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Few of us are given an opportunity to travel the country and learn about different cultures. These 22 high schoolers from the DC Metro area are given such an opportunity to learn about African American and Jewish culture, and see places they've only read | Few of us are given an opportunity to travel the country and learn about different cultures. These 22 high schoolers from the DC Metro area are given such an opportunity to learn about African American and Jewish culture, and see places they've only read about in history. They are part of a group called Operation Understanding DC to help students learn about the Civil Rights Movement and how they can improve their communities today.
Eliana Kanefield, a senior from Washington D.C., says for her, it's been about witnessing historical places in person. "Being in some places that have been touched by history so much makes you want to go out and change the world even more. I've seen how far we've come, but that only makes me realize how much further we do have to come."
Speaking with those who lived during the Civil Rights Movement, like Bill Ready, Sr. and Roscoe Jones, shows students the importance or learning about others.
"Well, the one thing that I would love for them to take away is the fact that in life, learning, education, just to say you are an educated person is to be well-rounded, and by coming here, it will make them more well-rounded, and to take away the fact that people are people wherever you go, just get to know them," Roscoe Jones, director of Freedom 64, says.
The knowledge about other cultures gained from this trip will help the students touch the lives of those around them.
Jeffrey Billingslea, a senior from Potomac, Virginia, wants to "see how I can use that past knowledge to help my peers out today who I see sorta struggling and not trying to learn their history or not trying to learn other cultures and histories so I can educate them and educate myself, my family, everyone, everyone I can touch to see how I can improve them and the community I'm in."
Students now will take what they've learned and look to improve their own home communities...and hopefully, make a difference in the world. Students will continue on to Jackson before heading to the Delta this weekend. |
Trams in Melbourne
Melbourne, Australia had trams invented in 1885 and now the trams are the largest tram network in the world, consisting of 152 miles of tracks, 500 trams, 28 routes, and | Trams in Melbourne
Melbourne, Australia had trams invented in 1885 and now the trams are the largest tram network in the world, consisting of 152 miles of tracks, 500 trams, 28 routes, and 1,813 tram stops. The trams are powered using 600V DC delivered by overhead wires and run on standard gauge track. Currently operated by a private company, Yarra Trams under contract from the Victorian Government, the owner of the network. Melbourne's trams give a lot to the city's distinctive character and are loved by the people of Melbourne.
In 2007, a total of 156.4 million passengers took rides on Melbourne’s trams. |
William Smith Telford was born October 7, 1837 in Ray County Missouri. Like many folks in that area he didn't stay long and moved west. Before he ended up in Abilene, Texas though he did a tour | William Smith Telford was born October 7, 1837 in Ray County Missouri. Like many folks in that area he didn't stay long and moved west. Before he ended up in Abilene, Texas though he did a tour of duty as a Mormon Hunter for the US Army.
He was part of the 1857 US Army expedition headed by General Albert Johnson, sent to Utah to hunt down the Mormons who had tried to set up their own government. There wasn't a lot of actual fighting between the US troops and the Mormon army over the next two years and the Mormons eventually accepted the Governor of the territory sent by the President.
The Mormons massacred 120 people on a California bound wagon train in September 1857 and that is what most people would know of the war, if anything at all. I don't recall it being taught in any of my history classes.
A newspaper article about William Telford, written in the 1930s when he was over 90 years old says:
"Mr. Telford when but 17 went with the Albert Sidney Johnston expedition in 1857 to quell the Mormon rebellion. Returning, he was in the winter of '58-59 in the Black Hills grazing Government oxen. This was the habitat of Sitting Bull and his braves, who frequently visited the camp. White Eagle, one of the principal chieftains, often hunted game with the white men." |
This week in Science, Jayne Wilkins and colleagues report on part of the lithic assemblage from Kathu Pan, South Africa, which includes 210 points. The paper reports that these are the earliest known hafted points in the | This week in Science, Jayne Wilkins and colleagues report on part of the lithic assemblage from Kathu Pan, South Africa, which includes 210 points. The paper reports that these are the earliest known hafted points in the world, predating the previous record by more than 200,000 years.
The minireview of the spear literature:
By ~780 ka, hominins were regularly killing large game, based on evidence of repeated in situ processing of complete carcasses of fallow deer at Gesher Benot Ya’kov in Israel (4). At the English site of Boxgrove, a horse scapula with a semicircular perforation is consistent with spear-aided hunting by ~500 ka (5). Wooden spears dating to ~400 ka have been found in association with butchered horses at Schöningen, Germany (6). Hafted spear tips appear to be common in the MSA and Middle Paleolithic (MP) sites of Europe and Africa after ~300 ka (7–20).
This is a very short paper, and it sets out two problems: demonstrating that the points really are 500,000 years old, and demonstrating that they really were used as spear tips. The first is fairly straightforward as a function of the stratigraphy at the site and some ESR/U-series dating of faunal teeth. Possibly a broader issue is the identification of the assemblage as Fauresmith, which has been poorly defined in the literature and sometimes means different things. It is more or less indicative of assemblages based on large cutting tools (such as handaxes), with an increased fraction of flake core production and some MSA-like elements. Andy Herries published a good review of the Fauresmith issue and its chronology last year. He wrote this with respect to Kathu Pan:
Previous dating of the site was based on elephant fossils that were more evolved than those from Olduvai Bed IV. This simply gave the site an age of 417 ka may lend weight to the Fauresmith at Wonderwerk also being in this time range or at least older than 182 ka as suggested by Chazan and Horwitz unless it occurred for over 200 ka in the region and was being produced contemporarily with the MSA.
Fauresmith at some other sites in southern Africa, including Wonderwerk Cave, is apparently younger, less than 300,000 years ago. The entire range is coincident in time with the Early-Middle Stone Age transition in the Kapthurin Formation sites in Kenya, which makes these "transitional" assemblages really representative of a long-term pattern of variability and change. The marker of MSA industries as opposed to Early Stone Age is the MSA's reliance upon prepared core reduction techniques. Yet, prepared core techniques (like the Levallois technique) appear much, much earlier. One marker of the MSA, as reviewed by Herries (citing McBrearty and others) is the appearance of projectile point technology:
Mcbrea |
Recently, vaccination has become a very controversial subject. Gone are the simple days when your pet would receive a series of puppy
shots and then shots every year. This was the typical method used to keep our pets healthy. But, with the advent | Recently, vaccination has become a very controversial subject. Gone are the simple days when your pet would receive a series of puppy
shots and then shots every year. This was the typical method used to keep our pets healthy. But, with the advent of immune diseases thought to be associated with vaccination, the route of vaccine has become a hot topic.
Most people are familiar with the injectable vaccines. These commonly are used to protect from parvovirus, distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, bordetella and rabies. Recently, vaccines have become available that are applied topically, usually in the nose or eyes. There are disadvantages and advantages of each method of vaccination and topical vaccines are not available to protect against all diseases.
In the dog, the only topical vaccine commonly used is the vaccine used to protect against Bordetella bronchiseptica
, one of the bacterial agents that has been implicated in canine kennel cough. This vaccination is available as an injectable or as a vaccine to be placed directly into the nose as nasal drops.Advantages of Nasal Vaccination
There are several advantages to intranasal vaccination of bordetella. Some studies have shown that the nasal method of administration may result in quicker protection. The intranasal vaccine also is intended to protect the animal at the source of the infection, the upper airways.
Another advantage is that there is not an injection. This is particularly positive for those dogs that are very sensitive and find injection painful.Disadvantage of Nasal Vaccination
Recent studies have questioned the effectiveness of the intranasal vaccine, especially when given to dogs that have either been previously vaccinated or have been exposed to bordetella. This recent study indicates that the nasal vaccine works well in a dog that has either never been vaccinated or has not had kennel cough. Future vaccinations should be injectable to provide protection.
Another disadvantage is there may be some side effects following the nasal vaccine. Sneezing, mild cough and fever may develop 1 to 2 days following vaccination and usually resolves in 3 to 4 days. Some dogs do not like having drops placed in their nose and will strongly resist.Recommendations
Due to the recently published study comparing injectable and nasal vaccines, it is currently recommended that the injectable vaccine be given. If desired, the nasal vaccine can be given the first time, followed by the injectable vaccine for future boosters. For all vaccines, it is important to vaccinate at least 5 days before potential exposure. Vaccines do not work immediately. It takes time for the body to respond to the vaccine, develop immunity and provide protection against the specific disease. |
Sept. 7 (Bloomberg) -- For the bottom nine-tenths of humanity, the world has changed more in the last century and a half than in the 20 centuries before.
The idea that mankind could master its material circumstances was | Sept. 7 (Bloomberg) -- For the bottom nine-tenths of humanity, the world has changed more in the last century and a half than in the 20 centuries before.
The idea that mankind could master its material circumstances was born in Charles Dickens’s London. Over the next century and a half, the grand pursuit of economic thinkers was to overcome scarcity, to loosen the grip of iron necessity on ordinary lives and minds. The new way of thinking spread outward from mid-Victorian London like ripples in a pond until it transformed the lives of every person on the planet.
Here, in a five-part series, are stories of the men and women who helped speed that transformation -- and in the process invented an apparatus of the mind that is modern economics.
On the afternoon of Thursday, May 10, 1866, in the first week of the boating season, a frightful rumor swirled through London. Overend, Gurney & Co., a bank considered by the average citizen to be as solid as the Royal Mint, had failed.
By 10 the following morning, a horde of “struggling and half frantic creditors” of both sexes and seemingly all stations of life invaded the financial district. A correspondent for the New York Times called it “a more fearful panic than has been known in the British metropolis within the memory of man.”
Before an extra battalion of constables could be called out to control the crowd, the British money market froze and scores of banks and businesses that lived on credit were facing ruin. “Englishmen have been running mad on speculation,” the Timesman concluded. “The day of reckoning has arrived.”
When news of the panic reached Karl Marx, the shaggy-haired German philosopher was in his study in north London pondering a financial crisis closer to home. His income, which was enough to put the Marxes in the top 2 percent of British households, never could keep pace with his outlays, and the rent on their villa was overdue. So was “Das Kapital,” the critique of English political economy that Marx had claimed for years was “virtually finished.”
Marx had set out to prove not only that free markets and democracy didn’t work, but also that they couldn’t work. Even as the economy’s productive capacity soared and the rich got richer, he would reveal society’s “law of motion” that made it inevitable that wages must sink, the middle class must disappear and the poor must starve. The wealthier the nation became, the greater the misery of the masses, the ones “designed” for labor and little else.
The “Communist Manifesto,” hastily drafted in a long-ago year of revolutions, referred to “ever-decreasing wages” and “ever-increasing burden of toil” as a matter of historical fact. Ever since, Marx had been trying to prove that the “law of capitalist accumulation” actually required that wages fall, the length and intensity of the working day increase, working conditions deteriorate, the quality of food and other necessities decline, and the average life spans of workers shrink.
Unhappily for Marx, the 20 years in which he was dragging his unfinished book around coincided with the Victorian economic miracle, an unprecedented surge in real wages and living standards, and a wave of middle-class social and political reform. Now the prospect of economic Armageddon lit a fire under him. Within days of the Overend, Gurney collapse, he was back at his desk. By the time he dashed off the words, “The death knell of capitalist private property sounds,” a real-life doomsday scenario was unfolding.
Misery and fear spread through London, the center of the world market and the heart of British industry. An avalanche of bankruptcies ruined thousands of the newly rich and deprived many thousands more of their jobs. A cholera epidemic, a freak freeze and a doubling of bread prices multiplied the hardships. “What that distress is no one knows,” wrote Florence Nightingale, the heiress and hospital reformer. Bread riots broke out, small shopkeepers threatened to arm themselves and thousands of East Enders battled mounted police in Hyde Park to vent their frustration and fury at the rich.
‘A Strange Land’
Popular discontent did not lead, as Marx hoped, to the overthrow of existing society, but rather to universal male suffrage. The upsurge in joblessness and distress converted university students, women, journalists and artists into social reformers and stimulated the search for ideas that would “put mankind in the saddle.”
Alfred Marshall, a 23-year-old mathematician who had escaped poverty for the life of a Cambridge don and gentleman, was compelled to tramp through the slums “looking into the faces of the poor.” The sight of “so much want” amid “so much wealth” prompted him to ask whether the existence of a proletariat was, as he had been taught to believe, “a necessity of nature.” Why, he wondered, “should you not make every man a gentleman?”
Feeling that he was “a philosopher in a strange land,” Marshall took up economics. As he read John Stuart Mill and other founding fathers, Marshall noticed that many things in society that they had assumed were fixed were in fact fluid and subject to change.
Like Marx, they ruled out the possibility that the mass of humanity could improve its material circumstances. Yet Marshall observed that the average standard of life, for example, was higher, not lower, than 20 years before. Managers, whit |
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are known for their healthy lifestyles. A health plan for the Church was first written down in 1833 by President Joseph Smith, and he presented it to early members specifically as a revelation from | Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are known for their healthy lifestyles. A health plan for the Church was first written down in 1833 by President Joseph Smith, and he presented it to early members specifically as a revelation from God. Today, Latter-day Saints refer to these health guidelines as "the Word of Wisdom” (Doctrine and Covenants 89).
Among the provisions of the health code: no alcoholic drinks, no smoking or chewing of tobacco, and no "hot drinks" — believed to refer specifically to tea and coffee. "Wholesome herbs," along with fruits and grains, are specifically recommended. Meat is to be used "sparingly." The Church also interprets the misuse of drugs — illegal, legal, prescription or controlled — as a violation of the health code.
"The health code... of over a hundred years ago exactly mirrors the recommendations that are now being made in the scientific world in terms of improving health and maintaining quality of health," says Ted Adams, Ph.D., program director at the LDS Hospital Fitness Institute in Salt Lake City.
A 14-year UCLA study completed in 1997, tracked mortality rates and health practices of 10,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in California. Specific findings: Church members who adhered to the health code had one of the lowest death rates from cancer and cardiovascular disease in the United States — roughly half that of the general population. The study also indicated that Church members who followed the code had a life expectancy eight to 11 years longer than the general white population of the United States. |
Today we discuss our 15th Great Uncle and brother of our 15th Great Grandmother Anne Stafford and his relationship with Henry VIII of England.
Edward was the 3rd Duke of Buckingham. Born on 3 February 1478 and | Today we discuss our 15th Great Uncle and brother of our 15th Great Grandmother Anne Stafford and his relationship with Henry VIII of England.
Edward was the 3rd Duke of Buckingham. Born on 3 February 1478 and executed by order of King Henry VIII on 17 May 1521. His father, our 16th Great Grandfather was executed for rebelling against King Richard III when Edward was 5 years old. When his cousin, King Henry VII (Henry VIII's father) became King he was accepted into the royal household and made a ward of the Queen, the Countess of Richmond and Derby (Henry VIII's mother). He later married and built Thornbury Castle pictured below.
Buckingham fell out dramatically with the King in 1510, when he discovered that the King was having an affair with the Anne, his sister, our 15th Great Grandmother. As we already know, Anne was taken to a convent sixty miles away. There are some suggestions that the affair continued until 1513. However, Edward returned to the King's graces, being present at the marriage of Henry's sister and served in Parliament.
Betrayal and Execution
The real power in King Henry VIII's court was not with the great nobles but with low-born men. Buckingham, with his royal blood and numerous connections by descent or marriage with the rest of the aristocracy became a leader of the disaffected nobles. During 1520, suspicions were raised about potentially treasonous actions and investigations began. Henry VIII personally examined witnesses against him and gathering enough evidence for a trial. Edward was finally brought to Court in April 1521 and arrested and placed in the Tower of London. Buckingham was tried before a panel of 17 peers, being accused of listening to the prophecies of the King's death and intending to kill the King; however, the King's mind appeared to be decided and conviction was certain. He was executed on at the Tower on 17 May 1521. |
Official languages: Hebrew, Arabic.
Currency: The Israeli currency is the New Israeli Shekel (NIS), which is divided into 100 agorot (as of January 1986). (In 2011: $1= approx | Official languages: Hebrew, Arabic.
Currency: The Israeli currency is the New Israeli Shekel (NIS), which is divided into 100 agorot (as of January 1986). (In 2011: $1= approx. 3.4 Shekels)
Capital: Jerusalem. Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950. The United States, like nearly all other countries, maintains its embassy in Tel Aviv.
Declaration of Independence: May 14, 1948
Governing system: Democratic – unicameral parliamentary.
Constitution: None; however, the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws of the parliament (the Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law fill many of the functions of a constitution.
Governing Branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.
Executive Branch: includes the President, Prime Minister and government ministries.
President: The first President, Dr. Chaim Weizmann, was sworn into office on February 16, 1949.
Current President: Shimon Peres; assumed office July 15th, 2007.
The President is the titular head of state and is elected by the Knesset every seven years, and his main duties are largely symbolic.
Prime Minister: The first Prime Minister was David Ben-Gurion. The first government was established on March 8, 1949.
Current Prime Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu; assumed office March 31st, 2009.
Legislative branch is the Knesset. The Knesset is the parliament of the State of Israel. It is located in Jerusalem, and has 120 members. The present Knesset is the 18th, and the elections for this Knesset were held on February 10, 2009. The Knesset has parliamentary sovereignty, and enacts legislation on every issue.
The Judiciary includes the system of courts: the Supreme Court, the District Court, Magistrates Court, Court for Local Affairs, Religious Court, Traffic Court, Labor Court, Juvenile Court, etc.
Local authorities: Municipalities, local councils, and regional councils. These authorities have governmental and administrative powers in their areas of jurisdiction, and are responsible for provision of services to their constituencies.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF): The Israeli army is comprised of conscription, reserve and career service. All eligible men and women are drafted at age 18, three years for men and two years for women. Men are liable for reserve duty until age 51 and women until age 24. Individuals accepted at institutions of higher education in discipl |
Rangoli is an ancient ephemeral artform practiced throughout India. Designs are drawn onto the ground, usually in chalk or colored powder and embellished with sand, rice, candles or flower petals.
Rangoli is an expression of the creative | Rangoli is an ancient ephemeral artform practiced throughout India. Designs are drawn onto the ground, usually in chalk or colored powder and embellished with sand, rice, candles or flower petals.
Rangoli is an expression of the creative self, often viewed as a form of self-portraiture. Designs are composed of geometric and curvilinear patterns, usually derived from nature. After the Rangoli is complete, the image is simply allowed to blow away with the wind – serving as a metaphor for the impermanence of life.
Rangoli design completed at Suffolk University, Boston, MA. April 2010
Rangoli design is a safe, beautiful and expressive tool that can bring people together to work towards a common creative goal, transcending age, language or cultural barriers. Rangoli is a powerful and therapeutic artform that is quiet and meditative in process, allowing one to find a temporary disconnect with the relentless hubbub that surrounds our daily lives.
Traditionally Rangoli designs are made to celebrate an auspicious occasion. However, they can be created for the purposes of:
- Temporary public art
- To celebrate the opening of a building or an event
- To mark an auspicious occasion
- As an educational tool for schools, colleges and universities
- As a successful and engaging workshop experience within the community |
As a direct result of the worst drought the U.S. has seen since the dust bowl and, consequently, record-low corn yields, the pressure is on for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to waive the nationwide ethanol mandate | As a direct result of the worst drought the U.S. has seen since the dust bowl and, consequently, record-low corn yields, the pressure is on for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to waive the nationwide ethanol mandate.
The EPA announced Monday that it will begin weighing requests for a suspension of the mandate, which requires that gasoline contain 10 percent ethanol.
The cost of corn and other crops has skyrocketed as conditions continue to worsen across the Corn Belt. According to the most recent report by the U.S. Drought Monitor, released Aug. 16, 87 percent of the corn-growing areas are experiencing some degree of drought, with more than half of those areas experiencing extreme to exceptional drought.
The crisis has prompted Democratic governors from Maryland, Delaware, North Carolina and Arkansas to join the agricultural industry in a push for a waive of the ethanol mandate.
The mandate was originally implemented to help decrease U.S. reliance on foreign oil. However, with corn in short supply, its use in ethanol is driving up food costs and lowering reserves even further.
"It's mandatory because of the law but it's possible that the government, if they chose to do so, could suspend that or lower the percentage to 7%, and that probably would relieve the pressure dramatically," Jim Dunn, Professor of Agricultural Economics at Penn State University, said in an AccuWeather interview last month.
Though the government has never before altered this mandate, the Congress and Senate are very well aware of the looming crisis, Dunn said.
Thus far, the Obama administration has not taken steps to waive the mandate, despite recent efforts to aid the farming industry.
On Aug. 13, Obama announced that the USDA would purchase $170 million of pork, lamb, chicken and catfish to help drought-stricken farmers recover from this year's agricultural devastation and to counter the high cost of animal feed.
"The purchases will help mitigate further downward prices, stabilize market conditions and provide high quality, nutritious food to recipients of USDA nutrition programs," Tom Vilsack, Agriculture Secretary, said in a statement.
The EPA is gathering public comment on the need for a waiver for 30 days, while asking petitioners to demonstrate that the mandate is causing severe economic harm. The agency has until Nov. 13 to make a decision on the waivers.
Damp and chilly weather is in store for Seattle this week, and snow may fly by Friday morning.
A Washington photographer has taken something as simple as a bubble and turned it into a winter art form.
Although the Christmas holiday season is typically known for its wintry weather, carolers and tasty treats, not all Christmas traditions around the world are one in the same.
A prolonged heat wave across northern Argentina has led to blackouts in and around Buenos Aires.
At least five storm systems will impact the United Kingdom and Ireland through Christmas.
A storm brought heavy snow and travel headaches across the Northeast on Tuesday.
Las Vegas, NV (1984)
Trace of snow fell.
Record snowfall: Spokane, WA - 20.9"; Yakima, WA - 21.4".
Bennet Bridge, NY (1975)
Lake effect snowburst; 34" snow. |
Joined: Mar. 2008
The neural net would be the population. In the simplest view, what gets selected is associations. In the behaviorist model what gets selected is tendencies to do specific things in specific contexts.
In a physiological view | Joined: Mar. 2008
The neural net would be the population. In the simplest view, what gets selected is associations. In the behaviorist model what gets selected is tendencies to do specific things in specific contexts.
In a physiological view, each neuron must have something equivalent to genes, a storage system that determines its contextual responses. Something that can vary and also store.
Edited by midwifetoad on Aug. 23 2012,10:16
”The 2nd law states how systems work when no intelligence is involved.” |
Buoyed by his talks with India and China on climate change, President Barack Obama will attend crucial negotiations in Copenhagen where he will promise sizable reductions in US carbon emissions, giving new hope for a global deal on reducing greenhouse gases.
The United States | Buoyed by his talks with India and China on climate change, President Barack Obama will attend crucial negotiations in Copenhagen where he will promise sizable reductions in US carbon emissions, giving new hope for a global deal on reducing greenhouse gases.
The United States will reduce its emissions “in the range of” 17 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83 per cent by 2050, Obama administration officials said, giving the world the clearest blueprint yet of US strategies to cut back heat-trapping greenhouse gases.
Other countries were awaiting action by the US, one of the world’s largest carbon emitter, before taking steps of their own.
White House officials said that the decisions stemmed in part from recent discussions between Mr. Obama and the leaders of India and China, two developing nations whose participation is seen as crucial to any successful negotiation.
