recommendations, and diagrams, participants will construct a fully functional Space Weather Action Center (SWAC) for use in a classroom. Students will access, analyze, and record NASA satellite and observatory data to... (View More) monitor the progress of an entire solar storm. Afterward, they will transform the data collected in their student journals into real SWAC news reports using an adaptable SWAC script. (View Less)
This is an activity about what individuals already know about the Sun. Learners will brainstorm and share with the group their prior knowledge about the Sun. This is Activity 1 of the Sun As a Star afterschool curriculum. | <urn:uuid:723569db-365d-4f1c-874b-0dadd1885a3c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://nasawavelength.org/resource-search?facetSort=1&topicsSubjects=Earth+and+space+science%3ASolar+system&resourceType=Instructional+materials%3AWriting+assignment&smdForumPrimary=Heliophysics | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393332.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00007-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.911355 | 822 | 3.828125 | 4 |
DURHAM, N.C., Jan. 22 (UPI) -- Fracking makes less wastewater per unit of gas obtained than conventional wells but can overwhelm some regions' wastewater disposal capacity, researchers say.
The scale of hydraulic fracturing operations in the Marcellus shale region of the eastern United States is so vast it threatens to produce more wastewater than disposal efforts can handle, an analysis by researchers at Duke and Kent State universities found.
In hydraulic fracturing, large volumes of water, sand and chemicals are injected deep underground into gas wells at high pressure to crack open shale rock and extract embedded natural gas.
Hydraulically fractured natural gas wells in Pennsylvania produce only about 35 percent as much wastewater per unit of gas recovered as conventional wells, the researchers said, but the total amount of wastewater from natural gas production in the region has increased by about 570 percent since 2004 as a result of increased fracking production.
"It's a double-edged sword," Kent State biogeochemist Brian Lutz said. "On one hand, shale gas production generates less wastewater per unit. On the other hand, because of the massive size of the Marcellus resource, the overall volume of water that now has to be transported and treated is immense.
"It threatens to overwhelm the region's wastewater-disposal infrastructure capacity," said Lutz, who made the analysis while a postdoctoral research associate at Duke.
The researchers analyzed gas production and wastewater generation for 2,189 gas wells in Pennsylvania.
"This is the reality of increasing domestic natural gas production," Martin Doyle, Duke professor of river science said. "There are significant tradeoffs and environmental impacts whether you rely on conventional gas or shale gas." | <urn:uuid:d678a784-5469-4c14-863c-5618494f9c6a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2013/01/22/Fracking-wastewater-at-center-of-study/UPI-23081358901400/?spt=hs&or=sn | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397636.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00136-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931084 | 344 | 2.984375 | 3 |
A-level Physics (Advancing Physics)/Kinematics
Kinematics is the study of how objects move. One needs to understand a situation in which an object changes speed, accelerating or decelerating, and travelling a certain distance. There are four equations you need to be able to use which relate these quantities.
Before we can understand the kinematic equations, we need to understand the variables involved. They are as follows:
- t is the length of the interval of time being considered, in seconds.
- v is the speed of the object at the end of the time interval, in ms-1.
- u is the speed of the object at the beginning of the time interval, in ms-1.
- a is the acceleration of the object during the time interval, in ms-2. Has to be a constant.
- s is the displacement (distance traveled) of the object during the time interval, in meters.
The four equations are as follows:
It is also useful to know where the above equations come from. We know that acceleration is equal to change in speed per. unit time, so:
We also know that the average speed over the time interval is equal to displacement per. unit time, so:
If we substitute the value of v from equation 1 into equation 2, we get:
If we take the equation for acceleration (*), we can rearrange it to get:
If we substitute this equation for t into equation 2, we obtain:
1. A person accelerates from a speed of 1 ms-1 to 1.7 ms-1 in 25 seconds. How far has he travelled in this time?
2. A car accelerates at a rate of 18 kmh-2 to a speed of 60 kmh-1, travelling 1 km in the process. How fast was the car travelling before it travelled this distance?
3. A goose in flight is travelling at 4 ms-1. It accelerates at a rate of 1.5 ms-2 for 7 seconds. What is its new speed?
4. How far does an aeroplane travel if it accelerates from 400 kmh-1 at a rate of 40 kmh-2 for 1 hour? | <urn:uuid:d0b6f360-160d-45af-98ed-8b8a03ed2645> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/A-level_Physics_(Advancing_Physics)/Kinematics | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396459.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00029-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917957 | 461 | 3.59375 | 4 |
The Bible teaches us,
"Whoever says he abides in him [Jesus] ought to walk in the same way in which He walked" (1 John 2:6)and
"Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1)Sixteenth-century pastor John Calvin referred to Jesus as the "Grand Model" for all Christians to follow and learn from. Jesus modeled so much for us during his earthly ministry. For example, He modeled how to pray, how to handle temptation, how to speak the truth in love, how to stand against evil, and how to really train and disciple others.
Christian parents should look at Jesus' life as the perfect example of how parents should train, teach and love their own little disciples – their children. It is interesting to note that Jesus, on occasion, publicly called His disciples "children" (Mark 10:24). Eighteenth-century Bible commentator John Gill noted "it was common with the Jews to call [their] disciples … 'children.'" When reading the gospels we get an intimate view of how Jesus discipled and loved His own "children."
Teaching – Jesus is the supreme "good Teacher" (Luke 18:18).
- He taught His disciples daily (Luke 19:47);
- He traveled all over the region with His disciples as they watched Him teach others (Luke 23:5);
- other religious leaders recognized that Jesus was a teacher sent by God (John 3:2);
- Jesus' apostles acknowledged that His teachings were the words of eternal life (John 6:68);
- Jesus acknowledged He was their Lord and Teacher (John 13:14);
- and even immediately after Jesus' physical resurrection, some of His followers continued to call him Teacher (John 20:16).
We see in Jesus' method of discipling three primary things: teaching, mentoring, and investment of time.
Mentoring – Jesus' teaching style was far more than just talk and passing on "head knowledge"; He lived the life for them to see and follow. His disciples saw Jesus often go away to pray on His own, which prompted them to ask how they, too, should pray (Luke 11:1). His apostles saw Jesus heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead and preach the gospel. Later, after years of pouring His life into them, Jesus then confidently sent them on the "Great Commission" (Matthew 28:16-20).
Time Investment – The disciples did not take a class with Jesus, nor did they spend a mere semester under Jesus' training; rather, they spent about three and a half years with Jesus, with no spring or summer breaks, no Christmas vacations. This was a 24-hour/365-day-a-year "course" taught by the greatest Teacher this world has ever known. Jesus knew that you had to devote quality time with people to really make a powerful impact on their lives. Dr. John MacArthur points out in his book "Twelve Ordinary Men," "[The disciples] could listen to His [Jesus'] teaching, ask Him questions, watch how He dealt with people, and enjoy intimate fellowship with Him in every kind of setting. … He graciously encouraged them, lovingly corrected them, and patiently instructed them. That is how the best learning always occurs. It isn't just information passed on; it's one life invested in another." | <urn:uuid:7607e74c-620b-4d28-89c4-8c0152b8fe71> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://clarkchatter.blogspot.com/2011/09/wwjd-re-homeschooling-part-1.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395560.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00109-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973826 | 702 | 2.9375 | 3 |
Bluegrass was shifted into the spotlight with the release of the Coen Brothers film 'O Brother, Where Art Thou'. Despite the use of Bluegrass music that saturated its soundtrack, the film itself was set in the depression, a time period when it was unlikely that Bluegrass was played. Although it is difficult to say exactly when Bluegrass was created, many agree that it started after World War II.
Bluegrass is an offshoot of Country music, relying on a variety of stringed instruments such as the fiddle, banjo, acoustic guitar, and upright bass to produce its characteristic tone. Themes of bluegrass songs are similar to Country music, usually focusing on the timeless nature of the land and its people, rather than modern advancements.
The name is inspired from The Bluegrass Boys, a band formed by Bill Monroe in the late thirties, who some consider to be the pioneer of this particular genre. The band increased in popularity when it added Earl Scruggs, whose trademark banjo playing or 'Scruggs style' has left a mark on bluegrass to this day. In the 1960s, there was a trend toward a new style called progressive Bluegrass or 'new grass', and Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead has often been credited with introducing this evolved style of Bluegrass music to audiences, who were still into rock and roll music. In the eighties, there was a resurgence of classic Bluegrass songs, but played in a different way and often incorporating electric musical instruments. By the nineties, several country musicians had tried their hand at it, much like many rock musicians had tried disco back in the seventies.
Notable recent performers include Ricky Skaggs, a one time mainstream Country musician. The great Alison Kraus has won twenty Grammy awards for this genre, clocking up more wins than any other female artist. Kraus, along with the group Union Station, contributed to the Oh Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack. | <urn:uuid:478ea725-afac-4489-8d69-364b847bcffa> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.musicians.com/genre/bluegrass/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402479.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00101-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979153 | 399 | 2.890625 | 3 |
1(Of a structure or piece of equipment) poorly made and likely to collapse: we went carefully up the rickety stairs figurative a rickety banking system
More example sentences
- That would put an enormous stress on the rickety structure of Australia's political parties.
- But you did actually go back and ascend this rather rickety structure and made some interesting discoveries.
- And despite the best efforts of the socialist government, large-scale commercialisation overshadows the country's rickety network of tour operators.
- Example sentences
- Although its technology is state-of-the-art, the impression of ricketiness gives you a real old-time thrill.
Words that rhyme with ricketypernickety
For editors and proofreaders
Line breaks: rick|ety
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed. | <urn:uuid:c312f477-7f38-48a2-9ba5-1b0ab67d64a4> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/rickety | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396027.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00064-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.896566 | 200 | 2.625 | 3 |
GSM (Global System for Mobile communications: originally from Groupe Special Mobile) is the most popular standard for mobile phones in the world. Its promoter, the GSM Association, estimates that 82% of the global mobile market uses the standard GSM is used by over 3 billion people across more than 212 countries and territories.Its ubiquity makes international roaming very common between mobile phone operators, enabling subscribers to use their phones in many parts of the world. GSM differs from its predecessors in that both signalling and speech channels are digital, and thus is considered a second generation (2G) mobile phone system. This has also meant that data communication was easy to build into the system.
CDMA (Code division multiple access) is a channel access method utilized by various radio communication technologies. It should not be confused with the mobile phone standards called cdmaOne and CDMA2000 (which are often referred to as simply "CDMA"), that use CDMA as their underlying channel access methods. One of the basic concepts in data communication is the idea of allowing several transmitters to send information simultaneously over a single communication channel. This allows several users to share a bandwidth of frequencies. This concept is called multiplexing. CDMA employs spread-spectrum technology and a special coding scheme (where each transmitter is assigned a code) to allow multiple users to be multiplexed over the same physical channel. CDMA is a form of "spread-spectrum" signaling, since the modulated coded signal has a much higher data bandwidth than the data being communicated.
What is 2G ?
2G is current signaling, that is second generation of mobile service. This allows you to make basic phone calls, send SMS, Voice Mails and send receive basic emails.
What is 3G?
3G stands for Third Generation of Mobile Service. This will allow you to perform more on your mobile phone.
You need to buy Mobile handset which is capable of receiving 3G service. These phones are little costly.
What is 4G?
4G stands for Fourth Generation of Mobile Service. This is today the fastest speed network you can ever have.
- This Ultra Boradband connectivity can be also used by Computer, Television & other Internet devices like XBox, PS3.
- 4G USB dongles can be used for high speed bandwidth on Laptops or Desktop computers.
- Once can also use MiFi card like devices to consume 4G services and spread the same connection to multiple devices through local WiFi.
You need to buy Mobile handset which is capable of receiving 4G service. Apple iPhone 4, 4s, 5, Latest iPad & few models of Samsung, HTC are capable of connecting to Fourth Generation Networks.
