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Resource Area For teaching (RAFT) recently honored two Bay Area educators with the Hands On Recognition Awards for their emphasis on hands on teaching methods. Ann Shioji, a high school teacher and Anna Pollack, an elementary school teacher were selected in recognition of their exceptional collaborative and inquiry-based teaching projects and activities in the classroom.
Shioji’s award winning concept explores how sound travels through different media using a simple watch and various materials like air, water and sand. Says Shioji, “Students place a watch on the table and put bags, each filled with a different material, on top of it. They then listen for any difference in the sound and describe what they hear. It reinforces the concept that sound waves need a medium to travel through.”
Shioji, who teaches Integrated Science at the Yerba Buena High School, was introduced to RAFT by another teacher when she came to the Bay Area. “I taught in Los Angeles for three years. We didn’t have anything like RAFT there. Now people say my classroom is like RAFT because I buy a lot of manipulatives there! Thanks to RAFT our school has won a science fair award twice since we have participated. RAFT is affordable and makes science accessible to everyone!”
Anna Pollack, also a RAFT enthusiast, was a practicing pediatrician before choosing to become an elementary school teacher. Her students adore the science background she brings to the classroom. They get to work with microscopes, do real lab work, and test products all in 4th grade! “Children like learning about how living things work. I like working with young kids because of their curiosity and open mind!”
Pollack’s award winning idea nurtured the investigative and scientific observation skills in her students. In this activity, her students at Franklin Elementary School in Burlingame, learnt basic chemistry by differentiating four powders (sugar, salt, cornstarch, and baking soda) using simple RAFT materials like test tubes, droppers, toothpicks and, liquids like water, vinegar and tincture of iodine to arrive at qualitative results.
As Hands-On Recognition Award winners, Ann Shioji and Anna Pollack will receive two years of free RAFT membership and $100 worth of RAFT Gift Cards. The RAFT Hands On Recognition awards were introduced in 2010. RAFT members are invited every quarter to submit a learning project or activity. For more information about the Hands-On award program, go to http://www.raft.net/hands-on-award. |
What is School Self-Evaluation?
SSE is a collaborative, reflective, inclusive process of internal school review. During SSE, the Principal, Deputy Principal and Teachers, under the direction of the Board of Management and the Patron and in consultation with the Parents and Students, engage in reflective enquiry on the work of the school.
School self-evaluation is primarily about school improvement and development.
School self-evaluation enables schools:
- To take the initiative in improving the quality of education that they provide for their students.
- To affirm and build on what is working well.
- To identify areas in need of development and to decide on actions that should be taken to bring about improvements in those areas.
- To report to the school community about the strengths in the work of the school and its priorities for improvement and development.
Teachers reflect on their work and on the learning that their students achieve as part of their daily professional work. For many years schools have used the school development planning process to identify what is working well and what might need to be improved. School self-evaluation is a way in which this process of reflection, improvement and development can take place in a more systematic way.
School self-evaluation places greater emphasis on collecting, examining and sharing evidence about the work of the school when making decisions about what is working well and what areas need to be improved and developed.
School self-evaluation improves students’ learning. Experience in Ireland and in other countries shows that when teachers reflect on their own practice regularly and focus on improving teaching and learning in classrooms, they can improve the learning achieved by students.
School self-evaluation enriches the professional lives of teachers. Teachers who engage in SSE reflect on how they teach and share ideas and questions with their colleagues in a professionally rewarding and supportive way. |
This essential guide to modernist poetry enables readers to make sense of a literary movement that is considered to be difficult and intimidating. Through close examination of poems by T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, W. B. Yeats, and others, the book examines the literary forms and structures, and wider cultural context for modernist poetry, as well as the ideological implications of subject matter, and key techniques, such as diction, rhythm, and allusion. Readers are encouraged to engage with the texts, to form their own interpretations, and to understand that the difficulty of modernist poetry is used to create meaning. Reading Modernist Poetry demonstrates that the ambiguities of the text do not necessarily need to be resolved in favour of one interpretation or another. Rather, readers are encouraged to move away from the question of what a poem says in favour of considering what a poem does. |
Pengaturan Suhu Rumah Tanaman dengan Kontrol Logika Fuzzy
Saptoto, Eko D.
Setiawan, Budi Indra
Iskandar, Marzan A.
MetadataShow full item record
Nowdays, greenhouse is becoming popular in tropical country for plant cultivations, which the main reason is fbrplant protection against unwanted distwbances i.e. from heevy rainfall, wind, pest and so on. Since most of the greenhouse are covered with transparance material such as glass plate, plastic sheet, fiberglass etc., the greenhouse effect will take place accordingly causing a temperature rise that is usually higher than that of the outside. It turns out that this rising temperature becomes a major problem that will have negative effects on the plant growth. This research aims to control the temperature in the greenhouse by applying a Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC), first by maintaining a constant temperature in the greenhouse and secondly, by trying to equalize the temperature in the greenhouse to that of the outside. The experiment was canied.out at a small scale with the greenhouse dimension of (1 00 x 120 x 100) c d Heet fnun the greenhouse was expelled using an exhaust fan. The power of the fan was: contfv&d.by the FLC subjected to the real temperaturn changes with time. The results sh~wtha t the FLC could pe~formg oad function of a temperature controller for the greenhouse.. It couM control the temperature in the greenhouse under the expected conditions end explained the energy consumption throughout the process. |
Tempic Field Matrix
[Related Experiment Light Technology
length record was established in Jan 2008 by c_s_s_p group, and the
first measurements were made at 57 deg North in Alaska.
Experimenters [sensitives] worldwide have responded and begun to
record other lengths as they work with these and explore new ones.
Vibrational Rods and Nodal Distances present on the Earth
Vibrations are all around us, we only need identify them to begin.
To determine the fractal octave count one must start cutting resonant
wires. Octaves have segment counts.
you discover a resonant length, you must locate two strong nodes on it.
Cut off exactly one of these segments, take another sensing wire of the
same length and scan the wire for node peaks. Count them. When you cut
off one segment of a resonant vibration rod, the frequency will jump
higher and a new set of nodes will appear at smaller distance apart on
the segment. This is the next higher Octave of vibration. This will be
the base fractal count for the vibration set. 6x means that cutting one
segment will result in 6 new segments forming on the smaller wire and a
frequency shift upwards.
The following have been discovered 5x, 6x, 8x, 12x, 16x. The fractal
system is then identified as an xx fractal system and one will
immediately know that stacking this number of segments will now drop
frequency one octave.
These multiplier functions can be added to the length of any tempic
field vibrational resonant system to raise the frequency to higher
octaves along the entire longer system. The cause multiplicity to
become unequal or interactive, such that there is far less downshift of
the frequency and many more light nodes to appear along the lengths.
While these do not produce the intensity of the primes, they do produce
a very powerful intensity of the field.
12x fractals standard length
times 1.090909090909.... = new length
6x Fractals 1.2
5x fractals 1.25
This is an advanced technique after one is familiar with cutting
resonant rods. It increases the node count tremendously.
Fractals - Natural Gravity Fractals
GL node lengths were
collected from the Iron Golden Light Rods, Alaska
GL rod Linear form lengths
1 x = 1.89745 48.2 ~
2 x = 3.7949 96.390
3 x = 5.684235 144.379
4 x = 7.5898 192.780
5 x = 9.473725 240.6326
6 x = 11.36847 288.759
7 x = 13.263215 336.8856
8 x = 15.1796 385.56184
10.11973 ~ [10 feet 1 - 7/16"]
[3084.49472 mm] Copper Length
- Golden Light Coil
Direct node sensing shows 24 ga wire at 10 feet 1" and 9/16" is closer!
Diamagnetic Node lengths are collected from a fractal breakdown of
Copper coils referencing the length of Lyle Lathems coil - 44.5 feet.
Lathem lengths [diamagnetic materials] These are very accurate as a
copper wire of 44.5 feet is a very long reference.
If used for water, remember this is the actual waters dimension not the
R [reference] = 44.5' = 534"
R/8 = 66.75"
/8 = 8.3475"
/8 = 1.04296875" - 1x
[our unit length reference for diamagnetic nodes]
The chart for diamagnetic materials circumference [Lyles coils are
1x - 1.04296875
2x - 2.0859375
3x - 3.12890625
4x - 4.171875
5x - 5.21484375
6x - 6.2578125
7x - 7.30078125
8x - 8.34375 8 - 11/32"
Now the chart for linear form is the diameter of the above: x /
pi [sets water diameter and water height - square]
1x - .33198
2x - .663974528
3x - .9959617
4x - 1.32794
5x - 1.6599363
6x - 1.99192358
7x - 2.3239108
8x - 2.6558981
[Earth] space / time fabric resonance.
333 Khz vibration [Bashar]
44.29 mm [Dave L]
Measured with F-Gen set to pump out 333,000 Hz [Physical
resonance of space time fabric]
Egyptian Rod - 5x Octave
The Rod of Ra was offered for
consideration, and a great many claims are also accompanying this rod.
Recognized by Count Walewski in New York in the 1920's as something
very special. His study seemed more based on the Spiritual reasons then
the scientific, and groping for a "battery effect" to explain the
conscious effects observed. The effects are far more then a simple
battery can explain however.
I have done some
experiment with this length to discover a few new
perceptions based on the recent rod technology developing and
identification of nodes.
The rods dimensions offered:
5" + 7/8" + .8/32" 1" + .8/8" [approx the diameter of 1"
ID copper tubbing]
Segment Length = 30 mm
Both copper and iron were tested. Rods appear to divide into 5 segments and feel very electric
even if only one is used. Rather then having a radiant light node at
the center these have a central EM or diamagnetic node that is not
radiant [odd number of segments]. If palming hold them off center on
the first light node you sense. The rods seem to work opposite to the 8
segment rods and pull energy into
this physical realm. The rods pull all your conscious energy into the
physical now and into the physical body! They are probably most
effective in physical healing, but more importantly they bring you back into 3rd density.
Set into the pitcher of water they produce powerful effects after 3
days, including numbing and "pains of healing" while freeing joint
motional ranges and bringing a healthy physical state of beingness.
Better then drinking coffee, they are a stimulant for the here and now.
It is my current belief this is the 3rd
and was the one left behind in Egypt for all trying to maintain earths
vibrational level and beings on this present level. It would seem
this may be the only length they wished to leave us, I have found no
other one offered. All the statues were seen to have these in both
hands. If one was using a pyramid to work on ascension, these rods
would be used to re-enter the earth and get one back here stabilized.
If we make it to 4rth density, the golden rods would become valuable in
holding onto that vibration for any who were new to the realm, and did
not wish to slide back to third accidentally.
This rod length is extremely harmonious with the golden light length
also! Once mastered the two can both be used in one device and
will not produce headaches or dissonance.
Claims that do not add up for me:
I question that these need to be made of battery or voltaic dissimilar
metals to be effective. A single copper one offers a strong electric
sensation even without a second rod held. This denotes one wire
electricity rather then conventional EM energy. As well altering the
length is not going to work anymore for a Radiant light to EM
conversion. Diameter is not so important as is maintaining the proper
length. This is not a simple battery, but a Radiant light device, as
the nodes are perfect. Any
explanations based only on voltaic materials used are missing a great
deal of the principles of torsion and tempic field matrix fundamentals.
I have found no one else identifying these rods as having 5 segments,
so it is unlikely these are fully understood at present. I have also
found no mathematical relationship to offer that these rods are related
to the phi ratio in any way I
divide the numbers. Phi is simply not present in the dimension
relationships, and the claims that these are phi related comes up
totally without basis. I believe they are fractal,
and based on a finite length that causes light to break into radiant
nodes of a matrix system of 3rd density. This length was theorized by
myself, but I was not able to perceive it directly. I am very great
full that the connection was made with these and given for our
Conclusions to date:
Do not spend $250 to buy these made for you. Instead buy a pipe
cutter and some copper, aluminum, and iron pipe, and carefully work on
cutting the lengths perfectly. Diameter
is not critical but length is extremely critical. Charge up a
cylindrical pitcher of water by setting the water level the same as the
pipe setting on end at very center, for about three days. Also just
hold them in your hands for a period until the body begins to feel them
strongly. You should be able to sense these as they are the strongest
physical rods I have used to date. As with all the rods there will be a
period of clearing and cleaning, pains and adjustments to a state of
balance. From my perception these are the physical rods, the golden
light is the higher emotional rod.
This new perception may allow these to be used also for alternate
energy work, as now we realize the distance can be multiplied by 5x to
create large coils, as well as platonic form sides that may very well
light up with EM under the correct conditions.
Earth Node Resonance
13.5 cm 4 nodes - copper and
27 cm 8 nodes -
This was discovered over the Garage earth node in the corner of my
workspace. I did quite a lot of sensing the earth and searching out
nodes using this length in copper and got strong results. It was
cut, setting directly over the earth node and matching the vibration. I
fashioned a very large copper tube at 27 cm that produces strong
numbing sensation, and increases when held over these earth nodes.
Three Grids Identified
According to Dave's rod-length's I made tests with my variable rod and
found resonant length's for those fields.
Tube-wound coils with twisted scalar winding are really simple to make
- positioned on the grid lines or grid crossings change the fields in
Hartmann Grid: 108,5cm
Curry Grid: 134,7cm
Water veils: 110,2 cm
For more on earth resonant fractals and platonic vibrations please
visit this page.
Earth Fractal Calculations
Water, Joe Cell, and Hydrogen Resonance
A most intense and high frequency
field. Resonant lengths were cut over a charged Joe Cell.
Joe Cell water resonant lengths:
4.2 cm and 7.2 cm that are radiant very near
the cell were the two strongest lengths found
4.2 in the horizontal planes of motion - This one was felt to be the
hydrogen atom vibration fractal, or some form of it.
7.2 in the vertical direction - This one was sensed to be the Oxygen
atom vibration fractal
Aluminum discs were fabricated having 4.2 cm radius from the center
hole outwards, with standing copper tubes added. This system was noted
to become alive when touching water. These lengths in SS wire also
light up water very fast when inserted to about 1/2" in or more.
The Aluminum creates a fire hot sensation, and this system over a Joe
cell stays hot, while the cell pulls cool.
Lengths were now cut over a running engine
Engine spark resonant lengths, running gasoline:
4.9 cm and 8.4 cm
8.4 in the horizontal, off the side of the top of the heads was
most strong and one can zero in on each spark plug, a
very electric feeling was noted, tingles and numbing up to the elbow
off copper tubes having 1/2" ID diameter. It is thought that the arc of
the plugs emits a tempic field pulse, and this pulse is clearly present
all the way back to the door handles of the car. Using the 8.4 copper
tube gripped in a palm you can feel this for yourself.
We see that we have a match of a double on the cell. 4.2 x 2 = 8.4,
which is one of the strongest engine vibrations. The JC and the engine
do seem to share a common rod vibration length.
The two tests were done independent of one another. I have surmised the
common element in both gasoline and water is probably the Hydrogen
atoms. Evidence is however "intuitively matched" to what the
Hydrogen atom is expected to feel like, based on its particular
qualities. It is the smallest atom, with a diamagnetic field, and
probably the highest frequency, laying right on the edge of matter as
we observe it. Moving smaller we cross to sub matter sized standing
Joe Cell Water Conditioning
Motor Oil Vibration Sensing
It is offered that as an aid to charging Motor Oil faster, a device
probe can be cut to specific length. When immersed in a tube with oil
around it the transfer of torsion would be much faster.
These lengths are suggested as possible applicants as they appear to
resonate with the carbon atoms in all motor oil.
The positive torsion field is now wired directly to the probe, which is
insulated from the engine negative ground.
This probe must contact the oil in the high pressure side of the system.
The positive Torsion field excites the oil which then charges up the
Crank Shaft of the engine as well as circulates through all internal
pistons and rockers etc.under pressure from the oil pump.
180.25 mm is a 2x segment to Couple torsion fields into oil.
90.13mm = 1x
Oil is Penzoil SAE 5w-30
Cut off a SS wire and touch one end into the oil you will feel the
vibration rise up.
Small Fractal sizes for Oil transfer stub
1x 7.51 mm
2x 15.02 mm
3x 22.53 mm
4x 30.04 mm
5x 37.55 mm
6x 45.06 mm
7x 52.58 mm
8x 60.09 mm
9x 67.60 mm
10x 75.11 mm
11x 82.62 mm
1111 function these are amplified female node lengths
1x 7.51 mm x 1.09090909 = 8.194
12x 90.13 mm x 1.09090909 = 98.32
They charge up oil almost instantly. These lengths can also be
multiplied by up to 12x to find appropriate lengths needed.
Palm Chakra and Healing Heat energy
This length is small. It was discovered while playing with Light
Resonant art using the paint program.
Cut a SS wire this length, hold it between two fingers of left hand and
shoot chi through it. This may attune you to the healing hands heat
often felt in the finger tips during Jin Shin Do Acupressure sessions.
Also visit the Resonant Geometry document to see if your computer
monitor will work as well.
Light Resonant Geometry
Bismuth Pi/2 Stack
Quartz Crystal Length
This length was discovered when vibrating up quartz crystals and is a
lot of fun. It seems to work with all quartz crystals so is probably a
fractal of the crystal itself at some very tiny level.
11.475 mm - 11.6 mm [range]
Vibrates up a field in any quartz crystal. SS wire
3x 34.425 mm
7x 80.325 mm
11x 126.225 mm
13x 149.175 mm
Cut the Stainless Steel wire rod a bit long and then slowly grind the
ends flat until you hit resonance around any length on
the chart above.
Hold this rod in a palm and touch any quartz crystal. It is especially
when touching the sphere of RM or the crystal at center of the flower
Quartz to Human Linking Field
Guidance from Ben Malan who contributed this wavelength:
Just to make it clear, the 17.23 mm will be used for “tuning
in” to any frequency/idea/situation, etc. No matter how
Quartz Diagonal Mediator Vibration
7x = 146.02 mm
You may notice if you try this length on a quartz crystal, it will
be felt on both sides of the brain equally.
Harmony Ratio Layering in Quartz
7X Layer Chart pi/2 stack
1 80.325 mm
2 25.944 mm
3 100.552 mm
4 32.476 mm
5 125.871 mm
6 40.654 mm
7 157.567 mm
or 13.131 mm
A strong field can be raised in a quartz sphere using any 3 of these in
BL Blue Light Resonance Lengths
There were two systems located that seem to be coupled to seeing blue
at the pineal.
Fractal 1 16.35 mm The throat pyramid energy form
50 x 1.635 cm = 81.75 cm [centimeters]
This is a good length for a tube of Aluminum
Fractal 2 87.84 mm a 6x system also
Aother good length to construct and hold.
6 x 8.784 cm = 52.704 cm [centimeters]
Fractal 3 The Blue Light of India [Path of the masters]
78.5 cm [centimeters]
8.710 cm - 12 segment fractal [side to side diamond]
The frequency was transmitted to me by Gillian Lee, White
Mountain (firstname.lastname@example.org) We met on JoeCell groups.
Gillian has an exceptional ability to send frequencies using a key code
to release them. I used this to release the frequency into a jar of
water, and then cut a resonant length from the water.
It is a higher frequency then quarts crystal and very pure to sense.
3.63 cm - gold element vibration
Discovered to vibrate up my gold ring. Touch it against any
quantity of gold.
1x 3.63 cm
12x 43.56 cm
24x = 87.12 cm
This is the element with a 50 / 50 balance between light and dark of the vibration system.
It is the most balanced element yet located, with an intense light of radiance.
Element Fractals for the Computer Monitor
Stainless Steel Vibrational Lengths
Vibrant resonant lengths [cm =
SS to water
2.25 cm 2.95
2.85 cm 1.4
cm 2.4 cm
10.00105 cm is the product of all of these resonant lengths [head
SS wire is an excellent material to work with and the above lengths
give a self resonating wire.
It was observed in Alaska using the hot SS lengths on the outer can of
a Joe Cell tend to reverse the polarity of the cell in short order.
Negative voltage will turn outwards. Thus one may want to avoid using
them in JC work. They vibrate up the steel and cause the water to turn
scummy, filling with a dark brown iron precipation which is probably
SS to water
.5 cm 2.4 cm
3.42 cm 3.52 cm 9.1
2x 1 cm 4.8 cm 6.84 cm
4x 2 cm 9.6 cm 13.68
6x 3 cm 14.4 cm
8x 4 cm 19.2 cm
10x 5 cm 24 cm
12x 6 cm
14x 7 cm
16x 8 cm***
It is better to use water resonant lengths that will couple the SS to
the water. These 5 fractals vibrate up the water and seems to
aid the desired JC "inflow" process.
Upper Ionosphere Electric Vibration
Reference this document
There are five lengths of note based on a 6x fractal system.
Torsion Length - 14.195 cm
Balanced Electric Lengths - 7.445 cm short 20.943 cm long
Unbalanced Electric Lengths - 10.82 cm short 17.57 cm long
They produce intense electric feelings, the lower groups actually
generate voltages when placed in water.
Earth Moon Gravity Fractal
Distance of Earth to Moon, a known nodal distance for earth gravity /
7.45 cm [12x fractal
InfraRed Heat in Iron
The following lengths of SS wires were cut next to a red hot SS disc.
They represent heat resonant lengths.
Party Levitation Frequency
166.92 mm 10x fractal system
16.69 mm 1x fractal
1.6692 mm .1x fractal
111 factor = 185.2812 mm
-111 factor = 148.5588 mm
Rock Salt Resonance
Iron wire - 32.55 mm [touch one end to a large rock
6x 195.3 mm
Salt Water 100 percent saturated solution
Complimentary elements - Tin - Silver
Cut a piece of 60 percent tin solder, to 195.3 mm and wrap around a jar
of salt water! Nice.
Also wrap around a large crystal of salt.
Tree - 1.918" - 48.73 mm [8x fractal system]
2.515" - 63.89 mm [5x fractal system]
1x - 12.778 mm .503"
5x - 63.89 mm - 2.515"
25x - 31.945 cm - 12.575"
Wood seems to maintain this polarized vibration even after cut and
Other wood resonant effects
2.169" vertical pressure
2.085" pineal sight 52.96mm
Lower Chakra Work
Very hot frequencies.
This chart is useful when
choosing materials to vibrate against one another, one selection from
each group will result in a balanced, self powering, vibration
exchange. Tin and Salt work well, as do Silver and Gold.
Positive spin elements
Gold, Bismuth, Lead, Copper, Aluminum, Sodium, Hydrogen, Iodine,
Fluorine, Phosphorus, Carbon, Manganese, Tantalum, Barium, Chlorine,
Sulfur, Nitrogen, Zinc, Tungsten, Iron, Selenium, Cobalt
Negative spin elements
Beryllium, Silver, Tin, Silicon, Germanium, Neodymium, Strontium,
Chromium, Magnesium, Calcium, Oxygen, Cadmium, Xenon, Helium,
Zirconium, Neon, Nickel
Mercury has both about half and half like SS only even more balanced.
Water has both. Silver gold combination has both. Air has both. Silicon
carbon [crystal] has both in low abundance
Sensing the Tempic Field
In the above graphic the rod has 2 segments and three nodes. If a meter
with AV plug is used, it will be noted that all voltage drops to zero
exactly on a node. The background noise floor goes quiet or dips. There
is a definite difference in sensing the Tempic nodes of Radiant Light and
the diamagnetic field of pressure
setting between them.
When you truly grasp the difference is an important step in sensing.
The node points of radiant light are perceived as a true light at the
third eye. This light contains information and is the conscious aspect
of the energy. Between the nodes of Radiant Light are the fields of
diamagnetic interaction setting up repulsion, and inside are buried the
opposing fields of EM. These are sensed as the familiar pressure of
both scalar canceling and torsion coils. The Light is not sensed along
these areas, but the pressure seems to peak between nodes.
For those interested in confirming lengths the following
experimental setup is given.
We are in need of more world wide data at this time to confirm the
above models and length charts.
It is recommended to work with the Iron and the golden Light energy
first using a pitcher of water at specific depths, as this will be a
very nice experience.
Move to the copper to find the power of the torsion fields, if this
Showing the location of a tempic field node as found on a 5/8" by 15 -
3/16" rod using the sensing tool.
The tool shown is held such that the ends of the copper touch, and this
creates a scalar canceling loop of tremendous power. There are many
who will find this too strong for prolonged use and want to divert to
using a 6" Loop as after the basics are felt and learned, it will
become easier using tools that are not so Loud to the head. The Lathem
length fractal is offered for those who have never felt the energy or
know what to feel for. After use it must be cut "off center" to disable
its torsion effects. A much thinner and smaller one can be made for
more accuracy of measurements.
It was also later discovered that bending the last 1/4" of this coil to
a 90 degree position will reverse the spin and totally switch the coil
to a female vibration having very little head banger effect!
This is a most interesting length. If you scan the ring itself you may
discover there are strong inflow nodes at 33/64" from each end. This is
about 1/2". If you carefully bend the ring into an overlapped coil,
with about 1" overlap, where these nodes cross, and then widen the
distance between the overlapped area also to this 1/2" distance
the combination will create a 3D torsion system that is quite powerful.
Fun with small pieces of wire! Now stick a finger between the nodes and
feel the energy.
When passing the rods through the
coil loop a sense of "diamagnetic force" is observed resembling
magnetism, and the pressures will become obvious. The rods must be
tunned to the correct lengths so that Radiant light energy will be
expelled in rings at the node locations for the copper ring to
the tool can be used to find the peaks or the exact centers of the node
Increased sensitivity will lead to using more accurate measures, as the
"diode lead" for very precise cutting of the rods, and measuring the
distances for your locality with extreme accuracy.
When an iron loop of any size can be felt and then set in place
perfectly then enough sensitivity has been attained to make accurate
node length measurements.
For rod testing, iron rods are
best placed in an EW alignment and copper is better in a NS alignment.
In this mode there will be little shift from the earths fields and
nodes will be centered and easy to locate. The angle of the copper loop
rings can be varied to experience the angular effects in mainly the
copper rods of additional nodes appearing at low angles below 45
[Original nodes were found using
only iron tie wire rods of 15 - 3/16" at 57 deg North latitude.
Crossing them at 90 degrees.] It is recommended to work with soft
iron if possible.
Email rod distances to the
collector of data here:
Water could be first experienced using the Magnetic lengths of the Golden
There is nothing more fun then feeling the energy around a
container of Golden Light radiant water.
The water is diamagnetic and produces a constant field, with no
pulsing, while the Stainless steel rods Pulse the water with Radiant
For the more serious, one can simulate Joe Cell fields by accurately
filling the water level to a node point level and the water itself will
start to energize as a diamagnetic rod, with magnetic SS [Stainless
steel] rod centered inside it. This sets up concentric oppositely
spinning torsion systems and creates a layering of the field outwards.
The water here is filled to the third magnetic node level and strong
torsion are felt around the pitcher for as far a 6 feet, filled with
the Golden Light energy, spaced at even 1.89" steps.
This is presented for any interested in experiment with creating
Radiant Light water, and exploring its healing aspects. Much higher
quality rods should be used, as you can see the rust being given off by
my low quality SS rods, and setting on the bottom of the cell. Note
also the SS rings of wire being used as sensors, one fell to bottom of
container and one sets on the top. The pitcher diameter almost matching
the ring calculated size for the golden light rods circumference.
Further experiment with diamagnetic dimensions for water will be coming
I'm sure, but expect a more powerful interaction, and to be respected
"We have nothing to fear but fear itself", and the headache that may
Experimenting with an attempt to contain the strong diamagnetic torsion
field strength of the Laythem Fractals!
Here I am using everything I can, both triangle and circle, the field
is still very strong, but feels more balanced.
Palming the Wheel of 24
The diamagnetic materials produce a constant output
and the magnetic ones produce a pulsed output.
Now palming the diamagnetic form pictured above, having a strong
constant pressure, and known to cause headaches.
The nodes are extremely easy to locate and are very active as constant
pressure off the copper legs. They can be felt using almost anything
even the finger tips, or a short golden rod of 1.89".
This is the same wheel we discover with simply a copper rod
appearing at 15 degree increments as we rotate the rod from EW
alignment through 360 deg rotation of the earths field.
The rod is held at exact center with two fingers and lights up at every
position of the wheel. In this diamagnetic form we now observe the same
pattern, as a lower sized fractal of the earths field, and must believe
that this pattern then probably reaches all the way to the atomic
particles and even further down then this to the origination point of
the Radiant Light itself.
I was very excited at the next discovery, as I sought out ways to
convert the strong diamagnetic field of raw pressure to a Golden Light
You can see the application to a model of the copper atom itself, and
how the Radiant Light would be moving through it.
I placed a bismuth slug inside the form and it increased the raw and
constant pressure to the head. This is not necessary! LOL!
What you cannot get from the picture alone is how this actually feels
as one touches the various points of the system. I discovered not only
the wheel of 24 present from the center of the system, but at the three
triangle points a very strong flow straight outwards. As the iron
"electrons" are passed in a CCW circle, which they seem to prefer,
at the first layer of pressure outwards of the form, a pulsing field is
set up, and the intense raw pressure turns to a Golden Light energy at
about 1 rotation per 3 seconds. As one moves faster the pulses of
radiant light become much nicer to feel and interact with.
The "Electrons" are constructed of iron tie wire the lengths of the
Golden Sections in the charts above so they have strong nodes along
them appearing naturally. Each one of them intercepts the raw
radiant light from the inner diamagnetic form and turns it 90 degrees
distributing it outwards along 24 more paths of its radiant light
nodes. You can feel this shift of the energy pressure. As the
"Electron1" form is rotated around the circle, when it passes the
triangle points, a strong radiant pulse is discovered. If we take
the "Electron 2" pictured above, and roll it, as we move it around the
circle a new rotation pulse is felt and its wheel of 24 now distribute
these into a secondary rotation as well coming from each loop of the
coil. This is all energy jumping between nodes and being rerouted by 90
degrees within the atomic motions, and turned into pulses.
You can see how all the fields interacting create the quadrature
turning of the tempic field to manifest all the others. It is the nodal
points of platonic form where the Radiant Light is passing through all
matter from inside to outside and from outside to inside carrying the
communication links that we have learned to slide along consciously and
establish communication with. [Kosol Ouch Forums]
There is no longer a need to deem that Lyle Lathems 44.5 foot coils are
toxic, or that they are negative or harmful. We only needed a model to
express the operation clearly. In their form they are the most intense
Radiant Light field we can generate in a static device. The Golden
Light is truly made of the same energy only it must be given form by
pulsing and steering it. Lyle has given us the gold, and the way to see
this for ones self is to build the forms and work with them. Once
experienced it will become obvious how matter pulses the Light. Why the
golden light rods of iron pulse, and the copper rods merely light up.
This is the Tempic Field Radiant
Light Model of Matter,
and why when we look at an electron it pops in and out of our vision.
[Quantum Physics] The electron does not have to move into an imaginary
dimension to disappear, it only need contain all its energy as EM which
is not radiant light, to vanish. As the next node of 24 rolls around it
reappears as the radiant light being emitted now aligns with our
equipments receptors. Thus electrons seem to appear and disappear in
motion in two circles of spin around the atom, spewing the flow of
gravity in all directions out at 90 degrees and using the same flow to
regulate their spin momentum and charge themselves. The Light sustains
all from moment to moment. Keeping this model in mind lets review EM
and gravity to see what may come up.
Em is not Radiant Light:
We can show that in a resonant circuit, the energy present is not lost
except by a small amount from the resistance of the wires. The actual
energy within EM can very easily be restricted to these circuits and
totally contained unable to escape. In a capacitor we can contain a
voltage gradient stationary in space for many years with a field that
surrounds the capacitor in physical space slightly larger then the
capacitor. This is the nature of EM, both E field [voltage] and B field
[magnetic] can bounce energy back and forth nearly forever with only a
little spurt added to cover the copper losses. EM fields are not
radiant forms and from a distance they disappear from view. One must
enter the active area of these fields to interact with them. Gravity
works nothing like this, but easily passes through all the components
of electronics being contained by none.
Gravity is Radiant Light:
Recently I encountered the question "why are the formulas identical for
E field and Gravity. Can they be the same thing?
If we picture out in space a light bulb glowing, now slowly move away
from it, the light grows dimmer by a function of distance squared. At
great distance we still easily see the light. If we now place a
charged sphere with 1000 volts on it and move away within a
few feet we can no longer interact with the arc generated
from a short circuit from the voltage gradient, this also falls off as
a function of distance squared, and unless the sphere is set to motion
we are powerless to even detect its voltage nor can we find a ground
common to either of our separated systems to measure this voltage.
While both drop as function of distance squared, gravity has a far
greater reach to be effective as a Radiant force.
These models explain the difference between EM and gravity. The Radiant
Light propagates "straight" through space carrying the tempic field
spin of the system that sent it out, and delivering that spin without
loss at great distance. The EM field is "contained", and photons move
along curved path along their E and B field vectors in circles and
ellipses. As we move away from the bulb in space the light spreads in
the sphere of radiance out along all the 24 angles of every particle in
rotation pulsing, spreading a constant stream of energy into the
universe and altering its background tempic field which is the Radiant
Light density crossing that point where we are at. As we approach a
planet we get hit with a constant flow from all matter present. The
resulting spin fields alter our own, and c velocity changes, slowing
towards the planet. Gravity pulls us in, as our own matter now spins
with a warped gradient of c velocity lower towards the planet. Gravity
bends Light, EM fields do not. Thus the matter of our own bodies is
made of light at c velocity moving in circles through the EM cycles
which are reduced in velocity now on only one side. It is the
light propagation velocity being effected by the background tempic
field radiant from the planet itself as we exchange photons.
Anti gravity may be nothing more then setting up a node position that
can deflect all the radiant photons to 90 degrees and fling them
outwards around us through a tempic node path, then bring them
back to the top and create a more dense field above us, and we simply
fall upwards towards it. This is pure tempic field manipulation.
Wilbert Smith indicated we cannot counter gravity or tempic field, we
can only bend it. It is a
force with no opposite pole. How Wilbert arrived at this model should
now become obvious, although we may probably never see the information
that he compiled on this.
The experiment sited above really helps to comprehend this radiant light model,
and actually feel
it in operation. The force now radiant from Lyles coils can be thought
of as pure gravity, or Radiant light without a pulse or form, but it is
the very same force contained in the Golden Light and spews from the
diamagnetic layer of all matter as a pulsed form.
As a side note, with this model, increasing the electron count in
copper atoms would seem to increase the field spread of gravity and
lighten an object, not because of the increased negative charge
interacting with the earth, rather because of how this effects the
Radiant light propagation of gravity.
c_s_s_p group makes no claims as to the healing properties of the
Golden Light or the intense radiance of the diamagnetic coil lengths.
If you are sick please consult a physician. The information is for
and knowledge base of the science of spirituality. Combining the
knowledge of both fields to reach a truth that may become self evident
based on experience from direct experiment.
As an opened sourced non profit entity, we assume no liability
resulting from personal experiment. The views expressed
here are always opened to altering, and none are written in stone. They
are only "models" offered to explain what is perceived in the
experiments, and can never compare to a personal comprehension gained
only from a deep connection with the Light itself. They will give one a
"mental model" to accept these newly discovered energy forms.
May our knowledge base outlive us! |
Reliability Assessment of Season-of-Capture Determination from Archaeological Otoliths
A technique involving microscopic examination of otolith growth zones has been commonly used by archaeologists along the coast of California to estimate season-of-capture of prehistoric fishes and to infer the season of site use. A test of otolith edge analysis techniques was performed on modern otoliths by estimating season-of-capture for otoliths with known dates of capture. Successful identification of season-of-capture was low, even in a best case scenario with the age-validated spotted sand bass (Paralabrax maculatofasciatus), emphasizing the subjectivity of this kind of analysis and inherent variability of growth zone formation in otoliths. Alteration of the otolith matrix from environmental factors further complicates the determination for archaeological otoliths, but surfperches (family Embiotocidae) hold promise for future studies. This study has called into question the validity of protocols that have not utilized age validated otolith collections and begs caution when estimating season-of-capture from otoliths. |
3 Coal Fly Ash Disaster in Tennessee December 2008
4 TVA Kingston Plant Located on Watts Bar Reservoir (Emory River), 3 miles upstream of confluence of Clinch River and Tennessee River. 14,000 tons coal consumed per day. 1,000 cubic yards of fly ash generated per day.
6 December 22, 2008 Incident Catastrophic failure of Dredge Cell 2 and Dike C began at approximately 01:00 hrs EST. Approximately 5.4M cubic yards (CYs) of ash released. –Covered about 300 acres –Damage to 40 homes –Displaced 22 residents –Gas line and power line rupture –Road and rail line damage Estimated 3M cubic yards of total entered Emory River and its tributaries.
7 7 Looking south across failed dredge cell toward power plant.
8 Looking west from vicinity of failed dike up choked tributary
Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR)Rule: After the Kingston incident, EPA, in June 2010, co- proposed 2 regulatory options under RCRA for regulating Coal Combustion Residuals (CCRs): -one under Subtitle C (hazardous waste regulations) and; -one under Subtitle D (state solid waste regulations).
Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR)Rule: Under both regulatory options, the proposed engineering requirements for landfills and surface impoundments are virtually identical, such as, composite liner and leachate collection systems, ground water monitoring, structural stability requirements, and fugitive dust controls. The options differ primarily in enforcement and implementation. EPA also discussed a variant of the D Option, called “D-Prime” allowing surface impoundments to operate, even if unlined, until the end of their useful life.
Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR)Rule: Under any of the Options, EPA proposed to maintain the Bevill exemption for CCRs that are beneficially used, although the Agency solicited comment on this, particularly with respect to those CCRs that are beneficially used in an un-encapsulsated form. Over 1,400 individuals testified during eight public hearings. Over 450,000 comments were received, with a significant number of these coming from mass mailing campaigns.
Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR)Rule: We have received nearly 13,000 submissions (over 2 million pages) that have “unique content” requiring analysis. In October of 2011, and August 2013, the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) issued a Notice of Data Availability (NODA) to solicit comments on additional information received that could inform approaches taken to enhance the risk assessment and regulatory impact analysis (RIA) that would support the final rule.
Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR)Rule: On April 12, 2012, a lawsuit was filed by environmental groups, later joined by coal ash recyclers. On January 29, 2014, the EPA agreed to issue the final CCR Rule by December 19, 2014.
Definition of Solid Waste Rule: After many years, in 2008 EPA issued the DSW final rule, which excluded from hazardous waste regulations certain hazardous secondary materials being reclaimed if the generator met certain conditions that were tailored to show the recycling was legitimate and safe.
Definition of Solid Waste Rule: On January 29, 2009, the Sierra Club submitted a petition under RCRA section 7004(a), 42 U.S.C. § 6974(a) to the Administrator of EPA requesting that the Agency repeal the October 2008 revisions to the definition of solid waste rule and stay implementation of the rule. The petition raised several issues, including concerns that the 2008 DSW rule may pose disproportionate impacts on minority and low-income communities and concerns about the effectiveness and protectiveness of the rule. After reviewing the petition, and holding a public meeting and requesting written comments on the petition, the Agency decided to respond to the petition with a proposal to revise the DSW rule to address issues raised by the Sierra Club.
Definition of Solid Waste Rule: The rule’s purpose is to increase safe recycling and to comport with court decisions that stated that materials reclaimed in a continuous process within the same generating industry are not discarded and are not a solid waste and therefore not a hazardous waste.
Definition of Solid Waste Rule: Under the rule, for hazardous secondary materials to be exempt from the definition of solid waste several requirements must be met that ensure the material is a valuable commodity and is managed in a safe manner. The requirements differ depending on whether the recycling is "Under the Control of the Generator" (aka the "under control of the generator" exclusion) or whether the hazardous secondary materials are transferred to another facility for reclamation (aka the "transfer based" exclusion).
Definition of Solid Waste Rule: EPA published its proposed rule on July 22, 2011 (76 FR 44094), which proposed to replace the transfer-based exclusion with alternative hazardous waste requirements and also proposed modifications to the generator-controlled exclusion. EPA also proposed to codify a definition of legitimate recycling and make modifications to variances and non- waste determinations under 40 CFR 260.30. EPA also sought comment on an exclusion for certain solvents being remanufactured and for adding certain requirements (legitimacy, contained, and notification) to a list of existing (pre-2008) exclusions.
Definition of Solid Waste Rule: The signature deadline was originally, December 31, 2012, based on a court approved settlement agreement with the Sierra Club. EPA did not meet this deadline but we hope to have the rule finalized this year.
Solvent-Contaminated Industrial Wipes In November 2003, EPA proposed to modify the RCRA Regulations for management of solvent-contaminated industrial wipes. The Wipes Rule conditionally exempts from the definition of hazardous waste solvent-contaminated wipes being sent to both landfills and non-landfills (e.g., laundries and combustion) facilities. The Rule also proposed to conditionally exclude laundered wipes from the definition of solid waste. The Contaminated Wipes Rule was finalized July 31, 2013.
E-Manifest Revisions The Hazardous Waste Electronic Establishment Act was signed into law on 10/5/2012. It established the authority to collect fees, as well as the development of an electronic submission fee. The Act requires that EPA issue regulations by October 5, 2013, that authorize the use of electronic manifests in lieu of the current manifest form. On February, 2014, the EPA published the final rule.
Pharmaceuticals Proposed Rule This rule was originally an amendment to the universal waste rule. The rule will facilitate pharmaceutical take-back programs. With the new rule, the concerns raised by the public comments regarding notification and tracking issues can be more fully addressed as well as other hazardous waste pharmaceutical management issues that are more specific to healthcare facilities. This new proposed rulemaking will only pertain to those pharmaceutical wastes that meet the current definition of a RCRA hazardous waste and that are generated by healthcare-related facilities.
Episodic Generators Rule Currently under development; The rule is intended to eliminate confusion over the definition of episodic generation. (like lab cleanouts)
UST(Underground Storage Tank) Regulations Revisions The 1988 UST regulations are being revised to incorporate the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The revisions will update outdated portions of the regulations due to changes in technology since 1988. The revisions will also be updated and to make targeted changes to improve implementation of the regulations and to prevent UST releases.
UST Regulations Revisions Some of the revision will include adding secondary containment requirements for new and replaced tanks and piping; operating training requirements, adding periodic operation and maintenance requirements for UST systems; adding new release prevention and detection technologies, removing certain deferrals, and updating state program approval requirements to incorporate these changes. The EPA plans to promulgate these revisions this year.
This National Initiative has a special emphasis on mineral processing facilities that produce phosphoric acid and phosphate compounds because a growing body of evidence shows they cause widespread environmental damage. The object of the strategy is to reduce risk to human health and the environment by achieving increased compliance rates throughout the mineral processing and mining sectors and by ensuring that existing and potential harm are being appropriately addressed through enforcement and compliance assistance.
Centralized Waste Treatment Facilities and Zinc Hazardous Waste used by Fertilizer Recycling Facilities
Centralized Waste Treatment Facilities: These facilities conduct treatment of industrial solid waste from third-parties. Through recent inspections, EPA has identified several such facilities that were grossly mismanaging hazardous wastes, and treating and discharging these wastes without permits. This area of concern will include a focus on wastewater treatment units. Zinc Hazardous Waste used by Fertilizer Recycling Facilities: EPA supports the environmentally beneficial recycling of hazardous wastes and secondary materials. However, sham recycling and recycling not done in compliance with RCRA requirements can result in significant adverse impacts to human health and the environment. This area of concern will include a focus on zinc fertilizer manufacturing that uses hazardous waste in the production process.
Coordination with OSHA EPA Region 4 and OSHA have been harnessing efforts to better identify noncompliance at facilities across the southeast. In FY2014, this effort will be expanded to examine additional potential targets from the OSHA national and regional initiatives. |
Presentation on theme: "Exploring Other Specialty Animals. HS ‐ LS2 ‐ 8. Evaluate the evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species’ chances to survive."— Presentation transcript:
HS ‐ LS2 ‐ 8. Evaluate the evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species’ chances to survive and reproduce. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on: (1) distinguishing between group and individual behavior, (2) identifying evidence supporting the outcomes of group behavior, and (3) developing logical and reasonable arguments based on evidence. Examples of group behaviors could include flocking, schooling, herding, and cooperative behaviors such as hunting, migrating, and swarming
Discuss kinds of birds and their management. Discuss kinds of rodents and their management. Discuss kinds of reptiles and their management. Discuss kinds of other animals and their management.
Interest Approach Find someone (student, teacher, friend) that has an unusual pet. Ask them if they could bring it in and answer questions from students about it. Pets may include but are not limited to turtles, snakes, pot- bellied pigs, insects, ferrets, reptiles, and spiders. Make sure the owner is trustworthy to know how to properly handle their pet so no possible injuries can occur.
People like certain birds because of their colors or because they can talk. Before selecting a bird be sure you have proper feed, supplies, and accessories to raise it properly. Keep males away from females if you do not want babies.
commercial feeds are available for each species green food any vegetable that is not dried down like corn or carrots grit finely ground material similar to sand/small gravel all birds need some grit promotes gizzard action/food grinding
keep them well fed and out of harsh weather, that will keep them healthy symptoms a bird is sick not eating well feathers look ragged feathers are missing
Cavies small rodents often called Guinea Pigs they are calm easy to care for weigh about 2 pounds live for 5 years short or long haired different colors and combination of colors easy to feed just supplement Vitamin C can’t synthesize their own Vitamin C feed hay, grass, or a designed feed for them require 2 square feet per animal for exercise keep cage clean & dry
nocturnal animals handled often to keep tame 3 types Golden Hamster Angora Hamster Chinese Hamster like nuts as treats feed fresh fruits and vegetables avoid feeding raw beans, tomatoes, and green potatoes house in a wire cage, a plastic cage or an aquarium line bottom with shavings avoiding cedar keep clean & dry needs a place to burrow and exercise
a quick and curious rodent weigh 3 ounces at maturity grow to length of 4 inches they are diurnal animals that sleep during the night and are awake during the day replace bedding at least once per week tend to be shy should be handled often but carefully only eat 1 tablespoon of food a day use a commercial feed supplement with treats of fresh grass, lettuce or apples have a spot for exercise and hiding
make excellent pets they are friendly can be trained to do various things vary in color need fresh water can be fed seeds, nuts, bread, and other food keep cages clean and dry keep them healthy by disinfecting cages give them something to gnaw on
reptile an ectothermic animal with lungs and dry scaly skin includes lizards, snakes and turtles for pets can live up to 20 years getting one as a pet is a long term commitment
Tortoise common term used to describe terrestrial turtles shells covered with scute Scute large scale-like structures made of keratin and cover shells of turtles have nerve endings so can tell if something touches shell Plastron found under the chest of turtles and is made of bony plates covered with scutes reproduce by eggs can pull in their head, legs and tail under shell for protection can be very large and be very dangerous
reptiles with long tails not for everyone several species can be used as pets each have different environmental and nutritional requirements garter and pythons are popular housing must be secure to contain snakes Generally fed small-live rodents
reptiles with tails, four legs, movable eyelids and ear openings reproduce by eggs come in many shapes, colors, and sizes find out the size of lizard before purchasing Make sure the variety to be raised is not endangered etc.
What other animals could I keep as pets? many animals are kept as pets some include pot bellied pigs ferrets rabbits hedgehogs spiders
personable and intelligent pigs require much time from their owners easy to train clean, quiet, and playful animals live up to 18 years weigh around 125 pounds
they are time consuming because they are very curious and can get into things because the bore easily teach themselves to open refrigerator or cupboards become aggressive when begging for food hooves and tusks need to be trimmed often check local regulations to legal to own in your area
have quills covering their bodies they are not dangerous if properly treated and handled weigh up to 3 pounds 12 inches long eat worms including mealworms also can eat commercial cat food include exercise equipment keep bedding clean and dry
How do I raise birds as pets? How do I raise rodents? What kinds of reptiles make good pets? What other animals could I keep as pets? |
The Python logging module organizes loggers in a hierarchy. All loggers are descendants of the root logger. Each logger passes log messages on to its parent. So in effect, you have two ways of configuring logging.
1. Setup the configuration at a particular logger level.
2. Setup the configuration at the root level. If a particular logger doesn't have a configuration, the default(root) level configuration will be used.
To configure the root level logger, use the following snippet in your main entry script.
LOG_LEVEL = logging.DEBUG
logger = logging.getLogger() # Gets the root logger
handler = logging.StreamHandler(sys.stdout)
formatter = logging.Formatter('%(asctime)s - %(name)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s', datefmt='%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')
Then in all other modules, you can add two simple lines to create a module level logger. As the module level logger doesn't have any configuration, it will use the root level logger configuration.
logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
You can configure the root logger by using the logging.basicConfig() function.
Return a logger with the specified name or, if no name is specified, return a logger which is the root logger of the hierarchy. If specified, the name is typically a dot-separated hierarchical name like “a”, “a.b” or “a.b.c.d”. Choice of these names is entirely up to the developer who is using logging. |
Computers cannot write for you, but they can help make tasks in writing easier. Your word processing software can do a lot of work for you, and learning as much as you can about it helps to set you up for successful writing.
Did you know, for example, that WORD has a References feature that will do the following:
- Put your references in appropriate and correct citation format, be it APA, MLA, or Chicago (and others). No more guessing or trying to copy examples.
- Manage your sources. More careful managing of sources can prevent inadvertent plagiarism.
- Create a bibliography for you when you are done—yes, that’s right. You don’t have to spend time making a bibliography if you entered the information correctly. |
With the world growing at a faster rate and as per our busy schedule, it is not surprising that eating out has become a part of our life and is a very common occurrence or rather we are bound to eat outside.
Eating out is a nice treat once in a while or a convenient option when you don’t have time to cook a meal. But, if you have to regularly consume food from outside, you should be very cautious about the nutritional value of the food. Here are some tips for making your restaurant meals as diet friendly as possible.
– most fast food restaurants and restaurant chains post nutritional information about their food offerings on their web sites, check them out.
– keep it small. Portion sizes at fast food counters and restaurants are usually bigger than what you would normally eat at home. Share a large meal with a friend, or ask to take leftovers home.
