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|born on||7 March 1782 at 05:00 (= 05:00 AM )|
|Place||Schilpario, Italy, 46n01, 10e09|
|Timezone||LMT m10e09 (is local mean time)|
|Astrology data||16°46' 24°05 Asc. 07°21'|
Italian ecclesiastic, a Roman Catholic priest, cardinal and classical scholar. He discovered and published many valuable manuscripts, and one of his most acclaimed finds was Cicero’s "De republica," 1822.
At an early age, Mai entered the Society of Jesus. In 1799, he was a novice, and in 1804, he was sent to Naples. Due to his proficiency in deciphering and identifying the origin of ancient writings, he was sent to work in the Ambrosian Library in Milan in 1811 where he made his initial discoveries. The unveiling of these texts drew worldwide attention to Mai, and in 1819, he left the Society at the request of the Pope to continue his work at the Vatican Library.
Mai was criticized for being unwilling to share his literary finds as he much preferred to enjoy them alone; however, his passion for learning and literature gifted the world with unpublished writings from more than 350 authors. In 1838, the pope made him a cardinal, but he continued his work, searching for more treasures from the past.
Cardinal Mai died on 9/08/1854, Albano, Italy.
- Misc. : Find something 1822 (Cicero's "De republica")
- Work : New Career 1799 (Novice)
- Family : Change residence 1804 (Sent to Naples)
- Work : New Job 1811 at 12:00 midnight in Milan, Italy (Ambrosian Library)
- Social : Left group 1819 (Left Society of Jesus)
- Work : Gain social status 1838 (Became cardinal)
- Death, Cause unspecified 8 September 1854 at 12:00 noon in Albano, Italy (Age 72)
chart Placidus Equal_H.
Steinbrecher quotes B.C.
- Vocation : Religion : Ecclesiastics/ western (R. C. priest and cardinal)
- Vocation : Education : Teacher (Classical scholar)
- Vocation : Writers : Publisher/ Editor (Manuscripts)
- Passions : Sexuality : Celibacy/ Minimal
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When recycling automobiles, the focus to date has been on metals. However, current practice increasingly uses as much of the non-metallic content of the vehicle as possible. Suitability for recycling is a characteristic that is already being taken into account during design.
Even before recycling scrap, Audi tries to avoid producing it. For that reason, most of the components and raw materials are delivered by suppliers in re-usable packaging. 95 percent of all the scrap created during production is recycled. Furthermore, materials used in the car are marked so that clear identification at the beginning of the recycling process is made easier.
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Animal Species:Striped Dolphin
The Striped Dolphin is a small sleek compact dolphin with a striking body pattern that gives it its name.
The Striped Dolphin is a small sleek compact dolphin with a long well defined beak, prominent dorsal fin and short tapering flippers. It is the striking body pattern that gives it its name. A bold black stripe runs the full length of the body from behind the eye to the anus. This separates the bluish grey flank from the white ventral surface. A second smaller stripe runs from the front of the eye to the behind the flipper. A third section of dark grey covers the top of the head, the dorsal fin and on towards the back of the body.
The distribution of the Striped Dolphin is confined to warm tropical and temperate waters, where it occurs in schools of many hundreds of animals. These groups are highly visible as they stir the surface with displays of high speed swimming and aerial acrobatics.
Feeding and Diet
A widely distributed species such as this tends to include a high diversity of organisms in its diet. These include a variety of shoaling fish and cephalopods (squid and octopus) concentrating on those species occurring in large dense schools.
These animals form very socially cohesive groups of between 100 and 500 individuals however the age structure varies. Some are composed of adults only, others consist of adults and juveniles. Calving occurs in late summer in smaller mixed aged schools numbering about 30 animals. The gestation period lasts about one year with the interval between such events around of four years.
The Striped Dolphin is an abundant species. It has had some regional population losses such as those stemming from the drive fisheries practiced in Japan, and the mysterious die off of more than 1000 individuals in the Mediterranean. Fishing industry practices still cause some deaths through entanglement and indirectly impact on some populations by depletion of their food resource.
- Baker, A. N. 1999. Whales and Dolphins of Australia and New Zealand: an identification guide. Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, Australia.
- Bryden, M., Marsh, H. and Shaughnessy, P. 1998. Dugongs, Whales, Dolphins and Seals. A guide to the sea mammals of Australasia. Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, Australia.
- Menkhorst, P. 2001. A Field Guide to Mammals of Australia. Oxford University Press, Melbourne, Australia.
- Reeves, R. R., Stewart, B. S., Clapham, P. J. and Powell, J. A. 2002. National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World. Chanticleer Press, Inc New York, USA.
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Please note that this section reports on claims that have NOT yet been substantiated through scientific studies.
Arginine is claimed to improve fertility in men by increasing sperm count. It may also help stimulate the output of human growth hormone (HGH) and increase collagen in connective tissue.
Arginine may be helpful in reducing fatigue, improving wound healing, increasing muscle mass, and treating diabetes and liver disease.
There are some indications that arginine may be useful in the fight against cancer and play a role in the treatment of HIV/AIDS.
Amino acids (AAs) are available as individual AAs or in proprietary AA combinations, as well as part of multi-vitamin formulas, proteins, and food supplements. The forms include tablets, fluids, and powders. However, adequate protein in the diet should provide a sufficient source of all amino acids.
There are no conditions that increase the requirements for arginine. However, newborns do have higher requirements than adults.
The use of a single amino acid supplement may lead to negative nitrogen balance, decreasing the metabolic efficiency, and increasing the workload of the kidneys. In children, taking single amino acid supplements may also harmfully affect growth parameters.
Always avoid taking individual amino acids in high dosage for prolonged periods.
Use with caution in patients with diabetes, hepatic or renal impairment, or electrolyte imbalance, as arginine may cause life-threatening hyperkalemia (elevated potassium in the blood).
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not use arginine supplements.
Children and adolescents should not use arginine supplements. Individuals with an active herpes infection also should avoid using arginine.
Click here for a list of reputable websites with general information on nutrition.
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Guest Author - Preena Deepak
Music and dance rituals were an important aspect of temple worship in ancient India. In this pretext it was also a common Hindu tradition to dedicate or commission young girls to gods. These girls called ‘Devadasis’ were then separated from their families and trained in music, dance and a unique lifestyle within temple gates unlike their counterparts outside. Their life was from then on, one of service to the gods.
When a Devadasi attained puberty, she was married to the deity in a religious ceremony. From then on she would become a temple prostitute. Indian temples always had the patronage of Kings who ruled the country and in many instances devadasis became the concubines of the kings. In other cases, devadasis lived with their patron who provided them with property and wealth.
Marriage was forbidden for Devadasis who were eternally bound to the deity. However Devadasis became available to anyone who was able to ‘afford’ their keep.
The word ‘Devadasi’ means ‘Servant of God’. The girls dedicated to become Devadasis were mostly from poor, lower caste families for whom devoting one child to the god only meant less pressure on the family’s meager finances. Devadasis were considered blessed as entering into wedlock with the god protected them from widowhood. As a result of these reasons several young girls were pushed into prostitution, under the safe banner of religion.
Traces of the Devadasi system can be seen in many parts of India, particularly in South Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It is believed that the Devadasis of Orissa, called ‘Mahari’ did not practice prostitution but devoted themselves to temple service and had special duties assigned to them.
With the decline of monarchy in India and with the invasion of Moghul and British rulers, the Devadasi system began to deteriorate. Christian Missionaries who worked in India, Social Activists and Reformers also had a share in putting an end to this grotesque Indian custom. The Indian Government banned the Devadasi system in 1988. However in spite of this, the Devadasi system continues under cover in India.
Under the burden of poverty, many young girls are still commissioned as Devadasis though Indian temples no longer have music and dance rituals or dedication ceremonies. These girls are married to the god and then sent for prostitution in red light areas. Unlike olden days, most of these girls do not have regular patrons and suffer under many men before succumbing to AIDS and other venereal diseases.
The children born to Devadasis are forced to follow along the footsteps of their mothers, since they live alienated from main stream life and are rejected from social institutions. This creates a vicious circle in which many young girls in India get trapped even today.
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| Risk Factors
is a chronic, severe, disabling brain disorder. It interferes with the way a person interprets reality. People with schizophrenia may:
- Hear voices or see things that others do not
- Become paranoid that people are plotting against them
- Experience cognitive deficits
- Withdraw socially
These and other symptoms make it difficult for people with schizophrenia to have positive relationships with others.
Regions of the Brain
Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.
The cause of schizophrenia is unknown but it is associated with problems in brain structure and chemistry. There may be some genetic role.
Schizophrenia does not develop because of one factor. You may have a gene that increases your chance of schizophrenia, but you may not develop the disease based on your environment. Environment means any outside factor like stress or infection.
Factors that increase your risk of schizophrenia include:
- Having a parent or sibling with schizophrenia
- Marijuana use or other drug use
- Father being of older age
- Other factors, like problems during pregnancy or birth such as infection
Men typically develop symptoms in their late teens or early twenties. Schizophrenia in women tends to occur in their twenties or thirties. In rare cases, it is seen in childhood.
Symptoms often appear slowly. They may become more disturbing and bizarre over time or occur in a matter of weeks or months.
Symptoms may include:
- Hallucinations—seeing or hearing things/voices that are not there
- Delusions—strong but false personal beliefs that are not based in reality
- Disorganized thinking
- Disorganized speech—lack of ability to speak in a way that makes sense
- Catatonic behavior—slow movement, repeating rhythmic gestures, pacing, walking in circles, refusal to do things, repetitive speech
- Emotional flatness—flat speech, lack of facial expression, and general disinterest and withdrawal
- Inappropriate laughter
- Poor hygiene and self-care
Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms and medical history. A physical exam will be done.
Schizophrenia is diagnosed by certain symptoms that:
- Exist most of the time during a period of one month
- Cause a decreased level of functioning
- Continue for at least six months (certain symptoms)
The doctor will rule out other causes, such as drug use, physical illness, or other mental health conditions.
Schizophrenia is not curable, but it is highly treatable. Hospitalization may be required during acute episodes. Symptoms are usually controlled with antipsychotic medicine.
Talk to your doctor about the best treatment plan for you. Options may include one or more of the following:
Antipsychotic medicines work by blocking certain chemicals in the brain. This helps control the abnormal thinking that occurs in people with schizophrenia. Determining a medicine plan can be a complicated process. Often medicines or dosages need to be changed until the right balance is found. This can take months or even years. The right balance of medication will have the least amount of side effects possible with the greatest benefit.
It is important to continue taking the medication even if you are feeling better. Symptoms will return once the medication has been stopped. A long-acting injection instead of daily pills may be used if you have difficulty taking regular medication.
Antipsychotic medication also have side effects that may make it difficult to stick to a medication routine. Common side effects include:
- Slow and stiff movements
- Facial tics
- Protruding tongue
atypical antipsychotics have fewer side effects and are better tolerated over long periods of time. However, these medication may cause weight gain, high blood sugar levels, and
Medications for Coexisting Conditions
anxiety can often occur with schizophrenia. They may be treated with:
- Anti-anxiety medicine
- Mood stabilizers
Schizophrenia is a lifelong condition. It can be confusing and frightening for the person with the disease and for family members. Individual and family therapy can address:
- Social skills
- Vocational guidance
- Community resources
- Family issues
- Living arrangements
- Emotional support
If you are diagnosed with schizophrenia, follow your doctor's
There are no guidelines for preventing schizophrenia because the cause is unknown. But studies show that early, aggressive treatment leads to better outcomes.
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Cyberattacks on IT systems are increasing at an exponential rate. From 2006 to 2009, organizations reported that the number of security incidents grew more than 400 percent. According to reports, many of these security breaches were introduced at the user level.
Along with an increase in attacks, there has also been an increase in the quantity and type of data stored on networks. Given the number of staff members with varying security levels who require access to networks, organizations have had to redouble efforts to protect data and systems. Yet securing the desktop, a major access point to the network, is often overlooked.
Following are some simple and effective ways to protect desktops — ensuring that they do not become gateways for unauthorized access to the agency network.
Although it's common practice in many organizations to limit the use of flash drives and other devices that utilize USB ports, many others do not do this. Flash drives open organizations to data theft, and an infected USB device can introduce viruses. If it's necessary to use flash drives, it's best to select a secure drive with on-board antivirus software.
Typically, antivirus software is already installed on PCs when they arrive from the factory. This is often the first line of defense against viruses attempting to gain access via individual client devices. Whether scanning e-mail attachments or preventing intrusions from infected websites, antivirus software should not be ignored. Many users, however, disable their antivirus software or do not update it. These actions render the software ineffective or obsolete.
Scheduling automatic updates and maintaining the software are both necessary for it to remain effective and serve as a defense against the barrage of viruses that attack networks every day.
Most malware that enters a desktop, and ultimately the network, comes from users who have downloaded infected software or applications. Restricting the ability of staff to automatically download software or applications reduces vulnerabilities at the desktop and limits the ways in which malware can access an organization's systems.
Secure KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) switches let users access both secure and nonsecure networks through a single set of peripherals. By keeping various networks isolated from one another, secure KVM switching devices eliminate potential data breaches.
Authorized workers can then access secure data with neither the threat of introducing harmful data to the secure network nor any risk of accidentally copying or transferring classified data to systems outside the secure network. Additionally, many secure KVM switches can lock down USB devices, allowing only authorized devices — such as keyboards, mice and Common Access Card readers — to connect to the network.
Threats are on the rise, with company data and systems as prime targets for hostile foreign governments, terrorists and cybercriminals. The threat posed to federal systems must be addressed using a variety of security solutions; but don't overlook the desktop, which represents one of the most vulnerable access points in any organization's infrastructure.
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The predicted shortage arises from a number of forces:
According to a recent New York Times article, "The number of training positions for medical school graduates is lagging. Younger doctors are on average working fewer hours than their predecessors. And about a third of the country's doctors are 55 or older, and nearing retirement."
An aging baby boom generation will need more care.
Our increasingly unhealthy population, with half of US adults having some kind of chronic condition, needs more care.
The supply chain for producing US-trained physicians is expensive and restricted.
Federal health care reform will make prevention and early treatment available to more people, adding up to 300,000 more patients into the primary care funnel.
The size of the problem is significant. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates the shortage will total 62,900 fewer doctors than needed by 2015, rising to over 150,000 by 2025, and this excludes the impact of the new federal healthcare law. There are about 950,000 US physicians today, with shortages existing already in some locations (e.g. rural areas and even Riverside County, Calif.
Under the current way of thinking, the solution to this problem has been framed as "how do we create more physicians?" Let me play contrarian and argue that we could find better, quicker solutions by asking two alternative questions: (1) "How do we design our health care system to be less physician-dependent?" (2) "How can we use whatever physician resources we have more effectively?"
Here are 10 ideas for fixing – or at least shrinking – the physician shortage, borrowed from what businesses have been doing for generations to reduce use of scarce resources. One test of health care reform is whether you see strategies like these being deployed.
Deploy nurses and physician assistants, who are less expensive to train, to manage more care. Physician assistants can do 85 percent of the work of general physician practitioners.
Shift our physician payment system from a pay-per-procedure model to a pay-per-episode of care model, creating incentives for providers to reduce unnecessary procedures.
Hold a national conversation on end-of-life care plans. As a nation we spend too much money extending life by weeks while hurting quality of life among the very elderly and burdening resources that could be used elsewhere.
Reform malpractice laws to reduce defensive medical procedures while, at the same time, intensify US government efforts to reduce Medicare and Medicaid fraud.
Create financial incentives for people to stay healthy and better manage chronic health care conditions. While women should not be charged more for health insurance than men, shouldn't smokers and obese people able but unwilling to exercise have to pay more for insurance?
Expand "care co-ordination" services to better manage chronic care, reducing episodes that demand costly interventions. This is especially important for those with multiple chronic diseases.
Use tele-medicine to create early alerts for patients and caregivers, when problems can be solved using fewer resources. Medical monitoring company Phillips completed a randomized trail of tele-medicine solutions in the UK, reducing Emergency Room admissions 20% and mortality 45% among 6000 patients with chronic conditions. Fortunately digital healthcare is a rapidly growing US industry.
Combine process efficiency with technology capabilities to increase physician efficiency, allowing for lower cost, higher quality care. IBM's Watson is being programmed to more rapidly identify differential diagnoses. Extended reliance on imaging software, networked computers and robotic surgery instruments could lower costs while also helping address rural healthcare shortages. (Disclosure: I work for IBM and the views on this blog are my own do not necessarily represent this company's positions, strategies or views.)
Dramatically alter physician payment systems and medical school tuition models to increase the supply of primary, pediatric, and internal care physicians relative to specialists. One of the inherent problems in healthcare is that supply creates it own demand. Is it any wonder that the US, with far more specialists relative to primary care physicians than other nations, spends more on healthcare and has poorer population health?
Empower consumers to be smarter buyers of healthcare by making cost and outcome information broadly available.
All of these changes demand culture change within healthcare systems and a willingness of physicians to lose some power in return for creating a far more powerful health care system that advances US population health and best deploys physician skills. It also requires an interconnected, data-intelligent and aligned ecosystem of providers, medical products companies, payers and other service providers focused on patients – advancing their health effectively and efficiently. Leading healthcare systems, physicians, payers and policymakers understand this and are leading the change.
Kay Plantes is an MIT-trained economist, business strategy consultant, columnist and author. Business model innovation, strategic leadership and smart economic policies are her professional passions. She was an economic advisor for former Wisconsin Gov. Lee Dreyfus.
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Log Boat is an uncommon type of boat that is made with a unique part of hollowed wood, Called “Monoxylon” is the oldest type of boat than have been found by the archeologist, these boats are similar in many countries, but the denomination is very different for example in Germany is called “einbaum” and in South America are called Canoas.
Its construction considers several basic steps:
The uses that people gave to this boat were very diverse, for example:
In South Africa: In Africa was there was many types of fishing boats, Log-Boat were very common in Limpopo River, and many rivers. Log Boat in South Africa used to be used for transport, fishing and hunting.
In Europe: If we talk about Log Boat in Europe we will find a big history around these boats. For example Byzantine Empire has used this boat to attack Constantinople, and many people gave different uses such as transport, fishing and hunting.
In North America: In North America these boats were famous, with different uses. These boats were used for ceremonial purposes.
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In the realm of spirituality, Sri Aurobindo remains an enigmatic Indian personality and philosopher. He is one of the giants of modern Indian spirituality, who along with Vivekananda, Tagore, Gandhi and Radhakrishnan, was responsible for putting forth Indian philosophy in a comprehensive modern context, which then could be understood by the Western world at large. Sri Aurobindo's work is the least known of these five, but his teachings of philosophy and spirituality have the wisdom and appeal for a longer survival, similar to those of Vivekananda. Sri Aurobindo's evolution of consciousness was his life's experience that he documented in series of writings, in the process offering the world a critical and original philosophical system.
In his formative years, Aurobindo surmised that the oppression of Indian thought by the ruling British had deleterious effects on it. He thus became a revolutionary inCalcutta, working against the British rulers. Four years before Gandhi started political revolution in India, Sri Aurobindo had spent time in Alipore jail in the year 1910, charged with sedition and conspiracy. In the prison, Sri Aurobindo experienced the strength of his inner consciousness and emerged as a spiritual Yogi. His Ashram in Pondicherry has survived until today under the guidance of the spiritual Mother.
It is intriguing as to how a boy, who was being groomed to become an 'English Gentleman' by his father (who seemed to loathe anything 'Indian') could transform into a revolutionary freedom fighter first, and then a premier world renowned Yogi, with his own brand of spirituality and philosophy. His life-changing experience, according to him, was a result of an inner consciousness that took shape long before it could be expressed to the outer world. This perhaps explains his intuitive affinity towards his motherland, the culture of which was foreign to him during his childhood.
Sri Aurobindo was the fourth child of Dr. Krishnadhan Ghose, a surgeon, who was a District Medical Officer at Khulna, East Bengal, and Swarnalatha Devi Ghose. He was originally named Aravinda Ackroyd. He was born on August 15, 1872 (that date was to become very significant in Indian history, seventy-five years later). At age five he was sent to Loretto Convent School in Darjeeling for two years. He then was sent to Manchester, England, to be home-schooled by the Dewett family until he was twelve years old. High school was finished in St. Paul's School in Cambridge followed by two years of college at King's College, Cambridge (1890-92).
While at college he addressed the Indian student group called Indian Majlis and advocated freedom for India from the British. His formative years had been spent with a culture alien to India, educated by the Irish nuns of Darjeeling first, and then by the ministers and dons of the Church of England. By the time he finished college he could speak English and French fluently and also could read Greek, Latin and Italian. He could manage to speak Bengali, his mother tongue, only a bit.
His affinity for his motherland had been kept alive by a radical newspaper, The Bengalee, which published articles about maltreatment of Indians in the hands of Englishmen. The paper was committed to Indian independence from the British and this fanned the affinity Aravinda Ackroyd had for his motherland, and gave him a patriotic sense of belonging. He returned to India in 1893 with great anticipation. Upon reaching the shores of Bombay, he had an intense and profound spiritual experience, 'a calm that lasted for several months' - as he would later recount.
Parallel Course of Politics and Spirituality
Aurobindo had already dropped the name Ackroyd and joined the service of Maharaja of Baroda. He taught English and French at Baroda College and later became Vice-President of the College. During his twelve year tenure in Baroda, Aurobindo learnt many Indian languages. He became fluent in Sanskrit, Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali. In April 1901 he married Mrinalini Bose, a pious Hindu, barely half his age. While at Baroda he wrote a series of literary works, translations and political commentaries which gave him the ability of raising the consciousness of Indians, both in the political and social circles. His own mental development seemed to have progressed along two prongs. He was having unexplained spiritual experiences, seemingly accidental that pushed him more and more towards spiritual quests of higher levels. These experiences were enhanced by his meetings with Sister Nivedita in 1902 and an experience of 'the vacant Infinite' at the Sankarachaya hill in Kashmir in 1903.
Mrinalini Bose, the young wife of Aurobindo had not been able to join in her husband's spiritual journey, and their differences became more than just the differences in their ages, as he became more involved in politics and yoga. Five years after his marriage to her, he wrote to her saying that he was suffering from madness. He categorized his madness at three levels. First, was that he realized his talents and resources had to be used for one purpose only i.e. for God's work. His second madness he describes as his quest to have a direct 'Realization with God'. Thirdly, to him India was the Mother, the divine embodiment of sakti that propelled him towards politics.
Politically Aurobindo was becoming more and more determined to help the cause of independence for Indians from the British. He was convinced that the Western influence on the Indian mind was an impediment for the Indian spiritual maturity. He moved to Bengal in 1906 to become the principal of Bengal National College. Here he joined secret political societies, and orchestrated an underground organization with printing of anti-British pamphlets. The same year he assisted Bipin Chandra Pal in founding the radical newspaper, Bande Mataram. Later, he took over the editorship of the newspaper and succeeded Bipin Chandra Pal as the leader of National Party in Bengal. He wrote several articles including the one called 'The Doctrine of Passive Resistance,' that later became the main instrument of Gandhi in his freedom struggle to oust the British from India. For his article in Bande Mataram, he was arrested in 1907, on charges of sedition and then released on bail.
Even in his development as a political revolutionary, Aurobindo went through several evolutions as well. First he was the secret revolutionary, advocating and preparing for an armed insurrection. Secondly, he undertook the task of convincing the nation that its citizens deserved and could attain independence. The country was in a state of forced subjugation, and thought that the British were too powerful and Indians too impotent to dream of independence. Moreover, Indians were under the impression that the lofty idea about independence was impractical, unattainable and almost an insane chimera. Lastly, Aurobindo had come a full circle when he wrote articles and assisted in organizing people to passively resist and practice non-cooperation.
Aurobindo resigned from Bengal National College and became a leader of the nationalist movement, giving several speeches both in Bengal and Western India. In January of 1908 he met Vishnu Bhaskar Lele, a yogi in Baroda, who taught him the technique of silencing the mind and experiencing the timeless Brahman, a form of spiritual Realization.
He was again arrested in 1908 in connection with Alipore conspiracy case and spent a year in jail, including in solitary confinement. He utilized his time in jail studying the Geeta, meditation and practice of yoga. After his acquittal, he started publications of two weeklies - Karmayoga in English and Dharma in Bengali. During his stay in Calcutta for a period of five years as a revolutionary leader, Aravinda Ghose tried to prove to the Indians that a politically oppressed population could not express its distinctive spiritual and cultural genius. Move to Pondicherry
Aurobindo had concluded that independence for India was inevitable, and he then embraced the spiritual evolution of the soul with the same fervor as he had in raising the consciousness of Indians.
In the year 1910, when Aurobindo was 37 years old, he abruptly withdrew from active politics and moved to Pondicherry to continue his spiritual work. There he met Paul Richard, a French diplomat who became an ardent fan of Aurobindo. Mira Richard, ** his wife was a spiritual personality (born Mira Alfassa on February 21, 1878 in Paris), who had mystic and psychic experiences during her adolescence. After hearing about Aurobindo she met him in 1914, an encounter instantly and profoundly spiritual for both. Mira Richard was to become “Mother” later, a symbol of sakti who was to play a central role in the creation of the Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville in Pondicherry. Mira Richard saw Aurobindo as the divine hero of tomorrow and hope for all humanity. The day after her meeting with him she wrote in her diary:
“Little by little the horizon becomes precise, the path becomes clear. And we advance to an even greater certitude. It matters not if there are hundreds of beings plunged in densest ignorance. He whom we saw yesterday is on earth: His presence is enough to prove that a day will come when darkness shall be transformed into light, when Thy reign shall be indeed established upon earth.”
In 1915 Paul and Mira Richard returned to France and later went to live in Japan until 1920. Then Mira sailed to Pondicherry to begin her spiritual mission with the man she saw as an avatar of the Divine. She stayed in Pondicherry in a journey with Aurobindo, where each became integral part of their quest – he as the Divine Yogi and she as the Mother sakti.
After being estranged from him for more than ten years, in 1918, the ill-fated Mrinalini, Aurobindo’s wife, finally decided to go to Pondicherry to join her husband. As fate would have it, they were never meant to see each other again. She was about to embark on her journey to Pondicherry, when she contracted influenza and died.
Sri Aurobindo lived in Pondicherry until his death on December 5, 1950 at the age of seventy-eight. India attained independence that he had dreamed of, on August 15, 1947, coincidentally on his seventy-fifth birthday. The date did not go unnoticed by Sri Aurobindo. He mentioned it in his speech to the nation after attaining independence. He was a satisfied man, to find India finally rid itself of foreign occupation, a task he had worked so ardently during his younger years.
A Personal Journey
While Indian philosophers like Radhakrishnan, Bhattacharya and Dutta have put forward comprehensive systems of Indian philosophy, they pale in comparison to Aurobindo’s richness in detail and range of topics, as evident in his vast array of writings. Moreover, Aurobindo’s system of philosophy is autobiographical, an account of his personal experience and experiment. As he became more and more knowledgeable during his personal journey of his spiritual quest, he did not hesitate to continually revise his earlier writings and teachings. Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol, Sri Aurobindo’s 24000 line epic poem about spiritual ascent and transformation of the physical world, was revised and added on to until the last days before his death. He also revised his other writings, notably The Life Divineand The Synthesis of Yoga, in order to express his more advanced experiences of his later years. All of his works except Savitri (namely The Essays on the Gita, The Human Cycle, The Ideal of Human Unity, The Secret of the Veda, and The Life Divine as well as The Synthesis of Yoga) were serialized in his philosophical publication Arya. Here he put forward comprehensive and systematic philosophical compilations based on his own personal experiences. Unlike Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharshi, Sivananda and J. Krishnamurti, who also expressed their experiences in philosophical terms, Sri Aurobindo was successful in developing an original critical and practical philosophical system, including theories of knowledge, existence, the self, natural order and the aim of life.
Integral Yoga and Religion
At least since 1926 his spiritual eminence was well recognized and the suffix ‘Sri’ had been added to his name. It was the same year when he withdrew completely, claiming day of siddhi (day of victory), and left the chores of establishing the Ashram and the management of the disciples to Mother. Through his four decades of practice of yoga (sadhana), Sri Aurobindo had published thirty volumes of systematic writings and correspondence. He consistently distinguished his spiritual discipline from traditional religion. He was worried that his work could some day be mistaken for a new religion and repeatedly asserted that he did not want it to be so. Perhaps he did not want his teachings to be construed in a religious sense akin to what developed from profound spiritual experiences of Gautama (Buddhism) and Jesus (Christianity), much after their passing.
“Our goal is not…. to found a religion or a school of philosophy or a school of yoga, but to create a ground and a way which will bring down a greater truth beyond the mind but not inaccessible to the human soul and consciousness….”
Sri Aurobindo believed in the creation of Divine life, in the existing human life, in its current form. He believed that it was not inaccessible for an ignorant mind, through discipline, to bring down a greater Truth from beyond, to the human consciousness. It is not only possible to rise out of the ignorant world-consciousness, but it is also possible to bring the supramental powers down (a descent) to the ignorant mind. This can only help in the transformation of ignorance of the mind, body and life, in order to manifest the Divine here, while on earth.
Religion to him was an anathema. He however conceded that religion could be used as the first step toward achieving the supramental enlightenment. He made a clear distinction between religion and the spiritual. To Sri Aurobindo it was clear that there were three paths a human could take in his journey through life; A spiritual journey (adhyatma-jivana), a religious journey (dharma-jivana), or a journey of ordinary human life (of which mortality is a part). The laws of ignorance guide the ordinary life of average human consciousness. It is separated from its own true self and from the Divine. The religious life is led by some sect or creed that claims to have found the way out of the bounds of earth-consciousness into some beatific Beyond. The religious life is as ignorant because it often is only mired in rites and rituals, ceremonies and practices or set ideas and forms, without any attempt at dispelling ignorance. The spiritual life, in contrast, proceeds directly by a change of consciousness, wherein one finds one’s true self and comes into direct and living contact and into union with the Divine. For the spiritual seeker this change of consciousness is the one thing he seeks and nothing else matters.
Aurobindo taught us the possibility of transformation of the world-consciousness through a spiritual journey of discipline and yoga. Though the potential is inherent in all, it is a receptive mind that through discipline can grasp the profound and succeed in attaining Realization. In his series of articles that became increasingly more informative as his consciousness matured, he showed us his way of self discipline through integral yoga. He never discounted the fact that this realization is possible for the ignorant during one’s lifetime. He used Mother to achieve his own personal spiritual journey (and vice versa), and considered Mother as an expression of his own consciousness. But it was the Mother who was truly the chief organizer of the Ashram in Pondicherry.
The Mother: Architect of the Future
In 1951 Mother founded the Sri Aurobindo International University to modernize and expand the scope of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. In this endeavor she also established the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Delhi Branch together with Surendranath Jauhar in 1956. The Mother's International School, which is also located in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram (Delhi Branch), has since grown into one of the biggest and most important schools of its kind in India.
There was a danger that after his death, his teachings might not have the same appeal. However, Mother and his other disciples successfully ran the Ashram in Pondicherry and then in 1968, at the age of ninety, Mother began the Auroville project (with the architect Roger Anger), in expectation of a new species of enlightened humans, and to accommodate such species. “A new species of higher consciousness will be revealed to us, little by little and Auroville wants to consciously hasten that advent. Auroville wants to be the bridge between the past and the future. Auroville belongs to no one and belongs to humanity as a whole. To live in Auroville, one must be a willing servitor of Divine Consciousness.”
It is here where Aurobindo’s vision of spiritual discipline and selfless action (Karmayoga) are implemented. In addition, on Mother’s commission, cyber-artist, musician and futurist Michel Montecrossa established Mirapuri center in Italy, which is actively spreading the ideals of Sri Aurobindo in the international scene. A Miravillage, a satellite of Mirapuri is also attracting disciples in Germany.
Then in 1973, the year she died, she also gave her blessings to Michel Montecrossa to establish a cultural center and guest house for the Friends of Mirapuri in Auroville. It is named 'New Community' and is located in the Auroville settlement 'Certitude,' opposite the building called 'Auroson's Home'.
Throughout her life she wanted to create a new type of city for all those who wanted to develop their consciousness for a spiritually inspired evolution. In 1957 ideas for such a township again were in the air but did not materialize. In 1967 plans were made and some land acquired to found a city in the Indian state Gujarat, which she named Ompuri. This project also did not move further. There have been other disappointments. In 1982, an organized attack on Auroville by violent and sectarian movement that halted all progress at Auroville and its promise of becoming a place of peace for world unity as envisaged by the Mother came to an abrupt halt. This led to the creation of Mirapuri, that later opened its branches in Italy and the Miravillage in Germany.
The Mother continued the work of Consciousness Evolution, leaving a stunning legacy of wisdom, knowledge, realization and impulses for making the Integral Yoga physically effective, in a life where Spirit and Matter are one. Mother died in 1973 at the ripe age of ninety-five, twenty three years after the Master had passed on. Sri Aurobindo’s legacy and teachings have survived and are thriving internationally today, thanks to the brilliant planning and forethought of the Mother.
** Mira Alfassa (Richard) studied art and became an accomplished artist and musician. 1897 she married Henri Morisset and gave birth to her son André. In 1905 she began to study parapsychology and occult sciences in Algeria together with Max Theon and his wife. After her divorce from Henri Morisset she founded a group of spiritual seekers, which was named l'Idée Nouvelle.
In 1911 she married Paul Richard and traveled to India with him, where she met Sri Aurobindo for the first time in 1914, and started together with Sri Aurobindo and Paul Richard the journal 'Arya', which became the birth place for most of the writings of Sri Aurobindo, which later appeared in book-form.
Till 1920 Mira Alfassa stayed in Japan and then came back to India to live with Sri Aurobindo. They both collaborated to further develop the Integral Yoga. Sri Aurobindo and Mira Alfassa founded the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in 1926 to accommodate the growing number of people who became interested in the Integral Yoga. After 1926 Mira Alfassa became known as The Mother, the individual expression of the power of spiritual consciousness.
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Actually published in 1908, Dowling asserted that he had transcribed this work from Akashic records, which gave a detailed account of the life of Jesus. The title was derived from an age determined by constellations, adding an astrological meaning with an appellation that indicated the Age of Aquarius. "The Aquarian Gospel" has been deemed an apocryphal work, despite the fact that it was written and published recently, noticeably later than most other works of the same nature. It does have in common with such writings an account of the entire life of Jesus in 182 chapters, beginning with the early life of his mother Mary and going through his death and Resurrection, concluding with Pentecost and the foundation of the Christian Church. Though controversial and considered to contain inaccuracies, Dowling's work does make claims of a comforting nature, such as the assertion that 'No soul is ever abandoned by God.' With that and other reassuring claims, "The Aquarian Gospel" has tentatively taken its place amid other works of religious literature.
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In this movie, children will learn about different seasons and different types of weather. They'll learn how Earth is tilted on its axis, and how as our planet orbits the Sun, seasons change in different parts of the world!
Review with children that we divide the year into seasons, or sets of consecutive months that have similar weather patterns and length of days. There are four seasons in many parts of the world: winter, spring, summer, and fall (also called autumn). Other parts of the world have two seasons: wet and dry. Children should observe that seasons happen in the same cycles year after year and that different types of weather occur during different seasons.
Which is the coldest season? Which is the hottest? Children should know that temperature is how hot or cold something is, and this can be measured with a thermometer. Though temperatures and amount of precipitation varies across different areas, winter typically has lower temperatures than the rest of the year. Snow, sleet, hail, and rain are common forms of precipitation in the winter. In snowy areas, many animals have difficulties finding food and some will even hibernate to conserve energy. Children can learn more about hibernation by watching the Hibernation movie. December, January, and February are considered winter months in the northern hemisphere, though some countries acknowledge November to be a part of winter. Children should understand that during winter they may wear heavier clothing like coats, hats, and scarves and participate in cold-weather activities such as sledding or skiing.
As the winter ends, spring begins and temperatures slowly rise as the days get longer. Snow and ice melt and more rain tends to fall during this season. Flowers and plants grow and bloom, and animals become active again. Many animals will have their young in the spring when food is plentiful. Furthermore, their young will have time to grow before experiencing a cold winter themselves. The United States marks the beginning of spring with the vernal equinox in March and the end of spring with the summer solstice in June. Children should understand that in spring they may wear lighter coats and rain gear, and also begin outdoor activities like baseball, softball, or gardening.
After spring is summer, which begins in June and ends around September in the United States. Summer is the warmest season and has the longest days, because our part of Earth is tilted toward the Sun throughout the season. Most areas receive the least amount of precipitation during this season. Children should understand that in summer they may wear shorts, skirts, shirts, hats, and sunglasses and go swimming or take a vacation. The Sun stays high in the sky during the summer and children should understand the importance of using sunscreen and staying covered and cool.
As the summer ends, the weather gets cooler again and the days get shorter. In the northern hemisphere, fall (or autumn) begins in September and ends in December with the Winter Solstice. During fall, leaves of some trees will turn colors and fall off. Some plants bear fruit, such as apple and pear trees. Autumn squash or gourds ripen, too, which is why pumpkins are abundant at Halloween. Some animals will begin to migrate, or move to warmer areas for the coming winter. You may want to watch the Migration movie for further exploration and extension of the topic. Other animals will store and eat food to prepare for hibernation or dormancy. Football is a common fall sport in many schools and community programs, and other fall activities include apple-picking or collecting autumn leaves. Children should understand that in fall they may wear coats and sweaters.
Seasons change because as the Earth orbits, its hemispheres are titled towards or away from the Sun. It takes Earth 365 days, or one year, to go around the Sun. When the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, the southern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun. During this time, the northern hemisphere experiences summer, while the southern hemisphere experiences winter. The areas near the Equator, the imaginary line around the middle of the Earth that separates the two hemispheres, do not tilt much toward or away from the Sun. This means their weather is more consistent throughout the year, and usually is quite warm. Tropical countries in South America such as Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil, are good examples of areas that do not vary much in temperature during the year.
Because of the Earth’s tilt and orbit around the Sun, different constellations can be seen during different seasons. While people living in the northern hemisphere might see a particular constellation in the summer, people living in the southern hemisphere might see the same constellation in the winter.
For children who want to learn more information about the seasons, we recommend watching other movies in the Weather unit.
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Season to Season
As a long-term project, have your students observe and record the weather each week of the school term or year. Students can take the temperature outdoors and measure the amount of precipitation with a rain or snow gauge. (Simply take a waterproof ruler and place it in a clear plastic container to create a homemade gauge.) If possible, students can use a wind sock or anemometer to measure the amount of wind. You can have students record their observations in their notebooks or use a large class calendar or datebook. Different small groups could also be responsible for recording the weather conditions each week, and reporting their findings to the class. As the seasons change, have students look at the data and make inferences about the weather. How does the weather change throughout the year? What patterns do they see?
Bring in examples of travel guides and brochures to your students. Explain that many guides have descriptions of the weather and activities available each season. Have your students pick a city or country from around the world and create a travel guide or poster. You may wish to break up the students into small groups so they can research together. Students should find out about average temperatures for each season, kinds of precipitation, historical landmarks, as well as fun activities or festivals that occur during each season. If possible, hold a “travel fair” where students can share their work and make recommendations about which season is preferable to visit their chosen country. For example, students might like to recommend Mexico in the fall to see the migrating monarch butterflies arrive or Holland in the spring to view the tulips. Students will learn how people have always celebrated the seasons' annual cycle.
Seasonal Fashion Show
Hold a seasonal fashion show with your students. Students can bring in outfits that they wear during the winter, spring, summer, and fall and model them with the class. Teach students the correlation between temperature and proper attire: At 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius), students might wear an autumn jacket over their clothes. At 80 degrees (27 Celsius), they might be dressed in shorts and a shirt. You can encourage students to bring in athletic jerseys and equipment that they use during each season. Have student volunteers describe their outfits and discuss why they are appropriate for each season. (Make sure children understand dress codes and wear appropriate cover-ups for any beachwear.)
As the World Turns
Have small groups of students make models of Earth and the Sun and show how Earth orbits around the Sun. Remind students that Earth tilts at an angle as it orbits the Sun. Students can paint Styrofoam balls to model the Earth and Sun (take care to use relative sizes of balls) or use different colors of clay. Students can put in a paper clip or pencil at the poles of the Earth to show the tilt, and draw a horizontal line to show the Equator. Modeling the Earth and Sun will help students visualize how the tilt and orbit cause the seasons to change.
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Remind your child that different plants grow in different seasons. For example, apple trees bear fruit in the fall while orange trees bear fruit in the winter. Despite this, your child may notice that apples and oranges are available in the grocery store all year round. Why do they think that is? Research the fruits and vegetables to find out the season those plants bear fruit. Look for stickers and labels on the fruits and vegetables that identify the country or place of origin. How do we get apples in early summer if trees bear fruit in the fall? Explain that because of Earth’s tilt and orbit around the Sun, different parts of the world have different seasons. Explain to students that these fruits and vegetables are flown around the world. If possible, visit a local farmer’s market to explore seasonal produce together, and see if you can create a seasonal meal made from locally-grown produce.
‘Tis the Season For…
Together with your child, set goals that are appropriate for each season. For example, the goal for the summer might be to go camping for a weekend, remember to wear sunscreen, or learn how to dive. A goal for the spring might be to spot a nest of eggs or hatchlings, plant flowers, spring clean, or go see a baseball game. Find goals that you and your family can do together and are realistic and able to be fulfilled. Have your child write them down in his or her notebook or create a list to post in your home. Then as each goal is accomplished, she or he can cross it off the list.
