Like the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English language arts and literacy, the CCSS for mathematics have been structured to correct the failed pedagogies imposed by the education monopoly that have made most public high school graduates unqualified to perform jobs leading to a middle-class way of life and uncompetitive with workers in other nations, dragging down our economy as well as limiting their opportunities.
I examined the causes and outcomes of this national catastrophe previously in "Our Mathematics Problem." Progressivism and postmodern multiculturalism harnessed mathematics education to the advocacy of “social justice.” Standard algorithms and knowledge developed over centuries in the West were cast aside in favor of student “construction” of their own ways to solve mathematical problems.
The CCSS establish grade-specific standards defining what students should understand and be able to do in mathematics by the end of each K‒12 year. The CCSS also return to more traditional, coherent, focused, and rigorous instruction.
In response to calls to abandon the CCSS, two UC-Berkeley mathematics professors, Edward Frenkel and Hung-Hsi Wu, argue in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal:
Mathematical education in the U. S. is in deep crisis… caused by the way math is currently taught in schools. Today, most students are forced to learn mathematics through textbooks that are often incomprehensible and irrelevant. These textbooks, which are widely adopted across the states, create mediocre de facto national standards—and, worst of all, alienate students from the material. The Core Standards address those issues head-on and finally offer hope for a better math education….
The only way to combat the current lock-step march to the bottom of international student performance in math and science is to implement rigorous national standards. That is why parents, teachers, and policy makers should oppose efforts to scale back the hard-won and necessary Common Core State Standards.
The Heritage Foundation leads the charge against the CCSS, quoting mathematician Ze’ve Wurman, who argues that the standards do not expect students to learn Algebra I by eighth grade, which both “reverses the most significant change in mathematics education in America in the last decade” and is “contrary to the practice of the highest-achieving nations.” Another CCSS opponent, the Pioneer Institute, cites mathematician James Milgrim, who argues that not taking Algebra I in eighth grade, “means that the large majority of students will not reach calculus in high school as expected by elite colleges.”
To that charge, the drafters of the CCSS reply:
The Standards do accommodate and prepare students for Algebra in 8th grade, by including the prerequisites for this course in grades K‒7. Students who master the K‒7 material will be able to take Algebra in 8th grade. At the same time, grade 8 standards are also included; these include rigorous algebra and will transition students effectively into a full Algebra I course.
The 2013 Brown Center Report on American Education of the Brookings Institution presents some history and findings about the concept of accelerating mathematics instruction.
In 1982, Robert Moses…called algebra “the new civil right”…The Clinton administration tied the equity theme to international competitiveness and pushed for more students to take algebra before high school…. Algebra soon became known as a “gatekeeper” course standing like a sentry at the gateway to college.
Taking calculus in the senior year of high school also became a goal, which added to the need to take Algebra I by eighth grade. By 2011, the percentage of students taking advanced math courses in eighth grade nearly tripled.
But the Brookings report finds that the decades-long effort to accelerate Algebra I instruction to eighth grade has not led to higher achievement in National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessments.
Stronger math students take algebra in eighth grade, and although they indeed may benefit academically from the course, that does not mean that weaker students will also benefit from taking algebra earlier…. Accelerating the conventional first course of algebra into earlier grades, in the absence of other changes in the math curriculum, is for most students decidedly harmful…
States with more eighth graders taking advanced math classes are no more likely to register a higher NAEP score in math than states with lower enrollments in those classes.
Indeed, states that are “not aggressively accelerating eighth graders into advanced courses are more likely to show achievement gains….”
The report also investigated whether boosting the percentage of students in higher level courses is associated with decreases in the mean scores of those courses—suggesting a watering-down effect.
The evidence is consistent with watering down…Negative correlations were found for Algebra I and Pre-Algebra. In those courses, mean achievement gains declined as enrollments increased.
The lead writer of the CCSS for mathematics, Jason Zimba, comments that:
I actually think the questions about algebra are better formulated as questions about acceleration. How will kids who are ready for advanced work accelerate to reach courses like calculus during high school? But those are questions for policy, not for standards…. Decisions about acceleration and ability grouping are still the purview of local districts, just as they’ve always been. For example, I’ve seen where the state of Massachusetts has provided some interesting guidance for districts showing several different models for acceleration, all of them ending at calculus in the senior year of high school.
Ironically, the CCSS properly leave such decisions to parents and local school systems, contrary to Heritage’s mistaken “national curriculum” narrative. The CCSS also contain more advanced, or “plus,” standards for students who plan to pursue a STEM major in college.
Perhaps the most important independent assessment of the CCSS comes from William Schmidt, a Michigan State University distinguished professor of education and statistics and co-director of its Education Policy Center, in a commentary for Education Week:
For years now it has been clear that the U. S. mathematics curriculum is a mile wide and an inch deep, and that the fragmented quality of mathematics instruction is related to our low ranking on international assessments. Nearly a generation after the first Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study [which Schmidt oversaw]…the Common Core State Standards for mathematics…may finally give American students the high-quality standards they deserve.
These new math standards have attracted some criticism, however. Aside from more abstract arguments, a number of specific claims have been leveled against them, including that they are untested; that they are not world-class; and that some existing state standards are superior.
As part of our ongoing research, Richard Houang and I recently concluded a study of the math standards and their relation to existing state standards and the standards of other nations….What did our research uncover?... The common-core standards closely mirror those of the world’s highest-achieving nations…. We find three key characteristics in the curricula of the highest-performing countries: coherence (the logical structure that guides students from basic to more advanced materials in a systematic way); focus (the push for mastery of a few key concepts at each grade rather than shallow repetition of the same material); and rigor (the level of difficulty at each grade level). The common core adheres to each of these three principles.
Unfortunately, when one hears that a state’s existing standards are better than the common core, it usually means that those standards include more—and more advanced—topics at earlier grades. But this is exactly the problem the common core standards are designed to correct. It is a waste of time to expose children to content they are not prepared for, and it is counterproductive to skim over dozens of disconnected topics every year with no regard for student mastery. As it stands today, we simply hope that students will somehow “get it” at a later grade, and yet we know far too many students never do….
The common core offers the opportunity to revolutionize math instruction in this country, to improve student performance, to close the gap between the United States and its competitors, and to ensure that every American student has an equal opportunity to learn important mathematics content. But it is only a chance, and it is imperative that we seize it.
Professor Schmidt’s work is also discussed in a subsequent article:
Schmidt found that states whose previous standards were most similar to the Common Core performed better on a national math test [NAEP] in 2009…. “This is another strong piece of evidence that we are moving in the right direction.”…
“This is probably the best chance we’ve had to improve America’s mathematics education in 50 years if not more,” Schmidt concluded.
Confirming Schmidt’s points about coherence, focus, and rigor are reactions from the Albuquerque school system’s pilot program for implementing the CCSS, reported by Education Week. Gina Middleton, who is managing the district’s program, reports feedback from teachers:
What they love, love, love is…giving the depth to content and not teaching so much of the breadth…There are less standards, but they are dense, very compact.
Holly D. Zaluga-Alderate, a mathematics teacher in the city’s Polk Middle School, echoes that point:
I don’t have a mile long list of standards to cover…. For example, with the Pythagorean theorem, in the past we would say, “This is the Pythagorean theorem and how we use it” and move on. This year, we could get in depth, how it worked, the ins and outs…and knowing the whys…. It’s a lot more rewarding and letting me be a teacher.
Educators are also properly nervous about CCSS tests to come in 2014. Both Georgia and Kentucky have experienced big proficiency drops in early CCSS testing:
As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported…58.6 percent of students failed to meet the proficiency standard on the new algebra test aligned to the common core…The obvious comparison is Kentucky, which last November publicized the first results from explicitly common-core-aligned tests and showed big proficiency drops, such as a 33-percentage-point drop in elementary school math proficiency…. Not surprisingly, they also highlight Florida as a state that has gone through similar score drops on new, tougher tests.
Parents will have to prepare themselves for such outcomes and insist on the improvements needed by local school authorities to meet the CCSS requirements.
They will also have to resist efforts by local school authorities to pass off existing instructional approaches as aligned with the CCSS. A recent Brookings commentary illustrates that point.
A blog post by James V. Shuls in January 2013 tells the story of parents trying to understand the objectives of their son’s first grade math program…. The Shulses were alarmed that the standard algorithm for addition was being discouraged, let alone not being taught as the simplest, most efficient method for solving addition problems…. The parents met with the teacher and school principal…[who] explained that the district had adopted a math program from the 1990s, Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI), to implement the Common Core State Standards for mathematics in first grade.
Such programs of the Blob precipitated the disaster that is now mathematics education, and should be discarded outright. In April 2013, revised Publishers’ Criteria for instructional materials in mathematics were issued by Student Achievement Partners, reflecting feedback from the field. States and localities should be demanding compliance with such criteria rather than falling prey to the Blob’s fallacious claims.
The CCSS are an important step advance towards recovering America’s prowess in mathematics, though it will take years to achieve student proficiency. And the CCSS include the flexibility to grow the future engineers and scientists needed to compete economically with other nations.
The next article will discuss the efficacy of the CCSS for college and career readiness.
Image: Public Domain
This is one of a series of occasional articles applying the lessons of Western civilization to contemporary issues relevant to the academy.
The Honorable William H. Young was appointed by President George H. W. Bush to be Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy and served in that position from November 1989 to January 1993. He is the author of Ordering America: Fulfilling the Ideals of Western Civilization (2010) and Centering America: Resurrecting the Local Progressive Ideal (2002).
 Lindsey M. Burke, “States Must Reject National Education Standards While There Is Still Time,” Backgrounder No. 2680, The Heritage Foundation, 16 April 2012.
 Emmett McGroarty and Jane Robbins, Controlling Education From the Top: Why Common Core Is Bad for America, A Pioneer Institute and American Principles Project White Paper, No. 87, May 2012.
 Loveless, How Well Are Students Learning?
 Rick Hess, “Straight Up Conversation: Common Core Guru Jason Zimba,” Education Week, 11 February 2013.
 Andrew Ujifusa, “Common-Core Tests in Georgia Show 'Drops' in Math Proficiency,” Education Week, http://blogs.edweek.org, 15 February 2013.
 Erik Robelen, “Math ‘Publishers’ Criteria’ Aim to Guide Common-Core Materials,” Education Week, 9 April 2013.


