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What's the Latest Development?
While the U.S. sorely lacks a national space agenda, China has recognized the development of space-based solar energy as essential to the betterment of its place in the world. According to the China Academy of Space Technology (C.A.S.T.), "the state has decided that power from outside the earth, such as solar power and the development of other space energy resources is to be China's future direction." In space-based solar power, China sees a sustainable energy source capable of supplying its blossoming economic industries.
What's the Big Idea?
Beyond feeding its economy, China sees the development of space-based energy technologies as important for "social development, disaster prevention and mitigation, and cultivating innovative talents through an increased space effort the likes of which haven't been seen since the Apollo program." In the list of technologies C.A.S.T. plans to develop, many can be used to benefit other kinds of space ambitions, suggesting that energy is but one of China's missions for the development of space.
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Over range of ADHD behavior, genes major force on reading achievement, environment on math
First study of its kind reveals complex interaction
Humans are not born as blank slates for nature to write on. Neither are they behaving on genes alone.
Research by Lee A. Thompson, chair of Case Western Reserve University’s Psychological Sciences Department, and colleagues found that the link between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and academic performance involves a complex interaction of genes and environment.
Genetic influence was found to be greater on reading than for math, while shared environment (e.g., the home and/or school environment the twins shared) influenced math more so than reading. The researchers don’t know why.
Their study of twins, published in Psychological Science, Vol. 21, was the first to look simultaneously at the genetic and environmental influences on reading ability, mathematics ability, and the continuum of ADHD behavior.
“The majority of the twins used in the study don’t have ADHD,” Thompson said. “We are looking at the continuum of the behavioral symptoms of ADHD - looking at individual differences - not a disorder with an arbitrary cutoff.”
This type of continuum is a normal distribution or bell curve, with scores symmetrically distributed about the average and getting much less frequent the farther away a score is from the average. Disability is usually classified as the lower extreme on the normal distribution.
The symptoms of ADHD, according to Thompson, can be described with such a continuum, as can reading and mathematics ability. Only a small percent of individuals fall below the common medical cutoff between ability and disability.
For what we refer to as gifted or disabled, Thompson points out, “There is no difference in cause, just different expression of achievement.”
Thompson collaborated with Sara Hart, a graduate student at the Florida Center for Reading Research, and Stephen Petrill, a professor at the Ohio State University, in analyzing 271 pairs of ten-year-old identical and fraternal twins.
The twins were selected from the Western Reserve Reading and Mathematics Project, a study that began in 2002 with kindergarten and first grade-age twins and has collected data yearly about their math and reading ability.
The study focused on two ADHD symptoms: inattention and hyperactivity, which are viewed as extremes of their respective attention and activity continuums.
As part of the study, the mother of the twins rated each child on 18 items such as the child’s ability to listen when spoken to, play quietly, and sit still, to assess attention and activity levels. A researcher testing each twins’ mathematics and reading ability also rated the twins each year on their attention to tasks and level of hyperactivity.
The researchers assessed reading ability by evaluating the twins’ recognition and pronunciation of words and passage comprehension.
They measured the twins’ capacity for mathematics by focusing on the twin’s ability to solve problems, understanding of concepts, computational skills, and the number of computations completed in 3 minutes.
Researchers analyzed the data from three perspectives: one looked at the overall ADHD behavior, one at the level of attention, and at the activity level.
They then determined the similarities in genetic and environmental influence between ADHD symptoms and reading and between the symptoms and mathematics.
To do so, researchers looked at the variance and covariance of ADHD symptoms and academic ability. Variance measures the individual differences on a given trait within a population and covariance is a measure of how much two traits are related. These measures were broken down into identified components: additive genetic effects, shared environment and non-shared environment.
Using quantitative analysis of the components, the researchers found that there are some general genes that influence the symptoms of ADHD simultaneously with reading and mathematics ability and some genes that influence each specifically.
This study also found that both inattention and hyperactivity were related to academics.
“If we have this much overlap between genes that affect behaviors of ADHD and academic achievement,” Thompson said, “it gives validity to the relation of ADHD behaviors and poor academics.”
But genes are not everything, Thompson adds.
There are different approaches for interventions that can be taken based on the extent of environmental influence on ADHD behavior, reading ability, and mathematics ability across the entire continuum of expression.
Future research, the study notes, should focus on the underlying connection between ADHD symptoms and poor academic achievement in order to identify the influences that may alter these often co-occurring outcomes.
Additional authors include Erik Willcutt from the University of Colorado, Boulder; Christopher Schatschneider from Florida Center for Reading Research, Florida State University; Kirby Deater-Deckard from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; and Laurie E. Cutting from Vanderbilt University.
Funding for the study was provided by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and by the Department of Education. Sara Hart was additionally supported by the Lucile and Roland Kennedy Scholarship Fund in Human Ecology from the Ohio State University and the P.E.O. Scholar Award.
Reference: S Hart et al. Exploring How Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Are Related to Reading and Mathematics Performance: General Genes, General Environments. Psychological Science. DIO:10.1177/0956797610386617 (2010).
Contact: Lee A. Thompson, Case Western Reserve University, firstname.lastname@example.org
Release prepared by Sarah Gavac, Case Western Reserve University
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How Much Does the Ocean Weigh?
Water does weigh something; about 8.3 pounds per gallon. In research published this week, scientists from the National Oceanography Center and Newcastle University have proposed an idea that will assess the mass of the world ocean by weighing it at a single point. But there is a catch. Global sea level is currently rising at about 3 mm per year, but predictions of rise over the century vary from 30 cm to over a meter. There are two ways global sea level can increase. The water in the oceans can warm and expand, leading to the same weight of water taking up more space. In other words water density can vary which must be taken into account. Alternatively, more water added to the ocean from melting of land ice will increase the ocean’s weight.
The National Oceanography Centre’s Prof Christopher Hughes said: “We have shown that making accurate measurements of the changing pressure at a single point in the Pacific Ocean will indicate the mass of the world ocean. And we know where to place such an instrument — the central tropical Pacific where the deep ocean is at its quietest. This pressure gauge needs to be located away from land and oceanic variability. The principle is rather like watching your bath fill: you don’t look near the taps, where all you can see is splashing and swirling, you look at the other end where the rise is slow and steady.”
By a lucky chance, pressure measurements have been made in the Pacific Ocean since 2001, as part of the U.S. National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program, which focuses on detecting the small pressure fluctuations produced by the deep ocean waves that become tsunamis at the coast.
From these measurements, the team including Dr Rory Bingham, based in the School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences at Newcastle University, have been able to show that a net 6 trillion tonnes of water enters the ocean between late March and late September each year, enough to raise sea level by 1.7 cm, and leaves the ocean in the following six months.
Prof Hughes: “Of course, what we are most interested in is how much water accumulates in the ocean each year, and this is where we currently have a problem. While present instruments are able to measure pressure variations very accurately, they have a problem with long term trends, producing false outcomes.”
By knowing the weight an estimate of how much the ocean in increasing would be known which would be related to how much global warming is occurring.
“This is a challenging goal. The pressure changes are smaller than the background pressure by a factor of about 10 million, and the deep ocean is a hostile environment for mechanical components with erosion and high pressures. However, there are many other measurement systems with this kind of accuracy and there is no reason, in principle, why someone with a new idea and a fresh approach could not achieve this.
Article appearing courtesy Environmental News Network.
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Throughout the history of the United States, equality for all people has been fought for and won time and time again. Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence ”that all men are created equal,” and over time equal rights have been gradually extended to different groups of people. However, equality has never been achieved without heated debate, despite our country’s founding principle that all people are created equal in the first place.
The language used to seek equality has remained familiar over time. Posters demanding equal rights (pictured) contain messages we have all seen or heard. One of my theories is that since the human life span is finite, the message of equality has to be relearned by each generation as it comes to realize that more work needs to be done.
If humans lived longer, would full equality across racial and gender lines have been acquired by now? Ask yourself: Would women suffragists from the 1920s, who so vehemently demanded the right to vote, think it was fine for African Americans to be denied this same right? It depends. My theory also includes the caveat that empathy for others does not always translate into citizens banding together for the greater good. Then again, the social evolution of the United States is progressing. This progression is the reason the language and message of equality remains relevant.
Equality is a shared goal that not everyone enjoys. Racial intolerance for one group is no different than bigotry for another. Denying equality for a particular group plays into the kind of discriminatory trap that makes no sense if one applies the very same principles of equality indiscriminately. All people are created equal, period.
The Declaration of Independence was written with the hope of possibility. Think about it—the signers of this document were declaring a new and independent country! Jefferson’s words made a statement about human rights that became the foundation for a country unlike any other in the world. The signers never anticipated that their vision would eventually embrace so many different kinds of people, but that is the beauty of it. The Declaration was groundbreaking because it provided a foundation of principles and moral standards that have endured to modern times and that accommodate human evolution and its capacity for acceptance.
Stepping back and viewing all these posters as a whole, one could come to two conclusions. First: the human race does not learn from history. Second: humans repeat the same mistakes over and over. However, I believe that the preservation and repurposing of the messages of protest in all their different forms are evidence that we do learn from history, and that we apply these tactics when the moment calls for them.
Similar to my previous posts on Race-Based Comedy and Race in Advertising, this post is a small glimpse into a bigger topic that welcomes further discussion. These subjects would be commonplace in a college syllabus, but is there any reason why we shouldn’t introduce dialogue about such issues into our daily lives? At the dinner table, instead of asking your kids how their day was at school and receiving a one-word answer, try bringing up issues that are important to you. If you care about some form of injustice and you voice your opinion honestly, your kids may sense the gravity of the conversation and weigh in with something just as meaningful.
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I learned a bit ago that two of my classes-- African-American Literature and Russian Literature-- are somewhat connected, in the form of the founder of modern Russian literature, Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin (Алекса́ндр Серге́евич Пу́шкин).
Pushkin's father descended from one of the Russian gentry's oldest families who traced their history to the 12th century, while his mother's grandfather was Ibrahim Petrovich Gannibal, a former Eritrean who was abducted when he was a child and ended up in Russia and became a great military leader, engineer and nobleman after his adoption by Peter the Great.
And from James Weldon Johnson's Preface to The Book of American Negro Poetry (1922):
Is it not curious to know that the greatest poet of Russia is Alexander Pushkin, a man of African descent; that the greatest romancer of France is Alexandre Dumas, a man of African descent; and that one of the greatest musicians of England is Coleridge-Taylor, a man of African descent?
The fact is fairly well known that the father of Dumas was a Negro of the French West Indies, and that the father of Coleridge-Taylor was a native-born African; but the facts concerning Pushkin's African ancestry are not so familiar.
When Peter the Great was Czar of Russia, some potentate presented him with a full-blooded Negro of gigantic size. Peter, the most eccentric ruler of modern times, dressed this Negro up in soldier clothes, christened him Hannibal, and made him a special body-guard.
But Hannibal had more than size, he had brain and ability. He not only looked picturesque and imposing in soldier clothes, he showed that he had in him the making of a real soldier. Peter recognized this, and eventually made him a general. He afterwards ennobled him, and Hannibal, later, married one of the ladies of the Russian court. This same Hannibal was great-grandfather of Pushkin, the national poet of Russia, the man who bears the same relation to Russian literature that Shakespeare bears to English literature.
Here is an extremely interesting and informative PBS Frontline page on Pushkin's genealogy.Posted by smit2174 at October 15, 2005 1:45 PM | TrackBack
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Donna Lund's Aug. 22 First Person essay"Girls, Girls, Girls"may appear to be a cute story about the so-called differences between boys and girls, but it is actually a telling example of how gender stereotypes continue to be accepted in American society. Ms. Lund writes fondly about her granddaughters' frilly dresses and girly squeals, juxtaposing them with her sons' gruff avoidance of any conversation beyond sports. Are boys and girls really so divided? If they are, it's because American families mistakenly continue to raise them that way.
As an only child, I was brought up to appreciate "masculine" and "feminine" pastimes and modes of expression. I liked shopping for clothes with my grandmother, but I also loved working on cars with my grandfather. I never loved playing or talking about sports, but neither did I like doing or talking about my makeup. Sure, I shed plenty of tears, but I also slipped into sullen silences. And I spent most of my time reading, writing and drawing -- activities associated with both genders.Raising children to explore who they are regardless of how society prescribes their behavior often results in well-rounded, happy children who become confident, successful adults. Most importantly, it disrupts the idea that men and women behave in essentially different ways -- the very idea that, less than a century ago, prohibited women from most careers, most athletics and most political activity, including the right to vote.
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Sole, Lemon – UK
Lemon Sole is a medium sized flatfish found along the northern European coast on coarse gravelly and rocky bottoms at depths ranging from 40 to 200 m. They mature relatively quickly and live up to nine years.
Lemon Sole appear to be at medium levels of abundance, although information about population size is somewhat limited. In the United Kingdom, they are generally taken by beam and otter trawls as bycatch in mixed whitefish fisheries that target Cod, Haddock, and Whiting. Bottom trawls can damage the seafloor. Management of Lemon Sole in the United Kingdom is limited and bycatch levels are mostly unknown.
This fish may have high levels of PCBs that could pose a health risk to adults and children. More contaminant info here.
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-Marie Gouze was born into a petit bourgeois family in 1748 in Montauban, Tarn-et-Garonne, in southwestern France. Her father was a butcher and her mother was the daughter of a cloth merchant. She believed, however, that she was the illegitimate daughter of Jean-Jacques Lefranc, Marquis de Pompignan and his rejection of her claims upon him may have influenced her passionate defense of the rights of illegitimate children.
-In 1765 she married Louis Aubry, a caterer, who came from Paris with the new Intendant of the town. This was not a marriage of love. Gouze said in a semi-autobiographical novel (Mémoire de Madame de Valmont contre la famille de Flaucourt):
"I was married to a man I did not love and who was neither rich nor well-born. I was sacrificed for no reason that could make up for the repugnance I felt for this man."
Her husband died a year later, and in 1770 she moved to Paris with her son, Pierre, and took the name of Olympe de Gouges.
-In 1773, according to her biographer Olivier Blanc, she met a wealthy man, Jacques Biétrix de Rozières, with whom she had a long relationship that ended during the revolution. She was received in the artistic and philosophical salons, where she met many writers, including La Harpe, Mercier, and Chamfort as well as future politicians such as Brissot and Condorcet. She usually was invited to the salons of the Marquise de Montesson and the Comtesse de Beauharnais, who also were playwrights. She also was associated with Masonic Lodges among them, the Loge des Neuf Sœurs that was created by her friend Michel de Cubières.
Surviving paintings of de Gouges show her to be a woman of beauty. She chose to cohabit with several men who supported her financially. By 1784 (the year that her putative biological father died), however, she began to write essays, manifestoes, and socially conscious plays. Seeking upward mobility, she strove to move among the aristocracy and to abandon her provincial accent.[
-1784, she wrote the anti-slavery play Zamore and Mirza. For several reasons, the play was not performed until 1789. De Gouges published it, however, as Zamore et Mirza, ou l'heureux naufrage (Zamore and Mirza, or the happy shipwreck) in 1788. It was performed as L'Esclavage des nègres in December of 1789, but shut down after three performances. Subsequently, it was published in 1792 under the title L'Esclavage des noirs.
-She also wrote on such gender-related topics as the right of divorce and argued in favor of sexual relations outside of marriage.
-As an epilogue to the 1788 version of her play Zamore et Mirza, she published Réflexions sur les hommes nègres. In 1790, she wrote a play, Le Marché des Noirs (The Black Market) which was rejected by the Comédie Française; the text was burned after her death. In 1808, the Abbé Grégoire included her on his list of the courageous men who pleaded the cause of "les nègres."
-A passionate advocate of human rights, Olympe de Gouges greeted the outbreak of the Revolution with hope and joy, but soon became disenchanted when égalité (equal rights) was not extended to women.
-In 1791, she became part of the Society of the Friends of Truth, an association with the goal of equal political and legal rights for women. Also called the "Social Club", members sometimes gathered at the home of the well-known women's rights advocate, Sophie de Condorcet. Here, De Gouges expressed, for the first time, her famous statement:
"A woman has the right to mount the scaffold. She must possess equally the right to mount the speaker's platform."
-That same year, in response to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, she wrote the Déclaration des droits de la Femme et de la Citoyenne (Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen). This was followed by her Contrat Social (Social Contract, named after a famous work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau), proposing marriage based upon gender equality.
-She became involved in almost any matter she believed to involve injustice.
-She opposed the execution of Louis XVI of France, partly out of opposition to capital punishment and partly because she preferred a relatively tame and living king to the possibility of a rebel regency in exile. This earned her the ire of many hard-line republicans, even into the next generation—such as the comment by the nineteenth century historian Jules Michelet, a fierce apologist for the Revolution, who wrote, "She allowed herself to act and write about more than one affair that her weak head did not understand." Michelet was also part of a generation of men who opposed any political participation by women. He disliked de Gouges for this reason.
-As the Revolution progressed, she became more and more vehement in her writings.
-On 2 June 1793, the Jacobins arrested her allies, the Girondins, imprisoned them, and sent them to the guillotine in October. Finally, her poster Les trois urnes, ou le salut de la Patrie, par un voyageur aérien (The Three Urns, or the Salvation of the Country, By An Aerial Traveler) of 1793, led to her arrest. That piece demanded a plebiscite for a choice among three potential forms of government: the first, indivisible republic, the second, a federalist government, or the third, a constitutional monarchy.
-After being arrested, the commissioners searched her house for evidence. When they could not find any in her home, she voluntarily led them to the storehouse where she kept her papers. It was there that the commissioners found an unfinished play titled La France Sauvée ou le Tyran Détroné (France Preserved, or The Tyrant Dethroned). In the first act (only the first act and a half remain), Marie-Antoinette is planning defense strategies to retain the crumbling monarchy and is confronted by revolutionary forces, including De Gouges herself. The first act ends with De Gouges lecturing the queen for having seditious intentions and on how to lead her people. Both De Gouges and her prosecutor used this play as evidence in her trial. The prosecutor claimed that Olympe's depictions of the queen threatened to stir up sympathy and support for the Royalists, whereas De Gouges stated that the play showed that she had always been a supporter of the revolution.
-She spent three months in jail without an attorney, trying to defend herself. The presiding judge denied De Gouges her legal right to a lawyer, on the grounds that she was more than capable of representing herself. It seems as though the judge based this argument on De Gouges's tendency to represent herself in her writings.
-Through her friends, she managed to publish two texts: Olympe de Gouges au tribunal révolutionnaire, where she related her interrogations and her last work, Une patriote persécutée, where she condemned the Terror.
-The Jacobins, who already had executed a King and Queen, were in no mood to tolerate any opposition from the intellectuals. De Gouges was sentenced to death on 2 November 1793, and executed the following day for seditious behavior and attempting to reinstate the monarchy. Olympe was executed only a month after Condorcet had been proscribed and just three days after the Girondin leaders had been guillotined. Her body was disposed of in the Madeleine Cemetery.
Olympe's last moments were depicted by an anonymous Parisian who kept a chronicle of events:
"Yesterday, at seven o'clock in the evening, a most extraordinary person called Olympe de Gouges who held the imposing title of woman of letters, was taken to the scaffold, while all of Paris, while admiring her beauty, knew that she didn't even know her alphabet.... She approached the scaffold with a calm and serene expression on her face, and forced the guillotine's furies, which had driven her to this place of torture, to admit that such courage and beauty had never been seen before....
That woman... had thrown herself in the Revolution, body and soul.
But having quickly perceived how atrocious the system adopted by the Jacobins was, she chose to retrace her steps. She attempted to unmask the villains through the literary productions which she had printed and put up. They never forgave her, and she paid for her carelessness with her head."
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Brock student launches interactive children’s book for iPad
Published on February 05 2013
A Brock PhD student’s idea for an interactive children’s book has grown into reality.
Danielle Beckett, a certified classroom teacher who now studies learning and cognition in the Faculty of Education at the University, created The Gingerbread Man storybook for the iPad through her start-up company GroDigital.
And this is no ordinary touch and flip e-book for children. Beckett’s creation also doubles as a reading assessment tool because of groundbreaking voice-recognition technology developed by computer science students from Brock.
“The voice recognition allows for the child to be assessed while reading and providing feedback to improve their reading performance,” says Beckett. “With this project, we’re spearheading voice recognition technology.”
The interactive choose-your-own-adventure e-book is based upon the popular 19th-century fairy tale, The Gingerbread Man, and is designed for children ages 4 to 8.
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The Facts About the Proposed ODEC Power Plant
Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) has proposed building a 1,500 megawatt, coal-fired power plant—the Cypress Creek Power Station—in Dendron in Surry County, Va., or on an alternative site in neighboring Sussex County, Virginia. If built, the plant would be the largest coal-fired power plant in the Commonwealth. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) is very concerned that the plant will add significant additional pollution to an already polluted Chesapeake Bay, threaten human health, and exacerbate climate change and sea level rise in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Nitrogen Pollution—More Will Hurt the Bay
A primary goal of the federal-state Chesapeake Bay cleanup is reducing nitrogen pollution. The Dendron plant would add 1.9 million more pounds of nitrogen pollution* to the air above the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding lands. Air modeling predicts that 118 tons of this nitrogen—the equivalent of an additional major sewage treatment plant—will be deposited directly onto the Chesapeake Bay watershed, a system already so plagued by excess nitrogen pollution that the Bay is on the Environmental Protection Agency's official "dirty waters list." Nitrogen pollution promotes excess algae growth in the Bay that clouds the water, stunts underwater grasses, and robs the water of oxygen vital to fish, crabs, and oysters. Nitrogen pollution is a chief cause of the massive "dead zones" that appear annually in the Bay.
Mercury—A Toxic Threat to People and Wildlife
A primary goal of the federal-state Chesapeake Bay cleanup is a Bay free of toxic chemicals. The Dendron plant would release 44 pounds of mercury* into the air. Already, approximately 1,300 miles of Virginia rivers and nearly 40,000 acres of Virginia lakes are contaminated by mercury, including the Meherrin River, parts of the Nottoway, Blackwater, Mattaponi, and Pamunkey rivers, Dragon Run, Lake Drummond, Lake Whitehurst, Lake Trashmore, Chickahominy Lake, and Harrison Lake. All are within a 60-mile radius of the proposed Dendron site, the area of greatest mercury fallout. Mercury is toxic to humans, especially fetuses, infants, children, and pregnant women. Mercury affects learning ability, language, motor skills and, at high levels, causes permanent brain damage.
Nitrogen Oxides—More Smog, More Health Problems
Ozone smog and soot released by coal-fired power plants are associated with increased risk of asthma, heart and respiratory problems, increased absences from school and work, increased hospitalizations, increased medication, and increased risk of premature death. The Dendron plant would release 6.2 million pounds of nitrogen dioxide* (NOx); this is 8.5 times more NOx pollution than now produced by the entire County of Surry.
NOx is a major component of ground level ozone (smog). NOx pollution from the power plant would threaten air quality in Surry County and worsen existing smog problems in Hampton Roads and Richmond, two regions soon to be designated by EPA as unhealthy for smog. According to EPA, power plants are the second-largest source of NOx in the atmosphere; in Virginia, power plants produce 18 percent of the annual airborne NOx pollution. Air modeling predicts the Dendron plant will cause more than 264 tons of sulfur and 286 tons of soot to settle onto the Chesapeake Bay watershed, contributing to hazy air, health concerns, and acid rain.
Greenhouse Gases—Worsening Climate Change, Sea Level Rise
Climate change caused by excess greenhouse gases will worsen sea-level rise in the Chesapeake Bay region, the second-most vulnerable area in the United States to sea level rise. This poses significant threats to the region's environment, economy, and military. The Dendron plant would release 11.7 million tons of carbon dioxide* into the air each year, adding more greenhouse gases to the earth's atmosphere and exacerbating climate change problems. Recent scientific studies suggest that increased carbon dioxide levels in the Chesapeake Bay may increase the acidity of Bay waters and seriously threaten restoration of the native oyster. Coal-fired power plants are among the worst greenhouse gas polluters. To date, no technology exists to feasibly capture and contain carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants (carbon sequestration).
Alternatives to a New Coal-Fired Power Plant Are Available
Energy Efficiency and Conservation—A 10 percent reduction in energy through efficiency and conservation will reduce Virginia's 2016 estimated power shortfall by 97 percent; a 14 percent reduction in energy through efficiency and conservation will eliminate all shortfalls and produce an excess 1,055 megawatts of electricity.** Renewable Energy—Virginia has enough untapped renewable energy resources, including wind, tidal, solar, biomass, municipal solid waste, and others, to develop nearly 44,000 megawatts of electricity.**
* ODEC-provided estimates as of February, 2010
** 2007 Virginia Energy Plan
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6A LITERATURE INFORMATION
SSR Book: Students are required to have an SSR (Sustained Silent Reading) book with them at all times in every class. This book can be any book chosen by the student, and does not have to be from the 6th grade book list. Students need to have this book with then at all times in case students have any free time after a test or at the end of a lesson. Students who do not have an SSR book are considered unprepared for class.
Students are expected to read independently and complete mini-projects on the books that they read throughout the school year. Sixth grade students are required to read at least 18 books in the 2011-2012 school year. An explanation of the 18 Book Standard will occur in the first week of school in the reading class of all students.
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September 14th, 2011 | Caixin China’s Bohai Sea Drowns in Discharged Waste
Oil from a recent spill blended with 30 years of waste dumped by cities and factories ringing the once-beautiful sea
A recent offshore oil spill has given China reason to pause for a close look at the filth floating in the Bohai Sea which, after eons of pristine beauty followed by three decades of intense pollution, is today seriously ill.
A map of polluted areas included in a 2008 Report on the Quality of the Marine Environment of the Bohai Sea, published by the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), still paints a depressing picture. It shows that the entire length of the Bohai shore, with the exception of a few sections near Hebei Province’s South Qinhuangdao and Beidaihe, as well as Liaoning Province’s Dalian, has been seriously polluted.
Moreover, the report described sea conditions long before last year’s oil tank explosion and spill in the Dalian area, and crude oil started leaking from ConnocoPhillips drilling rigs in June.
As of 2005, according to other SOA reports, about 14 percent of Bohai’s waters were polluted. The percentage had risen to 22 percent by 2010.
Tianjin, the biggest city on the sea, is both a contributor and victim of the contamination. SOA says more than 95 percent of the sea area off the city’s shore are rated Grade IV – a classification given by scientists for seawater described as “generally offensive in color, smell and taste.”
Recent efforts to clean up Bohai succeeded in reducing the total Grade IV section of the sea by half, after a peak of 6,120 square kilometers was reported in 2007. But the trend reversed in 2010, and the fouled area spread to 3,220 square kilometers.
The largest sections of polluted water in the Bohai Sea are in coastal areas that encompass fishing grounds, tourist areas and nature reserves, said Wang Shicheng, a former deputy director of the Shandong Province Ocean and Fisheries Department.
And 80 percent of the sea’s pollution comes from land sources, including factories and city sewage plants, said Xia Qing, a researcher at the China Environmental Science Research Institute and head of the organizational group that drafted a Bohai Sea Environmental Master Plan.
It’s a predicament that’s closely tied to China’s rapid, modern-day industrial development.
Scientists say the Bohai Sea has played the role of a “pollution sink” for a large swathe of modern China. About 45 rivers empty into the sea, and several major channels including the Haihe, Yellow and Liaohe rivers are major channels for manmade discharges including sewage.
Moreover, thousands of sewage outlets empty directly into the sea, including those for factories in industrial zones built in recent years in Shandong, Tianjin, Hebei and Liaoning. Many of these factories have been cited for high levels of pollution.
Overall, the amount of waste discharged into the sea greatly exceeds quotas set by environmental regulators. In 2008, for example, marine authorities who monitored 96 sewage outlets found 82 percent exceeded discharge standards. And in Shandong alone, they found 96 percent exceeded the standards.
Wang says environmental authorities have proposed forcing local companies to meet discharge standards. But questions about the standards themselves cloud this proposal. For example, separate discharge standards have been established for the steel, printing and papermaking industries.
“Environmental protection authorities think the pollution discharge situation is getting better and better,” said Wang. “But marine authorities have found it to be getting worse and worse.”
One proof of deteriorating conditions is the shrinkage of the heavily tapped Yellow River before it reaches the sea. The Yellow is the sea’s most important river, but so little water winds up reaching the sea that salinity levels in the Bohai have risen to the point of seriously inhibiting fish spawning.
Another harmful consequence of sea pollution is eutrophication, which can lead to red tides. One such “micro-micro-flagellate” red tide algae bloom lasted from late May to early July in Hebei’s Changli County.
This was the third consecutive year in which the county’s seacoast experienced red tides, which halt development of young scallops and kill others.
By staff reporter Gong Jing
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But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. ~ ...
Specifically as used by the Reformed theological tradition, what is meant by the term "covenant"? How is this different than other forms of agreements under assorted names in English like contract, ...
In church traditions that subscribe to Reformed theology it is common to refer to God's relationship to men in terms of covenants -- agreements between God and His people in which God makes specific ...
Many Christians believe that there are three kinds of law in the Old Testament: The moral law that declares how man should live. The civil law that was the legal structures for the ancient nation of ...
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The little girl who suggested Abraham Lincoln grow a beard lived her adult life in north-central Kansas.
Grace Bedell was just 11 years old when she wrote a letter on Oct. 14, 1860, to the man who was then just the Republican nominee for president of the United States.
In her letter, Bedell told Lincoln that her father had just brought home a picture of him from the fair, and she believed he should grow a beard. "You would look a great deal better, your face is so thin," she wrote. "All the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husbands to vote for you and then you would be president."
After being elected president, Lincoln stopped at her hometown in New York and told the little girl he had taken her advice.
Six years later, when she was 17, Grace married George Billings, who was a sergeant in the Union Army during the Civil War, and moved to the state whose early troubles had made Lincoln famous — Kansas. They settled in Delphos, where Grace lived until her death in 1936.
Grace and George are both buried in the Delphos Cemetery. Her letter to Lincoln ended up in the Detroit Library, but there is a memorial to Grace and her famous letter in the Delphos town square.
The Topeka Capital-Journal ©2013. All Rights Reserved.
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Average student loan debt for the class of 2011 was $26,600, according to the Project on Student Debt at the Institute for College Access & Success. You may also have credit card balances and an automobile loan that all affect your credit record. How you use credit and how much debt you carry will affect many aspects of your life, both financial and personal.
Here’s what recent graduates should know about the impact of credit:
* Your credit score will likely affect your auto insurance rates. If you’ve been insured under your parents’ policy, once you graduate and start your career, you’ll need to get your own coverage. Credit scores are one of the factors auto insurance companies look at when deciding what your premium will be. Although a higher score is no guarantee of a lower premium, a low score may drive your premium up – or even prompt an insurer to deny you coverage.
* Landlords and rental companies will almost certainly want to review your credit before agreeing to rent a home to you. A history of on-time payments and smart credit use can make landlords view you as a good potential renter. Spotty payment history, a high debt load and questionable credit decisions may make you look less desirable. A poor credit history may mean a landlord asks for a larger security deposit from you – or may choose not to rent to you at all.
* When you initiate an account with a utility company such as electric or gas providers, the company will ask to review your credit. Blemishes on your credit report may prompt the utility to ask for a higher security deposit.
* Just like landlords and utility companies, cell phone providers may require a credit check – and a higher deposit if you have poor credit or little or no credit history.
* If you’re considering surgery or a health procedure (such as extensive dental work) that’s not covered by your employer-provided health insurance, you may try to strike a payment deal with the doctor or service provider. A good credit report and score may make the provider more inclined to work with you on a payment plan.
* If you fall in love and plan to get married, it’s unlikely bad credit or high debt will prompt a devoted partner to walk away from your relationship. But studies show that money stress can strain a marriage, and fights over money are a leading cause of divorce. While good credit can’t ensure wedded bliss, starting your marriage with good credit can make many aspects of life easier for you and your spouse.
Understanding how credit affects your financial and personal life is important for everyone, especially recent graduates. Fortunately, online resources like Equifax.com and the Equifax Finance Blog can help you understand credit and how credit reporting and scoring works.
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|Bangladesh Table of Contents
Christianity's first contact with the Indian subcontinent is attributed to the Apostle Thomas, who is said to have preached in southern India. Although Jesuit priests were active at the Mughal courts in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the first Roman Catholic settlements in what became Bangladesh appear to have been established by the Portuguese, coming from their center in Goa on the west coast of India. During the sixteenth century the Portuguese settled in the vicinity of Chittagong, where they were active in piracy and slave trading. In the seventeenth century some Portuguese moved to Dhaka.
Serious Protestant missionary efforts began only in the first half of the nineteenth century. Baptist missionary activities beginning in 1816, the Anglican Oxford Mission, and others worked mainly among the tribal peoples of the Low Hills in the northern part of Mymensingh and Sylhet regions. Many of the Christian churches, schools, and hospitals were initially set up to serve the European community. They subsequently became centers of conversion activities, particularly among the lower caste Hindus.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs provided assistance and support to the Christian institutions in the country. In the late 1980s, the government was not imposing any restrictions on the legitimate religious activities of the missions and the communities. Mission schools and hospitals were well attended and were used by members of all religions. The Christian community usually enjoyed better opportunities for education and a better standard of living. In the late 1980s, Christianity had about 600,000 adherents, mainly Roman Catholic, and their numbers were growing rapidly.
Source: U.S. Library of Congress
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by Dr. Ellen R. Jordan
Texas A&M Extension
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The use of waste milk to feed calves is a common practice on many dairy farms, but it comes with risk. Along with the milk, calves may ingest pathogens that cause disease (mycoplasma, salmonella and Johne’s Disease, etc.).
To minimize the risk, pasteurize the waste milk. Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, the pathogen caused Johne’s Disease, is not easily destroyed. However, researchers at the National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa and at other locations have shown that pasteurization can destroy it and other pathogens provided the milk is heated to the correct temperature and held for a specified time.
There are two general types of on-farm pasteurizers available. The first type is frequently referred to as a batch pasteurizer. Milk is put into this pasteurizer, heated to 150° F (65.5° C) and held for 30 minutes.
The second type is a commercial high-temperature, short-time pasteurizer or a HTST pasteurizer. When using a HTST pasteurizer, heat milk to 161° F (71.7° C) and hold for 15 seconds.
Since both types of pasteurizers have been shown to effectively destroy pathogens, either can be used. The critical point is to use the correct temperature and time for the type of pasteurizer chosen.
Because some of these same pathogens can be transferred in colostrum, there is interest in what happens to immunoglobulins if colostrum is pasteurized. In a recent study using the HTST pasteurizer, there was a 25% reduction in immunoglobulins, thus consider alternative methods to protect calves from disease found in colostrum.
If you pasteurize colostrum, use the batch pasteurizer as the HTST tends to clog with colostrum.
For example, to control Johne’s Disease use only colostrum from cows that have recently been tested negative for Johne’s.
Commercial colostrum supplements or replacements can also be fed if insufficient colostrum is available.
Waste milk can be used for feeding calves, however pasteurize it first to reduce the risk associated with this cost-saving practice.
■ To contact Dr. Ellen R. Jordan at Texas A&M Extensiion, call 972-952-9212 or e-mail her at firstname.lastname@example.org
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5.8 magnitude earthquake. There was a lot of chatter generated by it, probably disproportionate to the magnitude of the event. There were a few news items that might be of interest to some of you. First, contrary to initial reports, there was some building damage in Virginia and the DC area, including the collapse of finials on the National Cathedral's main tower. Second, PhysOrg explains why the earthquake was felt over such a large area, from Georgia north to Quebec and west to Wisconsin. Scientific American has a list of the top ten East Coast earthquakes. Finally, here is an interesting bird-related note from the National Zoo:
The first warnings of the earthquake may have occurred at the National Zoo, where officials said some animals seemed to feel it coming before people did. The red ruffed lemurs began “alarm calling” a full 15 minutes before the quake hit, zoo spokeswoman Pamela Baker-Masson said. In the Great Ape House, Iris, an orangutan, let out a guttural holler 10 seconds before keepers felt the quake. The flamingos huddled together in the water seconds before people felt the rumbling. The rheas got excited. And the hooded mergansers — a kind of duck — dashed for the safety of the water.
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Word Origin & History
O.E. cocc, O.Fr. coq, O.N. kokkr, all of echoic origin. O.E. cocc was a nickname for "one who strutted like a cock," thus a common term in the Middle Ages for a pert boy, used of scullions, apprentices, servants, etc. A common personal name till c.1500, it was affixed to Christian names as a pet diminutive,
cf. Wilcox, Hitchcock, etc. Slang sense of "penis" is attested since 1618 (but cf. pillicock "penis," from c.1300); cock-teaser is from 1891. A cocker spaniel (1823) was trained to start woodcocks. Cock-and-bull is first recorded 1621, perhaps an allusion to Aesop's fables, with their incredible talking animals, or to a particular story, now forgotten. French has parallel expression coq-à-l'âne.
in various mechanical senses, such as cock of a faucet (late 15c.) is of uncertain connection with cock
(n.1), but Ger. has hahn "hen" in many of the same senses. The cock of an old matchlock firearm is 1560s, hence half-cocked "with the cock lifted to the first catch, at which
position the trigger does not act."
seeming contradictory senses of "to stand up" (as in cock one's ear), c.1600, and "to bend" (1898) are from the two cock nouns. The first is probably in reference to the posture of the bird's head or tail, the second to the firearm position. To cock ones hat carries the notion of "defiant boastfulness"
also in M.E. cocken (c.1150) "to fight."
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adjective, un·ru·li·er, un·ru·li·est.
not submissive or conforming to rule; ungovernable; turbulent; intractable; refractory; lawless: an unruly class; an unruly wilderness.