See all Topics and Lesson Plan Ideas
BrainPOP UK | BrainPOP Latinoamérica
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development of Big Science
...a centre for radar research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Weinberg was not only describing a new form of scientific research; his concept was an expression of nostalgia for “ Little Science,” a world of independent, individual researchers free to work alone or with graduate students on problems of their own choosing. Whether or not the world of Little Science...
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augmented sixth chord
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dissonance and harmonic colour
...and a functionally ambiguous quality; for example, a chord that became of prime importance as a means of thickening the harmonic sound and of blurring the exact tonality of a musical passage was the augmented sixth chord. This is an altered chord, or one built by taking a chord normally occurring in its key and chromatically altering it. In this case, two of its notes are changed by a half step....
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San AntonioArticle Free Pass
San Antonio, city, seat (1837) of Bexar county, south-central Texas, U.S. It is situated at the headwaters of the San Antonio River on the Balcones Escarpment, about 80 miles (130 km) southwest of Austin. The second most populous city in Texas, it is the focus of a metropolitan area that includes Alamo Heights, Castle Hills, Converse, Kirby, Leon Valley, Live Oak, Schertz, Terrell Hills, Universal City, and Windcrest. Inc. 1809. Area city, 412 square miles (1,067 square km). Pop. (2000) 1,144,646; San Antonio Metro Area, 1,711,703; (2010) 1,327,407; San Antonio Metro Area, 2,142,508.
Spanish explorers first visited the site, then a camp of the Payaya Indians, in 1691. San Antonio was founded May 1, 1718, when a Spanish expedition from Mexico established the Mission San Antonio de Valero. The mission, later called the Alamo (Spanish: “Cottonwood”), was one of five founded in the area and was named for St. Anthony of Padua. On May 5 a presidio (military garrison) known as San Antonio de Béxar was established nearby. The site, on the river’s west bank, was a stopping place on the trail through the Texas wilderness between missions on the Rio Grande and those in East Texas.
In 1731 settlers from the Canary Islands laid out the town of San Fernando de Béxar near the presidio, where a civilian community had been planned when the presidio and mission were established. During its early years the settlement suffered from raids by Apache and Comanche tribes. The mission was secularized in 1793 and became a military post. San Fernando de Béxar functioned as provincial capital from 1773 to 1824, but in subsequent years its political authority waned. By 1837, when it became a county seat of the Republic of Texas, it had been renamed San Antonio.
At the time of Mexican independence in 1821, San Antonio was, along with Goliad and Nacogdoches, one of three established Spanish communities in Texas. In the summer of that year, Stephen Austin arrived in the city (then seat of the Spanish government in Texas) to follow through on a permit obtained by his father for the admission of 300 U.S. families into the territory. In December 1835, at the outset of the Texas revolution, Texan forces occupied the Alamo. They remained there until March 1836, when they were massacred by Mexican troops under General Antonio López de Santa Anna following a 13-day siege. The presidio ceased to exist with the independence of Texas in April.
In 1836 San Antonio was still the foremost city of Texas, with some 2,500 inhabitants. It grew rapidly after independence, led by large numbers of German immigrants. During the last decades of the 19th century, San Antonio, as the starting point for the Chisholm Trail, became a major cattle centre, where herds were assembled for the overland drives to the railheads in Kansas.
The city quickly became the commercial hub of the Southwest. The arrival of the first railroad in 1877 brought migrants from the American South, and Mexican immigrants settled there after the start of the Mexican Revolution in 1910. San Antonio was a major military centre during World Wars I and II, a factor that continued to dominate its economy in subsequent decades. In 1968 a world’s exposition, known as HemisFair, was held there to commemorate the city’s 250th anniversary and to celebrate its cultural ties with Latin America. In 1981 Henry Cisneros was elected the city’s first Hispanic mayor since the mid-19th century; Cisneros served until 1989, and in 2001 Ed Garza was elected the city’s second modern-era Hispanic mayor.
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Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI)Article Free Pass
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI), Northern Ireland’s oldest interdenominational party, a small, moderate party that represents middle-class interests primarily in the eastern areas of the province.
The Alliance Party was launched in April 1970 in an attempt to break the sectarian mold of politics in Northern Ireland through the pursuit of moderate policies. It was self-consciously biconfessional, attracting members from the Roman Catholic and Protestant communities in proportion to their numbers. Although there was no official leader between 1970 and 1972, Oliver Napier acted as de facto leader during that period. Since then the party has been led by Phelim O’Neill (1972–73), Napier (1973–84), John Cushnahan (1984–87), Lord John Alderdice (1989–98), Sean Neeson (1998–2001), and David Ford (2001– ), the last of whom entered the Northern Ireland Executive in 2010 as justice minister.
APNI drew members from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) who were concerned that the UUP was becoming too extreme. Most of its founding members had not been actively involved in politics, and the party was perceived to be a middle-class phenomenon seeking the “middle ground.”
The APNI achieved its greatest electoral success in the first decade of its existence. In 1972 three sitting members of the British Parliament—two Protestants and one Catholic—“crossed the floor” and joined the Alliance. The party was represented by two members in the first biconfessional government of Northern Ireland, the power-sharing executive body of 1973–74. In 1977 APNI reached its highest electoral standing when it won 14.3 percent of the vote. By the end of the 20th century it had not yet elected a member of the British or European parliaments, though Alderdice was ennobled in 1996.
In June 1998 the party won approximately 6 percent of the vote and 6 seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly, the power-sharing legislative body created in the Good Friday Agreement of April 1998. The APNI’s support was drawn from the more affluent areas of Greater Belfast, and it was virtually unrepresented in the western areas of Northern Ireland. In the Assembly elections of 2003, its overall vote share dropped, but it maintained its 6 seats; in 2007 it rebounded slightly and captured an additional seat in the Assembly. In the British general election of 2010 it won its first seat in the British House of Commons, with Naomi Long winning the Belfast East seat that was held by Democratic Unionist Party leader Peter Robinson. In elections for the Assembly in 2011, the Alliance increased its representation to eight seats.
By the end of the 20th century the APNI had not achieved its goal of eliminating sectarianism in Northern Irish politics. As a party that worked within unionist-dominated political institutions in Northern Ireland, it did not attract sufficient support from Catholics who aspired to a united Ireland. Because it was not a unionist party, however, it did not appeal to Protestants who considered it essential to maintain Northern Ireland’s link to the United Kingdom. As a party of moderation, it suffered from the tensions created in a climate of political violence. Finally, its lack of elected representation in the British and European Parliaments limited its political visibility.
Policy and structure
The APNI advocates improving cross-community relations through integrated education, a bill of rights, and reform of the security forces. Its politics, apart from issues related to Northern Ireland, are slightly left of centre. Alderdice sat on the Liberal Democratic benches in the House of Lords after his appointment in 1996, and the party has established links with the Progressive Democrats in the republic of Ireland; the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party at the European Parliament; and the Liberal International, a worldwide organization of liberal parties.
The APNI’s main organizational body is its Party Council, which consists of eight delegates from each local branch, all the party’s councillors, and the party officers. Meeting annually, the Party Council elects the party leader, chair, and vice-chair; selects delegates to the Party Executive; and approves or amends policy documents. Party manifestos are drafted by the Executive Committee, which deals with issues of day-to-day party policy and responds to current events in its strategy committees. The Alliance Party leader holds a relatively powerful position, as he or she appoints the party officers and the members of the strategy committees.
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Height: 26.500 cm
Length: 26.500 cm
Room 72: Ancient Cyprus
Bronze bowl handles
From Cyprus, about 850-750 BC
Decorated with lotus flowers
These handles would have been riveted onto the upper sides of one or more roughly hemispherical bowls. The lotus flowers would have appeared above the rim. Bronze bowls of this variety are typically Cypriot and occur in Cyprus between about 1050 and 750 BC. However, none of the surviving examples is as large as the bowls to which these handles must have belonged. From Cyprus they were introduced to the Near East, the Greek world and Italy.
The bronze bowls perhaps derive from earlier Cypriot bowls of pottery that have a single handle that is visible over the rim. A roughly hemispherical bronze bowl has a single riveted handle and a knob, in place of a lotus flower, appearing above the rim. It comes from a Cypriot tomb of the mid-eleventh century BC, and may form a link between the pottery and the bronze series.
V. Tatton-Brown, Ancient Cyprus, 2nd ed. (London, The British Museum Press, 1997)
M-J. Chavane, 'Vases de bronze du Musée du Chypre', Collection de la Mason de lOri (1982)
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Pop-up book of Ancient Egypt, £14.99
Explore / Online Tours
Word into art
Word into Art
This tour brings together the work of contemporary artists from the Middle East and North Africa. The use of writing - quotations, words and even single letters - has emerged as a common theme in this vibrant and original art. Each object presented here is inscribed in or draws its inspiration from Arabic, the main script of the region used to write a variety of languages including Persian.
A Sacred Script looks at artworks which are based around the holy texts of the Qu'ran and the Bible. Literature and Art shows how poetry and the rich literary traditions of the Middle East have inspired artists in different ways. The works in Deconstructing the Word have been created using single words or letters. History, Politics and Identity examines how art has responded to crises and wars that have affected the Middle East. In the entry for each work, the artist's country of origin is cited first after their name, and their current place of residence second.
The tour includes highlights from Word into Art: Artists of the Modern Middle East, a free exhibition at the British Museum (Room 35) from 18 May to 3 September 2006. The exhibition draws mainly on works collected by the British Museum, with some loaned objects. It includes pieces by about eighty different artists, some of whom are represented here. This tour shows how writing, so important as both a method of communication and an art form in the ancient and Islamic cultures, continues as a powerful thread running through the art of the region today.
The exhibition was part of Middle East Now, a season of special events which includes lectures, films, poetry readings and music. The exhibition and the season were produced in partnership with Dubai Holding.
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This is a "self delivery" pack which has been designed specifically for National Science and Engineering Week 2013. The science behind fingeprints is well known! What is not so well known is the link between fingerprints and footprints. Right Angle Events have launched a new education pack called ‘Toes for Turf’ comprising at least 4 hours of fun teaching material linked to Key Stage 1-4 Mathematics.
We have designed a fantastic scheme especially for National Science & Engineering Week called "Toes For Turf". The science behind fingerprints is well known. What is not so well known is the science behind footprints or "feet prints". This activity enables students to take, classify and "lift" both fingerprints and foot prints. As the research on footprints is meagre, this scheme will allow students to make some discoveries about the correlation or otherwise between fingerprints and feet prints.
Barbara Hepworth: The Hospital Drawings, taking place at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, (16 February - 2 June 2013) reveals the remarkable series of drawings and paintings made by Barbara Hepworth during the late 1940s, illustrating surgeons at work in operating theatres within Post-War Britain. Featuring over 30 works, including Hepworth’s sketchbook, the exhibition is the most significant presentation of this extraordinary series to date, comprising key loans from national, public and private collections.
Saturday, 16 February, 2013 - 10:00 to Sunday, 5 May, 2013 - 16:30
Scottish Fisheries Museum
An exhibition investigating the existence of sea monsters and exploring the science behind the myths. Curated by Dr Charles Paxton of the University of St Andrews, the exhibition looks at various sea monster legends and tests them scientifically to see whether such monsters could actually exist – with sometimes surprising conclusions. The exhibition comprises display panels, natural history specimens from the University and the museum’s collections, and interactive activities.
All our students will be making their own enclosed garden in a plastic bottle or a plastic container. They will be doing this to demonstrate how the water cycle works on our planet. Over the coming weeks the students will be able to make their own observations about what is happening in their enclosed gardens.
Come and take a tour around the museum to learn about five Victorians who were responsible for making great advances in science and technology in the region. The tour will focus on the lives and inventions of William Armstrong, Charles Parsons, Joseph Swan and George and Robert Stephenson.
Discover how Stanley Mills was using renewable energy over 200 years ago. Learners will find out about different types of waterwheels then work in teams to build working model waterwheels and test them out to find out how the power can be used.
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Ah, the dreaded computer viruses! We’ve all heard about their evil powers: they range from simple pranks like pop-up messages on your screen to complete destruction of programs or data. And they’re getting slicker by the hour, trying to trick you, outsmart your antivirus program and take advantage of the security holes caused by software vulnerabilities. You definitely don’t want one getting into your precious computer!
So how can you tell if you've got a virus infection?
If your antivirus software is effective and up to date, you’ll probably receive a message saying that the application has found a virus on your PC and has, hopefully, got rid of it. But what if your antivirus is not that efficient, hasn’t been updated in a while or is simply something you never thought you actually needed?
There are some signs of infection you can watch out for:
Your computer stops responding or locks up frequently.
You get strange error messages saying that, for example, you cannot access certain drives.
Your PC runs much slower than it used to.
Your computer crashes and then restarts every couple of minutes.
Some applications won’t run, some files won’t open.
Hardware devices (like your printer) no longer respond to your commands or start acting out.
Some menus and/or dialogue boxes look odd or distorted.
There are fluctuations in the size of some files, although you haven’t accessed them in a while.
Your firewall warns you that unknown applications are trying to connect to the internet.
Your internet connection stops working or becomes very slow without there being a problem with your service provider or router.
You notice files that have been deleted, encrypted or moved to a different location.
The language in certain applications suddenly changes.
New icons appear on your desktop out of the blue.
Strange sounds or music start playing from your speakers unexpectedly.
Your CD-ROM drive tray opens and closes by itself.
The unused space on your hard drive disappears.
Your computer opens internet sessions or applications on its own.
Your web browser displays pages you haven’t requested.
Library files for running games or programs go missing.
What to do if you suspect a virus is running loose in your system:
The first thing to do is turn to your line of defence: the antivirus program. If you’re using a traditional, signature-based antivirus, make sure it’s active and properly updated and scan your computer. If your antivirus program doesn’t find a virus, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve got none. But there’s no need to go searching for it yourself. Just look for another antivirus solution to run on your computer and spot the problem. You can find a free BullGuard Internet Security trial here.
If it turns out a virus did get by your antivirus, chances are it hit exactly between the updates or it’s so new, its signature hasn’t been detected yet. This is where state-of-the-art virus detection technology comes in handy and that’s what you get by using BullGuard Internet Security – the best in behavioural detection, the latest technology in the fight against new and unknown viruses. Behaviour-based detection is what makes BullGuard catch 65% more malware than traditional antivirus programs.
How to avoid virus infections in the first place
You can prevent most viruses from entering your system by practicing a few computer and internet safe habits:
Make a habit out of playing it safe. Pay attention to what you download and where you download it from. Never open attachments from sources you don’t know or trust. Don’t connect other people’s USB drives to your computer, even if they’re your friends, as they could have a virus infection without realizing it.
Always have an active and updated antivirus program installed on your computer. The more effective and modern it is, the better it will protect you against the waves of malware hitting the web every day.
Make sure all your other software is up to date. Vulnerabilities in the programs you use, like your operating system, are like unlocked backdoors for viruses, so it’s crucial to have them solved by getting constant patches and updates from the software vendor. Some of them are downloaded automatically, but others need your attention and that could turn into an annoying task. So give yourself a break and use a vulnerability scanner – like the one included in BullGuard Internet Security – to take care of your programs for you.
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As weather gets warmer, many people take their activities outdoors to enjoy the beauty of Western North Carolina. Health risks from biting bugs make that harder to enjoy. A few easy steps can protect us from disease-carrying mosquitoes and ticks:
Guarding against Mosquito Bites
The best thing to do is stop the mosquito cycle before they can lay eggs. Eliminate any standing water around your home. Even very small amounts of standing water can be a breeding ground. If you have tires, flowerpots, pet bowls, toys, bird baths, tarps, containers, etc., make sure water doesn't sit in them longer than three days.
Once mosquitoes are already buzzing around, avoid bites to reduce your risk. Install or repair window and door screens to keep them from coming into your home. Mosquitoes are most active during the early morning or evening hours. If you plan to be outdoors, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. And don’t forget the mosquito repellent. Those that contain DEET, Picaridin, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus are effective in fighting off bites.
La Cross Encephalitis is the most commonly diagnosed mosquito disease in North Carolina. In fact, 75% of cases reported in North Carolina during the past decade were from people living right here in Western North Carolina! They also carry West Nile virus. Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, body aches; skin rash and swollen lymph glands – although many people infected have no symptoms at all.
Protection from Tick Bites
Ticks are around all year long, but are more active in warm, summer months. Avoiding ticks can be tricky since they are very small and often hard to spot in wooded areas and fields, which are places they are typically found. Follow some easy guidelines to prevent bites:
- When possible, avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.
- If those areas cannot be avoided, wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants and socks. Tuck your shirt in, pull your socks over your pants, and walk in open areas, away from brush.
- Use an insect repellent that contains DEET.
Finally, check yourself and children at least twice a day. The sooner you find a tick on you, the less chance it will have to bite. Check for ticks under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and especially in their hair.
When you find a tick, remove it as soon as possible. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible. Pull slowly and steadily until the tick releases. Do not twist or jerk the tick. Wash the bite and your hands with rubbing alcohol, or soap and water once the tick has been disposed of.
Ticks carry many different diseases including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is the most common tick borne disease reported in North Carolina. It can be a severe or even life threatening illness if not treated in the first few days of symptoms. Common symptoms from a tick bite include fever, chills, headache, body aches, pains in the joints or muscles, and a red rash.
If you have questions or concerns about mosquitoes or ticks, contact the Environmental Health Division at Buncombe County Department of Health at 250-5016.
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When it comes to weight loss success, portion control is one of the key determinants . It can be difficult to accurately determine how much you eat over the course of a day. One way to track the amount of calories that you consume is to keep a food diary.
Keeping a food journal can be helpful even if you only record your eating habits for a few days. This is still enough time to begin to identify patterns of behavior and find out when you miscalculate your food consumption. This can be another good way to identify triggers in your life that can lead to overeating. If you decide to make a habit of keeping a food diary, you can continue to hold yourself accountable whenever you sit down for a meal or grab a snack on the go.
After recording what you eat for a few days, you can decide for yourself whether this is a helpful practice or not. Chances are, it will be an eye-opener as to how and what you eat, and this can be a way to create a more mindful and conscious attitude towards your healthy diet.
Written by Cara Harbstreet, Nutritionist at Camp Shane weight loss camp for children and teens.
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Innovation in Education
The existence of schools such as Carroll represents, in and of itself, a significant educational innovation. Schools that are dedicated to an atypical learning profile, in Carroll’s case dyslexia, are relatively rare. A program that is designed specifically for one type of learner is also innovative in a landscape of schools that are required to serve all children in their city or town.
Carroll balances curriculum, instructional practices, and programs that have helped children for over 45 years at Carroll with compelling new interventions resulting from both research and implementation evidence. Carroll is so fortunate to be located in the Greater Boston Area, where an incredible amount of revolutionary research is underway about how the human brain learns. Carroll constantly seeks to combine the proven with the promising. The combination of interventions that Carroll uses reveals this balance with a set of innovative, evidence-based programs, such as Orton-Gillingham, RAVE-O, Visualizing and Verbalizing, Lexia Learning, Kurzweil, Thinking Reader, Singapore Math, Thinking Through Math, Symphony Math, Stern Structured Materials, The Number Race, ReflexMath, Cognitive Development, Inspiration, and scores of web-based software applications.
Much of our decision making about educational innovation results from our associations with some of the most accomplished researchers in the fields of education, neuroscience, and technology. The Research Updates section of the Carroll website will keep viewers apprised of some of the research that we are following.
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& Entertainment > The
1956 Melbourne, Australia
It was the first time that blood was drawn in the Olympic Games. During the water polo game between the USSR and Hungary, the Russian athlete Valentin Propokov cried out Fascist Hungarians and then punched the Hungarian Ervin Zantor. This action was followed by a massive brawl between the two teams. The referee stopped the game in favor of Hungary.
On the other hand a romantic story was created between the American athlete Harold Connely and the Chechoslovakian athlete Olga Figotova which ended in marriage. Later on Figotova completed in four more Olympiads as an American and in 1972 she was the standard bearer for the US team.
In these Olympics
we see for the first time the signs of boycott since several nations did
not participate, mainly for political reasons. The Suez war resulted in
the withdrawal of Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon. The Russian invasion in Hungary
caused many countries to demonstrate their opposition to this action.
These were Switzerland, Holland and Spain. 112 athletes made up the Hungarian
team but only 44 returned to Hungary after the Games. Finally the Chinese
withdrew from the Games one day before they started because of the recognition
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How can we "green" our schools to make them more environmentally sustainable? What kinds of choices should we make, and which choices will actually have an impact? How do we know that our choices are making a difference?
These are the questions that frame a unique collaboration between the Rhinebeck school district and educators from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. Through a grant from the Rhinebeck Science Foundation, we designed and implemented the Eco-Initiative, a three-year program that builds scientific and environmental literacy through all grades by mapping the ecological footprint of elementary, middle and high schools.
Our guiding principle was to think of the school as an ecosystem, which allows students to chart the inputs and outputs of energy and materials in a familiar system. Students know they use energy, water, food and other raw materials every day, and they can see how those are transformed to wastes, such as trash and heat. But the students are less aware of where the food, water and energy come from and where their waste goes, as well as what lives in and around the grounds of their schools.
Through a series of meetings and workshops with Rhinebeck teachers, we identified key topics for each grade level or class and developed age-appropriate investigations that would help everyone understand their impact on the environment. For example, students in fifth grade and in high school biology classes are conducting schoolyard "Eco-Blitzes," where they catalog all the living things they find outside. The younger students excel at finding and identifying the insects, while the older students can work with math teachers to analyze the data.
Because the Eco-Initiative is a multiyear program, we can develop a database of organisms that live in the Rhinebeck schools' lawns, playgrounds and athletic fields, and we can start to ask questions about enhancing biodiversity and supporting ecosystem function. And as students advance through each grade, they can build on knowledge or investigations from previous years.
At the end of each year, we publish an Environmental Scorecard, which will include all the collected student data and work. See last year's scorecard by going to www.rhinebeckcsd.org. As classes and teachers begin to make changes to their daily habits at school, we hope to see a response in our data. We are looking forward to seeing the benefits of a composting program to reduce waste output, and the impact of weekly "Power Down" days started by the Environmental Clubs to reduce energy usage.
An easier path might have been to ask for the energy and water bills and call it a day, or to plant a few trees and declare our "greening" mission complete. But we wanted the students, teachers, and administrators to take ownership of the process, to figure out what their impact is, and decide what kind of sustainability initiatives made sense.
By modeling an iterative process, we are showing students how science can inform their actions and lead to lasting change. We are also helping them think through some of the really difficult questions that relate to any greening initiative, such as whether it really is more "green" to purchase compostable lunch trays made from corn if we're unable to compost them on site, or whether we should install energy-efficient lightbulbs when most of the energy in the school is being used for heating and cooling.
Engaging in this process is complex, but we believe such engagement develops a citizenry that is thoughtfully dedicated to understanding their local environment. We are thrilled that we have been able to undertake this long-term project with the Rhinebeck school district and look forward to expanding this effort to other districts.
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With forage supplies tight in many areas, treating wheat straw with ammonia could provide a cost-effective option, according to Kansas State University Extension beef specialist Dale Blasi, PhD.
Ammonia improves the nutritional value of low-quality forage by swelling the plant tissue to allow greater rumen microbial activity, resulting in 8 to 15 percent improvement in digestibility, 15 to 20 percent improvement in palatability and increased rate of passage through the digestive tract. Also, ammonia serves as a non-protein nitrogen source, roughly doubling the crude protein value of the straw.
The process typically involves covering bales with a black plastic tarp and injecting anhydrous ammonia.
Historically, Blasi says, the recommended application rate was 3 percent anhydrous or 60 pounds per ton. But looking to reduce costs, K-State researchers have tested an application rate of 1.5 percent or 30 pounds of ammonia per ton of straw and found little difference compared with the heavier rate. Temperature and moisture content of the straw affect absorption of the ammonia. The process will take just three to five days in hot weather but up to 30 to 45 days in cold weather. Anhydrous ammonia will seek out all the moisture in the stacked straw, a chemical process that aids in uniform spread of the material. Eight to 10 percent moisture content in the straw is adequate, and 15 to 30 percent is better.
Keep the stack covered until two weeks before feeding, then remove the cover to reduce the concentration of residual ammonia. Blasi recommends against ammoniation of higherquality grass hays such as brome, fescue, small grains, forage sorghums or sudan grasses, as compounds dangerous to cattle can form in these types of hay exposed to ammonia. Blasi also stresses the importance of safety measures when handling anhydrous ammonia, including these tips:
• Wear goggles, rubber gloves and protective clothing. • Work upwind when releasing anhydrous ammonia into the stack. Ideally, use a de-coupler to disconnect the nurse tank away from the stack when application is complete.
• Have fresh water available to wash off any anhydrous ammonia that comes into contact with the skin.
• Check valves, hoses and tanks for leaks.
• Check the plastic cover on the stack for any tears in the plastic before initiating application. Seal any holes afterward with duct tape.
• Do not smoke near anhydrous ammonia.
• Keep children away from the treatment area.
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Central Morning | Oct 4, 2012 | 6:42
The Risks of E. Coli
This week, the largest recall of beef in Canadian history expanded to include many stores in this province. More than 1500 different products from a slaughterhouse in Brooks, Alberta are at risk of e-coli contamination. The recall is shaking consumer confidence and raising questions about how unsafe the beef might be. Herb Schellhorn is a biologist specializing in e-coli research at McMaster University in Hamilton.
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What Brain Tumors Are Common in Children?
Most recently updated on April 10, 2013
Most childhood tumors (more than 60%) are located in the posterior fossa (the back compartment of the brain). This area is separated from the cerebral hemispheres by a tough membrane called the tentorium. The posterior fossa includes the cerebellum, the brainstem, and the fourth ventricle. Tumors in this area include medulloblastomas (also called primitive neuroectodermal tumors, or PNETs), cerebellar astrocytomas, brainstem gliomas, and ependymomas. Although less common, other rare types of tumors have also been observed in this area, such as rhabdoid tumors and ganglioglioma; these are not discussed in detail below.
The remaining 30% to 40% of brain tumors occur within one of the two cerebral hemispheres or in the spinal cord. Tumors of the hemispheres include astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, craniopharyngiomas, choroid plexus carcinomas, ependymomas, supratentorial PNETs, pineoblastomas, and germ cell tumors. The most common tumors of the spinal cord are astrocytomas and ependymomas.
Names of tumors can be confusing. One large family of tumors—comprising half of all pediatric tumors—are gliomas, meaning they arise from glial cells or the supporting cells of the nervous system. Glial cells consist of astrocytes, ependymal cells, and oligodendrocytes (myelin-forming cells). Some tumors take their names from these cells. For example, an astrocyte is a type of glial cell from which astrocytomas arise, so doctors may refer to the tumor as a glioma or as an astrocytoma. One term is simply more specific than the other. Tumors may also take their names from their location, such as the brainstem glioma.
The sudden influx of medical terminology into your life can be intimidating. Health care professionals are familiar with such terminology through years of training and experience. But these terms are new to you, so ask your child’s doctor to explain them. There are many types of brain tumors and many names for them—often even more than one name for the same tumor. The descriptions that follow include only the most common types of brain tumors found in children, divided into two broad groups according to their location.
Tumors of the Posterior Fossa
Medulloblastomas: Medulloblastomas (PNETs) are the most common malignant brain tumor in children (20% of all pediatric tumors) and usually occur in children between the ages of 4 and 10 years. Medulloblastomas occur more often in boys than in girls. These tumors typically arise in the middle of the cerebellum, interfering with the flow of CSF and causing hydrocephalus. A child may have headaches, vomit, or walk unsteadily. Sometimes there is pain at the back of the head. Medulloblastomas can spread to other parts of the brain through the CSF. Treatment is usually surgical removal, followed by radiation therapy of the entire head and spinal cord and/or chemotherapy.
Cerebellar Astrocytomas: Cerebellar astrocytomas are benign glial tumors of the cerebellum. They are the second most common childhood tumor (15% to 20% of all pediatric tumors). They can occur at any time in childhood or adolescence and have the same symptoms as medulloblastomas. Treatment is surgical removal, which is the cure in most cases if the tumor is totally removed. If the tumor has grown into the brainstem, radiation therapy or chemotherapy (depending on the child’s age) is sometimes needed.
Brainstem Gliomas: Approximately 10% to 15% of childhood brain tumors are brainstem gliomas, which most commonly affect children between the ages of 5 and 10 years. Because of their location, brainstem gliomas may cause sudden dramatic symptoms, such as double vision, clumsiness, difficulty swallowing, and weakness. These are often referred to as diffuse pontine gliomas. In these cases, surgery is not usually an option. Radiation therapy, with or without chemotherapy, is the preferred option. A small percentage of slow-growing tumors that cause slowly progressive symptoms can be treated surgically or with chemotherapy.
Ependymomas: Ependymomas make up 8% to 10% of pediatric tumors and occur at any time during childhood. They are a type of glioma involving cells lining the cerebral ventricles. Seventy percent of ependymomas develop in the posterior fossa. These tumors are not always distinguishable, on scans, from medulloblastomas. They cause similar symptoms, and hydrocephalus is often involved. Surgical removal of the tumor is the usual treatment of choice, followed by radiation therapy to the site of the resection.
Tumors of the Cerebral Hemispheres
Supratentorial Gliomas: About 30% of pediatric brain tumors are gliomas that grow in regions of the cerebral hemispheres. Treatment and prognosis depend on their exact location and how quickly they are growing. Some of the names for tumors in these areas are juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma, optic glioma or hypothalamic glioma (see below), oligodendroglioma, hemispheric astrocytoma, and ganglioglioma. Many of these tumors cause seizures. Surgical removal is the treatment of choice, unless the tumor is in an area that controls speech, movement, vision, or cognition. The tumor may be partially removed, with radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy as additional therapy.
Optic Pathway Gliomas: A small percentage (5%) of pediatric tumors are gliomas involving the optic nerves and the hypothalamus. These are usually slow-growing and can be treated successfully with surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy. Because visual pathways and/or the hypothalamus are affected, children with these tumors often have vision and hormone problems.
Craniopharyngiomas: Craniopharyngiomas, which are nonglial growths, account for 5% of childhood brain tumors, usually causing growth failure because of their location near the pituitary gland. They often affect vision. Treatment is often controversial because complete surgical removal may be curative but can also cause memory, vision, behavioral, and hormonal problems. Partial surgical removal plus radiation therapy is an alternative. Children treated for these tumors usually need long-term follow-up care for visual and/or hormonal problems.
Germ Cell Tumors: A small percentage of childhood brain tumors arise in the pineal or suprasellar regions, above the pituitary gland. They are most often diagnosed around the time of puberty and are more likely to affect boys than girls. These tumors often respond favorably to chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, following surgery.
Choroid Plexus Papillomas: The choroid plexus is located within the ventricles in the brain and produces CSF. Choroid plexus papillomas (benign) and choroid plexus carcinomas (malignant) account for 1% to 3% of pediatric brain tumors. These types of tumors usually arise in infants and often cause hydrocephalus. The treatment of choice is surgery and, if the tumor is malignant, chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy.
Supratentorial PNETs/Pineoblastomas:Supratentorial PNETs and pineoblastomas account for approximately 5% of pediatric brain tumors. Their symptoms depend on location and proximity to the CSF spaces. Treatment involves maximal surgical resection, radiation therapy to the brain and spine, and chemotherapy.
- Related Topics
- Brain Tumor Facts and Glossary
- Research News and Reports
- CBTF Publications
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October 13, 2010
SCOPE OF LAW BARRING CELLS PHONE USE WHILE DRIVING
By: Kevin E. McCarthy, Principal Analyst
You asked whether CGS § 14-296aa as amended by PA 10-109, which generally prohibits use of cell phones and related equipment while driving (1) applies to the equipment used for Family Radio Service (FRS) and General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) or (2) permits a driver to drive while using the speaker function of a cell phone. FRS is a type of Citizen's Band radio service while GMRS uses a type of walkie-talkie equipment.
The Office of Legislative Research is not authorized to provide legal opinions and this report should not be considered one.
It appears that CGS § 14-296aa (1) does not prohibit using FRS or GMRS equipment to make a call but does apply to using this equipment for other purposes, such as texting or sending data and (2) permits a driver to dial a number on his or her cell phone and then use the speakerphone function to hold a conversation, so long as the driver is not holding the cell phone during the conversation.
APPLICABILITY OF LAW TO FRS AND GMRS
CGS § 14-296aa generally bars the use of two types of equipment while driving. These are (1) a hand-held mobile telephone, if used to engage in a call and (2) a mobile electronic device. A hand-held mobile telephone is a cellular, analog, wireless, or digital telephone a person uses to engage in a call while using at least one hand. “Engage in a call” means talking into or listening on a hand-held mobile telephone, but does not include holding the telephone to turn it on or off or to initiate a function of the telephone. A mobile electronic device is any hand-held or other portable electronic equipment that can provide data communication between two or more persons. These include a text messaging device, a paging device, a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, equipment that is capable of playing a video game or a digital video disk, or equipment on which digital photographs are taken or transmitted. They do not include any audio equipment or any equipment installed in a vehicle to provide navigation, emergency assistance to the driver, or video entertainment to the passengers in the rear seats of a vehicle. The legislative history of CGS 14-296aa does not address the issue of whether it applies to FRS and GMRS equipment.
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), FRS is a type of Citizens Band radio service. Family, friends, and associates can use it to communicate within a neighborhood and while on group outings. FRS has a communications range of less than one mile and the radio has a maximum power of no more than one-half watt. It cannot be used to make a telephone call but can be used for business-related communications. GMRS is a land-mobile radio service available for short-distance two-way communications to facilitate the activities of an adult and his or her immediate family members. In most cases it has a power capacity of no more than 50 watts. Family members typically use the equipment to communicate among themselves near their residence or during recreational outings. Some equipment can be used for both FRS and GMRS. The FCC rules consistently refer to the equipment used by both services as “radios” rather than “telephones.”
Since FRS cannot be connected to the public switched telephone network under 47 CFR 95.193(e), it appears that such devices do not fall within the definition of mobile telephones. However, they may fall within the definition of mobile electronic devices. FCC rules permit transmissions of data regarding the location of the FRS station. The rules also permit the transmission of brief text messages. The maximum transmission time may not exceed one second, and the minimum time before the next data transmission must be not less than 30 seconds. Only those FRS radios that the FCC has specifically certified for such data operation may actually transmit data. So it appears that using FRS equipment can be used to make calls while driving, but using it to transmit text messages or data would violate CGS § 14-296aa.
GMRS equipment can only be connected with the public switched telephone network under very limited circumstances under 47 CFR 95.141. It generally can only be used for voice communications, but 47 CFR 95.181 also permits a GMRS station operator to communicate a one-way voice page to a paging receiver. It appears that GMRS equipment can be used to make calls while driving, but using it to send pages would violate CGS § 14-296aa.
USING A SPEAKERPHONE
It appears that CGS § 14-296aa does not prohibit a driver from dialing a number and then using the speakerphone function to hold a conversation, so long as the driver is not holding the cell phone during the conversation. As noted above, the law does not prohibit a driver from holding a cell phone in his or her hand to turn it on or to initiate a function, which presumably would include dialing a number.
The issue was addressed at several points in the 2005 debate on the initial bill that was codified as CGS § 14-296aa (sHB 6722). In the House, then-Representative Witkos asked whether it would be a violation under the bill to drive while using a cell phone that has a built-in or attached speakerphone with the phone resting on his lap. Representative Roy, the bill's primary sponsor, responded that it would not be a violation because that would be hands-free operation.
Similarly, Representative DelGobbo asked for a clarification of the bill's scope. Representative Roy stated that the phrase “engage in a call” “means talking into or listening on a hand-held mobile telephone, but does not include holding a hand-held mobile telephone to activate, deactivate, or initiate a function of such telephone.” Rep. DelGobbo then asked whether the bill permitted a driver to dial a number from a phone that had an ear bud and then place the phone on the passenger seat. Representative Roy stated that this would be permissible, although if this caused the driver to have an accident, other provisions of the bill would apply.
Similar points were made in the Senate debate. Senator Ciotto, Senate chair of the Transportation Committee, agreed with Senator Freedman's characterization of the bill as “just saying that you cannot hold the cell phone in your hand.” Senator Nickerson stated that “using a cell phone means holding it to the user's ear.”
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The UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (IGME) was formed in 2004 to share data on child mortality, harmonize estimates within the UN system, improve methods for child mortality estimation, report on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and enhance country capacity to produce timely and properly assessed estimates of child mortality. The IGME, led by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), also includes the World Bank and the United Nations Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs as full members.
The IGME's independent Technical Advisory Group (TAG), comprising leading academic scholars and independent experts in demography and biostatistics, provides guidance on estimation methods, technical issues and strategies for data analysis and data quality assessment.
The IGME updates its child mortality estimates annually after reviewing newly available data and assessing data quality.
The Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (IGME) is constituted by representatives of UNICEF, WHO, The World Bank and the United Nations Population Division. The child mortality estimates presented in this database have been reviewed by IGME members. As new information becomes available, estimates in the database will be updated more frequently than those appearing in official publications and reports produced by IGME members. Differences between the estimates presented in the database and those in particular publications may also arise because of differences in reporting periods or in the availability of data during the production process of each publication and other evidence.
Levels and Trends in Child Mortality: Reports
Levels and Trends in Child Mortality Report 2012
Levels and Trends in Child Mortality Report 2012 Annex - Technical Notes
Levels and Trends in Child Mortality Report 2011 Levels and Trends in Child Mortality Report 2010
PLoS Medicine Collection: Child Mortality Estimation Methods
(Also available on http://www.ploscollections.org/childmortalityestimation.)
Child Mortality Estimation: Accelerated Progress in Reducing Global Child Mortality, 1990-2010
Kenneth Hill, Danzhen You, Mie Inoue, Mikkel Z. Oestergaard, Technical Advisory Group of the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation
Child Mortality Estimation: Methods Used to Adjust for Bias due to AIDS in Estimating Trends in Under-Five Mortality
Neff Walker, Kenneth Hill, Fengmin Zhao
Child Mortality Estimation: A Global Overview of Infant and Child Mortality Age Patterns in Light of New Empirical Data
Michel Guillot, Patrick Gerland, Français Pelletier, Ameed Saabneh
Levels and Trends of Child Mortality in 2006: Estimates developed by the Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (Working Paper)
UNICEF, WHO, The World Bank and UN Population Division
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How the Earth Was Made: Everest
Explores the tallest and biggest mountain on Earth. Even though Everest is as far removed from sea level as possible, it's sedementary layers contain fossils that were once sea creatures. This episode explores how the Himalayas were formed when India smashed into Asia propelled by plate tectonics.
For a study guide from History Classroom, click here.
60-minute runtime; two-year copyright clearance.
Dec 12 at 6:00am ET/PT
Related Tools & Resources
This program explores the natural wonder that is nearly 300 miles long and over a mile deep.
Companion website to the History series that showed how the continents were formed, canyons were carved, and why the world's animals live where they do. Includes streaming video of full episodes.
This documentary unearths new evidence that the largest desert in the world may have once been underwater and the site of ancient human settlements.
The Atacama desert is considered the driest place on Earth, this documentary uncovers how this extraordinary dry landscape was created.
This companion website to the Science Channel television series has video clips showing how things are made, from speed skates to bacon to globes.
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Without sensors, a robot is just a machine. Robots need sensors to deduce what is happening in their world and to be able to react to changing situations. This chapter introduces a variety of robotic sensors and explains their electrical use and practical application. The sensor applications presented here are not meant to be exhaustive, but merely to suggest some of the possibilities. Please do not be limited by the ideas contained in this chapter! Assembly instructions for the kit sensors are given in Section 2.6.
The basic function of an electronic sensor is to measure some feature of the world, such as light, sound, or pressure and convert that measurement into an electrical signal, usually a voltage or current. Typical sensors respond to stimuli by changing their resistance (photocells), changing their current flow (phototransistors), or changing their voltage output (the Sharp IR sensor). The electrical output of a given sensor can easily be converted into other electrical representations.
There are two basic types of sensors: analog and digital. The two are quite different in function, in application, and in how they are used with the RoboBoard. An analog sensor produces a continuously varying output value over its range of measurement. For example, a particular photocell might have a resistance of 1kin bright light and a resistance of 300k in complete darkness. Any value between these two is possible depending on the particular light level present. Digital sensors, on the other hand, have only two states, often called "on" and "off." Perhaps the simplest example of a digital sensor is the touch switch. A typical touch switch is an open circuit (infinite resistance) when it is not pressed, and a short circuit (zero resistance) when it is depressed.
Some sensors that produce a digital output are more complicated. These sensors produce pulse trains of transitions between the 0 volt state and the 5 volt state. With these types of sensors, the frequency characteristics or shape of this pulse train convey the sensor's measurement. An example of this type of sensor is the Sharp modulated infrared light detector. With this sensor, the actual element measuring light is an analog device, but signal-processing circuitry is integral to the sensor produces a digital output.
The RoboBoard contains input ports for both analog and digital sensors. While both types of ports are sensitive to voltage, each type interprets the input voltage differently and provides different data to the microprocessor. The analog ports measure the voltage and convert it to a number between 0 and 255, corresponding to input voltage levels between 0 and 5 Volts. The conversion scale is linear, so a voltage of 2.5 volts would generate an output value of 127 or 128. The digital ports, however, convert an input voltage to just two output values, Zero and One. If the voltage on a digital port is less than 2.5 Volts, the output will be 0, while if the input is greater than 2.5 Volts, the output will be 1. Thus, the conversion is very nonlinear.
