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IN THIS ARTICLE
Exams and Tests
A bone mineral density test measures the mineral density (such as calcium) in your bones using a special X-ray or computed tomography (CT) scan. From this information, your doctor can estimate the strength of your bones. See a picture of a bone mineral density test.
Routine urine and blood tests can rule out other medical conditions, such as hyperparathyroidism, hyperthyroidism, or Cushing's syndrome, that can cause bone loss. In men, blood tests to measure testosterone levels can see whether low levels are causing bone loss.
If you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, you may need to follow up regularly with your doctor to monitor your condition.
If you or your doctor thinks you may be at risk for osteoporosis, you may have a screening test to check your bone thickness. A screening test may be advisable if you have:
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that all women age 65 and older routinely have a bone mineral density test to screen for osteoporosis. If you are at increased risk for fractures caused by osteoporosis, routine screening should start sooner.4 USPSTF recommends that you and your doctor check your fracture risk using a tool such as FRAX to help decide whether you should be screened for osteoporosis. Talk to your doctor about your risk factors and when to start bone mineral density screening.
The FRAX tool was developed by the World Health Organization to help predict your risk of having a fracture related to osteoporosis in the next 10 years. You can use this tool. Go to the website at www.sheffield.ac.uk/FRAX, and click on Calculation Tool. If you have had a bone mineral density test (BMD) on your hip, you can type in your score. If you have not had that test, you can leave the score blank.
Most experts recommend that the decision to screen younger women be made on an individual basis, depending on the risk for osteoporosis and whether the test results will help with treatment decisions. For help to decide whether you should be tested for osteoporosis, see:
Ultrasound is sometimes offered at events such as health fairs as a quick screening for osteoporosis. Ultrasound by itself is not a reliable test for diagnosing osteoporosis. But if results of an ultrasound screening find low bone density, your doctor can help you decide whether you should have a bone mineral density test.
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Get tips and advances in treatment.
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Moderate-Intensity Aerobic Activity
Aerobic fitness means increasing how well the body uses oxygen, which depends on the condition of the heart, lungs, and muscles. Experts tend to describe aerobic activity in three ways: light, moderate, and vigorous.
When people do moderate-intensity activities, they notice a faster heartbeat. To get the benefits of moderate activity, a person can:
The goal of aerobic fitness is to increase the amount of oxygen that goes to the heart and muscles, which allows them to work longer. Any activities, including many kinds of daily activities, that raise the heart rate and keep it up for an extended period of time can improve aerobic fitness. If the activities are done regularly and long enough, they can help improve fitness.
Experts recommend that adults try to do moderate activity for at least 2½ hours a week. Or they can do vigorous activity for at least 1¼ hours a week. People can choose to do one or both types of activity. And it's fine to be active in blocks of 10 minutes or more throughout the day and week. Teens and children (starting at age 6) should do moderate to vigorous activity at least 1 hour every day.
Moderate activity is safe for most people, but it's always a good idea to talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program.
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Type 1 Diabetes: Living With the Disease (cont.)
IN THIS ARTICLE
Type 1 diabetes requires daily attention to diet, exercise, and insulin. You may have times when this job feels overwhelming, but taking good care of yourself will help you will feel better, have a better quality of life, and prevent or delay complications from diabetes.
Eat well and count carbohydrate grams
Follow one of these meal-planning methods to help you eat a healthful diet and spread carbohydrate through the day. This will help prevent high blood sugar levels after meals. For more information, see:
Focus on the type of carbohydrate as well as the amount. This might help you stay at your target blood sugar level. Foods with a low glycemic index (GI) may help prevent spikes in blood sugar. It is not yet known if these foods help prevent complications. Low glycemic foods do not raise blood sugar as quickly as high glycemic foods. Foods with a low GI include high-fiber whole grains, lentils, and beans. High GI foods include potatoes and white bread.
Using fat replacers—nonfat substances that act like fat in a food—may seem like a good idea, but talk with a registered dietitian before you do. Some people may eat more food, and therefore more calories, if they know a food contains a fat replacer.
Make sure you know how to give yourself insulin.
Try to do at least 2½ hours a week of moderate activity. One way to do this is to be active 30 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week. Be sure to exercise safely. Drink plenty of water before, during, and after you are active. This is very important when it's hot out and when you do intense exercise. It may help to keep track of your exercise on an activity log(What is a PDF document?).
Monitor your blood sugar
Checking your blood sugar level is a major part of controlling your blood sugar level and keeping it in a target range you set with your doctor. For more information, see the topic Continuous Glucose Monitoring or see:
Handle high and low blood sugar levels
Be sure you:
Control your blood pressure and cholesterol
Limit your alcohol intake to no more than 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women (none if you are pregnant). Discuss with your doctor whether you should drink alcohol.
Ask if a daily aspirin is right for you
Talk to your doctor about whether you should take low-dose aspirin. Daily low-dose aspirin (81 milligrams) may help prevent heart problems if you are at risk for heart attack or stroke. People with diabetes are 2 to 4 times more likely than people who don't have diabetes to die from heart and blood vessel diseases.5
Deal with your feelings
A chronic illness creates major change in your life. You may need to grieve the loss of your earlier life from time to time. Also, you may feel resentful, deprived, or angry about having to pay attention to what and how much you eat. For more information, see:
Protect your feet
Daily foot care can prevent serious problems. Foot problems caused by diabetes are the most common cause of amputations. For more information, see:
Learn more about diabetes
Diabetes is a complex disease and there is a lot to learn, such as:
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- including 24 hour, pharmacies | <urn:uuid:4d23291b-67fb-49e5-9b5d-a3644f4cb990> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.emedicinehealth.com/type_1_diabetes_living_with_the_disease-health/page11_em.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926197 | 741 | 3.296875 | 3 |
Originally Posted by wrtner
Any LR circuit which is driven by an alternating source, will
show a trough in its graph of current v. frequency.
That frequency will be the most efficient, the resonant
frequency; the frequency that the circuit best behaves at.
What do you mean? pls elaborate...
LR circuits have not resonance. Not C component present... how to attain resonance in a signal with LR circuit? And how initial signal frequency can be altered to another output frquency.? | <urn:uuid:dd2d58b5-0a56-4115-8f45-fb0c478c0439> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.energeticforum.com/76024-post31.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.904474 | 104 | 3 | 3 |
the energy [r]evolution
The climate change imperative demands nothing short of an Energy [R]evolution. The expert consensus is that this fundamental shift must begin immediately and be well underway within the next ten years in order to avert the worst impacts. What is needed is a complete transformation of the way we produce, consume and distribute energy, while at the same time maintaining economic growth. Nothing short of such a revolution will enable us to limit global warming to less than a rise in temperature of 2° Celsius, above which the impacts become devastating.
Current electricity generation relies mainly on burning fossil fuels, with their associated CO2 emissions, in very large power stations which waste much of their primary input energy. More energy is lost as the power is moved around the electricity grid network and converted from high transmission voltage down to a supply suitable for domestic or commercial consumers. The system is innately vulnerable to disruption: localised technical, weather-related or even deliberately caused faults can quickly cascade, resulting in widespread blackouts. Whichever technology is used to generate electricity within this old fashioned configuration, it will inevitably be subject to some, or all, of these problems. At the core of the Energy [R]evolution there therefore needs to be a change in the way that energy is both produced and distributed.
4.1 key principles
the energy [r]evolution can be achieved by adhering to five key principles:
1.respect natural limits – phase out fossil fuels by the end of this century We must learn to respect natural limits. There is only so much carbon that the atmosphere can absorb. Each year humans emit over 25 billion tonnes of carbon equivalent; we are literally filling up the sky. Geological resources of coal could provide several hundred years of fuel, but we cannot burn them and keep within safe limits. Oil and coal development must be ended. The global Energy [R]evolution scenario has a target to reduce energy related CO2 emissions to a maximum of 10 Gigatonnes (Gt) by 2050 and phase out fossil fuels by 2085.
2.equity and fairness As long as there are natural limits there needs to be a fair distribution of benefits and costs within societies, between nations and between present and future generations. At one extreme, a third of the world’s population has no access to electricity, whilst the most industrialised countries consume much more than their fair share.
The effects of climate change on the poorest communities are exacerbated by massive global energy inequality. If we are to address climate change, one of the core principles must be equity and fairness, so that the benefits of energy services – such as light, heat, power and transport – are available for all: north and south, rich and poor. Only in this way can we create true energy security, as well as the conditions for genuine human wellbeing.
The Advanced Energy [R]evolution scenario has a target to achieve energy equity as soon as technically possible. By 2050 the average per capita emission should be between 1 and 2 tonnes of CO2.
3.implement clean, renewable solutions and decentralise energy systems. There is no energy shortage. All we need to do is use existing technologies to harness energy effectively and efficiently. Renewable energy and energy efficiency measures are ready, viable and increasingly competitive. Wind, solar and other renewable energy technologies have experienced double digit market growth for the past decade.
Just as climate change is real, so is the renewable energy sector. Sustainable decentralised energy systems produce less carbon emissions, are cheaper and involve less dependence on imported fuel. They create more jobs and empower local communities. Decentralised systems are more secure and more efficient. This is what the Energy [R]evolution must aim to create.
To stop the earth’s climate spinning out of control, most of the world’s fossil fuel reserves – coal, oil and gas – must remain in the ground. Our goal is for humans to live within the natural limits of our small planet.
4.decouple growth from fossil fuel use Starting in the developed countries, economic growth must be fully decoupled from fossil fuel usage. It is a fallacy to suggest that economic growth must be predicated on their increased combustion.
We need to use the energy we produce much more efficiently, and we need to make the transition to renewable energy and away from fossil fuels quickly in order to enable clean and sustainable growth.
5.phase out dirty, unsustainable energyWe need to phase out coal and nuclear power. We cannot continue to build coal plants at a time when emissions pose a real and present danger to both ecosystems and people. And we cannot continue to fuel the myriad nuclear threats by pretending nuclear power can in any way help to combat climate change. There is no role for nuclear power in the Energy [R]evolution. | <urn:uuid:b6cc700a-55c3-47a6-baaf-dbe7c04a4b04> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.energyblueprint.info/1332.0.html?L=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938335 | 982 | 3.3125 | 3 |
Hold the salt: UCLA engineers develop revolutionary new desalination membrane
Process uses atmospheric pressure plasma to create filtering 'brush layer'
Desalination can become more economical and used as a viable alternate water resource.
By Wileen Wong Kromhout
Originally published in UCLA Newsroom
Researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have unveiled a new class of reverse-osmosis membranes for desalination that resist the clogging which typically occurs when seawater, brackish water and waste water are purified.
The highly permeable, surface-structured membrane can easily be incorporated into today's commercial production system, the researchers say, and could help to significantly reduce desalination operating costs. Their findings appear in the current issue of the Journal of Materials Chemistry.
Reverse-osmosis (RO) desalination uses high pressure to force polluted water through the pores of a membrane. While water molecules pass through the pores, mineral salt ions, bacteria and other impurities cannot. Over time, these particles build up on the membrane's surface, leading to clogging and membrane damage. This scaling and fouling places higher energy demands on the pumping system and necessitates costly cleanup and membrane replacement.
The new UCLA membrane's novel surface topography and chemistry allow it to avoid such drawbacks.
"Besides possessing high water permeability, the new membrane also shows high rejection characteristics and long-term stability," said Nancy H. Lin, a UCLA Engineering senior researcher and the study's lead author. "Structuring the membrane surface does not require a long reaction time, high reaction temperature or the use of a vacuum chamber. The anti-scaling property, which can increase membrane life and decrease operational costs, is superior to existing commercial membranes."
The new membrane was synthesized through a three-step process. First, researchers synthesized a polyamide thin-film composite membrane using conventional interfacial polymerization. Next, they activated the polyamide surface with atmospheric pressure plasma to create active sites on the surface. Finally, these active sites were used to initiate a graft polymerization reaction with a monomer solution to create a polymer "brush layer" on the polyamide surface. This graft polymerization is carried out for a specific period of time at a specific temperature in order to control the brush layer thickness and topography.
"In the early years, surface plasma treatment could only be accomplished in a vacuum chamber," said Yoram Cohen, UCLA professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and a corresponding author of the study. "It wasn't practical for large-scale commercialization because thousands of meters of membranes could not be synthesized in a vacuum chamber. It's too costly. But now, with the advent of atmospheric pressure plasma, we don't even need to initiate the reaction chemically. It's as simple as brushing the surface with plasma, and it can be done for almost any surface."
In this new membrane, the polymer chains of the tethered brush layer are in constant motion. The chains are chemically anchored to the surface and are thus more thermally stable, relative to physically coated polymer films. Water flow also adds to the brush layer's movement, making it extremely difficult for bacteria and other colloidal matter to anchor to the surface of the membrane.
"If you've ever snorkeled, you'll know that sea kelp move back and forth with the current or water flow," Cohen said. "So imagine that you have this varied structure with continuous movement. Protein or bacteria need to be able to anchor to multiple spots on the membrane to attach themselves to the surface — a task which is extremely difficult to attain due to the constant motion of the brush layer. The polymer chains protect and screen the membrane surface underneath."
Another factor in preventing adhesion is the surface charge of the membrane. Cohen's team is able to choose the chemistry of the brush layer to impart the desired surface charge, enabling the membrane to repel molecules of an opposite charge.
The team's next step is to expand the membrane synthesis into a much larger, continuous process and to optimize the new membrane's performance for different water sources.
"We want to be able to narrow down and create a membrane selection system for different water sources that have different fouling tendencies," Lin said. "With such knowledge, one can optimize the membrane surface properties with different polymer brush layers to delay or prevent the onset of membrane fouling and scaling.
"The cost of desalination will therefore decrease when we reduce the cost of chemicals [used for membrane cleaning], as well as process operation [for membrane replacement]. Desalination can become more economical and used as a viable alternate water resource."
Cohen's team, in collaboration with the UCLA Water Technology Research (WaTeR) Center, is currently carrying out specific studies to test the performance of the new membrane's fouling properties under field conditions.
"We work directly with industry and water agencies on everything that we're doing here in water technology," Cohen said. "The reason for this is simple: If we are to accelerate the transfer of knowledge technology from the university to the real world, where those solutions are needed, we have to make sure we address the real issues. This also provides our students with a tremendous opportunity to work with industry, government and local agencies."
A paper providing a preliminary introduction to the new membrane also appeared in the Journal of Membrane Science last month.
Published: Thursday, April 08, 2010 | <urn:uuid:c0b175bb-65fb-420e-a881-a80b91d00ecd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.environment.ucla.edu/water/news/article.asp?parentid=6178 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924981 | 1,115 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Located above the surface of our planet is a complex mixture of gases and suspended liquid and solid particles known as the atmosphere. Operating within the atmosphere is a variety of processes we call weather. Some measurable variables associated with weather include air temperature, air pressure, humidity, wind, and precipitation. The atmosphere also contains organized phenomena that include things like tornadoes, thunderstorms, mid-latitude cyclones, hurricanes, and monsoons. Climate refers to the general pattern of weather for a region over specific period of time. Scientists have discovered that human activities can influence Earth’s climate and weather producing problems like global warming, ozone depletion, and acid precipitation.
Widespread urban development alters weather patterns
Research focusing on the Houston area suggests that widespread urban development alters weather patterns in a way that ...
Laptev SeaLast Updated on 2013-05-14 at 14:23
The Laptev Sea is a saline water body, lodged between the Kara Sea and East Siberian Sea. The chief land boundary of this marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean is the Siberian... More »
East Siberian SeaLast Updated on 2013-05-14 at 14:09
The East Siberian Sea is a saline marine body, which is a southern marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean.
To the east is found the Chukchi Sea and to the west beyond the New... More »
Baffin BayLast Updated on 2013-05-14 at 12:11
Baffin Bay is a margibnal sea of the North Atlantic Ocean located between the Canada's Baffin, Devon and Ellesmere islands and Greenland.
To the south the Davis Strait... More »
Andaman SeaLast Updated on 2013-05-13 at 23:06
The Andaman Sea is a body of marine water in the northeastern corner of the Indian Ocean that lies to the west of the Malay Peninsula, the north of Sumatra, the east of the... More »
Molucca SeaLast Updated on 2013-05-13 at 23:02
The Molucca Sea (also Molukka Sea) is a semi-enclosed sea, surrounded by a variety of islands belonging to Indonesia, most significantly the island of Sulawesi (Celebes)... More »
Levantine SeaLast Updated on 2013-05-13 at 22:31
The Levantine Sea is most eastern unit of the Mediterranean Sea, and also the most saline portion of the Mediterranean Basin.
The Levantine Sea, also known as the Levant... More » | <urn:uuid:f2e6ad28-ec98-4ea9-bc37-81a91724d073> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eoearth.org/topics/view/49664/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.900395 | 515 | 3.46875 | 3 |
Traffic barricades can be used to redirect or restrict traffic in areas of highway construction or repair. They are typically made from wood, steel, plastic, fiberglass, or a combination of these materials. Many manufacturers have switched to the use of recycled materials in both the supporting frame and rails of the barricades. EPA's designation covers only Types I and II traffic barricades.
EPA's Recovered Materials Advisory Notice (RMAN) recommends recycled-content levels for purchasing traffic barricades as shown in the table below.
EPA's Recommended Recovered Materials Content Levels
for Traffic Barricades (Types I and II) ¹
|Material||Postconsumer Content (%)||Total Recovered Materials Content (%)|
(HDPE, LDPE, PET)
1The recommended materials content levels for steel in this table reflect the fact that the designated items can be made from steel manufactured in either a Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) or an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF). Steel from the BDF process contains 25-30% total recovered materials, of which 16% is postconsumer steel. Steel from the EAF process contains a total of 100% recovered steel, of which 67% is postconsumer.
of Manufacturers and Suppliers
This database identifies manufacturers and suppliers of traffic barricades containing recovered materials.
Buy-Recycled Series: Transportation Products (PDF) (7 pp, 89K, About PDF)
This fact sheet highlights the transportation products designated in the CPG, including traffic barricades, and includes case studies, recommended recovered-content levels, and a list of resources.
Technical Background Documents
These background documents include EPA's product research on recovered-content traffic barricades as well as a more detailed overview of the history and regulatory requirements of the CPG process. | <urn:uuid:606e0bdc-95c7-42f5-a7a6-890b7ac8b653> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/tools/cpg/products/barricds.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.85791 | 371 | 2.6875 | 3 |
University of Michigan (U-M) scientists have made an important step toward what could become the first vaccine in the U.S. to prevent urinary tract infections, if the robust immunity achieved in mice can be reproduced in humans. The findings are published September 18 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens.
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) affect 53 percent of women and 14 percent of men at least once in their lives. These infections lead to lost work time and 6.8 million medical provider's office visits, 1.3 million emergency room visits and 245,000 hospitalizations a year, with an annual cost of $2.4 billion in the United States.
To help combat this common health issue, the U-M scientists used a novel systematic approach, combining bioinformatics, genomics and proteomics, to look for key parts of the bacterium, Escherichia coli, that could be used in a vaccine to elicit an effective immune response. The team, led by Dr. Harry L.T. Mobley, Ph.D., screened 5,379 possible bacterial proteins and identified three strong candidates to use in a vaccine to prime the body to fight E. coli, the cause of most uncomplicated urinary tract infections. The vaccine prevented infection and produced key types of immunity when tested in mice.
Scientists have attempted to develop a vaccine for UTIs over the past two decades. This latest potential vaccine has features that may better its chances of success. It alerts the immune system to iron receptors on the surface of bacteria that perform a critical function allowing infection to spread. Administered in the nose, it induces an immune response in the body's mucosa, a first line of defense against invading pathogens. The response, also produced in mucosal tissue in the urinary tract, should help the body fight infection where it starts.
Mobley's team is currently testing more strains of E. coli obtained from women treated at U-M. Most of the strains produce the same iron-related proteins that cthe vaccine targets, an encouraging sign that the vaccine could work against many urinary tract infections. Mobley is seeking partners in clinical research to move the vaccine forward into a phase 1 trial in humans. If successful, this vaccine would take several more years to reach the market.
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: This work has been funded by Public Health Service Grant AI043363 from the National Institutes of Health. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
COMPETING INTERESTS: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
PLEASE ADD THIS LINK TO THE PUBLISHED ARTICLE IN ONLINE VERSIONS OF YOUR REPORT: http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1000586 (link will go live upon embargo lift)
CITATION: Alteri CJ, Hagan EC, Sivick KE, Smith SN, Mobley HLT (2009) Mucosal Immunization with Iron Receptor Antigens Protects against Urinary Tract Infection. PLoS Pathog 5(9): e1000586. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1000586
Anne Rueter, [email protected]
Nicole Fawcett, [email protected]
This press release refers to an upcoming article in PLoS Pathogens. The release is provided by the article authors and their institution. Any opinions expressed in these releases or articles are the personal views of the journal staff and/or article contributors, and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of PLoS. PLoS expressly disclaims any and all warranties and liability in connection with the information found in the releases and articles and your use of such information.
About PLoS Pathogens
PLoS Pathogens (www.plospathogens.org) publishes outstanding original articles that significantly advance the understanding of pathogens and how they interact with their host organisms. All works published in PLoS Pathogens are open access. Everything is immediately available subject only to the condition that the original authorship and source are properly attributed. Copyright is retained by the authors. The Public Library of Science uses the Creative Commons Attribution License.
About the Public Library of Science
The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a non-profit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource. For more information, visit http://www.plos.org.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system. | <urn:uuid:72e10259-eb8e-4bfd-9e58-6a5f814ff98e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-09/plos-vtp091409.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.910106 | 975 | 3.4375 | 3 |
The Warrior Diet exercise and nutrition program, created by Ori Hofmekler, hinges on a somewhat controversial diet based on a daily cycle of “undereating” during the day and “overeating” at night.
The rationale is that the historic “warrior”, in order to succeed in the environment of the time, had a primal need to cycle between undereating during the day (when physical activity and danger were always present), and overeating at night (when able to rest and eat a good daily meal).
Modern humans in a changed environment can therefore restore health and fitness, by returning to that cycle with the Warrior Diet.
Warrior Diet grounding
The nervous system is the primary focus here, specifically that part called the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Body organs such as the heart, stomach and intestines (viscera), and muscles within these organs and other areas like blood vessels, skin, and eyes, as well as the glands of the body, are regulated by the ANS. We are mostly unaware of its workings; for example, when blood vessels change size or when our heart beats faster, these functions are involuntary and reflexive in nature.
The ANS has 3 parts -
- The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) which kicks in when emergencies occur, causing stress and requiring us to “fight” or take “flight” (flee)
- The parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) which operates in normal or nonemergency times, allowing us to “rest” and “digest”
- The enteric nervous system (ENS), present in all vertebrates, which regulates the normal digestive activity of the digestive system and prepares it for whatever is coming, whether a meal or a frantic energy-sapping physical activity
The undereating phase of the Warrior Diet is supposed to prepare and alert the SNS to potential stress, resulting in the generation of energy and ultimately the burning of fat. While undereating, the body is forced to use fat storage as a source of fuel for maximum metabolic efficiency – thus promoting weight-loss.
The overeating phase of the Warrior Diet recognizes the role of the PSNS in regulating digestion, elimination and other metabolic activities that slow you down. Eating during the day stops this process and blocks the body’s ability to remove toxins and waste from the body. Since detoxification is imperative for health and to delay aging, eating occurs mainly at night.
Warrior Diet program
The program involves a Fat Loss Program and exercise and nutrition regimes.
Fat Loss Program
The Fat Loss program is specifically designed to
- Force the body to detoxify
- Improve utilization of fat as fuel
- Improve utilization of carb as fuel
This process helps to boost overall metabolic rate, thereby enhancing the body’s capacity to maximize fat loss.
Exercise and Nutrition Programs
Exercise and nutrition programs provide short, intense strength and aerobic exercises, along with pre-workout and post-workout meals. This approach intends to reduce fat while maintaining or improving muscle tone.
The emphasis of the Warrior Diet program is on having large evening meals on the one hand, and shedding the “calorie counting” common to most diets on the other.
The Warrior Diet by Ori Hofmekler. | <urn:uuid:e39ee72b-f208-43f0-9439-59a5d06c3a3a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.everydiet.org/diet/warrior-diet | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946323 | 688 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Add comment December 10th, 2012 Headsman
On this date in 1900, John Filip Nordlund was beheaded with Albert Dahlman‘s axe at Sweden’s Västerås County Jail.
The second-last person executed in Sweden (English Wikipedia entry | Swedish) was the author of an infamously fiendish murder spree aboard a ferry steamer crossing Lake Mälaren for Stockholm on the evening of May 16, 1900: shortly after the Prins Carl‘s departure from Arboga, Nordlund, armed with two revolvers and two blades, went on a rampage through the boat (Swedish link), shooting or stabbing everyone he saw.
The spree left five dead, including the ship’s captain, and several others wounded. Then Nordlund lowered a lifeboat into the water and rowed away with about 800 stolen kronor … and the opprobrium of the nation.
Nordlund stalks the Prins Carl, from this verse pdf (Swedish).
Police were able to track him from the descriptions of witnesses to a train station and arrest him the very next day. Their maniac would turn out to be a 25-year-old career thief, only released the month before from his latest prison stint.
Although captured trying to flee, Nordlund from the first projected resignation — even relief, writing his parents that he would be well rid of a society he had never felt part of. Certainly the sentence was in little doubt given the infamy of the crime (Nordlund was almost lynched after arrest), and the man made no attempt to defend himself or mitigate his actions in court, nor to seek mercy after conviction.
Nordlund was the third person executed in Sweden in 1900 alone, but there would be no more patients for Dahlman for a decade … until 1910, when Sweden conducted its first and only guillotining. The country has not carried out a death sentence since.
Besides being the penultimate executee in Swedish history, John Filip Nordlund is also the last man in Europe beheaded manually (rather than with Dr. Guillotin’s device) other than in Germany.
Also on this date
- 1852: Jose Forni, the first legal hanging in California
- 1718: Stede Bonnet, gentleman pirate
- 1541: Thomas Culpeper and Francis Dereham, the Queen's lovers
- 1796: Jose Leonardo Chirino, Venezuelan slave revolt leader
- 1937: Teido Kunizaki | <urn:uuid:271e96c4-9f83-415a-a3a4-37e0c888e5cc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.executedtoday.com/2012/12/10/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960753 | 523 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Rutledge, Edward, 1749–1800, political leader in the American Revolution, signer of the Declaration of Independence, b. Charleston, S.C.; brother of John Rutledge. He studied law at the Middle Temple, London, and was admitted (1772) to the English bar. He returned to America and was (1774–77) a member of the Continental Congress. He later held official posts at both the national and state level. He was captured (1780) by the British at the fall of Charleston. He was governor of South Carolina from 1798 to 1800.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: Biographies | <urn:uuid:dd9536b8-e0f1-48e0-90f5-3c7bb1dcca2f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.factmonster.com/encyclopedia/people/rutledge-edward.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953516 | 159 | 2.90625 | 3 |
Second of two parts.
In the previous column, we toured the present-day East Cemetery on the Old Post Road. But in looking at its origin in 1830 by a town body called the First Located School Society, we found ourselves wandering back to 17th-century England, when the king granted his Connecticut colony a hefty slice of North America.
We then jumped ahead a century to see Connecticut give almost all of it away to cancel Revolutionary War debts and settle a shooting war with Pennsylvania. Connecticut's consolation prize was an isolated fragment of its former colonial real estate holdings, more than five hundred miles west of Hartford.
You've probably heard of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, but you probably didn't know that it's named after the above-noted remnant of Connecticut's legacy from Charles II, which became known as the Western Reserve. Three million acres all told, it extended south to the 41st parallel from the shores of Lake Erie and west from the newly drawn western border of Pennsylvania. You know it today as northern Ohio.
Yep, Connecticut lost a bunch of land but still owned a big piece of Ohio. Impressive! But what about the First Located School Society and the East Cemetery? Bear with me.
After the Revolutionary War, a few Connecticut settlers tried to make a go of it in the Western Reserve, but severe weather, lack of supply and agricultural routes, and less-than-welcoming Indians made things very difficult. Connecticut, perhaps for lack of a better idea for the Western Reserve, decided to sell it. In 1795, a group of private investors picked it up for $1.2 million, or about 40 cents an acre. The investors sent a guy named Moses Cleaveland to survey the area, and he got to have the city, with a slight spelling change, named after him. Connecticut relinquished its legal authority over the Western Reserve a few years later, and it was absorbed into the Northwest Territory. Hey, we could have owned Cleveland!
This is where the First Located School Society comes in. But first, let me explain why there's one county and several townships in Ohio named after Fairfield.
As the 19th century approached, the Indian threat passed, and supply routes improved. More and more Connecticut families emigrated to the Western Reserve to get cheap, fertile land and live alongside like-minded New Englanders. The settlers naturally named their new towns after their old ones, so Fairfield and other Connecticut towns are well represented in Ohio. The westernmost 500,000 acres of the Western Reserve, known as the Firelands, had long ago been set aside for residents of eight Connecticut towns, including Fairfield, who suffered the loss of their homes to the British in the Revolutionary War. Affected families were to receive individual land grants, but bureaucracy, Indians, and the War of 1812 killed the well-intentioned project.
Finally, we can finish the story of the East Cemetery. What did Connecticut do with that $1.2 million windfall from the 1795 sale of the Western Reserve? The legislature nobly created a Perpetual School Fund, to be administered by the towns through civil authorities called school societies, now extinct as public education evolved.
The inaugural meeting of the First Located School Society of Fairfield took place on Oct. 27, 1796, "In order to form and Organize themselves in a School Society according to one Statute Law of this State." The Society immediately laid out six school districts. Here is how the first district was described, exactly as recorded in the original record book:
"Voted and Agreed that the first District for a School in this Society -- to begin at Black Rock a little Easterly of John Wheeler's house, and to run Northwardly of David Wheeler's house -- and from thence to run down to the River Eastward to Grovers hill point -- and from thence running up the Harbour as far as to the place first Set out, -- all the Inhabitants contained within said Limits to be one District for a School in said Society, and to be called by the name of the Black Rock District."
Five more districts were similarly defined, with boundaries that worked well for 1796 Fairfielders, but might be a little shaky these days.
In 1830, in concert with other Connecticut school societies, the First Located School Society took on the task of establishing a burial ground, for the "better accommodation of the Inhabitants ..." It seems that this was an obligation legislated by the state, but why cemeteries would fall to the school societies is a mystery.
A committee identified a plot of land in the center of town owned by Mrs. Sarah Taylor, bought it for $600, dubbed it the East Cemetery, and launched itself into the cemetery business. Business must have been good. Within the year, the School Society opened the West Cemetery on the Post Road, complete with sections for "Strangers" and "Colored People."
So, it all comes together: King Charles II made Connecticut a very big North American landholder. But then, Revolutionary War debt and the Yankee-Pennamite Wars took most of it away but begat the Western Reserve, which begat the Perpetual School Fund, which begat the First Located School Society of Fairfield, which begat the East Cemetery on the Old Post Road.
Ron Blumenfeld is a Fairfield writer and retired pediatrician. His "Moving Forward, Looking Back" appears every other Wednesday. He can be reached at [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:4435fa64-06ab-40d4-ae6a-934240e243d1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fairfieldcitizenonline.com/opinion/article/Moving-Forward-Looking-Back-Swapping-northern-4270675.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972175 | 1,138 | 2.90625 | 3 |
H5N1 in cats
8 March 2006
At the end of February 2006 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), caused by the H5N1 virus was detected in a domestic cat found dead on the northern island of Ruegen, Germany. Since mid-February, over 100 birds have died on this island and tests confirmed H5N1 infection. Also in Asia, cats and other felidae have been occasionally found to be infected with H5N1 since the start of the poultry epidemic in 2003. Experimental studies have shown that the domestic cat can become infected with the virus and that cat to cat transmission is possible in principle. The virus causes respiratory disease which can lead to death in all cat species. Serological studies in several Asian countries suggest that dogs may also contract the H5N1 infection. Countries in Europe have advised owners of pets living near H5N1 wild bird foci to keep cats indoors and dogs on a leash when taken for a walk.
These recent events lead to many questions by the public and pet owners to which the veterinary profession has to respond. In addition, there may be exposure of pet owners and veterinarians. For example, when animals infected with H5N1 (eg birds, dogs and cats) are brought to the veterinary clinic. Important are also the contribution veterinary practitioners can make in the surveillance of the disease for the presence of the H5N1 infection.
This section provides information for the general public and professionals about the risk of cats contracting H5N1 virus and the role of cats in the spread of avian influenza H5N1.
During a H5N1 outbreak in poultry in 1997 in Hong Kong, the first clinical human cases of this sub-type were reported with several fatalities. From the end of 2003 to date (March 2006) 173 people have been confirmed infected with the H5N1 virus of which 93 have died. Except for 1 case, human-to-human transmission has probably not occurred. Although H5N1 is relatively common to wild birds and poultry, humans and other mammals are also at risk of HPAI infection. Highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry is of growing concern due to the current geographic extent comprising Asia, Africa and Europe showing potential for pandemic spread. The virus is highly contagious and already over 200 million domestic birds have either been culled or died of the disease. Table 1 shows the timeline for avian influenza in cats and other felidae.
|Timeline of (H5N1) avian influenza in cats and other felidae (and civets)
|1970s & 1980s
||Research revealed that infection of domestic cats with influenza A subtypes H3N2 from humans, H7N3 from a turkey, and H7N7 from a harbor seal (Phoc vitulina) produces transient virus excretion and a temporary increase in body temperature but did not induce any other clinical signs of disease.
||Two leopards and two tigers died at a zoo in Thailand after feeding on chicken carcasses. Investigation confirmed H5N1 in tissue samples from all 4 animals. This was the first report of influenza causing disease and death in big cats.
||Research shows that domestic cats experimentally
infected with H5N1 develop severe disease and can spread
infection to other cats.
||A H5N1 outbreak in zoo tigers in Thailand reportedly
fed on chicken carcasses. Eventually, 147 out of the
population of 441 tigers died or had to euthanized for
animal welfare reasons.
||Tests on three civets that died late June 2005 in
Viet Nam revealed H5N1, marking the first infection
of this species with the virus. These endangered Owston’s
palm civets were raised in captivity; source of infection
is still unknown.
October 05 February 06
||FAO field veterinarians report unusual high cat mortality
in Iraq and Indonesia in the vicinity of H5N1 outbreaks
28 February 2006
||H5N1 confirmed in a cat on the Baltic Sea island
of Ruegen (Germany). Over 100 wild birds had been found
dead on the island during previous weeks.
Role of cats in virus transmission
Research has shown that domestic cats may die from H5N1 virus. Also horizontal transmission has been proven. However, it is unlikely that cats play a role in the natural transmission cycle of H5N1 viruses. Cat infections occasionally occur in association with H5N1 outbreaks in domestic or wild birds, e.g. when cats feed on infected birds. Experimental/infected cats shed the virus via the respiratory and intestinal tract, and may therefore transmit the virus to other cats. Naturally infected cats are thus in theory, able to spread the virus.
In areas where H5N1 Infected wild birds are reported it can not be excluded that cats become infected. Although most wild birds infected are waterfowl, not normally the species cats interact with, H5N1 is potentially infectious to numerous other bird species and it can not be ruled out that passerines or pigeons which do interact with cats get infected.
In areas where poultry is infected with H5N1 there is a risk that cats become infected with H5N1 through contact with infected poultry or their faeces. Anecdotal reports support the notion that contact with infected poultry (faeces and eating infected carcasses) forms a source of infection for cats. Cats probably have little or no contribution to the spread of the disease because the number of infected poultry is much higher than the number of infected cats; poultry shed much more virus than cats. Nevertheless, cats may play a role in the spread of the virus to other animals. Report to the local veterinary authority any evidence of significant animal mortality both wild and domestic.
Theoretically there is a possibility that cats transmit infection to humans. However, given the risk that cats become infected with HPAI is low, the risk to human infection is therefore limited.
The role of stray cats
Due to their greater mobility, stray cats could spread the disease into new areas. If infected, stray cats may become a source of contamination to poultry and mammals, including humans.
The role of other mammals
The ability of catching the H5N1 virus is not restricted to cats. Reports show infection in tigers, leopards and civets. Also dogs and pigs may become infected with the virus. Given the broad host spectrum of the H5N1virus, the possibility that also other wild or domesticated mammals including seals, mustelidae or furbearing animals, become infected by contacting infected animals is present. All carnivores could become infected through eating infected poultry or infected wild birds.
Areas where H5N1 HPAI has been diagnosed or is suspected in poultry or wild birds:
- Report to the local veterinary authority any evidence of significant bird mortality both wild and domestic.
- Be especially vigilant for any dead or sick cats and report such findings to the local veterinarian.
- Make sure contact between cats and wild birds or poultry (or their faeces) is avoided and/or keep cats inside.
- If cats bring a sick or dead bird inside the house, put on plastic gloves and dispense of the bird in plastic bags for collection by local veterinary animal handlers.
- Keep stray cats outside the house and avoid contact with them.
- If cats show breathing problems or nasal discharge, a veterinarian should be consulted.
- Do not touch or handle any sick-looking or dead cat (or other animal) and report to the authorities.
- Wash hands with water and soap regularly and especially after handling animals and cleaning their litter boxes or coming in contact with faeces or saliva.
- Dogs can only be taken outside the premises if kept restraint.
- Do not feed any water birds.
- Disinfect (e.g. with bleach 2-3 %) cages or other hardware in which sick animals have been transported or been in contact.
- Wash animal blankets with soap or any other commercial detergent. | <urn:uuid:06c69d70-74bb-44ae-8b88-d574a02ebd03> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fao.org/avianflu/en/wildlife/wild_animals.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934847 | 1,671 | 2.890625 | 3 |
If farmers are to increase food production and food security, they need better access to agricultural support systems, such as credit, technology, extension services and agricultural education, as well as to the rural organizations that often channel other services. Both men and women smallholders and poor farmers have frequently been cut off from these essential agricultural support systems, which seldom take into account the different responsibilities and needs of men and women farmers. In spite of their enormous potential and their crucial roles in agricultural production, women in particular have insufficient access to production inputs and support services.
This trend underlines the need to implement measures aimed at enhancing the access of small farmers, especially women, to production inputs - particularly since the working environment of development organizations has
changed as a result of market liberalization and a reduced role for the state worldwide. National agricultural extension systems are no exception to this rule, and must respond by making internal and external adjustments. Great attention is required so that the adjustments do not become detrimental to women and men small farmers. For example, FAO's field experiences over the last decade have pointed to the need for extension programmes that are more strategically planned, needs-based, participatory and problem solving.
Women's access to and use of agricultural support systems is also severely limited by the heavy burden on time and energy that results from their triple responsibilities - productive activities (such as work in the fields), reproductive activities (such as child rearing, cooking and household chores) and community management.
In order to improve production, farmers need access to financial capital. Buying seeds, fertilizer and other agricultural inputs often requires short-term loans, which are repaid when the crops are harvested. Installing major improvements, such as irrigation pumps, or acquiring new technology that increases future yields is impossible without access to long-term credit.
Smallholders, particularly women, often face difficulties in obtaining credit. This is a direct consequence of their lacking access to land, participation in development projects and extension programmes and membership in rural organizations, all of which are important channels for obtaining loans and credit information. In several countries of sub-Saharan Africa, where women and men farmers are roughly equal in number, it is estimated that women farmers receive only 10 percent of the loans granted to smallholders and less than 1 percent of the total credit advanced to the agriculture sector.
Credit delivery can be improved by setting up microfinance institutions in rural areas and reorienting the banking system to cater to the needs of small farmers, especially women. The Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, which first pioneered the microcredit approach in 1976, currently reaches more than 2 million people. Since it was founded, the bank has lent more than US$2.1 billion, most of it in the form of loans of a few hundred dollars for small agriculture, distribution, crafts and trading enterprises. Numerous studies have shown that women are generally more reliable and punctual in repaying their loans than men are.
A programme providing credit and nutrition for women significantly improved both the participating women's incomes and their children's nutritional status. This is the conclusion of a study that examined the impact of a credit and education programme run by the NGO Freedom from Hunger.
Men and women smallholders also suffer financially from limited access to the marketing services that would allow them to turn surplus produce into cash income. Women face particular difficulties because marketing infrastructure and organizations are rarely geared towards either small-scale producers or the crops that women grow. Although women all over the world are active as traders, hawkers and street and market vendors, little has been done to improve transport and market facilities to support this vital economic sector. Even where rural women play an important role in wholesale trade, their full membership in marketing service institutions is still difficult because they may be illiterate or lack independent legal status.
Planning for action
The FAO Gender and Development Plan of Action includes commitments by different Divisions of FAO to increasing the equality of access to a wide range of agricultural support systems, including markets, credit, technology, extension and training.
Rural finance and marketing services
Rural groups and organizations
Agricultural research and technology
Agricultural education and extension
Microcredit and education boost incomes and nutrition
Astudy examined the impact of a microcredit and educational programme implemented by the NGO Freedom from Hunger. In Ghanaian villages, women who participated in the programme used microcredit loans to launch income-generating activities such as preparing and selling palm oil, fish and cooked foods. They increased their non-farm income by $36 per month, twice as much as the women who had not taken part in the programme. Through the programme's educational component, participating women also gained valuable knowledge about their children's nutrition and heath needs.
Membership of cooperatives, farmers' organizations, trade unions and other organizations represents one of the best ways for rural men and women to gain access to resources, opportunities and decision-making. Cooperatives and farmers' associations generally make it possible for farmers to share the costs and rewards of services that they could not afford on their own. They can be an invaluable channel for obtaining technology, information, training and credit. They can also give smallholders a much louder voice in local and national decision-making. By instituting common food processing, storage and marketing activities, organizations can increase the exchange of goods and services and the access to national and regional markets.
Participation in such organizations can be especially important to smallholders and poor farmers, both men and women. But women are frequently deterred from joining because membership is often restricted to recognized landowners or heads of household. Even when women are responsible for the day-to-day management of both households and holdings, their husbands or other male relatives are often considered the official heads.
In many regions, women farmers' membership of these organizations is restricted by custom. Where they are able to belong to rural organizations, women often do not share equally in either the decision-making or the benefits, and are excluded from leadership positions. Furthermore, their many household chores may make it impossible for them to attend meetings and devote the time that is necessary for full participation. Investment in labour-saving technologies to relieve the burden of women's unpaid productive and reproductive tasks is needed in order to given them more free time.
In recent years there has been some success in reducing the obstacles to women's participation in rural organizations. At the same time, the use and establishment of traditional and new women's groups to promote women's participation in rural development has grown rapidly. However, experience has shown that women's empowerment often requires a step-by-step process to remove the barriers to their membership in organizations that are traditionally dominated by men. Furthermore, it is necessary to give them support, individually or collectively, to enable them to gain the knowledge and self-confidence needed to make choices and take greater control of their lives.
In all regions of the developing world, women typically work far longer hours than men do. Studies in Asia and Africa show that women work as much as 13 extra hours a week. As a result, they may have little available time to seek out support services, and very different priorities for the kind of support required.
Overall, the agricultural research agenda has neglected the needs of smallholders, especially women farmers, and failed to take advantage of their invaluable knowledge about traditional farming methods, indigenous plant and animal varieties and coping techniques for local conditions. Such knowledge could hold the key to developing sustainable approaches that combine modern science with the fruits of centuries of experimentation and adaptation by men and women farmers.
Most research has focused on increasing the yields of commercial crops and staple grains on high-input farms, where high-yielding varieties can be cultivated under optimal conditions. Smallholders can rarely afford these technology «packages», which are also generally ill suited to the climatic and soil conditions in areas where most of the rural poor live. The crops that farmers in such areas rely on and the conditions that they face have not featured prominently in agricultural research. Sorghum and millet, for example, have received very little research attention and funding, despite their high nutritional value and ability to tolerate difficult conditions. Similarly, relatively little research has been devoted to the secondary crops grown by women, which often provide most of their family's nutritional needs.
In addition, agricultural tools and implements are also rarely designed to fit women's physical capabilities or work, so they do not meet women's needs. The impact of new technologies is seldom evaluated from a gender perspective. The introduction of harvesting, threshing and milling machinery, for example, has very little direct effect on yields but eliminates thousands of hours of paid labour. According to one study, if all the farmers in Punjab, India, who cultivate more than 4 ha were to use combine harvesters, they would lose more than 40 million paid working days, without any increase in farm production or cropping intensity. Most of the lost labour and income would be women's.
«Schools where men and women farmers learn how to increase yields and reduce their reliance on pesticides by relying on natural predators.»
Developing technology to meet women's specific needs can yield major gains in food production and food security. In Ghana, for example, technology was introduced to improve the irrigation of women's off-season crops. Larger and more reliable harvests increased both food and economic security during the periods between major crops. In El Salvador, where women play an extremely important role in agriculture, it is estimated that as many as 60 percent of households are headed by women. One of the major goals of this country's agriculture sector reform was to improve research and extension activities by focusing on the role of women smallholders. To address women farmers' needs, the project promoted women's participation to help guide the research programme at National Agricultural Technology Centre farms.
Farmer field schools in Cambodia
In fields across Cambodia, men and women farmers gather every week to go to school. They are among the 30 000 Cambodian farmers - more than one-third of them women - who have taken part in FAO-supported farmer field schools (FFS). In the schools, farmers observe how crops develop and monitor pests throughout the growing season. They also learn how natural predators, such as wasps and spiders, can help control pests and how the heavy use of pesticides often kills them off, leaving crops even more vulnerable. These schools emphasize the active participation and empowerment of both men and women farmers. In at least six provinces in Cambodia, farmers have formed integrated pest management (IPM) groups after completing their training, and are carrying out further field studies and experiments. More than 300 farmers have completed additional training and are now organizing farmer field schools in their own areas. «;I always knew pesticides were bad for my health,» one participant said, «but now I know for sure.» After completing the school, farmers rely more on cultural practices and natural enemies to control pests, and experience fewer cases of poisoning.
Agricultural extension programmes provide farmers with a lifeline of information about new technologies, plant varieties and market opportunities. In almost all countries, however, the agricultural extension system fails to reach women farmers effectively. Among other reasons, this is because they are excluded from rural organizations. An FAO survey showed that, worldwide, female farmers receive only 5 percent of all agricultural extension services and only 15 percent of agricultural extension agents are women. In Egypt, where women make up more than half of the agricultural labour force, only 1 percent of extension officers are female.
«An FAO extension project in Honduras that focused on woman-to-woman training boosted both subsistence production and household food security.»
This reflects the lack of information and understanding about the important role played by women. Extension services usually focus on commercial rather than subsistence crops, which are grown mainly by women and which are often the key to household food security. Available data rarely reflect women's responsibility for much of the day-to-day work and decision-making on the family farm. Nor do they recognize the many other important food production and food processing activities that women commonly perform, such as home gardening, tending livestock, gathering fuel or carrying water.
Extension programmes can be tailored to address women's priority needs only when men and women farmers are listened to at the village level and when such methods as participatory rural appraisal are employed. In recent years, a number of countries have launched determined efforts to make their extension services more responsive to women's needs. In the Gambia, for example, the proportion of female agricultural extension workers has increased from 5 percent in 1989 to more than 60 percent today. Growth in the number of female extension workers has been matched by increased attention to women's involvement and priorities. A special effort has been made to encourage women's participation in small ruminant and poultry extension services.
In Nicaragua, efforts to ensure that extension services match client needs - including giving more attention to the diverse needs of men and women farmers - led to increased use of those services, by 600 percent for women and 400 percent for men.
