Split (1)

train · 970k rows

text stringlengths 187 626k
Compressed Zip File Be sure that you have an application to open this file type before downloading and/or purchasing. How to unzip files. 2.89 MB \| 25+ pages Everything you need for one week of vocabulary instruction. 20 words chosen from chapters 7,8 and 9 of _The Great Gatsby_. Save money by purchasing vocabulary sets for the entire novel here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Gatsby-Vocabulary-Bundle-1363469 Vocabulary list, slides, and quiz for Chapters 7,8 and 9 of F. Scott Fitzgerald's _ The Great Gatsby _. Vocabulary lists with twenty words, two versions of each vocabulary quiz and answer keys, PowerPoint slides with contemporary images to introduce words to students. Context clue handout also included. Vocabulary lists have lines for students to generate their own sentences using context clues. I like to hand out vocabulary lists on Mondays. Use the slides to introduce five words per day at the beginning of each lesson and add modern context to these words through discussion. I typically have students complete the worksheet during the week and hand in before taking the quiz on Fridays. Vocabulary quizzes require students to spell, identify part of speech, and fill in the blank with ten of the twenty words. I have students study all twenty words, so they do not know which ten words will be on the quiz. Keep everyone honest with two versions of the quiz (handy for students absent on quiz day or for teachers with multiple hours). Students can grade each other's work in class for immediate feedback. All documents in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. You can make changes as needed. Also see my vocabulary bundle for Arthur Miller's _The Crucible_.
HANNIBAL – Eva Mozes Kor doesn’t mind talking about the nine months she and her twin sister spent in Auschwitz during World War II. She openly shares about inhumane experiments by infamous Dr. Josef Mengele. She matter-of-factly tells of watching as other Jewish children were shot as the Allies drew closer to the concentration camp. But, all things considered, she’d prefer to talk about forgiveness. Kor spoke for nearly two hours at Hannibal-LaGrange University March 28 to a packed house of students and the community, later answering questions and signing autographs. “It was a lovely spring day in 1944,” she began, jumping right into her story as she sat behind a small table on the large, empty stage. “Our cattle car train came to a sudden stop. I could hear a lot of German voices outside. Inside the cattle car, we were packed like sardines. We could see nothing. There was a little patch of grey sky in the corner.” Eva was born into the only Jewish family in a small village in Transylvania. When she was six years old, Hungarian Nazis occupied the village and in 1944 they were loaded into that cattle car and taken to Auschwitz. After four days on the train hours without food and water, Eva and her family were let onto the selection platform at the camp along with hundreds of other Jews. “I will always remember that platform,” she said. “There’s not another strip of land like that anywhere on the face of this earth.” Though she was still with her mother and identical twin sister, Miriam, her two older sisters and her father were already gone, never to be seen again. Nazi soldiers were combing through the crowds looking for twin children and Eva’s mother, guessing that being twins might offer some small bit of protection or special treatment from the danger, pointed Eva and Miriam out to the guards. “One Nazi pulled my mother in one direction, and we were pulled in other direction,” she said. “We were crying. She was crying. I never said goodbye to her, but I never realized that this was the last time I would see her.” Eva and Miriam became part of 1,500 sets of young, Jewish twins used in bizarre, inhumane and torturous experiment at the hand of Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, who thought twins held some genetic secret to be unlocked. They lived in rat-infested bunks stacked three high, and ate only coffee and bits of moldy bread. Most would die, either from the conditions or experiments. “If you look at my tattoo on my arm, you might think it is faded,” she said. “It is not faded. I fought the guards so hard they never were able to complete it. It took four of them to hold me down. I don’t remember it – I hadn’t slept in days – but my sister said I bit one them.” She and Miriam were at Auschwitz for nine months, enduring daily experiments. Some of the more heinous stories tell of cross-type blood transfusions, sterilization and attempting to join separate twins together as conjoined twins. Eva said she has blocked out most details of the experiments from her memory, but offered one chilling account. “I came down with a fever and was taken to the hospital,” she said. “Dr. Mengele examined me and said ‘It’s a pity that she is so young. She will die within two weeks.’” They left her with no treatment for a month, leaving her to crawl across the room to get food and water. “‘I am not dead,’” Eva told herself. “‘I refuse to die. I am going to outsmart those doctors, prove Dr. Mengele wrong and get out of here alive.’” Her fever broke and she made it back to her sister, but Miriam looked just as bad as Eva. She later discovered that when the Nazis were certain Eva would die, they considered Miriam expendable since she no longer had a twin. Miriam was thrown into isolation and subjected to kidney poisoning which would eventually contribute to her death in 1993. Toward the end of 1944, the experiments’ frequency lessened and sightings of Allied planes overhead increased. The guards abandoned their posts as the Soviet Army closed in, leaving the children and other prisoners to starve to death. Less than 200 of the 3,000 twins brought to the camps were rescued Jan. 27, 1945. Eva and Miriam bounced around different refugee camps before returning to Transylvania. Though she was free from the Nazis, the teenaged Eva felt stifled by the Communists in post-war Eastern Europe. “I was a difficult prisoner for the Nazis, but I was just as bad a communist,” she joked. The pair secured visas to immigrate to Israel where Eva went to agricultural degree and achieved the rank of Sergeant Major in the Israeli Army. She met an American tourist vacationing in Israel, also a Holocaust survivor, and the two were married in 1960. She soon followed him to America (he chose to live in Terra Haute, Ind. because it was the hometown of the first soldier he spoke to when his camp was liberated). At the request of documentary filmmakers, she traveled to Germany in 1995 and met with Dr. Munch, an aging Auschwitz doctor, though not one that had any dealings with her (Mengele fled to South America after the war and drowned after having a stroke while swimming in 1979.) “Surprisingly, he was very kind to me,” Eva said. “Even more surprising, I found out I liked him.” He filled in some information about the death camps that Eva had been missing, and agreed to speak on camera for the documentary. She asked him to sign an affidavit documenting how he would sign a single death certificate for the thousands of Jews crammed into the gas chambers to be murdered. “I was so glad that I would have an original document signed by a Nazi – a participator, not a survivor and not a liberator – to add to the historical collection, ” she said. “I was so grateful that Dr. Munch was willing to come with me to Auschwitz and sign that document about the operation of the gas chambers, and I wanted to thank him. But what does one give a Nazi doctor? How can one thank a Nazi doctor?” “I finally thought: How about a simply letter of forgiveness? From me to him.” “Immediately I felt that a burden of pain had been lifted from my shoulders, a pain I had lived with for fifty years: I was no longer a victim of Auschwitz, no longer a victim of my tragic past. I was free.”
The competition is called "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology," or FIRST. It is organized to inspire curiosity and create interest in science and mathematics among today's high school students. The competition is a unique varsity sport of the mind designed to help discover the interesting and rewarding life of engineers and researchers. The local competition will include participation from more than 60 high schools teams from Virginia, Maryland, Washington and several other states. Forty-five regional competitions also will take place around the country. Championship competitions will occur in Atlanta in April. NASA is the largest sponsor of the national FIRST program, including support for five regional competition events and more than 280 teams. The program was founded in 1989 by accomplished inventor Dean Kamen to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people, their schools and their communities. Based in Manchester, New Hampshire, FIRST is a non-profit organization that designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge and life skills while motivating young people to pursue academic opportunities. For more information about the local competition and a listing of competing teams, visit:
Learn something new every day More Info... by email Product design is generally a technical field and there are several options when it comes to the appropriate education. Industrial design programs are often available at the bachelor’s, master’s, or higher levels of education, while vocational and apprenticeship programs can also prepare one for a career in the field, depending on the job. There are also high school courses and programs that can help one prepare as well. Most of the time a college or university level education is required for an entry-level job, in which students learn how to design and market products. While most industrial design programs take place beyond the high school level, computer, math, and technology classes can help prepare one for the work ahead. Art and technical drawing courses are usually beneficial as well so students can learn to visualize things from a design perspective. Vocational programs are often available too. Sometimes offered at community colleges and other technical education institutions, these can help students launch a career in applied design or in producing packaging design solutions, for example. Vocational programs typically also provide the education and technical skills, such as the use of the systems and materials for the packaging industry, needed in an industrial design career. Students can learn about the design of ceramics, furniture, and metal crafts, as well as how to make technical drawings; knowledge of packaging systems, laws and regulations, and process analysis is often gained as well. Usually the most beneficial industrial design programs, however, are college or university degrees. These often include courses in computer aided design, engineering, manufacturing, and mathematics. The typical degree program includes an internship within a manufacturing environment. Such experience often helps one decide on a career in production or other form of industrial design, or if he or she wants to concentrate on business administration. A component of many degree programs is often training on how to use software to develop three-dimensional models. Applied science and marketing skills usually go along with computer design capabilities. Some industrial design programs focus on commercial design, while others train students for a career in architecture. One can also work as an apprentice if an industrial design firm provides such a program. Often incorporating class work in math, industrial drafting, machinery, and safety, these industrial design programs typically enable participants to learn the industry while on the job. Acquired skills can include making sketches and layouts, producing graphics, and integrating the fine details into a drawing or production process. One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!
13 July 2011 Life of the Common People under Louis XIV’s Rule An Absolute Monarchy was a new concept to the people of France during the 1600’s. Other forms of government were failing from lack of control, so the people of France turned to an Absolute Monarch, named Louis XIV. The only problem with Louis was that he was self-centered, and did not care a whole lot about governing his kingdom. He was more concerned with making himself looking good, and even went as far to call himself the “Sun God.” As a result, the French common people lived very rough lives, due to the neglect of their king. It was not an easy life for the French people under King Louis XIV’s rule, and it was not made better by his view on governing. This is shown through his lack of genuine care for his people, over taxation, and wars of the time. City life was very harsh on people, and this is shown by the fact that King Louis XIV himself did not live in the city. The people of Paris were starving because of a war happening; all of the food is going to the troops. Louis handles this problem by showing his generous heart, and giving the people spoiled food to eat. This action caused unrest and rioting, which was a problem for King Louis. The citizens of Paris were treated as mere objects and not people, and this would be hard to live with. Harsh living conditions made life hard as it is, and the spoiled food added to their loathsome lives. During king Louis XIV’s reign, he fought many wars in order to expand his territory. This caused many people who did not want to fight, be forced to join in wars they didn’t believe in. King Louis would even go as far as to send women’s loved ones into combat, just so when they died their inevitable death, he could have their significant other. Also, wars caused even more poverty for the people of France. In an instance where a woman’s husband was killed in combat, the wife...
As Mexicans in the country's north reel from the impact of Tropical Storm Alex, residents further south in Guatemala are still struggling with the aftermath of another storm. Tropical Storm Agatha barreled through the country last month, flooding farms and ruining a year's harvest. The storm only exacerbated a food crisis in the Central American country. The World Food Programme says close to a million Guatemalans live in hunger or fear of starvation. That's about seven per cent of the population. More than 20 per cent of Guatemalans are undernourished as are nearly 50 per cent of children under the age of five. But since Tropical Storm Agatha wiped out crops across the country, food insecurity has become more acute. Al Jazeera's David Mercer reports from San Miguel Escobar, Guatemala. Source: Al Jazeera
Planetary Resources, the group of world leaders charged with building the ground floor opportunities for a space travel industry, needs our help. One of those opportunities involves mining asteroids, believed to hold riches beyond belief. Developing technology that will enable travel to those pots of gold is already a daunting task, but the real concern is finding those asteroids in the first place. Luckily, Planetary Resources has a plan. This week, Planetary Resources announced plans to empower citizen scientists to aid in the search for potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) and support planetary defense. Funded by the ARKYD Kickstarter (if it reaches $1.7 million by Sunday, and you can help make that happen), Planetary Resources will partner with Zooniverse to create Asteroid Zoo, a program to find potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) at home.Asteroid Zoo will allow students, citizen scientists and space enthusiasts to search through terabytes of data collected by Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) for undiscovered asteroids in a fun, game-like process from their personal computers, and help train computers to better find them in the future. Sound interesting? Want to have a hand in forging the future of space travel for all? Check out this video from Planetary Resources with Chief Asteroid Miner Chris Lewicki:
Ocean Trash Plaguing Our Sea Garbage patches in the ocean aren't piled-up islands of trash and debris, as is the common perception. But that doesn't mean the tiny, swirling plastic bits are nothing to worry about. In the Pacific Ocean, four ocean currents merge to form the North Pacific gyre, also known as the North Pacific Subtropical High, which spans the western US to Japan, and Hawaii to California. This enormous rotating vortex has collected floating garbage from across the Pacific, but much of the debris can typically be found in the calm center of this rotating area, often referred to as the "eastern Pacific garbage patch." Keep in mind, however, that this is no island or blanket of trash that can be seen with satellite or aerial photographs—most of the floating trash is tiny pieces of plastic, many of them so small as to be invisible to the human eye. Its vast size and the small size of the trash left the garbage patch largely unnoticed until the early 1990s, when Captain Charles Moore, head of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, sailed through a rarely traveled area between Hawaii and the mainland. Over the course of a week, despite being hundreds of miles from land, Moore watched a continuous stream of plastic trash float by. Although fishermen and sailors have noted the debris in this area for years, it was Captain Moore who brought the area into the public sphere. While the garbage patch has received a lot of attention because of its size, it is not the only area where marine debris can be found: marine debris affects waters and coastlines around the world. A 2014 study estimated that 8 million metric tons of plastic trash enter the sea from land every year—the equivalent of five plastic bags filled with trash for every foot of coastline around the world. Animals frequently become entangled in large pieces of debris, and can be cut, drowned, or slowed down by dragging the extra weight. Additionally, heavy gear, such as fishing nets, can damage reefs and other important habitats. Because of its durability, low cost, and our increased use in recent decades, plastic makes up the majority of marine debris seen on shorelines and floating in oceans worldwide. This creates a difficult problem because most plastics are not biodegradable (bacteria don't break them down into simple, harmless components the way they do paper or wood). Instead, as plastic ages, the sun's light and heat break it into smaller and smaller pieces. This tiny plastic confetti, along with larger pieces of floating plastic, creates a big problem. Birds and filter feeders that strain food out of the water may mistake plastic for plankton, fish eggs, or other food. On remote Midway Atoll, Laysan albatross parents accidentally feed their chicks bits of plastic, which fill up their stomachs and cause them to starve. Deep-sea fish living near the garbage patch eat the tiny bits of plastic. Scientists have discovered that microbial ecosystems grow on the floating plastic bits, to unknown effect. Even in the protected waters of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument along the northwestern Hawaiian Islands, our trash threatens endangered species like Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles. This massive global problem is not hopeless. Some countries and states have banned plastic bags, a trend that will continue with public support. Participating in beach or park clean-ups is an easy way to reduce the amount of trash that reaches natural waters. You can avoid exfoliating soaps and toothpastes with tiny plastic microbeads, and complain to the companies that make them. And you can help every day by avoiding plastic packaging wherever possible, bringing reusable bags to the grocery store, and drinking from reuseable water bottles or coffee mugs. Scientists with agencies such as NOAA, and other institutions around the world, continue to research the impacts of marine debris, including the emerging area of microplastic debris (plastic that is less than 5mm) and its impacts on our marine ecosystems. Last Updated May 31, 2015Tags: Endangered species, Human impacts, Pacific islands
This was the second chart to show the New World. Inscriptions on the coast of Brazil indicate that the Portuguese knew that it was a new continent said to have been discovered by Cabral in 1500 (actually discovered by Vincente Pinzon in 1499). Inscriptions near the islands north of there are labeled "the Antilles of the King of Castille" attributing their discovery to the Spanish. This was the first use on a chart of the term Antilles. The point of land northwest of Isabella (Cuba) is probably Florida even though it was not officially "discovered" until 11 years later in 1513 by Ponce de Leon. No one knows the source of information about that peninsula. Perhaps it was discovered by an anonymous Portuguese or Spanish explorer, or slave trader. For Portugal to acknowledge that would have been a violation of the Treaty of Tordesillas of 1494. The Line of Tordesillas is shown cutting through Brazil at the south and Terra Nova (Newfoundland) in the north. Consequently the Portuguese claimed Brazil and the land at the north. Notations on the African and Asian coasts show valuable trade information and a coastline of southern Asia indicates that it was separate from South America. This is not the case at the northern areas of Asia and the North American mainland. Alberto Cantino was secretly sent to Lisbon to get the latest information about Portuguese explorations by the Duke of Ferrara, Ercole d'Este. Cantino paid a Portuguese mapmaker 12 golden ducats to draw the chart on three pieces of vellum which were glued on a large piece of cloth. It measures 4 X 8 feet. The mapmaker had access to the secret information in the Armazem da Guinee Indias (Repository of Guinea and the Indies) where nautical charts were kept. The map represented the latest, closely guarded information. Cantino sent the chart from Genoa to the Duke of Ferrara, as stated in a letter by him to the Duke, dated November 19, 1502. The chart stayed in the library of the Duke for 90 years, then it was moved to another palace in Modena, where it stayed until 1859. During riots in that year, it apparently was removed from the palace and hung in a butcher shop as a screen, until recovered in 1868 by Giuseppe Bonne, director of the Biblioteca Estense in Modena, Italy. It is still in the Biblioteca and is in good condition. Image scanned from a reproduction in a private collection. References: Schwarz and Ehrenburg (2001), Burden (1996), Stevens (1970).
Upper Hunter Air Quality Monitoring Network: Questions and answers On 21 October 2009 the Minister for the Hunter, the Hon Jodi McKay MP, announced a partnership between government agencies and the mining and power industries to establish the Upper Hunter Air Quality Monitoring Network. The planned network would include up to 14 air-quality (dust) monitoring stations which will also monitor wind speed and wind direction. Following the announcement, the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) held community consultation meetings to communicate the rationale for the network, explain the partnership between industry and government, and gauge whether the planned network met the expectations of the community. The community information and consultation meetings were held on 17 November 2009 at Singleton Civic Centre and 18 November 2009 at Muswellbrook Council Administration Centre. At these meetings, participants raised a number of issues and posed a number of questions. The following questions and answers represent a synthesis of the major issues raised in these two public meetings. These questions and answers should be read in conjunction with the OEH fact sheet Upper Hunter Air Quality Monitoring Network (November 2009). In the questions and answers below, PM10 means air particles with a diameter less than 10 microns (or ten millionths of a metre) and PM2.5 means particles with a diameter less than 2.5 microns. 1. Should the network be based on monitoring PM2.5 rather than PM10 particles? Particulate matter (PM) comprises a range of 'particle matter' sizes (www.environment.nsw.gov.au/aqms/definitions.htm). The network is proposed to be based on PM10 rather than PM2.5 as this is the current air quality standard and goal under the National Environment Protection Measure (NEPM). For further details, visit the COAG Standing Council on Environment and Water at: www.scew.gov.au/archive/air/aaq-nepm.html. PM10 is the measure used at other air quality monitoring sites operated by OEH to monitor particulate matter levels. These sites are located in the metropolitan network (Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle) and the regional centres of Albury, Bathurst, Tamworth and Wagga Wagga. If the COAG Standing Council on Environment and Water changes the NEPM standard, these networks can be updated to reflect the revised standard. The proposed Upper Hunter Air Quality Monitoring Network can also be updated to reflect the new standard. The 14 monitors will continuously measure all particles that are smaller than PM10, which includes PM2.5. However, these monitors cannot differentiate between the fraction or weight of particles between PM10 and PM2.5 and the fraction that is PM2.5 or smaller. For research purposes, PM2.5 monitors are proposed to be located at Singleton and Muswellbrook. 2. Will the composition of the dust particles be monitored? The proposed network is designed to measure the concentration of particulate matter at each site but not chemical composition. The reason for this is that the current national air quality standards for particulate matter relate to the total concentration of particles within the PM10 size range, rather than the composition of the particles (see the NEPM website: www.ephc.gov.au/nepms). 3. Will heavy metals be monitored as part of the network? The network is designed to measure dust particles at a size of PM10 or less because dust is the most significant pollutant associated with open-cut coal mining. The PM10 monitors are not designed or suitable for monitoring heavy metals in ambient air. When required, samples of heavy metals from ambient sources are obtained on a 'campaign' basis. Such samples require laboratory analysis. Heavy metals and other pollutants are currently monitored in stack emissions from Liddell and Bayswater power stations as a condition of Macquarie Generation's Environment Protection Licences. 4. Why wasn't the community consulted earlier in the process? The decision was made to develop a detailed proposal to take to the community for consultation, rather than go out earlier with a broader concept. OEH believed that a more detailed approach would provide more focus for community consultation. Nonetheless, the two community forums indicate OEH's commitment to extensive consultation and the community's views will continue to be sought as the project develops. The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between major dust-contributing industries, OEH and the Department of Planning in September 2009 was a necessary and important step towards developing a framework to establish and fund an independent and centrally coordinated network of real-time dust monitoring sites in the Upper Hunter. Community consultation could not commence until the MoU had been finalised and signed by all parties. 5. Why has it taken this long to begin monitoring? Coal and power generation industries in the Upper Hunter Region are required to monitor air quality as a condition of development approvals or consents issued by the NSW Department of Planning. Industries are also required to monitor air quality as a condition of Environment Protection Licences issued by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA). There are currently more than 30 PM10 monitors operating in the Upper Hunter. However, with the expansion in the mining industry and the population in the region, government, industry and the community recognised that a more strategic and coordinated approach was needed for the monitoring and reporting of results. The proposed ambient air-quality monitoring network will be coordinated by the NSW Government and the data from the network made available to the community via the OEH website. 6. Will the removal of redundant monitors affect the quality of the monitoring data reported? Monitors currently operated by the mining industry will be maintained and function for a sufficient period to allow comparison with results from the new monitoring network. Where there is good correlation between monitoring sites, older equipment and duplicate monitors can be phased out without affecting the quality and reliability of the data from the new network. Data from redundant monitors will be retained for future reference. 7. Will the Bulga area have a monitor and will it be a PM2.5 monitor (real-time)? The Bulga area has been identified as a preferred site for a PM10 real-time network monitor. PM2.5 monitors are planned for the Singleton and Muswellbrook locations. 8. Why can't the 24-hour average be scrapped for a one-hour average? OEH's air quality index website for the Sydney metropolitan and regional networks is specifically designed to report PM10 as a 24-hour rolling average. PM10 data for the Upper Hunter will also be reported as a 24-hour rolling average. This will enable the results to be compared with other metropolitan, regional and country locations in NSW in real-time and against the NEPM standard and goal. The website also reports the highest one-hour average daily. OEH staff can also query the database for information over shorter or longer time frames for specific investigations or research projects. OEH is also working to develop a graphics-based data display to make it easy for the public to view and interpret monitoring data. 9. Will there be a monitor in the Denman and Scone localities? OEH is considering establishing a monitor at a suitable location in the general locality of Denman, Wybong or Scone. OEH will work with community, industry stakeholders and technical specialists over the coming months to select a suitable site. 10. Will the expansion of the mining industry be addressed? OEH is aware that the network's effectiveness in monitoring regional air quality may be affected over time by changes in mining operations, the expansion of existing mines and the establishment of new mines. OEH, with advice from a network advisory committee, will regularly review the need to relocate monitors or establish new monitoring sites. Membership of the committee will include industry, community, government and local government representatives. 11. What strategies are there to address the need for independence of data from the industries being monitored? OEH will ensure that the Standards Australia and the National Environment Protection Measures (Ambient Air Quality) technical papers guide the construction, operation and reporting standards for the network. Site maintenance and operation will be undertaken by field staff within the Atmospheric Science section under its current scope of NATA accreditation. The monitoring undertaken will comply with accredited NATA quality systems. Once the data has been collected from the monitoring sites and transferred to the OEH central database, strict quality control regimes will be employed. OEH will also undertake periodic quality assurance audits of the full network to certify compliance. 12. Will there be community participation on the management committee? The public would like to see a minimum of three representatives per local government area. A network advisory committee will be established and will include representation from appropriate local government and government agencies, the community and mining and power industries. The role of the advisory committee will be to advise OEH on a wide range of issues associated with the establishment and operation of the network. OEH will work with the Upper Hunter community in 2010 to select community representation for the committee. 13. Will pollutants from diesel motors, rail and roads be measured? The network will measure ambient air quality at the nominated locations. Emissions from vehicles will constitute a proportion of the particulate matter being monitored. The monitoring stations will not be able to differentiate between emission sources. Monitors currently operated by Macquarie Generation in Singleton and Muswellbrook also monitor nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide from combustion engines and other combustion sources. In a separate project, OEH is working with Macquarie Generation on a proposal to re-locate some of these monitors to the network sites in Singleton and Muswellbrook and for this data to be available on the OEH website. 14. What action will be taken if pollution levels rise above safe levels? Once the network is established, OEH will work with the network advisory committee to develop an operational response protocol. The operational response protocol will outline actions that could be taken if the particulate matter readings reported on the network exceed NEPM recommended levels. 15. How will individuals who don't have access to the internet gain access to network information/data? Local libraries provide free access to the internet. Individuals can visit their local library and subscribe to SMS updates for their mobile telephones. OEH no longer provides paper copies of the Air Quality Index because of the large volumes of data required to be printed. 16. If the National Pollution Inventory can identify the sources of dust pollution, why can't the network? The National Pollution Inventory (NPI) reports information from surveys submitted by individual mine operators based on a set of emission factors, formulae and reporting protocols. These protocols provide a standard method for each company to estimate the annual mass of emissions from various pollution sources such as truck haulage of material, dragline and shovel operations. The information reported is not based on actual monitoring data and is reported annually as the estimated mass, in kilograms, emitted for the previous year. The air quality network will accurately measure the concentration of PM10 from all sources, in real-time, at up to 14 monitoring sites. This information is a more sensitive and reliable indicator of community exposure to particulates over short and long periods of time and for the evaluation of health-related issues. The design of the network and the monitoring of wind speed and direction will assist OEH to identify dust sources taking into consideration the prevailing wind direction. This level of analysis is not achievable using NPI data. 17. How will the network improve people's health and reduce the dust in the air? Accurate, long-term records are the cornerstone to evaluating air quality against current and future national standards, identifying trends in air particle levels, taking action to reduce exposure when levels are above the appropriate standard, supporting studies to assess health impacts, targeting actions to improve air quality and evaluating the effectiveness of the actions taken. Establishing the network, storing the data on a central database and making data easily accessible to government agencies, the community, industry and research institutions will be an important tool to ensure that air quality in the Upper Hunter meets the appropriate guidelines. 18. Will there be a monitor in Camberwell? The Camberwell area has been identified as a preferred site for a PM10 19. How long until PM2.5 standards are established in Australia? The National Environment Protection Council (NEPC) is currently undertaking a review of the NEPM standards and a discussion paper is expected to be released by April 2010. From this review the NEPC may decide to establish a standard and goal for PM2.5 to be phased in over a specified period. Information on the review process is available on the Environment Protection and Heritage Council website www.ephc.gov.au/nepms. 20. Will there be another community meeting to report on the status of the project? OEH will work with key stakeholder groups over the coming months to establish whether there is a need for further community consultation meetings. The OEH website at www.environment.nsw.gov.au/aqms/upperhunter.htm will be periodically updated on the network project and future community meetings will be held if there is a strong demand. 21. Will all the pollutants (such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides) be integrated into the network? The proposed network is specifically designed to monitor PM10, wind speed and wind direction as the current NEPM standard and goal for particulates is based on PM10. PM2.5 will also be monitored at select sites (refer to question 19 for further information). Macquarie Generation currently monitoring ambient levels of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide at five sites in the Upper Hunter including Singleton and Muswellbrook. OEH is working with Macquarie Generation on a proposal to re-locate some of this current monitoring to the new network monitoring sites in Singleton and Muswellbrook. The relocation of this monitoring would allow the data to be reported real-time via the OEH website. 22. Is the Memorandum of Understanding a public document? Where can it be viewed? Although the MoU is not a public document, individuals are welcome to contact the Hunter Region office of OEH and request to view a copy of the MoU. 23. Will OEH be 'fingerprinting' dust sources? Fingerprinting dust sources is not a viable tool for the day-to-day regulation of mining operations. However, monitoring both wind speed and direction at each of the monitoring sites will assist OEH to identify dust sources under prevailing wind conditions. 24. Will the network be able to pick up spikes in dust levels? Air quality PM10 data is currently reported as a 24-hour rolling average on the OEH Air Quality Index. The website also reports the highest one-hour average daily. This averaging period will record changes in air quality over the course of a day. 25. What will happen when there are system outages? Monitoring sites will periodically be unavailable to report the data back to the data server. These outages are often caused by power or telecommunication failures and technical issues with the complex monitoring equipment. Generally, the data which is not reported to the server when the failure occurs is retrieved from the monitor at a later time. However, in some instances, data lost due to system failures may not be able to be retrieved. When a system outage occurs, OEH will work with NATA-accredited technicians to have the problem rectified as a priority. 26. Will the website store historical data? The OEH website has a search function which will allow users to search historical data. The search facility is viewable on: www.environment.nsw.gov.au/AQMS/search.htm. 27. Will the impact of dust on the horse industry be measured? The areas covered by the network are across much of the Upper Hunter Region, including Aberdeen and Jerrys Plains, and an additional site in the western part of the region is under consideration. The network will monitor ambient air quality, wind speed and wind direction in these areas. This will assist individuals, government agencies, industries and researchers to use the network database to assess ambient air quality conditions across a large part of the Upper Hunter Region. 28. Can the network be changed once it is in place? OEH recognises the network's effectiveness in monitoring regional air quality may be affected over time because of changes in mining operations, the expansion of existing mines and the establishment of new mines. OEH, with advice from the network advisory committee, will regularly review the need to relocate monitors or to establish new monitoring sites. The advisory committee will include community and industry representatives. Page last updated: 17 September 2013
A study in the small Dutch town of Hengelo is conducting field research by the University of Twente to determine if a new type of concrete can reduce acid rain. Concrete paving stones are laced with photosensitive titanium dioxide. When used to pave highways, the additive reacts with sunlight and the nitrogen oxide particles emitted by car exhaust, thereby forming nitrates. The testing is being conducted by measuring the air quality surrounding a treated section of the highway and comparing the results from an untreated portion. According to a statement issued by the University: With one rain shower everything is washed clean… By measuring the air quality in both areas, we will be able to show the efficacy of the bricks. I won’t pretend to be an expert on nitrates, or the amount needed to determine toxicity, but if the nitrates are getting “washed clean”, then they still have to go somewhere. Presumably, they are going to end up in a larger source of water. Be it ground water or out-to-sea, nitrates are still toxic to marine life and sensitive humans. It sounds too much like cleaning up one problem with another – or worse yet, cleaning it up and letting it drain into someone else’s back yard. This just doesn’t ring with that problem-solving chime I want to hear.
10 Wacky Experimental Nazi Weapons During the World War II, the Nazis experimented with a number of new weapon designs. Many of them, like the V-1 and V-2 rockets, the U-boat, or the Panzer tank, saw extensive action. However, there were some that never really caught on, either because of impracticality or a lack of time. That doesn’t make them any less awesome. 10Heinkel He 162 Designed and launched in three months during 1944, the He 162 was chosen as a winner of the Volksjäger (“People’s Fighter”) aircraft design competition, which the Nazis set up to find defensive aircraft that could be mass-produced, using little strategic resources. The 162 was also designed to be flown by novice or untrained pilots, since the aces of the German air force kept dying and it took too long to train new pilots. Ironically, it actually proved terribly complicated to fly, making it more or less useless for the Hitler Youth, who were set to be the pilots. The wings were made mostly of wood, with only a metal fuselage. Even though the first prototype broke its wing during a test flight, the He 162 went into production, and about 116 of the planes were completed. Very few were flown successfully. 9Panzer VIII Maus The Panzer VIII Maus was a super-heavy tank that remains the largest fully enclosed armored fighting vehicle ever built. Designed by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, the Panzer VIII was 50 percent longer than the next largest German tank and was over three times as heavy. Due to the fact that bridges weren’t able to support the weight, the Panzer VIII was designed with a series of components that would allow it to travel underwater to a depth of over 13 meters (45 ft). Due to the impracticalities of building such a massive machine, the Germans never put them into action, and they may have been designed to be as much a psychological weapon as a literal one. Incomplete tanks were captured by British and Soviet forces. 8Junkers Ju 322 Mammut While searching for a suitable replacement material for their cargo planes, the Nazis decided on wood and contracted the Junkers aircraft company to make a prototype for them. Designed as a glider, the Ju 322 Mammut (“Mammoth”) resembled one giant wing and had a wingspan of over 60 meters (200 ft). The first test flight was in April 1941, but the plane proved extremely unstable and took nearly two weeks to be towed back to the airfield. In addition, the glider couldn’t hold as much weight as originally thought—during one of the tests, a Panzer III fell right through the bottom of the cargo hold. The program was canceled a month later, and the prototypes were chopped up and used as fuel. Determined to attack American soil, the Nazis formulated a number of crazy schemes, none of which ever came to fruition. One of the wackiest was the Rocket U-boat—basically a submarine with rocket launchers strapped to it. U-511 was the first to be fitted with rockets, but they were poorly guided and made it much harder to navigate underwater. The plan was shuttered until 1943, when the V-2 rocket was developed. Unfortunately, the rocket was too big to fit onto a submarine. Instead, three of them were designed to be towed by a Type XXI U-boat to their destination, and then remotely launched from inside the sub. However, neither the launchers nor the Type XXI U-boats were completed before the end of the war. 6Fieseler Fi 103R Renowned SS officer Otto Skorzeny, after becoming interested in why so many V-1 rockets crashed just after take-off, designed a piloted version to fix the problem. Codenamed “Reichenberg,” it was supposed to allow the pilot to parachute out at the last minute, although tests showed the canopy had trouble opening with such intense wind resistance (several pilots were killed in these tests). Nevertheless, nearly 100 men volunteered for the program and were unofficially known as “Self-Sacrifice Men,” due to the suicidal nature of the “plane.” Even though about 70 were produced, they never saw any action during the war—mainly because the Nazis decided it wasn’t part of the “German warrior tradition.” A late entry into the war, the Fliegerfaust (“pilot fist”) wasn’t developed until 1944. Also known as the Luftfaust (air fist), it was a portable ground-to-air rocket launcher, designed to be held and fired by a soldier. Due to a small firing range of only 460 meters (1,500 ft), it was only useful against planes that came relatively close to the ground. More than 10,000 of them were ordered for production, but they were apparently not widely deployed, as only 80 of them were found in late April 1945. In photos taken in Berlin after the Allies arrived, examples of the weapon can be seen lying in the rubble. Proposed in November 1944, the Zeppelin Rammer was an airplane designed to be towed by another plane into range of Allied bombers before being released. Once it had been let go, the pilot would ignite a rocket engine and fly toward the enemy planes, firing rockets on its first pass. On its second time through, the pilot would ram the Allied bomber directly, using its reinforced wings to try and bring down the plane. Afterward, having burned up all the fuel, the plane would glide to a suitable landing site so it could be refueled and sent up again. However, no prototypes were ever constructed—because the factory was destroyed by Allied bombers. The Taifun (“typhoon”) was a rocket created by Klaus Heinrich Scheufelen in 1944 and was seen as a solution to the Allied bombers that had been devastating Germany (Scheufelen had previously been working with radio-controlled rockets). They were unguided rockets that would be launched in groups by soldiers at passing planes. They were relatively cheap and were seen as cost-effective, since the Allied bombers were increasingly large and made easier targets. The Taifun used a special contact fuse to explode, which also included a timer in case the rocket missed the plane. In the end, over two million of them were ordered, yet only 600 were produced, and they never saw any action anyway. Developed in two different versions for infantry and tanks, the Krummlauf was a rifle attachment that allowed the user to fire in a number of different directions. Coming in 30°, 45°, or 90° angles, it was designated for production in 1944, with 10,000 being ordered. (The tank version wasn’t finished until 1945 and very few were ever made.) For infantry, it was designed to allow them to fire around corners, with a special mirrored sight to aid them. When used by tank operators, it was simply stuck through a hole in the top and fired, to dissuade the enemy from sneaking up to the side of the tank and setting explosive charges. 1The Sun Gun The idea for the “Sun Gun” originated with famed rocket scientist Hermann Oberth in 1923. A giant mirror, more than 1.5 kilometers (about one mile) wide, would be sent into geosynchronous orbit above the Earth. The Nazis were serious about this plan, hoping it would be able to boil the seas and burn cities to the ground. No official construction details were ever released and the plan was estimated to need nearly 15 years to complete, with a cost of over three million marks. However, it is unlikely the weapon would have worked anyway, because light can’t be brought to a sharp focus with a mirror unless the source is already focused. Oberth wrote that he came up with the idea after schoolchildren would use little hand mirrors to annoy him with light when he was a teacher.
Part of teaching is assessment. Colleges offer entire courses on ways to assess students of English. It is easy, however, for teachers to get stuck in a rut of assessment. If you are looking for a new way to assess your students or just want a reminder of some oldies but goodies, read on for a look at ten of the most popular ways to assess ESL students. How to Assess Your Students: Top 10 Ways You can do a one on one interview with each of your students to get a good idea of their listening and speaking abilities. You can schedule these types of interviews during class (perhaps take each student into the hall to have a private discussion while the rest of the class does seat work) or schedule with students individually. Asking questions that use grammatical structures and vocabulary that your class has studied will help you know exactly what each student has grasped. Do not penalize a student for not knowing content if he or she can compose grammatically and situationally correct statements or questions in response to your questions. A presentation in class assesses a different aspect of spoken language. When you ask a student to speak in front of the class, he is able to prepare and practice what he wants to say. He can also research information on his topic. In this case, the grade you give your student should be based on both content and presentation. Another way to assess your students’ speaking abilities is by having them perform role-plays in front of the class. By giving them a situation and roles to play, you can see how creatively your students are able to use language with one another. Be listening for content and grammar as with any oral assessment, but you can also be attuned to how your students are making creative use of their language to communicate with one another. Even if they show grammatical imperfection, are your students able to understand each other? Are they able to use the language skills they possess to get their point across to their partner? These are important skills and ones you should foster in your students. A cloze exam is an atypical way to test the understanding your students have of grammar. To write a cloze exam, write an original paragraph or take one that your students have used in their studies. Then replace every fifth or sixth word with a blank. Ask your students to fill in the blanks with words they think would be most logical and grammatical. You will see a variety of answers among your students, but as long as the answers are grammatically and logically correct, the student should receive full credit. Fill in the Blank A fill in the blank test may seem similar to a cloze exam, but this type of test is used to test a specific grammatical structure or set of vocabulary. You can write individual sentences or an entire paragraph for your students, but it is probably best to provide a word bank in either case. You may choose to supply more words than will be necessary to fill in the blanks to make the test more challenging. This will force your students to choose the best answers rather than matching ten words with ten blanks. Having your students give you a writing sample is another good way to assess their proficiency with grammar. If you have them write something for homework, you run the risk that someone other than your student will do the writing. Often friends or native speakers will correct a nonnative speaker’s writing with the intention of helping, but this will not give you an accurate picture of your student’s writing. To avoid this, have your students do a periodic in class writing. Give them an adequate amount of time to write about a subject that you assign. You will then get an accurate look at their grammatical and writing proficiency. Follow up your assessment with some mini-lessons on common grammatical pitfalls that the class exhibited. To expand the material you base your students’ grades on, why not assign each person to assemble a portfolio. A portfolio is a collection of work samples that cover several aspects of the assignments your students have completed. This is an especially effective way to assess your students if you have the same class for reading, writing, listening, speaking and grammar. Ask each student to compile a collection of ten works for you to grade. You can include specific assignments on the list, but you can also give a category and ask your students to present their best work. Ask for a grammar homework assignment, a writing sample and a vocabulary exercise, for example. Your students can then choose the work that they are most proud of. They may feel more encouraged to be graded on their strengths rather than their weaknesses. You do not have to spend as much of your class time assessing your students as was often necessary in the past. With the extensive collection of online resources for ESL students, you can require your students to spend time at home or in a language lab period working on exercises and quizzes available online. Have your students print out their final scores or e-mail them to you. In so doing, your students will still get feedback on their work and knowledge, but you will not have to give up valuable class time for it to happen. Multiple Choice Exam Sometimes the classics are often the way to go when assessing your students. If you choose to give a multiple-choice exam, keep these pointers in mind when writing the questions. Make sure all the answers are grammatically correct. Your students should not be able to eliminate an answer based on grammar alone (unless, of course, that is what you are trying to test). Also, try to keep all the answer choices around the same length. If you choose to include the options “all of the above” or “none of the above”, make sure they are options for additional questions. If you keep these tips in mind when you write your multiple-choice quiz, you will get better results from your students. The true/false quiz is also a classic that is used by most teachers. When you use this type of test, do not give trick questions that focus on minor details. Even more important, have your students correct the questions that they say are false. If they are making the corrections rather than just identifying the mistakes, you will make sure they are answering from what they know rather than making lucky guesses. You can assign one point to each answer and another point to each correction on the test. There are many other ways you may find valuable in assessing your students, and they will each be useful in the classroom. The more variety you use in assessing your students, the better your picture will be of their overall language skills. Know some other great ways to test? Please share them in the comments below!