– pick nutrition over value, order foods that have been steamed, baked, broiled, grilled, stir-fried or roasted. The hidden fat and calories add up quickly when food is fried, deep-fried, breaded or served with rich sauces and gravies.
– if you ask for sauces and dressings on the side, you can control the amount that you eat. Often you can use less than is normally used and still enjoy the same taste.
– order much of vegetables and food rich in fiber- content.
– many of the restaurants have nutritional value menu, ask for it and make a smart choice accordingly.
– when choosing, be aware of highly caloric additions such as salad dressings, cheese, sour cream, etc. Sometimes, making your choice healthier is as simple as removing the condiments.
– drink water, low-fat milk or 100% fruit juice instead of soda pop. If you drink alcohol, limit it to one or two drinks.
– remember that healthy eating is about balance and enjoying your food. If you happened to overindulge at a meal, then plan on choosing some healthier choices over the next few days.
However, eating the home cooked food is beyond comparison how much so ever health consciousness is adapted. But, owing to the nature and timing of our work, we cannot help it. And thus the only way out is to be aware of the nutritious value of the food and avoid consuming food with high calorific or fat intakes for which you must have some knowledge in order to make a choice.
Source by Palak Agarwal |
* Salvatore J. LaGumina is Professor of History, Nassau Community College, Garden City, New York.
Politics affects our lives intimately, and precisely because of that fact, it behooves us to study the ethnic components of the body politic. Even if there is truth in the conclusion drawn by Nathan Glazer and Daniel P. Moynihan, that Italo-Americans have been slow and late in gaining important places in the consideration of party leaders, these authors readily acknowledge the tremendous importance ethnics play in the politics of New York City. Ethnic identity is a basic element in all political equations.
Specifically, our attention is drawn to the political experience of the Italo-Americans in the belief that knowledge of this history can serve not only to enlighten us as to the dynamics of the process, but even further, to expand our understanding of such controversial movements as, for example, “Black Power.” It is not inconceivable that the experiences of Italo-American politicians can be studied as models by other minority groups. Recently, Andrew Greeley, Director of the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, suggested that the study of ethnic backgrounds and differences may be the solution to the United States’ racial problems. A recognition that ethnic differences are important led Greeley to say: “This may, in the final analysis, be the ultimate contribution that our multiple melting pot is able to make to the rest of the world.”
Indeed, this phenomenon of Italian immigrants exploiting their ethnicity as the basis for political power has been recognized of late. For example, in 1958, El Imparcial “advised” Puerto Rican politicians in New York City to emulate the politics of Vito Marcantonio, as he represented his largely Italian constituency, if they wished to make a significant impact on politics. Advocates of “Black Power” continuously refer to the necessity for Negroes to acquire the kind of power ethnic groups have attained, if they are ever to be recognized as equal partners in American life. Only this continuing scholarly research further attests to the strength of ethnicity in politics. Michael Parenti, in a recent article entitled: “Ethnic Politics and the Persistence of Ethnic Identification,” cautions against the temptation to relegate ethnicity to the historical past. His study suggests that ethnics continue to vote as ethnics, despite apparently increasing assimilation.
In the case of Italo-Americans, ethnicity appears to remain very much alive today. Even when they decry it, foremost historians acknowledge its continuing influence in American culture. Recently, the renowned American historian, Thomas A. Bailey, had occasion to refer to ethnicity as a contributing factor in the perpetuation of myths in American history. He recognized that the hyphenates remain vocal “especially the Italian-Americans, who insist on having Columbus, rather than the Norsemen, discover America. The Italian are generally successful,” wrote Bailey, “except in Minnesota, where the Scandinavians, clinging to their questionable Kensington stone, have more votes.”
One has only to reflect on some of the political events during 1968 to appreciate the continuing role of ethnicity. In February, 1968, Italo-American Democratic Representative John H. Dent of Pennsylvania, challenged incumbent Senator Joseph S. Clark, hoping, among other things, to capitalize on his nationality, especially since Clark was said to have alienated Italian voters four year ago with intemperate remarks about the ethnicity of Justice Musmanno. Furthermore, the Democrats were also aware of the strength rendered their ticket by the inclusion of an ethnic (minority) representative. Although a Polish-American was eventually picked as the Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate, the Italo-American, Mayor Joseph Alioto of San Francisco, received serious consideration.
Six Case Histories
In the present discussion, the case studies of Italian-American politicians will be limited to those individuals who represented New York in the Congress of the United States until 1960. Special attention will be paid to Vito Marcantonio, because a substantial portion of my research has focused on his career. In addition, he was the most radical of Italo-American politicians, thus offering an extreme example by which the thesis of ethnic viability in politics can be tested. If it cannot be seen in the extremes it is difficult to see it in the average.
New York had sent only six Italo-Americans to Congress until 1950, and never more than two simultaneously. The paucity of the number of Italo-America representatives becomes even more glaring, when analyzed against the significant fact that by 1950 Italians constituted the largest nationality in the city, and probably in the state.
Francis B. Spinola, a Democrat, was the first Italo-American Congressman from New York, and the first in American history. Although the son of Italian immigrants, and despite his unabashed pride in his Italian ancestry, Spinola could hardly be considered a representative of the Italo-American community. Born in Stony Brook, Long Island, in 1821, he gained fame as a brigadier-general during the Civil War. Subsequently, he held a string of public offices, including alderman and supervisor of New York City, New York State Assemblyman, State Senator, and United States Congressman from 1887 to 1891. Thus, his public career existed largely before the great tide of Italian immigration to this country. He could not, therefore, properly be called an Italo-American politician in the sense of reflecting the aspirations of a distinct immigrant minority striving to obtain a position of importance and prestige, and even a power base. During his Congressional tenure, Spinola displayed a warm disposition toward immigrants, taking to the floor of Congress to endorse the influx of honest and industrious immigrants, at a time when nativists were campaigning for their exclusion. Coming as it did at the threshold of massive Italian migration; it could be supposed that he was expressing genuine sympathy with the descendants of his forbears. Offsetting this impression, however, was his simultaneous failure to attribute priority to alleviating the problems of Italian immigrants. For example, although he was a member of a Special House Committee on Immigration, then conducting investigations regarding immigration problems in New York City (and this meant mostly Italian problems), he declined to attend the session. His explanation was that he had even more urgent duties to attend to in Washington—an unthinkable confession for one who placed the welfare of Italian Immigrants in the forefront.
Fiorello H. LaGuardia was the second Italo-American Congressman from New York, and the third in American history. Only Spinola and Anthony J. Caminetti of California (1891-1895), preceded him. If Spinola did not qualify as an authentic representative of the Italo-American community, Caminetti was even less deserving of it. He emerged neither as a champion of Italo-Americans, nor as a sympathetic friend of immigrants in general. Thus, in many ways, LaGuardia merited the title of the first truly Italo-American representative. As Arthur Mann wrote in his lively and penetrating biography of LaGuardia, the “Little Flower,” despite his bourgeoisie background, empathized with the Italian peasant masses that migrated to the United States. Early in his life, he came to identify himself as an American proud of his Italian descent. He spoke Italian, ate Italian food, and played Italian music. There could be little question as to his acceptance by the city’s Italo-American population.
During his Congressional career, LaGuardia represented two New York City districts: the 14th on the Lower East Side and the 20th in East Harlem. In all his congressional campaigns, he appealed to the “foreign vote” which was predominantly Italian in his districts. Thus, while campaigning in 1916, he promised Italo-Americans that Italy would regain Trieste. Reaction in Italo-American circles was vigorous. In 1921, the Italian newspaper, La Domenica Illustrata,12 declared: “How proud our Italian brothers should be to have the privilege of voting for such a man.” In LaGuardia, Italian immigrants possessed an undisputed Congressional champion of their cause. He forcefully condemned the quota system as bigoted, narrow-minded legislation. Energetically, he rebuked colleagues for displaying an Anglo-Saxon fixation, reminding them of the accomplishments of such Italians as Columbus. In a sardonic manner he utilized every opportunity to assail proponents of the National Origins Quota Act. LaGuardia emerged as the first Italo-American politician to successfully challenge the political reign of the Irish-Americans, and properly stands at the forefront of the process through which Americans of Italian descent have come of political age.
The third Italo-American Congressman from New York was James Lanzetta, who served two terms 1933-1934 and 1937-1938). Lanzetta also had the distinction of defeating LaGuardia in 1933. Subsequently, he lost the congressional seat in 1934 to Marcantonio, won it against Marcantonio in 1936, and lost to Marcantonio again in 1938 and 1940. Thus, he was one of a trio of Italo-Americans who represented East Harlem between 1921 and 1950. His two terms in Congress were undistinguished and unmemorable, especially when compared with the likes of the dynamic LaGuardia and the fiery Marcantonio. Nevertheless, he paid homage to his ethnicity. His victory over LaGuardia was partially based on ethnicity. The Democrats deliberately selected him in an attempt to split descent, neither had a monopoly on ethnic support. He had several assets which he brought to bear in the campaign against LaGuardia. He was born and raised in East Harlem, educated as an engineer and a lawyer, a practicing Catholic, and the recipient of support from Tammany Hall. Prior to his election to Congress, he held the elective position of Alderman. Although his record was inferior to that of LaGuardia, Lanzetta wisely expended efforts at making friends in East Harlem while LaGuardia remained busy in Washington. Important too were the inroads he made among younger Italo-Americans and the Puerto Ricans. In addition, the campaign was marked by violence, intimidation and fraud, unusual even for the tough East Harlem area. Even respected Democrat Judge Salvatore Cotillo acknowledged as much.
Although leaving little lasting political impact, Lanzetta nevertheless spoke in behalf of immigrants during his congressional tenure. He proposed to extend beyond the statutory limitation of seven years, the validity of intention applications filed by immigrants while complying with naturalization procedures. He also called for the automatic admission to citizenship of aliens who had resided in the United States for many years, but had been unable to meet education requirements for naturalization. These issues were of high importance to his Italian constituency.16
The fourth Italo-American Congressman from York was Vito Marcantonio, whose career will be discussed later in the article. Louis Capozzoli was the fifth New Yorker of Italian descent to serve in Congress (1940-1944). In many ways he qualified as a typical Italo-American politician. Born in Consenza, Italy, he immigrated to this country at the age of five. Although he came from humble, hard-working foil, he managed to study law and entered politics as a young man. Ethnicity heavily impregnated his political career. As a resident of the 13th Congressional District in the Lower East Side of New York City, he joined the Democratic Party when Tammany Hall enjoyed unquestioned influence. Indeed, Christopher Sullivan, Tammany leader, held the congressional seat of the district for three decades before his voluntary retirement in 1940. In giving up his congressional seat, Sullivan designated Capozzoli as the district’s nominee for Congress, a selection which was tantamount to election because of the area’s Democratic majority.
Evidence that ethnic considerations were the overriding factors in Capozzoli’s nomination is plentiful. Clearly, the Italians of the 13th Congressional District were successful in challenging the Irish for political control. It was nothing less than a political revolution for the leader of the illustrious Sullivan clan, a legendary power in the city, to surrender his congressional seat to the descendants of the Italian peninsula. Nor was the Italian community unaware of the significance of the action. Il Progresso Italo-Americano proudly acknowledged the nomination as a milestone in the political history of the Lower East Side: “When he was appointed the Democratic Congressional candidate of the 13th District a deep honor was bestowed not only upon himself, but upon the Americans of Italian extraction whom he represents.”
These developments constituted a recognition by Lower East Side political leaders, that the large Italo-American population in their midst could no longer be denied its share of political power. It is interesting to note that Capozzoli’s nomination was engineered by James DiSalvio, Democratic district leader. DiSalvio’s career itself is a classic example of the revolution then taking place. Earlier in his career, when he engaged in professional boxing, he was compelled to adopt the name of “Jimmy Kelly.” As one political veteran explained it: “In those days it had been advisable for boxers of Italian or Jewish extraction to transform themselves into descendants of the Emerald Isle.”
Equally important in the nomination of Capozzoli was the concern felt by the national Democratic Party leaders over the possibility of mass defection of Italo-Americans from Democratic ranks. This development had its roots in Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s criticism of Mussolini for joining in the invasion of France in 1940. His remarks were interpreted as crude aspersions against the Italian character, with the result that Italo-Americans became probably the most anti-Roosevelt of all low-income groups.. Against this background, any move to assuage Italian feelings was welcome. The nomination of Capozzoli seemed to answer many problems for Democrats in the Lower East Side. Thus, it was with a great deal of relief that Sullivan read the election results, showing the party doing well in the Italian districts.
Capozzi made a few speeches in Congress, but when he did, he did not fail to pay his obligations to his ethnic compatriots. Accordingly, he condemned discrimination perpetrated against Italo-Americans in the employment picture of 1941. in 1942 he offered a bill to remove the “Enemy” designation attached to Italian aliens. In 1943 he broadcast messages to the Italian people, advising them to resist compliance with Hitler. And in 1944 he urged United Nations aid for Italy.
The sixth Italo-American Congressman from New York Was Anthony Tauriello of Buffalo, the first of his nationality to represent that area of New York in 1949-1952. here, too, ethnicity played an important role. Tauriello came from one of the most respected Italian Families of the state’s second largest city. He had exercised political influence among the city’s Italo-Americans for many years. By 1948, Buffalo’s political leaders were also compelled to grant the large Italian population a greater share in political power. Tauriello’s election was highly praised by the Italian-American press. Il Progresso Italo-Americano exclaimed “Osanna” that the Italian community of Buffalo now had its own representative in Washington, and observed that his election presaged the steady growth to new political heights for that city’s Italians.
Tauriello responded by rendering service to his ethnic followers during his one term in Congress. He spoke forcefully against critics of the Italian character, and was a strong supporter of a bill to repatriate American citizens of Italian origin who, while visiting Italy, had voted in the crucial Italian elections of 1948.
The Special Case of Vito Marcantonio
We now come to the fascinating career of Vito Marcantonio. An inveterate radical, an accomplished iconoclast, and a fiery exponent of socialist philosophy, Marcantonio might, on the one hand, appear to have been least influenced by purely ethnic considerations. Indeed, one’s instinctive reaction would be to associate him with the Puerto Ricans as the group upon which his political power depended. Those familiar with Negro politics in New York City would have difficulty in finding a more unyielding defender of Negro rights. Suffice it to not that W.E.B. DuBois, a foremost Negro scholar, gave eloquent testimony of Marcantonio’s uniqueness among men. There are instances also of Marcantonio’s criticism of some ethnic traits of Italians. Moreover, the Italian community itself could not be said to have been completely enamored of him. Thus, he was severely criticized by City Council President Vincent Impellitteri for opposing the 1948 Italo-American drive, which urged Italians to vote against Communist candidates in Italy. These incidents notwithstanding, the overwhelming evidence is that Marcantonio was a genuine champion of Italo-American rights and ringing proof of ethnic influence in American political life.
Ethnic influences constituted a major part of Marcantonio’s youth. His mother and grandfather were immigrants, his friends were Italian, his heroes were Italian, and his home was in the most Italian neighborhood in the United States. Like LaGuardia, he spoke Italian, ate Italian food, and regaled in Italian customs. As a young high school student, he showed deep concern for promoting Italian-American causes. Thus, he joined with other Italo-Americans in high school, and became the founder and leader of Circolo italiano, an organization designed to stimulate interest in Italian culture, while simultaneously working for Italian assimilation in the American social fabric. He continued his interest in Italian clubs in college, becoming president of Circolo Mazzini at New York University, and continuing as an enthusiast for the formation of an interscholastic organization of Italian clubs. So thorough was his ethnic identification, that he often performed in Italian plays while in school. As part of his extra-curricular activity, he became a citizenship education teacher in a project aimed at preparing Italian immigrants for active and responsible citizenship. When, on one occasion LaGuardia visited his high school in his capacity as President of the Board of aldermen, Marcantonio was selected as the student speaker of the day because of his ethnic background.
As a LaGuardia protégé, Marcantonio managed the Fiorello H. LaGuardia Political Association, which brought together a cross-section of Italians interested in promoting the political aspirations of their ethnic brothers. he was entrusted with the task of serving as LaGuardia’s “eyes and ears” in East Harlem, a job which included a great amount of work in dealing with Italian constituents. Displaying uncommon zeal as LaGuardia’s campaign manager, he mobilized Italo-Americans in support of LaGuardia’s candidacy, making the LaGuardia Association the most effective political machine in the city. When LaGuardia ran for mayor in 1933, Marcantonio, although no longer his campaign manager, played a significant role by energetically and effectively circulating nominating petitions in Italo-American neighborhoods throughout the city. It was the virtually unanimous support of this ethnic group, cutting across party lines, which was largely responsible for electing New York’s first Italo-American mayor. To Marcantonio, LaGuarida’s election was a necessary step to achieve political justice for the Italians of East Harlem. Moreover, it would demonstrate conclusively that Italians had passed the stage of factionalism, the result of a provincial attachment to regionalism, which had prevented unification earlier.
When Marcantonio ran for Congress, he exploited his ethnicity to the fullest. Although his opponent was also Italo-American, Marcantonio boasted of the endorsement from dozens of local Italian organizations and individuals, especially that of LaGuardia. With the possible exception of LaGuardia, no other Italo-American worked as indefatigably in the halls of Congress, with a substantial amount of his efforts directed toward the advancement of Italo-American interests. During his first term, he emerged as the foremost Congressional defender of aliens and immigrants against the backdrop of a huge anti-alien drive then under way. Intense interest in immigration restriction had become intertwined with pressing economic questions by the middle of the 1930’s. Indeed, that decade spawned some of the nation’s severest restriction bills, some of which gained approval, while others failed in large part because of the strenuous opposition led by men like Marcantonio.
Desperately seeking a scapegoat to account for the Great Depression, many Americans found it easy to place the responsibility on immigrants. The views of Congressman martin Dies of Texas expressed the attitude of dozens of other congressmen and millions of Americans, when he said: “If we had refused admission to the sixteen and one-half million foreign born living in this country today, we would have no unemployment problem to distress and harass us.” Against this kind of mentality, Marcantonio raised the strongest voice. Fully aware of his heritage as a representative of the second largest immigrant group, he understood that the Italo-Americans would be the foremost targets of discrimination, a problem intensified by their comparative aversion to naturalization. As a politician, he was also fully aware of the political significance in taking up the cudgels of immigrants. At the time he was the recipient of extensive communications from anxious Italo-Americans from East Harlem and throughout the city, imploring his assistance regarding clarification of naturalization statutes, applications for citizenship, aid in preventing deportation and other favors.
On every issues regarding the welfare of immigrants, Marcantonio was on the liberal side. In 1935 he assailed a bill, authorizing the deportation of aliens, as a “Vicious bill which presaged an avalanche of punitive alien and sedition bills aime at further persectution of immigrants.” He fought vigorously, and successfully, against another bill, designed to deport aliens who had entered the country illegally, but were otherwise of good character. He reminded his colleagues of the hardships such deportations would cause to native-born citizens, who were dependents of these individuals. Marcantonio succeeded in ending the official policy of making invidious distinctions between Northern and Southern Italians. He was instrumental in facilitating procedures for immigrants in numerous maters of technical detail. He fought doggedly against attempts to limit WPA benefits to citizens and legal aliens, again pointing out the injustice wich would befall the innocent American dependents involved. “Starve the father and you starve his American children,” he warned. Unfortunately, he was unable to stem the reactionary tide in this instance.
Marcantonio’s concern for the welfare of Italo-Americans was never more manifest than during the years of World War II, when they became the objects of deep suspicion by so many Americans. For the non-citizen Italians, the situation was even worse, since they were officially classified as “enemy aliens.” More than any other congressman, Marcantonio fought in their behalf, both inside and outside the halls of congress. To be sure, there were three other Italo-Americans serving in Congress during that period, and two of them (D’Alessandro and Capozzoli)spoke out forecefully in favor of their ethnic constituents, but none had the national following, the influence, or the ability Marcantonio possessed. He, therefore, emerged as the national legislature’s most consistent and conspicuous Italo-American spokesman. Eschewing the defensive, he objected to the denigration of Italo-Americn patriotism. Through diligent research, he sought out instances of acts of heroism by Italo-American servicemen, and brought these positive accomplishments to the attention of his colleagues. He cited the heartening resonse of Italians to war bond drives, and recounted episodes of wholehearted Italo-American participation in defense and war plans.
Unstintingly, he fought for the right of Italo-Americans to employment in defense plants, castigating discrimination against them as a practice akin to “playing Hitler’s game.” Facing the issue head on, he exposed maligners and detractors of Italo-american patriotism for fostering discrimination which prevented the full mobilization of American power. Nor did he stopwith speeches in Congress. He utilized the public media to instruct the public of italy’s enduring role in the history of democracy. Finally, he protested to Roosevelt himself repeatedly, until a degree of justice was rendered.
Marcantonio’s strong identification with Italo-Americans found him championing the cause of the land of their fathers. As Italy’s defeat appeared imminent in 1943, he organized a group of Italo-Americans, which exhorted Italians to complete the overthrow of the fascist yoke. Anticipating criticism and jokes at the expense of Italian, because of their poor battlefield performance against the Allies, he retorted that Italians would fight bravely for freedom, but not for tyranny. Once Italy surrendered, he worked vigorously for a quick peace treaty and the acceptance of italy as an ally, and the extension of generous aid to that country.
The revelation that Italy was compeleed to accept rigid terms unconditional surrender in September of 1943, found him joining with many Italo-Americans in condemning the pact. Simultaneously, he urged that Italian fighters be accepted as free men, rather than prisoners of war. His deep concer for the welfare of italy was reflected in a radio message in which he demonstrated that Italian contributions comprised a glorious chapter in American history, from the discovery of Columbus to the 500,000 world War II service men and women of Italian descent. As he summed it up: “they drill, hammer, forge, operate machinery, help turn out the ships, the planes, the tanks, and the ammunitions to win the war.”
In 1944, he denounce the occupation conditions which Italy was forced to accept. He then introduced a resolution, asking for a resumption of diplomatic relations with italy, as well as recognition of that country as a genuine ally, thus making her eligible for substantial aid. He rejected the “co-belligerency” status then prevailing, as a vague device which effectively prevented Italy from receiving much-needed lend-lease aid, and which was directly responsible for starvation, black marketeering, and military occupation.
Realizing that action on his resolution would not come soon, Marcantonio found other ways of bringing succor to the Italian people. He joined with other prominent Italo-Americans in asking President Roosevelt’s personal intervention in facilitating the exchange of mail between Americans of Italian extraction and their relatives in Sicily and occupied Italy. Practically all Italo-Americans had needy friends or relatives in Italy, and were, therefore, most anxious to send packages of clothing and other useful items. Since his congressional district housed more Italo-Americans than any other district, Marcantonio labored incessantly for the resumption of mail. He pleaded passionately before Congress and, together with other Italo-Americans, forwarded appeals to the President, which soon bore fruit with the resumption of mail early in 1944.
Marcantonio did not allow his resolution to remain pigeonholed. His persistent efforts led to hearings on his resolution before the House Committee on foreign Affairs in April, 1945. moreover, Italo-American circles were unanimous in supporting his resolution. Obtaining Italo-american dendoresemnt was no small accomplishment, when one considers the diversity, if not the antagonism, between Italo-American groups and the highly individualistic Italian mentality which normall militated against such united action. Thus, the hearings were a succession of witnesses from the Order of the Sons of Italy to prominent Italo-American leaders, traditionally critical of Marcantonio, calling for approval of his resolution. Marcantonio’s own testimony correlated congressional approval of the resolution with the welfare of the United nations’ coalition, which had successfully waged the war. Continued cooperation between the Allies was indispensable in the pursuit of a postwar peace. He also voiced vigorous opposition to Secretary of State Byrnes’ proposal to grant the city of Triestse Yugoslavia, as an action which would be in violation of ethnic, economic and geographic considerations. The upshot of the hearing was that the House Committee of Foreign Affairs unanimously reported favorably on Marcantonio’s resolution.
A study of Marcantonio’s activities in behalf of Italy and Italo-Americans during the war years is quite revealing. Often the subject of controversy because of his left-wing politics, and duly criticized for the same by many respected Italo-American leaders, nevertheless, when it came to the defense of the Italians, Marcantonio was second to none. On Capitol Hill, where policies affecting them were determined, he emerged as their leading champion. He was the first to call for a recognition of Italy, for its inclusion in the United Nations. He argued against imposing reparations on Italy, and prodded Administration officials to increase daily rations in the occupied country.
A committed left-winger, Marcantonio was not above urging political preference on the basis of ethnic identity. In 1943, for example, as leader of the left wing of the American Labor Party, then reigning as New York State’s powerful third party, he obtained ALP support for Democrat Judge Thomas Aurelio for a Supreme Court Judgeship, largely because of his insistence that the post go to an Italo-American. He maintained his support of Aurelio, despite revelations of the judge’s connections with underworld boss Frank Costello.
Sometimes his ethnic sensibilities found Marcantonio advocating policies inimical to the basic tenets of liberalism. While running for mayor of New York City in 1949, for example, he protested to the Roxy Theater against the showing of the film, The House of Strangers, as discrediting the name of Italo-Americans.
It is interesting to note that in the 1940’s, Marcantonio continued to win elections in the face of an increasingly persistent and notoriously bad press. Virtually all the major New York dailies and Il Progresso Italo-Americano opposed him. His ability to win repeatedly was due to his unstinting service to his constituents, for the most part, Italo-Americans. This support began to diminish in the late 1940’s as a result of extremely poor publicity and the strident anti-communist atmosphere. During the latter part of that decade, Puerto Ricans were entering the district in staggering numbers, and while he maintained unusually close relations with them, his strength at the polls was ebbing significantly. There was strong evidence that he was losing important support among East Harlem’s Italian population. In 1948 he received approximately 37 percent of the total vote. It must be remembered that 1948 was a crucial year for Italy and Italo-Americans.
The November congressional elections came only a few months after a tremendous letter-writing campaign by Italo Americans, urging their friends and relatives in Italy to vote against Communist candidates. The large Italo-American population in East Harlem was deeply and emotionally involved in this campaign, and it was natural for them to follow this advice back home.; Italo-American defection from Marcantonio’s ranks was confirmed by a survey of the district undertaken by his own canvassers. They reported numerous instances of voter resistance to Marcantonio, based solely on the Communist issue.
Even with these unfaborable circumstances, Marcantonio still remained a formidable power. Thus, when he ran for mayor in 1949 as the ALP nominee, both Democrats and Republicans expected him to attract a sizable vote. Marcantonio again tried to exploit his ethnicity. When the Brooklyn Eagle retracted to his complaint about a newspaper blackout on his campaign, saying: “It couldn’t happen to a nicer fish peddler,” Marcantonio immediately seized the comment as a base aspersion against all Italo-Americans. Democrats, in particular, expressed real concern over what appeared to be a “favorite son” candidate among the large New York Italo-America community. In fact, William O’Dwyer was forced to change his campaign strategy in the final weeks, resorting to a concerted effort to marshal Italian voters into the Democratic ranks. However, New York politics once again proved the viability of the democratic process, as O’Dwyer won with a commanding lead over his republican opponent, while Marcantonio was a distant third, with 356,000 votes, still bearing witness to the ALP’s drawing power. Nevertheless, the inexorable law of politics dictated that the days of that left-wing party were numbered. So, too, were Marcantonio’s.
Conclusions regarding Ethnicity and Politics
The careers of five of the six politicians examined demonstrated the results of the impact of ethnicity in politics. In these case studies, it became clear that the politicians exploited their ethnicity. But it was a two-way street. The Italian Americans were conscious of the exploitation; however, they also realized that their influence in American society could increase to the extent that they wielded political power. While there were not a few non-Italian congressmen who were responsive to the needs of the large Italian minorities in their districts, it was natural for Americans of Italian extraction to believe that their cause would best be served by political leaders of their own kind.
The rise of political leaders to important national position could alone instill a healthy pride in their ethnicity and a firm conviction in their ability to make meaningful contributions to their country. As one student of Italo-American life has observed, the ethnic basis of Italian-American participation in politics contained opposing potentialities. On the one hand, it could make for the conservation of Italian traits by allowing people to feel that they are being represented by fellow Italians and do not have to adjust individually to American political life. On the other hand, it could have important consequences in the direction of Americanization because of the ethnic group’s participation in American political life. Both consequences, in fact, do follow; however, the margin appears to be in the direction of Americanization.
7 Boston Globe, August 4, 1968, and Boston Herald Traveler, August 4, 1968. the study referred to is James F. and Constance S. Collins, Comments on the Republican Vice-Presidential Nomination 1968, n.d.; n.p.
10 Congressional Record, 50th Cong., 2nd sess., Vol. 20, 999-1,000. for accounts of the Special House Committee investigation and the role of Italian, see The New York Times, July 28, 1888. there is no intention of criticizing Spinola of insensitivity, but to show rather that his primary concerns were in the realms of national defense and military affairs.
12 La Domenica Illustrata, July 30, 1921, found in Mann, LaGuardia, 134. Mann, p. 143, also refers to the pride expressed by the Italian paper Il Vaglio, as another example of the support rendered by Italian followers.
15 For an astute explanation of why LaGuardia lost the election, see Mann, LaGuardia, 318. the campaign violence is treated in Lowell M. Limpus and Burr W. Leyson, This Man LaGuardia (New York, 1938), 351. Cotillo’s observation is found in The New York Times, November 20, 1932.
20 For information on DiSalvio, see Louis Eisenstein and Elliot Rosenberg, A Stripe of Tammany’s Tiger (New York, 1966), p. 129. it is also interesting to note that the only potential challenge to Capozzoli among Democratic circles came from another Italo-American. See The New York Times, July 2, 1940.
21 Glazer and Moynihan, Beyond the melting Pot, p. 214, discuss the Italo-American attitude in the 1940 election. For Sullivan’s reaction to the election results, see The New York Times, November 6, 1940.
29 Information regarding the East Harlem of Marcantonio’s youth can be gleaned from Edward Corsi, “My Neighborhoods,” Outlook, No. 141 (September 16, 1925), 90-91, and Leonard Covello, The heart is the Teacher (New York, 1958), p. 180. For Biographical material on Marcantonio, see Vito Marcantonio Papers (hereafter referred to as M.P.), Box 19, Folder: Biographical material. Accounts of his high school activities have come from interviews with his former school friends, Salvatore Cimilluca and Alfred Marra, both active in Circolo Italiano.
32 See Antonio Arturo Micocci, “Vito Marcantonio,” Romanica, Vol. 1, No. 4 (March, 1936), 8. Marcantonio also delighted in the ability of Italians in East Harlem to cooperate in ousting the Irish-dominated Tammany politicians from power as exemplified in the primaries of 1933.
34 Congressional Record, 74th Cong., 1st sess., Vol. 79, pp. 10 and 229. See Lucille B. Milner and David Dempsey, “The Alien Myth,” Harper’s Magazine (September, 1940), vol. 181, pp. 374-379, for an excellent journalistic appraisal of the anti-alien sentiment.
36 Congressional Record, 74th Cong., 1st see., Vol. 79, pp. 7708 and 14376; 2nd sess., Vol. 80, p. 6975, give examples of Marcantonio’s involvement in immigration legislation. For information regarding the change in classification of Northern and Southern Italian, see M.P., Box 19, Folder: Research Immigration, Letter from Marcantonio to Edward Corsi, January 4, 1936.
38 M.P., Ibid., Letter from Navy Department to Marcantonio, May 18, 1942; Marcantonio speech entitled “The Role of the Italo-Americans in this War,” July 17, 1942; Box 22, Folder: Italo-Americans in this War, Speech, August 6, 1943.
41 M.P., Box 14, folder: International relations, Italy Communism After the War. Letter from Marcantonio to Franklin d. Roosevelt, February 12, 1944; Congressional Record, 78th Cong., 2nd sess., vol. 90, p. 1563. Marcantonio was not the only one urging an amelioration of conditions for Italy. See for example, Il Progresso Italo-Americano, February 2 through 16, 1944, for evidence of how this issues galvanized the Italian-American community.
45 Marcantonio received 36,000 votes to 31,500 for Elis and 31,200 for Morrissey. For an account of the role of the Italian elections in the Marcantonio election, see Jonathan Bingham, The Congressional Elections of Vito Marcantonio, p. 112 (unpublished thesis at Harvard University). To realize how much of an impact the Italian election had on New York’s Italo-Americans, see The Catholic News, July 2, 1949.
47 Brooklyn Eagle, October 7, 1949. Examples of reactions to the campaign are to be found in the New York Times, October 29, 1949 and New York elections of 1949, Reminiscences, George Combs section, (Oral History Office, Columbia University).
Published in The American Radical, Eds. Mari Jo Buhle, Paul Buhle, and Harvey Kaye (New York: Routlage, 1994): 269-277. |
Arsenic in water
Monday, March 5, 2001
Of the Environmental Protection Agency's hit list of the nation's most toxic chemicals, arsenic ranks first. Since ancient times, the chemical has been regarded as a poison of choice.
Scientists recently discovered that low-dose exposure to arsenic may increase the risk of certain types of cancer, diabetes and vascular disease. A 1999 report by the National Academy of Sciences confirmed that arsenic in drinking water causes bladder, lung and skin cancer, and might cause kidney and liver cancer.
Now a team of researchers at the Dartmouth Medical School has discovered that arsenic may play a role in endocrine disruption.
The findings, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, may offer important information on how arsenic causes a variety of the diseases to which it has been linked.
"This is unlikely to be the only mechanism underlying diseases associated with low-level arsenic exposure, but we expect it will be an important contributor," said Joshua Hamilton, lead author of the study.
Endocrine disruptors confuse the normal activity of hormones, which are critical to the proper growth, development and function of various tissues in wildlife and humans.
Most work on endocrine disruptors has focused on chemicals that block or mimic the estrogen hormone.
According to the Dartmouth study, arsenic disrupts a different hormone the glucocorticoid receptor which regulates a wide range of biological processes.
Instead of mimicking or binding to the hormone's receptor as organic endocrine disruptors such as pesticides do, arsenic disrupts the hormone in a way that was not previously understood by scientists.
In an upcoming study, Hamilton's research team will examine whether the effects they have observed in cultured cells also occur in animals and humans that are exposed to arsenic.
While arsenic is the first metal to be linked with endocrine disruption, a number of other metals could have the same impact, Hamilton notes. There are eight metals of concern on the EPA's toxic chemicals list.
Arsenic is found at many toxic waste sites through the disposal of compounds from industrial and mining practices. Significant levels of the chemical have been detected at 70 percent of the Superfund sites inspected for the chemical.
Arsenic can also accumulate in groundwater and well water from natural sources. Arsenic levels have been a major problem in areas of Taiwan, South America, India and Pakistan.
Certain regions in the United States also contain arsenic in their drinking water supply, especially in private wells that are not routinely tested by the EPA.
In New Hampshire, for example, 40 percent of the population consumes water from private wells, and 25 percent of those wells have high arsenic levels.
"A lot of us are exposed unknowingly because arsenic has no taste, smell or odor," Hamilton said. "The only way to detect it is to test it. Here in New Hampshire we are trying to get all private well owners to test for arsenic."
Copyright 2001, Environmental News Network |
Frogs are amphibians which means that they are cold blooded and can live on land and water. Frogs start their lives as eggs and then tadpoles in water. As tadpoles they have gills. When they develop into frogs they can live on land as well as water but they still need water to drink and to help them cool off.
In this song there are 5 green & speckled frogs sitting on a speckled log. One at a time, 1 frog jumps into the pool to cool off. The song teaches the math concept of subtraction - starting with 5 and taking 1 away each time until there are no more frogs sitting on the log. Kids love to sit on their pretend logs and then jump into the pretend pool as they sing along. They can also use their fingers on one hands to count down from 5 frogs to zero frogs!
UNITS: This song is a great accompaniment to lessons on frogs (amphibians), math (subtraction) and physical education (jumping).
INSTRUMENTS THAT YOU'LL HEAR IN THE SONG:
ADAM FALCON vocals and resonator guitar
TONY TINO electric bass
MICHAEL MANCINI piano and keyboard
RAY LEVIER drums
ALICE LEON backup vocs
JEFFREY FRIEDBERG banjo
Order your copy!
"5 Green & Speckled Frogs" - guitar lesson
1. Start song and have children sit on pretend log and hold up 5 fingers
2. Immediately following "eating some most delicious grubs" children rub bellies and say "yum yum" along with singers
3. On "one jumped into the pool" have children jump up from pretend log
4. On "now there are..." have children hold subtract 1 finger and hold up number of fingers that corresponds to next verse in song
5. Immediately following "now there are 4 (3, 2, & 1 as well) green and speckled frogs" children sing "grub grub"
6. At end of song children hold fingers to thumb to show "zero"
3 chords are used for this version of 5 Green & Speckled Frogs. Give it a whirl!
Note - we've heard different versions of this song - some say "grubs" and some say "bugs". We chose "grubs" for this version but you are welcome to sing the insect of your choice!
"5 green and speckled frogs
sat on a speckled log
eating some most delicious grubs
1 jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool
Now that are 4 green and speckled frogs
4 green and...
3 green and...
2 green and...
1 green and...
...now there are
no more green and speckled frogs |
**disclaimer: If any of the images belong to you and if you want credit or want them removed please email me**
MEANINGS & LEGENDS OF FLOWERS (C)
Common Names: ~Shamrock~ ~Trefoil~ ~Three-leaved Grass~ ~St. Patrick's Herb~ ~White Clover~ ~Red Clover~ ~Rabbit-Foot Clover~
The shamrock dates back to ancient Druids who used the Celtic name ~seanrog~ meaning ~little clover.~ It changed to ~shamroag~ and then to ~shamrock.~ In the Middle Ages it was seen as the symbol of the Trinity because it had three leaflets. Legend has it that when St. Patrick reached the Emerald Isle in the 5th century, he used three-leafed clovers to teach the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. It is said that Biblical sheep grazed upon it. Native to the Mediterranean region, the plant was called ~clava~ by the Romans, after their term for Hercules' mythological three-knobbed club. In Britain, it became the Anglo-Saxon ~cloefer~ or ~cloeferwort~ wort indicating a plant of medicinal virtue.
Tiny posts of bright green shamrocks appear on St. Patrick's Day. The small pale white and pink flowers have been used in healing ointments since ancient times. Three-leaf clovers, are important in weddings and matters of love. Symbolizing a prosperous, joyous, long marriage with happiness and good fortune, it is said to protect the household. No bride should go down the aisle without clovers present in both shoes.
Clover was an ancient protective herb. The Druids considered the trefoils, symbolic of the eternal verities of Earth, Sea and Sky. This is why most charms are repeated thrice. The Celts saw the clover as a sacred, magical plant. It is sometimes referred to Mary. The 4-leafed clover is a sign of good luck. The 5- leafed clover is seen as a token of good marriage. Clovers with more than 4 leaflets are seen as un-favorable. Considered good luck omens a four-leafed clover is a charm against snakes, witches, the devil and other dangerous creatures. Besides, it is said to give the gift of second sight enabling one to see fairies.
Common wild red clovers Trifolium pratense, are used as a tonic tea or skin wash. High in vegetable protein, red clover is a valuable forage crop.
Clover is seen as a sign of vitality. In the language of flowers clover means ~think of me~ or ~be mine~
Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup family)
Columbine is one of the most beautiful wildflowers. The plants are found growing in thin soil in limestone outcroppings, sometimes from a crack in the rocks. Columbine is the symbol of foolishness, based on the flower's resemblance to a jester's cap and bells. It was considered bad luck to give this flower to a woman. Fallen spurs of the columbine looked like the Virgin Mary's Shoes and received that name. They were said to have sprung up where Mary's feet touched the earth when she was on her way to visit Elizabeth. The spurred flowers resembled the tiny doves and came to represent the Holy Spirit. The flower also symbolized the innocence of Mary. The petals of the Columbine symbolize the seven gifts of the Spirit. The wild columbine has only five petals.
Common Names: ~Boneset~ ~Bruisewort~ ~Knit Back~ ~Knit Bone~ ~Slippery Root~ ~Black Wort~ ~Healing Herb~ ~Miracle Herb~ ~Wallwort~ ~Ass Ear~ ~Nipbone~ ~Salsify~ ~Consound~ ~Gum Plant~ ~Invisible Vet~ ~Consolida~
Comfrey gets it's name from the Latin word ~conferva~ meaning ~knitting together~ from the plant's power to heal broken bones. Its botanical name, Symphytum, means ~grown together.~
Native of Russia, comfrey has long been used for food and medicinal purposes. The Greeks and Romans used comfrey for a variety of ailments ranging from external application for wounds and fractures to stomach disorders.
Comfrey is commonly used to make tea. It is also useful as a slug trap. It has the ability to clean and extract nutrients from stagnant or foul water. Its long tap roots can go as deep as 10 feet enabling it to accumulate minerals in its' leaves. It has been promoted in the past as a forage crop. Comfrey is used as fodder for livestock and gardeners state that it enriches compost.
Good for any magical healing. Worn or carried, it ensures safety during travel. To ensure the safety of your luggage while traveling, tuck a peice of the root into each bag. The root is used in money spells.
Family: Asteraceae (Compositae)
~Silphium~ is a Greek word relating to its ~resinous juice~ and ~laciniatum~ is Latin for ~slashed.~
This flower lifts its head from the meadow and its leaves point to the north like a magnet. It is said that the finger of God is suspended on its fragile stalk, to direct the traveler's journey. It was used as a tonic and was used by settlers for the treatment of rheumatism and glandular enlargements. The upper third of the stems produce a gummy material when the plant is in bloom. This gummy material was used by American Indians and pioneer children as chewing gum.
Common Names: ~Cilantro~ ~Chinese Parsley~
Indian Name: Dhania
It originated in southern Europe and reached other parts of the world centuries ago. It is one of the most common herbs in the Middle East and Mexico. Coriander was named after the bedbug emitting the same odor. Its use dates back to 5,000 BC. References to coriander are found in ancient Sanskrit texts, Egyptian papyrus records (coriander seeds were placed in Egyptian tombs), and the Bible. The herb is recorded in the Han Dynasty in China. Coriander plants were growing in Massachuessetts by the 1600's, and are one of the first herbs grown by the American colonists. In the 17th century Frenchmen used distilled coriander to make a type of liquor.
Ancient Hebrews in their Passover meal and ancient Romans used cilantro to cure meat. In One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, it is described as an aphrodisiac. Ancient Egyptians and Greeks also believed that it had aphrodisiacal properties. Dioscorides, a Greek physician, believed ingesting coriander spice could heighten a man's sexual potency.
Coriander has lacy-fern-like leaves with little white flowers. All parts of the plants are used for culinary purposes. The seeds are used in flavoring many dishes, the leaves are added to salads, and the roots are cooked like a vegetable. Cilantro is one of the most common herbs in Mexican cooking.
In the Middle Ages it was used in love potions and spells and when added to wine. The Chinese believed it imparted immortality. It was thought that when an expecting lady eats coriander, the child to be will be a genious.
The seeds are used in making teas used as a digestive aid. The oil from the seeds is used to disguise the flavors of other medicines and the oil is also used in oinments for painful rheumatic joints and muscles.
Native from Mexico to Brazil, Cosmos means ~orderly,~ ~beautiful~ and ~ornanmental~ in Greek.
Cosmos are used as background plants or as cut flowers. They bloom in the early summer to frost. They disperse readily through seed.
Common Names: ~Paigle~ ~Peagles~ ~Primrose~ ~Herb Peter~ ~Key Flower~ ~Our Lady's Keys~ ~Key of Heaven~ ~Herb Peter~ ~Primrose~
The origin of Cowslip is a corruption of ~Cow's Leek~ derived from the Anglo-Saxon word ~leac~ meaning a ~plant.~ It is called ~Key Flower~ as it resembles ~a bunch of keys,~ the emblem of St. Peter. It was also called ~Herb Peter.~ According to legend, one day, St. Peter heard a rumor that people were trying to enter heaven by the back door, instead of the front gates of which he holds the key. He was so agitated at this lack of reverence, that he dropped his bunch of keys, which fell to earth, took root and cowslips bloomed which in Germany are known as ~Himmelschlüsselchen,~ meaning the ~little keys of heaven.~ In Norse mythology the flower was dedicated to Frcya, the Key Virgin. In northern Europe the idea of dedication to the goddess was transferred with the change of religion, and it became dedicated to the Virgin Mary, so it is called ~Our Lady's Keys~ and ~Key of Heaven~ and ~Keyflower.~
The mysterious number of petals represent women. They symbolize birth, consummation and death. It was held sacred by Druids. Primroses were considered fairy flowers in Ireland and Wales. They represented wantonness in England. Fairies love and protect cowslips. Touching a fairy rock with a primrose posy opens the way to fairyland and fairy gifts. Using the wrong number of flowers in the posy spells certain doom. It is used for love spells and for protection. Also for healing and youth to find treasures, especially hidden fairy gold.
The flowers are used for making Cowslip wine. Primrose pottage was made by boiling pounded flowers, honey, almond milk, saffron, rice flour and powdered ginger. It was served garnished with flowers. Leaves are edible, fresh or cooked, made into tea or wine.
Children make Cowslip Balls, or ~tosties~ from the flowers. The umbels are picked off close to the top of the main flowerstalk and about fifty to sixty are hung across a string which may be stretched for convenience between the backs of two chairs. The flowers are then pressed carefully together and the string tied tightly so as to collect them into a ball.
See * Primrose
Saffron is mentioned in a writing on papyrus about 1500 before Christ. It was widely grown from Crete to England, where its stigmas were used for herbal and medicinal purposes. The crocus was greatly valued in the ancient world. In India it's called kesar and highly prized. A flower of ritual and ornament, it was also used as food and as a source of dye and was connected with ceremonies. Its petals were scattered on the ground at social gatherings and on the matrimonial bed after a wedding. Crocus essence was used as a perfume and the stamens of autumn-flowering Crocus sativus are the source of saffron.
According to legend, young Crocus was a shepherd boy of fine and noble spirit. He fell deeply in love with the lovely nymph Smilax. The gods were so impressed with the depth of his devotion, that they granted him immortality and turned him into a flower. To ensure that they could be forever together, Smilax was transformed as an evergreen, the yew.
According legend about the crocus is connected to Valentine's Day. Valentinus was a 3rd century Roman physician who administered natural remedies. He was also a practicing Christian priest and prayed for his patients' healing. Unfortunately, Christian practices were not permitted under the reign of Claudius II, and Valentine was arrested and sentenced to death.
The jailor's blind daughter was one of Valentine's patients. Just before his excecution, Valentine handed the jailor a note for the blind girl. In the note, he had wrapped a yellow crocus, the source of one of his healing herbs, saffron. As the jailor's blind daughter opened the note, her sight was restored and the first flower she saw was the yellow crocus which rivals the sun in its brightness. On the note, the physician had penned the following message:
~From your Valentine.~ It was the physician's last message and the world's first valentine. The day was February 14, 270 AD.
See * Saffron
Family: ~ Asteraceae~
Common Names: ~Cupidone~
The name for this plant comes from the Greek word for ~spell~ and ~compulsion.~ The flower was thought to inspire passion like Cupid's heavenly arrows. It is suitable for drying. The flower was used in love potions.
Copyright © Pinkie D'Cruz 1998
Friday, January 16, 1998 |
What is truth? If we're honest, we say that it is an assessment of how well something inside of our heads corresponds to the world outside. We say something is true when it will be borne out in reality, meaning the physical (and possibly other dimensions, although they will correspond to the same organizational principles of the physical world for the most part) world in the passage of time. Truth compares our ideas to the external world, and only that world - not our in-head "truths" - reveals how accurate they are.
What is evil? Evil is untruth for short-term and/or personal gain. I say this not in a dualistic sense, but in the same way that truth describes our ideas contrasted to the external world, evil can be an assessment of our thoughts and actions. If something is billed as one thing, and performs another with negative results, we can see it as evil; I assess this evil in holistic terms more than personal, meaning that someone ripping off someone else is not as important as a false idea impacting the whole of our human endeavor. Evil illustrates to us why it is important not to assume that something labeled "Good" is in fact not evil, as the easiest thing in the world is changing a label.
Examples of evil that most (thinking, intelligent people of noble character) will find realistic: dumping toxic waste for $500 off the books; stealing supplies from hospitals; killing a neighbor to enslave his wife in a basement sex nest; torching a forest. Evil is denial of the holistic truth for personal gain, in this context. Since we have choice about not only what we decide to do, but how we label objects and ideas, evil is a choice possible at every step of our lives.
And what is viciousness? It might be said that it is a tendency to gain regardless of assessment of good or evil. It is not caring if what one does is good or evil, as distinguished from death and life by their influence on the course of human lives. True viciousness is a defensive reaction, a neediness and a fear, that comes of feeling (truthfully or not) that one is under attack at all times, and is forced to respond in a manner of self-preservation at all costs. Viciousness requires this justification, although a hollow one, because every person feels morally correct in responding with force when they have been attacked first.
So far, we have confined ourselves to definitions on which most functional intelligent people agree. Now we shall get into the deeper waters that provoke troublesome worries, as definitions reveal a truth that is no longer as it is labeled; good shall become evil, and vice versa. Prepare yourselves with a fortifying intoxicant, sexual act, or religion of your choice - it does not matter, as nothing will stop this chain of thought. You can even stop thinking about it. You have the rest of your life to wonder, and if you stray far from this thought, don't worry - it will find you (unless you are not intelligent, in which case you have already turned on the TV).
There are two dimensions to every evil act: its method, and its outcome. Intention is secondary. If I drive a truck full of napalm into a nursery school and immolate it, it does not matter that I didn't "mean to" torch the preschoolers. They're dead. Similarly, while basting someone in napalm and flicking a zippo is clearly a horrible thing, if I drive a truck full of napalm into a horde of murderers before they can commit their dastardly acts, it would be good via evil method (unless, of course, they were going to murder other murderers). Even moreso, if I bring a Bible to the New World to save souls, and it turns out the Bible is infected by smallpox, I've committed evil via good method. What an interesting paradox, if you're thickwitted.