Extension programmes that fail to take women into account also fail to address the improved technology and methods that might yield major gains in productivity and food security. Furthermore, they often schedule training times and locations that make it impossible for women to participate, in addition to existing socio-cultural reasons.
Recommended new approaches include the Strategic Extension Campaign (SEC), which was developed by FAO and introduced in Africa, the Near East, Asia and Latin America. This methodology emphasizes how important it is for field extension workers and small farmers to participate in the strategic planning, systematic management and field implementation of agricultural extension and training programmes. Its extension strategies and messages are specifically developed and tailored to the results of a participatory problem identification and needs assessment.
Training Programme for Women's Incorporation in Rural Development
Several hundred peasant women in Honduras were trained to serve as «food production liaisons». After receiving their training, the liaisons worked with grassroots women's groups. They focused on impoverished rural areas where chronic malnutrition is widespread and 70 percent of all breastfeeding mothers suffer from vitamin A deficiency. Women involved with the project increased the subsistence production of nutritious foods. Credits to develop poultry production proved an effective way of increasing motivation, nutritional levels and incomes. Some of the grassroots women's groups involved with the project sought credit through extension agencies or from the Rotating Fund for Peasant Women. The credit was used to initiate other social and productive projects, including purchasing a motorized maize mill and planting soybeans for milk. | <urn:uuid:6d3aa950-7ad5-4c80-bb68-e826841338b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/Y3969E/y3969e05.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966089 | 2,945 | 3.21875 | 3 |
Resistant myzus persicae aphid threatens virus yellows control
COLD weather and widespread use of neonicotinoid seed treatments combined to limit virus yellows infection in the sugar beet crop in 2011 to the extent that just 0.5 per cent of the crop was affected.
Concern, however, is increasing over the developing risk of resistance to neonicotinoid insecticides used to control myzus persicae aphids, the virus yellows vector.
Resistance has been identified in France, Italy and Spain, in myzus persicae populations associated mainly with peach and nectarine trees, where topical applications of neonicotinoids are used for aphid control, said Dr Mark Stevens.
“If those aphids start moving north and adapt to colder climes then I worry because there is very little chemistry coming on stream to control them,” he said.
Rothamsted Research work had shown these aphids were also carrying MACE and kdr resistance mechanisms, conferring resistance to pirimicarb and pyrethoids. “We have little in the can to actually control them,” said Dr Stevens.
“There are no resistant varieties coming on stream in the immediate future and the problem we are faced with is we are not looking at one virus but a complex of up to four different viruses, making it a very difficult target to hit with a resistance gene,” he said.
He told sugar beet growers at the conference the situation was ‘one we need to keep an eye on’. | <urn:uuid:1ec0741c-84d5-4e92-a662-15478a6dc720> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.farmersguardian.com/home/arable/arable-news/resistant-myzus-persicae-aphid-threatens-virus-yellows-control/44533.article | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954636 | 324 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Food Safety for Moms to Be: Highlights - Entertaining All Year
|A year-round food safety guide to help keep yourself and your guests safe while entertaining.
Also available in Spanish > En español >
Whether you're hosting or attending a shower, pot-luck dinner, birthday party, school fair, or other social event - they all involve food! Enjoy these events while keeping your unborn baby safe from foodborne bacteria. Use these tips to help you select, prepare, and handle food safely year-round!
Preventing foodborne illness is easy as...
|1. Clean||Wash hands and surfaces often.|
|2. Separate||Don't cross-contaminate.|
|3. Cook||Cook to proper temperatures.|
|4. Chill||Refrigerate promptly.|
For more information about the 4 Simple Steps to Food Safety, see Lifelong Food Safety.
First Things First
Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before and after handling food.
Safe Food Handling for Social Events
Make food safety the center of your entertaining activities during your pregnancy and beyond!
4 Steps to Safe Food Shopping
- Separate raw meat, poultry, and seafood from other foods in your grocery shopping cart and your grocery bags. Raw juices from these foods can contain harmful bacteria, which can spread to other foods. Consider placing these raw foods inside plastic bags to keep the juices contained.
- Don't purchase foods if the "sell by" date has passed.
- Transport food home right away and refrigerate perishables immediately to prevent any bacteria from rapidly growing in the food.
- When the weather's hot, place groceries in the air-conditioned passenger compartment of your car rather than the hot trunk. Bacteria can multiply rapidly at high temperatures.
|Take Note, Moms-to-Be!
Don't include these foods on your shopping list. They're not safe for you or your unborn baby.
|A Note About Listeria
This bacterium that can be particularly harmful to you and your unborn baby and can be found in these foods:
3 Ways to Safely Defrost Frozen Foods
- In the refrigerator. Cold temperatures keep most harmful bacteria from multiplying.
- In cold water. Change the water every half-hour to keep the water cold.
- Using the microwave, but cook the food immediately after it's defrosted.
Note: Don't defrost foods at room temperature. Bacteria can grow in the "danger zone," the range of temperatures usually between 40° and 140°F (4° and 60°C).
Be creative and tempt your party guests with an array of fun platters, but keep food selections safe. Here's how:
- Heating foods to the right temperature for the proper amount of time kills harmful bacteria, so cook meat, poultry, fish, and eggs thoroughly. For the recommended cooking temperatures, see Cook.
- Some raw eggs can contain harmful bacteria. Some of your favorite homemade recipes may call for raw or lightly-cooked eggs. These may include recipes for Caesar salad dressing, ice cream, custards, chocolate mousse, and some sauces. Here are safe ways to make your favorite egg-containing foods:
- Add the eggs to the amount of liquid called for in the recipe, then heat the mixture thoroughly.
- Use store-bought products of the foods listed above, which are often already cooked or pasteurized.
- Purchase pasteurized eggs. These eggs can be found in some supermarkets and are labeled "pasteurized." Here are several types consumers can buy:
- Fresh, pasteurized eggs in the shell (found in the refrigerator section).
- Liquid, pasteurized egg products (found in the refrigerator section).
- Frozen, pasteurized egg products (found in the frozen food section).
- Powdered egg whites (found in the baking section).
Refrigerate all perishables (foods that can spoil or become contaminated by bacteria if unrefrigerated) up until serving time. These foods include:
- Finger sandwiches
- Cheese chunks
- Fruit salad
- Foods that contain dairy products
Plan a bacteria-free buffet with these helpful tips:
If you're planning a buffet at home and are not sure how quickly the food will be eaten, keep buffet portions small. Prepare a number of small platters and dishes ahead of time. Store cold back-up dishes in the refrigerator or keep hot dishes in the oven set at 200° F to 250° F (-73° C to -23° C) prior to serving. This way, your late-arriving guests can enjoy the same appetizing arrangements as the early arrivals.
Hot foods should be kept at an internal temperature of 140° F (60° C) or warmer. Use a food thermometer to check. Serve or keep food hot in chafing dishes, crock pots, and warming trays. Note: Some warmers only hold food at 110° F to 120° F (-163° C to -153° C), so check the product label to make sure your warmer has the capability to hold foods at 140° F or warmer.
Cold foods should be kept at 40° F (4 ° C) or colder. Keep cold foods refrigerated until serving time. If food is going to stay out on the buffet table longer than two hours, place plates of cold food on ice to retain the chill.
Keep It Fresh
Don't add new food to an already-filled serving dish. Instead, replace nearly-empty serving dishes with freshly-filled ones. Bacteria from people's hands may have contaminated the food. Plus, bacteria may have started to multiply at room temperature.
Watch the Clock
Remember the 2-Hour Rule: Discard any perishables left out at room temperature for more than two hours, unless you're keeping it hot or cold. If the buffet is held in a place where the temperature is above 90°F, the safe-holding time is reduced to one hour.
Leaving with Leftovers?
Be sure to refrigerate leftovers immediately after you arrive home. | <urn:uuid:942da8bb-7c73-4c1b-968e-adea42d1c804> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/PeopleAtRisk/ucm083680.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.908897 | 1,269 | 2.859375 | 3 |
London, July 27 (IANS) Personal computers are fast taking over the place of human beings’ long time best friend, the family dog, a British study has found.
Researchers have found just six percent of us believe that “most people rely more on their dog than they do on their PC,” while 67 percent think the opposite to be true.
Even 38 percent of dog owners confessed to relying more on their PC than on their dog, although 36 percent disagreed. And 71 percent of 18 to 24-year-old dog owners said they relied more on their computer, Daily Mail reported.
According to Paul Allen, editor of Computeractive magazine, which carried out the poll with the Royal Society For The Protection Of Cruelty to Animals, said: “These days you can even take your PC for a walk, provided you have a laptop or tablet.
“It’s only a matter of time until the first PC that fetches your slippers.”
Researchers talked to 2,000 British adults to find out about the change modern technology has brought to their home life. They found that male dog owners are almost twice as likely as female owners to rely on their computer than a canine companion.
Allen said: “With broadband bringing them global news and newspaper sales falling, the family dog even misses out on the pleasure of taking the paper to his owner.”
But it’s not all bad news for obedient dogs.
“The family PC has given dog owners access to a wealth of resources and information that can help with the long-term care that a dog needs,” Allen said.
“From finding the best vets to researching great new walks that all the family can enjoy, the web enables the PC to become a dog’s best friend.” | <urn:uuid:acf63c79-1e8c-42ef-b258-4af77f4aa4f0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.filmitown.com/2011/07/27/computers-replacing-dogs-place-in-your-life/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968505 | 375 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Due to the nature of the sport, concussions can occur in water polo. In the injury research study conducted in Athens during the Olympic Games comparing injury incidence in all team sports, it was found that water polo was one of the safest of the team sports with a relative low injury rate. Head injury was the most common injury suffered in water polo. As mentioned in the article by Dr. Drum, there are Guidelines available for the diagnosis and management of concussion (Prague Consensus on Concussion 2004). In answer to your question, any athlete who has symptoms of concussion should not be training or competing. All athletes with concussion symptoms should seek medical attention.
Read the full article 'Water Polo: Doctor on Deck' | <urn:uuid:50f86eec-748e-4896-bdfc-f2dd01157853> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fina.org/H2O/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3021:one-of-the-players-on-my-water-polo-team-has-a-concussion-should-i-let-him-train-with-the-team&catid=357:faq&Itemid=1323 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968724 | 147 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Bali Climate conference has a message for rural community
The world leaders recognised that 20% of the global emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) can be contained by forestation. The programme, Reducing Emissions From Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) aims to compensate the developing countries in the tropical region to maintain their forests and discourages deforestation. It allows developing countries to sell carbon offsets to rich countries in return for not burning their tropical forests from 2013.
REDD initiative is the need of the hour when largescale deforestation is taking place across the world for urbanisation, oil palm, soyabean and bio-fuel crop plantation.
The Bali conference also stressed upon the urgent need to cut carbon and methane emissions from tropical forests.
The Bali conference also adopted a resolution on adaptation fund to help poor nations to cope with damage from climate change impact like droughts, extreme weather conditions or rising seas. The Adaptation Fund now comprises only about $36 million but might rise to $1-$5 billion a year by 2030, if investments in green technology in developing nations surges. The fund distinguished the responsibilities of the Global Environment Facility and the World Bank. The fund would have a 16-member board largely from developing countries and would start operating from 2008.
Senior researchers of the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) had urged the developed countries to urgently discuss adaptation funds as the key to solution of the problems. The Lead author of the recent UNDP report, Kevin Watkins said that as per estimate $86 billion annually. "The figure looks large, but actually it is only 0.2% of the rich countries GDP," he said and added that adaptation fund sourced from multilateral funding in the last two years was only $26 million—the amount spent by UK alone on flood control for a week.
A group of small island communities led by Biotani Indonesia Foundation has urged that the adaptation fund should include a special corpus to cover their initiatives.
The Bali conference succeeded in adopting a resolution on technology tranfer and also Its monitoring. It, however, failed address the vital issue of cut in GHG emissions and deferred it till 2009.
It also postponed until next year any consideration of a plan to fund an untested technology which captures and buries the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, emitted from power plants that burn fossil fuels.
It also failed to agree whether or not to allow companies to sell carbon offsets from destroying new production of powerful greenhouse gases called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Benefiting factories have been the biggest winners under a UN scheme to reward companies which cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Be the first to comment. | <urn:uuid:425ca78c-1053-44ec-b60e-8912cf2cb747> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Bali-Climate-conference-has-a-message-for-rural-community/251129/0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948002 | 543 | 3.15625 | 3 |
India's rice output expected at 100 mn tons in 2012-13: FAO
The global body on the farm sector had earlier forecast the rice output in India, the world's second largest producer, at 98.5 MT. This was due to late onset of monsoon rains leading to deficit in key northern and southern growing areas.
FAO in its latest 'Food Outlook' report said that output prospects in India were marred until August by below-normal precipitation, but have since been bolstered by a revival of the monsoon rains.
"As a result, the country is predicted to harvest 100 MT in 2012-13, 4 MT less than its outstanding 2011-12 season, but still the second best result in history," FAO said.
The country had harvested a record 104.32 MT of rice in the 2011-12 crop year (JulyŅJune).
"While the resulting replenishment of water reserves should foster an expansion of secondary rabi (winter) crop, the rains may have come too late for the main kharif (summer) crop to be unscathed," it added.
The past few months of the 2012 season were dominated by concern over a possible recurrence of an El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) weather anomaly and slow progress of the monsoon rains in India, it said.
"However, in August and September, India's fears were tempered by more generous pattern of the rainfall, and meteorological centre's predictions reverted back to a weak
or neutral ENSO," it added.
According to the
Be the first to comment. | <urn:uuid:de94cbf7-7105-41ea-a519-55d8d8171cb1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.financialexpress.com/news/indias-rice-output-expected-at-100-mn-tons-in-201213-fao/1031026 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970475 | 329 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Let’s start with the understanding that the Federal Trade Commission states that if scrap generated in the manufacturing process is reused for manufacturing new product, it can not be calculated as post-industrial recycled content, as this reuse of scrap is a part of the typical manufacturing process. So your first question when receiving post-industrial recycled content data should be, “How did you make this calculation, and where did the recycled waste come from?”
Stakeholder demand for recycled content in building products has been largely driven by the LEED® rating system, and the points gained by contributing to the recycled content credit. Now, since scrap reused in the manufacturing process can not be calculated, many manufactures play a form of the “shell game”.
If a manufacturer has multiple facilities making products that generate scrap which can be reused in all the manufacturing processes then, to calculate post-industrial recycled content, the scrap is just moved between facilities. Now the scrap is claimed to be diverted from landfill and calculated as recycled content.
Please understand that for a recycling program to work, a manufacturer needs a continuous feedstock of waste material, so some of this moving around of scrap is legitimate. If the manufacturer is playing the shell game just “for the points,” then all that is being done is increased energy use and CO2 emissions... how sustainable is that? | <urn:uuid:81041a6f-f8ae-448f-858a-4a10338124d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.forbo-flooring.us/Environment/truth/post-industrial-waste/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965201 | 278 | 2.734375 | 3 |
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned computer users that e-mails from scam artists pretending to be FBI agents are spreading a computer virus.
The e-mails tell recipients that the FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center has monitored their Internet use and found they have accessed illegal Web sites. The e-mails then direct recipients to open an attachment and complete a questionnaire.
This is a bogus message. The attachment contains a computer virus. DO NOT OPEN OR LAUNCH THE ATTACHMENT. You should DELETE the e-mail immediately.
As a general rule, if you receive an e-mail that you are not expecting, even if you know the sender, DO NOT OPEN IT OR LAUNCH the attachment and DO NOT FORWARD the message. If you are not sure, contact the sender to verify the e-mail. Otherwise, DELETE the e-mail.
The Information and Network Security team has put in place appropriate protections to prevent the virus from spreading. Current anti-virus definitions detect and block this virus. | <urn:uuid:12261baa-cafe-4990-9f2a-0930a0b07f91> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fordforums.com/f126/federal-bureau-investigation-fbi-has-warned-computer-users-e-mails-98372/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.885774 | 213 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Nearly half of about 67 million Americans with high blood pressure are not effectively treating their condition and face a high risk of a heart attack or stroke, a U.S. health official said on Tuesday.
About 36 million people have uncontrolled high blood pressure, a condition caused when too much force is exerted by blood as it is pumped through the body and moves against vessel walls, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Tuesday.
"The bottom line is ... most of those in this country who have (high blood pressure) don't have their numbers under control, and because of that we have a very high burden of disease," said Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC.
High blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, contributes to nearly 1,000 deaths a day and $131 billion in annual direct healthcare costs, Frieden said.
The condition is the second most serious public health issue. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the country, according to the CDC.
Frieden said patients with high blood pressure are either not receiving a correct combination or dosage of medication or are not keeping up with their medication.
Some doctors are not warning patients who have had multiple readings of high-blood pressure, a problem Frieden said could be solved by better systems to track patients.
Of the 36 million Americans with uncontrolled hypertension, about 14 million were not aware of their condition and about 22 million either chose not to take medication or were on inadequate treatment, according to the report, which surveyed adults between 2003 and 2010.
"I think there's clearly a lot of room for improvement," Frieden said, noting that controlling blood pressure often means taking multiple medications daily for the rest of one's life.
High blood pressure can be prevented through diet, exercise and taking drugs such as beta blockers and ACE inhibitors -- which widen arteries. Lowering blood pressure can cut the risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure and other conditions.
Risk factors include obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and chronic difficulties such as diabetes, kidney disease and high cholesterol. | <urn:uuid:c0253585-f206-42c3-a094-e36a9dad6b37> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/09/05/report-millions-americans-have-uncontrolled-blood-pressure/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968774 | 435 | 2.78125 | 3 |
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Welcome to our world of fun trivia quizzes and quiz games:
Weather Occurrences of "Biblical" Proportions
"This quiz will deal with the usually normal subject of weather. But weather can take on miraculous traits when dealing with God and the Bible. Here are ten events listed in the Bible that involve weather. (King James Version used)"
15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit
According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Christ was involved in some weather a few times in his lifetime. One occurred when he was approaching the disciples. The disciples were attempting to fish in a storm when they saw Jesus walking on the water toward them. When he reached and boarded the boat, the storm subsided. What body of water did this miracle occur on?
Sea of Galilee
Probably the best known event involving weather in the Bible is the Great Flood. Through studying the Bible, theologians have determined the length of time that Noah, his family, and the animals were on the ark. What is the time frame in days that scholars tend to agree on as the length of Noah's captivity on the ark?
Weather happenings were prevalent during the ten plagues of Egypt. One of the plagues featured a horrendous hailstorm, accompanied by fire. Of the ten plagues, which number plague was this?
God and Moses also used the weather to actually END one of the plagues, as it is stated they used a "mighty wind" to drive out this particular plague's results. What was it that the mighty wind was getting rid of?
Blood on the Water
In Exodus 19, Moses had another occurrence with Biblical weather when he went up the mountain to receive God's Ten Commandments. What mountain was surrounded by "thunder and lightning" and a "veil of clouds" during Moses' climb upward?
Mount of Olives
This person experienced some dangerous sea storms upon his attempted fleeing from God's request to go to Nineveh and try and convert the people there. Who was this reluctant evangelist who had a whale of a time surviving the sea storm?
Two people are documented in the Bible as never dying. One was Enoch, who was taken up to Heaven in Genesis 5. The other was this prophet, who according to II Kings 2, "went up by a whirlwind into Heaven". Who was this servant of God who was whisked to Heaven on a chariot of fire by way of a whirlwind?
According to Joshua 10, while Joshua was holding camp in the large city of Gibeon, five kings of surrounding areas banded together to wage war upon Joshua's people. This would prove disheartening to them, as God was with Joshua's men and they were forced to flee after losing the battle. But the weather played a part afterwards. Before they had made the complete retreat back home, the armies were nearly wiped out by what weather phenomenon brought on by God?
According to the book of the same name, this man of God had a vision that featured some unique weather. From the opening verses of the first chapter: "And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire." The vision gets even more intense after that. Who was this godly man?
In the King James Version, along with several other translations, "Peace, be still" are famous words used to stop a storm while riding on a boat. What transpired previous to those words frightened all the passengers on the boat, as the strong wind was threatening to capsize the boat. Who was it that ended this weather malady with three simple words?
John the Baptist
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Compiled Nov 12 12 | <urn:uuid:7fc2204a-b4b8-4c03-b2b6-403fdb4bc4fe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz/quiz33848226bfc78.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970863 | 807 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Catholic and Protestant reformers in the 16th century occasionally spoke scornfully of Anabaptists as "new monks," referring to Anabaptist insistence on holy living and intense spiritual life (e.g., TA Elsaß 1, 110-13). Anabaptists occasionally accepted the comparison (Klassen, William and Walter Klaassen, eds. and trans. The Writings of Pilgram Marpeck, Classics of the Radical Reformation, vol. 2. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1978: 217) but more frequently rejected it (Klassen & Klaassen: 215-16; Menno, Writings, 369, 401), in part because monks often came from the socially privileged classes. Several scholars have used monastic history as an aid to interpret Anabaptism (Troeltsch, Ritschl, Davis, Snyder, Martin). Many Anabaptists and Mennonites, beginning with the Hutterite chronicle, pointed to quasi-monastic sectarian medieval movements, especially Waldenses, as forerunners of Anabaptism (these theories are promulgated or discussed by Keller, Gratz, Verduin, Durnbaugh). One of the most extensive efforts to relate monasticism and Anabaptism drew on both monastic and quasi-monastic traditions (Davis). Most scholars have carefully limited their interpretations to pointing out "intellectual parallels" or general similarities; some have argued for direct continuity and influence.
The crucial interpretive question revolves around the nature of monasticism: is it a nonconforming sectarian development critical of the institutional church (Workman) or an intensified institutional core of the ecclesiastical establishment? Or, did monasticism begin as a charismatic, lay, "sectarian" movement in the 4th century but become fully integrated into the sacramental, ecclesial, institutional church by the early Middle Ages (Rousseau, Martin)? How central the critical, separatist aspect of early monasticism is to monastic identity is disputed, even by those within the monastic community (Eoin de Bhaldraithe). Particularly significant in this regard is the distinction between contemplative monastic orders (Benedictine, Cistercian, Carthusian) and more lay-oriented, urban mendicant orders and houses of regular canons of the late Middle Ages (Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinian Friars, Praemonstratensians, Augustinian Canons). The latter orders were associated with the middle class and were visibly and pastorally active; the former were often but not always associated with the nobility and lived in secluded and rural areas. Most Anabaptist links to "monks" appear to have been with the mendicants and canons regular. Michael Sattler is the main exception to this generalization.
Most interpreters agree that Anabaptists rejected the sacramental and institutional "culture-church" of the Middle Ages in favor of a voluntary, non-institutionalized, even anti-clerical church of the faithful few, in effect, reducing the church to a devout "monastic" core. At issue among scholars is whether the label "monastic" should properly be applied to a sectarian, pure church vision such as that held by Anabaptists, since most monks did not believe that the church was made up solely of monastics, rather, they believed that monks and nuns were part, perhaps the most important part, of the church. The qualities and virtues prized by Anabaptists and Mennonites (hospitality, humility, community, Gelassenheit, obedience, repentance, nonresistance, etc.) were also prime monastic virtues, although all medieval Catholics were exhorted to practice these same virtues.
Significant parallels to monastic spirituality are found in the Mennonite period of post-Anabaptist history in which Anabaptist first-generation identity was transformed into a sacramental, ecclesial, institutional, cultural (ethnic) faith, even though Mennonites, Amish, and Hutterites avoided the language of sacramental and institutional Christianity (Cronk, Martin). During the 1980s growing Mennonite concern about the role of single adults in the church has not yet taken account of the traditional Christian monastic theology, with its implications for both marriage and singleness. Recent scholarship on monasticism emphasizes the social role of celibate communities, which enhanced the role of marriage while creating a sphere of activity for those remaining unmarried (Brown, Leclercq). Further research is needed in all these areas of Anabaptist and Mennonite history and culture.
Cronk, Sandra. "Gelassenheit: The Rites of the Redemptive Process in the Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite Communities." PhD dissertation, U. of Chicago, 1977. See also Mennonite Quarterly Review 65 (1981): 5-44.
For Ritschl, Gratz, Verduin, Keller, and others: see Davis, Kenneth R. Anabaptism and Asceticism: A Study in Intellectual Origins. Scottdale, 1974: 27-31.
de Bhaldraithe, Eion. "Michael Sattler, Benedictine and Anabaptist." Downside Review 105 (April 1987): 111-131.
Durnbaugh, Donald F. "Theories of Free Church Origins." Mennonite Quarterly Review 41 (1968): 83-95.
Martin, Dennis D. "Monks, Mendicants and Anabaptists: Michael Sattler and the Benedictines Reconsidered." Mennonite Quarterly Review 60 (1986): 139-64. Reply by Snyder, C. Arnold. "Michael Sattler, Benedictine: Dennis Martin's Objections Reconsidered." Mennonite Quarterly Review 61 (1987): 251-79.
Martin, Dennis D. "Catholic Spirituality and Mennonite Discipleship." Mennonite Quarterly Review 62 (1988): 5-25.
Martin, Dennis D. "Nothing New under the Sun? Mennonites and History." Conrad Grebel Review 5 (1987): 1-27.
Snyder, C. Arnold. "The Monastic Origins of Swiss Anabaptist Sectarianism." Mennonite Quarterly Review 57 (1983): 5-26.
Snyder, C. Arnold. The Life and Thought of Michael Sattler. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1984.
Troeltsch, Ernst. The Social Teachings of the Christian Churches. Translator: Olive Wyon. New York: Harper and Row, 1960: 239-46, 332-33.
For general information on monastic history, see:
Brown, Peter R. L. "The Notion of Virginity in the Early Church." Christian Spirituality: Origins to the 12th C. Editor:Bernard McGinn and John Meyendorff. New York: Crossroad (1985): 427-43.
Gründler, Otto. "Devotio Moderna." Christian Spirituality: High Middle Ages and Reformation. Editor: Jill Raitt. New York: Crossroad (1987): 176-93.
Knowles, David. Christian Monasticism. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1969.
Leclercq, Jean. Monks and Love in 12th-C. France. Oxford: Clarendon, 1979.
Novak, Michael. "The Free Churches and the Roman Church." Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 2 (1965): 426-47.
Rousseau, Phillip. Ascetics, Authority, and the Church in the Age of Jerome and Cassian. New York; Oxford, 1980.
Workman, Herbert B. The Evolution of the Monastic Ideal from the Earliest Times to the Coming of the Friars. 2nd edition. London, 1927, reprinted with introduction by David Knowles. Boston: Beacon, 1962.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, pp. 601-602. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.
©1996-2013 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.
MLA style: Martin, Dennis D. "Monasticism." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1987. Web. 18 May 2013. http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/M653.html.
APA style: Martin, Dennis D. (1987). Monasticism. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 May 2013, from http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/M653.html. | <urn:uuid:f4aded49-3fe1-40d5-a219-ab3c21d38bd5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/M653.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.872859 | 1,851 | 3.28125 | 3 |
Young People's Conference
Young People's Conference was a youth movement in the Mennonite Church (MC) which flourished for a short time between 1920-23, and led in part to the creation of the Young People's Problems Committee. It had its origin in a "General Conference of Mennonites in France in Reconstruction Work" held at Clermont-en-Argonne, Meuse, France, 20-22 June 1919. This conference was organized on an intended permanent basis with a constitution whose name was tentatively chosen as "Mennonite Young People's Movement," and which was to meet annually. Its clearly stated purpose was constructive and progressive, and its three annual conference programs represented in effect a Christian Life Conference with accent on the problems of youth. The movement also represented dissatisfaction with the rather slow-moving general church leadership and program, and also a determination to work out a larger and more influential place for the more mature young people in the work and leadership of the church.
Since much of the older leadership of the church reacted with skepticism and even suspicion to the new movement, opposition and tension developed. Differences were sorted out in the end and the movement got started in America, changing its name to the Young People's Conference. Three annual meetings were held: West Liberty, Ohio, 28-30 August 1920; Sterling, IL, 15-18 June 1922; Middlebury, IN (Forks church), 14-17 June 1923. General tensions in the church at this time, resulting in the closing of Goshen College for the year 1923-24 and divisions in a number of congregations in Indiana, Ohio, Ontario, and Eastern Pennsylvania, led to confusion in the ranks of the leadership of the Young People's Conference, and ultimately to the discontinuance of the annual meetings. The committee in charge for the 1923 conference listed Harold S. Bender, chairman; Walter E. Yoder, secretary; John L. Yoder, treasurer; Payson Miller, and Vernon Smucker. Some of the energies of this group were channeled into a biweekly periodical, The Christian Exponent, established on 4 January 1924, and discontinued on 11 September 1928, edited by Vernon Smucker.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 1009. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.
©1996-2013 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.
MLA style: Bender, Harold S. "Young People's Conference." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 18 May 2013. http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/Y6873ME.htm.
APA style: Bender, Harold S. (1959). Young People's Conference. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 May 2013, from http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/Y6873ME.htm. | <urn:uuid:f3f4a59d-cdd9-4c24-be50-e0c50e26ac19> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/Y6873ME.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936983 | 636 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Historical Newspaper Archives Search Tips
Newspaper Archives Last & First Name Search
- Using both name search fields returns newspaper articles in which the surname is automatically "near2" the first name.
- This means the newspaper archive search engine automatically finds occurrences of the first and last names within two words of each other.
- This helps to find occurrences of middle names or initials in the newspaper articles, without having to enter or remember them.
- The "near2" search command is not order specific—meaning your newspaper search will retrieve the person's name no matter in what order it is mentioned: the first name then last name or the last name then first name.
- This search default is intended to bring you the most occurrences of the name you are searching for in the online newspaper archives.
- However, if the person's name is popular, like Smith, try using some of the available search options such as location, date range, and keyword, in order to narrow your search to the specific Smith you are looking for (see below).
Using Advanced Search in the Newspaper Archive Database
- There are two keyword search boxes to narrow your search for newspaper articles: "Include keywords" box and "Exclude keywords" box (see below).
- Use the Date search box to enter a specific date or date range of the newspaper content you want to search online.
Using Keywords & Quotation Marks to Search Newspapers
- All the searches for historical newspaper articles are full-text keyword searches against OCR-generated ASCII text.
- By using the "Include keywords" box and/or "Exclude keywords" box, you can narrow or expand your online newspaper article search.
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- If you find too many names in the newspaper archive search results, narrow your search even more by typing names or places you do NOT want in your search in the "Exclude" box.
Using Boolean Operators to Search Newspaper Archives
- Use AND, OR, ADJx (order specific), NEARx (order non-specific) and Wildcards, such as "?" and "*")
Broaden or narrow newspaper search queries
- by emptying filled-in fields to broaden your search, or filling in empty fields to narrow your search.
Display newspaper search results in different ways, such as:
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Search Newspapers by Date Range
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- Enter a specific date or a date range—a variety of date formats are accepted.
- Examples: June 2, 1804, or 1804 - 1849, or June 1804 - August 1949.
Using Colonial English Variant Spellings to Search Old Newspapers
- Many of the newspapers in the historical newspaper archives are very old, and the searches must deal with Colonial English.
- The long "s" character was almost identical to the "f" in many texts.
- When searching old newspaper articles on words containing the letter "s," use the "?" wildcard in place of the "s."
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Examples of Searching for Old Newspaper Articles with Colonial English
|Modern Spelling||Colonial Spellings||Suggested Search|
- In addition, type was set by hand for early American newspapers and printers did not always have enough pieces of type to include all of the letters in a word. This resulted in letters being omitted, or sometimes letters that looked similar were used as substitutions.
- Much of this historic newspaper material did not use standard spellings.
- Examples of some conventions that were common in old newspapers:
- Use of name variants - Smith or Smythe
- Use of "e" in word endings - Chesapeake or Chesapeak
- Dropping the letter "h" - Philadelphia or Philadelpia
- Examples of irregular vowel usage:
- clerk - cleark
- color - colour
- Delaware - Deleware
- Elijah - Elifha
- Israel - Ifreal - Ifral
- Jehovah - Javovah
- Examples of letter e to word endings
- Brown - Browne
- Chesapeake - Chefopeak or Chefopeake
- Clark - Clarke
- highways - highwayes
- Examples of interchanging use of the letters "i" and "y"
- adjoining - adjoyning
- Pennsylvania - Pensilvania or Penfilvania
- rails - rayls
Colonial Newspaper Search Notes
- If in doubt, use wildcards such as the question mark "?" or the asterisk "*" in your colonial newspaper search.
- A question mark is a single-character wildcard and an asterisk multi-character (allows for up to 5 characters) wildcard. | <urn:uuid:976f9ed1-1e8b-497d-8e4e-75cdf06aeb95> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/newspapers/?sort=_rank_%3AD&kwexc=&s_siteloc=srch_term_link&s_referrer=findagrv&s_trackval=1111_findagrv&kwinc=&formDate=&lname=Pratt&fname=&kbid=69919&type=uncategorized | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.885567 | 1,135 | 3.09375 | 3 |
A genome-wide association study appearing in PLOS Genetics that involved thousands of individuals of European ancestry identified five genetic loci that appear to be associated with facial features. Among them: variants in and around genes implicated in prior studies of conditions that are characterized by face and/or skull malformations. The researchers behind the study, members of the International Visible Trait Genetics, or VisiGen, Consortium, argue that the new findings could contribute to what's known about facial evolution and development in humans, while at once laying the foundation for forensic tools for predicting facial features based on DNA alone. For more on this study, see this story from our sister publication GenomeWeb Daily News.
Investigators from the Cleveland Clinic and elsewhere used post-mortem brain samples to look at the epigenetic and transcriptional profiles associated with autism spectrum disorder. As they reported in PLOS One, the researchers relied on arrays and bisulfite sequencing to assess genome-wide gene expression and DNA methylation profiles in two brain regions — the cerebellar hemisphere cortex and the Brodmann area 19 occipital cortex — in samples from nine males with idiopathic cases of autism spectrum disorder and nine unaffected male controls in the same age range. Overall brain expression patterns varied from one individual with ASD to the next. But the team did uncover some shared features within the ASD samples, including lower-than-usual expression of genes in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and protein production pathways in the brain samples from individuals with autism and shifts in the expression of certain brain-related genes.
A PLOS Pathogens study of dengue virus by French researchers explores the basis for the pronounced conservation that's been noted in nucleotides found at the ends of the virus' RNA-based genome. Using chemical synthesis experiments, assays, and other analyses, the group determined that the virus, a representative of the Flavivirus genus, relies on an RNA end-repair process that involves the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase produced by a dengue virus gene called NS5. "Our findings provide a direct demonstration of the implication of a viral RNA polymerase in the conservation and repair of genome ends," the study's authors wrote. "Other polymerases from other RNA virus families are likely to employ similar mechanisms." | <urn:uuid:e52c0e3f-4d18-4b99-91e5-6894e85b12b2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.genomeweb.com/blog/week-plos-204 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91661 | 461 | 3.390625 | 3 |
Killing Emacs means ending the execution of the Emacs process.
If you started Emacs from a terminal, the parent process normally
resumes control. The low-level primitive for killing Emacs is
This command calls the hook
kill-emacs-hook, then exits the Emacs process and kills it.
If exit-data is an integer, that is used as the exit status of the Emacs process. (This is useful primarily in batch operation; see Batch Mode.)
If exit-data is a string, its contents are stuffed into the terminal input buffer so that the shell (or whatever program next reads input) can read them.
kill-emacs function is normally called via the
higher-level command C-x C-c
save-buffers-kill-terminal). See Exiting. It is also called automatically if Emacs receives a
SIGHUP operating system signal (e.g., when the
controlling terminal is disconnected), or if it receives a
SIGINT signal while running in batch mode (see Batch Mode).
This normal hook is run by
kill-emacs, before it kills Emacs.
kill-emacscan be called in situations where user interaction is impossible (e.g., when the terminal is disconnected), functions on this hook should not attempt to interact with the user. If you want to interact with the user when Emacs is shutting down, use
kill-emacs-query-functions, described below.
When Emacs is killed, all the information in the Emacs process,
aside from files that have been saved, is lost. Because killing Emacs
inadvertently can lose a lot of work, the
save-buffers-kill-terminal command queries for confirmation if
you have buffers that need saving or subprocesses that are running.
It also runs the abnormal hook
save-buffers-kill-terminalis killing Emacs, it calls the functions in this hook, after asking the standard questions and before calling
kill-emacs. The functions are called in order of appearance, with no arguments. Each function can ask for additional confirmation from the user. If any of them returns
save-buffers-kill-emacsdoes not kill Emacs, and does not run the remaining functions in this hook. Calling
kill-emacsdirectly does not run this hook. | <urn:uuid:af93ad35-c5de-4297-a667-afc7347bbc6c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/elisp/Killing-Emacs.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.892353 | 488 | 2.6875 | 3 |
US 4884575 A
A cardiac pacemaker pulse generator is adapted to .generate electrical stimuli at a first pacing rate, and to selectively increase the rate to a second higher pacing rate. A timer triggers the rate increase to establish the higher rate as an exercise rate folloing the passage of a preset period of time after the timer is enabled. An external magnet controlled by the patient activates a reed switch to enable the timer to commence timing. The pulse generator is further adapted to respond to a second pass of the magnet over the reed switch after enabling of the timer to thereupon disable the timer before the preset period of time has expired. If the second pass of the magnet occurs after the exercise rate has begun, the element for increasing the rate is disabled to return the pulse generator to the lower pacing rate. The change in pacing rates is made in steps.
1. In combination with an implantable cardiac pacemaker for delivering electrical stimuli to the heart of a patient to pace the heart rate,
said pacemaker comprising:
pulse generator means for selectively producing said electrical stimuli at a fixed resting rate and at a higher exercise rate,
lead means associated with said pulse generator for delivering said stimuli to a selected chamber of the heart, and
timer means for stepping-up said pulse generator means from said resting rate to said exercise rate after an adjustable preset delay following activation of said timer means, said preset delay being of a duration perceptible by the patient; and
external control means for patient initiation of a first command to said pacemaker to activate said timer means.
2. In combination with an implantable cardiac pacemaker for delivering electrical stimuli to the heart of a patient to pace the heart rate, said pacemaker comprising:
pulse generator means for selectively producing said electrical stimuli at a fixed resting rate and a higher exercise rate,
lead means associated with said pulse generator for delivering said stimuli to a selected chamber of the heart, and
delay means for stepping-up said pulse generator means from said resting rate to said exercise rate after an adjustable preset delay following activation of said delay means,
means associated with said pulse generator means and said delay means for maintaining said exercise rate for a predetermined time interval following said preset delay and then returning said pulse generator means to said resting rate; and
an external control means for patient-initiation of a command to said pacemaker to activate said delay means.
3. The combination according to claim 2, wherein said delay means is responsive to a second command initiated by the patient from said external control means at any time after receipt of the first said command and before the expiration of said predetermined time interval, to cancel the activation of said delay means.
4. The combination according to claim 3, wherein the stepping up and returning of said rates at which said stimuli are produced by said pulse generator means is effected gradually.
5. An implantable pulse generator unit for a cardiac pacemaker for use with an external magnet to permit patient-initiated adjustment of pacing rate from a resting rate to an exercise rate and vice versa, said unit comprising:
generator means for generating electrical stimuli at said resting rate,
control means associated with said generator means responsive, when enabled, for controllably increasing the rate at which electrical stimuli are generated from said generator means from said resting rate to said exercise rate, and
timer means responsive to positioning of said external magnet in proximity to said pulse generator unit for enabling said control means an adjustable preset delay period after said positioning, said preset delay period being of a duration perceptible to the patient.
6. An implantable pulse generator unit for a cardiac pacemaker for use with an external magnet to permit patient-initiated adjustment of pacing rate from a resting rate to an exercise rate and vice versa, said unit comprising:
generator means for generating electrical stimuli at said resting rate,
control means associated with said generator means responsive, when enabled, for controllably increasing the rate at which electrical stimuli are generated by said generator means from said resting rate to said exercise rate,
said control means including timing means for maintaining the rate at which electrical stimuli are generated by said generator means at said exercise rate for a predetermined time interval; and
delay means responsive to positioning of said external magnet in proximity to said pulse generator unit for enabling said control means an adjustable preset delay period thereafter.
7. The pulse generator unit of claim 6, wherein said control means automatically returns said generator means to said resting rate following the expiration of said predetermined time interval.
8. The pulse generator unit of claim 7, wherein said control means gradually increases the rate at which electrical stimuli are generated by said generator means from said resting rate to said exercise rate, and gradually returns said generator means to said resting rate following the expiration of said predetermined time interval.
9. The pulse generator unit of claim 6, wherein said delay means is responsive to a repositioning of said external magnet in proximity to said pulse generator unit after said control means has been enabled, for disabling said control means.
10. A cardiac pacemaker pulse generator for generating electrical stimuli to be delivered to the heart of a patient to pace the heart rate, said generator comprising:
means for generating said electrical stimuli at a first pacing rate,
means electrically connected to said stimuli generating means for selectively increasing the rate at which said stimuli are generated to a second higher pacing rate,
timing means for triggering said rate increasing means to increase said first pacing rate to a second higher pacing rate upon passage of an adjustable preselected period of time after said timing means is enabled, said preselected period of time being of a duration perceptible by the patient,
means responsive to a command signal from a patient-activated external device for enabling said timing means to commence timing.
11. The pulse generator according to claim 10, wherein
said enabling means is further responsive to a second command signal after said timing means is enabled, to disable said timing means prior to passage of said preselected period of time.
12. The pulse generator according to claim 10, further including
means responsive to a second command signal while said stimuli are being generated at said second higher pacing rate, for disabling said rate increasing means and thereby returning the rate at which said stimuli are generated by said stimuli generating means to said first pacing rate.
13. The pulse generator according to claim 12, wherein
said rate increasing means is responsive, when disabled, to decrementally reduce the rate at which said stimuli are generated by said stimuli generating means.
14. The pulse generator according to claim 10, wherein
said rate increasing means is responsive to said timing means reaching preset time intervals toward passage of said preselected period of time, for incrementally increasing the rate at which said stimuli are generated by said stimuli generating means in steps as each preset time interval is reached.
15. The method of pacing a pacemaker patient's heart rate using a magnet-controlled implantable pulse generator to adjust the stimulation rate from a resting rate to an exercise rate and vice versa, comprising the steps of
maintaining the stimulation rate of said pulse generator at said resting rate,
initiating a command signal to reset the stimulation rate of said pulse generator to said exercise rate after an adjustable programmed delay period following said command signal, and
returning the stimulation rate of said pulse generator to said resting rate in increments following a predetermined interval of time at said exercise rate.
The present invention relates generally to medical devices, and more particularly to implantable artificial cardiac pacemakers adapted to provide patient-variable stimulation rates appropriate to a condition of exercise by the patient.
The resting heart rate of sinus rhythm, that is, the rate determined by the spontaneously rhythmic electrophysiologic property of the heart's natural pacemaker, the sinus node, is typically in the range from about 65 to about 85 beats per minute (bpm) for adults. Disruption of the natural cardiac pacing and propagation system may occur with advanced age and/or cardiac disease, and is often treated by implanting an artificial cardiac pacemaker in the patient to restore and maintain the resting heart rate to the proper range.
In its simplest form, an implantable pacemaker for treatment of bradycardia (abnormally low resting rate, typically below 60 beats per minute (bpm)) includes an electrical pulse generator powered by a self-contained battery pack, and a catheter lead including at the distal end a stimulating cathodic electrode electrically coupled to the pulse generator. The lead is implanted intravenously to position the cathodic electrode in stimulating relation to excitable myocardial tissue in the selected chamber on the right side of the patient's heart. The pulse generator unit is surgically implanted in a subcutaneous pouch in the patient's chest, and has an integral electrical connector to receive a mating connector at the proximal end of the lead. In operation of the pacemaker, the electrical pulses are delivered (typically, on demand) via the lead/electrode system, including an anodic electrode such as a ring behind the tip for bipolar stimulation or a portion of the pulse generator case for unipolar stimulation, and the body tissue and fluid, to stimulate the excitable myocardial tissue.
Pacemakers may operate in different response modes, such as asynchronous (fixed rate), inhibited (stimulus generated in absence of specified cardiac activity), or triggered (stimulus delivered in presence of specified cardiac activity). Further, present-day pacers range from the simple fixed rate device that offers pacing with no sensing (of cardiac activity) function, to fully automatic dual chamber pacing and sensing functions (so-called DDD pacemakers) which may provide a degree of physiologic pacing by at least a slight adjustment of heart rate according to varying metabolic conditions in a manner akin to the natural pacing of the heart. Thus, some DDD pacemaker patients experience an increased pacing rate with physical exertion, with concomitantly higher cardiac output, and thereby, an ability to handle low levels of exercise. Unfortunately, a significant percentage of the pacemaker patient population, who suffer from atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation or sick-sinus syndrome, for example, cannot obtain the benefit of exercise-responsive pacing with conventional atrial-triggered pacemakers. Moreover, the DDD-type pacemakers are complex and costly to manufacture, which is reflected in a higher price to the patient.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a relatively simple and inexpensive pacemaker which provides pacing at a desired resting rate, and which is subject to limited control by the patient to provide a desired exercise rate for a preset period of time following which the pacemaker returns to the resting rate.
Various types of rate responsive pacemakers have been proposed which would sense a physiological parameter that varies as a consequence of physical stress, such as respiration, blood oxygen saturation or blood temperature, or merely detect physical movement, and correspondingly adjust the pacing rate. Many of these rate responsive pacemakers may also be relatively complex, and therefore expensive to the patient.
The present invention is directed toward a low cost pacemaker which can be adjusted at will by the patient, subject to the limited amount of control programmed into the device by the physician for that patient. According to the invention, patient control is manifested by bringing an external magnet into proximity with an implanted reed switch associated with the pacemaker. Of course, limited magnet control has been afforded to the patient in the past for some purposes, such as to enable transtelephonic monitoring of the pacemaker functions. Also, techniques are presently available which permit external adjustment of the stimulation rate of the pacemaker after implantation, as by means of a programming unit available to the physician. For obvious reasons, it is undesirable to give the patient the same latitude to control his pacemaker.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,623,486, Berkovits disclosed a pacemaker adapted to operate at either of two stimulation rates, and switchable from one to the other by the physician using an external magnet. In this manner, the physician would be able to control the pacer mode and rate according to the needs of the particular patient. The purpose, in part, was to provide a pacemaker which had some adaptability to the patient's requirements. However, once set by the physician, the selected resting rate was maintained for that patient by the implanted pacer.
Another technique for external adjustment of pacing rate by the physician is found in the disclosures of U.S. Pat. No. 3,198.195 to Chardack, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,369 to Adams et al. In each, rate control is exercised by inserting a needle through a pacemaker aperture beneath the patient's skin to adjust a mechanism. In the Adams et al. disclosure, the needle is used to change the position of a magnet within the paper to actuate a rate-controlling reed switch.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,766,928, Goldberg et al. describe an arrangement for continuous adjustment of rate by a physician using an external magnet that cooperates with a magnet attached to the shaft of a rate potentiometer in the implanted pacemaker, to provide the initial setting of pacing rate desirable for the particular patient.