To understand what a black hole is, let's start with a star like the Sun, which has a diameter of 1,390,000 kilometers and a mass 330,000 times greater than Earth's.
Taking into account that mass and the distance from the surface to the center, it is shown that any object placed on the surface of the Sun would be subject to a gravitational attraction about 28 times greater than the Earth's gravity on the planet's surface.
A current star retains its normal size thanks to the balance between a very high central temperature, which tends to expand the stellar substance, and the gigantic gravitational attraction, which tends to contract and squeeze it.
If at any given time the internal temperature drops, gravitation will own the situation. The star begins to contract and throughout that process the atomic structure of the interior disintegrates. Instead of atoms there will now be electrons, protons and loose neutrons. The star continues to contract until such time as the mutual repulsion of electrons counteracts any further contraction.
The star is now a "white dwarf." If a star like the Sun suffered this collapse that leads to the state of white dwarf, all its mass would be reduced to a sphere of about 16,000 kilometers in diameter, and its surface gravity (with the same mass, but at a much smaller distance from the center ) would be 210,000 times higher than Earth's.
Under certain conditions the gravitational attraction becomes too strong to be counteracted by electronic repulsion. The star contracts again, forcing electrons and protons to combine to form neutrons and also forcing the latter to crush in close contact. The neutron structure then counteracts any further contraction and what we have is a "neutron star", which could house the entire mass of our sun in a sphere only 16 kilometers in diameter. The surface gravity would be 210,000,000,000 times higher than what we have on Earth.
Under certain conditions, gravitation can overcome even the resistance of the neutron structure. In that case there is nothing that can oppose the collapse. The star can contract to a zero volume and the surface gravity increase towards infinity.
According to the theory of relativity, the light emitted by a star loses some of its energy as it advances against the gravitational field of the star. The more intense the field, the greater the loss of energy, which has been proven experimentally in space and in the laboratory.
The light emitted by an ordinary star like the Sun loses very little energy. The one issued by a white dwarf, something else; and the one emitted by a neutron star even more. Throughout the process of collapse of the neutron star comes a time when the light emanating from the surface loses all its energy and cannot escape.
An object subjected to a compression greater than that of neutron stars would have a gravitational field so intense that anything that approached it would be trapped and could not come out again. It is as if the trapped object had fallen into an infinitely deep hole and never ceased to fall. And since not even light can escape, the compressed object will be black. Literally, a "black hole."
Today astronomers are finding evidence of the existence of black holes in different places in the universe. On April 10, 2019, the first image of a black hole was published, which is in the center of the Messier 87 (M87) galaxy, about 55 million light years away.
|What are pulsars?|


Well, now a bit of copper story… about copper coins and a very briefed history of the UAE currency-coins.
UAE has seen quite a number of currencies at least for the last 2500 years,
since the days of Greek currency known as ‘Darkham’ which prevailed then–it was during
the era of Alexander the Great. Then Islam spread through Oman and brought Islamic coins
made of gold and silver. Then came French coins of Austrian origin, Ottoman coins, and
Bargash paisa made by the Duke of Zanzibar.
Later the British-Indian Rupee was in use. When India gained its independence on August 15, 1947,
the new government replaced the British-Indian currency with Indian ones.
India allowed UAE and the Gulf countries (Middle East) to use its rupee as the currency,
and UAE continued to use the Indian rupee.
The Gulf Rupee saw reduced value afterwards, which affected adversely on trades and cost of living.
Gulf countries abandoned the Rupee and started using Saudi Riyal and Bahraini Dinar.
After the UAE Federation came into being, the dirham, which is the currency today,
began to be used in the country from May 19, 1973.
Posting to these memes:
NF Inspiring Photography – Catching the light
Weekly Writing Challenge: Multimedia Storytelling – The Daily Post at WordPress.com
Weekly Photo Challenge at WordPress.com
Tones on Tuesday
P52 Sweet Shot Tuesday
Journey of UAE currency – Khaleej Times
Further reading: History of UAE Currency (Book), by Emirati Researcher and writer Mutaz Mohammed Osman


Evaluating armorials (III) – Comparing armorials
In the first two parts of this series on evaluating armorials, many mistakes regarding coats of arms and legends have been discussed. This third part deals with the topic of comparing different armorials, and in this process the incorrect coats of arms prove to be quite useful. Comparing armorials can be important for several reasons. As we have seen in Steen Clemmensen’s previous blogposts, it is not uncommon to find variations of the same coat of arms in different armorials. By comparing their depiction in these armorials, one can gain insights on the various appearances of a certain coat of arms and maybe be able to seperate the correct from the incorrect depictions. Furthermore, many armorials are partly copies from other armorials. Comparing them is an important research technique to increase our limited knowledge on topics as the production of armorials, the heraldic knowledge of their makers and the relation between different armorials.
Armorials as non-verbal documents
Detailed identification and documentation for all or most items is nice to have when comparing armorials, but it is not necessary. In essence, an armorial is just a non-verbal document like a pack of cards or a frieze on a wall. Kings, Queens and Jacks may be drawn differently, and spades and hearts may change colours, but all will instantly recognize the 52 cards (excluding Jokers) ready for a game of cards and understand the meaning and value of each card.
So the individual items of an armorial (blazoned or painted, with or without legends) can be regarded as cards, but the stack is much larger, and the possible variations of each item infinitely greater. The easiest way to compare items in different manuscript is to use a placeholder (a code, usually the number in the sequence, the family name, and a letter to indicate the appropriate variant of the arms) to represent each entry. When comparing arms, one ought to be able to explain whatever differences there may be among concordant items, i.e. similar items occupying similar places in the compared sequences.
What to do when comparing armorials depends partly on their size. In a rough break-down, less than a hundred is a very small armorial, 100-500 a small, 500-1000 medium–sized, above 1000 large, and above 2000 a very large armorial. Most of the armorials dated before 1350 were fairly small, usually featuring a few hundred arms rather than thousands. As such, it is fairly easy to get an overview of their contents and composition. In the Late Middle Ages, larger armorials became common, made up of many segments taken from different sources (or observations made at different times, if one prefers to leave that option open). With more than 3000 items placed in some 50 or more segments, which might be disordered, getting an overview takes some effort – and establishing possible relations to other armorials becomes rather complicated. Many modern editors and commentators were, not surprisingly, usually content with listing references to seals and items in other armorials, where arms and legends were more or less similar to the item in question.
There are a couple of fundamental differences between evaluating a family’s or a person’s use of arms and comparing armorials. For the former even minute details could arguably be of vital importance and one would use many forms of evidence besides armorials, not least seals and decorations on and in buildings and on furniture and utensils. For comparing armorials, only the arms in the set matters and many details are essentially irrelevant. Of course, it is nice to know whether a certain coat of arms and/or a certain title is specific for one person at one time. But it is only nice, not necessary. It helps dating a manuscript and may shed light on the knowledge of the collator or compiler, but the key question in comparing is whether two items are sufficiently similar to warrant a place in the concordance.
Noting an unusual coat of arms or a certain combination of items may provide a hint of similarity between armorials. Markers like a very unusual, often imaginary, coat of arms, e.g. a lion with human head and a Jew’s hat (Judas Macchabeus), or a lion sitting on a throne holding a sword (Hector of Troy), are strong evidence of a relationship. It would be unlikely for two individuals to independently create such a figure for the same person, unless the story behind it gives a natural lead, e.g. with canting arms. Remarkable mistakes or otherwise unknown combinations of legend and arms are other forms of strong markers. Personal arms specific to one individual may be used as a weak or soft marker and as supporting evidence.
Crests are generally of little value in comparing armorials. They may change with time or be rendered with different details, if at all present. Many armorials do not have crests on the shields. When such armorials are used as sources, the copyist may add crests from a different source, as did the Bergshammar-compiler in several segments.
Evaluating and comparing drawing and painting styles is the province of specialist art historians, and falls outside this commentary. Nonetheless, the reader of an armorial will benefit from knowing a little of the terminology and elements used in assessing and describing pictures as well as coats of arms.
The next and last post in this series is a case study of the Grünenberg armorial, in which many elements that have been discussed in the previous posts come together.
 Notable exceptions are Jan Raneke: Bergshammarvapenboken, Lund 1975, Léon Jéquier: l’Armorial Bellenville, Cahiers Héraldiques, vol. V, Paris 1983), and J-C. Blanchard: l’Armorial d’André de Rineck, Paris 2008.
 Raneke Bergshammarvapenboken (note 1), items 818-915, fo.68r-72r, Flanders, most of the arms were copied from the Toison d’or and some crests added later from items in the Gelre with similar arms