Origin: 1350–1400; Middle English unruely, Related forms
equivalent to un- un-1
+ ruly, ruely
governable, controllable; see rule
disobedient, unmanageable, uncontrollable, stubborn, disorderly, riotous. Unruly, intractable, recalcitrant, refractory describe persons or things that resist management or control. Unruly suggests persistently disorderly behavior or character in persons or things: an unruly child, peevish and willful; wild, unruly hair. Intractable suggests in persons a determined resistance to all attempts to guide or direct them, in things a refusal to respond to attempts to shape, improve, or modify them: an intractable social rebel; a seemingly intractable problem in logistics. recalcitrant and refractory imply not only a lack of submissiveness but also an open, often violent, rebellion against authority or direction. Recalcitrant the stronger of the two terms, suggests a stubborn and absolute noncompliance: a recalcitrant person, openly contemptuous of all authority. Refractory implies active, mulish disobedience, but leaves open the possibility of eventual compliance: refractory students, resisting efforts to interest them in their studies.
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Date: February 1940
Creator: Holbrook, Helen S. (Helen Shepard), b. 1882.
Description: A guide to planning a laundry center at home. Describes various types of equipment and machinery available for washing, drying, and ironing. Describes the products used for laundering and the recommended laundering methods for specific fabric types.
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Date: August 2007
Creator: Sarasti, Israel A.
Description: Reciprocal teaching comprehension-monitoring is a reading comprehension instructional procedure that combines four instructional strategies: predicting, summarizing, questioning, and clarifying to enhance students' comprehension of text. The procedure is a dialogue between the teacher and the students. During reciprocal teaching instruction, the teacher and students take turns leading the dialogue in order to enhance the students' comprehension-monitoring skills. The research on reciprocal teaching has included meta-analyses, group designs, qualitative designs, and single-subject research designs. These studies have identified gaps in the literature to include the measurement of treatment fidelity and treatment acceptability, as well as the psychometric properties of the instruments used to measure daily reading comprehension growth. These gaps were investigated in this study. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of reciprocal teaching comprehension-monitoring with a group of fifteen 3rd grade students reading at grade level. Specifically, this study investigated the use of curriculum-based measurement maze probes (CBM-maze probes) to formatively assess the reading comprehension growth of the students. Additionally, this study implemented treatment integrity procedures and investigated the acceptability of reciprocal teaching and the CBM-maze probes through a treatment acceptability rating scale. A multiple baseline across groups with three phases (baseline, intervention, follow-up) was employed. ...
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries
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|man pages section 1M: System Administration Commands Oracle Solaris 11 Information Library|
- create an NTFS file system
mkntfs [options] device [number_of_sectors]
mkntfs [-C] [-c cluster-size] [-F] [-f] [-H heads] [-h] [-I] [-L volume-label] [-l] [-n] [-p part-start-sect] [-Q] [-q] [-S sectors-per-track] [-s sector-size] [-T] [-V] [-v] [-z mft-zone-multiplier] [--debug] device [number-of-sectors]
The mkntfs utility is used to create an NTFS file system on a device, usually a disk partition, or file. The device operand is the special file corresponding to the device; for example, /dev/dsk/c0d0p0. The number-of-sectors operand is the number of blocks on the device. If omitted, mkntfs automatically figures the file system size.
Supported options are listed below. Most options have both single-letter and full-name forms. Multiple single-letter options that do not take an argument can be combined. For example, -fv is the equivalent of -f -v. A full-name option can be abbreviated to a unique prefix of its name.
Options are divided among basic, advanced, output, and help options, as listed below.
Enable compression on the volume.
Perform quick (fast) format. This option skips both zeroing of the volume and bad sector checking.
Set the volume label for the filesystem to string.
Causes mkntfs to not actually create a file system, but display what it would do if it were to create a file system. All formatting steps are carried out except the actual writing to the device.
Specify the size of clusters in bytes. Valid cluster size values are powers of two, with at least 256, and at most 65536, bytes per cluster. If omitted, mkntfs uses 4096 bytes as the default cluster size.
Note that the default cluster size is set to be at least equal to the sector size, as a cluster cannot be smaller than a sector. Also, note that values greater than 4096 have the side effect that compression is disabled on the volume. This is due to limitations in the NTFS compression algorithm used by Windows.
Force mkntfs to run, even if the specified device is not a block special device, or appears to be mounted.
Specify the number of heads. The maximum is 65535 (0xffff). If omitted, mkntfs attempts to determine the number of heads automatically. If that fails a default of 0 is used. Note that specifying num is required for Windows to be able to boot from the created volume.
Disable content indexing on the volume. This option is only meaningful on Windows 2000 and later. Windows NT 4.0 and earlier ignore this, as they do not implement content indexing.
Specify the partition start sector. The maximum is 4294967295 (232-1). If omitted, mkntfs attempts to determine sectorautomatically. If that fails, a default of 0 is used. Note that specifying sector is required for Windows to be able to boot from the created volume.
Specify the number of sectors per track. The maximum is 65535 (0xffff). If omitted, mkntfs attempts to determine the number of sectors-per-track automatically and if that fails a default of 0 is used. Note that sectors-per-track is required for Windows to be able to boot from the created volume.
Specify the size of sectors in bytes. Valid sector size values are 256, 512, 1024, 2048, and 4096. If omitted, mkntfs attempts to determine the sector-size automatically. If that fails, a default of 512 bytes per sector is used.
Fake the time to be 00:00:00 UTC, Jan 1, 1970, instead of the current system time. This can be useful for debugging purposes.
Set the master file table (MFT) zone multiplier, which determines the size of the MFT zone to use on the volume. The MFT zone is the area at the beginning of the volume reserved for the MFT, which stores the on-disk inodes (MFT records). It is noteworthy that small files are stored entirely within the inode; thus, if you expect to use the volume for storing large numbers of very small files, it is useful to set the zone multiplier to a higher value. Although the MFT zone is resized on the fly as required during operation of the NTFS driver, choosing an optimal value reduces fragmentation. Valid values are 1, 2, 3, and 4. The values have the following meaning:
MFT zone MFT zone size multiplier (% of volume size) 1 12.5% (default) 2 25.0% 3 37.5% 4 50.0%
Includes the verbose output from the -v option, as well as additional output useful for debugging mkntfs.
Verbose execution. Errors are written to stderr, no output to stdout occurs at all. Useful if mkntfs is run in a script.
Show a list of options with a brief description of each one.
Display the mkntfs licensing information and exit.
Display the mkntfs version number and exit.
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:
mkntfs was written by Anton Altaparmakov, Richard Russon, Erik Sornes and Szabolcs Szakacsits.
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Dragons are creatures with nearly unlimited life spans. They can survive for long periods of time, and no one has found a dragon that has died of old age. Adolescence is usually marked by the growth of a hatchling’s wings, although not all breeds of dragons grow wings and some breeds have other traits that indicate the beginning of maturation. Once they hit adolescence, hatchlings change quickly, maturing to their full forms in only 2 years.
Dragons don’t communicate with each other verbally, but they will growl to scare off predators and frighten prey. Young dragons will emit an extremely high-pitched squeal when they are frightened. To communicate, they use telepathy with each other and to speak to other creatures.
Stone dragons have a tough outer covering made of a stone-like material. They eat rocks, using the minerals they contain for nourishment and to keep up their stone outer shell. They rarely move, and are the heaviest of all types of dragons. Although they have wings, indicating flight ability, no one has ever seen a stone dragon flying.
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Sign the Resolution
Contents | Feedback | Search
DRCNet Home | Join DRCNet
DRCNet Library | Schaffer Library | Cocaine
According to ex-New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, "Colombia has probably the best cocaine, the best heroin, and the best marijuana in the world. And the best coffee".
Typically, coca thrives in warm, moist valleys between 1500 and 6000 metres above sea level. The plant grows to a height of up to eight feet. The leaves are rich in vitamins, protein, calcium, iron and fiber. The cocaine content of the leaves ranges from O.1% to 0.9%; like the user, it tends to get higher with altitude. Chewing coca also counters the symptoms of 'mountain sickness' and oxygen-deprivation. The daily dose of the average coquero is around 200mg.
Chewing coca leaves with a dash of powdered lime is a nutritious and energising way to induce healthy mood without causing an unsustainable high. Unfortunately, it is not very good for one's teeth.
Stictly speaking, the leaves aren't actually chewed. Typically, the dried coca leaf is moistened with saliva. The wad is placed between the gum and cheek and it is gently sucked. The invigorating juices are swallowed. Lime-rich materials such as burnt seashells or a cereal are used to promote the separation of the leaf's active alkaloid.
Shamans from some traditional Indian tribes still smoke coca leaves for magical purposes. Inhaling the sacred vapors induces a trance-like state. Coca enables a shaman to cross 'the bridge of smoke', enter the world of spirits, and activate his magical powers. Alas the leaves don't travel well; and this ancient usage is uncommon in the urban industrial West.
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In 1996, the Forest Service described the 1.8 million acre Rio Grande National Forest, which rings the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado, as "large … and … essentially undeveloped."
The agency expected things to stay that way, at least as far as petroleum extraction was concerned. An analysis of the management plan the Forest adopted that year concluded "development of oil and gas is not likely" by 2011.
And for the dozen years since that analysis, not a single acre of the Rio Grande NF was leased for oil development. That’s about to change. On May 8, the Bureau of Land Management (which manages federally-owned minerals) will put up for bid 144,000 acres of the Forest for oil and gas drilling.
That’s more than 225 square miles, or about half the size of Rocky Mountain National Park. Areas to be leased to industry include tens of thousands of acres of roadless lands, deer and elk winter range, lynx habitat, watersheds of the Rio Grande a few miles upstream from two national wildlife refuges and agricultural land, and steep slopes prone to erosion and landslides.
While some of those areas may be "protected" by lease conditions that restrict the amount of bulldozing, road construction, logging, pipeline building, and other surface disturbance that petroleum development requires, the Forest Service could waive these conditions, essentially rendering them meaningless. Back in '96, when the domestic oil bidness was slow, the Forest Service predicted only 9 wells would be drilled and less than 130 acres disturbed in the area where BLM proposes its enormous sale. Now, with the price of oil through the roof and natural gas prices nothing to sneeze at, far more development seems possible. Previous lease sales in and around the San Luis Valley have run into significant opposition.
The public has until April 23 to file official "protests" of each lease parcel. We’ll see what happens with this one.
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(CNN) -- One year before the day of his death, an ailing Sen. Ted Kennedy electrified a crowd of thousands at the Democratic National Convention.
Sen. Ted Kennedy was an early supporter of Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
"There is a new wave of change all around us, and if we set our compass true, we will reach our destination -- not merely victory for our party, but renewal for our nation," Kennedy said on August 25, 2008.
"And this November, the torch will be passed again to a new generation of Americans, so with Barack Obama and for you and for me, our country will be committed to his cause."
Two months later, the election of the United States' first black president marked the actualization of decades of work for Kennedy, who was a champion of civil rights throughout his nearly 50-year tenure in the Senate.
In the 1960s, as civil rights battles raged across the country, it was Kennedy's brother, President John F. Kennedy, who sought passage of a landmark bill to ban discrimination.
And when JFK was assassinated, Ted Kennedy, already filling his older brother's Senate seat, filled his shoes, too, helping to push the legislation through.
Democratic Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, who worked closely with Kennedy on civil rights issues, said Kennedy was "our shepherd, he was our champion, he was our leader." Watch Lewis talk about Kennedy's civil rights legacy »
The first major speech Kennedy made on the Senate floor was in support of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which banned discrimination based on race or gender in public places, schools and places of employment.
"He didn't have to do it. He was not from the heart of the American South ... but I think because of his upbringing, his faith, his passion, he would say over and over again, 'We must do what is right. It's the right thing to do. We have a moral obligation,' " Lewis said.
And even as his 1980 presidential bid came to an end, Kennedy kept his focus on equal rights.
"And we can be proud that our party stands plainly and publicly and persistently for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment," he said in the keynote address at the Democratic convention that year.
"Women hold their rightful place at our convention, and women must have their rightful place in the Constitution of the United States. On this issue we will not yield; we will not equivocate; we will not rationalize, explain or excuse. We will stand for E.R.A. and for the recognition at long last that our nation was made up of founding mothers as well as founding fathers."
While the White House eluded his grasp, the longtime Massachusetts senator was considered one of the most effective legislators of the past few decades. In addition to the Civil Rights Act, Kennedy played a key role in passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act and the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act. He earned a reputation as an outspoken liberal standard-bearer during a conservative-dominated era from the 1980s to the early 2000s.
The senator pulled no punches when he felt civil rights might be in danger. In 1987, Kennedy led the opposition to President Reagan's nominee for the Supreme Court, Robert Bork. The senator was quick to warn that he thought Bork's conservative ideology would be dangerous for the country.
"In Robert Bork's America, there is no room at the inn for blacks and no place in the Constitution for women. And in our America, there should be no seat on the Supreme Court for Robert Bork," Kennedy charged. His effort was successful, as Reagan's nominee was rejected.
Sen. Chris Dodd, a close friend and colleague, said Kennedy spent his life fighting for justice for all.
"The issue was people in the shadows, people who don't have lawyers and lobbyists, people who don't have advocates," said Dodd, D-Connecticut.
"And so his biggest issue were those millions of people -- and that includes everyone, because everyone at some point or another in our lives needs an advocate. And you never could have a better one than Ted Kennedy. When he was in your corner, he was in it forever."
Kennedy made life different -- and better, Lewis said. "During the '60s, I saw those signs that said 'white men, colored men; white women, colored women; white waiting, colored waiting.' He helped to bring those signs down."
For many, it was fitting that Kennedy became an early supporter of Obama's presidential campaign, reaching out to all the groups he championed in the past to carry his civil rights legacy to the future.
"The work begins anew. The hope rises again. And the dream lives on," Kennedy said at the close of his convention address last year.
The morning after Kennedy's death, Obama acknowledged the personal role Kennedy played in helping him become president of the United States.
"I valued his wise counsel in the Senate, where, regardless of the swirl of events, he always had time for a new colleague. I cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race for the presidency. And even as he waged a valiant struggle with a mortal illness, I've profited as president from his encouragement and wisdom," the president said in a statement Wednesday morning.
"For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well-being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts."
Kennedy, Obama said, "picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States senator of our time."
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Do Schools Begin Too Early?
The effect of start times on student achievement
What time should the school day begin? School start times vary considerably, both across the nation and within individual communities, with some schools beginning earlier than 7:30 a.m. and others after 9:00 a.m. Districts often stagger the start times of different schools in order to reduce transportation costs by using fewer buses. But if beginning the school day early in the morning has a negative impact on academic performance, staggering start times may not be worth the cost savings.
Proponents of later start times, who have received considerable media attention in recent years, argue that many students who have to wake up early for school do not get enough sleep and that beginning the school day at a later time would boost their achievement. A number of school districts have responded by delaying the start of their school day, and a 2005 congressional resolution introduced by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) recommended that secondary schools nationwide start at 9:00 or later. Despite this attention, there is little rigorous evidence directly linking school start times and academic performance.
In this study, I use data from Wake County, North Carolina, to examine how start times affect the performance of middle school students on standardized tests. I find that delaying school start times by one hour, from roughly 7:30 to 8:30, increases standardized test scores by at least 2 percentile points in math and 1 percentile point in reading. The effect is largest for students with below-average test scores, suggesting that later start times would narrow gaps in student achievement.
The primary rationale given for start times affecting academic performance is biological. Numerous studies, including those published by Elizabeth Baroni and her colleagues in 2004 and by Fred Danner and Barbara Phillips in 2008, have found that earlier start times may result in fewer hours of sleep, as students may not fully compensate for earlier rising times with earlier bedtimes. Activities such as sports and work, along with family and social schedules, may make it difficult for students to adjust the time they go to bed. In addition, the onset of puberty brings two factors that can make this adjustment particularly difficult for adolescents: an increase in the amount of sleep needed and a change in the natural timing of the sleep cycle. Hormonal changes, in particular, the secretion of melatonin, shift the natural circadian rhythm of adolescents, making it increasingly difficult for them to fall asleep early in the evening. Lack of sleep, in turn, can interfere with learning. A 1996 survey of research studies found substantial evidence that less sleep is associated with a decrease in cognitive performance, both in laboratory settings and through self-reported sleep habits. Researchers have likewise reported a negative correlation between self-reported hours of sleep and school grades among both middle- and high-school students.
I find evidence consistent with this explanation: among middle school students, the impact of start times is greater for older students (who are more likely to have entered adolescence). However, I also find evidence of other potential mechanisms; later start times are associated with reduced television viewing, increased time spent on homework, and fewer absences. Regardless of the precise mechanism at work, my results from Wake County suggest that later start times have the potential to be a more cost-effective method of increasing student achievement than other common educational interventions such as reducing class size.
The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) is the 16th-largest district in the United States, with 146,687 students in all grades for the 2011–12 school year. It encompasses all public schools in Wake County, a mostly urban and suburban county that includes the cities of Raleigh and Wake Forest. Start times for schools in the district are proposed by the transportation department (which also determines bus schedules) and approved by the school board.
Wake County is uniquely suited for this study because there are considerable differences in start times both across schools and for the same schools at different points in time. Since 1995, WCPSS has operated under a three-tiered system. While there are some minor differences in the exact start times, most Tier I schools begin at 7:30, Tier II schools at 8:15, and Tier III at 9:15. Tiers I and II are composed primarily of middle and high schools, and Tier III is composed entirely of elementary schools. Just over half of middle schools begin at 7:30, with substantial numbers of schools beginning at 8:00 and 8:15 as well. The school day at all schools is the same length. But as the student population has grown, the school district has changed the start times for many individual schools in order to maintain a balanced bus schedule, generating differences in start times for the same school in different years.
The only nationally representative dataset that records school start times indicates that, as of 2001, the median middle-school student in the U.S. began school at 8:00. More than one-quarter of students begin school at 8:30 or later, while more than 20 percent begin at 7:45 or earlier. In other words, middle school start times are somewhat earlier in Wake County than in most districts nationwide. The typical Wake County student begins school earlier than more than 90 percent of American middle-school students.
Data and Methods
The data used in this study come from two sources. First, administrative data for every student in North Carolina between 2000 and 2006 were provided by the North Carolina Education Research Data Center. The data contain detailed demographic variables for each student as well as end-of-grade test scores in reading and math. I standardize the raw test scores by assigning each student a percentile score, which indicates performance relative to all North Carolina students who took the test in the same grade and year. The second source of data is the start times for each Wake County public school, which are recorded annually and were provided by the WCPSS transportation department.
About 39 percent of WCPSS students attended magnet schools between 2000 and 2006. Since buses serving magnet schools must cover a larger geographic area, ride times tend to be longer for magnet school students. As a result, almost all magnet schools during the study period began at the earliest start time. Because magnet schools start earlier and enroll students who tend to have higher test scores, I exclude magnet schools from my main analysis. My results are very similar if magnet school students are included.
The data allow me to use several different methods to analyze the effect of start times on student achievement. First, I compare the reading and math scores of students in schools that start earlier to the scores of similar students at later-starting schools. Specifically, I control for the student’s race, limited English status, free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, years of parents’ education, and whether the student is academically gifted or has a learning disability. I also control for the characteristics of the school, including total enrollment, pupil-to-teacher ratio, racial composition, percentage of students eligible for free lunch, and percentage of returning students. This approach compares students with similar characteristics who attend schools that are similar, except for the fact that some schools start earlier and others start later.
The results produced by this first approach could be misleading, however, if middle schools with later start times differ from other schools in unmeasured ways. For example, it could be the case that more-motivated principals lobby the district to receive a later start time and also employ other strategies that boost student achievement. If that were the case, then I might find that schools with later start times have higher test scores, even if start times themselves had no causal effect.
To deal with this potential problem, my second approach focuses on schools that changed their start times during the study period. Fourteen of the district’s middle schools changed their start times, including seven schools that changed their start times by 30 minutes or more. This enables me to compare the test scores of students who attended a particular school to the test scores of students who attended the same school in a different year, when it had an earlier or later start time. For example, this method would compare the test scores of students at a middle school that had a 7:30 start time from 1999 to 2003 to the scores of students at the same school when it had an 8:00 start time from 2004 to 2006. I still control for all of the student and school characteristics mentioned earlier.
As a final check on the accuracy of my results, I perform analyses that compare the achievement of individual students to their own achievement in a different year in which the middle school they attended started at a different time. For example, this method would compare the scores of 7th graders at a school with a 7:30 start time in 2003 to the scores of the same students as 8th graders in 2004, when the school had a start time of 8:00. As this suggests, this method can only be used for the roughly 28 percent of students in my sample whose middle school changed its start time while they were enrolled.
My first method compares students with similar characteristics who attend schools that are similar except for having different start times. The results indicate that a one-hour delay in start time increases standardized test scores on both math and reading tests by roughly 3 percentile points. As noted above, however, these results could be biased by unmeasured differences between early- and late-starting schools (or the students who attend them).
Using my second method, which mitigates this bias by following the same schools over time as they change their start times, I find a 2.2-percentile-point improvement in math scores and a 1.5-point improvement in reading scores associated with a one-hour change in start time.
My second method controls for all school-level characteristics that do not change over time. However, a remaining concern is that the student composition of schools may change. For example, high-achieving students in a school that changed to an earlier start time might transfer to private schools. To address this issue, I estimate the impact of later start times using only data from students who experience a change in start time while remaining in the same school. Among these students, the effect of a one-hour later start time is 1.8 percentile points in math and 1.0 point in reading (see Figure 1).
These estimated effects of changes in start times are large enough to be substantively important. For example, the effect of a one-hour later start time on math scores is roughly 14 percent of the black-white test-score gap, 40 percent of the gap between those eligible and those not eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and 85 percent of the gain associated with an additional year of parents’ education.
The benefits of a later start time in middle school appear to persist through at least the 10th grade. All students in North Carolina are required to take the High School Comprehensive Test at the end of 10th grade. The comprehensive exam measures growth in reading and math since the end of grade 8 and is similar in format to the end-of-grade tests taken in grades 3–8. Controlling for the start time of their high school, I find that students whose middle school started one hour later when they were in 8th grade continue to score 2 percentile points higher in both math and reading when tested in grade 10.
I also looked separately at the effect of later start times for lower-scoring and higher-scoring students. The results indicate that the effect of a later start time in both math and reading is more than twice as large for students in the bottom third of the test-score distribution than for students in the top third. The larger effect of start times on low-scoring students suggests that delaying school start times may be an especially relevant policy change for school districts trying to meet minimum competency requirements (such as those mandated in the No Child Left Behind Act).
Why Do Start Times Matter?
The typical explanation for why later start times might increase academic achievement is that by starting school later, students will get more sleep. As students enter adolescence, hormonal changes make it difficult for them to compensate for early school start times by going to bed earlier. Because students enter adolescence during their middle-school years, examining the effect of start times as students age allows me to test this theory. If the adolescent hormone explanation is true, the effect of school start times should be larger for older students, who are more likely to have begun puberty.
I therefore separate the students in my sample by years of age and estimate the effect of start time on test scores separately for each group. In both math and reading, the start-time effect is roughly the same for students age 11 and 12, but increases for those age 13 and is largest for students age 14 (see Figure 2). This pattern is consistent with the adolescent hormone theory.
To further investigate how the effect of later start times varies with age, I estimate the effect of start times on upper elementary students (grades 3–5). If adolescent hormones are the mechanism through which start times affect academic performance, preadolescent elementary students should not be affected by early start times. I find that start times in fact had no effect on elementary students. However, elementary schools start much later than middle schools (more than half of elementary schools begin at 9:15, and almost all of the rest begin at 8:15). As a result, it is not clear if there is no effect because start times are not a factor in the academic performance of prepubescent students, or because the schools start much later and only very early start times affect performance.
Of course, increased sleep is not the only possible reason later-starting middle-school students have higher test scores. Students in early-starting schools could be more likely to skip breakfast. Because they also get out of school earlier, they could spend more (or less) time playing sports, watching television, or doing homework. They could be more likely to be absent, tardy, or have behavioral problems in school. Other explanations are possible as well. While my data do not allow me to explore all possible mechanisms, I am able to test several of them.
I find that students who start school one hour later watch 12 fewer minutes of television per day and spend 9 minutes more on homework per week, perhaps because students who start school later spend less time at home alone. Students who start school earlier come home from school earlier and may, as a result, spend more time at home alone and less time at home with their parents. If students watch television when they are home alone and do their homework when their parents are home, this behavior could explain why students who start school later have higher test scores. In other words, it may be that it is not so much early start times that matter but rather early end times.
Previous research tends to find that students in early-starting schools are more likely to be tardy to school and to be absent. In Wake County, students who start school one hour later have 1.3 fewer absences than the typical student—a reduction of about 25 percent. Fewer absences therefore may also explain why later-starting students have higher test scores: students who have an early start time miss more school and could perform worse on standardized tests as a result.
Later school start times have been touted as a way to increase student performance. There has not, however, been much empirical evidence supporting this claim or calculating how large an effect later start times might have. My results indicate that delaying the start times of middle schools that currently open at 7:30 by one hour would increase math and reading scores by 2 to 3 percentile points, an impact that persists into at least the 10th grade.
These results suggest that delaying start times may be a cost-effective method of increasing student performance. Since the effect of later start times is stronger for the lower end of the distribution of test scores, later start times may be particularly effective in meeting accountability standards that require a minimum level of competency.
If elementary students are not affected by later start times, as my data suggest (albeit not definitively), it may be possible to increase test scores for middle school students at no cost by having elementary schools start first. Alternatively, the entire schedule could be shifted later into the day. However, these changes may pose other difficulties due to child-care constraints for younger students and jobs and afterschool activities for older students.
Another option would be to eliminate tiered busing schedules and have all schools begin at the same time. A reasonable estimate of the cost of moving start times later is the additional cost of running a single-tier bus system. The WCPSS Transportation Department estimates that over the 10-year period from 1993 to 2003, using a three-tiered bus system saved roughly $100 million in transportation costs. With approximately 100,000 students per year divided into three tiers, it would cost roughly $150 per student each year to move each student in the two earliest start-time tiers to the latest start time. In comparison, an experimental study of class sizes in Tennessee finds that reducing class size by one-third increases test scores by 4 percentile points in the first year at a cost of $2,151 per student per year (in 1996 dollars). These calculations, while very rough, suggest that delaying the beginning of the school day may produce a comparable improvement in test scores at a fraction of the cost.
Finley Edwards is visiting assistant professor of economics at Colby College.
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Set aside what may have been portrayed about bullying on family-hour television. Data being collected about the longstanding behavior indicates it is not a conflict. It’s victimization.
“Make no mistake. Bullying is out there (in Surry County),” said Kimberly Spencer, a behavioral health counselor for Northern Pediatrics with more than 15 years experience working with families and individuals in outpatient, inpatient and community mental health treatment facilities.
She explained the unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children is repeated or has the potential to be repeated over time.
“At its core, the definition of bullying is an imbalance of power either real or perceived,” said Spencer. “Kids who bully use their strength, for instance, to physically control someone’s behavior or use access to embarrassing information to control someone and it’s not just one person, it is a pattern.”
Spencer said the topic of bullying is an umbrella subject with other issues including date violence and cyber bullying falling interconnected with it. She explained that cyber bullying is where a person uses social media on the Internet such as Facebook and My Space and controls someone by posting pictures and status information to control another.
She said social media users need to be aware how information they post about themselves could be used against them later on. Some information also can be obtained by pedophiles resulting in physical harm to children.
“Parents should be aware of all social media used by their children,” said Spencer. “They should have access to all their children’s social accounts and use the parental controls on their computers.” She said one important source of information about bullying is the website www.stopbullying.gov.
Spencer said times also have changed regarding date violence. Now this violence can affect boys as well as girls.
“Girls can be abusers as well as boys,” said Spencer, who added data indicates this behavior is remaining prevalent just like other forms of bullying. Spencer said one helpful website to gain more information on date violence is www.loveisrespect.com. She said often victims of date violence don’t have to have physical marks like bruises.
She said issues concerning her are school systems using only zero tolerance policies and conflict resolution and peer mediation as a means to stop bullying. Zero tolerance policies suspend or expel children who bully others. Spencer said this may be necessary but only in a small number of cases and should not be a standard prevention policy.
Spencer cited recent surveys of elementary and middle school students that show about one in five students admit to occasionally bullying their peers. She said the threat of expulsion or suspension may discourage children and adults from reporting bullying. Often bullying is an indicator of poor role models in the home and suspension just sends bullies back into an environment encouraging bad behavior.
She indicated conflict resolution and peer mediation, common strategies for dealing with issues between students, are misdirected because it sends the wrong message to students that both parties are partly right or wrong.
“The message should be that no one deserves to be bullied,” said Spencer. “The message for children who bully should be their behavior is inappropriate and must stop.”
Spencer also said mediation may upset victims because facing the child who bullied them may make them feel worse. She said group treatment for children who bully also can have the opposite effect because group members tend to serve as role models and reinforce bullying behavior as the group becomes like a gang.
She said she favors using comprehensive plans where school staff model correct behavior and are trained on spotting, reporting and preventing bullying.
“My concern is that school systems educate their staff about preventing bullying and how to report it so victims don’t get victimized again,” said Spencer. “It’s important that parents show in a healthy way they value their children’s opinions. Not allowing children to run the house but making sure they have a say in age appropriate activities.” She also favors assertiveness training for victims.
“This cuts down on victimization when children feel good about themselves,” continued Spencer. “Another powerful thing is bystanders to bullying not just walk away. There is power in numbers in defense of a person being bullied. Don’t give a bully an audience. Be a part of helping the victim get away and reporting it to responsible adults and not just watching.”
Spencer said teachers, who typically rush in and separate the children to keep them from harm, must be aware of modeling correct behaviors. She said an example of this is not yelling at someone to stop yelling.
Surry County Schools Director of Elementary Curriculum and Instruction Jennifer Scott and Mount Airy City Schools Assistant Superintendent Bryan Taylor confirm both systems use positive behavior support to change the culture in schools with the goal to prevent bullying.
“Bullying in the Mount Airy School system is taken very seriously,” commented Taylor. “We are working to eradicate it in our schools. It is going to take time and a lot of work, but we are working towards that goal.” The positive behavior support program includes components training staff in identification and reporting of bullying and positive role modeling.
Scott said the county system’s program of Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) has resulted in a 40-percent drop in office referrals over the last three years. Components of this program include the identification and teaching expected behavior in different social situations as well as standardization of behavior expectations in classrooms.
This system also includes positive re-enforcement for students who follow expectations and consequences for rules infractions. She said county schools also track data about infractions and each school’s positive behavior coach meets with his or her PBIS team to spot problems and address them before they become worse.
Reach David Broyles at firstname.lastname@example.org or 719-1952.
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Constitution of Malta
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Politics and government of
The current Constitution of Malta was adopted as a legal order on September 21, 1964, and is the self-declared supreme law of the land. Therefore, any law or action in violation of the Constitution is null and void. Being a rigid constitution, it has a three-tier entrenchment basis in order for any amendments to take place.
Constitutional Development since Independence
The Constitution has been amended twenty-four times, most recently in 2007 with the entrenchment of the office of the Ombudsman. The constitution is typically called the Constitution of Malta and replaced the 1961 Constitution, dating from October 24, 1961. George Borg Olivier was its main instigator and negotiator.
Under its 1964 constitution, Malta became a parliamentary democracy within the British Commonwealth. Queen Elizabeth II was sovereign of Malta, and a governor general exercised executive authority on her behalf, while the actual direction and control of the government and the nation's affairs were in the hands of the cabinet under the leadership of a Maltese prime minister.
On December 13, 1974, the constitution was revised, and Malta became a republic within the Commonwealth, with executive authority vested in a Maltese president. The president is appointed by parliament. In turn, the president appoints as prime minister the leader of the party that wins a majority of parliamentary seats in a general election for the unicameral House of Representatives.
The president also nominally appoints, upon recommendation of the prime minister, the individual ministers to head each of the government departments. The cabinet is selected from among the members of the House of Representatives. The Constitution provides for general elections to be held at least every five years. Candidates are elected by the Single Transferable Vote system. The entire territory is divided into thirteen electoral districts each returning five MPs to a total of 65. Since 1987, in case a Party obtains an absolute majority of votes without achieving a Parliamentary majority a mechanism in the Constitution provides for additional seats to that Party to achieve a Parliamentary majority (Act IV of 1987). To date this mechanism, intended to counteract gerrymandering, came into effect twice: for the Sixth and the Eight Parliaments. A similar mechanism was introduced in 1996 so that additional seats would be given to that Party obtaining a relative majority of votes but not a parliamentary majority with only two parties achieving Parliamentary representation. This mechanism was first applied in the 2008 general election.
The Nature of the Constitution
The Independence Constitution of Malta of 1964 established Malta as a liberal parliamentary democracy. It safeguarded the fundamental human rights of citizens, and forced a separation between the executive, judicial and legislative powers, with regular elections based on universal suffrage.
This constitution was developed through constitutional history and its evolution. The constitutions of Malta fell under three main categories. These were:
- Those over which the British possessed total power;
- The intermediate genres of constitutions (1921-1947), where Malta had self government (the 1961 constitution was very similar to these constitutions);
- the Independence Constitution of 1964.
On July 27, 1960, the Secretary of State for the Colonies declared to the British House of Commons the wish of Her Majesty’s Government to reinstate representative government in Malta and declare that it was now time to work out a new constitution where elections could be held as soon as it was established. The Secretary, Iain Macleod, also notified the House of the appointment of a Constitutional Commission, under the chairmanship of Sir Hilary Blood, to devise thorough constitutional schemes after consultation with representatives of the Maltese people and local interests.
The Commissioners presented their report on December 5, 1960. The report was published on March 8, 1961. That same day, the Secretary of State declared to the House of Commons that Her Majesty’s Government had taken a decision. The Commissioner’s constitutional recommendations to be the basis for the subsequent Malta constitution were to be granted. The 1961 Constitution was also known as the Blood Constitution. It was enclosed in the Malta Constitution Order in Council 1961 and it was completed on 24 October of that same year. The statement that the Order makes provision for a new constitution where Malta is given self-government is found on the final page of the Order in Council.
The 1961 Constitution provided the backbone for the Independence Constitution. A date was provided to guarantee this legal continuity. An indispensable characteristic of this constitution is the substitution of the diarchic system, which was no longer practicable, by system of only one Government, the Government of Malta, with full legislative and executive powers. At that time Malta was still a colony and responsibility for defence and external affairs were referred to Her Majesty’s Government. There was a clear indication that the road towards independence continued and now was at a highly developed stage. It is imperative to recognise that the 1961 Constitution established most of the features of the 1964 Constitution. The British recognised Malta as a State. Another important characteristic of this constitution was an innovative introduction of a chapter covering the safeguarding of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms of the Individual. This is fairly significant because Fundamental Human Rights are a protection for the individual by the State. In the 1961 Constitution, Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms are found in Chapter IV. The protection of freedom of movement was introduced only in the 1964 Constitution.
The declaration of rights of the inhabitants of the islands of Malta and Gozo dated June 15, 1802, gives a collective declaration of rights. The 1961 Constitution gave birth to what was recognised as a Parliament in the 1964 Independence Constitution. The Cabinet had the general direction and management of the Government of Malta. It consisted of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister alone might summon it and it was this office which presided over it. Not more than seven other ministers were members of the Legislative Assembly, and they were collectively responsible to it. This was one of the first attempts to restate some of the more important British Constitutional Conventions in the constitution. In the exercise of his powers, the Governor was to act on the advice of the Cabinet, except where he was directed to act in his discretion or on the recommendation or advice of a person other than the Cabinet.
Three elections of the promulgation of the 1961 Constitution existed. This constitution included the presence of a Cabinet for the first time in Malta. The legislature was unicameral. The Legislative Assembly’s normal life span was of four years. It consisted of fifty members and they were elected by universal suffrage from ten electoral divisions on the system of proportional representation by the single transferable vote. The 1961 Constitution constructed a firm foundation for a future achievement of Independence. When in 1964 Malta did in fact become independent, because the Government chose to avoid breaking all ties with the United Kingdom, there was legal continuity of the legislation, as a result of which Parliament remained functional. To a certain extent the same situation existed as regards to the legislation by the British Parliament for Malta. The Malta Independence Order itself developed into the subject of an entrenchment, since here it is declared that this evolved into an extension to the 1961 Constitution even in the sense of an amendment.
Even though Malta acquired independence, there was an ongoing presence of continuity. One of them is the monarchy pre-1964 and prior 1964. The Malta Independence Order 1964 was subject to the Malta Independence Act of that same year and it is a document that holds the chief regulations that govern the constitution of a state. This document is supreme over each and every other document and all legislation is subject to it. Throughout Malta's constitutional history, the nation acquired its own constitution, and to a certain extent, the Independence Constitution is made up of certain principles that arose for the first time in previous constitutions. It can be said that the Independence Constitution has evolved from the constitution which preceded it. But one must not ignore the fact that changes have taken place in this process of evolution. The statement that the 1964 constitution is in fact a replica of the 1961 constitution with sovereignty added might be criticised by saying that some factors differ between the two constitutions. The 1964 constitution is not merely what can be defined as an improvement. It is more like another stepping-stone in constitutional history being the final step in a long series of constitutions. In fact, even though it may seem that some provisions were altered from the 1961 constitution to the 1964 constitution, some of those provisions remained unchanged until the amendments of the 1964 constitution were made.
The Malta Independence Order, 1964, as amended by Acts:
- XLI of 1965, XXXVII of 1966
- IX of 1967
- XXVI of 1970
- XLVII of 1972
- LVII, LVIII of 1974
- XXXVIII of 1976
- X of 1977
- XXIX of 1979
- IV of 1987
- XXIII of 1989
- Proclamations Nos. II and VI of 1990
- Acts XIX of 1991
- IX of 1994
- Proclamations IV of 1995 and III of 1996
- Acts: XI of 1996, XVI of 1997
- Acts: III of 2000 and XIII of 2001
Past constitutions
Malta has had numerous past constitutions.
