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Symato Team 7

Carbon capture technology in the oil and gas industry is the major challenge that industries are facing. As crude oil production is the biggest production in the world. Capture is the technology that uses photosynthesis to combat climate change. It is the process of capturing the CO2 emissions before they are released into the atmosphere. Then it is stored underground like concrete. If this technology produces more biomass to grow, or stores carbon instead of releasing it back into the atmosphere, then it will help in carbon removal. You can also get deep knowledge about low carbon crude oil production via https://www.dasturenergy.com/oil-exploration-production/ to get more information. Various companies are helping industries in low-carbon capture crude oil production. Dastur Energy is helping its clients in offering charting economically viable energy transition pathways in low-carbon crude oil production. Their business-driven approach helps industries to cover the entire lifecycle of CO2- starting from CO2 source determination, CO2 capture, processing, and transportation and also covers injection of CO2 for EOR and subsequent recycling of CO2. They have developed the first carbon capture steel plant project in the United State. With the Department of Energy’s support and with Dastur’s expertise in the design of commercial-scale engineering systems for carbon capture, the first carbon- capture project can provide a competitive path for decarbonization of the US steel industry.

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Joaquín Sorolla – The World-Renowned Spanish Painter Valencia was center stage for world-renowned artist Joaquín Sorolla. Though the Spanish painter’s career afforded him a life of worldwide travel and notoriety, the passion that fueled his art was his homeland. Through his portrait art and landscape paintings, he explored people, locations and historical scenes familiar to Spaniards and captivating to foreigners. Sorolla’s career, like his personal life, seemed very fulfilling. By the time he reached 30 years of age, he had already received national recognition for his artwork and was approaching an era of worldwide fame. In the following years, his work was exhibited in art capitals like Madrid, Paris, Venice, Munich, Berlin and Chicago. When he was only 40-years-old, he was donning major awards and became known as one of the “western world’s greatest living artists.” His list of accomplishments is great but, when realizing he started life as an orphan, born in 1863, the heights of his fame seem that much greater. Joaquín Sorolla was only two years old when, it is believed, his parents passed away from cholera. At that time, he and his sister went into the care of his maternal aunt and uncle.Details

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Estonia’s first CubeSat ESTCube-1, amateur radio callsign ES5E, was launched from Kourou in the Caribbean on May 7 at 0206 UT on an ESA Vega rocket into a 704 km orbit. Also on the same launch were Vietnam’s VNREDSat-1A and ESA’s Proba‑V satellites. This Vega mission required five upper-stage boosts and lasted about twice as long as its first launch, in February 2012. The three solid-propellant stages performed flawlessly and, after two burns of the liquid-propellant upper stage, Proba‑V was released into a circular orbit at an altitude of 820 km, over the western coast of Australia, some 55 minutes into flight. After releasing Proba-V, the upper stage performed a third burn and the top half of the egg-shaped Vega Secondary Payload Adapter was ejected. After a fourth burn to circularize the orbit at an altitude of 704 km, VNREDSat-1A was released 1 hour 57 minutes into flight. ESTCube‑1 was ejected from its dispenser three minutes later. ESTCube-1 was built by students at the University of Tartu. The main mission of the satellite is to test electric solar wind sail technology, a novel space propulsion technology that could revolutionize transportation within the solar system. It will deploy a 10 meter conductive electrodynamic tether and the force interacting with the tether will be measured. The technology is based on the electrostatic interaction between the electric field generated by the satellite and the high-speed particles being ejected from the Sun. A spacecraft utilizing this method would first deploy a set of electrically charged wires, which allow to generate an electric field over a large area. This area effectively forms a “sail” that can be pushed by the charged particles by being diverted by it and therefore transferring momentum to the craft. The team also aim to capture images of Estonia for outreach purposes. The IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel have published these frequencies for ESTCube-1 437.250 MHz – CW beacon, callsign ES5E/S 437.505 MHz – 9600 bps AX.25 telemetry, callsign ES5E-11 The CW beacon has been received slightly high of the published frequency on 437.2515 MHz (+/- Doppler shift). Among those reporting the signal have been Nader Omer ST2NH in Sudan, Mike Rupprecht DK3WN in Germany, and Hector Martinez CO6CBF in Cuba who was using an AMSAT-UK FUNcube Dongle SDR. Watch Estonian’s ESTCube-1 Watch Exploded view of ESTCube-1 Electric solar wind sail http://www.electric-sailing.fi/ EstCube on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/estcube/ EstCube website http://www.estcube.eu/en/home Wiki EstCube-1 http://tinyurl.com/WikiESTCube-1 ESA report on launch and deployment Keplerian Two Line Elements (TLEs) ‘Keps’ for new satellites launched in past 30 days Keplerian Two Line Elements (TLEs) ‘Keps’ for CubeSats are at

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Flying Shot Lake School. [ca. 1918] Part of SPRA 0032.08.08.0939 Campbell Family fonds. The South Peace Regional Archives initiated a survey of the region’s holdings in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) call to actions to locate records within our holdings related to Indian Residential Schools. We found very few records related to residential schools, but we did find several records related to Indigenous people and communities in our region. We decided to expand the scope of our research to look for any records related to Indigenous peoples within our holdings. Thanks to the efforts of staff and volunteers, we now have a small database of material to share. While we pursue avenues of access, we would like to start sharing some of these images and documents. The caption on the back of this photograph reads: “Flying Shot school & some of the pupils. The boy at the right is the only white one.” Our notes about the photograph state that the majority of students at the school were Metis. The writer of the caption is likely teacher Margaret McDonald. According to our records, the Catholic brothers at St. Vincent’s Mission on the banks of Bear Creek initially taught lessons to the local Indigenous children starting in 1908. In 1910, the town site for Grande Prairie was laid out on the other side of the Creek and public, one-room schoolhouses started popping in the town and in Flying Shot Lake. All the local Indigenous children went to those schools, including the one pictured here. We do not know if the children pictured here are really Métis, Cree, Iroquois, or Beaver largely because we do not know their names. We do know that according to the agency history for the related fonds (077 Flying Shot Lake School District 3399 fonds), this building was located on the Clifford place and was also the home and hospital ran by Reverend and Mrs. Forbes. The building also served as the courthouse for Grande Prairie. Our records also tell us that prior to the official opening of this school, Maude Clifford taught school to the local Cree, Beaver, Métis, and white children from the area. If you think you know who some of these children might be or who their families were, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us at [email protected] or 780-830-5105.

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Submitted to: North Central Weed Science Society US Proceedings Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: December 7, 1995 Publication Date: N/A Technical Abstract: Species composition and population densities of weed communities of arable land reflect agronomic practices. The trend toward reducing tillage in corn and soybean production changes the environment where weeds are managed, survive, and reproduce. The shift from tillage systems that include extensive annual soil disturbance to systems that minimize soil disturbance will cause major changes in weed population dynamics. These changes often reduce the effectiveness of weed control practices. Reduced herbicide efficacy has slowed adoption of conservation tillage because many conservation tillage systems rely heavily on herbicides for weed management. Poor understanding of weed population dynamics and lack of suitable control alternatives often result in increased herbicide use in conservation tillage systems. While results have varied among experiments, some general trends in weed population dynamics have arisen as tillage is reduced. These include increased populations of perennial, summer annual grass, biennial, and winter annual species. Densities of large-seeded dicot species often decrease. The ecological and management aspects of these changes are varied and complex. Effective, economical, and environmentally-sound weed management in conservation tillage systems will require integration of new information with established principles of weed management. New management systems and control technologies are needed to develop integrated weed management systems for the altered ecosystems created by conservation tillage production systems. A more complete review of weed biology and management in conservation tillage was recently published in Crop Science (1995) 35:1247-1258.

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Air quality in our region has improved, but coming changes will likely put Mecklenburg County out of compliance with more stringent standards. At the April 2 Technical Coordinating Committee of the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization, Megan Green of Mecklenburg County Air Quality presented information about a proposal by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to lower the health-based National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone to a value between 65-70 parts per billion (ppb). The current standard, set in 2008, is 75 ppb. The new standard would be approved by October 1. Yikes! Mecklenburg County has the highest ground-level ozone in the state. Ground-level ozone is worst in the summer months because it forms due to a chemical reaction of pollutants emitted from industrial processes and vehicle emissions in the presence of sunlight. Breathing in high levels of ground-level ozone can cause acute respiratory problems such as coughing and respiratory irritation and can aggravate the symptoms of asthma. Ground-level ozone forms when pollutants from vehicles and industry react in the presence of sunlight. We're in favor of the more stringent proposed standard because our region's residents deserve to breathe clean, healthy air. It's as simple as that. But meeting that standard will be much more difficult. As you can see in the graph below, Mecklenburg County was in compliance (for the first time in 12 years!) with the current ozone standards at the end of the 2014 ozone season. The current standard is shown as the red horizontal line. The yellow line below it shows the range of the proposed new standard. Mecklenburg County met the ozone standard in 2014, but would not meet the new proposed standard. Source: Mecklenburg County Air Quality Can you see the problem? In no year since 2002 has Mecklenburg County been close to falling within the proposed new standard. This means that we will very likely be out of compliance if the new standard is adopted. Over the next few years, data will be collected to determine whether we are a "non-attainment" area. The earliest deadline for non-attainment areas to meet the standard would be October 2020. Wondering how to protect yourself and your loved ones from the effects of ground-level ozone? Here are some suggestions: 1. Be informed. The NC Division of Air Quality maintains a Air Quality Forecast page that ranks today's and tomorrow's air quality on a simple color-coded map from Good (green) to Very Unhealthy (purple). Learn more about Mecklenburg County's air quality on pages 7 through 10 of our 2014 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Sustainability Report Card. 2. Protect vulnerable lungs. When ground-level ozone levels are high, respiratory problems are more likely. This is not healthy for anyone, but it's especially problematic for the elderly and people with cardiac or respiratory conditions such as asthma and heart disease. Children are also vulnerable because their lungs are still developing and they breathe in a higher volume of air per pound of body weight than adults. Using the forecast tool above, monitor the air quality in your region. If it's in the high range, limit outdoor activities. Learn more tips to protect yourself at the American Lung Association website. 3. Become part of the solution. In Mecklenburg County, most of the smog-forming emissions (ozone is a pre-curser to smog) come from vehicles. Although today's vehicles emit far fewer pollutants than vehicles built decades ago, our area is near the top of the list for the fastest population growth in the nation. More residents will mean more and more vehicles emitting air pollutants, unless we change the ways we travel. Visit our Transportation Choices Alliance website to find many ideas and resources for traveling by foot, bicycle and transit. Acknowledgement: Thank you to Megan Green of Mecklenburg County Air Quality for providing the figures and information about the proposed standard.

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An air of mystery hangs over this under-explored pocket of South America. From the wild impenetrable Chaco in the northwest to the lush forests of the southeast, there is an incredible diversity of flora and fauna, a number of rivers to navigate and many opportunities to experience rural tourism. Although dwarfed by its giant neighbours Brazil and Argentina, Paraguay covers some 407,000 sq km, roughly the size of California, and sits at the confluence of six important eco-regions. This landlocked country has a strange history of intrepid missionaries, charismatic leaders and bloody wars, yet embodies a spirit of steadfastness and isolation not found elsewhere on the continent. Paraguayans are proud of their indigenous Guaraní culture, evident in the widespread use of its language, which is taught in schools and is spoken daily by roughly half of the population. Although difficult to pronounce for many outsiders, the Guaraní language does not mask the warmth of Paraguayan hospitality, perhaps best known through its ubiquitous drink yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis), traditionally given to all visitors. Today the country is part of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System, with trade routes to Argentina and Brazil well established and an asphalt road to Bolivia finally completed. Famed for its arduous but rewarding treks, Paraguay’s infamous Ruta 9, the Trans-Chaco Highway, remains one of the great road adventures in South America, and a journey along the length of either of the country’s two major rivers, the Río Paraguay or the Río Paraná, is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

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Canon Digital Camera Lenses Canon digital camera lenses as discussed here refer to interchangeable lenses that fit Canon's range of single lens reflex (SLR) digital cameras. Canon compact digital cameras have fixed lenses that cannot be removed or inter-changed, so cannot be purchased separately. At the outset, it's important to understand that all Canon lenses with electronic mounts ("EF" designated lenses), designed for use on its range of 35mm SLR film cameras, can also be used on Canon digital SLR cameras -- from the consumer Digital Rebels (300D - 550D) to the top-end Canon EOS 1Ds cameras. As Canon have discontinued all film cameras except for the Canon EOS 1v, it's reasonable to say that all currently available EF lenses are in fact digital camera lenses, as that's what they're now being used for. Fundamentally, a Canon 35mm SLR camera (EOS 1) and a Canon full-frame SLR digital camera (EOS 1Ds) are the same -- light-tight boxes with a lens, a way of controlling the amount of light entering the camera, and a light sensitive area to record the image that's projected by the lens. In the case of film cameras, a piece of film 36 x 24mm in size captures the image. With full-frame digital cameras, a light sensitive CMOS sensor, also 36 x 24mm in size, captures the image. Films have to be processed in chemicals to bring out the image, while the information collected by the sensor has to be processed by the camera's processor to produce a digital file containing the image. So it's logical that Canon's range of EF lenses that worked on its film cameras will also work on its digital cameras. In the above scenario, we're talking about digital cameras with a full-frame sensor (as in the Canon EOS 1Ds and Canon EOS 5D) that's the same size as a piece of film. However, the large majority of digital SLR cameras produced by Canon do not have a full-frame sensor, i.e. it's smaller than a 36 x 24mm piece of film. This is largely a result of cost. Sensors are expensive to produce, so it made sense for Canon (and Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, Sony) to manufacture digital SLR cameras with smaller sensors to make them more affordable. In the case of Canon, all its entry-level or "consumer" digital SLRs like the Digital Rebels (300D through to 550D), plus its "prosumer" models (10D to 50D) and 7D have a sensor that's 22.5 x 15mm in size - commonly referred to as APS-C size sensors. Although all Canon's EF lenses can be used on cameras with APS-C sensors, the smaller size of the sensor has a major impact on the image produced. Imagine projecting a slide or movie onto a screen so the image fills the screen, then replacing the screen with a smaller one - the projected image will now be too big for the screen and "overflow" it. This can be seen from the two pictures below. The left one shows how a circular image cast by the EF lens is captured on a full-frame sensor, while the right one illustrates what happens when the same lens is used on a camera with an APS-C sensor. The image is too big for the sensor and has effectively been cropped. To get the full image to fit on the sensor, the photographer either has to move further away from the subject until it can fit in the frame, or change to a shorter focal length lens with less magnifying power. This is clearly an advantage when using telephoto lenses, as you can now fill the frame of your Canon 50D with a shorter tele lens than is required for a 5D. It's like using a 1.6x converter. If the 5D photographer has to use a 320mm lens for the eagle to fill the frame, the 50D user only has to fit a 200mm lens to fill the frame (200 x 1.6 = 320). It's the converse for wide angle lenses -- now your wonderful 24mm lens when placed on the 50D is "lengthened" by 1.6x, so is effectively like using a 38.4mm lens. Not much use when shooting a tight interior or building with no room to move further back. Canon's range of EF wide angle lenses and wide angle zooms suddenly lost their appeal for all but those photographers who could afford full-frame cameras. Canon EF-S Digital SLR Lenses To overcome this, Canon introduced its range of EF-S lenses, designed specifically for use on its digital SLRs with APS-C sensors, aimed at countering the magnification factor on the wide angle side. A good example is the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, which equates to a 16-35mm ultra wide on a full-frame body. Canon is continuing to expand its range of EF-S lenses, which can truly be called Canon digital SLR lenses or Canon digital camera lenses. Because it's a smaller sensor now receiving the image, the circular image cast by the lens can also be smaller -- as in the picture right. This means EF-S lenses can be optimized to use less glass, making them lighter and more compact. For example, Canon's EF-S 55-250mm f/4.5-5.6 IS zoom lens is only 4.3" (108mm) long, yet fills the frame as would an 88-400mm lens on a 5D body. Note that the design of EF-S lenses means they cannot be used on 35mm film cameras or on full-frame digital cameras -- they're specifically for use on Canon digital cameras with the APS-C size sensor. EF Lens and "Sweet Spot" Bonus Many camera lenses produce an image that's superior in the center of the frame than around the edges. When using a lens designed for a full-frame sensor on an APS-C sensor, only the central "sweet spot" of the image is used. This means a lens that is unacceptably soft or defective around the edges can give better results on the smaller sensor. See also Canon Crop Factor for more on the effect of using Canon EF lenses with APS-C sensor cameras. Return to Canon Lens Reports

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Your child’s heart will beat over two billion times, pumping one million barrels of blood. How do you know it’s healthy? Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone. Seemingly out of nowhere, the heart stops pumping blood and the person collapses. If the heart is not restarted, then the person dies. But how common is cardiac arrest in children? The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that 2,000 children die every year from cardiopulmonary arrest. It is the leading cause of death of student-athletes. Yet, children are not routinely screened for heart defects unless they show signs of disease, even if they’re joining a sports program. In fact, many of us will go our entire life without ever having our heart monitored for problems. That’s no way to treat such a vital and hardworking organ. Simon’s Heart is an organization that believes that all students should have their hearts screened as a cardiac standard of care. And there should be a free heart test. Research shows that cardiac screenings – together with a good medical history and physical exam – are much more effective at detecting heart conditions than a history and physical alone. What are the origins of Simon’s Heart? On October 21, 2004, Phyllis and Darren Sudman welcomed the birth of their second child, a baby boy they named Simon. He was a seemingly healthy, happy baby who drank his bottles, slept, and hit the proscribed benchmarks. Simon smiled for the first time when he was seven weeks old. He died 47 days later. Simon was diagnosed with a treatable and detectable heart condition and Simon’s pediatrician recommended that Simon’s parents get their hearts checked. Mom was diagnosed with the same condition. Ultimately, Simon’s death saved his mom’s life. The Sudmans turned their grief into action and founded Simon’s Heart, looking to a future where parents don’t lose children to detectable and treatable heart conditions. Based in Philadelphia, Simon’s Heart works with medical professionals, youth organizations, businesses and the community to organize free heart screenings, CPR Education through their innovative CPR Jukebox, distribute AEDs where children learn and play, develop and fund a national youth cardiac registry to provide cardiac data for search, and to advocate for children, teens, and young adults through the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act. Simon’s Heart works with physicians and school districts across the country to offer free screenings for children, teens and young adults. Learn more about them and find one near you. In 2012, Simon’s Heart helped Pennsylvania to pass the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act, which raises awareness among student-athletes, parents, and coaches about the risks and warning signs of cardiac arrest. Now adopted by 15 additional states and covering over 2,000,000 student-athletes, the act calls for parents to review and sign an information sheet about the warning signs of sudden cardiac arrest and requires coaches to annually review an online training course and remove any player who exhibits symptoms from competition until he or she has been cleared by a licensed medical professional. Simon’s Heart Screenings include a thorough medical and family history, physical exam and an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) looks for an irregularity in the rhythm of the heart. Local cardiologists volunteer their time to conduct and review the tests on-site. About ten percent of the students will also get an echocardiogram based on family history or an abnormal ECG. Parents are advised if a full cardiac evaluation or consultation with a pediatrician is called for.

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Almonds are nutrient powerhouses. Whether consumed whole, chopped, sliced or ground into almond flour or almond butter, this deliciously satisfying nut truly deserves its superfood status. Here are five research-backed almond benefits, and simple ways to incorporate them into meals, snacks and treats. 1. Almonds are nutrient-rich. An ounce of almonds, which is about 1/4 cup or 23 whole nuts, provides a generous amount of heart-healthy fat, along with 6 grams of plant protein, 4 grams of filling fiber (16% of the daily minimum), half of the daily target for vitamin E and 20% for magnesium — along with B vitamins and smaller amounts of calcium, iron and potassium. 2. Almonds can help gut health. Both raw and roasted almonds have been found to act as prebiotics, which serve as food for the beneficial bacteria in the gut linked to immunity, anti-inflammation and mental health. In a recent study, college students were randomly assigned to snack on almonds or graham crackers. After eight weeks, researchers observed that the almond eaters experienced important changes in their gut microbiome, including a decrease in amounts of one pathogenic bacterium, and an increase in the diversity of bacteria tied to positive outcomes, including weight management, insulin function, cholesterol regulation and anti-inflammation. 3. They keep your heart healthy. Almonds protect your heart in several ways. The nuts have been shown to maintain or increase “good” heart-protective HDL cholesterol, while lowering “bad” LDL levels. Almonds and other nuts also help reduce blood pressure and improve vascular function, meaning they help blood vessels relax and reduce artery stiffness. 4. Almonds can aid weight regulation. Eating tree nuts, including almonds, has been shown to reduce body mass index (BMI, a measure of weight compared to height) and reduce waist measurements. In addition to being satiating, the combo of healthy fat, plant protein and fiber in almonds boosts feelings of fullness and delays the return of hunger. Also, newer research finds that almonds actually contain about 20% fewer calories than the labels state, because some of the calories are not absorbed from the digestive tract into the bloodstream. 5. They’re good for the skin. We know that good fats support skin health, but almonds may actually help turn back the clock when it comes to skin aging. In a 2019 study, healthy postmenopausal women were divided into two groups. For 16 weeks one group consumed 20% of their daily calories from almonds, and the other ate the same percentage as non-almond fare. A facial photograph and image analysis system was used to assess wrinkle width and severity at the start of the study, and then 8 and 16 weeks later. Researchers found that the almond group had significantly decreased wrinkle severity and width compared to the non-almond eaters. Not a bad perk for a tasty food with so many additional benefits! How to add more almonds to your meals. Almonds are an easy portable snack as is, but they can also be incorporated into meals. Whip almond butter into a smoothie, drizzle it over overnight oats or use as a dip for fresh fruit. Sprinkle almonds onto a salad, cooked veggies or a stir-fry. Use almond flour in place of breadcrumbs to garnish lentil soup, spaghetti squash or hummus, or in place of all-purpose flour in pancakes and baked goods. (Health delivers relevant information in clear, jargon-free language that puts health into context in peoples’ lives. Online at www.health.com.)

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Unlike most technical guides, this project is specifically designed for academic and enterprise users who are abruptly confronted with need to use R for a project. Perhaps you reached a point in your thesis that required some statistical analysis. Or maybe you were assigned to a project at work that required you to chart and analyze production data. Or perhaps you even scored an internship with the right company. In any event, there’s this thing on your desk called “R” and you need to learn it. Welcome! This is a “quick and dirty” guide to getting productive in R. We’re going to skip over some of the technical details (data types, etc.) in favor of simple “plug and play” examples that will work for most users. The intent here is for you to read the example, think about your project, and use the code from the example to “get going” down the path. If you’re going to spend a lot of time with the language, it would be helpful to have a good cookbook of R examples available for deeper reading – our desk reference is the R Cookbook from O’Reilly publishing (available on Amazon) . Here’s a good walk through for your first 30 minutes with R…. Now that we’ve had an appetizer, lets move onto the main course. While it’s fun to use the data sets which come with the R package to play with the system, you’ve got your own information to work with! Here’s some deeper guidance on how to get started… (You may want to bookmark this page) Step 1 – Getting Your Data Into R Step 2 – Data Manipulation But wait… as they say on late night TV, There’s MORE…. All this key bashing is rather fun, but what if there was a way to automate this into a set of scripts, whereby you could issue a single command and “stuff gets done”. While you get down to the more serious business of coffee and chitchat. That’s much better than keying commands line by line. Fortunately… there is…. - Step 4 – Automation! - Creating Functions in R - Meta: Creating Empty Data Frames & Recycling Specifications

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For this last post, let’s do some exploration using the To do this you will need to flip through the atlas to find the image. Note the . You will only find these in North America, South America, Europe and Asia ( do not refer to Antarctica). You will receive 0 points if you simply list the locations noted from the text. You need to re-think climates, weather, and the chapter covering glaciation. Explain how these features form (do not quote the text, but explain in your own words as you are demonstrating your comprehension of the text). This section should be 300 + words in length. https://essay-help.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/whatsapp-logo-300x115.jpeg 0 0 Essay help https://essay-help.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/whatsapp-logo-300x115.jpeg Essay help2021-03-12 08:09:312021-03-12 08:09:31For this last post, let's do some exploration using the To do this you will need to flip through the atlas to find the image.

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Gemstones, Fact, Fiction, Care & Feeding for Diamond Diamonds are valued for their incredible brilliance and hardness. Diamonds are chemically pure carbon, identical to the graphite used for pencils. Diamonds' hardness is the result of extremely strong chemical bonds between the carbon atoms. Most people think of diamonds as being colorless, but they actually occur in every color. Colors like canary yellow, green, pink, blue, purple and rare reds are termed "fancy" colors. Several colors can be artificially produced by treatment with combinations of irradiation and heat. Diamonds are extremely stable under normal conditions. A Brief History for Diamond Diamonds were treasured as talismans as early as 800 B.C. For more than 2, 500 years India was the only know diamond supplier. During the First Century A.D., it was the height of stature for prominent Romans to wear uncut diamonds, mounted in gold rings. These diamond talisman were awarded to a fortunate few by the emperor. In the 13th century, Louis IX of France, proclaimed an order forbidding all women, including queens, to wear diamonds! He insisted that diamonds were only for Kings. This law was challenged 200 years later by the mistress of Charles VII, who is considered responsible for making diamonds popular to all members of the French court. The first diamond engagement ring was given to Mary of Burgundy by Maximilian in 1477. For centuries it was believed that diamonds had gender. Francois Ruet, in 1566, described two diamonds as having offspring. Diamond production in India began to taper off in the 1700's. In 1725, diamonds were discovered in Brazil, making it the world's largest supplier. That changed in 1866 when diamonds were discovered in South Africa. In 1888, DeBeer's Consolidated Mines, Ltd was formed and more than 100 years later they are still boast control over 80% of the diamond trade in the world. Diamond is the birthstone for April and commemorates the 10th and 60th Anniversary. The Metaphysical aspects for Diamond As a talisman, the most powerful diamonds were thought to be naturally occurring octahedrons of exceptional clarity that exhibited fire. These diamonds would bring the owner wealth, power, good fortune and everlasting youth. It was believed that flawed or inclusive stones could have quite the opposite effect. Diamond is a stone that bonds relationships and enhances love. It is considered to be a master healer. Diamonds foster longevity, particularly with regards to relationships. Diamonds can increase balance, clarity, stability and abundance. It is the stone of the crown chakra. Gemological Information for Diamond ||Diamonds can be confused with zircons, cubic zirconia, moissanite, YAGS, strontium titanate. leaded glass, rhinestones and synthetic rutile ||heating, radiation, fracture filling Care of Diamond ||safe unless fracture ||safe unless fracture ||Sesitivity to Light: |Warm Soapy Water: ||Sensitivity to heat:

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The origins of ranching in the Great Plains can be traced to those Spanish settlers who first arrived in the Western Hemisphere. Beginning as early as 1500, vaqueros, or Spanish cowboys, were engaged in raising cattle for commercial purposes in the Caribbean Islands. During this early period the Spaniards' tradition of open-range herding and horsemounted drovers was influenced by African ranching techniques. African slaves working as herders introduced the idea of herding the cattle off the range and into pens at the close of each day to keep the animals from straying off the ranch at night. The Africans also contributed several new words to the Spanish lexicon that became commonly associated with the ranching industry. For example, linguists claim that the word "dogie," a term used to describe a motherless calf trailing behind a herd of cattle, originated from the Bombara language of West Africa. Nevertheless, despite such African influences, the Spanish tradition of ranching remained dominant during this early colonial period. Following in the wake of Hernán Cortés, Spaniards first brought cattle from the Caribbean Islands to the North American mainland when Gregorio Villalobos arrived in 1520 through the port of the Paunco River near present-day Tampico, Mexico. Scholars have substantially documented the early exploits of Spanish conquistadors against the Indigenous people of Mexico, but less known is the Natives' contempt for the Spaniards' cattle that ravaged their agricultural fields, decimating valuable subsistence crops. By 1529 the abundance of livestock in Spanish North America made it necessary to organize the first ranching association, or mesta. The mesta required that all ranchers register their brands with the authorities located in Mexico City. The cattle industry quickly became an integral part of the Mexican colonial economy, especially after the mid–sixteenth century, when Spanish silver mines opened in the northern reaches of Mexico. For those Spaniards living in the northern mining camps, beef became a significant part of their diet. The Spanish tradition of ranching in the American West began when Don Juan de Oñate's men herded more than 1,000 head of cattle across to El Paso del Norte, present-day El Paso, Texas, in April 1598. Later, Spanish missions assembled large herds of cattle in Texas, and by the latter part of the eighteenth century, more than a million head of cattle grazed in the open grasslands between the Nueces and Rio Grande Rivers. It is estimated that in 1770 the mission La Bahia del Espiritu Santo, near Goliad, was running approximately 40,000 cattle between the Guadalupe and San Antonio Rivers. The famous Texas longhorn breed of cattle evolved from these early Spanish herds. Throughout the 1760s and 1770s vaqueros drove Spanish cattle eastward along trails to markets located in New Orleans. During the American Revolution, Spanish cattle from Texas proved a valuable source of nourishment for Anglo-American settlers living in the frontier regions of present-day Kentucky. Louisiana was the "middle ground" where Anglos first came into contact with the Hispanic tradition of cattle ranching. Herding cattle was already an established profession of backcountry pioneers in the frontier regions of the southern British colonies in North America. However, the cattle industry in the British colonies differed considerably from the Hispanic tradition of ranching. Anglo ranchers constructed pens that were used to corral their cattle many miles from their established farms. African or mulatto slaves and indentured servants were charged with the care of the animals. Using dogs rather than riding horses to herd the short-horned British cattle, the colonial herders acquired the moniker "cowboys." In their efforts to find fresh grazing land, the Anglo cattlemen, both owner and herder, often found themselves in the vanguard of westward migration. Shortly after the turn of the nineteenth century, the backcountry drovers crossed the Mississippi River. As eastern ranchers moved farther west, the Anglo tradition of ranching began to merge with the well-established practices of the Spanish vaqueros. The newcomers to the American West learned and adopted the vaquero traditions of horsemanship and roping. Spanish influences on the Anglo cattle culture are clearly evident in the terminology commonly associated with the western cattle industry. Words such as "lariat," "lasso," "rodeo," "bronc," "corral," "sombrero," and "stampede" all have Spanish origins. While scholars credited Anglos with spreading the cattle industry northward to the Great Plains from Texas and Louisiana between 1865 and the 1880s, they also suggest that the American ranchers could not have accomplished this feat without first accepting the Spanish model of ranching. Between 1870 and the late 1880s every American cowboy who went up the Goodnight-Loving Trail to Denver, the Western Trail to Dodge City, and the Chisholm Trail to Abilene used the same techniques the Spanish vaqueros had introduced to North America nearly 300 years before the first railheads emerged on the Central Plains. The Spaniards made other contributions to the ranching heritage of the Great Plains. In addition to Spanish cattle, the Spaniards brought horses with them to the New World. The Spanish horse, like the longhorn, descended from stock brought into Spain during the eighth and ninth centuries by the invading Moors of North Africa. After the Spanish moved into the Southwest, some of their horses escaped into the wild, multiplied, and formed feral herds that eventually populated the Plains. These wild horses became the American West's famous mustang. The mustang horse became one of the most important components of the Great Plains cattle industry. Both Spanish vaqueros and American cowboys praised the endurance and dependability that the mustangs demonstrated in the rigid daily routines associated with working cattle on the open range. An aspect of the Hispanic ranching heritage that has received less scholarly attention than the cattle industry is the Spanish sheepherders. Sheepherders used the same basic principles as the cattlemen: they grazed and watered their sheep on the public domain and drove their animals along established trails to reach distant markets. The Spaniards first introduced sheep into present-day California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas as part of the Spanish mission establishments. By 1779 the Hopis were grazing approximately 30,000 sheep, and one mission in California was reported to have 100,000 sheep in its herd. The main center of the Spanish sheep industry, however, was located in New Mexico. Throughout the late nineteenth century the sheep population increased dramatically in the New Mexico Territory. In 1850 there were at least 377,000 sheep raised in the region and by 1880 there were over 2 million sheep grazing the New Mexico countryside. By 1865 herders in New Mexico had moved their sheep north into the eastern ranges of Colorado Territory. During the 1880s Texas became an important center of the sheep industry– more than 8 million sheep grazed the Texas range by the middle of the decade. On a much smaller scale, sheep ranching also developed in Wyoming, Montana, and the Dakotas. In these regions there were no large sheep ranches, but many small commercial enterprises dotted the Northern Plains. Scholars estimate that between 1865 and 1900 approximately 15 million sheep were herded along eastern trails to railheads and feedlots located in Kansas, Nebraska, and Minnesota. The ranching heritage of the Great Plains thus originated with the first Spanish settlers and continued to develop according to the trends established by the early Spanish vaqueros. The most significant contributions of Hispanic cattlemen involved the introduction of longhorn cattle to the North American Plains and the perfection of the techniques used in moving these rugged animals from one location to the next. The equestrian skills learned from the Hispanic vaqueros proved invaluable to the American cowboys who drove cattle up the trails from Texas through the Plains to railheads in Kansas and Nebraska. The Spanish sheep industry served as the cornerstone of an alternative model of ranching that became economically important to the western regions of the Central Plains. For these reasons, the Hispanic ranching culture was vital in establishing the foundation of a ranching tradition in the Great Plains. See also AGRICULTURE: Cattle Ranching. Kenneth W. Howell Blinn College Hine, Robert V., and John Mack Faragher. The American West: A New Interpretive History. New Haven CT: Yale University Press, 2000. Jordan, Terry G. North American Cattle-Ranching Frontiers: Origins, Diffusion, and Differentiation. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1993. Webb, Walter P. The Great Plains. Boston: Ginn and Company, 1931.

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How huge icebergs could be slowing climate change Scientists study the impact of iceberg meltwater on the carbon-sequestering phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean. All else being equal, global warming means more giant icebergs breaking off Antarctica and sliding into the ocean. But, as these massive hunks of ice float around the Southern Ocean, their meltwater is stimulating a process that is fighting back. As icebergs slowly melt into the sea, they deposit nutrients, such as iron, that fertilize phytoplankton, the microscopic marine plants that live at the water's surface. Blooms of phytoplankton consume carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, which takes the carbon out of the atmosphere, which in turn slows global warming. Scientists have known about this phenomenon for years, but a new study suggests giant icebergs, stretching over 11 miles long, could be responsible for 10 to 20 percent of carbon sequestration the Southern Ocean. "It's another component of the climate change story," Grant R. Bigg, a professor in Earth systems science at the University of Sheffield and the author of the new study, tells The Christian Science Monitor in an interview. "If giant icebergs hadn't existed, then the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would have gone up even more than it currently has. It's been something which has helped to slow down the rate of increase of carbon dioxide and therefore climate change." Dr. Bigg and his colleagues tested the impact of this phenomenon by analyzing satellite images of 17 giant icebergs and the colorful plume surrounding them. The plume, colored by the elevated chlorophyll levels of the phytoplankton blooms, stretched out some four to 10 times the iceberg's length and could last for over a month after the iceberg passed by. Their findings are described in an article published Monday in the journal Nature Geoscience. Are icebergs going to save us from climate change? No, says Ronald S. Kaufmann, a marine and environmental scientist at the University of San Diego who is not associated with the study, but who has researched this phenomenon. "I would hate for somebody to look at this and say, see it's a negative feedback, we can do whatever we want and it's not going to have an effect," he tells the Monitor in an interview. "This is moving the needle back in the other direction, there's no question about that," Dr. Kaufmann says. "But, whether it's moving it far enough and fast enough that people will still be able to produce lots and lots of greenhouse gases without worrying about the impacts of climate … I don't think this is going to offset the burning of coal, for example." Bigg agrees, "This isn't a large enough effect to take all the carbon dioxide out that's put in, but it will slow down that rate of increase." But as scientists make predictions about future climate change, it's important for them to understand the impact of this phenomenon, both scientists say. "The Southern Ocean, and specifically things like the Southern Ocean carbon cycle, are still not really well understood," Kaufmann says. The story of icebergs and carbon sequestration Icebergs aren't just giant ice cubes floating around in the ocean, Kaufmann says. They're more complex. The humongous frozen masses start as snow falling on the Antarctic continent. Over thousands of years that snow amasses into a gigantic glacier. Glaciers flow, like molasses, over the continent. As they travel, glaciers rub and churn against the ground, actually incorporating some of the rock and soil into the ice crystals. That's how a glacier picks up nutrients, like iron. Eventually, a glacier will reach the coast and stretch out over the water in an ice shelf. Icebergs are created when pieces of that shelf break off and float away into the ocean. Out in the open ocean, wind, current and warmer temperatures erode the iceberg. As it bobs around in the Southern Ocean, the iceberg ends up leaving a trail of iron-rich meltwater. In the Southern Ocean, iron is thought to be a limiting nutrient for phytoplankton productivity. So such a large influx of iron stimulates a bloom of the tiny plants. As phytoplankton grow, they extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and incorporate it into their own cellular material. That carbon might get sequestered when the plant dies and sinks down to the depths of the ocean, or might be carried into the deep by the excrement of an animal that consumes the tiny plants. With the carbon buried in the ocean sediments, it's out of the global carbon cycle indefinitely. Should we just sprinkle iron directly in the water? Scientists are already puzzling over such intentional techniques to enhance carbon sequestration. But, Kaufmann says, "We don't really know what the effects on the ecosystem would be." Phytoplankton are at the bottom of the food chain. Increasing the growth of the tiny plants could mean an increase in the organisms that consume them, producing an effect throughout the ecosystem. So, Kaufmann says, more scientific testing is necessary. "But, of course, this kind of stuff has been happening naturally for as long as icebergs have been breaking off and drifting off into the ocean," he says.

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An upper endoscopy can be an uncomfortable procedure. For some patients, the discomfort associated with an upper endoscopy extends well after the exam is done. Excess gas is one of the most common side-effects of upper endoscopy due to the introduction of air into the stomach during the exam. So, how do you get rid of gas after an upper endoscopy? Adopting dietary and lifestyle changes are two main ways to alleviate symptoms. Watching the foods you eat and how you eat certain foods can help manage gassiness after an endoscopy. Using over-the-counter gas relief medication is also a great solution to excess gas. In this article, we talk about the science behind gas in the digestive system, as well as different ways on how to get rid of it. Upper GI Endoscopy: Side Effects An upper GI endoscopy (also known as esophagogastroduodenoscopy or EGD) is performed to diagnose disorders and evaluate symptoms in the upper GI. This part of the gastrointestinal tract involves the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. Upper GI endoscopy is a minimally-invasive procedure that is performed by inserting a long, thin, flexible tube called an endoscope through the patient’s mouth. This travels down to the small intestine for observation. A live feed of the body is projected on a computer screen. Read more: A Complete Overview of Upper GI Endoscopy It is common for patients to experience side-effects after an upper GI. These side-effects include: - Bloating and gassiness - Sore throat or general throat discomfort - Abdominal cramping - Grogginess from sedation Gas and Upper Endoscopy: Why It Happens Gas and abdominal bloating are common side-effects of an upper GI endoscopy. This is caused by the introduction of air into the stomach, which could cause discomfort immediately after the procedure. Patients may report more frequent belching as a result of the procedure, which could be a cause for alarm for some patients. However, this is completely normal and will subside as the excess gas exits the body. Passing gas is a natural way of alleviating these symptoms. Patients may even pass gas 10-25 times a day immediately after the upper endoscopy. We recommend staying away from large amounts of food if you are feeling gassy following your upper GI endoscopy. Consuming large amounts of food could only aggravate gassiness, leading to constipation. This is especially true for foods containing carbohydrates that are not properly digested in the small intestine. Consume small meals 24-48 hours after your endoscopy to avoid experiencing constipation. You’re free to resume your regular meals afterwards. What Causes Gas In the Body? Digestion by Bacteria Bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and other digestive microorganisms reside in the small intestine. These are responsible for breaking down various carbohydrates. The body has difficulty digesting a specific strain of carbohydrates characterized as FODMAPs (fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-sacchardies and polyols). Bacteria fermentation of FODMAPs lead to gas production, leading to flatulence. Examples of foods high in FODMAPs are beans and dairy products. Individuals with lactose intolerance, for example, are especially sensitive to dairy products, leading to the production of excess gas. It’s not just the food we eat that influences gassiness. Even eating behaviors and activities impact the amount of gas residing in the gut. For instance, eating big pieces of food such as bread mean more swallowed air. Eaters who tend to chew and swallow food with open mouths tend to inhale more air than those who eat with their mouths closed. Using a straw and talking while eating are two other ways patients can inhale excess air during a meal. Being aware of your eating habits helps you understand what influences the amount of gas inside your stomach. Is It Normal to Have Gas After an Upper Endoscopy? Almost all patients experience gassiness after upper endoscopy. The symptoms of excess gas in the gastrointestinal system are: - Abdominal bloating. Bloating is usually caused by problems with motility (movements of the intestinal muscles during digestion). However, an upper endoscopy could also cause some temporary bloating because of the excess gas in the GI tract. - Flatulence. More frequent flatulence is to be expected with excess gas. Some patients report passing gas as frequently as 15 to 30 times a day because of gassiness. - Abdominal discomfort. Excess gas trapped in the intestine can lead to abdominal pain. This discomfort might resemble pain associated with heart disease or pain associated with appendicitis and gallstones. - Belching. Chronic and frequent belching is often a sign of a disorder such as chronic acid reflux (GERD). But for patients who have undergone an upper endoscopy, this is to be expected. How Long Does Gas Last After Endoscopy? Excess gas takes 2-4 days to be expelled from the body. This is possible through flatulence and belching. After a couple of days, patients should no longer experience gassiness. If you still feel gassy a week after the procedure, we recommend getting in touch with a medical professional to ensure your GI tract is safe, especially if gassiness is accompanied by more serious symptoms. Ways to Get Rid of Gas Getting rid of excess gas after an upper endoscopy can be achieved at home. Below are some of the tried and tested remedies to relieve gassiness: Exercise helps trapped gas move through your intestinal system. It doesn’t have to be intense exercise. Instead of lying down after a meal, take a 20-30 minute walk to exercise your body. Doctors recommend exercising for 20-30 minutes daily, but less frequent exercise is also acceptable in relieving the gut of excess gas. 2. Avoid Gum Gum and similar snacks introduce air down to the stomach. If you are experiencing gassiness after an endoscopy, refrain from chewing gum for a couple of days so you don’t have to aggravate your current condition. 3. Avoid Carbonated Drinks Soda, beer, and even sparkling water can all aggravate gassiness by introducing more air into the intestines. Stay away from these beverages and stick to flat drinks instead. We also suggest waiting a while before drinking fattier drinks like shakes since these can irritate the stomach after an endoscopy. Coffee and tea should be fine within 24 hours after upper endoscopy. 4. Eat Less Fatty Fried foods, dairy products, and sugary foods are all culprits for excess gas. Although fat in food doesn’t cause gas, high-fat foods cause bloating and increase gassiness in the stomach. 5. Use Over-The-Counter Medicine For instant relief, there are various over-the-counter medications patients can take. Alpha-galactosidase (BeanAssist, Beano) are specifically designed to aid in the digestion of beans and similar vegetables. This type of supplement has to be taken before a meal. Other remedies such as simethicone (Gas-X) can eliminate the little gas bubbles in your stomach, making it easier for gas to pass through the digestive tract. Products with activated charcoal such as CharoCaps can also alleviate symptoms, but further research is required regarding the use of activated charcoal in eliminating excess gas. 6. Stop Smoking The act of inhaling nicotine and exhaling smoke when smoking can also contribute to gassiness. Stay away from cigarettes 2-3 days after your upper endoscopy to prevent excess gas from entering your stomach. Danger Signs: Symptoms to Watch Out For Gas is a common and non-threatening side-effect to upper endoscopy. However, there are other symptoms that could occur after the exam that are signs of serious complications with the GI tract: - Chest or abdominal pain - Difficulty breathing - Black or tarry stools - Difficulty swallowing, feeling of something being lodged in the throat - Vomiting accompanied by blood or black chunks Get in touch with a medical professional once these signs become apparent. Book an Endoscopy Today At Gastro Center in New Jersey, we are equipped with the facilities to give you a comfortable upper endoscopy. Our medical professionals are trained to ensure that your side-effects are minimized after the procedure. Book an appointment with us today.