This is chapter 4 of the book Name Above All Names by Alistair Begg and Sinclair Ferguson “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14–15). The ministry of Jesus began with this announcement. Jesus often spoke about the kingdom of God—it is a central theme in his message. He both preached and demonstrated that the kingdom of God had broken into the world in his coming. In his preaching he taught his disciples how to enter the kingdom and the kind of lifestyle to which this would lead. Through his miracles he gave visual, physical demonstration of the restoring and transforming power of the kingdom. A week or so prior to his crucifixion he did something that made it clear that he himself was the king in the kingdom of God. Here is John’s description of the event: The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”1 These melodic lines in the Bible’s portrayal of Jesus—the seed of the woman, the prophet, and the priest—not only run all the way from Genesis through Revelation, but they also, in a sense, intersect with one another. You might think of these various themes in terms of a Venn diagram, those interlocking circles we learned about in math in high school. The point at which they all meet with one another centers on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and on his work of salvation and restoration. As boys in Sunday school, our teachers constantly reminded us that the Bible is a book all about Jesus: - In the Old Testament Jesus is predicted. - In the Gospels Jesus is revealed. - In the Acts of the Apostles Jesus is preached. - In the Letters Jesus is explained. - In the book of Revelation Jesus is expected. Actually that’s quite a useful little summary for grown-ups as well as youngsters! It may not be exhaustive or sophisticated, but it certainly helps us as we move around the Bible. For the truth is that the Bible will be an impenetrable mystery at every point where we take our eyes away from Christ. We will lose our way around the Bible when we fail to look to Jesus. The story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday is a case in point. What is happening in this familiar passage? Sometimes the most familiar verses can be the occasion for our most superficial reading. This particular passage is routinely read on Palm Sunday. But despite our familiarity with the Triumphal Entry scene, we may not have grasped its significance. So—what is the message? What does it mean? Why does it matter? If we are honest about our uncertainty, we should not be unduly disheartened. We are in good company—with Jesus’ own disciples. John says: “His disciples did not understand these things at first.”2 Hardly complimentary to them, is it? Incidentally, one of the marks of the authenticity of the Gospels is, surely, the number of times the authors tell us what the disciples didn’t know! They were not written to commend to the church the natural gifts of the apostles! It is helpful—and can be wonderfully encouraging—to notice these little details. They remind us that we are on a pilgrimage, and we have not yet arrived at our destination. Jesus is transforming us, but our lives are still under construction. We too have much to learn. That simply underscores what a privilege it is to be able to possess Scripture and to live under its tutelage. The disciples just weren’t getting it, were they? Nor was this the only time John recorded their lack of spiritual intelligence. Later, in the upper room, Jesus told them, “I am going to prepare a place for you, I will come back and I will take you to be where I am,” and he added: “and you know the way to where I am going.” Then Thomas said, “But we don’t! We don’t understand you, Jesus. We don’t know where you’re going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus replies, “Well, you know, I am the way, and if you really knew me you’d know the Father.” And then dear Philip says, “Well, Jesus, why don’t you just show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” He still did not understand that the Father was revealing himself in Jesus! “Have I been with you so long,” replied the Lord, “and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”3 Jesus tells them that they should be encouraged by the fact that when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide them into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. In “a little while . . . you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.”4 That’s not particularly difficult, is it? “I’m going to be going away, and you won’t see me. And then I’ll be coming back, and you will see me.” But some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me?’ ”5 Of course it seems perfectly plain to us, because we have been able to read the end of the story. We have the New Testament Letters to explain it all to us. But as you listen to the disciples, it isn’t a surprise to discover that later Jesus is calling out, in prayer, “Father! Father!”—as if he is saying: “Look at these characters you have given me. I’ve had them in Sunday school for three years, and they’re still absolutely hopeless! One after another they keep asking me these simple and basic questions. O, Father, I have kept them. Will you please keep them?”6 All of this underlines for us that when we read the Scriptures we need to guard ourselves from thinking, “Oh, I know a lot about this; I know all about the meaning of this passage. It’s the Palm Sunday passage. I know that one. Yes, we’ve done that one already. I’ve been at any number of Palm Sunday services. There can’t be anything for me to learn now. Now, Jesus, he’s a king, isn’t he?” No! Our starting place should be, “Lord, you know, I really don’t know much about this.” Then we’re more likely to think: “I wonder, what is exciting and dramatic and interesting here, and what I can discover that’s fresh this morning out of this passage?” Use Your Imagination If it were possible for us to go back in time and observe a family preparing for the Passover, we might overhear a conversation between a boy and his father: “Dad, I can’t wait for tomorrow. I’ve already got my palm branches, Dad. I’m all ready. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to sleep tonight, Dad. Because tomorrow . . . it’s that wonderful time, isn’t it?” “Oh, yes, son. It is,” the father replies. “Father, sing me a song before I go to sleep. Can we sing together that one I like?” “Which one do you mean?” “Well, isn’t it one of those Psalms of Ascent? 7 The one that begins, ‘I rejoiced with those who said to me . . . ’ That one about how our feet are standing inside Jerusalem! Can we sing that one?” You may know this psalm in Isaac Watts’s version: How pleased and blest was I To hear the people cry, “Come, let us seek our God today!” Yes, with a cheerful zeal We haste to Zion’s hill, And there our vows and honors pay.8 It is important for us to keep in mind that the material in the Gospels is set within the warp and woof of ordinary life. Granted, we see this little boy only in our imaginations; but many excited little boys just like him were there with their families on Palm Sunday—like children lining the streets for a presidential inauguration or a British coronation. The Jerusalem crowds, however, gathered to celebrate God’s saving interventions in their nation’s past. They had also learned from the Old Testament of a new age, a new day that would dawn, when all that had been lost and forfeited would be restored and when all that they longed to see would be revealed. In the crowd of bystanders and palm branch wavers, there would be multiple layers of anticipation built into the expectation and enjoyment of that day. Behind the Scenes In John’s record of the Triumphal Entry, however, the immediate context for what happens on Palm Sunday is the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Jesus had come to the village of Bethany a few days after Lazarus had died. He had gone to his tomb—probably a cave—and had told some men to roll the stone away, and had called, “Lazarus, come forth!” His dead friend had come walking out of the grave. More likely he “tottered out”—he was still bound in his grave clothes. When Lazarus came out of the tomb, Jesus gave a command that his grave clothes should be removed. Then we are told that many of the Jews who were there to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. That is followed by the frustration of the religious leaders, which leads to the hatching of a plot to kill Jesus.9 Can you imagine the “buzz” there was in this community? They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple area they asked one another, What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?10 But a few verses later on, when Jesus had returned to Bethany, we are told that by the time the large crowd of Jews found out that he was there,they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.11 But this was not all that was happening. Because of this the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.12What a remarkable statement! Small wonder that Jesus had looked over Jerusalem and said: Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.13 Think of it. All of these people, with their deeply religious background, with their amazing heritage, with their knowledge of the Scriptures—but as they tried to weave together the strands of their messianic expectation, they got it all dreadfully wrong. Here, in the most unexpected way, is the answer to all their expectations; but they could not recognize him. Truly “he came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”14 It would take us on too long a journey to show how they misread hint after hint, prophecy after prophecy, as the Old Testament pointed to Jesus. But it is worth pausing to set out some pointers. The Big Picture One of the disadvantages about digital—in distinction from Polaroid—cameras is that we do not get any pictures in our hands. Not actual pictures. But one of the advantages is in being able to immediately create a collage and to see how the individual moments are all part of an extended narrative leading up to the final frame. We can look back on a complete vacation or the growth of a child from kindergarten to high school. The same is true of video. We can zip through all kinds of scenes that help to explain how we reached the final scene. In the same way, as we scroll through the Scriptures we discover the layers that precede the moment in time when Jesus arrives in Jerusalem as king. For example, we could scroll back to Luke 1:26–38 and the appearance of the angel Gabriel to Mary. Remember how she was troubled at the greeting, and the angel said, “You shouldn’t really be troubled”: You have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God [notice that!] will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”15 This is one of those little snapshots. Here we have the announcement of a future birth. But there is so much more—including the nature and identity of the child who is going to be born. He will be given the throne of his father David. He is a king, and he will have a kingdom! Mary was an ordinary young woman, probably a teenager. Small wonder that she pondered these things!16 She must have mulled them over many a day. Think of Mary watching her Jesus grow, seeing him coming back into the house after being outside, and asking him, “What have you been up to today, Jesus?” Think of her watching him in his little triumphs when he had copied the work of Joseph and so on. And always at the back of her mind the echo of the angelic announcement, “And he will reign on the throne of his father David.” Phillips Brooks captures something of that in his Christmas carol: O little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie, Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by. Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting Light; The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee tonight.17 Here it is! All the hopes and fears, all the anticipations, all the dreams, all the Old Testament promises of the one who would come and embody the great prophetic announcements about the Messiah—they are now all somehow coming to fulfillment there in Bethlehem. And then—fast-forward thirty years—to find the same thing in this triumphant scene on the road up to Jerusalem. The King is coming! Here is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! . . . Your king is coming to you.”18 And of Isaiah 32: “Behold, a king will reign in righteousness.”19 And of 2 Samuel 7 and the promise that God gave to David that an eternal and universal king would come from his line.20 All of these we discover by scrolling through the biblical record. Further back to Genesis 49 we read the prophetic words of Jacob as he blesses his sons: The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.21 Now, imagine an Old Testament believer reading these—and many more—passages. They would naturally ask, “How will this be? Who can this be?”22 As we move forward through the Bible, we find the people longing for a king, hoping that this will be the answer to all their dilemmas. But none of the kings fulfills their expectations; none of them is able to bring real salvation. And so the Old Testament people were left at the end of it all looking for the “Someone” who would be the great king. The prophetic ministry of the entire Old Testament ends with silence—several hundred years of silence—waiting for this unknown Someone who would come to be the embodiment of the prophetic word. All this and more is on the hard drive of God’s unfolding revelation, and then we come to the picture to which all the others have been pointing. What Kind of King? Jesus mounts a donkey and rides into Jerusalem surrounded by this huge, noisy crowd. We do not have any other record of Jesus riding anywhere, do we? This is the only place it happens. It isn’t because Jesus is tired that he is riding on the donkey. He had deliberately sent his disciples into the city to get it on this particular day.23 He wanted to make a point. But what point? Jesus is here confronting the community by his actions. He is deliberately entering the jurisdictions of Annas and Caiphas the Jewish high priests, and of the Jewish ruling council (the Sanhedrin), and of Pontius Pilate the governor who represented all the might of the Roman Empire. Later, Pilate will ask him, “Who in the world are you?” At one point he will ask directly, “Are you then the King of the Jews? Let’s just get this sorted out, Jesus. Are you the King of the Jews?” And Jesus replies, “You have said so.”24 But what kind of king is he? What kind of king rides on a donkey? What kind of king wears a crown that is woven with thorns? What kind of king is dressed up in someone else’s robe and made to look foolish and a figure of fun and is cruelly mocked by his ill-disciplined military custodians?25 Here we see the great paradox that confronts any intelligent reader of the Bible. It is also the paradox that threw off many of the people who were looking for the coming one. They cried, “Save us, we pray, O LORD! O LORD, we pray, give us success!”26 But then they witnessed a whole series of scenes in which Jesus was “despised and rejected . . . a man of sorrows . . . acquainted with grief.”27 What possibility was there that he could bring salvation, safety, and success when he could not apparently secure his own safety? His ministry had led him to such an ignominious end. How Does Jesus Reign? The Shorter Catechism is famous because of its opening question: “What is the chief end of man?” (Answer: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.”)28 But later in its exposition of the gospel it asks another important question, this time about Jesus: How doth Christ execute the office [ministry] of a king? That is precisely the question these scenes force us to ask. Here is the Catechism’s answer: In subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.29 We have considered how Christ came as a prophet to oust our ignorance and as a priest to deal with our alienation and to lead us into God’s presence. Now we see him as a king who subdues all the tyrannical forces that are arraigned against us, and, yes, those that fight within us too. But how does King Jesus do this? Here we must limit our discussion to three dimensions and consider each of them in summary form. First, how he is king in relation to our salvation, then in relation to the cosmos, and finally in relation to the future. How does Jesus exercise his reign for our salvation? We will need to consider this further when we think about him as the Son of Man. But for the moment we need to understand that the cross is the crisis point of his reign. There he accomplished everything necessary to deal with our sin: And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.30 Earlier in his ministry the apostle Paul explained to the Galatians that this—death on a cross—meant that Jesus had borne the curse that we deserve for our sin.31 More than this, Jesus has done everything necessary to deliver us from the power of death. The tyranny of sin and guilt is made visible in our death. God had said to Adam and Eve, “In the day that you eat of it [the tree of the knowledge of good and evil] you shall surely die.”32 That is now our inherited condition. Our death is the corrosive, degenerative impact of sin and judgment. The weakness, frailty, disintegration, and loss involved in death are the final evidences in this world that we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But, in addition, listen to what the author of Hebrews has to say: Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.33 So Jesus has done everything that we needed to be saved from sin. He has done everything we needed in order for us to be saved from thejudgment of death. And he has done everything necessary to set us free from the bondage of the Devil. In a word, he has done everything we need done for us but could never do for ourselves. The evidence for his victory is, of course, the resurrection. It is like a loud “amen” being pronounced on his work by his Father. Jesus was raised physically from the dead as a sign that his sacrifice for sin had been accepted. It was as if the Judge were saying, “You have paid the penalty the law demanded; you are now free to go!” Clearly it was also the sign that he had broken the power of death, because it was not possible for him to be held in its grip.34 Having crushed the power of Satan, Jesus then spent a period of forty days meeting with his disciples. What a seminar on biblical teaching and resurrection life that must have been! Imagine being taught about new life, resurrection life, by the one who had said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. Whoever, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”35 But how is it that Jesus’ resurrection leads to the resurrection of those who believe in him? How can it be—as Scripture makes clear—that because Jesus rose from the grave, it is an ontological impossibility for believers not to be raised? Here is the biblical logic: - We are “in Christ.” - We are therefore united to him. - We can never be separated from Christ. - Christ has been raised from the dead. - Therefore, because we are in him we have been raised and we will be raised!36 This is why his resurrection is described as the “firstfruits”—it is the pledge and assurance of a final harvest.37 So, Jesus reigns as king in our salvation. Scripture teaches us to think of the kingly reign of Christ in cosmic terms. Here a key text is Colossians 1:15–17: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth.” Just think about this in relation to the average class in anthropology at almost any secular university. Or think about our young students who are reading history, or those who are studying medicine and will become physicians. Does it make any difference there to be a Christian? Does it affect their view of things? Does it? If Paul’s words mean anything, it certainly does: For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.38 There is, then, this great cosmic dimension to the kingship of Jesus. He is the source, the sustainer, and the goal of all created reality. “The universe was made by Him, is providentially sustained by Him and is utterly dependent on Him.”39 As Christians we must learn to think properly, biblically. Then we may watch CNN or BBC News, or read the New York Times, or make our way through the Wall Street Journal without joining the ranks of the gloomy or singing in the choir of the fearful. To be in Christ is mind stretching and life transforming. It is a mind-altering experience to bow before the authority of what is said concerning this cosmic Christ, who reigns over all. It changes our perspective on everything. We were not stellar students in the physics class in high school. Our report cards at the end of the year contained such statements as: “He has decided that physics is not for him—and he is very firm in this decision.” But although we are in dangerous territory when it comes to science, we are able to look up at the night sky, and see the stars and planets, and stare in wonder at the Milky Way. If the Milky Way contains, as astronomers now tell us, three hundred to four hundred billion stars, and if it is only one galaxy among possibly hundreds of billions of galaxies—then we little people are in need of Colossians 1:16–17 just to be able to get to bed at night and to wake up in the morning and feel we have any security at all in the universe. We are helped by reading the prophet Isaiah’s great words: Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name.40 And by this reminder from the prologue to the Gospel of John: All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.41 In a cosmos of otherwise impenetrable mystery, we are greatly helped by knowing that Jesus is king in the cosmos. In addition to seeing Christ’s kingship salvifically and cosmically, we also need to think of it in futuristic terms. Go back to the earlier illustration of the Venn diagram with its circles. We now begin to see how the various biblical descriptions of the Lord Jesus intersect with each another. The same Bible themes and passages keep recurring. So in 1 Corinthians 15, we discover that there is an order to resurrection. First, Christ the first fruits, then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.42 See then this magnificent tapestry into which images of Christ as the ascended king are woven. Truly, “the head that once was crowned with thorns is crowned with glory now.”43 The “spillage” from his ascension is seen in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit so that he indwells the people of God. Jesus ascended in order to ask his Father to keep his promise to send the Spirit to his people so that they might experience every spiritual blessing.44 When he, the Holy Spirit, comes, he makes much of the Word of God in our lives and points us constantly to the Son of God.45 All this comprises the glorious benefits of Christ’s triumph and kingship. This—with all of these elements included—ought to be central in our thinking as Christians. Indeed this future dimension should control our perspective on everything, and certainly the way in which we view the world. But how should the Christian view the world? The Christian views the world in terms of “the good, the bad, and the new, and the perfect.” Yes—the new and the perfect! When God created the cosmos he made everything in it. And he made everything good. Then came the fall of man, and everything went bad. But in the Lord Jesus Christ it is made new. Indeed, says Paul, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”46 More literally what he says is, “If any in Christ—new creation.” In Christ’s resurrection there took place a renewal process that will eventually involve the whole cosmos. “The creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption.”47 We live in anticipation of the day the new creation will be realized in all its perfection. Then those who are underneath Christ’s footstool will at last fall down, along with many more, and acknowledge that he is king.48 So we may learn to begin the day affirming that “Christ is King. Jesus is Lord!” It is important to develop the practice of affirming central gospel truths as we waken to the new day, saying to ourselves, “The Lord God omnipotent reigns. This is the twenty-fifth of January (or whatever); today the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Yes, I saw the New York Times before I went to sleep last night. I have it on my iTouch. I did look at the BBC report before I went to bed last night. I saw all about Gaza. I saw all about Zimbabwe. I saw so much to disturb and distress. But Christ reigns from the beginning of the day to its end—every single day of my life.” This is why we love to sing at the end of the day: The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended, The darkness falls at Thy behest; To Thee our morning hymns ascended, Thy praise shall sanctify our rest. We thank Thee that Thy church, unsleeping, While earth rolls onward into light, Through all the world her watch is keeping, And rests not now by day or night. As o’er each continent and island The dawn leads on another day, The voice of prayer is never silent, Nor dies the strain of praise away. The sun that bids us rest is waking Our brethren ’neath the western sky, And hour by hour fresh lips are making Thy wondrous doings heard on high.49 What an amazing picture that is! Here are God’s people throughout the world. And as those in one time zone are going to sleep, those in another time zone are waking. And as they do, they are saying, “The Lord God omnipotent reigns. Here I am in North Korea. I can hardly function in many areas of my life, but Jesus Christ is King. Here I am in Kuala Lumpur. Here I am in the heartlands of India. Here I am.” And so God’s people rise at every hour of the day to praise him in every time zone in the world. Why? Because he reigns. And then comes the final, triumphant stanza: So be it, Lord; Thy throne shall never, Like earth’s proud empires, pass away: Thy kingdom stands, and grows forever, Till all Thy creatures own Thy sway. That’s it! Earth’s proud empires will all pass away. But the kingdom of Jesus Christ will continue, grow, triumph—and last forever. Now, as we begin to grasp all this, we see that the kingship of Jesus changes the way in which we view the world. And the kingship of Jesus will then control how we live in that world. We must not affirm that “Jesus Christ is King” or trot out phrases like “Jesus Christ is Lord” as if these are merely expressions of personal devotion. That would show that we had failed to understand their real meaning. When Paul wrote of the day when, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow . . . and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,”50 he was not describing the devotion of the worshiper but the identity of the one who is worshiped. He is proclaiming the divine identity of Jesus. Jesus is Lord. This isn’t a statement about my attitude to Jesus; it is a statement about who Jesus is. He is Lord. Kurios is the Greek word he uses. In the Greek version of the Old Testament current in Paul’s world, that was the standard way of translating the great covenant name for God, “Yahweh.” And since Jesus is Lord and God, King and Savior, this impacts all of life. For example, I have no right to develop convictions or practice a lifestyle contrary to my King’s word. That is why I cannot, for example, invent new views of marriage, or reengineer human sexuality, because I bow beneath the rule of the King. I cannot rewrite the New Testament documents. I dare not play fast and loose with the historical narrative in Genesis 1–11. Why? Because Jesus is King, and this is the King’s Word. Nor do I have the right to behave in any way I please. My behavior must be marked by obedience to my King. The reign of Jesus will also influence my business practices. It will affect the way in which I go to work tomorrow morning. It affects my relationship as a child with my parents, or as a parent with my children, or as a husband with my wife, and so on. In addition, I have no right to think that I can be disenfranchised or disengaged from the people of God, because my Lord and King is also the head of the body, the church. It is in company with others who have been brought under his lordship that I both benefit and make a contribution. Not only do we obey his commands, but we also enjoy his company. He is a King who has made himself accessible and who is wonderfully approachable. We have no right of immediate access to the British monarch in Buckingham Palace in London. But we do have immediate access to the King of kings and Lord of lords. Moreover, he is not only our King—he is our Savior. And he is not only our Savior; he is our friend! It’s true: “There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus. No, not one!”51 So we can come to him with all our fears, with all our failures, with all our stresses, with all our disappointments, with all our losses, and with all the needs of our loved ones and say, “Jesus, you’re the King over all of this. There’s so much that we can’t handle. There are so many aspects of this that are overwhelming us. But we come before you now.” And then we can rise to our feet and go out into the day—and into all of our days—to declare these great and amazing truths. Back again to Sunday school in Scotland! Our teachers used to teach us some of the most amazing songs. They are etched into our memories—and some of them really were marvelous. Here is one that drives home the nitty-gritty, day-to-day, practical difference it makes to know that Jesus is King. In its child-friendly, child-attractive fun way (and surely children had fun with Jesus?), it underscores the power of the gospel. It says: “Come on now, you don’t have to be bedeviled and overwhelmed by all of these things that are coming at you.” Here are the words: Come leave your house on Grumble Street And move to Sunshine Square. For that’s the place where Jesus lives, And you’ll be happy there! Well, you say, “That isn’t exactly a brilliant lyric. What were they doing teaching mischievous little boys that kind of poetry?” Yes, but we got the message of these choruses. It wasn’t necessary to master a systematic theology textbook to see the point: “Come on now; we say that Jesus Christ is King. Why then are our faces sad? Jesus Christ is King. Where then is our hope? Jesus Christ is King and Lord; where is our enthusiasm for the Lord Jesus? We do need to leave our house in Grumble Street and move to Sunshine Square. That’s the place where Jesus is. We’ll be happy there.” And then as we grew up we learned the great “grown-up” words of Isaac Watts, in his wonderful paraphrase of Psalm 72: “Jesus shall reign where’er the sun.” It has a special association for us because of the story of Eric Liddell. In 1925 Eric Liddell was leaving Scotland to go to China as a missionary teacher. He was both a Scottish Rugby internationalist and an Olympic gold medalist in the 1924 Olympics in Paris (memorialized in the movie Chariots of Fire). When Eric Liddell boarded his train in Waverley Station, Edinburgh, on the first leg of his journey to China, a vast crowd had gathered to bid him farewell. He was the great sports superstar of his day. Family and friends intermingled with folks just off the street. Liddell lowered the window of his compartment, put his head out of the window, and shouted, “Christ for the world, for the world needs Christ!” And then he led this massive throng in singing the hymn “Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun.” Here is the vision of Christ’s reign that the people of God have shared since time immemorial: Jesus shall reign where’er the sun Does his successive journeys run; His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, Till moons shall wax and wane no more. To Him shall endless prayer be made, And praises throng to crown His head; His Name like sweet perfume shall rise With every morning sacrifice. People and realms of every tongue Dwell on His love with sweetest song; And infant voices shall proclaim Their early blessings on His Name. Blessings abound where’er He reigns; The prisoner leaps to lose his chains; The weary find eternal rest, And all the sons of want are blessed. Where He displays His healing power, Death and the curse are known no more: In Him the tribes of Adam boast More blessings than their father lost. Let every creature rise and bring Peculiar honors to our King; Angels descend with songs again, And earth repeat the loud amen! That was the 1920s in Edinburgh.52 It is now a century later. Jesus Christ was King then. Jesus Christ is still King now. Cheer up, you saints of God. This is chapter 4 of the book Name Above All Names by Alistair Begg and Sinclair Ferguson 1 John 12:12–19. 2 John 12:16. 3 See John 14:1–11. 4 John 16:16. 5 John 16:17. 6 See John 17:11–15. 7 Psalms 120–134 seem to belong together as a kind of songbook for pilgrims at the Jerusalem festivals. 8 Isaac Watts’s “How Pleased and Blest Was I” is a paraphrase of Psalm 122. 9 See John 11:44–45, 48, 53. 10 John 11:56. 11 John 12:9. 12 John 12:10–11. 13 Luke 19:42. 14 John 1:11. 15 Luke 1:30–33. 16 Luke 2:19. 17 The opening verse of Phillips Brooks’s hymn “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” 1867. 18 Zech. 9:9. 19 Isa. 32:1. 20 2 Sam. 7:12–16; cf. Ps. 72:1–19. 21 Gen. 49:10. 22 See 1 Pet. 1:10–12. 23 Matt. 21:1–11. 24 Matt. 27:11. 25 John 19:1–3. 26 Ps. 118:25. 27 Isa. 53:3. 28 Published in 1648 by the Westminster Assembl
Several precedents for this project exist. The first. carried out in the 1950's and 1960's for the Office of Naval Research by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, was called project Moonwatch. In this program amateur astronomers made world-wide coordinated and precisely timed twilight observations against the star background of meridian crossings of Sputnik, Explorer and Vanguard spacecraft as a complement to the more sophisticated optical and radio-frequency satellite tracking networks just coming into being at that time. Calculations were made by Smithsonian professionals from reports telephoned and mailed in on postcards by the amateur observers, and the spacecraft's orbits were determined. A similar, amateur-based, satellite observational program has been conducted in Great Britain ever since those early days of the space program with orbit computations performed by scientists in government laboratories. With advanced computers and software tools such as Analytical Graphics' Satellite Tool Kit available today to students in universities and high schools, however, it will be possible for the students themselves to make their own STARSHINE orbit determinations, future sighting predictions, and atmospheric density calculations. The second precedent was Project NUSAT, in which Weber State University, Utah State University and New Mexico State University, assisted by substantial numbers of aerospace and electronics companies, built a 140-pound (63.5 kg), 19-inch diameter (48 cm), 18-sided polyhedron spacecraft to measure antenna patterns of Air Traffic Control Radar Beacons for the Federal Aviation Administration. This spacecraft was launched into a 210-mile (338 km) circular earth orbit from a Get Away Special canister in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Challenger in April of 1985. It orbited and produced useful data for twenty months before re-entering the atmosphere and vaporizing in December of 1986 The dimensions and deployment technique for NUSAT were very similar to those planned for STARSHINE. The third precedent is a mirrored Japanese geodetic spacecraft, named AJISAI, which was launched in 1986 into a nearly circular earth orbit at an altitude of 890 miles (1432 km). This spacecraft is seven feet in diameter, weighs 1500 (680 kg) pounds and is covered by 318 mirrors, each ten inches square. It also contains 1436 optical corner reflectors, each one inch in diameter, that have been tracked for over ten years by large laser-ranging telescopes positioned around the globe. Its purpose is to determine the shape of the earth and its gravitational irregularities to great precision This spacecraft is massive and was placed at a deliberately high altitude, so as to be unaffected by atmospheric drag, and, although extremely useful for making precise measurements of the Earth's figure, is of no value in determining atmospheric density. The Sputnik Explorer and Vanguard spacecraft themselves were not visible to the unaided eye (although Sputnik I's tumbling, spent upper stage was, on an intermittent basis); therefore, various types of gain optics, including personal telescopes, binoculars and elbow scopes procured from war surplus 90-mm gun mounts, were employed in the Moonwatch program for sighting the spacecraft. STARSHINE observations will also be facilitated by the use of binoculars and telescopes, of course, since greater precision of placement of the satellite's position in the star field will result from more stars being visible in the observers' fields of view. This will make the project more appealing to amateur astronomers who are fortunate enough to have access to such instruments. However, the mirrors on the STARSHINE sphere are designed to produce intermittent, naked-eye-visible flashes of light and make it possible for students without telescopes to observe the spacecraft and thus facilitate the principal purpose of this project, which is to provide interesting experiences in the fields of optical astronomy, orbital dynamics, space and atmospheric physics, mathematics and international cooperation for students around the globe, without resort to expensive tools. Questions about the project should be directed to Starshine Project Director, Prof. R. Gilbert Moore 3855 Sierra Vista Road Monument, CO 80132. Telephone and FAX number are both (719)488-0721 Return to Project Starshine Home Page
During the Ancien Régime, the "Cabinet noir" was the name given to the service responsible for examining private correspondence for reasons of security. The political censorship of letters had begun at the time of Richelieu, during the reign of Louis XIV, but it was only during the reign of Louis XV that a specific service called the "Cabinet du secret des Postes" or the "Cabinet noir" was created for this purpose. It was provided with a special tool for reconstructing the original seal or cachet on a letter. With the decree of 10 August 1775, Louis XVI declared that private correspondence was inviolable from that time on and forbade the use of intercepted letters in a court of law. However, this measure did not put a stop to the censorship of private correspondence, a meaure that was widely used by revolutionaries and Napoleon as well as political leaders during wartime. The first article of the law of 9 April 1881 defines the broad principles of this new institution: a public savings bank, guaranteed by the state, is hereby instituted, governed by the authority of the minister of Post and Telegraph. It shall be referred to as the Postal Savings Bank. With over 6,000 branches in 1880, the omnipresence of the postal network largely served the needs of the time, especially the collecting of savings in the most remote parts of France. In 1900, the cap of one billion francs was exceeded, and there were 3.5 million passbooks in circulation. The law of 10 January 1918 provided for the creation of checking account and postal check services in order to supplement temporary lack of currency and limit the quantity of bank notes emitted. On 6 July 1918 six postal check offices, staffed mainly by women, were opened in Paris, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Lyon, Marseille and Nantes; five other offices were opened in 1919. The use of postal checks was mainly developed after the war and represented over 7.5 million accounts in 1970. Technical professional term designating letters containing bank notes; more broadly, "chargement" refers to mail that provided for the circulation of currency. There were two types of "chevaucheur": the horsemen of the Ecurie du Roi (the Kings Stable) who provided transportation for royal communications, thus taking the name "courrier", and the horsemen who used "seated posts" or relay stations. The latter will come to be called "post masters". Created in September 1985, Chronopost is a sub-service of La Poste that handles the transportation and delivery of express mail and parcels weighing less than 30 kg. This express mail company now offers a full range of products, such as ready-to-mail packaging, and uses its own facilities: 33 national agencies, 6 international agencies and more than 600 vehicles in 1995. Even more efficient than air ballons, the carrier pigeons were recognized as an effective means of sending messages during the siege of Paris (1870). Microfilms which were later projected onto a screen were enclosed in cases and attached to the birds tails. A "commis" was an agent who was often found in an mixed post office where he assisted those providing window service. A managerial agency of the postal service administration that was abolished with the creation of the ministry of Post and Telegraph in 1879. This word has several connotative meanings: - any person or individual who used a horse for transporting mail. - an employee of the letter mail who was responsible for carrying or accompanying the mail in transport. - by extension, any body of transported letters or correspondence (for instance, "the mail is late") or a set of letters of the same kind (for instance, "taking ones mail to the post offce").
Back in Time is a newspaper type column that reports an incident from the past as though it has happened just yesterday. It allows the reader to re-live it several years later, on the date it had occurred. For this incident, we go back in time to 1768. Plymouth, Friday, 26 August: On a mission so audacious, as yet unknown to any man in the civilized world, newly-promoted Lieutenant James Cook set sail from Plymouth-Dock on a journey to the far reaches of the South. Commissioned by the Royal Society and the British Admiralty, Cook set sail earlier this morning with a crew of ninety-four on the research vessel, HMS Endeavour to better observe the transit of planet Venus across the Sun. The voyage is said to go round the cusp of Cape Horn, the southern-most tip of the Americas, beyond which no man has ever been known to explore and conclude on the tiny, aboriginal island of Tahiti in the great, Southern-Pacific Ocean. Highly renowned astronomer, Charles Green is said to have accompanied Cook on this hellacious journey to the as-yet undocumented Southern ocean. “May the Gods giveth courage to our most wondrous explorers as those gents chart the unknown. Pray, that the Gods giveth these men clear skies and quiet seas on their mission to observe the planet Venus,” the Royal Society said in a statement. It is rumored that the Society has paid one hundred guinea gratuity to Cook for his participation. However, this rumour is yet to be substantiated. Lieutenant Cook is widely regarded as a fine master of a ship, who has had a distinguished record of service in the British Royal Navy. Cook served with distinction under Captain Robert Craig, and was instrumental in the Conquest of Canada and Newfoundland form 1758-63. “Any voyage or expedition or voyage is fortunate to has’t a sire as qualified as Lieutenant Cook. His cartographic skills art unparalleled and that gent is one of the few to has’t a deep understanding of both land, and sea,” said Craig, now retiring at his estate in Cornwall. If Lieutenant Cook succeeds in his mission to Tahiti, it will open more opportunities and avenues to many more expeditions and explorations to the far corners of the world. If successful in his endeavour, Cook will have his name written in immemorial with the likes of Magellan, Columbus and Vasco De Gama. Post-Scriptum: Captain Cook, as he would be called later in his life successfully completed his expedition to Tahiti in the Southern Pacific Ocean. What he would be remembered for however, would be his expedition to the as-yet unexplored and unknown land down under. Cook and his crew became the first recognized contingent of explorers to set foot on Australia & New Zealand (After all, the few who had were Asians and thus, Aboriginals in the eyes of the sanctimonious Europeans) . Later on with his second and third voyages, he would discover more lands from Antarctica to Alaska, until he met his unfortunate death on the islands of Hawaii. Cook remains until date, one of the most influential explorers and cartographers, with his expertise contributing and conforming to much of the present-day knowledge of unexplored and uninhabited lands. His journey may have opened the doors to a greater Imperialistic push by the Europeans down South but, his travels also signified the all-conquering human spirit, to go boldly where no man has gone before. Views presented in the article are those of the author and not of ED.
\|Поступление на склад 29.12.2016\| To Shakespeare's contemporaries, Richard II was a balanced dramatisation of the central political and constitutional issue of the time, how to cope with an unjust ruler. But over the last century or so, the play came to be regarded as the poetic fall of a tragic hero. The Introduction to this edition provides a full context for both the Shakespearean and the modern views of King Richard's fall. For this updated edition the editor has added a new section to the Introduction which takes account of the number of important professional theatre productions and the large output of scholarly criticism on the play which have appeared in recent years. The Reading List has also been revised and augmented. Цена 9 780 тг. за 1 штКоличество
As the potential threat of biological terrorist attacks continuing to command the attention of governments around the globe, anthrax and smallpox remain amongst the most researched diseases in the biodefense industry. Anthrax vaccines make up 24% of molecules in the biodefense industry pipeline, while smallpox, despite being eradicated in 1980, accounts for 32% of the total. Viral hemorrhagic fever, a category which amongst others encompasses the Ebola virus, represents 39% of pipeline molecules. Anthrax and smallpox treatments remain key areas of development due to their high potential for destruction. These diseases can be easily transmitted through the air and have the capacity to inflict widespread devastation if deployed in a bioterrorist attack. At present, Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed (AVA) is the only licensed anthrax vaccine, but the use of alternative antimicrobials and antitoxin therapies for anthrax are being researched by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Dryvax is the FDA-approved vaccine for smallpox. Approximately 15 million doses of Dryvax vaccine have been stored since production stopped in 1983, however, it is speculated that should there be a biological attack involving smallpox, the available vaccine would not meet the demand. Accordingly, the NIAID has initiated a study to determine the feasibility of diluting Dryvax vaccine to make more doses available from the existing stores. The US government has allocated more than $50 billion since 2001 to address the threat of biological weapons, with funding for bioweapons-related activities focusing primarily on the research for, and the acquisition of, medicines for defense. This research report focuses on the key insights into the biodefense industry. The report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research, and in-house analysis by our team of industry experts. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the biodefense industry. The report examines the bioterrorist events which have resulted in Research and Development (R&D) in the industry. The pharmaceutical countermeasures and treatments by Europe and the US. The report analysis the work of the industry in terms of past, present and future pharmaceutical research, development and production to counter or treat diseases caused by biological attack. This report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research, and in house analysis by GBI Research's team of industry experts. GBI Research also analyzed pipeline of category A pathogens namely, anthrax, small pox, viral hemorrhagic fever, plague and tularemia. Anthrax (24%), smallpox (32%) and viral hemorrhagic fever (39%) contributed a total of 95% of the molecules to the biodefense industry pipeline. Viral hemorrhagic fever, anthrax and small pox are among the most researched diseases in the biodefense industry. It is attributable because of scale of destruction that these two pathogens can cause. According to our analysis, Emergent BioSolutions and SIGA Technologies were awarded a total of 15 contracts between 2007 and 2012. - Data and analysis on the biodefense industry. - The competitive landscape of the biodefense industry. - Key Biodefense Contracts that took place from biodefense industry. Reasons to buy - The major trends in R&D in the biodefense industry - Develop market-entry and market expansion strategies by identifying the potential region and segments poised for strong growth. - Develop key strategic initiatives by understanding the key focus areas of leading companies. - Accelerate and strengthen your market position by identifying key companies for mergers, acquisitions and strategic partnerships. Click for Report details:Biodefense Industry - Market to Benefit from Federal Funding such as the BIO EDEP Fund to Support Security Plans
Prozac is used by millions of people as an anti-depressant, but scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee found that when fish are administered the drug, they became homicidal. The study also reveals that human medications are ending up in waterways and creating ecological effects. Anti-depressant drugs are the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States, about 250 million prescriptions are filled every year. They’re also the most-documented drugs contaminating waterways. Traces of the drugs typically get into the water when people excrete them. Sewage-treatment plants discharge the filtered effluent, but most aren’t equipped to filter out the drugs. The scientists wanted to study the effects of this drug exposure, and chose the fathead minnow, a fish common fish in Midwest waterways, as their subject. Rebecca Klaper, an ecologist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Great Lakes Water Institute, presented results of the study at the meeting of the North American division of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry in Long Beach, California. Fathead minnows usually display complex mating behavior, with males building the nests where females comes to lay their eggs. After they’re laid, the males fertilize them and keep watch, cleaning away fungus and dead eggs. Klaper said that the fluoxetine, the active ingredient in Prozac, was given in very low concentrations – 1 part per billion – which is the same as that found in waste water discharged into waterways. The male of the species spent more time hiding alone, hunting and ignoring females. Female fathead minnows seem to be unaffected by the chemical except for producing fewer eggs. When the concentration of fluoxetine was increased to the highest levels found in waterways, male minnows started to spend more time building their nests. Scientists increased the dose tenfold, in an effort to see what might happen in our waterways in the future, and the males “become obsessive, to the point they’re ignoring the females,” Klaper said. When fluoxetine concentrations are increased again, fathead minnows stop reproducing all together and turn violent: “The males start killing the females,” said Klaper. Strangely, if the females are introduced a month after the males are exposed to the chemical, the males don’t show aggressive behavior towards them – but the females still don’t lay any eggs. The research has shown that exposure to the drug can alter the genes responsible for building fish brains and controlling their behavior.
The report is based on an evaluation of the Carbon Trust’s £3.5 million Marine Energy Accelerator (MEA) programme of support for technology innovation. It calculates that there is enough practically harvestable marine energy to provide for around 20% of the UK’s electricity consumption in 2025. With sufficient effort on innovation, costs of will come down to around 28p/KWh for wave and 16p/kWh for tidal stream by the time the industry is half way through developing its most energetic sites. These costs, particularly of wave power, could fall even faster if other countries install significant capacity as they are planning. The report analyses the latest evidence on the practical marine energy resource and puts the wave resource at 50 tera-watt-hours per year (TWh/yr) and tidal (stream and flow) at 20.6 TWh/yr. This is broadly the same as previous studies. Costs are very site-specific, though; for example energy would be cheapest at Pentland Firth Deep – the biggest and the most energetic site – with over 6 TWh/yr of potential. Estimating the future costs is also complex because of the many competing different emerging technologies with many components, such as cables, moorings and turbine blades, very few of which have been proven over significant periods of time in these harsh environments. However, the first generation machines that have been tested in real conditions under the MEA do provide sufficient experience to give a reasonable estimate. The report makes recommendations about what should happen over the first, second and third generations of implemented plants, each generation representing about five years of development. It finds that installation costs can be lowered, as can the ability to tackle deeper sites. Marine Current Turbines (MCT)’s first-generation tidal device, currently being tested in Strangford Lough, is only suitable for shallow and relatively low wave sites. But future iterations of the device will be able to deploy many more rotors in a single operation and access depths of over 40 metres and a more extreme tidal range. Significantly, version two will have a 20% lower capital cost per megawatt. By the 2020s, third generation tidal flow machines will be able to generate electricity economically from sites with velocities too low to have been included in the main resource study. As technology companies move towards 5MW projects – likely to require investments in the region of £30m-£50m – they will be working with developers to find equity investments in projects while also looking for continued investment at the company level. It is anticipated that it is utilities and project developers who will take the biggest stakes in marine energy farms. A number of consortia have already formed with a view to developing commercial farms sites in the Orkney Waters Strategic Area identified by The Crown Estate. These companies will have to install pre-commercial farms of around 5MW at these sites before technology is sufficiently developed for the 100MW+ farms they are planning. To make this happen the Carbon Trust says that the government needs to create a stable framework for revenue support as well as capital support to enable developers to build the first tens and hundreds of megawatts of early commercial farms. There also needs to be a clear position on planning for marine energy, with a streamlined consenting process and Strategic Environmental Assessments completed for some regions. The Crown Estate, as owner of the seabed, must set out a roadmap for the wave and tidal industry. The industry also needs to make a big push the technology innovation. The stakes are high, but the rewards are fabulous, not only for the UK but for exporting the technology around the world, because already the UK is a world leader in this field.
for National Geographic News With the fathers taking on the responsibility of "gestating" their young, the story of pipefish reproduction is among the more heartwarming in biology. Well, it was. A new study shows that "pregnant" pipefish fathers actually suck the life out of some of their own offspring. After conception, the female pipefish passes the hundred or so fertilized eggs to the male. Dad carries and—via specialized blood vessels—nourishes them in a small pouch until they emerge as fully functional baby pipefish. So far, so good. But researchers studying broad-nosed pipefish recently noticed that some or all embryos tend to completely disappear while in Dad's care. Study co-author Gry Sagebakken and colleagues thought the developing embryos were probably taking nutrients from one another somehow. On the other hand, "we suspected paternal nutrient uptake was an option, but it was not our first guess," Sagebakken, a doctoral student in animal ecology at Sweden's University of Gothenburg, told National Geographic News. Video: Pipefish in a Lab Aquarium (No Audio) To solve the mystery, the team placed radioactive markers on nutrients in the eggs before they were transferred to the father. The researchers expected some of the nutrients to end up in other embryos. Instead, the vanishing embryos' nutrients turned up inside the father. The father, it seems, uses his pouches' blood vessels not only to supply nutrients but also to siphon them away—and not to redistribute them to the neediest embryos either, because none of the traveling nutrients ended up in a sibling. Sagebakken suspects that when fathers themselves aren't getting enough food to nourish all their young, the fathers sacrifice a few embryos so that the rest might live. She's planning a follow-up study to see whether malnourished pipefish fathers drain more nutrients from their offspring. The answer should determine whether the fathers are just breaking a few eggs to make omelettes—or whether they're the ocean's answer to vampires. Findings published on November 25 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. SOURCES AND RELATED WEB SITES
Submitted to: Book Chapter Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/2006 Publication Date: 6/1/2007 Citation: Campbell, J.F., Wraight, S.P. 2007. Experimental design: statistical considerations and analysis. In: L.A. Lacey and H.K. Kaya, editors. Field Manual of Techniques in Invertebrate Pathology. Dordrecht, The Netherlands. Springer. p.37-69. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: In this book chapter, information on how field experiments in invertebrate pathology are designed and the data collected, analyzed, and interpreted is presented. The practical and statistical issues that need to be considered and the rationale and assumptions behind different designs or procedures are given, rather than the nuts-and-bolts of specific types of analysis. Statistical approaches for comparing two or more treatments and determining and comparing trends are presented. Issues dealing with experimental design are discussed; including the selection of experimental treatments, methods of sampling, selection of experimental units, and determining the amount of replication. A number of experimental designs are presented and some of the issues associated with their use are discussed. Some approaches to data analysis and presentation are also included, including dealing with missing data and outliers.