- The 1813 Constitution
- The 1835 Constitution
- The 1849 Constitution
- The 1887 Constitution
- The 1903 Constitution
- The 1921 Constitution
- The 1936 Constitution
- The 1939 Constitution
- The 1947 Constitution
- The 1959 Constitution
- The 1961 Constitution
Further reading
- Frendo, Henry, The Origins of Maltese Statehood - A Case Study of Decolonization in the Mediterranean - Malta: PEG Publications, ISBN 99932-0-015-8.
See also
- Supplement of the Malta Government Gazette, No. 11688 of September 18, 1964
- Supplement of the Government Gazette 31 October 1961 No. 11,346
- Section 2: 1961 Constitution – “The State of Malta”
- Articles 5-17: 1961 Constitution
- Article 45: 1961 Constitution
- Article 50: Malta Independence Order
- J.J. Cremona - THE MALTESE CONSTITUTION AND CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY SINCE 1813 (Publishers Enterprises Group Ltd (PEG) – 1994) ISBN 99909-0-086-8
- Royal Instructions of July 16, 1813, (C.O. 159/4) as supplemented by despatch at pp 124-125, infra
- Cremona, J.J, The Malta Constitution of 1835 and its Historical Background (Malta, 1959), (Appendix)
- Ordinances and other Official Acts published by the Government of Malta and its Dependencies, Malta, 1853, Vol X, pp70-77
- Law, Letters Patent and other Papers in relation to the Constitution of the Council of Fovernment of Malta, Malta, G.P.O., 1889, pp 113-132
- Malta Government Gazette No. 4603, June 22, 1903, pp 614-621
- Malta Government Gazette No. 6389, May 4, 1921, pp 326-366
- Malta Government Gazette No. 8206, September 2, 1936, pp 804-812
- Malta Government Gazette No. 8534, February 25, 1939, pp 244-257
- The Malta Constitution 1947, Malta, G.P.O. 1947
- The Malta (Constitution) Order in Council 1959, Malta, Department of Information, 1959
- The Malta Constitution 1961, Malta, Department of Information, 1961
|Wikisource has original text related to this article:|
- Il-Kostituzzjoni tar-Repubblika Maltija Ministeru tal-Ġustizzja u l-Intern. (Maltese)
- The Constitution of the Republic of Malta Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs. (English)
- The Constitution of the Republic of Malta Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs. (English)
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Nahum (pron.: // or //; Hebrew: נַחוּם Naḥūm) was a minor prophet whose prophecy is recorded in the Hebrew Bible. His book comes in chronological order between Micah and Habakkuk in the Bible. He wrote about the end of the Assyrian Empire, and its capital city, Nineveh, in a vivid poetic style.
Little is known about Nahum’s personal history. His name means "comforter," and he was from the town of Alqosh, (Nah 1:1) which scholars have attempted to identify with several cities, including the modern `Alqush of Assyria and Capharnaum of northern Galilee. He was a very nationalistic Hebrew however and lived amongst the Elkoshites in peace.
Nahum's writings could be taken as prophecy or as history. One account suggests that his writings are a prophecy written in about 615 BC, just before the downfall of Assyria, while another account suggests that he wrote this passage as liturgy just after its downfall in 612 BC.
The book was introduced in Calvin's Commentary as a complete and finished poem:
No one of the minor Prophets seems to equal the sublimity, the vehemence and the boldness of Nahum: besides, his Prophecy is a complete and finished poem; his exordium is magnificent, and indeed majestic; the preparation for the destruction of Nineveh, and the description of its ruin, and its greatness, are expressed in most vivid colors, and possess admirable perspicuity and fulness.—Rev. John Owen, translator, Calvin's Commentary on Jonah, Micah, Nahum
Nahum, taking words from Moses himself, have shown in a general way what sort of "Being God is". The Reformation theologian Calvin argued, Nahum painted God by which his nature must be seen, and "it is from that most memorable vision, when God appeared to Moses after the breaking of the tables."
The tomb of Nahum is supposedly inside the synagogue at Alqosh, although there are other places outside Iraq that lay claim also to being the original “Elkosh” from which Nahum hailed. Alquosh was abandoned by its Jewish population in 1948, when they were expelled, and the synagogue that purportedly houses the tomb is in a poor structural state, to the extent that the tomb itself is in danger of destruction. The tomb underwent basic repairs in 1796. When all Jews were compelled to flee Alqosh in 1948, the iron keys to the tomb were handed to a Chaldean man by the name of Sami Jajouhana. Few Jews visit the historic site, yet Jajouhana continues to keep the promise he made with his Jewish friends, and looks after the tomb. A team of US/UK construction engineers, led by Huw Thomas, is currently planning ways to save the building and the tomb. Money has been allocated for proposed renovation in 2008.
Liturgical commemoration
The Prophet Nahum is venerated as a saint in Eastern Christianity. On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar, his feast day is December 1(for those churches which follow the traditional Julian Calendar, December 1 currently falls on December 14 of the modern Gregorian Calendar). He is commemorated with the other minor prophets in the Calendar of saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on July 31.
- "The Chronology of Biblical Prophets", Adapted from Hauer, C.E. & Young, W. A., An Introduction to the Bible: A Journey into Three Worlds, p.123, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1994
- Introduction to Nahum at the International Bible Society website
- Nahum at The Catholic Encyclopedia
- Heaton, E. W., A Short Introduction To The Old Testament Prophets, p. 35, Oneworld Publications, P.O. Box 830, 21 Broadway, Rockport, NA 01966, ISBN 1-85168-114-0
- Nahum at aboutbibleprophecy.com
- "Commentaries on Twelve Minor Prophets".
- Calvin; Commentary on Jonah, Micah, Nahum http://onetenthblog.wordpress.com/readings/780-2/
- Chaldean Man Keeps Promise With Jewish Friends
- RENOVATION - AL QUSH SYNAGOGUE AND THE TOMB OF NAHUM at tombofnahum.com
- Great Synaxaristes: (Greek) Ὁ Προφήτης Ναούμ. 1 Δεκεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
- Prophet Nahum. OCA - Feasts and Saints.
- December 1. The Roman Martyrology.
|Wikisource has original text related to this article:|
- Nahum article from The Catholic Encyclopedia
- Renovation - Al Qush Synagogue and the Tomb of Nahum
- Prophet Nahum Orthodox icon and synaxarion
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Nahum". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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In 1779, Ludd is supposed to have broken two stocking frames in a fit of rage. After this incident, attacks on the frames were jokingly blamed on Ludd. When the "Luddites" emerged in the 1810s, his identity was appropriated to become the folkloric character of Captain Ludd, also known as King Ludd or General Ludd, the Luddites' alleged leader and founder.
Supposedly, Ludd was a weaver from Anstey, near Leicester. In 1779, either after being whipped for idleness, or after being taunted by local youths, he smashed two knitting frames in what was described as a "fit of passion". This story is traceable to an article in The Nottingham Review on 20 December 1811, but there is no independent evidence of its truth. John Blackner's book History of Nottingham, also published in 1811, provides a variant tale, of a lad called "Ludnam" who was told by his father, a framework-knitter, to "square his needles". Ludnam took a hammer and "beat them into a heap". News of the incident spread, and whenever frames were sabotaged, people would jokingly say "Ned Ludd did it". Nothing more is known about the life of Ludd.
By 1812, the organized frame-breakers who became known as the Luddites had begun using the name King Ludd or Captain Ludd for their mythical leader. Letters and proclamations were signed by "Ned Ludd".
In popular culture
- The character of Ned Ludd is commemorated in the folk ballad "General Ludd's Triumph." Chumbawamba recorded a version of this song on their 2003 release, English Rebel Songs 1381–1984.
- Robert Calvert wrote and recorded another song "Ned Ludd," which appeared on his 1985 album Freq; which includes the lyrics:
They said Ned Ludd was an idiot boy
That all he could do was wreck and destroy, and
He turned to his workmates and said: Death to Machines
They tread on our future and they stamp on our dreams.
- Steeleye Span's 2006 album Bloody Men has a five-part section on the subject of Ned Ludd.
- The Heaven Shall Burn song "The Final March" has a direct reference to Captain Ludd.
- Alt-country band The Gourds affectionately refer to Ned Ludd as "Uncle Ned" in the song "Luddite Juice" off their 2009 release, Haymaker.
- The Scottish folk musician Alasdair Roberts sings of Ned Ludd in his song "Ned Ludd's Rant (For World Rebarbarised)" on his 2009 album, Spoils.
- Theo Simon has written a song entitled "Ned Ludd", commemorating the machine-breakers of 1811-13 and praising current direct action protest as a continuation of his ethos.
- San Diego punk band The Night Marchers included a song called "Ned Lud" on their 2013 release "Allez, Allez."
- Edmund Cooper's alternative-history The Cloud Walker is set in a world where the Luddite ethos has given rise to a religious hierarchy which dominates English society and sets carefully prescribed limits on technology. A hammer – the tool supposedly used by Ned Ludd – is a religious symbol, and Ned Ludd is seen as a divine, messianic figure.
- The novel The Monkey Wrench Gang (1975), by Edward Abbey, is dedicated to Ned Ludd.
- Anne Finger wrote a collection of short stories titled Call Me Ahab about famous disabled historical and literary figures, which included the story "Our Ned" about Ned Ludd.
- Ecodefense: A Field Guide To Monkeywrenching was published by Ned Ludd Books. Much of the content came from the "Dear Ned Ludd" column in the newsletter of the group Earth First!.
See also
- Anstey at Welcome to Leicester (visitoruk.com) According to this source, "A half-witted Anstey lad, Ned Ludlam or Ned Ludd, gave his name to the Luddites, who in the 1800s followed his earlier example by smashing machinery in protest against the Industrial Revolution."
- Palmer, Roy (1998) The Sound of History: Songs and Social Comment, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-215890-1, p. 103
- Chambers, Robert (2004) Book of Days: A Miscellany of Popular Antiquities in Connection with the Calendar, Part 1, Kessinger, ISBN 978-0-7661-8338-4, p. 357
- Hammond, J.L.; Hammond, Barbara (1919), The Skilled Labourer 1760-1832 (pdf), London: Longmans, Green and co., p. 259
- Chase, Alston (2001) In a Dark Wood, Transaction Publishers, ISBN 978-0-7658-0752-6, p. 41
- Alsen, Eberhard (2000) New Romanticism: American Fiction, Routledge, ISBN 978-0-8153-3548-1, p. 43
- George Gordon Lord Byron (2002) The Works of Lord Byron. Letters and Journals, Adamant Media Corporation, ISBN 978-1-4021-7225-0, p. 97
- Traill, Henry Duff & Mann, James Saumarez (1902) Social England, Cassell & Co, p. 841
- Coe, Jonathan. "The Gourds," The Daily Gamecock, January 20, 2009
- Theo Simon, Seize the day (lyrics), Occupy Sheffield, retrieved 2012-07-27
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Violence Against Women Act
The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) is a United States federal law (Title IV, sec. 40001-40703 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, H.R. 3355) signed as Pub.L. 103–322 by President Bill Clinton on September 13, 1994. The Act provides $1.6 billion toward investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women, imposes automatic and mandatory restitution on those convicted, and allows civil redress in cases prosecutors chose to leave unprosecuted. The Act also establishes the Office on Violence Against Women within the Department of Justice. Its coverage extends to male victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
VAWA was drafted by the office of Senator Joe Biden (D-DE), with support from a broad coalition of advocacy groups. The Act passed through Congress with bipartisan support in 1994, clearing the House by a vote of 235–195 and the Senate by a vote of 61–38, although the following year House Republicans attempted to cut the Act's funding. In the 2000 Supreme Court case United States v. Morrison, a sharply divided Court struck down the VAWA provision allowing women the right to sue their attackers in federal court. By a 5–4 majority, the Court overturned the provision as an intrusion on states' rights.
VAWA was reauthorized by Congress in 2000, and again in December 2005. The Act's 2012 renewal was opposed by conservative Republicans, who objected to extending the Act's protections to same-sex couples and to provisions allowing battered undocumented individuals to claim, also known as U- Visas, temporary visas. In April 2012, the Senate voted to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, and the House subsequently passed its own measure (omitting provisions of the Senate bill that would protect gays, American Indians living in reservations, and undocumented individuals who are victims of domestic violence). Reconciliation of the two bills was stymied by procedural measures, leaving the reauthorization in question. The Senate's 2012 reauthorization of VAWA was not brought up for a vote in the House.
In February 2013, the Senate passed an extension of the Violence Against Women Act by a vote of 78-22, and the House of Representatives passed it by a vote of 286-138, with unanimous Democratic support and 87 Republicans voting in the affirmative. The extension was signed by President Barack Obama.
The World Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna in 1993, and the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women in the same year, concluded that civil society and governments have acknowledged that domestic violence is a public health policy and human rights concern.
The Violence Against Women Act was developed and passed as a result of extensive grassroots efforts in the late 80's and early 1990s, with advocates and professionals from the battered women's movement, sexual assault advocates, victim services field, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors' offices, the courts, and the private bar urging Congress to adopt significant legislation to address domestic and sexual violence. Since its original passage in 1994, VAWA's focus has expanded from domestic violence and sexual assault to also include dating violence and stalking. It funds services to protect female adult and teen victims of these crimes, and supports training on these issues, to ensure consistent responses across the country. One of the greatest successes of VAWA is its emphasis on a coordinated community response to domestic violence, sex dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking of women; courts, law enforcement, prosecutors, victim services, and the private bar currently work together in a coordinated effort that had not heretofore existed on the state and local levels. VAWA also supports the work of community-based organizations that are engaged in work to end domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking against women, particularly those groups that provide culturally and linguistically specific services. Additionally, VAWA provides specific support for work with tribes and tribal organizations to end domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking against Native American women.
Many grant programs authorized in VAWA have been funded by the U.S. Congress. The following grant programs, which are administered primarily through the Office on Violence Against Women in the U.S. Department of Justice have received appropriations from Congress:
- STOP Grants (State Formula Grants)
- Transitional Housing Grants
- Grants to Encourage Arrest and Enforce Protection Orders
- Court Training and Improvement Grants
- Research on Violence Against Indian Women
- National Tribal Sex Offender Registry
- Stalker Reduction Database
- Federal Victim Assistants
- Sexual Assault Services Program
- Services for Rural Victims
- Civil Legal Assistance for Victims
- Elder Abuse Grant Program
- Protections and Services for Disabled Victims
- Combating Abuse in Public Housing
- National Resource Center on Workplace Responses
- Violence on College Campuses Grants
- Safe Havens Project
- Engaging Men and Youth in Prevention
Debate and legal standing
The American Civil Liberties Union had originally expressed concerns about the Act, saying that the increased penalties were rash, the increased pretrial detention was "repugnant" to the US Constitution, the mandatory HIV testing of those only charged but not convicted is an infringement of a citizen’s right to privacy and the edict for automatic payment of full restitution was non-judicious (see their paper: "Analysis of Major Civil Liberties Abuses in the Crime Bill Conference Report as Passed by the House and the Senate", dated September 29, 1994). However, the ACLU has supported reauthorization of VAWA on the condition that the "unconstitutional DNA provision" be removed.
The ACLU, in their July 27, 2005 'Letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee Regarding the Violence Against Women Act of 2005, S. 1197' stated that "VAWA is one of the most effective pieces of legislation enacted to end domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. It has dramatically improved the law enforcement response to violence against women and has provided critical services necessary to support women in their struggle to overcome abusive situations."
Some activists oppose the bill. A spokeswoman for Concerned Women for America called the Act a "boondoggle" which "creates an ideology that all men are guilty and all women are victims." Conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly denounced VAWA as a tool to "fill feminist coffers" and argued that the Act promoted "divorce, breakup of marriage and hatred of men."
In 2000 the Supreme Court of the United States held part of VAWA unconstitutional in United States v. Morrison on federalism grounds. Only the civil rights remedy of VAWA was struck down. The provisions providing program funding were unaffected.
In 2011 the law expired. In 2012 the law was up for reauthorization in Congress. Different versions of the legislation have been passed along party lines in the Senate and House, with the Republican-sponsored House version favoring the reduction of services to undocumented immigrants and LGBT individuals. Another area of contention is giving Native American tribal authorities jurisdiction over sex crimes involving non-native Americans on tribal lands. This is considered to have constitutional implications as non-tribes people are under the jurisdiction of the United States federal government and granted the protections of the US Constitution, protections that tribal courts do not often have. The two bills were pending reconciliation, and a final bill did not reach the President's desk before the end of the year, ending the Act after 18 years as the 112th Congress.
In 2013, the question of jurisdiction over offenses in Indian country continued to be at issue over the question of whether defendants who are not tribal members would be treated fairly by tribal courts or afforded constitutional guarantees.
On February 11, 2013, The Senate passed an extension of the Violence Against Women Act by a vote of 78-22. The measure went to the House of Representatives where jurisdiction of tribal courts and inclusion of same-sex couples were expected to be at issue. Possible solutions advanced were permitting either removal or appeal to federal courts by non-tribal defendants. The Senate had tacked on the Trafficking Victims Protection Act which is another bone of contention due to a clause which requires provision of reproductive health services to victims of sex trafficking.
On February 28, 2013, in a 286 to 138 vote, the House passed the Senate's all-inclusive version of the bill. House Republicans had previously hoped to pass their own version of the measure — one that substantially weakened the bill's protections for certain categories. The stripped down version, which allowed only limited protection for LGBT and Native Americans, was rejected 257 to 166. The renewed act expanded federal protections to gays, lesbians and transgender individuals, Native Americans and immigrants. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops opposed the act because it addressed the categories "sexual orientation" and "gender identity".
Programs and services
The Violence Against Women laws provide programs and services, including:
- Federal rape shield law.
- Community violence prevention programs
- Protections for victims who are evicted from their homes because of events related to domestic violence or stalking
- Funding for victim assistance services, like rape crisis centers and hotlines
- Programs to meet the needs of immigrant women and women of different races or ethnicities
- Programs and services for victims with disabilities
- Legal aid for survivors of domestic violence
See also
- Domestic violence
- International Violence Against Women Act
- Office on Violence Against Women
- Violence against women
- Violence against men
- Article Sec.(3)(b)(8), Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005, Act No. H. R. 3402 of 2005 (in English). Retrieved on February 12, 2013."NONEXCLUSIVITY.—Nothing in this title shall be construed to prohibit male victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking from receiving benefits and services under this title."
- Cooper, Kenneth (July 15, 1995). "House GOP Budget Cutters Try to Limit Domestic Violence Programs". Washington Post. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
- Bierbauer, Charles (May 18, 2000). "Supreme Court strikes down Violence Against Women Act". CNN. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
- Greenhouse, Linda (May 16, 2000). "Women lose right to sue attackers in federal court". New York Times. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
- "President Signs H.R. 3402, the "Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005"" (Press release). George W. Bush White House archives. January 5, 2006.
- Weisman, Jonathan (March 14, 2012). "Women Figure Anew in Senate’s Latest Battle". New York Times. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
- Steinhauer, Jennifer (July 31, 2012). "THE CAUCUS; G.O.P. Push on Domestic Violence Act". New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
- "Senate votes to reauthorize Violence Against Women Act". USA Today. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
- "House Reauthorizes Violence Against Women Act". NPR. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
- "Tell Congress to Support the Violence Against Women Act". American Civil Liberties Union. Archived from the original on 2006-11-06.
- "ACLU Letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee Regarding the Violence Against Women Act of 2005, S. 1197". ACLU. July 27, 2005.
- United States v. Morrison, 529 U.S. 598, 627; "For these reasons, we conclude that Congress' power under § 5 does not extend to the enactment of § 13981.... The judgment of the Court of Appeals is Affirmed." (at end of opinion section III)
- Bolduan, Kate (16 May 2012). "House passes GOP version of Violence Against Women Act renewal". CNN (Washington).
- Jonathan Weisman (February 10, 2013). "Measure to Protect Women Stuck on Tribal Land Issue". The New York Times. Retrieved February 10, 2013. "If a Native American is raped or assaulted by a non-Indian, she must plead for justice to already overburdened United States attorneys who are often hundreds of miles away."
- Jonathan Weisman (February 12, 2013). "Senate Votes Overwhelmingly to Expand Domestic Violence Act". The New York Times. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- Editors, The New York Times (February 15, 2013). "Renew the Violence Against Women Act" (editorial). The New York Times. Retrieved February 16, 2013. "What should be an uncontroversial bill has been held up by Republicans over the Obama administration’s proper insistence that contractors under the act afford victims access to a full range of reproductive health services."
- "VAWA victory shows that House GOP needs Democrats". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
- "Congress sends Violence Against Women Act to Obama". USA Today. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
- LeTrent, Sarah (March 14, 2013). "Violence Against Women Act shines a light on same-sex abuse". Retrieved May 2, 2013.
- "USCCB Committees Express Concerns Over Domestic Violence Legislation". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. March 6, 2013. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
- Factsheet: The Violence Against Women Act from The White House.
- Violence Against Women Act
- Office on Violence Against Women
- Privacy Provisions of the Violence Against Women Act
- World Health Organization Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence against Women 2005
- VAWA 2005 Fact Sheet
- What is the Violence Against Women Act, and why is Congress playing politics?
- Violence against Women Act is on Life Support
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The Westerlies, anti-trades, or Prevailing Westerlies, are prevailing winds in the middle latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees latitude, blowing from the high pressure area in the horse latitudes towards the poles. These prevailing winds blow from the west to the east and steer extratropical cyclones in this general manner. Tropical cyclones which cross the subtropical ridge axis into the Westerlies recurve due to the increased westerly flow. The winds are predominantly from the southwest in the Northern Hemisphere and from the northwest in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Westerlies are strongest in the winter hemisphere and times when the pressure is lower over the poles, while they are weakest in the summer hemisphere and when pressures are higher over the poles. The Westerlies are particularly strong, especially in the southern hemisphere, where there is less land in the middle latitudes to cause the flow pattern to amplify, or become more north-south oriented, which slows the Westerlies down. The strongest westerly winds in the middle latitudes can come in the Roaring Forties, between 40 and 50 degrees latitude. The Westerlies play an important role in carrying the warm, equatorial waters and winds to the western coasts of continents, especially in the southern hemisphere because of its vast oceanic expanse.
If the Earth were a non-rotating planet, solar heating would cause winds across the mid-latitudes to blow in a poleward direction, away from the subtropical ridge. However, the Coriolis effect caused by the rotation of Earth causes winds to steer to the right of what would otherwise be expected across the Northern Hemisphere, and left of what would be expected in the Southern Hemisphere. This is why winds across the Northern Hemisphere tend to blow from the southwest, but they tend to be from the northwest in the Southern Hemisphere. When pressures are lower over the poles, the strength of the Westerlies increases, which has the effect of warming the mid-latitudes. This occurs when the Arctic oscillation is positive, and during winter low pressure near the poles is stronger than it would be during the summer. When it is negative and pressures are higher over the poles, the flow is more meridional, blowing from the direction of the pole towards the equator, which brings cold air into the mid-latitudes.
Throughout the year, the Westerlies vary in strength with the polar cyclone. As the cyclone reaches its maximum intensity in winter, the Westerlies increase in strength. As the cyclone reaches its weakest intensity in summer, the Westerlies weaken. An example of the impact of the Westerlies is when dust plumes, originating in the Gobi desert combine with pollutants and spread large distances downwind, or eastward, into North America. The Westerlies can be particularly strong, especially in the Southern Hemisphere, where there is less land in the middle latitudes to cause the progression of west to east winds to slow down. In the Southern hemisphere, because of the stormy and cloudy conditions, it is usual to refer to the Westerlies as the Roaring Forties, Furious Fifties and Shrieking Sixties according to the varying degrees of latitude.
Impact on ocean currents
Due to persistent winds from west to east on the poleward sides of the subtropical ridges located in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, ocean currents are driven in a similar manner in both hemispheres. The currents in the Northern Hemisphere are weaker than those in the Southern Hemisphere due to the differences in strength between the Westerlies of each hemisphere. The process of western intensification causes currents on the western boundary of an ocean basin to be stronger than those on the eastern boundary of an ocean. These western ocean currents transport warm, tropical water polewards toward the polar regions. Ships crossing both oceans have taken advantage of the ocean currents for centuries.
The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), or the West Wind Drift, is an ocean current that flows from west to east around Antarctica. The ACC is the dominant circulation feature of the Southern Ocean and, at approximately 125 Sverdrups, the largest ocean current. In the northern hemisphere, the Gulf Stream, part of the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre, has led to the development of strong cyclones of all types at the base of the Westerlies, both within the atmosphere and within the ocean. The Kuroshio (Japanese for "Black Tide") is a strong western boundary current in the western north Pacific Ocean, similar to the Gulf Stream, which has also contributed to the depth of ocean storms in that region.
Extratropical cyclones
An extratropical cyclone is a synoptic scale low pressure weather system that has neither tropical nor polar characteristics, being connected with fronts and horizontal gradients in temperature and dew point otherwise known as "baroclinic zones".
The descriptor "extratropical" refers to the fact that this type of cyclone generally occurs outside of the tropics, in the middle latitudes of the planet, where the Westerlies steer the system generally from west to east. These systems may also be described as "mid-latitude cyclones" due to their area of formation, or "post-tropical cyclones" where extratropical transition has occurred, and are often described as "depressions" or "lows" by weather forecasters and the general public. These are the everyday phenomena which along with anti-cyclones, drive the weather over much of the Earth.
Although extratropical cyclones are almost always classified as baroclinic since they form along zones of temperature and dewpoint gradient, they can sometimes become barotropic late in their life cycle when the temperature distribution around the cyclone becomes fairly uniform along the radius from the center of low pressure. An extratropical cyclone can transform into a subtropical storm, and from there into a tropical cyclone, if it dwells over warm waters and develops central convection, which warms its core and causes temperature and dewpoint gradients near their centers to fade.
Interaction with tropical cyclones
When a tropical cyclone crosses the subtropical ridge axis, normally through a break in the high-pressure area caused by a system traversing the Westerlies, its general track around the high-pressure area is deflected significantly by winds moving towards the general low-pressure area to its north. When the cyclone track becomes strongly poleward with an easterly component, the cyclone has begun recurvature, entering the Westerlies. A typhoon moving through the Pacific Ocean towards Asia, for example, will recurve offshore of Japan to the north, and then to the northeast, if the typhoon encounters southwesterly winds (blowing northeastward) around a low-pressure system passing over China or Siberia. Many tropical cyclones are eventually forced toward the northeast by extratropical cyclones in this manner, which move from west to east to the north of the subtropical ridge. An example of a tropical cyclone in recurvature was Typhoon Ioke in 2006, which took a similar trajectory.
- Robert Fitzroy (1863). The weather book: a manual of practical meteorology. Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, & Green. p. 63.
- Glossary of Meteorology (2009). Westerlies. American Meteorological Society. Retrieved on 2009-04-15.
- Nathan Gasser (2000-08-10). Solar Heating and Coriolis Forces. University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Retrieved on 2009-05-31.
- Ralph Stockman Tarr and Frank Morton McMurry (1909).Advanced geography. W.W. Shannon, State Printing, pp. 246. Retrieved on 2009-04-15.
- National Snow and Ice Data Center (2009). The Arctic Oscillation. Arctic Climatology and Meteorology. Retrieved on 2009-04-11.
- Halldór Björnsson (2005). Global circulation. Veðurstofu Íslands. Retrieved on 2008-06-15.
- James K. B. Bishop, Russ E. Davis, and Jeffrey T. Sherman (2002). "Robotic Observations of Dust Storm Enhancement of Carbon Biomass in the North Pacific". Science 298. pp. 817–821. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
- Walker, Stuart (1998). The sailor's wind. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 91. ISBN 0-393-04555-2, 9780393045550 Check
- Wunsch, Carl (November 8, 2002). "What Is the Thermohaline Circulation?". Science 298 (5596): 1179–1181. doi:10.1126/science.1079329. PMID 12424356. (see also Rahmstorf.)
- National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (2009). Investigating the Gulf Stream. North Carolina State University. Retrieved on 2009-05-06.
- Ryan Smith, Melicie Desflots, Sean White, Arthur J. Mariano, Edward H. Ryan (2005). The Antarctic CP Current. The Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies. Retrieved on 2009-04-11.
- S. Businger, T. M. Graziano, M. L. Kaplan, and R. A. Rozumalski (2004). Cold-air cyclogenesis along the Gulf-Stream front: investigation of diabatic impacts on cyclone development, frontal structure, and track. Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics, pp. 65-90. Retrieved on 2008-09-21.
- David M. Roth (2000). P 1.43 A FIFTY YEAR HISTORY OF SUBTROPICAL CYCLONES. American Meteorological Society. Retrieved on 2008-09-21.
- D. K. Savidge and J. M. Bane (1999). Cyclogenesis in the deep ocean beneath the Gulf Stream. 1. Description. Journal of geophysical research, pp. 18111-18126. Retrieved on 2008-09-21.
- Dr. DeCaria (2007-05-29). "ESCI 241 – Meteorology; Lesson 16 – Extratropical Cyclones". Department of Earth Sciences, Millersville University, Millersville, Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on 2007-05-29. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
- Robert Hart and Jenni Evans (2003). "Synoptic Composites of the Extratropical Transition Lifecycle of North Atlantic TCs as Defined Within Cyclone Phase Space" (PDF). American Meteorological Society. Retrieved 2006-10-03.
- Ryan N. Maue (2009). CHAPTER 3: CYCLONE PARADIGMS AND EXTRATROPICAL TRANSITION CONCEPTUALIZATIONS. Florida State University. Retrieved on 2008-06-15.
- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Hurricane Research Division (2004). "Frequently Asked Questions: What is an extra-tropical cyclone?". NOAA. Retrieved 2006-07-25.
- Joint Typhoon Warning Center (2009). Section 2: Tropical Cyclone Motion Terminology. United States Navy. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
- Powell, Jeff, et al. (May 2007). "Hurricane Ioke: 20–27 August 2006". 2006 Tropical Cyclones Central North Pacific. Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
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Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Friar
[From Lat. frater, through O. Fr. fredre, frere, M. E. frere; It. frate (as prefix fra); Sp. fraile (as prefix fray); Port. fret; unlike the other Romance languages French has but the one word frère for friar and brother].
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.
USE OF THE WORD
In the early Church it was usual for all Christians to address each other as fratres or brothers, all being children of the one Heavenly Father, through Christ. Later, with the rise and growth of the monastic orders, the appellation began gradually to have a more restricted meaning; for obviously the bonds of brotherhood were drawn more closely between those who lived under the rule and guidance of one spiritual father, their abbot. The word occurs at an early date in English literature with the signification of brother, and from the end of the thirteenth century it is in frequent use referring to the members of the mendicant orders, e.g. c. 1297, "frere prechors" (R. Glouc. 10105); c. 1325, "freres of the Carme and of Saint Austin" (Pol. Songs, 331), c. 1400, "frere meneours" (Maunder, xxxi, 139); c. 1400, "Sakked freres" (Rom. Rose). Shakespeare speaks of the "Friars of orders gray" (Tam. Shr., iv, i, 148). The word was also loosely applied to members of monastic and military orders, and at times to the convent of a particular order, and hence to the part of a town in which such a convent had been located.
The word friar is to be carefully distinguished in its application from the word monk. For the monk retirement and solitude are undisturbed by the public ministry, unless under exceptional circumstances. His vow of poverty binds him strictly as an individual but in no way affects the right of tenure of his order. In the life of the friar, on the contrary, the exercise of the sacred ministry is an essential feature, for which the life of the cloister is considered as but an immediate preparation. His vow of poverty, too, not only binds him as an individual to the exercise of that virtue, but, originally at least, precluded also the right of tenure in common with his brethren. Thus originally the various orders of friars could possess no fixed revenues and lived upon the voluntary offerings of the faithful. Hence their name of mendicants. This second feature, by which the friar's life differs so essentially from that of the monk, has become considerably modified since the Council of Trent. In Session XXV, ch. iii, "De Regular.", all the mendicant orders — the Friars Minor and Capuchins alone excepted — were granted the liberty of corporate possession. The Discalced Carmelites and the Jesuits have availed themselves of this privilege with restrictions (cf. Wernz, Jus Decretal., III, pt. II, 262, note). It may, however, be pertinently remarked here that the Jesuits, though mendicants in the strict sense of the word, as is evident from the very explicit declaration of St. Pius V (Const. "Cum indefessæ", 1571), are classed not as mendicants or friars, but as clerics regular, being founded with a view to devoting themselves, even more especially than the friars, to the exercise of the sacred ministry (Vermeersch, De Relig., I, xii, n. 8).
ORDERS OF FRIARS
The orders of friars are usually divided into two classes: the four great orders mentioned by the Second Council of Lyons (can. xxiii) and the lesser orders. The four great orders in their legal precedence are: (1) the Dominicans (St. Pius V, Const. "Divina", 1568); (2) the Franciscans; (3) the Carmelites, (4) the Augustinians.
- The Dominicans, or Friars Preachers, formerly known as the Black Friars, from the black cappa or mantle worn over their white habit, were founded by St. Dominic in 1215 and solemnly approved by Honorius III, in Dec., 1216. They became a mendicant order in 1221.
- The Franciscans, or Friars Minor (Grey Friars), were founded by St. Francis of Assisi, who is rightly regarded as the patriarch of the mendicant orders. His rule was orally approved by Innocent III in 1209 and solemnly confirmed by Honorius III in 1223 (Const. "Solet"). It is professed by the Friars Minor, the Conventuals, and the Capuchins.
- The Carmelites, or White Friars, from the white cloak which covers their brown habit, were founded as a purely contemplative order, but became mendicants in 1245. They received the approbation of Honorius III (Const. "Ut vivendi", 30 Jan., 1226) and later of Innocent IV (Const. "Quæ honorem", 1247). The order is divided into two sections, the Calced and Discalced Carmelites.
- The Augustinians, or Hermits of St. Augustine (Austin Friars), trace their origin to the illustrious Bishop of Hippo. The various branches which subsequently developed were united and constituted from various bodies of hermits a mendicant order by Alexander IV (Const. "Iis, quæ", 31 July, 1255, and Const. "Licet", 4 May, 1256).
These four orders are called by canonists the quatuor ordines mendicantes de iure communi. The Fourth Lateran Council ("De relic. dom.", III, tit. xxxvi, c. ix) had forbidden in 1215 the foundation of any new religious orders. In face of this prohibition a sufficient number of new congregations, especially of mendicants, had sprung up to attract the attention of the Second Council of Lyons. In canon xxiii, the council, while specially exempting the four mendicant orders above mentioned, condemns all other mendicant orders then existing to immediate or to gradual extinction. All orders established since the Council of Lateran, and not approved by the Holy See, were to be dissolved at once. Those since established with such approval were forbidden to receive new members. The illustrious order of Servite, founded in 1233 and approved by Alexander IV in 1256 (Const. "Deo grata"), happily survived this condemnation. Concerning the four greater orders, the council concludes: "Be it understood, however, that we do not conceive of the extension of this constitution to the Orders of Friars Preachers and of Friars Minor, whose evident service to the universal Church is sufficient approval. As for the Hermits of St. Augustine and the Order of Carmelites, whose foundation preceded the said Council (Fourth Lateran), we wish them to remain as solidly established as heretofore" (Lib. III, tit. xvii, c. un., in VI). The importance of the orders thus singled out and exempted was afterwards still further emphasized by the insertion of this canon into the "Corpus Juri" in the "Liber Sixtus" of Boniface VIII. The so-styled lesser orders, of which the following are today the most flourishing, were founded and approved at various subsequent periods: the Minims (1474), the Third Order Regular of St. Francis (1521); the Capuchin — as constituting a different branch of the Franciscan Order — (1525); the Discalced Carmelites — as constituting a distinct branch of the Carmelites — (1568); the Discalced Trinitarians (1599); the Order of Penance, known in Italy as the Scalzetti (1781).
REIFENSTUEL, SCHMALZGRUEBER, and other writers on titles xxxi and xxxvi of Bk. III of the Decretals of Gregory IX; FERRARIS, Bibliotheca: Relig. Regulares (Rome, 1885-96), I, 24; SUAREZ, De Virtute et Statu Religionis (Mainz, 1604), pt. II tract. ix; BARBOSA, Juri Eccl. Universi (Lyons, 1699), I, c. xli, n. 207; VERMEERSCH, De Relig. Inst. et Personis (2nd ed. Bruges, 1907), I, 38; WERNZ, Jus Decretal. (Rome, 1908), III pt. II, 262; HEIMBUCHER, Die Orden und Kongregationen (2nd ed., Paderborn, 1907) 1, 39; alas popular works, with plates showing the different religious habits, such as MALLESON AND TUKER, Handbook to Christian and Ecclesiastical Rome, III (London, 1900); STEELE, Monasteries and Religious Houses in Great Britain and Ireland (London, 1903). HÉLYOT, Hist. des ordres religieux (Paris, 1714-19); republished by MIGNE as Dict. de ordres religieux (Paris, 1847-69).
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Despite the development of the formidable T-34, the idea of a new mass-produced tank emerged inside the Soviet military circles. So two Soviet factories in Leningrad (Kirovsky factory and Voroshilovsky factory No.174) were ordered to develop a new 14-ton tank armed with 45 mm gun and protected by medium armor, similar to T-34.
In 1939, the Kirovsky factory was ordered to develop a light CS tank (close support tank). In 1940 the first prototype, named "Object 126" or T-126SP, was developed, manufactured and tested. Its protection was equal to the T-34's: its welded hull was assembled from 37 mm homogeneous armor plates; its roof was composed of 20 mm plates. Frontal, upper side and rear armor plates were sloped 40-57 degrees.