When considering viciousness, we have to look at outcome and not method, as illustrated by the parable of napalm truck versus murderers above. Clearly their removal is a positive thing, all silly sanctity of life arguments aside (and what sensible person believes that, in a world of seven billion?). Maybe I damaged my soul by using this evil method; more likely, whether I lock them up or set them ablaze is inconsequential: I have interrupted and prevented their intended course of life. Is it vicious to commit a good act viciously? Conversely, is an evil act committed without viciousness indeed evil?
Much as we have two ways (method and outcome) of assessing an act, we have two degrees of scope in which to consider it: the individual, and the world as whole (collectives, as groups of individuals, belong to the former category). If I am in a sinking submarine with ten other people, and a flooded compartment must be sealed from the inside, we have a literal, binary choice: one person can give up her life to seal the damn thing, or all eleven of us can drown. If we use the principle that each life is sacred, we reach a paradox, because we cannot give up a life - yet we have to, to preserve others. The interests of the whole therefore come before the interests of the individual.
So... what if a vicious act must be applied to some individuals, to avoid a vicious act being applied to all? Back on the submarine, supposing that we must seal the forward bulkhead in three seconds to prevent the entire ship from sinking, but the people behind that forward bulkhead will take eighteen seconds to evacuate it? We might fudge a bit, and say we let the first three through, but if there are ten people in the forward compartment and five hundred in the rest of the ship, it becomes immaculately clear what must be done: we condemn them to death and listen to them drown. Gurgle glub!
It is the same way in a modern time. We have made some horrible errors that have allowed us as a species to get too big to continue; if we want to preserve our natural environment, we must convince most of our population not to breed or, more likely, since they're not going to accept that, force them to. What to do? It's such drama for those who haven't thought it through, but in this case, we have a situation where murder is the giving of life. A vicious act has a good outcome. Or rather, a vicious act for some has a positive outcome not just for all who exist now, but for an unknown amount of future generations (who knows how long the future lasts?).
Some would say this is vicious, and that we need "proof" of the truthfulness of our statement. I would say that the proof is there but is invisible to most people; it requires smart and strong leaders to interpret. But it is an unpopular verdict! Well, so it is. They will demand proof up until the point where proof arrives and then, well, the bad events in waiting will have happened, and it will be a moot point. How hilarious self-defeating. It's like a man covered in napalm refusing to not smoke a cigarette until he's on fire.
Although we have through wealth and the size of the world been able to avoid this point so far, we have now reached the point where things are not only not as labeled, but not as they appear. Death can be life. Life can be death. It's important to realize this means the fourth age of definitions of good and evil has arrived.
I. Man Versus Nature
At first, our conception of good and evil was pure mysticism: small familial bands roamed and had to fight off sabre-toothed tigers and fatal diseases. We needed each other so much that person-to-person evil was relatively unknown. So evil meant the unknown: disease, predators, insanity, hemorrhoids, weird things howling in the night.
II. Man Versus Other Man Outside Civilization
Before permanent civilization, larger bands of humans roamed and sometimes clashed. At this point, we had our first definition of human evil: the outsider. Someone not from our tribe might kill us, giggling like a schoolgirl, in fact. And what of people among us who transgressed? They were the few who had gone insane - see definition I - because to do so was to be without a band of humans in a time when there were still enough animals that this was a bad idea (now, it's a moot point, since just about everything wild enough to eat us is dead, except AIDS).
III. Man Versus Other Man in Civilization
This is where it gets interesting: Judaism and Christianity belong to this age. Once people decided to settle down in large groups, we had civilization. Civilizations got attacked, but it was less frequent than before, because established towns and cities had strongholds, which meant less frequency of success for the intruders - like a burglar staring down the barrel of a shotgun after stumbling into a dark room, lockpick in hand. This meant that, statistically, there was a greater chance of facing badness within civilization from without. Whether it was farmer Josef ben Meshuggah stealing your grain, or a wandering Hittite clocking you on the head and taking your wife, it was evil from within. Christianity tried its best to limit this with absolute, contextless rules like "Don't kill" and "Don't steal." Because these rules represented a fundamental paradox with the rule of force, exceptions were made for war and the courts, and force was deprecated through a series of rules designed to construe he who used force first as the aggressor, no matter what went before. I might have been stealing your grain for twenty years, but the instant you whap me with a shillelagh, you're the goddamn barbarian and you'll burn in hell, you pig-fucker.
IV. Man Versus Other Man via Civilization
You can tell in any article when the author starts mentioning something in increasing frequency that it's probably the main point, or something like it. What about this things-as-labeled nonsense? That brings us to the fourth moral generation of good 'n evil, or the time when people use civilization to commit viciousness to one another. It might be legal to buy out someone's ancestral home, for example, or to buy up forest and chop it into pressboard, but is it not vicious? We've found ways of using society against one another, in part based upon that last principle of the previous age, namely that "he who uses force first is the aggressor." That gives us license to do whatever vicious and vile things we desire, so long as we don't use force (it's unclear whether dumping toxic waste in pristine rivers is "force," but we're polluting rivers to avoid that paradox). This is the Nietzschean age, in that he was the most identifiable philosopher who pointed out that passivity - provoking the other guy into using force by doing what is unjust - is now a bigger plague than the moral transgressions Christianity so strictly outlined. God is dead, indeed.
If I have to leave you with any conclusion to all of this, it is this argument: It is more vicious to be selfish and untruthful (using society against others, passively) than it is to slaughter some so that the rest can live well. We're overpopulated. Even worse, the majority of our population are so devoid of inherited intelligence, nobility, beauty and strength that they are always viciously and passively attacking those that they perceive to be above them (blonde jokes, anyone?). Given that our population will inevitably expand to take over more territory than permits nature to renew itself, we should stop this now before things go awry.
Older generations are so afraid of this logic that they simply shut down, mentally, when it is mentioned. They cannot process it. However, we the people who have inherited the earth (meek or not) have to think about it, and to act on it. We're the army of setting things right by clearing away undermen and the corrupt society (money = power, passive = not vicious) that fostered them. What we need to do cannot be expressed in third generation morality; what we need to do can only be understood below the clear appearance but ambiguous meaning of things-as-labeled. We must look to reality, and do what is right, for the preservation of a future in which sane, intelligent people would want to live, or we forever lose that option.
February 9, 2006 |
Unit 3 Study Guide
Bio 2420 Intro to Microbiology
After completing Chapter 13, you should be able to:
1. Define the following terms:
a. Normal flora h. Symbiosis
b. Resident flora i. Disease
c. Transient flora j. Adhesins
2. For each of the following sites, describe the environment and name some of the representative microflora found there:
a. Skin e. intestinal tract
b. Conjunctivae f. vagina
c. Nasal cavity and nasopharynx g. urethra
3. How do commensals benefit/harm us?
4. What are our nonspecific surface defenses? Strutural defenses? Mechanical defenses? Biochemical defenses?
Define the following terms:
a. Infection f. Fomite
b. Reservoir g. Phagocytosis
c. Zoonosis h. Surface proteins
d. Communicable i. Toxins
e. Vector j. Portal of entry, exit
5. What are the challenges that face pathogens? Be able to explain each challenge.
6. Describe how pathogens are transmitted by the various means....ie. repiratory droplets, parenteral means, etc.
7. Compare the properties of endotoxins and exotoxins, giving examples of each.
8. Define epidemiology and explain its importance to nosocomial infections.
9. Define the following terms:
a. Epidemic g. Carriers
b. Endemic h. Morbidity
c. Pandemic i. Mortality
d. Acute j. Attenuated
e. Chronic k. prophylaxis
f. CDC l. Antitoxin
After completing Chapter 14, you should be able to:
1. Define the following terms:
a. Inflammation d. Interferon
b. Chemotaxis e. Lymphatic system
c. Complement f. Oposins
2. What are the body's 3 lines of defense? What is the difference between nonspecific and specific defenses? Name the 4 major nonspecific 2nd line defenses.
3. Briefly describe the steps in inflammation. What are inflammatory mediators...give examples.
4. Describe the mechanism of phagocytosis and its role in nonspecific defense.
5. Name the 5 kinds of leukocytes and explain their main functions.
After completing Chapter 15, you should be able to:
1. Describe the difference between foreign and self antigens.
2. Explain the antigen-antibody specificity.
3. Name the 5 classes of immunoglobulins (Ig), rank, and function of each.
4. Explain the role of complement in the immune system.
5. Compare and contrast humoral and cellular immunity. Distinguish between innate and acquired immunity B include active vs. passive and artificial vs. natural.
6. Define the following:
a. Antibody e. immunology
b. Antigen f. Haptene
c. Leukocyte g. NK cells
d. Opsonins h. MHC
7. List the types of vaccines and give examples of each. Compare and contrast active and passive immunizations.
After completing Chapter 16, you should be able to:
1. Distinguish between immunity and hypersensitivity. Between immediate and delayed hypersensitivity and provide examples of each type.
2. Describe autoimmune diseases, including examples.
3. Describe immunodefiecient diseases, including examples.
4. Be able to list some of the immunological techniques and how they function in the laboratory.
After completing Chapter 17, you should be able to:
1. Why do specimens need to be taken aseptically even when nonsterile sites are being sampled and selective media are to be used?
2. Discuss the differences between a genotypic, phenotypic and immunological method of disease identification.
3. What does seropositivity mean? A false positive? A false negative? Serum titers?
4. Why is speed so important in the clinical laboratory? What is a Clinical Laboratory Scientist?
***Each chapter in the textbook, student study guide, and my website notes section has additional review questions and study hints!! |
Resources for Assessment Systems
ADE Balanced Assessment Framework
ADE Balanced Assessment Framework
The ADE Balanced Assessment framework is intended to inform and guide Arizona educators as they work to improve and enhance their continuum of assessment practices. Through this framework, educators will be able to learn how to utilize the appropriate assessment practice for each purpose as well as how to use the data obtained from each type of assessment to ultimately improve student achievement.
- ADE Balanced Assessment Framework(Updated 7.19.17)
- Designing a Comprehensive Assessment System – WestEd
Resource to support site/district analysis of their assessment systems.
Balanced Assessment Systems: Leadership, Quality, and the Role of Classroom Assessment
Authors: Steve Chappuis, Carol Commodore
Rick Stiggins Copyright – 2016 Corwin Press
Companion PDF resources
Formative Assessment as a process is critical to student achievement of deeper learning called for in college- and career- ready standards, and to students’ acquisition of important 21st century skills such as communication, collaboration, and self- monitoring.
The overall definition of Formative Assessment that the ADE as a system embraces is from CCSSO (Council of Chief State School Officers).
Formative assessment is a process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students’ achievement of intended instructional outcomes. (CCSSO, 2008).
1. Use learning progressions to clearly articulate how learning develops across standards
2. Establish clear learning goals for the lesson and associated success criteria
3. Plan strategies to elicit evidence of learning during the lesson
4. Interpret the evidence in relation to the lesson learning goals
5. Decide on appropriate pedagogical action
6. Involve students in the process through peer and self-assessment
7. Create and maintain a collaborative classroom culture in which teachers and students collaborate and are partners in learning
The Arizona Department of Education along with partners WestEd and Margaret Heritage, have been involved in multiple projects with difference points of focus on Formative Assessment. This site provides resources and an overview of the past and current projects that Arizona Educators, the ADE, and WestEd have partnered together to positively influence student achievement.
The Formative Assessment Insights course is an interactive digital learning experience for teachers in grads K-12. This is an interactive digital learning experience for teachers in grades K-12. The interactive platform provides teachers opportunities to learn with like- minded colleagues in their own school and districts around the country. When teachers implement formative assessment as a process, in collaboration with their students, it can have powerful effects on student learning. His online course has 5-6 modules and runs approximately 6 months for completion. Participants can take the course individually or as a group. This course can be purchased and implemented at a school/district level.
The FAST-ER Grant is focused on different models of formative assessment implementation based on the needs of each site/district involved in the project. The main tool of the grant is Using the Formative Assessment Rubrics, Reflection and Observation Tools to Support Professional Reflection on Practice or FARROP. Implementation of a self-reflection and peer reflection model using the FARROP rubrics is the main focus of the grant. Participants spent the school year extending their learning about formative assessment and the FARROP rubrics through online modules focused on the 10 dimensions of formative assessment, videotaping their own classroom for self-reflection, and through observing other teachers and assisting them in their growth of implementation of formative assessment.
The SAAL project is focused on giving students the capabilities to learn for themselves. This project built upon what teacher participants had already learned through the Formative Assessments Insights (FAI) course by exploring the competencies that contribute to students becoming active agents in their own learning and assessment.
Arizona Leans In on Formative Assessment. This Ed Week article highlights Arizona Educator involvement in the Formative Assessment Insights course. This article was published online on November 9, 2015. This article was published in print on November 11, 2015 as An Arizona Initiative Sets Sights on Teachers.
Contact Information: Suzi Mast, Director of Mathematics | 602-364-4030 |
The seventh and eighth grades are filled with enormous intellectual, social, and moral growth. During these years, students are given increasing responsibility, the opportunity to make choices, and the chance to be leaders. BB&N provides many options for Middle School students to explore these issues through special programs.
A variety of school traditions mark the BB&N calendar at the Middle School—some old, some new, some part of the academic fabric of the school, others part of the social fabric. These traditions include:
Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast – A schoolwide celebratory feast featuring guest speakers and artists.
Winterfest – The Middle School’s annual Winterfest concert ushers in the holiday season with a festive mix of chamber music, choral performances, jazz band romps, and whimsical theatrical interludes.
Pizza Lunch – Every Tuesday afternoon, Middle School students enjoy pizza for lunch. “Pizza Lunch” is organized by the Middle School Parents Association and is one of the highlights of the week!
The School is dedicated to excellence in its educational programs and in personal character development. Fundamental to such excellence is an inclusive curriculum, and a diverse community where members learn to live within and to appreciate and celebrate a rich variety of cultures. To that end, the Middle School’s curriculum, advisory program, and community activities offer opportunities throughout the year to celebrate and appreciate the differences within our community, and to reinforce a schoolwide commitment to multiculturalism and diversity.
At this age level, a thoughtful lens into diversity often serves as a springboard for students as they begin to branch out to establish an identity independent of family and friends. The Middle School curriculum works to invite and nourish reflection on that journey as well as provide concrete content, tools, and study skills along the way. Our students come from diverse backgrounds and we support and nurture their differences as well as work to prepare them for their future contributions to our increasingly diverse world. For details on these programs, refer to BB&N’s Diversity Program Guide (see right column for download).
These programs offer students an opportunity to engage in age-appropriate discussions with trusted adults and peers about various issues facing middle schoolers today. The goal is for students to learn responsibility for themselves and others, and to be productive, respectful, and thoughtful members of the BB&N community.
The seventh grade program covers a wide range of topics including study skills, group building, relationships, bullying, community service learning, internet safety, gender differences, and race. The program also asks students to engage in discussions about prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination.
The eighth grade programs cover many of the same topics, although in a manner that fosters more independence to prepare students for the challenges of the Upper School. Specific activities include homeroom speeches in which students complete a five-minute autobiographical speech, and viewing and discussion of Not in Our Town, a video about discrimination in a small town and how the town responds, and Race: The Power of an Illusion, which challenges students to explore and challenge racial stereotypes and differences.
D-Squared is the Middle School’s diversity-themed student club, which meets once a week. Members join in discussions and activities that facilitate community and self-awareness through identifying and understanding differences (and similarities), and exploring multiple perspectives and points of view.
The BB&N Parents’ Association has also developed several organizations that are dedicated to furthering multicultural initiatives at the School. These include PNSC (Parent Network to Support Students of Color), CGSA (Community Gay Straight Alliance, and SAPA (South Asian Parents’ Alliance).
Regional/Outreach Opportunities for Students
These opportunities include AISNE Student of Color Conference (Upper and Middle School students) AISNE Diversity Conference (Upper and Middle School students), and BB&N Student Diversity Leadership Conference (Upper School students).
Each campus has a diversity committee made up of faculty, administrators, parents, and students. There is also a diversity committee on the Board of Trustee level made up of trustees, parents, administrators, and faculty.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast, Kwanzaa Dinner, Asian Cultural Evening, and the One School-One World celebration are a few examples of all-school events that provide enlightenment, education, cultural sharing, and social opportunities for all members of the BB&N community. |
Foods for Beautiful Skin
If you want to have beautiful skin, skin care products are not enough. Skin care products only help improve the health of your skin from the outside. You also need to get right nutrients to have healthy skin from the inside.
Antioxidants fight free radicals that damage cells, prevent wrinkles and keep your skin youthful. Antioxidant vitamins are A, C, and E.
– Vitamin A helps repair body tissue, reduce fine lines in the skin and fade age spots.
Sources of vitamin A: liver, cheese, milk, eggs, carrots, squash, broccoli, tomatoes, kale, and other bright-colored fruits and vegetables.
If you want to take vitamin A supplement, limit the supplementation to 10,000 IU. Vitamin A is fat-soluble so overtaking vitamin A can be toxic.
– Vitamin C is essential for the synthesis of collagen and reduces skin damage caused by free radicals.
Sources of Vitamin C: orange, kiwi, and lemon, green peppers, broccoli, and strawberry.
Vitamin C is water-soluble so you can take it daily. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C is 60 mg per day but this amount will only prevent you from picking up scurvy. Recent studies suggest that an intake between 200-500 mg per day may be the most beneficial for healthy people.
– Vitamin E helps protect skin cells from ultra violate light and pollution and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Sources of Vitamin E: nuts, seeds, whole grains, and avocado.
The RDA for vitamin E is 15-20 IU per day but many research studies show that 100 to 200 IU per day provides more benefits and that any dosage in excess of this amount provides little additional value.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids help promote healthy skin. Omega-3 fatty acids also prevent sagging skin by regulating cellular function and maintaining elasticity and suppleness in the skin.
Sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acid: flaxseeds, walnuts, tofu, soybeans, and cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines.
There is no RDA for Omega-3 Fatty Acid but the American Heart Association suggests that “taking EPA+DHA ranging from 0.5 to 1.8 grams per day (either as fatty fish or supplements) significantly reduces deaths from heart disease and all causes.” So for healthy people, .5 to 1.8 grams of EPA and DHA a day is sufficient.
Zinc helps heal wounds and improve skin conditions such as acne and eczema.
Sources of Zinc: oysters, beef, lamb, pork, crabmeat, turkey, chicken, lobster, clams, and salmon.
The RDA for zinc is 11 mg for males and 8 mg for females.
Green tea helps fight free radicals, neutralize UV light, rejuvenate skin cells, and reduce inflammation.
Many studies recommend drinking 4 cups of green tea a day.
Food You Should Avoid
Sugar-based food. Sugar causes skin inflammation and speeds the aging process, causing wrinkles. |
Reading in the winter means sharing more than a good book.
It is a good time to share a cup of cocoa and a smile.
For younger readers, try some of these suggestions. These are all in our collection:
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. Depicts a young boy Peter’s adventures in the snow with simple, graphic illustrations. The Snowy Day conveys the joy of playing in the snow. Ages 1+
Snow by Uri Shulevitz. Describes a young boy’s anticipation while waiting for the first snow and revelry when the snow comes. Snow is the book to reach for to celebrate the first snow of the season. Ages 2+
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. I absolutely love this story about a girl and her father venturing out into the woods on a winter night in search of an owl. Owl Moon describes a memorable wintertime nature encounter. Ages 3+
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs. Without words, The Snowman tells the tale of a boy who imagines playing – and flying – with the snowman he has created. Ages 4+
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Mary Azarian. A true story about a man, William Bentley, who figured out how to photograph snowflakes in the late-1800s. Ages 5+ |
Arthuis, King of the Pennines
(Welsh-Arthwys, Latin-Artorius, English-Arthur)
In the late 5th century, Arthuis succeeded his father, King Mor of Greater Ebrauc (York), in the southern area of his Kingdom: the Pennine region of today. He was probably a contemporary of the great High-King Arthur of romantic legend, and stories of the latter's exploits in the north may well be a muddled memory of this Northern King, who is thought to have fought against the Picts on numerous occasions. He was eventually succeeded by his son, Pabo Post Prydein. |
An acquisition occurs when one company buys another company. Often you’ll see in the newspaper the words acquisition, merger or consolidation. It just means two companies are coming together to make one company.
During the late 1990s WorldCom’s strategy was to grow through acquisition. Trouble was, the company wasn’t generating enough cash for the acquisitions it wanted to make. So it used stock as its currency and paid for the companies it acquired partly with WorldCom shares. That meant they absolutely had to keep its share price high; otherwise, the acquisitions would be too expensive.
Another company that grew through acquisitions was Tyco International. In fact, they bought some six hundred companies in just two years, or more than one every working day. With all those acquisitions, the goodwill number on Tyco’s balance sheet grew to the point where bankers began to get nervous. Bankers effectively shut the company off from further acquisitions immediately.
(Excerpts from Financial Intelligence, Chapter 11 – Assets)
You agree to buy MJQ for $5 million. Since you are buying a collection of physical assets (among other things), you will appraise those assets the way any buyer would. Maybe you find that MJQ’s buildings, shelving, forklifts, and computers are worth $2 million. That doesn’t mean you made a bad deal. You are buying a going concern with a name, talented and knowledgeable employees, and so on, and these so –called intangibles can in some cases be much more valuable than the tangible assets. (How much would you pay for the brand name Coca-Cola? Or for Dell Computer’s customer list?) |
Heart disease is the number one cause of death in this country. But it is also one of the most preventable. The choices you make every day – what to eat, how you respond to stress, whether or not to get up off the couch and exercise – affect how much you’re at risk. Click on a condition below to learn more.
Tricuspid Valve Disease can occur when the heart valve between the right atrium and the right ventricle, which normally has three flaps or cusps, becomes narrowed.
In mitral valve disease, the valve between the left heart chambers (left atrium and left ventricle) doesn’t work properly.
An aneurysm is an abnormal widening or ballooning of a portion of an artery due to weakness in the wall of the blood vessel.
Aortic dissection is a potentially life-threatening condition in which there is bleeding into and along the wall of the aorta, the major artery carrying blood out of the heart.
Angina is a type of chest discomfort due to poor blood flow through the blood vessels (coronary vessels) of the heart muscle (myocardium).
An abdominal aortic aneurysm is when the large blood vessel that supplies blood to the abdomen, pelvis, and legs becomes abnormally large or balloons outward.
Atherosclerosis is a condition in which fatty material collects along the walls of arteries. This fatty material thickens, hardens (forms calcium deposits), and may eventually block the arteries.
An arrhythmia is a disorder of the heart rate (pulse) or heart rhythm, such as beating too fast (tachycardia), too slow (bradycardia), or irregularly.
Congenital heart disease refers to a problem with the heart’s structure and function due to abnormal heart development before birth.
The carotid arteries provide the main blood supply to the brain. There carotid arteries are located on each side of your neck under the jawline.
TextHeart failure, also called congestive heart failure, is a condition in which the heart can no longer pump enough blood to the rest of the body.
A heart attack is when blood vessels that supply blood to the heart are blocked, preventing enough oxygen from getting to the heart.
Pericarditis is a condition in which the sac-like covering around the heart (pericardium) becomes inflamed. |
Words by Lula Criado (Twitter @Lula_ClotMag)
Fashion is a visual language that has an intimate relationship with people and helps define their identity and the communities in which they live. Since the beginning of civilization people have used animal hides to cover themselves with a second skin, but what if textiles could be grown using only cultured bacteria?
Suzanne Lee —a London-based fashion designer and a TED Senior fellow— is the founder and Director of BioCouture Ltd, an innovative and pioneering ‘living materials’ consultancy focused on growing materials from living microorganisms. The resources are ecologic and sustainable, just a few microbes —bacteria and yeast— which multiply while feeding on sugar and tea. The resulting biomass is a sheet similar to leather that can be cut and sewn into a variety of garments.
Leather manufacturing is a toxic process that has a large negative impact on the environment. These ‘growing biomaterials‘ are something completely different – an eco-friendly, sustainable and biodegradable textile that help heal and create a better world and deliver exactly what the fashion industry needs. Suzanne and her team are working hard on it, ‘I’ll never be bored of thinking how to design a better future’s Suzanne says.
You are a fashion designer, when and how do the fascination with the microorganisms come about?
It started while researching my book, Fashioning The Future: tomorrow’s wardrobe for a chapter on biotechnology. I interviewed a materials scientist and we discussed how it might be possible to use living organisms such as yeast and bacteria to grow clothing. It was quite the most amazing thing I could imagine. That was back in 2003.
Green tea, sugar, a few microbes and a little time are the ingredients of your fascinating experiments, how do you feed your creativity?
Nature is the greatest inspiration. The natural world is the best designer I know.
Innovation requires curiosity, what was the first thing awake the curiosity in you?
Science fiction. I was a fan as a child and still am today. I’ll never be bored of thinking how to design a better future.
When you are blocked, what do you do to get your ideas come up again?
I wish I had more time to visit museums and galleries, they’re such great places to recharge your imagination. That and foreign travel, I love travelling in Mexico.
Is a mistake an opportunity to do something new?
So much innovation is the result of exploiting when things go wrong – it’s a creative skill to recognize the opportunity in a mistake. That’s how we have penicillin.
You couldn’t live without…
My sense of smell.
One for the road… The material absorbs a lot of water, have you revolved the waterproof problem yet?
It was never a real problem, it got blown out of all proportion. Far bigger issues remain. Like how the cost of materials for fashion is so low it’s hard to compete with oil-based polymers like polyester. |
Art & Crafts : Altered Books and Other Altered Art
Getting Started with Altered Books and Other Altered Art
Transform old books into new works of art!
Altered book art combines several types of artistic techniques into one unique art form. Starting with a book base, the artist tears away pages and then adds their own creative expressions through rubber stamping, scrapping, collage, photomontage, and writing.
Within this collection of altered book resources you'll find several free altered book projects (such as Karen Hatzigeorgiou's Altered Board Book and Violette's Altered Journal Cover) plus additional Web resources that explain the altered book process, archiving suggestions, and others that share free projects, art tips, techniques, and tutorials for your creative altered book and other altered projects.
Featured Altered Art Project Tutorials
Create Your Own Altered Art in 60 Minutes!
By Tatiana Kuzyk
Learn how to create a beautiful altered art mixed media keepsake in just one hour!
How to Alter a Board Book
By Karen Hatzigeorgiou
Altered Board Books are a fun and easy way to get started into the art of creating altered books. This step-by-step tutorial will show you how to alter a small children's board book to display two pictures inside.
Making an Altered Journal Cover
Using altered art techniques, learn how to make your own funky journal cover using a foam core base. Or, improvise this project onto a book cover to make an altered journal book.
How to Make an Altered Purse
Books aren't the only thing you can make altered art from. Violette shows you the exciting process of transforming an old purse into a new creative work of art that you can still use!
Book Cover Collage
Try it! Tutorials
A segment in our "How to Collage" series explains how to apply collage to a blank (or existing) book cover as a primer into the world of altered book art.
More Altered Book Art How-to Sources
ArtellaLand: The Waltz of Words and Art
Love creative writing and art? Then this is the place for you! Beyond Artella the magazine, there's a variety of features that support the creative goals of artists and writers in their community. Site features creativity seeds and inspiration for writing, art, collage, and altered books.
Articles and instruction on creating altered books with photographs and design details. Features a section called Play, with ideas for creating decorative papers for art projects. Collage work is also on display with articles written for publications such as Artella, e-Artella, The Gleaner, and the ISABA (International Society of Altered Book Artists) journal.
Soul Food Cafe's Shoe-String Publishing
Breathe life into old books! Create an Album of Memories. Learn "how to transform old, long outdated, hard covered books, magazines and diaries into scrapbooks." Includes exercises to facilitate the process of transforming personal work into altered books.
Art e-Zine Altered Books
An online 'zine for those who are interested "in playing and having fun with paper, paints, inks and stamps, and any other exciting mediums." Warning! This site is Image-rich and inspiration intensive.
Moderngypsy: The Altered Page
"Save a book. Make it art." Learn what an altered book is; why would you alter a book; and how to alter a book. Plus tips and resources about this unique form of artistic self-expression. |
go to pubmed.gov and enter the search terms "biofilm sinusitis."
Read the abstracts that you find there.
also go to the national Science
foundation center for biofilm engineering site.
Biofilms are complex communities of bacteria all kinds of other microfloria, found in watery environments on all kinds of surfaces. What they share is that they are form a gooey glue that allow them to stick to the surface and each other. The first biofilms that I studied were causing pitting corrosion on stainless steel.
Biofilms are a great pest in potable water systems and are extreamly hard to kill there. Bacteria in a biofilm will live through antibotic concentrations 100 times higher than the MLD 100 for free floating bacteria of the same species.
What I have found helpful.
Peppermint oil externally applied.
Enzymes such as papaya enzyme, cellulase, protease, serrapeptise, amylase.
Sugars that foul the goo's attachment sites such as D-mannose
Grape seed extract
beta glucan nanoparticals
licorice root concentrate
Activa or Curturel because the lacto bacillis is not a goo former and makes enzymes that fight them.
Be aware that when the goo starts to come loose it is like stripping old paint off a surface. It swells up first even as it begins to flow out.
With constant application of this stuff I manage to keep both sides of my head open.
My long term hopes ride on a vaccine against e-coli and a vaccine against beta glucan, a componant of
fungal cell walls.
If you read the cites you will see that people with CS have a biofilm, and the controls don't, it is my theory that people with Cronic sinusitis have the wrong strain of e coli. Every survey of bacteria in people's sinuses has found staph and e-coli, but you see this bug comes in smooth or rough versions and the rough version has has spikes called pili or curli. The smooth e-coli does not stain with congo red and is not involved in human disease. The e-coli with the pili creat red staining colonies and are the main cause of urinary tract infections. These red staining strains use beta amyloid to glue themselves to each other and the surface. They also insinuate themselves below the surface of the epithieal cells. The red version uses it's little spikes to exchange plasmids with other bacteria of it's species and different species, so it's genetics are extreamly veriable.
I think the e-coli is the basement species. Most fungus can not attach by themselves. |
Narendra Modi isn’t India’s first prime minister to draw the nation’s attention to the sad state of the river Ganga, with a promise to restore its glory, although his language and commitment to the cause of Maa (Mother) Ganga’s restoration appears direct and forceful. There is also talk of what is being presented as the Sabarmati model for rejuvenation of other rivers, in particular the river Yamuna in Delhi.
It was Rajiv Gandhi, the then prime minister, who in 1985 first heralded the era of river cleaning in India and launched the Ganga Action Plan, GAP, with an objective of improving water quality of the river Ganga and its tributaries to bathing levels. All subsequent governments have not only continued with the programme but expanded its scope and coverage, so much so that by the end of December 2012, according to the annual report of the Environment Ministry, some Rs 4,032 crore (US$672 million) were spent on cleaning 41 rivers of the country across 190 towns in 20 states.
In 2012, the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science & Technology, Environment & Forests, in its 224th report on demands for grants (2012-2013) that pertains to allocations under the XI and XII Five Year Plan of the Ministry of Environment & Forests, presented to the Rajya Sabha on 18th May, 2012 ruefully stated:
“The Committee takes note of fact that the initiative to clean Ganga started somewhere in the VI Five Year Plan under Ganga Action Plan. Thereafter, Ganga Action Plan-II and some other schemes with different names were operationalized by the Ministry but the end result is for everyone to see. The quality of Ganga water is going down day by day.”
Like GAP, there have been Yamuna Action Plans (YAP) in operation since 1993-94 with Japanese assistance. By the end of second phase of YAP in 2011, some Rs 1,500 crore had been spent on trying to clean the largest tributary of the Ganga, but with little success.
The fact is that river cleaning efforts since the mid-1980s have clearly failed to help revive or restore our rivers. Even after 30 years of the launch of Ganga Action Plan, there is not a single example of government-led successful river restoration in the country.
So, can we now expect miracles from the new Modi-led government?
In this context, the comment of Uma Bharti, the minister in charge of rivers, fills one with hope when she rejects the use of the term river ‘cleaning’ and uses the term river ‘rejuvenation’ instead. Some might ask what difference this makes. Bu it can make a lot of difference, when it comes to revival and restoration of rivers.
The quickest path to river rejuvenation is to let a river system be. This means a situation where a river, its tributaries and distributaries are allowed to “flow, freely and naturally” and “flood, freely and naturally”.
It must be understood that rivers are a natural system, and act like human veins and arteries for the earth. Just like a damaged artery can result in a serious health issue, so would a damaged river system for the nation and the earth.
But then that would entail removing existing obstructions to the flow like dams, barrages and embankments which trap a river within a restricted space. An ideal state for our rivers but one that the votaries of rapid economic growth would find preposterous.
Environmentalists and sadhus emphasized the need to remove existing obstructions and not to place new ones at the Ganga Manthan meeting called recently by Bharti to decide how to rejuvenate the river. But there was little mention of this in the official statement after the meeting, nor did this point of view find any echo in the programmes outlined in the Namami Ganga programme to rejuvenate the river, and for which a large amount of money has been allocated in this year’s budget.
We must understand that it is far more important and sustainable to have a ‘healthy’ and ‘happy’ nation than a ‘wealthy’ but ‘sick’ nation.
For health, as a nation we must breathe clean air, have access to and eat healthy food, and drink clean and wholesome water. This shall be possible only when our air is clean, soils are healthy and rivers have been revived and rejuvenated.
Above all, it must be understood that rivers are a natural system, and act like human veins and arteries for the earth. Just like a damaged artery can result in a serious health issue, so would a damaged river system for the nation and the earth.
Talking about specifics, the Modi government has been highlighting the rejuvenation of river Sabarmati in Gujarat as a success story. But we do not think so. What has been done is that a mirage of a river over mere 10.5 km of its total length of 350 km has been created passing through the city of Ahmedabad and that too at the cost of the river’s floodplains. Even the water present in Sabarmati doesn’t belong to the river itself, but has been taken from Narmada through a canal that happens to pass through the north of Ahmedabad. Clearly when there has not been any rejuvenation of the river properly, then how can it be championed as a role model for other rivers?
In more tangible and direct terms, the Ganga-Yamuna river system shall be truly restored only when their needs are understood and addressed in entirety. When each of their tributaries are given as much attention as the main river channels; when their ecological flows and security of flood plains are ensured by law and when the restoration of Ganga-Yamuna truly becomes a people’s movement and does not remain just a government run river ‘cleaning’ effort, only then will the rivers be truly conserved.
It’s too early to judge the actions and policies of Narendra Modi and Uma Bharti and only time will tell whether the current good and sincere intentions have resulted in finding the correct roadmap and taking right actions with sound and sustained results.
Manoj Misra is the Convener of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan, a NGO that strives for revival and rejuvenation of the Yamuna. This article originally appeared on The Third Pole. |
by Staff Writers
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 17, 2013
Taking a significant step toward improving the power delivery of systems ranging from urban electrical grids to regenerative braking in hybrid vehicles, researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have synthesized a material that shows high capability for both the rapid storage and release of energy.
In a paper published April 14 in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Materials, a team led by professor of materials science and engineering Bruce Dunn defines the characteristics of a synthesized form of niobium oxide - a compound based on an element used in stainless steel - with a great facility for storing energy. The material would be used in a "supercapacitor," a device that combines the high storage capacity of lithium ion batteries and the rapid energy-delivery ability of common capacitors.
UCLA researchers said the development could lead to extremely rapid charging of devices, ranging in applications from mobile electronics to industrial equipment. For example, supercapacitors are currently used in energy-capture systems that help power loading cranes at ports, reducing the use of hydrocarbon fuels such as diesel.
"With this work, we are blurring the lines between what is a battery and what is a supercapacitor," said Veronica Augustyn, a graduate student in materials science at UCLA and lead author of the paper. "The discovery takes the disadvantages of capacitors and the disadvantages of batteries and does away with them."
Batteries effectively store energy but do not deliver power efficiently because the charged carriers, or ions, move slowly through the solid battery material. Capacitors, which store energy at the surface of a material, generally have low storage capabilities.
Researchers on Dunn's team synthesized a type of niobium oxide that demonstrates substantial storage capacity through "intercalation pseudocapacitance," in which ions are deposited into the bulk of the niobium oxide in the same way grains of sand can be deposited between pebbles.
As a result, electrodes as much as 40 microns thick - about the same width as many commercial battery components - can quickly store and deliver energy on the same time scales as electrodes more than 100 times thinner.
Dunn emphasizes that although the electrodes are an important first step, "further engineering at the nanoscale and beyond will be necessary to achieve practical devices with high energy density that can charge in under a minute."
Co-authors of the study included Dunn; Sarah Tolbert, a UCLA chemistry and biochemistry professor; Augustyn and fellow UCLA Engineering graduate student Jong Woung Kim; Cornell University professor Hector Abruna; Cornell postgraduate researcher Michael Lowe; Patrice Simon, a professor at the Universite Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, France; and graduate student Jeremy Come and researcher Pierre-Louis Taberna of the Universite Paul Sabatier.
University of California - Los Angeles
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
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A 30-foot-long core sample of Pacific Ocean seafloor is changing what we know about ocean resiliency in the face of rapidly changing climate. A new study reports that marine ecosystems can take thousands, rather than hundreds, of years to recover from climate-related upheavals. The study’s authors–including Peter Roopnarine, PhD, of the California Academy of Sciences–analyzed thousands of invertebrate fossils to show that ecosystem recovery from climate change and seawater deoxygenation might take place on a millennial scale. The revolutionary study is the first of its kind, and is published today in the Early Edition of the journal PNAS.
The scientific collaborative–led by Sarah Moffitt, PhD, from the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory and Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute–analyzed more than 5,400 invertebrate fossils, from sea urchins to clams, within a sediment core from offshore Santa Barbara, California.
“In this study, we used the past to forecast the future,” says Roopnarine, Academy curator of invertebrate zoology and geology. “Tracing changes in marine biodiversity during historical episodes of warming and cooling tells us what might happen in years to come. We don’t want to hear that ecosystems need thousands of years to recover from disruption, but it’s critical that we understand the global need to combat modern climate impacts.”
The tube-like sediment core is a slice of ocean life as it existed between 3,400 and 16,100 years ago, and provides a before-and-after snapshot of what happened during the last major deglaciation–a time of abrupt climate warming, melting polar ice caps, and expansion of low oxygen zones in the ocean. The new study documents how long it has historically taken for ecosystems to begin recovery following dramatic shifts in climate.
Previous marine sediment studies reconstructing Earth’s climatic history rely heavily upon simple, single-celled organisms called Foraminifera. This week’s study explores multicellular life–in the form of invertebrates–in pursuit of a more complete picture of ocean ecosystem resilience during past periods of climate change.
“The complexity and diversity of a community depends on how much energy is available,” says Roopnarine. “To truly understand the health of an ecosystem and the food webs within, we have to look at the simple and small as well as the complex. In this case, marine invertebrates give us a better understanding of the health of ecosystems as a whole.”
The study’s all-important sediment core revealed an ancient history of abundant, diverse, and well-oxygenated seafloor ecosystems, followed by a period of oxygen loss and warming that seems to have triggered a rapid loss of biodiversity. The study reports that invertebrate fossils are nearly non-existent during times of lower-than-average oxygen levels.
Moffitt emphasized the importance of using a large, 30-foot core sample from one portion of the seafloor, saying the team “cut it up like a cake” to analyze the full, unbroken record.
In periods of fewer than 100 years, oceanic oxygen levels decreased between 0.5 and 1.5 mL/L. Sediment samples during these periods show that relatively minor oxygen fluctuations can result in dramatic changes for seafloor communities.
‘New normal’ of rapid climate change
The study results suggest that future periods of global climate change may result in similar ecosystem-level effects with millennial-scale recovery periods. As the planet warms, scientists expect to see much larger areas of low-oxygen “dead zones” in the world’s oceans.
“Folks in Oregon and along the Gulf of Mexico are all-too-familiar with the devastating impacts of low-oxygen ocean conditions on local ecosystems and economies,” says Roopnarine. “We must explore how ocean floor communities respond to upheaval as we adapt to a ‘new normal’ of rapid climate change. We humans have to think carefully about the planet we are leaving for future generations.”
Sarah E. Moffitt, Tessa M. Hill, Peter D. Roopnarine, and James P. Kennett. Response of seafloor ecosystems to abrupt global climate change. PNAS, 2015 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1417130112 |
OK, reporters of the world, it's time for a little chat.
We know—believe me, we know—that you are cranking out a whole lot of copy, with much less support than you used to have, on far tighter deadlines, to feed a voracious, anonymous online audience whose clicks get you paid.
But it's time to discuss the very, very important difference between two similar words that have gotten you in a world of hurt lately.
Those two words are "electrified" and "electric."
You might think they're pretty similar, right? Both something to do with electricity. And in stories you've written this year, those electric cars everyone's talking about. Right?
Yes. But no.
Volvo CMA modular compact car platform in electric configurationEnlarge Photo
Applied to cars, the difference is absolutely crucial—and worth billions of dollars to the industry at large.
"Electric" cars are vehicles that plug into the electric grid to recharge batteries that provide the energy to run them.
But "electrified" cars simply have an electric motor somewhere in the drivetrain—and they don't necessarily have plugs (although they may).
READ THIS: Ford plans 300-mile electric SUV, hybrid F-150 and Mustang, more U.S. production (Jan 2017)
The first category, electric cars, includes battery-electric cars (e.g. Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S) and also plug-in hybrid vehicles (e.g. Chevrolet Volt, Toyota Prius Prime).
But the second category, electrified cars, is much bigger.
It includes not only both kinds of electric cars, but also conventional hybrids (which have no plug, and run all-electric for only a mile or so under light power), plus what are called mild hybrids—which are enhanced start-stop systems.
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid - production modelEnlarge Photo
Every vehicle in that group has one or two electric motors in its drivetrain, somewhere, but they vary a lot in size.
The motors in those mild hybrids can't move the car by itself; it just helps the engine a bit, improving efficiency by feeding recaptured energy back into the wheels that would otherwise have been wasted.
Today, most electrified vehicles are much, much cheaper to build than electric cars with their large battery packs.
Which is why you need to understand the difference between the two words when a car company makes a big announcement about future products and you hear what you think is the word "electric" somewhere in the press release.
Consider the Volvo announcement that got so much traction this week.
Many, many news outlets reported that Volvo will make only electric or hybrid cars from 2019 on, which is not what the company said.
2016 Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybridEnlarge Photo
Volvo used the word "electrified," which many reports assumed meant electric. It didn't.
(1) Volvo said new models starting in 2019 would be plug-in hybrid or battery electric vehicles, or have a 48-volt mild-hybrid system (which means without a plug) available.
(2) The latter group will likely be, at least initially, the largest group of the three.
(3) The announcement only affects new models from 2019, so Volvo will keep existing vehicles now using gasoline or diesel engines in production for ... well, several years to come yet.
In other words, Volvo will ensure that all of the cars it launches—starting two years from now—are capable of accepting enhanced start-stop hardware, aka 48-volt mild hybrids.
Bosch 48-volt mild hybridEnlarge Photo
It will also likely raise the proportion of plug-in hybrids if buyer demand proves to exist, and launch its first all-electric vehicle, which had been previously reported.
Ford, by the way, got similar positive PR for its supposed plans to release "13 electric cars" by 2020.
In fact, it used the word "electrified": one or perhaps two of those will be all-electric, some will be plug-in hybrid, and the majority will be conventional hybrids of the sort Ford has built since 2004.
It will add a hybrid F-150 as well, but that's hardly an "electric car."
See the difference? |
Perhaps, you have got this into your ears many times that innovation is all about thinking in a unique way. It is true but only half. In fact innovation is about when an idea is implemented to create an impact. An idea is a thought that pertains to solve a particular problem(whether it is the problem of a customer or organisation itself). Three elements of innovation are idea, implementation and impact, elaborated with an example as:
Suppose, you are running an aluminium fabrication business. You want to increase your profits in the next 3 incoming months. The only way out in order to maximize your profits is through cost reduction. Well, you brain storm an idea which allows you to save your costs. When you implement this idea, it really brings down your costs which means your profits are increased right. This is called as innovation- coming up with an idea, which is implemented to create an impact.
Business-week publishes a list of innovative companies every year. As per this magazine, there are 4 main types of innovations described as follows:
1. Process Innovation
When Flipkart.com launched its operations in 2007, all of the work was carried out manually. There was no concept of using enterprise resource planning software. As the business grew up, the details of customers, warehouses, logistics etc was difficult to manage manually.
This problem was solved when it employed an ERP software which would maintain the updates of all departments thus eased up the process. Every department remains aware about the condition of product from warehouse to customer. This is called as process innovation.
2. Product Innovation
When TATA launched Nano vehicle for lower sections of society in India, it increased their sales and revenues. This is called as product innovation.
3. Customer Experience
Again let me take the example Flipkart.com. When it launched a Flyte application in 2013 probably, it enhanced the experience of book lovers. We know it no a days it is very difficult to carry a book along. This problem was removed out by the application which you need to install, sign up, purchase and read your favorite stuff on it. This increased the experience of customer and hence is an innovation.
4. Business model Innovation
The Indian Premier league introduced by Lalit Modi is the way of playing old cricket game in a new fashion. When an innovation redefines its offer, customer, distribution and money making technique, it is called as business model innovation. |
Some things are important, and some things are not important, and some things are more important than we think.
What is a medal?
It’s a piece of metal, attached to a ribbon. That’s all.
Or, it is a reminder of honor and bravery and service, sometimes a reminder of pain and death.
They give medals mostly to young men and women, because, in general, it is the young who fight the wars.
Unlike the medals, the young men and women age and die. They are young soldiers, brave and strong, and then they are old, and then they die. The medals lie in a drawer, unaging.
Frederick C. Sylvia Jr. was one such young soldier. His war was World War II. He came out of it with whatever memories he had, with the feeling of having done what was right, and with four medals. He took all of those things to an assisted-living facility in Greater New Bedford.
He wanted to be buried with the medals. The memories and the feeling of having done what was right would go into the ground with him.
An employee at the facility stole his medals, and Frederick C. Sylvia was buried with only his memories and his honor.
Which was important.
Mark Costa, assistant chief probation officer at Fall River District Court, heard the story when he was required to supervise a Fall River woman who was prosecuted for receiving some property stolen from the assisted-living facility.
But not the medals. The medals were gone for good.
So Costa, a National Guard veteran and vice chairman of the Fall River School Committee, went to work.
He had help, including Fall River Veteran’s Agent Ray Hague, but it was Costa who got the idea, Costa who pushed, Costa who got the U.S. Department of Defense to issue duplicate medals. Costa flew to Florida to present the medals to Sylvia’s family.
Which was important.
Frederick C. Sylvia was with Gen. George S. Patton in Europe, taking terrible risks, grinding metal-on-metal with the Nazis. He fought at The Battle of the Bulge when the heroism of the average man was being written on the snow in letters of blood.
All of which was important.
It would have been very, very easy for Costa to do his probation officer’s job, giving no thought to Sylvia, his bravery and his medals. No one would have blamed Costa. No one would have known.
It would not have been important.
But Costa turned aside from his daily work, found people to help him and, like Sylvia, did what was right.
The old warriors who fought World War II are leaving us, taking their honor with them, leaving behind medals, a picture of them in uniform, a son or granddaughter who remembers a few scraps of their stories.
Mark Costa reached out to Frederick C. Sylvia in the best tradition of the citizen soldier, of the veteran’s brotherhood, of simple gratitude.
We thank Sylvia and Costa, both of whom showed us what’s important. |
As anyone who's ever been on a diet knows, portion control is crucial if you want to lose weight. But we could be eating more than we realise when we think we're having small portions, say US researchers.
In tests the researchers gave volunteers identical plates of 15 biscuits, but labelled some as medium-sized biscuits and others as large biscuits. On average, those who thought they were eating the medium-sized biscuits ate more than the volunteers who believed the biscuits they were eating were the larger ones.
However those who had eaten the medium-sized biscuits said they thought they had eaten less than the volunteers who'd eaten the large biscuits. In other words, even though in reality they'd had more biscuits overall, they didn't realise it.
In another round of tests, the researchers discovered people also eat more than they realise when they're doing other things while they're eating - as opposed to when all they have to concentrate on is their food.
It's all so confusing if you're struggling with your weight. And now, it looks like even if you do try to eat smaller portions, it might explain why your diet's not working.
But it's not the first time experts have suggested there's more to portion control than we realise, with one study claiming we could fool ourselves we're eating more, when actually we're eating less.
When did food get so complicated? |
The Challenges for the Indian Forestry Sector
Policy Brief #05, February 2009. The research presented in this briefing is from IIASA’s Forestry Program and TIFAC, an autonomous organization under India’s Department of Science and Technology. It highlights the key issues facing the Indian forestry system, identifies major priorities and actions to help the Indian forestry system develop sustainably and meet future national needs.
- The rapidly growing Indian economy has implications for all sectors of the economy, including forestry. The societal demands on forests are becoming more diversified and rising faster than the capacity of forests to supply them on a sustainable basis. The widening gap is one of the main causes of forest degradation and loss of forest biodiversity that is taking place on an unprecedented scale, fast eroding the very basis of the livelihood of forest-dependent communities.
- The existing administrative structure and functions, planning and control system, and research and training methods are all geared toward securing a sustained supply of timber, mainly from state forest reserves. A move toward more comprehensive multiple-use forestry would require reorientation of forestry institutions by bringing within their mandate the production of goods and environmental services, both in and outside forests. A mismatch between the changing societal demands on forests and non-changing forestry institutions could slow down the growth or even allow the sector to stagnate, thereby accelerating forest degradation.
- This assessment of the Indian forest sector identifies four interlinked themes as an approach that offers the greatest possibility of ensuring the sustainable development of the Indian forestry system. The themes are:
- o The future of Indian forestry will depend on the provision of reliable data and inventories covering all aspects of the Indian forestry system.
- o New data and inventories must be based on integrated assessments that take account of issues far beyond traditional forest-sector analysis and map the root causes of the degradation and depletion of forest resources.