More recent proposals offer the patient limited control over the pacing rate. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,633, Loughman et al. disclose a pacemaker programmer which is conditioned by the physician to give the patient the capability to select any of three distinct rates: for sleep, for an awake resting state, and for exercise. The programmer generates a pulsating electromagnetic field, and allows the patient to select any of those three modes with an abrupt change in rate when the coil pod of the programmer is positioned over the implanted pacemaker. It is, of course, necessary to have the programmer at hand in order to change the stimulation rate, and the use of the device in public can be a source of extreme embarassment to the patient.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,545,380, Schroeppel describes a technique for manual adjustment of rate control contrasted with the activity sensing, automatic rate control disclosed by Dahl in U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,132. According to the Schroeppel patent, a piezoelectric sensor and associated circuitry are combined with the implanted pulse generator of the pacemaker to allow the patient to change from a resting rate to a higher rate by sharp taps on his chest near the site of the piezoelectric sensor. Such an arrangement requires that the sensor be sufficiently sensitive to respond to the patient's sharp taps, and yet be insensitive to the everyday occurrences the patient encounters while undergoing normal activities and which could otherwise result in false triggerings. These include presence in the vicinity of loud noise such as is generated by street traffic, being jostled in a crowd, experiencing bumps and vibrations while riding in a vehicle, and the like. Further, even when controlled in the manner described, this type of switching results in an abrupt, non-physiological change of rate.
Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a pacemaker which is capable of being controlled externally by the patient to assume exercise and non-exercise rate modes, in a manner that allows discreet and yet reliable control.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a cardiac pacemaker whose stimulation rate is controllable by and according to a schedule selected by the patient.
Briefly, according to the present invention a cardiac pacemaker is manually controllable by the patient to preset time intervals of operation at a relatively high (exercise) rate and lower (resting) rate according to the patient's own predetermined schedule of exercise and rest. An important aspect of the invention is that the pulse generator may be implemented to undergo an adjustment of stimulation rate from a fixed resting rate of, say, 75 bpm, to a preselected exercise rate of, say, 120 bpm, following a predetermined period of time after activation by the patient using an external magnet, that is, after a predetermined delay following a patient-initiated command signal, and to remain at the higher rate for a preselected time interval. Thus, the patient may effectively "set a clock" in his pacemaker to elevate his heart rate at the time and for the duration of a scheduled exercise session, such as a game of tennis. Moreover, he may activate the pacemaker in this manner in the privacy of his own home well in advance of the exercise session.
According to another aspect of the invention, the pulse generator is implemented to return automatically to the resting rate at the expiration of the preselected exercise rate time interval. Hence, the patient need not carry his magnet with him to readjust the pacer to the resting rate at the completion of the scheduled exercise session. According to this aspect, after operating at the elevated stimulation rate for a time interval preselected to be suitable for the exercise session, say, one hour, the generator resets itself to return to the initial resting rate.
According to another feature of the invention, the rate is incremented and decremented in steps from one rate setting to the other to avoid abrupt changes, and therefore to provide a more physiological rate control than has heretofore been available in manually controlled pacemakers.
A further feature of the invention is that the pulse generator may be activated to disable the exercise rate command at any time after it has been given, including that to produce an early conclusion to an already-commenced exercise session. For example, if a scheduled tennis game or bicycling run is called off by the patient's partner after the patient has programmed in the higher rate, he need merely apply the magnet in proximity to the implanted pulse generator again to cancel the previous command and maintain the fixed resting rate. Similarly, if the exercise session is shortened, the rate may be returned to the resting rate by simply applying the magnet over the pulse generator.
The above and still further objects, aspects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the field to which the invention applies from a consideration of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:
FIG. 1 is a block circuit diagram of a pulse generator unit of a cardiac pacemaker according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
Referring now to FIG. 1, an implantable pulse generator unit 10 includes a pulse generator 12 and batteries 15 housed in a biocompatible metal case 17. Pulse generator 12 is implemented to be rate limited to generate output pulses at rates up to either of two low/high limit rates--for example, 75 pulses per minute (ppm) and 120 ppm, respectively--and to be incremented from the lower rate to the higher rate and decremented from the higher rate to the lower rate under the control of an up/down counter 18 associated with the pulse generator 12 in unit 10. Counter 18 may be set by application of a voltage level to its "up" input to commence counting toward the higher rate, and thereby to incrementally step the pulse repetition frequency up to that rate, and may be reset by application of a voltage level to its "down" input to commence counting toward the lower rate, and thereby decrementally step the pulse repetition frequency down to that rate. This is accomplished under the control of set and reset output voltage levels generated by a flip-flop circuit 21 also housed in case 17. The pulse generator unit 10 also includes a reed switch 25 which is actuable by placement of a magnet 27, external to the skin of the patient in whom the unit 10 is implanted, in proximity to case 17.
Reed switch 25, when actuated, serves to enable a delay timer 29 in unit 10. The delay timer responds to the enabling input to commence timing of its preset time delay interval. At the end of the delay interval, delay timer 29 produces a pulse for application to the flip-flop 21. Subsequent actuation of the reed switch before the timer 29 has timed out serves to disable the timer and reset it in preparation for a subsequent enabling signal from the reed switch. If timer 29 has already timed out before the reed switch is again actuated, the timer will respond to the disabling input, when the reed switch is actuated, to produce another pulse for application to the flip-flop 21. The flip-flop is thereupon reset and produces its reset output voltage level.
The set and reset output voltage levels of flip-flop 21 are also applied respectively to "set" and "reset" inputs of an interval timer 30. Upon being set, the interval timer commences timing out a predetermined time interval, and, at the expiration of that interval, generates a pulse for application to flip-flop 21. Upon being reset, the interval timer 30 is returned to the start of the predetermined time interval in preparation for initiating the timing of that interval on receipt at its "set" input of the next set output voltage level from the flip-flop.
The preset time period of delay timer 29 and the predetermined time interval of interval timer 30 are programmable by the physician according to the desires and needs of the particular patient. If, for example, the patient has a regularly scheduled early morning brisk walking session of one hour with friends, and resides near the starting point of the walk, the time period of the delay timer 29 may be programmed to be fifteen minutes. The time interval of the interval timer 30 is programmed to be one hour in length.
In operation, the pulse generator produces output pulses at the resting rate prescribed (and programmed) by the physician for the particular patient--in this exemplary embodiment, a resting rate of 75 bpm. The pulses are delivered to the stimulating cathodic electrode 35 in the right ventricle of the heart 40 via a lead 42, the reference electrode (anode) and the body tissue and fluids, according to the mode in which the pacemaker is designed to operate.
In the preferred embodiment, the pacemaker continues to operate at that rate unless and until the patient elects to initiate the exercise rate cycle. To do so, the patient places the magnet 27 in proximity to the implanted pulse generator unit 10 at about fifteen minutes prior to the appointed time for the exercise session, as a command to actuate reed switch 25. The patient may then choose to leave the magnet at home or take it along in the glove compartment of his car, since actuation of the reed switch has enabled the delay timer 29 and nothing more need be done by the patient to enable the pacemaker to commence the exercise rate at the expiration of the preset delay period.
Before the end of that period the patient has arrived at the starting point for the exercise session, and at the end of the delay period, the delay timer applies a pulse to flip-flop 21 which responds by generating a set output voltage level. The set voltage is applied to both the "up" input of counter 18 and the "set" input of interval timer 30. Accordingly, the counter commences its count, preferably at a relatively slow rate of, say, ten counts per minute, and correspondingly incrementally steps the pulse generator 12 output rate up to the upper rate limit of 120 ppm, and thereby gradually increases the patient's heart rate from 75 bpm to 120 bpm as the patient commences to exercise. Hence, the patient's heart rate and cardiac output are now at levels adequate for the patient to carry out the exercise session.
The pulse generator continues to supply pulses at the upper rate limit until interval timer 30, which commenced its predetermined time interval with the application of the set input voltage, times out, whereupon the interval timer produces an output pulse which is applied to flip-flop 21 to reset the latter. The flip-flop responds by providing a reset output voltage level for application to the "down" input of counter 18 and the "reset" input of the interval timer. Accordingly, the counter decrementally steps the pulse repetition frequency of the pulse generator down, preferably at the ten pulses per minute rate, to the lower rate limit of 75 ppm corresponding to a heart rate of 75 bpm. In this manner, the patient's heart rate is reduced gradually from the exercise rate to the resting rate at a time commensurate with the end of the exercise session. Also, the resetting of the interval timer by the set output voltage level of the flip-flop assures that the timer is ready to commence timing its predetermined interval on receipt of the next "set" input.
In the event that the exercise session is called off at any time after the delay timer 29 has been enabled and before the interval timer has timed out, the patient need merely place the magnet 27 once again in proximity to the implanted pulse generator unit. If the delay timer has not yet timed out, it is disabled by the actuation of the reed switch, and hence, flip-flop 21 remains reset, interval timer 30 remains reset, counter 18 is at its low count, and pulse generator 12 is at its lower rate limit. If the delay timer has timed out, it produces an output pulse in reponse to the disabling input from the reed switch, thereby resetting the flip-flop, resetting the interval timer, returning counter 18 toward its low count and pulse generator 12 toward its lower rate limit. To that end, delay timer 29 is provided with an internal clock such that, once enabled to time out the delay interval, it cannot be again enabled to do so until the passage of a preselected time interval, which is one hour and fifteen minutes in the present example, unless it has first been disabled during that overall interval. Of course, to cancel the exercise rate, the patient must have the magnet available to issue the second command but, as previously noted, once the delay timer is enabled through actuation of the reed switch the magnet may be kept in a convenient location, such as the glove compartment of the patient's car, to allow cancellation of the exercise rate in private.
Although a presently preferred embodiment has been described herein, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications of the preferred embodiment may be carried out without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the present invention shall be limited only to the extent required by the appended claims and the applicable rules of law. | <urn:uuid:c4bc0780-21b4-4fac-b167-2758ef4d0cbb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.google.de/patents/US4884575 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923385 | 5,452 | 2.546875 | 3 |
US 5459828 A
A method of producing a raster font from a contour font entailing the steps of deriving font metrics and character metrics of font characters in terms of arbitrary font units; scaling the font characters to a selected size and output resolution (pixels per unit length); altering the thickness of vertical and horizontal strokes of each character to a desired thickness, from the measured font metrics and character metrics, and including a difference applied to the thickness of the strokes by the printer process, to cause the strokes to be close to an integer number of pixels and thickness and to compensate for thinning and thickening which the printing engine might produce; bringing the leading and trailing edges of the characters to integer pixel locations, where such locations are based on and scaling the character between the leading and trailing edges proportionally therebetween, and producing a rasterized font from the altered contour font character.
1. A printer processor implemented method for producing a raster font from a contour font defined by a list of points connected by curves, said raster font suitable for printing on a selected printer having known reproduction characteristics, including the steps of:
a) deriving for a contour font a set of font metrics and character metrics of a character in the font defined in terms of arbitrary font units;
b) scaling a character contour defined in arbitrary font units to a selected size in units of pixels;
c) altering thickness of character strokes by adjusting vertical and horizontal coordinates of each point defining the character contour in directions defined by a vector normal to the character contour at each point, by an amount required to obtain a desired thickness from the measured font metrics and character metrics, and an amount required to add to difference thickness thereto in accordance with the selected printer reproduction characteristics, said alteration amounts together causing the vertical and horizontal strokes to be sufficiently close to an integer number of pixels or half pixels so as to cause subsequent numerical rounding to produce uniform results across the font;
d) grid aligning the contour of each character so that leading and trailing edges, and top and bottom edges of the contour of each character fall on whole or half pixel positions; and
e) applying a rasterization function to the contour to convert each contour font character to a bitmap.
2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein in said grid alignment step, after aligning said leading and top edges of said contours of each character on a whole pixel position, the length of any lines joining leading and trailing edges, and lines joining top and bottom edges, are rounded to an integer number of whole or half pixels, and the trailing edge and bottom edges are aligned at whole pixel positions.
3. In a printing system for printing on a selected printer having reproduction characteristics known and available as contour font correction data, wherein a font to be printed has a set of predefined font metrics and character metrics for each character in the font defined in terms of arbitrary font units, the method of preparing a contour font defined by a list of points connected by curves, for printing on the selected printer including the ordered steps of:
a) scaling each character in the contour font to a selected print resolution in pixels per unit length;
b) altering thickness of character strokes by adjusting vertical and horizontal coordinates of each point defining the contour of each character to a desired thickness in directions defined by a vector, normal to the character contour at each point, by an amount required to obtain a desired thickness from the measured font metrics and character metrics, and an amount required to add a difference thickness thereto in accordance with the contour font correction data for a particular printer, to cause the vertical and horizontal stroke thickness to approximate an integer number of pixels so as to cause subsequent numerical rounding to produce uniform results across the font;
c) grid aligning the contour of each character so that leading and trailing edges, and top and bottom edges of the contour of each character fall on whole pixel positions; and
d) applying a rasterization function to the contour convert each contour font character to a bitmap.
4. The method as defined in claim 3 wherein in said grid alignment step, after aligning said leading and top edges of said contours of each character on a whole pixel position, the length of any lines joining leading and trailing edges, and lines joining top and bottom edges, are rounded to an integer number of pixels or half pixels, and the trailing edge and bottom edges are aligned at whole pixel positions.
A microfiche Appendix, having 5 fiche and 398 frames, is included herewith.
The present invention relates generally to the production of raster fonts from contour fonts, and more particularly, to a method of producing raster fonts from contour fonts taking into account characteristics of the contour font and the printer system which will ultimately print the font.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office files or records, but otherwise reserves all rights whatsoever.
Cross reference is made to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/416,211 by S. Marshall, entitled "Rapid Halfbitting Stepper", and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,830 to Hawkins is incorporated herein by reference for the purposes of background information on contour fonts. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/416,211 by S. Marshall, entitled "Rapid Halfbitting Stepper", and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, is incorporated by reference herein for the purposes of teaching rasterization.
"Contour fonts" is a term that refers to the use of outlines or contours to describe the shapes of characters used in electronic printing. In a contour font, each character shape is represented by one or more closed curves or paths that traces the boundary of the character. The contour is specified by a series of mathematical equations, which may be in any of several forms, the most common being circular arcs, straight lines, and polynomial expressions. The shape of the contour font is that of the ideal design of the character and, generally, does not depend on parameters associated with any printer. Contour fonts are ideal for use as master representations of typefaces.
Bitmap fonts or raster fonts are composed of the actual characters images that will be printed on a page, and are made by scaling contours to the appropriate size, quantizing or sampling them at the resolution of the printer, and filling the interiors of the characters with black bits or pixels. Achieving high quality in this process is difficult, except at very high resolutions, and requires knowledge of both the marking technology and typographic design considerations. Often, a bitmap font is delivered to a printer. There is a separate bitmap font for each size of a font, and sometimes separate fonts for landscape and portrait orientations.
The advantage of a contour font is that it can be scaled to any size and rotated to any angle by simple mathematics. Therefore, a single font suffices to represent all possible printing sizes and orientation, reducing font storage requirements, reducing the cost of font handling.
The difficulty in this approach is in achieving high quality character images during the sampling process which generates the raster characters from the contour masters. If the contour character is simply sampled, there will be random .+-.1 pixel variations in stroke thickness. If the printing process tends to erode black areas (common in write-white laser xerography) characters will be consistently too thin. If the printing process tends to fatten black areas (common in write black laser xerography), characters will be too thick.
At the high resolution employed in phototypesetters, usually greater than 1,000 spi, no special techniques are required for scaling and sampling the contour font to generate a raster font of any size. This is because although simple sampling necessarily has random one-bit errors, such errors are small compared to the size of the character, making errors insignificant. At 300, 400, and 600 spi though, character strokes are only three or four bits thick and each bit is important. The simplistic methods used by typesetter manufacturers are not sufficient.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,830 to Hawkins, uses defined points in a contour font that must be grid aligned to pixel positions, but the stem widths or edges are not aligned.
Of particular importance in generating fonts of optimal appearance are maintenance of uniform and correct stroke thickness among characters of a font and on different printing engines, uniform alignment of characters on a baseline, and uniform spacing of characters.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided a method for conversion of contour fonts to bitmap fonts with automatic thickening and thinning of strokes, and snapping of character edges to pixel or half pixel boundaries.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided a method of producing a raster font from a contour font entailing the steps of: first, deriving font metrics and character metrics of font characters in terms of arbitrary font units; scaling the font characters to a selected size and output resolution (pixels per unit length); altering the thickness of vertical and horizontal strokes of each character to a desired thickness, from the measured font metrics and character metrics, and including a difference applied to the thickness of the strokes by the printer process, to cause the strokes to be close to an integer number of pixels and thickness and to compensate for thing and thickening which the printing engine might produce; bringing the leading and trailing edges of the characters to integer pixel locations, where such locations are based on and scaling the character between the leading and trailing edges proportionally therebetween, and producing a rasterized font from the altered contour font character.
These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description used to illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of the inventive optimized scaler rasterizer system.
FIGS. 2A-2E illustrate the development of a raster font from a contour font, using the system described in FIG. 1.
With reference to the drawing, where the showing is for the purpose of illustrating an embodiment of the invention and not for the purpose of limiting same, the Figure shows a block diagram of the present invention which will be referred to and described hereinafter.
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of the contour rasterization process of the present invention. Beginning with a contour font 10, and with a character "H" shown in contour for illustration purposes at FIG. 2A the contour font is analyzed initially at hint generation step 20. At the hint generation, the parameters defining the font are determined, including measurement of the following metrics and character hints:
TABLE 1______________________________________Font Metric Comments______________________________________Cap-height Height of the H, I or similar letterX-Height Height of the lower case xAscender Height of the lower case k, b, or similar letterDescender Position of the bottom of the lower case p or qThickness of Upper Vertical stroke thicknessCase Stems on upper case H or KThickness of Upper Horizontal Stroke onCase Cross-Strokes upper case E or FThickness of Lower Vertical stroke thicknessCase Stems on lower case k or lThickness of Lower Case Horizontal strokeCross-Strokes thickness on the fThickness of AuxiliaryCharacter StemsThickness of AuxiliaryCharacter Cross-StrokesHairline thickness Thickness of the cross bar on the e or the thin part of the o______________________________________
(See, Appendix, page 13, ICFFontIODefs. Mesa)
Character hints are generated for each character and include the following:
TABLE 2______________________________________Character Metric Comments______________________________________Position of all horizontal Left sides of strokes areedges and indications of leading edges and rightwhether each edge is a sides or strokes areleading or trailing edge. trailing edges.Position of all verticaledges and indication ofwhether each edge is aleading or trailing edge.Direction of the normalvector (perpendicular)to the contour at eachcontrol point in thecontour, pointingtoward the whiteregion.______________________________________
At hint generation 20, the font metrics and character hints are computed. Since no special information on the actual character contours, beyond the contours themselves, is required to perform these computations, any font may be accepted as input. Height thickness metrics are obtained either by examining images of specific individual characters or by averaging amongst several characters. Optionally, if these values are supplied externally, that is, the provider of the font provides these values, the external values may be used instead of the computed values. Edge positions are determined by looking for long vertical or horizontal portions of contours. Normal vectors are perpendicular to the contour, and are computed from contour equations and by determining which side of the contour is black and which side is white. For those points required for curve reconstruction, but which are not on the curve, the normals are calculated as if a normal vector extended from the curve through those points.
In the attached Appendix, the source code, in the MESA language of the Xerox Corporation, is provided demonstrating one possible embodiment of the source code to accomplish the described goals. The Mesa programming language operates on a microprocessor referred to as the Mesa microprocessor, which has been well documented, for example, in Xerox Development Environment, Mesa Language Manual, Copyright 1985 Xerox Corporation, Part No. 610E00170. This particular software is derived from the Typefounders product of the Xerox Corporation, Stamford, Conn. The Typefounders product accomplished all these character and font metrics, but did not provide them externally. (See Appendix, pages 67-319,for relevant Typefounder software modules called by software implementing the current invention including: CharacterOpsDefs.mesa, CharacterOpslmplA.mesa, CharacterOpslmpIB.mesa, pages 67-105; ContourOpsDefs.mesa, ContourOpslmplA.mesa, ContourOpslmplB.mesa, ContourOpslmpIC.mesa, ContourOpslmplD.mesa, pages 106-195; FontOpsDefs.mesa, FontOpslmpl.mesa, pages 196-221; ImageOpsDefs.mesa, ImageOpslmplA.mesa, ImageOpslmplB.mesa, pages 222-265 TypefounderUtilsdefs.mesa, TypefounderlmplA.mesa, TypefounderlmpIB.mesa, pages 266-319) Additional software was added, which makes these values available for subsequent processing (See Appendix, page 1, TypeDefs.mesa for translation of the Typfounder data structure; page 36, MetricsDef.mesa, Metricslmpl.mesa, for measurement of font metrics; page 47, EdgeOpsDef. mesa, EdgeOpslmpl.mesa, for measurement of leading and trailing edge position) and performs the perpendiculars calculations (see, Appendix, page 56, NormalOpsdefs.mesa, NormalOpslmpl.mesa). This information is used for creation of a data structure for "hints" (see, Appendix, page 13, ICFFontlODefs. Mesa for creation of hint format for next steps). Of course, while in the Appendix, the various coded algorithms operating on the contour font data for the hint creation step 20 are given in the Mesa language, implementation is easily made in the Unix-based "C" language. The remainder of the system, and the algorithms incorporated will be described in the Appendix in the Unix-based "C" language.
Selecting a contour font for use enables a program that looks for font data, and designates its final position in an output, while calling the various programs forming the steps that will be described further hereinbelow (see, Appendix, page 320, raster.c). The contour font rasterization program herein described is useful on a variety of hardware platforms, attributes of which can be selected for enhanced operation of the system, such as for example, a greater degree of precision in the calculations (the difference between 8 bit calculation and 32 bit calculation). (see, Appendix, page 340, std.h)
At transform step 30, (see, Appendix, page 343, xform.c) the contour font is converted from arbitrary contour font units, which are supplied by the provider of the font, to a particular size, expressed in units of pixels. Typically, contour font units are provided in terms of the contour itself, i.e., the height or size of the contour font is one (1). That is, lengths of characters are placed in terms of the size of the font character itself. These values must be transformed into pixel unit values, or whatever other value is required, e.g. the scaled font may be 30 pixels tall. Additionally, it is at this point that the contour font is rotated for either landscape or portrait mode printing, as required. Rotation and scaling is accomplished in accordance with a previously determined transformation matrix equation 35, which mathematically determines the conversion of the contour font from font measurements to pixel values at a selected orientation which can be used by the printer. The transformed character H is shown at FIG. 2B.
Subsequent to transformation step 30, at thickening or thinning step 40, font characters are thickened or thinned based on requirements of the transformation, and requirements of the printing process. The character contour is adjusted to make the strokes thicker or thinner to compensate for the xerographic or other marking process to follow. There are three components of the thickening or thinning value. The first compensates for xerographic or other imaging effects. That is, if for example, the marking technology will thin strokes by half a pixel, then strokes are thickened by half a pixel in this step. The amount of thickening or thinning specified in the printer profile 50 separately for X and Y directions, and is created at the manufacturer of the printer, and inserted at the printer profile 50. (see, Appendix, page 348, thicken.c)
The second component of thickening, called residual thickening, is applied to insure uniformity of output strokes after the sampling or rasterization step. This amount for horizontal thickening on upper case letters, for example, is equal to the difference between the calculated ideal output vertical stem thickness, which is obtained by scaling the font metric to the proper size, and the result of rounding that thickness off to the actual pixel width which will be obtained after rasterization. This rounding is performed to the nearest whole pixel if half bitting is not enabled and to the nearest half pixel, if half bitting is enabled. There are separate values for horizontal or vertical directions and for upper case, lower case and auxiliary characters.
The third component of thickening and thinning applies only to very small characters, and prevents drop-outs of fine lines. This amount is equal to the difference between the calculated scaled thickness of the hairlines, after thickening by the font thickening steps, and the minimum stroke thickness specified in the printer profile. When applied, this thickening brings fine lines up to the value of the minimum stroke thickness. The value is zero if the hairline is already greater than the minimum stroke thickness. (This process, referred to as "adaptive thickening," is not disclosed in the source code in the Appendix.)
The actual thickening or thinning applied is equal to the sum of these three components. Each component has an independent value in the X and Y directions. The direction to move each contour control point is specified by its normal vector. The thickened character H is shown at FIG. C.
At step 60, the snap function or grid alignment function is applied. The coordinate system of the character is varied in the horizontal direction to move vertical and horizontal edges to positions where pixel boundaries will be after rasterization, i.e., to a whole pixel position. This is to assure uniform stroke thickness in the rasterized character images. The process is to piecewise stretch or shrink the character to force edges to align the pixel boundaries. On the left hand sides of the characters, the left edge of each stroke is moved to the closest pixel boundary, while the right edge of the stroke is moved to the pixel boundary specified by rounding the stroke thickness. This process gives priority to maintaining uniform stroke thickness over absolute stroke position. That is to say, that after the left edge of the character has been moved to a whole pixel position, the thickness of the stroke, or portion of the character, is examined to determine its thickness. The thickness has already been adjusted in the thickness of thinning step, so that it is close to a whole pixel width. Accordingly, the right edge of the character is then moved to the nearest whole pixel, based on rounding the thickness of the pixel, as opposed to moving the right hand side to the nearest pixel. On the right hand sides of characters, the rolls of left and right edges of strokes are reversed. Right edges of strokes are anchored, while left edges are rounded relatively to corresponding right edges. (see, Appendix, page 355, snap.c).
In one variant of this scheme, the positions of left and right index points or width points, which are those points which determine character spacing and are made to coincide in constructing words, are snapped before the vertical edges.
In the vertical direction, snapping is performed to piecewise stretch characters so that positions of baseline, cap-height, x-height, and descender fall on pixel boundaries. Baseline and descender position are treated as bottoms of strokes, that is, anchored, while cap-height and x-height are treated as tops of strokes, computed relative to the baseline. All characters are snapped to all of these positions, ensuring uniform character alignment. After these font metric positions are snapped, horizontal edges are snapped in the same manner as vertical edges, with lower edges of strokes anchored and upper edges snapped relative to the lower edges in the lower half of the character and upper edges of strokes anchored and lower edges snapped relative to the upper edges in the upper half of the character.
In both horizontal and vertical directions, snapping is performed one edge at a time. That is, the first edge is snapped, stretching the coordinate system of the character slightly on one side of the snapped edge and shrinking it slightly on the other side. The second edge is then snapped, with its pre-snapping position perhaps already modified slightly by the first snap. This sequential snapping helps preserve local character features better than simultaneous snapping of all edges does. When the second edge is snapped, its area of influence on the coordinate grid extends only up to the first snapped edge, which stays in place. This process is then repeated for the remainder of the edges. The snapped character H is shown at FIG. 2D.
Once each character in the adjusted contour font has been placed in the grid and appropriately thickened and thinned, the final step is to sample the adjusted contour on discrete grid. This step 70 can optionally produce half bitted output images, as controlled by the printer profile. Light half bitting produces half bitting on curves and diagonals, while heavy half bitting will also produce half bitted vertical and horizontal edges.
Rasterization in a preferred embodiment of this invention is in accordance with the process described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/416,211 by S. Marshall, entitled "Rapid Halfbitting Stepper", and assigned to the present assignee of the present invention. This application is incorporated by reference herein for the purposes of teaching rasterization. (see, Appendix, page 364, step.c and page 368, step.h for rasterization with halfbitting; page 372, bezline.c for stepping around curve; page 396, fill.c for filling). The rasterized character is shown at FIG. 2D.
It will not doubt be appreciated that numerous changes and modifications are likely to occur to those skilled in the art, and it is intended in the appended claims to cover all those changes and modifications which fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention. | <urn:uuid:5cf8f2cc-bc5c-42e1-a62b-bddf45ac1cba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.google.de/patents/US5459828 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.89947 | 5,093 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Should I Be a Strict or Lenient Parent?
To be strict or not to be strict, that is the question – in fact, it’s the number-one question among child-rearing and education authorities, among teachers and, of course, parents. It’s doubtful that there is a parent who hasn’t at one time or another agonized over this.
There is a widespread uncertainty on how to be at home (or how to come across in the classroom) – tough or soft, to be a strict disciplinarian or a permissivist. Have you noticed, however, that you seldom hear a parent or teacher admit “I am authoritarian” or “I am permissive”? These are terms reserved for those with whom you disagree.
The question, whether to be strict or lenient, never ceases to be debated in books and articles, or at conferences and conventions. Dr. Gordon points out that this question is what social scientists call a “pseudo problem” and how it also is a clear case of “either-or thinking”. Let’s take a look at what he means by that.
Seldom parents or teachers seem to recognize that it is not necessary to make a choice between these two leadership styles. Few adults know it, but there is an alternative to being at either end of the strictness-leniency scale. There is the choice of a third style.
This alternative is being neither authoritarian nor permissive, neither strict nor lenient. Does that mean being somewhere near the middle of the scale–moderately strict or moderately lenient? Not at all. The alternative is not being on the scale at all! How so?
Authoritarian leadership–whether at home or in the classroom–means that the control is in the hands of the adult leader. It has been researched and proven for decades how ineffective maintaining control through power is. Authoritarianism often creates fearful and subservient children and/or rebellion.
Still, no parent or teacher really wants to suffer the chaotic consequences of unrestricted freedom and lawless permissiveness either. It’s also true that most children are uncomfortable with the consequences of permissiveness. Permissive leadership means that control has been “permitted” to be in the hands of the youngsters. Children of permissive parents usually feel guilty about always getting their way. They also feel insecure about being loved, because their inconsiderate behaviors make them feel unlovable.
So what is that third viable alternative to both, authoritarian and permissive adult leadership? It’s what Dr. Gordon in detail describes in his model of parenting, a set of skills and methods known as Parent Effectiveness Training that are geared toward rearing self-disciplined children in a harmonious family climate.
For now, let’s just emphasize that this new approach to relating to youngsters requires a transformation in the way adults perceive children, as well as a shift in the way they treat them. This transformation can be accomplished by learning a few new skills and methods that are applied in everyday life.
This newsletter will describe and examine each of these skills and methods in its future editions and hopefully contribute to you having a more harmonious and peaceful home. | <urn:uuid:29c141a3-d91f-45f5-9c19-6ec27952d087> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gordontraining.com/free-parenting-articles/should-i-be-a-strict-or-lenient-parent/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955075 | 675 | 2.71875 | 3 |
To the profound comprehension of this law of the intellectual generation of ideas, are due the marvels of Catholic civilisation. To that wonderful civilisation is due all that we admire and all that we see. Its theologians, even considered humanly, put to the blush modern and ancient philosophers; her doctors excite wonder by the immensity of their science; its historians by their generalising and comprehensive views, cast those of antiquity into the shade. St Augustine’s “City of God” is, even today, the most profound book of history which genius, illuminated by the rays of Catholicity, has presented to the astonished eyes of men. The acts of her Councils, leaving aside the divine inspiration, are the most finished monuments of human prudence. The Canonical, excel in wisdom the Roman, and the feudal, laws. Who is before St Thomas in science, St Augustine in genius, Bossuet in majesty, St Paul in power? Who is greater as a poet than Dante? Who is equal to Shakespeare? Who surpasses Calderon? Who, like Raphael, infused life and inspiration into the canvas?
Place people in sight of the pyramids of Egypt, and they will tell you, “Here has passed a grand and barbarous civilisation.” Place them in sight of the Grecian statues and temples, and they will tell you, “Here has passed a graceful, ephemeral, and brilliant civilisation.” Place them in sight of a Roman monument, and they will tell you, “Here has passed a great people.” Place them in sight of a cathedral, and on beholding such majesty united to such beauty, such grandeur to such taste, such grace to such delicacy, such severe unity to such rich variety, such measure to such boldness, such heaviness in the stones, with such suavity in their outlines, and such wonderful harmony between silence and light, shade and colour, they will tell you,
Here has passed the greatest people of history, and the most astounding of human civilisations: that people must have taken grandeur from the Egyptian, brilliancy from the Greek, strength from the Roman, and, beyond the strength, the brilliancy, and grandeur, something more valuable than grandeur, strength, and brilliancy—immortality and perfection.
Donoso Cortes, Essays on Catholicism, Liberalism and Socialism | <urn:uuid:1e20e376-8397-4c86-8b15-e8c69cceb6bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gornahoor.net/?p=223 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946351 | 496 | 2.609375 | 3 |
SAN ANGELO, Texas — MOSCOW (AP) The head of Russia's space agency said Tuesday that cosmic radiation was the most likely cause of the failure of a Mars moon probe that crashed to Earth this month, and suggested that a low-quality imported component may have been vulnerable to the radiation. Vladimir Popovkin also said a manned launch to the International Space Station is being postponed from March 30 because of faults found in the Soyuz capsule.
The statements underline an array of trouble that has afflicted the country's vaunted space program in recent months, including the August crash of a supply ship for the space station and last month's crash of a communications satellite.
Since the end of the U.S. space shuttle program last year, Russian craft are the only means to send crew to and from the ISS.
The unmanned Phobos-Ground probe was to have gone to the Mars moon of Phobos, taken soil samples and brought them back. But it became stuck in Earth orbit soon after its launch on Nov. 9. It fell out of orbit on Jan. 15, reportedly off the coast of Chile, but no fragments have been found.
The failure was a severe embarrassment to Russia, and Popovkin initially suggested it could have been due to foreign sabotage.
But on Tuesday he said in televised remarks that an investigation showed the probable cause was "localized influence of heavily radiated space particles."
Popovkin, speaking in the city of Voronezh where the report was presented to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, said two units of the Phobos-Ground probe's onboard computer system went into an energy-saving "restart" mode, apparently due to the radiation, while the craft was in its second orbital circuit.
It was not immediately clear why the units could not be brought out of that mode.
Popovkin said that some microchips used on the craft were imported and possibly of inadequate quality to resist radiation. He did not specify where the chips were manufactured.
Yuri Koptev, a former space agency head who led the Phobos-Ground investigation, said 62 percent of the microchips used in the probe were "industrial" class, a less-sophisticated level than should be used in space flight.
Popovkin said the craft's builder, Moscow-based NPO Lavochkin, should have taken into account the possibility of radiation interfering with the operation and said Lavochkin officials would face punishment for the oversight.
Popovkin later announced that a March 30 planned launch of three astronauts to the space station will be postponed "likely until the end of April" because of problems with the capsule. He did not specify, but the state news agency RIA Novosti cited the director of Russia's cosmonaut-training program as saying leaks had been found in the capsule's seals.
It would be the second significant postponement of a manned Russian launch in the past year. The August crash of the supply ship pushed back a manned launch to the ISS because the booster rocket that failed in the crash was similar to the ones used in manned missions. | <urn:uuid:fe10118b-a42c-4bff-bcb7-7ab62838ca60> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2012/jan/31/1501lt-ap-eu-russia-falling-spacecraft0515-for/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972907 | 640 | 2.5625 | 3 |
European ports install radiation detectors as U.S. delays
Just last week, U.S. officials announced that the Homeland Security Department is slowing plans to roll out 1,400 monitors, each costing nearly $400,000, as part of a $1.2 billion multiyear project. In field tests, the new Advanced Spectroscopic Portal monitors, or ASPs, "led to the determination that additional functional capacity is needed to meet the operational standards," a department spokeswoman announced.
The announcement, which means the machines could take another year to reach U.S. ports, comes after more than a year of sparring between DHS officials and the Government Accountability Office over how effective the technology is as well as testing methods used to evaluate it.
The debate over the new equipment has largely played out in congressional hearings. In September, Government Accountability Office officials argued that DHS testing was based on a "biased" methodology that allowed vendors an artificial edge during the evaluation of their radiation detectors, an allegation Homeland Security officials said was off base.
Officials at the Belgian port of Antwerp, however, are moving ahead with deployment of the ASPs for use in secondary screening.
"We're in the process of finalizing it now," Pascal Fias, a scientist working at the Antwerp port, said last week during an International Atomic Energy Agency-sponsored conference on nuclear trafficking here.
In the Netherlands, Dutch customs officials are already using the ASP detectors in secondary deployments and expect to eventually use them as primary scanners, Fias said.
Containers at ports are typically put through a two-phase scanning process. During the first phase, the shipping containers are sent through very sensitive detectors called plastic scintillators. Plastic scintillators can detect very low-level radiation emissions but are incapable of identifying the isotope emitting the energy.
Due to their sensitivity, they can be triggered by innocuous cargo with trace levels of natural radiation like granite, kitty litter or bananas. In one instance a load of blueberries set off Belgian alarms. The fruit exhibited trace levels of cesium contamination, a legacy from Chernobyl, Fias said.
If the primary detectors discover the presence of radiation, the shipping container is then sent through a secondary screening where customs officials use hand-held devices to determine the nature of the source.
After the latest round of GAO criticism of the DHS technology vetting process, Homeland Security officials suggested the ASP detectors would first be deployed in secondary locations and testing would continue before replacing the plastic scintillators.
While Belgian port officials have no plans to shift the ASP to a primary detection deployment - they say they have the plastic scintillators and might as well use them - the new technology is perfect for secondary screening, they say.
"For the second phase, it makes a lot of sense to use the ASP," Fias told Global Security Newswire, calling the technology currently "the best on the market."
Without the ASP detectors, custom officials must use a small, hand-held scanner to assess the entire shipping container. That is a small scanner and a large box, a combination that has led to complaints from customs officials at the port, Fias said.
By contrast, the ASP scanners are "basically a very, very big detector that can scan the whole of the container," he said. Replacing primary scanners with the new technology requires any new device to be at least a sensitive as the plastic scintillators, Fias notes, a more challenging bar to meet.
The goal with these detector upgrades, both domestically and abroad, is not necessarily increasing the level or radiation detection at ports, but rather smoothing the flow of commerce and making sure current detection regime is not disruptive. U.S. officials have repeatedly said the goal is to lower the number of false alarms at large ports such as Los Angeles/Long Beach. That port, the nation's busiest, has about 500 radiation alerts a day, and DHS officials suggest the new technology could plunge that number to less than 30.
"We want to have a low economic impact. Time is money, certainly in a port," Fias said of Antwerp. "Only 1 in 10,000 containers are delayed for more than a few hours or days."
He expects the ASPs, to be used in conjunction with x-ray scanning, to be rolled out in Antwerp by the end of next year. | <urn:uuid:47f581b9-3072-4dea-8a54-ec10d416fd47> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.govexec.com/defense/2007/11/european-ports-install-radiation-detectors-as-us-delays/25814/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95873 | 903 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Beyond simple math and grouping (like "(x+2)(x-4)"), there are some
functions you can use as well. Look below to see them all. They are mostly
standard functions written as you might expect. You can also use "pi" and "e"
as their respective constants.
Please note: You should not use fractional exponents. For
example, don't type "x^(1/3)" to compute the cube root of x.
Instead, use "root(x,3)".
When you want a quick graph of a function, you can just go to
http://graphsketch.com/[function], like http://graphsketch.com/sin(x).
You can even separate multiple equations with commas, like
For more information on GraphSketch (how it works, etc.), see
my blog post | <urn:uuid:f6615daf-e8f5-421d-a07e-eb45a1bb137b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.graphsketch.com/parametric.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.895249 | 189 | 2.75 | 3 |
The pristine waters off Kona, Hawaii, teem with big game and spawn many exciting fish tales. But this tale is unlike any other, a mystery involving a giant slender fish discovered on the surface minus its head and tail, making it nearly impossible to identify.
Sea Strike Capt. Dale Leverone poses with giant headless mystery fish found recently off Kona, Hawaii. In below image, first mate Jack Leverone lies beside the 7-foot-long denizen. Credit: the Leverones
The case may never be solved because scientists have little to go on besides the photos accompanying this post, and because the fishermen filleted the carcass and tossed it overboard.
The only thing that appears certain is that the headless mystery fish belongs to a species that resides at great depth, and is rarely encountered by humans.
The best guess, and some might have already ventured this theory, is that this was an oarfish. Oarfish are long and slender prehistoric-looking fish believed to have spawned tales of sea serpents among ancient mariners.
That’s what Capt. Dale Leverone of the Sea Strike, which stumbled upon the 7-foot-long ribbon-like fish, initially believed.
That’s also what Jon Schwartz supposed. Schwartz, a fishing photographer and friends of the Leverone family, spent an entire day last week trying to solve this mystery, and blogged about his detective work. His title: “Giant Headless Mystery Fish Baffles Fishermen and Scientists.”
But oarfish boast crimson-colored mane-like dorsal fins, tall and prominent near their heads, and the headless fish did not have a detectable dorsal fin. “I thought it was a car bumper, but then I remembered they don’t float,” first mate Jack Leverone told Schwartz.
Schwartz contacted Jim Rizzuto, a veteran fishing writer in Hawaii, and Rizzuto suggested it could be a Hawaiian ridge scabbardfish, which are long and ribbon-like, and extremely rare. But scabbardfish do not get nearly this long, so it was crossed off the list.
Schwartz plunged into Wikipedia and found a species called beltfish, which are long and thin, and a photo of a bunch of them at a fish market in Japan. Not a probable match.
Schwartz also contacted two NOAA marine biologists, who could not provide a positive ID.
I decided to probe on my own and contacted Perry Hampton, vice president of animal husbandry at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Calif.
Hampton said the photographs “do not show enough detail to make a determination” but added: “Despite the apparent lack of red dorsal fin it is hard to come up with any other species other than an oarfish,” based on the size of the specimen.
“The most prominent part of an oarfish’s dorsal fin are the first few spines near the head,” he added. “It is possible that these things were lost along with the head. The rest of the dorsal fin runs the length of the body but usually lays flat in a recessed channel along the fish’s back unless it is alarmed.”
So the headless mystery fish could very well have been an oarfish, but the world may never know for sure. Just as it will never know what kind of shark or other predator chomped off its head and tail, leaving the rest for the Leverones.
They had planned to eat the headless mystery fish, but when they cooked it the flesh turned gelatinous, so they passed.
More on GrindTV
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FISHING – Bluefin tuna sells for record $1.76 million in Japan | <urn:uuid:0e7877da-7287-4cff-a596-b275d5b9e71d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/post/giant-headless-fish-at-center-of-intriguing-mystery-off-kona-hawaii/?.tsrc=_news | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944124 | 817 | 2.71875 | 3 |
In response to growing demand from western U.S. and Canadian outdoor fruit and berry producers, Biobest is developing a native western bumblebee for outdoor pollination.
Bumblebees are important pollinators of many cultivated crops. By pollinating our fruits and vegetables, they not only help deliver our healthy meals, but are also vital to overall food security. Bumblebees have the edge when it comes to effective pollination. They produce their own heat, which in combination with their furry coats enables them to fly early in the season when it is still far too cold for honeybees and other insects. Unlike honeybees, they also buzz or shake flowers to collect pollen, which assures effective pollination.
The use of bumblebees has allowed growers to produce higher-yielding, better-quality and safer crops. In food crops like greenhouse tomatoes, bumblebees have for many years successfully replaced physical pollination or chemicals previously used to induce fruit set.
The demand for bumblebees to help guarantee crop yield has increased in recent years as honeybees and other natural pollinators have declined, but because native western species have not been available commercially, western U.S. and Canadian growers of field crops like berries, top fruit and canola have been at a disadvantage,
unable to share in the many benefits these pollinators offer.
Biobest recognizes the ecological and economic benefits of using native species for pollination. Having pioneered the use of bumblebees for crop pollination, Biobest has now developed a native western bumblebee species especially for the western U.S. and Canada. Biobest has been successful in rearing a range of native western bumblebee species, allowing them to select the right candidate for the western U.S. market.
The company says that only the species that proves most successful in crop pollination will be launched for use in its native territory. Biobest expects to begin pollination trials in the spring of 2013.
For more information: | <urn:uuid:c44283f7-af26-4517-b108-6c2aa130328b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.growingmagazine.com/blog-3812.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94721 | 410 | 3.25 | 3 |
Fire ants can present a real problem for home owners. Almost every yard in our area has fire ants. Although they do not cause damage to the turf or other plant material, they can inflict painful stings.
When their mounds are disturbed, the ants become aggressive and will attack anything that disturbs their mounds. An unsuspecting victim can be quickly covered with ants. The stings are usually just irritating and painful. However, some people are highly allergic and can become very ill with just one sting.
Fire ants were accidentally introduced into the United States from South America through the port of Mobile, Ala., in the 1930s and they arrived into Georgia in the 1950s. At present, the ants are present in all counties except for some in the mountains.
Human activity has helped spread the ants through shipments of ant infested nursery stock, soil, sod or other such material. They do not do as well in colder climates, which have slowed their spread northward. States in the western part of the country are trying to control the spread of fire ants through inspections of incoming agricultural products from infested areas and quarantines.
The total elimination of fire ants from an area is not feasible. However, temporary measures can be initiated to control fire ant infestations. But the controls must be used continuously or the ants will return. Many situations exist that do not require the treatment of fire ants, like areas were little or no human activity occurs. However, in high traffic areas, such as lawns and garden areas, control of fire ants is a must.
Killing the queen is very important in controlling fire ants. The queen stays in the mound and continues to reproduce while other ants build the mound and forage for food to feed the colony. Killing the foraging ants without killing the queen will not destroy the mound.
There are basically three methods of treating fire ants. The first way is to broadcast fire ant bait such as Amdro, Logic, and several other brands on and around the mound while the ants are foraging. The ants think the bait is food when it actually is a poison. It goes down to the queen and gets rid of the colony over time.
The second method is to treat the individual mounds with an insecticide drench, such as acephate, carbaryl (Sevin) and several others. The mound drenches use a small amount of the active poison ingredient mixed with water and poured upon the mound.
Some times the "two step" method is used. The fire ants are treated with bait broadcasted into the area and then, seven days later, the mounds are drenched with the appropriate insecticide.
A third method is broadcast applications of granular insecticides. The products are not baits. The products, such as fipronil (Over 'n Out, Chipco, TopChoice), can reduce the fire ant population substantially over time. However, these products only work where they have been directly applied to. Remember, when using chemical pesticides follow all label directions and safety precautions.
One home method is to use boiling hot water. A couple of applications can kill a fire ant mound. However, each mound has to be treated individually and there is the risk of the applicator being scalded by the water. Never use gasoline to try to burn mounds. Besides the risk of setting yourself and the surrounding property on fire, the gasoline will kill the turf and can sterilize the soil. Some "home made remedies" such as grits, are totally useless in controlling fire ants.
Fire ants are a big problem and will continue to be so. But they can be brought under controlled and should in areas of high usage due to their potential danger to human health.
Timothy Daly is an agricultural and natural resource agent with the Gwinnett County Extension Service. He can be reached at 678-377-4010 or [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:8e6d8d7b-1bbe-4876-a95d-191d64e47fda> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2009/jul/30/controlling-minimizing-the-impact-of-fire-ants/?community | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963825 | 801 | 3.28125 | 3 |
Staff Photo: Jason Braverman Girl Scouts Kennedy Watson, from left, Leah Royes and Kaitlyn Hamlette, of troop 4525 in Snellville, draw signs to promote cookie sales.
Lemon-wedge cookies dusted with powdered sugar and filled with lemon zest flavor
The shortbread cookie
Oatmeal cookies with peanut butter filling
Vanilla cookies covered in caramel and toasted coconut, then striped with chocolate
Cookie topped with peanut butter then completely covered in chocolate
Thin wafer covered in a peppermint chocolate
1912 — On March 12, 1912, founder Juliette Gordon Low gathered 18 girls to register the first troop of American Girl Guides. It was renamed Girl Scouts the following year.
1920s — The first Girl Scout Troops on Foreign Soil were established in China, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Syria for American girls living in other countries.
1930s — The first sale of commercially baked Girl Scout Cookies took place.
1940s — Girls collected 1.5 million articles of clothing that were then shipped overseas to children and adult victims of war.