Speed: 128 Mb/sec - 1 Gb/sec
What is 5G?
5G stands for Fifth Generation of Mobile Service. This is still at conceptual level and expected to be implemented by year 2020.
Speed: 1 Gb/sec-10Gb/sec
Trace Mobile Number - New - Lucky Mobile Number - FM Station - Indian PIN Codes - Indian STD Codes - Trace Vehicle - Free SMS - Mobile Ads | <urn:uuid:f1faff02-5eca-412f-8c89-5feb814509e8> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://trace.bharatiyamobile.com/MobileGyaan.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392069.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00115-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933045 | 646 | 3.15625 | 3 |
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|man pages section 3: Basic Library Functions Oracle Solaris 10 1/13 Information Library|
- remove file
#include <stdio.h> int remove(const char *path);
The remove() function causes the file or empty directory whose name is the string pointed to by path to be no longer accessible by that name. A subsequent attempt to open that file using that name will fail, unless the file is created anew.
For files, remove() is identical to unlink(). For directories, remove() is identical to rmdir().
Upon successful completion, remove() returns 0. Otherwise, it returns -1 and sets errno to indicate an error.
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes: | <urn:uuid:b3601d5a-ba63-4d87-a069-4ed8de66e18f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E26505_01/html/816-5168/remove-3c.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396459.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00069-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.766811 | 163 | 3.3125 | 3 |
Coping is the act of shaping a bird's beak back to its ideal shape. In the wild many birds cope naturally as they break into bones and work to get meat off of bones. Other wild birds grow unnaturally long beaks which hinder their ability to survive. In captivity we must both provide materials for the bird to work on that will help naturally cope and shape the beak, but we must also maintain the bird's beak ourselves.
One word of advice is to beware of Dremels and other similar electric equipment. I have watched masters use them and shape a bird's beak beautifully, but they are easy to make mistakes with - mistakes which result in injury, deformity, and much blood. They also heat up the tissue very quickly causing pain and damage. If you are not an expert at the handling, coping, and shaping, stick with the manual equipment. I frequently use a Dremel as part of my coping, but have also practiced and always use caution. I have experimented with a Dremel on my own nail so I am aware of how this feels to her. I stop frequently to determine if there is any heat build up and check the shaping progress. I highly endorse Dremels to be used, but as with any of the equipment, always with caution.
Casting the birdYou will first need to cast the bird. Casting a bird
Coping the birdThe free handler will now assess the situation and determine where to start.
Like trimming a dog or cat's nails, there is a quick in the beak. An overgrown beak may not be able to be brought fully back into shape in one session. If the beak is terribly overgrown, start to shape it some, then do another shaping session in a week or two to let that quick rise further. Usually the tip is a good place to start. Some falconers take great care to shape it well. Others give it a rough shape and allow the bird's normal usage to finish it off. Either way works. Nipping the tip with a pair of very sharp dog nail trimmers will get the job done. When using toenail clippers or another clipper to shape the beak, always clip to reshape holding the clipper edge parallel to the edge you are clipping - don't try to take off length unless it's necessary. Think of this as reshaping to a smaller shape. As you clip you will hear a dry, sharp "click" or "snap". When it starts to sound rubbery, stop clipping. Be careful using a clipper on any area which is thin and could crack. Some very dry areas may need several treatments with an oil or salve in order to moisturize them enough to start to shape them.
Other shaping may be necessary. For birds which have roughness or slight deformities in the beak, additional contouring may be needed to prevent cracks from forming. Taking a dull razor blade and dragging it along the surface of the beak from the cere area towards the tip will slowly shape the surface and smooth it.
To address the sides, you will need to open her beak. One way to do this is to use a wooden pencil or wooden spoon (depending on the size of the bird). With the edge of the wood, tickle the hair-like feathers to the side of her beak. She will likely open her beak to bite whatever is there. While the beak is open slide the wooden handle into her beak to prop it open. Now you can carefully work a file to slowly shape the beak. Beware to not hit the bottom mandible, the tongue, or the other side of her beak. Also take care not to jam the wooden wedge against the corners of her mouth as that would not be comfortable. File a bit, then feel the area to make sure that there is no heat being generated, then file some more.
Repeat this on the other side of the beak to properly shape the entire beak. Check the cere for any signs of abrasion from the hood. Once you are certain that the beak is in good shape, take a few drops of oil onto your fingertips and rub them into the beak well. This will help rehydrate the beak and keep it supple preventing cracks.
With this done, the handler should grab her meal (a warm hunk of quail or rabbit leg) and put the glove back on. Put the meat into your fist in preparation for the bird and place your fist in her talons if at all possible. The towel handler can now, basically, just let go and remove the towel in one swift motion. The bird may lay there or may jump to her feet. If she jumps, the glove handler should be prepared to help her regain the glove. If she lays there, just let her work through the situation and let her regain the glove when she is ready. Once she is standing on the glove and calm, strike the hood and let her see her fine meal there. Many falconers believe that all is forgotten when the meal is given.
MaintenanceThe bird is likely not encountering the difficulty of tearing flesh in captivity that she faced in the wild. Because of this she must also have some opportunities to tear into flesh and bone to naturally shape her beak. Giving her large bones with a small amount of meat attached works well to keep her working on the bone wearing down the beak. Some falconers use large venison or beef bones - large enough that she will work on them without being able to ingest them. Turkey backs are another good source of solid bone that they cannot ingest. Other falconers take care to feed their birds the whole heads of the rabbits that are caught. Some birds may not need more than this, but others may need constant attention. Pay attention to the condition of your bird's beak and the needs - is it too dry and flaky and in need of moisture, or is it growing rapidly, and then address the situation accordingly for the optimal health of your bird.
Severely overgrown beaksSome birds will be trapped with bad beaks, either overgrown or with a tendency to grow poorly. These will require special maintenance.
For long beaks, do not try to take off the length with a dog nail trimmer. The act of closing the trimmer around that length of the beak tip will have the effect of crushing the tip and cause cracks up the beak. Slowly correct the beak length and shape. Take a whole turkey neck, remove the flaps of meat from it, and give it to the bird a week before coping. Leave her with it for several hours so she has had a chance to really work at the tendons and the bone. She will naturally alter the shape of her beak some in doing this. If she leaves meat still on the bone, collect the bone, rinse the length of it off well, and refrigerate until the next day allowing her a second chance to work that same segment of bones. Giving her the bone well in advance of the coping allows her quick to recede somewhat prior to your coping her. Begin by moisturizing the beak, especially the tip, by rubbing some Sweet Almond Oil into it several times a day for several days before coping.
To cope, you will need a sharp cutting instrument like the cutting tool available in the Northwoods' coping kit. Use the tip to scratch the desired length shape on the beak tip. Start slowly and use the tip to continue scoring the surface of the beak - you will basically gnaw a groove into one side of the beak. Change and go to the other side. The two scoring lines should begin to meet towards the most front facing area of the beak. You can now start scoring from the front, then continue rotating through each side until you have removed a section of the length. Never try to fit the beak tip into the jaws of the cutting device as you will have the effect of crushing the beak material and cause cracks up the beak. The sharp tool will quickly make a groove in the beak and it doesn't take that much work. Moisturize the beak well and reward the bird with her meal.
For her next meal, repeat the turkey neck to allow the beak to come back into its fully functional form. You will want to occasionally give a turkey neck in this manner to a bird who is particularly difficult to keep a good beak on.
Along with coping, proper foot care is also necessary to maintain a healthy bird. Proper Foot Care
Bird beak trimming http://burgebirdservices.homestead.com/beaks.html | <urn:uuid:15e74760-412d-4add-8236-1fc7a7bf1189> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.themodernapprentice.com/coping.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396872.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00030-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958117 | 1,787 | 2.8125 | 3 |
From its origins at the end of the 1830s, photography has never ceased to evolve both aesthetically and technologically. The past decade has given rise to the new age of digital photography, so Looking at Photographs, first published in 1991, has been revised and updated to define and illustrate terms from the earliest processes to this new technology. At once a rich and informative glossary and a history of the medium, this fully illustrated guide will be invaluable to all those wishing to increase their understanding and enjoyment of the art of photography.
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Rent Looking at Photographs 2nd edition today, or search our site for other textbooks by Gordon Baldwin. Every textbook comes with a 21-day "Any Reason" guarantee. Published by J. Paul Getty Museum.
Need help ASAP? We have you covered with 24/7 instant online tutoring. Connect with one of our History tutors now. | <urn:uuid:1392d838-eaec-4e30-92f5-7136738f742b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.chegg.com/textbooks/looking-at-photographs-2nd-edition-9780892369713-089236971x | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392527.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00004-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945565 | 182 | 2.75 | 3 |
What does GLIA stand for?
What does GLIA mean? This page is about the various possible meanings of the acronym, abbreviation, shorthand or slang term: GLIA.
We've found a total of 1 definition for GLIA:
What does GLIA mean?
- neuroglia, glia(noun)
- sustentacular tissue that surrounds and supports neurons in the central nervous system; glial and neural cells together compose the tissue of the central nervous system | <urn:uuid:38f68826-2029-48d6-bc3b-07c75a5258dd> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.abbreviations.com/GLIA | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00158-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.879371 | 100 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Lately, discussions of reading and literacy tend to devolve into polarized positions and alarmist rhetoric. On one side, fogey-nostalgist-book-loving types argue that the web is bad for reading, dumbing us down, destroying our attention spans, distracting us from classic texts. On the other, hip young techies excitedly point to the good things about digital reading, positing text-message novels and participatory media as new forms of storytelling with lower barriers to entry. This tired debate, which pits print against screen in the ultimate battle over how we read, is perhaps best summed up by the catchy headlines on last year’s New York Times talker “Online, R U Really Reading?” (July 17, 2008) and the Atlantic’s July-August 2008 cover story “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”
All of this fretting over the death of reading might sound more genuine if it wasn’t usually articulated by and for people who’ve staked their lives and careers on traditional media models—authors, academics, journalists, publishers, and the like. More importantly, it’s often beside the point. The debate over how we read, perpetuated largely by media insiders, is starting to seem like little more than a distraction from the real problem: We have access to more information than ever, yet we do not know what to do with it. We are desperately information-illiterate.
The Internet has added a seemingly limitless supply of stuff to an information landscape already overcrowded with books, magazines, news reports, radio shows, and cable channels. As greater numbers of people avail themselves of online resources, however, few understand how it all works and what it all means. In 2009 literacy isn’t about finishing a book or slogging through 12 web pages to get to the end of an article. It is about knowing what to do with information, how to find the good stuff, how to assess sources. What matters is not that we are readers, but that we are critical readers.
Young people, a.k.a. “digital natives” or millennials, are endlessly singled out by media trend-watchers and “kids today” tongue-cluckers as being universally obsessed with social networking and text messaging. Siva Vaidhyanathan, a professor of media studies and law at the University of Virginia, blows up this presumption in a strongly worded essay for the Chronicle of Higher Education (Sept. 19, 2008): “Talk of a ‘digital generation’ or people who are ‘born digital’ willfully ignores the vast range of skills, knowledge, and experience of many segments of society. . . . The ethnic, national, gender, and class biases of any sort of generation talk are troubling.”
Even for young people who grow up with gadgets, knowing how to upload videos or maintain a blog doesn’t translate to information literacy. “Of course [college students] use Google,” Vaidhyanathan writes, “but not very well—just like my 75-year-old father.”
Using search engines and databases fluently, and knowing how to find, filter, and assess accurate information, are skills that must be taught, by a parent, teacher, friend, or librarian. “This generation may surf the Net, but that does not mean that they think about how, why, and what they are doing,” write media studies teachers Barry Duncan and Carol Arcus for the Toronto-based magazine Education Forum (Winter 2009).