- o These integrated assessments can then feed into an ongoing, institutionalized strategic planning process that results in integrated strategies and policies.
- o The successful implementation of this strategic plan will require the restructuring of existing governance and institutions with respect to the forest sector.
- In essence, Indian forestry experts point to the need for an integrated concept for analysis, planning, and management of the Indian forest sector.
Read full policy brief (PDF). |
*About twice a month, we try to post the outline of a family devotion that you and your kids can do together. Carve out some time with your kids for a fun and creative discussion this week!
On Christmas we celebrate Jesus’ birthday.
Luke 2:11 “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”
Undecorated cake and assorted colors of icing
Bake or buy a cake and cover it with a thin layer of white icing. Draw a picture to be copied onto the cake, such as a star or a manger (the kids enjoy helping).
Lesson and Discussion:
Tell the Christmas story using the nativity set, emphasizing that Christmas is Jesus’ birthday. Compare the balloons, presents, and cakes that kids have at their parties to the lights, trees, and decorations used for Jesus’ birthday celebrations today.
Decorate Jesus’ birthday cake. With younger children, the parent may want to outline the picture onto the cake, and then hold the child’s hand while he or she fills in the outline with the other colors. Write “Happy Birthday Jesus” on the cake. Light candles and sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus. Eat the birthday cake.
The real meaning of Christmas is about the gift of Jesus Christ. Although many kids can answer that question, the dominant theme of materialism often crowds out the truth. Look for many ways this Christmas to remind yourself and your children about the true meaning of Christmas. It’s a great season that provides many opportunities to teach spiritual truths to children.
If you like this devotion idea, there are hundreds more available from Family Time Training. See the link on the left side of this page for more information. |
*About twice a month, we try to post the outline of a family devotion that you and your kids can do together. Carve out some time with your kids for a fun and creative discussion this week!
We can celebrate Christmas by acting out the story of Jesus’ birth.
Luke 2 and Matthew 2
Pre-made unbreakable nativity set
Lesson and Discussion:
*Words that are written in bold are when you, the parent, are speaking. Feel free to use your own words.
Read the story of Jesus’ birth from a children’s Bible or regular Bible.
Talk about the different characters and where they came from to see baby Jesus. Talk about who came to the stable first, second, third, fourth, etc.
Have the children pick different rooms in the house (or areas in a room) to represent the different character locations (Nazareth, the fields, the East, heaven, Bethlehem). Make signs to place over the doorways to identify the different locations.
Place the characters in the appropriate rooms:
Mary and Joseph in Nazareth
Shepherds in the fields
Wise men in the East
Angels in heaven
Stable, manger, and sheep in Bethlehem
Start a few weeks or days before Christmas and move the characters around the house. As it gets closer to Christmas, have the characters move closer to Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph arrive the day before Christmas.
Baby Jesus is in the manger Christmas morning.
The Shepherds arrive the day after Christmas, and the wise men arrive days or weeks later. Another option is to save a gift from Christmas that the kids can open when the wise men arrive with their gifts for Jesus (possibly on New Year’s day).
Part of the significance of the Christmas story is the humble beginning in Bethlehem. Many kids today imagine that Bethlehem had lights, presents, and tremendous fanfare. Although the wise men were likely wealthy, the rest of the story illustrates a poor town, simple shepherds, and ordinary people involved in the story. God wants us to realize that he has come to care for all of us no matter how much money we have or what our social status is. That is the true meaning of Christmas.
If you like this devotion idea, there are hundreds more available from Family Time Training. See the link on the right side of this page for more information. |
Today the Supreme Court will begin to determine the future of the Voting Rights Act as it hears arguments for and against the landmark piece of legislation born out of the Civil Rights Movement.
The Voting Rights Act has been widely viewed as the most effective civil rights legislation in American history and has been upheld five times by the Supreme Court. The issue at hand today is whether a certain provision, section 5, discriminates against the nine predominantly southern states and parts of several other states to which it exclusively applies.
The law requires that states and districts with a history of racial prejudice get approval from federal officials before making changes to voting laws. The intention was to prevent discriminatory voting procedures before they happen, such as placing polling places in intentionally inconvenient locations and creating purposely restrictive voting requirements. Areas affected by the law must seek permission from the Justice Department or a federal court before they can make changes that would affect voting procedure or voter turnout.
The case today is Shelby County v. Holder. Justice Sonya Sotomayor questioned whether Shelby County was the best part of the country to bring forth the case.
“Some parts of the South have changed,” Justice Sotomayor said. “Your county pretty much hasn’t. You may be the wrong party bringing this.”
The formula Congress created to cover areas of the country with a history of discrimination has not been changed since 1975 and relies on data from 1972. Justice Elena Kagan asserted that the formula seemed to be working pretty well, despite its age.
The law’s challengers now want to know if Congress violated the law when it reauthorized the Voting Rights Act without updating the decades-old formula. Reauthorization of the law in 2006 was astoundingly bipartisan, with the Senate voting unanimously and the House voting 390 to 33.
Justice Antonin Scalia views the continuation of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act as a perpetuation of racial entitlement and asserted that it was not the kind of question that could be left to Congress.
“Whenever a society adopts racial entitlements, it is very difficult to get out of them through the normal political processes,” Justice Scalia said.
Justice Anthony Kennedy, often considered a swing vote between the Supreme Court’s liberal and conservative justices, also questioned whether the law was valid today.
“The Marshall Plan was very good, too — the Northwest Ordinance, the Morrill Act — but times change,” Justice Kennedy said.
Chief Justice John Roberts pointed out that Massachusetts currently has the worst black turnout in elections when compared with whites, in contrast with Mississippi, which currently has the best.
“Is it the government’s submission that the citizens in the South are more racist than the citizens in the North?” Chief Justice Roberts asked
Whichever way the justices lean on this matter, a decision is not expected until June. The Supreme Court may decide to strike Section 5 down as unconstitutional or send the law back to Congress.
The Voting Rights Act was first passed in 1965 and outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had led to widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans for nearly a century after the end of the Civil War. The act was passed after a hard-fought Civil Rights campaign and was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson a year after the the Civil Rights Act. The Supreme Court hearing on the Voting Rights Act today came just over an hour after President Barack Obama and members of Congress unveiled a statue of Rosa Parks in the nearby US Capitol.
[Images via ShutterStock] |
Introduction: Burnt Babies Decoration Made Out of Clay and Clothes
My mom keeps some of our baby clothes just as a memory. I realized that with this project we could give those clothes shape and keep them as sculptures. But also I realized tht they could work as a halloween decoration.
Step 1: Materials
You will need:
- babies clothes
- newspaper (in case you need some support)
- plastic bag (to cover)
- thinner and matches
- a piece of wood or simply a surface were you could work comfortably.
Step 2: The Structure: Made With "churros"
In order to hold tight the clothings, you'll need to construct a clay structure.
First you'll have to do some "churros":
- You take a little bit of clay, and with both hands you'll start doing this form, kind of a long snail.
- Then you're gonna place it on the surface you're working on, and with the palm of your hand you're going to continue shapping and stretching it, until it's width is about 3/4 inch or 2 centimeters.
Step 3: Starting the Structure
Think about the form of the clothes to start your clay structure. For this example I'm using a dress.
Start doing a circle with the "churros", the dress is going to fit over this circumference.
Don't cut the churro, continue piling it up in order to grow the structure.
Every 3 or 4 lines that you pile up, knead them on the outside and inside, this will prevent them from separating.
Step 4: Finish Your Structure
Always keep an eye to the clothes you're doing the structure, so you can follow it's shape and you don't get trouble fitting the clothes at the end. *If you see that the structure is getting weak or breaking, you can use some newspapers to help you give some stability. At the end you wi'll take them out, or just burn them.
Step 5: Doing the Slip
The slip is made with clay and water, and we're using it to register all the details from the clothes.
- place some mud into a bucket, and try to smash it or squash it.
- add some water and keep on smashing it with your hands.
- keep on doing it until you get a consistency similar to mayonnaise.
Step 6: Fitting the Clothes Into the Structure
- Once the slip is ready, you'll cover the structure with it. (this will help to rgister the deatils comming from the clothes).
- Turn the clothes, so the seams are left on the outside, and the slip registers the face with the details that we want.
- Then dip the clothes you're working with into the slip. Be generous and make sure that there's a lot of slip in every wrinkle.
- Next place the clothes over the strcuture. Be very carefull so you don't break the structure.
- Once the clothes has covered the structure, rub it with your fingers, with this action you'll register better all the details from your clothings.
- When you finish, place a big bag or a piece of plastic arround your sculpture. The clay needs to dry slowly, so the bag will allow this process to get through. Wait 3 or 4 days to remove the bag, and let it dry completely for another day or two.
Step 7: Burn It
When it's completely dry, look for a safe place where you can set it on fire. I did it on the backyard, far from the grass and plants. I placed some pieces of metal over floor so it wouldn't get stained.
- Use the thinner or another flamable liquid. Spread it over your sculpture.
- Be carefull whith the fire. You can throw the lightened match, or you can use the help of a newspaper, rolling it and lighting the tip, this way you can light up the sculpture from a safer distance.
- Repeat until the cloth disappears or until you like the effect of the burnt cloth.
*If you have a ceramic kiln you can fire it and you'll keep your sculpture forever. If not and you wanna keep it safe from water, you can protect it with a resistant water glue, be sure to apply it on the inside and the bottom too.
Step 8: That's It!
There you go!
You can have a creepy burned baby for your halloween decorations or jst treasure your babies clothings.
Also you can place a candle inside for a creepier look.
*If you don't like the burnt out look you can wash it. Also you can help yourself with a knife or a cutter to get rid from every piece of cloth left at the dry clay. |
Introduction: Homemade Sundial
I decided to show how to make a homemade sundial that tells time by the hour.
Step 1: Materials
A Right Triangle Shaped Item or a Straight Stick
Dirt or Sand
Step 2: Don't Cross This Line!
Using the compass, find north, then draw a straight line towards north. Then draw another line horizontally through the vertical line. Set the triangle on the line facing north; if you are using a stick, jam it into the center of the lines. You can then use a watch to add on the exact hours. The lines are set up in this pattern: North is 12 o'clock, East is 3 o'clock, South is 6 o'clock and West is 9 o'clock.
Step 3: Finish
This sundial could be used in an emergency situation or could just be a fun little project. Please leave a comment. |
Introduction: How to Make a Mario Block Die
This is a fun project for anybody. Here is how you do it.
Step 1: Supplies You Will Need
Here is a list of supplies you will need for this project.
2. Tape or glue
3. Paper Bag
4. A Ruler
5. Silver of white Sharpie
6. Black Sharpie
Step 2: Sketching the Block
You will need to make a sketch with your ruler and black sharpie. You can also use a pencil. Sketch what you see in the picture taken. Make sure each block is square with even measurements. If you make one square an inch in length than the other side needs to be an inch in length. Also sketch the ends of some of the squares as shown in the picture. Some of the marks are wrong so look at the cut out I have to get a better description.
Step 3: Cutting It Out
Just cut out the outside of what you have traced.
Step 4: Folding the Box
Fold the edges shown in the picture.
Step 5: Draw the Question Marks on the Box
Look at the picture for help. The question mark does not have to be perfect. If you do not want to draw you can just print off question marks that fit the block. You need to put the dots in the corners with your black sharpie and add numbers too if you want to.
Step 6: Taping It Together
Just tape it together. This might get hard, but it is not too hard. You can also use glue for this. I would use tape though because it is less messy.
Step 7: The Final Product
In the end it looks nice. You can make two so you have dice to use. Hope you enjoy! |
- Development & Aid
- Economy & Trade
- Human Rights
- Global Governance
- Civil Society
Sunday, July 23, 2017
MAPUTO, Oct 31 2014 (IPS) - Mozambique is reeling under the twin burden of HIV and cervical cancer. Eleven women die of cervical cancer every day, or 4,000 a year. Yet this cancer is preventable and treatable, if caught early.
Among African countries, Mozambique vies neck and neck with Malawi for the saddest statistics.
Mozambique has the highest cervical cancer cumulative risk and mortality – seven out of 100 newborn girls will develop this cancer and five will die from it.
Malawi is first in incidence (new cases per year), with Mozambique tailing second.
Cervical cancer is caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a common virus with 40 types. Many people carry it dormant and often it goes away by itself. But two types of HPV cause cervical cancer.
HIV and HPV are deadly allies. HPV infection doubles the risk of acquiring HIV while HIV hastens progression of cervical cancer.
Some numbers will give an idea of Mozambique’s burden:
Step by step, health authorities are tackling the problem with a three-pronged strategy: information for prevention, routine screening for detection, and better treatment.
There is even talk of bringing radio therapy equipment and training technicians. In terminal stages, radio therapy shrinks cancer and reducing excruciating pain.
Routine screening for this cancer is now offered with family planning services. Diagnosis and treatment via cryotherapy (freezing) can be done in one visit. The Ministry of Health hopes to cover all districts by 2017.
The mass media campaign had a tireless advocate in the former First Lady, Maria da Luz Guebuza. The Association for the Fight against Cancer, a volunteer group, has multiplied its outreach and helps patients at the oncology wards of main hospitals.
Information is dispelling the perception of cervical cancer as “the neighbour’s disease”, brought upon women by a neighbour’s curse or by witchcraft.
The situation is still dire; needs outpace resources, both human and financial. But it is a great improvement over just three years ago, when only a handful of clinics offered screening, and millions of women had never heard about HPV and cervical cancer at all.
IPS is an international communication institution with a global news agency at its core, raising the voices of the South
and civil society on issues of development, globalisation, human rights and the environment
Copyright © 2017 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. - Terms & Conditions |
The Golden Rule is one of the most well-known of all ancient teachings. We often learn it as children but I would argue that we don't fully understand it or the power that it holds to transform relationships. After all, when you hear "Treat others the way that you want to be treated", you may think that it simply means to be nice to others. If this is the case, you're missing out on the genius behind it. While it is true that it means that we should be nice to nice people, we don't really need a rule for that. Being nice to those who are first nice to us is easy, it comes natural. In fact we reciprocate friendly behavior when others are first nice to us (see my blog post on The Law of Reciprocity from last week for reference).
The Golden Rule was invented to teach us how to be nice to people that are seemingly difficult. It leverages the Law of Reciprocity in your favor. When you are nice to someone that is mean to you, they start to feel guilty for treating you badly. As much as they may dislike you and may not want to be your friend, they will start to see you as 'friendly' when you use live by the Golden Rule. I teach the Golden Rule this way... "Treat everyone like friends, even your enemies.
It is true that the Golden Rule is the best way to make friends and manage enemies. This ancient social skill which is over 3,000 years old is still the one thing that could change the world overnight. Just imagine how different our world would be if everyone lived by the Golden Rule for just 24 hours. The Golden Rule is a shared moral teaching that is accepted by all. It is included in every major religion, but you don't have to be religious to embrace it. Even atheists value it's moral teaching and promote it. It speaks of no god or deity.
As a bullying expert, and social skills educator, and World Peace/Civility Ambassador, the Golden Rule is still the number one skill that I teach and promote in my work. It is the foundation for all of my work because I have seen the power that it has to transform relationships. Take some time today to teach the Golden Rule to your children and talk about what it means to be a Golden Rule home. If you are to have just one rule for your family, I highly recommend that you make it the Golden Rule.
Golden Rule Remix
"Parent the way that you would like to be parented"
"Teach the way that you would like to be taught"
"Lead the way that you would like to be lead"
"Coach the way that you would like to be coached"
Love is Kind
Jeff Veley is the recipient of the Golden Rule International Award from the Interfaith Peace-Building Initiative. His program received this award for effectiveness in teaching conflict resolution skills and the promotion of the Golden Rule as it relates to bullying prevention.
Jeff s officially recognized as a World Peace Ambassador by the United Nations in 120 nations of the world and is a leading expert on applying the Golden Rule to bullying/social aggression. |
Usually Jewish history books deal with those who have made their mark by doing extraordinary things. While such people obviously are important, there are those who may not have enjoyed much fame yet whose efforts and accomplishments were crucial to maintaining Yahadus in their community. Two such men are Henry S. Hartogensis and his son, Benjamin H. Hartogensis, who devoted their lives to the Jewish community of Baltimore.
Henry S. Hartogensis 1
Henry S. Hartogensis was born on the first day of Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, October 27, 1829, in Hertogenbosch, the capital of Noord Brabant Province in the Catholic southeastern Netherlands. On his father’s side he was descended from the distinguished Rabbi Aryeh Loeb ben Chaim (Breslau), whose authorization of the Rodelheim Machzor is printed on the back page of the Heidenheim edition. His father was a well-known philanthropist, scholar and banker, and was referred to as “Rabbi Samuel,” despite the fact that he refused to let others consider him a rabbi. On his mother’s side he was descended from the well-known Lewyt family.
Nineteen-year-old Henry immigrated in 1848 to Baltimore via New York City to “earn a living” and escape the “financial crash owing to the impending French revolution.” He first started a stationery and printing firm and later owned a large sporting goods store on East Baltimore Street. In 1849 he married a fellow Hollander, Rachel de Wolff, daughter of Jacob who had arrived in the 1830s. In the 1850s Henry’s younger brother Eleazar (Edward) joined the growing family and worked as a clothier. After marrying he moved to Washington, D.C., opened a “dry goods emporium,” and established that branch of the family.In religion, the Hartogensis brothers were strictly Orthodox. Edward helped found the Adas Israel Congregation in Washington and taught in its religious school. Henry frequently officiated as hazan at Baltimore Hebrew [Congregation] until the majority espoused Reform in 1870. He led the minority to start the Chizuk Amuno Congregation in 1871 and served as secretary for twenty years. He also helped fund and erect its new synagogue in 1876, located on Lloyd Street only a few doors from its nemesis, Baltimore Hebrew. When Chizuk Amuno moved uptown in 1892, Hartogensis financed a new Ashkenazic synagogue, Zichron Jacob, located near his home on Baltimore Street, where he served as president, hazan, and “chief mainstay (financial and otherwise).” Earlier, in 1887 Congregation Oheb Shalom’s Society for the Education of the Poor elected him as its secretary.
From 1904 until his death [in 1918], Hartogensis affiliated with Shearith Israel Congregation, which remained an ultra-Orthodox synagogue for a century. Again he served as reader at services and was much honored by the congregation.
Henry took an active part in communal and fraternal organizations, both Jewish and non-sectarian alike. For over 40 years he was involved with the Society for the Education of Poor and Orphaned Hebrew Children (Hebrew Education Society), serving at one time as its director and later as treasurer. He was the manager of the Hebrew Free Burial Society for a quarter of a century and in this capacity attended all funerals, and performed many acts of kindness to the living as well as the dead.
Following a lengthy vacation in the Netherlands in 1890, Hartogensis wrote a report for the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent extolling the virtues of Dutch religious Orthodoxy. Despite their achievements in the arts and literature, in sciences and statecraft, which “compares favorably with the best Israelites of other countries,” Hartogensis boasted, “nowhere have I seen ‘orthodoxy’ so triumphant.” The Dutch had no use for “modern innovations to devotion – viz. the family pew, the organ, the mixed choirs mainly composed of Christians, the mutilation of the prayer-book, and the desecration of the holidays. What we call ‘conservative’ congregations,” Hartogensis added, “are unknown to Holland Jews.” Despite the rising materialism of the young, he concluded with satisfaction, there “are not enough of them in the whole country to form a ‘Reform’ congregation.”
Henry S. Hartogensis passed away on December 25, 1918 leaving behind a wonderful shem tov.
Benjamin H. Hartogensis 2
Henry and Rachel Hartogensis had seven children, several of whom led prominent lives. The most notable of their offspring was Benjamin (April 19, 1865 – July 13, 1939).
Benjamin graduated Johns Hopkins University in 1886. He spent the following year doing graduate work at Hopkins and worked for a short time as an analytic chemist. In 1887 he became the associate editor of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent, serving in this capacity for 12 years. From 1890 to 1896 he also served as one of the editors of the Baltimore American. While engaged in this work, Benjamin studied law at the University of Maryland from 1892 to 1893, earning a law degree.
In December 1893 he was admitted to the bar and three years later began to actively practice law. Benjamin was also the founder and president of the Baltimore branch of the Alliance Israelite Universelle and served as president of the Hebrew Education Society of Baltimore for a number of years. Furthermore, he took an avid interest in the Jewish history of Baltimore and wrote several articles that appeared in the Proceedings of the American Jewish Historical Society.
Staunch devotion to Judaism and Americanism characterized the life and works of Benjamin Henry Hartogensis. As an American, he trenchantly searched for deviations from religious liberty to set them aright. As a Jew, he vigorously maintained unswerving loyalty to the faith and traditions of his fathers, which he sought to perpetuate through education. |
Statue of what was wrongly identified by Blundell as a tigress but more likely to be a leopard with the characteristic small head, rounded ears, long tail and large paws and the irregular spotting although in the statue is light on dark rather than dark on light as in nature. The animal seems to be resting although she has a certain alertness as suggested by the lift and turn of the head towards her right shoulder. Her expression is almost humane especially the contraction of her brow. She has a ram's head under the right paw. The animal is also a mother as it is suggested by her underside breasts. She may have killed because she needed to feed her offspring. The body is made of grey spotted granite and the eyes of yellow marble, called 'giallo antico'.
Bartman suggested that the inspiration may have come from Egyptian statues of lions examples of which were also in Rome. The Roman used realistic representation of animals to allude to the pastoral or divine realms.
Said to have been found with two Egyptian vases in a vineyard near the Porta Portese in Rome. This type of statue may have been used as a grave monument. |
Agis was born as the son of king Archidamus II of Sparta, and succeeded him after his death. The precise date is not recorded in ancient sources. Since 431, Agis' father had conducted several campaigns against the Athenians - who called this war the Archidamian War - and is known to have invaded Attica in 428. He is not mentioned in our sources for 427, when the Agiad prince Cleomenes led the annual invasion of Attica; in 426, Agis is mentioned as king. It is common to say that he succeeded Archidamus in 427, but it may have been late in 428 or early in 426.
At the same time, the exiled Agiad king Pleistoanax returned, so Sparta had two kings again, as was normal. But Agis was still young and inexperienced. His first campaign to Attica, in 426, was aborted after evil omens, and the Spartans thought it wise to appoint a guardian.
It was under these circumstances, with no obvious war leader, that the Spartans embarked upon new strategies. General Brasidas was to invade Thrace and cut off Athenian supply lines. At the same time, the Athenian commander Demosthenes had success at Sphacteria, where Spartan soldiers surrendered and became hostages. If Agis had wanted to continue his father's policies, it had now become impossible, and the invasion of Attica of 425 was aborted after fifteen days. Brasidas was to be the hero of the last years of the Archidamian War, but when he was killed in action at Amphipolis, the two warring states were ready to make peace. The Peace of Nicias was signed in March 421; Agis and Pleistoanax were among those who swore the oaths.
The Peace of Nicias marked, in fact, an Athenian victory. The Spartans had gone to war to destroy the Athenian empire, the Delian League, and had miserably failed. In fact, they had also betrayed their own allies of the Peloponnesian League, because the Peace of Nicias was hardly beneficial to Corinth. The Thebans even refused to sign. Sparta's authority had severely suffered, and the Athenians benefited by concluding an alliance with several democratic towns on the Peloponnese, in Sparta's backyard: Elis, Mantinea, and Argos. The architect of this assertive diplomacy was Alcibiades.
Agis counteracted by preparing an attack on a town that the historian Thucydides calls Leuctra and may or may not be identical to the town in Boeotia. If so, it was a strange operation outside Sparta's direct sphere of interests. We will never know what was its aim, because the operation was postponed after unfavorable omens in the early summer of 419. Meanwhile, the Argives attacked Epidauros, who asked for help from Sparta. Agis marched to the Argive plain, and returned after -again- evil omens. Still, the operation prevented the Argives from continuing to ravage the territory of Epidauros, and showed the Athenians that an alliance with Argos could be dangerous. The Athenians understood and in 418, Alcibiades was not elected; instead, Nicias, who had a reputation for cooperation with Sparta, was among the magistrates.
It seems that Agis tried to prevent war with Argos, which could escalate to a war with Athens. Next year, he again followed this policy. He invaded the territory of Argos, and although he was able to isolate the Argive army, he unexpectedly offered an armistice of four months. This was probably a way to open negotiations and lure Argos away from its Athenian alliance. Perhaps the rich, oligarchic-minded people of Argos would even overthrow the Argive democracy. However, the Argives did not respond as Agis had been hoping.
On the contrary. When a small Athenian army arrived, together with ambassador Alcibiades, the Argives listened to his advise to attack the pro-Spartan town Orchomenus, which was situated along the road from Corinth to the southern Peloponnese. The Mantineans and Eleans joined the siege and Orchomenus was forced to surrender. It was absolutely clear that in spite of Agis' moderation, the quadruple alliance was still very much alive.
The Spartans now regretted their policy, for which they blamed Agis. He was fined and would even have lost his house if he had not accepted ten permanent advisers. Without their consent, he could not act.
Meanwhile, the situation was escalating. Late in August 418, the Athenian allies proceeded against Tegea. The Spartans could not allow this town to fall into enemy hands, because that would in fact isolate them in the southern Peloponnese. Diplomatic solutions were no longer possible and Agis marched to the north with a very large army. This forced Athens to choose between either peace with Sparta or its treaty with Argos, Mantinea, and Elis. As it turned out, Athens preferred the second option and after some maneuvers, Agis forced the allies to fight. In September, a battle was fought at Mantinea, and the Spartans overcame the army of Athens, Mantinea, and Argos (text). This was the end of both the quadruple alliance and the peace between Athens and Sparta. From now on, both sides were waiting for an opportunity to renew the war.
The Athenians now attempted to expand their empire. They supported the rebel Amorges against the Achaemenid king Darius II Nothus and tried to conquer Sicily. The Sicilian Expedition, however, was a disaster, and supporting Amorges merely meant inviting Persian help for the Spartans. Worse, in 413 the Spartans saw an opportunity to renew the war (the Decelean or Ionian War). Agis occupied the town of Decelea in Attica, from where he systematically looted the Athenian countryside. Decelea was also a fine base for operations in Central Greece; for example, Agis once marched to the Malian Gulf in the west.
It was rumored that the idea to fortify Decelea had proposed by Alcibiades, who had switched sides and supported Sparta after 413. This is not very plausible: the Spartans were quite capable of developing a strategy without help of an Athenian turncoat. Nor do we have to believe that Alcibiades had an affair with Agis' wife Timaea and was the father of her son Leotychidas, which is mere political gossip. However, the rumors were a political fact, and so was the enmity between Agis and Alcibiades. The Athenian could not win a conflict with a king, and decided to leave Sparta.
By now, Agis was no longer supposed to have ten advisers, but he was apparently not allowed to pursue an independent foreign policy, because he could not make decisions about Athenian peace offers in 411 and 404. Still, he played an important role in the war. The Athenians no longer controlled their countryside, and sometimes, Agis tried to capture Athens by surprise.
In 405, the Spartan admiral Lysander defeated the Athenian navy near Aigospotamoi and the Spartans laid siege to Athens, which surrendered in April 404 (text).
Now that Athens was defeated, the Spartans waged war against the Athenian allies. Agis invaded and ravaged Elis, where he forced the Eleans to allow give more freedom to the towns in their neighborhood. Agis also visited Delphi, where he had dedicated a part of the spoils of the war against Athens to the god Apollo, but on his way back, he died.
Because it was seriously doubted that Agis was the biological father of his wife's son Leotychidas, the young man could not succeed his father. Therefore, Agis was succeeded by his younger half-brother Agesilaus II. |
Molecular Phylogeny of Hantaviruses Harbored by Insectivorous Bats in Côte d’Ivoire and Vietnam
AbstractThe recent discovery of genetically distinct hantaviruses in multiple species of shrews and moles prompted a further exploration of their host diversification by analyzing frozen, ethanol-fixed and RNAlater®-preserved archival tissues and fecal samples from 533 bats (representing seven families, 28 genera and 53 species in the order Chiroptera), captured in Asia, Africa and the Americas in 1981–2012, using RT-PCR. Hantavirus RNA was detected in Pomona roundleaf bats (Hipposideros pomona) (family Hipposideridae), captured in Vietnam in 1997 and 1999, and in banana pipistrelles (Neoromicia nanus) (family Vespertilionidae), captured in Côte d’Ivoire in 2011. Phylogenetic analysis, based on the full-length S- and partial M- and L-segment sequences using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods, demonstrated that the newfound hantaviruses formed highly divergent lineages, comprising other recently recognized bat-borne hantaviruses in Sierra Leone and China. The detection of bat-associated hantaviruses opens a new era in hantavirology and provides insights into their evolutionary origins. View Full-Text
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Gu, S.H.; Lim, B.K.; Kadjo, B.; Arai, S.; Kim, J.-A.; Nicolas, V.; Lalis, A.; Denys, C.; Cook, J.A.; Dominguez, S.R.; Holmes, K.V.; Urushadze, L.; Sidamonidze, K.; Putkaradze, D.; Kuzmin, I.V.; Kosoy, M.Y.; Song, J.-W.; Yanagihara, R. Molecular Phylogeny of Hantaviruses Harbored by Insectivorous Bats in Côte d’Ivoire and Vietnam. Viruses 2014, 6, 1897-1910.
Gu SH, Lim BK, Kadjo B, Arai S, Kim J-A, Nicolas V, Lalis A, Denys C, Cook JA, Dominguez SR, Holmes KV, Urushadze L, Sidamonidze K, Putkaradze D, Kuzmin IV, Kosoy MY, Song J-W, Yanagihara R. Molecular Phylogeny of Hantaviruses Harbored by Insectivorous Bats in Côte d’Ivoire and Vietnam. Viruses. 2014; 6(5):1897-1910.Chicago/Turabian Style
Gu, Se H.; Lim, Burton K.; Kadjo, Blaise; Arai, Satoru; Kim, Jeong-Ah; Nicolas, Violaine; Lalis, Aude; Denys, Christiane; Cook, Joseph A.; Dominguez, Samuel R.; Holmes, Kathryn V.; Urushadze, Lela; Sidamonidze, Ketevan; Putkaradze, Davit; Kuzmin, Ivan V.; Kosoy, Michael Y.; Song, Jin-Won; Yanagihara, Richard. 2014. "Molecular Phylogeny of Hantaviruses Harbored by Insectivorous Bats in Côte d’Ivoire and Vietnam." Viruses 6, no. 5: 1897-1910. |
According to a Norwegian study of 1656 subjects over an eleven year period reveals how exposure to dust and fumes in the workplace is linked to a significant increase in respiratory symptoms. Initially, 2500 subjects from the city of Bergen and its surroundings were enrolled in 1985 and asked about lung symptoms, workplace dust and fume exposure, smoking habits and asthma.
Then, after 5 years 1656 of the original participants were revisited. The survey showed that even after adjusting for sex, age, educational levels and smoking habits, there is a clear link between occupational exposures and respiratory symptoms and asthma. In particular, exposure to quartz causes cough symptoms and asbestos exposure is linked with high risk of severe breathlessness and asthma. Slightly over 30 per cent of the participants were exposed to dust and fumes in the workplace; between six and 19 per cent of all respiratory symptoms and 14.4 per cent of asthma cases were linked with such workplace exposure. |
New research from the University of Otago and Monash University shows that anti-fat prejudice may develop in children as young as 32 months of age and is strongly related to maternal anti-fat attitudes.
Published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, the study is the first to examine the relationship of parental anti-fat attitudes and infants’ toddlers preferences to obese versus average sized bodies.
“We found that younger infants, around 11 months of age, preferred to look at obese figures, whereas older toddlers around 32 months old, preferred to look at average-sized figures. More importantly we found that the preference for viewing average-sized figures was related to mother anti-fat attitudes,” said Professor Ted Ruffman.
The study, involving academics from New Zealand, Australia, and US, references research showing that obesity prejudice and discrimination is on the rise and is associated with social isolation, depression, anxiety and lower self-esteem.
Seventy infants and toddlers were shown photos of obese or average sized figures and their preferences to the images were assessed. In addition parent’s educational level, Body Mass Index (BMI) and children’s television viewing time, along with mothers anti-fat prejudice levels were also assessed.
“The preference for average versus obese figures was strongly related to maternal anti-fat prejudice. Other potential factors such as parental BMI, education and even children’s television viewing were not related to what sort of figure the child preferred to look at,” said Professor Ruffman.
Study co-author Associate Professor Kerry O’Brien from Monash University, said “weight-based stigma has significant social, psychological, and physical harms, particularly for young people. It is driving body dissatisfaction and eating disorders in underweight populations, alongside social isolation, avoidance of exercise and depression in very overweight populations. We need to find ways to address this prejudice and educate our young people to be confident in their bodies.”
The research addresses debate regarding the origins of anti-fat prejudice, with some suggesting innate physical fitness preferences may underpin dislike of fat figures, while others suggest the prejudice is learned through the social environment. The results suggest the prejudice is socially learned, which is consistent with other forms of prejudice. However, the research shows that this prejudice is learned very early in life.
Professor Ruffman says it is not meant to be a mother blaming exercise at all, parents live in a society where they are constantly told that obesity is bad so it is little wonder they may portray this to their children, but it does indicate how early children begin to absorb and display the attitudes around them.[Source: Monash University, Australia] |
The basic principles for the applied combination of deep-structure theory with brain experimental biology are the following:
a) The experiment of neoadaptationistic biology is the foundation of methodology of the new brain science, and deep-structure theory is the basic theoretical framework of it.
b) Introduce the strategy and vitastate concepts into the neurological research, with the ideas of neural strategy and neural vitastate as its core concepts to establish the new theoretical paradigm of deep-structure neural science.
c) Distinguish the units of neural strategy and neural vitastate by comparative studies of behavioral phenotypes. Discover and establish an animal's neural vitastates through the studies of animal behavioral vitastates.
d) On the basis of the empirical evidence and arguments in molecular and cell neurobiology, analyze the modulation mechanism of the neural network with the vitastates' modulating structure as the foundation.
According to the deep-structure theory, although the modulation mechanism of behavioral vitastate is complex, it is formed by designing various network patterns on a piece of material carrier, the brain nerve cells. In this way, the structure of nerve cells must satisfy the switch of different pattern networks and the simultaneous storage of different pattern networks. Thus, we can see that only the nerve cells have a unique shape, being covered with a variety of tentacles with different length and thickness, a structure called synapse. That is totally different from the other cells. Synapses enable a cell to send signals to a number of cells at the same time, while also receiving signals from a number of other cells. In this way, the cell can take part in different network patterns, and different networks through these synapses can realize their simultaneous reserve.
It must be noted that in behavior and movement, rapid response is needed. As a result, these regulating networks, based on such ecological condition and objective, could not rely on the ancient hormone system, because it reacts slowly and its modulation differentiability is too low. This is the fundamental reason why the nervous system was created. The nerve has such a special advantage in the technical structure that it can differentiate large numbers of complete sets of specific modulating networks, to match with large numbers of behavior vitastates. Each neuron or fiber, through the special structure of synapses, connects with another neuron or fiber, ensuring the specialized and isolated connection, realizing a high degree of precision and accuracy, and preventing the interference of other chemical factors in the brain's inner environment. Moreover, the neuro-electronic signal transfer is faster than the original slow reaction based on chemical signal. This special new technical structure enables the higher living organisms to have a reliable technical support for their new ecological adaptability, which is based on a large-scale differentiation of behavioral vitastate.
Taking the nervus centralis cells, for example, their differentiation of axons and dendrites is a typical technical structure preparing for serving asynchronous vitastates. From the anatomical point of view, the biggest feature of the brain cortex is that it is distributed with nearly one hundred billion neurons in the cortex that are only a few millimeters thick. These neurons, through a large number of connecting fibers (axons and dendrites), mutually form a network of complex paths. Here is where the biggest specialness of this structure differs from that of organs in other parts of the organism. This particular technical structure is specifically prepared just for the highly diversified modulating of brain vitastates. As far as the vitastates' differentiation densities are concerned, the behavioral vitastate is of the highest differentiation density. Therefore, in order to harmonize the holistic system with each relevant vitastate, the modulation mechanism of one regulating network target at one vitastate must be built.
As far as an animal's physiological structures are concerned, meeting the needs of one vitastate set is different in the structural design compared with meeting the needs of multiple sets of vitastates. The more physio-morphs it carries, the more complex is its physiological modulation function, because its physiological modulation mechanism needs to use more sophisticated procedures to deal with the competition and compromise among many more vitastates. As an animal's fastest evolved modulation mechanism, the brain is mainly used to deal with all kinds of information about animal behavior and movement. Animals with a higher complexity of vitastates may be more complex in their information processing of behavior and motion. Therefore, the brain's network structure needs to add additional new net routes to deal with competition and compromise.
Why is the new experimental method of deep-structure biology better than that of the functional test and the system simulation? How does it avoid the plight of route divarication and information explosion?
In summary, we can understand each vitastate as a certain temporal and spatial condition, and the conversion of the vitastate means the transfer of the temporal and spatial condition. If we take each temporal and spatial condition as the background for the factor measurement, then when we measure the relationship between two factors, although the experimental system has designed the external temporal and spatial condition, the organism's internal temporal and spatial condition is out of the control of any kinds of existing techniques. In this way, we can theoretically deduce such natural phenomena: when an organism is in vitastate M and the effect is assumed to be A, then when the organism is in vitastate N, the measured effect may be B. In other words, vitastate background has an important impact on the measured effect.
The difficulty in the current studies of neurobiology is that the usual functional experiment is feasible for a single pathway test, but is difficult for a physio-morph network. Therefore, at the beginning of the deep-structure experiment, we can first propose a speculative hypothesis of the variant characteristics of the internal phenotypic vitastate network based on the external phenotypic vitastate characteristics, secondly, by multipath and simultaneous experiments and examination. In this way, the errors in the hypothesis will be found with ease. Correct the errors in the hypothesis and test again, then the experiment will gradually become accurate. So this new experimental method can successfully avoid the plight of route divarication and information explosion.
This is the advantage of brain vitastates experimentation. The key point is that it introduces the concept of conversion of vitastates, so we can seek for the discrepancies in the variant physio-morphs, and it will be easy for the experiments to find the brain vitastate network.
One of the deep structural applied projects is the deep structural analysis of information transformation mechanism of a large-scale brain neurons． |
You probably try to exercise regularly and eat right. Perhaps you steer toward “superfoods,” fruits, nuts, and vegetables advertised as “antioxidant,” which combat the nasty effects of oxidation in our bodies. Maybe you take vitamins to protect against “free radicals,” destructive molecules that arise normally as our cells burn fuel for energy, but which may damage DNA and contribute to cancer, dementia, and the gradual meltdown we call aging.
Warding off the diseases of aging is certainly a worthwhile pursuit. But evidence has mounted to suggest that antioxidant vitamin supplements, long assumed to improve health, are ineffectual. Fruits and vegetables are indeed healthful but not necessarily because they shield you from oxidative stress. In fact, they may improve health for quite the opposite reason: They stress you.
Read the rest at Nautilus
Art by John Hendrix |
The language of most of the population is Arabic, a Semitic tongue; the 1971 constitution declares Arabic to be Egypt's official language. Dialects vary from region to region and even from town to town. English and French are spoken by most educated Egyptians and by shopkeepers and others. The ancient language of Pharaonic Egypt, a Hamitic tongue, survives vestigially in the liturgy of the Copts, a sizable Christian sect dating back to the 5th century AD . The Nubians of Upper Egypt speak at least seven dialects of their own unwritten language. There are a small number of Berber-speaking villagers in the western oases. |
Blood Feeders in Nevada
you may encounter are part of the arachnid and insect classes such as Wood Ticks, Deer Ticks, Mosquitos, Bed Bugs, Fleas, and Mites. Typically, bites from these blood feeding pests found on a human will result in a red, raised, itchy irritation that may be obviously to the naked eye. When some insects feed on their host the insects will plunge a needle like appendage called a proboscis which typically contains two hollow tubes -one used to inject saliva that contains an anticoagulant which allows the blood from the host to feed freely through the second tube. Most insects will feed for 2 to 5 minutes or until disturbed, at that point the insect may relocate to a newer site on the host or move on.
Bed Bug Cimex Lectularius are reddish-brown, flattened, oval, and wingless, with microscopic hairs that give them a banded appearance. A common misconception is that they are not visible to the naked eye. Adults grow to 4–5 mm (1/8 – 3/16?) in length and do not move quickly enough to escape the notice of an attentive observer. Newly hatched nymphs are translucent, lighter in color and become browner as they molt and reach maturity. In size, they are often compared to lentils or apple seeds. Bedbugs are generally active just before dawn, with a peak feeding period about an hour before sunrise. However, they may attempt to feed at other times, given the opportunity, and have been observed to feed at any time of the day. They climb the walls to the ceiling and jump down on feeling a heat wave. Attracted by warmth and the presence of carbon dioxide, the bug pierces the skin of its host with two hollow tubes. With one tube it injects its saliva, which contains anticoagulants and anesthetics, while with the other it withdraws the blood of its host. After feeding for about five minutes, the bug returns to its hiding place. The bites cannot usually be felt until some minutes or hours later, as a dermatological reaction to the injected agents, and the first indication of a bite usually comes from the desire to scratch the bite site. Because of their dislike for sunlight, bedbugs come out at night. Although bedbugs can live for a year or as much as eighteen months without feeding, they typically seek blood every five to ten days. Bedbugs that go dormant for lack of food often live longer than a year, well-fed specimens typically live six to nine months.
Bed Bug Belligerent Biology-By Dr. Stuart Mitchell
Found globally, the Bed bug’s belligerent biology allows infestations to become common within hotels, multiple-unit housing, single-family homes, and many other structures and facilities. Regrettably, Bed bugs disproportionately affect residents of low-income housing. Intimately associated with human habitation, Bed bugs find refuge within almost any crack or crevice. Emerging at night, Bed bugs indiscriminately host-search for a blood meal. With simple antennae and clearly visible legs, adult Bed bugs are 6 mm, flattened-unfed (top to bottom), oval shaped, and reddish brown (changing to dark mahogany after recently feeding). Wing buds are visible at the front of the abdomen. Bed bugs mate off the host. A Bed bug female can place/attach up to 200 eggs within micro-structural areas at a rate of four to five per day. Environmental temperatures must remain above 10°C to 13°C (50°F to 55°F) for emergence. Emergent nymphs resemble adults and develop through five molts. Maturation time required is a few weeks to several months (average about 4 months) depending upon temperature and host availability. Several generations per year are possible. Nymphs feed upon human and companion animal blood. Feeding generally takes 10 minutes. Heavy infestations cause a characteristic smell resulting from a combination of feces and scent gland secretions. In a single feeding, Bed bugs can ingest blood up to seven times their body weight. Prolonged periods of not feeding may occur.
Bed bugs are understood not to vector disease pathogens, although ongoing research continues. Research does indicate that Bed bugs are capable of carrying pathogens. Currently, the greatest public heath nuisance resulting from Bed bugs is cimicosis (ongoing and repetitive bites). Bed bugs are suggested to lower social standards within an area of infested structures (inhabitants are tempted to move away or relocate to avoid infestations and the associated stigma). Medical opinion and legal precedent strongly suggest cimicosis constitutes a disease state when coupled with certain sociopathies, psychopathies, or somatoform disorders. A perfectly adapted and belligerent parasite, the Bed bug both challenges and threatens public health. Pest management professionals (PMPs) are challenged and threatened by Bed bug liability. Liability stems from uncertainty and is reduced by the certainty of competency through best practices. source email received 6/12/2013 2:04 pm from Direct To You – Bed Bug Management [PK@ncmnews.com] |
Tennis balls are the lifeblood of every match, and as ubiquitous as rackets, shoulder bags and sweatbands. But the cans they come in create a mountain of garbage that the United States Tennis Association is working hard to recycle during the United States Open.
Since 2008, the association has recycled nearly all of the estimated 20,000 tennis ball cans that are opened each tournament. The cans are collected by a recycler who separates the can, top and wrapper, which are plastic, and the aluminum rim.
The aluminum pull tops were considered too sharp to handle and were tossed out. But this year, the U.S.T.A. added separate receptacles for them so they could be properly recycled as well.
“Tennis balls and cans are one of the most essential pieces of the U.S. Open, so we wanted to make it a priority,” said Lauren Kittelstad, a senior manager who works on the U.S.T.A.’s green initiatives.
Recycling tennis ball cans might seem like a drop in the bucket compared with, say, the nearly 300,000 plastic drink bottles that were collected at last year’s Open, or the hundreds of tons of garbage produced over all.Continue reading the main story
But the tennis ball cans, in addition to being symbolic, are a challenge to recycle because they contain three types of plastics and an aluminum rim that must be pulled from the can.
Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, who helped the U.S.T.A create its green initiative, said the association had “pioneered” the recycling of the tennis ball cans.
Achieving a nearly 100 percent recycle rate has been possible because relatively few people handle the tennis ball cans, according to Bina Indelicato, the U.S.T.A.’s environmental consultant. Before each match, umpires are given bags containing about 15 new cans with three balls to a can. On the court, they open the cans, take out the balls and put the cans back in the bag. After the match, the umpires return the bag to an umpire station, where the cans and tops are sorted into recycling bins.
They are then collected by custodians and later hauled away by a recycler. The balls are reused at the National Tennis Center after the United States Open and are given to community programs. Some of the deflated balls are sent to schools and nursing homes, where they end up on the legs of chairs and walkers.
Jason Collins, the global business director for sourcing at Wilson Racquet Sports, said that although it would be ideal to increase the percentage of recycled plastic in the cans, once they are made with more than 30 percent recycled plastic, they lose their pressure after they are shipped from the company’s factory in Thailand.
“You get leakage,” he said. “Think of it as microscopic holes. Virgin plastic is very clean. Recycled plastic has weaknesses. It’s like a slow leak in a tire.”
A slow leak in the can might not affect the balls immediately, but over time, they will lose their bounce.
The antidote, Collins said, is to switch to pressureless balls, which are not popular in the United States, or to switch to metal cans, which are twice the price of plastic cans. It has not helped that the price of rubber and wool, two key ingredients in tennis balls, has been on the rise, he said.
“Because of the retail price of the balls, the common perception is that they can’t be that hard” to produce, Collins said. “But the cans are one of the most difficult products to make and recycle. The components can be recycled, but together, it’s difficult.”Continue reading the main story |
Sometimes the scientists who study animal behavior solve puzzles and other times they uncover new ones. The war between mockingbirds and cowbirds is a case in point.
Cowbirds are brood parasites, meaning they lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species, thus unloading the messy and demanding business of chick-rearing. They also peck holes in the eggs of the host birds, destroying as many as they can.
Mockingbirds are a favorite target of this plan, and it seems to make perfect sense for them to viciously attack cowbirds when they catch them in the nest.
But when Ros Gloag, then a doctoral student at Oxford, and her colleagues in Argentina looked closely at the war between chalk-browed mockingbirds and shiny cowbirds, they found something unexpected, as they reported in the November issue of Animal Behaviour.
They stationed small video cameras near the nests of 40 pairs of chalk-browed mockingbirds. Over two breeding seasons they recorded more than 200 attacks on intruding cowbirds.Continue reading the main story
They were surprised to find that these attacks, which their videos show to be quite vicious, did not stop the cowbirds from laying eggs. The cowbirds would hunker down and let the much large mockingbirds deliver hammer blows to the head, but in matter of seconds they would lay an egg and flee.
How could such a failed strategy persist in evolution?
The answer, according to Dr. Gloag, now a postdoctoral researcher at Australian National University, was that the attacks did prevent the cowbirds from carrying out the second prong of their plan, destroying the mockingbird eggs already in the nest.
So the mockingbirds managed to save some of their offspring. They still end up raising unwanted baby cowbird guests. But, said Dr. Gloag, once the eggs hatch, the larger mockingbird chicks compete very well with the smaller cowbirds.Continue reading the main story |
New OECD/NEA Study On The Management Of Plutonium
A new OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA)
report, the Management of Separated Plutonium -- The
Technical Options, concludes that the management of separated
plutonium presents no major technical difficulties, and is largely a matter
of carefully applying existing technology in conjunction with efforts
to minimise existing plutonium stocks.
Plutonium is generated by the burning
of uranium fuel in nuclear reactors and is, as a result, a constituent
of the spent fuel they produce. The policies of both governments and utilities
concerning plutonium vary. Some pursue separation of the plutonium from
spent fuel, while others do not. Although the use of plutonium as reactor
fuel is increasing, stocks of separated plutonium in the civil fuel cycle
are also currently growing. In addition, there are quantities of ex-military
plutonium becoming available. Therefore, the technologies employed to
handle, use and dispose of plutonium are of considerable interest.
There are concerns being expressed about
the existence and use of the growing stocks of plutonium. There is strong
public and government interest in ensuring that plutonium from any source
is managed safely with minimal risk to mankind and the environment.
The new NEA report is the result of
a study conducted between 1994 and 1996 by an international expert group,
with membership from fifteen countries, including the Russian Federation,
and three international organisations. The task of the expert group was
to identify, review and evaluate the broad technical questions associated
with plutonium management based on over two decades of related industrial
The report indicates that in the next
15 to 20 years plutonium can be effectively recycled in thermal reactors
in the form of mixed uranium-plutonium oxide fuel (MOX) and that such
recycling could eventually reduce stocks of plutonium. However, there
will continue to be surplus quantities that will need to be safely stored.
The technologies are commercially available, and can be implemented safely
and so as to permit effective safeguarding of the material.
Such technologies may also be employed
in the longer term. In addition, plutonium may be used more efficiently
in fast reactors or in other types of reactors, or it may be transformed
into a form appropriate for final disposal. However, these approaches,
on which research and development are under way, would need to be fully
demonstrated and accepted prior to implementation.
News Media Contact:
"MANAGEMENT OF SEPARATED PLUTONIUM: The Technical |
Among the patients are several Liberian physicians infected with the virus, Deputy Health Minister for Prevention Services Tolbert Nyenswa Sunday told the UN Mission in Liberia, or UNMIL, radio station.