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P.E. Central Lesson Plan: Link Up Students must have practice spelling words and exposure to the different locomotor skills being used. Purpose of Activity: To practice spelling words while using a variety of locomotor skills and movement concepts. Suggested Grade Level: Large space; at least three copies of every letter on pieces of construction paper (3 A's; 3 B's; etc); Physical activity: Locomotor skills; space awareness and relationships (with body) movement concepts Description of Idea Students are to scatter around the room in their personal space. Each student will be given a card (piece of paper) with a letter on it. The students will be instructed that they will either have a letter that is a part of the spelling word or it is not part of the spelling word. For those who have a letter in the spelling word - these students will "link-up" with other students to spell the word correctly. Students who have letters that do not belong in the spelling word are to stop and make the letters in the spelling word with their body (can use different levels, capitals vs lowercase, make letter with left side of body, right side of body, etc.). The teacher will then call out a spelling word and a movement and or movement concept (gallop, hop, run, jump, skip, crawl, forwards, backwards, sideways, etc.). After all students have completed their task, a new word and way to move is given. The teacher may want to divide the class into several groups. This is a good activity to use for review prior to a spelling test. Have the students find each other on high, medium and low levels. Use this activity with more difficult words and with foreign language or sign language. The teacher can obseve the students as they link-up and make sure that the word is spelled correctly. The students can all spell the word in unison once the "Link up" group(s) has constructed the spelling word. Posted on PEC: 5/21/2000. This lesson plan was provided courtesy of P.E. Central (www.pecentral.org). Products for This Lesson:

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Drug and substance abuse can drastically affect the body, mind, and overall health. It may cause relationship issues, poor academic or work performance, poor personal hygiene, impulsive and risk-taking behavior, and noticeable physical changes. Substance abuse comes with short-term effects, including increased heart rate, cognitive ability changes, insomnia, changes in appetite, and more. It also has long-term consequences such as depression, anxiety, high aggression, hallucinations, panic disorders, and more. Overcoming drug addiction can be difficult, making prevention the best alternative. Prolonged chronic substance use may result in cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems, kidney damage, liver disease. Discussed below are tips for preventing substance abuse. Learning how addiction occurs is the first step to preventing it. Substance abuse begins with consuming alcohol and other addictive substances for enjoyment, pleasure, or leisure purposes. First-time drug use is usually unplanned, but once they enter the system, they produce a lot of dopamine in the brain, resulting in intense pleasure feelings and less natural dopamine production by the brain. When the drug effect wears off, the lack of sufficient dopamine in the brain causes a mental and physical crash, leading to lethargic and depressive feelings. The urge for more pleasure keeps pushing you to take it one more time to feel normal and stable again, resulting in addiction. If you notice that you or your loved one can no longer control the urge for drug and substance consumption, consider enrolling yourself in a substance abuse recovery center for rehabilitation and support. Taking care of your mind, body and spirit is essential to helping you find the strength you need to handle daily challenges. Self-care allows you to unwind to prevent being overwhelmed by everyday life stresses. It may involve physical self-care, which includes caring for your bodily needs, emotional and spiritual self-care. You can start by exercising, getting enough rest, going into the wild, shutting down negativity, practicing self-love, spending time with loved ones, praying, and practicing mindfulness. Replace any self-destructive activity with a productive one to preventing substance abuse. Sadness, stress, and other negative emotions are part of life. While some people turn to substance abuse to relieve these feelings; there are healthy ways to let out these emotions and get over them. You can share your emotions with a friend, exercise, watch an exciting movie, talk to a counselor, or join a support group to ease pain, stress, or sadness. Devising healthy mechanisms for fighting against stress helps you stay away from substance abuse. Remaining in the company of friends and family who indulge in drug and alcohol consumption is the easiest way to get into substance abuse. Establish healthy relationships and friendships by staying away from loved ones who push you into substance abuse. Peer pressure can also influence you into falling victim to drug and alcohol abuse. Find ways to keep you from giving in to peer pressure or stay away from peers with bad influence. Your mental health plays a crucial role in regulating your mood and general health. While mental disorders go hand in hand with substance abuse; seeking professional assistance on time can help you prevent substance abuse. If you’re experiencing post-traumatic stress, anxiety, or depression, working with a healthcare provider can help you find healthy ways to cope with your mental illness symptoms without turning to alcohol and drugs. Combating mental health conditions takes time, so be patient and stick to your treatment regime. Maintaining a proper balance between family, work, leisure, and some you-time is a great way to avoid drug and alcohol abuse. Stressors usually occur when things aren’t going right or are missing in your life. Overworking, not working at all, and loneliness can also be stressful. The right life balance will vary from one person to another. However, these preferences change as you grow older. Learn to recognize the signs of too much of something and have excellent time management skills to create a perfect life balance. Burnouts can be dangerous for your mental, physical and emotional well-being; so know when it’s time to take a break and switch to something different. Being around people you admire, go-getters, and people who stick to their beliefs helps create a better version of yourself. Surrounding yourself with people who support the choices that help you succeed enables you to stay on the right path, preventing substance abuse. Associate with friends with common goals and who enjoy similar healthy activities. Stress is an inevitable part of life. It’s how you handle it that makes all the difference. Use these tips to prevent substance abuse. Taking care of yourself should be a priority, no matter what your budget is. There… Read More Nowadays, there are countless websites dealing with steroids online. The problem is that not all… Read More When you reach for blood flow supplements, you want to know that they’re going to… Read More A woman's post-menopausal body can become quite susceptible to various health changes. One of the… Read More Australia, by world standards, is one of the healthiest nations in the world. According to… Read More Good oral health improves your appearance and contributes to overall well-being. As the saying goes,… Read More

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A study finds out that not having any kind of animal products may lower the death rates. The study, published in the JAMA Internal Medicine Journal, reignites the debate around increasingly popular vegan diets amid conflicting medical advice and evidence over their impact of proponents’ health, reports the Independent. The research was undertaken by scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital, who monitored health and diet records of more than 130,000 people over the course of thirty years. They found that every three percent increase in calories from plant protein was found to reduce risk of death by 10 percent. The figure rises to 12 percent for risk of dying from heart disease. By contrast, raising the share of animal protein in one’s diet by 10 percent led to a two percent higher risk of death from all causes. This increased to an eight percent higher chance of dying from heart disease. Substituting eggs for plant protein led to a 19 percent reduction in death risk and eliminating unprocessed red meat saw a drop of 12 percent. As would be expected, the risk was found to be most pronounced among people who also engaged in other unhealthy activities, including having a history of smoking, drinking heavily or being obese. However, caution should be exercised when interpreting the results, as other more complex social and environment factors could affect the results rather than being solely related to diet. Lead scientist Mingyang Song said, ‘Overall, our findings support the importance of the sources of dietary protein for long-term health outcomes. While previous studies have primarily focused on the overall amount of protein intake – which is important – from a broad dietary perspective, the particular foods people consume to get protein are equally important.” “Our findings suggest people should consider eating more plant proteins than animal proteins, and when they do choose among sources of animal protein, fish and chicken are probably better choices,” he added.

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Fungal spores can be inhaled, ingested from contaminated foods or enter the body through damaged skin. Some infections are caused by types of fungi that are already naturally found in the human body but can overgrow in certain conditions. Fungal nail infections can be brought on by a lack of air and sunlight getting to the feet due to sweaty, unventilated conditions. People with poor immunity, stress or depression will be more susceptible to these infections. Other causes include diets that contain too many sugars and carbohydrates and not enough beneficial fats and iodine, feeding fungi and leading to unbalanced gut flora. There may also be a vitamin D3 deficiency or dehydration. A lack of exercise can be partly to blame. Symptoms of fungal infection differ depending on which part of the body is affected, though there will usually be sugar cravings and abdominal bloating. Fungal nail infections cause itching between the toes and give the nails yellow discolouration and a waxy texture. Other types of fungal infection may cause itchiness around or discharge from the genital area. Ringworm is a fungal infection that manifests itself through red circular marks on the skin. Infections that arise from inhaling spores can lead to allergies developing and pulmonary disease. Some fungal infections can even prove fatal for severely immunocompromised individuals. BICOM® Programs to be Used |Strain due pathogens||10||978.1||77| |Mycosis treatment||5+3||971.0, 972.0||54| Supplements to take Vitamin C, magnesium, vitamin D3, iodine Rather than just treating the infection locally, the body needs to be treated as a whole and the immunity boosted. It is important to consume an anti-fungal, primarily plant-based diet, containing raw and fermented vegetables. Sugars and processed carbohydrates should be avoided, rather the body needs to be fuelled by healthy fats. Drink plenty of water with a little salt each day. Daily exercise that raises the heart rate should be balanced with a regular pattern of sleep. Appropriate anti-fungal medication such as antibiotics can also be used. In the case of fungal nail infection, nails should be kept clean and short and anti-fungal creams and other products can be applied directly to tackle the infection. Detoxification can be carried out in the form of a bowel cleanse to destroy overgrowths of fungi. Soaking the feet in salt water can also help, since salt is a natural anti-fungal agent. Stress and depression also need to be addressed, as these compromise the immune system. Experiences and case studies Over the course of 2 years, a 38-year-old woman had been suffering from recurring bartholinitis and vaginal mycoses caused by fungal candida and bacterial stress. After 7 bioresonance treatment sessions, she was, and continued to be, completely free of symptoms.

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Examine a range of student work that demonstrates comparative thinking experience a model lesson using the compare & contrast strategy. The strategies of dell inc and hewlett packard have been compared from the information (co mparing and contrasting dell and hps st rategies, 2015. When you are faced with the task of having to compare and contrast, it can be and the international monetary fund, which forced neoliberalist policies onto. So far her strategy amounts to this: let's execute better while we figure by contrast, the company hp dreamed of being, ibm, had soared by. At dell, marketing is strategic and, like most of its peers, this group the obvious overarching contrast is that dell is busting its hump to get. Use these teaching strategies to stress the importance of comparing and contrasting. This handout will help you first to determine whether a particular assignment is asking for comparison/contrast and then to generate a list of similarities and.

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According to the theology of Rome, Mary remained childless all the days of her life. And oddly, they wish modern readers to think of this as some sort of sign of the blessing of God. Accordingly to the holy Scripture, this was actually true of the Lord Jesus, who had no earthly descendants because of his special mission to redeem God's elect. But Mary was a fruitful vine whose house was full of children.Consider briefly the following conclusions, intolerable notions on the biblical account, that would logically follow on the supposition that Rome would have us entertain.1. If Mary had remained a virgin after giving birth to Jesus, she would have been condemned in Scripture as a fraudulent liar. For God commanded (and still commands) all men and women "be frutiful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it" (Gen. 1:26). God repeated this command to Noah and his family upon their departure from the ark.2. Joseph, her husband, would have been "perpetually angry" -- and with good cause -- under the circumstances implied by Rome. He had the right to have children. By biblical law, he would also have had the right to divorce her if she defrauded him by refusing his conjugal rights. In the Bible, each married spouse owns a right to the other's body, so that withholding conjugal rights is forbidden by God -- except by mutual consent for a time, as Paul says, "to devote yourselves to prayer and fasting." "But then come together again," Paul commanded, "that Satan may not tempt you.". 3. The Bible says that Mary was not a virgin at all after Jesus had been born to her. This is because she was obedient to the Lord's commands, and because she had the same needs every other woman had. The names of her children are listed in the book of Luke (13:55) as: James, Joses (a variant of Joseph), Simon, and Judas (or Judah). And her daughters are mentioned, but not by name. Here's the text that should have ended this untoward Romanist doctrine of the "perpetual" virginity of Mary more than a thousand years ago:.And when he [Jesus] was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, "A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house.".Jesus is clearly himself that prophet to which he refers, and "his house" just as clearly refers to the family into which he was born. He had brothers and sisters. This was typical of Jewish households.4. No Israelitess wanted only one son; they wanted as many as possible, as they rightly viewed children as a blessing, just as the Proverbs and Psalms teach. "May you be like Leah and Rachel" (who bore 13 children to Jacob) was a standard blessing for women in Israel. Although Rome officially affirms that Mary was righteous, its teachings also confusedly deny the blessings of God to her for such righteousness. Throughout the Bible, we find God blessing women with children, and barrenness is considered a curse. Remember Eve, Sarah, the Egyptian Midwives in Exodus, Hannah, and others? It is wholly inconsistent for Rome to hold that marriage and virginity are compatible, as well righteousness and perpetual barrenness.In Mary's case, we want to ask: why was Mary CURSED with barrenness on their view, after giving birth to Jesus? This may not be what Rome's theologians intend to imply, but the question displays a biblically valid conclusion from their faulty premisses. Why was Mary's faithfulness in bearing and raising the Son of God a curse to her so that God shut her womb thereafter?. Here is the truth. Mary was righteous and blessed, and so was Joseph -- Luke 1 says they walked blamelessly, keeping the commandments of God -- one COMMANDMENT of which was to come together often -- to be frutiful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it. According to the Bible, Married women cannot both be virgins AND be obedient to God. It would be wicked and deceptive to promise conjugal rights to a man in marriage, and after marrying him to defraud him of them. Conclusion: It is uncharitable and fraudulent for Romanists to assault the reputation of Mary by implying that she failed to perform her covenant obligations in this manner, when the Bible explains that she was an excellent example of obedience to God like that of Hannah and Queen Esther, an example for which the saints of God throughout the history of the Church have gratefully given thanks to God..Carson Day has written some 1.3 gazillion articles and essays on all manner of topics. These aim to glorify God and offer people real help to live wisely and well. You can visit Carson's websites at http://ophirgold.blogspot.com (The Omniblog, where Carson blogs everything) or http://extremeprofit. blogspot.com (Carson's Day Trading Outpost). Thanks for stopping by. By: Carson C. Day

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Researchers at UCSD and San Diego-based General Atomics have reported an improved control method for a type of nuclear fusion technology that confines a cloud of ionized hydrogen in a doughnut-shaped tokamak reactor. Unlike fission reactors, which generate energy by splitting atoms of uranium or plutonium, tokamak (TOE-ka mack) fusion devices create energy with almost no radioactive byproducts by combining two heavy atoms of hydrogen into helium. Researchers at UCSD, General Atomics, and dozens of university and government laboratories around the world are collaborating on a variety of fronts to improve the efficiency of the current generation of tokamaks, which use magnetic fields to confine the ionized hydrogen fuel, or plasma, in a circular cloud called a torus. In a paper published in the July issue of Automatica, a group that includes UCSD professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering Miroslav Krstic and his former graduate student Eugenio Schuster, now an engineering professor at Lehigh University, described an improved control technique developed with General Atomics scientists Michael L. Walker and David A. Humphreys. The new mathematical approach was designed to be incorporated into existing General Atomics software to more effectively fine tune electrical currents flowing through tokamak control circuits. These currents produce magnetic fields that dampen the vertical instabilities and unwanted oscillations of the torus. “A significant fraction of the hurdles faced by tokamaks are control problems, and vertical control is only one of them.” said Krstic. “The better we are able to control all these parameters, the more efficiently we will be able to run fusion reactors.” Nuclear fusion occurs in tokamaks when a mixture of deuterium, and tritium -- isotopes of hydrogen with two and three times the mass, respectively, of ordinary hydrogen atoms -- fuse into helium. The common goal of an international team that includes the People's Republic of China, the European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and the United States is to build by 2015 the next generation of fusion reactor based on the experience gained with tokamaks. The group’s planned $5 billion International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), which is slated for construction in France, will heat a diffuse cloud of ionized hydrogen to roughly 100 million degrees Celsius, fusing isotopes of hydrogen into helium in a process that will generate about 10 times more energy than the device will consume. Several years ago tokamaks demonstrated the ability to produce more power than they consume, an important milestone, but the first commercial fusion reactors are estimated to be 30 years away. “Additional increases in efficiency will only be possible with more precise control of the vertical position, shape, and other parameters of the torus,” said Krstic. “Fusion is one of the hardest technological problems on the planet to solve, however, tokamak control is an area where tremendous strides are being made.” Advanced tokamaks heat nuclei of hydrogen to temperatures hotter than those at the center of the sun. “This is one reason plasma is so unstable in these machines,” said Walker, a scientist with General Atomics and co-author of the study. “However, we’re better able to control the instabilities, which is why this study and others like it are signs of the steady progress that the fusion community has made in the past several years.” One limitation of tokamak devices relates to the upper limit of current that can pass through their control circuits. These circuits behave like garden hoses capable of carrying only a limited flow of water, and once they reach their maximum carrying capacity they are said to be saturated. If more electrical current is needed to generate a stronger magnetic push on wayward plasma, vertical-control software may call for more current than the control circuits can possibly deliver, a process known in the control field as “winding up.” “In this case, the controllers are telling the actuators to work harder and harder, but they’re already maxed out,” said Krstic. “As a consequence, the vertical position of the plasma torus can potentially hit the interior wall of the tokamak and cause structural damage.” The technique invented by Krstic and Schuster includes “anti-windup” features, including one dubbed “watch dog” and another called “rate limiter” that are designed, respectively, to monitor coil voltage demands and prevent the controller from asking for a response that can’t possibly be delivered. “We’re starting from a disturbed plasma flow and we’re trying to return it to equilibrium,” said Krstic. “The General Atomics scientists designed a sophisticated vertical stabilization controller that we were asked to improve. We’ve had to push the envelope beyond the existing theory of anti-windup to accomplish this.

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Yemen and Stability in the Persian Gulf: Confronting the Threat from Within Authored by Dr. Stephen C. Pelletiere. | May 1996 This study looks at Yemen, a small state which over the course of centuries has played a minor--but nonetheless important--part in the history of the Middle East. Yemen's importance derived from its strategic location. At various times great powers wishing to control the Red Sea/Indian Ocean area tried to take over Yemen. (See Figure 1.) Now that the Soviet Union is no more and the United States alone is a superpower, Yemen's strategic value seemingly is at an end; U.S. policymakers apparently believe that, with Moscow out of the picture, the importance of Yemen has declined. At the same time, however, tensions between Yemen and its neighbors have recently disturbed relations in the crucial Persian Gulf region. This study argues that, unless these tensions are resolved, the whole Persian Gulf system could be destablized, and thus U.S. policymakers must rethink relations with Sana'a. The study tracks how the current disputes over Yemen developed, and then describes how they are likely to affect Gulf stability, which America has pledged to uphold. Under the New World Order, American interest in the Middle East has undergone fundamental change. Whereas in the past the area was of great strategic importance to Washington, now the strategic aspect is no longer of such concern. With the Soviet Union gone, the United States does not need to buttress its military might in obscure corners of southwest Asia. Economics is what counts today, and only those countries that are strong trading partners of the United States remain of interest. In the Middle East only a handful of countries are commercially important to the United States;1 these are the so-called Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states.2 The United States has undertaken extraordinary measures to show its support of these small, but extremely influential, entities. At the same time, other countries in the region, once the recipients of Washington's special regard, now are out of favor. One such state--which once was a key ally of the West--is Yemen. Situated on the Bab al Mandab (see Figure 1), Yemen formerly was the object of an intense struggle between the Soviet Union and the United States. Both tried to lure the Yemenis into an alliance, plying them with offers of military and economic assistance. This enabled Sana'a to maintain itself despite the fact that Yemen is among the poorest countries in the world.3 As soon as the Cold War ended, the United States found that it could dispense with having to worry lest Yemen fall into Soviet hands. In 1991, Washington cut Agency for International Development (AID) funds to Sana'a from $50 millon to just under $3 million.4 This was a blow to the Yemenis. Suddenly Sana'a was forced to depend on its own meager resources. To be sure, Yemen has oil, but this has only recently been discovered, and the Yemenis have scant infrastructure with which to develop their finds (a matter to be discussed below). Not long after the cut was made, several disturbing events occurred--first, a major civil war blew up in Yemen, which the government barely was able to quell; next, Saudi Arabia tried to take over territory claimed by its neighbor; and, finally, Eritrea, at the end of last year, seized an island (Hanish al Kabir) garrisoned with Yemeni troops (see Figure 1). Given the seriousness of these incidents, Washington's apparent continued indifference toward Yemen was hard to fathom.5 But then, just as this study was being readied for the printer, Washington did take action. It moved indirectly (through the International Monetary Fund [ IMF] ), but the effect was to bolster the regime in Sana'a, and this could only be welcomed. Nonetheless, the study goes on to argue that Washington's moves may not be enough. More needs to be done, if this problem is not to fester, and ultimately grow into something large and dangerous. U.S. policymakers seem to believe that threats to Gulf security come only from without, specifically from Iraq and Iran. In fact, significant dangers are developing from within the Gulf, and one of the most dangerous involves local discontents over Yemen. Stability in the region requires adequate responses to the Saudi-Yemeni, Eritrean-Yemeni discords, and a changed approach to dealing with area security problems in general. In the New World Order, policymakers must think systemically. If the United States is to maintain stability in the Gulf, it must be concerned with all of the states in the area; Washington cannot restrict its concern to the narrow focus of just a few. A seemingly inconsequential entity like Yemen can bring the whole Gulf system crashing down if its problems are not attended to. The study opens with a look at the early history of Yemen, which forms the basis of the Yemenis' fierce national pride, and also what makes them so dangerous to offend. It then proceeds to detail the long rivalry between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, in which the Yemenis consistently have given as good as they got. Next, the study deals with the period of unification, when north and south Yemen--formerly two separate countries--allied themselves. For a time after that, the future of Yemen seemed full of promise, but then, with the outbreak of the Second Gulf War,6 the bright hopes perished. Yemen sided with Iraq in that struggle, a step which cost it dearly, as the study will show. The study ends with a call for a critique of U.S. policy which I maintain is leading towards a dangerous situation, one that could quite easily get out of hand. Thus, there is a need for a review by U.S. policymakers of the policy of the United States, not only towards Yemen, but for the entire Gulf. 1. For example, Marwan Bishara, writing in "Don't Throw Good Money After Bad Politics in the Middle East," The International Herald-Tribune, October 28-29, 1995, says, . . . in 1993, all the Arab countries combined, with the exception of Saudi Arabia and embargoed Iraq and Libya, garnered only $337 million in funds from international capital markets; that is roughly 0.4 percent of the total $80 billion raised by all developing countries." Also Thomas L. Friedman, "Egypt Runs for the Train," The New York Times, October 18, 1995, says, "Today the Arab Middle East attracts 3 percent of global foreign investment, while East Asia attracts 58 percent. Egypt exported and imported more goods and services 20 years ago than it does today. . . ." Friedman's article, "Almost Egypt," October 25, 1995, New York Times, makes a similar point. In addition, see "In the Middle East The Newest Rivalry Is Over Cash, Not Arms," The Wall Street Journal, December 18, 1995; "Peres warns on peace dividend," The Financial Times, October 25, 1995; and for the statistics on which many of these articles are based, see Claiming the Future: Choosing Prosperity in the Middle East, Washington, DC: The World Bank, 1995. For articles on the cutoff of direct U.S. aid to the Middle East, see "GOP Foreign Aid Cuts Called Security Threat," The Washington Post, September 13, 1995; "Conferees Agree on Foreign-Aid Bill That Reduces Development Assistance," The Wall Street Journal, October 25, 1995; "New steps on debt relief," The Financial Times, September 14, 1995; "Debt and Africa's poor, The World Bank plans $11 bn debtor fund," The Financial Times, September 14, 1995; "Cutbacks from U.S. worry World Bank," The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, September 25, 1995; "A Plea to Help Capital Flow to Third World," The New York Times, April 28, 1995; "Levels of aid for poor nations fall to 20-year low," The Financial Times, June 15, 1995; "Unicef criticizes economic reform's high human cost," The Financial Times, January 27, 1994; and "As Congress Sharpens Knives to Cut Foreign Aid, Critics Warn of Damage to U.S. Policy-Making," The Washington Post, May 18, 1995. 2. The GCC, founded in 1981, is made up of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qater, Bahrain and Oman. 3. At the time of unification (1990), Yemeni unemployment was about 25 percent; it has subsequently risen to 50 percent. Inflation escalated from 55 percent in 1993, to 145 percent in 1994, and was anticipated to be 175 percent for 1995. Runaway inflation is fueled by the accelerating devaluation of Yemeni riyal, which reached 140 to the U.S. dollar at the end of March 1995; steadily rising budget deficits, which have gone from 18 percent of GDP in 1992 to 23 percent in 1994, and an anticipated 25 percent in 1995; and mounting foreign debt, which reached an all-time high of $7 billion in 1995. See the Country Profiles, under Yemen, for the years 1990 through 1994, The Economist Intelligence Unit, London; also Claiming the Future: Choosing Prosperity in the Middle East and North Africa. 4. There are indications that Yemen's aid will be completely cut in subsequent budget negotiations. 5. Yemen is a next-door neighbor to Saudi Arabia, which has the largest reserves of oil in the world. As the study will bring out, severe dislocations experienced in Yemen have their effect on the Saudis, and this, ultimately, could disturb the economy of the West. The stability of the free market system is therefore keyed to this part of the world. 6. Throughout the study, I will refer to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait as the Second Gulf War.

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Herbs to plant as plants or divisions: Bay (Laurus nobilis) Bergamot (Monarda didyma) Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) Hops (Humulus lupulus) Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) Lady’s-mantle (Alchemilla zanthochlora) Lamb’s-ears (Stachys byzantina) Lavender (Lavandula spp.) Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla) Mint (Mentha spp.) Monkshood (Aconitum spp.) Oregano (Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum) Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) Sage (Salvia spp.) Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus var. sativa) Thyme (Thymus spp.) Violets (Viola odorata) Garden Starting Steps - Clean and sterilize pots or flats. - Buy a potting-soil mix or prepare a custom mixture. - Fill containers with potting mix. - Plant seeds. - Label each plant or row. - Cover with plastic wrap. - Put under grow lights. - Watch for germination, then remove plastic wrap. - Select pots large enough to allow for root growth. - Grasp small starts by their leaves, not stems. - Separate bunched plants by lightly dropping them (roots first) onto a tabletop. - Select the sturdiest plants. - Discard plants without good root systems. - Dangle the plant’s roots in an empty pot and sprinkle dry soil around them. Or, use a pencil or stick to create a hole in existing soil and then insert the plant’s roots. - Plant starts deep enough to support their fragile stems. - Fertilize with a 1 part fertilizer/3 parts water mix. - Put under grow lights - Move flats or pots to a porch or other protected outdoor spot. - Keep plants out of direct, hot sun. - Leave plants outside for a few hours at a time. - Move plants back indoors in cold or windy weather. - Gradually increase the time plants spend outdoors over a two-week period. - Water regularly. - Water plants well. - Dig a hole slightly wider than the plant’s current pot and deep enough for the surface soil to match the surrounding garden soil. - Gently dislodge the plant from its pot or container—don’t pull on the plant stem. - Tear away peat pots rather than planting them. - Carefully loosen tightly woven roots. - Fill soil around roots and press firmly to eliminate air pockets. - Water immediately. Growing Herbs From Seed, Cutting and Root by Thomas DeBaggio (Interweave Press, 1994). The New Seed Starters Handbook by Nancy Bubel (Rodale Press, 1988). Click here for the main article, Herb Gardening for Beginners. Pat Herkal is a frequent contributor to The Herb Companion who enjoys the gardening challenges of Wyoming’s schizophrenic Zone 4 climate. She collects hardy roses, underplanting them with a large variety of herbs and perennials.

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Send the link below via email or IMCopy Present to your audienceStart remote presentation - Invited audience members will follow you as you navigate and present - People invited to a presentation do not need a Prezi account - This link expires 10 minutes after you close the presentation - A maximum of 30 users can follow your presentation - Learn more about this feature in our knowledge base article Do you really want to delete this prezi? Neither you, nor the coeditors you shared it with will be able to recover it again. Make your likes visible on Facebook? You can change this under Settings & Account at any time. The Plains Indians Transcript of The Plains Indians Learning about the Plains Indians starts with learning about bison! Before horses, hunting bison was very difficult, so few indian tribes lived on the plains. That all changed when Europeans arrived in America with horses! With the horse, Indians could now hunt the bison Several new tribes moved onto the plains to enjoy the resources provided by the bison. The bison gave the Plains Indians several resources The Comanche Indians Most Comanche Indians now speak English . Some still speak their native Comanche language. The Comanche were located on the Southern Plains. They lived in parts of present day Oklahoma , Texas, and New Mexico. Comanche's were some of the most skilled horse riders in North America. They were fearless and savage in battle. Food and Homes One of the ways the bison helped the Comanche was by providing skin for teepees. The teepee was easy to move, had a flap to for access that also served to let cool air in. Another way bison helped the Comanche was by providing meat. Bison meat was eaten for protein. Since the Comanches followed the herds, they could not farm, and often traded bison meat for vegetables. Tools & Clothes The Comanches made tools and clothes out of bison skin and bones. This is another way that the bison helped provide resources the Plains Indians needed. Sometimes they used fruits to dye clothes so their clothes would be more colorful. Trade and Ceremony The Comanche Indians got most of their produce from trading. They mostly traded the buffalo parts for fruits and vegetables. They also were also skilled at stealing horses which they would then trade to other indian tribes. One ritual was the pipe smoking ceremony. They did this when they met for prayer.

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Francisco Hernández de Córdoba LANGUAGE SPOKEN: SPANISH CLIMATE DURING VISIT: DRY; TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM 86ºF – 95ºF GRANADA’S ESTIMATED POPULATION: 130,697 Granada is the oldest city founded by the Spanish in Central America and second on the American Continent after Cumaná in Venezuela. Granada was founded in 1524 by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba. Granada was named after the Spanish Andalucian city Granada. Striking churches are found in this charming colonial city of Granada. Visiting these churches is a fun activity between the leather shopping and snacking on the traditional food. Vigorón is one of the most popular plates of Nicaragua. In Granada in the Central Park stop and enjoy a “Vigorón con Yucca”. Its ingredients are boiled yucca, chicharrón, a salad made out of cabbage, tomato, mimbro with a vinegar and chili dressing. Yummy! The eruption of the Mombacho volcano 20,000 years ago formed 365 islands that are called las Isletas found in Lago Nicaragua. Some of the islands are inhabited by campesinos and others by wealthy investors who have luxury homes. The tour of las Isletas is definitely worth taking! You get to see the beautiful Isletas, the Mombacho Volcano and breathtaking views that surround you. Lago Nicaragua also known as Lake Cocibolca, the world’s twentieth largest lake, has saltwater sharks despite being a freshwater lake. The sharks travel up the San Juan river and reach Lago Nicaragua. We leave you with this picture…On a hot day in February an old man keeps cool by sitting back and relaxing in his Granada home.

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Stories of the past, historical findings and cultural highlights can be experienced right before your eyes in Sachsen-Anhalt. In particular the name Martin Luther is inseparably connected to Sachsen-Anhalt. Here, Martin Luther was born; here he lived; here the great reformer died. From here the reformation went around the whole world and to this day influences lives and customs. The Luther Memorial Sites in Luther Cities Wittenberg and Eisleben were not declared in vain by UNESCO as World Heritage of Humanity. Additionally you can discover three more UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sachsen-Anhalt: Bauhaus Dessau, Collegiate Church, the Castle & Old Town of Quedlinburg as well as the Garden Kingdom Dessau-Wörlitz. Archaeologically unique findings you will discover on the adventure trail, “Sky Paths” in Sachsen-Anhalt. There, you come among other things to the discovery site of the spectacular Nebra Sky Disc, the oldest worldwide well-known representation of the cosmos. Along “The Romanesque Route” you encounter in addition bolstered fortresses, famous monasteries and holy churches plus on more than 1,000 kilometers route you will find traces from the time of the mid 10th century up to the mid 13th century. So plan your next vacation now. A diverse and historically important culture in Sachsen-Anhalt awaits you! Let yourself be mesmerized already from home by the moments, which Sachsen-Anhalt has to offer. And these are only a few from thousands:

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Scientists at the University of Warwick are using the latest DNA mapping techniques to allow British farmers to grow one of the UK’s favourite foods. The navy bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) – also known as haricot bean – commonly ends up on our plates with a tomato-based sauce as baked beans. It is a staple of the British diet – we consume hundreds of millions of cans of baked beans in a year. However, every single baked bean we eat is grown outside of the UK, with the majority imported from Canada. The main reason for this import dependence is the lack of available navy bean varieties that are adapted to growing in the UK environment. So scientists at the University of Warwick Crop Centre have launched a research project that will make use of the latest DNA sequencing technology to begin mapping the genes governing the traits that are needed for the navy bean to thrive in the UK climate. This will lay the foundations for breeding new varieties that are better adapted for growing by British farmers. The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is funding PhD student Andrew Tock’s project through a food security studentship at the University of Warwick Crop Centre, supervised by Professor Eric Holub and Dr Guy Barker. Professor Eric Holub said: “The ultimate aim is to produce a navy bean which is less sensitive to cold soil in the spring, is resistant to common diseases that occur over the summer in the UK, and is also ready for harvest in early September. “A shortened growing season is most important as navy beans in the UK have to be harvested in September when it is still dry to avoid autumnal damp weather which causes them to discolour. “Using next-generation DNA sequencing technologies, we will improve the ability of bean breeders to select new varieties by effectively providing a genetic roadmap for locating useful natural variation of desired genes in the bean genome. "We hope in the near future to begin working in partnership with UK farmers to begin testing whether experimental lines are more suitable for bean production in British growing conditions." The last time scientists in the UK looked seriously at developing a British navy bean was during the 1980s at the National Vegetable Research Station, the forerunner of Warwick Crop Centre. This historic research produced a collection of genetic resources upon which today’s scientists are now drawing. This time around, however, the researchers are using the latest high-tech genetic analysis methods to analyse the genomes of the beans they are growing in the field. Scientists will hunt for DNA sequence variations occurring between the genomes of elite parent lines to develop a database of genome-wide genetic markers. The markers allow the researchers to ‘map’ the genes controlling the specific traits a British navy bean needs to survive under UK conditions, such as cold tolerance for seedling establishment, early maturity for harvest, and resistance to diseases such as halo blight. This genetic map can then be used as a roadmap for breeding programmes to produce new varieties which can be grown commercially by UK farmers. Andrew Tock said: “Navy beans are a potentially viable rotational crop for UK farmers and we think that there could be great demand from consumers for a home-grown baked bean. “We eat hundreds of millions of cans of beans every year in the UK – they are cheap, tasty and are recognised as being part of a healthy diet. “Growing navy beans in Britain makes sense from a farming point of view too. “In addition to the potential market value of locally produced navy beans, growers could stand to make agronomic gains from incorporating a nitrogen-fixing legume break crop into their rotations, which could promote soil renewal after repeated cereal and oilseed rape rotations.” This genetic database to be produced at Warwick could also provide useful information to benefit farmers in developing countries, where the common Phaseolus bean plays a vital role in contributing to food security and sustainable agricultural livelihoods as a staple food crop. Breeders in Africa and Latin America could draw on the Warwick Crop Centre database to feed into breeding programmes to create varieties adapted to local conditions and markets.

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Today’s post comes from our friendly neighbourhood campus minister, Terrel Joseph Easter is the commemoration of Jesus’ rising from the dead! After 2000 years of Christianity, when most people hear this statement they don’t usually bat an eye. They often say something like, “for sure, Christianity is about the death and resurrection of Jesus, that is common knowledge”, just like Christmas is about a good tempered fat man in a red suit who breaks into peoples homes to leave gifts for their children, and St Patrick’s day is about little green leprechauns hording pots of gold at the end of the rainbow (by the way optical physics has proven that there isn’t an end to rainbows because rainbows are actually perfect circles. They only appear to have ends because of the horizon of the planet). People often treat the resurrection like a myth or folk story, like the recently released movie adaptation of Cinderella. Lot’s of people either like or dislike Cinderella because of the values it teaches children. But the resurrection story is very different from fairy tales like Cinderella. The writers of the New Testament were not telling us a fairy tale that inspired them to be better people, nor were they telling us an abstract myth that revealed some general truths about the world, that you can either like or dislike as you would a fairy tale. Rather, the New Testament authors were telling us about a real historical event that so moved them, that they felt compelled to travel to the ends of the world to proclaim this message. The first Christians wrote about a reality so incredible that they were willing to go to their deaths to defend it this claim. Ok, well isn’t it true that lots of crazy people are willing to die for silly reasons? Some scholars have tried to argue that the Apostles and early disciples of Jesus must have just been crazy. This is plausible, but then it implies that tens of thousands of disciples of Jesus in the first couple centuries of Christianity were all crazy, and that all modern day Christians have been deceived by a 2000 year old tall tale. Alternatively, the constant tradition of the Christian community from the first Christians to this day is that those first martyrs for Jesus gave their lives not because they were radical extremes deceived by crazy people but because Jesus really did rise from the dead. So were the first Christians all crazy or did Jesus really rise from the dead? The New Testament scolar N.T. Wright observed that it is practically impossible to explain the emergence of Christianity as a messianic movement apart from the resurrection. The first Christians all proclaimed that Jesus was the long awaited messiah of Israel, who was supposed to deal with the enemies of Israel, restore them to power, and rein as the Lord of the nations. However, there could be no clearer sign that someone was not the messiah, then that person being put to death by the enemies of Israel, or in this case, Jesus being crucified by the Romans. Yet, the first Christians, who were all Jews and very familiar with the prophesy of the messiah, all proclaimed that Jesus was the messiah. This only makes sense if Jesus really was raised from the dead. Unlike myths and fairy tales, the events in the New Testament are real events grounded in a very particular time and place in human history. So the gospels can’t be treated like a fairy tale that has some good morals and some bad ones. The fact is, either Jesus was who he claimed to be, or he was a very bad person. Jesus either rose from the dead or he didn’t. It’s not a myth or fairy tale, it either happened or didn’t. But who then did Jesus claim to be? Lots of people today say that they don’t believe that he was God, but that he was definitely a good moral teacher, and as with any other moral teacher in human history, they freely pick and choose which ones of his teachings to believe, and which events of his life to take seriously. This is a nice idea but it doesn’t fit at all with what the gospels writers have witnessed about who Jesus was. Throughout the gospels Jesus consistently claimed to be a lot more then just a moral teacher. Jesus said and did things that could only make sense if he was also divine and these claims and actions are primarily what eventually lead to his execution. The religious and political leaders of first century Israel certainly didn’t think he was claiming to simply be a nice moral teacher, and neither does the Catholic Church today. So if Jesus wasn’t just a nice moral teacher, but was God in human flesh, what does that mean for Christianity? It means, that Christianity isn’t primarily about being a nice moral person, and then afterwards what specific doctrines you believe that’s more of a personal decision. This is an attitude that a lot of people have today, that all that matters finally is that you are a good person, and then what you believe is a secondary matter. The problem is that this attitude is not at all consistent with the Gospel. The Gospel is that, Jesus really did died for our sins on the cross and rose from the dead, meaning that God’s love is more powerful that anything in the world, even death itself. This is how St Paul could say in his letter to the Church in Rome, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:38-39). How does Paul know this? He knows this for certain because we killed God! We through all of the world’s negativity and violence at God, but God still returned in forgiving love, proving that the divine mercy of God is more powerful then anything in the world. Christianity then is primarily about proclaiming the still earth shattering truth of the death and resurrection of Jesus from the dead and inviting those who hear this gospel to repent, and change. The original Greek for repent is ‘metanoia’, which literally translated means beyond-mind. Because of the reality of the death and resurrection of Jesus, everything we once knew about the world has changed so we need to go beyond the mind we have, we need to change our mind, change our attitude, change the way we live our lives because of this truth. One of these new realities that has changed because of the resurrection of Jesus is the meaning of hope. As Christians we are not superstitions optimists that naively think everything will work out “happily ever after” like in Cinderella. Rather as Christians we can hope in a rational way because through the death and resurrection of Jesus we know for certain that Gods love can turn the suffering and death of one man into the source of eternal life for all. God’s love is more powerful then death itself. This doesn’t explain the problem of suffering and evil in the world, but it does allow us to address suffering in a meaningful way. Being a Christian is a lot more then just being a good person. Because frankly, Jews, Muslims, atheists, agnostics, and peoples of all beliefs can all in principle be good moral people. The most compelling reason to be a Christian isn’t that we are the nicest or most moral people, even if Christian ethics does indeed produce nice moral people. The most compelling reason to be a Christian is because Jesus really did die for you on the cross, and he really did rise from the dead to prove that God’s love for us is more powerful then any of the evil in the world, and that in choosing to place Jesus at the center of our lives, and in choosing to repent and be baptised we too can gradually learn how to participate in God’s manner of loving! In the 2nd century St Irenaeus of Lyon observed that “the glory of God is a human being fully alive”. And we become most fully alive when we dedicate our lives to learning more and more everyday how to love each other the way God loves! Because love is the source of human happiness! And God’s love is more powerful then death! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

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Australian Bureau of Statistics CensusAtSchool makes statistics fun, Oct 2005 |Page tools: Print Page Print All RSS Search this Product| CensusAtSchool makes statistics fun CensusAtSchool, a new national learning project which will involve thousands of school students throughout Australia, was launched at the Melbourne Museum today. School students from Years 5 to 12 will take part in the Internet-based project which will show students that statistics can be fun as well as educational. CensusAtSchool aims to increase statistical literacy amongst students and open their minds to the possibility of future careers in statistics. It has the strong backing of both public and private educational bodies in all States and Territories. Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer Chris Pearce, who launched CensusAtSchool, said the voluntary project worked like a mini census. Students taking part would answer a questionnaire. Then, under the guidance of their teachers, students would be able to selectively tap into the gathered data for their own research purposes. "Data samples can be used for teaching and learning across a whole range of key learning areas, particularly mathematics," Mr Pearce said. Students from Regency Park Primary School and Caroline Springs College gave demonstrations of how the project worked at the launch. The keynote address was given by well-known media personality, Adam Spencer. He emphasised the relevance of statistics to the school students and how much enjoyment statistics could provide. The Australian Statistician, Dennis Trewin, also officiated. "Statistics are vital in helping students make sensible and informed decisions, whatever their future occupation may be," he said. More information about the project is available on the ABS website at www.abs.gov.au. Click on the link to CensusAtSchool. CensusAtSchool will be conducted in Australian schools in the lead up to the August 8, 2006 Census of Population and Housing. These documents will be presented in a new window. This page last updated 16 October 2009

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Cells and Life Science Games In this series of games, your students will learn about cells and the vital functions they serve. The Cells and Life learning objective — based on NGSS and state standards — delivers improved student engagement and academic performance in your classroom, as demonstrated by research. Scroll down for a preview of this learning objective’s games and the concepts they drive home. Every living thing is made up of cells, the most basic unit of life. Unicellular organisms, like bacteria, archaea, and most protists, only have one cell. Even single-celled organisms are capable of all of the basic functions of life, including growth, reproduction, energy processing, responding to stimuli, excreting waste, and maintaining homeostasis. Multicellular organisms, like plants and animals, are more complex. Their bodies consist of tissues, organs and other structures, each made up of many cells, that carry out simple and complex functions. The two main types of cells are prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Prokaryotes, single-celled organisms with no defined nucleus, are the oldest life forms, including bacteria and archaea. Eukaryotes have a nucleus and are found in plants, animals, fungi, and protists. In total, there are nine games in this learning objective, including: - Tough Cells - Monkeying Around with Cells - World of Cells - Microscopic World – Cells and Life - Donut Explosion – cells and life - Final Approach: Cells and Life - Cells And Life - Cells Are Life - Memory Cell A further preview of each game is below. You can try the games within the learning objective for free on the Legends of Learning site with an account. Sign up for $100 worth of games with no obligations or commitments.