Take search engines. They can be powerful research tools—or they can drive you straight to the sites that are most aggressive and adept at playing the search engine optimization game. A Google search for “nuclear energy” won’t give you a well-rounded group of sources that are pro, con, and neutral—it will return a Wikipedia page at #1; the slick, “clean energy” home page of a nuclear industry lobbying firm at #2; and a cheesy-looking U.S. Department of Energy informational site for kids at #3. You have to get past three or four pages of results in order to get a taste of the surging debate that swirls around this topic. Information literacy is a liberal arts graduation requirement at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College, which makes the school a rarity, says Thomas Eland, coordinator of its information studies program.
“These students are really bright people, and when you push them to critically analyze the sources, they just don’t know,” Eland explains. “It’s amazing how much people just take in, and really don’t have the tools to critically unpack it, to understand the structures of media production and whose interests are being promoted. . . . It tells me a lot about why the public can be manipulated at so many different levels by advertisers and politicians.”
Even champions of independent media tend to forget that the way we find information online is governed by private companies, not benevolent librarian types who want to unite us with the precise, accurate data we seek.
“We have no control over how search engines inform us,” cautions Harry Lewis, a professor of computer science at Harvard, in the Chronicle of Higher Education (Jan. 16, 2009). “Google’s business is to supply the information that most people want, most of the time. How the company decides whether a particular result is No. 1 or No. 100,000 is part of Google’s secret recipe. . . . It is hard to think of anything else that we depend on so heavily yet know so little about.”
Eland believes that media literacy should be a high school requirement, which seems like a no-brainer—10 or 20 years ago, even. For now, it seems that burden is being shouldered by school librarians, which would be a more promising scenario if they weren’t often among the first heads on districts’ budgetary chopping blocks.
For the out-of-school, significant information literacy can be gleaned from public librarians, who are info-literate by trade. Yes, even in this digital age—especially in this digital age—librarians are often the best place to start. They’re at reference desks and Radical Reference (www.radicalreference.info), on instant messenger and telephone, behind brightly colored “Ask a Librarian!” buttons on library websites. They’ll help you cut through the clutter and send you back into the world with a few literacy skills you didn’t even know you needed.
For every issue, Utne Reader combs its library of more than 1,500 independent publications to bring you the best of the alternative press. | <urn:uuid:ff0965a1-cbad-45ca-b453-85c8e6f364ef> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.utne.com/Media/Literacy-Information-Overload.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394987.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00072-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943535 | 1,421 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Surviving Allergy Season
ever step outside, take a deep breath—and begin to sneeze uncontrollably
as your eyes start to itch and swell?
You are not alone. Many
adults and children suffer from seasonal allergies. Fortunately, there is
more help than ever before for seasonal allergy victims.
conjunctivitis is the most common seasonal allergy that affects the eyes. Its
symptoms—itchy, watery, red and swollen eyes—are usually caused by exposure
to pollen. Contact lens wearers may experience additional discomfort from
the collection of pollen and allergy-related eye secretions that can bind
to their lenses.
How do you know if your symptoms are caused by an
allergy or by another condition or disease? Both allergies and colds cause
symptoms of sneezing, congestion, runny nose, watery eyes, fatigue and
headaches. Pay close attention to the following, more subtle signs to learn
whether you have a cold or
- Cold symptoms often
appear one at a time. Allergy symptoms occur all at once.
symptoms usually last from 7 to 10 days, whereas allergy symptoms continue
only as long as a person is exposed to the allergy-causing agent.
- Allergies generally cause clear, thin, watery mucous discharge. Colds
may bring on a yellowish nasal discharge, suggesting an infectious
- Sneezing is a symptom more common to allergies,
especially when it occurs multiple times in a row.
- If you have a
fever, it’s not allergy.
- Colds are more common during the winter
months, whereas allergies are typically triggered in the spring, summer
and fall, when plants are pollinating.
- Pay special attention to
your eye symptoms. Generally, if your eyes itch, you have an allergy. If
your eyes only burn or sting, you may have dry eye. If there is a thick
discharge from your eye, you could have an infection. See your eye care
provider for a proper diagnosis and treatment if you are experiencing any
If you suffer from those unpleasant eye
symptoms, you may also experience seasonal allergic rhinitis, commonly
known as hay fever. This is your nose’s reaction to the same pollen:
sneezing, congestion, postnasal drip, runny nose and itchy throat. In
fact, pollen can travel through connecting ducts from the eyes into the
Pollen is a fine powder released by plants in order to
fertilize new seeds. The kind of pollen that causes allergic reactions
comes from non-flowering plants, such as trees, grasses and weeds.
Pollen from flowering plants does not cause allergy problems because it
is delivered by insects rather than by the wind. Generally, pollen
season in the U.S. lasts from February or March through October, and
starts later in the spring the farther north one goes. In southern
states, it can begin as early as January.
Your body’s allergic
reaction to pollen is caused by the immune system’s abnormal response to
this dust-like substance. Mistaking harmless pollen for a disease-causing
agent, your body begins to produce antibodies to fight it off, just as
it would for an attacking virus. The body then releases histamines,
chemicals that trigger inflammation and increased secretions of the
sinuses, nose and eyes.
The Best Treatment: Avoidance
Doctors agree that the best way to control seasonal allergy
symptoms is to avoid the pollen that triggers them. That means staying
indoors when pollen counts are highest. A good rule of thumb is to try
to stay indoors as much as possible on hot, dry, windy days, and
on any day between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m.
When you are
outdoors, follow these guidelines:
- Minimize walks in
wooded areas or gardens.
- Wear a mask while you mow the lawn or
garden. Keep grass cut low—no more than 2 inches high—to help prevent
pollen from reaching high into the wind.
- Keep hedges in your
yard pruned and thin to limit collection of pollen on their
- Dry your clothes and linens in a dryer instead of
hanging them outdoors.
When you are indoors, you can
take these steps to maximize protection:
- Keep windows
closed. Use air conditioning at home and in your car.
- Cover home
air conditioning vents with cheesecloth to filter out pollen. Clean air
filters frequently—high-efficiency particulate air filters (HEPA) are
the best. Clean air ducts at least once a year.
- In your car,
set the air conditioner to “recirculate” to keep new pollen from
entering the vents.
If your symptoms are mild, some doctors recommend
placing cold compresses directly on your closed eyes for 10 to 20 minutes. If
that is not effective, visit your local pharmacy and buy an over-the-counter
tear substitute, which can lubricate your eyes and help wash the pollen
It is important to treat eye allergies with eye medications. They
may sometimes help relieve nasal symptoms as well as eye discomfort, by
draining from the eye into the nose. It does not work the other way around,
however; nasal sprays are generally prevented by gravity from reaching the
Eye drops and gels work more quickly and have fewer side
effects than oral medicines. In fact, oral antihistamines, while
successfully treating nasal allergy symptoms, can actually make eye
symptoms worse by drying out your eyes and leaving them with less
protection against pollen.
If over-the-counter medicine is
ineffective, or if you are not sure that your symptoms are caused by an
allergy, see your eye doctor. There are a number of very effective
anti-allergy prescription eye drops today that are commonly prescribed by
optometrists and ophthalmologists.
If you wear contact lenses, ask
your doctor about drops that can help relieve symptoms while keeping your
lenses pollen-free. You may want to try daily disposable contact lenses to
avoid the problem of pollen and other irritating deposits building up on
your lenses. Another option is to visit an allergy specialist, who can
give you a shot that will immunize you against the uncomfortable effects
Many options exist that will allow you to enjoy the
seasonal changes in relative comfort, despite your allergies. With
proper care, today nearly everyone can survive allergy season without a
lot of distress.
American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology, Eye World Magazine | <urn:uuid:ec6149fa-f078-4eed-8465-1c7bca7200dc> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.davisvision.com/Surviving-Allergy-Season/ | 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 | 0.924818 | 1,418 | 3.359375 | 3 |
A statistician could...
|Develop metrics to help a baseball team manager evaluate a player.||Work with public health officials to estimate the number of people afflicted with flu in a region.|
|Analyze the failure rates of engine parts exposed to extreme weather conditions.||Develop and interpret a sampling survey so that governments can predict population growth.|
Key Facts & Information
|Overview||Statisticians use the power of math and probability theory to answer questions that affect the lives of millions of people. They tell educators which teaching method works best, tell policy-makers what levels of pesticides are acceptable in fresh fruit, tell doctors which treatment works best, and tell builders which type of paint is the most durable. They are employed in virtually every type of industry imaginable, from engineering, manufacturing, and medicine to animal science, food production, transportation, and education. Everybody needs a statistician!|
|Key Requirements||Curious, detail-oriented, and able to find patterns and relationships within raw data, thanks to excellent analytical, logic, and communication skills.|
|Minimum Degree||Bachelor's degree|
|Subjects to Study in High School||Chemistry, physics, biology, computer science, geometry, algebra II, pre-calculus, calculus, English; if available, statistics, environmental science, economics|
|Projected Job Growth (2012-2022)||Much Faster than Average (21% or more)|
|Interview||Read this interview with a General Electric industrial statistician who helps design products ranging from medical scanners to washing machines, so that they have the highest possible quality, low failure rates, and can operate well in a wide range of climates and conditions.|
Training, Other Qualifications
A bachelor's degree in statistics or mathematics is sufficient for an entry level job with the Federal Government, but most higher level jobs, or jobs outside of the government require a master's degree, and research and academic jobs generally require a PhD.
Education and Training
The minimum education required in this field is a bachelor's degree in mathematics or statistics. Depending on the particular job, a statistician may need a major in some other subject, such as economics or biology, with a minor in statistics. A statistician with only a bachelor's degree does very routine work. A graduate degree or sometimes multiple graduate degrees are required for the more advanced jobs. A doctoral degree is generally required for those who teach in colleges and universities.
Because computers are used extensively for statistical applications, a strong background in computer science is highly recommended. For positions involving quality and productivity improvement, training in engineering or physical science is useful. A background in biological, chemical, or health science is important for positions involving the preparation and testing of pharmaceutical or agricultural products. Courses in economics and business administration are helpful for many jobs in market research, business analysis, and forecasting.
Good communications skills are important for prospective statisticians in industry who often need to explain technical matters to persons without statistical expertise. An understanding of business and the economy also is valuable for those who plan to work in private industry.
Nature of the Work
Statisticians collect and analyze mathematical data to solve problems and make predictions on future outcomes. They may apply their knowledge of statistical methods to a variety of subject areas, such as biology, economics, engineering, medicine, public health, psychology, marketing, education, and sports. Some statisticians work to develop the theories on which statistical techniques are based. Using statistical techniques, statisticians can make forecasts on population growth, economic conditions, or the outcome of elections.
One technique that is especially useful to statisticians is sampling—obtaining information about a population of people or group of things by surveying a small portion of the total. For example, to determine the size of the audience for particular programs, television-rating services survey only a few thousand families, rather than all viewers. Statisticians decide where and how to gather the data, determine the type and size of the sample group, and develop the survey questionnaire or reporting form. They also prepare instructions for workers who will collect and tabulate the data. Finally, statisticians analyze, interpret, and summarize the data using computer software.
Statisticians are employed by nearly every government agency. Some government statisticians develop surveys that measure population growth, consumer prices, or unemployment. Other statisticians work for scientific, environmental, and agricultural agencies and may help figure out the average level of pesticides in drinking water, the number of endangered species living in a particular area, or the number of people afflicted with a particular disease. Statisticians also are employed in national defense agencies, determining the accuracy of new weapons and the likely effectiveness of defense strategies.