Those discussions left the president optimistic that his presence in Copenhagen could seal a meaningful -- though not legally binding -- climate deal, meeting the standard that Obama previously set for his attendance at the summit, the Los Angles Times quoted Administration officials as saying.
“Both President Obama and I have agreed on the need for a substantive and comprehensive outcome, which would cover mitigation, adaptation, finance and technology,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said in Washington after talks with the US President on Nov 24.
On his part, Mr. Obama said that it’s essential that all countries do what is necessary to reach a strong operational agreement that will confront the threat of climate change while serving as a stepping stone to a legally binding treaty.
“We’ve made progress in confronting climate change. I commended the prime minister for India’s leadership in areas like green buildings and energy efficiency,” Mr. Obama had said.
Mr. Obama will address negotiators December 9, shortly after the opening of the two-week summit, on his way to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in nearby Oslo.
The 17 per cent reduction range is in line with a climate bill that passed the House in June and is pending in the Senate.
But it is still well below what many scientists, along with political leaders in Europe and developing countries, say is needed from the United States to avert the most catastrophic effects of climate change worldwide.
Carol Browner, Obama’s assistant for energy and climate, said that the administration hoped that the announcements would lead other nations “to put forth ambitious actions of their own.”
Browner and half a dozen other Cabinet-level officials, including Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Energy Secretary Steven Chu, also will attend the talks, the White House said yesterday.
The Copenhagen meeting originally was intended to produce a new climate deal to succeed the landmark Kyoto Protocol, which is in force until 2012. |
Breastfeeding has many benefits for both mom and child. Breast milk contains a balanced combination of vitamins, protein, fat, and antibodies to help your baby gain weight and fight disease. For women breast feeding helps you lose pregnancy weight. It also | Breastfeeding has many benefits for both mom and child. Breast milk contains a balanced combination of vitamins, protein, fat, and antibodies to help your baby gain weight and fight disease. For women breast feeding helps you lose pregnancy weight. It also releases a hormone called oxytocin, to help the uterus repair itself after childbirth. For both mother and child breast feeding creates an intimate relationship that helps you bond, and makes your baby feel more secure.
It is recommended by pediatricians to breastfeed the first 6 months of your baby’s life, and to then introduce solid food into his or her diet. Continuing to breastfeed after this amount of time is totally up to the parent, but most experts would say 12 months of breastfeeding is sufficient for your child’s growth and development. Moms like Jamie Lynn Grumet have adopted what is referred to as “extended breastfeeding”. This method is originated by pediatrician Dr. William Sears who advocates attachment parenting. Other practices include co-sleeping and baby wearing.
It may be easy to criticize extended breast feeding, but in many countries it is nothing new. According to UNICEF the percentage of women who breastfeed after 12months (from 2000-2007) include 92% in Afghanistan, 95% in Ghana, and 88% in India, just to name a few. And research has shown that it is beneficial. Most have head that children who are breastfed generally have a higher IQ, but what many do not known is this is observed most acutely in babies who were breastfed past 1 yrs old. There have also been huge gains in psychologically in that these children are better at making social adjustments and have a lower occurrence of social conduct disorders. For each year of breast feeding a woman reduces her risk of Type 2 diabetes by 15%, and her risk of breast cancer by 4.3%. |
|United States||Deseret / Utah Mormons (Nauvoo Legion)|
|Pres. James Buchanan
Gen. Albert S. Johnston
|Gov. Brigham Young
Gen. Daniel H. Wells
|Casualties and | |United States||Deseret / Utah Mormons (Nauvoo Legion)|
|Pres. James Buchanan
Gen. Albert S. Johnston
|Gov. Brigham Young
Gen. Daniel H. Wells
|Casualties and losses|
The Utah War, also known as the Utah Expedition, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed dispute between Latter-day Saint ("Mormon") settlers in Utah Territory and the United States government. The confrontation lasted from May 1857 until July 1858. While it had mainly non-Mormon civilian casualties, the "war" had no pitched battles and was ultimately resolved through negotiation. Nevertheless, according to historian William P. MacKinnon, the Utah War was America's "most extensive and expensive military undertaking during the period between the Mexican and Civil Wars, one that ultimately pitted nearly one-third of the US Army against what was arguably the nation's largest, most experienced militia."
From 1857 to 1858, the Buchanan administration sought to quell what it perceived to be a rebellion in Utah Territory while the Mormons, fearful that the large federal army dispatched to the region had been sent to annihilate them, blocked the army's entrance into the Salt Lake Valley. While the confrontation between the Mormon militia, called the Nauvoo Legion, and the U.S. Army involved some destruction of property and a few brief skirmishes in what is today southwestern Wyoming, no actual battles occurred between the contending military forces.
Despite this, the confrontation was not bloodless. At the height of the conflict, on September 11, 1857, more than 120 California-bound settlers from Arkansas, Missouri and other states, including unarmed men, women and children, were killed in remote southwestern Utah by a group of local Mormon militiamen. This tragedy was later called the Mountain Meadows massacre. While this incident was undoubtedly connected to the hysteria surrounding the approaching federal army that pervaded Utah in 1857, some historians conclude that the killings were an anomaly instigated by geographically isolated and deeply paranoid local leadership acting without the knowledge of the LDS hierarchy in Salt Lake City, some maintain the existence of a larger conspiracy, while others claim the massacre occurred for plunder. Also during this period was the Aiken Massacre. Six wealthy Californians traveling through the territory were arrested as spies, released, and then murdered.
Other incidents of violence can also be linked to the Expedition, such as an Indian attack on the Latter-day Saint mission of Fort Limhi in eastern Oregon Territory, which killed two Mormons and wounded several others. Historian Brigham Madsen relates that "the responsibility for the [Fort Limhi raid] lay mainly with the Bannock. Above and beyond any influence exerted by trader, soldier, or missionary, a situation existed in February 1858 that gave the Bannock an almost unrivaled opportunity to indulge in their age-old customs of horse stealing and war." Nevertheless, David Bigler concludes that the raid was probably instigated by members of the Utah Expedition who were trying to replenish their stores of livestock, stolen by Mormon raiders. Taking all incidents into account, MacKinnon estimates that approximately 150 people died as a direct result of the year long Utah War, including the 120 killed at Mountain Meadows. He points out that this is roughly equivalent to those killed during the seven year contemporaneous struggle in "Bleeding Kansas."
In the end, negotiations between the United States and the Latter-day Saint hierarchy resulted in a full pardon for the Mormons, the transfer of Utah's governorship from church President Brigham Young to non-Mormon Alfred Cumming, and the peaceful entrance of the army into Utah.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), often called Mormon pioneers, settled in what is now Utah in the summer of 1847. Utah was then legally part of Alta California, Mexico (though the United States had already taken control of the larger previously established settlements in the region in late 1846) and the Mormons had purposely left the United States as a result of severe persecution and mob violence that they had endured in several eastern states. Included in these were the 1838 Mormon War in Missouri, which resulted in the Extermination order being issued by Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs, and the Illinois Mormon War that occurred after the death of Joseph Smith, Jr.
The Mormons believed that in the empty deserts of the Great Basin they could create a utopian society called Zion without outside interference. Still, the Latter-day Saint leadership well understood that they were not "leaving the political orbit of the United States", nor did they want to. Utah and most of the American Southwest were soon transferred to the American government as a result of the U.S. victory in the Mexican-American War. As well, in 1848 gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in California, sparking the famous California Gold Rush |
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
What is FERPA?
FERPA stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. It is also known as the Buckley Amendment. FERPA helps protect the privacy of | Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
What is FERPA?
FERPA stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. It is also known as the Buckley Amendment. FERPA helps protect the privacy of student education records. The Act provides eligible students the right to inspect and review education records, the right to seek to amend those records and to limit disclosure of information from the records. The intent of the legislation is to protect the rights of students and to ensure the privacy and accuracy of education records. The Act applies to all institutions that are the recipients of federal aid administered by the Secretary of Education.
Student Rights under FERPA
The right to inspect and review their education records within 45 days of the day the university receives a request for access. Students should submit written requests to the Office of the Registrar and Student Records and identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The staff of the office will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where
the records may be inspected. If the requested records are not maintained in the Office of the Registrar and Student Records, the student will be notified of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
- The right to request an amendment to the student's education records that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading. Students may ask the university to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the Office of the Registrar and Student Records or the specific office involved with the record in question (e.g. a department office regarding a grade), clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the university decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the university will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing will be provided to the student when notified of the hearing.
The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is: a person employed by the university in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the university has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities.
The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave., SW
Washington DC 20202–5901
What is “Disclosure” as defined by FERPA?
To permit access to, release, transfer or allow any other type of communication of personally identifiable information contained in education records to any party by any means; including oral, written or electronic communication.
Who may have access to student information?
- The student and any outside party who has the student’s written request.
- School officials (as defined by the University) who have “legitimate educational interests.”
- A person in response to a lawfully issued subpoena or court order, as long as the University makes a reasonable attempt to notify the student first.
When is the student’s consent not required to disclose information?
When the disclosure is (one or more of the following):
- To school officials (defined in policy) who have a legitimate educational interest.
- To federal, state and local authorities involving an audit or evaluation of compliance with educational programs.
- In connection with financial aid; this includes Veterans’ benefits.
- To organizations conducting studies for or on behalf of educational institutions.
- To accrediting organizations.
- To comply with a judicial order or subpoena.
- In a health or safety emergency.
- Releasing directory information (unless the student has a block on this information).
- Releasing the results of a disciplinary hearing to an alleged victim of a crime of violence.
What is an “Educational Record” as defined by FERPA?
With certain exceptions (noted below), an education record is any record (1) which contains information that is personally identifiable to a student, and (2) is maintained by the university. With the exception of information about other students, financial records of parents and confidential letters of reference to
which the student has waived access, a student has the right of access to his or her education records. Education records include any records in whatever medium (handwritten, print, email, magnetic tape, film, diskette, etc.) that are in the possession of any school official. This includes transcripts or other records obtained from a school in which a student was previously enrolled.
What information is NOT considered part of an “Education Record”?
- Sole possession records or private notes held by school officials that are not accessible or released to other personnel.
- Law enforcement or campus security records that are solely for law enforcement purposes and maintained solely by |
Biography Reference Bank
Offering the original profiles of Current Biography and World Authors series, the periodical coverage of Biography Index, and the specialist biographical content of Junior Authors & Illustrators. Search result limiters include occupation/activity, gender, | Biography Reference Bank
Offering the original profiles of Current Biography and World Authors series, the periodical coverage of Biography Index, and the specialist biographical content of Junior Authors & Illustrators. Search result limiters include occupation/activity, gender, place of origin, birth day or month, and lifespan.
A Book and A Hug
Online tool for kids to create a book |
Colony Research Group
Genealogy ~ DNA ~ Archaeology
Edition March 2012
February 2011 newsletter, we wrote extensively about the excavations
performed by Dr. David Phelps, now deceased, when he was the archae | Colony Research Group
Genealogy ~ DNA ~ Archaeology
Edition March 2012
February 2011 newsletter, we wrote extensively about the excavations
performed by Dr. David Phelps, now deceased, when he was the archaeologist
at East Carolina University (ECU) back in the 1990s. In one particularly
revealing dig, in Buxton, Phelps found what he believed to be a workshop
dating from about 1650 to the early 1700s. Items found there suggest a
strong trading relationship with the English. The lack of household debris
dismisses the idea that this was a household.
did find 2 small undated coins with holes drilled in each end. One coin,
he initially said, was similar to a 1563 coin found on Roanoke Island
about 50 miles to the north. Later, after taking the coins back to the
lab, he found that they were copper farthings and insignia that dates
their production to the 1649-1685 timeframe. There were also some pottery
pieces that Phelps felt were older and might have been brought down from
Roanoke Island by the colonists. However, these items could also have been
trade items, given as gifts or scavenged. Because the context in which
they were found was a "workshop" area, not a household, with no
sign of inhabitation, it's impossible to draw any further conclusions
on this and adjacent sites several times. In other digs he found the
infamous ring now named the "Kendall Ring," although doubts
certainly exist as to the Kendall family identification. The style of the
ring however does strongly suggest Elizabethan, which would be prior to
1603 when Queen Elizabeth died. We wrote about this in the August 2011
Newsletter. While this ring is certainly an important Elizabethan English
item, it does not provide us with further context due to the location in
which it was found.
snaphaunce discovered by Phelps is another story entirely, however. At the
time it was found, it was not able to be solidly dated. Phelps
provisionally dated it as 1605-1620 due to the workshop context. However,
recently, Baylus Brooks worked with several experts, as detailed in an
article published in our February 2011 newsletter, and dated the
snaphaunce to the 1584 period. Phelps dated it in the later timeframe
because it was found among 1650 period refuse and it was felt that this
article was used in the 1650s, or until that time. Of course, we don't
know by whom, or in what context. The Croatoan were armed by at least
1675, perhaps earlier, and perhaps with older hardware sent to America by
the British for trade purposes.
Colony Research Group, seeking to expand upon the knowledge and evidence
gathered by Dr. Phelps, exclusively funded, sponsored and hosted a total
of four separate archaeological digs from 2009-2011 (inclusive) which have
covered several properties on different areas of Hatteras Island. In some
areas, we found no evidence of colonists. In some areas, we found evidence
of archaic habitation, and in others, yes, we did indeed find evidence of
important not to reveal the exact locations of the various pieces of
evidence unearthed. As we mentioned in our article in the February 2011
Newsletter, there are treasure hunters out there, and at least one of them
has targeted Hatteras Island sites under the guise of
"archaeology," looking for the Lost Colonists in a very
destructive manner. We must protect these valuable sites from this type of
violation at all costs.
cumulative knowledge of what we have learned through our digs, combined
with what was learned previously combines to make a powerful statement
about the colonists.
different properties and locations were excavated, either with tests pits
or with fully blown dig sites over several weeks between 2009 and 2011,
inclusive. Some sites were barren, others were very productive.
several finds that, when taken alone, were remarkable, but when taken
together are of far more significance.
items that date to the late 16th century were found. In particular, a
portion of a scabbard, several items of pottery, another partial
snaphaunce, a wax seal, shoe buckle and a musket ball found in a Native
(or mixed European/Native) burial.
scabbard is particularly important, because it was actually found under
the midden, which serves to date the entire midden for us with an
"earliest" age. The photo below is likely the tip of a sword or
dagger, which would be placed into the scabbard which is a sheath.
artifacts were found in a location with a wattle and daub structure, the
type of construction that the colonists used on Roanoke. A piece of the
excavated wattle and daub with an embedded piece of broken pottery is
being shown below. The pottery type dates this particular pi |
Nobel Prize in Physics for 2013
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2013 was awarded jointly to François Englert (left) and Peter W. Higgs (right) "for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our | Nobel Prize in Physics for 2013
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2013 was awarded jointly to François Englert (left) and Peter W. Higgs (right) "for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, and which recently was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle, by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN's Large Hadron Collider"
François Englert and Peter W. Higgs are jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 2013 for the theory of how particles acquire mass. In 1964, they proposed the theory independently of each other (Englert together with his now deceased colleague Robert Brout). In 2012, their ideas were confirmed by the discovery of a so called Higgs particle at the CERN laboratory outside Geneva in Switzerland..
The awarded theory is a central part of the Standard Model of particle physics that describes how the world is constructed. According to the Standard Model, everything, from flowers and people to stars and planets, consists of just a few building blocks: matter particles. These particles are governed by forces mediated by force particles that make sure everythin |
CSIRO's Lansdown Research Station is one of five national demonstration sites set up to help primary producers with practical methane management on-farm.
Woodstock, Qld (Lansdown Research Station)
CSIRO's Lansdown Research Station in tropical | CSIRO's Lansdown Research Station is one of five national demonstration sites set up to help primary producers with practical methane management on-farm.
Woodstock, Qld (Lansdown Research Station)
CSIRO's Lansdown Research Station in tropical Queensland facilitates scientific research to improve the productivity and sustainability of the northern Australian beef industry.
Lansdown Research Station provides state-of-the-art facilities for field research aimed at delivering practical on-farm solutions to improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of the northern Australian cattle industry.
Lansdown Research Station comprises 638 hectares of coastal mixed woodland country. Pastures range from open country to lightly wooded and support a mixture of native and improved pasture species, including Urochloa, Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana), Queensland bluegrass (Dichanthium sericium) and desert bluegrass (Bothroichloa ewartiana).
The property has a stock carrying capacity of approximately 150 adult equivalents and is currently stocked with Brahman and tropical composite Belmont Red weaner cattle.
The Station houses research offices, support buildings, welfare-friendly cattle yards and other infrastructure including:
Lansdown Research Station is one of five national demonstration sites established through an Australian Government initiative – Australia's Farming Future – to help primary producers adapt and respond to climate change.
As part of this program, research at Lansdown is aimed at showing the cattle industry and others how methane emissions from livestock in extensive grazing systems can be measured and controlled.
The research involves developing methods to measure methane emissions from cattle under their normal grazing conditions in the field and validating these against the 'gold standard' method using respiration chambers.
Lansdown Research Station also supports a multi-disciplinary science program that aims to better understand the interactions between cattle and their grazing environment.
This research focuses on studying the grazing behaviour of livestock, particularly in extensive systems, through the use of a wireless sensor network.
By monitoring animal movement, grazing behaviour, methane emissions and pasture characteristics, researchers can build a complete picture of the animal and its environment. This will help cattle producers achieve improved animal health and productivity, lower methane emissions and more productive and sustainable pastures.
Staff and partners
The Station has a permanent staff complement o |
Using Satellite Assemblies for Multi-Language Programming
A generally accepted programming practice is to use constants for content like text strings. By taking this practice one step further with a modest amount of work you can prepare your applications for customers that speak other languages.
| Using Satellite Assemblies for Multi-Language Programming
A generally accepted programming practice is to use constants for content like text strings. By taking this practice one step further with a modest amount of work you can prepare your applications for customers that speak other languages.
In this article I will demonstrate how to build an external resource file for your application's text and build additional files for multi-language support. After reading this article you will know how to build a resource file, compile the resource file using the resgen.exe utility and embed the resource file in a satellite assembly using the al.exe (assembly linker) utility. Finally, we will wrap up with a practical approach that developers can employ to simplify testing resource assemblies before throwing them over the wall to testing teams or customers.
Externalizing Text Content
It is easy to use the Visual Studio.NET IDE and the Properties window to add text content to your application's controls. Other content, like that displayed in a MessageBox, Console, or Web page, is often embedded amongst the lines of code or as constants. Externalizing this text content only requires a bit of additional work and prepares your application for globalization.
Creating a Resource Text File
A resource file can be started by adding a text file to your project or by using any text editor like Notepad. Name the text file the same name as your target assembly name with a.txt extension. Use a line of text preceded with a semi-colon if you want to add a comment to your resource source file and add the text in name = value pairs. By convention the names use an RES_ prefix and all uppercase words separated by underscores—similar to the popular constant naming convention. Hence, if you had a constant for a database connection error one might write the resource string as follows:
RES_DATABASE_CONNECTION_ERROR = Unable to connect to database
Each of the name and value pairs must be on a single line in the text file.
Compiling a Resource File
After each of the content strings we are ready to compile the text file into a resources file using the resgen.exe (resource generator) utility. If you click on the Start|All Programs|Microsoft Visual Studio.NET 2003|Visual Studio.NET Tools|Visual Studio.NET 2003 Command Prompt then the necessary environment variables, including paths to the.NET SDK utilities, will be properly configured.
To compile the text file into a resources file we need to run the resource generator passing the name of the input text file and optionally the resources output file. For example, if our target assembly is myapp.exe then my input file should by myapp.txt and the output file should be myapp.resources, and the resource generator command line would be
resgen myapp.txt myapp.resources
After compiling the resource text file into a resources file we can add the resources file to the application. This resource will be embedded into the target assembly and will represent the default resource and consequently default language of the application.
Page 1 of 3 |
Callisthenes of Olynthus (in Greek Καλλισθένης; ca. 360-328 BC) was a Greek historian. He was the son of Hero (niece of Aristotle), the daughter of Proxenus | Callisthenes of Olynthus (in Greek Καλλισθένης; ca. 360-328 BC) was a Greek historian. He was the son of Hero (niece of Aristotle), the daughter of Proxenus of Atarneus and Arimneste, which made him the great nephew of Aristotle by his sister Arimneste. They first met when Aristotle tutored Alexander the Great. Through his great-uncle's influence, he was later appointed to attend Alexander the Great on his Asiatic expedition as a professional historian.
During the first years of Alexander's campaign in Asia, Callisthenes showered praises upon the Macedonian conqueror. As the king and army penetrated further into Asia, however, Callisthenes' tone began to change. He began to sharply criticize Alexander's adoption of Persian customs, with special scorn for Alexander's growing desire that those who presented themselves before him perform the servile ceremony of proskynesis. Callisthenes was later implicated in a treasonous conspiracy and thrown into prison, where he died from torture or disease.
His death was commemorated in a special treatise (Callisthenes or a Treatise on Grief) by his friend Theophrastus, whose acquaintance he made during a visit to Athens. There are nevertheless several different accounts of how he was executed. Crucifixion is the method suggested by Ptolemy, but Chares of Mytilene and Aristobulos agree that he died of natural causes while in prison.
Callisthenes wrote an account of Alexander's expedition up to the time of his own execution, a history of Greece from the Peace of Antalcidas (387) to the Phocian war (357), a history of the Phocian war, and other works, all of which have perished. However, his account of Alexander's expedition was preserved long enough to be mined as a direct or indirect source for other histories that have survived. Polybius scolds Callisthenes for his poor descriptions of the battles of Alexander.
A quantity of the more legendary material coalesced into a text known as |
The Gold Mountain
In this lesson, students learn about the movement to save Philadelphia's Chinatown, primarily through analysis of photographs.
• Students will identify complex elements of struggles for social change and analyze and evaluate the perspectives of different individuals and organizations involved | The Gold Mountain
In this lesson, students learn about the movement to save Philadelphia's Chinatown, primarily through analysis of photographs.
• Students will identify complex elements of struggles for social change and analyze and evaluate the perspectives of different individuals and organizations involved within a social change movement.
• Students will compare and contrast different social movements in a single community to locate commonalities in tactics used over time.
• Students will evaluate photographs as primary-source materials for content, purpose, and effectiveness.
Suggested Instructional Procedures
1. Have students partner up and as quickly as possible write down what comes to mind when they hear the word “protest.” Ask students, “What images come to mind? What words or phrases do you associate with protest? What emotions do you think are connected to protests? What causes have led people to protest?” Explain that you aren’t looking for specific struggles they can remember, though they can cite them if they like, but for tactics used and the characteristics of protests. You can give students suggestions of tactics such as using signs and banners to display messages, physically occupying spaces for a period of time, writing letters, or organizing using social messaging such as Facebook or Twitter. You might cite recent protests in Egypt as an example of use of social media.
2.After the students have a chance to brainstorm with their partners, ask them to share what they have discussed with the clas
3. Ask students if those images/tactics might be the same ones used 10 years ago? 50 years ago? If many of the tactics are similar, ask students to go back to their mental images and consider: Would everyone in the group agree with each other? Explain that often when history is presented it seems as if movements for social change are linear and clear, but actually they are much more complex than that. Explain that students will be focusing on a single community—Philadelphia’s Chinatown—and its struggles to survive as a community.