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What is Permaculture Farming? farming is an agricultural system that uses natural practices to keep soil fertile, crop and livestock healthy while protecting the environment and enhancing genetic diversity. essential aspect of permaculture farming is its dependence upon nutrients in recycled organic matter. The permaculture farmer makes every effort to keep land productive using materials found on the farm. principles recognize that the whole growing environment is more than the some of its parts and that all living things are interrelated and interdependent. Soil is made up of solid particles and millions of microorganisms, which rely on plants to survive and in return release plant nutrients into the soil to help plants to grow. the soil and growing environment as a resource to be husbanded for future generations, rather than mined for short term gains. plant life in the soil with a balanced food supply, by feeding the many creations that live in the soil with compost, manure and other organic materials. renewable resources thereby creating a sustainable future. pollution in the environment, by recycling garden, household and other organic wastes. pest and disease without using synthetic pesticides which have been proven to be harmful to human health and the environment. wildlife habitats by creating suitable habitats that do not use chemosynthetic pesticides. holistic approach whereby, garden-flowers, trees, shrubs and lawns, as well as vegetable fruits and herbs are regarded as an environment that is safe and pleasant in which to work and to play. an open mind-set and being able to look at and take into account new scientific discoveries and ideas when applicable and sustainable, as well as being open to the best traditional knowledge practices that are also sustainable. good horticultural practices the importance of genetic diversity and the preservation of threatened plant varieties use of locally adapted varieties of nutrient losses from the soil. use of locally available organic material and green manuring. wide crop rotation system. and manure weed control pest and disease management botanical pest and disease control. THE RESULTS FROM AGRICUAL SYSTEMS ARE: No need for synthetic agro-chemical input Healthy food and sound environment Balanced ecology and genetic diversity Permaculture farming does not use, nor encourage the use of man-made chemo-synthetic fertilizers, hazardous pesticides and weed killers; which stay in the soil for long periods of time and builds up into the bodies of humans and animals. Burning of trash before sowing is not entertained by permaculture farming (except in exceptional circumstances), burning of crop residues after harvesting is regarded as a ‘sin’ by permaculture principles. the permaculture farm each technique is not usually used in isolation. The farmer will use a wide range of permaculture methods and at the same time allow all methods to work together towards a maximum benefit of parts. For example, the use of green manure and careful cultivation, together provide better control of weeds than if they were used fact that modern farming is systematically becoming agro-chemically dependant cannot be denied. People who increasingly use chemical fertilizers, insecticides, vaccines, animal feeds and medicines in their quest to increase or to sustain their output (yield). These external inputs have gradually succeeded in making farming very expensive, at least to the ordinary farmer, because of their high cost. This has resulted in a situation in Ghana today where many people are discouraged from engaging in farming, because they cannot afford to buy the chemicals which to them, are the pre-requisite for successful farming. One can also think of the health and environmental hazards posed by the use of fertilizers and harmful insecticides on food crops such as vegetables. Apart from the unwanted destruction of beneficial insects and the pollution of natural water systems the farmer doing the spraying can also be harmed as well as the consumer of the produce. is also the problem of pest becoming immune to the chemical application resulting from either heavy crop loss or excessive costs to controlling pests. Besides, the increasing demands of consumers for healthy agricultural produce serves as an impetus to the farmer to consider permaculture principles for potential economic gain. intensive agriculture cause many problems. - The soil becomes poor. - More chemical fertilizer is needed every year to grow the same amount of crops. - Pest and diseases become more difficult to control. - Rivers and lakes are polluted with chemicals and soil is washed from the land. - Many of the pesticides are very poisonous to animals and people. - Money is needed to buy farm chemicals and machinery. FARMING DOES NOT CAUSE THESE PROBLEMS - It makes the soil more fertile. - Controls pests and diseases without harm to people of wildlife. - It makes sure that the water stays pure. - This is all done using resources, which the farmer already has, so the farmer needs less money to buy farm inputs. farming protects the environment and at the same time produces nutritious food, feed for animals and high quality crops to sell at a good price. is against this background that the permacultur network has taken the challenge to encourage and to promote permacultue practices among farmers in the world at a suitable and affordable alternative to the prevailing conventional methods to ensure sustainability in our agricultural systems. NETWORK SERVICES AND TRAINING network offers a huge variety of services in all aspects of permaculture consultation and training to a wide range of people of what we can offer are listed below; network specializes in the deliver of innovative training programs to rural and urban communities in Ghana and the developing world. also provide services in environmental maintenance to communities, mining industry, companies and organizations on: - Swales, growing surface cover to control erosion - Creating wind breaks to protect land and urban buildings - To grow trees along river banks to protect rivers from drying out. - Indigenous forestation, reforestation to present erratic rainfall and savanna encroachment. - Domestication of wild species. provide consultation services, design and education services for rural and urban settlements for above points listed. Permaculture Network seeks to support and teach communities and individuals to create permaculture systems that suit their local environment. By taking the course individuals become teachers and designers of permaculture systems that fit their own culture, economy, and ecology. The Permaculture Network is available to train individuals and communities in permaculture design anywhere in the world. Permaculture Network also works to encourage and assist communities to establish their own SEED BANKS and can also work with communities to rehabilitate mine sites or to establish sustainable forestry and food security systems. provide services to the following: - Urban housing estate development - Industrial sector - Aid agencies - Philanthropist and civil society organizations URBAN & RURAL SITE ASSESSMENT buy the wrong property. We can save you thousands of dollars, usually in the first site visit. Let us view and read your landscape and advise you on what is a good site and after your purchase a site plan. can best be implemented on your landscape? system will best suit your land and you? are just a few questions you may need answers to. A proper site design will save you time and money. more information contact: Network/International Permaculture Series

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On a macro scale, neuroscientists now know (more or less) where memories are 'stored' in the human brain. The hippocampus, the amygdala, the striatum and the mammillary bodies (for example) are known to be involved in some way, because individuals who suffer damage (either by injury or disease) to those areas are prone to memory loss of various kinds. Different modes of memory (short-term, long-term, motor memory etc) have been extensively classified and described, but researchers aren't yet in complete agreement about the models. On the small, neuronal scale - at 'component level' so-to-speak – the mechanism(s) by which complex memories are stored and retrieved are still a complete mystery. Further reading: Wikipedia

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Hydrogen Peroxide can be used to neutralize after bleaching There are two different ways to attack a dye, chemically, to remove its color. One is by oxidation, in which electrons are removed, while the other is by reduction, in which electrons are added. On this page I describe each of the discharge chemicals that are used by hand dyers to discharge dye. Please note that household bleach is a toxic chemical. All discharge agents should be used with appropriate safety precautions. The most familar discharge agent is ordinary household bleach, whose active ingredient is sodium hypochlorite. It will remove or change the color of many dyes, but not all dyes can be bleached. Some dyes will resist changing color no matter what you do to them. Try diluting ordinary household bleach, which is 5% hypochlorite, 60 ml in one liter of water, or one cup in a gallon. Before you begin, prepare a basin (or washing machine) containing your Anti-chlor so that you will be ready to use it immediately, or set out your bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide ready to hand if that is what you are going to use. Dip your fabric in the bleach solution, or paint the solution onto the fabric, or spray it on (if you can take adequate precautions to avoid exposure to the bleach mist or damage to your furnishings). Watch to see when the color changes. Once the color has lightened sufficiently, immediately plunge the fabric into clean rinse water or rinse under the faucet, wearing rubber gloves, squeeze it out, then immerse it in your anti-chlor solution, or pour your 3% hydrogen peroxide over until it is throughly saturated. After allowing fifteen minutes for the Anti-chlor to react with the residual bleach, wash the item thoroughly. Use thickened bleach. For printing or painting with bleach, you will want to use thickened bleach so that it does not run and creep on the fabric. The most convenient method, for small projects, is to use a Clorox Bleach Pen, which contains a thickened formula of hypochlorite bleach. These pens are extremely convenient to use, and limit your exposure to bleach fumes considerably, although they are expensive compared to the price per ounce of the large jugs of liquid hypochlorite bleach. They also have a limited shelf life after opening; I would recommend you check after six months to make sure your bleach pen still works, before embarking on another project, as you may need to buy a new one. I have found an old Bleach Pen to be entirely ineffective in discharging dye. Dishwashing machine detergent gel with bleach is said to be an ideal substance to use for discharge printing, because it is already thickened. I've read that you can use a pastry bag to dispense it in lines (my usual substitute for a pastry bag is a ziplock bag with a tiny corner snipped off - I wonder if that would work in this case), or simple rubber stamps, or applying it through a stencil with a sponge or foam brush. To thicken your own liquid bleach, you cannot use ordinary dye thickeners such as alginate, because they will be broken down quickly by the hypochlorite. Instead, use a thickener that is sold specifically for this purpose. Monagum is, according to PRO Chemical & Dye, a modified starch gum that is the only thickener for discharge printing with hypochlorite bleach that stays thick for up to one day, rather than breaking down and becoming thin quite soon after mixing with the bleach. Dharma's equivalent product is called Bleach Thickner. Chlorine bleach is extremely damaging to both synthetic fibers, such as nylon or polyester, and to animal fibers such as wool or silk. Never use chlorine bleach on any fiber that is not 100% cellulose, such as cotton, linen, or hemp. Chlorine bleach will cause a permanent unattractive yellowing of polyester fiber. Even after chlorine bleach has been rinsed from a garment, either the chlorine itself, or perhaps the free radicals produced by chlorine's reaction with your fabric, will continue to eat away at your fiber. You should use a good bleach stopping chemical on your garment after bleaching. The most economical choice is Anti-Chlor (sodium metabisulfite); other good choices are Bleach Stop (sodium thiosulfate) or hydrogen peroxide. Do not use vinegar to neutralize bleach, as the reaction of acid with hypochlorite produces dangerous chlorine gas. For more information on this very important subject, please read How can I neutralize the damaging effects of chlorine bleach?. Hydrogen peroxide is used to whiten wool, but it will not remove the color of most dyes. Peroxides are the basis for chlorine-free "colorsafe" bleaches for use in the laundry. (PRO Chemical & Dye has instructions for Bleaching Wool using Hydrogen Peroxide.) Benzoyl peroxide (properly pronounced ben-zo-EEL peroxide) is an oxidative bleach often inadvertently used to remove dye. It is the answer to the common question of "Why are my towels getting light spots?" Many skin care regimens include benzoyl peroxide for its acne-fighting abilities, but it is also noted for its ability to remove the color of common commercially used blue dyes. This can happen even for those who take great care in washing their hands after use. Interestingly for a skin care product, benzoyl peroxide is also an explosive and has been used as a rocket fuel. Users of benzoyl peroxide skin care products, if bothered by ruined towels, should either use white towels only, or consider switching to another acne-fighting agent such as Retin-A gel. Other oxidative discharge chemicals. There are several oxidative discharge agents used in the textile industry which are not recommend at all for use at home. Sodium Chlorite, NaClO2, is closely related to sodum hypochlorite; solutions of it become particularly dangerous at low pHs. (Household bleach has NaOH added to keep the pH of its hypochlorite at a less hazardous high pH; low pHs are hazardous primarily because they lead to the production of lethal chlorine gas.) Potassium permanganate is used industrially to discharge indigo-dyed denim, but it is extremely poisonous and also becomes dangerously explosive if a solution of it is inadvertantly allowed to dry up. Just as for chlorine bleach, described above, not all dyes can be removed or changed in color by reductive discharges, though the results are often quite different for reductive discharges than for chlorine bleach. Sulfur dioxide, SO2, is the chemical that does the reducing, no matter which of the following chemicals you use to reduce your dye. Originally it was produced by burning yellow sulfur in the presence of the fiber to be bleached. This is probably not a good approach, for your own health; better to use one of the other reducing discharge agents to produce it on the fabric. Thiourea dioxide (Colour Index Reducing Agent 11), also known as aminoiminomethanesulfinic acid or formamidine sulfinic acid, is sold under the brand names Thiox, Spectralite, Jacquard Color Remover, and Dharma Dyehouse Color Remover. The chemical formula is H2NC(=NH)SO2H. It is used in indigo dyeing and other vat dyeing as well as for discharge. It costs more than sodium hydrosulfite, but you use only one-fifth as much. Jacquard Color Remover contains Thiourea dioxide and soda ash. (Here's a link to PRO Chemical & Dye's instructions for using Thiox on cellulose, wool, and silk.) The solubility of thiourea dixodide is only 37 grams per liter at 20°C. Sodium hydrosulfite (Colour Index Reducing Agent 1), also known as sodium dithionite, sodium sulfoxylate, and sodium sulphoxylate, is the active ingredient in Rit Color Remover, Tintex Color Remover, Dylon Run away for Whites, and Carbona Color Run Remover, all of which also contain sodium carbonate (soda ash). Its chemical formula is Na2O4S2. This is the chemical used by Carter Smith in Kate Broughton's book Textile Dyeing: The Step-By-Step Guide and Showcase. Storage of large quantities is unsafe due to its flammability, but it is easy to find this product at local drugstores or sewing stores, so there is no need to buy a year's supply at once. You can use sodium hydrosulfite on the stovetop or in the washing machine; the latter is less effective but far more convenient for use on clothing. Sodium hydroxymethanesulfinate (Colour Index Reducing Agent 2), also known as sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate, sodium hydroxymethanesulphonate, sodium hydroxymethanesulfonate, and formaldehyde sodium sulphoxylate, is the chemical used in Formosul and Rongalit (most likely including BASF's Rongalit C and Rongalit ST, also sold as Jacquard Rongolit ST). Update: Also the active ingredient in deColourant Mist and deColourant Paste; see ProChem. Its chemical formula is CH3NaO3S. It can be used under acid as well as basic conditions. (Here is a link to PRO Chemical & Dye's instructions for using Formosul to strip color and discharge print on cotton, silk, wool and nylon.) Zinc formaldehyde sulfoxylate (Colour Index Reducing Agent 6), Zn(HOCHSO2]2, is another discharge chemical, used commercially for screen-printing t-shirts. Calcium formaldehyde sulfoxylate (Colour Index Reducing Agent 12), Ca(HOCH2SO2]2, is a discharge chemical that is manufactured in paste form. It is also the main ingredient in a different Rongalit product, Rongalite H, though I have not found a suitable source for it. Other reductive discharge chemicals. Both sodium sulfite (Na2SO3) and sodium bisulfite (NaHSO3) are listed in some documents as reductive bleaches, but I cannot find a recipe for either's use for this purpose, though it's easy to find recipes for the use of the other reducing agents above. At our level it seems that these are only used to neutralize hypochlorite bleach. Do NOT confuse them with sodium bisulfATE (Na2SO4), which is used to destroy cellulose; remember the mnemonic, "bisulfATE ATE my fabric." Jacquard Discharge Paste apparently contains Rongalit ST (see above), along with water, urea, and ammonia. This product is highly recommended by dyers who like the convenience of not having to make their own paste and like its stable shelf life. To use it, you paint or print your design on fabric, allow to dry, and then steam-iron to activate the reaction. (Here is a link to Jacquard Products' instructions for using three different kinds of discharge paste: thiourea dioxide print paste, Rongalit print paste, and Jacquard Discharge paste.) Tin(II) chloride is unlike the above reductive discharges in that it does not involved sulfur dioxide at all. Also known as "tin salt", it has a formula of SnCl2•2H2O, and has been used in discharge printing on wool. It reacts to form hydrochloric acid in the steamer, which is corrosive to the equipment. It must not be used with thiodiglycol as a dye solvent, because the reaction of hydrochloric acid with thiodiglycol produces deadly mustard gas. (Source: David M Lewis, Wool Dyeing.) All of the reductive discharge chemicals require heat to activate the reaction that breaks the double bonds in the dye chemicals. Some recipes call for hot tap water in the washing machine; most call for the higher temperatures of a discharge bath (heated in a cooking pot), a steamer, or heating with a steam iron. An alternative way to provide the moist heat required to activate discharge agents is to steam your treated items in a spare microwave oven that has been placed out-of-doors during use. It is recommended that you use a microwave oven that you will not be using for food. Do not microwave dry fabric, as it will burn. Wrap damp fabric in plastic so that it will not dry out as it cooks, or place a cup of water in the microwave while you use it. Do not use a microwave that is indoors for heating discharge chemicals, as the irritating fumes produced can be bad for your lungs. Although the reductive discharge chemicals are less toxic, in general, than chlorine bleach, they all produce sulfur dioxide, which may be particularly dangerous for people who have asthma. All should be used only with gloves and with care to avoid overexposure to any vapors produced. Be sure to use proper ventilation and/or an acid gas respirator while working with them. Note that a dust mask provides no protection at all. Obtain and read the MSDS (materials safety data sheet) for each chemical you work with. Sulfur dioxide fumes may also have undesirable effects on fabrics that have been dyed with indigo or other vat dyes, causing blues to turn yellow or green. Do not leave indigo-dyed fabrics exposed to the air in a room in which you are using any reductive discharge chemical. Karren Brito wrote an excellent article on the subject of discharge agents entitled Honorable Discharge: Decolorization of Natural Fabrics [PDF]. Jane Dunnewold's book, Complex Cloth: A Comprehensive Guide to Surface Design, gives good instructions for using chlorine bleach to discharge dye designs on cotton fabric. Kate Broughton's book, Textile Dyeing: The Step-by-Step Guide and Showcase, shows Carter Smith's illustrated step-by-step instructions for using a heated bath of hydrosulfite (the chemical in Rit Color Remover) to discharge silk in beautiful designs. Last updated: November 3, 2010 Page created: July 17, 2007 Downloaded: Monday, February 26, 2024 All of the pages on this site are copyright ©1998‑2024 Paula E. Burch, Ph.D. Parts of this page originally appeared in the form of a posting by Paula Burch on the Dye Forum on May 17, 2006.

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A wave of governments has moved to ban single-use plastics, actions that reflect a growing awareness of the ocean plastic pollution crisis. But residents fighting a proposed plastic factory in Ireland say governments should also take a harder look at pollution coming from facilities that manufacture plastic and that are a source of marine litter. Since 2017, residents of Skibbereen have been trying to stop plans to open a plastic-pellet manufacturing plant in their town of 2,500 people. They say the facility, proposed by the United States-based RTP Company, would pollute the air and water, harm their quality of life and threaten the local marine-based economy, which includes fishing and a top whale-watching destination. The residents also link their opposition to the European Union’s new plastic reduction strategy, adopted in January. “The European Union has invested €350 million into research on plastic use and waste reduction,” said Malcolm Thompson, a sustainability consultant who is leading local opposition as part of a group called Save Our Skibbereen. “And now they’re letting the plastic industry come into a stunning natural corner of the E.U. where it will pollute the environment and endanger human health.” The factory would manufacture trillions of plastic pellets a year in a facility located 2km (1 mile) from the town. The lentil-sized pellets – sometimes called “nurdles” – are the raw material used to make a variety of plastic products. During production and transport or through wastewater discharges, however, the nurdles can make their way into coastal waterways and eventually the ocean. For the Skibbereen residents, air emissions, traffic and water discharges from the facility are also primary concerns. Scientists agree that wherever there is a plastic pellet factory, there’s a risk for plastic pollution that flows into the ocean. And with growing global supply and demand for plastics, the risk of pellet pollution will only increase, they say, though it’s not always easy to keep tabs on when and where factories are being built. “I know production is expected to increase significantly in the future,” said Chelsea Rochman, a plastic pollution researcher at the University of Toronto. The most surprising thing she’s learned about plastic pellets is “how ubiquitous they are,” she said. “We find pellets in the middle of oceans and on remote island beaches. We should start preventing [pollution] at the source.” Researchers from the University of Gothenburg estimate that at one manufacturing site in Stenungsund, Sweden, between 3 million and 36 million nurdles are lost into the environment every year. That’s likely because existing regulations meant to prevent leakage of nurdles have not been adequately enforced, the researchers wrote in a 2018 study. Major plastic spills have also occurred during transportation of plastic at sea, including off the coasts of South Africa and Hong Kong. The painstaking and ongoing cleanups of these and other spills underscore the challenge of removing tiny nurdles from the environment. The pellets are small and round and thus are a ready-made source of microplastic. Once in the ocean, seabirds, fish and other animals often mistake them for fish eggs, said Alasdair Neilson, project manager at Scotland environmental nonprofit Fidra, which has organized a project to study plastic pellet pollution called The Great Nurdle Hunt. The pellets also contain and attract chemicals known to cause health problems in wildlife. Researchers have found that toxins picked up by plastic in the marine environment typically get stored in an animal’s fat deposits, slowly poisoning them. Toxins move up the food chain when one animal that has consumed plastic is eaten by another. European Commission (E.C.) spokesperson Enrico Brivio noted that the commission’s new plastic strategy clearly identified pellet loss “as an issue to be better tackled in the E.U.” He said the E.C. is currently working to establish guidelines or a certification program for reducing pellet spillage, and some in the industry are already engaging in voluntary efforts to curb loss, specifically through an industrial management program called Operation Clean Sweep. The European Commission for Environment, he said, has not received any criticisms on the Skibbereen factory, but will assess any complaints, should they be filed. The county government approved the factory last year and an appeal is now being heard by Ireland’s planning board. RTP Company, known as Daly Products in Ireland, declined to comment on the residents’ health and safety concerns about the factory in Skibbereen. “We welcomed the decision of Cork County Council to grant planning permission for our project in Skibbereen, which gave due consideration to the observations received from local residents,” said Danny Miles, RTP chief administrative officer and vice president. The company also opened a new 8,000 square-meter (86,000 square-feet) plastic factory in Wroclaw, Poland, this summer. But it’s not alone in its drive to expand plastic production. A series of reports published last year by the Center for International Environmental Law suggested the availability of inexpensive natural gas in the U.S. led fossil fuel companies to invest more than $180 billion in plastic production facilities around the world. Demand for plastics, particularly for packaging, is also rising, despite efforts that aim to curb use, such as plastic bag bans and zero-waste campaigns, according to the reports. But in Skibbereen and elsewhere, there is also resistance to new plastic factories. For example, in the U.S., the Center for Biological Diversity and local residents had petitioned Texas to reject a Clean Water Act permit for a plastic facility to be built next to Corpus Christi Bay. But in July, a state commission approved the wastewater permit, which would allow discharge of pollutants, including plastic fragments, directly into the bay. If built, it would be the world’s largest plastics plant, according to the environmental group. In June, the Center for Biological Diversity also submitted notices of intent to sue three plastics manufacturers around Los Angeles for violating the Clean Water Act by polluting waterways with plastic pellets. Save Our Skibbereen claims RTP did not conduct an adequate assessment of the plastic factory’s environmental impact, and that much information about the facility as well as County Cork’s initial approval decision had not been made public. “What is a citizen of West Cork even going to get out of this?” asked Thompson. “Maybe 20 jobs, a lungful of pollutants and some very horrific environmental issues.”

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Morgantown, WV -- (ReleaseWire) -- 03/06/2015 --The winter frost isn't the only thing affecting our nation's crops, according to the Purdue University Weed Science team. The team is working hard to educate food growers on a major culprit: herbicide-resistant weeds to be exact. Food growers across the country are finding it increasingly difficult to kill "super weeds" as they become resistant to the most popular herbicides. After years of constant exposure to these herbicides, certain invasive plants have also developed a resistance, leading farmers to use more of the chemical. In some cases, the weeds have grown completely tolerant to these chemicals, allowing them to grow as high as eight feet tall. According to Bryan Young, PhD., Associate Professor of Weed Science in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Purdue University. "Understanding the molecular interactions between plants and herbicides or combinations thereof is essential to developing strategies to combat invasive and emerging herbicide-resistant weed biotypes." Enter A Hi-Tech Molecular Approach – LAESI® In an effort to minimize the herbicide exposures to crops, the weed science team at Purdue University has implemented a new technology in their labs. The University recently acquired Protea's LAESI DP-1000 Direct Ionization System for direct molecular analysis that will be used in Purdue's College of Agriculture, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. The device is used for the molecular imaging of herbicide-active ingredients and other related compounds to optimize herbicide applications and improve weed management. Protea's LAESI system is a next generation molecular imaging platform that directly analyzes biological samples without the need to apply chemicals or introduce tags or tracers. It enables two-dimensional and three-dimensional imaging, displaying the distribution of molecules in the samples. "The continued investigation of how herbicides function within the plant's morphological architecture and physiological pathways is paramount for improving the efficiency of herbicide activity and elucidating possible mechanisms that are the basis for the herbicide-resistant weeds impacting crop production, and Protea's DP-1000 system will enable us to map and monitor specific compounds both on and within the plants of interest," stated Dr. Young. "The discovery of novel herbicides can have a positive effect on crop production and, ultimately, on the ability to more economically deliver food and livestock globally. In particular, LAESI's unique ability to provide three-dimensional molecular analytics of plant tissues can be incredibly useful for mapping herbicides and other molecules within the leaf, to actually see the molecular changes that are occurring within plants," stated Steve Turner, Protea's CEO. Purdue University isn't the only research institution utilizing the new LAESI technology; Princeton University's Frick Chemistry Laboratory recently introduced LAESI into their labs for the screening of microbial samples to identify new molecular entities that may hold promise as new antimicrobial therapeutics. For more information, log on to http://www.proteabio.com About Protea Biosciences Group, Inc. Protea Biosciences is a molecular information company providing innovative bioanalytical solutions to the pharmaceutical, agricultural, and life science industries. Protea has developed a new, fully automated, molecular information technology platform, known as "LAESI" (Laser Ablation Electrospray Ionization), that enables the direct analysis of molecules without the need for sample preparation. Large molecular datasets are generated on native biological samples that can also be visually displayed as 2D and 3D images. Protea maintains its own laboratory facilities where services are provided to its clients, using LAESI and complementary technologies and expertise.

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One of the problems facing the distributed renewable power is that sometimes zapping the electricity down wires isn't your best choice, either for reasons of efficiency or of convenience. The Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich have come up with a novel solution, at least for solar power: store it in a metal ore. Solar heat is used to crack zinc from zinc oxide; the metal can then be readily moved around. The zinc can then be used in zinc-air batteries or to help crack hydrogen from water vapor. In both cases, the reaction with oxygen creates zinc oxide, which can then be used by the solar heater. The first trials of the solar power-plant have used thirty-percent of available solar energy and produced forty-five kilos of zinc an hour, exceeding projected goals. During further tests this summer a higher efficiency is expected. Industrial size plants, for which this is a prototype, can reach efficiency levels of fifty- to sixty-percent. The success of this solar chemistry pilot project opens the way for an efficient thermo-chemical process whereby the sun's energy can be stored and transported in the form of a chemical fuel. In this process the zinc is combined with coal, coke or carbon biomass which acts as a reactive agent, yet in this reactor only a fifth of the usual amount of agent is used. The sun's rays are concentrated on this mixture by a system of mirrors and the zinc forms as a gas which is then condensed to a powder. So the question for you engineering types out there: at what point does this become preferable to storing the power in batteries? Jamais, you ask "at what point does this become preferable to storing the power in batteries?" But remember that earlier you mentioned that it'd be used _in_ batteries. You'd presumably have power plants generating the zinc, then ship that to local places that "recharge" zinc-air batteries with it. Zinc-air batteries are very cool, but have some downsides, too. According to http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/electromag/electricity/batteries/zincair.html , "The advantages of a zinc-air battery include flat discharge voltage, safety and environmental benefits, good shelf life, and low cost. In addition, zinc-air batteries have high volumetric energy density compared to most primary batteries. The disadvantages of such batteries are that they rely on ambient conditions, they dry out once exposed to outside air, they have flooding potential, they have limited output, and their active life is short..." I believe things like zinc become preferable to batteries when one has successfully developed internal combustion engines to burn them. This means dealing with ash in condensed phase, unlike the gaseous ash that IC engines now dump to air. The fuel tank becomes bicameral: part for before, part for after. It is significantly smaller and lighter, even when all the fuel has moved over to the ash bin, than a hydrogen tank, even though the contents are heavier than that tank's contents. The numbers for the linked story don't quite work out; 45 kg zinc per hour on 300 kW of input power would be 20 percent, not 30, and carbon is also consumed. They don't say how much. Inevitably the efficiency on both input energies is significantly below 20 percent. Also see my comment from a few years ago. --- Graham Cowan, former hydrogen fan Boron: A Better Energy Carrier than Hydrogen?

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In this article I will review the book Complete Arabic, which belongs to the famous Teach Yourself series. The book can either be purchased separately or in a pack that includes two CDs with audio material. I have used this book to teach a one-on-one course and would recommend it to the beginning learner who can already read whole words in Arabic script. What kind of Arabic? This is probably the first question you should ask when considering an Arabic textbook. The variety emphasized in this book is what I call “informal Standard Arabic”, which is Modern Standard Arabic without many of the case and mood endings that are not found in the modern dialects and that are usually omitted in Standard Arabic in everyday use. This is exactly the type of Arabic I like to focus on in my own teaching. While Complete Arabic teaches Standard Arabic rather than a spoken dialect, you won’t end up sounding like a pedant, a schoolmarm, or a book. Insufficient introduction to Arabic script. One of the few drawbacks in this book is its presentation of the Arabic writing system, which is only introduced very superficially as part of an 18-page introduction (before Unit 1) entitled “Arabic script and pronunciation guide”. This makes the book inappropriate for the absolute beginner. Athough plenty of transliteration is used throughout the book, even in Unit 1 there are exercises entirely in Arabic script, and in Unit 2 there is 50-word text you are expected read in Arabic script. (The vocabulary lists that accompany the texts include both Arabic script and transliteration, so you do not need to be entirely proficient in reading Arabic.) The situation with writing is even worse for the absolute beginner. Although some of the exercises require you to write in Arabic, the book does not explain or illustrate how to write the Arabic letters. For these reasons, as much as I like this book, I recommend first learning to read a bit before starting. Working through my own textbook, Bite-Size Arabic: Learn to Read and Write Arabic Using the Tiniest Bit of Vocabulary and Grammar, would be an excellent way to prepare yourself for Complete Arabic. Transliteration. Quite a bit of transliteration is used throughout the book, all the way to the end, which many independent learners will appreciate. While most texts and conversations are presented entirely in Arabic script, vocabulary lists and grammar are presented with transliteration alongside Arabic script. The transliteration system used isn’t pretty, and I particularly dislike the author’s choice to use the ː character (which resembles a colon) to represent the letter ayn (ع ʕayn). While there are several familiar ways of transcribing this sound, the one used here is entirely idiosyncratic and even misleading, given that in the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) the ː symbol is used to represent gemination (consonant doubling or vowel lengthening). This is just a personal gripe and should not be taken as a decisive factor in deciding whether or not to use this book. Every book has a slightly different transliteration system, and, in the end, transliteration is only a crutch you will use until you become so well versed in Arabic script that you no longer need it. A nice feature of the transliteration in this book is that it often uses an accent mark to indicate which syllable should be stressed. Few books I’m aware of do that. Content. I like the way the book is laid out. Each unit contains several different texts and dialogues, rather than one monolithic text at the beginning of the lesson. There are many illustrations, making the presentation more interesting and engaging. The grammar is explained in easy-to-understand language, accompanied with easy examples in both Arabic script and transliteration. All this helps make the book appropriate for self-instruction. (It is less obvious whether the book would also be good for use in a classroom setting.) The exercises are varied and not tedious or overly difficult. A wide variety of practical topics and situations are covered, such as meeting people, telling time, talking about your family, giving directions, and Islamic festivals. Several useful items are included at the end of the book, such as an answer key to the exercises, a glossary, and even a summary of the grammar. According to the back cover, this book will get you up to CERF level B2 (which roughly means high intermediate). Coping skills. An aspect that I really like about this book is its emphasis on coping and comprehension skills. There are many exercises where you are given questions in English about a short text. For example, you are presented with a newspaper ad for a job opening. You don’t know all of the words, but can you figure out what some of the requirements for the job are using what you know? The goal is not to understand every word or construction in the text, but to use your current knowledge to extract useful information. These sorts of exercises train you to cope with real-life situations. Summary. This is a great textbook for the beginning learner who has already learned the Arabic alphabet and can read a bit. The material is varied, practical, relevant, and presented in a pleasant way. A special feature of this book is its focus on coping and comprehension skills that will prepare you for actual encounters with Arabic speakers and texts.

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Protecting our physical assets is a natural routine, and part of our everyday existence. Before we leave our homes, we close and lock our windows, stow away important items, and lock doors on our way out. We go to great lengths to ensure all our belongings stay secured from intruders. That protective mindset is instilled in our behavior. However, when it comes to keeping confidential information on our computers secure, many of us leave valuable information vulnerable and exposed. And we might not even be aware we’re doing it. Being cyber-aware in our forever evolving digital world is vital. Our lives revolve around the internet. Access to an online connection is necessary so we can participate in everyday activities like sending emails, watching Netflix, shopping, banking and even ordering prescriptions, all of which require the exchange of sensitive information. Communicating and relaying sensitive information is a big responsibility, and it is our part as consumers to know how to stay protected. So, what practices and habits can help us keep our digital assets safe and secure? Here are steps you can take to protect yourself, your home, and your remote workplace from those everyday threats to your cybersecurity. Use caution when connecting to free WiFi Free in this case, is not always a good thing. Connecting to WiFi at the coffee shop, airport or library always requires caution. Do not save passwords on the browser. Don’t enter or exchange important information while using an unsecure internet connection. Most free WiFi is unsecured. Information you enter on an unsecured, unencrypted network can be seen by hackers or anyone else capable of connecting to the network. Secure your home WiFi network Make sure you have a strong password or passphrase that is written down and stowed away in a safe place. Only the residents of the home should have immediate access to use the internet. It’s best practice to have a guest network established if you have guests that need to access your home WiFi network. From a guest network, people can access the internet, but are unable to access any network resources, shared folders, or important files that might contain sensitive information. Change passwords frequently Change is good when it comes to your passwords. Updating your passwords frequently (about every year) helps keep your information secure for a longer time. If you habitually update your passwords over time, you are less susceptible to attack and having your information compromised. Know what a phishing attempt looks like There’s a big difference between spam and phishing. Spam is unsolicited mass email and is annoying, but usually harmless. Phishing is an attempt to gain personal information used to carry out fraud or a cyber-attack. A phishing message can contain dangerous links or incite you to share personal action or information. Even if they seem to come from a company or person you know, scan unexpected messages for poor grammar, suspicious links, or requests. If you have any doubt, do not interact with the message. These are the basics of cybersecurity at home, but, increasingly, the lines between home and work are blurred. Remote work has become the norm. It is important that businesses remain diligent around the best practices of sharing information and working in a hybrid setting. And that you, as the employee, are taking the necessary steps to secure your work-from-home set-up and the items you are sharing online, just as you would if you were securing your home. When working to create safe environments at home and in the workplace, our Director of IT, Jason Sajdak, says, “It’s important to recognize attacks before they occur. Businesses need to have a consistent policy around security awareness, and perform training on a regular basis, so employees have the ability to recognize and reduce attacks." As an employer and digital partner to organizations with large and sensitive data repositories, Acumium brings data security and cyber awareness into everything we do. Dan Costello, Acumium’s Founder and CEO, explains "when it comes to data security, we intelligently design what we have control over and are responsible for on behalf of our employees and clients. We make sure everybody is educated and aware of the information that falls into the realm of what we care for and protect, and what the implications might be if we didn't provide a robust level of security for that information." Acumium has the team and resources to provide support and protection for your software applications. Our innovative team stays up to date on the latest trends and changes, so we can bring added levels of security and reliability to your business. Interested in learning about how we can bring an added layer of cybersecurity to your digital efforts? We’ve got significant experience in data security and would love to help. Contact us today.

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Did a comet seed life on earth? The theory has been floating around for years, but a fresh study in The Astrophysical Journal offers new evidence. A team of chemists from the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Hawaii, Manoa, tried to recreate the conditions found in space to see if the right chemical building blocks of life could form. Their just-published report said that they believe they have succeeded. Deep space is cold, dark, and airless, which makes it seems like an unlikely place for the spark of life to arise. Robert Sanders at Phys.Org explained that the Hawaiian team tried to duplicate the conditions found on an “icy snowball in space” by placing the right chemicals in a vacuum chamber set at the frigid temperature of only 10 degrees above absolute zero. Then they zapped the chamber with high-energy electrons to mimic the effect of cosmic rays. The California team analyzed the chemicals that formed as a result. According to Sanders’ report, they found “nine different amino acids and at least two dipeptides — capable of catalyzing biological evolution on earth.” The Astrophysical Journal‘s abstract concluded: “Once synthesized and incorporated into the ‘building material’ of solar systems, biomolecules at least as complex as dipeptides could have been delivered to habitable planets such as early Earth by meteorites and comets, thus seeding the beginning of life as we know it. In other words, the chemical seeds can form in space on a frozen snowball like many of the comets found in orbit around our solar system. When comets get near the sun — and near our planet earth — the snowballs often melt a little, creating the distinctive long tails that we sometimes observe in our night skies. And, apparently, they sometimes actually collide with our planet. The next question may be just how many comets had to hammer the earth with the seeds of life before they sprouted. Michael D. Lemonick for Time reported on a theory that a “fusillade” of icy comets hit the earth far in our past, allowing our planet to become wet enough to support life. Could it be that life-forming chemicals, as well as water, were brought here by comets? It’s nerve-wracking when huge space objects like last month’s Russian meteor slam into the earth. But we might not be here at all if not for the comets seeding life.

