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How to Be an Opera Singer: Career Guide
Research the requirements to become an opera singer. Learn about the job description and duties, and read the step-by-step process to start a career as an opera singer.
Opera Singer Requirements
Opera singers | How to Be an Opera Singer: Career Guide
Research the requirements to become an opera singer. Learn about the job description and duties, and read the step-by-step process to start a career as an opera singer.
Opera Singer Requirements
Opera singers are professionals who undergo extensive training both within academia and outside of music school programs. Much like other performers, opera singers audition to become employed. Aspiring opera singers receive musical training all through their lives, including at the bachelor's and master's degree levels and via apprenticeship programs. The following table shows typical requirements for musicians and singers, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
|Degree Level||Bachelor's degree is usually required|
|Degree Field||Music performance or theory|
|Experience||Performance experience is helpful|
|Key Skills||Musical talent, discipline and perseverance|
|Additional Requirements||Physical stamina|
Step 1: Strengthen Singing and Acting Skills
Becoming an opera singer involves a long career path; it takes years to properly develop a voice. Students could begin by taking voice lessons early in school. Aside from having a well-trained voice, it's important for opera singers to have acting abilities. Becoming involved in community and school productions can be a good starting point for developing both vocal abilities and acting skills. Opera singers will need to continually work on their technique, which will help prepare them for auditions.
- Develop good people skills. Opera singers interact with numerous people, including conductors, music producers and musicians. Good interpersonal skills can help a prospective opera singer form good working relationships.
- Prepare an audition piece for college admission. Being accepted into music school typically involves a pre-screening process and then an audition. Music schools specify the necessary types of vocal works needed for the audition process. The audition may be a video recording, a live audition or a CD/cassette tape submission. Regardless of the submission method, schools typically want students to memorize an aria or art song in several languages.
Step 2: Earn a Bachelor's Degree in Music
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that opera and classical singers need a minimum of a bachelor's degree. Common majors include music, music performance or music theory. These 4-year programs cover topics such as vocal performance and development, music history, chorus, acting, diction and ear training. Piano is typically included in the required content, too. Opera majors usually must give a solo performance prior to graduation.
- Learn additional languages. Operas are traditionally written in languages other than English, such as Italian, French, German or Russian. Having a general understanding of these languages may be a requirement for working as an opera singer. Bachelor's degree programs often include language studies as part of the curriculum.
- Take advantage of student productions. Most music schools have a series of musical theater productions or fully-staged operas. Opera students can hone their singing and solo performance skills through these outlets.
Step 3: Consider an Advanced Degree
A Master of Music program offers students individual vocal classes. In addition to advanced vocal development, graduate programs begin to groom students for working in the professional world, including audition, vocal coaching and rehearsal preparation. Coursework might include opera staging, acting, history and diction. Graduate programs also provide many opportunities for performance within the music school.
Step 4: Apprentice at an Opera House
Opera houses offer apprenticeship programs for aspiring opera singers who are still completing their degree programs and those who've already graduated. Apprenticeship programs are season-long. Accepted singers are provided with intensive training and performance opportunities, including participating in productions. Apprenticeship programs also provide aspiring opera singers with experience and exposure for further advancement in the field.
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Can you name the common pythagorean triples?
- Answers do not have to be guessed in order
- Note: A pythagorean triple is a set of numbers in which the square of the longer side adds up to the squares of the | Can you name the common pythagorean triples?
- Answers do not have to be guessed in order
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New insights into the causes of autism spectrum disorders (Autism, Asperger’s, ADHD, Dyslexia, OCD) have been published. The fact that autism affects 1 in 88 children is broadly accepted now; some label it | New insights into the causes of autism spectrum disorders (Autism, Asperger’s, ADHD, Dyslexia, OCD) have been published. The fact that autism affects 1 in 88 children is broadly accepted now; some label it an epidemic.
The breaking news is that it has been scientifically proven that children presenting with these disorders have connectivity problems in their brains. The most recent research came out of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on February 17, 2012.
The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, found that “the brains of children who developed autism were markedly different even prior to the onset of behavioral symptoms of autism,” according to Sarah Paterson, director of the Infant Neuroimaging Lab at CHOP’s Center for Autism Research.
Their news corroborates findings in London’s “Current Biology” that state different brain responses exist between high and low-risk babies for developing autism. Brain activity and development, now measurable as early as six months, opens up the possibility of diagnosing autism significantly earlier without having to wait for behavioral indicators, according to the director.
What this means is that early detection and intervention is right around the corner for the growing number of infants at risk for the discovery of autism. These developments come on the recent 21st century heels of earlier assertions that autism spectrum disorders, such as ADHD and dyslexia, are tied to brain connectivity issues, as well.
Both independently and collaboratively, scientific studies support the theory that the brain’s activity holds the secrets to unlocking the Pandora’s Box of children’s learning disorders.
Where do we go with these findings? “My son is doing badly in school.” “My grandchild can’t communicate with me.” “It breaks my heart that my child has difficulty making friends.”
Since the 1990s, doctors agree that the human brain has the ability to grow new connections, and, in fact, that this capability is the basis of all learning. This concept is called neuroplasticity.
Over a decade ago the Brain Balance Achievement Centers were founded on the principle that children with learning and behavioral difficulties have “functional disconnect syndrome,” which refers to disintegrated functioning in the brain in the absence of anatomical damage. In other words, “Something just isn’t right with my child, but all the tests say he’s ‘normal.’” A “disconnect” exists due to one side of the brain being less active than the other.
To correct the evident problem of the child, the first line of attack is to determine which areas of the brain have reduced connectivity. Following a comprehensive evaluation, a program to promote neuroplasticity is designed to facilitate improved function in the brain as a whole: to balance the brain.
Why these brains are under-connected is unresolved, admittedly. But, regardless of the underlying cause, finally, scientists are in agreement that these disconnections exist. At BBC the goal is to determine if children have weak areas, which they are, and then formulate a three-pronged approach, with sensory, cognitive, and nutrition training, to recharge the lower functioning areas to bring them in alignment with the dominant side of their brains.
While researchers consistently explore, discover, and uncover the mysteries of the brain in relation to children on “the spectrum,” the Brain Balance Centers work with children and their families to lead them to unexpected and what had previously seemed to be unattainable improvement.
Vincent G. Kiechlin, DC, DACNB Peak Chiropractic Neurology 601 Ewing Street, Suite B-1 Princeton, New Jersey 08540 Phone: 609-683-0580 Fax: 609-921-2995
A graduate of St. Peter’s College of Jersey City as well as Los Angeles College of Chiropractic and The Carrick Institute for Advanced Study, Dr. Kiechlin has practice chiropractic neurology for over 10 years. He is experienced with children who have learning disabilities and neuro-developmental issues as well as neuro-typical children who experience balance and coordination problems. Dr. Kiechlin is a frequent lecturer and serves as special advisor to the Board of The New Temperament, a psychological assessment model based in interactive neuroscience. |
|University of California, Berkeley|
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|Jepson eFlora: Taxon page
Key to families | Table of families and genera
Indexes to all accepted names and synonyms:
| A | B | | |University of California, Berkeley|
|Directory News Site Map Home|
|Jepson eFlora: Taxon page
Key to families | Table of families and genera
Indexes to all accepted names and synonyms:
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
Annual to tree; generally with stellate hairs, often with bristles or peltate scales; juice generally mucilage-like; bark fibrous. Leaf: generally cauline, alternate, petioled, simple [palmate-compound], generally palmate-lobed and/or veined, generally toothed, evergreen or not; stipules persistent or not. Inflorescence: head, spike, raceme, or panicle, in panicle or not (a compound panicle), or flowers >= 1 in leaf axils, or flowers generally 1 opposite a leaf or on a spur; bracts leaf-like or not; bractlets 0 or on flowering stalks, often closely subtending calyx, generally in involucel. Flower: generally bisexual, radial; sepals 5, generally fused at base, abutting in bud, larger in fruit or not, nectaries as tufts of glandular hairs at base; petals (0)5, free from each other but generally fused at base to, falling with filament tube, clawed or not; stamens 5–many, filaments fused for most of length into tube around style, staminodes 5, alternate stamens, or generally 0; pistil 1, ovary superior, stalked or generally not, chambers generally >= 5, styles or style branches, stigmas generally 1 or 1–2 × chamber number. Fruit: loculicidal capsule, [berry], or 5–many, disk- or wedge-shaped segments (= mericarps).
266 genera, 4025 species: worldwide, especially warm regions; some cultivated (e.g., Abelmoschus okra; Alcea hollyhock; Gossypium cotton; Hibiscus hibiscus). [Angiosperm Phylogeny Group 1998 Ann Missouri Bot Gard 85:531–553] Recently treated to include Bombacaceae, Sterculiaceae, Tiliaceae. Mature fruit needed for identification; "outer edges" are surfaces between sides and back (abaxial surface) of segment. "Flower stalk" used instead of "pedicel", "peduncle", especially where both needed (i.e., when flowers both 1 in leaf axils and otherwise). —Scientific Editors: Steven R. Hill, Thomas J. Rosatti.
Unabridged references: [Alverson et al. 1999 Amer J Bot 86:1474–1486; Bayer et al. 1999 Bot J Linn Soc 129:267–303; Hill 2009 Madroño 56:104–111]
Key to Malvaceae
Annual [perennial herb, shrub], [glabrous or] hairy. Leaf: petioled to subsessile; blade generally unlobed (to palmate-lobed), generally dentate. Inflorescence: flowers 1–several in leaf axils; flowering stalks often jointed; bractlets 0. Flower: pe |
Among the many different filesystems that FreeBSD supports is the Network File System, also known as NFS. NFS allows a system to share directories and files with others over a network. By using NFS, users and programs can access files on remote systems almost | Among the many different filesystems that FreeBSD supports is the Network File System, also known as NFS. NFS allows a system to share directories and files with others over a network. By using NFS, users and programs can access files on remote systems almost as if they were local files.
Some of the most notable benefits that NFS can provide are:
Local workstations use less disk space because commonly used data can be stored on a single machine and still remain accessible to others over the network.
There is no need for users to have separate home directories on every network machine. Home directories could be set up on the NFS server and made available throughout the network.
Storage devices such as floppy disks, CDROM drives, and Zip® drives can be used by other machines on the network. This may reduce the number of removable media drives throughout the network.
NFS consists of at least two main parts: a server and one or more clients. The client remotely accesses the data that is stored on the server machine. In order for this to function properly a few processes have to be configured and running.
Note: Under FreeBSD 4.X, the portmap utility is used in place of the rpcbind utility. Thus |
Don’t look at me; your guess is as good as mine. But I think we all would agree that fluid power is a mature industry that goes through incremental advancements. Digital microprocessors have made huge contributions to automated control, and new component designs | Don’t look at me; your guess is as good as mine. But I think we all would agree that fluid power is a mature industry that goes through incremental advancements. Digital microprocessors have made huge contributions to automated control, and new component designs and manufacturing techniques have advanced the physical capabilities of both hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
In my 25+ years with H&P, I have taken part in several articles and presentations about what the future may hold for fluid power. Most predictions have realized only moderate success, the exception being the integration of electronics with fluid power components. However, the evolution of electrohydraulic and electropneumatic technologies has been going on for decades, so it’s not much of a stretch to predict it will continue.
But what predictions were made that have not yet come to pass? One prediction from the 1980s was that valves would become much simpler. Cylinders would be controlled simply by placing a 3-way valve at its rod- and cap-end ports. Electronic sensors and controls would do the rest, and you’d need a solenoid or other device to actuate the valve.
Another prediction was that electro- or magneto-rheological fluids would eliminate moving parts from valves. The viscosity of these fluids increases when they are subjected to a magnetic field or voltage, so — to some extent — you can control fluid flow without any moving parts. Hasn’t happened.
Others projected that the environmental advantages of water hydraulics would make it the system of the future. Despite its many advantages as a hydraulic fluid, water continues to be used primarily in niche applications.
Many outside our industry prophesied that advancements in electromechanical components would capture a huge portion of fluid power applications. That might’ve been true if fluid power had not advanced over the last 30 years. But evolutionary improvements have boosted performance through smart pumps, smart valves, smart actuators, and even hose. Plus, filtration is light years ahead of where it was 30 years ago to make systems run more reliably and longer.
So even if we don’t see the unbelievable progress that has occurred with phones and computers, the steady stream of advancements in the industry promise to keep fluid power a viable means of power transmission well into the future. |
The research program of Kansas State University’s Dr. Raymond A. Cloyd focuses on discovering and implementing new methods to effectively manage greenhouse insect and mite pests with minimal pesticide inputs. His current research involves, although not limited to, evaluating the following | The research program of Kansas State University’s Dr. Raymond A. Cloyd focuses on discovering and implementing new methods to effectively manage greenhouse insect and mite pests with minimal pesticide inputs. His current research involves, although not limited to, evaluating the following:
■ Compatibility of pesticides including insecticides, miticides and fungicides with biological control agents (natural enemies). This research is designed to assess the lethal (immediate) and sub-lethal (long-term) effects of commercially available insecticides, miticides and fungicides on specific natural enemies. For example, research has shown the miticides bifenazate (Floramite), spiromesifen (Judo) and chlorfenapyr (Pylon) are not harmful to the predatory mite, Neoseiulus californicus; but are toxic to Phytoseiulus persimilis.
■ Impact of tank-mixing pesticides (insecticides, miticides and fungicides) for control of insect and mite pests. This research addresses the issues related to tank-mixing pesticides, such as how pesticide mixtures, including two- and three-way combinations, impact control of arthropod pests.
■ Quality of commercially available biological control agents sold to greenhouse producers. This research has demonstrated that the quality, based on percent survival, of commercially available entomopathogenic nematodes, in this case, the species Steinernema feltiae, can vary depending on the supplier.
■ Effect of silicon applications on the reproduction and development of arthropod pests feeding on horticultural crops. This research involves determining if foliar and/or drench applications of potassium silicate negatively affect the reproduction and development of the citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri and greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum, when feeding on certain plants.
Downy Mildew Management
Mary Hausbeck and Blair Harlan at Michigan State University and Margery Daughtrey at Cornell University are studying management of the new downy mildew (DM) disease on coleus with funding from the American Floral Endowment. Both seed-grown and cutting varieties are under assault by this new Peronospora species. The disease was widespread in the industry in 2006 but many growers did not recognize the problem. The coleus DM has been found to be the same species that is affecting greenhouse crops of basil in Europe. Host range trials in New York have shown that the new DM will also attack agastache hybrids currently in the trade. Environmental regulation may be key.
Spore-trapping studies in Michigan are looking at the how the number of spores in the greenhouse atmosphere correlate with environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity and leaf wetness. Fungicide trials in New York have indicated, SubdueMAXX drenches and sprays of Fenstar and StatureDM to be especially effective |
Term commonly used to describe the United States
and highly emotional victory over the Soviet Union
in ice hockey
in the 1980 Olympic Winter Games
, held in Lake Placid
, New York
. The game had an impact well | Term commonly used to describe the United States
and highly emotional victory over the Soviet Union
in ice hockey
in the 1980 Olympic Winter Games
, held in Lake Placid
, New York
. The game had an impact well beyond purely hockey, as it took place around the height of the Cold War
On February 22, 1980, the American squad, composed of amateur college players and coached by Herb Brooks, upset the highly favored and older Soviets 4-3. The Soviets were professionals (years before the first Soviets played in the NHL) and had soundly beaten other American teams in the past. U.S. captain Mike Eruzione scored the winning goal, breaking a 3-3 tie midway through the third period. As the clock reached zero, ABC's Al Michaels memorably proclaimed "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!", and a wild flag-waving celebration ensued.
What many forget is that the US/USSR game did not actually win the gold medal for the US due to the round robin structure of the medal round. The Americans rallied from behind to beat Finland two days later 4-2 and win the gold medal.
The significance of the game is often debated. It helped spur patriotic feelings in many Americans against the "evil" Soviets, who had invaded Afghanistan.
In addition, it increased interest in hockey in the United States, such that two decades later, the amount of Americans in the NHL has increased dramatically.
It's one of those "where were you when....?" moments, for many people who grew up during that time period (I was only 3, and don't remember the event...) |
A world redrawn
When America showed up on a map, it was the universe that got transformed
NEARLY FIVE CENTURIES ago, the Polish astronomer Nicholas Copernicus went public with one of the most important arguments ever | A world redrawn
When America showed up on a map, it was the universe that got transformed
NEARLY FIVE CENTURIES ago, the Polish astronomer Nicholas Copernicus went public with one of the most important arguments ever made in the history of ideas. The earth did not sit immobile at the center of the universe, he wrote. It revolved around the sun.
It was the mother of all paradigm shifts, dismantling a model of the universe that had been dogma since antiquity. When he published his theory, in “On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres” (1543), Copernicus provided a wealth of data on the movements of celestial bodies in support of his case. But what’s often overlooked is that he began his argument from the ground up, by focusing not on the heavens but the earth. In particular, he began with a geographical revelation, prompted by something he had recently come across on a new map.
Known today as the Waldseemüller map of 1507, it was the first to depict the lands discovered by Columbus and other early explorers as part of a vast and previously unknown continent. Earlier maps had shown the new discoveries only vaguely, as a still-to-be-determined part of Asia, but this new map boldly located them far out in the western ocean, on the other side of the globe from the known world, extending deep into the southern hemisphere. And it gave this place a memorable new name: America.
The story of how a map of the world helped Copernicus to rethink the universe is rarely told. But the connection tells us something important about how great ideas are born. To understand it, we need to recall that medieval scholars didn’t consider geography and astronomy to be distinct disciplines. Instead, they considered them parts of a single field called cosmography - the study of the known world and its place in the cosmos. One of the field’s guiding principles went something like this: Looking down, we see up; looking up, we see down. By carefully studying the earth, cosmographers believed they could learn about the heavens, and by carefully studying the heavens they believed they could learn about the earth. Copernicus himself was a cosmographer, and shared this view.
We remember Copernicus as one of the first great thinkers of the modern scientific era, but he inhabited a profoundly medieval thought-world - a world in which astrology and alchemy commanded as much attention as geography and astronomy. For all its obvious and sometimes laughable shortcomings, the medieval approach to learning was far more integrated than our own, and it allowed Copernicus to think on a truly grand scale. From a cosmic vantage point he looked down, at a map, and what he saw made the skies open up.
WHEN CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS first sailed west from Spain in 1492 in search of the Indies, nobody worried that he would sail off the edge of the earth. Medieval Europeans knew full well that the world was a sphere, and that if you sailed far enough to the west you would arrive in the east.
In that sense, they understood the shape of the world. But when they set their sights beyond the earth, they still relied on a 2,500-year-old model of the universe, one that scholastics during the Middle Ages had made fundamental to Christian theology. According to teachings that dated to Aristotle, the cosmos as a whole consisted of a set of concentric spheres. At the center was the earth, a solid ball of land. Surrounding the earth, successively, were spheres of water, air, and fire; then individual spheres for the moon, the sun, and the planets; and finally, at the outer limits, a single sphere studded with stars, beyond which lay a realm of pure abstraction, or God. Each of these celestial spheres rotated around the earth at its own pace.
This model did a serviceable job of explaining the apparent motions of the heavens, but it had a fundamental problem. If the cosmos did indeed consist of a set of spheres with the earth at its center, then why wasn’t the earth completely submerged in the sphere of water that surrounded it? Why was there any exposed land at all?
European scholars in the late Middle Ages devised a way of explaining this problem away. The earth, they suggested, bobbed slightly off-center in the sphere of water, “like an apple in a basin,” as one writer put it in 1484. How had this happened? God had simply made it so. The Book of Genesis told the story: “And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear.” In practical terms, scholars explained, what God had done in working this miracle was to push the sphere of the earth to one side of the sphere of the water, exposing part of it to the air and creating the contiguous lands that would come to be known as Asia, Europe, and Africa.
Copernicus knew the theory of the off-center earth well from his student days. But he didn’t buy it. Mathematically, geometrically, logically - it just didn’t make sense to him. Anybody could see that the earth’s landmass didn’t gradually and uniformly mount upward from the sea toward a hi |
Below is a list of common medical problems that your child may have.
Not every child with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome will have problems in all of these areas. We will create a special plan and assign a group of doctors to your | Below is a list of common medical problems that your child may have.
Not every child with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome will have problems in all of these areas. We will create a special plan and assign a group of doctors to your family based on your child's specific needs through our 22q Clinic.
All members of the team may need to be involved in the care of a child with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome at different times.
22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome Treatment Options
Ear, nose and throat
If your child has cleft palate, our surgeon will talk with you about repairing the palate. We usually do this when your child is about 1 year old.
Children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome may have frequent ear infections. Your doctor will follow your child's ear health and hearing closely.
Feeding and breathing
Your doctor will pay special attention to your baby's breathing and eating during infancy.
Because of differences in the palate, it may be hard for some babies to breast- and bottle-feed. It will be important to make sure that your baby is gaining weight as they should be. A dietitian may see you in the clinic to review your child's diet.
All newborns should have a hearing screening. This is usually done in the birth hospital or within a few days of birth. If problems are found, more testing will be done.
Children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome sometimes have problems with their heart. Your doctor may decide that your child needs an ultrasound picture of their heart (echocardiogram) to see if there are any problems.
This procedure is very easy and does not require needle pokes or medicine.
Rarely, children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome have kidney problems. But we may recommend that your child have a kidney (renal) ultrasound.
We are looking to make sure that the kidneys were formed normally. If your child has a normal ultrasound, they will not need another kidney ultrasound. This study is very easy and most times takes less than 20 minutes.
Some children may have differences in their hands and feet, such as tapered fingers or extra toes.
Sometimes, children with 22q11.2 have differences in the way that the bones of the neck (cervical spine) fit together. When your child is at least 3 years old, the craniofacial pediatrician will order X-rays of the cervical spine. Doctors must wait until the bones are well formed before they will be able to see any problems.
Your pediatrician may recommend further studies if the X-rays show changes in your child. This study is easy and does not require needle pokes or medicine.
Many children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome have differences in the muscles in the back of the mouth. This can lead to differences in the way they speak (called velopharyngeal insufficiency).
If you or your doctors have concerns about your child's speech, your child will be referred to a speech pathologist.
Good oral hygiene is important for all children, but especially for those with conditions that affect the head and face. You will meet our dentist and/or orthodontist to discuss these issues.
Other health issues
Sometimes, children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome have problems with their infection-fighting cells.
Some children can also have problems with low calcium levels. If your child has not already been tested, we will recommend a blood test to check for these conditions.
Some children with 22q11.2 del |
"Scavenging is very opportunistic," Musiba said. It depends on another animal making the kill, and then abandoning its own dinner. That would suggest that if our ancestors were used to meat, but dependent on others for the kill | "Scavenging is very opportunistic," Musiba said. It depends on another animal making the kill, and then abandoning its own dinner. That would suggest that if our ancestors were used to meat, but dependent on others for the kill, they would probably have faced frequent and severe shortages. So many of the bones discovered in Olduvai Gorge should show vitamin deficiencies.
"We looked for that" in many oth |
- Published on Tuesday, 15 April 2008 17:51
- Written by Bruce Fenwick
Have you ever been in an area of the plant that had just shut down a pump, only to hear an explosive sound a few | - Published on Tuesday, 15 April 2008 17:51
- Written by Bruce Fenwick
Have you ever been in an area of the plant that had just shut down a pump, only to hear an explosive sound a few seconds later? The noise you heard was the pump check valve, accompanied by the water hammer, or reverse flow, that slammed it shut.
Multiple pump systems often use a check valve located between the pump and the discharge header. The purpose of this valve is to prevent backflow from the header to the pump when it is not running. Without the check valve the pump could actually spin backwards.
Depending on the system pressure, these valves can close with such force that they damage the check valve, the pump, and over time even the pump base. Most check valves require reverse flow to close the valve and once this flow momentum has started, it does not stop as quickly as the check valve closes. The result is water hammer, a very destructive force. According to Webster's: Water hammer: a concussion, or sound of concussion, of moving water against the sides of a containing pipe or vessel.
We have seen many plants overcome these laws of physics with the use of an "auto check," also known as a "butterfly check." This concept utilizes a pneumatic-operated butterfly valve, and relatively simple control logic in order to close the valve automatically, prior to shutting down the pump. This action avoids reverse flow, so that the back flow and water hammer never have the chance to develop.
The valves for these applications are typically high-performance butterfly valves with a pneumatic actuator. Accessories include a limit switch and four-way pilot solenoid with two adjustable speed controls. The speed controls restrict the airflow out of the cylinder in both directions, thus regulating the opening and closing speed of the valve.
Control logic for the auto check is simple. When the pump is not pumping, the butterfly valve is closed. When the motor start command is received, either locally or from the PLC, the pump motor is energized. Pressure builds up on the pump side of the auto check valve. A differential pressure switch senses pressure differential between the newly started pump and the header past the auto check. At some predetermined point-such as 1 psi,.5 psi. or.25 psi-the delta p switch makes contact on pressure increase. The switch is sealed in by a relay and energizes the solenoid valve, which opens the butterfly valve smoothly, aided in part by the speed control valves. When the butterfly valve is totally open, a limit switch is tripped and sends a valve-open status to the PLC.
When the motor stop command is received, the pilot solenoid is de-energized and the valve closes at a controlled rate, again aided by the speed controls. When the valve is completely closed the limit switch is tripped, which in turn shuts off the pump motor. This action eliminates water hammer by preventing any back flow from occurring. |
Do you ever find yourself looking for something to do on a rainy day? Try putting on a play for your family and friends.
Here’s a guide to help you create a dazzling drama.