You must have Credits on your Balance to download this sample The Difference between Joy and Happiness Religion and Theology Pages 3 (753 words) Student’s Name Name and Number of the Course Teacher’s Name Date THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JOY AND HAPPINESS Introduction A distinctive element of the Christian faith is that it orients man to hope in God, to respond to God’s love which is manifest as infinite joy, and to rest in God alone as the only source of ultimate happiness… According to Houston (p.46), both joy and happiness are more sustained and enduring when they are related to God; and rooted deeply in spirituality. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the difference between joy and happiness as spiritual concepts and God’s gifts to human beings. The Difference Between Joy and Happiness in the Spiritual Context The New Testament emphasizes that the Christian life is essentially a joyful life, when Jesus Christ is made central in all aspects. Like the inestimable energy of the sun’s radiation God’s love that translates into joy is able to sustain human happiness beyond our wildest desires. To enjoy divine joy, and consequently to experience spiritual happiness, it is necessary to follow the righteous path. Christians have a supernatural gift of joy in Christ, which cannot be comprehended by those outside Christianity. The nature of Christian joy is evident even in utmost conditions of suffering by reconciling the “negative with the transcendent love of Christ” (Houston 259). Through receiving the gift of faith in Christ who stood for the poor, the destitute and the deprived, the true character of Christian joy is experienced. ... Not exactly what you need?
STANDARD 1: A School System Is Able to Demonstrate Its Control of Resources, Programs, and Personnel. Quality control is the fundamental element of a well-managed educational program. It is one of the major premises of local educational control within any state’s educational system. The critical premise involved is that, via the will of the electorate, a local Board of Education establishes local priorities within state laws and regulations. A school district’s accountability rests with the school board and the public. Through the development of an effective policy framework, a local school board provides the focus for management and accountability to be established for administrative and instructional staffs, as well as for its own responsibility. It also enables the district to assess meaningfully and use student learning data as a critical factor in determining its success. Although educational program control and accountability are often shared among different components of a school district, fundamental control of, and responsibility for, a district and its operations rests with the school board and top-level administrative staff. What the Auditors Expected to Find in the Clover Park School District A school system meeting PDK-CMAC Curriculum Management Audit Standard One is able to demonstrate its control of resources, programs, and personnel. Common indicators are: A curriculum that is centrally defined and adopted by the board of education, A clear set of policies that reflects state requirements and local program goals and the necessity to use achievement data to improve school system operations, A functional administrative structure that facilitates the design and delivery of the district’s curriculum, A direct, uninterrupted line of authority from school board/superintendent and other central office officials to principals and classroom teachers, Organizational development efforts which are focused to improve system effectiveness, Documentation of school board and central office planning for the attainment of goals, objectives, and mission over time, and A clear mechanism to define and direct change and innovation within the school system to permit maximization of its resources on priority goals, objectives, and mission. Overview of What the Auditors Found in the Clover Park School District A clear set of accountability, This section is an overview of the findings that follow in the area of Standard One. The details follow within separate findings. The auditors found that board policies did not adequately instruct school personnel and the public about what the Board’s specifications and requirements were in terms of teaching and learning. The board policies were silent about what could be taught, leaving the strong possibility of fragmentation and inconsistency in what children learn in the various schools and classrooms across the system. Auditors found that board policies were not shown allegiance by school personnel in implementation. District planning efforts were also inadequate. The Board has not developed clear goals, objectives, Clover Park School District Audit Report Page 11
A traditional egg timer is a clock that counts down the amount of time it takes to boil an egg. Estimating the time it takes to properly boil an egg can be difficult because it can vary depending on the size of the egg, how hard you want the yolk and the power level of your stovetop. A pan egg timer is an egg-shaped device that is designed to cook with the eggs in the water. It relies on the temperature of the water to determine when the eggs are done, rather than going by an estimated timetable. Things You'll Need - Large saucepan - 4 cups cold water - 4 to 6 eggs - Pan egg timer - Slotted spoon Fill a large saucepan on your stovetop with about 4 cups of cold water. Place four to six eggs gently into the water, making sure the eggs are fully covered by water; if not, continue adding water until they are completely covered. Add the pan egg timer into the center of the saucepan and arrange the eggs around it. Set your stove to "high" and heat the water until it starts to boil. Reduce the heat to "low." Watch the left side of the egg timer carefully until it starts to slowly change color horizontally. Turn off the heat completely when the color develops and reaches the marker for "soft," "medium," or "hard," depending on your yolk texture preference. Position a colander in your sink. Use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the saucepan and transfer them into the colander. Rinse the eggs with cold water for about 20 seconds to cool them down and make them quit cooking through. Peel off the shells and discard them; then serve the eggs whole or in your preferred manner. Tips & Warnings - Pierce small holes in the eggs with a needle before placing them into the water with the timer--it will help loosen the egg shell and make it easier to peel off. - Always read your pan egg timer's manufacturer's directions before using it to fully ensure it is safe to use in boiling water. The Only Soft-Boiled Egg Recipe You Need Soft-boiled eggs are a thing of joy for those of us who love a runny yolk and tender, firm egg whites. Learn... How to Cure Salmon Eggs to Use for Bait Salmon eggs are the primary bait used when fishing for king salmon or silver salmon. You need to cure fresh eggs to... How to Build an Egg Timer Egg timers are devices that time how long it takes to boil an egg. These devices will usually count down about three... How to Use a Metal Egg Poacher Poached eggs are a healthy alternative to fried or scrambled eggs, since hardly any butter or oil is used in their preparation.... How to Use the Cuisinart Egg Cooker The Cuisinart Egg Cooker an electric device that can be used to cook up to seven eggs at a time to either... How do I Use My Timer Settings on My Sony TV? The timer function of your Sony television is a handy tool that allows you to limit the amount of time your television...
Kidney patients are often given anemia medication, but new findings suggest that it may do very little to improve their well-being. The anemia drugs are called erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESAs), and the findings work to back up the current implemented guidelines on using ESAs. Senior researcher Dr. Navdeep Tangri said, patients may still benefit from the medications as they reduce the need for blood transfusions, but added, “This should close the book on the idea that these drugs help with exhaustion and improve patients’ quality of life.” Anemia is common in chronic kidney disease, and so ESAs are normally prescribed to help treat anemia. Other findings suggested that raising hemoglobin beyond a certain level with ESAs resulted in an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and blood clots. The study reviewed 17 clinical trials with results reaffirming the current knowledge of the dangers surrounding ESAs. Researchers believe that overall well-being does not improve, because oftentimes patients are older, live a sedentary lifestyle, and have other medical conditions aside from chronic kidney disease. When patients are younger and more active, ESAs are found to help overall well-being. Raising hemoglobin levels beyond nine in these patients does show benefits. The findings were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
You're sitting at your desk in a classroom or in an airlesscubicle, wondering how many minutes are left in a seemingly endlessday, when suddenly your teacher or supervisor lowers the boom: Shewants a research paper, complete with footnotes and a list ofsources. She wants accuracy, originality, and good grammar.And - gasp! - she wants ten pages!You may be 16 years old or 60 years old, but your reaction is thesame: Help! Take heart. A research paper may seem daunting, but it's afar-from-impossible project to accomplish. Turning research intowriting is actually quite easy, as long as you follow a few proventechniques. And that's where Research Papers For Dummiessteps in to help. In this easy-to-understand guide, you find outhow to search for information using both traditional printedsources and the electronic treasure troves of the Internet. Youalso discover how to take all those bits of information, discardingthe irrelevant ones, and put them into a form that illustrates yourpoint with clarity and originality. Here's just a sampling of the topics you'll find in ResearchPapers For Dummies: * Types of research papers, from business reports todissertations * The basic ingredients of a paper: Introduction, body,conclusion, footnotes, and bibliography * Note-taking methods while doing research * Avoiding plagiarism and other research paper pitfalls * Defining your thesis statement and choosing a structure foryour paper * Supporting your argument and drawing an insightfulconclusion * Revising and polishing your prose * Top Ten lists on the best ways to begin your research onlineand in print Research Papers For Dummies also includes an appendixthat's full of research paper ideas if you're stuck. If you're tasked with writing a research paper, chances are youalready have a lot of demands on your time. You don't need anotherhuge pile of papers to read. This book can actually save you timein the long run, because it gives you the easiest, fastest, andmost successful methods for completing your paper.
Welcome back to our series on the history of the American bachelor. Last time we discussed the bachelor in colonial and Revolutionary War America where we learned about his origins as well as the laws and taxes levied specifically against single men. Today we turn our focus to the state of the American bachelor after the Civil War. Post-Civil War America: The Golden Age of the American Bachelor As urbanization and industrialization began to take off in the first half of the 19th century, thousands of young, single men migrated from farms to cities. The large immigration of European men, particularly from Ireland, only added to the growing pool of urban bachelors in antebellum America; in some cities bachelors made up more than 50% of the male population. The bachelor population in urban areas only grew faster after the Civil War. Consequently, single men often greatly outnumbered single women in the cities. This gender imbalance, along with the rising costs of living, resulted in young men putting off marriage longer than previous generations of bachelors. By 1890, the average marrying age for a man was close to our modern marrying age: 26. With so many men putting off marriage, a feedback loop formed that increased the proportion of urban single men even more. In that same year, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that 67 percent of all men between the ages of 15 and 34 were bachelors. Despite the devastating loss of tens of thousands of young, single men during the Civil War, the bachelor became a demographic force to be reckoned with in the closing decades of the 19th century. With so many bachelors living close together in cities, an entire bachelor sub-culture formed that would fuel new businesses and industries and shape America’s conception of masculinity in the 20th century. Indeed, the period between the Civil War and World War I became the golden age of the American bachelor. Living Arrangements of Urban Bachelors The thousands of young, single men who flowed into cities tended to congregate together as they set up a new life for themselves. Many large cities developed unofficial districts that contained a large number of unmarried, working class men. Working class bachelors lived, labored, and relaxed in these “Bachelor Districts.” If you’ve seen Gangs of New York, the Five Points neighborhood where the movie takes place is a good representation of these late 19th century Bachelor Districts–dirty, lawless, and crowded. To house all these unmarried men, boarding houses were built. For a dollar or just a few cents a week, a young bachelor could have a bed to sleep in and (maybe) a place to bathe. Boarding houses varied in their amenities and comforts. Most boarding houses in the working class districts were dirty and provided no privacy. Men were forced to share a small room with five or sometimes ten other men. Sharing beds with complete strangers wasn’t uncommon, nor was choosing to share a bed with a friend to save money. Middle class bachelors could usually afford more refined boarding. For a few extra dollars a week, a man could get a room to himself that included a dresser, a rug (hot dog!), and daily hot water for shaving. The atmosphere of these boarding houses in many ways resembled that of the modern day frat house. Young men living alone in the cities found companionship and camaraderie with their fellow residents. Jokes, ribbing, and social drinking were all part of the experience. Despite the boarding house boom in post-Civil War America, most bachelors lived with their parents or a next of kin. In 1860, 60 percent of native born unmarried men between the ages of 15 and 30 lived with family. Chances were your great-grandpappy lived with his parents well into adulthood (the idea that living at home past age 18 is an unprecedented modern problem and represents a failure on the part of contemporary young people is a myth based on comparisons to the unique circumstances in post-WWII America…but we’ll save that discussion for another day). Socioeconomic factors played a significant role in whether a bachelor lived with family or by himself. Working class bachelors were more likely to live with their families than their middle-class counterparts, simply because their blue collar brethren couldn’t afford to pay for boarding elsewhere. Like the 17th century bachelors at Harvard who founded “The Friday Association of Bachelors,” bachelors in post-Civil War America began forming groups to cater specifically to their unique needs. Enterprising businessmen also saw an opportunity to make a buck off this growing demographic and so created businesses to accommodate the burgeoning bachelor population. As mentioned above, middle-class bachelors were more likely than their working class peers to break away from the constraints of family life and try to live on their own. But in the absence of mom, dad, and six siblings, these men still craved company and companionship, and middle class urban bachelors would often recreate family life with other single men in private men’s clubs. Most major cities at the turn of the 20th century had one of these clubs, places where a young bachelor could share the expenses of rent, meals, and a housekeeper. The clubs were somewhat like working class boarding houses, only a whole lot nicer. Private men’s clubs were often built in elite parts of towns and were decorated with dark wood walls and banisters, red carpets, and masculine art. The clubs usually had a study or sitting room where a young bachelor could sit, read, and take part in stimulating conversation over cigars and drinks. A billiards table was a common piece of furniture. Married men would even join a private men’s club just so they could have a place to retreat to when they wanted to get away from the family. Some of these clubs included the Olympic Club in San Francisco, Boston’s Somerest Club, and New York’s Knickerbocker Club. Private men’s clubs weren’t without their critics. Many saw them as a direct threat to the future of the American family. Why would a young man want to get married when he had all the benefits of family in his club? New York journalist Junius Henri Browne said this of the clubs: “Every club is a blow against marriage… offering as it does, the surrounding of a home without women or the ties of a family.” In addition to private clubs, other bachelor hangouts included fraternal lodges like Freemasons and the Odd Fellows. From 1870 to 1920, growth in fraternal organizations boomed. According to Understanding Manhood in America, by 1920 thirty million men were members of a fraternal organization. The lodge often served as a second home for men, both single and married. This mixture of married men and bachelors allowed for some symbiotic relationships. The older, married men often provided mentoring and advice to the younger, single men on transitioning into manhood, while the bachelors provided an atmosphere where married men could loosen their collars and enjoy some freewheeling and virile camaraderie. The golden age of the bachelor was also the golden age of the saloon. By 1895, American cities had, on average, one saloon for every 317 residents and the primary customer was single men (women, who were not prostitutes, were typically banned outright). For many bachelors living in cities, the saloon wasn’t just a place where they could grab a pint of beer and play cards with friends after work. Saloons also provided other services that bachelors needed, including banking services (like check cashing and credit extension) and mail services. The most important service saloons offered bachelors was providing food. Back in the late 19th century, many cities required bars and saloons to provide free food to patrons. For just the cost of a pint of beer, a young and hungry bachelor could fill himself with some hearty victuals. For many urban bachelors, saloon food was their only source of sustenance. Immigrant Oscar Ameringer described the kind of free food you could get in an 1880s Cincinnati bar: “By investing five cents in a schooner of beer and holding on to the evidence of purchase, one could eat one’s fill of such delicacies as rye bread, cheese, hams, sausage, pickled and smoked herring, sardines, onions, radishes, and pumpernickel.” Billiard halls sprung up like weeds in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as well, and bachelors were their primary clientele. Popularly referred to as a “young man’s game,” pool was a way for bachelors to blow off some steam after work and maybe even make a little money gambling. The pool hall became a place that ushered working class boys into the world of adult male society. Legendary pool champion Wimpy Lassiter looked back nostalgically at his youth in the early 20th century and said this about pool halls: “A long time ago I used to stand there and peek over the lattice work into that cool-looking darkness of the City Billiards in Elizabeth, North Carolina… And it seemed as though the place had a special sort of smell to it that you could breathe. Like old green felt tables and brass spittoons and those dark polished woods. Then a bluish haze of smoke and sweet pool chalk, and strongest of all, a kind of manliness.” Last, but not least, the barbershop was another important hangout for bachelors between 1860 and 1920. In Chicago, the number of barbershops shot up from 308 in 1880 to nearly 2,000 by 1896. It’s no coincidence that the golden age of the barbershop occurred simultaneously with the golden age of the bachelor. Before men moved from the farm to work in factories and offices in the cities, they usually got their hair cut by another family member. Living alone in the city, a bachelor needed somebody else to do it for him. Also, because single men typically lived in a room that lacked the basin and hot water needed for a comfortable shave, they would often head to the barber once a week to get their scruff removed. Barbers also provided other essential services for bachelors, specifically medical and dental care. Old barbering books from the late 19th and early 20th centuries often provided recipes for creams and tonics to cure ringworm and other skin diseases. There were even recipes for barber-made cough drops. Barbershops also served as news centers and civic forums for men. Men would frequently drop by the barbershop just to see what was going on and chew the fat with other men. Barbers kept their shops well-stocked with magazines and newspapers for their clients to read while they waited for a shave. The most popular magazine among single men in the late 19th century was The National Police Gazette, a weekly periodical where a man could get the latest updates about boxing matches and read tawdry crime stories. Due to the popularity of The National Police Gazette among barbers, the magazine had a weekly feature called “Tonsorial Artist of the Week” where they highlighted the work of a singular barber. The National Police Gazette laid the foundation for the versatile men’s lifestyle magazines we enjoy today (including, the Art of Manliness!). Like private men’s clubs, bachelor hangouts were criticized by moralists and newspaper editors. Saloons and pool halls received the brunt of the criticism. The Georgia Anti-Poolroom League (yes, there were organizations that quaintly fought poolrooms) argued that poolrooms “diverted man power” and encouraged “idleness…dissipation…intoxicants…profanity…lascivious stories…and the love of chance.” In New York City, moralists denounced the Henry Hill saloon as the “most dangerous and demoralizing place in New York.” Not only did saloons and pool halls encourage the obvious vices like drunkenness and gambling, critics argued, they distracted young men from taking on the responsibilities of adult life as well. Echoing Benjamin Franklin’s criticisms of bachelors in Revolutionary America, 19th and early 20th century critics believed that the illicit activities engaged in in these establishments sapped young men of their vim and vigor. Bachelor hangouts were a threat to American manhood and America herself. The Sporting Male Many young men living at the turn of the century had a bit of anxiety about their masculinity in comparison with their ancestors. With no more frontier to settle or wars to fight, how would they prove their mettle? Would their virility ebb away as they sat at desks or worked in factories instead of tilling the land or hammering at a forge? The sports arena became a substitute “frontier” and “battlefield” where young men could display their masculine strength and competitive drive. It was during the late 19th century that many of the popular sports we enjoy today got their start. Bachelors had a major influence on the rapid rise of sports in American culture. Many of the first organized baseball, basketball, and football teams were formed among bachelors attending college. Christian churches embraced the country’s new love of sports in the hopes of making church more attractive to men, particularly young, single men during the Muscular Christianity movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Of all athletics, boxing was seen as the most virile sport a man could take part in. Even if a man didn’t actually step in the ring to fight, he’d spend his weekends watching two other fighters duke it out in matches that lasted hours and sometimes days. During the golden age of the bachelor, boxing was the most popular spectator sport. Boxing also gave birth to America’s first national sport’s hero, John L. Sullivan. In many ways, Sullivan was the paragon of this period’s ideal of virile bachelorhood. Though he was married, John L. lived the life of a bachelor for most of his life: drinking, fighting, and carousing with other women. He spent more time at the saloon with other bachelors than he did with his family. In addition to athletics and competition, men, especially working class bachelors, began to define their manliness by their patronage of “illicit” pastimes and vices like drinking, pool games, horse racing, pugilism, card games, cigar smoking, and cock/dog fighting. This “sporting male” identity is still with us today in many ways from the benign weekly poker nights to the more depraved binge drinking rituals in college fraternities. Thus the golden age of the bachelor was a time where young, single men, free from the responsibilities of family life and laws that targeted their demographic, enjoyed an unprecedented amount of freedom and male camaraderie. And yet this kind of freedom still created a tension in society–what if men enjoyed bachelorhood so much that they never wanted to settle down? This tension between the enjoyment of bachelor culture by some, and the worry that it was too enjoyable by others, continued into the 20th century. And to that time period we will turn in our next and final installment on the history of the bachelor in America. Citizen Bachelor by John Gilbert McCurdy The Age of the Bachelor by Howard P. ChudacoffTags: American Bachelor Last updated: February 2, 2016
Cop Macdonald comment: Marc Prensky's bio notes that among other things he is a "futurist, visionary, and inventor in the critical areas of education and learning. His professional focus is on reinventing the learning process to motivate today's students and to better prepare them for their rapidly evolving future. As part of this work, he has designed and built more than 50 software games for learning..." the idea-stirring and thought-provoking article below, Marc Prensky examines ways in which existing technologies and future developments in the digital world could facilitate the development of wisdom and wise decison making. This article first appeared in the February/March 2009 issue of Innovate: Journal of Online Education, and if you would like to sign up for a free subscription to that journal, you can access article on the Innovate web site as well as many others. From Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives to that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them. In 2001, I published "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants," a two-part article that explained these terms as a way of understanding the deep differences between the young people of today and many of their elders (Prensky 2001a, Although many have found the terms useful, as we move further into the 21st century when all will have grown up in the era of digital technology, the distinction between digital natives and digital immigrants will become less relevant. Clearly, as we work to create and improve the future, we need to imagine a new set of distinctions. I suggest we think in terms of digital wisdom. I believe, can be used to make us not just smarter but truly wiser. Digital wisdom is a twofold concept, referring both to wisdom arising from the use of digital technology to access cognitive power beyond our innate capacity and to wisdom in the prudent use of technology to enhance our capabilities. Because of technology, wisdom seekers in the future will benefit from unprecedented, instant access to ongoing worldwide discussions, all of recorded history, everything ever written, massive libraries of case studies and collected data, and highly realistic simulated experiences equivalent to years or even centuries of actual experience. How and how much they make use of these resources, how they filter through them to find what they need, and how technology aids them will certainly play an important role in determining the wisdom of their decisions and judgments. Technology alone will not replace intuition, good judgment, problem-solving abilities, and a clear moral compass. But in an unimaginably complex future, the digitally unenhanced person, however wise, will not be able to access the tools of wisdom that will be available to even the least wise digitally Moreover, given that the brain is now generally understood to be highly plastic, continually adapting to the input it receives, it is possible that the brains of those who interact with technology frequently will be restructured by that interaction. The brains of wisdom seekers of the future will be fundamentally different, in organization and in structure, than our brains are today. Future wisdom seekers will be able to achieve today's level of wisdom without the cognitive enhancements offered by increasingly sophisticated digital technology, but that wisdom will not be sufficient, either in quality or in nature, to navigate a complex, technologically advanced world. We are all moving, by fits and starts and each at our own speed, toward digital enhancement. In many ways, we are already there; digital enhancement is or will soon be available for just about everything we do. This includesand here is the important partcognition. Digital tools already extend and enhance our cognitive capabilities in a number of ways. Digital technology enhances memory, for example, via data input/output tools and electronic storage. Digital data-gathering and decision-making tools enhance judgment by allowing us to gather more data than we could on our own, helping us perform more complex analyses than we could unaided, and increasing our power to ask "what if?" and pursue all the implications of that question. Digital cognitive enhancement, provided by laptop computers, online databases, three-dimensional virtual simulations, online collaboration tools, PDAs, and a range of other, context-specific tools, is a reality in every profession, even in nontechnical fields such as law and the humanities (Exhibit 1). We are already becoming dependent on these enhancements. As philosophers Andy Clark and David argue, "extended cognition is a core cognitive process, not an add-on extra," as "the brain develops in a way that complements the external structures and learns to play its role within a unified, densely coupled system" ("3. Active Externalism," ¶17). As I recently heard a teenager say, expressing this idea more colloquially, "If I lose my cell phone, I lose half my brain." Many would express the same sentiment in regard to a PDA or a laptop computer; we are already embracing a basic level of digital enhancement, and we will accept ever more sophisticated enhancements as technology continues to These developing technologies, which will connect us more directly to their power by linking to our brains directly, are already here or on the horizon. Two recently released devices, one produced by Smart Brain Technologies and another by Emotive Systems, allow players to control the action in video games using their minds; NeuroSky is working on another version of the technology. The U.S. Air Force is experimenting with using similar technology to train pilots in hands-off flying (Satnews Daily 2008). Other emerging digital tools promise to facilitate communication and enhance understanding; for example, voice-stress analysis tools will allow users to perceive deception and automated translation utilities will help create translations free of human bias. As these tools become widely available, digital enhancement will become even more vital for everyone. What should we call this emerging digitally enhanced person? Homo sapiens digital, or digital human, perhaps. The key to understanding this development is to recognize that it includes both the digital and the wise. As digital enhancements develop, so too will the concept and practice of wisdom. Wisdom, as any search will quickly show, is a universal but ill-defined concept. Definitions of wisdom fill entire volumes. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests that wisdom's main component is judgment, referring to the "Capacity of judging rightly in matters relating to life and conduct, soundness of judgment in the choice of means and ends" (OED 1989). Philosopher Robert Nozick (1990) suggests that wisdom lies in knowing what is important; other definitions see wisdom as the ability to solve problemswhat Aristotle called "practical wisdom" (Wikipedia 2009). Some definitionsalthough not allattribute to wisdom a moral component, locating wisdom in the ability to discern the "right" or "healthy" thing to do. This is, of course, problematic since agreement on moral issues is frequently difficult to come by. So wisdom cannot be conclusively defined without a consideration of context. One interesting definition of wisdom that is particularly useful in this discussion comes from Howard Gardner (2000), who suggests that wisdom may be seen in the breadth of issues considered in arriving at a judgment or decision. Combining these sources, we can define wisdom as the ability to find practical, creative, contextually appropriate, and emotionally satisfying solutions to comlicated human problems (as Solomon famously did with the baby problem). Many see it as a more complex kind of problem solving. As technology becomes more sophisticated, developing the capacity to help us make moral and ethical choices as well as more pragmatic decisions, what we call "human wisdom" will reach new levels. Some of that evolution will arise from the breadth of resources available to the wisdom seeker. More development will emerge from wider access to more experience, provided by hours of exposure to realistic simulation, similar to that required for today's airline pilots and astronauts. It is also possible that reflective capabilities will themselves be enhanced; we are already seeing some evidence of this possibility in the speed with which video game players review previous games, searching for ways to improve before beginning the next game. Future technological tools will allow people engaged in making judgments and decisions to evaluate their decisions very quickly in light of collective past experience, just as today financial strategies can be backtested on the historical market. And given the enhanced communications possibilities, wisdom will certainly involve a lot more sharing and testing of ideas while they are in formation than is possible today. Homo sapiens digital, then, differs from today's human in two key aspects: He or she accepts digital enhancement as an integral fact of human existence, and he or she is digitally wise, both in the considered way he or she accesses the power of digital enhancements to complement innate abilities and in the way in which he or she uses enhancements to facilitate wiser decision making. Digital wisdom transcends the generational divide defined by the immigrant/native distinction. Many digital immigrants exhibit digital wisdom. Barack Obama, who grew up in the pre-digital era, showed his digital wisdom in enlisting the power of the Internet to enhance both his fundraising ability and his connection with the American people. Understanding that his judgment is enhanced by his ability to get instant feedback from his closest friends and advisors, he has refused to give up his BlackBerry. Rupert Murdoch, a self-confessed digital immigrant (Murdoch 2005), has also shown digital wisdom in recognizing the need to add digital news-gathering and dissemination tools to his media empire. The point is that while the need for wise people to discuss, define, compare, and evaluate perspectives is not changing, the means by which they do so and the quality of their efforts are growing more sophisticated because of digital technology. As a result, the unenhanced brain is well on its way to becoming insufficient for truly wise decision making. When we are all enhanced by implanted lie detectors, logic evaluators, and executive function and memory enhancementsall of which will likely arrive in our children's lifetimeswho among us will be considered wise? The advantage will go, almost certainly, to those who intelligently combine their innate capacities with their digital So how can digital technology enhance our minds and lead to greater wisdom? One way to answer this question is to consider where our unenhanced wisdom fails us and explore how technology can enhance our capabilities in those arenas. As unenhanced humans, we are limited in our perceptions and constrained by the processing power and functioning of the human brain. As a result, we tend to go astray in our thinking in ways that limit our wisdom; for example: - We make decisions based on only a portion of the available data. - We make assumptions, often inaccurate, about the thoughts or intentions of others. - We depend on educated guessing and verification (the traditional scientific method) to find - We are limited in our ability to predict the future and construct what-if scenarios. - We cannot deal well with complexity beyond a certain point. - We cannot see, hear, touch, feel, or smell beyond the range of our senses. - We find it difficult to hold multiple perspectives simultaneously. - We have difficulty separating emotional responses from rational conclusions. - We forget. Some of these failures arise because we do not have access to necessary data, while others stem from our inability to conduct complex analyses, derive full understanding from the ever-increasing volumes of data available to us, understand others fully, or access alternative perspectives. All of these factors reduce our capacity to judge situations, evaluate outcomes, and make practical decisions wisely. Fortunately, available and emerging digital tools can allow us to overcome these deficiencies and attain true digital wisdom. Enhancing Our Access The human mind cannot remember everything; detailed, voluminous data are quickly lost. In some ways, this is good in that it forces us to be selective, but it also limits our analytical capacity. Digital technology can help by providing databases and algorithms that gather and process vast amounts of data far more efficiently and thoroughly than the human brain can. Expert systems are one example of sophisticated digital tools that can help humans access a wider array of data. These systems gather the expertise of hundreds of human experts in one program in order to provide a more thorough assessment of a given situation than even a highly trained and experienced professional might be able to offer. One example of such a system is the Acute Physiology & Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) system, which helps doctors allocate scarce intensive-care resources to those patients most in need (Exhibit 2). Few would consider it wise to use an expert system such as APACHE as the only decision maker; expert system technology is both imperfect and still in development. But would it be wise for a human to make the decision without at least consulting it? Wise decisions often involve not just ethical considerations but also tradeoffs; in the context of a complex, delicate decision, such as the one to remove a patient from intensive care, those tradeoffs can be difficult to assess. Expert systems and other sophisticated analytical tools allow for a fuller understanding of the risks and benefits inherent in such a Enhancing our Ability to Conduct Deeper Analyses In an article provocatively titled "The End of Theory," writer Chris Anderson (2008) describes how the massive amounts of data now being collected and stored by Google and others is allowing a new type of scientific analysis. In many cases, scientists no longer have to make educated guesses, construct hypotheses and models, and test them with data-based experiments and examples. Instead, they can mine the complete set of data for patterns that reveal effects, producing scientific conclusions without further experimentation because they can rely on analysis of a complete, digitally stored data set. In a similar way, Google's advertising tools draw valid and useful conclusions about what works in advertising without actually knowing anything either about what is advertised or about the projected consumers of the advertising. The software draws conclusions based purely on sophisticated analyses of available data; the analyses improve as the amount of data increases (as it does exponentially), and the analysis tools improve as well. This is the same principle, according to Anderson, that allows Google to "translate languages without actually 'knowing' them (given equal corpus data, Google can translate Klingon into Farsi as easily as it can translate French into German)" (2008, ¶5). Here, too, the tools will improve as more data becomes available. Imagine what will happen when the entire universe of everything ever written is available for analysis. This approach reverses the generally accepted nature of the human/machine coupling. Rather than the mind imagining possibilities that the data confirm or deny, the data announce facts and relationships and the human looks for explanations oras Google does with advertisingsimply uses the relationships to achieve a goal without knowing or caring why they exist. Surely, such ability should lead us to question what wisdom is in such situations and to consider the relationship between mind and machine in producing wisdom in a digital future. Future wisdom will involve as much skill in eliciting relationships as in imagining them. On the other hand, there are areas where a human mind's ability to imagine relationships will be crucial to attaining digital wisdom. From warfare to architecture to politics, asking "what if?" has always been critical to understanding complex systems, and human wisdom has always included the ability to what-if well. While simulation, practiced for thousands of years in sandbox, mechanical, and thought experiments, is a sophisticated way to explore possible interpretations of data, unenhanced humans are limited in the number of options and end states that they can explore in this way. Pairing human intelligence with digital simulation allows the mind to progress further and faster. A person's ability to create, interpret, and evaluate the models underlying the simulations plays a large role in his or her ability to use them wisely. In the future, more sophisticated simulation algorithms will allow humans to exercise their imaginative capacity in ever-more complex what-if constructions, allowing for more thorough exploration of possibilities and, in turn, wiser decisions. With the introduction of modern simulation games such as Sim City, Roller Coaster Tycoon, and Spore, this kind of digital wisdom enhancement already begins at a very early age. Enhancing Our Ability to Plan and Prioritize As the world becomes more complex, planning and prioritization skills far beyond the capability of the unenhanced human brain will be required; digital enhancements will be needed to help us to anticipate second and third-order effects to which the unaided mind may be blind. The full implications of massive undertakings like human space travel, the construction of artificial cities in the Arabian Sea, the building of huge machines such as large hadron colliders, and complex financial dealings such as those that have recently wrought havoc on the economy cannot be fully perceived or assessed by even the wisest unaided minds. Alan Greenspan, for example, is widely considered one of our wisest financial gurus, and yet, his assessment of the fundamental workings of our economy was mistaken: "You know," he admitted in a Congressional hearing in October 2008, "that's precisely the reason I was shocked [by the economic downturn], because I have been going more than 40 years or more with very considerable evidence that it was working considerably well" (Leonhardt 2008). Humans will require digital enhancement in order to achieve a full understanding of these increasingly complex issues and a full sense of the practical wisdom of pursuing them. We currently do not have, in many areas, either the databases of past successes and failures, or the tools to analyze them, that are required to enhance our wisdom and collective memorybut we will going forward. Enhancing Our Insight One of the greatest barriers to human understanding and communication is that we cannot see inside another person's mind. This limitation gives rise to unintended misunderstandings and allows people to employ all sorts of deceptive strategies, both consciously and unconsciously. Some of the ways digital technology is helping us overcome this barrier include various means of truth (or lie) detection, multimodal communications, and digital readouts of our own and others' brain waves. Already, researchers at Carnegie-Mellon University digital computer analyses of brain patterns captured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans, are able to tell what a person is thinking about (Mitchell et al. 2008). It is likely, according to these researchers, that our children will, in their lifetimes, be able to read people's thoughts and even have access to direct brain-to-brain communication. While these developments will clearly raise ethical issues and privacy questions that will have to be addressed, there can be little doubt that as people gain access to and learn to take into account others' unspoken motives, thoughts, needs, and judgments in their own thinking, their wisdom will increase. Enhancing our Access to Alternate Perspectives The world is full of things we cannot perceive with our unenhanced senses, things that are too small, too large, too fast, too abstract, too dangerous, or too far away. Exploring these things through digital enhancements will certainly help expand both our understanding of these things and our knowledge of how they can help or hurt us. It will also expand our ability to assume multiple perspectivesto see things from more than one point of viewand, hence, our wisdom. The perception of things outside our normal sensory range can be enhanced digitally in numerous ways, from manipulable three-dimensional simulations to digitally monitored biofeedback controls that enhance mental and sensory states, which may also enhance memory and emotional control. Access to alternative perspectives can also be attained through increasingly sophisticated digital role playing, using simulations in which people can experience difficult and critical situations from various points of view. There are undoubtedly other ways in which digital technology will enhance our understanding and wisdom. None of these tools will replace the human mind; rather, they will enhance our quest for knowledge and our development of wisdom. Objections to Digital Not everyone accepts the power of digital enhancement to make us both smarter and wiser. On its July/August 2008 cover, The Atlantic magazine asks "Is Google Making Us Stoopid?" Google serves as a stand-in for the Internet and digital technology more generally; the author's concern is that digital enhancements such as the Internet make our natural minds lazier and less able (Carr 2008a). While that is certainly something we should guard against, we must also bear in mind that new technologies have always raised similar objections; as Carr points out, in Plato's The Phaedrus, Socrates objects to writing on the basis that it undermines the memory. In fact, what's happening now is very much the opposite: Digital technology is making us smarter. Steven Johnson has documented this in Everything Bad is Good For You (2005), in which he argues that the new technologies associated with contemporary popular culture, from video games to the Internet to television and film, make far more cognitive demands on us than did past forms, thus increasing our capabilities in a wide variety of cognitive tasks. As Johnson puts it, "Today's popular culture may not be showing us the righteous path. But it is making us smarter" (14). Socrates was correct in his fear that writing would diminish our memories but shortsighted in that concern. While we may remember less and memorize less readily than did humans in Socrates's day, the addition of writing has made us considerably wiser by expanding our collective memory and increasing ability to share information across time and distance. Worries that ubiquitous GPS systems might diminish our map-reading ability or that spell checkers and calculators will result in a generation that cannot spell or do mental math are similarly shortsighted. Every enhancement comes with a trade-off: We gave up huge mental memory banks when we started writing things down; we gave up the ability to tell time by the sun when we began carrying pocket watches. But we gained a set of shared cultural memories and a more precise notion of time that fueled the Industrial Revolution. Digital wisdom arises from the combination of the mind and digital tools; what the unenhanced mind loses by outsourcing mundane tasks will be more than made up for by the wisdom gained. Wisdom, and particularly practical wisdom, must be understood in light of the digital enhancements that make it stronger. Being Digitally Wise So what constitutes digital wisdom? What habits do the digitally wise use to advance their capabilities and the capabilities of those around them? Can digital wisdom Examples of digital wisdom are all around us. Leaders are digitally wise when they use available techniques to connect with their constituents for polling and to solicit contributions and encourage participation, as Barack Obama did so well in the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign. Journalists are digitally wise when they take advantage of participative technologies such as blogs and wikis to enlarge their perspectives and those of their audience. Nicolas Carr exhibited digital wisdom in posting his notes and sources for his Atlantic article on his blog in response to reader requests for more information (Carr 2008b). Digital wisdom can be, and must be, learned and taught. As we offer more courses in digital literacy, we should also offer students guidance in developing digital wisdom. Parents and educators are digitally wise when they recognize this imperative and prepare the children in their care for the futureeducators by letting students learn by using new technologies, putting themselves in the role of guides, context providers, and quality controllers, and parents by recognizing the extent to which the future will be mediated by technology and encouraging their children to use digital technology wisely. The digitally wise distinguish between digital wisdom and mere digital cleverness, and they do their best to eradicate digital dumbness when it arises (Exhibit 3). They know that just knowing how to use particular technologies makes one no wiser than just knowing how to read words does. Digital wisdom means not just manipulating technology easily or even creatively; it means making wiser decisions because one is enhanced by technology. Therefore, the digitally wise look for the cases where technology enhances thinking and understanding. No digitally wise leader would make any major decision, no digitally wise scientist would come to any conclusion without digital tools enhancing their own thinking. They may rely on intuition, but that intuition is informed, inspired, and supported by digital enhancements and by the additional data digital tools provide. Those who are truly digitally wise do not resist their digitally enhanced selves but accept them gladly, even as they make careful judgments about what digital enhancements are appropriate Being digitally wise involves not only enhancing our natural capabilities with existing technologies but also continuously identifying additional areas where our natural human toolseven when they are developed to a very high levelcannot do the job unaided. As new digital tools appear, especially ones that take hold in a strong way, the digitally wise seek them out actively. They investigate and evaluate the positives as well as the negatives of new tools and figure out how to strike the balance that turns tools into wisdom enhancers. The digitally wise also realize that the ability to control digital technology, to bend it to their needs, is a key skill in the digital age. As a result, they are interested in programming, in the broadest sense of the word, that is, in making machines do what people want them to do. Within the lifetimes of our children, more powerful digital mental enhancementsthe embedded chips and brain manipulations of science fictionwill become a reality just as gene manipulation, long considered a far-off dream, is with us now. Just as we have begun to confront the ethical, moral, and scientific challenges presented by genetic medicine, we will have to confront the issue of digital wisdom sooner or later, and we will be better off doing it sooner. Many of these enhancements will bring ethical dilemmas, but the digitally wise will distinguish between true ethical issues (Is the enhancement safe? Is it available equally to all?) and mere preferences Nobody suggests that people should stop using and improving their unaided minds, but I am opposed to those who claim the unenhanced mind and unaided thinking are somehow superior to the enhanced mind. To claim this is to deny all of human progress, from the advent of writing to the printing press to the Internet. Thinking and wisdom have become, in our age, a symbiosis of the human brain and its digital enhancements. I do not think technology is wise in itself (although some day it may be) or that human thinking is no longer necessary or important. It is through the interaction of the human mind and digital technology that the digitally wise person is coming to be. I believe it is time for the emerging digitally wise among us, youth and adults alike, to embrace digital enhancement and to encourage others to do so. With our eyes wide open to enhancement's potential harm as well as its benefits, let us bring our colleagues, students, teachers, parents, and peers to the digital wisdom of the twenty-first century. Anderson, C. 2008. The end of theory: The data deluge makes the scientific method obsolete. Wired Magazine 16 (7). http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/16-07/pb_theory (accessed January 28, 2009). Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5eBIPrc60. Carr, N. 2008a. Is Google making us stupid? What the internet is doing to our brains. The Atlantic 301 (6): 56-63. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google (accessed January 28, 2009). Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5eBJxMMM3. Carr, N. 2008b. "Is Google making us stupid?": Sources and notes. [Weblog entry, August 7.] Rough Type. http://www.roughtype.com/archives/2008/08/is_google_makin.php (accessed January 29, 2009). Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5eFmKmnMx. Clark, A., and D. J. Chalmers. 1998. The extended mind. Analysis 58:7-19. http://consc.net/papers/extended.html (accessed January 28, 2009). Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5eBEF2Ncm. Gardner, H. 2000. Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century. New York: Basic Books. Johnson, S. B. 2005. Everything bad is good for you. New York: Riverhead Books. Leonhardt, D. 2008. Greenspan's mea culpa. [Weblog entry, October 23.] Economix. January 28, 2009). Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5eBJTVMJi. Mitchell, T., S. V. Shinkareva, A. Carlson, K. Chang, V. L. Malave, R. A. Mason, and M. A. Just. 2008. Predicting human brain activity associated with the meanings of nouns. Science 320 (May): 1191-1195. Murdoch, R. 2005. Speech to the American Society of Newspaper Editors, April 13. http://www.newscorp.com/news/news_247.html (accessed January 26, 2009). Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5e6jPyqgB. Nozick, R. 1990. The examined life: Philosophical meditations. New York: Simon & Schuster-Touchstone. OED. 1989. "Wisdom" definition 1a. Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd. ed. Oxford: Oxford Prensky, M. 2001a. Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon 9 (5): 1-6. (accessed January 28, 2009). Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5eBDYI5Uw. Prensky, M. 2001b. Digital natives, digital immigrants, part 2: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon 9 (6): 1-6. http://www.twitchspeed.com/site/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part2.htm (accessed January 28, 2009). Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5eBDhJB2N. Satnews Daily. 2008. Hands off F-16 lands using Lockheed Martin computer control technology. Satnews Daily, December 11. http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=1057554591 (accessed January 28, 2009). Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5eBFSBrSt. Wikipedia. 2009. Wisdom. (accessed January 26, 2009). Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5e6jXGyZN. and Citation Information for this Article may be reproduced and distributed for educational purposes if the following attribution is included in the document:
Dubai: An innovative digital device developed by the Shaikh Zayed Institute of Paediatric Surgical Innovations at the Children’s National Medical Centre (CNMC) in Washington DC, USA, is proving to be very effective in detecting heart murmurs in infants. The institute at the CNMC is funded by the Abu Dhabi Government with a $150 million (Dh550.5 million) grant and supports health-care developments and innovation for children. A missed heart murmur can prove fatal for a child in some cases and early detection will facilitate early intervention. What are heart murmurs? The device developed by Dr Raj Shekhar and a team of doctors at CNMC had the partnership of the Shaikh Khalifa University on this project. Explaining the physiology of murmurs and the need for such a device, Dr Shekhar told Gulf News: “A heart murmur is an ‘extra’ sound riding over the ‘lub-dub’ sound of a beating heart. Fortunately, most heart murmurs in children are innocent, and Still’s murmur is the most common of all innocent murmurs. Pathological murmurs, on the other hand, are the murmurs caused by true heart defects. Missing a pathological murmur can have serious consequences including morbidity and mortality. Approximately 1 in 2 children develops Still’s murmur during their growing years. Furthermore, the incidence of Still’s murmur is almost 50 times higher than the incidence of all pathological murmurs combined.” Early detection can save lives Dr Shekhar explained the working of the device in simple terms. “The heart murmur device technology is both novel hardware and software. Using technology the device converts a standard stethoscope into a digital one by plugging it without the earpiece into a smartphone. Next, a signal processing algorithm (technique) developed by our team is used to distinguish whether the murmur is innocent (meaning normal) or not. The algorithm takes less than a minute to identify a murmur and is being further accelerated to execute in near real-time (a few seconds).” Once approved by the relevant authorities, the device to be used by paediatric cardiology experts will help screen infants and streamline immediate health care for their condition. “The device could serve as a valuable teaching tool and help doctors develop auscultation [listening to the internal sounds of the body] skills. And, it will save the family anxiety, due to the wait time of referral to a cardiologist, to discover whether the murmur is innocent or not,” said Dr Shekhar. A successful team effort Dr Shekhar credited the successful development of the device to the team of CNMC paediatric cardiologists. “The development of the device and the underlying technology is based on the clinical insights of our medical collaborator, Dr Robin Doroshow, a prominent paediatric cardiologist at CNMC, Dr Doroshow sees many patients with innocent heart murmurs, referred by general physicians, each week. Therefore, she suggested that we develop this system to help diagnose heart murmurs. The current development was also made possible through the engineering talent available within the Shaikh Zayed Institute for Paediatric Surgical Innovation, thanks to our partnership with the people of the UAE.” He added that CNMC and Khalifa University have had a longstanding collaborative relationship that has helped develop novel technologies for paediatric cardiology care such as foetal heart rate monitoring and foetal echocardiography. “The heart murmur analysis device builds on this productive research partnership and benefits from a large body of prior cardiac signal processing work. We have been working with Dr Ahsan Khandoker, a Biomedical Engineering faculty at Khalifa University and a foetal cardiology and cardiac signal processing expert. Dr Khandoker is advising the team in optimising both the hardware and software aspects of the device.”