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In this video, we learn how to draw a realistic mouth, nose, and eyes. Start out by drawing the outside shape of the eye, then draw in the details inside the eye. After this, shade in the pupil and add a white circle to make the eye look glossy. From here, add in the eyebrows and add darkness and lines to make it look more realistic. For the mouth, you will first draw the outline of the lips, then draw the teeth on the inside followed by additional details. Make the teeth different shapes and sizes to make it more realistic. For the nose, you will draw the outline first, making sure to shade in the nostrils and draw in the bridge of the nose. Add shading to the side of the nose to make it looks like it's standing out, then you're finished. Want to master Microsoft Excel and take your work-from-home job prospects to the next level? Jump-start your career with our Premium A-to-Z Microsoft Excel Training Bundle from the new Gadget Hacks Shop and get lifetime access to more than 40 hours of Basic to Advanced instruction on functions, formula, tools, and more. Other worthwhile deals to check out: - 97% off The Ultimate 2021 White Hat Hacker Certification Bundle - 98% off The 2021 Accounting Mastery Bootcamp Bundle - 99% off The 2021 All-in-One Data Scientist Mega Bundle - 59% off XSplit VCam: Lifetime Subscription (Windows) - 98% off The 2021 Premium Learn To Code Certification Bundle - 62% off MindMaster Mind Mapping Software: Perpetual License - 41% off NetSpot Home Wi-Fi Analyzer: Lifetime Upgrades

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June 1, 2013 My students need to learn LabVIEW —I know, it's proprietary software, and expensive, but until a viable open-source equivalent comes along we're stuck with it— and one of the exercises I have them do is to make a program to analyze radioactive decay. This gives them experience in using counters, plotting data in real time, curve fitting, etc. The problem arises when I have a dozen students and not so many good sources and detectors. During the students' development of their LabVIEW program, they need multiple re-starts on the measurement. The program NEVER works right the first time, and if you're using neutron-activated indium as a source it's hard to "reset" it when you realize that your block diagram isn't wired right. I have a dozen Arduinos, though, and I've programmed them to behave as if they were radioactive sources. This way the students can try their program, fix their program, push the reset button on the Arduino and try the program again. Here's the code. I use pin 13 as an output since the LED allows students to see that it's working, even when their program isn't. The plot shown at the top of this page is actual data from the Arduino, as collected via a student LabVIEW program and plotted in Python. There's a step in the data at about 80 seconds —not sure if that's the Arduino or LabVIEW— but it works well enough for the job. Once the students are confident that their program works, then I bring out the real sources: neutron-activated indium, neutron-activated silver, and a "cesium-barium cow".

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January plays host to the National Bath Safety Month, a 31-day observance dedicated to preventing slips and falls in the bathroom. Such accidents are one of the leading causes of ER trips in older adults. In fact, 1 out of 3 adults above the age of 60 have trouble getting in and out of the bathtub according to a study by Michigan University. Here’s a list of do’s and don’ts in order to properly honor National Bath Safety Month. Any number of these suggestions would be a good way to celebrate and honor National Bath Safety Month, but in reality the best way to celebrate is to realize that there are added dangers in the bathroom. It’s easy to lose your balance when moving around on a wet floor. Remind your elderly loved ones to take extra caution when stepping into the bath. Image Credit – http://www.safewaystep.com/administration/uploads/walk-in-bathtub.jpg[gravityform id=”2″ name=”For More Information” description=”false”]

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(EDITOR'S NOTE: This column originally was published Nov. 26 and is being reprinted because of increased questions about the topic.) It would most be safe to say that each of us have struggled with the subject of mathematics at one point in our life. The subject of math is rather fascinating, but at the same time can be very frustrating. The world of math encompasses many everyday uses and plays a significant role in many decisions we make on a daily basis. Having said this, it is crucial that we make sure our youth are grasping basic math concepts. As we teach our youth the "craft" of mathematics, we find that many of our students exhibit signs of struggle while learning basic and advanced math concepts. This can become a long-term problem for many students, both college bound and workforce bound. The focus of this article is to provide some basic tips and strategies for the student who is having difficulty in math. Whether or not you are taking calculus or consumer mathematics, it is important that you see and understand the importance of having a solid foundation in math for your chosen future. Many students and family members ask what to do when they find their child is earning deficient grades in their respective math course. The first thing that should be done is to schedule a conference with your son or daughter's teacher. As a parent, you should be asking to see your child's grades and their completeness on homework assignments. Many teachers will give points for homework completeness. These should be easy points for the student to obtain. The reasoning behind seeing your child's grades is to try and detect a pattern, such as lower grades on exams and quizzes, or just inconsistency in completing assignments. Once you establish a baseline as to where your child is having difficulty, it is time to develop a plan for them. You should become proactive with your child by asking to see their homework assignments each day and you may even want to check this against the teacher's web page for accuracy. Have your child work on his or her math homework in a quiet and non-disruptive setting. Mathematics is very mental and concentration is a must. Make sure your child is showing their work and not just the answer(s). If they do not know the steps to get the answers, there may be a chance that they are retrieving the answers from the back of the textbook. The majority of your school's teachers also have "free periods" set aside to help those who are struggling. Contact your school's guidance office to make arrangements for your child to take advantage of this service. There also are online math programs for all age groups that offer instructional steps and rationale. You should be sure that the websites you are using are credible. Your child's teacher usually can have some great recommendations for web-based math instruction. You may find that after all of this effort your child is still struggling. The next step would be to hire a tutor to work on the fundamentals and try to decide if the student needs to step back into the previous level of math to work on core concepts. The most important item of business is to remain positive and encouraging with your son or daughter. As you can see, there are many outlets available to help your child in becoming more successful in their mathematics course. You need to remain proactive and use your resources that surround your child. The relationship with your child's teacher also is key to their success. Our next article will journey to the land of testing anxiety, regarding what it is and how to attack the problem. Cordell is the owner of Excell Tutoring Services, 346 Broad St., Montoursville. He may be reached at 506-9998 or [email protected]. For more information, visit www.excelltutoringservices.com.

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The swarms of locusts that covered Africa last year returned, pushing several nations into a food crisis. But just like pre-Exodus Egypt suffered waves of plagues that left the land barren, unseasonal rains generated an extra and unexpected generation of grasshoppers that experts believe could be 8,000 times larger than what has already been seen. Matthew 24:7 KJV – “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” Officials issued warnings that the current wave of locusts that has been swarming over parts of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East since last December will probably continue for the rest of the year. According to a new report from the International Rescue Committee, a new round of hatching could result in swarms that are 8,000 times larger than swarms earlier this year. The locusts normally live for three months but unseasonal rains have led to massive breeding and multiple generations, prolonging the season in which the locusts normally swarm. Erratic weather systems have aided the spread of the swarms. The current mega-swarm, the worst in many decades, originated in Yemen but now threatens 13 countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, India, Uganda, Pakistan, and southern Iran. The infestation threatens the food security of some 40 million people, many of whom are already in danger of starvation. Somalia, which is expected to be the hardest hit, could see 50%-70% losses of some crops. The country’s farms and pastures were previously hit by drought in 2017 and 2019, followed by flooding. In Kenya, at least 173,000 acres of land were infested in January, making it the country’s worst locust event in 70 years. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) senior locust forecasting officer Keith Cressman said a 37-mile-long and 24-mile-wide swarm was spotted in northern Kenya that month. The World Bank estimated that an uncontained outbreak could result in damages and losses of up to $8.5 billion by the end of this year. Ethiopia is expected to be the worst hit. The situation is being exacerbated by political unrest in some of the countries. Officials fear that the civil war in Yemen will prevent monitoring that could prevent an additional breakout. The Guardian described one instance in which a locust-control helicopter nearly sparked a border war by accidentally crossing into South Sudan from Kenya. Conversely, India and Pakistan have set aside their animosity, at least to a small degree, in order to cooperate in fighting the locusts. “Swarms are often tens of square kilometers in size,” the FAO explained. The FAO warned that a swarm of just one square kilometer eats the same amount of food in one day as 35,000 people. “A swarm the size of Bamako (Mali) or Niamey (Niger) can consume what half the population of either country would eat in a single day.” The swarms also can travel 93 miles a day making efforts to control an outbreak even more difficult. Officials warned that further rains in the region could lead to an even larger outbreak. Coronavirus pandemic restrictions prevent many farmers from going out to their fields to battle the swarms. In addition, the pandemic has slowed the delivery of vital pesticides and equipment form other countries. Many field officers have been prevented from tracking and reporting on the infestation due to restrictions. A wave of locusts swept through East Africa last year, returning again in 2020 in swarms estimated to be 20 times larger. The current infestation is described as the worst in 70 years. This wave very much resembles the Biblical plague in this respect, coming as part of a wave of catastrophes that left the land of Egypt bereft of any food.

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Heap Sort is the third of the famous n log n sorts. Heap Sort is an in-place comparison sort. In the example program given below a Max-Heap is used to sort the list of numbers. on average the Heap Sort is slightly poorer when compared with Quick Sort. But the worst case time of Heap Sort is still O(n log n). Click here to download the C Program to perform Heap Sort. Click here to download the C++ Program to perform Heap Sort.

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Last week SOU’s Women’s Resource Center hosted a series of events that included cozying up in the WRC to watch episodes of Degrassi, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Sailor Moon; a yoga class focusing on body positivity and mindfulness; and an Eating and Body Support meeting. It was the 28th annual National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. While the week is over, the issue is far from resolved. The National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) launches NEDAwareness Week during the last seven days of February, encouraging communities across the nation to improve public understanding of eating disorders. Eating disorders are potentially life-threatening physical and mental illnesses, and four out of ten Americans have either suffered or known someone who has suffered from one. A large part of NEDAwareness week is staying conscious of the prevalence and seriousness of eating disorders even after the week is over. “Eating disorders do not discriminate and you can’t tell by looking at a person by size if they have an eating disorder. Eating disorders are not about the weight. The weight focus is like a placeholder for the other issues that are hard to face,” said Debbie Devine, the SOU counselor who answered questions at the Eating and Body Support meeting last week. A week dedicated to eating disorder awareness is important, Devine said, because many people do not realize that they need professional intervention or support. “An aspect of disordered eating, in my experience and research of the topic, is secrecy and stigma,” said Autumn Wilson, a psychology major with a double minor in sociology and gender, sexuality and women’s studies. Wilson coordinated SOU’s NEDAwareness Week in hopes of bringing awareness to these stigmas, “I think in general our society still has this thin ideal. So not only are we idolizing thin body shapes, but we’re stigmatizing and creating this fear around fat bodies. That stigma is really horrible and damaging.” Devine confirms, “Eating disorders are the most deadly of all mental health diagnosis and are some of the least funded topics in medical research.” According to research cited by NEDA, eating disorders are often accompanied by depression and substance abuse, making it the mental illness with the highest mortality rates. An objective of NEDAwareness Week is intervention through education about eating disorder causes and treatments in order to increase the likelihood of full recovery. “I think full recovery is possible. It’s really difficult to do alone. Sometimes on college campuses an individual may not feel like they have the resources,” said Autumn Wilson, whose goal for SOU’s NEDAwareness Week was to make students more aware of on campus resources. Current on campus support includes: the Eating and Body Support group in the WRC Tuesday evenings at 5:30, therapists at the Student Health and Wellness Center, a Fat Politics class offered for course credit, and in May there will be a WRC-hosted “Love Your Body” week that will involve panel discussions and scale smashing. For some quick support right here and now, Debbie Devine has offered 5 tips for students struggling with eating disorders: 1. Reach out for support: “Eating disorders don’t live as well in the light and the dark inner critical voice of an eating disorder is not something to deal with alone. Tell safe people who can support you.” 2. Pace yourself: “People struggling with eating disorders have a tendency to be more perfectionistic. Having too much on our plates and trying to do it perfectly can be a recipe for trouble.” 3. Try not to live with someone who has an eating disorder: “This can be very triggering for some.” 4. Stop weighing yourself: “Scales measure our relationship to gravity not your self-esteem, success as a person.” 5. Stop Fat Talk: “ Size is the last form of socially acceptable discrimination and I would like to see that be a thing of the past!”

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A cat’s tail can reveal a lot about their mood and intentions. Are you ready to decode your feline’s tail talk? Uncover the cat tail meaning and become an expert in feline body language. The Feline Tail Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Your Cat’s Tail Movements Cats are fascinating creatures with incredible physical and social abilities. They’re masters of disguise, stealth, and agility, but they’re also capable communicators with a complex language that’s not always easy to understand. One of the most important ways that cats communicate is through body language, particularly tail movements. If you want to decode your cat’s mysterious behavior and understand what they’re trying to tell you, learning how to interpret their tail movements is essential. The feline tail code is a subtle but powerful language that can reveal your cat’s emotions, intentions, and needs. From a friendly greeting to a warning sign or a defensive posture, your cat’s tail movements can convey a wealth of information about their state of mind and physical condition. By paying attention to your cat’s body language and understanding what their tails are saying, you can strengthen your bond with them and provide better care for their well-being. However, many cat owners overlook the importance of reading their cat’s body language or misinterpret it due to lack of knowledge or experience. They may assume that cats only wag their tails when they’re happy or angry like dogs do or ignore other nonverbal cues like ear position or vocalizations. In reality, cats have much more subtle and nuanced forms of communication than dogs, which makes it even more essential for owners to learn how to read them correctly. That’s why in this article we will explore the fascinating world of feline tail movements – from the basics of what tail wagging means in cats’ communication style to the different types of movements as well as less obvious ones that can reveal crucial information about your cat’s mood. We’ll also discuss how context plays an important role in interpreting these movements along with other body language cues such as facial expression and ear position. Understanding Your Cat’s Body Language Cats use their body language to communicate with other cats or humans. They may be purring for attention, grooming themselves for comfort, or hiding in a corner because they feel scared. The most noticeable part of a cat’s body is its tail, which can be a great indicator of what they’re feeling at any given moment. However, it’s important to remember that the tail alone cannot always give you the full picture of your cat’s mood or behavior. The first thing to know about cat tails is that they are not merely an extension of their spine but rather an intricate combination of bone, muscle, and nerves that serve many purposes. Cats use their tails for balance and coordination during movement, hunting, and jumping as well as for expressing emotions like fear, aggression, affection or curiosity. Therefore, when observing your cat’s tail movements, you need to consider the context in which they’re occurring whether it’s during playtime or mealtime. Another crucial factor to keep in mind is that different types of tail movements can have different meanings depending on their speed and direction. For example, a slow wagging motion from side-to-side usually indicates interest while quick flicks often signal annoyance or aggression. A raised tail with a slight bend at the end indicates curiosity whereas an erect fluffy tail often means fear or aggression. It’s also vital to watch out for other body signals such as ear position (a relaxed ear indicates calmness whereas flattened ears mean fear), whisker position (when she’s excited her whiskers will be forward pointing) and facial expressions (a tense face with dilated pupils could indicate an unhappy cat). By taking into account all these factors together with your cat’s unique personality and temperament plus the environment she’s in will help you have a more comprehensive understanding of what she is trying to convey through her body language. Understanding your feline friend’s body language through its tail movements is one essential step to take in understanding your cat’s unique character, behavior, and needs. By paying attention to the subtle signals she sends you through her body language, you’ll be better equipped to provide for her wellbeing as well as strengthen your bond together. So start taking time today to observe your cat’s tail movements and discover the secrets that lie within! The Basics of Cat Tail Wagging Cats are known for their unique body language, and one of the most distinctive forms of feline communication is tail wagging. While many people assume that a cat’s tail movements are always a sign of aggression or happiness, the reality is much more complex. Understanding the basics of cat tail wagging is key to interpreting your feline’s emotions and needs. Define what tail wagging is and why cats do it Tail wagging occurs when a cat moves its tail back and forth or side to side. Cats use their tails for a variety of purposes, including balance, hunting, and communication. When it comes to communication, tail wagging can convey a range of messages depending on the context. For example, if your cat is feeling threatened or scared, it may hold its tail low or tuck it between its legs. Conversely, if your cat is feeling happy or excited, it may hold its tail high and puff it up slightly. Discuss the different types of tail movements and what they mean There are several different types of tail movements that cats use to communicate with their human companions as well as other cats. Here are some common examples: – Straight up: When a cat holds its tail straight up in the air with just a slight curve at the tip, this typically indicates confidence or friendliness. – Tucked under: If your cat tucks its tail under its body or legs when sitting or lying down, this suggests fearfulness or anxiety. – Lashing: A rapidly moving tail that whips back and forth may indicate irritation or annoyance. – Puffed up: If your cat fluffs out its fur around its tail while holding it upright like a bottle brush, this suggests intense excitement (such as during playtime) but can also be an aggressive gesture. By paying attention to your cat’s tail movements and the context in which they occur, you can gain valuable insights into your feline companion’s emotions and needs. The Context of Tail Wagging Cat tail movements can vary in meaning depending on the context in which they are observed. Understanding the context of your cat’s tail movements is crucial for correctly interpreting their mood and intentions. For example, a wagging tail can be a sign of happiness or excitement during playtime, but it can also indicate anger or fear if accompanied by other negative body language cues. One important contextual factor to consider is the environment in which your cat is situated. If they are outside and surrounded by stimuli such as birds or other animals, their tail may be moving more vigorously than usual due to heightened excitement or anticipation. In contrast, if your cat is feeling threatened by something in their environment, their tail may be fluffed up and twitching nervously. Another contextual factor to consider is the presence of other cats or animals. If your cat’s tail is puffed up and twitching while interacting with another animal, it could be a sign of aggression or territorial behavior. On the other hand, if your cat’s tail is relaxed and positioned low while interacting with another animal, it may indicate a friendly disposition. How Other Body Language Cues Can Help You Understand Your Cat’s Mood While understanding the context of your cat’s tail movements is important for interpreting their mood accurately, it’s also essential to take note of other body language cues that your feline friend may exhibit. A cat who has flattened ears along with a wagging tail could be feeling anxious or fearful rather than happy or excited. Similarly, a raised back coupled with an arched tail can signify aggression towards someone for whom they hold animosity – whether that someone happens to be you (the caregiver), another pet around them (especially cats) – whereas such posture combined with relaxed whiskers would suggest playful behaviour on behalf of the feline friend. A dilated pupil often accompanied by unblinking eye contact, or even the lack of it, suggest that the cat is intent on something – either predatory actions towards prey or a challenge towards an opponent. Additionally, rubbing their cheeks against objects, people (or even other pets) signifies happiness and contentment. Understanding your cat’s tail movements in context is essential for correctly interpreting their mood and intentions. Always take note of other body language cues to gain more insight into your feline friend’s emotions. When in doubt about what your cat is trying to communicate with you through their tail movements or body language in general, consult with a veterinarian or a professional animal behavior expert. Subtle Tail Movements and Their Meanings Cats use their tails to communicate much more than just their general mood. Subtle movements in the tail can reveal important information about how a cat is feeling, and what they might be about to do. Understanding these subtle movements can help you better interpret your cat’s behavior and respond appropriately. One common subtle tail movement is quivering. This movement may look like the tail is vibrating or shaking slightly, but it is usually a very subtle movement. Tail quivering can indicate excitement or anticipation, especially if it occurs when your cat is focused intently on something like a toy or prey. However, it can also indicate anxiety or fear, especially if accompanied by other signs such as flattened ears or dilated pupils. Another subtle tail movement that carries meaning is wrapping. This occurs when a cat wraps their tail around another object or around their own body. Tail wrapping can be a sign of comfort or contentment, as the cat feels secure enough to relax completely. However, if the wrapping seems tense or stiff, it may indicate stress or discomfort. Twitching is another common subtle tail movement that can have different meanings depending on the context. A quick twitch of the tip of the tail might indicate excitement or anticipation, while more sustained twitching could be a sign of frustration or annoyance. If your cat’s entire tail seems to be twitching rapidly back and forth, this may indicate agitation or anger. Lashing is a more obvious but still subtle tail movement that has clear meaning for cats who are feeling threatened or aggressive. When your cat lashes their tail back and forth quickly in an agitated manner, this means they are feeling defensive and ready to fight if necessary. This movement is often accompanied by other aggressive body language cues such as flattened ears and a puffed-up tail. Understanding these subtle tail movements can help you better understand your cat’s behavior and respond appropriately to their needs. By paying attention to all of your cat’s body language, you can build a stronger bond with your feline friend and provide them with the care, comfort, and attention they need. Other Forms of Cat Communication Cats communicate with much more than just their tails. Other parts of their body, such as their ears and facial expressions, can also provide important information about how they’re feeling. By paying attention to these signals, you can get a more complete picture of your cat’s emotional state and respond accordingly. Ears: The Windows to Your Cat’s Soul Cats have very expressive ears that can tilt, swivel, and flatten in response to different situations. For example, if your cat’s ears are pointed forward and slightly tilted up, it usually indicates that they’re alert and interested in something. On the other hand, if their ears are flattened against their head, it could mean that they’re scared or aggressive. Pay attention to the position of your cat’s ears in relation to their head and what’s going on around them. It can help you understand why they might be feeling a certain way. Vocalizations: The Many Voices of Cats Cats are known for being fairly vocal animals. They meow when they want attention or food; hiss when they feel threatened; purr when they’re happy; and yowl when they’re in distress. Each vocalization serves a specific purpose, so learning to interpret them is important for understanding your cat. When combined with tail wagging or ear positions, vocalizations can provide even more insight into how your cat is feeling. For example, if your cat meows loudly while arching its back and puffing its tail up like a bottle brush (a sign of fear), it might indicate that something is scaring them. Facial Expressions: The Window Dressings on Communication A cat’s face is also highly expressive – even more so than those of dogs or humans. By paying attention to the subtle changes in your cat’s facial muscles, you can often tell how they’re feeling. For example, if your cat’s pupils are dilated and their whiskers are pulled back, it could mean that they’re afraid or anxious. Facial expressions can also provide clues about a cat’s intentions. If your cat is staring at you with narrowed eyes and flattened ears, it might be a sign that they’re feeling aggressive and might attack. Complimenting or Contradicting Tail Wagging While tail wagging is an important part of a cat’s communication repertoire, it’s not the only thing to pay attention to. Other forms of communication can complement or contradict what their tail movements are trying to convey, so it’s important to look at the big picture. For example, if your cat is wagging its tail while lying down with its eyes closed and purring loudly, it probably means that they’re content and relaxed. On the other hand, if their tail is twitching rapidly while their ears are flattened against their head and they’re hissing or growling, it could be a sign that they’re scared or angry. By observing all of these signals together – rather than just focusing on one – you’ll be able to better understand what your cat is trying to communicate. This will help you respond appropriately and strengthen your bond with them. Understanding your cat’s body language can greatly improve your relationship with them and make you a better caretaker. By paying attention to their tail movements, you can gain insight into their thoughts and emotions. Remember that context is key when interpreting your cat’s tail wagging, as different situations may elicit different types of movements. Throughout this article, we have explored the basics of cat tail wagging and its various meanings. We have also discussed other forms of feline communication, including ear position, vocalizations, and facial expressions. By taking all of these cues into account, you can develop a more holistic understanding of your furry friend. One important takeaway from this article is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to decoding cat body language. Every feline companion is unique and may express themselves differently. However, by observing your cat’s behavior over time and paying attention to subtle cues, you can build a strong bond with them and ensure that their needs are being met. In addition to improving your relationship with your pet, understanding their body language can also help prevent misunderstandings or conflicts between cats in multi-cat households or between cats and humans. By learning how to read your cat’s mood through their body language, you can better address any issues they may be experiencing before they escalate. Paying attention to your cat’s tail wagging and other forms of communication can be a rewarding experience for both you and your feline companion. Take the time to observe and understand their behavior so that you can provide them with the best possible care.

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Sewing is the art of attaching, seaming, or fastening objects – cloths, books, shoes etc. – using stitches made with thread and needle. Sewing originated during the Paleolithic era and can be said to be one of the oldest textile arts. Before weaving fabric and spinning yarn were invented, it was believed that early people across Asia and Europe sewed skin and fur clothing using needles made with ivory, antler, or bone needles and threads made from different animal body parts like veins, catguts, and sinew. Though nowadays sewing is generally associated with household fabrics and clothing, it is actually used in different industries and crafts, which include bookbinding, sail making, upholstery, shoe making, and in the production of some sporting goods. Sewing is the basic process that underlies various textile crafts and arts such as patchwork, applique, quilting, tapestry, and embroidery.Ansæt Sewing Experts MUST SPEAK ENGLISH & SPANISH: I have a small business of Children's Hair Accessories. Currently, I produce in China and Colombia. The production that I have in Colombia is a women with experience in fabric sourcing, hair accessory construction, and managing a team. Each season, we design new hair accessories. She shows me fabric options and samples my designs. I place my order and she hires a team of women to expertly craft and sew and construct our hair styles with high quality sewing. She oversees their work and makes sure they are doing everything correctly. She is unable to work for me any longer due to a family emergency, so I am looking to create a similar small "factory" setup. I am looking for someone who can help me find/create this kind of team and possibly man... We have a women's clothing line since 2014. I am looking for designers who can understand our aesthetic and submit designs (and create a sample and possibly a pattern, too) that are in line with our style. I would give some design suggestions, too. You can read about us here and also browse some of our designs:

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(PHP 4 >= 4.0.1, PHP 5, PHP 7) imagecreatefromxpm — Create a new image from file or URL imagecreatefromxpm() returns an image identifier representing the image obtained from the given filename. A URL can be used as a filename with this function if the fopen wrappers have been enabled. See fopen() for more details on how to specify the filename. See the Supported Protocols and Wrappers for links to information about what abilities the various wrappers have, notes on their usage, and information on any predefined variables they may provide. Path to the XPM image. Returns an image resource identifier on success, FALSE on errors. Example #1 Creating an image instance using imagecreatefromxpm() // Check for XPM support if(!(imagetypes() & IMG_XPM)) die('Support for xpm was not found!'); // Create the image instance $xpm = imagecreatefromxpm('./example.xpm'); // Do image operations here // PHP has no support for writing xpm images // so in this case we save the image as a // jpeg file with 100% quality imagejpeg($xpm, './example.jpg', 100); Note: This function is not implemented on Windows platforms.

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When Do Most Americans Start Saving for Retirement? The majority of Americans who started saving for retirement did so before the age of 30, found a study from Comet Financial Intelligence. In their survey, Comet asked over 1,200 Americans what ages they were at when they experience financial milestones. The survey found Millennials who hadn’t started saving for retirement yet hope to begin at around 34 years of age, while Gen Xers planned to get started before they turn 48. Millennials have the highest percentage of student loan debt among other generations. 44 percent of Millennials have not paid back their student loans, as compared to 31 percent of Gen Xers and and 60 percent of Baby Boomers. The expected payoff age for Millennials is 36.7, Gen Xers is 50.3 and Baby Boomers is 70.5. When it comes to those who have started saving for retirement, women were more likely than men to say they are happy about it, while men were more likely to express pride.

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Alternate name: Sticky Snakeroot Family: Asteraceae, Aster view all from this family Description Introduced. A leafy, woody-based herb or small shrub that bears rounded clusters of white flower heads. Flowers: small, fuzzy, creamy-white flower heads, in flat-topped branched clusters. Leaves: triangular, with broad base and pointed tip; toothed edges; opposite. Height: 1 1/2-5' (0.4-1.5 m). Warning Plant parts reported to be poisonous if ingested. Habitat Disturbed areas, coastal habitats, wetlands, including temporarily wet areas. Range Mexico native; naturalized in the United States. Discussion Also called Sticky Snakeroot, Crofton Weed is considered an invasive or noxious weed in a number of states and is on the U.S. noxious weed list, as well as lists in South Africa, China, and New Zealand. It has been used as garden plant and may have been introduced into the United States for medicinal purposes, but it spreads easily by seed dispersal and may invade and harm native habitats.

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What is the John Muir Geotourism Center? JMGC is a specialized center built around the genius of John Muir. It will provide learning opportunities for geotourists, students, parents and anyone concerned with environmental issues seeking to enrich their visit to Yosemite National Park and the region. Our regional preservation of natural ecosystems and rural communities lifestyles will provide experiences following the writings of John Muir directly from the natural context he observed in the 1880s. Who was John Muir? “John Muir (1838-1914) was America's most famous and influential naturalist and conservationist. He is one of California's most important historical personalities. He has been called "The Father of our National Parks," "Wilderness Prophet," and "Citizen of the Universe." He once described himself more humorously, and perhaps most accurately, as, a "poetico-trampo-geologist-botanist and ornithologist-naturalist etc. etc. !!!!” (from the Sierra Club, to see more, Click Here) What is Geotourism Geotourism is defined as tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents. Geotourism incorporates the concept of sustainable tourism—that destinations should remain unspoiled for future generations—while allowing for ways to protect a place's character. Geotourism also takes a principle from its ecotourism cousin,—that tourism revenue should promote conservation—and extends it to culture and history as well, that is, all distinctive assets of a place. Who are Geotravelers? Geotravelers “go local.” They patronize locally owned businesses and guides. They buy from local craftspeople and eat at restaurants serving regional cuisine. They seek out traditional music and dance. As a result, the money they spend helps local people earn a living and preserves the place's authenticity. Greeley Hill & Coulterville promote local stores offerings and Mariposa County relies primarily on local vendors for most commercial activity rather than big box chains and franchised businesses. Read more from National Geographics’s site about Geotravelers www.csdimpact.org/geotravelers.php What is a Geotourism Trip to Yosemite? A Geotourism trip to Yosemite can be fun, educational and healthy for individuals and families while enriching and maintaining the environment and the country folk who live in this beautiful region. Visitors will honor Muir, learn about his journey of epiphany on the way to Yosemite as a young man and, at the same time, help preserve this original route to Yosemite Valley by sustaining the rural lifestyle that has kept it in its undeveloped state. It is a way to relive Muir’s journals from 1868-69 and make direct contact with the flora and fauna he wrote about while being “green” and environmentally responsible (you get out and walk where he walked instead of just driving by at 60 mph.) How can I plan a John Muir Historic Route trip? Buy a book or get a whole list of books about Muir’s actual journey! The first step would be to get a copy of the wonderful Muir Ramble Route ( released in 2010 and authored by Peter & Donna Thomas after their reenactment of Muir’s 1868 first trip to Yosemite Valley after landing in San Francisco). You can purchase Muir Ramble Route directly from the John Muir Highway Store on this site and begin planning your trip or segments of your trip for this year. The selection of books, clothing and gear to help with your trip will continue to expand as web visitors suggest the kind of trip aids they want to have to follow in John Muir’s footsteps. In our early stages, the web site is especially focused on the tools you need to study and understand the significance each stage of Muir’s progress during his walk across California had on the development of his love for the Range of Light and the ecosystems along the way. How can I “Be Young John Muir” on a visit to Yosemite? Being “Young John Muir” through a geotourism trip to the park puts the visitor into his footsteps by following his own journal entries from My First Summer in the Sierra along with Muir Ramble Route (by Peter and Donna Thomas) or as a guide or signing up for docent led tours – to the botanical and zoological beauty that still exists in this approach to Yosemite. You can hear his wonder and his voice speaking to you as you ascend in mind and spirit along with him on the same route he writes about. Where is John Muir Historic Route? It is located along a 14 mile stretch of a beautiful mountain roadway beginning at the junction with Highway 49 in Coulterville and ending at the Smith Station junction with Highway 120. - SEE MAP When and where is the John Muir Festival this year? The festivities for our second annual celebration will take place on June 9, 2012 both in Coulterville and Groveland, CA - Event Info

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When an egg is fertilized, in order for the pregnancy to grow correctly and to be successful, the fertilized egg must travel down into the uterus and implant itself in the uterine wall. Sometimes, though, this doesn’t always happen, and fertilized eggs can grow inside one of the fallopian tubes. This is a serious problem referred to as an ectopic pregnancy. Because a fertilized egg has no chance of growing properly outside the uterus and can cause serious problems, ectopic pregnancies must be treated immediately before they can cause serious damage. This page explains the basics about ectopic pregnancies and how they can be treated. WHAT IS AN ECTOPIC PREGNANCY? An ectopic pregnancy is a condition where a fertilized egg does not make it to the uterus and begins to grow somewhere other than the uterus, usually in the fallopian tube or, rarely, attaches to an ovary or another organ in the abdomen. Ectopic pregnancies must be treated immediately because as the egg grows, the fallopian tube can rupture resulting in serious internal bleeding. If the ectopic pregnancy is diagnosed very early, it can be treated with medication. However, if the fallopian tube bursts before the ectopic pregnancy is diagnosed, the fallopian tube may need to be removed which may reduce a woman’s chance of conceiving in the future. WHO IS AT RISK FOR AN ECTOPIC PREGNANCY? It is possible for any sexually active woman of childbearing age to experience an ectopic pregnancy. It is oftentimes more prevalent in women who have abnormal fallopian tubes. The following conditions can cause abnormal fallopian tubes: - Previous ectopic pregnancy - Pelvic inflammatory disease - Pelvic or abdominal surgery - Prior tubal surgery - Sexually transmitted diseases These conditions cause scarring of the fallopian tubes which reduces the chance of a fertilized egg from reaching the uterus. Smoking and older age can also contribute to ectopic pregnancies, as well as if a woman’s mother was exposed to the drug DES while she was pregnant. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF AN ECTOPIC PREGNANCY? Symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy can be similar to those of a normal pregnancy. These include breast tenderness, nausea, and increased sense of smell. Along with normal pregnancy symptoms, an ectopic pregnancy may produce some of these additional symptoms: - Abdominal or Pelvic Pain: This pain usually occurs on one side of the stomach, and can be a sharp, aching or cramping pain without relief. The pain may also come and go. - Abnormal Vaginal Bleeding: This is heavy or light bleeding that occurs during a month when you are not on your menstrual period. - Weakness, fainting, or dizziness: These symptoms can occur from blood loss. - Shoulder Pain: If the fallopian tube ruptures, blood builds up in the stomach under your diaphragm (which is between your chest and stomach). This can cause pain that is felt in the shoulder. It is important to call your doctor immediately if you experience any of these symptoms. HOW IS AN ECTOPIC PREGNANCY DIAGNOSED? If your doctor thinks you have an ectopic pregnancy, immediate testing will be necessary. A pelvic exam and an ultrasound may be performed, in addition to blood tests. An ultrasound uses ultrasonic waves which produces a picture of your internal organs on a screen. This will help your doctor determine any signs of pregnancy. The blood tests will specifically test for the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is present in your body during pregnancy. If you are pregnant and the hormone levels don’t increase as they normally should, you may be at risk for an ectopic pregnancy. HOW ARE ECTOPIC PREGNANCIES TREATED? If your doctor diagnoses an ectopic pregnancy, there are two methods of treatment: Medication: If the ectopic pregnancy has been detected early, medication can be prescribed to halt the growth of the egg to allow the body to absorb it over time. - Methotrexate: Methotrexate is the drug most commonly prescribed to treat ectopic pregnancies. It directly causes the cells to stop growing, and after being injected, it takes around 4-6 weeks to take effect. Before it is administered, your doctor will order blood tests, including hCG levels and possibly liver function tests. Your physician will monitor your hCG levels by ordering serial hCG blood tests to be done on day 4, 7 and weekly after the drug is administered. If by the 7th day after your hCG levels have not started dropping, your doctor may suggest another dose, or surgery. - Risks and Side Effects of Methotrexate: While undergoing Methotrexate therapy, you will need to avoid: - Folic acid - Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen - You may have certain side effects, such as vaginal bleeding, abdominal pain, dizziness, nausea, and diarrhea. However, if you experience severe pain, heavy bleeding, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, or fainting, see your doctor immediately. Surgery: If the ectopic pregnancy is small and the tube is intact, a doctor may perform a laparoscopy to get rid of the pregnancy. During the laparoscopy, you will be under general anesthesia, and your doctor will make a small incision below your navel. He or she will then insert a slender, telescope-like device into the incision to look at the internal organs. Sometimes, all or part of the tube may need to be removed. If the tube has ruptured, emergency surgery will need to be performed to prevent blood loss. This surgery may be either a laparoscopy procedure or an open incision. Usually, the ruptured tube will have to be removed. Although you may want to remain pregnant and have the baby, it is not possible with an ectopic pregnancy. If left untreated, they can cause serious, life-threatening internal hemorrhage. If you experience any of the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy, it is important to contact your doctor immediately. Immediate intervention can help to prevent serious complications.

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Another big NASA project is heading to Mars – this time to study the interior of the planet. The InSight lander plans to touchdown at a soft surface near the equator, activate bunch of probes, and start sending data to Earth. It should operate for at least one Martian year (the equivalent of ~2 Earth years). In the meantime, it’s only lifeline in this terribly hostile environment will be a pair of multijunction solar panels and a lithium-ion battery. Quite a unique battery. Li-ion power in space The NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) already has a few similar research missions under its belt, with much of its technology having functioned in mind-blowing conditions and some with surprising reliability. For example, Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity has been performing measurements since 2004. That is 14 years in a place where the temperatures can swing more than 100ºC from day to night and the radiation is orders of magnitude higher than here on Earth. Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover has been driving around since 2012. The essential power comes from what one could call a truly ‘sustainable energy’ couple – solar cells and batteries. Solar panels are the main source, while batteries store excessive energy and help with periods of peak power demand. The past 20 years have seen a shift from nickel-hydrogen technology (low specific energy, but very high cycle life) to nickel-based lithium ion (higher specific energy, yet still ‘satisfactory’ cycle life). The Li-ion chemistry has gone from nickel-cobalt oxide (NCO) to nickel-cobalt-aluminum oxide (NCA, where the addition of Al improves stability). The latter one, NCA, is having its ‘debut’ on the InSight mission. Note: On a few occasions (e.g. 2012 Curiosity and 1976 Viking 1&2), the main power source was a plutonium-based thermoelectric generator, known as RTG, but this technology might get dedicated to deep-space missions due to 238Pu scarcity issues and lack of sunlight beyond Jupiter. Fuel cells have never been used for planetary science missions. Mars peculiarities and requirements Not all missions have the same technical requirements (if interested, see NASA-JPL’s recent technical report on current and future energy storage technologies for planetary missions). The main problem for the Mars lander and rover batteries is the extreme changes in surface temperature. Mars is a cold planet with an average temperature of about –55 ºC (–67 ºF). Moreover, the temperatures near the equator range from about 35 ºC (95 ºF) on a summer day down to about –110 ºC (–166 ºF) on a winter night. The swings are enormous – regularly almost 100 ºC (180 ºF) within one day. External battery heaters and radiators help to bring the lower limit up to –30 to –20 ºC, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the whole electrochemistry is optimized to handle the rest. Radiation does not appear to be a critical issue(1). Batteries for Mars missions Li-ion chemistry used for Mars surface missions actually didn’t change for many years. The first real test of the technology was 2004 MER rovers Spirit and Opportunity, where nickel-cobalt oxide (NCO, or LiNi0.8Co0.2O2) was used as cathode, meso-carbon microbeads were used as anode, and the low-temperature electrolyte was based on a ternary mixture of carbonate solvents(2). Apparently, NASA was so happy with the battery performance that it decided to use the same chemistry in many of its subsequent missions, including 2007 Phoenix and 2011 MSL Curiosity. The Opportunity rover has been operational for more than 5000 sols (sol = solar/Martian day ≈ 1 Earth day) and the Curiosity for more than 2000 sols so far. That’s what one would call a good cycle and calendar life. Batteries for these robots are all custom made. NASA-JPL researchers have developed them in collaboration with the US manufacturer Yardney Technical Products (now part of EaglePicher Technologies). Typically, the individual cells have a prismatic format (~10 Ah) with a moderate specific energy (~140 Wh/kg at 20 ºC), and – here it is – a wide operating temperature range from –20 to +30 ºC(2). What is remarkable is that at –20 ºC they are capable of delivering ~75% of their ambient-temperature capacity. Batteries on InSight lander The battery technology has improved since 2002 and also 2012, so the InSight mission will have new-generation chemistry on board. The cathode is nickel-cobalt-aluminum oxide (NCA, or LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2), the anode is a modified graphite, and the electrolyte is based on a mixture of carbonate solvents (ethylene carbonate, EC, and ethyl methyl carbonate, EMC) with ester co-solvent (methyl propionate, MP; in vol % ratio 20 EC : 60 EMC : 20 MP). This NCA/MP-containing electrolyte combination has shown significantly better capacity and stability over the previous chemistry(2). The operating temperature range has increased to –30 to 35ºC. The battery configuration remains the same as in the previous Mars surface missions – two 8-cell batteries connected in parallel (i.e. 8s2p). An on-board battery management system (BMS) is essential for controlling and balancing the cells. And as the NASA-JPL’s performance requirements state: - ‘The battery shall support 709 sols of surface operations over a temperature range of –30 ºC to +35 ºC - Each 8-cell battery shall provide at least 25 Ah at -25 ºC beginning of life over the voltage range of 24.0 V to 32.8 V using a C/5 rate (5 A) - Each 8-cell battery shall be able to support a 5 A charge rate over the entire allowable flight temperature range of –30 ºC to +35 ºC’ It takes some time and rigorous examination to decide on a battery that would be sent on a ~500 million kilometer journey costing 800+ million USD. The NASA-JPL has been testing the new chemistry for multiple years now. See this article and presentation, if you want more details about test conditions and results. The test conditions basically simulated those on Mars: charging and discharging the cells at varying temperatures between –30 and +35 ºC and at different rates (mainly C/5). The cells were also tested for full flight simulations – including launch pad storage, cruising period to Mars (storage at 70% SoC for 7 months), and entry–descent–landing pulse load profile simulation. And then, of course, years-long cycle life testing. This battery chemistry has been chosen also for the Mars 2020 rover mission, so good luck! Please follow the page or DOI (Digital Object Identifier) link to see the individual articles: (1) NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory-Caltech report, Energy Storage Technologies for Future Planetary Science Missions (Publication ID: JPL D-101146) (2) Smart et al., The use of lithium-ion batteries for JPL’s Mars missions (DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2018.02.020) (3) Smart et al., Life verification of large capacity Yardney Li‐ion cells and batteries in support of NASA missions (DOI: 10.1002/er.1653) (4) Ratnakumar et al., Lithium batteries for aerospace applications: 2003 Mars Exploration Rover (DOI: 10.1016/S0378-7753(03)00220-9) (5) Ratnakumar et al., Lithium batteries on 2003 Mars Exploration Rover (DOI: 10.1109/BCAA.2002.986367)