- Put on your director’s hat. The director has | Do you ever find yourself looking for something to do on a rainy day? Try putting on a play for your family and friends.
Here’s a guide to help you create a dazzling drama.
- Put on your director’s hat. The director has the most important job in a play. A director tells the actors where to stand, advises them on how to act and oversees the creation of the set and the selection of costumes. Don’t be too bossy or critical, however.
- Choose a script. Decide whether you want to write your own play or act out your favorite story or fairy tale. Either way, you’ll need to write a script, which tells the actors what to say, where to stand and what to do.
- Cast the play. Decide which person is going to play which character. If you don’t have enough people to fill all the roles, one person can play more than one role. If one of your friends is shy, he or she can be the narrator. The narrator tells the audience what is going on in the play.
- Set the Stage. Think about how the actors will enter and exit the stage. Don’t have all the characters lumped together in one spot. The person who’s talking should appear at the middle of the stage whenever possible. Don’t turn your back to the audience while you’re talking.
- Costumes. The costumes shoul |
Training the brain to reduce pain could be a promising approach for treating phantom limb pain and complex regional pain syndrome, according to an internationally known neuroscience researcher speaking today at the American Pain Society's Annual Scientific Meeting, www.ampainsoc.org.
G | Training the brain to reduce pain could be a promising approach for treating phantom limb pain and complex regional pain syndrome, according to an internationally known neuroscience researcher speaking today at the American Pain Society's Annual Scientific Meeting, www.ampainsoc.org.
G. Lorimer Moseley, PhD, professor of clinical neurosciences at University of South Australia and Neuroscience Research Australia, and head of the Body in Mind research team, www.bodyinmind.org, told the plenary session audience that the brain stores maps of the body that are integrated with neurological systems that survey, regulate, and protect the integrity of the body physically and psychologically. These cortical maps govern movement, sensation and perception, and there is growing evidence, according to Moseley, showing that disruptions of brain maps occur in people with chronic pain. The best evidence is from those with phantom limb pain and complex regional pain syndrome, but there is also data from chronic back pain.
Moseley's research is focused on the role of the brain and mind in chronic and complex pain disorders. Through collaborations with clinicians, scientists and patients, the Body in Mind team is exploring how the brain and its representation of the body change when pain persists, how the mind influences physiological regulation of the body, how the changes in the brain and mind can be normalized with treatment.
"We're learning that chronic pain is associated with disruption of brain maps of the body and of the space around the body. When the brain determines the location of a sensory event, it integrates the location of the event in the body with a map of space. Disruption of these processes might be contributing to the problem," said Moseley. He added that it is possible for the body to be unharmed but the brain will respond by causing pain because it misinterpreted a benign stimulus as an attack. "We want to gradually train the brain to stop trying to protect body tissue that doesn't need protecting." |
National Center for Education Statistics Elementary/Secondary Surveys
Description: NCES surveys and programs related to elementary and secondary education.
The Common Core of Data(CCD)
Description: Annual, national statistical database from the U.S. Dept. of Education | National Center for Education Statistics Elementary/Secondary Surveys
Description: NCES surveys and programs related to elementary and secondary education.
The Common Core of Data(CCD)
Description: Annual, national statistical database from the U.S. Dept. of Education/NCES covering all public elementary and secondary schools and school districts. Data are compressed archives (.zip) containing ASCII text files; some also available as SAS and/or SPSS files. Documentation in PDF and text formats; some also available in MS Word, WordPerfect and/or MS Excel format(s). Includes record structure and survey forms.
Estimates of School Statistics
Description: "Rankings and Estimates is an annual report that provides state-level data on an array of topics relevant to the complex world of public education. Here are the most recent editions (no report was published for 2007-2008)." (http://hin.nea.org/home/30896.htm, as of January 31, 2011)
Paper: Perkins q370.78 N277R [yr.]-R6. Latest in Perkins Reference. Estimates 2000 issued in a combined report with Ranking of the States, entitled Rankings & Estimates.
Education Finance Statistics Center
Description: Education finance information from NCES on public and private elementary/secondary educati |
With Thanksgiving here, it?s easy to be thankful for the great meals many of us will be sitting down to enjoy. But what if you cannot afford to buy healthy foods for Thanksgiving dinner? Or for that matter, healthy foods for any meal? | With Thanksgiving here, it?s easy to be thankful for the great meals many of us will be sitting down to enjoy. But what if you cannot afford to buy healthy foods for Thanksgiving dinner? Or for that matter, healthy foods for any meal? We call this condition food insecurity, and I thought this week I?d tell you more about this unfortunate situation that affects many in our community.
One in five Vermont children live in homes that are food insecure, which means they are going without food altogether for some meals or existing on inadequate food. Many families that work in entry level jobs or make close to minimum wage cannot afford to feed their children nutritious food.
Why is this a problem? Food insecure homes can put children at risk of malnutrition and in turn worsen their physical as well as psychological well-being, resulting in increased aggression, anxiety and depression, not to mention interfere with brain function and development, resulting in poorer school performance. In addition, food insecure families will often buy inexpensive, high-calorie, nutrition-poor foods resulting in their children becoming overweight or obese.
So what can we do about food insecurity? If you are experiencing food insecurity in your home, don?t be embarrassed but realize that there are more than a hundred food support programs in this region to help you and your child have better access and quality of food, including school meal programs, food shelves, food stamps (otherwise known as 3SquaresVT) and many more. If you need to find a program in your area, simply call Vermont or New York 211, the Vermont or New York Health and Human Services hotline. Or, you can logon to the website for the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger (http://www.hungerfreevt.org/). If you are in New York, logon to the website for the Nutrition Consortium of New York (http://www.nutritionconsortium.org/). Your child?s doctor?s office can also help find a food resource program for you.
If you are food secure, be thankful for that? and then consider supporting one of those food resource programs by donating food, volunteering, or even making a charitable monetary contribution during this holiday season.
Hopefully helping those who are food insecure will be a cause every one of us can gobble up when it comes to keeping all our children healthy. Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for helping those who are food insecure, because in this way, you are truly being First with Kids!
Lewis First, M.D., is chief of Pediatrics at Vermont Children's Hospital at Fletcher Allen Health Care and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. You can also catch "First with Kids" weekly on WOKO 98.9FM and WPTZ Channel 5, or visit the First with Kids video archives at http://www.FletcherAllen.org/firstwithkids |
The family Stylidiaceae is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants. It consists of five genera with over 240 species, most of which are endemic to Australia and New Zealand. Members of Stylidiaceae are typically | The family Stylidiaceae is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants. It consists of five genera with over 240 species, most of which are endemic to Australia and New Zealand. Members of Stylidiaceae are typically grass-like herbs or small shrubs and can be perennials or annuals. Most species are free standing or self-supporting, though a few can be climbing or scrambling (Stylidium scandens uses leaf tips recurved into hooks to climb).
The pollination mechanisms of Stylidium and Levenhookia are unique and highly specialized. In Stylidium the floral column that consists of the fused stamen and style springs violently from one side (usually under the flower) when triggered, which deposits the pollen on a visiting insect. In Levenhookia, however, the column is immobile, but the hooded labellum is triggered and sheds pollen.
In 1981, only about 155 species were known in the family. The current number of species by genus (reported in 2002) is as follows: Forstera - 5, Levenhookia - 10, Oreostylidium - 1, Phyllachne - 4, and Stylidium - 221. These numbers, especially for Stylidium, are changing rapidly as new species are described.
The genus Donatia is sometimes included in Stylidiaceae in the monogeneric subfamily Donatioideae. The APG II system recommends its inclusion in Stylidiaceae but allows for the optional recognition of the family Donatiaceae. Molecular and phylogenetic analysis have determined that Donatia is a sister-group to Stylidiaceae and therefore placing Donatia in its own family has been recommended by several authorities. Including Donatia within the Stylidiaceae would endanger its status as a monophyletic group.
Donatioideae and Stylidioideae were described by Johannes Mildbraed in his 1908 taxonomic monograph of the family. The subfamilies were created to distinguish the difference between the five typical genera of the Stylidiaceae from the single genus Donatia, which Mildbraed placed in Donatioideae. The subfamily taxonomy represents the taxonomic uncertainty of Donatia, which has often been placed in its own family, Donatiaceae, or other families such as the Saxifragaceae.
Mildbraed's classification also included two tribes: Phyllachneae, which included the genera Forstera and Phyllachne, and Stylidieae, which included Levenhookia, Oreostylidium, and Stylidium. This level of infraspecific taxonomy is not used in recent research, but the groupings are supported by molecular data that suggest Forstera and Phyllachne are closely related but distinct from the other three.
APG II places Stylidiaceae and Donatiaceae in the Asterales. The Cronquist system placed both families in the Campanulales. The Takhtajan and Reveal systems place both families in the order Stylidiales. The Dahlgren system uses the same Stylidiales order, but it omits Donatiaceae. The Thorne system shifts Stylidiaceae into the Saxifragales order.
- Cronquist, Arthur (1981). An Integrated System of Classification of Flowering Plants. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 986–987. ISBN 0-231-03880-1.
- Wagstaff, S.J. and Wege, J. (2002). Patterns of diversification in New Zealand Stylidiaceae. American Journal of Botany, 89(5): 865-874. (Available online: HTML or PDF versions).
- Stylidiaceae (at the Angiosperm Phylogeny Website)
- Laurent, N., Bremer, B., and Bremer, K. (1999). Phylogeny and generic interrelationships of the Stylidiaceae (Asterales), with a possible extreme case of floral paedomorphosis. Systematic Botany, 23(3): 289-304.
- Mildbraed, J. (1908). Stylidiaceae. In Engler, A. Das Pflanzenreich: Regni vegetabilis conspectus, IV. 278. Leipzig, 1908.
- Good, R. (1925). On the geographical distribution of the Stylidiaceae. New Phytologist, 24(4): 225-240.
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stylidiaceae.|
|Wikisource has original text related to this article:| |
"Bumblebee" gecko discovered in Papua New Guinea: USGS
(Reuters) - A new species of gecko with black and gold bands like a bumblebee and slender toes termed a "striking surprise" has been discovered deep | "Bumblebee" gecko discovered in Papua New Guinea: USGS
(Reuters) - A new species of gecko with black and gold bands like a bumblebee and slender toes termed a "striking surprise" has been discovered deep in the tropical forests of Papua New Guinea, the U.S. Geological survey said.
The lizard, which measures about 13 cm (5 inches) from head to tail and is covered with rows of skin nodules that make it easier for it to conceal itself on the forest floor, was collected on Manus Island in March, 2010 and described in a report published in the journal "Zootaxa" in April.
"We've officially named it Nactus kunan for its striking color pattern - kunan means 'bumblebee' in the local Nali Language," said Robert Fisher of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center, who with biologists from the Papua New Guinea National Museum discovered the gecko.
"It belongs to a genus of slender-toed geckos, which means these guys don't have the padded, wall-climbing toes like the common house gecko," he added in a statement.
Fisher found two on Manus Island in 2010 and analyzed their genetics to show that the lizards were new. Two other species also found on that trip are set for further analysis.
"This species was a striking surprise, as I've been working on the genus since the 1970s and would not have predicted this discovery," herpetologist George Zug of the Smithsonian Institution, co-author of the report on the new find, said.
(Reporting by Elaine Lies,; Editing by Jonathan Thatcher)
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India announced retaliatory measures against the United States on Wednesday, including revising work conditions of Indians employed in U.S. consulates and a freeze on duty-free alcohol, in an escalating row over the arrest of a diplomat in New York. Full Article | Slideshow |
of Wisdom /
Thoughts to Live By
and wisdom never are at strife.
is easier to be wise for others than for ourselves.
Francois De La Rochefoucauld
art of being wise is knowing what to overlook.
first | of Wisdom /
Thoughts to Live By
and wisdom never are at strife.
is easier to be wise for others than for ourselves.
Francois De La Rochefoucauld
art of being wise is knowing what to overlook.
first step in the acquisition of wisdom is silence,
the second listening, the third memory, the fourth practice,
the fifth teaching others.
Solomon Ibn Gabriol
is better than gold or silver.
teach us more than books.
is best to learn wisdom by the experience of others.
great lesson is that the sacred is in the ordinary,
that it is to be found in one's daily life, in one's
neighbors, friends and family, in one's backyard.
wisdom of nations lies in their proverbs, which are
brief and pithy.
middle course is the best.
wise man should be prepared for everything that does
not lie within his control.
only medicine for suffering, crime, and all the other
woes of mankind, is wisdom.
wise man learns by the mistakes of others, a fool by
does not always mark wisdom.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
a thousand times and cut once.
man was ever wise by chance.
has not learned the lesson of life who does not every
day surmount a fear.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
to hold loosely all that is not eternal.
A. Maude Royden
to know at large of things remote
From use, obscure and subtle, but to know
That which before us lies in daily life,
Is the prime wisdom.
associating with wise people you will become wise yourself.
seat of knowledge is in the head, of wisdom, in the
all parts of wisdom the practice is the best.
larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shore
line of wonder.
Ralph W. Sockman
more a man knows, the more he forgives.
Catherine the Great
loving heart is the truest wisdom.
who understands much displays a greater simplicity of
character than one who understands little.
prone to doubt, how cautious are the wise!
man of wisdom is never of two minds;
the man of benevolence never worries;
the man of courage is never afraid.
is the sunlight of the soul. - German Proverb
and Goal Setting | Favorite
and Time Management | Dreams |
This close-up image taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit highlights the nodular nuggets that cover the rock dubbed "Pot of Gold." These nuggets appear to stand on the end of stalk-like features. The surface of the rock is dotted with | This close-up image taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit highlights the nodular nuggets that cover the rock dubbed "Pot of Gold." These nuggets appear to stand on the end of stalk-like features. The surface of the rock is dotted with fine-scale pits. Data from the rover's scientific instruments have shown that Pot of Gold contains the mineral hematite, which can be formed with or without water.
Scientists are planning further observations of this rock, w |
You can store a password safely by using, say, a well known strong encryption algorithm, like AES.
HOWEVER, you cannot make the procedure that depends on the password 100% secure. Since the actual functionality of a desktop app is right | You can store a password safely by using, say, a well known strong encryption algorithm, like AES.
HOWEVER, you cannot make the procedure that depends on the password 100% secure. Since the actual functionality of a desktop app is right inside the app's code, there will always be a way for the attacker to access that without even needing to know your password. Even using polymorphic self modifying code based on the encrypted key is still crackable (that is actually a protection that CuteFTP was using in the past, but still just xoring user's ftp passwords to store them'safely').
Bearing that in mind, encryption does make it more difficult and at least, even if people crack the app, they may not be able to recover your original password. |
Feb. 12, 2008
Drama of Darwin's letters depicts stormy debate graced by humor
Harvard botanist Asa Gray, a devout Presbyterian, foresaw the storm that Charles Darwin's revolutionary theory of evolution | Feb. 12, 2008
Drama of Darwin's letters depicts stormy debate graced by humor
Harvard botanist Asa Gray, a devout Presbyterian, foresaw the storm that Charles Darwin's revolutionary theory of evolution would trigger. To deny the design of God in the development of new species was blasphemous, warned Gray. For 30 years, Gray and Darwin corresponded, debating natural selection, science and religion, exchanging ideas and opinions about family, war and slavery and even sharing gossip.
This relationship was brought to life Feb. 11 in Cornell's Uris Auditorium, in "Re:Design," a dramatization of those letters. The event was the kickoff to a weeklong series of events at Cornell and in Ithaca to celebrate Darwin Day, a commemoration of the scientist's birthday, Feb. 12, 1809, and his ideas.
The spirited discourse between the two naturalists began in 1855, after Gray's trip to London. Darwin shared his new theory of natural selection with his friend, sending Gray a copy of his book, "On the Origin of Species," before its publication.
Skeptical as he was, Gray recognized Darwin's genius and wrote articles to mollify public opposition to his book. The Bostonian was the single man most responsible for promoting Darwin's theories in North America. Darwin confides to Gray in a letter, "I should have been fairly annihilated should it have not been for four or five men -- and you are among them."
The letters are numerous, written with a sort of amiable rigor. The men shared details of their personal lives, but they were not afraid to disagree. Until the end, Gray remained a theist, Darwin a self-proclaimed agnostic. To Darwin, the force of nature dictated that lightning should strike a man whether he is good or bad, God-fearing or atheist.
In "Re:Design," the letters were read by British actor Terry Molloy as Darwin and American actor Patrick Morris as Gray, as the two men sat side by side at a desk on a set of Darwin's brick house in Kent.
Molloy and Morris translated the grace and humor of the men's correspondence into an on-stage dynamism that made the play seem like more than dramatic letter-reading. Playwright Craig Baxter provided structure by adding narration and layering the texts so that they crisscross with one another like dialogue.
Of course, in the 19th century the men did not write to one another over a desk but across the sea. Their letters crossed from America to England and back again countless times. They exchanged letters even during the turbulent Civil War years when Gray left botany aside. The unfailing hallmark of Darwin's letters to Gray was a warm salutation, "My dear Gray."
"Re:Design" was commissioned by the Darwin Correspondence project at Cambridge University. It was produced by Menagerie Theatre Company of East England and supported by the John Templeton Foundation.
For a full schedule of Darwin Day events this week, see http://www.priweb.org/darwinday.html.
Jill McCoy '08 is a writer intern at the Cornell Chronicle. |
Print version ISSN 1020-4989
Rev Panam Salud Publica vol.7 n.3 Washington Mar. 2000
Attitudes towards mental illness in the Commonwealth of Dominica
|ABSTRACT||Little is known | Print version ISSN 1020-4989
Rev Panam Salud Publica vol.7 n.3 Washington Mar. 2000
Attitudes towards mental illness in the Commonwealth of Dominica
|ABSTRACT||Little is known about the perception of mental illness in the English-speaking Caribbean. This study was conducted in 1995 to determine the attitudes, knowledge, and help-seeking practices for emotional disorders in the Commonwealth of Dominica. Two groups in Dominica were surveyed: 67 community leaders, consisting of nurses, teachers, and police officers; and 135 community members grouped into five socioeconomic strata that were collapsed to three for the analysis. All the respondents were asked to identify and suggest management of individuals with psychosis, alcoholism, depression, and childhood hyperactivity, as depicted in case vignettes. The person in the psychosis vignette was diagnosed as suffering from mental illness by 84.0% of the leaders and by 71.2% of the community members. However, in each of the three other vignettes, fewer than 30% of the respondents thought that mental illness was present. The person with alcoholism was viewed as having a serious problem by only slightly more than half of the respondents. Fewer than half of the respondents thought that the individuals with depression or hyperactivity had serious problems. The community leaders did somewhat worse in recognizing mental illness than did the community members. Respondents were most likely to refer a family member with emotional problems to a medical practitioner. In conclusion, education about mental health problems is needed in Dominica. Especially disconcerting was the lack of knowledge on mental illness among nurses, teachers, and police officers, that is, professionals directly involved in the pathway to care.|
Dominica is of the largest of the Windward Islands. It is located in the Eastern Caribbean between the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. Dominica has a population of over 71 000, of whom 16 000 reside in Roseau, the capital. A former British colony, Dominica gained its independence in 1978. Although only 29 miles long and 16 miles wide, its mountainous terrain makes access to the capital difficult for most of the villagers. The country is predominately Roman Catholic. Dominica has the only surviving Carib indigenous population, estimated at some 2 000 persons. Although English is Dominica's official language, the majority of the population also speak French Creole. While the island's economy is based primarily on agriculture, the country is not self-sufficient in food production.
A 1995 poverty assessment survey for Dominica showed that 27% of households live in poverty and are unable to adequately meet basic needs, including nutritional ones (1). However, undernutrition of young children is extremely low, at a rate of 1.4%. The unemployment rate is estimated to be approximately 9.9%. Although there is no compulsory education, in 1993 91.6% of the population between the ages of 5 and 19 were registered in school. Primary school has been completed by 67.1% of the population. The functional illiteracy rate is estimated to be 10.5%.
A well-developed primary care system serves each of Dominica's ten parishes, or administrative divisions. Recent legislation to reform the health care delivery system introduced national health insurance in the country.
Since 1993, technical collaboration by the Mental Health Program of the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization Collaborative Center in Montreal, Canada, has aided in the development of a network of mental health care services reaching even the most remote villages.
According to Dominica's 1995 Mental Health Report, the age-adjusted incidence of schizophrenia was 0.9% (1). In that same year, there were a total of 2 166 psychiatric outpatient visits. Inpatient psychiatric treatment is available in the capital, at the Princess Margaret Hospital. Of that hospital's 652 inpatient psychiatric admissions in 1995, 8.7% were due to alcoholism, 7.6% to cannabis psychosis, and 2% to cocaine abuse. The Mental Health Report also concluded that 90% of the patients in the prison psychiatric clinic had a history of drug abuse. The country's mental health policy is currently being reformulated to address service needs and legal issues.
Little is known about the perception of mental illness in the English-speaking Caribbean. Such information is important since lay attitudes toward mental disorders and the persons suffering from them influence help-seeking behavior and compliance with treatment (2). Individuals with a mental disorder at least initially share the same beliefs about mental illness as do the other members of their society. These attitudes help determine when persons will seek help and how they will later be reintegrated into the community (3, 4).
The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes towards mental illness and help-seeking behavior in reference to psychiatric care.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study was conducted in April 1995 on a nonrandomized sample from the various communities around the island. Two groups were selected for study.
The first group was comprised of community leaders: nurses, teachers, and members of the police force. Because of their positions and visibility, these "gatekeepers" have frequent contact with individuals with emotional problems. Eighty questionnaires were sent to the chief education officer for distribution to teachers fr |
“Can we afford college for me?” “Could we lose the house?”
Questions like these go through your mind when your family faces tough financial times. Take heart, there are many things you can do to help your family.
How do you | “Can we afford college for me?” “Could we lose the house?”
Questions like these go through your mind when your family faces tough financial times. Take heart, there are many things you can do to help your family.
How do you start the conversation?
How serious is it?
If you sense that your parents are worried about money, find out how serious the situation is.
They might just be concerned about increasing prices and bad financial news. Maybe they just want to do some belt tightening on family spending.
Or they might be facing a real problem such as a likely job layoff or the inability to pay all the bills.If your parents haven't included you in their talks about money, start the conversation yourself.
They may not realize that you are mature enough to participate in ways to solve the family's financial problems. But you are ready and able to talk about this!
Once you know how bad the situation is, help your family work to solve the problems. Tell your parents you'd rather be involved in the solution than worrying with nothing to do.
As part of your conversation, create a list of what you can do, and what you'll help other family members do.
Smart shoppingPenalty fees, parking fines...don't waste money.
If you want to save money, don't shop for recreation. If a store has a great sale, decide before you go what you are looking for and only buy that.
“Only buy clothes that are on sale or from a discount store," says Emily. "And before you buy, ask yourself if you really need it or just would like to have it.”
Buy clothes that don't have to be dry cleaned because that's an added expense.
You can also go to second-hand stores for everyday clothes such as shorts, pants, and tops. Check back regularly because new items are brought in all the time. You can get brand names in great condition for just a few dollars!
Save gas, save money.
Help out with grocery shopping. You'll save money and you'll have a better chance of getting your favorite foods on the menu, too.
Bring your own lunch to school, and when shopping for your school lunches, be smart:
- For the treat part of your school lunch, buy big bags of snacks and break them up to make your own small servings.
- Use reusable containers for lunch items. Get them in bulk at discount stores.
See if you can save money on your cell phone by researching family cell phone plans.More ways to save energy costs.
Investigating a cheaper Internet service provider? Check out bundling packages where landline, cell phone, Internet and cable are rolled together into one plan for a cheaper price.
Get a job or create one
If you're not already, earn your own spending money rather than getting it from your parents. If the situation is serious, contribute to the family income with yours.
“Get a part-time job," says Emily. "That way you will have your own money when you want to go out with friends."
"Also, you can give some of your paycheck to the family, if it's needed,” saysEarn your own spending money
If you can't find a job, create your own:
Be a tutor for a younger child.
Check out a book from the library and learn magic tricks—you can be a magician at kids' parties.
Wash cars for neighbors, and include additional services such as vacuuming, cleaning upholstery, and cleaning windows on the inside.
Offer to run errands and deliver packages.
Water plants or take care of pets while neighbors are out of town.
Sew alterations; make clothes or Halloween costumes for kids.
Offer a holiday decorating (or undecorating) service.
Still worried? Read on...
|Houston Texas Fire Fighters Federal Credit Union||What makes credit unions so great? Members like you.|
Every dollar you invest in your credit union earns you money while other members borrow it.
When you're ready for a loan, other members' savings will be there to help you out at the lowest possible cost. |
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an executive order today requiring that the state get 33 percent of its electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind power by 2020.
The move establishes California’s as the strictest renewable requirement in | California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an executive order today requiring that the state get 33 percent of its electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind power by 2020.
The move establishes California’s as the strictest renewable requirement in the nation. (Hawaii has a 40 percent renewable requirement, but not until 2030.)
Currently California’s three major utilities — Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric — are required to get 20 percent of their electricity from renewable energy by 2010.
The new action will “ensure that California remains the pioneer in clean energy and clean jobs,” Mr. Schwarzenegger said at a press conference concurrent with the signing.
More than half the states have renewable energy requirements, often called “renewable portfolio standards.” The climate bill passed by the United States House of Representatives in June would require that 15 percent of the nation’s electricity come from renewables by 2020, plus another 5 percent from energy-efficiency measures.
The Senate is expected to work on this issue as part of a climate bill this fall.
California’s requirement has recently been the subject of political wrangling. Last weekend, the state’s legislature passed a bill with a similar 33 percent requirement for renewables. However, Mr. Schwarzenegger and other critics were unhappy with a provision in that bill that would require much of the energy to be generated in California.