1950s — The March 1952 issue of “Ebony” magazine reported, “Girl Scouts in the South are making steady progress toward breaking down racial taboos.”
1960s — The social unrest of the 1960s was reflected in organization actions and Girl Scout program change, including introduction in 1963 of four program age–levels for girls: Brownie, Junior, Cadette and Senior Girl Scouts.
1970s — Girl Scouts contributed to a White House Conference on food, nutrition and health.
1980s — “The Contemporary Issues” series was developed in the 1980s to help girls and their families deal with serious social issues. The first, “Tune In to Well Being, Say No to Drugs,” was introduced in collaboration with a project initiated by First Lady Nancy Reagan.
1990s — Girl Scouting experienced a renewed emphasis on physical fitness with the inauguration of a health and fitness national service project in 1994 and the GirlSports initiative in 1996.
2000s — Grants from Fortune 500 companies such as Lucent Technologies, Intel and Lockheed Martin supported science and technology exploration programs for girls.
2012 — Girl Scouts of the USA has declared 2012 the Year of the Girl: a celebration of girls, recognition of their leadership potential and a commitment to creating a coalition of like-minded organizations and individuals in support of balanced leadership in the workplace and in communities across the country.
SNELLVILLE -- It's that time of year. Across Gwinnett -- and the nation -- young girls dressed in green, brown, tan and blue vests are selling the famous Girl Scouts cookies by the boxes and they have a new cookie this year, the Savannah Smiles.
Haven't heard of it? It's the latest creation to celebrate the organization's 100th anniversary.
The girls from Troop No. 4525 in Snellville, just like millions of other girls, are bound and determined to sell their cookies to anyone who will buy a box for $3.50.
"This is exciting to me because I started out as a Girl Scout with my sister in Brooklyn, N.Y.," Troop Co-leader Qualena Odom-Royes said. "Now being able to share it with Leah (my daughter) and these other girls is exciting and wonderful."
The troop worked on posters to advertise their confectionery sweets and set individual sales goals for 2012.
With much childhood exuberance, Jocelyn Spencer, 8, decided on 81,000 boxes.
"I'm going to get everyone in my family to sell cookies," she said.
And she's not the only one aiming big. The other girls in the troop set goals in the hundreds.
"I'm going to try to raise 400 because I really want all of the prizes," Kennedy Watson, 8, said.
Girl Scout Cookies In Recipes
Try using Girl Scout Cookies as part of fun recipes
In addition to the usual cookies, Girl Scouts of the USA has introduced its latest creation, the Savannah Smiles, to commemorate its 100th year. These celebratory baked goods were created in honor of Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low's hometown of Savannah and are similar in taste to past customer favorites with bursts of lemon flavor.
The cookie is shaped like a wedge, covered in powered sugar and filled with lemon crisps.
"The Savannah Smiles is actually closer to the original cookies made for the Girl Scout sales. It was one of the first varieties out there," Troop Co-leader Adrienne Cole said.
The cookie is such a new addition to the Girl Scouts, the troops and their leaders haven't gotten to taste-test the lemon flavored treat.
"I really want to try the new cookie," Kaitlyn Hamlette, 6, said. "I like lemony stuff, so I really want to try it."
Ada Hamlette of Loganville, Kaitlyn's mother added, "Everyone is excited about the new cookie and they want to try them. They look like they'll be delicious."
To boost the Savannah Smiles' sales, Troop No. 4525 thought of a strategic marketing approach: Give out free samples while selling boxes around the county.
"I want to give a box of milk to everyone who eats a sample," Spencer said.
Cole chimed in, "Maybe we can get Kroger to donate some milk."
Your hips may be mad that you bought the cookies, but your heart won't feel the same. All of the proceeds from Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta's fundraising activities, including the cookie drive, stay in the council to serve the girls and volunteers in many ways. The money delivers programs to 41,500 girl members in a 34-county territory, trains more than 18,000 adult member volunteers, provides approximately $52,000 in scholarships for higher education and so much more.
The Girls Scouts of the USA haven't started selling their cookies online yet, but could in the next few years. The organization recommends never buying Girl Scout Cookies on any sites, including Amazon, eBay and other auction or community sites. There is no guarantee of freshness or authenticity.
To keep up with a technological age, the organization is using its website to help buyers easily find troops to purchase from in the area. Starting Feb. 17, the public can use the Cookie Locator, a program set up to help locate girls selling in your neighborhood by entering your ZIP code. To use the locator, visit cookielocator.littlebrownie.com.
To learn more about the Girl Scout's 100th anniversary and the Savannah Smiles, visit www.girlscouts.org. | <urn:uuid:75027875-cebe-4b88-8101-bd4f0ab2f4b9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2012/jan/21/cookie-time-girl-scouts-celebrating-100th/?sports | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952191 | 1,389 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Become a fan of h2g2
Daniel Boone, a legendary American frontiersman, was once quoted as saying, 'I ain't never been lost, but I may have been confused once or twice'. With all respect to Mr Boone - who was born in Pennsylvania, incidentally - it's incredibly easy to get lost and confused in the forests and mountains of Pennsylvania.
In the course of the state's 300-plus year recorded history, many people have gotten lost and confused. And they've lost plenty of things while stumbling around in the Pennsylvania woodlands - including a surprising amount of gold and silver.
Late in the 1690s, a group of French Canadians, led by Louis Frontenac, departed New Orleans and headed towards Montreal. They sailed up the Mississippi River to the Ohio River turn-off. They then went up the Ohio to the location of present-day Pittsburgh and took the left fork up the Allegheny River. On their rafts were kegs filled with gold coins destined for the Royal Governor of Canada's treasury.
Upon reaching present-day Potter County, Pennsylvania, they started overland, but the heavy kegs of coins made the going slow. Fearing an English or Indian attack, they decided to bury the treasure just north of the location of present-day Coudersport.
They marked their cache of gold with a cross chipped onto a rock. Seneca Indians are said to have seen the cross on the rock, but left it alone because they feared the site had special mystical significance. In time, the marker wore off the stone and the Indians were unable to remember where it was located.
The Frenchmen never returned for their gold and to this day it has never been found.
The Counterfeiter's Gold
Then there's the story of Cyrus Cole who, in the early 1900s, lived by himself in a shack near the swamps outside Eldred in McKean County, Pennsylvania. Cole was something of a bum, surviving by picking berries and trapping muskrats yet, strangely, he was never short of cash.
The United States Secret Service had agents investigating an influx of counterfeit silver half dollars and gold coins in the area, but could never get any leads. Then in 1912, they got an anonymous tip that Cole was the mastermind behind the counterfeiting ring. Armed with a search warrant, the agents searched Cole's shack and found some evidence, but not enough for a conviction.
They searched the swamp for evidence of the minting equipment, but came up empty-handed. Legend has it that Cole buried his counterfeit coins and his real gold and silver profits somewhere on the high ground near Eldred. None of it has ever been recovered.
Civil War Gold
In 1863, during the American Civil War1, a Union Army lieutenant was ordered to escort a wagon that had been fitted with a false base. This disguised compartment contained 26 gold bars each weighing 50 pounds. The wagon was to travel from Wheeling, West Virginia, north through Pennsylvania and then south to Washington, DC - the idea behind this route was to avoid any possible encounter with Confederate forces.
In the early stages of the journey, the lieutenant was sick with fever. During a fit of delirium, he blurted out the fact that the wagon contained a fortune in gold. After his fever broke, the expedition left St Marys, Pennsylvania, heading for Driftwood where they were to build a raft and float down the Susquehanna River to Harrisburg. They never made it, vanishing somewhere in the forests of Cameron and Elk counties.
Two months later, the party's civilian guide stumbled into Lock Haven - 50 miles east of St Marys, the last known location of the convoy. Army investigators interrogated the guide for days and heard that bandits ambushed the group, killing all the soldiers and taking the gold. The Army did not believe this story.
Pinkerton2 detectives were hired to search the area, but all they found were some dead mules in the area of Dent's Run near present-day Route 55 in Elk County. In the early 1870s, human skeletons which were believed to be those of the soldiers were found in the same area.
The guide was drafted into the army and assigned to a fort in the west. A heavy drinker, when he was drunk he would claim to know where the gold was hidden. But when he sobered up, he disavowed all knowledge of the treasure's location.
Local rumour has it that during the past 50 years the modern US Army has sent several teams into the area around Dent's Run searching for the gold. Despite these alleged ongoing searches, the gold has never been recovered.
During the American Civil War, Confederate raiders captured a Union convoy heading from West Virginia to the Philadelphia Mint. The convoy's treasure - some 15 tons of silver bars - was stolen and hidden inside a cave north of Uniontown, Pennsylvania. The rebels sealed the mouth of the cave and never returned for the booty. Some say it's still out there waiting to be discovered.
In 1680, a Spanish treasure ship sank off the Bahamas. A hundred and thirty years later a British captain named 'Blackbeard'3 found the treasure and recovered several tons of silver.
Blackbeard sailed into Baltimore harbour intending to transfer the silver to a British warship for transport to London. Fearing that the ship would be followed and attacked on the high seas, Blackbeard sent the silver overland by wagon to Canada where it would be loaded into a convoy of strong ships.
By the time Blackbeard reached Renovo, Pennsylvania, the War of 18124 had begun and Blackbeard, fearing that the silver would fall into USA hands, buried the treasure in the mountains outside Emporium in McKean County near present-day Route 155. Blackbeard never returned for the silver and rumour has it that it is still there today.
Robber Lewis' Lost Booty
David 'Robber' Lewis made a reputation for himself in the early 1800s, robbing the rich and giving to the poor. He was captured in 1820 and on his deathbed, he confessed to all his crimes and told his jailers of three caches of gold he had hidden in Pennsylvania:
One, containing $10,000 in gold, is said to have been hidden in a small cave along the Juniata River near Lewistown, Pennsylvania. Lewis returned for the cache and couldn't find it because the river had flooded and washed away his trail markers.
A second cache is purported to be buried along the Conodoguinett Creek near the caves he used as a hide-out.
The third, reportedly containing $20,000, is buried in the hills outside of Bellefonte. During his last imprisonment, Lewis is said to have taunted his jailers by telling them that he could see the cache from the jail.
None of these caches have ever been recovered.
Cash at Kinzua
In the 1890s, a man robbed a bank in Emporium, Pennsylvania, making off with $40,000 in cash. Apparently, he got lost and wound up in the village of Hazel Hurst where he collapsed. Not having a good day, our man died of 'exhaustion' a short time later, but not before confessing that he had buried the loot north-east of Kushequa within sight of the Kinzua railroad bridge. The money has never been recovered.
The Belsano Train Robbery
On 11 October, 1924, a train carrying a safe containing a payroll of $33,000 was robbed just outside the Cambria County, Pennsylvania town of Belsano. During the course of the robbery, one of the men who was guarding the safe was shot and killed.
Police in several neighbouring states joined the manhunt for Michelo Bassi and Anthony Pezzi and the murderous duo were apprehended two weeks after the robbery in Terre Haute, Indiana. Each had a gun and $3,000 in cash. The men were convicted of first degree murder and in February 1925, they were executed in the state's electric chair.
The safe and some of the money was never recovered. Legend has it that it may be buried or hidden near the site of the robbery.
The Lost Cave of Silver
Somewhere in the Allegheny National Forest to the west of the town of Tionesta, Pennsylvania is a cave reputed to be full of silver.
During the late 1700s, a white settler named Hill got lost and sought shelter in a cave for the night. Inside the cave he saw veins of silver running everywhere through the walls and ceiling. In the floor was a great pit filled with pure silver. When he managed to find his way home, he was unable to find his way back to the cave.
Hill's story was backed up by an early entrepreneur who traded liquor with the indigenous Indians in exchange for furs and silver. When he asked them where they got all their silver, legend has it that they blindfolded him and took him to a cave matching the one described in Hill's story.
Pure silver was found in Indian burial grounds near Irvine, Warren County - approximately 15 miles upstream from Tionesta. However, the Cave of Silver has never been found.
Other Lost Treasures
An aeroplane carrying a quarter-million dollars in cash crashed near Mount Carmel in 1948. The money was thrown out of the plane just prior to the crash and was never found.
Bandit Michael Rizzalo stole a $12,000 payroll in 1888. He was said to have buried it in a tin box somewhere on Laurel Run Mountain, just outside the town of Wilkes-Bare. The money is supposed to still be there today.
In 1775, a gang of Tories5 hid $100,000 in gold coins in the Wernersville area. The loot was never recovered.
A Handy Tip
When visiting Pennsylvania, don't forget to pack your metal detector. | <urn:uuid:6602e84a-9863-4902-8c33-f6dd2cfd08c1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.h2g2.com/approved_entry/A536573 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979411 | 2,052 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Schopf, J. William
Adult Nonfiction QH325 .S384 1999
Summary: One of the greatest mysteries in reconstructing the history of life on Earth has been the apparent absence of fossils dating back more than 550 million years. We have long known that fossils of sophisticated marine life-forms existed at the dawn of the Cambrian Period, but until recently scientists had found no traces of Precambrian fossils. The quest to find such traces began in earnest in the mid-1960s and culminated in one dramatic moment in 1993 when William Schopf identified fossilized microorganisms three and a half "billion years old. This startling find opened up a vast period of time--some eighty-five percent of Earth's history--to new research and new ideas about life's beginnings. In this book, William Schopf, a pioneer of modern paleobiology, tells for the first time the exciting and fascinating story of the origins and earliest evolution of life and how that story has been unearthed. Gracefully blending his personal story of discovery with the basics needed to understand the astonishing science he describes, Schopf has produced an introduction to paleobiology for the interested reader as well as a primer for beginning s
Question about returns, requests or other account details?
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Most of the causes of dementia cannot be prevented. Good personal health habits and medical care, however, can prevent some types of dementia. Here are some things you can do:
Dementia caused by stroke - Monitor and control your blood pressure, exercise every day, and eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables to maintain a healthy body weight.
Alcohol-related dementia - Limit the amount of alcohol you drink.
A colleague of mine is in emotional limbo, waiting for his elderly mother to die. Should he drive the 200 miles back and forth to work, so... Read more »
As we age, we tend to use the same vocabulary choices over and over, and, if what I surmise is correct, even those with normal mental ... Read more »
Why am I not surprised? A study has shown that two classes of drugs often given, in tandem, to people with dementia - a population that... Read more »
I am sometimes asked what degrees I have relating to medicine and healthcare, since I speak at conferences to healthcare professionals... Read more » | <urn:uuid:c6ad0554-e775-4275-9e4e-eabc298c6e09> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/h/geriatric-dementia.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946239 | 220 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Many things can trigger depression. It is common during life changes such as adolescence, marriage, birth and menopause. It can be a consequence of your upbringing - such as whether or not you were taught effective coping skills as a child. There is a genetic component to depression, and influences such as diet, stress and illness also play a part.
Being depressed can make you feel out of control and helpless, yet there are many ways to avoid falling into depression.
* Examine your diet. What you eat - or don’t eat - can influence your mood. The same diets that can cause heart disease and arthritis in some individuals - one that is high in sodium and saturated fat, and low in whole, fresh plant foods and unrefined essential fatty acids (EFAs) - can cause depression in others. Likewise, food allergies can also alter brain function and trigger depression (Biol Psychiatry, 1981; 16: 3-19). Wheat, milk, corn, beef and eggs are common culprits (Ann Allergy, 1982; 48: 166-71). But bear in mind that food allergies linked to depression often have an addictive quality - so whatever you eat compulsively may be contributing to the problem.
* Psychotherapy is as effective as drugs. Cognitive behavioural therapy can help those at risk of depression to become more conscious of negative thoughts and attitudes that feed into their depressions. Patients undergoing such therapy can learn to change (or at least mitigate) these unhelpful tendencies (J Consult Clin Psychol, 1989; 57: 414-9).
* Drug-induced depression is very common. Around 200 different classes of drugs have been implicated, including beta-blockers, tranquillisers, corticosteroids and birth-control pills, as well as alcohol and recreational drugs. If you think you may be reacting to a drug, consider switching to another family of drugs or trying other options.
* Environmental pollutants such as heavy metals, petrochemicals, pesticides and other toxins can disrupt the nervous system and lead to mild, but chronic, mood disorders, including depression (Med Clin North Am, 1990; 74: 325-45). Similarly, exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs), especially at work (West J Med, 2000; 173: 94-100) can lead to more depression and suicide in some vulnerable individuals (Bioelectromagnetics, 2001; [Suppl 5]: S132-43).
* St John’s wort is the most effective herbal remedy for mild depression because it works in a similar way to conventional antidepressants. A standardised extract (0.03 per cent hypericin) usually at a dose of 300 mg three times a day can be just as effective as antidepressant drugs (BMJ, 1996; 313: 253-8). What’s more, the side-effects are minimal.
* Traditional acupuncture can be as good as conventional drugs for preventing relapses in depression (Compl Ther Med, 2001; 9: 216-8).
* Electroacupuncture can benefit those suffering from major depression who cannot tolerate the side-effects of antidepressant drugs (Psychiatry Clin Neurosci, 1998; 52 [Suppl]: S338-40).
* Stay active. People who exercise regularly have less depression (Prev Med, 2003; 36: 698- 703). Typically, any aerobic exercise, such as walking or jogging, for 20-30 minutes three or four times a week will benefit mild-to-moderate depression (BMJ, 1985; 291: 109).
* Acknowledge your feelings. Depressed individuals often try to suppress their ‘bad’ feelings, especially those concerning distressing life experiences. ‘Confessing’ your most troubling feelings and experiences in a private diary can have significant long-term benefits on both mental and physical health (J Abnorm Psychol, 1986; 95: 274-81; J Consult Clin Psychol, 1989; 57: 414-9).
* Get a good night’s sleep. Since depression and lack of sleep can form a vicious circle, make sure you sleep well. Stick to regular bedtimes; having curtains that keep the light out will help regulate night-time melatonin secretion; and don’t exercise or take stimulants such as coffee or alcohol before going to bed. | <urn:uuid:9171d770-9281-450b-b87c-28bc5e2c8f52> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.aspx?Id=2809 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921263 | 882 | 3.265625 | 3 |
Learning is the means whereby we acquire new working knowledge about the world. Memory is the means whereby we retain that knowledge over time. Our abilities to learn and remember are essential to our sense of self and our ability to function effectively in daily life. Memory is the glue that holds our mental life together. As a result, we are who we are in large part because of what we have learned and what we remember from past experience.
But what is memory? How does the brain capture and sustain it? Why does memory sometimes fail us? Those simple questions, of course, have exceedingly complex answers, and many biological details about the process of memory in humans and other animals remain unknown.
HHMI investigator Eric R. Kandel of Columbia University, however, has provided a good start. His studies of the molecular basis of learning and memory underpin much of what we know about how events are recorded by the brain, processed by individual nerve cells, and etched in gray matter. For his work on learning and memory, Kandel was awarded a share of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
In the 1960s, Kandel began his studies of learning and memory by focusing on the behavior of the sea slug Aplysia, which he found to be a marvelously tractable system in which to study the cellular basis of these abilities. With only about 20,000 nerve cells — compared with the roughly thousand billion in humans — and a well-delineated neural circuitry, it proved possible to zero in on a biologically interesting reflex pathway. Like humans and other animals, Aplysia is capable of learning to modify this reflex, and this learning involves making memories.
Kandel found that the cellular basis for memory depends on persistent changes in synapses, the connections between nerve cells. The differences in the strength of these connections come about through learning. Kandel found that when, in the simple withdrawal reflex, the gill reacts to touch, the connection between the sensory nerve cell and motor nerve cell of the reflex are activated. When the sea slug was taught to ignore a harmless touch, the connections between the sensory nerve cell and motor cell weakened. When the same light touch was coupled to an unpleasant fearful stimulus the animal became sensitized. It would now react strongly to the light touch because the same set of connections had strengthened.
Kandel later discovered that short-term memory is kindled by the modulation of synapses and that long-term memory is sustained by the activation of genes. The formation of memories, Kandel determined, is a function of biochemical changes that occur at the synapse. To make short-term memories, the proteins involved in a chain of events at the nexus of nerve cells are chemically altered by the addition of phosphate groups. To cement a memory for the long haul, proteins are added at the synapse to make new connections with sensitization and lose connections with habituation.
In the 1990s, he turned from studying simple forms of learning to more complex forms using genetically modified mice and showed that similar principles for short and long term memory were at work here as well.
By laying a foundation for understanding the events that shape our ability to learn and remember, Kandel's work has helped us understand not only the cellular processes that occur during the acts of learning and remembering, but also - through his work on mice - where things can go wrong when dementia and other illnesses that affect memory arise. The cellular processes revealed by Kandel are among the targets of drugs used to alleviate these disorders of memory. Pinpointing the activity of individual nerve cells engaged in the process of learning and memory may help in the development of new, more effective agents to treat diseases that affect the brain.
Photo: Matthew Septimus | <urn:uuid:6eafc168-0fd9-4248-ab08-030a35cb48b2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hhmi.org/research/nobel/kandel.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968024 | 755 | 3.734375 | 4 |
Australia's “exceptional” heatwave has produced record-breaking temperatures, with at least six of the first seven days of 2013 among the top 20 hottest days in the past century.
The extreme January heat has prompted the Bureau of Meteorology to issue a special climate statement, with further updates planned as the scorching temperatures continue.
Data for Monday is still to be fully analysed by the weather bureau, but it may be the hottest of the series and could generate a record average maximum beyond the 40.17 degrees reached on December 21, 1972.
Such a result would make it six days in a row when the national average has been above 39 degrees; tomorrow is expected to make it seven. Prior to this series, the longest run of 39 degrees or more was four days, in 1973.
“This event is ongoing with significant records likely to be set,” the bureau statement said. “A particular feature of this heatwave event has been the exceptional spatial extent of high temperatures.”
The final four months of 2012 were the hottest on record for Australia and January is making an early run at adding to the sequence of especially hot weather.
“Australia-wide, and for individual states, we are currently well above average by many degrees,” said Aaron Coutts-Smith, the bureau's NSW manager for climate services.
Sydney is set to cop its first major blast of the searing heat that has grilled much of Australia for the past week, with 43 degrees forecast.
Today's 40-degree prediction for Perth is one sign that any relief for the bulk of central and southern Australia from the current sweltering temperatures will be shortlived.
“We are seeing that re-intensification” of the heat, said Dr Coutts-Smith.
Melbourne, which is expecting 31 degrees today will feel chilly on Wednesday with a maximum of just 20 degrees before the mercury starts climbing back to 37 degrees on Friday, the bureau predicts.
The data for national averages shows the maximum reached 39.2 on January 2, 39.6 on January 3, 39.3 on January 4, 39.3 on January 5 and 39.6 on January 6.
Interestingly, none of the states has broken individual maximum highs, at least in the data until January 6, underscoring how large in size the overall weather pattern is. The weather bureau's manager for climate monitoring, Karl Braganza on Monday described the event as a "dome of heat" over the continent.
NSW, which is likely to endure extreme temperatures today, has to exceed 44.1 degrees on average to beat the record set on January 14, 1939. This year, the hottest day was on January 5 when maximums averaged 41.1 degrees, with Hay Airport hitting 47.9 degrees, according to data up until January 6.
For Victoria, the hottest day on record was 44.5 degrees on Black Saturday, February 7, 2009, when bushfires left 173 people dead. In the current spate of heat, the hottest day was January 4 when temperatures across the state averaged 41.2 degrees.
Up until January 6, Yarrawonga had posted the hottest temperature in the state at 45.7 degrees on January 5, while Portland's 42.1 on the previous day was a new daily maximum for that location, the bureau said.
Nationwide, the hottest single temperature recorded during the heat - up to January 6 - has been the 48.6 degrees reached at Red Rocks Point in WA on Jauary 3. That's about 2 degrees below the 50.7 degrees all-time record set on January 2, 1960. | <urn:uuid:23156681-3a82-4757-a6c9-f172faa662dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hillsnews.com.au/story/1222764/exceptional-heatwave-challenges-records/?cs=2452 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962593 | 751 | 2.6875 | 3 |
How to get Shading Right
Recent improvements to window technology make substantial air conditioning energy savings possible. However, shading remains a time-tested method to accomplish the same end.
Architectural and site shading can have an even greater impact on reducing daily cooling use than upgrading windows. Using both a prototype building and modeling simulations, a study by our team at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) evaluated the relative impacts of different solar load control strategies. The study points the way toward optimizing the interaction of various methods for reducing solar heat gain. This is helpful,as the wide variety of shading options currently available can make choosing an effective solar load control strategy confusing (see Snapshots of Shading Options,HE Sept/Oct '00,p.20).
The prototype house was built in 1998 in Tucson, Arizona, as part of the Department of Energy's Building America program.Its integrated package of energy-saving features includes structural insulated panels (SIPs) for the wall and roof construction, white coating on the roof, spectrally selective windows, architectural shading, an interior location for the air handler and ducts, highefficiency air conditioning equipment, and solar water heating.
Building America (see Clean Breathing in Tract Homes,p. 29) works with five building industry teams to produce advanced residential buildings on a community scale. Systems incorporated into these houses are evaluated by conducting successive design, test, redesign,and retest iterations until cost and performance trade-offs yield innovations that can be cost effectively implemented in production-scale housing.RGC CourtHomes,Inc., built the prototype, with input from the IBACOS Building America Consortium.
Building performance was modeled using a detailed hourly energy simulation tool and was measured while the building was unoccupied for a period of 12 days. Model inputs included direct measurements of the net air exchange rate, surface reflectance,and window transmittance. Model results, after calibration,showed good agreement with the direct measurements of cooling loads and air conditioning energy use. Analyzing the interactions between building performance and solar load control strategies in a prototype house can facilitate the optimization of cost and performance trade-offs in large-scale production.
Typical new productionscale houses in the Tucson market are framed on a slabon- grade foundation with stucco exterior finish and a sloped concrete tile or flat built-up bituminous roof. These standard-practice houses are built using standard construction materials and techniques, including nominal 2 x 4 wood framing,fiberglass batt insulation,1-inch polystyrene sheathing,and double- pane,clear-glass,aluminum frame windows. The slab foundation has no insulation,and the attic is usually vented. A forcedair distribution system provides space heating and cooling,with the air handler located in the garage and the flex duct in the attic. This system is typically supplied by a 10-SEER air conditioner and an 80% annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) gas furnace.
The prototype house differs from these houses in several respects. It has a well-insulated airtight envelope, with minimized air distribution losses. The house's energy-saving features, plus the large ratio of window to floor area in the design, render window contributions more important than they are in conventional housing, particularly in the Tucson climate.
The prototype incorporates several reengineered features into its structural and mechanical equipment systems (see Table 1). Envelope changes include a sealed, insulated, and conditioned crawlspace foundation (a shallow basement) and SIPs (see SIPs Face the Skeptics,HE,Mar/Apr '98). The foundation stem walls are 6-inchthick reinforced concrete, insulated on the interior with a 2-inch-thick rigid foam board (R-10) that serves as the concrete form. Each wall and roof panel consists of a polyurethane foam core sandwiched between 7/16- inch thick oriented strand board (OSB) sheathing. SIPs 41/2 -inches thick are used for the walls, and SIPs 61/2 -inches thick form the flat lowslope ceiling/roof assembly. The walls are finished with synthetic stucco on the exterior. The roof panels are finished with a white singleply rubberized fabric coating on the exterior (the inside is cathedralized, with no attic space). The windows have vinyl frames with a thermal break,double panes, and spectrally selective coatings on the inside of the outer pane (surface two) of the tinted glazing.
Mechanical system features include putting the air handler in an interior chase, locating all ductwork within the conditioned space,and installing a 12-SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) air conditioner. A batch-type solar water heater, with an integral collector storage unit,preheats domestic hot water. The gasfired water heater is coupled with an integrated hydronic space-heating coil in the air handler. The house has a controlled-ventilation system consisting of a separate,single-speed and manual-switch fan that supplies fresh air on demand from the outside to the air handler return plenum.
This ranch-style house is located in a high-density, single-family residential development (see cover photo). The architectural plan has approximately 1,170 ft2 of floor area, including two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The house has a relatively large window area with 272 ft2; four sliding glass doors facing a patio make up about 80% of this window area. The sliding glass doors are partially shaded by the patio cover,which is 24 ft long, 6 ft wide, and 10 ft above ground level (see photograph on p. 24). The front entrance is a solid wood door. Another overhang on the front elevation of the house is an open horizontal trellis made of nominal 2 x 6 lumber; vegetation has been planted and is intended to grow over it. Prior to testing, the interior of the house was fully finished and landscaping was complete. No interior window coverings were installed during the test period.
Building performance measurements included environmental conditions, net air exchange rate,and electric power use during normal operation of the building (see Measuring Thermal Performance). In addition, cooling loads were measured using a co-cooling test protocol in which a six-zone portable air conditioning unit was substituted for the building’s air conditioner. The modeled and measured results were compared; the results showed good agreement for cooling loads and air conditioning energy use. The model was then used to evaluate annual energy use and the impacts of alternative solar load control strategies over a broader range of conditions than could be measured in the field.
The simulation model includes accurate building geometry to account for the effects of shading on windows and walls. The windows are all generally well shaded, either by overhangs or by the adjacent houses. The simulation model was imported into a three-dimensional graphic representation program that has rotational view capabilities to check building geometry.Figure 1 shows the location of exterior walls, windows,doors, and overhangs. Crawlspace walls are evident in this view. Shading from adjacent houses is significant at this site. The geometry of houses and fences to the east and west are modeled as measured at the site; these shading surfaces are also shown in the figure.
How the Shading Options Added Up
For the determination of annual heating and cooling energy,occupied building operation is simulated. The simulation of occupied conditions in this building for a full year predicts that 3,285 kWh of cooling energy and 71 therms of space-heating energy are required per year. Heat gain through the windows is the largest component of envelope load, and it constitutes more than 30% of the total cooling energy load (see Figures 2 and 3).
Figure 4 presents the daily load profiles of air conditioning electricity use on a typical cooling day for four combinations of glazing and shading. In this case, the shading includes both the architectural overhangs and the site shading from adjacent buildings. Standard glazing without shading represents the worst case, and spectrally selective glazing with shading (the existing building) represents the best case. The combination of high-performance glazing and shading achieves a 0.4 kW (14%) reduction in afternoon peak electricity demand and a 12.4 kWh (30%) reduction in daily total electricity used for air conditioning. Architectural and site shading reduces daily cooling use more than upgrading the windows does. The shading combination reduces daily cooling energy use by 9.4 kWh (22%), as compared to 4.4 kWh (11%) for just upgrading the windows.
Architectural shading is clearly very important in reducing cooling loads. It reduces the annual cooling requirement by approximately 23%, whether one starts with standard double-pane glazing or with spectrally selective glazing. In both cases, the heating load increases as the solar gain is reduced, but thanks to the combination of the Tucson climate and the wellinsulated tight building shell, this has little impact. Even in the worst
case scenario, less than 80 therms per year of space heating is required.
In this housing development, site shading plays an important role in reducing morning and evening direct solar gain. The test house is shaded to the east and west by adjacent, two-story houses. This site shading not only reduces the solar gain through the windows, but effectively shades much of the exterior wall area, reducing overall conductive gains as well.
Annual Energy Costs
The cooling and heating loads are combined into a single value by converting the energy requirements to costs. The study assumed that electricity costs 10.5¢/kWh, and natural gas costs 79¢/therm for the first 20 therms a month and 75¢/therm above that. Figure 5 shows annual cooling and heating costs as a function of glazing type, two types of shading, and the orientation of the front of the house. Using the data from this figure and referencing a base case building with standard windows with no overhangs but with adjacent building shading, Table 2 presents the reduction in cooling and heating costs for a subset of combinations.
The existing building has a south orientation, and the combined features lead to a 26% reduction in cooling and heating costs. The total cost of cooling and heating is reduced by more than 10% by adding the presence of the adjacent houses. As expected, the maximum effect from architectural shading occurs if the front of the house faces west, which orients most of the window area to the south. The maximum effect of site shading occurs if the front of the house faces north, which orients most of the window area to the west.With the front facing east, the majority of windows are on the north side, and neither architectural nor site shading has much effect on cooling and heating costs.
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Take a look at this snapshot from Health Canada's website fact sheet entitled Healthy Lawn Tips.
- Although it may look untidy, leave grass clippings on your lawn when you mow it to provide nutrient recycling.
- Aerate compacted soil in the fall to help oxygen, water and nutrients reach roots.
- Over-seed patchy areas.
- In heavy traffic areas, replace grass with mulch or paving stones.
- Check your lawn for early signs of pests and other problems such as holes caused by small animals digging for insects.
- Set your mower so that your grass is seven to eight cm high to encourage deeper roots and help fend off weeds.
- Water infrequently, but when you do, make sure you allow the water to get deep into the soil (about 1.5 centimetres) to promote deep roots. Over-watering starves the soil of oxygen and invites disease. Apply at least 2.5 centimetres of water. Put a container on your lawn to measure how much you've watered. An empty tuna can is about the right height.
- Maintain good soil with ample depth and organic matter to prevent problems.
- If physical control methods fail and you use a pesticide, be sure the one you pick lists the pest you are trying to control on the label, and follow all the instructions.
More information is available online at www.healthcanada.gc.ca/pmra. Fact sheets include Starting a Lawn, Lawn Maintenance, Life of a Lawn and Common Lawn Problems. | <urn:uuid:6e7b2bdc-26a3-4a11-97ed-8adc9b0dc113> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.househunting.ca/Vacation-Homes/Helpful+tips+healthy+grass/6836611/story.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.897036 | 319 | 3.203125 | 3 |
Healthy Eating Plate
Harvard’s New Guide to Healthy Eating
Start here to learn more about the new Healthy Eating Plate created by nutrition experts at Harvard School of Public Health, in conjunction with Harvard Health Publications. The Healthy Eating Plate can be your blueprint for planning a healthy balanced meal, and it fixes key flaws in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate.
How can you follow the Healthy Eating Plate? Here’s a rundown, section by section:
- Fill half of your plate with vegetables and fruits. The more color, and the more variety on this part of the plate, the better. Potatoes and French fries don’t count as vegetables on the Healthy Eating Plate, because they are high in fast-digested starch (carbohydrate), which has the same roller-coaster effect on blood sugar and insulin as white bread and sweets. These surges, in the short term, can lead to hunger and overeating, and in the long term, can lead to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and other health problems. Read more about vegetables and fruits, or read more about carbohydrates and health.
- Save a quarter of your plate for whole grains—not just any grains: Whole grains—whole wheat, brown rice, and foods made with them, such as whole wheat pasta—have a gentler effect on blood sugar and insulin than white bread, white rice, and other so-called “refined grains.” That’s why the Healthy Eating Plate says to choose whole grains—the less processed, the better—and limit refined grains. Read more about whole grains.
- Put a healthy source of protein on one quarter of your plate: Chose fish, chicken, beans or nuts, since these contain beneficial nutrients, such as the heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids in fish, and the fiber in beans. An egg a day is okay for most people, too (people with diabetes should limit their egg intake to three yolks a week, but egg whites are fine). Limit red meat—beef, pork, and lamb—and avoid processed meats—bacon, cold cuts, hot dogs, and the like—since over time, regularly eating even small amounts of these foods raises the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancer. Read more about healthy proteins.
- Use healthy plant oils. The glass bottle near the Healthy Eating Plate is a reminder to use healthy vegetable oils, like olive, canola, soy, corn, sunflower, peanut, and others, in cooking, on salad, and at the table. Limit butter, and avoid unhealthy trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils. Read more about healthy fats.
- Drink water, coffee or tea. On the Healthy Eating Plate, complete your meal with a glass of water, or if you like, a cup of tea or coffee (with little or no sugar). (Questions about caffeine and kids? Read more.) Limit milk and dairy products to one to two servings per day, since high intakes are associated with increased risk of prostate cancer and possibly ovarian cancer. Limit juice to a small glass per day, since it is as high in sugar as a sugary soda. Skip the sugary drinks, since they provide lots of calories and virtually no other nutrients. And over time, routinely drinking sugary drinks can lead to weight gain, increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, and possibly increase the risk of heart disease. Read more about healthy drinks, or read more about calcium, milk, and health.
- Stay active. The small red figure running across the Healthy Eating Plate’s placemat is a reminder that staying active is half of the secret to weight control. The other half is eating a healthy diet with modest portions that meet your calorie needs. Read 20 tips for staying active.
Comparing the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate to the USDA’s MyPlate shows the shortcomings of MyPlate. Read a head-to-head comparison of the Healthy Eating Plate vs. the USDA’s MyPlate.
You can use the Healthy Eating Plate side by side with the Healthy Eating Pyramid, a simple and trustworthy guide to healthy eating created by faculty in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health. Read an in-depth article about the Healthy Eating Plate and the Healthy Eating Pyramid. Or read answers to common questions about the Healthy Eating Plate.
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Salt Reduction Strategies
Tasting Success with Cutting Salt
Twenty-Five Science Based Strategies & Culinary Insights
Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health & The Culinary Institute of America
Table of Contents
What portion size, produce, fresh foods, and healthy fats have to do with sodium reduction
Why a stealth health approach can help everyone cut back on salt
Which foods are highest in sodium, and how to make lower sodium choices
From the farm to the table, there are many ways to boost flavor that are light on salt
Future research can guide the way to compelling reduced sodium flavors
Download a PDF of
Read more about the creation of
The Institute of Medicine’s newly released report, Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake in the United States, focuses on big-picture strategies for reining in America’s salt habit. (1) Although the report’s recommendations represent an essential step forward, there are many things that individuals, chefs, and organizations can do right now to reduce sodium.
Consumers can use these tips when they cook at home, shop in the supermarket, or choose a meal at their favorite restaurant. Chefs and product developers can tap these ideas in the professional kitchen. Media representatives, healthcare professionals, and food marketers can mine this list for ways to promote positive and delicious nutrition messages about cutting salt.
Many of these guidelines offer a “stealth health” approach to sodium reduction—ways that sodium can be reduced with no change or minimal change to consumer food experiences or choices. Others suggest ways to rebalance and re-imagine food choices as well as introduce new foods that can easily translate into satisfying meals. These culinary insights are in addition to valuable food science research already underway on the role of salt in foods and salt substitutes. The good news is that most of these guidelines support broader diet recommendations for good health.
No sodium reduction effort will succeed if it undermines the flavor of our foods and the role that food plays in our lives. That’s why we urge a wide-ranging, innovative approach to sodium reduction on the part of all stakeholders, one that puts as much emphasis on culinary insight, taste, and flavor as on the scientific and public health imperatives.
1. Downsize your portions: You’ll scale back the sodium (and the calories).
A good rule of thumb is that the more calories a meal has, the more sodium it has. Two out of three Americans need to lose weight. So skip the supersize. Share a dish when dining out. You can cut your salt—and trim your waist.
Our bodies need more potassium than sodium. But most Americans’ diets are just the opposite, which can contribute to high blood pressure. Fruits and vegetables are naturally low in sodium, and many fruits and vegetables are good sources of potassium. Filling your plate with them will boost your potassium and shift the sodium-potassium balance in your favor. And chefs and product developers would do well to think about produce first when designing menus. The next time you are tempted to say, “I won’t like lower sodium foods” think of biting into a crunchy apple, juicy orange, or sweet strawberry. Not missing the sodium?
3. Get fresh: Choose unprocessed and minimally processed foods.
Processed foods and prepared foods are the greatest sources of sodium in the American diet (75 percent by some estimates). By choosing fresh foods, you can decide how much or how little salt to add. Processed, cured meats typically have much more sodium than fresh meats, and canned vegetables usually have more sodium than fresh vegetables. Going easy on processed foods makes sense for general good health, as processing often leads to a loss of nutrients and other benefits of whole or semi-intact foods.
4. Embrace healthy fats and oils: A savory strategy to lower sodium levels.
Unfortunately, the big low-fat and no-fat product push in the 1990’s wasn’t rooted in sound science. Many well-meaning product developers cut both the good and bad fats out of formulations, and in order to maintain consumer acceptance of their products, they were forced to increase levels of sugar and sodium. So breathe easy, and skip most fat-free salad dressings and other similar products, and you’ll be doing your blood pressure a favor. One more good news tip: Fat in the diet doesn’t make you fat! Extensive research now confirms that low-fat diets are no more effective in weight loss than moderate- to high-fat diets. Rather, it’s all about total calories and energy balance. So embrace healthy fat: It might be just the ticket to make produce-centric (and sodium-reduced) cooking more appealing. For recipes that focus on healthy fat, try:
5. Stealth health: The most delicious approach to sodium reduction.
For many foods and preparations, the average person can’t detect moderate to substantial differences in sodium levels, including reductions of up to as much as 25 percent. That’s great news. In fact, many food manufacturers and restaurant companies have already made or are in the process of making substantial cuts in sodium—some all at once and some over time—that their customers will not be able to detect.
6. Retrain your taste buds: You can learn to savor foods with less salt.
Studies have found that we can shift our sense of taste to enjoy foods with lower levels of sodium. One key to success: Make the changes gradually and consistently over a period of time, rather than trying to cut back by a large amount all at once (unless of course you find that an immediate 25 percent reduction in sodium doesn’t undermine your enjoyment of a particular food). Try this trick: Combine a reduced sodium version of a favorite product (e.g., vegetable soup) with a regular version in proportions that gradually favor the reduced sodium version. As time goes on, you won’t miss the salt.
7. Try a little romance: Sea salt and other secrets of the healthy kitchen.
Most sea salt has about the same level of sodium as other salts, but who doesn’t perk up with the mention of sea salt? It sounds like your favorite chef has taken charge of your dinner. You don’t need to spend the money on sea salt, just remember that we eat with our eyes and ears, not just our mouths—and we make decisions about how much we are likely to enjoy a given food long before it gets to our mouths. So instead of calling something “low sodium,” try language like “with a touch of sea salt,” “citrus-infused” or “garlic-scented,” and you’ll likely entice more people to taste and enjoy reduced sodium dishes. Finally, for those who think “low sodium” is the exact opposite of a compelling, positive message, remember that there is a big difference between well-prepared low-sodium foods and badly executed low-sodium foods. Bad cooking is just bad cooking, independent of sodium levels.
8. Target high-volume sodium sources: Prioritize your efforts.
Know which ingredients and individual foods are high in sodium, and eat them sparingly. Understand which categories of foods contribute the most sodium to our diets through repeated daily and weekly consumption. Salt is ubiquitous in the American diet, but this top 10 list of food sources of sodium in the U.S. diet is a good place to focus. The list is based on the combination of each item’s sodium content and the frequency of consumption. (2) Choose carefully when buying foods in these categories and/or eat less of these items:
- Meat pizza
- White bread
- Processed cheese
- Hot dogs
- Spaghetti with sauce
- Cooked rice
- White rolls
- Flour tortillas
9. Scan the label: Look for foods with less than 300 milligrams of sodium per serving.
Canned, boxed, frozen, and prepared foods can be high in sodium. Check the label for sodium amounts and choose foods that have less than 300 milligrams per serving. But pay attention to serving sizes, as they are often unrealistically small. A good rule of thumb for label reading is to look for no more than one milligram of sodium per one calorie of food. You may be surprised to find foods that are high in sodium but that don’t list “salt” in the ingredients. That’s because there are other forms of sodium used in food processing, and these all contribute to the total amount of sodium listed in the Nutrition Facts. Examples of these ingredients include monosodium glutamate, sodium citrate, sodium bicarbonate, and sodium alginate.
10. Compare, compare, compare: Sodium levels vary widely for the same or similar grocery items.
Compare brands of processed food, including breads, cured meats, cheeses, snack foods, and other foods, choosing those with the lowest levels of sodium that still taste good. You’ll find that there’s a surprising degree of variation from brand to brand, since some food manufacturers have already made great strides toward cutting the sodium levels in their products—and others never added as much sodium in the first place.
11. Watch out for hidden sodium: Looks—and taste—can be deceiving.
“Fresh” and “natural” meats and poultry may be injected with salt solutions as part of their processing, and manufacturers are not required to list the sodium content on the label. The best way to find out whether your favorite brand has been treated with a salt solution is to ask the grocer or butcher, or to call the toll-free consumer hotline on the product’s label. Some foods that are high in sodium may not taste especially salty, such as breakfast cereals, bakery muffins, energy drinks, and sports drinks.
12. Scan the menu, speak to your server: Seek low-salt menu options when dining out.
At the upper end of the spectrum, some chain restaurant and fast-food meals can top 5,000–6,000 milligrams of sodium per serving. It is common to find sandwiches and fast-food entrées with 2,000–2,500 milligrams of sodium per serving—as much as or more than a day’s recommended sodium intake. With foodservice (or food away from home) now accounting for nearly 50 percent of the consumer food dollar, both foodservice and food manufacturing—together with consumers and home cooks—need to be part of the solution to the sodium reduction challenge. Some tips for consumers: Sodium levels can vary widely from one dish to another and from one restaurant to another. Check restaurant websites for sodium information before you head out, or ask your server to steer you to low-salt choices. Save high-salt choices for very limited special occasions. Increasingly, chain restaurants are responding to calls for sodium reduction, so watch for news about such initiatives by your favorite restaurant group.
13. Farming for flavor: A new health imperative.
We should recognize that the national conversation about salt and sodium should not be just about salty taste and sodium reduction, but about flavor in our foods in general. For much of the 20th century, our national food and agricultural focus has been on quantity and value—and quality often as a function of consistency, appearance, safety, convenience, and shelf life. If natural flavor sometimes suffered, there was always fat (often saturated fats and trans fats), sugar, and salt to take up the slack—all high-impact, low-cost flavor enhancers that most people love. But at a time when we have “over-delivered” on the promise of affordable calories, and both salt and sugar (and all refined carbohydrates) are turning out to have serious negative health consequences, we need to refocus our attention on enhancing natural flavors. As a practical matter, this means growing more flavorful tomatoes at the same time we try to reduce the sodium in tomato soup.
14. Know your seasons, and, even better, your local farmer.
Shop for raw ingredients with maximum natural flavor, thereby avoiding the need to add as much (if any) sodium. Seek out peak-of-season produce from farmers’ markets and your local supermarket.
One of the easiest ways to reduce the need for added salt is through the use of ingredients such as spices, dried and fresh herbs, roots (such as garlic and ginger), citrus, vinegars, and wine. From black pepper, cinnamon and turmeric to fresh basil, chile peppers and lemon juice, these flavor enhancers create excitement on the palate—and can do it with less sodium.
16. Go nuts for healthy fats in the kitchen.
As chefs and home cooks know, fat is a great carrier and enhancer of flavor. Using the right healthy fats—from roasted nuts and avocados to olive, canola, soybean, and other oils—can help make up for any flavor loss from using less salt. Some healthy fats contribute their own flavors (think peanut butter and extra virgin olive oil), while other fats help to juice up flavor in pan searing and frying. For creative cooks, roasted nuts ground with spices extend and leverage small amounts of salt, such as in the Middle Eastern spice mixture.