Liberia received the medication, called ZMapp, after President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf asked US officials for it Aug 8 as part of the efforts to combat the epidemic, which so far has killed 413 people in the West African nation.
The Liberian government received shipments - in "small quantities" - of the drug, Nyenswa said, although he did not specify how many patients will be treated with it.
ZMapp was administered for the first time to two US citizens who were infected with Ebola in Liberia, Kent Brantlay, and missionary Nancy Writebol, who since then have shown improvements.
Miguel Pajares, the Spanish priest who was sent home to Spain after becoming infected with Ebola in Liberia, died in Madrid three days after beginning to receive the same experimental drug.
Despite the drug's arrival in Liberia, Nyenswa said that the best way of containing the Ebola outbreak is by using preventive measures.
Over the past four months, 2,127 people have been infected with the virus in West Africa, of whom 1,145 have died.
Ebola, which is transmitted through direct contact with blood or body fluids of infected people or animals, causes serious hemorrhaging and can have a 90 percent mortality rate.
This is the first time that the disease has been identified and an epidemic has been confirmed in West Africa, with outbreaks to date having been confined to Central Africa. |
Researchers have developed a highly sensitive nanomechanical sensor that is capable of detecting cancerous tumours as well as viral disease markers for hepatitis, HIV and herpes. Researchers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology have developed the sensor so as to analyse chemical composition of substances as well as detecting biological objects.
The sensor is responsible for building detecting viral disease markers that show when the immune system of the body responds to diseases that are hard to cure or are incurable such as HIV, herpes, hepatitis and several others. The sensor has also been said to enable doctors identify different tumour markers in whose presence the body signals the starting as well as growth of tumour cells.
Good news for the users of the sensor is that it will allow diagnosis of diseases long before they can actually be detected by any other existing method. This will thus pave way for a new set of diagnostics. According to calculations done by researchers, the new sensor is said to combine high sensitivity and a comparative ease of production as well as miniature dimension, making it easy to be used in portable devices such as wearable electronics, smart phones, etc.
The researchers added that a chip of the size of several millimeters can easily house several thousand sensors that are configured to detect different molecules as well as particles. The device has been described in the study as an optical or optomechanical chip.
Read more Health News.
Image source: Getty
Though all possible measures have been taken to ensure accuracy, reliability, timeliness and authenticity of the information; Onlymyhealth assumes no liability for the same. Using any information of this website is at the viewers’ risk. Please be informed that we are not responsible for advice/tips given by any third party in form of comments on article pages . If you have or suspect having any medical condition, kindly contact your professional health care provider. |
Most parents when it comes to giving milk to their children tend to think, the more, the merrier. In contradiction to popular belief scientists now say that two cups of cow’s milk a day is the proper amount needed to maintain adequate vitamin D and iron levels.
Dr Jonathon Maguire,a pediatrician at St Michaels Hospital and lead author of the study, said, “We started to research the question because professional recommendations around milk intake were unclear and doctors and parents were seeking answers”. Maguire’s team looked at how cow’s milk could affect the body stores of iron and vitamin D, which are two of the most important nutrients in milk in more than 1,300 children aged two to five years. It was also found that children who drank more glasses of cow’s milk had higher Vitamin D stores but lower iron stores.
Thus it was then further studied and concluded that two cups of cow’s milk per day was enough to maintain adequate vitamin D levels for most children, and all this while also maintaining the iron stores. Any additional glasses it was found helped to reduce the iron stores without greater benefit from vitamin D.
Read more articles on Health News
Though all possible measures have been taken to ensure accuracy, reliability, timeliness and authenticity of the information; Onlymyhealth assumes no liability for the same. Using any information of this website is at the viewers’ risk. Please be informed that we are not responsible for advice/tips given by any third party in form of comments on article pages . If you have or suspect having any medical condition, kindly contact your professional health care provider. |
A local earthquake may generate tsunami waves that can reach shore in minutes. If you are on the beach or other low-lying area close to the ocean or bay, immediately evacuate by walking to higher ground if:
- Officials issue a tsunami warning and order evacuations;
- The earth shakes so much that you can't stand;
- Shaking lasts longer than 20 seconds; and/or
- You notice water receding from the shoreline.
View a PDF of the local inundation map
For more information on tsunamis, view our Tsunami FAQ. |
The How and Why Wonder Book of Our Earth Author:Felix Sutton (personal note - this is a gorgeous color illustrated book - just like you remember from childhood!) — Earth, at this writing, is still the home of all known people. And though it is fun to speculate about life on other planets in our solar system and in other star systems, most of us will continue to live on earth. So it makes good sense to le... more »arn as much about our home planet as we can.
This How and Why Wonder Book is a good guide to learning more about the earth. It deals with a variety of topics and answers many questions. How was the earth formed? What is inside the earth? What causes volcanoes? What do fossils tell us? How are mountains and seas formed? Indeed, the book is really geology, the study of the the earth, made easy.
A fascinating aspect about the study of the earth is that we can see today the same processes that have been going on for millions and millions of years in the past. Reading the book gives one a feeling of living with the history of the earth and learning about it at the same time.
Parents, teachers and children alike will profit from reading the book. It is surely an essential addition to the growing How and Why Wonder Book library of every young scientist.« less |
Between Two Worlds: How Young Latinos Come of Age in America
V. Economic Well-Being
The economic well-being of any group of youths ages 16 to 25 depends in part on the economic status of the households in which they live and in part on their own personal engagement with the labor market. On both fronts, Latino youths lag well behind white youths. But they surpass black youths on most measures of economic well-being and are more active in the labor market than Asian youths.
Among Latino youths, there are significant differences on most of these measures by nativity. Foreign-born Latino youths on average live in households with lower incomes than those of the native born. The foreign born also are more likely than the native born to live in poverty, less likely to live in owner-occupied homes, more likely to lack health insurance and more likely to have a lower-skill job.
But compared with native-born Latino youths, foreign-born Latino youths are more active in the labor force and a smaller share is unemployed. This is partly because foreign-born Latino youths are relatively older (they skew more toward the upper end of the 16-to-25 age range) and less likely to be enrolled in school.
Latino youths are more likely than other youths to live in families whose income is below the poverty level. The U.S. government calculates poverty based on a combination of household income and the number of people living in the household. For instance, a family of four, including two related children, with an income of less than $21,834 in 2008 was defined to be living below the poverty threshold.11
Some 23% of Latino youths lived in families whose income was below the poverty level in 2008. That was less than the share of black youths (28%) who lived in poverty but was well above the shares of white (13%) and Asian (18%) youths who lived in poverty.
Another yardstick of well-being is household income. In 2008, more than half of Latino youths (53%) lived in households with incomes less than $50,000, compared with 34% of white youths, 38% of Asian youths and 60% of black youths. Some 15% of Hispanic youths lived in households with incomes of $100,000 or more, about the same as black youths but much below the shares of white (31%) and Asian (30%) youths.
Likewise, Latino youths are less likely than average to live in owner-occupied homes—47% versus 59% of all youths—and more likely than average to lack health insurance—41% compared with 26% of all youths.
Among Latino youths, the household well-being of foreign-born youths lags behind the household well-being of native-born youths by wide margins. Some 29% of foreign-born Latino youths lived below the poverty line in 2008. That is markedly higher than the poverty rates among the second generation (19%) or the third and higher generations (21%).
Similar outcomes are evident with respect to household income, homeownership and health insurance. Six-in-ten (61%) of foreign-born Hispanic youths live in households with incomes of less than $50,000, compared with 48% of native-born youths. Only 30% of the foreign born live in owner-occupied homes, compared with 56% of native-born Latino youths. And 61% of foreign-born Latino youths lack health insurance, compared with 31% of the native born. The differences between second- and third-generation youths are not large.
Labor Market Outcomes
The Great Recession has been hard on young workers, and Latino youths are no exception. The unemployment rate for Latino youths reached 20.4% in the third quarter of 2009, three points higher than the rate for all youths (17.5%).12 The national unemployment rate at the same time was 9.6%.
Underneath the aggregate statistic are notable differences in labor market experiences between foreign-born and native-born Latino youths. Those who are foreign born are more likely to be active in the labor force, and a smaller share of them is unemployed. That is because they are relatively older and less likely to be enrolled in school. But young foreign-born workers are concentrated in a handful of lower-skill occupations, a likely consequence both of their low levels of education and of the fact that more than half are in the country illegally.
This section explores the labor market outcomes of Latino youths during the third quarter of 2009, more than 1½ years into the ongoing recession. The unemployment rate (or the share of the labor force that is looking for work) is but one indicator of labor market outcomes. Two other key indicators examined in this section are the labor force participation rate—the share of the population that is either employed or looking for work—and the employment rate—the share of the population that is employed.
Latino youths are nearly as active in the labor market as all youths. Some 58.9% of Latino youths participate in the labor market, compared with 61.5% of all youths. Labor force participation among young Hispanics exceeds that among blacks and Asians but falls short of the rate (65.6%) among whites. Consistent with these trends, a greater share of Latino youths (46.9%) is employed than black (37.4%) or Asian (41.0%) youths. However, the employment rate among white youths is higher (56.0%).
With respect to unemployment, the rates for black youths tend to run much higher than those of others groups, and this is true both in good and bad economic times. The unemployment rate for black youths (28.1%) in the third quarter of 2009 is well above that of Hispanic (20.4%), Asian (15.8%) and white (14.7%) youths.
Among Latino youths, labor market outcomes for the foreign born appear better than for the native born by most measures. In the third quarter of 2009, the unemployment rate for first-generation Latino youth—16.7%—was six percentage points less than the rate for native-born youth—22.6%.
Foreign-born Latino youths are also more active in the labor market than their native-born peers. Of the 7.6 million Latinos ages 16 to 25, some 58.9% were active in the labor force in the third quarter of 2009.13 However, 64.2% of foreign-born Latino youths were participating in the labor force, compared with 56.1% of native-born youths. Likewise, a greater share of the foreign-born Latino youth population is employed—53.5% for the foreign born, compared with 43.4% of the native born.
The greater engagement of foreign-born Latino youths with the labor market is most likely a result of their age and school enrollment—they are both older and less likely to be in school. With respect to age, the majority of foreign-born youths in the 16-to-25 cohort—54.1%—are ages 22 to 25, compared with only 34.7% of native-born youths (Table 2.2 above). As shown in Table 5.5, labor market outcomes improve steadily with age, for Hispanic youths as well as for all youths.
With respect to school enrollment, foreign-born Latino youths are less likely to be enrolled in high school or college than are native-born Latino youth—34.3% versus 58.9% in March 2009 (Table 6.2 below). That gap also contributes to observed differences in labor market outcomes because those enrolled in school, especially those enrolled full time, are less engaged with the labor market.
For example, only 18.2% of Latino youths enrolled full time in high school in the third quarter of 2009 participated in the labor force. That compares with participation rates of 41.8% among part-time high school attendees, 46.7% among full-time college enrollees and 79.5% among those attending college part time. The participation rate among Latino youths not enrolled in either college or high school is 70.1%. Because native-born Latino youths are more likely to be of high school age and more likely to attend school than foreign-born youths, they are more restrained in their labor market activities.
Foreign-born Latinos differ from native-born youths in one other important aspect—their occupational status. While they are less likely to be without a job, the majority of foreign-born youths with a job—52.4%—are employed in only four lower-skill occupations—food preparation and serving; building and grounds cleaning and maintenance; construction and extraction; and production.14 Lower levels of education and unauthorized status are likely reasons that foreign-born Latino youths face a limited choice of jobs.
“You’re bilingual so that you have a major opportunity in jobs. So you know, most jobs nowadays…the Hispanic population is getting so much bigger that [jobs] are requiring people who know two languages…so you have an advantage over whites and blacks.”
—25-year-old Hispanic female
In contrast, native-born Latino youths are more dispersed across occupations, including in white-collar occupations. The occupational distribution of native-born Latino youths closely resembles the occupational distribution of all U.S. youths. Sales and related occupations are the most popular choice for both cohorts of employed youths. And native-born youths, in general or Latinos in particular, are much less likely than their foreign-born peers to work in construction or production occupations.
Within the population of native-born Latino youths, there is little difference in labor market outcomes between the second generation and the third and higher generations. The second generation of youths is somewhat less likely to participate in the labor force—53.8% versus 59.0% for the third and higher generations. Consequently, a smaller share of the second generation (41.4%) is employed compared with the third and higher generations (46.0%). However, the unemployment rate across these generations is virtually identical—23.0% for the second generation and 22.1% for the third and higher generations. Overall, the differences between native-born and foreign-born Latino youths are more acute than are differences across native-born generations.
- Poverty thresholds, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, are available at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/threshld/thresh08.html. ↩
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data show that Hispanic youths last experienced unemployment rates higher than 20% in 1983. Other youths and all workers in general are also experiencing the highest unemployment rates in nearly three decades. BLS data are for ages 16 to 24, slightly different than the 16-to-25 age group that defines youths in this report. ↩
- The population estimates in this section differ slightly from preceding estimates in this report that are derived from the March 2009 Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement. ↩
- Another 10.8% of foreign-born Latino youths are in sales and related occupations, implying that nearly two-thirds work in just five occupations. ↩ |
The vital nature of proper dental care should never be ignored. Following appropriate dental hygiene protocols is essential to dental health, but also to overall health and wellness. The information found in the article below should provide you with some key insights into the best ways to keep the teeth and gums in optimal condition.
Try to go to your dentist every six months. Regular dental check ups can spot problems with your teeth before they become serious. Seeing the dentist on a regular basis help you avoid plaque buildup, gingivitis and tooth decay.
Make sure that if you want to have good oral hygiene that you stay away from sugary drinks. You may not be aware that things like juices are very sugary and can do a lot of damage to teeth. If you’re drinking any kind of sugary beverages, make sure to brush immediately afterwards.
Brush, brush, brush to avoid plaque. Plaque is a layer of bacteria that coats your teeth. It is transparent. Plaque buildup causes cavities. You can remove plaque by brushing your teeth often. Ideally, you can brush your teeth after each meal. At the very least, brush morning and night.
One of the things that you will need to make sure to do when you are taking care of your teeth is to floss. This is very important as it will help to get rid of the excess food between your teeth that your toothbrush cannot reach. This will lead to better overall health.
Make sure you spend a full two or three minutes brushing your teeth twice daily. To help you keep brushing, there are a couple of tricks you can use. You can buy an electronic toothbrush with a timer. Play a song that is 2 or 3 minutes long while you brush.
If you’ve just had a meal but don’t have access to water, a brush and toothpaste, pop in a stick of sugar-free gum. Dentist recommended this as an adequate substitute until you can brush your teeth properly. Chewing gum will also help remove bits of food that may be lodged between teeth.
Using mouthwash is a great way to clear out any loose debris and keep your breath smelling good. Make sure to avoid using a mouthwash with alcohol in it as those brands tend to dry out the mouth, leaving a veritable wonderland for bacteria and leading to terrible problems down the road.
When you want to eat something between meals, try to avoid sugary snacks. These will just leave your teeth open to cavities and decay. Instead, have fruit or vegetables, or even whole grain carbohydrates. These are better for your overall health as well as your dental situation, but don’t forget to brush after!
Make sure you change your toothbrush once every two or three months. After a few months of use, your toothbrush’s bristles will wear out and will no longer effectively brush. This same rule applies for electric toothbrush heads. If your toothbrush is wearing out before two months, it could be a sign that you’re brushing your teeth too harsh.
There are several natural ways to whiten your teeth, so do not believe that spending a ton on whitening agents is your only option. Eating crunchy foods like celery, apples and carrots is a good way to naturally lift stains from teeth without the threat of damaging the enamel on them.
You should replace your toothbrush on a regular basis. Replacing your toothbrush every couple of months will ensure that it is cleaning your teeth the very best that it possibly can. To protect your teeth, change your toothbrush frequently.
Be careful to avoid biting any hard surfaces because you can crack the enamel on your teeth. Do not chew ice even though that may be enjoyable on a hot summer day. The ice can make your teeth brittle and the enamel can be damaged without you even being aware of it.
Make sure your toothbrush dries after you use it. A protective case for your toothbrush can be great, but it can also prevent your toothbrush from drying properly. You don’t want to put a bacteria-laden toothbrush into your mouth.
Try chewing sugarless gum to boost your dental health. Sugarless gum is known to be effective at keeping cavities at bay. Look for gums that are sweetened using xylitol. This is known to reduce cavities more than other sweeteners. Chewing this gum can help stimulate saliva flow, which can buffer acids and hinder decay-causing bacteria.
Choose the right mouthwash. All mouthwashes are not created equal, so do some research before you get to the store. Check out active ingredients, and try samples if possible. You don’t want something that’s just fizzy. You have to be able to make your breath fresher and get rid of bacteria.
Bleaching your teeth is an efficient way to get a whiter smile but you could actually damage your teeth by bleaching. It is best to avoid bleaching if you have sensitive teeth or gum disease. Talk to your dentist if you are not sure whether or not bleaching is safe for you.
If you have headaches, a painful clicking of the jaw, difficulty chewing or pain in your jaw, ear or face, you may suffer from temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. Your dentist can diagnose this condition through physical inspection of the area and x-rays. Aggressive treatments include oral surgery and orthodontic correction.
Chewing on xylitol containing sugar free gum is a great way to prevent cavities. Chewing gum increases saliva production which serves to rinse your mouth. Xylitol is helpful in reducing the acid level. Ideally you should chew the gum immediately after eating.
In this day and age, there really is no excuse for poor dental care or hygiene. While there is a great deal of information available on the topic, not everyone avails themselves of it. Hopefully your exposure to the tips and guidance presented above has ensured the future health of your own teeth. |
WASHINGTON – May 6 marked the 135th anniversary of the enactment of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which was the first law to expressly target and prohibit a specific group from immigrating to the United States.
The law was signed by President Chester A. Arthur and imposed a ten-year ban on Chinese immigration or naturalization. It was reauthorized and expanded several times in the following decades, and was not repealed until 1943.
In 2012, Congress passed a bipartisan resolution introduced by CAPAC Chair Rep. Judy Chu (D-Pasadena), which formally expressed regret for the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act. To commemorate anniversary, CAPAC members released the following statements:
Rep. Chu: “The Chinese Exclusion Act was one of the most discriminatory laws ever passed in our nation’s history, and it left permanent scars on the Chinese American community. It split families apart, created a second-class citizenry, and disenfranchised an entire ethnic community. In fact, my own grandfather who had been here legally since 1904 was forced to carry a certificate of registration at all times for almost 40 years, or risk deportation.
“Unfortunately, 135 years after the Chinese Exclusion Act was signed into law, our nation is once again debating whether an entire group of people should be banned from entering the United States based on their country of origin. This is unacceptable. Now more than ever, we must ensure that policies targeting immigrants, Muslims, and refugees, like President Trump’s un-American Muslim ban, do not succeed. The Chinese Exclusion Act was one of the darkest periods in our nation’s history, and we cannot allow history to repeat itself.”
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.): “As we commemorate the 135th anniversary of the this law, which was one of the earliest measures – but certainly not the latest – placing restrictions on immigration by a specific ethnic group, we must recognize the vital contributions made by the AAPI community to our nation’s culture, infrastructure, and military, including over 13,000 Chinese American veterans who served during World War II.”
Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.): “The Chinese Exclusion Act, enacted 135 years ago today, was a dark mark in our in our nation’s history. Steeped in prejudice and bigotry, it was the first law to prevent a specific ethnic group from entering the United States, despite the fact that Chinese laborers made vital contributions to the United States, such as by helping to build the Transcontinental Railroad. Only in 1943 was this law repealed.
“On the 135th anniversary of this terrible law, may we reflect on our true identity as a nation of immigrants, a nation that does not discriminate based on race, national origin, or religion, a nation that promotes opportunity for all.” |
Light Rail – the Solution to Inner-City Chaos?
Tramways are mooted as a cost-effective solution to easing congestion in major metropolitan centres. However, the costs need to come down massively before more progress is made, as Neil Pulling discovers.
Distinctions between passenger railway operations have blurred as new breeds of vehicle have taken to the tracks. According to the UK's Light Rail Transit Association, features that characterise 'light rail' include the capability of running on former railway lines, alongside highways or on street as a tramway.
With the advent of the tram-train, the mode can also share tracks with (heavy) rail vehicles. Inherent is the capability of entering city centres, safely sharing urban space with pedestrians.
With the proviso that the last part would exclude systems like London's Docklands Light Railway, these are broadly the criteria used today. The term 'heavy rail' is used to describe infrastructure and vehicles as per mainstream railway operation.
Successful public transport is about 'horses for courses', getting the right mode(s) in situ to meet the needs of the passengers and operators, all in context of what the paymaster can afford – or wants – to spend.
Hanging on to heavy rail as the principal high-volume mode has the lure of minimising capital costs, for many of the world's railway networks were a legacy from a century before. In most cases the original rail infrastructure has been expanded and improved, but it is the vital commitment of land-to-rail alignments for which thanks are due to the visionaries and frequently disappointed investors of the past.
Although some lines and stations were built speculatively to stimulate land values through urbanisation, famously exemplified by the Metropolitan Railway to the north of London and by counterparts to its south, railways were primarily built to serve prevailing industry and human settlement.
Heavy rail networks, usually with the presumption of long-distance travel being the business rationale, tended not to serve the outer reaches of origin or destination cities, nor the satellite dormitory towns which also expanded throughout the 20th century.
In much of the US, heavy rail had not filled that role for many years, if at all. However, even in the face of anti-public sector spending and road lobby criticism, existing light rail has been expanded or new systems introduced, as with Dallas, Hudson-Bergen, Houston and Los Angeles. This is precisely because other forms of rail travel will not solve the problem and because a wholly road-based alternative is foreseen as a gridlocked dead-end.
As suburban railways cannot function effectively with closely spaced stops, passengers would use buses to the nearest station if beyond reasonable walking distance. Although vital for comprehensive public transport, flexible in application and with a short lead time for deliveries, buses contribute to and are caught up in road congestion, deliver pollution as they progress, and in comparison to rail have low capacity, long loading times and are slower.
Where high-volume passenger flows are predictable or can be channelled, light rail fills the middle ground between suburban rail and bus services. It also has the reputation of greenness as greater weight is accorded to environmental factors. Electrification removes the pollution impact from routes and allows for multi-sourcing of fuels for the electricity supply.
Sometimes cited as the birthplace of modern light rail, Sweden's second city, Gothenburg, has deployed the mode as part of its urban planning. With few suburban mainline stops in the metropolitan area, its far-reaching, multi-route, high-frequency light rail operation reduces the temptation to use private vehicles for city journeys.
Like Zurich, Gothenburg kept faith with surface-running light rail instead of a metro alternative, a decision that appears to have been justified as expenditure has literally gone further and passengers appear to value the resultant service.
WHY NOT GO METRO?
Usually accompanied by tunnelling and other extensive infrastructure works, the metro option is one which, with a big price tag, delivers high-volume, fast services appropriate to the largest cities.
Established giants such as New York, London and Moscow have long relied upon their metros for daily life to function.
It is therefore unsurprising that the mode has been adopted by metropolitan centres with boom economies and experiencing rapid growth in the late 20th/ early 21st century, such as Delhi, Mumbai, Shanghai and Seoul.
In a twist on the premise that cities change shape and new transport demands emerge, Charleroi in Belgium installed a costly metro on the expectation of continuing prosperity for the city and surrounding communities. Like many cities with traditional tramways closed and a realisation that mainline services could not meet local needs, an ambitious metro plan was created.
With the system well into construction, staple industries largely disappeared – with crippling effects on the regional economy – and the propensity to travel and the numbers involved seemed nowhere near the high capacity of the system. Only part of the planned metro was eventually fully commissioned.
Although further funding was made available in 2007 to complete parts of the project and attract more people onto the system, Charleroi Metro serves as an example of what can happen when a mis-match occurs between a transport mode and its setting.
PROVIDING LOCAL AND ORBITAL JOURNEYS
Light rail can deliver in some ways what mainline rail cannot, as well as offering advantages that metros cannot supply, generally at a more acceptable price. As narrow-gauge railways were often installed instead of 'standard' to save money or space, the same applies with light rail.
In part installed ahead of property construction, London's Docklands Light Railway has proved ideally suited to operation within high-density commercial developments, linking with residential areas and other modes.
It is difficult to envisage how such land use could function so comfortably without light rail. Local conditions vary, but light rail can also usually be installed more rapidly than a metro operation.
Major cities have usually spawned radial railway networks, fine for serving points on those lines but leaving an ever-widening arc between them, precisely the spaces filled by accommodation, industry and commerce as cities expand. Not only are such areas unlikely to get new heavy rail to serve them, passenger loadings may be such that planners would list them low in spending priorities for metro expansion.
Light rail fills such a need in Paris where the T1–T4 routes (and more to follow) enable trips between main lines carrying RER suburban services without entering the centre, also providing easier local journeys. Similar benefits are apparent with Croydon Tramlink in south London and the upgraded 'metro' tram lines in eastern Berlin.
LIGHT RAIL FOR HEAVY
Paris T4 is a clear example of light rail replacing heavy rail operations over the same orbital route. It links two main lines via Bondy and Aulnay-sous-Bois in the French capital's eastern suburbs. Although there is no integration with a tram network, the transition included removal of road barriers, more open platform access, some new stops and crucially, much higher frequency.
With the switch from run-down coaches to modern Siemens Avanto (as intended for the Mulhouse-Thann project) possibly distorting the comparison, passenger numbers have increased significantly, more local journeys are made and overall loadings are less skewed towards peaks at the ends of working days.
Manchester in north-west England demonstrates a specific form of problem solving. Faced with two suburban railways at either side of the city, each with life-expired yet different non-standard electrical systems, the solution was to link the two with new track and a common 750V dc overhead supply through Manchester's busy centre. Creating the Altrincham–Bury Manchester Metrolink also provided a much-needed rail connection between the city's principal mainline stations.
Long in coming due to the UK government's notorious reluctance to invest in rail-based urban transit, the initial Metrolink provided the stem onto which the new Eccles extension was grafted, thereby helping to support the Salford Docklands redevelopment.
With extensions due in the form of more redeployed heavy rail and new build, light rail clearly helped Manchester with its transport and modern identity, as well as making much better use of former heavy rail lines for passengers.
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS?
Synonymous with 'the Karlsruhe Model', so termed because of the pioneering use of vehicles capable of running on main lines and on tramways via specially built connections, the tram-train has become a mode attracting attention for more applications.
Germany has added Kassel, Nordhausen and Saarbrücken to its tram-train roster, RandstadRail is now running in Den Haag after a troubled introduction and the Mulhouse project is in development.
A 2008 announcement of a UK tram-train trial in West Yorkshire appears more about trying out the vehicles rather than installing a two-system format.
Despite this, tram-trains seem to offer the best of both worlds: travelling from widely spaced mainline stations to a choice of city centre stops, with no need to overload termini with interchange traffic. |
Although Einstein developed the foundation for quantum physics he was uncomfortable with its implications. Einstein said famously “God does not play dice” or something to that effect. Since the most accurate and experimentally verified explanation of the universe is one that does so by describing events probabilistically it appears as though he she or it does play dice. Or probably plays dice. At least a few days a week.
A universe that has events occurring probabilistically is a much more interesting one in my opinion. And as far as we can tell so far it appears that this is so. In my last post I spoke about how electron’s locations were said to be potentially here and potentially there. The highest likelihood of finding it would be somewhere close to the nucleus but there would also be a small possibility of finding it a few light years away. What we didn’t speak about directly is the possibility of finding the electron in two places at once. One electron…existing in two (or more) places at once. This strange quality of the electron, as improbable as it sounds, occurs very easily and happens all the time in certain situations. The video below gives a great description of it:
The Double Slit Experiment Dr. Quantum
Physics calls this strange quality superposition. The double slit experiment was first conducted in 1801 by a man by the name of Thomas Young. Young conducted the experiment with photons and it has been repeated with all kinds of matter, including complex molecules comprised of hundreds of atoms.
Its a mad world! |
March 27, 2013
Breakthrough Study Links Migraines To Abnormalities In Brain’s Cortex
Alan McStravick for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online
The prevailing science on the subject of migraine headaches had long recognized that certain people are simply more likely to be afflicted by this potentially debilitating condition than others. In fact, the Mayo Clinic details a handful of risk factors that can make someone more or less likely to experience migraines. Among the recognized risk factors are family history, age, gender and hormonal changes.While these and other risk factors have long been recognized and studied, the underlying cause behind migraines has been poorly understood at best. Now, however, a new study has linked the condition to brain abnormalities in the individual experiencing them. These abnormalities can exist from before birth or can be the result of later developmental issues.
The new study and its findings, published online in the journal Radiology, was conducted by an Italian team of scientists from University Ospedale San Raffaele and the University Vita-Salute's San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that some 300 million people around the world suffer from migraines. That figure is only slightly lower than the entire population of the United States. When a migraine comes on, the symptoms can include intense, throbbing headaches that are often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and an increased sensitivity to light and sound.
This new study builds on previous research detailing how migraine patients commonly display atrophy of cortical regions in the brain related to pain processing, possibly due to chronic stimulation of those areas. The term cortical refers to those areas associated with the outer layer of the brain known as the cortex.
In order to measure atrophy, previous studies were forced to rely upon voxel-based morphometry, which uses high-resolution images to compare regions of gray matter between different subjects´ brains. This method, however, is only able to provide an estimate of the brain´s overall cortical volume.
The Italian team, however, tackled the issue in a new and inventive way, utilizing a surface-based MRI method that enabled them to more accurately measure cortical thickness.
"For the first time, we assessed cortical thickness and surface area abnormalities in patients with migraine, which are two components of cortical volume that provide different and complementary pieces of information," said Massimo Filippi, MD, director of the Neuroimaging Research Unit at the University Ospedale San Raffaele and professor of neurology at the University Vita-Salute's San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan.
"Indeed, cortical surface area increases dramatically during late fetal development as a consequence of cortical folding, while cortical thickness changes dynamically throughout the entire life span as a consequence of development and disease."
Filippi and his team observed a total of 63 diagnosed migraine patients and 18 non-migraine sufferers for their study, in which they used MRIs to obtain a T2-weighted and 3-D T1-weighted brain images. Once that data was collected, the team used special software together with statistical analyses to estimate their study subjects´ cortical thickness and surface area. With this information in hand, the researchers then correlated it with the patients´ clinical and radiologic characteristics.
When compared to the control participants, the team noted the subjects who had been diagnosed as migraine sufferers presented a significantly reduced cortical thickness and overall surface area in regions of the cortex specifically related to the processing of pain. As the researchers pointed out, the anatomical overlap of cortical thickness and cortical surface area abnormalities was minimal. The cortical surface area abnormalities were far more pronounced than cortical thickness abnormalities alone.
The team also noticed the presence of aura and white matter hyperintensities, which themselves are areas of high intensity on an MRI. These also appeared to be more common in individuals who suffer from migraines. The team believes that this is related to the regional distribution of cortical thickness and surface area abnormalities, and may actually have no bearing on disease duration and frequency of migraine attacks.
"The most important finding of our study was that cortical abnormalities that occur in patients with migraine are a result of the balance between an intrinsic predisposition, as suggested by cortical surface area modification, and disease-related processes, as indicated by cortical thickness abnormalities," Filippi said. "Accurate measurements of cortical abnormalities could help characterize migraine patients better and improve understanding of the pathophysiological processes underlying the condition."
Filippi believes his team´s work offers a launching point to eventually gain a fuller understanding of the meaning of cortical abnormalities in the pain processing areas of migraine patients.
"Whether the abnormalities are a consequence of the repetition of migraine attacks or represent an anatomical signature that predisposes to the development of the disease is still debated," he said. "In my opinion, they might contribute to make migraine patients more susceptible to pain and to an abnormal processing of painful conditions and stimuli."
From this point forward, Filippi and his team intend to further their study longitudinally, specifically focusing on the migraine patient group. Over time, they hope to observe the cortical abnormalities noted in this study and determine whether they remain stable or slowly degenerate over time.
The team is also examining the effects of treatments on the observed modifications of cortical folding and identifying pediatric patients who suffer from migraines in the hopes that they might be able assess whether the abnormalities correspond to a specific biomarker for the disease. |
April 17, 2011
Molecular Messages From The Antennae
Scientists assemble genes involved in regulating olfaction in the antennae of a moth
Insects have a highly sensitive sense of smell. Extremely low concentrations of odor molecules in the air are sufficient to be detected by receptor neurons on their antennae. Specific proteins, so-called receptor proteins, expressed in these neurons recognize the odors. The odor molecules bind to the receptors and produce chemical and electrical signals that are processed in the insect brain and eventually affect the insect's behavior.Apart from the receptors, further proteins involved in olfaction, including enzymes and chemosensory proteins, come into play. Based on these molecular principles, all insects follow their innate and elementary survival formula: finding food, recognizing mates, and â˴ in case of females â˴ identifying adequate oviposition sites that guarantee nutritious and easily digestible food for their offspring.
Moths (Lepidotera) are popular research objects in addition to fruit flies. The genome of the silkworm Bombyx mori has been fully sequenced; however, this insect has been domesticated by humans for thousands of years, therefore its native conspecifics cannot be found anymore. On the other hand, the "habits" of the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta, a moth species native to North America, have been the subject of intense physiological investigations to study the insect olfactory system, and recently also because its host plant, wild tobacco Nicotiana attenuata, has advanced to an important model plant in ecological research.
Genetic analysis of the Manduca sexta antennae closes a gap in the search after the insect's odor-directed behavior: The release of stress-induced odor molecules by tobacco plants is well studied, as is the pollination of the flowers by the moths. "But how does the plant odor "“ metaphorically speaking â˴ end up in the insect's brain?" asks Bill Hansson, director of the Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology founded in 2006 at the Max Planck Institute.
The scientists identified the antennal transcriptome as an important basis for studying olfactory function of the insect and sequenced active genes in the antennae completely. Additionally, they determined the amount of individual messenger RNAs (mRNAs) that belong to each gene. Sequence information which involved more than 66 million nucleotides was analyzed. Basically, the results can be summarized as follows: i.) Manduca sexta has 18 specific odorant binding proteins (OBPs) and 21 chemosensory proteins (CSPs). ii.) Manduca males possess 68 different odorant receptors, each expressed in a specific type of neuron coupled to a corresponding glomerulus in the brain, whereas females have 70 of these "response units". Most of the receptors could be identified in the course of these studies. iii.) 69% of the transcripts could not be annotated to a specific gene function: their role in the antennae is so far unknown. Presumably there are many more neural mechanisms of stimulus processing in the antennae that are yet to be elucidated. Some mRNAs imply that there is intense enzymatic activity, esterases for instance; there is also a larger amount of transcripts that regulate gene expression, indicating that the antenna can adapt to new situations by gene regulation. iv.) Antennal genetics do not seem particularly complex: For comparison: there are almost twice as many active genes in the larval midgut as in the antennae of an adult moth. Only 348 genes are exclusively expressed in males; females, after all, claim 729 genes as their own. This may be due to their life sustaining formula to lay their fertilized eggs in ideal places, such as wild tobacco leaves, where young larvae can feed. [JWK, AO]
Original Publication: Ewald Grosse-Wilde, Linda S. Kuebler, Sascha Bucks, Heiko Vogel, Dieter Wicher, Bill S. Hansson: Antennal transcriptome of Manduca sexta. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, Early Edition, April 2011, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1017963108
Image 1: With the help of its antennae this night-active tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) has been able to locate wild tobacco flowers by smell and is now enjoying the nectar. Credit: MPI for Chemical Ecology/Danny Kessler
Image 2: Tissue section of a male Manduca sexta antenna. Red and green areas are evidence for transcripts of two different odorant receptors (scale: 50 micrometers). Credit: MPI for Chemical Ecology/Christopher König
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Fictitious and Symbolic Creatures in Art, by John Vinycomb, , at sacred-texts.com
The Martlet (Merlette or Merlot, French; Merula, Latin). The house-marten or
as other birds do. It builds its nest frequently under the eaves of houses, from whence it can take flight readily, rarely alighting, as it gains its food while on the wing; the length of its wings and the shortness of its legs preventing it from rising should it rest on the ground.
It is depicted in armory with wings close, and in profile, with thighs, but with no visible legs or feet.
The martlet is the appropriate "difference" or mark of cadency for the fourth son. Sylvanus Morgan says: "It modernly used to signify, as that bird seldom lights on land, so younger brothers have little land to rest on but the wings of their own endeavours, who, like the swallows, become the travellers in their seasons."
The swallow (hirondelle) is the punning cognisance for Arundell. The seal of the town of Arundel is a swallow, Baron Arundell of Wardour bears six swallows for his arms. The great Arundells have as motto, "De Hirundine" ("Concerning the swallow"), and "Nulli præda" ("A prey to none"). A Latin poem of the twelfth century is thus rendered:
"We find it in Glovers’ roll," says Planché, "borne by Roger de Merley, clearly as 'armes parlantes,' although in a border." Roger de Merley: "barée d’argent et de goulz à la bordure d’azur, et merlots d’or en le bordure"; showing it was some difference of a family coat. |
F factor plasmid forms Hfr's in Salmonella typhimurium at many fewer sites and at a much lower frequency than in Escherichia coli. Based upon the way Hfr's are formed, what would be a simple explanation for this difference between S. typhimurium and E. coli?
ANSWER: Recall that most Hfr's arise via homologous recombination between IS sequences (IS2, IS3, and Tn1000) that are present on both the F-plasmid and on the E. coli chromosome. The S. typhimurium chromosome lacks copies of these IS elements, so any Hfr's that arise must do so via transposition.
Why does the transfer of genes from a Hfr require a functional recA gene in the recipient, but transfer of genes on a F' does not?
ANSWER: Transfer of genes from an Hfr into an F- recipient cell requires the recA gene product because the incoming genes need to be inherited by homologous recombination. This two cross-over event is mediated by the recA gene. Since the incoming genes are on an unstable linear fragment of DNA, if the genes aren't recombined into the chromosome by RecA, then the DNA will be degraded by exonucleases.
Transfer of an F' can occur in a recA mutant because the F' does not need to recombine with the recipient chromosome in order to be stably inherited. The final step in the transfer of an F' is a site-specific recombination event between the first and second copy of oriT to be transferred into the recipient cell. This single cross-over event is mediated by one of the tra genes encoded on the F' plasmid, and is independant of recA. This site-specific recombination event occurs at the conjugal bridge between the two cells, and results in a new F' plasmid in the recipient cell that may complement mutant genes on the recipient chromosome, if the wild-type copies are present on the F'.
The proA, proB, and proC genes are required for the biosynthesis of proline. Given a donor strain with a Hfr integrated between the proA+proB+ and proC+ genes as shown below, and a proC- StrR recipient, how could you isolate a F' proC+? [Show a diagram of the isolation scheme you would use.]
ANSWER: The F' proC+ would form as shown in the figure below. Because the proC gene would be the very last region to be transferred by the Hfr, it would only be transferred by the Hfr very rarely. Therefore, you could select for such rare events by mating into a proC auxotroph and selecting for growth on minimal medium without proline.
Given the same donor strain used in the question above and an appropriate recipient strain, how could you isolate an F' proA+B+? [What recipient strain would you use? Show a diagram of the isolation scheme you would use.]
ANSWER: The F' proBA+ would form as shown in the figure below. Because the proBA genes are immediately behind the origin of the Hfr, the Hfr would transfer thse genes at high frequency into a recipient cell. Therefore, in this case you cannot simply select for such rare events by mating into a proC auxotroph and selecting for growth on minimal medium without proline. However, you could select for the desired F' by mating with a proC recA recipient and selecting for ProC+ because recircularization of the F' in the recipient does not require RecA.
A new mutant was isolated that is StrR and unable to use acetate as a carbon source (ace). To determine where the mutation maps, it was mated with the four different StrS ace+ Hfr donor strains shown below. [Arrowheads indicate the location and direction of transfer from each different Hfr.]
ANSWER: Growth on acetate as a sole C-source.
ANSWER: Streptomycin resistance.
ANSWER: About 95 min, in the region transferred early between Hfr-1 and Hfr-5.
Several Hfrs from E. coli are shown in the figure below with the direction of transfer indicated relative to the map shown at the top of the figure.
All of these Hfr strains carry wild-type copies of the genes shown on the map (i.e., leu+, his+, srl+, Strs, and metA+). Each Hfr was mixed with three recipient strains in a separate tube for each mating pair, then the donor and recipient cells were spread on minimal plates with glucose as a carbon source and streptomycin. The three recipient strains used were:
ANSWER: Str resistance.
ANSWER: Plate "donor only" and "recipient only" cells on minimal plates with glucose as a carbon source and streptomycin. The number of donor cells or recipient cells that grow on these plates should be much less than the number of transconjugants.
ANSWER: See table below. Recall genetic nomenclature: designation metA indicates that a mutation in the metA gene.
Wild-type Salmonella typhimurium LT2 is unable to use histidine as a sole nitrogen source (Hut-). A S. typhimurium mutant was isolated that acquired the ability to use histidine as a nitrogen source (Hut+). To determine where the mutation mapped, LT2 was mated with five different Hut+ Met- Hfr donor strains. The metA mutation makes the donor cells methionine auxotrophs. The map position and orientation of each Hfr donor is shown in the figure below.
ANSWER: Hut+ = medium with histidine as a sole-nitrogen source
ANSWER: Met+ = medium with no methionine
ANSWER: Because Hfr1 and Hfr2 transfer the chromosomal DNA in opposite orientations and neither transfers the hut gene, but Hfr3 and Hfr5 both transfer this gene, then the gene must map between the F-insertion of Hfr 1 and Hfr 2.
Four different Hfr strains of E. coli were mated to F- recipients to determine the time of entry of various donor markers. The results are shown below. From these data constuct a genetic map which includes all of the markers, and label the distance (based upon time of entry) between adjacent marker pairs.
Hfr #1 arg (15 min) thy (21 min) met (32 min) thr (48 min) Hfr #2 mal (10 min) met (17 min) thi (22 min) thr (33 min) trp (57 min) Hfr #3 phe (6 min) his (11 min) bio (33 min) azi (48 min) thr (49 min) thi (60 min) Hfr #4 his (18 min) phe (23 min) arg (45 min) mal (55 min)
ANSWER: See figure below.
Given two E. coli strains with the genotypes show below.
Strain A: F- lac- arg- his- pyr- lys- TonR Strain B: Hfr lac+ arg+ his+ pyr+ lys+ Tons
[lac- = inability to ferment the sugar lactose; arg-, his-, pyr-, lys- = inability to synthesize argining, histidine, pyrimidines, or lysine; Tons and TonR = sensitivity and resistance to the virulent phage T1]
ANSWER: Minimal plates with lactose as a sole carbon source, histidine, pyrimidines (e.g. uracil), and lysine -- NO arginine.
ANSWER: Arg+ TonR His+ Pyr+ Lys+
ANSWER: The markers entered in the order -- his, lys or arg, pyr, lac. Note that you cannot determine the order of entry of lys and arg.
Given a Ser+ Met+ Hfr strain where F is integrated in the chromosome as shown below.
ANSWER: Mate the Hfr with an F- met- recA StrR recipient, selecting Met+ StrR. The recA mutation in the recipient will prevent inheritance of Met+ directly via the Hfr, and the StrR provides a counter-selection against the donor.
ANSWER: To select for Met+, the donor + recipient should be plated on minimal glucose medium without methionine. The medium should also contain streptomycin to prevent growth of the donor cells.
You have two strains of E. coli. One strain is HfrH and the second strain carries F'801, an smaller F' that was derived from HfrH (see map below).
ANSWER: Mate the two strains with a thr ser recA RifR recipient. Ser+ Thr+ RifR colonies will arise from the mating with the strain carrying F'801 but not with HfrH.
ANSWER: The selection was for Ser+ Thr+, and the counter-selection was RifR (i.e., growth on minimal glucose medium with rifampicin but without serine or threonine).
The E. coli strain KL98 contains an F-plasmid integrated adjacent to the dsdA+ gene (required for catabolism of d-serine) at about 54 min on the E. coli chromosome. The origin is oriented such that dsdA+ is transferred into the recipient soon after the initiation of conjugation. Using the genetic map of E. coli shown below and assuming you have any recipient strain you need, how could you isolate an F' carrying the dsdA+ gene? [Draw a diagram showing the relevant genotype of the donor and recipient, how the F' is formed, and how you would do the experiment including any media you would use. Note that mutations in any of the genes shown on the following genetic map results in auxotrophy.]
The chromosome organization of Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella typhi is shown below. Overall the DNA sequence of genes in these two bacteria is about 99% identical. The rrn operons encode ribosomal RNA. Although the location of the rrn operons differs between these two bacteria, the order of the genes located between the rrn operons is conserved (e.g., the order of genes within fragment A is the same in both bacteria).
To allow the isolation of hybrids between these two bacteria, Anne Thierauf constructed a plasmid with the following properties: (i) the origin of replication was derived from the plasmid R6K so it requires the ¹ protein (encoded by the pir+ gene) to replicate; (ii) the plasmid does not carry the pir+ gene but the Pi protein can be provided in trans; (iii) the plasmid contains a clone with the promoter and the first half of an rrn operon; (iv) the plasmid encodes AmpR. She used these clones to construct Hfr's in S. typhimurium.
A map of the S. typhimurium chromosome is shown below. The putA gene maps adjacent to the pyrC gene at 22 min on the genetic map. The putA gene product is required for growth on proline as a carbon source. The pyrC gene is required for biosynthesis of uracil. Given a Hfr insertion in the pyrC gene, how could you isolate a F' that carries the putA+ gene? [Note: you do not know the orientation of transfer of the Hfr.] Be sure to describe any mutations in the donor or recipient needed for your experiment.
ANSWER: Because you do not know the orientation of the Hfr, you do not know whether the putA gene would be transferred by the Hfr early or late. Therefore, to obtain an F' that carries the putA+ gene you could mate an Hfr put+ metA donor with a put metA+ recA recipient, selecting for Put+ Met+ transconjugants. [In this example, the counterselection was demanding methionine prototrophy, but you could also use a variety of other counterselections.]
You have just isolated mutants which require the amino acid isoleucine for growth (ile-). Mapping experiments showed that the mutants map in the region between 29 and 30 minutes on the E. coli chromosome. Genes necessary for the biosynthesis of lysine (lys) and methionine (met) map in the same region.
How could you construct an Hfr which transfers the wild-type ile gene early during conjugation. The strains you have available are: (i) a prototrophic F+ strain, and (ii) a F- strain with any markers you want (except an Hfr which transfers ile early). Describe a procedure you could use to isolate an Hfr strain which transfers ile early. Be sure to describe all the steps required and how you would show that the ile locus is transferred early. Describe the composition of the media you would use for each step.
A mating was done between Hfr H met AziR TonR StrS and F- thr leu lac gal AziS TonS StrR. The cross is plated on glucose-minimal plates containing methionine, azide, and streptomycin. What are the selected markers?
The recombinants from the above cross were plated on nutritional broth agar plates containing the indicator dye and carbon source given below. What are the genotypes for the recombinants with respect to these carbon sources?
|Carbon Source||Indicator dye||Color of|
|galactose||EMB||red or purple|
Gardner isolated a strain of E. coli that was resistant to the antibiotics tetracycline (TetR) and kanamycin (KanR) but sensitive to nalidixic acid (NalS). To determine whether the antibiotic resistance was encoded on a conjugal plasmid, he mated this TetR KanR donor with two different TetS KanS NalR E. coli recipients. The results are shown below. "Donor only" and "recipient only" controls are also shown.
ANSWER: Because they are transferred at different frequencies, they are probably present on different DNA molecules (e.g. separate plasmids).
ANSWER: The restriction barrier in E. coli B. Recall that E. coli C is restriction minus. |
St James’s Palace today announced that Kate Middleton and Prince William are expecting a child however the announcement has been tempered with the news that the Duchesss is suffering from a severe form of morning sickness known as hyperemesis gravidarum.
A statement from the palace read: “The Duchess was admitted this afternoon to King Edward VII Hospital in central London with hyperemesis gravidarum.
“As the pregnancy is in its very early stages, Her Royal Highness is expected to stay in hospital for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter.”
What is hyperemesis gravidarum?
For women with hyperemesis gravidarum their vomiting can be so severe they cannot keep food or liquid down.
The condition usually continues past the first three months of pregnancy and can pass by week 21, but may also last longer.
Hyperemesis is considered a rare complication of pregnancy which occurs in the early months of pregnancy.
Women experiencing hyperemesis gravidarum often are dehydrated and lose weight despite efforts to eat.
The nausea and vomiting begins in the first or second month of pregnancy. It is extreme and is not helped by normal measures. |
ANTICIPATING THE BIG ONE / Best preparation for quake assumes worst-case scenario
Published 4:00 am, Monday, September 19, 2005
Remember this about future Bay Area earthquakes: Regardless of what geoscientists forecast, prepare for the worst.
To those Bay Area residents who are in denial about the inevitability of another big quake, or who assume a big quake strikes only once in a lifetime, or who think scientists will -- like scientists in Hollywood movies -- issue an alert a few hours before the quake, science and history offer zero reassurance.
According to an authoritative 2003 analysis by the Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities, an expert panel co-chaired by USGS seismologists Michael Blanpied and David Schwartz, the next big Bay Area quake will probably come within a few decades, and its expected magnitude could be at least 6.7. It could also be much more severe than magnitude 6.7.
And don't be misled by "a few decades": Statistically speaking, the coming quake is literally as likely to strike, say, next month or next Christmas -- or in two minutes -- as it is in 2031, the final year of the time window analyzed by the probability study. The group's overall forecast was that there is a 62 percent probability of at least one 6.7-or-stronger quake between 2002 and 2031.
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Worse, recent research hints that big quakes might attack in swarms, one after another.
Mother Nature indulged Northern Californians for most of the 20th century. No devastating quakes hit the Bay Area between 1906 and 1989. However, that might have been an anomalously calm epoch, seismically speaking -- an epoch that future generations may recall with envy.