SFF PRESS RELEASE In the summer of 2011, high-school science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers will have the chance to fly experiments on an early unmanned flight of a suborbital reusable launch vehicle (RLV). The Excelsior STEM mission was announced here today by Teachers in Space, a nonprofit project of the Space Frontier Foundation. Speaking at the annual Space Exploration Educators Conference, Teachers in Space project manager Edward Wright said â€œExcelsior STEM will provide a historic opportunity for high-school STEM teachers to gain hands-on experience with space-science hardware.â€ The Excelsior STEM mission will fly on a vehicle built and operated by Masten Space Systems, based at Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, CA. Teachers will build experiments for the mission during a Suborbital Flight Experiment Workshop that will take place August 1-5 at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Centerâ€™s AERO Institute in Palmdale, CA. The workshop is being developed under a cooperative agreement between Teachers in Space and NASA. NASA Ames Research Center is helping to develop educational experiment kits that teachers will assemble during the workshop. â€œIn the past, build/fly workshops have enabled teachers and students to fly experiments on sounding rockets and high-altitude balloons,â€ Wright said. â€œUnfortunately, those flight opportunities were rare and expensive. We are about to enter a new era in space exploration. Companies like Masten Space Systems are developing suborbital reusable launch vehicles â€” fully reusable rocketships â€” that will bring about a revolution in frequent, low-cost access to space. â€œSuborbital RLVs will provide reliable and affordable flight opportunities for scientists, teachers, and students. These vehicles are still in the early stages of development. Excelsior STEM will provide teachers with a unique early flight opportunity. By introducing teachers to the next generation of space hardware at this early stage, we are opening the door for many more education flights in the future. Within a few years students flying space experiments will be a routine part of STEM education.â€ In addition to the Suborbital Flight Experiment Workshop, Teachers in Space announced four other workshops for high-school teachers â€” a Space Medicine and Human Factors workshop and three Suborbital Astronautics Workshops â€” all to take place during the summer of 2011. Additional information and workshop applications can be found at:
Your task is to write an application to analyse texts in a file. Your application will employ several kinds of text-analyser objects (which you also have to implement) as described below. Your application will prompt the user for a filename, ask the user to select one of the text analysers and then will use the selected analyser on the given filename (each analyser will have a public method "analyse(String filename)"). After analysis a summary report (as outlined in the analyser descriptions - each analyser will have a method "getSummary()" that returns a String that contains the summary) is printed to the screen and the user is offered to query the analyser for more detailed information (as outlined in the analyser description) until the option "done with analysis" is chosen. At the end the user is given the choice to start over again or to terminate the application. You need to design and implement the following types of analysers: 1. Character analyser, which establishes: - Number of characters in the text (including letters, digits, spaces, symbols, etc.). - Number of letters in the text. - Number of digits in the text. - Number of whitespaces (spaces, tabs, line breaks etc.). - Number of other characters (symbols etc.) - Frequency distribution of each letter (i.e. the amount of relative occurrence of each letter in the text as percentage, i.e. as a figure between 0.0%-100.0%). - Frequency distribution of each digit (i.e. the amount of relative occurrence of each digit in the text as percentage, i.e. as a figure between 0.0%-100.0%). The summary report includes the number of characters, letters, digits, whitespaces and symbols. The user can query the analyser for each value individually and also for the frequency distribution of a single letter or digit (chosen by the user) or for an overview that displays the frequency distribution of all letters and digits. The way in which you store the information is not important. 2. Simple word analyser, which establishes: - Number of words in the text. - Number of different words (not case sensitive, i.e. the words "card" and "Card" are counted as the same word). - A list of words occurring in the text (words are kept in order of appearance). - Number of occurrences of each word. The summary report includes the number words and the number of different words. After the analysis the user can query the analyser for the number of words, number of different words, a list of occurring words (in order of first appearance - each word should be listed only once) and the amount of occurrences of individual words (the user can select the word by index and also by entering the word directly - you need two separate methods for this). The simple word analyser stores the list of words in an indexed dynamic data structure (you must be able to get the first, second, third word etc. - it cannot use a hash-based storage). 3. Sorted word analyser, which establishes the same as the simple word analyser. However, the list of occurring words is sorted in alphabetical order. The overview report and the possible queries are identical to the word analyser. The sorted word analyser stores the list of words in an indexed dynamic data structure. Use any sorting algorithm to sort the list of words. The sorted word analyser must use Binary Search to find words in the stored data structure. 4. Hashed word analyser, which establishes the same as the simple word analyser. However, this analyser uses a hash table to store the information. As a consequence, when querying the occurrences of individual words the index cannot be used - the user must enter the words directly. The hashed word analyser stores the list of words in a dynamic hash table (a hash table that adjusts to the required size automatically).
- Amundson Family History by Neil Hofland (3b8a) American descendants often wonder why their ancestors emigrated and ask the following type of questions: "My ancestors had farms in Norway. Some owned, some rented. What is the average size of a farm that supported a family? What is the average size of a husman’s farm? Did they have other occupations in addition to farming their land? Judging from the animals listed, the farms could not have been very large in acreage to support one horse, one goat and two pigs and a cow. One horse could not plow a large acreage by itself either." views on these questions are based solely on my knowledge of the Årdal kommune, a fair amount of study, and what real Norwegians have told me, at least what I think I remember they told me. Other locations in Norway could have variations, but I think things were pretty much the same in most places. we must define a couple of terms. I wish to make a distinction a gard is not a farm in the American sense. Each kommune is divided into gards, and then possibly into bruks on a gard, and finally into husmen's places. There used to be about 32 gards in Årdal. We translate "gard" into farm but that isn't really correct. Estate would be a better word except it is far too grand. A gard was a piece of land somebody owned. It could contain anywhere from an acre or 2 (0.81 hectares) up to 30 (12.15 hectares) or so acres of what might generously be referred to as field land. The gard could also include fairly large tracts of mountainous land and a "stol" (seter) or 2 or 3. At the time a gard acquired its name, hundreds of years ago it was all owned by a single individual and the name usually never changed throughout history, at least not in Årdal. during history part of a gard was sold to another individual, there would be two owners and their holdings would be referred to as Bruk 1 and Bruk 2, but the gard was still called by its original name. Bruk means "a small farm that was once a part of a big farm." Some gards never were subdivided while others were chopped up into small bits. If somebody living on one bruk bought an adjoining bruk I believe what he owned would be merged into one bruk. It was also possible to rent an entire gard or bruk. I believe it is reasonable to say that if someone owned or rented a whole gard or a bruk on a gard and made his living primarily from the land, it can be called a farm and he can be called a farmer. Keep in mind that this is on a much smaller scale than we tend to think of in America. I have been told that the average size farm in Norway today is about 30 to 40 acres (12.15 to 16.2 hectares). I know that when Americans drive through Norway there appear to be far too many buildings for the land. The average size gard in Årdal was probably only 10 to 15 acres (4.05 to 6.075 hectares). As I have defined bruks to be farms as well, the size of the average farm would be even smaller because many of the gards were subdivided into as many a 4 or 5 bruks. The largest gard in Årdal and still is Hovland and it has around 30 acres (12.15 hectares) or so. Mind you I am not counting any mountain land or the seters or støls on them. This amount of this extra land varied quite a bit. the amount of land owned by an individual was big enough to require more workers to maximize production than available in the land owner's family, a husman, or cotter, was allowed to have the use (not ownership) of a small piece of land the size of a city lot to maybe 1/4 acre. He could build there and use the land for his own benefit. He paid his rent by working a specified number of days for the landowner. The larger the gard, or bruk, the more husmen lived on it with their families. Some gards weren't big enough for any husmen and some large gards like Hovland had a dozen or more. In the 1801 census Hovland had about 75 people living on it (about 30 acres) including the husmen and their families. my way of thinking the husman or cotter places were not farms but small plots of land and it is stretching things to call husmen farmers. There were at best poorly paid hired men. It is true they farmed in the sense that they raised things on their little plots that eked out a meager existence for their families. I guess you could say that hired men are farmers, but it strikes me as a we are talking about the husmen with land. There were also husmen who only got a place for their family to live and did not get the use of any land. There were also a great many that didn't even have a place of their own but were "servants or hired men and women" who worked for their food and a place to sleep. all our ancestors who emigrated were husmen and their families or servants, in a broad sense. There were landowners who sold out and left as well. Most people's lives were extremely difficult in Norway. There were many reasons people left and books to be read on the subject, but for most people the biggest reason was to try to get a better life for the family and especially to secure more opportunity for their children. Almost all of the early emigration from Norway was composed of entire family groups. Single people who came were generally sisters or brothers or other relatives of parents of the family. We tend to refer to all of these people as farmers and think of them living on farms because we can't imagine how difficult their lives were. We don't have a frame of reference because over the last 100 to 150 years the standard of living has increased dramatically, not only in America but in Norway and other countries as well. question was asked, "Did they have other occupations in addition to farming their land?" I suppose some people managed to find other little things to do to help eke out a living, but for most of the people there just wasn't any time available. They were just struggling to keep themselves and their families alive. To put all this into perspective I am going to quote from the Introduction to Theodore Blegen's first volume on Norwegian Migration. Here is what he says about conditions in 1845. "A convenient point at which to examine the rural population groupings is the year 1845. The total population was then 1,328,471. There were 77,780 independent land holders, most of them presumably family heads. These freeholders made up the bonde element --- perhaps the most powerful and influential element in the population of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Norway. The designation of peasants as applied to this class is misleading. Norway never had a feudal system, and the bønder had behind them ancient traditions not only of independence but also of vigorous self-assertion. These freeholders in fact constituted a rural aristocracy, which through centuries had been the very heart of the national culture. They were proud of their traditions, but their position carried with it no necessary implication of wealth. In truth, the economic position of the bønder has been difficult. Many, pressed to the wall by adverse conditions, have sold their ancient farms and emigrated to America. And in many other cases younger sons, barred by the practical workings of the odel system of land tenure from having a share in the ancestral estates, have sought their fortunes in the West. One result of the odel system has been the holding of estates through many generations by one line in direct descent. It is not uncommon in the Norwegian valleys to find farms that have remained in the possession of one family, handed down from father to son, generation after generation, since the fifteenth or sixteenth century. Some understanding of the feeling about land ownership bred by such traditions may be had by noting the view of a Norwegian immigrant who explains that all the sons in his father's family, though only a few of them became farmers, insisted upon owning farm lands in America, "largely for reasons of sentiment, in harmony with the old conception of land ownership." The essence of this conception was that "land possessed a certain dignity and worth, aside from its purely commercial value. It was the pride of the old chieftains; it insured economic well-being and personal independence; it gave stability and permanence to the family in whose possession it remained from century to century." It is not to be wondered at that the bondestand made itself a power in the affairs of modern Norway. After the establishment of constitutional government in that country in 1814, the bønder, becoming increasingly class-conscious, entered upon a protracted but successful contest with the privileged official class and the clergy for leadership in the state. The "rural population," as Hardy says, "survived centuries of foreign domination, until in the nineteenth century it came once more into its own as the heart and kernel of Norwegian democracy." Various aspects and implications of the battle of the bønder are considered in later chapters of the present work; it remains to be noted here that from the bondestand have come a large number of the political leaders, writers, poets, musicians, and professional men of modern Norway; and that the same class has contributed liberally, in various fields, to leadership among the Norwegians transplanted to America. rural population of Norway in 1845 included, in addition to the bønder, 58,049 husmænd, 25,047 renters, 47,000 laborers [husmen without land], and 146,000 servants. The husmænd and laborers, mainly family heads, have been estimated to represent elements of respectively 300,000 and 230,000 people. Most interesting of these classes from the point of view of emigration were the husmænd, or cotters. These people, most of whom were to be found in the eastern parts of Norway, ordinarily leased small pieces of land to work for themselves, and were required, usually under written contracts, to give a specified amount of service to their landlords, the bønder. Small lots of land, with cottages and other buildings, usually some distance behind the central buildings of the gaard, were reserved for the use of husmænd. It is clear that heavy demands were made upon the cotters. In 1850 they were asking that their required services be restricted to five days a week and the working day to eleven hours. One writer states that practically the only free time the husmænd had for work on their own plots of ground was on Sundays. The value of services beyond the stipulated arrangements might be placed as high as twelve pennies a day in summer, less than half that in winter. Professor Koht writes that the husmænd were personally free --- that is, they were not bound to the soil --- but that in effect they were economic serfs. "It was only on rare occasions," he continues, "that any of them were able to win their way out of poverty." Hardy characterizes the husmand historically as the liberated thrall. Both politically and socially the class was on a lower plane than that of the bonde. It lacked the suffrage, since its members could not meet the property qualification. The husmænd were on the increase in the period when the emigration movement was rising, an increase that went from 48,571 in 1825 to 65,060 in 1855, the latter being the highest point in the history of the class. In a later chapter the movement for reform with reference to the cotters and its connections with emigration are considered in some detail. Poverty coupled with stern demands upon the time and service of the cotters tended in many cases to embitter their attitude toward the bønder, whose relationship to the lesser class had had a patriarchal flavor in an earlier day. A considerable number of pensioners, who had surrendered their property to their heirs upon condition of receiving annual allowances and living quarters, are represented in the population of 1845 --- 46,512 of them." took me several years to accumulate the knowledge about the conditions in which my ancestors lived. At first I thought of them as happy farmers in the American sense who just decided to come to America. Over time I built up a pretty fair intellectual concept of life in Årdal in the 19th Century. But I did not really understand until I went to visit Årdal in 1994. I was staying with a "cousin" and his wife. One set of my great grandparents lived on a husman's place named Ivarsplassen of the Hovland gard until they emigrated in 1870. The other set were husmen without land and left from a place called Hausehalsen that no one seemed to know anything about. Since then I have found it was across the fjord in the Lærdal kommune. told my cousin that I wanted to see where Ivarsplassen was. I told him I realized it would no longer be there but I wanted to stand on the ground. I told him if he didn't know where it was, I didn't want him to tell me so but take me somewhere and point to a spot and say that's where it was. I explained that I live in Santa Monica and visitors always want to see the movie stars' homes in Beverly Hills. I drive them around among the mansions and point out where all kinds of stars live now or lived in the past. I don't have the foggiest idea where any movie star lives in Beverly Hills but my guests don't know that and are thrilled and satisfied. My cousin smiled and said he would show me Ivarsplassen. next day we got in the car and drove about 6 miles out to the Hovland gard and down a few driveways and stopped in front of a weedy patch of ground with a small log cabin on it, maybe 12 by 14 feet (3.36 by 4.27 meters) in size. There were 2 other ramshackle buildings on the plot, one quite a bit smaller than the cabin. The plot was triangular in shape. It was about 100 feet (30.5 meters) across the front and narrowed down to about 20 feet (6.1 meters) at the back. The sides of the plot were about 80 feet (24.4 meters) or so. I started laughing because I thought my cousin was playing the same trick on me as I play with the star's homes. told me it was not a joke and it really was Ivarsplassen. It is the only unmodified husman's place left in Årdal and the kommune wanted to buy it and turn it into a little museum. When I realized he was serious and that this was where my great grandparents lived along with my great grandfather's parents, their old parents, his brother, a sister with a child, a half sister and her husband, and their 3 children, I became very silent and stared numbly at the place. I thought of 10 adults and 4 children living in that little place and somehow eking out a living. As I stood there looking a true appreciation for the harshness of their lives and the difficulties they endured was slowly absorbed into my mind. It was a moment I will never forget. I admit quite frankly that I stood there and cried. this long rambling piece brings just one person a little closer to understanding the enormous debt we owe to our ancestors for struggling and surviving, it will have been worth the effort writing it. In some small way I understand how they did it. I have learned that when people are poor and everyone around them is poor, nobody thinks of themselves as poor. Our ancestors were just like everyone else and did what they could to keep going. They had no other Census Records \| Vital Records \| Family Trees & Communities \| Immigration Records \| Military Records Directories & Member Lists \| Family & Local Histories \| Newspapers & Periodicals \| Court, Land & Probate \| Finding Aids
Credit:Astronaut photographs ISS013-E-71473 and ISS013-E-71468 were acquired August 27, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using a 28 mm lens, and are provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, Johnson Space Center. These images have been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. Lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Images & Animations - JPEG 226 KB - JPEG 294 KB Note: Often times, due to the size, browsers have a difficult time opening and displaying images. If you experiece an error when clicking on an image link, please try directly downloading the image (using a right click, save as method) to view it locally.
1 Answer \| Add Yours Much of what your topic sentence will be is dependent on what your paragraph is going to say. The topic sentence has to embrace the supporting details in your paragraph. Without knowing what these are, being able to suggest a topic sentence is a challenging element. For example, if you are going discuss how different qualities are present in an "ideal teacher," one topic sentence might be, "There are many different qualities that an ideal teacher should possess." This enables that all of the details come back to this topic sentence. Another approach would be to present an opposite point of view. In this, you would detail the qualities that the less than desirable teachers possess and then suggest that the ideal teacher exceed this. For example, "The ideal teacher sets themselves apart from other teachers in the manner in which they embody the highest of standards." What might follow would be how other teachers fall short from this ideal, and help to explain how the ideal teacher reaches this highest notion of the educational good. In the end, your topic sentence has to cradle the supporting details of the paragraph. We’ve answered 318,981 questions. We can answer yours, too.Ask a question
This is an excellent quick visual for CCLS and parents to be able to understand what a child of each developmental age may be fearful about. This can help adults address these concerns even if they aren't openly discussed by the patient. In ancient China, engagement was an important social rite where man and woman confirm marital ties, next only to official marriage in significance. Marital ties were made by following “parents' order and on the matchmaker's word”. However, maidens in the age of adolescence had the tradition of pledging in love with tokens of love. Under the pressure of the society, young men and women would deliver tokens of love in private. Others just could not tell.
Geysers of liquid water squirt into space from cracks in the ice near the south pole of Enceladus, one of the moons of Saturn, in this recent image from the Cassini spacecraft. They form bright streaks from the bottom of the moon, which is hovering above the bright limb of Saturn. Some scientists think the geysers are powered by a "Perrier" ocean of fizzy bubbles. [NASA/JPL/SSI] You are here Moon and Saturn [audio: opening bottle; fizziness] People are popping a lot of bottle tops this week, releasing a lot of fizzy bubbles into the air. The same process may be taking place on one of the moons of Saturn. In this case, the fizziness comes not from a bottle, but from a "Perrier" ocean beneath the moon's icy crust. Enceladus is an intriguing little moon. Its surface is the most reflective in the solar system -- it's almost pure white. But the region around the south pole is marred by a series of cracks, known as tiger stripes. These cracks are hundreds of degrees warmer than the surrounding terrain. More important, though, geysers squirt water through the cracks and out into space. Scientists have devised several models to explain the geysers. One says that they erupt from a global ocean that's rich in minerals and bubbles of gas -- hence the comparison to Perrier. The model says that the bubbles force their way up through the tiger stripes, carrying some of the water with them. As they near the surface, the bubbles pop, spewing out water, gas, and minerals. Some of the material falls back to Enceladus, creating fresh ice. But some escapes into space, adding fresh ice to one of Saturn's rings. Saturn is in good view near our own moon late tonight. They rise after midnight, and stand high in the south at first light, with Saturn to the upper left of the Moon. The star Spica is nearby, too; more about that tomorrow. Script by Damond Benningfield, Copyright 2010 - ‹ Previous - Next › Get Premium Audio Listen to today's episode of StarDate on the web the same day it airs in high-quality streaming audio without any extra ads or announcements. Choose a $8 one-month pass, or listen every day for a year for just $30.
Bamboo : A Grass for all Seasons By Alberto C. de la Paz1 Bamboo is so tightly interwoven into the Asian way of life, bamboo is often used as a metaphor for flexibility and strength. Bend with the wind. Go with the flow. You can almost remember the actor David Caradine playing the part of Kwai Chang Cain in one of the Fung Fu episodes of the yesteryears learning about Asian philosophy. By bending with the wind, bamboo columns will not break unlike the rigid oak tree, which may give strong wood but is easily broken in strong wind. Bamboo means different things to different people. For fruit and vegetable canners, tender bamboo shoots are an important food commodity exported to countries like Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. To the construction worker in Asia, it is an irreplaceable building material used as scaffolding. It is difficult to imagine hilltribe people living without bamboo. Hilltribe people have woven bamboo so closely to their lives that they probably would not survive without this material. To others, it is merely a decorative plant used to give a garden a pleasing look. Bamboo belongs to the grass family. During the dry season, bamboo culms lay dormant but burst into life at the onset of the rainy season sending several shoots sprouting from their base. A fast growing plant, it can grow more than a meter in height in one day as with the Giant Bamboo species Dendrocalamus giganteus or Phai Bong or Tong in Thai. Some people claim that the can actually see it grow! It only takes one month for the perfectly round, vertical stems to reach their maximum height of 30 meters. It has even been known for Giant Bamboo to soar to an impossible 39 meters high! Due to its hollow interior and amazing flexibility, bamboo is capable of supporting heavy weights, far greater than that of wood or iron. Despite providing an excellent material for all manner of construction purposes, bamboo also produces bamboo shoots, packed with vitamins A, B1, B2 and C and a delicious ingredient of many Thai meals. Dendrocalamus giganteus, is native to Burma, Northwestern Thailand and Laos and can attain a diameter of about one-foot. I have been fortunate to be able to get hold of two specimens of giant bamboo. These are displayed at the Hilltribe Museum and Education Center at Chiang Rai but were said to have originated from Payao Province. Giant bamboo once thrived in Northern Thailand, but has been depleted off by deforestation. In general, there are two types of Bamboo in the world (approximate 75 genera or 1,250 species). Tropical bamboo (approximate 45 genera or 750 species) usually grows in clumps which are called Sympodial Bamboos. Colder climates like China and Japan host another type of bamboo that sends long underground shoots. Individual shoots come out of these underground shoots or rhizomes. This group of bamboos is called monopodial bamboos. Thailand is host to about half of the world's known sympodial bamboos, making the country a rich resource for biologists and plant scientists. At least 12 kinds of bamboo in Thailand are known as "Cashy Plant" for growers A whole universe of items can be made from bamboo. Hilltribe people use it as water containers, musical instruments, in hunting, and in trapping. Some people even fashion slippers out of bamboo. It is indispensable as a building material and the list goes on and on. One only needs to go to a hilltribe village or to the Night Bazaars in either city of Chiangrai and Chiangmai to find items made from bamboo. Bamboo is a forest product that has been utilized by people for time immemorial. Forest destruction has led to the loss of giant bamboo stands in Thailand. If we are not careful, other species of bamboo may be lost. The next time you look at bamboo, imagine how the lives of people in Asia would be affected without this poor man's timber. Bamboo is indeed a grass of awesome proportion in more ways than one. Copyright © 1995-2014 Welcome to Chiangmai and Chiangrai magazine All rights reserved.
Nov. 10, 2012 What Beethoven's Music Will Do To You Listen long enough, you'll go stone deaf, your body grow squat from eating only fish and brown sausages washed down with hock. Christen your sister-in-law Queen of the Night, then take her to court. Break all the piano's strings, howl and mutter and brood. It'll do you no good. He already wrote this music, made it into the mirror that always shows you the back side of yourself that you only imagined before. Now you'll want to write King Lear, paint The Last Supper, rebuild the Parthenon. That's how it always goes— nose to nose with magnitude. It's the birthday of theologian Martin Luther (books by this author), born on this day in Eisleben, Germany, in 1483. He was a devout monk who frequently punished himself to atone for his sins, whipping himself or lying in the snow all night long. But he became disillusioned with the bureaucracy of the Catholic Church. He finally decided that the answer was in the Bible itself, which said that salvation came from personal faith, not from participating in the Church and paying for indulgences. So he wrote up his attack of the Church and published his 95 Theses, and since the printing press had recently been invented, his theses were reproduced and read all over Europe. Luther's ideas and his writing led to the Protestant Reformation. But toward the end of his life, he was so overwhelmed by the scope of the revolution he had caused that he stayed out of the limelight, at home in Germany, raising a family, gardening, and playing music. Martin Luther said, "God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars." On this day in 1969, the pioneering children's television program Sesame Street made its broadcast debut. Two years earlier, television producer Joan Ganz Cooney teamed up with the Carnegie Foundation to create a children's show that would harness the "addictive qualities of television" for a greater good. Early childhood education became their focus, and Sesame Street was the first program for kids that was a collaborative effort between educators, child psychologists, and artists. Based in a fictional inner-city neighborhood, the show featured an integrated cast of characters and gave national exposure to Jim Hensen's Muppets. The producers made a point of highlighting diversity and inclusiveness, and their prominent roles for black actors and incorporation of foreign language vocabulary initially caused states like Mississippi's Board of Education to ban the show. Writers often wrote in adult humor and brought in guests like Stevie Wonder to encourage parents to watch with their children, and not simply use the show as a babysitter. Deaf and disabled actors were invited on. Even the Muppets themselves were of different colors and came from different walks of life. Bert and Ernie shared a neat basement apartment at 123 Sesame Street, and others, like Big Bird, made his nest in an abandoned lot by a trash dump, near his neighbor, Oscar the Grouch. Many of the Muppet characters were designed to represent specific age groups and reflect their unique hopes and fears. Noticing children's ability to sing commercial jingles from memory, the writers built in musical and animated skits throughout the program that highlighted numbers and letters, repeating them throughout like commercials. Characters like the beat reporter Kermit the Frog and the globe- trotting foreign correspondent Grover encouraged children to expand their imaginations to the larger community. Sesame Street has now been on public television for more than 40 years, with many generations of loyal listeners. Today, the show and its global outreach program, Sesame Workshops, bring the message of inclusiveness, respect, and friendship throughout the world, encouraging communities to adapt the show to their own cultural needs. It's the birthday of the poet Vachel Lindsay (books by this author), born in Springfield, Illinois (1879). His parents wanted him to become a doctor, but he dropped out of medical school after three years and tried to make a living drawing pictures and writing poetry. After struggling for several years and working for a time in the toy department of Marshall Field's, he decided to walk across the United States, trading his poems and pictures for food and shelter along the way. It wasn't nearly as exciting as he thought it would be. He said, "No one cared for my pictures, no one cared for my verse, and I turned beggar in sheer desperation ... [but] I was entirely prepared to die for my work, if necessary, by the side of the road, and was almost at the point of it at times." In 1913, Poetry magazine published Lindsay's poem "General William Booth Enters into Heaven," and it was a big hit. He went on to write many collections of poetry for adults and children, including The Tree of the Laughing Bells (1905) and Every Soul Is a Circus (1929). It's the birthday of writer Neil Gaiman (books by this author), born in Portchester, England (1960). He writes serious comic books and turns them into graphic novels. Growing up in England, he knew what comic books were, but the comic books published in England weren't very exciting. One day, a friend of his father gave him a box of old DC and Marvel comic books from America, and he fell in love with them. He stayed up late every night, reading them by the light from the hallway. He said, "The most important dreams, the most manipulable of cultural icons, are those that we received when we were too young to judge or analyze." He wanted to take those icons of his youth and write about them in a serious, literary way. In 1987, DC Comics let Gaiman pick one of their old, failed comic book characters and revive him. Gaiman chose a character called the Sandman, who uses sleeping gas to catch criminals. Gaiman kept the name but changed everything else, turning the character into the god of both dreams and stories. He chose different artists to draw the 75 issues, and he filled the series with references to myths, folklore, and literature, especially Shakespeare. In 1991, a single issue of The Sandman called "A Midsummer Night's Dream" became the first comic book to win the World Fantasy Award. People like Stephen King and Norman Mailer became fans of the Sandman series, and it was also one of the first comic books to appeal to women. The 75 issues were collected and published in 10 volumes, the first of which was The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes (1991). It launched the graphic novel as a serious art form. Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.®
CONTROL OF MALARIA – 1. To destroy adult mosquito – * To destroy breeding places. * To make sterile by using radiation. DDT, Neptha, Pyrethrim, crysol. 2. To destroy larvae – * By spraying kerosine on ponds. Wrigler larva's spiracle should not keep contact with air. * By using larvivorous fishes – Lebistis Gembusia, Stickel back, Minnow, Traut, Barbus, Trigestor, Clarias. * Dragon fly feeds on larvae. Water bug feeds on larvae. Ceratophyllum, utricularia are aquatic weeds destroy larvae. Ocimum's seed destroy larvae. * By using larvicides as BHC (Benzen hexa chloride) and paris green. 3. To check infection – * By using odomos cream. * Electric devices. Mosquito net. 4. Medicines – Quinine is obtained from bark of cinchona tree or Jeseut bark from 12 yr. old tree. Trees are found in Java, Peru, Shrilanka & India. Medicine is also obtained from Cinamon tree. Other medicines are atrabin, chemoquinine, chloroquinine, peludrin, femaquinine, pentaquinine, resochin. Deraprim is effected on gametocytes also. Mepacrine is effected on merozoites. Holofentine, sulphadoxin, metacalfin are the best medicines. Generally medicine never effect in liver but prymoquinine work. Note :- Vaccination of malaria is not possible because parasite do not form antibodies and antigens. Manual petrau prepared SPF 66 vaccination by immunological method on 31st oct. 1995 & got Robert Kotch prize. Email Based Homework Assignment Help in Control of Malaria-Control Transtutors is the best place to get answers for all your doubts regarding the Control of Malaria-Control You can submit your school, college or university level homework or assignment to us and we will ensure that we deliver cost – effective, timely and correct answers to all your questions. Our tutors are available round the clock to help you with any and every question or problem for Biology. Live Online Tutor Help for Control of Malaria-Control Transtutors has a vast panel of experienced Biology tutors who specialize in Control of Malaria-Control and can clearly explain the different subject related concepts to you. You can also interact directly with our Biology tutors for a one to one session and get answers to all your problems for your school, college or university level Biology Homework. Our tutors will make sure that you achieve high grades for your Biology Assignments.
Find more Zehrer relatives and grow your tree by exploring billions of historical records. Taken every decade since 1790, the U.S. Federal Census can tell you a lot about your family. For example, from 1930 to 1940 there were 29 more people named Zehrer in the United States — and some of them are likely related to you. What if you had a window into the history of your family? With historical records, you do. From home life to career, records help bring your relatives' experiences into focus. There were 49 people named Zehrer in the 1930 U.S. Census. In 1940, there were 59% more people named Zehrer in the United States. What was life like for them? In 1940, 78 people named Zehrer were living in the United States. In a snapshot: As Zehrer families continued to grow, they left more tracks on the map:
Some conditions have been established on gay or lesbian parents as requisites to conceding them the custody of children; many of those start from prejudices and stereotypes regarding the “gay lifestyle” which is often viewed by society as immoral. Instead of speculating, it is important to take into account the interests of children and be aware of the fact that good parenting has nothing to do with sexual orientation, and for this reason, gay couples should not be excluded from adopting infants. First of all, and as indicated by the American Psychological Association, there is no evidence to suggest that lesbians and gay men are unfit to be parents. Lesbian and gay couples conduct their lives in the same way that heterosexual parents do. Gay couples have to struggle to offer support to their families; they have the same responsibilities as straight parents do, and they also have to work hard to raise and give their children the guidance that they need to be honest citizens. Based on this, the declaration of parental inability and the denial of custody to homosexual parents should require more convincing evidence of immoral acts or emotional instability. Also, the sexual orientation should not be the only basis on which the reliability of adoptive applicants is established. It should be recognized that sexual orientation and the ability to take care of a child are two different things. I don’t believe that the sexual preference of prospective parents has an impact on whether a person will be a good parent or not; such aptitude is influenced by the parents’ ability to provide a loving home with all the conditions that a child needs to have a normal growth. For this reason, sexual orientation may only be considered when it seems to negatively affect the child’s welfare. The family interests of homosexual couples are basically no different from those of heterosexual couples; consequently, homosexual couples should be viewed as having a relationship capable of legal recognition with simultaneous legal rights and principles. Second, children of gay parents develop just as well as children of straight couples do. According to the American Psychological Association, “not a single study has found children of gay or lesbian parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents.” Supported by the evidence, it can be said that there are no significant differences between children with gay parents and those with heterosexual parents. As suggested by the American Psychological Association, home environments with homosexual parents are as apt to effectively support a child’s progress as are home environments with both straight parents. There is also no evidence to indicate that children of homosexual couples are less intelligent, suffer from more problems or lower self-esteem than children of heterosexual parents. Furthermore, there are no facts to prove that the psychological health and emotional welfare of children raised in gay or lesbian families are badly affected in any way. In fact, available research on the psychological wellbeing of children raised in such families points out that little differences exist in the overall mental health of children raised in homosexual households. It also states that the quality of parenting, not the parents’ sexual orientation, is the most crucial factor for a child’s healthy growth and development. Based on all this, the belief of many people that children of gay and lesbian parents suffer deficits in personal development has no valid foundation. On the other hand, many people believe that children having homosexual parents grow up to be gay, but studies on this field have confirmed that children of gay couples are equally likely than children of straight parents to be gay themselves. In reality, most gay people are born from straight parents; which shows that sexual orientation cannot be something children learn from their parents and is not determined by one’s family. Finally, the interests of children are crucial. As said by a researcher of lesbian and gay parenting, “things such as a stable home, emotional support and loving parents who will care for the children in an appropriate manner are most important.” The goal of adoption is supposed to make sure that the child has a permanent home, with adults who have the skills to be good parents. This principle seems to be violated every time a child’s custody is denied to couples who can actually provide favorable conditions that include adequate shelter, food, schooling, love, and all the benefits dedicated to the security and welfare of an infant. Moreover, at the same time that a critical shortage of adoptive parents exists, there are thousands of homeless and orphan children waiting to be adopted. Yet, lots of infants are taken away from their parents just because of their sexual inclination. In those cases, the discriminatory adoption policies apparently go against both the children and adults’ constitutional rights to equal protection, privacy, intimate association and family integrity. Although nobody really has the right to adopt children, children do have the right to have a family; a family whose definition certainly changes depending on people’s beliefs and education. It’s true that a child’s custody cannot be given to all applicants no matter they are straight or gay; some gay parents are unfit to adopt children in the same way that some heterosexual parents are. Nevertheless, gay couples should not be deprived from adopting children as long as they prove to be fit parents. Being a biological parent doesn’t mean that a person is oriented to the best interest of a child, but still, biological parents have more rights just because they are natural parents. There is absolutely no reason to deny lesbians and gay men the joy of parenting, as well as to deny the thousands of children who are in need of a good, affectionate, nurturing home, loving parents. It can be proved that this deprivation is seldom founded on lack of ability, but is instead usually based on the majority’s perception of homosexuality as contrary to nature and morality. In order to provide a good home to the thousands of children who are waiting to be adopted and based on their best interests, it is necessary to eliminate the stereotypes, fears, taboos and misconceptions that prevent custody and adoption proceedings involving gay and lesbian parents. People cannot judge others only based on their personal feelings about somebody else; it is necessary to really recognize the merits of the prospective parents regardless their sexual orientation even if we don’t agree with it. Children need more love in this world and it doesn’t matter who give it. Image by: David Ellis @ GettyImages
Nutrition Therapy at The Center for Eating Disorders Bringing balance back to eating Nutrition therapy is an integral part of the eating disorder (ED) treatment and recovery process. The primary role of nutrition therapy is to assist patients in normalizing their eating patterns. Normalized eating encompasses - Eating adequately to meet the body’s daily nutritional needs - A balanced and sustainable relationship with food, free from negative or distorted thoughts about oneself - Listening to and trusting your body’s internal cues to determine hunger and fullness While underlying thoughts and emotions remain at the core of a person’s illness and recovery, their relationship with food, eating and nutrition can play a major role in inhibiting or promoting the recovery process. This is why The Center for Eating Disorders incorporates nutrition counseling with specially trained experts at every level of our program. Our staff of Registered Dietitians (RD,) as part of an interdisciplinary team of professionals, support and assist individuals in meeting nutritional goals and progressing in recovery. The nutrition staff facilitates educational and supportive groups as well as individual sessions tailored to each person’s unique struggle with food and eating. Throughout the program, many opportunities are provided for patients to incorporate and practice their new balanced approach to eating. But I already know all about nutrition… While ED symptoms and behaviors can vary from person to person and between different eating disorder diagnoses, an unhealthy focus on food and/or nutrition is often present. Individuals with EDs often have extensive and detailed knowledge about nutrition, but, as a result of the ED, may be applying it in ways that inhibit rather than promote their health. In other cases, individuals may be rigidly adhering to nutrition information that is inaccurate, misleading or dangerous. Below is a list of behaviors and experiences commonly observed in individuals with eating disorders. - Chronic/Severe dieting - Eliminating specific food items - Eliminating entire food groups or categories of foods - Obsessive calorie counting, monitoring of nutrition labels or precise measuring of foods - Labeling foods as good vs. bad, clean vs. dirty, or relying on safe foods vs. fear foods - Difficulty eating around other people or in social situations - Extreme difficulty making decisions about food, as when ordering off of a menu at a restaurant Hunger and Fullness: A Process of Healing Individuals who have struggled with an eating disorder often lose touch with their body’s natural cues and signals regarding hunger and fullness; their metabolism, ability to process and regulate food, and enjoyment of food may also be disrupted. As part of the nutrition counseling process, meal plans and schedules are used to help provide support and structure as individuals work towards repairing their relationship with food and their body. Meal plans are utilized in various and individualized ways throughout all of the Center’s treatment programs. Ultimately, as normalized eating is maintained and individuals learn to trust their bodies again, the Center’s RDs will help them move towards a practice of mindful and intuitive eating. Click here to meet our team of Registered Dietitians. If you’d like more information about our Nutrition Department, please call us at (410) 938-5252.