Umami (pronounced oo-MAH-me), or savoriness, is the so-called “fifth taste” that in recent years sensory scientists have brought into the mainstream of academic research. Foods that are naturally high in a compound called “L-glutamate” trigger our “umami” taste receptors. Cooked chicken, fish, beef, and soybeans are naturally high in umami, as are mushrooms, tomatoes, seaweed, carrots, and Chinese cabbage. Incorporating these foods into meals can add a delicious depth of flavor without adding salt. Some foods that are high in umami are also high in sodium, including soy sauce, fish sauce, aged cheeses, miso, and anchovy paste. The cook’s best strategy: Use these ingredients in small amounts instead of adding salt, reducing the overall sodium in the dish. Check out these two recipes from the Culinary Institute of America that boost “umami”:
Take the time to learn some simple cooking techniques that can make your cooking less reliant on sodium. Searing and sautéing foods in a pan builds flavor (try searing umami-rich mushrooms in a hot pan with oil, and now you have a double flavor-building impact!). Roasting brings out the natural sweetness of many vegetables and the savoriness of fish and chicken. Steaming and microwaving tend to dilute flavors; perk up steamed dishes with a finishing drizzle of flavorful oil and a squeeze of citrus.
19. Wait! Be careful how you spend that sodium budget.
Save your “sodium budget” to enhance the flavors of produce, whole grains, nuts and legumes, and other healthy ingredients versus “overspending” it on salty snacks, heavily processed food, high-sodium fast foods, and other foods that we should be consuming in smaller amounts. We all love treats, and most of us have to eat on the run occasionally (that’s why they call it “fast food”). But if we do this too often in a way that “blows” our sodium budget, we come up short without enough tools to enhance the flavors of healthy, everyday cooking. The best intentions to reduce sodium are definitely going to run aground when too many high-sodium ingredients are aggregated in the same dish. Rethink that double bacon cheeseburger or the breakfast special with ham and sausage.
Pickles, capers, cured meats, grated aged cheeses, mustard, catsup, soy sauce, hot sauce, smoked fish, and other condiments and specialty foods all bring added satisfaction to the table. There is no need to give up condiments, which in many cases represent culinary traditions that are centuries old. In some cases, reduced sodium versions of these are now available; in other cases, we can just use them more sparingly.
21. Go global: Discover a world of ideas for flavor development.
Look to global culinary traditions—from Europe and the Mediterranean, Latin America, Asia and Africa—for healthy ideas to transform fruits, vegetables, and other healthy ingredients into exciting flavors and meals. Because many of these world culinary traditions build up flavor in such novel, complex, and intriguing ways, cooks are under less pressure to use as much sodium. Sometimes these flavors will appear in the U.S. or their native countries in higher sodium versions, but the culinary ideas for lower sodium strategies are still there, embedded in traditional cultural approaches to flavor development that go way beyond fat, salt, and sugar (our all-too-frequent default flavor enhancers in the U.S.). Two international recipe suggestions are:
Avoid “double salting” your foods when cooking, and look for ways to pair salted flavors with unsalted or under-salted foods, especially fresh produce. If you are adding a little cheese to your salad, you don’t need much or any salt in your dressing. If you are adding a ham bone to a soup pot, lighten up on the sodium for the rest of the soup. In a sandwich, try adding sliced cucumber instead of pickles. A pot of brown rice or whole grain pasta doesn’t need to be salted if you are serving it with other adequately seasoned items or sauces. And an adequately seasoned crust or condiment may lessen the need for salting the rest of the dish.
23. Rinse, wash, and dilute: You can easily cut some of the excess sodium in processed foods with no loss of flavor.
Draining and rinsing canned foods can dramatically cut their sodium levels—in the case of canned beans, cooks can cut 40 percent of the sodium with this trick. When making soup, dilute reduced sodium chicken broth with water or wine instead of using it full strength, and float in some additional vegetables and herbs.
24. Whole grains: Beyond bread and sandwiches.
Collectively, because we eat so much of it, bread is one of the largest contributors of sodium to our diets. Even whole grain bread, while a healthier choice than white, can contain considerable sodium. But only part of the sodium in bread is for taste: Much of it is used to help the bread-making process and preserve the final results. You can skip that extra salt when you use these marvelous whole grains by themselves. Try a Mediterranean-inspired whole grain salad with chopped vegetables, nuts, and legumes, perhaps a small amount of cheese, herbs and spices, and healthy oils and vinegar or citrus. You can enjoy many of the same flavors you love in a sandwich, but in a delicious new form that has much less sodium. For breakfast, cook up steel cut oats, farro, or other intact whole grains with a generous amount of fresh or dried fruit, and you can skip the toast (and the extra sodium).
25. Kick the “auto-salt” habit: Taste before you salt.
Too many of us have the habit of reaching for the salt shaker as soon as our plates are put in front of us. Try taking the salt shaker off the table and making it available “upon request only.” Always, always taste your food before you salt: Maybe you don’t need the extra sodium. And in the kitchen, add salt late in the cooking process. Foods release their flavors (and salt, in the case of salted ingredients) during the cooking process, and “palate fatigue” on the part of the cook can cause over-salting if this is undertaken too early.
Given how vital sodium reduction is, and how embedded sodium is in our food supply, culinary techniques, flavor strategies, manufacturing methods, and marketing assumptions, it is essential that we conduct additional research to shed more light on which sodium reduction strategies are most effective. The challenges here are far more complex than they were for trans fats, which are more easily isolated and replaced in the food supply. In addition to food science and engineering fixes to the high-sodium problem, we need to engage chefs, menu developers, consumer opinion researchers, and a wide range of flavor experts in developing and pursuing key research questions. With the benefit of this research, we will be better positioned to create reduced sodium flavors and food choices that consumers find not just acceptable, but compelling.
1. Institute of Medicine.. April 20, 2010.
2. Grocery Manufacturers Association.. Washington, D.C., 2008.
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American PoetryIf we define poetry as the heart of man expressed in beautiful language,
we shall not say that we have no national poetry. True, America has
produced no Shakespeare and no Milton, but we have an inheritance in all
English literature; and many poets in America have followed in the
footsteps of their literary British forefathers.
Puritan life was severe. It was warfare, and manual labor of a most
exhausting type, and loneliness, and devotion to a strict sense of duty.
It was a life in which pleasure was given the least place and duty the
greatest. Our Puritan ancestors thought music and poetry dangerous,
if not actually sinful, because they made men think of this world rather
than of heaven. When Anne Bradstreet wrote our first known American
poems, she was expressing English thought; "The tenth muse" was not
animated by the life around her, but was living in a dream of the land
she had left behind; her poems are faint echoes of the poetry of England.
After time had identified her with life in the new world, she wrote
"Contemplations," in which her English nightingales are changed to
crickets and her English gilli-flowers to American blackberry vines.
The truly representative poetry of colonial times is Michael
Wigglesworth's "Day of Doom. This is the real heart of the Puritan,
his conscience, in imperfect rhyme. It fulfills the first part of our
definition, but shows by its lack of beautiful style that both elements
are necessary to produce real poetry.
Philip Freneau was the first American who sought to express his life in
poetry. The test of beauty of language again excludes from real poetry
some of his expressions and leaves us a few beautiful lyrics, such as
"The Wild Honeysuckle," in which the poet sings his love of American
nature. With them American poetry may be said to begin.
The first historical event of national importance was the American
Revolution. Amid the bitter years of want, of suffering, and of war; few
men tried to write anything beautiful. Life was harsh and stirring and
this note was echoed in all the literature. As a result we have
narrative and political poetry, such as "The Battle of the Kegs" and "A
Fable," dealing almost entirely with events and aiming to arouse military
ardor. In "The Ballad of Nathan Hale," the musical expression of
bravery, pride, and sympathy raises the poem so far above the rhymes of
their period that it will long endure as the most memorable poetic
expression of the Revolutionary period.
Poetry was still a thing of the moment, an avocation, not dignified by
receiving the best of a man. With William Cullen Bryant came a change.
He told our nation that in the new world as well as in the old some men
should live for the beautiful. Everything in nature spoke to him in
terms of human life. Other poets saw the re1ation between their own
lives and the life of the flowers and the birds, but Bryant constantly
expressed this relationship. The concluding stanza of "To a Waterfowl"
is the most perfect example of this characteristic, but it underlies also
the whole thought of his youthful poem "Thanatopsis" (A View of Death).
If we could all read the lives of our gentians and bobolinks as he did,
there would be more true poetry in America. Modern thinkers urge us to
step outside of ourselves into the lives of others and by our imagination
to share their emotions; this is no new ambition in America; since Bryant
in "The Crowded Street" analyzes the life in the faces he sees.
Until the early part of the nineteenth century American poetry dealt
mainly with the facts of history and the description of nature. A new
element of fancy is prominent in Joseph Rodman Drake's "The Culprit Fay."
It dances through a long narrative with the delicacy of the fay himself.
Edgar Allan Poe brought into our poetry somber sentiment and musical
expression. Puritan poetry was somber, but it was almost devoid of
sentiment. Poe loved sad beauty and meditated on the sad things in life.
Many of his poems lament the loss of some fair one. "To Helen," "Annabel
Lee" "Lenore," and "To One In Paradise" have the theme, while in "The
Raven" the poet is seeking solace for the loss of Lenore. "Eulalie--A
Song" rises, on the other hand to intense happiness. With Poe the sound
by which his idea was expressed was as important as the thought itself.
He knew how to make the sound suit the thought, as in "The Raven" and
"The Bells." One who understands no English can grasp the meaning of the
different sections from the mere sound, so clearly distinguishable are
the clashing of the brass and the tolling of the iron bells. If we
return to our definition of poetry as an expression of the heart of a
man, we shall find the explanation of these peculiarities: Poe was a man
of moods and possessed the ability to express these moods in appropriate
The contrast between the emotion of Poe and the calm spirit of the man
who followed him is very great. In Henry Wadsworth Longfellow American
poetry reached high-water mark. Lacadio Hearn in his "Interpretations
of Literature" says: "Really I believe that it is a very good test of any
Englishman's ability to feel poetry, simply to ask him, `Did you like
Longfellow when you were a boy?' If he says `No,' then it is no use to
talk to him on the subject of poetry at all, however much he might be
able to tell you about quantities and metres." No American has in equal
degree won the name of "household poet." If this term is correctly
understood, it sums up his merits more succinctly than can any other
Longfellow dealt largely with men and women and the emotions common to us
all. Hiawatha conquering the deer and bison, and hunting in despair for
food where only snow and ice abound; Evangeline faithful to her father
and her lover, and relieving suffering in the rude hospitals of a new
world; John Alden fighting the battle between love and duty; Robert of
Sicily learning the lesson of humility; Sir Federigo offering his last
possession to the woman he loved; Paul Revere serving his country in time
of need; the monk proving that only a sense of duty done can bring
happiness: all these and more express the emotions which we know are true
in our own lives. In his longer narrative poems he makes the legends of
Puritan life real to us; he takes English folk-lore and makes us see
Othere talking to Arthur, and the Viking stealing his bride. His short
poems are even better known than his longer narratives. In them he
expressed his gentle, sincere love of the young, the suffering, and the
sorrowful. In the Sonnets he showed; that deep appreciation of European
literature which made noteworthy his teaching at Harvard and his
He believed that he was assigned a definite task in the world which he
described as follows in his last poem:
"As comes the smile to the lips,
The foam to the surge;
So come to the Poet his songs,
All hitherward blown
From the misty realm, that belongs
To the vast unknown.
His, and not his, are the lays
He sings; and their fame
Is his, and not his; and the praise
And the pride of a name.
For voices pursue him by day
And haunt him by night,
And he listens and needs must obey,
When the Angel says: 'Write!'
John Greenleaf Whittier seems to suffer by coming in such close proximity
to Longfellow. Genuine he was, but his spirit was less buoyant than
Longfellow's and he touches our hearts less. Most of his early poems
were devoted to a current political issue. They aimed to win converts to
the cause of anti-slavery. Such poems always suffer in time in
comparison with the song of a man who sings because "the heart is so full
that a drop overfills it." Whittier's later poems belong more to this
class and some of them speak to-day to our emotions as well as to our
intellects. "The Hero" moves us with a desire to serve mankind, and the
stirring tone of "Barbara Frietchie" arouses our patriotism by its
picture of the same type of bravery. In similar vein is "Barclay of
Ury," which must have touched deeply the heart of the Quaker poet. "The
Pipes of Lucknow" is dramatic in its intense grasp of a climactic hour
and loses none of its force in the expression. We can actually hear the
skirl of the bagpipes. Whittier knew the artists of the world and talked
to us about Raphael and Burns with clear-sighted, affectionate interest.
His poems show varied characteristics; the love of the sterner aspects of
nature, modified by the appreciation of the humble flower; the conscience
of the Puritan, tinged with sympathy for the sorrowful; the steadfastness
of the Quaker, stirred by the fire of the patriot.
The poetry of Ralph Waldo Emerson is marked by serious contemplation
rather than by warmth of emotional expression. In Longfellow the appeal
is constantly to a heart which is not disassociated from a brain; in
Emerson the appeal is often to the intellect alone. We recognize the
force of the lesson in "The Titmouse," even if it leaves us less devoted
citizens than does "The Hero" and less capable women than does
"Evangeline." He reaches his highest excellence when he makes us feel as
well as understand a lesson, as in "The Concord Hymn" and "Forbearance."
If we could all write on the tablets of our hearts that single stanza,
forbearance would be a real factor in life. And it is to this poet whom
we call unemotional that we owe this inspiring quatrain:
"So nigh is grandeur to our dust,
So near is God to man,
When duty whispers low, Thou must,
The youth replies, I can!"
James Russell Lowell was animated by a well-defined purpose which he
described in the following lines:
"It may be glorious to write
Thoughts that make glad the two or three
High souls like those far stars that come in sight
Once in a century.
But better far it is to speak
One simple word which, now and then
Shall waken their free nature in the weak
And friendless sons of men.
To write some earnest verse or line
Which, seeking not the praise of art,
Shall make a clearer faith and manhood shine
In the untutored heart."
His very accomplishments made it difficult for him to reach this aim,
since his poetry does not move "the untutored heart" so readily as does
that of Longfellow or Whittier. It is, on the whole, too deeply burdened
with learning and too individual in expression to fulfil his highest
desire. Of his early poems the most generally known is probably "The
Vision of Sir Launfal," in which a strong moral purpose is combined with
lines of beautiful nature description:
"And what is so rare as a day in June?
Then, if ever, come perfect days.
Two works by which he will be permanently remembered show a deeper and
more effective Lowell. "The Biglow Papers" are the most successful of
all the American poems which attempt to improve conditions by means of
humor. Although they refer in the main to the situation at the time of
the Mexican War, they deal with such universal political traits that they
may be applied to almost any age. They are written in a Yankee dialect
which, it is asserted, was never spoken, but which enhances the humor, as
in "What Mr. Robinson Thinks." Lowell's tribute to Lincoln occurs in the
Ode which he wrote to commemorate the Harvard students who enlisted in
the Civil War. After dwelling on the search for truth which should be
the aim of every college student, he turns to the delineation of
Lincoln's character in a eulogy of great beauty. Clear in analysis, far-
sighted in judgment, and loving in sentiment, he expresses that opinion
of Lincoln which has become a part of the web of American thought. His
is no hurried judgment, but the calm statement of opinion which is to-day
accepted by the world:
"They all are gone, and, standing like a tower,
Our children shall behold his fame,
The kindly-earnest, brave, foreseeing man,
Sagacious, patient, dreading, praise, not blame,
Now birth of our new soil, the first American."
With Oliver Wendell Holmes comes the last of this brief American list of
honor. No other American has so combined delicacy with the New England
humor. We should be poorer by many a smile without "My Aunt" and "The
Deacon's Masterpiece." But this is not his entire gift. "The Chambered
Nautilus" strikes the chord of noble sentiment sounded in the last stanza
of "Thanatopsis" and it will continue to sing in our hearts "As the swift
seasons roll." There is in his poems the smile and the sigh of the well-
"And if I should live to be
The last leaf upon the tree
In the Spring.
Let them smile; as I do now;
As the old forsaken bough
Where I cling."
And is this all? Around these few names does all the fragrance of
American poetry hover? In the hurry, prosperity, and luxury of modern
life is the care if the flower of poetry lost? Surely not. The last
half of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth have
brought many beautiful flowers of poetry and hints of more perfect
blossoms. Lanier has sung of the life of the south he loved; Whitman and
Miller have stirred us with enthusiasm for the progress of the nation;
Field and Riley have made us laugh and cry in sympathy; Aldrich, Sill,
Van Dyke, Burroughs, and Thoreau have shared with us their hoard of
beauty. Among the present generation may there appear many men and women
whose devotion to the delicate flower shall be repaid by the gratitude of
Contributed by Carhart, Margaret Spraque
22 June 2003 | <urn:uuid:638eb7d0-6203-444c-a2d1-80be6810fda1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.humanitiesweb.org/spa/lai/ID/1539 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966837 | 3,187 | 3.765625 | 4 |
The Matter at Issue: The Throne of France
The Hundred Years War was fought largely over who would be the king of France. The English kings, who had originally been French nobles that invaded and conquered England in 1066, still held lands in France. The English lands in France had long been viewed uncomfortably by the French king. Through the 13th century, strong French kings had reclaimed French lands held by the English kings. By the early 14th century, three events came together. First, the English kings noted that one more push by the French would deive the English completely out of France. Second, the French were entering a period of weak kings. Third, the English throne was now occupied by the young, vigorous, able and (ultimately) long lived Edward III. In any other circumstances it would appear absurd for the English king to come up with the idea of claiming the French throne in order to protect English lands in France. But Edward III was bold and, in one of those uniquely Medieval ironies, he had law and custom on his side. The English claim to the French throne was strong, as were the English armies and Edward IIIs resolve. The resulting war outlived Edward, and his great grandson, Henry V, came within a hair of actually taking the French throne.
The items below explain the situation in rather more detail.
Historical Kings of France
Historical Kings of England
The English Position of the Throne of France
The French Ultimatum
A Summary of Overlapping Claims to Various Thrones | <urn:uuid:1f4f86d3-c09c-44ad-95d3-340f176f8e84> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hyw.com/books/history/France__.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984246 | 313 | 3.84375 | 4 |
And as good as today's beginning stages of deflation may feel, especially when filling up at a service station or shopping for a house, economists warn that there is a high price to pay down the road and that current monetary policy is only raising that price.
Of course, not all price reductions are created equal. A price drop that stems primarily from an increase in technological efficiency is not deflation; it's progress. Deflation is a fall in prices that stems from a shrinking money supply, just as inflation is a price hike that stems from an increase in the supply of money.
Deflation ramps up when people borrow to make a big purchase on the assumption that what they are buying will be worth more later. But if prices fall, the loan will have to be repaid in dollars that are worth more than the dollars they borrowed, making the debt more onerous. As a result, when people expect falling prices, they become less willing to spend, and in particular less willing to borrow. And when that happens, the economy may stay depressed because people expect deflation, and deflation may continue because the economy remains depressed. It's a nasty cycle and it can often be traced back to the central bank's balance sheet expansion.
Deflation is the one thing that a leveraged economy can't handle, said Steve Blitz, chief economist at ITG Investment Research. The implication on the whole economy is potentially ruinous. The idea that every time the stock markets have some kind of a hiccup and they [the Fed policymakers] need to rush in with some sort of quantitative ease is a dangerous road for them to go on.
Deflation is always a risk if you engage in a policy of inflation, said Albert Lu, managing director and chief portfolio manager of WB Advisors.
The problem with the addiction to money-printing is that it can't stop without dire -- albeit in the long-term healthy -- short-term economic consequences, he said.
To jump-start the economy, the central bank would increase the money supply and bank credit to support certain sectors or projects. That's what the Fed did after the dot-com bubble of 1995-2000 burst. The problem is that once the Fed stops the infusion of additional credit and money, deflation rapidly takes hold. It then takes an ever-increasing amount of new money creation to achieve a temporary suppression of deflation's symptoms.
Inflation-sustained projects are unsustainable because the expansion rests on government fiat, not economic fundamentals like supply and demand. Take the government's determination to promote home ownership. That public policy was advanced with easy money, especially during Alan Greenspan's leadership of the Fed, compulsory lending to unqualified borrowers and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac buying tranches of subprime mortgages. Home ownership boomed. And then it collapsed. Home prices still haven't recovered: U.S. home prices fell in March (the latest data available), ending the first quarter at the lowest levels since the housing crisis began in mid-2006, according to Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller home-price indexes. Prices are down roughly 35 percent from their peak in the second quarter of 2006.
Essentially, as soon as the government stops the expansion, you are going to hit one of these deflationary corrections with all of the nasty business cycles that accompany it, Lu said.
And often how the government reacts to that is with additional stimulus. For a third year in a row, the U.S. is seeing an economic slowdown and in response, policymakers could be unveiling policy sequels such as: Fiscal Stimulus 4, Operation Twist 2 or Quantitative Easing 3.
They are basically keeping the thing going by continuously adding money and credit, Lu said. This is just delaying the correction we need.
We've been prolonging the agony, and the final correction will be much worse than it had to be, Lu said.
Let Them Fail
The depression of 1920-21 shows why the Fed should sit on its collective hands at their June Federal Open Market Committee meeting.
From the spring of 1920 to the summer of 1921, nominal gross domestic product fell by 23.9 percent, wholesale prices by 40.8 percent and the consumer price index dropped by 8.3 percent. Meanwhile, unemployment topped out at about 14 percent from a pre-bust level of as low as 2 percent.
In response, the administration of Warren G. Harding balanced the budget and the Fed tightened money supply, pushing up short-term rates in mid-depression to as high as 8.13 percent.
Harding also decided to let the ailing businesses fail. Then something wonderful happened: The economy purged itself and by 1923, the nation's unemployment rate fell back to 3.2 percent.
There was no government bailout, no rock-bottom interest rates, no QE, no stimulus of any kind. Yet the depression ended.
We actually need a deflation. Believe it or not, it's actually healthy, Lu said. However painful it is, deflation is the natural consequence of prior inflation and is a necessary step in the economic recovery.
Trying to avoid it through additional Fed action will prolong the depression, Lu said. | <urn:uuid:03b5b79f-c0ee-4372-9eef-383f13bec1be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ibtimes.com/us-economists-warn-fed-setting-us-deflation-705540 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955097 | 1,057 | 2.625 | 3 |
In fact, the United States apparently just emerged from the hottest spring on record.
The period between June 2011 and May of this year was the warmest on record since NOAA record keeping began in 1985. Aside from Washington, every state experienced higher-than-average temperatures during that period, which also featured the second-warmest summer and fourth-warmest winter in almost 28 years.
The nation's average temperature during those 12 months hovered at 56 degrees Fahrenheit, reportedly 3.2 degrees above the long-term average, surpassing the previous record, which was just set in April, in an analysis of temperatures between May 2011 and April 2012. The warmer-than-average conditions persisted through the winter and spring, resulting in a limited snowfall that the Rutgers Global Snow Lab reports was the third-smallest on record for the contiguous U.S.
The rising temperatures may have altered precipitation patterns as well, according to NOAA. While the country as a whole actually experienced a drier spring than usual, the West Coast, Northern Plains and Upper Midwest regions were simultaneously wetter than average.
On a more concerning note, the prevalence of natural disasters, such as the disastrous tornado in Joplin, Mo., and the massive, hurricane-caused flooding in Vermont, that plagued the country over the past year were also far form usual. The U.S. Climate Extreme Index, which tracks extremes in temperatures, precipitation, drought and tropical cyclones, reached 44 percent this past spring. That's twice the average value.
The NOAA report is not the only recent analysis to note the prevalence, and consequences, of rising temperatures. On Thursday, NASA reported that scientists have discovered unprecedented blooms of plant life beneath the waters of the Arctic Ocean. While that certainly does not seem like cause for concern, NASA noted it was likely caused by a thinning of the Arctic Ocean's three-foot thick layer of ice, allowing the sun to penetrate that ice to foster plant life under the sea.
A continuous rise in summer temperatures is expected to triple the number of heat-related deaths in the U.S. by the end of the century, the Natural Resources Defense Council reported last month. In an analysis of peer-reviewed data, the organization said summer temperatures could rise by 4 to 11 degrees Fahrenheit by that time due to human-induced climate change, which could increase the number of summer heat-related deaths from 1,300 to 4,600 a year. | <urn:uuid:628e935a-7678-4d56-8179-04a384233ade> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ibtimes.com/us-just-had-warmest-year-record-noaa-report-702027 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957367 | 499 | 3.625 | 4 |
Education:Gala Celebrations 4 Telecommunications
Grade 9 / World History / Technology
Time Required for Completed Lesson
30 minutes for introduction and 40 minutes for presentations, time will vary based on size of class; work can be completed in class or out of class
6.2.12.C.1.e, 6.2.12.D.2.e, 6.2.12.C.3.d, 6.2.12.C.4.d, 6.2.12.D.5.c, 6.2.12.D.6.a
Common Core State Standards
SL.9-10.4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task. SL.9-10.5. Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. SL.9-10.6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
Computer lab or laptop cart if working on assignment in class; lap top with projector required for presentations
Open class with a discussion about telecommunications and celebrations. How do people communication? How has communication changed? How do we celebrate milestones in our lives – births, marriages, birthdays? Share with students article - Happy Anniversary: First email Sent with an Attachment Turns 20! (See resources below for link) Brainstorm with class a celebration honoring this telecommunications milestone.
Divide classes into small groups – 2 or 3 students in each group. Groups can be assigned telecommunications milestones or pick their own milestone. Each group should have a different milestone. Milestones can included Gutenberg’s improved Printing Press, the Optical Telegraph, the American Postal Service, the Pony Express, the Stagecoach, the Telegraph, Morse Code, the Telephone, the Radio, the Electronic Television, the Internet, Pagers, Cellular Devices, Social Media Websites, and E-mail. The student groups will work as party planners. Their task is to plan and present a Gala Celebration honoring their telecommunications milestone. The plan can be presented in a PowerPoint or Prezi format. The plan must include the following: a meaningful date and location for the celebration, an invitation, decorations, guest list (of living and deceased dignitaries), basic menu, entertainment and party favors. Student groups are given two weeks to complete their presentations. (See resources section below for links)
Be sure to pair students with a higher level learner to help her/him with activity. Be prepared to share additional notes with students and if necessary extend due dates.
Group Project and Presentation Rubrics
Language Arts (presentation skills, research skills)
Review and return rubrics to students. Decorate the classroom or bulletin boards with printed invitations for the Gala Celebrations. | <urn:uuid:f75a8a30-c654-45b7-b9fb-ac81fb5610fb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Education:Gala_Celebrations_4_Telecommunications | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.847939 | 630 | 3.390625 | 3 |
Written into History
Pulitzer Prize Reporting of the Twentieth Century from The New York Times
By Anthony Lewis (Editor)
(Times Books, Hardcover, 9780805068498, 352pp.)
Publication Date: October 2001
Other Editions of This Title: Hardcover
With each news day, history unfolds as steadfast journalists uncover facts and public opinion. Drawn from the New York Times's archive of an unparalleled seventy-nine Pulitzer Prizes, Written Into History offers a fascinating record of the twentieth century.
The Times's award-winning reports range from Antarctic dispatches on the Byrd expedition to the eyewitness account of the atomic bomb, from the First Amendment battle to publish the Pentagon Papers to the personal narrative of an interracial friendship. Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Lewis culled through the newspaper's most acclaimed writing to chronicle life and history as it was happening, with such highlights as Otto Tolischus on Hitler, David Halberstam on Vietnam, J. Anthony Lukas on hippies, and Anna Quindlen on AIDS.
Lewis tells the stories behind the stories, describing journalism's changing role in the world. For armchair historians and aspiring reporters, this is a rich and memorable portrait of a century by the men and women who most artfully observed it.
Two-time Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist Anthony Lewis is the author of Make No Law and the bestseller Gideon's Trumpet. Among the highlights of his nearly five decades of writing and reporting for the New York Times, he served as the Times's London bureau chief for eight years and contributes the twice-weekly "Abroad at Home" column to the paper's op-ed page.
"The kind of even-shaping journalism pioneered by Pulitzer is on display in Written into History, a collection of Pulitzer Prize reporting from the New York Times. Editor Anthony Lewis chronicles changes in the attitude of the press toward the presidency and government, as reflected in the kind of reporting that won the prize over the years and the trend toward recognizing more analytical writing. He also provides background on the history of the Pulitzer Prize and the arduous decision-making process. The selected award-winning articles (the Times has won more Pulitzers than any other American newspaper) are sorted into the following categories: investigative reporting; dangerous stories that put reporters at risk; international news; public advocacy; criticism of the arts; science reporting; and biographical and human-interest stories. Among the topics are Russian slave-labor camps during the 1950s, the Pentagon Papers, the Vietnam War, and exploitation of illegal aliens in the U.S."—Vanessa Bush, Booklist
"Lewis (Gideon's Trumpet) a writer with the New York Times for nearly five decades and himself a two-time Pulitzer winner succeeds in presenting some of the world's best recent journalism . . . There are plenty of both prominent and almost-forgotten stories: 'Red' Smith on the near-bankruptcy of New York City in the 1970s, Max Frankel on Nixon's 1972 visit to China, Linda Greenhouse on failed Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork. Lewis's fine introductory essay describes the post-Vietnam transformation of American journalism. The war and Watergate, he contends, made the press more skeptical of those in power and more confrontational in tone. Pulitzer Prizes increasingly went to fearless reporters like David Halberstam, whose tragically prescient analysis, in 1963, of the worsening situation in Vietnam constitutes one of the highlights of this book . . . Another highlight is Lewis's own analysis of the Warren court, which moved aggressively to 'federalize' legal protections in the areas of civil rights and criminal due process. It's a paragon of accessible legal writing. Perhaps the best, and certainly the most important, piece in the collection is Mirta Ojito's unforgettable recent story of two Cuban immigrants, one black and one white and how race comes to define and divide the two friends once they move to Miami. The piece is everything great journalism should be: empathetic, unmistakably relevant and a challenge to our basic ideals. For anyone interested in recent history or journalism at its best, this book will prove worthwhile."—Publishers Weekly | <urn:uuid:8a1e1f28-dd32-451a-bd69-c2585938da40> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780805068498 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92667 | 867 | 2.53125 | 3 |
What Is It?
Varicose veins occur when veins just below the skin's surface are damaged, become swollen and fill with too much blood.
Veins are the blood vessels that return blood to the heart. Arteries carry blood away from the heart to the rest of the body.
Varicose veins most commonly occur in the legs. In about 50% of cases, the condition runs in families, and probably is related to an inherited weakness in the veins' walls or the valves inside veins that keep blood from backing up.
Pregnancy is another common cause of varicose veins. During pregnancy, the volume of blood increases causing veins to expand. Also, occupations that require uninterrupted standing (waitresses and waiters, nurses, mothers with young children) may force leg veins and valves to work against gravity for hours, increasing the risk of pressure-related vein and valve damage. Garters also can increase the risk of varicose veins if their tight elastics slow blood flow in the legs.
Varicose veins are 2 to 3 times more common in women than men. Obese people are more likely to develop varicose veins.
Varicose veins can be associated with prior blood clots and damage to the deeper veins in one or both legs, a situation that sometimes can lead to chronic venous insufficiency. When this happens, the veins lose their ability to effectively move blood back to the heart. This can cause significant leg swelling and skin sores or ulcers.
In the legs, varicose veins commonly are found along the inside of the leg, at the ankles and at the back of the calf. The affected veins look blue, swollen or stretched out, kinked or twisted.
In some people, varicose veins do not cause any symptoms. However, other people may experience one or more of the following:
- A dull ache in the legs
- A feeling of pressure or heaviness in the legs
- Swollen feet and ankles
- Itching skin near the damaged veins
In more severe cases of chronic venous insufficiency, a slowing of blood flow through the vein can lead to localized skin changes, including dryness, a rash or brownish discoloration and open sores (ulcers). Slow blood flow also can cause a clot to form inside the affected vein. This condition is called thrombosis.
In general, symptoms of varicose veins are worse at the end of the day, especially after periods of prolonged standing. Some women also find that their symptoms are more intense during the days before their menstrual periods, and during pregnancy.
Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms and about your family history of varicose veins. He or she also will ask about your lifestyle, especially the number of hours that you spend on your feet. In women, your doctor will ask about your pregnancy history and about the tightness of elastics on the socks or stockings you wear.
Your doctor can diagnose varicose veins with a simple physical examination. In most cases, no special tests are necessary.
Varicose veins are a long-term problem, but symptoms can come and go. If you are pregnant and experiencing severe problems with varicose veins, your symptoms will improve after delivery. However, your varicose veins probably will not disappear totally, and you can expect symptoms to return during future pregnancies.
You can help to prevent varicose veins by maintaining a normal weight and by avoiding situations where you must stand for prolonged periods. Even with these preventive measures, however, you still may develop varicose veins if this condition tends to run in your family.
If you already have varicose veins, you can prevent symptom flare-ups by periodically lying down or sitting down with your legs elevated above the level of your chest. Some physicians also recommend that you wear support stockings or more specialized compression stockings when you walk or stand for long periods of time. The stockings prevent blood from pooling in the veins, and prevent strain on the valves and leg swelling.
Treatment for most people with mild symptoms of varicose veins includes:
- Elevating and supporting the legs periodically throughout the day
- Wearing compression stockings
For varicose veins that are close to the skin, dermatologists or vascular surgeons may offer sclerotherapy or laser therapy. Sclerotherapy involves injection of an irritating into the affected vein, causing the vein to scar and shut down. Laser therapy can be effective for the smallest varicose veins.
People with severe venous insufficiency can develop recurrent blood clots and skin ulcers. The traditional surgery is called vein stripping and ligation. In this surgical procedure, the abnormal veins are tied off and pulled out of the body through series of small cuts in the skin. Another surgical procedure, called ambulatory phlebectomy, also removes veins through small skin incisions, but it is less invasive than classic stripping and ligation.
Newer therapies include endovenous thermal ablation and transilluminated power phlebotomy (a modified form of ambulatory phlebotomy). Endovenous thermal ablation uses laser or high-frequency radio waves to heat the abnormal veins. These newer procedures appear to cause less scarring, with less "down time."
External laser therapy is reserved primarily for cosmetic removal of small, superficial, spider-like veins.
When to Call a Professional
Call your doctor whenever you have pain, swelling, skin ulcers or an unexplained area of bruising on your legs. New leg swelling, especially in just one leg, can be caused by a blood clot, which requires immediate treatment.
If you have varicose veins, call your doctor immediately if you develop an ulcer or a painful, black and blue area near a varicose vein or if you cut the skin over a varicose vein and you have trouble controlling the bleeding.
Varicose veins are a long-term problem, but their symptoms often can be controlled with leg elevation and therapeutic stockings.
Surgical procedures remove varicose veins permanently, but they leave scars, and they cannot prevent new varicose veins from forming.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
P.O. Box 30105
Bethesda, MD 20824-0105
American College of Surgeons (ACS)
633 North Saint Clair St.
Chicago, IL 60611-3211 | <urn:uuid:a9d62cbe-98e6-4351-88a3-fd81aeda1b82> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC267/8059/28040/266771.html?d=dmtHealthAZ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924717 | 1,332 | 3.5 | 4 |
Only 1% of all cancer cases in the U.S. are cancers of the testicle. But it is the most common form of cancer in young men. In 2012, it is estimated that there will be 8,600 new cases of testicular cancer, and that 360 men will die from this disease.
There are several risk factors for testicular cancer:
- Most cases happen in young men, typically 15-40 years of age. But older men may also develop the disease.
- Failure of one or both testicles to descend from within the body before birth (known as cryptorchidism). This raises the risk of cancer approximately ten-fold.
- If there is cancer in one testicle, the risk for cancer in the other testicle goes up.
- When a first-degree family member (father, brother or son) has been affected.
- Having Klinefelters syndrome (a congenital abnormality of chromosomes).
But in the majority of cases, there arent any risk factors present. And there is no evidence that injuring the testicle or getting a sexually transmitted disease (other than HIV) increases the risk of cancer.
If its detected early, testicular cancer responds exceptionally well to treatment. The survival rate for early-stage tumors is over 95%. Treatment is less effective if the diagnosis is delayed.
You should see your doctor right away if:
- You have pain in your testicle
- You notice new lumps
- Any of your testicles gets bigger
Some doctors recommend that young men do regular testicle self-exams. But there is no proof that self-exam leads to earlier diagnosis and better outcomes. | <urn:uuid:c625a662-e347-4e0b-81b4-bfc61785e8f4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC267/8096/8122/1430160.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936585 | 346 | 3.328125 | 3 |
Gay and Lesbian Issues
The adolescent years are full of challenges, many related to sex and sexual identity. These issues can be especially difficult for teens who are (or think they may be) homosexual. Homosexual teens deserve the same understanding and respect as heterosexual teens, and it is important for everyone to know the facts about homosexuality. Here are the basics.
Each of us has a biological sex (we have a male or female body), a gender identity (we feel like a male or female), and a sexual orientation (we are attracted to males or females). Homosexuality refers to a person's sexual orientation; homosexual teen-agers have strong romantic or sexual feelings for a person of the same sex. Heterosexual teen-agers are attracted to people of the opposite sex, and bisexual teens are attracted to people of both sexes.
The word "gay" is used to describe both men and women who are homosexual, with the word "lesbian" specifically referring to a homosexual woman. It is estimated that 10 percent of the population in the United States and throughout the world is lesbian or gay.
Although scientists don't know why some people are homosexual and others are not, most believe that homosexuality is a normal variation of sexual orientation. It may be genetic, result from natural substances (hormones) in the body, be influenced by the environment before or after birth, or, most likely, several of these things working in combination. Homosexual teens are found in all types of families. Homosexuality is not caused by "bad parenting." If your teen is gay, it is not because of anything you or anyone else did.
Homosexuality also is not something a person chooses, nor is it an illness that can be cured. According to the American Psychiatric Association, so-called therapies such as "reparative therapy" and "transformational ministry" don't work and actually can be harmful, causing guilt and anxiety in homosexual teens.
Not all teen-agers who are attracted to members of the same sex are homosexual. Many teens experiment with their sexuality during adolescence, in much the same way that they experiment with clothing, body art or music. This brief sexual experimentation is thought to be a normal part of sexual development. For homosexual teens, the attraction to people of the same sex is stronger and longer lasting.
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Every family is different. While one parent may find out by chance that a teen is homosexual, others may hear directly from their teen in person, in a letter or by a phone call. When a teen tells other people that he is homosexual, it's called "coming out." Although this process sometimes can be difficult or painful for families, it also can be a time of tremendous growth. It is important to remember that all teens need their family's support and acceptance, especially when they are dealing with sensitive issues.
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"Coming out" can be scary and painful, and parents need to reassure their children that they will not be loved any less for sharing the truth about themselves. If your teen tells you he is gay, let him know that you love him unconditionally, and accept him no matter what.
Show your teen that you care by learning more about homosexuality. Read books on the subject or check out reputable Web sites (such as www.pflag.org). Talk to some adults you know who are gay. Look for organizations or support groups in your community that can give you information on homosexuality. It will be easier for you to support your teen when you know more and are comfortable with the subject.
Parents may worry about how friends, neighbors and family will react to their teen's homosexuality. It is usually best not to share any information without your teen-ager's permission. Unfortunately, prejudice against homosexuals is widespread, mostly due to ignorance and fear. When your teen is ready for you to let others know, you should talk with them about your teen's sexual orientation and help them to understand, by using what you have learned.
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Growing up as a homosexual in a mostly heterosexual society often is not easy. Gay and lesbian adolescents sometimes must cope with unfair, prejudiced, and even violent behavior at school, at home and in the community. They may feel fear or be alone and unsupported. This can push some teens to use drugs and alcohol, engage in risky sexual behavior, or even attempt suicide. It is important that homosexual teens feel supported by their parents and always able to talk openly with them about these issues.
Overall, most gay and lesbian youth grow up to be well-adjusted and happy adults, with successful careers and family lives.
Books for parents of the newly out:
"Is it A Choice? Answers to 300 Most Asked Questions About Gay and Lesbian People" by Eric Marcus
"Loving Someone Gay" by Don Clark, Ph.D.
"My Child is Gay" by Bryce McDougall, editor
Last updated May 29, 2011 | <urn:uuid:83d99630-30d5-4811-bdcf-250bf5d3fac5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/34970/34997/362814.html?d=dmtChildGuide | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961853 | 1,006 | 3.59375 | 4 |
| ||What Your Doctor Is Saying || |
What Are the Odds? Understanding Risk
Last reviewed on September 12, 2012
By Robert H. Shmerling, M.D.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
"If you take this medication, you will reduce your risk of disease by 20%, and 98% of people taking it have no serious side effects."
Sounds good, right? Perhaps not. What if your chance of getting the disease is only one in 1,000 but two people out of every 100 experience a deadly side effect?
Talk About Risk
Doctors, nurses, reporters and drug advertisers often talk about risk, though they may not call it that. In fact, they often use other terms that sound logical and understandable such as "chance" or "likelihood" (as in "if you smoke, you will increase your chances of having lung disease"). Alternatively, they may couch the terms in personal experience (as in "I think this medicine will help you; it works for most of my patients"). Or, the message may be even more vague: When a doctor says "I think this therapy will help and I doubt it will cause you any problems," the doctor is really saying he or she hopes it helps because it usually does, but that there is a risk that the medication will cause side effects and/or that it will not work.
Whether or not the word is used, these are all examples of risk, the notion that something might or might not happen and that the likelihood is not zero or 100%. I was taught in medical school to "never say never and never say always," because absolute certainty is so rare.
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Risk Is Not Simple
Risk is a trickier concept than many people think. It may seem like something to avoid at all costs, but the fact is that while you may be able to choose one risk over another, you cannot always avoid risk altogether. Avoiding one risk may pose other risks. For example, if you have high blood pressure and a doctor prescribes a medication to lower it, there is a risk of side effects from the medication; but by avoiding the risk of having a side effect, you increase the risk that you will have a stroke due to untreated high blood pressure.
Many people view any risk at all as a terrible thing, but it is important to realize that it represents a chance that something will happen, not a certainty. Even when talking about bad outcomes (such as the risk of surgery or the risk of medication side effects), there is often an excellent chance that nothing bad will happen.
Consider this example. For a person suffering chronic arthritis and terrible joint pain for the last two years, symptoms probably will continue unless something changes (such as starting an effective treatment). The risk of side effects from any medication is clearly important, but it must be weighed against the high risk that joint pain will continue. If three out of 100 people taking a high-dose anti-inflammatory medication (such as ibuprofen) develop a stomach ulcer each year (that is, if the yearly risk is 3%), it is important to weigh that against the risk of ongoing pain (which is much higher). And it also means that 97 out of 100 people will not suffer an ulcer as they enjoy the benefits of the medication.
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The Confusing Ways To Describe Risk
The other reason risk is confusing is that there are many ways it can be described. People may choose one way to describe risk to emphasize how high it is, while others use another way to express the same risk to downplay it. Remarkably, the same risk can seem quite different depending on how it is expressed.
One of the most common areas of confusion comes with the difference between absolute risk and relative risk. Imagine that you are offered a choice of two medications to reduce your risk of a heart attack:
- Medication A will decrease your risk of heart attack by 20%.
- Medication B reduces your risk from 5% to 4%.
If you think that Medication A sounds better, you are not alone. Relative risk is described, by comparing the new risk with the risk before treatment. Although vitally important, the actual risk with and without the medicine is not mentioned for Medication A. If you thought Medication B sounds less impressive, perhaps it's because knowing that the starting and ending risks are similar that is, knowing the actual, or absolute, risks makes the change seem less dramatic. This is particularly true when overall risk is very low or very high in the first place. Although they provide a more accurate assessment of risk, expressions of absolute risk are often missing from news or ads.
Most of us would think that Medication A is better. But as described, Medication A and B could be the same drug. Reducing a risk of 5 in 100 to 4 in 100 is identical to a 20% relative risk reduction.
So it is not surprising that what you usually read in news reports and see in advertisements are changes in relative risk rather than the more critical number, the absolute risk. The relative risk tends to be the larger and more persuasive number. For the person or advertiser trying to make a dramatic point, most people find it easier to relate to one number (20% risk reduction for medication A) rather than keeping track of the initial risk and how it changes with treatment (5% to 4% for medication B). However, the simplicity of relative risk comes at the cost of incomplete and potentially misleading information. Without knowing where you started, a relative risk reduction of 20% can be nearly meaningless.
Consider one of the most commonly prescribed medications in the world: the birth control pill. For nonsmoking women aged 25 to 29, the risk of death attributed to side effects of the pill is estimated at about 1 in 100,000 and doubles for women who are 30 to 34. If a 33-year-old woman were told she has twice the risk of dying from a birth control pill than a woman under 30, she might incorrectly interpret this as high risk. In fact, even though her risk is slightly higher than for younger women (by 0.001%), she is actually at a very low risk of dying, even lower than the estimated risk of death related to childbirth (10 to 25 per 100,000, also rising with age).
There are, of course, other ways to express risk that shape how it is perceived. Reports of new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed "every three minutes" or the lifetime risk of breast cancer being one in nine, are not very helpful in understanding your own particular risk. Estimating your individual risk by considering factors known to affect it (for example, smoking, which dramatically increases the risk of lung cancer) is a better way to express risk. The generally quoted figure for the risk of getting struck by lightning is 1 in 600,000, but it's much greater if you are holding a metal rod (for instance, a golf club) on a hill during a thunderstorm.
Risk tends to be better understood when broken down by a finite length of time, such as five or 10 years, rather than over one's entire life. Reports of lifetime risk may also include disease that has no bearing on one's overall health, such as a slow-growing prostate tumor that never affects health or longevity (a common scenario among elderly men).
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The Bottom Line
It is important to acknowledge that risk is easy to misunderstand even with accurate and unbiased information. Cynics say statistics can be used to argue any position, and there is some truth to that. But there are some simple measures you can take to get a better handle on risk:
- Acknowledge that risk is a fact of life and often cannot be avoided entirely. In fact, most decisions one makes about how to prevent or treat disease depend on balancing the risks and benefits of the treatment options.
- Look for reports that put the risk in context. One way is to compare one risk to another, more familiar risk. For example, the risk of contracting a rare disease could be compared with being struck by lightning, while a more common condition could be compared with the risk of injury or death in a car accident.
- Ask yourself if the source is objective and seeks only to inform you, or whether there is another goal in mind. Sometimes it's easy: If the source is an advertiser trying to sell you something, the information is more likely to be biased.
- Beware of reports that use lifetime risk or ones that convert the number of cases per year to cases per day or hour. Even if they are technically accurate, they are probably overemphasizing the point.
What matters most is the absolute rather than the relative risk. In my initial example of the drug with a 20% relative risk reduction with no serious side effects in 98% of users, two fewer people out of every 10,000 would get the disease, but 200 would experience a deadly side effect clearly an example of a treatment that is worse than the disease. But it's also an example of how misleading descriptions of risk can be.
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Robert H. Shmerling, M.D. is associate physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and associate professor at Harvard Medical School. He has been a practicing rheumatologist for over 20 years at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He is an active teacher in the Internal Medicine Residency Program, serving as the Robinson Firm Chief. He is also a teacher in the Rheumatology Fellowship Program. | <urn:uuid:b2acee5e-9187-49d6-8f94-3b986893c9ad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/c/35320/35328/370885.html?d=dmtHMSContent | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963194 | 1,958 | 2.84375 | 3 |
The satellite images displayed are infrared (IR) images. Warmest (lowest) clouds are shown in white; coldest (highest) clouds are displayed in shades of yellow, red, and purple. Imagery is obtained from the GOES and METEOSAT geostationary satellites, and the two US Polar Orbiter (POES) satellites. POES satellites orbit the earth 14 times each day at an altitude of approximately 520 miles (870 km). As each orbit is made the satellite can view a 1,600 mile (2,700 km) wide area of the earth. Due to the rotation of the earth the satellite is able to view every spot on earth twice each day. Data from multiple orbits are mosaicked together to provide wide scale global and full earth views in a single image. Occasional dark triangular areas that occur on POES images are a result of gaps in data transmitted from the orbiters.