By contrast, three quakes that were 6.5 or greater struck the Bay Area in the 30-year period between 1838 and 1868. In the 151-year period encompassing 1838 to 1989, five quakes of 6.5 or higher -- on average, 1 every 30 years -- have jolted the region (in 1838, 1865, 1868, 1906 and 1989).
In addition, recent research by two top quake experts showed that between 1680 and 1776, a 96-year period, severe quakes struck six of the seven major earthquake fault systems in the Bay Area.
At the moment, there's no specific reason to think the 21st century will bring another such epoch of big-quake swarms. But there's no specific reason to think it won't, either. Despite a century of intensive research, we still know so little about quakes that it's anyone's guess whether such a swarm will occur again -- or how it would affect Bay Area tourism, property values, the safety of bridges and other infrastructure, and so on.
Quakes are inevitable: This is simple physics.
"There is ongoing strain accumulation" in the crust because of the inexorable movements of the giant Pacific and North American crustal plates, said seismologist Mary Lou Zoback of the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park. The strain is intermittently unleashed in the form of quakes.
The 1906 quake released an enormous amount of crustal stress, thereby casting a "stress shadow" over much of the 20th century. That's probably why there were so few major Northern California quakes from 1906 to 1989, many experts have long maintained.
"The real question," Zoback asks, "is: Have we emerged from that stress shadow? There's not any specific measurement we can make to determine that."
In any case, Bay Area residents shouldn't be lulled into a false sense of calm by the Working Group's projection of a 6.7 or greater quake between now and 2031.
To laypeople, the magnitude "6.7" might sound deceptively similar to the 6.9 magnitude of the Loma Prieta quake of 1989. Loma Prieta killed almost 70 people and caused billions of dollars in damage. Yet for many locals, the quake's severity has faded with time. For most people, after all, the worst that happened was that their cat got scared or books tumbled off shelves.
They've forgotten how lucky they were. While Loma Prieta's epicenter was some 60 miles to the south, the Working Group says the next quake's epicenter is likely to be directly under an East Bay community. The likeliest epicenter, according to the Working Group, is somewhere along the northern Hayward fault in the East Bay and the adjacent Rodgers Creek fault in the North Bay. The two faults nearly join up to create one extended, roughly linear crustal fissure; their ends are a short distance apart under the waters of San Pablo Bay.
The Loma Prieta quake of 1989 would have wrought "substantially worse" consequences if its epicenter had been in San Francisco or the East Bay rather than in the Santa Cruz mountains, Zoback says.
The Working Group report projects a 27 percent probability of a Hayward-Rodgers Creek quake (magnitude 6.7 or worse) between 2002 and 2031.
The next-highest probability quake (21 percent) is an event of similar magnitude or larger on the San Andreas fault.
The third-highest probability (14 percent) is a quake on what they call a "background" fault -- one that is unknown at this time or poorly understood.
The report notes that while the Hayward-Rodgers Creek and San Andreas faults face the highest probability of a quake, "the Hayward fault is of particular concern because of the dense urban development along and directly adjacent to it and the major infrastructure lines (water, electricity, gas, transportation) that cross it."
Large areas of scientific uncertainty cloud the Working Group's forecasts, including:
-- Uncertainty about how a quake on one fault generates stresses that possibly trigger quakes on adjacent faults.
-- Uncertainty about how many unknown faults litter the Bay Area, particularly vertical-moving "blind thrust" faults -- which can't be identified before they break loose because they don't leave any telltale evidence on the surface.
-- Uncertainty over how often quakes occur on the San Andreas and adjacent fault systems over time. Most written historical records of the region don't start till after the 18th century.
For a time, scientists had hoped to ease the latter uncertainty via a moderate-sized project called BAPEX, for "Bay Area Paleoearthquake Experiment." Run by Schwartz, BAPEX was funded for a projected $3 million as part of a cooperative research agreement between PG&E and the U.S. Geological Survey.
The project aimed to dig dozens of trenches along earthquake faults across the Bay Area. By digging such trenches, scientists hoped to detect geological clues that would reveal how often quakes have struck different faults in the Bay Area over the last 2,000 years. In that way, they reasoned, they could learn many new things -- whether quakes tend to strike quasi-cyclically, for example.
But PG&E soon encountered financial woes that would bankrupt the utility. In 2000, after just one year of research, PG&E canceled further funding of
Nonetheless, during that one short year -- during which Schwartz and his colleagues dug 28 trenches -- they uncovered evidence of a possible quake "cluster" from the late 17th to the late 18th century.
In an interview last week, Schwartz told The Chronicle that BAPEX revealed that six of the seven major fault systems in the Bay Area were hit by large quakes between 1680 and 1776. The exact timing of each quake, he said, remains uncertain.
"I think that people have been really lulled into a false sense of security because of the absence of large earthquakes in the 20th century," Schwartz warned. "We have a lot of faults that have not done anything since the late 1700s.
"But we know from geological records that they've moved repeatedly in the past -- and they have to move again."
Scientists estimate a 62 percent chance* of at least one earthquake of magnitude-6.7 or greater occurring somewhere in the Bay Area between 2002 and 2031. This map shows each faults individual probability of causing a magnitude-6.7 (or greater) quake through 2031.
* Estimate incorporates the odds 14 percent of a quake happening on faults not shown on the map.
-- WHAT THESE NUMBERS MEAN
How are these probabilities calculated, and what do they really mean?
Scientists begin by considering the balance between two factors: the motion of plates making up the Earths outer shell, and the amount of slippage on faults. Over time, these two processes must balance each other out. Plate motions load strain onto faults, which builds up over time and is released primarily during earthquakes.
Scientists use geologic data, historical records and various statistical models to inform their predictions.
And yet, because the geologic processes are not fully understood, there is a fair degree of uncertainty in the predictions.
That is why scientists use probabilities expressed as the likelihood that a quake will occur on a given fault in a certain length of time. One way to think of probability is to imagine a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 meaning there is no chance of a given event occurring and 100 meaning it definitely will happen.
A 50 percent chance would represent a toss-up (like flipping a coin, for example). A 62 percent chance almost two-thirds means the event is nearly twice as likely to happen as not to happen.
About the series
Sunday: Is the Bay Area ready? Yes, but ... Read this installment, which includes suggestions on home and car disaster kits, at SFGate.com.
Today: How big will the Big One be? |
Benefits Of A Rowing Machine
The rowing machine is popular for both men and women. It is simple to use, yet very effective in building muscles and losing weight. Many fitness buffs also prefer it because it is one of the most affordable equipment to purchase for home use. The actions done are patterned from watercraft rowing, although many variations in designs and motions have now been introduced to the market. Some brands have already incorporated a twisting motion while rowing to stimulate more muscle groups in the core area.
How Does a Rowing Machine Work
Most new rowing machines now have a foot stretcher and flywheel to also improve the lower body muscles. However, it is still possible to see old designs that only have rower handles. The piston resistance (handle) and braked flywheel resistance are still the major determining factors of a rowing machine’s effectiveness, but the ergonomics of the handle and foot stretcher still determine the comfort level. Comfort is a significant factor in determining how long and how stable a person can use the equipment for strength and resistance training.
What Muscles Does A Rowing Machine Work
Rowing machines work the body from the feet up to the shoulders. All major muscle groups in the body are practically stimulated by the rowing motions. The foot stretcher and flywheel improve the muscle tones of the legs, hips, and buttocks as the user rows. The pulling motion is also a great stimulator of muscles in the upper body, especially the arms, shoulders, and back. Either arm can develop biceps and triceps more efficiently over the other, depending on the way the hands are placed on the handle. The pectoral muscle can also be toned effectively when the arms are placed on the handle farther from one another. The core muscles, especially the abdominal muscles, can develop quicker with far-forward bending.
Other Benefits Of Using A Rowing Machine
Aside from muscle building, rowing machines are also effective fat burners. As more muscles work with every rowing motion, metabolism also increases. Prolonged use also does not cause too much pressure on the joints as other pieces of workout equipment do. The Mayo Clinic believes that the rowing machine is also an effective stress and cholesterol reducer. As with most exercise equipment, rowing machines can improve cardiovascular and respiratory health.
Stamina Air Rowing Machine – Benefits and Review |
The Class & Race Divide
in New Orleans & in America
By Alan Shapiro
To the Teacher:
Race, class, and inequality have been a part of our country from its earliest days. These issues can be sensitive, difficult, even disturbing to examine with students. But to evade or ignore them is to evade or ignore the life, the literature, the science, the history of the United States. If there was ever a teachable moment for issues of race, class, and inequality, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is surely one.
The first of the two readings here offers information and opinion on race and class in America; the second focuses on President Bush's response to what he calls "the legacy of inequality" and reactions to it. Discussion questions and questions for inquiry follow the readings.
READING 1: RACE AND CLASS IN AMERICA
Part 1: The Racial Divide
Part 2: The Class Divide
Part 3: The Opinion Divide
READING 2: THE PRESIDENT'S PLAN TO CONFRONT POVERTY AND RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
Race and Class in America
President Bush spoke on September 15, 2005, about racial discrimination and poverty and the need to confront both with "bold action" in the hurricane-stricken Gulf region:
"As all of us saw on television, there is also some deep persistent poverty in this region as well. And that poverty has roots in a history of racial discrimination, which cut off generations from the opportunity of America. We have a duty to confront this poverty with bold action. So let us restore all that we have cherished from yesterday, and let us rise above the legacy of inequality."
What "all of us saw on television":
"The white people got out. Most of them, anyway. If television and newspaper images can be deemed a statistical sample, it was mostly black people who were left behind. Poor black people, growing more hungry, sick and frightened by the hour as faraway officials counseled patience and warned that rescues take time. What a shocked world saw exposed in New Orleans last week wasn't just a broken levee. It was a cleavage of race and class, at once familiar and startlingly new, laid bare in a setting where they suddenly amounted to matters of life and death. 'This is a pretty graphic illustration of who gets left behind in this societyóin a literal way,' said Christopher Jencks, a sociologist glued to the televised images from his office at Harvard. 'All the people who don't get out, or don't have the resources, or don't believe the warning are African-American.'" (Jason De Parle, "What Happens to a Race Deferred," New York Times, 9/4/05)
What many Americans like to believe even though they don't exactly believe it:
In America, race and class do not matter. The color of one's skin and the economic and social circumstances into which one is born do not matter. For everyone is equal. The civil rights movement of the 1960s ended racial discrimination. The same opportunities are available to a white child whose single parent works two minimum wage jobs and to a black child who lives in a ghetto as to the child of a corporate executive who lives in a gated community and goes to a private school. Anyone who works hard can make it in America. For those who don't, a safety net of social programs cushions poverty.
But there are Groucho Marx moments in American history ("Who do you believe: me or your own eyes?")ólike the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast when our own eyes told us that race and class do matter. Otherwise, why were almost all the people in the Superdome black and poor and the rest white and poor? Otherwise, why were all the middle class and wealthy people driving away from New Orleans?
In his September 15 speech President Bush spoke about poverty, its "roots in a history of racial discrimination" and the need for Americans to rise above "the legacy of inequality." In doing so, he seems to have invited an examination of what the "cleavage of race and class" in New Orleans and in America means.
Part 1: The Racial Divide
- New Orleans population in 2000: 468,453
- Black population of New Orleans in 2000: 312,000 (approximately)
- New Orleans population below the poverty line: 142,000 (approximately)
- Black population of New Orleans below poverty line: 110,000 (approximately)
óU.S. Census Bureau
A nonpartisan poll of the Pew Research Center during the week of September 5 found that two-thirds of African-Americans said the government's response to the hurricane would have been faster if most of the victims had been white; 77 percent of whites disagreed.
"Beyond the confines of its much beloved tourist districts, New Orleans was a far poorer, blacker and more dangerous city than most Americans imagined. According to figures posted on The Progress Report, the Lower Ninth Ward, where the flooding was worst, is more than 98 percent black, with average annual household income below $27,500, not even half the national average, with a quarter of those earning less than $10,000."
óEric Alterman, "Found in the Flood," The Nation, 9/26/05
One black commentator pointed out that some had seen what was happening long before the TV images made the invisible visible and shocked the nation and that "deep persistent poverty" was not just present "in this region."
"It takes something as big as Hurricane Katrina and the misery we saw among poor black people of New Orleans to get America to focus on race and poverty. It happens about once every 30 or 40 years," wrote Cornel West, professor of African-American Studies at Princeton University."What we saw unfold in the days after the hurricane was the most naked manifestation of conservative social policy towards the poor, where the message for decades has been: 'You are on your own.'
"Well, they really were on their own for five days in that Superdome. It's not just Katrina, it's povertina. People were quick to call them refugees because they looked as if they were from another country. They are. Exiles in America. Their humanity had been rendered invisible so they never got high priority when the well-to-do got out. Poverty has increased for the last four or five years. A million more Americans became poor last year, even as the super-wealthy became much richer. Healthcare and education and the safety net being ripped away and that flawed structure was nowhere more evident than in a place such as New Orleans, 68 percent black."
óCornel West, Guardian Unlimited
But New Orleans is not the only city, nor the Gulf Coast the only region, where "povertina" and racial discrimination and segregation are visible. A sampling of the evidence:
"According to the United Nations Development Program, an African-American baby in Washington has less chance of surviving its first year than a baby born in the urban part of the state of Kerala in India.
óNicholas D. Kristof, "The Larger Shame," New York Times, 9/6/05
Nearly 1 million black children live in extreme poverty (Children's Defense Fund). This is the greatest number in nearly 25 years.
óPacific News Service, 9/2/05
Telephone callers using "black English" were offered fewer real-estate choices.
óUniversity of Pennsylvania study, 1999
Blacks who kill whites are much more likely to receive the death penalty than white killers or blacks who kill blacks.
óUniversity of Maryland study, 2003
A study of home loan applications from 1998 in New York City reveals that banks refused loan applications from blacks at almost twice the rate for whites even when they had the same income.
óStudy by the staff of US Senator Charles Schumer, Democrat of Brooklyn
In a landmark 1999 class-action settlement, the United States Department of Agriculture admitted decades of "indifference and blatant discrimination" against black farmers in the department's lending program. As of August 2004 the department had paid $814 million to 13,445 black farmers, but more than 80,000 others had been rejected, in good part because the department has resisted claims on technicalities. 'Lawyers say the Agriculture Department has fought the claims every inch of the wayóeven when farmers have ample documentation.'"
óNew York Times, 8/1/04
"School districts that many blacks and Hispanics attend spend $902 less per student on average than most white districts."
óNew York Times, 6/29/03, quoting a national study conducted 2002 by Education Trust, a group focused on closing the achievement gap
"Schools that were already deeply segregated twenty-five or thirty years ago are no less segregated now, while thousands of other schools around the country that had been integrated either voluntarily or by the force of law have since been rapidly resegregated.
"In Chicago, by the academic year 2002-2003, 87 percent of public-school enrollment was black or Hispanic; less than 10 percent of children in the schools were white. In Washington, D.C., 94 percent of children were black or Hispanic; less than 5 percent were white. In St. Louis, 82 percent of the student population were black or Hispanic; in Philadelphia and Cleveland, 79 percent; in Los Angeles, 84 percent, in Detroit, 96 percent; in Baltimore, 89 percent. In New York City, nearly three quarters of students were black or Hispanic.
"It is even more disheartening when schools like these are not in deeply segregated inner-city neighborhoods but in racially mixed areas where the integration of a public school would seem to be most natural, and where, indeed, it takes a conscious effort on the part of parents or school officials in these districts to avoid the integration option that is often right at their front door."
óJonathan Kozol, "Still Separate, Still Unequal," Harper's Magazine, 9/05
"Since the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the black middle class has increased significantly, yet the percentage of black children living in poverty has hovered between 30 and 40 percent.
"'Look at what we could achieve if we got to be average!' Franklin Raines, the CEO of Fannie Mae, told me. 'We don't need to take everybody from the ghetto and make them Harvard graduates. We just need to get folks to average, and we'd all look around and say, My God, what a fundamental change has happened in this country.'
"How big a change? He's done the math. 'If America had racial equality in education and jobs, African-Americans would have two million more high school degrees, two million more college degrees, nearly two million more professional and managerial jobs, and nearly $200 billion more in income. If America had racial equality in housing, three million more Americans would own their own home.'"
óHenry Louis Gates, Jr., "Getting to Average," New York Times, 9/26/04
Race in America means that discrimination, segregation and inequality based on skin color continue to exist.
Part 2: The Class Divide
People disagree about the meaning of "class" and its role in the United States. In everyday conversation, when we talk about working class, middle class, and upper class people, we are mainly describing their economic status.
Many Americans are proud of the idea that in the United States, people can change their class status through hard workórising, for instance, from working class to middle class or higher. But although there is greater "class mobility" in the United States than in many other countries, class is a powerful force here as well. Hurricane Katrina demonstrated that amply:The poor and working class people of New Orleans were hardest hit by the hurricane.
In their New York Times article entitled "Class in America: Shadowy Lines that Still Divide" (8/15/05), Janny Scott and David Leonhardt note that "One difficulty of talking about class is that the word means different things to different people. Class is rank, it is tribe, it is culture and taste. It is attitudes and assumptions, a source of identity, a system of exclusion. To some, it is just money. It is an accident of birth that can influence the outcome of a life. Some Americans barely notice it; others feel its weight in powerful ways. At its most basic, class is one way societies sort themselves out. Classes are groups of people of similar economic and social position, people who, for that reason, may share political attitudes, lifestyles, consumption patterns, cultural interests and opportunities to get ahead."
The following statistics and comments emphasize the economic and health aspects of classóincome, poverty, infant mortality, access to health care, life expectancy.
ï 35% of the blacks and 15% of the whites of New Orleans did not have cars.
ï "As Brian Wolshon, a consultant on the state's evacuation plan, told The New York Times, the city's evacuation plan paid little attention to its 'low-mobility population'--the old, the sick and the poor with no cars or other way to get out of town."
óEric Alterman, "Found in the Flood," The Nation, 9/26/05
ï A family of two parents and two children is considered poor by the government if it makes less than $19,157 a year or, for a family of three, $14,680. By such standards, the number of poor Americans now stands at 37 million in a nation of nearly 300 million. About half are African-American or Hispanic.
ï The Census Bureau defines poverty using a formula that includes income, the ages of family members and the ability to buy necessities. But prices differ from place to place, and people may be considered poor for part of the year but not the whole year.
ï More than half of people without health insurance in 2003-2004 are black or Hispanic. (Children's Defense Fund)
ï The poverty rate rose again last year, with 1.1 million more Americans living in poverty in 2004 than a year earlier. After declining sharply under Bill Clinton, the number of poor people has now risen 17 percent under Mr. Bush.
ï "If it's shameful that we have bloated corpses on New Orleans streets, it's even more disgraceful that the infant mortality rate in America's capital is twice as high as in China's capital. That's right: the number of babies who died before their first birthdays amounted to 11.5 per thousand live births in 2002 in Washington, compared with 4.6 in Beijing. Under Mr. Bush, the national infant mortality rate has risen for the first time since 1958. The US ranks 43rd in the world in infant mortality, according to the CIA's World Factbook.
"Nationally, 29 percent of children had no health insurance at some point in the last 12 months, and many get neither checkups nor vaccinations. On immunizations, the US ranks 84th for measles and 89th for polio. About 50 of the 77 babies who die each day, on average, will die needlessly, because of poverty. That's the larger hurricane of poverty that shames our land."
óNicholas D. Kristof, "The Larger Shame," New York Times, 9/6/05
ï "Consider this: in the United States, unlike any other advanced country, many people fail to receive basic health care because they can't afford it. Lack of health insurance kills many more Americans each year than Katrina and 9/11 combined. But the health care crisis hasn't had much effect on politics. And one reason is that it isn't yet a crisis among middle-class, white Americans (although it's getting there). Instead, the worst effects are falling on the poor and black, who have third-world levels of infant mortality and life expectancy."
óPaul Krugman, "Tragedy in Black and White," New York Times, 9/19/05
ï "Eight percent of American whites are poor compared with 22 percent Hispanics and nearly a quarter of all African-Americans" in a country that is 12 percent black." (Newsweek, 9/19/05) (But because 72 percent of the US population is white, there are more poor whites than poor blacks or Hispanics.)
ï "The primary economic problem is not unemployment but low wages for workers of all races. With unions weakened and a minimum-wage increase not on the GOP agenda, wages have not kept pace with the cost of living, except at the top. For the poor the idea of low-wage jobs covering the basic expenses of living has become a cruel joke." (Newsweek, 9/19/05)
ï "Until Katrina intervened, the top priority for the GOP when Congress reconvened was permanent repeal of the estate tax, which applies to far less than 1 percent of the taxpayers. Repeal would cost the government $24 billion a year. Meanwhile House GOP leaders are set to slash food stamps by billions in order to protect subsidies to wealthy farmers." (Newsweek, 9/19/05)
Class in America means tens of millions of poor people without healthcare and decent schooling and a much smaller number of wealthy people getting still wealthier because of tax cuts.
Part 3: The Opinion Divide
"While two-thirds of all Americans said Mr. Bush cares at least somewhat about the people left homeless by the hurricane, fewer than one-third of blacks agreed."
óCBS/New York Times Poll, 9/9-9/13
"'You go to any other meeting around the world and show me the kind of diversity that you see in America's cabinet, in America's Foreign Service, in America's business community, in America's journalistic community,' [Secretary of State] Condoleezza Rice said. When talking to foreigners about the hurricane victims, Ms. Rice said, she tells them: 'Yes, we have a problem when race and poverty come together. We really do. It's a vestige of our history. It's a vestige of the Old South in this case. But don't misread that there has been no progress on issues of race in America. I find it very strange to think that people would think that the president of the United States would sit deciding who ought to be helped on the basis of color, most especially this president. What evidence is there that this is the case? Why would he say such a thing?'"
óNew York Times, 9/13/05
"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them."
óBarbara Bush, the president's mother, in a radio interview after touring the Houston Astrodome where Hurricane Katrina survivors were staying, 9/5/05
"One Bush supporter, the Rev. Eugene F. Rivers III, the president of the national Ten Point Leadership Foundation, a coalition that represents primarily black churches, said last week that something positive might come out of the crisis. 'This is a moral and intellectual opportunity for the Bush administration to clearly articulate a policy agenda for the black poor.'"
óNew York Times, 9/12/05
"The Big Easy had turned into the Big Hurt, and the colossal failure of George W. Bush to intervene powerfully and immediately to rescue tens of thousands of American citizens who were suffering horribly and dying in agony was there for all the world to see.
"Hospitals with deathly ill patients were left without power, with ventilators that didn't work, with floodwaters rising on the lower floors and with corpses rotting in the corridors and stairwells. People unable to breathe on their own, or with cancer or heart disease or kidney failure, slipped into comas and sank into their final sleep in front of helpless doctors and relatives. These were Americans in desperate trouble.
"The president didn't seem to notice.
"Death and the stink of decay were all over the city. Corpses were propped up in wheelchairs and on lawn furniture, or left to decompose on sunbaked sidewalks. Some floated by in water fouled by human feces. For days the president of the United States didn't seem to notice.
"He would have noticed if the majority of these stricken folks had been white and prosperous. But they weren't. Most were black and poor and thus, to the George W. Bush administration, still invisible. And when the president is so obviously clueless about matters so obviously important, it means the rest of us, like the people left stranded in New Orleans are in deep, deep trouble."
óBob Herbert, "A Failure of Leadership," New York Times, 9/5/05
"In an interview with House majority leader Tom DeLay, African-American MSNBC anchor Lester Holt asked, 'People are now beginning to voice what we've all been seeing with our own eyesóthe majority of people left in New Orleans are black, they are poor, they are the underbelly of society. When you look at this, what does this say about where we are as a country and where our government is in terms of how it views the people of this country?' Delay responded: 'We're doing a wonderful job, and we are an incredibly compassionate people.'"
óEric Alterman, "Found in the Flood," The Nation, 9/26/05
"The same day Katrina struck, something else happened that also tells much about the Bush Administration's callous disregard for the poor. The Census Bureau released a report that found the number of poor Americans has jumped even higher since Bush took office in 2000, with blacks at the bottom of the economic totem pole. His tax cuts redistributed billions to the rich and corporations. The Iraq War has drained billions from cash-starved job training, health and education programs. Corporate downsizing, outsourcing and industrial flight have further fueled America's poverty crisis, which has slammed young blacks. Their unemployment rate is double and in some parts of the country triple that of white males.
"During Bush's years, state and federal cutbacks in job training and skills programs, the brutal competition for low- and semi-skilled service and retail jobs from immigrants, and the refusal of many employers to hire those with criminal records have further hammered black communities and added to the depression-level unemployment figures among young blacks."
óEarl Ofari Huchinson, "Looting the Black Poor," The Nation, 9/26/05
"You can't have an emergency plan that works if it only affects middle-class people up. It's like when they issued the evacuation order. That affects poor people differently. A lot of them in New Orleans didn't have cars. And if we really wanted to do it right, we would have had lots of buses lined up to take them out and also lots of empty vans to save the belongings of those with no home or flood insurance. This is a matter of public policy. If you give your tax cuts to the rich and hope everything works out all right, and poverty goes up and it disproportionately affects black and brown people, that's a consequence of the action made. We had a different policy."
ó Bill Clinton, ABC News program "This Week," 9/18/05
'"There is a deep history of injustice that has led to poverty and inequality, and it will not be overcome instantly. President Bush from Day 1 has been acting boldly to achieve real results for all Americans. Do we think in new and bold ways by focusing on innovative programs that work for all Americans, or do we embrace failed policies of the past which have resulted in too many being left behind."
óScott McClellan, White House spokesman, 9/18/05
"I'd like to believe that Katrina will change everythingóand that we'll all now realize how important it is to have a government committed to helping those in need, whatever the color of their skin. But I wouldn't bet on it."
óPaul Krugman, "Tragedy in Black and White," New York Times, 9/19/05
1. What questions do students have? How might they be answered?
2. "What a shocked world saw exposed in New Orleans last week wasn't just a broken levee. It was a cleavage of race and class, at once familiar and startlingly new, laid bare in a setting where they suddenly amounted to matters of life and death," Jason De Parle wrote in his analysis of what Hurricane Katrina revealed. The three parts of this reading focus on that cleavage.
To ensure that students hear multiple points of view, divide them into small groups of four to seven for group go-arounds. They are to address the following questions:
- Does this reading demonstrate that there is a race divide and class divide in America? If yes, how? If no, why not?
- Have students experienced these divides personally? If so, how?
The subjects of race and class can be sensitive for students, especially when they begin to discuss their own experiences. This sensitivity poses both a problem and an opportunity. Some students may be embarrassed, hurt, or angered by what they hear. And yet, such a conversation can also help students gain understanding that can't be gleaned from a textbook.
In instructing students about the go-arounds, emphasize that they should use active listening, show regard for others' feelings, try to see other students' points of view, and try to engage dialogue rather than debate. A discussion of any sensitive subject calls for a classroom environment in which there is respect for each individual and students feel safe in saying what they honestly think and feel.
In the go-around, each student in turn responds to the first question without being interrupted. This process continues until all students who wish to speak have had an opportunity to do so.
Still in their groups, students might then ask clarifying questions regarding anything said that they wish to hear more about. They might follow this with a general discussion. After about 15 minutes, have the groups repeat this process with the second question.
A general class discussion might follow on key issues and differences of opinion.
The President's Plan to Confront Poverty and Racial Discrimination
"Americans of every race and religion were touched by this storm; yet some of the greatest hardship fell upon citizens already facing lives of struggleóthe elderly, the vulnerable, and the poor. And this poverty has roots in generations of segregation and discrimination that closed many doors of opportunity. As we clear away the debris of a hurricane, let us also clear away the legacy of inequality....As we rebuild homes and businesses, we will renew our promise as a land of equality and decency."
óPresident Bush, speaking on September 16 in a National Day of Prayer at the Washington National Cathedral
The day before the president made these remarks he had been in New Orleans, where, in addition to outlining his plan to rebuild the Gulf Coast, he spoke about the need to clear away the nation's "legacy of inequality" and to confront poverty and racial discrimination with "bold action."
Major elements in his plan include:
1. Creation of a "Gulf Opportunity Zone, encompassing the region of the disaster in Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama. Within this zone, we should provide immediate incentives for job-creating investment, tax relief for small businesses, incentives to companies that create jobs, and loans and loan guarantees for small businesses, including minority-owned enterprises, to get them up and running again."
2. Calling upon Congress to pass an "Urban Homesteading Act." It would provide building sites on federal land free of charge through a lottery to low-income people The new owners would pledge to build on these lots with either a mortgage or help from an organization like Habitat for Humanity.
3. "Worker Recovery Accounts" of up to $5,000 that evacuees can use for job training and education.
The Bush plan also calls for immediate emergency help to evacuees to pay for food, clothing, and other necessities of daily life as well as removing debris and repairing and rebuilding everything from breached levees and broken pumps to highways, bridges and public buildings. On September 23, the government said it would give vouchers to evacuees to pay up to 100 percent of a rental anywhere in the country for as long as 18 months. (www.whitehouse.gov)
Some Opinions about Bush's Plan:
"Many Republicans are increasingly edgy about the White House's push for a potentially open-ended recovery budget, worried that the presidentóin trying to regroup politicallyówas making expensive promises they would have to keep. 'We are not sure he knows what he is getting into,' said one senior House Republican official who requested anonymity because of the potential consequences of publicly criticizing the administration.
"The fears about the costs of the storm are building on widespread dissatisfaction among conservatives about spending in recent years by the Republican-controlled Congress....'Katrina breaks my heart,' said Representative Mike Pence, Republican of Indiana and chairman of a caucus of more than 100 House Republicans who advocate conservative spending policy. 'Congress must do everything the American people expect us to do to meet the needs of families and communities affected by Katrina. But we must not let Katrina break the bank for our children and grandchildren.'"
óNew York Times, 9/16/05
"Conspicuously missing from the post-Katrina spending debate is a question for some brave soul in Congress to ask, What is the appropriate and constitutional role here for the federal government? Before the New Deal taught us that the federal government is the solution to every malady, most congresses and presidents would have concluded that the federal government's role is minimal....We all want to see New Orleans rebuilt, but it does not follow that this requires more than $100 billion in federal aid. Chicago was burned to the ground in 1871; San Francisco was leveled by an earthquake in 1906; and in 1900 Galveston, Texas was razed by a hurricane even more ferocious that Katrina. In each instance, these proud cities were rebuilt rapidly--to even greater glory--with hardly any federal money."
óStephen Moore, "The GOP's New New Deal," Wall Street Journal, 9/19/05
After the hurricane, the president suspended the Davis-Bacon Act, "a law requiring employers to pay the local prevailing wage to construction workers on federally financed projects. The White House rationale for the decision...was not only to reduce the cost to taxpayers for the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast...but to open up the bidding to minority-owned businesses that have not historically contracted with the federal government.
"That explanation did not satisfy critics of Mr. Bush like the Rev. Jesse Jackson. 'It's a hurricane for the poor and a windfall for the rich,' Mr. Jackson said....Mr. Jackson likened the structure for assistance to the region, federal financial aid managed under local control in the states, to the post-Reconstruction era that allowed segregation to take hold in the South."
óNew York Times, 9/18/05
In the president's New Orleans speech "he spoke of 'deep, persistent poverty' as something the nation had seen on television rather than as a condition that many citizens had been living in for generations. He defined the problem as regional rather than national in scope, and offered only regional rather than national solutions."
óRichard Stevenson, "Amid the Ruins, a President Tries to Reconstruct His Image, Too," New York Times, 9/16/05
"We've all known that there are these big pockets of isolated deprivation and disadvantage in the country....The reality is, having everybody wake up to the problem is a good thing....I've always felt there's a lot more goodwill and a lot more possibility for statesmanship. This crisis I think is going to bring that out."
óJohn Di Iulio, first director of the president's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, New York Times, 9/18/05
"It is not so important what we say, it is important what we do. Defining moments of history cannot be defined by rhetoric and words or anger, or soliciting people to respond in a tempestuous way. But real leadership is defined by what we do. The good Samaritan teaches us that it will cost money to help people, and sometimes we have to love them enough to pay the bill." This can no longer be a nation "that overlooks the poor and the suffering and continues past the ghetto on our way to the Mardi Gras."
óBishop T.D. Jakes, an African-American supporter of President Bush, at the National Cathedral, delivering a prayer service for the hurricane victims before the president's speech, 9/16/05
"I do think that African-Americans are waiting to see what this administration is going to do about the crisis. If the appropriate actions are taken in an expeditious, competent way, I think then our community will reevaluate our opinions about this administration."
óBishop Jakes in a telephone interview with the New York Times, 9/16/05
"All around the South, cities are booming, but New Orleans never did. All around the country, crime was dropping, but in New Orleans it was rising. ....Now the Bush administration is trying to change all that. That means trying to get around the corruption that made the city such a rotten place to do business. The White House is trying to do this by devising programs in which checks and benefits flow directly to recipients, not through local agencies. The Bush folks want to put temporary housing within a mile of the original neighborhoods so people can become self-sufficient as soon as possible.
"On Thursday, the president was honest about the cost of all this, but he only began to lay out a plan. The Bushies are still trying to figure out how to help people from broken families and those with mental disabilities. They're trying to figure out where to cut government to offset the costs....
"Like Franklin Roosevelt in the New Deal era, Bush doesn't have a complete vision of what he wants to achieve. But he does have an instinctive framework. His administration is going to fight a two-front war, against big government liberals and small government conservatives, but if he can devote himself to executing his policies, the Gulf Coast will be his TVA [Tennessee Valley Authority, an agency launched by President Franklin Roosevelt to counter Depression-era poverty], the program that serves as a model for what can be done nationwide."
óDavid Brooks, "A Bushian Laboratory," New York Times, 9/18/05
"In the areas that sustained only minor damage...there are at least 11,600 empty apartments and houses. If Jefferson Parish [28 miles south of New Orleans] is included, that number soars to 23,7000. With three people in each unit, that means homes could be found for 70,000 evacuees....It will take months (at least) before new homes are built, and many of the poorest residents won't be able to carry the mortgage, no matter how subsidized. Besides, it [Bush's proposed Urban Homesteading Act] barely touches the need. The Administration estimates that in New Orleans there is land for only 1,000 homesteaders."
óNaomi Klein, "Purging the Poor," The Nation, 10/10/05
"Katrina has posed a challenge to the White House and the country regarding the great divide, which is race and class in America. It's a challenge and an opportunity which can be won or lost, and ultimately it is the decision of the White House as to which way it goes....President Bush needs to ensure that we do not see racial divisions reproduced in the reconstruction effort as white millionaires get richer."
óRev. Eugene Rivers, a Democrat, an African-American and a supporter of President Bush
After students have read about the president's plan and reactions to it, ask them to write three questions. Questions should focus on problems of race and class; the future of the poor white and black evacuees; and policies that, as the president said, "will renew our promise of a land of equality and decency." Each question should, if answered well, lead to a better understanding of how poverty and discrimination might be reduced significantly.
Help students to understand differences among questionsóe.g., those that can be answered factually (where will the facts come from?), those that probe for deeper understanding of the situation on the Gulf Coast (what are the best sources for gaining this new understanding?), and those that call for expert opinion (what makes someone an expert?). Emphasize that students do not have to be able to answer their questions.
Divide students into groups of four to share their questions and to select for class consideration what they regard as the best one or two. As students report those questions, write them on the chalkboard without comment. Then subject each question to analysis for clarity and the type of answer it calls for. See "the doubting game" section of "Teaching Critical Thinking" on this website for details.
Which questions can students answer satisfactorily based on information and/or opinions from the readings? Which require further inquiry and continuing attention to events on the Gulf Coast?
Additional questions for inquiry
The president's Gulf Coast plan is an opportunity for student inquiry into how the U.S. government responds to a crisis. Individually or in small groups, students might research their own questions or those below. As government aid plans unfold and Congress debates them, students might make regular reports on new developments and consider the implications. Will the measures that are proposed or adopted in fact clear away of "the legacy of inequality," at least in the Gulf region?
Students might consider the following questions:
- What evidence is there that the president's plan, whose cost estimates run to $200 billion, will make a significant difference in "confronting poverty and racial discrimination," on the Gulf Coast? Exactly how will it confront them?
- What evidence, if any, is there that the president intends to attack poverty and segregation elsewhere in the country?
- What firms get contracts for reconstruction work? On what basis? Competitive bidding? No bidding? Who monitors how this money is spent? Why is a monitoring process necessary? (Already there are charges of political favoritism, fraud, price-gouging, mismanagement, and unnecessary no-bid contracts. While defended as essential for quick response to hurricane damage, no-bid contracts, as in Iraq, are open to accusations of political cronyism. Investigations by the inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies are underway. See the New York Times, 9/26/05)
- How will Congress decide to finance any Gulf Coast plans? What are the arguments pro and con about such plans? The president has ruled out tax increases. He also opposes eliminating, or even suspending, tax cuts for the wealthy to pay for his Gulf Coast plan. The money therefore must come from cuts in current programs and/or borrowing from foreign investors. The biggest proposed cut would eliminate the Moon-Mars NASA program to save $44 billion; some other cuts would adversely affect low-income people. Borrowing money to support the Gulf Coast plan is controversial, since the U.S. already has an enormous deficit.
- How much of the loans and loan guarantees will go to minority-owned businesses? Who oversees this process?
- Will Congress approve the Urban Homesteading Act and fully fund programs for poor whites and blacks? If not, why not?
- Housing for the hurricane evacuees is urgently needed. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) should have the expertise to meet this need, but seven of its top staff positions are vacant. What actions is HUD taking? What evidence is there that it is working effectively to provide housing? Will that housing leave poor people still concentrated together, as they were in New Orleans before Katrina? Keep in mind that there are nearly 500,000 evacuees, many of them poor.
- What jobs will be available in New Orleans? What education and training will be available to low-income blacks and whites?
- How many low-income blacks and whites will return to New Orleans? Since most of their dwellings are now uninhabitable, where will they live and what will they and their families live on while they are being educated and trained? What help will they receive to find places to live and to support themselves?
- What efforts will the government make to ensure that the schools children go to do not once again concentrate and segregate poor whites and blacks?
- The areas of New Orleans below sea level where most of the poor whites and blacks lived suffered the greatest flooding and destruction. Should these areas be reconstructed? At what cost? If the decision is not to reconstruct them, where do the people who lived there go? What help do they get?
For competing reactions to the Bush plans, see the conservative websites of the Heritage Foundation (www.heritage.org, "How to Turn the President's Gulf Coast Pledge into Reality," and the American Enterprise Institute (www.aei.org).
Also see the progressive websites of the Center for American Progress (www.americanprogress.org), "Progressive Vision for the Reconstruction of the Gulf Coast") and the Children's Defense Fund (www.childrensdefense.org) for information about Katrina's effects on children and programs to meet their needs.
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The Type of Development: Choices, Inheritance, and The past in Educational Paper Formulating
Progress, or first rate with amendment, occurs when heritable genetic attributes escalate an organisms evolutionary health causing them to be more suitable recommended to their environment and empowering them an improved chance at reproduction. Development may lead to limited enhancements for the gene rate in just one people or even divergence of kinds called speciation. To ensure advancement to happen there needs to be selective challenges throughout the conditions and handed down attributes which can be transferred because of the many years. It really is these tiny genetic transitions that have already empowered microorganisms on earth to assortment from just one widespread ancestor to many a variety of species.
Charles Darwin first and foremost displayed the idea of organic and natural assortment in 1859 in the guidebook Origin of Kinds. He had been able get evidence showing a process he described as healthy option affected personal life to develop. Prior to that evolutionary theories, which includes the get the job done of Lamarck, http://customessaywriter.co.uk/coursework-writing-service/ supposed adjustments were actually dependant on long-term general trends causing progressive adaptations as opposed to evolutionary steps. Empowered through economic theories of Thomas Malthus Darwin figured that all those people with a kinds are competing for methods. Advantageous traits empowered men and women a larger probability at reproduction and the opportunity to abandon a lot more offspring, establishing the quality prevalent with each age group. These qualities can start out small and gradually cause the development newest kinds, which means the overwhelming diversity found on the planet on a common ancestor. Darwin failed to create his way of thinking by yourself, but corresponded with Alfred Russel Wallace to switch ideas and proof each of these using their company own individual reviews and last perform completed by geologists, paleontologists, embryologists, and naturalists in early 1800s. It wasn’t till the labor of Gregor Mendel was rediscovered with the 1900’s the technicians of genetic is often grasped using new scientific disciplines of inherited genes. At this time evolutionary biology joins Darwinian progression with family genes to totally know how types transition and progress.
To all communities folks compete for restrained supplies and reproductive programs. The environmental challenges will make some features a great deal more useful as opposed to others enabling more substantial reproduction. This capability to look for a companion, multiply, and circulate genes on the after that creation is recognized as an organism’s workout. Since the causes of mutation, migration, hereditary drift, and typical choices act on the populace people with quite possibly the most reproductively favorable characteristics are capable of come up with a lot more young. If these qualities carry on and provide a reproductive edge via the several years they should become a lot more widespread, subsequently staying the standard during the populace.
When those people during a human population be competitive for options it is known as ecological collection. Positive characteristics grant anyone to thrive and survive up to they could recreate. When people during a residents be competitive for mates it is regarded as sex assortment. Some characteristics are specifically formulated to boost an individual’s opportunity of reproducing by developing guys more appealing to lady or through providing them a physical advantage on other men. Whereas these qualities could very well offer a reproductive profit he or she can many times detrimentally have an effect on an citizens capacity to get by.
To obtain a trait as being adaptable offspring requirement be capable of inherit it using their mothers and fathers. Like this helpful features could very well be handed down using the ages. Types use this genetically over alleles. These adjustable genes come in sets, 1 from each and every one mom or dad, and make an organism’s genotype. The genotype provides for a strategy to bring about the real phenotype of personal. If the allele generates a reproductively beneficial phenotype it will probably be handed down on the next technology, building its presence in people today extra recurrent, improving the group.
New alleles are usually brought in as a inhabitants through either interbreeding with other communities or hereditary mutations simply because of DNA copying errors, carcinogenic substances, computer viruses, Uv ray gentle, or rays. These new alleles unite with those particular already obtained in a human population to make new traits. These features may very well be perhaps negative or positive. Good features surge reproductive achievements as they are handed down to the second age group when you are poor features regularly perish off swiftly considering the fact that people that have them are not as likely for you to duplicate. Allele variability permits group the power to alter in the long term to better meet their setting.
As adaptations alter a inhabitants in the long term it can produce a speciation occasion, wherein a single species splits into two that cannot interbreed. Speciation can happen leisurely a lot more than generations and eons, or maybe in bursts. Geographic enhancements, reproductive solitude, and picking totally different business opportunities within exact climate can all bring about speciation. Rarely hybridization from the kinds may possibly take place. If a species penetrates a brand new location it could actually carry out quick speciation often known as adaptive radiation to fill up a variety of niches with a new conditions, this in most cases develops on recently uninhabited islands or areas.
The shapes that arise as types diverge as time goes by can certainly be indicated working with a phylogenetic your family tree. These trees are based on heritable specific, genetic, and conduct attributes in addition to historic facts to point out to specifically where lineages separated from wide-spread forefathers. Phylogenetic bushes concentration on the link somewhere between species to check evolutionary hypothesizes, define the qualities of wiped out species, and categorize organisms. By back again keeping track of along a phylogenetic plant you can easily learn more about wherein everyday living in the world begun.
The opportunity to alter and adjust has granted lifetime that is known to diverge and thrive throughout eons and settings. It includes lead to the production of new features and new group all by employing heritable genetic qualities. Genetic variability and selective challenges communicate for increasing varieties reproductive full potential and start making them a great deal more suitable for their natural environment. Extending on your give good results created by investigators which include Charles Darwin and Gregor Mendel evolutionary biologists keep going engaged on unraveling the complicated character of progression. |
Introduction to New HSK Test
In order to better satisfy the demand for adequate Chinese language tests in foreign countries, Hanban has consulted a large number of both foreign and national experts in language teaching, linguistics, educational evaluation and psychology to assess the standard of Chinese language testing abroad. Based on their investigations and some new understandings regarding the shortcomings of Chinese language testing today, Hanban has applied the latest research methodology in foreign-language testing to develop a new HSK test, which will be launched in November 2009. The test is designed for Chinese language learners who are based overseas.
The new HSK is a standardized international Chinese proficiency test, taking non-native speakers as its object, and directed at examining students' capability in applying Chinese language in their studies, personal life and work. The new type of examination consists of two independent parts; a written test and an oral test. The written test is comprised of HSK Level 1, HSK Level 2, HSK Level 3, HSK Level 4, HSK- Level 5 and HSK- Level 6, while the oral test is comprised of HSK (Elementary), HSK (Intermediate) and HSK (Advanced). During the oral test, sound-recording devices are used.
|Written Test||Oral Test|
|HSK Level 6||Advanced|
|HSK Level 5|
|HSK Level 4||Intermediate|
|HSK Level 3|
|HSK Level 2||Elementary|
|HSK Level 1|
The direct comparison between the new HSK test and Chinese Language Proficiency Scales for Speakers of Other Languages and The Common European Framework Reference for Language) is as follows:
|HSK Level 6||Over 5000||Grade Five||C2|
|HSK Level 5||2500||C1|
|HSK Level 4||1200||Grade Four||B2|
|HSK Level 3||600||Grade Three||B1|
|HSK Level 2||300||Grade Two||A2|
|HSK Level 1||150||Grade One||A1|
* CLPS: Chinese Language Proficiency Scales for Speakers of Other Languages
** CEF: The Common European Framework Reference for Language
a. HSK Level 1
Designed for learners who can understand and use some simple Chinese characters and sentences to communicate, and prepares them for continuing their Chinese studies;
b. HSK Level 2
Designed for elementary learners who can use Chinese in a simple and direct manner, applying it in a basic fashion in their daily lives;
c. HSK Level 3
Designed for elementary-intermediate learners who can use Chinese to serve the demands of their personal lives, studies and work, and are capable of completing most of the communicative tasks they experience during their Chinese tour;
d. HSK Level 4
Designed for intermediate learners who can discuss a relatively wide range of topics in Chinese and are capable of communicating with Chinese speakers at a high standard;
e. HSK- Level 5
Designed for learners who can read Chinese newspapers and magazines, watch Chinese films and are capable of writing and delivering a lengthy speech in Chinese;
f. HSK- Level 6
Designed for learners who can easily understand any information communicated in Chinese and are capable of smoothly expressing themselves in written or oral form.
Following the principle of "combing testing and teaching", the new test is designed in line with the present situation of international Chinese-language teaching and the teaching materials that are commonly available, with the aim of "promoting teaching and learning through examinations".
The new HSK test stresses objectivity and accuracy, and also focuses on developing and testing an examinees' ability to apply Chinese in practical, real-life situations.
The new HSK test also sets explicit study objectives, allowing examinees to more effectively improve their Chinese proficiency with defined study plans and goals.
Taking its orientation from the old HSK test, the new HSK test is aimed primarily at adult Chinese learners. The test scores meet the various demands of different organizations or groups of people as follows:
Test Score Report
Within three weeks after the test, examinees can access their test scores on the internet and have their 'Score Report' issued by Hanban. |
The looming shutdown of the federal government includes the National Parks Service, which could mean festivities commemorating the start of the Civil War with the attack on Fort Sumter could happen without Fort Sumter.
A shutdown would also affect trips to the nation's capital, where the Smithsonian and the National Zoo would be among the first to close, and could cause spring break campers out West to find Yosemite and other parks closed.
If lawmakers can't reach agreement, the National Park Service ceases operations at midnight Friday, shuttering Fort Sumter in the middle of Charleston Harbor in South Carolina just days before events marking the 150th anniversary of the first shots of the war.
"It's a very special event and it would be very sad if something like that happened," said Chris Kimmel of Harrisburg, Pa., who visited the fort Wednesday as a chaperone with a group of high school students from another town tied to the war, Gettysburg, Pa.
Events for the anniversary have been planned for years. Hundreds of Union and Confederate re-enactors plan to stay in Forts Sumter and Moultrie, another Park Service site across the harbor, during a week of events. |
>One of the questions I had while reading the book was a statement by
>Jonathan Wells (pp 137-138): "First, Darwin maintained that major
>differences evolve from minor ones. Yet the fossil record shows that all
>of the major animal groups appeared at approximately the same time,
>without any fossil evidence that they diverged from a common ancestor.
>These original groups have since diversified into many subgroups, so the
>major differences among animals appeared before the minor ones.
>Paleontologists James Valentine and Douglas Erwin call this a 'seeming
>paradox,' since in this respect Darwin's theory 'does not accord with the
>primary evidence.' "
First the statement that "all of the major animal groups appeared at
approximately the same time" is demonstrably false, at least as a literal
reading of the fossil record. I have written on this before, and some of
this data is included in Glenn Morton's recent Perspectives article.
Much has been made of the "top-down" versus the "bottom-up" pattern of
appearance of higher taxa by evolution critics. In the "top-down" pattern,
phylum-level diversity reaches it peak in the fossil record before
class-level diversity, and the class-level diversity before that of orders,
etc. Critiques of macoevolution interpret this apparent "top-down"
pattern as contrary to expectations from evolutionary theory. However,
this pattern is generated by the way in which species are assigned to
higher taxa. The classification system is hierarchical with species being
grouped into ever larger and more inclusive categories. When this
classification hierarchy is applied to a diversifying evolutionary tree, a
"top down" pattern will of necessity result. Consider species belonging to
a single evolving lineage given genus-level status. This genus is then
grouped with other closely related lineages into a family. The common
ancestors of these genera are by definition included within that family.
Those ancestors must logically be older than any of the other species
within the family. Thus the family level taxon would appear in the fossil
record before most of the genera included within it. The "top down"
pattern of taxa appearance is therefore entirely consistent with a
branching tree of life.