The C library function analog(port-#) is used to return the value of a particular analog sensor port. For example, the IC statement
sets the value of the variable val equal to the output of port #27.
Many devices used as digital sensors are wired to be active low, meaning that they generate 0 Volts when they are active (or true). The digital inputs on the RoboBoard have a pull-up resistor that makes the voltage input equal to 5 Volts when nothing is connected. A closed or depressed touch switch connected to a digital port would change that voltage to 0 Volts by shorting the input to ground. The resulting outputs: open switch , and closed switch , are the logical opposite of what we usually want. That is, we would prefer the output of the digital port to have value 0 or False normally, and change to 1 or True only when the switch hit something (like a wall or another robot) and was depressed. The IC library function digital(port-#), used to read a True-or-False value associated with a particular sensor port, performs this logical inversion of the signal measured on a digital port. Hence, the depressed touch switch (measuring 0 Volts on the hardware) causes the digital() function to return a 1 (logic true) or logical True value.
For example, the C statement
returns a True value (the number 1) and calls the function do_it() if the value at port #2 was zero volts (indicating a depressed switch).
The standard plug configuration used to connect sensors to the RoboBoard is shown in Figure 9.1. Notice that the plug is asymmetric (made by removing one pin from a four-pin section of male header), and is therefore polarized. The plug can only be inserted in the RoboBoard port in one orientation, so once the plug is wired correctly, it cannot be inserted into a sensor port backwards. This makes the plug much easier to use correctly, but, of course, if you wire it incorrectly, you must re-wire it since you cannot turn the plug around.
Generally the sensor is connected to the plug with three wires. Two of the wires supply 5 Volt power from the RoboBoard, labeled "+5v" and "Gnd." The third wire, labeled "Signal" is the voltage output of the sensor. It is the job of the sensor to use the power and ground connections (if necessary) and return its "answer", as a voltage, on the Signal wire.
Figure 9.2 shows a diagram of circuitry associated with each sensor. This circuitry, residing on the RoboBoard, is replicated for each sensor input channel. The key thing to notice is the pull-up resistor wired from the sensor input signal lead to the 5 Volt power supply.
There are two reasons why this resistor is used. First, it provides a default value for the sensor input -- a value when no sensor is plugged in. Many ICs, such as those on the board that read and interpret the sensor voltage, do not perform well when their inputs are left unconnected. With this circuit, when nothing is plugged into the sensor port the pull-up resistor provides a 5 Volt bias voltage on the sensor input line. Thus, the default output value of an analog port is 255, while the default output value of a digital port is 0 or logic False. (Remember that the 5 Volt default input value would lead to a digital value of 1 except that this value is inverted by the digital() library function, as explained earlier.)
Second, the pull-up resistor is also used as part of the voltage divider circuit required for some of the analog sensors, as explained in Section 9.2.4. The resistors on the RoboBoard eliminate the need for an additional resistor on each of the sensors.
Most of the sensors used in the RoboBoard kit make use of the voltage divider circuit shown in Figure 9.3. In the voltage divider, the voltage measured at the common point of the two resistors,
In ELEC 201 applications, has a fixed or constant value (as shown in Figure 9.2), while is the variable resistance produced by the sensor. is the positive voltage supply, fixed at 5 volts. Thus the signal can be directly computed from , the resistive sensor. From looking at the equation, it is easy to see that if is large with respect to , the output voltage will be large, and if is small with respect to , the output voltage will be small. The minimum and maximum possible voltage values are 0 and 5 Volts, matching the RoboBoard input circuitry range.
The primary sensors in the ELEC 201 kit used to detect tactile contact are simple push-button or lever-actuated switches. Microswitch is the brand name of a variety of switch that is so widely used that the brand name has become the generic term for this type of switch, which now manufactured by many companies. A microswitch is housed in a rectangular body and has a very small button (the "switch nub") which is the external switching point. A lever arm on the switch reduces the force needed to actuate the switch (see Figure 9.4). Microswitches are an especially good type of switch to use for making touch sensors.
Often, the switch is simply mounted on a robot so that when the robot runs into something, the switch is depressed, and the microprocessor can detect that the robot has made contact with some object and take appropriate action. However, creative mechanical design of the bumper-switch mechanism is required so that contact with various objects (a wall, a robot, etc.) over a range of angles will be consistently detected. A very sensitive touch bumper can be made by connecting a mechanism as an extension of the microswitch's lever arm, as illustrated in Figure 9.5.
Touch sensors can also serve as limit switches to determine when some movable part of the robot has reached the desired position. For example, if a robot arm is driven by a motor, perhaps using a gear rack, touch switches could detect when the arm reached the limit of travel on the rack in each direction.
Figure 9.6 shows how a switch is wired to a sensor input port. When the switch is open (as it is shown in the diagram), the sensor input is connected to the 5 Volt supply by the pull-up resistor. When the switch is closed, the input is connected directly to ground, generating a 0 Volt signal (and causing current to flow through the resistor and switch).
Most push-button-style switches are "normally open," meaning that the switch contacts are in the open-circuit position when the switch has not been pressed. Microswitches often have both normally open and normally closed contacts along with a common contact. When wiring a microswitch, it is customary to use the normally open contacts. Also, this configuration is the active-low mode expected by the standard library software used to read the output values from digital sensor ports. However, you can wire the switch differently to perform some special function. In particular, several switches can be wired in series or parallel and connected to a single digital input port. For example, a touch bumper might have two switches, and the robot only needs to know if either of them (#1 OR #2) are closed. It takes less code and less time to check just one digital port and to use parallel switch wiring to implement the logic OR function in hardware.
As the name suggests, a mercury tilt switch contains a small amount of mercury inside a glass bulb. The operation of the switch is based on the unique properties of mercury: it is both a conductor and a liquid. When the switch tilts mercury flows to the bottom of the bulb closing the circuit between two metal pins.
The mercury tilt switch can be used in any application to sense inclination. For example, the tilt switch could be used to adjust the position of an arm or ramp. Most thermostats contain a mercury tilt switch mounted on a temperature sensitive spring. Changes in temperature tilt the switch, turning the furnace or air conditioner on or off.
A potentiometer (or "pot," for short) is a manually-adjustable, variable resistor. It is commonly used for volume and tone controls in stereo equipment. On the RoboBoard a 10k pot is used as a contrast dial for the LCD screen, and the RoboKnob of the board is also a potentiometer.
In robotics, a potentiometer can be used as a position sensor. A rotary potentiometer (the most common type) can be used to measure the rotation of a shaft. Gears can be used to connect the rotation of the shaft being measured to the potentiometer shaft. It is easiest to use if the shaft being measured does not need to rotate continuously (like the second hand on a clock), but rather rotates back and forth (like the pendulum on a grandfather clock). Most potentiometers rotate only about 270 degrees; some can be rotated continuously, but the values are the same on each rotation. By using a gear ratio other than 1:1, the position of a shaft that rotates more than 270 degrees can be measured.
A potentiometer connected to a shaft and a lever can also be used to determine the distance to a wall and to make the robot follow a path parallel to the wall. The lever, perhaps with a small wheel on the end, would extend from the side of the robot and contact the wall; a rubber band would provide a restoring force. If the robot moved closer to the wall, the lever would pivot, turning the shaft and the potentiometer. The control program would read the resulting voltage and adjust the robot steering to keep the voltage constant.
Potentiometers have three terminals. The outer two terminals are connected to a resistor and the resistance between them is constant (the value of the potentiometer). The center terminal is connected to a contact that slides along the resistance element as the shaft is turned, so the resistance between it and either of the other terminals varies (one increases while the other decreases).
The assembly instructions suggest wiring the potentiometer in the voltage divider configuration, with the on-board pull-up resistor in parallel with one of the potentiometer's two effective resistances (Figure 9.7). This will yield readings of greater precision (although they will not be linear) than if the pot were used as a two-terminal variable resistor. You may want to try different circuits to determine which works best for your application.
Measurement of light provides very valuable information about the environment. Often, particular features of the game board (such as goals) are marked by a strong light beacon. The board surface has contrasting lines that can be detected by the difference in the amount of light they reflect. A variety of light sensors are provided in the ELEC 201 kit:
Photocells are made from a compound called cadmium sulfide (CdS) that changes in resistance when exposed to varying degrees of light. Cadmium sulfide photocells are most sensitive to visible red light, with some sensitivity to other wavelengths.
Photocells have a relatively slow response to changes in light. The characteristic blinking of overhead fluorescent lamps, which turn on and off at the 60 Hertz line frequency, is not detected by photocells. This is in contrast to phototransistors, which have frequency responses easily reaching above 10,000 Hertz and more. Therefore, if both sensors were used to measure the same fluorescent lamp, the photocell would show the light to be always on and the photo-transistor would show the light to be blinking on and off.
Photocells are commonly used to detect the incandescent lamp that acts as a contest start indicator. They are also used to find the light beacons marking certain parts of the board, such as the goals. While they can be used to measure the reflectivity of the game board surface if coupled with a light source such as a red LED or an incandescent lamp, the IR reflectance sensors are usually better at this function. Photocells are sensitive to ambient lighting and usually need to be shielded. Certain parts of the game board might be marked with polarized light sources. An array of photocells with polarizing filters at different orientations could be used to detect the polarization angle of polarized light and locate those board features.
The photocell acts as resistor in the voltage divider configuration discussed in Section 9.2.4. The resistance of a photocell decreases with an increase in illumination (an inverse relationship). Because of the wiring of the voltage divider (the photocell is on the lower side of the voltage divider), an increase in light will correspond to a decrease in sensor voltage and a lower analog value.
The infrared reflectance sensor is a small rectangular device that contains a phototransistor (sensitive to infrared light) and an infrared emitter. The amount of light reflected from the emitter into the phototransistor yields a measurement of a surface's reflectance, for example, to determine whether the surface is black or white. The phototransistor has peak sensitivity at the wavelength of the emitter (a near-visible infrared), but is also sensitive to visible light and infrared light emitted by visible light sources. For this reason, the device should be shielded from ambient lighting as much as possible in order to obtain reliable results.
The amount of light reflected from the emitter into the phototransistor yields a measurement of a surface's reflectance (when other factors, such as the distance from the sensor to the surface, are held constant). The reflectance sensor can also be used to measure distance, provided that the surface reflectance is constant. A reflectance sensor can be used to detect features drawn on a surface or segments on a wheel used to encode rotations of a shaft. It is important to remember that the reflectivity measurement indicates the surface's reflectivity at a particular wavelength of light (the near-visible infrared). A surface's properties with respect to visible light may or may not be indicators of infrared light reflectance. In general, though, surfaces that absorb visible light (making them appear dark to the eye) will absorb infrared light as well.
The sensor part (the phototransistor) can be used alone as a light sensor, for example to detect the starting light, and it is usually much more sensitive than the photocell.
The light falling on a phototransistor creates charge carriers in the base region of a transistor, effectively providing base current. The intensity of the light determines the effective base drive and thus the conductivity of the transistor. Greater amounts of light cause greater currents to flow through the collector-emitter leads. Because a transistor is an active element having current gain, the phototransistor is more sensitive than a simple photoresistor. However, the increased sensitivity comes at the price of reduced dynamic range. Dynamic range is the difference between the lowest and highest levels that can be measured. The RoboBoard analog sensor inputs have a range of 0-5 Volts, and relatively small variations in light can cause the phototransistor output to change through this range. The exact range depends on the circuit used.
As shown in Figure 9.8, the phototransistor is wired in a configuration similar to the voltage divider. The variable current traveling through the resistor causes a voltage drop in the pull-up resistor. This voltage is measured as the output of the device.
The light emitting element (an LED) uses a resistor to limit the current that can flow through the device to the proper value of about 10 milliamps. Normally the emitter is always on, but it could be wired to one of the LED output ports if you wanted to control it separately. In this way you could use the same sensor to detect the starting light (using the phototransistor with the emitter off) and then to follow a line on the board (normal operation with the emitter on).
The infrared slotted optical switch is similar to the infrared reflectance sensor except that the emitter is pointed directly at the phototransistor across a small gap. As the name implies, the slotted optical switch is a digital sensor, designed to provide only two output states. The output of the switch changes if something opaque enters the gap and blocks the light path. The slotted optical switch is commonly used to build shaft encoders, which count the revolution of a shaft. A gear or other type of wheel with with holes or slots is placed in the gap between the emitter and detector. The light pulses created by the turning wheel can be detected and counted with special software to yield rotation or distance data. This detector also might be used to detect when an arm or other part of the robot has reached a particular position by attaching a piece of cardboard to the arm so that it entered the gap at the desired arm position.
The slotted optical switch operates in the same fashion as the infrared reflectance sensor, with the exception that a different value of pull-up resistor must be added externally for the particular model of optical switch we use.
The modulated infrared light detector is a device that combines an infrared phototransistor with specialized signal processing circuitry to detect only light that is pulsing at a particular rate. The ELEC 201 kit includes the Sharp GP1U52 sensor, which detects the presence of infrared light modulated (pulsed) at 40,000 Hz. Normal room light, which is not modulated, does not effect the sensor, a big advantage. This type of sensor is used for the remote control function on televisions, VCRs, etc. In ELEC 201 this sensor is used to detect the specially modulated infrared light emitted by the beacon on the opponent robot. The software can distinguish different pulse patterns in order to distinguish between the beacons on the two robots. (In a television remote, different pulse patterns would correspond to different functions, such a changing the channel up or down.)
The principles of operation and use are explained further in Section 5.8, which also discusses the circuit used to create the modulated infrared light for the beacon. An explanation of the software interface to the Sharp sensors is given in Section 10.11.2.
The ELEC 201 kit contains both an analog sensor that provides information about the strength of the magnetic field and a digital sensor, a magnetic switch.
A device called a Hall effect sensor can be used to detect the presence and strength of magnetic fields. The Hall effect sensors have an output voltage even when no magnetic field is present, and the output changes when a magnetic field is present, the direction of change depending on the polarity of the field.
The digital magnetic sensors are simple switches that are open or closed. Internally the switches have an arm made of magnetic material that is attracted to a magnet and moves to short out the switch contacts. These switches are commonly used as door and window position sensors in home security systems. The switch will close when it comes within 1'' of its companion magnet.
Either sensor can be used to detect magnets or magnetic strips that may be present on the ELEC 201 game board table. With the magnets typically used on the game board, the Hall effect sensor output voltage changes only a small amount when a field is present. The no-field voltage varies between sensors, but it is very stable for a particular sensor, so the small changes can be detected reliably to determine the presence of a magnet. Hall effect sensors can be used to make magnetic shaft encoders, by mounting a small piece of magnet on a wheel that rotates past the sensor element. Hall effect sensors can also be used to build a proximity sensor or bounce-free switch, which detects a magnet mounted on a moving component when it is near the sensor element.
Magnetic switches are used in much the same way as a touch switch, except the switch closes when it is near a magnetic, instead of when it contacts something. The digital nature of the switch makes it easier to use than the Hall effect sensors, but it may be less sensitive. You should try both.
They can also be used to make an inclination sensor by dangling a magnet above the sensor.
The Hall effect sensor included in the ELEC 201 kit is a digital device that operates from a 5 volts power supply. It uses about 6 mA of current for standard operation. It can sink 250 mA of current into its output, creating a logic low. The sensor cannot drive a logic high and therefore requires a pullup resistor for proper operation.
The motor output drivers of the ELEC 201 RoboBoard contains circuitry that produces an output voltage related to the amount of current being used by a motor. Since the motor current corresponds to the load on the motor, this signal can be used to determine if the motor is stalled and the robot is stuck. The voltage signal depends on a number of factors, including battery voltage, and must be calibrated for each application. This application is explained further in Section 5.4.1.
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(CNN) -- Modern football is a melting pot of cultures, as players from a variety of ethnic backgrounds share top billing as superstars.
It is not always a comfortable mix, as can be seen by the recent racism rows involving John Terry and Luis Suarez.
But football's pantheon of stars has not always been such a rich multicultural tapestry. Far from it.
Back in the sport's infancy in the late 1800s, in its homeland of white-dominated Britain, there were no official leagues and only a handful of domestic cup competitions.
International matches were the pinnacle of competition, with England and Scotland contesting the first in 1872 -- and few were played outside the UK and Ireland until the formation of FIFA in 1904 .
And it was Scotland which, in 1881, provided football with its first black international player -- British Guiana-born Andrew Watson.
"He was the son of a Glasgow merchant who traded out in the West Indies and parts of South America as well," curator of the Scottish Football Museum Richard McBrearty told CNN.
"It's a story of the time, I suppose. Andrew would've been born out of wedlock to a wealthy white merchant and his mother who was native to British Guiana."
Social attitudes of the time meant that Watson, while enjoying financial support and a good education, was never truly recognized and acknowledged by his father.
"Anything that had to be signed, due to school or education, was usually done through an intermediary," McBrearty explained. "So he was recognized as being of the blood, but there was a distance."
Early records of Watson show him joining Glasgow team Parkgrove -- which at the time enjoyed a higher profile than now-famous neighbors Glasgow Rangers -- in both a playing and off-pitch capacity.
In his role as match secretary, Watson created history by becoming the first black football administrator. In 1880 he joined Queen's Park, the biggest of the Glasgow clubs and Scotland's preeminent football power.
The following year he represented Scotland in his first of three international outings, captaining the country in a landmark 6-1 victory over England at London's Oval ground -- now an international cricket venue.
"Even to this day with some of the fantastic teams England have played over the years, such as the Hungarians of 1953 and Pele's Brazil, that victory for Scotland remains England's heaviest defeat on home soil," said McBrearty.
The Scotland team led by Watson pioneered a revolutionary passing game at a time when football was played in a very individual manner.
"He is a hugely important figure within football. He captained Scotland against England, which was absolutely the highest accolade you could have at the time. It was also at a time when Scotland were very successful in international football," McBrearty said.
"The way the game was played at that time, Scotland were devising a short passing game. The margin of victory was because Scotland were the first to promote a real team-based passing ethos. Watson was right at the forefront of that."
Despite his prominent role in the national team, Watson still occasionally encountered abuse which was symbolic of a less enlightened age.
"What we come across in a very polite article about Watson is that he encountered 'splenetic players' on the field. Now that suggests to me that the color of his skin was a subject of attack," McBrearty said.
"That's an insight into the fact that, even in that time, this was clearly happening and Watson had to rise above that as a footballer and more widely as a human being."
Watson's demeanor off the pitch is something McBrearty believes is also of note, saying he had a reputation as a gentleman.
"Certainly there is widespread praise that he wins. The adoration that he has is clearly because he manages to rise above the difficulties that he encounters on the field of play."
After leaving Queen's Park, Watson headed to England to play for the now-defunct Swifts club in London.
McBrearty believes Watson became the first black player to play in the English FA Cup during the 1882-83 season.
Watson passed away in Sydney, Australia in 1902 aged 44, but McBrearty thinks the contribution he made to football has paved the way for the big-name black players we see in the game today.
"He's massively important to global football, not just Scottish football, not just British football. He's one of the first few pioneers. He played international football, he captained the international team and they happened to be the best there was at that time.
"As football spreads across the globe with black players who are now among the best in the world, and you look at the legacy of fantastic Brazilian players like Pele and Garrincha, it really stems back to guys like Watson."
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Using the code
The object is called
XMLWriter. It automatically replaces invalid characters such as quotation marks or greater than signs with the appropriate XML values. However, it does not throw exceptions on invalid tag names, because the application I’m writing won’t have the possibility of producing invalid tag names. If you want to add tag-name validation to the object, it should not be a difficult task.
new command like so:
var XML = new XMLWriter();
XMLWriter object has the following public methods:
Attrib (Name, Value)
Node (Name, Value)
BeginNode writes out an opening tag, giving it the name that you pass the method. Below is an example, followed by the XML it would produce:
EndNode ends the current node (if any are still open). So following from the
BeginNode example, if we were to write
XML.EndNode(), the writer would write “/>”. The object is smart enough to know if you have written any text or inner nodes out and will write “</Foo>” if necessary.
Attrib writes out an attribute and value on the currently open node. Below is an example, followed by the XML it would produce:
XML.Attrib(“Bar”, “Some Value”);
WriteString writes out a string value to the XML document as illustrated below:
Node method writes out a named tag and value as illustrated below:
XML.Node(“MyNode”, “My Value”);
Close method does not necessarily need to be called, but it’s a good idea to do so. What it does is end any nodes that have not been ended.
ToString method returns the entire XML document as a single string (duh).
I’ve provided some sample code. The XMLWriter.js file contains all the code you will need to write XML. It is clean code, but uncommented. I’ve tested this code in IE 6.0 and FireFox 1.5.
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Cascading Style Sheets and themes development
Cascading Style Sheets, commonly referred to as CSS, is commonly used to style web pages written in HTML and XHTML, but can be used together with any kind of XML document. It is a style sheet language used to describe the look and formatting (presentation semantics) of a document written in a markup language.
The primary use of CSS is to separate document content from document presentation, such as layout, fonts and colors. This allows for tableless web design, gives the web designer more flexibility and control, and makes it possible for multiple pages to share the same formatting.
The CSS specifications are maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
CSS History – the beginning
Before CSS was developed, the presentational attributes of HTML documents were almost always contained within the HTML markup. The web designer had to explicitly describe all backgrounds, font colors, borders, element alignments, etcetera. The aim of CSS was to allow web designers to move most of this information to a separate style sheet.
Style sheets have been round since the early days of SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language), i.e. since the 1970s. As HTML became more and more widely used, HTML came to encompass a wide variety of stylistic possibilities to meet the demands of increasingly complex web page designs. The designers' gained more and more control, but in the process, HTML became more and more complicated to write and maintain.
Robert Cailliau, the Belgian informatics engineer who together with Tim Berners-Lee developed the World Wide Web, wanted to find a way to separate the structure from the presentation. He also wanted to give the user the option of choosing between three different kinds of style sheets: one for screen presentation, one suitable for printing and one for the editor.
Eventually, nine different style sheet languages was presented to the World Wide Web Consortium. Two of them was chosen: Cascading HTML Style Sheets (CHSS) and Stream-based Style Sheet Proposal (SSP). CHSS had been suggested by Norweigan web pioneer Håkon Wium Lie, while SSP was the brainchild of Dutch computer scientist Ber Bos. Lie teamed up with computer scientists Yves Lafon and Dave Raggett to make Raggett's Arena browser support CSS, while Lie and Bos worked together to turn CHSS into the CSS standard. (The letter H was removed since their style sheets was to be applied to more than just HTML).
CSS History – CSS level 1 and level 2 Recommendations
In 1994, CSS was presented at the Mosaic and the Web conferenece in Chicago. Unlike existing style language such as DSSSL and FOSI, CSS made it possible to use multiple style sheets for the same document and allow the design to be controlled by both designer and user.
In December 1996, CSS became official through the publishing of the CSS level 1 Recommendation. In May 1998, the World Wide Web Consortium published the CSS level 2 Recommendation. The CSS level 3 Recommendation has not yet been published, even though it has been in the works since 1998.
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Ohio snakes slither into summer sun
Photo courtesy of Metro Parks
The Eastern garter snake is one of three garter snakes in the state. The cold-blooded reptile can be found all around central Ohio, even in backyard gardens. It is one of five snakes that can be found in the area.
The weather is warming up and humans are not the only ones basking in the sun. The snakes have slithered out too.
The cold-blooded reptile has always been feared or revered. Now is the time of year when encounters with them are common but is there really a reason to fear them?
Peg Hanley, spokeswoman for Metro Parks, said none of the snakes in this part of the state are poisonous.
“Many people think all snakes are poisonous,” said Hanley. “They just don’t know how great they really are.”
Hanley said another myth about snakes is that they are slimy and scaly.
“They are actually completely dry,” she remarked.
Contrary to what movie makers will have you believe, snakes will not chase you. In fact, Hanley said they will do their best to avoid you. They can feel the vibrations from an approaching animal and will likely hide until the perceived threat is gone.
“If you don’t bug them, they won’t bug you,” said Hanley. “Not all snakes have fangs either.”
For some snakes, it’s mating season. For others, they just want to warm up in the sun. Hanley said soaking up the rays helps digestion in the reptile.
The following are facts on the five snakes people most commonly encounter in central Ohio.
Northern water snake
According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), this is one of the most widely distributed and abundant snakes in Ohio. They can live in just about any permanent body of water.
The Northern water snake is usually 24 to 42 inches in size and has extreme variation in color. It is sometimes confused with the poisonous water moccasin or the cottonmouth.
This species will try to steer clear of humans but can be aggressive if aggravated. It will bite and its bite can be painful and leave deep lacerations.
Eastern garter snake
This snake is one of three garters in the state but is the most common. It is recognized by its color pattern of three yellow stripes on a black or brown body.
It is usually about four inches long and can be found in nearly every habitat, including backyard gardens. The garter gets its name from its resemblance to stripes on old fashioned sock garters.
If the snake bites, some people experience swelling or a rash.
Black rat snake
The black rat is Ohio’s largest snake, ranging between 47 to 72 inches in length. It is the most commonly killed snake due to human fear. It is all black, except for a small light patch under its chin.
This kind of snake prefers the forest. It is an accomplished climber and can be found high in trees or in woodpecker holes.
Hanley said the black rat is sometimes mistaken for a rattlesnake because it can vibrate its tail.
“Normally, it is a pretty shy creature,” said Hanley. “It even plays possum when threatened.”
If cornered or captured, the snake will likely vibrate its tail and strike repeatedly. It can also coil around something tightly and discharge a foul-smelling substance.
According to the ODNR, the black rat snake is one of the state’s most beneficial reptiles. It plays an essential role in controlling destructive rodents.
The queen snake sounds like a big one but it actually measures just 15 to 24 inches in length.
This snake is normally encountered when flat stones or boards are overturned. It is found along waterways and feeds on soft-shelled crayfish instead of rodents.
The queen snake is dark brown with a yellow stripe on the lower side of its body. The belly is yellow with brown stripes.
The queen snake has such small teeth, it barely pierces the skin if it bites.
Black racer snake
The black racer is the state snake of Ohio. It is normally 36 to 60 inches long and can reach speeds of up to 10 miles per hour.
Hanley said this snake is very shiny and prevalent in the area.
“The racer is great to Ohio farmers,” she noted because of its speedy hunting of rodents.
The black racer snake becomes nervous around humans and can be aggressive if captured. With small but numerous teeth, its bite can be painful.
Snakes around you
“Snakes are good at what they do,” said Hanley, “and that’s finding and hunting rodents.”
The reptiles also have natural predators including hawks, eagles and humans.
Hanley said the snake has always had a myth imprinted on it but said the snakes in central Ohio are not dangerous to humans.
To learn more about snakes, attend Battelle Darby Creek’s “Cold Blooded Critters” event on May 25 from 1 to 4 p.m. Interested persons are asked to meet at Indian Ridge Lodge.
For more information about reptiles or additional events, call Metro Parks at 895-6365 or log onto metroparks.net.
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This paper, submitted to Astronomy Education Review, describes a series of activities in which students investigate and use the models of planetary motion introduced by the Hellenistic astronomer Claudius Ptolemy in the 2nd Century, by the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus in the mid-16th Century, and by the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe in the late16th Century. The activities involve the use of open source software to help students discover important observational facts, learn the necessary vocabulary, understand the fundamental properties of different theoretical models, and relate the theoretical models to observational data. Once they understand the observations and models, students complete a series of projects in which they observe a fictitious solar system with four planets orbiting in circles around a central star and construct both Ptolemaic and Copernican models for that system.
Activities on Using Stellarium to Observe Solar and Planetary Motions
This zip archive contains two activity handouts that guide students through using open source planetarium software (Stellarium, available at… more... download 211kb .zip
Published: January 4, 2013
Modeling the History of Astronomy Poster
A poster describing the same material, presented at the Winter Meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers, January 2013, New Orleans, LA. download 370kb .pdf
Published: January 11, 2013
%A Todd Timberlake %T Modeling the History of Astronomy: Ptolemy, Copernicus and Tycho %D January 10, 2013 %U http://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12579&DocID=3173 %O application/pdf
%0 Report %A Timberlake, Todd %D January 10, 2013 %T Modeling the History of Astronomy: Ptolemy, Copernicus and Tycho %8 January 10, 2013 %U http://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12579&DocID=3173
Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.
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Refuel with energy-rich foods
Everyone needs carbohydrates, the body’s preferred energy source. If you get regular cardiovascular exercise or train for an endurance sport, you need more daily carbs to fuel your workouts and replenish your energy stores. Remember: all carbs are not created equal. Grains, fruit, vegetables (nutrient-rich choices) as well as candy and sweets (empty calories) are all sources of carbohydrate. Some foods, like dairy and legumes, combine carbohydrate and protein, which helps restore muscles. The best carbs to choose are ones that contribute plenty of other nutrients such as protein, vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants.
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A teacher's point of view: Mutual respect and healthy discourse
The recent controversy over the banning of the Confederate flag and purported hate speech and conduct within the Dolores Schools has prompted the kind of discourse that characterizes a society that values free speech and diversity. Nowhere is this more evident than in the arguments of William Nelligan in recent letters to The Dolores Star and editorial columns for the Cortez Journal. It seems, however, that the majority of published opinion, including Mr. Nelligan's, weighs in against the Administration's decision to ban controversial symbols that could be construed as politically/culturally insensitive. Though, in truth, I agree with much of what Mr. Nelligan says, it is simplistic and erroneous to judge the district's actions in light of a strict interpretation of the First Amendment.
The responsibility of the public school system to educate our children and to prepare them to assume their roles as citizens of the United States, contributors to local and global communities, is daunting. Educators not only make decisions about what to teach and how to teach it but must nurture and protect the children whose education is entrusted to us. In writing their opinions, both for the majority and in dissent, justices of the Supreme Court have recognized this responsibility and noted that "the rights of students must be applied in light of the special characteristics of the school environment (Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeir, 1988)." Since the 1969 decision of Tinker v. Des Moines, the case to which Mr. Nelligan often referred, the Court has repeatedly sided with school administrators in restricting students' free speech, observing that "the constitutional rights of students are not automatically co-extensive with the rights of adults in other settings (Bethal School District No. 403 v. Fraser, 1986)." The most recent case, Frederick v. Morse (2007), further restricted students' rights to free speech, supporting an administrative decision even when there was not evidence of disruption of school activities, a condition that was imposed on schools with the development of the "Tinker Test." The decision of Dolores Re-4a administrators to ban the Confederate flag and other controversial political symbols is not unconstitutional. It is a choice they have the right to make.
Balancing "legitimate educational objectives and the need for school discipline against First Amendment values" requires careful consideration. Perhaps the most important civics lesson that can come from this act of censorship is not what students gained or lost but how they see us - their teachers, parents and community members - dealing with this and other important issues currently facing the Dolores School Board and Administration. Analyzing a situation, stating one's opinion and backing it with evidence, listening respectfully, reflecting thoughtfully on another's point of view, and working together to find solutions are critical to the well being of our District and, incidentally, are the same 21st Century skills we seek to develop in our students. I am grateful for Mr. Nelligan's thoughtful challenge and his model of the First Amendment in action. It is through mutual respect and healthy discourse that we will be able to create a better school.
Melanie Cook, teacher
Dolores Middle School
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More Clues About Why Chimps and Humans Are Genetically Different
Contact: Jason Maderer
Aug 23, 2012 | Atlanta, GA
Ninety-six percent of a chimpanzee’s genome is the same as a human’s. It’s the other four percent, and the vast differences, that pique the interest of Georgia Tech’s Soojin Yi. For instance, why do humans have a high risk of cancer, even though chimps rarely develop the disease?
In research published in September’s American Journal of Human Genetics, Yi looked at brain samples of each species. She found that differences in certain DNA modifications, called methylation, may contribute to phenotypic changes. The results also hint that DNA methylation plays an important role for some disease-related phenotypes in humans, including cancer and autism.
“Our study indicates that certain human diseases may have evolutionary epigenetic origins,” says Yi, a faculty member in the School of Biology. “Such findings, in the long term, may help to develop better therapeutic targets or means for some human diseases. “
DNA methylation modifies gene expression but doesn’t change a cell’s genetic information. To understand how it differs between the two species, Yi and her research team generated genome-wide methylation maps of the prefrontal cortex of multiple humans and chimps. They found hundreds of genes that exhibit significantly lower levels of methylation in the human brain than in the chimpanzee brain. Most of them were promoters involved with protein binding and cellular metabolic processes.
“This list of genes includes disproportionately high numbers of those related to diseases,” said Yi. “They are linked to autism, neural-tube defects and alcohol and other chemical dependencies. This suggests that methylation differences between the species might have significant functional consequences. They also might be linked to the evolution of our vulnerability to certain diseases, including cancer.”
Yi, graduate student Jia Zeng and postdoctoral researcher Brendan Hunt worked with a team of researchers from Emory University and UCLA. The Yerkes National Primate Research Center provided the animal samples used in the study. It was also funded by the Georgia Tech Fund for Innovation in Research and Education (GT-FIRE) and National Science Foundation grants (MCB-0950896 and BCS-0751481). The content is solely the responsibility of the principal investigators and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NSF.
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When agricultural researchers in the Southwest look into the future, one issue stays near the top of the list as a major priority. No matter what happens in any other ag-related area, all roads lead back to this one fact.
Without this one resource, farming doesn’t exist. And nowhere has this become a bigger issue than in the Southwest part of the Cotton Belt where droughts have become a way of life through the years.
In Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, this has always been a major topic of discussion dating back to the Dust Bowl days of the 1920s and 1930s. Nobody is seriously comparing today’s environment to what moviegoers saw in that famous 1940 movie, “Grapes of Wrath,” which starred Henry Fonda.
However, when drought and new water restrictions become part of the conversation, it’s only natural for producers to become concerned.
Even though water issues can be found in all parts of the Cotton Belt, they seem to receive additional attention in the Southwest where more than half of the country’s cotton is produced in Texas.
It is not surprising that New Mexico State University and the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE) will co-host a conference in Santa Fe, N.M., on Aug. 7 to address this issue.
Serious Impact Of Drought
The drought of 2011 had an impact on all of the Southwest, but particularly in Texas where cotton yields were reduced by about 50 percent to 3.5 million bales.
Since last summer, several national stories have called attention to the growing water crisis in the region. One report published by the National Academy of Science says the shortage of water in California and Texas could eventually have dire consequences because of a continued reliance on irrigated agriculture.
Stephanie Walker of the New Mexico State University Extension Plant Sciences Department is helping coordinate the conference, which will have attendees from 13 states and several Pacific Island countries. While the theme of the conference will center on water and the future of agriculture in the Southwest, Walker expects a healthy exchange of ideas beneficial to all parties.
“I won’t hold my breath that we will all get on the same page on this issue,” she says. “But we’ll know what we have to do.
“Not only do we have serious water concerns here in the Southwest, but on island nations they have similar water issues. Water resources are very important throughout the world.”
Some of the topics at the conference include: Balancing ag and urban water use, rainwater harvesting, low-water-use crops, low-tech irrigation strategies and renewable-energy technology for water pumping.
Although the water battle between rural and urban interests has been going on for many years, Walker is convinced that common ground must be achieved.
“Long-term water conservation and use efficiency are in everyone’s best interests,” she says. “Whether you are involved in the agricultural industry or living in a city, everyone needs to come together on this for the long-term benefit of our society.”
Those are optimistic words to describe an issue that pits expanding urban population needs against farming interests. Both sides need reliable water sources.
Finding agreement can be one of the most challenging exercises imaginable. An outsider only has to look at the San Joaquin Valley of California to see how volatile emotions can become. In the SJV, water issues are often influenced by factors such as winter snowpack, water allocations, politics and even the preservation of a small species of fish called the delta smelt.
Proactive Attitudes Persist
Nobody in the Southwest – and particularly Texas – is being complacent.
Rick Kellison, project director for the Texas Alliance for Water Conservation (TAWC), has been involved in water issues since 2005, and he is hopeful that producers across the state are more informed on how to implement water conservation measures.
“My first thought is that producers here and elsewhere in the United States are the best conservationists and environmentalists anywhere,” he says. “They have to be that way because that’s their mechanism for living on the farm.”
Kellison says it’s a necessity that a farmer know what the water and nutrient needs are for the crop.
“Producers do a great job in this regard and have always done a great job,” he says. “Having said that, I think we are at a pivotal point in this discussion because we’ve been in the middle of a serious drought, and there has definitely been a decrease in the finite water source.”
It’s interesting to see how this issue has changed in just two years. For example, in the June 2010 issue of Cotton Farming, many Texas ag officials discussed how the Ogallala Aquifer’s water levels must be protected by implementing efficient water-use policies on the farm.
As it turns out, there were no major drought problems in 2010, and a recordbreaking cotton crop was produced in Texas. Kellison says nobody felt any urgency to deal with water conservation. Not surprisingly, the mood changed during and after the drought-plagued 2011 crop season.
“I see a greater awareness about things we can do better in water conservation,” he says. “And I’m not just talking about irrigation application. I’m talking about the entire thought process in areas such as tillage practices and anything that can seriously affect water use.”
Kellison is particularly excited about new broad-based irrigation technology that will impact genetics, tillage, irrigation methods and timing. He also foresees other scientific breakthroughs that can help determine the rooting depth of the crop, fertility zones and identify where moisture depletion has occurred in a field.
Technology will once again help solve an important problem that confronts agriculture.
Contact Tommy Horton at (901) 767-4020 or firstname.lastname@example.org.
Last Year’s Drought Was A Wakeup Call For Ag
The recordbreaking drought in Texas in 2011 is remembered in different ways.
For the farmer, it was a matter of survival. For Jim Bordovsky, Texas AgriLife research scientist and engineer, it presented an opportunity for a “teaching moment.”
He isn’t suggesting that producers haven’t always been aware of water efficiency on their farms. But, he’s confident that those same farmers now realize how important even small amounts of early season rain are for irrigated production.
Bordovsky is also seeing more situations where producers are considering different irrigation systems such as LEPA and subsurface drip and trying not to spread water too thinly by going to half-circle irrigation.
“I think everyone is being more careful on when to apply water,” he says. “As a matter of fact, I haven’t seen any continuous irrigation. That in itself tells me that producers are quite concerned.”
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Osteoporosis is a disease, more common in women, that causes bones to become fragile and more susceptible to breaking.
The disease can have serious effects on women's health and quality of life. Some women - most commonly those who don't have good access to health care - experience fractures that could have been prevented if their osteoporosis had been treated. At the same time, not every woman who is warned about bone thinning needs to be worried.
What is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis literally means porous bone. Throughout life, natural process breaks down bones and builds them back up again at the microscopic level. Pregnant women release bone to transfer needed minerals to the developing fetus and then build their own bone strength up again after giving birth.
After age 35-40 all adults begin to lose bone as the breaking down process overwhelms the building process. For a few years around the time of menopause, women lose bone more quickly, possibly because they no longer need extra stores of minerals to support a developing fetus.
Osteoporosis occurs when the natural process of aging goes too far and bones become weak and fragile. Osteoporosis has several causes - age alone can be a cause of osteoporosis, especially in people who didn't build up their bones to their fullest potential during childhood and young adulthood. Removing women's ovaries increases their risk of getting osteoporosis. People who have osteoporosis are at greater risk for fracturing their bones, especially in the hip, vertebrae ( spine) and wrist. Hip fractures lead to hospitalization, can take a long time to heal, and many women never fully recover from them.
The most common screening tool is a DEXA X-ray scan, which measures bone mineral density in the hip or spine. DEXA results compare a woman's bone density to that of a healthy young adult (almost guaranteeing the scan will reveal bone loss, since everyone loses bone with age). If a woman's bone density is significantly lower than a young adult's, she is diagnosed with osteoporosis.
Women diagnosed with osteoporosis are usually told they need to take prescription medication to prevent further bone loss and reduce the risk of fractures. The most common drugs are:
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved estrogen and progestin treatment to prevent osteoporosis -- but not to treat it. Both estrogen alone and combinations of estrogen and progestin reduce women's risk of osteoporosis and bone fracture.
Calcitonin has been shown to prevent fractures of the spine but not of the hip and wrist. It is approved to treat women with osteoporosis, but its approval was based on weaker evidence than more recently approved drugs, and its use is not generally recommended.
The FDA has approved six bisphosphonates to prevent bone loss and fractures in post-menopausal women: alendronate (Fosamax), etidronate (Didronel), ibandronate (Boniva), risedronate (Actonel), tiludronate (Skelid), and zoleldronic acid (Reclast, Zometra). Some are taken daily, others are formulated for weekly or monthly use. Bisphosphonates seem to have fewer risks than hormones, at least in the first five years.
Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators:
The FDA has approved raloxifene (Evista) to prevent and treat osteoporosis. The drug has been tested more extensively than biophosphonates and although it reduces the risk of spine fractures, it doesn't seem to reduce hip fracture risk.
Alternatives to drugs exist for making and keeping bones strong. The National Institutes of Health's Consensus Statement on Osteoporosis reviewed the research on osteoporosis prevention and treatment and found strong scientific evidence that calcium and Vitamin D intake are crucial to develop and preserve strong bones. Regular exercise (especially resistance and high-impact activities) contributes to the development of bone mass. Other promising interventions focus on preventing fractures: balance training reduces the risk of falling, which is often responsible for broken bones in older people.
In addition to thinking carefully about their own risk of experiencing a serious fracture, women need to consider safety issues when deciding whether to take osteoporosis drugs.
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With about 217 million smartphones in our pockets, Americans are more connected to the world, our families and friends than ever. We're also more connected to our bank accounts than ever.