In business and industry, statisticians play an important role in quality control and in product development and improvement. In an automobile company, for example, statisticians might design experiments to determine the failure time of engines exposed to extreme weather conditions by running individual engines until failure and breakdown. Working for a pharmaceutical company, statisticians might develop and evaluate the results of clinical trials to determine the safety and effectiveness of new medications. At a computer software firm, statisticians might help construct new statistical software packages to analyze data more accurately and efficiently. In addition to product development and testing, some statisticians also are involved in deciding what products to manufacture, how much to charge for them, and to whom the products should be marketed. Statisticians also may manage assets and liabilities, determining the risks and returns of certain investments.
Statisticians also work on the research and marketing problems of many industries. The insurance industry employs statisticians, as do state and federal governments. The primary purpose of market research and public opinion research companies is to collect and interpret statistics. Statisticians in industry often work on quality control and product development issues. In a computer company, for instance, statisticians might design experiments that determine the failure rate of keyboards or the error rate of software. Universities employ statisticians both to teach and to do research.
Statisticians may have other titles according to their specialty. For example, those who conduct economic research may be called econometricians. Those who work to improve the basic mathematical theories behind statistical work are often called mathematical statisticians. Statisticians who collect and analyze data in the biological sciences are sometimes known as biostatisticians.
Statisticians generally work regular hours in an office environment. Sometimes, they may work more hours to meet deadlines.
Some statisticians travel to provide advice on research projects, supervise and set up surveys, or gather statistical data. While advanced communications devices, such as email and teleconferencing, are making it easier for statisticians to work with clients in different areas, there still are situations that require the statistician to be present, such as during meetings or while gathering data.
On the Job
- Report results of statistical analyses, including information in the form of graphs, charts, and tables.
- Process large amounts of data for statistical modeling and graphic analysis, using computers.
- Identify relationships and trends in data, as well as any factors that could affect the results of research.
- Analyze and interpret statistical data to identify significant differences in relationships among sources of information.
- Prepare data for processing by organizing information, checking for any inaccuracies, and adjusting and weighting the raw data.
- Evaluate the statistical methods and procedures used to obtain data to ensure validity, applicability, efficiency, and accuracy.
- Evaluate sources of information to determine any limitations in terms of reliability or usability.
- Plan data-collection methods for specific projects and determine the types and sizes of sample groups to be used.
- Design research projects that apply valid scientific techniques and use information obtained from baselines or historical data to structure uncompromised and efficient analyses.
- Develop an understanding of fields to which statistical methods are to be applied to determine whether methods and results are appropriate.
- Supervise and provide instructions for workers collecting and tabulating data.
- Apply sampling techniques or use complete enumeration bases to determine and define groups to be surveyed.
- Adapt statistical methods to solve specific problems in many fields, such as economics, biology, and engineering.
- Develop and test experimental designs, sampling techniques, and analytical methods.
- Examine theories, such as those of probability and inference, to discover mathematical bases for new or improved methods of obtaining and evaluating numerical data.
Companies That Hire Statisticians
Explore what you might do on the job with one of these projects...
- A Box Office Disappointment: Why the Book is Always Better than the Movie
- Animal Magnetism: Do Large Mammals Align Themselves with Earth's Magnetic Field?
- Are More Expensive Golf Balls Worth It?
- Baseball Bat Debate: What's Better, Wood or Aluminum?
- Basketball: The Geometry of Banking a Basket
- Basketball: Will You Bank the Shot?
- Bet You Can't Hit Me! The Science of Catapult Statistics
- Boys and Girls All Around the Town
- Can Adults Pass a Middle School Science Test?
- Correlation of Coronal Mass Ejections with the Solar Sunspot Cycle
- Crossed Up: Does Crossed Hand/Eye Dominance Affect Basketball Shooting Percentage?
- Decisions, Decisions: Judging a Book by Its Cover?
- Dice Probabilities
- Do People Take Longer When Someone Is Waiting? Perception vs. Reality
- Does Birth Order Affect Grade Point Average?
- Does Body Size Matter?
- Does Gender Affect Color Preference?
- Dry Spells, Wet Spells: How Common Are They?
- Evolution of Friendship Groups Over Time
Do you have a specific question about a career as a Statistician that isn't answered on this page? Post your question on the Science Buddies Ask an Expert Forum.
- American Statistical Association: www.amstat.org
- O*Net Online. (2009). National Center for O*Net Development. Retrieved May 1, 2009, from http://online.onetcenter.org/
- U.S. Census Bureau. (2010, October 18). World Statistics Day: Statistics All Around Us. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piSCkkSvoMo
- Hahn, G. (n.d.). Never a Dull Day: The Life of an Industrial Statistician! Retrieved October 16, 2009, from http://www.amstat.org/meetings/jsm/2000/usei/quality.PDF
- Net Industries. (2009). Statistician Job Description, Career as a Statistician, Salary, Employment - Definition and Nature of the Work, Education and Training Requirements, Getting the Job. Retrieved October 16, 2009, from http://careers.stateuniversity.com/pages/228/Statistician.html
We'd like to acknowledge the additional support of:
- Northrop Grumman | <urn:uuid:be2bde04-022d-4fe6-925d-5007e0752d99> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-engineering-careers/math-computer-science/statistician | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394605.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00030-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9121 | 2,253 | 2.875 | 3 |
Online Educational Resources
There’s a wealth of information about climate change from a variety of sources. Learn how to evaluate what is credible and what is not. The Center for Sustainability Education (CSE) has collected these selected websites as credible and valuable sources of information on climate change, including sites targeted to teachers.
The IPCC convenes international teams of scientists every five to seven years to assess, synthesize and summarize the large and growing scientific literature on the physical science of climate change, climate change impacts, adaptation, vulnerability, and mitigation. The IPCC reports go through rigorous, open peer-review and are considered by many to be the most authoritative, comprehensive sources of information on climate change. The IPCC assessment reports and summaries can be downloaded from their website.
The NASA Global Climate Change site provides high quality scientific overviews of climate change evidence, causes, effects, and uncertainties, access to a large number of graphics and images, interactive tools for learning about climate, information about NASA climate related research, and resources for educators. See also the website of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, which provides access to their globally averaged surface temperature data, maps and graphs.
NOAA provides access to climate and weather data, education resources, information about the climate system, and climate science articles from ClimateWatch Magazine.
The USGCRP is a multi-agency program of the federal government on climate change science and impacts. Reports that synthesize information from a wide range of research activities of the federal government are available from their website, including the 2009 report Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States.
The EPA provides access to information about greenhouse gas emissions, climate change science, impacts, US policy and regulations, strategies for mitigation and adaptation, and ideas for what you can do. EPA is the official source of the US GHG emission inventory.
A collection of resources for educators hosted by Dickinson College.
Collections of resources for teaching Earth sciences and climate change.
An NSF funded online resource to find and share materials for teaching about climate change causes, consequences and solutions.
A collection of reviewed education resources about climate and energy. | <urn:uuid:24f258e6-c13c-4b03-a72a-f243b9650a14> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.dickinson.edu/info/20052/sustainability/2465/climate_action_resources | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00116-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922453 | 438 | 3.859375 | 4 |
Don’t feel like getting off the couch? Two new studies have demonstrated the great benefits of mild or short duration exercise on decreasing the risk of diabetes and dispatching abdominal fat.
It’s no great secret that many people in the United States don’t care to exercise: on average we only get half as much exercise as is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (which, by the way, is 150 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity [such as brisk walking] per week plus twice weekly strength training sessions. Or another way to think about it is to aim for 10,000 steps every day. People lose about 300-400 calories for every 10,000 steps walked).
Although our rates of chronic disease would certainly be substantially reduced if we followed the guidelines to the letter, exercise is one of those activities where doing something, even if that something is not much, is better—often a lot better—than doing nothing at all.
Walking even fairly short distances can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, says a new study in Diabetes Care by Amanda Fretts, of the University of Washington in Seattle, published in June of this year. The study looked at people from Native American backgrounds in Arizona and the Dakotas. It compared the number of people who developed diabetes after five years with those who didn’t based on their walking levels. Neither of the groups was particularly active. Approximately one-half of the participants were walking less than 7,000 steps per day.
The encouraging news was that for those people who walked more than 3,500 steps, (a mere 1-2 miles a day) they reduced their risk by five percent. Overall, adjusting for age, smoking and other diabetes related risks, the people who walked the most were 29 percent less likely to go on to develop diabetes.
Here are few ways to increase your steps
- First get a pedometer and find out how many steps you usually take and set a goal to do a couple thousand more each week.
- Get off the bus or train a stop before your normal station and walk the rest of the way.
- Park in the farthest space from your destination in the parking lot
- Help Rover burn off that extra energy—a tired dog is a good dog
And to lose a bit of abdominal fat while you’re counting your steps, try some sprints on an exercise bike for only 20 minutes three times a week, says a study coming from the University of New South Walesin the July addition of the Journal of Obesity.
The trial looked at the effects of high intensity interval exercise in 46 overweight, sedentary men assigned either to the exercise group or a control (no exercise) group.
The exercise consisted of 20 minutes of 8 sprints and 12 recovery periods. The sprints pushed the participants to 80 to 90 percent of their maximum heart rate. After 12 weeks the participants had lost 2 kilos (4.4 pounds) of body fat and 17 percent of their visceral fat—visceral fat surrounds the internal organs in the abdominal cavity and is the most dangerous kind of fat to have.
Since short and sweet is often the kind of exercise preferred by those who don’t like a lot of physical activity in their lives, interval training may be the way to go. | <urn:uuid:00418dca-b563-42cb-8422-32550fe6e7b3> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://blog.joslin.org/2012/08/a-little-goes-a-long-way-exercise-and-diabetes/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397795.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00198-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961942 | 676 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Make smart substitutions.
This one may be hard for some of us, but it has the potential to save you a great deal. Think about what you eat, and then think about what may be a cheaper—at equally healthy—substitute. Like breakfast cereal? Oatmeal is usually cheaper. Love soda? Try sparkling water with a little fruit juice mixed in. Snack on chips? Pop some popcorn kernels on your stovetop instead. Be willing to make substitutions on brands and specific ingredients based on sales, too. You may find that a different brand or flavor of yogurt, for example, is a better deal one week. Snag it!
Buy whole foods.
Sometimes, the less processed a food is, the cheaper it is per serving. Apples may cost less than applesauce or apple juice. Canned black beans will be cheaper than refried beans. A block of cheese costs less than shredded cheese. Whole grains like brown rice and oats will be cheaper than processed cereals. Think about the original, whole food that a product is made from and decide if you can eat that whole food as-is or use it to make your own sauce, cereal or juice—instead of paying food manufacturers to do it for you.
Buy in bulk.
Long a staple of natural food stores, bulk or “bag and weigh” sections are now appearing in traditional supermarkets. Items like flour, beans, rice, nuts, and dried fruits are available for less than prepackaged versions of the same foods.
Don’t get stuck in the middle (of the grocery store).
Packaged foods have been condensed, salted, refined, sweetened, or otherwise processed. They may seem like a good deal, providing more calories for less money, but those calories usually aren't very nutritious. Resist the lure of the middle aisles and stick to the perimeter of the grocery store; you’ll save money and wind up with bags full of whole foods. When you do find yourself in the middle aisles, aim your gaze toward the top or bottom of the shelves, where the prices are usually lower. Grocers strategically place higher-priced products at eye level.
Eat your protein without the meat.
Try substituting one meat meal per week with a vegetarian meal to save money and benefit your health. Beans, eggs, and tofu all provide high-quality protein for a fraction of the cost of meat. Find more meat-free protein ideas and inexpensive meatless meal ideas.
Read ads and clip coupons. | <urn:uuid:cc380675-0d8b-47b8-ae01-ad3c627b274c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=524&page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403502.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00121-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931564 | 522 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Lately I have been grappling with a question: I keep hearing that once "non-conventional oil" is accounted for, we have trillions of barrels of oil.