Suppose that a one-tailed t-test is being applied to find out if the population mean is less than $212. The level of significance selected is 0.01 and 26 accounts are sampled. What is the critical value? A machine is set to fill the small size packages of M&M candies with 56 candies per bag. A sample revealed: 3 bags of 5 The data that you will be using for this exercise came from a survey of two insurance carriers. The first carrier (C1) was compared against the second competitor (C2). The insurance company management team wants to know how Carrier 1 compared to the second carrier. Data from 159 respondents are included. All of the 5 quest You are provided with the male and female unemployment data for the 1960-2005 periods. Using these two samples, determine whether the data support the conclusion that female unemployment rate is higher than the male unemployment rate. Use 0.01 level of significance. INSTRUCTIONS 1. Go to the blackboard, assignment section a The Business Administration department at a local university delivers some of its courses using online instruction. Of the two statistics courses offered, one is delivered online and the other is delivered on campus. Eighteen pairs of students are selected, who are well matched on a number of years and grades of mathematics cour A hypothesis states a difference exists between two populations. Sometimes this is an obvious conclusion because the means will be very different. For example, if I gave math tests to boys and girls and the boys on average scored 20 points better than the girls, I know that is enough of a difference to conclude with accuracy tha If a regression coefficient passes the t-test, it means that a. the regression equation is valid. b. the regression coefficient is significantly different from zero. c. the regression coefficient can be used for forecasting. d. the regression coefficient should be included in the regression equation. Please see attached file for full problem description. ? What are Type I and Type II errors? Why do you want to avoid them? ? What is effect size and what does it tell you about your findings? ? What is power of a statistical test and what factors affect it? ? When is it necessary to conduct a t test? ? What are the " Compare the two-sample independent t test to the paired t test. Can you please compare and contrast this for me? Using AIU's large database of survey responses from the AIU data set, complete the following: Perform hypothesis testing on one variable's data. (Choose either the intrinsic or extrinsic column.) Perform a t-test by formulating a null and an alternative statement, choosing an acceptable significance value, selecting the test Step by step method for testing the hypothesis under 5 step approach is discussed here. Excel template for each problem is also included. This template can be used to obtain the answers of similar problems. It seems these days that college graduates who are employed full-time work more than 40-hour weeks. Data are available that can help us decide if this is true. A survey was recently sent to a group of adults selected at random. There were 15 respondents who were college graduates employed full-time. The mean number of hours work In recent years, a growing array of entertainment option competes for consumer time. By 2004, cable television and radio surpassed broadcast television, recorded music, and the daily newspaper to become the two entertainment media with the greatest usage. Researchers used a sample of 15 individuals and collected data on the hour Periodically Merrill Lynch customers are asked to evaluate Merrill Lynch¯Financial consultants and services (2000 Merrill Lynch Client Satisfactory Survey). Higher ratings on the client satisfaction survey indicate better service with 7 the maximum service rating. Independent samples of service ratings for two ¯Financial cons If anyone could walk me through the below problem it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Brian A magazine is considering the launch of an online edition. The magazine plans to go ahead only if it's convinced that more than 25% of current readers would subscribe. The magazine contacts a simple random sample of 500 curr How does statistics enrich and represent the results of a study? How can statistics be used to misrepresent the results of a study? What is the advantage or disadvantage with using a one-tailed t-test? T-tests, independent samples, paired and one-way t-tests expalined. When shoud they be used and what kind of data should they be used on? The amount of money out of income spent on housing is an important component of the cost of living. The total costs of housing for homeowners might include mortgage payments, property taxes, and utility costs (water, heat, electricity). An economist selected a sample of 20 homeowners in New England and then calculated these tota A personal computer manufacturer is interested in comparing assembly times for two keyboard assembly processes. Process 1 is the standard process used for several years, and Process 2 is an updated process hoped to bring a decrease in assembly time. Assembly times can vary considerably from worker to worker, and the company deci A shipment of crankshafts is believed to be defective. A simple random sample of 16 is drawn from a large shipment. Check to see if the sample is any different from the assumed population mean of 224. 224.12 223.960 224.098 224.001 224.089 224.057 224.017 223.987 223.913 223.982 223.976 223.999 223.989 223.902 2 #5 In an investigation of the possible brain damage due to alcoholism, CAT scans were used to measure brain densities in eleven chronic alcoholics. Each alcoholic was paired with a non-alcoholic control selected to match the alcoholic on age, gender, education and other factors. The brain densities are given in the table. Construct a 95% confidence interval for the true population mean of donut weights, and then explain whether or not she will be in trouble. 1. Dunkin Donuts advertises that a dozen of their donuts weighs about 43 oz. A certain baker has figured out that she can stay out of trouble with her manager if each donut weighs about 3.6 oz. To test her donut-making process, she randomly selects thirty-one donuts after baking and weighs them. The average of the sample As a researcher I would like to evaluate the effectiveness of the workout programs purchased. This done by comparing the weight loss for a sample size of n=1 person who uses the bean workout program for a period of 5 days a week, and for a sample size of n=1 who uses the x90u workout program for a period of 3 days a week. At t 1. What factor determines whether you should use a z-score or a t statistic for a hypothesis test? 2. Several factors influence the value obtained for a t statistic. Some factors affect the numerator of the t statistic and others influence the size of the estimated standard error in the denominator. For each of the following The average electric bill for residents of Anderson creek is at least 52.98 per month. Develop the appropriate null and alternative hypothesis. What is the type I error in this situation? What is the type II error in this situation? Full time PhD students receive an average salary of 12, 837 according to the US Department of The average annual rent for office space in Tampa was 17.63 per square foot. A real estate agent selected a random sample of 15 rental properties and found that the mean rent was 18.72 per square foot, and the standard deviation was 3.64. At ?=.05, test the clan that there was no difference in the rents. A report by the NCAA Determine what is the most usual and common characteristic of Aishka, her height or weight when compared with Puerto Rican women. Aishka is 67-inch-tall, and she weighs 135 lbs. If the medium height of Puerto Rican women has a normal distribution with µ = 65 inch tall with standard deviation of 2.5 inches, and the weight of the women has a normal distribution µ = 125 lbs with a standard deviation of 10 lbs. Determine what is the most usual and common cha A consumer products testing group is evaluating two competing brands of tires, Brand 1 and Brand 2. Though the two brands have been comparable in the past, some technological advances were recently made in the Brand 1 manufacturing process, and the consumer group is testing to see if Brand 1 will outperform Brand 2. Tread wear c 86 total students were asked: Do you feel sleep deprived? Mean # hours of sleep Yes (51 students) 5.94 No (35 students) 7.06 Ho: mean = 7 hours of sleep, no feeling of sleep deprivation Ha: mean = < 7 hours of sleep, feeling of sleep deprivation Ple Can we conclude that the new remote control button is superior to the current best product in the market at a 95% confidence level? A consumer electronics firm has developed a new type of remote control button that is designed to operate before becoming intermittent. A random sample of 25 of new buttons resulted in a mean of 1,241.2 hours of continuous service with a standard deviation of 110.8 hours. The current best remote control button in the market ha 1. A sample of 64 observations is selected from a normal population. The sample mean is 215, and the sample deviation is 15. Conduct the following test of hypothesis using the .03 significance level. Ho: µ ≥ 220 H1: µ<220 a. Is this a one or two tail test? b. What is the decision rule? c. What is the value of the 1. Mary claims to be able to hypnotically cause her clients to perform significantly higher on the SAT. The national mean is 1200 with a standard deviation of 100. Under strictly controlled testing, a random sample of 200 of her clients revealed a mean score of 1210. Does this data support her claim. Show all steps. 2. The
Here is the book of thy descent, Here is the book of the Sangreal, Here begin the terrors, Here begin the miracles The History of the Grail – 12th Century, Anonymous In last month’s article, after a discussion regarding dragons and other symbols employed by ancient peoples to represent celestial objects, I wrote: “Literacy in this language of cosmic symbolism opens up a whole new domain of understanding about our human past on this planet . . .” In that article and in the two preceding I discussed close encounters between these celestial objects and Earth, emphasizing the destructive potential inherent in such occurrences. While there is a great deal more that could, and should be said about the role of cosmically triggered catastrophes throughout both planetary and human history, in this article I will call attention to the other side of the equation, and hopefully, in the process, shed some light upon one of the most enigmatic and powerful of all esoteric symbols—the Holy Grail. In the late 1970s there emerged a compelling hypothesis regarding the emergence and evolution of life on Earth. Formulated by Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe, it proposed that life did not first begin on Earth but originated in the astronomical realm and was delivered to Earth via celestial objects, primarily comets. This idea necessarily supposed the origin and existence of life, or at least the biochemical precursors to life, to be somewhere else in the universe. The term now used to designate study of this scenario in all its ramifications is Exobiology. To be sure, others had proposed theories promoting the extraterrestrial origins of life. In the 19th century Flammarion, Lord Kelvin and Herman von Helmholtz all suggested that terrestrial life was not a home grown phenomenon but originated outside the planet, elsewhere in the universe. At a meeting of the British Society for the Advancement of Science in 1871, Lord Kelvin speculated on the possibility that meteorites had brought life to Earth. In 1908 (the same year as the Tunguska event) the Swedish Scientist Svante August Arrhenius wrote on the feasibility of life migrating through space. He coined the term ‘Panspermia’ (‘seeds everywhere’) to describe this process and is now considered the founding father of the field of exobiology. However, science, at that stage of development, was not capable of providing actual evidence that could confirm or refute the notion of a cosmic origin to life, so for most of the 20th century nearly all scientists viewed the Earth as a closed system until the aforementioned revival by Hoyle and Wickramasinghe. Astrobiology pioneers Chandra Wickramasinghe and Fred Hoyle Read more at SacredGeometryInternational.com Since they first published, our understanding of cosmic processes has evolved. We now know that prebiotic material is exceedingly robust, making it more likely that it could survive an interplanetary, or even interstellar journey. In 1986 a flyby of Halley’s Comet detected the presence of organic materials. In 2004 a close fly-by of comet P/Wild registered the spectral signature of organic material present in the dust being ejected from the cometary nucleus. Cosmic dust has been collected directly from the atmosphere by airplanes and balloons. Samples captured at an altitude of about 25 miles showed the presence of biologically active materials of an indeterminate nature. An extremely important advance in evolving models of exobiological processes came with the fall to Earth and swift recovery of the Murchison meteorite in 1968. An analysis of meteoritic material revealed the presence of 74 amino acids of which 55 had no known counterpart on Earth. This find confirms conclusively that pre-biotic chemistry has an extraterrestrial existence and that there exists a mechanism for the delivery of this material to Earth. Francis Crick – Directed Panspermia. An analysis of meteoritic material revealed the presence of 74 amino acids of which 55 had no known counterpart on Earth. This find confirms conclusively that pre-biotic chemistry has an extraterrestrial existence and that there exists a mechanism for the delivery of this material to Earth. The concept of Panspermia underwent a noteworthy mutation through the work of Francis Crick, Nobel Prize winning discoverer of the molecular structure of DNA. After considering the difficulties inherent in achieving an interstellar transfer of organic matter through random processes alone, he was led to propose a startling and controversial idea—that the process of Panspermia was intelligently guided! He coined the term ‘Directed Panspermia’ to express the idea. With this important amplification Exobiology came full circle, arriving at a concept of Cosmic Evolution that has a precedent in the Hermetic wisdom of ancient Egypt, and has maintained an ongoing, but intermittent existence through a variety of sacred and arcane traditions since that time. It shows up in the sacred writings of ancient Vedic Hinduism. It shows up in fragments of the writings of the pre-Socratic philosophers of pre-classical Greece, and in the beliefs of the early Gnostics of both Jewish and Christian incarnations. It reappears in Medieval to late Renaissance alchemy and Freemasonry. Finally, germane to the topic of this article, exobiological concepts lie at the core of the Medieval stories about the loss and recovery of that mysterious object of adoration and restoration—Sangreal, the Holy Grail. The Grail symbol first emerges in history in a series of remarkable writings that appear in France over a span of about half a century between the years 1180 and 1230 AD. This is the same prolific and fertile time period that saw the peak of the great cathedral building era; the rise to power of the Templar Knights; the rise and fall of Catharism in southern France; the formation of Kabbalistic and mystical schools in Spain in which Jews, Christians and Muslims all participated in relative harmony; the emergence of the Troubadours as channels for the diffusion and circulation of sacred knowledge; the rise of Sufism and the transmission of Hermetic knowledge to Europe via Islamic scholars and mystics. Read more at SacredGeometryInternational.com Latest posts by Randall Carlson (see all) - Sangreal, The Holy Grail: Recovering the Cosmic Science of Antiquity – Part 1 - May 17, 2013 - Here There Be Dragons - May 12, 2013 - The Meaning of Sacred Geometry part 3.The Womb of Geometry - May 2, 2013
Tidal locking (or captured rotation) is when one side of an astronomical body always face another. It is also called synchronous rotation. The classic example is the Moon: the same side of the Moon always faces the Earth. A tidally locked body takes just as long to rotate around its own axis as it does to revolve around its partner. This makes one hemisphere constantly face the partner body. Usually, at any given time only the satellite is tidally locked around the larger body. If the two bodies are similar in mass, and their distance apart is small, the tidal force will lock each to the other. This is the case between Pluto and Charon. If the Moon were not spinning at all, it would alternately show its near and far sides to Earth, while moving around Earth in orbit. It is possible to work out how long it takes for a particular case of tidal locking to occur. It is just a rough estimate, because some factors are poorly known. An example is the rigidity of a planetary body and its change in shape under tidal force. Tidal locking is an aspect of orbital resonance. List of known tidally locked bodies[change \| change source] Solar System[change \| change source] Locked to the Earth Locked to Mars Locked to Jupiter Locked to Saturn Locked to Uranus Locked to Neptune Locked to Pluto - Charon (Pluto is itself locked to Charon) Extra-solar[change \| change source] Libration[change \| change source] Libration is an oscillating motion of orbiting bodies relative to each other. Examples include the motion of the Moon relative to Earth, or of Trojan asteroids relative to planets. However, this simple picture is only approximately true: over time, slightly more than half (about 59%) of the Moon's surface is seen from Earth due to libration. Libration is a slow rocking back and forth of the Moon as viewed from Earth, permitting an observer to see slightly different halves of the surface at different times. References[change \| change source] - S.J. Peale, Rotation histories of the natural satellites, in J.A. Burns, ed. 1977. Planetary satellites. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, pp. 87–112. - B. Gladman (1996). "Synchronous locking of tidally evolving satellites". Icarus 122: 166. doi:10.1006/icar.1996.0117. See pages 169/170 of this article. - SPACE.com - Role reversal: Planet controls a star. - Spudis, Paul D. (2004). "Moon". World Book at NASA. Retrieved on 27 May 2010.
Synopses & Reviews looks at the appearance of consumer goods in the 200 years since the introduction of mechanized production, whether in Josiah Wedgewood's use of neo-classicism for his industrially manufactured pottery or the development of appropriate forms for wirelesses. The argument is illustrated with examples ranging from penknives to computers and from sewing machines to railway carriages. In opening up new ways of appraising the man-made world around us, is required reading for anyone who has any involvement with design and a revealing document about our society. "One of the most significant contributions to design history in recent years."-- Readable and argumentative. About the Author Adrian Forty is Professor of Architectural History at the Bartlett School of Architecture and Planning, University College, London.
Similar to how full street addresses consist of multiple parts, IP addresses also have multiple parts. Where a street address can consist of the increasingly specific parts Country, City, Postal Code, Street and House Number, an IP address consists of two main parts: IP network and addresses within the IP network. The addresses within the IP network are also called the host addresses because different hosts or computers have different unique addresses within the IP network. - The IP network corresponds to more general parts of a full street address, such as City, Postal Code and Street name. - The Host Addresses within the IP network correspond to specific house numbers on a street. On a computer network, all devices that are connected to the same local network can talk directly with each other, as long as they have IP addresses that belong to the same IP network. If the computers belong to different IP networks then they have to communicate with each other via a router. The main purpose of a router is to be able to forward traffic to different destinations. Within computer networking, those destinations are different IP networks. Two computers belonging to the same IP network Two computers belonging to different IP networks So how do you know if two IP addresses are on the same IP network or on two different IP networks? Unfortunately, it isn’t as easy as it is with street addresses to see which part of an IP address that is the IP network and which part belongs to the host addresses. The answer is within something called a Subnet Mask. An IP address is always combined with a Subnet Mask, and it is the Subnet Mask that determines which part of the IP address that belongs to the IP network and which part that belongs to host addresses. Subnet Masks and IP networks To really understand exactly how the Subnet Mask works you would have to study and learn about binary numbers and a few other more advanced topics. Luckily you don’t need any of that deeper understanding unless you work with IT or computer networks professionally. Both an IP address and a Subnet Mask consists of four parts separated by periods. Each part of an IP address and a Subnet Mask can have a value between 0-255 In its simplest form, each part of the Subnet Mask is either the number 255 or the number 0 (zero). - 255 means that the corresponding part of the IP address belongs to the IP network. - 0 (Zero) means that the corresponding part of the IP address belongs to the Host Addresses. Here are a few examples of IP addresses and Subnet Masks in combination: - If the Subnet Mask is 255 in the first part then the first part of the IP address shows what IP network the address belongs to. - If the second part of the Subnet Mask is also 255, then the second part of the IP address is also part of the IP network. - If the third part of the Subnet Mask is 255, then the third part of the IP address also belongs to the IP network. Network Address, the name of the network Each IP network has a so-called Network Address which is the “name” of the IP network. If you wanted to tell somebody which IP network a computer is located within you would always tell them the first (lowest numbered) address on the IP network, which is the Network Address. In the picture below, the first three parts of the IP address belongs to the IP network. This is determined by the Subnet Mask. 0 (Zero) is the lowest address that is available in the fourth part of the IP address. The computer thus belongs to the IP network 188.8.131.52 The fourth part (.5) of the IP address shows which host address that the computer is using on the IP network. The next computer below belongs to the IP network 184.108.40.206. It is using the host address 9 on the IP network, and its IP address is 220.127.116.11 This computer belongs to IP network 192.168.1.0, which is one of the most common IP networks that you will find in home networks. It has received host address 7 on the IP network, and its full IP address is 192.168.1.7 IP networks in your home network In a normal home network, the Subnet Mask is usually “255.255.255.0”. What that means is that the three first parts of the IP address determine which IP network that the IP addresses belong to. The last part of the IP address determines which unique address within that IP network that each individual computer has got. As we mentioned earlier, each part of an IP address can have a value between 0-255. So the fourth part of the IP address permits for 256 different addresses (zero up to 255) that can be used for computers, IP phones, routers, laptops, printers and other devices. These type of devices are commonly referred to as hosts or clients. In a normal home network, those addresses are always more than enough to cover the devices that are connected to the network. \|When speaking about the computers, wireless phones, printers etc that are connected to a computer network the term client is often used. A client is any device that acts as an end user device, something that a user is interacting with. This could be a PC, your mobile phone, the wireless printer you have, your Smart TV or your game console. The term device is a bit more generic and can normally include clients but sometimes also the network equipment itself such as your router or switch. Another term that is sometimes used is host which more commonly refers to computers and servers on the network – things that are running operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Android or Mac OS X. But none of these terms are really set in stone, and they are often used interchangeably. The important bit is that since most of these devices behave in more or less the same way on a network it is often simpler to refer to them as clients, hosts or devices instead of having to specify exactly what types of devices the information is about. The first address (zero) and the last address (255) in your home network can not be used for clients. They are reserved for special functions. The first address is the Network Address which has already been discussed. The last address is used for broadcasting, which is explained in the Switching part of this material. So in the end, there are 254 available addresses that can be used in a home network. Normally the home router will use one of those addresses, and the rest are available for your computers and other devices. It is usually your home router that determines which IP addresses that the computers can use in your home network. The router hands out IP addresses, the Subnet Mask and other details to the clients. This will be discussed later on in the section about how addresses are assigned to devices.
The federal government doesn’t require schools to test for lead and neither do most states — including Indiana. As a result, school districts around the country are often left to decide how much lead is too much, what water fixtures to test, and when to test them. Indiana’s lead testing program through the Indiana Finance Authority is stricter than some states. The program tests all water fixtures that could be used for drinking water and encourages schools to take action if tests results show more than 15 ppb of lead. However, it’s still voluntary. As of late June, only 43 percent of public schools were enrolled and another 19 percent were doing testing on their own. IFA Director of Environmental Programs Jim McGoff says the authority has done extensive outreach to Indiana school districts. “We are certain that every single Indiana public school that was eligible has been contacted more than one time and the program explained to them,” he says. A recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office suggests more could be done at the federal level. About 60 percent of school districts studied said they weren’t familiar with the Environmental Protection Agency’s 3T’s guidance for reducing lead in school drinking water. GAO Natural Resources and Environment Director Alfredo Gomez says the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Education need to make good on their 2005 promise to collaborate on lead education. “We wanted to make sure that they doubled their efforts and worked together to provide this information to schools and the states,” says Gomez. The GAO study shows schools in the U.S. that didn’t test for lead didn’t see the need or weren’t required to test. Of the schools that did test, 37 percent had elevated lead levels. Even though many schools get their water from public water supplies, that doesn’t necessarily mean a school drinking water fountain has the same amount of lead as water in homes. Gomez says water sits in the pipes while school is not in session, which can cause more lead to leach into drinking water. The Indiana Finance Authority hopes to release the results of lead testing in Indiana public schools in the fall.
Writing Your Admissions Essay Many college applications will require you to write an essay. Usually you will be given a topic or a choice of topics to write about. There is not one right answer for these topics. It is up to you to evaluate the topic and back up your ideas with logic and reason. Examples help as well. Your score will depend on how well you do this, use the English language, and construct your thoughts and ideas. During your first few hours of work on your essay, write down everything you can think of about that topic. Even if you think you won’t use a particular idea, write it down anyway. The point is to get as much out of your brain as possible. You can decide what to use later. When writing out your ideas, consider all the viewpoints. Topics rarely have only two sides; they usually have many. Displaying your knowledge of this will impress college admission officials. Do not forget your own perspective. Your score will be higher if you can incorporate your own thoughts and experiences into your paper. Consider how your experiences are related to those of other people. After you have gotten all your thoughts down, examine each perspective. Decide which viewpoint you can explain and support the most. While you will still consider many sides in your paper, you need to select one main side that will be your foundation. After you have chosen your idea, it is time to go through the information about that idea and pick out the best points. Decide what information should go into the essay and what should be tossed out. Next, take the information that you will use and begin to organize it. Since your ideas are probably all over the place, you need to find a way to construct them in a way that will make sense to the reader. This will give you a basic outline for your essay. In your first paragraph, give a brief description of your topic. Use your own words and avoid sounding like you took the description out of a book. Next, give your opinion on the matter and why it is that you feel that way. Follow that up with the other main ideas that you came up with. Use the following body paragraphs to further describe the points you made in your opening. Back up your statements with reason and examples. Make sure you have a nice flow of information. Use your concluding paragraph to restate your main points and sum up all the information. Give your opinion one more time, and add anything you want to remain in the reader’s memory. After you are done writing your essay, put it away for a day or two before you review it. You want to have fresh eyes when you look at it again. You should also have other people review your essay. Not only may they find errors in language, they might think of an idea that you haven’t. It’s always good to get different perspectives.
The first to be recognised as an impact crater was Arizona's 1600 metre wide Barringer crater. The NEO that caused it is thought to have been just 40-50 metres wide. Another impact site off the coast off the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico (image right), now buried by the sea floor, is thought by some to be the event that contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago. In more recent times, a small rocky meteor or comet of less than 50 metres in size is believed to have broken up in the atmosphere above the Tunguska region of Siberia in 1908. The resulting shockwave flattened over a hundred square miles of trees in all directions. Thankfully, these big asteroid impacts are rare. But what are the chances of a large NEO hitting Earth? The danger from NEO impacts increases with the size of the projectile. The greatest risk comes from objects larger than 1 kilometre. Such impacts could have devastating consequences for the region or even the whole world. Luckily, the very dangerous asteroids are extremely rare and on average are thought to hit Earth only a few times every million years. Of course these statistics cannot tell us when the serious impacts will be. It could be next year or many millions of years from now. That said, existing technology can protect us from future impacts, but it is important that we monitor the orbits of NEOs to determine if they may become a risk. If we can predict possible impacts well in advance, say by 10 or more years, then conventional rockets and explosives should be enough to nudge the NEO out of harms way.
With the news that China may be shifting focus from battery vehicles to developing hydrogen fuel cell technology, I think it’s time to consider some important questions regarding vehicles propelled by the #1 element of the periodic table. 1. Can You Hoon? Hydrogen Fuel Cells use a chemical reaction (basically Hydrogen + Oxygen = Water) to generate electricity, which is then fed to an EV motor. Given recent advancements in EV hooning technology, the answer is a definitive yes. 2. Can You Wrench? Someday the future is going to have 200k miles on the odo and be deteriorating in driveways around the world. Can you wrench it? Most of the mechanicals on our hypothetical future hydrogen daily drivers will be wrenchable under traditional circumstances. The big difference will be if you need to service the hydrogen storage system or the fuel cell, which does the actual converting of stored chemical energy to electrical current. In that case, you will have to vent any hydrogen remaining in the system (using an electrically grounded venting rig), then flush the pipes with clean inert gasses like helium and nitrogen. With a little effort and safety training, you should be able to keep yourself AND your garage from going up like the hindenberg. I mean it’s either that or working with high voltage batteries amirite? 3. Is It Good? Where the rubber meets the road, a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle emits two things: freedom and good old H2O. Imagine driving a feisty, zero emissions* AWD hot hatch with the torque needed to pull that pop up camper all the way to Valhalla. This is a future I can get behind. The Toyota Mirai, a real hydrogen fuel cell car that currently drives around real California, claims it takes five minutes to fill the tank at the pump. That’s great compared to slower battery charge times. Also, hydrogen in a tank avoids the problem of range drop in cold weather experienced by battery vehicles. Both are great news if Valhalla is more than 250 miles away or located in New England. 4. Does it Fix the Environment? That’s... up for debate. It all comes down to how the hydrogen is produced. Right now hydrogen is (relatively) affordable because it is made from natural gas. The Union of Concerned Scientists think that it is generally ok to good, depending on how the hydrogen is produced. A skeptic might point out that there is no hydrogen infrastructure outside California in the US, or that the very ok looking Toyota Mirai sedan starts north of $58,000. Those variables will necessarily change with investment and adoption. Ultimately green energy can be stored either in a battery or in a tank of hydrogen. Which will be better for the environment in 2100 and beyond? I’m not sure. But having options for those future E28 sleeper swaps can’t be a bad thing. Will the future be hydrogen? So long as we can keep the fueling stations from exploding, the answer is a big maybe!
Studying how DNA is expressed in diseased hearts Northern Ireland Grant – Dr Chris Watson, Queen’s University Belfast Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the most common cause of heart attack and is the UK’s biggest single killer. Understanding the disease processes involved in coronary heart disease is key to the development of new drug treatments. A better understanding also helps in the development of new blood tests for diagnosis and for monitoring how well treatments are working. Dr Watson and his team will study ‘DNA methylation’ – a process that affects how your genetic code is activated or ‘expressed’. DNA methylation can change due to environmental factors including reduced oxygen levels, called hypoxia, which is a characteristic of coronary heart disease due to reduced blood flow to the heart muscle. Changes in DNA methylation in the diseased heart is potentially reversible and may form the basis of new treatments in the future. The aim of this project is to better understand the DNA methylation pattern in the heart and link this to how coronary heart disease develops and becomes worse. The team will examine human heart tissue from patients with CHD and study the methylation patterns of their genetic code and how this relates to disease. They will also take these findings into lab-based studies to further study the roles of changing DNA methylation in hypoxia and the subsequent development of disease. They will look at changes in blood levels of some of the newly-identified genes relevant to CHD in heart attack patients and also in patients undergoing surgery to improve blood flow to the heart. This will show whether these gene markers in the blood could be used as valuable new blood tests to identify coronary heart disease or used to monitor improved heart health. If successful, the findings may ultimately help to improve the lives of patients through improved treatment, care strategies and survival.
No link between solar activity and earthquakes Geophysicists have disproved a long-held belief that changes in solar activity can be linked to increased earthquake activity. Researchers at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) studied the different phenomena thought to prompt seismic activity. One theory is that a rise in solar activity, like sunspots, solar wind speed, or magnetic storms could trigger more, or larger, earthquakes. 'Recently there's been a lot of interest in this subject from the popular press, probably because of a couple of larger and very devastating earthquakes. This motivated us to investigate for ourselves whether or not it was true,' says Dr Jeffrey Love from the USGS, lead author of the study. But when Love and his colleague, Dr Jeremy Thomas from Northwest Research Associates, examined the relationship between peaks in solar activity and large earthquakes, they found there was no correlation at all. 'There have been some earthquakes like the 9.5 magnitude Chile quake in 1960 where, sure enough, there were more sunspots and more geomagnetic activity than on average. But then for the Alaska earthquake in 1964 everything was lower than normal. There's no obvious pattern between solar activity and seismicity, so our results were inconclusive,' Love says. The pair used data from the British Geological Survey, USGS, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to count the number of earthquakes per day, month and year. They then ranked these counts depending on how much solar-terrestrial activity had occurred at the same time. They showed that there are just as many earthquakes whether or not there is lots of solar activity. 'From previous work we had found that ground sensors in the vicinity of earthquakes did not show any "precursory" signal that might be used to predict an earthquake. Still, some historical and some recent studies seemed to indicate a solar triggering of earthquakes, so we decided to investigate this as well, explains Love. 'One prominent claim was that there might be a relationship between the solar-terrestrial activity and the timing of the great Sumatra earthquake, so we looked at that specifically,' explains Love. The Sumatra earthquake occurred on boxing day in 2004 and had a magnitude of 9.3 - the third largest earthquake ever recorded. 'But as far as we can tell the solar activity was perfectly normal and there is no reason to think normal conditions could cause more or bigger earthquakes.' The theory was first proposed in the late nineteenth century by Rudolf Wolf, a Swiss astronomer known for his research into sunspots. Love understands why people might believe there is a correlation between the two phenomenon. 'It's natural for scientists to want to see relationships between things' he says. "Of course, that doesn't mean that a relationship actually exists!" This story is republished courtesy of Planet Earth online, a free, companion website to the award-winning magazine Planet Earth published and funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
Genetic Annealing (option METHOD/PMETHOD=GA) is a cross between the genetic algorithm and simulated annealing. It’s mainly the genetic algorithm (thus tracks a population of parameter sets) which are mutated at each point, but, instead of only picking the “fittest” (that is, replacing one parameter set only if the mutated one produces a better function value) uses an annealing schedule so it might replace it with one that’s not as good. An “iteration” is a pass through the algorithm at a given temperature. Within each, it does several batches of mutations. Within a single batch of mutations, each member of the population is mutated and tested to see if it should be replaced. After a batch of mutations, the control parameters for the mutations are adjusted to try to keep the percentage of acceptances at around 50%. (The crossover scale is increased if the acceptance rate is below the target and decreased if it’s above it). METHOD=GA (and PMETHOD=GA, which is what is more typically used) are available on BOXJENK, CVMODEL, DLM, FIND, GARCH, MAXIMIZE and NLLS. Each of those instructions has a T0 option to control the initial temperature. For a maximum likelihood function (all of the above but BOXJENK (without the MAXL option) and NLLS), the default is the maximum of 5 and the square root of the number of parameters, which seems to work fine in practice. For non-linear least squares functions, it’s 20% of the function value at the initial guesses. The ITER (for METHOD) and PITER (for PMETHOD) options control the number of “iterations”. The other controls are in the NLPAR instruction. The ones common to simulated annealing are ASCHEDULE, which controls the rate at which the temperature is lowered per iteration. The default is .85. AOUTER controls the number of times the mutation batches are run per iteration. This is a multiplier on the number of parameters. The default is 3.0—however, a minimum of 25 are done, regardless of the number of parameters. The ones common to the genetic algorithm are POPULATE (multiplier on the number of parameters for the size of the population) and MUTATE (method of mutation). The other two genetic method controls (CROSSOVER and F) are used, but have values which adapt to the situation. (F is changed to try to keep the acceptance rate at 50%). If you have 15 parameters, a single iteration would (with the default settings) take 3.0 x 15 loops over the mutation batch, each of which would have 6.0 (POPULATION default multiplier) x 15 function evaluation. It will take (roughly) the same number of function evaluations per iteration as simulated annealing if the AOUTER times the POPULATION value for genetic annealing is the same as AOUTER times AINNER for simulated annealing. (Simulated annealing has the extra “inner” loop, but that’s over the number of parameters, while genetic annealing loops over the population size, which is considerably larger). In comparison with the regular genetic algorithm, it takes that entire outer loop within an iteration (AOUTER x the number of parameters times through that), so requires much more computation, but then it does a broader scan of the parameter space.
Super Kids II - Preschool - October 2015 Our preschoolers are learning an important verse this month. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid … for the Lord your God goes with you.” Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV. We want to teach our preschool friends to recite this verse when something scares them, maybe it’s a stormy night or they are trying something new But, have you ever applied it to your life? It’s a verse that we need to remember as parents too. When your toddler is crying and you can’t figure out why, be strong and courageous because God is with you. When potty-training seems to have taken over the entire household routine and you fear you will never leave the house again, be strong and courageous for God is with you. When it’s time for four-year-old shots and you can’t bear the terror in your son’s eyes, be strong and courageous because God is with you. God is with you each and every minute of each and every day. You can count on Him in the scary times and exhausting times. Be brave! God is with you! We will do our best to make the Bible Stories this month come alive in the hearts of your kids so you can make moments happen in your home where it really counts. Basic Truth: God Made Me Key Question: How Can You Be Brave? Bottom Line: God Can Help Me Memory Verse: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid … for the Lord your God goes with you.” Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV Bible Story: Gideon at Battle (Judges 7:9-22) Big Idea: God knows everything so I can be brave. Bible Story: Miriam (Exodus 1:22 – 2:10) Big Idea: God helps me do big jobs so I can be brave. Bible Story: Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 32) Big Idea: God is powerful so I can be brave. Bible Story: Daniel and the Lions (Daniel 6:1-23) Big Idea: God is with me so I can be brave. Keep the conversation going at home. As we seek to teach your children about God’s love for them, we know that no one has more influence in their lives than you. We want to partner with you by providing monthly resources for you and your child to connect. Check out the following ways you can keep the conversation going throughout the week! Connect with us via Twitter - http://www.Twitter.com/pwkds Like us on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pwkds Follow us on Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/pwkds
Biology: Chapter 2 Terms in this set (36) The smallest part of a chemical element. A chemical substance consisting of one type of atom. An electron found in the outermost orbital. Makes bonds. Required by/found in an organism in small quantities. Ex.: iron, iodine, fluorine. A subatomic particle found in the nucleus of the atom. Has no charge. A subatomic particle found in the orbitals of the atom. Has a negative charge A subatomic particle found in the nucleus of the atom. Has a positive charge. Number of protons in the nucleus. Is unique to each atom. The mass of the protons and neutrons (electrons have nearly no mass) Two or more elements that have the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons. An atom that has either gained or lost an electron Loses an electron, positively charged, is a metal Gains an electron, negatively charged, nonmetal Substance formed by the bonding of two or more different atoms in definite ratios; ionic or covalent Bond formed when electrons are transferred, and the resulting ions are attracted to each other. Occurs between a metal and a nonmetal. Bond formed when electrons are shared between two atoms, usually nonmetals. Polar Covalent Bond Electrons are shared, but unequally Pull of the nucleus on electrons, some elements exert more pull than others. Difference in electrical charge on opposite ends of a molecule. A bond between the oxygen of one water molecule and the hydrogen of another. Water molecules sticking together. Water molecules sticking to other things (forming a column) The ability to "hold" or "store" heat. The amount of energy required to raise a substance's temperature by 1 degree Celsius. Measure of how difficult it is to stretch or break the surface of a liquid. A mixture of two or more substances that is uniform throughout (ex. saltwater) Dissolving agent (water) Substance that dissolves (salt) Water-loving; dissolves in water Water-hating, does not dissolve in water. Substance that adds more H+ ions to a solution. Substance that adds more OH- ions, or removes H+ ions. Rain with a pH below 5.5. Solution that resists change in pH (helps make pH stay the same even if you add an acid/base). Groups are the columns in the periodic table. Periods are the rows in the periodic table. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE... MCAT General Chemistry \| Kaplan Guide Mader (2016) Chapter 2: Basic Chemistry Chapter 2: Basic Chemistry chapter 2 lifes chemical basis OTHER SETS BY THIS CREATOR THIS SET IS OFTEN IN FOLDERS WITH... Biology: Chapter 1 Bio: Chapters 4 and 5 Biology Chapter 6 Biology: Chapters 6, 7, and 8
Washington (IANS): Opening up the possibility for early diagnosis of ovarian cancer, scientists have identified genetic material that distinguishes its cells from normal cells. These genetic material includes six mRNA isoforms produced by ovarian cancer cells but not normal cells could be used to diagnose early-stage ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is very difficult to diagnose and treat, making it an especially fatal disease. “We were inspired by many studies aimed at using DNA to detect cancer,” said first author Christian Barrett at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Centre. “But we wondered if we could instead develop an ovarian cancer detection test based on tumour-specific mRNA that has disseminated from cancer cells to the cervix and can be collected during a routine Pap test,” Barrett said. They identified six mRNA isoform molecules that have the tumour specificity required for an early detection diagnostic of ovarian cancer. In contrast to DNA, mRNAs are complementary copies of the genes and carry the recipe for every protein that the cell will produce from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. Whereas a cancer cell might harbour just one or a few copies of a DNA mutation, mRNA variants can occur in hundreds to thousands of copies per cell. For the study, the team analysed mRNA sequence data from 296 ovarian cancers and 1,839 normal tissue samples. “Our experimental findings were made in a laboratory and were performed on ovarian cancer cells from cell lines,” said study co-author Cheryl Saenz, a clinical professor of reproductive medicine at University of California. The study was outlined in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by episodes of binging and purging (i.e. eating large amount in a short space of time followed by self-induced vomiting) as a way to control weight gain. The use of laxatives and diuretics are common. WHAT CAUSES BULIMIA? There is not one but many factors that might cause Bulimia. They are not always easy to identify but they might include any of the following: - Frequent concern over weight gain - Engaging in diets - Poor confidence - Emotional distress - Family dynamics (e.g. pressure) and attitude towards body image and food - Stress e.g. sudden change, loss, disappointment, death, abuse WHO GETS BULIMIA? Anyone can develop bulimia and at any age. Most affected appear to be young women between the ages of 14 to 25. However, men are also affected. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF BULIMIA? Symptoms will vary and can go completely unnoticed. However, the following are quite common: - Constantly thinks of food - Calorie counts - Eats excessive amounts in a very short space of time followed by purging - Dislikes own physical appearance - Goes frequently to the toilet, especially after meals - Struggles with feelings of guilt - Signs of Anxiety, Depression, Obsessive compulsive disorders - Substance use HOW OFTEN WILL I BINGE? Frequency will vary from one person to another. Episodes could range anywhere from several times a day to a few times per months. WHAT ARE THE LONG-TERM PHYSICAL SIDE EFFECTS? Long-term effects could include: - Irregular heartbeats - Low blood pressure - Feeling faint - Tooth decay - Sore throat - Rupture of the oesophagus - Facial swell - Damage to kidneys - Dry skin - And many more effects that could lead in some severe cases to trigger epilepsy or death. HOW DOES BULIMIA AFFECT YOUR FAMILY LIFE? Bulimia affects the whole family. The secret life of the bulimic is often very difficult for families to understand which can lead to frequent arguments, especially during meal times. HOW IS BULIMIA TREATED? Bulimia needs specialist help to treat both the psychological causes and its physical side effects. This is a process that can take time and will depend largely on the motivation levels of the person with bulimia to want to change. A multidisciplinary team composed of a medical doctor, a psychotherapist, a nutritionist amongst other experts will be required. Depending on levels of severity, either outpatient or inpatient treatment maybe advised. Seeking help can be difficult and filled with a lot of ambivalence. At MEEDA, we are here to help provide support and guide you in the best way possible. You can contact us or request a short talk over our Online HotLine. CAN I RECOVER FROM BULIMIA? Full recovery from bulimia is possible and many do recover in just a few months with the right professional help.
Field of Work: Health care safety Problem Synopsis: The Institute of Medicine’s 1999 report To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System called for a 50 percent reduction in preventable patient harm within five years. However, although awareness of patient safety has grown, examples of sustained progress have been rare. Synopsis of the Work: Johns Hopkins researchers created the Public-Private Partnership Promoting Patient Safety (P5S), composed of representatives from government, industry, and nonprofit organizations. P5S used a successful model from the aviation industry—Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST)—to identify two of the most common hazards in hospital care, and help devise solutions to them. Using the CAST model, the P5S team analyzed databases of medical errors and chose two of the most common hazards: - Syringes used to administer U-500, a concentrated form of insulin given to patients with severe diabetes. - Infusion pumps used to administer nutrients and medications to patients in hospital emergency rooms, recovery rooms, and intensive care units. A project team then developed a prototype syringe designed specifically to administer U-500. Allison Medical has commercialized the syringe, and is awaiting FDA approval. A project team composed of clinicians and engineers also observed medical personnel using infusion pumps, and developed a framework for improving them and testing new ones. - Introducing Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Services in Seven ICUs May 15, 2008 - The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act Regulations March 1, 2010 - Perfecting Patient Flow January 1, 2005 - About this grant
Is noise pollution making you fat? Data suggests it is actually increasing obesity plus several health complications From deafness to stress, anxiety to now obesity, noise pollution seems the root of so many terrible hazards. Then why are we so silent about it? - Total Shares Do you dread stepping on the weighing scale every morning? The cheese-burst pizza you had last night might not be the culprit though. It could just be the annoying driver who was honking incessantly when you were driving to the restaurant who caused the needle on those scales to tip rightwards. Researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in Spain analysed the data from 3,796 adults and found that long-term exposure to road traffic noise may increase the risk of obesity. The research found that increased exposure to noise pollution alters hormone levels, increases blood pressure, deregulates glucose metabolism and alters the appetite. This, in turn, leads to a higher BMI, overweight and obesity. “In our analysis, we observed that a 10 decibel (dB) increase in mean noise level was associated with a 17 per cent increase in obesity,” said Maria Foraster from ISGlobal and the lead author of the study. "In the long term, these effects could give rise to chronic physiological alterations, which would explain the proven association between persistent exposure to traffic-related noise and cardiovascular disease or the more recently discovered associations with diabetes and obesity," she added. While this might be the latest, it is definitely not the first research study that points at the hazards of noise pollution. In 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated almost six per cent people in India suffer from hearing loss. A decade later, in 2017, Mimi Hearing Technologies — founders of the digital hearing app — and WHO analysed noise pollution in 50 cities across the world. Does it come as a big surprise if we say that Delhi ranked the second worst city in the world for noise pollution — marginally lower than Guangzhou in China? India's capital was followed by Cairo, Mumbai, Istanbul and Beijing. Traffic — particularly incessant honking — emerged as the biggest culprit, closely followed by loudspeakers and noise from construction work. Delhi ranked the second worst city in the world for noise pollution (Photo: Reuters) A study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) had shown that the traffic intersection at the Income Tax Office (ITO) in Delhi saw noise levels as high as 106 decibels (dB) due to vehicular honking. To put this in perspective, chronic exposure to sound beyond 85 dB for eight hours can cause irreversible hearing loss, at 120 dB noise becomes painful — and a sound impulse at 140 dB can tear the eardrum. The effects of noise pollution do not stop with obesity or hearing loss. Having shifted from a relatively quieter Coimbatore to the national noise capital of the country in 2015, I was diagnosed with anxiety disorders resulting from constant honking in Delhi's unbearable traffic. It was when I sought psychological treatment for the same did I learn that stress, anxiety and panic disorders because of noise pollution is not all that uncommon. M Srihari, a psychologist at the Bangalore Medical College, says that more than 50 per cent of patients suffering from anxiety or depression cannot tolerate too much sound, and noise pollution is amongst the foremost causes for stress in urban dwellers. Studies suggest word acquisition and reading are more difficult in loud environments — and children suffer disproportionately. (Photo: Reuters) A report by WHO in 2011 ranks sleep disturbance and annoyance as major components of the health burden due to noise. Other impacts include heart disease, high blood pressure and strokes. Studies of children exposed to environmental noise have consistently found effects on cognitive performance. Children exposed to chronic environmental noise have been found to have poorer auditory discrimination and speech perception. So stop — think before honking at that traffic signal on your way to the gym. You can perhaps lose weight if you stop exercising your palm to jam that horn.