While that helps many consumers stay in better control of their finances and budgets, it also means that the power to spend is as easy as the click of a button, whether intended or not. These smartphones, mobile devices and the multitude of apps and other online functions also usually include never-read disclosure agreements that allow developers to sell and share sensitive consumer data.
None of that is news, of course. However, what we don't read (end-user license agreements, and such) can hurt us. And although we may accept that companies will use our data in some ways, one needs look no further than t he recent outcry that resulted when online photo sharing site Instagram announced that it would be selling the photo's of its users, without compensation to them.
There are many other examples of consumers concerned over the use of their private information, which is why the Federal Trade Commission has developed a list of recommendations that it believes developers should follow in order to help protect consumer data and diminish the chance of unintended spending.
In its latest report, Mobile Privacy Disclosures: Building Trust Though Transparency, the FTC addresses many of the potential risks consumers face:
"When people use their mobile devices, they are sharing information about their daily lives with a multitude of players. How many companies are privy to this information? How often do they access such content and how do they use it or share it? What do consumers understand about who is getting their information and how they are using it?"
In 2000, the agency started considering privacy implications related to the use of mobile devices. Just last year, it hosted a mobile privacy panel discussion. The new report is based on the feedback they received from the panel and on prior studies.
One of the primary focus areas of the report is on the developers of the mobile platforms and operating systems, such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, BlackBerry, Amazon and Samsung.
The report states that, because these companies give app developers and others access to user information (location, contact lists, calendar info, photos and other data), and because their app stores reach millions of consumers, they have an important role.
As such, the report recommends they should:
- Provide just-in-time disclosures to consumers and obtain their affirmative express consent before allowing apps to access sensitive content like geolocation;
- Consider providing just-in-time disclosures and obtaining affirmative express consent for other content that consumers would find sensitive in many contexts, such as contacts, photos, calendar entries, or the recording of audio or video content;
- Consider developing a one-stop “dashboard” approach to allow consumers to review the types of content accessed by the apps they have downloaded;
- Consider developing icons to depict the transmission of user data;
- Promote app developer best practices. For example, platforms can require developers to make privacy disclosures, reasonably enforce these requirements, and educate app developers;
- Consider providing consumers with clear disclosures about the extent to which platforms review apps prior to making them available for download in the app stores and conduct compliance checks after the apps have been placed in the app stores;
- Consider offering a Do Not Track (DNT) mechanism for smartphone users. A mobile DNT mechanism, which a majority of the Commission has endorsed, would allow consumers to choose to prevent tracking by ad networks or other third parties as they navigate among apps on their phones.
The FTC has suggestions for app developers, too, suggesting that they:
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The transmission of TV programs into the home and office via coaxial cable. The first cable TV dates back to the late 1940s, when antennas were located at the highest point in a community to deliver TV to areas that had difficulty receiving over-the-air broadcasts (see CATV).|
From TV to Internet to Telephony
Since the cable companies were already wired into millions of homes, they had great success selling Internet access to its subscribers, starting in the late 1990s. Unlike the telephone company's DSL service, Internet access via the cable infrastructure does not have distance limitations. Cable TV companies later added telephone service to offer the "triple play" (data, voice and video service). See cable Internet.
Many Analog and Digital Channels
Cable TV typically transmits 125 6 MHz channels using frequency division multiplexing (FDM) to its subscribers. Each channel can hold one analog TV program, three high-definition (HD) digital programs or 10 standard definition (SD) digital programs. The digital channels provide 40 Mbps of digital bandwidth, 38 of which is the actual payload.
The channels are also used for video-on-demand, Internet access and voice over IP (VoIP) telephone service. Upstream channels use from 0 to 50 MHz, while downstream channels use 50 MHz to 750 MHz. See FDM, CMTS and digital TV transition.
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Hydraulic head distribution in the Plover aquifer system, Vulcan sub-basin
Petroleum hydrogeology reveals oil leakage from traps
CSIRO’s team of hydrogeologists have developed techniques to help solve problems in Australia’s oil industry and identify safe storage options to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
30 November 2009 | Updated 14 October 2011
In the field of hydrogeology, most scientists work on shallow water resources, groundwater contamination and soil salinity problems.
CSIRO has developed a team of hydrogeologists that have adapted special techniques for understanding hydrodynamic processes of the deep subsurface where oil and gas is generated and trapped and where CO2 can be safely stored for thousands of years.
This unique application of expertise helps geologists and engineers to understand why some hydrocarbon traps have leaked their oil while others have retained oil fields for millions of years.
When an oil company starts producing oil and gas from a deep reservoir, only a portion of the oil can be extracted, leaving the remainder in the pore space of the rocks.
CSIRO petroleum hydrogeologists study new ways that we can improve the percentage of oil that can be extracted from a reservoir.
CSIRO uses this knowledge to provide services to the oil and gas industry to help understand:
CSIRO has a team of hydrogeologists who have developed enabling technologies for understanding hydrodynamic processes of the deep subsurface.
oil migration and trapping
compartmentalisation of hydrocarbon deposits on production
the effects of aquifer pressure depletion
to evaluate geological sequestration of CO2.
Improvement in oil recovery could greatly reduce the need to find new hydrocarbon fields.
By understanding geological conditions that have retained hydrocarbons for millions of years we can then identify deep geological structures that are capable to safely store CO2 for long periods of time.
Deep underground storage of CO2 in abandoned oil fields not only provides an alternative to atmospheric emission, but also provides and opportunity to increase oil production.
Learn more about CSIRO's work in Energy from Oil & Gas.
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How to attract birds to your garden
Choosing the right seed and creating an inviting habitat that will attract flocks of birds to the backyard.
(Page 2 of 2)
– Super-size it. Elongated suet feeders provide support for woodpeckers, which tend to use their strong tails for balance as they eat. These feeders generally hold two suet cakes, one basket on each side of a board.Skip to next paragraph
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Where and how you feed wild birds can be just as important as what you feed them, especially if you're trying to attract just a few favored species.
Encourage small birds, for instance, by putting up specialty feeders that restrict access.
"Wood feeders with vertical bars and feeders covered with wire mesh frustrate the larger birds," says a US. Fish and Wildlife Service fact shees. "Tube feeders without trays also restrict access to small birds. Remove the perches and you've further selected only those birds capable of clinging – finches, chickadees, titmice and woodpeckers. Add vertical perches to tube thistle (nyjer) feeders and you'll limit accessibility primarily to the goldfinches."
Tips on choosing seed
Birds can be as finicky as people about what they eat. So the varieties of birds you attract to your yard will be determined primarily by the kind of seed you offer.
"Watch a feeder filled with a seed mix and you'll see the birds methodically drop or kick out most of the seeds to get to their favorite – sunflower," the US. Fish and Wildlife Service says in a bird feeding fact sheet. "Birds will also kick out artificial 'berry' pellets, processed seed flavored and colored to look like 'real' fruit."
The most effective way to attract a large variety of birds is to put out separate feeders for each food, the agency says. Here is a Fish and Wildlife Service guide matching birds with their favorite foods:
Cracked corn: ducks, geese, quail, mourning doves.
Nyjer: finches, pine siskins, chickadees, dark-eyed juncos, redpolls, doves, and sparrows.
Nectar: hummingbirds, cardinals, thrushes, orioles, tanagers, finches.
Fruit: orioles, mockingbirds, cedar waxwings, tanagers, bluebirds, jays, cardinals, thrushes.
Peanuts: woodpeckers, chickadees, and titmice.
Millet: doves, blackbirds, sparrows, juncos, towhees.
If you want to feed only doves, cardinals, and white-throated sparrows, then switch from black oil sunflower to safflower seed, the agency says.
When is the best time to feed? Many people say all year if you enjoy the sights and sounds of birds.
"Birds can benefit from an additional food source in winter, but the really good time to feed is spring going into summer," says Ms. Cole. "They've got a lot of chicks just coming out (of the nest) and the adults will bring them to the feeders. There's still a lot of migration going on, too.
"Many natural foods haven't matured yet and a lot of insects aren't out in force," Cole says. "So feeding birds at that time works well for them."
Editor's note: For more garden articles – at least one new one each weekday – click here. And don't forget to bookmark and drop by our lively garden blogs. Click here for the RSS feed of all our gardening content. You can also follow us on Twitter.
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A visual arts lesson combined with language arts, where the students will create a visual poem using crayons. Students are asked to make a connection to an important aspect or event their lives.
Have you ever wondered why children are so afraid to express themselves through poetry? Possibly it is because they think a poem has to rhyme, have a certain pattern, or look a certain way. This lesson will allow children to use their imagination to create a visual poem. They will be encouraged to think independently. Through this exposure to writing poems and making visual representations of their poems, the children will learn how to respond emotionally and verbally to different visual poems. In addition to this, the students will develop an appreciation for poetry and other forms of expression.
Creative Expression: Each student will create a visual poem, using colored crayons, which will illustrate an important aspect of his or her life.
Aesthetic Valuing: The students will share their visual poems with the class, which will help them to appreciate the variations in poetry and recognize the different styles of visual poetry.
1. Direct instruction- teacher will explain different types of visual poems and give examples.
2. Guided discovery- students will create their own unique visual poem.
3. Group process- student will share their poems with a partner.
Introduction- First, the teacher will read a poem to the students, and ask them if they liked the poem. What things did you like/dislike? Then, the teacher will share 3-4 different examples of visual poems (done by 3rd graders) with the kids, which will show them a couple different styles. These examples will be shown on transparencies.
1. As a beginning activity to expose children to poetry, the teacher will provide the students with a worksheet. The worksheet will have 3 sentences on it, each one starting with "I wish...". The students will be asked to respond with 3 things they wish for. Then, the students will be told that they just created a poem.
2. The teacher will engage the students in a brainstorming activity (using a large sheet of white butcher paper) where they discuss some of their favorite things from favorite colors, to hobbies, to important people, etc. 3. The teacher will instruct the students to create a visual poem, which illustrates something which is very important to them.
4. A piece of plain white paper will be passed out, along with a box of crayons. Watercolors will be available at the art table if children elect to use them.
5. Soft instrumental music will be played in the background, as the students create their visual poems.
6. Students will be paired up with a partner to share their visual poem. They will be instructed to tell the person at least 1 thing they liked about the visual poem.
Have the students do a poetry reading (on a volunteer basis), which gives them the opportunity to share their creations in front of an audience. Collect the visual poems and put them together into a book. Here is an example title of a book, Ms. Hiltel's 3rd grade classes' wonderful creations!
Teacher collects the visual poems, and checks for visual evidence of completion of the assignment including use of color and connection to important event or aspect of students' lives. After poems are shared in partners, each student critiques peer's visual poem, by stating one aspect which is particularly liked. Teacher also listens to students' comments during sharing.
1. overhead projector
2. copies of 3-4 poems on transparencies
3. 1 poem to read aloud
4. 1 box of crayons (per student)
5. watercolors, paintbrushes, plastic cups, paper towels (for optional use)
6. white paper (1 sheet per student)
7. large piece of white butcher paper
8. soft instrumental music
Assigned students will collect crayons and return them to the proper place. Students who used the watercolors at the art table will be responsible for cleaning up that area and putting away the watercolor boxes.
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Schizophrenia is a mental illness characterized by disturbances in mood, behavior and thinking (psychosis). The thinking disturbance shows up as a distortion of reality, sometimes with delusions and hallucinations, and fragmented thinking that results in disturbances of speech. The mood disturbance includes ambivalence and inappropriate or constricted display of emotions. The behavior disturbance may show up as apathetic withdrawal or bizarre activity. Schizophrenia is NOT the same thing as ‘split or multiple personalities’ which is Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).
TYPES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
DISORGANIZED Characterized by wild or silly behavior or mannerisms, inappropriate display of emotions, frequent hypochondriacal complaints and delusions and hallucinations that are transient and unorganized.
CATATONIC Typically a state of stupor, usually characterized by muscular rigidity, resistance to movement or opposite behavior to what is being asked. Occasionally catatonic excitement occurs which is excited, uncontrollable motor activity.
PARANOID Characterized by unwarranted suspicion and thinking that others have evil motives, and/or an exaggerated sense of self-importance (delusions of grandeur).
UNDIFFERENTIATED Psychotic symptoms are prominent but do not fall into any other subtype.
RESIDUAL No longer psychotic but still shows some symptoms of the disorder.
Typically, schizophrenia is treated with antipsychotic medications. When the older medications such as Mellaril, Prolizin, Trilafon and Thorazine are used for an extended period of time a sometimes-permanent condition called tardive dyskinesia can result. Symptoms may include involuntary movements of face, mouth, tongue or limbs. Stopping the medication may cause the symptoms to disappear in some but not all. Medications can treat the side effects but not the tardive dyskinesia.
There is a new generation of antipsychotic medications which have very little risk of tardive dyskinesia including Seroquel, Zyprexa, Risperdal and Clozaril.
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Cows get tracking collars as scientists try to work out how they make friends
By Mark Prigg
How cows make friends is to be investigated in a bizarre three-year study.
Scientists want to understand more about 'social networking' within dairy herds.
The aim is to help farmers improve the health and welfare of their cows, thereby increasing milk yields.
Social animals: Researchers hope to find out how cows interact with each other and form social groups using tracking collars
For the first stage of the research, high-tech 'proximity collar's' have been fitted to cows on a farm in Cullompton, Devon.
The collars use radio signals to determine how close one cow is to another, allowing scientists to map the animals’ social interactions.
Study leader Dr Darren Croft, from the University of Exeter’s Animal Behaviour Research Group, said: 'Emerging evidence on wild animal populations supports the idea that the group structure and relationships between the animals affect their health and wellbeing.
'Cows are social animals that form important group structures, and the addition or removal of animals from an established group can significantly alter its dynamics.
'We want to find out just how important these group structures are.
'Dairy farmers take a range of factors into account when deciding how to structure groups of cows.
'We hope that the results of our study may contribute towards a blueprint for herd management that will help farmers continue to improve the health and welfare of their cows.'
Researcher Natasha Boyland, another member of the Exeter team, said: 'We will look at the nature of the interactions to see just how relationships are formed and maintained within the herd.
Animals in the study will wear a special collar to track their movements around fields
'In combination with the proximity data findings and other information about the animals, such as their health status, we hope to gather evidence that can be translated into practical advice for farmers when it comes to herd management.'
The study is funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and DairyCo, the levy-funded organisation that works on behalf of British dairy farmers.
Researchers know cows are extremely social animals, and now hope to find out how they make friends and how their social groups operate in a bid to improve farming techniques
Amanda Ball, head of communications at DairyCo, said: 'This study could help dairy farmers understand more about their cows, improve their health and welfare and may even contribute towards helping to secure the future supply of milk to consumers.
'The dairy industry is worth £8 billion a year to the UK economy and it is important to support research that can help farmers continue to provide consumers with top quality dairy products whilst putting the health and welfare of their cows first.'
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This week Intel privately shared parts of
its roadmap for memory technologies through 2008. Intel’s
progress on phase-change memory, PCM or PRAM, will soon be
sampled to customers with mass production possible before the end of the year.
Phase-change memory is positioned as a replacement for
flash memory, as it has non-volatile characteristics, but is faster and can be
scaled to smaller dimensions. Flash memory cells can degrade and become
unreliable after as few as 10,000 writes, but PCM is much more resilient at more
than 100 million write cycles. For these reasons, Intel believes that
phase-change memory could one day replace DRAM.
“The phase-change memory gets pretty close to Nirvana,” said
Ed Doller, CTO of Intel’s flash memory group. “It will start to displace some
of the RAM in the system.”
For its implementation of phase-change memory, Intel has since 2000 licensed technology from Ovonyx Inc.. The Ovonyx technology uses the properties of chalcogenide
glass, the same material found in CD-RW and DVD-RW, which can be switched
between crystalline and amorphous states for binary functions.
Every potential PCRAM memory maker thus far licenses Ovonyx technology. According
to Ovonyx’s Web site, the first licensee of the technology was Lockheed Martin
in 1999, with Intel and STMicroelectronics in the following year. Four years
after that, Nanochip signed an agreement. Elpida and Samsung were the next two in 2005,
and Qimonda marks the latest with a signing this year.
IBM, Macronix and Qimonda detailed last December its recent developments on
phase-change memory. Researchers at IBM’s labs demonstrated a prototype
phase-change memory device that switched more than 500 times faster than flash
while using less than one-half the power to write data into a cell. The IBM device’s cross-section is a minuscule 3 by 20 nanometers in size, far
smaller than flash can be built today and equivalent to the industry’s
chip-making capabilities targeted for 2015.
Intel’s initial phase-change technology, however, is already
a reality, as the chipmaker revealed that it has produced a 90
nanometer phase-change memory wafer. At the 90 nanometer process size, the
power requirements to write are approximate to that required for flash. Intel
said that its early test work shows data retention abilities of greater than 10
years even at temperatures of 85 degree Celsius.
Intel touts PCM as a “new category of memory,” as its
attributes are distinctly different, and typically superior to many of the
memory technologies today as it combines the best attributes of RAM, NOR and
NAND. Intel wouldn’t give a firm date on the availability of its phase-change
memory as several details still need to be finalized after the sampling
“We're going to be using this to allow customers to get
familiar with the technology and help us architect the next generation device.”
Doller said. “We're hoping we can see [mass] production by the end of the year,
but that depends on the customers.”
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Posted on 31 August 2010.
Angry or depressed about the Gulf oil disaster? You’re not alone. Deborah Du Nann Winter, PhD, Professor of Psychology at Whitman College, says the emotional impacts of this massive environmental disaster are widespread.
Dr. Du Nann Winter witnessed a wide variety of emotional reactions to the Deepwater Horizon crisis, the most striking in her opinion being anger - toward BP’s failure to adhere to regulations and cutting corners on safety precautions, and toward President Obama for his apparent lack of anger.
“But I think all that anger projected toward the oil companies and toward the President is a way of masking the really unfathomable and profound despair that is just under the surface as we watch this catastrophe unfold,” she said.
Also, “It really isn’t appropriate to blame BP or the President for the fact that we are rapidly approaching the end of cheap oil, and these kinds of disasters are accumulating all over the world. Blaming individuals by demonizing them is simply not a very good problem-solving mechanism for coping with feelings. Some more effective reactions would be to rethink our relationship with oil.”
Click here to read the full article.
Posted in Experts, Offshore Drilling, Southeast
Posted on 03 August 2010.
On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 3534, the CLEAR Act, in response to the ongoing oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The CLEAR Act reforms the structure of the offshore drilling oversight agency to avoid clear conflicts of interest; enhances the role of science, independent review, and other oversight agencies; and calls for the establishment of mandatory safety and environmental management standards. The CLEAR Act also fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund, helping to offset the inherent risk offshore drilling poses to our wildlife and important lands and waters, and allows national wildlife refuges to collect and retain funds for damages from oil spills for the first time ever.
Jamie Rappaport Clark, executive vice president of Defenders of Wildlife said that with the passage, “The House of Representatives voted to start reforming the offshore drilling industry and to protect and restore coastal communities, wetlands and wildlife and help prevent the next offshore oil disaster.
“The CLEAR Act overhauls the system that failed to prevent the BP disaster. And in securing critically needed funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the bill reinvests in our nation’s public lands and waters.
“When we authorize drilling off of America’s coasts, we allow the oil industry to hold the ecosystems and economies of entire regions in the palm of its hand. The CLEAR Act will help put the American people back in control. We now look to the Senate to pass their spill response bill next week to make these crucial reforms a reality.”
The legislation rides on the tail of a rocky week for the oil and gas drilling industry – with additional oil spills in Michigan, New Mexico and beleaguered Louisiana. Click here to read the full statement and learn more about the “Summer of Oil Spills.”
Posted in Commentary, Offshore Drilling, Southeast
Posted on 23 June 2010.
A federal judge blocked a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling, but the Obama administration has decided to appeal the judge’s decision, reports Voice of America News.
Read the full story
Posted in In the News, Newsroom, Offshore Drilling, Southeast
Posted on 11 June 2010.
The Minerals Management Service (MMS) continues to approve new leases after the Deepwater Horizon explosion that give British Petroleum and other companies the right to drill even more deepwater wells in the Gulf of Mexico under the same inadequate oversight that led to the current oil spill, according to a new legal challenge filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center and Defenders of Wildlife. The groups say current policies create an incentive to allow drilling even in the face of evident risks because once a lease is issued by MMS, the U.S. government is obligated to pay the lessee either the fair market value of the lease or the amount spent to obtain the bid plus costs and interest if the government cancels the lease or refuses to allow drilling.
Mike Senatore, vice president for Conservation Law at Defenders of Wildlife, said, “Clueless and inept is really the only way to describe the ongoing situation at MMS. This agency is at the epicenter of the worst environmental disaster in our nation’s history and yet it’s still going about business as usual. How else do you explain MMS’s approval of the right to drill hundreds of new wells in the Gulf, including 13 for BP, based on the same fundamentally flawed and patently illegal environmental documents used to green-light the Deepwater Horizon operation?”
MMS approved new leases for deepwater tracts as recently as June 10 under the same lax oversight complicit in the current Gulf spill.
Read the full release.
Posted in Offshore Drilling, Press Releases, Southeast
Posted on 03 June 2010.
Earlier today, the Washington Post reported that an email written by the head of the MMS’ supervisor of field operations for the Gulf of Mexico stated that “until further notice we have been informed not to approve or allow any drilling no matter the water depth.”
However, the Interior Department now denies that it has extended a drilling freeze to shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico, telling the Washington Post that “shallow water drilling may continue as long as oil and gas operations satisfy the environmental and safety requirements Secretary Salazar outlined in his report to the President and have exploration plans that meet those requirements. There is no moratorium on shallow water drilling.”
But Richard Charter, senior policy advisor at Defenders, said the risks involved with offshore oil and gas drilling have very little to do with the depth of the water. In a interview with WBAI Evening News, he recalls the recent drilling disaster in Australia’s Timor Sea, in which a rig blowout led to an oil spill that gushed unchecked for 10 weeks last fall. That drilling rig was operating “in very shallow water, only a few hundred feet.”
Listen to the full show from June 2, 2010 (segment begins at 6:00; hear Richard at 7:20).
Posted in In the News, Offshore Drilling, Southeast
Posted on 27 May 2010.
The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) is seeking public input regarding its review of Minerals Management Service (MMS) environmental review procedures and practices under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). CEQ is reviewing and seeking public input regarding the adequacy of MMS compliance with NEPA at all phases of its offshore oil and gas program, specifically focusing on the use of NEPA categorical exclusions.
Jamie Rappaport Clark, executive vice president of Defenders of Wildlife said, “MMS has clearly been unable to perform its duty of environmental review. This welcome analysis by CEQ is the crucial first step towards fixing their broken process.”
Read full statement.
Posted in Commentary, Offshore Drilling, Southeast
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Today, nearly 40 years since President Nixon declared the “War on Cancer” with the National Cancer Act of 1971, we are still fighting to cure the second deadliest disease for men and women in the U.S. Every year, numerous government agencies sink billions of dollars into cancer research and prevention efforts; non-profits contribute additional millions of dollars. More than $200 billion has been spent fighting cancer since 1971.
Yet we still lose 1,500 people every single day to cancer.
It’s clear: Something has to change. The way we fight cancer is not working. Little progress has been made over the past many decades, and death rates have declined only slightly.
The Gateway for Cancer Research has been fighting the war on cancer for nearly 20 years. In that time, we’ve funded 71 studies—and raised $20 million for research focused on helping patients NOW.
And while other organizations spend significant portions of their donations on administrative costs, The Gateway is one of a few organizations in the U.S. that gives 99¢ of every dollar received to research. We need answers now—our lives depend on it, and we can’t afford to wait. The work our treatment innovatorsSM are doing could help someone you love with cancer. Are you ready to join our movement and Demand Cures TodaySM?
"Treatment InnovatorSM" is the term we use for researchers funded by The Gateway for Cancer Research: the men and women we support in their search for better treatments and cures that can help cancer patients TODAY.
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Exhibit: Walls that Speak: The Murals of Colorado
The exhibition, featuring murals from Denver Public Library’s Western History Collection, will illustrate how Colorado’s murals and muralists tell the state’s history in a vibrant and compelling way. The murals displayed in Walls that Speak span the City Beautiful movement, the development of the Broadmoor Art Academy and subsequent Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, the Works Progress Administration era, the Chicano movement, and contemporary muralists.
The exhibition was made possible by collaboration between the Denver Public Library, curators Deborah Wadsworth and Megan Kemper, and book authors Georgia Garnsey and Mary Motian-Meadows. Other contributing institutions are the Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Art, Denver, the Bailey Library and Archives of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and individual collectors.
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Color is the byproduct of the spectrum of light, as it is reflected or absorbed, as received by the human eye and processed by the human brain.
by DEVX Staff
Jan 1, 2000
Page 3 of 8
The gamut is the set of possible colors within a color system. No one system can reproduce all possible colors in the spectrum.
Unfortunately for designers, it is not possible to create every color in the spectrum with either additive or subtractive colors. Both systems can reproduce a subset of all visible color, and while those subsets generally overlap, there are colors which can be reproduced with additive color and not with subtractive color and vise-versa.
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....that indigo is one of the oldest dye stuffs in the world? For millennia this dye provided the only color fast and light fast clear blue that there was for fabrics. It was very valuable for trade and recipes were often closely guarded secrets. It has been used all over the world to make everything from intricate Japanese kimonos to Levi Jeans for the original 49ers.
The thing that is special about indigo is that in its normal state the dye molecules are insoluble in water, they will just sink to the bottom of the vat unless a chemical reducing agent is added. Reducing agents steal a hydrogen atom from the dye molecule, this allows it to try and form lose bonds with the hydrogen in the water so it dissolves and creates the vat. There are all kinds of reducing agents that can be used, from yeast or live bacteria in a fermentation vat to dangerous chemicals like Lye (Sodium Hydroxide). We have a somewhat safer and effective recipe using our Dye House Color remover (Thiorea Dioxide) and Soda Ash. In Europe, one of the oldest reducing agents, and the cheapest, was stale urine. Oral dye history is full of stories about European dye houses that would put out pots for people to donate their urine and dye houses that would be built next to taverns, which provided a steady supply. It is purported that due to the smell of the dye houses they where often restricted to the outskirts of town.
This amazing dyestuff naturally occurs in indigo containing plants of the tropical genus Indigofera, which grows in many countries, as well as a less concentrated form in a plant called Woad, which is native to temperate Europe. The most well known, indigofera tinctoria, was native to India, which may have been the earliest major player in the lucrative indigo trade. The name of the compound that makes up the dye is called indican. It is extracted from the plants buy crushing the leaves and soaking them until they ferment and release the indican, which was precipitated and dried in cakes. The cakes were than ground to a powder by the user.
Designs on indigo cloth are achieved with various tying techniques, such as traditional Shibori and tie-dye techniques. Other types of resist such as rice paste and wax are also used to protect areas of the fabric to create intricate patterns. Indigo was also be used for printing and painting with use of different chemicals like Arsenic trisulfide, or iron sulfate and thickeners.
When indigo is in solution it is a yellow green color but often the top layer of the vat is blue because it is exposed to the air. Indigo is sometimes called a magic dye because of the way the fabric changes color from a yellow green to the deep blues as the air oxidizes the dye. As the dye molecules oxidize they become insoluble in water again so they don't wash out of the fabric. The fabric is dipped in the indigo vat to soak up some dye, and then hung in the air to oxidize where it turns blue. Another feature of indigo is the ability to build up the depth of color by repeated dippings into the bath. Successive dippings and airings give you darker and darker blues. Shades can thus range from pale sky blue to deepest dark navy indigo.
We are all familiar with the characteristic way in which indigo fades as the fabric is used and worn, such as the fade lines on your favorite jeans. This is because indigo does not actually chemically bond to the fabric. Instead it becomes insoluble in water again when it reacts with the air and becomes lodged in the small spaces with the fiber. Over time as the fibers are rubbed with wear it rubs out some of the dye creating faded lines.
Indigo dyed fabric can also do something called crocking where it rubs off on things, and you, if not properly laundered before use. If you dont want to try out for the Blue Man Group, be sure and wash newly dyed or store bought Indigo dyed fabric and clothing with hot water and Synthrapol. Our Dharma Dye Fixative or Retayne in a hot soak can cause the fabric to retain more of the Indigo before washing, so you will get less fade on the first washing, and still no crocking after.
Since indigo was one of the only natural blue dyes, and the best, it was often used to over dye yellow fabrics to make greens. In museum tapestries you will often see that many plants are very bluish, this is because natural yellow dyes are more sensitive to fading from UV light than indigo and over time the indigo has become the predominate color in the fibers.
These days most indigo dye in commercial use is made synthetically, but you can still enjoy the magic of true indigo with our wonderful natural indigo. Granted it is a little more work then pre-reduced synthetics but it also has greater depth and variation which is all part of the magic.
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A waxy substance found in all of the body’s cells. The body uses cholesterol for a number of important functions, such as manufacturing certain hormones. As most people know, however, too much cholesterol in the blood can be damaging to the heart and blood vessels.
The liver manufactures most of the body’s cholesterol, but we also get it directly from the foods we eat. Cholesterol travels through the bloodstream in the form of complex molecules called lipoproteins. There are several varieties of lipoproteins, including low-density lipoproteins (LDL’s) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL’s).
LDL cholesterol, nicknamed the “bad” cholesterol, tends to mix with other substances in the blood and form buildups called plaques on the inner walls of blood vessels. These blood vessels can become hard and narrowed, decreasing blood flow, a condition known as atherosclerosis.
Plaques can also break off, form clots, and block key blood vessels, causing heart attacks and strokes.
HDL’s carry cholesterol away from the arteries to the liver, where it can be removed from the body. This keeps cholesterol from building up inside blood vessels, earning HDL cholesterol the nickname “good” cholesterol.
Doctors use the levels of HDL and LDL cholesterol to help determine a person’s risk of heart disease. The more LDL cholesterol and less HDL cholesterol a person has, the greater his risk of developing heart disease.
According to the cholesterol guidelines of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), adults with diabetes who have LDL cholesterol levels of 130 mg/dl or greater are at high risk of heart disease, those with levels of 100-129 mg/dl are at borderline risk, and those with levels below 100 mg/dl are at low risk. Men with HDL cholesterol levels under 35 mg/dl are at high risk, those with levels of 35-45 mg/dl are at borderline risk, and those with levels over 45 mg/dl are at low risk. Women with HDL levels under 45 mg/dl are at high risk, those with levels of 45-55 mg/dl are at borderline risk, and those with levels greater than 55 mg/dl are at low risk.
Even small improvements in blood cholesterol levels have been shown to significantly lower a person’s risk of heart attack. One way to lower your LDL cholesterol and raise your HDL cholesterol is through diet. For example, the ADA recommends consuming no more than 300 milligrams of cholesterol per day, and under 200 milligrams if you have high LDL cholesterol levels. (Foods high in dietary cholesterol include eggs, shellfish, and organ meats such as liver.) The amount of fat you eat, especially saturated fat, also affects your cholesterol level, so the ADA and other health organizations recommend getting no more than 30% of your daily calories from fat and limiting saturated fat intake to 10% or less of your daily calories. In fact, most of a person’s fat intake should come from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. To achieve these goals, the best diet is one that emphasizes fruits, vegetables (including beans and other legumes), and whole grains.
Regular aerobic exercise, at least three to four times a week, can also improve blood cholesterol levels, especially when performed in conjunction with a low-fat diet. Walking briskly and jogging are good aerobic exercises. Losing weight if you’re overweight and stopping smoking may also help by raising your HDL cholesterol levels. There are also a number of highly effective drugs for improving cholesterol levels.
Everyone with diabetes should have their blood cholesterol levels checked regularly. Speak with your doctor and dietitian about ways to improve your blood cholesterol levels and reduce your risk of heart disease.
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The Common Loon (Gavia immer) is a highly aquatic, migratory bird distributed across North America, Greenland, and Iceland. The common loon is 66 cm to 91 cm in length and weighs between 2.5 kg and 6.1 kg. They have an average wingspan of 130 cm to 140 cm (McIntyre and Barr, 1997).
The geographic location of the common loon during the breeding season is in forested areas surrounding freshwater, oligotrophic lakes in the northern region of North America, Greenland, and Iceland. During the winter months, the common loon migrates to coastal marine habitats in the southern portion of North America. Migration for the winter occurs between September and December and migration for the summer occurs between March and June. Migration groups can be composed of thousands of irregularly spaced individuals, a small group of individuals, or a single individual (McIntyre and Barr, 1997).
The common loon is high specialized for swimming and diving (Perrins and Middleton, 1985; McIntyre and Barr, 1997). Individuals spend most of their lives in the air or in water and only come to land to copulate, nest, or when ill (McIntyre and Barr, 1997). Although most dives underwater last under a minute, the common loon is capable of remaining underwater for several minutes (Perrins and Middleton, 1985).
The species diet primarily consists of live fish, although other aquatic vertebrates and vegetation are also consumed. Predators of the common loon most commonly attack young and include crows, ravens, gulls, skunks, weasels, bald eagles, and snapping turtles (McIntyre and Barr, 1997).
The common loon is monogamous and mates typically remain together throughout the breeding season. Mate replacement occurs after the death of one individual. The age at first breeding varies between four and seven years of age and breeding is annual. Adults are highly aggressive in territorial defense. Both sexes are capable of severely injuring or even killing conspecifics that invade their territory (McIntyre and Barr, 1997).
Clutch size is two eggs and the incubation period is about 28 days (McIntyre and Barr, 1997). Both parents participate in incubation of the eggs. Young are precocial, or well-developed, after hatching. Young eat fresh food caught by the parents as opposed to food that has been regurgitated. Additionally, young are capable of leaving the nest and even diving the day after hatching (Perrins and Middleton, 1985)!
Additional Information on the Skull
Click on the thumbnails below for labeled images of the skull in standard anatomical views.
Baumel, J. J., A. S. King, J. E. Breazile, H. E. Evans, and J. C. Vanden Berge (eds.). 1993. Handbook of Avian Anatomy: Nomina Anatomica Avium, Second Edition. Publication of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, number 23. Nuttall Ornithological Club, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 779 pp.
McIntyre, J. W. and J. F. Barr. 1997. Gavia immer. The Birds of North America: Life Histories for the 21st Century 313:1-32
Perrins, C. M. and A. Middleton. 1985. The Encyclopedia of Birds. Facts on File, Inc., New York, NY. pp 447.
Gavia immer page on the Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology)
Gavia immer on the USGS Patuxent Bird Indentification InfoCenter.
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Giant Spanish slugs have been mating with their British counterparts to create a mutant strain of "superslugs".
The Spanish molluscs are thought to have arrived in the UK in salads during the summer months, and have already spread all the way across the country to Wales.
The Mirror reports that they can grow up to 15cm in length, and produce hundreds more eggs than the typical British slug, which could spell trouble for the indigenous slug population.
Slug expert Les Noble of Aberdeen University said: "These slugs are like conquistadors were to the Aztecs. Native slugs can't keep pace and may become extinct.
"They are simply being overrun and when you consider the Spanish slug will happily make a meal out of a dead rabbit as much as out of dog muck you can see why they are so successful.
"We have already seen when these slugs move into an area, the native slugs vanish almost immediately. They can wipe out whole crops and prevent them growing there again."
A 72-year-old from Wales has claimed to have seen the giant slugs in her garden "eating snails", and added: "Our dog caught one, it was so big I thought it was a mouse."
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Marching for women’s right to vote
This photograph of the fourth annual suffrage parade in New York City in 1913 shows some of the march’s 10,000 participants. In the early 20th century, suffragists marched, petitioned, lobbied, and were even arrested in their pursuit of voting rights for women. In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted women the right to vote.
National Archives, Records of the Office of War Information
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Gulf of Tonkin
The Gulf of Tonkin (480 kmx240 km) lies between Vietnam and China. Notably shallow (less than 60 meters deep), it is the northwest arm of the South China Sea. The Red River flows into the Gulf. Haiphong, Vietnam, and Beihai, China, are the chief ports. The Chinese Hainan Island lies in the Gulf.
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The MY NASA DATA (Mentoring and inquiry using NASA Data on Atmospheric and earth science for Teachers and Amateurs) collection showcases NASA Earth science data through lesson plans, data microsets, computer tools, data information pages and a science glossary. Resources are geared towards K-16 educators, students and citizen scientists. Resources generally cover clouds, aerosols, the radiation budget and tropospheric chemistry. The collection emphasizes data and tools to analyze it. When developing materials, educational standards (National Science Education Standards and the Virginia State Standards) are taken into consideration.
Collection is intended for:
Primary (K-2), Intermediate (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)
Try searching on these terms (type in keyword box):
Storm, Ozone, Temperature, Pressure, Humidity, Volcanic, Latitude, Longitude.
Collection Scope and
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R. David Lankes, Ph.D.
This paper examines the domain of digital reference services for and by the primary and secondary education community. Data is provided to demonstrate the current understanding of education question types and education users in digital reference. It is believed this data will be of wide utility for digital library builders geared toward primary and secondary users (K-12) such as the International Children's Digital Library and the National Science Digital Library .
Digital Reference and Digital Libraries for Education
Digital reference refers to Internet-based expert answering services [Lankes, 1999b]. In such a service, a user typically poses a question to a digital reference service through a web form, e-mail or a chat interface. An expert (such as a scientist or librarian) uses this input to construct an answer that is both passed back to the user as well as used in some knowledge base or enhancement to a digital library collection. There is a growing body of research and development in digital reference [Janes, 2000; Mardikian and Kesselman, 1995; Tyckoson, 2002; Lagace and McClennen, 1998; Mon, 2000; Ferguson and Bunge, 1997], and digital reference services are being implemented within the context of digital libraries such as the National Science Foundation(NSF) National Science Digital Library [National Research Council, 1998]. Much is known about use of digital reference in primary and secondary education (in this article, the term "education" will refer simply to primary and secondary education), and this knowledge has utility not only to digital reference services aimed at this population, but to the larger digital library community as well.
Specifically, the author argues that services aimed at primary and secondary users represent a revelatory case for digital reference for three reasons; digital reference services for education are:
Current State of the Art
In order to present a picture of digital reference for education, the author first presents two major types of services in the education domain. Each type is then illustrated with an exemplar service.
Types of Digital Reference Services in Education
There are two obvious, though often overlapping, categories of digital reference services in education: library-based services, and AskA services. AskA services can be further divided into general services that may be of use to the education community as part of a more general mission (such as Ask Joan of Art® , an AskA service that answers questions concerning American art for anyone who asks, but is particularly useful in art education) and services targeted squarely at the education community (such as AskERIC(sm) , though it covers all levels of education including higher and continuing education). The author will concentrate on education AskA services for this paper.
For the purposes of this discussion, "library reference" refers to digital reference services either centered in a public, academic, school or special library, or with primary reliance on library programs. With the advent of digital reference, a great number of libraries are now offering reference service to remote patrons [Janes, 2000]. These services take a variety of forms, from e-mail systems, to real-time chat systems. In the library context, digital reference is referred to as virtual reference, e-reference, networked reference, live reference, online reference and even chat reference. While some in the community make a distinction in the mode of delivery and the synchronous nature of the service offered, most agree that these are all part of a single larger concept of digital reference.
The library reference community also provides the most in-depth discussion of policy, evaluation [McClure and Lankes, 2001] and the largest set of documented digital reference services (as opposed to the body of systems and development work out of the AskA community discussed later). Much of this work is encapsulated in the proceedings of the annual Virtual Reference Desk (VRD) Conferences [Virtual Reference Desk, 2002], which have a strong library emphasis. In fact, this article and the Digital Reference Research Symposium were outgrowths of the VRD conferences and other work.
As a result of this intense interest in digital reference by the library community, several large-scale digital reference projects are available for use by the research and scholarly community. The Collaborative Digital Reference Service (CDRS) spearheaded by the Library of Congress and that has evolved into the QuestionPoint service run by OCLC in cooperation with the Library of Congress, certainly demonstrates the breadth of library-based digital reference services spanning public, academic and international libraries. The National Library of Canada's recent introduction of Virtual Reference Canada to work with Canadian digital reference services also promises to be a major source of digital reference activity and development. Other prominent digital reference efforts in the library world include KnowItNow from the Cleveland Public Library, the 24/7 Reference service that acts as a statewide digital reference network for the State of California, and the recent efforts of the State Library of Washington. Also of interest to researchers in digital reference are digital reference vendors in the library domain including LSSI's Virtual Reference Service . One special case that should not be overlooked is the Internet Public Library , for while it is not based in a library setting (it is part of the School of Information at the University of Michigan), it has its roots and traditions firmly planted in the library community.
Library Reference Exemplar: KidsConnect
While many library services support the education community (of course, academic libraries serve a higher education population and public libraries answer questions of students), few target primary and secondary education exclusively. One exception is the KidsConnect service. KidsConnect is a question-answering, help and referral service to K-12 students on the Internet [KidsConnect, 2002; Bennett, 1998]. It is a project of the American Library Association's American Association of School Librarians (AASL). KidsConnect has three missions: The first is to educate school library media specialists in the use of the Internet and digital reference as part of the larger ICONnect project. The second is to promote information literacy in students through digital reference [Mancall et al., 1999]. The third is to promote local school libraries (and school library media specialists) as valuable sources of information and instruction.
The KidsConnect model uses a large number of volunteer school library media specialists (primarily in the United States). Each volunteer is trained using an in-depth mentoring process, then answers questions (ranging from one question a day to one a week). The digital reference transaction is conducted through e-mail and web forms.