Mr. Schwarzenegger called it “protectionism” at Tuesday’s press conference, adding: “I am totally against protectionist policies.”
The governor has indicated that he would veto the bill. |
is a French Creole
A French Creole, or French-based Creole language, is a creole language based on the French language, more specifically on a 17th century koiné French extant in Paris, the French Atlantic | is a French Creole
A French Creole, or French-based Creole language, is a creole language based on the French language, more specifically on a 17th century koiné French extant in Paris, the French Atlantic harbors, and the nascent French colonies...
language spoken by the Louisiana Creole people
Louisiana Creole people refers to those who are descended from the colonial settlers in Louisiana, especially those of French and Spanish descent. The term was first used during colonial times by the settlers to refer to those who were born in the colony, as opposed to those born in the Old World...
of the state of Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. The language consists of elements of French
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
Spanish, also known as Castilian, is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
There are over 2100 and by some counts over 3000 languages spoken natively in Africa in several major language families:*Afro-Asiatic spread throughout the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and parts of the Sahel...
, and Native American
Indigenous languages of the Americas are spoken by indigenous peoples from Alaska and Greenland to the southern tip of South America, encompassing the land masses which constitute the Americas. These indigenous languages consist of dozens of distinct language families as well as many language...
Speakers of Louisiana Creole are mainly concentrated in south and southwest Louisiana, where the population of Creolophones is distributed across the region. There are also numbers of Creolophones in Natchitoches Parish on Cane River
Cane River is a lake and river formed from a portion of the Red River that is located in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. In the 19th and 20th centuries, it has been best known as the site of a historic Creole de couleur culture that has centers upon the National Historic Landmark Melrose...
and sizable communities of Louisiana Creole-speakers in Southeast Texas
Southeast Texas is a subregion of East Texas located in the southeast corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The subregion is geographically centered around the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown and Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan areas...
Beaumont,Texas (Houston
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of. Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of, which is the...
, Port Arthur
-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 57,755 people, 21,839 households, and 14,675 families residing in the city. The population density was 696.5 people per square mile. There were 24,713 housing units at an average density of 298.0 per square mile...
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas., the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
) and the Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
has the most Creole speakers of any state outside Louisiana, and the number of speakers may surpass that of Louisiana. Louisiana Creole speakers in California reside in Los Angeles
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
, San Diego
Sa |
Learn to Read Piano Music with a Piano Teacher It is very important to take piano lessons in order to play the piano. You have to learn to read piano music if you plan to be a serious piano player. If you try to look into history | Learn to Read Piano Music with a Piano Teacher It is very important to take piano lessons in order to play the piano. You have to learn to read piano music if you plan to be a serious piano player. If you try to look into history, you will notice that most of the great piano players learned to play the instrument on their own. The reason may be because they were born with the talents of a piano player. But did you know that not all pianists have born talents and rather they acquired their playing skills by learning from a good teacher? Learning to play piano takes a long time. It could take years for you to master advanced piano lessons. But as a beginner, you have to take lessons one day at a time. Don’t rush yourself because if you do, you will not learn. Haste makes waste, you should always remember that. Even gifted piano students do not learn easily. So if you just want to learn piano for fun, find another musical instrument. To learn to play piano, you must be serious about it. If you plan to get a professional piano teacher, make sure that you receive proper lessons. This way, you can learn the right playing techniques. So when looking for a teacher, you have to get only the best. Your piano teacher is not present at all times so you need to practice. If you want additional guidance, you can get other methods of learning to play the piano like computer software, DVDs, CDs, or even piano lesson books. Before anything else, you have to determine the lessons that the teacher focuses on. You have to learn to read piano music. Reading piano music takes place all throughout the lessons. Piano teachers usually start by teaching you the easiest musical pieces. The level of difficulty is increased gradually and he or she will give you advanced assignments. When you’re given an assignment, you have to do it by heart. Learn all the piano music that you need to learn. Reading music takes some time so you must concentrate on the lessons and avoid distractions. You will not be able to learn sight reading if you can’t master reading piano music. Sight reading is carried out by giving piano students with a piece that they don’t really know and they have to play it. If you can’t read piano music, then you will not be able to play the new piece. Y ou really need to study and practice hard. Learning to play piano should be taken seriously but you should always have fun when playing so that you will be motivated to the end. Many people give up their piano lessons because they think they’ve spent a great deal of their time in practicing and yet they are not learning fast. In today’s modern times, people are used to instant and quick learning. But when it comes to piano lessons, you can’t rush things. You can’t make it quick. To learn to read piano music, it requires dedication, time, and effort. You must also have the right learning attitude so that you can work well with your teacher or even when working alone. Constant practice is needed so that you will not forget your previous lessons. Good luck in learning piano music and don’t give up easily. |
- Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building - http://inhabitat.com -
Company Uses Cement Plant’s CO2 Emissions to Create Algae-based Biofuel
Posted By Sarah Parsons On April 8, | - Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building - http://inhabitat.com -
Company Uses Cement Plant’s CO2 Emissions to Create Algae-based Biofuel
Posted By Sarah Parsons On April 8, 2010 @ 9:00 am In global development,global warming,green technology,Green Transportation | 1 Comment
It’s hard to imagine a cement plant going green. Creating cement is a scarily dirty process, and the industry is responsible for about five percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. One Canadian company aims to change that situation. Pond Biofuels, a three-year-old start-up, hopes to capture a cement plant’s carbon emissions in algae. The algae would then be turned into a biofuel and used to fuel cement kilns and company trucks.
Pond Biofuels will grow its algae right next to Ontario’s St. Mary’s cement plant. The plants will absorb the cement plant’s emissions, growing into a nutrient-rich algae slime. Pond Biofuels will then use industrial waste heat from the cement plant to dry out the algae and turn it into a biofuel. The company then hopes to use that fuel along with fossil fuels to power cement kilns and company trucks.
The process is still currently being tested, so we’ll have to stay tuned to see how the whole idea shakes out. Still, the idea of synergy between industrial companies and biofuel makers should be lauded as innovative. If the project proves successful, similar schemes could be implemented across all sorts of industries.
+ Pond Biofuels
Via Environmental News Network
Article printed from Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building: http://inhabitat.com
URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/company-uses-cement-plants-co2-emissions-to-create-algae-based-biofuel/
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Image: http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/04/08/company-uses-cement-plants-co2-emissions-to-create-algae-based-biofuel/cement/ |
Over at Datacenter Knowledge, Intel’s Winston Saunders looks at SPECpower data and how extended efforts to increase the efficiency of servers under realistic workload scenarios has resulted in a 40% per year reduction in the energy per operation.
So to summarize, | Over at Datacenter Knowledge, Intel’s Winston Saunders looks at SPECpower data and how extended efforts to increase the efficiency of servers under realistic workload scenarios has resulted in a 40% per year reduction in the energy per operation.
So to summarize, the efficiency of two-socket servers has increased dramatically. The efficiency gains result from t |
This edition of a well-known German textbook of histology retains the familiar format of the previous edition. Principal changes from the earlier volume are in those areas in which electron microscopy has contributed much to current knowledge of cell and tissue morphology and function; as | This edition of a well-known German textbook of histology retains the familiar format of the previous edition. Principal changes from the earlier volume are in those areas in which electron microscopy has contributed much to current knowledge of cell and tissue morphology and function; as a consequence of this aspect of present-day biological research, those sections have been revised extensively. Many new illustrations, chiefly electron micrographs and diagrams derived from electron microscope studies, have been added. The text has been revised to include discussion and comment on these pertinent findings. Examples of the newer material include illustrations of the ultrastructure of peripheral myelinated nerve fibers, nonmyelinated nerve fibers, nodes of Ranvier, synapses, thrombocytes, lung capillaries, sperm cells, skin, mammary gland, retinal rod cel |
The United Nations agency that charts worldwide weather has charged that "human-caused climate change" helped make the last decade the hottest on record, due to "humanity's emissions" of carbons and other chemicals into the atmosphere.
The World Meteor | The United Nations agency that charts worldwide weather has charged that "human-caused climate change" helped make the last decade the hottest on record, due to "humanity's emissions" of carbons and other chemicals into the atmosphere.
The World Meteorological Organization, the U.N.'s Swiss-based weather outfit, said in a new report of climate extremes from 2001-2010 that nature played a role, but that man and worldwide development are responsible for the trend up in temperatures.
The report, "The Global Climate 2001-2010" said humans have been on a one-way trip to ruining the environment, unlike nature's erratic impact. "Unlike these natural back-and-forth oscillations (in natural temperature changes), human-caused climate change is trending in just one direction. This is because atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and other greenhouse gases are increasing steadily due to human activities."
The new report said that world's temperature has increased faster since 1971 and that the last decade was the hottest on record. The decade also saw "unprecedented" climate extremes and high-impact weather events around the world.
The report was issued this month in Geneva.
Since releasing the report, the U.N. agency has called on all nations to begin the costly job of building climate change prediction and research centers in order to help develop ways for people to combat global warming.
A week ago, the WMO blamed climate change on the wildfires in California and New Mexico in demanding worldwide action--and spending--to fight global warming.
"The urgency in achieving early successes in this endeavour cannot be overstated," said WMO President David Grimes. "We have seen many recent examples of climate-related extreme events with enormous negative social and economic impacts and the tragic loss of life."
"In the past month, thousands of people fled their homes across central Europe as deadly flood waters rose to levels unseen in some locations in the past 500 years. Drought-fuelled wildfires raged in New Mexico and California, in the USA, and Pakistan suffered its most severe heat wave in decades, with temperatures reaching as high as 51 degrees Celsius," Mr Grimes said.
"Climate services are increasingly necessary because of the rapidly growing climatic impacts," said Norwegian Meteorological Institute Director-General Anton Eliassen, add |
Cerebral Aneurysm Medications
There are currently no drugs listed for "Cerebral Aneurysm".
Definition of Cerebral Aneurysm: An "aneurysm" is an abnormal | Cerebral Aneurysm Medications
There are currently no drugs listed for "Cerebral Aneurysm".
Definition of Cerebral Aneurysm: An "aneurysm" is an abnormal widening or ballooning of a section of a blood vessel. When an aneurysm occurs in the brain, it is called a cerebral aneurysm.
Learn more about Cerebral Aneurysm
Synonym(s): Aneurysm, brain; Aneurysm, cerebral; Brain Aneurysm |
Sinus & Allergy Awareness
August 23, 2010
Stephen Mitchell MD, Otolaryngology
Jim Lancaster MD, Internal Medicine
news notes via www.webmd.com
What Causes Sinus Problems?
What to do | Sinus & Allergy Awareness
August 23, 2010
Stephen Mitchell MD, Otolaryngology
Jim Lancaster MD, Internal Medicine
news notes via www.webmd.com
What Causes Sinus Problems?
What to do when good sinuses turn bad.
If you are plagued by sinus problems, take a moment to consider these valuable parts of your head. What can turn good sinuses into problem sinuses?
Your sinuses are hollow air spaces within the bones between your eyes, behind your cheekbone, and in the forehead. They produce mucus, which helps keep the inside of your nose moist. That, in turn, helps protect against dust, allergens, and pollutants.
Interesting Sinus Facts
No one is completely sure why we have sinuses, but some researchers think they keep the head from being too heavy.
Sinuses are also are responsible for the depth and tone of your voice. This explains why you sound like Clint Eastwood when your sinuses are all stuffed up.
If the tissue in your nose is swollen from allergies, a cold, or environmental triggers, it can block the sinus passages. Your sinuses can't drain, you may feel pain, and you will be at much higher risk of sinus infections.
There are eight sinus cavities in total. They are paired, with one of each in the left and right side of the face.
Common Sinus Problems
Each sinus has a narrow spot, called the transition space (ostium), which is an opening that's responsible for drainage. If a bottleneck or blockage occurs in the transition of any of the sinuses, you're at risk of developing a sinus infection. Mucus backs up behind the blockage, and acts as a breeding ground for bacteria.
An Ex |
LESSONS FROM THE JAPANESE: TIME TO STOP BORROWING MONEY AND START PRINTING IT
Ellen Brown, November 23rd, 2009
...Most people think money is issued by the government, but the | LESSONS FROM THE JAPANESE: TIME TO STOP BORROWING MONEY AND START PRINTING IT
Ellen Brown, November 23rd, 2009
...Most people think money is issued by the government, but the only money the government creates are coins, which compose less than one ten-thousandth of the money supply – about $1 billion out of $13.8 trillion (M3). Dollar bills are issued by the Federal Reserve, a privately-owned banking corporation, and lent to the government and to other banks. And coins and dollar bills together make up only about 7% of the money supply. All of the rest is simply written into accounts on computer screens by bankers when they make loans.
Contrary to popular |
A patent application filed by Apple shows the company is looking for ways to manufacture stainless steel with an invisible coating that would make it both scratch and impact resistant. The patent application shows that the company has invented a way of doing so by adding a nit | A patent application filed by Apple shows the company is looking for ways to manufacture stainless steel with an invisible coating that would make it both scratch and impact resistant. The patent application shows that the company has invented a way of doing so by adding a nitride layer on top of the metal that would protect the metal, even while preserving the “natural surface color and texture of stainless steel.”
In the unusually easy-to-understand and clear abstract for the application, Apple characterized its invention as, “a cost effective system, method and apparatus adapted to provide a nitride layer on stainless steel used for the manufacture of consumer electronic products. In addition to providing a durable, hard surface that is both scratch and impact resistant, the nitride layer allows for the natural surface color and texture of the underlying stainless steel to remain visible to the user. It is this natural surface color and texture of the stainless steel that adds to the aesthetically pleasing appearance of the consumer electronic product thereby enhancing the user’s overall experience.”
In other words, Apple could use this system to make Macs or iOS devices with stainless steel covers without having to put a coating on the metal that changed its appearance.
The patent goes on to describe exactly how Apple would achieve this using a process of nitrogen based salt baths of “no more than 580° C” to give the stainless steel a nitride layer. The resulting layer would be from 15 to 30.µ (microns) thick, and would give the treated metal a Vickers Hardness Value of 1,000.
And this is where we risk getting in over our heads, because that number needs context to understand its true meaning. Without getting into the boring details of the Vickers Hardness Test, the short version is that it’s a method for testing how hard a metal is by measuring its resistance to being deformed by a standard object.
It is usually express as a hardness value accompanied by the load of the object used to test, as in 140HV30. That’s the Vickers Hardness Value of Stainless Steel 316L, a standard form of stainless steel, and it happens to be the |
A state-of-the-art anaerobic digester which converts manure from pigs and cattle into green energy is set to be installed at Cockle Park Farm thanks to an £860,000 cash injection.
Being set up to help farms become more | A state-of-the-art anaerobic digester which converts manure from pigs and cattle into green energy is set to be installed at Cockle Park Farm thanks to an £860,000 cash injection.
Being set up to help farms become more sustainable, the aim is to work with North East farmers, land managers and other related businesses to find new ways of producing renewable energy from waste.
Anaerobic digestion is a process by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen to produce a methane and carbon dioxide rich biogas which is suitable for energy production.
The new digester will form part of the new Centre for Renewable Energy from Land (CREEL) being launched by Newcastle University.
Project lead Dr Paul Bilsborrow, based in the university’s School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, said: “A great deal of work has gone into planning this project so it’s very exciting that we have finally received both funding and planning permission for this project.
“Anaerobic digestion offers huge potential in terms of utilizing the methane from animal waste and converting it into renewable energy which will be used to heat and power buildings on farm.
“By working together with the agricultural industry we hope to develop new ways of making anaerobic digestion a viable process for uptake by farms across the UK.”
Click here to read the full press release
published on: 12th January 2010 |
Researchers at the University of California at San Diego are launching an experiment to test and improve the energy efficiency of computing systems used for scientific research.
Making computer processing and storage systems more energy efficient is much needed because the information-technology industry, which currently | Researchers at the University of California at San Diego are launching an experiment to test and improve the energy efficiency of computing systems used for scientific research.
Making computer processing and storage systems more energy efficient is much needed because the information-technology industry, which currently consumes as much energy as the airline industry, keeps on growing. This growth is in part fueled by highly data-intensive scientific research, which demands huge computing facilities that consume large amounts of electricity, not only to power them, but also to cool them.
The GreenLight project, which plans to connect labs to computing systems more energy efficiently by using photonics instead of optical fiber, is being financed by the National Science Foundation, which will provide $2-million over three years, and the UCSD division of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology and the university’s Administrative Computing and Telecommunications group, which will bring an additional $600,000 to the study.
With the funds, UCSD will acquire two Sun Modular Datacenter S20s, the university said yesterday in a press release. These containers can host up to 280 servers and reduce cooling costs by up to 40 percent compared to traditional server rooms.
The GreenLight project will monitor several parameters in the data center, such as temperature, humidity, and energy consumption, while other scientists are using the servers for their own experiments. The GreenLight researchers will then use this data |
If you are sneezing and itching your eyes this spring allergy season, you are not alone. 2011 is shaping up to be the worst year for allergy sufferers on record.
More than 35 million American suffer from pollen allergies, according | If you are sneezing and itching your eyes this spring allergy season, you are not alone. 2011 is shaping up to be the worst year for allergy sufferers on record.
More than 35 million American suffer from pollen allergies, according to the FDA. Every year, the United States spends $21 billion on health costs related to allergies.
A study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA searched for the cause of a trend towards longer allergy seasons.
Researchers found that a delayed first frost of the fall season and a lengthening of the frost-free season combined with increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have contributed to a longer allergy season. Longer pollen seasons increase human exposure, the duration of symptoms and severity of symptoms.
"Studies have found that not only do [plants] create more pollen, it's more potent," said Dr. Stanley Fineman, president-elect of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and a practicing physician in Atlanta.
So what can you do if you are one of the millions of Americans who suffer from pollen allergies every year? Fineman gave ABC News five helpful tips:
5 Tips for Avoiding Allergies
Get tested to find out exactly to what you are allergic.
Consult your physician about possible treatments such as allergy shots and medication.
Wash your hair and clothes regularly to get rid of pollen.
If you have pets, groom them regularly because they can bring pollen indoors.
Stay indoors as much as possible during pollen season to minimize your exposure.
Thankfully, science has been steadily improving the ability to combat pollen allergy symptoms.
"We can [now] pinpoint what triggers symptoms with specific testing, where in the past it was much more generalized," said Fineman. "Now, it's much more specific and accurate and sensitive.... Treatments are more targeted and allergy shots are much more effective because we know better dosages." |
Number & Operations for Teachers
Copyright David & Cynthia Thomas, 2009
Modeling Multiplication with Regrouping
In addition to understanding the meaning of multiplication and division and their properties, students must also become fluent in performing complex arithmetic computations | Number & Operations for Teachers
Copyright David & Cynthia Thomas, 2009
Modeling Multiplication with Regrouping
In addition to understanding the meaning of multiplication and division and their properties, students must also become fluent in performing complex arithmetic computations involving these operations. For many students, the standard algorithms associated with these operations are a mystery and a source of considerable frustration.
Figure 3.11: Modeling Multiplication
Figure 3.11 presents a concept model and expanded algorithm that emphasizes the meaning of multiplication and explains why the standard algorithm works. In this model, the number 17 is represented as the sum 10 + 7. The ten is modeled as a strip and the seven as a string of ones. This quantity is then multiplied by two, seen as two identical rows, each containing a strip and seven ones. The expanded algorithm is an interpretation of the distributive law: 2(17) = 2(10 + 7) = 2(10) + 2(7) = 20 + 14 = 34.
A more complex example is seen in Figure 3.12. This figure shows an area model for the product 43 x 25 that could be assembled on a table top using base ten blocks or drawn on a piece of graph paper. Note that each large square is 10 x 10 = 100 square units and that the long, narrow rectangles are 1 x 10 = 10 square units. Beside the concept model is the standard algorithm for performing such calculations. For many students, the rules associated with this algorithm appear arbitrary and are easily confused.
The purpose of the expanded algorithm is to add meaning to the computational process and to associate each partial product in that process with a shaded portion of the Concept Model. The first step in constructing this algorithm is to rewrite the factors as 40 + 3 and 20 + 5. The arrows in the expanded algorithm indicate the four partial products formed. Each partial product is written down in a manner that displays its true value, not in the abbreviated form seen in the standard algorithm. As seen in the section labeled Partial Products as Areas, each partial product listed in the Expanded Algorithm is seen to represent a different area of the shaded Concept Model.
Further comparison of the Standard Algorithm and the Expanded Algorithm may be used to justify why the Standard Algorithm works, if that is important. But students who prefer the openness of the Expanded Algorithm should feel free to adopt that procedure as their favorite, if they so desire.
Figure 3.12: Concept Model and Expanded Algorithm for Multiplication of Whole Numbers
Sketch a concept model for the indicated product 11 x 32 |
The first farmers from Central Europe reveal a genetic affinity to modern-day populations from the Near East and Anatolia, which suggests a significant demographic input from this area during the early Neolithic.
In Europe, the Neolithic transition (8,000– | The first farmers from Central Europe reveal a genetic affinity to modern-day populations from the Near East and Anatolia, which suggests a significant demographic input from this area during the early Neolithic.
In Europe, the Neolithic transition (8,000–4,000 b.c.) from hunting and gathering to agricultural communities was one of the most important demographic events since the initial peopling of Europe by anatomically modern humans in the Upper Paleolithic (40,000 b.c.). However, the nature and speed of this transition is a matter of continuing scientific debate in archaeology, anthropology, and human population genetics. To date, inferences about the genetic make up of past populations have mostly been drawn from studies of modern-day Eurasian populations, but increasingly ancient DNA studies offer a direct view of the genetic past. We genetically characterized a population of the earliest farming culture in Central Europe, the Linear Pottery Culture (LBK; 5,500–4,900 calibrated b.c.) and used comprehensive phylogeographic and population genetic analyses to locate its origins within the broader Eurasian region, and to trace potential dispersal routes into Europe. We cloned and sequenced the mitochondrial hypervariable segment I and designed two powerful SNP multiplex PCR systems to generate new mitochondrial and Y-chromosomal data from 21 individuals from a complete LBK graveyard at Derenburg Meerenstieg II in Germany. These results considerably extend the available genetic dataset for the LBK (n = 42) and permit the first detailed genetic analysis of the earliest Neolithic culture in Central Europe (5,500–4,900 calibrated b.c.). We characterized the Neolithic mitochondrial DNA sequence diversity and geographical affinities of the early farmers using a large data |
Thanksgiving dinner in America during the 18th and early 19th centuries was very different than it is today.
The traditional menu today includes turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, corn, fruit and pumpkin pie. But at the first Thanksgiving | Thanksgiving dinner in America during the 18th and early 19th centuries was very different than it is today.
The traditional menu today includes turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, corn, fruit and pumpkin pie. But at the first Thanksgiving, potatoes were unavailable. Cranberries were nearby but there was no sugar, so probably the berries were not eaten.
Think about the problems the Pilgrims faced. They had to find and kill meat or fish for dinner. There were no ovens, and records suggest there were about 150 people at the first Thanksgiving dinner and only four women to do the cooking. Cooking was done over an open fire. Roasting took a long time, so the turkey was probably boiled. The Pilgrims ate lobster, goose, cod fish, venison, rabbit, cheese and a pudding made from hominy (corn).
Throughout the next century, indoor kitchens and special equipment made cooking easier. But it was still difficult to keep food hot. One solution was the warming dish. It was made of silver or porcelain. The top looked like a normal plate, but it was made in two parts. The bottom section was deep enough to hold hot water that was poured in through a hole near the top. The water warmed the dish and the food. Today we have microwave ovens and electric heating trays, but every Thanksgiving dinner still takes a lot of work done by a few cooks.
Q We own a beautiful mirror that hung in my parents' home for many years. The decoration is cut into the glass. On the back side is a label that says "Decorative Art Mirrors, Your Home Should Come First, Torstenson Glass Co., Chicago." Can you tell us something about this?
A The Torstenson Glass Co. was established in 1889 and is still in business in Chicago. The company makes and distributes flat glass and mirrors. The design on your mirror suggests that it was made in the 1920s or '30s.
Q I have an 11-inch fluted white Vitrock mixing bowl that was given to me at least 35 years ago by my husband's grandmother. It has a square 3 1/4-inch bottom. Can you tell me something about its age and value?
A Vitrock is a Depression glass pattern that was made by Hocking Glass Co. from 1934 to 1937. It has a raised flowered rim and often is called "Floral Rim" or "Flower Rim." Vitrock was made in plain white and sometimes in white with fired-on colors. It also was made in solid red, solid green or with decal decorations. Hocking Glass Co. was founded in Lancaster, Ohio, in 1905. Its name was changed to Anchor Hocking Glass Corp. in 1937. The company is still in business, now operating as Anchor Hocking Co. Your mixing bowl would sell for $15 to $25.
Q Years ago my dad gave me a bread knife with a wooden handle. The word "bread" is carved on the handle and the blade is marked "George Butler & Co., Sheffield, England." Can you tell me if it has value?
A George Butler's silver company dates back to 1681, but the original company went out of business in 1952. Rights to its name and marks were bought by other companies, so your knife may have been made after 1952. In the 1970s, many wooden boards with the word "bread" carved in the border were imported and sold at U.S. flea markets. You also could find knives with carved wooden handles like yours. A few were old, but most were later copies. The knives were selling for $75 to $100 then, and would sell for about the same now.
Q We inherited a pair of matching Victorian ewers and wonder where they were made. There are no marks on either one, and they can't actually hold any liquid because there's no opening in the top. The central porcelain section of each ewer is painted light green with pink roses. The gold-painted metal base and top are bolted onto the porcelain section. The top is an elaborately designed spout opposite a handle.