A weather satellite
is a type of satellite that is primarily used to monitor the weather
of the Earth. These meteorological satellites, however, see more than clouds
and cloud systems
. City lights, fires, effects of pollution, auroras, sand and dust storms, snow cover
, ice mapping, boundaries of ocean
currents, energy flows, etc., are other types of environmental information collected using weather satellites.
Weather satellite images helped in monitoring the volcanic ash cloud from Mount St. Helens and activity from other volcanoes such as Mount Etna. Smoke from fires in the western United States such as Colorado and Utah have also been monitored.
Other environmental satellites can detect changes in the Earth's vegetation, sea
color, and ice fields. For example, the 2002 oil spill off the northwest coast of Spain was watched carefully by the European ENVISAT, which, though not a weather satellite, flies an instrument (ASAR) which can see changes in the sea surface
El Niño and its effects on weather are monitored daily from satellite images. The Antarctic ozone hole is mapped from weather satellite data. Collectively, weather satellites flown by the U.S., Europe, India, China, Russia, and Japan provide nearly continuous observations
for a global weather | <urn:uuid:17aa89d7-2e77-436d-8420-15d2c5bd50ff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.intellicast.com/National/Satellite/Regional.aspx?location=UKXX2049 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.90928 | 446 | 3.921875 | 4 |
... 1542, Catherine Howard was beheaded for adultery at the Tower of London. Of this queen (below right), the 5th of 6 wives of the English King Henry VIII, this website writes:
Catherine Howard did not have an impact upon English history. She is perhaps the most inconsequential of Henry VIII's six wives, her reign as queen a very brief eighteen months. She bore no children and made no lasting impression upon those who knew her. But it should be remembered that she was thirty years younger than her husband, a silly young girl who never understood the dangers of royal regard. Her life was over before it had truly begun; we can only wonder how it might have ended differently.Not a word of fault found with the fatally fickle king.
... 1961, officials in the province of Katanga announced that the man who'd served from June to September 1960 as Congo's 1st Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba, was dead. It was claimed that Lumumba (below left) had been "killed by villagers trying to take him into custody"; however, years later that was deemed not to be the whole truth. According to the BBC:
A Belgian Government inquiry into the murders reported in November 2001 that they would not have taken place without the complicity of Belgian and American intelligence services.
In February 2002 the Belgian Government made its first official apology for its part in the assassinations and has set up a $3m fund to encourage democracy and development in the Democratic Republic of Congo. | <urn:uuid:c6b75581-5f17-4895-9f06-f0141c2afcc0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.intlawgrrls.com/2009/02/on-february-13.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984636 | 308 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Kate Wiley (202) 633-3129
Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center Spotlights Hollywood’s History of Innovation
“Places of Invention” Exhibition to Feature Development of Technicolor
The Academy Awards would be much less colorful without the innovations in 1930s and ’40s Hollywood filmmaking that the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation will showcase in its upcoming “Places of Invention” exhibition, set to open in 2015.
Initiative and creativity drove Hollywood’s “Golden Age”—a time of great technological change in the motion picture industry, moving from silent and black-and-white to sound and color. “Places of Invention” will highlight the invention and adoption of Technicolor, detailing the three-strip process used in The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind and reveal the people behind its success, inventors Herbert Kalmus, Daniel Comstock and W. Burton Westcott, who set up shop in Hollywood in 1923. Also integral to its success was Natalie Kalmus, a consultant for Technicolor on many classic films who, in making decisions about makeup, costumes and lighting, controlled the aura of Technicolor.
“Our take on the Hollywood story goes behind the camera to examine the inventions that significantly changed both the way movies were made and the complexity and popularity of movies themselves,” said Art Molella, director of the center. “The Hollywood and Technicolor stories exemplify the outcomes possible when creativity and collaboration are allowed to thrive.”
The invention and evolution of Technicolor made possible such awards as Best Visual Effects while transforming Hollywood into a hot spot of innovation—a place where a critical mass of inventive people, networks, institutions and funding come together and creativity flourishes.
This year alone, six of the nine nominees for Best Picture implemented various Technicolor technologies in their films. Overall, 19 films nominated for Oscars employed Technicolor’s various offerings in their respective films.
“Places of Invention”—made possible by a $2.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation—will feature a selection of hot spots of invention and innovation. The planned 3,500-square-foot exhibition will focus on the mid-19th century to the present and will feature hands-on experiences based on inventive skill-building and illustrating the ways that places and social collaboration shape the inventive process. For more on the exhibition, visit http://invention.smithsonian.org/places.
The Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center’s activities advance scholarship on the history of invention, share stories about inventors and their work and nurture creativity in young people. The center embodies a philosophy akin to that of the inventors we study, of valuing creativity and embracing the potential rewards of intellectual risk-taking. The center is supported by The Lemelson Foundation, a private philanthropy established by one of the country’s most prolific inventors, Jerome Lemelson, and his family. The Lemelson Center is located in the National Museum of American History. For more information, visit http://invention.smithsonian.org.
# # # | <urn:uuid:54d4806c-969d-4feb-9ca3-138375448d96> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.invention.smithsonian.org/pressroom/press_release_detail.aspx?id=740 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.913661 | 663 | 2.59375 | 3 |
For the first time since 1415, we are going to have a conclave or papal election with no Pope to bury beforehand. But the procedures for the election are not affected by this ‘novelty.’ Dan Brown might seem an unlikely source for information on a Papal election but the detailed description in Angels and Demons was apparently taken from a book by a Jesuit scholar and is quite accurate.
When the See of Rome is declared vacant – normally when a Pope dies – most of the senior prelates who were the Pope’s ‘ministers’ resign. Power is entrusted to a cardinal called the Camerlengo, in this case Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who under normal circumstances would bury the Pope.
The last papal election took 48 hours, but such speed wasn’t always the case. In the 13th century the papacy was vacant for a year-and-a-half and an election was forced by the people of Rome who locked up the cardinals until a pope was elected. In another case, the people not only locked up the cardinals, they tore off the roof of the building and put the cardinals on a diet of bread and water.
Now, with Benedict’s resignation the cardinals are essentially being given a ‘month’s notice’ and can plan their trip to Rome and think about what they want in the new pope. In a sense, because of the pre-planning that can be brought to bear on this election, there is potentially a lot of time to consider who should be the next leader of the world’s 1 billion catholics.
The cardinals will stay in a specially constructed 5 storey residence inside the Vatican walls, Santa Marta. and will be conveyed by coach to the Sistine Chapel for morning and afternoon sessions there. The process of election must begin no more than 20 days after the see is vacant. Only cardinals under the age of 80 can enter the conclave – the word means ‘with a key’ in Latin, referring to the fact that the Cardinals are locked into the election hall.
There are 119 eligible to vote, 67 of whom were appointed by Benedict and the rest by JPII. Cardinals who are excommunicated can actually attend but not those who have resigned. A cardinal who resigned and joined Napolean Bonaparte attempted to enter the conclave in 1800 but was refused.
On the morning of the conclave the cardinals con-celebrate Mass in St Peter’s Basilica. In the afternoon they gather in the Pauline Chapel in the Apostolic Palace and solemnly process in full red and white regalia with red hats and enter the Sistine chapel, with the doors locked behind them. All telephones, cell phones, radios, televisions and internet connections are removed from use whether in the chapel or in the residence. They cannot leave except in the case of grave illness. Also permitted in the conclave are two medical doctors, a nurse for very ill cardinals, and religious priests who can hear confessions in various languages. These have to swear absolute and perpetual secrecy.
The cardinals swear an oath of secrecy not to discuss the elections outside the Chapel and everyone else is ordered out in the Latin words “Extra omnes,” “Everybody out.” The doors of the Sistine Chapel and the Residence of the Cardinals are closed.
Inside, a meditation is given concerning the grave duty of the cardinals and they are exhorted to “only have God before your eyes.” The rest of the time is spent for prayer and voting in silence, there are no campaign speeches. Negotiations and arguments have to take place outside.
In the Chapel, which dates from the 15th Century, and under the ceiling adorned with Michelangelo's Last Judgement, the cardinals can cast their vote. There will be four ballots daily until a clear majority is found for one candidate.
It is severely frowned upon to seek the office of Pope and canvassing for it is severely prohibited, especially prior to a Pope dying. It is an office bestowed upon a person rather than their contesting for it. However an outsider could be elected pope and in theory it could be a lay person willing to be ordained a priest and bishop but the weight of tradition suggests it will be one of the cardinals gathered in the Sistine chapel. The last non cardinal was Pope Urban in 1378.
However, discussions prior to a ballot among cardinals do occur privately but public campaigning would be counter productive. Dinners are good vehicles for discussions. However, the best known cardinals tend to be the ones that work in the Vatican and meet other bishops, and cardinals when they come on business to Rome.
The ballot is secret and Pope John Paul II abolished two methods of election: by compromise or by common consent. Since 1179, a new Pope requires a two thirds majority. Now, after 33 ballots, a simple majority is enough. If there is no progress in choosing a candidate, a day of prayer is set aside. However, not since 1831 has an election lasted more than four days.
The ballot papers themselves are rectangular with “I elect as supreme pontiff” printed at the top and each cardinal prints or writes a name in a way that disguises his handwriting. One at a time they approach the altar with the folded ballot held up, he kneels and prays and then places the ballot in a silver and gilded bronze urn, much like a wok with a lid. Cardinals called ‘scrutineers’ count the ballots. After the ballots are read aloud they are placed on a thread and placed in another urn. They are then burnt.
Since 1903, white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel has signalled the election of a pope; black smoke signals another vote.
When a pope is finally elected, the cardinal dean asks him, “Do you accept your canonical election as supreme pontiff?” Rarely does anyone say no. St Philip Benize was offered it in 1271 and fled and hid until another candidate was chosen.
Sacristy of Tears
After the ‘yes’, he is led into the ‘Sacristy of Tears’ or commonly called ‘Room of Tears,’ a small room off the Sistine Chapel. It is here that the enormity of what has just happened hits the new Pope, though the tears may be of sorrow or joy. Traditionally they were said to be tears of humility as a Pope was following in the footsteps of St Peter; others would contend the tears were because essentially the Pope becomes a ‘prisoner’ of the Vatican and would be bowed down by the weight of the office.
The new Pope picks one of three sizes of Papal garments – presumably small, medium or large – and return to the High Altar to receive the homage of the cardinals. Meanwhile, the ballots are burnt in a stove with a chemical which turns the smoke white, telling the world of the newly elected Pontiff.
A Cardinal is then sent to the Loggia of the Benedictions on the façade of St Peter’s where he says: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. I announce to you a great joy! Habemus Papam. We have a Pope!” He then announces the name of the cardinal and the name he has chosen to use as Pope.
The new Pope steps onto the balcony and therefore onto the stage of world and church history. He may grant his first blessing to the world.
Some days later, the new Pope will go down into the foundations of St Peter’s to the tomb of Peter, the first Pope and first bishop of Rome, and pray. Then with all the cardinals, he will process into St Peter’s Square to begin his first public Mass and receive the main symbols of his office: the fisherman’s ring and the pallium. | <urn:uuid:fe661bb9-3884-4391-9c13-161ffd3496bc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.irishcentral.com/news/What-to-expect-at-Conclave-in-unusual-case-of-Pope-Benedict-stepping-down-from-Vatican-role-191795261.html?mob-ua=mobile | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971419 | 1,662 | 2.78125 | 3 |
|Scientific Name:||Phoebastria albatrus|
|Species Authority:||(Pallas, 1769)|
|Red List Category & Criteria:||Vulnerable D2 ver 3.1|
|Reviewer/s:||Butchart, S. & Taylor, J.|
|Contributor/s:||Balogh, G., Chan, S., Hasegawa, H., Peet, N., Rivera, K. & Suryan, R.|
This species is listed as Vulnerable because, although conservation efforts have resulted in a steady population increase, it still has a very small breeding range, limited to Torishima and Minami-kojima (Senkaku Islands), rendering it susceptible to stochastic events and human impacts.
Phoebastria albatrus breeds on Torishima (Japan), and Minami-kojima (Senkaku Islands), that are claimed jointly by Japan, mainland China and Chinese Taipei. Historically there are believed to have been at least nine colonies south of Japan and in the East China Sea (Piatt et al. 2006). Its marine range covers most of the northern Pacific Ocean, but it occurs in highest densities in areas of upwelling along shelf waters of the Pacific Rim, particularly along the coasts of Japan, eastern Russia, the Aleutians and Alaska (Piatt et al. 2006, Suryan et al. 2007). During breeding (December - May) it is found in highest densities around Japan. Satellite tracking has indicated that during the post-breeding period, females spend more time offshore of Japan and Russia, while males and juveniles spend greater time around the Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea and off the coast of North America (Suryan et al. 2007). Juveniles have been shown to travel twice the distances per day and spend more time within continental shelf habitat than adult birds (Suryan et al. 2008). The species declined dramatically during the 19th and 20th centuries owing to exploitation for feathers, and was believed extinct in 1949, but was rediscovered in 1951. The current population is estimated, via direct counts and modelling based on productivity data, to be 2,364 individuals, with 1,922 birds on Torishima and 442 birds on Minami-kojima (G.R. Balogh in litt. 2008). In 1954, 25 birds (including at least six pairs) were present on Torishima. Given that there are now c.426 breeding pairs on Torishima (G.R. Balogh in litt. 2008), the species has undergone an enormous increase since its rediscovery and the onset of conservation efforts. In addition, in 2010, one nesting pair was observed on Kure Atoll (Hawaii, USA), but was probably female-female and unsuccessful, and one chick was produced on Midway Atoll (M. Naughton pers. comm. 2011). A tsunami which hit Midway Atoll in March 2011, did not impact on the single pair nesting on Eastern Island (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2008).
Native:Canada; China; Japan; Korea, Republic of; Mexico; Russian Federation; Taiwan, Province of China; United States; United States Minor Outlying Islands
Present - origin uncertain:Northern Mariana Islands; Philippines
|Range Map:||Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.|
|Population:||At the end of the 2006-2007 breeding season, the global population was estimated to be 2,364 individuals, with 1,922 birds on Torishima and 442 birds on Minami-kojima (Senkaku Islands). This estimate is based on: direct observation of breeding pairs on Torishima; an assumption on numbers of non-breeding birds; an estimate for the Minami-kojima population that is based upon a 2002 estimate and an assumption of population growth rate (which, together, puts the Minami-kojima population at about 15% of the global population [G.R. Balogh in litt. 2008]). More recently, Brazil (2009) estimates the population in Japan at c.100-10,000 breeding pairs and c.50-1,000 individuals on migration. The population is taken here as likely to number 2,200-2,500 individuals based on these estimates, roughly equating to 1,500-1,700 mature individuals.|
|Habitat and Ecology:||Behaviour Phoebastria albatrus is a colonial, annually breeding species, with each breeding cycle lasting about 8 months. Birds begin to arrive at the main colony on Torishima Island in early October. A single egg is laid in late October to late November and incubation lasts 64 to 65 days. Hatching occurs in late December through January. Chicks begin to fledge in late May into June. There is little information on timing of breeding on Minami-kojima. First breeding sometimes occurs when birds are five years old, but more commonly when birds are aged six. It forages diurnally and potentially nocturnally, either singly or in groups primarily taking prey by surface-seizing (ACAP 2009). During the breeding season, individuals nesting off Japan forage over the continental shelf (Kiyota and Minami 2008). Habitat Breeding Historically, it preferred level, open, areas adjacent to tall clumps of the grass Miscanthus sinensis for nesting. Diet It feeds mainly on squid, but also takes shrimp, fish, flying fish eggs and other crustaceans (ACAP 2009). It has been recorded following ships to feed on scraps and fish offal.|
|Major Threat(s):||Its historical decline was caused by exploitation. Today, the key threats are the instability of soil on its main breeding site (Torishima), the threat of mortality and habitat loss from the active volcano on Torishima, and mortality caused by fisheries. Torishima is also vulnerable to other natural disasters, such as typhoons. Introduced predators are a potential threat at colonies. Environmental contaminants at sea (oil based compounds) may also be a threat (G.R. Balogh in litt. 2008). Threats at sea (fisheries, oil pollution) are exacerbated by the fact that birds concentrate into predictable hotspots (Piatt et al. 2006). Modelling work has showed that even a small increase in low level chronic mortality (such as fisheries bycatch) has more of an impact on population growth rates than stochastic and theoretically catastrophic events, such as volcanic eruptions (Finkelstein et al. 2010). Phoebastria albatrus has the greatest potential overlap with fisheries that occur in the shallower waters along continental shelf break and slope regions, e.g., sablefish and Pacific halibut longline fisheries off the coasts of Alaska and British Columbia. Although, overlap between the distribution of birds and fishery effort does not mean that interactions between birds and boats necessarily occur, P. albatrus are known to have been killed in U.S. and Russian longline fisheries for Pacific cod and Pacific halibut. In addition, birds on Torishima have been observed with hooks in their mouths of the style used in Japanese fisheries near the island (ACAP 2009).|
Conservation Actions Underway
It is legally protected in Japan, Canada and the USA. A draft recovery plan has been developed (USFWS 2005). Mitigation measures have been established in the Alaska demersal longline fishery and in the Hawaii-based pelagic longline fishery (NOAA 2008). Streamer lines (both heavy weight lines for large boats and lightweight lines for smaller vessels) have been designed to keep birds from longline hooks as they are set, and these are being distributed free to the Alaskan longline fleet (USFWS 2005), though they are not deployed in near-shore waters. In 2006, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission passed a measure which requires large tuna and swordfish longline vessels (>24m long) to use a combination of two seabird bycatch mitigation measures when fishing north of 23 degrees North. Torishima has been established as a National Wildlife Protection Area. In 1981-1982, native plants were transplanted into the Torishima nesting colony in order to stabilise the nesting habitat and the nest structures. This has enhanced breeding success, with over 60% of eggs now resulting in fledged young. Decoys have been used to attract birds to nest at another site on Torishima since 1993 and the first pair started breeding at this new site in November 1995. The number of chicks fledged from this new colony has increased from one chick in 2004; four chicks in 2005; 13 chicks in 2006; 16 chicks in 2007. In October-November 2007, 35 eggs were laid at this new site (Sato 2009). In 2007, the Japanese government approved a project to translocate chicks from Torishima to Mukojima, 300 km away. All ten chicks of the first translocations in March 2008 fledged (Jacobs 2009). If successful, this project will translocate at least ten chicks per year for five years. Conservation Actions Proposed
Continue to promote measures designed to protect this species from becoming hooked or entangled by commercial fishing gear. Re-establish birds within historic range as insurance against natural disasters on primary breeding colony. Promote conservation measures for the Minami-kojima population. Continue research into the at-sea distribution and marine habitat use through satellite telemetry studies. Continue land-based management and population monitoring.
|Citation:||BirdLife International 2012. Phoebastria albatrus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 18 May 2013.|
|Feedback:||If you see any errors or have any questions or suggestions on what is shown on this page, please fill in the feedback form so that we can correct or extend the information provided| | <urn:uuid:573c77f2-d484-430d-94d7-05417faf55af> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/summary/106003956/0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.913976 | 2,094 | 3.203125 | 3 |
Ahh, the pincer grasp! It's an important evolutionary milestone that nobody knows about until they become parents. (Why should opposable thumbs get all the attention?) The ability to pick up small objects using your thumb and pointer finger usually kicks in around 9 months -- and, the bonus for parents is that it allows infants to feed their own darn selves. So put down the spoon and serve up these great finger food ideas.
Don't Expect Your Baby to Chew
"Before age one, babies gum their food rather than chew it," says Jennifer Shu, M.D., coauthor of the book Food Fights from the American Academy of Pediatrics. So serve up tiny bites -- about the size of a pea or your pinky fingernail -- in case your tot swallows it whole. Common choking hazard to avoid: Hot dogs and other sausages, hard or gummy candy, chewing gum, all nuts, whole grapes and cherry tomatoes, raisins and any dried-fruit pieces, popcorn, and seeds and gobs of peanut (or other nut) butter. But any food can pose a choking risk if not sized right. Quarter grapes, slice blueberries, dice cooked carrots, break up crackers, and so on. | <urn:uuid:c0eb04b7-652c-4f26-a24b-7c6aecd6d4e8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ivillage.com/how-feed-baby-finger-foods-babies-love/6-b-404118 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.908511 | 255 | 3.109375 | 3 |
The First Liberation Day in the DP Camps
Livik's opinion was clear: There was no reason to celebrate or to put on a festive face, since "joy has been silenced in the Jewish heart, our words are still full of sorrow"... Shmuel Grinberg, in contrast, agreed that She'arit Hapleta would soon be marking Liberation Day... but warned against losing the historical perspective of what was happening. Even though anti-Semitism had not disappeared and Jewish suffering had not ended, "we neither have nor want to weaken the great historic truth, the great struggle against the monster of human oppression, for our spiritual and moral liberation". Leo Schwarz, who took part in the meeting, explained: "One of the main questions was, should the liberation be commemorated today as a day of mourning or a day of thanksgiving. There was little disagreement about the memory of the murdered martyrs... concerning celebrations of Liberation Day there were differences among groups within She'arit Hapleta, but the victors were those whose psychology had already been influenced by the positive dialectic of the future. Most members of the Central Committee supported the declaration of "a memorial day combined with the liberation, which must express our grief and bitterness over the great tragedy of European Jewry, and simultaneously be a day of thanksgiving, which will be celebrated as a national symbol and will emphasize that the Jewish people still lives". It was decided to observe the 14th of Adar as Liberation Day (15th May in 1946), as a memorial and victory day.
From: Mankovitz, Ze'ev, Ideology and Politics Among She'arit Hapleta in the American Zone of Occupation in Germany 1945-1946, Ph.D. thesis, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1987, pp. 279-280 (Hebrew).
Source: Yad Vashem | <urn:uuid:bc0ae438-7cdc-4d63-bb5f-808a4dd2aaf4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/libday.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973533 | 385 | 3.234375 | 3 |
DEPUTIES OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE
DEPUTIES OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE, representatives of Jewish communities in Russia to the government during the reign of *Alexander I (1801–25). After parts of *Poland-Lithuania had been annexed by Russia, the large communities sent shtadlanim to the court at St. Petersburg to represent them and defend their rights. Most of the shtadlanim were merchants or contractors who visited the city on business. When a committee was set up to frame a "Jewish constitution" in 1802–04 it was joined by several government-appointed Jewish advisers (N.N. *Notkin, A. *Peretz, and J.L. *Nevakhovich). The government also requested some important communities to send representatives to the committee. Together they tried to influence the committee in favor of Jewish rights. In 1807 the government appointed a "Jewish committee" to implement the inimical "Jewish constitution" of 1804 and proposed that the communities elect deputies to represent the Jews before the provincial governors. The memoranda of these deputies were referred to the "Jewish committee" in St. Petersburg and were influential in obtaining a temporary halt to the expulsion of Jews from the villages. It was also proposed to abolish the prohibition on the lease and sale of alcohol by Jews. During the invasion by Napoleon two "deputies of the Jewish people," Zundel Sonnenberg and Eliezer Dillon, accompanied Alexander's military headquarters in 1812–13, and acted as liaison between the czar and the large Jewish population in the combat area. They regularly presented memoranda and petitions concerning Jewish affairs to the court and transmitted its instructions to the Jewish communities. After the war an attempt was made to convert the committee of deputies into a permanent institution. The Jewish communities were requested to send representatives to St. Petersburg to maintain permanent contact with the ministries of religious affairs and popular education. On August 19, 1818, electors from the 12 districts (gubernia) of the *Pale of Settlement convened and elected three deputies, Zundel Sonnenberg, Beinush Lapkovski, and Michael Eisenstadt, and three deputy representatives. In order to raise funds to cover their expenses, which probably also included furnishing bribes, the assembly resolved that every Jew was to donate the silver headpiece of his prayer shawl. The change in Alexander's policy toward the Jews at the end of his reign reduced the importance and status of the deputies. Sonnenberg was dismissed because of "impudence toward the authorities." In 1825 the Jewish deputation was officially suspended "until the need arises for a new deputation," and the institution was thereby abolished and not renewed. However, the government continued to make use of Jewish representatives. In 1840 consultative committees, chosen from among "enlightened" Jews, were created and attached to governors in Kiev and five other towns. In 1844 the function of "Learned Jew" (uchoni yevrei) was created, meaning an expertand consultant in Jewish religious affairs attached to the district governers and responsible for education and interior affairs.
J.I. Hessen (Gessen), Yevrei v Rossii (1906), 421–32; idem, in: Yevreyskaya starina, 2 (1909), 17–29, 196–206; S. Pen, in: Voskhod, nos. 1–3 (1905).
[Yehuda Slutsky /
Shmuel Spector (2nd ed.)]
Source: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2008 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved. | <urn:uuid:63b54d74-ca97-4014-95f5-46f38b44aea7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0005_0_05110.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96478 | 755 | 3.484375 | 3 |
Judaic Treasures of the
Jerusalem was and remains the holiest of cities in the Holy Land, but Jews also gave a measure of holiness to three other cities there: Hebron, Safed, and Tiberias. The holiness of Jerusalem arises in part from what remains there, but more from what took place there. So it is with its sister cities. Hebron is where the patriarchs and matriarchs lived and are buried, and it was the first capital of King David. Tiberias, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, was chosen by the patriarch of the Jews in the second century as his seat. The Palestinian Talmud was largely composed in its great rabbinical academy. in the environs of Safed, high in the Galilean hills, are the graves of the leading rabbis of late antiquity. Its stature as a holy city was enhanced in the sixteenth century, when it was the greatest center of Jewish mysticism and seat of Jewish legal scholarship. To gain entree into the company of the three more ancient holy cities, it called itself Beth-El, suggesting identity with the biblical site which Jacob called "The Gate of Heaven."
A striking pastel-colored manuscript "holy site map" links these four holy cities together. Drawn and painted in Palestine in the second half of the nineteenth century, it depicts those venues which indicate their holiness. There is a suggestion of their geographic positioning, but the "map" is far more a statement of the place these cities hold in Jewish veneration, than of the geographical site they occupy. To pious Jewish families, such wall plaques were more meaningful depictions of the Holy Land than the most aesthetically beautiful and topographically exact representations.
A small illustrated guide book to the burial places of biblical figures and saintly rabbis in the Holy Land, Zikaron Birushalayim, appeared in Constantinople in 1743. It tells the pious pilgrim where graves may be found and what prayers are to be said. Prefaced by a panegyric to the land, it cites a midrashic statement that, in time to come, when Jerusalem shall be rebuilt, three walls-one of silver, one of gold, and the innermost of multicolored precious stones-will encompass the dazzling city.
In Hebron the pilgrim is not only directed to the holy grave sites, but also regaled with wondrous tales. One tells of a sexton of the community sent down to search for a ring which had fallen to the depths of the patriarchs' burial cave, finding at the floor of the cave three ancient men seated on chairs, engaged in study. He greets them; they return his greetings, give him the ring, and instruct him not to disclose what he had learned. When he ascended and was asked what he had seen, he replied: "Three elders sitting on chairs. As for the rest, I am not permitted to tell."
For actual pilgrims, the little volume provided factual information. For pilgrims in their own imagination, it offered edification through tales and quaint illustrations. The last page has a woodcut of Jericho, a seven-walled city, below which a man surrounded by a multitude is sounding a shofar. The most striking woodcut is of an imposing building, representing the Temple in Jerusalem.
In the concentric circles of holiness cited in the Tanhuma, Jerusalem is at the center of the Holy Land; the Temple at the center of Jerusalem; and the Holy of Holies at the center of the Holy Temple. The Temple is prominently featured in illustrated books about the Holy Land. In A Pisgah-Sight of Palestine, three chapters describe and three engravings portray the Temple. Early Hebrew books are quite poor in illustrations, because relatively few deal with subjects that demand visual presentation.
Among these are books dealing with laws concerning the Temple, and since its architecture and vessels are pertinent to the laws, they invite illustration. A case in point is Sefer Hanukat Ha-Bayit by Moses (Hefez) Gentili (1663-1711), published in Venice in 1696. A treatise on the building of the Second Temple, it abounds in engraved architectural illustrations, including a menorah, the seven-branched candlestick; most notable is a large pull-out map of the Temple, identifying fifty-eight components of the Temple's structure. The engravings were added after the printing, as was the map, and a copy containing both is rare.
Moses Gentili, born in Trieste, lived in Venice where he taught Talmud and Midrash, and perhaps philosophy and science as well. His best-known work, Melekhet Mahashevet, Venice, 1710, a commentary on the Pentateuch, contains a picture of the author, a clean-shaven, ministerial-looking gentleman.
There are many published descriptions and illustrations of the Temple's appearance in many languages. Some are based on careful study of the available sources, others are creations of the imagination, generally inspired by the grandest building the artist knew. A plan of the Temple to be is found at the end of the 1789 Grodno edition of Zurat Beit Ha-Mikdash (The Form of the Holy Temple) by Yom Tov Lipmann Heller (1579-1654), one of the major figures in Jewish scholarship in the first half of the seventeenth century. The book is one of Heller's earliest works and is a projection of the plan of the Temple as envisaged in the prophecy of Ezekiel.
We have thus traversed the Holy Land and glimpsed its holy places, past, present, and future. | <urn:uuid:2fda8e5f-0260-44ff-b050-ac0449bb2e80> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/loc/Holy1.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966429 | 1,177 | 3.4375 | 3 |
To make this sentence true i have to put <,>,or = in between ( ) the given fractions or Decimals? 7/20 ( ) 2/5 0.15 ( ) 1/8 Please explain?
Given a rectangular prism with dimensions w = 3, l = 4, and h = 6. If you created a second rectangular prism with the length doubled but the height halved (and the width stays the same), which would be the relation of the second volume to the first volume?
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How would you calculate the concentration of an aqueous solution of Ca(OH2)that has a pH of 12.57.
poetry, part 1
Which one of the following lines best illustrates personification? A. A narrow wind complains all day. B. The fog comes on little cat feet. C. She floated graceful as a dove. D. Spring is a dream unsung.
Wilma's arm is broken when Paula knocks her down during an agrument. If Wilma sues Paula for battery, what damages is Wilma likely to receive?
Well I saying both. I have describe two cultrals and their views on health. i shows african and caucaisians american. I know that african american An excessive impact on minority populations is chronic diseases. Chronic diseases that are consider in African American are AIDS, ...
I need some help with what are some of the implications to health care providers in African American and Caucasian? Considering cultural views on the health as organic, health as harmony and disease as a curse or stigma
I need some help with listing at two pros and cons for each of the given patient and caregiver roles as a -Mechanics and machines -Parents and children -Spiritualists and believers -Providers and consumers -Partners This is so I can right my paper
For Further Reading | <urn:uuid:656316dd-4afd-4827-9101-cca512394d6e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jiskha.com/members/profile/posts.cgi?name=kia&page=6 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943011 | 388 | 3.15625 | 3 |
Acrylic A synthetic fabric often used as a wool substitute. It is warm, soft, holds colors well and often is stain and wrinkle resistant.
Angora Rabbit Hair A soft fiber knit from fur of the Angora rabbit. Angora wool is often combined with cashmere or another fiber to strengthen the delicate structure. Dry cleaning is recommended for Angora products.
Bedford A strong material that is a raised corded fabric (similar to corduroy). Bedford fabric wears well and is usually washable.
Boot Footwear which covers the entire foot and extends to the height of the anklebone or up to the thigh.
Bootie A shoe that resembles a boot in style but is not as high.
Brocade An all-over floral, raised pattern produced in a similar fashion to embroidery.
Cable Knit Patterns, typically used in sweaters, where flat knit columns otherwise known as cables are overlapped vertically.
Cashmere A soft, strong and silky, lightweight wool spun from the Kashmir goat. Cashmere is commonly used in sweaters, shawls, outerwear, gloves and scarves for its warmth and soft feel.
Chiffon A common evening wear fabric made from silk, cotton, rayon or nylon. It's delicate in nature and sheer.
Chintz A printed and glazed fabric made of cotton. Chintz is known for its bright colors and bold patterns.
Circumference The measurement around the shaft of a boot taken at the widest part.
Corduroy Cotton blend fibers twisted as they are woven to create long, parallel grooves, called wales, in the fabric. This is a very durable material and depending on the width of the wales, can be extremely soft.
Cotton A natural fiber that grows in the seed pod of the cotton plant. It is an inelastic fiber.
Crepe Used as a description of surfaces of fabrics. Usually designates a fabric that is crimped or crinkled.
Crinoline A lightweight, plain weave, stiffened fabric with a low yarn count. Used to create volume beneath evening or wedding dresses.
Crochet Looping threads with a hooked needle that creates a wide, open lace. Typically used on sweaters for warm seasons.
Cushioning Padding on the sole of a shoe for added comfort and stabilization.
DenimCotton blend fabric created with a twill weave to create a sturdy fabric. Used as the primary material of blue jeans.
DobbyWoven fabric where the weave of the fabric actually produces the garment's design.
Embroidery Detailed needlework, usually raised and created by yarn, thread or embroidery floss.
Embossed Leather Leather imprinted with a design or exotic skin texture, such as snake, ostrich or croco.
Eyelet A form of lace in a thicker material that consists of cut-outs that are integrated and repeated into a pattern. Usually applied to garments for warmer seasons.
Faille A slightly ribbed, woven fabric of silk, cotton, or rayon.
French Terry A knit cloth that contains loops and piles of yarn. The material is very soft, absorbent and has stretch.
Georgette A crinkly crepe type material usually made out of silk that consists of tightly twisted threads. Georgette is sheer and flowing nature.
Gingham It is a fabric made from dyed cotton year. It is most often know to be woven in a blue and white check or plaid pattern. It is made from corded, medium to fine yarns, with the color running in the warp yarns. There is no right or wrong side of this fabric.
Glen PlaidA woolen fabric, with a woven twill design of large and small checks. A form of traditional plaid originating in Scotland.
Heel Height It is the measurement of a vertical line from the point where the sole meets the heel down to the floor. Heel height is measured in increments of 1/8 of an inch.
Herringbone A pattern originating from masonry, consists of short rows of slanted parallel lines. The rows are formatted opposing each other to create the pattern. Herringbone patterns are used in tweeds and twills.
Hopsack A material created from cotton or wool that is loosely woven together to form a coarse fabric.
Houndstooth A classic design containing two colors in jagged/slanted checks. Similar to Glen Plaid.
Insole The inside lining of the shoe that is underneath the bottom of the foot. Another term for footbed.
Instep The arched section of the foot between the toes and the ankle, or the part of the shoe which covers that area.
Jacquard A fabric of intricate variegated weave or pattern. Typically shown on elegant and more expensive pieces.
Jersey A type of knit material known to be flexible, stretchy, soft and very warm. It is created using tight stitches.
Knit A knit fabric is made by interlocking loops of one or more yarns either by hand with knitting needles or by machine.
LinenAn exquisite material created from the fibers of the flax plant. Some linen contain slubs or small knots on the fabric. The material is a light fabric perfect for warm weather.
LiningThe leather, fabric or synthetic material used on the inside of a shoe.
Lamé A metallic or plastic fiber woven into material to give the garment shine.
Lycra ®TMSpandex fibers add stretch to fabric when the fibers are woven with other fiber blends. These materials are lightweight, comfortableTM and breathable, and the stretch will not wear away.
Madras Originating from Madras, India, this fabric is a lightweight, cotton material used for summer clothing. Madras usually has a checked pattern but also comes in plaid or with stripes. Typically made from 100% cotton.
Marled Typically found in sweaters, marled yarn occurs when two colored yards are twisted together.
Matte A matte finish has a lusterless surface.
Merino Wool Wool sheered from the merino sheep and spun into yarn that is fine but strong.
Modal A type of rayon that is made from natural fibers but goes through a chemical treatment to ensure it has a high threshold of breakage. Modal is soft and breathable which is why it's used as a cotton replacement.
Non-iron A treated cotton that allows our Easy Care Shirts to stay crisp throughout the day and does not need ironing after washing/drying.
Nylon A synthetic fiber that is versatile, fast drying and strong. It has a high resistance to damage.
Ombre A color technique that shades a color from light to dark.
Paisley A pattern that consists of crooked teardrop designs in a repetitive manner.
Patent Leather Leather made from cattle hide that has been varnished to give a hard and glossy finish.
Placket The piece of fabric or cloth that is used as a concealing flap to cover buttons, fasteners or attachments. Most commonly seen in the front of button-down shirts. Also used to reinforce openings or slits in garments.
Piping Binding a seam with decoration. Piping is similar to tipping or edging where a decorative material is sewn into the seams.
Pointelle An open-work knitting pattern used on garments to add texture. Typically a cooler and general knit sweater.
Polyester A fabric made from synthetic fibers. Polyester is quick drying, easy to wash and holds its shape well.
Ponte A knit fabric where the fibers are looped in an interlock. The material is very strong and firm.
Poplin A strong woven fabric, heavier in weight, with ribbing.
Pump Classically a high, medium, or low heeled, totally enclosed shoe. Variations include an open toe or ornament.
Rayon A manufactured fiber developed originally as an alternative for silk. Rayon drapes well and looks luxurious.
Sateen A fabric woven with sheen that resembles satin.
Seersucker Slack-tension weave where yarn is bunched together in certain areas and then pulled taught in others to create this summery mainstay.
Shaft Height Measurement of the shaft of the boot, which is from the top of the boot to the inside seam where the instep and the sole meet.
Shirring Similar to ruching, shirring gathers material to create folds.
Silk One of the most luxurious fibers, silk is soft, warm and has shine. It is obtained from the cocoons of the silkworm's larvae.
Sole The outsole, or bottom part of a shoe.
Space dyed Technique of yarn dyeing to produce a multi-color effect on the yarn itself. Also known as dip dyed yarn.
SpandexElastomeric fiber, this material is able to expand 600% and still snap back to its original shape and form. Spandex fibers are woven with cotton and other fibers to make fabrics stretch.
Stacked Heel A heel made of leather or leawood covering that gives the appearance of wood.
Synthetic Materials Man-made materials designed to look or function like leather.
Tipping Similar to edging, tipping includes embellishing a garment at the edges of the piece, hems, collars etc.
Tissue Linen A type of linen, which is specifically made for blouses or shirts due to its thinness and sheerness.
Tweed A loose weave of heavy wool makes up tweed, which provides warmth and comfort.
Twill A fabric woven in a diagonal weave. Commonly used for chinos and denim.
Variegated Multi-colored fabrics where colors are splotched or in patches.
Velour A stretchy knit fabric, typically made from cotton or polyester. It has a similar soft hand to velvet.
VelvetA pile fabric in which the cut threads are very evenly distributed, with a short dense pile, giving it a distinct feel.
Velveteen A more modern adaptation of velvet, velveteen is made from cotton and has a little give. Also known as imitation velvet.
ViscoseA cellulosic man-made fibers, viscose is soft and supple but can wrinkle easily.
Wale Only found in woven fabrics like corduroy, wale is the long grooves that give the garment its texture.
Wedge Heel A heel that lies flat to the ground and extends from the shank to the back of the shoe.
Windowpane Dark stripes run horizontal and vertical across a light background to mimic a window pane.
Woven A woven fabric is formed by interlacing threads, yarns, strands, or strips of some material. | <urn:uuid:70ec883d-7f47-4172-8115-7a1124765db6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jny.com/Classic-Slim-Fit-Pant/26551684,default,pd.html?variantSizeClass=&variantColor=JJ3WCXX&cgid=24983446&pmin=0&pmax=25&prefn1=catalog-id&prefv1=jonesny-catalog&srule=New%20Arrivals | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929634 | 2,246 | 2.625 | 3 |
Bootie A shoe that resembles a boot in style but is not as high.
Brocade An all-over floral, raised pattern produced in a similar fashion to embroidery.
Circumference The measurement around the shaft of a boot taken at the widest part.
Cotton A natural fiber that grows in the seed pod of the cotton plant. It is an inelastic fiber.
Cushioning Padding on the sole of a shoe for added comfort and stabilization.
DobbyWoven fabric where the weave of the fabric actually produces the garment's design.
Embroidery Detailed needlework, usually raised and created by yarn, thread or embroidery floss.
Faille A slightly ribbed, woven fabric of silk, cotton, or rayon.
Houndstooth A classic design containing two colors in jagged/slanted checks. Similar to Glen Plaid.
LiningThe leather, fabric or synthetic material used on the inside of a shoe.
Lamé A metallic or plastic fiber woven into material to give the garment shine.
Marled Typically found in sweaters, marled yarn occurs when two colored yards are twisted together.
Matte A matte finish has a lusterless surface.
Merino Wool Wool sheered from the merino sheep and spun into yarn that is fine but strong.
Ombre A color technique that shades a color from light to dark.
Paisley A pattern that consists of crooked teardrop designs in a repetitive manner.
Poplin A strong woven fabric, heavier in weight, with ribbing.
Sateen A fabric woven with sheen that resembles satin.
Shirring Similar to ruching, shirring gathers material to create folds.
Sole The outsole, or bottom part of a shoe.
Stacked Heel A heel made of leather or leawood covering that gives the appearance of wood.
Synthetic Materials Man-made materials designed to look or function like leather.
Tweed A loose weave of heavy wool makes up tweed, which provides warmth and comfort.
Twill A fabric woven in a diagonal weave. Commonly used for chinos and denim.
Variegated Multi-colored fabrics where colors are splotched or in patches.
ViscoseA cellulosic man-made fibers, viscose is soft and supple but can wrinkle easily.
Wedge Heel A heel that lies flat to the ground and extends from the shank to the back of the shoe.
Woven A woven fabric is formed by interlacing threads, yarns, strands, or strips of some material. | <urn:uuid:34eaf969-a050-46fc-9917-ce3a0e03647a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jny.com/Snake-Print-Bangle-Set/26563195,default,pd.html?variantSizeClass=&cgid=25487270&prefn1=catalog-id&prefv1=jonesny-catalog | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.893253 | 553 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys Over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men
by Mara Hvistendahl
One of history's more curious encounters occurred in early March 1766 at a country estate in southern England, near Dorking. The estate belonged to Daniel Malthus, a gentleman of independent means and wide intellectual interests. The philosophers David Hume and Jean-Jacques Rousseau were traveling in the neighborhood, seeking a house for Rousseau, who had just recently arrived in England under Hume's patronage after having been driven out of Switzerland.
Daniel Malthus was known to both philosophers, at least by correspondence, so they paid him a brief visit, in the course of which they saw his son Thomas, then just three weeks old. So there, presumably in the same room, were Hume, Rousseau, and the infant Thomas Malthus. It was an odd grouping: the serene empiricist, the neurotic social optimist, and the future oracle of demographic doom.
Hume had actually dabbled in demography himself some years earlier. He had been one of the first to argue against the belief, common until his time, that the ancient world was more populous than the modern world. Demography, along with its cousin discipline of economics, was "in the air" during the later eighteenth century, waiting for the grown-up Malthus to cast his cold eye upon it in his momentous Essay on the Principle of Population (1798).
Of these two cousin disciplines, it is a nice point for argument which better deserves to be called "the dismal science." I would vote for demography. It must be hard to maintain a cheerful composure while scrutinizing the ceaseless, often inexplicable ebbs and flows of nativity and mortality.
It is a strange thing, too — and a depressing one for anyone of an empirical temperament — that what ought to be the most exact of all the human sciences has such a sorry record of prediction. What, after all, could be more certain than that a nation with number N of five-year-olds today will have N fifteen-year-olds in a decade's time, give or take some small margin for attrition and migration? The human sciences don't come any more precise than that. Yet large-scale predictions by demographers have been confounded again and again, from those of Malthus himself to that of Paul Ehrlich, who told us in his 1968 bestseller The Population Bomb that "The battle to feed humanity is over … Billions will die in the 1980s."
Ehrlich's book was very much of its time. The third quarter of the twentieth century was dogged by fears of a Malthusian catastrophe. Popular fiction echoed those fears in productions like John Brunner's novel Stand on Zanzibar (1968) and Richard Fleischer's movie Soylent Green (1973). It was assumed, reasonably enough, that populous poor countries were most at risk, being closest to the limits of food supply. Governments and international organizations therefore got to work promoting birth control in what we had just recently learned to call the Third World, with programs that were often brutally coercive.
Birth rates soon fell; though how much of the drop was directly due to the programs, and how much was an inevitable consequence of modernization, is disputed. The evidence is strong that women liberated from pre-modern subordination to their husbands, and given easy access to contraception, will limit their pregnancies with or without official encouragement.
There was, though, a distressing side effect of the dropping birthrates. Many countries have a strong traditional preference for male children. So long as women in those countries were resigned to a lifetime of child-bearing, the sheer number of offspring ensured that the sex ratio at birth (SRB) would be close to its natural level of 105 males to 100 females. The post-natal ratio might be skewed somewhat by local traditions of female infanticide and by the loss of young men in war, but a rough balance was kept. China in the 1930s had around 108 males per 100 females.
Once the idea of limiting births settled in, however, people sought assurance that one of their babies be male. If a mother gives birth twice, there is a 24 percent chance neither baby will be male; the chance of no males in three births is twelve percent; the chance of no males in four births, six percent. Female infanticide continued to be an option, but not an attractive one — nor, in most modern jurisdictions, a legal one.
Technology met the need by providing methods to determine the sex of a fetus. From the mid-1970s to the early 1980s, amniocentesis was used for this purpose. Then high-quality second trimester ultrasound became widely available and took over the business of fetal sex determination. It caught on very fast all over East and South Asia, allowing women to abort female fetuses. The consequences showed up in last year's Chinese census, whose results are just now being published. They show an SRB of 118 males per 100 females.
These unbalanced sex ratios and their social and demographic consequences form the subject matter of Mara Hvistendahl's book Unnatural Selection. An experienced journalist who has lived for many years in China, Ms. Hvistendahl covers the history, sociology, and science of sex-selective population control very comprehensively. She has organized each of her book's fifteen chapters around the experience of some significant individual: "The Bachelor," "The Parent," "The Economist," and so on.
Her book's scope is by no means restricted to China: "The Student" of Chapter 6 is an Indian who commenced his medical training at a big hospital in Delhi in 1978, when sex-selective abortion was just taking off in India. We get a side trip to Albania, whose SRB is treated as a state secret, but seems to be at least 110. We also learn that sex-selective abortion is common among couples of Chinese, Korean, and Indian descent in the U.S.A. The subjects here are not just newly arrived immigrants, either. A research team from Columbia University found that:
If anything, mothers who were U.S. citizens were slightly more likely to have sons. Sex selection, in other words, is not a tradition from the old country that easily dies out.
South Korea makes a particularly interesting study. That country's governments were more foresighted than most in spotting the problems that might arise from sex-selective abortion. They outlawed the procedure in 1987, and followed up with rigorous enforcement. South Korea's SRB is now at the natural level.
There is more here than meets the eye, though, as Ms. Hvistendahl uncovers. As elsewhere, sex selection was mainly resorted to for second or subsequent births. The SRB for first births is essentially normal worldwide. And first births is wellnigh all the births there are now in South Korea. Our author tells us that: "In 2005 Korea bottomed out with the lowest total fertility rate in the world, at an average of 1.08 children per woman." Things have since recovered somewhat. The 2011 estimate for total fertility rate is 1.23. That still makes for a fast-declining and aging population, though — surely not the ideal solution to the problem of sex ratio imbalances.