Data from the KidsConnect service provides valuable insight into the types of students using digital reference services as well as the types of questions they ask. The service has been widely advertised to schools, particularly to teachers and school library media specialists. This advertising has been done through the professional association for school library media specialists (AASL), as well as through the Internet.
The data presented in Figures 1 - 5 are from 1996 - 1998; however, more recent data presented in Figures 6 - 9 are used to estimate the current validity of the earlier numbers.
Figure 1 shows the number of questions answered by KidsConnect for the years 1996-1998:
These numbers are very much in line, though on the high end, with current numbers of library-based digital reference services as reported at recent library meetings, including the 2002 American Library Association conference.
Figure 2 shows how these questions were distributed across differing student and adult populations:
These figures demonstrate a rough equivalence between primary (elementary and middle school) and secondary education (high school). The low number of users identified as "adult" is explained by both the focus of the KidsConnect service (K-12 students), but also that any questions KidsConnect received from teachers were routed (sent to) the AskERIC service.
A more interesting finding, however, was the gender distribution of the questioners as seen in Figure 3:
One interesting finding of the KidsConnect staff was the prominence of girls asking questions. While many hypotheses were put forward to explain this situation (e-mail providing a "safer" environment to ask questions than the well documented male dominated classroom, for example), no formal research was conducted to follow up on this finding.
The other interesting finding from the KidsConnect data related to the topics or subjects of the questions asked of KidsConnect. The KidsConnect team utilized a "Subject Line Analysis" technique whereby the subject lines of a random sample of questions were examined and classified inductively into a subject scheme. If the subject lines were felt to be uninformative (they did not indicate topicality but instead were words or phrases like "Hello" or "Please help") the underlying question was examined. The results of this analysis are shown in Figure 4:
It is clear from this figure that questions on the topic of science constituted the bulk of questions received. In order to provide a clearer picture of this category, the analysis was further refined by "type of science questions", as shown in Figure 5:
Data such as this should prove of great use to new digital reference services geared towards education, most notably the NSF's National SMETE Digital Library [NSDL, 2002].
As mentioned before, these statistics represent somewhat dated analysis (4 years old). In 1999, operation of the KidsConnect service moved from Syracuse University to Drexel University (the previous statistics are based on Syracuse data). Syracuse then transferred much of the staff and processes of KidsConnect into the Virtual Reference Desk Learning Center. This project had a slightly different aim; it had a broader focus and also worked in a network of AskA services with general foci. However, the main concentration of the service was still on school library media specialists answering questions from the education community.
Statistics from the VRD service show a strong correlation between older KidsConnect statistics and more recent VRD usage. For example, Figure 6 shows the user populations of the VRD service:
Note the higher "adult" population (as compared with Figure 2) reflecting the broader focus of the VRD Network members. However, with this result removed, the distribution in primary and secondary education remains roughly equivalent to the earlier data, with a greater number of "middle school" questions. Also note in Figure 7 that science questions still dominate the service:
Once again, Figure 8 provides a more fine-grained analysis of science questions:
This distributions seems to hold over the three most recent years of the VRD service (as seen in Figure 9):
From these more recent statistics, it seems difficult to argue that there has been a massive shift in the types of education users asking questions or in the types of questions they ask.
What is also clear from analyzing these two services is that the library community has many contributions to make to the digital reference research agenda specifically with respect to education as well as to digital reference research in general. It is also clear the library community contains large-scale digital reference efforts that make excellent research environments capable of being utilized in the search for generalizable knowledge.
Education AskA Services
The second progenitor of current digital reference systems is AskA services. AskA services take their name from expert question and answer services tending to adopt names such as "Ask A Scientist" and "Ask A Volcanologist" [Lankes, 1999b]. These services tended to originate without interaction with formal library systems and emphasized topical expertise (as opposed to process expertise such as a librarian's ability to search for information).
A fuller picture of AskA services can be drawn from two studies conducted by Lankes and White [Lankes, 1999b; Lankes, 1999c; and White, 1999]. Lankes presents an in-depth analysis of the structure and commonalities of "exemplary K-12 digital reference services." Specifically this study sought to:
The outcome of this study included detailed "blueprints" and a tuned framework of AskA services grounded in complexity theory, as seen in Figure 10:
White developed an analytical framework based on systems for evaluating AskA services. This framework was then applied to a variety of 11 services (including library-based services).
Unlike library digital reference services that to this point have seen modest usage, AskA services, in general, have begun with large usage and have experienced continuing dramatic increases. The most recent Virtual Reference Desk survey of AskA services done in 1999 demonstrates this. Survey results in Table 1 show an average 44% increase in use of these asynchronous services from 1997 to 1998, with an average answer rate of 77% in 1998 [Lankes and Shostack, forthcoming].
Table 1: Virtual Reference Desk Survey of AskA Service Usage
Compare these statistics to those of the libraries studied as part of McClure and Lankes Quality Study [Mcclure and Lankes, 2001], "In all cases the volume of digital reference questions is low, ranging from 3 to 33 per day" [Gross et al., 2002]. This study covered a range of libraries in terms of size and scope (academic, public, federal, state).
One result of the large volume encountered by AskA services has been an emphasis on process, software development and automation. Whereas many library services have quickly adopted real-time technologies in which one-to-one interactions require full human intervention, AskA services have looked to asynchronous technologies. (At least this has been so at their onset. See Figure 11 for the distribution of questions received by AskERIC by mode of digital reference as an example of the predominance of asynchronous means. Note that "web" and "e-mail" are both asynchronous modes.) AskA services have also looked for means of shunting users to resources. (See Lankes for a more detailed discussion of AskA services and their architectures [Lankes, 1999b].) These run the gambit from sophisticated techniques such as automated searching of previously asked questions (as in the MadSci service), to forcing users through a list of frequently asked questions before they are able to submit a question (as in the Ask A Volcanologist service).
AskA services have also tended to develop more in terms of software and systems. Early examples include Ask Dr. Math® , the MadSci Network, and How Things Work . Though there are excellent examples of software development in the library arena [Meola and Starmont, 2002], library services have by and large adopted software from the help desk and e-commerce community, such as LSSI and 24/7 Reference's use of eGain® and the common use of LivePerson® and NetAgent. While this may be changing, AskA services still remain a hot bed of systems development.
Another common attribute with AskA services is their attention to the primary and secondary education community. In the case of some services, this attention is part of a larger view of the general Internet population, but in many cases, it is a special attention where education is foremost and the general population is welcome as well. This can be seen in Dr. Math and MadSci Networks. It can also be seen in services, such as AskERIC, which focus on education professionals.
Education AskA Service Exemplar: AskERIC
While the KidsConnect discussion sheds light on digital reference use by primary and secondary education students, AskERIC can shed light on use of digital reference by education professionals.
AskERIC is a project of the U.S. Department of Education's ERIC program. It was initiated and is still operated by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology (though nearly all ERIC components (Clearinghouses, ACCESS ERIC, the ERIC Processing Facility and even the parent institution of ERIC, the National Library of Education) are involved in answering questions). AskERIC has two primary components: a question/answering service staffed by ERIC library and education professionals (see Figure 12 for the volume of questions), and a virtual library of lesson plans, which contains pointers to reviewed sites on the Internet and an archive of previously asked questions. A more in-depth description, though slightly dated, can be found in the author's dissertation [Lankes 1999b].
The purpose of AskERIC is to answer questions related to all areas of the education process. The emphasis on education professionals can be seen in AskERIC's mission as well, see Figure 13, by AskERIC's users.
This distribution of users, with the majority being K-12 teachers followed by graduate students (pre-service educators are traditionally heavy users of any ERIC service), is in line with AskERIC's stated mission:
AskERIC is a personalized Internet-based service providing education information to teachers, librarians, counselors, administrators, parents, and anyone interested in education throughout the United States and the world. [AskERIC, 2002]
In fact, AskERIC explicitly does not answer "homework help" questions:
Thank you for visiting the AskERIC Web site! If you are a K-12 student with a homework question, AskERIC may not have the resources to respond to your question.
AskERIC is designed to provide education information to teachers, librarians, counselors, administrators, parents, students, and others throughout the United States and the world. Our focus is not on the specific things you are learning in school; instead, we specialize in research and ideas about how students of all ages learn best. As an example, we can respond to a question such as "What is the best time of day to teach math?", but not "What is the formula to determine the radius of a circle?".
If you are looking for information in other specific subject areas or need homework help, you probably won't find AskERIC very helpful. Instead, you may want to investigate the following sites which are designed specifically for students. [AskERIC, 2002a]
All student questions received by AskERIC are forwarded to other services such as the Virtual Reference Desk.
What can one determine about AskERIC users besides their educational roles? First, one can determine the education level about which users were asking (a K-12 teacher was asking a question about high school, for example) as seen in Figure 14:
One can also analyze the nature of the questions being asked by the professional community. AskERIC user surveys provide the anticipated use of the information gained as seen in Figure 15:
Using subject line analysis once again, Figure 16 shows question types identified in AskERIC questions:
Figure 17 shows the relative stability of this question distribution over time:
In Figure 16 and Figure 17, "subjects" refers to particular topics or academic disciplines taught in the classroom. (Note: information from AskERIC responses may be used in higher and continuing education contexts as seen in Figure 18 where 18% of answers were intended for higher or adult education.)
Figure 19 shows the relative stability of these subjects over time:
Of particular interest in Figure 19 is the predominance of "language arts" as a topic for educators versus "science" for students, as seen in Figure 4 of the KidsConnect sample. One possible reason for this difference may be the abundance of science material on the Internet (particularly education-related science material) versus instructional resources in language and English instruction.
Aside from the information AskERIC provides on digital reference use by education professionals, it also provides an exemplar of reference authoring [Lankes, 2001]. Reference authoring refers to the capture of information in the reference process and the transformation of this information into resources that can be used outside the reference process as part of a larger digital library context. This authoring process can be from the simple, say the creation of frequently asked questions on a web site, to the complex, say the creation on the MadSci knowledge base.
The heart of the AskERIC website consists of a resource collection:
In response to questions we've received at AskERIC, our network information specialists have compiled over 3000 resources on a variety of educational issues. This collection includes Internet sites, educational organizations, and electronic discussion groups. [AskERIC, 2002b]
This resource collection acts not only as a set of Internet links for end-users, but for AskERIC digital reference specialists as well. As digital reference specialists constantly comb over this collection of Internet resources, ERIC citations, discussion groups and more, they are also finding new resources to add and old resources to delete. This means that it is the digital reference process itself that is used as collection development, annotation and expert review.
AskERIC is only one example of AskA services geared specifically to the education community. It does, however, serve as a revelatory case. In the AskERIC exemplar we see the predominance of asynchronous technologies, high-volume usage, and the interconnection of the reference process with systems and digital libraries.
Digital reference for primary and secondary education has a rich and well-documented tradition. It serves as a revelatory case for other digital reference research and provides valuable insight into digital libraries that serve the education community as well as other communities.
What is apparent from this small examination of digital reference in the education context is that all levels of education use digital reference services and education questions, while covering a broad range of topics, concentrate most heavily on science (in the case of students) and language arts (in the case of education professionals). Also apparent is the usefulness of education digital reference services as research environments. AskA services and library reference services alike hold large data sets of question and answer transactions. These data sets can be used to evaluate how questions are asked, what topics are of interest to the education community, and what language is used by the education community, as well as used to examine myriad other facts. Some of these data sets are publicly available on the Internet, while others are proprietary due to privacy concerns.
From this examination of digital reference services, some methodological techniques can be added to the digital reference research discussion. First among these is the concept of subject line analysis. This technique seems to provide excellent exploratory power and may provide a rapid way to compare question types across services.
Lastly, analysis of digital reference services targeted towards the primary and secondary education community (or at least the study of these services) provides a wealth of models, theories and frameworks that can be brought to bear in future research. From The Lankes/Sutton Framework, the General Digital Reference Model (resulting from Lankes' complexity framework) to White's evaluative framework, there are rich analytic tools that can be used in the broader digital reference and digital library domain.
Ask Joan of Art®, <http://americanart.si.edu/study/reference-main.html>.
[ALA] American Library Association Presidential Committee on Information Literacy. (1989). Final report. Chicago: Author. (ED 315 028).
[Bennett] Bennett, B. (1998). Pilot testing the KidsConnect service. In Lankes, R. and Kasowitz, A. (ED), AskERIC starter kit: How to build and maintain digital reference services, (pp. 147-150). Syracuse, NY: ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology, Syracuse University.
[Bristow] Bristow, A. "Academic Reference Service over Electronic Mail." College & Research Libraries News, 53 (1992): 631-632.
[Collier] Collier, M. (1997). International Symposium on Research, Development, and Practice in Digital Libraries.
[Ferguson and Bunge] Ferguson, C. D. and C. A. Bunge. "The Shape of Services to Come: Values-based Reference Service for the Largely Digital Library." College & Research Libraries, 58 (1997): 252-65.
[Gross, et al.] Gross, M., McClure, C., Hodges, R., Graham, A., and Lankes, R. (2002). Phase II: Site Visit Summary Report.
[Janes] Janes, J. (2000). Current Research in Digital Reference. VRD Proceedings. (Online) <http://www.vrd.org/conferences/VRD2000/proceedings/janes-intro.shtml>.
[Kresh] Kresh, D. (2000). Offering High Quality Reference Service on the Web. D-Lib Magazine, 6(6). (Online) <http://www.dlib.org/dlib/june00/kresh/06kresh.html>.
[Lankes and Sutton] Lankes, R. David and Sutton, Stuart A. (1999). "Developing a Mission for the National Education Network: The Challenge of Seamless Access." Government Information Quarterly. 16(2).
[Lankes, 1999a] Lankes, R.D. (1999a). "The Virtual Reference Desk: Question Interchange Profile." White Paper for the Virtual Reference Desk. ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology; Syracuse, NY.
[Lankes, 1999b] Lankes, R. (1999b). Dissertation: Building & Maintaining Internet Information Services, Syracuse University.
[Lankes, 1999c] Lankes, R. D. (1999). "AskA's Lesson Learned from K-12 Digital Reference Services." Reference & User Services Quarterly. 38(1).
[Lankes and Shostack] Lankes, R. and Shostack, P. (Forthcoming) "The Necessity of Real-Time: Fact and Fiction in Digital Reference Systems." Reference and User Services Quarterly.
[Lankes et al.] Lankes, R. David, Collins, J. and Kasowitz, A. S. (Eds.). (2000). Digital Reference: Models for the New Millennium. New York: Neal-Schuman.
[Lankes, 2001] Lankes, R. D. (2001). "Creating a New Reference Librarianship." VRD Proceedings. (Online) <http://www.vrd.org/conferences/VRD2001/proceedings/reinventing.shtml>.
[Lewis] Lewis, M. (2001). "Faking it." The New York Times Magazine, New York; July 15, 2001.
[LITA] LITA (1999). Top Tech Trends. (Online) <http://www.lita.org/committe/toptech/trendsmw99.htm>.
[Mancall et al.] Mancall, J. and Stafford, B. and Zanger, C. (1999). ICONnect: A Snapshot of the First Three Years. Knowledge Quest. 28(1), p24-37.
[Marchionini] Marchionini, G. (1999). Augmenting Library Services: Toward the Sharium. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Digital Libraries 1999 (Tsukuba, Japan, September 28-29, 1999). 40-47. <http://ils.unc.edu/~march/sharium/ISDL.pdf>.
[Mardikian and Kesselman] Mardikian, J., and Kesselman, M. (1995). Beyond the desk: Enhanced reference staffing for the electronic library. Reference Services Review, 23 (1), p21-28.
[Meola and Starmont] Meola, M. and Starmont, S. (2002). Starting and Operating Live Virtual Reference Services: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians. New York: Neal-Schuman.
[Mon] Mon, L. (2000). "Digital Reference Service." Government Information Quarterly, 17(3) 309-318.
[NSDL] NSDL (2002). National Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Digital Library (NSDL) (Online) <http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/due/programs/nsdl> <http://www.nsf.gov/search97cgi/vtopic>.
[National Research Council] National Research Council (1998). Developing a Digital National Library for Undergraduate Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Education. NRC workshop, August 7-8, 1997. (Online). Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. <http://books.nap.edu/books/0309059771/html/R1.html> (ED425928).
[Still and Campbell] Still, J., and Campbell, F. (1993). Librarian in a box: The Use of electronic mail for reference. Reference Services Review, 21(1), pp 15-18.
[Tyckoson] Tyckoson, D. (2002). On the Desirableness of Personal Relations Between Librarians and Readers: The Past and Future of Reference Service. The Future of Reference Papers, (Online) <http://www.ala.org/rusa/forums/tyckoson_forum.html>.
[White] White, M. D., Ed. (1999). Analyzing Electronic Question/Answer Services: Framework and Evaluations of Selected Services. ERIC Document ED433019.
[Virtual Reference Desk] Virtual Reference Desk (2002). VRD Conferences. (Online) <http://www.vrd.org/conf-train.shtml>.
(Corrected coding for navigational links to the editorial and guest editorial 8/31/05.)
Copyright © R. David Lankes
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Read our Energy Blog and see how researchers want to safeguard our energy supply in the future and what policies are being put in place for this in the world of politics.
Studies in energy carried out by researchers at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) have shown that it is possible to supply Europe and North Africa with environment-friendly energy. This short DLR film shows how the region can be supplied with low-cost electricity from the desert.
Cheap, safe and environmentally friendly electricity from concentrating solar power systems could meet about 15% of European power needs by 2050. This was confirmed by studies prepared by the DLR on behalf of the German Federal Environment Ministry.
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Meds for Autism Not Well Understood: Study
THURSDAY Feb. 23, 2012 -- Children with autism may benefit from medications to treat children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other related disorders, but clearer guidelines are needed, a new study shows.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 1,000 U.S. teens enrolled in special education programs, to assess the use of psychiatric medications in those with autism, ADHD and both conditions.
Patients with both autism and ADHD had the highest rates of medicine use (about 58 percent), followed by those with ADHD only (around 49 percent) and those with autism only (about 34 percent), according to study author Paul Shattuck, an assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis, and colleagues.
Black teenagers with autism only or with autism and ADHD were less likely to receive medications than whites.
"Observations from the present study reinforce the complexity of pharmacologic treatment of challenging behavior in kids with [autism spectrum disorders] and ADHD," Shattuck said in a university news release. "There needs to be a clearer guide for treating kids with both an [autism spectrum disorder] and ADHD."
He noted that drug treatment for autism reflects a trial-and-error approach based on associated symptoms, and there is a poor understanding of overall medication use for children with autism.
"Also striking are the high rates of antipsychotic, antidepressant/anti-anxiety and stimulant medication use in these youths," Shattuck said. "Additional studies examining the treatment of core and associated [autism spectrum disorder] symptoms are needed to guide the treatment of these kids."
It is estimated that one in 110 people have autism, with the majority being boys. Signs of autism include problems with communication and social interactions.
The study appears in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology.
The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more about autism.
Posted: February 2012
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Tuesday May 11, 2004
Hamerschlag Hall D-210
With each technology generation, we are experiencing an increased rate
of cosmically-induced soft errors in our chips. In the past, the impact
of such errors could be minimized through protection of large memory
structures. Unfortunately, such techniques alone are becoming insufficient
to maintain adequately low error rates. Although, to a very rough approximation,
the fault rate per transistor is not changing much, the increasing number
of transistors is resulting in an ever increasing raw rate of bit upsets.
Thus, we are starting to see a dark side to Moore's Law in which the
increased functionality we get with our exponentially increasing number
of transistors is being countered with a exponentially increasing soft
error rate. This will take increasing effort and cost to cope with.
In this talk I will describe the severity of the soft error problem
as well as techniques to estimate a processor's soft error rate. These
estimates should help designers choose appropriate error protection schemes
for various structures within a microprocessor. A key aspect of our soft
error analysis is that some single-bit faults (such as those occurring
in the branch predictor) will not produce an error in a program's output.
We define a structure's architectural vulnerability factor (AVF) as the
probability that a fault in that particular structure will result in
an error in the final output of a program. A structure's error rate is
the product of its raw error rate, as determined by process and circuit
technology, and the AVF. Unfortunately, computing AVFs of complex structures,
such as the instruction queue, can be quite involved. To guide such complex
AVF calculation, we identify numerous cases, such as prefetches, dynamically
dead code, and wrong-path instructions, in which a fault will not affect
correct execution. Our simulations using these techniques show that the
AVFs of a Mckinley-like microprocessor's instruction queue and execution
units are 29% and 9%, respectively.
Shubu Mukherjee is the Director of Intel's FACT group in Hudson, Massachusetts.
The Fault Aware Computing Technology (FACT) group is involved with various
aspects of soft error measurement, detection, and recovery techniques
in current and future machines. In the past, he worked for Digital Equipment
Corporation for ten days and Compaq Computer Corporation for three years.
In Compaq, he worked on fault tolerance techniques for Alpha processors
and was one of the architects of the Alpha 21364 interconnection network.
He received his B.Tech. from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
and M.S. and PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has received
a number of outstanding achievement awards in the past few years.
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Reconnecting children and natureThink back to your favorite childhood experience. For many, it’s being outside on a quest to build a fort in the woods, ride your bike, or freely explore the neighborhood.
By: Amy Reineke, Public Health Educator, Alexandria Echo Press
Think back to your favorite childhood experience. For many, it’s being outside on a quest to build a fort in the woods, ride your bike, or freely explore the neighborhood.
Today, instead of hiking, biking and climbing trees, children are more likely to have limited direct experience with the outdoors and nature. If they are outside, it is more likely to be in organized sports, on playground equipment or being shuttled from activity to activity.
Research indicates that one of the best medicines to a stressful lifestyle is to spend time in a natural setting outdoors. Children who spend time outdoors are likely to be happier, healthier, smarter, more cooperative and more creative.
Children need leisurely, unscripted and exploratory hours to find the wonders in their own backyards and neighborhoods. Children should be discovering the beauty of the stars in the night sky to watching bugs on a warm summer’s day.
According to recent research, there is evidence to suggest that the disconnect from nature creates diminished health; obesity; reduced cognitive, creative and problem-solving capacities; lower school achievement; lower self esteem, less self discipline; and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
I recently got ahold of a book called Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv. He writes about a phrase he coined, nature deficit disorder, which isn’t a medical term but a social phenomenon.
In his book, he brings together a new and growing body of research indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults.
“There is very little that children do in their lives that compares with their first experience in nature,” Louv says.
Children are the stewards of the future. It’s a simple solution. Get kids outside more often so they can discover the adventure of the natural world.
Actions to reconnect children to nature
• Take a child outside and create the opportunity for children to have unstructured time to play outdoors every day.
• Create a nature club for families and plan monthly outings with other families in your community.
• Start a new kind of neighborhood watch so children can play within sight of adults while still experiencing the wonder and learning inspired through free range play.
• Ride your bike or walk to school with your children and others in the neighborhood.
• Make reconnecting children and nature a priority.
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According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star program, lighting consumes 25 to 40 percent of the energy used in commercial buildings and is a primary source of waste heat. In addition, lighting within buildings accounts for 23 percent of national electrical consumption and, of the total national lighting energy used, commercial lighting accounts for 60 percent, residential 20 percent, industrial 16 percent, and outdoor (street) and other uses make up the last four percent.
Concerns over rising energy costs and conservation needs have owners of commercial buildings, industrial plants and residential homes demanding more energy-efficient lighting selections.
According to David Weigand, product manager for energy management controls at Leviton Manufacturing Co. Inc., Little Neck, N.Y., the most major advancement in energy-efficient lighting is in the area of communication between lighting controls and other building systems.
“Improved software is being written to provide increased integration between lighting and HVAC and security systems, allowing occupants to better control their personal environments,” he said.
Communication protocols, such as digital addressable lighting interface (DALI), allow occupants to control every light fixture separately, either through computer or manual controls, thereby easily identifying patterns of use and increasing energy savings.
“In applications such as multitenant buildings, DALI provides building owners and tenants with the ultimate flexibility for their lighting requirements without rewiring the space,” Weigand said.
Lamp sources, such as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) have gotten small enough to fit into the same footprint as regular incandescent bulbs. They have also become bright enough to provide bright light, warm colors and near-perfect color rendition, said Tim Wyatt, marketing manager for Maxlite, Pine Brook, N.J.
“A 15-watt CFL will generally produce as much light as a 60-watt incandescent bulb, which provides up to 75 percent in energy costs,” Wyatt said.
CFLs last up to 10,000 hours, thus reducing replacement costs and further increasing overall savings.
Cold cathode light sources are increasingly being used for decorative, marquee and outdoor lighting applications. Instead of having a filament that needs to warm up, cold cathode lights have a single rod of metal with instant starting capabilities.
According to Jeff McDonald, national sales for linear fluorescent at Technical Consumer Products Inc. (TCP), Aurora, Ohio, cold cathode lights currently do have lower efficacy than either CFL or fluorescent sources.
“They are, however, extremely efficient compared to incandescent lights, with an only 3-watt cold cathode light required to replace a 15- to 20-watt incandescent bulb,” he said.
The latest iteration of T8 lamps, including the T8HO, are now providing the same light output as their predecessors for less energy, or even more light output for the same energy consumption levels as before.
“The lighting industry is focusing on creating more efficient lamps, rather than on lamp size,” said Ken Walma, marketing manager for Lutron Electronics Inc., Coopersburg, Pa.
The new T4 and T6 metal halide lamps are low-wattage alternatives to incandescent or halogen lights in a small package.
“These lights have smaller apertures and can be used in smaller fixtures, while saving up to three times as much energy as incandescent lights,” said Melissa Hertel, specification marketing manager for Lightolier Inc., a Genlyte Group company in Fall River, Mass.
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) have come a long way since first used as indicator lights in cars or in consumer electronics. Newly developed white LEDs are increasingly being used in some general lighting applications.
“White LEDs are now producing warm light in a consistent manner,” Wyatt said.
One problem with LEDs, however, is that they don’t throw much light. Manufacturers are currently working with the reflectors and the glass lenses to overcome this particular characteristic.
“By shaping the light with the reflector and the lens, manufacturers are trying to provide diffusion to create general, rather than high-beam, intense-focus light,” Wyatt said.
In general illumination, white LEDs have important significance for the future because they last up to 50,000 hours, use very little power to operate and have reduced maintenance and replacement costs.
Ballasts and controls
According to McDonald, the continued expansion of electronic ballasts has allowed electrical contractors to maximize energy savings or light output, depending on the ballast factor chosen for the application.
“Electronic ballasts give the contractor more flexibility to provide the lighting environment required by the end-user while meeting both energy and illumination goals,” he said.
Digital controllable ballasts are the next step and are being seriously discussed, said Walma.
“Where DALI was the first generation of digital ballast technology in the U.S., new products with more enhanced digital ballasts will allow greater flexibility and the ability to incorporate energy efficient-lighting in a space, while eliminating hardware such as dimmers, dimming panels and interfaces,” he said.
According to Wyatt, the next big breakthrough for CFL ballasts, will be the development of ballasts with components that have high-heat resistance.
“CFLs are high-heat light sources. Sometimes the resistor is the weak link and sometimes it is the shielding. The most successful heat reduction method will probably be cooling the air flow,” Wyatt said.
Ballasts will get lighter and smaller, while universal ballasts for linear fluorescent lighting, which will operate at either 120- or 277-volts, will drive multiple combinations of fluorescent lamps.
Lighting fixtures are becoming intelligent, with state-of-the art, digital technology that allows them to control, as well as monitor, lamp and ballast performance and energy consumption through existing LANs, without complicated component parts and no custom software interfaces.
“This will allow control of the environment to be put into the hands of individual users, since each ballast will be addressed separately,” Hertel said.
Although the technology has existed for almost a decade, wireless lighting controls (WLCs) have really started to make major inroads in the last two years, particularly in residential applications.
“The awareness of the benefits of lighting controls has increased as customers try to save energy and improve the aesthetics of their homes,” Walma said.
Using wireless control devices allows homeowners to retrofit their lighting controls more easily. Even in new construction, WLC technology allows homeowners to add additional lighting control features without making any changes to the wiring design.
The amount of light per watt that can be produced for a space has been pushed to the limit in national and regional energy codes across the nation. The way to save energy will now be the more efficient use of the light being produced, Weigand said.
“This will most likely be accomplished through the development of more sophisticated occupant-responsive controls that reduce lighting according to ambient conditions, “he said.
California’s Title 24 became effective in October 2005 and requires dimmers or occupancy sensors for incandescent fixtures. These building standards were developed to respond to California’s energy crisis, reduce energy bills, increase energy-delivery system reliability and improve the state’s economic condition. For many of the same reasons, other jurisdictions are beginning to require occupancy sensors in buildings of various sizes.
The primary goals of energy-efficient lighting are energy management, high performance and sustainability. Building owners, architects and engineers are incorporating energy-efficient lighting sources into their designs that are controlled through dimming ballasts, daylight harvesting and occupancy sensor technology, as these are the methods of saving energy that are being awarded by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) -directives.
The most proactive electrical contractors, according to Walma, are the ones that learn the most they can about controls in order to properly incorporate and install energy-efficient lighting.
“As LEED and new energy codes drive us toward more efficient buildings, electrical contractors that embrace these technologies and that understand their applications will be the ones that are best able to differentiate themselves in the market,” Walma said.
Electrical contractors should also know about the various incentive and rebate programs that are in their area so that they can encourage their customers to consider energy-efficient lighting.
“But they have to have the necessary knowledge to demonstrate the benefits and cost savings,” Wyatt said.
There are, of course, trade-offs between energy efficiency and light levels. McDonald said contractors need to understand exactly what the equipment is designed to deliver to better counsel and guide the end-user in making their choices.
“Contractors should try to get customers to actually come and see the lighting being considered in operation, whether at the site or in a trial installation,” he said.
Such service could help the contractor gain an advantage in the market, estimate jobs more efficiently and allow the customer to appreciate what the particular lighting system will actually -deliver.
Finally, electrical contractors need to have a firm grasp on the available options for energy-efficient lighting that manufacturers offer and what the design community tends to include in their plans and specifications.
“It’s extremely helpful to ensure proper start-up and commissioning of a lighting project to understand what the particular products and systems are intended to accomplish and what their overall capabilities are,” Weigand said.
Future developments in areas such as organic LEDs, integrated LED lighting systems, and intelligent and wireless controls will provide electrical contractors with the opportunity to ensure that their customers receive the most efficient and cost-effective lighting possible. EC
BREMER, a freelance writer based in Solomons, Md., contributes frequently to ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. She can be reached at 410.394.6966 or email@example.com.
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EDEN Wild Rice is hand harvested in canoes as required by law from northern Minnesota lakes by the Leech Lake band of Ojibwe. State and tribal law distinguish authentic wild rice as Native harvested using the non-mechanized methods that have been handed down through generations for over a thousand years. EDEN Wild Rice supports the traditional culture and helps to preserve this age-old harvest. It offers the experience of true wild rice, light, fluffy, and sweet.
'Best Go To Grain'
EDEN Wild Rice is wood fire parched, delicious 100% whole grain. Quick cooking and fluffy, not hard like paddy grown black hybrid varieties. Eden wild rice was Vegetarian Times2009 'Best Go To Grain'.
The only indigenous North American grain, wild rice is an annual aquatic reed grass of 12 feet with a 2 foot flowering panicle. It is of the Poaceae (Gramineae) or grain family, not a true rice of the Oryza genus. It is Gluten Free.
EDEN Wild Rice Zizania palutris is authentic wild rice, strikingly different from paddy grown wild rice. Domesticated, paddy grown 'wild rice' is almost all black, very hard, takes much longer to cook, and after cooking has a tough texture. The vast majority of items labeled as wild rice are paddy grown in California and not subject to labeling laws that distinguish authentic wild rice. The real thing, as is EDEN Wild Rice, it truly amazing. Most notably it is soft and delicious.
There are hundreds of different wild rice varieties that have developed growing in different environs. Water quality, temperature, depth and composition of mud in various lake beds impart subtle differentiations. Authentic wild rice is threatened by contamination from paddy grown, domesticated strains that are grown in close to real wild rice stands, or that are shipped into these areas to be processed for better imitation.
A law passed by Congress May 2007 requires disclosure and environmental impact statements from anyone that may attempt to create genetically engineered wild rice. While this is well intended, the law falls short of a ban and genetically engineered contamination of wild rice remains a very real concern.
In old Ojibwe history their ancestors were directed by the Creator to move West from their home in the East or perish. They were told to go to the land where food grows upon the water. When reaching this place their western migration should stop. Finding wild rice growing upon the water they named it manoomin or 'good berry' and resettled. Only much later did European settlers call it wild rice.
In addition to being a sacred component of Native American culture and tradition, wild rice is vital to the lakes' ecology and their flora and fauna. Wild rice stands provide habitat for waterfowl, fish, and many species that rely on it for food and the rice beds as haven and nursery.
EDEN Wild Rice is harvested from the end of August through early September. The Ojibwe call this 'rice harvest moon' or 'Manoominike Giizis.' Law requires modern wild rice harvesting be done by Native American ricers in canoes. There are two in each canoe, a poler who propels and guides the canoe and a knocker in the middle. The poler uses a forked pole about 20 feet long to protect the plants. The knocker uses two cedar sticks resembling large drumsticks to harvest the rice as the canoe passes through the reeds. Alternating between left and right hands, he uses one stick to pull rice stalk over the canoe and the other to tap the rice loose from the stalk into the canoe. Unripe grains stay on the stalk. Some will re-seed the lake after ripening. When full the canoe is poled to shore where the rice is winnowed to remove its chaff, and parched on a wood fire roaster. This drying by wood fire roasting impart stability and flavor.
According to FDA, "Diets rich in whole grain and other plant foods, and low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers." Also, "Low fat diets rich in fiber-containing grain products, fruits, and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancer, a disease associated with many factors." EDEN Wild Rice is low fat, contains no saturated fat or cholesterol, and is a good source of healthy fiber. It is very low sodium,15mg per 1/4 cup serving or 3% DV (Daily Value), an excellent source of manganese, and a good source of protein, niacin B3, magnesium, and zinc. Gluten Free.
EDEN Wild Rice is delicious, light and fluffy whole grain that is perfect for holidays meals and year round as an entrée, in soups, stews, salads, grain burgers, desserts, pancakes, waffles, and bread making. It is great combined with and enhancing other grains. Mix it with vegetables, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit for stuffing or wild rice pilaf. Cook some extra and use leftovers during the week to make so many dishes. It stores well without loosing its flavor when refrigerated.
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Response to Intervention (RtI) in Iowa is an every-education decision-making framework of evidence-based practices in instruction and assessment that addresses the needs of all students starting in general education.
As an every-education process, RtI allows educators to judge the overall health of their educational system by examining data on all students (general and special education) as well as identifying students who need additional supports. Those supports are provided in both small group and individual settings, and measured to determine if these supports are making a difference to ensure all learners demonstrate proficiency in the Iowa Core standards and leave school ready for life.
Many Iowa schools are successfully implementing components of RtI. Together, we will move RtI to consistent statewide implementation in every Iowa classroom.
Video: Readiness Survey for Scale Up of Response to Intervention (RtI) in Iowa - A brief video describing the survey being used to gather information for the introduction and scale-up of Iowa's Response to Intervention system.
RtI Key Components
The Iowa RtI framework is made up of five components:
- Evidence-Based Curriculum and Instruction shall be provided at the Universal level
- Universal Screening shall be used three times per year
- Evidence-based, instructional interventions at the Targeted and Intensive levels shall be provided to each student who needs them
- Progress Monitoring Data shall be collected and used to guide instruction
- Data-Based Decision Making
To be fully implementing the Iowa RtI framework, schools must be implementing the full range of practices associated with each of these components with fidelity.
Response to Intervention: Key Components - More information about each component.
RtI & Continuous Improvement
Implementation of the Iowa RtI framework should use the continuous school improvement process of (a) defining the problem, (b) diagnosing the problem, (c) developing a plan, (d) implementing the plan, and (e) evaluating the results of plan implementation. We use a ten-question framework to help schools engage in this process. Those ten questions are:
- Is our Universal program sufficient?
- If the Universal program is not sufficient, why isn’t it sufficient?
- How will needs identified in the Universal program be addressed?
- How will the sufficiency and effectiveness of the Universal program be monitored over time?
- Have improvements to the Universal program been effective?
Targeted and Intensive Levels
- For which students is Universal instruction sufficient and not sufficient, and why?
- What specific Targeted and Intensive instruction is needed?
- How will specific Targeted and Intensive instruction be delivered?
- How will the effectiveness of Targeted and Intensive instruction be monitored?
- Which students need to move to a different level of instruction?
This process helps educators think about their local needs within a data-based decision-making framework.
Response to Intervention (RtI) Guidance (2011-12-16) - This document contains foundational information about and guidance on Iowa’s RtI framework. It will be updated as needed. It is recommended that you bookmark this document so you always have access to the most recent guidance.
Data Systems and Assessments Overview Webinar - This is a 30 minute webinar that was recorded on March 6th, 2013. It was recorded by consultants at the Department of Education. Topics addressed include an overview of Iowa RtI framework, as well as Iowa’s recently-purchased RtI database, universal screeners, and progress monitoring assessments.
Data Systems and Assessments Overview Presentation Slides - This presentation was used during the Overview webinar conducted by the Iowa Department of Education on March 6th, 2013.
FAQ for Data System and Assessments - This FAQ addresses a wide range of issues related to RtI. If you have a question not already addressed in the FAQ, you can submit a question using the Post Questions form. Questions will be reviewed weekly and responses posted shortly thereafter.
- Literacy Assessment Reviews Overview: This video provides a brief description of how the review process for universal screening and progress monitoring assessments in early literacy was conducted.
Literacy Assessment Review Overview Presentation Slides
- Iowas Timeline of Assessment Review
- Summary Tables Overview: This video provides a brief description of how to read and interpret the reviews of the universal screening and progress monitoring assessments.
A Summary Report of Iowa’s Review of PreK-6 Reading Assessments for Universal Screening and Progress
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Differential Rate Laws express Rate as a function of concentration
Integrated Rate Laws express Concentration as a function of Time
Reactions of orders 0, 1 & 2 have different Integrated Rate Laws
Each Integrated Rate Law can be put into y = mx + b form
Each Integrated Rate Law yields a different expression for the Half-Life of a reaction
Integrated Rate Law & Reaction Half-Life
Lecture Slides are screen-captured images of important points in the lecture. Students can download and print out these lecture slide images to do practice problems as well as take notes while watching the lecture.
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When Ford Motor Co. announced in 2012 that its new hybrids would use
lithium-ion batteries instead of nickel-metal hydride, many experts
raised an eyebrow.
Lithium-ion, after all, had a reputation for high cost and unknown
durability, largely because the technology was still comparatively
new. In contrast, approximately 95 percent of full and mild
hybrids up to that time had used nickel-metal hydride.
But Ford engineers now say their decision to use lithium-ion was
based on accelerated lab tests showing lithium-ion would actually
be more durable than nickel-metal hydride over a long
lifetime. The tests, combined with mountains of field performance
data on nickel-metal hydride, convinced them that they could
predict the eight- or 10-year future of a chemistry that didn't
even have five years worth of reliable field data.
"We are really confident that our Key Life Tests are mimicking
the duty cycle of some of our most stringent and abusive
customers," Kevin Layden, Ford's director of electrification
programs and engineering, told Design News. "Given that, we feel
lithium-ion will be better than nickel-metal hydride. We expect it
to be absolutely stellar."
the complete story at Design News.
confidence in lithium-ion is based on so-called Key Life
Tests. The tests predict that the working capacity (y-axis)
of lithium-ion batteries (green line) will be greater over a
high-mileage lifetime (x-axis) than that of nickel-metal
hydride (yellow line). Past field data for nickel-metal
hydride (blue dots) has shown that the testing results are
conservative -- that is, batteries generally do better in
the field than they do on tests.
(Source: Ford Motor Co.)
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Building a Solar Power Generator
This project describes how you can build a solar power generator to generate 240v mains voltage where-ever you want it.
Whether you want to run small power tools in a remote shed or provide emergency power in the event of a power cut, a generator can be extremely useful.
The problem with most traditional generators is that they are noisy, have to be run outside and, if you are to rely on them, need to be tested regularly and topped up with fresh fuel: all too often, a petrol or diesel powered generator hasn't been properly maintained or has stale fuel, and fails when it is required.
Petrol and diesel generators also provide very poor quality of power, with 'spikes' and power drops. This makes them unsuitable for powering a lot of electronic equipment and can damage sensitive equipment such as PCs and flat screen TVs.
The answer? A solar power generator to provide you with environmentally friendly, portable, easy to use and instant power.
What is a Solar Powered Emergency Generator?
A solar power generator is a battery based power supply that is charged up using solar panels. 12v lighting and mains power is taken from the batteries using an easily available inverter and this is then used to provide emergency power when needed.
Unlike petrol or diesel powered generators, a solar power generator can be used indoors - carried directly to where it is needed. It emits no fumes and is silent in operation. Depending on the size of the battery and the amount of power required, it can provide as much or as little power as you need.
There can be two types of solar power generators - an 'all in one' solar power generator where the solar panel is part of the generator, or a split solar power generator where the solar panels are fitted to an outside wall or roof, and the rest of the generator simply plugs into the panel to recharge.
All solar energy systems use the same basic materials, so no matter if you are planning a very simple system like this one, or a big off-grid house installation, the basic 'building blocks' are the same. This means that if you are interested in understanding solar energy without spending a fortune, the skills and knowledge you gain from a small system has a direct benefit for working on much larger systems.