The new tank did have the 45mm Tank Gun Model 1932/38 supplied with 150 rounds plus a coaxial 7.62 mm DT machine-gun. Additionally, it was armed with the 7.62 mm DS bow machine-gun. The tank was powered by a 250 hp V-4 diesel engine, which provided the 17-ton vehicle with a maximum speed of 35 km/h.
The tank had torsion bar suspension. Its chassis consisted of six steel road wheels (each with internal shock absorber), idler, rear driver wheel with removable cogged rim, and three support wheels. The transmission consisted of the two-disk main friction clutch, the 4-speed gearbox, multiple-disk side clutches and side gears.
Measured by aggregate armament and protection, "Object 126" was superior to most of the Soviet light and medium tanks of that time. In fact, the German Pz-III played a notable role in development of the "Object 126". Having many advantages, the Soviet tank had some disadvantages as well. First of all, it had limited range and little room for crew. On the second prototype the internal room was increased by removing the DS machine-gun.
The second prototype received new lighter road wheels with rubber tires. Simultaneously, at LKZ factory (Kirovsky factory) engineer L.S.Troyanov developed another variant, named "Object 211". Both tanks were sent to comparison trials which the first tank ("Object 126") won. On February 12, 1941,"Object 126" was accepted for servise and named T-50. T-50 was intended to be the most mass-produced Soviet tank. It was the very first Soviet tank successfully passed all steps of Govermental Trials without any fails.
In their construction the T-50 and the "Object 126" were quite similar. Like its prototype, the T-50 had well-sloped welded armor. The driver's hatch was located in the upper frontal armor plate. Bow machine-gun was absent. T-50's design was hi-tech and weighed only 13.5 tons, with 37-mm frontal armor on hull and turret. The three-man conical turret had a commander's cupola with six vision slits. The turret was welded, of conic form, with flat rear armor hatch. The T-50 was still armed with the 45-mm gun model 1932/38 and one coaxial 7.62 mm DT TMG.
The T-50 had the torsion bar suspension with road wheels with internal shock absorbers. The tank was powered by 300 hp V-4 diesel engine (specific power - 21 hp/ton). Average ground pressure - 0.57 kg/cm2, top speed - 60 km/h. All tanks were equipped with radio.
On those times point of view, the T-50 was intended to be a kind of "universal" tank and should replace T-26 and BT light tanks.
Here I would like to notice, the T-50 wasn't light tank, also it wasn't intended to be light. According to the nomenclature of that time, the T-50 was rather a support tank for motorised and mechanised troops of the Red Army.
At that time, an artillery testings congucted at NII-48 Research Lab. These tests proved the T-50 couldn't be penetrated by the Soviet 76 mm Gun Model 1939 at 400 metres at any angle. Moreover, during these tests, the T-50 wasn't penetrated by the ex-German PaK 40 antitank gun, while the T-34 was penetrated three times.
In April 1941, the T-50 was accepted for service. Until the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, factory No.174 produced not a single T-50, however. The most serious problem was with V-4 engine that was in fact very unreliable and expensive. Till the end of war, Soviet industry was unable to build an efficient and reliable V-4. Through extreme efforts Soviet industry was able to produce 50 tanks during the second half of 1941. An attempt to set up mass production of T-50 at Factory No.37 in Moscow failed.
In August 1941, the Factory No.174 was evacuated: mostly in Omsk, but several parts in Nizhnij Tagil and Barnaul. On October 13, 1941, the GOKO issued an order to build two new factories in Barnaul: the first to manufacture T-50s and the second to manufacture diesel engines for the T-50. However, in January 1942, the manufacture of the T-50 and its engines was cancelled and never resumed. Factory No.174 in Omsk manufactured 15 T-50s, but then was switched to building T-34s.
History has left few combat records of this very interesting tank. I know only that T-50 tanks manufactured in Leningrad served in one of the Soviet tank brigades on the Karelian Isthmus. Some were captured by Finns and used till the end of war (1944).
The T-50 was adequately protected, its armor protection was almost equal to T-34. Tank was intended to rearm with 57mm ZIS-4 Tank Gun. Its speed and maneuverability was much better then T-34. Also, the commander's cupola and restricted duties of the tank commander were also important improvement (comparing to the T-34). The steel intensity of the T-34 was twice as much then T-50. So why the production of such advanced tank was ceased? In fact, there were three reasons. At first, the mass production was tried to set up after the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. At second, from autumn 1941, the Red Army began to receive British and Canadian "Valentine" tanks, which were quite close to the T-50 (with exception to maneuverability). At third, there were no available factory ready to produce V-4 engines.
That's why the fate of the T-50 was so short. Only 69 T-50 tanks were manufactured; after that it was finally removed from production.
Important to mention there were two types of T-50 distinguished by different armor thickness: the first one was 37-41 mm, the second one was 55-57 mm.
It's important to mention another variant of T-50: the "Object 211", which was developed by LKZ's Design Bureau headed by A. S. Ermolaev. It had a welded hull and conical turret. The armament and engine were the same as the production T-50, though "Object 211" was lighter. Anyway, it didn't have any superiority over production T-50. Only one vehicle was manufactured and that was before the war.
After the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, all further works on this project were cancelled. The single "Object 211" was used in defense of Leningrad and its further fate is unknown - list it as "missing in action".
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DistributionRead full entry
Mantled howler monkeys are found in southern Mexico (the states of Veracruz, Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Tabasco), from Honduras in Central America to Colombia and western Ecuador in South America, and possibly in southern Guatemala where some unconfirmed sightings have been reported (Reid 1997, Cortes-Ortiz et al. 1996). This range includes most forest habitats that lie between sea level and 2500 meters (Reid 1997).
Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )
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Brussels, 1 December 2010
REACH system for safer use of chemicals – frequently asked questions
What is REACH?
REACH, which stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals, is a system for ensuring the safe use of chemicals within the EU. The system was set up by EU legislation which came into force on 1 June 2007, creating a single regulatory system for dealing with new and existing chemical substances. REACH seeks to close the knowledge gap that previously existed concerning the risks associated with particular chemicals and to encourage the progressive replacement of dangerous chemicals with safer ones by means of its authorisation system. REACH places greater responsibility on industry to manage the risk of chemicals and provide appropriate safety information to professional users and, as far as the most hazardous substances are concerned, also to consumers.
What are the main benefits of REACH?
The main benefit of REACH is that the hazards and risks of chemicals are more systematically identified, which allows for appropriate risk management measures by industry or, if necessary, further regulatory action by the public authorities.
This will contribute to the prevention of health problems caused by exposure to chemicals, leading to a lower occurrence of diseases and preventable deaths, and, with that, lower costs for the national health systems. The benefits will come gradually as more and more substances are phased into REACH. The anticipated overall benefits to the environment and human health are generally expected to be significant although a quantitative assessment is difficult. The Commission’s Impact Assessment in 2003 developed an illustrative scenario which put the health benefits alone in the order of magnitude of €50 billion over a 30 year period.
The European chemicals industry will benefit from a single EU regulatory system, a decision-making system with clear deadlines, and more consumer confidence in their products. Downstream users of chemicals will get relevant information on the safe use of the chemical substances they use in their production process which will help them to ensure better protection of their workers. The chemicals industry's products will be safer for consumers and the environment and it will be easier to put corporate social responsibility into practice.
What is the purpose of REACH registration?
The aim of REACH registration is to ensure the safe use of chemicals by gathering safety information on the chemical substances available on the EU market in a single and comprehensive database. Enterprises that manufacture or import more than one tonne of a chemical substance per year are required to register the chemical in a central database. This will give industry greater knowledge about the chemicals it uses and whether these are hazardous to human health and the environment. This should ultimately lead to better risk assessment and safer use of chemicals throughout the EU. It will lead to less chemical pollution, greener choices by consumers and industry, and a cleaner environment.
What is the scope of REACH?
REACH covers all chemical substances manufactured in, or imported into the EU in quantities of one tonne or more per year. Registration under REACH is for substances only. However, the provisions of the Regulation apply to the manufacture, placing on the market or use of substances on their own, in preparations or in articles.
What are industry's obligations under REACH?
REACH requires manufacturers and importers of chemical substances to obtain information on the physical and chemical, health and environmental properties of their substances and use this information to determine how these can be used safely. Each manufacturer and importer must submit a registration dossier to the European Chemicals Agency documenting the data and assessments.
All users of dangerous chemicals are obliged to ensure the safe use of those chemicals through risk management measures identified in the registration dossiers and communicated to the users of chemicals through extended Safety Data Sheets. Manufacturers and importers are obliged to register substances they produce or import in quantities over 1 tonne per year. The registration requirement applies to substances on their own, in preparations and in articles under special conditions (intentional release of the substance). Failure to register means that the substance cannot be manufactured, imported or used in the EU.
Downstream users of chemicals – those who use a substance in the course of their industrial or professional activities – must apply the risk management measures for dangerous substances identified by the supplier and communicated via Safety Data Sheets. They have the right to make their use of a substance known to the manufacturer so it can be registered as an identified use and covered in the supplier’s chemical safety assessment. In this case they have to provide sufficient information to enable the supplier to prepare an exposure scenario for the use. Alternatively, for example if they prefer to keep their use confidential for business reasons, they can conduct their own chemical safety assessment and report this use to the chemicals agency.
Who did the 30 November deadline apply to?
The 30 November 2010 deadline applied to EU manufacturers and importers of chemical substances in very large quantities (above 1000 tonnes per year) and the most dangerous ones. Substances that are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction ("CMR") had to be registered if they are manufactured or imported in a volume of above 1 tonne per year. Substances that are very toxic for the aquatic environment also had to be registered if they are produced or imported in volumes above 100 tonnes per year.
What happens to companies that did not register their substances in time?
Article 5 of the REACH Regulation imposes the principle of "no data no market". Member States are responsible for enforcing this principle, and each Member State has its system in place to check that companies subject to the deadline did register. If a company did not register a substance in time and continues to produce it and put it on the market, it is in breach of the law and can expect to be penalised.
How long will it be until we know how many and which substances have been registered?
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) will be busy processing all the registration dossiers in the coming months and must complete this work by the end of February 2011 according to the REACH Regulation. So by then we will know the number of registered substances more precisely – although new substances may still come in and there may also be dossiers that failed the completeness check and which will be registered later.
What kind of information will we learn from this first registration?
We will learn which chemicals that meet the criteria for the first registration deadline are currently on the market, and in what tonnage range. We will also learn what these chemicals are used for, what risks are associated with them and how these risks are managed so they can they be handled safely. All the safety information contained in the registration dossier has to be passed down the supply chain (the downstream users) and the downstream users need to comply with the requirements for safe use within one year after receiving the safety data sheet with the REACH registration number.
This information will be available in a central database hosted by ECHA, which is growing as more registrations come in. REACH registration will lead to a concentration of knowledge that industry as a whole possessed but was divided between different companies all over Europe. Now this information has been brought together in the European Chemicals Agency. This is new and unique in the world.
What happens once companies have successfully registered their substances?
The Agency assigns a registration number after checking that the dossier is complete. This initial check does not include an examination of the quality or the adequacy of the data submitted. REACH stipulates that the quality assessment is carried out independently from the registration process, through a process called Evaluation (the E in REACH).
REACH specifies three independent evaluation processes to meet three distinct objectives:
First, a compliance check is used to check whether the information submitted by registrants is in compliance with the legal requirements.
Second, all testing proposals are examined to avoid unnecessary animal testing. Registrants must seek permission to undertake certain tests by submission of a testing proposal. Testing proposals which include animal tests undergo public consultation.
Third, substance evaluation aims to clarify whether the use of a substance may cause harm to human health or the environment. The substances are selected by the Agency in cooperation with Member States. Substances are evaluated according to priority criteria, considering hazardousness, exposure and volume.
How has industry been affected by the registration process?
Industry has known about registration for many years and large companies started working on their registration dossiers as soon as REACH entered into force or even before. Smaller companies and those who are not part of the chemical sector but use chemicals in the course of their work probably started work on their dossiers at a later stage. REACH has required a lot of work of gathering data. This included setting up or strengthening the use of communication channels between suppliers and customers to find out for example what they are using a certain substance for. But this has also meant exchanging data and testing results in Substance Information Exchange Forums (SIEF) whereby all those who had to register the same substance shared data and shared costs. This process led to new insights into uses of substances and their safety. Registration is a tremendous amount of work but it leads to better safety and improved communication in the supply chain.
What are the next registration deadlines?
31 May 2013: registration deadline for substances manufactured or imported in quantities of 100 tonnes and more.
31 May 2018: registration deadline for substances manufactured or imported in quantities of 1 tonne and more.
Registration prior to the deadline is of course possible. All new substances need to be registered before they are placed on the market.
What is the REACH authorisation process and how will it work in practice?
Authorisation means that the substance may no longer be used or placed on the market unless a company has obtained an authorisation to do so. Substances that are subject to authorisation will be listed in REACH Annex XIV.
The authorisation system is intended to ensure that the risks from such substances are properly controlled and that these substances will be progressively replaced by suitable alternative substances or technologies where these are economically and technically viable.
In particular, there may be applications where exposure to human beings or the environment is very limited and where risks can be adequately controlled. In other cases, the use of such substances can create substantial socio-economic benefits that outweigh the risks associated with the use (e.g. ensuring safety of equipment) and there is no suitable alternative. In these cases, an authorisation will be granted.
For certain substances that are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to the reproductive system (so-called "CMR" substances), an authorisation will be granted if the applicant can show that risks from the use in question can be adequately controlled. This means that scientists can agree on a "safe threshold" below which a substance does not create negative effects to the human body or the environment. For other CMR substances and substances with persistent, bio-accumulative or toxic properties (PBT, vPvB substances), where adequate control is not possible, an authorisation will only be granted if no safer alternative exists and if the socio-economic benefits of the use of the substance outweigh the risks.
What is the Candidate List and how many substances are on it?
The Candidate List is a step in the REACH authorisation process. It is a list of substances of very high concern that have been nominated by the European Commission or by the Member States and decided upon by ECHA after public consultation. These substances may be subject to authorisation later. Currently there are 38 substances on the list. By the end of 2012, there should be 135.
The Candidate List can constitute a reference list for consumers and retailers. When asked by a consumer whether a certain product contains a substance listed on the Candidate List, the retailer has a legal obligation under REACH to reply.
What are the most dangerous substances?
Substances of very high concern are:
carcinogens (category 1a and 1b)
mutagens (category 1a and 1b)
substances which are toxic to reproduction (category 1a and 1b)
persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic substances (PBTs),
very persistent and very bio-accumulative substances (vPvBs)
substances identified from scientific evidence as causing equivalent concern to those mentioned above, for example substances which disturb the hormone system (endocrine disruptors).
How will REACH promote innovation and development of safer substitutes?
To enhance industry's competitiveness, one of the objectives of REACH is to promote research and development and innovation. For example:
- uses of substances in product or process-oriented R&D do not need to be registered for up to 5 years, renewable for a further maximum of 5 years in the case of a substance being exclusively used in the development of medicinal products or, under certain conditions, for a further maximum of ten years if the substance is not placed on the market.
the REACH threshold for registration (1 tonne/year) is much higher than the threshold of 10 kg for new substances under the previous regulatory system.
the costs of registering a new substance will be significantly lower than the cost of notification under the previous regulatory system.
registration will be quicker than notification, reducing the time to market.
the authorisation requirement for substances of very high concern will encourage companies to increase their research into safer substitutes.
Discrimination between new substances and existing substances will come to an end.
How much will REACH cost?
Testing and registration costs for producers and importers of chemicals: The Commission’s Impact Assessment in 2003 estimated the direct costs of REACH to the chemicals industry at a total of some €2.3 billion over an 11 year period.
Costs to downstream users: The costs to downstream users of chemicals were estimated in the Commission’s Impact Assessment of 2003 at €0.5 to 1.3 billion, under the assumption that 1 to 2 % of the substances would be withdrawn because continued production would no longer be profitable. Costs could rise to €1.7 – 2.9 billion when industry would face higher substitution costs in the downstream supply chains.
Total costs: Consequently, the overall costs of the Commission’s proposal of 2003 to the chemicals industry and its downstream users were estimated to be in the range of €2.8 - 5.2 billion. From a macroeconomic perspective, the overall impact in terms of a reduction in the EU’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was predicted to be very limited, whereas REACH will contribute to a marked improvement in health and environmental protection while safeguarding the competitiveness of industry. REACH will lead to significant public and private savings in health care and pollution control.
(general information on REACH)
(general information on REACH)
(European Chemicals Agency website)
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En*force"ment (?), n. [Cf. OF. enforcement.]
The act of enforcing; compulsion.
He that contendeth against these enforcements may easily master or resist them.
Sir W. Raleigh.
Confess 't was hers, and by what rough enforcement
You got it from her.
A giving force to; a putting in execution.
Enforcement of strict military discipline.
That which enforces, constraints, gives force, authority, or effect to; constraint; force applied.
The rewards and punishment of another life, which the Almighty has established as the enforcements of his law.
© Webster 1913.
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First, we should clarify what "evolution
" means. Like so many other words, it has more than one meaning
. Its strict biological definition
is "a change in allele frequencies over time." By that definition, evolution is an indisputable fact. Most people seem to associate the word "evolution" mainly with common descent, the theory that all life arose from one common ancestor. Many people believe that there is enough evidence to call this a fact, too. However, common descent is still not the theory of evolution, but just a fraction of it (and a part of several quite different theories as well). The theory of evolution not only says that life evolved, it also includes mechanisms, like mutations
, natural selection
, and genetic drift
, which go a long way towards explaining how life evolved.
Calling the theory of evolution "only a theory" is, strictly speaking, true, but the idea it tries to convey is completely wrong. The argument rests on a confusion between what "theory" means in informal usage and in a scientific context. A theory, in the scientific sense, is "a coherent group of general propositions used as principles of explanation for a class of phenomena" Random House American College Dictionary. The term does not imply tentativeness or lack of certainty. Generally speaking, scientific theories differ from scientific laws only in that laws can be expressed more tersely. Being a theory implies self-consistency, agreement with observations, and usefulness. (Creationism fails to be a theory mainly because of the last point; it makes few or no specific claims about what we would expect to find, so it can't be used for anything. When it does make falsifiable predictions, they prove to be false.)
Lack of proof isn't a weakness, either. On the contrary, claiming infallibility for one's conclusions is a sign of hubris. Nothing in the real world has ever been rigorously proved, or ever will be. Proof, in the mathematical sense, is possible only if you have the luxury of defining the universe you're operating in. In the real world, we must deal with levels of certainty based on observed evidence. The more and better evidence we have for something, the more certainty we assign to it; when there is enough evidence, we label the something a fact, even though it still isn't 100% certain.
What evolution has is what any good scientific claim has--evidence, and lots of it. Evolution is supported by a wide range of observations throughout the fields of genetics, anatomy, ecology, animal behavior, paleontology, and others. If you wish to challenge the theory of evolution, you must address that evidence. You must show that the evidence is either wrong or irrelevant or that it fits another theory better. Of course, to do this, you must know both the theory and the evidence.
Taken from the Talk.Origins: Five Major Misconceptions about Evolution FAQ
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Converting to binary from normal base ten numbers is a difficult and time consuming process. Using our excel based binary converter will save you much time and frustration. Get your own binary converter for free here!
How a Binary Converter Works
To understand how a binary converter works, you must first understand what binary, or base two, is. In our normal base ten accounting each number has a ones place, a tens place a hundreds and so on. In base two there is a twos place, a fours place an eights place, a sixteens place and so on. For an example of a binary convert, lets use the number fifty.
The highest base number that would go into fifty is 32 so that place would get a 1. Subtract 32 from 50 and there is 18 left. The next highest base two number to try is 16, since that’s less than 18 that place gets a 1 and there are now 2 left. Since 8 and 4 won’t go into 2 those places get a 0 and the twos place gets a 1. The ones place them gets a 0 since there is nothing left and your result for 50 is 110010. Wow that’s a lot of work for one binary convert! Now it’s becoming clear how time saving our binary converter can be.
Why a Binary Converter is Useful
Binary convert processes are used by computer programmers to communicate directly to a computer. Most professionals use a binary converter like ours rather than do the work manually. Because of the way computer memory works a computer can only understand two states, off and on, represented by 1 and 0.
Eight of these ones and zeros constitutes one bit of information which can represent one character to a computer. Writing the word “hello” then requires 5 bits of information and 5 seep rate binary convert calculations, thus the need for our ultra reliable binary converter.
Our binary converter is an amazing piece of excel programming allowing the time consuming binary convert process to be completed in seconds. And, converting to binary is not all we offer. The same minds that brought you this also offer many other excel templates for business, home and gaming use. Be sure to look at them all!
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It depends in what context you mean but basically streaming data is analagous to asynchronous data. Take the Web as an example. The Web (or HTTP specifically) is (basically) a request-response mechanism in that a client makes a request and receives a response (typically a Web page of some kind).
HTTP doesn't natively support the ability for servers to push content to clients. There are a number of ways this can be faked, including:
- Polling: forcing the client to make repeated requests, typically inconspicuously (as far as the client is concerned);
- Long-lived connections: this is where the client makes a normal HTTP request but instead of returning immediately the server hangs on to the request until there's something to send back. When the request times out or a response is sent th eclient sends another request. In this way you can fake server push;
- Plug-ins: Java applets, Flash, Silverlight and others can be used to achieve this.
Anything where the server effectively sends data to the client (rather than the client asking for it)--regardless of the mechanism and whether or not the client is polling for that data--can be characterised as streaming data.
With non-HTTP transports (eg vanilla TCP) server push is typically easier (but can still run afoul of firewalls and th elike). An example of this might be a sharetrading application that receives market information from a provider. That's streaming data.
How do you detect it? Bit of a vague question. I'm not really sure what you're getting at.
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Alaska Court RecordsEdit This Page
From FamilySearch Wiki
District courts had jurisdiction over all civil and criminal matters in Alaska before statehood. Federal district judges were appointed as early as 1884. The entire territory had only one district, administered by a judge in Sitka, until 1903, when three districts were created with judges at Juneau, Saint Michaels, and Eagle City. The fourth district was added in 1909, and the four seats were placed in Juneau, Nome, Valdez (moved to Anchorage in 1943), and Fairbanks.
The areas served by these districts are as follows:
- Juneau, District 1: Southeastern Alexander Archipelago and the cities of Ketchikan, Wrangell, Sitka, and Juneau.
- Nome, District 2: North, including Nome and Barrow.
- Anchorage, District 3: South, including Anchorage, Kodiak, and the Aleutian Islands.
- Fairbanks, District 4: Central, including Fairbanks, Bethel, and Toksook Bay.
Since 1959 district court jurisdiction has been limited to minor civil and criminal matters such as issuing marriage licenses and arrest warrants, hearing misdemeanor cases, and acting as the temporary custodian of the property of deceased persons.
A superior court, a supreme court, and magistrate courts have also served Alaska since 1959.
The Family History Library does not have copies of any court records from Alaska. The Alaska State Archives has most of the territorial court records (except probate records) for the first district and some for the second and fourth districts. The archives has the court journals but not the complete case files for the first district.
The case files of the first district, the records of the third district (1900-59), and some miscellaneous records of the other districts are at the National Archives—Alaska Region. Copies of documents not at these two archives can be obtained by writing to the appropriate local clerk's office.
- This page was last modified on 10 July 2012, at 21:35.
- This page has been accessed 829 times.
New to the Research Wiki?
In the FamilySearch Research Wiki, you can learn how to do genealogical research or share your knowledge with others.Learn More
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Constructive Learning | Adaptation Level | Language Arts
Students will work in groups to create videos on the book Tom Sawyer using elements of visualization and characterization.
- Students will read Tom Sawyer.
- Students will write a script including dialogue and action cues based on their understanding of the characters in the book Tom Sawyer.
- Students will use their visualizations from reading to design costums and choose locations.
- Students will discuss how their interpretations of the same scene may have differed from other people's interpretations.
- Tom Sawyer
- Computers with video editing software
- Video cameras
- Props and costums
Grade Level: 6-8
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Who Owns the Land of Israeli?
By Richard Kelly Hoskins
There is much confusion over the ownership of the land of old Israel in the Near East. God made a covenant with Abram (Genesis 15:18-21), to give his seed for the land “from the river in Egypt [Nile] unto the great river, the river Euphrates.” The only seed born to Abram while he had that name was Ishmael (Genesis 16). The present descendants of Ishmael living in that area base their claim on this promise.
Abram’s name was then changed to Abraham (Genesis 17:5) and he fathered Isaac, who fathered Jacob, whose name was changed to “Israel” (Genesis 32:28). The children of Israel were then given Canaanland, a small portion of that larger land grant, but only on a conditional promise, i. e. they had to obey God’s Laws, Statutes and Judgments, or they would lose the land. The promise of the larger area to the Ishmaelites was unconditional and so could not be lost.
The Israelites disobeyed, lost their claim to Canaanland, and were driven out, first to [Syria, then] Assyria and then to Babylon. Although a tiny remnant returned under Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem, they never again occupied all of Canaanland. Finally, all Israelites were driven out of even that small area of Palestine by persecution a few years after Jesus’ death and resurrection. A thousand years later the united effort of the entire West during the Crusades was unable to secure this land for much more than a few generations. The feeble ownership effort by the British between WW I and WW II [were] easily broken.
The Khazars, who call themselves Jews because of their religion, now claim this land from the Ishmaelites. This was prophesied in Ezekiel 36:2 “Thus saith the Lord God; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession.” That “enemy” is given a name in verse 5, “Idumea,” meaning Edom. Edom means “red”, so reds would take possession of “the ancient high places” in the old land of Israel while Israel would multiply in other lands to fulfill numbers “as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore.” (Genesis 22:17). The Khazarian claim is not by covenant but by force. It was prophesied. All that is presently happening is working out precisely as written. [Emphasis and a few extra words added].
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Radiosity In English - The Basics
by (20 May 1999)
|Return to The Archives|
I've found many people shy away from radiosity simply because of the mystique
surrounding it. I’ll admit that I was a bit intimidated by the topic when I
decided to tackle it. But the truth be known, it boils down to some pretty
simple techniques, most of which are very common. As a matter of fact, if
you’ve got access to a rendering architecture that supports z-buffering, you’ve
got 90% of a basic radiosity processor that can produce some excellent results.|
I understand that "Aggravated Nosebleed" (the source of this Q&A entry) has some basic knowledge of radiosity, but I’d like to take this opportunity to cover the basics from the very beginning. Hopefully he/she as well as some other readers will gain enough of a fundamental understanding to help ease the learning curve from some of the more notable references (which I will list later.)
In The Beginning
The introduction of Radiosity came in 1984 from Cornell University in a paper
titled "Modelling the Interaction of Light Between Diffuse Surfaces" written by
Goral, Torrance & Greenberg. The idea was to simulate energy (light)
transference from diffuse surfaces. Diffuse surfaces are surfaces that reflect
light equally in all directions - the opposite of a shiny surface.|
This result was considered "view independent." This simply meant that the illumination on a surface looked the same no matter what angle you were viewing it from. For the sake of clarity, an example of the opposite ("view dependent") would be a reflective surface. Reflective surfaces are view dependent because the specular highlights would appear at a different position on the surface based on the angle at which the surface was viewed.
This view independence was nice, especially considering the cost (in processor power & running time) of radiosity processing. The illumination could be calculated once and the scene could then be rendered very quickly from any angle. This translates directly into many of today’s modern "first-person shooter" games.
The First Approach
Consider a simple room with only four walls, a ceiling and a floor. Can you see
it in your mind’s eye? You better not be able to; I haven’t specified a light
source yet. :-) In radiosity, light sources aren’t your typical point or spot
light sources. In radiosity, light is emitted from surfaces. So, rather than
adding a surface for a light source, lets just make the entire ceiling an "area
light source." In the real world, this would translate to a cubic room where
the ceiling was a huge panel of fluorescent lights behind a huge diffuse
reflector (those smoked-glass looking things that spread light out.)|
This example is a simple one since every surface can see every other surface. In other words, there’s nothing to block the light from reaching any surface (i.e. no shadows.)
Each surface has two values associated with it. An amount of how brightly it is illuminated (its illumination) and how much of a surplus of energy it has (its radiative energy.) To start with, only the ceiling will have any radiative energy and all other surfaces will have no radiative energy or illumination.
What we need to do now is calculate the interaction of energy from every surface to every other surface. This is an n^2 problem since we need to calculate this interaction from each surface to every other surface in the scene. This can be calculated based on their geometrical relationships (distance between surfaces, relative orientation, relative area, etc.) The math that calculates this relationship results in a single value. This value is called a "form factor."
The attentive readers (the one’s that are still awake) might have already guessed that there are only (n^2)/2 individual form factors since the relationship between surfaces 5&6 is the same as the relationship between 6&5. However, this is not true since relative area is taken into consideration.
We can calculate all the form factors in a scene and store them in a grid that is n elements wide by n elements tall. This grid is referred to as the "radiosity matrix" and it works just like a 2-dimensional table. Each element in this matrix contains a form factor for the interaction from the surface indexed by the column and the surface indexed by the row.
Remember how I said that there are n^2 interactions and not (n^2)/2? This is because each form factor is like a diode in that it only handles energy going in one direction: from a "source surface" to a "destination surface." In this case, we’ll say that the source surfaces are index by columns and destination surfaces are indexed by rows. Source surfaces will emit their energy to the destination surfaces.
Now lets solve the matrix. To do this, we simply visit each column (source) in the matrix and emit energy to each row (destination) in that column. When we do this, we’ll be placing some of that radiated energy (from the source) in the illumination value for the destination. But these surfaces are reflectors, which means they’re going to reflect SOME energy back into the scene. Based on the surface’s reflectivity, we’ll add a little bit of energy to the destination’s radiative energy. This radiative energy will eventually make its way back into the scene (i.e. to the other surfaces) as we progress through the matrix.
If the destination is a perfect reflector (i.e. it reflects every single bit of energy it receives - a mirror) then there will be no energy stored in the destination’s illumination, it would all go to its radiative energy. The inverse is also true: a perfectly black surface might not reflect any energy back into the scene, absorbing it all, so every bit of energy it receives is stored in its illumination value. If you’re starting to think that we’re making a black surface white, we’re not. Remember, we’re dealing with light, so the color of a surface is ultimately multiplied by its illumination. In the case of the perfectly black surface, the surface remains visually black.
Once we’ve gone through the matrix once, we do it all over again. This is necessary because we we’re storing some energy as illumination, and some as radiative energy. Now it’s time to go through the matrix again and start distributing that reflected radiative energy.
We’ll go through this matrix over and over again until the total amount of radiative energy for all surfaces is relatively small.
The Next Step
If you made it this far without getting lost, you’re in the home stretch.
There’s still a lot we haven’t covered yet, so let’s move on. I’ll start with a
few shortcomings of the basic radiosity matrix as I’ve described it thus far and
common solutions to these issues.|
Our surfaces have only one illumination value for the entire surface, so there is no change in illumination across a single surface. To solve this problem, we can simply subdivide each surface into a series smaller polygons called "patches." If you do this, you simply treat each patch as its own surface as a replacement for the original surface. Your matrix will grow to the number of patches in the scene squared.
This brings us to our next issue: the matrix can be quite large (especially if you subdivide into a number of patches) If the scene is very simple (say, a meager 1,000 polygons) then our illustrious matrix will be pretty big (1,000,000 elements.) If you've subdivided each of those surfaces to a meager 8x8 grid of patches per surface, then we're talking about 4,096,000,000 total elements in our matrix (8*8 = 64 patches per surface, 64*1000 = 64000 patches per scene, 64000*64000 is = 4,096,000,000 total matrix elements.) This is pretty tough for any computer to swallow.
Before I discuss the solutions to this ever-increasing matrix, let’s talk about a related issue: a matrix of this magnitude would take a long time to solve. Especially considering the fact that we’ll have to solve it multiple times. If a mistake was made in the modeled scene, wouldn’t it be nice to know this sooner rather than later?
In 1988, Cohen, Chen, Wallace & Greenberg published a paper called "A
Progressive Refinement Approach to Fast Radiosity Image Generation." This paper
described a new way of solving radiosity. It was quite clever in that it
reordered the way things were done.|
In the matrix method, illumination was gathered by each destination element from its source element. Ironically, this is called "gathering." The progressive refinement approach reversed this and defined (the other incredibly ironic term) "shooting."
The basic idea behind progressive refinement starts by finding the surface with the most energy to contribute to the scene (i.e. has the highest amount of radiative energy.) This surface would then iterate through all other surfaces, distributing its energy along the way. After this process was completed, the image was then rendered for the user, and the process began again, finding the surface with the most energy to contribute to the scene. Each pass would cause another render of the scene, allowing the user to progressively evaluate the progress. If the progress showed a problem along the way (an illumination surface was in the wrong place or the wrong color) they could stop the process and make the needed adjustments.
During this process, the user would see a completely dark scene progress to a fully lit scene. To accommodate this sharp contrast in visual difference from beginning to end, the progressive refinement technique added something called the "ambient term".
Before I continue, I want to point something out that is pretty important in radiosity. There is no such thing as ambient light in real life. Ambient light is something that was invented to accommodate the need for what appears to be a "global light" in real life. But in reality, ambient light doesn’t exist. Rather, light is always being reflected from surface to surface, which is how it finds its way into all the nooks and crannies of real-world detail. Before the advent of radiosity, ambient light was the best thing available to the typical rendering architectures. It is safe to think of radiosity is a more accurate solution to ambient (global) light. This is why radiosity is considered a technique for "global illumination."
The ambient term starts off as a "differential area sum" of the radiative energy for the entire scene. What this means is that it’s a number that represents the average amount of light that each surface will receive throughout the processing of the entire radiosity solution. We can calculate that average without doing all the work simply because it’s an average amount of energy, not a specific amount of energy for a single surface.
As each progressive pass emits the radiative energy for a surface, the ambient term is slowly decreased. As the total radiative energy of the scene approaches zero, so does the ambient term (though, at different rates, of course.) A nice advantage here is that you can use the ambient term to figure out when you’ve distributed enough energy as to make only a negligible difference. At this point, you can stop processing.
So, the progressive approach has solved the massive memory requirements for the radiosity matrix by simply not storing it, and it partially solves the processing time issue by speeding things up, and further improving this by allowing users to preview their works in progress.
A Note on Patches
Before I continue, I want to cover the topic of patch subdivision just a little.
I only touched on it lightly so as not to confuse the reader. It’s time we dive
just a little bit deeper in to these ever useful things.|
First, let’s be perfectly clear on something. If you use subdivision in your radiosity code, then you will not be using "surfaces" since the patches are a higher resolution representation of the original surface geometry. It will be the patches that shoot and gather energy amongst themselves, not the surfaces. If you use patch subdivision, you can probably discard your original surfaces since they have been replaced by a higher resolution representation, their patches.
Patches are how we simulate area light sources. Rather than actually treating the surface like an area light source, we simply split it up into lots of smaller light sources across the entire area of the original surface. If the surface is subdivided enough, then the results can be quite pleasing.
Patch subdivision can be done blindly or intelligently. An example of blind subdivision might be to subdivide every surface into a set of patches that are one square foot each. This can be quite a waste, since we only really need the subdivision in high-contrast areas (i.e. an area of a surface that has a dramatic change in energy across a relatively small area - like a shadow boundary.)
There is a multitude of intelligent subdivision techniques. One of the most common is to subdivide progressively by adding another step to the process. Once a surface has fully emitted its energy, each patch in the existing data-set is visited and a decision is made if two adjoining patches have too much of a difference in their illumination values. If they do, there will be a sharp contrast between these two patches so you should subdivide each of them. You can pick any threshold you wish to contain your subdivisions to a minimum. You can also set a maximum subdivision level to prevent from subdividing too much.
Patches, however, are just the first step to subdivision. Patches themselves can be subdivided into "elements". The usefulness of elemental subdivision is for performance reasons as well as aesthetic reasons. Patch subdivision can be pre-set to a specific resolution. In this case, the entire scene is subdivided evenly into patches of a specific size. This sounds like a waste, but let’s not get hasty. The subdivision resolution can be quite low in this case. As the radiosity solution progresses, the patches are intelligently subdivided into elements based on high contrast areas (or whatever intelligent subdivision technique you decide to use.)
You can think of elements as a higher resolution representation of their "parent" patches. But unlike patch subdivision where the surfaces are discarded and replaced by patches, patch subdivision does not discard the patches. The advantage here, is that the patches are maintained for shooting, while the elements are used for gathering.
Let’s look at that a little more closely. A patch is subdivided into a grid of 8x8 elements. During the distribution process, the patch with the highest amount of radiative energy is chosen for energy distribution. Energy is distributed from that patch to all of the ELEMENTS in the scene. The elements retain their illumination value (for beauty’s sake) and the radiative energy that would be reflected from all the elements is then sent up to their parent patch. Later, the patch will do the shooting, rather than each individual element. This allows us to have a high resolution of surface geometry with a lower resolution distribution. This can save quite a lot of processing time, especially if the average patch is subdivided into 8x8 elements.
For the sake of this example, I’ll just assume we’re not at the elemental subdivision stage yet, and work from patches.
Did somebody say shadows? I didn’t. Not yet, at least. :-)|
To obtain shadows, we need to have some visibility information, so we’ll know how much of a patch is visible from another patch. One of the most common ways of doing this in today’s world is to use a z-buffer. And radiosity is no different. To do this, however, we’ll need a way to generate a z-buffer from a patch. This is where the hemicube comes in handy.
A hemicube is exactly what it sounds like. It’s exactly one half of a cube, split orthogonally along one axis. This gives us one whole face, and four half-faces.
What’s it for? Try to picture this: place a pin-hole camera at the base of the hemicube (i.e. the center of the cube prior to cutting it in half) and point the camera at the center of the top face. Now set your camera to a 90-degree frustum.