4. In preparation for the next part of thes lesson, students will need a basic understanding of Chinatown’s history. Teachers can use the Balch Institute exhibit: The Gold Mountain: Building Philadelphia’s Chinatown as an overview. Teachers may also assign the article by Kathryn E. Wilson, “From Bachelor Enclave to Urban Village: The Evolution of Early Chinatown” as homework in preparation for the exhibit analysis.
5. Ask students how many of them pictured Asian Americans when they pictured people protesting? Explain that they are going to study a series of protests connected to Philadelphia’s Chinatown. Ask students to brainstorm what they know about Philadelphia’s Chinatown. What can be seen there? Have they ever visited?
6. There are five sections in the online exhibit. Break students into small groups and assign each group a section to review and conduct the photographic analysis using the Analyzing Photographs Graphic Organizer. The sections are:
• “Bachelor” Society
• Chinatown and World War II: Historical Turning Point
• Family and Community Life in Chinatown, 1930s–1980s
• Activism and the “Save Chinatown” Movement
• Chinatown Today and Tomorrow
7. Have student groups identify and note details in the section of the exhibit they have been assigned. Have them consider the questions on the Graphic Organizer as they review the exhibit. Ask each group to pick one image from the section it is reviewing and fill in the organizer. Encourage students to consider the details carefully and in depth. For example: people/person; male/female; wearing; doing; holding; facial expression; scene; event; action; geography; architecture.
8. After completing all of the steps, have each group report about the section it has viewed. What information did the group get from the section? Ask students to share what surprised them about what they learned.
Boondoggles: a project funded by the federal government out of political favoritism that is of no real value to the community
Catalytic cinema: using film making as a catalyst for social change
“Chop suey,” restaurants: chop suey is an Americanized word for a Cantonese term jaahpseui which literally means mixed bits. A chop suey restaurant is a restaurant that caters to tourist and serves Americanized Chinese food.
Consortium: a combination, as of corporations, for carrying out a business venture requiring large amounts of capital levied a tariff: imposed a tax on goods
Cultural genocide: a phrase that is used to protest against the destruction of cultural heritage
Cultural reclamation: the act of taking back, or reclaiming, culture
Crucible: a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development
Flop houses: cheap, run-down hotels or rooming houses
Fraternal and district associations: organizations formed through extended family relationships or geographic relationships (if you came from the same village in China).
Imminent: likely to occur at any moment; impending
Institutional anchors: large institutions in communities that can serve to help the community stay in place.
Kin network: a support network made up of extended relatives
Limited English proficiency: limited in the ability to use the English language
Lithography: a method of printing from a metal or stone surface
Mezzotint: a method of engraving on copper or steel by burnishing or scraping away a uniformly roughened surface
Pertinaciously: in a dogged manner
Photogravure: a process, based on photography, by which an engraving is formed on a metal plate, from which ink reproductions are made.
Repousse: ornamented with patterns in relief made by pressing or hammering on the reverse side
Self-determination: determination by the people of a community of their own future political status
Skid row: an area of cheap barrooms and run-down hotels, frequented by alcoholics and vagrants
Specie: coined money; coin
Stateside edifice: buildings constructed in the United States
Tong wars: In the United States, a tong is the term used for a type of society found among Chinese American immigrants. Although tongs were originally created for mutual support and |
You can find most of entropy of black hole on the surface of Event Horizon associated with strings. The rest is associated with Hawking Radiation etc. As region inside event horizon is fully disconnected from our universe, this must be true to prevent "entropy | You can find most of entropy of black hole on the surface of Event Horizon associated with strings. The rest is associated with Hawking Radiation etc. As region inside event horizon is fully disconnected from our universe, this must be true to prevent "entropy decrease" of system (our universe).
The same duplicate entropy can be found inside event horizon, too. But, the most of entropy is found at the singularity.
How can you pack so much information in such a small region?
Actually, its nothing in front of singularity seed of big bang. There's no limit to the process of packing.
How does the packing works?
We don't know yet. Remember, when a theory gives you monstrously high or low number like infinity etc, it means it has failed to describe the situation in our working domain. When General Relativity predicts singularity, it means describing singularity is beyond its level. General Relativity is for big bodies and singularity is very very small where probability rules. So, to understand the process, we need a theory of gravity for quantum world. And, we are working on it. |
To answer this question, there are a few concepts we need to discuss. Working on a 32-bit system, you can address 4 GB of memory, out of this 2 GB is typically reserved to the Operating System and 2 GB | To answer this question, there are a few concepts we need to discuss. Working on a 32-bit system, you can address 4 GB of memory, out of this 2 GB is typically reserved to the Operating System and 2 GB are allowed for each user mode process, such as w3wp.exe (asp.net) for example. This memory is called virtual memory and the 2 GB’s are 2GB independently of how much RAM you have added to the system. The amount of RAM simply decides how much paging and swapping you will do, i.e. how fast memory access will be. When a process allocates memory it does so by first reserving virtual memory and then committing memory out of this chunk (this is the memory actually used). The committed memory is called private bytes. The virtual address space is used for a number of different items in the process such as:
Virtual memory allocations are not necessarily (or very seldom) lined up nicely in memory. For example, dll’s have preferred loading addresses so gaps are left between them, and virtual allocations that have been de-allocated will also leave gaps. This means that even though you can address 2 GB of virtual memory you may not be able to use it all since when enough memory is used, the memory will look somewhat like a Swiss cheese and your plug might have a big enough hole to fit in. This is what happens when you get an OutOfMemory exception. I will likely talk more about.net memory management later, but for now I’m going to make it very brief since there are several very good blogs about this such as Maoni's CLR Performance blog http://blogs.msdn.com/maoni/ and http://blogs.msdn.com/yunjin. In the.net framework the garbage collector which is our memory manager reserves virtual memory in heaps. Once these heaps are created and we create a new instance of a.net object this object is stored in these heap segments and memory is committed. In the.net framework 1.1 (server version) the regular.net heaps are created in 64 MB segments. (variations occur if you have 8+ processors or have changed the settings manually but I will ignore this for now and talk about the common case)These 64 MB segments need to be allocated in one big chunk, you can’t allocate 32 MB here and 32 MB there, so when you have filled up one of these 64 MB segments and a new segment needs to |
In its narrowest and most literal sense, a seer is a person with the ability to foretell events or a person's destiny. However, in a broader and more interpretive sense, a seer is also one with profound moral and | In its narrowest and most literal sense, a seer is a person with the ability to foretell events or a person's destiny. However, in a broader and more interpretive sense, a seer is also one with profound moral and spiritual insight or knowledge, such as a sage. Using either definition, seers abound in Africa. A seer is, first and foremost, one who sees. What precisely is being seen and how it is being seen is another matter. Because African ways of knowing include a combination of cognitive faculties, such as divination, thinking heart, intuition, possession, dreams, and keen observation from sources that are both natural and supernatural,... |
Most Popular Dog Breeds:
|Dogs||Cats||Birds and Exotics|
|1. Bella||1. Bella||1. Charlie|
|2. Bailey||2. Max||2. Max|
|3. Max | Most Popular Dog Breeds:
|Dogs||Cats||Birds and Exotics|
|1. Bella||1. Bella||1. Charlie|
|2. Bailey||2. Max||2. Max|
|3. Max||3. Chloe||3. Baby|
|4. Lucy||4. Oliver||4. Sunny|
|5. Molly||5. Lucy||5. Buddy|
|6. Buddy||6. Shadow||6. Jack|
|7. Daisy||7. Smokey||7. Angel|
|8. Maggie||8. Tiger||8. Daisy|
|9. Charlie||9. Charlie||9. Bella|
|10. Sophie||10. Tigger||10. Coco|
This gallery contains 6 photos.
1. Regular Exams are Vital
Just like you, your pet can get heart problems, develop arthritis, or have a toothache. The best way to prevent such problems or catch them early is to see your veterinarian every year.
Regular exams are “the single most important way to keep pets healthy,” says Kara M. Burns, MS, Med, LVT, president of the Academy of Veterinary Nutrition Technicians.
Annual vet visits should touch on nutrition and weight control, says Oregon veterinarian Marla J. McGeorge, DVM, as well as cover recommended vaccinations, parasite control, dental exam, and health screenings.
2. Spay and Neuter Your Pets
Eight million to 10 million pets end up in U.S. shelters every year. Some are lost, some have been abandoned, and some are homeless.
Here’s an easy way to avoid adding to that number — spay and neuter your cats and dogs. It’s a procedure that can be performed as early as six to eight weeks of age.
Spaying and neutering doesn’t just cut down on the number of unwanted pets; it has other substantial benefits for your pet. Studies show it also lowers the risk of certain cancers, Burns tells WebMD, and reduces a pet’s risk of getting lost by decreasing the tendency to roam.
3. Prevent Parasites
Fleas are the most common external parasite that can plague pets, and they can lead to irritated skin, hair loss, hot spots, and infection. Fleas can also introduce other parasites into your cat or dog. All it takes is for your pet to swallow one flea, and it can to end up with tapeworms, the most common internal parasite affecting dogs and cats.
Year-round prevention is key, says McGeorge, who suggests regular flea and intestinal parasite control, as well as heartworm prevention in endemic areas.
Because some parasite medications made for dogs can be fatal to cats, talk to your vet about keeping your precious pets worm-free, flea-free — and safe.
4. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Many dogs and cats in the U.S. are overweight or obese. And just like people, obesity in pets comes with health risks that include diabetes, arthritis, and cancer.
Overfeeding is the leading cause of obesity, says Douglas, who adds that keeping our pets trim can a |
The science of scent
Let me begin by recommending (again) Chandler Burr’s fascinating, enjoyable, and informative book, The Emperor of Scent. (At the link, inexpensive secondhand copies.) And now I point out Alla Katsnel | The science of scent
Let me begin by recommending (again) Chandler Burr’s fascinating, enjoyable, and informative book, The Emperor of Scent. (At the link, inexpensive secondhand copies.) And now I point out Alla Katsnelson’s review in The Scientist of a new show at New York’s Museum of Art and Design :
How do you create an exhibit for a completely invisible art form? A new show at New York’s Museum of Art and Design struggles admirably with this question.
The Art of Scent guides visitors through the historical arc made by 12 fine fragrances representing major aesthetic schools of olfactory art over the past 130 years. In the late 1800s, perfume-making underwent a revolution. Scents had always been made from natural substances—oils and essences as well as fixatives made from animal products such as ambergris (a waxy material from the intestine of a sperm whale) and castoreum (a secretion from the anal gland of beavers). But as commercial chemists got better at synthesizing molecules for all sorts of purposes, perfume-makers couldn’t help but notice that some of those molecules tickled the nostrils.
French scent artist Paul Parquet was the first to use synthetics in his famed 1882 creation... |
Intelligent Cognitive Tutors as Modeling Tool and Instructional Model
Position Paper for the NCTM Standards 2000 Technology Conference
June 5-6, 1998
Dr. Kenneth R. Koedinger
Pittsburgh | Intelligent Cognitive Tutors as Modeling Tool and Instructional Model
Position Paper for the NCTM Standards 2000 Technology Conference
June 5-6, 1998
Dr. Kenneth R. Koedinger
Pittsburgh Advanced Cognitive Tutor (PACT) Center
Human-Computer Interaction Institute
School of Computer Science
Carnegie Mellon University
What gets measured, gets done.
If you dont measure results, you cant tell success from failure.
If you cant recognize failure, you cant correct it.
If you cant see success, you cant reward it.
If you cant see success, you cant learn from it.|
From "Reinventing Government"
By David Osborne and Ted Gaebler
Effective technologies for learning and doing mathematics should be based on sound cognitive theory, be empirically tested against alternatives, and be primarily addressed at mathematics as a modeling language. I will discuss the status and promise of research-based "intelligent" systems that support students in mathematical modeling and tool use. Such systems are beginning to reshape the mathematics classroom, the way teachers teach, and what and how students learn.
The goals of the NCTM Standards 2000 Technology Conference were stated as follows:
1. What are appropriate/effective technologies for learning/doing mathematics?
2. What is the mathematics that is relevant in a technological world?
3. What does research say about uses of technology in mathematics education?
4. What is the technological infrastructure that one can assume most schools and teachers will have access to in years 2000-2005? Equity issues?
This paper focuses primarily on the first and third of these questions. In particular, I believe that effective technologies for learning and doing mathematics should be based on sound cognitive theory, be empirically tested against alternatives, and be primarily addressed at mathematics as a modeling language. I illustrate these points in the context of an educational technology we call "Cognitive Tutors" (Anderson, Corbett, Koedinger, Pelletier, 1995). Cognitive Tutors are based in computer science research on artificial intelligence techniques and cognitive psychology research on the nature of human learning and performance. Cognitive Tutors have been created to help students learn in a variety of mathematics and computer programming domains and have been subject to laboratory and classroom evaluations that demonstrate the potential for dramatic learning gains from appropriate use of this technology. My comments will focus primarily on a cognitive tutor for algebra called the Pump Algebra Tutor or PAT (Koedinger, Anderson, Hadley, & Mark, 1997; Koedinger & Sueker, 1996). PAT is in regular use now in over one hundred classrooms at the middle school, high school, and college levels. Many of the 40 schools using PAT are in big cities, involve average teachers, and include a large of number of disadvantaged minority or learning disabled students. Thus, my comments will also be relevant to the question of equity issues.
Before turning to a summary of Cognitive Tutors in general and PAT in particular, I want to make a few general comments about the role of cognitive theory and empirical testing in the development of technology-enhanced learning innovations and the role of mathematical modeling as the appropriate core focus of innovations for mathematics.
Why empirical tests against alternatives?
Why is it important that we perform empirical tests of our innovations in comparison with alternatives? If the intuitions and beliefs that guide our design of learning environments were fully informed and perfect, there would be no need for such experiments. Unfortunately, our intuitions and beliefs about learning and instruction are limited and are not always accurate. One problem is that our intuitions are based largely on our conscious learning experiences, but a great fraction, perhaps the majority, of what we learn is at a level below our awareness. The grammar rules of our first natural language, English in my case, are an excellent example. We learn these rules, in the sense that they determine our behavior in language comprehension and production, well before we are consciously aware of them. To use that old twist of phrase, as early language learners we go from "not knowing we dont know" to "not knowing we know" without going through the intermediate states of conscious learning: "knowing we dont know" and "knowing we know". As we get older, of course, conscious learning processes play a greater role. However, it is a mistake to think conscious learning takes over. In fact, there is ample evidence from cognitive psychology research that our brains continue to engage in implicit learning processes.
Our intuitions about learning are biased by limited information -- overly influenced by our memories of our conscious learning experiences. We are subject to what I call "Expert Blindspot" -- as experts in a domain we are often poor judges of what is difficult and challenging for learners. Perhaps few would disagree about the importance of evaluating our educational innovations to better understand how they do or do not improve on current practice. Nevertheless, I think it is worth emphasizing the danger of being biased by expert blindspot and lured by our personal intuitions into assuming that our educational innovations and reforms will necessarily be for the better.
Why design systems based on cognitive theory?
Not every experiment can be run comparing alternative features of instruction and their interactions. Thus, we need a way to guide the generation of new instructional designs. Such a guide should help us prune design ideas not likely to enhance learning and inspire new ideas that will. Cognitive theory also provides a way to accumulate reasons for past successes and failures to inform future practices.
Why address math as a mode |
Butchers and meat, poultry, and fish cutters carve animal carcasses into small pieces of meat suitable for sale to consumers. In meatpacking plants, meatcutters slaughter cattle, hogs, goats, and sheep and cut the carcasses | Butchers and meat, poultry, and fish cutters carve animal carcasses into small pieces of meat suitable for sale to consumers. In meatpacking plants, meatcutters slaughter cattle, hogs, goats, and sheep and cut the carcasses into large wholesale cuts such as rounds, loins, ribs, and chucks to facilitate handling, distribution, and marketing. Meat trimmings are used to prepare sausages, luncheon meats, and other fabricated meat products. Meatcutters usually work on assembly lines, with each individual responsible for only a few of the many cuts needed to process a carcass. Depending on the type of cut, they may use knives, cleavers, meat saws, bandsaws, and other equipment.
In grocery stores, wholesale establishments that supply meat to restaurants, and institutional food service facilities, butchers sepa |
Show and tell for peace
Students play host to peers from other faith-based schools
National News from AP
World News from AP
New friends Yousuf Yousuf, left, and Alexander Weiss, both 11-year-old fifth-gr | Show and tell for peace
Students play host to peers from other faith-based schools
National News from AP
World News from AP
New friends Yousuf Yousuf, left, and Alexander Weiss, both 11-year-old fifth-graders, talk during lunch at Sunrise Academy in Hilliard. Yousuf goes to school at Sunrise, an Islamic school, and Weiss attends Columbus Jewish Day School. They were participating in the Salaam, Shalom, Peace Project.
Dressed in a traditional Somali scarf and Islamic head covering, 11-year-old Yousuf Yousuf took the wireless microphone and led the way.
Yousuf, a fifth-grader at Sunrise Academy, a Muslim school in Hilliard, guided peers from two other religiously affiliated schools in Columbus on a tour of his classrooms. He excitedly called out the rooms along the way, pointing out the library and the school's Masjid Al-Barakah, or prayer room.
"It's a great experience to see other cultures and other people," Yousuf said. "It's nice to learn about other religions."
About 30 fifth-graders from Sunrise, Columbus Jewish Day School in New Albany and St. Joseph Montessori School in the Short North descended on the academy to take part in the cross-cultural learning event.
The program, known as Living Columbus: The Salaam, Shalom, Peace Project, allowed students from each school to host a tour for their peers of other faiths. Salaam and Shalom are greetings used by Muslims and Jews, respectively, that mean "peace."
Amy Horowitz, a scholar in residence at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies at Ohio State University, and her colleague, Amy Shuman, created the program.
"The goal of the project is to have children at each school think about what is important to them about their schools," Horowitz said. "Once children meet each other, any fears or misunderstandings are dissipated at a very young age."
Horowitz and the school principals picked the fifth grade because, while still young, the students would be mature enough to be good guides.
Part of the importance of the religious education is that it comes from fellow students, Horowitz said. At Columbus Jewish Day School, for example, students taught their guests that they don't touch the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, with their bare hands because the body's oils can damage the parchment.
After the tour, students from the other schools listened to Sunrise students describe aspects of the Islamic faith, from the Quran to daily prayers and the pilgrimage to Mecca.
"It was interesting to learn about the different cultures, how they are the same, and how they are different," said Alexander Weiss, a fifth-grader at Columbus Jewish Day School.
Adil Peerbhoy agreed, pointing out the spirit of giving is the same in all the faiths. Adil, an 11-year-old Sunrise student whose parents are from Pakistan, enjoyed learning about the Jewish tradition of tzedakah, or giving. One of the pillars of Islam is zakat, or charity.
Audra Banfield, from St. Joseph, said she was surprised by the diversity of students at Sunrise.
"There were so many different cultures," she said. "They all seem to know so much about each other and all seem to get along."
Judy Vigder, head of schools for Columbus Jewish Day School, said the program helped fulfill her educational mission.
"It's our philosophy to teach the children to repair the world -- the whole world, not just the Jewish world," she said. |
As its name suggests, the area of mathematics known as “the geometry of numbers” involves using geometric methods to answer questions arising in number theory. These methods often give very elegant solutions to problems that seem intractable without them. The origin of | As its name suggests, the area of mathematics known as “the geometry of numbers” involves using geometric methods to answer questions arising in number theory. These methods often give very elegant solutions to problems that seem intractable without them. The origin of the field goes back to Minkowski, but the first comprehensive book on the subject was J. W. S. Cassels’ An Introduction To The Geometry of Numbers, originally published in 1959 and now available in Springer Verlag’s Classics in Mathematics series.
In the prologue of his book, Cassels gives several of the concepts and results that he considers at the core of this area of mathematics, including the following question: Let f(x1,…,xn) be a real-valued function of real variables xi. How small can we make |f(x1,…,xn)| if we impose the additional restriction that the xi be integers? Often we want to consider cases in which f is a homogeneous polynomial, in which case it is trivial that f(0,…,0)=0, so we exclude that choice of xi. How small can we make the value of |f|?
One approach to this kind of question involves looking at the geometric regions defined by considering the values where f(x1,…,xn) ≤ k for various values of k. Often, we can understand the geometry of these regions and then invoke results such as a classical theorem of Mi |
This review appeared in the Jan-Mar 2011 vol. 168 no. 1 issue of Biblotheca Sacra, DTS’s quarterly academic journal.Subscribe Today
ProverbsConcordia Publishing House, St. Louis November 1 | This review appeared in the Jan-Mar 2011 vol. 168 no. 1 issue of Biblotheca Sacra, DTS’s quarterly academic journal.Subscribe Today
ProverbsConcordia Publishing House, St. Louis November 1, 2009
This commentary, by a professor of theology and Hebrew at Concordia University, Chicago, makes an outstanding contribution to the study of the Book of Proverbs. This is an unusually complete and thorough commentary on Proverbs.
Each section of verses in Proverbs includes a translation, extensive textual notes on the Hebrew, and commentary. In addition the author has included twelve excursuses throughout the book. These include, among others, “The Organization of the Sayings in Solomon’s Proverbs in Proverbs 10:1–22:16” (pp. 249–54), and “The Metaphor of Path in Solomon's Wisdom” (pp. 255–60). Introductory pages discuss authorship and date, wisdom in Proverbs (a discussion of eleven Hebrew words for wisdom; pp. 18–30), and nine words for fools (pp. 30–32). Steinmann also discusses the several types of sayings in Proverbs: complete sentences, juxtaposed sentences, comparison sayings, good and better sayings, numerical sayings, and short sayings that present observations about life and commands or prohibitions (pp. 32–37). In his introductory remarks Steinmann also discusses how to understand and apply Proverbs, and the text of Proverbs.
Not everyone will agree that wisdom in Proverbs 8:22–31 refers to the preexistent second person of the Trinity, a view Steinmann discusses at great length (pp. 206–9).
In a five-page excursus he discusses the relationship of Proverbs 22:17–24:22 to the Wisdom of Amenemope, an Egyptian document. He writes, “There is a general consensus that some relationship between Proverbs and Amenemope exists” (p. 447). “Clearly the Words of Wise People [Prov. 22:17–24:22] and the Wisdom of Amenemope sometimes contain true parallels and other times contain verbal similarities without thematic parallels or thematic parallels without verbal correspondence” (ibid.). He concludes that “Solomon probably used the Wisdom of Amenemope, or perhaps some document related to or derived from it, as one source for his compilation of words of wi |
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- n. Mathematics The symbol -, as in 4 - 2 = 2, that is used to indicate subtraction or a negative quantity.
- n. Chemistry | from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- n. Mathematics The symbol -, as in 4 - 2 = 2, that is used to indicate subtraction or a negative quantity.
- n. Chemistry The same symbol, used to indicate levorotatory rotation of polarized light.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- n. The symbol − or - used to denote the operation of subtraction and to indicate that a number is negative.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
- adj. the sign [-] denoting minus, or less, prefixed to negative quantities, or quantities to be subtracted. See Negative sign, under Negative.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- n. a sign indicating the operation of subtraction
Sorry, no etymologies found. |
Accelerating progress for low-attaining pupils
Find timings, objectives, resources and five activities to support Quality Standard (c), which relates to planning for inclusion, and Quality Standard (d), which relates to challenging all pupils to succeed.