Counting coal-seam methane we have gas for centuries. Based on recent claims we probably have enough coal to build a bridge to the moon and enough iron to run a 20-line railway to Mars and back.
Of course this does not consider production rates – but given these forecasts, should we really worry about production rates? Given the technologies at hand, what would cause the production rate of a resource to peak? In a world of networked resource dependencies, what would be the consequences?
All resources can be found in any required quantity if there is enough energy input available. For example:
- Most elements are present in seawater. Want gold? You can extract it by the ton from sea water.
- Oil can be synthesised from any organic compound.
So why shouldn’t production rates increase pretty much indefinitely?
This question led me into a tangled series of questions about the modes of failure of networked resource production. How does failure occur and how is imminent failure signalled?
I have three conclusions:
1. There is a theoretical limit to how long a networked resource system can continue to function.
2. This limit is reached with little warning.
3. Even after the limit is approached and the squeeze on networked resources starts, the nature of the problem is not apparent to the resource producers, who are likely to say "there is still plenty of our resource available - we just need more inputs and better price signals"
All three conclusions are surprising. Why should there be a theoretical limit? Why would the warning signs be hidden? Why would the problem be difficult to diagnose even after the first impacts are felt?
But before I get to this, I should answer the question "What is a network of produced resources?"
The process of extracting resources from the ground has become more complicated. During the Iron Age the production of iron required some bog-iron ore, a hot fire, and a lot of muscle. Now the production of iron requires an immense list of reagents, catalysts, fuels, and processes. If any of these inputs is absent, production stops.
In modern times, the production of resources is an interlinked chain of mutual dependencies.
But resources aren’t just networked because of these interconnected dependencies - in some cases, when a resource is in short supply, one resource will even be used as a substitute for another. For example when oil is in short supply organically-sourced substitutions (such as alcohol) are possible.
So sometimes one resource will substitute for another.
If we assume a technical ability to synthesize, extract and substitute, is Peak Production of any given resource even a theoretical possibility? I’d like to come back to that question. For a start, we should look at what to look for when/if we start to bump into a global resource constraint. Oil is an obvious candidate for this examination.
Local Peak Vs World Peak – Different Signatures.
In many parts of the world we have seen oil fields display a peak in production. Although it is a gross simplification, I am going to say that early in the history of oil field depletion this peak appeared to take the form of a Bell Curve – a gradual ramp up of production, a peak in production, and a gradual ramp down.
Phoenix observed recently that this relative symmetry was as much a product of economics as it was of geology. If low-cost oil is available from a field in the next county, there is no incentive to invest money in a declining field to squeeze out a few extra high-priced barrels of oil. It makes economic sense to simply let the field run down slowly.
More recently the shape of a depleting field has shown a distinct skew, with a sharp peak, decline, and then a "fat tail".
Why? Because if oil is in short supply, then the price of oil tends to rise. At higher prices it becomes economic to use sophisticated drilling and production techniques to push the production of a field higher, past where it would normally have peaked. This extracts more oil and gets the oil out faster, but as a consequence, when the field declines it declines suddenly. The decline is arrested (though at a lower production level) by "Enhanced Oil Recovery" (EOR) techniques. These techniques cannot push a field’s production levels back to peak levels, they simply create a fat tail.
In summary: In an open, global market, the shape of a production graph will depend on the degree of constraint of the resource. When constraint is present, the price goes up. As the price point grows higher the production peak is pushed higher and the decline is sudden, followed by a fat tail. | <urn:uuid:498ced32-fd04-4482-979a-9a1699953f44> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.businessinsider.com/why-resource-extraction-rates-are-about-to-surprise-us-2011-5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397213.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00082-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951823 | 998 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Doll House Center
My father made this doll house pictured above for my classroom using a Lakeshore doll house as a model. The furniture was purchased from Lakeshore on clearance.
When setting up learning centers in your classroom consider including a dollhouse.
Providing a dollhouse center can help support oral language development in your students.
A dollhouse is also very effective when used with second language learners.
Doll House Materials
By manipulating dolls and using different voices to represent various family members, students are imitating real world experiences and practicing oral language in fun, and meaningful ways.
It is also important to have dolls in the dollhouse that reflect different ethnicities and ages.
Above, I used a small No, David! plastic character (purchased from Scholastic) and a small football eraser. Kids love to retell the story of No, David! using the character and inexpensive erasers as props.
Adding cars is another way to provide meaningful experiences in your dollhouse center that motivate children to talk and interact with their peers.
More Centers from Pre-K Pages | <urn:uuid:5fd44f28-40fe-4fda-b596-118c923481e4> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.pre-kpages.com/dollhouse/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398869.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00087-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944823 | 227 | 3.203125 | 3 |
TO HELP MEET the increasing demand for reliable and secure high-bandwidth wireless communications, Washington state's Gonzaga University received a nearly $1.2-million award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a Smart Antenna and Radio Laboratory (SARL). The lab, which was recently completed, strives to lower wireless product-development barriers for new companies by providing access to state-of-the-art measurements and skilled faculty at member institutions. As the university investigates more reliable, high-bandwidth wireless communications via Wi-Fi, for example, it is relying on the HFSS and DesignerRF electromagnetic (EM) simulation software from ANSYS to predict the performance of new antenna designs.
The engineering software simulates smart-antenna circuits and EM fields in three-dimensional (3D) structures. Using engineering simulation, the Gonzaga teamheaded by Steven D. Schennum, an electrical engineering professorplans to develop new, multi-antenna techniques that improve both the efficiency and bandwidth of wireless communications. With the smart technologies they develop, antennas will be able to focus on one user signal at a time. For a Wi-Fi user working on a laptop with a weak or cross-polarized signal, for example, a smart-antenna system would utilize algorithms to optimize the signal to that individual laptop.
The lab includes two shielded anechoic chambers-each equipped with a multiaxis positioner and fully automated, 3D-radiation-pattern capture and analysis software. The 600-MHz-to-6-GHz range can be scaled above and below chamber coverage with the parametric 3D EM-simulation tools, which run on a high-memory cluster-computing system. Like any antenna test chamber, however, this one is limited in its size and shape, the performance of its absorptive materials, and its effective frequency range.
As a result, simulating the EM fields and currents in a virtual environment with ANSYS software allows the team to gauge the performance of their antenna designs without building or testing them. They can evaluate the designs for any location, plane, or geometry over any frequencies before prototyping. HFSS and DesignerRF also promise to provide results at a system level including fabricated metal parts, cables, and other components.
In addition, lab users in need of protocol-aware stimulus or response can utilize a cellular-base-station simulator or capture the required system using a software-defined-radio (SDR) platform. The SDR covers 40-MHz modulation bandwidth with four coherent transceivers initially. It is available to implement specialized smart-antenna and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) baseband-processing algorithms and protocols. | <urn:uuid:5a4998ae-d629-4cb1-9fdf-752b039de03c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://mwrf.com/ansys/lab-uses-simulation-smart-antenna-project | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397748.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00088-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903547 | 560 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Carrageenan is a natural carbohydrate obtained from edible red seaweeds. Carrageenan supposedly non-toxic is found in any kind of processed foods including infant formulas. Carrageenan is utilized in processed foods as a thickener and stabilizer. It render the food more palatable and appealing through interaction with other substances in the food.1 Scientists studied carrageenan for decades, and revealed that it could induce carcinogenic effects on health. The European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Food recommended that a safe level of carrageenan in foods should not exceed 5%, and reiterated the prohibition of this ingredient in infant formulas2. However, in the U.S, even after recognizing the potential harms of carrageenan, the FDA still authorizes its use in processed food and infant formulas. The FDA affirms that the amount use in foods is relatively safe.3 Sources: 1. Prajapat VD, Maheriya MP, Jani KG, Solanki. KH. Carrageenan: A natural seaweed polysaccharide and its applications. Carbohydrate Polymers. 2014; 105:97–112. doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2014.01.067 2. The European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Food. Opinion of the Scientific Committee on Food on Carrageenan. http://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/docs/labelling_nutrition-special_groups_food-children-out164_en.pdf. Published March, 2013.  Accessed February 26th, 2016U.S. 3. Food and Drug Administration. Select Committee on GRAS Substances (SCOGS) Opinion: Carrageenan. Updated February 2015. Accessed February 26th, 2016. | <urn:uuid:e8a2a757-ed30-4589-8343-4517bd80339a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.foodfacts.com/ci/ingredientsoverlay/carrageenan/286 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402516.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00109-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.848432 | 376 | 3.09375 | 3 |
The Midwest, the heartland of America, which had a massive effect on American politics in much of the last century, is sadly becoming less influential and significant due to lack of population growth and the increased power of the Sunbelt!
The Midwest–defined as Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas–had members in both houses of Congress that had a tremendous effect on American political debate– as well as Governors who became nationally important, and Presidential candidates and winners of the office!
Just a short list of influential politicians from the Midwest would include Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford Hayes, James Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Howard Taft, Warren G. Harding, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, and Barack Obama!
Presidential candidates who lost from the Midwest include William Jennings Bryan, James Cox, Robert LaFollette, Sr., Alf Landon, Wendell Willkie, Adlai Stevenson, Hubert Humphrey, George McGovern, and Walter Mondale!
Other prominent Midwesterners include Robert Taft, Arthur Vandenberg, Birch Bayh, Paul Douglas, Charles Percy, Tom Harkin, Stuart Symington, George Norris, Arthur Capper, Philip Hart, Carl Levin, William Proxmire, Russ Feingold, Eugene McCarthy, Paul Wellstone and numerous others too many to name!
The Midwest reached its peak in influence and Congress in the 1890s, but continued to have great influence for many decades, even though their population percentage within America continued to decline!
The Midwest had 143 Congressional seats in the House of Representatives a century ago, but will now probably have only 94! The Midwest will have only about a fifth of the seats in Congress, as compared to almost 25 percent in the West, 36 percent in the South, and a measly 18 percent in the Northeast, which is also suffering in the population percentage decline big time! 🙁
While Barack Obama is from the Midwest, the odds of another Midwesterner being President is remote, with all Presidents since Johnson, except Ford, being from the Sunbelt–and Ford was not elected!
The economic problems of the Midwest, suffering more heavily than most parts of the country from the Great Recession, will have less attention with its decline, and they will have far less influence in the future Presidential elections because of fewer electoral votes! 🙁
The effect on American politics of the decline of the Midwest will be felt throughout the nation, as migration South and West continues unabated! | <urn:uuid:88d16c78-afae-4b04-9963-2d50dec600b0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.theprogressiveprofessor.com/?m=201009 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783400031.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155000-00120-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944826 | 537 | 3.328125 | 3 |
Pansinusitis can be explained by several factors: allergies to hair of animals, the mites, pollen, fungi or other substances that can cause inflammation of the nasal mucosa.
Other possible factors:
»Smoking (active or passive)
»Weakened immune system
»Anatomic anomaly: a deviated nasal septum
»Facial trauma that causes an obstruction of one or more sinuses
Signs and symptoms
»Facial pain (above the eyebrows, teeth, around the eyes and behind them)
»Painful sensation of pressure in the sinus
»Yellow or green nasal discharge, purulent if a bacterial infection. If secretions are clear, it is a cold (in this case antibiotics are not useful)
»Grade fever and malaise
»Diminution or loss of sense of smell
In case of chronic pansinusitis symptoms are the same, but it takes a long time (over 6 weeks).
Causes and risk factors
Acute sinusitis is often the result of a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract, but allergens (substances that cause allergies) or pollutants may also be causes of acute sinusitis.
Bacteria responsible for acute pansinusitis is Streptococcus pneumonia, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis. These microorganisms, along with Staphylococcus aureus and anaerobic bacteria responsible for chronic sinusitis.