>A second question along this same line is whether forms which appear to
>be transitional are truly so. The book _Of Pandas and People_ shows
>silhouettes of three skulls: a Tasmanian wolf, a North American wolf, and
>a dog. The cranial-cavity size increases as you go from the Tasmanian
>wolf to the dog, suggesting a transitional relationship. However, we
>know the Tasmanian wolf was a marsupial, while the other two are
>placental mammals. Convergent evolution can produce forms which look
>transitional but which we know are not, based upon soft-part anatomy,
>which of course is rarely fossilized. Is this factor just generally
>ignored by those inferring evolutionary relationships?
Convergent evolution is ubiquitous. One of the primary objectives of
comparative anatomy and phylogenic analysis is to distinguish between
convergence and similarity due to close relatedness. Such analysis does
not require knowledge of the soft anatomy. Most convergence involves
aspects of the skeletal anatomy that are relatively plastic and respond
readily to environmental selection pressures. It also involves aspects of
the skeleton that are constrained by mechanical laws such as limb
proportion. These features are not the ones used to determine evolutionary
relationships. Rather features such as the shape of ear bones figure
prominently in these analyses.
BTW: Marsupials and placentals are readily distinguished by their skeletal
Keith B. Miller
Department of Geology
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 66506
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat Apr 21 2001 - 10:41:03 EDT |
Click to Watch in HD > Natural Disasters | Worlds First Floating City ►►► DOCUMENTARY
Watch A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the Earth; examples include floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other geologic processes. A natural disaster can cause loss of life or property damage, and typically leaves some economic damage in its wake, the severity of which depends on the affected populations resilience, or ability to recover and also on the infrastructure available.
An adverse event will not rise to the level of a disaster if it occurs in an area without vulnerable population. In a vulnerable area, however, such as Nepal during the 2015 earthquake, an earthquake can have disastrous consequences and leave lasting damage, requiring years to repair.
Avalanches and landslides
See also: List of avalanches
During World War I, an estimated 40,000 to 80,000 soldiers died as a result of avalanches during the mountain campaign in the Alps at the Austrian-Italian front. Many of the avalanches were caused by artillery fire.
See also: Lists of earthquakes
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earths crust that creates seismic waves. At the Earths surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by vibration, shaking and sometimes displacement of the ground. Earthquakes are caused by slippage within geological faults. The underground point of origin of the earthquake is called the seismic focus. The point directly above the focus on the surface is called the epicenter. Earthquakes by themselves rarely kill people or wildlife. It is usually the secondary events that they trigger, such as building collapse, fires, tsunamis (seismic sea waves) and volcanoes, which are actually the human disaster. Many of these could possibly be avoided by better construction, safety systems, early warning and planning.
See also: Sinkholes § Notable examples
The Red Lake (Croatia).
When natural erosion or human mining makes the ground too weak to support the structures built on it, the ground can collapse and produce a sinkhole. For example, the 2010 Guatemala City sinkhole which killed fifteen people was caused when heavy rain from Tropical Storm Agatha, diverted by leaking pipes into a pumice bedrock, led to the sudden collapse of the ground beneath a factory building.
Artists impression of the volcanic eruptions that formed the Deccan Traps in India.
Main articles: List of largest volcanic eruptions and Types of volcanic eruptions
Volcanoes can cause widespread destruction and consequent disaster in several ways. The effects include the volcanic eruption itself that may cause harm following the explosion of the volcano or the fall of rock. Second, lava may be produced during the eruption of a volcano. As it leaves the volcano, the lava destroys many buildings, plants and animals due to its extreme heat . Third, volcanic ash generally meaning the cooled ash - may form a cloud, and settle thickly in nearby locations. When mixed with water this forms a concrete-like material. In sufficient quantity ash may cause roofs to collapse under its weight but even small quantities will harm humans if inhaled. Since the ash has the consistency of ground glass it causes abrasion damage to moving parts such as engines. The main killer of humans in the immediate surroundings of a volcanic eruption is the pyroclastic flows, which consist of a cloud of hot volcanic ash which builds up in the air above the volcano and rushes down the slopes when the eruption no longer supports the lifting of the gases. It is believed that Pompeii was destroyed by a pyroclastic flow. A lahar is a volcanic mudflow or landslide. The 1953 Tangiwai disaster was caused by a lahar, as was the 1985 Armero tragedy in which the town of Armero was buried and an estimated 23,000 people were killed.
A specific type of volcano is the supervolcano. According to the Toba catastrophe theory, 75,000 to 80,000 years ago a supervolcanic event at Lake Toba reduced the human population to 10,000 or even 1,000 breeding pairs, creating a bottleneck in human evolution. It also killed three-quarters of all plant life in the northern hemisphere. The main danger from a supervolcano is the immense cloud of ash, which has a disastrous global effect on climate and temperature for many years. |
by Bruce Dunlavy (My blog home page and index of other posts may be found here.)
There are laws, and there are Laws. In the world of human interaction, laws are made and enforced by society in order to encourage certain activities and discourage others. These laws are administered by people, and thus their reach is incomplete and their implementation imperfect.
In the world of science and engineering, Laws exist independent of the desires of those who are bound by them. They apply to all and there is no getting around them, no escaping their effects. The Law of Gravity, for example, is not something a clever crook can evade, and its reach extends to the edges of the universe. While it is true that airplanes, rockets to the Moon – or a person climbing stairs – can overcome the effects of gravity to some extent, nothing can overcome the Law of Gravity.
Among the most famous Laws are those of thermodynamics (Greek thermos, heat + dynamikos, powerful). There are four of these Laws, but only three have been around over 150 years, and the other – known as the “Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics” was created later as a fundamental prequel to the other three. It is not a concept unique to thermodynamics, as it was adapted from Euclidian geometry. It is the first of Euclid’s Five Axioms (or Common Notions), and will not be addressed here.
The other three are the rules which apply to the energy in a closed system, by which is meant a theoretical physical arrangement in which matter and energy do not enter or leave across the system’s boundaries.
Although the Laws of Thermodynamics are appropriately used only by those well-schooled and trained in understanding their principles, they can be explained in language accessible to most people.
The First Law states that matter and energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but only changed from one form into another. If you burn wood, you get heat but you lose wood. In order to get something, you have to give up an equivalent amount of something else. In everyday lingo, this is usually rendered as “You can’t get ahead.”
The Second Law is that the processes described in the First Law are always inefficient, and there is an inescapable loss of heat. In short, “You can’t break even.”
The Third Law stipulates that a process cannot reach a state of no activity – no exchange of heat – without reaching the unattainable absolute zero. It is usually rendered as “You can’t get out of the game.”
I spent most of my working career in the field of environmental regulation. Over the last fifty years the environment has become one of the most widely considered issues in society, and it is clear that the three Laws of thermodynamics outlined above have counterparts in the world of environmental control.
These similar Laws find their greatest use in trying to determine what is to be done about waste. Much of the discussion in environmental issues centers on the production and disposal of waste. Often, it is easy to understand. If I want to drive my car, I will have to accept that some air pollution will result from the waste generated by powering my car. There’s no getting around that.
Where the options kick in is when the waste can be collected or directed into a landfill, smokestack, watercourse, etc. Then interests begin to compete over the where and when of it all. The term NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) is well known. It has a corollary among politicians, too – NIMTOFF or NIMTOO (Not In My Term Of Office). That landfill or hazardous waste disposal site or factory smokestack has to be as far away from me as is humanly possible, and preferably not exist at all.
As the saying goes in the trash business, “Everybody wants us to pick up the garbage, but nobody wants us to put it back down.” Despite such stories as that of the refuse-carrying barge that floated around the Eastern USA for months, eventually the garbage has to go somewhere. We can no longer just throw things away. There is no more “away” to throw things to.
Here are what I consider to be the environmental equivalents of the Laws of Thermodynamics:
First Law of the Environment: Everything pollutes.
From the first existence of the first organism, waste has been created. There is waste being created in your body right now and there is no way to avoid it. Additional waste is being created constantly, somewhere else, in order for you to be housed, fed, and warmed. All that waste has to go someplace.
Second Law of the Environment: You can’t make nothing out of something.
Once waste has been created, you cannot make it disappear. You must either put it someplace or turn it into some other kind of waste. Not everything can be recycled, and nothing can be recycled indefinitely. In addition, the very act of recycling creates some sort of waste in its processes. For example, water is recycled over and over in long-occupancy spacecraft, but it takes some energy to turn urine into potable water, and there is always some amount of waste that cannot be – or will not be – recycled. There is no way to create a waste and then turn it into a not-waste.
The Third Law of the Environment, commonly called the Law of Conservation of Filth: In order for something to become clean, something else must become dirty; and it is possible to get everything dirty without getting anything clean.
A wastewater treatment plant does a very good job of taking in sewage and industrial wastes and making them cleaner, but the result is liquid effluent which must be directed to a receiving stream or river. The effluent may be 99 percent cleaned up, but that one percent creates a lot of new water pollution.
In addition, tons of solids are removed from the incoming wastewater. When I worked in such a plant, the removed solids were burned, creating air pollution, and the ashes spread on the adjacent flood plain, where they eventually washed back into the river. We took in water pollution and turned it into air pollution, yielding land pollution that eventually became water pollution again. And all that took a lot of work and energy.
The point here is that we must accept that we are all responsible for contributing to the degradation of the planet. Some bear more responsibility than others because of the sheer amount of pollution and greenhouse gases produced by, say, the burning of fossil fuels in power plants. Nevertheless, it behooves each of us to understand our own contributions (combined with those of our fellow residents of this planet) and determine how best to reduce them.
There are Laws, but they must be addressed with laws. The Laws are nature’s creations, and the laws are not. They are human creations, and as such they are written, enacted, and implemented in a political process. If we want to avoid watching the Second Law of Thermodynamics turn our planet and our society from order into chaos, we must use our political influence to effect and affect the creation of laws. |
Family Planning helps you to achieve intended pregnancy and to prevent unintended pregnancy or space birth. Priority will be given to low income families and confidentiality will be protected by HIPAA and other laws. In Georgia, all minors can give consent for contraceptive services without the permission of a parent or guardian.
If the pregnancy is wanted, we assist individuals and couples to achieve positive birth outcomes by planning and spacing births. We provide clinical services, education, and counseling services. We also outreach to under served populations and offer a referral service for pregnancy.
Are you protected during sexual activity?
Are you aware that condoms can protect you from SDTs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases)? What are the situations that make you more difficult to use condoms?
CPACS-Cosmo Health Center provides screening for sexually transmitted diseases at lower costs.
- Sexually Transmitted Disease Services
- Related Preventive Health Services
Recommended before Pregnancy
Before becoming pregnant, you should be up-to-date on routine adult vaccines. This will help protect you and your child. Generally speaking, live vaccines should not be given within a month before conception, while inactivated (killed) vaccines may be given at any time before or during pregnancy, if needed. It is best to talk to your healthcare provider about vaccinations before you become pregnant.
Recommended during Pregnancy
It is safe and very important for a woman who is pregnant during flu season to receive the inactivated flu vaccine. A pregnant woman who gets the flu is at risk for serious complications and hospitalization. Pregnant woman with flu also have a greater chance for serious problems for their unborn baby, including premature labor and delivery. For more information, see Key Facts on Seasonal Flu Vaccine and talk with your healthcare provider.
It is also very safe and important for pregnant women to receive the whooping cough vaccine (Tdap). Whooping cough, or pertussis, can be life-threatening for infants. Vaccinating expectant mothers against whooping cough reduces the risk to her and her infant. Tdap is also recommended for others who spend time with infants. For more information, see Pertussis Prevention and talk with your healthcare provider.
Recommended after Pregnancy
It is safe for a woman to receive vaccines right after giving birth, even while she is breastfeeding. New mothers who have never received Tdap, should be vaccinated right after delivery. Also, a woman who is not immune to measles, mumps and rubella and/or varicella (chickenpox) should be vaccinated before leaving the hospital.
Did you know that your baby gets disease immunity (protection) from you during pregnancy? But this protection is temporary and only for the diseases that you are immune to. Protect your new baby and learn about infant immunization.
Pregnant Women and International Travel
Many vaccine-preventable diseases, rarely seen in the United States, are still common in other parts of the world. A pregnant woman planning international travel should talk to her health professional about vaccines. For more information, see Traveling while Pregnant, found on CDC?sTravelers? Health website.
Also, visit Flu.gov for more information about pregnancy and influenza.
Source URL: http://www.vaccines.gov/who_and_when/pregnant/index.html
Source Agency: Health and Human Services (HHS)
- Contraceptive Services
- Basic Infertility Services
If the client does not want the pregnancy at the present or any more, we work with the client interactively to select the most effective and appropriate contraceptive method. After conducting a physical assessment related to contraceptive use, we provide the contraceptive method along with instructions about correct and consistent use. We help the client develop a plan for using the selected method and for follow up, as well as confirm client understanding. |
This week, we’re looking at Donald Maas’ Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook. My goal is to inspire and educate you to the basics of writing, and hopefully help you find resources to enhance your writing.
Yesterday, we looked at Lessons 1-12, Part I, Character Development from Donald Maas. The lessons covered everything from adding heroic qualities to a protagonist (the one we root for), to antagonists, to enriching the major cast with secondary characters. I listed one point from each, and encouraged you to acquire this workbook and complete the fill-in exercises at the end of each lesson to help you grow your novel.
Today – I’ll be listing the lessons from Plot Development with a “nugget” from each. This unit covers Lessons 13 to 24, everything from raising the stakes, complications, layering plot lines, subplots, turning points, conflict, and adding tension.
Part II – Plot Development
Lesson 13 – Public Stakes: Murphy’s Law is in effect here. What can go wrong? As a writer, think of every possible disaster and use as many as possible against the protagonist.
Lesson 14 – Complications: Arising from conflict, make your hero/heroine face major problems on their way to achieving their goal. Obstacles force them to overcome.
Lesson 15 – Plot Layers: To differentiate between a subplot and a plot layer think of it this way: “Layers are plot lines given to the same character.”
Lesson 16 – Weaving a Story: Connecting the various plot lines (not subplots, plot lines) that seem different and unique, bringing them together to enrich the reader’s experience.
Lesson 17 – Subplots: Subplots are what happens to the secondary characters, as they are woven into the main story. There can be several but they should not overtake the main plot, although they might try.
Lesson 18 – Turning Points: The point at which things change. It can be new information, a shift in events, a reversal, a loss, a twist, a challenge, or a disaster. Make your turning points more powerful.
Lesson 19 – the Inner Journey: the hero’s inner turning point, self-perception shows him where he is now. They come to a realization about themselves, this allows them to change and grow.
Lesson 21 – Bridging Conflict: Not what you think. It’s setting up the main action of the story by creating anticipation and making the reader want to find out what is going to happen.
Lesson 22 – Low Tension Part I – The Problem with Tea: Keep tension in your scenes, even the ones that are seemingly benign type parlor, kitchen, or living room settings with tea and coffee.
Lesson 23 – Low Tension Part II – Burdensome Backstory: Dole it out in pieces throughout the novel, don’t info dump in the first couple of chapters. Not knowing everything adds tension.
Lesson 24 – Low Tension Part III – Tension on Every Page: Disagreements, taut and simmering dialogue, friction in feelings. All these can assist in making every scene sizzle with tension.
We’ve now completed two-thirds of the notebook. Many passages from literary works are used to illustrate the main points each lesson has. Exercises at the end help you make your novel on of breakout quality.
Tomorrow: Part Three – General Story Techniques
How’s your story coming along, if you’re writing one? If not, why not? Leave a comment and let me know. |
Can we feed the human race by soaking up carbon dioxide in both greenhouses and forests in the desert?
On this page:
- Reforestation: repair the damage we’ve already done!
- Afforestation: planting new forests that have not been there for millenia
- Desalinated seawater for agriculture? Seawater Greenhouses are ALREADY growing affordable food in the Australian desert
- What about the nutrients?
- Seawater BUG-HOUSE? Protein from deserts?
- Water efficient crops: ABC’s Landline says Australia needs Hemp food!
- Geoengineering: can desal green the Sahara & Outback? At what price?
- Who pays to desal the Sahara and Outback?
- Other desal methods? The Max Whisson Water Highway.
- Forest farming: from the desert!
- In summary
1. Reforestation: repair the damage we’ve already done
Let’s face it: human activity has increased the size of many of the world’s deserts. We increase desertification when we over-log forests and overgraze the great plains.Enough said. Let’s at least repair the damage we have already done! So, what can be done? Back to the UN again:–
What can be done?
Reforestation and tree regeneration
Water management — saving, reuse of treated water, rainwater harvesting, desalination, or direct use of seawater for salt-loving plants
Fixating the soil through the use of sand fences, shelter belts, woodlots and windbreaks
Enrichment and hyper-fertilizing of soil through planting
Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), enabling native sprouting tree growth through selective pruning of shrub shoots. The residue from pruned tress can be used to provide mulching for fields thus increasing soil water retention and reducing evaporation.
An African coalition is planning the Great Green Wall to repair the damage we did in expanding the Sahara desert. Time Magazine reports:
As the Reforestation wiki says:
In Germany, reforestation is required as part of the federal forest law. 31% of Germany is forested, according to the second forest inventory of 2001–2003. The size of the forest area in Germany increased between the first and the second forest inventory due to forestation of degenerated bogs and agricultural areas. In China, extensive replanting programs have existed since the 1970s. Programs have had overall success. The forest cover has increased from 12% of China’s land area to 16%. However, specific programs have had limited success. The “Green Wall of China“, an attempt to limit the expansion of the Gobi Desert is planned to be 2,800 miles (4,500 km) long and to be completed in 2050. In Canada, overall forest cover is increasing over the last decades.
In Borneo Dr Willie Smits, bought up nearly 2000 ha of deforested degraded land in East Kalimantan that had suffered from mechanical logging, drought and severe fires and was covered in alang-alang grass. In a project called Samboja Lestari an area was reforested.
The Groasis Waterboxx was designed specifically to establish trees in areas undergoing desertification. It collects dew and infrequent rain, and slowly releases it to the plants roots, promoting deeper root growth.
The Borneo story about Dr Willie Smits is truly inspiring. Please do yourself a favour, grab your favourite brew, and watch his TED talk. The world needs more creative, systems thinking people like him that love and value the natural world and find ways for local ecologies and economies to support each other!
2. Afforestation: planting new forests that have not been there for millennia
With Afforestation we plant a whole new forest where there was no forest. The Afforestation wiki says this can soak up carbon and sustain biodiversity. There are small scale projects around the world that are growing new forests where there were none before. See the wiki for details by country.
A company called Afforestt claims that instead of growing a mature forest in natural timescales of 600 to 1000 years, they can do it in 10. How? Add locally sourced biological compost to the soil and then plant a whole bunch of saplings close together to encourage competition for sunlight. This thick forest becomes self-sustaining within a few years, and then matures in 10 years.
3. Desalinated seawater for agriculture? Seawater Greenhouses are ALREADY growing affordable food in the Australian desert
- Sundrop technology can convert any desert within a few hundred kilometres of the ocean into a food bowl.
- They pipe seawater inland into a solar-powered glasshouse
- Solar thermal technology desalinates the seawater into freshwater
- This freshwater irrigates hydroponic fruit and vegetables growing in the climate controlled glasshouse
- Dripping cool seawater down cardboard sheets cools the greenhouse cheaply
- The ABC’s Catalyst (below) demonstrates seawater greenhouse fruit and veg
- The Guardian (Nov 2012) reports that they are making money, and coupled with algae technology, could grow fish and chicken.
- “Academic agriculturalists, mainstream politicians and green activists are falling over each other to champion Sundrop. And the company’s scientists, entrepreneurs and investors are about to start building an £8m, 20-acre greenhouse – 40 times bigger than the current one – which will produce 2.8m kg of tomatoes and 1.2m kg of peppers a year for supermarkets now clamouring for an exclusive contract.”
- Surplus salty brine can grow algae ponds outside for fish and chicken stock
- The image below:
1. Concentrated Solar Power;
2. Saltwater greenhouses;
3. Outside vegetation and evaporative hedges;
4. Photovoltaic Solar Power;
5. Salt production;
7. Algae production
The Sahara Forest Project:
Two 8 minute movies showing similar integrated seawater greenhouses with enough water left over to grow local forests
4. What about the nutrients?
- seawater has many nutrients that can grow algae
- algae can feed fish (see below) and chicken
- excess water can grow hedges and eventually trees to shade outside crops in the desert
- salty brine is then dried to sell salt
- it’s about maximising profit, about both economic and ecological viability.
- the formula seems to work.
- trees outside the greenhouses will create their own leaves and compost and build soil
- trees companion plant other food producing trees and shrubs
- with careful use of extra water and by using permaculture principles, we really can ‘Green the Desert’
- towns can provide recycled sewage nutrients back onto farmlands. See Replenish the soil.
Agriwastes like rice husks and straw can be processed through biochar to increase soil nutrients. With biochar and permaculture schemes, we can grow soil many times faster than nature can. Imagine them combined with the following more traditional permaculture system in this “Greening the desert” video: a classic 5 minute piece on growing food in deserts with a tiny trickle of underground irrigation
5. Seawater BUGHOUSE? More protein from deserts?
Now it gets really interesting. Insects are an ancient delicacy, high in protein, that convert biomass feedstock into protein much, much more efficiently than cows. It’s called Entomophagy and could be the next great agricultural revolution.
See this TED talk for a 5 minute summary:
Or this hour long BBC Documentary for more.
What I’d love to see the economics for is whether there is a way to combine seawater greenhouse technology with Entomophagy, and grow the tastiest bugs we want in the desert in the lush, green, coolness of seawater greenhouses. Protein from our deserts! There’s just got to be an economic model that works.
6. Water efficient crops: ABC’s Landline says Australia needs Hemp food!
- Use some of that excess water to plant out a hemp-field outside the greenhouse
- Hemp is an ideal desert crop an only uses a third the water it takes to grow lucen
- Hempcrete soaks up CO2 as it dries and petrifies
- Aboriginals are building hemp housing
- Was the world’s most common fabric material until the cotton gin was invented.
- Decorticator machine should fix hemp compared to cotton as it separates fibre from the bark more efficiently
- More fibre per hectare, and better fibre than cotton!
- Hemp oil & foods extremely nutritious: ice cream, bread, spaghetti, salad dressing, Omega oils like fish oils, even soap
- Hemp is low THC (doesn’t get you high like it’s naughty cousin)
- Economics fantastic!
- Watch landline: 15 minutes below
7. Geoengineering: can desal green the Sahara & Outback? At what price?
However, to really make an impact on soaking up our annual Co2 emissions these new forests would have to be huge, and somewhere unpopulated and not farmed. This also means the desert! Geo-engineering the Desert is quite depressingly expensive. The idea sounds great! We could, theoretically, desalinate enough seawater and grow enough forests to solve global warming! We’re talking about desalinating so much water that we converting most of the Sahara and Outback into forest. Now, if a global carbon tax does it, that’s fine, but expensive. The thing to keep in mind is imagining all those desert-grown trees supporting foresters, fruit-pickers, and providing so much timber and food and fuel and fibre that the industries coming from them probably pack back the government investment in them. It solves global warming, and takes pressure off logging rare tropical rainforest and old growth forest.
Now the price tag. This is just an intellectual exercise about sequestering ALL our CO2. I’m not suggesting we should: but that we should prevent that CO2 being released in the first place. Based on the paper below, I see it as costing $3.5 trillion dollars a year to fix global warming by sequestering all human CO2 emissions! (See Footnote 1 below). But if we put that money into nuclear power and boron cars, we’d prevent warming, and could then put a smaller government subsidy into reforestation schemes in areas kinder to trees that would gradually bring down global CO2 levels.
Global GDP is $70 trillion. $3.5 trillion is a significant percent of global GDP dedicated to ‘mopping up’ carbon emissions.
8. Who pays to desal the Sahara and Outback?
Considering that the global agricultural output is worth 6.2% of world GDP, or $4.2 trillion a year, and this can only grow as our world’s population grows and demands more food, fuel, and fibre, we can see a potentially huge marketplace for desert grown food (and forests for fibre and fuel). Not only this, but sadly many of our best farmlands are deteriorating under poor management, and I’m all for bringing them back and storing more carbon in their soils. (See Replenish the soil). But this may not be enough! An extra 2 billion people will want food to eat, timber to build and fibre to clothe themselves. This is going to have to come from new farmlands, but there aren’t any! We’ve used all the good arable land, and the rest are mostly vulnerable ecosystems we should protect. So what’s the answer?
9. Other desal methods? The Max Whisson Water Highway.
A quick aside, another desal concept I’d love to see properly analysed is the ‘Water Highway’ by Max Whisson. As far as I know this has not been commercially evaluated and might be far cheaper than the traditional means quoted above.
Dr Max Whisson, an inventor from Perth, Western Australia, believes that he has discovered a way to produce 200,000 litres of fresh water a day in a dry land. Max’s idea is to build a 1,000 km long 10 metre wide water producing freeway running a long distance inland from the sea then returning back to the sea again.
Max explained on the ABC’s Australian Story that the ocean contained an endless supply of fresh water that could easily be extracted by using thermal solar energy. Max’s scheme is to run a number of large parallel black pipes carrying sea water along this large scale water producing freeway. The 10 metre wide series of pipes would be covered by a transparent perspex cover. Daytime solar heat will cause the water in the pipes to heat up and 70% to 80% of the fresh water will evaporate off in a series of hot ponds in the circuit. Max Whisson said that hot air from the pond surfaces will be ducted up to condensation sheds where cooler atmospheric air causes distillation of the fresh water. At the end of the water road, the salty brine is returned to the sea or it could be used to produce sea salt, Dr Whisson said.
Max Whisson Water Road is a plan for abundant cheap desalination from pumping vast quantities of salt water along vast black pipes. Solar heat and carefully managed evaporative containers do the rest of the work. I would love to see the CSIRO or some corporation take this on board and at least build one at scale to see how economically this could produce vast quantities of water. The cheaper the water, the more that can be done.
But who knows? If Sundrop and friends really have cracked a formula for food, fibre, and a little biofuel from our deserts and seawater, maybe one day the economic incentive will be so great, and the corporations involved so wealthy, that the penny will drop on some totally new method of desalinating seawater. Or they’ll try Max’s Water Road idea.
10. Forest farming: from the desert!
If the desal technology is cheap enough, we could see forest farming from our deserts! The wiki lists many of the products we could expect, including medicinals, nuts, fruits, other food crops, and amazing building materials.
11. In Summary
As the Global Water forum says:
Just add water
Drought, desertification, food shortages, famine, energy security, land use conflict, mass migration and economic collapse, climate change and CO2 sequestration are all issues that can be overcome by increasing the supply of water. Present methods of supply in arid regions include: over-abstraction from groundwater reserves, diverting water from other regions, and energy-intensive desalination. None of these are sustainable in the long term and inequitable distribution can lead to conflict.
The growth in demand for water and increasing shortages are two of the most predictable scenarios of the 21st century. Agriculture is the primary pressure point3 (see The state of the world’s land and water resources). A shortage of water will also affect the carbon cycle as shrinking forests reduce the rate of carbon capture, and will disrupt the regulating influence that trees and vegetation have on our climate. Fortunately, the world is not short of water, it is just in the wrong place and too salty. Converting seawater to fresh water and water vapour in the right places offers the potential to help solve all these problems.
My price tag for the desalinated water comes from page 416 of the PDF below.
It would cost $43 per ‘barrel’ of Carbon. A ‘barrel’ is 0.11 Ton C (Carbon, or 110kg Carbon). Humans emit 9 billion tons C a year.
9 billion / barrels (0.11 Tons C) = 81.818,181,818 ‘barrels’ of Carbon a year.
At $43 / barrel, that’s $3.5 trillion a year!
But as an energy source, this biomass could somewhat offset the price by selling liquid fuels, as long as the source regions are not depleted of their NPK nutrients. The forests should be biochar regenerated for maximal carbon sequestration and soil health, which all helps the longer term sustainability of the bio-oil industry. |
What the Longest Day of the Year Means for Your Sleep|
June 21st is the longest day of the year. On this day, the tilt of earth’s axis is aligned closely with the sun, giving us the most daylight. The summer solstice marks the onset of summer, and will occur in the northern hemisphere at 12:24am (EST). While that extra daylight is nice for backyard picnics and working outdoors, what does it do to our sleep?
All that sun exposure can make it hard to sleep. Think about it: your body has become accustomed to the sun setting around the same time every day and then you going to bed a few hours after that. When the sun sets later, your body’s internal clock will be thrown off. You may find it harder to fall asleep since the light doesn’t align with your natural body clock.
The summer solstice can make sleep even more difficult for those already suffer from sleep issues. The increased daylight does not allow enough melatonin, a key ingredient for sleep, to be produced. Melatonin is produced at night, so more daylight means less time for it to be produced.
The good news? The summer solstice can be an opportune time to reset your body clock if you want to get more sleep and start waking up or going to sleep at different times. The earlier sunrise can cause you to wake up earlier, so if you’ve been meaning to catch that 6 AM workout class, the summer solstice may help! However, the later sunset can make you want to stay up longer. Avoid the extra daylight getting in the way of your 8 hours by using blackout shades.
Safely soak up the sun while you can, and use this summer solstice as an opportunity for sunset Instagrams and getting back on track for great sleep. |
Illegal drug trade in China
The illegal drug trade in China is influenced by factors such as history, location, size, population, and current economic conditions. China has one-fifth of the world's population and a large and expanding economy while Opium has played an important role in the country's history since before the First and Second Opium Wars in the mid-19th century. China's large land mass, close proximity to the Golden Triangle, Golden Crescent, and numerous coastal cities with large and modern port facilities make it an attractive transit center for drug traffickers.
China's status in drug trafficking has changed significantly since the 1980s, when the country for the first time opened its borders to trade and tourism after 40 years of relative isolation. As trade with Southeast Asia and elsewhere increased, so did the flow of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals from, into, and through China.
- 1 Overview
- 2 Cultivation and processing
- 3 Trafficking
- 4 Drug-related money laundering
- 5 Drug abuse and treatment
- 6 Drug law enforcement agencies and legislation
- 7 Treaties and conventions
- 8 See also
- 9 Footnotes
- 10 References
- 11 External links
China is a major source of precursor chemicals necessary for the production of cocaine, heroin, MDMA and crystal methamphetamine, which are used by many Southeast Asian and Pacific Rim nations. China produces over 100,000 metric tons of acetic anhydride each year, and imports an additional 20,000 metric tons from the United States and Singapore. Reports indicate that acetic anhydride is diverted from China to morphine and heroin refineries in the Golden Triangle. China is also a leading exporter of bulk ephedrine and has been a source country for much of the ephedrine and pseudoephedrine imported into Mexico; these precursor chemicals are subsequently used to manufacture methamphetamine destined for the United States. China is developing a significant MDMA production, trafficking, and consumption problem. Although China has taken actions through legislation and regulation of production and exportation of precursor chemicals, extensive action is required to control the illicit diversion and smuggling of precursor chemicals.
China not only continues to be a major transit route for Southeast Asian heroin bound for international drug markets, but also for Southwest Asian heroin entering northwestern China from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. A majority of the Southeast Asian heroin that enters China from Burma transits southern China to various international markets by maritime transport. Drug traffickers take advantage of expanding port facilities in coastal cities, such as Qingdao, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Guangdong, to ship heroin along maritime routes. Southwest Asian heroin (mainly from Afghanistan) represents as much as 22 percent of the heroin entering northwest China. Chinese authorities believe that these trends will increase and they attribute these increases to the continuing development of the infrastructure and economy in China. China is being forced to develop a complex counter-drug strategy that includes prevention, education, eradication, interdiction, and rehabilitation.
Cultivation and processing
The Dutch historian Frank Dikötter describes cannabis, which failed to become part of narcotic culture in modern China, as "China's non-problem", despite having been widely grown and known as a medicinal herb for nearly 2,000 years.
[During the Republican period (1912-1937)], government authorities claimed that smoking cannabis could cause nervous dysfunction and madness. Such official attitudes must have reflected popular beliefs, since very little concrete evidence exists concerning the use of cannabis even in the large coastal metropoles. In Shanghai not a single case of cannabis use was discovered during the 1930s. With the exception of the Uyghurs, the popular perception of the smell of smoked cannabis as 'foul' (chou) also impeded its spread. On the other hand, the extraction of hemp oil was widespread in Shanxi, Mongolia and Manchuria. Although most of it appears to have been used for lighting and to lubricate cart wheels, its narcotic powers may have been understood by the local farmers.
Cannabis grows naturally throughout southwestern China, and is legally cultivated in some areas of China for use in commercial rope manufacturing. Most of the illicit cultivation of cannabis as a drug in China appears in Xinjiang and Yunnan and is primarily cultivated for domestic use. In 2002, approximately 1.3 metric tons of cannabis were seized in China.
The Chinese Government owns and operates ephedra farms, where ephedra grass (ephedra sinica) is cultivated under strict government control. The active alkaloids, pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, are chemically extracted from the plant material and processed for pharmaceutical purposes. These chemicals are then sold domestically and for export. China and India are the major producers of these chemicals extracted from the ephedra plant. In addition to government-controlled farms, the ephedra plant grows wildly in many parts of the northern areas of China.
Illicit cultivation of the opium poppy in China is negligible in provinces such as Yunnan, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, and the remote regions of the northwest frontier. Opium produced in these areas is not converted into heroin, but is consumed locally by ethnic minority groups in these isolated areas. Chinese officials report that in the last several years[when?] no heroin laboratories have been seized in China.
Licit cultivation of the opium poppy occurs on farms controlled by the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Drug Administration Bureau of the State Council. According to United Nations (U.N.) International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) data, China produces approximately 14 metric tons (31,000 lb) of licit opium per year for use in the domestic pharmaceutical industry. China reports that none of this opium is exported.
Manufacture of crystal methamphetamine (ice, shabu, bingdu) is facilitated by the availability of precursor chemicals, such as pseudoephedrine and ephedrine. The unrestricted availability of these chemicals in the country facilitates the production of large quantities of crystal methamphetamine. Seizure information indicates that methamphetamine laboratories are located in provinces along the eastern and southeastern coastal areas. Many of the traffickers for the clandestine crystal methamphetamine laboratories are from organized crime groups based in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan.
Because of its increasing popularity with young party goers in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, Chinese law enforcement officials report significant increases in the domestic production of MDMA (Ecstasy). Most MDMA production in China is for domestic consumption. MDMA tablets are also imported from the Netherlands into China to meet the demand.
Some laboratory operators in China mix MDMA powder, imported from Europe, with substances, such as caffeine and ketamine, while making the Ecstasy tablets. Given the availability of the precursor chemicals needed, open source reporting in 2006 indicates that MDMA tablets in China cost only US$0.06 to produce, while the tablets sell for as much as US$36 in the city of Shanghai.
Many of the individuals involved in the international trafficking of Southeast Asian heroin are ethnic Kokang, Yunnanese, Fujianese, Cantonese, or members of other ethnic Chinese minority groups that reside outside of China. These groups reside, and are actively involved in drug trafficking in regions such as Burma, Cambodia, Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States.
Reporting on the activities of drug trafficking organizations in China is sparse. However, Chinese officials report that drug traffickers are dividing their large shipments into smaller ones in order to minimize losses in case of seizure. Chinese officials also report that drug traffickers are increasingly using women, children, and poor, uneducated farmers to body-carry drugs from the Golden Triangle area to Guangdong and other provinces in China.
In China many individuals and criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking are increasingly arming themselves with automatic weapons and grenades to protect their drug shipments from theft by rival organizations. Many firefights occur along the Burma–China border, where larger drug shipments are more prevalent. Traffickers also arm themselves to avoid being captured by the police, and some smugglers are better armed than the local police forces. Furthermore, many traffickers believe they have a better chance of surviving a firefight than the outcome of any legal proceedings. In China, sentencing for drug trafficking could include capital punishment. For example, the seizure of 50 grams or more of heroin or crystal methamphetamine could result in the use of the death penalty by the Government.
Hui Muslim drug dealers are accused by Uyghur Muslims of pushing heroin on Uyghurs. Heroin has been vended by Hui dealers. There is a typecast image in the public eye of heroin being the province of Hui dealers. Hui have been involved in the Golden Triangle drug area.
China shares a 2000 km border with Burma, as well as smaller but significant borders with Laos and Vietnam. Chinese officials state that the majority of heroin entering China comes over the border from Burma. This heroin then transits southern China, through Yunnan or Guangxi, to Guangdong or Fujian to the southeastern coastal areas, and then on to international markets. Heroin is transported by various overland methods to ports in China's southeastern provinces of Guangdong and Fujian.
Heroin is transported to Guangdong and to the cities of Xiamen and Fuzhou in Fujian for shipment to international drug markets. Traffickers take advantage of expanding port facilities in northeast cities, such as Qingdao, Shanghai, and Tianjin, to ship heroin via maritime routes. Increased Chinese interdiction efforts along the Burma–China border have forced some traffickers to send heroin from Burma to China's southeastern provinces by fishing trawlers.
In addition to Southeast Asian heroin entering into China, Southwest Asian heroin enters northwestern China from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. Chinese authorities state that Southwest Asian heroin (mainly originating from Afghanistan) represents as much as 20 percent of the heroin that enters the northwest Xinjiang. This trend is increasing, and is attributed to the continuing development of the infrastructure and economy in the western parts of China.
Due to the availability of the precursor chemicals, traffickers produce large amounts of crystal methamphetamine. Although much of the crystal methamphetamine is consumed locally, some is available for shipment to other markets throughout Southeast Asia. Several ports in southern China serve as transit points for crystal methamphetamine transported by containerized cargo to international drug markets.
Some MDMA traffickers in China are linked directly to the United States. In June 2001, tablets from seizures in two DEA San Francisco investigations were linked to the same source as a 300,000-tablet seizure in Shenzhen, China that had occurred days before. Although the San Francisco seizures were much smaller than the Shenzhen seizure, the capabilities of these trafficking groups appear to be significant. Chinese officials seized over 3 million Ecstasy tablets in China in 2002.
China is of paramount importance in global cooperative efforts to prevent the diversion of precursor chemicals. With its large chemical industry, China remains a source country for legitimately produced chemicals that are diverted for production of heroin and cocaine, as well as many amphetamine-type stimulants. China and its neighbor India are the leading exporters of bulk ephedrine in the world. China produces over 100,000 metric tons of acetic anhydride each year, and imports an additional 20,000 metric tons from the United States and Singapore. China is also the second largest producer of potassium permanganate in the world.
To combat the diversion of precursor chemicals, China implemented several regulations on the control of precursor chemicals between 1992 and 1998, including adoption of the 1988 U.N. Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances in 1993. Additionally, the Government further improved regulations to strengthen control of ephedrine during 1999 and 2000.
China fully participates in the DEA's Operations TOPAZ and PURPLE, which are international monitoring initiatives that target acetic anhydride and potassium permanganate, respectively. Acetic anhydride is used to synthesize morphine base into heroin, and potassium permanganate is used as an oxidizer in cocaine production. Both chemicals are targeted because they are the chemicals most often preferred, and most widely used, by illicit drug manufacturers. However, the effectiveness of Operation PURPLE has been declining recently, since participant nations are exporting significant amounts of potassium permanganate to non-participant countries.
Additionally, Chinese authorities further control the export of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine through the voluntary use of the Letter of Non-Objection (LONO) system. China will not allow exports of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine without a positive affirmation by authorities in the importing country as to the bona fides of the consignee. For those countries that do not issue import permits, a letter of non-objection must be provided to Chinese authorities.
Increases in pseudoephedrine diversion were noted, beginning with the seizures in March and April 2003 of four shipments of product destined for Mexico. The seizures occurred in the United States and Panama, and totaled over 22 million, 60-milligram pseudoephedrine tablets. The source of supply has been identified as legitimate pharmaceutical companies in Hong Kong. Additional investigations have revealed other companies in Hong Kong that have been engaged in supplying substantial amounts of pseudoephedrine to firms, sometime fictitious, shells or fronts, in Mexico.
Also, reports indicate that acetic anhydride is diverted from China to morphine/heroin refineries found in the Golden Triangle. Domestically, Chinese officials express concern over the increasing number of synthetic drug production operations in their country. Seizures of precursor chemicals in China increased from 50 metric tons in 1991 to 383 metric tons in 1997; only 300 metric tons were seized in 2002.
In the past money laundering was not considered a significant problem in China. However, with the booming economy promoting greater trade investment and the ever-increasing number of foreign bank branches opening throughout the country, it appears that China may become an emerging money laundering center.
China, however, has taken some initial steps to begin investigation of money laundering activities. An Economic Crimes Investigation Department was established in the Ministry of Public Security to focus on illicit activities. The People's Bank of China (China's central bank) began several structural reforms such as the establishment of two new divisions, the Payment Trade Supervisory Division and the Money Laundering Working Division. The People's Bank of China also prepared guidelines for use by financial institutions to report suspicious transactions, and to sensitize the public about new regulations on money laundering and terrorist financing issues.
Drug abuse and treatment
Drugs of choice
|Southeast Asian heroin (price per 1 unit = 700 grams)||Guangzhou||$18,000|
|Crystal methamphetamine (price per kilogram)||Guangzhou||3,700|
|MDMA (price per tablet)||Beijing||27-36|
The major drugs of choice are injectable heroin, morphine, smokeable opium, crystal methamphetamine, nimetazepam, temazepam, and MDMA. Preferences between opium and heroin/morphine, and methods of administration, differ from region to region within China. The use of heroin and opium has increased among the younger population, as income has grown and the youth have more free time. China considers crystal methamphetamine abuse second to heroin/morphine as a major drug problem. The use of MDMA has only recently become popular in China's growing urban areas.
The South China Morning Post reports the rise in the use of ketamine, easy to mass-produce in illicit labs in southern China, particularly among the young. Because of its low cost, and low profit margin, drug peddlers rely on mass distribution to make money, thus increasing its penetrative power to all, including schoolchildren. The journal cites social workers saying that four people can get high by sharing just HK$20 worth of ketamine, and estimates 80 per cent of young drug addicts take 'K'.
There are over 900,000 registered drug addicts in China, but the Government recognizes that the actual number of users is far higher. Some unofficial estimates range as high as 12 million drug addicts. Of the registered drug addicts, 83.7 percent are male and 73.9 percent are under the age of 35. In 2001, intravenous heroin users accounted for 70.9 percent of the confirmed 22,000 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) cases. Chinese officials are becoming increasingly concerned about the abuse of methamphetamine and other amphetamine-type stimulants.
Treatment and demand reduction programs
Both voluntary and compulsory drug treatment programs are provided in China, although the compulsory treatment is more common. Most addicts who attend these centers do so involuntarily upon orders from the Government. Voluntary treatment is provided at centers operated by Public Health Bureaus, but these programs are more expensive and many people cannot afford to attend them. Addicts, who return to drug use after having received treatment, and who cannot be cured by other means, may be sentenced to rehabilitation at any one of the special centers for re-education through labor.
Demand reduction efforts target individuals between the ages of 17 and 35, since this is the largest segment of drug users. These efforts include, but are not limited to, media campaigns and establishment of drug-free communities.
Drug law enforcement agencies and legislation
At the national level, the agencies specifically responsible for the control of licit and illicit drugs are the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Customs General Administration. The State Food and Drug Administration oversees implementation of the laws regulating the pharmaceutical industry. In the Customs General Administration, the Smuggling Prevention Department plays the major role in intercepting illegal drug shipments. The Narcotics Control Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security handles all criminal investigations involving opium, heroin, and methamphetamine.
In 1990, the Chinese government set up the National Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC), composed of 25 departments, including the Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Health and General Administration of Customs. The NNCC leads the nation's drug control work in a unified way, and is responsible for international drug control cooperation, with an operational agency based in the Ministry of Public Security.
Treaties and conventions
China is a party to the 1988 U.N. Drug Convention, the 1961 U.N. Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs as amended by the 1972 Protocol, and the 1971 U.N. Convention on Psychotropic Substances. China is a member of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and has been a member of the INCB since 1984.
China also participates in a drug control program with Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Russia, and the United States. This program is designed to enhance information sharing and coordination of drug law enforcement activities by countries in and around the Central Asian Region.
In June 2000, China and the United States signed a Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement (MLAT). This treaty subsequently went into effect on March 8, 2001. In 1999, China and the United States signed a Bilateral Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement. However, this agreement has not yet been activated. A May 1997 United States and China Memorandum of Understanding on law enforcement cooperation allows the two countries to provide assistance on drug investigations and prosecutions on a case-by-case basis.
China has over 30 MLATs with 24 nations covering both civil and criminal matters. In 1996, China signed MLATs that gave specific attention to drug trafficking with Russia, Mexico, and Pakistan. China also signed a drug control cooperation agreement with India.
China and Burma continue dialogue on counter-drug issues, such as drug trafficking by the United Wa State Army along the China–Burma border. The Government of China encourages and provides assistance for alternative crop programs in Burma along the China–Burma border. China is also building on Memoranda of Understanding that are currently in place with Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
- Other countries
- U.S. "War on Drugs"
- Illicit drug use in Australia
- Mexican Drug War
- Illegal drug trade in Colombia
- Legality of cannabis by country
- Dikötter, Frank, Lars Laamann, and Zhou Xun (2004), Narcotic Culture: A History of Drugs in China, University Of Chicago Press, p. 200.
- Safran William (13 May 2013). Nationalism and Ethnoregional Identities in China. Routledge. pp. 36–. ISBN 978-1-136-32423-9.Safran William (13 May 2013). Nationalism and Ethnoregional Identities in China. Routledge. pp. 36–. ISBN 1-136-32416-X.
- Huan Gao (15 July 2011). Women and Heroin Addiction in China's Changing Society. Taylor & Francis. pp. –. ISBN 978-1-136-66156-3.
- Yongming Zhou (1999). Anti-drug Crusades in Twentieth-century China: Nationalism, History, and State Building. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 128–. ISBN 978-0-8476-9598-0.
- Susan K. McCarthy (15 December 2011). Communist multiculturalism: ethnic revival in southwest China. University of Washington Press. pp. 140–. ISBN 978-0-295-80041-7.
- Yeung, Philip (9 April 2010), We have a way; where's the will to tackle drugs?, South China Morning Post
- Narcotics The China and Eurasia Forum Quarterly Vol 4, No 1. Feb 2006. This issue of the China and Eurasia Forum Quarterly provides insights and detailed analyses on narcotics problems and associated economic and social issues. The featured research papers suggest what can be done by the international community to help curb the illegal drug trade in China and Eurasia regions. Details.
- Swanström, Niklas L.P., He, Yin, China's War on Narcotics: Two Perspectives, Silk Road Paper, December 2006.
- Swanström, Niklas L. P., The Southeast Asian and Chinese Connection to Drug Trade in Central Asia, Analyst, Johns Hopkins University, SAIS, August 27, 2003.
- Yang Dali L. "Illegal drugs, policy change and state power: The case of Contemporary China." The Journal of Contemporary China, 4: pp. 14–34 (1993). |
|Parameters|| subgenerator matrix
, probability row vector
See article for details
|Median||no simple closed form|
|Mode||no simple closed form|
A phase-type distribution is a probability distribution constructed by a convolution or mixture of exponential distributions. It results from a system of one or more inter-related Poisson processes occurring in sequence, or phases. The sequence in which each of the phases occur may itself be a stochastic process. The distribution can be represented by a random variable describing the time until absorption of a Markov process with one absorbing state. Each of the states of the Markov process represents one of the phases.
The set of phase-type distributions is dense in the field of all positive-valued distributions, that is, it can be used to approximate any positive-valued distribution.
- 1 Definition
- 2 Characterization
- 3 Special cases
- 4 Examples
- 5 Properties
- 6 Generating samples from phase-type distributed random variables
- 7 Approximating other distributions
- 8 Fitting a phase type distribution to data
- 9 See also
- 10 References
Consider a continuous-time Markov process with m + 1 states, where m ≥ 1, such that the states 1,...,m are transient states and state 0 is an absorbing state. Further, let the process have an initial probability of starting in any of the m + 1 phases given by the probability vector (α0,α) where α0 is a scalar and α is a 1 × m vector.
The continuous phase-type distribution is the distribution of time from the above process's starting until absorption in the absorbing state.
This process can be written in the form of a transition rate matrix,
where S is an m × m matrix and S0 = –S1. Here 1 represents an m × 1 vector with every element being 1.
The distribution of time X until the process reaches the absorbing state is said to be phase-type distributed and is denoted PH(α,S).
The distribution function of X is given by,
and the density function,
for all x > 0, where exp( · ) is the matrix exponential. It is usually assumed the probability of process starting in the absorbing state is zero (i.e. α0= 0). The moments of the distribution function are given by
The Laplace transform of the phase type distribution is given by
where I is the identity matrix.
The following probability distributions are all considered special cases of a continuous phase-type distribution:
- Degenerate distribution, point mass at zero or the empty phase-type distribution - 0 phases.
- Exponential distribution - 1 phase.
- Erlang distribution - 2 or more identical phases in sequence.
- Deterministic distribution (or constant) - The limiting case of an Erlang distribution, as the number of phases become infinite, while the time in each state becomes zero.
- Coxian distribution - 2 or more (not necessarily identical) phases in sequence, with a probability of transitioning to the terminating/absorbing state after each phase.
- Hyper-exponential distribution (also called a mixture of exponential) - 2 or more non-identical phases, that each have a probability of occurring in a mutually exclusive, or parallel, manner. (Note: The exponential distribution is the degenerate situation when all the parallel phases are identical.)
- Hypoexponential distribution - 2 or more phases in sequence, can be non-identical or a mixture of identical and non-identical phases, generalises the Erlang.
As the phase-type distribution is dense in the field of all positive-valued distributions, we can represent any positive valued distribution. However, the phase-type is a light-tailed or platikurtic distribution. So the representation of heavy-tailed or leptokurtic distribution by phase type is an approximation, even if the precision of the approximation can be as good as we want.
In all the following examples it is assumed that there is no probability mass at zero, that is α0 = 0.
The simplest non-trivial example of a phase-type distribution is the exponential distribution of parameter λ. The parameter of the phase-type distribution are : S = -λ and α = 1.