What of the issue of angry young surplus males unable to find wives? Ms. Hvistendahl takes a less alarmist view than the one put forth by Hudson and den Boer in their 2004 book Bare Branches. That there is a causal relationship from excess males to political despotism, as those authors argued, is not well supported by historical evidence. As Hvistendahl notes: "Adolf Hitler came to power at a time when Germany had over two million more women than men as a result of the toll taken by World War I." (She might have added that the most authoritarian episode in recent Indian history was the 1975-77 "Emergency," instigated by a female Prime Minister at a time of normal adult sex ratios.) One feels intuitively that a surplus of sex-starved young men will generate trouble, but on the evidence so far, things may not go beyond domestic disorders of the containable kind.
Ms. Hvistendahl seems to be of conventionally feminist-leftist opinions, but she has visible trouble keeping those opinions in order when writing about sex-ratio imbalances. She of course favors "reproductive rights," yet cannot but deplore the fact that those rights, extended to Third World peasant cultures, have led to a holocaust of female babies and the trafficking of young women from poorer places with low male-female ratios, to wealthier places with high ones.
She works hard to develop a thesis about it all having been the fault of Western imperialists terrified of the breeding potential of poorer, darker peoples, in cahoots with opportunistic Third World dictators hungry for World Bank cash, but she cannot quite square the ideological circle. As she points out, abortion was frowned on throughout Asia until modern times. (Chinese people used to consider themselves one year old at birth: older Chinese still reckon their birthdays in this way.) Where would "reproductive rights" be in Asia if not for those meddling imperialists?
These blemishes are minor, though, and probably inevitable in any book written by a college-educated young woman of our time. If you skip over them, you will find a wealth of research and much good narrative journalism in Unnatural Selection. The occasional feminist, leftist, and anti-American editorializing aside, this is a rich and valuable book on an important topic. David Hume would have admired Hvistendahl's respect for the data, even when it leads to conclusions that make hay of her prejudices. Rousseau would have applauded her egalitarian passions. Thomas Malthus, had he read the book, would have been tearing his hair out. | <urn:uuid:f6399029-a683-4014-83d3-8e457d2526dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.johnderbyshire.com/Reviews/HumanSciences/unnaturalselection.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972116 | 2,060 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Birch: It is heavy, similar to maple, the grain is fine and close and the texture is even. It is adaptable to fine finishes, easy to work with and can be stained and finished to resemble many expensive and imported woods.
Cherry: The heartwood of cherry varies from rich red to reddish brown and will darken with age and on exposure to light. In contrast, the sapwood is creamy white. The wood has a fine uniform, straight grain, satiny, smooth texture, and may naturally contain brown pith flecks.
Mahogany: Comes in many different varieties. Strong and tough and uniform in structure with close moderately open grain. Possesses excellent physical and woodworking qualities. It ranges from a light pink to yellow, but on exposure to light and air, quickly turns to a reddish brown or sherry color.
Maple: Hard or "sugar," maple is elastic and very strong. It is one of the hardest of the common woods. The grain is straight with occasional wavy, curly, bird's eye patterns that are much prized in veneers. The natural color is white to amber. Maple is sometimes finished to simulate cherry wood.
Metal: Core construction is with metals.
Oak or Ash: Oak is very tough, strong, and hard and can live up to the every day abuse furniture takes and it has a pronounced grain. White ash is a ring-porous, hardwood of great strength. It is used for furniture frames and hidden parts. Brown ash has strong grain character and is used for veneers.
Painted: Can be solid wood or a wood like product that is painted.
Pine: Soft wood that is white or pale yellow. Knotty pine is used extensively for paneling and plywood, cabinets and doors. Dries easily and does not shrink or swell much with changes in humidity. One of the least expensive woods for furniture production.
Walnut: Because of its rich brown color, hardness and grain Walnut is a prized furniture and carving wood. Walnut burls are commonly used to created turned pieces along with veneers or thin Walnut slices.
Other: Woods not classified above | <urn:uuid:c2a3ff4b-7049-4ee8-844b-4cbe5f5efee4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.johnnyjanosik.com/BrowseDiningRoom.aspx?LinkID=42 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957698 | 450 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Joint use is a way to increase opportunities for children and adults to be more physically active. It refers to two or more entities — usually a school and a city or private organization — sharing indoor and outdoor spaces like gymnasiums, athletic fields and playgrounds. The concept is simple: share resources to keep costs down and communities healthy.
Examples of joint use agreements:
A principal unlocks the school gate after hours so neighbors can shoot hoops or play ball on evenings and weekends.
A school and swim team share a pool.
A school opens its soccer field to a local league for weekend games.
A YMCA opens its gym to the local PE teacher so students have a place to exercise.
Why is joint use needed?
The research is clear: the more active children are, the healthier they will be now and when they grow up. Yet certain places make physical activity harder instead of easier. Place matters since experts now know that where we live, work and play — the physical environment itself — determines, to a large degree, whether we will be healthy.
Too often, kids find the gate to their school’s blacktop or basketball court locked after school hours, locking them out of opportunities to be active. Closing off recreational facilities after school leaves many children and families struggling to incorporate physical activity into their daily routines. They may live in an area without a nearby park or be unable to afford exercise equipment or a gym membership.
Joint use agreements can fix these problems. Joint use makes physical activity easier by providing kids and adults alike with safe, conveniently located and inviting places to exercise and play. Besides making sense from a health perspective, joint use agreements make sense financially because they build upon assets a community already has. Sharing existing space is cheaper and more efficient than duplicating the same facilities in other parts of the community.
Where is joint use happening?
Joint use is happening in cities throughout California and across the nation. In fact, the concept of joint use is not new. Schools have shared their land and facilities for community use for over 200 years. Most states, including California, have policies to encourage or require schools to make facilities open to the public. In California, a 2008 survey conducted by the Center for Cities and Schools revealed that close to 60 percent of responding school districts already have some type of joint use partnership, but thousands still do not.
How does it work?
Joint use agreements facilitate a partnership between two or more entities, often school districts and local government agencies (e.g. parks and recreation or nonprofit organizations, to open up spaces such as playgrounds, athletic fields, pools, and gymnasiums to the community outside of school hours or to open up community facilities to schools at a reduced cost or for free.
Joint use partnerships can be formal (based on a legal document) or informal (based on a handshake), but formal agreements offer increased protections for both the facility and the community group using the facility. Since school staffing can change over time, personal relationships are not the most secure way to guarantee access to facilities into the future. A formal agreement can also help prevent problems related to maintenance, operations, liability, ownership or cost from arising.
Maintenance– How can we keep the space in good condition? Joint use agreements can detail each partner’s goals to help ensure that school properties are respected and maintained. When school resources are being shared, it’s important to have joint use agreements that specify who needs to make repairs and who will address wear and tear to the property. Some school officials have noticed a decrease in vandalism since implementing a joint use agreement. They have noted that when the community shares school resources, they take pride and ownership in the space, which can help deter vandalism.
Operations — Who will unlock the gate? Who will run the programs? These questions can be answered with joint use agreements so that partners know what they are responsible for.
Liability–What if someone gets hurt? Experts say most schools’ existing liability insurance is sufficient to cover any liability issues associated with joint use. Joint use agreements can identify liability concerns and make sure they are accounted for.
Ownership– How does joint use affect how decisions are made about the property? Joint use agreements should outline a process for resolving any conflicts that may surface. They should also highlight how the partnership will benefit each party.
Cost– How expensive will the partnership be? Joint use agreements can be used to define how much each partner contributes. Partnerships do not need to cost a lot to be successful. Agreements can help partners anticipates what costs might be. | <urn:uuid:5c29112c-9367-4cee-b67d-9c4fbd2fda01> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jointuse.org/resources/joint-use-101/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955776 | 940 | 3.65625 | 4 |
Source: Steven Maxwell, 785-532-5740, [email protected].
Note to editor: This is the first in a series of news releases about the color purple in honor of Kansas State University's founding on Feb. 16, 1863.
News release prepared by: Greg Tammen, 785-532-2535, [email protected]
Monday, Feb. 7, 2011
The power of purple:
ROCK MUSIC'S ROOTS RUN DEEP WITH PURPLE, PROFESSOR SAYS
MANHATTAN -- Ask Steven Maxwell what the color purple means and his answer is simple: turn the volume to 11 and open your mind, because purple is rock and roll in its prime.
"Artistically purple is a descriptive word, and I think that's why it's been adopted by some successful acts in the music world," said Maxwell, assistant professor of music at Kansas State University.
In 2008 Maxwell created a class about the history of rock and roll, where he teaches about the genre's evolution and its relationship to history.
"The really cool thing about rock and roll is that it ties into the American culture and really reflects what's going on in the country," Maxwell said. "It serves as the voice of the common person and has been associated with some important historical moments in the U.S. It was a part of that voice in the civil rights movement in the '60s and used in protest of the Vietnam War in the '70s."
Rock music's history runs purple, with the color being adopted by some of the most influential musicians.
"Think of the deeper concept of what a song like 'Purple Haze' means, especially when it first came out," Maxwell said. "The late '60s was all about looking at things differently. Jimi Hendrix perfectly captured that psychedelic era in the country, that time of opening the doors of perception in one's mind and really looking at something on a deeper level."
He said the "purple" Hendrix is referring to is that new, unknown, almost analogous way of thinking.
"Metaphorically, purple was a blend between the standardized 'primary colors' introduced by mainstream society in the 1950s and mid-1960s," Maxwell said.
Other artists, such as Deep Purple and Prince, adopted the color because of its ambiguity in the musical soundscape and pop culture.
Deep Purple was one of the pioneers of hard rock and heavy metal, Maxwell said. The group was the first rock band to record with a full Concerto orchestra, as well as the first to turn the volume to 11, a feat earning them the title of the world's loudest band by the Guinness Book of World Records in 1972.
And then there's the song "Smoke on the Water."
"When that song came out it was such a fresh thing," Maxwell said. "No longer was the focus just on the lyrics. That guitar riff made the music as important as the words. Today most people don't remember the lyrics but they know that guitar lick."
In 1984 Prince released "Purple Rain," an album that took the newly introduced music video to the next level as a full-length film.
The album also introduced Prince's backing band. The Revolution, an apt title due to the soundtrack's revolutionary nature, Maxwell said. The album has since been seen as an avant-garde piece of work and has been named one of the greatest albums of all time by outlets like Time magazine, Rolling Stone, VH1 and others.
"Purple's taking the softness of blue, the loudness of red, and meeting in the middle to make things a little ambiguous. It's a blend of those two primary colors and is therefore a different way of looking at things," he said. | <urn:uuid:8671d356-590d-4599-a2d6-8c2ddd04c134> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/feb11/purplemusic20711.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977461 | 798 | 3.140625 | 3 |
and the operational
deployment of the West African Regiment
On the outbreak
of war in August 1914 the Allies quickly moved against German possessions in West Africa.
Togoland was seized (see: http://www.kaiserscross.com/188001/300143.html
) and the large colony of Kamerun was attacked.
In Kamerun initial British attacks across the Nigerian border were
repulsed by the Germans, but an amphibious assault on Douala seized that port on 27th September 1914. The allied commander, Brigadier General Sir
C.M. Dobell CMG, DSO, then ordered two columns to move north and attack Susa and Yabasi (sometimes
spelt as Jabassi.) Yabasi lay 50 miles (80
kilometres) up the Wuri
River which was
navigable. The Royal Navy was tasked
with transporting the column to Yabasi.
Column Commander was Brevet Colonel E.H. Gorges DSO, the Commandant of the West
African Regiment. Colonel Gorges force
consisted of a land party under Lieutenant Colonel E. Vaughan (Manchester
Regiment and West African Regiment) who commanded:
2 sections of
mountain artillery, one section each coming from the Sierra Leone Battery and the Gold
Coast Battery, West African Frontier Force (WAFF).
plus 2 machine guns from the West
African Regiment 2 companies
from the 1st Nigeria
Half of the
Pioneer Company of the Gold Coast
medical detachments and 688 porters.
the Royal Navy, under Commander the Honourable B.T.C.O. Freeman-Mitford, was a
flotilla comprised of:
Mole a dredger armed with a 6-inch gun.
Dreadnought a lighter also mounting a 6-inch gun.
Balbus a steam tug that towed the Dreadnought and carried three 1-pounder guns.
boat from HMS Cumberland, armed with
one 3-pounder gun and a machine gun.
The steam launches
Sokoto, Crocodile and Alligator,
each armed with one machine gun.
gun and detachment for employment on land.
guns and crews came from HMS Challenger at
The West African Regiment (WAR)
in Sierra Leone
was one of the Royal Navy’s most important harbours and bases, and it needed an
effective garrison. White troops sent
there were decimated by fever and had to be replaced by battalions of the West
India Regiment from the Caribbean. Internal unrest in Sierra Leone caused the British to
raise a local infantry regiment in the colony in 1896 titled the West African
The WAR was an
Imperial unit; that meant that its cost was born by the British War Office and
not by colonial revenues raised in Sierra Leone. The regiment’s primary role was to defend the
colony’s capital Freetown,
but it was also available for operations anywhere in the world. The regiment raised twelve companies of
infantrymen from tribes in the Sierra
Leone interior. The unit strength was: 60 British seconded officers,
25 British seconded Non Commissioned Officers (NCOs) and 1,500 African rank and
file. The regimental march was Rule Britannia.
In the early
days the regiment was dressed in a blue single-breasted tunic with five gilt
buttons and standing collar, knee-length baggy blue breeches, a low red fez for
headdress and a brown belt with two pouches.
Boots and gaiters were not issued or used. The soldiers were armed with the .303-inch
Lee Metford magazine rifle.
By 1914 the
soldiers were wearing a khaki flannel smock and calf-length breeches, but the
men still fought in bare feet. The rifle
in use was the Short Magazine Lee Enfield, and two machine guns had been issued
to the regiment. In Kamerun the red fez
was replaced by a green Kilmarnock hat and the
belt and pouches were replaced with M08 web equipment.
In pre-war days
the WAR had deployed five companies into the interior of Sierra Leone, and had stationed the regimental
headquarters and seven companies at Wilberforce, outside Freetown.
The West African Regiment should not be confused with the Sierra Leone
Battalion of the West African Frontier Force, which was a colonially-funded,
directed and administered unit.
The approach up the Wuri River
up-river started on 7th October and was enlivened by canoe-loads of
villagers trying to cling on to the vessels to get a free ride. Some of the canoe men climbed aboard the
Royal Navy craft to search for removable objects, and they had to be
ejected. As the long snake of vessels,
led by the flagship Mole, passed
Bosida the ‘King’ (head chief) of the region came aboard for a visit. He had been hiding in the bush for three days
as the withdrawing Germans were hanging anyone in authority who was thought to
favour the Allies.
Left: The Wuri River at Yabasi
As Nsake Fort
was reached, 10 miles (16 kilometres) south of Yabasi, the flotilla came under enemy
rifle fire. Machine gun and 3-pounder
fire sprayed and bombarded the fort in reply.
A company of WAR disembarked and seized the fort which was found to be
empty. Local villagers advised that the
enemy had quickly withdrawn up-river to Yabasi.
Deployment into action at Yabasi
defenders of Yabasi were the 1st (Depot) Company of the Schutztruppe
supported by local policemen and local Europeans. Knowing that the British flotilla was on its
way towards them they had planned a sound defence, and they wanted to fight.
into the flotilla’s sight at 0800 hours on 7th October, and shortly
afterwards the effects of the hot tropical sun began to be felt by the entire British
column. The Mole and the Dreadnought
bombarded Yabasi town whilst the troops disembarked on the west side of the
river. The east side was thought to be
too swampy and no British troops landed there.
This was a big mistake.
ordered Lieutenant Colonel Vaughan to advance with a main body of 4 companies
and the machine gun section WAR, the Gold Coast pioneers and the Gold Coast
mountain artillery. The remaining sub-units
and the naval 12-pounder gun were held in reserve.
At this time
the flotilla noticed enemy movement on the east bank. A message was despatched to Colonel Gorges
but it either did not arrive or was ignored.
Lieutenant Colonel Vaughan
was now ordered to seize a mound south of the town whilst Captain E. S. Brand (Royal
Fusiliers and WAR) led a left-flanking attack (see sketch map). The mound was evacuated by the enemy and the
British occupied it.
machine gunners on both sides of the river opened fire on the flotilla and on the
British troops on the mound. Enemy rounds
hit the gun mountings on the vessels, forcing Commander Freeman-Mitford to
withdraw his flotilla down-river out of range.
This denied Colonel Gorges the naval gun fire support that he had been
counting on. The tug Balbus had disobeyed orders and pushed
her way too far upstream, and as she withdrew she ran aground on an island and
had to be abandoned. The navy was now pre-occupied
with emptying Balbus of her guns and
other loose items. Things were going
Disaster on the British left flank
ordered the naval 12-pounder to be dragged onto the mound by the naval gun
detachment and some accompanying Royal Marines.
He then went to inspect his left flank attack, as it appeared to be
The troops on
the left flank were in disarray. They
had advanced through a swamp to a river which could only be crossed by one
bridge. German machine gunners had a
clear field of fire from Yabasi and were knocking down anyone approaching the
bridge. Captain Brand was dead along
with Staff Sergeant (Armourer) Frederick C. Wade (Royal Army Ordnance Corps and
WAR) and Colour Sergeant Hector McGuirk (King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
and WAR). Lieutenant R.D. Bennett
(Middlesex Regiment), the WAR Machine Gun Officer, was severely wounded. Twelve African soldiers had also been killed
and 19 others wounded; many of these casualties were WAR machine gunners. On the river five British sailors had been
Left: Captain Ernest Stanley Brand
on the left flank were now either thrashing around in tall elephant grass or
were unwilling to face the German machine guns.
Tactical unity had been lost. A
company of the 1st Nigeria Regiment was ordered to mount another
flanking attack with the intention of going further to the west and getting
onto ground beyond the bridge. But direction
was lost in the thick, swampy bush and the Nigerians emerged behind the WAR
instead of in front and to the left.
Colonel Gorges now
turned to what he perceived to be his trump card, the naval detachment on the
mound; here he found the men prostrated with exhaustion. Having no real idea of the physical demands
made by bush warfare, the naval detachment had thought that it could haul the
12-pounder gun and ammunition without the assistance of local porters. To compound this situation the detachment had
been ordered into action wearing heavy marching order. The result was that although the 12-pounder
was on the mound, the gunners were too exhausted to man it efficiently and the
marines were too exhausted to fight forward.
As dusk was now
approaching a British retirement was ordered.
The men re-embarked and the flotilla, less Balbus, sailed back down-river to Nsake for the night. It then returned to Douala.
The second British attack on Yabasi
ordered an immediate second assault on Yabasi.
The WAR was rested and Colonel Gorges was given another column
The Nigerian Mountain Artillery Battery
(less one section) WAFF.
from the Gold Coast Mountain Artillery
Battalion The Nigeria
Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel J.B. Cockburn (Royal Welch Fusiliers and Nigeria
A Composite Battalion consisting of 2
companies of the Sierra Leone Battalion WAFF and 2 companies of the Gold Coast
Regiment WAFF, under Lieutenant Colonel R.A. de B. Rose (Worcester Regiment and
Gold Coast Regiment, WAFF).
from the Pioneer Company of the Gold
Medical detachments and 450 porters.
flotilla, again under Commander Mitford, was similar to the previous one but
this time 100 porters accompanied the 12-pounder gun.
October the Composite Battalion was landed on both banks of the river at Nsake
and advanced. Officers’ patrols located
the enemy near Yabasi also on both banks of the river, as before. The following morning 1st Nigeria
Regiment (less one company), one section of Gold Coast Pioneers, the Nigerian
mountain gunners and the naval 12-pounder detachment were landed on the west
side of the river south of Yabasi. Lieutenant Colonel Cockburn was tasked with
getting behind and to the north of Yabasi by making a wide left flanking
approach. The remainder of the column
was held afloat by Colonel Gorges so that he could reinforce either bank of the
By 1300 hours
the British troops on both banks were in contact with the enemy who was fighting
a withdrawing action. The flotilla
provided fire support and by 1500 hours Yabasi was encircled. One hour later
the British held all the enemy trenches.
Ten enemy prisoners were taken by 1st Nigeria Regiment. The British had lost 2 men wounded and one
British NCO who died from the effects of the sun.
On the 15th
October British patrols ascertained that the Germans were retreating towards
Nyamtam, and there was some inconclusive skirmishing. The flotilla successfully salved the Balbus, although it had to be sent to Nigeria
for a refit. The 1st Bn The Nigeria
Regiment was left to garrison the Yabasi area and the remainder of the column
returned to Douala. The British dead from the first attack were
buried in Douala Cemetery.
At Yabasi the
British troops learned to respect German machine gunnery. Experience acquired the hard way during the
failed first attack helped the second attack to succeed.
African Regiment continued operating in Kamerun and was a useful unit. After the conquest of the territory the WAR
provided garrison troops for Kamerun, Togo and Gambia,
and internal security troops for northern Nigeria. During the Great War 7 British officers and
Non Commissioned Officers were killed in action and 4 others were wounded or
injured; 27 African soldiers were killed, 17 died of disease and 41 were
Colonel Gorges was
appointed to be a Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (CB) and a
Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE). Two
officers in the WAR were awarded Military Crosses. Five British officers and eight Sierra
Leonian soldiers were Mentioned in Despatches.
Being Imperial troops the soldiers in the WAR were unfortunately not
eligible to receive the African Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) which was awarded to WAFF soldiers, and none
were considered for the Imperial DCM.
honours awarded to the regiment were: Sierra Leone 1897-98; Ashanti 1900; Cameroons 1914-16; and Duala. In 1928
the regiment was disbanded as a cost-cutting measure. At the time of disbandment the Prince of
Wales was the Colonel-in-Chief. This was
sad end to a colonial Imperial unit that had served Britain well.
The Great War in West Africa
by Brigadier General E.
Howard Gorges CB, CBE, DSO.
Official History. Military Operations Togoland and
the Cameroons by Brigadier General F.J. Moberly CB, CSI, DSO.
The History of the Royal West African Frontier
Force by Colonel A.
Haywood CMG, CBE, DSO and
Brigadier F.A.S. Clarke DSO.
The Naval Review 1915. Imperial Sunset.
Frontier Soldiering in the 20th Century by James Lunt.
Colonial Armies. Africa
1850 to 1918 by Peter
The Empire at War by Sir Charles Lucas KCB, KCMG. | <urn:uuid:1817794f-8a67-4bec-ad57-eb9c6d7900a9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kaiserscross.com/188001/315722.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962221 | 3,166 | 3.5625 | 4 |
Space > Space Shuttle-3rd Edition
Space Shuttle-3rd Edition
The eighty year history of developing reusable lifting-reentry spacecraft. From the early works of Eugen Sanger in Germany to the Cold War developments in the US, then finally to the ultimate experiment - the Space Shuttle. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first Space Shuttle launch, this greatly enlarged third edition adds many previously uncovered early designs, details the latest modifications to the operational vehicles, and provides expanded coverage of the first 100 Space Shuttle missions.
Search for more items by this author:
Dennis R. Jenkins
Space Shuttle-3rd Edition from Specialty Press | <urn:uuid:2db2d0c6-ce04-4925-9c4e-ef2d03af9ed4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.karensbooks.com/store/products/ProductDetail.php?ProductID=10411 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.862952 | 132 | 2.53125 | 3 |
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SOURCE Ford Motor Company
DEARBORN, Mich., March 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
Ford reduced the average amount of water used to make each vehicle by 8.5 percent between 2011 and 2012 – putting the company more than halfway toward its current goal of using an average of just 4 cubic meters per vehicle globally by 2015.
Since 2000, Ford has reduced the amount of water it uses in everything from cooling towers to parts washing and paint operations by 10.6 billion gallons, or 62 percent. That's equal to the amount of water used by nearly 99,000 U.S. residences annually, or enough to fill 16,000 Olympic-size pools. Ford's reduced consumption rates mean even more to regions around the world struggling with water-related issues like drought and extensive population growth.
Ford's water reduction success is a result of the company's commitment to reduce the amount of water it uses by aggressively monitoring and managing just about every drop of water going into and out of its facilities and properties, says Andy Hobbs, director, Environmental Quality Office.
Since 2000, Ford decreased the total amount of water used around the world annually from 64 million cubic meters to 24 million cubic meters.
"That's about 10.6 billion gallons of water that was conserved and went to use somewhere else," says Hobbs.
Ford voluntarily launched its Global Water Management Initiative in 2000, putting in place ways to manage water conservation, quality and reuse of storm and process water. Ford's water strategy complements the company's overall Code of Human Rights, Basic Working Conditions and Corporate Responsibilities.
"Ford recognizes the critical importance of water, and is committed to conserving water and using it responsibly," says Robert Brown, vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. "Many vehicle manufacturing processes require water and the resource is used at every point in our supply chain."
Ford aims to use an average of 1,056 gallons of water to make each vehicle globally – consistent with its overall goal of a 30 percent reduction in the amount of water used per vehicle between 2009 and 2015. That is slightly more than the 1,000 gallons fire engine tankers in the U.S. are required to contain in their tanks. One cubic meter of water is equal to 264 gallons.
Continuing the progress
Ford had a positive impact on the world's water supply in many ways during 2012. The Ford Fund, for example, supported 19 different water-related projects in China, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, India, Germany and South Africa.
One project in arid Southwest China, for instance, involved 60 Ford employees from Nanjing, who helped eight families build water cellars designed to capture water during the rainy season to store and use during drier times of the year.
At the same time, Ford's biggest water-related projects were within its own facilities and included:
These accomplishments reflect Ford's overall approach to water use, which emphasizes several goals:
More information about Ford's water use-related efforts can be found in the company's annual sustainability report that is released annually every June. The most recent version can be found here.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F), a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 171,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.
©2012 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved. | <urn:uuid:268706f9-7219-4f86-8f3c-9f7fa5608ffb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kcentv.com/story/21763361/ford-cuts-global-water-use-85-percent-per-vehicle-from-2011-to-2012-total-usage-down-62-percent-since-2000 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948735 | 795 | 2.703125 | 3 |
In addition, health issues, such as pain, asthma, restless legs syndrome, and back problems, also can contribute to lack of sleep. So can some medications, such as decongestants, steroids and some medicines for high blood pressure, asthma or depression.
Secrets of good sleep
You can take steps to shift your body and mind into more beneficial sleep habits:
- Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, comfortable and cool. “Making your bedroom a sanctuary conducive for sleep can make a significant difference in the quality of sleep you get,” says Dr. Wolfson.
- Go to sleep and wake up at the same time, even on weekends. Doing so helps keep your internal “circadian clock” in balance, which signals your body to sleep and wake in a regular pattern.
- Establish a regular, relaxing bedtime routine that might include reading a book, listening to soothing music or doing something else you find relaxing. “A relaxing, routine activity right before bedtime helps separate your sleep time from activities that can make it more difficult to fall asleep or remain asleep,” says Dr. Wolfson. “Parents know that a bedtime routine can help children get a good night’s sleep. Doing the same for themselves can have the same results.”
- Make sure your mattress is comfortable and supportive. Good-quality mattresses generally last about 10 years. Have comfortable pillows and make the room attractive and inviting.
- Avoid caffeine close to bedtime. Caffeine products, such as coffee, tea and colas, remain in the body, on average, from three to five hours, but they can affect some people up to 12 hours later.
- Avoid alcohol close to bedtime. Many people think of alcohol as a sedative, but it actually disrupts sleep, causing nighttime awakenings.
- Quit smoking. Nicotine is a stimulant that can make it more difficult for smokers to fall asleep, stay asleep and wake in the morning. Smokers should never smoke in bed or when they’re sleepy.
- Finish eating at least two or three hours before your regular bedtime. Be aware that large, high-fat or spicy meals may cause heartburn, which leads to difficulty falling asleep and discomfort during the night.
- Exercise regularly but complete your workout at least a few hours before bedtime. Exercising regularly makes it easier to fall asleep and contributes to sounder sleep. However, working out right before going to bed will make falling asleep more difficult.
- Find ways to manage stress and anxiety. Relaxation exercises, meditation or deep breathing work for many people.
“If there are problems or issues keeping you awake, try writing them in a notebook and putting it away,” suggests Dr. Wolfson. “That way, you’ve registered your concerns but become free to put them aside until morning.”
When to seek help
If your sleep problems persist for longer than a week and are bothersome, or if sleepiness interferes with the way you feel or function during the day, don’t self-medicate with sleeping pills; make an appointment with your doctor.
“The key to better sleep is recognizing you’re not getting enough deep, restorative sleep, and then doing something about it,” says Dr. Wolfson. “Failure to do so puts you and others at risk.” | <urn:uuid:1cbff567-0d53-485f-b0da-b9c3af53d7f1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kcra.com/Gets-the-ZZZs-you-need/-/11798090/18014276/-/item/1/-/14d2jl9/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94624 | 712 | 2.75 | 3 |
Most Active Stories
Sun September 25, 2011
Launch Logistics: Speedy Rocket, Slow Electronics
Weird things jump out at me in press releases.
Take the press kit NASA prepared for the GRAIL mission. GRAIL consists of two nearly identical spacecraft that are on their way to the moon. Once there, they will make a precise map of the moon's gravitational field. Such a map will help scientists refine their theories about how the moon formed and what the interior is made of.
So I'm reading through the GRAIL press kit, learning about the size of the spacecraft (washing machine-sized), how long it will take to make the map (approximately three months), and where the mission control room is (at a Lockheed Martin facility just outside of Denver).
I also learn that GRAIL can launch any day between Sept. 9 and Oct. 19. And then I get to this sentence:
"On each day, there are two separate, instantaneous launch opportunities separated in time by approximately 39 minutes."
That's weird. Now, I wasn't surprised that this mission had an extremely precise launch opportunity — "instantaneous" means the launch window is essentially a second long. I know you have to wait until the moon's orbit around the Earth, and Earth's orbit around the sun, and the Earth's rotation around its axis are all in exactly the right position before you can launch your rocket.
But what's up with two instantaneous launch opportunities. Why 39 minutes apart?
I called the NASA press office. They were stumped and promised they'd find someone who could give me the answer. In the meantime, I called several universities with large aerospace programs, and asked if anyone there had the answer.
Nope. Nada. Nothing.
So now this is beginning to bug me. I'm also beginning to worry. If an aerospace engineer can't figure this out, how am I ever going to understand it?
While I'm pondering this, GRAIL deputy project manager Tom Hoffman called. I asked him about the two instantaneous launch opportunities.
"It's a pretty simple answer not driven by the mission at all," Hoffman told me. "It's driven by the launch vehicle."
The launch vehicle? Not orbital mechanics or a complex trajectory? The problem, Hoffman said, is some slow electronics.
There is actually a launch window of 40 minutes or so each day. Modern computers in modern rockets can calculate the precise direction the rocket needs to launch on a second-by-second basis. But GRAIL was launching on a Delta II rocket, and Hoffman told me the Delta II rocket is a rather old design. It's been around for more than 20 years, "and so the rocket just can't, it can't do that internally, in its own computer system. It basically has to be fed all the information," he said.
Hoffman said it takes about 39 minutes to load in the new information, and then check to make sure that it was loaded correctly.
Not the answer I was expecting, but there's something oddly pleasing about a brand-new space mission launching with some rather old electronics.
Whatever works ... as the saying goes. | <urn:uuid:a9a03c48-37f0-4107-92ff-4b61e412d876> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kenw.org/post/launch-logistics-speedy-rocket-slow-electronics | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967178 | 657 | 2.546875 | 3 |
What is the Keystone XL Pipeline?
The 1,700-mile long Keystone XL Pipeline would connect the Alberta oil sand fields in Canada to refineries in Texas. The multi-billion dollar project is being proposed by TransCanada, a Canadian energy company. TransCanada has been attempting to get a permit for the pipeline for over three years. The proposed line would travel through six U.S. states: Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. The line would cross through 16 counties in North and East Texas. The pipeline itself would be 36 inches around.
Since the pipeline crosses international borders, TransCanada needs to obtain a Presidential Permit through the State Department for construction of the portion of the pipeline that goes from Canada to the U.S.
On February 27, 2012, TransCanada announced it would start construction on a section of its Keystone XL pipeline from Cushing, Oklahoma to Texas... | <urn:uuid:28bb2f66-5a41-418e-9c11-5f5562a6867d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ketknbc.com/news/what-is-the-keystone-xl-pipeline | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941576 | 186 | 3.078125 | 3 |
The aviation sector is renowned as a carbon intensive business, but an increasing number of airports are looking to change that by integrating the latest green-tech into their daily operations.
Air travel and transport accounts for two percent of all human generated greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) -- with airports contributing five percent to the overall aviation figure.
By adapting clean energy policies and technologies, eco-conscious airport operators hope to make a dent in these numbers and boost the industry's environmental street-cred.
"We are making our airports greener, while balancing the tremendous economic impacts they deliver for our region," says Amy Malick, deputy commissioner of sustainability for the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), which will host the fifth annual Airports Going Green conference this November.
The conference provides a platform for over 400 airport executives and green thinkers from around the world to present programs, strategies, and lessons-learned regarding airport sustainability.
"(We are) committed to implementing sustainable initiatives at our airports that enhance the quality of life for citizens," she adds.
Malick highlights how the CDA has installed over 230,000 square feet of vegetated roof space at Chicago O'Hare and Midway International Airport, ensured all Chicago airport trucks are fueled with ultra-low sulfur diesel gas and insisted recycled materials are utilized in all airports when possible.
As a result, the CDA has saved 76,000 tons of CO2 from being pumped out by Chicago's airports alone, she claims.
Across the U.S. like-minded schemes are taking off with increasing regularity. Airports such as Boston Logan and Denver International now generate a small percentage of their energy requirements from renewable energy sources (such as on site wind and solar).
In Europe meanwhile 64 airports have joined the Airport Carbon Accreditation program, which recognizes innovative eco-airport efforts. A further five sites have signed up to the scheme in Asia. | <urn:uuid:aa0f19b1-b112-4860-b14c-9875543a1d51> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ketv.com/news/money/Green-airports-on-carbon-cutting-mission/-/9674314/16815520/-/14tc1sf/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942116 | 398 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Hands on activityThe English designer William Morris was influenced by Indian patterns when he designed this block printed cotton fabric in 1883. Other British designers used Indian patterns, such as 'Paisley'. Using factories, British cloth makers were able to make cheaper fabrics and sell it in India in Victorian times. Indian weavers spun, wove and decorated their cloth in their own homes and this made it more expensive, so many of them went out of business. Have a look at the images below. They show some designs, cloth printing and the blocks used to print cloths.
You would need to print with your block thousands of time to decorate a large piece of cloth by hand. You can make a printing block using a potato - it's much easier to carve than wood!
You will need:
a big potato
paper for your pattern
a small knife with a pointed end or a scalpel
fabric paints or dyes - use indigo, turmeric or henna if you want to make authentic Indian colours
paper plates for mixing colours
1. Cut your potato in half and leave it to dry for a few hours. If you want, you can slice off the edges to make a square, which will be easier to line up when you print. You can also use a polystyrene ceiling tile, with the pattern drawn into it. You can buy real wood printing blocks in some Indian shops if you want to print from wood.
2. Design your printing block pattern on thin white paper, filling in the areas to be cut out. Remember to make the pattern no larger than the potato. Cut the paper 1 centimetre bigger than the design.
3. Tape your paper design onto the dry potato.
4. Get an adult to help with this part. Using the sharp knife or scalpel, cut out your design.
5. Mix your dyes or fabric paints on the paper plate. If you are using an Indian dye such as turmeric make it into quite a thick paste.
6. Paint the dye onto your potato block, or press the block into the dye on the plate.
7. Practice printing the block on some scrap paper before you try it on the fabric.
8. Print the pattern onto the fabric. It looks best when you print repeated patterns, or try different colours next to each other. Keep the patterns in line using a long ruler.
9. Leave the fabric to dry.
Need some inspiration?
Have a look at the some Victorian paisley patterns.
You can have a go at a block printing activity in this Museum Open Learning Initiative activity.
Wooden blocks are available ready made from Parrotfish.
Have a look at some William Morris designs and download some wallpaper. | <urn:uuid:69ba2ea4-bf08-4a99-ae50-19420c6223a6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kew.org/plant-cultures/schools/schools_textiles_blockprint.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935162 | 564 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Age: 2-5 years
Little ones can make flowers using muffin liners, glitter glue and buttons.
What You Need:
•Glue (we used glitter glue)
•Muffin liners (we used some plain and some silver)
What You Do:
- Let your little ones put glue on the construction paper whereever they would like to put a "flower".
- Have them place a muffin liner on the glue. Repeat.
- Encourage your child/student to put a dab of glue in the center of the muffin liner.
- Then, have them place a button on the glue dab.
- To complete the picture, little ones can use markers to draw stems and leaves on the construction paper.
www.KinderArt.com | www.KinderArtLittles.com
© Andrea Mulder-Slater and KinderArt ® | <urn:uuid:d29c3a47-5696-46ff-a869-4b97755c8d20> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kinderart.com/littles/artmaking/muffinlinerflowers.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.730934 | 188 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Protecting your home against winter's 'silent killer'
(BPT) - It’s colorless, odorless and the No. 1 cause of accidental poisoning in the United States. And, it worsens in the winter.
Known as the “silent killer,” carbon monoxide (CO) is responsible for an average of 450 deaths and 20,000 emergency room visits each year, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. With more than two-fifths of all CO poisonings occurring between December and February, homeowners are at increased risk once temperatures begin to drop.
“During the winter months, many families turn to heating sources they might not use at other times of the year,” says Deborah Hanson, director of external affairs for First Alert, the most trusted name in home safety. “While these heating sources may be effective at providing warmth, they also can pose great risks if not used properly. To help protect loved ones from the dangers of CO poisoning, it is important for homeowners to take proper precautions when dealing with any kind of fuel-burning heat source.”
First Alert recommends the following tips and tools for keeping your home and loved ones warm – and safe – this winter and all year long:
Protect against CO poisoning
Run kitchen vents or exhaust fans any time the stove is in use. The kitchen stove is among the most frequent sources of CO poisoning in the home. To help eliminate danger of overexposure, never use the oven to heat a home. Always run exhaust fans when cooking, especially during the holidays when stoves are left on for longer periods of time. Also, open a nearby window periodically when cooking to allow fresh air to circulate.
Never use generators indoors. In the case of a power outage, portable electricity generators must be used outside only with power brought into the structure with a cord. Never use them inside the home, in a garage or in any confined area that can allow CO to collect. And be careful to follow operating instructions closely. Also refrain from using charcoal grills, camp stoves or other similar devices indoors.
Have fuel-burning appliances inspected regularly. Arrange for a professional inspection of all fireplaces and fuel-burning appliances – such as furnaces, stoves, clothes dryers, water heaters and space heaters – annually to detect any CO leaks.
Be mindful of the garage. Warming the car in the morning before work is common during the winter months, but running vehicles inside an attached garage, even if the door is open, is hazardous, as CO can leak into the home.
Install/test CO alarms. Carbon monoxide alarms are the only way to detect this poisonous gas in a home. For maximum protection, alarms should be installed on every level of the home and near each sleeping area. Test alarm function monthly and change batteries every six months. In addition, alarms should be replaced every five to seven years to ensure proper function. If the installation date is unknown, replace immediately.
For more information on carbon monoxide safety, visit www.firstalert.com. | <urn:uuid:69289004-835e-4965-a69a-a443f2b95705> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kiowacountysignal.com/section/?template=araArchiveDetails&CategoryID=402&article=8070480101&archive=true | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924311 | 633 | 2.9375 | 3 |
Mary Anne Dunkin
Louise Chang, MD
Two decades ago, if you had moderate to severe Crohn's, there were few treatment options. In the late 1990s, however, the first in a new class of treatment options emerged for Crohn's disease. Referred to as biologic response modifiers, biologic agents, or simply biologics, these drugs target specific parts of an overactive immune system to reduce inflammation.
Biologics not only relieve Crohn's symptoms but also can bring about remission and keep you in remission. They are indicated for use when someone has moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease and has not responded well to other Crohn’s disease treatments. Many people with Crohn's now live with significantly fewer symptoms, but may worry about side effects. Here's a look at the risks and benefits of biologics.
In Crohn's disease, an overactive immune system causes inflammation and damage to the digestive tract. Made from living organisms, biologics work just like substances made by the body’s immune system and can help control the immune system response.
Four biologics are FDA approved for Crohn's. Three of the four block a protein called tumor necrosis factor (TNF) that's involved in inflammation. These drugs are often called anti-TNF drugs or TNF inhibitors. They include Cimzia (certolizumab), Humira (adalimumab), and Remicade (infliximab).
The fourth medication, Tysabri (natalizumab), is called an integrin receptor antagonist. It blocks certain types of white blood cells that are involved in inflammation.
Because they suppress the immune system, all biologics carry an increased risk of infections, which in rare cases can be serious. Cimzia, Humira, and Remicade carry a boxed warning for increased risk of serious infections leading to hospitalization or death. If someone taking a biologic develops a serious infection, the drug should be discontinued. People with tuberculosis, heart failure, or multiple sclerosis should not take biologics because they can bring on these conditions or make them worse.
In rare cases, some people taking TNF inhibitors have developed certain cancers such as lymphoma. Lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the lymph system, which is part of the body’s immune system.
Tysabri increases the risk of a very rare but potentially fatal brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). Tysabri also can cause allergic reactions and liver damage. Tysabri should not be used at the same time as other treatments that suppress the immune system or TNF inhibitors.
However, most infections that occur with biologic use are far less serious, says Richard Bloomfeld, MD, associate professor of medicine and director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston Salem, N.C. "Infections such as colds, upper respiratory tract infections, and urinary tract infections are common and don't necessarily alter our treatment of Crohn's."
Other common side effects from biologic use include headache, flu-like symptoms, nausea, rash, injection site pain, and infusion reactions.
So who should take a biologic for Crohn's? Many gastroenterologists reserve these drugs for people who have not responded to conventional medications that suppress the immune system. But some gastroenterologists may treat Crohn's more aggressively.
"If you let inflammation go, inflammation leads to scarring and scarring leads to narrowing of the intestines, which becomes a surgical problem," says Prabhakar Swaroop, MD, assistant professor and director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. "You want to treat the person aggressively to prevent these problems."
"In addition to improving symptoms, the anti-TNF modifiers are associated with mucosal healing," says Bloomfeld. "We hope that in healing the mucosa we can stop the progression of the disease and prevent complications of Crohn's that result in hospitalization and surgery."
While there are other treatments that suppress the immune system to treat Crohn's, they too have side effects, says Bloomfeld. Like the biologics, drugs that suppress the immune system increase the risk of lymphomas and infections, which can be severe.
Cortiosteroids like prednisone, for example, can cause a wide range of adverse effects including weight gain, mood swings, bone loss, skin bruising, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar. Those side effects are why corticosteroids may be used to control a flare, but aren't the choice to treat Crohn's over a long period of time. "The stop-gap method, which is steroids, is something we cannot use long term," says Swaroop.
When prescribing any drug, doctors look at the potential risks against the benefits they hope or expect to achieve. Although doctors don't all share the same philosophy on when to start biologics for Crohn's disease, they do agree that biologics should be used when people have severe disease that can lead to permanent damage and make surgery unavoidable.
Swaroop says he looks for signs that the disease is progressing, such as how long between a person's diagnosis of Crohn's and when they have fistulas. "These are the patients who generally do better on biologics, who have the quality of life improvement, who are able to avoid surgery and get back in the workforce," he says.
Before prescribing biologics, doctors check for potential problems. "In the beginning, of course, we go ahead and make sure the person does not have an active liver infection or TB," says Marie Borum, MD, professor of medicine and director of the Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Once someone starts a biologic, the doctor looks for side effects in order to find them before they become serious. Monitoring includes include lab tests and possibly regular skin checks for signs of skin cancer.
All effective therapies for Crohn's disease come with some risk, says Bloomfeld. "It is not an option not to treat Crohn's, so we certainly need to weigh these risks against the benefits of having the disease well treated."
"It may be challenging for the individual to consider all of these risk and benefits. They need to work with their gastroenterologist to decide what might be most beneficial for them and what risk they are willing to accept to effectively treat Crohn's disease," Bloomfeld says. "You have to be willing to accept some risk to adequately treat Crohn's disease."
SOURCES:Crohn's Colitis Foundation of America: "Biologic Therapies."Marie Borum, MD, professor of medicine; director, Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.Richard Bloomfeld, MD, associate professor of medicine; director, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, N.C.Prabhakar Swaroop, MD, assistant professor; director, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.
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The Health News section does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information. | <urn:uuid:d144a4d1-4df0-4ff9-bc6a-945b724413d1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kmtr.com/webmd/crohnsdisease/story/Taking-a-Biologic-for-Crohns-Disease-Risks-and/jLMMkVIuEEygAcFikTW0ig.cspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946601 | 1,559 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Posted: Oct 9, 2012 3:00 PM by Robert Preidt
TUESDAY, Oct. 9 (HealthDay News) -- A gene test that can identify people at risk for mouth cancer has been developed by British researchers.
The test detects precancerous cells in patients with benign-looking mouth lesions and could lead to earlier treatment for at-risk patients and improve their chances of survival, according to the team at Queen Mary, University of London.
They used the quantitative Malignancy Index Diagnostic System test -- which measures the level of 16 genes -- on more than 350 head and neck tissue specimens from nearly 300 patients and found that it had a cancer detection rate between 91 percent and 94 percent.
The study was published Oct. 4 in the International Journal of Cancer.
Mouth cancer affects more than half a million people worldwide each year, and that number is expected to rise above 1 million by 2030, according to World Health Organization figures. Most cases of mouth cancer are caused by either smoking or chewing tobacco, or drinking alcohol.
Mouth lesions are common, but only 5 percent to 30 percent may turn into cancers. Until now, no test has been able to accurately detect which lesions will become cancerous. Many mouth cancers are diagnosed at later stages, when the chances of survival are greatly reduced.
"A sensitive test capable of quantifying a patient's cancer risk is needed to avoid the adoption of a 'wait-and-see' intervention," study lead investigator and test inventor Dr. Muy-Teck Teh said in a university news release. "Detecting cancer early, coupled with appropriate treatment, can significantly improve patient outcomes, reduce mortality and alleviate long-term public health care costs."
Although this study shows that the test is effective for early cancer detection, further clinical trials are needed to evaluate its long-term clinical benefits.
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about mouth and other types of oral cancer.
SOURCE: Queen Mary, University of London, news release, Oct. 4, 2012
Copyright (c) 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:dea47dad-7553-4f41-a171-3de4c48fe96c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.koaa.com/news/new-gene-test-predicts-whose-mouth-lesions-might-be-cancerous/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944784 | 430 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Blood sugar is your body's primary source of fuel and plays a vital role in physical and mental well-being. But when it rises above normal, your health, your energy levels, and your weight-loss efforts are jeopardized.
Even before blood sugar levels reach the point of a type 2 diabetes diagnosis, the health problems can be serious. More and more research links even slightly high blood sugar to food cravings, mood swings, and excess weight, as well as pregnancy and fertility problems, heart attacks, stroke, and even some forms of cancer, early evidence suggests.
Good nutrition in general can help keep type 2 diabetes and high blood sugar at bay. But some specific foods and spices have been found to lower or help control blood sugar. Give these a taste.
Avocado. This fruit is rich in a particular kind of monounsaturated fat called oleic acid, which has been found to improve fat levels in the body and help control diabetes. Help yourself to another serving of avocado!
Beans. Many studies have shown that eating foods high in soluble fiber, particularly beans, reduces the rise in blood sugar after meals and delays the drop in blood sugar later on.