You | Accelerating progress for low-attaining pupils
Find timings, objectives, resources and five activities to support Quality Standard (c), which relates to planning for inclusion, and Quality Standard (d), which relates to challenging all pupils to succeed.
You will need the following resources. Download the relevant files or gather the information from your own records.
- The school's own data analysis to identify pupil groups by gifted and talented (G&T), low attainment, ethnicity and free school meals (FSM) for Year 7 and Year 11.
- Participants' mark books for any Year 7 and Year 11 classes they teach.
- Sufficient copies of Getting Back on Track – pupils who make slow progress in English, mathematics and science.
- Activity 1 (5 mins)
Ask participants what the term 'low attainment' means for them and the pupils they teach. What are the key characteristics of these pupils?
- Activity 2 (20 mins)
Recognising low-attaining pupils
Pupils can be low-attainers for a variety of reasons, but generally they possess some, or all, of the following characteristics.
- Long history of catch-up.
- Tend to be disorganised, lose or not finish work.
- Skilled in avoidance and concealing their problems.
- Do not transfer or apply new skills.
- Lack self-help strategies and organisational skills.
- They feel learning is something that is done to them.
But they can also have the following characteristics.
- They are can be charming and often talkative.
- They do respond to oral, visual, kinaesthetic approaches.
- They are good communicators.
- They learn best from practical demonstration, modelling and exemplification.
- They are often big picture 'holistic' thinkers.
- Are there similarities with your school's own pupils?
- Do they recognise pupils with these traits?
- Are there any additional characteristics to add to the list?
What are the implications for planning teaching and learning to accommodate these pupils' needs?
- Activity 3 (20 mins)
Examine the data provided for Year 7 and Year 11.
What proportion of pupils fit the definition of low attaining in your school and do the pupils demonstrate some of the typical characteristics?
Gather responses to the following questions.
- Is this different to expectations?
- Are there differences between year groups?
- Are there a high number of pupils on free school meals (FSM)?
- Are there more boys than girls?
- Do more pupils fall into the low attainment definition as you move up through the school?
- Activity 4 (10 mins)
Ask participants the following questions.
- What strategies are currently in place to support low-attaining pupils in your school?
- Are the strategies based on catch-up/intervention or on quality provision specifically for these pupils across each year group?
- Are the strategies working? What is the evidence to support this conclusion?
Make a note of the key approaches where improved provision needs to be put in place.
- Activity 5 (30 mins)
Planning for improved provision
Distribute copies of the publication Getting Back on Track – pupils who make slow progress in English, mathematics and science.
Referring to pages 38 and 39, ask participants to plan:
- whole-school continuing professional development (CPD)
- how to investigate further provision for low-attaining pupils across the school and in specific departments.
- Plenary (15 mins)
Use the Lesson design lower attainers grid on page 2 of the Evaluation teaching and learning handout to summarise the position in your school in this area.
What areas of development are indicated and do these appear in the school development plan?
Agree the next steps: who, where, when and what will be done to address low attainment and accelerate progress? |
A BRIEF HISTORY OF NEW YORK CITY
By Tim Lambert
17th Century New York
An Italian, Giovanni da Verrazano discovered New York Harbor in 1524. In 1609 an Englishman, Henry Hudson, | A BRIEF HISTORY OF NEW YORK CITY
By Tim Lambert
17th Century New York
An Italian, Giovanni da Verrazano discovered New York Harbor in 1524. In 1609 an Englishman, Henry Hudson, sailed up the Hudson River. Then in 1624 the Dutch founded the first permanent trading post. In 1626 the first governor, Peter Minuit, bought the island of Manhattan from the Native Americans.
The Dutch built a little town on the southern tip of Manhattan Island. It was called New Amsterdam and it flourished by selling skins. The settlers sold otter, beaver, mink and seal skins. However New Amsterdam was a tiny town with only about 1,500 inhabitants in the mid-17th century. However some farmers cultivated the land on Manhattan and at Brooklyn. (The Bowery takes its name from Bouwerie the Dutch word for farm).
Furthermore by no means all the early settlers were Dutch. They included Walloons (from what is now Belgium), French people and English people. The first Jews arrived in New Amsterdam in 1654.
Meanwhile the first black slaves arrived in 1628. Slaves played a major role in building the colony.
In New Amsterdam buildings were, at first, made of wood but in time houses of stone or brick were erected. Thatched roofs were banned in 1657 (because of the risk of fire).
In 1653 a wall was built across Manhattan Island to protect the little town of New Amsterdam. The street next to it was called Wall Street.
In 1639 a Swede called Jonas Bronck settled in the Bronx, which is named after him. A settlement was founded at Flushing in 1645.
In 1658 Dutch farmers built a village they called Nieuw Haarlem (New Harlem) after a town in Holland. In the 18th century it became a fashionable place for merchants to build country houses in. The first settlement on Staten Island was made in 1661.
Meanwhile in 1647 Peter Stuyvestant (c. 1592-1672) became governor of New Amsterdam. Stuyvestant was the son of a Calvinist minister. He had a wooden leg. In 1647 Stuyvestant wrote 'I shall govern you as a father his children'. (Remember that fathers were much stricter in the 17th century than they are today). He was as good as his word. Stuyvestant ruled very strictly and he soon alienated the people. Stuyvestant ordered all taverns to close at 9 pm.
Nevertheless in 1653 Stuyvestant established a municipal government for New Amsterdam based on those of Dutch cities.
However in 1664 an English fleet arrived. Fearing the English would sack the colony Stuyvestant surrendered. The Dutch briefly recaptured New Amsterdam in 1673 but they lost it to the English again in 1674. This time it was renamed New York in honor of the Duke of York, brother of King Charles II. Meanwhile Stuyvestant retired to a farm.
In 1689 a man named Jacob Leisler (1640-1691) staged a coup-d'etat in New York. For his pains he was executed in 1691.
Trinity Church was dedicated in 1698.
Meanwhile in 1635 the Dutch built a fort called Fort Amsterdam. The British later renamed it Fort George. In 1693 92 cannons were installed to protect New York. The area became known as the Battery.
18th Century New York
By 1700 New York had a population of almost 5,000 and it continued to grow rapidly. By 1776 the population was about 25,000. In 1800 New York City had about 60,000 inhabitants.
In the 1700s the main industry in New York was milling. Grain was ground into flour by windmills. Meanwhile New York Merchants also traded with Britain and the West Indies.
There was also a shipbuilding industry in New York in the 18th century. The first shipyard opened in 1720.
There were still many slaves in New York in the 18th century. In 1712 slaves set fire to a building in Maiden Lane. They also killed 9 white people who attempted to stop the fire. When soldiers arrived 6 slaves committed suicide and another 21 were captured and executed.
A horrific episode in the history of New York happened in 1741. At that time a series of fires broke out. Fires were not unusual, of course, but many people feared they were the result of arson. They feared that there was a conspiracy among the slaves. The authorities began to investigate. They questioned an indentured servant named Mary Burton and she eventually claimed there was a conspiracy of slaves and poor whites. (Indentured servants had to pay the cost of their journey across the Atlantic by working without wages for several years). Mary Burton was later rewarded and released from her indenture for her part in uncovering the 'conspiracy'. There is no proof that any such conspiracy existed. Nevertheless as the hysteria spread 18 slaves were hanged and 13 were burned at the stake. Furthermore 4 whites were hanged.
During the 18th century amenities in New York improved. The first newspaper |
25 April 2011 Some 180 countries and territories are for the first time carrying out simultaneous United Nations-backed immunization campaigns this week, targeting diseases such as influenza, measles, polio and tetanus.
The Immunization Week, which began | 25 April 2011 Some 180 countries and territories are for the first time carrying out simultaneous United Nations-backed immunization campaigns this week, targeting diseases such as influenza, measles, polio and tetanus.
The Immunization Week, which began on Saturday, is taking place across the five UN World Health Organization (WHO) regions of Africa, the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe and the Western Pacific.
“I believe Immunization Week will have a significant impact on emphasizing the need to remain vigilant against vaccine-preventable diseases – even those that we do not see within our communities,” said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan.
Over the course of the week, outreach teams will visit communities with limited access to regular health services such as those living in remote areas, urban fringes and internally displaced people to administer vaccines.
Vaccinations will be provided to protect against diseases such as diphtheria, hepatitis B, influenza, measles, mumps, maternal and neonatal tetanus, polio, rubella, whooping cough and yellow fever.
Other activities include training sessions and workshops for health workers, as well as round-table discussions with political decision-makers, medical professionals, parents, and caregivers.
Dr. Chan noted that even with all the positive cooperation, innovation and collaboration that exist, “we are at risk of losing many of the gains that have been made and forgoing the additional benefits that are within reach.”
The recent outbreaks of measles, pertussis and polio in different parts of the world have highlighted the work that remains to be done, she said.
Last week WHO urged European countries to work more closely together to combat measles – which is entirely preventable – after a surge in the number of cases across the continent since the start of the year.
At least 6,500 cases have been reported already, with significant outbreaks observed in 30 countries, including Belgium, France, Serbia, Turkey, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Spain.
News Tracker: past stories on this issue |
The US House has given unanimous approval to a bill by Colorado Senator Mark Udall that would allow a land swap between the US Forest Service and a rural Boulder County fire district to enhance local wildfire fire mitigation and firefighter training efforts.
Colorado regulators have adopted | The US House has given unanimous approval to a bill by Colorado Senator Mark Udall that would allow a land swap between the US Forest Service and a rural Boulder County fire district to enhance local wildfire fire mitigation and firefighter training efforts.
Colorado regulators have adopted a new rule requiring oil and gas companies to make public the chemicals they use for hydraulically fracturing wells in the state; a move that followed a lengthy set of meetings and negotiations between the industry and conservation groups.
This morning, Colorado regulators are expected to finalize new rules that will require oil and gas companies to make public the chemicals they use to hydraulically fracture wells. Much of the attention lately has been whether those “fracking” fluids that are mixed with sand and chemicals pose a risk to polluting ground water. But in Colorado there’s been far less scrutiny on just how much water the fracking process itself requires, until now.
Northern Colorado’s largest water provider is proposing new regulations governing the use of its water to hydraulically fracture oil and gas wells. The move comes as many cities and towns in the area have been leasing water to energy companies for fracking. |
Rich Gallery of Deep-Sea Life Discovered in Be
The quantity and diversity of tiny creatures found in a deep-sea survey in the Bermuda Triangle region of the Atlantic Ocean is amazing scientists.
During a 20-day cruise last month, researchers | Rich Gallery of Deep-Sea Life Discovered in Be
The quantity and diversity of tiny creatures found in a deep-sea survey in the Bermuda Triangle region of the Atlantic Ocean is amazing scientists.
During a 20-day cruise last month, researchers used trawling nets and scuba divers to explore down to 3 miles beneath the ocean surface. Previous studies of small ocean creatures focused only on the top half-mile or so.
Several of the animals—tiny zooplankton, shrimp-like things, little squid, bizarre worms and pulsing jellyfish—are featured in a new image gallery.
|SEE THE IMAGES
Among more than 1,000 different organisms collected, the project found "what appear to be several undescribed species that may well prove new to science," said the cruise's scientific leader Peter Wiebe of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
The results were announced today.
Perception 'radically altered'
The expedition has provided a new understanding of the diversity of gelatinous zooplankton, which the researchers describe as "the gooiest, stickiest, and most transparently fragile animals of the sea." They are rarely captured without being destroyed.
Researchers want to know what's down there and what the various species are like. This will help them better understand the food chain and also gauge ocean health with similar surveys in the future. Hundreds of the captured critters were analyzed onboard the research ship using DNA barcode technology, which reveals differences in species.
The cruise was part of a larger project to make a global inventory of zooplankton by 2010. It's called the Census of Marine Zooplankton (CMarZ).
"We are just starting to realize how little we know about species variety," said Ann Bucklin, a University of Connecticut marine scientist w |
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After Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit (1686 | |Browse All Terms|
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After Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit (1686-1736). Of or pertaining to a temperature scale that registers the freezing point of water as 32°F. and the boiling point as 212°F. under standard atmospheric pressure (29.921 inches of mercury). Fahrenheit temperatures are related to Centigrade temperatures by the equation F = 1.8C + 32
See also: Celsius
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Submit a term for review |
- Year Published: 1906
- Language: English
- Country of Origin: United States of America
- Source: Smith, D.E. (1906). Hisotyr of Modern Mathematics. London: Chapman and Hall.
- | - Year Published: 1906
- Language: English
- Country of Origin: United States of America
- Source: Smith, D.E. (1906). Hisotyr of Modern Mathematics. London: Chapman and Hall.
- Flesch–Kincaid Level: 12.0
- Word Count: 500
Smith, D. (1906). Article 3: Irrational and Transcendent numbers. History of Modern Mathematics (Lit2Go Edition). Retrieved December 05, 2013, from
Smith, David Eugene. "Article 3: Irrational and Transcendent numbers." History of Modern Mathematics. Lit2Go Edition. 1906. Web. <>. December 05, 2013.
David Eugene Smith, "Article 3: Irrational and Transcendent numbers," History of Modern Mathematics, Lit2Go Edition, (1906), accessed December 05, 2013,.
The sixteenth century saw the final acceptance of negative numbers, integral and fractional. The seventeenth century saw decimal fractions with the modern notation quite generally used by mathematicians. The next hundred years saw the imaginary become a powerful tool in the hands of De Moivre, and especially of Euler. For the nineteenth century it remained to complete the theory of complex numbers, to separate irrationals into algebraic and transcendent, to prove the existence of transcendent numbers, and to make a scientific study of a subject which had remained almost dormant since Euclid, the theory of irrationals. The year 1872 saw the publication of the theories of Weierstrass (by his pupil Kossak), Heine (Crelle, 74), G. Cantor (Annalen, 5), and Dedekind. Méray had taken in 1869 the same point of departure as Heine, but the theory is generally referred to the year 1872. Weierstrass’s method has been completely set forth by Pincherle (1880), and Dedekind’s has received additional prominence through the author’s later work (1888) and the recent indorsement by Tannery (1894). Weierstrass, Cantor, and Heine base their theories on infinite series, while Dedekind founds his on the idea of a cut (Schnitt) in the system of real numbers, separating all rational numbers into two groups having certain characteristic properties. The subject has received later contributions at the hands of Weierstrass, Kronecker (Crelle, 101), and Méray.
Continued Fractions, closely related to irrational numbers and due to Cataldi, 1613),1 received attention at the hands of Euler, and at the opening of the nineteenth century were brought into prominence through the writings of Lagrange. Other noteworthy contributions have been made by Druckenmüller (1837), Kunze (1857), Lemke (1870), and Günther (1872). Ramus (1855) first connected the subject with determinants, resulting, with the subsequent contributions of Heine, Möbius, and Günther, in the theory of Kettenbruchdeterminanten. Dirichlet also added to the general theory, as have numerous contributors to the applications of the subject.
Transcendent Numbers2 were first distinguished from algebraic irrationals by Kronecker. Lambert proved (1761) that π cannot be rational, and that en (n being a rational number) is irrational, a proof, however, which left much to be desired. Legendre (1794) completed Lambert’s proof, and showed that π is not the square root of a rational number. Liouville (1840) showed that neither e nor e2 can be a root of an integral quadratic equation. But the existence of transcendent numbers was first established by Liouville (1844, 1851), the proof being subsequently displaced by G. Cantor’s (1873). Hermite (1873) first proved e transcendent, and Lindemann (1882), starting from Hermite’s conclusions, showed the same for π. Lindemann’s proof was much simplified by Weierstrass (1885), still further by Hilbert (1893), and has finally been made elementary by Hurwitz and Gordan.
1 But see Favaro, A., Notizie storiche sulle frazioni continue dal secolo decimoterzo al deci mosettimo, Boncompagni’s Bulletino, Vol. VII, 1874, pp. 451, 533.
2 Klein, F., Vorträge über ausgewählte Fragen der Elementargeometrie, 1895, p. 38; Bachmann, P., Vorlesungen über die Natur der Irrationalzahlen, 1892. |
Ė The Israel Missile Defense Organization and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency completed a successful intercept test of the Davidís Sling Weapon System on 20 November 2013. This test, designated Davidís Sling TestĖ2, | Ė The Israel Missile Defense Organization and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency completed a successful intercept test of the Davidís Sling Weapon System on 20 November 2013. This test, designated Davidís Sling TestĖ2, was the second intercept test of the Stunner interceptor for the Davidís Sling Weapon System, and was conducted at a test range in southern Israel. A target missile was launched and tracked by the systemís multi-mission radar. The radar transferred flight information t |
Earth is a Solar Powered Juke Box – Gordon Hempton
Capturing the sounds of nature, acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton has been recording wildlife noises for decades.
Referred to as the Soundtracker, Hempton has traveled the globe in | Earth is a Solar Powered Juke Box – Gordon Hempton
Capturing the sounds of nature, acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton has been recording wildlife noises for decades.
Referred to as the Soundtracker, Hempton has traveled the globe in order to catch glimpses of nature sounds that may otherwise go unheard.
Getting an exclusive sound in the outdoor elements is just another day at the office for this audio adventurer.
Sometimes placing himself in dangerous positions to collect the noises or the naturally quiet, his live nature recordings are done using customized equipment with tried and tested methods. For instance, placing sandpaper over equipment so that slippery hands trying to navigate them in a rainstorm in the dark can get a grip.
He has led several audio projects, including One Square Inch of Silence, a unique soundtrack of a wild region that is by his accounts the quietest place in the U.S.
Housed in Olympic National Park in Washington State and located in the Hoh Rain Forest, the quiet zone is attainable by a 2 hour hike from the pa |
Comprehensive DescriptionRead full entry
| Common names: opaleye (English), chopa (Espanol) |
Girella simplicidens Osburn & Nichols, 1916
Body an elongate oval, moderately compressed | Comprehensive DescriptionRead full entry
| Common names: opaleye (English), chopa (Espanol) |
Girella simplicidens Osburn & Nichols, 1916
Body an elongate oval, moderately compressed; head blunt, short; mouth small, square, lips thick, opens at the front; the top jawbone slips partially under the under-eye bone when the mouth is closed; teeth incisiform, bases set horizontally in mouth, with curved, hockey-stick shape, outer band of large movable teeth with flattened, 1-pointed tips; no teeth on central roof of mouth; dorsal fin continuous, XIV spines that fold down into a scaly groove, 14; anal rays III, 12; spines on fins short, thick; tail blunt, straight; paired fins are relatively short; origin of the pelvics behind the base of the pectoral fin; all fins with angular tips; scales small, thick and rough, covering the body, head (except the snout) and soft portions of the median fins; scales in midlateral series about 50.
Dark brownish grey, usually slightly lighter on head and breast; three or four diffuse whitish spots on upper back below dorsal-fin base; eye bright blue.
Size: to 46 cm.
Habitat: often seen in large schools that graze on algae on rocky reefs.
Depth: 1-15 m.
Gulf of California; abundant in the northern Gulf, but scarce in the southern portion. |
Orienting Canada: Race, Empire, and the Transpacific
In Orienting Canada, John Price, professor of history at the University of Victoria focuses on 20th century racism and on Canada's role as junior partner in British and | Orienting Canada: Race, Empire, and the Transpacific
In Orienting Canada, John Price, professor of history at the University of Victoria focuses on 20th century racism and on Canada's role as junior partner in British and U.S. imperialism. This is a work of scholarship and an engrossing narrative that should be widely read.
Anti-Asian racism in Canada in the first half of the 20th century has been well documented. Immigrants from China, Japan, and India faced head taxes and outright prohibitions. Laws excluded Canadians of Asian origins from neighbourhoods, post-secondary education and professions. Japanese Canadians were forcibly removed from coastal areas during World War II. |
Lunar Apogee and Perigee
January 25, 2005
The lunar image pair above shows the difference in size between maximum apogee (farthest from Earth) and minimum perigee (closest to the Earth | Lunar Apogee and Perigee
January 25, 2005
The lunar image pair above shows the difference in size between maximum apogee (farthest from Earth) and minimum perigee (closest to the Earth) for 2004. These two photos were taken almost six months apart from near Athens, Greece. Minimum perigee occurred in July, 2004 while maximum apogee occurred in December, 2004. Each photo was taken as the Moon crossed the local meridian. The difference in size of nearly 14% is quite dramatic. In fact, the change in the apparent diameter of the Moon is a monthly phenomenon and is something that can be discerned quite easily during any given lunation by looking very carefully at the full Moon and the waning crescent thirteen days later (or observing a waxing crescent thirteen days earlier).
At apogee, the Moon is approximately 406,500 km away from Earth with an apparent diameter of about 29.5' whereas, at perigee, it's approximately 356,500 km away and is characterized with an apparent diameter of about 33.6'.
The picture of the perigee Moon is more colorful than the apogee photo. This coloration isn't related to distance but rather to the Moon's elevation above the horizon. The Moon is low in the sky in summer and attains a much higher elevation during the Northern Hemisphere winter. Closer proximity to the horizon means greater scattering of moonlight as a result of the greater path-length light must travel (to reach the observer) when near the horizon than when overhead. Take a look at tonight's full Wolf Moon.Related Links: |
How do I word this sentence?
How do I reword this sentence?
According to the article in 2008 Ohio's leaders were looking for ways to cut spending cost and overcrowding in state prisons.
According to the article, in 200 | How do I word this sentence?
How do I reword this sentence?
According to the article in 2008 Ohio's leaders were looking for ways to cut spending cost and overcrowding in state prisons.
According to the article, in 2008 Ohio's leaders were looking for ways to cut spending costs and overcrowding in state prisons.
The comma should come after 'the article', as that is the end of the intro. phrase. 'In 2008' does not belong with the introductory phrase because it explains the when for Ohio's leaders, not the when for the article.
Also, since there is more than one cost, the word used should be 'costs'.
|link comment||edited Nov 01 '11 at 14:12 Kimberly Expert|
Hero of the day
Person asked the most questions. |
Jatropha curcas seeds yield oil that can be processed into biodiesel, but scientists at the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad, have found that Jatropha plantations can | Jatropha curcas seeds yield oil that can be processed into biodiesel, but scientists at the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad, have found that Jatropha plantations can also sequester carbon in abundant quantities.
The findings, reported in October in Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, may reignite the 'fuel-versus-food' debate where critics argue that Jatropha cultivation diverts lands that could be used to grow food crops and affect food security.
ICRISAT scientists, led by Suhas Wani, assistant research programme director, studied Jatropha plantations in six different locations in India and measured the amount of carbon dioxide – a greenhouse gas – they removed.
Jatropha plantations older than four years added as much as 1,450 kilograms of organic carbon per hectare per year through leaf fall, pruned twigs and residue after removal of oil, the study said.
Also, by increasing organic carbon in soils and live root activity Jatropha plants encouraged growth of the soil's microbe population – a key indicator of soil health.
Nutrient availability also improved through recycling of the biomass back into the soil. Nitrogen increased by 85 kilograms per hectare, potassium by 44 kilograms, and phosphorus by eight kilograms.
Previous experience has shown that commercial farming of Jatropha is fraught with problems, including non-availability of quality seeds and the need for inputs such as irrigation and fertilisers.