Fungi leads to the appearance of chronic pansinusitis especially in patients with diseases affecting the immune system (AIDS, leukemia, diabetes).
- An infection of the upper respiratory tract (the main factor)
- Smoking (active or passive)
- Wet or polluted living environment
- Age. Although sinusitis sometimes occurs in infants and young children, it is more common among adults. Sinuses are formed progressively until age 12.
- Personal history of sinusitis
- Respiratory allergies (allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma)
- Congenital nasal or sinus - that causes blockage of the latter
- Nasal polyps
- Diseases affecting the immune system (leukemia, AIDS, diabetes)
- Cystic fibrosis
Measures to prevent acute or pansinusitis
Some measures can reduce the risk of contracting an infection of the upper respiratory tract, or suffer from chronic pansinusitis:
-Hay fever can be prevented by simple measures: wash hands carefully, avoiding contact with sick people.
-Allergies can be prevented by avoiding exposure to possible allergens (pets, pollen, fungi) and conventional pollutants.
-Immune system through a balanced lifestyle, in terms of stress levels, physical activity, diet.
-Quitting smoking and avoiding exposure to cigarette smoke, which irritates the sinuses
-Avoid using decongestants in the form of nasal sprays for more than 3 days. These topical decongestants are not without risks, because the nasal mucosa may be affected after a very long applications of these products. This rebound phenomena was observed after long use - recurrence of symptoms at end of treatment to be removed. Rebound is less severe when oral decongestants.
Measures to prevent complications Consulting physician for accurate diagnosis and taking action to treat sinusitis generally allow preventing complications (meningitis, osteomyelitis, etc.).
These signs indicative of complications:
- Disturbances of vision (sometimes double vision)
- Congestion of the eyes
- Changes in consciousness
Choosing appropriate antibiotics, adequate spectrum etiology of infection (eg, amoxicillin), reduces the risk of infectious colitis associated with taking antibiotics | <urn:uuid:d0a883e7-1981-40fd-9cbd-46756f4a2e93> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://pansinusitis.blogspot.com/2012/12/all-about-pansinusitis.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398209.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00114-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.848435 | 765 | 3.6875 | 4 |
Newspaper Page Text
FIRST AID TRAINING
TO MEN AND WOMEN
American Red Cross ls leaching
Hundreds of Thousands Life
The purpose of Instruction in First
Aid to the Injured offered by the Amer
ican Red Cross ls to trnln men nnd
women to administer First Aid tiout
ment promptly and Intelligently when
emergencies demund lt. First Aid
treatment IB not Intended to take the
place of a physician's service. A sur
geon should always be summonecd as
a precautionary measure where there
ls an Injury of any consequence, but
when one cannot be secured a few min
utes' delny may mean a fatality. In
such a case a person trained in First
Aid Is Invaluable not only to the in
dividual, but through him to the com
munity In which he lives.
There ls perhaps no why of ascer
taining the number of deaths or seri
ous disablements which recuit from
lack of proper safeguards or prompt
emergency treatment. It is safe to as
sert they number thousands dally.
There can be no doubt that the appli
cation of First Aid methods to each
case would Immeasurably lighten the
country's toll of suffering and death.
The dissemination of First Aid train
ing and information has already pro
duced a farreachlng and beneficial in
fluence In the prevention of accidents
on railroads, In mines and in great in
dustrial concerns. ?
The benefit of a widespread knowl
edge of First Aid In the event of a
great disaster, such as a train wreck,
an explosion, an earthqulke, etc., is
obvious. Laymen who have had First
Aid training can render efficient as
sistance. Many lives may depend upon
euch emergency care.
Red Cross First Aid work includes
(1) the formation and conduct, through
Red Cross chapters, of classes for In
struction in accident prevention and
First Aid to the Injured among men
and women in all communities and In
every Industry ; (2) the Introduction of
courses of Instruction In high schools
The Red Cross Is prepared to supply
First Aid books and equipment at rea
Every person in this country able to
do so should, in his own interest, re
ceive Red Cross First Aid Instruction.
Information about the course and In
struction classes may be had at the
nearest chapter headquarters.
RED CROSS EXTENDS
RELIEF TO POLAND
More than $6,000,000 has been spent
by the American Red Cross In aiding
tho Btrlcken people of Poland. The
organization has nursed the sick, fed
the starving, clothed the naked, shelter
ed the homeless, schooled the children
and cnrcd for the orphans there. It lins
conducted a relentless fight against
typhus, cholera and other terrible dis
eases. So today millions of men find
women In that resurrected nation
spcnk In grateful Appreciation of "The
Greatest Mother In tfre World."
Nearly 200 American Red Cross
workers are now engaged In relief ac
tivities In Poland. Four large relief
bases are In operation and eleven mo
bile units are In the field. During the
last twelve months this organization
was largely Instrumental in the re-es
tablishment of a million tefugees at a
cost for general relief of more than
$1,000.000. Last winter one-half mil
lion war orphans were aided material
ly, and since then a series of large or
phanages have been established to give
them permanent enre.
But for Amerlcon Red Cross old, of
ficials of Poland declared recently, mil
lions of people In that country would
have perished of diseuse, exposure or
stn rv? t! an the last eighteen months.
And the work there must be kept up
for another year.
TIIE CRACK O' DOOM
FOR NASTY CALOMEL.
Folks Abandoning Old Drug for
"Dodson's Liver Tono" lloro
Ugh! Calomel makes you sick. It's
' horriblo! Take a dose of tho dan
gerous drug to-night, and to-morrow
you loso a day.
Calomel is mercury! When it
comes In contact with sour bile, it
crashes into it, breaking it up. Then
is when you feel that awful nausea
and cramping. If you nro sluggish,
if liver is torpid nnd bowels consti
pated, or you have headache, diz
ziness, coaled tongue, if breath is
bad or stomach sour, just try a
spoonful of harmless Dodson's Liver
Hero's my guarantee: Go to any
drug storo and got a bottle of Dod
son's Liver Tone for a few couts.
Toko a spoonful, and if lt doesn't
straighten you right up and maka
you feel fine and vigorous, go back
to tho storo and get your money.
Dodson's Liver Tone is destroying
the salo of calomel because it cannot
snlivato or mako you sick.-adv.
Baptists to Take Over Limestone.
Columbia, Dec. 1.-Tho educa
tion commission of the Baptist gen
eral board, mooting hero to-day.
voted to take over Limestone Col
lego, of Gaffney, as a Baptist college.
Tho college will get two hundred
thousand dollars of the $7r>,000,000
campaign. Trust?es and a presi
dent will be elected by tho Baptist
Convention, which will moot here
next week. The commission also de
cided to locate tho Southeaster i
Acndemmy at Scranton.
IT ISN'T PAIR,
THAT'S ALL !
To Your I''uniily-To Your Friends
To Yourself-(?oing Around
TAKE C'A RE OF YOUR HEALTH.
If Your Hlood ls Wenk und Clogged
willi Poisons, Pepto-Mnngnn
W'Uen yon gel over-lired day after
day, your system has to get rid of so
much waste it can't create new en
ergy fast enough. The result is thal
your blood ls Ulled with w Jh'.e mat
ter. lt becomes clogged. You are
trying to get around with a lot of
poison in your system.
You look bad, you feel poorly. You
get out of patience easily. Ambition
is lost. You Just don't cure about
That is no way to live. Your bloc I
needs help for a time. It ls starve.:.
You will find help in that tine tonic,
Pepto-Mangan. Pepto-Mangan puri
fies the blood and fills it with red
corpuscles. In a little while you'll
have plenty of rich, red blood, and
you won't know yourself, lt isn't a
magic medicine. It contains iron nnd
other ingredients that feed starved
blood and make it,rich and red. Phy
sicians have prescribed Pepot-Man
gan for years.
.Pepto-Mangan is sold in liquid and
tablet form. Take either kind you
prefer. Ono acts the same as the
other. Both contain the same ingre
dients. But bo sure to get the gen
uine Pepto-Mangan-"Glide's." The
fulj name, "Glide's Pepto-Mangan,"'
! should be on tho package.-adv.
Gives Birth to Four Babies.
? Salt Lake City, Utah, Dec. 1.
I Mrs. Vina T. Knight wife of a far
I mer at Plain City, this State, gave
I birth to four children-three boys
1 and a girl-last night. Dr. George
! Baker, of Ogden, reported that the
; mother and children are progressing
Two Children Die.
Ogden. Dec. 2.-Two of the quad
ruplets born to Mrs. Vina T. Knight,
of Plain City, died some time after
their birth. Dr. Baker states that he
thinks the other two will live. The
babies weighed about four and a half
pounds each. ,
WHALE OF "CORN CROP'WILL
6IVE MILLIONS TO FARMER
Whether Or Not He Will Retain HI?
Profit Depend? Upon How Wisely
Ho Invests the Money.
The greatest corn crop in history ls
being harvested in America thisyear.
The present promise of 3,216,192,000
bushels of corn is over 90,000,000
I bushels In excess of any crop ever
'. grown and nearly 300,000,000 bushels
more than produced last year. The
condition of the crop as predicted by
the Crop Reporting Board of the De
partment of Agriculture is 24.3 points
higher than the average and the high
est since 1906. There will be about
200,000,000 bushels of oats more than
last year, the crop approximating
Those figures, announced by the De
partment of Agriculture. Mean that
hundreds of millions of dollars will tro
Into the hands of the farmers of
America. How many of those mil
lions remain in thone bando and how
many are allowed te slip through
those hands depends upon the indi
vidual farmers themselves.
Not all, by any mean?, will be profit.
M is not now much the farmer gets foi*
btu orop but what ho is able to keep
that counts. If he ia led Into unsafe
investment, he will have no profits
even if he sold his crop for far more
than lt cost. If he waste? the money
on what he does not need or really
want he will have no profits. Even
if Hie farmer keeps the money he gets
for his crops, he may miss a good
part of his annual profits unless he in
vests it wisely.
But tho farmers of America cnn put
their crop dollars to work. They cnn
consolidate and hold their profits and
inoroaee them if thoy will. Liberty
Bonds at pr?sent prices 4*rTer an op
p/)rtimity to do both. These securi
ties not only pay a satisfactory inter
est, but they are sure to advance to
par at maturity. Tho monoy invested
in them is safe, because it ia backed
not only by the great crop itsolf but'by
tho prospect of all future crops and
the total wealth and taxing power of
the groatost government In the world.
The money so lnvestod is available
for uso almost as if it wore cash, for.
Liberty Bonds ar? a rocogntr.ed prime
security for any loan the farmer ie
likely to need.
What ls tho farmer going to do
wWh his crop monoy? Is he going to
waste lt or Invest it In speculative or
insocuro stocks, or ls he going to put
it into Wie securities of tho govern
ment In the management of which he
has an active part? Is ho going to
wind up the year without a profit In
spite of the great crops or is he go
ing to hold on to his profits and make
them work for him? It 1? up to tho
Tho Koran ls fiercely mono-theL
t if*. V
" Tammany Hall was incorporated
in ISO.*? by a benevolent society.
JUNIOR RED CROSS
ACTIVE IN EUROPE'
*V ' ' . * Tl
Garden seeds for Polish orphans,
milk for anaemic Greek babies, car
penters' tools foi Czeeho-Slovaklan
. cripples-these are only a few of the i
, gifts that young Americana are send
ing to the war-crushed children of the
i Through the Junior Hod Cross the
I boys and girls of tho United States
j are giving a fresh stn ruin life to little
I war orphans sou tiered ntl over Europe,
j They have set lip or pim US' homes In
! Prance, school colonna In Belgium and
; Montenegro, and day schools In Al
? They are sending downs of yVuing
j Syrians, Montenegrins, and Albanians
I to American colleges In Constantinople
' and Beirut, and maintaining more than
? a hundred orphans of French soldiers
! nt colleges and trade schools. In or
i plumages and farm schools up and
j down the peninsula of Italy there are
nearly 500 wards of American Juniors.