In either case, the product is the same - only the packaging is different. A split solar power generator would work better if you are trying to provide electrical power to an outbuilding such as a shed or lock-up garage whereas an all-in-one solar power generator is a better solution for power on-the-move.
What you will need:
To build a simple solar power generator, you will need the following parts:
A useful kit of solar parts has been included at the end of this document. This allows you to buy everything on-line to build your own solar power generator.
Calculating the required size for your solar power generator
There are various ways to calculate the required size for your solar power system. For this project, I'm using a quick and simple method for working out what we need. This is fine for a simple project such as this. For bigger projects, however, you'll want to do this in a lot more detail. I cover solar sizing in a lot more detail in my book, Solar Electricity Handbook, but for now, for this project, we'll keep things simple.
The size of the various components depends on the amount of power you need to generate and the length of time you want to be able to run your generator for.
A typical power cut lasts for less than one hour, and is very unlikely to last more than four hours. During that time, most households would like to be able to power their fridge/freezer and lighting. This is well within the capabilities of even a basic solar powered emergency generator.
Depending on the amount of power you want to generate will depend on the size of the components you are going to require.
Based over a 24 hour day, the typical household uses an average of between 800w-1kW per hour. For emergency only use, most households require between 75-200w per hour in order to provide lighting and essential power for items like a fridge/freezer.
As a general rule of thumb, for every 100watt-hours of power you require, you require 10 amp/hour of battery power. So if you require 200 watts of electricity for four hours, you will require an 80 amp/hour battery.
When looking for a battery, you are looking for a lead acid leisure battery (sometimes called caravan batteries). These look very similar to car batteries, but have a different chemical and mechanical make-up. Unfortunately, you cannot use a car battery for this job - car batteries are designed never to be fully discharged and will fail if discharged in this way. These batteries are available from battery specialists, caravanning shops and most motoring shops, including Halfords.
Once you have worked out the size of your battery, you need to calculate the size of solar panel you need to charge it up. The size of the panel will depend on how often you plan to use your generator, how large the battery is and how much sunlight the panel will receive.
If a solar panel is left outside in a south facing position at an approximate 45° angle to the sky, it is likely to produce around 2 times it's quoted hourly rating per day during the winter, and between 4-8 times it's quoted hourly rating per day during the summer.
If you want to be more accurate, you can use the solar irradiance calculator and the solar angle calculator on this site in order to get a better idea of how much power you can expect to generate and the best angle to place your solar panels at.
You will want your solar power generator to recharge fairly quickly so that it can be fully charged when it is next required. However, if you get too large a solar panel, you'll be paying far more than you otherwise need and wasting most of the power that you generate.
A fair compromise is normally to allow 10-15 days for the solar power generator to recover from a complete battery discharge. As you are probably only ever going to be using partial charges from the battery, this is a worst case scenario. You can always supplement the solar panel with an external power source to top up the batteries quicker if necessary.
To calculate the size of the solar panel you require, take the amp/hour rating of the battery and multiply this by the number of volts (normally 12). Divide this number by 2 (hours per solar charge per day in winter) and divide this number by the number of days you expect the solar panel to have fully recharged a battery. Then multiply the final figure by 1.1 to take into account losses in the system. The number you have left is the size of the solar panel - in watts - which you need to buy.
A 12v 80 amp/hour battery stores 960 watt-hours of electricity (12 x 80 = 960).
960 / 2 hours winter charge = 480 watt-hours
480 / 15 days = 32 watt-hours
32 x 1.1 = 35 watt solar panel
Power Inverters take the 12v voltage from your batteries and convert it to a 240v AC power supply. They are available in various different power outputs from 75 watts to 3kW and it is important to make sure you do not overload them.
Power Inverters can get extremely hot in operation, so if you are planning to build them into a case, it is important to make sure they have adequate space around them so they do not over heat.
When buying a power inverter, it is worth buying one that includes a low-voltage cut out. This means that when the batteries run low, the inverter switches off rather than totally draining the batteries. Draining lead acid batteries completely can damage or destroy your batteries, so this is best avoided.
Power inverters are available from camping and caravan shops, car accessory outlets and most electrical wholesalers. They are commonly sold to motorists who want a 240v mains outlet in their car for running laptop computers.
How do I measure how much power my appliances use?
You can measure your power requirements using a plug-in energy monitor. These are plugged into a mains socket and the appliance you wish to measure is then plugged into the energy monitor. Power drain is then monitored and shown as an average on the built-in display.
If you don't have a plug-in energy monitor, you can find out how many watts many of your appliances use by reading the power information often printed on the back of them, or by checking the output on power adaptors.
Often these figures are shown in volts and amps. A transformer for a laptop PC, for instance, may have a power output of 19.5v and a current of 4.5 amps. Multiplying these two figures together (volts x amps) will tell you how many watts are used per hour - in this case, my laptop consumes a maximum of 88 watts/hour of power.
It is difficult to produce a table listing all the likely electrical items you will have in a home and provide an exact list of their power requirements: power requirements vary dramatically depending on make and model. Highly efficient products can consume as little as one tenth of the power of a less energy efficient model. However, as a rough rule of thumb, here is a basic list:
As can be seen, there are a lot of electrical appliances that we all have around the home that use large amounts of electricity. Where possible, these need to be avoided when planning for emergency power. Heating and cooking, for instance, are best done with gas rather than building a bigger and more expensive solar power generator to cope with peak demands.
One of the main benefits of a generator is providing lighting. Rather than running 240v lights from a solar power generator, however, it is more efficient to run 12v low-energy lights as the power does not have to run through a 240v power inverter. 8w low energy light bulbs running from a 12v power source are as bright as their 240v counterparts.
Choosing a Solar PV Panel
There are two different types of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels - amorphous and crystalline.
Amorphous panels are the larger of the two panels, as they are the least efficient in direct sunlight. They do generate the most power in poor lighting conditions, however, and can even generate power from bright moonlight or streetlamps.
Crystalline panels are about 1/3rd of the size of amorphous panels, making them more portable and easier to integrate. Prices tend to be higher than amorphous panels, although it does pay to shop around as it is often possible to get them for a similar price.
Working to a budget - where to find cheap parts
With careful buying, a small solar power generator capable of providing 1/2kW of power can be built for under £100. Shopping around, sourcing components from Amazon or eBay and using second hand (but good quality) batteries can all help to keep costs to a minimum.
A good source for second hand batteries are used ex-UPS batteries that are sold on eBay regularly and tend to only go for a few pounds. Beware though - they can be very heavy, so watch for postage costs! Alternatively, you can buy very high capacity used lead acid batteries from fork lift truck maintenance companies. These batteries will be old and will have reached the end of their useful lives as fork lift truck batteries, but will still give years of useful life for providing emergency power for household use.
Another alternative is to buy a cheap, low cost UPS. This will provide you with a battery (usually not big enough to be of any real benefit, but it's a start), a 240v power inverter and a means for recharging the battery from mains power if you need to recharge the batteries quickly.
These UPS cost less than £50 brand new (and are often available from around £20) and are usually capable of powering up to 10 amps (2400 watts) of mains electrical equipment - batteries permitting. If you can find a second hand one with a worn out battery, even better - these are often thrown away, or sell for a pittance on eBay.
The only other components you will need to buy are a bigger battery, a solar panel and a solar charge controller.
Maplin Electronics sell a solar lighting kit, comprising of a 5 watt solar panel, a solar charge controller and a 12v 9watt low-energy light bulbs and light fittings. List price is £79.99 but this is often discounted to around £60. Whilst the system does not include a battery, the equipment represents good value for money (at the discounted price) if you want to include lighting with your emergency generator.
Maplin also produce a 12v solar generator, including a case which is exceptionally good value for money. Unfortunately, this is not water resistant and has a low powered battery, which restricts its use. However, if you upgrade the battery and add a small 240v inverter, it could be useful for smaller applications and the cost of buying this generator and modifying it can be cheaper than buying the individual parts separately.
Assembling your Solar Powered Emergency Generator
In this article, I am assembling an entirely portable solar power generator using a second hand UPS I obtained free along with a few old lead-acid gel batteries that were being thrown out. Depending on the materials you use, you're generator may look very different to mine, but ultimately will do the same thing.
Here is what I started out with:
Total Cost - £47.98
Step 1 - wiring up the power generator
First of all, I opened up the UPS and took all the parts out of the UPS casing. You could choose to keep the UPS casing intact - it is certainly safer than having exposed 230v power cables lying around, but I wanted to fit everything into a compact plastic tool case for ease of use.
First step was to disable the UPS alarm that beeps incessantly when mains power has been switched off. This was accomplished by disabling the speaker using a small screwdriver.
I then connected up all the small 12v lead acid gel batteries I had in parallel, giving me a longer-lasting 12v power supply. I then wired this into the UPS.
A quick word about wiring up batteries in parallel
When wiring up batteries in parallel, it is important to wire the batteries correctly. If you don't, you will find that you will not drain all the batteries at the same rate. As a result, you can end up with some batteries becoming exhausted sooner than others and this is a sure fire way to damage your batteries. The answer is to make sure you wire up the batteries like this:
Testing Step 1
Before getting to play with my solar panels, I decided it would be a good idea to make sure the power generation side worked as planned.
I had two 12v batteries, one with a 14 amp/hour rating and one with a 4 amp/hour rating, giving me a total of 18 amp/hours to play with. Taking into account battery performance and losses through the power inverter, I estimated that I would have approximately 200 watts of power from my emergency generator - sufficient to run emergency power in my house for two hours if necessary.
Typically, you don't want to mix and match battery sizes. Ideally you want both batteries to be the same capacity, and ideally the same make and model as well. In my case, I wasn't too worried: the batteries were free, so if they didn't last quite as long as a matched pair of batteries, I wasn't going to lose any sleep over it.
I plugged the UPS into the mains and charged up the batteries. Once they were charged up, I unplugged the mains supply, plugged a TV, a laptop computer and a table lamp into the UPS and left it powered on until the batteries were flat. Total power drain from all this equipment was 189 watts. The UPS managed to run the TV, laptop computer and table lamp together for 1 hour and 4 minutes on a single charge - a total of 201 watts of usable power.
Step 2 - connecting up the solar panel
So far, so simple. The next step was to connect up the solar panel. For this, you will need a solar panel (obviously) and a solar charge controller.
The solar charge controller is an important piece of kit - it stops the batteries from getting overcharged by the solar panel. If you don't have a solar charge controller, the batteries can get overcharged, which will destroy the batteries. In a worst case scenario, overcharging the batteries could lead to explosion or fire.
I used a low cost solar charger which I purchased from Maplin for £12.99 (part number L26BR).
My wiring now looked something like this:
Testing Step 2
I carried my solar power generator outside - thankfully it was a sunny day - and started prodding about with my multimeter, taking care to ensure I kept my fingers away from the 230v AC output from the UPS. My solar panel was sending between 720-780mA of power to the batteries, which equates to around 9 watts of power at 17.2 volts - a suitable voltage for charging up 12v batteries.
Based on these figures, I calculated that from a fully discharged battery, it would take between three and seven days to fully recharge my solar power generator, so long as my solar power generator was placed somewhere outside where it could receive at least some direct sunlight each day.
Step 3 - Tidying Up
The next step was to tidy up the installation and fit it into my box. I wanted a system that was going to be portable, so it was important to make sure the batteries were fitted down properly. I used thick Velcro strips (available from B&Q for around £3 a pack) to ensure everything was held firmly in place.
I mounted my solar panel onto the outside of the box and sealed it to the box using mastic. My plan was to be able to use this system outside, and to make the internal workings of the system waterproof. Unfortunately, I managed to break the box, so that is going to have to be put on hold for a while.
I then fitted everything properly into the case to ensure there were no exposed hazardous wires.
Testing Step 3
I double checked the power with my multimeter to ensure everything was working as it should. It was, so then I tested it properly by powering up the UPS and running my power drill from it. Everything worked as it should.
The Final Product
For something that cost me less than £50, I have to say I'm pretty pleased with the result. I have a portable solar power generator that I can take with me anywhere and use both inside and out.
My solar power generator can be charged up quickly from the mains if necessary, or trickle charged using solar power.
It can be used to provide a burst of power - up to 10 amps if necessary, or provide a smaller amount of power to keep me going in the event of a power cut for a couple of hours.
It's totally portable, so I can take it with me if I need power on the go - like using a power drill at the bottom of the garden, for instance.
And because it provides a clean power supply without chucking out noxious exhausts, it can be used inside exactly where it is needed, rather than with trailing power leads running across the floor.
Solar Parts Kit
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|Did you know?|
Solar photovoltaic prices are dropping by between a quarter and a third each year.
By 2020, it is widely predicted that solar will be the cheapest way of generating electricity, almost anywhere in the world.
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During these Twelve Days of Christmas, you’ll see a number of e-mails about the alleged “meaning” behind the traditional carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” While this is my least favorite Christmas song (shades of 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall), there is compelling evidence that this was composed as an underground catechetical ditty. So the Four Calling Birds refer to the four gospels, the Six Geese a-Laying symbolize the six days of creation, and so on.
Of course there’s equally compelling evidence that this is complete baloney. See the supposed meanings and the debunking on Snopes.com.
Whatever you believe, I have actually done some exhaustive research (and by “exhaustive” I mean that I’m still completely exhausted from all the Christmas services), and have uncovered the “real” true meaning behind this carol.
The Twelve Days of Christmas
(the “Real” True Meaning)
A Partridge in a Pear Tree — the rector hiding in a tree from coffee hour complaints
Two Turtle Doves — the two parishioners comprising the parish Peace and Justice Committee
Three French Hens — the three French ladies who sit in the front row every year at Midnight Mass
Four Calling Birds — four members of the Commission on Ministry
Five Gold Rings — five bishops caucusing at the House of Bishops meeting
Six Geese a-Laying — six seminarians laying homiletical eggs in the pulpit
Seven Swans a-Swimming — seven baptisms at the Easter Vigil, stretching the liturgy to three hours
Eight Maids a-Milking — eight members of the hospitality committee bringing non-dairy creamer to coffee hour
Nine Ladies Dancing — the one and only time liturgical dance appeared at St. Swithin’s
Ten Lords a-Leaping — inserted into the new Christmas Pageant from the avant garde director
Eleven Pipers Piping — the eleven funeral last year that included a bag piper playing Amazing Grace at the end
Twelve Drummers Drumming — the “drumming circle” used at the ill-fated “contemporary worship service”
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Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is warning motorists that collisions between deer and vehicles increase in certain parts of Scotland at this time of year.
Car accidents involving deer peak, as the clocks turn back.
With the nights starting earlier, the peak commuting time coincides with deer coming out to feed on grass verges near roadsides.
SNH, in conjunction with Transport Scotland and Traffic Scotland, are placing warning messages on electronic variable messaging signs.
From Monday of this week to Monday, 14 November, the signs will warn motorists at key locations on the main trunk roads across West and Northwest Scotland. These messages will be seen on signs on the A9, A87, A82 and the A835.
The latest deer-vehicle collisions research shows there are more than 7000 deer-related accidents every year in Scotland
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Weather for Ellon
Sunday 19 May 2013
Temperature: 9 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: East
Temperature: 8 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: North west
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Preventing Finger, Hand, and Wrist Problems
The following tips may prevent finger, hand, and wrist injuries:
- Do exercises that strengthen your hand and arm muscles.
- Stop, change, or take a break from activities that cause your symptoms.
- Reduce the speed and force of repetitive movements in activities such as hammering, typing, knitting, quilting, sweeping, raking, racquet sports, or rowing.
- Change positions when holding objects, such as a book or playing cards, for any length of time.
- Use your whole hand to grasp an object. Gripping with only your thumb and index finger can stress your wrist.
- When you work with tools that vibrate, consider using special gloves that support the wrist and have vibration-absorbing padding.
- Wear protective gear, such as wrist guards, in sports activities.
- Review your work posture and body mechanics.
- Organize your work so that you can change your position occasionally while maintaining a comfortable posture.
- Position your work so you do not have to turn excessively to either side.
- Keep your shoulders relaxed when your arms are hanging by your sides.
- When using a keyboard, keep your forearms parallel to the floor or slightly lowered and keep your fingers lower than your wrists. Allow your arms and hands to move freely. Take frequent breaks to stretch your fingers, hands, wrist, shoulders, and neck. If you use a wrist pad during breaks from typing, it's best to rest your palm or the heel of your hand on the support, rather than your wrist.
|Primary Medical Reviewer||William H. Blahd, Jr., MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine|
|Specialist Medical Reviewer||David Messenger, MD|
|Last Revised||November 4, 2010|
eMedicineHealth Medical Reference from Healthwise
To learn more visit Healthwise.org
© 1995-2012 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.
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Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment (Patient)
General Information About Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes abnormal myeloblasts (a type of white blood cell), red blood cells, or platelets.
Adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. This type of cancer usually gets worse quickly if it is not treated. It is the most common type of acute leukemia in adults. AML is also called acute myelogenous leukemia, acute myeloblastic leukemia, acute granulocytic leukemia, and acute nonlymphocytic leukemia.
Normally, the bone marrow makes blood stem cells (immature cells) that develop into mature blood cells over time. A blood stem cell may become a myeloid stem cell or a lymphoid stem cell. The lymphoid stem cell develops into a white blood cell. The myeloid stem cell develops into one of three types of mature blood cells:
In AML, the myeloid stem cells usually develop into a type of immature white blood cell called myeloblasts (or myeloidblasts). The myeloblasts in AML are abnormal and do not become healthy white blood cells. Sometimes in AML, too many stem cells develop into abnormal red blood cells or platelets. These abnormal white blood cells, red blood cells, or platelets are also called leukemia cells or blasts. Leukemia cells can build up in the bone marrow and blood so there is less room for healthy white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. When this happens, infection, anemia, or easy bleeding may occur. The leukemia cells can spread outside the blood to other parts of the body, including the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), skin, and gums.
This summary is about adult AML. See the following PDQ summaries for information about other types of leukemia:
There are different subtypes of AML.
Most AML subtypes are based on how mature (developed) the cancer cells are at the time of diagnosis and how different they are from normal cells.
Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a subtype of AML that occurs when parts of two genes stick together. APL usually occurs in middle-aged adults. Symptoms of APL may include both bleeding and forming blood clots.
Anything that increases your risk of getting a disease is called a risk factor. Having a risk factor does not mean that you will get cancer; not having risk factors doesn't mean that you will not get cancer. People who think they may be at risk should discuss this with their doctor. Possible risk factors for AML include the following:
Possible signs of adult AML include fever, feeling tired, and easy bruising or bleeding.
The early signs of AML may be like those caused by the flu or other common diseases. A doctor should be consulted if any of the following problems occur:
Tests that examine the blood and bone marrow are used to detect (find) and diagnose adult AML.
The following tests and procedures may be used:
Certain factors affect prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options.
The prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options depend on:
It is important that acute leukemia be treated right away.
eMedicineHealth Public Information from the National Cancer Institute
This information is produced and provided by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The information in this topic may have changed since it was written. For the most current information, contact the National Cancer Institute via the Internet web site at http://cancer.gov or call 1-800-4-CANCER
This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information.
Some material in CancerNet™ is from copyrighted publications of the respective copyright claimants. Users of CancerNet™ are referred to the publication data appearing in the bibliographic citations, as well as to the copyright notices appearing in the original publication, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
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One of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, Beijing’s roots can be traced back over 3,000 years. Beijing is located in the north of the country, and its name in fact means ‘northern capital’. The city has played a vital role in China since Emperor Qin united China in 221 BC, and it was the capital city of the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties which ruled China for 1,000 years until the 20th century.
The Qing dynasty came to an end in 1911 due to the Xinhai Revolution, a movement for a Chinese Republic. In 1916 the new emperor, Yuan Shikai, died and Beijing fell under the control of regional warlords. Royal residences were ransacked and burned down, and the country degenerated into a semi-feudal society. It took more than three decades for China to recover and on 1st October 1949 the Communist Party Leader, Chairman Mao Zedong, announced the creation of the People's Republic of China.
Modern day Beijing is home to 17 million residents and is an integral part of China’s prosperity. Beijing is a great starting point to explore this vast, populous country, and the coastal metropolis of Shanghai is just 1,000 kilometres to the south.
Beijing has been described as ‘a portal between centuries’. Every successive dynasty has made its mark on the city, from the ornate buildings of Imperial China and the boxy architecture of the 1950-70s Sino-Soviet era to proliferation of 21st century skyscrapers.
Imperial China is the most eye-catching place to start, at the 15th century imperial palaces of The Forbidden City. The courtyard-after-courtyard-after-courtyard of The Forbidden City makes up the enormous centre of the ancient walled city of Beijing. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and is the world’s largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures.
Just outside of Beijing’s centre is Summer Palace, another UNESCO World Heritage Site and the summer retreat for the Qing Dynasty emperors. Equally as impressive in winter, its collection of palaces, landscaped gardens, gentle hills, pavilions, temples and bridges combine to create a harmonious and breathtaking setting.
The architecture of the 1950s has been put to good use in the Dashanzi art district, also known as Factory 798. This thriving community is housed in decommissioned Bauhaus-style military factories, where art galleries, fashion designers, photographers and writers exhibit their wares to numerous visitors.
Modern Chinese architecture is best exemplified by the Beijing National Stadium which attracts up to 30,000 visitors a day. Constructed for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, it is better known as the Birds' Nest due to the myriad of steel beams which criss-cross its exterior.
The world’s largest Chinatown, Beijing is the ultimate destination to try Chinese cuisine. Street food is abundant and delicious: try little steamed ‘baozi’ buns, peking duck or cold noodles with cucumber, tofu and sesame seeds. However, only the strongest of stomach may want to sample the roasted scorpions.
Head to the famous lantern-lit road of Guijie Street to try a hot pot; this Asian fondue is a simmering stock in which guests cook their own food. Or try Peking Duck in Chao Yang Park – clichéd but delicious and an experience in itself.
Nightlife in Beijing is both lively and fun, and the bar and club scenes at San Li Tun and Hou Hai run so far into the next day that’ll you be glad of Beijing’s 24-hour food culture.
The Great Wall of China, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of the World, embraces such broad dimensions that nothing else compares. It runs 10,000 miles across China from east to west, and can be seen from space. The closest place to visit it is in Badaling, just 75kms north of Beijing. However, it pays to travel an extra 45kms to the 14th century Simatai section in Gubeikou: it is less touristy and the wall is in far better condition. This section is 5.4kms long with 35 watchtowers which snake along the mountain ridges and is a truly remarkable place for sightseeing, hiking and exploration.
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Like prokaryotes, eukaryotic organisms do not want to express all of their genes all of the time. Given the complexity of multicellular eukaryotes, gene regulation in these organisms needs to be very complex. This module provides a brief overview of the various levels of regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes, and takes a look at the basics of transcriptional regulation; a detailed look at eukaryotic transcriptional regulation is beyond the scope of this course.
The Need for Gene Regulation in Eukaryotes
Eukaryotes need to regulate their genes for different reasons than prokaryotes. In prokaryotes, gene regulation allowed them to respond to their environment efficiently and economically. While eukaryotes can respond to their environment (we'll see an example of this later), the main reason higher eukaryotes need to regulate their genes is cell specialization. Whereas prokaryotes are (relatively speaking) simple, unicellular organisms, multicellular eukaryotes consist of hundreds of different cell types, each differentiated to serve a different specialized function. Each cell type differentiates by activating a different subset of genes. (For more on this, see the module on developmental genetics.) Because of the multitude of cell types, the regulation of gene expression required to bring about such differentiation is necessarily complex. One way this complexity is demonstrated is in multiple levels of regulation of gene expression.
Levels of Regulation
Before we discuss the specifics of regulation, it is necessary to understand that "gene expression" covers the entire process from transcription through protein synthesis. The final measure of whether or not a gene is "expressed" is if the protein is produced, because it is protein that will ultimately carry out the function specified by the gene.
We've seen numerous examples of how eukaryotic cells are more complex than prokaryotic cells. One obvious example of this is the presence of a nucleus in eukaryotic cells, which separates transcription from translation in a way not seen in prokaryotes. Furthermore, eukaryotic transcripts must be processed before they can be translated. Here is a diagram outlining the steps involved in the production of a protein in eukaryotic cells:
Regulation can occur at any point in this pathway; specifically, it occurs at the levels of transcription, RNA processing, mRNA lifetime (longevity), and translation. Each of these types of regulation will be considered in turn.
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May 16, 2011 / ENERGY GLOBE Award
Project presentation - "River from Sky"
With only 45 days of rain annually, Rajasthan (northwest India, 56 million residents) is the most arid region of India. In 2003 "Sustainable Innovations", a non-profit organization, initiated the development of the water project "Aakash Gangaist" (translated "river from sky").
The principle is simple: Rainwater is collected from roofs in drains and accumulated in subterranean networked tank system. The success strategy for implementing the project is to focus on long-range economic viability via public/private partnerships (PPP). The system has already been installed in six Indian villages to serve some 10,000 residents.
The government of Rajasthan has now signed a document of intent that provides for extending the project to 70 villages and 250,000 people. The costs of water per liter amount to $0.002 (based on a lifetime of 25 years). By comparison, the price of water from drilled wells comes to $0.04/liter. Additional pilot projects like this are planned for China already.
Find more information here: www.sustainableinnovations.us
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Teams and Individuals Guided by Engineering Resources (TIGERs) Camps is a resident summer camp designed to expose rising 11 and 12 graders to the world of engineering. Engineers make the world a better place by designing things that make life easier, safer or that protect the environment. Yet, studies show that middle and high school students know very little about careers in engineering.
The camp will be conducted by faculty, staff, and students from the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, ensuring that students receive a broad overview of the engineering profession. Camp activities include workshops, tours, a number of hands-on activities, lectures guided by engineers, and students will learn what courses they need to take in high school to prepare them for a successful and fulfilling career in engineering.More information regarding this camp can be found online at http://www.eng.auburn.edu/outreach/k-12/tigers.html.
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Delia Bacon, History's Odd Woman Out*
FEMINIST literary scholars in search of neglected antebellum women writers have made it impossible to consider fiction without Harriet Beecher Stowe, abolitionism without Lydia Maria Child, transcendentalism without Margaret Fuller. Stowe, Child, and Fuller were powerful intellectual forces in their own time, and their literary achievements are central to our understanding of antebellum culture now. Delia Bacon's is a different story. Her repeated attempts to forge a literary career were just as repeatedly rebuffed during her lifetime, and her magnum opus, The Philosophy of Shakespeare's Plays Unfolded, was indeed, as Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote of it, a "ponderous octavo volume, which fell with a dead thump at the feet of the public and has never been picked up"--unreadable then, and unreadable now.
Yet despite his reservations, Hawthorne subvented publication of the book, and Bacon somehow managed to attract New England luminaries like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Elizabeth Peabody to her cause. Her argument that the man "Shakespeare" did not write "Shakespeare's" plays was eccentric, to be sure, but eccentric in ways that resonated culturally. The woman who entered history as originator of the "Baconian" theory of Shakespearean authorship was no garden variety crank. Mad or no (and Bacon did suffer an irreversible mental breakdown soon after the book appeared), her thesis was tellingly inflammatory, for it rose within the framework of, yet in agonistic relation to, a particular New England local culture.
The local culture in question is that of antebellum Hartford and New Haven, conservative centers of a Calvinism in transition, theologically inflected science, and Federalist-Whig politics. Bacon (1811-59) imbibed from this milieu an ambition to excel in literature that it was bound to frustrate and an eventual belief in her own divine mission that it was certain to repudiate. The Philosophy of Shakespeare's Plays Unfolded can be read as the attempt of an aspiring, displaced intellectual--displaced because female and declassed--to stage herself once and for all for the approval of people whose applause she coveted but whose rules she could never fully comprehend or follow. Culture enters at every point of such a reading, controlling what it means to aspire, to be intellectual, to be displaced, to be female, to be declassed, to be applauded, to stage oneself. Bacon's lifelong work of inventing and reinventing herself as a female intellectual celebrity, though a marginal episode in literary and cultural history, deserves attention for the ways in which it defines the center through the very forms of its marginality.
In his Shakespeare's Lives, Samuel Schoenbaum, the eminent scholar of Shakespeare biography, interprets all the anti-Stratfordians as rebels against cultural and professional expertise whose invariable substitution of some high-ranking personage for the supposedly unlettered Shakespeare paradoxically indexes "the heretic's revulsion against the provincial and lowly." Schoenbaum's use of "heretic" is metaphorical, but Nathaniel Hawthorne thought Bacon understood herself quite literally as a heretic. When she realized that her readings of the plays ran counter to the "religious doctrines in which she had been educated," he says, Bacon was horrified at first; but she chose her readings over her religion--indeed, she made her readings into her religion. Shakespeare's plays as she read them were nothing less than a new gospel, which she had been appointed to make known; "she had faith that special interpositions of Providence were forwarding her human efforts." To Bacon, Hawthorne noted elsewhere, "every leaf and line" of her work "was sacred, for all had been written under so deep a conviction of truth as to assume, in her eyes, the aspect of inspiration."
It is not surprising that Bacon fell into such a theological mode of self-understanding; this was the psychological terminology her culture deployed. The motif of heresy was omnipresent in the Calvinist historiography that had trained her, and her writings from the start luxuriated in metaphors of martyrdom. Nor, in Bacon's case, was rejecting authority along with the provincial and lowly a true paradox. It was precisely because authority was provincial and lowly that she rejected it.
Although of impeccable New England lineage on both sides, Delia's family had slid far down the social scale. David, her father, was a visionary Calvinist minister who failed first in a series of frontier ministries in Michigan and then as founding patriarch of a utopian theocracy in Tallmadge, Ohio. Returning with his large family to Hartford in 1812 when Delia--the fifth of seven children--was a year old, he died in poverty five years later. The family turned to the Hartford elite for patronage; the children went to work as soon as possible. The oldest, Leonard, nine years Delia's senior, was sponsored through Yale and rose to prominence as a leading clergyman in New Haven.
Of course Delia did not have Leonard's opportunities. For some years she shuttled between a wealthy foster family in Hartford and her mother's home in eastern New York State. She had only a year of secondary schooling (in 1825, at Catharine Beecher's Evangelical academy) and began to teach for a living at fifteen. Even as she followed the obscure route of innumerable, minimally trained New England girls, Delia Bacon was driven by compensatory dreams of becoming a dazzling performer who combined great social respectability with great personal distinction. These dreams were significantly underwritten by her conviction that she was a genius, a conviction that had been fostered by those around her.
It was by no means aberrant for an antebellum woman to view herself as a genius. On the contrary, the association of genius with unworldliness, excitable intelligence, and expressive emotionality linked it closely with the feminine in cultural discourse. Rufus Griswold, for example, remarked in the preface to his anthology of American women poets that "the moral nature of women, in its finest and richest development, partakes of some of the qualities of genius" and that "the most essential genius in men is marked by qualities which we may call feminine." The notion was so widely circulated via Germaine de Stael's beloved 1807 novel, Corinne, that schoolgirls and their teachers in the northeast searched for genius in their midst almost as a matter of course. In The Female Student, Almira Hart Phelps of the Troy Female Seminary gave physical form to the quality in her description of the youthful poet Lucretia Davidson: "so vivid in my mind is the recollection of her animated and enthusiastic manner at that time, the bright flashing of her dark eye, and the glow of her brilliant complexion, that . . . it seems as if she now stood before me, the living image of youthful genius and sensibility." Catharine Beecher, Delia's former teacher, recalled her pupil in similar terms: "Possessing an agreeable person, a pleasing and intelligent countenance, an eye of deep and earnest expression, a melodious voice, a fervid imagination, and the embryo of rare gifts of eloquence in thought and expression, she was pre-eminently one who would be pointed out as a genius."
The girl genius, at once admired and isolated, stood in complex relation to her classmates. Often she came from a lower social class than they. Since it was typical of genius to exceed boundaries, those ignorant of the boundaries were most likely to transgress; moreover, those outside the genteel circle had an obvious need, which the well-positioned did not, to insist upon themselves. Paradoxically and painfully for women in a sexually asymmetric society, female excess, even when inspired, was subject to discipline and censure. Ultimately, as the tragic plot of Corinne so clearly demonstrated, the world preferred ordinary women and aristocrats preferred their own kind. The plot of many an antebellum women's novel chronicles this poignant taming and normalizing of a genius who must subside (or grow) into conventional womanhood if she is to gain the approbation of society.
The double bind of the girl genius in a culture dominated by a female pedagogy like Catharine Beecher's is cruelly obvious in the teacher's recollection. Success in composition became "the highest object" of Delia Bacon's ambition, Beecher reports, even as success continually eluded her:
For Beecher the genius is one who, by definition, cannot win the prize; had she more discipline--i.e., more class--she might win but would be, then, less a genius. Given such a context, one can easily imagine Bacon attempting throughout her life to combine incompatibles: to operate in the social center while remaining the genius on the margins. These goals were further inflected by the theocentric vocabulary of a milieu where orthodoxy was inseparable from social practice--as Catharine Beecher's recollections of her pupil's eager ambition make so clear: "the fear was generated in the mind of her teacher," she wrote, "that the desire of human estimation especially in the form of literary ambition, might prove a snare fatal to her spiritual well-being."
Bacon's first published work was a book of three historical stories written in the manner of James Fenimore Cooper and Catharine Maria Sedgwick. Titled Tales of the Puritans, it appeared anonymously in 1831 when the author was just twenty years old. The book was not a success; but derivative as it is, one can discern in it the layered political and religious tendencies that the anti-Shakespeare project would make manifest. All three stories are about superior women displaced in the New World. Featuring a heroine who exemplifies the fairy-tale "princess in disguise" motif, each plot spins a fantasy wherein a politics of class (upper) and gender (female) merges with the Protestant Reformation conviction, that one's religious sect comprises all the good in an otherwise evil world. Many antebellum women's novels about early New England use this motif, often centering on dependent and marginalized orphans who discover lineages of wealth and high breeding, thus confounding those who have snubbed them. These novels, like Bacon's stories, convey an uneasy tension between filiopietistic celebration of the yeoman Puritans and an anglophilia that celebrates aristocracy in the person of the misfit heroine. Lydia Maria Child's Hobomok is the best-known example of this type.
"The Regicides," the longest story in Bacon's book, invents a fictional daughter for the regicide Goffe, who, according to a favorite Connecticut legend, hid out in Hadley with his father-in-law Whalley for two decades. Bacon's word-portrait of Alice, the daughter who knows nothing of her parentage, unmistakably limns the girl genius:
In "The Fair Puritan" the young and beautiful Lady Eveline, motivated entirely by religious concerns, leaves her luxurious surroundings and loving siblings to emigrate to the New World. Class and breeding isolate her from the other Puritans, whom she nevertheless serves with pious ardor, and in the end she dies of a disease contracted while nursing the sick. Finally, in "Castine," the Puritan heroine frankly turns her back on the little commonwealth, linking up with a young Catholic nobleman in exciting circumstances of Indian capture and rescue and going back to France as his wife.
Though fiction-writing was not to earn her a reputation, over time Delia Bacon achieved a kind of intellectual celebrity as a history teacher in Hartford, New Haven, and New York City. As early as 1833 she began lecturing, not in a common school or even a girls' academy but to elite girls who had completed formal schooling--offering them a form of post-graduate instruction; later she added classes for adult women. According to Beecher, more than a hundred "ladies" in New Haven, "including the wives of the governor, judges, professors, and other dignitaries of society, were assembled to learn wisdom from her lips, devoting an unusual amount of time, and paying a liberal ticket for the opportunity." Thereby Bacon received, according to Beecher, "one of the highest compliments ever paid to an American lady.
But even as she collected compliments, Bacon was developing a critique of her culture centered on its failure to reward genius and live up to its responsibilities. Her 1839 closet drama, The Bride of Fort Edward, expanded a prize-winning newspaper story she had published eight years earlier. In the interval Bacon had begun to think about the theater, in particular to conceive of it as a pedagogical space with much more potential than the classroom. Suggesting that she thought of plays as illustrated lectures composed by the teacher-playwright for an audience of students, she wrote her brother Leonard that she meant "to display a grand and awful truth not in the abstract but in a form better fitted to strike the common mind-the living breathing reality. Later, in the essay inaugurating her attack on Shakespeare--"William Shakespeare and His Plays: An Inquiry Concerning Them," published in Putnam's in 1856--she would similarly refer to drama as a "mighty instrument of popular sway," a "mechanism for moving and moulding the multitude." Vivian Hopkins, one of Bacon's biographers, claims that Leonard Bacon criticized a draft of The Bride for lack of dramatic action and theorizes that Bacon recast the full-scale performance play into a closet drama in response . But in revising to take her brother's strictures into account, Bacon attacked the commercial idea of drama on which they were based, thereby also attacking the elite he represented.
The Bride of Fort Edward centers on Jane McCrea, murdered in 1777 by Indian allies of General Burgoyne when she was en route to Fort Edward to meet her tory fiance. The story, expertly sensationalized by the American side, became part of the iconography of the Revolutionary War. Burgoyne himself had much to do with circulating the legend, since he credited it with inspiring the demoralized patriot army that caused his defeat. In the many retellings of the saga, Jane--often dressed in bridal costume as she made her way through the dark woods--functioned as the most banal and blatant kind of sentimentalized object. Bacon's play carefully orchestrates a dramatic conflict between unstoppable world history and frustrated individual desire, alternating blank verse scenes dominated by Helen, the fictionalized McCrea, with scenes in colloquial prose involving the American army. The preface asserts that the play means to exhibit the abstract truth of "the apparent sacrifice of the individual in the grand movements for the race." The sacrifice is only apparent because Helen is at once crushed by history and immortalized through her usefulness to its just purposes. Even Helen knows the patriot cause is just: "Let the high cause of right and freedom ... prevail", she muses, "though I, with all this sensitive, warm, shrinking life; with all this new-found wealth of love, and hope, he on its iron way.
Bacon frames Helen's story with another, which depicts how patriot officers convert the massacred life into propaganda for the Revolutionary cause. These wise and good men realize that ordinary folk, unschooled in the nuances of political theory and impervious to abstract debate, will respond immediately to the sentimental spectacle of Jane's death. No matter he political affiliation: she was lolled by a savage enemy. The Burgoyne character says as much himself. "A young and innocent girl, seeking the protection of our camp, is inhumanly murdered by Indians in our pay. A single tale like this is enough to undo at a blow all that we have accomplished here." The play closes when the army of foot soldiers, previously "melting away like a snow-wreath, views the spectacle and storms off predictably to avenge it: "To the death! Freedom for ever!"
The triangulated script, then, contains two plots: the framed drama shows how a spectacle might operate on the populace; the frame shows how this spectacle was created by wise and astute men acting on behalf of history. Only those with the power to make propaganda can appreciate this frame, and since The Bridge of Fort Edward was published as a closet drama, not a stage play, one can assume that it was ultimately designed for such readers. The Bridge of Fort Edward dramatizes the political and didactic work drama ought to do, if only the authorities knew how to use it properly.
As the author of this drama, Bacon has transformed Helen's victimization into her own mastery. She presents the lovelorn Helen sympathetically but affiliates with those who understand the divine course of history and the providential destiny of the United States. Addressing an elite audience, Bacon reminds it of the traditional republican responsibility to instruct the people in the arts of self-government in a manner suited to their less developed understanding. If theater in the United States was not fulfilling this task, the fault to Bacon lay with those in charge who were running the theater for profit instead of principle. This would be precisely the criticism of Shakespeare the man, as opposed to Shakespeare the plays, she would later develop.
The Bride of Fort Edward showed that Delia Bacon was not satisfied with her role of purveying history to well-off women. But the play sold poorly and the wider field of action she sought eluded her. Her local reputation as a teacher continued to grow until 1847, when Alexander MacWhorter, a young divine whom she had been seeing chastely but too often and too publicly, accused her of indecorous behavior. (He seems to have been trying to escape rumors that the two were engaged.) To support his charge, he circulated some effusive letters Bacon had written him, including a few in which she pleaded with him to return her correspondence. Leonard Bacon acted to have MacWhorter formally censured by the church. The public hearing on the issue devolved into a veritable media circus. Nathaniel Taylor, Yale's most prominent theologian, supported MacWhorter; Bacon was required to testify publicly on extremely short notice, and MacWhorter received nothing more than a mild reproof for imprudence. Both wings of the Calvinist church-the town represented by her brother, and Yale College represented by the tribunal-had failed Delia Bacon who, if by no means a fallen woman, had nonetheless completely lost control of her own public image. Her reputation as a "lady"-on which her career so vitally depended and to which she was so centrally committed-was smashed.
The debacle might have caused Bacon to reject the God of her church, but it did not. Nor did she attack the church hierarchy, as Catharine Beecher soon would. Beecher claimed that she wrote Truth Stranger Than Fiction (1850) to expose the clerical hypocrisy and corruption so obvious in the case, and she was confident (wrongly) that, the church could not withstand her demonstration. "The female sex are accustomed to look upon the ministers of Jesus Christ as their special guardians and protectors. The preservation of this grateful respect and confidence is one of the most sacred trusts committed to the ministry," she insisted. Although she did not accept Beecher's designation that she was a chosen agent of God's cleansing wrath against the fallen church, Bacon certainly employed providential thinking as she attempted to understand what had happened to her. And, when she began to discern that Shakespeare had not written the plays attributed to him, she could only interpret such remarkably unexpected ideas as a divine influx. She writes to Beecher, a year after the public hearing, of newfound work for which she has been prepared by "all that I have suffered," a "true and only vocation" making "the prospect of my future life not endurable merely, but more precious than it had ever been before." "I have something to do yet before I die," she continues, "and I would gladly suffer all that I have suffered, and think it little, if that were the cost of its accomplishment-l have work to do which is not my own,-'day labor,' and the night is at hand! I am tired of this mere suffering."