by Warren L John, J.D.
Mendel’s Law of Genetics demonstrates precision in the world of living organisms comparable to the Table of the Elements in the realm of inorganic matter. Mutations never add new genetic information to a life form but typically degrades what exists. “Mutations are rare events.Any particular new DNA mutation will occur only once in about 100 million gametes.” 2
© H. Danke
If Darwin’s evolution theory is to be taken seriously, that would mean an animal kingdom hummer and a plant kingdom flower descended from a common ancestor, courtesy of rare mutations.
“When a single mutation occurs in a single newborn, even if it is a favorable mutation, there is a fair probability that it will not be presented in the next generation because its single carrier may not, by chance, pass it on to its few offspring.” 2
Change in a single nucleotide would be the smallest possible modification of a genome. One evolutionist guesstimated that as few as 500 mutations could evolve a new species. No matter how many billions of chances and multi-millions of years allocated, the chance of those 500 mutations evolving a new and different species continues beyond the impossible—ad infinitum.
“It’s a matter of chance that a mutant survives. It might spread through the population and take it over, but more likely it will just vanish…even good mutations are likely to disappear from the population.
“The chance of 500 of these steps succeeding is 1/300,000 multiplied by itself 500 times. The odds against that happening are about 3.6 x 102,738 to one, or the chance of it happening is about 2.7 x 10-2,739…It’s more than 2,000 orders of magnitude smaller than…impossible.” 3 Computations of the likelihood for any single event beyond 1050 chances qualifies as impossible, unless absolutism is willing to concede the intrusion of a miracle.
Impossible trumps improbable!
What are the odds of seven billion human dice throwers coming up with identical number sets at the precise nanosecond of time in 4.6 billion years, assuming each player could live so long?
The odds overwhelm plausibility.
Reinventing evolution by reliance on mutations as the theory’s “raw material” is fanciful. Genetic code corruption by mutation doesn’t provide evolution’s “raw material” but does contribute to deterioration of the genome.
“The genome is fragile, subject to environmental insults (radiation, oxidation etc.) Extensive repair systems are guarding the integrity of the genome second-by-second. Without their work, life would become extinct.” 4
Desert mirages don’t deliver sparkling water. A single mathematical miscalculation can disrupt a rocket’s moon shot. Mistakes in manufacturing or administering pharmaceutical products can kill.
Beautiful, vivacious, four-year-old Kylie McPeak appeared to be every parent’s dream of an ideal daughter. But then, her mom sensed a “feeling” that something was wrong. The vigilant mom had reasons to worry.
By the time Kylie was six, the twitching became an uncontrollable writhing and her sweet child’s voice began to quaver. Stumped local doctors encouraged the parents to present Kylie’s case to the National Institute of Health’s Undiagnosed Diseases Program. 5 Baffled for a time, UDH eventually spotted the culprit–a mutated gene present on human chromosome 6 that codes for the protein laforin, usually a heart-wrenching death sentence for the child victim.
The genetic mutation that triggers Lafora disease in kids is a poor candidate as evidence that mutations provide evolution’s “raw material.”
A growing roster of serious mutation-caused genetic disorders, including the HIV curse, had been identified by the close of the twentieth century. So what’s going on? Where is the new genetic information essential for natural selection to select in order to do its thing?
Ultraviolet light, nuclear radiation, and those pesky virus parasites rank as prime candidates for mutating genetic codes. The virus culprit lurks as a prime villain.
To suggest a cat and a mouse could have shared a common ancestor falls short of serious science. Mutated DNA does not account for the difference!
Just as electronic viruses wreak computer havoc, organic viruses lead a parade of enemies inflicting devastating damage to a genome. Evidence that virus parasites appear to be anything but life-friendly continues to pile up.
In recent years, millions of honeybees in the United States have died, mystifying science until 2010. It is now believed the twin culprits may be the insect iridescent virus attacking bees inflicted with the Nosema ceranae fungus. 6 The havoc wreaking CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) contributes nothing positive in support of evolutionary change.
HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS, is a retrovirus. Retroviruses are viruses composed of RNA. They contain an enzyme that gives them the unique property of transcribing RNA (their RNA) into DNA. The retroviral DNA can then integrate into the chromosomal DNA of the host cell to be expressed there.
Its axiomatic: a living cell is needed to host a parasite virus. Lacking ability to reproduce itself without access to a living cell, a virus doesn’t qualify as a candidate for first life since the parasite cannot reproduce without latching onto a pre-existing “host cell.” The how, when, and where the insidious “mini-monster” (a fraction of a bacteria’s size) first intruded on already-existing life confounds. Science lacks the answer.
Some may speculate the virus villain might have been hatched in the brain of Satan, the one-time angel light-bearer, now the fallen adversary of God. Did this monster highjack knowledge of the creation miracle and design the insidious virus as a weapon to sabotage pristine life on Earth in his war against God? Could Satan have infected human DNA with a virus so debilitating that it would degrade the genome while setting in motion the human death spiral? Thought provoking questions that no serious theologian or knowledgeable scientist can begin to answer!
The origin of a virus mystifies. The havoc it inflicts is apparent. The pesky parasite can mutate both DNA and RNA with dire consequences.
“The viral DNA or RNA then takes control of the cell’s functions, including reproduction. The host cell has no choice but to make copies of the virus until the cell explodes, sending hundreds of viruses out to other healthy cells.” 7
“The modification of epigenetic features associated with a region of DNA allows organisms, on a multigenerational time scale, to switch between phenotypes that express and repress that particular gene…
“…Most of these multigenerational epigenetic traits are gradually lost over several generations…When the DNA sequence of the region is not mutated, this change is reversible.” 8
Reversible modifications of gene expression do not change the underlying DNA sequence of an organism.
As to the tired cliché that mutations benefit bacteria by building immunity to antibiotics such as streptomycin, reality indicates “the mutation reduces the specificity of the ribosome protein, and that means losing genetic information” with “a loss of sensitivity.” Despite any “selective value,” this mutation “decreases rather than increases genetic information.” 9
“…Antibiotic resistance is the result of loss of a protein, loss of the binding capacity of a protein, or the loss of a transporting system…It’s a loss of something…If you’re removing a transport protein to eliminate the bacteria’s sensitivity to antibiotics, then how is that explaining common descent by modification…?” 10
“There aren’t any known, clear, examples of a mutation that has added information.” Rather, mutations lead “to a loss of sensitivity to the drug… the effect is heritable, and a whole strain of resistant bacteria can arise from the mutation…A change in one of its proteins is then likely to degrade the organism…Information cannot be built up by mutations that lose it.” 11
“For information to build up in living organisms, it must be created somewhere…Although in some special cases a loss of information can lead to an advantage for the organism, the large-scale evolution for which the NDT [neo-Darwinian Theory] is supposed to account cannot be based on such mutations.” 12
“Most mutations which cause changes in the amino acid sequence of proteins tend to damage function to a greater or lesser degree…most of the amino acids in the centre of the protein cannot be changed without having drastic deleterious effects on the stability and function of the molecule.” 13
“There are all kinds of mutations that eliminate proteins. They may eliminate transport protein, an enzyme, the action of an enzyme, or regulatory systems.” 14
Mutations are “not making new transport proteins. They’re not making new regulatory systems! Antibiotic resistance is an example.
“Every time you read about antibiotic resistance…they’re going to talk about this as…an absolute example of evolution. There’s no mutation that gives them [evolutionists] what is necessary for common descent with modifications.” 14
One of Darwin’s false assumptions “was that natural selection had a building or creating capacity, and it doesn’t.” It removes information. “Every molecular example of a mutation we currently have fails to provide a mechanism that can account for the origin of any genetic activity or function.” 14
Crippling mutations respect no human. Mutations unload a bleak litany of physical flaws and debilitating diseases on the genome. Harmful gene mutations have plagued humans with a list of 4,500 already identified bad results—and still counting.
Since 1990, “discoveries of heart-handicapping mutations have been pouring out of numerous labs at an ever-increasing rate, yielding more than 100 mutations in more than a dozen genes.” 15
“A genetic polymorphism called 11307K in either of…two APC genes doubles the risk of colon cancer.” 16
A monster of a man, twisted and bent almost in half before his premature death, tottered feebly, aided by a walker. Parkinson’s disease, an insidious scourge, laid low the robust physique of the former football star. A mutated gene stands accused as the culprit. 17
Progressive myoclonus epilepsy is caused by a gene mutation on chromosome 21. Treacher Callins Syndrome, hemochromatosis, is linked to a defective gene on chromosome 6.
A caring, elementary schoolteacher was forced to cope with Acromegaly’s brutal disfigurement and the bullying taunts of the mean spirited; the disease came from an acquired, genetic mutation.
A gene mutation on chromosome 5 generates deformities of the face, ears, down-slanting eyes, and deafness.
A chromosome 9-gene mutation causes skin cancer.
A mutated gene on chromosome 16 is tied to fanconi anemia, affecting children who rarely live past their sixteenth birthday.
A gene missing from chromosome 7 causes Williams Syndrome.
Anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, caused by a mutation on the X chromosome, can afflict victims with baldness, loss of teeth, or deprive them of the ability to sweat. 18
“…Not one mutation that increased the efficiency of a genetically coded human protein has been found.
“Instead of a ‘blind watchmaker,’ the mutations behave like a ‘blind gunman,’ a destroyer who shoots his deadly ‘bullets’ randomly into beautifully designed models of living molecular machinery. Sometimes the ‘bullets’ only cause minor damage; sometimes they maim and cripple; sometimes they kill.” 19
There are “genetic flaws that make people fat…” 20 Werner’s syndrome results from a mutated site on human chromosome 8 causing victims to “age prematurely fast and usually die before they reach 50.” 21
Yet another genetic mutation “…causes children to die of old age… Children with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome age at a rate five to 10 times faster than normal. They lose their hair, their skin wrinkles, and they die of arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, by their early teens.” The defect is in “…a gene that controls the structure of the nucleus…” 22
Progressive blindness, described as retinitis pigmentosa, is a disorder linked to a gene from the X chromosome. “Best’s macular dystrophy… destroys the part of the retina responsible for the sharpest vision ‘has been linked to mutations’ in the gene now called bestrophin.” 23 Blood clots can form with the power to cause sudden death where a “patient with the disorder has inherited at least one defective gene encoding protein C.” 24
A mutated gene on chromosome 11 contributes to inherited hearing impairment. 25 Leukemia may result when a piece of chromosome moves to another chromosome in the midst of cell division.
Then there’s the smorgasbord of birth defects caused by mutated genes: muscular dystrophy, spinabifida, cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s Disease, hermachromatosis, and Down’s Syndrome. The recently identified Zika virus can inflict malformed heads on babies of mothers bitten by a mosquito.
Regarding humans, researchers “calculated an unusually high rate of 4.2 mutations per generation, of which 1.6 diminish the fitness of the species… the species must survive in part because people who have accumulated dangerous mutations are least likely to successfully have children…
“The human reproductive strategy helps purge harmful mutations in batches…they mix their genes with another’s, and presumably some of the worst defects aren’t passed along. That wouldn’t happen if humans reproduced asexually.” 26
Mutated human genes labeled APOE, CLU, and PICALM have been targeted as likely culprits inflicting Alzheimer’s disease on the lives of five million Americans. 27
“Meat contaminated by a virus that can be lethal is being sold to consumers — creating a public health threat that has largely flown under the radar due to powerful industry interests and lax accountability at the federal agency in charge of ensuring food safety, according to recent studies and a prominent investigative journalist.
“’It makes salmonella look like a picnic,’ is how David Kirby, an investigative journalist who has written about MRSA, a life-threatening pathogen, described it in an interview with Consumer Ally.
“MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is an antibiotic-resistant staph infection that kills about 20,000 Americans — more than the number of people who die from AIDS — each year.” 28
DNA is so delicate that one report suggests: “Every exposure to tobacco, from occasional smoking or secondhand smoke, can damage DNA in ways that lead to cancer.” 29
Inevitably, evolution’s mutation “cure-all” itself will suffer further from still-to-come discoveries, certain to expose virus-caused-mutations for the culprits they are–debilitating genetic mistakes.
The glaring exception to the universal commonality of the science of order and the mathematically real is evolution’s mutant “science” where the logic of the measurable equation is discarded in favor of mutation’s assumptive myth. Evolution ignores the real and postulates the imaginary.
Suggesting mutations evolve new life kinds makes no more sense than claiming disease promotes good health. Empty rhetoric lacks the mantle of substance once all cosmetic hype, bells, and whistles are taken off the table. Slick diagrams, catchy slogans and colorful imagination doesn’t guarantee scientific respectability. Against impossible odds, evolution attracts minds to the obscenity that some ancient, ancestral, grand pappy fish spawned descendant humanity using mutations harnessed to natural selection.
Truth stands tall in three dimension; it needs no defense.
Falsehood collapses on itself, melting to abstract nothingness when exposed to the scrutiny of hard evidence under the penetrating rays of discovery’s enlightening sun.
Physician Sean Pitman articulates the reality that fossils don’t rank with Mendel’s Law of Genetics in evaluating evolution. “…Interpretations of fossils and the geologic column is not as definitively precise and conclusive as dealing with genetics and the Darwinian mechanism…” 30
Pitman charges that “if Darwinian-style evolution happens or doesn’t happen, it happens or doesn’t happen genetically…The Darwinian mechanism of random mutations combined with natural selection was statistically untenable – dramatically so. Given billions or even trillions of years of time, it was hopelessly inadequate to explain the origin of novel functional biological information…” 30
One scientist endorsing evolution admits, “Various mutations are known to debilitate the nervous system, liver, pancreas, bones, eyes, ears, skin, urinary and reproductive tracts, endocrine system, blood and other features of the circulatory system, muscles, joints, dentition, immune system, digestive tract, limbs, lungs, and almost any other body part you can name.” 31
Louis Bounoure’s blunt analysis indicts evolution as nothing but“a fairy tale for grown-ups. This theory has helped nothing in the progress of science. It is useless.” 32
Ongoing discoveries in the molecular world suggest mutations may prove to be evolution’s monkey wrench, compliments of Gregor Mendel, undermining evolution theory by spilling sand into flawed perceptions of genetic gears.
The late Stephen J. Gould, articulate Harvard biologist, seemed to undercut the core essence of evolution’s synthetic theory with cold-eyed logic: “You don’t,” he advised, “make new species by mutating the species…
“A mutation is not the cause of evolutionary change.” 33
So much for evolution’s iconic lynchpin.
- Richard Milton, Shattering the Myths of Darwinism (Rochester, Vt.: Park Street Press, 1997) 169, 170.
- Richard Lewontin, The Triple Helix (Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press, 2000) 91.
- Lee Spetner, Not by Chance: Shattering the Modern Theory of Evolution, 97-103.
- George Javor, “5,000 Years of Stasis,” (“Genomic Science: 21st Century Threat to 19th Century Superstition,” www.CreationDigest.com, Summer Edition, 2002).
- See Sanja Gupta, CNN Health, “Girl’s mother just had ‘feeling’ something was wrong,” 9-21-2010).
- Army’s Edgewood Chemical Biological Center at Aberdeen Proving Grounds,MD, www.plosone.org/home.action, October 7, 2010.
- Internet, www.beyondbooks.com. “Bacteria and Viruses.”
- Internet, http://en.wikipedia.org/wikl/Epigenetics.
- Lee Spetner, Not by Chance: Shattering the Modern Theory of Evolution, 139, 141.
- Kevin Anderson, “Radio Interview with Dr. Kevin Anderson,” Creation Matters, No. 4 July/August 2004, 1.
- Lee Spetner, Not by Chance: Shattering the Modern Theory of Evolution, 131, 141, 143.
- Lee Spettner, Not by Chance: Shattering the Modern Theory of Evolution, 181, 198.
- Michael Denton, Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, 334, 322.
- Kevin Anderson, “Definition of Evolution,” Anderson@nsric.ars.usda.gov, 9-4-2002, 1.
- Marcia Barinaga, “Tracking Down Mutations That Can Stop the Heart ,” Science 281 (July 3, 1998) 32.
- Rick Weiss, “Defect Tied to Doubling of Risk for Colon Cancer,” The Washington Post, August 26, 1997.
- Tim Friend, “Gene Defect is Linked to Parkinson’s,” USA Today (June 27, 1997) and USA Today, January 17 (180, 2005.
- Josie Glausiusz, “The Genes of 1996,” Discover (January 1997) 36.
- David A. Demick, “The Blind Gunman,” Impact (El Cajon, Calif.: Institute for Creation Research, February, 1999) iv.
- The Star, Ventura, California, June 24, 1997.
- __________, June 24, 1997.
- Reuters, “Genetic Error Causes Rapid-Aging Syndrome,” The Washington Post, Thursday, April 17, 2003, A6.
- Elizabeth Pennsi, “New Gene Found for Inherited Macular Degeneration,” Science 281 (July 3, 1998) 31.
- Daniel C. Weaver, “The River of Life,” Discover (November 1997) 55.
- Karen P. Steel and Steve D. M. Brown, “More Deafness Genes.” Science 280 (May 29, 1998) 1403.
- Rob Stein, “Sex May Rid Us of DNA Flaws,” The Washington Post (February 1, 1999) A9.
- See David Brown, “Scientists Discover 3 More Genes With Links to Alzheimer’s Disease,” The Washington Post, September 7, 2009, A3.
- Mitch Lipka, “Meat Tainted With Deadly Vrus is Being Sold to Consumers,” Consumer Ally, 9-28-2010.
- Liz Szabo, “Report: Just One Cigarette is Bad,” USA Today, December 9, 2010, A-1.
- Sean Pitman, Detecting Design.com, November 20, 2010.
- Robert A. Melashenko, M.D., “Brilliant Code with Inefficiencies and Deficiencies,” excerpt from chapter in unpublished manuscript, 2016, citing Avise, J. PNAS | May 11, 2010 | vol. 107 suppl. 2 | 8969–8976.
- Louis Bounoure The Advocate, 8 March 1984, 17, quoted in The Revised Quote Book, 5.
- Stephen J. Gould, Speech at Hobart College, February 14, 1980, cited by Luther Sunderland, Darwin’s Enigma (El Cajon, California: Master Books, 1984), 106 (emphasis in original) cited by Bert Thompson and Brad Harrub, “National Geographic Shoots Itself in the Foot Again,” (Apologetics Press.Org online report, 2004) 36.