There's been a fair amount of media attention lately about whether teachers should discuss controversial topics in the classroom - and whether they should bring their own opinions into it. The intensity of the media focus can make teachers feel like they should avoid those topics altogether. However, sometimes those topics are unavoidable and many times those discussions are invaluable. The key to successfully discussing controversial or difficult topics is using tactics and guidelines which make it safe and useful for everyone involved - including you as the teacher. 1. Create a Caring, Compassionate Classroom A classroom environment which promotes care and compassion for each other will make it easier when you approach difficult topics. It's easier for students to express different views and be open to listening to each other when they are being mindful of each other. 2. Let Parents Know What's Happening (When You Can) Although some topics come up because of something on the news or because a student introduces it through a question or statement, other topics are part of the curriculum or planned lessons. Keeping parents and caregivers in touch with what is happening in the classroom (whether it is controversial or not) allows them to have a full understanding of the situation, rather than getting bits and pieces home through their children or the work in their books. It also establishes trust between you and them and is generally good practice. 3. Set Guidelines for Discussions Having strong guidelines for discussions allows students to express themselves in a safe place. When students know what is and what isn't acceptable, they learn to consider their thoughts and frame them in a way which is less likely to cause harm to others. They may not always get it right - learning to say things in a considered way is something that even adults can struggle with! - but with time and consistency it will become easier for them. Guidelines can also apply to listening. 4. Encourage Students to Collect Both Facts and Opinions - And to Know the Difference Between Them It can be very easy for discussions to become very opinion focused, but by encouraging students to collect facts - and opinions from other people - you can create a broader, more informed discussion. In a discussion on refugees, for example, students might research opinions from politicians, academics and activists. They might also look at the reasons why there are refugees and the movement of refugees throughout history. Historical opinions could also be discussed. The more students know, question and discuss, the more informed and thoughtful their own opinions will be. 5. It's OK to Have A View. It's OK to Share It. It's OK Not to Share It. Some commentators believe that teachers shouldn't have a view on anything and should just 'get back to the teaching!' But that's not necessarily fair on students who should be exposed to a range of views from the people in their lives - including teachers - and should be able to see how people develop their views. By letting students know what your view is, and how you came to that point of view, you're providing them with more information as they make their way through their decision making processes to developing their own views. It's also ok not to share your view. Sometimes it's not relevant or asked for. Sometimes you need to protect yourself. Sometimes you need to give the space to your students instead. 6. Protect Yourself Unfortunately, some people thrive on controversy and they're only too happy to 'report' a controversial discussion to your administration, district, or worse - the media. Many times they do not have the full story and it can be a scramble to make sure that you and your actions are protected. If a controversial discussion happens or topic comes up, it can be worthwhile to let your administration know. It lets them be prepared if someone approaches them and leaves them in a better position to assist you. It's also worth keeping notes in your planner or diary to refer back to if required. If lessons around a controversial issue are planned, it might be worth working with another teacher to deliver material to the classes together. Having another informed adult working on the same material (or even in the same classroom) can let people outside the classroom know that this is a planned, organised event - not you just sharing your opinions willy nilly. Finally, if you're in the position to join a teachers union, they're well worth joining. Many are created to look after your rights in the workforce, including your rights to teach material others might find controversial. Unions become stronger with their members, and many have other benefits beyond the protection element. The Boy Overboard Whole Novel Study allows students to look at how an author has presented a sometimes controversial subject. You can find it, along with more Boy Overboard resources at the Galarious Goods shop.
Have questions about this topic? This National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) webpage provides a comprehensive listing of research studies addressing the issue of mobility and its effects on a child’s or youth’s education. This report found that increased efforts must be made to ensure the protection of homeless students’ legal rights to education in New York City. The report underscores the importance of providing educational stability to homeless children and youth, and the need for increased coordination among city agencies and the New York City Department of Education to provide services to these students. This abstract bibliography lists and describes a selection of publications released in 2008 that deal with issues related to the lives and education of children and youth experiencing homelessness. This report from the Institute of Children, Poverty, and Homelessness presents information on family homelessness in New York City. The report breaks down data on homelessness by neighborhood and by city council district. This NCHE bibliography, updated September 2011, provides a broad list of research studies addressing the issue of mobility and its effects on a child’s or youth’s education. This study explores the critical role of the classroom teacher in contributing to the education of at-risk and highly mobile students. The study includes a review of the literature on the effective teaching of at-risk and highly mobile students and an exploration of the beliefs and practices of six teachers who won national and/or state awards for working with students in difficult circumstances. These two briefs describe some the challenges and offers recommendations to teachers based on the literature and case studies of award-winning teachers with a variety of students in their classrooms who moved frequently.
A meniscectomy is the surgical procedure of removing a meniscus. Full or partial meniscectomy The outer rim of the meniscus is particular important in protecting the cartilage surfaces of the knee joint. If the meniscus, including the outer rim, is removed then that is a full meniscectomy. If only part of the meniscus is trimmed away, then that is a partial meniscectomy. The Meniscus-Deficient Knee. Rao AJ, Erickson BJ, Cvetanovich GL, Yanke AB, Bach BR, Jr, and Cole BJ. Orthop J Sports Med. 2015 Oct; 3(10): 2325967115611386. Meniscal Preservation is Important for the Knee Joint. Patil SS, Shekhar A and Tapasvi SR. Indian J Orthop. 2017 Sep-Oct; 51(5): 576–587.
A koala nestled in a tree and munching on leaves may be the scene in your mind when you think of a eucalyptus tree. While eucalyptus trees are native to Australia and a favorite food source for koalas, the trees flourish in different parts of the world, including coastal regions of the United States. Video of the Day Eucalyptus trees originated in Australia. Different varieties have spread throughout the country, surviving in vastly different climates from north to south. There are at least 600 species of eucalyptus; much of the cataloging of species was done by explorers between 1770 and 1867. Eucalyptus trees like full sun and tolerate several types of soils, from clay to sand and loam. The preferred pH of the tree ranges from alkaline to acidic. Eucalyptus trees tolerate drought and recover vigorously from fires; according to the PBS show “Nature,” eucalyptus trees produce buds in response to extreme heat. Eucalyptus trees suffer from leaf spot, crown gall and powdery mildew, and several types of pest. They are usually used as landscaping trees, but the University of Florida IFAS Extension notes that it is possible to grow at least one variety (Eucalyptus ficifolia) in a container. Eucalyptus trees are cold-hardy to zones 9 or 10--each variety is different--and Louisiana State University’s AgCenter notes that trees that are more tolerant of cold are in the works. Existence in the U.S. Eucalyptus trees thrive in California, and they are now being cultivated in southeastern Texas and Louisiana. The AgCenter reports that paper mills want to use eucalyptus as part of pulpwood, so farms are planting the trees as an extra way to make money. Eucalyptus were introduced into California in the 1840s and '50s, also as a tool for making money; Robert Santos, of California State University, Stanislaus, writes that miners during the Gold Rush most likely planned to use the trees’ wood for construction materials. A 2008 article in the Scotsman pointed out that eucalyptus leaves in Australia were becoming poisonous to koalas. Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide was changing the level of nutrients produced by the trees; substances thought to prevent proper digestion in koalas were increasing within the leaves. The article stated that as koalas eat leaves from only specific tree species, this change may result in a drop in koala population within 50 years. Wind and Fire Danger Keep in mind, if you plan to plant eucalyptus trees, that their roots are quite shallow. The trees are prone to falling over in high winds, and the high oil content can add to fire danger.
The cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) was the first plant virus found to contain DNA instead of RNA as genetic material . The CaMV 35S promoter was exploited extensively to drive the expression of foreign genes in transgenic plants, so much so that it is present in all genetically modified (GM) crops commercially grown today. In 2000, some six years after the first GM crop was commercialised, we drew attention to new and old findings that have been overlooked on the hazards of the CaMV 35S promoter; including its relationship to hepatitis B virus (HPV) and human immune deficiency virus (HIV); the discovery of its recombination hotspot that enhances both genomic rearrangement and the potential for horizontal gene transfer and recombination; and far from being specific for plants, the promoter is promiscuously active in all kingdoms of living organisms, including animal and human cells [3-5] (Cauliflower Mosaic Viral Promoter - A Recipe for Disaster?, Hazards of Transgenic Plants Containing the Cauliflower Mosaic Viral Promoter, CaMV 35S promoter fragmentation hotspot confirmed, and it is active in animals , I-SIS scientific publications). We called for all GM crops containing the CaMV 35S promoter to be withdrawn ; and were met with an avalanche of criticisms, which we answered [4, 5] and abuse which we largely ignored. Since then, at least two different research teams have confirmed that the CaMV 35S promoter is active in animal and human cells [6, 7]. And new evidence has emerged that the CaMV 35S promoter specifically induces transcription factors required for making CaMV and HIV genomes by reverse transcription . (We thank I-SIS member Ingrid Blank from South Africa for drawing our attention to the publication.} The danger is that if the CaMV 35S promoter transfers into human cells, it would facilitate the transcription of HIV and activate other disease-causing viruses, including the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) that is latent in high proportions of human populations CaMV is a pararetrovirus whose DNA genome is replicated by reverse transcription of an RNA intermediate. The CaMV genome consists of a circular double-stranded DNA molecule of ~8kb that forms a mini-chromosome in the nucleus of the host cell. Phylogenetically, CaMV belongs to a group of caulimoviruses most closely related to the hepadnaviruses of animals, which includes the human hepatitis B virus. The reverse transcriptase of CaMV, however, is most similar to that of retrotransposons belonging to the Gypsy group, and also to that of retroviruses such as HIV . CaMV is transcribed by the host cell RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) into two major transcripts, the 35S and the 19SRNAs from their respective promoters. CaMV therefore, relies on host RNAPII to synthesize its viral RNA templates for reverse transcription (into more viral genomes) and translation of its coat and other proteins. During transcription, the C-terminus of RNAPII is phosphorylated by cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). The CDKs and interacting cyclin T partners form the transcription elongation factor b (P-TEF-b) complexes that phosphorylate the RNAPII C-terminal domain to promote transcription elongation. In Arabidopsis thaliana, CDKC;1, CDKC;2, and their interacting cyclin T partners CyCT1:4 and CYCT1:5 are important for cauliflower mosaic virus infection. Researchers led by Zhixiang Chen at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, in the United States used knockout mutants of the corresponding genes to investigate how the different factors affect CaMV infection . They found that knockout mutants of cdkc:2 and cyct1:5 are highly resistant to CaMV infection, and the double mutant even more so. (Note: the convention is to represent the protein in capital letters and the corresponding genes in small italics.) Infection was delayed 3 to 4 days relative to wild type in the single mutants. At ~3 weeks after CaMV inoculation, almost 100 percent of the single mutants developed symptoms, but only 10 to 20 percent of the double mutant plants had symptoms, reaching 40 to 50 percent at 4 weeks. The mutants were not resistant to tobacco mosaic virus (a RNA virus) or cabbage leaf curl virus, a single-stranded DNA virus, neither of which replicates through reverse transcription. To test whether CDKC:2 and CYCT1:5 are important for the viral promoter activity, the researchers transformed the cdkc:2 and cyct1:5 mutants with a construct containing a b -glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene driven by the CaMV 35S promoter. As controls, the same reporter gene construct was transformed into the wild type and also the cyct:2-1 mutant, which responds normally to CaMV. They looked for GUS gene expression and transcripts in 10 to 20 percent of independent wild-type or mutant transformants. The wild type and cyct;2-1 mutant had an average of ~265 units of GUS activity, and accumulated high levels of GUS transcripts. The single cdkc:2 and cyct1:5 mutants had ~66 units and correspondingly reduced levels of GUS transcripts. In the double cdkc:2 and cyct1:5 mutant, GUS activity was further reduced to ~35 units, and the reduced GUS activity was correlated with very low levels of GUS transcripts. Thus, CDKC;2 and CYCT1:5 are required for the high CaMV 35S promoter activity, and furthermore, they are induced by the CaMV35S promoter. In humans, P-TEFb is required by HIV-1 for its transcription and replication . The long terminal repeat of HIV-1 has minimal promoter activity in the absence of the viral Tat protein. The CaMV 35S promoter, on the other hand, is strongly active in plant cells in the absence of any viral protein . Thus, the presence of CaMV 35S promoter effectively facilitates the transcription of HIV and other viruses. A more recent study reported that human T-lymphotropic virus type 1, another complex retrovirus, recruits P-TEFb to stimulate viral gene transcription . No such close link of P-TEFb has been reported with other animal DNA viruses that also depend on RNAPII for transcription. Thus, P-TEFb appears to be an evolutionary conserved target of complex retroviruses and pararetroviruses for transcription activation. Although human P-TEFb is not known to play a crucial role in the transcription of any human DNA virus, its over-expression in human cells can greatly activate the in vivo activity of the cytomegalovirus promoter . Recently, it has been reported that replication of human cytomegalovirus is dependent on the cellular protein kinase CDK9 and cyclin T1 proteins ; which are similar respectively to the CDKC;2 and CYCT1:5 induced by the CaMV 35S promoter. Within crop plants, the CaMV promoter is well known to alter the level and patterns of activity of adjacent tissue and organ-specific gene promoters . In the absence of the 35S promoter sequence, the AAP2 promoter is active only in vascular tissue as indicated by the expression of the AAP2:Gus gene. With the 35S promoter sequence in the same T-plasmid used to transform tobacco plants, the resultant transgenic plants exhibit 2-fold to five-fold increase in AAP2 promoter activity and the promoter became active in all tissue types. Similar effects were found on the ovary specific AGL5:iaaM gene, and ovule- and early embryo-specific PAB5:barnase gene. In contrast, the NOS promoter did not have such effects. Thus, the 35S promoter sequence can convert an adjacent tissue and organic specific gene into a globally active promoter. Furthermore, a 60-nucleotide region (S1) downstream of the transcription start site of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S RNA was found to enhance gene expression . The region contains sequence motifs with enhancer function that re normally masked by the powerful upstream enhancers of the promoter. A repeated CT-rich motif is involved both in enhancer function and interaction with plant nuclear proteins. The SI region can also enhance expression from heterologous promoters, and the researchers speculated that this could guarantee a “minimal basal activity of the promoter under every possible circumstance,” and could reflect a fundamental survival strategy for the virus. These findings indicate that the CaMV 35S promoter, if transferred to human cells, could up-regulate specific transcription factors that will multiply and activate a number of common viruses that cause diseases including cancer. Article first published 15/06/09 Got something to say about this page? Comment
Old sunspot 1039 is crackling with solar flares. Over the past 48 hours, it has produced five M-class eruptions. Click on the image to play a movie of the latest, an M2-blast recorded by STEREO-B at 1756 GMT on Jan. 20th: The ongoing sequence of flares signals a sharp upturn in solar activity. Before this week, the last time the sun produced even a single M-class solar flare was in March 2008--almost two years ago. M-class solar flares have a moderate effect on Earth. Mainly, they boost the usual ionization of Earth's upper atmosphere, causing short-lived radio blackouts at some frequencies and radio enhancements at others.
Homoeopathy is a science not miracle but when Homoeopathic prescription done with full understanding of both patient (full constitution and body tendencies) and his disease (full history of disease) , it gives result like a miracle. Homoeopathic drug have energized or poetized drug particle, which acts on your body to boost your reactive power (immune system). Homoeopathy based on natural science, it is natural to our body and it naturally excites our body to expel the disease process. I know it is very hard to understand but here I am trying to simplify it; hopefully it will help you to understand the science of homoeopathy. Very often you hear some person that he uses no drug for cold, coryza and fever. Their body will repel the disease automatically within 3-4 days and they get cured without any medicine Think for a while, what will be the science behind that? Yes it is natural science of human being, which automatically expels disease from our body and in scientific term, we can say it is the immune system of our body which expels the disease process automatically without any use of medicine. so, is there no use of medicine ? some time due to genetics or many other reasons we have very weak immune system which is not able to expel the disease process or the disease process is strong enough to be removed from the body with the help of immune system alone. Now we need medicine which just enhance the immune system and only to the extent to remove the disease process. Only Homoeopathic medicines work on the above needed principle, it enhance the power of immune system only to the extent sufficient to expel the disease process and make us healthy. Working principle or science of Homoeopathy - Homoeopathy works on the basis of establishing homoeostasis in body function. Homoeopathic medicine totally based on manifestation(signs and symptoms) of your derange body system either organic or functional. Homoeopathic medicine is more nearest to your body than any other medicinal system because it based on a lot of minute symptom or manifestation of your internal disease Homoeopathy is able to capture the disease at functional or physiological stage that is much more prior than any investigation which catches the disease when structural or pathological changes comes. Homoeopathic data is collected by proving and poisoning effect of medicine on humans. Homoeopathy starts with an observation , it acts and continuously giving results in almost all type of diseases, though the exact scientific process how does it acts? how does it boost the immune system? is still under research.
QUESTION : Is there a difference between “Emotions” and “Feelings”? Are they interchangeable in their usage? ANSWER : All of us have emotions. Not all of us can feel our emotions. They say emotions are the hallmark of human beings. Emotions guide our actions and behaviour. Emotions give us an awareness of our environment. Emotions come from a deep and subconscious part of our mind that give us a very sophisticated and intricate insight into the happenings around us. However, the catch is that, not all of us are in touch with our emotions. Not all of us can feel our emotions. Sometimes, in a given situation, our system generates multiple emotions. But it is quite possible that we are feeling only one of the emotions being generated. And therefore we are only able to act based on one emotion. Let me give you an example. Johnny is a 20 year old young adult. He attends university. One day the professor catches Johnny scrolling through his Instagram during class. The professor is furious and decides to confiscate the phone (which is expensive), and then he decides to punish Johnny by asking him to leave the class and get an apology letter signed by his parents. Phew! That is a lot already. And what does Johnny do when he is meted out with this punishment? He feels angry. He storms out of the class and goes to the canteen. He broods over how he felt insulted for a brief while. But that makes him angry again. He decides to take action against the professor because he felt the treatment was too harsh. Johnny continues to act in rage and goes to every extent to ensure that the professor does not feel “victorious” with this episode. Now, let’s get back to our analysis. Johnny acted in anger and rage, but was that the only emotion that came up in his system? I am guessing he felt a certain amount of humiliation and shame to be singled out in his class. I am guessing he might have felt a certain amount of panic and anxiety to lose his phone to the professor. I am guessing he might have felt a certain amount of fear or trepidation before deciding to take on the authorities at college. I am also guessing he might have felt some kind of anxiety about getting his parents to sign his apology letter (assuming his parents are like most Indian Parents!) But Johnny allowed himself to only feel the anger and rage and act on that alone. The other emotions remained Unconscious to him. Another person in Johnny’s shoes might have “felt” something other than anger – maybe fear, maybe shame. And that person might have acted from that emotion. The more we work with our inner journey, the more we get in touch with the whole spectrum of our emotions (the obvious ones and the subtler ones too). We start to feel more completely when we get in touch with our emotions. Mindfulness, in fact, is all about being completely in touch with the complex and sophisticated emotional system that we have within, and learning to master this beautiful mechanism of perception. Sometimes people are completely cut off from their feelings. They feel nothing. They are “Numb“. But that doesn’t mean there is no emotion in their system. They have only disconnected from their emotions and have stopped feeling. Maybe their emotions are too intense or too painful to feel. We would then get to see their emotions playing out as unconscious behavioural patterns that are often unhealthy, and often times these people might not really be able to control their moods and behaviours. [Read more about this phenomenon in this post called “Meeting the Dark Side“. It talks about what happens when we suppress parts of us and make it unconscious.] So then, what really is the difference between Emotions and Feelings? Emotions are subtle bits of information that a deeper part of our self generates to make us present to our experiences. Feelings are our conscious awareness of these emotions. Feelings are those emotions that we allow ourselves to physiologically feel and act on. The more conscious we are, the more completely we feel. NOTE : Emotions vs. Feelings is a much debated topic. This is my perspective and view on this topic. I would love to hear your perspectives too.
Edwin Herbert Hall (1855-1938) \|Born\|\|November 7, 1855\| \|Died\|\|November 20, 1938 (aged 83)\| Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States \|Alma mater\|\|Johns Hopkins University\| \|Known for\|\|Hall effect\| \|Doctoral advisor\|\|Henry Augustus Rowland\| Edwin Herbert Hall (November 7, 1855 – November 20, 1938) was an American physicist who discovered the eponymous Hall effect. Hall conducted thermoelectric research at Harvard and also wrote numerous physics textbooks and laboratory manuals. Hall was born in Gorham, Maine, U.S.. Hall did his undergraduate work at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, graduating in 1875. He was the principal of Gould Academy in 1875–1876 and the principal of Brunswick High School in 1876–1877. He did his graduate schooling and research, and earned his Ph.D. degree (1880), at the Johns Hopkins University where his seminal experiments were performed. The Hall effect was discovered by Hall in 1879, while working on his doctoral thesis in Physics. Hall's experiments consisted of exposing thin gold leaf (and, later, using various other materials) on a glass plate and tapping off the gold leaf at points down its length. The effect is a potential difference (Hall voltage) on opposite sides of a thin sheet of conducting or semiconducting material (the Hall element) through which an electric current is flowing. This was created by a magnetic field applied perpendicular to the Hall element. The ratio of the voltage created to the amount of current is known as the Hall resistance, and is a characteristic of the material in the element. In 1880, Hall's experimentation was published as a doctoral thesis in the American Journal of Science and in the Philosophical Magazine. Hall was appointed as a professor of physics at Harvard in 1895, and succeeded John Trowbridge as Rumford Professor of Physics in 1914. Hall retired in 1921 and died in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. in 1938. The Hall effect is used in magnetic field sensors, present in a large number of devices. In the presence of large magnetic field strength and low temperature, one can observe the quantum Hall effect, which is the quantization of the Hall resistance. This is now the official standard for electrical resistance. - Katz, Eugenii, "Hall". Biosensors & Bioelectronics. - The President and Fellows of Harvard College, "Hall, Edwin Herbert, 1855-1938. Papers: Guide.". Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. 2002. - "Edwin Hall image". aip.org. - Hall, Edwin, "On a New Action of the Magnet on Electric Currents". American Journal of Mathematics vol. 2 pp. 287–292, 1879. Works by Hall He made various contributions to scientific journals on the thermal conductivity of iron and nickel, the theory of thermoelectric action, and on thermoelectric heterogeneity in metals. His publications include: - A Text-Book of Physics (1891; third edition, 1903), with J. Y. Bergen - Elementary Lessons in Physics (1894; 1900) - The Teaching of Chemistry and Physics (1902), with Alexander Smith - College Laboratory Manual of Physics (1904; revised edition, 1913) - Elements of Physics (1912) - This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). "article name needed". New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
In the opening sentences of The Sociology of Religion Max Weber (1922) states, "To define 'religion,' to say what it is, is not possible at the start of a presentation such as this. Definition can be attempted, if at all, only at the conclusion of the study". He could offer only the broadest of definitions: religion encompasses those human responses that give meaning to the ultimate and inescapable problems of existence—birth, death, illness, aging, injustice, tragedy, and suffering. To Weber, the hundreds of thousands of religions, past and present, represented a rich and seemingly endless variety of responses to these problems. In view of this variety, he believed that no single definition could hope to capture the essence of religion. Like wise Emile Durkheim believed that religion is difficult to define. In the first chapter of his book The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, Durkheim cautions that when studying religions, sociologists must assume that "there are no religions which are false". In sacramental religions, followers seek the sacred in places, objects, and actions believed to house a god or a spirit. These locations may include inanimate objects such as relics, statues, and crosses, animals, trees or other plants, foods, drink such as wine and water, places, and certain processes such as the way people prepare for a hunt or perform a dance. Sacramental religions include various forms of Native American spirituality. In prophetic religions, the sacred revolves around items that symbolize historic events or around the lives, teachings, and writings of great people. Sacred books, such as the Christian Bible, the Muslim Qur'an, and the Jewish Tanakh, hold the records of these events and revelations. In the case of historic events, God or some other higher being is believed to be directly involved in the course and outcome of the events (such as a flood, the parting of the Sea of Reeds, or the rise and fall of an empire). In mystical religions, followers seek the sacred in states of being that can exclude all awareness of their existence, sensations, thoughts, and surroundings. In such states, mystics become caught up so fully in the transcendental experience that earthly concerns seem to vanish. Direct union with the divine forces of the universe assumes the utmost importance.
When water is scarce, it can become just one more reason for neighbors to fight. In Mkinga, Tanzania, the lack of water simply escalated existing tensions between neighbors of different faiths, and it was common for arguments to break out. But now that safe water flows freely from Water Mission tap stands throughout the community, neighbors are coming together in peace and unity. They have friendly conversations as they collect the day’s water, not conflict. “The best part is that this village no longer argues over water,” 30-year-old Rachel Poul told us. “The tap has brought a certain unity to us.” The tangible gift of safe water often allows individuals to experience God’s love, hope, and peace in new ways or for the first time. And in Mkinga, it has become a bridge between community members with varying beliefs. “The water has brought great interaction between us,” Rachel explained. “This water has become an extended helping hand to all of us,” said Imam Silaha Mohamed, who presides over the local mosque. “Disease has been reduced, the health clinic has benefited, and we are all very happy.” “We were really struggling before safe water — there was little access to clean water, and it was far away. Now, safe water is right next to our mosque. I am speechless. I don’t have the words to show my gratitude to the people at Water Mission and in the United States for coming here. The entire mosque community is appreciative and thankful… there is no distinction in faith traditions for giving us this water.” — Imam Silaha Mohamed We delight in serving all members of a community — regardless of religion, age, gender, or race. The freedom brought by safe water has become a unifying experience for the Mkinga community. Hamis Mohamed, a farmer, barber, and father of three children, said, “We’re no longer [afraid] to have our children drink water, and this is a very freeing thing for us.” “Before, we never knew how safe the water actually was. We had poor health and stomach issues. We were full of fear about drinking that water, but we had no choice. Now, the water source that Water Mission put in is just four minutes away — a very short walk! We use this clean water for everything: drinking, bathing, washing. We no longer get skin rashes or sick from stomach bugs.” — Hamis Mohamed GIVE SAFE WATER and the gifts of freedom and peace to families around the world this Christmas.
Apache Tomcat is a Java servlet container, and is run on a Java Virtual Machine, or JVM. Tomcat utilizes the Java servlet specification to execute servlets generated by requests, often with the help of JSP pages, allowing dynamic content to be generated much more efficiently than with a CGI script. If you want to run a high-performing installation of Tomcat, taking some time to learn about your JVM is essential. In this article, we'll learn how Tomcat and the JVM interact, look at a few of the different JVMs available, explain how to tune the JVM for better performance, and provide information about some of the tools available for monitoring your JVM's performance. How Tomcat Interacts With The JVM Utilizing servlets allows the JVM to handle each request within a separate Java thread, as each servlet is in fact a standard Java class, with special elements that allow it to respond to HTTP requests. Tomcat's main function is to pass HTTP requests to the correct components to serve them, and return the dynamically generated results to the correct location after the JVM has processed them. If the JVM can't efficiently serve the requests Tomcat passes to it, Tomcat's performance will be negatively affected. Choosing the Right JVM There are many JVMs to choose from, and Tomcat runs on many of them, from open source projects such as Sun Microsystem's HotSpot or Apache Harmony, to proprietary JVMs like Azul VM. Despite the wide variety of available JVM flavors, the majority of Tomcat users favor Sun Microsystem's HotSpot JVM, because its just-in-time compilation and adaptive optimization features are particularly suited for efficiently handling Tomcat's servlet requests. So for the majority of Tomcat users, HotSpot is the JVM to use. However, if you are attracted a feature that is specific to a certain JDK, there is nothing wrong with installing Tomcat on two different JVMs and running some benchmarks to see which solution is best for your needs. In the end, it's a balancing act. Choose the JVM that provides the best balance of performance and features for your site. How to Configure Tomcat's Default JVM Preferences Once you decide on a JVM and install it on your server, configuring Tomcat to run on it is a very simple process. Simply edit catalina.sh, found in Tomcat's bin folder, and change the JAVA_HOME environment variable to the directory of your chosen JVM's JDK. When you restart Tomcat, it will be running on your new JVM. Optimizing your JVM for Best Performance The better your JVM performs, the better your installation of Tomcat will perform. It's as simple as that. Getting the most out of your JVM is a matter of configuring its settings to match your real-world performance needs as closely as possible. Update your JVM to the latest version, establish some accurate benchmarks so you have a way of quantifying any changes you make, and then get down to business. Effective Memory Management The main thing to consider when tuning your JVM for Tomcat performance is how to avoid wasting memory and draining your server's power to process requests. Certain automatic JVM processes, such as garbage collection and memory reallocation, can chew through memory if they occur more frequently than necessary. You can make sure these processes only occur when they need to by using the JAVA_OPTS -Xmx and -Xms switches to control how JVM handles its heap memory. If your JVM is invoking garbage collection too frequently, use the -Xmx switch to start the JVM with a higher maximum heap memory. This will free up CPU time for the processes you really care about. To get even more out of this change, you can include the -Xms switch. This switch makes the JVM's initial heap memory size equal to the maximum allocated memory. This means the JVM will never have to reallocate more memory, a costly process that can eat up power you want being used to serve incoming requests. If your web applications can handle a lower garbage collection throughput, you can also experiment with the -Xincgc switch, which enables incremental garbage collection. This means that rather than halting in place to perform garbage collection tasks, the JVM will execute garbage collection in small phases. It can be tricky to determine the most balanced configuration for your site's needs. Fortunately, there's an easy way to capture data on how your JVM is handling garbage collection. Simply use the -verbose:gc switch to generate logs you can use to help you arrive at the best solution. Next, let's take a look at the way your JVM handles threads. There are two types of Java threads - green and native. Native threads are scheduled by your OS, while green threads are managed entirely within the user space of your Java Virtual Machine. If your JVM supports both, you should try both models to determine the best choice for your site. Generally, native threads offer the best performance, especially if you are running a lot of I/O bound applications (which is very likely, since you are running Tomcat). However, green threads outperform native threads in some specific areas, such as synchronization and thread activation. Try both and see which option gives you the biggest performance boost. Managing Your JVM Tuning for performance is not a finite process. Usage situations change over time, and problems that are not immediately apparent can expose themselves over a longer period of time. There are a number of tools available to help you keep an eye on your JVM's performance. One of the most convenient solution is VisualVM, a tool that is packaged with the JDK, and can provide you with great performance statistics. Other commonly used JVM monitoring tools included with the SDK include console, jps, and jstack. Run regular tests on your JVM to make sure its configuration still suits your needs, and you can be sure that your Tomcat instances will always perform at their best!
To humans, a deciduous Tree’s leaves mean shade in summer and pretty colors in the fall as the tree leaves change color. To the Tree, they mean survival. Leaves are food factories. By the wonder of photosynthesis, leaves convert sun, water, and carbon dioxide into sugars, or food. The Tree uses this food to grow, flower, set seed, and carry out all the functions a Tree needs to perform. Chlorophyll, the green pigment in leaves that makes photosynthesis possible, is repeatedly manufactured and broken down throughout the summer. Food production, too, marches on all season, but it can’t go on indefinitely, because winter cold will bring photosynthesis to a standstill. So, in the fall something must be done. The cafeteria closes down. The leaves must be shed. As fall approaches, the Tree shuffles all the leftover food it can into the roots, branches, and trunk for storage over the winter (it will help the Tree push out new leaves in spring). Chlorophyll renewal slows and then stops. With that green pigment gone, carotenoids are revealed. Carotenoids are the orange and yellow pigments that were present in the leaf all summer but were masked by chlorophyll. They’re what make carrots orange (as in “carrot-enoids”) and bananas yellow. They appear to have a protective role in the leaves, guarding them against overexposure to the sun’s damaging rays—kind of like sunscreen. Red pigments, called anthocyanins (which also make strawberries red), are not manufactured until fall, when new chlorophyll production has already begun to peter out. Scientists don’t agree on why anthocyanins are produced, but Leaf-Peepers take note: it is clear that reds are more intense in years when fall days are warm and sunny, and nights are cool but not freezing-cold (isn’t that the best kind of fall anyway?). Carotenoids are not much influenced by weather, so the intensity of yellows and oranges is pretty consistent year-to-year. What color a particular Tree’s leaves turn is wired into its DNA. Most Birches, Honeylocusts, Willows, Ginkgos, and Lindens turn yellow in fall. Most Flowering Dogwoods turn purplish-red, Sugar Maples are usually blaze-orange or scarlet, and Red Maples are normally sealing-wax red. However, there are exceptions. You may be surprised to know that some Red Maples turn yellow. Buying a named selection with a verifiable track record, like Red Sunset® Red Maple, will ensure that your tree will color up to your expectations. The timing of fall color is also programmed into a tree’s genes. Flowering Dogwoods, for example, are some of the first trees to begin their transformation every year; Oaks and Ginkgos are some of the last. This is something to consider if a long season of color is your desire. At Bower & Branch™, we like to encourage you to think of your fall landscape as an Autumn Canvas. Even though most flowers are spent, you can still paint your canvas with brushstrokes of crimson, orange, and yellow in the fall. Choose to plant a diversity of trees, and you might just have a masterpiece on your hands!
Dyslexia has been described as a difficulty in processing information which may be linked to deficiencies in short-term memory and visual coordination. It is an inherent weakness in short-term memory that is either auditory or visual, which can make it extremely difficult for that person to learn and understand the relation between symbols and spoken sounds. This difficulty allows the person to be unable to correctly speak the correct flow of auditory sounds needed to make a word or sentence sound proper. The range and severity of the problem of adult dyslexia varies widely between dyslexic people. The main areas of difficulty that occur most often are reading, writing, spelling, numeric, personal organization and time-keeping. However, the degree to which individuals may be affected ranges from mild spelling difficulties to severe organizational problems or complete illiteracy. In all reality there really is no such thing as a typical case of dyslexia. In some cases people with dyslexia are unaware that they suffer from such a problem whereas others haven't had a confirmed diagnosis until adulthood. Adult dyslexia is difficult to recognize and identify as it's a problem that many people either don't realize they have or they try to hide it. Simple tasks that a person with dyslexia may try to perform may become increasingly more difficult, such as taking down a message, which can lead to frustration and anxiety. Najlepsza cena: Legimi Wyślemy Ci maila, gdy cena książki będzie niższa, np.12 zł W ramach inicjatywy Otwartego dostępu ze strony Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego ściągniemy ponad 200 bezpłatnych książek. W codziennych wpisach na temat promocji dnia wspominam co jakiś czas o ... Księgarnia Virtualo obchodzi swoje dwunaste urodziny. Z tej okazji mają dla nas duże promocje rozłożone aż do 6 lipca. W tym artykule przedstawię ogólną zapowiedź. Będę na te oferty zwracał uwagę w&n...
See the latest vacancies and find out about working for MSF IrelandJobs in Ireland Niger: MSF warns of impending threat from deadly combination of malaria and malnutrition Increasing numbers of children are being treated for malaria and malnutrition in southern Niger by the international medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) compared to a year ago, suggesting that 2013 may see higher peaks of the two diseases than previous years, MSF warned today. See full report. “Urgent action is needed to stop children continuing to die from these preventable causes,” says Luis Encinas, MSF’s programme manager for Niger. “To tackle malnutrition and malaria, we need innovative approaches, and we need to work on two levels at the same time: prevention and cure.” Shocking results from a retrospective mortality survey carried out in the districts of Madoua and Bouza by MSF reveal the lethal nature of last year’s malaria peak. In the second half of the year, deaths among children under five were at three times the emergency threshold, and malaria accounted for more than half of those deaths. The peak also caused a sharp increase in the number of children admitted to hospital with severe malnutrition. Malaria and malnutrition are closely related. The months of the ‘hunger gap’, when malnutrition is at its peak, coincide with the rainy season, when mosquitoes breed and the number of malaria cases shoots up. The diseases combine in a vicious circle: malnourished children have weak immune systems, so their bodies are less able to fight diseases such as malaria, while children sick with malaria are more likely to become dangerously malnourished. Over recent years, strategies for combating malnutrition have shifted to include prevention as a key element, and MSF believes it is essential to do the same for malaria. MSF plans to implement a new prevention strategy known as seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC), in which children are provided with a full course of antimalarial treatment at intervals during the peak malaria season. This strategy was successfully used by MSF in Mali and Chad in 2012. Integrated prevention & treatment response needed Prevention strategies are crucial, MSF believes, but at the same time they need to be part of a more ambitious plan to address malnutrition and malaria as public health problems and to integrate their prevention and treatment into the set of basic health measures aimed at all young children in Niger. “The effort being made to treat malnutrition in Niger is tremendous, and this needs to be supported,” says José Antonio Bastos, president of MSF in Spain. “The problem in 2012 was that a massive plan for treating malnutrition was prepared and implemented, but it excluded other health needs, in particular malaria prevention and immunisations. It failed to take account of the fact that even if you provide children with appropriate nutrition, you can still lose them to malaria or a respiratory infection. There is a need for an integrated response, rather than for pushing one response to the exclusion of others.” To tackle this chronic emergency, MSF carried out a number of activities in Niger in 2012 aimed at improving access to healthcare for children under five and pregnant women. Medical teams in the regions of Zinder, Maradi and Tahoua run outpatient feeding programmes in some 37 health centres. Severely malnourished patients who needed hospital care were admitted to inpatient feeding centres in Zinder, Magaria, Madarounfa, Guidan Roumdji, Madoua and Bouza hospitals. In 2012, more than 90,000 children with acute malnutrition and 390,000 children with malaria were treated in medical facilities managed by MSF and its partners.
A user reports that their computer is running considerably slower after visiting a website. The user’s PC has a current antivirus package that is running correctly. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST in order to diagnose the problem? A. Clear the web browser history. B. Run an anti-spyware tool. C. Defrag the user’s hard drive. D. Run the CHKDSK utility. Which of the following protocols would a technician use to run commands on a remote computer? Which of the following groups should a user be added to for the ability to restore files, without granting any ownership privileges? A. Remote Desktop Users B. Power Users D. Backup Operators A customer wants to change the file system on a Windows 2000 PC from FAT32 to NTFS without destroying data. Which of the following is correct? A. From the command line run XCOPY . C: /M B. From the command line run FORMAT C: /FS:NTFS C. From the command line run XCOPY . C: /-Y D. From the command line run CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS An inkjet printer has poor color registration. Which of the following should be done FIRST to resolve the problem? A. Clean the printheads. B. Replace the toner. C. Calibrate the device. D. Replace the drum. A technician needs to upgrade memory on a laptop with one available memory slot. The type and amount of memory has been confirmed to be correct. Once the new memory is added, the BIOS reports the original memory size. Which of the following is the NEXT step to perform? A. Replace all of the laptop’s memory. B. Reseat the laptop memory. C. Perform a Windows Update. D. Replace the motherboard. An assistant in a company unexpectedly falls ill the week before a major company merger. The assistant was responsible for maintaining all of the files concerning the merger and used NTFS permissions on the folders to keep them protected. No one has the passwords but the data must be accessed immediately. Which of the following would be the BEST method for the technician to access this data? A. Log in as administrator and copy the files to the assistant’s manager profile on the computer. B. Log in as administrator and assign ownership of the files to the assistant’s manager. C. Log in as administrator and assign share rights of the files to the assistant’s manager. D. Log in as administrator and rename the assistant’s profile to the manager’s profile on the computer. A customer reports that their sound is not working. They state that the speakers worked previously. Which of the following should the technician check? (Select THREE). A. Speakers are in regulatory compliance. B. Speakers are on and the mute is off. C. Ensure the speakers are on the Windows HCL. D. Verify the system has enough hard drive space. E. The audio driver is installed correctly. F. Speakers are plugged into the correct jack. A technician is setting up a secure SOHO network. Which of the following items needs to be setup on the network? A. SSID, encryption type, MAC security, encryption key B. SSID, wireless access point, encryption type, encryption key C. SSID, encryption type, encryption key, a channel D. SSID, WEP 128, MAC security, a channel Which of the following is the effective bandwidth of a 100BASE-TX network card when full-duplex is enabled? A user is having trouble printing. The technician determines that the print queue has stalled and the print spooler service has stopped. Which of the following can be used to restart the print spooler? A. Start>All Programs>Printing>Restart Spooler. B. Restart the computer. C. Start>Control Panel>Printers and Faxes>right click the name of the affected printer>Restart Spooler. D. Start>Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Services>Select Print Spooler>Start. When using a cable select configuration for multiple ATA hard drives, which of the following pin numbers is used to communicate the drive that is selected as master? A technician’s system is displaying the error message ‘Missing operating system’. The system will not boot up. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the error? (Select TWO). A. The MBR is not reading the volume boot record (VBR). B. The CMOS battery is not functional. C. A failed integrated controller on the hard disk drive. D. The volume boot record (VBR) is missing 55Ah. E. Drive parameters in the BIOS are not set to auto. A technician is replacing a wireless router on an existing small office home office (SOHO) network. The SSID, WPA and DHCP information has been correctly added. Which of the following must also be addressed? A. The administrative password needs to be changed. B. The TKIP option needs to be enabled. C. The WEP key needs to be changed. D. Wireless access points need to be added. A technician is troubleshooting software that was supposed to startup when the PC powered on. The software failed to start. Which of the following should the technician use to investigate the issue? A user reports that email is working but they are unable to access the Internet. Which of the following is the NEXT step in solving the issue? A. Check the DNS server. B. Check the DHCP server. C. Verify the correct IP address. D. Ensure the website is not blocked. During POST a beep can be heard, and the computer does not boot. Which of the following BEST describes the problem? A. RAM failure B. Power supply failure C. Floppy drive failure D. Hard drive failure A technician is attempting to determine whether a CAT5 patch cord is a straight-through or a crossover. Which of the following is the BEST to use to determine the cord type? A. Cable tester B. Loopback cable D. Extension magnet Which of the following groups should staff accounts be placed in, if the staff is required to perform most but not all maintenance tasks on a Windows PC? A. Power Users An error reports that some of the Windows system files are missing or corrupt. Which of the following is the BEST tool to use to resolve this problem? Passing your CompTIA JK0-702 Exam by using the latest CompTIA JK0-702 Exam Dump Full Version: http://www.braindump2go.com/jk0-702.html
Supporting conservation-related research at Reserva Las Gralarias is one of the core goals of the Las Gralarias Foundation. While projects are diverse, they all share a common goal of enhancing knowledge and conservation of the species who inhabit this sensitive cloud forest ecosystem. Many projects have resulted in exciting discoveries of new species. These include the Las Gralarias Glassfrog, Nymphargus lasgralarias (Hutter and Guayasamin 2012), the famous shape-shifting frog affectionately nick-named “The Punkrocker,” Pristimantis mutabilis (Guayasamin et al 2015), and two moth species, Hynhamia lasgralariae and Dimorphopalpa lyonsae, one named for the preserve and the other for RLG owner Jane Lyons (Razowski and Pelz 2007). Other projects have helped expand knowledge about the ecosystem of Reserva Las Gralarias. We have teamed up with Professor Eric Snyder and students enrolled in his Tropical Ecology and Conservation course offered at Michigan’s Grand Valley State University (USA) in an on-going, bi-annual study to conduct long-term water quality monitoring and aquatic invertebrate surveys. Additionally, staff from Ecuador’s National Herbarium have surveyed the plant communities at RLG, discovering the critically endangered Podandrogyne brevipedunculata in relative high abundance at the reserve. A multitude of behavioral studies of RLG fauna have been completed as well, including the courtship behaviors of an endangered glassfrog, Centrolene peristictum (Dautel et al 2011), the nest-building behavior of the Yellow-breasted Antpitta (nest found by RLG’s very own Segundo Imba and described by Greeney et al 2010), and the nocturnal behavior of mammals (Bartzke et al 2008; see the trail camera gallery for photos). At the reserve, we have hosted numerous graduate students working on various projects, and the list below attests to the variety of studies the foundation has supported: - faunal use of tank bromeliads (Lui et al 2010: The University of Leeds) - surveys of butterflies (Kell 2010: Universidad de Catolica, Quito) - the role of parental care in larval glassfrog survival, development, and the skin-associated microbiome (Delia et al 2014: Boston University) - hummingbird behavior (Noble 2010: The University of Leeds) - measuring energy subsidies of stream communities using stable isotopes (Harris 2015: Grand Valley State University) Those interested in conducting conservation-based research at RLG should contact Dr. Katherine Krynak at email@example.com for application materials and general information regarding required permits.