At the current productivity levels of 1–1.5 tonnes of oilseeds per hectare, commercial Jatropha cultivation for producing biodiesel is not as economically viable as other crops, Wani said. Hence, it is better used for restoring degraded lands, he said.
"Our emphasis is on reducing the burden of degraded lands and problems such as runoff, siltation and receding groundwater. If we could rehabilitate degraded lands, it may lead to improved carbon sequestration, soil fertility and greening," Wani told SciDev.Net.
Vijay Gour, associate professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University, Jabalpur, says the initial hype over Jatropha resulted in several multinational companies investing in large plantations for oil production without proper planning.
More studies, as well as crop improvement through such methods as genetic manipulation, are needed before Jatropha can become a viable source of biofuel, Gour told SciDev.Net. |
Awesome. Will it work with American Idol?
Dear Word Detective: I know that “vanish” seems like such a simple word; but somewhere between 1967 (when I was in high school and my dictionary was published) and 198 | Awesome. Will it work with American Idol?
Dear Word Detective: I know that “vanish” seems like such a simple word; but somewhere between 1967 (when I was in high school and my dictionary was published) and 1983, this simple intransitive verb became transitive. It was in 1983 that David Copperfield “vanished” the Statue of Liberty. That was the first I had ever heard it used transitively, and I am curious when the transitive use first appeared. — Charles Anderson.
Whoa. 1983? We need to get you a new dictionary. It’s true that most of the really useful words are in your trusty old friend, and I totally understand loyalty to old books. I still use the Latin dictionary I was given in high school. But the great thing about Latin is that they’re not adding many new words to it. That’s not true in English, where new words and new uses for old words are popping up like worms on the sidewalk after a rainstorm. Good heavens, man, don’t you want to be able to look up “crowdsource” and “googlebomb”? “Moofing”? “Unfriend”? “Overshare”? Yeah, me neither. Wake me when we go back to Latin.
I must have slept through Mr. Copperfield’s “vanishing” of the Statue of Liberty in 1983 (I’m assuming he eventually put it back), as well as whatever usage the transitive “vanish” has enjoyed since, because here in 2009 it strikes me as jarring and strange. The first thing that popped into my mind when I read your question, in fact, was the use of “the disappeared” to mean the victims kidnapped by the Argentine military junta in the 1970s and never seen again |
Photochemical air quality models have become widely recognized and routinely utilized tools for regulatory analysis and attainment demonstrations by assessing the effectiveness of control strategies. These photochemical models are large-scale air quality models that simulate the changes of pollutant concentrations in the atmosphere using | Photochemical air quality models have become widely recognized and routinely utilized tools for regulatory analysis and attainment demonstrations by assessing the effectiveness of control strategies. These photochemical models are large-scale air quality models that simulate the changes of pollutant concentrations in the atmosphere using a set of mathematical equations characterizing the chemical and physical processes in the atmosphere. These models are applied at multiple spatial scales from local, regional, national, and global.
There are two types of photochemical air quality models commonly used in air quality assessments: the Lagrangian trajectory model that employs a moving frame of reference, and the Eulerian grid model that uses a fixed coordinate system with respect to the ground. Earlier generation modeling efforts often adopted the Lagrangian approach to simulate the pollutants formation because of its computational simplicity. The disadvantage of Lagrangian approach, however, is that the physical processes it can describe are somewhat incomplete. Most of the current operational photochemical air quality models have adopted the three-dimensional Eulerian grid modeling mainly because of its ability to better and more fully characterize physical processes in the atmosphere and predict the species concentrations throughout the entire model domain. This site provides links to several photochemical air quality models as follows:
Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) - EPA's CMAQ modeling system is supported by the Community Modeling and Analysis System (CMAS) Center. The CMAQ model includes state-of-the-science capabilities for conducting urban to regional scale simulations of multiple air quality issues, including tropospheric ozone, fine particles, toxics, acid deposition, and visibility degradation.
Comprehensive Air quality Model with extensions (CAMx) - The CAMx model simulates air quality over many geographic scales. The model treats a wide variety of inert and chemically active pollutants, including ozone, particulate matter, inorganic and organic PM2.5/PM10, and mercury and other toxics. CAMx also has plume-in-grid and source apportionment capabilities.
Regional Modeling System for Aerosols and Deposition (REMSAD) - REMSAD was designed to calculate the concentrations of both inert and chemically reactive pollutants by simulating the physical and chemical processes in the atmosphere that affect pollutant concentrations over regional scales. It includes those processes relevant to regional haze, particulate matter and other airborne pollutants, including soluble acidic components and mercury.
Urban Airshed Model Variable Grid (UAM-V ®) - The UAM-V Photoch |
Last week, National Geographic published some stinkin' fantastic photos of trees cocooned in spider webs. Apparently high flood waters in Pakistan caused the web-spinning critters to scurry to high, dry land -- namely these trees.
Here | Last week, National Geographic published some stinkin' fantastic photos of trees cocooned in spider webs. Apparently high flood waters in Pakistan caused the web-spinning critters to scurry to high, dry land -- namely these trees.
Here are some fun points from the article:
"The giant spider webs in Sindh, Pakistan, sometimes stretched from tree to tree..."
"...scientists determined that dozens of spider species were spinning the communal webs."
"The huge webs ultimately killed many of the trees they covered, perhaps by reducing the amount of sunlight reaching their leaves. But for a while, the webs also seemed to help trap more mosquitoes in the region, thereby reducing the risk of malaria..."
"While unusual, trees cocooned in spider webs are not unprecedented. Scientists have reported similar webs in other parts of the world, the tropics in particular." |
Susan Estrich refers to The G Word in this analysis.
The problem that dare not speak its name, as feminist crusader Betty Friedan put it, is the best way to explain what she is saying.
There are two major problem with Estr | Susan Estrich refers to The G Word in this analysis.
The problem that dare not speak its name, as feminist crusader Betty Friedan put it, is the best way to explain what she is saying.
There are two major problem with Estrich's analysis.
1. We do need to have a serious analysis about gender and its effects upon society, however, phrasing it in terms of men versus women has proven to be highly ineffective and counter-productive.
2. Gender is a construct that has never been as easily defined as racism. You can criticize Barack Obama for not being black enough, the implication that he is an Uncle Tom and not credibly black enough to be taken seriously. But you can hardly use that same line of thinking to criticize Hillary Clinton for being not woman enough. That implies that she is somehow too weak to be taken seriously if she shows herself for what she is, a woman.
Nor can you flip it around and say that she's not man enough either, because that's an implication that she has to pass as something other than the gender she was born with.
Femi |
C++ system("rm") not deleting properly?
I wrote a program that, once it's done generating some data and putting it in a file, if the file is not a certain number of lines long it is deleted. Due to the nature | C++ system("rm") not deleting properly?
I wrote a program that, once it's done generating some data and putting it in a file, if the file is not a certain number of lines long it is deleted. Due to the nature of this, it generates and removes files a lot before leaving one behind it likes, so the "rm" command is executed a lot. Is it possible that this command may not work properly, resulting in some trace remnants on the hard disk?
The reason I ask is that I have a MacBook with a 120GB hard drive and prior to running this program I had about 40 GB free. I let the program run all morning and just got a warning that my hard disk was almost full! I looked and I had ~200 MB left. I killed the program using 'ctrl-C' and checked to be sure it was deleting the files properly, and it appears that it was. It had generated 85 files that it kept (each ~1/2KB in size), though in its execution it had generated and supposedly deleted countless hundreds or thousands of files. Those files did not show up when I did an 'ls -a', so they don't seem to be hiding.
Does anyone have any thoughts about this issue? I rebooted the computer and now it says I have 1-2 GB left (for some reason it changes every minute or so from, say, 1.45 GB to 1.71 GB to 1.36 GB etc. etc.). Doing a manual check of all directories in /, I can only account for ~75GB of the total 111GB available for use that's not being used by the operating system. |
Anal fistulas are generally common among those who have had an anal abscess. Treatment is usually necessary to reduce the chances of infection in an anal fistula, as well to alleviate symptoms.
An anal fistula is defined as a small tunnel with | Anal fistulas are generally common among those who have had an anal abscess. Treatment is usually necessary to reduce the chances of infection in an anal fistula, as well to alleviate symptoms.
An anal fistula is defined as a small tunnel with an internal opening in the anal canal and an external opening in the skin near the anus. Anal fistulas form when an anal abscess, that's drained, doesn't heal completely.
Different tyoes of anal fistulas are classified by their location.
In order of most common to least common, the various types include:
- Intersphincteric fistula. The tract begins in the space between the internal and external sphincter muscles and opens very close to the anal opening.
- Transphincteric fistula. The tract begins in the space between the internal and external sphincter muscles or in the space behind the anus. It then crosses the external sphincter and opens an inch or two outside the anal opening. These can wrap around the body in a U shape, with external openings on both sides of the anus (called a horseshoe fistula).
- Suprasphincteric fistula. The tract begins in the space between the internal and external sphincter muscles and turns upward to a point above the puborectal muscle, crosses this muscle, then extends downward between the puborectal and levator ani muscle and opens an inch or two outside the anus.
- Extrasphincteric fistula. The tract begins at the rectum or sigmoid colon and extends downward, passes through the levator ani muscle and opens around the anus. These fistulas are usually caused by an appendiceal abscess, diverticular abscess or Crohn's disease.
It is usually simple to locate the external opening of an anal fistula, meanwhile locating the internal opening can be more challenging. It is important to be able to find the entire fistula for effective treatment.
People who may have experience with recurring anal absesses may have an anal fisula. The external opening of the fisuals is usually red, inflamed, oozes pus, and is sometimes mixed with blood.
The location of the external opening gives a clue to a fistula's likely path and sometimes the fistula can actually be felt. However, locating its visual path often requires various tools, and often times it may not be seen until surgery.
Tools often used in diagnosis include:
- Fistula probe. An instrument specially designed to be inserted through a fistula
- Anoscope. A small instrument to view the anal canal
If a fistula is potentially complicated or in an unusual place, these tools may also be used:
- Diluted methylene blue dye. Injected into a fistula
- Fistulography. Injection of a contrast solution into a fistula and then X-raying it
- Magnetic resonance imaging
Tools used to rule out other disorders such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease include:
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy. A thin, flexible tube with a lighted camera inside the tip allows doctors to view the lining of the rectum and sigmoid colon as a magnified image on a television screen
- Colonoscopy. Similar to sigmoidoscopy, but with the ability to examine the entire colon or large intestine
Treatment is delicately performed to reduce the risk of affecting bowel emptying, due to the anal fistulas' proximity to the anal sphincter muscles. The best approach requires that each patient is assessed indvidually.
Treatment of an anal fistula is attempted with as little impact as possible on the sphincter muscles. It will often depend on the fistula's location and complexity, and the strength of the patient's sphincter muscles.
In a fistulotomy the surgeon first probes to find the fistula's internal opening. Then the tract is cut open and is scraped and its contents are flushed out, then its sides are stitch to the sides of the incision in order to lay open the fistula.
A more complicated fistula, such as a horseshoe fistula (where the tract extends around both sides of the body and has external openings on both sides of the anus), is treated by usually laying open just the segment where the tracts join and the remainder of the tracts are removed.
The surgery may be performed in more than one stage if a large amount of muscle must be cut. The surgery may need to be repeated if the entire tract can't be found.
Advancement Rectal Flap
A surgeon may core out the tract and then cut a flap into the rectal wall to access and remove the fistula's internal opening then stitches the flap back down. This is often done to reduce the amount of sphincter muscle to be cut.
A seton (silk string or rubber band) is used to either:
- Create scar tissue around part of the sphincter muscle before cutting it with a knife
- Allow the seton to slowly cut all the way through the muscle over the course of several weeks
The seton may also aid in the drainage of the fistula.
Fibrin Glue or Collagen plug
In some cases, fibrin glue, made from plasma protein, may be used to seal up and heal a fistula as opposed to cutting it open. The glue is injected through the external opening after clearing the tract and stitching the internal opening closed. A plug of collagen protein |
2011 Annual Report
1a.Objectives (from AD-416)
Objective 1: Update data on levels of dioxins and related compounds in the domestic food supply to provide Food Safety agencies with an adequate profile of the situation and confirm | 2011 Annual Report
1a.Objectives (from AD-416)
Objective 1: Update data on levels of dioxins and related compounds in the domestic food supply to provide Food Safety agencies with an adequate profile of the situation and confirm the safety and competitiveness of U.S. foods. Objective 2: Develop inexpensive, rapid, sensitive assays or improved diagnostic tools to screen samples for pesticides and other environmental contaminants such as dioxins. Objective 3: Investigate sources which contribute to levels of these contaminants in food animals, that are, feed components, dust or soils, treated wood, and identify intervention strategies that may reduce the levels. Objective 4: Investigate the uptake, metabolism, distribution, excretion, and fate after excretion of environmental contaminants in animal systems with the goal of developing pharmacokinetic rate and volume constants pertinent to residue depletion modeling and real time calculation of withdrawal intervals to protect both food products and the environment. Subobjectives include in vivo and in vitro metabolism studies and fate and transport in the environment studies.
1b.Approach (from AD-416)
Persistent organic pollutants, e.g. dioxins, dioxin-like compounds, brominated flame retardants, and perfluorinated compounds are ubiquitous environmental contaminants that can enter the food chain as animals are exposed through their surroundings and feeds. Because these compounds can cause numerous health effects in animals including cancers, developmental and neurological problems, and immune and reproductive systems disruptions, U.S. and international health organizations recommend continuing to decrease human exposure by lowering levels in foods and the environment. Our research efforts focus on reducing exposure to these contaminants using four approaches. First, surveys of the general food supply (especially meat, poultry, and farm-raised catfish) will be conducted and will provide background levels of these compounds in U.S. foods, serve as a periodic monitor of domestic foods, and track temporal trends. These data are critical to regulatory agencies for developing risk assessments. Second, rapid, inexpensive assays will be developed for detecting contaminants in food products. If successful, these assays may result in widespread monitoring of the food supply and environment, which currently is not feasible due to the high costs or lack of analytical methods. Third, sources that contribute to livestock exposure throughout the production process will be investigated and cataloged. Once identified, these sources may be eliminated, controlled, or avoided in farming practices. Fourth, basic research to determine pharmacokinetic parameters for these pollutants in laboratory and farm animals, potential remediation methods such as bacterial degradation or composting practices, and transport in soils and into plants will be investigated through controlled laboratory studies. These data will be used to estimate animal withdrawal intervals, evaluate source attribution, and elucidate strategies to decrease contaminant levels in food animals or the environment.
As part of our investigation into feeds and feed components as sources of dioxins to beef cattle, we have developed a modified dioxin cleanup method to analyze various feed ingredients for dioxins, furans, and dioxin-like PCBs. We are validating and beginning the analysis of over 50 feed samples that have been collected.
A survey of dioxins and other environmental contaminants in 203 domestically-marketed catfish samples was completed in collaboration with the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service. (see progress report for subordinate project 5442-32000-011-04R).
Pharmacokinetic studies with radiolabeled stereoisomers of the flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) have continued in collaboration with the US EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC. We have synthesized and purified the three most common forms of HBCD and conducted dosing studies in mice and rats to determine whether differences in tissue uptake and persistence exist for the three forms and whether this may indicate a greater relative risk of one form over another.
Pharmacokinetics of the industrial contaminant perfluorooctanoic acid in beef cattle. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a “nonstick” compound used in many industrial, commercial, and consumer products. Due to its extensive use, PFOA is widely found in humans, wildlife, and the environment. Cattle are exposed to PFOA while grazing in contaminated areas, but the extent to which PFOA accumulates in their meat is not known. ARS researchers at Fargo, ND, together with scientists at the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, have conducted a study to determine to what degree PFOA concentrates in the edible tissues of beef cat |
Testing for bacteria in minutes instead of weeks
July 2, 2013
A nano-lever vibrates in the presence of bacterial activity, while a laser reads the vibration and translates it into an electrical signal that can be easily read: | Testing for bacteria in minutes instead of weeks
July 2, 2013
A nano-lever vibrates in the presence of bacterial activity, while a laser reads the vibration and translates it into an electrical signal that can be easily read: absence of a signal signifies the absence of bacteria.
This makes it quick and easy for clinics to determine if a bacteria has been effectively treated by an antibiotic.
For doctors, it’s a tool for testing chemotherapy treatment and for determining the right dosage of antibiotics. And researchers can determine which treatments are the most effective, explains EPFL’s Giovanni Dietler.
Researchers are currently evaluating the tool’s potential in oncology. They are looking into measuring the metabolism of tumor cells that have been exposed to cancer treatment to evaluate the efficiency of the treatment.
Detecting a flat line
The researchers place the bacteria on an extremely sensitive measuring device that vibrates a small lever, which vibrates under the metabolic activity of the bacteria. These small oscillations, on the order of one millionth of a millimeter, determine the presence or absence of the bacteria.
To measure these vibrations, the researchers project a laser onto the lever. The light is then reflected back and the signal is converted into an electrical current to be interpreted by the clinician or researcher. When the electrical current is a flat line, one knows that the bacteria are all dead; it is as easy to read as an electrocardiogram.
“By joining our tool with a piezoelectric device instead of a laser, we could further reduce its size to the size of a microchip,” says Dietler. “They could then be combined together to test a series of antibiotics on one strain in only a couple of minutes.”
A thermal conductivity test
Meanwhile, mechanical engineers from Pohang University of Science and Technology in Korea have discovered a way to measure the “thermal conductivity” of three types of cells taken from human and rat tissues and placed in individual micro-wells. They showed that they could detect uniform heat signatures from the various cells and measured significant difference between dead and living ones, suggesting a new way to probe cells for biological activity.
“In the short-term, this biosensing technique can be used to measure cell viability,” said Kim. “In the long term, we hope to refine it to develop a non-invasive, rapid means for early diagnosis of diseases such as cancer based on differences in the thermal properties of cells.”
- G. Longo et al., Rapid detection of bacterial resistance to antibiotics using AFM cantilevers as nanomechanical sensors, Nature Nanotechnology, 2013, DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2013.120
- Byoung Kyoo Park, Namwoo Yi, Jaesung Park, Dongsik Kim, Thermal conductivity of single biological cells and relation with cell viability, Applied Physics Letters, DOI: 10.1063/1.4807471 |
High-Speed Optical Switching of Magnetic Memory AchievedCategory: Science & Technology
Posted: April 9, 2013 08:21AM
Magnetic memory devices have been used in computers for a long time, but have been receiving | High-Speed Optical Switching of Magnetic Memory AchievedCategory: Science & Technology
Posted: April 9, 2013 08:21AM
Magnetic memory devices have been used in computers for a long time, but have been receiving some stiff competition lately from solid state memories. Part of why SSDs are able to compete with magnetic HDDs is that they are typically faster and use less power. Researchers at Ames Laboratory, Iowa State University, and the University of Crete however have made a discovery which may help give the edge back to magnetic memories.
Magnetic memory works by flipping the direction of a magnetic field, and researchers have been searching for ways to make this flipping faster and more efficient, such as heating the material. One promising group of materials for this is colossal magnetoresistive (CMR) family of materials, as they react well to external magnetic fields, such as those used for writing information, but do not require much heating. These materials are not well understood though, which is where these researchers come in as they used ultra-fast laser pulses to trigger the flipping of magnetic fields. For one of these materials, the researchers discovered they were able to flip the fields within a 100 femtosecond pulse, which means it may be possible to create terahertz speed hard drives and magnetic RAM.
While that speed is certainly impressive, it means more than just fast memory. As this was an all-optical process and occurred so quickly, the physics involved must be quantum mechanical in nature. Potentially this knowledge could lead to CMR-based magnetic memories operating at their maximum possible speed.
Source: Ames Laboratory |
Heat and Dry Air Tolerance of Rhododendron
K. Wada, Yokohama, Japan
People who want to grow Rhododendrons in less favored climates are usually aware that they must select plants which are sufficiently | Heat and Dry Air Tolerance of Rhododendron
K. Wada, Yokohama, Japan
People who want to grow Rhododendrons in less favored climates are usually aware that they must select plants which are sufficiently winter-hardy. Also, if they have read much about rhododendrons, they are aware that winter-hardiness is not simply a matter of lowest temperature but is also much affected by the climate during the autumn period of hardening, as well as the ground moisture and air humidity during winter itself. Thus the selection of plants which will survive the winters in a particular garden is something of a trial and error process. Heat tolerance is another requisite for growing rhododendrons in less favored climates.
The heat tolerance of a particular variety in one's garden may be checked easily and precisely, using the following method:
Carefully dig up the variety in question at the end of a long spell of summer heat, generally at the end of August, and examine the hairy roots.
If these roots are white and fresh, the variety is easily able to tolerate the heat conditions where it is grown.
If these roots are pale brown but look alive, and are making little or no new whitish growth, this is a sign they have suffered from heat during the summer. Such kinds are not sufficiently heat tolerant for the place where grown, and they cannot make as good a show of flowers as in more favored climates. Their foliage color tends to become yellowish during a spell of heat and they are thinner in growth, with fewer twigs. These kinds will gradually produce white hairy roots as cool autumnal weather comes, and they may recover from their suffering eventually, but the repair of the heat damage consumes strength which could otherwise go toward good growth and a good show of flowers the next spring.
If the hairy roots are darker brown and thoroughly dead without whitish growth, the variety is completely unsatisfactory for the place where grown. Such a summer-tender variety may narrowly survive the first summer, slowly reproducing white hairy roots when cool autumn weather comes, but may not be able to survive another summer after loss of vigor from the first such season. 'C.I.S.' is one of the varieties with the least heat tolerance here and may perish in the first or second summer without white hairy roots. On the other hand, if killed by Phytophthora cinnamomi, white hairy roots remain alive for a while, so the cause of death can be identified if the plant is dug up soon after the foliage has withered.
To check the heat tolerance of various rhododendrons more methodically, plant them in pots during the spring and observe the condition of the hairy roots at the very end of summer. Knock the root balls out of the pots and, if you cannot find any white hairy roots, the varieties are not tolerant of your summer temperature and not suitable for your garden. If you find only a limited quantity of white hairy roots, the plants can survive but cannot produce as good a flower show as in cooler summer areas. Perfectly heat tolerant rhododendrons for your climate should have white hairy roots throughout the whole year.
Another factor affecting summer survival is dry air tolerance. This has not been given much attention in the literature and is perhaps confused with heat tolerance. In reality, this is a separate matter and is related to the fact that wild rhododendrons are nearly always found in areas of high humidity, whether warm or cool. Not surprisingly, their leaves are generally of such physiology that they operate well in humid air but badly in dry air. Yet, this is a characteristic which varies from variety to variety and should be considered in selecting plants for our gardens or b |
Using this graphic and referring to it is encouraged, and please use it in presentations, web pages, newspapers, blogs and reports.
For any form of publication, please include the link to this page and give the cartographer/designer credit (in | Using this graphic and referring to it is encouraged, and please use it in presentations, web pages, newspapers, blogs and reports.
For any form of publication, please include the link to this page and give the cartographer/designer credit (in this case Philippe Rekacewicz)
The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2006 and Yearbook of Fishery statistics 2004, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); Global database on marine fisheries and ecosystems, Sea Around Us Project, Fisheries Centre, University of British Colu |
1Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape, Limpopo
Located on the South African border of Zimbabwe and Botswana, Mapungubwe is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, providing evidence of a powerful African empire, that existed in Southern Africa long | 1Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape, Limpopo
Located on the South African border of Zimbabwe and Botswana, Mapungubwe is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, providing evidence of a powerful African empire, that existed in Southern Africa long before the Europeans arrived at the Cape in 1652.