Lnst winter a thousand French chil
dren from the Inadequate shelters of
the devnsted regions were sent by the
Junior Bed Cross to spend the cold
months in warmer parts of France.
At the same time five thousand little
Belgians were having a hot lunch every
day at Junior Red Cross school can
American school children have al
ready raised something like a million
dollars for these enterprises, and they
are still hard at work.
In Chino, through campaigns of ed
ucation, the Junior Red Cross ls help
ing to combat widely prevalent blind
ness and cholera.
RED CROSS RELIEF
IN CENTRAL EUROPE
But for timely assistance of the
I American Red Cross during fho last
I year, a large proper I ion of the 20,000.?
: out) population of the Balkan States
might have starved or perished from
disease or exposure. Six million dol
lars worth of food, clothing and medi
cal supplies have beet. Kent to the B?l
kaus- Koumanta. Bulgarin, Albania,
Montenegro, Serblu. Bosnia and Greece
-since the beginning of Red Cross re
lief operations in Cen'rnl Europe,
While millions of dollars worth of food
alone hits been sent to the needy tn
'bese states. ,
The money expended by the Red
.Cross In tMs stricken portion of Eu
rope has been used to set up hospitals,
orphanages, dispensaries, mobile medi
cal units and to bein In the general re
construction of devastated areas. Amer
llcan tractors and other farming Imple
ments have been sent to the agricul
tural regions where aid has been giv
en In plowing the land.
B) the Inst of this year probably
all American Red Cross ??rene'e?! nd
minis teri nu relic/ In Central Europe
will have withdrawn. By that time, lt
ls believed, thu people Will have np*
profl'i.cti n normal atate of living (inti
will ide brough theil own agencies
wh'eh tire lied Cres? bas helped se?
up to pr< \ ide for themselves.
TO DISCOVER NEW WORLD.
But Columbus Dragged Idea All Over
Europe By Tail Before He Could
It cost only about seven thousand
bucks for Columbus to discover Amer?
lea but he had an awful time raising
the coba. His ships cost some 18,000,1
and the crew got about $2.50 a month ?
Columbus had an Idea that added
billions to the world's wealth, but hs j
dragged that idea around Europa by j
the tail for years begging somebody j
to put up the money to' back H.
Finally Queen Isabella had to toke th?
tiara and the pearl necklace and tho j
royal wrist watch and tba stiver*!
backed bair brushes around the corno?
to the store with the three balls over
the door and soak them to raise the
When Columbus got back you may
be nure there were plenty of folki
who said: "Sure, I knew Columbus
had the right idea, but I didn't have
the money to go in with him." Modern
Columbuses are dragging ideas post
you every day. You may have the
judgment to see the possibilities ot
tremendous profits in those ideas but
you cannot become a partner in them
unless you save the money.
If you are In earnest about better
ing yoMr position in lifo, make this
your motto, "Save First-Spend Aft
Thrift and Savings Stamps give you
an opportunity to put your small ?ar
ing8 to work.
Intelligent thrift ls not tho mania
of the miser. It does not mean sav
ing money for money's sake. It means
the expenditure of money with a clear
vision of your needs both present and
The wolf never comes to the home
ot the man who bars his doors wHfe
Before teak woi , is flt for use
thorough seasoning and drying are
Vegetation almost coasos In tho sea
ni a depth of from ton to fifteen fath
Since the eleventh century ink has
been made from an Iron salt and
Wonder what upset your stomach
-which portion of tho food did tho
damage- do you? Wei!, don't holli
er, if your stomach is in a revolt;
if sick, gassy and' upset, and what
you just ate has fermented and turn
ed Bour; head dizzy and aches; belch
gases and acids and eructate undi
gested food-just eat a tablet or two
of Pape's Diapopsln to help neutral
izo acidity, and in llvo minutes you
wonder wj?at became of the indiges
tion and distress.
If your stomach doesn't take caro
of your liberal limit without rebel
lion; if your food ia a damage in
stead of a help, remember the quick
est, surest, most harmless antacid
is Pape's Dlapepsln, which costs so
little at drug stores. -adv.
CO-OPERATION BY-lit C. A.
HELPS SAVINGS MOVEMENT
?Interesting Rural Activities Being
Planned to Promote Study of
Wise Ute of Money?
Rural activities of the Young Wom
en's Christian Association this winter
will bo featured by education in sav
ings, investment, co-operative move
ments, budgots, training in purchas
ing, household budgets and keeping of
accounts, according to a formal an
nouncement Just made. The work
will bo undertaken by tho General
Education Bureau of the Y. W. C. A.
co-operating with the United States
Treasury Department. An extensive
program is now being developed by
the two organizations In every one of
the eleven fields Into which the Y. W.
C. A. is divided, covering the entire
Field thrift chairmen of the Y. W.
C. A. will act In conjunction with the
government savings organizations in
each federal reserve district, it ls an
nounced, in promoting the study and
practice of thrift. Directors of tthe
women's divisions of these organisa
tions will work in connection with the
field thrift committees appointed by
Ch already arranged in cook
ing, ?re?aiusJking, millinery und other
dotufstie urtu will be utilised >IB far as
p?sijlbi? ftv.' th?! giving ot thrift in
f.tiH.t:.;>j through the Y. W. C. A
Op i M H tty for (ti vestment In Thrift
Stn p'jji a,id other government savings
securities at regular times will also be
Offered their membership by local as
Prints Lilliputian Weekly
What le perhaps one of the smallest
newspapers in the world, printed es
pecially for children in the primary
grades, is issued weekly to boys and
girls who are investing their pennies
in Thrift and Savings Stamps. The
paper ta called "Tho School Thrifto
gram." R originated last winter, with
the tale of a dark blue camel whoso
thrifty ways induced him to save up
water in his hump.
This habit of his made him worthy
of an introduction to youngaters whose
saving ways were leading them to
.tore up money, not In humps, but in
stamps, and opened the way for a se
ries of tales, pink, and yellow, and
green, and brown, and gray, and
orange, all on colored Thrlftogram
paper printed for the purpose.
Besides these stories, the little paper
contains news of the doings ot school
savings clubs, and of tho interesting
.and novel ways lu which their mern
j hers are earning money. The Thlrfto
? gram ls published by the educational
j division of the War Loan Organisa
tion for this district, and is malled
free of charge to any child who wants
it, although it is dosignod primarily
for the membors of school savings
clubs. Requests for the paper should
be sent to the War Loan Organization,
?809 Bast Main Street, Richmond, Va,
'.They Work while you Sleep"
Do you feel all "unstrung"-bil
ious, constipated, headachy, full of
cold? Cascarots to-night for your
liver and bowels will have you tuned
up for to-morrow. You will wake up
with your hoad clear, stomach right,
breath aweot, and skin rosy. iNo grip
ing-no inconvenience. Children love
Cascarots, too. 10, 25, 50 cents.-ad
Chlr.eso used wall papers in prehis
"Pape's Diapepsin" puts
Sour, Gassy, Acid Stomachs
in order at once i
AMERICAN RED CROSS
TO GIVE RURAL KELP
Program for Public Health and j
Community Welfare ls Now
Well Under Way.
Rurnl communities and towns of less j
Ihnn 8.0'JO population benefit In n very >
large pnrt by the public health and
community welfare work of the Ameri
can Ked Cross. Almost all of the
3,000 Red Cross chapters have some
rural sections In their territory. There
fore the Red Cross Rural Service.
Briefly, the purpose of Rural Serv
ice ls to assist people to get out of life
moro health, wealth und happiness. In
this purpose public health instruction
and general educational progrese of
both children and adults piny a big
Recreation ls found to be one of the
biggest needs lu rurnl life. There ls
lack of sufllclent plny-llfe for the chil
dren and social life for the adults.
Picnics, pageants, debating clubs,
baseball leagues, community singing
and other social eventB which bring
thc people of surrounding communities
together have been organized and car
ried on under the guidance of Red
Cross rural workers to great advan
tage. In many instances solving rec
reational problems and getting people
together proves to be the awakening
of the community to other conditions
which may be Improved by united
As a result of community organiza
tion, townships In which there had
been neither pions nor Interest In
community progress have been organ
ized to work together with the unified
purpose ot bringing their community
np to the most enlightened standards.
Lecture and musical entertainment
courses have been started ns a result
of community meetings, as well as cir
culating libraries, Red Cross schools of
instruction in Home Nursing, Caro of
the Sick and First Aid. In the Inrger
towns tho need for restrooms and pub
lic comfort stations ls being met. Play
grounds for the children have been
established and recreational activities
worked out for the year.
In order that there may be concerted
effort In carrying on the programs of
the various welfare agencies In the
rural districts, Red Cross Rural Serv
ice helps the organisations already on
the ground. The main object of the
service ls to lend a hand everywhere
and take tho lead only where neces
THE TEACHER'8 OPPOR
By William Mather Lewis, Di
rector Savings Division,
The strength of the United States
.depends upon tho practical patriotism
and sound economic thought of her
future cltlsens. These <Jharu(ct?nt8
tloe must be developed in tho daily
life of the sohool. Economists agree
jtbat the universal adoption of habits
ot intelligent saving will strengthen
our nation tremendously. When ev
I ery wage earner has u reserve fund of
money the country will be sound eco
; nomlcally, socially and politically.
I The teacher who encourages pupils
I to earn money and. to invest in
! Thrift Stamps and Savings Stamps ls
I doing much for their economic
j strength and practical patriotism.
; Each child who buys stamps fewls a
! partnership in the government; he
I booome? fomdRar in a practical way
with compound interest; and as he
sticks stamp after stamp upon the
I card, he ima a visual demonstration
' of how savings grow,
j Faith without works ls dead. Thrift
without safe investment, such as nor
eminent savings securities, is robbed
of its benefits. It? virtue lies not only
in Its principios but in the actual prao
I tice of investment. Each year thou
sands of boys and girls in the United
j States are deprived of a college sdu
I cation because they lc!: money. You
j can .remedy this situation among your
: pupils by starting them on tho road
! to saving early In lifo and encourage
; them to safeguard these saving? in
; government securities.
J There is no habit that so surely
. loads to success as tho habit of sav
I lng; no powor so great as the power
! of thrift.
Think first nnd spend afterwards.
Then you will save more. Put aside
regularly a certain . sum to bs saved
Spend the rest wisely as needed.
The amount you save is of loss im
portance than the fact that you really
do save. Those who regularly put
asido a part of their earnings are
those who succeed. Savings Stamps
point the way to success.
The prosperity of tho country rests
en the prosperity of Individuals. Save
systematically and buy wisely and be
come a prosperous citizen.
Wood Alcohol Takes Its Victims.
Columbus, Ga., Dec. 2. Prlvato G.
C. Hall, Co. C, 29th Infantry, ls doad
at Camp Donning, and two other sol
diers aro seriously ill as tho result
of drinking wood alcohol, lt is re
ported. A quantity of whiskey waa
found at tho camp, thought to havo
been smuggled in by taxicab drivers,
military officers say.
Distinctive interiors are easily
attained through the artistic
effect of thc painted wall. C H
Wall Paint for walls and ceilings
produce a velvet like finish
which gives a room an atmos
phere of quiet refinement.
Ask your Painter, he knows
faints and 'Varnishes
We will gladly send you free color
charts and booklets on paints.
C. G. Jaynes,
Walhalla, S. C.
ADMINISTRATRIX'S SALE OF
.Pursuant to an order of tho Court
of Probato, 1 will offer for sale, for
Cash, to tho highest bidder, nt tho
late residence of tho doceased, In
Center Township, Oconoo County, S.