In elaborating and promulgating her anti-Stratford theory, Bacon was ultimately far less concerned to attack Shakespeare the impostor than to promulgate the message she found in the plays. Her incendiary essay attacking the bard, she told Hawthorne, was meant merely "to send the old Player about his business, to make way for this graver performance." in this graver performance, Bacon boldly theorized that the plays were republican polemics produced from within Elizabeth's and James's court by a secret society founded by Walter Ralegh and headed in the next generation by Francis Bacon, who was chief if not sole author of the plays. Extending the thesis, she argued that if the plays were not what they had been taken to be, then neither the Elizabethan age nor history itself was what it had been taken to be. The heart of Bacon's re-reading involved rewriting history itself. This fundamentally historicist approach to the plays developed from an intellectual . self-presentation that had always been grounded in a supposed mastery of history. But now, as she thoroughly revised a period of English history that was also foundational to United States history, Bacon made herself an agent in history as well as a recounter of it.
The influence of Shakespeare had been obvious throughout in the construction and rhythms of The Bride of Fort Edwards; when Bacon ventured into drama she worked from her culture's most revered model without seeming to question his authorship. But in composing a closet drama rather than a performance play, she worked with one of several possible Shakespeares available to her. Writing at length about the circulation of Shakespeare's performed plays among all social levels in the antebellum United States, Lawrence Levine has argued that the bard's popularity reflects a scene where high and low culture were not yet differentiated. The Astor Place riots of 1849, for example, testified to the passionate involvement of working-class audiences in Shakespeare's works, a phenomenon that had all but vanished by the end of the century.
But Levine tells only part of the story. Long before mid century there also existed a Shakespeare of the literati, a Shakespeare of the scholar, and a Shakespeare of schoolroom recitation, which together mapped out clear demarcations between cultural levels. Well-known interpretive essays by Alexander Pope, Samuel Johnson, Charles Lamb, William Hazlitt, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, among others, had already turned the plays into sites for complicated, subtle literary criticism. Charles Lamb argued in an 1811 essay, "On the Tragedies of Shakespeare, Considered with Reference to Their Fitness for Stage Representation," that Shakespeare was far too deep for mere performance. Increasingly weighty annotated scholarly editions were appearing, including Edmund Malone's ten-volume Variorum in 1790 and its substantial expansion by James Boswell, Jr., in 1821, the so-called Third Variorum. All this English material was widely available in the antebellum United States, and American critics and scholars also wrote and lectured about the bard. Delia Bacon knew Shakespeare through reading and teaching, not attending performances, and it was these didactic, library Shakespeares whom she could not reconcile with the historically known playwright. The Shakespeare she invented was an intellectual courtier who had elaborated a science of human nature and hoped to prepare the uneducated populace, according to scientific rules, for its destined role in the progress of history. The Shakespeare she invented, in short, was a version of Francis Bacon.
In fusing William Shakespeare with Francis Bacon, Delia brought together two of the most revered cultural icons of her day. It takes a major effort in our time to imagine a historical moment when Francis Bacon was a hero to scientists just as Shakespeare was to practitioners of polite literature. "Bacon" stood for the inductive method: patiently collecting concrete, observable facts; then developing successively broader generalizations from these facts; and, ultimately, constructing a theory that accounted for every single one of them. This theory was called a law of nature; it did not presume to explain how anything had come into being but only how it functioned. Perfect functioning implied the perfection of the deity, who was the cause of it all. The emergence of Baconian empiricism in England just as Catholicism was being disestablished there was thought to be no historical coincidence; rather, it was the express result of Protestant ideology, according to which people looked at the world through their own eyes and saw it as the product of divine benevolence.
The disciplines of science were in the process of organizing themselves throughout the northeastern United States during Delia Bacon's lifetime, and all the Yale professors of chemistry, astronomy, geology, and "natural philosophy' (physics) were advocates of Bacon's system as they knew it through the mediation of Scottish commonsense philosophy. Delia Bacon was well acquainted with these men, especially. Benjamin Silliman, Yale's first professor of chemistry, and his son Benjamin Silliman, Jr., who succeeded him in the same position. It was known that Francis Bacon had not fully carried out his plan of work; Delia Bacon became convinced that some missing parts of the plan had been completed, specifically, the plays of "Shakespeare," a collection of human facts organized to display the laws of a human nature that was ineluctably progressing towards the worldwide institution of republican governments.
These were heady ideas, and for some time Delia Bacon kept them to herself. In the meantime, she found a new field and many new admirers when she reinstituted her history classes in the-hberal precincts of Unitarian Boston and Cambridge. Eliza Farrar, married to Harvard's professor of mathematics and author of a best-selling advice book (The Young Lady's Friend, first published in 1836), provided here, parlor for one such course. She recalled that Bacon "ended with a fine climax that was quite thrilling.... All who saw her then must remember how handsome she was, and how gracefully she used her wand in pointing to the illustrations of her subject. I used to be reminded by her of Raphael's sibyls, and she often spoke like an oracle." "Even now,"; her friend Caroline Dall remembered much later, "it is only necessary to close my eyes, to see once more that graceful form which always suggested the priestess of Apollo, to hear again the vibrant voice which penetrated to one's inmost soul.
Her identity as a lad, v genius firmly reestablished, Bacon took a truly daring next step, transforming her private Classes into public lectures which she delivered in Boston and then in New York. This work required presence behind the stage as well as on it, since she had to line up sponsors and supporters ahead of time. She was "a lady of elegant appearance," according to the New York Herald for I December 1852, "and decidedly pretty," wearing "a black velvet dress which set off her figure to advantage"; she delivered her lecture sitting in a chair, in a quiet and gentle manner, with a voice "musical, earnest, and sympathetic" and an enunciation "clear, distinct, measured." At the time she was probably the first and only woman lecturing publicly on a non-reform topic, and the topic could not have been more ambitious. The Herald reported-perhaps with playful irony-that "She began by saying 'she did not come there as an advocate of what were called woman's rights,' and she then proceeded to lay out and illustrate the proposition that history is a great whole, connected in all its parts." Delia Bacon came on stage in the person of a lady and performed the part of history. Evidently her performance was driven by overdetermined desires for personal vindication and triumph; but it was nothing compared to the triumph she contemplated as discoverer and publicizer of the truth about Shakespeare's plays.
Bacon's theory about Shakespeare's plays was already in formation when she moved to Boston. She seems to have talked extensively about it at least to Elizabeth Peabody, for in later years, when Leonard insisted that his sister's "theory about the authorship of Shakespeare's plays, and her views of Lord Bacon were a part of her insanity," Peabody countered that the theory was not only evident long before the insanity but its "criticism of those times is the most profound that has ever been written. Some of the republicanism in the final formulation of the theory may well have come from Peabody, just as some of its insistence on the divinity of human nature may have resulted from her exposure to local transcendentalism. But after a while, according to Peabody, Bacon became quite secretive about her ideas-not because she doubted them but because she was afraid of being scooped. Although she used her attack on Shakespeare to criticize the market mentality, she considered herself the owner as well as trustee of her theory and meant to get credit for it. She had no doubt that publication of the theory would make her world-famous.
When Bacon conceptualized the plays as a series of republican polemics authored chiefly by Francis Bacon, she did not claim kinship with him. Yet the coincidence of names must have played a part in her thinking; here was her unacknowledged forebear, an intellectual if not a blood relation. Having affiliated with Shakespeare in The Bride of Fort Edward, she was now disavowing him for a far more attractive form of authority, replacing an untalented merchandiser of dramatic goods with a courtier and gentleman who was a great thinker and also, in her reading of him, a republican revolutionary.
Bacon's historicist focus, her insistence that no great literature could be merely entertaining or even purely aesthetic, in her mind privileged her reading above all others, a position that oddly adumbrates counter-aesthetic historicist criticism of the present day. She even went a step further to argue that Bacon and his group would not have been content to limit their radical work to mere writing: "there was to have been a change in the government here at one time, very different from the one which afterwards occurred, if the original plans of these men had succeeded. The ciphered language she insisted was deployed in the plays-the discourse awaiting Delia Bacon's unsealing-had been developed originally as a way for the courtiers to communicate with each other without arousing the crown's suspicion.
Because, on the one hand, the crown was too vigilant and, on the other, the people were insufficiently trained in republican principles to be trustworthy citizens in a free state, the courtiers abandoned their planned revolution. Only then did the frustrated Elizabethan man of action become a man of letters, who "invented new letters in his need, letters that would go farther than the sword" (p. xlix). In short, the plays developed a sophisticated republican political theory in a coded language that conveyed it (under the very nose of the queen, whose regime the theory sought to undermine) to an unlettered public via the sensuous immediacy of dramatic performance.
If examined closely, Bacon's argument undermines the religion' political origins of United States history according to which the Puritans were embryonic republican anti-monarchists as well as Protestant martyrs. If she was night, anti-monarchism was a courtly, not a Puritan, credo; providential history as it had long been understood and taught in New England, and was increasingly taught in schools throughout the nation, was wrong. Yet, what New England had been in its founding was far less important to Bacon than what it had become; her reading of the plays attacks a contemporary mercantile and mercenary elite that sought to justify itself through sham appeals to patriotism, religiob, and high culture. Only such a misguided elite could possibly be satisfied with, indeed promote, an idea of the plays as documents created for mere aesthetic pleasure or, worse still, for monetary gain in the artistic marketplace.
For many reasons, and in a most un-Baconian manner, Bacon failed to recognize or even understand the need to corroborate her theory with extrinsic evidence, and it was due to this fundamental flaw that her entire project foundered. Her view of history itself was purely textual; she thought (like many a literary scholar today) that a good, convincing interpretation was the same as a proof. Caroline Dall remembered her saying that "she drew her evidences of Francis Bacon's authorship from two sources, the internal and the external. She found them in the Plays themselves, and outside of the Plays, in history. But for Bacon "history" meant history books, and history books meant the compendium or compilation nearest to hand. For all the scholastic ingenuity she expended on interpretation, she was uninstructed in editorial procedures, naive about the material constitution of documentary evidence. Bravely performative though she was, she lacked the mental furniture to live in a non-textual, material, world. She was completely unscientific. And, of course, this deficit had in part identified her as a genius in the first place. In Phelps's words, "genius is of too fine, too exquisite a nature to bear the rude contact of worldly things."
Yet before one dismisses out of hand the inadequacies of an approach in which the printed word-any printed word-acquires a kind of divine status, it is worth remembering how prevalent such an approach still was in the conservative churches. Although Higher Criticism of the Bible, on which subsequent textual literary analysis was to be modeled, had certainly begun to influence the thinking of liberal religious elites, conservatives by no means generally accepted it, for it challenged the theory of inspired biblical compositions. Moreover, the habit of interpreting texts typologically was still common in 91 New England. Baconianism and the Bible lived side by side.
Indeed, Bacon's success in finding sponsors, at least initially, suggests that her rejection of Shakespeare struck a chord. One might dismiss Elizabeth Peabody's enthusiasm for the cause on the grounds that Peabody loved a losing fight, but what is to be said about Emerson, who joined with Peabody in recommending Bacon's work to George Putnam? Emerson himself, in Representative Men, fretted over the lack of fit between Shakespeare's works and the man known as Shakespeare. And what of George Putnam, who agreed to publish "William Shakespeare and His Plays"? To be sure, as Peabody's cousin and as a publisher soliciting Emerson's contributions, Putnam may have found it politic to do the two a favor. One should not, however, neglect the evidence that his mother-Elizabeth Peabody's aunt-had intellectual habits much like Delia Bacon's.
[She] was a believer in types and symbols, and she found not only in the Scriptures but in many other things a double meaning, the first apparent and direct, the second hidden and indirect or spiritual. For the purpose of expounding these theories in regard to the interpretation of the Scriptures, she began a series of commentaries on the Old Testament.... Two octavo volumes [were] published, with filial respect, by her son George, in 1852 and 1853.
Bacon also garnered financial support from Charles Butler, a New York banker, entrepreneur, and philanthropist she met through her lecture series, who backed her journey to England in 1853. She undertook the trip ostensibly to search out confirming evidence, but once she arrived, she simply wrote ever more pages of interpretation. Early in her sojourn she visited Bacon's tomb once, in the company of Charles Butler; but she avoided Stratford until her treatise had been published. Her notion that papers testifying to the existence of the society were buried in Shakespeare's grave seems to have developed late, in response to iterated demands for ocular proof. Hawthorne was among the few in whom she confided her fresh idea, and he was responsible for circulating it after her death.
Proceeding mainly by ridicule and invective, "William Shakespeare and His Plays" scorned a venerated theory as a means of scorning its Generators. "Oh, stupidity past finding out!" that anybody could "worship this monstrous incongruity," Bacon exclaims ("Inquiry," p. 119). This was unladylike writing to say the least; thirty years later Caroline Dall wrote mournfully of the essay: "as I go back to it, it grieves me bitterly, its coarseness and flippancy seem so unworthy of, and so unlike my friend. Published anonymously, the essay adopts a voice intended to be masculine, to imply a male authority behind the disembodied neutrality of print. In a footnote, the editors sustained the masquerade by referring to the author only as a "learned and eloquent scholar" (p. 98). In contrast to the Cooperian narrative style of Tales of the Puritans and the Shakespearean mimicry of The Bride of Fort Edward, Bacon's anti-Stratfordian prose is orotund and numbingly repetitious-another imitative exercise, this one of the pulpit rhetoric and political oratory she had heard all her life.
Stripped of some of its interesting complexities, "William Shakespeare and His Plays" accomplishes its task through a series of arguments. First: Shakespeare could not have Written the plays attributed to him because they reflect a level of education and cosmopolitan sophistication he lacked. Second: his failure to get them printed, or even to preserve the manuscripts, indicates complete ignorance of their true significance. The Shakespeare known to history was a poorly educated theatrical hack who "exhibited these plays at his theatre in the way of his trade, and cared for them precisely as a tradesman would; cared for them; as he would have cared for tin kettles, or earthen pans and pots, if they had been in his line" (p. 124). Bacon intends her tradesman metaphor to be taken literally. Especially important for the political argument she will develop in The Philosophy of Shakespeare's Plays Unfolded, Bacon maintains that such a self-serving commercial mentality could not possibly have conceived of patriotically disinterested lines like these:
Third: despite the absurdity of imagining a person like the historical Shakespeare as author of such work, the reverence in which the plays have been held testifies to the world's sense of their value. But over time the name ascribed to them has been partly detached from the man- "It is only the work itself that we now know by that name-the phenomenon and not its beginning' (p. 125). To square the plays' felt experience with the man supposed to have authored them, critics have endorsed a pernicious theory of aberrant genius that obscures the plays' complex historicity and is, as well, irrelevant to the historical Shakespeare. "Condemned to refer the origin of these works to the vulgar, illiterate man who kept the theatre where they were first exhibited," asks Bacon, "how could we, how could any one, dare to see what is really in them?" The only reasonable solution, again, is to dismiss Shakespeare, for the plays are learned and scholarly in a way that genius is not; this is no question of mere "lyric inspiration" or the merely "dramatic genius" of a "Bunyan or a Burns" (pp. 131-32). The historical Shakespeare was neither of the people nor of their rulers; his was the rising spirit of market values, and so to imagine that he could have written the plays only exhibits one's own crass mercantilism. Through this "Shakespeare" she invents, then, Bacon criticizes the prevalence of market values among those who should be instructing the populace in civic virtue.
What the plays need at this juncture, Bacon explains are "historical investigation and criticism" (p. 154), Which she plans to offer in her anticipated major study. Her theory of an authorship by disinterested aristocratic proto-republican patriots working against absolute power and inherited rank obliterates all the crypto-royalist affiliations of her earlier writings, allowing her to embrace the court without embracing its ideology, to have her royals without royalism. "The Fair Puritan" had stated more or less outrightly that the high-ranking woman who abandoned her aristocratic privilege for the Puritan cause was much more admirable than the more ordinary person who had much less to lose, materially and socially, by renouncing monarchist politics. Bacon's theory of Shakespearean authorship locates this self-sacrificing idealism within the heart of the court itself, among a group of worldly and educated men who alone had the privileges requisite for writing the plays. Thus, the theory of coded discourse makes courtiers into patriots willing to face martyrdom for their cause.
At the center of this group of courtiers is Francis Bacon. Identifying Shakespeare's plays as the missing practical applications of Francis Bacon's Novum Organum, Delia hits upon a strategy that allows her to use The Advancement of Learning as a gloss on the plays-a substantial revision of Bacon as well as Shakespeare. She admits that her approach demands "a very different kind of study from any that we have naturally thought it worth while to spend on them, so long as we regarded them as works of pastime merely.... It is pastime no longer. It is a study, the most patient, the most profoundly earnest to which these works now invite us" (Philosophy, pp. 175-76). "Of Art as anything in itself, with an independent tribunal, and law with an ethic and ritual of its own, this inventor of the one Art, that has for its end the relief of the human estate and the Creator's glory, knows nothing" (p. 303). In the plays, she insists, we want to find-and we do-"the new method of scientific inquiry applied to the questions in which men are most deeply interested-questions which were then imperiously and instantly urged on the thoughtful mind. We want to see it applied to POLITICS in the reign of James the First" (p. 187).
Bacon's works of scientific intellection analyzed human nature; his imaginative works-the plays-projected his philosophy in concrete examples. The scientific insistence that human nature is entirely lawful, that humans may be perfected by learning and applying the law, is an obvious contradiction of old-style Calvinism, even of those forms of perfectionism involving actions of faith and free grace. A perfectionist credo of sorts was already present in The Bridge of Fort Edward, where it manifests itself as routine patriotic Enlightenment rationalism of a sort that had long since been reconciled with Calvinism in the New England churches. The Philosophy of Shakespeare's Plays Unfolded goes far beyond the rational patriotism of The Bride, however, to sketch out a new gnosis of revealed science, through which instructed individuals might align themselves with historical progress. Bypassing the Bible, the Philosophy (which includes some sarcastic references to puerile Semitic achievements) substitutes a hew occult corpus for interpretation. The plays become, literally, Sacred Writ. "Great news for man he [Francis Bacon] brings; the powers which are working in the human life, and not those which are working without it only, are working in obedience to laws.... Good news for the state, good news for man; . . . confirmations from the universal scriptures, of the revelation of the divine in the human" (pp. 486-87). This statement rings with the democratic individualism and the Protestant inventiveness of an age of numerous new breakaway sects, at least one of which (Mormonism) was formed around a wholly new' sacred scripture.
The prominence of textual interpretation along with an intensely anti-individualist utopian ethos differentiate Bacon's theory from the Emersonian transcendentalism that it obviously resembles and at times seems to endorse. "Good news, because that law of the greater whole, which is the worthier-that law of the common-weal, which is the human law-that law which in man is reason and conscience, is in the nature of things, and not in man only' (p. 487). Man's "relation to the common-weal is essential to the perfection of his individual nature"; "The highest good of the particular and private nature ... comprehends necessarily the good of the whole in its intention" (pp. 477-78). Francis Bacon's project aims to realize the highest form of the polity, the perfect, the truly republican, state.
The core of The Philosophy of Shakespeare's Plays Unfolded is comprised of extended close readings of King Lear, Julius Caesar, and Coriolanus, in which the languages of New Criticism and New Historicism are anachronistically and startlingly foreshadowed. Framed by historical material in a long reface preface and a shorter conclusion, the three plays are read as coded attacks on the Tudor and Stuart monarchies rooted in Francis Bacon's supposed science of human nature, reflecting republican ideals of government by self-governing individuals. In a sequence on presence and absence, Bacon argues that though King Lear stands for "pure will and tyranny in their most frantic form" (p. 202), his presence on the stage as "insulted trampled outcast majesty' also signifies what is absent-the people-reminding readers "that the State is composed throughout, down to its most loathsome unimaginable depths of neglect and misery, of individual men, social units, clothed of nature with the same faculties and essential human dignities and susceptibilities to good and evil, and crowned of nature with the common sovereignty of reason" (pp. 204, 208). The emperor in Julius Caesar is "the most splendid and magnanimous representative of arbitrary power ... so that here it is the mere abstract question as to the expediency and propriety of permitting any one man to impose his individual will on the nation" (p. 326); the play's outcome, which dramatizes that principled patriots were "no more fit to be trusted with absolute power than he was, nor, in fact, half so fit" (p. 329), proves that neither single-man rule nor junta can produce the perfect state. Only self-governing individuals can do that.
Still more important for Delia Bacon's argument is Coriolanus (which has recently emerged as a key text for New Historicist readings of Shakespeare), wherein "the whole question of government is seized at its source" (p. 350). The argument of this play, as Bacon interprets it, is the familiar nineteenth-century insistence that until the people are instructed in the arts of self-government, they are untrustworthy electors, certain to choose a demagogue to rule over them. She explains: "That which stops short of the weal of the whole for its end, is that which is under criticism here; and whether it exist in 'the one,' or 'the few,' or "the many,--and these are the terms that are employed here,--whether it exist in the civil magistracy, sustained by a popular submission, or in the power of the victorious military chief, at the head of his still extant and resistless armament, it is necessarily rejected as a principle of sovereignty and permanence" (pp.353-541).
An uninstructed people is especially likely to choose a military hero, whom Bacon sees exemplified in Coriolanus as "the pure negation of that heroism which his author conceives of," a man who "knows no common-wealth; the wealth that is wealth in his eyes, is all his own; the weal that he conceives of, is the weal that is warm at his own heart only" (p. 395).
Each play treated by Delia Bacon puts a bad ruler on display to ask what a ruler's responsibility ought to be. As an anti-populist democrat, she envisages a long period of tutelage before the people can safely take government into their own hands; it is the task of rulers to provide the necessary instruction. Among bad rulers, the military hero is perhaps most germane to the 1840s, when the pro-Clay Whigs--the faction to which all the Bacons seem to have adhered--saw their man rejected twice in favor of military men (William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor). In depicting Coriolanus, Bacon says, the poet separates "instinctive military heroism, and the principle of so-called heroic greatness, from the true principles of heroism and nobility, the true principle of subjection and sovereignty in the individual human nature and in the commonweal" (p. 427). When the party of the ruling class supports a military man because he can win popular elections, the ruling class has failed its responsibility, and history takes a backward step.
In sum, The Philosophy of Shakespeare's Plays Unfolded tried to merge contemporary discourses of religion, science, and politics together in one historical package called "Shakespeare's philosophy"--philosophy, not commercial entertainment. Delia Bacon's history was all wrong, but her historicist reading of "Shakespeare" was virtually unique in her culture and ambitiously self-aware. Restoring Francis Bacon to his imagined place at the forefront of historical progress, Delia Bacon laid claim to a similar place for herself in her own time. Her project failed; once and for all she did not win the prize. A few months after The Philosophy of Shakespeare's Plays Unfolded was published in 1857, she had a complete psychological breakdown; she was taken back to the United States by a nephew and died in an asylum less than two years later. Insofar as she figures in cultural discourse at all, it is as a deranged spinster obsessed with digging up Shakespeare's grave. But her assimilation of aesthetics to commerce; her insistence that all intellectually valuable work had to further human progress toward political perfection; her drive to combine religion with science; and finally her refusal to stay in even the best place her local culture could provide for an intellectual woman--all these invite a more generous interpretation.
1 Nathaniel Hawthorne, Our Old Home: A Series of Sketches (1863), vol 5 of The Centenary Edition of the Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne (Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1970), pp. 114-15.
2 Bacon was probably the second person to argue in print against Shakespeare's authorship of the plays. The first seems to have been another American, Joseph C. Hart, who claimed in his Romance of Yachting: Voyage the First (New York: Harper & Bros., 1848) that the plays were collaboratively authored by diverse hands, the best parts written by Ben Jonson and the stage-manager Shakespeare's occasional contributions identifiable by their vulgarity. Bacon may have known about this book (she was visiting in New York City at the time it appeared), but her argument is completely different. Hart debunks the plays as well as the playwright; for Bacon, the playwright is a demigod, which is why he cannot be Shakespeare. For additional material on Hawthorne's subvention of The Philosophy of Shakespeare's Plays Unfolded, see Hawthorne's Letters, 1853-1856 and Letters, 1857-1864, ed. Thomas Woodson et al., vols. 17 and 18 of the Centenary Edition (Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1987).
3 Samuel Schoenbaum, Shakespeare-'s Lives (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1970), p. 608.
4 Nathaniel Hawthorne, English Notebooks (New York: Russell & Russell, 1962), p. 388, and Our Old Home, pp. 108, 114.
5 For Delia Bacon's life, see: Theodore Bacon, Delia Bacon: A Biographical Sketch (Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1888); Catharine A. Beecher, Truth Stranger Than Fiction: A Narrative of Recent Transactions, Involving Inquiries in Regard to the Principles of Honor, Truth, and justice, Which Obtain in a Distinguished American University (Boston: Phillips, Sampson & Co., 1850); Helen R. Deese, "A New England Woman's Network: Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, Caroline Healey Dall, and Delia S. Bacon," Legacy 8 (1992): 77-91; and Vivian Hopkins, Prodigal Puritan: A Life of Delia Bacon (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1959).
6 Rufus W. Griswold, ed., The Female Poets of America (Philadelphia: A. Hart, 1848), p. 7.
7 Almira Hart Phelps, The Female Student: or, Lectures to Young Ladies on Female Education, 2d.ed. (New York: Leavitt, Lord & Co., 1836) pp. 293-94: Beecher, Stranger Than Fiction, p. 17.
8 Beecher, Stranger Than Fiction, pp. 18-19.
9 Beecher, Stranger Than Fiction, p. 19
10 For an analysis of several of these historical novels, see my American Women Writers and the Work of History, 1790-1860 (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1995), pp. 152-68.
11 Delia Bacon, Tales of the Puritans (New Haven: A. H. Maltby, 1831), p. 92. For a discussion of the regicide legend, see Douglas C. Wilson, "Web of Secrecy: Goffe, Whalley, and the Legend of Hadley," New England Quarterly 60 (December 1987): 515-48.
12 For the centrality of history in antebellum women's intellectual education and concepts, see my American Women Writers and History.
13 Beecher, Stranger Than Fiction, p. 22.
14 Delia Bacon, quoted by Hopkins, Prodigal Puritan, p. 59.
15 Delia Bacon, "William Shakespeare and His Plays: An Inquiry Concerning Them," reprinted in T. Bacon's Delia Bacon, pp. 98-155, the edition I cite here and later (quotation p. 144).
16 Hopkins, Prodigal Puritan, p. 62.
17 Delia Bacon, The Bride of Fort Edward (New York: Samuel Coleman, 1839), p. 68.
18 Bacon, Bride of Fort Edward, pp. 164-65, 21, 174.
19 Beecher, Stranger Than Fiction, pp. 7, 270, 272.
20 T. Bacon, Delia Bacon, pp. 168-69,
21 Lawrence W. Levine, Highbrow/Lowbrow: The Emergence of Cultural Hierarchy in America (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1988), pp. 11-82.
22 On Bacon's centrality to the scientific ideology of the antebellum era, especially among religious Protestants, see Dirk J. Struick, Yankee Science in the Making, rev. edition (New York: Collier, 1962); George H. Daniels, American Science in the Age of Jackson (New York: Columbia University Press, 1968); and Theodore Dwight Bozeman, Protestants in an Age of Science: The Baconian Ideal and Antebellum American Religious Thought (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1977). On Delia Bacon's close connections with Yale Scientists, see Hopkins, Prodigal Puritan. Pp. 52-53 and passim.
23 Eliza Farrar, Recollections of Seventy Years (Boston: Ticknor & Fields, 1866), pp. 320-21, and Caroline Healey Dall, What We Really Know About Shakespeare (Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1886), p. 104.
24 Letters of Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, American Renaissance Woman, ed. Bruce Ronda (Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press, 1984), pp. 299,301.
25 Her attitudes were like those of many others who attacked, but could not escape, the market revolution, on which see Charles Sellers, The Market Revolution: Jacksonian America, 1815-1846 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1991).
26 Delia Bacon, The Philosophy of Shakespeare's Plays Unfolded (Boston: Ticknor & Fields, 1857), p. xxxix. Cited hereafter in the text.
27 No trace of such a secret society has ever been unearthed, but there were rumors that both Ralegh and Bacon advocated athiestic materialism. Delia Bacon used the term "cipher" to mean a duplicitous discourse, the interpretation of which constituted her own extensive labors. Later anti-Stratfordian Baconians read the term literally to mean a numerical or letter code by which Bacon threaded his name into the plays.
28 Dall, What We Really Know, p. 105.
29 Phelps, The Female Student, p. 291.
30 George Haven Putnam, George Palmer Putnam: A Memoir (New York and London: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1912), p. 4.
31 When Bacon neither found evidence nor agreed to return home, Butler terminated his support; she carried on in a poverty so extreme that it may well have debilitated her both mentally and physically. This was her condition when Hawthorne went to see her in 1856, at Elizabeth Peabody's urging. For Butler, whose relation to the market was as conflicted in its way as Bacon's, see John Denis Haeger, The Investment Frontier: New York Businessmen and the Economic Development of the Old Northwest (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1981), and Francis Hovey Stoddard, The Life and Letters of Charles Butler (New York: C. Scribner, 1901).
32 Hawthorne was completely unpersuaded by Delia Bacon's theory but greatly impressed by her intellect. In memorializing her, he found a way to turn her work into an inadvertent tribute to the bard: "To have based such a system on fancy, and unconsciously elaborated it for herself, was almost as wonderful as really to have found it in the plays. But, in a certain sense, she did actually find it there. Shakespeare has surface beneath surface, to an immeasurable depth, adapted to the plummet-line of every reader" (Our Old Home, p. 106). Having agreed to help Delia Bacon find a publisher for the manuscript, Hawthorne finally wrote a preface for it as well as subsidizing it. For his publicizing of Bacon's visit to Shakespeare's grave, see my "Delia Bacon, Hawthorne's Last Heroine," Nathaniel Hawthorne Review 20 (1994): 1-10.
33 Dall, What We Really Know, p. 104.
34 "Inquiry," p. 129. The lines are from Henry Viii, 3.2.441-59. Other plays named or quoted from are Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Coriolanus, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Henry V, Much Ado about Nothing, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Hamlet, and The Tempest.
*Originally published in NEQ 69 (1996): 223-49.
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Oil Shale Development
Oil shale, which is an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock, contains significant amounts of kerogen (a solid mixture of organic chemical compounds) from which liquid hydrocarbons can be extracted. Kerogen requires more processing to use than crude oil, which increases its cost as a crude-oil substitute both financially and in terms of its potential environmental impact. US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey announced today that they will take a fresh look at commercial oil shale rules and plans issued under the previous Administration and, if necessary, update them based on the latest research and technologies, to account for expected water demands in the arid West and to ensure they provide a fair return to taxpayer.
The largest deposits of oil shale in the world occur in the United States in the Green River Formation, which covers portions of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming; about 70% of this resource lies on land owned or managed by the United States federal government.
Mining oil shale involves a number of potential environmental impacts, more pronounced in surface mining than in underground mining. They include acid drainage induced by the sudden rapid exposure and subsequent oxidation of formerly buried materials, the introduction of metals into surface-water and groundwater, increased erosion, sulfur-gas emissions, and air pollution caused by the production of particulates during processing, transport, and support activities.
There are also concerns over the oil shale industry's use of water. Depending on technology, above-ground retorting uses between one and five barrels of water per barrel of produced shale-oil. A 2008 programmatic environmental impact statement issued by the US Bureau of Land Management stated that surface mining and retort operations produce 2 to 10 US gallons of waste water per 1 short ton of processed oil shale. In situ processing, according to one estimate, uses about one-tenth as much water.
"For more than a century, and through many busts, we in the West have been trying to unlock oil shale resources to help power our country," said Secretary Salazar. "If we are to succeed this time, we must continue to encourage RD&D, determine whether the technologies would be viable on a commercial scale, and find a way to develop the resources in a way that protects water supplies in the arid West. With commercial oil shale technologies still years away, now is the time to ensure that our rules and plans reflect the latest information and will deliver a fair return to the American taxpayer."
In November 2008, the previous Administration amended 8 of the land use plans in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming to make public lands available for potential commercial-scale oil-shale development, and two other land use plans to expand the acreage available for potential tar-sands leasing in Utah, where these resources are located. These actions made nearly 2 million acres available for potential development. It also issued regulations that fix the royalty rate for oil shale at 5% for the first 5 years of commercial production, rising 1% every year thereafter until the rate reaches a possible maximum of 12.5%.
Abbey said that over the coming months, the public will have an opportunity to provide input on whether to update the existing commercial oil shale regulations. As more is known about emerging oil shale technologies, there may be specified resource protection plans as an example.
Secretary Salazar noted that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently determined that several fundamental questions about oil shale technologies remain unanswered, including critical questions about water demands. An October, 2010 GAO report determined that: "Oil shale development could have significant impacts on the quality and quantity of water resources, but the magnitude of these impacts is unknown because technologies are years from being commercially proven, the size of a future oil shale industry is uncertain, and knowledge of current water conditions and groundwater flow is limited."
Director Abbey said the BLM will also conduct further environmental analysis to determine whether to amend existing land use plans for oil shale and tar sands resources. The public process associated with the planning initiative will allow the Department to take a fresh look at what public lands are best suited for this kind of development.
For further information: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/newsroom/2011/february/NR_02_15_2011.html
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The shipwrecks of HMAS Sydney II and HSK Kormoran and associated debris fields are located 22 kilometres apart, 290 kilometres west south west of Carnarvon, off the coast of Western Australia in 2500 metres of water.
HMAS Sydney II sank after a battle with the German raider HSK Kormoran off the Western Australian coast on the 19 November 1941. HMAS Sydney II was Australia's most famous warship of the time and this battle has forever linked the stories of these warships to each other.
The HMAS Sydney II and the HSK Kormoran were added to the National Heritage List on 14 March 2011.
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The VLT Active Optics System
Due to the low ratio between their thickness and their diameter, the VLT primary mirrors will be rather flexible and sensitive to various disturbances, requiring permanent control of their optical shape.
Active optics consists in applying controlled forces to the primary mirror and in moving the secondary mirror in order to cancel out the errors. The scheme was developped by ESO for the 3.5-m New Technology Telescope (NTT) and is now applied to the VLT. The system must essentially compensate for static or slowly varying deformations such as manufacturing errors, thermal effects, low frequency components of wind buffeting, telescope inclination, ... It is also used when changing between Cassegrain and Nasmyth foci.
A schematic view of the system is shown below.
(Drawing by Ed Janssen, ESO)
DescriptionThe different elements of the active optics system of the VLT are the primary mirror, with its active support system located within the M1 Cell structure, the M2 unit, the CCD Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor (WFS) located in the sensor arm of the adapter, and the computer analysing the wavefront sensor data. There are three modes of operation, that are described below
BaselineThe active optics baseline operation is the correction of wavefront aberrations generated by the optics of the telescope and by slowly varying temperature inhomogeneities in or near the building. The corrections are based on an image analysis.
The active optics system constantly monitors the optical quality of the image using an offset reference star as it is picked up in the field by the wavefront sensor CCD in the adapter sensor arm. The same offset star is also used by the acquisition and autoguiding CCD.
The system controls the relative position and the shape of the optical elements. The primary mirror shape can be actively controlled by varying the force pattern applied by means of its support system. The latter consists of 150 computer controlled axial actuators, applying a distribution of forces at the back of the mirror.
Periodically the image analyzer calculates the deviation of the image from the best quality. The image analysis typically requires about 30 seconds (1/30 Hz) in order to integrate out the effect of atmospheric seeing. The computer decomposes the deviation into single optical contributions (defocus, astigmatism, coma etc...) and calculates the force correction which each active element has to perform to achieve the optimal quality. The set of 150 correction forces, one for each axial actuator, is computed and transmitted to the local control of the M1 Cell-M3 Tower for execution. The focus and coma terms are corrected by displacements of the secondary mirror.
Fast correctionsThe feedback scheme is the same as above but here the maximum frequency for fast corrections is 1 Hz. These shorter integration times reduce the signal to noise ratio of measurements and affect both the sky coverage (requirement of brighter guide stars in the field) and the number of aberrations which can be corrected (only the lowest spatial frequency ones).
Open loop corrections
This mode does not use feedback information from the image analyser. The open loop mode is used in the absence of any sufficiently bright guide star, or in the case of image analysis failure, or as initialization for baseline operation after a new telescope preset. For this type of operation accurately predicted forces on M1 (dependent on telescope tube inclination) and predicted positions (dependent also on temperature) are required.
More technical information on the principles of active optics can be obtained in the following publications:
R. Wilson, F. Franza, L. Noethe, Journal of Modern Optics, vol. 34/4, 1987, p. 485 L. Noethe et al., Journal of Modern Optics, vol. 35/9, 1988, p. 1427
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- foot (n.)
- Old English fot, from Proto-Germanic *fot (cf. Old Saxon fot, Old Norse fotr, Dutch voet, Old High German fuoz, German Fuß, Gothic fotus "foot"), from PIE *ped- (cf. Avestan pad-; Sanskrit pad-, accusative padam "foot;" Greek pos, Attic pous, genitive podos; Latin pes, genitive pedis "foot;" Lithuanian padas "sole," peda "footstep"). Plural form feet is an instance of i-mutation. Of a bed, grave, etc., first recorded c.1300.
The linear measurement of 12 inches was in Old English, from the length of a man's foot. Colloquial exclamation my foot! expressing "contemptuous contradiction" [OED] is first attested 1923, probably a euphemism for my ass, in the same sense, which dates back to 1796. The metrical foot (Old English, translating Latin pes, Greek pous in the same sense) is commonly taken as a reference to keeping time by tapping the foot.
To get off on the right foot is from 1905; to put one's best foot foremost first recorded 1849 (Shakespeare has the better foot before, 1596). To put one's foot in (one's) mouth "say something stupid" is attested by 1942; the expression put (one's) foot in something "make a mess of it" is from 1823.
- foot (v.)
- c.1400, "dance, move on foot," from foot (n.). To foot a bill is attested from 1848, from the process of tallying the expenses and writing the figure at the bottom ("foot") of the bill.
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National Drinking Water Database
Portland Water Bureau - Portland, OR
Serves 539,200 people - Test data available: 2004-2009
This drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) by the Oregon Department of Human Resources. It is part of EWG's national database that includes 47,667 drinking water utilities and 20 million test results. Water utilities nationwide detected more than 300 pollutants between 2004 and 2009. More than half of these chemicals are unregulated, legal in any amount. Despite this widespread contamination, the federal government invests few resources to protecting rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater from pollution in the first place. The information below summarizes test results for this utility and lists potential health concerns.
For more information from your water utility, please see their Consumer Confidence Report.
Contaminants Exceeding Health Guidelines
Other Detected Contaminants
Contaminants Not Detected - 57 chemicals
1,1,1-Trichloroethane, 1,1,2-Trichloroethane, 1,1-Dichloroethylene, 1,2 Dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP), 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene, 1,2-Dichloroethane, 1,2-Dichloropropane, 2,3,7,8-TCDD (Dioxin), 2,4,5-TP (Silvex), 2,4-d, Alachlor (Lasso), Alpha particle activity (excl radon and uranium), Atrazine, Benzene, Benzo[a]pyrene, Beryllium (total), Cadmium (total), Carbofuran, Carbon tetrachloride, Chlordane, Chromium (total), cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene, Combined Uranium (mg/L), Copper, Dalapon, Di(2-Ethylhexyl) adipate, Dichloromethane (methylene chloride), Dinoseb, Diquat, Endothall, Endrin, Ethylbenzene, Ethylene dibromide (EDB), Glyphosate, Heptachlor, Heptachlor epoxide, Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), Lindane, Mercury (total inorganic), Methoxychlor, Monochlorobenzene (Chlorobenzene), o-Dichlorobenzene, Oxamyl (Vydate), p-Dichlorobenzene, Pentachlorophenol, Picloram, Simazine, Styrene, Tetrachloroethylene, Thallium (total), Toluene, Total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Toxaphene, trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene, Trichloroethylene, Vinyl chloride, Xylenes (total)
|15||Total Contaminants Detected (2004 - 2009)|
Arsenic (total), Barium (total), Cyanide, Lead (total), Nitrate & nitrite, Nitrate, Nitrite, Selenium (total), Antimony (total), Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Hexachlorocyclopentadiene, Total haloacetic acids (HAAs), Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Combined Radium (-226 & -228), Gross beta particle activity (pCi/L)
(pesticides, fertilizer, factory farms)
|7||Sprawl and Urban Pollutants|
(road runoff, lawn pesticides, human waste)
Arsenic (total), Barium (total), Cyanide, Lead (total), Nitrate & nitrite, Nitrate, Nitrite, Selenium (total), Antimony (total), Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Hexachlorocyclopentadiene, Combined Radium (-226 & -228), Gross beta particle activity (pCi/L)
|3||Water Treatment and Distribution Byproducts|
(pipes and fixtures, treatment chemicals and byproducts)
(naturally present but increased for lands denuded by sprawl, agriculture, or industrial development)
EPA has not established a maximum legal limit in tapwater for these contaminants
EPA Violation Summary
|Violation Category||Number of Violations|
(click see violations)close
Information on violations is drawn directly from EPA's national violations database in the Agency's Safe Drinking Water Information System. Analyses by others have raised questions about the quality of the information in EPA's database. For the purposes of this investigation, EWG is not showing below or including in our analyses, those violations for individual water suppliers that occurred on days for which the total number of violations assigned by EPA to that water supplier was greater than 20. This criteria was based on common characteristics of incorrect violations data as identified by water utilities, from a review of EPA's violations data by several hundred utilities prior to the release of EWG's investigation.