2Robben Island, Cape Town, Western Cape
Robben Island is best known as the place of imprisonment of Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners during the long years of apartheid UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site, describing it as ‘as the world’s most powerful symbol of resistance to oppression’.
3Cradle of Humankind, Gauteng
The world’s most important fossil site, this UNESCO World Heritage site is considered to be the birthplace of modern humans, and includes the fossil hominid sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans and Kromdraai.
4Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape, Northern Cape
A mountain-desert wilderness inhabited by the Nama people, this remarkable group of nomadic pastoralists are safeguarding their culture and resources through centuries old methods of conservation
5uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, KwaZulu-Natal
Once the stomping grounds of the San hunter-gatherers; this UNESCO World Heritage Site shelters a precious heritage of well-preserved rock paintings, and is the last word in mountain grandeur.
6Pilgrims Rest Heritage Site, Mpumalanga
The historic town of Pilgrims Rest is a living museum where you’ll uncover the fascinating history and colourful characters behind South Africa’s first gold rush in the 1870s.
7Kimberley, Northern Cape
The discovery of a rich diamond deposit at Kimberley left a hand-dug crater known as the ‘Big Hole’ and sparked a rush to uncover South Africa’s mineral wealth.
8Origins Museum, Johannesburg, Gauteng
Described as ‘a museum in Africa for the people of the world’ the museum seeks to understand the evolution of South African history through the spiritual beliefs and the artistic legacy of the Khoi-Khoi and San people, through DNA sampling; rock art and anthropological artefacts.
9Sacred Sites of Venda, Limpopo
Lake Fundudzi, the reputed home of a python god, and nearby Thathe-Vondo Forest, are sacred to the Vhenda people.
10Wine Routes of the Cape, Western Cape
Our winelands, with their gabled Cape Dutch homesteads, sprawling green vineyards and historic buildings and living museums are a rich repository of agriculture, viniculture, history, food culture, and heritage dating back to the 1600’s. |
|Home > Floripedia > Colleges, Municipal|
Colleges, MunicipalSuniland Magazine
City-owned colleges are no novelty in many parts of the country, as witness Boston University, the University of the City of New York, and Cincinnati | |Home > Floripedia > Colleges, Municipal|
Colleges, MunicipalSuniland Magazine
City-owned colleges are no novelty in many parts of the country, as witness Boston University, the University of the City of New York, and Cincinnati University. The utility of the municipal college is readily apparent. It provides for the stay-at-homes opportunity for continued education. Not the least of its services is to keep the best of the community at home. It counteracts congestion in a few big centers where cut-throat competition limits achievement and dwarfs self-expression. It renders unnecessary prolonged absence from home and heavy expenditures at a time when youth has small financial or moral discretion. The municipal college permits close personal touch between faculty and students, so often impossible in great universities. Some day parents will awake to the fact that the value of a college to their children does not depend upon, courses they never take nor prominent professors whom they never meet, but upon actual human contacts. Many an obscure teacher has inspired youthful students more successfully than celebrated doctors of philosophy with scores of honorary titles after their names.
In another respect the city college is very efficient. It trains with an eye to local needs. It has definite background to vitalize its instruction. The large, university strikes out in general, but the small college can cooperate with its community, sympathize with its aspirations and respond to its requirements. The municipal school prolongs the education of those who must work through part-time instruction, otherwise delegated to less interested commercialized night schools or correspondence schools administered primarily for pecuniary profit to its operators. The city-owned institution arouses young men and women to unexploited possibilities in their present situation. Whereas the distant university has no means to investigate the resources of a particular locality and the ordinary business college has neither the desire nor ability in that direction, the locally-owned school has every incentive to be very much alive not only to the demands of the hour but also to the hidden future concealed in the casual present. Finally, the municipal college provides library and laboratory and shop manned by experts who thus constitute a permanent, accessible reference or authority to answer immediate questions. Education does not cease with graduation any more, if it ever did. For education is not information but guidance; learning is a process terminated only by death and at no time completed. The small college is a splendid expression of genuine Americanism with its emphasis upon decentralization of power and individual independence.
Perhaps no section could more profitably utilize several municipal colleges than our own state of Florida. Local conditions which are at the same time nation-wide in their significance have brought about this situation. A rapidly growing population daily augmented by immigration from forty-seven other states creates an unparalleled opportunity for unusual educational developments as well as unprecedented material advancement. The high level of intelligence concentrated in Florida by this new phase of the age-long Aryan trek presents the chance of centuries in education. For the available energy and alert mind of Florida's "pioneers" do not have to be expended in laboriously hacking out forest clearings or in exterminating wild beasts. The newcomer can enter almost at once upon a luxurious existence possible heretofore only to a favored few and after two or three generations of settlers had toiled over the same fields and by rigid self-denial and with hardship accumulated capital. Shall we let this magnificent array of brains and energy dissipate itself in random and self-defeating adventures or direct it into new channels of endeavor which will rehabilitate the nation and redound to the benefit of our state.
A compelling reason for the establishment of municipal colleges aside from the wealth of human material to be educated is Florida's geographical position. Whether we will or no, the United States has had thrust upon it world leadership. And likewise whether she realizes her responsibility or not, Florida is the logical mistress of the Caribbean. The flood-tide of Spanish expansion swept over the "American Mediterranean" with the conquistadors, but ebbed many decades past. Now next door to Cuba, "Pearl of the Antilles," stands Florida, eldest of these states, but at last reborn. Of the twenty Latin republics in Central and South America, one-half border the Caribbean. And into this commercial Promised Land projects Florida, nearer by hundreds of miles than any other portion of the United States. By a happy accident of geography, Tampa, Fort Myers, Key West and Miami enjoy incalculable advantages which every other port along the eastern seaboard from Galveston and New Orleans to New York and Boston would give half of their kingdoms to possess. But Florida cannot fulfil her destiny without forethought and preparation. There must be trained a host of virile young men alive to the resources of the region and filled with a passion to exploit them. They must have wisdom to conquer disease and exterminate the scourge of death f |
This year, the New Zealand Ministry of Education displayed a list of terms in a draft instruction sheet for learners of Chemistry.
The proposal is that page 3, labelled for student use, may assist learners to reach the standard and achieve a rudimentary | This year, the New Zealand Ministry of Education displayed a list of terms in a draft instruction sheet for learners of Chemistry.
The proposal is that page 3, labelled for student use, may assist learners to reach the standard and achieve a rudimentary qualification in secondary education (NCEA Level 1).
Learners at this level must have a “comprehensive understanding” of aspects of basic Science. Here’s a sentence from the draft sheet:
A comprehensive understanding means you are able to link ideas to integrate the relevant chemistry through elaborating, justifying, relating, evaluating, comparing and contrasting, or analysing.
The new Bloom’s Taxonomy, a tool for teachers, lists the same and similar terms as in the sentence shown above. It is understood, however, that teachers using Bloom’s taxonomy are either familiar with the meanings of the terms or have the initiative and required education to find out about these for themselves.
Terms like justifying and evaluating are not easy to define clearly, even for some teachers. Most teachers do not draw a clear distinction between the processing skills of contrasting and comparing, say.
Yet these are just a few of the difficult terms that are found in a draft instruction to NCEA Level 1 learners.
As teachers, of course, we must teach/coach/train our learners to be able to recognise the difference between such terms as contrasting and comparing. The learner needs to be introduced to what each of these analysis processes has to offer.
Why do we end up asking kids to get their head round the lingo that teachers may well have difficulty grappling with? I wonder if this intellectuality is really beyond the stage that most NCEA Level 1 learners are at, given that many already have difficulty with liter |
The human gut is a lush microbial ecosystem containing about 100 trillion microorganisms, whose collective genome, the microbiome, contains 100-fold more genes than the entire human genome. The symbiosis of our extended genome plays a role in host home | The human gut is a lush microbial ecosystem containing about 100 trillion microorganisms, whose collective genome, the microbiome, contains 100-fold more genes than the entire human genome. The symbiosis of our extended genome plays a role in host homeostasis and energy extraction from diet. In this article, we summarize some of the studies that have advanced the understanding of the microbiome and its effects on metabolism, obesity, and health. Metagenomic studies demonstrated that certain mixes of gut microbiota may protect or predispose the host to obesity. Furthermore, microbiota transplantation studies in germ-free murine models showed that the efficient energy extraction traits of obese-type gut flora are transmissible. The proposed methods by which the microbiome may contribute to obesity include increasing dietary energy harvest, promoting fat deposition, and triggering systemic inflammation. Future treatments for obesity may involve modulation of gut microbiota using probiotics or prebiotics.
End of preview. The entire article is 7 pages. Rent for Free |
These posters were designed to highlight the work of the 'Wings over Wetlands' project of the AEWA Convention - Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds.Resource Type: Posters
These posters were designed to | These posters were designed to highlight the work of the 'Wings over Wetlands' project of the AEWA Convention - Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds.Resource Type: Posters
These posters were designed to publicise the release of the World Atlas of Great Apes and their Conservation.
Resource Type: Posters
This atlas provides a comprehensive overview of wh |
Maybe you've heard. We are facing a climate crisis that threatens life on our planet. Climate scientists are unequivocal: We are changing the world in deep, measurable, dangerous ways -- and the pace of this change will accelerate dramatically in the decades | Maybe you've heard. We are facing a climate crisis that threatens life on our planet. Climate scientists are unequivocal: We are changing the world in deep, measurable, dangerous ways -- and the pace of this change will accelerate dramatically in the decades to come.
Then again, if you've been a middle school or high school student recently, you may not know this.
That's because the gap between our climate emergency and the attention paid to climate change in the school curriculum is immense. Individual teachers around the country are doing outstanding work, |
ANTIMONY. A mineral substance of great importance in veterinary medicine. It promotes all the secretions and excretions, particularly those of the skin, intestines, and urinary passages, by operating gently on the whole nervous and vascular system. | ANTIMONY. A mineral substance of great importance in veterinary medicine. It promotes all the secretions and excretions, particularly those of the skin, intestines, and urinary passages, by operating gently on the whole nervous and vascular system. If given in small doses, gradually increasing them, yet keeping to that proportion which excites no sensible discharge, it is efficacious in regenerating a healthy state of the blood. Antimony is used both as an alterative and evacuant, and hardly any article in the Materia Medica wiil admit of so extensive a use in diseases of cattle, acute as well as chronical.
Harewood, Harry. A Dictionary of Sports. London: T. Tegg and son, 1835.
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The Sun Conure can be found in most of South
and Central America. Some species are also well represented in the
West Indies, as well as parts of Mexico. In the wild sun conures
are friendly, peaceful birds and seldom | The Sun Conure can be found in most of South
and Central America. Some species are also well represented in the
West Indies, as well as parts of Mexico. In the wild sun conures
are friendly, peaceful birds and seldom fight with each other. They
live together in groups of twenty or more birds, even during the
mating season, and feed on various seeds, fruits, and insects.
Hailing from the northeastern coast of South
America, sun conures are approximately 12 inches in length, including
their long tail. Their body build is slender, and their feathers
are bright, iridescent shades of orange, blue, yellow and green.
Unlike some other species which have definite coloration patterns,
the sun conures sometimes have a combination of these colors over
almost any part of their bodies. Young sun conures tend to have
feathers which are predominantly green, while older birds sport
more of the yellow or reddish-orange. This change of feather coloring
from green to the brighter oranges, golds and yellows is most noticeable
on the back, abdomen and head of the bird as it matures. General
plumage is yellow and green while the cheeks, forehead, abdomen
and down to the lower back are tinged with bright fiery orange.
The outer webs of the primary flight feathers are a deep blue while
the primaries are bright green; the secondaries are also green.
The upper side of the tail is colored an olive-green with blue tips;
the under tail-coverts are green with a marked yellow tinge; the
median and greater upper wing-coverts are green with yellow edging.
All of these colors become brighter and more vivid as the bird matures,
with some birds sporting almost totally yellow tones in their body
color. The beak and feet are both black.
A baby Sun Conure will be a mix of dark green, yellow and orange colors. Over a period of about 6-8 months, the darker green feathers will be molted out and replaced by brilliant yellow ones on the chest, head and back.
Conures are capable of learning to talk, although their range
is limited and their voices are squeaky and birdlike. They like
to imitate amusing sounds (microwave beeps, etc.). They really enjoy
human attention, especially if there is no other bird around for
them to groom and play with.
Screeching is normal for most parrots. It's
how they say hi to each other and how they announce that they're
happy. So in the morning and the evening, your sun conure will say
"I'm here! I'm here! I'm here!" for ten minutes to half an hour.
Your sun conure will also greet you when you have been away by screeching
hello. And when your sun conure is in his cage, happily hanging
by one foot while he tries to rip the clapper out of a bell, he'll
screech because he is happy. So there are a lot of normal reasons
for a parrot to screech, and sun conures tend to be especially noisy
members of the family. |
Monday - Friday7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States. Each year, an estimated 443,000 | Monday - Friday7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States. Each year, an estimated 443,000 people die prematurely from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke, and another 8.6 million live with a serious illness caused by smoking.(CDC)
The Jefferson County Tobacco Prevention Program is actively involved in community-level activities to make a sustainable impact on tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure. The program staff work to increase understanding of the problem of tobacco and the solutions proven to work, providing support and technical assistance for change.
Whether it’s assisting a person who needs information about resources to quit, helping an organization with practices to reduce tobacco-related concerns, or partnering with a coalition to advocate for stronger local tobacco control laws, the commitment of the team is to reduce disease and death caused by tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure.
The Health Education Program has been a voice for considering and applying new approaches for tobacco use interventions. We believe that our philosophy is one of our greatest strengths. As we have worked with people and communities, we developed philosophies that honor and empower individual and collective efficacies in tobacco intervention.
Fundamental to this philosophy, are the following tenets that we espouse:
On July 1, 2006, the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act went into effect. It was passed to protect the public from involuntary exposure to secondhand smoke.
As of June 2011, more than 53 Colorado communities have implemented laws stronger than the state law. For information about what communities in Jefferson County are doing to further protect workers and the public from secondhand smoke exposure, click on the name of a community in the “Join a Coalition” box, above.
MyQuitPath.com is Colorado's cessation portal that educates Coloradans about available tobacco quit support and tips that set the stage to quit successfully.
The site features the Colorado Quit |
Gulf oil spill as of May 4 / NASA MODIS Rapid Response Team
plugged the smallest of the three oil leaks in the broken riser pipe. Unfortunately, that will not reduce the amount of oil spilling from the well, | Gulf oil spill as of May 4 / NASA MODIS Rapid Response Team
plugged the smallest of the three oil leaks in the broken riser pipe. Unfortunately, that will not reduce the amount of oil spilling from the well, but it eliminates one exit point. More importantly, one of the coffer dams has been completed and should be in place by Monday.
On Wednesday, the dome began its journey to the site of the ruptured well, where it will be lowered by cable 5,000 feet beneath the sea to sit atop the larger of the two remaining leaks.The extreme depth of the well creates some challenges:
The dome will not shut off the gushing well, which is still spilling an estimated 210,000 gallons of oil a day; the goal is just to keep some of the oil out of the water by capturing it and then funneling it to a drill ship, called the Discoverer Enterprise, waiting on the surface.
Think of the dome as an inverted cup gathering the gushing oil, and the drill pipe as a straw carrying it to the surface. If it sounds simple, it is not. Containment domes have been |
Now astronomers at NASA Goddard have created a simulation of how our solar system with video of how our own system might look to alien astronomers looking for planets much like we do.
They show that at least one planet in our solar system shows up | Now astronomers at NASA Goddard have created a simulation of how our solar system with video of how our own system might look to alien astronomers looking for planets much like we do.
They show that at least one planet in our solar system shows up by it’s effect on the Kuiper Belt (a belt of dust and small bodies including Pluto beyond Neptune).
Another result of the simulation is that the researchers can take the forming of the belt back in time to see how it looked like when it was only a a few millions of years old. Patterns we already have on records for younger stars appear which I assume tells us something about how planets form and might get us a better model to predict where we can find smaller planets?
Source: Physics Buzz |
Jews of the 21st century may comment, or even grumble, about the pervasiveness of Christmas in our society, but, let's be honest, in this day and age, the effects of the holiday season are rather benign | Jews of the 21st century may comment, or even grumble, about the pervasiveness of Christmas in our society, but, let's be honest, in this day and age, the effects of the holiday season are rather benign. Of course, we must still deal with frequent questions from our children about festive trees and the jolly guy in the red suit. But, nowadays, people do their own thing.
It might surprise some to know that Christmas Eve actually has a name in Ashkenazi Jewish tradition: Nittel Nacht. In many Ashkenazi communities, particularly in Chassidic communities, it is customary NOT to learn any Torah on Nittel Nacht from sundown until midnight. After midnight, however, one is encouraged to study.
Nittel (which may mean either hanged/crucified or birth) Nacht (night) is a custom whose origins are, unfortunately, lost. Many believe that the custom of not studying Torah on December 24th arose as a pragmatic act of protection. On a night of religious fervor among their Christian neighbors, and during days when one needed no real excuse to start a murderous pogrom, it was safest, perhaps, for Jews to stay inside their darkened homes rather than venture out to study collectively in a hall/synagogue. Other opinions believe it may be a custom that was established to minimize any feeling of holiness on that night. Still others opine that it is an act of mourning, commemorating the suffering of the Jewish people during various periods of the "Christian Age."
In Jewish life, customs have a strength of their own. Whatever the reason for Nittel Nacht, it is a custom that is still followed in various Ashkenazi communities around the world.
This Treat was originally posted on December 24, 2009.
Copyright © 2012 NJOP. All rights reserved |
This 1997 photo shows the eastbound Vine Street Expressway (I-676 and US 30) just east of Logan Circle. Much of the expressway route through Center City Philadelphia is depressed relative to street level. (Photo by Steve | This 1997 photo shows the eastbound Vine Street Expressway (I-676 and US 30) just east of Logan Circle. Much of the expressway route through Center City Philadelphia is depressed relative to street level. (Photo by Steve Anderson. |
As veterinary science advances at a clip that rivals human medicine, animals in aquariums and zoos are living not just healthier but also longer lives. Australian lungfish Granddad, shown above in 1933, celebrated his 80th anniversary at | As veterinary science advances at a clip that rivals human medicine, animals in aquariums and zoos are living not just healthier but also longer lives. Australian lungfish Granddad, shown above in 1933, celebrated his 80th anniversary at Shedd earlier this year. Along with being Shedd’s oldest animal, he’s also the oldest fish in any public zoological facility in the world. But is he a senior or is he just middle-aged? Like 60 is the new 40 for a lot of people, several of Shedd’s longevity-busters are in their prime, thanks to excellent care—and, of course, good genes.
16 posts categorized "Animals: Jellies"
November 07, 2013
October 22, 2013
March 19, 2013
July 26, 2012
May 16, 2012
Comb jellies are back on view in the Jellies special exhibit. A new species to the exhibit, Mnemiopsis leidyi, is native to the temperate waters along the coasts of North and South America—our combs were collected off New England—but it has found its way by ship ballast water into the Black, Caspian and Mediterranean Seas. While combs are present in coastal waters throughout the year, says special exhibits collection manager Mark Schick, “good concentrations are sporadic, so availability is, too.”
May 08, 2012
The Jellies special exhibit has proved to be so popular that it’s been extended through 2013. Look for a rotation of species, including some surprises, along with our in-house favorites: the elegantly simple moons, frilly sea nettles and those inverted invertebrates, the upside-down jellies.
More than 1.1 million guests have been mesmerized by these diaphanous animals, which rhythmically pulse, gently drift on circulating currents, or even ricochet around their custom-crafted habitats.
April 11, 2012
The hairy jelly, with its clear |
The 54th Massachusetts Infantry, the most famous African-American regiment of the war, leaves Boston for combat in the South. For the first two years of the war, President Abraham Lincoln resisted the use of black troops despite the pleas of men such | The 54th Massachusetts Infantry, the most famous African-American regiment of the war, leaves Boston for combat in the South. For the first two years of the war, President Abraham Lincoln resisted the use of black troops despite the pleas of men such as Frederick Douglass, who argued that no one had more to fight for than African Americans. Lincoln finally endorsed, albeit timidly, the introduction of blacks for service in the military in the Emancipation Proclamation. On May 22, 1863, the War Department established the Bureau of Colored Troops to recruit and assemble black regiments. Many blacks, often freed or escaped slaves, joined the military and found themselves usually under white leadership. Ninety percent of all officers in the United States Colored Troops (USCT) were white.
Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the idealistic scion of an abolitionist family, headed the 54th. Shaw was a veteran of the 2nd Massachusetts infantry and saw action in the 1862 Shenandoah Valley and Antietam campaigns. After being selected by Massachusetts Governor John Andrew to organize and lead the 54th, Shaw carefully selected the most physically fit soldiers and white officers with established antislavery views. The regiment included two of Frederick Douglass's sons and the grandson of Sojourner Truth.
On May 28, 1863, the new regiment marched onto a steamer and set sail for Port Royal, South Carolina. The unit saw action right away, taking part in a raid into Georgia and withstanding a Confederate attack near Charleston, South Carolina. On July 18, 1863, Shaw led a bold but doomed attack against Fort Wagner, South Carolina, in which he was killed and the 54th suffered heavy casualties.
The story of Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts was immortalized in the critically acclaimed 1990 movie Glory, starring Mathew Broderick, Denzell Washington, and Morgan Freeman. |
Early last January, when the final 2008 numbers were in for the U.S. annual average temperature, we ran an article titled “U.S. Temperatures 2008: Back to the Future?” in which we noted that “The | Early last January, when the final 2008 numbers were in for the U.S. annual average temperature, we ran an article titled “U.S. Temperatures 2008: Back to the Future?” in which we noted that “The temperature in 2008 dropped back down to the range that characterized most of the 20th century.”
2009 seems to be following in 2008’s footsteps.
The national average temperature had been elevated ever since the big 1998 El Niño, which was leading some folks to clamor that global warming was finally showing up in the U.S. temperature record. “Finally,” because prior to 1998, there was little sign that anything unusual was going on with U.S. average temperatures (Figure 1). The end of the record was hardly any different than any other portion of the record. The slight overall trend arose from a couple of cool decades at the start of the 20th century rather than any unusual warmth towards the end.
Figure 1. United States annual average temperature, 1895-1997 (data source: National Climate Data Center).
Then along came the 1998 El Niño, which raised both global and U.S. temperatures to record values, and our national temperatures remained elevated for 10 years thereafter (Figure 2). Instead of looking for some explanation of this unusual run of very warm years in the (naturally) changing patterns of atmospheric/ocean circulation in the Pacific Ocean, it was often chalked up to “global warming.”
Figure 2. United States annual average temperature, 1895-2007 (data source: National Climate Data Center).
But then something unexpected (by the global warming enthusiasts) happened in 2008—the U.S. annual average temperature returned to normal.
In reporting this in our World Climate Report article last January, we noted the drop in temperatures and wondered about the future:
But now, 2008 comes along and has broken this warm stranglehold. Perhaps this is an indication that the conditions responsible for the unusual string of warm years have broken down—and maybe they weren’t a sudden apparition of anthropogenic global warming after all.