C., op WEDNESDAY, the 15th day
of DECEMBER, 1920, ot 10 o'clock
in tho foronoon, tho 'Porsonal Prop
erty belonging to the Estato of John
W. Gibson, Docoased, consisting of
Mules, Automobiles, Buggy and Har
ness, Podder, Wheat, Mower and
Rake, Oats, Corn, Blt ?ksmith Tools,
Panning Tools and Implements,
Household and Kitchen Furniture
and numerous other articles.
(MRS.) R. C. GIBSON,
Administratrix of tho Estate of John
W. Gibson, Deceased.
Dec. j, 1920. 48-49
Dog Earns $10,000 a Year.
"Czar," a beautiful Russian wolf
hound, owned by Mrs. George D.
Hale, of Pasadena, Cal., earns $10,
000 a year by appoaring in tho mov
ies. He has aire?*. 'y appeared In 31
pictures, suppoi ig such stars aa
Mary Pickford,, Anita Stewart and
tho strenuous Douglas Fairbanks.
Hts last New York appearance was
in Basil King's "Earth-Bound."
Edison's Forces Reduced,
New York, Doc. 2.-Approximately
1,20 0 men employed in the Now Jer
sey plants of the Thos. A. Edison
affiliated industries at Wost Orange
and Silver Lake, N. Jersey., have
been laid off, the company announced
to-day. Reductions were necessary,
it was stated, "in keeping with tho
general business trend throughout
.Soldiers Bad Narrow Escape.
Greenville, Dec. 1.-Sixty-eight
soldier patients from all paits of tho
country, in the United States Public
Health Service Hospital at Camp
Sevier, had a narrow escape about
midnight last night when fire prac
tically destroyod Wards Nos. 16 and
17. The patients, nided by nursos
and Red Cross workers, were remov
ed without confusion in record timo,
and no one was reported injured.
Germany bogan seriously to bull 1
n great navy in 1900.
A collection of carved jade in Hie
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New
York eily, is the finest in tho world.
"My horse was in such run-down
condition, I thought he would dio.
After feeding him Dr. LcOear's Stock
Powdors, ho is as woll as jvor, and
is now as good looking a horse as
there is in this section"-J. C. Huste,
Rockbridge Baths. Va.
Dr. LoGoar's Stock Powders build
up the body, vitality and muscular
energy of your horses and mules, In
sure more moat with loss food, from
your hogs, sheop and cattlo, and help
your cows produce moro and richor
Mr. Husto's small expenditure
saved him the price of a horse. Dr.
LoGoar can also help you. For 28
years as a Veterinary Surgeon and
Export Poultry Breeder ho has de
voted himself to tho compounding of
remedies for ailments of stock and
poultry. Whonover you have an all-*
mont among your stock or poultry,
got tho proper Dr. LoGoar Remedy,
from your doaler. It must satisfy you;
or your money will be rofundod.-ad, | <urn:uuid:a23fe6c8-7f4e-4742-8ae8-f194ed182f78> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026912/1920-12-08/ed-1/seq-7/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00023-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909098 | 6,986 | 2.546875 | 3 |
1.1The amount held by a dessertspoon, in the UK considered to be 11.8 millilitres when used as a measurement in cooking.
- Add one dessertspoon of honey and two teaspoons of lemon juice.
- Spoon dessertspoons of batter into the pan and cook on a medium heat until the underside begins to brown and the tops look lightly set.
- Make a small roux by melting about 20 g butter and flour (roughly a dessertspoon of each) together in a saucepan.
noun (plural dessertspoonfuls)
- Example sentences
- Add a dash of brown sugar (about a dessertspoonful) to the meat and a couple of teaspoonfuls of pesto to the vegetables.
- Scatter half a chopped onion, half a garlic clove, and 2 dessertspoonfuls of salt over meat.
- Drop a scant dessertspoonful of the mixture on to lightly oiled oven trays, leaving room for spreading.
For editors and proofreaders
Line breaks: des¦sert|spoon
Definition of dessertspoon in:
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed. | <urn:uuid:ec5f9036-3daa-464b-8e28-20981550480e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/dessertspoon | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393997.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00060-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.825684 | 267 | 2.78125 | 3 |
OF PROSTATE CANCER WITH HORMONE THERAPY?
prostate gland is an organ that makes nutrient fluid (seminal
fluid) to nourish the sperm. The prostate increases in size with
age. As the prostate gland grows, it can cause urinary symptoms
of decreased stream, hesitancy, frequency, urgency to void, and
frequent urination at night. Islands of the prostate gland can
also form cancer cells. The prostate tissue is very sensitive
to the male hormone testosterone, causing normal prostate cells
and prostate cancer cells to grow.
observation led urologists to the use of hormone reduction to
treat prostate cancer in the 1940s and except for newer drugs,
the principle of hormone reduction still stands today. Today the
most common ways of effecting male hormone reduction is surgical
removal of the testicles (orchiectomy), or shots every 1 to 4
months of Lupron (TAP Pharmaceutical) or Zoladex
cause the testicles to stop producing the male hormone, testosterone.
In patients, where the prostate cancer has spread outside of the
gland into other parts of the body such as lymph nodes, bone,
lung, or liver, hormone treatments are frequently recommended.
When spread of the cancer has occurred, the disease can not usually
be cured with surgical removal or with radiation treatments. This
is because the cancer is almost always more widespread and all
of the cancer cell can not be treated or removed. Since hormone
therapy treats the entire body, cancer cells too small to see
can be treated, no matter where they are.
patients with localized prostate cancer are treated with hormones
circumstance is where patients, for varied reasons, cannot undergo
surgery or radiation immediately and the hormone treatment allows
us to delay treatment.
situation is when doctors may wish to shrink the prostate cancer
to allow surgery or radiation to possibly be more effective.
This is especially true for patients with large glands that
may be opting for brachytherapy, or seed implantation. The prostate
needs to be less than 50 grams in most cases, and the hormones
will shrink the prostate. This process takes about 3-6 months
in most cases.
therapy is where Lupron or Zoladex
is given to help improve the results of standard radiation therapy
TO DECREASE THE MALE HORMONE, TESTOSTERONE:
is Hormone Therapy used?
- The testicles manufacture almost all of the male
hormones. Therefore, removal of both testicles lowers the hormone
levels sufficiently to often achieve an excellent response against
the prostate cancer. The procedure requires a brief anesthetic
(general, spinal or local) and usually requires less than 30
minutes to perform. In most instances, the patient goes home
from the hospital on the same day. There is some discomfort
that is usually treated with a mild pain medication and a few
days of restricted activity. A small chance of infection exists,
along with the risks associated with the anesthesia.
side effects of removal of the testicles are mild in most
cases. The most problematic are 'hot flashes'. Because of
the abruptness of the hormone changes, some men will have
'hot flashes', which consist of brief episodes of feeling
of warmth, sweating and redness, especially of the face. Rarely,
these can come so often that we need to offer medication to
try to reduce their effects. Usually the flashes decrease
Injections (Lupron or Zoladex)
- These are long-acting medications that are injected into the
buttocks or subcutaneously under the skin, These medicines are
able to stop the testicle from producing testosterone. The action
of the drug is actually on the pituitary gland in the brain,
which makes, LH (Leutenizing Hormone), a special hormone that
stimulates the testicles to release testosterone. Without LH,
the testicle does not make any significant amount of testosterone.
The effect is the same as orchiectomy. Testosterone production
by the testicles is stopped.
The injections have no direct
effect on the cancer, only an effect on the testicles. The
lack of male hormone circulating in the blood kills the prostate
cancer cells. The major advantage is no need for surgical
removal of the testicles. Most patients prefer the injections
instead of having their testicles removed.
The disadvantages are the
need for an injection every 1 to 4 months, but most men are
willing to exchange the effort to spare their testicles. There
is a high to cost of the medication; however, this treatment
is standard and is covered by almost every insurance company,
HMO, and by Medicare. Allergic reactions have been reported
and can result in a rare case of arthritis.
Hormone Therapy is currently being investigated. Intermittent
hormone therapy is a treatment regimen where hormone therapy
is started and when the cancer shrinks to a certain level as
measured by the PSA, we stop the hormone therapy.
Treatment is re-started when the cancer grows again (as measured
by PSA). The advantage of intermittent hormone therapy is a
reduction in the side effects of the hormone therapy during
the periods that the patient is off treatment and reduced overall
costs. Early studies have suggested that success in treating
the cancer is not hurt by using intermittent therapy. Intermittent
therapy is still investigational.
Hormones - Until the mid-1980s, female hormones in
pill form, particularly Stilbesterol, were
used to treat prostate cancer. Female hormones act on the male
pituitary gland in the brain to reduce the release of a special
pituitary hormone that stimulates the testicles to release testosterone.
Female hormones had the advantage of requiring only a daily
pill to take, but has the disadvantage of increased risks of
heart attack and stroke and also caused painful breast enlargement
in many men. We still use female hormones to reduce the effects
of hot flashes in some men, and occasionally in men whose tumors
have started to grow again despite the hormone treatments.
Hormone Therapy - Many studies have suggested that
the addition of another type of medicine called anti-androgens,
may help potentiate the effectiveness of either hormone injections
or removal of the testicles. The most common ones used are called
or bicalutamide (Casodex). These drugs, taken
in pill form, further reduce the hormone levels by blocking
the action of remaining male hormones (mostly made in the adrenal
glands). Some controversy still exists as to the effectiveness
of this additional treatment and the cost is about $300 per
month. Many insurance companies pay for this medicine, while
other companies, including Medicare
do not cover this prescription.
certain percentage of men will have some reaction to the medication,
particularly diarrhea (more common in flutamide than bicalutamide).
The symptoms resolve in time or the dosage can be reduced.
At this time, doctors may suggest that flutamide or bicalutamide
be used if the cost of the medicine will not be a burden and
the side effects are minimal. The usefulness of these medications
is still not a certainty to all investigators. So that if
you do not use antiandrogens, you shouldn't feel that you
are getting inferior or substandard treatment.
cancer has spread to other areas of the body away from
the prostate, such as bone, lung, liver, lymph nodes (otherwise
known as metastasis or metastatic cancer). The exact time to
start treatment varies with each patient. In some patients treatment
is started when the diagnosis of metastatic disease is made,
in others, we may wait for symptoms, such as pain, before starting
treatment. The major advantages of delaying treatment are the
lack of side effects from the hormone therapy and the reduced
cost. Overall survival time may be improved by starting earlier.
preparation for radical surgery or radiation therapy to cure
the cancer. Some studies have shown that hormone therapy
can be used to make radical prostate surgery or radiation therapy
more successful. The treated cancer shrinks before and during
hormone therapy, thereby possibly increasing chances for successful
curative therapy. The hormone therapy is stopped after surgery
or radiation. This is investigational for now.
How long is hormone therapy
For patients with metastatic cancer, the therapy is used indefinitely
as long as the therapy is successful in controlling or stopping
the growth of cancer.
preparation for radical surgery, external beam X-radiation,
and brachytherapy (seed implantation), the therapy is usually
given for three to four months. Surgery is then performed
and the medication is stopped.
treatments for prostate cancer have been used successfully for
over 50 years. The overall success rate or chances of the cancer
shrinking is greater than 70%. In those that respond, the length
of time that the tumor remains under control is variable, but
can be many, many years. Doctors will continue to follow your
cancer with examinations, blood tests (particularly PSA) and other
scans, depending on your circumstances.
by Stephen M. Auerbach, MD
Board Certified Urologist
Medical Director for California Professional Research
HHH education information staff member , HisandHersHealth.com | <urn:uuid:c408b5c6-1143-4324-bc16-0fb9a4470089> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.advancetherapynetwork.com/health/Prostate_cancer/hormone_treatment/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00047-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915845 | 1,992 | 2.765625 | 3 |
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