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Sound Of Trumpets Bible Great sites have Sound Of Trumpets Bible What Does “the Sound of the Trumpet” in the Biblical ... Posted: (1 days ago) And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other ” (Matthew 24:30 – 31). Everyone at the meeting had a different understanding of “a great sound of a trumpet” in this verse, and they started a heated discussion. Revelation: The Seven Trumpets and When They Shall Sound Posted: (2 days ago) The Bible indicates in Revelation that seven trumpets will sound before the end of the age and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Five of the seven have already sounded as evidenced by critical moments in recent history, and a third world war, which is the triggering event of the sixth trumpet, may have already begun. What Is the Meaning of "a Great Sound of a Trumpet" in the ... Posted: (6 days ago) And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other ” (Matthew 24:30–31). Everyone at the meeting had a different understanding of “a great sound of a trumpet” in this verse, and they started a heated discussion. Hear the Sound of the Trumpet - Church of Jesus Christ Posted: (5 days ago) Trumpet Probably the oldest and most common instrument in ancient Israel (and certainly the one most frequently mentioned in the Bible) is a trumpet made of a ram’s horn, called a shofar in Hebrew. Sometimes it was heated to soften it so that it could be straightened or shaped. Its sound was unusual and easily recognizable. TRUMPETS—What are trumpets in the Bible and how were they ... Posted: (2 days ago) “Trumpets” are mentioned in the Book of Revelation. John on the island of Patmos: I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, saying, 1 Corinthians 15:52 in an instant, in the ... - Bible Hub Posted: (1 days ago) 1 Corinthians 15:52 in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. Bible > 1 Corinthians > Chapter 15 > Verse 52 Library • Free Downloads • eBibles Trumpet Sounds | Free Sound Effects | Sound Clips | Sound ... Posted: (2 days ago) Trumpet Fart. A great fart sound that almost sounds like a trumpet. This one deserves 2 thumbs up for originality. :) Mike Koenig. 66430 4/5 Public Domain. Vehicle Alarm. The sound of a vehicle alarm or car alarm. Great warning sound effect. nps.gov. 64726 ... Job 39:25 At the blast of the horn, he snorts ... - Bible Hub Posted: (2 days ago) At the sound of the trumpet, it says, 'Aha!' And from a distance it catches the scent of battle, the thunderous shouting of commanders, and the battle cries. New Heart English Bible As often as the trumpet sounds he snorts, 'Aha.' Has The 5th Trumpet Sounded? | World Events and the Bible Posted: (2 days ago) Likewise, when the Trumpets of the Bible begin to sound, we will begin to see action on earth. The Trumpets unleash the action contained within the “message” of the seal. Vial: When we think about the Vials in the Bible we think about those narrow skinny tubes. The Sound of the Trumpet – Words of Victory Posted: (1 months ago) A trumpet sound was used to remind the people of Gods covenant promise as you find in Numbers 10:9-10. The sound of the trumpet was a declaration to go to war, with the promise that God would save His people from their enemies. It is found in many books of the bible; Exodus, Joshua, Judges, Nehemiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah are just a few. The Trumpet Sounds - End Times Truth Posted: (1 days ago) To categorize a trumpet sounding as the last one, there must have been other trumpets that come before it. Of all the prophecies concerning the end times within the Bible, only in one place is there found a series of trumpets that are predicted to sound at the end of the age. Pastor claims first trumpet from the Book of Revelation is ... Posted: (1 days ago) The Book of Revelation is the final book of the Bible and the New Testament. In the book seven trumpets are sounded, one at a time, that unleash apocalyptic events witnessed and spoken of by John of Patmos in his vision. End of the world: Are eerie trumpet sounds from the sky a ... Posted: (2 days ago) According to the Bible's Book of Revelations, seven trumpets will be sounded in the last days to unleash a series of catastrophic events. The Book of Revelation holds the final chapters of the... 磊 Meaning of Trumpets in the Bible【 2021 】The Seventh Trumpet Posted: (2 days ago) USES OF THE TRUMPET IN THE BIBLE Symbol important is the trumpet, sign powerful is its sound, which always announces important things for mankind and all creation, the Bible tells so many asides: 1st RITES AND COMMEMORATIONS Leviticus 23; 24 What the Bible says about Symbolism of Trumpets Posted: (1 days ago) The trumpet is a symbol of considerable consequence in the Old and New Testaments. In general, it can signify an alarm of war, a call to assemble, or a command to march (see Numbers 10:1-10 ). The fourth annual holy day is the Feast of Trumpets, a "memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation" ( Leviticus 23:24 ; Numbers 29:1 ). Being Trumpets - Unveiling… Posted: (5 days ago) Obviously trumpets cannot make any sound without the Breath blowing through them and the Greek word translated as both Spirit and wind in the Bible is "Pneuma": a movement of air (a gentle blast) of the wind, hence the wind itself, or breath of nostrils or mouth. Seven Trumpets & Fire From the Sky - Bible Prophecy Posted: (2 days ago) TRUMPET #1: The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. (Revelation 8:7) With this initial trumpet, a third of the earth will be burned. These flames will almost certainly damage food supplies, which would trigger the ... What is the Feast of Trumpets in the Bible? - Melissa ... Posted: (12 days ago) Each trumpet sound described in Revelation 8 and 9 is announcing the coming judgment. Revelation 8-9; The final judgment and coming kingdom of God are preceded by angelic trumpet sound. Revelation 11:15-19; From these scriptures, we can understand that trumpets are used in the Bible as . a call to gather; a call to move forward; to go forth in ... When the Trumpets Sound!!! Posted: (3 days ago) These trumpets sound during the final months of the great tribulation. Specifically, the last 6 months of the tribulation, beginning on the Feast of Trumpets. The Bible reveals events represented by the 7 trumpets occur in a chronological order. The sounding of the 7th trumpet “immediately after” great tribulation, means trumpets 1-6 occur ... When does "the last trump" sound? The Rapture, the Second ... Posted: (2 days ago) The last trumpet which is the rapture, is the last trumpet to sound in this “world”. The Millenial kingdom is not the same world is our world is today. The two are different “worlds”. The millenial kingdom is reigned only by Christ and is considered New and Holy by God. Those trumpets in the New kingdom will be blown in a different world. The Return of Christ: Part 2 (A Trumpet Call ... Posted: (3 days ago) with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn — shout for joy before the Lord, the King” (Ps. 98:4-6). And “Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet” (Ps. 150:3). A Call to Listen Fourth, a trumpet sound precedes a special announcement. Now a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjamite, happened to be there. The Feast of Trumpets – Sound of Alarm, Sound of Victory Posted: (2 days ago) The sound of a trumpet could call for an assembly of the congregation, direct the movement of the camps, or announce the beginning of months or appointed feasts, and to mobilize the army. Silver trumpets were generally used for these reasons, producing unique notes identifying the action to be taken. BibleGateway - : Trumpet Sound Posted: (2 years ago) 54 Bible results for “Trumpet Sound.” Showing results 26-50. Nehemiah 4:20. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” The Seventh Trumpet - End Times Truth Posted: (1 days ago) The book of Revelation describes a series of seven trumpets that will sound in the last days, each of which will herald a significant event predicted to occur just before Christ returns. However, the Seventh Trumpet, which is the final trumpet, is far different from all those that come before it. Trumpets sound Bible prophecy turns REAL in Jerusalem ...Salem Posted: (2 days ago) It may be any ufos or alien type incident or it can be according to the Bible Revelation. That is 7 trumpets will be blow on the judgement day..what actually... Revelation 8:6-12 NIV - The Trumpets - Bible Gateway Posted: (2 years ago) Revelation 8:6-12 New International Version (NIV) The Trumpets. 6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. 7 The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. A Certain Sound | Only the Bible gem Posted: (3 days ago) Let's turn in the Bible to 1 Corinthians 14:8 "For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?" - 1 Corinthians 14:8 Imagine thousands of years ago, being in a large army of soldiers. You can see the glittering spears, swords, shields, body armour and the trumpeter. Music in the Bible #5 - Trumpets in the Old Testament ... Posted: (5 days ago) The trumpet is the most frequently referenced instrument in the Bible, by far.But what was the trumpet used for in Bible times?The answer can be found in this post, as we explore the use of trumpet music for people of the Old Testament.Trumpets are mentioned in over ninety verses in the Old Testament alone, so there are definitely some patterns that we can see from all these passages. Trumpets and Plagues – LDS Last Days Posted: (2 days ago) The Holy Bible, Revelation 8:5-6. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.. 6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.. The Doctrine and Covenants, Section 43:25. 25 How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants ... The seven trumpets - Bible Prophecy and Truth Posted: (1 days ago) Chapter 6 - The seven trumpets (7 Trumpets of Revelation) Many people think that the seven trumpets must sound during the final seven years, but there is absolutely no proof of that in the bible. I believe we are on the brink of the 7 Trumpets, and maybe some have already blown but that remains to be seen. 'Biblical trumpets' return as apocalyptic sound heard ... Posted: (26 days ago) A freaky video has emerged capturing what conspiracy theorists believe to be the sound of the seven apocalyptic trumpets. The video, uploaded to Twitter on Sunday from somewhere in the US, shows the eerie sounds of robust horns echoing. It appears to be filmed in the morning as a cloak of fog masks the street outside. Hearing the Sound of the Shofar: Spiritual Life in God Posted: (5 days ago) The sound of shevarim was less routine than the t'kiyah, but it was welcome because it meant good tidings. The third trumpet call, however—the one mentioned in the Bible in reference to the Feast of Trumpets—is the sound of alarm. It consists of nine rapid bursts on the shofar, referred to as t'ruah. Trumpet - Definition and Meaning | Bible Dictionary Posted: (4 days ago) According to Numbers 10:2, Jehovah gave instructions for making two silver trumpets that would be used to sound specific signals for summoning the assembly, for breaking camp, or for proclaiming war. These likely were straight trumpets, unlike the curved “horns” that were actually made from animal horns. Psalms 98:6 - CEV - Sound the trumpets and horns and ... Posted: (4 months ago) The Emphasised Bible With trumpets and the sound of a horn, Shout aloud, before the king - Yahweh. Douay-Rheims Bible (97-6) With long trumpets, and sound of cornet. Make a joyful noise before the Lord our king: Revised Standard Version With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD! Updated Bible Version 1.9 TRUMPET IN THE BIBLE Posted: (8 months ago) In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us. Nehemiah 12:35 | View whole chapter | See verse in context And certain of the priests' sons with trumpet s; namely, Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, the ... The Day of Trumpets - Bible Study Posted: (2 days ago) Trumpets Signified Crowning a King. The messengers told everyone, "When you hear the sound of the trumpets, you must shout, 'Absalom now rules as king in Hebron!'"' (2Samuel 15:10). At once Jehu's fellow officers spread their cloaks at the top of the steps for Jehu to stand on, blew trumpets, and shouted, 'Jehu is king!' (2Kings 9:13). Psalms 98:6 - NRS - With trumpets and the sound of the ... Posted: (1 days ago) Gill's Notes on the Bible. With trumpet and sound of cornet,....The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Ethiopic versions, render it . with ductile trumpets, such as were made of silver, as the two trumpets for the calling of the assembly, Numbers 10:2 to which the allusion seems to be here, called "asosra" by Josephus according to the Hebrew language חצוצרות; which he says were in length a ... Seven trumpets - Wikipedia Posted: (4 days ago) Significance. Before the invention of the brass trumpet, God had Moses make two silver Trumpets (Numbers 10:2), but the traditional sacred horn of the ancient Hebrews was the shofar made from a ram's horn. The Angel sounds his trumpet, Apocalypse 8. Beatus Escorial.. First trumpet. Upon the sound of the first trumpet, hail and fire mingled with blood is thrown to Earth, burning up a third of ... 40 7 trumpets ideas | shofar, trumpets, bible Posted: (3 days ago) Jan 14, 2019 - Explore Myrna's board "7 trumpets" on Pinterest. See more ideas about shofar, trumpets, bible. Prophecy 8 | Revelation’s First Six Trumpets Posted: (2 days ago) Although the Bible does not indicate when the fifth trumpet will sound, we do know that one-third is used twelve times during the seven trumpets to indicate God’s mercy. Because the last three trumpets are curses (woes) on defiant rebels, it is reasonable to assume that the last three trumpets might be limited to the last third of the time ... TRUMP IN THE BIBLE - KING JAMES BIBLE ONLINE Posted: (1 months ago) Zephaniah 1:16 | View whole chapter | See verse in context A day of the trump et and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. Zechariah 9:14 | View whole chapter | See verse in context And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord GOD shall blow the trump et, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south. Shofar: Sound the TRUMPET – Hebrew Word Lessons Posted: (3 days ago) The prophet Joel announced the Day of YHWH and used the trumpet like an alarm sound. This would be a time of social upheaval and a time where YHWH would grace the people with His “Spirit”: Joel 2:1, 15-17, 28-32. Blow a trumpet [shofar] in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy mountain! What the Bible says about Trumpets Posted: (8 days ago) » . . . in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (I Corinthians 15:52; see I Thessalonians 4:16) » So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. The first angel sounded. . . . Shofar - Wikipedia Posted: (3 days ago) A shofar (pron. / ʃ oʊ ˈ f ɑːr /, from Hebrew: שׁוֹפָר (help · info), pronounced ) is an ancient musical horn typically made of a ram's horn, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices, with all pitch control done by varying the player's embouchure.The shofar is blown in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and at the end ... Brands We Suggest › Mars Pet › Kong Pet

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Above: Mt Erebus, Antarctica picture by Sean Brocklesby A press release today by the University of Washington makes a claim that Antarctica is warming and has been for the last 50 years: “The study found that warming in West Antarctica exceeded one-tenth of a degree Celsius per decade for the last 50 years and more than offset the cooling in East Antarctica.” “The researchers devised a statistical technique that uses data from satellites and from Antarctic weather stations to make a new estimate of temperature trends.” “People were calculating with their heads instead of actually doing the math,” Steig said. “What we did is interpolate carefully instead of just using the back of an envelope. While other interpolations had been done previously, no one had really taken advantage of the satellite data, which provide crucial information about spatial patterns of temperature change.” Satellites calculate the surface temperature by measuring the intensity of infrared light radiated by the snowpack, and they have the advantage of covering the entire continent. However, they have only been in operation for 25 years. On the other hand, a number of Antarctic weather stations have been in place since 1957, the International Geophysical Year, but virtually all of them are within a short distance of the coast and so provide no direct information about conditions in the continent’s interior. The scientists found temperature measurements from weather stations corresponded closely with satellite data for overlapping time periods. That allowed them to use the satellite data as a guide to deduce temperatures in areas of the continent without weather stations. Co-authors of the paper are David Schneider of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., a former student of Steig’s; Scott Rutherford of Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I.; Michael Mann of Pennsylvania State University; Josefino Comiso of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.; and Drew Shindell of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City. The work was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation. Anytime Michael Mann gets involved in a paper and something is “deduced” it makes me wary of the veracity of the methodology. Why? Mann can’t even correct simple faults like latitude-longitude errors in data used in previous papers he’s written. But that’s not the focus of the moment. In that press release they cite NASA satellite imagery. Let’s take a look at how the imagery has changed in 5 years. NASA’s viewpoint – 2004 NASA’s Viewpoint 2007 (added 1/22) NASA’s viewpoint – 2009 Earth’s viewpoint – map of Antarctic volcanoes From the UW paper again: “West Antarctica is a very different place than East Antarctica, and there is a physical barrier, the Transantarctic Mountains, that separates the two,” said Steig, lead author of a paper documenting the warming published in the Jan. 22 edition of Nature. But no, it just couldn’t possibly have anything at all to do with the fact that the entire western side of the Antarctic continent and peninsula is dotted with volcanoes. Recent discovery of new volcanic activity isn’t mentioned in the paper at all. From January 2008, the first evidence of a volcanic eruption from beneath Antarctica’s ice sheet has been discovered by members of the British Antarctic Survey. The volcano on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet began erupting some 2,000 years ago and remains active to this day. Using airborne ice-sounding radar, scientists discovered a layer of ash produced by a ’subglacial’ volcano. It extends across an area larger than Wales. The volcano is located beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet in the Hudson Mountains at latitude 74.6°South, longitude 97°West. In response to questions and challenges in comments, I’ve added imagery above and have a desire to further explain why this paper is problematic in my view. The author of the paper himself (Steig) mentions the subglacial heat source in a response from “tallbloke” in comments. My issue is that they don’t even consider or investigate the possibility. Science is about testing and if possible, excluding all potential candidates that challenge your hypothesis, and given the geographic correlation between their output map and the volcanic map, it seems a reasonable theory to investigate. They didn’t. But let’s put the volcanoes aside for a moment. Let’s look at the data error band. The UAH trend for Antarctica since 1978 is -0.77 degrees/century. In a 2007 press release on Antarctica, NASA’s describes their measurement error at 2-3 degrees, making Steig’s conclusion of .25 degrees Celsius over 25 years statistically meaningless. “Instead, the team checked the satellite records against ground-based weather station data to inter-calibrate them and make the 26-year satellite record. The scientists estimate the level of uncertainty in the measurements is between 2-3 degrees Celsius.” That is from this 2007 NASA press release, third paragraph. Also in that PR, NASA shows yet another satellite derived depiction which differs from the ones above. I’ve added it. Saying you have a .25 deviation over 25 years (based on one-tenth of a degree Celsius per decade per Steig) with a previously established measurement uncertainty of 2-3 degrees means that the “deduced” value Steig obtained is not greater than the error bands previously cited on 2007, which would render it statistically meaningless.

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Dividing a Square Cake into Five Equal Pieces Date: 07/28/2001 at 10:48:48 From: Pam English Subject: Dividing regions of a square How can you divide a square-topped cake that is a rectangular solid and is frosted on all faces into five pieces so that everyone receives the same amount of cake and icing? All cuts must be perpendicular to the surface. I can not figure this out. All I can do is divide the cake four ways and eight ways. Please help me or tell me a way that I can try to solve this problem. Date: 07/28/2001 at 22:20:31 From: Doctor Peterson Subject: Re: Dividing regions of a square Hi, Pam. This problem is easier to solve than you would think. I suggest you start by thinking about wedge-shape pieces like this: s +---------------+ | | | | | | | + | | / \ | | / \ | | / \ | +---+-------+---+ a Then you can extend it to wedges that wrap around a corner like this: s +---------------+ | | | | | | | + | | / \ | | / + | / |b +---+-----------+ a You can find this area by drawing the line from the center to the corner to divide it into two triangles, and finding the area of each triangle. Once you've done this, I think you will have a good idea what to do. For a more detailed answer in our Dr. Math archives, see: Cutting a Square into Five Equal Pieces http://mathforum.org/dr.math/problems/shinichi.7.12.99.html - Doctor Peterson, The Math Forum http://mathforum.org/dr.math/ Search the Dr. Math Library: Ask Dr. MathTM © 1994-2013 The Math Forum

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Latin name: Araneae Diet: more are carnivores Average lifespan: depending on the species they can live up to 20 years. Size: The world largest spider was 28 cm (11 in). Group name: cluster or clutter What does a spider look like? Spiders have a head and an abdomen (belly). They have 8 legs and up to 8 eyes. Spiders have tiny hairs and claws on their legs that help them feel when a bug is in their web. The little claws also help to cut the silk when they are weaving their web. Spiders come in many colors, from clear to yellow to green to black. Female spiders are much bigger than male spiders. Where do spiders live? At least 40,000 species of spider have been described by science, but this number only accounts for one-third to one-fifth of all spider species on earth. Spiders can be found in just about every terrestrial habitat and some water ones as well, from tropical rain forests, woodlands, caves and gardens to your home. What does a spider eat? Spiders have evolved numerous ways to catch their prey, which is mostly insects but can also be frogs, fish, lizards, snakes, and birds. Some spiders are masters of disguise, blending into their background so that they look like parts of a flower or a leaf. Others hide under "trapdoors," jumping out of their hiding places to snatch a passing meal. Still others can leap many times their body length, covering great distances to grab their prey. What are the natural enemies of the spider? Frogs, toads, lizards, birds, shrews, beetles, ants, centipedes, wasps, and bigger spiders like to eat them. Other dangers to spiders include people, storms and cold weather. Did you know this about spiders? The Goliath birdeater tarantula, the world's largest spider, can grow to the size of a dinner plate. As its name suggests, it's been known to prey on birds. The silk of the orb weaver spiders rivals the tensile strength of high-grade steel, but is much less dense. It would make a great substitute for Kevlar in bullet-proof vests — if only spiders could produced enough silk. To match their eight legs, most spiders have eight eyes that are arranged in a variety of ways depending on the species. Some spiders have six, four, two or even — in the case of cave-dwelling species — no eyes. Spiders have 8 legs while insects have 6. There are around 40000 different species of spider. Download free Spider wallpapers, click on the image to open the large version. Spider wallpaper 1 Spider wallpaper 2 Spider wallpaper 3 Spider wallpaper 4 Spider Coloring pages Print free Spider coloring pages, click on the image to open the large version.

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A Memorial Day Lament for Capt. Wilfred Owen, Sgt. Joyce Kilmer, and the Needless Dead of Foolish WarsHistorians/History tags: war, poetry, WWI Walter G. Moss is a professor emeritus of history at Eastern Michigan University and a Contributing Editor of HNN. For a list of his recent books and online publications click here. His most recent book is In the Face of Fear: Laughing All the Way to Wisdom (2019), which treats humor from a historical perspective. Since Memorial Day is a holiday to honor U. S. veterans who died in war, it is fitting to honor one, the poet Sgt. Joyce Kilmer. And since even more English families lost loved ones in that war (WWI), it is also proper to memorialize the English poet Captain Wilfred Owen. A main problem with many war accounts is their failure to evoke the full tragedy that people suffered. As one historian has written, “Among the major [European] combatants, it is not an exaggeration to suggest that every family was in mourning: most for a relative–a father, a son, a brother, a husband–others for a friend, a colleague, a lover, a companion.” Ian McEwan’s novel Black Dogs (1993) captures well the scope of such tragedy when he writes of his main character: “He was struck by the recently concluded war [World War II in Europe] not as a historical, geopolitical fact but as a multiplicity, a near-infinity of private sorrows, as a boundless grief minutely subdivided without diminishment among individuals who covered the continent like dust…. For the first time he sensed the scale of the catastrophe in terms of feeling; all those unique and solitary deaths, all that consequent sorrow, unique and solitary too, which had no place in conferences, headlines, history, and which had quietly retired to houses, kitchens, unshared beds, and anguished memories.” At least, however, the war McEwan writes of (WWII) was fought against a major evil, Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime, and such a fight was more justifiable than WWI. Although Kaiser Wilhelm II’s erratic, insecure, and belligerent personality shares part of the blame for the war’s start in the summer of 1914, none of the other European leaders had done all they might to prevent the conflict from occurring. They had all valued security, prestige, influence, and allies more than peace, and they had all failed to imagine the full scale of the tragedy they were about to unleash. Recalling on this Memorial Day the lives of just two soldiers who died, Owen and Kilmer, can help at least open the symbolic gates of that massive WWI millions-of-bodies cemetery. Wilfred Owen was born in 1893 in Shropshire County, which sits east of Wales. The youth of this shy, sensitive boy was spent in this county, especially in two of its small towns where he received most of his education, Shrewsbury and Birkenhead. He was the oldest of four children, and his father worked for the railway, serving for a time as a stationmaster of a small station. Paul Fussell, in his widely-praised The Great War and Modern Memory (1975), tells us that the dad’s “salary sufficed to maintain the family in genteel poverty,” and that as a boy Wilfred was “closer to his mother,” who was “pious, puritanical, and strong-willed.” The poet C. Day Lewis tells us that “his relationship with his mother… remained the closest one in his short life.” Although she encouraged him to pursue a religious vocation, he was from a young age determined to be a poet, a choice his father frowned upon, insisting poetry would not provide an adequate living. Although attending a few university classes in Reading, Wilfred could not afford a full higher education. Instead, from 1911 to 1913 he served as a lay assistant to the Vicar of Dunsden (near Reading). In that capacity, he sometimes visited poor families and was disappointed that the Anglican Church could not provide more aid to the needy. Later in 1913 he went to Bordeaux, France, first to teach English in a Berlitz School, and then in 1914 to act as a tutor in a French family. He did not return to England until September 1915, at age 22, thirteen months after WWI had begun. A month later he enlisted in the Army, and the following June he received his officer’s commission. Not until January 1917 was he sent to France, specifically to the trenches of the Somme battlefield. There, over more than four months in the previous year, the British had suffered 420,000 casualties, including 125,000 deaths. If German and French casualties are added, more than one million men were killed or wounded on that battlefield from July to November. The exact nature of Owen’s private life from 1914 to 1916 is disputed, with some sources suggesting or stating he was gay. More important for our purposes, however, is his development as a man and a poet. The poet Day notes that in looking at Owen’s poetry of 1917 and 1918 he found himself “more and more amazed at the suddenness of his development from a very minor poet to something altogether larger. It was as if, during the weeks of his first tour of duty in the trenches, he came of age emotionally and spiritually.” Another poet and soldier, Edmund Blunden, in his “Memoir” of Owen, quotes letters Owen wrote home. In mid-January 1917 he writes of moving “along a flooded trench. After that we came to where the trenches had been blown flat out…. It was of course dark, too dark, and the ground was… an octopus of sucking clay, 3, 4, and 5 feet deep, relieved only by craters full of water. Men have been known to drown in them. Many stuck in the mud and only got on by leaving their waders, equipment, and in some cases their clothes. High explosives were dropping all around, and machine-guns spluttered every few minutes. But it was so dark that even the German flares did not reveal us.” Blunden mentions “the winter of 1916-1917 will long be remembered for its scarcely tolerable cold,” and he quotes an Owen letter in later January: “In this place my platoon had no dug-outs, but had to lie in the snow under the deadly wind. By day it was impossible to stand up, or even crawl about, because we were behind only a little ridge screening us from the Boche’s [German’s] periscope.” Fussell sums up Owen’s frontline experiences in 1917 and 1918 this way: “In the less than two years left to him, the emotions that dominated were horror, outrage, and pity: horror at what he saw at the front; outrage at the inability of the civilian world-- especially the church--to understand what was going on; pity for the poor, dumb, helpless, good-looking boys victimized by it all. He was in and out of the line half a dozen times during the first four months of 1917.” Then in late April 1917 Owen wrote, “For twelve days we lay in holes, where at any moment a shell might put us out. I think the worst incident was one wet night when we lay up against a railway embankment. A big shell lit on the top of the bank, just 2 yards from my head. Before I awoke, I was blown in the air right away from the bank! I passed most of the following days in a railway cutting, in a hole just big enough to lie in, and covered with corrugated iron. My brother officer of B Co., 2nd Lt. G., lay opposite in a similar hole. But he was covered with earth, and no relief will ever relieve him.” Finally, Owen was evacuated; a doctor diagnosed his condition as neurasthenia and forbade him to go back into action. For the next year Owen found himself in various hospitals or on duty back in England. In a hospital near Edinburgh he met two other English officers and war poets, Siegfried Sassoon and Robert Graves. The older Sassoon, from a wealthy Jewish family, had been wounded in combat and arrived at the hospital after Owen, but not before writing a famous protest against the war, a protest that was read in the House of Commons. It states: "I am making this statement as an act of willful defiance of military authority, because I believe that the War is being deliberately prolonged by those who have the power to end it. I am a soldier, convinced that I am acting on behalf of soldiers. I believe that this War, upon which I entered as a war of defence and liberation, has now become a war of aggression and conquest…. I have seen and endured the sufferings of the troops, and I can no longer be a party to prolonging those sufferings for ends which I believe to be evil and unjust.” Owen admired and was influenced by the older officer and poet, but even before meeting him had expressed his own criticism of the war. While still at the hospital Owen wrote a first draft of one of his most famous poems, “Dulce et Decorum Est.” Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs, And towards our distant rest began to trudge. Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots, But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of gas-shells dropping softly behind. Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time, But someone still was yelling out and stumbling And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.— Dim through the misty panes and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. In all my dreams before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace Behind the wagon that we flung him in, And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin; If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,— My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori [It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country]. Before Owen left the hospital he became friendly with a Mrs. Mary Gray, who had an infant daughter. Blunden quotes Gray at length on what a fine man Owen was. She speaks of his “sensitiveness, his sympathy,” his “wonderful tenderness,” and adds that the bond which drew them “together was an intense pity for suffering humanity—a need to alleviate it, wherever possible, and an inability to shirk the sharing of it, even when this seemed useless.” Despite Owen’s criticism of the war, Fussell tells us that he was anxious “to return to the front although he knew he was going to be killed. Having seen the suffering of the men, he had to be near them. As the voice of inarticulate boys, he had to testify on their behalf.” He returned to France in September, 1918. “In an attack during the first days of October he won the Military Cross. In another attack… on November 4, he was machine-gunned to death.” One week later the war ended, and an hour after it did, with bells still ringing in celebration, his parents received the telegram informing them of their son’s death. Of the impact of Owen’s poetry, most of which was published after his battlefield death, fellow poet and WWI soldier Day wrote that thirty-five years after first reading it, he realized “how much it has become part of my life and thinking.” In addition, while praising other WWI soldier-poets, Day stated “It is Owen, I believe, whose poetry came home deepest to my own generation, so that we could never again think of war as anything but a vile, if necessary, evil.” Entering the war later, but dying earlier than Owen was the American poet Kilmer. For him we have two excellent online sources. The first is a memoir by his mother, which also contains some of his poems and letters. The second is a memoir by his friend Robert Cortes Holliday, who was a fellow writer and editor. Kilmer was born in New Jersey in 1886 to a well-off family--his father invented Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder. Like Owen, Joyce was close to his mother, and her memoir details that relationship and all the honors and accomplishments of her son up through and beyond his college years at Rutgers and Columbia. He graduated from the latter university in May 1908, and the next month married Aline Murray. She was the step-daughter of a Harper’s Magazine editor and herself a poet. Before Joyce went off to war in 1917, the couple had five children, but their oldest daughter, Rose, died shortly before he left. In 1913, she had been stricken with infantile paralysis, an incident that convinced Joyce and Aline to convert to Catholicism. For the rest of his short life his new religion would be very important to him, and by the time he was killed in 1918, he was considered the leading U. S. Catholic poet. The same year as his conversion saw the publication of his most famous poem, “Trees.” I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the earth's sweet flowing breast; A tree that looks at God all day, And lifts her leafy arms to pray; A tree that may in Summer wear A nest of robins in her hair; Upon whose bosom snow has lain; Who intimately lives with rain. Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree. The poem is typical of his simple, straightforward style, as well as his religious sentiments. And although a popular poem with the general reading public, critics do not rank it or him with the best American poems and poets. Nevertheless, his friend Holliday and others depict him as a good and decent man who possessed a fine sense of humor and loved life and his family. Just a few examples from Holliday: “His smile, never far away, when it came, was winning, charming.” “I really doubt very much whether anybody ever enjoyed food more than Kilmer.” Although several books of his poems appeared during his lifetime, like most poets he could not support his growing family on his poetry alone. Thus, he worked at various jobs, mainly in publishing, editing, and writing reviews and essays, in and around New York City. He also often lectured, at which he was very good. After a brief infatuation with socialism as a young married man, his enthusiasms were much more literary (e.g., for Walter Scott, Charles Dickens, and W. B. Yeats) than political. When WWI began, he was upset at the German invasion of neutral Belgium, but until May 1915, when a German U-boat sank the British passenger liner Lusitania, he was not anti-German. But the sinking, with the loss of 1,198 lives, including 128 Americans, turned him against the Kaiser’s aggression. His poem of that time, “The White Ships and the Red,” reflects his abhorrence at the Lusitania’s sinking with its loss of civilian lives, including women and children, and his growing belief that the war was a battle for freedom. His poem of about the same time, “In Memory of Rupert Brooke,” recalls the death “to make men free” of the well-known English poet and soldier. Kilmer was, however, also critical of the English for their oppression of the Irish, especially their execution of the poet Patrick Pearse and others for their involvement in the Easter Rising of 1916. Nevertheless, soon after the U. S. declared war on Germany in April 1917, Kilmer enlisted and soon got himself transferred to New York City’s “Fighting 69th” infantry regiment, whose men were overwhelmingly Irish-American and Catholic. (Kilmer himself was predominately of English background, but identified more with the Catholic Irish.) Kilmer and his unit left for France in October 1917, and we get a partial glimpse of the anguish of his wife and parents in his mom’s words: “I lived through the months he was in France, as mothers did in that horrible time, writing him nearly every day and sending parcels.” As for the poet-soldier’s actions and thoughts in France, on the battlefields and off, we get some idea from his few poems and short prose works from France, his more plentiful letters (including to his mother, wife, and two of his children), and Holliday’s quotes from chaplains and others that served with him. For example, “He was worshiped by the men around him.” “He was absolutely the coolest and most indifferent man in the face of danger I have ever seen.” One of his short prose pieces, “Holy Ireland,” reflects the same basic decency and goodness that we see in so many of his works. It tells of a night he and a group of his fellow soldiers spent in the simple hut of a French widow--her husband killed in the war--and her three young children. “There was a gentle dignity about that plain, hard-working woman.” She fixed them a fine meal, accompanied by ample wine, and they sang songs and hymns in front of a cozy fire. She was delighted that he and his fellow soldiers (Irish-American Catholics) shared her Catholic religion. On 28 July,1918, Sgt. Kilmer led a small group of men to scout out a German machine gun placement within a French woods. A few hours later his dead body was discovered with a bullet hole through the brain. Of the tremendous agony suffered by his family and friends, we can get some small inkling from the memoirs of his mother and his friend Robert Holliday. Although she wrote “I cannot write of that time” about the moment she received news of her son’s death, she added, “I have written these Memories with no other object than to solace a sorely wounded heart.” She also noted that she filled her “sleeping room” with “his pictures from six months to thirty years.” Kilmer’s oldest child, Kenton, later authored a loving book about his father, Memories of my Father, Joyce Kilmer (1993). And still later Kenton’s daughter, Miriam, wrote about her grandfather: “Though some call him a ‘great poet,’ I believe it is fair to say that his work showed promise; that had he not been struck down in his prime, his talent would most likely have developed in later years into something approaching greatness.” Among the many millions of young men who lost their lives in WWI, we have looked at just two, Owen and Kilmer. But their stories help us sense (in McEwan’s words) “the scale of the catastrophe in terms of feeling; all those unique and solitary deaths, all that consequent sorrow, unique and solitary too, which had no place in conferences, headlines, history, and which had quietly retired to houses, kitchens, unshared beds, and anguished memories.” One of the main problems with political leaders who go to war is their lack of imagination and empathy. In a February 1968 speech writer Wendell Berry said: “We have been led to our present shameful behavior in Vietnam by this failure of imagination, this failure to perceive a relation between our ideals and our lives.” Less than a year before, Martin Luther King Jr. had displayed such empathy when he stated: All the while the [Vietnamese] people read our leaflets and received the regular promises of peace and democracy and land reform. Now they languish under our bombs and consider us, not their fellow Vietnamese, the real enemy. They move sadly and apathetically as we herd them off the land of their fathers…. So they go, primarily women and children and the aged. They watch as we poison their water, as we kill a million acres of their crops. They must weep as the bulldozers roar through their areas preparing to destroy the precious trees. They wander into the hospitals with at least twenty casualties from American firepower for one Vietcong-inflicted injury…. They wander into the towns and see thousands of the children, homeless, without clothes, running in packs on the streets like animals. They see the children degraded by our soldiers as they beg for food. They see the children selling their sisters to our soldiers, soliciting for their mothers. But even if European leaders of 1914 failed to imagine all the suffering they might cause soldiers and civilians on both sides of the conflict in WWI--and none of them even came close--one might think that they could better imagine what might happen to themselves. The monarchs of Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary all lost their thrones, and the Russian tsar and his family eventually lost their lives as the Communists under Lenin prevailed in a civil war. The Austro-Hungarian Empire disintegrated into separate nations, and Germany and Russia both lost territory. Historian Niall Ferguson states that “twentieth-century violence…. was in large measure a consequence of the decline and fall of the large multi-ethnic empires that had dominated the world in 1900.” The Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires, entering WWI on opposite sides, were two of them, and the Ottoman Turkish Empire, allied with Germany and Austria-Hungary, was another. How about the victorious powers? Did the war make the “world… safe for democracy,” as U. S. President Woodrow Wilson hoped it would when he asked Congress to declare war on Germany in April 1917? With Lenin and the communists assuming power in Russia, with Mussolini becoming prime minister in 1922 in Italy (one of the victorious nations), with Hitler playing upon Germans’ dissatisfaction with the post-WWI treaty imposed upon them and becoming German chancellor in 1933, and with much of Europe losing some of its best future leaders to battlefield deaths, it is difficult to argue that Wilson’s hope was fulfilled. Moreover, Europe as a whole was weakened financially and politically, and so too, eventually, were their imperial powers in the rest of the world. True, France regained the lost provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, but was it worth the lives they lost--for example, three out of every ten French men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-eight? comments powered by Disqus - Boston Refused to Close Schools During the 1918 Flu. Then Children Began to Die - Trump Won’t Win by Doubling-Down on his Racist Appeals but the Right’s Open Bigotry Comes at a Cost - What to Stream: A Blazing Interview with Orson Welles By Richard Brody - Trump’s Attack on the Postal Service Is a Threat to Democracy—and to Rural America - Kamala Harris and the Growing Political Power of Black Women

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There are a surprising number of people who still believe that the gender pay gap – the difference between men and womens’ pay in the workplace – is not real. According to a recent Glassdoor survey, 7 in 10 employed adults in seven countries (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, The Netherlands and Switzerland) believe men and women are paid equally for equal work at their employer. How is this possible when the data clearly show that women are paid about 76% to 80% of what men are paid in a given year? I’ll tell you why: Because anyone familiar with data knows that number doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t pass the sniff test, and doesn’t square with what most managers and executives see around their halls every day. Many leaders believe there is a pay gap, but they also believe it’s explainable, mainly due to the career choices women make, such as taking breaks to have children or choosing a career that offers more flexibility. But here’s the thing: While the 76%-80% gender pay gap figure might not tell the whole story, the truth certainly is not that the pay gap is all explainable. And, just because some parts of the gap are explainable doesn’t mean they are fair or justified. Factoring differences in education, experience, age, location, job title, industry and even company, our latest research reveals that the “adjusted” gender pay gap in the U.S. amounts to women earning about 94.6 cents per dollar compared to men. It is remarkable that a significant gap persists even after comparing male-female worker pay at the job title and company level. This smaller, yet still substantial pay gap is largely bias – whether intended or unintended – and it can’t be explained by the data. This is extremely costly to women. At today’s real median earnings for full-time working women of $39,621, that is a pay loss of $2,140 per year or more than $64,100 over a 30-year career. The single biggest reason for the divergence of men and women’s pay is what careers they go into, or what economists call “occupational sorting.” While this may help explain the bulk of the pay gap, it’s unjustifiable because for decades, young girls have been pushed in subtle and not-so-subtle ways away from higher paying technical jobs and careers. In fact, this occupational sorting explains 54% of the overall or “unadjusted” pay gap in the U.S. — by far the largest factor. For example, U.S. Census figures show women make up only 26% of highly paid chief executives but 71% of low-paid cashiers. By contrast, differences in education and experience between men and women explain only a small part of the pay gap. Many organizations, such as Code.org and MakeItWork.org are beginning to tackle this problem to increase opportunity for everyone, but it is ever so slowly changing. I have never met a C-level executive or manager who says that women shouldn’t be paid fairly for equal work when education, experience, skills, performance, etc. are taken into account. The problem is that they assume that’s already happening today. They are wrong. So – it’s time we stop talking about equal pay and do something about it. It’s morally right, and it’s a smart business decision. There is ample evidence to suggest that companies that don’t give women a fair shake only end up hurting themselves financially. A study of gender diversity on firms in Standard & Poor’s composite 1,500 list revealed that, on average, female representation in top management leads to an increase of $42 million in firm value. It also concluded that companies that prioritized innovation saw greater financial gains when women were part of the top leadership ranks. And, our workforce is expecting change and action. A recent Harris poll found that 93% of employed American adults believe men and women should be paid equally. In the U.S., more than two-thirds (67%) of U.S. employees are not likely to apply for a job at a company where they believe a pay gap exists between men and women doing similar work. Companies looking for unique and highly skilled talent must vigorously compete to hire them. Company reputation and employer branding is key. Workers – especially millennials and generation Z – have made it clear they want to work for enlightened employers that are purpose-driven, value diversity, and pay fairly. I am optimistic we may finally be at a tipping point for gender pay equality. If your company has already taken steps to ensure pay equity, you should leverage that fact as part of your employer brand to stand out to candidates and employees. If you don’t know where you stand, it’s time to take a closer look. Take a lesson from Salesforce and Gap who have pro-actively inspected their pay inequalities and revisited how they were compensating men and women. Don’t wait for regulations, laws and/or investor activists to force you into taking action. When it comes to gender pay fairness, executives will ultimately define the winners and losers. Where you and your company land is up to you. Robert Hohman is CEO of Glassdoor.

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The liver is an important organ located in the upper quadrant of the abdomen. It is the largest organ in the body and is responsible for more than a hundred important processes. This is why you need to learn the symptoms of liver damage and how to treat the condition properly. 12 early symptoms of damaged liver There are more than 100 different liver diseases and each one has different symptoms. The most common ones are hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, cirrhosis and fatty liver disease. The symptoms of these diseases are often misdiagnosed and detected far too late to be able to act. Here are some of the most common liver disease symptoms: Vomiting and nausea are the usual symptoms of many diseases including food poisoning, motion sickness, vertigo, depression, early pregnancy and others. However, they are also a sign of liver damage and occur due to the organ’s inability to filter toxins. Loss of appetite When damaged, the liver can’t produce enough bile, which results in loss of appetite as the food isn’t properly digested. Feeling tired all the time can be an indication of liver damage as the organ works harder when attacked. In this case, more toxins accumulate in the blood and tissues and result in constant fatigue which mustn’t be mistaken for simple tiredness. The liver produces bile to digest food and fats, but when it’s function is impaired, it can’t produce the substance which leads to diarrhea and indigestion. Lack of bile can also cause fatty food intolerance, gallstones, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and bloating. Changes in the color of the stool The bile gives the stool its normal brown color, but when there’s a lack of it, it can make your stool yellow, gray or clay colored. If this is temporary, you have nothing to fear of. However, if the problem goes on for a while, you need to visit a doctor.