You can consider the top face of the hemicube now, to be the rendering surface of the camera. This surface has a pixel resolution (which I’ll discuss shortly.) If you render the scene from this perspective, you’ll "see" what the patch "sees".
Remember when I said that we need to take the relative distance and relative orientation of two patches into account to calculate their form factors? Well, in this case, we no longer need to do that. The hemicube takes care of that for us. As patches are rendered onto the surface of the hemicube, they’ll occupy "hemicube pixels". The farther away the surface is, the fewer pixels it will occupy. This is also true for patches at greater angles of relative orientation. The greater the angle, the fewer pixels it will occupy. Using a z-buffer we can let some patches partially (or fully) occlude other patches, causing them to occupy even fewer pixels (or none at all) which gives us shadows.
For this to work, we need to translate these renders into energy transmission. Let’s talk about that for a bit.
A standard z-buffer renderer will render color values to a frame buffer and store depth information into a z-buffer. A hemicube implementation is very similar. It keeps the z-buffer just like normal. But rather than storing color values into a frame buffer, it stores patch IDs into a frame buffer. When the render is complete, you have partial form factor information for how much energy gets transmitted from one patch to another. I say "partial form factor information" because we’re missing one piece.
This information is lacking some of the relative angle information between two patches. The relative angles are used to decrease the amount of energy shot from one patch to another. The greater the angle, the less energy is transmitted. Our hemicube gives us part of this information by only telling us (in an indirect way) how much of an angle the destination patch is relative to us. But we also need to take the shooter’s relative angle into account as well. It’s much like Lambert shading. As the surface turns away from the light, the surface receives less light. We’ve got this information (indirectly) in the hemicube frame buffer. But our light source is also an area, which means it can turn, too. So we’ll need to take its angle into consideration before we shoot any energy to anybody.
The hemicube has a wonderful mechanism for this. It’s called the "delta form factor." This is simply a table of values. It is the same resolution as the surface of the hemicube and it contains values that are used to scale the amount of energy that each hemicube pixel can transmit. The values in this table associated with the center pixels of the top face have the highest value, and the values fall off as they get near the edges of the hemicube face. The reason for this is simple. The values associated with the center of the hemicube face have the highest value since anything rendered to this area of the "screen" will be directly in front of the hemicube (i.e. the least incident angle.) The values in the table associated with the edges of the hemicube face are at a 45-degree angle, so they are considerably less than those found near the center.
There is a very specific calculation for the "delta form factor" table which can be found in most radiosity references.
To finish up our hemicube explanation, we need to pull it all together.
Rather than shooting light from the source patch to the destination patches, we do this through each pixel in the hemicube’s frame buffer (remember, we’ve stored patch IDs in there so we can reference them later, and THIS is later :-). Visiting each hemicube pixel, we simply scale the amount of the shooter’s total radiative energy by the delta form factor associated with that pixel. This means that each patch will receive a little bit of energy for each pixel it resides in, in the hemicube’s frame buffer. Each of these partial energy transmissions to an individual destination patch will all add up to the proper amount of total transmitted energy, just like magic.
How do we know that we’ve transmitted all the energy from the shooter? Well, if you add up all the delta form factors for the hemicube, you’ll find they add up to 1.0. This is a good test, by the way, to make sure your hemicube delta form factor table is correct. Remember to account for error, so the value might not equal exactly 1.0, rather something very close.
A typical hemicube resolution might be 128x128. However, you may decide to go with a higher resolution. Either way, remember this: each pixel in the hemicube’s delta form factor table contains a very small fractional value. You should consider using doubles to store these values as they can get VERY small.
To save confusion, I purposely neglected to mention a few things. Each hemicube has five sides. I only described the process for rendering the top face. The remaining half-faces also require rendering, but the process is identical to that of the top face. Don’t worry, your radiosity references will cover how to calculate the delta form factors for ALL faces of the hemicube. And don’t forget that when you run your little test that adds up all the delta form factors to a result of 1.0, you’ll need to include ALL of the delta form factors, not just those for the top face.
In closing, I should mention that there are issues with hemicubes (like aliasing artifacts under certain circumstances.) There are some solutions to these issues as well as totally different techniques. But hemicubes are a great place to start your radiosity adventures.
"Advanced Animation & Rendering Techniques" by Watt & Watt|
"Computer Graphics Principles & Practice" by Foley, vanDam, Feiner & Hughes
"Radiosity: A Programmer's Perspective" by Ashdown
"Radiosity and Realistic Image Synthesis" by Cohen & Wallace
"Radiosity and Global Illumination" by Sillion & Puech
Personally, I originally learned the concepts & fundamentals of radiosity from "Advanced Animation & Rendering Techniques." I learned enough to get my first radiosity processor up and running. Since this book has such a wealth of other information, I highly recommend it for first-timers on the subject. From there, you can graduate to any of the other references listed. If you make it to the more advanced stuff, you’re welcome to visit my site and grab some research papers on the subject.
- Paul Nettle
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The Building Blocks of Sandbox and Open World Games: Eve, GTA, Minecraft, and Beyond
The term “sandbox” has become a bit of an overused buzzword over the past few years, with many games using it to attract attention. It’s a difficult concept to define due to its abstraction, so I’m going to take you on a journey through gaming history to help you understand the evolution of sandbox games, and the advantages and disadvantages they offer to a game designer.
Minecraft: A Good Modern Example
A picture of a castle made by a player, Luís Prado, in Minecraft
Minecraft is a great example of a popular modern sandbox game. It’s sold 8 million copies, yet its community is still growing. The game allows you to construct buildings in a randomly generated world made of cubes. You can gather resources, craft, explore and combat strange creatures to survive in the world – but mostly, you are free to do anything you want. The goals come from your imagination; there is no ultimate objective. (At least, none that you must aim for.)
And yet, although it’s a great example of a sandbox game, Minecraft does not offer a perfect definition of the term. I’m not even sure whether there can be a true definition of “sandbox” because the concept is huge. There are many games in the market that use sandbox mechanisms, and they are quite different from each other.
A town in the desert created by a group of players in a multiplayer Minecraft server.
Let’s start by imagining a real-world sandbox. Magically, a child appears inside that sandbox. Now he or she is free to do whatever they want – but there is only sand in the box and without any tools the child will get bored of playing with the sand rather quickly. At this point there is nothing else to do other than to leave and play something else. Without proper tools, the sandbox is no fun.
Imagination Is a Problem
It’s essential to have the right tools to create a joyful box of sand.
The same rule applies to virtual sandbox games as to real sandboxes: if the developer doesn’t give the right tools to the player, the player will get bored pretty easily.
Game designers have to think about a way to make people like and spend time playing their games. If you add some tools – a bucket and a shovel – to the sandbox and guide the child in his first steps, he will be able to achieve something magnificent. With the right tools he will build a sculpture of a lion blowing water out of his mouth while wearing a three-point hat. Can you imagine it?
Imagination is the second problem for a game designer. The limits of imagination won’t allow some players to fully explore the world the game designer created – but on the other hand, the game designer can’t allow the player to imagine everything he wants and apply it to the game. This means the designer must create some boundaries and rules. And there will always be rules in any kind of game, even in sandbox games.
Let’s put aside the box full of sand for a while. Ever played a pen and paper role playing game (P&P RPG)? You gather a group of friends around a table, and create an adventure for them to live through. One player is the storyteller, and the rest create their own characters that will fit an imaginary world. The difficult part in the process is finding a good group of players. There are many online games that allow people to play together in the comfort of their homes, but no other game is like a tabletop role playing game, because there you are truly free to do anything.
Tabletop Games: The Source of It All
A character sheet and a set of dice ready to play a Role Playing Game.
I’ve found that the only way to make people try an RPG without any 3D graphics or cut scenes is to sell them on this idea of total freedom. After gathering my P&P RPG group I could start creating stories, but as I told you before, there is always a set of rules. Total freedom, yes, but within the game’s boundaries. I had to read a 300 page book to learn all the rules of a fantasy world I was going to keep alive for some months.
For some days we, as a group, created true tales of heroes. Stories that were out of this world, stories that we couldn’t tell in a linear game. We had our little big sandbox where we could try out everything we wanted, and as the storyteller I could change some settings and create a whole new environment to change the dynamic of the game.
I won’t tell you the stories or the amount of fun we have playing P&P RPG. If you are a developer that didn’t try to play such kind of game I encourage you to try it out. You will find a lot of ideas to apply to your own games; no-one has yet made a game offering the same freedom as our tabletop sessions, but sandbox game designers keep getting closer and closer.
From Elite to Freelancer
Elite was released in 1983 with its superb wireframe graphics – very advanced for the time!
Dungeons & Dragons was the first commercial P&P RPG, released as a tabletop game in 1974. The ideas around this theme started to flow and coders were keen to apply them to computer games. In 1983, Elite – an open world space trading video game based on a tabletop RPG called Traveller – was published. It was a huge success due to how the player had the possibility to make decisions making him feel free. The typical labyrinthine maps were nowhere to be seen, and you could fly across systems completing quests. And Elite had another peculiarity: as well as the quests, you had a market where you could “buy here, sell there” to make a profit and buy new parts for your spaceship.
One year later, The Seven Cities of Gold was released, ushering in a new genre where players could trade, explore, fight and go on adventures under the role of a Spanish Empire explorer. There were a lot of successors; games like Wing Commander and Freelancer made their way to the top, but the greatest innovation here was in the creation of multiplayer gaming and the evolution of 2D graphics to 3D graphics. Of course, every year it was also possible to save a lot more data on hard drives than before, making the lives of developers a lot easier when creating larger worlds and interactions, which was something they had been trying to do since the beginning.
SimCity and GTA
The GTA series of games sit at the frontier of the open world and sandbox genres.
Some years later the city-building games gained popularity. Utopia was released in 1982 but the free city building genre only started to get famous when SimCity hit the market in 1989. SimCity is another perfect example of a sandbox game, and yet it is totally different from the games I mentioned above: as mayor, you were given the tools to build a city in the way you want.
The year after that, Railroad Tycoon was released; like SimCity, it gave players objectives to complete within an economic simulation, but this time the player was tasked with running a railroad business rather than a city. Railroad Tycoon brought something new to the world of gaming: the “Sandbox Mode”. You were given infinite resources to create anything you’d like with infinite resources (but always within the game’s boundaries, of course). Remember the child I spoke of earlier? Imagine that child with a lot of tools, a big imagination, and now infinite resources, building cities, roads, places…
The release of The Sims, at the turn of the century, was another milestone in the evolution of sandbox gaming. Again, it is quite different from any other game I spoke about, and changed the way we look at the sandbox concept: you built the house (and the life) of a single person or family. The Grand Theft Auto series marked another important change. You can call GTA an open world sandbox game, but there is a massive difference between The Sims and GTA – and yet both fit in the genre, as they allow players to create and interact with the world.
Be a Witch in Salem
Salem is a new sandbox world. It’s in beta for now.
The games industry is always expanding and game developers are trying their best to give players new experiences, grabbing ideas from the past, applying them in the present, to improve the future. That’s why I want to talk about online sandbox games.
With the advent of massively-multiplayer online games, companies like Sea Tribe explored the sandbox concept, applying it to online gaming. They envisioned giant worlds where each person could have their own place to live, maintaining it through diplomacy (or fighting). Sea Tribe’s game Heaven & Hearth is a free to explore world where people play together constructing anywhere they’d like. It’s a mutable world that players change every day.
A house built by players in Xsyon shows what’s possible to achieve in terms of architecture.
Sea Tribe is working on their new title Salem. Like Heaven & Hearth, Salem is a 3D world in a 17th century setting. You play as a colonist but you can take your ways into witchcraft. Salem and its witches… Sea Tribe is not the only company preparing to launch a sandbox game to the market. Games like The Repopulation by Above and Beyond Technologies and Xsyon by Notorious Games explore the same model each one with their different settings and capabilities.
These games are based around crafting, as a player needs to craft to be build things. Developers had to find a solution to make the game playable and enjoyable. As in any other MMORPG a player needs to level up to gain new skills. In these sandbox games you will earn points when crafting materials – instead of killing every monster you see to finish a quest – in order to get new items to build. Those items will help you to develop your village, town, or even city. It’s hard to manage a city on your own; that’s why the multiplayer aspect is a very important (and fun) part of these games.
Eve: Freedom and Fear
An artwork artist creating new content for the sandbox world of Eve Online.
Another feature is the constant fear of player vs. player battles. This is something you see in Eve Online, which for my money is the best sandbox game out there at the moment. The MMO games I’ve pointed out are in alpha and beta versions, but Eve has been out and stable for a while now.
Eve’s player vs. player combat exists in every corner of space. You won’t find it only in dog-fighting; it exists between corporations, in the economy, during transportation… The creators of Eve Online tried their best to create a world where you can be anything from a simple miner to a great leader of a gigantic corporation. The whole game is shaped by players’ actions, crafting, and capacity to change the market and control it. That’s pretty much what I look for in a sandbox game: the capacity to build a place of your own and manipulate everything you can to fit you perfectly.
Open World vs. Sandbox
A final note about the concepts of “open world” and “sandbox” games: they are very similar, and I’ve used the words almost interchangeably in this article. However, I do think it’s useful to try to separate them; here’s my take on that:
While open world games let you visit every single place and explore every little piece of artwork, a sandbox game lets you actually help to build and manage the world around you.
Many see the GTA series or Assassin’s Creed games as belonging to the sandbox genre. I can’t totally disagree with that, but I feel they’re better described as open world games. You can change and interact with stuff in the world of GTA, but you’re not helping to build it. And that’s a huge difference from games like Salem, The Repopulation, Minecraft and Xsyon. For me, those are the real sandbox games, where you have a set of tools and you can modify the world you live in. But that’s just part of the evolution I guess.
It’s hard to understand what a true sandbox game is, and what it will be in the future, but it looks like the industry has taken a leap in another direction and that will happen again some day soon. The concept may change, but for now I accept it as it is and I’m betting it will take a while until someone figures out a way to recreate it. But the past will always be connected to the future, that’s for sure.
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Anne Frank House In Guided Online Tour
For two years, Anne Frank, her family and other Jews hid in a cramped clutch of rooms tucked into the back of a canal house in Amsterdam.
Now, 50 years after the opening of the Anne Frank House museum, which has more than 1 million visitors every year, the museum is launching an online virtual tour of what life was like at the back of 263 Prinsengracht in Amsterdam. The tour captures in graphic detail photographs on the wall, the print on the bedspreads and tiny kitchen in the cramped space where eight people lived in daily fear of being caught.
Source & Full Story - Anne Frank House Virtual Tour
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Questions not related to blog notes will not be answered here. Many thanks for your comprehension.
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News & Policies >
Policies in Focus
President Bush's Initiative Against Illegal Logging
"... I've also ordered the Secretary of State to develop a new initiative to help developing
countries stop illegal logging, a practice that destroys biodiversity and releases millions
of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere."
What is Illegal Logging?
Illegal logging is generally understood to mean timber that is harvested, transported, processed or sold in contravention of a country's laws. Illegal logging destroys forest ecosystems, robs national governments and local communities of needed revenues, undercuts prices of legally harvested forest products on the world market, finances regional conflict and acts as a disincentive to sustainable forest management.
International trade in illegally harvested timber and timber traded in violation of Parties' obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) exacerbates the problem. Illegal logging is also a primary factor in the escalating African bush meat crisis, opening up vast areas to illicit hunting to feed loggers and for commercial sale in urban centers.
Underlying causes of illegal logging and related corruption are rooted in a lack of strong institutions based on democratic principles: rule of law, participatory and transparent decision-making, public accountability, clear land tenure and property rights and due process for dispute settlement.
The World Bank estimates that illegal logging results in annual
losses in developing countries of $10-15 billion worldwide.
The United States has been a leader in raising international awareness of the devastating global problem of illegal logging and identifying actions to address it, notably through the G-8, regional initiatives such as the South Asia and Africa Ministerial Conferences on Forest Law Enforcement and Governance, and bilateral development assistance activities. Developed at the direction of President Bush, this Initiative builds on those efforts.
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Haiti: The Duvaliers and their Legacy
Elizabeth Abbot (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998)
Eyes of the Heart: Seeking a Path for the Poor in the Age of Globalization
Jean-Bertrand Aristide (Common Courage Press, 2000)
Jean-Bertrand Aristide (Paris: Editions du Seuil)
In the Parish of the Poor: Writings from Haiti
Jean-Bertrand Aristide (New York: Orbis Books, 1990)
Bitter Sugar: Slaves Today in the Caribbean
(Chicago: Banner Press, 1985)
Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou
Donald J. Cosentino, Ed. (Los Angeles: UCLA, Fowler Museum of Cultural History, 1995)
Masters of the Dew
Jacques Roumain (Portsmouth: NH, Heienman, 1944)
Farming of Bones
Edwidge Danticat (New York: Soho, 1998)
Under the Bone
Anne-Christine D'Adesky (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1994)
The Faces of the Gods: Vodou and Roman Catholicism
Leslie G. Desmangles (1992)
Haiti in the New World Order: The Limits of Democratic Revolution
Alex Dupuy (Westview Press, 1997)
Infections and Inequalities: The Modern Plagues
Paul Farmer (University of California Press, 1999)
The Uses of Haiti
Paul Farmer (Common Courage Press, 1994)
AIDS and Accusations: Haiti and the Geography of Blame
Paul Farmer (University of California Press, 1993)
Caribbean: A Literary Companion
James Ferguson (Chicago: Passport Books, 1997)
The Making of Haiti: The Saint-Domingue Revolution from Below
Carolyn E. Fick (Knoxville: University of Tennessee, 1990)
Dancing Spirits: Rhythms and Rituals of Haitian Vodun
Gerdes Fleurant (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1996)
The Catholic Church in Haiti: Political and Social Change
Greene (East Lansing: University of MichiganPress, 1993)
Graham Greene (New York: Viking Press, 1966)
Written in Blood: The Story of the Haitian People 1492-1995
Robert Debs Heinl Jr., Nancy Gordon Heinl and Michael Heinl (University Press of America, 1996)
Haitian Art: The Legend and Legacy of the Naive Tradition
L.G. Hoffman (Davenport, Iowa: Beaux Arts Fund Committee, 1985)
Haiti; dangerous crossroads
edited by Deidre McFadyen...[et al.]...from the North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA) (Boston,MA: South End Press, 1995)
Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica
Zora Neale Hurston (New York: Harper and Row, 1938)
The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution
C.L.R. James (New York: Vintage Books, 1989)
Urban Life in the Caribbean : A Study of a Haitian Urban Community
Michael S. Laguerre (Cambridge, Mass.: Schenkman Pub. Co., 1982)
Peripheral Migrants: Haitians and Dominican Republic Sugar Plantations
Samuel Martinez (University of Tennessee Press, 1996)
Crossroads and Unholy Water
Marlene Phipps (Southern Illinois University Press, 2000)
Like the Dew that Water the Grass: Words from Haitian Women
Marie M. B. Racine (Washington, DC: EPICA, 1999)
The Haiti Files: Decoding the Crisis
James Ridgeway (Washington, D.C. : Essential Books, 1994)
The Miracle of Haitian Art
Selden Rodman (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1974)
Where Art is Joy. Haitian Art: the First Forty Years
Selden Rodman (New York: Ruggles deLatour, 1998)
Haiti Renewed: Political and Economic Prospects
Edited by Robert I. Rothberg (Brookings Institute, 1997)
Hideous Dream; a soldiers memoir of the US invasion of Haiti
Stan Goff (New York: Soft Skull Press, 2000)
The Immaculate Invasion
Bob Schacocis (Viking Press, 1999)
Silencing the Guns in Haiti: The Promise of Deliberative Democracy
Irwin P. Stotsky (University of Chicago Press, 1997)
A Taste of Salt
Frances Temple (New York: HarperCollins, 1992)
Haiti - State Against Nation: Orgigins and Legacy of Duvalierism
Michael-Rolph Trouillot (New York: Monthly Press Review, 1990)
The Haiti Crisis in International Law
Marc Weller and Ana MacLean (1999)
Voodoo and the Art of Haiti
Sheldon Williams (London: Morland Lee Ltd., 1969)
The Rainy Season, Haiti Since Duvalier
Amy Wilentz (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1989)
Fort Dimanche, Dungeon of Death
Patrick Lemoine (Freeport, NY: Fordi9, 1997)
Haiti en Marche
Haitian weekly in French and Creole. Order from 173 NW 94th Street, Miami FL 33150. (305) 754-0705 ($78/year)
English every three weeks by the Haitian Information Bureau, c/o Lynx Air, Box 407139, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33340. Available by mail. Regular source of information on Haiti's democratic and popular movement.
Published three times per year. Subscriptions ($12) and directory submissions to Peter Kinney, 131 N. Main Street, Sharon, MA 02067. (617) 784-8067.
Haitian weekly in French and Creole. Order from 1398 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210. (718) 434-8000
The Haitian Times
Weekly, available through www.haitiantimes.com or via mail at 32 Court Street, Suite 805, Brooklyn, NY 11201. ($59/year).
NACLA Report on the Americas
Bi-monthly journal. Order issues for $4.75 from NACLA, 475 Riverside Drive #454, New York, NY 10115. (212) 870-3146.
Haiti: Harvest of Hope
Kevin Pina (1998)
Charles Najman (2004) Royal Bonbon is the first major film to come out of Haiti. Director Charles Najman filled the entire project on Haitian soil and used non – professional locals as actors. The film is a comedy/drama about a villager, Chacha who believes he is the reincarnation of King Christophe, a former slave who led Haiti to independence in 1804.
Jacques Arcelin (1983) A documentary featuring interviews with peasants, landowners, merchants, and US businessmen. It concentrates on history between the Haitian revolution and the Duvalier regimes.
Haiti: Coup de Haiti: Coup de Grace
Rudi Stern (1995) A documentary which follows President Jean- Bertrand Aristide during his first exile and return to Haiti.
Haiti: Killing the Dream
Rudi Stern, Babeth, Katherine Kean (1992) A film that looks at the history of Haiti until the point of President Aristide's first exile. This film investigates the role US policies have played in the problems of Haiti.
Krik? Krak, Tales of a Nightmare
Vanyoska Gee (1992) A combination of documentary and fiction illustrating the horror of the Tonton Macoutes and the Duvalier regieme.
Of Men and Gods
Anne Lescot and Laurence Maglorie (2002) This film explores the relationship between homosexual men and the voodoo religion.
Looking for Life
Claudette Coulanges (1999) A documentary, which follows the lives of two women surviving in Haiti. It raises questions about the influence the importation of North American goods have had on the Haitian economy.
Gillo Pontecorvo (1968) A film starring the late, great Marlon Brando. This film is about a fictitious island, but closely follows the history of the Haitian revolution.
Johnathan Demme (2003) Documentary about the life and assassination of Jean Dominique, the voice of Radio Haiti Inter. and human rights activist. .
Haiti Solidarity Week Packet
A free, updated packet available by mail and at www.quixote.org/haiti in late January of each year. Use it to plan events for your community. Requests by mail: Haiti Reborn/Quixote Center, P.O. Box 5206, Hyattsville, MD 20782.
Media Skills for Haitian Activists
1992, a 50 minute video. Guide to working with the media by progressive media consultants Gwen McKinney and Alfredo Lopez. $17 with training manual included from Green Valley Film and Art, 209 College Street, Burlington, VT 05401. (802) 658-2523.
Mickey Mouse Goes to Haiti: Walt Disney and the Science of Exploitation
18 minute free video. Available from the National Labor Committee, 275 7th Avenue, 15th floor, New York, NY 10001. (212) 242-3002.
Slide Show on Haiti
Contains 140 powerful slides chronicling the rise of Lavalas, the coup d'etat, and the plight of refugees at Guantanamo. Available from the Haitian commission, 39 W. 14th Street, New York, NY 10011. (212) 633-2889.
Town meeting on the Crisis in Haiti
September 1993. 90 minute audio tape features former President Aristide, Ambassador Ben Dupuy, peasant leader Chavnnes Jean Baptiste, NAACP's Don Rojas, DGAP economist and activist Laurie Richardson. Order from Pacific Radio Archives, 3729 Chahuenga Blvd. West, North Hollywood, CA 91604. (818) 506-1077. ($16.50)
Carribean Close-Up: Dominican Republic and Haiti
28 minute video from the Children of the Earth Series. Available from Maryknoll World Productions, P.O. Box 308, Maryknoll, NY 10545. (800) 227-8523.
Haiti's Piggy Bank: The Story of the Loss and recovery of the Haitian Creole Pig
This video teaches many lessons: the self-interest of USAID, the interconnected nature of resources, the trauma caused from harsh policies imposed from above. It also teaches that resistance can bring with it renewal and hope. Available from Grassroots International, 179 Boylston Street, 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02130. (615) 524-1400. www.grassrootsonline.org .
Feeding Dependency, Starving democracy: USAID Policies in Haiti
By Laurie Richardson, a report by Grassroots International. Available from grassroots International, 179 Boylston street, 4th floor, Boston, MA 02130. (617) 524-1400. www.grassrootsonline.org . ($10)
Many of the resources contained on this page were obtained from Haiti Reborn.
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METHODISM IN THE UNITED STATES There are in the United States sixteen distinct Methodist denominations, all agreeing essentially in doctrine. John Wesley had been conducting his United Societies for more than twenty years before the movement took root in North America.
The first American Conference was held in 1773, and consisted of ten preachers, all of whom were born in England or Ireland. Asbury came to America to remain permanently; but Rankin, unable to identify himself with its people, to take the test oaths required in the Revolution, or to sympathize with the colonies, returned to England, as did all the English preachers except As bury. By May 1776 there were 24 preachers and 4,921 members; but in the first year of the Revolution there was a loss of 7 preachers and nearly i,000 members.
The preachers in the South determined upon administration of the sacraments, and a committee was chosen whose members ordained themselves and others. The Northern preachers opposed this step and for several years the Connexion was on the verge of disruption. An agreement was finally made to suspend the
administration until Wesley's desires and judgment should be ascertained. He perceived that the society would disintegrate unless effective measures were speedily taken, and early in 1784 he ordained Thomas Coke (1747-1814), already in orders of the Church of England, as superintendent. Wesley sent Coke to America as his commissioner to establish, for the Methodist Soci ety, a system of Church government, which should include the administration of Baptism and of the Lord's Supper. Wesley also appointed Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury "to be joint super intendents over our brethren in North America." Soon after Coke and his companions arrived they met Asbury and fifteen preachers, and a special conference was called, which opened on the 24th of December, 1784, in the suburbs of Baltimore, Mary land. This convention organized itself into a Methodist Episcopal Church, in which the liturgy sent by Wesley should be read, and the sacraments should be administered and deacons to be ordained by a presbytery using the episcopal form. Coke and Asbury were unanimously elected superintendents, Coke, aided by his clerical companions from England, ordaining Asbury as deacon and elder and formally consecrating him a general superintendent. This con vention adopted the first Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It adopted the existing doctrinal standards, consisting chiefly of Wesley's Sermons and his Notes on the New Testament; also twenty-five of the Articles of Religion of the Church of Eng land, modified so as to eradicate all trace of High Church ritual ism, Anglican or Roman, and the distinctive doctrines of Calvin ism. The Church thus established began its ecclesiastical career with 18,000 members, 104 travelling preachers, about the same number of local preachers, and more than 200 licensed exhorters. There were 6o chapels and Boo regular preaching places. Within five years the number of preachers swelled to 227, and the mem bers to 45,949 (white) and 11,682 (coloured).
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There are many file types used in graphic design. These file types include image file formats such as JPG, GIF and TIFF.
GIF files are a format commonly used for graphics presented on websites. GIFs can contain a maximum of 256 colors, and are therefore best for images that contain simple shapes, a limited color palette, text and other elements as opposed to photos.
JPG files, also known as JPEG files, are a common file format for digital photos and other digital graphics. When JPG files are saved, they use "lossy" compression, meaning image quality is lost as file size decreases. JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, the committee that created the file type.
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Initial surveys began this week and are focusing on the collection of water samples for eDNA analysis. Electroshocking and netting survey efforts will also be conducted starting next week. The eDNA surveys will occur in the Sandusky River and Bay, and the Maumee River and Bay. Samples will be collected in the areas where positive eDNA samples were collected in 2011 and at additional locations believed to provide suitable bighead and silver carp habitat. MDNR Research Program Manager Tammy Newcomb said, "Our coordinated sampling efforts with partner agencies are very important in order to revisit areas where positive samples were collected last year, and to expand sampling to areas that may be reproductively favorable for bighead or silver carp. These are the areas where we can be most effective in preventing expansion of these species should they be present."
MDNR and ODNR requested assistance from the USFWS to develop and implement this assessment effort. The USFWS is contributing significant technical and logistical expertise, as well as personnel, survey equipment and vessels. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will analyze the collected eDNA water samples.
Access the joint release with additional details and links to information including videos and images (click here). [#GLakes]
32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
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The rare greenback cutthroat trout, Colorado’s state fish, is even more imperiled than scientists thought, a new study suggests. By analyzing DNA sampled from cutthroat trout specimens pickled in ethanol for 150 years, comparing it with the genes of today’s cutthroat populations, and cross-referencing more than 40,000 historic stocking records, researchers in Colorado and Australia have revealed that the fish survives not in five wild populations, but just one.
Stocking records and the tangled genetic patchwork of trout in the southern Rocky Mountain region suggest that efforts to replenish populations were far more extensive and began earlier than previously recognized. Between 1885 and 1953, state and federal agencies stocked more than 750 million brook trout, rainbow trout and cutthroat trout from hatcheries into streams and lakes in Colorado, the researchers found.
The study, published on Monday in the peer-reviewed journal Molecular Ecology as a follow-up to a 2007 study led by the same biologist, Jessica Metcalf, yielded some findings that “may be uncomfortable,” Kevin Rogers, a researcher for Colorado’s state parks authority, said in a call with reporters.
Doug Krieger, senior aquatic biologist for the same agency, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, predicted that the study would shift the direction of conservation efforts.
A shift in the scientific landscape is not an entirely new experience for fish managers working with the cutthroat trout in the region. The 2007 study shook the very foundations of cutthroat trout recovery efforts, showing that managers had accidentally mixed a different subspecies of cutthroat trout, the Colorado cutthroat, with the rare greenback, and then stocked these hybrid strains into otherwise pure greenback streams.
The latest study, whose co-authors also include the biologist Chris Kennedy of the Fish and Wildlife Service and scientists with the University of Adelaide’s Australian Center for Ancient DNA and the University of Colorado, Boulder, shows that the last surviving greenback population lies within a four-mile stretch of a small alpine stream known as Bear Creek. The stream is about five miles southwest of Colorado Springs, on the eastern slope of Pikes Peak.
Located outside the greenback’s native range, this holdout population is probably descended from fish stocked at the Bear Creek headwaters in the 1880’s by a hotelier seeking to promote a tourist route up Pikes Peak, the researchers say.
To map out the historic distribution and range of a species whose taxonomic record is, to quote the latest study, “rife with errors,” Dr. Metcalf sampled skin, gill, muscle and bone from trout specimens collected in Colorado and New Mexico from 1857 to 1889, before the state and federal efforts to propagate and stock native trout were ramped up.
Now housed in museums including the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the California Academy of Sciences, the specimens were preserved in ethanol. “The DNA was very degraded, and there wasn’t very much of it,” Dr. Metcalf said. “So this took a lot of effort and repeated sequencing for each specimen.”
Still, ethanol preservation opened a window to the past. “After the 1900’s, a lot of things were fixed in formalin, which keeps them looking the way they were when they were collected,” Dr. Metcalf said. “Before that, things were just straight up pickled” in ethanol.”
The problem for latter-day genetic sleuths is that formalin actually binds with DNA, making the latter impossible to recover. It’s not always obvious what chemicals were used for a given specimen, but the fact that some fish appeared partially decayed was a good sign these trout were preserved the old-fashioned way (in ethanol only), leaving fragments of DNA intact.
“The DNA I get out of 15,000-year-old, extremely degraded animals from Patagonia is in better shape than these ethanol-preserved fish,” she said.
Aside from presenting an approach for using pre-1900 museum specimens to provide a baseline for historic diversity, the study effectively yanks the rug out from under cutthroat trout restoration efforts and raises the stakes in a lawsuit filed last week by the Center for Biological Diversity against federal land managers.
The center claims that “rampant motorcycle use” permitted on trails running along and across Bear Creek is destroying precious habitat. “We’ve asked the forest service to close that trail to motorcycle use and move it,” the director of the organization’s endangered species program, Noah Greenwald, said in an interview.
Even after the construction of bridges and other projects designed to minimize erosion, Mr. Greenwald said, heavy trafficking of erosive soil around Bear Creek causes sediments to fill pools that are vital to cutthroat trout survival.
“It’s a really small stream,” he said. “So the pools are super-important during drought, when the stream freezes in the wintertime, and to hide from predators.”
The Fish and Wildlife Service does not plan to take immediate action around Bear Creek in response to the Metcalf research, which the agency helped finance as a member of the Greenback Cutthroat Trout Recovery Team. Other funds flowed from the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service and Trout Unlimited.
A Fish and Wildlife Service representative told reporters on Monday that the greenback’s status would not be changed from threatened to endangered until a thorough scientific review was carried out and the public had a chance to weigh in. Separate research that the agency will use to crosscheck Dr. Metcalf’s genetic results is to be completed this fall.
Historic records indicate that Bear Creek, like many high-alpine streams made inaccessible by waterfalls and other natural barriers, once had no fish at all. When frontiersmen arrived in the area, they typically would settle near a creek, Dr. Metcalf said., “The first thing you’re going to do is stock it, so you have a good food resource right by your house all year round,” she said,
The revelation that Bear Creek is home to the last remaining greenback cutthroats underscores the importance of protecting the population, said Mr. Greenwald of the Center for Biological Diversity.
“If we can’t protect it, if we don’t do what’s necessary to protect it, “we’re at risk of losing another one of these cutthroat trout subspecies, and that would be a real tragedy,” he said.
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Are We Thinking Too Little, or Too Much?
In the course of making a decision, managers often err in one of two directions—either overanalyzing a situation or forgoing all the relevant information and simply going with their gut. HBS marketing professor Michael I. Norton discusses the potential pitfalls of thinking too much or thinking too little. Key concepts include:
- When deciding among potential products or employees, managers often take too much time considering all the attributes of their choices—even attributes that have no bearing on the situation at hand.
- However, in trying to avoid overthinking a decision for fear of decision paralysis, managers often "over-correct" and end up not thinking enough.
- We know that sometimes people think too much, and sometimes they think too little. But we still don't know the right amount to think.
The most captivating item in Michael Norton's office is a Star Wars The Force Trainer, a toy that allows would-be Jedi warriors to levitate a Ping-Pong ball within a tube using only the power of focused thinking. Norton, a marketing professor at Harvard Business School, plans to study whether inducing people into believing they can expertly control the ball will affect the way they perceive themselves as business influencers.
In fact, Norton spends most of his time thinking about thinking. So it's somewhat ironic that his latest line of research explores the idea of thinking too much.
"If you've done something the same way for 10 years, it might be time to reconsider."
"Academics traditionally have taken two different approaches to decision-making," says Norton, who teaches in the Marketing Unit. "One view is that people often make decisions too hastily; they use shortcuts and heuristics, and therefore they're susceptible to biases and mistakes. The implication is that if maybe they thought more, they'd do better.
"And then there's this whole stream of research about ways in which you should think more carefully in more logical ways—creating decision trees that map out 'if you want to do this, then you should do this and not that,' making lists of the pros and cons and making a decision based on which list is longer, and so on."
However, there has been little research that considers the notion that overthinking a decision might actually lead to the wrong outcome. Nor have researchers come up with a model that explores how to determine when we're overthinking a decision—even though logic tells us that there certainly is such a thing.
"We all know that when we make lists, we often end up crumpling them and throwing them away because they're not really helping us make decisions," Norton says. "Bill Clinton was famous for becoming so involved with the intricacies of each policy that no decisions were made. Having a leader who considers every detail sounds great in theory, but it can be suboptimal for moving forward with a decision. There's a paralysis that can come with thinking too much."
Norton explores this idea in From Thinking Too Little to Thinking Too Much: A Continuum of Decision Making, an article he co-wrote with Duke University's Dan Ariely for Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science.
"We set out not to tell people whether they're thinking the right way, but just to get them thinking, 'I'm supposed to be making a decision right now—am I thinking too little about this, or am I thinking too much?' " Norton says. "Both of those could lead to mistakes."
"We set out not to tell people whether they're thinking the right way, but just to get them thinking, 'I'm supposed to be making a decision right now-am I thinking too little about this, or am I thinking too much?' Both of those could lead to mistakes."
For example, in choosing laptop computers for a sales team, an IT executive might get caught up in comparing the graphics capabilities and audio quality of various options, when in fact the only factors of importance to users are the size, weight, and security features. Worse yet, even if they narrow down the list of attributes under consideration, executives can still be stymied if they try to consider every single laptop on the market. (In the article, Norton and Ariely cite a study by social psychologists Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepper, who showed that grocery store shoppers who were offered free samples of 24 jam flavors were less likely to buy any jam at all than those shoppers who sampled only 6 flavors; considering too many options made it too hard to choose one.)
The problem is that time-crunched managers often swing too far to the other end of the decision-making thinking spectrum—that is, they don't think at all.
"Very often managers find that there's not enough time to think through every single scenario or customer segment, which can take months," Norton says. "But too often the correction to 'We don't have time to do that' is an over-correction to one hundred percent 'We should go with our gut.' "
While all good managers should be able to make snap decisions in high-pressure situations, they may miss out on good opportunities—and fall into ruts—when they make quick decisions strictly out of habit. Too often, "We always do it that way" is the main reason for a decision.