A Your ewers were designed simply to decorate a mantelpiece. They probably were made in Europe at the end of the 19th century or the beginning of the 20th. If they're in good condition, they would sell as a pair for $100 to $300.
Q My mother-in-law has a set of Depression glass dishes that includes plates, cups and saucers, bowls, tumblers, candlesticks and sugar and creamer. The pattern is called Iris Iridescent. The dishes were bought at Woolworth's. She wants to know if they have any value.
A Iris, also called "Iris and Herringbone," was made by Jeannette Glass Co. of Jeannette, Pa., from 1928 through the 1970s. Crystal, green and pink pieces were made between 1928 and 1932. Some pieces with hand-painted flowers were made in the 1940s. Marigold or iridescent pieces were made in the 1950s. Color-flashed pieces were made as florist ware in the 1960s and '70s, and milk glass vases with color sprayed on were made in the 1970s.
Reproductions of some Iris pieces have been made. Thousands of pieces of Iris were sold by Woolworth's and other stores. They are offered for sale by several shops online, but be aware that some ar |
Definitions for talking about directories
Author(s): H. Alvestrand
When discussing systems for making information accessible through the Internet in standardized ways, it may be useful if the people who are discussing it have a common understanding of the terms they use | Definitions for talking about directories
Author(s): H. Alvestrand
When discussing systems for making information accessible through the Internet in standardized ways, it may be useful if the people who are discussing it have a common understanding of the terms they use. For example, a reference to this...
Network Working Group H. Alvestrand Request for Comments: 3254 Cisco Systems Category: Informational April 2002 Definitions for talking about directories Status of this Memo This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this memo is unlimited. Copyright Notice Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2002). All Rights Reserved. Abstract When discussing systems for making information accessible through the Internet in standardized ways, it may be useful if the people who are discussing it have a common understanding of the terms they use. For example, a reference to this document would give one the power to agree that the DNS (Domain Name System) is a global lookup repository with perimeter integrity and loose, converging consistency. On the other hand, a LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) directory server is a local, centralized repository with both lookup and search capability. This document discusses one group of such systems which is known under the term, "directories". 1. Introduction and basic terms We suggest using the following terms for the remainder of this document: - Information: Facts and ideas which can be represented (encoded) as data in various forms. - Data: Information in a specific physical representation, usually a sequence of symbols that have meaning; especially a representation of information that can be processed or produced by a computer. (From [SEC].) - Repository: An amount of data that is accessible through one or more access methods. Alvestrand Informational [Page 1] RFC 3254 Definitions for talking about directories April 2002 - Requester: Entity that may (try to) access data in a repository. Note that no assumption is made that the requester is animal, vegetable, or mineral. - Maintainer: Entity that causes changes to the data in the repository. Usually, all maintainers are requesters, since they need to look at the data too, however, the roles are distinct. - Access method: Well-defined series of operations that will cause data available from a repository to be obtained by the requester. - Site: Entity that hosts all or part of a repository, and makes it available through one or more access methods. A site may in various contexts be a machine, a datacenter, a network of datacenters, or a single device. This document is not intended to be either comprehensive or definitive, but is intended to give some aid in mutual comprehension when discussing information access methods to be incorporated into Internet Standards-Track documents. 2. Dimensions of classification 2.1 Uniqueness and scope Some information systems are global, in the sense that only one can sensibly exist in the world. Others are inherently local, in that each locality, site or even box will run its own information store, independent of all others. The following terms are suggested: - Global repository: A repository that there can be only one of in the world. The world itself is a prime example; the public telephone system's number assignments according to E.164 is another. - Local repository: A class of repository of which multiple instances can exist, each with information relevant to that particular repository, with no need for coordination between them. - Centralized repository: A repository where all access to data has to pass through some single site. - Distributed repository: A repository that is not centralized; that is, access to data can occur through multiple sites. Alvestrand Informational [Page 2] RFC 3254 Definitions for talking about directories April 2002 - Replicated repository: A distributed repository where all sites have the same information. - Cooperative repository: A distributed repository where not all sites have all the information, but where mechanisms exist to get the info to the requester, even when it is not available to the site originally asked. Note: The term "global" is often a matter of social or legal context; for instance, the E.164 telephone numbering system is global by international treaty, while the debate about whether the Domain Name System is global in fact or just a local repository with ambitions has proved bait for too many discussions to enumerate. Some claim that globality is in the eye of the beholder; "everything is local to some context". When discussing technology, it may be wise to use "very widely deployed" instead. Note: Locating the repositories changes with the scale of consideration. For instance, the global DNS system is considered a distributed cooperative repository, built out of zone repositories that themselves may b |
What is in this article?:
- Do Lines Provide the Best Means of Supply?
- Program Expansion
Powerco opts for stand-alone power systems for remote rural areas in New Zealand.
Powerco’s Jamie Silk (right) explains to farmers how | What is in this article?:
- Do Lines Provide the Best Means of Supply?
- Program Expansion
Powerco opts for stand-alone power systems for remote rural areas in New Zealand.
Powerco’s Jamie Silk (right) explains to farmers how a stand-alone power system unit works.
The electricity network of Powerco, a distribution utility that supplies some 320,000 customers in the lower and central regions of New Zealand’s North Island, mainly consists of overhead lines totaling 30,000 km (18,641 miles). Much of the network covers remote hilly terrain where customer density is typically less than one customer per line kilometer, and the energy demand of individual customers is low.
The 11-kV lines have a service life of around 40 years. As the overhead lines age, the hard wood poles decay and split, and the crossarms break. The conductors, a combination of aluminum conductor steel reinforced (ACSR) and No. 8 steel wire, weaken as they corrode. Pasture converted to forestry presents further challenges for the overhead line reliability.
These factors affect supply reliability and create public safety hazards. Distance, trees and storms together with low populations and economics mean the overhead lines cannot supply remote customers with the same reliability of supply as customers in urban and commercial centers.
In New Zealand, distribution utilities have an obligation to continue to provide lines services to all existing pre-1993 consumers. To meet this obligation, the estimated cost of rebuilding the time-expired remote rural overhead lines throughout the country is estimated to be NZ$300 million.
Therefore, Powerco has developed a stand-alone power system (SAPS) that offers an economic alternative to rebuilding the aging overhead lines in remote areas. The utility’s SAPS allows the overhead lines to be decommissioned while electricity supply to customers is maintained at a lower cost than connection to the grid.
Powerco’s work with customers has confirmed they want a reliable supply of electrical energy not necessarily afforded by overhead lines. This being the case, the utility decided to prove the erection of overhead lines was not the sole, or always the best, way to supply energy needs and could result in significant savings.
Stand-Alone Power System
Powerco first commissioned the SAPS in 2008 as a pilot trial, supplying a wool shed and the shearer’s quarters. The results were used to help lobby the New Zealand government to allow for energy supplies that met customer needs without the need for a connection to an overhead line network. This pilot trial involved an expenditure of $70,000, which alleviated the need to spend around $200,000 for rebuilding the existing overhead line with a like-for-like configuration, the lowest-cost overhead line rebuilding option.
The supply regulations were updated in October 2010, permitting distribution utilities to meet their supply obligations from alternative sources to the overhead line network. Consequently, Powerco began work on its first combined stand-alone unit, which was installed at a remote sheep station in March 2011.
While many stand-alone electricity options were already on the market, they had several drawbacks for customers such as risk of interference, safety and inconvenience. Therefore, Powerco focused on creating a supply-on-demand product that would deliver electrical energy. The manufacturer awarded the SAPS supply contract has developed its own module, but Powerco added some additional features before the units were installed.
Prior to the trial, the supply of energy to the wool shed and small shearer’s dwelling was delivered by a 4-km (2.5-mile)-long single-phase spur from the main 11-kV feeder to an 11-kV/230-V transformer near the dwelling. The line, routed through rugged terrain, was due for a major refurbishment at a cost of around $200,000.
The SAPS, installed in a single day, included photovoltaic (PV) cells, a battery bank for energy storage, a diesel generator and a load management system. All the components, including site foundation pads and PV framing, were assembled at the Powerco depot. The modular unit was tested by supplying electricity for security lighting at the depot for six months to gain confidence in its performance and correct any design issues.
The operation was monitored for one year, with data analyzed to confirm whether the system met the requirements in terms of supply continuity, power quality, maintenance regimes and customer acceptability. The results were promising, with the PV panels in conjunction with batteries proving to be cost-effective and reliable for supplying energy at non-peak times.
The customer’s overall energy costs were lower than when connected to the distribution network, and the reliability of supply improved as SAPSs are not vulnerable to the supply interruptions that occur on long rural networks due to adverse weather conditions, tree contact and equipment failure. |
"Heavy hydrogen" abundance will force astronomers
to revise theories
Scientists using NASA's Johns Hopkins University-operated Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer satellite have learned that far more "heavy" hydrogen remains in our Milky Way galaxy than expected, a | "Heavy hydrogen" abundance will force astronomers
to revise theories
Scientists using NASA's Johns Hopkins University-operated Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer satellite have learned that far more "heavy" hydrogen remains in our Milky Way galaxy than expected, a finding that could radically alter theories about star and galaxy formation.
This form of hydrogen, called deuterium, was created a few minutes after the Big Bang, but has been slowly destroyed as it is burned in stars and converted to heavier elements. In fact, it now turns out, that destruction has been occurring even more slowly than previously thought.
Published in the Aug. 20 issue of the Astrophysical Journal, the FUSE team's new large deuterium survey solves a 35-year-old mystery concerning deuterium's uneven distribution in the Milky Way galaxy even as it poses new questions about how stars and galaxies are made.
"For more than three decades, we have struggled to understand and explain the widely varying levels of deuterium," said Warren Moos, principal investigator of NASA's FUSE mission and a professor in the Henry A. Rowland Department of Physics and Astronomy at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins. "Though the answer we have found may be unsettling to some, it represents a major step forward in our understanding of chemical evolution."
In space, deuterium — a form of hydrogen with not only a proton but also a neutron in its nucleus — produces a telltale spectral fingerprint in the ultraviolet energy range where FUSE conducts observations. That fingerprint can be measured to determine the quantity of deuterium in various places in our galaxy.
Hundreds of hours of observations toward dozens of stars have been scheduled by the JHU FUSE operations crew over the last six years, making this new result possible.
"FUSE was built to attack the deuterium problem," according to William P. Blair, FUSE's chief of observatory operations and physics and astronomy research professor at Johns Hopkins. "It is very gratifying to see this long-anticipated result, and it will surely be a legacy of the FUSE mission."
The story starts in the 1970s, when NASA's Copernicus satellite found the first fragmentary evidence that the Milky Way's deuterium distribution was patchy. That was perplexing, Blair said, because astronomers thought deuterium should be as evenly mixed as other elements in space.
FUSE's sensitivity "has allowed many more deuterium measurements, and for stars at greate |
|Kingdom Animale | Phylum Arthropoda | Subphylum Crustacea | Class Malacostrata|
This crab hides under sand or mud during the day, coming out at dusk to hunt for small fish and other animal matter. Adult males | |Kingdom Animale | Phylum Arthropoda | Subphylum Crustacea | Class Malacostrata|
This crab hides under sand or mud during the day, coming out at dusk to hunt for small fish and other animal matter. Adult males have blue markings on their shells and long pincers whereas females are dull green. Extensively caught for food, they, however, do not live long once out of the water and deteriorate rapidly. (Width up to 20cm).
Their shells can frequently be found on the shore. Most are not dead crabs but merely the moults. Crustaceans moult, i.e., change and replace their shell when they grow larger. Moults are easily recognise |
The Straits Chinese: A Cultural History
Since ancient times, Southeast Asia has been an important link in the trade routes connecting China with India, Arabia and Europe. Contacts between China and the states of the Malay-Indonesian archipelago | The Straits Chinese: A Cultural History
Since ancient times, Southeast Asia has been an important link in the trade routes connecting China with India, Arabia and Europe. Contacts between China and the states of the Malay-Indonesian archipelago were reported as early as the fifth century AD, and Chinese tradespeople began to settle in this region in the 15th century. Chinese communities emerged in the port cities of Java, Sumatra and other islands of the archipelago, and especially along the west coast of the Malay Peninsula, in what would become known as the Straits Settlements: Penang, Malacca and Singapore. This book provides a detailed account of the development of the Straits Chinese social and material culture. The text is illustrated with many historical photographs, and a very large selection of high quality colour plates of architecture, furniture, costumes, beadwork, textiles, embroidery, gold and silver jewellery, domestic objects and ceramics.
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Allaying Structural-Alloy Corrosion
JULY 30, 2008
The search for ways to conserve energy is leading scientists to explore unexpected but important avenues, such as technologies that make extensive use of alloys that are subject to | Allaying Structural-Alloy Corrosion
JULY 30, 2008
The search for ways to conserve energy is leading scientists to explore unexpected but important avenues, such as technologies that make extensive use of alloys that are subject to corrosion, which can result in significant energy inefficiency. Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’S) Argonne National Laboratory, using three DOE facilities at Argonne, and a variety of experimental techniques, have studied the phase composition of oxide scale that protects alloys. Their research indicates that a change in the phase composition of the oxide scale on alloy surfaces could save over $1 billion per year in lost energy for the U.S. hydrogen industry alone.
Structural alloys are generally protected from extensive corrosion by oxide scales that develop on the alloy surface at high temperatures. The diffusion rate of carbon in oxides, such as those expected to comprise the majority of these scale layers, is negligible. Despite this fact, carbon often diffuses into alloys and leads to brittleness and even pitting corrosion. Carbon transport through the oxide scale is usually considered to involve the diffusion of carbon-bearing molecules such as CO and/or CO2 through pores or cracks in the scales. But this mechanism has several fundamental flaws that suggest an alternative mechanism must be at play.
The Argonne research team of Zuotao Zeng and Ken Natesan (Nuclear Engineering Division), Zhonghou Cai (X-ray Science Division), and Seth Darling (Center for Nanoscale Materials, CNM) devised an alternate explanation for the corrosion mechanism. It is well known that, unlike in oxides, carbon can dissolve in and diffuse through nickel and iron metals. Therefore, if metal particles are present in oxide scale, a new path for carbon atom transport is available that does not involve defects in the scale. The Argonne team probed oxide scales using nanobeam x-ray analysis at X-ray Operations and Research beamline 2-ID-D at the Advanced Photon Source, magnetic force microscopy at the CNM, and scanning electron microscopy at the Argonne Electron Microscopy Center for Materials Research. Their results, which were published as an article in Nature Materials, show that metal nanoparticles are indeed present in the scale. These metal nanoparticles join to form continuous channels for carbon transfer from the exposure environment to the substrate alloy.
Traditional x-ray beams are too large to analyze the cross section of oxide scales that are only a few micrometers in thickness. Further complicating the problem, some alloys develop scales with several sublayers. Local phases could be analyzed by transmission electron microscopy, but it is difficult to prepare samples for this technique that allow us to study the regions of interest. Moreover, such preparations could also induce decomposition of oxides to metal.
These technical problems are some of the reasons that the local chemistry of oxide scales on alloy surfaces has not been carefully studied to date. In contrast with transmission electron microscopy, the nanobeam x-rays from the APS and the tip of the CNM magnetic force microscope can easily scan through the whole oxide scale and achieve the information of phases and oxidation state of elements.
It is projected that these new Argonne alloys could be used to build facilities that can recycle the wasted high-temperature heat and save more than $1 billion in lost energy for the U.S. hydrogen industry alone, based on the current cost of the natural gas needed to produce an amount of energy equivalent to that lost during hydrogen production.
This study may have a broad influence on not only metal dusting and carburization, but also in other research areas such as alloy development and surface coatings for high-temperature fuel cell applications.
Read the Chicago Tribune article on this research. |
The razor-like teeth of the piranha trap the skin and muscle of its prey in a guillotine-like bite.
It’s a matchup worthy of a late-night cable movie: put a school of starving piranha and a 300 | The razor-like teeth of the piranha trap the skin and muscle of its prey in a guillotine-like bite.
It’s a matchup worthy of a late-night cable movie: put a school of starving piranha and a 300-pound fish together, and who comes out the winner?
The surprising answer—given the notorious guillotine-like bite of the piranha—is Brazil’s massive Arapaima fish. The secret to Arapaima’s success lie in its intricately designed scales, which could provide “bioinspiration” for engineers looking to develop flexible ceramics.
The inspiration for this study came from an expedition in the Amazon basin that Marc Meyers, a professor at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego, took years ago. The mechanical and aerospace engineering professor immediately wondered at the Arapaima’s armor-like protective scales. How could it live in piranha-infested lakes, where no other animals could survive?
Meyers and colleagues set up a lab experiment that pits piranha against Arapaima by using a machine that resembles an industrial-strength hole punch. Piranha teeth were attached to the top “punch,” which was pressed down into Arapaima scales embedded in a soft rubber surface (which mimics the soft underlying muscle on the fish) on the lower “punch.” The teeth can partially penetrate the scale, but crack before they can puncture the muscle, Meyers and colleagues demonstrate in the journal Advanced Biomaterials.
A close-up of two Arapaima scales, overlapping as they would in nature.
The Arapaima scale combines a heavily mineralized out |
- Psychology & the public
- What we do
- Member networks
- Careers, education & training
Male violence, unequal wealth and competition
Violence in men can be explained by traditional theories of sexual selection. In a review of the | - Psychology & the public
- What we do
- Member networks
- Careers, education & training
Male violence, unequal wealth and competition
Violence in men can be explained by traditional theories of sexual selection. In a review of the literature, Professor John Archer from the University of Central Lancashire, a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, points to a range of evidence that suggests that high rates of physical aggression and assaults in men are rooted in inter-male competition.
These findings are presented today (18 April) at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference held at the Grand Connaught Rooms, London (18-20 April).
Professor Archer describes evidence showing that differences between men and women in the use of physical aggression peak when men and women are in their twenties. In their twenties, men are more likely to report themselves as high in physical aggression, and to be arrested for engaging in assaults and the use of weapons, than at any other age. They also engage in these activities at a phenomenally higher rate than women.
Professor Archer highlights that sex differences in aggression are not observed in relation to indirect forms of aggression but become larger with the severity of violence. Indeed, at the extreme end of violence, there are a minimal number of female-female homicides in the face of a high male-male homicide rate. Interestingly, men are also much more likely to engage in risky behaviour in the presence of other men.
Professor Archer says that a range of male features that develop during adolescence arising from hormonal changes in testosterone accentuate aggressive behaviour. Examples include the growth of facial hair, voice pitch and facial changes such as brow ridge and chin size. He implicates height, weight and strength differences between men and women as further evidence of male adaptation to engage in fighting.
How does the environment influence aggression and violence? Professor Archer suggests there are two key principles – unequal wealth and a high ratio of sexually active men to women – that may increase physical aggression and violence in young men.
Professor Archer says: "The research evidence highlights that societal issues such as inequality of wealth and competition between males may contribute to the violence we see in today’s society."
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- Register of Applied Psychology Practice Supervisors
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Use trigonometry to determine whether solar eclipses on earth can be perfect.
Make an accurate diagram of the solar system and explore the concept of a grand conjunction.
Work with numbers big and small to estimate and calculate various quantities in physical contexts.
| Use trigonometry to determine whether solar eclipses on earth can be perfect.
Make an accurate diagram of the solar system and explore the concept of a grand conjunction.
Work with numbers big and small to estimate and calculate various quantities in physical contexts.
Make your own pinhole camera for safe observation of the sun, and find out how it works.
Work with numbers big and small to estimate and calculate various quantities in biological contexts.
Work out the numerical values for these physical quantities.
Many physical constants are only known to a certain accuracy. Explore the numerical error bounds in the mass of water and its constituents.
How much energy has gone into warming the planet?
Get some practice using big and small numbers in chemistry.
When a habitat changes, what happens to the food chain?
Can you work out which drink has the stronger flavour?
Estimate these curious quantities sufficiently accurately that you can rank them in order of size
Two trains set off at the same time from each end of a single
straight railway line. A very fast bee starts off in front of the
first train and flies continuously back and forth between the....
Is it cheaper to cook a meal from scratch or to buy a ready meal? What difference does the number of people you're cooking for make?
Examine these estimates. Do they sound about right?
Can you suggest a curve to fit some experimental data? Can you work out where the data might have come from?
If I don't have the size of cake tin specified in my recipe, will the size I do have be OK?
Explore the properties of isometric drawings.
To investigate the relationship between the distance the ruler drops and the time taken, we need to do some mathematical modelling...
Can you work out what this procedure is doing?
Can you sketch graphs to show how the height of water changes in
different containers as they are filled?
Can you deduce which Olympic athletics events are represented by the graphs?
Which units would you choose best to fit these situations?
Work with numbers big and small to estimate and calulate various quantities in biological contexts.
How would you go about estimating populations of dolphins?
Use your skill and knowledge to place various scientific lengths in order of size. Can you judge the length of objects with sizes ranging from 1 Angstrom to 1 million km with no wrong attempts?
Invent a scoring system for a 'guess the weight' competition.
Explore the relationship between resistance and temperature
When you change the units, do the numbers get bigger or smaller?
Are these estimates of physical quantities accurate?
These Olympic quantities have been jumbled up! Can you put them back together again?
Which dilutions can you make using only 10ml pipettes?
Where should runners start the 200m race so that they have all run the same distance by the finish?
Analyse these beautiful biological images and attempt to rank them in size order.
An observer is on top of a lighthouse. How far from the foot of the lighthouse is the horizon that the observer can see?
How would you design the tiering of seats in a stadium so that all spectators have a good view?
In which Olympic event does a human travel fastest? Decide which events to include in your Alternative Record Book.
Is it really greener to go on the bus, or to buy local?
The triathlon is a physically gruelling challenge. Can you work out which athlete burnt the most calories?
Investigate circuits and record your findings in this simple introduction to truth tables and logic.
10 graphs of experimental data are given. Can you use a spreadsheet to find algebraic graphs which match them closely, and thus discover the formulae most likely to govern the underlying processes?
How do you write a computer program that creates the illusion of stretching elastic bands between pegs of a Geoboard? The answer contains some surprising mathematics.
Can you draw the height-time chart as this complicated vessel fills
How efficiently can you pack together disks?
Water freezes at 0°Celsius (32°Fahrenheit) and boils at
100°C (212°Fahrenheit). Is there a temperature at which
Celsius and Fahrenheit readings are the same?
Imagine different shaped vessels being filled. Can you work out
what the graphs of the water level should look like?
Which countries have the most naturally athletic populations?
Various solids are lowered into a beaker of water. How does the
water level rise in each case?
Explore the properties of perspective drawing.
What shape would fit your pens and pencils best? How can you make it? |
Why The South Resisted Federal Encroachments.
It can now be clearly seen why the South, being a minority section, with agriculture as the chief occupation and with the peculiar institution of African slavery fastened on her by Old England and New England | Why The South Resisted Federal Encroachments.
It can now be clearly seen why the South, being a minority section, with agriculture as the chief occupation and with the peculiar institution of African slavery fastened on her by Old England and New England, adhered to the State rights or Jeffersonian school of politics. Those doctrines contain the only principles or policy truly conservative of the Constitution. Apart from them, checks and limitations are of little avail, and the Federal government can increase its powers indefinitely. Without some adequate restraint or interposition, the whole character of the government is changed, and.forms, if retained, will be, as they have been in other countries, merely the disguises for accomplishing what selfishness or ambition may dictate. The truest friends of the republic have been those who have insisted upon obedience to constitutional requirements. The real enemies, the true disunionists, have been those who, under the disguise of a deceptive name, have perverted the name and true functions of the government and have usurped, for selfish or partisan ends, or at the demand of crazy fanaticism, powers which States never surrendered. Those who contend most strenuously for the rights of the States and for a strict construction of the Constitution are the genuine lovers and friends of the Union. Their principles conserve law, good order, justice, established authority; and their unselfish purpose has been to preserve and transmit our free institutions as they came from the fathers, sincerely believing that their course and doctrines were necessary to preserve for them and posterity the blessings of good government. The States have no motive to encroach on the Federal government and no power to do so, if so inclined, while the Federal government has always the inclination and always the means to go beyond what has been granted to it. No higher encomium could be rendered to the South than the fact, sustained by her whole history, that she never violated the Constitution, that she committed no aggression upon the rights or property of the North, and that she simply asked equality in the Union and the enforcement and maintenance of her clearest rights and guarantees. The latitudinous construction, contended for by one party and one section, has been the open door through which the people have complained. A strict construction gives to the general government all the powers it can beneficially exert, all that is necessary for it to have, and all that the States ever purposed to grant.
Passion, revenge, cupidity, ignorance and fanaticism have created an incurable misunderstanding of secession, its source and object. In its simplest form and logically it meant a peaceable and orderly withdrawal from the compact of union, a dissolution of the civil partnership, a claim of the paramount allegiance of citizens, a declension to continue under the obligations due to or from the Federal government or the other States. The authority of the Constitution remains intact and unimpaired over the States remaining in the Union and ceases only as to the seceding State. The remaining or continuing States had no right of coercion nor of placing the "wayward sister" in the attitude of an enemy. The history of the Union does not show any eagerness on the part of any State to interpose its sovereign power for protection. During the first quarter of our existence as a confederate union, New England showed much impatience at remaining under the bonds, made angry and repeated threats of dissolution, but did not execute her menaces. The truth is that the Union is so strong, has so many advantages, so many patriotic associations, that the motives and reasons for continuance in it, for patient forbearance, for submission even to injustice and wrong, are well nigh overwhelming.