Hyper-exponential or mixture of exponential distribution
The mixture of exponential or hyper-exponential distribution with λ1,λ2,...,λn>0 can be represented as a phase type distribution with
This mixture of densities of exponential distributed random variables can be characterized through
or its cumulative distribution function
The Erlang distribution has two parameters, the shape an integer k > 0 and the rate λ > 0. This is sometimes denoted E(k,λ). The Erlang distribution can be written in the form of a phase-type distribution by making S a k×k matrix with diagonal elements -λ and super-diagonal elements λ, with the probability of starting in state 1 equal to 1. For example, E(5,λ),
For a given number of phases, the Erlang distribution is the phase type distribution with smallest coefficient of variation.
The hypoexponential distribution is a generalisation of the Erlang distribution by having different rates for each transition (the non-homogeneous case).
Mixture of Erlang distribution
The mixture of two Erlang distribution with parameter E(3,β1), E(3,β2) and (α1,α2) (such that α1 + α2 = 1 and for each i, αi ≥ 0) can be represented as a phase type distribution with
The Coxian distribution is a generalisation of the hypoexponential distribution. Instead of only being able to enter the absorbing state from state k it can be reached from any phase. The phase-type representation is given by,
where 0 < p1,...,pk-1 ≤ 1. In the case where all pi = 1 we have the hypoexponential distribution. The Coxian distribution is extremely important as any acyclic phase-type distribution has an equivalent Coxian representation.
The generalised Coxian distribution relaxes the condition that requires starting in the first phase.
Minima of Independent PH Random Variables
Generating samples from phase-type distributed random variables
Approximating other distributions
Any distribution can be arbitrarily well approximated by a phase type distribution. In practice, however, approximations can be poor when the size of the approximating process is fixed. Approximating a deterministic distribution of time 1 with 10 phases, each of average length 0.1 will have variance 0.1 (because the Erlang distribution has smallest variance).
- BuTools a MATLAB and Mathematica script for fitting phase-type distributions to 3 specified moments
- momentmatching a MATLAB script to fit a minimal phase-type distribution to 3 specified moments
Fitting a phase type distribution to data
Methods to fit a phase type distribution to data can be classified as maximum likelihood methods or moment matching methods. Fitting a phase type distribution to heavy-tailed distributions has been shown to be practical in some situations.
- PhFit a C script for fitting discrete and continuous phase type distributions to data
- EMpht is a C script for fitting phase-type distributions to data or parametric distributions using an expectation–maximization algorithm.
- HyperStar was developed around the core idea of making phase-type fitting simple and user-friendly, in order to advance the use of phase-type distributions in a wide range of areas. It provides a graphical user interface and yields good fitting results with only little user interaction.
- jPhase is a Java library which can also compute metrics for queues using the fitted phase type distribution
- Discrete phase-type distribution
- Continuous-time Markov process
- Exponential distribution
- Hyper-exponential distribution
- Queueing theory
- Harchol-Balter, M. (2012). "Real-World Workloads: High Variability and Heavy Tails". Performance Modeling and Design of Computer Systems. p. 347. ISBN 9781139226424. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139226424.026.
- Aldous, David; Shepp, Larry (1987). "The least variable phase type distribution is erlang" (PDF). Stochastic Models. 3 (3): 467. doi:10.1080/15326348708807067.
- Horváth, G. B.; Reinecke, P.; Telek, M. S.; Wolter, K. (2012). "Efficient Generation of PH-Distributed Random Variates". Analytical and Stochastic Modeling Techniques and Applications. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. 7314. p. 271. ISBN 978-3-642-30781-2. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-30782-9_19.
- Bolch, Gunter; Greiner, Stefan; de Meer, Hermann; Trivedi, Kishor S. (1998). "Steady-State Solutions of Markov Chains". Queueing Networks and Markov Chains. pp. 103–151. ISBN 0471193666. doi:10.1002/0471200581.ch3.
- Cox, D. R. (2008). "A use of complex probabilities in the theory of stochastic processes". Mathematical Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. 51 (2): 313. doi:10.1017/S0305004100030231.
- Osogami, T.; Harchol-Balter, M. (2006). "Closed form solutions for mapping general distributions to quasi-minimal PH distributions". Performance Evaluation. 63 (6): 524. doi:10.1016/j.peva.2005.06.002.
- Lang, Andreas; Arthur, Jeffrey L. (1996). "Parameter approximation for Phase-Type distributions". In Chakravarthy, S.; Alfa, Attahiru S. Matrix Analytic methods in Stochastic Models. CRC Press. ISBN 0824797663.
- Ramaswami, V.; Poole, D.; Ahn, S.; Byers, S.; Kaplan, A. (2005). "Ensuring Access to Emergency Services in the Presence of Long Internet Dial-Up Calls". Interfaces. 35 (5): 411. doi:10.1287/inte.1050.0155.
- Horváth, András S.; Telek, Miklós S. (2002). "PhFit: A General Phase-Type Fitting Tool". Computer Performance Evaluation: Modelling Techniques and Tools. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. 2324. p. 82. ISBN 978-3-540-43539-6. doi:10.1007/3-540-46029-2_5.
- Asmussen, Søren; Nerman, Olle; Olsson, Marita (1996). "Fitting Phase-Type Distributions via the EM Algorithm". Scandinavian Journal of Statistics. 23 (4): 419–441. JSTOR 4616418.
- Reinecke, P.; Krauß, T.; Wolter, K. (2012). "Cluster-based fitting of phase-type distributions to empirical data". Computers & Mathematics with Applications. 64 (12): 3840. doi:10.1016/j.camwa.2012.03.016.
- Pérez, J. F.; Riaño, G. N. (2006). "jPhase: an object-oriented tool for modeling phase-type distributions". Proceeding from the 2006 workshop on Tools for solving structured Markov chains (SMCtools '06) (PDF). ISBN 1595935061. doi:10.1145/1190366.1190370.
- M. F. Neuts. Matrix-Geometric Solutions in Stochastic Models: an Algorithmic Approach, Chapter 2: Probability Distributions of Phase Type; Dover Publications Inc., 1981.
- G. Latouche, V. Ramaswami. Introduction to Matrix Analytic Methods in Stochastic Modelling, 1st edition. Chapter 2: PH Distributions; ASA SIAM, 1999.
- C. A. O'Cinneide (1990). Characterization of phase-type distributions. Communications in Statistics: Stochastic Models, 6(1), 1-57.
- C. A. O'Cinneide (1999). Phase-type distribution: open problems and a few properties, Communication in Statistic: Stochastic Models, 15(4), 731-757. |
Category:Yamdena terms derived from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian
|Recent additions to the category|
|Oldest pages ordered by last edit|
Fundamental » All languages » Yamdena language » Terms by etymology » Terms derived from other languages » Austronesian languages » Malayo-Polynesian languages » Central Malayo-Polynesian languages » Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian
Terms in Yamdena that originate from the Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian language. |
Though it has received a great deal of press
recently, peer-to-peer file sharing
is not at all a new idea
. Peer-to-peer file sharing has been a feature of desktop operating systems
since System 7
on the Macintosh
and since Windows for Workgroups
on the Windows
platform. In each of these systems, a computer
may participate in a network of peers -- called a "zone
" or "workgroup
" -- and exchange files with the other computers in the network.
The Macintosh peer-to-peer file sharing protocol is called AppleShare, which is confusingly also the name of the Macintosh file server application (which pre-dates the peer-to-peer version). The Windows protocol is known as SMB to its friends, and by vague names such as "Microsoft Networking" to everyone else. Both can be run on GNU/Linux and other Unix-like systems; AppleShare through netatalk and SMB through samba.
One of the chief problems of a peer-to-peer system is that each peer must somehow discover the other peers in the network. In both Apple's and Microsoft's original systems, discovery took place via broadcast traffic. This has two limitations: it is wasteful of bandwidth, and is not feasible for use on networks larger than a small LAN. Among modern, popular Internet-based peer-to-peer systems, the Gnutella model resembles this method, but substitutes relayed information for broadcast announcements. Still, this does not entirely solve the scalability problem.
Later versions of Microsoft's SMB addressed the broadcast problem in several (somewhat mutually incompatible) ways: master browser capability, WINS, and Windows NT Domains. Each of these abandons the pure peer-to-peer system in favor of a greater or lesser degree of centralization. Napster's semi-peer-to-peer system structurally resembles the NT Domains system, in which a central server provides not only discovery of peers but also authentication of user accounts.
What is new about popular peer-to-peer and semi-P2P systems such as Napster, Gnutella, and Freenet is that they offer searching facilities as well as simple file sharing. On an AppleShare or SMB network, you must know which peer holds the file you want before you can retrieve it. Under the currently popular systems, one form or another of file-searching facility is built into the protocol. |
A wildcard is a special character that let's you "fuzzy" matching in your Excel formulas. For example, this formula:
counts alls cells in the range B5:B11 that end with the text "combo". And this formula:
Counts all cells in A1:A100 that contain exactly 3 characters.
Excel has 3 wildcards you can use in your formulas:
Not all functions allow wildcards. Here is a list of the most common functions that do:
Quick, clean, and to the point. |
Rebekah’s Beauty (vs 1-11)
There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham.
And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines to Gerar.
Abimelech was a title for the ruler of the Philistines, like Pharaoh was the title for the ruler of that Egyptians. This Abimelech is probably different from the one with whom Abraham made a covenant, since that was 60 to 100 years earlier.
The Lord appeared to Isaac.
The Lord: Do not go down into Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you; for I will give all these countries to you and to your seed, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give to your seed all these countries; and in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
Do you recognize these words? This is the promise God made to Abraham (Genesis 17:6-8, 22:17-18), now he is making the same promise to Isaac, Abraham’s seed.
And Isaac dwelt in Gerar.
The men of the place asked him of his wife.
Isaac: She is my sister.
Isaac feared to say, She is my wife.
Isaac: Lest the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah.
Rebekah was fair to look upon.
When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window, and saw Isaac sporting with Rebekah his wife.
Abimelech called Isaac.
Abimelech: Of a surety she is your wife. Why did you say, She is my sister?
Isaac: Because I said, Lest I die for her.
Abimelech: What is this you have done to us? One of the people might lightly have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guiltiness on us.
Abimelech (to all his people): He that touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.
Does this situation sound familiar? It should. Twice Abraham was in the same situation. (Genesis 12,20) First in Egypt, then in Gerar like Isaac. Abraham did not lie when he said Sarah was his sister. She was his wife but also his half-sister. (Genesis 20:12) But Isaac did lie. Rebekah was not his sister.
Isaac’s Wells (vs 12-33)
Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year a hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him.
Isaac became very great man. He had possession of flocks and herds and many servants. The Philistines envied Isaac.
After the death of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped all the wells, which his father’s servants had dug, and filled them with dirt.
Abimelech (to Isaac): Go from us, for you are much mightier than we.
Isaac departed, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
Isaac dug again the wells of water, which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.
Isaac’s servants also dug in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.
The herdsmen of Gerar strove with Isaac’s herdsmen.
The herdsmen of Gerar: The water is ours.
Isaac called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.
Isaac’s servants dug another well, and strove for that also. Isaac called the name of it Sitnah.
Isaac moved from there, and dug another well. They did not strive for this well. Isaac called the name of it Rehoboth.
Isaac: Now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.
Isaac went up to Beer–sheba and the Lord appeared to him the same night.
The Lord (to Isaac): I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you, and I will bless you, and multiply your seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.
Isaac built an altar there, and called on the name of the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well.
Abimelech, his friend Ahuzzath, and Phichol the chief captain of his army went to Isaac from Gerar.
Isaac: Why have you come to me, seeing you hate me and have sent me away from you?
Abimelech: We saw that the Lord was certainly with you: and we said, Let there be now an oath between us and you. Let us make a covenant with you, that you will do us no hurt, as we have not touched you, and as we have done nothing but good to you, and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.
Isaac made them a feast, and they ate and drank.
They rose up early in the morning, and swore one to another. Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.
The same day, Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had dug.
Isaac’s servants: We have found water.
Isaac called the well Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beer–sheba to this day.
Grief of mind (vs 34-35)
Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, which were a grief of mind to Isaac and to Rebekah. |
induvidualism: The belief in the primacy of the induvidual over any social group or collective body.
Egoistic: SELF INTEREST ('possesive induvidualism' CB Macpherson) and SELF RELIANCE
Developmental: HUMAN FLOURISHING and SELF REALISATION
state is an offence, and has little purpose if individuals are self reliant ('State help kills self help'). ergo classical liberal prefernce for minimal state. however developmental individualism has been used by modern liberals and some social democrats to support intervention, linked to expanding postive freedom, the state may lay down conditions that foster personal growth and human flourishing, to provide fairness and be a equal and neutral arbiter in society.
Negative freedom: FREEDOM FROM. absence of external constraints on the individual, associated with privacy or choice. Checks on negative freedom are laws and physical constraint, implies 'rolling back' the state.
Positive freedom: FREEDOM TO ability to grow and develop and realise individual potential. checks on freedom are social- poverty, homelessness, unemployment etc. implies welfare and state intervention. |
Montane forests can be classified into 3 regions:
- Wet Temperate Forests
- Temperate Forests
- Alpine Forests
Wet Temperate Forests
- Wet temperate type of forests are found between a height of 1000 and 2000 metres.
- Trees that are predominant in these forests are broad-leafed oak trees and chestnut trees.
- Temperate Forests can be found at a height of 1500 to 3000 metres.
- Coniferous trees like pine, deodar, silver fir, spruce and cedar, are found here.
- These forests cover mostly the southern slopes of the Himalayas.
- They are also found in places of high altitude in southern and north-east India.
- Alpine Forests are found at high altitudes, generally more than 3,600 metres above sea-level.
- Silver fir, junipers, pines and birches are the common trees of these forests.
- At higher altitudes, mosses and lichens form part of the natural vegetation.
The common animals found in the Montane forests are Kashmir stag, spotted dear, wild sheep, jack rabbit, Tibetan antelope, yak, snow leopard, squirrels, wild ibex, bear, red panda, sheep and goats. |
The Idea in Brief
Most managers believe that relentless execution—the efficient, timely production and delivery of offerings—is vital to corporate performance. Execution-as-efficiency is important. But focusing too narrowly on it can prevent your company from adapting effectively to change.
Consider General Motors: Managers’ confidence in GM’s famously efficient control systems blinded them to big shifts in the market, including customers’ preferences for fuel-efficient cars. GM posted a $38.7 billion loss in 2007.
Edmondson recommends widening your lens to include execution-as-learning. Companies that use this approach focus not just on carrying out key processes more efficiently than rivals—but also on learning faster. To foster execution-as-learning, make it safe for employees to ask questions and fail. Then:
- Provide process guidelines, using the best available knowledge.
- Encourage collaborative decision-making.
- Collect process data describing how work unfolds.
- Use the data to identify process-improvement opportunities.
Through execution-as-learning, General Electric continually reinvents itself in multiple fields. Its 2007 profit? $22.5 billion.
The Idea in Practice
Edmondson provides these ideas for cultivating execution-as-learning in your firm:
Make It Safe. In psychologically safe environments, people offer ideas, questions, and concerns. They’re willing to fail—and when they do, they learn. To create a safe environment:
- Model openness, humility, and curiosity.
- Explicitly acknowledge the lack of answers to the tough problems facing your group.
- Ask questions showing that you genuinely want people’s input.
- Reward learning.
Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly’s chief science officer introduced “failure parties” to honor intelligent experiments that failed.
Provide Process Guidelines. Even if you can’t fully standardize knowledge work, you can provide process guidelines informed by best practices. Develop flexible guidelines, understanding that today’s best practices won’t be tomorrow’s and won’t work in every situation. Example:
Intermountain Healthcare assembled teams of experts on different diseases to develop detailed guidelines for treating patients with those conditions. Derived from analysis and debate among diverse professionals, the guidelines reflected the current best practices in the medical literature.
Encourage Collaborative Decision Making. Knowledge work requires people to make decisions together in response to unforeseen, novel, or complex problems. Provide tools enabling them to collaborate in real time. Example:
The Cleveland Clinic developed state-of-the-art IT systems that help dispersed caregivers who are participating in a patient’s care to work together virtually. For instance, through an automated alert function, physicians learn of drugs others have prescribed. Medication decisions with interdependent consequences are thus made safely.
Collect Process Data. Gather data describing how work unfolds. Use it to determine what’s going right and what’s going wrong. Example:
Intermountain Healthcare allows doctors to deviate from the process guidelines anytime they judge that good patient care requires it. But doctors who deviate must help the organization learn—by documenting what they did differently and why.
Identify Process-Improvement Opportunities. Analyze process data to improve the way activities are performed. Example:
At the Cleveland Clinic, seven teams of physicians focusing on specific conditions (heart failure, stroke, diabetes) study process data to identify areas for improvement throughout the organization’s many sites. For instance, data showed that stroke patients treated at various sites had not always received a blood thinner within the three-hour window that research had identified as the standard of care. Analysis of patient outcomes helped make blood-thinner treatment the new standard of stroke care for all Cleveland Clinic hospitals. Consequently, hospitals doubled their use of blood thinner and reduced complications from stroke by 50%.
Most executives believe that relentless execution—the efficient, timely, consistent production and delivery of goods or services—is the surefire path to customer satisfaction and financial results. Managers who let up on execution even briefly, the assumption goes, do so at their peril.
In fact, even flawless execution cannot guarantee enduring success in the knowledge economy. The influx of new knowledge in most fields makes it easy to fall behind. Consider General Motors—the largest, most profitable company in the world in the early 1970s. Confident of the wisdom of its approach, GM remained wedded to a well-developed competency in centralized control and high-volume execution. Despite this, the firm steadily lost ground in subsequent decades and posted a record $38.7 billion loss in 2007. Like many dominant companies in the industrial era, General Motors was slow to understand that great execution is difficult to sustain—not because people get tired of working hard, but because the managerial mind-set that enables efficient execution inhibits employees’ ability to learn and innovate. A focus on getting things done, and done right, crowds out the experimentation and reflection vital to sustainable success.
A focus on getting things done, and done right, crowds out the experimentation and reflection vital to sustainable success.
My research identifies a different approach to execution—what I call execution-as-learning—that promotes success over the long haul. Think of General Electric, another powerhouse born in the industrial era. Since the 1980s, the company has constantly evaluated its activities, found ways to improve, and built the expectation that learning will be ongoing into management practices. As a result, GE has continued to reinvent itself with operations in every field from wind energy to medical diagnostics, and it posted a $22.5 billion profit in 2007.
From a distance, execution-as-learning looks a lot like execution-as-efficiency. There’s the same discipline, respect for systems, and attention to detail. Look closer, however, and you find a radically different organizational mind-set, one that focuses not so much on making sure a process is carried out as on helping it evolve, building four unique approaches into day-to-day work.
Execution-as-Efficiency vs. Execution-as-Learning
First, organizations that focus on execution-as-learning use the best knowledge obtainable (which is understood to be a moving target) to inform the design of specific process guidelines. Second, they enable their employees to collaborate by making information available when and where it’s needed. Third, they routinely capture process data to discover how work is really being done. Finally, they study these data in an effort to find ways to improve. These four practices form the basis of a learning infrastructure that runs through the fabric of the organization, making continual learning part of business as usual.
Having studied knowledge organizations—hospitals, in particular—for nearly 20 years, I’d like to offer a new definition of what successful execution looks like in the knowledge economy: The best organizations have figured out how to learn quickly while maintaining high quality standards.
What’s Wrong with Execution?
Most management systems in use today date back to a manufacturing-dominated era in which firms were organized to execute as efficiently as possible. Throughout the twentieth century, the core challenge factory managers faced was controlling variability. In their approach to large-scale auto manufacturing, for example, pioneering thinkers like Henry Ford and Frederick Taylor sought to parcel out simple, repetitive tasks to people on an assembly line to reduce the likelihood of human error while producing as many cars as possible. Later, manufacturing managers adopted tools such as statistical process control to help make sure the job got done right, every time. For a long while and in many circumstances, management systems that were focused on execution-as-efficiency worked brilliantly, transforming unpredictable and expensive customized work into uniform, economical modes of mass production.
Underlying the notion of a simple, controllable production system was the notion of the simple, controllable employee. In the factory model of management, it was easy to monitor workers and measure their output. Because the work itself was not terribly interesting or motivating in its own right, managers intuitively relied on what Freud called “the pleasure principle,” the idea that human beings are motivated to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Thus supervisors used a combination of carrots (more pay for more tasks completed) and sticks (reprimands or the threat of job loss) to motivate employees. These behavioral strategies were very successful, but they produced an unfortunate legacy that still characterizes many workplaces today—an undercurrent of fear.
With the rise of knowledge-based organizations in the information age, the old model no longer works, for a number of reasons. In such organizations, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to monitor employee productivity or measure individual performance in simple ways, such as by hours worked. Performance is increasingly determined by factors that can’t be overseen: intelligent experimentation, ingenuity, interpersonal skills, resilience in the face of adversity, for instance. Consider a hospital emergency room. At any moment, a patient with a previously unheard-of set of symptoms might walk in, and specialists from several departments—reception, nursing, medicine, laboratory, surgery, pharmacy—need to coordinate their efforts if the patient is to receive effective care. These people must resolve conflicting priorities and opinions quickly. As in most knowledge organizations, room to maneuver is extraordinarily high. People rely on their own and their colleagues’ judgment and expertise, rather than on management direction, to decide what to do. When work is interdependent and in flux, as it is in this situation, interpersonal fear is not only unhelpful—it’s downright counterproductive.
By continuing to think of execution in the old-fashioned, narrow sense, companies fall into predictable self-sabotaging traps:
Critical information and ideas fail to rise to the top.
When people get the message that speed, efficiency, and results are what matter, they become exceedingly reluctant to risk taking up managers’ time with any but the most certain and positive of inputs. They don’t offer ideas, concerns, or even questions. One study at a high-tech multinational found that over half the employees believed it was unsafe to say what was on their minds. Subsequent interviews revealed that employees withheld not only bad news but also new ideas; both seemed risky because of higher-ups’ emphasis on superb and timely performance.
Consider the example of a team leader who tried to stimulate honest reflection about a large software-development project. He opened a post-project review by stating what he believed he himself could have done better. To his surprise, this honest self-assessment came back to haunt him when, during his next performance review, his manager noted, “I see you have made some mistakes this year,” and used the data to lower his ratings. When employees feel they can’t speak up about small failures, their organizations are at increased risk for large ones.
People don’t have enough time to learn.
An exclusive focus on execution-as-efficiency leads companies to delay, discourage, or understaff investments in areas where learning is critical. It’s a given that switching to a new approach can lower performance in the short run. The fastest hunt-and-peck typist must endure a short-term hit to performance while learning to touch-type, just as the tennis player suffers initially when shifting to a new, better serve. These are the costs of learning, which has its payoff in future performance. Managers who overemphasize results can subtly discourage technologies, skills, or practices that make new approaches viable.
When a major telecommunications firm launched the technologically new digital subscriber line (DSL) internet service in the late 1990s, it set ambitious production targets that failed to take the need for learning into account. The staff did not have sufficient time to work out how to implement new software and hardware that had to operate with customers’ not always up-to-date personal computer equipment: The result was a customer service nightmare.
Unhealthy internal competition arises.
To motivate people to execute well, companies often reward those divisions or plants with the best performance. This can make people reluctant to share ideas or best practices with their colleagues in other groups. Following his successful turnaround of the Simmons Bedding Company in 2003, CEO Charlie Eitel said in an interview that the firm’s 18 manufacturing plants—formerly competitors for a single annual award for best producer—had been individually hoarding successful practices for years. By adding incentives for absolute, rather than relative, quality and productivity, the company shifted its culture, encouraging people in different plants to share information—and saved $21 million through process improvements in the first year.
Companies think they can do no wrong.
When a successful business is wedded to its execution-as-efficiency approach, managers can fall prey to a classic attribution error: the conclusion that the company’s success is evidence of its wisdom. General Motors’ confidence in its centralized control systems blinded the company to major shifts in the automotive market, including customers’ preference for smaller, fuel-efficient cars and the growing presence of foreign competitors in the U.S. market. Similarly, HBS professor Mary Tripsas has shown, Polaroid’s confidence in its instant-film business model blocked senior executives’ ability to appreciate the opportunities presented by digital imaging.
First, Make It Safe
While General Motors was placing its faith in its execution efficiencies, Toyota was taking a different route, focusing on bottom-up process improvements of much the sort we’re discussing here, famously allowing any employee who saw a problem—small or large—to stop the line. Toyota has made no secret of its approach and invites executives the world over to come to its factories and see for themselves. And yet when visitors return to their own companies and try to put Toyota-like systems in place, many are disappointed, having failed to import the mind-set and culture that make the system work.
My research on why people withhold constructive ideas in the workplace suggests that before execution-as-learning can occur, organizations must fulfill one big prerequisite: They need to foster psychological safety. This means ensuring that no one is penalized if they ask for help or admit a mistake. Psychological safety is crucial, especially in organizations where knowledge constantly changes, where workers need to collaborate, and where those workers must make wise decisions without management intervention. It’s built on the premise that no one can perform perfectly in every situation when knowledge and best practice are moving targets.
In her research on individual mind-set differences, Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck has shown that the way children view a task affects their persistence and performance over time. Some children think of human ability or intelligence as fixed and, consequently, think of school tasks as performance opportunities—moments of truth that prove whether or not they’re smart. For these children, performing poorly on an assignment or a test would demonstrate that they lacked intelligence rather than indicating that they had more to learn. Believing that the point of execution is to demonstrate competence, they go out of their way to pick easier tasks. Of course, this means they lose out when it comes to learning. This same mind-set encourages managers to admire and expect to be rewarded for decisiveness, efficiency, and action rather than for reflection, inquiry, and collaboration, the uncertainty of which makes them uncomfortable. Like the children who have learned to shun new challenges, these managers avoid, and help others avoid, the risks of questions and experiments.
In psychologically safe environments, people are willing to offer up ideas, questions, concerns—they are even willing to fail—and when they do, they learn. In her studies, Dweck found that some children—those who early on were rewarded for effort and creativity more than for simply giving the right answer—see intelligence as something malleable that improves with attention and effort. Tasks are opportunities for learning; failure is just evidence that they haven’t mastered the task yet. Driven by curiosity about what will and will not work, they experiment. When things don’t pan out, they don’t give up or see themselves as inadequate. They pay attention to what went wrong and try something different next time. In adults, such a mind-set allows managers to strike the right tone of openness, humility, curiosity, and humor in ways that encourage their teams to learn.
Some managers might argue that fostering psychological safety can make it difficult to hold people accountable. Certainly, if employees feel particularly close to one another and the managerial hand is relatively weak, performance standards can slip. But in general, psychological safety is independent from employee accountability, and healthy organizations foster both by setting high performance aspirations while acknowledging areas of uncertainty that require continued exploration or debate. Setting ambitious goals while conceding the limits of current knowledge encourages striving without shutting down inquiry. On the other hand, an undue focus on accountability without psychological safety can produce a variety of organizational dysfunctions. (For more on this, see the exhibit “Does Psychological Safety Hinder Performance?”)
Does Psychological Safety Hinder Performance?
Psychological safety is not about being nice—or about lowering performance standards. Quite the opposite: It’s about recognizing that high performance requires the openness, flexibility, and interdependence that can develop only in a psychologically safe environment, especially when the situation is changing or complex. Psychological safety makes it possible to give tough feedback and have difficult conversations—which demand trust and respect—without the need to tiptoe around the truth.
Not surprisingly, the most important influence on psychological safety is the nearest boss. Signals sent by people in power are critical to employees’ ability and willingness to offer their ideas and observations. This means that levels of psychological safety vary strikingly from department to department and work group to work group, even in organizations known for having a powerful corporate culture. In a study of eight units in two teaching hospitals, for example, I found large differences in employees’ beliefs about whether it was safe to report medication errors—and differences in error-reporting rates as high as tenfold. As a result, some units were identifying risks and coming up with ways to avoid future problems, while others were not because the people in them were terrified to speak up.
Such findings shine the spotlight, for better or worse, on middle managers. How can they help create psychological safety in the groups they lead? A couple of simple, if not always intuitive, steps appear to make an enormous difference.
The first is to explicitly acknowledge the lack of answers to the tough problems groups face. (Strange as it may seem, very few managers do this. It’s not that they don’t recognize the imperfect state of knowledge; they just fail to mention it.) Acknowledging uncertainty may seem like a weakness, but in fact it’s usually an intelligent and accurate diagnosis of a murky situation. When supervisors admit that they don’t know something or made a mistake, their genuine display of humility encourages others to do the same.
The second is to ask questions—real questions, not leading or rhetorical ones. Simply put, when people believe that their managers want to hear from them and value their input, they respond more. Indeed, one could feel awkward or foolish not speaking in response to a question.
This is especially so when lives are on the line. In one study of quality-improvement projects in intensive-care units at 23 hospitals, my colleagues and I showed that when medical directors asked questions, acknowledged their own fallibility or lack of knowledge, and appreciated others’ contributions, the people in their units felt a higher degree of psychological safety than those in units whose leaders did not do so. As a result, these units more quickly adopted new practices that could reduce infection rates and lead to other improvements in patient care.
Senior executives, too, play an important role in building psychological safety. For instance, as CEO of Prudential Financial, Art Ryan instituted a series of training initiatives called “Safe to Say” to let employees know that their voices were not only welcome but required for success. Eli Lilly’s chief science officer introduced “failure parties” to honor intelligent experiments that failed. Policy interventions like these work best when accompanied by a clear and credible rationale for why openness and directness are needed to achieve superb performance. Senior executives may be best positioned to convey this message.
Execution-as-Learning: Four Steps
Organizations that adopt an execution-as-learning model don’t focus on getting things done more efficiently than competitors do. Instead, they focus on learning faster. The goal is to find out what works and what doesn’t; employees must absorb new knowledge while executing, often sacrificing short-term efficiency to gain insight into and respond to novel problems. My research has revealed four steps for making this happen.
Step 1: Provide process guidelines.
Figuring out the best ways to accomplish different kinds of work in a rapidly changing environment starts with seeking out best practices gathered from experts, publications, and even competitors. The path to execution-as-learning is thus similar to the path to efficiency—it starts with establishing standard processes. But the goal of these processes is not so much to produce efficiency as to facilitate learning, because effective knowledge organizations recognize that today’s best practices won’t be tomorrow’s and won’t work in every situation.
For example, the renowned design firm IDEO adheres faithfully to a standard process for developing its many innovative products. Similarly, in a hospital, even though each patient is unique, standard protocols make it easier for medical specialists to think in real time about the individual features of the case because the steps common to all patients with a particular condition are prescribed in advance. Standard processes both simplify routine action and highlight discrepancies in specific cases that suggest the need for process innovation or refinement.
To understand how this works, let’s look at an extraordinary health care organization called Intermountain Healthcare (IHC), an integrated system of over 100 facilities—including 21 hospitals, and numerous health centers, outpatient clinics, counseling centers, and group practices—located across Utah and southeastern Idaho. To increase employees’ chances of making good decisions under pressure and reduce unwanted variability in patient care, senior management put together 60 teams of experts on different diseases to develop detailed process guidelines for treating patients with those conditions. The high quality of these guidelines—designed to reflect the current best practices in the medical literature—was the result of analysis and debate by professionals in nursing and medicine who held diverse points of view. Each team worked hard to develop a set of clinical-care processes outlining the way patient care should unfold on the front lines. Similarly, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota convenes teams to review and standardize different types of care, using principles of lean manufacturing.
Step 2: Provide tools that enable employees to collaborate in real time.
No matter how much thought goes into advance planning, knowledge work often requires people to make concurrent collaborative decisions in response to unforeseen, novel, or complex problems. That is why another leading medical center, the Cleveland Clinic, developed its own state-of-the-art information technology systems that enable dispersed individuals participating in a particular patient’s care to work together virtually. Dr. Martin Harris, the clinic’s chief information officer, explains that the IT infrastructure “connects every caregiver in all of our facilities throughout Ohio and Florida into what is essentially a single medical practice. That means that all the vital medical information related to each patient is available to any caregiver in our health system whenever and wherever it is needed.” When a patient sees several physicians, as is often the case, caregivers working in different locations at different times can coordinate effectively. For example, through an automated alert function, physicians learn of drugs others have prescribed, thereby ensuring that medication decisions with interdependent consequences are made safely.
Fostering face-to-face collaboration is also critical in the knowledge economy. The most effective organizations I studied provided forums to build networks and training in team skills, both of which bring critical areas of expertise and responsibility together. For example, Groupe Danone, the global food company, uses knowledge “marketplaces”—lively events that occur during company conferences—to encourage frontline managers to share best practices and to innovate by suggesting new processes and products. Simmons Bedding developed an extensive training system to develop employees’ team skills, which helps them build relationships that foster collaboration within and across all of its plants.
Step 3: Collect process data.
Execution-as-efficiency focuses on performance data, which capture what happened. Execution-as-learning pays just as much attention to process data, which describe how work unfolds. IHC, for example, recognized that physicians, as highly educated experts, might resist process guidelines developed by a committee. For that reason and others, IHC does not discourage doctors from deviating from the guidelines. In fact, the organization invites them to, anytime they judge that good patient care requires it. The only condition: They have to help IHC learn by entering into the computer what they did differently—and why. This valuable feedback is captured in the system and periodically used by the expert teams to make updates or refinements. Most of the time, the deviations help identify ways the guidelines could be made more precise by taking relevant patient differences into account. The fact that protocols are not hard-and-fast rules but are instead flexible made them acceptable to physicians. Likewise, the Cleveland Clinic created a formal Quality Institute to standardize measures and supervise the collection and analysis of both process and outcome data to help identify and then spread best practices. At Minnesota Children’s Hospitals, data on both adverse events and close calls are captured as inputs to the next stage of the learning process.
Step 4: Institutionalize disciplined reflection.
The goal of collecting process data is to understand what goes right and what goes wrong, and to prevent failures from recurring. At IHC, teams of experts periodically analyze data collected during clinical activities. Often, these analyses suggest improvements to the guidelines, which are then integrated into the design of future processes. At the Cleveland Clinic, teams of physicians drawn from hospitals all over the system study process data and identify areas for improvement throughout the organization’s many sites. By 2006, the Clinic had seven such teams, including heart failure, stroke, diabetes, and orthopedic surgery. Process data showed, for instance, that stroke patients treated at various sites at the Clinic had not always received a blood thinner within the three-hour window that research identified as the standard of care. An analysis of patient outcomes helped to make the blood-thinner treatment the standard of stroke care for all Cleveland Clinic hospitals. As a result of this disciplined reflection, the hospitals doubled their use of the blood thinner and reduced complications from stroke by 50%. Similarly, at Children’s, unit-based safety action teams meet regularly to reflect on what they are learning about identifying hazards that can pose risks to their vulnerable young patients.
It’s not easy for a hospital, or any other organization facing cost constraints, to do this. Disciplined reflection takes productive resources off-line, and conventional management wisdom can’t help but see this as lost productivity. Nonetheless, the only way to achieve and sustain excellence is for leaders to insist that their organizations invest in the slack time and resources that support this step.• • •
I do not mean to imply that old-style execution-as-efficiency must always go by the wayside. Obviously, there are workplaces—call centers, fast-food restaurants, manufacturing plants—where doing things better and faster than the competition is critical. But even in such organizations, employees must learn if they are to improve. In work environments characterized by fear, the four steps described above become difficult, if not impossible, to follow.
When people know their ideas are welcome, they will offer innovative ways to lower costs.
Fostering an atmosphere in which trust and respect thrive, and flexibility and innovation flourish, pays off in most settings, even the most deadline driven. When managers empower, rather than control; when they ask the right questions, rather than provide the right answers; and when they focus on flexibility, rather than insist on adherence, they move to a higher form of execution. And when people know their ideas are welcome, they will offer innovative ways to lower costs and improve quality—thus laying a more solid foundation for their organization’s success. |
Congolese Refugee Health: Getting and Staying Well for Congolese Refugees
This YouTube video playlist, with voice-over audio narration in Swahili (also known as Kiswahili) and optional English subtitles, educates Congolese refugees pending resettlement as well as new arrivals about healthcare in the United states, women's health, and gender-based violence. On-screen text is presented in English and Swahili. The video series consists of four topics; two of the topics have two parts, for a total of six videos:
Introduction to Healthcare in the U.S. explains the role of healthcare providers, primary and preventive care, health insurance, and communication.
Your Body Before, During and After Pregnancy is a two-part video that describes the reproductive system, prenatal care, changes in the body during pregnancy, giving birth, the postpartum period, and birth control methods.
Men Speak: Helping Women Heal is a dramatic skit with two Congolese men talking about the gender-based violence inflicted on their wives before resettlement and moving towards a path of healing.
Women Speak: Finding Wellness After War is a two-part dramatic skit with Congolese women in a support group talking about the gender-based violence they have experienced, post-traumatic stress and navigating marital relations after sexual violence, overcoming stigma, and finding strength in each other.
A three-page user’s guide is also available, informing community organizations, refugee service providers, health educators, and other professionals or stakeholders working with Congolese refugees about how to share and use the video series in person or online
The English language resource was created or reviewed by a medical professional for quality and accuracy.
This translation was evaluated by a representative or group from the community for accuracy and cultural relevance. |
This year in the History of Modern China class, we have narrowed our understanding of history into two ideas. the first is what Hegel might call a quest to understand human existence, and the second, as according to Desmond Morton, sees history as a shared human experience.
If this is the case, that history can be qualified by what both Hegel and Morton offer, how does your inquiry into Modern Chinese history help us understand either or both our existence on this planet and how we might conceptualize our shared human experience?
Can you use examples from news articles in recent weeks to help you argue your case? What specific events, movements and people might be fodder for your claims? Read the following article and watch the film from this Aljazera article to help you: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/china-cultural-revolution-50-media-blackout-160516050538313.html
For Reading Reflection 5 in the History of Modern China course, we examine arguably one of the most significant events in China’s modern history. We were shocked to find that we new little about this event and very little attention is paid to it by western historians.
We decided to investigate this rebellion, using many of the historical thinking concepts. Here is a sampling of our thinking:
Over the past few weeks in the History of Modern China, we have been looking at the six historical thinking concepts and how these might lead us to ask powerful questions about history. Here is a sampling of how we used cause and consequence in order to develop research questions and subsequent arguments related to the rise and fall of the Qing dynasty. |
- Education and Science»
- English as a Foreign or Second Language
English Idioms and Phrases: Get a word in edgeways
Usually used negatively as in 'can't get a word in edgeways' or heard as edgewise replacing edgeways refers to a social situation. During a conversation you may try to add something, but if other people are talking a lot you can't even say what you want to say thus you can't get a word in edgeways.
"He was talking so much I couldn't get a word in edgeways'
The origin of this phrase is nautical. Edgeways means literally to move edge first, so for example when walking in a busy street you may turn to your side and walk more easily.
To 'edge forward' was an idea used in shipping referring to shallow or dangerous water. If the boat was at risk the captain would order the crew to 'edge forward' gently inch by inch.
To try and get word in edgeways refers to this process of trying to enter a word into a busy conversation where people are speaking a lot. |
- Education and Science»
- History & Archaeology
The Siege at Ninety Six.
A little background before the full on detailed account; Ninety six, (also known as Star fort,) is situated 60 miles South of Greenville South Carolina, and was eroniously thought to be ninety six miles away from the Cherokee village of Keowee. The siege which took place there during the Revelution lasted twenty eight days and was initiated by General Nethaniel Green, (Seen to the right) against some 500 British Loyalists who had fortified themselves there. unfortunately the siege was unsucessful and the Americans did not apprehend the town at that point, this action did however ultimately help the Americans drive the British back to the coast.
I recently found a copy of the pension application of a relative of mine who was present at ninety Six. I thought it was cool to see the details of a slightly historical event from the average person's point of view. The ink was badly smudged so it took a while to type it out. Here Surry gives a detailed account of the events which transpired.
“In the fall of the same year 1780 we took two Swayne Indians near Leneca River. five Indians were killed. During our stay at the Black House, three families were murdered and their houses burnt by the Indians. By the manner of Senith Johnson and the W. Crocket. in the Month of April 1781, the British Lories having acquired the Ascendetry in our neighborhood compelled us either to join them or leave. The latter alternative about thirty of us chose to join Gen. Green who was approaching the Ninety six.
About the 1st of May 1781 we joined Gen. Green on some water in North Carolina the name of which how long It’s been, and I am not particularly sure weather it was North or South Carolina. Towards the first of May we arrived at Ninety Six and laid siege to them. shortly after we laid siege to the British soldiers from the front. We remained two or three weeks and endeavored to take the food and keep watch without sleep. When it used ---- derationed threat ----------- from Charleston it’s relief, we made an approach on the port. We retreated up to the Saluda River and then to the Envoi.
3. Gen. Green then Turned and proceeded to Beacon’s Bridge. On the ridge below Orange Bearing. I will here mention that there was a good many men killed at Ninety Six; Somewhere about a hundred, I should think. I will also mention other volunteer officers to with Lieu’s. Birkward, and John Williams, I do not recollect any of the other officers except Gen. Green. I saw him often, he was a rather large, stout, man apparently about forty five years. Col. Corieger commanded the British at Ninety Six, and Lord Riau Dorn commanded the army which came to it’s relief towards the middle of the last of July. Gen Pickens received orders to proceed with his volunteers and join Gen. Clark of Georgia for the purpose of making an inroad to the Cherokee Nation.
We proceeded by slow marches to Abbeville District where we remained between two and three weeks resting. We resumed our march and joined Gen. Clark some time in the early part of the month of September. Three days march from Charleston an Indian village situated where there is a valley now known by the name of Narcaoshie in Habersham County, Georgia.
4.We approached Lovtiu Town secretly and arrived there three days after our junction with Gen. Clark. We attacked the Lacona about daylight and killed thirty seven Indians, and took between forty and fifty women and children prisoners. We remained there three days. I don’t recollect the number of any of the Georgia officers except Gen. We returned to Abbeville sometime in the month of October 1781. And received permission to go home. Previous to being disbanded I volunteered as a minute man and held myself in residence with my arms and equipment until the close of the war, though I was not called upon again, from August 1780 until October 1781I was in active service with slight intervals, that is I received short leaves of absence like other soldiers, though until October 1781, I was never indefinitely absent from my duty. I have no documentary evidence of my service nor ever had and there is no living witness to my knowledge of my services that there is no ministers of the gospel in this vicinity, that I was born in North Carolina Granville County in 1764,” |
London, Dec. 2 (ANI): Dispersant chemicals used by the British Petroleum in response to the Deepwater Horizon spill may have made oil sink deeper and faster into the US Gulf Coast beaches, scientists have claimed.
The research paper has warned that toxic components of the light crude may even have penetrated as far as groundwater supplies due to chemicals.
After the 2010 blowout at the Macondo Prospect, the company released about 2.6 million gallons of dispersant chemicals to disperse the huge quantities of crude oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico.
Dispersing the oil had short-term effect of making the catastrophe look less severe, but little was known about the long-term environmental effects.
Scientists said that the chemical may have simply made toxic components of the crude more mobile, allowing them to further penetrate beach sediments and leak back into the water where they could harm marine life.
Researchers from Utrecht University in the Netherlands and Florida State University examined the effects of the Corexit 9500A - a chemical dispersant BP pumped into surface waters and at the wellhead in response to the spill.
They found that using Corexit 9500A has the unexpected effect of allowing potentially harmful crude oil components called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to penetrate deeper and faster into the sands.
Once there the lack of oxygen could slow the degradation of the PHAs, extending their lifespan.
The researchers warned that using such dispersants in oil spills near shore could allow these chemicals to penetrate sands deeply enough to threaten groundwater supplies.
The researchers said that the application of the dispersant chemicals changed the behaviour of the oil when it hit the gulf coast's beaches in three ways.
Firstly, it transformed the oil into tiny particles that were better able to permeate through the sand.
Secondly, it coated these particles in such a way that they were less likely to stick to sand grains.
And lastly, it coated the sand grains themselves, making them less able to hold on to the oil.
The study has been published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. (ANI) |
Kazakhstan is the 9th largest national territory in the world. Its oil reserves are ranked 12th in the world and its natural gas reserves are 19th. It is a global leader in the production of coal, copper, zinc, bauxite, uranium and chrome ore. The extractive industries contributed 33.4% to Kazakhstan’s GDP and because of its substantial amount of natural resources and a relatively open approach to economic reform and foreign investment, Kazakhstan has been enjoying more than two decades of impressive economic growth.
The annual volume of FDI has been increasing year by year since 1998 and the share of investments in the oil and gas industry in total volume of FDI remains high. But over the last several years, state participation in the oil and gas industry has increased. The vertically integrated National KMG controls 20% of total oil and gas proved reserves of Kazakhstan and produces 27% of total oil and gas condensate and 14% of gas.
Under the leadership of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan has been experiencing an impressive economic growth for the past two decades. With a GDP of US$ 201.7 billion and a population of less than 17 million, Kazakhstan aims to join the world’s top 30 economies by 2050.
However, Kazakhstan’s heavy reliance on natural resources has also made it more susceptible to external pressure. As I mentioned in my previous blog post, the slumping oil prices has taken its toll on the economic growth of this oil-rich country. At the same time, rising social problems such as shrinking job markets in some ageing oilfields and domestic security concerns, potential political instability because the successor of the 73-year-old President Nursultan Nazarbayev remains unknown, worrying Russia-Ukraine and other geopolitical crisis, as well as the global economic recession have all contributed to the slowdown of Kazakhstan’s economic growth.
Another issue facing Kazakhstan’s healthy development of its extractive industries and the country as a whole is corruption and a lack of public supervision in government spending. The level of corruption remains sufficiently high, especially in the spending of public funds. Kazakhstan ranked at the 126th out of 175 countries in the 2014 Corruption Perception Index. The International Crisis Group estimated that more than 50% of Kazakhstan’s GDP is controlled by a single sovereign-wealth fund, Samruk-Kazyna, which was once led by President Nazarbayev’s son-in-law.
Perhaps that’s why the EITI introduced new rules and requirements on the issue of sub-national reporting on resource revenues in July 2011. The rationale behind such is that a more accurate disclosure of corporate payments and government revenues at the local level in the extractive industries would help curtail corruption and other forms of mismanagement of funds.
Kazakhstan, despite its corruption problems and unlimited presidential authority, is worth studying and learning from in terms of civil society participation in the EITI process.
Sergey Gulyayev, General Director of Decenta Public Foundation (DPF) in Kazakhstan, introduced in my exchange of emails with him that local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as civil society organizations (CSOs) initiated the discussion of sub-national reporting earlier than the EITI’s new standard was introduced.
When it comes to civil society engagement, NGOs and CSOs in Kazakhstan have been working hard to push forward public participation. According to a report by DPF, there were a few attempts to develop communication strategy on EITI in Kazakhstan to help better engage the public. These attempts have been made by: Coalition of NGOs “Oil Revenues – Under Public Control”, Dialogue Platform of NGOs, National Stakeholders Council, Working Group of the National Stakeholders’ Council, and Ministry of Information and Culture with Ministry of Industry and New Technologies.
Despite the good progress in civil society engagement and all stakeholders’ awareness of sub-national reporting, Sergey Gulyayev remarked that few specific steps or plans have been taken so far to develop strategy of sub-national development for EITI reporting.
Still, civil society was still the most interested party to promote EITI in Kazakhstan. The experience and progress in EITI Kazakhstan can served as a learning model for other countries such as Mongolia. Advancements in transparency have been seen in Kazakhstan now but additional efforts will be needed to strengthen the accountability side of the equation. |
German bunker tour offers return to cold war
A bunker designed to shelter 400 people for two weeks – including the leader of the former East German state – opens for tours in August.
At a forlorn bus stop 45 minutes outside Berlin, a faded schedule lists service to the suburbs. Voices drifting out of a workshop are the only signs of life in this 500-person town.
Nothing indicates that in the forest just a few hundred yards away is an underground bunker built to save elite East German leaders from a nuclear attack. The concrete-and-steel structure serves as a powerful reminder of the prospect of mutually assured nuclear annihilation when the US and USSR faced off in Berlin during the cold war.
The bunker will briefly drop its veil of secrecy this August, as a volunteer group opens it for three months to give the general public their first and final chance to see this bastion of a bygone era. It will then be permanently sealed.
Although a bunker built for West German leaders near Bonn opened as a museum in March, its East German counterpart has remained nearly as hidden as when construction began in 1978.
"The neighbors knew something was here then, but not what. They thought it was a missile base," explains Hannes Hensel, a photographer and leader of the Berlin Bunker Network (BBN), the volunteer group organizing tours of the bunker.
For more than two years, Mr. Hensel has traveled several times a week to the locked gate and dirt path that mark the way to the bunker.
The entrance is little more than a trapdoor in the tunnel ceiling. Hensel, a tall and sturdy climber who rappelled the walls to snap hundreds of panoramic photographs, swings easily to the muddy concrete floor and sets up a ladder.
He and other BBN members shot some 1,500 photos of the three-story, 7,500-square-meter bunker, which they plan to publish online by 2010.
Authorities in Berlin have struggled to prevent break-ins since the bunker was initially sealed in 1993. BBN assumed responsibility for securing the bunker and sealing it permanently in exchange for the right to conduct tours and photograph the interior.
The Prenden facility was designed to shelter about 400 people for two weeks, including Erich Honecker, who led the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1971 to 1989, and was responsible for building the Berlin Wall.
The bunker comprises a series of containers suspended by huge cables inside a concrete shell. An 11-foot-thick blast cap would have protected from all attacks but a direct bomb strike.
The facility is one of many built by an East German leadership in the late 1970s and 1980s, fearful that the policy of detente between cold war powers was merely a front for a Western attack plan, says Rainer Eckert, director of the Forum for Contemporary History.
"It's a little strange. The GDR was about to collapse, the revolution was coming, and even as the economy was doing badly, they were building these bunkers," Mr. Eckert says. "It's a paradox in history." |