Born in Halifax, Massachusetts, Parris was apprenticed to a carpenter as a young man and later designed and built his own houses. He settled in Boston around 1808, serving in the War of 1812 as a Superintendent in the Corps of Artificers (builders) in Plattsburg, New York. After the war, Parris resumed work as a master-builder, while attempting to establish himself as a professional architect. Due to the lack of architects in America, he taught himself how to draw and design. His architectural commissions included the Wickham-Valentine House (1812) and the Executive Mansion in Richmond, Virginia (1813); and the Nathan Appleton Residence (1818) and Quincy Market (1824-1826) in Boston.
Although Parris had an active architectural practice in the 1820s, architectural commissions declined at the end of the decade, and he sought work with the U.S. government. In 1827 he became a salaried assistant to Loammi Baldwin, Jr., the engineer for the construction of the first two granite dry docks at the federal navy yards in Boston and Norfolk, Virginia. After the docks were mostly completed in 1833, Parris worked for the Board of Navy Commissioners on various projects at the Boston Navy Yard. His Navy projects include a factory for spinning rope (1834-1837) and a sawmill (1837-1840), both at the Boston Navy Yard; and a vaulted gunpowder magazine and marine hospital in Chelsea, Massachusetts (1834-1837). In the late 1830s and 1840s Parris became involved with the design and construction of lighthouses and beacons. His work at the Boston Navy Yard ended in 1844. Three years later he was offered a salaried position as an engineer with the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine. Parris worked until his death at the age of 71 and was buried in Briggs Burying Ground in Pembroke, Massachusetts.