The Southern States through many years showed the strength of their attachment to the Union by immeasurable sacrifices, illustrated their patriotism by acts of heroic devotion, and got their reluctant consent to a separation only after a series of unendurable wrongs, and the most' indisputable demonstration of the purpose of a united North to deprive them of solemn guaran |
Open AccessThis article is
- freely available
Trapped Ion Oscillation Frequencies as Sensors for Spectroscopy
Department of Physics, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, London, UK
GSI Helmholtzzent | Open AccessThis article is
- freely available
Trapped Ion Oscillation Frequencies as Sensors for Spectroscopy
Department of Physics, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, London, UK
GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, D-64291 Darmstadt, Germany
Nuclear Chemistry Department, Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 18 January 2010; in revised form: 2 March 2010 / Accepted: 10 March 2010 / Published: 16 March 2010
Abstract: The oscillation frequencies of charged particles in a Penning trap can serve as sensors for spectroscopy when additional field components are introduced to the magnetic and electric fields used for confinement. The presence of so-called “magnetic bottles” and specific electric anharmonicities creates calculable energy-dependences of the oscillation frequencies in the radiofrequency domain which may be used to detect the absorption or emission of photons both in the microwave and optical frequency domains. The precise electronic measurement of these oscillation frequencies therefore represents an optical sensor for spectroscopy. We discuss |
German physicist Werner Heisenberg was a leader in physics, winning the 1932 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of the uncertainty principle, which states that it is impossible to specify the exact position and momentum of a particle (tiny piece of | German physicist Werner Heisenberg was a leader in physics, winning the 1932 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of the uncertainty principle, which states that it is impossible to specify the exact position and momentum of a particle (tiny piece of matter) at the same time.
Joseph Heller was a popular and respected writer whose first and best-known novel, Catch-22 (1961), was considered a classic piece of literature in the second half of the twentieth century.
Lillian Hellman, American playwright, wrote a series of powerful, realistic plays that made her one of America's major dramatists. She explored highly controversial themes, with many of her plays reflecting her outspoken political and social views.
Ernest Hemingway, American Nobel Prize-winning author, was one of the most celebrated and influential literary stylists of the twentieth century. His critical reputation rests solidly upon a small body of exceptional writing, set apart by its style, emotional content, and dramatic intensity of vision.
Jimi Hendrix was one of the most original electric guitarists of all time, combining blues, hard rock, modern jazz, and soul into his own unmistakable sound. He was also a gifted songwriter.
Henry VIII was king of England from 1509 to 1547. He established the Church of England and strengthened the position of king.
Patrick Henry, American orator (public speaker) and lawyer, was a leader in Virginia politics for thirty years. He became famous for the forceful and intelligent way he spoke that persuaded people to believe in, and act upon, his beliefs.
Audrey Hepburn was a popular movie actress who won an Academy Award in 1954 for her work in Roman Holiday. She also worked with the United Nations to improve the lives of the poor, especially children.
For over fifty years Katharine Hepburn was a successful actress on the stage and on the screen, delighting audiences with her energy, her grace, and her determination.
Herod the Great, king of Judea, was an example of a class of princes who kept their thrones by balancing the delicate relations with the Roman Empire. Herod's much-criticized relationship with Rome would keep Judea safe and establish a Jewish state.
The German-born English astronomer (scientist who studies stars and planets) Sir William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus, the motion of the sun in space, and the form of the Milky Way.
Norwegian anthropologist (scientist of human beings—their culture, numbers, characteristics, and relationships) Thor Heyerdahl popularized ideas about common links among ancient cultures worldwide. He was well known for his ocean journeys on primitive rafts and boats that were recorded in books |
Sub Exercise() Dim Population As Long End Sub
The type character for the Long data type is @. The above variable could be declared as:
Sub Exercise() Dim Population@ End Sub
A Long variable can store a value between – 2 | Sub Exercise() Dim Population As Long End Sub
The type character for the Long data type is @. The above variable could be declared as:
Sub Exercise() Dim Population@ End Sub
A Long variable can store a value between – 2,147,483,648 and 2,147,483,647 (remember that the commas are used to make the numbers easy to read; do not be used them in your code). Therefore, after declaring a Long variable, you can assign it a number in that range.
To convert a value to a long integer, call CLng() using the following formula:
Number = CLng(Value to Convert)
To convert a value to long, enter it in the parentheses of CLng(). |
According to The National Bureau of Economic Research, the Great Recession began in December 2007, lasted 18 months, and ended in June 2009. The last recession that lasted this long began in July 1981, lasted | According to The National Bureau of Economic Research, the Great Recession began in December 2007, lasted 18 months, and ended in June 2009. The last recession that lasted this long began in July 1981, lasted 16 months, and ended in November 1982.
No two recessions are the same. And no two recoveries are going to be exactly the same either … especially when the presidents that preside over them have diametrically opposed philosophies about what government can or should do. But as Ronald Reagan once said: “Shouldn’t we expect government to read the score to us once in a while?”
As the chart to the right shows, the stark reality is that the economic recovery under President Barack Obama has been much weaker than the recovery under President Ronald Reagan. At this stage of the Reagan recovery, unemployment had fallen more than three full points, from 10.8% to 7.7%. By contrast, under the Obama recovery unemployment has actually risen almost a half a percent from 9.4% to 9.8%.
So why was the Reagan Recovery so strong and why is the Obama Recovery so weak?
- President Reagan cut marginal tax rates. President Obama is still flirting with the largest tax hike in American history.
- President Reagan reined-in government union power by firing striking air traffic controllers. President Obama bailed-out state government unions, hired more federal government union members, and even bought a car company for the very same union that ran it into the ground in the first place.
- President Reagan simplified and reduced telecommunications and anti-trust regulations. President Obama expanded and complicated regulations in the health and financial sectors.
- President Reagan returned power to the states by reducing the percentage of state expenditures that come from the federal government. President Obama, through both the failed $862 billion stimulus and the trillion dollar health care plan, has made the states more dependent on Washington than ever.
These policies reflect the different governing philosophies of these two presidents. In his First Inaugural Address, President Reagan said: “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. … In the days ahead, I will propose removing the roadblocks that have slowed our economy and reduced productivity.”
President Obama, however, sees a much larger role for the federal government. As he said on the campaign trail in 2008: “I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.”
As the still-unemployment rates shows, even with a recovering economy, President Obama’s wealth-distribution efforts are not good for anybody. |
ChristianAnswers.Net WebBible Encyclopedia
mentioned in the Revised Version of 1 Chr. 29:7; Ezra 2:69; 8:27; Neh. 7:70-72, where the Authorized Version has “ | ChristianAnswers.Net WebBible Encyclopedia
mentioned in the Revised Version of 1 Chr. 29:7; Ezra 2:69; 8:27; Neh. 7:70-72, where the Authorized Version has “dram”
It is the rendering of the Hebrew darkemon and the Greek dareikos.
It was a gold coin, bearing the figure of a Persian King with his crown and armed with bow and arrow. It weighed about 128 grains troy.
It was curren |
"Developing World's Parasites, Disease Hit U.S."
"Parasitic infections and other diseases usually associated with the developing world are cropping up with alarming frequency among U.S. poor, especially in states along the U.S.-Mexico border | "Developing World's Parasites, Disease Hit U.S."
"Parasitic infections and other diseases usually associated with the developing world are cropping up with alarming frequency among U.S. poor, especially in states along the U.S.-Mexico border, the rural South and in Appalachia, according to researchers.
Government and private researchers are just beginning to assess the toll of the infections, which are a significant cause of heart disease, seizures and congenital birth defects among black and Hispanic populations.
One obstacle is that the diseases, long thought to be an overseas problem, are only briefly discussed in most U.S. medical school classes and textbooks, so many physicians don't recognize them.
Some of the infections are transmitted by bug bites and some by animal feces contaminated with parasite larvae; still others are viral. All spread in conditions of overcrowding, malnutrition, poor sanitation and close contact with animals receiving little veterinary care.
'These are diseases that we know are ten-fold more important than swine flu,' said Peter Hotez, a microbiologist at George Washington University and leading researcher in this field. 'They're on no one's radar.'"Source: Wall St. Journal, 08/24/2009 |
"The Coming of a Second Sun”: The 1956 Atoms for Peace Exhibit in Hiroshima and Japan’s Embrace of Nuclear Power1
In November 2011 when asked about the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (TEPCO’s) | "The Coming of a Second Sun”: The 1956 Atoms for Peace Exhibit in Hiroshima and Japan’s Embrace of Nuclear Power1
In November 2011 when asked about the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (TEPCO’s) deteriorating finances, a Japanese official commented, “This is a war between humans and technology. While that war is being fought, we should not talk about bankruptcy.”2 The unnamed official, perhaps inadvertently, alluded to something more than the financial issues here; the fact that technological fixes are no longer an option and that Japan, sixty-six years after the bomb and fifty-five years after it welcomed atomic energy, finally is beginning to come to terms with the true cost of over-reliance on nuclear power.
Following the March 2011 Fukushima disaster, a host of commentators, in Japan and internationally, decried the corruption, smugness and shortsightedness that led Japan to choose nuclear power in the fifties. These critics more often than not draw a picture of Japan’s entry into the atomic age as a combination of American imposition and elite (conservative) complicity.3 On the other side of this picture stand the hibakusha (A-bomb victims) and other activists who resisted this move. Drawing on the historically powerful symbolism of Hiroshima, Ōe Kenzaburō talked about Japan as becoming a fourth time victim of the atom, alluding to Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Bikini victims aboard Lucky Dragon # 5.4 Speaking of Japan’s postwar history in these familiar black and white terms of the people falling victim to the machinations of powerful Japanese politicians in collusion with American imperialism, though not without credence, obscures the balance of forces of the fifties moment in which Japan went nuclear.
Nothing demonstrates this better than the reaction of the city of Hiroshima to the introduction of the Atomic age.5 On the 27th of May 1956 the Atoms for Peace exhibition opened in the peace memorial museum in Hiroshima. The exhibit was a key component of the American plan to present the atom as a positive force for progress and overcome the Japanese “nuclear allergy.” The exhibit proved to be an enormous success, drawing well over 100,000 visitors and enthusiastic press reception. Significantly, the museum, which hosted the exhibit, one year earlier, had hosted the equally successful World Congress Against A- and H-Bombs, and it was also the museum that exhibited the horrors of the bombing.6
The Atoms for Peace exhibit was not accepted without some debate and resistance from activists. But opposition was overcome. When a few months later Hidankyō, the principal hibakusha organization, was formed, it enthusiastically embraced nuclear energy.7
The Atoms for Peace exhibit serves as a lens through which Japan’s nuclear energy policies can |
Learn something new every day More Info... by email
There are a variety of different uses for plaster. This material is created by grinding a one of a few different types of stones, such as gypsum, into a powder. Once ground, the | Learn something new every day More Info... by email
There are a variety of different uses for plaster. This material is created by grinding a one of a few different types of stones, such as gypsum, into a powder. Once ground, the stone can be mixed with water to form a paste that will harden if left exposed to the air. Applications for this use of this material can be found in a number of different industries, including construction, medicine, and art.
In construction, one of the most common uses for plaster is as drywall which is composed primarily of gypsum plaster. Plaster can be used on the inside of houses and other buildings to create an interior wall surface. Though it forms a hard surface that is appropriate for interior walls, this type of plaster can be easily damaged and does not hold up well when exposed to the elements outside.
Another common use for plaster in construction is for decorative trim. When it is dry, this material is relatively hard, allowing it to hold up over time, while it is soft enough that it can be shaped or carved with the use of tools. As a trim, a variety of different shapes or designs can be carved into plaster that can add to the aesthetic quality of a building. Stucco which is sprayed onto the outside of a building to give it texture can also be made from plaster, certain types of which may also release small amounts of water when heated, allowing it to slow the spread of fire.
Artists also commonly make use of plaster. A statue or relief can be carved out of a block of this semi-hard material, or it can be poured into molds and allowed to harden into a shape of the artist's choosing. In some cases, artists use this material, which is relatively inexpensive, as a part of the process of creating a mold that will later be used to cast metals, such as bronze.
Plaster is also frequently used in the medical industry. Casts that protect broken bones while they are healing have been made from plaster for hundreds of years. Though fiberglass casts are more commonly seen today, plaster is still used. It is also possible to use a special form of plaster that is made with barium to help protect people from the radiation given off by x-ray machines.
One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK! |
If your baby spends any amount of time away from you – whether it's with a babysitter or at daycare – it's natural to be concerned about his safety. And like any parent, you've probably wondered whether you'd be able to tell | If your baby spends any amount of time away from you – whether it's with a babysitter or at daycare – it's natural to be concerned about his safety. And like any parent, you've probably wondered whether you'd be able to tell if your baby was being mistreated.
Some parents mistakenly overlook signs of abuse because they don't want to face what's happening. Most abusers are family members, which makes the situation even harder to accept. On the other hand, even when you do keep an eye out for the physical symptoms and behavioral changes that may point to abuse, it can be tricky to figure out exactly what's going on.
"You're always playing a guessing game," says Kathy Baxter, director of the San Francisco Child Abuse Council. "A baby could have many other reasons for being fussy or becoming withdrawn. But parents are really good at knowing their children, so you have to try to put together a picture and go with your gut instinct."
Because your baby can't tell you what's going on, pinpointing abuse can be even more difficult than for an older child. What you can do is keep a close eye on your baby for signs that all is not well. Some parents discover signs of abuse – such as internal bleeding and injuries – only when they take their baby to the doctor because he won't stop crying or is being excessively fussy.
A baby who has been physically abused may:
Keep in mind that shaken baby syndrome (SBS) – which doctors call abusive head trauma – often happens to babies who are shaken in anger. In extreme cases, the abuse may involve hitting a child's head against a hard object, like the wall or the floor. When a baby has SBS, even severe injuries may not be immediately visible.
Shaken baby injuries usually happen to children who are younger than a year old, though the syndrome sometimes shows up in kids as old as 5.
A baby with SBS may seem glassy-eyed and appear rigid, lethargic, and irritable. She may also have a decreased appetite, difficulty feeding, or vomiting. She may be unable to focus on an object or lift her head.
In severe cases, she may be unconscious or have difficulty breathing. She may also have seizures and heart failure or be in a coma.
If you suspect your baby is suffering from SBS, call 911 right away. Every moment counts in terms of minimizing the damage of a baby's head injury.
A baby who has been emotionally abused may:
A baby who has been sexually abused may:
No parent wants to think her child's caregiver is abusive or neglectful – especially if the caregiver is a family member. But don't hesitate to act if your baby's caregiver:
If you have concerns about the possibility of abuse, don't delay in taking action. The sooner you address the problem, the better for your child. |
About "Community Science Action Guides"
How can teachers engage students with science issues that are meaningful
in their local communities? This question sparked the development of the
"Community Science Action Guides. The Franklin Institute Science Museum and the Science Museum, London | About "Community Science Action Guides"
How can teachers engage students with science issues that are meaningful
in their local communities? This question sparked the development of the
"Community Science Action Guides. The Franklin Institute Science Museum and the Science Museum, London invited sixteen teachers to participate in a collaborative exploration of this idea. Working with students at their schools in the US and UK, the teachers each selected a science content area that had local context.
For example, in Houston, Texas, where the oil industry supports the community's livelihood, students explored alternative energy sources and learned about the depletion of fuel supplies.
In Florida, where tourism is vital to local economies, students investigated
the impact water usage at local hotels.
The resulting "Community Science Action Guides" are content packages that support student investigation of local science issues. Developed and tested by these teachers, known as Online Museum Educators, the "Guides" include planning resources, activities, and ready-to-use materials.
The Online Museum Educatorswhose activity is made possible by support from Unisysparticipated in online conversations throughout the resource development process, sharing their diverse perspectives on community science issues and offering support to one another.
Because the participants cross school levels from primary through secondary, the "Community Science Action Guides" offer resources for teachers at any level. The "Guides" are arranged in the gallery from primary up through secondary levels. However, several of the resources in the middle reach across many interest levels.
The collected "Guides" offer a wide variety of resources and approaches. Some of the resources provide background information while others offer tips for conducting community action projects. The content areas are color-coded, with all resources relating to water using blue, energy using green, and life science using red. Pick one color and follow it through the gallery and you'll find an upward spiral of activities that build on ideas from earlier grade levels.
For a description of each of the content packages, visit the Index. Also be sure to visit the authors page where you'll meet each of the OMEs who participated in the development of "Community Science Action Guides." They spent eleven months working on the project, having started with a late Summer (2001) visit to the Museums and finishing up the following Summer (2002) as the school year ended. During the school year, they tested ideas back in their classrooms, participated in online conversations, and developed their webpages.
Since teachers are the primary audience, the "Community Science Action Guides" resources have been mapped against the U.S. National Science Educati |
In which sentence are the conjunctions used correctly?
A. Mary enjoyed neither roller skating or ice skating.
B. Either Fred nor John knew about the accident.
C. Neither beauty...
... nor popularity was considered in the contest.
D. The | In which sentence are the conjunctions used correctly?
A. Mary enjoyed neither roller skating or ice skating.
B. Either Fred nor John knew about the accident.
C. Neither beauty...
... nor popularity was considered in the contest.
D. The top award was given to neither Steve or Jim.
The sentence that uses conjunctions correctly is: C. Neither beauty no popularity was considered in the contest.
(See complete conversation and new answers below)
There are no new answers. |
expert advice MORE
Making Discipline Work
Q: I recently received guardianship of my husband's second cousins, two boys, ages 11 and 13. Their mother abandoned them about two months ago and their father passed away. They have lived | expert advice MORE
Making Discipline Work
Q: I recently received guardianship of my husband's second cousins, two boys, ages 11 and 13. Their mother abandoned them about two months ago and their father passed away. They have lived a rough life (drug use, sexual encounters) and I'm having a difficult time getting respect from them. They are fine until I discipline them, and then they become defiant. What is an effective punishment that wouldn't make them lose respect for me?
A: You are to be commended for taking on a very difficult task. It's going to take all of your family -- your husband and your own children -- plus time and patience to make this work. Respect literally is a reflection of how we view others, so the boys will give you back the respect you have for them. Respect for them would mean involving everyone in a discussion of what is and what is not acceptable behavior in your home. Everyone can also decide the consequences of acceptable behavior. Consequences should be logical, natural, short-term, and doable. Sometimes children will make their own consequences way too difficult. Parents have to guide them.
For example: When Joe sets the table for a week (cleans room, etc. ), he can play Nintendo for an hour on Saturday. When Saturday comes, it is up to you or your husband to say in a calm, non-punishing voice something like, "Because you chose not to set the table on Thursday and Friday, you may not play Nintendo this weekend. You may play next Saturday if you choose to set the table every day." Do not argue about it. Just make your statement and walk away. I encourage you to look for creative consequences, not punishments, and keep your expectations that the child can and will behave appropriately.
The age and background of the new additions to your family are circumstances that ensure it will take time, patience, and love for them to change. They will have to learn new skills and this implies many falls, frustrations, and starting over. The boys have not had limits put on their behavior and when you do it, they will be defiant. All kids at one time or another push back. That is their job as adolescents. As a parent you will have to remain calm and not take their defiance personally. That defiance will lessen and disappear as they learn your expectations and get a chance to have their say even if they don't always get their way.
It's important to have family meetings where everyone (Mom a |
Name retained. (Probably named for the Governor of Connecticut.)
(ScStr: t. 886; l. 177'6"; b. 32' 2"; dph. 17'; mdr. 12'; sp | Name retained. (Probably named for the Governor of Connecticut.)
(ScStr: t. 886; l. 177'6"; b. 32' 2"; dph. 17'; mdr. 12'; sp. 8 k.; a. 1100-pdr., 120-pdr., 4 30-pdrs.)
Built under contract by Messrs Maxon Fish & Co., Mystic, Conn., the hermaphodite brig was offered for sale to the Navy while on the ways; purchased at Stonington, Conn., 29 July 1863 by Isaac Henderson for $110,000; delivered at New York Navy Yard 30 September 1863; and commissioned 13 November 1863, Acting Volunteer Lt. W. G. Saltonstall in command. She was assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, with instructions to report at Hampton Roads to Acting Rear Admiral S. P. Lee.
On 20 November she stood out to sea, arriving off Fortress Monroe on the 23d, thence to Norfolk Navy Yard. She departed Hampton Roads 5 December to join the Fleet off Wilmington, N.C., for active blockading duty.
Governor Buckingham lost no time in getting experience with the problem of tracking blockade runners. On 20 December with the assistance of Aries she captured the notorious blockade runner Antonica of Nassau, which ran ashore. Antonica's captain and crew attempted to get away in two small boats; but when fired upon they gave themselves up, and the 26 men were taken aboard as prisoners. After boarding and taking possession of the prize in early morning of 21 December, Aries and the tug Violet sent out boats to assist, without success, as the tide had left her fast.
On 3 January 1864, Governor Buckingham was with the flagship Fahkee when the blockade runner Bendigo ran aground during the chase, after efforts at salvage failed on 11 January Bendigo was destroyed.
That same day the British blockade runner Ranger was discovered after landing her passengers from Bermuda at Merrill's Inlet, 5 miles NE. She was intercepted by Minnesota, Governor Buckingham, Daylight, and Aries when she approached the Western Bar, and was beached and fired by her crew. Attempts by the squadron to extinguish the fire and haul her off were frustrated by Confederate sharpshooters, whose fire completely commanded her decks.
Later Governor Buckingham proceeded to Norfolk Navy Yard, for overhaul. She sailed from Hampton Roads on 3 July 1864 to return to blockade duty off Wilmington, and soon af |
Bending Drills Teach Dogs to Hunt Efficiently
A dog that searches for birds in a consistent pattern covers ground efficiently and hunts with confidence. Whether you’re hunting quail, grouse or pheasants, the result is the same | Bending Drills Teach Dogs to Hunt Efficiently
A dog that searches for birds in a consistent pattern covers ground efficiently and hunts with confidence. Whether you’re hunting quail, grouse or pheasants, the result is the same: more shooting opportunities.
We train our pointing dogs to run patterns by using what are known in pointing dog terms as “bending” drills. Upland flushing dogs should search with the same kind of consistency but usually at closer range than what is expected of pointing dogs. This is more often referred to as “quartering.” No matter what breed of dog, however, the concept is the same.
You can start bending drills after your dog has been introduced to birds and shooting. At this stage in your young dog’s life, he should have logged many hours running, chasing, flash-pointing and learning that birds are fun. Now you’re going to mold him into an efficient bird-finder.
First, go to an area with low cover and no distractions. Hook a 25- to 30-foot check cord to your dog’s collar, which should have an external D-ring that will allow you to guide the dog from either side. Now, pretending that you’re standing in the middle of a football field end zone, walk diagonally toward the area where the right hash marks would be found, allowing the dog to run in front of you. As the dog nears the end of the check cord, turn diagonally toward the other imaginary set of hash marks and give the dog a tug to guide him in that direction.
(Important: The dog should turn left when you go left and right when you go right; the collar’s D-ring makes it easier for you to guide him with the check cord. He must learn to always run to your front, not make a circle to change directions.)
After a few days of doing this drill twice a day, the dog will begin to anticipate when you’re going to turn. When you see that your dog has made this connection, you can phase in electronic collar stimulation and a voice or whistle command to reinforce this consistent pattern. Repeat the drill, but now when the dog is nearing the area where you want him to turn, deliver the lightest necessary e-collar stimulation and whistle or give a command. If the dog doesn’t respond, give a tug on the check cord. It won’t take long for him to figure out that the stimulation stops when he makes the turn.
Keep a few things in mind to help your dog learn and make him into the kind of hunter you want. One, after introducing the e-collar, don’t use stimulation every time you make the dog turn. You want to give the dog the chance to make the turn himself. Second, if you want to condition your dog to hunt farther out, don’t turn as often. The dog will soon be checking back to make sure he’s in front of you. If you aren’t turning, he should keep heading in the same direction, which translates into working farther in front of you, until you turn or tell him to change directions. Lastly, if you’re going to use your dog for hunting in heavier cover, grouse hunting for example, transition into such cover while repeating these drills.
When your dog is looking back often to check your direction and is responding well to your commands to change direction, drop the check cord but have the dog continue running with it attached to his collar. You can always pick it up for reinforcement if necessary. After five or six good sessions, you should be able to get rid of the check cord altogether.
As the final test, repeat these drills with distractions such as other people or dogs in your training field. Your dog should ignore these distractions and continue responding to you.
Note: As with all dog-training programs, bending is a step that builds upon previous exercises. Please refer to the articles in this section for information on properly introducing your dog to an e-collar before working on this drill. |
The Black middle class is shrinking. For Black America, the recession is not over. These are indisputable facts reported again and again by media and quoted by pundits to fuel their indictments against the federal government for what it isn’t doing
| The Black middle class is shrinking. For Black America, the recession is not over. These are indisputable facts reported again and again by media and quoted by pundits to fuel their indictments against the federal government for what it isn’t doing
The Black middle class is shrinking. For Black America, the recession is not over. These are indisputable facts reported again and again by media and quoted by pundits to fuel their indictments against the federal government for what it isn’t doing to fix the problem. But instead of asking the government what it’s going to do, we should also be asking “What is the Black community going to do?”
Government bears responsibility to ensure fair and equal access to opportunity for all Americans. That, too, is an indisputable fact. But the disappearing Black middle class and the scarcity of wealth in the Black community didn’t arrive with the recession in 2008.
Prior to the tumble, Blacks controlled less than 3 percent of the nation’s wealth but bore a disproportionate amount of personal debt.
In spite of these trends, the overwhelming perception among African Americans leading up to the recession was that their overall economic outlook was improving, according to the Pew Research Center. Many people assumed that the Black middle class was growing when, in fact, it was not.