Only time will tell for sure. But, at least for now, things seem like they have returned to a more “normal” state of being.
Now, 10 months have passed and we are starting to get a good idea of how 2009 is shaping up temperature-wise for the U.S. We may be jumping the gun a little here, because there are still two months (17%) of data still outstanding, and November has started out pretty warm across the West, but, in any case, Figure 3 shows the national temperature history for the first 10 months of the year.
Figure 3. United States January-October average temperature, 1895-2009 (data source: National Climate Data Center).
Thus far, 2009 is looking like another normal year—further indication that the warm period from 1998-2007 was an anomaly, rather than a step change to a new climate across the U.S. (be sure to check back in two months to see how the final 2009 numbers pan out).
No wonder the U.S. Senate is slow to get behind the need for restricting our fossil fuel-related energy supply in the name of climate change. |
Black current (Ribes nigrum) is a delicious fruit-bearing shrub found in Europe and northern Asia. The fruits are round, with a diameter of around 0.5-1 cm, black, perfumed, with a pleasant | Black current (Ribes nigrum) is a delicious fruit-bearing shrub found in Europe and northern Asia. The fruits are round, with a diameter of around 0.5-1 cm, black, perfumed, with a pleasant, aromatic, slightly sour taste.
The leaves, seeds and berries are used medicinally. The seeds are pressed to release oil.
Containing tannin, rich source of vitamin C, potassium salts, and essential oil, the black currant is a good diuretic, anti-sclerotic, pectoral, sudorific, stomachic, anti-diaretic, anti-colitic, anti-stringent, hypotensive, and anti-rheumatic. Its leaves have a great diuretic capacity; they have anti-rheumatic effects, favoring the elimination of uric acids.
Experts comment that black currants are one of the richest sources of anthocyanins (powerful antioxidants) that prevent cancer, joint inflammation, kidney stones, urinary infection and cardiovascular diseases. Anthocyanins are also responsible for giving color to the black currants. Other than anthocyanins, soluble and insoluble fibres, and energy.
- The fruits, leaves and buds of the black currant have multiple effects in treating and preventing various diseases. Because it contains vitamin C, the black currant is used in treating cardiovascular diseases, preventing cardiac insufficiency and vascular accidents, it increases the resistance of fragile sanguine capillaries, reduces arterial hypertension. Also, it intensifies weak pe |
Themes and Meanings (Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series)
The central themes of this book revolve around two axes: the interwar period just prior to the opening of hostilities in Europe during the summer of 1939 and | Themes and Meanings (Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series)
The central themes of this book revolve around two axes: the interwar period just prior to the opening of hostilities in Europe during the summer of 1939 and the characteristics of the genre of spy fiction itself. Certainly any novel published in 1939 and purporting to deal with such themes as the tensions between nation-states, international espionage, and the collapse, once again, of European society can be read as dealing, at least obliquely, with the historical moment. It is to Ambler’s credit that he did not concentrate overtly on the international situation, but rather by having Latimer trace the life of Dimitrios through the 1920’s and 1930’s, he reveals the gradual collapse of the West’s moral fiber through neglect and weariness. The slaughter of the innocents during the sacking of Smyrna establishes the background of terror which permeates this book. The plight of fleeing refugees and stateless persons inadequately cared for, the suppressed popular political causes which went unheeded, the presence of political assassination and petty national squabbles all attest a level of instability and disequilibrium perfect for the resumption of hostilities never adequately concluded in 1918.
Such questions of political intrigue are typical of spy fiction, a genre which was actually being defined during the interwar years. Also vital to the genre are questions of loyalty, to whom it is due and why and at what price, and personal commitment, with...
(The entire section is 350 words.)
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-William Andrew Chatto. A Treatise on Wood Engraving. London: Charles Knight, 1839. Engraved by John Jackson.
The origins of wood engraving are obscure, although references to some of the techniques may be | -William Andrew Chatto. A Treatise on Wood Engraving. London: Charles Knight, 1839. Engraved by John Jackson.
The origins of wood engraving are obscure, although references to some of the techniques may be found in 17th- and 18th-century printed sources. Wood engraving is a relief process, that is, what is printed is raised, but it differs from woodcut in both tools and materials used. The graver and the burin, tools associated with intaglio engraving, are employed, and the end, not the plankside, of the woodblock is carved. These allow for finer lines and a wider range of tonal effects.
Wood engraving was developed as an artistic technique in the 1790s by Thomas Bewick and other artists. But it quickly became the most common method of illustration because of its fast and inexpensive production. A line that could be cut with a graver in one stroke would require four separate cuts with a knife; therefore, a wood engraving was easier and quicker to produce than a woodcut. Wood engraving became ubiquitous, and consequently degraded, as the proliferation of books and periodical publications during the mid-19th Century demanded a method of fast and cheap illustration. It turned from an artistic medium to one of slavish reproduction. In the late 1800s, it was replaced by photographic processes. After the 1920s, however, it once again regained stature as a dynamic method of artistic expression.
There are two methods of wood engraving, the black-line and the white-line. In the first, the design is formed by the lines that are left raised after the block has been engraved; in the second, the design is formed by the white spaces created by the engraving. It is like the difference between drawing with a pen on a piece of paper and drawing with a piece of chalk on a blackboard. This latter technique was developed into an art by Thomas Bewick and has been taken up by modern artists, who have perfected its remarkable range of artistic expression.
History of Wood Engraving Exhibit ||
Introduc |
The Shield nickel was the first United States five-cent piece to be made out of copper-nickel, the same alloy of which American nickels are struck today. Designed by James B. Longacre, the coin was issued from 1866 | The Shield nickel was the first United States five-cent piece to be made out of copper-nickel, the same alloy of which American nickels are struck today. Designed by James B. Longacre, the coin was issued from 1866 until 1883, when it was replaced by the Liberty Head nickel. The coin takes its name from the motif on its obverse, and was the first five-cent coin referred to as a "nickel"—silver pieces of that denomination had been known as half dimes.
Since we may have more than one of these item(s) in stock, you should use this stock photograph as an indicator of the quality of the item(s) you will receive. Be assured, you will receive the item(s) as described and depicted.
APMEX stands behind every coin it sells with a satisfaction guarantee. |
A Business Analyst (BA) is someone who analyzes the existing or ideal organization and design of systems, including businesses, departments, and organizations. BAs also assess business models and their integration with technology.
There are at least four tiers of business analysis | A Business Analyst (BA) is someone who analyzes the existing or ideal organization and design of systems, including businesses, departments, and organizations. BAs also assess business models and their integration with technology.
There are at least four tiers of business analysis:
- Strategic planning—the analysis of the organization's strategic business needs identification
- Operating and business model analysis—defining and analyzing the organization's policies and market business approaches
- Process definition and design—the business process modeling (often developed through process modeling and design)
- Technical business analysis—the interpretation of business rules and requirements for technical systems (generally within IT, sometimes referred to as systems analysis)
BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, proposes the following definition of a business analyst: "An internal consultancy role that has responsibility for investigating business systems, identifying options for improving business systems and bridging the needs of the business with the use of IT."
The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) describes the role as, "...a liaison among stakeholders in order to understand the structure, policies, and operations of an organization, and to recommend solutions that enable the organization to achieve its goals."
The Certified Software Business Analyst (CSBA) Common Body of Knowledge, defines this as: "uniquely placed in the organization to provide a strong link between the Business Community and Information Technology (IT)."
The role of Business Analyst has evolved from someone who was a part of the business operation and worked with Information Technology to improve the quality of the products and services being delivered by the IT organization to someone who apart from gathering Business requirements, also assists in Integration and Acceptance Testing, supports the development of training and implementation material, participates in the implementation, and provides post-implementation support. Business Analysts today are also involved in the development of project plans and often provide project management skills when these skills are not available in other project participants..
Depending on the level of involvement of business analysis and the goal of the Project sponsor, the deliverable areas range from the Business requirements definition, Functional requirements definition (converting detailed business rules into system requirements), As-Is process definition, To-Be process definition to Business case (conversion of shareholder return and risk appetite into strate |
Schools, parents, and the community should work together to promote the health, well being, and learning of all students. When schools actively involve parents and engage community resources they are able to respond more effectively to the health-related needs of students.
| Schools, parents, and the community should work together to promote the health, well being, and learning of all students. When schools actively involve parents and engage community resources they are able to respond more effectively to the health-related needs of students.
Family and community involvements foster partnerships among schools, family and community groups, and individuals. These partnerships result in sharing and maximizing resources. And they help children and youth develop healthy behaviors and promote healthy families.
Research shows that students whose parents are involved in their education are more likely to:
- Adapt well to school
- Attend school more regularly
- Complete homework more consistently
- Earn higher grades and test scores
- Graduate and go on to college
- Have better social skills
- Show improved behavior
- Have better relationships with their parents
- Have higher self-esteem
Additionally, linking community activities to the classroom
- Improves school-related behaviors
- Positively impacts academic achievement
- Reduces school suspension rates
Ed Rule 306: Standards for School Approval
306.04 (a) The local school board shall adopt and implement written policies and procedures relative to:
(11) Promotion of a school environment that is conducive to learning and supports strong family and community partnerships.
(k) The policy relative to partnerships among schools, families, and communities shall comply with the following standards:
(1) Schools shall strive to involve parents and family members of all ages and grade levels.
(2) Schools shall strive to provide parent educational activities throughout the school year to help parents support their children's learning.
(3) Schools shall frequently communicate school performance, student progress, personalized learning strategies as adopted by the local school board, and academic opportunities, using both print and online formats.
(4) Schools shall work with agencies and businesses to support community based developmental activities that prepare young children for school, promoting ongoing achievement.
(5) Schools shall promote collaboration among parents, schools, and community on school improvement and student achievement projects.
(6) Schools shall strive to harness all available community resources, including but not limited to organizations, businesses, talented individuals, natural resources and technology, to engage each student in achieving the necessary skills and knowledge, and
(7) Schools shall encourage business partnerships to assist students in the successful transition to employment or further education.
Federal Public Law 108-265 requires that schools establish a wellness policy which will encourage the school community to provide a healthier school environment. A parent must be a member of this team. Parents may contact their school or find out who represents parents on the wellness committee. Parents may also go the USDA Child Nutrition Web site.
The Child Nutrition Programs also require that school food service annually incorporate parents and the community at large into the program plans and activities. The federal citation is 7CFR Part 210.12. To find out what parent involvement plans you can get involved with, contact your local Food Service Director.
Effective parent involvement programs include activities that are addressed by the following National PTA Parent and Community Standards:
- Collaborating with community - Community resources are used to strengthen schools, families and student learning.
- Communicating - Communication between home and school is regular, two-way, and meaningful.
- Parenting - Parenting skills are promoted and supported.
- School decision making and advocacy - Parents are full partners in the decisions that affect children and families.
- Student Learning - Parents play an integral role in assisting student learning.
- Volunteering - Parents are welcome in the school, and their support and assistance are sought.
New Hampshire Department of Education - Families and Communities provides information and resources for parents and families.
New Hampshire Children's Alliance - This is a children's policy and advocacy organization that provides information on child well being, stimulates dialog on children's issues, and promotes accountability and action.
Family Involvement Network of Educators (FINE) - This is a Harvard Family Research Project national network of over 5,000 people interested in promoting strong partnerships between children's educators, their families, and their communities.
National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education - Advocates the involvement of parents and families in their children's education, and fosters relationships between home, school, and community to enhance the education of all our nations' young people.
National PTA - This is a resource for parents that offers useful information to many thousands of parents just like you. PTA provides the resources and support you need to stay involved in the life of your child every day.
Annie E. Casey Foundation's Family and Community Involvement - This Web site includes information, resources and tools to help empower families, communities and schools to work in partnership with one another.
Family Friendly Schools - This Web site is dedicated to helping schools and districts around the country to increase student achievement by developing networks of integrated relationships between leadership, staff, and families that creates a culture of high performance and learning outcomes.
National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools
The Center links people with research-based information and resources that they can use to effectively connect schools, families, and communities.
National Network of Partnership Schools at John Hopkins University - This network brings together schools, districts, and states that are committed to developing and maintaining comprehensive programs of school-family-community partnerships.
School Nurse Consultant
UNH Cooperative Extension
Nutrition Connections Program
Acrobat Reader format. You can download a free reader from Adobe. |
Improving nutrition through home gardening
Improving nutrition through home gardening -- A training package for preparing field workers in Africa is designed for agricultural extension agents as well as other field workers who are involved in nutrition, home economics, health and community development.
| Improving nutrition through home gardening
Improving nutrition through home gardening -- A training package for preparing field workers in Africa is designed for agricultural extension agents as well as other field workers who are involved in nutrition, home economics, health and community development.
Home gardens are found in many humid and subhumid areas of Africa. These gardens offer great potential for improving household food supplies. The home garden can be used to raise many kinds of vegetables, fruits, staple crops, medicinal plants and spices, as well as animals and fish. Even a small plot of land, if well managed, can make a substantial contribution towards meeting household food needs and improving nutrition.
This new training package was prepared by FAO's Nutrition Programmes Service. It was adapted, at the request of nutritionists and agricultural professionals in Africa, from an earlier publication prepared for field workers in Southeast Asia. While similar to the previous publication in its easy-to-follow approach, the new package has been modified to address the eating patterns and agro-ecological, climatic and socio-cultural conditions found in Africa.
The publication is available in English, with a French translation forthcoming. It can be ordered through the Sales and Marketing Group, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy; by fax at +39 (06) 5705 3360; or by email at [email protected]
28 June 2001
New web site on Ethics in Food and Agriculture
Ethics in food and agriculture is the subject of a new Web site launched recently within the FAO site.
Major changes in the fields of food and agriculture in recent years, including accelerating technological development, have brought to the fore a variety of ethical questions of relevance to food security and sustainable rural development. As the lead agency within the UN system on matters relating to food and agriculture, FAO takes these questions seriously and has therefore designated ethics in food and agriculture as a priority area of interdisciplinary work. The new Web site reflects the Organization's increased focus on the subject.
The Web site includes information on a new series of FAO publications dedicated to ethics in food and agriculture. Information on FAO's independent Panel of Eminent Experts on Ethics in Food and Agriculture is also available.
The Web site, available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish, can be accessed from the FAO homepage. It was developed by FAO's Sub-Committee on Ethics in Food and Agriculture.
18 June 2001
Web page: Ethics in food and agriculture
"Sharing the Knowledge" -- new video out
Filmed in Zimbabwe and Tanzania, a new video highlights the important role that the traditional knowledge of rural men and women plays in their daily lives. Moreover, this 12-minute video illustrates the importance of maintaining and sharing this knowledge globally.
Through generations of experience, men and women farmers have developed vast knowledge about the management of the agricultural ecosystems that they depend upon for their livelihoods. Examples shown in the video of this type of local knowledge include the use medicinal plants for human and animal health care, the selection and breeding of livestock suited to the local environment, and rural farmers' preference for local varieties of seeds over commercial seeds.
While stressing the importance of sharing this knowledge in order to benefit future generations and communities in other parts of the world, the video also raises questions about how best to preserve traditional crops and animals, and how to ensure that custodians of the knowledge benefit from what they know.
The video is produced by the FAO Local Indigenous Knowledge Systems programme in collaboration with two other FAO programmes promoting sustainable use of biodiversity in the southern African region.
15 June 2001
New Web site highlights participatory approaches
A library section contains short abstracts of the documents available, as well as direct links to the online documents, to the FAO publications and FAO sales catalogues and to the document order form of the FAO Library.
A section called "lessons learned" is dedicated to sharing experiences gained through the practical application of participatory processes in FAO-supported projects or programmes.
The Web site, available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish, was developed by the Informal Working Group on Participatory Approaches and Methods to Support Sustainable Livelihoods and Food Security (IWG-PA). The activities of this inter-agency group are facilitated by the Rural Institutions and Participation Service of FAO's Sustainable Development Department. The site grew out of a truly participatory process involving a broad range of FAO departments.
Users of the Web site are invited to participate in its further development by submitting links and relevant publications or by writing articles for the section "lessons learned".
16 May 2001
FAO raises agricultural issues at UN Conference on Least Developed Countries
Least developed countries (LDCs) are cou |
|This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2013)|
A pedestrian scramble, also known as an 'X' Crossing (UK), diagonal crossing (US), scramble intersection (Canada), and, more poetically, a Barnes | |This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2013)|
A pedestrian scramble, also known as an 'X' Crossing (UK), diagonal crossing (US), scramble intersection (Canada), and, more poetically, a Barnes Dance, is a pedestrian crossing system that stops all vehicular traffic and allows pedestrians to cross an intersection in every direction, including diagonally, at the same time.
It was first used in Canada and the United States in the late 1940s, though it has since fallen out of favour with traffic engineers in the United States, as it prioritises flow of pedestrians over flow of car traffic. The benefits in terms of pedestrian amenity and safety have led to new examples being installed in many countries in recent years.
The name "Barnes Dance" commemorates traffic engineer Henry Barnes. While he did not claim to have invented it himself, Barnes was a strong advocate of it, having observed the difficulties his daughter experienced on her way to school. He first introduced it in his home city of Denver, Colorado in the 1940s and later brought it to Baltimore and New York City. In his autobiography, The Man With the Red and Green Eyes (1965), Barnes recorded that a City Hall reporter, John Buchanan, first coined the phrase by writing that "Barnes has made the people so happy they're dancing in the streets."
In Adelaide there are two scrambles on either end of Rundle Mall, King William Street and another on Pulteney Street. There is another crossing at the intersection of King William Street, Waymouth Street and Pirie Street. In Melbourne, such a crossing exists crossing Flinders Street, at the end of Elizabeth Street, adjacent to the enty/exit from Flinders Street Station. In Sydney, the intersection of George and Druitt Streets (with one of the corner blocks being the Sydney Town Hall) is a pedestrian scramble. In Brisbane there are two noteworthy scrambles- one in the central business district at the intersection of Adelaide and Edward Streets, adjacent to the Queen Street Mall and an entrance to Translink's Central Station, and a second at the intersection of Vulture and Boundary Streets in the eclectic West End suburb. In Darwin, there is a pedestrian scramble at the CBD end of Smith St Mall.
Vancouver was one of the first cities worldwide to use the concept (at individual locations). London, Ontario had a Barne's Dance crosswalk in the 1960s at the intersection of Clarence and King streets. In Toronto, the intersection of Yonge Street and Dundas Street, the location of Yonge-Dundas Square, has the city's first installed scramble intersection. Quebec city also has a few pedestrian scramble intersections.
In Japan, where over 300 such intersections exist, it is known as a scramble crossing (スクランブル交差点 sukuranburu-kōsaten ).
In New Zealand
In New Zealand, the first Barnes Dance was introduced in 1958 on Queen Street, Auckland, and was soon found in other cities as well. The Queen Street crossings remain today, despite early 2000s attempts to remove them for greater car priority, and have been extended with greater numbers of phases and pedestrian green times during the late 2000s. Additionally, some Barnes Dance intersections do not provide painted crossings and are therefore de facto, such as the intersection of Grafton Rd and Symonds St within the University of Auckland city campus. There is also a Barnes Dance at the intersection of Lake Road, Hurstmere Road, Northcroft Street and The Strand in Takapuna.
Barnes Dances also existed in several other cities in New Zealand, notably on Colombo Street, Christchurch and at Cargill's Corner in South Dunedin, but have been gradually phased out. The only Barnes Dance remaining in the South Island at present is on Stafford Street in Timaru.
In the United Kingdom
In the United States
Denver formerly used the pedestrian scramble system at nearly every intersection in the downtown business district. The practice was eliminated on 11 April 2011, in order to "balance" resources allotted to pedestrians, vehicles, and mass transit. Complete stops of traffic from all directions will still occur but the diagonal crossing characteristic of the Barnes dance will no longer be legal.
In Washington, D.C., diagonal crossing existed at several downtown intersections until the mid-1980s. It is being tried again on an experimental basis at 7th and H streets Northwest beginning May 2010.
In New Haven, all of the intersections with traffic lights have implemented the pedestrian scramble, since at least 1974.
In New York City, there are numerous signals with a pedestrian scramble phase; those are most often found in intersections with only one vehicle phase. A notable pedestrian scramble exists in Lower Manhattan at the intersection of Vesey Street, Broadway, Park Row, and Ann Street.
Signals at several intersections in Pittsburgh, including along Craig Street at Centre Avenue, Bayard Street, Fifth Avenue, and Forbes Avenue near the University of Pittsburgh; on Forbes at Morewood Street at the main entrance to Carnegie Mellon University; and on Forbes at Murray and Shady Avenues in Squirrel Hill stop traffic from all directions and allow pedestrians to cross in all directions. They are not, however, specially signed as in the Seattle example above; they use a standard pedestrian crossing light (with added audio signal for th |
The US has relied on the military to hit back when attacked or even threatened; to place first priority on building up defenses; to sometimes shoot first, ask questions later. But the most difficult challenges ahead will require greater reliance on diplomacy and traditional state | The US has relied on the military to hit back when attacked or even threatened; to place first priority on building up defenses; to sometimes shoot first, ask questions later. But the most difficult challenges ahead will require greater reliance on diplomacy and traditional statecraft.
During these last 10 years, the US has fought two major land wars simultaneously. It has conducted an aggressive, controversial, and dangerous military campaign against terrorist groups from Iraq to the Afghan/Pakistan border to Somalia and Yemen. And America has transformed the way it defends itself from the terrorist threat at home and overseas.
The US has relied on the military to hit back when attacked or even threatened, to place first priority on building up defenses, and to sometimes shoot first and ask questions later. Much of this made sense in the months immediately following the shocking new threat that appeared with such sudden and terrible force in New York and Washington on September 11, 2001.
Page 1 of 5 |
paperback, 64 pages, 8 ½ x 11, 2004
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Measuring Time, for 5th and 6th graders, covers the history of measuring time and the evolution of timekeeping. And although we’ve become used to having clocks help us structure our lives, accurate clocks are new inventions, the result of the need for sailors to be able to know where they were at sea. Looking backward in time, the book tells how geologists can tell the age of landforms such as the Grand Canyon and from that can determine the ages of other places as well. Other stories show how nature’s creatures—including people—regulate their lives though internal "clocks." |
- Associated Press Images
Features notable figures and images from significant events of the 20th and, occasionally, the 19th centuries (an 1844 photograph of Abraham Lincoln; 1880 photographs of the Brooklyn Bridge). mid-19 | - Associated Press Images
Features notable figures and images from significant events of the 20th and, occasionally, the 19th centuries (an 1844 photograph of Abraham Lincoln; 1880 photographs of the Brooklyn Bridge). mid-19th century-present. great visuals! Note: Images are covered by U.S. copyright law and can only be used for class projects.
- Reader's Guide Retrospective
Articles from popular, general-interest periodicals such as Harpers, Newsweek, Saturday Review, and more. From the former Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. Covers articles published 1890-1982.
- Historic Newspapers
Full-text and images of several newspapers:
- The Atlanta Constitution (1868 to 1945)
- The Baltimore Sun (1837-1987)
- The Chicago Tribune (1849 - 1986)
- The Los Angeles Times (1881-1989)
- The Louisville Courier-Journal (1830 – 1922)
- The Nashville Tennessean (1812 – 1922)
- The New York Times (1851 to 3 years ago)
- The Wall Street Journal (1889-1995)
- The Washington Post (1877 to 1996).