Cinnamon. Some alternative practitioners think that cinnamon may be helpful in making insulin receptors work better. Stir 1 teaspoon daily into a food or beverage. Other spices found to help the body use insulin more efficiently include bay leaf, clove, and turmeric.
Coffee. Regular drinkers may be less likely to develop diabetes, reveals a study from the University of Minnesota. Diabetes experts suspect that compounds and minerals in coffee beans may improve the sensitivity of insulin receptors and help the body process blood sugar more efficiently.
Orange. Studies indicate the soluble fiber and pectin in oranges can help control changes in blood sugar as well as help lower cholesterol.
Sweet potato. Despite its name -- and a flavor so luscious it makes a good dessert -- the sweet potato doesn't raise your blood sugar as high, or as fast, as a white potato.
Tea. Studies have shown that extracts of black tea may significantly reduce blood sugar levels. And enjoying a cup of chamomile tea may be more than a restful nighttime ritual -- the herb may help reduce blood sugar fluctuations.
For more healthy living news and features, visit PureMatters.com -- and don't forget to stop by the Pure Matters Shop for all your vitamin and supplement needs.
Source: Pure Matters http://www.purematters.com/prevention/diabetes/foods-that-help-balance-blood-sugar | <urn:uuid:3bf4516a-cbfc-4fc5-a5b8-b627d273fec2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.krdo.com/news/health/diabetes-awareness/Foods-that-help-balance-blood-sugar/-/15278768/14431246/-/5daahv/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918234 | 530 | 2.875 | 3 |
Affton, Mo (KSDK) -- School leaders are teaching character education to prevent bullying.
Teachers and counselors at Mesnier Primary School in Affton are getting the message across early that words hurt and the kids are paying attention.
Counselors are also teaching kids anger management, using puppets.
"It's a turtle trick. When someone's bullying you, you go over to the peace path and there's this little turtle and he bends in his shell like this, and then you do it, and you count to 10, and most of the time, it gets your anger from being bullied," sauid Camden Schlueter, a student.
In Ladue, administrators have given teachers and students a took to report bullyig.
"Students and staff can use forms to fill out to go directly to counselors and administrators," said Maggie Travers, a Ladue School District psychologist. "We have some policies in places that address these issues when they come up."
In South Roxana, Illinios, the approach is pro-active.
"The thing we try to do most is to promote positive behavior," said Principal Nate Porter.
Even with these tools, there are conflicts, something Mesnier school teaches young kids to resolve.
"We bring them itno the office where we have a peace place to talk to the kids," explained Guidance Counselor Janet Winchester. "If they're comfortable with it, then we have the kids work it out and we have a littel conflict mediation."
"It's called rock, paper, scissors," said Abbey Dallman, a student. "And like if you're fighting over a swing, you can do rock, paper, scissors, to see who gets the swing.
What teachers and administrators have learned is that early intervention tools work. They said teaching good behaviour in class was constructive than reactionary discipline. They believe the number one way to identify conflicts is by students speaking up and reporting problems. | <urn:uuid:46abacb2-6eea-4179-86ba-723eba9e87ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=319559 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966321 | 407 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Professors: Batsell, Boatwright, Érdi, Gregg (Chair), Hostetter, Tan
Psychology, broadly defined, is the study of animal and human behavior as well as human experience. The discipline involves the use of scientific methods in the discovery of facts and confirmation of theory as well as applications to problems. The major, therefore, includes a focus on the understanding and use of research skills and techniques. Psychology is a diverse field with important connections to biology, education, philosophy, and sociology. Increasingly, psychologists may be found in business, industry, education, government, and medicine, as well as in the more traditional areas of research and mental health.
Given its diversity and connections to other disciplines, psychology is a reasonable choice of major for students who seek a broad liberal arts undergraduate education. Psychology is also a practical major for those who seek careers immediately after graduation in fields where interacting with other people is primary—management, criminal justice, or human services, for example. Students interested in careers in such applied fields, however, may find the human development and social relations (HDSR) major a better choice.
Psychology majors may choose to pursue advanced degrees in three general directions: one, as scientists, leading to careers in higher education or research settings; two, as practitioners, leading to roles as clinicians, school psychologists, industrial psychologists, and health psychologists; and three, as professionals in other fields such as law, medicine, and business administration. | <urn:uuid:7affa0fc-5217-4217-977e-70e7e826d39f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kzoo.edu/programs/?id=27&type=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963629 | 298 | 2.734375 | 3 |
History professor examines state and territorial policies that affected early American Indian citizenship
Deborah Rosen, professor and head of history, has taken an in-depth look at early American Indian policy-making in her most recent book, American Indians and State Law: Sovereignty, Race and Citizenship, 1790 – 1880 (University of Nebraska, December 2007). The publication examines the role that state and territorial governments played in extending jurisdiction over Indians as well as defining borders and the meaning of citizenship.
“Belying the common assumption that Indian policy and regulation in the United States were exclusively within the federal government’s domain, the book reveals how states and territories extended their legislative and judicial authority over American Indians between the early national period and the Reconstruction era,” explains Rosen. “In this book, I detail how state and territorial governments regulated American Indians and brought them into local criminal courts, as well as how Indians contested states’ actions and asserted tribal sovereignty.”
Several students assisted Rosen with her publication as EXCEL scholars. These students were Robert Alessi ’00, Tiffany Blakey ’01, Phillip Dudley ’04, Andrea Kotrosits ’03, and Michael Sparrow ’04.
The students handled a plethora of primary source documents that were foundational to Rosen’s research, including judicial opinions, trial records, statutes, legislative hearings, constitutional convention debates, newspapers, speeches, letters, and official reports.
The finished book is a “discussion of nationwide patterns complemented by case studies focusing on New York, Georgia, New Mexico, Michigan, Minnesota, Louisiana, and Massachusetts that demonstrate the decentralized nature of much of early American Indian policy,” according to Rosen.
In addition to its cornerstone use of primary sources and divergent conclusion, Rosen’s book is the first to present a broad study of state and territorial Indian policies, laws, and judicial decisions in early United States history.
- Exceptional Faculty
- EXCEL/Undergraduate Research | <urn:uuid:8822f14c-12a0-486c-b534-20c773a07b76> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lafayette.edu/about/news/2008/01/07/deborah-rosen-explores-early-american-indian-policy-making-in-latest-book/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937758 | 409 | 2.671875 | 3 |
The Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra, or Movement of the
Landless Rural Workers (the MST), was formally created at the Primeiro Encontro
de Trabalhadores Sem Terra [First Meeting of Landless Workers], which took
place from January 21-24, 1984, in Cascavel, in the State of Paraná,
in the south of Brazil. Today, the MST is organized in 22 states and pursues
the same objectives defined at this 1984 Meeting and ratified at the First
National Conference at Curitiba, Paraná, in 1985: to fight for land,
for agrarian reform, and for the building of a just society, without exploiters
and exploited. Since its creation, the MST has included in its political agenda
the fight for schools and the discussion on what kind of school should be a
part of the life of the Sem Terra family.
This article discusses the pedagogical lessons that we can learn from the historical
experience of the MST. Before introducing some of these, however, it is important
to situate the context that allows us to think of a social movement of farm
workers as a place that may have lessons to offer on the processes of human
The MST came into its seventeenth year of existence reflecting deeply on two
of the great tasks that were defined throughout its history: first, to help
put an end to the "mortal sin" of the latifundium, decentralizing the
lands of this immense country, Brazil, and making them socially productive;
and second, to help humanize people, to develop human beings with dignity, identity,
and a project for the future. This second task, perhaps the one that the MST
has accomplished best since its undertaking, is what causes us to think more
directly of the educational dimension of the Movement.
The educational work of the MST has three main dimensions: first, the recovery
of the dignity of thousands of families who once again have roots and purpose.
The poor in everything have become citizens: people with rights, people who
work, study, produce, are a part of their communities, and who, in their daily
challenges, set a new agenda of discussion for this country. The second dimension
is the building of a collective identity, one which goes beyond each person,
family, and settlement. The identity of the Sem Terra [Landless],
and the capital letters without a hyphen, like a proper name that identifies
those who are no longer individuals who lack something have no land (land-less)
but are individuals with a choice that of fighting for more social justice and
dignity for all. This places each member of Sem Terra, through his/her
participation in the MST, in a movement that is related to the re-encounter
of humanity with itself. The third dimension is building the educational project
of different generations of the Sem Terra family, one that combines schooling
with broader concerns of human development and the training of militants.
Viewing the history of the MST in this perspective, we encounter some pedagogical
lessons, or how the proponents of a social struggle and a collectivity in movement
deal with, and are concerned with, education. These lessons can help us reflect
on each of our own educational practices, including those that we undertake
in the schools. Reflecting on these lessons, we may begin to understand something
even more profound: the MST has a pedagogy, that is, it has a praxis
(combined theory and practice) of how people are educated, of how human beings
develop. The Pedagogy of the Sem Terra Movement is the way through which
the Movement has historically developed the social individual of the name Sem
Terra, and has daily educated the people who are part of it. And the main
educational principle of this pedagogy is the movement itself, a movement
that unites diverse pedagogies, and in a special way unites the pedagogy
of social struggle with the pedagogy of the land and the pedagogy
of history, each one helping to make an imprint on our identity, mística,
project. Sem Terra is the name of one who fights for the people who have
roots in the land the land that is won, tilled, cared for and in the movement
This is the main discussion we have today in the MST with our educators: how
to make of the Pedagogy of the Movement a reference for our practice and our
thought. To be an educator in the MST is to succeed in understanding the educational
dimension of the Movementís actions, making them a mirror for its educational
practices. It is a reference viewpoint to aid in discerning the limits and challenges
of these practices. A mirror also educates our viewpoint to see beyond the
MST, beyond the Sem Terra. The Pedagogy of the Movement takes shape
in a dialogue with other educators, other students, and other pedagogical movements.
It was precisely in the interaction with people and works concerned with human
development that we managed to think about the MST as a pedagogical subject.
From this new synthesis, we continue our dialogue with theories and practices
of human development, along with specific thinking on the educational environment
of our schools.
From this dialogue with the Movementís practices and the thinking on human
development throughout the history of humanity, an initial result regards the
very concept of education. When we discuss practices of humanizing the field-workers
as a product of education, we are in fact recovering an essential link to the
work in education: to educate is to humanize, to cultivate learning to be a
The MST works all the time at the limit between humanization and dehumanization;
its struggle is that of life or death for thousands of people, who make their
participation in the Movement a tool for re-learning to be human. This is the
day-to-day task of the education of the Sem Terra in each march, each
camp, each settlement And it is this same day-to-day practice that shows that
the task is necessary and possible; that the adultsí and the agedís nearly lost
humanity can be recovered through learning, and that it is even more necessary
and possible to help in this learning from childhood.
From this conception of education, there are pedagogical lessons we have managed
to derive in this reflective counterpoint among the daily life of the MST, the
diverse theories and practices on human development, and the concerns with how
to educate the Sem Terra. These are lessons that also help us think and
rethink the curriculum and the educational environment of our schools.
1. People are the greatest value produced and cultivated by the MST
The Movement is the way that people collectively produce the Sem
Terra identity and carry out the struggle for agrarian reform that is the
root and strength of this identity. At times of the most acute social conflict,
such as those we live through today, this is even more visible: it is on the
people, on each one of them, that resistance depends, as well as the determination
of the proposals, the conduct that persists as an image for society, the continuity
in the face of the fiercest conflicts, the identity. The MST has succeeded in
arriving at its seventeenth year because it has learned to value every person
who is a part of its organization, and because it has defined human development
as one of its main priorities.
As educators, we need to be clear about what is in question every time we meet
with those we are educating: we are facing human beings, who deserve our respect
and dedication as human beings, and as members of an organization that fights
for dignity. Our work in a school where the Sem Terra study, for example,
needs to be thought of in the perspective of a great educational effort, which
makes us responsible, interested, and committed.
We need to reflect always on some basic questions: what human being are we
helping to develop through our practice? Is there coherence with the humanity
that the MST struggle has been producing and planning for throughout its history?
And those we educate: what human being do they see when they look at themselves
and their settlement companions? Have our educational practices helped them
to value themselves as persons and take on the collective identity they help
2. People are educated by learning to be
One of the things that often calls attention to the MSTís actions is the self-respect
of the people who take part in it. This self-respect, or feeling of dignity,
is produced to the extent that these people learn to be Sem Terra
and to be proud of that name. And on taking on this social, collective identity
we are Sem Terra, we are of the MST these people gradually discover dimensions
of their personal and collective identity, as well: Iím a woman, Iím black,
Iím a rural worker, Iím young, Iím an educator They are new individuals who
are formed and begin to demand their place in the world, in history; they know
they can and ought to fight for the right to be human wherever they are, with
or against whomever they are.
This returns us to the notion that this is an essential human task of learning:
to look in the mirror of what we are and want to be, to take on personal and
collective identities, to be proud of them, at the same time we are challenged
with the movement of our permanent self-construction. To educate is to help
build and strengthen identities, to draw faces, to form subjects. And this has
everything to do with values, way of life, memory, culture.
3. People are educated in the actions they perform and the works they produce
The MST forms the Sem Terra by putting them in a movement, which
means in permanent action, action with the dynamic of a social struggle: occupations,
encampments, marches, demonstrations of solidarity, the building of a new kind
of life in the settlements, schools, activities of development. It is through
such action that they learn that nothing is impossible to change, not even people,
their propensities, their positions, their ways of life, their values.
People are educated in action because it is the movement of action that molds
the way to becoming human. Actions produce and are produced through social relations:
that is, they set in motion another fundamental pedagogical element, which is
the interaction between people, how they behave among each other, which is measured
by the tools inherited from those who have produced other tools before (culture).
In these relations, people show who they are, and at the same time they construct
and revise their identities, their way of being.
We are speaking of any action, or of acting for actingís sake, without any
intentionality. We are speaking of action that produces works (material or not)
that become the mirror in which people can see what they are or even want to
be; and we are speaking mainly of work and the material production of our existence.
There is no true education without action, without work, and without collective
works. And, as the children remind us, there is also no education without games
and play, which can also be thought of as collective action producing works.
4. People are educated by producing and reproducing culture
The actions of the Sem Terra are loaded with cultural meanings that
they learn to produce and express. In an occupation, on a march, or in the organization
of a settlement, there appears not only what these families of workers are today,
or at this particular moment. Every action brings together with it the way of
being human that these people bear, the developing weight of the objective
circumstances of their whole previous existence and the type of education they
have received or lived. At the same time, their collective action is also usually
the negation of certain traditions that have marked their lives up to now, and
the projection of values they learn or re-learn in the pedagogical process of
the Movement. The MSTís expressions, symbols, art, way of struggle, embody a
cultural moment that neither begins nor ends at the moment of action. Each landless
person who enters the MST also enters a world already productive of symbols,
expressions, human examples, values, which, with each action, s/he learns to
signify and resignify.
One of the great pedagogical challenges of the MST with its social base has
been precisely to help people make a new cultural synthesis, one that joins
their past, present, and future in a new, rooted collective and personal identity.
To live as if one struggles, to struggle as if one lives This is a coherent
position that has been seen as necessary to the Movementís aims of social transformation,
as well as in its permanent conflicts and challenges. Memory, mística,
discussion of values, criticism and self-criticism, the study of history, these
are some cultural tools that the Movement has been using in this construction.
We can reflect then that to educate is to also to share meanings and tools
of culture (Jerome Brunerís expression, in Arroyo 2000). It is to help people
in the learning of signfying and resignifying their actions, in
such a way that they may transform them into values, behavior, convictions,
customs, expressions, symbols, art, that is, into a way of life chosen
and reflected by the collectivity of which they form a part. This means, among
other things, that to educate people is help to cultivate their memory; it is
to become acquainted and reacquainted with their symbols, expressions, words;
it is to situate them in a wider cultural and historical universe; it is to
work with different languages, organize different moments and modes so that
people may think about their practices, their roots, their plans, their lives
5. People are educated by living values
Values are a fundamental dimension of culture; they are the principles of life,
that for which we consider it worth living. Values are what move our
practices, our life, our being human. Values are what produce in people the
need to live for the sake of freedom and justice. Values are what move the striving
of the Sem Terra to make their settlements utopian communities, consistent
with the struggle that won them over.
The MST has been very concerned with the cultivation of values, because it
knows that it is the values, translated into culture, that it will leave as
a heritage to its descendants and the new generations of those who fight for
the people. And values only exist through people, their experiences, positions,
convictions. And they are not born with each one: they are learned, cultivated
through the collective processes of development, of education.
For the MST, this has not been an easy battle: to recover and cultivate human
values like solidarity, loyalty, the spirit of sacrifice for the collective
well-being, companionship, seriousness, discipline, indignation in the face
of injustices, the valuing of the Sem Terra identity, humility - in a
society that day by day degenerates with the counter-values of individualism,
consumerism, social apathy, lack of commitment to life, the exclusion of those
who take part in social struggles But it is only by taking on the job of educating
and re-educating people in its values that the MST can realize the project of
6. People are educated by learning how to solve problems
In the actions of a social struggle knowledge is acquired and produced,
and it is a very important dimension of the strategy for the humanization of
the people. But one of the pedagogical lessons we have gleaned from the day-to-day
life of the Movement is that the process of producing knowledge that effectively
aids in the development of the person is that which is connected to the large
and small questions of life. When a Sem Terra needs to know how to calculate
an area in order to measure the land where his agro-villa will be settled, or
when he needs to study geography to best choose the place for an occupation,
this knowledge will certainly have more human and social density for him. When
a Sem Terra child learns how to measure the materials that she needs
to begin building her playground, or learns to write letters to people she likes,
the same thing occurs. The expression "to know is to solve," from the Cuban
educator José Martí, brings us to an even more radical question:
it suggests to us that there is no true knowledge outside of concrete situations,
or the solution to problems of "real" life. And it really seems to be so, especially
when this question is put into the context of pedagogical processes.
To educate is to socialize knowledge and is also the tool for producing knowledge
that affects peopleís lives in their various dimensions of identity and universality.
To learn in order to solve problems means to understand knowledge as a comprehension
of reality in order to transform it, comprehension of the human condition in
order to make it fuller, which is a very old lesson that the Pedagogy of the
Movement is merely recovering.
7. People are educated by learning from the past to plan for the future
It was in this way that the Movement made itself as it is: learning from those
who had struggled before, cultivating the memory of their own path. History
is made in this way: planning for the future beginning with the lessons of the
past cultivated in the present. ĎThe land holds the rootsí, says one of the
MSTís songs. Education also must hold the roots, helping to cultivate
the memory of the people and in the development of historical consciousness.
Educators have a very specific task for this: their meetings with their learners
can be a privileged time for learning to cultivate the collective memory, and
for the study of a broader history. To know that this can make a difference:
the memory of the debts to the people that were not paid, the wounds that were
not healed, is not erased.
It is necessary to educate every Sem Terra family so that their rural
roots, their culture, and how these roots take part in the formation of the
Brazilian people, are not forgotten, so that all the Sem Terra may learn
how they came to the condition of being rural landless workers, and how they
have many other brothers all over the world in a similar condition, who are
also carrying on a struggle for the land and for agrarian reform as we are.
And as educators we also need to learn from this memory and its cultivation,
not to remain imprisoned in the past, but, on the contrary, to set it in motion
and plan for the future what is best for everyone.
8. People are educated in collectivities
The MST is a collectivity. And in it the Sem Terra learn that
the collective is the great subject of the struggle for land as well as its
great educator. Nobody gets his/her land by him/herself; the occupations, the
encampments, the settlements are collective works. The force of each person
is in his roots, which is his part in a collectivity with a memory and project
for the future. It is through taking part in the collective and its works that
people are educated not alone, but in relation to others which potentializes
their own singular, unique person.
People do not learn to be human by themselves. Without the bonds of their participation
in collectives they cannot go forward to a fully human condition. Uprooted people
are dehumanized people, who do not recognize themselves in any past and have
no project for the future. To educate is to help root people in strong collectives;
it is to potentialize social, human harmony in the construction of identities,
values, knowledge, feelings. An educational environment is fundamentally an
educational collective, moved and planned by teachers, but shared by all of
its members. In a true collective, all are at the same time educators and educated,
because all are a part of the process of learning and re-learning to be human.
9. The educator educates by conduct
The educator educates by conduct much more than by words. The strength of the
MST is not in its speeches, but in its actions and in the positions of the Sem
Terra who make them happen. It is the practices and the conduct of the collective
that educates the people who take part in the Movement or live with it.
It is for this reason that in the MST we have as educational references people
like Paulo Freire and Che Guevara. They were not educators only for what they
said or wrote, but through the testimony of the consistency between what they
thought, said, and effectively did and were, as persons and as militants in
the causes of the people.
To be an educator is, therefore, a way of being, a way of being with the people
that is a living message of values, convictions, feelings, of a conscience that
moves us and that we claim to defend in our organization. It is to have a complete
committment, which is not easy. Only a collective can help us in the process
of criticism and self-criticism, in the calls and in the affections that show
us when we are vacillating and also show us the right path so that we may return
Individuals are not only formed in school. There are other experiences that
produce even stronger learning. The Pedagogy of the Movement is not contained
by the school, because neither the Movement nor human development is contained
by it. But the school is a part of the Movement and its pedagogy, so much so
that historically the MST has tenaciously fought so that all the Sem Terra
may have access to schools. The school that is a part of the Pedagogy of the
Movement is the one that returns to its original task: taking part in human
To think of the school as a workshop of human development means to think
of it as a place where the educational process or the process of human development
occurs in an intentionally planned way, conducted and thought about for this
purpose, a process that is guided by a project for society and the human being,
and is sustained by the presence of people with specific knowledge for the work
of education, by the sincere co-operation of everyone who is there to learn
and to teach, and by the permanent link with other social practices that have
begun and continue this work.
The expression also helps us to rethink the pedagogical logic, or the pedagogical
method of the school. We claim that the school is not only a place for teaching,
and that a method of education is not the same as a method of teaching. It is
necessary to plan various pedagogical strategies in view of the different kinds
of learning that make up the complex process of human development.
In a school conceived as a workshop of human development, educators are architects,
organizers, and stimulators of the educational environment. This demands
great sensitivity and mastery of the arts of pedagogy to form the schools from
a clear perception of how the educational process is developing in each student
and in the collectivity as a whole; to perceive the contradictions and not be
overwhelmed by them, but to work with them pedagogically; to be aware of what
dimensions need to be emphasized at one moment or another, what type of actions
need to be performed and with what contents, what relations need to be worked
on and at what time.
It is a very important kind of learning: one needs to be humble enough to place
oneself always in the situation of an apprentice of the process, as apprentices
that we all are, of this complex art of building humanity, of which the MST
also has a part, albeit but a small one.
Arroyo, M. G. Ofício de mestre. Petrópolis: Vozes, 2000.
Caldart, R. S. Pedagogia do Movimento Sem Terra. Petrópolis:
Caldart, R. S. A pedagogia da luta pela terra: o movimento social como princípio
educativo, trabalho solicitado pela 23a Reunião Anual da ANPED,
Trabalho Movimentos Sociais e Educação, 2000.
Freire, P. Pedagogia da indignação. São Paulo:
Editora da UNESP, 2000.
Martí, J. Ideário pedagógico. Havana: Imprensa
Nacional de Cuba, 1961.
Stedile, J. P. e Fernandes, B. M. Brava gente: a trajetória do MST
e a luta pela terra no
Brasil. São Paulo: Fundação Perseu Abramo, 1999. | <urn:uuid:e36f0acb-8a94-4591-9076-124da9ebcad2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.landless-voices.org/vieira/archive-05.phtml?ng=e&sc=3&th=42&rd=MOVEMENT610&cd=&se=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958249 | 5,366 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Mineral oils listed as Petrolatum (Petroleum Jelly) or C-18 derivatives are frequently used in personal care products such as lipsticks, lubricants, baby lotions and oils. They commonly contain contaminants that studies have linked to cancer. UCLA studies links "high levels of exposure to mineral oils to increased mortality and incidence of lung cancer, ... melanoma" Source: PubMed.com
Mineral oils are also known to clog pores, forming a barrier preventing skin from eliminating toxins. Repeated use can even set off skin conditions such as acne and dermatitis.
Petroleum Jelly, or Petrolatum, is a semisolid compound derived from hydrocarbon. It can block the skin’s ability to moisturize itself, leading to chapped and dry skin, which are often conditions it is sold to alleviate. While Petrolatum on its own is not too harmful, it is often cheaply produced and the impurities/contaminants often found in Petrolatum are the concern. Frequently, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons(PAH) are found, which have been linked in studies to breast cancer.
Petrolatum has been banned by the EU from use in cosmetics unless the source can be proven and the product shown to be pure. It is listed as a possible human carcinogen.
Only use plant oils, never petroleum based oils. | <urn:uuid:822a61a7-b819-425a-b79a-759c6c59a125> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lavera.com/glossary/view/id/?cat=188&id=14%3Fcat%3D176 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961027 | 282 | 2.796875 | 3 |
5. Risky behavior in youth decreases: Results of the 2011 New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey showed a significant decrease in the rates of the prevalence of suicide attempts, cigarette smoking and binge drinking among the state's public high school students. The YRRS is conducted in New Mexico public high schools and middle schools in the fall semester of odd numbered years. The 2011 YRRS surveyed 16,635 New Mexico high school students. According to the survey, suicide attempts were reported by 8.6 percent of high school students, down 40.7 percent from a high of 14.5 percent in 2003. The percentage of high school students who were current smokers declined from a high of 30.2 percent in 2003 to 19.9 percent in 2011. Binge drinking decreased from a rate of 35.4 percent in 2003 to 22.4 percent in 2011. For more information, including reports by New Mexico counties, go to www.youthrisk.org.
4. New skilled nursing facility opens: The Department of Health held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in July for the new Meadows Home at the New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute in Las Vegas. Meadows Home is a skilled nursing facility that provides care for up to 180 residents of New Mexico. The new building, which is the first of three phases that is being built, replaces buildings that were built in 1948 and 1955. The Meadows Home creates a
3. West Nile resurgence: West Nile Virus was once again in the national and State spotlight due to a resurgence in the number of human cases of the disease nationwide and in New Mexico. In 2012, there were 47 human cases, which included one death in Bernalillo County. In 2011 there were four human cases and in 2010 there were 25 cases. West Nile was first detected in 2003 in New Mexico, with 209 human cases. West Nile Virus prevention tips can be found online at www.nmhealth.org/erd/healthdata/westnile.shtml.
2. Prescription drug overdoses Increase: In May 2012, the Department released data that shows sales of controlled prescription opiate pain relievers increased 131 percent in New Mexico between 2001 and 2010. During the same period, the state's drug overdose death rate increased 61.8 percent. Since 2007, the overdose death rate from prescription drugs has exceeded the death rate from illicit drugs such as heroin and cocaine.
There is help available for people addicted to prescription medications. The Southwest Pathways Clinic at the Las Cruces Public Health Office offers medication assisted treatment for persons with opiate dependency in southern New Mexico and provides intensive outpatient treatment that may be an alternative to narcotic treatment with methadone maintenance therapy. For more information about Southwest Pathways, visit www.healthynm.org.
1. Pertussis outbreak: There have been more than 750 cases of Pertussis in New Mexico this year. This is compared to 277 cases in 2011, 151 cases in 2010 and just 85 cases in 2009. Pertussis is a vaccine-preventable disease that causes fits of coughing that in some people make it hard to breathe. Anyone can get pertussis, but babies who get the disease are at greatest risk of complications, including pneumonia, seizures, brain damage and death. The best prevention from stopping the spread of pertussis is to get vaccinated. The CDC recommends cocooning, which is vaccinating everyone who comes into close contact with an infant, including daycare workers, aunts, uncles and grandparents. Find more pertussis information online at www.nmhealth.org/pertussis.
To read the full top 10 list, visit www.healthynm.org. Happy New Year!
Chris J. Minnick writes for the New Mexico Department of Health. He can be reached at [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:ddaf6484-01d0-4ea5-8a66-5436fa9fd779> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-health/ci_22260659 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950957 | 785 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Session 5Guided Channel-TalkLife Posting
Dogs and cats are great examples of animals whose diversity is the result of artificial selection. The variation that is evident among breeds has been purposefully developed by breeders. In your Channel-TalkLife posting for this session, describe how you could develop a unit on the fundamentals of evolution (e.g., variation, adaptation, natural selection) using these animals. Be sure to discuss how you would tailor the concepts addressed during this session to the grade level you teach.
Breeders for thousands of years have bred dogs for particular purpose. In ancient China the Chow was admired for its loyalty to owner and its ability to withstand harsh temperatures. The poodle swims very well and is very intelligent. The terrier breed is known for its tenacity and for catching rats. In third grade I would ask each student to chose a breed of dog or cat and then research the characteristics of that breed in regard to physical traits. I would then ask the students to share with the class how the breed differs from others and why breeders have selected those qualities. I would then discuss how it is that breeders can purposefully bred dogs that have puppies with those desirable characteristics.
Session 6 Guided Channel-TalkLife Posting
Both the National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy propose standards or goals for understanding big ideas in evolution starting in the elementary grades. Of the ideas addressed in Session 5 (variation, genes, mutation, adaptation, natural selection, artificial selection) and Session 6 species, evolution of new species, relatedness, common ancestry, tree of life), which do you consider appropriate introduce at the grade level you teach? Why? Discuss this with your colleagues in your Channel-TalkLife posting for this session. Be sure to share any experiences you've had.
In third grade appropriate concepts to introduce are: variation adaptation, genes, natural selection, artificial selection, species, evolution of new species, tree of life and common ancestry. I think that if conversations develop within the classroom at an early age that teachers should have the knowledge and background in science to explain these concepts in an age appropriate way. I think that it would be unprofessional to teach the vocabulary only and not provide hands-on activities for younger children to be able to begin making connections with these concepts. I have taught some evolutionary concepts when our classroom conversations went in that direction, but evolution is not part of the third grade curriculum.
Channel-talklife mailing list
Received on Sun Oct 9 20:28:07 2005 | <urn:uuid:4354e8a3-68d8-468b-ade1-61e23eca1030> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.learner.org/courses/essential/life/channeltalk/0064.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933182 | 517 | 3.78125 | 4 |
On February 1st, the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (the “Convention”) announced the pledges made by countries under the Copenhagen Accord (the “Accord”). Developed country parties to the Accord pledged greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets to be achieved by 2020. Most notably, developing country parties to the Accord also pledged mitigation actions. By the January 31st deadline, pledges had been provided by countries representing approximately 80% of global GHG emissions.
pledges made under the Accord
Adhering to legislation passed in its House of Representatives, the U.S. pledged a 17% reduction from 2005 levels.1 Canada also pledged a 17% reduction from 2005 levels, “to be aligned with the final economy-wide emissions target of the United States in enacted legislation.”2 Like Canada, many parties made pledges contingent on action by others. The European Union, for example, pledged to reduce its emissions 20% below 1990 levels, or by 30% should other parties make comparable commitments.
As an example of a mitigation action pledge of a developing country, China pledged to lower its carbon intensity (per unit GDP) by 40-45% by 2020, to increase to 15% the share of non-fossil fuels used in primary energy consumption, and to increase its forest coverage and forest stock volume.3 In comments following the announcement of the pledges, U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change, Todd Stern has made it clear that the U.S. expects of developing countries, stronger mitigation actions than those contained in the Accord.4
the 2009 UN climate change conference
The Accord was the outcome of the fifteenth Conference of the Parties (the “Conference”) to the Convention,5 attended by yours truly. In an unprecedented display of the prominence that climate change is gaining on the world stage, the Conference was attended by 115 heads of state and over 40,000 delegates.
The stage that was the Conference was not without its share of theatrics. When the leaders arrived in the final days to find that little progress had been made, the drama moved behind the scenes. In a telling moment, frustrated by negotiating only with Chinese Premier Wen’s aides, U.S. President Obama walked in on a private meeting between Wen and the leaders of Brazil, India, and South Africa.6 It was largely these five major economies that would go on to produce the Accord, which calls for any global temperature increase to be limited to two degrees Celsius.7
However the parties to the Convention’s Kyoto Protocol (the “Protocol”), the first commitment period of which ends in 2012, were unable to agree to its extension. The lack of consensus leaves in suspension the status of the Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and the value of the Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs) generated by thousands of projects thereunder. The International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), which held a parallel conference, nevertheless remains optimistic: “an international injection of increased demand remains a strong possibility over investment timescales but still has to be treated as an upside rather than a given.”8
back on the home front
As mentioned above, Canada’s climate change policy is explicitly tied to that of the United States. 2009 saw in the U.S. the passage in the House of Representatives of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (“Waxman-Markey”). Waxman-Markey calls for a 17% reduction of emissions below 2005 levels by 2020 and provides for the trading of allowances.9 Debate in the U.S. Senate of the similar Kerry-Boxer bill is nominally scheduled for debate this spring, though it may be 2011 before it comes to a floor vote. Tri-partisan senators John Kerry (D), Lindsey Graham (R) and Joe Lieberman (I) have taken it upon themselves to ensure passage of a climate (or “energy independence”) bill.
For many U.S. senators, any climate legislation must be accompanied by developing country emissions reductions and the international verification thereof. As China and others are less keen on international monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV), the Accord features compromise language. Countries will communicate their actions “with provisions for international consultations and analysis under clearly defined guidelines that will ensure national sovereignty is respected.”10 In any case, with more than two thirds of Americans supporting the regulation of GHG emissions,11 the passage of legislation through Congress and, consequently, Canadian federal regulation, may be on the horizon.
International climate change negotiations will occur in a number of fora this year. While the sixteenth Conference of the Parties will occur in December in Cancun, one might now wonder how much can be expected of 192-party negotiations. In June, Canada will host the G8 and G20 summits, and it is rumoured that climate change policy may be included on the agenda.12 Finally, it is likely that a second meeting of the Major Economies Forum will occur later this year to discuss climate policy.13 | <urn:uuid:7a4001a3-a36b-492a-9b85-d3408119e643> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=7a718b20-b3df-42cc-a2bf-e2dc617af9ef | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949659 | 1,055 | 3.109375 | 3 |
Positive Chronicles - East of eden
by Dr Kailash Vajpeyi
"Man is no longer
to be the measure of all things, the center of the universe. He has been measured
and found to be an undistinguished bit of matter, different in no essential way
from bacteria, stones and trees. His goals and purposes, his egocentric notions
of past, present and future; his faith in his power to predict and through prediction
to control his destiny—all these are called into question, considered irrelevant,
or deemed trivial."
When Leonard B. Meyer yanked man down from the exalted status assigned him by the Judeo-Christian tradition, in his 1963 book, The End of Renaissance?, he triggered off a radical shift in the relationship between man and nature. Today, that understanding goes variously by the name of Gaia or Deep Ecology.
The Gaia hypothesis postulates that Planet Earth is a living organism that adjusts and regulates itself like any other organism and that for 3.5 billion years, microbes, plants and animals have co-evolved with the environment as one globally integrated superorganism. In much the same vein, Deep Ecology believes in the essential ecological equality of all species, man and mouse, elephant and earthworm. In an interconnected, indivisible ecosystem, each part is as crucial as the next.
Here, T.S. Eliot may have been tempted to comment on the return of things to their point of beginning. For interconnection was the fundamental premise of the relationship between all traditional civilizations and nature. Unlike the western equation of conqueror and conquered, traditional people related to nature much as an offspring to a benevolent mother, or a devotee to a deity.
Most eastern religions such as Vedic Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism, include within nature not only all forms of life but also that which is inanimate and invisible. Vedic texts uphold the doctrine called Madhu Vidya, or interdependence between man and nature. The Vedic worldview is beautifully expressed in that famous injunction, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family).
In the Vedas, natural elements play a pivotal role. But the interrelationship of creation was always within the context of its relationship with the creator. The Vedic sages believed that everything in this world stems from divine knowledge (the word) which was first revealed to a group of seers, who then passed on this knowledge to successive generations of Vedic seers.
And thus, Saraswati, the Goddess of Divine Speech, holds a special place among Hindu deities.
May the divine speech, Saraswati,
The fountainhead of all faculties (mental and spiritual),
The purifier and bestower of true vision,
The recompenser of worship: Be the source of inspiration and accomplishments
For all our benevolent acts
(Rig Veda 1-3-10)
Thus, speech, or vak, has a preeminent role in the Indian tradition. Water, it is believed was literally produced by vak. In turn, if we accept the theory that the theory that the hydrogen molecule is the basis of all life, water could be said to have created the rest of life.
Of the five basic elements that make up life—earth, space, wind fire and water—the last, in the Vedic view, is the primal element. No wonder there are dozens of Vedic verses in praise of water:
O water source of happiness, we pray,
Please give us vigor so that we may
Contemplate the great delight Hail to you divine, unfathomable
All purifying waters
You are the foundation of all this universe
The consciousness of being composed of the same elements was one more proof of the unity of all creation. The elements, both separately and jointly as life forms, were, at one and the same time, objects of reverence and intimately related to us.
We hardly realize that there are cosmic forces which are working in cyclical patterns, and that the most fundamental pattern which governs our life is the movement of he earth on its axis. One shudders to think what would happen to life as we know it if the earth stopped spinning on its axis or the sun failed to rise in the morning.
We are creatures of the planet but the earth is not a geographical entity, it is us. The earth is not simply dust but a reservoir of all energy. It has given birth to four types of creatures: swedaj, udbhij, andaj and pindaj (aquarian, flora and fauna, avian and mammalian).
To the Vedic seers, the idea of subjugating or exploiting the earth was incomprehensible. To them it was an object of worship and not of exploitation. Its conquest was tantamount to dissecting a mother's body to study her heartbeat or chopping her breasts to isolate the gland producing milk. But times have changed. Today, man has no qualms about expropriating the earth's wealth for his own benefit. This has resulted in the creation of a new fifth species, the yantraj—the technetronic being.
According to Daniel J. Boorstin, the author of Cleopatra's Nose: "When the machine kingdom arrived on the scene, it entirely changed the fixedness of the idea of change. A natural species reacts to its environment and learns to adapt to it. But the technetronic species creates its own environment."
For instance, media technology tends to create what can be termed asdiplopia or double image, where it is hard to distinguish reality from illusion. Television, for example, has the capacity to convert an event into virtual reality, what is there is also here at the same time or what is here can also be there if it has been filmed. For the vedic man, the earth was the bestower of blessings, she was the protector of life. All descriptions of Ramrajya, (the reign of Lord Rama, the hero of the Indian epic Ramayana) portrayed the earth as abundant and giving.
The Mahabharata eulogized Yudhisthira's reign thus: "Earth yielded abundant crops and all precious things. She had become the provider of all goodness. Like kamdhenu, the celestial cow, the earth offered thousands of luxuries in a continuous stream."
In Bhumi Sukta we come across verses such as:
O purifying Earth, I you invoke
O, patient Earth by sacred word
Enhanced bearer of nourishment and strength of food and butter,
O, Earth we would approach you with due praise
Influenced by this holistic vision, the Indian way of life was integral, its purpose the well-being of creation. Even in the matter of eating, our ancestors emphasized the importance of feeding others before themselves. A householder could eat only after propitiating the ancestors, the devas representing different aspects of nature, the bhutas representing all created beings, guests, members of the household and servants. The practice of agriculture was deeply influenced by this sacred vision of interconnection.
According to the activist Vandana Shiva's book, The Seedkeeper, new seeds were first worshipped before being consumed. New crop was worshipped before being consumed. For the farmer, field is the mother: worshipping the field is a sign of gratitude towards the earth, who as mother, feeds the millions of life forms who are her children.
"In the place of chemical manures and pesticides, the traditional farmer used nature's own checks and balances to nurture fertility and keep pests at bay. A typical rice field supported and in some places continues to do so 800 species of "friendly insects"—spiders, wasps, ants and pathogens that controlled 95 per cent of insect pests.
These practices are still a living presence among India's tribal societies, for instance, the Warlis, a community near Mumbai, worship nature as Hirva (green) and consider all produce to be gifts of Hirva, rather the fruits of their own labor. Conservation of plants and animals was an innate aspect of their culture, illustrated in the concept of the sacred grooves: mangroves, marshlands and other tracts of land supposedly inhabited by spirits, where killing of plants and animals is taboo.
The Bishnois of Rajasthan, too, will rather die than let a single tree be felled. The concept of coexistence took many forms. Before felling a tree to construct a temple, the carpenter traditionally sought the permission of the tree. And in Emperor Asoka's time, veterinary hospitals were state institutions.
Among the five vital elements which sustain life on earth, the wind in the Rig Veda is called vata. Though the wind is connected with the primordial waters, its origin is not known.
Vedas also address it as the spirit:
May the wind breathe upon us
Prolong our lifespan
And fill our hearts with comfort
Responding to the current environmental crisis, Susan Griffin in her book Women & Nature writes: "We live as if nature is only need to provide extras: paper, recreation, specialty foods, a job to provide money."
Unlimited desire and man's greed has devastated this planet to such an extent that by the time you finish reading this article, at least 10 species of birds would be extinct forever. In contrast, personal fulfillment in Buddhism is sought through independence.
Here the self is temporary and nonessential rather than the center of the universe. Writes Kerry Brown, co-author of Buddhism and Ecology, about the Buddhist philosophy: "Where infinite spiritual development is possible within a physical existence that is understood and accepted as infinite."
Buddha attained enlightenment under a banyan tree, J. Krishnamurti had the same kind of realization under a pepper vine. No wonder the author of Bhamini Vilas called the tree Guru.
"O tree! You bear fruits, leaves and flowers and protect people from the scorching sun. Whoever come to you in scorching heat, you take away their suffering and give them coolness. This way you surrender yourself for others. That is why you are a Guru of all kind people."
Anekantavada, the Jain concept that professes multiple views of reality, goes even deeper. Its verdict on the unmindful endeavors of mankind would be damning. The bacterial organism, as understood in modern science, can be compared with what is called nigodiya life in Jainism. And ahimsa or nonviolence, which is fundamental to Jain philosophy, teaches not harming even the basic forms of life. Jainism and other Indian religions advocate that compassion must be the foundation for any truly civilized community.
Lawrence Joseph, the author of Gaia, has obviously been deeply influenced by all systems of Indian philosophy which adhere to the universal law of interdependence. Lynn Margulis, co-author of the Gaia theory along with James Lovelock, believes strongly that the biological microcosm provides a key controlling influence in the global environment and argues that the role of these tiny organisms has been underestimated because they are invisible. With the convergence of the most recent scientific understanding and the most recent ancient wisdom, there is hope yet for the survival of the earth and, in turn, life on it.
There can be no better sign of it than NASA circulating, all over the USA, a photograph of the earth with the caption: Love your mother.
|HOME | SUBSCRIBE | WALLPAPERS | ADVERTISING | POLICY | PRACTITIONERS | WRITERS | PEOPLE | ABOUT | CONTACT| | <urn:uuid:4e0e9bff-c5aa-4942-a3eb-fa578926eb71> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lifepositive.com/mind/philosophy/eden.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951647 | 2,407 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Common streaming audio formats and players
Uncompressed CD-quality WAV and AIFF files are too large to stream over the Internet for playback in real time. Instead, lighter-weight compressed formats such as MP3 and RealAudio are employed for streaming network audio. These formats use what are called "lossy" compression schemes, reducing file sizes by eliminating certain inaudible data from the original files without too significantly degrading playback sound quality. MP3 and RealAudio are excellent streaming formats, achieving performance factors great enough to allow real-time encoding/decoding over current network bandwidth conditions while delivering satisfying audio quality.
MP3 and RealAudio are not the only players in the network streaming audio arena. We'll also look at Macromedia's Flash and the Ogg Vorbis project from the Xiphophorus group. Since RealAudio's Internet history begins the earliest, we'll start with RealAudio.
In 1995, Progressive Networks (now RealNetworks) introduced RealAudio, the Internet's first widely-deployed streaming audio format. The RealAudio player (RealPlayer) was freely distributed to users who at that time were typically connected to the Internet via low-bandwidth modems; thus, the player supported connection rates as low as 14.4 Kbps, which delivered audio quality comparable to the sound of a decent AM radio. Faster connections such as ISDN accordingly improved reception speed and sound quality.
By giving away basic versions of RealPlayer and the RealProducer content-production utility, Progressive Networks seeded the market for their commercial product line and sparked an explosion in network multimedia. Today you can find an astonishing number and variety of RealAudio-enabled sites. As a curious example, I searched Google for "realaudio history", hoping to find some background material on the format; instead, I found thousands of sites dedicated to various historical topics, all of which included audio presentations requiring RealPlayer.
RealPlayer: RealAudio in X
Happily, RealPlayer is available for Linux, and you can retrieve it for free as either an RPM or tarball package from the Real.com downloads page. Installation is fairly straightforward, but there are a few snags to report. Close your web browser before installing the software, then become the root user and run the installation package. The RPM file needs to be renamed:
mv rp8_linux20_libc6_i386_cs1_rpm rp8.linux20.libc6.i386.cs1.rpm
before installing it (as root) with this command:
rpm -i rp8.linux20.libc6.i386.cs1.rpm
The tarball must have its permissions set (as root again):
chmod u+x rp8_linux20_libc6_i386_cs1.bin
Now you can run the installation package:
The installation procedure will automatically set up RealPlayer as a helper application in Netscape, but be forewarned: It will also overwrite any custom settings you have for audio formats such as WAV, AIFF, and AU, so you may want to back up your Netscape preferences before installing RealPlayer. Also, the installation will not automatically update the RealAudio plug-in. Close Netscape, copy the
rpnp.so file from your new
$HOME/RealPlayer directory to
$HOME/.netscape/plugins, fire up Netscape again, and your RealAudio plug-in should now be enabled. Check the Help/About Plugins menu item in Netscape for a status report.
TRPlayer: RealAudio for the console
At least three RealAudio players are available for the Linux console. They all depend upon an existing installation of RealPlayer and act as wrappers for RealPlayer, making its functions available to console applications. The RAP and RaWrapper players require support for the frame-buffer device; I wanted to avoid the need for any special graphics support (such as SVGA, frame-buffer, or
ncurses) in my console RealAudio player, so I chose Matthew Campbell's TRPlayer.
TRPlayer is available as a binary in RPM and DEB packages, but I chose to build the latest beta version (2.0.b2) from the source tarball. TRPlayer's only unique requirement is the slang library and header. Fortunately, slang is found on most mainstream Linux distributions, and a straightforward
./configure; make should have your player ready to rock. However, due to the filesystem vagaries of Linux distributions your build may fail with this message:
main.cc:17: slang.h: No such file or directory make: *** [main.o] Error 1
If so, change this line in
to this line:
When the build is complete, become root (
su root), run
make install, and you will have a new command-line RealAudio player. You can call it from the prompt at the console or in
xterm, invoking it with an address linking the player to the RealAudio stream:
You now have streaming RealAudio at the Linux console. Cool...
RealNetworks deserves praise for maintaining and steadily improving a freely available RealPlayer for Linux, particularly since there's no other way to enjoy all those RealAudio-empowered sites. Harder-core users and developers might be dismayed to learn that Real's software is available only in binary format and that source code is not freely available. Nevertheless, there's only one place to go for RealPlayer, so if you want it, there you go.
Now let's look at that other major streaming audio format, the notorious MP3. | <urn:uuid:ed3f2ebc-5ea1-4b6f-ae69-05a098955a7a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2001/03/23/streaming_media.html?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.863342 | 1,173 | 2.59375 | 3 |