As the U.S. Congress and the Obama administration ponder a debt ceiling, Black Americans should seriously think about establishing their own personal debt ceilings to defend against economic uncertainties such as long-term joblessness and declining incomes and property values.
In 2004, four years before the Great Recession, Black household net worth dropped by 83 percent to $2,170. The net worth of the average white American household is 50 times that amount. Household wealth isn’t based on income; it is calculated by subtracting debt from your assets. A study released in 2010 by Brandeis University found that the black-white wealth gap experienced unprecedented growth between 1984 and 2007. During that time, assets among white households increased while debt skyrocketed among Black households.
As debt grew, incomes fell. Black median household income dropped dramatically to $29,328 in 2009 from $32,584 in 2010, according to U.S. Census figures.
A recent newspaper article stated that “for many in the Black community, job loss has knocked them out of the middle class and back into poverty.” That statement assumes these individuals were born poor. A study by the Economic Policy Institute in Washington released in 2008, before the crisis struck, found that 45 percent of African Americans who were born into the middle class were living in poverty as adults, compared to 16 percent of whites.
That is not to say that the Black community today isn’t in crisis. The disproportionate impact of foreclosures on the Black community, wage freezes and long-term joblessness – even among college-educated Blacks – has worsened Black America’s already critical economic circumstances. Keep in mind that during a national election cycle in which a Black president presides over a country experiencing the worst economic climate in 80 years, fingers will naturally point to the government to blame. But the economic disparities facing the Black community didn’t start with this administration and they won’t end here, either. Solutions will require thought leadership, education and advocacy in the Black community, and an end to the culture of debt.
The Chicago Urban League has been working in the trenches to extend access to economic opportunity to African Americans for over 90 years. We offer financial literacy courses for adults and youth so that they might avoid credit booby traps, learn how to save and invest. We counsel first-time homebuyers so they do not take on more debt than they can handle. We also teach fiscal responsibility and long-term financial planning to business owners through our Entrepreneurship Center. It is critical that Black enterprises thrive so that they may hire and invest in Black communities.
Both the government and private sector have a crucial role to play to ensure that African Americans get their fair share of the pie. Our nation continues to struggle with equal access to opportunity, the poor quality of public education and the absence of a clear pipeline to good-paying jobs. I will address these issues in next month’s column.
But it is going to require more than a shift in economic policies under the current administration in Washington to reverse Black America’s downward spiral. Opportunity must be accompanied by fiscal responsibility in Black households. Black America must work deliberately to reverse its reliance on debt. For those who need assistance, the Urban League is here to help.
Andrea L. Zopp is president and CEO of The Chicago Urban League. |
Center for Archival Collections
March 1990: Volume 9, Number 1
Interurban railroads, such as the Lakeshore Electric (shown at its Sandusky station in 1927) connected communities much as bus | Center for Archival Collections
March 1990: Volume 9, Number 1
Interurban railroads, such as the Lakeshore Electric (shown at its Sandusky station in 1927) connected communities much as bus lines do today. CAC General Photograph Collection.
Transportation has been vital to the settlement and development of the nation, and Ohioans have created thousands of records relating to it. By tracing the history of transportation through the variety of materials available at the Center for Archival Collections, researchers can follow the economic history of the state.
Community cooperation is documented in subscription lists for bridge building and local records for ditch and road maintenance. The development of engineering can be traced through blueprints and maps used for construction. The canal era is represented in canal boat registers and maps, while the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes holds a significant collection on the Great Lakes shipping industry.
Though railroads were private enterprises, they were scheduled, regulated, taxed, and unionized, leaving behind a rich source of information on Ohio business and everyday life. The petroleum industry flourished because of the need for fuel and is represented in the surviving records of such businesses as the Oil Well Salvage Company (MMS 15) and in the photographs of the Irven I. Freyman Collection (MS 91). The automobile industry continues to be of great economic importance for northwest Ohio, and CAC collections include material on its unions, workers, and companies such as Willys-Overland. Transportation-related records offer a unique perspective on many aspects of American life. Researchers are invited to sample the possibilities.
--Lee N. McLaird
Local government records often have responsibility for roads, ditches, ferries, wharves, streetcars, and airports; consequently, county, township, and municipal records may relate to them. Not only do these records reveal community effort and construction techniques, but they also teach much about the people, economy, and changing landmarks.
In the early nineteenth century, the Ohio General Assembly gave the Board of County Commissioners the task of constructing local highways. Free Turnpike Records, Highway Improvement Records, Tollkeepers' Reports, Works Progress Administration Files, and the Commissioners' Journals from the County Commissioners' office include a variety of information on the history of transportation.
By 1862, rail transportation was so important to local economies that the General Assembly created a regional Board of Railroad Appraisers and Assessors for each railroad company. Each county in which the company had a right-of-way was represented by its Auditor at an annual meeting to determine the taxable value of railroad property. Records such as Annual Appraisement Reports and Apprortionments for Taxation were kept by the Board. The Board was disbanded with the creation of the Tax Commission in 1910. Today, these records may be preserved in the archives or found in the county Auditor's office. In addition, Railroad Deed and Lien Records may be located in the County Recorder's office. Lastly, Records of the Railroad Policemen's Commissions, which contain copies of appointments and commissions issued by the governor to railroad police, may be found in the Court of Common Pleas.The growing importance of the automobile was demonstrated as early as 1906 when the County Surveyor gained engineering responsibilities for roads and bridges. By 1935, the title changed to Engineer, and candidates for election were required to be licensed professionals. Road Records, Bridge and Culvert Records, and Free Turnpike Records contain valuable information on county roads.
The Board of Township Trustees is responsible for ditch and road maintenance. Ditch Records (including Journals, Plats and Profiles) include proceedings on the establishment and construction of ditches, while Road Records contain information regarding the establishment, alteration, or vacation of public roads. These may also include plats and maps, accounts, and names of citizens who worked on roads. Minutes of the Trustees may also include information relating to transportation.
In the late nineteenth century, some municipalities operated streetcars, and city records may have been preserved detailing their financial |
Lucky me! I just checked off an item on my bucket list—a trip to Altun-Ha, a Mayan city in Belize. For the past couple of years, I’ve been reading about early American history. Actually walking through the | Lucky me! I just checked off an item on my bucket list—a trip to Altun-Ha, a Mayan city in Belize. For the past couple of years, I’ve been reading about early American history. Actually walking through the ruins—and learning yet more from an incredible tour guide with Mayan roots—gave me even greater perspective and insight. Most importantly, it left me eager to study even more.
Returning to work here at Core Knowledge, I’ve been considering how to give students similar experiences. Certainly, most students are not going to take a trip to a Mayan, Aztec, Incan, or other early American site because they happen to be learning about it in school. Most are not even going to see less exotic places like the Statue of Liberty, Angel Island, the White House, or the Alamo before they graduate. (I graduated long ago and have still only seen one of those four!)
It’s important to realize, though, that every location—whether the farmlands of Nebraska or the urban epicenter of New York City—has historic and cultural experiences we can offer our students. Through careful choice, planning, and collaboration, we can give our students a sampling of such opportunities. A recent (in fact, the first major) study on the effe |
Jacques de Vaucanson
Jacques de Vaucanson (February 24, 1709 – November 21, 1782) was a French inventor and artist who was responsible for the creation of impressive and innovative automata and | Jacques de Vaucanson
Jacques de Vaucanson (February 24, 1709 – November 21, 1782) was a French inventor and artist who was responsible for the creation of impressive and innovative automata and machines such as the first completely automated loom.
He was born in Grenoble, France in 1709 as Jacques Vaucanson (the particle "de" was later added to his name by the Académie des Sciences). The tenth child, son of a glove-maker, he grew up poor, and in his youth he reportedly aspired to become a clockmaker. He studied under the Jesuits and later joined the Order of the Minims in Lyon. It was his intention at the time to follow a course of religious studies, but he regained his interest in mechanical devices after meeting the surgeon Le Cat, from whom he would learn the details of anatomy. This new knowledge allowed him to develop his first mechanical devices that mimicked biological vital functions such as circulation, respiration, and digestion.
At just 18 years of age, Vaucanson was given his own workshop in Lyon, and a grant from a nobleman to construct a set of machines. In that same year of 1727, there was a visit from one of the governing heads of Les Minimes. Vaucanson decided to make some androids. The automata would serve dinner and clear the tables for the visiting politicians. However one government official declared that he thought Vaucanson's tendencies "profane", and ordered that his workshop be destroyed.
In 1737, Vaucanson built The Flute Player, a life-size figure of a shepherd that played the tabor and the pipe and had a repertoire of twelve songs. The figure's fingers were not pliable enough to play the flute correctly, so Vaucanson had to glove the creation in skin. The following year, in early 1738, he presented his creation to the Académie des Sciences. At the time, mechanical creatures were somewhat a fad in Europe, but most could be classified as toys, and de Vaucanson's creations were recognized as being revolutionary in their mechanical lifelike sophistication.
Later that year, he created two additional automata, The Tambourine Player and The Digesting Duck, which is considered his masterpiece. The duck had over 400 moving parts in each wing alone, and could flap its wings, drink water, digest grain, and defecate. Although Vaucanson's duck supposedly demonstrated digestion accurately, his duck actually contained a hidden compartment of "digested food", so that what the duck defecated was not the same as what it ate; the duck would eat a mixture of water and seed and excrete a mixture of bread crumbs and green dye that appeared to the onlooker indistinguishable from real excrement. Although such "frauds" were sometimes controversial, they were common enough because such scientific demonstrations needed to entertain the wealthy and powerful to attract their patronage. Vaucanson is credited as having invented the world's first flexible rubber tube while in the process of building the duck's intestines. Despite the revolutionary nature of his automata, he is said to have tired quickly of his creations and sold them in 1743.
In 1741 he was appointed by Cardinal Fleury, chief minister of Louis XV, as inspector of the manufacture of silk in France. He was charged with undertaking reforms of the silk manufacturing process. At the time, the French weaving industry had fallen behind that of England and Scotland. Vaucanson promoted wide-ranging changes for automation of the weaving process. In 1745, he created the world's first completely automated loom, drawing on the work of Basile Bouchon and Jean Falcon. Vaucanson was trying to automate the French textile industry with punch cards- a technology that, as refined by Joseph-Marie Jacquard more than a half century later, would revolutionize weaving and, in the twentieth century, would be used to input data into computers and store information in binary form. His proposals were not well received by weavers, however, who pelted him with stones in the street and many of the more revolutionary ones were largely ignored.
He invented several machine tools, such as the first fully documented, all metal slide rest lathe, around 1751 (Though Derry & Williams place this invention around 1768). It was described in the Encyclopédie.
In 1746, he was made a member of the Académie des Sciences.
Jacques de Vaucanson died in Paris in 1782. Vaucanson left a collection of his work as a bequest to Louis XVI. The collection would become the foundation of the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers in Paris. His original automata have all been lost. The flute player and the tambourine player were reported |
They have mineral compositions and oxygenisotope ratios very similar to the H chondrites, which makes it probable that they originate from the same parent body. The best candidate for this parent body is the S-type asteroid6 Hebe., Meteoritics | They have mineral compositions and oxygenisotope ratios very similar to the H chondrites, which makes it probable that they originate from the same parent body. The best candidate for this parent body is the S-type asteroid6 Hebe., Meteoritics & Planetary Science, Vol. 33, p. 1281 (1998). Unlike most iron meteorites, the type IIE are thought to have been melted out of the chondritic surface of the parent asteroid by impacts during its early history.
It is a rare type with 21 known members as of 2009. |
The name comes from the old German words "lureln" (Rhine dialect for "murmuring") and the Celtic term "ley" (rock). The translation of the name would therefore be: "murmur rock" or | The name comes from the old German words "lureln" (Rhine dialect for "murmuring") and the Celtic term "ley" (rock). The translation of the name would therefore be: "murmur rock" or "murmuring rock". The heavy currents, and a small waterfall in the area (still visible in the early 19th century) created a murmuring sound, and this combined with the special echo the rock produces to act as a sort of amplifier, giving the rock its name. The murmuring is hard to hear today owing to the urbanization of the area. Other theories attribute the name to the many accidents, by combining the German verb "lauern" (to lurk, lie in wait) with the same "ley" ending, with the translation "lurking rock". |
23a. The Red-Shame of Menn Followeth Here
It was then came to them great Menn son of Salcholga, he from Renna ('the Waterways') of the Boyne in the north. Twelve men | 23a. The Red-Shame of Menn Followeth Here
It was then came to them great Menn son of Salcholga, he from Renna ('the Waterways') of the Boyne in the north. Twelve men with many-pointed weapons, that was his number. It was thus they came, and two spearheads on each shaft with them, a spear-head on the top and a spearhead at the butt, so that it made no difference whether they wounded the hosts with the points or with the butts.
They offered three attacks upon the hosts. Three times their own number fell at their hands and there fell twelve men of the people of Menn. But Menn himself was sorely wounded in the strait, so that blood ran crimson on him. Then said the men of Erin: "Red is this shame," said they, "for Menn son of Salcholga, that his people, should be slain and destroyed and he himself wounded till blood ran crimson red upon him." Hence here is the 'Reddening Shame of Menn.'
Then said the men of Erin, it would be no dishonour for Menn son of Salcholga to leave the camp and quarters, and that the hosts would go a day's journey back to the north again, and that Menn should cease his weapon-feats on the hosts till Conchobar arose out of his 'Pains' and battle would be offered them at Garech and Ilgarech, as the druids and soothsayers and the knowers of the men of Erin had foretold it.
Menn son of Salcholga agreed to that, to leave the camp and halting-place. And the hosts fell back a day's march for to rest and wait, and Menn went his way to his own land. |
Second, this course asks that we bring a healthy degree of skepticism to our work, re-examining what we had thought to be true. The French semiotician Roland Barthes once described ideology as opinion or belief naturalized as truth: | Second, this course asks that we bring a healthy degree of skepticism to our work, re-examining what we had thought to be true. The French semiotician Roland Barthes once described ideology as opinion or belief naturalized as truth: if one grows up thinking that a social convention is a natural fact, one may assume that the structures of society are inevitable, immutable, and therefore impervious to challenge. For example, in the nineteenth century, the medical establishment thought that higher education was injurious to women's health; successful scientists such as Marie Curie, of course, proved them wrong.
Third, an interdisciplinary approach--that is, a method not confined by the traditional boundaries of the disciplines--better enables us to examine and interpret significant values, events, ideas, and cultural phenomena that have shaped our understanding of women and men. By bridging traditional categories of knowing we can more thoroughly explore the objects of our study.
A brief sketch of the class plan reflects this philosophy: We will first discuss how education, advertising, the media, and science shape our beliefs and values about sex, gender, and sexuality. Next, we will travel through a history of women in America, focusing on religion, politics, law, and work. We will then explore the evolution of feminist theories through what have come to be known as the First Wave, Second Wave, and Third Wave of feminism. Finally, we will reflect on Women's Studies as a discipline.
Class Participation and Attendance: You will be asked to participate regularly in class discussions and in collaborative learning groups. Your attendance is therefore important. You will not be penalized for your first two absences; thereafter, your class participation grade will drop one grade increment (i.e., B+ to B) for each day missed. Excessive unexcused absences (five or more) will adversely affect your final course grade and will lead to your failure in the course. While I appreciate your offering explanations for absences, the only way to excuse an absence is to provide me with an official letter from your dean or an official notice of illness from the Health Center.
Quizzes: You will have about 10 quizzes over the course of the class; a quiz will have five questions, and each question will be worth one point. Your grade for the reading quizzes will be averaged at the end of the course according to the following scale: 5 = A, 4=B, etc. (I will drop the lowest quiz grade before calculating the average.) Should you be absent on the day of a quiz, you will receive a zero, unless the absence is excused. I will offer some extra credit options.
Papers: You will write two short papers. The papers are due at the time the class meets. Late papers will be penalized one full grade (i.e., B to C) for each day late. More information about these two papers follows the syllabus.
Daedalus Sessions in ECTR110: Our class is a pilot course for the use of the Daedalus Integrated Writing Environment software in Women's Studies at the College of Charleston. As noted on the syllabus, some of our classes will meet in the computer lab classroom, Education Center 110. Go directly to ECTR 110 on those class days. Your preparation for and participation in these class sessions should follow the guidelines noted above for "Reading" and "Class Participation and Attendance."
Women's Studies Listserv: Beginning the second day of class, we start using our listserv; directions for using the listserv were handed out in class. You should post at least two comments a week in response to the materials we're studying in class; that said, I also encourage you to post responses whenever you have something to contribute. I will monitor these discussions and assess a grade based on the thoughtfulness of your comments, their ability to foster discussion among your classmates, and their responsiveness both to our readings and to your classmates' comments in class and on the listserv. Your postings do not need to be long; however, they need to be substantive: they must be long enough to convey clearly the problem you are taking up and your point of view, connecting your comment to others' comments, as appropriate. I will offer models of helpful postings early in the class. Postings to the listserv will count towards your class participation grade.
Examinations: You will have a midterm and a final exam for the course.
Night Screenings of Movies: I will schedule screenings of the two films we will discuss. You are required to see the films before our discussion. If you cannot attend the scheduled screenings, please notify me; you must then arrange to see the films on your own by the time we discuss them in class.
Conferences and Email: There are no mandatory conferences
for this course. I encourage you, however, to stop by during office
hours, particularly before an assignment is due. Please see me
to make an appointment if my office hours are not convenient for
you. I am always available over email, too; I check my email at
least once during the day and once again around 10 p.m., |
This Test is 85% Correct
1. A PC can not connect to any remote websites, ping its default gateway, or ping a printer that is functioning properly on the local network segment. Which action will verify that the TCP/IP stack is | This Test is 85% Correct
1. A PC can not connect to any remote websites, ping its default gateway, or ping a printer that is functioning properly on the local network segment. Which action will verify that the TCP/IP stack is functioning correctly on this PC?
--> Use the ping 127.0.0.1 command at the command prompt.
2. Refer to the exhibit. Which set of devices contains only intermediary devices?
--> A, B, D, G
3. Refer to the exhibit. When computer A sends a frame to computer D, what computers receive the frame?
--> only computer D
4. Which password is automatically encrypted when it is created?
--> enable secret
5. Which three statements characterize the transport layer protocols? (Choose three.)
--> TCP and UDP port numbers are used by application layer protocols.
--> TCP uses windowing and sequencing to provide reliable transfer of data.
--> TCP is a connection-oriented protocol. UDP is a connectionless protocol.
6. Which type of media is immune to EMI and RFI? (Choose two.)
--> 100 Base-FX
--> 1000 Base LX
7. Refer to the exhibit. A technician is working on a network problem that requires verification of the router LAN interface. What address should be pinged from this host to confirm that the router interface is operational?
8. Refer to the exhibit. The diagram represents the process of sending email between clients.
Select the list below that correctly identifies the component or protocol used at each numbered stage of the diagram.
--> 1.MUA 2.SMTP 3.MTA 4.SMTP 5.MTA 6.MDA 7.POP 8.MUA
9. Refer to the exhibit. What function does router RT_A need to provide to allow Internet access for hosts in this network?
--> address translation
10. Refer to the exhibit. The network containing router B is experiencing problems. A network associate has isolated the issue in this network to router B? What action can be preformed to correct the network issue?
--> issue the no shutdown command on interface FastEthernet 0/1
11. Which three IPv4 addresses represent a broadcast for a subnet? (Choose three.)
--> 172.16.4.63 /26
--> 172.16.4.191 /26
--> 172.16.4.95 /27
12. What are three characteristics of CSMA/CD? (Choose three.)
--> A device listens and waits until the media is not busy before transmitting.
--> All of the devices on a segment see data that passes on the network medium.
--> After detecting a collision, hosts can attempt to resume transmission after a random time delay has expired.
13. In a Cisco IOS device, where is the startup-configuration file stored?
14. A routing issue has occurred in you internetwork. Which of the following type of devices should be examined to isolate this error?
15. Which OSI layer protocol does IP rely on to determine whether packets have been lost and to request retransmission?
16. Due to a security violation, the router passwords must be changed. What information can be learned from the following configuration entries? (Choose two.)
--> The entries specify four Telnet lines for remote access.
The entries set the console and Telnet password to "c13c0".
Telnet access will be denied because the Telnet configuration is incomplete.
--> Access will be permitted for Telnet using "c13c0" as the password.
17. Which prompt represents the appropriate mode used for the copy running-config startup-config command?
18. Which combination of network id and subnet mask correctly identifies all IP addresses from 172.16.128.0 through 172.16.159.255?
--> 172.16.128.0 255.255.224.0
19. When must a router serial interface be configured with the clock rate command?
--> when the interface is functioning as a DCE device
20. When connectionless protocols are implemented at the lower layers of the OSI model, what are usually used to acknowledge the data receipt and request the retransmission of missing data?
--> upper-layer connection-oriented protocols
21. A technician is asked to secure the privileged EXEC mode of a switch by requiring a password. Which type of password would require this login and be considered the most
--> enable secret
22. Refer to the exhibit. What is required on host A for a network technician to create the initial configuration on RouterA?
--> a terminal emulation program
23. Refer to the exhibit. A network administrator remotely accesses the CLI of RouterB from PC1. Which two statements are true about the application layer protocol that is used to make this connection? (Choose two.)
-->The connection type is called a VTY session.
--> The application name is the same for the service, protocol, and client.
24. The Layer 4 header contains which type of information to aid in the delivery of data?
--> service port number
25. Refer to the exhibit. What two facts can be determined about the exhibited topology? (Choose two.)
--> A single broadcast domain is present
--> Five collision domains exist.
26. Refer to the exhibit. A network technician is trying to determine the correct IP address configuration for Host A. What is a valid configuration for Host A?
--> IP address: 192.168.100.20; Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.240; Default Gateway: 192.168.100.17
27. Refer to the exhibit. Cable 1 and cable 2 have the ends wired for specific physical layer requirements. The t |
|Observation data (w:J2000 epoch)|
|Right ascension||07h 03.2m|
|Distance||3.2 kly (1 kpc)|
|Apparent magnitude (V)||5. | |Observation data (w:J2000 epoch)|
|Right ascension||07h 03.2m|
|Distance||3.2 kly (1 kpc)|
|Apparent magnitude (V)||5.9|
|Apparent dimensions (V)||16.0′|
|Other designations||NGC 2323|
Messier 50 (also known as M 50 or NGC 2323) is an w:open cluster in the w:constellation w:Monoceros. It was perhaps discovered by G. D. Cassini before w:1711 and independently discovered by w:Charles Messier in w:1772. M50 is at a distance of about 3,000 w:light-years away from w:Earth. It is described as a 'heart-shaped' figure. |
German Army (German Empire)
|Role||Protecting the German Empire, and its interests, by using ground and sea assets.|
500,000 (Normal)13,000,000 (World War I)
|Engagements||Samo | German Army (German Empire)
|Role||Protecting the German Empire, and its interests, by using ground and sea assets.|
500,000 (Normal)13,000,000 (World War I)
|Engagements||Samoan Civil War
Second Samoan Civil War
Herero and Namaqua Genocide
World War I
The German Army (Deutsches Heer) was the name given to the combined land (and air) forces of the German Empire. The term Deutsches Heer is also used for the modern German Army, the land component of the Bundeswehr. The German Army was formed after the unification of Germany under Prussian leadership in 1871, and dissolved in 1919, after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I.
- 1 Formation and name
- 2 Command and control
- 3 Structure
- 4 Air Force
- 5 Ranks of the Imperial German Army
- 5.1 Enlisted (Mannschaften/Gemeine) ranks
- 5.2 Non-commissioned officers and warrant officers / Unteroffiziere
- 5.3 Warrant Officers and Officer Cadets
- 5.4 Officer corps
- 6 Dissolution
- 7 See also
- 8 Notes
- 9 External links
Formation and name
The states which made up the German Empire each had their own separate armies. Within the German Confederation, formed after the Napoleonic Wars, each state was responsible for maintaining certain units to be put at the disposal of the Confederation in case of conflict. When operating together, these units were known as the Federal Army (Bundesheer). The Federal Army system functioned during various conflicts of the 19th century, such as the First Schleswig War in 1848-50, but by the time of the Second Schleswig War of 1864, strains were showing, mainly between the major powers of the confederation, the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. The end of the German Confederation was sealed by the Austro-Prussian War of 1866.
After this war, a victorious and much enlarged Prussia formed a new confederation, the North German Confederation, which included the states of northern Germany. The treaty that formed the North German Federation provided for the maintenance of a Federal Army and a Federal Navy (Bundesmarine or Bundeskriegsmarine). Further laws on military duty also used these terms. Conventions (some later amended) were entered into between the North German Confederation and its member states, effectively subordinating their armies to Prussia's in time of war, and giving the Prussian Army control over training, doctrine and equipment.
Shortly after the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, the North German Confederation also entered into conventions on military matters with states not members of the confederation: Bavaria, Württemberg, and Baden. Through these conventions and the constitution of the German Empire of 1871, an Army of the Realm (Reichsheer) was born. The contingents of the Bavarian, Saxon and Württemberg kingdoms remained semi-autonomous, while the Prussian Army assumed almost total control over the armies of the other states of the Empire. The constitution of the German Empire, dated April 16, 1871, changed references in the North German Constitution from Federal Army to either Army of the Realm ("Reichsheer") or German Army ("Deutsches Heer").
Even after 1871 the peacetime armies of the four kingdoms remained relatively distinct. "German Army" was used in various legal documents such as the Military Penal Code, but otherwise the Prussian, Bavarian, Saxon and Württemberg armies maintained distinct identities. Each kingdom had its own War Ministry, Bavaria and Saxony published their own rank and seniority lists for their officers, and Württemberg's was a separate chapter of the Prussian army rank lists. Württemberg and Saxon units were numbered according to the Prussian system though, while Bavarian units maintained their own (thus, the 2nd Württemberg Infantry Regiment was Infantry Regiment No. 120 under the Prussian system).