Two reports released recently—one from the UN’s Environmental Programme and the other by the World Bank—warn that dramatic, irreversible climate shifts are coming faster than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) anticipated. In the IPCC’s last report, published in 2007, it expected that global sea levels could rise up to two feet: the UN document says it may be more like six feet. More disturbingly, it says that “we may have already passed tipping points that are irreversible within the time span of our current civilization.” Although we’ve covered tipping points in previous issues of Mother Jones, it’s still disturbing to hear the UN say they may have already been tipped, and not in our favor. For those who are interested, the World Bank report goes into further detail about tipping points as seen in the Andes, coral reefs, Gulf of Mexico wetlands, and Amazonian forests that may or may not be too far gone to do anything about.
Resilience and emotional toolkits One theory on resilience is that it is the end result of knowingly applying positive psychology in the face of personal adversity and challenge. One of the reasons I am such an advocate of this field of psychology personally is because of the many emotional toolkits that it affords the applied practitioner. Resilient people have perhaps slightly different resources in the face of trouble or challenge. Resilient people have been described as individuals who display “the capacity to remain well, recover, or even thrive in the face of adversity” (Hardy, Concato & Gill, 2004). Resilience in different situations When the chips are down in any way, or our lives as we know them change, for good or bad, then our resilience is tested. Interestingly someone who is resilient in one situation may not always have the same resources when faced with a different challenge, or conversely may suddenly have great resilient capacity. This could point to resilience being something finite, but it could suggest that different types of trials and challenges need slightly different types of resilience. A question that I have as a practitioner and researcher is how we access the layers or types of resources of resilience. Resources of family, relationships, optimism, positive self view, self-efficacy, sense of meaning, and a sense of humour amongst others have been identified as building blocks making up a resilient person (Flyn, Ghazal, Legault, Vandermeulen & Petrick, 2004). These are also factors which tie in with some of the ways people become groomed into terrorism according to profiling of those known to be involved in religious violent extremism. Collective resilience is what we see when people come together in unity and can be seen at crowd mentality levels, through to national or even global levels. This is where there are opportunities for knowledge of that resilience to be explored and shared. This is what I would like to focus on for the purpose of this blog. It has been more the domain of social psychology to look at what people do when under fire with resilience, yet it also counts with what they do in the aftermath, for example where a disaster or act of terrorism has happened. But this could be merged with the type of resilience which can be grown with a toolkit of resources, and this job should begin to fall squarely at the door of positive psychology. Resilience after terrorism Let’s look at the recent events in Paris, where terrorist gunmen opened fire and set off explosives resulting sadly in many people being killed. People quickly rallied to support each other, even as the event was still unfolding, and some even put their lives on the line to protect other people with a perhaps reinforced or enhanced type of resilience. This area would benefit many if explored and also lends itself to the question of whether people are becoming more aware and more resilient, or if it was always there, we see it most in times of great need and where people gather in any cause and in unity against or for something. The government in trying to prepare for World War two coined the ‘keep calm and carry on’ campaign trying to utilise or mine this, in 1939. However it was thought better of by the government as it was feared it could patronise people, so very few posters were ever used, subsequently it then re-emerged in 2000 after the posters were found and then took off in popularity as we know and the phrase is used in many scenario’s, usually with a resilience theme. Resilience also looks at how quickly people return to their baseline of emotional resources after a catastrophic or traumatic event, however there appears to be a resilience which emerges amidst the activity of a traumatic event, where people stand together to protect each other and develop survivor mentality after an event, either as individuals, or as a town, country, nation or culture. Powerlessness and resilience Whilst it is clear that a culture of resilience exists, this is something that positive psychology could bring to the fore with a resilience toolkit, perhaps integrated into teaching at a schools level. Powerlessness and resilience do not necessarily go together, and powerlessness is just one of the factors, along with guilt and sense of identity that contribute towards future capacity towards committing acts of terrorism. If we teach our children resilience anyway, we may have less future terrorists who see no other way, and where collective resilience is utilised, it is not just baselines that are returned to, but there is a greater level which appears to be reached, meaning future generation will be better equipped to channel this resilience. This is far to big a topic to do justice to in a blog, and hopefully more research will take place from a positive psychology stance on ways to promote this specific type of resilience moving forward. About the author: Caralyn Cox
There are no signs to identify the donor of the minerals and ornamental rock carvings left to the American Museum of National History by William Boyce Thompson. Which is too bad, because the Colonel’s collection dominates the cave-like mineral room in the New York museum. He would steal the show. That much was clear when this blogger toured the display cases earlier this year with the help of the very able Jamie Newman of the museum’s department of earth and planetary sciences. “That one was his,” Jamie pointed out. “That one, too,” she says. “And I believe that one as well….We’ll have to look it up.” Later, armed with the museum’s inventory list, an article on the Thompson collection published in the September-October 1988 issue of Matrix, and photos of some specimens, the breadth of the Thompson collection becomes abundantly clear. The galleries aren’t even big enough to hold the entire Thompson collection, which numbers more than 1,500 mineral specimens, plus many carvings. Most of the treasures are hidden in carefully indexed boxes and drawers located in back rooms. Thompson, who died in 1930, left minerals and carvings to the prestigious museum in his will, though the museum didn’t take actual possession of the collection until Mrs. Thompson (Gertrude Hickman) died in 1951. The Matrix article hints that the most valuable items in the Colonel’s collection remain in his family. In 1988, the museum valued its Thompson collection at about $100,000. Thompson told a Walter Douglas in 1927, according to the Matrix article, that in the previous year alone he had spent $1.5 million on stones and jade carvings. It’s the jade carvings, the article speculates, that remain in the family. Thompson’s rock collection nicely compliments another major collection left to the museum by Philadelphia industrialist Clarence S. Bement. Bement, who pursued only the most refined specimens, collected his rocks during the 1865-to-1900 period. By contrast, Thompson’s collection, gathered during the first three decades of the 20th Century, is much more colorful. It was obtained from localities — Brazil, Tanzania, Colorado — known for producing boldly colored minerals. “Colonel Thompson’s appreciation for large, showy, boldly-colored specimens was fortunate as it provides the Museum with exhibit-quality specimens which to a certain extent are lacking in the Bement collection,” wrote Charles L. Pearson and Joseph J. Peters in the Matrix article. The honorary Colonel also left an endowment of between $50,000 or $70,000 (depending on the source) that the museum has used to purchase many outstanding mineral and gem specimens. Newman pointed out that the money was used to buy a 596-pound topaz crystal from Brazil, along with a beautiful black Australian opal, among other treasures on display in the museum. The company that Thompson founded, Newmont Mining Corporation, continued his legacy by donating several magnificent specimens that had been on display in the company’s New York headquarters building. But enough with the background. I know you are dying to see some of Thompson’s showy pieces. We’ll tour the rock specimens in this blog, with some lame commentary. We’ll look at the carvings in a subsequent blog. Now that the image has soaked in, I can tell you that the huge hunk of quartz above is from Minas Gerais, a state within Brazil. That’s about all I know about specimen number 37840. It looks like the underside of the top of a burnt-out Halloween pumpkin, or maybe a piece of purple pomegranate. You have to look closely to see that the conglomerate above holds a diamond. It’s at 10 o’clock. This specimen also came from Minas Gerais in Brazil. Brazil provided nearly all the diamonds in Europe until about 1870. This is a huge hunk of silver that came from Chihuahua, Mexico. Thompson bought it from Tiffany’s Panama Exposition Collection in 1916. This was his first major purchase, which we highlighted in a previous blog. This yellow beauty is a big hunk of sulfur that came from Sicily. I told you his collection was colorful. Sicily, I’ve learned from a cursory scan of the web, is renown for its sulfur. Until the turn of the century before last, it was the world’s primary source of commercial sulfur. Dozens of mines dotted the island, most owned by aristocracies or monasteries. But mining sulfur in Sicily — which involved tunneling — was arduous and expensive. That’s why Sicily fell out of favor as a source for sulfur. This is a big piece of pyrite that came from Colorado. Pyrite is commonly referred to as fools gold. It had me fooled, and I won’t be the last. It is commonly found alongside real gold, sometimes with quartz. It has a beautiful luster and interesting crystals. This ravishing piece of rhodochrosite, which looks like a piece of cinnamon candy, hails from Sweet Honey, Colorado. It looks good enough to eat. Given its rose color, it must be a relatively pure form, from what I can gather on the web. Large red rhodochrosite crystals are only found in a few places on earth. And one of them is the Sweet Honey mine near Alma, Colorado. Silver miners used to routinely discard the manganese carbonate because it’s extremely destructive to the amalgamation process used in the concentration of silver ores. This is a piece of crocoite from Tasmania, Australia. It may well be from the Adelaide Mine in Dundas, Tasmania, given that it looks just like some other pieces from that mine. The mine is known for producing some exceptional pieces, with long, slender, needle-like red prisms, 3 to 4 inches in length. Crocoite was only discovered in Tasmania in 1896. So here’s another example of how Thompson’s collection was contemporary for its time. This is a piece of epidote, taken from Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. It was purchased by Thompson from the 1916 Panama Exposition Collection. Here’s the most important information about epidote; it’s a calcium aluminum iron sorosilicate mineral — say that three times real fast. And for the two people out there who might understand it, this is what it consists of: Ca2Al2(Fe3+;Al)(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH), crystallizing in the monoclinic system. This is my favorite image, a labradorite from Newfoundland, Canada. Labradorite is a feldspar mineral, meaning that it crystallizes from magma. This particular piece is probably from Paul’s Island, near the town of Nain, in Labrador, Canada. Labradorite can also be found in Norway, among other places. The cool thing about this rock is that it looks like it has a blue electric current running through it. Technically, it shows a play of colors called labradorescence.
What is behavioral economics? The field of Behavioral Economics blends insights from psychology and economics to help us understand how people make decisions and act in real-life situations. Behavioral Economics studies how people and decisions can be influenced by internal, external, environmental, psychological, and contextual factors, through information-framing and choice architecture (the ways in which information or choices are presented). Economic theory assumes people will make rational, intelligent, logical decisions, always acting in their own best interests. Many economic theorists argue that people make choices based on cold hard economic rationality, always keeping in mind their own best, self-interest. However, these arguments are mistaken: Choices are often irrational, and many decisions are strange, illogical, and emotionally-driven. Behavioral Economics shows us that people have inherent, unconscious biases that can influence their decision-making. Using experimentation, Behavioral Economics develops theories that explain both the psychology and economics of decision making and helps identify the biases involved. Behavioral Economics attempts to assess the underlying reasoning behind irrational decisions. In other words, Behavioral Economics studies irrational decisions and actions in order to understand them and make them predictable. In today’s widely-accepted terminology, the phrase Behavioral Economics is used as a catch-all term for any study of human psychology crossed with economics that is aimed at observing behavior and influencing people in real-world scenarios. Behavioral Economics can provide a framework to help us understand the where, when, and why of decision-making, and how people can be influenced throughout the decision-making process. Every day, in any given situation, the ability to make rational decisions is constrained by multiple factors including cognitive overload, the amount of direct and indirect information presented, the amount of environmental stimuli, information processing and comprehension, attention deficiencies, time constraints, implicit biases, and both internal and external resource limitations. Additionally, choices can be influenced by previous experiences, social influences, psychological perspectives, emotional states, personal motivations, or intimate preferences. Need-to-Know Behavioral Economics Terms and Ideas Before diving into some of the concepts, theories, practices, and cognitive biases that Behavioral Economics has uncovered, we’ll quickly cover some of the need-to-know terms and ideas: In a purely economic world, decision-making would be the result of careful analysis, a weighing of costs and benefits unaffected by external forces. In other words, if we all followed Rational Choice, we would always make optimal, intelligent, logical, decisions, regardless of internal or external influences or how information and solutions were framed. Bounded Rationality is the theory that cognitive capacity will never be fully rational because of the numerous limitations experienced. These limitations include informational constraints, mental processing (or computational) limitations, external and environmental stimuli, and limitations on time to consider and assess optimizations. Utility refers to the benefits (value, use, or satisfaction) that are received from a good, product, service, or experience. Utility can be assessed and measured in numerous ways; it is not based only on the direct value a product provides (for example: the perceived, received or intrinsic utility of a pair of designer jeans may be higher than the utilitarian value of a pair of jeans as covering for the lower half of the body). We tend to make decisions by Satisficing – accepting something that does more than merely suffice, but which does not quite satisfy – rather than maximally optimizing for utility. In short, most decisions end up simply being “good enough” given the situation and all constraints involved. A Heuristic is a method, a technique, a mental shortcut, or a “rule of thumb” used to help decrease cognitive processing, to simplify decisions, and to solve problems more quickly. Heuristics represent a process of substituting a difficult question with an easier, more familiar one. Heuristic practices may not lead to a perfect (or maximally optimized outcome) but they usually lead to a “good enough” (or satisficing) decision. Dual-System Theory, developed by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, states that our minds use two different systems of decision-making: System 1 (Fast) and System 2 (Slow). System 1 consists of our intuitive, automatic, experience-based, relatively unconscious decision-making. System 1 decisions are rooted in past impressions, drawn from our previous experiences, and rely on mental information that is easily accessible. Our System 2 decisions are more thoughtful, reflective, controlled, and analytical. System 2 is more effortful, logical, calculating, and requires information analysis; System 2 decision-making is more cognitively taxing. Nudging (or nudge theory) The Nudging (or Nudge Theory) concept proposes that the best ways to influence behavior and decision-making are through pointed suggestions and minute reinforcements (or being “nudged” in a certain direction). Nudging is different from other key ways of influencing behavior, such as educating, legislating, or enforcing. In 2008, University of Chicago economist Richard Thaler and Harvard law professor Cass Sunstein brought Nudge Theory into prominence and defined Nudging as: “Any aspect of choice architecture that alters people's behavior in a predictable way without forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic incentives. To count as a nudge, the intervention must be easy and cheap to avoid. Nudges are not mandates: Putting fruit at eye level counts as a nudge; banning junk food does not.” Behavioral Economics and Cognitive Biases Below is an overview of some of the concepts, theories, practices, and cognitive biases that Behavioral Economics has uncovered. By no means is this list comprehensive and by no means are my explanations or examples exhaustive: There are many other beliefs and theories of behavioral economics not covered below, and some of the concepts summarized in one paragraph are the subject of lengthy articles in thick scientific journals and/or books. Framing is the way information is conveyed, described, and presented to influence decision-making Information, choices, and options can be presented in ways that highlight particular aspects of a decision, leading to changes in its perceived attractiveness. Framing a question, proposition, or decision in a certain way can directly influence the expected response. Framing can provide positive or negative significance and can be categorized as falling typically into a Positive Frame or a Negative Frame. The simplest, most-common example of Framing is “the glass is half full” vs. “the glass is half empty.” Decoy effect (or asymmetrical framing) Our preferences and behaviors change when presented with a third, similar, but less desirable option The number of options available when making a choice can influence value assessment and decision-making is known as The Decoy Effect. As an example, the magazine The Economist offered a promotion for access to all its web content for $59, a subscription to the print edition for $125, or a combined print + web subscription, also for $125. When surveyed about this pricing structure; 84 percent of respondents opted for the combination deal and 16 percent for the web subscription. However, when the poll was repeated without the unpopular print-only option, 32 percent chose the print + web option and 68 percent chose the web-only option. In practice, says behavioral economist Dan Ariely, “You can actually introduce products into the market that nobody chooses but nevertheless have effect on what people end up getting.” Thinking of money, value, and utility in relative terms rather than absolute terms The core idea of Mental Accounting is that numerous factors affect the way money is viewed and treated: It is not viewed in a strict accounting sense. In other words, twenty dollars is not always twenty dollars. Some factors that influence Mental Accounting include the origin, intended use, and transaction style (cash, credit, gift card, digital currency, etc.) of the money, and its location or availability. For example, we have a greater propensity to spend money more readily if we feel disconnected from it. This disconnect occurs when money comes without effort – finding twenty dollars on the ground, winning twenty dollars at the casino, receiving money on a gift card, or storing money in a digital wallet) – in contrast to the connection felt to money we have earned through work, saved over time, or even have as cash in hand. Information that is received first creates an imprint in our mind, significantly influencing relative, future decision-making When we are provided a starting reference point, our subsequent perceptions of value can be influenced and will rely heavily on the first reference point offered. That first reference point is then used as a benchmark for later decisions. For example, a stores may perform Anchoring mechanisms by pricing clothing at $399 then marking it down to $99. This creates the idea that the piece of clothing is expensive, increasing its perceived value and making it more attractive; at the discounted price it is viewed as a great purchase. People prefer options they are more familiar with Due to System 1 (Fast) thinking, when we are provided with both familiar information and experiences and those that are less familiar, we are more likely to select those we recognize. When we receive information or are in situations that appear similar to information received or situations experienced in the past – especially when we are experiencing a high cognitive load – we may attempt to decrease cognitive processing by leveraging our Familiarity Heuristic, or accepting the familiar information as a default foundation for decision-making. When information and options are conveyed through familiar framing techniques, we are more likely to default to option types that are more familiar. Tasks appear easier to handle in smaller pieces The idea of completing a large-scale task or tackling a complex situation can be overwhelming and cognitively draining; we can be easily deterred from starting (let alone completing) such tasks. By Chunking larger processes into smaller, more convenient, “bite-sized” parts, the ability to process or work on the individual elements of a task increases significantly (and, subsequently, the likelihood of completing the task entirely increases as well). Information that comes easily to mind has a disproportionate influence The Availability Heuristic is a mental shortcut relied on to immediately assess information when evaluating a specific topic, concept, method or decision. Judgments tend to be based heavily on more readily available material, making new information more powerful and creating a bias in favor of the most recent information received. The tendency to over- or underestimate the possibility that unlikely events will occur Broadly speaking, the Possibility Effect addresses how we tend to either completely ignore or highly overestimate the likelihood of events with only a low probability. If we believe there’s a possibility of a large gain or a large loss, we may behave irrationally, depending upon how risk-seeking or risk-averse we are. A prime example of the Possibility Effect is playing the lottery; the probability of winning is negligible and uncertain, but some of us still play for the possibility of hitting the jackpot. Another example of the Possibility Effect is shown when we choose not to buy travel insurance; the probability of something going awry while traveling is much higher than the probability of winning the lottery, yet a full 50 percent of the U.S. population plays the lottery, but only 21 percent of travelers buy travel insurance. When items are scare, their perceived value increases The creation of Scarcity is a well-worn marketing tactic. Limited editions, exclusive deals and short-term availability of products and deals can increase the allure and perceived intrinsic value by triggering the psychological instinct to secure scarce goods or products. irrational value assessment Perceived or high-cognitive values can influence decision-making Irrational Value Assessments occur when perceived value (the psychological element that defines the amount of worth or value a customer ascribes to a product, service, or good) outweighs the actual value. The psychology behind perceived value works like this: The higher something costs, the stronger is the belief in the value of that product, good, or service. Combined with branding and scarcity tactics, Perceived Value helps explain why designer clothes are sold at such a high premium. Irrational Value Assessment operates in conjunction with Perceived Value, in that a higher-priced good, service, or product is perceived as delivering more value than a cheaper, lower-priced good, service, or product. the paradox of choice An excessive number of options can lead to cognitive overload, decision paralysis, and worse outcomes More choices are not always a good thing: Research on The Paradox of Choice shows that an excess of options often leads us to be less – not more – satisfied when making decisions. With more options available the likelihood that we feel we could have made a better decision afterwards increases. Having fewer choices can decrease cognitive overload, decrease decision paralysis, and decrease cognitive dissonance. In a famous study about the Paradox of Choice, a supermarket set up two tests using jam. In the first, shoppers were given a choice between six jams. After trying the different samples, they made purchases 30 percent of the time. In the second test, shoppers were presented with twenty-four different jams. After trying the samples, they ended up making purchases only 3 percent of the time. Afterwards, the shoppers who purchased from the selection of six jams reported lower levels of cognitive dissonance and greater satisfaction. Planted ideas can influence recall, subconsciously Priming is a technique used to engage us in a task or expose them to stimuli with the goal of influencing their subsequent preferences. For example, one study primed people with words representing either ‘prestige’ brands (Tiffany, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom) or ‘thrift’ brands (Walmart, Kmart, and Dollar Store). Later, in an unrelated task, those who had been primed by initial exposure to the name of prestige brands showed a higher preference for products from the ‘prestige’ brands. salience (or perceptual salience) Items that are more prominent receive greater focus (and those that are less so are ignored) Salience refers to ideas, items, or information that are particularly noticeable or prominent. Information that stands out, is novel, or seems relevant is more likely to affect thinking and actions. Salience also underlies practical judgments that rely on external cues, such as branding and visualization: Brand owners rely on the psychology of salience to simplify consumer decision-making by leveraging branding to extend feelings of quality and consistency across their product line. An option can be made to appear more salient by manipulating or rearranging its environment. For instance, a change as simple as moving products to end caps or near checkout lanes in grocery stores has been shown to increase sales of those products. status quo bias The continued preference for the current state By nature, we don’t like to disrupt the Status Quo (or our existing state of affairs); it’s easier and more comfortable to stick to what is already known. We tend to prefer consistency and hope things will remain the same. Unless there is a compelling incentive to change, it is commonplace to cling to established behaviors. Evidence of this can be found in the formation of habits (which pleases the psychological cravings for reliability, predictability, and consistency). inertia (or cognitive inertia) The natural tendency to maintain the status quo There are four main reasons for our inherent resistance to change: Fear of the Unknown, Mistrust, Loss of Control, and the worry over Timing. In addition, some of us are naturally inclined to resist change more than others. Inertia, the inclination to rely on familiarity and exhibit a reluctance (or inability) to revise assumptions over time, is identified as the main reason why it’s hard to change thoughts, behaviors, and actions: In most cases, Inertia is disrupted on an as-needed basis or during major life events (such as getting married, changing careers, having children, buying a house, etc.) Seemingly small barriers can easily deter action completion Friction Costs are speed bumps (or moments of cognitive resistance) that we hit when attempting to complete a specific action, and the cost of that friction can be measured by the fallout of completion. Friction Costs can be measured in terms of resistance; the more resistance we face, the less likely we are to perform a specific task. Reducing friction, removing hurdles, and eliminating roadblocks creates a better experience which we are more inclined to complete. Conversely, small moments of friction can be useful when attempting to deter or hinder undesirable behaviors. The tendency to choose the default or easiest option, the one that follows the path of least resistance Defaults provide us with a signal for what we are supposed to do, this helps us infer what the “automatic” or “preferred setting” should be and helps us avoid cognitive overload when making complex decisions. When marketers, advertisers or brand owners set defaults to a preferred outcome, they can guide consumers, especially those who are undecided or uncertain, in a certain direction. The pain of losing is more powerful than the pleasure of gaining Estimates vary on its true psychological impact, but the fear of economic losses is thought to be twice as powerful in decision-making as the promise of economic gains. As an example of Loss Aversion, losing $10,000 is twice as psychologically powerful to us as the prospect of gaining $10,000. We are more willing to take risks to avoid economic losses than to pursue economic gains. For this reason, marketers and advertisers often promote products in ways that demonstrate how to avoid losses instead of conveying gains. Discounted utility model Sooner not later; the closer in time the reward, the higher the value assigned When it comes to the Discounted Utility Model, the old proverb says it best: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. We favor current rewards over delayed rewards of similar (or greater) magnitude. The value of the reward must increase as the timing of the reward becomes more distant in order to preserve its utility. Seeking approval, validation, affirmation, or confirmation from others throughout our decision-making We often look to others for signals of social acceptance, or Social Proof. While traditional word-of-mouth reviews can help increase a customer base, online and social reviews (such as on Facebook, Yelp, or Amazon) are also important as providing Social Proof to customers. According to a BrightLocal survey, positive online reviews are viewed as trustworthy: 72 percent of respondents said that positive online reviews increased their trust in a company (or product), and 88 percent said that online reviews are as trustworthy as personal recommendations, indicating the incredible strength of Social Proof. Claimed motivations often differ from actual motivations We use social norms and social proof combined with self-projectionism (how we want to be viewed by others) as external guidelines for decision-making. Because of the Do-Say Principle, many times our perceptions of what motivates us are inaccurate representations of what actually motivates us. Take, for example, studies based around job satisfaction: Although a majority of workers indicate money is a key motivator in decision-making, researchers identified several motivators that are more effective than money at influencing behavior. Some key “Do” motivators include status elevation, emotional commitment, pride, and a sense of ownership, but these are rarely what people “Say” is motivating to them. behavioral economics, in summary Behavioral Economics is changing how economists, marketers, advertisers, planners, and strategists think about perceptions, preferences, motivations, actions, behaviors, and assessments of value. According to Behavioral Economics, people are not always interested in maximizing benefits, optimizing value, and minimizing costs. Decision-making is typically not the result of careful economic deliberation (more on the Modern Consumer Decision-Making Journey, here). We are influenced by available information, memories, and external factors. We prefer to live in the moment, are resistant to change, are poor predictors of future behavior, are subject to distorted memory, information overload, and can be affected by physiological and emotional states. Finally, we are social animals with social preferences, such as those expressed in trust, reciprocity and fairness; we are susceptible to social norms and a need for self-consistency. The next time you think you’re making an entirely rational, un-influenced decision – Chances are that your “rational” decision is the result of cognitive bias. additional reading for a deeper understanding of behavioral economics: Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg Influence: How and Why People Agree to Things by Robert B. Cialdini Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade by Robert B. Cialdini Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Chip Heath and Dan Heath Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics by Richard H. Thaler The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds by Michael Lewis “Economists think about what people ought to do. Psychologists watch what they actually do.” - Daniel Kahneman
First, to ‘abhor’ something is to dislike it very much, so nature does not like vacuums! Second, the type of vacuum we are talking about is not just the kind you find in your house for cleaning floors. When we speak of a vacuum in this way, we are talking about a space devoid of all matter. That means the vacuum is a space where there is literally no (or almost no) atoms—not even air! (Remember, air is made up of molecules of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and others. In a vacuum, there are none of these molecules either, so there is no air.) It is almost impossible to remove ALL matter from any area, even in outer space, which is as close to a true vacuum as can be, having an average of only a few atoms per cubic meter, according to Takadoro in a 1968 paper in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. On Earth producing a vacuum is even more difficult, with the best vacuum chambers achieving about 100 particles per cubic centimeter, according to Gabrielse in a 1990 paper published in Physical Review Letters. Compare this to air at atmospheric pressure, which contains 3.369 X 1025 molecules per cubic meter (that’s essentially a 3 with 26 zeros behind it)! For instance, if we take an empty plastic water bottle and leave it in the sun with its cap off, the air inside the bottle will heat up. This means the air molecules will be further apart, and some will leave the bottle. If we then put the cap back on the bottle, and put the bottle in the freezer for five minutes, the air will cool down and the molecules will move closer together. This forms a partial vacuum, because there will be fewer molecules per cubic centimeter in the bottle than on the outside of the bottle (remember, some of them left the bottle when it heated up in the sun). Because of this partial vacuum, the sides of the bottle will cave in! We can also use partial vacuums like this to do an age-old trick—pulling a hard-boiled egg into a bottle! Here’s what you’ll need: 1. A hard-boiled egg, peeled (extra large eggs work well). 2. A glass bottle with a mouth just a little narrower than the egg. A 1 liter Erlenmeyer flask works very well. 3. Strips of paper, about 6 inches long by 1 inch wide. 4. Matches or a lighter Here’s what to do: 1. Carefully set one of the pieces of paper on fire, and drop it into your Erlenmeyer flask. 2. Allow about three seconds to pass—count to three slowly. 3. Place the egg on the mouth of the flask, narrow end down. The egg may jump around a little. This is because hot gasses are still escaping from the flask. 4. You should see the flame on the paper go out; then watch as the egg is pulled into the bottle! Why does this happen? It happens for the same reason that the water bottle’s sides cave in when put in the freezer. The flame heats up the air in the flask, allowing some of the molecules to escape (making the egg jump around on top of the flask at first). When the flame goes out the air starts to cool, and the air molecules get closer together, forming a partial vacuum. This partial vacuum pulls the egg into the bottle! So, what else could you try this with? How about balloons? Jell-O? Get creative! But always be sure to write down everything you do, and all your observations! References for further reading: Tadokoro, M. (1968). "A Study of the Local Group by Use of the Virial Theorem". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan 20: 230. Gabrielse, G., et al. (1990). "Thousandfold Improvement in Measured Antiproton Mass". Phys. Rev. Lett. 65 (11): 1317. Campbell, Jeff (2005). Speed cleaning. p. 97.
From Old Spanish foja, from Late Latin folia, from the nominative plural of Latin folium, probably from Proto-Indo-European bʰolh₃yom (“leaf”), from bʰleh₃- (“blossom, flower”). See also folio, borrowed from the Latin. Compare English foil and French feuille (“sheet, leaf”). hoja f (plural hojas) - leaf (usually green and flat organ that is the most prominent feature of most vegetative plants) - petal (an often brightly coloured component of the corolla of a flower) - blade (narrow leaf of a grass or cereal) - pad (floating leaf of a water lily or similar plant) - sheet, leaf (piece of paper, usually rectangular) - page (one of the many pieces of paper bound together within a book) - form (blank document or template to be filled in by the user) - blade (sharp cutting edge of a knife, sword, etc.) - pane (individual sheet of glass in a window) - side (of bacon) - (sheet, leaf): foja (obsolete) - “hoja” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.
In this chapter the authors focus on the environment of SMEs and the national or international political and economic system that enables and supports SMEs in global competition. Therefore, a comprehensive view of SMEs is applied, while the overall information system and its efficient use and management is underlined. The case of Hungarian SMEs is discussed from historic, national, EU and global macroeconomic perspectives. The authors argue that with an increased speed of globalization, there is a need to move towards a more complex view of the SMEs to find the best fitting and most appropriate level of policy intervention and apply fact-based decision processes. The Hungarian case clearly demonstrates that competition and collaboration are simultaneously present on the global market and that only long-term, transparent national policies, along with targeted EU support can contribute to a successful SME recovery and a subsequent dynamic growth. Changing the business culture should include not only the assurance of proper financial support, education and training but also the use of information technology to conduct business (e.g., e-business), furthermore the collection of data, analysis of market data and market information and the generation of timely, accurate knowledge for decision-makers.
Design Of Retaining Walls. Design of cantilever and counter fort retaining walls : Retaining wall - Retains Earth - when level difference exists between two surfaces Buttress wall Transverse stem support provided on front side E E Design a suitable counterfort retaining wall to support a leveled backfill of height 7.5m above ground The stem and base are the main parts of a cantilever type of retaining wall. The toe is the front portion and heel is the back portion. The stem is supported at the base and the wall tapers towards the top. A retaining wall is a structure designed and constructed to resist the lateral pressure of soil, when there is a desired change in ground elevation that exceeds the angle of repose of the soil. 1 A basement wall is thus one kind of retaining wall. Retaining Wall Design. Below I describe the process for design of a simple retaining wall and some of the issues that should be considered. Stem thickness = 6 inches ¼ inch for each foot of wall height. Stem located on base so that 1/3 of total base width projects forward from the face of the stem. In this video I am solve upto the design of stem of retaining wall. How to calculate the all dia of retaining wall. Category Education; Show more Show less. Example 11.1 considers the design of a T-shaped gravity wall retaining dry fill, as shown in Figure 11.10. Even though the wall is founded on clay, the backfill has been assumed to be granular which would be typical for this type of wall . Design of concrete cantilever retaining walls to resist earthquake loading for Usually the cantilever wall stem is of concrete block construction Unlikely to govern design unless wall is embedded into sloping ground with sloping backfill or there is a weak Design and detailing of retaining walls lecture will make student after this class be able to do the complete design and detailing of different types of retaining walls. Design of Stem : The stem acts as a continuous slab Soil pressure acts as the load on the slab. Stem Tab for Restrained Retaining Wall. When a Restrained Retaining Wall is defined, the Stem tab will appear as shown below: If Restrained Stem is selected, you may have a lateral support such as an abutting roof, slab-on-grade over backfill, or tiebacks . DESIGN AND DETAILING OF RETAINING WALLS. 3 Gravity retaining wall GL1 GL2 Retaining walls are usually built to hold back soil mass. However, retaining Design Example Cantilever retaining wall. Depth of foundation Design of stem-Contd., Designing the Cantilever Wall Stem 9. Footing Design 10. Pier and Pile Foundations 11. Counterfort Retaining Walls 12. Cantilevered Tilt-Up Walls 13. Wood Retaining Walls 14. Gravity Walls 15. Gabion Walls 16. Segmental Retaining Walls Basics of Retaining Wall Design . a-1. 2 . E Design Of Retaining Walls. Design of cantilever and counter fort retaining walls : Retaining wall - Retains Earth - when level difference exists between two surfaces Design of stem: The stem is also designed as one way continuous slab with support moment wl 2 /12 and midspan moment wl 2 /16. For the negative moment at the support Retaining wall is a relatively rigid wall used for supporting the soil mass laterally so that the soil can be retained at different levels on the two sides. This program is a retaining wall design software that combines geotechnical checks and structural design calculations as one complete treatment of stem wall design. SoilStructure RAPID RETAIN software has the following unique capabilities: The thickness of the stem at the top t= to t= = = 0.067 m d.4m at the base Fig.1 The dimensions of the retaining wall will be assumed as follow refer to figure1: a.4 * 4 to 0.1 The primary dimension of the wall c.4H to 0. Reinforced concrete design of retaining wall . Contents. Design forces and critical sections. Design of stem. Design horizontal reinforcement for shrinkage and expansion. Where W is total weight of retaining wall including stem, footing, earth and surcharge. 2.
\|Year of offer\|\|2019\| \|Subject level\|\|Undergraduate Level 1\| \|Fees\|\|Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date\| Can law help our food systems deliver safe, healthy, sustainable, fair, affordable food? This subject examines how law impacts on food systems and whether it can help resolve tricky issues concerning land and agriculture, production and processing and marketing and consumption. Students will learn about the range of different laws and regulations in Australia and around the world that impact on food systems through analysis of how law and regulation addresses conflicts and problems that arise in the food system. The subject will use a case study approach. Each week we will use a different case study of a food system issue to examine how the law applies to that problem and evaluate how well the law addresses multiple competing values and perspectives in relation to food and law. Some examples of questions we might address are included below. - How are conflicts over the use of land between indigenous land rights, cattle grazing and environmental advocates of biodiversity, habitat protection and preserving the forests be resolved? - How can we make sure chemical fertilisers and pesticides are not poisoning farmers, consumers, the land and the water? How much is too much? - Can law help us work out when it is safe to use new food technologies such as genetically modified organisms? - Should the law stop houses being built on farm land? - What standards should there be to make sure farm animals are happy or not treated cruelly? - Can junk food manufacturers be forced to make their food healthier? - What should be on the food label – traffic lights, GMO, fair trade, animal welfare, food miles? - Are the supermarkets too powerful? Should the power of big food corporations be better controlled? How far does my food travel and can we find ways to reduce it? - Are hospitality workers treated fairly? - Is there a right to (cheap/healthy/sustainable/safe) food? - Can the law do anything about food waste and overconsumption? The subject takes a holistic approach to the food system and the connections between the various stages of the food system and between issues e.g. between local and global, between the individual and the food system and between individual consumption decisions and the ‘big picture’ of public health, ecological sustainability and fairness. Intended learning outcomes Students will learn to: - Identify the different stakeholders impacted by conflicts and problems in relation to safe, healthy, sustainable, fair, and affordable food systems; - Recognise different laws and regulations in Australia and around the world that can be used to address and resolve conflicts and problems in food systems; - Investigate different legal options for resolving conflicts and problems in food systems; - Evaluate how well different laws address the needs and concerns of different food system stakeholders and help the food system operate more sustainably, healthily, affordably; - Make a persuasive argument about how law should work to resolve competing stakeholder interests and address the objectives of safe, healthy, sustainable, fair, affordable food; and - Identify gaps and opportunities for reform in the way in which the law impacts on the food system and addresses stakeholder concerns. A student who has successfully completed the subject should have: - Developed strategies for responding to legal issues or considerations in matters involving food; - Developed oral skills through contributing to tutorial discussion groups - Developed analytical style writing skills through preparation for tutorials and the assignment; and - Developed an attitude to learning which views pre-reading, reflection and class discussion as essential to learning.
SAS Weapons - Claymore Mine The Claymore was developed by the American Military during the Korean war as a counter to the mass 'human wave' attacks by Chinese troops. The M18a1 claymore mine is based around a 1.5lb slab of plastic explosives packed behind 700 steel balls. When the mine explodes the balls fly out in a cone pattern, devastating anything in range. Optimum range is 50 to 100 meters. The M18a1 Claymore can be attached to a trip wire or set off by a timer. The more common method of firing the Claymore is to run a length of detonator cord from the mine to a firing device, nicknamed a 'clacker'. The SAS use the claymore in ambushes. Several claymores may be set, with overlapping arcs of fire, creating a killing-zone. Multiple Claymores can wired together and set off by a single clacker, creating a simultaneous blanketing of a target area. SAS patrols may also use Claymores to cover their flanks or escape routes. A Claymore detonation or 2 tends to discourage pursuit by enemy forces. Equipment shortages during the 1st Gulf War meant that some SAS patrols had to make their own improvised claymores out of empty plastic containers, C4 and assorted shrapnel. \|Claymore Mine + clacker + detonator cord\|
There are many materials used in hobbies that can affect the air quality in your home and your lung health. They include paints, glues, dust (e.g. wood dust), cleaning agents and permanent markers. Exposure to these materials can irritate the skin, eyes, and lungs, cause headaches, dizziness, and nausea, as well as loss of consciousness and even death. - Read the safety information provided with all products. - Work in a well-ventilated area when using these materials – open windows and turn on fans in the area to limit fumes. If possible, install an exhaust fan specifically to address your hobby-related fumes. - When appropriate, wear gloves and a dust mask to limit direct exposure to certain materials. - When possible, use less toxic materials, such as water-based glue or white glue instead of epoxy glue. - Take frequent breaks away from the area to give your lungs a rest from the hobby materials. - Buy only the amount of materials you need at one time. Leftover paint and glue can dry out and chemicals can leak out of the containers. - Store leftover materials such as paint and glue safely, or dispose them properly at a local hazardous waste facility. Tour More Rooms Did You Know Insulating cold water pipes can minimize summer condensation which means reducing humidity that can cause mould growth.
Smarter Living: Finding the Right Bulb People often say LEDs are too bright. But don't blame the bulb, just check to make sure it has the right color temperature. LEDs are a white light source, and white light comes in a wide range of color temperatures or tints—from warm yellow light, to cool blue light. Color temperature has nothing to do with how hot the bulb gets, only the appearance of its color. Color temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin or 'K.' Because manufacturers sometimes use different terms, this number is the best way to ensure that you get the right bulb. To create a relaxing environment for eating or watching TV, look for LEDs with color temperatures between 2700 K and 3000 K. If you have a home office or space for reading, consider a cooler bulb—something in the range of 3500 K to 4000 K. Cooler light reduces eye strain when we read, write or need to see in more detail. If you're doing work that requires even more attention to detail, such as knitting or woodworking, you might want the light closer to natural daylight—5000 K or higher. For spaces where you do a variety of things, pick up a color-tunable LED bulb. This type of bulb allows you to change the color temperature depending on your need or mood. Some models can be controlled remotely from your mobile device. Don't get upset with your bulbs. Find the right one for the right space.
by Dr. Bill Rawls The prevailing opinion is that the first case of Lyme disease occurred in Connecticut in the 70’s. The bulk of evidence, however, suggests that the microbes that cause Lyme disease have been around for thousands of years. A new study out of Yale confirms that Borrelia has been present in North America for at least 60,000 years. Dr. Rawls created a video to share this fascinating study and also offers a counter viewpoint to some takeaways from the article.
Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books. Invaders from Outer Space (DK Readers: Level 3) No current Talk conversations about this book. References to this work on external resources. Wikipedia in English Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0789439980, Paperback)Are aliens from other planets visiting Earth? Read these amazing stories of alien encounters -- and make up your own mind! The 48-page Level 3 books, designed for children who can read on their own, contain more complex sentence structure and more detail. Young readers will devour these kid-friendly titles, which cover high-interest topics such as sharks, and the Bermuda Triangle, as well as classics like Aladdin. Information boxes highlight historical references, trivia, pronunciation, and other facts about words and names mentioned. Averaging 2,400 to 2,800 words, these books offer a 50/50 picture-to-text ratio. The Dorling Kindersley Readers combine an enticing visual layout with high-interest, easy-to-read stories to captivate and delight young bookworms who are just getting started. Written by leading children's authors and compiled in consultation with literacy experts, these engaging books build reader confidence along with a lifelong appreciation for nonfiction, classic stories, and biographies. There is a DK Reader to interest every child at every level, from preschool to grade 4. (retrieved from Amazon Thu, 12 Mar 2015 18:14:11 -0400) Examines the phenomena of unidentified flying objects and encounters with alien beings. Is this you? Become a LibraryThing Author.