January 5th is National Bird day for the United States and although there are many birds in the nation to be admired, there are also a few birds that are considered “nuisance birds” and can be very pesky. These birds inhabit homes and businesses and can pose health and safety concerns as well as cause damages to a building if they are not dealt with properly. In honor or National Bird day, We thought that this time would be an opportune time to educate our readers on the types on birds that can be controlled, what types of damages can be incurred from nuisance bird infestation, and the humane methods that are used to control these types of birds.
The types of birds that can be controlled are considered invasive birds and are listed below:
*All other types of birds are protected one way or another under the Federal Migratory Bird Act of 1918 and cannot be controlled in any way.
The birds that are described above can cause large amounts of damages to residential and commercial properties. The droppings that these birds can leave on your building or home contain acid that will actually eat away paint or metal. They can also cause fire hazards by clogging an AC or heating unit or your gutter & drains to create a flooding hazard. The mass quantity of droppings can also decrease the curb appeal of your home with its unsightly presence.
Along with damages, nuisance birds also pose health concerns. The main reason is because the droppings that these birds leave behind can create a fungus that can cause respiratory problems in humans. Besides that, the birds carry diseases such as, West Nile virus, hantavirus, and salmonella.
If you are dealing with any types of these birds in your home or business, it is best to call a professional to get this problem dealt with properly. Our staff here at Senske is properly trained to solve any bird problem that you may be experiencing. The humane methods of control that we use are trapping, scare devices, ovo-control, and exclusion.
If you would like to speak with one of our representatives about pest bird control or would like to get a free estimate, please call 1-800-533-6330.


An MRI machine is a fascinating piece of medical imaging equipment. MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, is an instrument that doctors use every day to help diagnose and treat a number of illnesses and conditions. But for those that have never had an MRI scan performed, the machinery can seem a tad daunting. But relax and read through, and you’ll see that there is nothing to fear.
In essence, a MRI machine is a giant magnet. The magnet uses radio signals to create the images that doctors and technicians will use to make medical decisions and consider diagnostic options.
To begin, a technologist will ask that you remove your clothing and use the provided gown to cover yourself. You must remove any jewelry, piercings or electronic devices from your person. These materials can seriously aggravate the machine and distort your results. If you have surgical implants or any type of shrapnel or metal within the body, be sure to make your doctor aware of these details. Also if you are pregnant or think that you may be pregnant, let the doctor know before the test is performed.
Once you are properly attired to have the MRI performed, you will be asked to lie down on your back on the MRI table. Then the table will begin moving you into the chamber, usually feet-first. While in the chamber, you will hear some loud noises such as banging and whirring sounds. These noises should not alarm you, as they are just the machinations of the MRI. The most important aspect of the scan for the patient is to remain very still. Each section of the examined area will take anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes. The patient must remain as still as possible for these interludes as even the slightest movement can distort the image and make the procedure take longer. Doctors Imaging now has software the minimizes motion problems. The exam can take anywhere from an 20 minutes to an hour depending on what needs to be examined and what is found.
If you are claustrophobic or extremely nervous about the exam, ask your doctor if you can be provided with a light sedative to calm your nerves. For some MRI scans, the doctor may ask that contrast be used. Contrast is a material that doctors will administer either through an IV or by mouth so that key areas like tumors and blockages can be highlighted for easier diagnosis. If you have kidney function problems, be sure make your doctor aware before taking contrast. MRIs do not use any radiation so they are safe and relatively painless.
If you other questions or concerns, let your doctor or technician know before the exam. The key to remaining healthy is to have the best imaging results and the most information available as possible.
If you’re looking to get your first MRI in the Metairie or New Orleans area, come to Doctors Imaging, where we’re concerned about quality patient care. You can schedule your MRI appointment online or via phone at 504-883-8111.


20 January 2016
Three new videos highlight the outcomes of a NERP research project, which worked to explore the science behind Kakadu National Park’s highly productive and diverse ecosystems.
What underpins the productivity of Kakadu’s wetlands
Professor Stuart Bunn from Griffith University provides an overview of the project, which provided a better understanding of the importance of floodplains to freshwater biodiversity in northern Australia to inform water resource management. Dr Bunn also talks about the implications of the research and why maintaining hydrologic connectivity is critical for the maintenance of biodiversity in tropical floodplain systems.
Flooding, algae and Kakadu food webs
In this video, senior research fellow Doug Ward from Griffith University discusses the information which helped researchers to identify which floodplain areas are ‘hotspots’ for supporting food webs. Dr Ward talks about satellite images, which were taken at different times of the year, to work out which floodplain areas are inundated, how much water they are holding and for how long. The video also highlights the importance of epiphytic algae as a higher quality food source and the conditions and locations where it grows best.
The importance of fish movement on Kakadu floodplains
Hub researchers studied the movements of two large-bodied fish – Barramundi and Salmon Catfish. In this video, Charles Darwin University Associate Professor David Crook explains why they wanted to explore the importance of fish movement as a means of understanding the transport of energy from floodplains and estuaries into freshwater fish populations.
Want to know more about the Resilient Landscapes Hub's activities and our research into practical solutions to environmental problems? Stay informed about activities, research, publications, events and more through the Hub newsletter.


Author: Ellen Levine
Illustrator: Kadir Nelson
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: 2007
Genre/Format: Biography/Picture Book
Summary: This books tells a story of the Underground Railroad about Henry, a man who grows up in slavery but escapes slaver by mailing himself in a box to freedom.
What I Think: This book is an extraordinary example of text and artwork working together to make an unforgettable book. Henry's story is heart-wrenching: he grows up a slave, is sold when his parents have died, and then after he is married with two kids, they are sold and he finds himself alone and distraught. I can't believe that he actually climbed into a box and asked to be nailed in and sent north. The unbelievable-ness of the story makes it so memorable by itself. For me, the illustrations made it even more etched in my memory. The artwork is stunning and Kadir Nelson does an amazing job of using the illustrations to really convey the mood and feelings from the text.
I have been committed myself to read more nonfiction this year and finding books like this one has been really exciting for me. I especially love nonfiction picture books that bring history to life and encourage kids to think like this book does.
Read Together: K - 12
Read Alone: 3 - 12
Read With: My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Christine King Farris, Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport, Copper Sun by Sharon Draper, Chains and Forge by Laure Halse Anderson
Snatch of Text:
“’No!’ cried Henry
He couldn’t think.
He couldn’t work.
‘Twist that tobacco!’
The boss poked Henry.
Henry twisted tobacco
leaves. His heart twisted
in his chest.”Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Asking Questions, Making Predictions
Writing Strategies to Practice: Expository, Personal Narrative
Writing Prompts: Explain what the Underground Railroad was and how it worked. Write about a time in your life when you or someone you know has felt hopeless and what you did.
Topics Covered: Slavery, Family, Despair, Love, Courage, Creativity
Translated to Spanish: No


Ten Things You Didn’t Know About the Fourth of July
The secret history of our nation’s greatest holiday!
The first Independence Day celebrations weren’t held on July 4.
The colonists waited until July 25, 1776 instead. Celebrations took place in Williamsburg, Virginia; Trenton, New Jersey; and New York City. Residents of the first two cities had parades; New Yorkers, who were pretty tough even in those days, decided to melt a lead statue of the British King George III to make bullets.
The father of our country didn’t mind a little booze.
For the celebration in 1778, George Washington issued a double allowance of rum to each of his soldiers. It’s not known if he issued any to himself. But if he did, he deserved it.


Addiction is a disease that affects both the brain and behavior. As a chronic disease, those suffering from addiction can’t simply stop using drugs for a few days and be cured. Most patients need long-term or repeated care to stop using completely and recover their lives. Successful treatment has several steps:
- detoxification (the process by which the body rids itself of a drug)
- behavioral counseling
- medication (for opioid, tobacco, or alcohol addiction)
- evaluation and treatment for co-occurring mental health issues such as depression and anxiety
- long-term follow-up to prevent relapse
A range of care with a tailored treatment program and follow-up options can be crucial to success. Treatment should include both medical and mental health services as needed. Follow-up care may include community- or family-based recovery support systems.
- Twenty-three million Americans are currently addicted to alcohol and/or other drugs. Only one in 10 of them (2.6 million) receives the treatment they need. The result: a treatment gap of more than 20 million Americans. (Partnership for Drug Free Kids)
- Based on the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) estimates, approximately 12% of State residents age 12 and older experience a substance use disorder (addiction or abuse) annually. Statewide, over 1.9 million New Yorkers (1.77 million adults and 156,000 youth ages 12-17) have a substance abuse problem.
- According to research that tracks individuals in treatment over extended periods, most people who get into and remain in treatment stop using drugs, decrease their criminal activity, and improve their occupational, social, and psychological functioning. (SAMHSA)
- Screening and treatment is not integrated into the health care delivery system. Less than seven percent of those receiving treatment were referred by another health provider. (Partnership for Drug Free Kids)


It comes close to the Sun at the perihelion passage, with a distance
of 0.5-0.6 A.U. But the brightening and fading is rapid even around
the perihelion passage.
The light curve is strongly asymmetric to the perihelion passage.
Before the perihelion passage, the brightness evolution is extremely
rapid along a 30 log r formula, and the comet becomes bright in a
short time. After the perihelion passage, the fading is along a 15 log
r formula, somewhat slower than the brightening.
Kazuo Kinoshita's calculation revealed that it passes near by Earth
and Jupiter frequently, but the shape of the orbit does not change so
Kazuo Kinoshita's calculation revealed that it will pass only within
0.1 A.U. from the Earth in 2011 August and 2017 February. The
approaches will happen about 1 month and a half after the perihelion
passage. So the comet will be diffuse but very bright.