Command and control
The overall commander of the Imperial German Army, less the Bavarian contingent, was the Kaiser. He was assisted by a German Imperial Military Cabinet, and exercised control through the Ministry of War and the Great General Staff. The Chief of the General Staff became the Kaiser's main military advisor and effectively the most powerful military figure in the Empire. Bavaria maintained its own Ministry of War and its own Royal Bavarian Army General |
Oncept is the first therapeutic cancer vaccine the USDA has approved for any species and its success rate is staggering, Dr. Philip Bergman, the primary veterinarian behind the vaccine, tells PEOPLEPets.com. In the past, dogs diagnosed with stage II | Oncept is the first therapeutic cancer vaccine the USDA has approved for any species and its success rate is staggering, Dr. Philip Bergman, the primary veterinarian behind the vaccine, tells PEOPLEPets.com. In the past, dogs diagnosed with stage II or stage III oral melanoma survived less than six months when treated with surgery alone. But when Oncept was added into the treatment dogs responded so well that median survival time cannot be determined because many of the dogs are still alive today or died of an unrelated illness.
"We've been overjoyed with the results," says Bergman. "I get letters out of the blue and it's been very gratifying. We're starting to see patients having survival times of years."
Jean Mann couldn't be happier with how her 11-year-old black Labrador, Ebony, is doing with the help of Oncept. The dog was first diagnosed with oral melanoma in the fall of 2008 after a vet discovered a mass in the back of his throat that proved malignant. Ebony was treated with both surgery and multiple doses of Oncept — he got his last vaccine just last month — and is now doing amazingly well.
"I am beyond ecstatic at how well he's done," Mann tells PEOPLEPets.com. "There are times he's kind of puppy-like. His world revolves around food and peeing on every blade of grass."
Dogs like Ebony initially get four doses of the vaccine — one every two weeks — followed by a booster shot every six months. The vaccine is inserted into the inner thigh muscle of the dog with a needle-free canine transdermal device and each time dogs receive a dose of the vaccine, their immune response becomes stronger in the fight against melanoma.
Unlike traditional vaccines that are given before a disease develops, Oncept is considered a therapeutic vaccine and only given once the disease is diagnosed. Bergman says it's most effective when first given soon after the diagnosis is made.
There can be minimal side effects to the vaccine, like infection at the injection site, though Ebony hasn't had any problems.
"He never had any reaction to the vaccine, never changed his attitude or his demeanor," says Mann. "He never displayed ill symptoms."
The vaccine is especially significant because many in the medical community feel it might eventually lead to a cancer vaccine for humans. In fact, Bergman teamed with Dr. Jedd Wolchok of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center more than 10 years ago to develop the vaccine and study its impact in both dogs and people.
" |
Toxic Consequences of the Green Revolution
India: Four decades after the so-called Green Revolution enabled this vast nation to feed itself, some farmers are turning their backs on modern agricultural methods—the use of modified seeds, fertilizer, and pesticides—in favor | Toxic Consequences of the Green Revolution
India: Four decades after the so-called Green Revolution enabled this vast nation to feed itself, some farmers are turning their backs on modern agricultural methods—the use of modified seeds, fertilizer, and pesticides—in favor of organic farming.
This is not a matter of producing gourmet food for environmentally attuned consumers but rather something of a life-and-death choice in villages like this one, where the benefits of the Green Revolution have been coupled with unanticipated harmful consequences from chemical pollution.
As driving their actions, the new organic farmers cite the rising costs of seed, fertilizer, and pesticides, and concerns that decades of chemical use is ruining the soil. But many are also revolting against what they see as the environmental degradation that has come with the new farming techniques, particularly the serious pollution of drinking water that village residents blame for causing cancer and other diseases.
"People are fed up with chemical farming," says Amarjit Sharma, a farmer for 30 years who began organic farming four years ago. "The earth is now addicted to the use of these chemicals." |
Whenever rockets leave Earth, the satellites and other cargo they carry account for just a fraction of their weight. Most—up to 90 percent—of a rocket’s weight comes from its fuel. This presents a problem for rocket designers: the more | Whenever rockets leave Earth, the satellites and other cargo they carry account for just a fraction of their weight. Most—up to 90 percent—of a rocket’s weight comes from its fuel. This presents a problem for rocket designers: the more a rocket weighs, the more fuel you need to boost it into space. But how do you reduce a rocket’s weight without reducing the fuel needed to launch it? Leik Myrabo, an aerospace engineer at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, says the solution is to take the power source off the rocket and leave it on the ground, reducing launch costs to at least a hundredth of what they are now. Working at the Air Force Research Laboratory in California with aerospace engineer Franklin Mead, Myrabo has built a number of six-inch-wide prototypes that in early tests have reached a height of more than 70 feet without so much as a drop of onboard propellant.
The model looks like a big acorn, but its odd design allows it to use an unconventional means of propulsion: a high-power laser. Before launch the aluminum prototype, called Lightcraft because of its power source, balances on a six-inch-long pole. To launch the device, Myrabo and Mead first fire a jet of compressed air at it, making it spin. The spinning stabilizes the craft. Then a laser pulse shines up from below and hits the polished underside of the craft, which acts as a mirror to focus the beam into the air beneath the craft. The laser power is so concentrated that it superheats.6 cubic inch of air a fraction of an inch below the craft to 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Such a cloud of gas is called a plasma, and it expands explosively to power the craft. Between beam pulses, which fire 20 times a second, air rushes back beneath the craft to fuel the next laser-induced explosion.
Myrabo keeps the Lightcraft’s power source on the ground because a laser powerful enough to create a plasma would be too heavy to mount onto the craft. To stay positioned over its power source, the Lightcraft has to move upward in a very straight line, which is why Myrabo and Mead spin the craft before liftoff, creating gyroscopic forces that steady it. Myrabo says that within the next five years he and Mead plan to make a version that will be up to five feet in diameter, which he hopes will reach a height of 124 miles, putting it into low orbit. Myrabo says he even has a 66-foot-wide model on the drawing board that could carry 12 passengers. That model would have onboard jets as stabilizers.
What about bad weather or birds coming between the Lightcraft and the laser? As with conventional rockets, Lightcraft launches would have to be canceled during storms. But you would launch from the top of a mountain or a desert to avoid many atmospheric problems, says Myrabo. And if birds flew through the beam, it would be a very momentary interruption, so I don’t see any particular problem. And unlike conventional rockets with their burden of onboard fuel tanks, if something does go wrong with a launch of the Lightcraft, the laser can be shut off and the craft can parachute safely back to the ground for a later attempt.
Right now the acorn-shaped nose of the Lightcraft is empty, but Myrabo hopes to fill the scaled-up, five-foot-wide model with electronics and turn the entire craft into a microsatellite once it reaches orbit. With some special optics, you’ll be able to use it as a telescope or for communications, he says. However, above about 18 miles, there’s not enough air to form the plasma, so the craft would have to switch to a reserve of liquid hydrogen fuel, which the laser would ignite to boost it into space.
Myrabo and Mead readily admit they have a lot of work to do before going from their current height of some 70 feet to 124 miles. One thing they’ll need is a far more powerful laser, about the size of a small house, which they now have unassembled in a warehouse. We’re trying to follow Goddard’s track, says Myrabo. About 70 years ago, Robert Goddard, the American rocket pioneer, spent more than a year trying to get a liquid-fuel rocket to go from 90 to 2,000 feet. If we match his rate, we should be able to put microsatellites into orbit in four and a half years. |
One of the best ways to achieve something in life is to make it plain by writing it down.
Depicting what you want in concrete ways empowers the mind to begin the process of achieving your goals and desires.
For example, say you | One of the best ways to achieve something in life is to make it plain by writing it down.
Depicting what you want in concrete ways empowers the mind to begin the process of achieving your goals and desires.
For example, say you want to one day purchase a house. A simple way to keep your idea alive is to find a picture of the kind of house you may want to purchase and post it where you can see it and visualize it easily.
You may want to write an affirmative statement over it that says, "One day I will buy my dream house."
There's something amazingly powerful about the visual expression of ideas. Sculptured art on a city street loudly proclaims beauty and transformation. Billboards often inform and shake up one's thoughts. And your own dreams portrayed openly make them appear less far-fetched in your own mind and more attainable overall.
Mind mapping is an interesting way to visually stimulate creativity that helps generate more ideas and come up with solutions to challenges. You begin with a question or dilemma that you write in the middle of a piece of paper.
Let's say your dilemma is attending college with no money. You write the question, "How can I go to school when I don't |
As more young people are grasping the negative health effects of sun tanning, many are turning to a chemical alternative for bronzing: fake tanning lotions.
Tanning products contain a number of chemicals, some of which have been linked to | As more young people are grasping the negative health effects of sun tanning, many are turning to a chemical alternative for bronzing: fake tanning lotions.
Tanning products contain a number of chemicals, some of which have been linked to adverse health effects, including infertility.
Most notably, hormone-disrupting compounds may even harm developing fetuses.
Additionally, carcinogens, such as formaldehyde and nitrosamines, skin irritants and chemicals linked to allergies, diabetes, obesity are also on the products’ list of ingredients.
Some experts worry that the increased use of tanning lotions and their whole-body application puts customers at an increased risk of negative side effects.
Jacqueline McGlade, executive director of the European Environment Agency, calls it the “cocktail effect’ and points out that we should be using a ‘precautionary approach’ to many of the chemicals until we have a complete understanding of their health effects.
Some scientists worry that dihydroxyacetone, the active ingredient in tanning products, may be absorbed into the bloodstream and cause DNA damage in cells.
No scientific studies have shown that fake tanning products cause harmful effects in humans. However, many researchers worry that complex side effects of the products may be overlooked. |
PALM SPRINGS DESERT MODERNISM
About Modernism and Palm Springs
Sitting nearly astride the San Andreas Fault, Palm Springs owes everything to the geologic forces that caused hot springs to bubble up from the desert floor. The | PALM SPRINGS DESERT MODERNISM
About Modernism and Palm Springs
Sitting nearly astride the San Andreas Fault, Palm Springs owes everything to the geologic forces that caused hot springs to bubble up from the desert floor. The springs drew native Cahuilla Indians and later intrepid pioneers; then came railroads and new settlers seeking open space and clean desert air.
In the 1920s and 30s Palm Springs emerged as a resort destination drawing Hollywood elites and affluent vacationers from the east. It became a playground for the rich and carefree – a reputation that enhanced its popularity and fueled its explosive growth through the 1940s, 50s and 60s.
Drawn by the growing need for homes and buildings, as well as the extraordinary desert landscape and the city's unrestrained spirit of reinvention, architects came to Palm Springs too and embarked on an extraordinary experiment. The results of this experiment were thousands of bold, innovative structures that expressed the spirit of their unique time and place.
Desert Modernism took its cues from the ideas of early modernists like Le Corbusier, Gropius, Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright. Its style grew out of a confluence of forces that began with the pure vision of talented architects and incorporated the tastes and expectations of Hollywood celebrities, affluent snow birds, busy home builders, booming businesses and an aspiring post-war middle class.
The buildings that resulted were new and original. They reflected and enhanced the stark beauty of their desert environments. They featured honest materials such as glass, wood, steel, stone and concrete that were both beautiful and essential. They assumed an integral role in the aesthetic space between sand, mountain and sky, and they expressed an understated sense of style that replaced ostentation with the inherent drama of quality design.
But by the late 1970s, Palm Springs' fortunes began to diminish as'modern' styles fell out of fashion and newer Coachella Valley resorts drew away the crowds. Architectural treasures languished while new homes and developments sprang up in derivative historical styles. And many of the sleek, angular buildings that had come to be associated with Palm Springs' heyday fell into sad disrepair.
Fortunately, neglect turned out to be a blessing when a new wave of avid modernists returned to Palm Springs in the 1980s and 90s in search of classic original homes. Their enthusiasm fueled a resurgence in mid-century modern style, a timely rescue of countless threatened structures and a dramatic turnaround for Palm Springs' economy.
Now known worldwide as the "Mecca of Modernism," Palm Springs is a hugely popular resort destination for visitors in search of a cool, relaxing, quintessentially modern place to experience the Southern California lifestyle that the city made famous.
Acclaimed Architects who |
Technology is what is now being blamed for multitasking overload. In some situations, that is certainly the case. In other situations, the issue might be too much work, an inefficient office, or just boredom with the job or school work. We | Technology is what is now being blamed for multitasking overload. In some situations, that is certainly the case. In other situations, the issue might be too much work, an inefficient office, or just boredom with the job or school work. We can change some of those conditions and not others—but we cannot even sort out what is causing our frustration, exhaustion, or sense of failure until we understand what multitasking is. Once we realize that multitasking itself is the human condition—not an outcome only of too much email or social networking—then we can find practical ways to address the real problem, not the mythical one.
Let’s start with a definition:
Multitasking, v. to perform a combination of activities, thoughts, and/or operations that demand enough of your attention that you are aware that you are accomplishing something unusual or special.
You may be convinced you are a Multitasking God, performing the tasks brilliantly. Or you may be positive you are a Multitasking Failure, performing them ineptly.
What defines “multitasking” is awareness: something in the nature of the tasks or your skill at carrying them out at that moment makes you aware of your performance.
Example 1: Let’s say you are crossing a busy street while laughing and chatting with friends. If you do that without anxiety or incident, you will not be aware that you are multitasking (juggling a range of attention-grabbing activities at once). You’re simply, so far as yo |
"a man in all things most laudable, difficult of comparison, and of wonderful sanctity"
Bishop Bruno of Segni, writing about St. Hugh's later years
"Most pure in thought and deed,
he is the promoter and | "a man in all things most laudable, difficult of comparison, and of wonderful sanctity"
Bishop Bruno of Segni, writing about St. Hugh's later years
"Most pure in thought and deed,
he is the promoter and perfect guardian of monastic discipline and the regular life,
the unfailing support of the true religious and of men of probity,
the vigorous champion and defender of the Holy Church"
Bishop Arnulf of Soissons on St. Hugh
St. Hugh the Great was born in the year 1024 in the diocese of Autun, in France. The eldest son of Count Dalmatius of Semur and Aremberge of Vergy, he was descended from the noblest houses in Burgundy, and from birth had the title of "Hugues de Semur". His father wanted his eldest son to succeed to the family's ancestral estates and become a knight, but his mother wanted Hugh to enter the service of God and become a member of the clergy. Her views were reinforced when a local priest apparently had a vision advising that this should be the case. Hugh's father realised that he was much more suited to the church, being extraordinarily pious, eager and studious from an early age (as well as being a bit too clumsy to be a knight). Therefore Hugh was sent to his grand-uncle, Bishop Hugh of Auxerre, for the start of his religious education and preparation for the priesthood.
Hugh was educated at a monastery school, attached to the Priory of St. Marcellus. He became a novice at an early age, just 14, at the Benedictine Abbey at Cluny. This abbey had a notoriously severe novitiate, yet such was Hugh's religious fervour that he was allowed to take his vows to become a monk at age 15, just one year later, without completing it. The Congregation at Cluny's abbey had a special privilege, and this enabled Hugh to become a deacon at age 18, and a priest just two years later. His zeal for the discipline of the Benedictine order was quickly recognised, and he was chosen as abbey prior, despite his conspicuous youth. As prior, Hugh was charged with the basic day-to-day running of the abbey, both spiritually and temporally, as well as representing the abbot if he was absent for any reason. The abbot at Cluny was the famous St. Odilo, who had held this post for nearly 50 years. When Odilo died, on the 1st of January in 1049, Hugh was unanimously elected to be the next abbot. He was installed by Archbishop Hugh of Besançon, on the 22nd of February 1049. He was still only 24 years old.
Hugh wasted no time in making his presence felt. The same year that he had been elected, 1049, he appeared at the Council of Reims - at the request of the current Pope, Leo IX - to speak out against the abuses that were present in the Church at that time. His passion and zeal when expressing himself about clerical abuses at Reims led to the passing of several remedial ordinances concerning discipline in the church. Hugh was particularly effective in his campaign against simony, the exchange of clerical pardons for money. The Pope was so impressed by Hugh that he took the young abbot to Rome with him, so that he might have his advice and help at the next year's great council. His help was also sought by France's papal legate (Hildebrand, aka Pope St. Gregory VII) in 1054 for the Council of Tours.
Hugh was popular with a succession of Popes: the succesor to Leo IX, Victor II
, held Hugh in high esteem and confirmed all of the privileges granted to Cluny in 1055
; Stephen IX
summoned Hugh to Rome immediately upon his ascension, and the two traveled together until 1058
, when Stephen died in Hugh's arms at Florence
; he also journeyed with Pope Nicholas II
, and assisted with the Council of Rome that reformed papal election
s. In the following years Hugh traveled France extensively, to effect the decree
s passed in Rome. During this successful mission
Hugh also managed to win the support of many bishops for important later reforms. When the privileges held by Cluny's abbey were attacked in 1063, Hugh defended them at the Council Of Rome. Pope Alexander II
sent a legate (St. Peter Damian
, the Cardinal
Bishop of Ostia) to adjudicate in this case (and others); after a stay at Cluny, the legate held a council at Chalons which decided in Hugh's favour. Two later Popes, Urban II and Pascal II
, actually came from the monastery at Cluny and were disciple
s of Hugh. He served a total of nine popes.
Such is the number of Hugh's other known achievements that they are almost impossible to list |
St. Longinus the Centurion (early first century)
The soldier that was in charge of crucifying our Lord became a Christian and is known as St. Longinus. Here is his story from the October 16 entry of the Pro | St. Longinus the Centurion (early first century)
The soldier that was in charge of crucifying our Lord became a Christian and is known as St. Longinus. Here is his story from the October 16 entry of the Prologue.
But St. Longinus stood up to pray, and prayed all night long, preparing himself for death. In the morning, he called his two companions to him, clothed himself in white burial clothes, and instructed the other members of his household to bury him on a particular small hill. He then went to the soldiers and told them that he was that Longinus whom they were seeking. The soldiers were perplexed and ashamed, and could not even contemplate beheading Longinus, but he insisted that they fulfill the order of their superior. Thus, Longinus and his two companions were beheaded. The soldiers took Longinus's head to Pilate, and he turned it over to the Jews. They threw it on a dung heap outside the city.
Longinus beheld the wrath of the mild sky,
Witnessed the earth as it shook,
And the bright sun as it lost its rays
And clothed the whole world in darkness.
The tombs of many were opened,
And many of the dead appeared alive.
Brave Longinus was filled with fear,
And exclaimed with a remorseful sigh:
``This Man was the Son of God!
Next to him, two other soldiers
An eyewitness, a true witness,
Longinus desired to not conceal the truth,
But proclaimed it everywhere he went,
And glorified the resurrected Christ God!
To his death he remained Christ's soldier;
And for Christ, Longinus gave his head.
The woman arose and, stumbling, somehow managed to get out of the city. She cried out for someone to lead her to the dung heap and to leave her there. When she was led to the dung heap, she bent down and began to dig with her hands, having a strong faith that she would find that for which the saint asked. As she was digging, she touched the holy martyr's buried head, and her eyes were opened, and she saw a man's head beneath her hands. Filled with gratitude to God and great joy, she took the head of St. Longinus, washed it, censed it, and placed it in her home as the most precious treasure on earth.
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More than 2 million people take blood thinners every day to keep from developing dangerous blood clots.
"Blood thinners reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke by decreasing the formation of blood clots in the arteries, veins or heart," | More than 2 million people take blood thinners every day to keep from developing dangerous blood clots.
"Blood thinners reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke by decreasing the formation of blood clots in the arteries, veins or heart," explained Family Practice physician Karl Getzinger, M.D. "Clots can block the flow of blood to the heart muscle and cause a heart attack. They can also block blood flow to the brain, causing a stroke.
"Blood clots occur when the blood hardens and changes from a liquid to a solid. Normally, clots develop to help stop the bleeding after a person has been cut or injured. However, some clots can form inside a person's bloodstream. If this kind of clot breaks loose and gets stuck in a vital blood vessel, it can block the blood flow to important organs in your body, like the heart, brain, or lungs, causing a heart attack, stroke or pulmonary embolism. All of these conditions are serious and can lead to death."
There are several reasons why physicians prescribe a blood thinner. Some of the most common reasons are: an abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation; heart attack; stroke; deep vein thrombosis or DVT; pulmonary embolism; or after a recent surgery.
Types of Medications
There are two main types of blood thinners, called anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents. Anticoagulants are drugs that are prescribed to prevent a person's blood from clotting. Common names for anticoagulants are "heparin" or "warfarin," which is also called Coumadin.
Antiplatelet drugs prevent the blood cells, called platelets, from clumping together to form a clot. Aspirin is the most common antiplatelet drug, but others |
As Japan faced certain defeat in World War II, special plans were put in place to move the Emperor and the main organs of the Japanese state, including the ministries and NHK, to underground bunkers in the mountains of Nagano Prefecture in | As Japan faced certain defeat in World War II, special plans were put in place to move the Emperor and the main organs of the Japanese state, including the ministries and NHK, to underground bunkers in the mountains of Nagano Prefecture in Matsushiro.
The thinking was to prepare for a final battle to inflict such damage on the Allies as they would accept the continuation of the Imperial system. A special chamber was constructed to house the Emperor and his family underneath the hard rock.
Construction of the 6km-long underground tunnels and shelters began in late 1944, when around 7,000 Korean forced laborers were moved into hastily-built camps at the site at Mount Zozan and local residents were evicted.
Construction work continued around the clock in terrible conditions. Workers were fed a meager diet and it is estimated that around 1,000 people died from malnutrition, execution and accidents as the rock was dynamited and carried out by hand on wooden trolleys and in rope nets.
All records of the operation were destroyed at the end of the war and only the names of 3 Koreans workers and a Japanese who died at the site are now known: Tosan Paku, Kisuru Kim, Tokusu Chou and Jir |
UK & World News
Australia Heatwave Leads To Bushfire Alert
Australians are sweltering through one of the worst heatwaves for years, with temperatures well above 40C in some places.
Much of the country will be on | UK & World News
Australia Heatwave Leads To Bushfire Alert
Australians are sweltering through one of the worst heatwaves for years, with temperatures well above 40C in some places.
Much of the country will be on alert for bushfires this weekend as temperatures reach record levels.
Adelaide in southern Australia registered a top temperature of 45C (113 Fahrenheit) on Friday, its fourth-hottest day on record.
Around 80% of the country has been affected by the mass of hot air spreading east from Western Australia.
Emergency services warned of the risk of bushfires that could threaten homes and farms and health officials are urging people to drink plenty of water and stay out of the heat.
Experts say the last time such large areas of the country experienced similar heat was in 2001.
John Nairn, of The Bureau of Meteorology, said that while heatwaves are a normal part of the Australian summer, the current blast is unusual for the large area it is covering.
Among the hottest parts of the country on Friday were Wudinna, on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula, which hit 48.2C. Hobart reached a record 41.8C - one degree hotter than the record set in 1976.
Tasmania Fire Service chief officer Mike Brown told a news conference they reached "catastrophic fire danger ratings" at times during Friday afternoon, with up to 40 fires burning around the state.
The bureau of meteorology told The Australian that the scorching heat bearing down across many states will continue "unabated" well into next week.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has called on people to be careful.
"Take care and stay safe as we face extreme heat around our nation. Listen to warnings on the high bushfire risk. JG," she tweeted.
Police have also warned that leaving children, elderly people or pets unattended in cars could prove fatal in the hot weather. |
The security of checks and balances
Much of the political rhetoric surrounding the US presidential election centers around the relative security posturings of President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry, with each side loudly proclaiming that his opponent will do irrev | The security of checks and balances
Much of the political rhetoric surrounding the US presidential election centers around the relative security posturings of President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry, with each side loudly proclaiming that his opponent will do irrevocable harm to national security.
Terrorism is a serious issue facing our nation in the early 21st century, and the contrasting views of these candidates is important. But this debate obscures another security risk, one much more central to the US: the increasing centralisation of American political power in the hands of the executive branch of the government.
Over 200 years ago, the framers of the US Constitution established an ingenious security device against tyrannical government: they divided government power among three different bodies. A carefully thought out system of checks and balances in the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch, ensured that no single branch became too powerful. After watching tyrannies rise and fall throughout Europe, this seemed like a prudent way to form a government.
Since 9/11, the United States has seen an enormous power grab by the executive branch. From denying suspects the right to a trial - and sometimes to an attorney - to the law-free zone established at Guantanamo, from deciding which ratified treaties to ignore to flouting laws designed to foster open government, the Bush administration has consistently moved to increase its power at the expense of the rest of the government. The so-called "Torture Memos," prepared at the request of the president, assert that the president can claim unlimited power as long as it is somehow connected with counterterrorism.
Presidential power as a security issue will not play a role in the upcoming US election. Bush has shown through his actions during his first term that he favours increasing the powers of the executive branch over the legislative and the judicial branches. Kerry's words show that he is in agreement with the president on this issue. And largely, the legislative and judicial branches are allowing themselves to be trampled over.
In times of crisis, the natural human reaction is to look for safety in a single strong leader. This is why Bush's rhetoric of strength has been so well-received by the American people, and why Kerry is also campaigning on a platform of strength. Unfortunately, consolidating power in one person is dangerous. History shows again and again that power is a corrupting influence, and that more power is more corrupting. The loss of the American system of checks and balances is more of a security danger than any terrorist risk.