- America's Historical Imprints
includes Early American Imprints Series I and II, over 70,000 printed works from 1639 to the 1820s. Also American Broadsides and Ephemera, over 30,000 documents from 1639 to 1900.
- Accessible Archives
"Important American newspapers" from the 18th and 19th centuries. They include The Pennsylvania Gazette from 1728 to 1800; newspaper perspectives of the Civil War; several major African American Newspapers of the 19th century; Godey's Lady's Book from 1830 to 1855.
- Early American Newspapers
700 historical American newspapers. 1690-1900. |
In 1923, a young boy leaves his small village in India and travels by boat to study at Columbia University in the United States.
This is a time when only five out of every hundred of India’s three hundred million people can read and | In 1923, a young boy leaves his small village in India and travels by boat to study at Columbia University in the United States.
This is a time when only five out of every hundred of India’s three hundred million people can read and write. His story, featured in a Boy Scouts’ magazine, was billed as “The Boy Who Would Educate India”. He would return to India with his degree to “teach the people something besides religion” and put India on the path to development.
The aim of the feature was to be an inspirational story for young Americans – they, too, should strive for an education and help others.
But not all goes to plan. His job at as a messenger boy at the Western Union falls through (most likely due to visa issues). In order to complete his degree, he takes up an in |
You have to start slowly to change not only your own eating patterns, but your family?s as well. Like any other dietary endeavor, it starts at the grocery store. Begin stocking the refrigerator with healthy snacks like apples and carrots. Exchange good, | You have to start slowly to change not only your own eating patterns, but your family?s as well. Like any other dietary endeavor, it starts at the grocery store. Begin stocking the refrigerator with healthy snacks like apples and carrots. Exchange good, chewy brown rice for white rice and processed side dishes, which are so high in fat and sodium. Make meat portions smaller and smaller and start incorporating more vegetables and grains in your family dinners.
Don?t make changes all at once. If you do give in and stop at a fast food restaurant, get fruit or yogurt in addition to or part of that meal. Make the changes so gradual that they?ll never notice their diets are changing. Kids are usually very sympathetic about animals, and it?s not too early to talk to them about eating in a way that isn?t cruel to animals.
You?ll be doing them a favor that will last them a lifetime. With childhood obesity at epidemic levels in the U.S., you will be setting up your children for lifelong eating habits that will help |
The latest news from academia, regulators
research labs and other things of interest
Posted: June 15, 2010
Engineers of life
(Nanowerk News) Synthetic biology is an extension of the spirit of genetic engineering that | The latest news from academia, regulators
research labs and other things of interest
Posted: June 15, 2010
Engineers of life
(Nanowerk News) Synthetic biology is an extension of the spirit of genetic engineering that focuses on the development of biological systems with new, defined characteristics, assembled according to the principles of engineering. Synthetic biology has the potential to be used for a broad range of applications and has solutions in store for major problems of the future, including the sustainable supply of energy and the elimination of environmental damage. As the current debate on the creation of the first synthetic cell in the laboratory shows, synthetic biology also fuels fears that human beings are playing the role o |
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- Judas Iscariot Died c. A.D. 30. One of the 12 Apostles and the betrayer of Jesus in the New Testament | from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- Judas Iscariot Died c. A.D. 30. One of the 12 Apostles and the betrayer of Jesus in the New Testament.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- proper n. One of the twelve disciples of Jesus in the New Testament, who betrayed Jesus into the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.
- n. A betrayer.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- n. (New Testament) the Apostle who betrayed Jesus to his enemies for 30 pieces of silver
Hebrew יהודה איש־קריות (Wiktionary) |
Copyright Registration and Documentation
The prohibition of formalities for copyright protection is the result of a historical process. Before the 1886 Berne Convention, each country had its own rules for recognition of copyright in a work. Consequently, authors had to | Copyright Registration and Documentation
The prohibition of formalities for copyright protection is the result of a historical process. Before the 1886 Berne Convention, each country had its own rules for recognition of copyright in a work. Consequently, authors had to comply with formalities on a country-by-country basis. The Berne Convention introduced the principle that authors in Union countries need only comply with the formalities imposed by the country of origin of a work. This rule was replaced in the 1908 Berlin revision of the Convention by the current principle of formality-free protection, reflected in Article 5(2) of the present Paris Act 1971, according to which the enjoyment and the exercise of copyright shall not be subject to any formality.
While respecting the principles established in the Berne Convention, several Berne Union members have established voluntary national registration systems for copyright and sometimes also for related rights. In the view of these Member States, registration facilitates the exercise of copyright and related rights, by providing right owners with a simple and effective means to clearly establish authorship and/or ownership of rights. National registration and recordation systems often hold valuable information on creativity, both from a legal and economic standpoint. As an office of record, a copyright registry can make available certificates of registration, certified copies of registry documents that provide, with varying legal effect, important information on a work or other subject matter, its author or, through a documented chain of transfer, its present ownership. Registration can also help to delimit the public domain, and consequently facilitate access to creative content for which no authorization from the right owner is needed. The information contained in national registries is not only valuable in legal and economic relations but may also serve the public interest by providing a source of national statistics on creativity and culture. Finally, national registries may constitute a repository of cultural and historical heritage, as they represent collections of national creativity, including works and other creative contributions.
In recent years a number of issues have been raised concerning registration of copyright and related rights in the evolving digital environment. With the advent of digital technology, the overwhelming flow of content and multiplying scores of creators, often completely unidentified, justifies a renewed interest in readily available and accurate ownership data and therefore in documentation and recordation under different forms. Some commentators have highlighted the important role that registration could play beyond its traditional functions in facilitating the exercise of rights, i.e. as a means to prove the existence of the work and/or its ownership. In this context the focus has been placed on the potential for registration to address some of the problems related to use of creative content including in regard to works in respect of which the copyright owner can not be identified or located (often termed “orphan works”). Moreover, identification of the work or other subject matter can be complex as digital technology allows content to be recast into a variety of forms, while multimedia production combines completely different types of subject matter into a single embodiment. While there are many ways to locate a copyright owner it is clear that for countries where a registration system exists, search of registrations could play a conspicuous role in both locating the copyright owner and in assessing whether sufficient efforts have been made to that effect.
The absence of voluntary national registration systems, together with the lack of communication or interaction among them, results in a highly asymmetric international scenario. Moreover, voluntary registration is very different from one country to another including systems where the work is actually deposited (registration) and others where only declarations are submitted, without deposit of the work (recordation). Some countries have expressed the need of a greater interaction among voluntary registration systems.
The WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property has approved, as a way to implement the WIPO Development Agenda a Thematic Project on Intellectual Property and the Public Domain, which provides inter alia for the elaboration of a Survey on Voluntary Registration and Deposit Systems under copyright.
Moreover, the role of Rights Management Information (RMI) has tremendous potential for identifying and locating content. RMI is increasingly used in the networked environment, which helps users to customize their searches, find the content they are seeking, and where appropriate, enter into licensing agreements with right owners. With the support of increasingly sophisticated RMI, a number of private entities collect data on copyright status and ownership for different purposes, including collective management societies and private registries. Different approaches to the data collected and its availability are followed as some entities, such as Collective Management Organizations (CMO), col |
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Philippines with an epicenter on Bohol Island near the city of Catigbian at 8:12 am Tuesday local time (Monday 5: | The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Philippines with an epicenter on Bohol Island near the city of Catigbian at 8:12 am Tuesday local time (Monday 5:12 pm EDT).
According to MSN News the death toll has risen to 93. In addition, hundreds of people have been injured.
At 12.4 miles, the shallow depth of the quake “indicates it ruptured a fault within the crust of the Sunda plate, rather than on the deeper subduction zone plate boundary interface,” the USGS noted.
The epicenter of the earthquake was 1 mile northeast of the small city of Catigbian and 385 miles south-southeast of Manila, the Philippine capital.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) did not issue a Tsunami warning, stating in its tsunami Information statement, “Based on all available data a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected and there is no tsunami threat to Hawaii.”
CNN reported that there were landslides and many collapsed buildings, possibly containing still missing persons. The islands of Cebu and Bohol were affected the most and contained most of the casualties, many of whom were killed or injured due to |
The Raptor Cam Red-tails laid their first egg today! Mom could be seen in the nest throughout most of the afternoon watching over her new arrival. She does not appear to have begun incubation yet. Red-tails can lay up to | The Raptor Cam Red-tails laid their first egg today! Mom could be seen in the nest throughout most of the afternoon watching over her new arrival. She does not appear to have begun incubation yet. Red-tails can lay up to four eggs. Eggs are typically laid 24-48 hours apart. In many instances, the hawks will not begin inc |
At long last, it seems as if a US president will be getting honest scientific advice about climate change, with Barack Obama's appointment of John Holdren as the director of the White House office of science and technology policy.
In the UK, as | At long last, it seems as if a US president will be getting honest scientific advice about climate change, with Barack Obama's appointment of John Holdren as the director of the White House office of science and technology policy.
In the UK, as long ago as the late 1980s, we were lucky enough to have Sir John Houghton at the Met office and Sir Crispin Tickell, then the UK's ambassador to the UN, to convince Margaret Thatcher that climate change was a reality. So British politicians have had almost 20 years to plan the changes we will need to make as we remove carbon from our economy. All the more inexcusable then that many UK politicians, including Gordon Brown, are still running the country as if climate change did not exist.
As The Observer reported, Gordon Brown seems determined to give the go-ahead to a third runway at Heathrow.
The arguments deployed in favour of this lunacy bear an uncanny resemblance to the arguments made for decades by the then Department of Transport and its ministers to justify building more roads. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, the car lobby said that traffic congestion led to slower journey times and cars sitting in traffic jams, which in turn meant more pollution and more CO2 emissions. It was already clear then (and is now accepted) that building more roads simply leads to more cars and an overall increase in emissions. The same will clearly be true for runways and aeroplanes, despite the ludicrous argument that a third runway will only mean less congestion before and after take-off, and therefore less pollution.
The other argument made by those in favour of airport expansion is that a variety of technological advances will lead to lower emissions from planes and that expansion of airport capacity and, therefore, increasing the number of planes does not matter.
On examination, of course, these technological innovations turn out to be untried or unworkable. Alternative fuels, such as biofuels, burn at the wrong temperature for ai |
Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, commonly known as Saint Francis Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is the mother church | Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, commonly known as Saint Francis Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.
The cathedral was built by Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy between 1869 and 1886 on the site of an older adobe church, La Parroquia (built in 1714–1717). An older church on the same site, built in 1626, was destroyed in the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. The new cath |
YOU DECIDE: Can government steer the economic ship?
October 31, 2008
MEDIA CONTACT: Dr. Mike Walden, 919.515.4671 or [email protected]
As it becomes more obvious the economy is now | YOU DECIDE: Can government steer the economic ship?
October 31, 2008
MEDIA CONTACT: Dr. Mike Walden, 919.515.4671 or [email protected]
As it becomes more obvious the economy is now in a recession, the federal government is taking steps to try to ease the economic pain.
How is the government doing this, and what are the possible pitfalls and costs?
The federal government has two broad strategies at its disposal to try to steer the economic ship. One, controlled by the Federal Reserve (the "Fed"), is to manage the availability and cost of credit. The Fed uses this power to "lean against the economic wind" and promote steady economic growth with modest inflation.
This means that when the economy is booming and higher inflation is a threat, the Fed will increase the cost of credit - the interest rate - and strive to reduce lending and slow consumer spending. The purpose is not to decrease prosperity, but rather to increase prosperity at a consistent, sustained rate.
The Fed moves in the opposite direction when the economy is slumping. Here it lowers interest rates and increases the amount of money available for loans. The goal is to motivate consumers and businesses to borrow and spend more.
Can these actions work?
They can, but there are some issues. A big one is that the Fed's actions take time to gain traction: somewhere between six and 18 months. Also, even if credit is available and cheap, people and businesses still have to want to borrow. And to borrow, they have to have confidence about the economy. The Fed can't necessarily create this confidence.
There's also a possible cost of the Fed's policies, particularly those designed to fight a recession. If credit is made too easy and too cheap, excessive borrowing can lead to higher inflation.
The other arm of the government's economic policy is jointly controlled by the president and Congress and operated through the spending and tax policies of the federal budget.
The tactics are simple.
To fight a recession, the government tries to put more money in people's hands by cutting taxes and increasing public spending. Conversely, to subdue a boom, taxes are increased and spending curtailed.
An obvious question is where the government gets its money when it reduces taxes but increases spending. The answer: it borrows the money. In recent years, half the borrowing has come from domestic sources and half from foreign sources. In the original conception of this policy, the borrowing would be paid off when the government eventually increased taxes and decreased spending during an economic boom. But as most know, it hasn't worked out this way. So running up the national debt is a cost of this strategy.
Beyond this cost, there is some question whether temporary changes in government taxes and spending work any magic. Some analyses indicate the government actions may give the economy a temporary push or pull, but if businesses and consumers know the changes aren't lasting, they will only modestly alter their behavior.
Currently both strategies are being used by the federal government to fight the expanding recession. The Fed has lowered interest rates and increased credit. The government has also spent more money via a stimulus plan, with another stimulus shot being discussed.
But so far, the economy hasn't revived. Does this mean the government's policies have failed? Or would the economy be much worse without the policies?
Dr. Mike Walden is a William Neal Reynolds Professor and North Carolina Cooperative Extension economist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics of N.C. State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He teaches and writes on personal finance, economic outlook and public policy. The Department of Communication Services provides his You Decide column every two weeks. Earlier You Decide columns are at http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agcomm/writing/walden/decide.htm
Related audio files are at http://www.ncsu.edu/waldenradio/
Posted by Dave at October 31, 2008 08:00 AM |
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According to recent research, we have a finite amount of temptation-resisting resources. If we use up all our self-control resisting one temptation, we don't have any left to use against another temptation.
For example, once we've spent our store of self-control on resisting the temptation to over-eat, we're likely to have none left to resist the temptation to just sit and watch TV instead of exercising. And this depletion is corroborated by weakened electrical activity in the part of the brain that lets us know when we're screwing up.
To arrive at their findings, the researchers asked forty college students to suppress their emotions while watching a distressing movie for ten minutes. The idea was to exhaust their self-control ration by having them use it all up to fend off their emotions. The participants were then asked to do another task that required self-control. The more successful a participant was at suppressing emotions, the worse he performed on the second task.
An EEG performed during the second task showed weakened activity in the part of the brain that tells us when we are off-track; that is, it lights up to let us know when we are falling off the wagon and failing to exercise self-control. When those neural systems are pooped out, they can't alert us to a mismatch between our actions and our goals.
So there we sit in a stupor in front of the television, having virtuously resisted eating all day, with nothing going on in the part of the brain that is supposed to tell us that we're blowing our exercise regimen.
Source: Psychological Science, October 2007
Nov 4, 2007
Diabetes Health is the essential resource for people living with diabetes- both newly diagnosed and experienced as well as the professionals who care for them. We provide balanced expert news and information on living healthfully with diabetes. Each issue includes cutting-edge editorial coverage of new products, research, treatment options, and meaningful lifestyle issues. |
They’re noisy and bulky and a bit intimidating, but air compressors are unbelievably useful in the woodshop. They can be used to run nail- and staple guns, spray finishes, operate pneumatic clamps and jigs, create vacuum | They’re noisy and bulky and a bit intimidating, but air compressors are unbelievably useful in the woodshop. They can be used to run nail- and staple guns, spray finishes, operate pneumatic clamps and jigs, create vacuum seals, even top up the tires on a delivery truck. A single air compressor can provide cheaper, safer and more easily controlled power than a shop full of tools that are equipped with individual electric motors. And, for most woodworkers, using compressed air is as simple as turning on a machine and running a hose.
If you’re introducing or updating compressed air in your shop, there are some details to consider. Most woodshop compressors are positive-displacement models that use a pump (piston) to force air into a cylindrical tank. A one-way valve keeps the compressed air inside the tank. Larger models might use rotary screws to accomplish the same end: two helical screws force air between them and into a chamber. Another take on design is a vane. In this case, a rotor with several blades attached does the job. Whether it’s a piston, rotary screw or vane, the idea is to keep pushing air into a confined space, compressing its volume. When released, the air needs to expand and that’s what provides the pressure and velocity (speed) in pneumatic hoses.
Smaller compressors are usually single-stage. That is, they have one tank and one valve. The piston pushes air into a confined space on the down-stroke, the space behind the piston fills with new air and the piston pushes that new air into the confined space on the next down-stroke. A valve stops the compressed air from escaping. Single-stage compressors usually handle pressure up to about 150 psi (pounds per square inch), although most light-duty models top out at about 125 psi.
The unit of measurement here, psi, is worth mentioning. It quantifies compression. That is, it tells us how much pressure a confined substance (air, water, gas, etc.) is under to keep it confined. The air that we breathe is confined within our atmosphere and the weight of the atmosphere compresses it at sea level to about 14.7 pounds per square inch. At higher elevations, the pressure is slightly less. Most foreign countries now use bar pressure as their unit of measurement, rather than psi, but here in the U.S. we are slow to change. The bar and millibar were originally determined in 1909 by William Napier Shaw, the director of the Met Office in London. The bar system essentially uses the equivalent of that 14.7 psi at sea level as its base and most of us are vaguely familiar with it as a unit for barometer readings.
So single-stage units generally deliver compressed air up to about 125 psi. Two-stage compressors are a little more complicated. In this case, there are two chambers and two pistons. In general, the first chamber compresses the air and the second one stores it. The big advantages here are increased pressure (more than 150 psi) and continuous delivery: these units don’t run out of pressure very easily. Two-stage compressor motors can be electric, but for remote work such as running jackhammers, they can also be equipped with diesel or gasoline power plants. They also run cooler, so they don’t wear out as quickly.
Two-stage and twin
Not all two-cylinder compressors are two-stage. Many single-stage compressors come with two tanks and these are known in the trade as twin-cylinder units. Their advantage is simply that they double the amount of compressed air available without having to run a second compressor. Spotting the difference between a twin and a two-stage is usually a matter of noting that in the latter, the second tank is smaller than the first. That’s because the two cylinders are working at different pressures and volumes. A two-stage also has a means of releasing heat generated during the first stage (compression) before passing the air to the second stage (storage). For that, there will be a radiator located between the cylinders. Some large two-stage compressors don’t have storage tanks: they operate “on demand.” Smaller units, and all single-stage compressors, require a storage tank.
Almost without exception, a two-stage model is more expensive to buy and less expensive to run. A good rule of thumb is this: a shop that only occasionally uses small amounts of compressed air will do fine with a single-stage compressor (single or twin cylinder), while a shop that requires continuous duty should consider a two-stage unit.
Motor size isn’t the best way to measure the ability of an air compressor. The air pump size is more critical than the motor size. The pump’s ability is measured in terms of its maximum delivery potential. For example, it might be rated at s |
There are a lot of search engines out there, I know, we’ve also mentioned some options about Surfing Internet and Learning Safely. But if you look into InstaGrok, you will learn how much different search could be done today | There are a lot of search engines out there, I know, we’ve also mentioned some options about Surfing Internet and Learning Safely. But if you look into InstaGrok, you will learn how much different search could be done today. We should call it a research engine (instead of search engine) that adds value to search results. These are main features listed:
- Retrieves educational materials in multiple formats (webpages, videos, forum, textbooks, expert users…)
- Identifies key concepts and terminology
- Helps visualize relationships between concepts
- Displays definitions of terminology
- Finds expert users on online forums
- Generates random multiple-choice quizzes
Being dedicated for learning purpose, non-educational content (like news, shopping sites) will be filtered, instaGrok helps learners make sense of search results through the following ways.
instaGrok – a Safe, Age Appropriate Research Engine
One of the most fundamental skills for success in the 21st century will be an ability to understand problems and find answers. As a result, students of all ages are sharpening their research skills using search engines. instaGrok is easy for younger students, eliminates offensive and non-educational content and provides powerful visualization technologies such as concept maps and concept clouds.
instaGrok was developed to provide differentiated learning to students of varying abilities, learning styles and interests. The difficulty level of each material is determined. instaGrok allows some students to select easier concept difficulty while advanced researchers view all search results. instaGrok excels with visual learners by integrating multimedia results including webpages, videos, and images. Because instaGrok searches the entire Web, students can learn about any topic they want.
Assessment and Curation
instaGrok uses quiz questions to measure that students are really learning. As students browse the web, multiple choice quiz questions are automatically generated from the content they are browsing. instaGrok also includes electronic journals called “groks” that are used to curate research into reports. myGroks automatically include website links, concept lists and quiz results and are editable by the student, shareable with teachers and organized by the topic of research. There will be the capability for students to build their own concept maps within their Grok.
You can refer to this review “Text-Drive instaGrok” from Joyce Valenza, a teacher-librarian at Springfield Township High School. Being supported by Imagine K12, an incubator program for early stage ed-tech startups, instaGrok is still new to many users, it welcomes feedback from teachers, librarians, and students. To learn more about instaGrok, visit www.instagrok.com. If you need a user guide to get started, here is the link. |
The name viral marketing stems from the theory that ideas spread like viruses, making epidemiological metaphors and models useful when attempting to understand the spread of memes. Since the goal of any viral marketer is to create a pandemic with their campaign, we can | The name viral marketing stems from the theory that ideas spread like viruses, making epidemiological metaphors and models useful when attempting to understand the spread of memes. Since the goal of any viral marketer is to create a pandemic with their campaign, we can learn a lot from the early spread of Swine Flu. Here are 7 valuable lessons to take away from this virus.
1 Seed Selection
First emerging near the very densely populated Mexico City, Swine Flu seemed to travel to half a dozen other countries around the world over night. Many of the first confirmed cases were among children in schools who had taken trips to the popular Mexican vacation destination.
Children, due to their gregarious nature and low levels of hygiene awareness, are called the “super spreaders” of this outbreak, prompting many schools to close. Children are often blamed for a host of illnesses, but perhaps the most famous super spreader was Typhoid Mary, a cook who was responsible for 2 outbreaks of typhoid fever in the early part of the 1900s.
When planning to seed a viral marketing campaign it is important to take into account which members of the target audience have the most potential to be contagious. Typically, savvy social media users, including bloggers, Twitter users, Diggers and Facebook fanatics, are the best seeds.
2 Knowledge Gaps
A phenomenon I first noticed when reading a World War II era research paper by the CIA-precursor, the OSS, discusses the spreading of information when knowledge about a particular topic is scarce.
The OSS paper says that good rumors are “provoked by” and provide interpretation or elaboration on a current event, filling a “knowledge gap.” If the locals heard a big boom earlier in the day, a rumor could easily be constructed to explain it if the authorities did not.
In the absence of official or authoritative information, rumors proliferate. The CDC has actually been pretty good at communicating authoritative information about Swine Flu, but in those pockets where people are unaware of it, lots of “theories” and “facts” have emerged. For example, some countries have banned imports of pork products, despite the fact that meat cannot carry the Swine Flu virus, h2N1.
3 Addition vs Replacement
Because the common name “Swine Flu” misrepresents the origin and dangers of the virus (and does not conform to historic convention of naming influenza outbreaks for the geographic region they first emerged from), several organizations have tried to “rename” it, but none have taken hold in the public discourse.
Each of us has a |
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