Nichols, WJ, JA Seminoff, C Lockwood and L Jimenez. Sea turtles, science and surfing: riding the Internet from the classroom to the field. Submitted paper, Proceedings of the 17th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation, Orlando, Florida, March 1997. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-415.
The Internet can provide a powerful means for biologists to share and communicate their findings with teachers and students. Teachers find that when students have access to "real" data, the students' learning experience is enriched. In this collaborative effort we have made satellite tracking data from a loggerhead turtle available on the Internet and have encouraged teachers to incorporate it into their curriculum. The project has been used across curricula to teach geography, math, biology, and art in several schools around the country. The educational potential for such student-scientist collaboration is without limits.
On the 10th of August 1996 a loggerhead turtle, "Adelita", was equipped with a Telonics ST-3 satellite transmitter and released into the Pacific Ocean off of Baja California. Since that day, her position data have been made available to students and teachers via the Internet. The homepage of the Coastal Conservation Foundation has posted and updated her position weekly along with regular comments on her behavior. A link to the Turtle Trax homepage provides a map depicting her track across the Pacific Ocean. Hundreds of teachers and tens of thousands of school children have joined the project via the Internet. Many teachers have developed creative approaches to integrating this turtle into their curricula.
BIOLOGICAL CONTEXT IN BRIEF
The presence of juvenile loggerhead turtles along the coast of Baja California has long been an enigma: the closest known nesting beach for loggerheads is over 6,000 miles away in Japan. Recently biologists discovered that Baja California's turtles are genetically similar to those from Japan and Australia, thus supporting the theory of a trans-Pacific migration (Bowen et al., 1995). Only two flipper tag returns are known that support this theory, one from a turtle released in Japan and found in California (Uchida and Teruya, 1991) and another from a turtle released in Baja California and found in Japan (Resendiz et al., in press). In an attempt to shed some light on the trans-Pacific migration of loggerhead turtles we satellite tagged "Adelita". Since her release, "Adelita" has traveled more than 3,000 miles and recently crossed the International Date Line. The full results of this satellite telemetry project will be presented at next year's symposium.
By tracking this turtle, students not only learn about sea turtles but about marine conservation, oceanography, charting techniques, data analysis, algebra and a variety of other topics. This collaboration exposes students to the entire scientific process: asking questions, gathering information, developing hypotheses, analyzing data, and learning about uncertainty. Several schools have begun an interdisciplinary study of sea turtles which involves their science, art, geography, language arts, and math classes. This has resulted in a more complete appreciation of the marine environment. Other teachers are using this data to create semester-long Solution-Based Learning projects. Students from all over the planet interact with biologists and each other through e-mail, answering questions and sharing information. The results have been that uninvolved students have become motivated, students are excited about learning, many students stay after school to learn more about biology, and a positive, pro-nature virtual community has been created.
We have plans to increase the number of turtles being tracked by our research program. As that occurs, those turtles' tracks will also be posted on the Internet. Sycamore Junior High School and several other schools have been raising funds to sponsor one of those tags. It is our hope that other scientists will open their projects to teachers for the betterment of education, to help our children explore nature, and in the long run to help conserve sea turtles and their environment.
We would like to thank Antonio and Bety Resendiz for their Herculean efforts to protect the turtles of Baja California, Richard Byles and the USFWS for providing the satellite tag, Bob Snodgrass, Martin Arce, and Dana Lowry for logistical support prior to and during the release, Bill Savary for his technical support, Turtle Trax for mapping "Adelita"'s progress, and the teachers and students who have made this project lots of fun.
Bowen, B.W., F.A. Abreu-Grobois, G.H. Balazs, N. Kamezaki, C.J. Limpus, and R.J. Ferl. 1995. Trans-Pacific migrations of the loggerhead sea turtle demonstrated with mitochondrial DNA markers. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 92:3731-3734.
Resendiz, A., B. Resendiz, W.J. Nichols, J.A. Seminoff, N. Kamezaki. In press. First confirmed east-west transPacific movement of a loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta, released in Baja California, MÃ©xico. Pacific Science.
Uchida, S. and H. Teruya. 1991. Transpacific migration of a tagged loggerhead, Caretta caretta. Uchida, I. ed., International Symposium on Sea Turtles in Japan. Himeji City Aquarium, Himeji City, Japan. pp 169-182.
INTERNET SEA TURTLE TRACKING SITES
Caribbean Conservation Corporation
Recent research has confirmed what many boaters already know – you experience emotional, behavioral... continue
TORONTO, July 9, 2018 /CNW/ - According to the National Marine Manufacturers... continue


In this article, we will share Microbiology For Dummies 1st Edition PDF with you. So, let’s start with the book description.
Microbiology is a fascinating field that explores life down to the tiniest level. Did you know that your body contains more bacteria cells than human cells? It’s true. Microbes are essential to our everyday lives, from the food we eat to the very internal systems that keep us alive. These microbes include bacteria, algae, fungi, viruses, and nematodes. Without microbes, life on Earth would not survive. It’s amazing to think that all life is so dependent on these microscopic creatures, but their impact on our future is even more astonishing. Microbes are the tools that allow us to engineer hardier crops, create better medicines, and fuel our technology in sustainable ways. Microbes may just help us save the world.
Microbiology For Dummies 1st Edition PDF is your guide to understanding the fundamentals of this enormously-encompassing field. Whether your career plans include microbiology or another science or health speciality, you need to understand life at the cellular level before you can understand anything on the macro scale.
- Explore the difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
- Understand the basics of cell function and metabolism
- Discover the differences between pathogenic and symbiotic relationships
- Study the mechanisms that keep different organisms active and alive
You need to know how cells work, how they get nutrients, and how they die. You need to know the effects different microbes have on different systems, and how certain microbes are integral to ecosystem health. Microbes are literally the foundation of all life, and they are everywhere. Microbiology For Dummies will help you understand them, appreciate them, and use them.
Microbiology For Dummies 1st Edition PDF Free Download
Table of Contents:
Microbiology and You
Microbiology: The Young Science
Microbes: They’re Everywhere and They Can Do Everything
Understanding Cell Structure and Function
Making Sense of Metabolism
Getting the Gist of Microbial Genetics
Measuring Microbial Growth
Appreciating Microbial Ancestry
Harnessing Energy, Fixing Carbon
Comparing Respiration and Fermentation
Uncovering a Variety of Habitats.
Meet the Prokaryotes
Say Hello to the Eukaryotes
Examining the Vastness of Viruses.
Understanding Microbes in Human Health
Putting Microbes to Work: Biotechnology.
Fighting Microbial Diseases.
Teasing Apart Communities.
Ten (or So) Diseases Caused by Microbes.
Ten Great Uses for Microbes
Ten Great Uses for Microbiology.
Robbins Basic Pathology 9th Edition PDF Free Download
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In this article, we will share Microbiology For Dummies 1st Edition PDF with you. So, let’s start with the book description. Book Description: Microbiology is a fascinating field that explores life down to the tiniest level. Did you know that your body contains more bacteria cells than human cells? It’s true. Microbes are essential to
The post Microbiology For Dummies 1st Edition PDF Free Download appeared first on Med Syndicate.
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Cilantro and Green Onions (Scallions) tend to be infested with aphids, thrips and other insects. Please check “Special Instructions” below for instructions on insect inspection.
3 cups quinoa, cooked and cooled
3 yellow and 2 red sweet bell peppers, quartered
2 zucchini cut into long strips
1 red onion, cut into thick rings
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
While quinoa is cooking, grill the zucchini and bell peppers on a well-oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals until slightly softened, about 4 minutes on each side. If you prefer, grill the vegetables in a well oiled ridged grill pan. Cut bell peppers and zucchini crosswise into thin strips. Cut the onion rings into quarters. In a small bowl whisk together the oil, lime juice, soy sauce, and cumin. Place the quinoa in a large bowl, stir in the bell peppers, cilantro, green onions, and salt and pepper to taste. Decorate the top with pine nuts. If making ahead of time donâ€™t add the pine nuts until just ready to serve. Serve at room temperature.Fresh Herbs and Insect Infestation: Fresh herbs, including basil, cilantro, dill, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary and thyme, are often used as spices or garnishing. Aphids, thrips and other insects may often be found on the leaves and stems of these herbs. Insects tend to nestle in the crevices between the leaves and branches of herbs. These insects can curl up and stick to the leaf once they come in contact with water. Recommendation: In order to determine if a particular bunch of herbs is infested prior to washing, bang it several times over a white cloth. This is most important when checking oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme. If only one or two insects are found, proceed with the steps below. If three or more insects are detected in a particular bunch of herbs, it should not be used. Inspection: 1. Soak herbs in a solution of cold water and vegetable wash. The proper amount of vegetable wash has been added when some bubbles are observed in the water. (In the absence of vegetable wash, several drops of concentrated non-scented liquid detergent may be used. However, for health reasons, thoroughly rinse off the soapy solution.) 2. Agitate the herbs in the soapy water, in order to loosen the sticking excretion of the bugs. 3. Using a heavy stream of water, thoroughly wash off the soap and other foreign matter from the herbs. 4. Check both sides of each leaf under direct light. 5. If one or two insects are found, rewash the herbs. 6. If any insects are found after repeating the agitation process twice, the entire bunch must be discarded. Scallions or Green Onions Insect Infestation: Light green or brown thrips may occasionally be found between the green branches where they protrude from the bulb. Less frequently, they can be found crawling on the outside or inside of the long green shoots. Inspection: 1. A vertical cut should be made from the top of the scallion’s green shoot to the bottom of the bulb. Examine three scallions from each bunch, paying careful attention to the area between the branches that protrude from the bulb. 2. If no insects are found, wash thoroughly under a heavy stream of water or power hose and use. 3. If insects are found in a scallion, the entire bunch must be checked. The affected scallion must be discarded.