The ancient Roman Senate had a similar way of dealing with major crises. When there was a serious military threat against the safety and security of the Republic, the long debates and compromise legislation that accompanied the democratic process seemed a needless luxury. The Senate would appoint a single person, called a "dictator" (Latin for "one who orders") to have absolute power over Rome in order to more efficiently deal with the crisis. He was appointed for a period of six months or for the duration of the emergency, whichever period was shorter. Sometimes the process worked, but often the injustices that resulted from having a dictator were worse than the original crisis.
Today, the principles of democracy enshrined in the US constitution are more important than ever. In order to prevail over global terrorism while preserving the values that have made America great, the constitutional system of checks and balances is critical.
This is not a partisan issue; I don't believe that John Kerry, if elected, would willingly lessen his own power any more than second-term President Bush would. What the US needs is a strong Congress and a strong court system to balance the presidency, not weak ones ceding ever more power to the presidency.
Bruce Schneier is a world-renowned security technologist. His latest book is Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World. His blog is at www.schneier.com/blog. This article is reproduced with permission. Copyright rests with the author. |
A yoga meditation program could reduce depression symptoms and boost mental health, a study finds, and that’s not all — it may also show benefits at the cellular level.
The study, published recently in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, involved | A yoga meditation program could reduce depression symptoms and boost mental health, a study finds, and that’s not all — it may also show benefits at the cellular level.
The study, published recently in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, involved 49 caregivers ranging in age from 45 to 91 who were taking care of family members with dementia. Caregivers are at risk for high stress levels, often with no outlet or relief, which can lead to health problems.
The participants were randomly assigned to two programs: Kundalini yoga Kirtan Kriya meditation or passive relaxation with instrumental music. The yoga meditation program included breathing, chanting and repetitive finger movements, called mudras. Both were done for 12 minutes a day for eight weeks.
At the end of those eight weeks the meditation group seemed to come out ahead. Among those men and women, 65 percent showed 50 perce |
Greg E. Lemke, PhD
The Salk Institute for Biologic Studies, La Jolla, CA
With funding from the LRI, Dr. Lemke pursued a novel idea: that a curious family of “TAM” receptors | Greg E. Lemke, PhD
The Salk Institute for Biologic Studies, La Jolla, CA
With funding from the LRI, Dr. Lemke pursued a novel idea: that a curious family of “TAM” receptors might function as a core ‘control switch’ over the immune system’s inflammatory response.
He was on target, and reported finding this entirely new and powerful molecular switch in the journal Cell in December 2007.
Now that this switch has been identified, new methods can be pursued to shut down uncontrolled inflammation, restore immune system regulation, and treat chronic autoimmune disorders such as lupus.
In autoimmunity, the immune system designed to fend off outside invaders mistakenly mounts an out-of-control destructive inflammatory attack against the body’s own tissues and organs.
In his study, Dr. Lemke builds upon findings that he and his team previously reported, when he noticed that mice genetically engineered to be born without a tiny family of three receptors—TAM receptor tyrosine kinases—developed an autoimmune illness similar to lupus in humans.
In the Cell article, D |
Selected Halachos relating to Parshas Re'eh
By Rabbi Doniel Neustadt
The following is a discussion of Halachic topics related to the Parsha of the week.
For final rulings, consult your Rav.
You | Selected Halachos relating to Parshas Re'eh
By Rabbi Doniel Neustadt
The following is a discussion of Halachic topics related to the Parsha of the week.
For final rulings, consult your Rav.
You shall roast it and eat it in the place that Hashem, your G-d, will choose (16:7)
COOKING ON SHABBOS - PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
The word uvishalta that appears in the verse above in regard to
the Passover Sacrifice is a difficult word to translate.
Normally, uvishalta is translated as "you shall cook". But as
the Torah clearly states in Parashas Bo, the Passover Sacrifice
is not allowed to be cooked; rather it must be roasted over an
open fire. How, then, can the Torah state here that one should
"cook" the Passover sacrifice? Rashi answers that the use of the
word uvishalta in this context teaches us that uvishlata can
mean both "you should cook" - as in Parashas Bo, and "you should
roast" - as in our verse.
There is a well-known halachic principle that once a food has
been cooked before Shabbos, it may be cooked again on Shabbos,
since you cannot - in halachic terms - cook the same food twice.
But can you roast a food after it is has been cooked? Can you
cook a food after it has been roasted? These and other questions
will be examined in the following discussion.
In order to simplify a very complicated - but very relevant -
halachic problem, we will attempt to list various situations
which arise on Shabbos both at the table and in the kitchen(1).
To avoid confusion and for the sake of brevity, all explanations
and definitions of technical terms, which are required for a
fuller understanding of these halachos, appear only in the
footnotes. The reader should be aware that due to the complex
nature of the subject, even the slightest change from the exact
case described below can cause a change in the halachah. In
several instances, there is only a hair's-breadth difference
between a permissible act and a Biblically prohibited one.
SOME GENERAL DEFINITIONS. All temperatures are Fahrenheit:
Hot - over 110 degrees(2)
Warm - between 70-80 to 110 degrees
Cold - below 60-70 degrees
Scalding - about 140-150 degrees(3)
Boiling - 212 degrees
Cooked - completely cooked, ready to eat.
Dry food item - any food item which contains very little
liquid, e.g., bread, meat, pasta.
Liquid food item - e.g., water, soup, sauce, gravy.
SOME GENERAL BACKROUND INFORMATION:
No uncooked food items may be placed on or near a fire, or in a
vessel that was on the fire so long as that vessel remains hot.
Once a dry food item is fully cooked, it may be reheated. A
liquid item which was fully cooked may be reheated only if it is
still warm from the previous cooking.
Davar gush, which is a dry, bulky item, e.g., a piece of meat
or a potato, retains more heat that does a liquid. When a davar
gush comes in contact with another food, the heat it has
retained can heat other uncooked foods even after it has been
removed from its heat source.
When we refer to items served on a plate, we are referring to
items which were placed on the plate by means of a ladle, spoon,
In the cases described below, we often refer to certain
processed foods, such as instant coffee or salt, as "cooked".
Note, though, that companies may change their manufacturing
process and switch to a procedures like freeze-drying etc.,
which is not considered halachically as "cooking."
AT THE SHABBOS TABLE IT IS PERMITTED TO...
To pour ketchup, mustard or mayonnaise over any hot food served
on a plate(4).
To pour cold gravy or cold soup on any hot food served on a
plate(5). Some poksim hold that unless the liquid is somewhat
warm, it should not be poured over a davar gush(6).
To pour lemon juice, which is generally cooked before
processing(7), into a cup of hot tea(8).
To add sugar or salt [or any other previously cooked spice] to
any food served on a plate or in a cup(9).
To add soup croutons to a bowl of hot soup(10).
Cooked noodles may be added to a pot of hot soup which has been
removed from the fire(11).
To put pasteurized butter or margarine on a hot potato(12). Some
poskim advise against this(13).
To place an ice cube or cold water into a cup of hot tea or a
bowl of hot soup(14). |
Your pooch may be thick-furred, but she's also thin-skinned. Take these tips to ensure your canine's health isn't only skin-deep. There's more to your dog's coat than the soft or scruffy feel of | Your pooch may be thick-furred, but she's also thin-skinned. Take these tips to ensure your canine's health isn't only skin-deep. There's more to your dog's coat than the soft or scruffy feel of it. Fur insulates your dog from the elements, protects her skin from injury, and acts as a health indicator. Nutrition, illness, and grooming all affect your pet's coat and skin. Keep your pooch looking and feeling her best by taking stock of these tips. Her Fur
Breed determines whether your dog is short, medium or longhaired and whether her hair is coarse or fine, and curly or arrow-straight. No matter what her fur's texture is like, all healthy pets should boast glossy, mat-free coats.
Lusterless, brittle coats can indicate illness. You should call your veterinarian if your dog's fur looks dull, breaks easily, or starts falling out excessively, leaving bald spots. The Skin She's In
Just like our skin, a dog's skin is a sensory and protective organ that helps maintain her body temperature. And although dogs don't sweat like us, the many blood vessels in their skin dilate to cool them off, or constrict to hold in heat and keep them warm. Panting helps release heat too.
A dog's skin is thinner than human skin, and its natural color ranges from pink to light or dark brown to black. When your dog isn't feeling well, her skin may change color or appear dry and patchy. Dry skin is especially common in puppies; it can result from inadequate nutrition, gastrointestinal parasite infections, or sometimes external parasites.
Check your pet's skin by gently separating her fur. Look for anything unusual, including bumps, rashes, or discoloration. Flakes, scabs, odor, or a greasy feel also can indicate a skin problem. If you notice any of these abnormalities, have your veterinarian examine your dog to find the cause.
Also look for fleas or fine, black specks on your pet's skin. This dust is flea waste, will turn red when water is applied to it and is a sure sign your pet has been infested. Fleas make your pet miserable, so if you find fleas or flea dust, take steps to treat her - and her environment - right away. Your veterinarian and his or her staff can provide expert advice on eradicating fleas. Brushing Up
Grooming your dog makes her even more beautiful and keeps her clean and healthy. Your pet has natural oils on her skin, and regular brushings spread those oils throughout the coat and keep it shiny. Brushing also removes loose dirt from your dog's coat, and it feels great to your furry pal.
Shedding is a year-round event, but you might not notice it until the longer days of spring and summer arrive. Regular brushing keeps the flyaway hairs under control - and off the couch - and prevents matting, which can trap moisture and bacteria next to your pet's skin and cause irritated, itchy patches.
Grooming your pet also gives you a chance to check for lumps, bumps, and sensitive areas. Call your veterinarian if you find anything suspicious. |
Bearing no small resemblance to the more common bees of the southern lands, most Burnbees - their actual name being nearly unpronouncable to anyone not raised to the native language - are perhaps half an inch long at their largest size, | Bearing no small resemblance to the more common bees of the southern lands, most Burnbees - their actual name being nearly unpronouncable to anyone not raised to the native language - are perhaps half an inch long at their largest size, living in nests burrowed in the softened earth around the roots of the Fireleaf ferns in a hive arrangement, with an average of one nest per ‘grove’ of the ferns. Generally a burnbee swarm will claim an area of a quarter mile in every direction as their territory, and def |
Marx and his coauthor, Friedrich Engels, begin The Communist Manifesto with the famous and provocative statement that the “history of all hitherto existing societies is the history of class struggle.” They argue that all changes in the shape of | Marx and his coauthor, Friedrich Engels, begin The Communist Manifesto with the famous and provocative statement that the “history of all hitherto existing societies is the history of class struggle.” They argue that all changes in the shape of society, in political institutions, in history itself, are driven by a process of collective struggle on the part of groups of people with similar economic situations in order to realize their material or economic interests. These struggles, occurring throughout history from ancient Rome through the Middle Ages to the present day, have been struggles of economically subordinate classes against economically dominant classes who opposed their economic interests—slaves against masters, serfs against landlords, and so on. The modern industrialized world has been shaped by one such subordinate class—the bourgeoisie, or merchant class—in its struggle against the aristocratic elite of feudal society. Through world exploration, the discovery of raw materials and metals, and the opening of commercial markets across the globe, the bourgeoisie, whose livelihood is accumulation, grew wealthier and politically emboldened against the feudal order, which it eventually managed to sweep away through struggle and revolution. The bourgeoisie have risen to the status of dominant class in the modern industrial world, shaping political institutions and society according to its own interests. Far from doing away with class struggle, this once subordinate class, now dominant, has replaced one class struggle with another.
The bourgeoisie is the most spectacular force in history to date. The merchants’ zeal for accumulation has led them to conquer the globe, forcing everyone everywhere to adopt the capitalist mode of production. The bourgeois view, which sees the world as one big market for exchange, has fundamentally altered all aspects of society, even the family, destroying traditional ways of life and rural civilizations and creating enormous cities in their place. Under industrialization, the means of production and exchange that drive this process of expansion and change have created a new subordinate urban class whose fate is vitally tied to that of the bourgeoisie. This class is the industrial proletariat, or modern working class. These workers have been uprooted by the expansion of capitalism and forced to sell their labor to the bourgeoisie, a fact that offends them to the core of their existence as they recall those workers of earlier ages who owned and sold what they created. Modern industrial workers are exploited by the bourgeoisie and forced to compete with one another for ever-shrinking wages as the means of production grow more sophisticated.
The factory is the arena for the formation of a class struggle that will spill over into society at large. Modern industrial workers will come to recognize their exploitation at the hands of the bourgeoisie. Although the economic system forces them to compete with one another for ever shrinking wages, through common association on the factory floor they will overcome the divisions between themselves, realize their common fate, and begin to engage in a collective effort to protect their economic interests against the bourgeoisie. The workers will form collectivities and gradually take their demands to the political sphere as a force to be reckoned with. Meanwhile, the workers will be joined by an ever-increasing number of the lower middle class whose entrepreneurial livelihoods are being destroyed by the growth of huge factories owned by a shrinking number of superrich industrial elites. Gradually, all of society will be drawn to one or the other side of the struggle. Like the bourgeoisie before them, the proletariat and their allies will act together in the interests of realizing their economic aims. They will move to sweep aside the bourgeoisie and its institutions, which stand in the way of this realization. The bourgeoisie, through its established mode of production, produces the seeds of its own destruction: the working class.
The Communist Manifesto was intended as a definitive programmatic statement of the Communist League, a German revolutionary group of which Marx and Engels were the leaders. The two men published their tract in February 1848, just months before much of Europe was to erupt in social and political turmoil, and the Manifesto reflects the political climate of the period. In the summer of that year, youthful revolutionary groups, along with the urban dispossessed, set up barricades in many of Europe’s capitals, fighting for an end to political and economic oppression. While dissenters had been waging war against absolutism and aristocratic privilege since the French Revolution, many of the new radicals of 1848 set their sights on a new enemy that they believed to be responsible for social instability and the growth of an impoverished urban underclass. That enemy was capitalism, the system of private ownership of the means of production. The Manifesto describes how capitalism divides society into two classes: the bourgeoisie, or capitalists who own these means of production (factories, mills, mines, etc.), and the workers, who sell their labor power to the capitalists, who pay the workers as little as they can get away with.
Although the Communist League was itself apparently too disorganized to contribute much to the |
Science: Find out what the Late Cretaceous world was like, where dinosaur fossils are found, and what dinosaur nests were like. Learn about the Ankylosaurus, Maiasaura, Ornithomimus, Parasauroloph | Science: Find out what the Late Cretaceous world was like, where dinosaur fossils are found, and what dinosaur nests were like. Learn about the Ankylosaurus, Maiasaura, Ornithomimus, Parasaurolophus, Styracosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus rex.
Math: Connect the dots on a T. rex, count the eggs in a dino nest, and do other fun, simple math activities.
Measuring/Cooking: Make delicious "Maiasaura nests" and "S'mores dinosaur bones."
Arts & Crafts: Make a T. rex bag puppet, a Maiasaura thaumatrope, a Tyrannosaurus hat, and other creative crafts.
Circle Time: Learn a song and enjoy books and stories about dinosaurs.
Outside Time: Experience a meteorite crash-landing or a volcano erupting. Discover how big Tyrannosaurus rex really was and play a game based on a Maiasaura nest. |
Are Pen-Reared Quail A Disease Threat To Wild Birds?by Thomas H. Eleazer, DVM
Jim Evans, Consulting Biologist
Dr. Tom Eleazer received his degree of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Georgia in 195 | Are Pen-Reared Quail A Disease Threat To Wild Birds?by Thomas H. Eleazer, DVM
Jim Evans, Consulting Biologist
Dr. Tom Eleazer received his degree of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Georgia in 1958 and served Clemson University as a veterinary pathologist, studying poultry and game bird diseases for 31 years. Tom is still actively applying his skills as a poultry and game bird disease consultant. In the past he has served as president of the South Carolina Wildlife Federation, served on the advisory board for the Institute of Wildlife and Environmental Toxicology, and also as a member of the Wildlife & Freshwater Fisheries Advisory aaBoard for the South Carolina Wildlife Commission. He was instrumental in the development of the vaccine for “quail pox.” Now let’s hear what he has to say about the question:
Are pen-reared quail a disease threat to wild birds?
This question seems to remain on the mind of some quail managers and sportsmen throughout the Southeast. It comes up anytime landowners are considering the release of pen-reared birds on their property.
My remarks in this article are based on 39 years of experience with game bird and poultry disease diagnosis and research. I have dealt with both pen-reared and wild bird diseases. In 31 of these years I was with the Clemson University Livestock-Poultry Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. During all this time I have yet to see a disease condition in wild bobwhite quail that could be traced to pen-reared birds being released into a wild environment. In the space allotted me in this article, I will address a few diseases that seem to be causing the most concern.
Ulcerative Enteritis (UE)
First, let’s talk about the most common disease of pen-reared bobwhite quail, ulcerative enteritis (UE). This disease can be devastating in pen-reared birds. A study that was funded by the North American Game Bird Association at Mississippi State University showed that several other anaerobic bacteria including some genera of Bacillus could also cause this disease, previously thought to be caused by the bacterium Clostridium colinum. While UE could in all probability be spread by filth, it has been shown that this doesn’t have to be the case. In fact, the causative organisms are carried in the gut of all bobwhite quail. When the birds are stressed, the organisms reproduce, and the bird gets sick. My theory is that UE may well be a part of the natural mortality experienced by wild quail especially during the time of late winter stress. However, I have never been able to prove this, since in the wild sick or weak birds are quickly removed by scavengers.
Quail pox is another disease that concerns many people. This is a viral disease that seemed to emerge in the late sixties or early seventies. It caused quite a bit of problem for the game bird growers. For a number of years, I have been examining wild quail harvested on a large South Carolina plantation, where there are no records of pen-reared quail ever being released. During the mid-eighties, this investigation revealed the presence of pox lesions in about 6 percent of the specimens. These were the highest levels. Since then the presence of pox lesions has decreased to a background level of plus or minus 1 percent. In a further effort to prove this virus already existed in the environment, disease-free bobwhite quail, raised in isolation, were placed in the field in cages on this and a neighboring plantation. Within two weeks the control birds were showing pox lesions. Therefore, this virus appears already be naturally occurring in the coastal plain. I feel that quail pox poses little or no additional threat to wild birds through the introduction of released quail. It is recommended that all pen-reared quail used in release projects be immunized against quail pox. This not only will prevent pox from being brought in to the wild birds, but will also prevent released birds from contracting pox from any infected native birds.
What about coccidiosis? I have done quite a few checks for internal parasites in both wild and pen-reared birds over the years. I have found that this protozoan exists at low levels in most wild quail populations. Medications are used to control this threat in young pen-reared quail. Healthy, well-managed pen-reared birds are probably less of a coccidiosis threat than their wild counterparts.
Another protozoan named Cryptosporidium causes this disease, and it specifically infects bobwhite quail. In the confinement of a flight pen, it can infect and kill up to 100% of the quail. It is similar to coccidiosis but more severe. As part of an in-depth investigation of avian crytosporidiosis, workers at North Carolina State University conducted studies on the incidence of this disease in wild bobwhite populations. Of 424 samples from wild quail, 3.1% yielded Cryptosporidium oocysts. This was a random sample from a “normal healthy” wild population. This finding appears to tell us that Cryptosporidium is already present at low levels in the environment. With this in mind, I feel that the release of healthy bobwhite quail poses little or no threat to wild populations. T |
Submitted to: Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: August 1, 2001
Publication Date: June 1, 2002
Citation: NOVAK, J | Submitted to: Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: August 1, 2001
Publication Date: June 1, 2002
Citation: NOVAK, J.M., HUNT, P.G., STONE, K.C., WATTS, D.W., JOHNSON, M.H. RIPARIAN ZONE IMPACT ON PHOSPHORUS MOVEMENT TO A COASTAL PLAIN BLACK WATER STREAM. JOURNAL OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION. 2002. V. 57. P. 127-133. Interpretive Summary: Riparian zones are common landscape features forming a natural border between agricultural fields and surface water systems. These zones can reduce the entry into these stream systems of nutrients lost from the agricultural fields during storm runoff events. Excess nutrients in surface water systems may exceed the ability of the stream system to function in a healthy manner. Plants and other organisms that live in the riparian zone are efficient at using these nutrients for growth and reproduction. However, if the quantity of nutrients is higher than the amount consumed by these plants and organisms, then some leakage into the stream system may occur. It is important for the maintenance of high water quality to determine the effectiveness of these zones to filter out excess nutrients. Our concern was to study the ability of a forested wetland to reduce nutrient input into a local stream system from a field that has been used for animal waste disposal. The concentrations of phosphorus, a plant nutrient contained in the manure, were measured in soil and in ground water wells in areas receiving manure and in areas within the riparian zone. We also measured phosphorus concentrations in a stream that receives drainage from the field and riparian zone. Very low P concentrations were measured in soil and ground water in riparian areas close to the stream and also very low concentrations were measured in stream water. Our results demonstrated that this riparian zone was effective at reducing the entry of phosphorus into the local stream thus preserving stream water quality.
Technical Abstract: Riparian zones are an important conservation practice because they can reduce the entry of sediments and nutrients into sensitive aquatic ecosystems. We evaluated the effectiveness of a Coastal Plain riparian zone to reduce the movement of phosphorus (P) into a local stream from an overloaded swine manure spray field. Soil P concentrations (Mehlich 3 P, M3P; and total P, TP) were measured along four transects consisting of a spray field, grass strip, mid-riparian, and stream edge area. Dissolved P (DP) was measured in ground water wells located in the spray field, grass strip, stream edge, and in-stream grab samples. The spray field and grass strip area had high surface and subsurface M3P concentrations. Low M3P concentrations were detected in surface and subsurface soils in the mid-riparian and stream edge area indicating effective retention of P by the grass strip area. Elevated DP concentrations were detected in the spray field and grass strip wells, while stream edge wells were low. Furthermore, stream grab samples were consistently low in DP concentrations. The riparian zone contributed to a reduction in DP concentrations between the grass strip and stream edge wells. This confirms that a riparian zone can effectively limit the movement of P-enriched sediments and reduce DP-enriched ground water from entering a local stream even in a heavily loaded situation. |
Lyme disease may be more prevalent than we think
The CDC says the number of reported cases may not even be close
Monday, August 26, 2013
Each year, more than 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are | Lyme disease may be more prevalent than we think
The CDC says the number of reported cases may not even be close
Monday, August 26, 2013
Each year, more than 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), making it the most commonly reported tick-borne illness in the United States.
But that number could be off by a country mile.
A preliminary estimate released recently by the CDC indicates that the number of Americans diagnosed with Lyme disease each year is actually around 300,000 -- roughly 10 times higher than the yearly reported number. That estimate was presented recently in Boston at the 2013 International Conference on Lyme Borreliosis and Other Tick-Borne Diseases.
Lyme disease studies
The early estimate is based on findings from three CDC studies that use different methods, but all aim to define the approximate number of people diagnosed with Lyme disease each year.
The first project analyzes medical claims information for approximately 22 million insured people annually for six years, the second project is based on a survey of clinical laboratories and the third project analyzes self-reported Lyme disease cases from a survey of the general public.
The new estimate supports studies published in the 1990s indicating that the true number of cases is between 3- and 12-fold higher than the number of reported cases.
“We know that routine surveillance only gives us part of the picture, and that the true number of illnesses is much greater,” said Paul Mead, M.D., M.P.H, chief of epidemiology and surveillance for CDC’s Lyme disease program. “This new preliminary estimate confirms that Lyme disease is a tremendous public health problem in the United States, and clearly highlights the urgent need for prevention.”
CDC continues to analyze the data in the three studies to refine the estimates and better understand the overall burden of Lyme disease in the United States and will publish finalized estimates when the studies are complete. Efforts are also underway at CDC and by other researchers to identify novel methods to kill ticks and prevent illness in people.
“We know people can prevent tick bites through steps like using repellents and tick checks. Although these measures are effective, they aren’t fail-proof and people don’t always use them,” said Lyle R. Petersen, M.D., M.P.H, director of CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases. “We need to move to a broader approach to tick reduction, involving entire communities, to combat this public health problem.”
This community approach would involve homeowners trying to kill ticks in their own yards, and communities addressing a variety of issues. Among these issues are rodents that carry the Lyme disease bacteria, deer that play a key role in the ticks’ lifecycle, suburban planning and the interaction between deer, rodents, ticks, and humans. All must be addressed to fight Lyme disease effectively.
Most Lyme disease cases reported to CDC through national surveillance are concentrated heavily in the Northeast and upper Midwest, with 96% of cases in 13 states. Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system.
What to do
CDC recommends people take steps to help prevent Lyme disease and other tickborne diseases:
- Wear repellent
- Check for ticks daily
- Shower soon after being outdoors
- Call your doctor if you get a fever or rash
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Quite a big asteroid going past in our neighbourhood tomorrow, near-Earth asteroid 2005 YU55. About 400 meters or 1,300 feet in diameter, or about the size of a medium sized stadium, and will be passing | Quite a big asteroid going past in our neighbourhood tomorrow, near-Earth asteroid 2005 YU55. About 400 meters or 1,300 feet in diameter, or about the size of a medium sized stadium, and will be passing about 202,000 miles away. 0.85 lunar distances. Quite close.
You won't see it though. It's going to be raining in Rome, so, as Vicky pointed out, even if it were a giant flaming ball, we'd miss it. But it is a type-c asteroid, the c is for "carbonaceous" which means it's quite dark and you will need special long-exposure equipment to see it if the sky is clear where you are.
As for it's potential, err...impact:
"Astronomers estimate objects in the 50 meters range impact on the Earth about once every thousand years and produce explosions equal to 10 megatons of TNT (several times the Hiroshima bomb). We know one such impact occurred in Siberia on June 30, 1908, and flattened more than a thousand square kilometers of forest." |
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