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With the winter flying season already enveloping many parts of the northern United States, pilots need to know how to identify and avoid flying in icing conditions. That’s why the November/December issue of FAA Aviation News focuses on ice. Ice can form on lift surfaces quickly, often in just a few minutes — the time it takes to climb or descend a few thousand feet through a cloud layer. The effects are cumulative, and it doesn’t take much to severely reduce performance. A thorough understanding of the weather factors that can lead to icing conditions is critical to safe winter operations. “Ice Belongs in Drinks” is featured in the issue, as well as other articles that address the differing vulnerability to ice of different airplanes; the havoc ice can play with lift, weight, and drag; safety on icy or slushy runways; and the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning during winter. To read the issue, and to see previous issues for more safety information, go to: FAA.gov/news/aviation_news.

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Sir Walter Raleigh by Nicholas Hilliard, ca. 1585. Pocahontas and Thomas Rolfe. The authenticity of this portrait is questioned but some believe it was painted in England shortly before her death in 1617. This engraving of Pocahontas was made during her visit to England in 1616. Seventeenth century tobacco label. Consider this 1867 tobacco label in light of the product's early history in Virginia and the Anglo-American fascination with Pocahontas. This image by Simon de Passe was etched on a 1616 map of New England. John Smith's map of Virginia, 1612. Sir William Berkeley, the governor of Virginia from 1642 to 1652 and 1660 to 1677. Nathaniel Bacon. Engraving by T. Chambars after a painting by Seipse.

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Particulate Matter Speciation This webpage provides specifications on particle speciation for a variety of sources. The information reflects National Park Service current thinking for each of the sources. These specifications should be included in all modeling protocols. Further refinements and modifications will be made as new information becomes available. Air quality analyses for Class I areas should include the speciation recommendations found on the web pages available through the drop down list below. Many of the webpages provide sample Excel XP workbooks to be used as examples for the user's specific sources. Download the Excel workbook and rename the workbook before beginning any calculations. Use a new workbook for each application. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please contact Don Shepherd at the National Park Service, Air Resources Division in Denver at 303-969-2075 or contact us through the Webmaster link at the bottom of the page. To browse available speciation information by source, select from the drop-down list below or use the Highlights list at the top right.

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, week of Sep. 14, 2020 America’s West Coast is burning … and burning … and burning ... and burning. This year’s wildfire season is one of the worst in history with a record 2.9-million acres burned in the state of California and whole communities destroyed in the states of Washington and Oregon. Officials have used words like “unprecedented” and “relentless” to describe the blazes, which stretch from the Canadian border in the north to the Mexican border in the south. Thousands of people have been left homeless and damage is estimated to be in the billions of dollars. The fires have been caused by a combination of extreme heat and high winds, turning the three affected states into a giant convection oven. The heat from the fires was so intense that trees exploded from the moisture inside their trunks and playground equipment simply melted. It will take months or even years for the states of California, Oregon and Washington to recover from this summer’s deadly wildfires. In the newspaper or online, find and closely read stories about recovery efforts that will be needed. Use what you read to write an editorial outlining the top priorities for communities affected by the wildfires. Common Core State Standards: Writing informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly; citing specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions. 2. ‘It’s a Bird!’ Cases of racial profiling and white privilege have gotten wide attention nationally thanks to the Black Lives Matter movement. No case got more than that of Christian Cooper, who confronted a white woman while he was bird watching in New York’s Central park and asked her to follow park rules and leash her dog. The woman responded by calling the police and falsely telling a 911 operator that “an African-American man is threatening my life.” Cooper’s case cost the woman her job because he filmed the confrontation on his phone. Now Cooper has turned it into a comic book/graphic novel based on the experience. “It’s a Bird!” involves a teen birdwatcher named Jules and a confrontation with a white woman. But it offers much more in its 10 illustrated pages. Through a pair of magic binoculars, Jules doesn’t just see birds when he looks at the trees — he sees the faces of African Americans who have died at the hands of police, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Amadou Diallo. “It’s a Bird” has been published online by DC Comics as the first offering in a series called “Represent!” Comic books and graphic novels can be an effective way to call attention to issues. In the newspaper or online, find and closely read stories about an issue important to you or your family. Use what you read to draw a chapter of a comic book or graphic novel to examine the issue. Give your comic/graphic novel an eye-catching title. Core State Standards: Using drawings or visual displays when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or points; reading closely what written and visual texts say and to making logical inferences from them. 3. College Hotspots America continues to battle the spread of the Covid coronavirus, and health officials are worried about a new set of hotspots: College towns. As colleges and universities re-open for the fall, thousands of students are coming back to campus. And even with many classes moved online, they are partying and gathering in large groups. That has prompted a spike in coronavirus cases in at least 100 college communities, the New York Times newspaper reports. And more may be on the way. The outbreaks have affected colleges all over the country, but especially large universities in the Midwest and South, officials said. And they have heightened tensions between colleges and local communities, as students gather in bars and restaurants, often without masks or social distancing. “Covid has a way of coming in, even when you’re doing all the right things.” said the mayor of Iowa City, home to the University of Iowa. Health officials fear cases brought to campus from other areas could infect non-students who live in college communities. In the newspaper or online, find and closely read stories about what different colleges are doing to control the spread of cases. Use what you read to write a letter to the editor outlining the most important steps college towns can take. Common Core State Standards: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task; citing specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions. 4. Cheaper Gas Labor Day weekend is the last big travel weekend of the summer, and this year there was good news for people who chose to travel by car. Gas prices were the cheapest they have been in years in the United States. Even better, those low prices are expected to continue into the fall. A survey of gas stations by the AAA auto group found that the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $2.22, CNN News reported, and in many places gas was selling for less than $2 a gallon. A year ago, drivers were paying an average of $2.57 a gallon for regular gas. The lower prices have been caused by a surplus in gas supplies due to more people working from home and traveling less due to the coronavirus epidemic. Cheaper gas prices affect the economy in many ways. In the newspaper or online, find and closely read stories about businesses that could be affected. Use what you read to write a business column detailing effects that cheaper gas could have on business activity and the economy. Are all effects positive? Common Core State Standards: Writing opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information; citing specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions. 5. New Black Studies Program As the United States and other nations grapple with issues of racial justice and heritage, the influential College Board has launched a new Advanced Placement program exploring slavery and the movement of Black people from their African homelands. A focus on the movements of this “African diaspora” has the potential to make Black studies a more important part of the college application process due to the importance of Advanced Placement studies in college admissions. The program is not a single course, but a wide-ranging curriculum that can engage students with independent study projects or visual presentations as well as more traditional history approaches. The program has been pilot tested in 11 public schools that have a majority of minority students as well as schools with a majority of white students. Its goal is to improve Black students’ participation and success in Advanced Placement programs. Independent study will be an important part of the new College Board program exploring slavery and the African diaspora. In the newspaper or online, find and closely read stories about issues or history that might merit further study under this program. Pick one issue and write a proposal for independent study that would examine it in depth. Common Core State Standards: Conducting short research projects that build knowledge about a topic; writing informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

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This story begins before bullets are sprayed and continues long after the guns fall silent. The story of Iraq's children - innocent victims of yet another power play in the international political arena. As the victorious powers scramble to divide the spoils of "Operation Iraqi Freedom", these mute spectators and victims are left with quite another legacy of this operation - physical, mental and emotional wounds. While the emotional scars are not yet fully visible, the physical impact is. According to UNICEF data, with little clean drinking water available, Iraqi children experience an average of 14 days of diarrhoea a month. The collapse of sewage and electricity infrastructure has made safe drinking water a rarity in several parts of Iraq. Alex Renton, OXFAM Regional Media Coordinator, says though an increase in diarrhoea cases is usual in summer, doctors in southern Iraq have found the increase is 10 times more than it used to be, particularly among young children. "And this is directly linked to the collapse of the water supply system and the water cleaning system". Now, UN officials have confirmed the outbreak of cholera in Basra due to lack of safe drinking water and poor sanitary conditions. Malaria, typhoid and other water-borne diseases are portended as mercury soars in summer. According to UNICEF, the death figure of children under five has more than doubled over the past decade, with 70 per cent deaths attributed to diarrhoea and respiratory tract infections. While the disease toll mounts, hospitals - under-equipped even before the war - are further crippled by the conflict and looting. Dr Tala Aawkati of al-Yarmouk hospital recounted the horror of being forced to abandon her ward due to crossfire, and later due to looting. When she returned, the ward had been stripped of everything, including fans and lights. All that remained was the decomposed bodies of three infants who had been placed in incubators. Dr Samantha Nutt and Dr Eric Hoskins of a Canada-based organization, War Child, visited bombed-out Iraq last month. Nutt, a co-founder and Executive Director of War Child, Canada, has travelled several times to Iraq along with her husband and colleague Eric Hoskins. "The situation of children in Iraq is particularly serious," says Nutt. "Many thousands are malnourished, and many have been injured or killed due to unexploded bombs. In addition, many children will require urgent care to help them recover from the trauma of the war." Half of Iraq's 24 million residents are under the age of 18 and have grown up knowing only war and sanctions, she says. Disillusioned about their future, many can't even return to school because most of these have been damaged, looted or burned. "After any war, in any country, there are going to be huge problems, particularly for children," sums up Jo Nickolls, Policy Coordinator at OXFAM, an international non-governmental relief organization. The situation in Iraq is worse, with two wars having been fought and 13 years of economic sanctions in between. Unexploded ammunition continues to endanger children, say relief workers. The al-Eskan Children's Hospital in Baghdad, reports Nutt, gets five or six new cases of severe injury every day. "We are very worried about children playing with unexploded war ammunition," says Mu'een Qasses, spokesman for the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) in Amman, Jordan. ICRC and the Iraqi Red Crescent society volunteers are working together currently to spread awareness among children and civilians in general to stay away from these objects, "to save what can be saved of people's lives". In trying to get schools reopened, relief agencies are also attempting to salvage children's sense of security. "Schools present a sense of normalcy and a sense of community, that's why it is important for children to go there," says Kali Galanis of War Child. Simon Ingram, UNICEF's communication officer in Iraq, agrees. Although many schools are not functional because ammunition and weapons are still stored there, aid workers are directing their efforts at getting students back. Children who have been traumatized over a long period or are otherwise injured, says Ingram, should have a chance to resume their normal daily activities. "The fear, the terror, the chaos, seeing their homes, livelihood and society itself shattered around them, has been a terrible experience for many children," says Ingram. In January 2003, War Child visited three cities of Iraq - Baghdad, Karbala and Basra - to conduct a study on the possible effects of another war on children. Based on the study, a report was compiled by an international team of researchers, academics and experts in physical and mental health, food security, infrastructure, gender, humanitarian law and emergency preparedness. Describing the status and vulnerabilities of children in Iraq, it also examined the likely humanitarian impact of a military conflict on the civilian population, particularly children. The report, 'Our Common Responsibility', states that despite some improvements in the health and nutritional status of children from post-1991 Gulf War conditions, Iraqi children were (in January 2003) in a significantly worse state than before the 1991 Gulf War. According to UN estimates too, prior to the current war, over 500,000 Iraqi children were acutely malnourished or underweight. As most of the 12 million Iraqi children are dependent on food distributed by the Government of Iraq, the disruption of this system by war has had a devastating impact on children already malnourished. And this, says Nutt, makes Iraqi children even more vulnerable to disease and death during and after war. The most startling findings are based on field data collected by two child psychology experts. They found that Iraqi children were already suffering significant psychological harm due to the threat of war hanging over their heads. Claimed to be the first ever pre-war psychological field research with children, more than 300 children were interviewed to determine their mental health condition. Children as young as four and five had clear concepts of the horrors of war, and the public display of Iraqi resilience masked intense fear and sadness. "They have guns and bombs and the air will be hot and we will burn very much," said five-year-old Assem. "Every hour, I think something bad will happen to me," 13-year-old Hadeel told the psychologists. Said Sheima, 5, "They will come from above, from the air, and will kill us and destroy us. We fear this very much." The psychologists found that 40 per cent of the surveyed children did not believe that life was worth living anymore. UNICEF has drawn up a US $166 million plan to provide life-saving and humanitarian support for Iraqi children. And the agency is also planning to help children cope with the psychological trauma of war, says Mohamed Anis Salem, UNICEF Regional Information Officer. War Child will work actively with UNICEF in this process, and other agencies are expected to join too. "With international support we hope the Iraqi people can gradually recover from this crisis and begin to rebuild their lives," says Nutt. For Iraq's children, the battle has just begun.

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Shortlisted for the NASEN award for ICT Inclusivity, this multilingual resource provides over 8 hours of definitions, explanations, and examples of key terms taken from the English National Curriculum for Key Stages 3 and 2. Each term is explained (not just defined) in the following languages: Arabic, Czech, English, Farsi, French, Lithuanian, Mandarin, Panjabi, Portuguese, Russian, Slovakian, Somali, Spanish, Sylheti (Bengali dialect), Turkish, Urdu, and Yoruba. As useful for native English speakers as it is for EAL students, the "Key Terms" series helps students quickly assimilate key concepts and terms. Terms are: Alliteration, atmosphere, chorus, cliche, comma, comparison, conjunction, consonant, describe, dialogue, differentiate, discuss, exclamation, expressions, figurative, genre, grammar, identify, imagery, justify, metaphor, myth, narrative, onomatopoeia, outline, pamphlet, paragraph, personification, playwright, pleural, prefix, preposition, punctuation, resolution, rhyme, scene, simile, soliloquy, subordinate, synonym, vocabulary, and vowel. These resources are particularly useful for new arrivals, allowing students to access key terms in their native language. Even native English speaking students have found the chart very useful. With this PENpal enabled poster, teachers can quickly assess new students: simply select a language then touch the pen to the words that you would like to hear explained. NB: You will need a PENpal to hear the exclamations in all languages of the terms in this chart. For more "Key Terms" posters, take a look at our Key Terms in Maths, Geography and Science. You do not have to buy a separate PENpal. One PENpal will read over 1200 books.

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What the Honey Bee Meant to Ancient Cultures When we think of honey bees, we have a specific image that comes to mind – yellow and black stripes, honey, pollinators, and the signs of warmer weather. Although these are all very common images, the symbolism that has been associated with honey bees has not always been these same thoughts and images. History of full of knowledge, cultures, and traditions that have not been explored and the symbolism and history of honey bees are one of those traditions. Here we will examine the symbolism and importance of the honey bee throughout the world’s history and across different cultures. The Honey Bee and Pre-History While we know the true importance of pollination for our agricultural practices, prehistoric man also understood the importance of this important function that honey bees complete. The bee’s capability to pollinate contributed to the creature’s reputation as a transformative, generative, and mystical insect. The prehistoric paintings of honey bees helped to establish the bee as a revered creature from that point through thousands of years into the future. For example, an area near Valencia Spain known as the Cave of the Spider, a painting depicts a determined man endangering his life to extract honey. The Honey Bee and The Mother Goddess The Mother Goddess, which was first recorded to have existed in the Paleolithic era and thought to be first carved between 24,000 and 22,000 BC, is one of the oldest deities on the archaeological record from any culture. The Mother Goddess has many manifestations, including toads, butterflies, hedgehogs and, most notably, dancing bees. Dancing bees appear to have a very special place in the ancient world – Queen Bees of hives were regarded as rulers of the hive and were often portrayed in art as an ornamented Bee Priestess, Bee Goddess, or the Mother Goddess herself. The Honey Bee in Ancient Egypt For many ancient Egyptian cultures, the honey bee symbolized an obedient and stable society, a mantra that would later be adopted by Freemasonry in the United States. The sophisticated art of Apiculture, known today as beekeeping, was practiced in Ancient Egypt for thousands of years. Not only was beekeeping an important part of Egyptian society, it also supported the nutritional, agricultural, medicinal, and ritualistic practices of their culture. The honey bee and the honey it produced became very important to Egyptians from pre-dynasty times throughout their short history.

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It often seems that certain aspects of our personalities are influenced by events that occurred in our childhoods. A recent study by Dr. Akaysha Tang's research team from the University of New Mexico Psychology Department and collaborators at Rockefeller University examined how early life experience influences social skills and ability to handle stressful situations using a rat model. The study will be published on July 30th in the online, open-access journal PLoS ONE. In this study, Dr. Tang and colleagues examined whether rats that experienced greater novelty by spending three minutes a day away from their familiar home environment during infancy had a greater ability to compete against other rats for exclusive access to chocolate reward compared to their siblings that stayed in the home environment during infancy. They found that novelty-exposed rats were able to "beat out" their competitors more often than their home-staying siblings. They also found that across repeated sessions of competition, novelty-exposed rats decreased their release of stress hormones into the bloodstream, suggesting that they adapted faster to the stressful situation. These findings were made among rats that were 24 months of age—considered old age for a rat. Perhaps most remarkably, the differences in early experience were induced by approximately 60 minutes of cumulative differential treatment carried out during the first 3 weeks of life. This means that very brief exposures to a novel environment during infancy can have a life-long influence on social competitive ability and the stress response. Another question asked by Dr. Tang and colleagues was whether the differences between siblings depended on the care received from their mothers during infancy. They measured how much mother rats licked and groomed their pups after the novelty exposure procedure and how consistently they provided this care from day to day. They discovered that the mother rats that delivered more care to their pups on average were inconsistent in their amount of care from day to day. This led to the surprising finding that the novelty-exposed rats with the most adaptive stress responses had mothers that gave highly consistent, but lesser amounts, of care. In translating possible significance of these findings to the human species, although it is sometimes assumed that the overall amount of care from the mother is one of the most important influences on her children's development, this study by Dr. Tang and colleagues provides a different view—that the consistency of maternal care may be more important than the amount of maternal care and that other sources of influences, such as environmental novelty can play an important role in shaping a child's development. - Akers KG, Yang Z, DelVecchio DP, Reeb BC, Romeo RD, et al. Social Competitiveness and Plasticity of Neuroendocrine Function in Old Age: Influence of Neonatal Novelty Exposure and Maternal Care Reliability. PLoS ONE, 2008; 3 (7): e2840 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002840 Cite This Page:

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From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia A "virile" woman was perceived as a departure from the normative gender roles of English society, where even being a scold was punishable by law with cucking. Thus virago joined pejoratives such as termagant and shrew to demean women who acted aggressively. However, unlike the other terms, virago originally had, and retained, a positive aspect; for example, the British Royal Navy christened at least four warships Virago. The Vulgate reads: Dixitque Adam hoc nunc os ex ossibus meis et caro de carne mea haec vocabitur virago quoniam de viro sumpta est. "And Adam said: This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man." The Middle English poem Cursor Mundi retains the Latin name for the woman in its otherwise Middle English account of the creation: Quen sco was broght be-for adam, Virago he gaf her to nam; þar for hight sco virago, ffor maked of the man was sco. (lines 631-34) "When she was brought before Adam, Virago was the name he gave to her; Therefore she is called Virago, For she was made out of the man." - Ernst Breisach, Caterina Sforza ; A Renaissance virago, Chicago [usw.]: University Press 1967 - Elizabeth D. Carney,"Olympias and the Image of the Virago" in: Phoenix, Vol. 47, No. 1 (Spring, 1993), pp. 29-55 - Morris, Richard. Cursor Mundi: A Northunbrian Poem of the XIV Century. London: Oxford UP, 1874. Republished 1961. - Yenna Wu, The Chinese virago : a literary theme, Cambridge, Mass. [u.a.] : Harvard Univ. Press, 1995

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The cultural consequences of 22 November 1963 are far more interesting than the events of the day itself. Historians like me tend not to find much of interest in the killing of one person by another, especially when the killer seems to have been a dysfunctional misfit. Of course, the assassination had puzzling aspects: Lee Harvey Oswald’s lengthy stay in the Soviet Union during some of the hottest years of the Cold War; the unlikely trajectory of one of the three bullets fired from the Texas School Book Depository, the ‘magic bullet’ which passed through the president’s neck and then through the body of the Texas governor, John Connally; and Oswald’s own murder while in police custody at the hands of Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner. Despite these anomalous features, Kennedy’s assassination was – conceptually speaking – a straightforward event. While academic historians have had plenty to say about his politics and legacy, they have largely ignored his death. That subject – perhaps the canonical event in amateur historiography – has largely been left to a laity of assassination buffs. Why have so many Americans been unable to accept the conclusions of the Warren Commission Report, which exhaustively described the circumstances of the Kennedy assassination? Why has the assassination exerted such a hold on the American imagination? Why has it inspired such feats of ingenuity? Instead of there being a single anti-establishment version, dissident theories have proliferated. One of the more baroque was advanced by George C. Thomson, a swimming-pool engineer from Glendale, California, who argued that five people were killed in Dealey Plaza by the 22 shots fired there (but not Kennedy, who was impersonated in the presidential limousine by Officer Tippit, the Dallas policeman who was killed later that day by Oswald, according to the official version). With a similarly imaginative flourish, a group of Texans claimed that Kennedy was killed by a sniper firing from a papier-mâché tree. Then there’s the storm drain theory. Lillian Castellano, an accountant in California, spotted a storm drain in a photo of the grassy knoll taken at the time of the assassination. The drain was subsequently filled in. Was it, Castellano wondered, part of the escape route for the assassin on the grassy knoll? Most of the hucksters of these conspiracy theories were on the left, and tended to see Oswald as the left-wing patsy who took the rap for a right-wing coup, but they were not the ‘usual suspects’ of rightist demonology. Indeed, the mainstream leftist intelligentsia in the US welcomed the Warren Report. Dwight Macdonald, who had been associated for many years with Partisan Review and played a leading role in the New Left during the 1960s, was a staunch defender of its conclusions – if not of its prose style. In a review of the Warren Report for Esquire, Macdonald described it as ‘an anti-Iliad that retells great and terrible events in limping prose instead of winged poetry’, but he wholeheartedly endorsed the commission’s findings. As far as I.F. Stone was concerned, the commission had ‘done a first-class job’. He accepted the ‘lone killer’ thesis as ‘conclusive’ and called on those still convinced of Oswald’s innocence to carry out their investigations ‘in a sober manner’. He worried that some leftists were being sucked into behaviour of the sort he associated with the extreme right: ‘All my adult life as a newspaperman I have been fighting in defence of the left and of a sane politics, against conspiracy theories of history, character assassination, guilt by association and demonology. Now I see elements of the left using these same tactics in the controversy over the Kennedy assassination and the Warren Commission Report.’ All this had been uncannily predicted on the eve of the assassination. The American historian Richard Hofstadter’s influential essay ‘The Paranoid Style in American Politics’ was given as the Herbert Spencer Lecture at Oxford on 21 November 1963. Hofstadter’s subject was the irrational underside of American political culture, where ill-defined fears gave rise to the populist scapegoating of particular groups, whether Jews, Freemasons, Communists or Jesuits; to the confabulation of conspiracy theories which attributed hidden and malevolent powers to such groups; and to a vast and ‘paranoid’ pseudo-scholarship which – in defiance of scholarly norms – set out the supposed facts of the case in such a way as to provide proof of the existence of invisible conspiratorial forces. Conspiracy theorists often possess a wealth of accurate knowledge in such arcane fields as ballistics and acoustics, the workings of the Carcano rifle and the topography of downtown Dallas. It was an anti-Warren buff, Sylvia Meagher, who first indexed the 26 volumes of evidence published under the auspices of the commission. Some critics of the commission find the ‘magic bullet’ hard to accept; others are troubled by inconsistencies raised in the evidence of Sylvia Odio, who claimed she was visited in Dallas by a group of supporters of Cuba, including an American resembling Oswald called ‘Leon Oswald’, at a time when Oswald was, according to the commission’s findings, in New Orleans. Was there a second Oswald, a lookalike who passed himself off as Oswald? And which Oswald did the shooting? That a dangerous fiction lay at the heart of a bureaucratic work of tedious factual sobriety provided the basis for Woody Allen’s joke that he was working on a non-fiction version of the Warren Commission Report. With these conspiracy theories abounding, who needs assassination novels? It’s possible, however that such books played a role in fostering the climate of suspicion which accompanied the official explanation of Kennedy’s murder, and helped sustain as well as satirise the paranoia which was exacerbated by the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King in 1968 and seemed to find its justification in the Watergate revelations. Richard Condon’s novel The Manchurian Candidate – an eerie anticipation published in 1959 and then turned into a Hollywood film which appeared during the Cuban Missile Crisis – described the attempted assassination of an American presidential candidate by a brainwashed former POW in the Korean War. The resemblance between the zombie assassin programmed in Asia and Oswald, with his mysterious two years in the Soviet Union, was all too obvious. After the assassination the film was withdrawn from circulation. Condon tried to damp down speculation about Oswald’s Soviet connection by publishing an article, entitled ‘“Manchurian Candidate” in Dallas’, which explored Oswald’s domestic social conditioning. At this stage he had no truck with conspiracy theories; a decade later, in the very different atmosphere of the Watergate cover-up, it was harder to gauge his position. In his satirical novel Winter Kills (1974), Condon seemed to advance a conspiratorial interpretation of a presidential assassination, inadequately investigated by a fictional Pickering Commission. With sly subversion, he appears to target both the manner in which the preposterous had driven out the plausible in the discussion of the JFK assassination and the aura that surrounded the Kennedy family: the JFK character in his book has been assassinated on the orders of his own father – a quasi-criminal Joe Kennedy figure. Or was Lyndon Johnson, elevated to president on Kennedy’s death, a Texan and the politician who ramped up America’s military involvement in Vietnam, the obvious beneficiary of the assassination? Barbara Garson’s cod Shakespearean drama MacBird! (1966) smears Johnson and his wife as modern-day Macbeths. Among Garson’s dramatis personae were the unfortunate Ken O’Dunc, his ambitious viceroy MacBird, the latter’s goading wife, and various noblemen, including the Earl of Warren and Lord Stevenson, the Egg of Head (based, of course, on Earl Warren and Adlai Stevenson, the former Democratic presidential candidate). MacBird! had its origins in the anti-war teach-in movement at Berkeley, but copies began to sell in the hundreds of thousands and the play had a successful run in New York in 1967. By then Johnson the warmonger was an all too obvious villain. Jeff Greenfield’s Then Everything Changed reminds us how different the 1960s would have been if a largely forgotten attempt on Kennedy’s life had succeeded. On 11 December 1960, Richard Pavlick, a suicide bomber with seven sticks of dynamite, decided at the last minute not to murder Kennedy when he saw Kennedy’s daughter saying goodbye to him as he left his house in Palm Beach. Pavlick decided to wait, but was arrested four days later. Greenfield wonders what the consequences of an earlier assassination would have been. Kennedy had just won the election but the electoral college had not met, so his assassination would have given rise to several constitutional anomalies, which would have been difficult to resolve without a degree of bipartisan co-operation. Greenfield enters too into the thoughts of Johnson, relieved that Kennedy has been assassinated in Florida: ‘Imagine if he’d been killed in Texas. I’d be suspect number one.’ Although several novelists have used the Kennedy assassination as a means of exploring the underside of American society, assassination fiction remains a variant of the whodunnit. The exception is Don DeLillo’s Libra (1988), whose most significant character, alluded to in the title, is an assassination historian at the CIA, Nicholas Branch, who is overwhelmed by the sheer mass of sources he spends his life judiciously sifting. For most, however, the temptation to reach a conclusion counter to the Warren version has proved irresistible. Charles McCarry’s The Tears of Autumn (1974) reminds his readers that John F. Kennedy wasn’t an innocent himself: he had among other things been responsible for the assassination of the South Vietnamese leader, Ngo Dinh Diem, in the autumn of 1963. The South Vietnamese put out a contract on Kennedy, while Ruby, it turns out, in McCarry’s cunningly convoluted plot, is an unwitting sleeper of the KGB, who assassinates Oswald because the Russians fear that his trial would inflame American public opinion against the Soviet Union. It now appears that there was a real-life parallel to McCarry’s fiction, for, although the KGB had nothing to do with Kennedy’s assassination, in its aftermath it did provide covert support for the dissemination of conspiracy theories. According to the defector Vasili Mitrokhin and the historian of intelligence Christopher Andrew, ‘by the late 1970s the KGB could fairly claim that far more Americans believed some version of its own conspiracy theory of the Kennedy assassination, involving a right-wing plot and the US intelligence community, than still accepted the main findings of the Warren Commission.’ James Ellroy’s American Tabloid (1995) includes the familiar tropes of conspiracy literature – the Mob, the Cuban dimension – and adds some twists, including the acquiescence of an omniscient FBI chief, J. Edgar Hoover, in the plots he detects to assassinate the president, the brother and patron of his despised superior, the attorney general, Robert Kennedy: ‘Hoover wants it to happen. It happens, he’s glad it happened, and he still gets assigned to investigate it.’ The Mob resents Kennedy’s acquiescence in a sort of détente with Cuba following the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis, which has resulted in the loss of lucrative casino and hotel business on the island. It has relied on the Kennedys’ father as a banker for decades and evidence of this is used to blackmail Robert Kennedy into blocking any serious investigation into JFK’s death: ‘I’m saying that a consensus of denial will build off of it. I’m saying that people will want to remember the man as something he wasn’t. I’m saying that we’ll present them with an explanation, and the powers that be will prefer it to the truth, even though they know better.’ Stephen King’s new novel, 11.22.63, combines a variety of genres, being a JFK assassination thriller, a story of time travel, a variation on the grail quest, a novel of voyeurism, a love story, a historical novel, a counterfactual historical novel, and the chilling tale of a sinister animate universe, a form which can be traced back to the ghost stories of M.R. James. King’s protagonists, Al Templeton, the owner of a diner, and Jake Epping, his loyal customer and friend, take a dispassionate and calculated view of the assassination. At the back of his pantry in a small town in present-day Maine, Al finds a wormhole which comes out in September 1958. At first he uses it for his own ends: buying up cheap burger meat at 1958 prices and bringing it back to the present so he can undercut his local rivals. The only trouble is, he sells his burgers too cheap, and the locals decide that Al’s Famous Fatburger can’t really be beef, ‘not at a dollar-nineteen’. Al then decides to use his access to the portal to further the public good, and to stay in the past until 1963 so that he can prevent Oswald from killing Kennedy. But Al is not quite sure, from his observation of Oswald, that he was acting alone when he unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate General Edwin Walker in April 1963. By then, Al is ill, and returns to the present to hand over his quest to Epping: ‘If you ever wanted to change the world, this is your chance … Get rid of one wretched waif, buddy, and you could save millions of lives.’ But Al concedes – and Epping agrees – that there is a ‘window of uncertainty’ surrounding Oswald’s relationship with the émigré Russian geologist George de Mohrenschildt: ‘If de Mohrenschildt turned out to be part of Oswald’s attempt to kill Edwin Walker, my situation would be vastly complicated; all the nutty conspiracy theories would then be in play.’ When Epping sees Oswald talking to someone at a bus stop, his mind races: Batting the breeze with a stranger, or was this perhaps another friend of de Mohrenschildt’s? Just some guy on the street, or a co-conspirator? Maybe even the famous Unknown Shooter who – according to the conspiracy theorists – had been lurking on the grassy knoll near Dealey Plaza when Kennedy’s motorcade approached? I told myself that was crazy, but it was impossible to know for sure. Worse still is the sight of de Mohrenschildt and Jack Ruby together at a club. How does one write about a figure from the past who has become a symbol of evil? King inevitably falls short of Beryl Bainbridge’s Young Adolf (1978), in which Hitler, an impoverished emigrant staying with relatives in Liverpool, is portrayed with consummate skill as a sad loser, prone to tantrums and petty revenges. The reader quickly begins to feel sympathy for Bainbridge’s Adolf, while also recoiling from the monster-to-be: ‘Such a strong-willed young man. It is a pity he will never amount to anything.’ However, King does manage to show Oswald as both a ‘skinny little wife abuser waiting to be famous’ and the victim of his tiresome and smothering mother. Nevertheless, his real subject is not Oswald but the past itself. To begin with, it is an idyllic ‘Land of Ago’, where food and drink have stronger flavours because unadulterated by additives, where people trust one another and have far fewer forms to fill out and boxes to tick; but, as Epping tries to change the course of history, he becomes conscious of the past as ‘obdurate’, and feels something akin to the cunning of providence working remorselessly to frustrate his attempts. Unlike most counterfactual novels, the alternative past here is, for the most part, only marginally different from the version we know. King attempts to bring closure to the debates on the assassination by combining the immediacy – and uncertainty – of the past as it was lived with the retrospective and historically informed voyeurism of the present. This is as ecumenical as the JFK assassination novel is ever likely to get.

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August 31, 2010 > Rock the Vote brings 'pop culture' into high schools Rock the Vote brings 'pop culture' into high schools Submitted By Maegan Carberry As schools get back into full swing, Rock the Vote (RTV) wants every student to have a new favorite subject - Democracy Class. With this new program aimed at high school juniors and seniors, RTV is working with educators, artists, elected officials, and students to reinvigorate our country's democracy by reaching potential voters as they turn 18. Over the past 30 years, civics education has been systematically cut from public schools, opportunities to learn about politics and government are limited, and programs to register newly eligible high school students are not widespread. As of 2009, only 21 states included civic learning in their state assessment and accountability systems. Democracy Class offers a unique and creative opportunity to connect with high school students, and engage them in discussions about citizenship and elections. "Turning 18 and becoming eligible to vote is a tremendous rite of passage," said Heather Smith, President of Rock the Vote. "Junior and senior year of high school is the ideal moment to connect with young people, and give them the tools to become life-long voters and participants in our country's democracy." Through this free and non-partisan class, youth nationwide will learn about the history of voting, the connection between issues they care about and those they elect to office, and their right to vote. The lesson engages students with music and pop culture to start a discussion, and demystifies the voter registration process by walking them through the key steps. The supporting website, www.DemocracyClass.com, offers easy access to election information, ways to get involved in registering voters, interviews with artists and athletes, and materials for teachers and community groups to use in their classrooms. The 45 to 90-minute curriculum is also available to all educators for free download, making Democracy Class available in any classroom or after school program. Teachers like Barbara Wainer, a social studies department chair in Columbus, Ohio who has brought Democracy Class into her classroom says it's an "excellent way for students to learn that they have a voice in the future if they take the time to vote. They loved reading the rapper's words and hearing the songs that spoke about voting. This program helps to make the students understand that voting is essential to their future." The most common reason why young people don't register to vote is that they don't know how, and every student deserves to be empowered with this knowledge. Democracy Class is supported by an impressive and diverse advisory board of public officials, education leaders, and artists, including: The Honorable Debra Bowen, Secretary of State, California; The Honorable Sam Reed, Secretary of State, State of Washington; Steve Barr, Founder and Chair Emeritus, Green Dot Public Schools; and Benji and Joel Madden of the band Good Charlotte. A full list of advisory board members is available on the Democracy Class site. RTV will be presenting Democracy Class at the national meeting of the National Council for the Social Studies and other educator conferences this fall. The lesson will also be available to Teach for America members on their teacher resource page and will be brought to B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO) chapters nationwide. In tandem with its largest midterm voter registration drive ever, Democracy Class is an important part of Rock the Vote's outreach plan in 2010 and beyond, as almost 13,000 young people turn 18 every day. High school students care about the issues that affect them, and Rock the Vote is committed to making sure they have the information and resources they need to participate when they become eligible, and to encourage them to make a lifetime commitment to vote in every election. For more information, visit www.democracyclass.com or Rock the Vote at www.rockthevote.com

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Rectangular Microstrip Antenna Introduction to Patch Antennas Microstrip or patch antennas are becoming increasingly useful because they can be printed directly onto a circuit board. Microstrip antennas are becoming very widespread within the mobile phone market. Patch antennas are low cost, have a low profile and are easily fabricated. Consider the microstrip antenna shown in Figure 1, fed by a microstrip transmission line. The patch antenna, microstrip transmission line and ground plane are made of high conductivity metal (typically copper). The patch is of length L, width W, and sitting on top of a substrate (some dielectric circuit board) of thickness h with . The thickness of the ground plane or of the microstrip is not critically important. Typically the height h is much smaller than the wavelength of operation, but should not be much smaller than 0.025 of a wavelength (1/40th of a wavelength) or the antenna efficiency will be degraded. (a) Top View of Patch Antenna (b) Side View of Microstrip Antenna Figure 1. Geometry of Microstrip (Patch) Antenna. The frequency of operation of the patch antenna of Figure 1 is determined by the length L. The center frequency will be approximately given by: The above equation says that the microstrip antenna should have a length equal to one half of a wavelength within the dielectric (substrate) The width W of the microstrip antenna controls the input impedance. Larger widths also can increase the bandwidth. For a square patch antenna fed in the manner above, the input impedance will be on the order of 300 Ohms. By increasing the width, the impedance can be reduced. However, to decrease the input impedance to 50 Ohms often requires a very wide patch antenna, which takes up a lot of valuable space. The width further controls the The normalized radiation pattern is approximately given by: In the above, k is the free-space wavenumber, given by . The magnitude of the fields, given by: The fields of the microstrip antenna are plotted in Figure 2 for W=L=0.5. Figure 2. Normalized Radiation Pattern for Microstrip (Patch) Antenna. The directivity of patch antennas is approximately 5-7 dB. The fields are linearly polarized, and in the horizontal direction when viewing the microstrip antenna as in Figure 1a (we'll see why in the next section). Next we'll consider more aspects involved in Patch (Microstrip) antennas. Fringing Fields for Microstrip Antennas Consider a square patch antenna fed at the end as before in Figure 1a. Assume the substrate is air (or styrofoam, with a permittivity equal to 1), and that L=W=1.5 meters, so that the patch is to resonate at 100 MHz. The height h is taken to be 3 cm. Note that microstrips are usually made for higher frequencies, so that they are much smaller in practice. When matched to a 200 Ohm load, the magnitude of S11 is shown in Figure 3. Figure 3. Magnitude of S11 versus Frequency for Square Patch Antenna. Some noteworthy observations are apparent from Figure 3. First, the bandwidth of the patch antenna is very small. Rectangular patch antennas are notoriously narrowband; the bandwidth of rectangular microstrip antennas are typically 3%. Secondly, the microstrip antenna was designed to operate at 100 MHz, but it is resonant at approximately 96 MHz. This shift is due to fringing fields around the antenna, which makes the patch seem longer. Hence, when designing a patch antenna it is typically trimmed by 2-4% to achieve resonance at the desired frequency. The fringing fields around the antenna can help explain why the microstrip antenna radiates. Consider the side view of a patch antenna, shown in Figure 4. Note that since the current at the end of the patch is zero (open circuit end), the current is maximum at the center of the half-wave patch and (theoretically) zero at the beginning of the patch. This low current value at the feed explains in part why the impedance is high when fed at the end (we'll address this again later). Since the patch antenna can be viewed as an open circuited transmission line, the voltage reflection coefficient will be 1 (see the transmission line tutorial for more information). When this occurs, the voltage and current are out of phase. Hence, at the end of the patch the voltage is at a maximum (say +V volts). At the start of the patch antenna (a half-wavelength away), the voltage must be at minimum (-V Volts). Hence, the fields underneath the patch will resemble that of Figure 4, which roughly displays the fringing of the fields around the edges. Figure 4. Side view of patch antenna with E-fields shown underneath. It is the fringing fields that are responsible for the radiation. Note that the fringing fields near the surface of the patch antenna are both in the +y direction. Hence, the fringing E-fields on the edge of the microstrip antenna add up in phase and produce the radiation of the microstrip antenna. This paragraph is critical to understanding the patch antenna. The current adds up in phase on the patch antenna as well; however, an equal current but with opposite direction is on the ground plane, which cancels the radiation. This also explains why the microstrip antenna radiates but the microstrip transmission line does not. The microstrip antenna's radiation arises from the fringing fields, which are due to the advantageous voltage distribution; hence the radiation arises due to the voltage and not the current. The patch antenna is therefore a "voltage radiator", as opposed to the which radiate because the currents add up in phase and are therefore "current radiators". As a side note, the smaller is, the more "bowed" the fringing fields become; they extend farther away from the patch. Therefore, using a smaller permittivity for the substrate yields better radiation. In contrast, when making a microstrip transmission line (where no power is to be radiated), a high value of is desired, so that the fields are more tightly contained (less fringing), resulting in less radiation. This is one of the trade-offs in patch antenna design. There have been research papers written were distinct dielectrics (different permittivities) are used under the patch antenna and transmission line sections, to circumvent this issue. Next, we'll look at alternative methods of feeding the microstrip antenna (connecting the antenna to the receiver or transmitter). Next: Feeding Methods for Patch Antennas Top: Introduction to Microstrip Antennas Antenna Theory Page This page on microstrip antennas and patch antennas is copyrighted. No portion can be reproduced except by permission from the author. Copyright 2011-2016, antenna-theory.com. Patch antennas, microstrip antennas.