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- Art.Nr./ISBN: 9781565913431
- Verlag: Hollym
- Jahr: 2014
- Einband: Softcover
- Seitenzahl: 168
- Sprache: English
- Medientyp: Book
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Establishment of Korean Theater’s Identity
Korean Theater from the 1970s up to the Present
The 1970s in Korea were times to begin to see the establishment of Korean theater’s identity and development of contemporary characteristics in terms of theatrical aesthetics. This book examines Korean theater from the 1970s up to the present. The focus of this volume attempts to examine original Korean plays written and staged by Koreans, as opposed to translated works. This book opts to illustrate the narrative of contemporary Korean theater based on each decade from the 1970s to 2000s. It is because in consideration of the phases of change with regard to theater or sociocultural aspects in Korea, which shows natural demarcation by each decade.
Korean theatre prior to the 1970s is outlined in chapter one. Real theater culture in the Western sense began in Korea towards the end of the 19th century, and Korean theater up until the 1960s largely revolved around the imports and imitation of modern plays from the West. In chapter two deals with Korean theater in 1970s. The 1970s were a period featuring the recovery of theatrical identity and enthusiasm for experimental styles. Modernization of tradition is a recurring theme for contemporary theater in Korea this time. The chapter three deals with 1980’s Korean theaters as a symbol of political resistance which engulfed in the anti-dictatorship movement. The chapter four introduces Korean theater of the 1990s which embroiled into the waves of postmodernism: the sense of liberation in sensual images and deconstructive wit, body and object. In chapter five is about the plays that returned to the fundamentals of language and text emerged on the stage to depict daily life in the smallest details.
As Korean original theaters replaced translations since 1970s, the major factors behind this change in trend are as follows: increased interest in unfair social realities and the active expression of the desire to portray the lives of the general public. Although the theatrical scene in Korea now has problems on its bipolarization and the attenuation of small-scale original theater produced by private theater groups, Korean theater culture will play the role to overcome such problems and to make creative streams.


[L1]: In the current climate of debate over the powers–or lack thereof–of the commander-in-chief to unilaterally impose his will, it is a good time to revisit that time another Republican president took it upon himself to strip away a constitutional right by the stroke of his pen. The year was 1861 and the president was Abraham Lincoln, who, as the Civil War raged, suspended the right of habeas corpus, a move summarily struck down in Ex Parte Merryman, our case of the week.
A Maryland farmer named John Merryman was roused from his bed at two am by federal troops, arrested and taken prisoner, and held at Fort McHenry-all without a warrant. An attorney, learning of his plight, petitioned the federal Circuit Court in Maryland for a writ of habeas corpus, an order which would compel Merryman’s captors to bring him before the Court and justify his arrest and detention. Acting as a circuit judge at that time was Roger B. Taney of Dred Scott infamy, who was also the chief justice of the US Supreme Court. Justice Taney issued the writ, ordering Merryman to be brought to his court the following day. Instead of Merryman, the court clerk delivered a message from Ft. McHenry. The message from General Cadwalder, Commander of Ft. McHenry, declined to come to court or to produce Merryman. The General further explained that, per President Lincoln, military officers were permitted to suspend the writ of habeas corpus if deemed necessary. “This is a high and delicate trust,” wrote General Codwalder, referring to himself in the third person, “and it has been enjoined upon him that it should be executed with judgment and discretion, but he is nevertheless also instructed that in times of civil strife, errors, if any, should be on the side of the safety of the country”. (Imagine that; a president taking unilateral action erring on the side of safety of the country, rather than individual liberties? The more things change…). Justice Taney was not impressed by the presidential dictate, and issued a written opinion declaring the president’s authority to suspend habeas corpus, a power he believed to be designated to congress by the Constitution, null and void. Said Taney:
The short term for which he is elected, and the narrow limits to which his power is confined, show the jealousy and apprehension of future danger which the framers of the constitution felt in relation to that department of the government, and how carefully they withheld from it many of the powers belonging to the executive branch of the English government which were considered as dangerous to the liberty of the subject; and conferred (and that in clear and specific terms) those powers only which were deemed essential to secure the successful operation of the government.
President Lincoln did not accept Taney’s ruling and spoke out about it fervently. He continued suspending the writ when he deemed it necessary, and in 1863 received congressional permission to suspend habeas corpus for the duration of the war, prompting Justice Taney to despair that the Supreme Court would “ever again be restored to the authority and rank which the Constitution intended to confer upon it.”
[L2]: The Kansas Supreme Court rules that the smell of weed justifies the warrantless search of your home- as detected by a human, not a K-9, in case you wondered. If that seems reasonable, you might be interested to know that, in the underlying case, the weed in question was 25 grams of raw marijuana, inside a Tupperware container, inside a safe, inside a closet.
[L3]: A jury in California has issued the ultimate punishment to the Mongols Motorcycle Club: they have been stripped of their trademarked logo. H/T Kenneth Duel for the link.
[L4]: If you are surprised that the alleged outlaw biker gang has a trademark, you may also be surprised to learn of the litigiousness of the Mongols’ rival gang, the Hell’s Angels.
[L5]: In other intellectual property news, the popular video game Red Dead Redemption 2 is on the wrong end of a legal fight with Pinkerton Consulting and Investigations over the game’s depiction of Pinkerton as old-west villains.
[L6]: Love conquers all, including government shut downs: DC’s “Love Act” permits the issuance of marriage licenses to continue, despite the government closure.
[L7]: Foie gras remains verboten in California after a 9th Circuit review of a challenge on the 2012 ban. The law was implemented due to the force-feeding process used to produce the delicacy.
[L8]: In a rare feat, Duke Law grads had a 100% passage rate for the July 2018 California Bar Exam: All 25 grads who sat for the exam passed. This is especially impressive given that the over all failure rate for the notoriously difficult California Bar Exam was nearly 60%.
[L9]: A man who was accidentally locked in a Burger King bathroom for over an hour was promised free food for life from the manager. When the regional manager found out and put the kibosh on the deal, the man sued for what he calculated to be the value of a lifetime of free meals-taking into account a shortened life-span due to his love of fast food.
[L10]: In other Burger King news, an Illinois lawyer faces federal extortion charges for trying to strong arm the fast food chain into retaining his services. The lawyer, also a Chicago Alderman, asked BK to hire his firm in exchange for lifting a “stop work” order he had issued to renovations in one of their restaurants.
OK, I laughed:


Article : Maryland Looks to the Sea for Cheaper Power
Maryland Looks to the Sea for Cheaper Power
''Offshore wind farms have the potential to provide Maryland with upwards of 50 percent of its energy,'' says the Maryland chapter of the Sierra Club.
Because of federal tax credits and renewable-energy mandates in 29 states, wind farms in the U.S. are growing. The new focus is on offshore wind farms, as offshore winds are stronger and more consistent that onshore breezes.
Maryland, with the support of Gov. Martin O’Malley, has proposed the Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013 (SB 275). The initial project would only power 61,600 Maryland homes, but the legislation has been touted as the first step in building extensive wind farms off the Maryland coast. Gov. O’Malley believes an off-shore wind farm industry would create thousands of new jobs. A $1.50 a month surcharge on Maryland utility customers would help pay for the first wind farm off Ocean City.
Because of better designs like longer blades and taller turbines, in addition to other new technology, wind farms are moving toward being cheaper to build than new coal or gas power stations. That is already the case in Australia, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Wind farms in Australia generate electricity at the equivalent U.S. dollar rate of $82.41 per megawatt-hour, whereas new coal plants there cost $181.30 per MWh.
While building coal-fired power stations remains relatively cheap in China, Brazilian government studies report contract bids for new wind farms over the past five years have been less that building new fossil-fueled power stations.
According to the Global Wind Energy Council in Brussels, the amount of wind capacity installed worldwide rose 19 percent in 2012.


A New York Times article on the Year in Ideas features an idea about zombie science.
Philip Munz, a graduate student at Carleton University in Ottawa, an apparent fan of zombie genre films, realized that people who get bitten by zombies could be regarded as a classic paradigm of infectious spread. Munz applied the tools of epidemiology to the potential public health crisis of a zombie outbreak using the George Romero rules of zombification.
Munz, along with a professor and two other graduate students built a mathematical model of a city of one million residents in which an outbreak occurs when a single zombie arrives in town. In this model, people turn into zombies with 24 hours of infection, and don't always realize they are infected. The results were bleak.
"After 7 to 10 days, everyone was dead or undead," Munz says. Even quarantining the zombies only bought a few extra days of survival, and a cure might only save as few as 10-15% of the population (which could still be rezombified). The only winning solution relied on an immediate policy of "eradication," then the zombies can be beaten.
I suspect Mr. Romero feels chuffed that his classic remedy for a zombie epidemic is the best choice.


|The one pretty clear cut case is when
one candidate beats all of the others. This case even has a special name;
a candidate who beats all of the others is the Condorcet winner.
(Named after the Marquis de Condorcet, who, like Borda, was an 18th
As you might guess, a big problem with using Condorcet winners is that
they often don't exist. Consider this very simple example with just three
candidates A, B, and C.
Using this table of preferences, suppose the election is between
just A and B. Fill in the number of votes each candidate will get.