Today's Highlight in History: On June 25, 1906, architect Stanford White was shot to death atop New York's (second) Madison Square Garden, which he had designed, by millionaire Harry K. Thaw, who was apparently enraged over what he viewed as White's defilement of his wife, Evelyn Nesbit, when Nesbit was a teenager. (Thaw was acquitted of murder by reason of insanity.) On this date: In 1788, Virginia ratified the U.S. Constitution. In 1876, Lt. Col. Colonel George A. Custer and his 7th Cavalry were wiped out by Sioux and Cheyenne Indians in the Battle of the Little Bighorn in Montana. In 1910, President William Howard Taft signed the White-Slave Traffic Act, more popularly known as the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state lines for "immoral" purposes. In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 was enacted. In 1950, war broke out in Korea as forces from the communist North invaded the South. In 1959, spree killer Charles Starkweather, 20, was put to death in Nebraska's electric chair. Eamon de Valera was inaugurated as president of Ireland. In 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that recitation of a state-sponsored prayer in New York State public schools was unconstitutional. In 1975, the government of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency aimed at cracking down on political opponents. (The state of emergency was lifted in March 1977.) In 1981, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that male-only draft registration was constitutional. In 1995, Warren Burger, the 15th chief justice of the United States, died in Washington at age 87. In 1996, a truck bomb killed 19 Americans and injured hundreds at a U.S. military housing complex in Saudi Arabia. The science-fiction thriller "Independence Day," about an alien attack on Earth, had its world premiere in Los Angeles. In 2009, death claimed Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop," in Los Angeles at age 50 and actress Farrah Fawcett in Santa Monica, California, at age 62.
We often heard many types of tea. The most popular types are black, white, green, and oolong tea. We may ever drink some of that types. But do you know what the difference is? All types of tea actually are produced from the same plant namely Camellia sinensis. Their difference is based on the oxidation after being harvested. After the leaves have been plucked from the plant, the oxidation occurs naturally. Black tea is fully oxidized, causing its color to turn black. Oolong tea is semi–oxidized, make it looks like black tea but with the freshness of green tea. White tea is barely oxidized at all. Green tea, the least oxidized, is steamed after being harvested to inactivate the oxidizing enzymes (i.e., polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase). The inactivated enzymes can’t break down the chlorophyll, so the color of the dried leaves is still green. It makes the color of the drink is greenish yellow unlike the reddish brown color of black tea. The lack of oxidation also make green tea retains its tannins, vitamin C, and minerals. Thus it taste more astringent but subtler than black or oolong tea. Real History of Green Tea There are many versions of tea’s history. Some of it may be true, some of it maybe just a myth. Tea likely originated in southwest China approximately 5000 years ago and first used as a medicinal drink. There is a record of tea drinking dates to the 3rd century AD written by ancient Chinese physician, Hua Tuo. During 16th century, China introduced tea to Portuguese priests and merchants and during the 17th century, drinking tea became popular in Britain. The British later introduced tea production and tea consumption to India, to break the Chinese monopoly on tea. After that, tea started to spread all over the world. At first, all tea was green tea. People just simply steeped the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant in hot water. By the end of 17th century, tea was being drunk as an all-purpose drink. People started to drink black tea in the 1720s and the British added sugar and milk to tea. Now, tea becomes the second most consumed drink in the world after water and green tea accounts for 20% of it. Ingredients of Green Tea - Manganese 0.5 mg 26% - Potassium 87.7 mg 3% - Folate 11.9 mcg 3% - Magnesium 7.1 mg 2% The main active ingredients in green tea are polyphenolic compounds, known as catechins. The major component are EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) which may be responsible for the anticancer activities of green tea. Green tea also contains carotenoids, protein, chlorophyll, minerals (aluminum or manganese, depending on the soil content where tea was planted), caffeine, theanine, vitamin K, and 2 mg of vitamin C for each gram of green tea. Thanks to unoxidized preparation, green tea has 10 folds higher vitamin C than black tea. A cup of green tea (6-8 oz or about 200 mL), contains approximately 60-125 mg catechins and 20-50 mg caffeines. Green tea has higher catechins than black tea but less caffeines. Black tea has 30-60 mg catechins and also 30-60 mg caffeines. Manganese is a mineral used to digest proteins in the body and to maintain healthy bones. Just one cup of tea can provide the daily need of manganese. Catechins, carotenoids, and vitamin C are antioxidants. That’s why green tea is renowned for its high antioxidant activity which contribute most to its health and beauty effect. You may also read Health Benefits of Lipton Diet Green Tea Uses of Green Tea Green tea is usually brewed and drunk as a beverage. Green tea also can be extracted and being used for healthy purpose, skin products, dietary supplements, pharmaceutical preparations, and dentifrices. Beside that, green tea is also popular as food or drink flavor in the form of powder which known as matcha. Health Benefits Of Green Tea Green tea benefits offers many health benefits due to the presence of of ingredients such as catechins, theanine, tannins, etc. What are they? Let’s check them out! 1. Preventing Cancer High contents of EGCG in green tea has been associated to the prevention of many types of cancer, such as lung, colon, rectal, esophagus, mouth, stomach, small intestine, kidney, pancreas, and mammary glands. Until now, there is no conclusion whether green tea can really prevents cancer. Some studies suggest that green tea can kills cancer cells and make them stop growing. Some studies found that green tea increase the risk of cancer. We must know first that before some experiments can be done to human, experiments must be done to laboratory animal or in vitro first. In vitro is a term to experiments which are not performed in living organism. This was done to make sure the benefit and safety of the studied material before it can be applied to human. Sometimes the studied material is works when it was researched in laboratory animal or in vitro. But when it was gave to human, it may be give another results. Sometimes instead of give good result, it give worse effect in human. You may also read about Benefits of Budwig Diet for Cancer Which cancer that can be helped by green tea and which is not? Be ready, girls! Because the studies will surprise you! Let’s check it out! - Lung cancer In vitro researches show green tea polyphenols can inhibit the growth of human lung cancer cells, but some clinical studies show different results. A study found that Okinawan tea was linked with lower lung cancer risk, especially among women. But there is a study found that green tea and black tea can increase the risk of lung cancer. It’s still need more studies before any conclusions can be drawn. For safety, cancer patients should consult to their doctor before consume any green tea preparations. - Colorectal cancer Some studies found that green tea can decrease the risk of colon or rectal cancer show, while others show increased risk. A study shows that drink more than 5 cups of green tea per day may lowering the risk of colorectal cancer. But this study only shows protective effects for women. - Esophageal cancer Studies using laboratory animals have found that green tea polyphenols can inhibit the growth of esophageal cancer cells, but studies using human show different results. One large-scale population-based study found that green tea protects against the development of esophageal cancer, especially among women (again). Another population-based study found that green tea consumption was linked with an increased risk of esophageal cancer. The stronger and hotter the tea, the greater the risk. - Stomach cancer An in vitro research have found that green tea polyphenols can also inhibit the growth of stomach cancer cells, but some studies in human seem don’t agree with it. It was reported in two studies that people who drank green tea are likely to develop stomach cancer and stomach inflammation compared to those who did not drink green tea. Nevertheless, a study in Japan with more than 26,000 men and women found that green tea has no association with stomach cancer risk. - Pancreatic cancer One large-scale clinical study found that those who drank the most green tea have less probability to develop pancreatic cancer, especially among women (again and again). Men who drank the most green tea have 37% less probability to develop pancreatic cancer. However, it is still not clear whether green tea is solely responsible. More studies are needed before researchers can recommend green tea. - Breast cancer In vitro and animal researches show that polyphenols in green tea inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells. One study which involve 472 women with breast cancer at various stages, found that women who drank green tea had less spread of cancer. Especially in the early stages of breast cancer. It was also found that women with early stages of the breast cancer who drank at least 5 cups of tea daily before being diagnosed with cancer were less likely to experience a relapse after finished treatment. However, women with late stages of breast cancer had little improvement after drinking green tea. A very large study found that drinking tea, green or any other type, was not linked with reduced risk of breast cancer. However, when the sample is divided by age, it shows that women under 50 have 37% less probability to develop breast cancer compared to women who did not drink tea. 2. Weight Loss Treatments When it comes to green tea, the first thing that most people think is its weight loss effect. Obesity and overweight have been worldwide major health issue nowadays. Obesity has been associated with risks of cancer, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Because of that, many health workers try to develop drugs to treat obesity. They also suggest implementation of a dietary regimen to prevent obesity. It becomes public awareness and health goal for many people. Obesity arises from the imbalance between energy intake and its expenditure. In obesity, energy intake is greater than its expenditure. To measure someone is obese, overweight, normal, or underweight, we can use BMI (body mass index). BMI is value from body mass (kg) divided by the square of the body height (m2). If the BMI is <18.5 someone is categorized as underweight. BMI 18.5-24.9 is normal. BMI 25-29.9 is overweight. And BMI >30 is obese. Due to its caffeine content, green tea is associated with increased caloric expenditure and helps burn fat. Together with high catechin content in green tea, they show effect that is much greater than can be attributed by caffeine alone. A study found that consumption of caffeine alone in the same amounts found in the green tea extract had no effect on energy expenditure. It is also supported by the fact that EGCG (catechin-red) can reduces food uptake, lipid absorption, blood triglyceride, cholesterol, and leptin levels. A perfect combination to help you get your ideal weight. You may also read about Health Benefits of Eggplant for Weight Loss 3. Cardiac health Catechins have been demonstrated effect of lowering level of total cholesterol and LDL (‘bad cholesterol’) and also elevated HDL (‘good cholesterol’) in body. That mechanisms make green tea has effect in lowering the risk of coronary heart disease and delay atherogenesis (the forming of plaque in blood vessel). Its blood glucose reducing and weight loss effect also contributing in cardiac health effect. Theanine can lower high blood pressure levels back toward normal levels, but had no effect on normal blood pressure levels thus reduce the risk of stroke and coronary heart disease. Regular consumption of tea (3 or more cups daily) may reduce the risk of heart attack compared to little or none. You may also read about Health Benefits of Ganitri Fruit 4. Arthritis (joint inflammation) Polyphenol compounds in green tea has been reported to have anti-inflammatory effect in laboratory animals. Green tea consumption showed a significant reduction in the incidence of arthritis compared with none. 5. Bone density Drinking green tea may help to protect older women from osteoporosis although there’s a study that suggests tannin content in green tea can disturb the absorption of calcium and iron in some extent. 6. Stress relieving Green tea can be used as a daily antistress. Green tea contains theanine, an amino acid found primarily in green and black teas that has tranquilizing effects. The content of theanine is varied in different tea harvesting time. In some season, green tea may high in catechins, but in another harvesting time, it may high in theanine. It’s approximated there are 20 to 40 mg of theanine in 1 cup of green tea. Theanine helps generate alpha waves in the brain associated with a relaxed but alert mental state. People who produce alpha waves have less anxiety and can be more focus and creative. Theanine can make its effects in brain about 30 minutes after being consumed. Theanine is also believed to lower cortisol levels during stress periods. Cortisol is a hormone that body produced when we are in stress. This relaxation effect of theanine can also improve sleep quality and mood upon awakening. It can also reduce the symptoms associated with premenstrual syndromes such as irritability, depression, abdominal pain, and headaches. According to a study, the theanine content will be reduced if we add milk to green tea. If you want to get the effect of theanine, make sure to not add more than 50 ml of milk. The recommended amount is 12 ml (about one tablespoon). You may also read about Health Benefits of Ginkgo Biloba Extract 7. Antiviral properties A study suggests that EGCG has protective effect against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in laboratory animals. It still must be investigated further to see whether these effects are seen in humans. Green tea is also reported to protect body from influenza virus, especially in its earliest stage; Herpes simplex; and adenovirus infection. Adenovirus are common causes of respiratory diseases, such as cold-like symptoms, sore throat, bronchitis, and pneumonia. It can also cause diarrhoea and red eye (conjunctivitis). Most of the infections are not severe. 8. Antimicrobial properties Green tea has long been used in treating diarrhoea and typhoid. Green tea catechins is reported to have an inhibitory effect on Helicobacter pylori infection which associated with gastric ulcers and other digestive tract disease. 9. Prevent dental caries Dental caries is formed when enzyme in the saliva (amylase) hydrolyzes food starch to maltose. Maltose are easily fermented by bacterias in the mouth into lactic acid and can make up the dental caries, forming a cavity or hole. A study reported that consumption of tea (black or green) inhibits the release of maltose up to 70%. Because of its antiinflammation properties like mentioned above, there’s a study reported that green tea extract was effective in reducing the gingival inflammation caused by periodontal structures such as dentures. Green tea extract is also reported to show strong inhibition of bacterias Streptococcus mutans, a bacteria commonly found in the human oral cavity and is a significant contributor to tooth decay. 10. Antifungal properties A study suggests that catechins have antifungal activity against Candida albicans, the cause of candidiasis which can occurs in mouth (thrush) or genital (yeast infection). Catechins in green tea extract combined with antimycotics (antifungal drugs) allow the use of lower doses of antimycotics and induces multiple antifungal effects. Thus help avoid the side effects of antimycotics such as feeling sick, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, flatulence, headache, rash, and indigestion. The severe side effects of antimycotics include allergic reaction (for some people) such as swelling of face, neck, or tongue; or difficulty breathing. According to a study in Japan, consumption six or more cups of green tea daily compared to those consuming less than 1 cup per week reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes until 33%. The consumption of green tea was shown to improve glucose tolerance without change the basal blood glucose levels. You may also read about Health Benefits of Stevia Leaf 12. Neurodegenerative diseases Neurodegenerative diseases are caused by damage or loss of neurons in the brain and/or spinal cord progressively. It can occur at any time of life. Human epidemiology and laboratory animal experiments suggest that green tea drinking may help protect the brain as we age. It may explain why Asians have lower rates of age-related neurological disorders than Europeans or Americans. Because of its antioxidant activity, green tea is suggested to protect body from neurodegenerative diseases caused by free radical and stress, such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer, and stroke. Some studies also suggest that green tea’s EGCG capacity to bind with iron in blood also contribute to the neuroprotective effect. As we age, iron accumulates progressively in brain, as well as in area that are affected by neurodegenerative diseases. Iron is a essential minerals for our body. But in the excessive amounts, it can put our health to risk. The bond of EGCG and iron is insoluble in blood, so it is less well-absorbed by body and will be eliminated. 13. Digestive health Our intestine has many microflora that help to digest food. The microflora are affected by external factors like our diet. A study shows that green tea polyphenols keep low levels of Clostridia perfringens (associated with food poisoning) and Clostridia difficile (associated with bacteria infected-diarrhoea) but doesn’t change the other microflora level significantly. Green tea is also can be used to cure insect stings due to its anti-inflammatory effects and its capacity to stop bleeding. Some studies have suggested green tea consumption can decrease the risk of kidney stone formation. The antioxidant properties of green tea can also helps protect eye lenses, thus prevent cataract. There’s also a report that green tea has beneficial effects in alcohol intoxication. You may also read about Health Benefits of Red Date Tea Green Tea Benefits for Beauty Here are more benefits of green tea: 1. Ultraviolet protection to skin A human study reported that a topical application of EGCG prior to exposure to UV light can prevent damage on the skin. The effects is expected comes from the anti-inflammation and free radicals scavenging activity of green tea. However, green tea does not block UV light so it’s important to use it with the other sunscreen. 2. Aging skin problem Like mentioned above, green tea antioxidant properties can help solve aging skin problem. In a study, green tea can improve moderate skin damage resulted in improved skin elasticity. You may also read about Health Benefits of Beets for Skin Care 3. Acne problem and other skin conditions The anti-inflammatory properties can be used to treat skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis, rosacea, and inflammatory lesions. Green tea cream also has been found to improve skin complexion with fewer cases of dry skin or itching. 4. Deodorizing effect We usually don’t like the unpleasant odor that comes out of mouth after eating some foods such as fish, garlic or after smoking tobacco. There’s a study using green tea candy that was given to people after eating garlic. After 4 minutes, the sensory test shows that the smell reduced from strong smell to no smell. Freshly brewed green tea can be used as a toner. It’s a gentle exfoliant (lifting the dead skin cells) so our faces can become brighter. We can make it as a spray, splash, or make it as ice cubes to give cool sensation. If we want to use the ice cubes, put the brewed green tea in freezer until it’s frozen. Let it a little bit melted before use or wrap it in clean cloth then wipe gently over the cleansed face. A spritzer made with green tea and mineral water also can be used to freshen the face, treat minor cuts, soothe sunburn, or reduce swelling. Daily Consumption Recommendation - Children. Green tea has not been studied in children, so it is not recommended for children. - Adults. For every purpose, the maximal intake of green tea is varying. But to maximize the health benefits of green tea safely, 2 to 3 cups daily is recommended by University of Maryland Medical Center. It gives you 240 to 320 milligrams of polyphenols. The amount of green tea extract supplements that is recommended is 100 to 750 milligrams per day. Choose caffeine free green tea supplements when possible to avoid the undesirable side effects. Homemade Green Tea Preparations for Beauty Other than beverage and supplements, we can use green tea for beauty purpose. Theanine can helps to soothe and calm the skin. Caffeine and EGCG can protects the skin from UV radiation-induced damage and skin cancer formation. There are many beauty products that contain green tea extract or beauty salons that offer beauty treatment with green tea. But we can make it ourself, it’s easy and cheaper. Here some easy homemade preparations to help you dealing with skin problem. 1. Basic green tea toner - Add 1 green tea bag or 2 tbsp loose green tea leaves into 1 cup (200 ml) of hot water. - Wait for 5 minutes. - Pour the tea into closed container or spray bottle. If you used green tea leaves, filter it first. - Add essential oils that you like or based on your skin type. It’s optional. You can add it or not. Lavender oil can be used for all skin type and has relaxing effect. For oily skin you can use rosemary or peppermint oil. For acne, try tea tree oil. - Apply the green tea toner to face and neck 2 times per day. This may be done by dabbing it on skin with cotton ball or just spritz the skin if you use spray bottle. Do not rinse. - Store in the refrigerator for up to approximately 3 days. - After 3 days, make a new one. - If you want, you can also make it as ice cube like mentioned above. When your skin is sunburned you can wrap the ice cube in clothes or let it a little bit melted than wipe it in your skin. 2. Green tea facial mask - Open the green tea bags after you use it. - Empty the content into a small cup and add a tbsp of honey, half tbsp of lemon, and the white of an egg to make it into a paste. If you don’t like the smell of the white of egg, you can change it with plain yoghurt. - Clean your face before apply the paste. - Apply the paste and leave it on for fifteen minutes. - It can also be used as scrub. Just scrubbing it slowly in your face when it is half dry. - Rinse it off with warm water first to open the pores so the dirts can come out. - Rinse again with cold water to close the pores. - Do it once a week. 3. Green tea refreshing splash - Prepare hot green tea and let it cool. - Pour some tea from into your hand. - Splash it all over your face repeatedly until there’s no more tea. - Rinse it off. 4. Green tea facial cleanser - Pour hot water over green teabag. Cut it open and empty its content into a small cup. - Put 2 tablespoons (doesn’t have to be exact) of your cleanser into the cup. - Mix it together. - Spread it in your face. Leave it for 5 minutes. - Rinse off. 5. Green tea hair tonic - Steep 5 tbsp or 5 bags of green tea in 4 cups of hot water and let it for 30 minutes. - Meanwhile, you can wash your hair. - After washing your hair, rinse with brewed green tea. Leave it for 10 minutes. - Rinse it with cool water. - Do 2 or 3 times a week. It will make your hair healthy, shiny, and free from scalp problems like dandruff, psoriasis, or even baldness. If you continue to use green tea and make it a daily routine, you will have refresh and clean skin. You are going to feel your skin softer. Drinking green tea every day will also help to brighten your complexion. Weight Loss Experience: Good News From Green Tea Many people try to lose their weight but it’s always fail. It’s because they are too focus on the goal of weight loss. They also want to get instance result. It makes people try many ways (including the not healthy one) to get their weight lose. Try to setting the right goals (get the normal weight, not the skinny one). Focus on lifestyle changes such as healthy diet, watching portion sizes, and being physically active are much more effective than take excessive dietary supplement and food restriction. The good news is, you can add on green tea in your healthy meal plan. As reported by thenewdaily.com.au, an Australian obesity researcher, Dr. Nick Fuller from University of Sydney, has reviewed 11 of the most common diet pills on the market. He examined the scientific evidence of guarana, acai berry, aloe vera, caffeine, ginseng, green tea, guar gum, chitosan, cayenne pepper, white bean extract, and eucommia leaves. The review is given because of recent warnings of potential liver and kidney damage from the use of over-the-counter weight loss remedies. From all of the diet supplements that be reviewed, only green tea had the best evidence and was the only product worth buying. “Of the ones that were reviewed, the evidence does suggest that maybe green tea in its natural form is something that’s a simple and easy and hopefully safer method that may aid with weight management,” he told The New Daily (sic). Dr. Fuller suggests that green tea should be consumed as drinkable tea, not as an extract or supplement if we want to use it for weight loss. When we grows old, our metabolisms slow down. The EGCG in green tea renowned for boosting metabolisms hence helps to burn fat. The effect is increased along with routine exercises and control in daily calories intake from our diet. Here are some tips that you should pay attention for success weight loss with green tea: - Avoid buying green teas with any added sugar or artificial sweeteners. If you already use green tea without any additional sugars or flavors, don’t add sugar to your prepared green tea. It will add more calories and instead of getting your weight loss, you’ll maybe gain weights. - You can drink green tea iced or hot. A study found that there is no significant difference in green tea’s content either it’s hot or cold. - The brands are really matter. Choose the trustworthy brand that will serve you with high quality green tea leaves without any unnecessary artificial additives. Green Tea Weight Loss Program Thus, there are many benefits of green tea for health. Green tea weight loss program is an easy one to follow. Please, keep in your mind to get the ideal weight, not the skinny one. Don’t think to get your normal weight hastily. The safe weight loss in one week is between 1-2 lb. Enjoy the process of healthy lifestyle and then you will be surprised by the change. Here we present you steps for lose weight with green tea weigh loss program. 1. Replace your usual morning coffee with green tea. For first try, you can still have your coffee but limit it just one cup a day. After drink your morning coffee, follow that with a cup of green tea. Gradually, skip your morning coffee. 2. Restrict the addition of green tea with sugar. Maybe at first you don’t like the taste of green tea and want to add some taste to it. But it will give you better weight loss result if you don’t add sugar. According to a study, you still can add 1 teaspoon of sugar to a cup (6-8 oz or 200 ml) of green tea. 3. Avoid alcoholic beverages consumption. Some people are drinking alcoholic beverages for health reasons. Red wine for example, are known for its resveratrol content which has antioxidant properties. But green tea contains far more antioxidants than red wine and EGCG in green tea has been found to be twice as powerful as resveratrol in red wine. Drinking alcoholic beverages can also stimulate your appetite and make you want to eat more. While the EGCG in green tea are known for suppressing appetite effect. 4. Calories intake control The most important thing in weight loss program is calories intake control. Obesity and overweight programs come when calories intake and expenditure are not balance. Usually, excessive calories intake come from high sugar and fat foods consumptiom. However, we still need carbohydrate and fat to obtain energy. Weight loss program doesn’t mean we don’t need it anymore. Fat is produce more energy than carbohydrate and protein. 1 gram of fat equal to 9 kcal energy, while carbohydrate and protein each equal to 4 kcal energy. To control your calories intake, you must pay attention to many factors, such as age, gender, body mass index, and activity. That 4 factors is the main keys to determine how much calories you may take in one day. You can use any calorie calculator online. - For example, for 25-year-old woman with BMI 29 and sedentary lifestyle, you need 1,894 calories/day to maintain your weight; 1,394 calories/day to lose 1 lb/week and 894 calories to lose 2 lb/week. - But if you are lightly active (doing exercise 1-3 times a week), you need 2,170 calories/day to maintain your weight; 1,670 calories/day to lose 1 lb/week and 1,170 calories to lose 2 lb/week. - If you are moderately active (doing exercise 3-5 times a week), you need 2,446 calories/day to maintain your weight; 1,946 calories/day to lose 1 lb/week and 1,446 calories to lose 2 lb/week. It appears that it’s easier to balance the calories intake control along with exercise. Without exercise, you must eat less and it’s usually make weight loss program fail because of starving. You can do exercise for 30 minutes 3-5 times a week. Balanced food intake, contains of 60% carbohydrates, 15-25% of proteins, and 15-25% of fat. Let’s assume that we use combination of 60% carbohydrates, 25% protein, and 15% of fat. Based on calculation above, if a 25-year-old woman with BMI 29, moderately active, and want to lose weight 2 lbs a week, then she should eat about 1,446 calories per day. She gets 867,6 calories from carbohydrates; 361,5 calories from proteins, and 216,9 calories from fat. If we divide it into three times meal, then in one meal, she should eat 289,2 calories carbohydrates; 120,5 from proteins; and 72,3 calories from fat. Here is example breakfast menu: 5 oz roasted salmon (with 1 tbsp of olive oil to roast it), 1 cup of oatmeal, 2-3 cup of (16-24 oz) mixed salad greens, 1 apple or pear, and don’t forget 1 cup of green tea. For menu inspiration, you can check in the recipe in food and beverages. Here we give you food calories table from Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health to guide you how to choose food See : Food and Drinks Calories List. Green Tea Food and Beverages Recipes People are always discuss about green tea benefits in health and beauty. But don’t forget that green tea can also be a yummy foods or beverages. Green tea has strong aroma and taste that many people like. No wonder many people try give that aroma and taste in their foods or beverages. Here we choose for you some easy recipes from appetizer, main course, dessert, and drink to follow. We try to give the healthy recipe yet delicious so there is no need to worry for you who are in weight loss program. 1. Appetizer: Green Tea Chicken Soup When people got common cold, they usually eat chicken soup to boost their immune system and give warm feeling to body. When green tea—which has antiviral properties and also an immune booster— is added to the soup, it will give the body ‘double’ immune boosters in a one delicious meal. Added by chili flakes that give it spicy taste, it will help you being able to sweat and cure your common cold fast. You can also add it in your weight loss program. Spicy food is renowned to help burn fat too. - 1,25 litres water - 4 green tea bags - 1 stalk lemon grass, sliced - 1 small head sliced green cabbage - 1 large carrot, sliced - 500 g chicken - 1 tbsp sesame oil - 1/2 tsp salt - 1/4 tsp grounded black pepper - 1/2 tsp red chili flakes (optional) - Place the chicken in a large saucepan and add 1,25 litres water. - Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, skim off foam that rises to the top. Wait until 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. - Turn off the heat, move the chicken to a bowl and let it to be cool. - Add tea bags and lemon grass into broth, steep for 15 minutes. - Remove the solids. - Bring it up to a simmer and add green cabbage, carrot, salt, chili flakes (if using) and pepper; cook for ten minutes or until the carrot is tender. - Meanwhile, shred the chicken and put it back into broth. - Add sesame oil; heat for two minutes. 2. Main Course: Green Tea Roasted Salmon (which is very easy but tasty) With its high protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin D content, salmon and green tea is a healthy (and tasty) blend. - Salmon fillets - 2 green tea bags - Olive oil - Open the green tea bags and sprinkle the green tea on all sides of the salmon. - Sprinkle salt and pepper for seasoning and make sure the salmon is coated on all sides evenly. - Pour a small amount of olive oil into a frying pan over a medium heat. - Fry the salmon until it is golden brown then turn it on the other sides. - Serve hot. You can eat it with rice, noodle, add it with lemon sauce, mayonnaise, tomato sauce, or anything you want. 3. Dessert: Green Tea Crepe - 2 eggs - 3/4 cup milk (almond, soy, or skim) - 1/2 cup water - 1 cup flour - 1 tbsp sugar - 1/8 tsp salt - 1 tbsp powdered green tea - Low fat butter or olive oil - Mix all ingredients for 10 seconds in blender. - Keep the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour to get rid of the bubbles that can make the crepe likely tears during cooking. - Heat a small pan on medium high. Add low fat butter or olive oil to coat the pan. - Pour 1 scoop of batter into the pan and spread evenly. Cook about 2 minutes or until the bottom is light brown. - Flip with spatula and cook the other side. - Serve hot. You can put sliced fruits, honey, low sugar jam, anything you like then roll it or just let it flat. Remember that if you are in weight loss program, don’t use too much sugar or artificial sweeteners. We try to give you recipe that don’t use too much sweetener or high in fat. 4. Drinks: Green Tea Vanilla Smoothies - 2 frozen bananas - 1 cup milk (almond, soy, or skim) - 2 tbsp powdered green tea - Vanilla essence or vanilla powder - 1 cup ice cubes - Honey (optional) - Blend everything together. - Add honey if you want. - Taste and adjust until you like the taste. 5. Drinks: Iced Mint Green Tea - 2 cups water - 2 tsp powdered green tea - 2 cups ice cubes - 1 pc lime - A handful of mint leaves - Honey (optional) - Add water and green tea powder in a shaker and shake until there are no lumps. - Add the ice, a squeeze of lime, a handful of mint leaves and shake it again. - Add honey if you want. - Pour into glasses. 6. Drinks: Green Tea Frappuccino - 1 cup milk (almond, soy, or skim) - 1 cup ice cubes - 1/2 tsp powdered green tea - 1 tbsp maple syrup - 1/2 tsp vanilla extract - Blend everything together. - Serve immediately. 7. Drinks: Green Tea Latte - 1 cup milk (almond, soy, or skim) - 1 cup hot water - 2 tsp powdered green tea - 2 tbsp honey, maple syrup, or stevia (optional) - 2 tbsp of coconut oil - Blend everything together about 1 minute. - Serve immediately. Powdered green tea are known as matcha. Matcha is made by grinding tea leaves into a fine powder. Commercial matcha is divided into three grades. - First, ceremonial grade, the highest grade. It’s best for drinking and not recommended to be used in any foods. - Second, premium grade, it’s easier to find. You can use it for both drinking and cooking. - Third, ingredient grade or cooking matcha. It’s the cheapest and is used for both drinking and cooking. This grade is has stronger flavor so it can compete with the other flavors in foods and beverages. Make sure to purchase matcha from trusted sources. Matcha should be in tin containers or sealed packages (the dark one), not in see-through containers, because it’s sensitive to heat and light. After open it, keep it refrigerated to prevent it from being oxidized and lose its flavor and nutrition. The signs if matcha is oxidized are hay-like smell and brownish-green color. After being opened, it’s suggested not to use it longer than four to six weeks to get the optimum freshness and taste. Exciting, isn’t it? There are so many informations of green tea in this article that is too good to pass up. Potential Side Effect and Caution Like drugs, although green tea has many health and beauty benefits, it’s also has side effects. Especially when being consumed in very high quantities regularly. The main ingredients that induce green tea’s side effects are caffeine, aluminum, and polyphenols. Here are the list of green tea’s potential side effects and cautions. 1. The caffeine effects Caffeines in green tea are less than in black tea or coffee. But it’s enough to cause undesirable side effects, such as insomnia, restlessness, tremors, and upset stomach when being consumed more than five cups per day. Caffeine tolerance and reactions vary from person to person. We can avoid these side effects by drinking green tea about 2-3 cups daily or drinking decaf green tea. Yes, it’s not only coffee which can be decaffeinated, green tea does too. 2. Iron deficiency anemia Tannins in a green tea can bind with non-heme iron in the body. Iron is essential nutrient for our body because it is an essential component of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is essential for transferring oxygen in blood to the tissues. When the tissues don’t get enough oxygen, it will lead to the death of cells and later the tissues itself, creating an unbalanced body functions. Iron is not produced by our body so it is acquired from our diets. Heme iron, which is easier to be absorbed by our body, can be found in meat, poultry, and seafood. Non heme iron, which is less well absorbed, can be found in fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts. The bond of tannins and non-heme iron is irresolvable, causing the iron hard to be absorbed in the body. This obstacle with iron absorption can causes iron deficit anemia. Iron deficit anemia can cause the feelings of weakness, shortness of breath, irritability, headaches, and irregular heartbeat. This bond will also make the antioxidant properties of green tea’s reduced. For people who are prescribed iron supplements because of health conditions like anemia or irritable bowel syndrome, it’s recommended to avoid drinking green tea. It’s recommended that we also eat food that rich in vitamin C when we consume green tea frequently. Vitamin C can increases iron absorption hence help us to avoid the iron deficiency. Vitamin C are high in food such as are orange, lemon, grapefruit, papaya, strawberry, guava, cantaloupe, broccoli, and brussels sprouts. It’s also suggested to not consume food rich in non-heme iron with green tea to avoid the reduction of antioxidant properties caused by the bond. Food that have high content of non-heme iron for example are spinach, tomato, asparagus, potato, apricot, beet, kale, green pea, and grains products. However, drinking green tea may be benefits people with high level of iron in their blood as it can reduce the risk of iron-associated disease that can affect heart and liver. 3. Folate deficiency EGCG can interfere with folate use in cells. Folate is needed in DNA production and prevention of DNA modification by the cancer cells. Folate also helps to make red blood cells, prevent anemia, and protect against heart disease. It is important to be aware of green tea intake to prevent folate deficiency. 4. Dehydration and electrolyte disproportion Like coffee, green tea is a natural diuretic (stimulate to urinate) beacuse of its caffeine content. Drinking more than five cups/day of green tea can cause excessive urination leading to dehydration and unbalanced electrolyte in body. Dehydration can also leads to headaches, lethargy, changed heart rate, and distress. Avoid being dehydrated by drink 8 glass of waters a day. 5. Interfere with medication, herbs, or supplements According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, green tea can disturb the absorption and effects of certain medications. This can decrease or increase the effects of medications, which could put your health at risk. Some medications that might be affected include are: - MAOI inhibitors such as isocarboxazid, moclobemide, phenelzine, and tranylcypromine. MAOI inhibitors is used to treat depression. If green tea is consumed by patient who also consume MAOI inhibitor, it will increase blood pressure leading to hypertensive crisis. It’s extremely high blood pressure. The top number (systolic pressure) can reach 180 mm Hg or higher or a bottom number (diastolic pressure) of 120 mm Hg or higher. It can damage the blood vessel and leading to stroke. - Lithium, medication used to treat bipolar disorder. Green tea can reduce blood levels of lithium and make lithium less effective. - Adenosine, medication used to treat irregular heartbeat. Green tea may inhibit the adenosine actions. - Blood thinners such as warfarin and aspirin. The drug is given to people with blood clotting problem that can trigger stroke or heart disease. Green tea contains vitamin K that can triggers blood clotting hence disturb the blood thinners effect and risk the patient’s health. - Benzodiazepines such as diazepam used to treat anxiety. Caffeine in green tea, may reduce the sedative effects of these medications. - Beta-blockers such as propranolol and metoprolol used to treat hypertension and heart disease. Caffeine in green tea may increase blood pressure in people taking propranolol or metoprolol. - Chemotherapy. Like mentioned above, there is still conflict whether green tea can help cancer patients or not. For safety reason, cancer patients should consult to their doctors before drinking green tea or taking green tea extracts while undergoing chemotherapy. - Beta-lactam antibiotics (amoxicillin, ampicillin, cephalosporin, cefixime, etc) and quinolone antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, etc). Green tea may increase the effectiveness of antibiotics but that means you must be aware of increased side effects. 6. Tooth staining Tannins in green tea may cause tooth staining. Adding milk to tea can help to prevent it. The casein—main protein in milk—will make complex with tannins in tea. Adding milk is even more effective than use whitening toothpaste. But, this can also reduce the protein that can be absorbed from milk by the body. 7. Pregnancy and breastfeeding Pregnant and breastfeeding women are suggested drink less than two cups green tea per day, because caffeine can increase the heart rate. Caffeine can crosses the placenta and get to fetal blood and tissue levels in the same concentrations as the mother. Excessive caffeine intake (greater than 600 mg/day, about 12 cups of green tea or maybe from the other source like coffee or drug) has been weakly associated with increased fetal death, low birth weight, premature birth, an increase in fetal breathing activity, and a reduction in baseline fetal heart rate. Caffeine also can appears in the milk of breastfeeding mothers. There are reports of hepatotoxicity after consumin dietary pills containing green tea extract, causing the withdrawal of a particular green tea product in France and Spain. This hepatotoxity cases usually linked with the use of green tea extracts in supplements (not green tea as a beverage). A review found possible causality due to EGCG or its metabolism product. Onset of toxicity occurred within 3 months in 70% of cases. Now that you know many benefits of green tea and how to avoid its side effects, why not try to drink it regularly, use it on skin and in food-beverage as well? Let’s try it and see what miracle can happen to us!
PUBLISHED ON November 11, 2017 \| Courtesy Paul Hetzler, CCE St. Lawrence County “Squirrels have been criticized for hiding nuts in various places for future use and then forgetting the places. Well, squirrels do not bother with minor details like that. They have other things on their mind, such as hiding more nuts where they can’t find them.” Unfortunately, that succulent passage was penned in 1949 by W. Cuppy in his book “How To Attract A Wombat.” I say unfortunately because I wanted to write it first, but was unable to get born in time. The tradeoff, which is that I got to be quite a bit younger than he, probably worked out for the best anyway. Before learning stuff like “facts” about squirrels, it made me feel smug to think that their attention span was even worse than mine. Popular wisdom used to hold that the fluffy-tailed rodents spent half their lives burying nuts, only to forget about most of them a few minutes later. I figured that was why they generally seemed frantic, always thinking they hadn’t stored any food yet. The great thing about the whole affair is that tons of butternuts, oaks, hickories and walnuts get planted each fall, mostly in flower boxes, but some in actual forests where they can grow to maturity. As a kid I would see untold numbers of squirrels in parks, on college campuses and around dumpsters, but few in the woods. The latter, I assumed, were lost, or in transit to a day-old bakery outlet. So it came as a surprise to learn gray squirrels are native to temperate hardwood forests, at home in large unbroken tracts of woods. In fact, squirrels are critical to the survival of many nut-bearing trees. Walnuts, acorns and hickory nuts, which do not tend to waft on the breeze so well, and which soon dry out and degrade on the ground, need someone to cart them off and plant them in the ground. The irony is that while gray squirrels can be so numerous in the human domain that they become pests, they are disappearing from the forests that depend on them for regeneration. The reason is that most woodlands today are patchwork. In a shocking failure of the free market, it seems no one is making large contiguous tracts of forested land any more, even though they’re increasingly rare. It’s hard to criticize agriculture, especially if you eat on a regular basis, but clearing land to grow food has fragmented our woods. One problem with breaking up forest land is that animals may need more than just a piece of it at a time. Gray squirrels have large, shared territories with no real borders. Although they are great at things like tree planting and eating the faces off Halloween pumpkins, they’re not so good at running across fields to the next patch of trees. Well the running works OK, but not the looking out for predators. Gray squirrels evolved in a world where hiding places grew on trees. As a result, predation was low. But since the time they have been forced to hike out in the open, hawks, coyotes and foxes have taken a bite out of wild squirrel populations. Red squirrels, however, are moving into habitats once occupied by gray squirrels. It seems logical to think that an army of red, fluffy nut-planters would be just as good as propagating an oak-hickory forest as the gray, fluffy sort were. Not so. The reds, which evolved among conifers, are accustomed to stashing pine, spruce and fir cones in hollow trees or right out in the open. When they encountered acorns and nuts, they carried on with this tradition. In the open-air caches of the red squirrels, tree nuts desiccate and become non-viable. Nothing gets planted. Also, red squirrels have smaller, discrete territories they do not share, so they’re not as apt as the grays to gallivant over to a nearby block of trees, and thus they avoid those pesky carnivores. In this way they’re better adapted to a fragmented forest than the grays are. Getting back to forgetfulness, science has polished up the reputation of gray squirrels by observing them. Evidently no one thought of doing this novel procedure until 1990. That’s when Lucia F. Jacobs and Emily R. Lyman of Princeton University’s Biology Department set up a series of nut-caching experiments with gray squirrels. And hopefully a few interns as well. Their impressive article was published in the Journal of Animal Behavior in 1991, and is readily available online in case anyone has an attention span longer than mine. I should mention that gray squirrels are considered “scatter hoarders,” stashing nuts and acorns all over the place. They tend to dig them up and rebury them as many as five times prior to winter, possibly to confound greedy neighbors or pilfering jays. Each successive re-cache takes them farther and farther from the parent tree, which is good in terms of forest ecology. Jacob and Lyons concluded that even after waiting 12 days, gray squirrels quickly located about 2/3 of the nuts they buried, but that they also exhumed a few that weren’t theirs. However, each squirrel managed to end with at least 90% of the original number provided by researchers. This shows that memory is the primary means of locating cached tree nuts. And that while they don’t plant as many trees as we once thought, they make up for it by planting each one many times. Many thanks to Paul for letting us share his piece! For more information on what to do to prevent squirrels from planting trees in your flower boxes or, worse yet, nesting in your attic, visit the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program’s What’s Bugging You – Wayward Wanderers webpage. When it comes to keeping them out of bird feeders, you are on your own. Paul Hetzler is a forester and a horticulture and natural resources educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County
Eating On the Go: Fast Food Alternatives Poster Learning objectives & benefits: - Teaches your clients how to make the best choices in a fast food world! - Gives individuals the tools to win at the fast food game. Some ideas include planning ahead and knowing your calorie counts, skipping the mayo, splitting large portions, and ordering dressing on the side. - Educates the reader with examples of good fast food choices: salad, plain hamburger, soft shell chicken taco and vegetarian pizza are a few options. - Fun and vibrant illustrations help send the message of making good choices when eating on the go. - This 18 X 24 weight loss poster can be used individually or as part of the program 12 More Lessons of Weight Management (Volume 2) by Food and Health Communications for a 3- to 12 - month worksite wellness/weight management incentive program that will enable you to teach a new, timely weight management lesson/skill each month (or week). All topics support the messages given in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPlate. The topics are designed to support today's consumers so they can make better choices in their fast-paced lifestyles. - It also makes a great classroom poster plus it can be used as a school cafeteria poster. Target population: In English, for general audiences, ages 12 - 100 Here is what the poster says: Eating On the Go Make the best choices in a fast food world! Making good fast food choices: - Plan ahead and know the calorie counts. - Eat less dressing, mayo, and sauces. - Eat healthy the rest of the day. - Choose menu items with plenty of vegetables. - Split a meal when given large portions. - When you bring fast food home, add a salad, fruit, or skim milk to make a complete meal. Examples of good choices: - Salads with grilled lean meat, fish, or chicken - Plain hamburger, apple wedges - Soft shell chicken taco, beans - Grilled chicken, fish, or tenderloin, veggies - Lowfat chili, salad - Vegetarian pizza, (1 slice), salad This poster comes with a free handout download PDF shown in the images above.

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.