For instance, a manager might hire or disqualify job candidates based on whether they make good eye contact during an interview, just because past candidates who made good eye contact ended up performing well at the company.
"So they just decide to use that criterion forever because it's worked out in the past," Norton explains. "But they don't think about what if they had hired people who don't make eye contact. Maybe they would have been better than the people who do. And so that's the idea we want people to consider. Sometimes when you make habitual decisions, things work out fine. But that doesn't mean they're the best decisions. And if you've done something the same way for 10 years, it might be time to reconsider—to think a little more."
More detrimentally, people may make downright bad decisions based on force of habit. In the article, Norton and Ariely describe a study in which several participants watched a movie while eating popcorn. Some received fresh popcorn, while others were given week-old, stale popcorn. The researchers found that those participants who always ate popcorn at the movies were just as likely to gobble down the stale popcorn as they were the fresh popcorn, strictly out of habit.
Lately, Norton has been studying the brain chemistry of decision makers, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) in order to determine the neural signatures of decisions based on habits and those based on thoughtful analysis. He gives the example of choosing a favorite hangout because of the quality of the coffee and the ambience at a particular coffeehouse, as opposed to stumbling into a café on a very cold day when any hot drink would seem delicious—yet coming to believe in both cases that the establishment truly offers the best coffee in the whole world. "Ask yourself: Do I like this coffee because I really like this coffee, or do I like it because it was cold out?" Norton says.
Still, there's a long way to go before science offers a clear-cut method for thinking through decisions perfectly.
"We are hopeful that people will continue to conduct research in this area," Norton says. "What we know now is that people sometimes think too much, and sometimes they think too little. But we still don't know the right amount to think for any given decision, which is a fascinating decision yet to be solved."
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Children's Fiction TWAIN
Summary: Introduction by George Saunders Commentary by Thomas Perry Sergeant, Bernard DeVoto, Clifton Fadiman, T. S. Eliot, and Leo Marx "All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn ," Ernest Hemingway wrote. "It's the best book we've had." A complex masterpiece that spawned controversy right from the start (it was banished from the Concord library shelves in 1885), it is at heart a compelling adventure story. Huck, in flight from his murderous father, and Jim, in flight from slavery, pilot their raft through treacherous waters, surviving a crash with a steamboat and betrayal by rogues. As Norman Mailer has said, "The mark of how good Huckleberry Finn has to be is that one can compare it to a number of our best modern American novels and it stands up page for page."
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By Steven Reinberg
MONDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- Human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted virus that accounts for most cases of cervical cancer, may also play a role in lung cancer, researchers report.
In other smaller studies, HPV has been found in lung cancer patients. But what role the virus plays, if any, in the development of the disease is not known, the scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) said.
"These preliminary results warrant further investigations into the role of HPV in lung cancer," said lead researcher Devasena Anantharaman, a postdoctoral fellow in Genetic Epidemiology Group, which is part of IARC.
"However, determining the physical presence of the virus in these lung tumors along with other established markers of HPV-related cancer are necessary to establish a causal relationship," Anantharaman said.
The findings were to be presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, held in Orlando, Fla.
For the study, Anantharaman's team looked for types of HPV among 1,633 lung cancer patients and 2,729 people without the lung disease.
The researchers found that people without lung cancer had fewer types of HPV than lung cancer patients did. Among lung cancer patients, the chances of having eight types of serious HPV were significantly increased, the researchers added.
The strongest risk factor for lung cancer is smoking, however, this did not account for increased HPV infection, the study authors noted. The link between HPV and lung cancer remained for current and former smokers, as well as nonsmokers. The results were the same for men and women, Anantharaman said.
High-risk HPV types, including HPV16 and HPV18, account for some 70 percent of cervical cancers. Low-risk types, such as HPV6 and HPV11, cause conditions such as genital warts, and have also been seen in respiratory papillomatosis, which is a benign lung condition, Anantharaman said.
There is a vaccine to prevent HPV, but whether the same vaccine would have any effect on lung cancer is not clear, Anantharaman said.
"This study aims to report observed associations. Whether these indicate a causal relationship remains to be established," he said. "I understand the interest in relation to HPV vaccination. However, any interpretation in that light seems farfetched at the moment."
The study was funded by IARC.
Dr. Luis E. Raez, co-leader of the Thoracic Oncology Group at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said that "this association is not enough to establish causality."
However, this initial finding is interesting enough to be the basis for more studies designed to confirm this link, he said. "Maybe this virus is related to lung cancer," Raez said.
"If this virus is really related to lung cancer, maybe you could vaccinate smokers with HPV vaccine and you can prevent lung cancer," he said.
Experts note that research presented at meetings has not been subjected to the rigorous review that precedes publication in a medical journal.
For more on HPV, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Copyright © 2011 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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Score an A+ with Your Child’s Asthma Action Plan
When the school bell rings with the start of school, you’ll want the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your child’s asthma is well-managed. The best way to prepare the school staff to meet your child’s needs is to develop an asthma action plan.
What’s an action plan?
This plan describes how to manage your child’s asthma. It gives the school staff clear information—in writing—about what your child’s triggers and symptoms are, what medications he or she uses, how to make sure your child exercises safely, how to handle a flare-up, and when to call the health care provider.
You’ll need to work with your child’s provider to complete the plan. An asthma action plan generally covers these topics:
Medications. This refers to the medication your child uses daily to manage asthma, including the dosage and time of day, and the quick-relief medication to use when your child experiences changes in peak flow or has asthma symptoms.
Asthma symptoms and triggers. Those things that make your child’s asthma worse, such as pollen, chalk dust, smoke, mold, pet dander, cleaning products, exercise and certain foods, and symptoms of an asthma flare-up. You should list what steps to take when symptoms appear.
Exercise and recess. The medication and dose your child needs to take before recess, or exercise and activities your child needs to avoid, or special precautions to take, such as wearing a scarf or ski mask on cold days, or not exercising outdoors when pollen counts are high.
Problems and emergencies. The name and phone number of your child’s health care provider. You should include emergency phone numbers and when to call the provider or emergency medical services.
Putting it all together
It’s a good idea to meet with the school nurse, teachers, and coaches early in the school year. Your child can be there, too. Review the plan and discuss any school policies that affect your child’s asthma management. For instance, some schools allow kids to keep their quick-relief medicine with them in their bag or locker, but other schools keep medications in the school nurse’s office. Some schools allow children to self-administer an inhaler, but if your child doesn’t like to use an inhaler in front of the other kids, ask if he or she can be allowed to go to the restroom for privacy.
You’ll also want to know if the school nurse has a peak-flow meter and nebulizer available. If pet dander is a trigger for your child’s asthma, find out if animals, such as gerbils or hamsters, are kept in the classroom. Don't forget to discuss how medication will be handled during school field trips.
If the school doesn’t have a full-time nurse, you’ll want to provide the teacher with information on how to use an inhaler with a spacer, as well as how to use a peak-flow meter and what the zones mean. For example, many asthma action plans use the traffic light system. In this system, green means safe and corresponds to a peak-flow reading of 80 to 100 percent of your child’s best reading. Yellow means caution and indicates readings of 50 to 80 percent of his or her best reading. Red is 50 percent or less of your child’s best reading. Measurements in this zone mean he or she needs immediate medical help.
As the school year goes on, check in with the staff to review your child’s needs and discuss any concerns. The school nurse or your child’s health care provider may have forms you can use for your child’s action plan, or you can find one that can be personalized on the American Lung Association's website at http://www.lung.org/lung-disease/asthma/taking-control-of-asthma/AsthmaActionPlan-JUL2008-high-res.pdf. With a good plan in place, both you and your child will be breathing easier.
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From Holocron - Star Wars Combine
|Average Height||1.7 meters |
|Skin color||Gold to yellow-brown with dark stripes |
|Distinctions||Lion-like aliens |
|Average lifespan||Up to 79 standard years old |
|Known Members||List of known Cathar|
Biology and Appearance
The Cathar are a race of feline-like, biped humanoids from Cathar, a planet of savannas and rough uplands. The Cathar have fur-covered bodies with thick manes. They have prominent, retractable claws that can deliver powerful killing attacks on foes and prey. Their bodies also possess rapid healing abilities. On average, Cathar are 1.5 to 1.9 meters tall. These traits make them the perfect hand-to-hand specialists.
Society and Culture
They are known for their loyalty, passion, and temper. Quick and powerful, they are considered great warriors and dedicated, efficient predators. Their females are prized as slaves, whereas the males are generally considered too uncontrollable for slavery.
On their homeworld, Cathar live in cities built into giant trees, and are organized into clans governed by "Elders." Stories of their great heroes are often carved into the trunks of these tree-homes for following generations to see. The Cathar mate for life, to the extent that when one mate dies, the survivor never has a relationship with another. Cathar clan society includes great pageants and celebrations, especially for their heroes. Their religion includes a ritual known as the "Blood Hunt," in which Cathar warriors individually engage in combat against entire nests of Kiltik in order to gain honor and purge themselves of inner darkness. The native language of the Cathar is Catharese, which includes the emphasis of some spoken words with a growl.
The planet of Cathar was devastated by the Mandalorians during the Battle of Cathar, leading to the enslavement and near-extinction of the Cathar species. Over 90 percent of the species were killed by the Mandalorians in the battle. The few survivors were forced to flee offworld to survive. After the end of the Mandalorian Wars Cathar began to resettle their world and by the time of the Galactic Civil War, it had fully recovered from the damage the Mandalorians had done.
Force-sensitive Cathar often became Jedi, even though the Jedi way tended to be in opposition to their natural tendencies.
References: - http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Cathar
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The kindergarten have been planning to offer a preventive program on sexual assault for young children, but they were still deliberating about this. After what happened, they are now ready to start, but how? By looking for the best program available.
I got hold of one program that they call, 'Ich bin doch kein Heini!?' ('I am nevertheless not Heini!?'). The puppet, Heini, would be the main 'speaker' of the program. The children would show "Heini" behaviors that would hopefully expose their self-assurance and self-confident. They would learn basic skills that build self-worth, self-confidence and good judgment. The moderators of the program would then integrate police know-hows with competent, social educational skills.
The children would be shown how to react opposite strangers, in different situations in which they would be alone; meaning, no presence of their parents.
But a part of the program would also involve the parents. Because the program's concept is to provide the resources for reinforcing the skills the children would need in preventing such things to happen. The key to the success of the program is to encourage the change of behavior and to encourage the children to follow the rules. That would mean more awareness on the part of the parents, of course.
The program is also based on the 'Feelings Yes, Feelings No' from Canada. It reinforces the children's understanding of yes and no feelings, provides them with a simple, non-threatening definition of sexual assault, and introduces them to skills that will aid them in assessing situations involving strangers. It also hopes to give children the skills necessary to protect themselves from sexual assault--from strangers, from family members, from other trusted persons.
The program would focus on behavior or reactions when the children faces a stranger's on the door, in a car or in the playground. Thus, it would be easier for the kids to react right when faced with these everyday situations. Role playing would be done during the 45 minute program. This sounds just right.
The thing is, the program states that they recommend that only kids from 6 years old up should join the program as the younger ones would not be able to appreciate and understand the danger in those situations.
Which made me think, are our younger kids really so open to these bad elements in the community? Therefore, as parents, it is really our responsibility to protect our kids; that is until they reach the age of 6 in which they could undergo this preventive project because then they would understand how perilous some situations could be. Of course, I know we should take care of the kids, it's just that even these professionals admit that the smallest are really vulnerable.
Headache is knocking... I need to think.
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Teachers love to assign book reports. Did you ever wonder why? Sure, you could think of it as a cruel attempt to force you to read. But it might be a little more than that!
Your teacher's goal is to broaden your understanding of the world and society. That is what good books do!
What Is Included in a Book Report?
Book report content will vary according to grade level. Middle grade-level book reports will provide the basic details about a book, a summary of the plot, and some comments regarding the student's opinions and impressions.
As students mature and advance, the book reports should include a little more.
As students enter high school and higher grades, they will start to explain and explore the messages that are contained in books--messages about life and its important experiences. Students will begin to share their own opinions about these messages (themes) contained in books.
Your Book Report Introduction
The introduction segment of your book report provides an opportunity to make a good first impression!
You should try to write a strong introductory sentence that grabs your reader's attention. Somewhere in your first paragraph, you should also state the book's title (italicized), the topic, and the author's name.
High school-level papers should include publication information as well as brief statements about the book's angle, the genre, the theme, and a hint about the writer's feelings in the introduction.
First Paragraph Example: Middle School Level:The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane, is a book about a young man growing up during the Civil War. Henry Fleming is the main character of the book. As Henry watches and experiences the tragic events of the war, he grows up and changes his attitudes about life.
First Paragraph Example: High School Level:
Can you identify one experience that changed your entire view of the world around you? Henry Fleming, the main character in The Red Badge of Courage, begins his life-changing adventure as a naive young man, eager to experience the glory of war. He soon faces the truth about life, war, and his own self-identity on the battlefield, however. The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane, is a coming of age novel, published by D. Appleton and Company in 1895, about thirty years after the Civil War ended. In this book, the author reveals the ugliness of war, and examines its relationship to the pain of growing up.
Before you get started on the body of the report, take a few minutes to jot down some helpful information by considering the following points.
- Did you enjoy the book?
- Was it well written?
- What was the genre?
- (fiction) Which characters play important roles that relate to the overall theme?
- Did you notice reoccurring symbols?
- Is this book a part of a series?
- (nonfiction) Can you identify the writer's thesis?
- What is the writing style?
- Did you notice a tone?
- Was there an obvious slant or bias?
ConclusionAs you lead to your final paragraph, consider some additional impressions and opinions:
- Was the ending satisfactory (for fiction)?
- Was the thesis supported by strong evidence (for non-ficton)?
- What interesting or notable facts do you know about the author?
- Would you recommend this book?
Conclude your report with a paragraph or two that covers these additional points. Some teachers prefer that you re-state the name and author of the book in the concluding paragraph. As always, consult your specific assignment guide.
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hyperbole examples for kids: story
A hyperbole is simply a phrase with an exaggeration that is meant to have impact. Hyperboles are not literal. They're meant to paint a funny picture or make a point. Here are some examples of hyperboles to illustrate the point and to help you identify them when they come up in speech or writing.
* I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse!
* You snore louder than a freight train.
* He sleeps like a log.
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Enclosed are movies of intracellular recordings from either single relay cells during spontaneous intrinsic oscillations, or during the generation of spindle waves. In addition, there are movies of the response of cortical neurons to current pulses or the presentation of a visual stimulus.
These movies are highly instructional in that they give a real time "feel" for how these cells behave. They are present in three formats: Video for Windows (*.avi), Quicktime (*.mov) and MPEG (*.mpg). Movie of Saltatory Conduction in Cortical Pyramidal Cell Axons: Great Demonstration for Teaching!
Rhythmic Burst Firing in Single Relay Cells
Intracellular Recordings of Spindle Waves in vitro
Activity in Cortical Neurons - Intrinsic Properties and Visual Responses
Slow Oscillation in Cortical Networks
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If you're overweight, your primary care physician will help assess the role your weight plays in your knee pain and recommend a plan of treatment accordingly. Most likely, a plan for weight loss will be part of your treatment. Many knee problems can be avoided by maintaining a healthy weight.
Carrying extra weight is directly related to knee pain. A 2008 review article in the journal Obesity found that obesity (defined as having a body mass index of 30 or above) leads to pain, limits activity, and increases the risk of needing a total knee replacement. In 2003, Obesity Research published a study of 5,700 Americans over age 60. It showed that the more obese a person was, the more likely he or she was to experience knee pain. About 56% of severely obese people had significant knee pain, compared with 15% of people who were not overweight.
Such findings are not surprising when you consider that with each step on level ground, you put one to one-and-a-half times your body weight on each knee. So a 200-pound person can put 300 pounds of pressure on each knee with each step. The burden is even higher when you go up and down stairs (two or three times as much weight) or squat (four or five times). So if you're 50 pounds overweight, the simple act of going downstairs and squatting to move clothes from the washer to the dryer puts hundreds of extra pounds of force on your knees.
Related Video: Osteoarthritis of the Knee
See how osteoarthritis develops when cartilage in the knee tears or erodes and the bones begin to rub together.
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The Library of Congress
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress
Search by Keyword | Browse by
The online presentation of The Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers at the
Library of Congress, comprising about 10,121 library items or approximately
49,084 digital images, documents the lives of Wilbur and Orville Wright and highlights
their pioneering work which led to the world's first powered, controlled and sustained flight.
Included in the collection are correspondence, diaries and notebooks, scrapbooks, drawings, printed
matter, and other documents, as well as the Wrights' collection of glass-plate photographic negatives.
The Wright brothers' letters to aviation pioneer and mentor Octave Chanute, from the Octave Chanute Papers,
were also selected for this online collection. The Wright Papers span the years 1881 to 1952 but largely cover
1900 to 1940. This online presentation includes the famous glass-plate negative of the "First Flight" at Kitty Hawk
on December 17, 1903, as well as diaries and letters in which Wilbur and Orville Wright recount their work that led to
The mission of the Library of Congress is to make its
resources available and useful to Congress and the American people and
to sustain and
preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future
generations. The goal of the Library's National Digital Library Program
to offer broad public access to a wide range of historical and cultural
documents as a contribution to education and lifelong learning.
The Library of Congress presents these
documents as part of the record of the past. These primary historical
documents reflect the attitudes,
perspectives, and beliefs of different times. The Library of Congress
does not endorse the views expressed in these collections, which may
contain materials offensive to some readers.
American Memory | Search All Collections | Collection Finder | Teachers
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Lice are tiny insects that do not need wings.
They are brownish coloring and they're very small when they are born. That’s exactly why it is really not easy to see them. Full grown head lice are usually about the size of a little sesame seed. Head lice can not fly or swim and they only by individual touching another person.
How do the lice reproduce
It begins with a female louse laying eggs near the hair roots to keep the eggs comfortable and warm. The eggs hatch about a week later and baby lice are born. The nits or the vacant eggshells remain glued on the hair. When your hair grow out the eggshells end up being detectable and you may notice that there is something white-colored stuck to your head. Then you'll definitely know that you almost certainly have lice. It takes them about seven to 10 days for being fully grown. If they are grown they start to move from 1 head to some other, usually searching for a brand new home.
Lady lice may lay eggs already after the 6th day after she came into this world. So to get rid of lice you have to act immediately and get rid of all the lice before the sixth day. If you don’t then the cycle starts all over again given that sole head lice could lay up to 10 eggs each day.
To discover these tiny pests you need to search really carefully. You must search your entire head by a single small area of hair at a time. You will need to do this in a very good light or you will miss out on them. The eggs are extremely small however you can easily spot them because they're very white-colored. You can only see the eggs very close to the scalp. The eggs are glued on your hair with a highly effective material.
Who should you treat
Only people who have head lice should be technically treated, however it is a good idea to look at your whole family for lice. Especially when a kid is carrying lice, since you are in close contact with the kid. The best method is to wet the hair and use a thin hair comb to go through the hair very carefully. When your child has lice then it'sbest if you inform all other parents of youngsters that your kid is in contact with and also the school. Without treating everyone the kid might be in touch with the head lice are going to be back again.
Tips on how to avoid lice from coming back again?
The first thing to do is to clean every thing which you've had contact with. Ensure that you use high temperature. You really need to thoroughly clean covers, hats, clothing, scarves and headwear to be sure. On the other hand do not need to clean the entire residence, because the lice aren't able to live for an extended time without humans. It's going to take them just a few days to pass away from hunger.
Hope it helped on how to get rid of lice.
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October 20 2008
Position Paper No. 611: Peeking Behind the Blue Ribbon
Download the complete report below.
The No Child Left behind Act of 2002 (NCLB) was enacted to shine more light on student performance previously hidden by school-wide, aggregate achievement results. NCLB makes important progress toward that goal by requiring states to report the performance of various student sub-groups, including minority children, students with disabilities, and non-native English speakers. One of the country's most prestigious distinctions is to be named a U.S. Department of Education No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Blue Ribbon School.
In 2007, only 133 public schools nationwide were honored as Blue Ribbon Schools for scoring in the top 10 percent on state assessments. "These schools are proving that when we raise the bar our children will rise to the challenge," according to Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.[i] These schools also did not enroll many from disadvantaged backgrounds, and a closer look at these award-winning schools reveals that many of them do not live up to that touted "Blue-Ribbon" label.
On average, just 11 percent of students at those 2007 Blue-Ribbon schools came from impoverished backgrounds, three percent of students were classified with limited English proficiency (LEP), and only eight percent of students had disabilities.[ii] The median home value in the schools' neighborhoods exceeded $300,000 on average, and the median family income approached $100,000. Yet at one in three of those Blue-Ribbon schools, at least 25 percent of students in at least one grade were not proficient in at least one core subject tested.
On average, more than a quarter of students in two grades scored below proficiency in two subjects at those underperforming 2007 Blue-Ribbon schools. Specifically, at underperforming award schools, the percentage of students in at least one grade who did not score proficient ranged from 26 to 62 percent in reading, and from 26 to 56 percent in math. Many Blue-Ribbon schools that underperformed in those core subjects also had similarly poor performance in at least one grade in science.
This analysis finds many states are engaging in NCLB accountability-avoidance, unwittingly aided by the Blue-Ribbon award designation. Such avoidance is likely to increase as the 2013-2014 school year deadline for 100 percent student proficiency approaches, making a U.S. Department of Education blue ribbon an increasingly unreliable indicator of academic quality in the coming years, absent necessary reforms. Instead of piling on additional, expensive federal mandates, this analysis recommends improved public accountability through greater transparency to preserve the delicate balance between flexibility for states and accurate information for parents.
Specific recommendations include reporting grade-level student proficiency in all core subjects tested as a condition for receiving federal NCLB funds. State proficiency results should also be reported alongside nationally-representative proficiency results to make declines in state standards more apparent. To ensure universally rigorous assessment, states should publicize annual passing scores on their tests and their annual student proficiency targets. The best accountability assurance of all-better than any blue ribbon-is for the U.S. Department of Education to provide parents with information that is both accurate and actionable, then enforce their children's right of exit from underperforming schools.
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Thu September 20, 2012
Why Pictures Can Sway Your Moral Judgment
Originally published on Thu September 20, 2012 8:41 am
When we think about morality, many of us think about religion or what our parents taught us when we were young. Those influences are powerful, but many scientists now think of the brain as a more basic source for our moral instincts.
The tools scientists use to study how the brain makes moral decisions are often stories, said Joshua Greene, a Harvard psychologist, citing one well-known example: "A trolley is headed toward five people, and the only way you can save them is to hit a switch that will turn the trolley away from the five and onto a side track, but if you turn it onto the side track, it will run over one person."
It's a moral dilemma. Greene and other researchers have presented this dilemma to research volunteers.
Most people say they would flip the switch and divert the trolley. They say they don't want to kill someone, but one innocent person dead is better than five innocent people dead.
What this shows is that people resolve the moral dilemma by doing a cost-benefit analysis. Greene says they look at the consequences of each choice, and pick the choice that does the least harm.
In other words, people are what philosophers would call utilitarians. Except, Greene tells me, sometimes they aren't.
He asked me to visualize another well-known dilemma:
"This time, you're on a footbridge, in between the oncoming trolley and the five people. And next to you is a big person wearing a big backpack. And the only way you can save those five people is to push this big guy off of the footbridge so that he lands on the tracks. And he'll get squashed by the train; you sort of use him as a trolley stopper. But you can save the five people."
Would you push the big guy to his death? More important, do you feel this moral dilemma is identical to the earlier one?
"In a certain sense, they're identical," Greene said. "Trade one life to save five. But psychologically, they're very different."
Pushing someone to their death feels very different from pushing a switch. When Greene gives people this dilemma, most people don't choose to push the big guy to his death.
In other words, people use utilitarian, cost-benefit calculations — sometimes. But other times, they make an emotional decision.
"There are certain lines that are drawn in the moral sand," Green said. "Some things are inherently wrong, or some things inherently must be done."
There's another dimension here that's interesting: If you watched yourself during the first dilemma, you may have noticed you had to think about whether you'd push that switch. In the footbridge dilemma, you probably didn't have to think — you just knew that pushing someone to his death is wrong.
Greene says we really have two completely different moral circuits in our brain.
When you listen to a dilemma, the two circuits literally have a fight inside your brain. Part of your brain says, slow down, think rationally — make a cost-benefit analysis. Another says, no, don't think about it. This is just wrong!
"These responses compete in a part of the brain called the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which is a kind of place where different types of values can be weighed against each other to produce an all-things-considered decision," Greene said.
So what makes the ventromedial prefrontal cortex go with the rational mode sometimes, and the emotional mode other times?
Greene and a colleague, Elinor Amit, thought closely about what was happening to people as they tipped from rational mode to an emotional mode. In new research they've just published in the journal Psychological Science, these psychologists say they have the answer.
"Emotional responses don't just pop out of nowhere," Greene said. "They have to be triggered by something. And one possibility is that you hear the words describing some event, you picture that event in your mind, and then you respond emotionally to that picture."
That's the key: Some dilemmas produce vivid images in our heads. And we're wired to respond emotionally to pictures. Take away the pictures — the brain goes into rational, calculation mode.
Here's how they found that out: Greene and Amit set up an experiment. They presented people with moral dilemmas that evoked strong visual images. As expected, the volunteers made emotional moral judgments. Then the psychologists made it difficult for volunteers to visualize the dilemma. They distracted them by making them visualize something else instead.
When that happened, the volunteers stopped making emotional decisions. Not having pictures of the moral dilemma in their head prompted them into rational, cost-benefit mode.
In another experiment, Greene and Amit also found that people who think visually make more emotional moral judgments. Verbal people make more rational calculations.
Amit says people don't realize how images tip the brain one way or another. And that can create biases we aren't even aware of.
She laid out a scenario to think about: "Imagine a horrible scenario in which a terrorist takes an ax and starts slaughtering people in a bus," she said. "I'm coming from Israel, so these are the examples that I have in my mind."
The story produces a movie in our heads. We can see blood everywhere. We can hear people screaming. We don't have to think at all. It feels terribly wrong.
Then Amit presented another kind of news event: A drone strike that sends a missile hurtling toward a target. At the center of the cross-hairs, an explosion. There's dust billowing everywhere.
"So if you learn about these events from television or from pictures in a newspaper, which one [would you] judge as more horrible?" Amit asked. "The person with the ax that killed maybe two people but the scene looks horrible and extremely violent, or the picture of the drone that killed 100 people but looks relatively clean and nice?"
To be sure, the events Amit describes are completely different. One's a terrorist attack, the other is a military action. But it's true the ax murderer instantly sends the brain into emotional mode.
The drone strike has less vivid imagery. You can't see, up close, what the missile does. So most people go into utilitarian mode — they start to think about the costs and benefits.
Amit's point is not that one mode is better than the other. It's something much more disturbing. As you listen to the news everyday, hidden circuits in your brain are literally changing the ground rules by which you judge events.
You think you're making consistent moral choices when, really, the movies playing in your head might be making your choices for you.
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Offering Hope with the Power of the Sun
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and its population is the third hungriest in the world. The 8.9 million residents lack adequate food and shelter. Children regularly die from easily preventable and treatable diseases. It is hard to believe such desperation exists just 600 miles south of the United States.
Fond des Blancs, is a rural area of Haiti and is home to 250,000 people. Since there is no public access to electricity, the hospital and a few others make use of gasoline or diesel–powered generators for their primary source of electricity. The increase in fuel prices and lack of fuel availability is limiting. The use of generators in homes is out of the question so they live without electricity. When the sun sets, some use kerosene lamps and candles as their main source of light. The Foundation seeks to improve rural isolated communities by bringing solar power to enhance these desperate areas.
Fond des Blancs, Haiti…a rural area with little electricity but rich in sunshine.
A team of specialists have identified a total of $685,000 of solar installations in Fond des Blancs that will bring electricity to their hospital, clinics, schools, and community gathering areas. The goal is simple: to improve lives by utilizing the free, consistent power found in the sun.
All installations will be overseen by the Foundation in partnership with the St. Boniface Haiti Foundation who will train local residents to support the solar energy systems after installation.
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Click on the names to hear how they are pronounced
AD 581, Yang Jian replaced North Zhou from the Two Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties and established a new era. He named this new dynasty Sui. He was the emperor -- Sui Wendi. He was a good emperor who made the lives of civilians much better than before. He made many reforms that helped to increase national power. The unifying of China once again was also accredited to him and his general (also son) Yang Guang.
Because of political needs, Sui started constructing many structures starting at the beginning of the dynasty. Wendi's son, Sui Yangdi, scaled up the construction. The projects were 1) building the two capital cities -- the city of Da Xing and city of Luo Yang; 2) filling up the storehouse; 3) opening up a canal, 4) constructing roads. During Yangdi's rein, a canal connecting the north and south was constructed, and a road connecting Luo Yang, through the mountain of Tai Hang, and Bing Zhou was constructed.
Right --> A Sui Woman Rider statue (graphic courtesy of China-Window.com)
After the death of Sui Wendi, his son Yang Guang inherited the throne. Yang Guang was later known as the famous tyrant Sui Yangdi. This title came from 1) his lavish of civilian's labour, 2) frequent invasion to Gaoli, 3)extravagance, 4) cruel punishments. During Yangdi's rein, there was conscription every year. If there were not enough men, he drafted women to do work for him. If anyone dared to say anything against him, he used cruel punishments on him. He didn't care who died or who lived.
Because of Yangdi's tyranny and natural hazards, neither people nor animals had means to live. Having no choice, the people revolted. AD 611, Wang Bo started a rebel army on the moutain of Chang Bai and called upon everybody in the country to follow him. Under these revolts, Sui was on the verge of destruction. AD 618, Sui Yangdi was killed by one of his officers. Sui was finished.
Although Sui was short-lived, its importance in Chinese history cannot be overlooked.
Because Sui was so short-lived, many of its cultural and scientific developments are grouped with Tang.
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Our Baby Parrots
All of our baby parrots are left with their mother for the first three weeks of their lives. Doing this ensures a strong immune and gut flora system develops. At three weeks of age, the babies are taken from the nest, are handfed and the socialization period begins.
At around eight weeks old, the babies have a complete examination by a licensed avian veterinarian to make sure they are healthy and doing fine. At the same time as the checkup we have them DNA-sexed. As the babies start the weaning process, we introduce them to a great variety of pellets, fruits, rice, pasta, eggs, vegetables and even some chicken.
This usually begins at approximately five to six weeks of age, but they are also still being handfed. We gradually start to cut back on the handfeeding as the babies grow and mature. We let the babies let us know when that time arrives. When they are not hungry, they will spit the formula back out or they just won’t open their beaks. It is very common for a baby parrot to lose some of their body weight at this point.
All our babies are raised in our home, in a family environment. Our house is a very busy place, with lots of ongoing activity. We are Foster Parents, so we have children of all ages playing with, cuddling and just talking to the baby parrots. Running around the house also are two tiny Yorkshire Terriers and a Toy Maltese. Needless to say, our babies are exposed to many different faces and voices. The babies get to run around our kitchen for large periods of time throughout the day – this is their time to play together and get acquainted with their siblings and friends.
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Shortly after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, mysterious honeycomb material was found floating in the Gulf of Mexico and along coastal beaches. Using state-of-the-art chemical forensics and a bit of old-fashioned detective work, a research team led by scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) confirmed that the flotsam were pieces of material used to maintain buoyancy of the pipe bringing up oil from the seafloor.
The researchers also affirmed that tracking debris from damaged offshore oil rigs could help forecast coastal pollution impacts in future oil spills and guide emergency response efforts—much the way the Coast Guard has studied the speed and direction of various floating debris to guide search and rescue missions. The findings were published Jan. 19 in Environmental Research Letters.
On May 5, 2010, 15 days after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, oceanographer William Graham and marine technicians from the Dauphin Island Sea Lab were working from a boat about 32 miles south of Dauphin Island, Ala., when they saw a 6-mile-long, east-west line containing more than 50 pieces of white material interspersed with sargassum weed. The porous material was uniformly embedded with black spheres about a centimeter in diameter. No oil slick was in sight, but there was a halo of oil sheen around the honeycomb clumps.
Two days later, the researchers also collected similar samples about 25 miles south of Dauphin Island. Nobody knew what the material was, with some hypothesizing at first that it could be coral or other substance made by marine plants or animals. Graham sent samples to WHOI chemist Chris Reddy, whose lab confirmed that the material was not biological. But the material’s source remained unconfirmed.
In January 2011, Reddy and WHOI researcher Catherine Carmichael, lead author of the new study, collected a piece of the same unknown material of Elmer’s Beach, Grand Isle, La. In April, 2011, they found several large pieces, ranging from 3 to 10 feet, of the honeycomb debris on the Chandeleur Islands off Louisiana.
Oil on all these samples was analyzed at WHOI using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography. The technique identifies the thousands of individual chemical compounds that comprise different oils from different reservoirs. The chemistry of the oil on the debris matched that of oil sampled directly from the broken pipe from the Macondo well above the Deepwater Horizon rig.
In addition, one piece of debris from the Chandeleur Islands retained a weathered red sticker that read “Cuming” with the numbers 75-1059 below it. Reddy found a company called Cuming Corporation in Avon, Mass., which manufactures syntactic foam flotation equipment for the oil and gas industry. He e-mailed photos of the specimen to the company, and within hours, a Cuming engineer confirmed from the serial number that the foam came from a buoyancy module from Deepwater Horizon.
“We realized that the foam and the oil were released into the environment at the same time,” Reddy said. “So we had a unique tracer that was independent of the oil itself to chronicle how oil and debris drifted out from the spill site.”
The scientists overlaid the locations where they found honeycomb debris on May 5 and 7 with daily forecasts produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the trajectory of the spreading oil slick. NOAA used a model that incorporated currents and wind speeds, along with data from planes and satellites. On both days, the debris was about 6.2 miles ahead of the spreading slick.
The explanation, the scientists said, is the principle of leeway, a measure of how fast wind or waves push materials. The leeway for fresh oil is 3 to 3.3 percent, but the scientists suspected that “the protruding profile of the buoyant material” acted acting like a sail, allowing wind to drive it faster than and ahead of the floating oil.
In this case, the flotsam served as a harbinger for the oncoming slick, but because different materials can have different leeways, oil spill models may not accurately forecast where oiled debris will head. “Even a small deviation in leeway can, over time, results in significant differences in surface tracks because of typical wind fields,” the scientists wrote.
The Coast Guard has a long history of calculating the leeway of various materials, from life jackets to bodies of various sizes and weights, to improve forecasts of where the materials would drift if a ship sank or a plane crashed into the sea. But calculating leeways has not been standard practice in oil spills.
“We never had solid data to make the case until this study,” said Merv Fingas, who tracked oil spills for more than 38 years for Environment Canada, which is equivalent to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“These results,” the study’s authors wrote, “provide insights into the fate of debris fields deriving from damaged marine materials and should be incorporated into emergency response efforts and forecasting of coastal impacts during future offshore oil spills.”
This research was funded by the National Science Foundation.
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, independent organization in Falmouth, Mass., dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930 on a recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences, its primary mission is to understand the ocean and its interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate a basic understanding of the ocean's role in the changing global environment.
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Day One: Write a poem where each line starts with a letter from your first name (an Acrostic). It can be about anything, but it should not be about you or your name.
Mountainous rises, then hills, then the flats of gold waving in the wind
Easterly sunrise over over fields of white tailed deer that breathe mist into the morning
Green, verdantly unbound in short spring and almighty, endless, crickety summer
Autumnally vermillion, ripe, crisp until the quiet white-gray of winter comes
Nothing will ever taste so good as the water from your own well, nowhere else is home
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The Waste Prevention and Management Regulation, 2012, which came into effect on 18 April 2012 in Bhutan is a comprehensive regulation for the waste minimization and management. It establishes various agencies and monitoring authorities for the effective implementation of this regulation, and is applied to all point sources and/or point of origin of different types of waste and their management.
National Environment Commission (NEC) is the apex monitoring body under this regulation which shall coordinate and monitor the overall performance of Implementing Agencies designated to efficiently implement the provisions of this Regulation. And, the Royal Bhutan Police shall assist the implementing agencies in achieving full compliance.
This regulation is a strong measure to deal with the existing bad scenario of waste disposal and management in Bhutan.
Chapter 2 of the Waste Prevention and Management Regulation, 2012 states the general provisions and provides summary to the whole purpose of this regulation.
Some of the salient features of the general provisions are:
Providing safe and healthy environment to the community at all times
Prohibition from disposing waste by every person or an organization in any manner unless required by this regulation
Inherent duties on each person regarding
- Safe storage and disposal of waste
- Handle waste without endangering the person or the environment
- Complying and cooperating with the initiatives of waste management required under this regulation
- Cooperation to implementing agencies and authorized service provider for the proper implementation of this regulation
A person on having knowledge of any person disposing waste of any nature into the environment shall report to the nearest local authority or the Royal Bhutan Police
Restriction of sanitary landfill or open dump site in certain locations such as within a distance in or around human settlements, near water catchment areas, rivers, wetlands or ground water sources, landslide prone areas, notified area of endangered wildlife habitation and near monuments.
Identification of an area as an open dump site for a specific duration by NEC which can close or upgrade these sites depending upon their impact on health and environment
Removal of non-functional vehicles or machineries stranded in one public place.
Formulation of appropriate mechanisms to prevent and control the waste and nuisance caused by stray domestic animals
This regulation has laid down many provisions for handling and management of hazardous or infectious waste which are to be followed by implementing agency such as to have in place a system for safe storage, handling and disposal of hazardous wastes, providing personal protective equipments, labeling of containers having hazardous contents and maintaining detail records regarding incidents of injuries, accidents and non-compliance to the regulation.