ANNE GREENE here. Women served in other areas than test piloting wounded and repaired planes to be sent back into the war. For an exciting read about such women pilots, the WASPs, order my book, ANGEL WITH STEEL WINGS soon available on Amazon. LEAVE A COMMENT AND GAIN A CHANCE TO WIN A FIRST AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ANGEL WITH STEEL WINGS.
During WWII, women became nurses to get into the action. The Army and Navy Nurse Corps recruited 74,000 women throughout the war. Where ever men fought the war, nurses ministered.
Nurses worked close to the front lines. They served under fire in field hospitals and evacuation hospitals, on hospital trains and hospital ships, and as flight nurses on medical transport planes. Their skill contributed to the low mortality rate among American servicemen. Fewer than four percent of soldiers who received medical care in the field died from wounds or disease.
After the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaiian hospitals were overwhelmed with hundreds of casualties. The blood-spattered entrance stairs led to hallways where wounded men lay on the floor awaiting surgery. Nurses faced shortages of instruments, suture material, and sterile supplies. Doctors performing major surgery passed scissors back and forth from one table to another. Doctors and nurses used cleaning rags as face masks and operated without gloves.
The Japanese attacked US troops stationed in the Philippines on 8 December, where one hundred nurses served. They bombed planes, barracks, and field shops. The hospital escaped damage, but the large number of casualties overwhelmed the small staff. Japanese forces landed on the main island of Luzon and approached the city of Manila. All the nurses stationed outside Manila reached the city except for two nurses stranded at Camp John Hay, who became prisoners of the Japanese.
The Manila nurses evacuated to the island of Corregidor. The Japanese bombed the Hospital at Corregidor, scoring a direct hit on the wards and killing or seriously wounding more than one hundred patients. A nurse remembered the force of the bomb. "The sergeant pulled me under the desk, but the desk was blown into the air, and he and I with it. I heard myself gasping. My eyes were being gouged out of their sockets, my whole body felt swollen and torn apart by the violent pressure. Then I fell back to the floor, and the desk landed on top of me and bounced around. The sergeant knocked it away from me, and gasping for breath, bruised and aching, sick from swallowing the smoke from the explosive, I dragged myself to my feet." An appalling sight met her eyes. Patients blown out of their beds. Bodies and severed limbs hung from tree branches. Although the nurses expected more air attacks, they carried on.
With surrender inevitable, as many nurses as possible evacuated to Australia. Sixty-seven nurses became prisoners of war until U.S. troops liberated them in February 1945.
Sixty nurses attached to the 48th Surgical Hospital climbed over the side of a ship off the coast of North Africa and down an iron ladder into small assault boats. They wore helmets and carried full packs. Only their Red Cross arm bands and lack of weapons distinguished them from fighting troops. They waded ashore on D-day of Operation TORCH with the assault troops and huddled behind a sand dune while enemy snipers took potshots at anything that moved. They moved to an abandoned civilian hospital, where they cared for casualties. There was no electricity or running water, and the only medical supplies available were those the nurses brought. The hospital remained under sporadic sniper fire. Doctors operated under flashlights held by nurses. There were not enough beds, wounded soldiers lay on a concrete floor in pools of blood. The only sedatives available were the ones that the nurses carried with them during the landing.
Two hundred nurses lost their lives in service to their country. By war's end, nurses received 1,169 medals and citations. Some received the Purple Heart for outstanding performance.
When the war ended, nurses returning to civilian life brought home valuable
Would you be interested in reading a book about Army Flight Nurses? Leave a comment for a chance to win an autographed copy of ANGEL WITH STEEL WINGS.
ANGEL WITH STEEL WINGS is a World War II romance where Steel Magnolias meet Band of Brothers. While doing her part test flying planes, Mandy McCabe escapes her dead-end life in Hangman’s Hollow, Tennessee as a Woman Air Service Pilot, WASP. Can she escape from her past? Major Harvey Applegate lost his wife to the WASP program, and he’s convinced Yankee Doodle Gals have no place flying in the war effort. He determines to protect the remaining ladies by sending them packing back to the home front. Both Mandy and Harvey experience immediate attraction, which increases Harvey’s desire to send Mandy home to safety. Can a man burdened with memories of death undertake added danger? Will their new love survive the test? One love. Two goals. Someone has to give.
ANNE GREENE delights in writing about alpha heroes who aren’t afraid to fall on their knees in prayer, and about gutsy heroines. She writes both historical and suspense novels. She and her hero husband, Army Special Forces Colonel Larry Greene, have visited twenty-five countries. A visit to Scotland resulted in her award-winning Scottish historicals, Masquerade Marriage and Marriage By Arrangement. Moody Press published her first book, Trail of Tears, an American historical. A Texas Christmas Mystery also won awards. Elk Lake Publishing contracted two series. Her Women of Courage Series spotlights heroic women of World War II. The first book, Angel With Steel Wings, releases May 2015. The second series, Holly Garden, PI, has the first book, Holly Garden, PI, Red Is For Rookie, releasing June 2015. Anne makes her home in McKinney, Texas. Two of her four children live nearby. Her highest hope is that her stories transport the reader to an awesome new world and touch hearts to seek a deeper spiritual relationship with the Lord Jesus. To learn more of Anne, visit her at http://www.AnneGreeneAuthor.com. She writes a novel teaching class on her blog www.anneswritingupdates.blogspot.com


June 7th, 2017
Five Tips For Setting Up a Computer Monitor
Certified ergonomist Michael Hoonhorst shares tips on how to adjust your computer monitor in the video below.
When setting up your monitor, be sure to adjust it accordingly:
- The height should be at or slightly below eye-level.
- Place it about an arm’s length away.
- Center the monitor directly in front you.
- Adjust the angle to avoid glare.
- If wearing bifocals, lower the monitor to the work surface and tilt it back.


Movie A-2. Shortening experiment
2019-12-18T14:23:28Z (GMT) by
Movie showing the cross-sectional evolution of structures in the brittle-viscous domain. In contrast to the brittle domain, the thrust belt in the brittle-viscous domain is wider and lower. Viscous material is advected along forward thrusts with progressive deformation. Each section represents a 2 mm thick X-ray computed tomography (CT) slice parallel to the shortening direction. Initial width of the model was 27 cm; initial height was 3 cm. Shortening increment between frames is 1 cm. Viscous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) = dark grey, quartz sand = medium grey, corundum sand = light grey.


The five-point health check for dogs
Remember to examine all five areas in your dog:
Weigh your dog regularly, at least once per month. You can also monitor changes in body weight by scoring your dog's body condition using the Waltham® S.H.A.P.E.™ guide.
If your dog is slightly overweight, you need to make sure that you account for all sources of calories as part of the daily intake, including treats. Feeding guidelines printed on packages are broad by design, because they cover a wide range of sizes and breeds of dogs. They are an estimate of what the average dog requires based on his body weight. Adjust your dog's daily intake of food according to his body condition (eg. reducing if he is overweight, increasing if he is underweight). You may also want to consider feeding a lower calorie weight management diet. If your dog is moderately to severely overweight, discuss the need for a weight reduction program with your veterinarian. Implement an exercise program for your dog, starting slowly with short activity periods and gradually increasing the exercise time.
Coat and Skin
The coat should feel smooth from head to tail. Part the fur near the head and along the spine to check for flakes, scales or cuts. Check for the signs of fleas -black flakes or specks - at the base of the tail and on the rump and stomach. Dogs with a dull or matted coat may not be receiving all necessary nutrients, or may have a disease condition. Fleas can he treated with dips, shampoos and sprays.
Eyes and Ears
Gently pull down the lower eyelid to check for a pink colour. The whites of the eye should be glossy white with no redness. Look for normal pupil size and responsiveness of the pupil to light. Watch for coloured discharge, which can be a sign of infection.
Ears should appear clean, pink in colour (not bright pink), and free of debris and strong odours. Check for wax, especially dark wax, which may indicate the presence of ear mites or infection. Problems with eyes and ears should be a reason to visit your veterinarian.
Teeth and Gums
Lift your dog's lips away from his gums, and press a finger firmly over an upper tooth. When taken away, the white colour of the finger imprint on the gum should return to pink. Open the dog's mouth to inspect all his teeth. Beware of tartar build-up, which is yellow to dark brown in colour, and can lead to periodontal disease. This should be removed by a veterinarian. Regular veterinary dental cleaning along with specially designed pet toothbrushes and toothpaste and chew snacks designed to help reduce plaque and tartar build-up.
Check for unusual lumps or bumps by placing both hands on top of your dog's head and moving down under the chin. Next, move your hands behind the front legs, under the shoulders, down the back, over the hips, and down the legs. Inspect your dog's claws and footpads for cuts or cracks. Report unusual lumps to a veterinarian, or plaque and tartar accumulation, gingivitis and malodor.


How does social media affect our lives today? Discuss
Social media definitely affects our lives today, don’t you think? Social media consists of websites and applications that enable us to create and share content, and also communicate. Social media itself has positive aspects, for instance online education including the news and informative websites; it also has many negative aspects such as a rise to cyberbullying and a lack of sleep. Study shows that most of these issues are mostly targeted at teenagers, which is also a problem ...view middle of the document...
At least nine out of ten teenagers have internet access in the home, six of these students are using the internet for research and information and eight and a half of the ten students are using the internet for communication consisting of Facebook, Skype and many more. Despite the fact that social media can be useful, the negative aspects of social media definitely overshadow the positive.
Firstly, a lack of sleep has a large impact on the society today, especially on teenagers. Most people do not get enough sleep because they are up all night studying, working or just having fun. On the other hand, going without adequate sleep may result in both short and long term consequences. In the short term, lack of sleep judgment, mood, and ability to learn and retain information and will definitely increase the risk of serious injuries. In the long term, chronicle sleep may lead to a host of health problems such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and maybe even early mortality. Study has shown that people who have a stable sleeping pattern are at a high risk of having a number of diseases or health problems.
Secondly, the internet has had a rise to cyberbullying