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“Pumping and Hydraulics’ Solutions for Irrigation and Water Supply” DIESEL Pump Data Chart This chart is suited to diesel driven pumps used for irrigation and enables the operator to quickly find pump operating costs in $/ML given operating head (metres), assumed pump efficiency and diesel cost in $/Litre. Interestingly, the flow rate pumped is not required for establishing $/ML. This chart is based upon a new 75kW engine at 25 deg C with a Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) of 215 gms/kWh (equivalent to 0.25 Litres/kWh**) but no attempt has been made to equate this performance to any particular engine. Because of the widely varying performance of diesel engines used in irrigation, due to such variables as naturally aspirated, turbo charged, twin turbo charged, varying cooling systems, etc, the actual BSFC of a new engine in the field may vary from 215 gms/kWh. In this case, all derived data in this chart may be re-rated accordingly. Generally, diesel engines used for irrigation require numerous de-rating factors according to their individual application. In these cases, a percentage adjustment needs to be made to the Litres/ML or $$/ML derived data. These DERATING factors (in brackets) include; for biofuel, add 7% (0.93) for gear drive, add 5% (0.95) for belt drive, add 10% (0.90) for each 25kW below 75kW, add 5% (0.95/25kW) for altitude, add 1% per 200m above sea level (0.99/200m) for temperature, add 5% for each 10 deg C above 25 deg C (0.95) for very old diesel engines, add up to 20% (0.80) Derating factors are accumulative. Therefore, multiply all derating factors applying to each site. Eg, operating at 45 degC plus belt drive, multiply 0.9 and 0.90 = 0.81 Download a full size PDF copy of the Diesel Pump Data Chart This chart is NOT intended for use as an engine selection tool. No responsibility will be accepted for any application of this chart. Formula for Litres/Megalitre = 0.683* x metres head Derating x pump Eff% Based on BSFC of 0.683 is derived from 2.73 (constant in kWh/ML formula) multiplied by 0.25 Litres/kWh (BSFC) Ie, 2.73 x 0.25 = 0.683 of diesel = 0.86 Ie, 0.215kg/kWh / 0.86 = 0.25 Litre/kWh Tallemenco Pty Ltd, Windsor Gardens, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, 5087. ABN: 92 105 345 506 Mobile 0414 492 256 International: Cell +61 414 492 256 ABN 92 105 345 506 Oct 16th 2018 American Society of Irrigation Consultants Full Professional Member 2011

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How was the ISS have internet access? The International Space Station is one of the most ambitious space projects that man has done, its construction began in 1998 and has an estimated cost of the ESA of 100 billion euros over the 30 years which is probably in operation. Some consider it the most expensive object ever built. But it was until less than a month since the International Space Station had internet access. Why? if we forget the costs, is technically difficult to achieve decent connections to an object that is 460 miles high and moving at about 27,700 mph. There is also the safety factor: not in the interests of NASA or U.S. government somehow being intercepted communications from the astronauts in space or implanting computer viruses that are at the station. So how did it? the solution is rather curious. First the security issue: the connection to the sites is not direct, is through a remote session to control the desktop of a computer that is on Earth, using VNC type software. Thus any attack, virus, spyware or malware affects the team on the ground and not notebooks in the international space station. To achieve a stable data connection using Ku-band satellites under (Kurz-unten band) which are responsible for relaying information from the space station to the base of operations on Earth. In fact it’s the same technology used by providers of satellite internet access. Inside the station there is Wi-Fi routers (Netgear brand, for the curious) that were installed in 2008 and is already used for internal email and videoconferencing between Earth and space.

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If there is a fever, an understandable response is to administer paracetamol or ibuprofen-based medicines. But it seems a high temperature might actually help children fight an illness. An American paediatrician has revealed the high fevers typical of many childhood illnesses can help force a child to slow down, rest and sleep more – all vital in recovering. Hannah Chow-Johnson, assistant professor at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, said she was often asked what to do about children with a high temperature. She said: “My most frequent calls are from worried parents who want to know how high is too high of a fever. What many parents don’t realise is that often, fevers are their child’s friend. Fevers can actually help your child recover more quickly, especially if he or she is battling a viral illness.” Also working on the theory that fever plays an important role, researchers at Great Ormond Street Hospital have in the past claimed tackling a fever with medicine before it is allowed to run its course, may slow recovery time, because the temperature can help to kill the bacteria causing the illness. Fever is defined as a temperature over 37.5c, and can be a sign of something serious. Parents are advised to seek medical help if a child’s temperature reaches 40c or above. If your child is also unusually sleepy, has a rash, cold extremities, a stiff neck or difficulty breathing, it is always best to contact your GP. But most fevers are caused by a viral infection, and clear up on their own within a few days. Despite the advice, the official NHS line on children running a high temperature is to keep them hydrated, undress them to their nappy or pants, and to treat discomfort with paracetamol or ibuprofen. Dr Chow-Johnson’s fever advice: - To cool an overly high fever Dr Chow Johnson advises fluids, ice chips and popsicles - Fevers are safe. A fever is the body’s way of controlling its immune response. - Your child’s body is controlling the temperature and it’s going to fluctuate no matter what you do. Don’t awaken a child from a deep sleep to give medications for the fever. Sleep is more important. - Take oral temperatures when possible and rectal ones when not. - Ear and forehead thermometers are not reliable. Stick to a good, old-fashioned digital thermometer for the best accuracy. As far as how frequently a fever needs to be checked, once a day is sufficient. - There is not a maximum number on the thermometer that means go to A&E, unless your child stops drinking, urinating or responding well. But if children are doing all three, parents can monitor them from home. - Your goal should be your child’s comfort, not reducing the fever. Be generous with fluids and ice-pops or lollies. Dress children in light clothing and give tepid baths to help cool them down. - Give medication only if your child feels uncomfortable, not solely to reduce the temperature. And don’t alternate fever-reducing medications, as this could lead to overdosing or excessive medication that your child doesn’t need. - There are times you should seek medical attention when your child has a fever such as: A child who is under eight weeks old and has a fever of 38c (100.4F) should be seen by a doctor immediately.A child who is undergoing chemotherapy or has a compromised immune system. - If there is no clear source for the child’s fever (no cough, runny nose or known pain) and the fever has lasted for two to three days. If a fever lasts for more than five days, see a doctor, even if your child looks well. Barnes Chiropractor, Julian Keel, comments that numerous natural healthcare practitioners have held this same belief for many years. For many raised temperatures, the body is going through its own healing process and fever is part of that. Julian recommends contacting your GP, NHS Direct or A&E if you have any concerns in the event that your child becomes unwell and you are uncertain of how to respond. Chiropractic and cranial treatment at Barnes Chiropractic Healthcare is aimed at wellbeing and health for all ages and all stages of life. As a parent himself, Barnes chiropractor, Julian Keel, has a special interest in childhood health. From Julian & the Team at Barnes Chiropractic Healthcare When You Need A Personalised Approach to Your Health Barnes, Richmond and the surrounding areas in South West London

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Renal services deal with patients with kidney failure. Each year, in England, approximately 5,500 people start treatment for kidney failure and there are currently around 43,000 people receiving treatment for kidney failure. Around 4 in 10 people are treated by circulating their blood through a machine which cleans it of toxins (haemodialysis). This can be done either in hospital or at home. About 1 in 10 people are treated using the thin membrane that lines the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum) as a filter. This is called peritoneal dialysis. Approximately half of these patients are treated by having a kidney transplant. This Clinical Reference Group (CRG) covers: - services for people with acute kidney injury - the preparation for and delivery of dialysis, whether in a centre or at home - people who undergo kidney transplantation. Chair: Dr Richard Baker, Consultant Nephrologist, Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust. Sandip Mitra, North William McKane, North Clara Day, Midlands & East Nicholas Torpey, Midlands & East Neil Ashman, London Nizam Mamode, London Philip Mason, South Peter Rowe, South Clare Morlidge, Lead Pharmacist Andrea Devaney, Lead Pharmacist Fiona Loud, Patient & Public Voice Phil Willan, Patient & Public Voice Tracey Rose, Patient & Public Voice Jon Gulliver, Lead Commissioner, [email protected] Guide to renal transplantation services NHS England has produced a summary of renal transplantation services and how they are commissioned. A key part of the CRG’s work is the delivery of the ‘products’ of commissioning. These are the tools used by the 10 Hub Commissioning Teams to contract services on an annual basis. Service specifications are important in clearly defining the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care. The specifications have been developed by specialised clinicians, commissioners, expert patients and public health representatives to describe both core and developmental service standards. Core standards are those that all funded providers should be able to demonstrate, with developmental standards being those which may require further changes in practice over time to provide excellence in the field. The following service specifications fall within the scope of this CRG: - Adult kidney transplant service - Atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS) (all ages) - Centre Haemodialysis ICHD - Haemodialysis to treat established renal failure in the home - Peritoneal Dialysis to treat Established Renal Failure - Acute Kidney Injury (Adult) - Renal Assessment (Adult) - Haemodialysis delivering only Dialysis Away from Base (DAFB) - Renal Transplantation (Adult) - Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis treatment service (adults) A commissioning policy is a document that defines access to a service for a particular group of patients. A NICE Technology Appraisal Guideline on the same topic will replace, or be incorporated into, a commissioning policy as appropriate. These are important documents that are developed to ensure consistency in access to treatments nationwide. The following policies fall within the scope of this CRG: - Reimbursement of expenses for living donors - Eculizumab in the treatment of recurrence of C3 glomerulopathy post-kidney transplant - Dialysis Away From Base - Dialysis Away From Base – Frequently asked questions Not routinely commissioned: - Eculizumab for the treatment of refractory antibody mediated rejection post kidney transplant - Bortezomib for the treatment of refractory antibody mediated rejection post kidney transplant - Rituximab for the treatment of Idiopathic membraneous nephropathy in adults Policy statements are brief documents that define the current commissioning position to support service contracting. They are interim documents for use while a full commissioning policy is being developed or until a formal NICE Technology Appraisal Guideline has been published.

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If you are embarking on a career in graphic design, or if you work in a field (such as printing or advertising) that offers you the opportunity to regularly work with graphic designers, you should know the meaning of several basic graphic design terms used most often in the field. We have alphabetized the following list to allow you to print it off and use it as needed. This is just a short list, though, as there are many graphic design terms you should understand, particularly if you plan to work in the field. To learn more about graphic design terms and principles, sign up for our Introduction to Graphic Design course. Graphic Design Terms Alignment – In graphic design, alignment refers to keeping the elements on the page connected, or aligned, so the elements, when put together, flow well. Each item placed on a page (or web site) should be somehow connected with the others for proper alignment. Bleed – Allowing a graphic or some other element to extend beyond the actual margin of the page. The element touches the side of the page, leaving no margin or white space at the edge. CMYK – This color mode used by printers uses cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) to create colors during the printing process. Color Theory – The study of how colors make people feel and their effects on a person. In graphic design, color theory is used to explore the best types of colors to work in different situations: ie: for a website that needs to feel soft and relaxing or a magazine ad that should pop out of the page and evoke energy in the reader. Complementary colors – The colors that are opposite of each other when viewed on the color wheel. DPI – DPI, or dots per inch, refers to Focal point – In graphic design terms, the focal point is where you want to draw the reader’s or viewer’s eye. This may be large or it may be small. Sometimes graphic designers create a focal point by placing only one tiny object on a page, and in this case the focal point is obvious. Other times the focal point may be within a variety of elements. Grid – An important concept in graphic design, grids are often used in layouts for both web and print projects. Grids help graphic designers arrange text and images on the page in a way that will look even, attractive and consistent throughout. Grids can be used on paper or can be set up in graphic design software, such as Photoshop. Illustrator (Adobe) – Program used by many graphic designers for creating vector images, such as logos and other graphics used for print and online purposes. Those starting out in the program will want to take Adobe Illustrator CS6, which goes over the fundamentals of utilizing Illustrator for graphic design projects. InDesign (Adobe) – Program used by many graphic designers who deal with magazine, brochure or other print material layouts. Allows the designer or other professional to create a layout, insert photographs or images, add text and send to printer as a completed booklet, pamphlet or other printed item. Kerning – In typography, creating the perfect space between characters (letters) so they work together. For instance, understanding when a letter should be moved slightly because it pushes into another. Line – One of the main elements in graphic design, a line is a mark created using a pen or other tool. Lines form shapes, another element of design. They may be straight, as we often think of them, but they might also be curvy or zig zag. Mockup – The original design or idea created and either displayed on the screen (for instance, if you are a graphic designer specializing in web design and you want to show your client your ideas before you begin to code you might create a mockup in Photoshop and then show the client the mockup as a .jpg or PDF) or in a printed format (for example, a printed copy of the layout for a magazine or brochure spread for printer’s and clients to view before the actual product is produced). Mockups allow the client to see what the final product should look like. Negative space – The area on a page that is left without images and words is referred to as negative or white space. This negative or white space is very important in graphic design projects. Photoshop – Program used by many graphic designers and photographers to create or edit photographs and images. If you are interested in learning more about Photoshop, our Foundations of Photoshop course will get you started with the program. PPI – PPI, or pixels per inch, refers to the number of pixels per inch in an image. Raster images – These images are created using thousands of pixels. They are not easily resized as are Vector images; enlarging a raster image too much will diminish quality. Photographs are an example of a raster image. Resolution – Number of dots per inch, or dpi, in an image. Images for the web are usually be around 72 dpi, or a low resolution, while images for print should be around 300 dpi, or a higher resolution. RGB – This color mode is used for web design, digital cameras, scanners and other electronics and combines the colors red, green and blue to create what is seen on the screen. Six Elements of Design – Six basic elements are used to create an attractive graphic design project. These include line, shape, value, space, texture and color. Learn more about these six elements in our Introduction to Graphic Design course. Typography – The art of arranging type, which includes letters, numbers and symbols, so that it is pleasing to the eye. This includes not only the font that is used but how it is arranged on the page: letter by letter, size, line spacing, etc. Typography is an important part of creating a pleasing final graphic design product. Texture – A graphic design term that refers to creating depth to a graphic design product so they have dimension rather than appearing flat. This can be done through the use of patterns behind color, for instance. Learn to add texture to your projects in this class. Vector image – A vector image, such as a logo, is one that can be easily resized without loss of quality.

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The concept of global jusitce is premised on the belief that all poeple are entitled to certain fundamental human rights solely by virtue of being memebers of the human community. The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was a seminal step toward this vision; for the first time, states agreed to uphold the fundamental rights and liberties of their citizens. Enforcement of these human rights guarantees, however, has been severly constrained by the nearly impregnable doctrine of state sovereignty. International law, traditionally limited to regularting behavior between states and not between individuals and a state, reinforced this state-centric view of human rights. This article was written by Janet Benshoof for the Encyclopedia of Global Studies in 2012.

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This page has been validated. History of the Church and Manor of Wigan. - Toll or thol, in the Saxon charters, was the liberty of buying or selling, or keeping a market. In later times it signified the customary dues or rent paid to the lord of a manor for his profits of the fair or market, or it sometimes implied a liability to pay such dues by traders in any market. - Them, or theam, was a franchise which gave to the lord of a manor an absolute jurisdiction over his villeins and natives. - Infangenthef was a liberty granted from the King to some lords of a manor to try all thieves, being their tenants, within their own court. - Utfangenthef was a similar liberty of trying foreigners or strangers apprehended for theft within their own fee. - Lastage was the custom exacted in markets for selling wares by the Last, or wholesale quantity; a Last of pitch was twelve barrels, of hides or skins twelve dozen, of corn, ten quarters, of leather 200 skins. - Pontage was a fee, custom, or toll levied on travellers or passengers over a bridge, towards its repair and maintenance. - Passage was a similar toll levied on persons passing any spot, with or without carriages. - Stallage implied the dues assessable on persons who erected stalls in any fair or market.

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Leadership is about POWER. How it is exercised and used, what relationships it creates and how people feel in positions of “followership” is what distinguishes great leaders from others. There are a number of different types of power. I will talk about two. Positional power is that associated with a position, often in an organisation, society or other situation where people fill a created a position. A good example includes, in schools, Principals. We are in positions of Positional Power. The very fact we occupy the position of Principal gives us Leadership positional power. This can be ineffectual at times, in fact I would argue most of the time. We may remember situations where we might reluctantly do things “just because the Principal says so, [not because we want to]”. Positional power is often about coercion. An example of the worst of Positional Power could be Adolf Hitler. He occupied a Position of Power and was a Leader of an enormously powerful organization. He was not a great leader. More recently we can dwell on Idi Amin, Slobadon Milosevic, and others. Positional Power used negatively is often about what I call Power Over. Power over is about disempowerment. Hitler was an expert at Power Over, totally. The school bully is an expert at power over. They disempowered people; they “colonize” people with their own beliefs and values, often violently. They take away the rights and dignity of people. They often take away that fundamental right to feel safe, valued and valuable. Empowerment, which is what leadership is about, is the outcome from Great Leadership. It is about allowing people to take control of their lives and situations. It grows from respect for self and others and focuses on peoples’ strengths. Empowerment happens when Leaders, people, exercise power with, NOT power over, others. Empowerment is founded on among other things, q Respect for the dignity and uniqueness of the individual, families, groups or communities (you can see how Hitler does not fit the description of being a Great leader as he had none of these traits or abilities). q A fundamental belief in the positive potential of people and an emphasis on their strengths and capacities. q A Deep commitment to peoples’ right to self-determination.

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Insomnia refers to an inability to fall asleep or stay asleep and can either be a symptom of a behavioral illness or an independently occurring disorder requiring treatment and professional help. Symptoms of insomnia include general tiredness, excessive sleepiness during the day, irritability and issues with concentration or memory. People with insomnia may experience one or more of the following symptoms: - Difficulty falling asleep - Having trouble staying asleep throughout the night - Waking up too early in the morning - Feeling tired upon waking up There are two types of insomnia – primary and secondary. Primary insomnia means that the person is experiencing problems with sleeping that are not directly related to another behavioral health disorder. Secondary insomnia refers to sleeplessness that occurs due to some other existing health condition, such as depression or substance abuse. Any of the following health conditions may cause someone to experience insomnia: As with other behavioral health problems, insomnia is better off treated sooner rather than later. There are many routes for the treatment of insomnia that can range from practicing good sleep habits to medication or therapy. For more information on insomnia or oversleeping, visit WebMD.

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The November 2013 report, Closing the Wage Gap is Crucial for Women of Color and Their Families, states that while on average, women earn 77 cents for every dollar paid to men, black women earn only 64 cents per dollar, and Latinas earn 54 cents. Based on the most recent Census data, the analysis covers women working in full time, year round employment across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. “The current economy has left women of color in precarious economic circumstances and they continue to encounter substantial barriers to advancement,” the analysis states. “African-American and Hispanic women are more likely than white men to work in jobs that pay at or below minimum wage, and they have also experienced slower wage growth than women overall.” Read More Here

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Or download our app "Guided Lessons by Education.com" on your device's app store. How many back-to-school items can you count? This beginning math worksheet will get your kindergartener ready for elementary school arithmetic. The visual and numerical cues can help him use counting as an introduction to subtraction! For more subtraction action for beginners, click here. No standards associated with this content. Which set of standards are you looking for?

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With today’s article, we try to offer you an introduction on the functioning of solar cookers and ovens, which can be applied both to solar box ovens and to solar panel cookers and parabolic solar cookers. In particular, with this article you will be able to understand how much time does it take for a solar cooker or oven for reaching its maximum temperature and what is the maximum tempererature that can be reached. Then in next articles we will try to give you more information about this argument. The information reported hereunder are mostly derived from “The Technology of Solar Cooking” wtitten by Professor Ed Pejack. We hope you enjoy reading it! From the Sun to the solar cooker or oven The solar radiation which hits the surface of the Earth in a given place has an intensity that varies during the day, as well as from month to month. This solar radiation can be divided into three components: direct, diffuse and reflected radiation, which are represented in the picture below. Solar cookers mainly cook thanks to the direct component of the solar radiation. Nonetheless, the diffuse and the reflected components partly determine the temperature of our solar cooker or oven. It is important to note that when we cook, not only the energy that we provide to the food matters, but also the velocity with which we provide it, that is to say the power of the solar radiation. The unit of measurement of the power of solar radiation is W/m2, where W=J/s (Watt = Joule per second). During the day, the power of the Sun starts from 0 to reach up to 800 W/m2 during midday. The variation of the power of solar radiation throughout all the day has a “bell curve” shape. According to this, in a dedicated page of our website (in Italian), we have reported some graphs relative to the direct, diffuse and reflected components of the radiation of the Sun for the different months of the year. These graphs indicate the monthly average of the solar radiation, so that it is possibile to have some days in which the intensity of the solar radiation is higher than in other days. Right above we have indicated a power of 800 W/m2 for the solar radiation. We might note that this power has not a high spatial concentration (our pot or dishes do not occupy a surface of 1 m2!), so we need something that allows us to concentrate the solar radiation. That’s the reason why we use solar cookers and solar ovens! If we want to compare the power of the solar radiation with the cooking power that is available at home, we can consider that the cooking power of gas stoves is tipically comprised between 800 W (small stoves) and 3 kW (bigger and newer stoves), but their efficiency goes from 50% to 65%, as indicated in the following picture. It is important to note that more than simply concentrating the solar radiation, solar box ovens and solar panel cookers are also able to trap the heat inside their cooking chamber, thanks to the greenhouse effect that is created from the combination of the transparent closure and the dark pot. This effect is not necessarily present in the parabolic solar cookers, where the pot can be put in the focal point of the cooker without necessarily adding a transparent cover, thanks to the higher concentrating ratio and the higher power (more than 1 kW) that these cookers are able to reach. Power balance and heat balance in solar cookers and ovens Solar cooking uses the power of the Sun to cook. Part of this power reaches the pot and the food, part is dissipated to the surrounding environment in the form of heat. So we have a power balance and also a heat balance. Here we will try to describe the heat balance through a mathematical equation, regarding all the heat components that are involved in solar cooking. In particular, we can say that the heat that is provided by the Sun thanks to its irradiation (Qi) is partly utilized for heating the oven and cook the food (Qf) and partly is dissipated to the environment (Qdiss). Therefore, the equation for the heat balance is the following: Ar regards the equation, let’s hypothesize that Qi is constant during the cooking period. Indeed, Qi varies during the day as the relative position of the Earth and the Sun varies. Nonetheless, we can choose the average value of the solar radiation for the time of a cooking test with a solar cooker or solar oven and thus we can have Qi as constant. Under this hypothesis then, we will have that the sum of Qf and Qdiss is constant and equals Qi. Even if their sum is constant, Qf ad Qdiss will vary throughout the time of the coooking test, as shown in the graph reported hereunder. As we can see, at the beginning there is no dissipation of heat to the surrounding environment. This is because the dissipation of heat depends on the difference of temperature between the temperature of the oven and the temperature of the environment and at the beginning this difference is zero. So all the heat that comes from the Sun is transferred to the solar oven or cooker and from here to the pot and the food. Subsequently, the temperature of the solar oven or cooker will rise progressively and so does also the difference between the temperature of the solar oven or cooker and the temperature of the environment. After some time the solar oven or cooker will reach its maximum temperature and almost all the heat will be dissipated to the surrounding environment. There will still be only a small contribution of heat that will continue to go to the solar cooker or oven. This represents the heat that needs to be provided to the solar cooker or oven in order to mantain the food at a constant temperature. More detailed description of the heat balance The single components of the heat in the heat balance equation can be calculated as follows: Pirr = thermal power that is provided from the radiation of the Sun [W/m2] η = overall efficiency (optical and thermal) of the solar cooker or oven [-] Ai = aperture area of the solar cooker or solar oven, that is the area that receives the solar radiation [m2] Qfmin = heat that need to be provided to the solar cooker or oven in order to mantain it at a constant temperature when the maximum temperature is reached [J] τ = time constant for the heat equations for Qf and Qdiss [s] Value of Qi. Recalling the graph relative to the heat balance that has been already provided right above in the previous box, we can add more information regarding the value that we have chosen for Qi. This value equals 100, because we have hypothesized that Pirr = 800 W/m2 = constant. Indeed, as we have already said, even if the solar radiation varies throughout the day, we have hypothesized that its value can be considered constant for the 25 minutes of the cooking test, taking 800 W/m2 as the average value of the solar radiation during this period of time. Moreover, we have hypothesized to work with a solar panel oven having η = 0,5, Ai = 0,25 m2. Time that is necessary in order to reach the maximum temperature. We have also hypothesized to have a cooking pot which does not contain food, that is to say that contains only air. Under this hypothesis, for a solar panel cooker we have verified experimentally that the maximum temperature is reached after 20 – 25 minutes (the latter corresponding to 1500 seconds). For this reason the graph shows the data for this time interval. More information about the time constant that appears in the equations for Qf and Qdiss. In an exponential function, the time constant appears as the denominator of the exponent of the Euler’s number (the mathematical constant e). Seconds are its unit of measurement. In an exponential function, the time constant has the property that by multiplying its value for a factor of 3, the exponential function will reach 95% of its final value and by multiplying its value for a factor of 5, the exponential function will reach 99,3% of its final value. For our Copenhagen solar panel cooker, we have experimentally measured that the maximum temperature is reached after 25 minutes and that after 20,5 minutes we have almost reached 95% of the maximum temperature. The value of τ then will be about 6,8 minutes, which corresponds to 228 seconds. For a designer or for a researcher, it could be possibile to estimate τ also with a theoretical approach. This could be useful if we have not built yet the solar oven or solar cooker, or if we have not chosen the cooking system. We will try to better describe the theoretical approach in a future article. This approach is quite complex and we have not fully understood it yet. For now, we will simply say that the time constant can be described as: R = thermal resistance of the cooking system [°C /W] = [°C*s/J] M = mass of the cooking system [kg] Cp = specific heat of the cooking system [kJ/Kg*°C] Ac = area of the cooking system [m2] The calculation of τ is complex due to the parameters R, M and Cp, which depend on the characteristics of the cooking system. But what is the cooking system? The cooking system is represented by the pot with the lid, by the transparent covering and by the base of the solar oven. In our case, the transparent covering and the lid of the pot are made of glass, while the base is made of cardboard covered with an aluminum foil, as represented in the image provided hereunder. Moreover, in the cooking system we can also consider the thermometer, that is put outside the pot, but under the transparent covering. Preheating a solar oven or a solar cooker When we want to cook with our oven at home, we first must turn it on and set the desired temperature. The oven will take some time to reach the maximum temperature, then from that moment we will be able to put the food inside it for cooking. In a solar oven it is quite the same. The only difference is that we cannot decide what is the maximum temperature, because this depends on the temperature of the environment, on the solar radiation and on the properties of the solar cooker or solar oven. If we put a pot inside the solar oven (for the solar panel, we will need to put the pot under a transparent covering), the air that is contained in it will be heated and will rise with time following the curve of an exponential function. This is similar to what we have seen for the heat equations for Qf and Qdiss. For the temperature, we have that the equation can be described as follows: The corresponding graph for the temperature will be the following: In this graph we have hypothesized that the temperature of the environment is 20° C and that the maximum temperature that is reached is 160°C. Theoretically, we can demonstrate that the maximum temperature can be obtained with the following calculation (from “The Technology of Solar Cooking” wtitten by Professor Ed Pejack): Tenvironment = temperature of the environment [°C] R = thermal resistance of the cooking system [°C/W] η0 = optical efficiency of the cooking system [-] Pirr = thermal power that is provided by the solar radiation [W/m2] Ai = area of the solar oven that intercepts the solar radiation [m2] Ac = area of the cooking system [m2] This equation is useful during the design stage, allowing us to choose the dimensions and the materials of the oven, which determine its efficiency and so the maximum temperature that can be reached. As for the time constant, also for Tmax the calculation is a little bit complex. In this case the reason is that it is difficult to calculate the value of R. Therefore in a next article we will try to calculate theoretically R too. As regards the maximum temperatures that have been calculated theoretically, you can find them in our page dedicated to solar panel cookers, both for the low-cost version and for the high efficiency version of the Copenhagen solar panel cooker. In particular, you can find them in the section “maximum daily temperatures on different months”. These temperatures are relative to the different months of the year and they have been calculated theoretically starting from the experimental measurements relative to one specific month. In the page that we have linked right above you can also find the spreadsheet (in Italian) helping you to understand how to calculate the maximum temperatures starting from the available data. Indeed, in the spreadsheet we have used a different equation for the calculation of the maximum temperature with respect to the one that have described above, but the result should be the same (we still need to verify it). What happens if we add food to the pot? Obviously we could insert the food even if the solar oven or solar cooker has still not reached the maximum temperature, but this will both delay the time in which the maximum temperature is reached and it will also lower the value of the maximum temperature. For the delay, we can understand it by recalling the equation for the time constant, that is and noticing that adding a mass of food to the cooking system corresponds to an increase in the product of R, M and Cp. Ther reason is that in the cooking system we will substitute some of the air of the pot with food. According to that, we can estimate that the food will have a mass being about 100 times higher than the mass of air and that its specific heat value will be about 3 times higher than that of air, while the thermal resistance will be almost an order of magnitude lower for food relative to air (the thermal resistance is related to the reciprocal of the thermal conductivity and the conductivity is tipically an order of magnitude higher for food relative to air, as can be seen by comparing the data available in this article and in this article). For the maxium temperature, we can similarly notice that by adding a mass of food the thermal resistance will be lower and so also the maximum temperature will be lower. For this reason, it is important to do not exceed with the quantity of food, in order to avoid an excessive decrease of the maximum temperature that could prevent us to cook.

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Parts of Speech Created by Diedre Grafel. Kent Campus Learning Center, Communications Lab Updated 06-28-05 by South Campus Lab. Permission to copy and use is granted to all FCCJ staff provided this copyright label is displayed. For more information, visit the Learning Services web site: www.fccj.org/campuses/south/learning_cent/learning_cent.htm In each of the following lessons, read the definition of the part of speech. Check the examples for understanding. Then complete the exercises. The answers are included at the end of this handout. If you do not understand any part of the handout or the answers, please see a tutor in the South Campus Communications Lab, G-219. I. NOUN Definition: A noun names something and usually can form a plural (by adding –s or –es) except for non-count nouns such as information or transportation Persons George, man, people cat, fish, dog Jacksonville, city, park paper, spoon, eraser happiness, horror, thought Exercise: Directions: Underline the nouns in each of the following sentences: 1. Jason enjoyed the movie about France. The musicians play marching songs. Music lovers thrill to the sound of trumpets. Boys and girls are often eager to listen. The conductor moves his baton vigorously. There is no death penalty for criminals in Puerto Rico. The "Explorer," crammed with scientific instruments, was launched on January 31, 1958. New Mexico was admitted as a state in the twentieth century. Chester Arthur was nominated for vice-president by the Republican Party in 1880. Winston Churchill was the man whose courage led the nation from defeat to victory. II. PRONOUN Definition: A pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun. Examples: I, it, you, he, she, we, him, them, whom, someone, everyone, none, anybody, that Exercise: Directions: Underline the pronouns in each of the following sentences: 1. You and John are the boys who will have to pay for the damage. Mr. Gunsher gave us the record which was just played. She cried loudly, and each of us heard her. They felt flattered by our attention to them. Everyone followed the directions the faculty members had given each of them. She sent them to him as a birthday gift. They collided near the school. Solving the traffic problems taxes the imagination of those who have the responsibility of it. He says anyone who enjoys driving under today’s traffic conditions must be crazy. Some take up a hobby because it is fun. III. ADJECTIVE Definition: An adjective modifies the meaning of a noun or pronoun. An adjective, which may describe or limit a noun or pronoun, answers the following questions: 1. Which one? his daughter that man 2. What kind? 3. How many? ten children both people several students beautiful lady sunny day Exercise: Directions: Underline the adjectives in each of the following sentences. 1. The interior plateau of the Union of South Africa is called its veldt. There are countless millions of gaseous bodies called stars. Baseball, enjoyed by many cheering fans today, was played here and in merry England before 1839. Sir Walter Raleigh was a famous statesman and a bold explorer. His many projects to settle America were unsuccessful. He even made a long voyage to the Hot Lands below the Equator in search of gold. After the death of his beloved queen, he was arrested for being a disloyal citizen. His adventurous career came to an abrupt end when he was executed for piracy in 1618. As college admission standards continue to rise, tension and anxiety build to a ridiculous point in college-preparatory seniors. Twenty-five students attended reading class during the first term. IV. VERBS Definition: Often the verb is the action word in the sentence. It defines the action. The verb be and its forms (was, were, are, is, am) do not really show action but a state of being or relationship between the subject and what follows the verb be (Lab tutors are helpful). The verb may consist of one word, or the main verb may contain one or more helping words. Some helping words are has, am, were, might, should, must, are, be . . . Examples: The man screamed loudly. (What did the man do? He screamed.) All the men have been screaming. (What were the men doing? They have been screaming.) All the men were old. (The adjective old is linked to the subject of men.) Exercises: Directions: Underline the verb (or verb phrase) in the following sentences. 1. A micron is a unit of length. There are over a thousand millimeters in a yard. Freva was the Saxon Goddess of Beauty. Gold melts at 1,063 degrees Centigrade. Egypt measures about one and one-half the size of Texas. The George Washington Bridge is located between New York and New Jersey. It can be seen spanning the might Hudson River. Automobiles have been crossing it since 1931. It is ranked as the second largest bridge in the world. It is constantly being painted. West Point, which is located in the Hudson Valley, houses the United States Military Academy. It is over 150 years old since it was established in 1802. It was established by an Act of Congress and opened with twelve cadets. Many visitors go to West Point and watch the dress parade on Saturdays. The officers trained there are taught to live democratically in order that they may better protect our democratic way of life. V. ADVERBS Definition: An adverb is a word that is used to modify or limit the meaning of a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Examples: 1. Go slowly. Look carefully. Walk there. (The underlined words modify the verbs.) 2. The answer is not too accurate. (The underlined word modifies the adjective.) 3. Watch very closely. (The underlined word modifies the adverb.) Exercise: Directions: Underline the adverbs in the following sentences. 1. The name "sirocco" is often given to a warm wind. t is usually given to a warm wind blowing over large areas of hot, dry land. Such winds now occur over the area of our Great Plains. Originally "sirocco" was a name used by people of North Africa. It was not used for ordinary wind. It described the very hot, dusty wind that comes from the South. It comes quickly from the scorching Sahara Desert. This extremely hot wind is a menace to life. Its coming always fills the natives with fear. The biting bits of sand dig deeply into the eyes and skin of those caught in its fury. VI. PREPOSITION Definition: A preposition is a word that shows the relation between two or more things. Some prepositions are to, at, by, on, in, into .... Prepositions are positional words. Think about these phrases: The knife is on the table. under the table. beside the table. The knife went into the table. A preposition also has an object, a noun or a pronoun. Exercise: 1. There are sixty-four mountain peaks in the United States over 14, 000 feet high. The state of Colorado claims forty-eight of these tall mountains. The highest of them all, Mount Whitney, is in California. Mount Whitney rises to the height of 14,495 feet. Colorado claims the possession of the second highest mountain. Mount Elbert is located in Colorado. It reaches the height of 14,431. Have you ever had the desire to climb to the top of one of these peaks. Mount Evans in Colorado has an automobile road which you can take to the top. 10. Riding in a car is the easiest way of reaching the summit of one of these awesome immensities. VII. CONJUNCTION Definition: A conjunction is a word that joins words, groups of words, or complete sentences of equal value. A. Coordinating conjunctions join words or groups of words of equal value. EXAMPLES: 1. Lucy and Ed left the door open. 2. He is going to school, but I am going to work. 3. He is going to school; however, I am going to work. B. Subordinating conjunctions are words that make one group of words (dependent clause) dependent upon another group of words (independent clause). The group of words beginning with a subordinating conjunction would be a sentence fragment by itself. EXAMPLES: 1. When I came in, he left. When I came in. 2. He left because he was late. Because he was late. Exercise: Directions: Underline the conjunctions in the following sentences. 1. Janet and Joan are twins, but they are different in many ways. While basalt is one of the heaviest rocks, pumice floats in water. 3. If you have used a piece of pumice stone to rid your fingers of grime, you know of its other qualities. 4. Pumice forms when boiling rock pours out of a fuming volcano. It is a mixture of basalt and air bubbles. He had lots to do; therefore, he went home. Although it is spring, the air temperature remains chilly. The time is passing quickly, yet I have not completed the assignment. The names and the numbers are relevant, for they must be used to find the data. It is time for us to locate those passages, so the instructor will know we’re serious. Definition: An interjection is a word that expresses strong emotion. Interjections can be followed by a comma or an exclamation point. EXAMPLES: Wow! I never knew that. Oh, did I do that? See a tutor in the Communications Lab for more help on interjections if needed. IF YOU HAVE CHECKED YOUR WORK AFTER EACH EXERCISE AND FEEL THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THE PARTS OF SPEECH, TURN TO THE NEXT PAGE AND TAKE THE "CHECK UP." AN ADVISER WILL BE HAPPY TO CHECK YOUR WORK. Overall Check-Up on Parts of Speech Directions: Identify the underlined words as noun (n), pronoun (pn), verb (v), adjective (adj), adverb (adv), preposition (p), or conjunction (c). 1. Paul Anderson was proclaimed the world-champion weight lifter. He established this record by lifting 1175 pounds. The records indicate that the first fight with boxing gloves was fought in 1818 in France. He had so much to do that he went home early. Not wanting to be rude, he made his apologies to his host. "Ordinarily, I would not leave so soon, but I have so much to do," he told his host. The understanding was between the guest and his host. In 1876, R. Barnes of Chicago led the National League with an average of .403. In the 1957 World Series, Lew Burdette won three games, two of which were shutouts. ANSWERS FOR PARTS OF SPEECH EXERCISES I. Nouns 1. Jason, movie, France 2. musicians, songs 3. lovers, sound, trumpets 4. boys, girls 5. conductor, baton 6. penalty, criminals, Puerto Rico 7. explorer, instruments, January 31, 1958 8. New Mexico, state, Twentieth Century 9. Chester Arthur, vice-president, Republican Party, 1880 10. Winston Churchill, man, courage, nation, defeat, victory II. Pronouns 1. You, who 2. us, which 3. she, each, us, her 4. They our, them 5. everybody, them 6. she, them, him 7. they 8. those, who it 9. he, anyone, who 10. some, it III. Adjectives 1. interior, its (a pronoun acting like an adjective) 2. countless, gaseous 3. many, cheering, merry 4. famous, bold 5. his ( a pronoun acting like an adjective) 6. long 7. his, beloved, disloyal 8. his, adventurous, abrupt 9. college, admission, ridiculous, college, preparatory 10. twenty-five, reading, first IV. Verbs 1. is 2. are 3. was 4. melts 5. measures 6. is located 7. can be seen 8. have been crossing 9. is ranked 10. is being painted 11. is located, houses 12. is, was established 13. was established, opened 14. go, watch 15. are taught, may protect V. Adverbs 1. often 2. usually 3. now 4. originally 5. not 6. very 7. quickly 8. extremely 9. always 10. deeply VI. Prepositions 1. in, over 2. of, of 3. of, in 4. to, of 5. of 6. in 7. of 8. to, of, of 9. in, to 10. in, of, of , of VII. Conjunctions 1. and, but

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This weekend, I was discussing with a colleague the differences between the slew of terms that are used to describe some of the e-learning options becoming prevalent in higher education. In our discussion, it was clear that there is a great deal of confusion as to what constitutes a blended course vs. a flipped classroom vs. a hybrid class. In this week’s post, I thought I’d try to clarify my conceptualizations of these terms and include some of the foundational documents that have formed my understanding of the differences. Besides adding some clarity to the discussion, my hope is that this post also fosters a bigger conversation about the pedagogical structure of these instructional methods and how they benefit student learning. Traditional classes: In my conceptualization, a traditional course is one that meets on a regular basis in a physical classroom environment with all of the instruction occurring through teacher/student, face-to-face interaction. Some researchers, however, present a little different picture of what constitutes a “traditional course.” In their recent comprehensive analysis entitled Grade Change: Tracking Online Education in the United States, Allen and Seaman use a very narrow definition of “traditional classes” by describing them as courses “where no online technology is used, the content is delivered in writing or orally.” I find this definition to be a little limiting. What if an instructor uploaded her syllabus to a learning management system (LMS)? Or if another instructor posts copies of an assignment online? To describe these courses, Allen & Seaman introduce another critical term in the e-learning landscape. Web facilitated: Allen & Seaman would argue that traditional courses that post syllabi or assignments online should be considered as “web facilitated” because web-based technology is used to deliver 1-29% of the content in a mainly face-to-face course. In my view, however, the term “web facilitated” should be designated for face-to-face courses that require significant student activity online to support in-class instruction. In a web-facilitated class, for example, students could use discussion forums to discuss topics with their peers or submit assignments through the LMS. And that’s the major difference as I see it between Allen and Seaman’s conceptualization and my own. Allen and Seaman focus on where the content delivery happens (online vs. face-to-face). I choose to focus on student activity and class time. A course that does not significantly reduce face-to-face class time but requires some significant online student activity, in my mind, should be considered “web-facilitated.” Blended (or hybrid): Like Allen and Seaman, I use these terms synonymously. Allen and Seaman use a range of 30 – 79% of “content delivered online” as the defining factors for blended and hybrid classrooms. Locally, my institution uses the term “blended” to describe classes that meet no more than 20% in a face-to-face classroom environment. I view a blended or hybrid class as any course that reduces face-to-face class time significantly (more than 25%) but supports that instruction through thoughtful, student-centered online activities and lessons. In a blended course, the face-to-face classes and online interactions should be complementary and coherent and should support student learning. Online: For online classes, Allen and Seaman defines online classes as those courses where 80+% of the course content is delivered online. Here, I take a stricter stance. Students who take an online class have the expectation that there will be NO face-to-face meetings in a physical classroom. How would a student enrolling in an online course from another country be expected to show up for one or two face-to-face classes on campus? They shouldn’t be. I view any class that is delivered and mediated completely through web-based technologies as an online class. I would also argue that online classes that do not involve significant student/student or student/instructor interaction are more “independent studies” than true online classes, but that may be a distinction better saved for another post. Flipped: Flipping creates some confusion since a change in student activity is central to its structure. With its tradition steeped in K-12 classrooms (see Bermann & Sams, 2012), “flipped classrooms” do not reduce the amount of time that students actually meet face-to-face. Flipping is about changing the way that classroom time is used. In a flipped classroom, students learn concepts outside of class by interacting with online videos or texts and then apply the concepts in class through differentiated activities and active learning strategies. The Flipped Learning Network (FLN) goes one step further and distinguishes between a “flipped classroom” and “flipped learning.” For “flipped learning” to occur, the FLN argues that the learning environment must be built upon four critical pillars which describe the way that students and teachers interact to form a larger culture of learning. None of the pillars, however, relate to instruction mediated through web-based technologies or to how much class time is reduced.