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After a couple of hours I’d been thoroughly MOT-ed by an ECG heart check, a blood pressure monitor and a breast exam. We discussed my insomnia and investigated both my hearing and cholesterol levels.
My risk of diabetes was rock bottom and my liver seemed to be holding up despite everything I’ve thrown at it over the years. I relaxed, safe in the knowledge that everything’s ticking along nicely.
However the findings of a study in Scandinavia suggest when it comes to detecting heart disease or cancer, check-ups can lull patients into a false sense of security.
The Danish researchers studied 14 long-term medical trials over nine years. Some of the 180,000 participants were offered regular health checks while others weren’t. Most trials showed no difference in ensuing death rates.
Heart disease and cancer caused the same number of deaths in those who had check-ups as in those who hadn’t. Even when conditions were swiftly diagnosed and drugs prescribed there was no significant difference in longevity. “There is ongoing debate about the value of general health check-ups in otherwise symptom-free people,” says Dr Gill Jenkins of the Simplyhealth Advisory Research Panel.
Don’t let your annual physical lull you into a false sense of security
“There is plenty of evidence that specific checks such as cervical screening are very valuable in picking up changes early on in the disease process.
“Blood pressure screening after a certain age has evidence to support it too but for many conditions general health checks in a symptomless person have little or no value.”
Clearly screening for certain conditions is vital. After all if my check-up had uncovered raised blood pressure, a worrying lump or a heart murmur I would have been sent for further investigation. Yet the research suggests doctors should assess a patient’s personal health risks rather than simply running through a basic battery of tests.
We should pay more attention to any changes in ourselves too.
“Better health education on the importance of reporting changes in weight, skin lesions or energy levels rather than just symptoms may be more effective than routine health checks,” agrees Dr Jenkins. “Check-ups should be an opportunity to make patients aware of what to look for.
“For instance if a patient has a family history of high cholesterol, doctors can advise on diet, exercise and prevention.”
The low rate of diagnosis from check-ups is why the NHS doesn’t offer routine health checks until the statistical risk of disease has increased with age.
“After 45 we suggest people have their blood pressure checked even if they feel well,” says Dr Jenkins. “People ask for routine check-ups and they may be given a quick check of the important risk areas such as blood pressure, chest sounds, abdomen.
“Yet the enormous costs involved mean it makes sense to focus on treatments and diagnostics that improve the quality or length of life.”
It seems the key to a successful check-up is to know your risk factors. “Healthcare professionals can only advise and present the information,” says Dr Jenkins. “Some patients will use a clear health check to justify ongoing behaviour such as smoking and drinking no matter how carefully counselled they are.”
Maybe I do need to rethink that wine intake before my next appointment after all.
WHEN SHOULD YOU HAVE AN MOT?
Any of the following conditions should mean a trip to your GP
Energy levels: If your energy has dropped for no apparent reason and you haven’t been under particular stress.
Skin problems: Moles and lesions that are bleeding, cracked or have changed shape.
Weight changes: If your diet hasn’t altered but you are losing or gaining weight. Unexplained bleeding:
Between periods, after sex or on the loo, bleeding for no apparent reason can be a sign that all is not well.
Persistent cough: If it has lasted longer than a fortnight it might be more than a tickle.
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Thuringia - Sachsen Schwarzburg Rudolstadt – Fürstentum (principality)PopulationEdit This Page
From FamilySearch Wiki
Huldigung translates into English as oath of allegiance. During feudal times when German lords governed over their people in a mixture between arbitrary action and patriarchal hegemony, the oath of allegiance on the part of the subservient population was of utmost importance. Perfidy was one of the greatest crimes and was punishable. Therefore, the expostulation of loyalty, faith, honor and morals served as a constant spur among the community members. When a new manor lord was installed, he required of his subjects “Land und Erbhuldigung”. With such an oath the lordship made sure of recognition and willing subordination. The oath was to be “treu, hold und gewärtig zu sein“. This kind of oath stems from the feudal law (Lehnsrecht). He who was in a relationship of dependence was obligated to swear an oath of allegiance. That concerned almost everybody. Huldigung was as important as any act of state. With time the act of Huldigung became more a formality but did not disappear until the 19th century when constitutional law was established.
Records can be found in “Huldigungslisten” of urban and rural administrations. An “Amt” (local administration) kept lists of the population obligated to swear the oath of allegiance. Often such lists only contain names of male villagers with no additional information, other than that they may have been the heads of households, swearing the oath of allegiance for the entire family. Where the male head of household was deceased, the widow may have sworn allegiance.
For Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Huldigungslisten are in the Landesarchiv Rudolstadt of varied content. In the 17th century they are ordinarily lists of names. Then there are tabulations with age, occupations and number of children. Sometimes there are lists of people who did not participate in oaths of allegiance. People from faraway places, often whole villages, were counted into this category. On the other hand, one can find indexes with names of people who already pledged allegiance at some other place. People absent from their villages were listed and also people who usually were not registered such as members of the nobility, administrators, ministers, teachers and miners. If two manor lords were owner of a village, two Huldigungslisten were established.
Source: Huschke, Wolfgang. Schwarzburg-Rudolstädtische Huldigunslisten des 17. Und 18. Jahrhunderts in Mitteldeutsche Familienkunde, Band I, Jahrgang 5, Heft 4, page 177 pp.
Some Huldigungslisten are available for Schwarzburg Rudolstadt through www.familysearch.org , catalog: Keyword Search: Huldigungslisten and can be ordered through the Family History Center network.
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- This page has been accessed 177 times.
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2 December 2008, Rome - Ocean warming, frequent tropical cyclones, flash floods and droughts are likely to have a devastating impact on food production systems in Pacific island countries, FAO warned today.
Climate change-related disasters are already imposing serious constraints on development in the islands, which appear to be in a "constant mode of recovery," according to a new report entitled Climate Change and Food Security in Pacific Island Countries, jointly published by FAO, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme and the University of the South Pacific.
"Climate projections for the Pacific island countries are bleak and indicate reduced food security, especially for households," said Alexander Müller, FAO Assistant Director-General, Natural Resources Management and Environment Department.
"It is critical to build resilience of food systems to avoid enormous future economic losses in agriculture, fisheries and forestry. Countries will have to assess how vulnerable their food systems are and how they can adapt agriculture, forestry and fisheries to future climate-related disasters. There is a need to act urgently," he added.
Climate change threats
Agricultural production in the Pacific island countries depends heavily on summer rains. Climate change predictions for the region suggest prolonged variations from normal rainfall with devastating effects on agriculture, including water stress, more pests and weeds, erosion and loss of soil fertility.
Increasing coastal inundation, salinization and erosion as a consequence of sea-level rise and human activities may contaminate and reduce the size of productive agricultural lands and thereby threaten household and local food security, the report said.
The projected sea-level rise and sea surface temperature changes will most likely result in the decline of fisheries productivity and food security. Most of the ecosystems on which coastal fisheries depend will be adversely affected. Fish consumption in Pacific island countries is very high, with an average of 70 kilogram per person per year. Fish exports account for as much as 70 percent of total exports in some countries.
Adapting to change
Pacific island countries have already committed to a number of international and regional agreements (UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol and the Pacific Plan) for addressing climate change impacts within the context of their sustainable development strategies. But overall, the report said, the response of Pacific island countries to climate change "can be described as being project-based, ad hoc and heavily dependant on external resources."
"Integrating climate change adaptation into national policies, strategies, programmes and budgets related to agriculture, forestry and fisheries, should become a major priority," Alexander Müller said.
The report calls for a more systematic approach to climate change, with national development plans serving as the basis of adaptation measures involving governments, the private sector and civil society. Pacific island countries need to review their agriculture, forestry, fisheries and drinking water development policies seriously, in light of new information on climate change.
Farmers should receive the best available information and guidelines on the choice of crop varieties, soil and water management options under changed environmental conditions to avert the risk of crop failures.
"Nations that have pushed for monoculture crop production for foreign markets will need to assess their food security potential. It is well established that diversified agricultural systems will fare better under climate change scenarios," the report said.
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I've heard that the "smog" in NYC actually helps plants and vegetables grow better. Is there any truth to this, or is it one of those things New Yorkers say to make themselves feel better, like "We have the best drinking water in the country"?
-Sarah from Astoria, NY
I'm sorry to burst your Big Apple bubble, but this is just wishful thinking. I'll start by blowing your mind and totally turning the question around: Do plants affect the air quality in polluted cities?
Trees planted in urban areas have actually been proven to reduce air pollution by doing what they do naturally, which is filter the air. Plants suck in carbon dioxide (along with the pollution) and release clean oxygen back into the environment. Woohoo, new clean air! But the flipside of all this is that the plant is sucking in polluted carbon dioxide. And that pollution has gotta end up somewhere...
Toxins pulled in from air, water and soil can eventually be transferred to the leaves and fruit of the plant. All plants are affected differently: Tomatoes, for example, harbor toxins in their leaves and not in their fruit, so you're safe if you're only eating the tomatoes and not the leaves like a weirdo.
Trees planted along the streets of NYC are actually chosen for their high rate of filtration. High filtering trees help clean the air better, but they also have a strong tolerance for pollution so they can survive the tough NYC air conditions. To learn more about trees planted in NYC, check out the Million Trees Initiative- you can request a tree to be planted on your block!
So, sorry Sarah... your New York City garden does not like the smog. But hey, at least you don't live in super-smoggy Los Angeles!
If anyone has a specific plant they're growing and would like to know how pollution is affecting it, comment below and I'll find the answer!
Have a question? Send it to Green Thumb Conundrums!
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Joint Anglo-American working groups continue to be the focal points for technical exchanges under the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement for Co-operation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Defence Purposes.
Radiation simulation and kinetic effects technology Energetic materials Test monitoring Nuclear materials Warhead electrical components and technologies Non-nuclear materials Nuclear counter-terrorism technology Facilities Nuclear weapons engineering Nuclear warhead physics Computational technology Aircraft, missile and space system hardening Laboratory plasma physics Manufacturing practices Nuclear weapon accident response technologySeparate arrangements exist for exchanges under the Polaris sales agreement, as amended for Trident. The working groups concerned are the Trident working party group, the joint steering tasks group, the Trident joint re-entry systems working group and the joint systems performance and assessment group.
In the absence of hydronuclear and boosted-yield underground testing, a significant improvement in methodologies and experimental capabilities is needed to determine the nuclear parameters required to assess the performance and safety of stockpiled weapon systems. The United States Department of Energy established a committee consisting of Sandia, Los Alamos, and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories and the Atomic Weapons Establishment (Aldermasten, UK) to determine the advanced capabilities needed to assess the nuclear primaries of strategic weapons and to define the technologies required to provide these capabilities.
The Nuclear Weapons Information Project (NWIP) is an archiving effort established in early 1993 to rescue at-risk weapon development and testing data and knowledge. The Nuclear Weapons Information Project will preserve preserve data for training future scientists, engineers, and technicians and will provide immediate critical information for emergency response to nuclear weapon incidents. The Nuclear Weapons Information Group (NWIG) includes participants from DOE sites, the Department of Defense's Defense Special Weapons Agency, and the United Kingdom's Atomic Weapons Establishment.
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A Brief History
The Bureau’s first field office in Cincinnati opened in 1913 under the leadership of Special Agent in Charge Hinton G. Clabaugh. Over the next several years, as the Bureau’s responsibilities grew, the office investigated everything from interstate prostitution to potential espionage during World War I.
1920s and 1930s
In 1920, Cincinnati became one of the Bureau’s eight field divisions, overseeing much of the administrative work of several other offices. In 1926, the division was moved to Columbus, Ohio.
|Special Agent in
Charge L.C. Schilder
In November 1929, an office in Cincinnati was reopened with L.C. Schilder as special agent in charge. At that time, the division’s territory was far-ranging, encompassing all of Ohio and parts of Kentucky and Indiana. When Bureau offices were established in Indianapolis in 1934 and Cleveland in 1935, the Cincinnati Division’s territory was limited to the Southern Judicial District of Ohio. Still, the division handled a large and diverse number of cases, from helping to pursue John Dillinger to breaking up a number of significant interstate prostitution rings.
Nelson B. Klein
On August 16, 1935, the division lost its first agent in the line of duty—Special Agent Nelson B. Klein. The 37-year-old Klein and another agent were pursing a man named George Barrett for car theft and other charges when they tracked him to the northeast border of Indiana. The agents spotted Barrett and asked him to surrender, but he opened fire. Klein was mortally wounded, but his return fire struck Barrett in both legs. The criminal was captured and ultimately convicted of the murder. He was the first person to receive the death penalty under 1934 legislation that outlawed the murder of a federal agent.
World War II and the 1950s
With the advent of World War II in 1939, the focus of the division—along with the rest of the Bureau—turned to national security matters. In the coming years, the Cincinnati office searched for spies, helped strengthen the security of manufacturing plants in the area, searched for draft evaders and enemy aliens, and handled other war-time responsibilities. When a band of Nazi saboteurs landed on U.S. soil in 1942, Cincinnati agents helped track down their various contacts.
One odd case came along in 1945. A highly explosive thermite bomb was on exhibit at the Gibson Hotel in Cincinnati when a curious newspaper boy picked it up and dropped it out of the window, scaring nearby pedestrians. Cincinnati agents responded to the scene along with police and fire personnel. The bomb didn’t ignite, and no one was harmed.
As World War II came to an end, the Cincinnati Division joined the rest of the FBI in handling Cold War espionage and related national security cases. Meanwhile, agents continued to handle a variety of criminal investigations—such as pursuing two robbers who stole $160,000 from a bank in Thornville and a group of individuals who sabotaged telephone lines. In late 1947, the division’s work led to the indictment of 17 people in connection with a major prostitution ring operating in and around Ohio.
|Cincinnati agents in 1949|
Some cases were easier than others. In 1950, a fugitive named Fred Whiteacre stopped to stare at his own wanted poster in a federal building. He was quickly arrested by Cincinnati agents. The division also worked to identify surreptitious communist influence in certain unions and to halt attempts by bookies to fix games by intimidating college basketball players. In May 1959, division agents arrested the last escaped prisoner of war from World War II—a German soldier who had been captured in northern Africa but had escaped confinement in Ohio in 1945. The soldier lived and worked under an assumed identity for years, but ultimately turned himself in to the Bureau.
1960s and 1970s
The division continued to tackle a wide range of cases during the 1960s and 1970s.
|Early Cincinnati field office|
In 1963, agents investigated the fraudulent awarding of contracts at a local air force base. Two years later, the office assisted the Bureau’s disaster squad in responding to the crash of an American Airlines flight that killed 58 people near Cincinnati. In the late 1960s, agents tracked the radical activities of black nationalists like H. Rapp Brown, hoping to gain insight into the race riots taking place across the nation. In 1969, the division joined with the FBI office in New Orleans and IRS agents in building a successful case against organized crime figures Sam DiPiazza and William Demming on illegal gambling, tax violation, and other charges. Stronger laws in the coming years would help the FBI to more systematically take down larger Mafia crime families.
By 1971, a total of 117 special agents and 75 support staff in Cincinnati were handling an average workload of 2,398 criminal cases, 1,118 national security investigations, and 169 applicant and other matters. In the late 1970s, Cincinnati agents rescued a 3-year-old boy kidnapped from his home and arrested two brothers who plotted to blow up an Ohio school.
1980s and 1990s
During the next two decades, the division focused largely on cases of white-collar crime, violent crime, property crime, organized crime, and foreign espionage.
In December 1982, tragedy struck when four Chicago Division agents were killed in an airplane accident near Montgomery, Ohio. The agents—Terry Burnett Hereford, Charles L. Ellington, Robert W. Conners, and Michael James Lynch—were accompanying bank fraud suspect Carl Henry Johnson and an individual from the law firm representing him to an area where agents believed Johnson had stashed $50,000 in embezzled money. The plane—which was piloted by two of the agents and was apparently experiencing problems with its altitude readings—crashed on approach to Lunken Airport. No one aboard survived.
|Raymond Luc Levasseur|
On November 4, 1984, local police and Cincinnati agents arrested Ten Most Wanted fugitive Raymond Luc Levasseur and his wife in Deerfield, Ohio. A founding member of a left-wing terrorist group known as the United Freedom Front, Levasseur had been placed on the FBI’s Top Ten list in 1977 for his role in a series of bombings and bank robberies across the northeastern United States. He was convicted in 1986 and served in prison until 2004. On November 3, 1988, the division arrested another Top Ten fugitive, John Edward Stevens, who was sought in connection with 22 bank robberies across the country.
In the late 1980s, the office handled a number of significant cases, including the collapse of the Home State Savings Bank of Cincinnati and a wide-ranging scheme to fix harness races that led to the indictment of more than a dozen conspirators. From 1986 through 1989, the Cincinnati Division investigated the illegal gambling activities of baseball star and Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose, who was later banned from the game. In the late 1980s, the division also investigated a hospital attendant named Donald Harvey, who claimed to have murdered as many as 87 people while working in various medical facilities in Kentucky and Ohio. Harvey was eventually sentenced to several life terms.
In the 1980s, Cincinnati agents and IRS investigators began investigating price-fixing in the sale of industrial diamonds used for cutting and grinding tools. The case—which made use of court-authorized wiretaps and the federal witness protection program—led to indictments in March 1994.
In July 2001, division agents arrested Danny William Kincaid, the Ohio leader of the white supremacist group known as Aryan Nations, for possessing an explosive device and a trove of other weapons. He pled guilty the following year.
Following the events of 9/11, the Cincinnati Division joined with the rest of the Bureau in making the prevention of terrorist attacks its top priority. It strengthened its Joint Terrorism Task Force, which has components in both Cincinnati and Columbus, and set up a Field Intelligence Group.
The terror task force was soon involved in some key investigations. In 2003, working with agents from FBI Headquarters and various partners, the Cincinnati Division began investigating an Ohio truck driver named Iyman Faris. Faris admitted having personal contact with several individuals tied to terrorism, and agents later learned that he had been tasked by al Qaeda operatives with attacking the Brooklyn Bridge and other targets. He pled guilty to terrorism support charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison in October 2003. Faris also led investigators to Nuradin Abdi—a Somali national living in Columbus—who had plotted with Faris to blow up a shopping mall and discussed potential missile attacks against U.S. landmarks. Abdi pled guilty to various terrorism support charges in July 2007. A third co-conspirator, Christopher Paul, pled guilty in June 2008 to plotting to use a weapon of mass destruction against targets in the United States and Europe.
Meanwhile, the division continued its work on criminal cases, investigating everything from mortgage fraud and other white-collar crimes to drug trafficking and child pornography.
With new intelligence capabilities, new and deepened cooperation with a variety of law enforcement and intelligence partners, and new post-9/11 legal authorities and resources, the Cincinnati Division is committed to continuing its work to protect local communities and the country from a range of national security and criminal threats.
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Following a major disaster, first responders who provide fire and medical services will not be able to meet the demand for these services. Factors such as number of victims, communication failures and road blockages will prevent people from accessing emergency services they have come to expect at a moment's notice through 911. People will have to rely on each other for help in order to meet their immediate life saving and life sustaining needs.
One also expects that under these kinds of conditions, family members, fellow employees and neighbors will spontaneously try to help each other. This was the case following the Mexico City earthquake where untrained, spontaneous volunteers saved 800 people. However, 100 people lost their lives while attempting to save others. This is a high price to pay and is preventable through training.
If we can predict that emergency services will not meet immediate needs following a major disaster, especially if there is no warning as in an earthquake and people will spontaneously volunteer, what can government do to prepare citizens for this eventuality?
First, present citizens the facts about what to expect following a major disaster in terms of immediate services. Second, give the message about their responsibility for mitigation and preparedness. Third, train them in needed life saving skills with emphasis on decision making skills, rescuer safety and doing the greatest good for the greatest number. Fourth, organize teams so that they are an extension of first responder services offering immediate help to victims until professional services arrive.
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) concept was developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) in 1985. The Whittier Narrows earthquake in 1987 underscored the area-wide threat of a major disaster in California. Further, it confirmed the need for training civilians to meet their immediate needs. As a result, the LAFD created the Disaster Preparedness Division with the purpose of training citizens and private and government employees.
The training program that LAFD initiated makes good sense and furthers the process of citizens understanding their responsibility in preparing for disaster. It also increases their ability to safely help themselves, their family and their neighbors. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recognizes the importance of preparing citizens. The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) and the National Fire Academy adopted and expanded the CERT materials believing them applicable to all hazards.
The CERT course will benefit any citizen who takes it. This individual will be better prepared to respond to and cope with the aftermath of a disaster. Additionally, if a community wants to supplement its response capability after a disaster, civilians can be recruited and trained as neighborhood, business and government teams that, in essence, will be auxiliary responders. These groups can provide immediate assistance to victims in their area, organize spontaneous volunteers who have not had the training and collect disaster intelligence that will assist professional responders with prioritization and allocation of resources following a disaster. Since 1993 when this training was made available nationally by FEMA, communities in 28 states and Puerto Rico have conducted CERT training.
We recommend a number of steps to start a CERT:
Identify the program goals that CERT will meet and the resources available to conduct the program in your area.
Gain approval from appointed and elected officials to use CERT as a means to prepare citizens to care for themselves during a disaster when services may not be adequate. This is an excellent opportunity for the government to be proactive in working with its constituency.
Identify and recruit potential participants. Naturals for CERT are community groups, business and industry workers and local government workers.
Train CERT instructor cadre.
Conduct CERT sessions.
Conduct refresher training and exercises with CERTs.
The CERT course is delivered in the community by a team of first responders who have the requisite knowledge and skills to instruct the sessions. It is suggested that the instructors complete a CERT Train-the-Trainer (TTT) course conducted by their State Training Office for Emergency Management or the Emergency Management Institute in order to learn the training techniques that are used successfully by the LAFD.
The CERT training for community groups is usually delivered in 2 1/2 hour sessions, one evening a week over a 7 week period. The training consists of the following:
Session I, DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: Addresses hazards to which people are vulnerable in their community. Materials cover actions that participants and their families take before, during and after a disaster. As the session progresses, the instructor begins to explore an expanded response role for civilians in that they should begin to consider themselves disaster workers. Since they will want to help their family members and neighbors, this training can help them operate in a safe and appropriate manner. The CERT concept and organization are discussed as well as applicable laws governing volunteers in that jurisdiction.
Session II, DISASTER FIRE SUPPRESSION: Briefly covers fire chemistry, hazardous materials, fire hazards and fire suppression strategies. However, the thrust of this session is the safe use of fire extinguishers, sizing up the situation, controlling utilities and extinguishing a small fire.
Session III, DISASTER MEDICAL OPERATIONS PART I: Participants practice diagnosing and treating airway obstruction, bleeding and shock by using simple triage and rapid treatment techniques.
Session IV, DISASTER MEDICAL OPERATIONS, PART II: Covers evaluating patients by doing a head to toe assessment, establishing a medical treatment area, performing basic first aid and practicing in a safe and sanitary manner.
Session V, LIGHT SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS: Participants learn about search and rescue planning, size-up, search techniques, rescue techniques and, most important, rescuer safety.
Session VI, DISASTER PSYCHOLOGY AND TEAM ORGANIZATION: Covers signs and symptoms that might be experienced by the disaster victim and worker. It addresses CERT organization and management principles and the need for documentation.
Session VII, COURSE REVIEW AND DISASTER SIMULATION: Participants review their answers from a take home examination. Finally, they practice the skills that they have learned during the previous six sessions in disaster activity.
During each session participants are required to bring safety equipment (gloves, goggles, mask) and disaster supplies (bandages, flashlight, dressings) which will be used during the session. By doing this for each session, participants are building a disaster response kit of items that they will need during a disaster.
When participants have completed this training, it is important to keep them involved and practiced in their skills. Trainers should offer periodic refresher sessions to reinforce the basic training. CERT teams can sponsor events such as drills, picnics, neighborhood clean up and disaster education fairs which will keep them involved and trained.
CERT members should receive recognition for completing their training. Communities may issue ID cards, vests and helmets to graduates.
First responders need to be educated about the CERT and their value to the community. Using CERT as a component of the response system when there are exercises for potential disasters can reinforce this idea.
FEMA supports CERT by conducting or sponsoring Train-the-Trainer and Program Manager courses for members of the fire, medical and emergency management community. The objectives of the TTT are to prepare attendees to promote this training in their community, conduct TTT's at their location, conduct training sessions for neighborhood, business and industry and government groups and organize teams with which first responders can interface following a major disaster.
CERT is about readiness, people helping people, rescuer safety and doing the greatest good for the greatest number. CERT is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where citizens will be initially on their own and their actions can make a difference. Through training, citizens can manage utilities and put out small fires; treat the three killers by opening airways, controlling bleeding, and treating for shock; provide basic medical aid; search for and rescue victims safely and organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective.
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Reverse Osmosis, also known as hyper filtration, is the preferred method of seawater and brackish water purification. As the equipment needed to perform reverse osmosis is cost-effective, and the process requires little input energy compared to other methods of purification, reverse osmosis has become the worldwide leader among desalinization methods. Developed at UCLA, and used commercially since the 1970’s, seawater reverse osmosis has served marine professionals for nearly 40 years.
Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) is used in a wide range of commercial applications. Marine professionals such as commercial fisherman and offshore rig workers rely on SWRO to provide freshwater for routine daily tasks such as bathing, cleaning and of course, drinking.
In larger applications, such as cruise ships, SWRO is sometimes also used. In such applications, it is necessary not only to desalinize water, but to provide quality freshwater. Cruise liner restaurant professionals count on SWRO for water used for cooking, as well as making coffee, soda and other beverages. Here, consistency is key. By way of its simple yet effective design, reverse osmosis is able to consistently satisfy the needs of those who count on it.
The process itself is relatively simple and straightforward. In order to purify a liquid, the “solvent” (in this case, water) is put under pressure in excess of 250 psi for brackish water and 1000 psi for seawater, forcing it through a semi-permeable membrane. This application-specific membrane allows water molecules to pass through, but catches “solutes,” yielding purified water. When employed, reverse osmosis is capable of not only of de-salting water, but also removing other impurities such as bacteria, ions and particulates.
If you’re considering using reverse osmosis to address your water purification needs, browse our inventory of Everpure reverse osmosis filters.
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On This Day - 15 April 1918
Theatre definitions: Western Front comprises the Franco-German-Belgian front and any military action in Great Britain, Switzerland, Scandinavia and Holland. Eastern Front comprises the German-Russian, Austro-Russian and Austro-Romanian fronts. Southern Front comprises the Austro-Italian and Balkan (including Bulgaro-Romanian) fronts, and Dardanelles. Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres comprises Egypt, Tripoli, the Sudan, Asia Minor (including Transcaucasia), Arabia, Mesopotamia, Syria, Persia, Afghanistan, Turkestan, China, India, etc. Naval and Overseas Operations comprises operations on the seas (except where carried out in combination with troops on land) and in Colonial and Overseas theatres, America, etc. Political, etc. comprises political and internal events in all countries, including Notes, speeches, diplomatic, financial, economic and domestic matters. Source: Chronology of the War (1914-18, London; copyright expired)
Fighting continues on Bailleul-Wulverghem line, and Germans capture both places.
Very violent artillery action in Luce Valley (Somme).
Finland: Germans report occupation of Helsingfors.
Macedonia: Greek troops cross Struma river and occupy villages in Seres district.
British troops take two villages south-west of Demirhissar.
Naval and Overseas Operations
British Naval forces sink ten German armed trawlers in Kattegat.
Austria: Count Czernin's resignation announced.
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Fletcher Allen, a Vermont university hospital and medical center, serves all of
Vermont and the northern New York region. Located in Burlington, Fletcher Allen is a regional, academic healthcare center and teaching hospital in alliance with the University of Vermont.
Rectal Prolapse in Children
Rectal prolapse in children most commonly happens before the age of 4, and usually before age 1. Boys and girls are equally likely to develop the condition.
A child's risk of developing rectal prolapse may increase because of a structural problem in the digestive system. Other conditions that increase a child's risk for rectal prolapse include:
- Increased abdominal pressure. Rectal prolapse may develop in a child who frequently strains during bowel movements, such as from problems with long-term (chronic) constipation. Pressure from forceful coughing spells, such as those caused by whooping cough (pertussis) or long-term lung disease from cystic fibrosis, may also lead to rectal prolapse.
- Short-term or long-term diarrhea. Giardiasis or Escherichia coli (E. coli) infection may cause short-term diarrhea. Conditions that prevent proper food absorption, such as celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease, may cause long-term diarrhea.
- Parasitic diseases. Parasites such as whipworms increase the risk of prolapse.
- Cystic fibrosis. This disease of the mucous glands is associated with conditions throughout the body, including digestive problems. About 20% of children with rectal prolapse will have cystic fibrosis.1 A child who has rectal prolapse with no obvious cause may need to be tested for cystic fibrosis.
- Pelvic floor weakness. Weakness of these muscles, which stretch across the floor of the pelvis, may be linked with damage caused by nerve disorders or spinal cord deformities (such as spina bifida) or may develop after pelvic surgery.
- Malnutrition. Across the world, lack of proper nutrition may be the most common cause of rectal prolapse in children. This is especially true in underdeveloped countries. Malnutrition prevents children from developing supportive tissues around the rectum.
- Hirschsprung's disease. The birth defect Hirschsprung's disease affects muscular contractions of the bowel, which can lead to rectal prolapse.
- Not having an opening in the anus (imperforate anus). The surgery to repair an imperforate anus can make rectal prolapse more likely.
|Primary Medical Reviewer||Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine|
|Specialist Medical Reviewer||C. Dale Mercer, MD, FRCSC, FACS - General Surgery|
|Last Revised||July 6, 2011|
Last Revised: July 6, 2011
To learn more visit Healthwise.org
© 1995-2013 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.
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Key Ringneck Snake
Scientific name: Diadophis punctatus acricus PAULSON 1966
* Currently accepted name
* scientific names used through time
- Coluber punctatus – LINNAEUS 1766
- Natrix punctatus – MERREM 1820
- Homalosoma punctata – WAGLER 1830
- Calamaria punctata – SCHLEGEL 1837
- Ablabes punctatus – DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854
- Diadophis punctatus acricus – PAULSON 1966
- Diadophis punctatus – DUMÉRIL, STEBBINS 1985
Description: Average adult size is 6 inches (15.2 cm). Adults are small and slender-bodied with a slate gray body. Unlike other ringneck snakes, the ring normally present around the neck is indistinct or completely absent. The belly is bright orangish-yellow, fading to orange-red beneath the tail. There is a single row of half-moon spots down the center on the belly. The scales are smooth, and there are 15-17 dorsal scale rows at midbody. The pupil is round. Juvenile color is similar to that of the adult.
A. Top of the head (notice the large plate-like scales on the top of the head)
B. Smooth scales
C. Elongated scales below the tail (subcaudal scales) are typically divided
D. Front (face view) of the head
E. Side of the head
Range: It is found only on the Lower Florida Keys including Big Pine Key, Little Torch Key, and Middle Torch Key. It is not found outside of Florida. Due to its very small range it is listed as a Threatened Species in the state of Florida.
Habitat: Rare, but occurs mainly in pinelands, tropical hardwood hammocks, and around limestone outcroppings.
Comments: HARMLESS (Non-Venomous) and seldom bites. Little is known about the Key Ringneck Snake, but it is sometimes seen under limestone rocks and boards, and crossing roads at night.
It feeds on small frogs and tadpoles, earthworms, slugs, anoles, geckos, and snakes.
Reproduction is thought to be similar to the southern ringneck snake.
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Queen Katherine Parr's Prayers or meditacions was influenced by Marguerite de Navarre’s Mirror of the Sinful Soul, a text which her stepdaughter, the future Queen Elizabeth I, had presented to her. Katherine was the sixth wife of Henry VIII, highly educated, and served as an intelligent companion to the aging king. Her book was written around 1546/7 but published after the death of Henry VIII, probably because of its Lutheran and more radical Protestant leanings.
Other religious writing took the form of emblems, such as those by Georgette de Montenay. The emblem is a literary form that reveals its message through a combination of image, motto, and poem. Montenay created the first emblem book used for religious propaganda, in support of the Calvinist faith. Her book was republished many times in several languages. In the frontispiece portrait, de Montenay is depicted as a writer with pen, ink, and paper.
Another writer, Vittoria Colonna, is known mainly for her secular love poetry and her friendship with Michelangelo, but in her later life, she turned to spiritual poetry in which she expresses love for Christ.
He is the author of peace, rest from war,
Quiet is found in him. †
She was influenced in her religious thinking by the English cardinal Reginald Pole, who resided in Italy and became her mentor.
Although most women had never been encouraged to preach openly by established churches, Quakers believed that because men and women could equally receive God’s spirit, both could preach. Margaret Fell, married to Quaker founder George Fox, justified women’s claim to speaking by looking at biblical women who testify to the truth. As examples, she cites Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James who followed Jesus, as well as women in the early Christian church, mentioned in the book of Acts.
Also shown are the tracts of Eleanor Davies, a well-educated woman who, in 1625, had a vision of the Day of Judgment. She associated herself with the Old Testament prophet Daniel and began writing and publishing many prophetic tracts. A number of them were kept and bound together by her daughter, Lucy Huntingdon, in the volume seen above. Many of the tracts show Davies’ own annotations in preparation for the publication of corrected versions. She denounced Charles I, supported Oliver Cromwell, and believed that the end of the world was at hand.
† (Translation by Ellen Moody)
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Fibrocystic Breast Changes
What are some common fibrocystic breast changes?
Generalized breast lumpiness is known under many different names, such as "fibrocystic disease" and "fibroid breasts." Many of these are misnomers since physicians and researchers now believe that these are just part of the breast changes which many women undergo throughout the various stages of their lives. Many physicians feel that this term has become a catchphrase for general breast lumpiness.
What do fibrocystic changes feel like?
Fibrocystic lumpiness is also described as "ropy" or "granular" and seems to become more obvious as a woman approaches middle age and the milk producing glandular tissue gives way to softer, fatty tissue. However, women with lumpy breasts may experience many other benign breast conditions.
Lumpiness in the breasts may make actual lumps harder to distinguish. Thus, it is important that women with lumpy breasts perform regular breast self-examinations (BSEs) and have regular physical examinations, including mammography as indicated by the National Cancer Institute or American Cancer Society (ACS) guidelines. Knowing the normal shape and feel of your own breasts is important, especially when performing examinations to detect any unusual breast changes.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force does not recommend BSEs because evidence suggests BSEs do not lower risk for death from breast cancer. The ACS says BSEs are an option for women older than age 20 as a means of familiarizing themselves with their breasts so they can notice changes more easily. Talking with your health care provider about the benefits and limitations can help you decide if you should start performing BSEs.
Click here to view the
Online Resources of Women's Health
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By Terry Kovel
Permanent-press fabrics have relieved most households of the need to iron clothing. In past centuries, ironing was an almost daily duty of a woman in the home.
Before about the 10th century, cloth was ironed with smooth wooden or glass pieces and a pounding stick. Heat was not used until the 16th century in Europe. By then, pressing irons were metal pans with long handles. A piece of charcoal was put in the pan to heat the bottom and the heated pan was rubbed over the cloth.
This crude iron was gradually improved. Charcoal was replaced by a heated iron rod to avoid the charcoal ashes that sometimes fell on the cloth. Next came special box irons with handles and pointed fronts. They were shaped like the electric and steam irons used today. Soon a solid piece of iron, also in today's familiar shape, was made to put on the stove to heat, then quickly used to heat and smooth cloth.
By the turn of the 20th century, irons were heated by liquid gas, alcohol, gasoline or electricity. Unfortunately, some of the liquid-fueled irons blew up.
The electric iron was patented in 1882, but few homes had electricity back then. So the electric iron was not in general use until about 1915. Since then, irons have been improved with the addition of thermostats that control heat and steam. Some even became cordless and could fold up to go with travelers.
All types of old ironing sticks, mangling boards and irons are collected today. Nineteenth- and unusual 20th-century examples sell for hundreds of dollars. In the 1950s, an early Chinese iron that looks like a small, ornate cooking pot with a handle was copied and used as a portable ashtray. These mid-20th-century copies sell for about $30 today. A genuine antique Chinese iron is worth hundreds of dollars.
Q: Recently I purchased five matching maple side chairs with "Mottville, N.Y." stamped on the back of the top slat of each chair. Two of the chairs are stamped "F. Sinclair" under "Mottville," while the other three are stamped "Union Chair Works." I've cleaned up the chairs and given them new woven seats. Please tell me the approximate age and value of the chairs, and explain the different marks.
A: The Union Chair Works factory was built in Mottville, near Skaneateles, N.Y., in 1866, although some records say the founding of the company dates back to 1859. The company's owners, Joseph Hubbard and Francis A. Sinclair, advertised their furniture under the brand name "Common Sense" and eventually made chairs, rockers, tables and settees. The company operated at least into the 1880s, and perhaps into the early 1900s. If all you had to do to get the chairs into tiptop shape was clean them and replace the woven seats, the set could sell for more than $500.
Q: I want to leave my collection of Hummel figurines to my 14-year-old great-granddaughter. What should I wrap them in and how should I store them?
A: Hummel figurines are based on the drawings of the nun M.I. "Berta" Hummel. They were first made in 1935 by the W. Goebel Porcelain Co. of Oeslau (now part of Rodental), Germany. The figurines are made of earthenware. Parts that aren't glazed will absorb moisture, so they need to be stored in a dry place. Don't store them in the basement, which often is damp, or in the attic, where they would be subject to extreme temperature changes, which could cause crazing. You can wrap the figurines in plain archival paper, white tissue paper or pieces of white bedsheets and pack them carefully in a box with bunches of tissue paper between them to prevent them from bumping each other when the box is moved. Don't wrap them in newspaper. Newsprint comes off and may stain the figurines. Don't wrap them in colored paper or plastic, either. The best way to store them is in their original boxes, if you still have them.
Q: My mother left me an oval brooch made of blue milk glass. I think it originally belonged to her grandmother, who died in 1924. It's a series of little blue balls and tiny silver balls. The gold-tone border is impressed "Czechoslovakia" in capital letters on the back. What do you think it's worth?
A: The country of Czechoslovakia was formed in 1918, when World War I ended. So your brooch was not made before 1918. The country split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993. Costume jewelry made of Czechoslovakian glass sells for a wide range of prices, depending on design and condition. Your brooch could sell for $20 to $50.
Q: I was pleased to see your recent column about furniture designs by Charles Rohlfs. But being from Buffalo, N.Y., I was disheartened that you said Rohlfs was a New York City furniture maker. He actually lived and worked in Buffalo.
A: Thanks for speaking up for Buffalo. Rohlfs (1853-1936) was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and studied design at the Cooper Union in Manhattan. But he moved his family to Buffalo in 1887, when he took a job with a stove manufacturer there. In 1897 he opened his own workshop in Buffalo and created his unique furniture designs for a decade.
Tip: If you get gum on your Oriental rug or carpet, freeze it with an ice cube in a plastic bag, then scrape it off with a plastic credit card.
Sign up for our weekly email, "Kovels Komments." It includes the latest news, tips and collector's questions and is free if you register on our website. Kovels.com provides lists of publications, clubs, appraisers, auction houses, people who sell parts or repair antiques and more. Kovels.com adds to the information in this column and helps you find useful sources needed by collectors.
Terry Kovel answers as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, (Name of this newspaper), King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.
Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
Madame Alexander doll, Chatterbox, hard plastic and vinyl, pigtails, sleep eyes, head turns, talk button in front, battery-operated, 1961, 24 inches, $55.
Bermuda Triangle board game, made in Ireland, Milton Bradley, 1976, 20 x 12 inches, $60.
Cookie pail, Sunshine Biscuits of New York, red, white and blue cardboard, pictures little cookies in toy shapes, tin cover, handle, 1950s, 11 ounces, $70.
Cambridge Glass cake stand, Virginia pattern, rum well in center, 1940s, 8 x 11 inches, $200.
Cameo pin, diamond accent around woman's neck, carved flowers at left shoulder, dress draped across front, silver filigree and scrollwork, 1920s, 1 5/8 x 1 1/2 inches, $275.
Bellows, turtleback, painted long-tailed bird, black ground, brass nozzle, American, 19th century, 17 3/4 inches, $555.
Show towel, silk and wool on linen, potted flowers, peacocks and trees, 2 verses, 3 rows of fringe, "Catherine Derr," 1854, 60 x 17 3/4 inches, $705.
Hepplewhite card table, mahogany, poplar and chestnut, shaped top over banded inlay panels, tapered legs with string inlay, 1800-1815, 30 x 35 x 18 inches, $1,765.
Newcomb College pottery jar, lid, blue matte glaze, raised flowers, vines and leaves, marked, Anna Francis Simpson, 1919, 7 inches, $4,720.
Chippendale tall case clock, mahogany and pine, broken-arch pediment, floral rosettes, glass door, 8-day movement, signed John Fissler, Frederick Town (Md.), c. 1790, 102 1/2 inches, $4,995.
Keep up with changes in the collectibles world. Send for a free sample issue of our 12-page, full-color newsletter, "Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles," filled with prices, news, information and photos, plus major news about the world of collecting. To subscribe at a bargain $27 for 12 issues, write Kovels, P.O. Box 8534, Big Sandy, TX 75755; call 800-829-9158; or subscribe online at Kovelsonlinestore.com.
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