For waste management services, the implementing agency in consultation with the Sanitary Committee may formulate collection mechanisms and propose chargeable fee amount that may vary for residential, commercial institutions and corporations. The fees, charges and fines collected are used for purposes such as outsourcing of waste collection services; public education and awareness programs; fund research, technical capacity development programs; cleaning campaigns, maintenance of existing waste management infrastructures; and incentives & awards for exemplary waste management initiatives.
The implementation agencies or responsible authorities for the above mentioned provisions are:
The National Environment Commission
The Royal Bhutan Police
Dzongdag monitoring authority within Dzongkhag jurisdiction
Dungpa, Gup, Mangmi, Divisional Forest Officer, Park Managers and institutional heads shall be the implementing agencies within respective territorial jurisdictions
Department of Roads in collaboration with the Road Safety and Transport Authority
WASTE MANAGEMENT CATEGORIES This regulation classifies wastes into four categories for the purpose of clearly demarcating the roles of implementing agencies under respective waste categories for the effective waste management. The provisions under these four waste management categories are as follows:
A. Medical Wastes Management
Under this section, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests shall monitor the Implementing agencies which include health clinics, hospitals, BHUS, Department of Livestock, Bhutan Narcotic Control Agency and Drug Regulatory Authority.
Medical wastes under this regulation are classified into the categories of general waste, pathological waste, infectious waste, sharps, pharmaceutical waste, chemical waste, radioactive waste and pressurized containers. And, this regulation has laid out comprehensive provisions for the prevention and management of each category of medical waste mentioned above.
B. Municipal Waste Management
Under this section, the Ministry of Works and Human Settlement shall be responsible for monitoring the implementation within the jurisdiction of Thromde with the help of municipal offices of the Thromde and Dzongkhag as implementing agencies.
Some of the responsibilities to be undertaken by Thromde for managing municipal waste are:
- Proper waste management including segregation, collection, processing, transport and disposal to designated sites
- Provide separate containers for biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes at every point source for the waste segregation
- Collect waste management service fees and other charges
- Safe handling, storage and disposal of hazardous or infectious waste
- Collection and treatment of leachate from a sanitary landfill before its release into the environment
- Conduction of advocacy programs and awareness programs.
The implementing agencies shall designate Thromde Inspectors for the effective implementation of the municipal waste management provisions under this regulation. Responsibilities are entrusted to waste traders and scrap dealers to ensure cleanliness while dealing with municipal wastes, provide protective equipment to their workers and ensure suspicious recyclable wastes are not purchased.
C. Industrial Waste Management
Under this section, the Ministry of Economic Affairs in cooperation with other related agencies shall monitor the implementing agencies.
The salient provisions of the regulation under this section are:
- Trading of waste or waste products by an individual or firm without the permit from competent authority is prohibited.
- Waste or waste products trading requires license issued by Ministry of Economic Affairs
- To get environment clearance is mandatory for a business person engaged in the waste and waste products trading.
- Without the prior consent of the importing country, export of hazardous industrial waste, by-products and raw materials of industrial processes by an individual or firm shall not be allowed.
- The industrial waste generators have to undertake the responsibilities of segregation (into biodegradable, recyclable and non-recyclable), treatment, proper collection, transport and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste.
- The industrial waste generators have to ensure that the effluent discharge and gaseous emissions should be within prescribed national standards and a detail documentation is maintained of hazardous and non-hazardous waste from generation to disposal in terms of quantity, characteristics and components.
Incentives like exemption from Bhutan sales tax, Income tax and custom duties for 20 years, exemption from license fee etc. may be provided to any licensed person engaged in the activities of waste collection, recycling, reuse or value addition to the waste.
Under this section a Waste Management Fund is established which deposits any revenue generated from the implementation of this regulation and is used for many activities related to waste analysis, minimization and management initiatives.
D. E-Waste Management The provisions under this section will be implemented by the e-waste management entity and the Thromdes, Dzongkhags, Gewog and Chiwog with overall directives and guidelines from the Department of Information Technology and Telecom shall monitor the implementation by the e-waste management entity.
This section have laid down detailed provisions for every producer, importer, exporter, transporter, consumer or bulk consumer for the management and handling of e-waste.
An E-waste fund is created under this section by the Department of Information Technology and Telecom in consultation with the NEC to finance the implementation of e-waste management system and carry out related tasks.
There is an entire chapter under the Waste Prevention and Management Regulation, 2012 dealing with Waste management in government reserved forest including protected areas and Dzongkhag communities. The implementing agency for this purpose is the Divisional Forestry Officer or Park Manager and the monitoring authority is the Ministry for Agriculture and Forests.
The guidelines for solid waste collection and transportation within communities are also mentioned under this section. A Regional Waste Collection Centre may be coordinated by different Dzongkhags to promote economic viability of inorganic solid waste for the reuse or recycling purposes by interested agencies.
Fine and administrative action
This regulation imposes fines and administrative actions on individuals or organizations for various offences.
TABLE 1: Offence and fine schedule
Offence (acts of noncompliance)
Fine amount (Nu. per instance)
Littering at any public places
dumping of wastes in places other than approved sites
Operating business establishments without providing waste bins for customer usage
Any nature of waste being found within a boundary of a household or business unit
Urinating or defecating in a public place
sale of goods or services on the streets and pedestrian walkways without approval
dumping wastes into the streams, rivers, drainage systems or other water bodies
dumping of industrial waste in areas other than designated location or facility
collection of waste without permit from the relevant authority
dumping of construction waste including excavated materials and structural demolition waste in places other than designated sites
9000 per truck load
Upon completion of a construction work, failure to clean up the remnants of the construction materials in and around a
construction area, streets, roads or pedestrian pathways
Placing or storing of goods, including commercial and construction materials, on the streets, roads, and pedestrian pathways without permission of the relevant authority
failure to provide common waste bins by house owners
failure to segregate solid waste when segregation facilities
are available or provided with
failure to record detail information on accident, noncompliance or other detail in particular to medical, industrial or any hazardous waste as required to be included in a report
dumping or releasing of waste into the prohibited areas by
dumping or releasing of industrial, medical or other hazardous wastes including spillage during transportation in any places other than designated or approved facility
giving false or distorted information or report
an Implementing Agency failing to:
provide or cause to be provided with safety gears for the personnel handling hazardous or infectious wastes and ensure their strict usage
Admin action BCSR
develop and issue technical guidelines for the handling of hazardous, infectious or dangerous waste and ensure strict compliance therewith
send annual report, with quality content, within stipulated time as required by this Regulation
enforce or achieve compliance requirements under this Regulation; or
secure or cause to be secured the waste collection or dump site facility from endangering human and animals due to its failure to fence or cover such areas
As told by Mr. Tenzin Lhundup, an official from NEC, “awareness and proper training is yet not implemented in Bhutan and for proper waste management, awareness raising is a pre-requisite.’’ He also told CSE that Bhumtang Municipal Corporation has started recently with awareness programmes regarding the new regulation.
The Waste Prevention and Management Regulation, 2012 in Bhutan seems to be a well laid legislation covering all aspects related to waste management issues of the country but hope its implementation is as good as its theoretical contents.
We are delighted to inform you that the training and capacity building programmes for State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) done by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in collaboration with Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) have successfully completed two years.
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November 17, 2012
Old school – how I made presentations back in 1993
As I approach a quarter century of teaching, I’m making yet another shift in how I present videos in class, and that led me to ponder the ways classroom technology has changed since I began teaching physics at Bartlesville High School in 1989.
Back then the only videos were on VHS tape and shown on a television wheeled into the room on a cart, and if I wanted to display a pre-made visual, I used an overhead projector like the monster shown at right (the projector, not me!).
The only computer in the high school science department was an Apple IIc, reserved for the science building rep. Some students had scientific calculators, but Texas Instruments had not yet produced a graphing calculator. My students had to graph their data by hand with hand-drawn best fit lines, all record-keeping was on paper, and attendance was on paper slips clipped to the door each period. As for lab equipment, the school had just bought a few air tracks, but not enough to outfit six or seven lab groups. So we were still using springs on metersticks to pull old wooden dynamics carts across the floor for several of our labs.
I’ve been known as the computer whiz at work for decades, but I’m actually rather conservative in my use of technology. I still keep a paper gradebook, since it never goes offline and is easier than the computer for tracking accumulated tardies and absences, although of course I transfer the grades into the online system. I prefer a dumb whiteboard to an electronic one and rarely use PowerPoint, I’d rather have students make hand gestures for feedback than use remote ‘clickers’, and so forth. But my classroom technology has certainly evolved since my early Cro Magnon days.
Science teachers and the donated computers and printers back in 1995
I’ve had graphing calculators for years, but have never used their graphing functions outside of training classes since I found them too cramped and limited. Instead, as the years went by I worked to build up a collection of used computers for student lab groups to use with Vernier’s Graphical Analysis software. By 1995 I was trying to interest other science teachers in this approach, with me arranging for Phillips Petroleum to donate a bunch of old IBM AT machines and dot matrix printers for the science rooms in grades 6-12.
Eventually each station in my lab had an old IBM PS/2 Model 25 floppy-disk-based computer for graphing, with a primitive print-only network of telephone cables linking them to a few slow and noisy old dot matrix printers with fanfold paper.
My classroom evolved to having old hard-drive computers at the stations, linked in a daisy chain 10BASE2 network of thin coax cable which I wired up from one station to the next, all linked to a single laser printer. What a breakthrough that was, since I could finally transfer files and everyone could print to a single fast printer with high-quality output. A few years later I led NetDay at our school, with volunteers helping me install the first Ethernet wiring and wall ports in the science labs.
By then the use of classroom computers was not all that different from what we do today – we’re still using a version of Graphical Analysis after all these years – although fat CRT monitors have been replaced with flat LCD panels and the desktop machines are smaller and more capable with each generation. We also now have enough laptop computers that I can provide each student, not merely each group, with a computer if needed for in-class data collection and lab report creation via wireless networking, but it is still such a big hassle to get enough computers wired up and running properly that I only do it once per year to give them the experience. I presume eventually we’ll have convenient tablet computers for this sort of thing, but we’re a long ways from getting there with our pitiful state funding for public schools.
Well, I still have an overhead projector and I actually use it in class, although only for a few demonstrations, such as Fleming’s Law and electromagnetic induction, where an apparatus on the overhead can project a huge visual. Until we built the science wing in 2003, I either used a large CRT monitor to show visuals or a portable LCD projector on a cart. Here’s what my classroom technology looked like in 2001, minus the portable LCD projector and a SMART Board I never used much:
My classroom technology in 2001
Thankfully the lab stations in the new wing are MUCH larger
You can see why we needed the new wing, with its large student lab stations with built-in network ports, ceiling-mounted LCD projector, etc.
With the permanent LCD projector at my disposal, I shifted even more to computer presentations for visuals and now have an Elmo document camera for some demos and papers. But I use PowerPoint sparingly, relying much more on the chalkboard (now a whiteboard) since it gives me plenty of space to write and leave things visible for the slower students. Writing everything out each period also helps me pace myself more to the speed students need and encourages me to be succinct. I use PowerPoint only when there are many visuals and/or video clips to integrate into the lesson, not for regular note-taking.
1991 vs. 2012: whiteboards instead of chalkboards, but not much difference
Promethean Board (no, that’s not me; I don’t like them)
I wrote grants for a SMART Board over a decade ago and later a Promethean Board, but neither electronic white board worked for me since the long solutions to some examples took up more than one screen and I wanted the earlier work to remain visible, something I can readily do with my multiple traditional white boards. So I gave both electronic boards away for others to use.
I’m sure there are clever interactive things I could have students do on a Promethean Board, but it just doesn’t suit my style of instruction. Similarly, although some teachers make effective use of them, I don’t want a “clicker system” of student remotes for feedback, instead relying on observation, questioning, and simple student hand signals. But if we ever equip every student with a tablet computer, that might prompt me to change.
Video Clips – VHS to DVD to the computer
And after all that discursion, we get to what prompted me to think back on classroom technology: classroom video clips. In the old days I had to pop in a VHS tape to show a clip and then painfully rewind it. Later I could burn clips onto a DVD for use in class with the ceiling LCD projector and that also allowed me to extend the life of good clips beyond their pitiful VHS origins. I have been fighting the DVD player again this year, waiting for it to boot up and wrestling with it to show a clip I’ve burned off, or show a bit from a larger video.
But showing a clip from the computer is far more efficient than wrestling with the stupid DVD player. What held me back until this year was that the old laptop computer on my teacher desk simply didn’t have enough storage space for all of my video clips and I’ve learned not to rely on the school’s network for instructional components – I can’t stand for the internet or the network to go down and leave me high and dry.
But this year I planted a new desktop computer under the desk, angled a not-too-large LCD monitor on it, and thus gained plenty of disk space and processing power to switch to only using computer-based video clips. I’ll keep the DVD player handy for full-length videos when I miss school, since most substitute teachers can’t handle lab work and simply copying physics notes isn’t very helpful. If I can let students work on an existing assignment I always do that, but sometimes a video related to the objectives is the best substitute.
The problem is that the dozens of short clips I’ve collected were mostly burned to DVDs (with backup discs at home) and not retained on a hard drive. So I’ve been slowly ripping them back off my own DVDs, editing them if needed, and throwing them into my DropBox directory. That way they sync up to the cloud as well as onto any computer I designate, giving me several backups and making it easy to get them onto the computer at school.
I’ve been using HandBrake to rip the video clips off my DVDs on my desktop Windows 7 machine. The default Windows Media Player I use at school won’t reliably play the ripped clips, so if I want to play them with the DivX player, I have HandBrake rip them in MKV format.
But if I want to edit them, I can’t use the free Microsoft Movie Maker to edit the clips HandBrake produces. Instead, I rip them off in MP4 format, copy that over to my MacBook Air and convert the file into a form iMovie can edit with MPEG StreamClip, edit the file in iMovie, and then export it back out.
Frankly, it has been tedious, but now that the job is done I should have all of my video clips at my fingertips in class. No more mucking about with the DVD player, thank goodness. Welcome to the 21st century, Mr. Meador!
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Testiscles should lower from the abdomen into the scrotum before birth. Some boys are born with one or both testicles still inside the abdomen or groin. This is called undescended testicles. Orchiopexy is a surgery to lower the testicle(s) into the scrotum.
Reasons for Procedure
Orchiopexy is done to treat undescended testicles. The surgery may improve fertility. Undescended testicles also have a higher risk of developing cancer later in life. Having the testicle in the scrotum makes it easier to check for early signs of cancer.
Complications are rare, but no procedure is completely free of risk. Your doctor will review a list of possible complications, which may include:
- Testicle move back up into groin after surgery
- Damage to the testicle
- Reaction to anesthesia
- Injury to surrounding structures
What to Expect
Prior to Procedure
Your child’s doctor will do the following before the surgery:
- Physical exam
- Imaging, blood, and urine tests
- Discuss the anesthesia being used and the risks of surgery
Talk to the doctor about your child’s medicines or any recent illnesses. You may be asked to have your child stop or start certain medicines before surgery.
Other things to keep in mind before the procedure include:
- Bring special toys, books, and comfortable clothing for your child.
- Your child will need to avoid eating for a period of time before surgery.
- For children younger than one year, it is often recommended that they do not eat after midnight the night before the surgery.
- Clear liquids (eg, breast milk, water, clear juices) may be allowed up to two hours before the procedure.
General anesthesia will be used. It will keep your child asleep during the surgery and block pain.
Description of the Procedure
Small keyhole incisions will be made in one or both sides of the groin and in the abdomen. Long, thin tools will be passed through the incisions. They will allow the doctor to view and operate inside the body. First, the testicle will be examined.
Next, a pouch will be created in the scrotum. The testicle will be pulled down into the newly created pouch. Stitches will hold the testicle in place. The stitches will dissolve on their own. All other incisions will also be closed with stitches.
In some cases, a small button will be placed on the outside of the scrotum. The button will hold the testicle down until healing occurs. The doctor removes the button by cutting the stitches a few weeks after the procedure.
A medication may be given during the surgery to help manage discomfort after the procedure. In most cases, your child can go home from the hospital on the same day as the surgery.
How Long Will It Take?
1 hour per testicle
How Much Will It Hurt?
Anesthesia prevents pain during the procedure. Medication will be given after the surgery to manage pain.
- Your child will be monitored while he recovers from the anesthesia.
- The nurse will give pain medicine as needed.
When your child returns home, do the following to help ensure a smooth recovery:
- Give medicines to treat pain and prevent infection as directed.
- Minor bleeding is normal. Care for the incisions as directed by the doctor.
- If you child wears a diaper, change it often. Leave it off for short periods to reduce any irritation to the area.
- Follow your doctor's direction for incision care. You may be asked to put an ointment or cream on the incisions.
- Ask your doctor about when it is safe to bathe your child.
- Engage in gentle play. Avoid tiring activities for a few weeks. Your child should avoid sitting on or riding a bicycle for about a week after the surgery.
- Monitor your child for signs of pain. These may include fussiness, trouble moving, sweating, or pale skin.
Be sure to follow the doctor’s instructions.
Call Your Child’s Doctor
After you leave the hospital, contact the doctor if any of the following occurs:
- Increasing pressure or pain
- Redness, drainage, puffiness, or soreness around the incision site(s)
- Changes in frequency, odor, appearance, or volume of urine
- Difficulty urinating
- Signs of infection, including fever or chills
- Abdominal pain
- Lack of energy
- Loss of appetite
In case of an emergency, call for medical help right away.
- Reviewer: Mike Woods, MD
- Review Date: 12/2012 -
- Update Date: 12/28/2012 -
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Principal Proposed Uses
- Allergic Rhinitis (Hay Fever)
A member of the mint family, perilla is used in a variety of Asian foods to add both flavor and color. It is also grown ornamentally in gardens.
The stem of the plant is used in Chinese medicine for treatment of morning sickness. The leaves are said to be helpful for asthma, colds and flus, and other lung problems.
In the small clinical trials and animal studies conducted thus far, use of perilla and/or rosmarinic acid has not been associated with significant adverse effects. Due to the wide use of perilla in Asian cooking, as well as the prevalence of rosmarinic acid in many spices, these substances are assumed to have a relatively high level of safety. However, comprehensive safety testing has not been reported. Safety in young children, pregnant or nursing women, or people with severe liver or kidney disease has not been established.
- Reviewer: EBSCO CAM Review Board
- Review Date: 07/2012 -
- Update Date: 07/25/2012 -
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The Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) of Seyfert galaxy M77 (NGC 1068), about 60 million light years from Earth, in the X-ray light, as photographed by Chandra X-ray Observatory.
A composite Chandra X-ray (blue/green) and Hubble optical (red) image of M77 (NGC 1068) shows hot gas blowing away from a central supermassive object at speeds averaging about 1 million miles per hour. The elongated shape of the gas cloud is thought to be due to the funneling effect of a torus, or doughnut-shaped cloud, of cool gas and dust that surrounds the central object, which many astronomers think is a black hole. The X-rays are scattered and reflected X-rays that are probably coming from a hidden disk of hot gas formed as matter swirls very near the black hole. Regions of intense star formation in the inner spiral arms of the galaxy are highlighted by the optical emission. This image extends over a field 36 arcsec on a side.
This three-color high energy X-ray image (red =1.3-3 keV, green = 3-6 keV, blue = 6-8 keV) of NGC 1068 shows gas rushing away from the nucleus. The brightest point-like source may be the inner wall of the torus that is reflecting X-rays from the hidden nucleus. Scale: Image is 30 arcsec per side.
This three-color low energy X-ray image of M77 (NGC 1068) (red = 0.4-0.6 keV, green = 0.6-0.8 keV, blue = 0.8-1.3 keV) shows gas rushing away from the the nucleus (bright white spot). The range of colors from blue to red corresponds to a high through low ionization of the atoms in the wind. Scale: Image is 30 arcsec per side.
This optical image of the active galaxy NGC 1068, taken by Hubble's WFPC2, gives a detailed view of the spiral arms in the inner parts of the galaxy. Scale: Image is 30 arcsec per side.
Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/MIT/P. Ogle et.al.; Optical: NASA/STScI/A. Capetti et.al.
Last Modification: July 12, 2003
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The surname Spink in my family tree is from my paternal line. At the moment I have 27 people with this surname. The earliest person is my 4x great grandfather William Spink who was born about 1764, probably in the Linton area of the Yorkshire Dales.
According to surnamedb the name Spink is of Anglo-Saxon origin. It is said to derive from a nickname given in the first instance to someone thought to resemble a finch in some way. Possibly with reference to its brightly coloured plumage or sweet singing voice.
A large number of early medieval surnames were gradually created from the habitual use of nicknames, given with reference to a variety of characteristics, such as
- a person’s physical attributes or peculiarities
- mental or moral qualities
- a fancied resemblance to an animal’s or bird’s appearance or disposition
- habits of dress, or
The first recorded spelling of the family name is believed to be that of Roger Spinc dated 1133 in the “Chartulary of Ramsey Monastery”, Bedforshire. Other early recordings are :-
Thomas Spink listed in the Assize Rolls of Northumberland in 1256; the marriage of Edmonde Spincke and Alice Madison in Stepney, London on 5th September 1604; and the marriage of Stephen Spink and Ann Ring on 29th October 1696.
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Uncle Tom's Trail was first constructed in 1898 by "Uncle" Tom Richardson. The five years following its construction, Uncle Tom led visitors on tours which included crossing the river upstream from the present day Chittenden Bridge, and then following his rough trail to the base of the Lower Falls. The tour was concluded with a picnic and a return trip across the river.
Today Uncle Tom's Trail is very different from the simple trail used by Mr. Richardson and his visitors. It is still, however, a very strenuous walk into the canyon. The trail drops 500 feet (150 m) in a series of more than 300 stairs and paved inclines.
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone Tour
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Information and Public Awareness Programme
The objective of “Information & Public Awareness Programme” is to disseminate information on new and renewable sources of energy (NRSE) systems/devices through variety of media like electronic, print & exhibition as well as outdoor media, thereby popularizing and creating awareness about such systems and devices. It also brings to the fore benefits, technological developments and promotional activities taking place in the renewable energy arena from time to time. The role of Information and Public Awareness Programme for inculcating the importance of renewable energy amongst masses has been assuming increasing significance in recent times. The Programme is implemented mainly through State Nodal Agencies, Directorate of Advertising & Visual Publicity (DAVP), Doordarshan, All India Radio (AIR), and Department of Posts, etc.
Special Area Demonstration Project Programme
The Special Area Demonstration Project Scheme of the Ministry has been introduced with the objective of demonstrating application of various renewable energy systems in a project mode at places of national and international importance including world heritage sites, heritage monuments, religious locations and places of public interest to create greater awareness of renewable and to supplement the energy requirement at such locations
Human Resources Development Programme
Ministry has been implementing a comprehensive Human Resource Development Programme with the objective of institutionalizing the renewable energy education and training in the country with the following overall goals:
- To update the professionals working in the field of renewable energy on technological, economical and social issues and management of the science and technology and public administration through infusion of scientific temper and accountability;
- To infuse commitment towards building of partnership and participatory decision-making;
- iTo be responsive to the challenge of changing framework needs in policy, institutional, legal, trade, IPR, knowledge management, organizational and technological development;
- To strive for improving performance and efficiency of renewable energy systems and devices to make them cost competitive;
- To provide adequate knowledge of the technical issues that are essential to help executives in Government, banking and financial sector with non-technical background about renewable energy;
- To bring about attitudinal changes among the renewable energy professionals and those working in the mainstream power sector to enhance the use of renewable energy for energy security of the country; and
- To act as a facilitator for improving the skill sets of professionals and executives in the renewable energy industry and also in research and development institutions.
Planning & coordination
The Planning and Co-ordination Division is responsible for overall planning and budgeting plans schemes/programmes of the Ministry and matters related to Reforms, Policy measures, Fiscal concessions, etc. Its work involves maintaining a close liaison with different Programme Divisions of the Ministry and with other concerned Ministries/Departments/States, State Nodal Agencies, etc. on a regular basis.
Seminar & Symposia
The Ministry provides support to universities, academic institutions/colleges, non-governmental organizations, Government Departments, etc. for organizing workshops, seminars, conferences to provide a forum for professionals, students, policy-makers, managers, economists, industry representatives, etc., to interact and share their views on identified thrust areas related to renewable or any other emerging area impinging on technology, innovation in regard to renewables.
Technology Information Forecasting, Assessment & Databank(TIFAD)
Technology Information Forecasting, Assessment and Data Bank (TIFAD) have got a vast potential in terms of establishment of a dynamic mechanism for creation of databank on information for state-of-the-art technology through technology forecasting and assessment.
This can be achieved by way of creation of facilities for utilization of Information Technology Tools at the MNRE Headquarters, State Nodal Agencies, Technology Institutions, manufacturers, NGOs and other organizations in the country and utilization of Internet to access global database in the area of renewable energy.
- Creation of Computerization and Information Technology (IT) facilities for the Ministry Headquarters, its Regional Offices and the Solar Energy Centre.
- Creation of facilities for internet/intranet access and establishing linkages with the Technology Institutions/Technology Providers in the area of renewable energy nationally and globally through VSAT systems, Modems and other IT tools.
- Creation and Updation of Databases/Databanks and establishment of the Technology Information System in the area of renewable energy in the country.
- Involving as well as providing guidelines and financial support to nodal agencies, industries, technology institutions, Consultants and Non-Governmental Organisations, involved in the area of renewable energy in the country, for creation of IT facilities, Databanks and maintaining minimum standards.
- Creation of facilities and development of Software for establishment of Management Information System (MIS) and computerised on-line electronic monitoring of projects and programmes in the area of renewable energy in the country.
- Taking up activities on Patents and Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment in the area of renewable energy.
100% Computerization has been achieved. 250 nos. of computer based workstations have been created for providing computerization facility at the Ministry’s Headquarters, its 9 Regional Offices and Solar Energy Centre.
Local Area Network (LAN) has been established in the two building of the Ministry’s Headquarters for providing connectivity to various Computers installed in the Ministry. In order to provide connectivity between the Computers installed in the two buildings and fast data communication, LANs set up in these buildings of the Ministry have been integrated through laying of Fiber Optics Cable.
E-mail and Internet facility have been extended to all the Officers at the Ministry’s Headquarters. E-mail facility has also been provided to the 9 Regional Offices and the Solar Energy Centre.
All the Officers and officials of the Ministry’s Headquarters, its Regional Offices and the Solar energy Centre have been provided training in the use of computers through NIC and other professional organizations.
Specialized Training Programmes on Basic Concepts of Data Management and Networking Services & Applications is being organized at NIC for all the Officers of MNRE, its Regional Offices and Solar Energy Centre.
The MNRE has already prepared its Web-site in English as well as in Hindi through its in-house efforts. The MNRE Web-site gives a comprehensive picture of the development and utilization of renewable energy sources in India.
The Ministry has started Information and Facilitation Centre with Computer facility at its Headquarters for an easy access to various types of information by the visitors coming to this Ministry.
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The Godavari River is a major waterway in India, next to the Ganges and Indus rivers. It rises at Trimbakeshwar, near Nasik and Mumbai (formerly Bombay) in Maharashtra around 380 km distant from the Arabian Sea, but flows southeast across south-central India into Andhra Pradesh, and empties into the Bay of Bengal
The river Godavari starts at the western ghats and flows towards the eastern ghats. It flows in the southern India and is considered to be one of the seven sacred rivers. This river originates from the hills situated at the back of the village Tryanibak, located at Nasik district in Maharashtra. A large reservoir is situated at the hill from which the river originates. At 'Daulekharam' it merges into the "Bay of Bengal", making a delta. According to the Hindu religion the river Godavari is considered to be one of the very sacred rivers. The people believe that taking a holy dip in the river relieves them from all the sins.
The Godavari is the largest river system in Peninsular India. Arising in the Western Ghats near Nasik it passes through Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh before debouching into the Bay of Bengal near Kakinada. on the Andhra coast. There are ten major distributaries flowing through well established drainage networks.
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The Little Bigfoot Phenomenon
We’ve all heard about the antics of Bigfoot, but what about Littlefoot? Certainly, it’s an undeniable fact that many reports emanating from Britain tell of encounters with not just large and lumbering, hairy entities, but with distinctly smaller critters, too. Centuries-old Welsh folklore, for example, tells of the Bwbach, an approximately three foot tall, hair-covered humanoid perceived by the folk of that era as a brownie or nymph.
Supposedly, like so many of similar ilk, they would undertake chores and little jobs around the homes of humans, providing they were the recipients of two things: respect and nourishment, the latter usually in the form of oats, milk and cream. And they had a deep hatred of those who avoided alcohol and who led teetotal lives!
Feature Image via “Letters From the Big Man” – A Narrative Film project in Los Angeles, CA by Christopher Munch
Wirt Sikes was U.S. Consul to Wales, a noted expert on Welsh folklore, and the author of an acclaimed 1880 book, British Goblins. In its pages, Sikes wrote of the hairy little Bwbach that it: “…is the good-natured goblin which does good turns for the tidy Welsh maid who wins its favour by a certain course of behaviour recommended by long tradition. The maid having swept the kitchen, makes a good fire the last thing at night, and having put the churn, filled with cream, on the whitened hearth, with a basin of fresh cream for the Bwbach on the hob, goes to bed to await the event.”
Sikes continued: ”In the morning she finds (if she is in luck) that the Bwbach has emptied the basin of cream, and plied the churn-dasher so well that the maid has but to give a thump or two to bring the butter in a great lump. Like the Ellyll which it so much resembles, the Bwbach does not approve of dissenters and their ways, and especially strong is its aversion to total abstainers.”
The Bwbach is largely forgotten today, but encounters with small, hairy, man-like figures in Britain are certainly not. Jon Downes – director of the Center for Fortean Zoology – says of such matters: “I have many similar reports of such creatures being seen in Devonshire woodland. And the following one is a real cracker because it has so much separate and credible corroboration to it…”
The location, Jon reveals, was Churston Woods, which is situated close to the English holiday resort of Torbay: “Over a six week period, in the summer of 1996, fifteen separate witnesses reported seeing what they could only describe as a green faced monkey, running through the woods. Granted, some of the descriptions were quite vague, but most of the witnesses told of seeing a tailless animal, around four to five feet tall, with a flat, olive-green face that would run through the woods and occasionally would be seen swinging through the trees.”
Jon concludes: “Now, to me at least, this sounds like some form of primitive human, but, of course, such things simply cannot exist in this country – and yet they seem to. And this area – Devon, Somerset and Cornwall – is rich with such tales.” Matters don’t end there, however.
In November 2008, an extremely strange story surfaced from Wanstead – a suburban area of the borough of London. According to witness testimony, a small Bigfoot-type creature was supposedly seen wandering in Epping Forest, a 2,476 hectare area of forestland which, by name at least, was first referenced in the 17th Century, but that has existed since Neolithic times and which, in the 12th Century, was designated as a Royal Forest by King Henry III.
British cryptozoologist and author Neil Arnold describes how the distinctly odd story began: “The animal was first sighted during early November by eighteen-year-old angler Michael Kent who was fishing with his brother and father in the Hollow Ponds area of Epping Forest, on the border of Wanstead and Leytonstone. The teenager claimed that whilst walking towards his brothers, he heard a rustling in the bushes and saw the back of a dark, hairy animal around four feet in height, that scampered off into the woods.”
Another of those that caught sight of the diminutive beast was Irene Dainty, who claimed a face to face encounter with the thing on Love Lane, Woodford Bridge. She told the press:
“I had just come out of my flat and just as I had turned the corner I saw this hairy thing come out of nowhere. I really don’t want to see it again. It was about four feet tall and with really big feet and looked straight at me with animal eyes. Then it leaped straight over the wall with no trouble at all and went off into the garden of the Three Jolly Wheelers pub. I was so terrified that I went to my neighbour’s house and told her what had happened. She couldn’t believe it and asked me if I had been drinking, but I said of course I hadn’t – it was only about 3.00 p.m.”
Further reports subsequently surfaced, some of which were far more of a four-legged variety, maybe even bear-like, rather than actually being suggestive of Bigfoot. But, it was this issue of the “really big feet” that kept the media-driven controversy focused on matters of a mini Sasquatch-type nature. Ultimately, just like so many similar such affairs, sightings of the beast came to an abrupt end and the matter of the Epping Forest monster was never satisfactorily resolved.
Juvenile Bigfoot entities? Escaped monkeys? Unclassified animals? The cases are many, but in terms of definitive answers we have – forgive the pun! – very “little” to go on!
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Student athletes everywhere can chalk up another point in the win column as the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has successfully issued a guidance measure that addresses the rights of children with disabilities to participate in school athletics and other extracurricular activities. In an addendum to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the proposed guidance adds clarity to the responsibilities of federally-funded schools for the provision of opportunities in physical activities and sports participation for students with disabilities.
The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) also aided in the initiative by providing a report stressing the important health and social benefits of access to and participation in school sports for all students, especially those with disabilities. The measure calls for schools to accommodate students with disabilities who choose to join traditional sports teams by making “reasonable modifications.” The National Center for Health, Physical Activity, and Disability has information and examples of sports adaptation on their website. In cases that an adjustment causes a disruption to the essence of the sport, then the order calls for the school to create a parallel athletic program that would have equal or at least comparable standing to the traditional platform.
The measure piggybacks on the successes of Title IX and augments the 1972 legislation (which focused on the inclusion of women in education programs and activities) to include those with disabilities. This opens the door for massive inclusion of students living with disabilities to be able to participate in sports and extracurricular activities at all levels, much like Title IX did for girls’ athletics.
This initiative will do much to improve the opportunities for athletes of all diversities in sport and give those athletes the muscle to erase the stigma that not fitting a prototype doesn’t mean one cannot be an athlete.
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Consuming sports and energy drinks is comparable to ‘bathing your teeth with acid’ according to scientists who have unleashed their findings on how these beverages may be destroying the health of your teeth. In their research, the study team members revealed that serious damage occurs to tooth enamel when exposed to sports and energy drinks, which is especially concerning when examining the high rate of consumption across the country — particularly in teenagers.
Published in the May/June edition of the journal General Dentistry, researchers observed the acidity levels present in 13 sports drinks and 9 energy drinks. Looking to examine how the sugar-laden beverages would affect tooth enamel, scientists placed samples of tooth enamel into each drink brand for a total of 15 minutes. In order to note the differences, they also placed tooth enamel samples in artificial saliva for 2 hours for 4 times per day over a period of 5 days.
What they found was that not only did many brands and flavors vary in acid levels, but as little as 5 days after limited exposure to both sports and energy drinks, the team reported enamel damage. What’s more, energy drinks actually lead to twice as much damage as sports drinks. About 30 to 50 percent of teenagers have stated that they consume energy drinks, and a shocking 62% of teens say that they consume at least one sports drink per day. This means that these damaging liquids are being chugged down on a daily basis, and in many cases it is a matter of how many — not if at all.
Thankfully, there are natural alternatives that actually improve your health. Coconut water is one of the most popular and beneficial options, as one 2007 study found sodium-enriched coconut water to be as effective as commercial sports drinks in overall hydration with far less stomach pains. And of course it does not contain high levels of acid and sugar, but instead can help to naturally lower your blood pressure.
Google Plus Profile Anthony is the Editor of NaturalSociety, producer, consultant, and seeker of truth. Anthony's work has been read by millions worldwide and is routinely featured on major alternative and mainstream news website alike, like the powerful Drudge Report, NaturalNews, Infowars, and many others. Anthony has appeared, oftentimes routinely, on programs like Russia Today (RT), The Alex Jones Show, Coast to Coast AM, and others. Anthony is also a founding member of Natural Attitude and the creator of the independent political website Storyleak
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Honoring and Respecting the Lives and
Accomplishments of our Founding Fathers
Once again we have just completed our twelfth tour of important American History sites on the East Coast. Our group was made up of 31 high school juniors and seniors and ten adults. The week-long tour included Monticello, Williamsburg, Mount Vernon, Washington DC, Gettysburg, Hershey, Valley Forge, and Philadelphia.
I am convinced that the detailed and intense study of the Founders' lives is one of the best ways to help our young people think correctly about so many things in today's world. If we can make true history come alive for them and help them to see that those who lived 200 years ago were real people with real challenges, it seems to help them want to be more achieving in their lives. Our last evening on the tour is always reserved for a time of reflection and expression of what impressed them the most during the week. Without fail, the young people comment on how the Founders have come alive for them. They express the thought that if those people, living 200 years ago in conditions quite primitive compared to our conditions today, can accomplish so much, then surely we can rise to a much higher level of accomplishment in our own lives. When this is felt and expressed, the goal of an American History tour director has been reached.
The Richness of the Spirit of Thomas Jefferson
Our visits to Monticello and to the Jefferson Memorial are always highlights of the trip. We make sure the students take time to read the inscriptions on the memorial in Washington, D.C., which reflect the heart of the life and mission of Thomas Jefferson. Said he:
"I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."
"We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that to secure these rights governments are instituted among men. We...solemnly publish and declare, that these colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent states...And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."
"Almighty God hath created the mind free.All attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burdens.are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion.No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship or ministry or shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but all men shall be free to profess and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion. I know but one code of morality for men whether acting singly or collectively."
"God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever. Commerce between master and slave is despotism. Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate than these people are to be free. Establish the law for educating the common people. This it is the business of the state to effect and on a general plan."
Notice these four inscriptions speak of Jefferson's conviction that the plan of the Almighty in the lives of His children on this earth includes the necessity of them being free in every way to choose for themselves.
Monticello reflects Jefferson's love of learning and his love for nature and agriculture. A serious student could spend hours at Monticello on any one of the following subjects that was developed by Jefferson on his mountaintop plantation: Agriculture, American Indians, ancient Greece and Rome, archaeology, architecture, art, astronomy, bibliophile, botany, cuisine, economics, education, engineering, geography, languages, law, medicine, music, natural history, paleontology, religion, riding, surveying, weather, weights and measures.