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One of evolutionary biology's greatest challenges is deciphering the origins of complex structures. Now, scientists have unraveled the steps in the evolution of the bacterial flagellum, a tiny, whiplike structure used in swimming and host invasion. A new study shows the flagellum is the result of successive duplications of a single gene in the ancestor of today's bacteria, a finding that not only answers an important question about the evolution of complex structures but also provides additional ammunition to counter arguments from evolution's foes. A suite of more than 50 genes builds and operates the flagellum. Several hypotheses address its origins, but none adequately explained at the genetic level how this organelle might have arisen. To find out, evolutionary biologist Howard Ochman and postdoc Renyi Liu of the University of Arizona, Tucson, obtained the complete genomes of 41 flagellated bacteria species and identified 24 flagella-related genes common to all the microbes. In each species, the 24 genes were very similar to each other but not to any other genes in the genome. This finding, coupled with the observation that this complete set of genes exists in all flagella-bearing bacteria, suggests the genes arose by duplication of a single gene in the ancestor of all bacteria, Ochman says. Slight changes in the genes then generated new functions. Each gene is responsible for a different aspect, such as producing the proteins that make up the flagellar motor, filament, and other structural components. In addition, an evolutionary tree constructed by the researchers suggests that the order in which the genes appeared matches the sequence of steps in the assembly of the flagellum. Ochman and Liu report their findings online this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study underscores several important tenets of evolution, says evolutionary biologist Michael Lynch of the University of Indiana in Bloomington. "Complexity builds out of simplicity, and this is a well-documented argument for how that can happen," he says. It also provides a straightforward counterexample to claims from "intelligent design" proponents that the flagellum could not have evolved from a single gene, adds cell biologist Ken Miller of Brown University (ScienceNOW, 18 October 2005). "By testing the hypothesis of common ancestry of the flagellum in so many different species, the researchers clearly show these genes were derived from one another through gene duplication."

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(Phys.org)—We live in a world of extremes, where being fervently for or against an issue often becomes the dominant social ideology – until an opposing belief that is equally extreme emerges to challenge the first one, eventually becoming the new social paradigm. And so the cycle repeats, with one ideological extreme replacing another, and neither delivering a sustainable solution. Political revolutions, economic bubbles, booms and busts in consumer confidence, and short-lived reforms such as Prohibition in the US all follow this kind of cycle. Why, researchers want to know, does a majority of the population not settle on an intermediate position that blends the best of the old and new? "For many political issues, economic policies, ethical questions, and allocations of funding, for example, the middle road or 'golden mean' between extremes has advantages over either extreme," Seth Marvel of the University of Michigan, lead author of a recent study on moderation, told Phys.org. "Furthermore, there are cases – say, with economic policies for instance – where swinging between extremes is costly in itself." In their paper published in Physical Review Letters, Marvel and his coauthors from the US and Korea explain that there are several ways to explain why few people embrace moderation, but here they give a purely mathematical answer using a "model of ideological revolution." The model reveals that successive ideological revolutions take place in an environment that is not conducive to moderate beliefs. Even when the researchers adjust the model to encourage moderation, eventually the moderate population will almost always either fail to sufficiently expand or collapse altogether. The model of ideological revolution begins with a community consisting of four types of individuals: those that currently hold an extreme opinion A, those that hold the opposing extreme opinion B, those that hold neither A nor B (the moderates), and those that hold A indefinitely and never change their minds (the A zealots). To run the model, two individuals are randomly selected to interact with each other, with one randomly chosen to be the speaker and the other the listener. If the speaker is an A or B and the listener is a B or A, respectively, the speaker changes the listener's beliefs to AB. If the listener is an AB, then the listener becomes an A if the speaker is an A, and becomes a B if the speaker is a B. Moderate speakers cannot change a listener's beliefs; only extremists rally others toward their cause. Running this basic model, the researchers found that the proportion of zealots strongly affects the outcome. When zealots are below a critical value, the system remains similar to how it started. But above a critical value, the zealots quickly convert the entire population to A. "Although we didn't mention this explicitly in the paper, a raft of alternatives to our basic model (built from different assumed interactions) all show the same threshold behavior: when the committed believers reach a certain fraction of the community, they are capable of converting everyone to their perspective," Marvel said. "This suggests that a similar threshold may appear in real systems even when those real systems have dynamics somewhat different from our basic model. As the American anthropologist Margaret Mead is claimed to have said, 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.'" The researchers tested seven different strategies for increasing the moderate subpopulation in the model. For example, in one strategy they introduced a "stubbornness parameter" to study the possibility in which moderates are less likely to convert to either of the two radical positions. The basic model has a stubbornness parameter of zero, but increasing the parameter gives the moderates a chance to retain their beliefs after listening to a radical. Although a small value of stubbornness does increase the moderate subpopulation, the researchers were surprised to find that, past a certain threshold, stubbornness drives the moderates to extinction. They explained that this counterintuitive result occurs because increasing the stubbornness of the moderates initially increases the moderate subpopulation while simultaneously depleting both the uncommitted A and B subpopulations. With a smaller B subpopulation, there is less competition from the B's with both A subpopulations for winning over the moderates. As a result, fewer A zealots are required to convert the entire population to A, making the entire population more vulnerable to a zealot takeover. Once again, evangelism proves to be an important force in converting a population. Of the seven strategies the researchers tested, only one could effectively expand the moderate subpopulation – and the strategy was based not on social interaction but on other environmental stimuli, which might take the form of a media campaign in real life. By integrating this new parameter into the model, the number of moderates increased without threat of extinction. "The one successful strategy, nonsocial deradicalization, involves a particularly strong sort of encouragement of moderation; for example, its terms with the new parameter are independent of the size of the moderate population," Marvel said. "Hence, our findings suggest that this strong form of encouragement may be necessary for spreading a balanced perspective in a sustainable way." The researchers note that this strategy should be regarded with caution, given that they have not attempted to show that the model's dynamics accurately represent the real world, with its multiple small-scale ideologies, fragmentation of opinions, and other intricacies. Nevertheless, they hope that this general framework for testing possible strategies that encourage moderation may lead to the discovery of more sophisticated methods. "Our work finds mathematical reasons why many of the most intuitive strategies for encouraging the moderation position, or 'aurea mediocritas,' may be ineffective at doing so," Marvel said. "As we mention in the article, only one out of seven different strategies that we consider succeeds in increasing the size of the moderate fraction without risking its collapse. This may have implications on what sorts of measures should be taken to encourage even-handedness when we want to do so." He added that other features of real-world societies emerge in the model, even though the model is more simplistic than the real world. "As a surprising byproduct of our work, we discover several new features of real networks," Marvel said. "For example, we find that when our model is simulated on these empirical networks, maverick or contrarian individuals emerge at the social fringe. These individuals retain the outdated dogma even after everyone else has converted to the new ideology. We also find that, even though real networks are much 'sparser' than our all-to-all test networks, our models still play out quite similarly on them, indicating that the surprising behavior of our models may extend well to real systems." Explore further: Math journal puts Rauzy fractcal image on the cover More information: Seth A. Marvel, et al. "Encouraging Moderation: Clues from a Simple Model of Ideological Conflict." PRL 109, 118702 (2012). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.118702

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While we all strive to lead healthy and fulfilling lives, we can admit to one thin – stress is part of the process. Regardless of how determined or positive you are, there are those moments that you can’t help but be low. Moreover, a 2018 research on mental health shows that 74% of people experienced stress in the past. Even so, 51 % of stressing adults were depresses and 61% felt anxious. Given the above facts, it’s indisputable that stress and anxiety may be affecting more people today than ever. Moreover, with the increasing demands of day to day life, it is becoming harder to balance social, professional, and personal. These demands tend to put too much pressure on one’s shoulder. For that reason, it is easier to fall than it is to rise up again and regain your mental and psychological strength. But how do you cope with the situation? How do you maintain your positive energy? True, there are several things you can do to maintain a healthy status of mind. These activities range from taking a vacation and changing your environment to working out and eating healthy. That being said, our focus will be on healthy food choices and how they come in handy in improving anxiety and stress levels. A growing body of evidence suggests that the gut profoundly affects anxiety and mental health symptoms. In addition to adequate treatment and therapy, changing what goes on your plate might as well as help regulate you mood. Well, there are a variety of foods you could include in your diet for effective results. These include: - Dark Chocolate Love chocolate? Well, other than enjoying the delicious snack, chocolate is among one of the many ways you can reduce your stress level. Often, our bodies respond differently to stress. One of these response may make use crave for sweet things. Here is where taking a small amount of dark chocolate comes in handy. Evidence shows the profound effects of eating dark chocolate daily. A study by Sunni and Latif found that, daily consumption of dark chocolate tends to modify metabolism, which in turn reduces levels of stress-related hormones – adrenalin, cortisol, and norepinephrine. Besides, growing bodies of research explain how elements such as polyphenols found in chocolate have health benefits. Chocolate has been found to help with heart diseases and development of cancer. But with all these benefits, it’s also important to regulate the amount of chocolate taken per day. Chocolate products also contain sugar and fat that may be detrimental to your health when taken in large quantities. As delicious as they look, cherries have more benefits than you could have known. National Center of Biotechnology Information reveals that besides reducing inflammation and lowering blood pressure, cherries also improve stress levels. Harvard Medical School argues that constant exposure to stress is strongly linked to hormone cortisol. In many cases, people under stress tend to crave for sweet food. When it comes to stress eating, grab a cup of sweet cherries, Cherries come in a variety of flavors and colors – with the colors ranging from yellow to dark red. Regardless of the type you chose, be sure to benefit from the hidden vitamins, fiber, and minerals. One cup of sweet, raw cherries should contain Vitamin C, B Vitamins, copper, manganese, potassium, and 3 grams of fiber. These nutrients alone have immense health benefits, including coping with stress. 3. Blue Berries When do blue berries come on your mind? Of course, we all tend to take berries for a variety of reasons, including reducing belly fat. But perhaps, there is another useful benefit of blue berries. When we’re stressed and anxious, our body may crave vitamin C, and blue berries come in handy to fulfill the craving. Blueberries contain not only vitamin C but also antioxidants, which improve anxiety. A study by Ribeiro on the effects of vitamin C on anxiety linked antioxidants to anxiety reduction and prevention. If anything, taking food rich in vitamin C can be an effective remedy for anxiety and overall metal functioning 4. Chamomile Tea As calm and tranquil as it is, the beautify chamomile flower will help your worry disappear in a snap. When it comes to anxiety and stress, it’s about time you reconsidered the types of leaves you use for your tea. The fact that chamomile tea is prepared from dried flowers makes is a kind of its own. Besides being beneficial to the immune system, the tea has a stellar healing reputation. Chamazulene is a major ingredient in chamomile tea that proves to be beneficial to the body. It contains anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and analgesic properties. Whether suffering from cold or carried away by fatigue, sip a hot cup of chamomile tea, and experience the soothing effects of the tea. Think you need a natural, gentle relaxant? Try chamomile tea and experience its sedative effects As much as it is under-consumed, seafood has cognitive and mood enhancement properties. Foods like salmon, shellfish, sardines, and mackerel have omega-3 fatty acids, which may help reduce Triglycerides. Triglycerides are an important source of energy, and with the right amount, rest assured of improved energy levels. A commonly known mental disorder is depression. Depressive symptoms include but not limited to sadness, loss of interest in life, lethargy, anxiety, and constant worry. That is where omega-3s come in to improve these symptoms. Even more, omega-3 supplements can eventually improve anxiety and depression. Furthermore, an analysis by Wani and his colleagues found EPA, a type of Omega-3, to function as an antidepressant drug. With that in mind, try adding seafood in your diet to improve your energy levels. 6. Kidney Beans What separate kidney beans from other legumes are their folate properties. A steamy cup of beans provide up to 58% of the recommended daily serving. Moreover, a study by Young including patients with depression show that folate deficiency was a major concern. folate deficiency was linked to depressed mood, which means that folate supplements can be beneficial to stress and anxiety. That said; think you’re a lover of legumes? It’s time you gave kidney beans the benefits of the doubt. This wonderful dish will not only make you fuller with a little serving, but also ensure you have adequate folate intake. With the right amount of folate, rest assured of improved serotonin level Rich in B vitamins, Avocado will nourish your body in several ways. Vitamin B6 is handy in making neurotransmitters, including serotonin. As we all know, serotonin is a hormone responsible for our energy levels. Likewise, vitamin B1helps is vital for a fully functioning nervous system, muscles, and heart. The B vitamins found in Avocado, including niacin and riboflavin have a profound effect on the nervous system. Taking these vitamins in the right quantities will gradually reduce your anxiety levels. You can choose to take Avocados as a snack or salad. But in whichever way you go, get ready to enjoy the stress-relieving effects of B vitamin 8. Milk and Plain Yogurt Consider yourself lucky is you’re lactose tolerant. Yogurt is a great drink to include in your diet. And if you experience anxiety attacks or get stressed occasionally, yogurt might be one of the solutions you need to get going. Moreover, a study in New York found that consuming probiotic-rich yogurt twice a day for a month could help improve anxiety and stress. Probiotic foods inhibit free radicals and neurotoxins, which may damage nerve tissue in the brain, thereby leading to anxiety. Likewise, another research by UCLA’s School of Medicine in the US found that anxious individuals were able to cope with emotional pain better by consuming probiotic yogurt daily. These findings lead us to one thing – some of the content found in yogurt has the ability to change how a brain responds to the surrounding environment. 9. Whole bread Another source of relief from mental fatigue is whole bread. Rich of whole grains, whole brain contains magnesium and tryptophan properties that are useful in improving or preventing anxiety. According to studies, stress levels are highly associated with the level of magnesium in the body. Likewise, whole wheat bread contains carbohydrate, which functions to increase serotonin level in the brain. From increased serotonin come improved mood, and so is a positive energy and better outlook towards life. There are a variety of nuts that will go a long way in helping you develop mental strength. From Brazilian nuts to almonds and cashew nuts, experience the health benefits that come with enjoy the delicacies. Brazilian nuts alone are rich in selenium, a component that reduces inflammation, thereby improving mood. And if you are the kind that suffers mood disorders, including anxiety, these nuts are a must have in your shopping list. However, keep in mind the amount of selenium you consume since too much of it can be fatal. National Institute of Health recommends taking up to 400 micrograms of selenium per day, if need be for better results. Otherwise, selenium is a right nutrient for anyone who prefers to report gradual improvements as far as their improving mood. Widely used as a spice, turmeric contains properties that have been proven to improve mental disorders. Curcumin, a major component in turmeric, is an anti-inflammatory compound that helps the body fight foreign elements in the body. Its strong anti-oxidant properties that tend to boost brain drive. Moreover, studies link brain disorders to lower levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a type of growth hormone in the brain. Disorders such as depression and anxiety, including Alzheimer’s disease can, however, improve by digesting curcumin. With that in mind, make sure to include turmeric when preparing your dishes as often as possible. That way, you will not only experience low anxiety levels but also improve your memory. While these foods are ideal for you mental health, you are not limited to what you can take to improve your anxiety levels or depressions. There are lots of foods, with the right properties and nutrients that you could incorporate in your diet for better results. Even so, remembers that there is no miracle in getting the results you want. It takes consistency and a positive mind-set to get to your preferable destination. Moreover, food alone is barely enough to help you grow mentally and emotionally. Try other things such as socializing, exercising and connecting with your innermost self. You can still seek medical advice, including therapy where necessary to maintain your regular functioning. Otherwise, be positive and patient with your progress. It might take a while, but will be worthwhile in the long-run.

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Turrialba is the eastern-most of Costa Rica’s active volcanoes. A series of small explosive eruptions began there in January 2010, the first substantial activity at Turrialba since the 1860s. The 2010 explosions were presaged by the opening of small gas vents (fumaroles) beginning in 2006. A new vent, located on the southeastern flank of the volcano’s West Crater, opened on January 12, 2012. According to the Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica, the new vent exhibited “a vigorous output of bluish gas at high temperature (T > 592°C) that generated a jet-like sound audible from the visitor lookout.” Activity since 2010 had been confined to a larger vent on the southwest flank of the West Crater, which continues to be the major source of emissions. This image was acquired on January 21, 2012, by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Reflection and Emission Radiometer (ASTER) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite. The false-color image is a combination of near infrared, red, and green light. Healthy vegetation is bright red, while vegetation damaged by years of acidic gas emissions is brown. Bare ground in the summit craters is brown or gray. The rock is very weak at the summit of Turrialba due to the intense rains of the region and the persistent hydrothermal activity at the summit. This means that new vents can open at the summit when pressure in the conduit is high enough to make its way through the weakened rock. The activity of January 12 was a pressure release at the summit through the hydrothermally-altered “rotten rock,” not a magmatic or phreatic (steam-driven) eruption. NASA Earth Observatory Image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using data from the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. Caption by Erik Klemetti (Denison University & the Eruptions blog) and Robert Simmon.

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A few inventors have utilized changeable mouthpiece lengths. I describe a simple way to shape (1) brass-wind mouthpieces in which the length of each mouthpiece body is inversely-related to the volumetric size of a corresponding cup-chamber, (2) multiple sets of inversely-proportioned mouthpieces for each kind of brass wind instrument, (3) inversely-proportioned mouthpieces that are fabricated with divisible sections, and (4) inversely-proportioned mouthpieces that incorporate new uses for older methods of adjusting various regions of mouthpieces. By conducting research into the acoustic behavior of brass-wind mouthpieces, I have discovered a new acoustic principle for defining their shape. Since the early 20Century, interchangeability of brass-wind mouthpieces has been greatly facilitated by two design practices. Pages 20–22 of the “Embouchure and Mouthpiece Manual” by Vincent Bach, in calendar year 1956, show general standards for overall length and end-taper size that have been adopted by most manufacturers of modern brass-wind mouthpieces. Mouthpieces with large cup-chambers produce a more mellow timbre whereas shallow-cupped mouthpieces produce more brilliant sounds. Methods for constructing separate sets of such mouthpieces for each kind of brass wind instrument are disclosed. Other embodiments include variations like multi-section components and alternative backbore shapes.1. A further object is to describe how alternative methods create similar sets of inversely-proportioned mouthpieces. A still further object is to adapt useful features from prior-art like adjustable components and divisible mouthpiece sections for new uses. A set of mouthpieces for a predetermined kind of brass-wind instrument, wherein individual members of said set thereof each include, respectively, contiguously conjoined elements of a rim, a cup-chamber, a backbore-chamber, and an external end-taper, and wherein the combined improvement within said set of mouthpieces comprises a set of at least three of said individual members for said predetermined kind of brass wind instrument each having a different length and a different volumetric cup-chamber connecting to a smaller diameter center-bore, such that a first of said members has a shorter length and a larger volumetric cup-chamber size relative to a second of said members having a longer length and a smaller volumetric cup-chamber size thereby defining a relative inversely-proportioned relationship between said length and cup size chamber for each said member within said set, and wherein said individual members each having said external end-taper of substantially equal size configured to fit said predetermined kind of brass wind instrument whereby changes in timbre of sound are strongly achieved through said set as a function of said different mouthpiece lengths and cup-chamber depths for the predetermined kind of brass-wind instrument and provides a visual cue through said different lengths aiding selection of one of said set to meet performance requirements for a particular style of music., wherein each mouthpiece has divided parts selected from a group of rim parts, cup-chamber parts, backbore parts, tops parts and bottom parts, said parts having means for fastening at least one of each said parts together to provide each said mouthpiece., wherein each mouthpiece has a substantially similar internal volumetric size, wherein internal volumetric size equates substantially to said volumetric cup-chamber size combined with said volumetric backbore-chamber size thereby providing constancy of internal volume and improved intonation qualities of said mouthpieces within said set., wherein each mouthpiece has a substantially similar fundamental frequency of resonance when each mouthpiece body is closed shut where said cup-chamber adjoins said rim, thereby providing improved intonation qualities of each mouthpiece within said set. Mouthpieces for brass wind instruments have been produced for thousands of years. Mouthpieces for brass wind musical instruments are shaped so the physical length of a mouthpiece body (40, 50, 60, 70, & 80) is inversely-proportional to the volumetric size of a corresponding cup-chamber (42, 52, 62, 72, & 82).

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The reading of tea leaves won’t provide more reliable predictions if the reader simply brews more cups of tea, so as to peruse more and more leaves. A similar problem can arise in other pursuits, even genomics analysis. Granted, tasseography is far from genomics, but one may still encounter narrative bias, the tendency to find meaning where none is to be found, when one is trying to perceive mutation-disease patterns against a noisy sequencing background. Simply analyzing more data may not be a solution. To find ways to suppress narrative bias, leading genomics researchers participated in a workshop convened by the National Human Genome Research Institute. The workshop, entitled “Implicating Sequence Variants in Human Disease,” took place September 12–13, 2012. Afterwards, many of the workshops participants continued working together. Ultimately, they produced an article, which was published April 23 in Nature, outlining how researchers and clinicians may ensure the quality of genomics data and avoid false assignments of pathogenicity, particularly in investigations of rare genetic variants, or changes detected in a person's genome. The article, entitled “Guidelines for investigating causality of sequence variants in human disease,” examines how the flood of genome sequence data can be handled. In particular, it explains how analysts can go about confidently distinguishing between variants that seem likely to contribute disease and variants that don’t (so far as anyone is currently aware). Recommendations in the article focus on several key areas, such as study design, gene- and variant-level implication, databases, and implications for diagnosis. “Several of us had noticed that studies were coming out with wrong conclusions about the relationship between a specific sequence and disease, and we were extremely concerned that this would translate into inappropriate clinical decisions,” said Chris Gunter, Ph.D., one of the article’s 27 authors and associate director of research at Marcus Autism Center and associate professor of pediatrics at Emory. Potentially, based on flawed results, physicians could order additional testing or treatments that are not truly supported by a link between a genetic variant and disease. “This paper,” added Dr. Gunter, “could help prevent such inappropriate decisions.” The group of 27 researchers proposed two steps for claiming that a genetic variation causes disease: Detailed statistical analysis. An assessment of evidence from all sources supporting a role for the variant in that specific disease or condition. In addition, the authors highlight priorities for research and infrastructure development, including added incentives for researchers to share genetic and clinical data. One case cited in the paper relates to autism. Researchers found four independent variations in a gene called TTN when they compared genomes between individuals with and without autism. However, the TTN gene encodes a muscle protein (titin) that is the largest known; variations are simply more likely to be found within its boundaries compared to those of other genes. Without applying the proper statistical corrections, researchers may have falsely concluded that TTN was worthy of further investigation in autism studies. The authors note that many DNA variants “may suggest a potentially convincing story about how the variant may influence the trait,” but few will actually have causal effects. Thus, using evidence-based guidelines such as the ones in the Nature paper will be crucial. “We believe that these guidelines will be particularly useful to scientists and clinicians in other areas who want to do human genomic studies, and need a defined starting point for investigating genetic effects,” Dr. Gunter concluded.

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Planting Daffodil Bulbs While not the first bulb to bloom, the Daffodil is the quintessential flower of spring. Representing the sun itself, its cheery stature and bright clear color announces the beginning of spring and the symphony of color on its way. Daffodils, also known by narcissus and jonquil, are one of the easiest bulbs to grow. Like all bulbs, they need well-drained soil, and a winter freeze (If in zones 8+, see our guide for forcing bulbs). Full sun or even light shade will do; daffodils are one of the most resilient and hardy of all bulbs. The act of planting Daffodil bulbs in the fall is an act of hope and patience. It reminds us of the transformative power of nature. While much of the natural world seems to sleep through winter in dormancy, flower bulbs are storehouses of nutrients that send out roots during winter and nurture new life within. Where to Plant Daffodil Bulbs Daffodils like sun or part sun and need well-drained soil. Hillsides are great and for naturalizing - any sunny area you don’t have to mow will do well. They are lovely peeking up through ground covers and can give a perennial bed spring color before the perennials start to grow. Daffodils can grow well beneath leafy trees as they will finish blooming before the trees have leafed out. They do not do well under evergreens. Planting Daffodil Bulbs Daffodils like a well-drained enriched garden soil. It’s best to dig deeper than the required depth and enrich the soil with compost and Yum Yum Mix or other amendments. Another great tool to have handy is the Bulb Auger (LINK). Attach it to a drill and bulb planting is even easier! Plant six weeks before you expect frost. Plant the larger bulbs 3 times deeper than the bulb’s height (this is the general rule for all large bulbs). A typical garden daffodil bulb is 2-3 inches in height, so you would plant bulb at least 6-9 inches below the soil. Pointed side up! Roots side down! Cover with soil, water well, and you are on your way to spring flowers. Continue to water if needed until winter moisture arrives. Advantages Of Planting Daffodils Two important pluses to planting daffodil bulbs: deer and squirrels don’t like them, and many varieties naturalize when happy. A bulb that naturalizes is a bulb that returns and multiplies every year. Like interest on a bank account, bulb dividends will spread informally through your garden, paying you back in flowers for years to come. There are many varieties of daffodils with bloom times from early to late spring. Be sure to choose a selection of bloom times to keep you in flowers all spring long – or make life simple and choose a collection of bulbs that span the season, such as High Country Garden’s 60 Days of Daffodils. Daffodils originated in the meadows and woods of the Iberian peninsula, in what is now Spain and Portugal. They have been cultivated for many centuries and were well known and cultivated in Europe in the 16th century. Did you know? Spring bulb blooms provide honeybees and other pollinators an early spring food source. Choosing The Right Daffodil Bulbs Daffodils vary greatly in look, height, color, and flower. Here are three simple categories we use to make finding the perfect daffodils for your yard easy. There are many varieties that are sweetly fragrant. (If you’re looking for fragrance, be sure to search our filters for “fragrant flowers” under Advantages.) 60 Days of Daffodils Narcissus Mix of many different daffodil varieties that will bloom in your garden for 60 days, from early to late spring!...Learn More New Baby Daffodil bulbs are a sweetly fragrant miniature Daffodil (Narcissus), that grows easily, forming compact drifts in the garden. White petals edged with yellow surround a deep...Learn More Tete-a-Tete Miniature Daffodil (Narcissus Tete-a-Tete) is a perky little heirloom daffodil that has fragrant buttercup-yellow petals and yellow-orange cups. With 2 to 3 flowers per s...Learn MoreTete-a-Tete Miniature Daffodil Narcissus Tete-a-TeteRegular Price $15.99 Sale $11.99Per Bag of 25You save: 25% Primeur Daffodils (Narcissus) are one of the latest blooming yellow-flowered trumpet daffodils, blooming in mid-spring. Ideal for areas with late frosts, Primeur Daffodils are heavy ...Learn More About Garden/Trumpet Daffodils Garden Daffodils (also known as Trumpet or Large-Cupped) The most stately group of daffodils, they are the type we most frequently think of when we think ‘daffodil’. Taller and larger flowered than other types, the High Country Gardens selections are chosen for their improved garden performance, sturdy wind and snow resistant stems, and interesting colors. About Wildflower Daffodils Wildflower Daffodils are some of my favorites. The High Country Gardens selections are non-hybridized heirloom flowers. They will naturalize (multiply) readily and can create beautiful drifts of flowers when happy. These flowers are shorter than the Garden types and are usually about 6 – 14 inches tall. Plant the bulbs at a depth of 3 inches (see details under Planting, below). About Miniature Daffodils Miniature Daffodils are the minis of the daffodil world. Often just six inches tall, they pack a colorful punch of color. They will also naturalize well and form colonies of flowers. They are lovely planted around borders and amongst perennials. Plant the bulbs at a depth of 3 inches (see details under Planting, below). Daffodil Bulb Care In Spring When spring flowers arrive, enjoy them in the garden or as cut flowers. After flowering, the bulbs start to store energy for next year’s flowers. For this reason, it is important to let the flower die back naturally. Once it is yellowed it’s okay to cut it back. Some gardeners like to dig their bulbs at this point to move them to a different spot come fall. Or, simply leave them in the ground to return the next year. If you do dig your bulbs, wash them and allow to dry very thoroughly (1 week or so). Place them in burlap sacks and store in a cool, well ventilated place until fall planting time. Planting daffodil bulbs in the fall has become a yearly ritual in many families; one that evolves with the years, but always gives back abundantly come spring. By Katrina Godshalk. © All articles are copyrighted by High Country Gardens. Republishing an entire High Country Gardens blog post or article is prohibited without written permission. Please feel free to share a short excerpt with a link back to the article on social media websites, such as Facebook and Pinterest. Perhaps A.A. Milne says it best… She wore her yellow sun-bonnet, She wore her greenest gown; She turned to the south wind And curtsied up and down. She turned to the sunlight And shook her yellow head, And whispered to her neighbor: “Winter is dead.” –A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young

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Campaigners say phone technology for deaf people is falling behind Deaf campaigners fighting for equal access to the telephone are lobbying MPs at a reception in Parliament. Consortium group TAG said deaf people were being held back in their jobs and lives because phone technology was no longer easily available or affordable. Chairman Ruth Myers said it was vital services keep pace with technology. Deaf people can communicate using phone systems which either turn speech into text and vice versa or use sign language interpreters via video link. Another system called captioned telephony, which uses speech recognition technology to convert an operator’s voice into text, closed in December for funding reasons. Ms Myers said: "No-one can participate fully in today’s fast-moving society without easy and affordable access to the telephone. DEAF TELEPHONE SERVICES Text relay - allows deaf people to type a message an operator reads out on their behalf Video relay - employs webcams to allow people to use sign language to communicate via an operator Captioned telephony - uses speech recognition software to convert a relay operator's voice into text that can be read by a deaf caller "Much better access has been shown to be within grasp, but most of the services that deliver it have folded because they are too expensive for deaf individuals." TAG's reception for MPs is being held at Portcullis House under its campaign Bringing Deaf Telecoms into the 21st Century. The group represents all the main UK deaf organisations concerned with telecoms and broadcasting. Alan Goldsmith, a European quality manager for a global chemical company, used captioned telephony in the UK until the service closed. He told BBC News: "About five years ago, I learned about captioned telephony and it far exceeded my expectations. "Not only could I assess emotions in the call, I could also participate in conference calls - something I could not do previously with the old-style relay service. “All my European work colleagues contacting me by phone thought my hearing had returned! “To say I miss captioned telephony is an understatement -I'm convinced it has helped my career progress.” Malcolm Bruce MP - the chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Deafness - is hosting the reception. He said: “Four decades after telephones became commonplace in British households, many deaf people still struggle to use the telephone network and some cannot use it at all. “Deaf people are bereft of key telephone services that could help them gain social, educational and professional equality with the rest of society. “Modernised phone relay systems can dramatically improve their telecommunications, but the powers that be are dragging their feet in ensuring they are available and affordable. "This is an increasing and unintended form of discrimination that must be rectified."

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Firms that responded to the 2002 Survey of Business Owners (SBO) have provided data on the selected economic and demographic characteristics of an estimated 16.7 million businesses or 72.6 percent of the nation's 23 million nonfarm firms. More than 12.5 million of these businesses (75.5 percent) were owner-operated with no paid employees. The Characteristics of Businesses: 2002 is the only report in the 2002 SBO publication series with selected economic and demographic characteristics of U.S. firms. Data aggregates are presented by gender, Hispanic or Latino origin, and race for the U.S. by 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), employment size, and receipts size of firm. Additional statistics for both employer and nonemployer respondent firms are provided for the following: The data in this report were compiled by combining data collected on businesses and business owners in the 2002 SBO with data collected by the main economic census and administrative records. Included are businesses that filed 2002 tax forms as individual proprietorships, partnerships, or any type of corporation, and with receipts of $1,000 or more. Firms were asked to report information about the characteristics of up to three individuals with the largest share of ownership; additional owners were not surveyed regarding characteristics. Business ownership is based on the characteristics of the owners that possessed 51 percent or more of the stock or equity in the business and is categorized by: Businesses could also be placed in the category of "Publicly held or other firms whose owners' characteristics are indeterminate." The data are not directly comparable to earlier surveys (see details in the section below on Data Comparability to Prior Surveys). Table A [xls, 24K] shows a comparison of business ownership for SBO respondent firms to all U.S. firms by detailed group and for publicly held and other firms whose ownership characteristics are indeterminate. Table B [xls, 24K] shows the gender distribution by Hispanic or Latino origin and race of all SBO respondent firms, employer respondent firms, and nonemployer respondent firms. Detail may not add to total because a Hispanic or Latino firm may be of any race. Moreover, each owner had the option of selecting more than one race and therefore a business may be included in more than one racial group. Overall, approximately half of the 16.7 million SBO respondent firms were home-based in 2002. The percentage of firms operating from somebody's home in 2002 varied by kind of business, employer status, and size of firm. Four industries accounted for the largest share of home-based businesses: professional, scientific, and technical services (19 percent); construction (16 percent); retail trade (11 percent); and other services, such as personal services, and repair and maintenance (10 percent). Fifty-eight percent of businesses with no paid employees were home-based compared to 22 percent of firms with paid employees. Table C [xls, 26K] shows that 64.7 percent of businesses with receipts of less than $5,000 were home-based compared to only 5.8 percent of firms with receipts of $1,000,000 or more. Among businesses owned by minorities and women, 56 percent of both American Indian- and Alaska Native-owned firms and women-owned firms, 53 percent of both Black-owned firms and Native Hawaiian- and Other Pacific Islander-owned firms, and 45 percent of Hispanic-owned firms reported that they were home-based. In contrast, two out of every three Asian-owned firms reported that they conducted business from nonresidential locations. Table D [xls, 23K] shows that female-owned respondent firms (56.1 percent) and equally male-/female-owned respondent firms (54.0 percent) were more likely to be home-based than male-owned respondent firms (47.1 percent). Twenty-nine percent of all respondent firms with 1 to 4 employees operated as home-based firms in 2002. Home-based business rates declined sharply as the firm employment size increased. Table E [xls, 21K] shows a comparison of home-based respondent firms by employment size of firm, Hispanic or Latino origin, and race. Table F [xls, 20K] shows the percent of all respondent firms, female-, male-, and equally male-/female-owned respondent firms by employment size of firm which were home-based in 2002. Franchised businesses were 3.7 percent of all employer respondent firms, and the rate increases as the firm employment size increases. Accommodation and food service employer firms were most often franchised (16.2 percent), followed by employer firms in management of companies and enterprises (8.6 percent), and retail trade (7.1 percent). More than 6-in-10 of the nation's businesses reported using money or assets of their own or from their families to start or acquire the business. A higher percentage of businesses with paid employees (77.3 percent) than businesses with no paid employees (59.2 percent) were self-financed. Four industries, shown in Table G [xls, 24K], account for the largest percentage of these self-made firms: accommodation and food services (79 percent); manufacturing (78 percent); wholesale trade (74 percent); and retail trade (72 percent). Nine percent of businesses, both employer firms and nonemployer firms, used a personal or business credit card to finance the start-up or acquisition of their business. Over 11 percent of all businesses, 22 percent of employer businesses, and 8 percent of nonemployer businesses secured a loan from a bank. Nearly 28 percent of all businesses, 12 percent of employers, and 33 percent of nonemployers started or acquired their business with no capital at all. Table H [xls, 25K] shows that among firms owned by minorities, 61.4 percent of Asian-owned firms used their personal or family savings to finance start-up or acquisition of their business, while 10.3 percent of Native Hawaiian- and Other Pacific Islander-owned firms used personal or family assets, and 12.7 percent used a personal or business credit card. Table I [xls, 23K] shows that women-owned businesses were more likely than male-owned firms to use a personal or business credit card to finance start-up (9.2 percent and 8.3 percent, respectively) and less likely to use money of their own or from their families (48.2 percent and 56.2 percent, respectively). Table J [xls, 24K] shows that among businesses requiring capital to finance expansion or make capital improvements, 25.5 percent used personal/family savings, 11.4 percent used a personal or business credit card, and 9.2 percent used a business loan from a bank. The industries in which the largest percentages of businesses used their own money or assets for expansion capital were forestry, fishing and hunting, and agricultural support services (37.3 percent); arts, entertainment, and recreation (36.0 percent); information (33.3 percent); and construction (32.7 percent). Almost half of respondent firms reported that household consumers and individuals accounted for 10 percent or more of their total sales in 2002, as shown in Table K [xls, 24K]. Thirty-two percent reported sales to other businesses and organizations; 5 percent to state and local governments; and 2 percent reported that 10 percent or more of their total sales were to the federal government. More than three-quarters of respondent firms operating in retail trade reported that household consumers and individuals accounted for 10 percent or more of their total sales. Seventeen percent of respondent firms providing educational services reported that state and local governments accounted for 10 percent or more of their total sales. Only 1.4 percent of all respondent firms reported that 10 percent or more of their sales were from exports. The percent of businesses that export increases as the firm employment size increases (2 percent of firms with between 10 and 19 employees, compared to 5 percent of firms with 500 employees or more). Over 8 percent of retail trade employer businesses reported that 10 percent or more of their sales in 2002 were from exports, followed by 6.5 percent of manufacturing firms, and 5.2 percent of businesses engaged in transportation and warehousing. Thirty-four percent of employer firms (60 percent of those in the construction industry) reported using contractors, subcontractors, independent contractors and/or outside consultants to supplement their workforce Table L [xls, 23K]. Eleven percent of construction employer firms used paid day laborers; 8.5 percent used temporary staffing from a leasing service or a professional employer organization; and 2.2 percent leased employees from a leasing service or a professional employer organization. Nearly 17 percent of manufacturing employer firms and nearly 12 percent of wholesale trade employer firms reported using temporary staffing from a temporary help service. Nearly 21 percent of employer respondent firms reported that their business was established, purchased, or acquired between 1990 and 1996, compared to almost 18 percent of all respondent firms, and nearly 17 percent of nonemployer respondent firms. In 2002, 17.3 percent of firms reported that the business was started within the previous two years. Nearly 17 percent of sole proprietorships with no paid employees operated less than 12 months; 9.2 percent reported their business as a hobby which generated income; and 29.0 percent operated a business to supplement their income. Forty-two percent of owner-operated firms with no paid employees and revenues of less than $5,000 operated their business to supplement their income, compared to 7.0 percent of those with revenues of $1,000,000 or more. The kind-of-business data from the 2002 CB/CBO are not comparable to the 1992 CBO data due to the transition from the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system to the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Additional changes affecting data comparability are discussed in detail in Methodology, in the section titled "Comparability of the 2002 CB/CBO and 1992 CBO Data."

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Today’s world belongs to the computer age (IT). From school age a lot of students handle computers easily. They know many functions. Students are getting smarter so teachers have to change with essential skills to become good teachers. By adopting good teaching skills, every teacher can make a difference in their little way. The art of teaching is not just about having immense knowledge in your area of expertise, but also about possessing certain personal skills that inspire and influence the lives of students. You are now not only an effective teacher but also extremely successful at your job. - First Work on yourself The Teacher should develop critical thinking by practicing self awareness at all times. Understand your biases, preferences, strength & weakness to better understand your own thought process, and try to evaluate situations objectively before making decisions or taking actions. - Approach towards students The teacher should be able to be calm in all situations while maintaining a balanced approach toward different students’ personalities, impulsive behaviour and monitoring them consciously with an open mind and not judgementally. - Communication skill Teachers must have remarkable communication abilities. They must be able to interact with people of all ages, including colleagues, pupils, parents and managers. Educators should effectively deliver information, understand the different points of view from other people and explain the rationale for the choices they make in regard to their teaching. - Creative thinking abilities People learn best when they’re doing something fun and interesting. It’s up to you to be creative in your approach, finding novel and enjoyable ways for your students to learn. -Take up an artistic hobby, like painting, music or drama. -Get used to sharing ideas and brainstorming when you have a problem – it’s a skill that will help you connect with your colleagues in future and come up with more creative solutions. - Time management skill Being a teacher requires excellent time management skills. You not only have to arrive at work before your students do, but you also need to allocate time after class to review and grade homework and plan your lessons. That said you’ll also need to schedule in personal time where you can relax and do something for yourself. - Emotional & Physical Health A teacher candidate must successfully navigate through the emotional and physical expectations of a school day related to practical experiences and demonstrate attendance and participation as required and/or negotiated in College and field settings. - Language Skills A teacher candidate must demonstrate proficiency in the language of instruction (oral and written). Thinking of new ideas for your lessons can be easier when using tools that enhance creativity. You can boost your student’s imagination such as PMI (plus, minus, interesting). After you gather different ideas, evaluate them individually by considering their pluses, minuses and interesting points. After that it will be easier for you to decide which idea is the best one. - Key Takeaways To be an effective teacher, you should be able to motivate and support students so that they are well-equipped to deal with any challenges life throws at them both academically and otherwise. With all the above skills in place, you will invariably take on the title of an effective teacher who inspires students in more ways than one. Successful teachers know the diverse needs and backgrounds of the students. They constantly remind their students about their equal foothold in the world by creating a classroom environment where each student feels valued, heard, and loved. It creates a sense of belonging among the students. These were just some crucial skills required by the teachers. Teaching is a highly specialized profession, and to get ahead in that, teachers need these sets of special skills. How far the teachers can aid student learning in this specialized job completely depends upon what choices they make. To know more… Visit Our Site:- www.myclassadmin.com Contact Us:- [email protected] Call Us On:- +91-9503273330 Click Button – Schedule a Free Demo

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Did You Know: Impact Craters There are nearly 200 confirmed impact craters on Earth's surface. Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute’s Office of Public Outreach in collaboration with the NASA Earth Observatory (https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/). Story adapted from Image of the Day post by Robert Simmon: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/39769/fresh-craters-on-the-moon-and-earth - Image of Terrestrial impact craters: Earth Impact Database, PASSC, University of New Brunswick; Google Earth: SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBCO, Landsat/Copernicus - Image of Barringer Crater: National Map Seamless Server, USGS - Image of Lonar Crater: Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, Terra satellite - Image of Tenoumer Crater: Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, Terra satellite - Image of Tin Bider Crater: Advanced Land Imager, Earth Observing-1 satellite - Image of Aorounga Crater: Expedition 20 Crew, International Space Station - Image of Shoemaker (Teague) Impact Structure: Expedition 28 Crew, International Space Station - Written by Margaret Carruthers Text, Did You Know? Impact Craters In an animation, the Earth turns. Text, There are nearly 200 confirmed impact craters on Earth's surface. Impact craters form when meteorites - rocks from space - strike Earth's surface and explode. Simple Crater, Some impact craters are relatively small, young, and fresh, with simple bowl-like shapes. Barringer Crater (Meteor Crater), Arizona, 50,000 years old. Lonar Crater, India, 35,000 - 50,000 years old Tenoumer Crater, Mauritania, 20,000 - 1.6 million years old Complex Crater. Others are larger, older, buried, and more eroded, with more complex structures. Tin Bider Crater, Algeria, 70 million years old Aorounga Crater, Chad, 350 milion years old Shoemaker (Teague) Impact Structure, Western Australia, 1.6 billion years old

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