At Williamsburg, we make sure our students tour the House of Burgesses or the old capitol building of Virginia. In the main room where the delegates met, one can envision Patrick Henry giving his famous "Caesar-Brutus" speech against the Stamp Act on May 29, 1765. It happened that day that a young lawyer named Thomas Jefferson listened to this impassioned plea and later claimed that this was "the day that changed my life." Additional delegates who served as representatives in this Virginia assembly included George Washington, George Mason, George Wythe, and Richard Henry Lee.
It was also in this room that James Madison, after the Revolutionary War, tried to convince the delegates to agree to a stronger union than then existed under the Articles of Confederation. He was met with stiff opposition from those who insisted they were Virginians first, then Americans. This episode is portrayed in the NCCS film, A More Perfect Union.
The Saintly Example of George Washington
Who can compare with the magnificence of George Washington? Students are exposed to him on four occasions on our tour: Mount Vernon, the Washington Monument, the Capitol Rotunda, and Valley Forge.
Our first exposure to him was at Mount Vernon. There in the magnificent Dining Room, especially built to entertain guests from near and far, is where Washington finally agreed to serve as our first president. We make sure the students understand that this was done the way the Founders wanted it to be done-no campaigning, no political parties, no speeches containing promises to be fulfilled. In fact, several unsuccessful attempts were made to convince Washington to serve until finally he was visited by the secretary of congress in this very room and told that he had been selected, unanimously, to serve as president. He, of course, reluctantly agreed.
In spending a few hours at Mount Vernon, it is not difficult to see why Washington did not want to leave again. To sit on his back porch and overlook the Potomac River is stunning. It was here that he had many conversations with domestic and foreign dignitaries and convinced them that his ideas were worth pursuing. To view his plantation layout, his agricultural insights and innovations, and even his self-selected tomb site, leaves one with a feeling he is walking on sacred ground.
As most Americans look at the Washington Monument, few realize that the crowning capstone of the monument is a single piece of aluminum weighing 100 ounces. It has four triangular sides which meet at the top point. No one sees it from the ground, or even from the lookout near the top of the monument. It is the highest point of all of Washington D.C. rising 555 feet from the ground. On the west face of the capstone is inscribed: "Corner Stone laid on bed of foundation, July 4, 1848. First stone at height of 152 feet laid August 7, 1880. Capstone set December 6, 1884"; and the east face (which faces towards the Capitol) reads "LAUS DEO" which is translated, "Praise be to God."
Of course the most central painting in the Capitol Rotunda is the Apotheosis of George Washington -apotheosis meaning the raising of a mortal to the rank of a god; or the glorification of a person as an ideal. We have included a discussion of this in previous letters.
Independence Hall-A Place of Reverence
How fitting it is to end our week-long tour of American History at this special site in Philadelphia. Of course it was built as the Pennsylvania State House, but has become known for two events in American History which have better defined America's destiny than perhaps any other site on the east coast. It always has a sacred significance to me. I have been to a limited number of places where I believe communication from the heavens were manifestly given and described. This is one of those places. Dr. Skousen wrote also of those feelings:
Some of the Founders Sensed the Presence of
Heavenly Inspiration at the Constitutional Convention
A great many of the Founders confessed their dependence on God for the success of the Constitutional Convention. This was especially true of Franklin, Washington and Madison.
We have ample evidence that during his long life, Benjamin Franklin had come to depend upon this outside intelligence in a time of crisis. We have reason to believe this was precisely why Franklin wanted the convention to have regular prayers. They needed help from a higher source. He saw them wrestling with problems so complex that solutions were completely beyond the experience and intellectual capacity of the delegates.
Franklin's Plea for Prayer at the Convention
Notice that he gives this as his main reason for the suggestion that they start having regular prayers at the convention. Here are Franklin's words:
"The small progress we have made, after four or five weeks' close attendance and continual reasonings with each other ... is, methinks, a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the human understanding."
This tells us two things about Franklin. First of all, he recognized the human limitations of every person at the convention, including himself. Secondly, he quite obviously knew from experience where to go to ask for a gentle sprinkling of inspiration. Therefore, he said:
"In this situation of this assembly, groping, as it were, in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of Lights to illuminate our understanding?"
Franklin then pointed a finger of shame at the members of this convention by reminding them that in their great struggle with Great Britain during the Revolutionary War the meetings of the Continental Congress were always opened with prayer. Then why haven't prayers been held now? Just to refresh their memories he said:
"Our prayers, Sir, were heard -- and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of superintending Providence in our favor."
Franklin concluded his plea -- which is one of the most eloquent speeches of the entire convention -- with a proposal. He said:
"I therefore beg leave to move, that henceforth prayers, imploring the assistance of Heaven and its blessing on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business; and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service." ( The Majesty of God's Law , pp. 444-7)
Even though the convention eventually did not adopt Franklin's motion for public prayer, it seemed to have enough effect on the private lives of the delegates that caused Washington to later reflect:
"It appears to me, then, little short of a miracle, that the delegates from so many different states (which states you know are also different from each other, in their manners, circumstances, and prejudices) should unite in forming a system of national government."
James Madison also wrote, saying it was "impossible to consider the degree of concord which ultimately prevailed as less than a miracle."
I personally consider Independence Hall as one of those places where the inspiration of heaven was made manifest to man and I try to communicate this to our tour participants. Our visit there is short, but usually makes a lasting impression. It represents the culmination of our tour of meaningful places where the great and wise of America once trod.
Earl Taylor, Jr.
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A hernia occurs when a section of intestine protrudes through a weakness in the abdominal wall. A soft bulge is seen underneath the skin where the hernia has occurred. An inguinal hernia occurs in the groin area, when a section of intestine pushes through a weak spot in the inguinal canal--a triangle-shaped opening between layers of abdominal muscle near the groin.
As a male fetus grows and matures during pregnancy, the testicles develop in the abdomen and then move down into the scrotum through the area called the inguinal canal. Shortly after the male is born, the inguinal canal closes, preventing the testicles from moving back into the abdomen. If this area does not close off completely, a loop of intestine can move into the inguinal canal through the weakened area of the lower abdominal wall, causing a hernia. Although females do not have testicles, they do have an inguinal canal and can develop hernias in this area, as well.
Obesity, pregnancy, heavy lifting, and straining to pass stool can all be causes of inguinal hernias.
The following are the most common symptoms of an inguinal hernia. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:
- Lump in the groin near the thigh
- Pressure or pain in the groin
- Partial or complete blockage of the intestine (in more severe cases) that may lead to nausea, vomiting, and poor appetite
The symptoms of an inguinal hernia may resemble other medical conditions or problems. Always consult your doctor for a diagnosis.
In addition to a complete medical history and physical examination, diagnostic procedures for an inguinal hernia may include the following:
- Blood tests
- X-rays and/or CT scan--diagnostic tests which use invisible electromagnetic energy beams to produce images of internal tissues, bones, and organs onto film; to check for blockage of the intestine.
Specific treatment for an inguinal hernia will be determined by your doctor based on:
- Your age, overall health, and medical history
- Extent of the condition
- Your tolerance of specific medicines, procedures, or therapies
- Expectations for the course of the condition
- Your opinion or preference
The main treatment for an inguinal hernia is a surgical procedure known as herniorrhaphy. In this procedure, the opening in the muscle wall is repaired. Sometimes, in a procedure known as hernioplasty, the weak area is repaired and reinforced with steel mesh or wire. Lapraroscopic surgery can also be performed by making several small incisions in the lower abdomen and inserting an instrument called a laparoscope to carefully repair the hernia using synthetic mesh.
If the protruding intestine becomes twisted or traps stool, a bowel resection may need to be performed. In this procedure, part of the intestine, or bowel, is removed.
Click here to view the
Online Resources of Digestive Disorders
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On 1 May, 2003, voters will go to the polls to elect the members who will form the second Scottish Parliament session of the modern era.
Pressure to cut the number of MSPs (Members of the Scottish Parliament) in line with a scheduled reduction in those sent to Westminster has been resisted.
There will be 129 MSPs who will sit for a fixed four-year period.
The members will be elected in two ways.
- 73 members will represent individual constituencies and will be elected under the traditional first-past-the-post system.
These are the same as the 72 Scottish constituencies at Westminster with the exception that Orkney and Shetland is divided into two, each electing its own MSP.
- In addition, 56 members selected from "party lists" in the country's eight electoral regions.
These regions each will elect seven MSPs through the Additional Member System, a form of proportional representation.
Electors will therefore have two votes on separate ballot papers.
One is for a candidate in their constituency and the second is for a party list in their region.
Parties will be keen to dispel the common confusion over the two separate votes.
Some people mistakenly believe that they must vote for the constituency candidate belonging to the same party they supported at regional level.
Members of the Scottish Parliament
There will 129 MSPs
Elected from constituencies 73
Elected from regions 56
Others wrongly think the opposite, that the regional vote is a "second choice" and that they must therefore vote for a different party to the one they voted for in their constituency.
Both these views are wrong.
It is up to individual voters to decide whether or not they "split" their votes.
They can vote for the candidate at constituency level who represents the same party or a different party to the one they voted for at regional level.
The Additional Member System
The constituency MSPs are chosen according to the traditional system used in Westminster elections. A candidate needs simply to poll more votes than any other single rival to be elected.
The system for electing the Additional Members is more complex.
Electors will cast their second vote for a "party list".
This is a list submitted by registered parties with their candidates in order of preference.
If the party succeeds in winning one of these "top-up" seats, the person named as first on its list will be elected.
If it wins two top-up seats, then the first two will be elected, and so on.
Some think that their two votes must be for same party
Others think their two votes must be for different parties
In fact, voters can cast their two votes however they wish
It is important, therefore, for candidates to be near the top of their party's list for them to stand a realistic chance of being elected.
There are two complications to the lists.
First, a "party list" can be an individual person who is standing at the regional level rather than in a constituency.
Secondly, a candidate can stand both in a constituency and on a regional top-up list.
If they succeed in a constituency this takes priority and their name will be removed from the regional list so they cannot be elected twice.
The all-important divisor
The formula for deciding which parties win regional top-up seats is known as the d'Hondt system and is used widely across Europe.
First, party list votes are totalled from each of the constituencies making up the region.
These totals are then divided by the number of seats each party has won - plus one.
The party with the highest resulting total elects one Additional Member.
The regions for additional member seats
Highlands and Islands
Mid-Scotland and Fife
North East Scotland
South of Scotland
West of Scotland
That party's divisor is then increased by one (because of its victory) and new figures calculated. Again, the party with the highest total wins a seat.
The process is then repeated until all seven Additional Members are elected.
The aim of the system is to compensate parties which pile up votes in constituencies but fail to win many MSPs.
Under the d'Hondt system, they are much more likely to gain Additional Members. Conversely, parties which do well in constituency elections will do less well in the top-up seats.
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Much as a hybrid bicycle is a cross between two bikes--a road bike frame with mountain bike handlebars, for instance--this hybrid compound is a cross between two molecules. One is a traditional anticancer drug, a small molecule that targets cancer tumors. The other is a type of antibody, which is a protein produced in great abundance by the bodys immune system and found naturally in the bloodstream.
The hybrid of the two, described in an upcoming issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was found to have a profound effect on the size of tumors in mouse models--shrinking tumors of both Kaposi's sarcoma and colon cancers in these preclinical studies. Moreover, this approach is general enough that it could be used to design hybrids against any number of cancers.
"A single antibody can become a whole multiplicity of therapeutics simply by mixing it with the desired small molecule," says TSRI Professor Carlos F. Barbas III, Ph.D., who is Janet and W. Keith Kellogg II Chair in Molecular Biology. Barbas conducted the research with TSRI President Richard A. Lerner, M.D., and several colleagues at TSRI's Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology.
Steering and Support, Joined at the Hip
The TSRI team built the hybrid molecule with a "catalytic" antibody, a small drug molecule, and a linker molecule that joins the two. The hybrid thus formed borrows the wheels and the frame of the antibody for supports and the handlebars of the small drug molecule for steering ability.
Also called immunoglobulins, antibodies are proteins produced by immune cells that are designed to recognize a wide range of foreign pathogens. After a bacterium, virus, or other pathogen enters the bloodstream,
Contact: Jason Bardi
Scripps Research Institute
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True, it cuts down on your gas bill and reduces your carbon footprint, but the most obvious reason for leaving your car in the garage tomorrow for Bike to Work day is right under your nose—or at least several inches below your nose: your heart
. Aerobic exercise strengthens the heart muscle at the same time that it helps keep weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure at healthy levels. It may also reduce arterial inflammation, which increases heart-attack risk, and slow the progression of heart disease.
Need another reason to bike? It can stave off arthritis. A recent study suggests that women with stronger quadriceps (the muscle at the front of the thigh) are less likely to get painful knee arthritis.
Thirty minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week can start with a brisk walk or a jog—but if walking bores you and running is hard on your knees, biking might be just the thing that helps you start or re-start a healthy habit.
A word on safety: Helmets are one of the most effective ways to avoid injury while bike riding, yet many Americans go without one, according to a Consumer Reports National Research Center survey
. Eighty-two percent said they felt it was "very" or "extremely" important to wear a helmet while cycling, but only 44 percent said they would actually wear one. Put safety first. Before you hit the road or bike path, strap on your helmet. It should sit flat across your head, with the front edge about an inch above the eyebrows. A properly adjusted helmet should stay in place when pushed upward from the front.
If you’d rather keep your workout indoors, there’s a bike for you, too. See our report and Ratings(subscribers only) on stationary exercise bikes. And for 60 benefits of biking, visit the International Bike Fund website.
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UN Pushes False Himalayan Glacier Scare to Set the Stage for Rio+20 Conference
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has issued a press release this morning trumpeting the fact that its film Himalayan Meltdown just won the top prize in the Worldfest International Film Festival. The one-hour film, according to the press release, “examines the shrinking glaciers of the Himalayas and the effects they have on the lives and livelihoods of billions of people in Asia.” There is just one problem; Himalayan Mountain glaciers are barely receding at all.
A study published in February in the journal Nature reports alpine glaciers in the Himalayan Mountains have lost very little ice mass during the past decade. A more recent study, published in April in Nature Geoscience, reports glaciers in the Karakorum Range of the Himalayan Mountains, which contain approximately half the snow and ice mass of Himalayan Mountain glaciers, are growing rather than receding.
“UNDP is honored by the award and hopes the film will help stimulate a stronger international response to meeting the challenges of climate change and a stronger commitment to achieving sustainable development,” the press release explained. “The recognition the film is receiving is especially timely in the lead up to the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development in June.”
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"Basically what has happened by introducing the toads is it has created really strong evolutionary pressure both on the toads themselves and on animals that interact on the toads," Shine said.
For example, Shine and his colleague Benjamin Phillips previously showed that two native Australian snake species have evolved smaller heads and are no longer able to eat the toads, which carry a lethal toxin.
Other studies have shown that some would-be toad predators have altered their diets to exclude toads, while others have evolved resistance to the cane toad toxin, Shine said.
"These studies tell us a lot about the evolutionary process," said Jonathan Losos, an evolutionary biologist at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
"Invading species are a huge problem, and cane toads are a classic example of that," he added. "But they also represent an inadvertent evolutionary experiment, the sort of experiment you couldn't [normally] conduct."
Rules and regulations prohibit scientists from purposely confronting native species in the wild with a non-native competitor or predator to see how natural selection works, he explained.
The evolutionary processes spawned by the cane toad invasion have occurred in a span of just 70 years. This adds to evidence from the past two decades that populations can adapt quickly when selection pressure is strong.
"We're taught evolution occurs over these very, very long time frames. But in systems like these, it's incredibly fast," Shine, the study co-author, said.
According to Losos, the unusual aspect of the toad leg length adaptation is the mechanism that drives it.
In most instances rapid evolution occurs when an organism enters a new environment and some variation that was previously irrelevant becomes favored. That variation is repeatedly selected until it becomes more common, he explained.
In the case of the cane toads, longer legs make the toads faster, and the fastest toads are always at the invasion front. The lead toads mate, passing their long legs to their offspring.
As long as there is no disadvantage to being the first into a new territory, this process should allow the toads to "evolve faster and faster rates of movement," Shine said.
Cane Toad Management
According to Shine, as scientists learn more about cane toad biology, they can devise strategies for eradicating local populations, such as changing the character of a breeding pond or staking out toad migration routes.
But the toads are likely to be permanent fixtures in Australia and will continue their spread, he said.
While Shine is optimistic that ecosystems will adapt, "there may be some parts of native systems that don't and, in time, will go extinct," he said.
"One message from the work," he added, "is to try to stop invasive species, you probably ought to start as soon as you get a chance. The longer you let it linger, the more formidable the adversary will be."
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Dr. Harry Demos and Dr. Del Schutte, both Associate Professor of Orthopedics at MUSC, and specialists in joint reconstruction recently joined Dr. Marcy Bolster to record a podcast to address concerns regarding metal-on-metal joint replacement devices. Below, please read a summary of their thoughts on device implants and you can listen to their podcast as well.
Total hip arthroplasty is one of the most commonly performed and effective surgical procedures currently in use. Nearly 200,000 hip replacements are performed annually in the United States. Recent data reveals hip replacement to be one of the most cost-effective of all surgical procedures in terms of quality of life per health care dollar spent. Unfortunately, newer technology has not always led to an improvement in patient outcomes. A recent hip replacement design has been associated with an unacceptably high early failure rate.
By now almost everyone with a newspaper or television set has seen the advertisements by attorneys soliciting patients with “metal on metal” hip replacements. While the majority of metal on metal hip replacements may function well for many years, two specific designs have shown significant failures as soon as the first few years. The eventual outcome of other designs remains concerning, recently prompting the FDA to mandate postmarket surveillance to 21 metal on metal hip replacements manufacturers. Unfortunately these failures if not caught early enough, are associated with significant destruction of the muscles and bone in and around the hip joint. Increased concentrations of metal ions in the blood as well as in the surrounding soft tissues can be readily identified in most of these patients. Some patients, however, have normal metal ion levels and still have problems, while others may have high levels with well-functioning hips. The cause and effect relationship of metal ions and failure remains to be determined, but it is clear at this point that certain designs of metal on metal hip replacements are having a higher than expected rate of failure.
One of the most widely used metal on metal implants that has recently been recalled is the DePuy ASR hip replacement. Approximately 37,000 of these implants have been inserted in patients in the US and 93,000 world-wide. To date, revision rates are around 10%. The revisions associated with failure of the ASR implant can be much more difficult than others and should be performed by surgeons and joint replacement centers who routinely perform revisions. The loss of bone and soft tissues around the hip joint can make reconstruction much more difficult.
The implant manufacturer has an aggressive patient care program in place to facilitate and fund revision of any failures of these implants. As with any device failure, this has not happened in the majority of patients with this implant and patients with this implant may have aches and pains which do not in any way portend failure of the implant but are a normal part of life, even with a hip replacement.
We have not recommended the use of metal on metal hip replacement at the MUSC Joint Replacement Center. In the past decade of performing thousands of hip replacement procedures, only two were metal on metal hips; both for very specific indications, both of which are currently doing well. Our lack of embracing this technology is based on our experience with and concern over metal ions — years before these implants were available in the U.S. While marketing of this technology and patient demand have been high, we have continued to use metal or ceramic on crosslinked polyethylene as our implant bearing surface of choice. This bearing combination, along with stem and cup designs with a proven track record of 96-99%, has led to a very low revision rate for our patients. As a tertiary referral center, we frequently perform revision hip replacements. While we are pleased to provide this service to patients who are having problems, we are especially pleased to know that we have not yet performed a single revision hip replacement for a bearing-related issue in a patient who has a metal or ceramic on crosslinked polyethylene hip replacement that was originally performed at MUSC. If you are suffering from hip or other joint pain, please make an appointment today to see one of our orthopaedic specialists.
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Field and modelling studies to assess the risk to UK groundwater from earth-based stores for livestock manure
Gooddy, D.C.; Hughes, A.G.; Williams, A.T.; Armstrong, A.C.; Nicholson, R.J.; Williams, J.R.. 2001 Field and modelling studies to assess the risk to UK groundwater from earth-based stores for livestock manure. Soil use and managment, 17 (2). 128-137. 10.1111/j.1475-2743.2001.tb00018.xBefore downloading, please read NORA policies.
Boreholes have been constructed at eight sites on the Permo-Triassic Sandstone and Chalk aquifers to assess the extent of chemical and microbiological contamination emanating from unlined farm manure stores. Slurry along fracture faces in the Chalk was found on cores taken from beneath two stores. Porewaters from the Chalk sites and one of the Sandstone sites were discoloured and showed high concentrations of nitrate, ammonium and organic carbon to depths in excess of 10 m. Although Cryptosporidia and Escherichia coli O157 were found in many of the cattle slurry lagoons, neither were found in the aquifer material beneath. The self-sealing of unlined slurry stores is seen as a crucial step in minimizing leakage. A simple mass balance shows farm boreholes near to contaminant sources are at greater risk than public supply wells. Contaminant modelling shows discontinuing use of an unlined farm manure store will lend to little difference in solute concentrations over the short to medium term. Groundwater is most at risk where the water table is shallow since direct hydraulic connection between the lagoon base and the water table considerably increases the rate of vertical migration. This is of greatest significance for pathogens that are thought to be relatively short lived in the subsurface. Under the majority of situations minimal threat is posed to potable groundwater drinking supplies.
|Programmes:||BGS Programmes > Groundwater Management|
|Additional Keywords:||GroundwaterBGS, Groundwater, Point source pollution, Groundwater modelling|
|NORA Subject Terms:||Agriculture and Soil Science
|Date made live:||24 Jul 2009 10:15|
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Step by step data modeling with Cassandra:
When working with a relational database, the first thing you do is modeling your data. A well defined database model allows you to query its data through SQL queries. Unfortunately, a fully normalized model degrades your performance when joins need to be executed on tables that contain millions of rows. To improve performance, Cassandra advocates a query-first approach, where first you identify your queries and then model your data accordingly. In the next couple of paragraphs, we will gradually explore the Cassandra data structures by developing the mutation data model. Remember, what we are trying to achieve is to be able to quickly calculate mutation frequencies!
Original title and link: Cassandra as a Mutation Datastore (NoSQL database©myNoSQL)
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A Comparison of Gray's Reef and Savannah Scarp
September 10, 2001
Reed Bohne, Manager
Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary
Dr. Jack McGovern
Associate Marine Scientist
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
View a video of one of the sea's most fascinating creatures, the octopus. (5.6 MB, QuickTime required).
For those of us from the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, the exploration of the Savannah Scarp is a trip to a realm closely related to, but significantly different from, the familiar waters of the sanctuary. At the surface, the endless expanse of water with Sargassum weed drifting by is familiar, but at this depth and proximity to the Gulf Stream, the water is a deep cobalt blue. At Gray's Reef, 40 mi shoreward, the water over the reef 60 ft below is often a jade green, rich in nutrients and influenced substantially by sediments washing off the coastal plain in Georgia and out the rivers and estuaries along the shore. At the Scarp we are riding the edge of the Gulf Stream, with its clear, tropical water, which is less rich in nutrients, but carries the tropical species that spin out in eddies and populate Gray's Reef with its more hardy and temperature-tolerant individuals.
A Look at the Bottom of Savannah Scarp
Descending 200 ft to the sea floor, the ambient light levels remain strong. Visibility is about 30 ft, but we notice that we can see features in the distance best if we leave the sub lights off. The scarp presents a very different vista from the one at the sanctuary. At Gray's Reef, extensive sand flats are interrupted by large, rocky ledges and diffuse patches of live bottom habitat. Our view at the scarp reveals broad boulevards of broken, rocky rubble, sloping gradually, from 190 to 225 ft, into open sandscapes. Of course, we have but a snapshot of this environment, which may not be fully representative of the diversity of habitat here, but is clearly different from the topography at Gray's Reef.
At the scarp, we know the rock formations are considerably older than those closer to shore. As the continental shelf gradually slopes downward offshore, the rocks that emerge represent earlier geologic eras. While we must await the detailed geologic analysis of the rock samples to characterize them properly, these rocks appear darker and more porous than formations at Gray's Reef. The analysis will also reveal whether these rocks were part of an ancient shoreline.
The physical environment governs which species will be successful in colonizing the hard substrate of the scarp and Gray's Reef. The rock environment of the scarp, unlike Gray's Reef, is sparsely populated with sponges, tunicates, mossy bryozoans, and cnidarians. The rock at the scarp appears to be considerably more barren. Not surprisingly, the scarp holds more tropical invertebrate species than we find at Gray's Reef. Greg McFall, the sanctuary research coordinator, recovered species of tube and finger sponges that are familiar in Florida but rare in the near-shore waters of Georgia.
The Scarp is well-known as a haven for snappers, groupers, and porgies of commercial and recreational importance. During our dive, we encountered many groupers, such as gag and scamp. Large numbers of red snapper, vermilion snapper, some red porgy, and knobbed porgy occurred during transects across the bottom. Greater amberjack followed the submersible and seemed to swarm around it whenever it stopped. We also saw many small, colorful species, such as tattler, blue angelfish, several species of butterflyfish, cardinalfish, wrasses, and damselfish. Many of these species, as adults, are found less frequently at Gray's Reef, but reside at the sanctuary during larval or juvenile stages of their life histories. Our most obvious reef fish at the sanctuary, the black sea bass, is absent at the scarp. Dr. George Sedberry, chief scientist on this cruise, reports that long-term trapping data indicate that black sea bass are rarely found in waters deeper than 150 ft.
Harvey Walsh, of NOAA's Beaufort Lab, is using a small beam trawl to capture early life stages of fishes at the scarp, and he will compare his finds with what he has discovered at the sanctuary. Through his work for the sanctuary, we will have a good characterization of the early life histories of these fish species across the continental shelf off Georgia. Furthermore, video footage obtained during submersible dives at the scarp will be compared to video obtained at Gray's Reef to describe differences and similarities in the composition and abundance of invertebrate and vertebrate species.
University of Charleston, CCHEBR/NCCOS/NOS
Graduate Student, Submersible Observer
This was one of the most spectacular expeditions in which a young scientist could participate. The geology and ecology of the area are so interesting, and one learns so much more by experiencing it firsthand. I also learned a great deal from the day-to-day interactions with the media by observing how science and the media can work together toward the same educational goals.
On our way out to the Savannah Scarp (~70 mi offshore), we saw a waterspout far off in the distance, which was a spectacular sight. We then came upon a large pod of pilot whales that rode along the bow of our ship for quite a while. They appeared to be as interested in us as we were in them. At certain times, you could even hear them making noises with one another on the surface. We also saw a pod of spotted dolphin on the second day.
Once we reached our destination, we began to prepare for the first submersible launching. It was an amazing sight to see the Clelia lifted above the stern of the ship, and dangle in the air before being launched into the water. Once the Clelia was at the bottom, the sub pilot was able to communicate with the surface, where the crew navigates the sub in the direction of the target areas.
I participated in a dive on Saturday to an area known as "The Sampler," where we descended to a maximum depth of 250 ft. The experience was amazing, especially when we first plunged into the water. It was similar to scuba diving, but without having to worry about buoyancy control or breathing through a regulator. Once we reached the bottom and allowed the sediment to settle, the visibility outside of our observation window was about 30 ft. The sediment was fine, but too compact to allow us to take a sediment core sample.
Chris Koenig and Sandra Brooke, scientist observers in the Clelia, reported that the habitat looked reasonably good in this location with no signs of bottom-trawling activities. They reported seeing "tons" of amberjack.
While some ocean scientists may argue that manned submersibles will one day be replaced by ROVs or even by autonomously operated vehicles (vehicles without tethers) that can be programmed to navigate by an on-board computer, many others would argue that there is a role for the human observer and that manned submersibles are here to stay. Judging from the interest of the scientists aboard this expedition, everyone wants to get beneath the surface to have a look for themselves, whether exploring through a video screen linked to an ROV or peering through the porthole of a submarine.
Compared to the other dives on this leg of the expedition, we saw relatively little relief, and no schools of large pelagic fish, such as greater amberjack. When we came upon some relief, however, it was only a few inches high and was surrounded by life. Each rock we encountered seemed to be occupied by either a juvenile snowy grouper or short bigeye, and oftentimes one of each. We also saw many tattler, yellowtail reeffish, butterflyfish, scamp, gag, and a large red snapper. We saw many vermilion snapper schooling just outside of our lights.
At one point, we turned off all of the external lights, and used sonar to locate areas of reef. Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful. Just prior to our ascent, we came upon a rocky area surrounded by shell hatch and inhabited by two octopii (see photo in log, above). It was interesting to observe them as they interacted with the suction tube that the submersible pilot positioned nearby.
During the nights, I helped with the deployment of beam trawls and the sorting of catches. This was an interesting supplement to the information we were obtaining from the videos taken during the submersible dives. The goal of this part of the study was to observe the diversity and abundance of organisms, primarily fish and shrimp, that used areas outside of Grays Reef, just inshore of the shelf-edge (~120 ft), as a nursery ground. We collected many interesting specimens, including rock shrimp, a seahorse, many octopii, juvenile moray eels, juvenile filefish, juvenile puffers, and various species of grouper and sea bass. The trawls were conducted on the bottom and brought with them many pen shells, Oculina fragments, and shell hatch.
The knowledge I gained on this research cruise has been extremely valuable in bringing a greater field component into my master's thesis work. I analyzed approximately 30 yrs of fisheries-independent data from a database, called MARMAP, in the continental shelf and upper slope of the southeastern Atlantic coast for trends in abundance, biomass, and diversity. One of my primary observations from this expedition is that it brought some more evidence to the result I found, from the historical trawl data, of the highest fish diversity occurring in depths from 40-80 m (120-240 ft). The high diversity and the presence of many tropical fish fauna in this area of the shelf edge are a result of the proximity to the warm, stable waters of the Gulf Stream.
September 10, 2001
Chief Scientist, R/V Palmetto
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
During this Savannah Scarp leg of the Islands in the Stream-South Atlantic Bight mission, the R/V Palmetto was also on station. The Palmetto conducts annual fishery surveys of reef fishes from North Carolina to Florida. Savannah Scarp is not one of its frequent sampling locations, so this project provided an opportunity to learn more about this important fishery habitat. The collected data will be incorporated into a long-term regional database compiled by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources on reef fish distribution and relative abundance throughout the region.
Aboard the Palmetto, we made observations of fishes and fish habitats using an ROV (remotely operated vehicle). Six deployments were made with the ROV in two areas of the Savannah Scarp: Sow Pen Reef and Sandwich Reef. All six deployments observed hard, rocky bottom. The bottom was predominantly flat hard bottom except for scattered rocky outcrops that were still low compared to the rocky outcrops normally associated with the southeastern shelf-edge reef.
Most of the usual reef fishes associated with the southeastern coast were abundant here. Among these are several species of groupers: gag, scamp, speckled hind, and juvenile snowy grouper. Red snapper, vermilion snapper, gray triggerfish, soapfish, porcupinefish, tattler, queen and blue angelfish, cubbyu, and black sea bass were all observed with the ROV. Black sea bass and vermilion snapper were two economcially valuable species that were not observed from the submersible dives conducted on these sites during the same time period. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this area were the holes or small burrows scattered throughout the area that were heavily guarded by bigeyes (glasseye snappers). These looked similar to deep potholes in pavement, and were a haven for eels and cardinal fish in addition to the bigeyes.
Plenty of the smaller, colorful reef fishes also make this hard, sparse, and not-so-tropical reef their home. Among these are the butterflyfishes (bank, spotfin, and reef), damsels, wrasses, beaugregories, yellowtail reeffish, and two-spot cardinal fishes.
The R/V Palmetto also deployed chevron fish traps to compare the catches with that observed with the ROV. We intended to tag these fishes, release them, and then observe them with the ROV and submersible Clelia. The depth (200-230 ft), however, was simply too great to expect much survival of the tagged fish. We also wanted to observe the fish traps at work, but conditions at sea made it impossible to anchor close enough to the trap to be able to observe with the ROV. The catches in the traps were similar to those we observed with the ROV. Scamp, juvenile snowy grouper, porgies, and black sea bass were all part of the catch, with vermilion snappers being predominant. The abundance of vermilion snapper was particularly interesting, as they were not observed by the submersible Clelia, which conducted dives in the same area. Clearly, a variety of methods are needed to assess reef fish populations on deep reefs such as the Savannah Scarp.
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What are managed lanes?
Highway facilities or a set of lanes where operational strategies are proactively implemented and managed in response to changing conditions.
Transportation agencies are faced with growing challenges of congestion and a limited ability to expand freeway capacity due to construction costs, right-of-way constraints, and environmental and societal impacts. Transportation officials are taking advantage of opportunities to address mobility needs and provide travel options through a combination of limited capacity expansion coupled with operational strategies that seek to manage travel demand and improve transit and other forms of ridesharing. The managed lanes concept is gaining interest around the country as an approach that combines these elements to make the most effective and efficient use of a freeway facility.
The distinction between managed lanes and other traditional forms of freeway lane management is the operating philosophy of "active management." Under this philosophy, the operating agency proactively manages demand and available capacity on the facility by applying new strategies or modifying existing strategies. The agency defines from the outset the operating objectives for the managed lanes and the kinds of actions that will be taken once pre-defined performance thresholds are met.
You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the PDFs on this page.
United States Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration
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A Kontakion (also kondakion, kondak, and kontak; plural kontakia, kondakia) is a type of thematic hymn in the Orthodox Church and other Eastern Christian churches. Originally, the kontakion was an extended homily in verse consisting of one or two proemia (preliminary stanzas) followed by several strophes, usually between 18 and 24. The kontakia were so long that the text was rolled up on a pole for use in the services -- the genesis of the name kontakion, which means "from the pole" in Greek. It is typical of the form that each of the proemia and strophes end with the same refrain. Acrostics are also a hallmark of this hymnographic form.
In current practice, the kontakion has been greatly abbreviated. Only the (first) proemium and first strophe are sung or read after the sixth ode of the canon at orthros. The proemium alone is sung at the Divine Liturgy, following the troparia, and most other services of the daily cycle. The kontakion is not sung at vespers.
According to tradition, Saint Roman the Melodist wrote the first kontakion, the Kontakion for the Birth of Our Lord, by divine inspiration. Legend aside, Roman established the kontakion in the form it retained for centuries, and he is the most famous composer of kontakia.
- Today the Virgin gives birth to the Transcendent One,
- And the earth offers a cave to the Unapproachable One!
- Angels with shepherds glorify Him!
- The wise men journey with a star!
- Since for our sake the Eternal God was born as a Little Child!
- —Kontakion for Christmas, Roman the Melodist
- Find kontakion on OrthodoxWiki - See the pages on saints or feast days for other Kontakion.
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Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892) was born in Somersby, Lincolnshire, the third surviving son of a rector whose violent alcoholism blighted the family home. Tennyson went to Cambridge where he met Arthur Henry Hallam whose early death was to prompt Tennyson to write his great elegy of mourning, In Memoriam. Tennyson had begun writing as a child and published some of his best-known poems, including 'Mariana', when he was only twenty. However, success was slow to come and the years between Hallam's death and 1843 when Tennyson began to receive an annual government grant were difficult, financially and emotionally. His situation changed with the publication of In Memoriam which brought him lasting fame and success and for the next forty years he was the dominant figure in English poetry, being made Poet Laureate in 1850 following the death of Wordsworth. Later work such as The Idylls of the King were held in high esteem and sold well. By this time he was married to Emily Sellwood after a prolonged ten-year engagement due to financial difficulties and his fears over his mental state, the 'black blood' of the Tennysons. This darkness informs much of his poetry which tends to focus on loss and mortality: T. S. Eliot called him "the great master . . . of melancholia". He was made a peer in 1884 and died in 1892.
Since his death his critical reputation has had its ups and downs: W. H. Auden described his genius as essentially lyrical and the general consensus has been that the longer narrative poems he spent so much time on are less successful, though this view has begun to be challenged. However, he remains the defining English poet of the Victorian era, nowhere more so than in his famous Archive-featured poem 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' (1854) which commemorates an infamous incident from the Crimean War. In the course of this action, undertaken in error due to misinterpreted orders, the Light Brigade (that is cavalry bearing only light arms) attempted to capture the Russian gun redoubts at Balaclava with disastrous results. Of the six hundred and seventy three men who charged down "The Valley of Death" only a hundred and ninety five survived unwounded. News of the charge and its bloody consequences reached London three weeks later and there was an immediate public outcry. The news affected Tennyson who wrote his poem in commemoration of their courage only a few minutes after reading an account in The Times. It was immediately popular, even reaching the troops back in the Crimea where it was distributed in pamphlet form.
Less well-known is Tennyson's celebration of a more successful action during the same battle, 'The Charge of the Heavy Brigade'. This was written much later in 1882 at the prompting of a friend which is perhaps why it fails to capture the white-hot creative burst of the first poem. The "three hundred" mentioned are the men of the Heavy Brigade and their commander, Sir James Yorke Scarlett, but the poem never caught the public's imagination. Nevertheless, it is of historical interest to hear the two poems side by side which we're able to do thanks to a remarkable recording made in 1890. These poems and eight others were recorded on a set of twenty three soft wax cylinders. Although their age and the primitive technology sometimes renders a word inaudible, Tennyson's voice comes through clearly, intoning the pounding dactylic rhythms of the verse which gives it a breathless momentum.
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The purpose of screening is early diagnosis and treatment. Screening tests are usually administered to people without current symptoms, but who may be at high risk for certain diseases or conditions.
Your doctor may give you a test, such as the Berlin Questionnaire or the Epworth sleepiness scale, to gain information about your symptoms. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children are screened for sleep apnea by asking about snoring.
- Reviewer: Rimas Lukas, MD
- Review Date: 10/2012 -
- Update Date: 10/11/2012 -
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